Month: September 2013

Review: Delectable by Adrianne Lee

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20130909-091341.jpg I found Delectable so refreshing! Instead of boy meets girl until happily ever after, Adrianne Lee gives us a romance about a newlywed couple who almost didn’t make it past their first two years of marriage.

With intervention from friends and family, Quint and Callee are thrown together in the kitchen of Big Sky Pie Cafe. They think about rekindling their relationship and decide against it several times. Eventually, all roads do lead to a happily ever after.

I liked how Callee made Quint work for the relationship. She refused to be a doormat even though she still loved him. I loved Quint’s efforts to save his marriage, especially his attempts to be romantic while still being his authentic self.

The ending was abrupt and could have used another chapter about Callee to bring the reader along on her mind trip, but I made the leap and enjoyed the book as a whole.

True love and homemade pies made this novella totally delectable!

-Calliope

Buy It Now Delectable

Review: Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss

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imageCongratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

This is a very popular book by Dr. Seuss. It’s about starting a new adventure. It’s about being brave enough to start adventure.

Three people in my life recently chose
to begin new journeys. Davy and Eddie are already far, far away in their new home. My blogging partner, Urania, will begin hers in the next few days.

This is my ode to them. To say that I am proud of them. That I miss them very much.

I’m afraid that some times
you’ll play lonely games too.
Games you can’t win
’cause you’ll play against you.

Like the verses above states, sometimes you will be lonely. You will be battling with yourself whether or not you made the right decision. While you are fighting those self-doubts and insecurities, take a look back and see how far you traveled. You will find inner strength.

And you will succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

Happy trails, Urania! Davy and Eddie, looking forward to the next daily update of your further adventures in Rio!

~Thalia

Buy It Now Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Pre-Order Kindle Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Review: Edenbrooke, by Julianne Donaldson

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Normally, I don’t read historical romances. But a certain Muse told me about Ms. Donaldson and said that I must read her. Boy, am I glad I glad I listened to her. This is the second book I’ve read of hers and I am in love with her writing. This book was so full of sweet romance that my eyes were prickling the whole entire time. I fell in love all over again. I feel like twirling with my eyes closed.

Marianne has been away from home for 14 months. She wants nothing more than to be reunited with her twin, Cecily, and her father. But instead, she must endure constant affections from an unwanted suitor in a city that is the complete opposite of where her home is.

She has been invited to spend some time in Edenbrooke with her sister and some family friends. And after a horrible incident with a highway man and then being subjected to a very flirtatious boy, she wonders what else will happen on her visit.

The longer she stays at Edenbrooke, the more her heart strings get pulled. She starts to feel things for Phillip, the heir to Edenbrooke, but she knows that her sister wants him, so she tries to remain only friends.

Phillip was the perfect gentleman. He was sweet and adventurous and enjoyed making Marianne blush every chance he could. But he always seemed to be there when she needed him.

My heart broke for Marianne, while she examined herself and found it lacking. She always put herself in her sister’s shadow and never realized that she was perfect, not inferior. She tries to convince herself that someone will love her, even if it’s for her inheritance.

Little does she know that love is right in front of her.

“Where is your compassion when I need it the most? Open your eyes, love, and see what is right before you: that I am not merely a friend, but a man deeply, desperately, in love with you.”

*swoon*

Seriously swooning happened. Phillip did everything a gentleman would do. He was perfect.

“I will always want her…Always! There is nothing you could do to change that.”

~Melpomene

Buy it now Edenbrooke: A Proper Romance

Ramblings From the Odd Muse Out……

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622516_10151562979950064_1131408446_oSometimes I despair over being a muse. Don’t get me wrong. I love it. This blog is so much fun. The fellow muses are amazing. It’s not often you can get 5 women to all agree on something, but the blog is also so much fun!

However, I have to confess…..sometimes I feel like the odd muse out. Trust me when I say all of the other muses are girly girls….meant in the best possible sense of the word….They are cute and cuddly and they all seem to love HEA books. They get all giggly over all the latest romance books and I am left wondering what is wrong with me? I mean, really, can’t I be part of the giggling muse in-crowd too? Seriously, I can giggle….listen……

Bwhahahahahahahahahaahah…..

Okay, maybe not…..see what I mean? Didn’t that sound a bit like some evil laugh right there? Seriously, there was nothing cute and bubbly about it, was there?
Now I know, my fellow muses are so wonderful that they will read this blog post and come running and offer me chocolates and some story of a studly man hunk that they are sure will cheer me up…..they will tell me how this book or that book is just like my very own HEA story….

So, now that I’m over my self-pity party, I realize that this is what this blog and my friendship with my fellow muses are all about….fun and good times with people you care about…but since this is a literary blog, let’s take it a step further….

Where else can you find total acceptance with a group of strangers other than in the literary world?

I said a moment ago that I love this blog and how much fun it is….but it’s not because we are all doing something we love. It’s also because of the followers. It’s also because of the fellow muses. But there is more…..It is because all of us, muses and followers share a common interest. Love of reading….not a common genre of books…..but the love of books themselves….

You see, I’ve been an odd muse out pretty much my entire life….and for that lifetime, I’ve also been fortunate enough to have a strong passion for reading….no matter how or where I was going, or how far I was going to have to walk, I never felt lumbered enough where I didn’t carry some sort of book with me….school, over night stay at grandma’s house, family vacation….wherever, I always toted along that book….just in case….

Now that I have found other literary friends, I have truly felt accepted for perhaps the first time ever….

Let me try to explain…..sure there are school ties that bind us….if you went to a certain school you found connected to the other students….but perhaps not to the students of the closet rival school….so your binds ended right there….
you can feel a bigger bind with people in your hometown….perhaps your state, your favorite sports team…..hell, even your Country….you can even form a bond just because you share the same gender with someone…..

But think about it…..with literary friends, you don’t have to all read the same things. I know fellow literary friends (I won’t name names Muses!!!!) that read nothing but fluff, and I still consider them some of my favorite people in the world! To take it a step further, they don’t seem to mind that I read some really oddball stuff….
But think about it….open up your mind….My love of the written word has brought me great friendships from every walk of life…..Different genders, different generations, different cultures, different genres and different reading preferences.

As I’ve been sitting her pondering it….I wonder what else could do so?

George RR Martin wrote:

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one”

I would just like to point out that it’s not just the words on the page that enables us to do this….it also the combined love of these words that we share with one another…..if you want to get people talking, really talking to one another, give them something they are passionate about and open the door….
How many times have you seen a stranger with a book and started a conversation based on it? I know I have! What a thrill to feel that instant bond with a stranger! Haven’t tried it? Take the chance and do so! You might be really surprised how easily a conversation starts over a book….it doesn’t even need to be a book you’ve read or would even consider reading!

The best part of about being a person that reads is that reading encompasses so very many different areas….and because it does, so many readers are open to new ideas….when you read a lot it’s so hard to simply see the world in black and white anymore….I, for one, see it in various shades of vibrant colors….
I know that without reading, so many doors I have walked freely though would not have been open to me…So many of the people I love most in this world would be unknown to me…..

So yes, perhaps for now on, after this long rambling post, I will be known as “Urania – the rambling muse”

But I also know that even though I sometimes feel like the odd muse out, that in fact, I belong to a very large and loving literary family that loves me despite my excellent reading tastes……
Bwhahahahahahaahahahahahaha (see! Did THAT sound more like a giggle there?)

Much Love and Happy Reading,
Urania

Browse Amazon now for books! Your Next Great Read

Review: Patchwork Family in the Outback by Soraya Lane

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Poppy leaves the city and heads to a teaching position in the outback, hoping for a fresh start after her husband did her wrong. Harrison loves the land he was raised on and is determined to raise his own children there – despite his wife leaving the family for a more exciting city life.

This novella is very well-written, and the small cast of characters is nicely developed. There’s a meet-cute, the push and pull of new and unexpected chemistry, and a convenient storm that gives Poppy and Harrison a final push toward each other.

I loved the relationship between Harrison’s children and Poppy. I thought it was pretty realistic for a teacher to want to care for mother-less children. I also liked that Harrison was so rough and tough, but had a soft spot for his children.

I enjoyed reading about this Patchwork Family, and wished it was a full-length novel. For an hour or two I was transported to rural Aussie ranch country, and fell in love with Harrison’s family just like Poppy did.

–Calliope

For a quick, enjoyable, uplifting read for under $4:

Buy It Now Patchwork Family in the Outback

Review: What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang

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11043618 In this world all children are born with two souls in one body. One of those souls is expected to be recessive and to settle – basically fading away to nothingness. But when the norm doesn’t happen they’re called Hybrids and society considers them to be a very dangerous thing and force them to go through medical testing and counseling until the dominant soul is the only one left.

This is what Addie and Eva have gone through and come out the other side – but with a secret. Eva, the recessive soul, has survived. They consciously work daily to ensure that no one suspects this, not even their family.

“But understanding a thing and accepting it are so very different things.”

When they meet another Hybrid everything changes. Eva is given a chance to have a voice again and while Addie wants to stick with the status quo, for once Eva won’t let her. It’s incredibly dangerous and if anyone finds out they could be institutionalized or worse.

From the very beginning Kat Zhang’s prose grabbed me and pulled me into this world and into Addie/Eva’s head. The book is told from Eva’s point of view which is in stark contrast to her world, where she literally has no voice. Eva’s experiences were heartbreaking and very well expressed.

As the book progresses and there are more and more decisions to make we get to hear Addie and Eva’s internal monologue on how to deal with these new challenges. Addie has been used to being the dominant soul and letting go of that is hard for her but she still wants to give Eva the chance to not be hidden anymore.

I would highly recommend this book, it’s a different take that I’ve ever seen before and I am super excited to review the second book What We Were in a few weeks when it comes out!

5 stars

~Clio

Buy it Now What’s Left of Me: The Hybrid Chronicles, Book One

Review: Keeping Her: A Losing It Novella by Cora Carmack

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image2.5/5 stars

Garrick and Bliss are going to London to meet his parents. Bliss is very worried about meeting his mother. Garrick tries to re-assure that everything will be ok.

In London, Bliss meets his two oldest friends first. Then they go Garrick’s parents’ home, where a surprise engagement party awaits them. And that’s just the start. There is some more added un-needed drama. I wish the novella focused more on Garrick and his two friends, instead of the melodrama.

This novella is for hard-core fans of the series. You are not missing anything if you skip it.

Looking forward to the next full-length book in this featuring Bliss’ friend, Kelsey in October.

~Thalia

Buy It Now Keeping Her: A LOSING IT Novella

Find Out They First Met & Got Together Losing It

Review: Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead

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Seating Arrangements was one of those books I saw on a list of “must reads.” The description mentioned a wedding, a beach setting, a few families getting together, New England seaside living, and summer vacation. What’s not to love?!

And then I read the book. The description above is technically correct. However, the mood of this novel is dreary, dingy, grimy, contemptible, and depressing. No one is happy. I’ve never read such gloomy characters in a plot that I expected to be so lovely and delightful.

Maggie Shipstead writes beautifully – both technically and emotionally. And the plot at face value – families get together at the beach house to celebrate a wedding – is one that would normally interest me. But the crass and sad approach to it bogged me down. Each character fails at managing what life threw at them. Each character fails to live up to his own standards. Each character has more flaws than redeeming qualities. The story ends up being a description of this family’s debacles.

I enjoy light and upbeat books – or ones that at least have some ups and downs. Seating Arrangements just brought me down.

5 stars for writing ability, literary accomplishment (great symbolism and allusions), and character development.

1 star for enjoyability and plot presentation.

-Calliope

For literary fiction fans who don’t mind their novels on the depressing side, you’ll appreciate the writing!
Buy It Now Seating Arrangements

For fans of jovial, lighthearted stories of beaches and friends and weddings, try this August release instead!
Buy It Now Plus One is a Lucky Number: HarperImpulse RomCom

Review: Her Favorite Rival by Sarah Mayberry

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imageAudrey and Zach both have painful pasts. Audrey ran away from home at the age of sixteen. Although she came back home, her parents never truly forgave her. Instead they lavished attention on her younger sister while became she became the black sheep of the family.

Zach’s parents were recreational drug users. His mom became addicted to heroin after the death of his father in a motorcycle accident.

Audrey and Zach have overcome their hardships and are successful in the corporate world. They are both buyers for a large hardware chain of stores. A new CEO has come on board and they want to prove themselves in hopes of getting a promotion to category manager. Audrey has the experience. Zach has the academic qualifications.

They see each other as rivals but working together on a report allows them to get to know each other. An attraction develops. Naturally, they flirt.

“Why do men always buy manual cars?”
“Because we like to be in control.”
“Why do women always buy automatics?”
“Because we like to conserve our energy for some important things.”
“I have plenty of energy left to spare, don’t worry.”

They eventually give in to this attraction and it is Audrey who initiates this. It is Zach who insists that it goes beyond one night, who wants to start dating her.

“He didn’t care. Maybe that was because he was so tired, or maybe it was because he’d spent the night beside his sick mother, and turning his back on something -somone- who felt as good and life-affirming and right as Audrey did seemed nuts.”

It is mutual decision that they keep it quite from work for now.

As they open up about their families, they are there to console, comfort and support each other.

The category manager position does eventually open up. Both are asked to interview. No matter whom is selected, I firmly believed that the other would be proud and supportive of the other.

“All right. It’ll probably end in tears, but if you think we can handle this, I guess we’ve got to do it.”
“We can handle it.”

This is another winner by Mayberry. She writes compelling and sometimes heartbreaking stories featuring everyday, hardworking characters. It was a pleasure to see Audrey and Zach fall for each other as they deftly handled their career aspirations and difficult past.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

~Thalia

Read Clio’s review of the prequel featuring Audrey’s sister.

Buy It Now Her Favorite Rival (Harlequin Superromance)

Review: When the World was Flat (and We Were in Love) by Ingrid Jonach

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15767908 This was an amazingly different Young Adult book. Different in a very good way. It captivated me from the first chapter and didn’t disappoint throughout the book. Do not let the science fiction genre title on this book scare you away!

Lillie lives in a small town with her Mom and has a small group of friends. Over the last few months she’s been having nightmares that feel very real and terrifying. But she doesn’t mention these to anyone because it’s kind of weird when you’re 16 and talking about bad dreams right?

It’s big news when Tom moves to the small town as there are very few new people in her school ever. Lillie feels very drawn to him but is rebuffed almost immediately. Yet they keep having interactions and at each one she feels that he may have the key to telling her what exactly is going on with her.

She eventually finds the truth and has to deal with that and how it affects the rest of her life and those around her since it changes things forever.

I loved the way this was written – I didn’t mean to finish it in one night but it just happened because I needed to know what was going on. I thought that Lillie was a very relatable character, I felt for her as she tried to figure out her feelings. Feelings of being so awkward around a boy she liked, trying to figure out what the hell was going on with her friends and dealing with bitchy girls in high school.

But on top of that traditional YA part of the book was the sci-fi part of the book. I don’t read sci-fi. Like ever. But this melded extremely well together and I loved the way it was done. I was fascinated throughout. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves YA books but wants something a little bit different. The book comes out tomorrow and you should get it!!

I received this ARC in return for an honest review.

4 stars

~Clio

Buy it Now

When the World was Flat (and we were in love)