Month: December 2013

Review: Kentucky Christmas by Sarah Title

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20131206-230315.jpg New Release!

Kentucky Christmas is an upbeat, festive, romantic novella with pretty cool characters. Billie works in her dad’s vet office, and Andrew is a traveling salesman selling… yes, vet supplies. Only he’s a horrible salesperson. And he’s completely smitten with Billie. She returns the sentiments, and boom, romance ensues.

What I love about Kentucky Christmas is Billie’s insouciance and Andrew’s seriousness. Billie is up for anything, likes to party a little bit, and amps up Christmas with more kitsch than you can shake a leg at. Andrew appreciates Billie’s fun-loving attitude, just as she appreciates his way with electronics, his Clark Kent glasses and the way his trousers fit. 🙂

This isn’t a serious book. Sometimes you need a pick-me-up, and Kentucky Christmas did that for me, with tinsel.

-Calliope

Buy it now Kentucky Christmas

Review: Honeymoon in Paris by Juliette Sobanet

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20131206-001838.jpg New Release!

Honeymoon in Paris is a mystery wrapped in chick-lit, with a little romance thrown in. Charlotte and Luc begin their marriage in a small apartment in Lyon, France, where Luc romances the heck out of his wife ….
Until he starts keeping secrets.

For most of the book, Charlotte tries to unravel Luc’s mysterious past, while she herself unwittingly wades into the mystery. I liked Charlotte’s amateur sleuthing. I identified with her need to know what was going on, and also her obliviousness to some of the danger around her. (Call me nosy and naïve!)

I also liked Charlotte’s friendship with Lexi and Fiona. Their knowing glances, quick-catch-ups over pastry or texts, and occasional nights out seemed authentic. The girls are young, adventuresome, and pretty fearless. The book skewed a little young for my personal taste, but it brought me back to my 20s, and it was a pretty fun trip.

The supporting cast was a treat – sleazy Vincent, Devil-Loves-Prada-Glenn-Close Mireille, and spoiled Brigitte. Sometimes foils are just as fun as protagonists, and that was certainly the case here!

The only thing that bothered me about Honeymoon in Paris is the subtitle (A Paris Romance). This book wasn’t much of a romance. It was mostly chick lit and mystery, with a few lovey dovey scenes between the newly married couple. Because of the subtitle, I expected a romance and was disappointed. If the subtitle read A Paris Adventure, I would have been ready for the capers that ensued. The other Paris books in Sobanet’s repertoire skew more toward romance.

If you’re up for suspenseful chick lit and you’ve got your sleuthing hat on, you’ll enjoy Honeymoon in Paris.

-Calliope

Buy it now Honeymoon in Paris

Review and Blog Tour: Gabriel’s Redemption, by Sylvain Reynard

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“Of all the gifts God gave me…the greatest one is you.”

Let me start out by saying that I was perfectly happy with the way Gabriel’s Rapture ended. If there wasn’t a third book, I would be content. Even Sylvain Reynard was content with the ending of Rapture. That being said, I’m even happier he changed his mind and gave us a bit of closure and a bit of their futures.

Professor Gabriel Emerson left his job to follow his wife, Julianne, to Harvard for her graduate program. He is happy, just to be with her. But when he brings up having children, Julianne’s world crashes around her. She wants to make him happy, but also feels selfish for wanting to finish school first. She knows that for him to want children, is a big step. But she seems a bit childish in this situation. I know having children is scary, but knowing that Gabriel would need a vasectomy reversal soon, since it’s been 10 years, I can’t understand why she would want to wait. She made me a bit irritated.

While Gabriel has a need for a family, he realizes he knows nothing of his own family history, except what he dreams about. And even then, he’s not really sure if it’s real or not. So in order to make his dreams come true, he needs to do a bit of digging into his past. And his past is nothing he wants to be near, too many ghosts.

He also has a hard time accepting the fact that God has forgiven him for his reckless past and he can move on. He doesn’t feel he is worthy of happiness. Julianne has to show and teach him that he is worthy of everything. And no matter what struggles they go through, they will always be together.

“For you, my love, I would endeavor to pluck the stars from the sky, only to shower them at your feet.”

The love between Gabriel and Julianne is so great, I’m surprised my kindle didn’t start smoking. Some of the scenes were downright HOT! I feel even harder for the professor. He knew how to show love and he showed it a lot. 😉 I loved the little snarky narrator, that added to the scenes. For instance, Desk sex can be very, very good, but it’s important to remove the staplers first. 🙂

We also get a glimpse of Julianne’s friend, Paul, and his quest to move on from Julianne. My heart kinda broke for him. He loved Julianne and every time he saw her or though about her, a little piece of his heart broke off.

We also run into and old enemy who decides to continue with the trouble she caused before. I so wanted to beat her! She was making me so mad. I kept hoping she’d get put in her place.

I absolutely adored both of their families. Their struggles to keep moving forward with their lives, was heart breaking. The loneliness of some were eased, while others still struggle. But the love they all share, will get them through anything.

It’s bittersweet to read this book. But all good things come to an end, right? But these will always remain of of my favorite series.

Enter the a Rafflecopter giveaway
to win a pair of Christian Louboutins(Gabriel’s favorite) or 1 of 15 signed sets of the trilogy. Me personally, I want the books. I’d fall on my face in those shoes. I’m a chucks kinda girl. 😉

~Melpomene

Buy it now Gabriel’s Redemption (Gabriel’s Inferno Trilogy)

Review – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach

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bestWithout a doubt, this novel is a permanent contender in my top 5 favourite read stories of the past few years. Where to even begin? Well, you can read the blurb to discover the plot, so I shall refrain from repeating it. I picked this book up purely on a boredom impulse one day when I was on a business trip, and I am so glad I did! This story is perhaps one of the best examples, since Arundhati Roy’s ‘God of Small Things’, of the complex Anglo-Indian relationship, post-independence. Whilst it doesn’t rub it in your face and whack you over the head with a stick, the story does get you thinking about the effect of colonialism, and the aftermath that it brings. Ideals are presented, and turned on their head once reality kicks in, and Deborah Moggach does this in a very stark fashion, without coming off a preachy.
The mix of characters, whilst completely over the top, are a refreshing bunch of fun, quirky, old-school (some being inherently racist/ignorant), Raj-yearning individuals. The reader to form a definite and firm opinion of each character due to Moggach’s expert character presentation and the changing shift in language and style used when writing from each perspective.
Now, the style of the novel is very “British” in regards to some of the things that happens to the characters and how they react, or in fact, how the reader acts when “witnessing” these calamities. It’s not quite as “British” as Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy (many readers this side of the pond did not like this novel), but it is definitely not what you might be used to. To say this isn’t your conventional story would be an understatement; Moggach makes you laugh in the wrong places, gasp in shock and then smile, and completely refreshes your pallet for future stories.

~ Pegasus

You can buy this relatively short story, that is bound to leave a lasting impression, here:
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: A Novel (Random House Movie Tie-In Books)

Review: Also Known As by Robin Benway

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13132661 This was recommended to me but I resisted it for some reason, I’m not sure if it was the cover or the synopsis but I just wasn’t feeling this. But when I finally picked it up I was so surprised at how much I liked this!

This is a young adult book about a family of spies in which the 16 year old daughter has to enroll in high school for the first time while she takes the lead on her very own case, again for the first time. That’s the book in a nutshell but in reality what it is is a sarcastic, funny, touching and young love – almost coming of age story. Which is a lot for one story to be but it wasn’t too much in one book. It was just right.

Maggie Silver is used to being on the run, used to traveling the world as a safecracker with her parents who are both spies and part of The Collective, a team that does good and basically fights crime. Maggie is not, however, used to being in school. But when she is assigned her first case, has to go to school and is assigned a boy to get close to she tells herself she can do this.

Things get out of hand quickly when she makes a friend (a friend !) and kind of, sort of, falls for the boy she is supposed to get close to for the job. Jesse, the boy, is just the kind of guy she would fall for normally.

Is it weird that hearing him use a polysyllabic word gave me butterflies? Yes, that’s weird. Forget I said anything.

Roux, her new best friend, is quirky, but kind of perfect and fits into her spy lifestyle without even knowing it. The sarcasm and dry with between Jesse, Roux and Maggie was cracking me up throughout the whole book.

“And now he probably thinks I’m lost in Siberia or something because I didn’t answer it!” “Lost in Siberia?” It’s a lot more possible than you think.”

“Hey, I’m making eye contact with a gargoyle!” Roux said, looking out one of the grimy windows. I shall name him George.”

I highlighted tons and tons of different parts of this book because I was laughing at different things. There was some action and high stakes, light romance, and typical YA issues. Basically, it’s super cute and any fan of young adult books should read it!

4 stars

~ Clio

Buy it Now Also Known As

Review: Death Comes to the Village by Catherine Lloyd

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20131202-090141.jpg This cozy historical mystery, set in England, has a little bit of a Regency romance feel.

Lucy, the rector’s daughter, and Robert, a magistrate and wounded soldier, notice some thievery and strange goings-on in the village. With a young woman disappearing, and the men of the village not quite acting themselves, Lucy and Robert put their heads together to investigate. That’s the main plot. The subplots include Lucy’s resistance to spinsterhood and wanting to find a husband, Robert’s difficulty coming to terms with his leg injury, and the strong friendship that grows between Lucy and Robert. I enjoyed the various threads and thought they were developed appropriately for a light mystery novel.

I also liked the characters’ efforts to maintain propriety and appearances, and Lucy’s subtle rebelling against all of it. The whole regency feel made Lucy’s visits to Robert seem almost taboo. It was fun to see Lucy doing a lot of things that other young women wouldn’t dare do in this setting.

Death Comes to the Village was a light read, with a slow and deliberate start. I totally loved it, from Lucy and Robert’s banter to the mental illness and morbidity. I read this book at night, and when I finished it, I was scared to go to sleep! The ending was somewhat of a cliffhanger, and I am eager to know if and when a Book 2 will be released.

–Calliope

Buy it now Death Comes to the Village

Review: The Reader by Bernhard Schlink Translated by Carol Brown Janeway

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readerThe last twenty pages of this book deeply affected me. I can’t even express it at the moment. I just wish I could take it all back and somehow unread the entire book. Then I want to read it for the very first time again…but this time somehow read it while being the person that read the last 20 pages…

This story is told by Michael Berg. It is told later on his life. He is looking back to a relationship he had with a woman named Hanna Schmitz. A woman who by one random act of kindness changes his life when he is 15 years old. Later on, he attends a trial and finds Hanna as one of the defendants.

At times this novel felt disjointed. However, the more I think about it, the more I am sure that Schlink wanted me to feel this way. This novel is told by Michael. It is his story of Hanna. Even as an older man, decades after his relationship started with Hanna, he is still unsure what she means to him. How she has changed him into the man that he has become. He understands bits of it. He can even rationalize much of it. But there is still mystery to much of it.

In some ways, I wish this story could have been told from Hanna’s voice. However, I realize that it would not be the story it was if it had been. I am both appreciative and frustrated with this knowledge.

Why did I love this book so much? At about 1/2 way through this book I was feeling very frustrated. I kept going back and forth on my feelings for Michael. At points I thought he was so unbelievably selfish. At other times I felt like he was almost a victim. At points I had the exact same feelings about Hanna herself. I was also becoming increasingly pissed off that I was not allowed to see inside of Hanna’s mind. With the last couple of chapters, none of those feelings changed….however, I was left humbled and a bit awestruck at my emotions. If I had been reading this book standing up, I might have even staggered a bit and found myself leaning up against the closest wall until I could find myself on steady feet again. It’s not that Schlink reviled anything I didn’t already know…it’s just the way that he brought it all into the light of day. Why??

Simply because this book didn’t just seem to provide answers and questions about the characters it was about. At this point…I had questions about myself. I am not even sure at this point what they are. I just know that they are bouncing back and forth within my mind, even at this moment. And much like Michael, I am not sure I will ever know the correct questions to ask. I am not sure that I will ever find the answers if I do. Much like Michael, I am not sure these questions need answered…perhaps they only need to be asked.

This novel moved me….and has given me so much to ponder…It’s a book that I *know* will stay with me for days, weeks, even years to come. One day, I will be walking down a lonely city street. The wind bitterly cold against my skin. I will be confident that I am happy and secure in my life. “The Reader” will be the furthest thing from my mind….then like a ghost of the past, Hanna will be there…walking along beside me…begging me, finally, to ask the questions just within by grasp….my mind will find itself, out of the blue, wrestling with the feelings this novel has brought to me….

Until next time

Urania xx

Buy it now The Reader

Review: Before We Fall, by Courtney Cole

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“Before we fall, we fly.”

WOW!! I need to collect the pieces of my heart before I can even type another word…

This is the first book I’ve read by Courtney Cole. But this will definitely not be the last. This was such an emotional book. Not in my usual cry my eyes out, but in a raw and dark emotional type. It made me all twisted inside.

Dominic Kinkaide’s been closed up and in a very dark place, for the past six years. He’s been hiding it from the world. Only his close family knows something happened, by they don’t know what. But whatever happened, it’s left him dark and seriously twisted. Seriously twisted and very broken. He was basically just a shell of the man he once was. He doesn’t let anyone get close to him and he doesn’t like people. He thinks everyone will let him down, so he won’t take any chances.

Jacey is a strong willed, no holds barred kinda girl. But she is also a bit broken inside. You don’t really realize what she’s been through til about half way through. You just know she’s looking for something to fill a void in her life, but hasn’t quite found it yet. So she’s just wandering around. When she first meets Dom, she is drawn to him and knows there is more than what he lets people see. She is determined to save him from everything that hurts him, even if it’s himself. She believes he’s a good man, no matter what he thinks.

After an unfortunate incident, they must work together, and their personal issues start to come to the surface and they’re forced to deal with them. Dom and his hot and cold behavior and Jacey’s need to fix things, bring out emotions that they both wish would be kept closed up.

There where so many emotionally charged scenes in this book. I was all over the place. Dom’s brokenness completely destroyed me.

“Fix me, Jacey…If you can.”

Watching him slowly come to the realization that there may be another person who loves him for him, was so powerful. Dom felt he was so unworthy of any type of love. He even told Jacey not to love him. But of course, she didn’t listen.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

“You exist.”

I was teary eyed for the last 15% of the book. But when I read that Epilogue, it was all over. My poor spouse thought something was wrong with me. I am so glad I read this. I know there is more I want to say, but it would give too much away.

~Melpomene

Forever
Buy it now Before We Fall: The Beautifully Broken Series: Book 3

New Releases for Dec 3, 2013

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What a great week for new releases!! I will be busy reading a few of these this week.

17899995A Christmas to RememberI’m reading this Christmas book right now. I’ve read the Jill Shalvis book and now working on Kristen Ashley’s book. I’m excited to get another story about the Chaos group.

18164292The Ever After of Ella and Micha I have been waiting for this book for a while. I read the first book, in the series, but I was waiting to read the next part of their story, until this part was out. I’m dying to know how everything works out!! If you’re curious about them, grab the first book, The Secret of Ella and Micha , for only 49 cents!! Not sure how long the sale’s gonna last, so I’d get it now.

18621172Castle Hill: A Joss and Braden Novella I totally forgot this was out!! I must find out what happening with Joss and Braden. This novella also gives us a preview of Before Jamaica Lane.

18713190Take Over at Midnight (The Night Stalkers) And here is yet another series I have waiting for me…story of my life…But I am determined!!

16247792Gabriel’s Redemption (Gabriel’s Inferno Trilogy) I LOVE Professor Emerson!!!! I am so happy to have received an ARC of this book. I loved this book!! It was the perfect ending to a perfect series. My review will be on Friday.

18698108Before We Fall: The Beautifully Broken Series: Book 3 This was a very dark and emotional book. I’ve never read Courtney Cole before, so I didn’t know what to expect, but I am so glad I did. My review will be posted this afternoon.

Now go and get that one click finger warmed up!

~Melpomene

Review: Rain of the Ghosts by Greg Weisman

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17286840 This cover is beautiful and made me want a lot from the book. But I didn’t get it unfortunately. Everything seemed to happen pretty quickly in this book so I felt like I never quite got my bearings.

When we were introduced to the islands in the book, it was made to appear very mysterious, as if there was a big reason for such a separation between the others and the Islanders. I’m honestly still not clear what the point of that was, or if that is coming later in this new series.

The main character. Rain, loses her grandfather suddenly and the book changes drastically. All of a sudden we’re thrust into a different world where we’re looking for ghosts and possibly for Rain’s dead grandfather.

Then there was supposed to be a Dark Man who is connected to the Island in some way. Quite frankly by this point I was lost and confused and didn’t really care about the Dark Man. For a young adult book I was surprised at how convoluted I found the plot. Usually with a YA book the plot is straight forward and from paint A to point B. I felt that the bare bones of a good book and a good series was present here but wasn’t quite done all the way.

2 disappointed stars.

~Clio

Rain of the Ghosts