TBR Challenge 2014: Her Secret Fling by Sarah Mayberry

Yay, made it! Yep, I decided to give the TBR Challenge another go this year :) Hopefully, it's a good sign that I managed to have this review up in time :) Perhaps it will set the tone. Especially since in my opinion, the January entry is always the hardest because it just creeps on you ^_^; You simply don't think about the challenge because it won't be until the next year and by then, everyone is busy writing recap posts of the previous year. The next thing you know, you only have a few days left to read and review a TBR book! Luckily, the theme for January is "We love short shorts!"

This time around, I did follow the monthly theme and picked up a category romance. I knew I had a few by Ms Mayberry that I've never read and thought this would be the perfect occasion to pull one out. So my TBR read is Her Secret Fling by Sarah Mayberry. I'm pretty sure I bought this when it came out... I think that's when the blogging buzz for Ms Mayberry began to be persistent. The truth though is back then, I still wasn't convinced by Ms Mayberry's writing and as I never was a huge fan of the Blaze line, in the TBR pile Her Secret Fling went. Should I be kicking my behind over it? Let's find out :)

Her Secret Fling by Sarah Mayberry
published by Harlequin (Harlequin Blaze) in January 2010

Jake Stevens--star reporter and celebrated literary genius--is a snake. How else to explain the way he turns Poppy Birmingham's hero worship into loathing with a single conversation? So what if she's got a lot to learn about journalism? Aren't they coworkers now? On the same team? Jake can take his attitude and... Then during a job-related road trip, their relationship goes from antagonistic to hedonistic in no time flat. And suddenly Poppy can't think of anything more delicious than having a secret fling with Jake. But with all this intensity, can she really keep it no-strings-attached?

Genre: Category romance, Contemporary
Series: None

The Story: Her career as a world-class competitive swimmer over due to a shoulder injury, Poppy Birmingham is looking for a new start. When she gets the offer to join the Herald's sport section as a columnist, she accepts because it will open doors to a new world for her, but also because she'll have the opportunity to work with Jake Stevens - a star reporter and her favorite author. Unfortunately, working with her idol isn't turning out as she imagined, especially since Jake doesn't think she should be at the Herald, having no journalism experience. However, Poppy is determined to prove him wrong and show him that she's a lot more than a jock.

As time goes, Jake has to admit that he was wrong. While it's true Poppy doesn't have the experience, she is working hard and her columns are not as bad as he thought they'd be. Then, because of a strike at the airport, Jake and Poppy are stuck driving back home together from a work trip. As they get to know each other, one thing leads to another... and soon, they embark on a secret fling. Their sexual chemistry is off the chart, but as time goes by and they settle into each other's routine, can this remain simply sex?

My Opinion: It's funny because when I picked up Her Secret Fling on last Friday, I was a bit panicked because the TBR challenge had crept up on me (see opening paragraph :P) and with a busy week-end ahead, time was tight... and then, I proceeded to read Her Secret Fling in one sitting. Yeah... LOL. Anyway, this review is going to be pretty much like the book: short and sweet, because as it turned out,  Her Secret Fling was a pretty typical Mayberry category romance, i.e. solid story with interesting characters :)

Let's start with the characters. I actually quite liked Poppy as an heroine. I liked that she took the job of columnist because it opened her to new possibilities. As a star athlete, it would have been so easy for Poppy to fall back on the familiar - becoming a coach, taking an endorsement, etc. Nothing wrong if she would have done so, especially if that's where her heart was... but to change completely of field, it showed Poppy wanted something else and had gumption. Also, she never expected her famous status to carry her. From the get go, Poppy intended to work hard and give it her all which was admirable. It was also good that she was able to stand up for herself against Jake, someone she actually admired. I have to admit, given her swimming and elite athlete background, I expected Poppy to be a bit more confident, self-assured. It actually would have been interesting if Ms Mayberry had shown us more of that side of Poppy as I think it would have made this book stand out a bit more. Then again, starting a new job in a new field, I guess it was enough for Poppy to feel out of the water... literally. The one thing that annoyed me about the character was in the beginning of Her Secret Fling when she starts her job at the Herald and immediately picks up on Jake's cold shoulder behavior. I thought she was being a bit too sensitive and susceptible. Of course, immediately, her feelings are justified ^_^;, but still... I think Ms Mayberry should have been a little more subtle and should have stretched that part of the book a little. As for Jake's character, he was more of an enigma throughout the book. He did get some development, but it was in the latter part of the book and at that point, it felt a bit too late... or too convenient to tie up the romance. However, his background story was actually pretty interesting and I liked how in the end, he started writing again, even if it wasn't a novel. Between, I don't think Jake was wrong feeling the way he was about Poppy getting the job at the Herald. It happens every day, unqualified people getting a job over qualified ones because of status or connection... and at least, Jake was honest and manly enough to admit he was wrong, which I appreciate.

So I liked the characters and enjoyed their romance, or at least, the part where they fell into a routine/relationship. I do think the shift between the "I dislike you" and "let's tear our clothes off" phases happened a bit too rapidly and abruptly. I know Poppy admired Jake and he found her attractive, but the shift would have been more believable if there's been more chemistry, more tension between Poppy and Jake. As much as I enjoyed Poppy and Jake's relationship, I am disappointed that the conflict boiled down to lack of communication and an ultimatum. It seems to be the norm for over half of the contemporary romances nowadays and looks like it was no different 4 years ago ^_^; However, that is more of a personal feeling than a weakness in the writing or storyline.

My Grade: B. All in all, Her Secret Fling was a quick and enjoyable read with good characters... but I'm not going to kick myself for not reading it earlier :)

Monthly Reads - April 2013

Hey everyone! How have you been? Sigh, sorry for the lack of posts and reviews! I just don't know where time goes ^_^; It feels like I've been running the whole week: doctor appointment, garage appointment, haircut appointment... Even at work, doing this and that, catching up on things. Bleh... and of course, I cut myself again :( Same thumb, but not the nail this time... so I guess that's something ^_^;

Anyway, I'm so far behind in reviews and so on, but I'm still trying to catch up :) And that's why you get my April recap... in September! Enjoy! :P


1) The Wanderer by Robyn Carr: B


2) The Rising by Kelley Armstrong: B+


3) What She Wants by Sheila Roberts: B-

The blurb of this book caught my attention because it mentions a bunch of guys reading romance novels and their poker night transforming into a bookclub night... LOL, you have to agree it's a little bit intriguing right? :) And the blurb is pretty close to the real story. Our hero, Johnathan Templar, is the resident geek squad of Icicle Falls. He's been in love with Lissa Castle forever, but she never noticed him. Their high school reunion is coming up soon and Johnathan believes it to be his last chance to make an impression... but how? He then stumbles over his sister's romance novels... Why do women read them? The next thing Johnathan knows, he's devouring them one after another and getting ideas. When his poker buddies find the books, they laugh at him at first... but soon, they too need advice as Adam just got kicked out by his wife who thought he took her for granted and Kyle cannot make an impression on the lady of his choice.

I thought What She Wants was a cute book. I mean, it has men reading romance novels for advice and ideas LOL. Personally, I do not know to what extent romance novels could help a guy in real life, but it's still nice to imagine :) What made this book for me was Johnathan. He was such a nice guy and the efforts he put in to catch Lissa's attention was adorable. Also I like that Ms Roberts didn't turn Johnathan into a comedic cliché. What I mean is that he didn't read one novel, get a good idea and immediately tried it out and have it failed on him. Instead, it was more like a study and a long progress. In any case, it was just cute and Lissa is a really lucky gal... Not sure she totally deserves him though. I also liked Adam's storyline because it showed him not to take his wife for granted. I think it's a lesson that everyone has to learn in a marriage. I liked that she had the guts to kick him out, to make him understand where their marriage was heading. Out of the three story, Kyle was the least interesting... I think it's because to a certain extent, he was so superficial, only caring about looks. He overlooked Mindy who was interested in him because she wasn't as hot as his crush, although she was smarter and nicer.

In any case, a cute book... although I think it's more fiction (women's fiction even though it's guys ^_^;) than contemporary romance as there aren't that many interaction between Johnathan and Lissa. It's more focused on Johnathan and his evolution than the romance itself.

4) Lush by Lauren Dane: B

Mary Whaley is a successful and busy caterer who also run a supper club. Through her celebrity friends, she meets Damien Hurley who is part of a really popular band that he started with his brothers out of high school. The two meet, are attracted to each other and try to figure out how to make this relationship work.

Lush was a pretty good book. I really enjoyed Mary and Damien's relationship and liked how their romance evolved, how they took it "slow" and how Damien gave Mary her space and proved himself to be a good bet. I liked that the romance wasn't about the age difference or Damien's celebrity status... They had to figure things out because they were two adults living in different cities with extremely busy schedule, but they made compromises like two mature persons.

What held this book back in my opinion were the secondary characters and the lack of conflict. I found Mary's best friends to be annoying, because I thought they had too much input and were too quick to distrust Damien. One of them said she just wanted Mary to be as happy as she was and to find the man she deserved and that just put me on the edge... It just sounded so condescending in my opinion. It's good to be protective of your friends, to care, but at the same time, you need to be supportive. Sometimes, your friend needs to make her own mistakes and the last thing she wants is you standing by, ready to say "I told you so." What annoyed me as well is that all she had to based herself on was the gossips from the rag sheets. Ugh. The other issue was the lack of conflict. I actually didn't mind the lack of conflict... but because of it, one little issue turned into a huge thing, just so Ms Dane could wrap up the story and give the H/H their happy ending. Based on the rest of the story, I felt this conflict was very forced because Damien had proven himself to Mary and she should have trust him instead of the gossips. For her to react the way she did, it just went against character it seems... and that's too bad because it lessened the enjoyment of the book a bit.


5) Assassin's Gambit by Amy Raby: C-


6) Wrecked by Shiloh Walker: C

Ugh... I don't know how to summarize the story of this book. Okay, basically, you have Abigale Applegate and Zach Barnes who were child stars on a very popular sitcom when they were teens, but that was years ago. Both of them willingly walked away from Hollywood lifestyle and are happier for it. They have remained best friends throughout the years, although the truth is Zach has been in love with Abby forever. When she gets dumped by her boyfriend because he thinks she's wasting her time not acting, Abby decides she needs an affair. Not a relationship, just sex... and when Zach finds out through the "Wreck" journal he gave her, he volunteers himself - he's not about to let another man get the chance and he hopes that finally, Abby realizes that he's in love with her.

The truth is that Wrecked started out really promisingly. Who doesn't like the best friends to lovers theme? Especially when the set up is great, the premise has potential and best of all, the best friends have tons of chemistry! I really believed in Zach and Abby's friendship, really felt his unrequited feelings for her and had no problem imagining them together... And perhaps that was the issue. Because once Abby and Zach started having sex together, it became boring for me... It was just too obvious that the two should be together and everything that stood in the way was just frustrating ^_^; I was annoyed at Abby for being so oblivious to Zach feelings all this years - I mean, everyone knew! It got even worst when she realized she was in love with him and wondered how it would affect their relationship!! I was also annoyed at Zach for not stepping up, not pushing to the next level. It took forever for him to get Abby to notice him in a different way and now he's going to wait again till she comes around? Right... and instead of sharing his feelings with Abby, he resorted to growling at everyone :( It's just too bad because as I mentioned, the premise was really promising, but it failed to keep me engaged.


7) Love Irresistibly by Julie James: B+


8) The Chocolate Rose by Laura Florand: C+


9) Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts: B-


10) The Good, the Bad and the Witchy by Heather Blake: B-
Upcoming Review.

11) Love Me to Death by Allison Brennan: B

I'm always in the mood for a good romantic suspense; however, nowadays, it's hard to come across RS books that fit the type I want to read... Anyway, I read Ms Brennan before but never really got into her, but I thought I'd give her another chance with this series because it involved the FBI. Our heroine, Lucy Kincaid, went through something horrific 6 years ago, but she survived it... and now, she wants to become a FBI agent. While she's waiting to see if she is accepted, she's volunteering with a victim's rights group and works undercover online to lure sex offenders so they can be caught. Everything is going well... till they don't. One of her attackers was recently released from prison and not long after, found dead. She wasn't aware of the plea bargain and so, her trust is shaken... It doesn't help she's a suspect and the last sex offender she tried to lure didn't show up to her meeting, but did end up dead as well. Not knowing where to go, she turns to Sean Rogan, one of her brother's partners for a security firm.

I've been in the mood for romantic suspense that features investigative work, preferably with cops or FBI agents... and while Love Me to Death didn't totally fit my criteria, it was definitively a good book. The mystery was solid and interesting although at times, it felt like there were too many storylines going on. Personally, I think the one about Lucy's stalker was superfluous. It served to misdirect, but at the end of the day, didn't bring that much to the table. Still, Ms Brennan did a great job at tying everything up together in the end. I liked that Lucy didn't fall in love with the person in charge of the investigation - it's refreshing LOL. And I thought that Sean was an interesting love interest for Lucy. In a way, he's a bit of her opposite, not being afraid to break the rules to get what he wants and ironically, that seems to complement Lucy :P He at least knows how to be normal around her which is what she needs. As for Lucy, she was definitively a solid character. After what she went through, she put back her life together, went to college and is pursuing her vocation - a true survivor. Unfortunately, while I admire her for being a survivor, I also had a lot of difficulty relating to her because of what and how much she went through. It just seems so out there, so unbelievable that I kind of feel disconnected to her tragedy :(

Something else that lessened my enjoyment of Love Me to Death is that I'm not sure I could qualify this book as the "first" book in a series. It was clear to me while reading Love Me to Death that there was a book somewhere that I haven't read and indeed, after some research, I found out that Love Me to Death was a spin-off continuation of Fear No Evil. Ms Brennan tried to sum it up; however, there were too many undercurrents in the book and I knew I was missing some of Lucy and other secondary characters' backstories. Quite frankly, it sucked :(

***

Balance
Books bought: +12
Books read: -11
TBR pile: +1


Genres
Contemporary Romance - 6
Romantic Suspense/Mystery - 1
Cozy Mystery - 1
Young Adult - 1
Fantasy romance - 1
Women's Fiction - 1

***

Wow, first month of the year that I've "added" books to my TBR pile... but then again, April was such a good release month! I'm actually surprised that I haven't read more books LOL. However, as long as my number of reads hits double digits, I'm happy :)

I think April really showed this year's trend of what I've been reading. For some reasons, I'm really into contemporary romance this year... and when I don't have any contemporary romance books to read, I kind of look for something to read ^_^; I hope I get out of this mood soon.

Overall, April was a good month, although nothing really stood out...

How was yours? Do you even remember? LOL.

TBR Challenge 2013: Heist Society by Ally Carter

Oups, I'm once again late for the TBR challenge ^_^; After how many times does it become a habit? LOL.  This time though it's not because I'm off my game reviewing. I think in the past couple of weeks, I've been very good at getting back into a reviewing rhythm... It's simply that I forgot that I read something that qualified  for the challenge!! I know, very sad ^_^; When I read Wendy's reminder last week, I was "Crap, I won't have time to read something!" and it's only on Wednesday, while I was planning to review Double Crossed and Heist Society that I realized Heist Society was actually a TBR read! Yay! However, the past couple of days have been quite busy, so it's only now that I have to time to write the review. I think "Better late than never" might become my  new motto LOL.

All right, let's talk about Heist Society. This book has been in my TBR pile for almost three years. I got it when I attended the RT Convention 2010 in Columbus. One of the panels I went to was the Young Adult Authors Chat. Back then, I didn't read as much YA, but I went because one of my favorite authors, Kelley Armstrong, was there. Ms Carter was one of the other authors present and I really enjoyed her answers. As a result, I wanted to give her a try­. During the chat, she spoke of her new series, Heist Society, and I thought I'd pick that one up because I really like cat burglar characters and plots. I even got an autographed copy! However, often at those conventions/conferences, you come home with so many books that you're a bit overwhelmed and a lot of them end in the TBR pile... Finally, I picked up Heist Society back in February after reading Double Crossed because I really enjoyed the novella. I was already familiar with the Gallagher Girls series and now, it was time to finally check out Heist Society :)

And here are my thoughts on the book... enjoy!

Heist Society by Ally Carter
published by Hyperion in February 2010

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

Genre: YA, contemporary, cat burglar
Series: Heist Society, Book #1

The Story: The blurb is pretty accurate, but as usual, I like to give my own spin :) So Katarina Bishop comes from a family of burglars and she's been taught the trade. However, she wanted to live a normal life and walked away from the family business, i.e. her family, and conned her way into a prestigious boarding school. However, normal life didn't last long for Kat because W.W. Hale V, the heir to a prestigious and rich family, a born grifter and one of Kat's past associates, got her kicked out of boarding school. Turns out a very powerful mobster was robbed of his priceless art collection - 5 paintings that were lost during World War II - and he believes that Kat's father did it. Even after Kat has confirmed her father didn't do it - he was busy pulling another job - the mobster won't believe Kat... and she only has one option in front of her if she doesn't want her family to come to harm: to retrieve the paintings. Unfortunately for Kat, Visily Romani, the master thief, is cunning and has hidden them in the most secure museum in the world: the Henley. On a deadline and with her young crew, can Kat pull it off?

My Opinion: Let see, let see. So I'm a fan of cat burglar characters and plots. Don't ask me why, but I just like it. There's just something so cool about those kind of robberies - in fiction at least LOL. I think it's the cleverness and the sophistication involved which makes the whole thing so mysterious :) However, I also think it's one of the hardest plots to pull off in books because as I said, it has to be clever, but there's also the narration. In movies and TV shows, they can always play with the sequences and have stuff happened off cameras and the important scenes are revealed at the end in flashbacks, but  in books, when your plot is narrated at the first POV, well the readers have to be told what happened and it just takes out the mystery.

So how did Ms Carter fare with Heist Society? I actually think she did a great job with the plot! Everything was quite interesting :) How Kat contacted her father to see whether he was the master being the robbery or not, then the investigation and the actual theft. I like how this world is so small and everyone knows everyone. Also, if you don't have the contacts and the money to start with, you don't get far. I also enjoyed the formation of Kat's crew, the casing of the Henley, how their plans came together and how they executed it. Of course, the age makes it a bit unbelievable, but it's fiction after all and you read this for its entertaining value :) In addition, there was some good twists to the plot which made the whole thing quite clever :)

What didn't work so well for me was the characters... Actually, not so much the characters, but the lack of expansion on their background. For example, Kat and Hale. There's obviously a past between them, but we're never really shown or told. It's like we're dropped into the story and not given any explanations. Why did Kat really walk away from the family business? How do they know Simon, the boy who helped them with the security plans, and so on. I needed more information, more background to get a clear image of everything and I feel I didn't get it. I don't know if it was to amp up the mystery factor for the story, but it didn't work for me. Also, I thought Kat was a so-so heroine. I didn't really connect with her character. It's not that she was selfish or self-centered, but it felt to me that she was so focused on her feelings and what was happening that she disregarded the others' feelings. A good leader should be attuned to her team members and she wasn't. Also, I wasn't thrilled with her decision to bring a stranger boy into a crew at the end. It just seemed weird ^_^; It felt like his only purpose was to start a love triangle or a rivalry and I think it was unnecessary. Otherwise, I actually liked all the other characters - they were just a lot more fun.

All in all, Ms Carter delivered a fun book with Heist Society :) I think her ideas were more concise and it resulted in a a great plot. Also, to me, Heist Society read better than the Gallagher Girls books because of the flow and the conciseness. Unfortunately, that pertains only to the plot :( The let down of the book was the lack of background on the characters and situations, it felt like I was dropped in the middle of the story and was missing a few introductory chapters.

My Grade: B. In the end, I'm glad I picked up this book because it was fun and enjoyable.

TBR Challenge 2012: The Best Laid Plans by Sarah Mayberry

It's been a while, but I finally made it again for the TBR challenge! Yay me! I think the trick is to read the TBR book as soon as possible LOL. That being said, I went with what I was in the mood for and didn't stick with this month's theme. But really, one step at a time, right? :)




The Best Laid Plans by Sarah Mayberry

published by Harlequin in November 2010

"Boundaries." The key to how corporate lawyer Alexandra Knight manages her busy life. However, lately all her precisely drawn lines are getting blurred. Blame it on her out-of-control biological clock that is ignoring her single status...and on Ethan Stone.Because her sexy, no-strings colleague has posed an outrageous solution to her dilemma--he'll be her baby daddy. This from the guy who avoids all commitment? Okay, so they're attracted to each other. Really, really attracted. But crossing the line from coworker to co-parent with Ethan could ruin Alex for all other men. After all, when you've had the best...

Genre: Category romance, contemporary
Series: None

The Story: Alexandra Knight has always wished to be a mother, to have her own family. However, she put aside her dream in order to build her career and wait till her boyfriend who didn't want children to change his mind. Unfortunately, he never did and as a result, they parted ways after 7 years of relationship. So imagine Alexandra's shock when she runs across him, pushing a stroller with a four month old baby. Another shock is to find out that she's running out of time to procreate. From the doctor, she learns that once she hits 40, her chances to carry a baby to term will be very slim... and Alexandra is already 38 years old. She always thought she'd have time to meet a nice guy, fall in love and start a family, but now, it doesn't seem so. What if she meets someone, but doesn't fall in love? What if they do but he doesn't want children? And when should she bring up the question of children? On the first or third date or 6 months into the relationship? Alexandra finds her answer when she comes across an ad for a sperm donor. Why depend on someone else when she can do it herself?

Ethan Stone is Alexandra's colleague, also a junior partner in the firm they work for, and her racquetball partner. He's also very handsome and eligible, but has sworn off marriage after his divorce. When he accidentally finds out about Alexandra's plan, he thinks it's a crazy plan. However, seeing how determined Alexandra is to go through, he starts thinking... What if he was the donor? After his divorce, he thought kids were out of the picture for him, but what if this was his opportunity? He and Alex get along well and can have shared custody... But can this really work?

My Opinion: So I was in the mood for a Ms Mayberry's book and thought of More Than a Night; however, when looking for it, I came across The Best Laid Plans and thought it'd be better to read that one since I could use it as my TBR challenge entry and here we are :) It's fun when things work out well.

I bought The Best Laid Plans during my "Sarah Mayberry" period. I've never been a fan of category romance, mostly because of the shorter format. However, as there is less and less contemporary romance published (especially non-small-town contemporary romance), I've been trying to get my fix through category romance :) And one name that pops up again and again when it comes to this genre is Ms Mayberry... so of course, I gave her a try and enjoyed her book well enough that I started buying every one of her new releases - and that's how The Best Laid Plans found its way to my TBR pile. Nowadays, it's not that I don't enjoy Ms Mayberry's writing; however, I'm more selective because she often tackles an idea in a book and really, fully developed it... and those ideas don't always fit with my reading taste. For example,  if The Best Laid Plans was published next month, I wouldn't have picked it up. I'm not a fan of books where the heroines are desperate to have a baby... Of course, that'd mean I'd have missed a very solid book though ^_^; So it's good I got The Best Laid Plans when I did :)

The reason The Best Laid Plans worked for me is that Ms Mayberry really made the readers understand why Alexandra wanted a child, a family so much and why she was in such a rush. It wasn't Alexandra seeing all her friends hooking up and wanting to fit in or being afraid to be alone or simply because it was time. No, Alexandra truly wanted a child and you really could feel her desire was genuine. As for her biological clock ticking, well it wasn't just a saying, it was indeed ticking. I liked that Ms Mayberry set us straight on the fertile years of a woman and about how difficult it is to become pregnant and carry to term after the age of 40. As such, Alexandra's urgency, being 38, made sense. Some people might think artificial insemination is cold and desperate and to some extent, it was; however, it was the most reliable of her options and also the most honest in my opinion. To go out there in the dating world and find a man, to settle for someone, simply to start a family... that isn't a better choice.

I really thought The Best Laid Plans started out well and very strong. Both Alexandra and Ethan are likable characters, very level-headed and competent. I also very much liked their approach to the whole theme. I thought Ethan's reaction especially felt very honest. To be shocked at first that Alexandra would consider such a thing and later, admire her for going after what she wanted... and then consider his own wish and dream. Here was his chance to be a father, would he really let it pass? And I'm glad he didn't. In addition, it was good that Alexandra and Ethan were not strangers, but instead, friendly colleagues. I liked that they knew each other, but not inside out and I enjoyed the parts where they got to know each other.

I wished they had had a bit more time to get to know each other though, but that was fine. I also wished they had gone through with the artificial insemination. I think that was a bit of a let-down that they didn't go through, because the whole first half of the book was building up to this moment... And also, it would have been much more interesting to see them deal with it and come together. As it is, I found the romance a bit lacking. I mean, I understand the reasons why they fell in love - after all, they were already attracted to each other prior and after playing house together, getting to know each other better... but it fell a bit flat. The book would have been so much more memorable and interesting if they have fallen in love after she got pregnant in my opinion. Also, the love declaration at the end was a bit rushed so that didn't help my feeling towards the romance.

Finally, Ethan's secret at the end, the reason why he didn't want to commit to marriage again was totally understandable... but given the theme of the book, very predictable as well ^_^; Also, I found it sad that he could not share it earlier with his brother, but I guess it hurt too much... So for him to share it with Alexandra, it showed how much she meant to him.

My Grade: B-. The Best Laid Plans was definitively an interesting book because of Ms Mayberry's approach to the theme and she did have likable characters. However, that aspect put aside, the romance wasn't very memorable resulting in a weaker second half of the book.

Week-End's Minis XXIV: Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros

It's the week-end! It's the week-end! And I'm awake at an insanely early hour because I'm so excited about the New Bride with White Hair tv series. Sigh. Ironically, when episodes 3 and 4 are going to be broadcast in China, I won't even be home. Instead, I'll be on my way to a book signing. Yep, the Smart Chicks Kick It! tour is making a stop in Montreal. Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Rachel Caine, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Melissa de la Cruz, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl should be present at the book signing. I've only really read Kelley Armstrong and I've already seen met her twice already... But what can I say, it's so rare that authors that I'm interested in stop by Montreal, cannot skip this occasion. I'll definitively have pictures tomorrow. Ugh, perhaps not tomorrow actually because I'm having issues with Picasa... seems like I'm over the storage limit, sigh. Will have to figure that out. But anyway, as soon as possible! LOL. That is if the New Bride with With Hair doesn't distract me :)

Anyway, today I had plans to review another book, but I figure this one would come more easily :) So enjoy!!


Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros

published by Simon & Schuster in December 2010 (trade)/August 2012 (paperback)

Can two strangers who meet (and tweet) by chance find a love strong enough to last a lifetime? That’s the question former literary sensation Abby Donovan is forced to explore when she meets Mark Baynard on Twitter. Mark, an English professor traveling the world, shatters Abby’s writer’s block one witty tweet at a time. Just as she begins to write and live again, she discovers Mark is hiding a secret that could change both of their lives forever. In the tradition of Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, two lonely people discover it doesn’t take 140 characters to find your soul mate, just three little words.

Genre: Contemporary romance/chick-lit
Series: None

What do you need to know? Abby Donovan is an author whose debut novel about a girl growing up with a bipolar mother (based on her own experience) won Oprah's approval and almost a Pulitzer prize. However, the fame has its downside and that is when you're on top, there's only one way to go: down. As a result, Abby is having a major writer's block and has been stuck on chapter 5 of her second book for a couple of years... Her deadline is past due and fans are starting to forget who she is... That's not good at all! In an effort to maintain Abby's visibility, her agent creates for her a Twitter account.

On her first day on Twitter, Abby is taken under the wing of Mark Baynard, an English Lit professor at Ole Miss who is on sabbatical and traveling the world. He offers Abby to teach her how to navigate the Twitter world. Their discussions quickly take a flirtatious direction and soon, Mark and Abby are going on "tweet dates." But can a relation be born of these exchanges? And have both parties truly been honest with each other?

Why this book? I've read some of Ms Medeiros' books in the past and enjoyed them, although they were historical. I remember wanting to read Goodnight Tweetheart when it first came out, but didn't because it was trade. So when I saw it at Walmart, I picked it up :)

What did I like? I didn't really know what to expect of Goodnight Tweetheart, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Actually, the Twitter format is like email or instant messaging in epistolary format book, so it was very readable. I admit to counting some of the tweets to see if it was really 140 characters LOL. Surprisingly, you can write a lot with 140 characters :)

So yes, Goodnight Tweetheart was very readable and I enjoyed Abby and Mark's budding relationship. They really had chemistry between each other and with this anonymous cover, they shared personal information and secrets more easily. Abby's fear and writing block, Mark's issues with his ex-wife, etc. It felt really real and I love that they got to know each other and had no chance to fall in bed LOL. Also, being a blogger, I know really well you can form strong relationships over the net. And as I said, Mark and Abby had really good chemistry together, so it was believable. I also liked the pattern in their conversations - how they greeted each other and said goodbye, it was really cute.

Something else that I really enjoyed was the twist about Mark. I knew from the blurb Mark had a secret, but I did not expect what it was. And it fit the situation so well and made so much sense. So bravo to Ms Medeiros for that :)

What didn't work? A few things didn't work for me. First, there was a lot of pop culture references in Goodnight Tweetheart and as a result, it was hard for me to follow at times. However, it gave them a rhythm and really proved they were suited for each other, so in the end, that was okay.

My second issue is pretty much Abby's character. I thought she was hard to like and root for. I can understand her fear of failure, but I thought it went a bit too far. Because of it, she became almost agoraphobic and also, the denial? You're due past your deadline a couple of years and when your editor asks to meet you and your agent, you think it's good? Come on, be realistic. The thing is, Abby was clearly in a rut, but she did nothing to get out of it and that annoyed me. Quite whining and do something. Can't write chapter 5, then why don't you write the ending? Also, she was afraid to run out of money because she could not hand in her book... Perhaps moving out of her posh apartment with a view on Central Park for something more affordable would have been a good thing to do? I just wanted her to be more pro-active.

Another thing that bothered me was Abby's reaction when Mark told her the truth about her situation. She got angry and hissy about it and hurt. Those are all good reactions, but instead of work things out, she just disappeared. I felt Abby was a bit naïve about it all. I mean, it's the internet... people are going to lie, they're going to keep secrets. Mark came clean... and really, it doesn't change who he was. I also felt she did not consider his side of the story. It really, really made sense.

One final thing, as much as I believe it's possible for two strangers to meet on Twitter and develop a romance, as much chemistry Abby and Mark had, I still felt Goodnight Tweetheart lacked some depth. Something to make Goodnight Tweetheart truly memorable...

My Grade? C.

Monthly Reads: April 2012

Over the week-end, I was thinking the blogland was in a lull once again. Today, I came back home from work and there were 27 posts waiting in my Google Reader... In a couple of hours, that's not bad. It seems everyone has decided to post today :) And I won't be left behind!

So here is what I read in April:


1) About that Night by Julie James: B

2) Just Down the Road by Jodi Thomas: B+

3) Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire: C+

4) Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman: D

5) I Want Candy by Susan Donovan: C+

6) Flirting with Intent by Kelly Hunter: B-

7) We'll Always Have Paris by Jessica Hart: C+

8) I'd Tell You I Love You, But I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter: B-

9) Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter: C

It's the start of a new semester at Gallagher Academy and the girls are in for a surprise. The first mission in their Covert Operations class takes place in at the Jeffersonian museum in Washington D.C. and it is to make it to a certain display at a given time, without being tailed. Unfortunately for Cammie, she trusted the wrong person and failed miserably. However, she does confirm the existence of the male counterpart of Gallagher Academy: Blackthorne. And for the first time in history, the two academies are going to work together... which explains the presence of Zach - the boy whom she trusted in Washinton, at the academy. The more she interacts with Zach, the more Cammie feels something fishy is going on... and with her friends, she decides to put into practice the skills they learned to find out what.

I picked this right up after reading I'd Tell You I Love You, But I'd Have to Kill You. Why not right? Since the story and world would still be fresh in my mind :) While Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy was still a fun book, I thought it wasn't as good as I'd Tell You I Love You, But I'd Have to Kill You. One reason is I thought there was a bit too much moping from Cammie since her relationship with Josh came to an end. Then, there was the new love interest introduced: Zach. In this case, because she's not over Josh, it felt very much like a love triangle which I really dislike ^_^; Also, Cammie is a character who needs to have the upper hand and knowing that Zach knows something she doesn't, she doesn't feel secure. As a result, she questions Zach's action and motives a lot. Obviously, it doesn't help that Zach is indeed keeping some stuff away from her ^_^; And what really hurt Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy in my opinion was the fact that it didn't really have an overall plot. Li said on Goodreads that it lacked substance and I agree with her. Ms Carter got away in  I'd Tell You I Love You, But I'd Have to Kill You because she was setting up the series, so there was a lot of world building... but it wasn't the case in Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy and it impacted the enjoyment a lot.

Still, as I said, the book was fun. I did like the friendship between the girls and the test at the end was entertaining. I still wonder if the Code Black breach was part of the test or not... Also, I liked that there are people able to get the upper hands on Cammie and her friends when it comes to spying or uncover their spying :P It makes it realistic and more balanced. In any case, I was still interested enough to read the next book :)

10) Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter: C+

It's summer and Cammie is visiting one of her roommate, Macey McHenry, in Boston. Actually, Macey is on the presidential campaign as her father, Senator McHenry, has accepted the nomination for vice-president and she wanted company. During the visit, Cammie and Macey thwarted a kidnapping attempt... and for the first time, Cammie is confront with the reality that despite all her training, there are things that she cannot do. When school starts again, Macey is back to Gallagher Academy, but this time, with a bodyguard from Secret Service... who turns out to be Cammie's aunt Abby. However, Macey is still expected to participate to the campaign and that means doing brief appearances at several events. Cammie has seen how Macey's father's political aspirations is stifling her life. However, what concerns Cammie most is the kidnapping attempt and she worries Macey is still in danger. Therefore, Cammie and her friends decide to take matters into their hands.

I was really looking forward to Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, because based on the blurb, I thought the setting was going to be different than the two previous books, not taking place at school. I was wrong, but Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover still turned out to be an enjoyable read.

I thought the first part of Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover was very good and solid. I liked the electoral campaign, it was a good backdrop for the story and it fits the concept of this series: being secretive, acting discreetly and not getting noticed :P Also, the influx of new blood - Cammie's aunt and geeky boy Preston who is Macey's counterpart - is a good move on Ms Carter's part too. I also think the plot in Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover was the most interesting thus far in the series and that we're finally getting somewhere with the overall storyline of the series. The best part though, what makes the book for me, is the deepening friendship between Cammie and Macey :) It's nice to see the evolution of their friendship and some development of the secondary characters. Hopefully, Liz and Bex get the same treatment :)

The reason Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover is not getting a higher grade though is that while they are improvement on several fronts, others are getting old and predictable. For example, the whole snooping around is getting old and how Cammie can so easily sneak out of the academy. I know that's the basis of the series given that Cammie and her friends are spies in training, but it feels very repetitive. Also, the whole Zach thing is getting old as well. Cammie's wishy-washy attitude towards him: is he a good or bad guy, is he interesting in her or not and the fact that he knows more than her and she kind of resents him for that ^_^; Also, what bothers me is that I find it arrogant that Cammie and her friends thought they could protect their friend better than the pros. It stems from a good heart, but you really think you can do better when you don't have all the facts? I feel their just stumbling around like an elephant in a china store and perhaps making things worst instead of aiding.

While I enjoyed Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover more than the previous installment, I found that I needed a break from the series... and have yet to pick up the next book.


11) Somebody to Love by Kristan Higgins: C+

12) Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg: A-

13) The Witness by Nora Roberts: A-

14) The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan: B

15) Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have) by Sarah Mlynowski: B-

16) Hunting Kat by Kelley Armstrong: B-
Upcoming review to come.


17) The Calling by Kelley Armstrong: B-
Upcoming review to come.

18) Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford: C-

The Sullivans family is a well-off family, but their wealth relies on the matriarch, Arden Louisa Norris Sullivan Weems Maguire Hightower Beckendorf, and unfortunately, someone has displeased her. As a consequence, she demands a written apology by New Year or else, she's disinheriting the whole family. The problem is the family has no idea who have displeased Almighty Lou, but they guess it's one of the girls. So each writes their own letter, confessing their sins. First you have Norrie who fell in love with a guy 8 years her senior and ran out to him on the night of the Bachelors Cotillon which is basically her introduction to society. Then there's Jane who got into a feud with her best friend and has taken to blogging - revealing all the family dark secrets... and finally Sassy who believes she has accidentally murdered her step-grandfather.

I got this book through a contest over at RT and was really looking forward to it for some reasons... but once I got it, it languished in my TBR pile. Having read it now, well I wouldn't have minded if it languished in the TBR pile a bit more ^_^; I think the problem is I was expecting something a bit more fun based on the cover and Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters wasn't. Basically, the book is divided into 3 parts, each narrated by one sister retelling what happened. Overall, I thought the writing was good, but the problem was the story. First, the book was too short to contain 3 POVs and as a result, Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters lacked some depth in my opinion. It would have been a lot better if Ms Standiford had focused on one story. My favorite was Norrie's, probably because it was the most mature and romantic. I thought Jane's story was passable, but Sassy's was pointless. Seriously, I could have done without.

While Norrie's story was my favorite, I do question the relationship between a 17 years old woman and a 25 years old man. I'm not saying that it's bad or anything... I just wonder if a 25 years old guy would really be interested in such a young woman for an invested relationship. I think this might have worked better for me if the man was a tad younger.

Book-wise, Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters was definitively not the best YA I've read. Far from it. Based on the story, I think I would have given it a D. However, it got upgraded to C- because I did like Norrie's story and I really enjoyed the family dynamics, especially the siblings complicity :)

***

Balance
Books bought: + 10
Books read: -18
TBR pile: -8

Genre
Category Romance – 2
Contemporary Romance – 4
Fiction – 1
Romantic Suspense – 1
Urban Fantasy – 1
YA – 9

***

Sigh, time goes by so fast! It's almost the end of May and I forgot how awesome a month April has been! I'm really happy with my numbers :) 18 books is a great number and I reviewed almost all of it! Unbelievable. Seriously, that would have been impossible last year. As months pass, I'm really tickled with my Week-End's Minis feature :)

Reading-wise, I think the month was very balanced :) I had some really great reads - hey 2 As in there!  Those are rare for me LOL. There were also some duds, but they happen and didn't really dominate the month for me, so that's a good thing :) Really, thinking back, I have to say April was a really good month. I was looking forward to many new releases and they all delivered! :)

I also really like the negative number in the TBR :) Another thing I'm doing great at this year. I realized today that I have not been running after new releases as much as previous years either. It feels unnatural at times and good at others LOL.

Also, I think the surprise is the number of YA I've read last month... I feel I've been burning out on a lot of genres lately and therefore, fell back on YA. Even though it's really the same genres that I read usually - contemporary and urban fantasy - the fact that it's a younger set of characters does make a difference LOL.

All in all, April turned out to be a really good month :) What do you think?

TBR Challenge 2012: True Vision by Joyce Lamb

Ouf, I made it!! Yay! I've been aware of the TBR challenge day was coming and that I needed to write my review, but lately, I'm having difficulty managing my time. I don't know what's happening, where time is going, but it seems I've been quite busy ^_^; My reading and blogging are both going so slow :( I can't wait for both to pick up, but I don't think it'll be any time soon :( Sigh.

So this month, it was my turn to get the theme wrong ^_^; I thought it was "How Did This Get Here? (a book you can't remember how/why you put in your TBR!)" month, but turns out that's in July ^_^; By the time I realized my mistake, it was too late for me to read another book. Lucky for me, the themes are optional LOL. As a result, you get True Vision by Joyce Lamb :)

True Vision by Joyce Lamb
published by Berkley in June 2010

Newspaper reporter Charlie Trudeau is living an ordinary life, until witnessing a fatal hit-and-run accident gives her an intense psychic power she has no clue how to handle—and brings a Chicago police detective to her doorstep...

Noah Lassiter wants nothing more than to find the driver who killed his good friend. But his only lead is the beautiful Charlie Trudeau, who gets prickly when he starts nosing around town. Charlie’s clearly hiding something, but Noah needs her help unraveling the mystery of his friend’s death—even if the electricity between them complicates things.

But the more Noah and Charlie uncover, the more they realize they’re looking for a desperate killer—and the more danger they’re in. And if Charlie can’t gain control over her psychic powers, they may not survive long enough to explore the full sizzling potential of their desire...

Genre: Romantic suspense
Series: True trilogy, Book #1

The Story: Charlie Trudeau is a reporter and is working for the Lake Avalon Gazette, a newspaper owned by her father. She is also very idealist, believing that a reporter's job is to help the population by reporting the truth, bringing down the bad guys.

One night, while Charlie is leaving the office, a woman calls after her. Next thing Charlie knows, she's witnessed a hit and run. It's only when Chicago cop Noah Lassiter shows up that Charlie learns the woman was her cousin on her mother's side. Noah was a good friend of the victim, Laurette. In fact, the two worked together from time to time as Laurette was a psychic who helped him in some investigations... and perhaps, if the stars had aligned, they would have been a couple. When he learns of her death, Noah decides to come down to Florida to push the investigation... and he believes the key is Charlie. However, Charlie is reluctant to offer help. First, she knows nothing of her mother's family and the two women are on bad term. Second, she has to deal with the fall out of her article in the newspaper... She's also being overwhelmed with her empathy power which seemed to have received a boost. Her attraction to Noah is just one added complication she doesn't need at the moment... But she's glad the man has been around after he saved her from a few attempts on her life. Slowly, doubts start to creep in and Charlie and Noah both wonder if Laurette was indeed the target... or was she mistook for someone else?

My Opinion: A few years ago, I was browsing the bookstore, looking for new authors when I stumbled upon Ms Lamb. They had a few things going for them: the covers were pretty and caught my eye, the genre was romantic suspense and you can never have too much RS and the publisher was Berkley, one that I usually enjoy. I decided to go ahead and buy Cold Midnight and True Vision. Hey, at least I read one right away! LOL. And now, True Vision qualifies as my TBR entry :) So win-win, right?

I knew when I picked up True Vision that Charlie was a reporter - one of my pet peeves, but I was hoping it'd be offset by the fact that she was also psychic. Unfortunately, it wasn't. I kind of liked the psychic aspect of True Vision - the way she got flashes - but I was expecting a bit more... and the situation in which Charlie found herself in was a bit weird. Charlie's always been an empath, but her power wasn't that strong until she witnessed her cousin's death. On one hand, she's not new to the power, but on the other one,, she has no clue how to deal with it once it became supercharged... So Charlie finds herself stuck in the middle and never really moved from it. She never learned more about her power and never embraced it :( And what really rubbed me the wrong way was the fact she scoffed at the psychic her grandmother recommended Charlie to go see before her death. Seriously? I hate it when a character's a psychic and doesn't believe in other's powers. As for Charlie being a reporter, sigh, I rest my case. What I can say is that Charlie wasn't as annoying as I expected. It was nice to see someone with conviction and learning that sometimes, what you believe and reality clash and it results in a bad outcome. While Charlie wasn't as annoying, it didn't stop her from having TSTL moments though. There was one particular scene where they suspect someone is after her, but she sneaks out nonetheless to go meet someone at a cafe. They sit outside in the open... The thought of it being a bad idea does cross her mind, but instead of moving inside, she thinks "But if I'm killed, there'll at least be witnesses." Again, seriously?!? So yeah, I find that Charlie was a hard character to like... and to understand.

As for Noah, I liked him better than Charlie, but I didn't get him either. At the beginning of the book, it was mentioned a couple of time how "dark" he was, how he had demons... and that side of him was never really explained - or, I completely missed it. However, I did like he was a good friend and took the trouble to come to Florida to investigate Laurette's death. Also, he had much more sense than Charlie. As for the romance, it was too quick to my taste. I didn't see any connection between the H/H - not enough for them to be in love at the end of the book. I saw attraction and lust, but beyond the physical, I didn't even get why they liked each other ^_^;

Something else that didn't work in True Vision's favor is I felt I was missing a chunk of background story. Charlie's past with Mac, her ex-best friend... and Logan, one of Charlie's cop friends, and Charlie's younger sister Alex. It's kind of funny because Lori read True Colors which is the next book and said in her review: "while I could tell that important things happened in the first book (for example, the h/h - Alex and Logan - already have a well established friendship/almost relationship), I didn't have any difficulty jumping right into this one." Here I am, reading the first book and still feeling puzzled ^_^; I felt the readers never really got a good explanation. Also, there was the relationship between Charlie and her mother that was never really developed nor resolved :(

At the end, what saves this book from being a dud is the suspense and the writing. True Vision wasn't actually thrilling and I was able to guess who was the villain fairly early on, but I kept reading to find out his motives. As for the writing, I enjoy Ms Lamb's voice and style. That'll be the main reason for me to pick up Ms Lamb again :)

My Grade: C-. Basically, True Vision was a passable book for me and I believe my mood, when I read the book, didn't help matters either. While I believe Ms Lamb has a lot of work ahead of her, especially when it comes to characterizations and relationships, I'm most probably going to give her another try because I also believe she has a lot of potential :)

WEM XIV: Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) and Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski

Another week, another Week-End's Mini!! Thank you very much to everyone who has voted :) This week, you made my life easy because there was a clear winner: Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski! This is actually pretty cool because it suits my mood perfectly. I've been reading a lot of YA these past two weeks :) And I guess it shows when I look at the books I've reviewed in the past week LOL. There are many more YA books reviews coming up, but I'll try to throw in some romance reviews to balance it all out :)

In the meantime, I've also decided to throw in a bonus: Gimme a Call by the same author. I read Gimme a Call back last December, but never got around to reviewing it. This seemed like the best opportunity :) So enjoy it all!


Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski

published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers (Random House) in April 2010

A new life is just a phone call away!

Devi's life isn't turning out at all like she wanted. She wasted the past three years going out with Bryan—cute, adorable, break-your-heart Bryan. Devi let her friendships fade, blew off studying, didn't join any clubs... and now that Bryan has broken up with her, she has nothing left.

Not even her stupid cell phone—she dropped it in the mall fountain. Now it only calls one number... hers. At age fourteen, three years ago!

Once Devi gets over the shock—and convinces her younger self that she isn't some wacko—she realizes that she's been given an awesome gift. She can tell herself all the right things to do ... because she's already done all the wrong ones! Who better to take advice from than your future self?

Except... what if getting what you think you want changes everything?

Genre: YA, contemporary
Series: None

What do you need to know? The blurb is pretty accurate. Gimme a Call opens with our heroine, Devorah Banks aka Devi, at the mall, heart-broken. While Bryan, her boyfriend, has not broken up with her, for all intent and purpose, their relationship is over... And that's when Devi realizes that for the last three years, her life revolved solely around Bryan. She now finds herself alone with no friends, no hobby nor extra-curriculum activities, her prospects for college look bleak and the situation at home is less than ideal.

If Devi could go back in time, the most important thing she would do is warned her 14 years old self not to fall for Bryan... And that's exactly what she does when she realizes that after dropping her cell phone, it's working wonky and the only person she can reach is... herself, 3 years ago! Devi also decides to change her life around and sets the younger Devi on the right path: keep in touch with her friends, study hard, etc. But while Devi wants the best for herself, she can't help but be inexorably attracted to Bryan. Would going out with him really be that bad? And what happens when she tries too hard to change the future?

Why this book? I read this book for a couple of reasons. First, Ames really enjoyed Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Ms Mlynowski, so she was on my radar of author to read. Then, there was this cute cover (yes, I can be shallow at time) and I liked the concept of this one :) I don't exactly enjoy time travel, but I like the idea the future is not set in stone and can be changed. So I decided to give Gimme a Call a go :)

What I liked? I really, really enjoyed Gimme a Call. I pretty much enjoyed everything about it and it kept me engrossed till the end. I thought both the younger and older Devi were likable characters :) Yes, the older Devi was a bit pushy and selfish at times, but when you have the opportunity to change your future for the best, you take it... And it didn't only benefit her, it benefited the younger Devi as well. What I liked in this "relationship" is that the younger Devi wasn't just a drone and did what she was told. She questioned her older self, took risks - some with better results than others - and at the end of the day, was the wiser of the two :)

One thing that I thought was very well-done by Ms Mlynowski is that she managed to not reveal to the readers and younger Devi the cause of the break-up for the majority of the book. That added a little suspense and also insured that the reason behind it was not typical. I also liked the message about how important a balance life is that Gimme a Call imparted with the readership. Devi got lucky because she had a second chance, but no matter how much you are in love, you cannot lose sight of your future and friends as Devi did. Especially given how crucial those high school years; they're really the springboard to adulthood and the rest of your life for most people. I also really liked how Devi realized that friendship was important... And I think that the overall problem Devi was facing, getting caught up with their other half and as a result, letting their friendships fade, doesn't only happen when you're in high school, but also when you're in your 20s, 30s, 40s... So I personally felt I could relate to it - although I've never gone out with anyone steady.

Any Issues? I really liked the concept of Gimme a Call and I think Ms Mlynowski did a good job writing it. Younger Devi would do something and Older Devi would feel the effects of it right away, she could see the changes in her life... and not all of them, positive. What bothered me however is that it seemed Older Devi did not have any memories of the past three years. The only recollection she had was her own - going out with Bryan, finding herself alone. All she had to prove the changes were pictures and the results (like her college acceptance letters), not the progress... And I find that somewhat sad :( But this is really a minor issue and has more to do with my personal taste than the actual book.

My Grade? B+. I originally gave Gimme a Call a B... However, as I read more YA and have more books under the belt for comparison, I really think Gimme a Call is one of the better ones :)

Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski
published by HarperTeen (Harpercollins Publisher) in May 2011

2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house - parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery
to them.

In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart... one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.

Genre: YA, contemporary
Series: None

What do you need to know? April's parents are divorced and April has seen first hand what her mother's betrayal did. So when her mother moved to France to marry her lover, April chose to live with her father in her hometown of Westport, Connecticut. So when her father announces that they are moving to Cleveland because he found a new job in the middle of her junior year, it doesn't go over well with April. She's not about to start in a new school in the middle of the year! Plus, her life - and boyfriend - is in Westport! She comes up with the perfect solution: she'll stay at Vi's, one of her best friends, house and finish the year... The only hiccup in the plan is that Vi's mother will not be there at all. So a small subterfuge starts... but it works and April gets to stay!

Once April starts to live with Vi, she realizes that being independent and responsible is not as easy she thought... and that life has many surprises in store for her.

Why this book? Having had a taste of Ms Mlynowski's writing with Gimme a Call, I was more open to give this book a try :) Plus, remember, Ames enjoyed this one a lot! Otherwise, based on the blurb, I have to admit I'd probably have skipped ^_^;

What I liked? Surprisingly, I ended up liking Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have). When I first start the book, I felt that April was not responsible... mainly because she lied to her father and that made me uncomfortable. See, the book opens with the end and the story is basically a long flashback of what happened to get there. So the beginning makes April looks quite bad... However, after you've read her journey, it all makes sense and it's no longer that bad :P Actually, you realize those months she lived on her own with Vi, she did her best... Yes, there were some errors of judgement, but overall, she didn't do badly and definitively gained in maturity :)

What I liked the most about Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) was the realistic feel of the book. Okay, some parts were a bit unrealistic like April and Vi's subterfuge of setting up two email accounts and pretending to be each other's parents to reassure them that everything was okay... And buying the hot tub - really? However, April's feelings and the stuff she goes through during this time - that felt really real. I also liked that Ms Mlynowski addressed April and her boyfriend's first time. How she got on the pill, etc. And how later on, there was talk about the pressure of the first time and how it caused him to cheat.

Seriously, I have to give credit to Ms Mlynowski because it's her writing and style that made the book. She doesn't beat around the bush and doesn't sugarcoat reality: her characters have sex, they drink, they stay out late and hang out... They act as normal teenagers do and it's something that I feel a lot of adults don't acknowledge. Oh you always hear about parents complaining about the adolescent years, but that has more to do with their moodiness and rebellious attitude towards authority. When it comes to sex, alcohol and swearing, they prefer to idealize their teens. The reality is that a lot of teenagers - not all of them, but a lot - have heard and use swear words such as damn, shit and the f-bomb. A lot of them become sexually active during those years and they might not be able to buy their own booze, but it doesn't stop them from finding ways to get some. So I really appreciated Ms Mlynowski's candor and in my opinion, it made Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) refreshing and a nice change of pace for a contemporary YA.

Any Issues? I don't know have any real big issues with the book itself... However, I simply didn't enjoy the story as much as I did Gimme a Call. I liked that Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) was very realistic, but I find I didn't connect as much with April and what happened to her.

My Grade? B-. Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) is a good contemporary YA, but probably better suited to a more matured audience. I'm glad that I have found another YA author to look out for :)

Review: Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas

How's everyone? Seems to me the week and blogland have been quiet. Is everyone getting ready for the long week-end? I'm one of those who gets both Friday and Monday off, so this will be an extra long week-end :) I'm planning to relax and rest. I started having vertigo again yesterday... Hopefully, it'll pass soon. By the way, guess what I'm doing tomorrow with friends? Going to watch The Hunger Games! Crossing my fingers that I'll enjoy it :)

Ames recently reviewed Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor and urged me to read the Friday Harbor series. And because it was Ames, I did :) We're now planning a buddy review of Rainshadow Road for next week over at Breezing Through. As a result, I really wanted to review Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor beforehand... and yay, I did it! Enjoy :)


Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas
published by St. Martin's Press in December 2010

One little girl needs a family
One rain-slicked night, six-year-old Holly lost the only parent she knew, her beloved mother Victoria. And since that night, she has never again spoken a word.

One single man needs a wife
The last thing Mark Nolan needs is a six-year-old girl in his life. But he soon realizes that he will do everything he can to make her life whole again. His sister’s will gives him the instructions: There’s no other choice but you. Just start by loving her. The rest will follow.

Sometimes it takes a little magic...
Maggie Collins doesn’t dare believe in love again, after losing her husband of one year. But she does believe in the magic of imagination. As the owner of a toy shop, she lives what she loves. And when she meets Holly Nolan, she sees a little girl in desperate need of a little magic.

...to make dreams come true
Three lonely people. Three lives at the crossroads. Three people who are about to discover that Christmas is the time of year when anything is possible, and when wishes have a way of finding the path home...

Genre: Contemporary romance
Series: Friday Harbor series, Book #1

The Story: The blurb is pretty accurate. Basically, Holly's mother died and Mark, the oldest Nolan brother, was named as guardian. He never anticipated this situation, never expected to have his own family and has no knowledge of children. Actually, given their experience, he doesn't believe that any Nolan should marry... However, there's no way he'll let Holly end up in foster care and so Mark is determined to do his best. His first move is to move in with his brother Sam, so he'll have support. To their surprise, Mark and Sam fall in love with Holly and she gains their instant devotion. As such, they are concerned that she hasn't spoken a word in six months since her mother's death... That is until she steps into Maggie Conroy's toy store in Friday Harbor.

When Mark finds out Holly's Christmas wish is to have a new mother, he intends to make her wish come true by taking the next step with his girlfriend, Shelby... but despite his best intentions, he finds himself attracted to Maggie. And while Maggie is also attracted to Mark, she has no intention to embark into another relationship. A widow of two years, Maggie lost her husband to cancer... and she never wants to love and feel as much again.

My Opinion: Hmmm, I was quite hesitant to read Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor. One reason is I didn't know what to expect and another was the length of the novel; it is quite short. However, after reading Ames' review, I decided to give it a try... and I'm really glad I did.

Basically, Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor was a very cute and touching contemporary romance with nice characters. I simply loved Holly! She was such a great kid. Once she started talking again, she was very sweet and happy... and I loved how Mark and Sam fell under her charm and how she brought them together. I have the feeling that this 6 years old girl made them better persons :) Their interactions were very cute, warmed my heart and left me smiling. Especially the scene where Holly says her first word in 6 months to Sam! (p34)

Leaning down, Mark murmured to Holly, "Go ask him what's for dinner."
The child obeyed, going to Sam's side and putting her mouth close to his ear. She whispered something and retreated a few steps.
Mark saw Sam go very still.
"You're talking," Sam said, turning slowly to look at the little girl. A questioning note had tipped his husky voice.
Holly shook her head, looking grave.
"Yes, you are, you just said something."
"No I didn't." A titter escaped her as she saw Sam's expression.
"You did it again, by God! Say my name. Say it."
"Uncle Herbert."
Sam let out a breathless laugh and grabbed her, pulling her against his chest. "Herbert? Oh now it's going t to be chicken lips and lizard feet for dinner."

Isn't it sweet? And what I loved best was that Holly teased Sam! I think it shows how well she has adapted, how comfortable she was with her uncles... to be able to tease them, even when it's the first time she talks to him. And Mark and Sam were doing an awesome job :)

Overall, I thought all the characters were quite nice and likable. I wished we'd have a bit more background information on the Nolan brothers, especially Mark. He kept saying stuff about how bad a father and husband he'd be, how they didn't know how to be a family, etc. It obviously alluded to their childhood/experience and their parents, but no details were given and therefore, it was hard to understand his fears and worries, to believe his certitude. I also liked Maggie. She was a very nice and caring woman.Although her behavior and decisions were understandable given the circumstances, I still found her wishy-washy attitude tiresome at times and I thought it was a bit cowardly of her to use Shelby as a shield, a reason why she couldn't be with Mark ^_^; I wished she'd have been more honest to herself. Lucky for her, Mark didn't take no for an answer. Plus, given all her reticence, I thought the timeline of their courtship at the end was very fast! Although with the pacing of the story, it didn't feel that fast...

Finally, I'm going to say that I'm really glad I got Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor as an e-book for 2.99$. The reality is that Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor is a novella, not a full-length novel. Had I paid full-price for this book when it came out in hardcover, I would be fuming at the mouth ^_^; And it would definitively have ruined my enjoyment of this book. As it is, I was surprised when the book ended, because I was expecting more and it turned out to be the excerpt ^_^;

My Grade: B-. Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor was not a perfect novella, but it left me feeling good and smiling :)

TBR Challenge 2012: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

Phew, I made it!! I really wasn't sure whether I would or not ^_^; Once again, I cut it a bit close... But I blame it on all the new releases that I bought earlier. They were all books I was really looking forward... and lately, I've been reading  a bit slower than I'm used to. Ah well, the most important is that I made it :) Yay!

This month's theme for the TBR challenge was "series catch-up." I'm actually up-to-date on most of my series... simply because I look forward to new releases and am very good at reading them as soon as I make their purchases :) Some series I have fallen behind, mostly because I lost interest in them. The only exception that I can think of is the Women of the Otherworld series. I'm two books behind and am waiting for Thirteen, the final book of the series, to be released because the last three books are forming a trilogy. So I put my own twist on this month's theme :) I went for a series that I have yet to start and as a result, picked up The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook.

I can actually remember how excited I was to read The Iron Duke! I love Ms Brook's Guardians series and was really looking forward to more books by her LOL. However, I couldn't find The Iron Duke at the bookstore and that burst my bubble a little... Lucky for me, I was going to the States to visit Hils and found a copy while book-shopping with Christine and Hilcia at Borders. Yep, Borders still existed then LOL. Then, when it came time to read it... I just couldn't ^_^; I picked it up several times, but never got past the first chapters... and more than a year has gone by. I was determined to have it read for this TBR challenge. So let see how it turned out for me :)

PS - Last day to vote for the Week-End's Minis!


The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

published by Berkley in October 2010

After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power-and fear-of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession.

But when Mina uncovers the victim's identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England. To save them, Mina and Rhys must race across zombie-infested wastelands and treacherous oceans-and Mina discovers the danger is not only to her countrymen, as she finds herself tempted to give up everything to the Iron Duke.

Genre: Steampunk romance
Series: The Iron Seas, Book #1

The Story: Nine years have passed since England was freed from the Horde control, courtesy of Rhys Trahaearn, a pirate and captain of the Marco's Terror, who destroyed the Horde's Tower. For his action, Rhys was granted the title of Duke of Anglesey, but is commonly called the Iron Duke.

After 200 years of occupation, England is slowly putting things back together and adapting to their new freedom. However, there is still a lot of fear and definitively resentment. It means life is not easy for a woman like Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth whose features are definitively of Mongols descent and therefore, a reminder of the Horde. The daughter of the Earl of Rockingham knows that marriage is not in her future and as a result, devotes herself to her work.

When a body is literally dropped on the Iron Duke's doorstep, it brings Mina in contact with Rhys. Together, they discover the identity of the body: Roger Haynes, the new captain of Marco's Terror. Further investigation indicates Haynes was supposed to gather information about a Horde weapon, which could neutralize everyone infected with nanoagents, being auctioned and report back. Determined to regain his ship, the Iron Duke launches himself in pursuit, aboard Lady Cosair - a mercenary airship, and arranges for Mina to accompany him...

My Opinion: Sometimes, when you read a book that's been in your TBR pile for a while, you want to kick yourself and wonder why you waited it so long. Other times, you feel your instinct was right, there was a reason why the book lingered in the TBR pile. For me, The Iron Duke falls in the second category... I really, really want to love this book - it's Meljean Brook!, but even now, I don't know how I feel about it ^_^; Maybe once I'm done with this review, I'll know...

I previously read Here There Be Monsters, the prequel novella to The Iron Duke, and remembered being very confused with the world. I mean, the genre is steampunk, so it's very different than our reality and it means a lot of information... and I felt like I had a lot of questions at the end of it. Plus, the length didn't help. I'm glad to say the world building in The Iron Duke was much better and that I found it very interesting in the end :) I really liked the historical and geographical aspects of the world as well as the technology. I thought it was quite fascinating and at times, quite hard to wrap my mind around LOL. It's clear that Ms Brook invested a lot of time into creating this world and really thought about every aspect: society, other countries, etc. and it definitively paid off because she really created something unique! I really hope that in future books, there will be a map, that would make it complete :) Also, I think Ms Brook did a great job delivering the information. Indeed, she managed to avoid the dreaded information dump and instead, incorporated it into the storyline and the characters - what they said, what they did. Ms Brook believed in her readers, that we'd be smart enough to gather all the elements and get the greater picture :) It was very well-done on Ms Brook's part :)

My only complaint about this world would be the hatred and resentment and the consequences it had... especially on our heroine. I understand that people hated and resent the Horde, but it made it difficult for me to accept that without a bodyguard, Mina would be brutalized and perhaps even worse. As it is, even with a bodyguard, she was frequently insulted and spat on because of her Mongolian features. And that's what I don't understand... I mean, it should be obvious to everyone what were the circumstances of her conception, that her mother had no control because of the Frenzies...It's not as if Mina was a Horde sympathizer. In fact, she probably hated them even more than everyone else and yet,  yet, the way Mina was treated was mind-boggling and speak very badly of the population. How ignorant they are... And Mina is the daughter of an earl... I can't start to imagine the treatment of normal children with Mongolian features!! Also, what was being said of Mina's parents... Even our hero wondering early after he has met Mina whether her mother has "rutted" with a Horde and her father being know as the cuckold earl. I thought it was appalling since it had happened during a Frenzy and everyone knew what it meant everyone should know better :( Another thing I didn't understand is why they let the people from the New World come back and reclaimed the titles. Yes, they had money... but plainly speaking, their ancestors were deserters. After 200 years, do these people have a right to come back and reclaim their status? I don't think so. They should have made laws to prevent it. And seriously, I can't imagine how frustrating it'd be for English people to have these New World-ers coming, still clinging to ridiculous traditions. Funny how they were from the New World, but while the world around them had changed, they had not. However, I guess that Ms Brook did a great job if I ended up feeling so strongly about these two issues :)

Something else Ms Brook did a great job with was the characters, especially the secondary ones. I love Mina's family... Especially her parents. Despite what happened, they still loved each other, remained united and more importantly, loved Mina. They were such good people and righteous, but not in an annoying way... and also skilled. You can't help but admire them and the family they have created. That everyone would die for each other says what they have created and accomplished :) And I love Scarsdale, Rhys' navigator and friend. He was so funny, but at the same time, dangerous :) I wished he was straight so he'd get his own book. And of course, Lady Corsair, Yasmeen, was as mercenary as I expected and very interesting. In comparison, I felt Mina and Rhys paled a little bit. It's not so much the characters themselves, because I think Mina and Rhys were good characters, had good basis... But it's fleshing out, development and ultimately "likable" factor. I mean, once you get to know Mina, you can't help but admire her. This woman is tough and strong and her devotion to her family is admirable. She also gives off the vibe that she's a good inspector which is good too. But I can't help but wonder how... If she is so despised, how can she investigate properly and efficiently? Are people willing to talk to her, trust her or let her investigate? At one point in the story, if it hadn't been for Rhys' presence, she wouldn't have been able to hire a coach! It think it would have been good if we've seen her more in action without Rhys. As for Rhys, yes he was an alpha and tortured hero, he was also an honorable captain. He was also a survivor and as such, he has a tendency to look out for himself and his interest first. But as a man, who was he really? I don't know as I didn't get a sense of him. Rhys knew money, knew sex... but humans? Humans interaction? Not so much. And there wasn't really a softer side to him... All in all, I found that Rhys and Mina were difficult characters to relate to and just didn't evoke any feelings in me. They were just okay. And unfortunately, I felt the same way about the romance ^_^; I didn't think Rhys and Mina suited each other that much. They were so different and sometimes, it works... because the couple comes to a certain understanding. But I don't think it ever happened with Rhys and Mina. Sure, they were attracted to each other... But even after spending so much time together, they didn't understand one another. If they did, the whole "I'm done with you" wouldn't have happened... and that really showed to me they weren't suited. It didn't feel what they had together was solid and I wished for an epilogue to prove me wrong.

I'm almost done here, stay with me LOL. My last two issues had to do with the storyline and the tone of The Iron Duke. First, I think the storyline was good. It felt like a great adventure and that's what The Iron Duke was all about :) Unfortunately, great adventure is usually accompanied with great action and I felt it wasn't the case here. There was some great build-up, but when it should have been awesome, it became anti-climatic. For example, pursuing Marco's Terror and facing Hunt or when they finally found the weapon. My reaction was, that's it? I just thought it was unfortunate that how it unfolded was kind of a let-down :( Finally, the tone of the story... I found the whole feel of the book was bit crude ^_^; I think it was was the overuse of the word "shag" which sure, it's the accurate word since the story takes place in England... but it was a bit jarring for me. Plus, that's a reason why I didn't get in the romance... All Rhys wanted was to shag Mina, to possess her like a thing :( Then, there were a few other scenes that set the tone... I guess it took me by surprise, because it wasn't what I was expecting for this series. I was expecting something more clinical I guess, with all the technology ^_^;

My Grade: C. Phew, I didn't think the review would be so long LOL. I'm going with a C for The Iron Duke because there were some very good elements and there were others I didn't care much for. At the end of the day, I feel neutral about this book ^_^; Didn't love although I really wished to, but didn't dislike either.