Review: Summer at Seaside Cove by Jacquie D'Alessandro

Not much going on with me. Recovering from my week-end :) and trying to get out of my reading slump ^_^; Enjoying the last few weeks of summer as well! I really can't believe we're in August already... sigh. What about you? What are you up to?

Hope you enjoy this review!


Summer at Seaside Cove by Jacquie D'Alessandro
published by Berkley in May 2011

After Jamie Newman's half sister Laurel steals her boyfriend, Jamie leaves New York and the humiliation behind for the island of Seaside Cove, North Carolina. But the cozy cottage she booked turns out to be a rundown bungalow. And she's not alone. Her drama-prone mother, angst- ridden niece and newly dumped Laurel all follow her down. With a cottage this crowded, will she ever have a chance at finding love again?

Genre: Contemporary romance
Series: Seaside Cove series, Book #1

The Story: I don't think I can summarize the storyline of Summer at Seaside Cove better than it was done in the blurb... so I won't try. All I'm going to do is add a few more details LOL. Jamie and Laurel are half-sisters and work at the restaurant their father established, Newman; Jamie as a manager and Laurel as PR. Said father passed away three years ago and ever since then, Jamie's mother has been leaning on Jamie heavily, almost unable to make any decision on her own. When Jamie's boyfriend leave her for Laurel, Jamie is hurt and humiliated... but she also realizes that dating Richard who came from the rich upper world, she lost a bit of herself. That's why she heads for Seaside Cove... to get away from her hectic life in New York and all the hurts, but also to find herself...

What Jamie has realized after her boyfriend dumped her, Nick Trent has figured it all out before. Tired of living the life that other people expect from him, Nick left everything behind to start fresh at Seaside Cove. With his brown Labrador dog Godiva, Nick is living his life at his own rhythm, renovating the cottages. When Nick and Jamie first met, let say they didn't get a great impressions of each other ^_^; Nick thinks Jamie is high-maintenance, princess-y and demanding, while Jamie thinks Nick is a lazy, irresponsible drunk. However, as they get to know each other, they realize how wrong they were... and are interested in seeing where the sparks between them will lead.

My Opinion: Looking back at Summer at Seaside Cove, there's nothing about it that screams wowzer... and yet, it turned out to be a great read :)

I really can't say how much I enjoyed Summer at Seaside Cove. A big part of it were the characters, especially Jamie and Nick. They were interesting and likable characters whom you could relate to and I guess that's why they felt real. I liked the fact that they got to know each other better, amending their first impressions, and appreciate each other before giving to attraction and jumping into bed. I like how supporting Nick was towards Jamie's problems. In a way, he understood what she was going through and shared his experience with her, but never pushed her to take a decision. He definitively was what she needed :) So definitively a good romance here :) Oh and to complete the picture, I thought Godiva was adorable!! :) She was just so fun to read about, vibrant, and really put a smile on my face while I read the book... and I think she set the tone of the book LOL.

While the story of Summer at Seaside Cove was not very original - burn-out heroine going away to find herself, Ms D'Alessandro managed to surprise me with some twists and that was unexpected, but in a really good way :) The twists weren't major or anything, but it made the book stand out for me. For example, the simple fact that Laurel was Jamie's older half-sister. From the blurb, I immediately assumed that Laurel was the annoying, spoiled, inconsiderate little sister... and so finding out that Laurel was actually older was refreshing. Also the part with Jamie's mother - did not expect! I also think Ms D'Alessandro did a great job with these secondary characters, fleshing them just enough to be interesting, but not enough that they stole the spotlight from Jamie and Nick and become annoying.

Finally, kudos to Ms D'Alessandro for striking just the right tone with Summer at Seaside Cove. If I had to describe the book, it'd be fluff with some depth LOL. I know, I know, how can a book be fluffy and deep at the same time? I can't explain it, but that's exactly what Ms D'Alessandro achieved LOL. So I guess it's really a question of balance :) I think it's because all the conflicts that Ms D'Alessandro introduced were resolved and resolved in a satisfactory fashion instead of just being swept aside or tied in a nice knot. I liked that the characters actually communicate, talk to each other to resolve these conflicts :)

I've read Ms D'Alessandro before and this is definitively my favorite book of hers :) True, there's nothing that special about Summer at Seaside Cove storyline, but it hit the right spot :) As such, I highly recommend it as a summer read and if you don't believe me, you can read Hils's review :)

My Grade: B+.

Review: Tempted at Midnight by Jacquie D'Alessandro

Hello everyone :)

A quick post to let you know that I have a review up at Book Binge :) This time, I'm reviewing Tempted at Midnight by Jacquie D'Alessandro. Follow the link to find out what I thought of the last installment of the Mayhem in Mayfair series...

Lady Emily Stapleford never dreamed that the burden of saving her family from financial ruin would rest on her lovely, resourceful shoulders. Since she’s only willing to marry for love, and not money, Emily pens a story she hopes will bring her fortune — only to have it rejected by every major publisher. After all, what respectable reader would dare embrace a vampire heroine?

Not to be dissuaded, Emily generates publicity by attracting attention with a vampire masquerade. Overnight London is abuzz with the sightings. With renewed interest in Emily’s book, she’s guaranteed success — if it wasn’t for the mysterious American, Logan Jennsen. He’s on to Emily’s duplicity and he has every intention of using it to his advantage. If only he wasn’t falling in love with this unabashedly creative hothouse flower. And if only he didn’t have a scandalous secret of his own — one that’s putting both their lives in danger...

April 2009 New Releases

Finally April!!! I can't tell you how long I've been looking forward to April! LOL :P Just soooo many high anticipated (at least by me) books coming out!! But first, let me share this:


Isn't it gorgeous?!? I love the colors! As you can see, this is the cover for Sea Glass, the second in Ms Snyder's new trilogy... and guess what? The release date is September 2009!!! Woohoo, the wait won't be too long!!

All right, unto the new releases now...


Paradise Valley by Robyn Carr
(Mira - April 01)

Marine corporal Rick Sudder is home early from Iraq—his tour ended abruptly on the battlefield. The carefree boy is gone, replaced by a man who believes his future is as bleak as his mirror image. But can the passion and commitment of a young woman who has never given up on him mend his broken body and shattered heart?

As the people of Virgin River rally around Rick, another recent arrival tests the tightly knit mountain town's famous welcoming spirit. Dan Brady has a questionable past, and he's looking for a place to start over. He'd like it to be Virgin River…if he can find a way in. But he never expects to find it in the arms of a woman who was as much an outcast as himself.

For a favorite son returned from war and an outsider looking for a home, Virgin River offers them a chance to make peace with the men they once were…and to find the dreams they thought they'd lost.

LOL, so this one doesn't need any explaining right? Last in the second successful Virgin River trilogy by Robyn Carr. I bet there will be more in the future, but that's it for now :) To tell the truth, I already got and read this book :P Review to come very soon.


The Warrior by Sharon Sala
(Mira - April 01)

John Nightwalker is a strong, rugged Native American soldier who has seen many battles. While hunting down an old enemy, he crosses paths with Alicia Ponte. On the run from her father—a powerful arms manufacturer—Alicia seeks to expose her father's traitorous crimes of selling weapons to our enemies in Iraq. But Richard Ponte will do anything to stay below the radar…even if it means killing his own daughter.

Drawn to the mystery that surrounds Alicia, John feels compelled to protect her. Together they travel through the beautiful yet brutal Arizona desert to uncover deadly truths and bring her father to justice. But their journey is about to take an unexpected turn…one that goes deep into the past.

Ms Sala is an auto-buy for me :) I love her books. The word that comes to mind is emotional. Although I'm a fan, I have to say that there's a little something putting me off from this book and it's the fact that the hero is a Native American. I have nothing against Native American hero per se; however, I'm afraid this book will be too similar to other books written by Ms Sala featuring a Native Amercian hero. For example, The Healer, released last year, was very similar to Legend written under her other pen name Dinah McCall. Let's hope that I'm wrong and just over-worrying and that Ms Sala will surprise me :)


Rewriting Monday by Jodi Thomas
(Berkley - April 07)

Reporter Pepper Malone moved to Bailey, Texas, after a news story nearly got her killed. Now she wants to be left alone to do her job in relative peace and quiet. But when the newspaper's staff is targeted by a madman with a grudge against the media, Pepper is drawn back into the public eye - and into the arms of the paper's handsome owner.

After reading Twisted Creek, I've become an unconditional fan of Ms Thomas' contemporary romances :) I'm really looking forward this one, although I'm not sure whether or not it is actually connected to Twisted Creek. Either way, I like the blurb and the cover... and I'm currently trying to hunt it down in the bookstore... So far, I haven't been lucky though :(


White Star by Elizabeth Vaughan
(Berkley - April 07)

The Lady High Priestess Evelyn, known as Evie to her friends, is a healer, dedicated to using her magic in the service of the goddess to aid others and give strength where it is needed. Orrin Blackheart couldn't be more different. With his black armour, a black name and a blacker reputation, he's been feared and hated in equal parts. So on his defeat and capture in battle, the Goddesses insistence that Evie saves him from a death sentence astonishes them both - as does the growing attraction between them. But in saving Orrin Evie condemns herself to a prohibition on her magic and a penance posting on the edges of the land, while to retain his salvation Orrin must battle a spreading plague across the land. Fate clearly has plans for them both - but to fulfill them, both must survive the perils ahead.

It's Ms Elizabeth Vaughan. Author of the Warland Chronicles... so of course I want it :) Yes, I was disappointed in Dagger Star, but I still have high hope for this one :) I'm curious about Orrin and Evie's relationship :) I like it when the two characters come from opposing sides :)


Tempted at Midnight by Jacquie D'Alessandro
(Berkley - April 07)

To stir public interest in her vampire romance novel, Lady Emily Stapleford stages nighttime vampire appearances. Overnight, London is abuzz with the sightings. Now she'd be guaranteed success, if it wasn't for mysterious Logan Jennsen, who's onto Emily's duplicity.

Hmmmm, this is the last book in the series. That's why it is still on my list of books to look forward to. However, I'm not expecting too much because of the last book, Seduced at Midnight. Plus, the back blurb sounds so so only ^_^;


Turn Coat by Jim Butcher
(RoC - April 07)

Harry Dresden, professional wizard, has done his best to keep his nose clean where the White Council of Wizards is concerned. Even so, his past misdeeds have cast a constant shadow of suspicion over him in the eyes of the Wardens, those wizards responsible for enforcing the Laws of Magic. Now Dresden finds himself faced with a nightmarish dilemma: Morgan, formerly his chief persecutor among the Warden, has been wrongly accused of treason against the White Council - and has come to Harry for help. Dresden faces a daunting task: clear Morgan's name while simultaneously hiding him from the Wardens and the supernatural bounty hunters sent to find him, discovering the identity of the true turncoat and, of course, avoiding accusations of treachery of his own. A single mistake may mean that heads - quite literally - will roll. And one of them could be his own...

Ooooooohhhhhh!!! Okay, I've become a fan of this series and the back blurb just sounds too good!!! I'm sure this one will be hilarious! Now, I know some of the bookstores have received, but I've already pre-ordered. So I need to restrain myself from rushing to the bookstore to buy it. Shouldn't be too difficult right at that price, 32$ (hardcover).


The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
(Double Day Canada - April 28)

If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl - someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment - not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a group of people who call themselves The Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control: I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.

I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends - a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch - and we have to find someone who can help us gain our freedom back before The Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

LOL, another one of my favorite authors :) Second in the Darkest Powers trilogy, this takes place in the Otherworld world :)It's for YA, but pretty interesting :) I'm actually hoping for a cross-over in the future...


Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder
(Mira - April 28)

Untrained. Untested. Unleashed. With her unique magical abilities, Opal has always felt unsure of her place at Sitia's magic academy. But when the Stormdancer clan needs help, Opal's knowledge makes her the perfect choice - until the mission goes awry. Pulling her powers in unfamiliar directions, Opal finds herself tapping into a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. Now Opal must deal with plotters out to destroy the Stormdancer clan, as well as a traitor in their midst. With danger and deception rising around her, will Opal's untested abilities destroy her - or save them all?

LOL, what can I say, it's like they all plan to have my favorite authors release in the same month :)Okay, so I'm running out of things to say except that... well it's Maria V Snyder!! LOL :P I read the excerpt a long time ago and I liked it :) I think this is going to be very interesting and we get to visit another region/country :P


Visions in White by Nora Roberts
(Berkley - April 28)

Childhood friends Mackensie, Parker, Laurel and Emmeline have formed a very successful wedding planning business together but, despite helping thousands of happy couples to organise the biggest day of their lives, all four women are unlucky in love. Photographer Mackensie Elliott has suffered a tough childhood and has a bad relationship with her mother, which makes her wary of commitment. But when she meets Carter Macguire, she can't stop herself falling for him, although his ex girlfriend is prepared to play dirty to keep him. Mackensie soon realises she has to put her past demons to rest in order to find lasting love...

All right, so instead of a trilogy, seems like Ms Roberts is now writing quartet :P I'm going to give this a try, sounds like good :) My only caveat is that this is going to be trade-size, sigh. I'll give this one a try and see if it's worth to get the other books or not :P


Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
(Mira - April 28)

Knitting and life. They're both about beginnings—and endings. That’s why it makes sense for Lydia Goetz, owner of A Good Yarn on Seattle’s Blossom Street, to offer a class called Knit to Quit. It’s for people who want to quit something—or someone!—and start a new phase of their lives.

First to join is Phoebe Rylander. She recently ended her engagement to a man who doesn’t know the meaning of faithful, and she’s trying to get over him. Then there’s Alix Turner. She and her husband, Jordan, want a baby, which means she has to quit smoking. And Bryan Hutchinson joins the class because he needs a way to deal with the stress of running his family’s business—not to mention the lawsuit brought against him by an unscrupulous lawyer.

Life can be as complicated as a knitting pattern. Just ask Anne Marie Roche. She and her adopted daughter, Ellen, finally have the happiness they wished for. And then a stranger comes to her bookstore asking questions.

Or ask Lydia herself. Not only is she coping with her increasingly frail mother, but she and Brad have unexpectedly become foster parents to an angry, defiant twelve-year-old.

But as Lydia already knows, when life gets difficult and your stitches are snarled, your friends can always help!

I'm actually unsure about this release date... some says April 28 and others, May 1st. All right, granted, there's not much of a difference between the dates, right LOL. Especially since this one will probably show up early in bookstore :P Anyway, I really like this series... and I'm soooo glad that we're going to see Alix again and catch up with her life :)

See, April is going to be a great month :) Kind of funny though that the month is divided into two batches of releases :P But here's my reasoning. I'll buy all the books coming out in the beginning of the month and then, will have time to read them before getting the second wave :P Plus, it's going to give me time to save a bit of money, since the late releases are all trade-sizes or hardcovers :(

So Happy April reading!!

Review: Tempted at Midnight by Jacquie D'Alessandro

Finally, seems like the blogging muse is back with me :)

Today's review is Tempted at Midnight by Jacquie D'Alessandro... However, you'll have to head over to Book Binge to find out what I thought of the book :) Of course, you could always click here.

Have a nice day!

Recent reads - take 4

Hello everyone,

I haven't post much comments lately, not because I'm not reading, but because I'm exhausted. My supervisor at the lab is gone, but thanx god, he's coming back on Tuesday. My experiment is not working and I'm hoping it's not because contamination.

So onto my recent reads:

Never a Lady by Jacquie D'Alessandro: 2/5

Hmmm. There were a mini-discussion about slutty cover at Romancelover blog and this cover totally qualifies as slutty cover. The inside flap is even worst, cos you have the man in addition ^^; So why did I buy the book? I was curious and bored. By the end of the book, I was no longer curious, but still bored.

This is my first book by Jacquie D'Alessandro and well, it didn't impress me. It couldn't catch my attention at all which means that I pretty much skimmed through the book.

Alexandra is a card reader and is presently the "hot" stuff of the ton. She pretends to be married and is hired at different soirées. At one of the soirée, she sees Colin Oliver, Viscount Sutton, and panics... she doesn't know the man, but recognizes him. Indeed, Alexandra grew up in the less favorable parts of London and was a pickpocket. One night, she met Colin in an alley and tried to steal his watch, but got caught. She successfully ran away, but her cards have predicted that she would meet the man again. Meanwhile, Colin is returning to London to search for a wife after a long retreat at his estate. Then at the soirée, he sees Alexandra and recognizes her. He is relieved, because he never forgot her and often wondered if she was still alive or not. While trying to avoid Colin, Alex runs into a room and overhears two persons planning a murder. She leaves a note to the victim, but he still dies. Then, she becomes a target and Colin decides that it is his duty to protect her.

So, as the grade shows, I didn't really enjoy the book. The whole thing between Alexandra and Colin seems forced. Her fears that he would recognize her as the pickpocket and would tell the ton, ruining her was blown out of proportion and I don't really understand Colin's obsession with Alexandra either. I mean, he admits that he's been worried about her and have gone back to the alley many times to look of her, but to no avail. You also Alexandra's charity cause: every night, at her house, she welcomes little children that have no where to stay, but I think it was mentioned once and then, we never read about it anymore because she didn't stay at home anymore for the duration of the book. What was disappointing is that the author had all the settings ready and she didn't use them effectively: Alexandra's generosity, her being a card reader, the murder, etc. and then, the author focus solely on the romance. It is a romance, true, but instead of playing out all her cards, she goes down the stereotypic road with the jealousy and all. Then, it just took forever for Colin to realize that he was in love with Alexandra. His brother and sister-in-law were dropping hints such as he has found his lady, he should stop looking for a wife, but the guy still doesn't get it... Even when she broke up their affaire, he was still clueless. All he can think about is Alexandra, but he doesn't put one and one together.

So yeah, my advice... skip this one. If you really want to read it, borrow it.


The Sexy series by Linda Francis Lee

I've been looking for good contemporaries lately and had had some difficulties coming up with good books. I stumbled over Jazz's review of  Suddenly Sexy at the Sanctuary and so I decided to give it a go. So I put some books aside and started to read Suddenly Sexy and  Sinfully Sexy.

Suddenly Sexy: 3.5/5

Again, hmmm. To get the summary, you should go to Jazz's review. Basically Katie was in love with Jesse Chapman, her childhood friend 4 years her senior. However, he left mostly because he didn't think he was worthy for her. Now he comes back to town, looking for tranquility, because he's losing his game. See, Jesse is a pro golfer who's a favorite to win a PGA tournament, but he lost his game after he saved a woman who was hit by a golf club. So he thinks that going home will help him regain his game; however, once home, old tension between him and his brother resurfaces, his lust for Katie also returns and he finds out he fathered a son 13 years ago. Not really helping.

Meanwhile, Katie was a news anchor, but is now giving her own talk-show. This is because the tv station where she and her two best friends, Julia and Chloe, are working need to increase their ratings and after a survey, viewers think that Katie is stiff, boring, unwielding and yadayadayada. So the talk-show is an attempt for her to get a new image...

The book wasn't so bad, but the whole "Getting Real with Kate" talk-show was boring and her attempts of trying to be someone else too. That's probably what got on my nerve and the book would probably have been a 4 instead of a 3.5. What also disappoints me a bit is that Jesse and Katie's relationship wasn't sweet enough :P Oh, last thing. I usually love kids in books and Travis is no exception... when he took the strawberry ice cream box, that was so cute. However, I think that there were enough family stuff to deal with - Jesse's father and brother, Katie's mother and sister (by the way, Jesse's brother and Katie's sister are married) , that bringing in a kid, no matter how mature and cute, was unnecessary. By the way, Katie had such a hard time and she became the adult and all, what was her sister doing during that time?

Sinfully Sexy: 2.5/5

So Sinfully Sexy is the second book and Chloe's story. The sad thing about that book is that Katie almost completely disappeared. It seems to me that the author thought: Katie's story is over, don't need to talk about her anymore... so that was a bit of a disappointment. Anyway, let's talk about Chloe.

Chloe took a quizz in a magazine to see how "sexy" she was... and instead of choosing any choices given, she always added her own answer to the multiple choices... so of course, she failed ^^; So one night, when she has to replace Julia at a soirée, she decided to test if she really could be sexy. The result: yes. She ended up in the woman's bathroom of the hotel lobby almost making love with Sterling Prescott, handsome CEO of Prescott Media. However, at the last minute, some ppl are banging at the door and Chloe chickens out so she slips out. Next morning, she has a meeting with some rating analysist from Prescott Media along with Julia and who turns up? Sterling Prescott and his younger brother, Ben (Ben's a cop by the way). So what does Chloe do? She pretends she doesn't know him. Anyway, at the same time, Julia and Chloe mistake Sterling for his employee, Trey Tanner, whom Sterling just fired because of his sudden softness. Sterling wants to clear up the misundertanding, but oups, Chloe doesn't really have a high opinion of "Sterling Prescott" and so, Sterling takes up a challenge to prove her wrong.

Okay, so maybe I'm harsh with the grading of this book, but I didn't like it much. First, Sterling Prescott should be yummy, but he isn't... at least to me. The man is rich and wealthy and privileged I guess, but you're going to tell me he never made coffee or normal stuff? I find that hard to believe given he started his major in microbiology. Just didn't make sense to me... Actually, my biggest difficulty with this character is that he seemed to have multi-personalities... He had so many different traits that put together gave contrary person. I mean, Roarke from the In Death series is a yummy rich, charismatic CEO... Sterling, well, he's confused and not that confident in the end. So hero wasn't quite attractive. Then, there's the whole reality TV show: The catch and his dozen Texan Roses. Urgh. Think the Bachelor. I really dislike watching those shows in real life, but to read about it? No. In addition, the night before production begins, The Catch and one of the rose elope, so who replace them? If your answer was Sterling and Chloe, well bravo. I mean, that was completely stupid... since Sterling and Chloe were already attracted to each other + they were still producers of the show at the same time. So the whole reality tv show was a bummer... and both Chloe and Sterling's family situations weren't interesting read.

So now, there's the last book of the series... Simply Sexy which is Julia's story and her love interest is Ben, Sterling's younger brother, whose facing bad times as one of his undercover work went wrong. So I'll be completely honest and seriously, I don't feel like reading this one... From what I got from the two previous book, I don't really like Julia... so perhaps I'll wait for Jazz's review before reading it.