Review: Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen

Finally, my first review for a Sarina Bowen book! Woohoo! I discovered Ms Bowen a couple of years ago and promptly fell in love with her writing. Many of her books have become favorites, but I've been in a blogging funk for so long that I never got around to review them. Hopefully, I'll remedy that... but for now, here's my review for Bittersweet, the first book in her new True North series :)

Enjoy!

Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen
self-published in June 2016

If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the orchard.

The last person Griffin Shipley expects to find stuck in a ditch on his Vermont country road is his ex-hookup. Five years ago they’d shared a couple of steamy nights together. But that was a lifetime ago.

At twenty-seven, Griff is now the accidental patriarch of his family farm. Even his enormous shoulders feel the strain of supporting his mother, three siblings and a dotty grandfather. He doesn’t have time for the sorority girl who’s shown up expecting to buy his harvest at half price.

Vermont was never in Audrey Kidder’s travel plans. Neither was Griff Shipley. But she needs a second chance with the restaurant conglomerate employing her. Okay—a fifth chance. And no self-righteous lumbersexual farmer will stand in her way.

They’re adversaries. They want entirely different things from life. Too bad their sexual chemistry is as hot as Audrey’s top secret enchilada sauce, and then some.

Genre: Contemporary romance
Series: True North, Book #1

The Story: A few years back, Griffin Shipley was forced to take over the family farm after his father's sudden death. Armed with a bachelor in chemistry, Griff hopes to forge a new path for the farm by brewing cider. All he wants is to keep the farm afloat, at least until his youngest siblings head for college. With the busiest season upon him, Griff doesn't need any distraction... which Audrey Kidder definitively is.

After a few colleges and years of self-discovery, Audrey finally knows what she wants to do in life: be a chef and own a restaurant. She's completed culinary school and is now working for one of Boston most prominent restaurant conglomerates. Each year, the conglomerate holds a contest to open a new restaurant and Audrey is determined to win. For now, she needs to impress them with her work even if it doesn't involve cooking. When she is sent to Vermont with a price list to find local produces, the last person she expected to run into is Griff.

Five years ago, Griffin and Audrey shared a couple of steamy nights together. Now reunited, they realize the chemistry is still present and as hot as ever.

My Opinion: As much as I enjoy Ms Bowen's writing, I have to admit I didn't really know what to expect from Bittersweet. In all the books I've read by Ms Bowen previously, sport has been the central theme, the common element. With this new series, it feels like Ms Bowen is branching out, deviating from the familiar path... and it's always a bit scary when it happens. We all like authors for certain specific reasons. Often times, it's because they excel in a genre and when they decide to write something else, readers never know if they'll pull it off. Ms Bowen has become one of my favorite authors and I didn't want her to fall from my personal pedestal. Good news - she didn't :)

Overall, I really enjoyed Bittersweet. My favorite part was the setting. I think Ms Bowen did a marvelous job with the Vermont setting, bringing it to life for the readers. Reading Bittersweet, I had the deep feeling that Ms Bowen knew what she was writing about, especially when it came to farming life. I could also imagine myself at the market or in the orchard :) It definitively set the right mood for Bittersweet and made my read more enjoyable!

I also thought Grumpy Griffin was a good, solid hero LOL. I have a thing for grumpy/grouchy character and Griffin definitively fit that mold :) In all seriousness though, he was a great guy. A good son/grandson, a caring big brother, a dependable friend, fair boss and great boyfriend. What more can you ask? What I liked most about Griffin is his honesty though. He didn't bluff, didn't pretend that everything was fine when it wasn't. He shared his burden with his family and tried to include them in the decision-making. Griffin was tough... but the kind of toughness that comes with the hard, physical work from the farm. Not street toughness if you know what I mean. And I enjoyed this different kind of tough :) Griffin also felt real... he was in no way perfect. He had worries like everyone else and they were believable. I appreciate that he wasn't bitter about having to take over the farm. You could feel that he loved his life, even when it's not an easy one... but it didn't stop him from wondering what could have been. I thought Griffin was a well-layered character :)

Unfortunately, I didn't have the same feeling for Audrey. Not that she was a bad heroine, but she just didn't give off the same "solid" vibe as Griffin. Perhaps it means Ms Bowen wrote her character well though, given Audrey had some self-esteem issues... It was easy to understand where those issues came from because Audrey had a very demanding mother. To her mother, she came off as an airhead simply because she didn't know what she wanted in life and that was sad :( Also Audrey seemed to lack a support system - she didn't seem to have any friends of family. Anyway, I liked Audrey well enough. She was nice, friendly and it was fun to see her so passionate about food and cooking. What didn't work for me though was her dream of owning a restaurant. It's not that I didn't believe it feasible, but it was her attitude towards it. As if it was on the verge of happening. I felt she was very naive about it. Perhaps I've watched too much cooking shows, but to be the sort of chef Audrey seemed to aspire and own her restaurant... it's a lot of hard work. Years of apprenticeship, working in different kitchens, etc. It doesn't happen in an instant because you've won a contest. I felt Audrey lacked the experience. Maybe if she wanted to open the restaurant in Vermont, something low-key... I could see it. But Boston? I felt that was the weakness of Bittersweet.

I also liked the romance quite a bit. It always helps when the H/H have a previous connection. In the case of Griffin and Audrey, it was nice that they had a second chance for something more, especialy now that both of them are more mature. From the blurb, it sounded like Griffin and Audrey were going to be adversaries, the kind that couldn't have a relationship between them... but it wasn't and I appreciate that. I think it would have felt too forced if they had to stay away from each other, especially given their chemistry. I liked that Griffin helped out Audrey and that there wasn't any huge conflict. I don't think this book needed it. All in all, a lovely and intense romance :)

Finally, I loved all the secondary characters :) They were all great without stealing the spotlight. I'm definitively looking forward to Jude and Zach's books!

My Grade: B.

Review: Wasted Words by Staci Hart

All right, taking a little break from my Romance Starter Kit posts to post this review! I just finish reading this yesterday, so this review is really fresh off the press :)

Enjoy!

Wasted Words by Staci Hart
self-published in May 2016

Some universal truths refuse to be ignored.

Peanut butter and jelly are a match made in heaven. Spaghetti and meatballs are best friends forever. And guys like Tyler Knight don’t go for girls like Cam Emerson.

She knew from the second she met him that he didn’t belong on her bookshelf, the six-foot-six ex-tight end with a face so all-American, it could have sold apple pie. So she shelved him next to the supermodels and rock stars and took her place on her own shelf — the one with the flannel-clad, pasty-faced comic book nerds. Most of her boyfriends have existed between the pages of books, but rather than worrying over her own lacking love life, she puts all her energy into playing Cupid, using her job at the book bar, Wasted Words, as her stomping ground.

Tyler Knight always looks on the bright side. His career-ending injury turned into a job as a sports agent. A horrible breakup led him to Cam, his quirky, smart roommate who is far more beautiful than she realizes. She’s made it perfectly clear she’s not interested in him — not like that at least — but if she ever changes her mind, he won’t hesitate. Because he doesn’t see the lines she’s drawn between them, as much as she insists that they’re there. Deep down he knows that despite their differences, they’re a match well made.

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary romance
Series: Bad Habits, Book #4 (?)

The Story: Cam Emerson and Tyler Knight became roommates when Tyler needed a new place after being dumped by his model ex for being too nice and boring. The two have become great friends and hang out together almost everyday. A bookworm, Cam's mission is to find THE book that will make Tyler love reading.

Cam is a quirky, cute, smart and short geek. She's always been different and has embraced her passions. She's currently working her dream job at Wasted Words, a book bar, as a manager. She also enjoys matchmaking people together. She's had a painful love experience in high school and because of it, she firmly believes that people who are too different cannot be together. That's why when Tyler, her six-foot-six, gorgeous roommate, expresses his feelings, she doesn't think they have a future... yet, she can't resist him.

Will Tyler be able to prove her wrong?

My Opinion: This was such a cute read!! I checked out the book on Goodreads because of the cover and the blurb just sold me - I love opposites attract romance. So happy I gave this a try and that's why I'm reviewing it right away :)

I loved Cam and Tyler. They were both great characters!! I think a lot of us will relate to Cam who's a book lover: re-reading a book because the last three didn't reach her, trying to find the perfect book for Tyler, etc. :) She loved books and I could really feel that love, which made me love her LOL. Also, she was a great boss, so much fun and really into it. Seriously, I wish Wasted Words existed so I could work there! She was just so dynamic and passionate... Of course, she had faults and issues, but she was honest and upfront about them and knew when she was wrong. The only thing I disliked was her hobby of playing matchmaker. It served the story to a certain extent, but personally, I could have done without. As for Tyler, such a great hero!! I loved him! He was just such a nice guy, being handsome was the bonus LOL. I loved his understanding, patience and persistence. Seriously, if I could meet a guy like Tyler, I'd be really, really happy and wouldn't hesitate a second to snatch him up :)

The romance was pretty awesome as well. Cam and Tyler had a lot of chemistry and I loved that they didn't jump into bed right away after expressing their feelings for each other. Kisses, hugs, sleeping together (not sex), hanging out... It was just so sweet. I liked that they communicated and once again, have to mention Tyler's understanding and patience towards Cam's issues. He tried to be there and reassure her, convince her they'd work. What I liked also is that there was no game between them... and the author didn't go the typical route either. For example, before Cam and Tyler realize their feelings for each other, Tyler goes on a date... That's when he starts to realize that he wants to be with Cam, but is not sure about Cam feelings. Well, he doesn't go on and date this girl like most romance books. Instead, he tells her he's interested in someone else and confronts Cam with his feelings. There were many instances when Ms Hart could have chosen the convoluted way that many other authors have chosen... and I'm not saying that those authors were wrong, but it was nice Ms Hart didn't take the easy way to create conflicts. Instead, the romance conflict stemmed from Cam's past relationship and readers were aware of it early and it all made sense. It also added a layer to Cam and shows us that no matter how self-assured someone is, there is always some vulnerability somewhere.

Where the book falters in my opinion is the timeline. The story spans about 1.5 week and Cam and Tyler's romance, a week. I thought that was pretty rushed given everything they went through. Yes, Cam and Tyler had this strong friendship/roommate relationship as a basis for their romance, but I wished the author had expanded on the transition from friends to lovers. Wished we've seen more of Cam and Tyler as a couple, alone, to really cement their romance in my mind. While the romance was very sweet, it seemed to lack the intensity for me to really believe everything happened in a week and that Cam and Tyler could weather through the conflict. And that's why I kind of wished Ms Hart hadn't added the whole matchmaking part of the story... Like those parts could have been dedicated to Cam and Tyler instead.

My Grade: B. Wasted Words was a sweet and cute read and I'm very happy to have read it. However, I feel like it was missing a spark in order to make it truly memorable. Also, there were a few editing errors - nothing major, but still slightly annoying ^_^;

Review: Sidebarred by Emma Chase

Sidebarred by Emma Chase
self-published in April 2016

There was a time when Jake Becker had it all together. He was controlled, driven, ruthless—in and out of the courtroom.

Then, six irresistible orphans and their heartbreakingly beautiful aunt crashed into his perfectly ordered life. They changed everything. They changed him. Now he’s a husband, an upstanding member of society, a father figure—a family man. And he’s pretty damn good at it.

Sure, he has to referee sibling smackdowns, re-learn algebra, ensure his clients stay of jail, and keep his wife happy—but it finally feels like he’s got it together again....

So, of course something has to screw it all up. It’s huge. Life-changing. Kind of terrifying.

And it will be the most amazing, perfect thing he’ll ever do.

Genre: Contemporary romance
Series: The Legal Briefs, Book #3.5

The Story: In Sidebarred, readers get to catch up with Jake, Chelsea and the McQuaid brood. The novella takes place about 3 years after the last book of The Legal Briefs series, Appealed. At the beginning of the story, Chelsea thinks that she's pregnant, which is unexpected. Being the guardians of six kids, Jake and Chelsea never thought of adding one of their own. However, after finding out that Chelsea is not pregnant and both being disappointed, they decide to go for it - and they bring us along for the adventure :)

My Opinion: One of my favorite book in 2015 was Sustained :) When I found out that Ms Chase had written a novella which was basically the sequel of Sustained, I knew for sure I'd be getting it :) I loved Jake, Chelsea and the McQuaid brood... and it was a pleasure to catch up with them in Sidebarred :)

Sidebarred was quite short - not even a hundred pages; however, it's one of the most satisfying novella I've read :) I often complain that a novella is short and how I wanted more out of it... but with this one, I'm just happy the way it is :) Ms Chase simply did a great job at packing a punch in here. She basically covered everything: how the couple was doing, updating us with their lives, giving us slices of their lives/routines, a big event, a celebration and HEA endings. The novella was very episodic and that allowed her to highlight each of the McQuaid kid and focus on their interaction with Jake, which has always been the best part of the stories :) It's so good to see how much Jake loves them and how integral they've become to his life.

What I also enjoyed was the day-to-day moments such as figuring out the car schedule for everyone or the family hanging out with friends. It made the novella more realistic.

The only part I didn't care much about Sidebarred was Chelsea's situation at work. I think the novella could have done without it, especially if the only purpose was to add conflict.

My Grade: A. Sidebarred was such a fun read - I had  a smile on my face the whole time ;)

PS - Obviously, do not read this as a stand-alone. You definitively need to read Sustained beforehand.

Review: Sun-Kissed by Laura Florand

Sun-Kissed by Laura Florand
self-published in May 2014

They called her the Ice Queen.

Anne Winters. Self-made billionaire. Household name. Divorced single mom. Convicted felon. She didn’t let anyone or anything get to her. No one was allowed to breach the walls around her heart except for her own son. She had only one trusted friend: her vacation house neighbor. They’d been walking the beach together for twenty years. Not that this gave him access to her heart, of course…

They called him a man who got what he wanted.

Mack Corey. Self-made billionaire. Dominant world player. Widowed father of the bride. No felony convictions yet, although his daughters had come close. He’d transformed his family company into one of the top 500 by the age of thirty. He’d raised two daughters who dumped him for idiot arrogant French chocolatiers and went off to live in Paris. Hell, he even managed to tolerate his dad. But that Ice Queen act Anne Winters had going was really starting to get to him…

They’d been friends for twenty years. Could they become lovers?

Could a frozen heart be kissed by the sun?

Genre: Contemporary romance
Series: Connected to Snow-Kissed and Amour & Chocolat series

The Story: For a change, Sun-Kissed takes place in the States :) Jaime and Dominique are celebrating their wedding and all of their families and close friends are there with them. Recently released from prison, Anne  Winters needs something to occupy herself and has thrown all her energy into organizing the wedding.

Basically, for Anne Winters, think Martha Stewart, without the warmth ^_^; Anne Winters made her fortune by showing to people how to create homes through recipes, crafts and so on. She is known as the Ice Queen with a "fuck you" attitude which didn't endear her to the jury when she was accused of insider trade.

Mack Corey is also a self-made billionaire, king of chocolate in America. He's been Anne's neighbor for 20 years during which they've become confident. He has developed feelings for her, but never acted on it for fear of ruining their friendship... But after Anne has spent six months in prison, he knows it's time to let her know how he feels.

My Opinion: I've never been a fan of "older" main characters ^_^; Oh, as secondary characters, no problem... but as main characters? Not my cup of tea. Mostly because I don't connect with them since a lot of what they've lived, I haven't experienced :( Therefore, I had my doubts about Sun-Kissed when I found out that the main characters were Anne Winters and Mack Corey, both single parents in their 50s. However, Ms Florand proved me wrong and convinced me that I should branch out in my reading a little :)

One of reasons why I enjoyed Ms Florand's books so much is the intensity. She just has a way to communicate this intensity through her characters. You know that they're involved and in so many instance, the power of their feelings is just palpable. And it's not only good feelings like love and passion, but a lot of time, doubts and incertitude... I often feel that books are missing some oomph, but in the case of Ms Florand, the intensity is the oomph I'm looking for and therefore, she has it to spare. And with Sun-Kissed, Ms Florand showed me that young people don't have the monopoly on intensity :) It was quite interesting because Mack and Anne deal with their feelings quite differently. Mack is very expressive and is a man of action while Anne is known as the Ice Queen. Having gone through a number of miscarriages has turned into an introvert. Keeping her feelings to herself has been the way she has survived... However, it doesn't mean she feels less. I think her emotions and the intensity she felt them was as fierce as Mack, perhaps even deeper, and overall, it afforded a nice contrast in the story.

I mentioned above that I don't like reading about older characters because I don't connect with them... but in this case, it worked out so well because it was so refreshing! Mack dealing with an empty nest now that his second daughter is married as well. Also, facing the fact that both his daughters decided to live on a different continent. Anne's feelings about her son having married a woman that's the complete opposite of her. These are feelings that parents must feel, but that are rarely mentioned in romance... and it totally worked for me :)

Speaking of romance, I enjoyed Mack and Anne's. It happened quite fast, but given a 20-year-long friendship, it worked. Plus, there was a catalyst for Mack's finally revealing his feelings for Anne, it didn't come out of the blues. Mack felt helpless when Anne went to jail. Such a powerful man, but unable to help his friend. It also showed him how anything can happen and how they shouldn't waste their time. So yes, something else that worked for me :)

Personally, I don't know how well Sun-Kissed works as a stand-alone since I've read all the books it is connected to. However, for maximum enjoyment of the book, I do think that you need to read the other books. Otherwise, you'll miss the details that make you go "squeee" because a secondary character has appeared or did something :P I know I had fun reading Sun-Kissed for all the secondary characters :) In the very least, read The Chocolate Thief, The Chocolate Touch and Snow-Kissed.

My Grade: B. I hope Ms Florand is going to continue writing novellas/short stories because most of them are winners for me :)

Review: The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram

The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram
self-published (Bluefields) in May 2013

When Avery Shaw’s heart is shattered by her life-long best friend, she chooses to deal with it the only way she knows how—scientifically.

The state science fair is coming up and Avery decides to use her broken heart as the topic of her experiment. She’s going to find the cure. By forcing herself to experience the seven stages of grief through a series of social tests, she believes she will be able to get over Aiden Kennedy and make herself ready to love again. But she can’t do this experiment alone, and her partner (ex partner!) is the one who broke her heart.

Avery finds the solution to her troubles in the form of Aiden’s older brother Grayson. The gorgeous womanizer is about to be kicked off the school basketball team for failing physics. He’s in need of a good tutor and some serious extra credit. But when Avery recruits the lovable Grayson to be her “objective outside observer,” she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for, because Grayson has a theory of his own: Avery doesn’t need to grieve. She needs to live. And if there’s one thing Grayson Kennedy is good at, it’s living life to the fullest.

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Series: None

The Story: Actually, the blurb is very accurate. I'm going to try to recap the book in my own words, but I believe it'll be quite similar to the blurb...

Avery Shaw and Aiden Kennedy have been best friends all their life - literally! Their mothers met in prenatal yoga and the fact Avery and Aiden were born on the same day just sealed their fate. For years, Avery has been in love with Aiden and has been waiting for him to catch up to her feelings, knowing that boys emotionally mature slower than girls. However, during their junior year Christmas break, Aiden drops a bomb... Not only does he have a girlfriend, but he wants space and not to celebrate their birthdays together! Understandably, Avery is quite devastated and heart-broken... Lucky for her though, Aiden's older brother, Grayson, takes her under his wing.

Avery needs a project for the state science fair and has come up with the idea of using herself as a test subject. She wants to prove that a broken heart can be cured by going through the seven stages of grief: shock and disbelief, denial, guilt, anger, depression, acceptance and hope. She recruits Grayson to be her objective outside observer. In exchange, Grayson will get extra credit in physics, which he is failing, and that will allow him to continue playing for the school basketball team. However, Grayson has plans of his own. He intends to help Avery become her own person by living a little.

My Opinion: When I picked up The Avery Shaw Experiment, I really didn't know what to expect. I had actually never heard of Ms Oram prior to The Avery Shaw Experiment, let alone read any of her other books! I was browsing Goodreads, looking for new releases when I stumbled across the title and ended up giving it a try after reading some average reads. Wow, am I glad of my pick because this one hit all the right spots!

The Avery Shaw Experiment was such an excellent, cute and adorable read LOL. I basically loved everything about it: the writing style, the characters and the story. I thought Ms Oram's writing style was light and breezy, making for a very easy read, but at the same time, she did a great job at injecting some seriousness to the storyline. I also really enjoyed reading the story from both Avery and Grayson's POVs. Being privy to both Avery and Grayson's thoughts allowed us to get to know them both, but also provided a nice balance to the story :)

I also liked the characters very much. Grayson was simply a charmer and very crush-worthy, but underneath it all, he was just such a rock for Avery to lean on. He was also more mature and observant than he let on and he did really have some good insight in Avery and Aiden's relationship. As for Avery, she was very likable. She was a bit of a geek which added to her charm and quite shy... She's just the kind of YA heroine that you want to root for. I also really enjoyed Grayson and Avery's bond, chemistry. After all, they've known each other for so long as well... They might not have hung out together as much before, but they understood and knew each other. And that made Grayson's protectiveness very endearing, especially against his own brother. I also want to commend Ms Oram for not falling into the stereotypes. I liked that the popular kids here weren't all mean and snobbish and that the geeky kids actually have some spunk. Loved the part where the science club didn't want it known that Grayson was part of the club as they had a reputation to uphold LOL. Also, Avery's friend Libby was really refreshing! :)

The story was about two journeys. The first was Avery discovering herself, discovering that she could survive without Aiden. The second was Grayson falling in love with Avery. I enjoyed both journeys very much. I'm glad that Avery didn't spend the whole book pining after Aiden and waiting for him only to realize that the one she had feelings for now was Grayson... That would simply have been too typical. I also liked that Aiden wasn't the total villain in the end, liked that Avery and him were able to patch up their friendship. I'm also thought that the remaining friction between the two brothers at the end was realistic.  I also thought the characters' confusion and growth were very realistic and well portrayed and made for a good story.

There were a few inconsistencies in the book such as Avery being so shy that she sometime needed medicine, but at the same time, being able to present at the state science fair and details that bothered me such as Avery believing that everything Grayson did was for the experiment... However, it was all quite minor stuff that didn't affect my enjoyment of the book at all :)

My Grade: A. I loved The Avery Shaw Experiment and am quite certain it will be among my favorite reads for 2014 :) And I'm definitively going to try Ms Oram other books. Hopefully, I have found a new author to add to my auto-buy list :)

Review: Letters to Nowhere by Julie Cross

Hi everyone!

Yes, I'm alive. I guess I jinxed myself in my last post when I said that I was doing "quite good" ^_^; On Tuesday, I noticed a rash under my left armpit and after a visit to the doctor, the diagnostic was shingles. Sigh. Gotta say though I wasn't too surprised. Shingles is basically the reactivation of the chickenpox virus that lies in you dormant. It usually occurs when the immune system is weakened. Let see, hmmmm. Ruptured appendix, antibiotics treatment, possible allergic reactions, allergy test, stress from every twitch and twinge, lack of sleep and start of curling season... Yep, it could be that my immune system was a bit weakened. Luckily, I went to the doctor promptly and started the anti-virals within the three days the rash appeared, which is when the drug is most effective. As a result, my rash didn't spread - yay! - and I was also lucky that it wasn't painful nor itchy. Today is my last day of anti-virals and the rash has lost its redness :) Hoping to play curling this week!

With everything going on, I haven't really been in the mood of blogging. I'm so far behind in my reviews, it's kind of getting overwhelming. Plus, I'm not really sure what I'm in the mood to read. I was waiting for today impatiently!! Need to replenish my pile of new releases LOL. Despite everything though, I was able to put together a buddy review with Ames over at Breezing Through. We both read Letters to Nowhere and wanted to share out thoughts with everyone. Be sure to check it out because we're also doing a giveaway! Click here for the review :)

Letters to Nowhere by Julie Cross
self-published in August 2013

Set in the tough world of Elite Gymnastics... I've gotten used to the dead parents face. I've gotten used to living with my gymnastics coach. I've even adjusted to sharing a bathroom with his way-too-hot son. Dealing with boys is not something that's made it onto my list of experiences as of yet. But here I am, doing it. And something about Jordan--being around him, talking to him, thinking about him--makes me feel like I can finally breathe again. That's something I haven't been able to do lately. He knows what it feels like to be me right now. He knows what it's like to wonder--what now? I think about it constantly. I need answers. I need to know how to get through this. In the gym, if you're struggling, you train harder, you do drills and conditioning. How do I work hard at moving on? At being on my own? And what happens if I might be...maybe...probably falling for Jordan? I mean we live together now. That can't happen, can it? But kissing him...well, let's just say it's not an easy activity to forget.

Genre: Young Adult/New Adult, Contemporary
Series: Letters to Nowhere, Book #1

Review: The Chocolate Rose by Laura Florand

Friday?! How did we get to be Friday already?! LOL. Initially, I was going to be smart and start this review during the week-end so I could post it earlier in the week - say Monday... but I got side-track by a certain Star Trek into the Darkness movie. No problem, Wednesday sounded good too... but there was the release of a certain Heart of Obsidian book that got in the way. But alas, I did it! My review of The Chocolate Rose! Enjoy!


The Chocolate Rose by Laura Florand
self-published in April 2013

Her father’s worst enemy...

Top chef Gabriel Delange never forgave his old nemesis Pierre Manon for all the other chef had cost him.

One stolen rose...

And he most certainly couldn’t stand the sight of his own most famous dessert, the legendary Rose, claimed as Pierre’s own on the cover of his new cookbook.

A substitute victim...

But even Gabriel could hardly go through with a lawsuit when he learned the older chef had just had a stroke. Especially not when Pierre had one very cute daughter willing to be Gabriel’s victim instead.

Jolie Manon...

As a child, Jo had seen her family torn apart by her top chef father’s obsession with his work. She had given years of her own adult life to trying to pull him out of depression, after he lost a star. Now a food writer, she might be fascinated with a chef’s work, but she knew how to guard her heart. She would never allow another chef into her life.

Unless he blackmailed her into it...

Welcome to the heat and sun of Provence, where jasmine and roses climb up old colored walls, where fountains play in ancient stone villages, and where even a beast can prove he is a prince at heart…

Genre: Contemporary romance
Series: La Vie en Rose, Book #1/Amour et Chocolat (Paris Chocolatiers), Book #2.5

The Story: This being a self-published book, of course the blurb is accurate. However, it sounds a lot more mysterious and dramatic than the story really is. So here is my version of the blurb.

Our hero is Gabriel Delange, a chef pâtissier. In his youth, he was recruited by Pierre Manon to work at the Luxe so the restaurant could obtain a third Michelin star. Gabriel poured all his energy and worked tirelessly, creating fantastic desserts which gained the restaurant the coveted star. However, soon afterward, Pierre and Gabriel's relationship soured when Pierre failed to acknowledge Gabriel's contribution and Gabriel was fired. He returned to Provence where he opened his own restaurant and became the first chef pâtissier to win three stars on his own merits. And when Pierre Manon's cookbook was published using one of Gabriel's most prized creations - the chocolate Rose, Gabriel did what he had warned Pierre he'd do if the latter ever  appropriate Gabriel's work as his own again: he sued.

Our heroine is Jolie Manon, half-French/half-American and the daughter of Pierre Manon. After her parents' divorce, Jolie got to spend the summer with her father and often spent them in his restaurant's office. She always loved food and the bustle of the kitchen. Since she couldn't become a chef, she did the next best thing she could: she wrote about food. She's the one who wrote her father's cookbook, coaxing him out of his depression after he lost his star. Everything is poised for the promotion of the cookbook, but unfortunately, just before the release, Pierre suffered a stroke. Because her father is already in a precarious mood since he lost some of his dexterity due to the stroke, Jolie decides to handle the lawsuit by herself and the first step is to meet Gabriel.

At their first meeting, Gabriel is attracted to Jolie even before knowing her identity. After learning about Pierre's stroke and knowing that 1) he's actually suing Jolie and not Pierre and 2) there's no chance for him to win this case because a recipe cannot be patented, Gabriel agrees to drop the lawsuit. In exchange, he wants Jolie to write his cookbook which means that Jolie will be spending half the week in his company in Provence where he'll have the time to woo her.

Soon, Jolie finds herself shuttling between Paris and Nice, stuck in the middle of two men in her life... will she have the courage to follow her heart?

My Opinion: It's not a secret that I'm a huge fan of Ms Florand and has been ever since her first book, Blame it on Paris. As such, I was really excited when I found out about The Chocolate Rose, especially since the book was kind of unexpected :) In situations like this, self-published books by your favorite authors are really the best surprises LOL. However, as happy as I was about its release and as much as I love Ms Florand's books, I admit I do have mixed feelings about The Chocolate Rose...

In general, I did enjoy The Chocolate Rose. I love Ms Florand's writing style and The Chocolate Rose did not change that. In the past couple of years, cooking shows have become more popular and there seems to be this new awareness about chefs and cuisines... at least in North America. I myself have become a fan of Masterchef Australia and have learned more about international chefs. As such, I've been wanting to read more about chefs characters in romance books, but I found that few authors can pull it out and Ms Florand is one of them. When it comes to the intensity of the culinary world environment, nobody writes it like Ms Florand. The passion, work, dedication, sacrifice and competition are palpable. In Ms Florand's books, you're not simply reading it, you really can feel it how much hard work and how tough being a chef is, but the pride and joy it brings... and The Chocolate Rose is no exception. Also, when it comes to the romance, I feel that Ms Florand has really hit her stride at writing the sexual tension between the H/H. As a result, the romance is always very intense and it works for me :) So on the writing front, I'm happy as a clam LOL.

Where I had issues with The Chocolate Rose was mainly with the characters. As a whole, I actually quite liked Gabriel's character. I felt for him about not getting recognition after all that hard work and admired him for proving his worth to the world. I liked his expressiveness LOL. He definitively wasn't shy to express his opinions and he was also very honest :) Also, I thought his desire to have a girlfriend, to be in a relationship was funny. It was cute that he was jealous of Daniel for having found the woman of his life so young LOL. However at times, this desire of Gabriel to have a girlfriend seemed a bit too exaggerated, felt a bit too juvenile and is actually connected to my issue with Gabriel. So when Gabriel and Jolie first met, he wasn't aware that she was Pierre Manon's daughter. Instead, he thought she was his new employee and immediately put her to work. And then, after the lunch service, he fired her and right away, asked her out on a date. I know he fired her because she was not good enough to work in his kitchen, but the situation still made me quite uncomfortable. The scene was written in a way that it was supposed to be lighthearted and funny; however, it just bothered me. Had she been competent, would he still have fired her and asked her out? And then later, the whole bargain of dropping the lawsuit and her writing his cookbook so they could spend time together so he could convince her to go on a date with him. The whole thing just felt a bit too forced and didn't work for me. I also had some issues with Jolie. Unfortunately, I did not like her as much as I liked Gabriel mainly because of her personality. Oh, she wasn't a bad or anything. Actually, if you think about it, her character was quite realistic and believable. However, I just didn't connect with her. Jolie wasn't weak per se, but she was a bit too conciliatory, trying to please everyone and as a result, didn't seem to have a lot of self-confidence. And as much as I admired her for being there for her father, I really disliked the way she coddled him. Yes, he just recovered from a stroke, but her father is someone with very strong personality. What he needed to get out of his funk was tough love, not someone who would give in his every whim. I would have liked to see her stand up to him more, especially since at times, it was clear he was emotionally manipulating her. Another thing that bothered me as well was the mixed signals she kept sending to Gabriel. She was obviously attracted to him, but whenever Gabriel would ask her out or say/do something, she would get offended. I know she misunderstood his behavior a time or two, thinking he was treating her a bit too casually, but seriously, I didn't see where she got that impressions and as a result, I felt she was a tad too susceptible ^_^; Overall, it feels like Jolie didn't understand the two men in her life... Finally, my last issue with The Chocolate Rose was the timeline. I feel everything happened too quickly, that the timeline of the book was too short for Gabriel and Jolie to really get to know each other, especially with Gabriel who kept pushing for a relationship. I think the romance in The Chocolate Rose would have been better if Jolie had been a bit more self-assured and if the romance had more time to develop.

All in all, as I said, I did enjoy The Chocolate Rose, even if it was flawed :) In addition to everything I've written above, I also enjoyed the cameo appearance of Daniel and Léa Laurier, the H/H of Turning Up the Heat, although I can't help but wish they had a meatier role :P I also liked the change of setting, moving from Paris to Nice. Ms Florand didn't expand as much as she usually does on the setting, but already, you can see the difference as it seems cozier and more serene :) And I fully expect we will discover Nice and Provence more in the future books! Speaking of future books, if I'm not wrong, The Chocolate Rose is supposed to gap Ms Florand's Amour et Chocolat (which I named Paris Chocolatiers series) and La Vie en Rose series and I think it fulfill its role perfectly :) I hope we get to read Raphaël and Matt's books in the future! For now, I know that The Chocolate Touch is coming out in July and I can't wait! I read the excerpt that was at the end of The Chocolate Rose and already, I know we're in for another sweet and intense treat :) Ahhhh, so happy that Ms Florand is back writing romance books!

My Grade: C+.

Review: The Best Intentions by Candice Hern

Guess what? Yep, I have another buddy review over at Breezing Through! Seems like Ames and I are on a roll :) Speaking of roll, for it to continue, I need buddy review partners!! I've updated my sidebar with the books that I am currently reading and have read recently. If there's any books in there that you'd like to discuss, let me know! Also, I'm planning to read Written in Red by Anne Bishop and that one has been getting rave reviews, so it might be fun to talk about :)

In the meantime, you can click here to check out my buddy review of The Best Intentions by Candice Hern. Enjoy!


The Best Intentions by Candice Hern

self-published in May 2011 (first published by New American Library in June 1999)

The Earl of Strickland is a handsome widower in search of a new wife to be a mother to his two young children. Having lost his one true love, he is determined on a practical, dispassionate match with a mature woman. Young girls in their first Seasons, their heads full of romantic notions of love, are not for him. When his sister comes to visit bringing along a beautiful widow, Miles thinks he may have found the perfect match. But the widow is chaperoning her gauche, much younger sister, an artless girl who causes Miles's best intentions to go awry as he finds himself falling in love with precisely the sort of woman he sought to avoid. Set at a grand country estate in the Midlands, this sweet love story of the reserved and dignified Miles and the delightfully guileless, clumsy, outspoken Hannah is sure to charm readers.

Genre: Historical romance
Series: Country House Party, Book #2

Week-End's Minis XXXIV: Turning Up the Heat by Laura Florand

Turning Up the Heat by Laura Florand
self-published in October 2012

Top chef Daniel Laurier might not know what is wrong with his marriage or his wife, but he knows one thing for sure. He’s not losing her. So when he comes home to find his wife has run off to a remote Pacific Island, he decides it’s time to turn up the heat.

Genre: Contemporary romance
Series: none

What do you need to know? Daniel Laurier and his wife, Léa, were just kids, 19 and 18 years old respectively, and had just started dating when Léa's father, chef and owner of the three stars Michelin restaurant Relais d'Or, died from an unexpected heart attack. Immediately, Daniel had stepped up: he married Léa and took over the restaurant. The two of them work tirelessly to maintain the quality and the reputation of the restaurant - Daniel in charge of everything having to do with food and Léa, the accounts and the people.

Back then, it was crucial for them to insure their livelihood because they had Léa two younger siblings to raise. Ten years later, the Relais d'Or is still a three stars restaurant and Daniel has become a superstar chef. However, their success comes at a price. All the hard work means Daniel and Léa barely have time to be together... and lately, Léa is just so tired and all she wants to do is sleep. Deciding she needs a vacation, Léa heads for Tahiti and leaves a message on Daniel's voicemail letting him know she'll be back in one or two weeks.

Daniel has sensed that something has been wrong lately... but when he hears Léa's message, he becomes panicked and determined. He's worked so hard to deserve Léa, he won't lose her... and so he goes after her.

Why this book? I'm a fan of Ms Florand :) So when I heard about this novella, it was really a no-brainer to buy it :)

What did I like? Pretty much everything about Turning Up the Heat :) I loved Daniel and Léa, I think they were great characters. Their strength and determination, the hard work and sacrifices they made, their perseverance... It's really quite amazing. I also loved their chemistry, it's been a while I haven't seen a couple with such a strong chemistry. Daniel and Léa are just right for each other, especially after everything they went through together. However, what really worked for me was the story: a couple who married young out of circumstances, who are still together and working to stay together. I loved that Daniel went after Léa and fought for their marriage, for them. Also, what this novella shows is how marriage is hard work. I mean, Daniel and Léa stood together through lows and highs, faced the adversity together and yet, despite this bond, there is a chance that their marriage unravels because of their lack of communication. To a certain extent though, their lack of communication was understandable. They were young when they married and are actually still young... and there's feelings you just don't voice. For example,Daniel thought he had to deserve Léa and that all his hard work through the years were to prove his worth to her. I thought that part was really touching and I do think this is not something that a guy would willing voice though. The problem is that Léa never knew Daniel felt this way and I'm sure given a few years, this feeling of Daniel would have turned to resentment. It just goes to prove how communication is important to marriage. Also, I think that Ms Florand did a great job of making this novella feel real.


Finally, I want to give Ms Florand a thumb up for the length of Turning Up the Heat :) Obviously, I wouldn't mind reading more about Daniel and Léa, but since this was self-published, I feel that Ms Florand wasn't really restricted in length and therefore used the amount the words she needed to tell the story she wanted. The story felt complete and not rushed and this is rare with a novella :)


What didn't work for me? All right, so what I'm about to say is not really a complaint or an issue per se that I had with Turning Up the Heat... but it is the reason why this novella did not get an A from me. There's no doubt in my mind that Daniel and Léa loved each other very much and that they were meant for each other. However, I do think it's sad that as much as they loved each other, Daniel and Léa didn't seem to know each other ^_^; It's just a bit contradictory to me, because if they didn't know each other, how can they really love each other? Whom did they love then? Their younger selves or their perception of each other? So that's the one niggle I have with Turning Up the Heat and as much as I liked the story, I can't give it an A because it's an important niggle.

My Grade? B+ I really enjoyed Turning Up the Heat. I loved the couple, their chemistry and the story. Looking forward to reading more works by Ms Florand!

Review: Perfectly Matched by Heather Webber

I really need to find a way to have my reviews ready for Tuesday morning. With my WEM and Hauling Sunday features on the week-end, I find that Tuesdays are perfect to post reviews... However, I never seem to have them ready, sigh. Any tips?

Today, I procrastinate the whole day instead of writing this review for Perfectly Matched by Heather Webber. Once I came home, I finally sat down and wrote it... It was that or cleaning my room. Guess what I'm procrastinating away now? LOL.

Enjoy!

Perfectly Matched by Heather Webber
self-published in May 2012

The heat is on...

When Boston psychic Lucy Valentine finds herself involved in a group of eccentric psychics trying to learn more about their abilities, she is convinced a rare spring heat wave has flushed the crazies out of hiding.

Adding to her theory is her newest client in the Lost Loves division of Valentine, Inc., her family’s lucrative matchmaking firm. He’s an animal communicator who hires Lucy to find his purrfect mate—because his cat told him so.

But craziest of all is The Beantown Burner, a serial arsonist who is targeting private eye Sam Donahue, the brother of Lucy’s boyfriend, Sean. With the help of her kooky psychic group, Lucy must tap into abilities she didn’t know she had to catch the firebug before the fires turn deadly. What she never expected to discover is that the motive behind the flames hits a little too close to home...and her heart.

Genre: Cosy Mystery
Series: Lucy Valentine series, Book #4

The Story: As usual, Lucy Valentine has a lot on her plate. First, she has joined a group of psychics in order to learn more about her abilities and how to use them. Unfortunately, no luck so far which means she's still struggling and it's making her feel less than welcome with the other participants who are not shy to let their impatience show. Her newest client at Valentine, Inc. - the familial matchmaking business - doesn't seem to want to find his soul mate and admits to coming only because he's been prompted (read driven crazy) by Ebbie... his cat. He then vanishes without leaving a forwarding address or filling the questionnaire and dumps Ebbie in Lucy's lap! Then there's her grandmother urging her to move things along with Sean, her boyfriend, so she can get great-grandchildren. Her best friend Emerson is worried because her fiancé Aidan has been acting weird and distracted. Finally, Paige, Lucy's new friend who is also dating Lucy's new-found brother, seems to have some health issues. Yep, a full plate... But oh wait! Let's not forget The Beantown Burner, the recent serial arsonist scaring Boston, who seems to be targeting Sam Donahue, Sean's brother... but is Sam really the target? One thing is sure, life is never boring with Lucy :)

My Opinion: If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that I've really been enjoying Ms Webber's Lucy Valentine series :) I find the mysteries interesting, like the touch of romance and really, really love the fluffy style. For me, that fluffiness definitively sets the series apart from other cosy mystery series, but also all other books in general :) As you can imagine, I was quite anxious to find out Lucy Valentine's fate as I knew Ms Webber was contracted for three books... I was ecstatic when I found out Ms Webber has written Perfectly Matched and was self-publishing it. It sucks that St. Martin's has not asked for more, but it's awesome that Ms Webber has gone ahead and continued this series for her fans!! And while Perfectly Matched had its flaws and was probably the weakest book in the series so far, I'm still glad I read it and I'm hoping for more!!

As you can read from my synopsis, there's a lot going on in Perfectly Matched. One would perhaps think too much, but Ms Webber makes it work. There are really three mysteries in Perfectly Matched: 1) the missing child the group of psychics are investigating, 2) the Beantown Burner and 3) who is Jeremy Cross, the man who left his cat behind. And to my surprise, not only did they blend well together, but there were also interesting connections. Another interesting aspect was how each case was handled and the investigative work it involved. That being said, I have to say the mystery in Perfectly Matched was the weakest element of the book ^_^; This really comes as a surprise to me because Ms Webber is usually so good with them. And actually, when I think about it, all three mysteries were interesting and I really enjoyed the twists - particularly in the missing child's case, I thought that was brilliant. The problem was in the execution.. I felt Ms Webber did a great job at setting the mystery up, but I felt the resolution was too abrupt and rushed, especially when it came to the Beantown Burner case. I thought the motive of the Beantown Burner was really weak and definitively could have been fleshed out more. And that's really Perfectly Matched's biggest flaw.

The rest of the book was great :) The fluffiness that is unique to this series is still there - yay!! And Ms Webber's writing is as usual - solid and enjoyable. And when it comes to the characters and relationships in Perfectly Matched, I'm a happy duck LOL. I like that they're all growing and evolving and that things are moving along. It's good that Ms Webber is not throwing in obstacles and conflicts just to stall or for drama. I like that Lucy and her two best friends, Marisol and Em, are still best friends and getting along well. I enjoy Lucy's growing friendship with Paige. I am sooo glad that Cutter has a slightly larger role in Perfectly Matched and that Lucy and Cutter's relationship is good - although I'm still waiting to read about it LOL. Lucy and Sean are still taking things slow because Lucy still fears the curse, but they do move in together and that's a good step in the right direction. I'm also glad to see Marisol and Em's love lives being developed, but in no way are they stealing Lucy's spotlights. I'm also curious about the new characters introduced, Jeremy and Dr. Paul, and I can't wait to find out more about them. Really, Ms Webber did a great job with this aspect of the book :) What's even more impressive though is that she did well without suddenly changing someone's personality!

Another thing that Ms Webber did well was the psychic aspect. There was just enough of it to make things interesting which is the way I like it :) I find that's always difficult because too little and the reader is like: "Where's the psychic aspect?", too much and the readers are rolling their eyes. Ms Webber understands that Lucy's gift helps her in her investigations, it does not solve them and that's what we get. I also think that Ms Webber has a good grasp of what she wants Lucy's abilities to be and that helps. Sometimes, I feel authors don't have a clear idea in mind and so, their characters become the Super Psychic with all the abilities you can imagine. Or they are supposed to have this kind of ability, but it blends in with so many others. But it's not the case with Ms Webber, she definitively has a clear idea. I also liked that Lucy is trying to learn more about her abilities and it's not easy :)

Finally, I want to bring up two little issues I had with Perfectly Matched. The first is that it really bothered me that in many instances, Lucy could not reach the people she called. I don't know, it's just a little bit too convenient :( The second has nothing to do with the story, but still has to be brought up and it's about the formatting of Perfectly Matched. I bought the epub version of Perfectly Matched at Kobo and for some reasons, throughout the book, the font alternates between being normal and bold. I don't know if it's only me or not... And I know this is minor, but it's still very annoying while reading ^_^; Also, I'm only now starting to buy more e-books and I'm still not a huge fan of self-publishing work. I admit, a lot of it is prejudices... but when there's a formatting problem like this one, it just doesn't help me overcoming those prejudices.

My Grade: I originally gave Perfectly Matched a B. I enjoyed the book and I loved the continuity with the rest of the series. However, when I started writing this review, I had difficulty remembering the plot ^_^; Unfortunately, not a good sign... and that's why B- it's going to be. The really good news is with the way Perfectly Matched ended, Ms Webber will definitively write another installment and I'll definitively be reading it :) Hopefully, we won't have to wait too long!

Review: Crazy People by Jennifer Crusie

Ugh, why is it that things never go according to plans? Isn't that just annoying? So I was hoping to have this post up way earlier today... obviously, it didn't happen ^_^; I have to admit though it was poor planning on my part, but still. Anyway, I'm going to go with the "It's never too late" motto :P

Before we get to today's review though, I want to remind everyone that the giveaway is open until noon tomorrow! You can get more details here :)

Crazy People by Jennifer Crusie
self-published in May 2012

For fans of Jenny Crusie, of witty and warm writing, and of contemporary fiction, this collection of short stories was the genesis for one of Crusie’s most beloved novels, Crazy for You. The stories focus on three women, Quinn, Darla, and Stephanie, and their mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends. Originally written for Crusie’s MFA in Fiction, they’ve been updated, edited, and packaged as a special collection for any reader who loves to laugh out loud.

Genre: Contemporary romance
Series: connected to Crazy for You

The Story: Crazy People is a compilation of short stories - not kidding, short stories - that Ms Crusie has written in the Creative Art Program while making her way through her PhD in feminist literature and which are connected to one of my favorite book of hers, Crazy for You.

In total, there are six stories as followed:

The Day My Sister Shot the Mailman and Got Away With It, Of Course - Ms Crusie wrote this short story as a writing exercise. Basically, she had to write a story consisting of 26 sentences, each sentence starting by the corresponding alphabetical letter, i.e. 1st sentence starts with A, 2nd with B, ...., 26th with Z. This was the start of Crazy for You because that's how Quinn and her sister Zoë got their names :P Clever of Ms Crusie to fill the two hardest letters with names right? LOL. For this publication, Ms Crusie has re-visit the story and expanded it :)

Sleep Cure - This story is about Quinn's mother when she was a young teen and how she got her stepfather to stop putting her down.

Meeting Harold's Father - This is the first meeting between  Zoë and her husband, Ben. Very cute story and my favorite of the compilation.

Necessary Skills - It's been a couple of years since I've re-read Crazy for You, so when I read Necessary Skills, I could not remember the protagonist, Barbara. However, a quick skim through Crazy for You and it came back to me LOL. Barbara is also known as the Bank Slut. She works at the bank and seems to have something for married men, "stealing" other women's husbands. Turns out, all she's looking for in a man who can take care of her and in her mind, it means being able to work with their hands. She can help it that they are all married men and are having marital problems!

Just Wanted You to Know - This short story is actually one long letter from Debbie, Darla's sister, to her husband who had just left her for Barbara. It starts out with how she'll be there when he comes back, but as she adds the post-scriptums, you can see Debbie is starting to get back on her feet and finding herself again :)

I Am At My Sister's Wedding - This one is interesting because we've never actually been introduced to the characters as they were cut from the final version of Crazy for You. Basically, Quinn was supposed to have two best friends: Darla and Stephanie, but in the end, Stephanie got the ax. I Am At My Sister's Wedding is actually told from Caroline, Stephanie's younger sister, as she attends Stephanie's five weddings. Yes, five :P

In addition to these short stories, Ms Crusie has added some thoughts and how these stories came to be which I thought was all very interesting :) Crazy People also includes the first chapter of Dog Days, what would later become Crazy for You.

My Opinion: Overall, I quite enjoyed Crazy People :) Yes, the stories were short, but they were entertaining and funny - hey, it's Jennifer Crusie after all LOL - and I loved the "behind-the-scenes." It was really interesting to know how these stories connected to Crazy for You and how they helped Ms Crusie writing the book :)

My favorite story was definitively Meeting Harold's Father, just because it was fun and random and yes, for the touch of romance :) Guess you can't take out the romance reader in me :) Another one that I really enjoyed was Just Wanted You to Know, I could just see Debbie getting back on her feet and becoming more and more confident after each passing day, realizing she didn't need her husband! The only short story I wasn't very invested in was Sleep Cure, part of it has to do with the story itself and another part is I was never really a big fan of Quinn's mother and seeing her as a teen? Just not interested.

Overall, Crazy People was fun and I'm really glad I got it :) I definitively recommend it to fans of Ms Crusie and readers who read and loved Crazy for You. Yes, I know, that was the targeted audience anyway LOL, but I'm telling people who falls into that category and had doubts, well doubt no more and get it! :)

My Grade: B.

Review: Her Best Worst Mistake by Sarah Mayberry

Ugh, I tried really hard to have this review done earlier today, but just didn't manage. This week has been really long and I think it caught up to me at the end of the day, both physically and mentally. Lots of running around, lots of traffic jams and let just say that a lot has been happening in my corner of the world ^_^; I shouldn't complain because in the spectrum of things, it's not horrible or horrifying or anything. Just very annoying and it sucks your energy... And seriously, everything just seems to be happening at the same time ^_^;

Okay, I'll stop whining :) Let's talk about something more cheerful. First, Monroe, Ames and I are discussing the new releases for June over at Breezing Through :) Come and take a look at what books we're looking forward to!

And now, a review!! Enjoy!

Her Best Worst Mistake by Sarah Mayberry
self-published by May 2012

She thinks he's stuffy. He thinks she's spoilt.
Then the gloves come off and so do their clothes!

For six years Violet Sutcliffe has known that Martin St Clair is the wrong man for her best friend. He's stuffy, old before his time, conservative. He drives Violet nuts - and the feeling is entirely mutual. Then, out of nowhere, her friend walks out just weeks before her wedding to Martin, flying to Australia on a mission of self-discovery. Back in London, Violet finds herself feeling sorry for suddenly-single Martin. At least, she tells herself it's pity she feels. Then he comes calling one dark, stormy night and they discover that beneath their mutual dislike there lies a fiery sexual chemistry.

It's crazy and all-consuming - and utterly wrong. Because not only are they chalk and cheese, oil and water, but Martin once belonged to her best friend. A friend Violet is terrified of losing. What future can there be for a relationship with so many strikes against it?

Genre: Contemporary romance
Series: connected to Hot Island Nights

The Story: The blurb does a really good job at describing the book. LOL, perhaps it's because this is self-published and Ms Mayberry or someone of her entourage (there who has read the book) actually wrote this blurb! :)

I'll still do a quick recap. So for six years, Violet Sutcliffe and Martin St Clair have tolerated each other for the sake of Elizabeth, her best friend and his girlfriend/fiancée respectively. Violet think Martin is just not the guy for Elizabeth: he's boring and stifling her life, just like her grandfather. What Elizabeth needs is a man with whom she can let go and be passionate. As for Martin, he disapproves of Violet because of her wardrobe and loudness, but also because she had everything (family with means and name) and threw it away, while he's working so hard to attain the same level. The only thing they have in common is their love for Elizabeth.

Both their lives are thrown upside down when Elizabeth discovers the identity of her biological father and that he's still alive... in Australia. Calling off the wedding, she jumps on a plane on an identity quest, leaving both Martin and Violet bereft; him because he lost his perfect girlfriend for the perfect life he'd imagine and now, is stuck announcing the break-up to everyone and dealing with the wedding cancellation and her, because she just lost her anchor.

Then, Violet reaches out to Martin because while she didn't think he was the guy for Elizabeth, she knows he's a good man. One thing leads to another and Violet and Martin realize the reason for their mutual, intense dislike and why they got on each other's nerve so much is that they are actually incredibly attracted to each other. As the two embarked in a red-hot affair, Martin discovers how wrongly he's judged Violet and Violet struggles with her sense of loyalty and her feelings of betrayal towards Elizabeth.

My Opinion: I'm going to start this review by a confession... I don't like self-published books ^_^; I know most of my reasons is all about prejudices, but I can't help it. So while I did enjoy Ms Mayberry's books in the past, when I found out that she self-published Her Best Worst Mistake, I was a bit wary. Then, good reviews started popping up and after reading Hilcia's, I knew I had to give this book a try. Especially since the story trope was opposites attract and the hero was a stuffy shirt!

In the end, I'm soooo glad I read Her Best Worst Mistake because I have only one word to describe it: wow! I can with assurance that it is my favorite Sarah Mayberry book to date! Yep, that's how much I looooove Her Best Worst Mistake and it's all thanks to Violet and Martin, because they made the book for me :) The characters were likable, well developed and the chemistry - so hot that it burned the pages! I thought it was clever from Ms Mayberry to have the two characters not really understand each other. Yes, they've been interacting for years, but always kept their distance... so they had misconceptions about each other. And those cleared up as time passed in their relationship. That way, the readers really got to know the characters :) I also really liked how Martin and Violet came together and how their relationship progressed. Yes, it was lust and sex at first, but it quickly deepened into something more. I think the turning point was when they both admitted they wanted each other... and I liked that they precised that if Martin and Elizabeth had married, neither would have made a move. Also, Ms Mayberry proved that you don't need that much conflict in your romance to be interesting. Instead, I like how honest and upfront Martin and Violet were. Of course, my favorite part in all this was how Martin was supportive of Violet, especially after he learned about her estrangement with her family.

Interestingly enough, once Martin and Violet became a couple, the focus of the story shifted away from the "opposites attract" trope. In fact, it turns out that Martin wasn't boring at all. Perhaps a little bit of a stuffy shirt, but not as much as the readers were made to believe. I think that when Martin and Violet finally hooked up, the real Martin surfaced. It seems that while he was with Elizabeth, Martin didn't only stifle her, but himself as well in his quest of betterment and respectability. With Violet, he was able to be more himself and I liked that. I also found it refreshing that Her Best Worst Mistake was not about changing either characters. Yes, Martin was able to let loose, but it wasn't because Violet suddenly showed him how to relax and have fun. I mean, Martin didn't change his work habits or clothing habits... He was just less stuffy because Violet made him more comfortable. Instead, the conflict shifted towards Violet's insecurity and emotions about the relationship and her friendship with Elizabeth. I thought it was extremely well-executed by Ms Mayberry and way more interesting and refreshing.

My only complaint about Her Best Worst Mistake is I think Violet kept the truth from Elizabeth a bit too long... and I have to say, I didn't care much about Elizabeth ^_^; It always seemed to be Violet listening and being there for Elizabeth and not vice-versa. True, Violet withhold the truth, but for two best friends, Elizabeth didn't even seem to realize something was going with Violet, that she wasn't acting differently. Also, it didn't seem to me like Elizabeth inquired about Violet's life. I know Elizabeth was going through a lot at the same time, but she seemed a bit like a crappy friend ^_^; However, I did like Elizabeth's reaction when she finally found out :)

All in all, I loved Her Best Worst Mistake :) If this is the quality level of Ms Mayberry's self-published books, well please, write more LOL. Obviously, there were great characters, good story and good writing, but in my opinion, it also worked because Ms Mayberry was able to crank up the sexiness level :) And amazingly, while Her Best Worst Mistake was a short book, it didn't feel short... so kudos to Ms Mayberry for an excellent book :)

My Grade: A-

Review: Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

Hi! and sorry! LOL. I've been meaning to work on some reviews, but work has been busy. Okay, yes, yes, I've been engrossed in my reading as well. However, you know, when work is busy, all you want to do is relax, hence the reading. Anyway, we have a grant application deadline tomorrow and I'm giving some experiments a last go. It's pretty desperate when you want results from an experiment that has never been done to be included ^_^; After tomorrow, I'm hoping for some freedom!! Although quite frankly, I've had it easy compared to my two colleagues... what does that say about my lab?!?

Initially, I was going to do a two-fer, Dragon Bound and Storm's Heart... but yeah, instead I read Sean Griswold's Head and The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June. I guess I should be happy I'm at least reading!! Anyway, a two-fer is not realistic for today, so instead, I'm going with Flat-Out Love, especially since some of you have expressed some curiosity concerning the book :)

Enjoy!


Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park
published by Kindle in 2011

Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it.

When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side ... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that... well... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult Fiction
Series: -

The Story:  Hmmm, the blurb is very detailed and also, accurate, so I'm going to skip this part as I'm not going to add much :)

My Opinion: Flat-Out Love has been on my radar ever since Ms Heather Webber gave it a 5 stars on Goodreads. Unfortunately, it wasn't only available on Kindle. Then, a few months later, I checked it out again and lo and behold, it was now available in epub format! Hurrah! So I was really excited when I started reading the book.

I really liked the feel of the book. In Flat-Out Love, we follow Julie as she navigates through her first year of college and the Watkins dynamics. I really liked that the book spans several months. It gave the readers the opportunity to really get to know Julie as well as understand the dynamics of the Watkins and this was very important. Too often nowadays, plots and romance are rushed because of the timeline of a few days. So this was a definitive plus for Flat-Out Love. I also loved reading about Julie's college life - social such  as making new friends, starting new relationships, as well as academic - choosing classes, attending them, midterms, etc. Ms Park definitively did a great job at creating the right feel for the book.

Unfortunately, while I enjoyed reading about Julie's life, I didn't like the character itself as much as I wanted to ^_^; In truth, Julie is really a nice young woman. She's pretty mature, she's smart and enjoys college and the opportunity of learning, she cares about others and wants to help out... Like I said, a pretty nice young woman. What bothered me with her though is that I thought she cared too much about what other people thought and appearances. Not to the extent of high school where she's trying to fit in and be part of the cool crowd, but to the extent I felt she was a conformist. For example, the first impression she gets of Matt is that he's a geek based on his t-shirt... and that impression stayed with her very long. Simply because he'd rather stay home and play video games, hang out on forums, etc. instead of going out and hanging out with people. She took pity on Celeste because she wasn't acting like a regular teenager. Even herself, back in her hometown, she had to hide the fact that she liked school, enjoyed literature. Why? Is it wrong to be different? To enjoy different things? To be your own person? I don't think that Julie thought it was wrong per se, but some of her actions made it seems so. The other issue I had with Julie's character is I thought she was a bit meddlesome. I know she wanted to help and her intentions were sincere, but the fact is she didn't know what was going on and without that crucial information, what she did could have been harmful. Sometimes, helping consists of giving a hand and that's easy. However, as soon as you dwell into something more profound, you have to be careful. I think the part where Matt scolds Julie after Celeste's sleeping-party was correct. You cannot just swoop in and fix what you think is wrong with one fingers snap while there's someone who's been on the sideline the whole time, observing and helping at a slower pace. It was presumptuous on Julie's part and I'm glad Matt called her on it. Oh, I'm not saying that Julie didn't help Celeste out, because she did. I think that without Julie, Celeste would not have healed as fast and as I said, Julie's intentions were sincere... but yeah, I found Julie presumptuous and it bothered me a little. Otherwise though, I had no problem with Julie and I think Ms Park did a good job at making her realistic.

I really liked Matt. He could be considered as a beta hero. He's silent and a bit geeky, but he's there for you and has your back. He was also a very, very good brother and I liked that. I really felt for him at the end when he tells Julie the truth. It must have been such a weight on his shoulders and it says a lot that he could hold it together. I understand why Julie was hurt by Matt's actions and he admitted he knew it was wrong... However, given the circumstances, it was hard to be mad at him and begrudge him those moments where he could be himself.

I also really liked Celeste. She was an interesting character and crucial to the book. I liked her maturity and her mannerism :) I figured out quite early in Flat-Out Love what was the reason that Celeste was carrying a life-sized cardboard cutout of Finn... and I have to say I'm surprised Julie didn't.

There was a touch of romance in Flat-Out Love. Not the focus of the book, but one that was still quite satisfying and I think it's because of the timeline in the book. Since they knew each other, it was just more believable :)

My Grade: B. I wasn't sure when I started Flat-Out Love what kind of book it was. For some reasons, I thought it'd be a funny book ^_^; What I got was a solid, well-written book with well-developed and flawed characters and a story with a lot more depth than I expected. Based on the storyline, I'm not sure I would go back and re-read, but I would definitively read more by this author :)