Re-Read: Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh

My re-read this month - okay, last month :P - was Mine To Possess by Nalini Singh. The reason I chose to re-read this book was to prepare myself for Ms Singh's upcoming release, Bonds of Justice, as the hero, Max, was introduced in Mine to Possess. LOL, great minds think alike, since Hils did too :)

You can click here to read my original review, which was a buddy review with Chantal over at Breezing Through. 


Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh

published by Berkley in February 2008

A ghost returns from a leopard changeling’s past, making him question everything—even his base animal instincts…

Clay Bennett is a powerful DarkRiver sentinel, but he grew up in the slums with his human mother, never knowing his changeling father. As a young boy without the bonds of Pack, he tried to stifle his animal nature. He failed... and committed the most extreme act of violence, killing a man and losing his best friend, Talin, in the bloody aftermath. Everything good in him died the day he was told that she, too, was dead.

Talin McKade barely survived a childhood drenched in bloodshed and terror. Now a new nightmare is stalking her life--the street children she works to protect are disappearing and turning up dead. Determined to keep them safe, she unlocks the darkest secret in her heart and returns to ask the help of the strongest man she knows...

Clay lost Talin once. He will not let her go again, his hunger to possess her, a clawing need born of the leopard within. As they race to save the innocent, Clay and Talin must face the violent truths of their past...or lose everything that ever mattered.

Genre: paranormal romance
Series: Psy-Changeling series, Book #5 (counting novellas)

The Story: Clay and Talin met as children. Talin was with a foster family with parents that abused her and when Clay found out, he killed the foster father. He ended up in juvie for 4 years and when he came out, was told that Talin has died. Luckily for Clay, he was later picked up by Nate who brought him back to DarkRiver.

Fast-forward 16 years and Talin shows up, asking Clay for help. Talin is a social worker, working for the Shine Foundation, and her charges have disappeared. One was found dead with some organs missing, the other is still missing. Talin's life is running short, but she's determined to keep her promise to Jonquil and not give up on him. Unfortunately, Enforcement is not interested in the case and thus, Talin needs help from people with power and connection...

My Opinion:  Phew, my memory was a bit rusty ^_^; I mean, I remembered the big lines of the book; however, for the life of me, I could not place Max LOL. So I'm happy I did the re-read.

On one hand, this book was very interesting. Mine to Possess was the first book with a human protagonist and as a result, it introduced a new dimension to the Psy-Changeling world. Primarily, we got to explore outside the Pack and the Psy, see how the world is in 2080. The introduction of the Shine Foundation and the Forgottens was engaging and well weaved in the storyline. I especially liked the addition of the Forgottens. It sounds simple and very logical at first, but I think it's something  not all authors would have thought to include in the world building. Ms Singh definitively has her world all figured out and she's revealing it according to her plan :) All the elements introduced move the whole story-arc forward and I thought Mine To Possess was really a pivotal book in the series :)

As for the plot itself, the kidnapping and etc. I thought it was good. Perhaps the whole was a bit too easy to figure out - connect the dots, but it was still good. I especially liked how the kids were rescued :)

What didn't work too well for me was Talin and Clay characters and subsequently, the romance. Talin was a hard heroine to like, especially in the beginning of the book. There she is, having lied to Clay, made him suffer... and she shows up out of no where, asking for his help... and when he becomes angry, she has the nerves to say: "What happened to you? You weren't like that before." I mean, seriously?!? You betrayed him and you expect him to welcome you, open arms? Plus, she's afraid of him which obviously doesn't help... but worst, you antagonize him!! Ugh. I understand she had a terrible childhood and was traumatized, but I didn't follow nor was able to sympathize with her train of thoughts and outbursts. As for Clay, he was more likable than Talin, but not by much. He was such an angry character, with the brooding and the growling. Then, he pushed and pushed Talin till she accepted and started breaking out of her shell. Good, but by then, I cared little about them and the romance :( All in all, I just feel that Talin and Clay were not the most compelling characters Ms Sing has written.

My Grade: Originally, I gave Mine to Possess a B+. Now, after re-reading it, I feel that was the fangirl in me talking and Mine to Possess is more of a B-. Ms Singh is definitively a great author and all of her books are strong and solid. Still they are some better than others, unfortunately, Mine to Possess is not one of those. I just couldn't connect with Talin and Clay and it kind of ruined it for me, luckily, the engaging plot and events saved it for me :)

Re-Read Challenge 2010: June!!

Half of year has gone by already! So, what do you think? LOL. I don't know, at instances, it seems to go by so quickly... but other times, so slowly. Although I think it helps that this year, the weather is so nice :) In any case, I'm looking forward to the new releases the summer will bring us LOL.

End of the months mean Re-Read Challenge time :D If you've done one and review it, please let me know in the comment section :) Hopefully, I'll be able to finish mine very soon and put it up :D

I mentioned in the last Re-Read Challenge post (for May) that I was thinking of hosting a contest or something in June. However, it's been so crazy, I haven't really had gotten the time to think it out. So I apologize. I'll try to think up something for this month :)

Enjoy the re-reads :D


Miss Moonlight: Bluebird by Linda Howard
Ames: Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K. Hamilton
Hilcia: Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh
Nath: Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh

Review: Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn

I didn't do much today at work, but for some reasons, I feel tired :(

Lately, whenever I go to James' bookstore (Friday and Monday LOL), I see new faces. Yesterday, he wasn't there... and for a moment, I was like: "No!! I hope he's not on vacation!!" LOL. There's a lot of new releases coming out next week... Yes, I know, I'm very selfish ^_^;

I've been running the bookstores lately because of the "Buy 3, get the 4th free" promotion. Seriously, I hate it when I have everything well planned and it doesn't work out for some reasons. Very frustrating... I might tell you about it this week-end during the Sunday Hauling :P

So yeah, lots of new books this week... LOL, I wish I could write review as fast as I book shop LOL. In my effort of trying, I have a review up at Breezing Through: Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn. Joining me was Isabel from All About Me :) You can click here to go directly to the review :)


Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn
published by Avon in May 2010

Ten Things You Should Know About This Book

1. Sebastian Grey is a devilishly handsome rogue with a secret.
2. Annabel Winslow's family voted her The Winslow Most Likely to Speak Her Mind AND The Winslow Most Likely to Fall Asleep in Church.
3. Sebastian's uncle is the Earl of Newbury, and if he dies without siring an heir, Sebastian inherits everything.
4. Lord Newbury detests Sebastian and will stop at nothing to prevent this from happening.
5. Lord Newbury has decided that Annabel is the answer to all of his problems.
6. Annabel does not want to marry Lord Newbury, especially when she finds out he once romanced her grandmother.
7. is shocking, 8. is delicious, 9. is downright wicked, all of which leads the way to
10. Happily. Ever. After.

Genre: Historical romance
Series: Bevelstoke, Book #3

Review: Something About You by Julie James

I've been looking at my Google spreadsheet and the archive on my sidebar for June and I've decided that I really must get cracking on my reviewing ^_^; Especially since I've been reading a lot this month and have reviewed almost nothing ^_^; So hopefully, you guys will enjoy :)


Something About You by Julie James
published by Berkley in March 2010

FATE HAS THROWN TWO SWORN ENEMIES...

Of all the hotel rooms rented by all the adulterous politicians in Chicago, female Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde had to choose the one next to 1308, where some hot-and-heavy lovemaking ends in bloodshed. And of all the FBI agents in Illinois, it had to be Special Agent Jack Pallas who gets assigned to this high-profile homicide. The same Jack Pallas who still blames Cameron for a botched crackdown three years ago—and nearly ruining his career…

...INTO EACH OTHER’S ARMS

Work with Cameron Lynde? Are they kidding? Maybe, Jack thinks, this is some kind of welcome-back prank after his stint away from Chicago. But it’s no joke: the pair is going to have to put their rocky past behind them and focus on the case at hand. That is, if they can cut back on the razor-sharp jibes—and smother the flame of their sizzling-hot sexual tension...

Genre: contemporary romance
Series: none

The Story: Okay, let see. What can I write that will sum up this book even more than the back blurb? :P Cameron Lynde has been redoing her hardwood floors. As a result, she had to vacate her house and ended up at the Peninsula next to the room 1308 in which the occupants have been having a sex marathon. When she finally complains about the noise, all the staff find is a female body... and Cameron becomes the only witness as she peeked through the peephole and saw the man who left the room.

Unfortunately for Cameron, the case is assigned to Jack Pallas, FBI. Jack and Cameron had crossed paths in the past and it hadn't gone well. Basically, the case Jack went undercover for never made it to trial, Jack insulted Cameron on national TV and ended up exiled to the Nebraska bureau and believes that Cameron is responsible for the transfer. After three years, he's finally made it back to Chicago and is now stuck baby-sitting Cameron. However, it seems these two might be able to get over the past as they get re-acquainted and their attraction re-ignites.

My Opinion: I'll be honest here, I had some apprehension coming in Something About You. Basically, it's because everyone seems to enjoy Ms James so much. There's been a lot of buzz surrounding each of her books and while I think her writing is good, the books were only okay to me, not the wowzer it has been for everyone. I feel that her books are not "romance" enough for me. There are a cross of chick-lit and contemporary romance; much closer to contemporary romance than chick-lit... but not there yet. So yeah, wasn't sure how I would feel about this one, especially since Hilcia felt it was too focused on the mystery.In the end though? Something About You is my favorite read by Ms James so far :)

What made Something About You work for me was the characters. I really enjoyed Cameron and Jack; they were solid and well developed. Some might think they were too "perfect," especially Cameron... but I thought instead that they were driven. However, they were not completely closed off to the world, focused on their work; they were also ready to make place in their life for a relationship. I thought that was refreshing. The chemistry between them was undeniable, backed with a generous dose of witty banter and yummy sexual tension :) I really liked the fact that they cleared up their misunderstandings before falling in bed. The romance was a bit quick, but it made sense since they were attracted to each other three years ago :)

While it's true the mystery played a big part in Something About You, I thought it was engaging and solid. In fact, the suspense was weaved in with the romance rather well in my opinion. It could have been heavier on the romance, but it was balanced enough to please me. I liked that Ms James continued with the lawyer element, but that Something About You was different enough from Just the Sexiest Man Alive and Practice Makes Perfect to stand out.

To me, the little extra that made me enjoy Something About You so much was the secondary characters and the interactions the H/H had with them. I loved Collin and the complicity and friendship he had with Cameron. Wilkins as Jack's partner was a nice touch... and the cops that were supposed to keep an eye on Cameron. Loved how they gossiped and knew far more details about what was going on in Cameron's life than they should LOL. They were a nice touch of humor, but even better, they made Cameron and Jack more real, human and fun :)

My Grade: B+. I truly really enjoyed Something About You and while her books are still not truly contemporary romance, Ms James is definitively getting there :)

Hauling Sunday II

Phew, this week's purchase was a bit more tedious than usually ^_^; Basically, the bookstores are having the "Buy 3, get the 4th free" promotion. Yay! This is probably the best promotion money-saving-wise :D My only issue was that for some reasons, James' bookstore only received two out of the four books I wanted! So basically, I've been stalking the online indicator for a week ^_^; It was especially annoying, because they all had the same release date and were from the same publishers... So why?!?! I could have gone to other bookstores, but I felt bad, because some were on my list, so they would be put aside for me at the bookstore automatically. I've been told that I can not buy them if I want, but still ^_^; I finally decided to take my chances on Friday and they were there!!! Turns out that someone has ripped off the address or shipment information on the box, delaying the delivery :( Lucky I waited a few days, so I was able to get them :)

So, here is my week's haul, all HQN Books/Mira releases :)

Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery - I read the eARC and decided it was good enough for me to get the print copy :D

A Summer in Sonoma by Robyn Carr - I'm a huge fan of Robyn Carr, even though this one sounds more like woman fiction than romance. I guess I'll have to wait and see :)

Torn Apart by Sharon Sala - Again one of my favorite author :) I do hope this is better than Blown Away ^_^;

Crazy for Love by Victoria Dahl - I've only read one of Ms Dahl's contemporary romance book (Talk Me Down)... the two others are waiting in my TBR pile ^_^; However, I did enjoy the one I read and the blurb sounded good :)


The coming week is going to be tricky for me. First, this Thursday is a holiday, so that means the delivery schedule might be messed up :( Plus, there are basically four promotions going on: (i) Buy 3, get the 4th free, (ii) 5$ off on a purchase of 35$ and over, (iii) renew your i-reward membership card and get 20% off on books for that purchase and (iv) 25% off on one item (birthday coupon). The latter three promotions end on June 30, while the "Buy 3, get the 4th free," on July 4. I have a few books coming out this week, so it'll be a lot of juggling around, but I'm crossing my fingers :)

One of the books I want to buy is The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg, a YA recommendation from Ames. I was going to use the 25% off coupon, but then, the "Buy 3, get the 4th free" is definitively the more advantageous promotion... so, I need suggestions, recommendations peeps! What are the good books you've read lately? In particular in trade-size format (urban fantasy, romance, etc.) and YA hardcover :P

Review: Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery

Disclaimer: I've received Almost Perfect as an eARC from NetGalley

Almost Perfect by Susan Mallery
published by HQN Books in June 2010

Back in high school, Liz Sutton was the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Then she'd stolen the heart of the most popular boy in town, and their secret romance helped her through the worst of times. Until Ethan Hendrix betrayed her and everything they'd ever meant to each other. Devastated and pregnant, Liz left Fool's Gold, California-forever, she thought….

Now Liz must return to town and face the man who doesn't know of their son's existence. And this time she won't have the option of making a quick getaway. Ethan and Liz can't deny their passionate attraction, even after all these years. But will their desire be enough to spark a second chance at love?

Genre: contemporary romance
Series: Fool's Gold, Book #2

The Story: When Liz was 18 years old, she was secretly dating Ethan who was back from college for the summer. That lasted till Ethan denied their relationship in company of his friends, saying that she wasn't worth his time. Liz packed her bags and left... and then found out that she was pregnant. She came back to inform Ethan, but he was in bed with someone else.

She tried to tell him again a few years later, but there was a misunderstanding and she walked away believing that Ethan didn't want to know his son or even lay eyes on them. As a result, Liz swore not to set foot again in Fool's Gold. Now a successful writer, Liz has carved out a life for her son, Tyler, and herself in San Francisco. However, when she receives news that her 2 teenage nieces are on their own through her fan mail, Liz does not hesitate to move back to Fool's Gold in order to access the situation... and quickly discovers that Ethan was not aware of Tyler's existence and he's not happy to have missed his son's childhood...

My Opinion: Ms Mallery is a hit and miss author for me. I love her writing and settings, which is why I keep reading her, but sometimes, I really have issues with the characters. Chasing Perfect, the first book in the trilogy, was a bit of a disappointment for me as I felt Ms Mallery was setting patterns in her series... However, I'm glad to say that Almost Perfect was a hit and that I greatly enjoyed it :)

What really made this book enjoyable for me was Liz' character. Liz is a great mom, a great aunt and a great woman. She raised Tyler alone and has a great relationship with him. You can see the love between mother and son, their connection. I loved the fact that she did not lie to him. Instead, whenever Tyler asked about Ethan, she would say that she did not want to discuss it. She tried to contact Ethan in order to provide Tyler a father and that took a lot of courage and guts. I also liked the fact that she did not hesitate packing her stuff and rushing to her nieces' aid when they contacted her. It's really a big step considering that Liz' family has never been close to each other. However, it was realistic because Liz didn't fly to their rescue, but instead, went to assess the situation. See what would be best for the girls - whether she should take them in or someone else could. In the end, she became a great mother figure for them :) There is one instance when she catches her oldest niece, Melissa, stealing money and while shocked, Liz does not get mad at Melissa and instead, asks her niece how much would make her feel safe. I really liked that scene because it showed how understanding Liz is. She hasn't gone through exactly the same thing, but she knows how it feels. I also really appreciate the way Liz dealt with the whole situation of Ethan's learning about his son and everyone passing judgment on her actions, from Ethan's mother to strangers. Liz was reasonable and rational and she always had Tyler's best interest in mind. She never tried to make it difficult for Ethan or deny the father and son relationship. She was honest with both of them and herself. I'm telling you, a truly amazing and good woman.

The kids were also a great element in this book. They were very realistic in their behaviors. For those who don't like children in their books, I still think you should give Almost Perfect a chance. None of the children are babies anymore. There is no baby talk, not precocious 5 years old. Instead, we're talking about two pre-teens and a teenage girl who act their age :) They really added to the story; in fact, they were central to Almost Perfect and were great characters.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Ethan. I understand that Ethan is angry at Liz and at the missing years. However, I felt he was too selfish. It was too much of "me, me, me." I wished he would consider the whole situation from Liz' point of view. Liz tried twice to tell him and she truly believed the second time around that he didn't want anything to do with them. She has suffered rejection from him once so it was not far-fetched to believe he was rejecting her a second time and as a result, I don't feel she was obligated to try again. I'm sure she wanted to spare her son the same feeling. Ethan kept saying how it was unfair that he had to forgive Liz for not telling him about Tyler, but that Liz would not forgive him for not acknowledging their relationship all those years ago... But life is unfair. The biggest issue is that he rejected Liz and really broke her heart. He did not try to go after her, to find her... he just let her go. That moment shaped their lives and Ethan has to take responsibilities. I was really happy that Ethan jumped in fatherhood, that he really wanted to know Tyler... but I felt at time, he was not level-headed enough and that led to some poor decisions ^_^;

The romance in Almost Perfect also wasn't the best. I didn't feel the chemistry between Ethan and Liz. It was really hard to believe they still love each other after so many years. Perhaps if they haven't fell into bed again so quickly, if they had spent more time getting to know the new Liz and Ethan, it would have been more believable. I mean, the situation is complicated and they're not really feeling lovey dovey towards each other, but they'll still succumb to lust? Hmm, I don't think so. In addition, I think the ending was too abrupt - I liked Ethan's grand gesture, but I don't like that the book ended on it. A few more pages or an epilogue would have helped the romance in my opinion.

Something that I really liked about Almost Perfect is how it could be a stand-alone. There's very little connection to Chasing Perfect. It allowed the story to focus on the current characters and plot, instead of catching up on previous characters :)

The Grade: B. I really enjoyed Almost Perfect. As I said, Liz really was the star of this book and made it good. It's unfortunate that Ethan and the romance did not measure up :(

The last week...

Well I've been a little scarce the last week. It's been very busy with stuff and events. While it doesn't look like it's going to get better at work, I have less commitments social-wise LOL. Funny how everything always happen at the same time, don't you think?

It all started last Wednesday. The hospital where I work organized a day to raise awareness for prostate cancer in honor of Father's Day. The event is organized in a shopping mall and we offer a full check-up for all the men that wants one. It's a great opportunity for those that haven't gone to the doctors for a while... We check their BP, get blood samples for PSA, cholesterol and testosterone, get urine samples and they even get to meet doctors. You guys know that I've been working with urine samples in my project right? Well my boss thought this was a perfect opportunity to collect some for our own project and that's why my lab was part of the event and we were stationned at the urine analysis station. We had just over 100 patients and were able to collect about 70 samples for our study... The problem is the samples had to be processed the same day... So my day started at 8am and finished at 10pm ^_^; We were actually lucky, because this year, the turn out was just so-so... due to the Fifa World Cup LOL. All the men were amassed in front of TVs during lunch hour. Seriously, I don't know what we would have done if we've gotten more samples.

The next day was a bit better. I was so exhausted, mainly because I had just started my periods. My back was really killing me ^_^; We got permission to start work late and leave early! That is really rare if you know my boss ;) It was a good thing as well, because my friends and I had tickets for Totem, the Cirque du Soleil new show. It's the same company that produces O (which I had the chance to see with Ames), Ka, etc. in Las Vegas. Totem consisted of a series of acrobatic acts and while it was not as impressive as O, it was still very enjoyable. It's truly amazing what these artists can do!! And they kept upping the ante LOL. I think though what sets Cirque du Soleil apart from other similar shows aside for the high levels is the costumes and the stage. It was really awesome how they used the stage, it really was part of the show and converted into so many things. My only complaint though is that there was no storyline in the show... so it felt a bit choppy because of the humoristic acts in-between the acrobatic acts. Nevertheless, I had a very nice evening :)


Finally, last Saturday, we organized a condo-warming. My friend bought a condo and it was finished in January... but she took her time choosing the colors, the furniture, painting, etc. LOL. She finally completely moved in only 2 weeks ago :P Since it's been a while we haven't gotten together, we also celebrated three birthdays :) Among those birthdays was my co-worker S's. S is the only guy in the gang and being the only guy, well sometimes, he gets spoiled... which is what happened on Saturday. We have a friend whose brother has been living in the States and has learned all about the turducken. You have to understand, I don't know in the rest of Canada, but Thanksgiving is not big in Quebec province. For most of us, it's just another stat holiday... and most of us are Asians, so comes Christmas, we dont' really eat turkey ^_^; Anyway, my friend's brother made turducken a couple of years back and after she told us about it, S said he wanted to try it... So that was his birthday present, turducken :) Of course, we didn't stop there and there was tons of food. We really had a good time... except I drank some alcohol ^_^; I'm not a big drinker and this just goes to prove it. We were playing mah jong and instead of counting points, we decided that whoever lost would have to drink a sip of something. Seriously, I should have stuck to coca-cola like my friend suggested ^_^; Instead, I decide to go with everyone else and drink Schmirnoff Ice. It was okay in the beginning... It's when I decided to finish it off - I had a quarter left - that it went wrong ^_^; I basically went very, very, very red and my heart was beating sooo fast! So yeah, no more alcohol for me for a while LOL.

And so, that's why I haven't posted much last week... This week though, I have nothing on my agenda :D All I want to do is read, blog, try to go for sushi and gelato :) It's fun when it's busy, but it's good when it's quiet :D