Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Review: Shadows at Sunset by Anne Stuart

So, here is another review! I have to say that the romantico-blogosphere has been very quiet today, so I'll try to make things livelier with a review :D


Shadows at Sunset by Anne Stuart: 3.5/5
published in August 2000 by Mira (Harlequin)

La Casa de Sombre is a well-known mansion in Los Angeles, featured on many scandal tours, and is haunted by the ghosts of the murder-suicide tragedy. In the 60's, the mansion became the hang-out place for hippies and now, it is the home of Jilly Meyer and her two older siblings. Very young, Jilly has figured out that their father didn't get a damn about her and her brother; he only cared about their older sister Rachel-Ann, and perhaps beyond fatherly love. Thus, she has become their protector and caretaker. As a result, when her brother is kicked out from the company, Jilly goes and confront her father, Jackson Meyer. However, Coltrane, Meyer's new right-hand man, is sent to deal with her.

Coltrane is a cold, calculative and manipulative man. He came to work for Meyer to figure out how his mother was killed and is sure that Meyer is involved. Thus, to get to Meyer, he figures that he could use/seduce Rachel-Ann as she's the weak link. Despite his plans, the woman he is attracted to is Jilly. As for Jilly, she really doesn't want to have anything to do with Meyer's man, but Coltrane is persistant and just insinuates himself in her life...

Series: none
Genre: contemporary, romantic suspense

Review: The book was okay; however, there's something that won't allow me to immerse myself completely in the story. I don't know if it's the story, the writing or the language. It's cold and you can't really root for the characters in my opinion.

Characters - I'd say Jilly is emotionally dependant. She needs to take care of someone or something to work well. She's usually too busy to think about herself and be selfish. She's the type of heroine that's strong and tough on the outside, but not so on the inside. As for Coltrane, well cold and indifferent and a bastard. There's very little to sympathize with both characters... they do sound real though...

Story & Writing - The story was good, but perhaps the paranormal side (ghost) might have bit a bit superfluous. As for the writing, well there's nothing to say... Anne Stuart didn't reach her status with bad writing. So I guess it's really the characters that prevent me from enjoying 100% the book.

The Cover - I actually like the cover a lot. No characters, just the house and I like the colors.

Am I keeping the book? For now yes... Later, I can't guarantee.

Anything else? I've heard a lot about Anne Stuart on the blogosphere and so, I wanted to give her a try. She writes both contemporary and historicals and although she's better known for her historicals, I opted for contemporary because it's more my style. However, perhaps I should give her historicals a try...

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Review: Feet first by Leanne Banks

I wasn't sure if I was going to write the review tonight or wait till tomorrow morning. However, I decided I should stop procastinating and so here it is :D See, my old pen pal has just re-contacted me after 3 years and so we're catching up... but it sure does take time! So now, I don't think I'll have time to read tonight :P Oh well, it's for the greater good right?

So tonight, the lucky book is...


Feet First by Leanne Banks: 3.5/5
published in September 2005 by HQN Books (Harlequin)

Jenny Prillaman has been jumping from job to job, not sure of what she wanted to do in her life until now. She's been at Bellagio for almost two years, which is the longest time she'd stayed at a job, as Sal, a shoe designer at Bellagio, assistant. For the past few months, she's been doodling shoe designs, covering for Sal's hangovers. When Sal enters rehab when he's supposed to be designing Bellagio president's niece (Brooke) shoes for her reality-tv wedding, Jenny is asked by Marc Waterson - VP - to cover for Sal once again.

For a couple of months now, Jenny has wanted to have an affair with the handsome VP, but the man cannot even remember her name! However, this is about to change as they're obliged to work together in addition to baby-sit and keep Brooke under control... The problem is that Jenny doesn't factor in Marc plans; he's been looking for a wife and ambitious Jenny isn't the right woman. Yet, he's attracted to her...

Series: the Feet trilogy. This is the first book of the trilogy, Underfoot and Foot Loose are the two other books.
Genre: contemporary romance

Review: I read the two other books of the trilogy first and I just wanted to know how Jenny and Marc got together as they had some brief appearances in the two other books. It was an enjoyable read and exactly what I needed to get back my reading mojo.

Characters - The book mainly focuses on Jenny and Marc, although there's a range of secondary characters. The problem with the secondary characters is that they're just part of the scenery... Only one will get her own book (Trina) while Brooke's stories will be told over the three books. Jenny is an interesting character enough... Average woman who has two over-achiever siblings and has finally found her goal. She's nice, sociable, has good friends, no dark past... a bit carefree, but realist. I guess she's a bit typical as a character... As for Marc, well he's focus. That's the word for it. He has a plan and intends to follow it. Again, typical character...

Writing & Story - The writing was okay... I mean, seriously, the whole book was a bit typical. Man and woman attracted to each other, have sex and find it's not enough so decide to engage in an affair with a number of rules. Of course, they enjoy each other's company and slowly develop feelings for each other; however, there's a misunderstanding... but at the end, they get back together. Sorry if I spoiled the book to anyone :P So you have typical characters and a not so original plot, but it's still enjoyable - not memorable, but enjoyable. Why? The writing, the flow... It wasn't too dragging and I liked that the misunderstanding was resolved fast. Actually, the hero wasn't really bother by it, it really wasn't important for him, because he has already figured out his feelings.

The Cover - I like it. It's flimsy and the colors are nice and soft and most importantly, it fit the story.

Am I keeping it? Yes... I already have the two others and it's a cute trilogy.

Anything else? Not really, just that Leanne Banks next book will be co-authored with Janet Evanovich and it's titled Hot Stuff, coming out in April.

Monday, January 29, 2007

Catching up...

Hey everyone!!

Can someone please tell me where my week-end went?!? It went by so quickly T_T anyway, my day at work today was really booooring.

Okay, but let me recap a bit the end of last week and the week-end... I found a new UBS last week and had a blast in it :P It's still a bit expensive, but I was able to find 3 Anne Stuart, 3 Andrea Kane and a couple more books. I have to admit tho that the books were a bit expensive for used ones, but there's not that many English UBS in Montreal and I guesss they have to make a living right? Also, they really don't pay a lot of money for books... So after buying so much books, I decided I had to do something to restrain myself, limit myself... and the answer: BUDGET!

So yeah, basically, I'm going to allow myself an amount of $$ per week to buy books and try not to go over - quite pitiful no? I really have no self control... *sigh* Which is pretty sad. Anyway, I'm going to try to stick to it, and also limit my visit to the book stores, but so far... I haven't been that successful. To my defenses, I have to say that it's all my sister's fault. She ambushed me... I had to drive her to McGill University Open House yesterday and so, I hang out at the book store and bought books... but as you can, really, it's my sis' fault, because I wouldn't have gone to the book store if I didn't need to drive her downtown. Ah well, no books this week... no books this week, no books this week... I guess this is going to become my mantra ^^;

I've said earlier this year that I wanted to make some lists... well at least, this is something I'll be doing. I bought a notebook, really nice, big and thick and I've started making lists... What I bought, what I read, list of upcoming books, wishlist and all. As for the new look to my blog, i'm still waiting for my new banner... Hopefully, soon.

I really wanted to write some reviews over the week-end, but I didn't have time. Instead, I read 4 books, so for sure, this week, I'll try to catch up with everything. So the four books I've read were:

- How to abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins
- Shadows at Sunset by Anne Stuart
- Feet First by Leanne Banks
- Scent of Danger by Andrea Kane

and I think I still had two other books to review... so, hmmm, it's going to be a busy week.

So, what else. I went to the library and got some books, mostly fantasy/sci-fi ones. The more I look at the romance section, the sadder I become. Really pitiful T_T but hey, I was still able to find some books and bring home. Hope I'll have time to read them tho...

Other good news? My pen pal to whom I haven't written for 3 years has contacted me over the week-end, I'm so glad :D and I just finished my applications for pharmacy school :P Now, all I have to do is send out my CV to find a new job in case I don't get in pharmacy school...

So, how has everyone been doing?

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Review: Blame it on Paris by Laura Florand

So, finally a review!!!

Okay, so as I said earlier, I got this book after reading Tara Marie's blog. I was looking for something to read and this just seemed to be it. I didn't even hesitate about the fact that the book was in trade paperback format, therefore more expensive, and that I wasn't supposed to go into a bookstore. That, dear friends, tell you how much I wanted this book, because the premises sounded so good and funny, and seriously, I don't regret at all. Money and time well spent!


Blame it on Paris by Laura Florand: 4.25/5
published by St. Martin's Press in October 2006

Laura is to complete a year of study in Paris before starting her Ph.D. back in the USA. However, to Laura, Paris isn't such a dream city... Once, helping out a friend, Laura goes out and eat at a restaurant where she meets this cute waiter, Sébastien Florand - her future husband. After many eatings at the restaurant, lots of urging from friends, Laura finally gathers her courage and asks him out to a party. Although he couldn't come to the party, they did start dating... This led to a long-distance relationship, two big families, two different cultures, lots of goodbyes, fretting, love and eventually, to four wedding ceremonies.
Genre: contemporary romance/semi-autobiographic novel
Series: none (but I wish!)

Review: Oh man, I really liked this book! You basically follow Laura and Sébastien's realtionship, the good and the obstacles in a very humoristic way. I really liked the relationship - esp. since it's a real one- but to see the culture differences between Laura and Sébastien, as well as the two families was quite hilarious and entertaining.

Characters - I have to admit that Laura sometimes annoyed me with her insecurities, but given this is a "real" story and not fiction, I can understand and sympathize with Laura's insecurities. Seriously, I'd have acted the same way :D Other than that, Laura really has a strong voice and her thinking pattern is quite unique, which provides lots of funny moments and many laughs. Since this is a first-person novel, this is Laura's story and so, it's harder to comment on Sébastien. I liked his personality and he can be very romantic at times... In addition, if he looks anything like on the cover, yummy. Laura sure is a lucky woman.

In addition, both families were highly entertaining! It's funny how the dynamics of both families are different and the same at the same time. Both Laura and Sébastien are lucky people.

Story & Writing - As I said, Laura has a very strong voice and shares her thoughts and feelings with the readers very well. Since the relationship spans on a few years, the pacing was very important and Ms. Florand did very well. Weeks and months passed rather quickly without the readers realizing; it didn't get stuck, it flowed well and this was very enjoyable. Also, it's quite nice to see that in real life, a couple doesn't fall in love and get engaged within a week :P

The Cover - It's a really nice cover; however, it'd had been more fun and realistic if the girl had chestnut hair instead :D

Am I keeping this book? YES! This is a definite keeper.

Anything else? I thought this book was very original and different as in, the author actually wrote how she met and married her husband. Thus, both characters and the events were real. If you want a sample of her writing or you want to know more, you'll probably want to head to Laura Florand website and read her blog :D I really hope that there'll be more books in the future...

In other news, since her wedding, Ms. Florand has had a baby girl (this is probably something that'd be fun to read about :P ) and unfortunately, during the last week-end, Ms. Florand's father has passed away.

Favor to ask...

Hey everyone!

Did you ever wonder how time can fly so fast, but at the same time, how it can be so slow? That's the question I've kept asking myself these past few days...

Lots of things and nothing is happening lately... I've been reading and am behind in my reviewing. The problem is that since this week-end, I keep telling myself I would write those reviews, but then, I opt to read instead. That would be all nice if I could read... I have a huge TBR pile now, but nothing appeals to me. Basically, I'm having the same problem as Tara Marie, none of the book is screaming "READ ME! READ ME!" I hope to get my reading mojo back soon, cos I'm really getting bored. So far, I'm hesitating between three fantasy series: Archangel by Sharon Shinn, His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novak or Lord of Snow and Shadows by Sarah Ash.

Aside from that, there's the drepressing question about my future... what should I do? I'm considering taking a second job, a receptionist job. I've done it before during a summer and it's really a simple job, just answering the phone calls and transferring them from 4h30 to 9h30 p.m. I mean, this would earn me some extra money and I can still read while working, so it'd be good :D I've also applied to pharmacy school during the week-end and now, have to get all my transcripts and send them to the schools. I really hope to get in, but after being refused twice... but they say the third time's a charm, no? So I'm keeping my fingers crossed and knocking on wood. Then, at the same time, I guess I'm going to apply for something more permanent in case I don't get in pharmacy school... I hate looking for job and interviews and so on. argh.

Oh, before I forget, I'd like to ask a favor to whomever live in the States and is a big fan of Nora Roberts. As you might or might not know, 4 of Nora Roberts' novels have been turn into tv movies (Angels Fall, Montana Sky, Blue Smoke and Carolina Moon (?)) and they are going to be shown on TV 4 consecutive Mondays starting from next Monday (Jan. 29) on Lifetime... This is for the States only, apparently, Canada got the licenses, but they'll only be shown in the summer. So I was wondering if someone would be kind enough to tape it and send me a copy, please? It'd really appreciated it :P

Ah well, I'm going to stop here... and start writing some reviews...

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Updates...

Hey everyone!

Wassup? Been a relaxing week-end so far for me. Yes, I've been reading, seriously, that's probably the only thing I do :P so there will be some reviews coming up, hopefully tonight, or during the week for sure. I read on Tara Marie's blog her review for Blame it on Paris by Laura Florand and I cracked. Had to get the book. In addition, I was bored and went back to the bookstore again and bought more books and I have plans to return today. Ames, that support group and 12-Steps-Program to say "No to a book," I definitively need them. Definitively.

Okay, so I have few things to say...

1. Canadian fans of manga (English), go to Chapters/Indigo right away as all of Viz manga (Death Note, One Piece, Bleach, Host Club, etc.) are 20% off. If you are a I-rewards member, you get the additional 10% off. So 30% in total! What, still sitting there? Go! (I don't know when this end tho)...

2. Well, this should have been my first news, but since the book is only coming in July and I have no idea when the manga sale will be over, but probably before July, I guess I have the right order. Ms Kay Hooper hasn't updated her website for so long ^^; but... I finally found out what's her next book, the title and when it's coming out! Seriously, I was starting to worry that she stopped or something. So the next book is Blood Dreams, first installment of the Blood trilogy. I have no idea who's story it's going to be, but hey, a new trilogy!! So the book is coming in hardcover format end of July 2007 (I think the 27th, but not sure)....

Ain't it cool? and apparently, Ms. Hooper will re-visit some of the characters (maybe not in this book tho). She plans to write about Beau, Hollis, Quentin and Diana, Bonnie and Seth, and Gallen... That'd be cool... I can't wait for Bonnie and Seth's story!

3. Tennis! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to WATCH tennis, because the schedule is a bit all over the place and there's so many sport events this week-end, it's insane... also, everything they show is almost all the American's matches. I understand that it's an american coverage, but I don't want to watch a replay of Blake and Ginepri when there's a more interesting match going on LIVE! So, it seems that the tournament on the women's side is getting really exciting! Defending champion Mauresmo is out (YAY!), almost all the Russian are out except for Sharapova (please, let her follow the lead of her "compatriots" - Seriously I don't see why she considers herself Russian when she's an all-American girl. Nobody considers her Russian anyway.) Serena Williams is still in (boo - sorry, don't like the Williams sisters)... So I'm definitively rooting for Clijters! Go Clijters or any NEW face (not Vaidisova). On the men's side, well not as many upset... Hewitt is out (bye-bye T_T) but he's really out of shape. Sad. Anyway, I'm rooting for Andy Murray now! Young Scot who's going to play against Nadal (shoot!). Isn't it all exciting?

4. Last thing... I'm off for a breakfast date! Wish me good luck!

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Review: White Mountain by Dinah McCall

One week + 2 days = 9 days

That's the number of days I haven't stepped into a bookstore. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to remain away from a bookstore. I keep reading this review and that review and I keep going: Oh, this book sounds good and that book too. Ah well, we'll see I guess...

I'm trying to watch the Australian Open, but man... I keep getting unlucky and missing it. The good news tho is that Lleyton Hewitt made it to the 2nd round. Let see how it goes today. He's playing a Canadian - so what should I do? Be all patriotic or root for Lleyton?

Anyway, onto the review :D


White Mountain by Dinah McCall: 4/5
published in April 2002 (Mira-Harlequin)

Frank Walton is an old man, suffering of cancer. Because the end is near, he goes back to Brighton Beach, the little Russia in New York where he grew up to reminisce his childhood. Unfortunately for him, Russia has sent one of their best, but retired, KGB agent -Vasili Rostov- to bring him back to Russia. However, the incident ends up with the death of Walton. Not wanting to go back to his country empty hands, Rostov goes to Braden, Montana - specifically the Abbott House - where Walton lived with 6 other old men.

Meanwhile, in New York, Walton's body has been discovered. However, what's astonishing, as well as intriguing, is that Walton's fingerprints match the ones of a scientist that died more than 30 years ago in a plane crash. This attracts the attention of the FBI which sends their agent, Jack Dolan to Montana to investigate.

In Montana, Isabella Abbott has just buried her father, Sammuel Abbot, and is worried about her Uncle Frank. When she learns of his death, she is quite devastated... Uncle Frank murdered, her father dying from a heart attack... Coincidence? Then, she looks at her remaining uncles: David, Thomas, Jasper, John and Rufus - all old men now who have seen her grown up and helped her father to raise her after her mother died in childbirth. They all lived together at Abbott House, some being botanist, archeologist, so on and others being her father's colleagues at the fertility clinic... but how much does she really know?

Series: none
Genre: contemporary romantic suspense

Review: I almost got all of Dinah McCall's books and White Mountain was one of the rare one I was missing... So I bought it. In addition, I was really intrigued by the whole fingerprints belonging to someone's already dead. However, I never thought this book would turn out this way - a very pleasant surprise.

Characters - See, I've always been weak for old men in real life and in books. Strong or gentle, most of them tug at my heart. So my heart gave out a lot when Frank Walton died. Anyway, I really liked the old men :P As for the main characters, Isabella and Jack, well I did enjoy them a lot :D Isabella has a strong core inside, but she's not overtly strong and tough and it's totally understandable in this situation. She's just lost two persons she cared for a lot and realized that eventually, one by one, her other uncles would leave her too. As for Jack, he's a FBI agent. A bit battered and a bit down, but I wouldn't say his near break-down. He went to Abbott House undercover and credits for him for not wanting to build relationship on lies. Anyway, I liked them and they didn't annoy me at all, but I'd say that there's some depth missing. Ms Sala didn't have time to flesh them out as it should, because she had so much going on...

Story & Writing: well, it's no secret that I love Ms Sala's style/writing... So I won't comment on that aspect. Okay, maybe I'll just say that I like Ms Sala's pacing and her writing is always smooth. As for the story, it was quite interesting. There wasn't too much "threads" so it wasn't hard to follow. What I liked was the idea behind the intrigue was really good and it was well told. The only thing is perhaps the ending seems a bit too easy - I mean, would Jack really recognizes the KBG agent from a picture that was shown during his training at Quantico, of course it's plausible... but this moment is key to leading to the ending and I thought there could have been many other ways, perhaps more interesting.

The Cover - I like... it also keep in style with the other covers of her books published with Mira-Harlequin.

Am I keeping this book? Yes :D It's a good book plus, I want to complete my collection of her books.

Anything else? Not related to White Mountain... but Dinah McCall's next book is The Survivors. Anyone knows when it's coming out? It was first scheduled for April 2006, but I didn't find it anywhere. Then, Chapters online said January 2007, but it's not available for order... Amazon says March 2007 or perhaps April... Meanwhile, the author's website hasn't been updated for a while. Sigh.

Monday, January 15, 2007

news about me :)

Hey everyone!

How are you all? It's really quiet on blogland, but that's to be expected during week-ends :D Anyway, I just thought I'd give everyone some updates on me :P

I'm a bit behind on my reviews (wow, that's probably a first), but I've managed to read White Mountain by Sharon Sala writing as Dinah McCall (really enjoyed that one) and This matter of Marriage by Debbie Macomber which was okay. I aslo re-read Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh and Stolen by Kelley Armstrong. By the way, anyone wants a review of Stolen? Since I haven't written one for it yet...

So, yeah, as you can guess, that's pretty much what I did... read. And clean my room. Again. Sigh, I can't keep my room clean for more than a few days. Anyone has any tricks? :P

I also download 10 eps. of this chinese tv series that I've been anticipating for over a year! Finally, it's out. It really took me the whole week-end though to d/l, since it was 1.3GB through Bittorent. I was still able to watch some pieces and bits. So far, I'm as satisfied as I can, since well, I don't undrestand anything... it's in Mandarin and I don't understand it... it's just that I know the story well as I've read it and it's one of my favorite. So far, the adaptation is quite good, although I don't like the main actress.

Other news, we're finally getting snow today! They're predicting 15cm (5.91 inches), but I bet there's already more than that outside. It took my 1h30 to get home and I left early! I can't imagine what it's going to be at rush hour... Poor Dad, hope he makes it home safely.

Other cool thing is that the Australian Open has started and with the difference in time, I won't miss anything because I'm at work :P How cool is that? (Answer: very cool :P) Since Henin-Hardenne is not there, I'm rooting for Clijters for the women and Hewitt for the men (although I know the chance that Hewitt wins it is very slim).

All right, that's it for me :P Perhaps I'll take some pics of the snow tomorrow!

Have a nice day everyone :D

ps - did anyone do the change from blogger to the new version? I've been wondering if I should, but I'm usually pretty lazy when it comes to "upgrade" my things.

Review: Jade Island by Elizabeth Lowell


All right... Elizabeth Lowell... I have to admit, I don't know where I stand with Ms Lowell. Her books are good I guess, but she's never been able to make me go crazy with her books. There's just a blockage somewhere inside of me that makes me find her books a bit bleh... actually, I'd say I find her writing a bit too clinical/sterile/cold. Go wonder why... She's definitively not on my list of favorite authors, yet I can't stop buying books from her from time to time.

When I went to buy Shards of Crimson, I came across Amber Beach, Jade Island and Pearl Cover. Obviously, these three books were part of a series, given their similar cover, and I bought them on impulse. Basically, the books are about the Donovan siblings whose family is involved in gem trading. See, I always found this topic quite interesting and intriguing, but never found a book that depicted it well. I guess this is why I bought the books.

I was going to read Amber Beach, but then put it down and picked up Jade Island instead, because the main characters sounded more interesting. So I might be missing some background information on the Donovans. Still, here is my review of Jade Island.


Jade Island by Elizabeth Lowell: 3.75/5
published in April 1999

Lianne Blakely is the daughter of Johnny Tan and his mistress, Anna Blakely. Lianne is 30 years old and her parents had had a relationship for 31 years, yet Johnny Tan won't acknowledged her and neither will his family. Wanting to belong to the Tan family who are involved in the jade business, Lianne pours all her energy into learning the business as well as learning to speak Mandarin and Cantonese. She even becomes the apprentice of her grandfather, Wen Tan, and builds her own business... Yet, she is not considered as family.

The past few weeks, Lianne has been choosing beautiful jade pieces from her grandfather's collection for a jade exhibition. At the same time, her father has been pushing her to introduce herself to Kyle Donovan, but he won't tell her why. This wouldn't be a problem if Lianne wasn't attracted to the man. On the other side, Archer, the eldest Donovan, has asked Kyle to get acquainted with Lianne as well. Turns out that there are rumors that the Jade Emperor tomb has been discovered and the jade treasures taken away and smuggled. China are threatening to cease any business with the United States if any jade pieces appear on American land and Archer has been charged to investigate. Since he does not know much about jade, he has enlisted the help of Kyle... However, both are deep in a very complicated conspiracy.

Series: The Donovans (4 books and Jade Island is the 2nd book)
Genre: Romantic suspense

Review: The story was quite interesting, although very complicated and confusing. It was also very technical about the jade and so, it lost me a bit. Although the story was interesting, I have to admit I was more interested in the relationships between Lianne and her family as well as Lianne and Kyle. Even so, I had difficulty to get involved in the story and care because I found the writing a bit cold as I mentionned earlier.

Characters - I loved Lianne's character. A really complex character in a very complex situation. The woman is strong, has guts and courage and should be admired. First, her birth... Lianne's mother and father love each other and have been together for more than 30 years... and everyone is aware of it. Anna has taken care to always remain out of sight, but there's no doubt that both loves each other. Still, what does it say about a woman who is willing to be someone's mistress for so long? No matter how much her parents love each other, Lianne remains an illegitimate child and in addition, she's mixed. She tries hard to be part of a family who doesn't want her AT ALL. If her father won't acknowledged her, then it's hard for the other to accept her... Plus, she has a myriad of half-siblings and cousins who are probably jealous of her relationship with her grandfather (master and apprentice). She also hasn't been lucky in love. Her only serious relationship was with a Chinese man who got married to Lianne's distant cousin to enter the Tan's family and expected Lianne to be his mistress. Basically, the man has never loved her, just saw her as his entry ticket to the Tan's family and when he saw it wouldn't work, he found another ticket. Then, in the story, Lianne is accused by the Tans of stealing jade, which in that family, must be the worst crime ever. All in all, I really liked Lianne's character, because she's not just a feisty and strong and tough heroine, she's actually very sensible and vulnerable. Complex character who's weakness is not just a weakness the author tackle on to make her weak.

As for Kyle, I liked him better than his older brother, that I have to admit. I guess Kyle used to be the happy-go-lucky sibling, till some event that happened in Amber Beach. Basically, Kyle was used by a woman during that book and this left him a bit cynic. Okay, try very cynic. Still, I think he was a good match for Lianne... my only problem though is that he's very similar to all the other male heroes in the Donovans series, except he lacks a military background. I think that if Ms Lowell was going to write a series, to try to make different kind of characters would be a priority... because it gets boring to read. Still, Kyle was my still my favorite, but probably because he was paired with Lianne.

Story & Writing - The story was well written, but as I said, too clinical. There's something missing in Ms Lowell writing that'll make readers get completely absorbed and captivated. Or maybe, maybe the story is too intense. A lot is happening, plus add all the technical terms and possibilities of conspiracy and it's too much for the readers. The result is that I had to skip a couple of pages, find another interesting passage and resume reading.

As for the story, as I said earlier, complex. Also, I can't help but wonder if this kind of story is real... is there so much conspiracy in the gem trading business :P Still I have to admire Ms Lowell for not taking the easy way - choosing between romance or suspense. She made both the romance and suspense complex, perhaps a bit too much, but it sure made it more interesting than if she'd had made the suspense or the romance too easy and stupid.

The Cover - I like it. Black is a classic color and it fit the mood of the series. I also liked it that you only see the silhouette, makes it more intriguing. However, why is it a woman on every cover? Why not a man, when the Donovan character is a man?

Am I keeping the book? Yeah. (what a surprise). I guess this book is my favorite Ms Lowell book so far.

Anything else? I'll probably read Amber Beach at one point. I did read Pearl Cove, but skipped the beginning ^^; It's interesting, but I don't like the heroine in Pearl Cover as much... However, I was quite glad to see that Lianne was pregnant with twins :P Anywa, all I can say is that Amber Beach and Pearl Cove are both as complex as Jade Island, that's for sure.

Friday, January 12, 2007

Review: Blame it on Cupid by Jennifer Greene

Hmm... I think I've never read any book by Jennifer Greene, so she was a new author for me. I first saw Blame it on Cupid at Zellers, but decided to be a good girl and not buy it. Afterwards, I saw a review at AAR which gave a B or B+ to the book and so decided to get it.


Blame it on Cupid by Jennifer Greene: 3.5/5
published in January 2007

Merry is a klutz and a free-spirit. Not a new age-ish free-spirit, it's just that she doesn't like to be tied down. She enjoys life, is always positive and likes to be able to quit her job when she wants it... which comes in handy in this situation. Merry is leaving Minnesota for Virginia where she will become the guardian of Charlene Ross. Charlene is daughter of Charlie, Merry's friend that she hasn't seen in almost a decade. When Merry met Charlie, they immediately became good friends (just friends)... Charlie had just divorced and obtained sole custody of Charlene and was worried that if something happened to him, Charlene would be all alone. So that night, on a napkin, Charlie and Merry each wrote that they would take care of each other's kids (if any) in case she or he died... and this is what happened, Charlie died.

Since Charlene is all alone with no relatives, Merry decides to become her guardian and moves to Virginia. She has many plans, ideas and etc. for her and Charlene, but it all come to a stop when she sees the girl. Charlene is 11 years old and a real tomboy. She had a real special bond with him and his death had affected her a great deal. To feel safe, Charlene has started wearing her father's clothes - although too big, styled her hair the same as her father and hang onto objects and passions they share. Luckily for Merry, she has some help from her neighbor, Jack who is also divorced and is raising his two 15 y.o. twins.


Series: I don't know if it's a series or not. However, there was a previous book in which Merry appeared in, Blame it on Chocolate. Hmmm, I guess it's the Blame it on series!
Genre: contemporary romance

Review - I thought the story was very enjoyable. The situation is a bit unique, as Merry has never met Charlene and well, a promise written on a napkin, no matter how formal, is not legally binding. Basically, Merry really wants to help Charlene for Charlene. Actually, I'm quite amazed at how Merry is unselfish. Sure, she expected to meet Charlene and everything would click together and they'd be best buddies; however, Charlene is really not a girly girl and both are really different, but they try and that's what matters. The relationship that Merry builds with jack is also fun to read :D

Characters - I liked Merry's character. I mean, I like airhead and klutz in general, because they usually bring good laughs, but I wouldn't qualify of Merry as a klutz. Yes, she gets lost, but in general she knows what she's doing or trying to do. She's also the kind of characters who you'll easily sympathize with and you'll support. I didn't find her annoying and I give her credits for trying, trying and trying :D As for Jack, he was all right. I mean, dark, tall and handsome - how many times did you read this combination by the way. He's been burnt by a divorce and so, he wants sex, but no relationships. Who can blame him? However, he's there when you need him, he'll help you out no matter what... It's just, I guess his type are becoming too frequent? Charlene was an interesting character as well. I'd say she's more mature than most kids of her age and it's not due to her father's death. However, no matter how mature you are at that age, you'll still have problems. There's the grief she's dealing with, after all her father was her only rock in her life and losing him will affect her life, and then, she's growing up. However, she wasn't annoying and she was making real efforts with Merry. The only other characters worth mentioning would be Jack's twins Cooper and Kick. Copy image of their father, Cooper is the silent, nerd one and Kick is the football player. You do get some side-story with Cooper, but character-wise, I'd say typical teenagers :P

Story & Writing - I'll give credits to Ms Greene. The plot is not new - orphan gets a guardian who has no experience with kids - but Ms Greene manages to write a story , although not too original, not too typical either. There was no reluctance from Merry at all, she had already decided that she'd be Charlene's guardian no matter what and threw herself 150% in. So you had the grief from the child, difficult adaptation for both, Merry falling in love with the neighbour, Jack coming over to help Merry... You had the twins and Cooper's side-story... You also have the plot where someone is doubting of Merry's abilities for guardianship and Charlene's mother coming back for the money, but overall, it still wasn't too typical. Ms Greene was still able to incorporate some unique and funny moments :D

The Cover - I have to say that it's the cover which made me pick up this book. It's bright and has a nice design and no naked ppl :D I also luv the texture...

Am I keeping the book: Sigh, I'm a book hog. Why did I put this question here? In 90% of the time, it'll be a yes :D So yes, I am keeping it. Till I have to get rid of some books to make space for other books at least.

Anything else: nope... Except that I'll probably try another book by Ms Greene in the near future.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Review: Dark Awakening by Patti O'Shea

Seriously, I need to be banned from the bookstores till the end of the month... maybe longer. Cos I think I bought over 40 books so far since Christmas and this is just insane. I can't go in bookstores without coming out with books... and not only one, but 2, 3... even 10. Definitively have to work on impulse.

Oh, before I go onto the review... anyone can tell me when Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh. Chapters online says June 2007 and Amazon says March 2007... I hope Canada doesn't get it later. Onto the review now...


Dark Awakening by Patti O'Shea: 3.75/5
published January 2007

*part of anthology Shards of Crimson

Kimi Noguchi has been attracted to Nic, a demon, ever since she met him at her cousin's wedding; however, Nic is avoiding her. When she is attacked by a Dark One, the strongest of demon, named Augustin who wants to still her newly discovered magical power, she summons Nic to protect her.

Nic has been warned by his little sister to stay away from Kimi, although she is his vishtau mate (soul mate), because Kimi is still too young. However, when Kimi summons him, all deals are off. However, Nic knows that he is no match for Augustin, who in the past, has killed Nic's father and left him for dead, but no matter what, he is determined to protect Kimi.

Series: Crimson City
Genre: paranormal romance, demons

Review: Well, I bought the book only for this short story :) I luv Patti O'Shea writing style and my complaint here is that the story is just too short. Ms. O'Shea did well for a short story and the only thing is that there's less action than usual. Everything just happened too quickly...

Characters - Ms. O'Shea did really well, fleshing her characters. I think that Kimi does sound a bit like Mika, but it's understandable. It's probably because the age. She's an interesting character that I wish could read about again in the future when she matured. I don't mean to say that she's annoying, but mostly just indecisive at time. I really liked Nic tho :D He's not the big evil demon and the Mahsei side does show in his personality :D

Story & Writing - as I said, too short... but hey, it's a short story, so understandable. Ms O'shea follows her usual style and it works for me. That's probably why she's one of my favorite author, although she has very few books out and half of them part of series like Crimson City (different authors series).

The Cover - well, I have nothing to say about the cover. I'm glad there's no one on it and it's neutral, to fit all the story.

Am I keeping the book: well yeah... unless the short story is released on its own.

Anything else: I want to read more about the demons that Ms. O'Shea has created. I'd like a book with Mika, Connor, Nic and Kimi. However, I don't think that's happening.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Some good news

Hello everyone!

I want to share some good news with you all :D I got my last two grades for the Master program, the presentation and the final report: both A! Yeah! I mean, I was done, but there's a difference between a good grade and a decent grade and you can't know how glad I am!!! So I'm still waiting for approval for graduation, but this time, I'm officially done! Youppi!

Second news, I finally got my hands on Shards of Crimson. I've been looking for this book everywhere and every time I went in a bookstore. I checked it out on Saturday at Chapters and it wasn't there. This afternoon I checked Chapters online and hey, 3 copies available! I immediately jumped on the phone and called. The guy at the help desk says there's only one left!! WHAT?!? How did they go from 3 to 1 so fast? In 2 days?!? So he transferred me to the romance section and the lady is like: can't find it. WHAT?!?! I still went and managed to find it! I was so glad!!! I'm already done with the story I wanted to read and will probably review it tomorrow night :D It was good, but again, too short ^^;

So that were the good news :D I also went to celebrate two birthdays during the week-end and so, saw my friends. Had a lot of fun and got gingerbread out of the deal too :D One thing though, someone is going to have to ban me from bookstores. I need to STOP buying!

What about you guys? Anything new?

The world of the Lupi by Eileen Wilks

Seriously, I bought so many books during the holidays that I really didn't plan to buy more. However, I came accross the cover of Blood Lines on the Dear Author blog in one of the interview with an editor; Cindy Hwang from Berkley. It was asked which books she was anticipating for the year 2007 and Blood Lines by Eileen Wilks was one of them. I thought the cover was quite nice, but that was it, as I've never read anything by Ms. Wilks. Then, when I went to buy Hot Spell, I saw the book and decided to buy it :P I knew it was part of a series, so I hunted down the previous books as well and this is pretty much what I've been reading last week. Since I've read the three books of this series back-to-back, it makes sense that I review them in one post.


The World of Lupi series by Eileen Wilks

In this world, lupi/werewolves have revealed their existence and now co-habit with humans. In the past, lupi had to be registered, i.e. that they had their registration no. tattoed on their face and were injected products that stopped their changes. Nowadays, they now have legal status (when they are on two-feet); however, bad habits are hard to break and there are a lot of prejudices and cops still have reflexes to fire and kill wolves when they see one. There are also many more "paranormal" beings such as sorcerers, witches, demons and also humans with psychic powers called Gifts.

Lily Yu, the heroine, is 28 y.o. and a cop. She's a sensitive, which is a rare Gift, and her ability allows her to read/feel magic and gives her an immunity to magic. Thus, with a touch, she can tells who's a werewolf, who's a witch and so on. She is a middle child with two sisters, one younger and one older. Both her parents are still alive and so is her paternal grandmother, Li Lei Yu/Madam Yu, someone important in the books. A traumatic event in her childhood pushed her to become a cop; however, by the end of Tempting Danger, she will become a FBI agent with the Magic Department, investigating murders caused by magic. The main male character is Rule Turner, a werewolf and Lu Nuncio of the Nokolai Clan, i.e. the heir of his clan. He spends a lot of time outside of the clan - in the city - and is very high profile due to his heir status that the gossip papers equal to Prince. He is in charge of the clan's finances and responding challenges and so on. His father is the Rho, leader, and Turner has two older brothers, Benedict and Mick, as well as a son, Toby.

In this world, only males can become lupi and they have extended lifespan and have the ability to heal. However, due to their magic, it seems that werewolves are almost sterile (i.e. their chance to have kids is decreased). Lupi also revere the Lady, their goddess, who among other tasks, choose the werewolve's mate, the Chosen, and link them with a bond mate. However, not every lupus has a Chosen and thus, they are very precious.


Tempting Danger: 4/5

Tempting Danger pretty much sets the series. It introduces most of the characters, Lily, Rule, Cullen - Rule's friend and a clanless werewolf who's also a sorcerer although sorcery is illegal, as well as Lily and Rule's family along with some other secondary characters. Through the entire book, Ms. Wilks slowly builds her world, develops her characters while telling a story.

Story - A human is killed by a werewolf and Lily is primary investigator of the case. Everything points at Rule, but with her Gift, Lily easily determines that he is being framed. Rule quickly realizes that Lily is his Chosen and offers his help for the case in an effort to keep her close. Quickly, both realize that someone wants to destroy the Nokolai clan and at the same time, the werewolves and other species. They are targeting the Nokolai clan because the Rho supports some sort of bill that would give legal status to all paranormal species along with rights and other thing. They also figure out that the master mind behind the framing is an Old One, a goddess trapped in another realm and trying to come to their world. Under the goddess are a telepath and a cult leader that cause many problems.

Opinion - I like this book a lot. Sure, it's the introduction and it's quite interesting. This world is not too different then ours except for the paranormal beings... it's also not too different from other worlds from other series; however, you clearly see that lupi and humans are still not equal. The story is complex and keep the reading readings, the interactions and relationship bewteen Rule and Lily are enjoyable. Perhaps there wasn't enough on secondary characters, but it's understandable after all, Rule and Lily are the focus.


Mortal Danger : 3.5/5

Story - In this book, Lily has made the switch and has become a FBI agent and has accepted her bond to Rule; although there are still a lot to learn about each other. As for Rule, he can't help it being protective, although Lily is very independent and wish they would live together.

As for the story, well in this one, Lily, Rule and Cullen are after the cult leader from Book 1 and the staff he stole. The lupi want to destroy the staff while the FBI wants to keep it and study it, which adds complications to Lily and Rule's relationship. In addition, there is a demon that wants to possess Lily, because she's sensitive. However, all is tossed aside when Lily is splitted in half, one remains in their world with her memories, but without her Gift while the other is sent to Hell/Dis along with Rule in his wolf shape with her Gift but without her memories...

Opinion - Hmm, this book is a nice continuation of the other and the difficulties in Rule and Lily's relationship does make sense, since there's been so little time between the two books. However, I felt that it was too soon to have so much issues. As for the story, well it was a bit confusing and I didn't really care for the parts of Lily and Rule in Hell. However, I was happy that there was more of Cullen and there's also the introduction of Cynna, a fellow FBI agent that has been with Rule about 10 years ago and also knows demon magic. However, the book wasn't as good as the first one in my opinion.


Blood Lines: 3/5

Blood Lines is the third book of the series... It continues the story almost where it left off. Now, Lily and Rule are at Quantico for Lily's training and it's almost the holidays. There are still some issues between Lily and Rule; Lily does not remember their time in Hell and wonder if Rule misses the other Lily while Rule has been poisoned by demon poison and as a symptom, suffers from some loss of memories. In addition, because he spent so much time in his wolf form in Hell, his inner wolf has a stronger presence in him and is harder to control. You add all these to the story and you get something ultra complex. I can't really summarize the story, because I didn't pay that much attention to it, but it involves Jiri, Cynna's demon master and some sort of plot again.

Opinion - Hum, okay this book was pretty much a bummer to me. I think because I bought the three books at once and read one after the other, I was more interested in Lily and Rule's relationship than the plot; so I pretty much skimmed all the actions that didn't have to do with the romance ^^; Nonetheless, I thought that the story was way complex and confusing and I think Ms. Wilks is losing the right balance between romance and suspense. I know that because this is a paranormal book, Ms. Wilks can explore many more possibilities and elaborate some nice plot and storyline, but it's becoming way too confusing. Maybe something simpler would be better.

A side note, this is the nicest cover of the series :D The character is Cynna.


Overall opinion on the series:

When I first read the series, I couldn't stop thinking that this was a bit similar to the In Death series by Nora Roberts; instead of being futuristic, it was paranormal. I mean, Lily is a cop/FBI agent, she's tough and fighty, she went through a traumatic event during her childhood and in the books, they solve case... Rule doesn't resemble Roarke too much, but there are still a lot of similarities between the two series. I don't know if this was intentional or not, but I doubt, but it was a good premise. The first book was really interesting and I really enjoyed it and as the number of books progress, the enjoyment decreased. First, my main problem is that there's very little time between the three books. I think the timeline for all 3 books is about 4-5 months which is really short. It would have been nice to let the characters breath, not have one adventure happening after another. Also let the characters get acquainted and fall into some routine. My other problem is that Ms. Wilks is trying to hard with Lily and Rule's relationship. Yes, this is a series and so Lily and Rule will have a long term relationship and they'll have issues... but that doesn't mean necessarily now. It is true that Lily and Rule don't know each other that well and this is something that should have been going off-book. My problem is that Ms. Wilks seems to be putting too many obstacles and issues between them and it's killing their chemistry. We need more romantic moments - not sex - to know that they are really in love with each other and it has more to do than with the mate bond and this is something that Ms. Wilks fails to do. Yes, they do hug and kiss each other and draw comfort from each other, but it seems that the comfort they get is due to the bond mate. Not enough to me. Also issues and problems keep arising and it makes me wonder if they'll stick together, if they're really made for each other. Simply, it's killing their chemistry. So it'd be nice if in the next book, they could just enjoy and be happy. Finally, as I said for Blood Lines, maybe making plots less complex will help too. I mean, so much is happening and balance between romance and action is slipping fast.

The next book will be Night Season coming out in March 2008 and will focus on Cynna and Cullen. Although not my favorite couple (I like Cullen, but am not sold on Cynna yet), I'm ready to give it a try. I'd have preferred if it was about Rule and Lily, because I think their relationship is still not solid enough, but what can I do? After Night Season, I'll decide if I'll want to continue the series or not? But right now, I won't be awaiting Night Season as eagerly as if I was waiting for a book from The Women of the Otherworld series or from the FBI SCU series.

Review: Falling for Anthony by Meljean Brooks

Eek! Almost a week since I last updated ^^; This really wasn't my intention... I had a lot of things planned, but I guess it all got delayed ^^; Still haven't started to work on the new layout, I'm waiting for my friend to draw the new banner. She's applying for med school and the dateline for her personal essay is on Jan. 15... so I guess I won't have it before that :( Although I haven't updated, I have done some reading :D


Falling for Anthony by Meljean Brooks: 3/5 (C)
published by Berkley in November 2006
Anthony Ramsdell has known Colin and Emily (twins) and they have been friends since their childhood, despite the difference in status (Anthony being from a decent family and the twins, the children of a duke or marquess). To elevate his status, Anthony has become a doctor, accepting Colin's father offer to pay for his studies. Now, the duke/marquess has decided to collect his favor from Anthony and is sending him to Spain as a war doctor. Just before his departure, Anthony saw Emily whose he's been attracted to since his youth. Angered at her father for some reasons, Emily seduced Anthony. Afterwards, Anthony went to war, promising Emily that he would come back for her.

However, not everything goes according to what we want and Anthony died and became a Guardian. Under normal circumstances, he would have trained for a 100 years in Caelum; however, Colin was bitten by a nosferatu and Anthony, along with his master Hugh, must save him and protect a sword.
Genre: paranormal romance
Series: The Guardians series, book 1

Review: As you know, I bought this anthology because it contained Falling for Anthony, which was the prequel/book 1 of Demon Angel. I enjoyed Demon Angel and I wanted to know more, I mean anything that could give me an insight in the past of Colin, Lilith and Hugh was good :D I didn't read the other stories however. Maybe another day...

Characters - Hum, I liked Anthony quite well, but didn't really enjoyed Emily. Anthony is quite similar to Hugh, but a little less rigid and little more selfish. It is a little bit difficult to comment on them, since it was a short story... As for Emily, well I understand the motives of her behaviour, but it doesn't make me like her. She pretty much used Anthony and after his death, she did feel remorse, but I don't think she loved him. Not until he came back as a Guardian. So that's my take on the main couple. As for Colin, he's his usual self, although pretty much comatose for more than half of the story. Still vain as ever, but I did get to see another side of him... Responsible. I mean, he does care for his little sister and I believe they do have a bond... Also, he was ready to marry to provide a mother for his orphaned nephew. Might not be the good reason to marry, but it was done in those time and he was ready to do it for his nephew. So that speaks out a lot about his character.

Story & Writing - The writing was consistent with Demon Angel, so quite good. As for the story, well, it was short and therefore, lack a bit of development, but that's to be expected. Otherwise, it was okay. in my opinion, it wasn't as captivating as Demon Angel.

The Cover - All right again. I'll have to say that I don't really care about half-naked ppl on my covers ^^; I don't find that "hot" and I wonder if it really increases the sales of a book. I do like the color schemes tho and the texture of it :D

Am I keeping this book: Well yes, since it's part of The Guardians series.

Anything else: Well not really. I read this book, because I wanted to know more about Colin and also, his sister, since she was mentioned in Demon Angel. My expectations weren't as high, because well, it's a short story. Of course, they'll be higher for Demon Moon. As for the grading, it's a 3 not because of the story, but more due to my dislike of the heroine.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Review: Demon Angel by Meljean Brooks

Okay, let's try this new review format. It's probably going to take a while before I get it right, so it is still subject to changes :D


Demon Angel by Meljean Brooks
published in January 2007 by Berkley
Lilith is a half-human, half-demon created by Lucifer and so she has served him for a thousand years, tempting humans and gathering their souls for Below. In England 1217, she meets a young knight, Hugh whom she couldn't tempt nor bend. Involuntarily, she causes his death and instead of bringing his soul to Below, she helps him becoming a Guardian, the warrior that fights against nosferatu (full vampires), vampires (half-human, half-nosferatu) and demons. From then on, starts a rivalry between Lilith and Hugh that will last 800 years...
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series: The Guardians series, book 2


Review: Well, well, well... You know, I've been wanting something different lately and I finally found it :D I mean, I really like paranormal romance, but I think like everyone, I'm getting a bit tired of the vampires, brotherhoods, soul mates - you know what I mean. So Demon Angel was exactly what I was looking for. I mean, yes there are some vampires, but they're not the main characters and not the focus either.

Characters - I luv Lilith and Hugh really. I thought Hugh was so cute as the naive and innocent Guardian... then, he turned into this really sexy, rugged and mature man. Well of course mature, after 800+ years. Personality wise, he's the straight, honest guy who'll always follow the rules. He's also quite innocent and naive at first, but then he matures and the changes in personality in the second half of the book is quite understandable. Really, immortality is not something you crave, especially if you have such responsibilities. In short, I quite like his character and I didn't think he was annoying or too straight or anything. Onto Lilith now... she's something :D Definitively someone you want on your side. She's strong, witty, blunt and complex. Such an enjoyable character. I don't want to say this, but really, she supports the whole book... if it wasn't for her, I don't think the book would be as enjoyable. As for other characters, well the story really focuses on the two of them, but we do meet Colin, a vampire that Hugh and Lilith have been protecting for the past 200 years as well as Savitri Murry, kind of like Hugh's lil sister. There hasn't been that much development for both of them, so I'm reserving judgement, but I find Colin extremely funny and enjoyable as well :D Finally, Sir Pup, Lilith's hellbound. Luv him :D

Story & Writing - Seriously, I've always loved stories where the hero and heroine, but esp. the heroine, makes so much sacrifice for the other. It just proves their love for them I think. I liked the humor as well and most everything ^^; The story is complex, but quite different. The world building was all right, I mean, the world is not much different than ours in my opinion, except for the presence of Guardians and demons and other creatures. I really had no idea that demons were so much into bargaining tho :P The only thing really is that some parts were confusing, but I don't know if it is due to the writing or if it's because so much is happening. I guess a little of both and that's what cost this book it's perfect grade. But aside from that, story and writing were good and solid.

The Cover - The cover is all right, but personally, I think that it does not fit the story. I mean, it's all pink and purplish... if I had to design this book, I would have chosen scarlet red and black. The cover just seems so tame to fit Lilith and the rest of the story.

Am I keeping the book: Absolutely, no question ask. I'm also going to the book store tomorrow to get Hot Spell, the anthology that contains Book 1 of the Guardians.

Anything else: Well, some of you probably recognizes the name Meljean Brooks as a fellow blogger. In either case, here's the link to her website and blog that I really like :D

My Grade: 4.5/5 (A-)

For 2007...

Hey everyone :D

So how was New Year? I hope everyone is well :D

So there won't be a recap of 2006 for me nor will there be any resolutions (I never keep them up, so I've stopped making them)... Let's take this year relax and easy... I say that, but 2007 will probably be one of the most imoprtant year of my life... really deciding what I'm going to do in the future. Oh well, we'll see what it brings...

So I'm in a mood lately... not a bad mood, but I guess I'm feeling restless and a lot bored. So there's probably going to be some changes soon to the blog (and my life too ^^;) First thing is going to be the layout, although I haven't started on it yet ^^; Then, there's also going to be the review format and I'll be soon working on an archive. See, I feel like I have to re-organize everything so it's nice and tidy. How long is the mood going to last, no idea :P

Well, that's enough of me :D Last thing is an offer for the Dark-Hunters fans. Author Ms. Sherrilyn Kenyon has offered a short story entitled Fear the Darkness which is supposed to gap the bridge between the Dark-Hunter series and the Dream-Hunter series (which is quite the same really). This short story was offered through internet... so if you want it, please leave a comment stating that you want it and I'll forward it to you.

Next post is going to be my review of Demon Angel by Meljean Brooks.

Monday, January 01, 2007

My wishes...

Happy New Year 2007 !

I hope that this year will be full of good books for everyone
May all the best happens and may wishes come true

luv, Nath