22 Friday Jan 2016
Tags
book, book review, books, Bridesmaids, chick-lit, drama, fiction, Jane Costello, review, reviews, romance
genre: romance, drama, chick-lit
Four weddings, three disgruntled ex-boyfriends in the congregation, two wayward ‘chicken-fillet’ boob enhancers, and one gorgeous man, it’s tough being a bridesmaid.
Continue reading
07 Thursday Jan 2016
Tags
best seller, book, book review, books, fiction, movie, Nicholas Sparks, review, reviews, romance, The Choice
genre: romance
#1 New York Times bestseller Nicholas Sparks turns his unrivaled talents to a new tale about love found and lost, and the choices we hope we’ll never have to make.
Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life – boating, swimming , and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies — he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, THE CHOICE ultimately confronts us with the most heartwrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?
Continue reading
27 Thursday Aug 2015
Tags
Baby Dreams, book, book review, Destiny Bay, fiction, Helen Conrad, Husband Wanted: Will Train, Raye Morgan, review, romance, Sihouette Desire
genre: romance
It seemed a harmless game–until she found out who he really was.
Charity Ames is trapped into a lie and she hates it. She needs a man to pretend to be her husband for a few days–so she hires one. Expecting a gargoyle, she’s amazed when he turns out to be a very appealing hunk.
Ross wants something Charity has, so when he gets the chance to pretend to be her husband, he takes it. But Charity is not the brittle business woman he expects and he falls hard and fast for her barefoot, South Seas image. Trouble is, it’s an image she’s trying to deep six, and she can’t really believe a man from a prominent family like his–and with a terrifying mother like he’s got — would want anything to do with a girl of her shady past.
When she finds out he’s trying to trick her just like she’s trying to trick her aunt, she’s heartbroken and resentful. Can true love bridge the gap between their backgrounds and set the stage for baby-making happiness?
Includes love scenes.
Original published in print by SILHOUETTE DESIRE and recently revised as part of the Destiny Bay Series….
08 Saturday Aug 2015
Tags
book, book review, chick-lit, dystopian, fiction, Kiera Cass, review, romance, The Heir, The Selection
by Kiera Cass
genre: chick-lit
Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she’d put off marriage for as long as possible.
But a princess’s life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can’t escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.
Eadlyn doesn’t expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn’s heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she’s always thought.
11 Tuesday Nov 2014
Tags
audio book, book, book review, books, chick-lit, Confessions of a Shopaholic, fiction, review, reviews, romance, Sophie Kinsella
genre: historical romance
MEET BECKY BLOOMWOOD, AN IRRESISTIBLE HEROINE WITH A BIG HEART, BIG DREAMS — AND JUST ONE LITTLE WEAKNESS …
Becky Bloomwood has what most twenty-five-year-olds only dream of: a flat in London’s trendiest neighborhood, a troupe of glamorous socialite friends, and a closet brimming with the season’s must-haves. The only trouble is, she can’t actually afford it — not any of it. Her job writing at Successful Saving magazine not only bores her to tears, it doesn’t pay much at all. Still, how can she resist that perfect pair of shoes? Or the divine silk blouse in the window of that ultra-trendy boutique? But lately Becky’s been chased by dismal letters from Visa and the Endwich Bank — letters with large red sums she can’t bear to read — and they’re getting ever harder to ignore. She tries cutting back; she even tries making more money. But none of her efforts succeeds. Her only consolation is to buy herself something … just a little something …
Finally, a story arises that Becky actually cares about, and her front-page article catalyzes a chain of events that will transform her life — and the lives of those around her — forever.
07 Friday Nov 2014
A slow burn type of read that touched me. Find out why I gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars!
(Taken from Goodreads)
Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows?
Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY.
This is one of those strange books that really touched me but I can’t give it more than 3.5 stars. I have struggled with the rating for quite some time. It made me think, made me ponder, it gave me a book hangover for a little while. It’s a story of love, life, and regret. It makes you think about your choices, the people you have touched with your life and those that have touched yours. Continue reading
05 Wednesday Nov 2014
Posted in Eliabeth
Tags
A Total Waste of Makeup, book, books, dating advice, dating tips, fiction, Kim Gruenenfelder, romance
This marvelous romance is filled with dating advice and universal words of wisdom for life in general. I was sometimes surprised by which characters were sage enough to come up with the comments, but the messenger doesn’t spoil the message. At first, I was going to put these in the review, but decided there’s enough of them to warrant their own post.
1. Treasure Doesn’t Do the Hunting
Men, I really want to read your comments to this one as I’ve frequently debated with one of my male coworkers as to whether or not a woman should ask a man out. While I’m sure it varies somewhat for each couple, I have personally decided that if a woman is interested, she should let me man know, but it’s his job to do make the official move and ask her out. Not saying the man should always take the lead or be the one to call, but he should always be the one to do it first. Sexist? Maybe. Like I said, this is just personal experience talking.
Continue reading
31 Friday Oct 2014
Tags
book, books, fiction, historical fiction, historical romance, Julia Quinn, Just Like Heaven, novel, review, reviews, romance
genre: historical romance
I’m closing in on the end of my A-Z author challenge with only five letters to go. Looking through the thread for Q authors, I found historical romance novelist Julia Quinn. After two disappointing novels, Just Like Heaven had me laughing nearly every chapter and hitting the steering wheel crying, “Yes, yes, yes.” Completely cliche, guy falls on top of girl and they kiss moments, but I loved it. You don’t read romance novels for a surprise. Romance novels by definition have to have a happy ending.
Honoria Smythe-Smith is:
A) a really bad violinist
B) still miffed at being nicknamed “Bug” as a child
C) not in love with her her older brother’s best friend
D) all of the above
Marcus Holroyd is:
A) the Earl of Chatteris
B) regrettably prone to sprained ankles
C) not in love with his best friend’s younger sister
D) all of the above
Together they:
A) eat quite a bit of chocolate cake
B) survive a deadly fever
C) fall quite desperately in love
It’s Julia Quinn at her best, so you know the answer is…
D) all of the above
15 Friday Aug 2014
Tags
blue hair protagonist, book review, chimaera, daughter of smoke and bone, fallen angels, fantasy, forced romances, karou, laini taylor, novels with saggy middles, paranormal, romance, young adult
An urban fantasy story with a few twists up its sleeve. Find out why I gave it 4 out of 5 stars!
(Taken from Goodreads)
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”, she speaks many languages – not all of them human – and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.
When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?
This book inspired the post ‘When promising books go blegh‘, terrible drawing and all. So why on earth am I giving it a 4? I’ll tell you why.
The first third of the book was great. Then some crappy excuse for a romantic interest was forced into the equation. Literally, forced. I pushed myself through… I pushed… I tried to hold on. Others who had read it encouraged me that the book improved once Madrigal’s story started (and took over the deteriorating Karou one) and they were right. The last 100 pages had me so enthralled that when I finished, I was ready to buy the next book. I was ready to shove my money in the bookseller’s face. Take it! Take it!
Continue reading
25 Friday Jul 2014
Tags
Becca Fitzpatrick, dystopian, fallen angels, Hush Hush, paranormal, romance, trilogy, YA, young adult
genre: YA, romance, dystopian, paranormal
Romance was not part of Nora Grey’s plan. She’s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can’t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen – and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.
