Friday 20 December 2013

[ARC REVIEW + GIVEAWAY] The Redhead Plays Her Hand by Alice Clayton

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The Redhead Plays her Hand by Alice Clayton
Published: Dec 2013
Age Group: Adult
Series: Redhead #3
ARC courtesy of Gallery Books, provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much!

It has been much too long since Alice Clayton has released a new book. She's one of my most favourite authors for her use of constant witty conversations between the characters and writing style that leaves you wanting more with each new book you read by her. I was ecstatic to know that the Redhead series was being continued. After reading the ARC all I have to say is: George and Gracie are back everyone. Back for more Hollywood fun.

My 5-sentence-or-less-synopsis: George and Jack are back in the Hollywood hills where Jack is trying to cope to life now being the new "Hollywood It boy". Along the way Jack find's a new friend and Grace is not to happy with his new buddy. Grace is also dealing with issues of her own since the play she's starred in is finding it's way to the small screen but there are "differences" between her and the producer that makes Grace have to stand up for herself and what she believes in.

This instalment, although lovely, was not as great as its predecessors. I found it lacked many witty remarks, although there was some there wasn't the large quantity that I found encompassed the Unidentified Redhead and the Redhead Revealed. Also it seemed as if every cliché Hollywood mishap was put into this book. It was interesting to see Grace stand up to her critics but clearly I was not happy with Jack's lose of control. The story also seemed to time jump to more pivotal points. Which I will say isn't that bad but I'm left curious as to what happened during the time gap. Curiosity is always one of my most deadliest enemies. 

The story didn't seem as well thought out. All these things started happening, a pile of Hollywood problems that made it hard to follow at times.

I did love their romance and to be honest I was missing some schmaltz action. Of course all the classic jokes make a come back and it's always a fun time to remember what led to that phrase or word.

This was probably the first book in the series to deal with much more serious issues that surround those living the Hollywood life.  Sort of like a behind the scenes action. Perhaps the tone of the book necessitated less wit in it. There was just, overall, much more emotions portrayed strongly in this story. You can really feel Grace's worry, Jack's stress and everything else. Maybe I relate to negative emotions more. That would be quite be sad indeed but that's what I felt while reading this.

Like I said I didn't love this one as much as the other two. It's still a lovely story but maybe the tone of it was too serious for me. I cherished the Redhead series and it's lightness and playfulness that was embedded in all it's pages that just left you feeling good after reading it. The Redhead Plays her Hand deals with much more intense topics that all the lightness of the previous books was all but gone. I would say though that all the love and chemistry between the characters is still there. So please read this book. Give it a shot if you haven't. It's not a series to disappoint easily.
3.5 - 4
MEH
 

THE REDHEAD PLAYS HER HAND BLOG TOUR INFO!

Summary:
The third sexy novel in USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton’s playful and erotic Redhead series continues the sizzling romance between actress Grace Sheridan and Hollywood’s hottest leading man Jack Hamilton. 
Grace has landed the lead in a new TV series—but when the director asks her to lose fifteen pounds, she goes public with her weight struggles and suddenly develops a huge fan club who support her right to have curves. But between that and the public’s continuing fascination with her “are they or aren’t they” relationship with Jack, Grace begins to wonder if anyone’s really interested in her because of her upcoming TV series, or if it’s all speculation about the size of her ass and her bedroom partner.

Meanwhile, Jack is voted the Sexiest Man Alive and becomes a little too enamored with the party-hard lifestyle. Grace vows to give him the space he needs to find himself, but then he begins to spiral down from lovable Brit to Hollywood brat. People are talking, but are Jack and Grace? Her career is on the rise, and his continues into the stratosphere, but will she be able to catch him if he falls? Will they ever be able to just be a couple who can hold hands when they walk down the street?
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Wednesday 4 December 2013

[REVIEW + BLOG TOUR] Gabriel's Redemption by Sylvain Reynard

Gabriel's Redemption by Sylvain Reynard
Published: December 2013
Age Group: Adult
Series: Gabriel's Inferno #3 [end]
PROUDLY CANADIAN
ARC courtesy of PENGUIN Books, provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much!

Gabriel's Redemption was an installment of mix-matched answers to unanswered questions and well deserved karma laced into a loosely composed plot consisting of too many side characters with their own myriad of problems, goals and subplots, all while trying to tie up any loose ends for the fans resulting in a well written fan fiction that leaves me with new questions and a changed perspective on several characters.

It's been some time since I've read the Gabriel's Inferno series.  In fact I'm certain that the series had ended with two installments, which was fine, so imagine my surprise when I saw that there was a SEQUEL being released! I finished Gabriel's Rapture feeling slightly less astounded then I was when I finished Gabriel's Inferno. It was really a means to an end. A way to end the series on a happily ever after.

To note, Gabriel's Redemption is first and foremost a story written for the fans because so many people were asking (demanding) Sylvain Reynard to go back to the story of Gabriel and Julia and tell more of their life after marriage. Well I don't see this as much of a spoiler considering the majority of romance novels follow this pattern but what are we expecting after a marriage? You can answer the question yourself. Anyway, what I'm trying to get is the storyline was predictable. I also found it somewhat repetitive. The newlyweds would follow this pattern of having a conflict, not dealing with this conflict by talking resulting in frustration, anger and a lot of huffing, puffing and foot stomping, only to make up within the next few pages and everything is hunky dory. Until the next few chapters when this all starts again. The first few times I was really engaged, I mean don't all newlyweds (scratch that, couples in general) have their arguments and disagreements? Yes, they do if you have any doubts and so it wasn't out of the norm but the continual use of arguments to reveal important and personal information about the characters soon became boring and I found myself disengaged from the story and uninterested. I understand that some couples argue a lot. I just said it myself earlier that ALL couples will have their disagreements but for a work of fiction, using the exact same method and the same procedure bores on me as a reader. I prefer variety or instant action. Dwelling on details and explanations always seems so mundane to me.

In addition, the book consists of many different characters making "cameo" appearances, telling their stories and what happened for them after Gabriel's Rapture. You have Paulina (Gabriel's ex), and Natalie and Simon (Julia's enemy), Paul (the poor guy who got friendzoned), and Christa (the whore). Some of these stories finish answering any unanswered questions, all of these have "happy endings" (depending on what side you see it from) and all those (who need to) atone for their sins. All I can say is karma is a bitch. These could have been released as short stories. There was very few ties that linked it to the main plot.

Although it is clear that this idea of "atoning for one's sins" is very prevalent in the story, I'm not sure if I agree with Sylvain Reynard's divine retribution towards all villains in the story. I've grown to sympathize with some of the characters. In fact one of them falls in love and oh the cold and heartless bitch known as karma comes and rips it away. I don't understand, why couldn't they be happy? In fact, all the evil characters of the story ended up with sad fates. I understand that this story is geared towards fans, but ruining their fictional lives seems too much for me.

I've also come to despise Julia in this book. I get it, she's Beatrice, Gabriel's Dante but I barely tolerated her in Gabriel's Redemption. I don't what happened to her or perhaps what happened to me but she just seemed very stubborn throughout the story always telling Gabriel what to do. I don't want to ruin the beautiful image people may have of her but she is (now) most definitely not one of my fav protagonists.

Overall I found the story ok. It's not one of those books I would necessary recommend to new readers. Although I would recommend it to already readers of this series since it does tie up any loose ends.

BORROW
 
GABRIEL'S REDEMPTION BLOG TOUR INFO!
Author: Sylvain Reynard
Title: Gabriels Redemption (Gabriels Inferno Series #3)
Publisher: Penguin Berkley

Summary:
From the author of the New York Times bestsellers Gabriels Rapture and Gabriels Inferno comes the epic conclusion to the captivating romantic trilogy.

Professor Gabriel Emerson has left his position at the University of Toronto to embark on a new life with his beloved Julianne. Together, hes confident that they can face any challenge. And hes eager to become a father.

But Juliannes graduate program threatens Gabriels plans, as the pressures of being a student become all consuming. When she is given the honor of presenting an academic lecture at Oxford, Gabriel is forced to confront Julianne about the subject of her presentationresearch that conflicts with his own. And in Oxford, several individuals from their past appear, including an old nemesis intent on humiliating Julia and exposing one of Gabriels darkest secrets.

In an effort to confront his remaining demons, Gabriel begins a quest to discover more about his biological parents, beginning a chain of events that has startling repercussions for himself, Julianne, and his hope of having a family.


Bio: I'm interested in the way literature can help us explore aspects of the human condition - particularly suffering, sex, love, faith, and redemption. My favourite stories are those in which a character takes a journey, either a physical journey to a new and exciting place, or a personal journey in which he or she learns something about himself/herself.

I'm also interested in how aesthetic elements such as art, architecture, and music can be used to tell a story or to illuminate the traits of a particular character. In my writing, I combine all of these elements with the themes of redemption, forgiveness, and the transformative power of goodness.

I try to use my platform as an author to raise awareness about the following charities: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation, WorldVision, Alex's Lemonade Stand, and Covenant House. For more information, see my Twitter account.

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Wednesday 27 November 2013

[REVIEW] Black City by Elizabeth Richards

Black City by Elizabeth Richards
Published: November 2012
Age Group: YA
Series: Black City #1
I'll admit completely that the only reason I wanted to read this book was the cover. It's absolutely gorgeous! Definitely cover drool worthy. I'm also sure that I had read the blurb of this way back when I first added it to my TBR shelf but clearly I didn't remember it when I started reading it yesterday and so when I realized what the plot line was about, well, I was taken aback. Guess I didn't see that one coming so kudos to you Elizabeth Richards for catching me by surprise.

Black City is a dystopia-lit story about this world split up in to 9 different districts (thing Hunger Games) and the main setting happens to be Black City, a portion of the mining state of Black River. Why it seems to be a trend to have the main setting be in the "mining" portion of the world is beyond me but clearly it was picked for a reason that I don't understand because I'm not an author, merely a curious reader.  The story follows two completely different protagonists, and I don't mean just in terms of gender. Ash, is one of the only twin-blood Darklings in the city and Natalie is the daughter of the leader of the city. In terms of dramatic romances go I'm sure readers have already predicted that they fall in love (or if you've read the blurb then yes you would have already known that). I will say that Elizabeth Richards spent very little time introducing the romantic relationship between the two and I commend her for that. I don't like things being dragged out and would rather prefer authors get straight into it. I also think Elizabeth Richards did a lovely job introducing it. The idea of a heart starting to beat after finding their true love is endearing and romantic in nature.

To explain the paranormal portion of this story, the Darklings in this story can be seen as vampires. They live off blood and can't be in the sun. Their fangs releases a poison that acts like an opiate to humans. They only thing that sort of threw me off was the idea of a Darkling finding their true mate. There's some werewolf aspect to that but it's interesting concept, and I find it completely new which is good since a lot of stories recycle the same type of characters when it comes to paranormal fiction.

Black City does follow the standard story line for dystopia lit. You have the first book, Black City, introducing the dystopia world and how corrupt it is. You get introduced to the hero/es and a rebellion breaks out at the end with the heroes playing their part saving everyone. So if it follows this we can expect the sequel to be an information dump and last novel to be a great battle.

Although the story was an interesting read, although I think I may be bias since I rarely turn down a dystopia lit book, there were some parts that I found to be very "out of the blue" shall we say. This mate claiming business was sort disconnected from the rest of the story line. Well ok so readers were given lots of foreshadow and hints but I guess the execution of the discovery was off. The dialogue sort of felt like this to me:
"Hey"
"Hey, didn't you have something you wanted to tell me"
"Uh, yea"
"So?"
"Uh, You're my blood mate"
"ok"
"ok"
It was just so awkward and strange. There was no basis for either character to accept it but they did blindly. I guess that's what they mean when they say love makes you blind. "The heart wants what the heart wants" 
The ending was also downplayed in my opinion. This miracle happens, and then when the characters were explaining it so nonchalantly in the epilogue that it made the climactic event seem mundane as opposed to being the most dramatic scene in the book.
 
Overall, I thought this was a very strong dystopia lit. You have classic elements of government oppression. for instance the slogan of the main leader, Purian Rose, "His majesty sees all sinners" sort of puts him in a position like God so that whatever he does shouldn't be questioned. There are many poetic lines in this story too that I felt myself very moved by them.  
 
Some of my favourite lines:
"The snow on the crosses had turned pink as it soaks up the dried blood stained into the wood. It's chilling watching students play beside the crosses, but that's life in Black City. Everywhere you turn you're reminded of death, but you have to block it out, otherwise you couldn't carry on living"

"A strong breeze stirs the ash on the charred buildings surrounding us, scattering black flakes into the air. I feel like I'm inside a giant snow globe. It's really quite beautiful; why had I never noticed it before?"
In fact , I feel like the entire story is done in a very symbolic way, to the title of Black City - a  city covered in ash, to the characters name being Ash and the cover of the rose slowly falling apart.
 
I enjoyed reading this and will definitely be reading the sequel.
MEH
 

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Saturday 23 November 2013

[REVIEW] Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Published: October 2013
Age Group:  YA
Series: Divergent #3 [end] 
This review took me a long time to write, mainly because I have so much to say. In fact I'm almost certain that I've forgotten to say something, oh well.

I remember the first time I saw Divergent. I was looking for new YA books to borrow from the library and came upon it. the cover seemed intriguing and I put it on hold not knowing that I had put into motion an adventure of epic proportions and amazing stories filled with emotional readings and a sad goodbye. Divergent is one of my most treasured books. I would say it ranks in there with my Harry Potter collection and childhood stories. Definitely a book that I'll come to over and over again for a good read. It might be selfish of me to say that when this series picked up in hype and was getting worldwide attention, I felt joy for such a wonderful story being recognized but, also a sense of anger at the fact that I would have to share such a masterpiece. But clearly masterpieces are meant to be shared and not hidden away in a safe concealed at the back of your closet. I thank Veronica Roth for taking me, and everyone else who loves this series as much as I do, on this wonderful story. Now onto the [last] review of this trilogy: onward to Allegiant.

Allegiant picks up right where Insurgent left off. And (if anyone remembers) the ending of Insurgent was crazy, chaotic and cliffhanger-ish in my opinion so I'm really glad that the story started off right away and didn't leave us hanging.

Tris is a very complicated character. I'm not sure if she's written this way because of her Divergence, or because she's one of the protagonists but for Tris, her actions always have a deeper meaning. And sometimes I find myself disliking her, or for thinking that she's thinking too much into a situation, or is being too harsh or too blunt but that's the nature of this character and it's interesting to see her evolve from someone with so little freedom at the start of Divergent to finally getting a small grasp and glimpse of freedom after choosing Dauntless, to finding out life isn't as easy as it seems in Insurgent and, finally in Allegiant, she comes to the understanding of what the real world is and what needs to be done.

Four/Tobias on the other hand is seen to be a typical "guy figure". He's strong, muscular, doesn't see the deeper meaning behind things, and yet he's very emotional and internally very weak. I think Tobias also went on a journey of self discovery and found it in the end.

It's interesting to see the juxtaposition between these two seemingly different characters who have this one connection of striving for freedom and finding their selves in this world where you are deemed to a fate on the day of your 16th birthday.

The story took up slower then the other instalments. Think of it as the 'calm before the storm' and boy was there a storm to follow. I would say even starting in Insurgent, Four has become less confident and confused in his decisions. Allegiant only further proves that. His choices in the book are questionable and, in my opinion somewhat desperate. I feel that he's so desperate to seek his own freedom that he is willing to follow whoever seems to have the "right" vision. I believe Tris can see this too and she starts to distant herself. Tris isn't the bright and, shall we say, intelligent being in Allegiant. Well, she's still intelligent but I found her to be more dark and gloomy, sort of a foreshadow of upcoming events.

Allegiant's storyline wasn't as smooth as the other plotlines. For one, it seemed to be too convenient for certain events to occur or for some characters to act out. Secondly, some scenes were somewhat predictable due to the nature of the situation. I would assume due to the particular events or character choices that it became quite evident, at a very early point, what they were going to do. Divergent and Insurgent both had an element of surprise and often sudden climactic situations which I found missing in Allegiant.

I understand the difficulty of finishing a series, regardless of how popular it is although I can imagine the pressure to finish this book and make everyone happy, and that Veronica Roth was most likely under a lot of pressure to make this ending fitting. I've spoken to many people about their opinions of the ending and most of their opinions were similar to mine. I personally feel like the ending could have been much better. I'm not sure if I'm being biased or unjustified in saying this because I had such high expectations of this instalment that perhaps my expectations were much too high and that a good ending for me would only seem subpar compared to my expectations. Was the ending bad, no. I enjoyed the parts with the character's emotions. I felt the pain, the happiness, the shock and perhaps the sadness the most. I remember reading the second half of Allegiant at school during a 1 hour break. Everything just started building up at a really quick pace compared to the first half of the book, and I just remembered getting really emotional and holding back tears by the end of it. I must have looked like fool sniffing like I had an allergy with watering eyes. I'm not sure if I got lucky and had no one was around me when I was reading this or if I scared everyone away but luckily there were very few students around me at the time.

If my emotions were any indication, the ending was definitely impactful. Do I believe it could have been better - most definitely. Do I think it was absolutely horrible - no. It was an ok ending to such a phenomenal series. To be honest, I'm not sure how the series could end on as powerful note as the series start was but Veronica Roth did a good job wrapping everything up and ending the story on a climactic ending, albeit somewhat predictable, still amazing and definitely memorable.

I would highly implore you to read this series and I am very certain it will go down as one of those iconic dystopic lit YA fiction series', along with the Hunger Games.

(The initial amount rating was 4.5-5 cups of tea but after thinking about it for the last couple of weeks I've dropped the rating to 4 cups of tea.)
MEH on it's own. BUY as a series.



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Wednesday 13 November 2013

[COMING SOON TO THE BIG SCREEN] Divergent Full Length Trailer!

Today the full length trailer for Divergent was released. Take a look at it, if you haven't already, below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sutgWjz10sM&feature=youtu.be

If you've been following the movie updates then most of the scenes will be quite familiar to you. Nonetheless it's still interesting and exhilarating to see this come to the big screen!
I absolutely cannot wait!

Divergent hits theaters March 21, 2014.


Sunday 10 November 2013

[REVIEW] Breaking the Storm by Sedona Venez

Breaking the Storm by Sedona Venez
Published: August 2013
Age Group: New Adult
Series: Creedence Curse #1
I read this book during my period of werewolf obsession, so it's no surprise that this story is about werewolves and paranormal creatures. Breaking the Storm is book one of the Creedence Curse series that follows the Creedence women and the curse that has befallen their family so that whomever thy fall in love with will die. Enter main character Stormy (a.k.a. Storm) Creedance who is so paranoid and scared about this curse that she walks away from the relationship between her and rocker Knox Gunner. The story takes place several years after that. Knox is a famous rockstar now and Storm is running the Creedence business, providing escorts to the royal elite of the paranormal world.  Obviously her world turns upside down once she meets Knox again and that's where the story starts again where Knox and Storm start their relationship again and find that they still really love each other.

Breaking the Storm was a good read. I enjoyed the fact that the story was focused on the love aspect and yet had a distinct plot line that was carried throughout the entire story. Storm and Knox are two stubborn people and it's interesting to see those two try to push and pull each other away, while trying to deny the attraction between the two.

It's a fast paced story filled with lots of action and sexy scenes.

If I had anything to say about the story is that I believe the sequel will follow a different character and I'm personally not a fan of sequels that focus on different characters. I just find the story to be incomplete if the series follows the same plotline and yet the protagonists change throughout each installment. I would much rather have one main protagonist that readers continue to discover and understand more than having to rediscover and understand a new character.

3.5 - 4
 
MEH
 
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Friday 1 November 2013

[COVER REVEAL] The One by Kiera Cass

Apparently I missed this entirely but the cover for The One, the finale to The Selection series, was revealed at the end of September. Blasphemy I know, due apologies.
Anyway here's the cover:

the dresses on the covers of this series are absolutely gorgeous. and this one is no exception. We're expecting a wedding and this cover definitely verified that - unless someone enjoys wearing gorgeous white gowns as casual wear, then that's their choice and no judging...
This is probably my most favourite dress of the three, not sure what that says about me.

"Only 1 girl can wear the crown". Catfight to come, especially because America and Maxon are on the rocks right now. I'm definitely rooting for America, it's meant to be. But then again this is dystopia lit and most dystopia lit usually has an element of despair wrapped up into it. There's already so much that has happened in this series that I'm honestly unsure what will happen, which only adds to my desire to read this even more.

There are a lot of new books that are being released next year, in 2014, and The One is one of my absolute neeeeeds. I HAVE TO READ IT WHEN IT RELEASES.

The One by Kiera Cass releases May 6, 2014.

Tuesday 22 October 2013

[TO THE BOOKSTORE FOR] The End of the Divergent Series

Allegiant by Veronica Roth hits bookstores today. Who's excited?!?!?!?

It's been such an amazing journey reading about Tris and Four. I absolutely love Divergent and immediately supported it after reading it back in 2012. Instantly one of my favourites and most recommended books! Divergent is just an amazing dystopia lit and I'm honestly so ecstatic to read Allegiant. It is bittersweet though to know something you love so much is coming to and end. Good news though is I won't have to wait for another one, which is also the bad news but looking at this with a glass half full here!

I hope Allegiant blows your socks off, I'm expecting it to myself lest it fall into the disappointing series end shelves. That would a sad fate for a trilogy as amazing as this.

Expect a review from me when I'm done reading it!

HAPPY READING!

xoxox

Saturday 19 October 2013

[REVIEW] Seize me by Crystal Spears

Seize Me by Crystal Spears
Published: July 2013
Age Group: New Adult - 18A
Series: Breakneck #1
NOTE: THIS IS NOT A SPOILER FREE REVIEW. SPOILERS ALERT!

I tend to like books with gangs in them (does that sound weird???). Madeline Sheehan's Undeniable was June's Tea Worthy Book of the Month so it's no surprise that I quite enjoyed Seize Me. The story follows Winter Belov, an exotic dancer who ran away from her Russian mobster father and family after her father killed her love in front of her. Seems a bit extreme  but who am I to judge her. Anyway she finds herself in Nevada and you could say it's a cruel turn of fate that she ends up finding herself back in the gang life that she was running away from, but hey, love doesn't care about anything.

I enjoyed the story line and the banter between the characters. Winter is a pretty well developed character with her own quirks and mannerisms. She doesn't take any crap from others and stands her own. Not sure if it's her mafia background or she's just a strong individual but she makes for a very powerful protagonist. And then there's Braxxon who I think isn't as well developed a character mainly because there isn't enough information shared about him, not nearly as much as we know about Winter. That's already one thing I find lacking in this book, which is pretty normal for series that have different protagonists per book since there's obviously NOT enough time to explain everything in a 400 page book no matter how concise you are, it's just not possible to explore every dimension in the book.

That said that's why I personally would really like to see this story line become a series of it's own following Winter and Braxxon. There's so much more to their relationship and background that I find so intriguing and would be really interested in reading about.

The story just progressed too quickly, with large time gaps and little happening during each chosen period of time.  There are so many different story lines that it turns into a somewhat checklist of need-to-cover-before-the-story-is-over-because-I-started-it-and-should-finish-it.

Personally I thought the beginning of the story was amazing. There's a lot of chapters dedicated to Winter being uprooted from her "normal" life or hiding life and brought back into the gang environment. But then the pace started picking up and I thought a lot of information was lost. The rival gang war story line is good and I think it would carry well over an entire series.

The most disappointing part of the story I found was when Winter finally reunited with her father. After realizing that Winter is indeed running from her father and family and is terrified of them finding her I instantly started anticipating for that eventual reunion. Closer to the end I started thinking perhaps it would happen in this novel and that there was a sequel dedicated to that story line because the gang war plot was the main focus. And then sh*t started to happen. I don't hate what happened per say. In fact I find it a strong way to bring in Winter's father figure. It's the execution of it that I find extremely lacking. First, the way that her father finds her is in my opinion total BS. Think about this, if you were treated as royalty to one of the most influential and powerful figures of the Russain mob, I'm sure your father would have found you already with his bountiful (albeit probably illegal) resources and yet the story makes it seem like Winter's father and no idea where she was and it wasn't until a someone let slip did the information spread and her father found her. Seriously? I would have assumed that right when she ran away he would have started tracking her, looking at cameras for her image and tracking her cash flow online back to her location. Am I thinking too CSI? I don't know...I just thought the mafia was really sneaky and clever and could do anything they wanted...So after that initial bump in the story it only got worse. I think everything happened within the span of two or three chapters and it was over. That's really little space given to something with such importance to the story line. In fact I think it was Winter running from her father that was the main headliner in the blurb of the story. So then they meet and it ends and it's all within a couple of pages that I find completely uninspiring and boring to read. Sorry, no offense to the author but I was expecting SO MUCH and I felt like I was only given a spoonful instead of an entire meal.  Also the whole gang war plot that encompassed most of the story basically disappeared after the climax. I mean I guess the Breakneck's won but I'm not really sure and honestly by the end it was late and I just wanted to finish reading this and go to bed.

I apologize for the long review and I guess bashing of the story but I really do think that this series has potential that hasn't been utilized to it's fullest. All the ideas and story lines are there, it just needs to be executed in a more coherent fashion and the story needs filler chapters to add more dimension to the character and in my opinion, bring this story to its fullest potential so that it can be enjoyed completely and every main plot and important detail can be explored fully.

Because I really do think this story can be great but Seize Me itself wasn't that great.
 
BORROW
 
 
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Saturday 12 October 2013

[COMING SOON TO THE BIG SCREEN] Vampire Academy Trailer Update

I'm not really sure whether to treat this as a comedy...or an action movie... or a drama...just really confused.

Also I'm not a big fan of Lissa's voice or the acting in general, not what I pictured.

After watching this trailer my interest in this wanes.

What are your thoughts? Yay or Nay? Comment below!

Wednesday 2 October 2013

[ TEA WORTHY BOOK OF THE MONTH - SEPTEMBER 2013] Taunting Destiny by Amelia Hutchins

Last month's "Tea Worthy Book of the Month" Title goes to...

 
I just posted the review (click the title above to go to it) on this so feel free to read that to get my opinion on this book. If this title and rating of 5 cups of tea is any indication, I clearly really really liked the book!
 
And a close second for Tea Worthy Book of the Month goes to Real by Katy Evans. 4.5-5 cups of tea.
 
Have a lovely week my lovely readers!
 
xoxox
 
 

Saturday 28 September 2013

[REVIEW] Taunting Destiny by Amelia Hutchins

Taunting Destiny by Amelia Hutchins
Published: September 2013
Age Group: Adult (18A - MATURE CONTENT)
Series: The Fae Chronicles #2
OMG. This has been the one book that I've been waiting sooooo impatiently for, for the last couple of months now. Even more so then Allegiant (which is to be released Oct22). That's how good and Fighting Destiny was. And I'm delighted to say that Taunting Destiny does not disappoint one bit.

Taunting Destiny is honestly a whirlwind of emotions and drama and conflicts, all that encompass a brilliant story. This is a spoiler free review so I won't reveal anything, only my thoughts and opinions about this brilliant story.

The story takes off right where the last one ended, and I felt, as a reader, that I had seamlessly been captivated by this story and once again thrust into this world full of fae and vampires and smoking, hot romance. Amelia Hutchins is a brilliant writer and I can't help but acknowledge her writing style and how effortless she allows the reader to pick up where they left off months ago and make it seem like I was reading the stories back-to-back without an extended break in between. I feel that most stories give you the "Previously in the other books" before you get into the main plot and action of the current book but Taunting Destiny does little taunting (in bringing the readers back in) and goes straight to it. If anything we were just taunted by the release date! But the author has their own reason for delaying it and being as unhappy and impatient and frustrated as I was, there's nothing you can do but respect that author's decision and wait for the book to be released.

Syn and Ryder are probably one of my most favourite fictional couples. They definitely make the story much more interesting and the spark and connection between them is felt through the pages.

I'm happy that Amelia Hutchins had more of the story situated in Faery this time. It gives more background to these paranormal characters and allows the readers to better understand them. Also who doesn't love a cool Faery fantasy land?

I think Amelia Hutchins, or whoever's her editor or title maker is brilliant. The first book was titled Fighting Destiny and I felt that greatly throughout the story. This one (the second) is titled Taunting Destiny and I also definitely felt that.

I`ll end this by talking about the ending. I wouldn't say it's a cliffhanger but it was definitely a WTF moment. I didn't know what to think, what to say. I just sort of started at my kobo rereading the last couple of lines just trying to process what was going to happen. In fact I'm still trying to process what happened and what will happen - with no luck.

I urge you, PLEAD YOU, please if you haven't read this book yet please go read it! It is absolutely brilliant. Now if you don't like fae or paranormal stories then I can't help you there, everyone has their own tastes but if you don't mind, then I implore you, read this! I'm sure you won't be disappointed. (And if you are, well I ask that you read it again. To make sure your initial opinion wasn't flawed. That's how much I love this book!)

BUY BUY BUY

Tuesday 24 September 2013

[REVIEW] The Final Act by J.S. Taylor

The Final Act by J.S. Taylor
Published: August 2013
Age Group: (18A - MATURE CONTENT)
Series: Spotlight #4 [end]
The first thing that I thought when I saw this book was released (and existed): WHAT THE FUDGE??? THERE'S ANOTHER ONE???
I honestly thought that the story ended with the last one "The Director's Cut" but then there's book 4. Okay that does make sense with the title and everything but honestly I had figured with that disastrous third volume there wouldn't be another.

Well I don't like leaving a series unfinished and so I gave it a shot. It was good...not great.

The story starts out where the last one ended. And that's the usual case with sequels so no big surprise there. Now part way through reading I started thinking about what the plot of this story could be. What can they continue after everything's already been settled with in the prior books? Well I spoke too soon, because lo and behold, THE LIPSTICK STALKER RETURNS! Now I personally believe that the lipstick stalker arc is probably one of the best twists I've read. So after reading the second book and fully appreciating all the drama in it, I found the third book to be lacking, greatly. And in some way I'm starting to think that perhaps this story line was brought back because it was the ONLY thing interesting about this series. I know I'm being particularly harsh about this but I'm being honest in judging it and saying that I personally don't think there needed to be four instalments. Three would have been enough, but here I am reviewing the fourth book.

So all's good in Issy and James town. Until the end which is always the case. End a book with a bang and all that.  I'm not particularly happy with the twist. Mainly because it seemed like the author only really focused and developed the character in this book. I think if we were introduced to this character and this character was brought up periodically throughout the series the surprise may have been more of, perhaps an obvious choice, but yet again by focusing on this one character in this novel it also made them the obvious choice. Take my rantings with a grain of salt but it seemed slightly obvious who the villain is. When I first read it though, I'll admit that I was confused about who this character was, mainly because after I was introduced this character I quickly disregarded them as anyone important and went on reading about Issy and James' relationship. Now this may be signs of a very good book twist but I found it to be too much of a surprise. I'd rather have something lead up to it and I'm anxiously waiting to figure out the answer and solve the mystery. Whereas this was more of a "BOO Guess who I am" moment.

There's not much else to say about this book. It was happy ending, albeit a little cliché in my opinion and overall an okay series. Not the best and not the worst. Just a fun read.

3.5 - 4
MEH

Monday 2 September 2013

[COMING TO THE BIG SCREEN] Confirmed 50 Shades Casting!!! (Finally!)

So today the "50 Shades of Grey" casting for the movie was announced.

Playing Anastasia Steele is...: Dakota Johnson.
I wiki'd her and apparently she was in the Social Network. Remember that girl that was with Justin Timberlake's character when he figured out the existence of facebook by borrowing her laptop? And then made her come running out of the bathroom cause he wanted to ask her about the website? Yeah that's her. I'm okay with this casting. Although she's not my first choice I can see her as Ana and that's fine with me.

Playing Christian Grey is...: Charlie Hunnam.
Well I have no idea who this guy is. Apparently he's on 'Sons of Anarchy'...not a show that I watch. Personally I don't see him as Christian at all...but I'm going to give him a shot...cause that's only fair.

For the original casting announcements:
Christian Grey
Anastasia Steele


For the post stating who I thought was best for the roles:
Dream 50 Shades Casting

Wednesday 28 August 2013

[REVIEW] Escaping Reality Lisa Renee Jones

Escaping Reality by Lisa Renee Jones
Published: July 2013
Age Group: New Adult
Series: The Secret Life of Amy Benson #1
ARC courtesy of Julie Patra Publishing, provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much!

This is a spoiler free review.

Escaping Reality is, if you can't tell by the series name, the secret life of Amy Benson - if that is actually her name.

The story starts out with a "Mission Impossible" feel. I was immediately captivated by the quick moving actions and the panic the character was feeling that I had completely forgotten about the romance/erotica aspect of this book, until there is mention of a hot male who happens to catches the main character's attention. There goes my thoughts and I start reading about this whirl wind romance that takes place throughout the rest of the story.

I greatly enjoyed the story. Readers aren't given very much information on who the character Amy actually is.  We're given the chance to read about flashbacks of her past life when she experiences them but I feel that under no means are these meant to be taken as the absolute truth. Why should we as the readers believe everything when she herself doesn't know what's true or not. Perhaps I'm just being paranoid. I blame the initial feelings of being in a spy movie. Like I said Amy's past is not shared, which makes her a very interesting character to read about. I kept wondering what is it that she's running from? And who was she at first?

Along with the mystery is the steamy romance between the two main characters, Amy and hot-as-can-be Liam Stone, who is a billionaire, "recluse", architect.  Their romance takes off and usually I don't question these fast paced romances but maybe the nature of this story leaves me skeptical that this guy ONLY loves her and isn't getting close to her for ulterior motives. They just got together too fast! Also he has a goatee... I'm not a fan of goatees... and so maybe it's just personal taste but there's something off about this guy. He's your typical alpha, dominating male who wants to protect his girl and expects you to listen to him. What I noticed from him that was different from other alpha males is that he has a sort of compassion to him. He doesn't question Amy's past, even though it's obvious there's more to it than Amy is telling him, and he doesn't push her to tell him. A guy who doesn't pressure a lady to tell him about herself is a plus in my books. Liam also makes Amy feel wanted. Who doesn't want to feel wanted? Especially if it's a hot guy who wants you! But Amy is a different story, she's been alone on the run and has never truly felt a belonging to anyone until Liam. I find their romance to be a template of what most women want in a relationship and it tells a very endearing tale of two people who just want to be together and love one another.

Overall the story was quite lovely. Amazingly written. I like fast paced books that keep me engaged and attached to the storyline and this did just that. Add a very surprising cliffhanger and you have yourself a wonderful book that I think you definitely try. I haven't read any of Lisa Renee Jones' other books but I think I'll definitely give them a try after Escaping Reality. I ensure you that once you're done reading this book, you'll be on the edge of your seat waiting for the sequel to be released, like I am right now.

MEH
 
P.S. I love math and very much appreciated the pi tattoo Liam has. Thank you very much Lisa Renee Jones ♥

Infinite Possibilities (The Secret Life of Amy Benson #2) is expected to be released October 2013.