Stacking The Shelves #29

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process!

This new feature is hosted by Tynga from Tynga's Reviews.

This week I got:

From an online trade:

 Under the Dome!!!

I forgot to mention this one last week.... I LOVED it! *-*

Mum's the Word

Trouble with J.J.

Pick Your Poison

Don't Look Back

A little chick-lit for the soul. ;P

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What did you get this week?

I'd read it, Ms. Rowling.

LMAO!!! OOh, there are some pretty steamy fanfics out there, Ms. Rowling. 

Dirty/Horny Harry has done it ALL... with pretty much everyone. :P

Review: Everything and the Moon by Julia Quinn

Everything and the Moon
by Julia Quinn

Published March 1st 1997 by Avon Books

Seven years ago she broke his heart...

When Robert Kemble stumbles across Victoria Lyndon in hedgerow maze, he can't believe his eyes. The girl who'd torn him in two, who let him plan on elopement and then left him standing by the side of the road, was suddenly within arm's reach, and even though his fury still knew no bounds, she was impossible to resist...

Seven years ago he left her all but ruined...

Victoria's father had told her an earl would never marry a vicar's daughter, and he was right. Robert had promised her marriage, then danced off to London while she suffered the shame of a foiled elopement. But even though Victoria doesn't particularly enjoy her new life as a governess, when Robert offers her a job of a different sort—his mistress—she refuses, unable to sacrifice her honor, even for him.

But Robert won't take no for an answer, and he vows to make her his, through any means possible. Can these star-crossed lovers learn to trust again? And is love really sweeter the second time around?

Genre: Adult, Historical

Publication Date: March 1st 1997

Publisher: Avon Books

Format: Pocket book, 384 pages 

Series: yes

Source: Bought

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My Review

The minute Robert Kemble, Earl of Macclesfield, set eyes on the raven-haired beaty that was Victoria Lyndon, it was love at first sight.

She was everything he never knew he had always wanted. And she would be his.

As soon as he let her know, that is.

Victoria couldn't be more suprised when the owner of the lands and the pond she was swimming in suddenly accosted her. That is, until he started to shamelessly flirt and kiss her. And promise her everything she could ever want. AND the moon.

Robert proposed and Victoria wants nothing more than to marry this wonderful, charming man she is rapidly falling for... but their fathers think differently on the matter. And thanks to them, a most horrid misunderstanding takes place, pushing the loving couple apart.

Seven years later, they meet again. Now they need to learn to forgive each other, and start accepting the old feelings that are now resurfacing. If only Robert can convince Victoria that this time he will, indeed, give her everything and the moon.

I just love Julia Quinn. It's very rare for me not to like the things she write... but when I read her introductory letter for this book, I somehow knew this would be one of those rare occasions.

How can an author expect us to believe in something she doesn't believe herself?

I've never been one for love-at-first-sight stories, but thinking this one would be like the others Quinn had so perfectly penned, I gave it a try. I don't know. Maybe if I hadn't read her letter saying she was writing about something she didn't believe, I would have enjoyed the story more. Maybe I still wouldn't have enjoyed it.  My point is: I couldn't finish it.

Yup, that's right. I abandoned this book. The beginning was super cute, I'll admit it. And there were some great (and awfully characteristic of Quinn's works) amusing moments... but I just stopped caring for the characters around the middle of the book. I didn't even care enough to jump to the ending. I simply gave it up. They were juvenile. Plain silly. And not believable.

However, I am enjoying the second book in the series immensely. But Brighter Than The Sun is very much in line with my other Quinn's favorites. :P I still love Quinn, we just had a bad moment.

If you do like love-at-first-sight stories in a historical setting, then this will most likely be a hit for you. I hope you enjoy it!

No timmy, not again!!

Mwahahaha. Haha.

Axe Bookshelf

Wouldn't my horror books look just FABULOUS on that??? *-*

Maybe I should have posted that on Halloween... ok, everybody, let's pretend today is Halloween and this a holiday-appropriate post, not in the least weird or homicidal, like me. :P

Stacking The Shelves #28

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process!

This new feature is hosted by Tynga from Tynga's Reviews.

This week I got:

From an online trade and used store:

A Game of Thrones

(I loved the TV series, so it's time I read it. ;P Even knowing that my delicious Khal Drogo shall perish....).

Voyager

So I loved Outlander. Now I'm buying the whole series. 

Lie by Moonlight

Some books by Quick become favorites... others, DNFs... we'll see about this one.

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What did you get this week?

#FF - Feature and Follow #34

Feature and Follow is hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee's View.
Lovely button by Reading Into Hiding.

Q: What is a deal breaker for you in a book? For example, do you abhor love triangles? Or can’t deal with bad editing?

Geez... bad editing will ruin a whole book for me. I gave up She Smells the Dead after the first page... but then it wasn't just bad editing, it involved bad writing, too. >.> That is another deal breaker for me, I'm afraid.

Beautiful cover, though...



Oh, and Julie from New Adult Addiction reminded me of something that seriously pisses me off in adult books: WHY ARE THE HEROINES (almost) ALWAYS VIRGINS???!!! They can be good, kind-hearted, worthy of happiness and pure of mind without having to all be freaking virgins, ok!? And if it was only in historicals, which would be acceptable and, well, expected, it would be alright... but contemporary books are filled with virgins, too. Who are you trying to fool here?



Let's not forget the much older heroes, either. What's up with that, authors? Why do you write about young virgin girls from 18-22 years falling for 36-year old men or older? Can't they be nice, young men of, I don't know, 25 years old, or in some way just closer in age to the heroines? Maybe it wouldn't be so realistic for historicals, but it happens a lot in contemporary, too. I'm getting tired of imagining a man of my father's age with a girl my age. Just... yuck.



 And don't even get me started on the unbelievable number of red heads and blondes in books, either. >.>

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If you're a new follower on GFC or Networked Blogs, please let me know and I will be glad to return the favor. :)

Review: Eve (Eve #1) by Anna Carey

Eve (Eve #1)
by Anna Carey

Published December 1st 2011 by HarperCollins

Where do you go when nowhere is safe?

After a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth's population, the world is a terrifying place.

Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, where she and two hundred other orphaned girls have been promised a bright future in The New America. But the night before graduation, Eve learns the shocking truth about her school's real purpose--and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she's ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Caleb slowly wins her trust . . . and her heart. But when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia

Publication Date: December 1st 2011

Publisher:  HarperTeen

Format: paperback, 318 pages 

Series: yes

Source: my own copy

________________________________

When I first started reading Eve, I had no idea what it was about. I had just reached over to my pile of unread books and it was sitting there, so I grabbed it.

It's not 'Oh, my, this is fantastic, everybody should read this before they die, here's a copy', but it is a good, intense read. A little silly and slow at times, sure, (I mean, this IS YA), but the whole post-apocalyptical situation is so terrifying and aggravating, Eve's world so indignant, and the action scenes so... 'heart-racing', that it becomes well balanced. :)

I'm strange about the books I keep and the ones I trade, but this one... well, this one I'll keep. It's not a 5 stars book on the whole, mind you, but for a few excellent scenes... it gets very close to it. I get the feeling Anna Carey could do so much better, but that maybe she held back sometimes because she wanted it to become a YA book... her violent scenes are so... no-nonsense and clear and disgustingly real, they're blood-curdling in their simplicity. I think she would make an AMAZING Adult writer. Really. Here's hoping, right?

That scene with the pregnant students tied down... yeesh. >.< *shudders* It still resurfaces in my mind randomly. And I've read it over a month ago. O.o I can also still recall the almost-rape scene... the yellowish color of the evil man's teeth... how sweet the the orphan boys were. You see? It's about the little things, the very well-written few parts that suck you in! But there can't be that many of those, because it's supposed to be for young audiences... and, really, JUST 318 pages? I though this kind of books normally could go up to 368 pages, or am I wrong? I am aware this is a series, however, I feel the story could have been slightly improved in those 50 more possible pages... 

The romance was cute and light, not insta-love, which is a certain plus... friendship was also nicely dealt with in Eve, and so was jealousy and betrayal. I can't wait to read Once and Rise. I am really looking forward to learning more about this weird, evil King that forces young girls to study for years straight only to tie them down and get them pregnant until they die of exhaustion and/or childbirth. I mean, seriously? How freaking mean and black-hearted can you possibly be? If you only want them as 'sows' for reproduction, why make them study so hard and hope for the future so bad? Like that'll make better babies! ... Or maybe he does it so they'll have something to occupy their brilliant minds with while they're tied down and knocked-up for the twentieth time, so they won't break so quickly? I don't know.... >.> Like I said, Carey is the boss here. ;P

Have you read Eve? What did you enjoy the most about it? If you haven't read it, do you feel like reading it?

Toy Soldiers Bookends!

Yet another fun thingie to add to my wishlist. ;)

Amazon: £ 18.95

Most Honest Book Titles Ever!

A train that's made to look like a library.

That'd be lovely for those who spend hours inside a train/bus. :)

Stacking The Shelves #27

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process!

This new feature is hosted by Tynga from Tynga's Reviews.

This week I got:

From an online trade:

Burned 
(Lovely!!! And irritating, at the same time.)

The Giver
(Unbelivably AWESOME!!! Read my SUPER GUSHING review here.)

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What did you get this week?

Review: Succubus Blues (Georgina Kincaid #1) by Richelle Mead

Succubus Blues 
(Georgina Kincaid #1)

by Richelle Mead

Succubus (n.) An alluring, shape-shifting demon who seduces and pleasures mortal men. Pathetic (adj.) A succubus with great shoes and no social life. See: Georgina Kincaid. 

When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything she wants, the wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they often pay with their souls, but why get technical? 

But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid's life is far less exotic. Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusack movies. Her immortal best friends haven't stopped teasing her about the time she shape-shifted into the Demon Goddess getup complete with whip and wings. And she can't have a decent date without sucking away part of the guy's life. At least there's her day job at a local bookstore--free books; all the white chocolate mochas she can drink; and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can't. 

But dreaming about Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle's demon underground. And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won't help because Georgina's about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny...

Genre: Adult, Paranormal

Publication Date: March 1st 2007

Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation

Format: Paperback, 347 pages 

Series: yes

Source: bought


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My Review

For some reason I thought I would dislike this book immensely, and so it took me forever to finally start it. But, just as these things go, it was love from the first page. LOL.

Georgina Kincaid is a manager at a local bookstore, she has a thing for white chocolate mochas, she absolutely adores the ground the author Seth Mortensen walks on and, last, but not least, she is a Succubus. She has to take sexual energy from human males to survive. Oh, and she can shapeshift into whatever and/or whoever she wants, as long as she has enough energy to do it. Her immortal friends are all either vampires, imps, demons and angels.

Georgina, filled to the brim with energy from a virgin who sold his soul for sex, is very excited to meet her favorite author at the signing her bookstore will be holding...but discovers she already had met him, confusing him with another fan, and told him some very embarrassing things, such as complaining about how long he takes to write the books she loves so much and how she would be willing to become his sex slave in exchange for advance copies of the next volumes. She is mortified and can barely look at him, but somehow she's the one who's chosen to take him out on a tour of the city. Turns out that the author who can write such witty and bright dialogues can barely keep a coversation in real life. But, weirdly enough, his silence doesn't bother her much. His e-mails crack her up, his thoughtfulness enchants her and his books are her drug of choice... too bad she can't date.

But this other guy, Roman, sure is trying to get her to go out with him. Roman is the total opposite from Seth. He's charming, daring, almost insolent in his self-confidance. And Georgina is hopelessly attracted to him, which is a very bad thing for her decision never to date good guys again. But is Roman really that good?

When someone starts to murder people with whom she just had fights with, she's suddenly the prime suspect... until she, too, is attacked. But who is doing this? Who is attacking the lesser immortals, and why can't the victims not feel the attacker's presence? The only ones who can mask it are the most powerful immortals, like demons and angels... So, is the murderer an angel? Could it be Carter, the local angel? Georgina, against her boss's orders, starts an investigation that leads her to one of the immortals' greatest secrets...

I thought the story of how she became a succubus was so sad! And the ending was so ironic! Not to mention surprising! I only discovered who the bad guy was a few pages before he was, indeed, revealed, which is a first for me. Usually it's so obvious it's annoying, but not this time. :)

I'm not sure who I want her to end up with, if with her favorite lovely author, with a certain angel who kept saving and comforting her or this other 'angel', who, I think, can still make up for his mistakes.

I loved, loved , LOVED thsi book, and am about to start the second volume.

If you like good writing, creative settings, complex and lovable characters, nice, vulgarity-free sexy scenes and a very smart heroine, this is your book!

Faith in humanity: resto... oh wait!

Twilight vs. Hunger Games

That is priceless!!!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #38

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey. 

Welcome to It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading?  This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

I'm Currently Reading:


Finished:


Paper Towns was actually a DNF. I LOVED Burned and really enjoyed The Gtahering Storm.

Last Reviews posted:
Review: Thorn by Intisar Khanani
Review: The Giver, by Lois Lowry

Mini-Review: Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Next Reads:

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What are you reading this week?

Stacking The Shelves #26

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process!

This new feature is hosted by Tynga from Tynga's Reviews.

This week I got:

From an online trade:

The Bargain

Ash

Ravished

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What did you get this week?

What I saw at the book fair!

What he said! It. Anyway...

Warning, this title contains the following...

Ooooh... 'hot nekkid man-luv'. Nice. LOL.

Mini-Review: Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Twenties Girl 
by Sophie Kinsella

Published July 21st 2009 by The Dial Press

Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. Normal professional twenty-something young women don’t get visited by ghosts. Or do they?

When the spirit of Lara’s great-aunt Sadie—a feisty, demanding girl with firm ideas about fashion, love, and the right way to dance—mysteriously appears, she has one request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie’s possession for more than seventy-five years, because Sadie cannot rest without it.

Lara and Sadie make a hilarious sparring duo, and at first it seems as though they have nothing in common. But as the mission to find Sadie’s necklace leads to intrigue and a new romance for Lara, these very different “twenties” girls learn some surprising truths from and about each other. Written with all the irrepressible charm and humor that have made Sophie Kinsella’s books beloved by millions, Twenties Girl is also a deeply moving testament to the transcendent bonds of friendship and family.

Genre: Adult, Paranormal

Publication Date: July 21st 2009

Publisher: Dial

Format: Pocket paperback, 480 pages 

Series: no

Source: My own shelf

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My Review

Favorite Quote: "Oh, my God, you smiled! Mr. American Frown actually smiled!"

"Must have been a mistake. I'll speak to someone about it. Won't happen again."

"Well, good. Because you could do your face an injury, just smiling like that."

Let me start by saying that I almost gave this book up. Really, it happened more times than I can remember... I forgot how annoying Kinsella can be, and how neurotic and exaggerated her main characters can get. But I have this thing for ghost stories, so I persevered. Even if that creepy obssession over that stupid Josh guy almost did it for me.

What I mean is: Good thing I got over those issues and kept reading. 

It was such a lovely trip to the twenties! And, as I happened to read it on the one day of every month in which I actually develop feelings (can you speel PMS?), I sorta cried a bit. Yep. Big deal. All the injustice over the ghost's life was just too much. It broke my heart. But moving on...

After the annoying start, the story takes on a very nice, very pleasant flow and it becomes increasingly enjoyable. Really, almost freaking magical. (that's what happens when you write a review with a soft heart. I should have edited it a bit. LOL). The romance in the book was very sweet and I totally fell for the romantic interest... but then again, maybe it was just the hormones talking. I'm not sure. :P

I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending, expecting a super special goodbye or something between Sadie and Lara, but it was nice nonetheless. (And now that I'm typing this with the return of my black heart, I realize that I wish the evil uncle was humiliated a bit further. It really wasn't enough. *evil laugh*).

Have you read Twenties Girl? What did you think about it?