Review: Curse of the Sphinx

Curse of the Sphinx by Raye Wagner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I signed up for Raye Wagner's email subscription in exchange for a ebook copy. :D

Let me put it out there that it was a disappointment. When I first heard of this book from peruseproject's channel, I was beyond excited and almost ordered a copy from Amazon. I couldn't contain my excitement but it was a huge let down. (My reading mood was not affected by my finals.)

Curse of the Sphinx is a Greek Mythology-ish romance YA novel. I really enjoy the mythology aspect of the novel but the whole plot was plain boring. The story could be replaced by any paranormal romance out there, add the essence of Greek Mythology and publish this book. It was unoriginal, the plot I mean.

It was a let down because the starting of the story was well-written. It kept me hook to the story, it was fast-paced. Not after Hope went to the new town, Goldendale, things start to go flat. The usual story of a new girl in a small town, a few bitches in her class, no friend wanna be alone and the hot guy who flirts with everyone but only want her. Really?

Not to mention, some of the writings are really childish. I understand it's YA but...

Apollo! She hated him! Hate wasn’t even a strong enough word. How dare he?

Who even talk like that?

The only thing which kept me reading it was the Greek mythology aspect. Well, considering this is my first time reading a Greek mythology fiction, I'm impressed with the world building and used of characters.

p.s I'm sorry I'm bashing on your book here, Raye Wagner. This is my honest review so please don't hunt me down.

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Review: Confess

Confess by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Contemplating between 4 and 5 stars.

Colleen Hoover almost never disappoints me until this book. I was slightly blown away for how bland is the ending. I believe she can do so much more for this book because I love the starting. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike this book but the ending has taken me aback. The complicates seem to be resolved pretty easily and not to mention, Owen seems too good to be true. Hey, nobody wants to read a real-life "fiction". :D

But but but. Man, I love the art aspect of this book. The confessions and art pieces totally blown me away. I love the flirtations between Owen and Auburn. They made me flutters and feels good all over again. Plus, the whole feels surrounding the book just blew me away even more. Don't you just like it when a book brings you to another world entirely and you don't wanna come back to reality? Okay, I may be exaggerating a little but the whole atmosphere about this book was almost indescribable. I love it so much. I feel that everything I said here doesn't do the book justice, so read it yourself.

I was so confident in giving it a 5 stars but half way through the book it blew off. But I still highly recommend this book.

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Review: Beautiful Disaster

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wanted so badly to rate this 5-stars but I couldn't deal with Abby's bitchy-ness. But I would've to agree that this is too addictive. I could pull up an all-nighter just to finish it, if I do not have work during the weekdays.

[spoilers]
Travis is a crazily possessive boyfriend. Omg. Boy, you need to chill. And Abby is extremely annoyingly bitchy and slutty. I got annoyed with her keep going on and off with Parker when she knew that she didn't like him. She's also doing the same to the other random guys. However, I do enjoy her badassery moments during the poker game.

Not only that, I love the other characters in the book too: Shep and America, Finch and the Maddox family. Can't wait to read about the Maddox brothers in the other series by Jamie McGuire.

I think Beautiful Disaster is one of the pioneer New Adult books out there and I enjoy reading about this kind of classic bitchy-college-romance of New Adult. Their age almost match mine and the narrators (the main characters) are often not having childish dialogue and thoughts. I appreciate that.

If you're looking for a light read (but this isn't really one) or wanting to try out New Adult (mature contents alert), definitely pick this up. Consider this as a New Adult Classics.

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Review: Searching for Someday

Searching for Someday by Jennifer Probst
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"...if he had a heart left to give, it would've broken right there."

I never thought I would love this book as much as now. Clearly, I didn't have a very high expectations due to the previous few romance I've read these past few weeks. This came too much as a surprise and it caught my heart, wrenching in an unspeakable way.

Jennifer Probst writes generously, giving away too much informations yet didn't fail to bore me in reading. This book speaks a lot for not only the main couple of the story but draws attention to the other side characters. I felt drawn to Kate's girl friends as much as I love Kate and Slade. It's not just a book about romance, but friendship and other qualities. I love how every aspects seem to be well balance.

The romance was, to me, very believable . Even those sex scenes didn't make me cringe in disgust. The relationship between Kate and Slade was built up slowly and Jennifer Probst has done a wonderful job in both hero and heroine's character development. The little magic "touch" effect was pretty dainty too.

I would say I'm pretty impressed with this book and definitely worth the read, if you're looking into romance genre. I've read my fair share of this genre so I'm confident in my recommendation.

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Review: Me Before You

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I understand how this book can turn out to be an emotional-romance (something terms I came up with). It reminds me so much of TFIOS but with a more strong issue.

First and foremost, I have to declare that I'm not a big fan of medically-depressed books (another terms I came up with) and this topic is the main idea of the book. I don't want to sound offending but clearly, I'm not emotionally prepared for topics like these. I get how topics like these could spark up the romance effect of the fiction but it just doesn't appeal to me.

However, I'm very satisfied with the character development by Lou. She grew stronger and stronger throughout the book and eventually be able to live out of her circle of comfort. In a way, I'm immensely proud of her.

I couldn't say more as my current emotional state has been filled by the main issue of the book. But all I want to say is some readers might be able to accept books like these and people who do would regard this as a beautifully written literature. I can't.

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[REVIEW] The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

I received this book from a Tumblr giveaway.

First impression - the cover is one of my favourite book covers. The photography is so stunningly beautiful. I believe this trilogy has the most beautiful and relatable book covers ever. However, they say 'do not judge a book by its cover and I find that idiom very suitable in reviewing this book.

Goodreads synopsis: Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.  

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed. 

There is. 

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love. 

She’s wrong.

As I implied above, yes, this book is not in my favourite list. It's enjoyable but the characters are annoyingly perfect. If this were my first young adult paranormal romance, I might hug this book and rave about Noah. The truth is that Twilight is my first YA paranormal romance so this book didn't struck me as appealing as it should be.

First off, Noah is the problem and the sadly protruded problem is him being too perfect. If you have not guess it already, yes, he is another hot-i-dont-have-to-study-but-i'm-smart-becoz-i've-photographicmemory-skipclasses-pickfights-becoz-dont-touch-my-girl-hotbody-changedgirlfriendslikecloths-but-i-see-you-are-the-one guy. Everything else is self-explanatory. On the other hand, our main heroine, Mara Dyer is the damsel in distress for Noah to be attracted to and saved. Actually, Mara does not get on my nerves that much because of her paranormal-ness but Noah does. His character struck me as too perfect and no character should be perfect for the story to go on.

"You have to be an artist and a madman, a creature of infinite melancholy, in order to discern, at once, the little deadly demon among the wholesome children," he said, his British accent melting around the words, his voice smooth and low. "She stands unrecognised by them and unconscious herself of her fanatic power."

Who the hell will say something like that?

Secondly, I like the creepy and eerie feelings during the first 1/3 of the book but how did it suddenly projected to some flowery high school romance drama. I wanted to know what's going on with Mara and all that was told is Noah is hitting on Mara. The relationship was widely mentioned because this is in fact, a paranormal romance novel.

Look on the bright side, I did enjoy this book as it was a fast read. The chapters are left off as mini cliffhanger and you would be eager to read the next chapter to find out what's going on. I also really impressed with the idea of Mara's ability. It's not vampire or werewolf or magic or fallen angel but something unexplainable. That idea of supernatural power is not something you would easily come across in fictions, even paranormal fiction.

Seeing that I sped through this book but unwilling to continue (maybe next time) the series, I gave it a 3-stars. If you like paranormal romance and Noah is your type of guy, maybe you'll love this book.

Summer

pretty cover book: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

[REVIEW] How To Fall In Love by Cecelia Ahern

First off, this is my first Cecelia Ahern book. I admit I have not yet read PS, I Love You (her best selling book). A friend highly recommended How To Fall In Love to me while we were book-shopping. The story was captivating and I trusted my friend to give it a go.

Goodreads synopsis: She has just two weeks. Two weeks to teach him how to fall in love – with his own life. Adam Basil and Christine Rose are thrown together late one night, when Christine is crossing the Halfpenny Bridge in Dublin. Adam is there, poised, threatening to jump. Adam is desperate – but Christine makes a crazy deal with him. His 35th birthday is looming and she bets him she can show him that life is worth living before then. Despite her determination, Christine knows what a dangerous promise she’s made. Against the ticking of the clock, the two of them embark on wild escapades, grand romantic gestures and some unlikely late-night outings. Slowly, Christine thinks Adam is starting to fall back in love with his life. But has she done enough to change his mind for good? And is that all that’s starting to happen?

I'm a huge contemporary-romance reader and this book is the book for readers of my kind. It's romantic (obviously), adorable and heart-wrenching (not severe). It always touches me when the main character is acting as the third-wheel and helping the person he/she loves to get back to her/his lover. It's always heart-breaking and brings me to tear when the main character could no longer endure the pain and broke down. (I think this is kinda spoiler-y)

This story was written from the first person's view, Christine Rose. It's about how her life intertwined with the attempted suicide man she saved, Adam. Christine was broken (in a way) but that did not stop her from always reaching out to help others. Her father said she is always thinking while he and Chrstine's other two sisters do. I think that's what really touches me. I don't think it's her guilt towards  Simon Conway, it's her genuine kind heart which made her helped Adam all the way.

The other really interesting part was (what I called) 'the outburst'. I wouldn't want to spoil anyone reading this but I couldn't help to not talk about it also. If you're afraid of being spoilt or anything, just skip this paragraph. It was about the discovery of Christine's mother's suicide attempt. I was shocked to read about this part, when Christine was near to break down. The author played well at this explosive part. I felt that Chrsitine's trying to help because she had gone through it. She didn't want anyone to turn out to be like her mother. Also, Adam's sudden change of behaviour. That was really unbelievable, almost too fake.

This book was, to me, incredibly heartfelt. The references to self-help books are such a metaphor to tell us to follow our hearts and not everything can be formulated. A very satisfied 5-stars romance.

Summer

I hope you'll read this book: How to Fall in Love

How To Love by Katie Cotugno

A bit of cheesy contemporary YA is good for health. 

Goodreads synopsis: Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he's never seemed to notice that Reena even exists until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated-and pregnant-Reena behind. 
After: Almost three years have passed, and there's a new love in Reena's life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena's gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she's finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn't want anything to do with him, though she'd be lying if she said Sawyer's being back wasn't stirring something in her. After everything that's happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

The most unique thing about this book is that it was written in a "before" and "after" in-alternative way. It's almost like switching POVs chapters but this was going back and forth with the timeline chapters. "Before" is the part before Sawyer (the main male lead) left; while "after" is the story happening after Sawyer unexpectedly reappeared again. The abrupt ending of chapters were catchy and readers will definitely be hooked to the story.

Serena (aka Reena) was the main female lead and this book was written in her POV. Reena was a smart, pretty, nerdy and typical girl-next-door. She has plans for her future and she knows what she's doing all the time. The only flaw she has, was falling in love with Sawyer, the in-a-mess, dysfunctional and wasted but hot (not appealing to me) childhood friend. Maybe I was a little bias but think of all the mess Reena had gotten into after hanging out with Sawyer. Even though I would say that it's a very typical characters' built-up plot.

What I like about this book? The feels. When I was reading it, I was pulled into Reena's mind immediately and feeling what she feels the whole time. The middle part (which I couldn't include as spoiler) made me cry. Okay, maybe I shed tears. I'm getting the same feeling when I read Death Angel by Linda Howard. (great book by the way) I didn't have that kind of experience as Reena but I cried with her as if I've gone through it also. Plus, usually if I cry for a book, I will give a very high rate for it.

The cutting of one star explanation. Why on earth did Sawyer date Ailee (the best friend) when he love Reena all these while? I don't seem to fathom the thought. I thought Sawyer was taking Reena as Ailee's substitute all along but then BAM. (wait, is this a spoiler?) Also, I didn't like when Sawyer dragged Reena down to his lowly pit of nothingness and Reena basically threw away all her studies being affected by him.

I guess this book was pretty close-to-heart and surreal it doesn't even show a sign of story-telling. It earns its star-rates. When I read this book, I like how real it feels. It reminds me of my favourite Chinese author, Sharon Rao (Rao Xue Man) and her books are written in a very touching and real (again) way. (Yes, that's the word. REAL.) There are flaws in characters, arguments about life, awkward situations and most importantly, no exaggeration. It feels insanely as if the same thing is happening to your neighbour or cousins or even friends.

The new cover is to be released next year 2015, heard from epicreads's Tea Time session.

A touching, heart-warming read,
Summer

Getting hold of the book: How To Love

Holiday in Death by J.D.Robb

My first official post here!

My first blogspot post dedicated to the In Death series by J.D.Robb. The above is the 7th book and this series goes up to 30 over books and it is still ongoing. If you do not already know, J.D.Robb is actually Nora Roberts, one of the famous Romance novelist. This series has been around since 1998, if not mistaken. & I knew about it in 2011, I think. I started collecting them ever since. 

The In Death series is a thriller adult fiction (more like CSI), which revolves around two main characters, Eve and Roarke. Since I can't spoil you on anything regarding this series, I will just briefly talk about these two main characters.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas is a Homicide Lieutenant of the New York Police and Security Department. She has had a broken childhood and still suffered from nightmares of it until she met Roarke. Roarke, on the other hand, is a billionaire Irish rogue, who owns almost half of New York's properties. Eve met him as a suspect in the first book, Naked in Death. Roarke was actually not merely a filthy rich businessman but he, too, had a traumatising past. As both characters met and developed a romantic relationship towards one another, they clicked and patched up each other as puzzle pieces. This series recites on their relationship and how Roarke (having all gadgets and monetary power) helps Eve in solving crimes. 

The characters. Eve is a badass. She's a cop and she's freaking badass. I have no words for her personality. She's badass, brave, fierce, compassionate (in her own ways) and everything else needed for a heroine protagonist. On the other hand, Roarke is the hot stuff. He's rich, handsome, smart (business type) and swoon-worthy. Okay, like any typical hot stuff male protagonist. 

What I like about the series? This series takes place in the future, around year 2058. It's in New York, where automatons are all around the place. There are androids, AutoChef, airbus (literally) and high-tech gadgets. Despite those, crimes still take place. 

Also, I love the author's writings. It's built up from different characters POV, sort-of third person view. However, at some point, you can read about other characters' thoughts. & I like it. I like that I know what the other person were thinking at that moment. Plus, Robb's play of words was beautifully done. 

One thing to note for readers. These books do contain adult scenes, although it may have cut down a little through out the series. It also contains explicit gruesome crime scenes, since it is an adult fiction, so there goes. Nevertheless, I love my crime fiction books, what more series. 

Summer

To start form scratch: Naked In Death (first book) 

I just finished Holiday In Death (seven book)! This series (regarding the crimes) does not necessarily go as episode by episode but it is encouraged to read from the first book, since the romance story does go by episodes (well, the first few books).