Always a Booklover

The magic of books just enchants me. I love reading, what more can I say?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books You Read In 2011 - [6]


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Woohoo! It's my birthday:D And there's a TTT! :D Awesome, much? Love this week's one, biggest challenge is trying to keep it within 10 books! :D And I'm sorry I can't put in pics in this one, but I'm on my dad's com, so I don't want to save pics here and instead end up downloading a virus!

1. Perfect by Judith Mcnaught

Could any favorites list be complete without this book? I absolutely adore this book. No matter how many times I've read it, it just seems to get better and better! I've laughed, I've cried, I've screamed, you name it, I've felt it throughout this book. Check out my review of it here!

2. Whitney, My Love by Judith Mcnaught

First ever Judith Mcnaught, but one of my all-time favs. It's the book that got me hooked to her! Though this isn't the first year I started reading her, it's the 4th time I've read her book:D I would have read it more, except that I had to prevent myself from doing so! Or I would never get past the rest of those books! Check out my review here!


3. The Forbidden Game by L.J. Smith

First YA book in a very very long time. One of the best I've ever read actually. It touched my heart completely. It's like it has everything to suit everyone. A bit of romance, a bit of adventure, a bit of scares, a superrrrr hot guy, bad guys, character development, awesome plot, you get the point. What could be better? :D Check out my review here!

4. Something Wonderful by Judith Mcnaught

The first time I read it, I didn't really love it. But the 2nd and 3rd time I liked it a lot. And the 4th time I read it, it was complete love for me. I didn't want the book to end, I wanted to see how their love would be able to carry them through. It got so bad I almost didn't want to continue reading, just so I wouldn't have to get to the end!

5. Almost Heaven by Judith Mcnaught

I can't help but love this book. The love between the two main characters is evident right from the start. It's so so strong and let's just say Ian is the sweetest guy ever. I really really really love him. I can't help but do so. And Elizabeth, she's one of my favorite heroines. I never really liked the beginning cos I just couldn't wait to get to the end, but when I read it for the 4th time this year, I just loved the whole book, from cover to cover.

6. Paradise by Judith Mcnaught

Wow, this book never fails to touch my heart. It is just so so sweet. And its just so real, I can just relate to Meredith's actions so so well! :D Sigh, I always cry when she talks to her dad. It's just so so sad! Ok I know I keep saying "so so"! Oops!

7. Once and Always by Judith Mcnaught

I love this book. Ok I that's pretty obvious. Hmm, how would I describe it? It just took me on a journey with the characters, through their up and downs and the love they experienced touched my heart to the core. And I refuse to ever believe Jason cheated on Victoria. Heh, heroine has the same name as me, which makes it even cooler!

8. Tempestuous Reunion by Lynne Graham

Simply amazing. The book was really very well-written and the characters just amazing. The plot was soo good and I saw everything I loved in a Harlequin Presents romance! The fast pace, the hot hero, the not-always-strong heroine, and that passion which led to love. Sigh, what could be better?

9. His Mistress for a Million by Trish Morey

This book epitomized everything I love in a HP novel. Even though the ending was just a bit too fast-paced, I couldn't help but love every second of it. Amazing, simply amazing is all I can say.

10. Secret Fire by Johanna Lindsay

I've always loved this book. The love between the characters never fail to touch my heart. Theirs was a love that spanned continents, a love that even fate conspired to bring together. Sigh, I sound like the book is real. If only it was. It would be so nice to know that such a love does exist out there in the real world. Now, I'm sure it does, I just haven't seen evidence!


I'm sorry I couldn't resist. Just one more!

11. A Pirate's Love by Johanna Lindsay

How could I ever fail to not love this book? Hot guys, strong heroines, pirates, adventures on the sea, running away, kidnapping. Everything I love is here. Of course I love it. Simply amazing. I have to read it again soon. Hopefully.




And of course, there are about a million more books, but I just couldn't fit them in! Hehe, a lot more Harlequins to be sure!

Why do I seem to love Judith Mcnaught soooooo much? Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe her books just speak to me somehow! :D Heh, well as you can see, I absolutely adore romance! Heh, I feel like using my birthday wish to wish that Judith Mcnaught will suddenly write about a hundred books and that I can own all of them! Now, that would be an awesome birthday present! :D If only it could ever come true.

Oh yes, I still want to apologise for not posting reviews for so long. I will post some soon. By the end of Jan, I'll catch up with all the outstanding reviews. I'll not read until I review. I promise! :D

Oh and to my few followers, just know that you've brightened up my day everytime I see you've followed me! And to all those who take the time to read my blog, thank you so much! You don't know how much it means, that someone actually cares enough:D Now I sound like a kid deprived of love. But really, it really touches me that people would actually read what I write.

So then, rock on! I'll post soon, I promise:D

Love,
Victoria:D

Updates

Hey guys,

I'm so sorry I haven't been posting reviews. I haven't had the mood to write any. I'll get them done ASAP. I promise. Give me till the end of Jan. I'll be up to date with all my reviews. About 31 of them. Yes, I know its difficult. But I promise you, I'll do it. I won't read until I finish my reviews, that's serious I am about it. I'll read until the 31st, then I'll have to stop to review. I have 14 books to complete between now and the 31st, and its not gonna be easy!

Ok so the main point of this post was to inform you guys that I'll be offline for the next few days. I'll be away at camp from the 21st to the 24th. I'll only reach home maybe around 2? By the time I catch up with everything, it'll probably be at night, but I'll try to get some reviews done by then. On the 25th, I'll be leaving for Hong Kong around noon and only return on the 30th in the evening. So yeah, I'll be away a lot. But if I can get internet connection, I'll try posting something. Not reviews though, I can't do all those necessary things on my iPod touch. Wait, I may have a way though. If I can, I will.

So yeah. I'll be really very busy. And I want to apologise to all those who are reading this blog of mine. Yeah, I know it isn't many, but I still have a responsibility to those that do. I know my blog hasn't been active at all for the whole Nov/Dec period. I know I said it would be more active during this period cos it was my hols, but I didn't foresee taking up a holiday job for about 3 weeks. Those 3 weeks really took out a lot from me. I barely got time to read, let alone blog. Yes, I know I could do all those memes, but that's cos I could do it fast. Sigh. I will commit more time to blogging. I promise. When Jan comes, I intend to take part in some blog tours, so I'll definitely have to blog more.

Sigh. I hope I'll be able to post before the 30th. Actually, I'll schedule a post on the 27th, seeing as its my birthday *hint hint* :P and the TTT for that day is awesome, I can't not post about it. Alright then, better go! It's almost 1.30 here, and I have to be up around 7-8 cos I need to be at church by 9.30! Yeah, its a church camp. I'm really excited! :D And I'll read and review even there. I promise. I have to actually, I need to complete my GR challenges. Not easy, but I'll do it. Oh well, have to spam Harlequins!

Ok that's it from me for now! See you guys soon! :D

Take care! Bye:D

Oh yes, and have a blessed Christmas and enjoy the remainder of your hols!

P.S. I have no idea how I'm supposed to wake up tomorrow!!!! :(

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings - [5]


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

1. Something Wonderful by Judith Mcnaught

It's just so amazing! I've read it a number of times, but I still don't own the book:(:(:(:( I need to get it!

2. Almost Heaven by Judith Mcnaught

Same reason as above. I really wonder why I don't own my favorite books:( I keep having to find copies of them to read instead! :(:(:( But well, by this Christmas, I'll have them! I hope...


3. Paradise by Judith Mcnaught

I was about to buy this book a few months ago, but because it was too expensive, I put it back. I sure hope I can get it!

4. Double Standards by Judith Mcnaught

I simply adore this book. I need to read it again. Sigh. I doubt I'll get it before Christmas though:( If I order it from Book Depository now, I won't get it anytime soon:(

5. Slow Burn by Ednah Walters

I've wanted to read this book for forever, but I just can't spend money now. You see, its an ebook and I have to get my mum to pay for it, as I don't have a credit card. And if I do that, let's just say she won't approve of the book because it contains certain sexual scenes that I doubt she would be comfortable knowing I read them.

6. A Rake's Guide to Seduction

This has been on my TBR for years. About 4 years maybe. Ever since I started reading romances, this was a book I put on my list. But I could never find it in the library:( Sigh, I don't have to own the book, but I certainly

7. Season for Temptation by Theresa Romain

This book looks soooo good, gosh! I wish I could have it. Yet, I'm hesitant to buy the book myself, seeing as it would be kinda weird to ask for the book from my relatives who are of the previous generation, and hence could be a little close-minded, and may judge me because of the type of books I read. But I want it! Oh well, maybe a miracle would happen and I would win a $100 book voucher from Book Depository and I can buy any book I want! Now, wouldn't that be amazing? XD

8. When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

When I first saw the blurb, I knew I had to read it. But how do I go about getting it? If I really get all these books, I'm gonna spend soooo much money... But then again, I worked soooo hard for the past 3 weeks. If I don't spend this money, then when? Hmm...

9. The Truth About Lord Stoneville by Sabrina Jeffries

Hmm, it looks pretty good, and I do like Sabrina Jeffries! I may not choose to buy this book, and I wouldn't ask for it first, but if I could find it in the library, I would be delighted! The library here doesn't really have a lot of historical romances:(


10. The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

It looks so good! And I keep hearing good things about it. Or was it bad things? I dunno, I can't really remember. But the blurb just got me hooked. Sigh. Adventure on the sea, innocent girl, hot guy, what could be better?














Yep, so that's about it! I think I'm just gonna ask my relatives to give me money to buy the book! Cos I want to order it from Book Depository, and well, I don't think they would know which book I would want! Maybe I should get a PayPal or something! Hmm, my birthday's coming up too, maybe, just maybe, I could get all I want! :D

Musing Mondays - [5]


Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading! !
This week's musing asks...

What’s one book you always recommend to just about anyone?

Hmm, I'm gonna have to go with The Forbidden Game. I think it has something for everyone. A bit of romance, a bit of horror, adventure, world-building, fantasy, etc. Its a book that I loved the first time I read it and I think I'll always continue to love it. You can check out my review here!

Booking Through Thursday: Character Or Plot? - [4]



Today's Booking Through Thursday asks:

What’s more important to you? Real, three-dimensional, fleshed-out fascinating characters? Or an amazing, page-turning plot?
(Yes, I know, they are both important. But if you had to pick one as being more important than the other?


Hmm, I'm gonna have to go with character. No matter how good the plot is, if the characters aren't likable and realistic, I simply will not enjoy the book as much as before. Take one example. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead was very well-written and I really loved the plot. BUT. I couldn't stand the main character, Rose. It seems like many people love her, so well, I guess its just me. In any case, because of her, I didn't like the book that much.

And besides, I really feel that the characters are the ones that make the story. I mean, they're the ones living the plot in the book, the ones whose innermost thoughts you're privy to. Through their thoughts and their actions will you then see the plot. For me to be fully immersed in the book, I must be able to feel like the character, whether I like that character or not. I just need to understand things from their viewpoint. In my opinion, without that, I will not be able to enjoy the book.

WWW Wednesdays - [5]


WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following questions...

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What I am currently reading:

  • Mine Till Dawn by Ednah Walters
  • It's good, so I really don't know why I'm taking so long to read it!
  • Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband by Melissa Mayhue
  • I like it, but I just don't really have the mood to read it...

What did I recently finish reading:

Captive Surrender by Linda Mooney
It was pretty good, I'm just dreading reviewing it! But I'm actually dreading reviewing now,so...

What I'm gonna read next:
Hmm, maybe The Third Son by Elise Marion or Double Standards by Judith Mcnaught, or my never-ending pile of Netgalleys!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Want To Give As Gifts - [4]


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

So, I don't have many friends that enjoy reading, so I shall just recommend to a certain type of person! :D

Let's get started!


1. Whitney, My Love by Judith Mcnaught

Could I ever not recommend this book? This was my first romance book by Judith Mcnaught and through this book, I fell in love with the author. Seriously. After this book, I went to read all of her other books and I loved most of the others as much as I did this. But Whitney, My Love will always have a special place in my heart. You can check out my review of it here. So for this book, I would recommend it to someone who isn't afraid to read long books and love conflicts between the two main characters.


2. Perfect by Judith Mcnaught

I can't not recommend this book. It's one of my favorite books of all time. Every time I read this book, I will cry. I can't help it. Sure, the ending wasn't as good as the beginning. But really, the book up until the middle is the best book that I've ever read. If not for the end, I will definitely say this is the best book in the world. So, I would recommend this to a reader who isn't afraid of long, long books, who loves love, who cries after reading an especially touching scene, or in this case, a letter. Oh and you can check out my review here!


3. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Though I wouldn't say I completely loved the book, its been so long-awaited that if you've read the first 3 books, you simply have to read this. I would recommend it to a reader that isn't afraid of super duper long books, enjoys fantasy and YA, and above all, have read the first 3 books and have waited what seems like an eternity for this book!


4. Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon

This is the first book to the Dark Hunter series. I absolutely loved it and because of it, I went to read the next 17 books? 2 books just came out recently but I haven't gotten round to reading them yet! Oh, I would give this book to someone who enjoys paranormal romance, loves hot guys in books with strong heroines.


5. Tempestuous Reunion by Lynne Graham

An amazing Harlequin book in my opinion. One of the best I've read actually. It was love at first read. I was hooked right from the first word. I would give this to a person who enjoys Harlequin books, hot guys, true love, and the kind of conflict and angst that can tear at your heart.

6. Secret Fire by Johanna Lindsay

I loved this book. I would recommend it to someone who enjoys kidnapping, sweet sweet love and of course, a heart-breaking leaving scene. My favorite books tend to be this sort of heart-breaking books!


7. The Forbidden Game by L.J. Smith

Simply one of the best YA I've ever read. I would give this to someone who may not read a lot of YA, but is open to it, who doesn't hate a sad ending. Because the ending is so so sad, I cried like crazy. And of course, who loves character development. Check out my review here!


8. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

I really loved this series. Another one of those rare YA's that I enjoy. This would be for someone who loves hot hero, smart-ass heroine, cool fighting, and who doesn't mind a freaking annoying main heroine whom I hated a lot at first.


9. Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsay

This book is just soo sweet. For a reader that loves pirate-themed books and a bit of a masquerade.


10. The Pirate Lord by Sabrina Jeffries

This was a book I read quite a long time ago. Needless to say, I loved it. I would recommend it to a reader who loves pirate-themed books, books that take place on a deserted island, overbearing heroes that are actually really sweet, yeah, you get my drift.

Wow. I'm finally done. Sigh, I need to get to sleep. Its 1.20 here alr. Ok then, I hope you'll find some new favorites from this list!

Leave a comment and tell me what is the one book you would love to receive for a gift!

See you!

Love,
Flame aka Victoria

Musing Mondays

Hey guys, I'm sorry I didn't do a MM post yesterday. There's a lot going on in my life now, and I have a lot to think and pray about. I was thinking of taking a break from blogging and reviewing completely but decided against it. It's all time management isn't it? Oh well, I promise I'll do one next week!

Sigh. I've lost my mood to review. I have like 15 pending reviews? I mean, I just don't know what to write. I should just get started doing it. Maybe later! Alright, better go get up by Top Ten Tuesday:)

Later guys!

Booking Through Thursday: Mystery Or Love Story? - [3]



Today's Booking Through Thursday asks:
All things being equal, which would you prefer–a mystery? Or a love story?

Without a doubt, a love story. I mean, sure mysteries are great. They're interesting, suspenseful and really addictive. But when you compare it with love, how could love ever lose? The power and strength of the human heart, the true love between two souls... What could really compare? To me, love is amazing. It's unexplainable.

Actually, it isn't even a fair competition between the two genres. I've loved romance ever since I read my first one when I was about 14. Since then, no other genre has made me so crazy over it. So definitely, a love story is my answer.

WWW Wednesdays - [4]


WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following questions...

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What I am currently reading:

Captive Surrender by Linda Mooney

It's alright I guess, so far... There's a lot of sex. Not much storyline... Yet, I hope.

What did I recently finish reading:

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

It was pretty good! Not exactly what I was hoping for, but good enough! Will write the review sometime soon... Hopefully!

What I'm gonna read next:

Mine Until Dawn by Ednah Walters

YES, I'm finally gonna read it:) Can't wait!!!! XD

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Childhood Favorites - [3]


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Hmm, I'm still like a child? I mean I'm only 16! My childhood is barely over! Alright alright, I guess you can say I'm in teenager-hood now. Ok, I shall endeavour to remember some of my favorite books in the past.

1. The Babysitter's Club Series by Ann M. Martin

I remember really loving this book when I was about 7-9 years old. I saw my cousin reading it, and I was super intrigued by it! Though it was in the 9-12 year section of my library, I didn't even hesitate to read it! I guess I've always been an advanced reader...

2. Samurai Girl Series by Carrie Asai
I always used to see this in my library, albeit under the teenage section. I think I was about 10 at the time? Basically, I always saw it but I never read it, believing that it wouldn't be good. Finally, when I was about 11, I decided to just try it. It was love at first sight read. I was instantly engrossed and it has always left a big impression on me. I mean, its like every time I decide to underestimate a book, it turns out to be way better than anything I could have imagined. Look at Whitney, My Love. I think you get my point.

3. Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev
No childhood favorites list could be complete without this book. I remember when I was young, about 4-5 years? I would wander about my house searching for books to read. The book I invariably decided to read was this book (I think, I hope I didn't remember wrongly.) simply because it was the thickest book in my bookshelf at that time and I wanted to read more. Even then, I remember trying to read as fast as I could. Most books, took me about 5 minutes in the past I think but this one took me 10 minutes and I was always trying to cut it down. Yes, I know. I was born weird. Seriously.

4. Fearless series by
This wasn't exactly a childhood read? I think I read it when I was 12. A similar situation happened with this book as with Samurai Girl, but for these I had learnt my lesson and decided to just try it. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. It was really a pretty cool series. I didn't read a lot though!

5. Replica series by Marilyn Kaye
This series has left a very strong impression on me. I only read a few books, but those that I read, I absolutely loved. I mean, I still remember a bit of the plot up till now and even the main character's name. If you know me, that's an amazing feat. I can forget character names within a few minutes of reading the book. Don't ask me why, I'm just weird that way. But this series left me with a very deep impression, especially one of the books, Return of the Perfect Girls. I remember so much of that book, its kinda freaky, considering I read it more than 5 years ago. I probably read it when I was 11 or 12? Maybe even 10... But I think the reason why I remembered that book was because of the competition in it. It was exactly like Survivor and I've always loved that sort of thing, even at a young age. I think I want to read the series again. Heh, the search of the title for this series just showed me how amazing Google is. I literally typed in "book young adult amy clones superpower" and the first result was the series title. Wow, the internet sure is huge. Oh and I think I want to read the whole series again! There are 24 books, but I don't think each book is very long. That time, I think I took about 45 minutes to an hour to finish one, so I should probably be able to repeat that feat! Maybe I'll try! If I can find the books. It is a very old series after all.

6. Diadem series by John Peel
I own this whole series. I've read it a few times, last time was 2 years ago, I think. I started this reading when I was 9 or 10. Because I distinctly remember bringing the book to school and my teacher using the book as some example on how to write something. And that was when I was 10. I'm not sure whether that was my first or second read so I really don't remember. In any case, I really do enjoy the books, regardless of the many flaws and errors you find when you're reading it. And guess what! I just found out that apparently there are supposed to be 2 more books, but they were supposed to be published last year... Hmm maybe it was postponed! I wouldn't mind reading the books though!

7. Spx X by Peter Lerangis
Hmm, I really enjoyed these books. It was super addictive and super intriguing. The spy part of it was really cool and I loved the code solving in it! I even went so far as to play the game online!

8. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
This was one of the only classics I've ever read and enjoyed. I think I read it twice, amazing as that may sound. I think my second read was when I was 11 as I remember borrowing it from my school library. I really enjoyed the adventures depicted inside the book. Though, I don't think I'll read it again, it'll always have a special place in my heart.

9. The Tortall Series by Tamora Pierce.
I own the first 3 quartets of the Tortall series, namely Song of the Lioness, The Immortals and Protector of the Small. I really these 3 quartets. I've read the Song of the Lioness quartet at least 5 times. Actually, the first quartet I got was Wild Magic, the first book of the Immortals. It was a gift from my mum. I read it, I quite liked it. But I didn't really think about the next few books. One day, I think I decided to just buy it. Then, I think another time, I accidentally stumbled onto the Song of the Lioness one and I was super interested in it. It was only later that I realised the two quartets were linked. As for Protector of the Small, it's actually my favorite quartet. I dunno why, maybe its because it was the longest and had the most character development and interaction.

10. Alias series (A number of authors wrote this series)
I remember this series because my mum told me the books were rather interesting to read. She doesn't really enjoy reading, yet she actually recommended me to read the books. I then knew that I had to read them. And I really did enjoy them, though some things were a little complicated for me at the time. I think I was 11. I only read a few novels, perhaps 3-5? But those that I read I did enjoy quite a lot. I don't really remember much of the story except the main character's name, Sydney and the fact that someone she trusted, mayhap her boss, betrayed her. Oh, she was a spy by the way!

I realise that most of the books in my lists are series. It appears that when I was younger, I really enjoyed reading series! Heh, I'm really surprised. As you can see, I was pretty childish while I was young! But keep in mind that all these books I read mostly between the ages of 7-11. So well, I guess it's acceptable! And I really can't believe I came up with all these. When I saw the list title, I was stunned, but somehow, I made it to 10 pretty easily! And my descriptions are really rather long gosh! I surprised even myself when I an write so much crap!

So, which are your favorite childhood books? Or ones that hold special memories for you? Leave a comment and tell me!

Love,
Flame:)

Red Rock by Kimberley Patterson



First Published: 6 February 2011
Publisher: Kimberley Martinez
Pages: 314
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished Date: 29 November 2011

Blurb from Goodreads

Red Rock follows the journey of the Hunter family, and their daughter Rachel, a teenager struggling to take care of her ill mother. Her illness forces the family to sell everything and move to a new town where they can get help for her. Along the way, they stumble into fortune and decide to keep it a secret. But with every secret, comes a consequence and Rachel will soon find out that not everything or everyone is what they seem. Upon arrival in the new town, she meets several people who befriend her and the plan seems to be working, until one night when someone throws a rock through their window threatening to take back what is theirs. Lies, deceit and betrayal plague Rachel and the entire family as they struggle to keep their secret and find out who is behind the devious plan.


My Rating
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My Review

This book wasn’t what I expected. I expected it to be a simple Western romance, with hot heroes, strong and mature heroines, all those usual sort of historical Western romance. But after reading it, I realised that it didn’t exactly meet my expectations. That isn’t entirely a bad thing either. The reason why I didn’t give it more than 3 stars was because of several things that made me didn’t fully enjoy the book. I’ll cover more later.

On its own, the writing is pretty good and the overall storyline was interesting. But I had several issues with the characters and the pace of the book. I’ll give a very brief summary of the book. (Note: There may be small spoilers) Basically, it was about this family traveling to another town in the hope of finding a doctor that could cure the heroine’s mother. Along the way, they ran across some dead travelers. After searching around, they found loads of gold. Of course, they took it, justifying that the dead couldn’t do anything with it and it could help them. At the same time, they also took their possessions, with the same reasoning. They gave them a decent burial at least. What happened next was pretty typical. They go into town. Girl meets guy. Girl doesn’t like guy but still thinks he’s handsome and all. Guy crazy about girl, wants to marry her. A lot of unnecessary detail next. Basically, they find the doctor for the mother. Girl meets another guy whom she likes a lot. That guy likes her back. Needless to say, he’s bad. A lot more unnecessary things then a HEA for girl and first guy. I won’t say anymore lest I give away too much of the plot.

Now, some problems I had was the fact that there was way too much elaboration on needless detail. As a result, it made the book seem really draggy and made me rather bored reading it. It’s like detail on how every single building looked like was given. I mean, sure its good to give description to let the reader “see” the place. But in this case, I felt that it was too much. I would have rather seen a bit more of how the characters matured and grew up throughout the book.

Let’s talk about the main character, Rachel. She’s 17. However, I felt that she was really immature in the beginning of the book and the way she thought and all made me dislike her a little. I mean, to me she acted more like 15. Ok wait, let me clarify one point. When it comes to heroines, I have a pretty high standard of them. I don’t know why, I just feel that any less is a disgrace to the female race. Sure, Rachel was strong-minded and rather independent. I did like that about her. But… Sometimes, I felt that she was rather vain, and I cannot stand that in heroines. Pretty hypocritical of me, because I am rather vain myself, though I’m trying to cut the habit! Another was the way she treated the guys. I mean, it isn’t exactly evident in her behavior, but somehow I got the impression that she has a rather self-inflated view of herself. Like, she wanted the store to be named after her. And the way she treated the two guys in her life, the main hero (whose name I simply cannot remember, James, maybe? I know it starts with J.) and Charles, the 2nd guy she met. Oh and for the hero, I’ll call him J if I have to use him in my review. Yeah, I can’t really explain it, but the way she treated J was pretty mean and the way she treated Charles was really rather flirty and all. And I just can’t stand that. Call me conservative or whatever, but I really don’t like flirty heroines. But towards the end, she did mature a bit and seemed more her age. So towards the end, my feelings toward her were pretty ambivalent. I didn’t really like her, but neither did I dislike her.

For the rest of the characters, they were alright. I just felt that more emphasis could be given on their individual characters. Like J. I didn’t really know him after reading the book. I mean, I knew a bit of what he was like, for example, he was a kind-hearted man. But I couldn’t understand him and when I can’t understand characters, I can’t empathise with them. This could also be because I’m too fussy. But well, I wanted to see more of the other characters, instead of so much needless description.

The main plot was fine, it was pretty interesting, if a bit typical. Other than the description, I don’t really have any other real problems with it. Oh, but I felt that some of the events were pretty unrealistic. For example, what were the chances of Rachel wandering off and going to the exact spot where the bag had been thrown. And how would she have spotted it? Another thing was the conclusion. I didn’t enjoy the gunfight. It felt too contrived to be real. I felt there wasn’t that intensity there should have been, especially when the men died. And I really cannot believe that Rachel’s father didn’t die. I mean, his injuries were rather serious, because of the places he was hit in. But yet, he still managed to survive all the way back to the town. How? I don’t know.

Lastly, let’s talk about the romance. It was alright. I’m pretty sure J did love Rachel. But I certainly could not feel the love on Rachel’s part. It seemed to be more of an infatuation. Like the typical signs were there, possessiveness, jealousy and such. But I couldn’t feel her love for him. When she said she loved him, I was skeptical. I think there wasn’t enough interaction between them that was good. As in, conversations where they didn’t argue. You see, most of the time, they were always quarreling. Its mostly Rachel finding fault with him. And as a result, I couldn’t really believe the love on her part.

But enough about the cons of the book. There were many things I did enjoy. I liked Rachel’s father. He was a really sweet man and the love he had for his wife was simply amazing and so, so sweet. I actually did enjoy the storyline, apart from the parts that were draggy. I did enjoy it when she was captured because it added excitement to the story. The betrayal she must have felt was also pretty good. I especially liked the part where after she knew that Charles was bad, but she wanted to protect her father, she pretended that everything was fine when he came. It may only have been a short scene, but that scene showed me that she was truly courageous. Really. It couldn’t have been easy.

All in all, I did enjoy reading the book. I finished it in about 1-2 sittings? And even though there were draggy parts, I continued reading because somehow I knew that the ending would be better. And it was, apart from the gunfight. But actually, some aspects of the gunfight was interesting. I do remember enjoying it. I can’t exactly name a part, but I know some parts of it were good and realistic. Though the ending was a little abrupt, I can more or less imagine what happened next. The beginning was also good, it really did catch my attention. Though I wouldn’t classify this as a typical Western romance, it was still an enjoyable book. The romance part wasn’t the main part of the book, it was more of the suspense and the mystery surrounding the events. It did take quite a while to build up to it, but when it finally did, the book was interesting.

This ebook was given to me by the author, Kimberley Patterson in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thanks, Ms. Patterson! :D


Musing Mondays - [4]


Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading! !
This week's musing asks...

How many books do you read in a week? Month? Year?

Hmm, it actually depends on my mood and the season! Its like some days, I can read 2-3 books while other days, I have completely no mood to read. When that happens, I can go a week without reading. It happened a few months back. Back then, I had no mood to read. I didn't even feel like picking up a book. Astonishing, I know, maybe I was too saturated in romances and my brain wanted to take a break. So during that period I read maybe 1-2 books a week? But there has also been a time when I would be so engrossed in a book I simply could not stop reading it. I think I read 7 books in a day(really short ones though! Maybe 150 pages of simple English?) on a couple of occasions. Most times, I try to read a book a day.

As for per month, it really depends. According to Goodreads, I read 31 books and did 31 reviews in that month. Now, 31 books is no big feat, but for me at least, 31 reviews is crazy. Considering I procrastinate a whole lot, and now have about 14 reviews to do... Yeah, I think you see my point... But other months, I could read as little as 15 books. Happens once or twice a year, I think.

As for per year, I've never really counted. But according to Goodread stats, the number of books I read from mid August to right now is about 93. If I go according to those stats, I could read maybe 300 books a year. It also depends a lot on school. For example, this year I had my O levels. Hence, I had to force myself to read less. And that meant reading books I knew I could finish within an hour or so. Which involved reading crazy amounts of Harlequins, and hardly any historical romances. Oh well, I'll count next year and let you know! :D

Yep that's about it! How many books do YOU read? Leave a comment and tell me!

P.S. I'm a pretty fast reader by most accounts so I guess this probably isn't very usual. Um, the kind of books I read are at least 200 pages?

Cheers,
Flame:D

Hey guys!

So, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for not posting anything at all, recently, apart from some of the memes that I participated in! I've been really busy! For this week, Mon to Wed I was working 10 hour shifts, Thurs I had some church stuff in the morning and had work in the night and by Friday I was completely dead! I slept till 3 LOL XD heh, today I was doing some volunteering work, so yeah, I didn't have time again! And FYI, I have now about 12 reviews to do. Yes, I'm crazy. I'll try my best to do it as quick as I can! :D

Booking Through Thursday: Mood Reading - [2]



Today's Booking Through Thursday asks:

Do you find that your mood affects the things you read? Like, if you’re in a bad mood, do you tend to indulge in reading that will support it or do you try to read things that will cheer you up? Do you pick different types of books on dreary, rainy days than you do on bright sunny ones?
For that matter, does your mood color what you’re reading, so that a funny book isn’t so funny or a serious one not so deep?

Yeah, of course it does affect the books I read! Sometimes, no matter how good the book is, if I'm not in a good mood, I just won't enjoy it. Or I'll enjoy it way too much to be normal. Like, maybe a book is just average. But because I'm sad and my emotions are haywire, I could love the book ttm. But no normally, no matter my mood, I'll just read whatever is at hand. I don't really pick and choose my books, given that I can read pretty quickly! :D

Random! :D

Is it me or is this cover simply beautiful? Before I even saw the blurb, I wanted to read it. Wow, just wow. I have this feeling this is gonna be one really good book! I'll request it from Netgalley, hopefully I'll get it! And yes, I know I have loads left to read from there, but how do you resist temptation? :D


And here's the blurb!

Four friends devise a plan to turn Smitten, Vermont, into the country's premier romantic getaway-and each finds her own true love along the way.

With Smitten Lumber closing, residents wonder if their town can stay afloat. Then four friends and local business owners-Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese--decide the town is worth saving. How will they do it? They'll turn Smitten into a honeymoon destination!

As Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese work to save the town, each discovers romance in her own life. Meanwhile, the faith of a little child reminds the whole town what it means to have real faith in the God who is the always and forever Love.

Discover a novel written by four of Christian fiction's most popular romance novelists- friends in real life who've drawn an amazing story of four friends! Includes a Reading Group Guide as well as "Conversation over Coffee with the Authors".

I want to read this. Could I have it for Christmas? I think I've been a good girl this year! Oh Santa, please bring me the book! XD

WWW Wednesdays - [3]


WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following questions...

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

What I am currently reading:

Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas

It's great so far! :D Started it this morning, then haven't continued it yet! XD I should read it quickly before I forget!

What did I recently finish reading:

The Sicilian's Mistress by Lynne Graham

It was alright! Gonna write the review for it soon, but I really don't know how to write it! It left me with a very meh feeling...

What I'm gonna read next:

That's a very good question. I don't really know, probably The Third Son by Elise Marion!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books On My TBR List For Winter - [2]


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

So, there's no winter here in Singapore, but I guess its around the December to February period? I'm not very sure, all I know is that its winter during Christmas!

Alright, let's get started!

1. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

It's finally out, so how can I not read it? I've been waiting for this book for about 3-4 years? And its out at long last. I have yet to buy it, but I'm gonna order it soon, probably through Book Depository!


2. Mine Until Dawn by Ednah Walters

I've been putting it off for like forever. I need to read it! It looks so damn good, I have no idea why I haven't read it yet!


3. Double Standards by Judith Mcnaught

Harlequin style. Judith Mcnaught. Why am I even waiting? Heh, I've read this book before, twice I believe. But I loved it so much, I just have to read it again!


4. Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband by Melissa Mayhue

As I mentioned in my other TTT, it was love at first sight. I'll always start reading the prologue, get hooked and put down the book. Why? I have no idea. I don't think its a simple case of weirdness either! Maybe I just don't want to read good books because I'm crazy. What book lover doesn't want to read good books? Or rather, who can put down a really good book where you got hooked right from the beginning? Yes, me. Oh well, I can be unique!

5. Captive Surrender by Linda Mooney

My friend gave me this book a very long time ago. I was instantly hooked by the blurb and wanted to read it when she gave it to me a few months ago. And its still not read. Yes, weird is my middle name.

6. Sweet Magik by Penny Watson

A Christmas story. During winter. What could be better? Or more appropriate? Santa Klaus and his hot sons, here I come! :D


7. Rebels and Lovers by Linnea Sinclair

I bought this a long time back. Science fic romance. They are in a spaceship, which was what I've always imagined myself to be on. Why didn't I read it? I dunno, I think I'm weird. Do you?

8. Angel by James Patterson

This has been sitting on my shelf since this year February to March. Rather, as soon it was out I bought it. And why haven't I read it? I'm weird and crazy I guess. I was so excited to buy it, I pestered my mum to get it for me, claiming I desperately needed to read it. And guess what? It goes unread, left to collect dust in my bookshelf:( I pity it. But I will read it. I promise.

9. When Passion Rules by Judith Mcnaught

She's one of my favorite authors of all time. And its a historical romance. Why is not read? I have no idea.

10. The Third Son by Elise Marion

The author gave me this book a long time back. It looked soooo good. Historical romance. A hot prince. Maybe a strong, cool heroine. And its not read. I seem to not look at the books right in front of my eyes. I mean, when I read the first chapter, I was instantly hooked. And why didn't I read it? As usual, excuses about wanting to read some other book that I thought would be better. Or exams. Then I forgot. But I will read it!










Yep, so that's about it. And I'll definitely read these books by the end of December. I promise. I know, its not the end of winter, but oh well, I've procrastinated for far too long!

Bond of Hatred by Lynne Graham


First Published: 12 May 1995
Publisher: Harlequin
Pages: 189
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished Date: 25 November 2011

Blurb from Goodreads
'I will pay the price. I will marry you.'

Alex Terzakis's words took Sarah's breath away - marriage was the last thing on her mind! She'd wanted two things when she'd impulsively flung her proposal at him: revenge for her young sister's death and the chance to raise her sister's baby son.

True, Alex would fight tooth and nail to keep his nephew but, in her anger and grief, Sarah had believed her demand would send him packing - she'd never expected him to accept!


My Rating
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My Review

I really enjoyed this book. But yet, I’m very hesitant to give it 5 stars. The beginning was amazing. But the ending? Not so. But for the emotions I experienced throughout the entire book, and for the sheer admiration I had for the heroine, this book definitely deserves 5 stars.

Can I start by raving about how awesome the heroine is? Seriously, you don’t know how long I’ve waited to find this sort of heroine. This is the kind of heroine that I love in books. Sarah is in a word, cool. I love it when she so easily resists Alex and completely doesn’t even find him attractive. Gosh, I absolutely loved it when Alex was stunned that she was the one woman in the world who could resist him. And she didn’t even have to try. It came so naturally to her. Haha I love it when alpha males just get their egos deflated by that one woman who can just so easily resist them! Its really really funny and well, you know, I love it when the guy is shown that he is not the most amazing person in this world and that every single woman ever born will like him.

Ok, now, back to the plot! Basically what happened was that Sarah’s sister, I forgot her name, died in childbirth cos of a weak heart. The father was Alex’s brother, Damien? And he’s a coward. Seriously. I have no idea what her sister saw in him. Sarah blamed Alex and his whole family because she felt that Damien should have done what was right and married her. However, Sarah never knew that Damien was already married. Her sister knew, yet still had an affair. But before she found out, she completely hated that family. Sarah fought tooth and nail for her nephew, Nikos, or rather Nicky. Alex wanted to take that child cos he felt that Nikos should grow up in luxury. Of course, Sarah didn’t want it and came up with what she thought was the perfect plan to get Alex to back off. She told him that if he wanted Nikos, he had to marry her. Unfortunately, as you can guess, her plan backfired. Alex agreed. Albeit extremely reluctant. Gosh, that guy is mean, I’ll say more later! So basically they got married. They realised they were super attracted to each other, or rather Alex helped Sarah realise their attraction. I think you know what comes next. Yes, they fall in love and have a HEA. Like all romances. But the emotions this book brought out in me was really something. I found myself rooting for them and I really could not wait till he admitted he loved her.

Alex is a jerk sometimes. A jerk who has an overly inflated view of himself. Of course, Sarah helps to burst that bubble. I mean, sure Alex is hot and all, make that really really hot! :D But what he said to Sarah on several occasions, just made me want to hit him. Seriously, it was just so mean to her. He just accused her of a lot of stuff, right after they made love for the first time. I mean, gosh, you really want to say all those things, you can wait till the next day right? But no, just because he was afraid of the emotions and thoughts she brought to him, he had to insult her and scold her. Gah. I felt like hitting him sometimes. Seriously. Oh oh oh! She hit him! Once! And caused a bruise:D Oh well, he deserved that one. Later on, he was so freaking cute! It was so obvious he was trying to win her affection and get her to like him. But honestly, he did try too hard. Heh, it was really cute though! I could see that he did like her. As for love, I’m not too sure about that.

I didn’t like a few things about the book. Firstly, I couldn’t really believe their love. As in, I was really rooting for them to fall in love right from the start. But… when they finally confessed and all, I couldn’t feel the sincerity. I mean, I figured that he did love her, but the words he said didn’t really convey that message. As for Sarah, I really could not tell she truly loved him. At least, not the last forever kind of love. How would I say it? I really don’t know how she came to the conclusion that she loved him. Sure, she missed him. But if she was just infatuated with him, wouldn’t she miss him too? Possessiveness, a bit of jealousy, crazy sexual attraction. All these doesn’t scream true love, instead it shouts infatuation. For me, I take true love as a person being really unhappy without the other. Where both parties just need each other. To me, that’s true love. And no, I didn’t see it in her behaviour. A little bit in his, but not enough.

Nevertheless, the emotions I experienced throughout the book was one of the most intense I’ve felt in a while. And just for that, I’ll give this five stars. As much as I feel that the confession of love and the love between the characters could have been better, the rest of the parts covers it!

All in all, I do think that this is a good book to read, and I really did enjoy myself while I was reading the book. I was literally addicted to it, I simply could not take my eyes of the book, even for a second. So yes, I do recommend it to others. And I really don’t think the confession of love and the love between the characters was as bad as I made it sound. Maybe it was just me being overly sensitive!

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