Always a Booklover

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

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!

Musing Mondays - [3]


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

Will you be buying books for the holidays, this year? If so, for whom, and why?

Yeah, I'll probably buy some books! Hmm, it'll probably be all for me, given that almost every single person I know don't enjoy reading. Yeah, its sad! Oh well, I do have loads of books to buy for myself... I'm just saving up the money now so I can buy it all at one go:D I want to buy at least 7 books, but it'll be really expensive so, I'll just have to wait and see! OH! I could ask for them as Christmas and birthday presents! My aunts always complain they don't know what to buy for me for Christmas so I'll just tell them the books I want and they won't have a headache! Oh yeah, its a win-win situation! XD

Apologies...

Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that I'll be working, so I'll find it really difficult to update the blog this few days! I still will, but I'm gonna have to cut down on loads of reviewing! And all the transferring of reviews will have to take a hiatus for a while. At least, until I finish work. Cos I'm going to be working from 11.30 in the morning to 9.30 at night, so I doubt I'll have the time to really blog:( I'm sorry!

Marriage at His Convenience by Jacqueline Baird



First Published: 01 August 2001
Publisher: Harlequin
Pages: 192
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished Date: 23 November 2011

Blurb from Goodreads

Amber's multimillionaire Greek boyfriend, Lucas Karadines, informed her that he was getting married—to someone else....

Five years later, Amber has put Lucas behind her—until she inherits half his company. Lucas, who's now single again, knows the only way to keep control is for him to marry Amber. But how can she consider marrying him at his convenience—when, five years before, she was worthy only of being his mistress...?


My Rating
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My Review
I didn’t enjoy this book. I felt most of it was rather disjointed and the two characters spent an inordinate amount of time having sex. It was like they built their relationship upon sex rather than mutual respect and love. And when it came right to the end, I really really could not see the ‘love’ both of them claimed to feel. It seemed to me to be something more like lust. Or rather, purely lust.

This is one of the rare books where I dislike both the main characters. Lucas was a not very nice person. To put it simply, he was a jerk. Amber was better than Lucas, yes, but I just don’t understand why she always took whatever Lucas was doing to her without really standing up for herself. I mean, when he left her the first time, she practically begged him not to. For me, the moment a heroine begs the hero like that, I lose all respect for her.

The beginning of the book was still ok actually. I could feel the hurt emanating from Amber when that jerk Lucas left her. I mean, seriously. He couldn’t have the courtesy to tell her earlier before actually engaging himself??? Gosh. What a jerk.

Uhm, the storyline was pretty simple. Usual thing of guy wants to go get married, then girlfriend not good enough, so break up. Few years later, get back together. Fall desperately in love. The end. Really. That’s what the book was about.

It wasn’t the storyline that made me dislike the book. It’s the dialogue and the behaviour of the characters. Both of them were unlikable. I was just bored reading the book.

You know, I really don’t know what to say about this book. It just isn’t to my tastes. When the confession of love part came, I was very skeptical about Lucas’ words. I mean, not even a bit of his actions showed that he loved her. Ok fine, maybe just a little bit. But I simply could not believe he loved her. As for Amber, let’s not even talk about her. She’s like trying to be strong, yet she simply can’t resist temptation. I mean, you’re freaking annoyed with the guy. He broke your heart five years ago. And you can’t even resist him? Gosh.

There was little to no character development within the book. Sure, the book wasn’t rushed, but most of the time, I couldn’t figure why a character did what he/she did. It just wasn’t believable. The pace was alright but I need to see the characters at least having a little bit of an epiphany or something. Its like, after 5 years, nothing changed. They were no different from before.

Sigh, I think this review has gone on far longer than it should have. Needless to say, I didn’t like the book. Yes, it aroused some feelings of anger and ‘omg he’s such a jerk’ kind of feelings in me. But other than that, I really didn’t feel anything for this book. Halfway through, I almost stopped reading. This book was really a disappointment. The blurb looked so so good. Oh well!


WWW Wednesdays - [2]


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:
I just finished a book, so I'm not currently reading anything! Seems to happen every week lol:D

What did I recently finish reading:
Marriage at His Convenience by Jacqueline Baird
Its alright, I guess. Gonna do the review soon! :D

What I'm gonna read next:
Hot Pursuit by Anne Mather
Last ebook borrowed from the library that expires today, so I gotta read it quick!

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
I've been putting this book off for a couple of months, so I guess its finally time to read it!

Top Ten Tuesday

So, this week I'm not going to be doing the Top Ten Tuesday hosted by the Broke and Bookish.

The reason is because this week is about the authors I would like to invite for my Thanksgiving dinner or something. You see, we don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in Singapore, and hence, I have no idea what a dinner is like. Sure, I could just give my favorite authors but that brings me to another point. I don't actually know my favorite authors. As in, I don't know their personalities, I never see any of them present in the online world. So there's no way I could do an interesting Top Ten Tuesday post, which is why I just decided not to.

So, I'm sorry for not being responsible and not doing this meme even though I said I would do it every week! I promise I'll post next week! :D Besides, I simply love Top Ten Tuesday:P

Love,
Flame! :D

Perfect by Judith Mcnaught


First Published: May 1993
Publisher: Pocket
Pages: 704
Format: Paperback
Finished Date: 19 November 2011

Awards:
1998 AAR Top 100 Romances #15
2000 AAR Top 100 Romances #62
2004 AAR Top 100 Romances #82
2007 AAR Top 100 Romances #70

Blurb from Goodreads

A rootless foster child, Julie Mathison had blossomed under the love showered upon her by her adoptive family. Now a lovely and vivacious young woman, she was a respected teacher in her small Texas town, and she passionately lived her ideals. Julie was determined to give back all the kindness she'd received; nothing and no one would ever shatter the perfect life she had fashioned.

Zachary Benedict was an actor/director whose Academy Award-winning career had been shattered when he was wrongly convicted of murdering his wife. After the tall, ruggedly handsome Zack escaped from a Texas prison, he abducted Julie and forced her to drive him to his Colorado mountain hideout. She was outraged, cautious, and unable to ignore the instincts that whispered of his innocence. He was cynical, wary, and increasingly attracted to her. Passion was about to capture them both in its fierce embrace...but the journey to trust, true commitment, and proving Zack's innocence was just beginning....


My Rating
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My Review

What can I say? The title is a perfect representation of how the book is like. Without a doubt, Perfect was... perfect. There's no better word to describe it. What's perfect can't be made any better, can it? Throughout the book, I was led on an adventure with the characters that brought me from emotional peak to peak. I laughed, I cried, I screamed, I smiled, I got angry, I sighed in happiness. Everything that a person would normally experience, I experienced while reading this book. I found myself wishing so hard that the book was real, that somewhere out there, there are people who have found such a great love. Because the love shown in this book is just simply amazing. It cannot be adequately described, it is simply perfect.

Zack is an ultra-rich guy. Megabillionaire I believe. Thrown out at the age of 18, he worked hard all the way to make himself into who he was. I really admire that strength of will he had when he was thrown out. He has always been raised in the lap of luxury, but after being thrown out, he had no choice but to use his own two hands to support himself. And throughout all that, he somehow survived and became successful. When he was about 30, he was framed for murder and went to prison. He escaped when he was 35 and the next 2 weeks after his escape was the best weeks of his life. Because he found Julie. And in so doing, he found love.

Julie came from a very poor background. Abandoned at birth, she practically grew up on the streets even though she went to orphanage after orphanage. Why? She couldn’t keep up at school and hence she played truant. But one day, she was placed with the Mathisons’ and from that day on, her whole life changed. That is one amazing family, by the way. They never stopped believing in Julie and I found that very touching. And I got the sense that even though Julie tried to make her life as perfect as possible, so as to not let down the Mathisons, she wasn’t truly happy. At least, not until she met Zack. Then everything changed. For both of them.

So when Zack escaped, he met Julie along the way. He kinda kidnapped her and made her take him to his hideaway in the Colorado mountains. That place is just so beautiful. Wow, the next bits that happened are just so amazing. I can’t describe it well enough to do it justice. From their first kiss, both of them were hooked. He kissed her to hide the fact that he was kidnapping her, but that kiss just started off their relationship. I loved it when he was trying to rationalize with himself why he should seduce her. It was so cute haha:P

Those days that they spent in the house on the mountains were one of the most beautiful that I have ever read. I can’t describe it, it wouldn’t seem that good. But as I was reading it, I could see how much they were in love with each other and how they were just like a part of each other. It really was an example of 2 soulmates, finally finding each other. What can I say? Beautiful. Simply amazing.

Even the lovemaking scenes were so much more than just sex, so much more than just mutual pleasure. It was the joining of two souls that no matter how much they tried to fight it, they would fall in love.

But I think my absolute favourite part of the book came when Zack wrote that letter to Julie. That letter is simply the most beautiful words that could ever be written. Every single word showed the depth of love that Zack felt for Julie. He loved her so so much but yet, for her, he left, knowing that she would be better off without him. But he underestimated the power of love, especially the type of love they had. That type of love will never go away, because that sort of love lasts a lifetime. In the past, whenever I read that letter, I would cry my heart out. Because that sort of beauty just makes you cry. This read was no exception. I wept. Even if I just read the letter on its own, I would cry so easily. I remember flipping to the letter in a bookstore. I teared there and then, seeing those sweet sweet words. With a few short paragraphs, Mcnaught successfully conveyed the depth of love the two characters had for each other and that was the most amazing thing of the book for me.

After the amazing start and middle, the ending was a little bit of a disappointment. I mean the emotional peaks this book brought me to from the start to the middle was the highest I’ve ever reached. But after she decided to join him in Mexico, it just wasn’t that fantastic anymore. It was still good yes, but nothing compared to the beginning. And the letter:P I didn’t like how they made up. It wasn’t emotional enough. I actually would have preferred Zack having an epiphany, that he couldn’t live without Julie, rather than because of what Paul showed him for him to change his mind. But oh well, at least after he realised just how much Julie loved him, and that she had never truly intended to betray him, he went to seek her forgiveness.

Oh yes, one part that was kinda funny was when they were engaged. I loved seeing how Zack found it so difficult to control himself and actually had to restrain himself. It was so cute! Haha, and it just continued to reinforce the idea of how much he loved her.

And I don’t have any complaints about the book. It’s perfect and you can’t improve on perfection, can you? The pace was great, the storyline captivating and the love between the characters just the most wonderful thing ever. You really understood every bit of their actions and how their past shaped them. There really isn’t anything I didn’t like about the book, even though I felt that the ending wasn’t as good as the starting. And that’s the reason why I can’t say Perfect is the best book I’ve read. Because overall, its comparable to a couple of other books. But solely based on the book until the letter, it’s simply the best book I’ve ever read and I ever will. The maelstrom of emotions this book let me feel is simply incomparable to any other book I have read.

Perfect is honestly one of the best books I have ever read. True, the book IS pretty unrealistic, the events that allowed Zack and Julie to meet was just too coincidental to be possible. What were the chances of that happening? But then again, perhaps in the case of true love, fate will always contrive to bring the two souls together to make them fall deeply in love. Somehow, someway. All I know is that love will find a way.

I have read Perfect 3 times in total, and not once has it lost its magic for me. I think this read was the emotional read for me, because I found myself in tears every few pages. Zack and Julie were so in love, it was almost like love at first sight. Their love was so obvious and prevalent and simply so sweet. It shows the beauty of love and how love can truly conquer all. Perfect is a book that will always have a special place in my heart.

Master of Bella Terra by Christina Hollis



First Published: 15 October 2010
Publisher: Harlequin
Pages: 192
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished Date: 22 November 2011

Blurb from Goodreads

Kira Banks far prefers plants to people—after a heartbreaking affair, she lives alone in the beautiful Italian Bella Terra Valley. But her peaceful existence is shattered forever when restless, self-made billionaire Stefano Albani arrives home by helicopter.

Notoriously charming but weary of worldly women, Stefano is fascinated by cautious, shy Kira—this seduction will be unforgettable! However, his polished routine goes awry. Could it be that the tycoon, who can have anything or anyone he wants, might need someone for the very first time… Kira?


My Rating
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My Review

I couldn’t like this book, I just couldn’t. Don’t ask me why, because I really don’t know. I mean, the plot was pretty good, the characters pretty likable, and overall, the story was not too bad! But, somehow, I just didn’t like the book. I found myself reading for the sake of reading, instead of reading because I truly enjoyed it, which is what reading is supposed to be about, isn’t it?

But as to why I feel that way, I cannot think of any concrete reason. I mean, I could sense the love between them, especially after they separated and could not find themselves thinking of anything else. The plot was believable and even their attraction to each other was understandable. I think the main reason why I dislike the book was because the dialogue was rather flat and I had no emotional connection with the characters. Instead of being affected by what the characters did, it was more of a whatever kind of feeling.

Both the characters were likable, if a bit unrealistic. I’m sorry, their names just slipped my mind… Again. So, she’s a pretty strong woman, bad past, he’s a workaholic, bad past… Yeah, I couldn’t understand the characters and hence, I could not feel for them or with them. Its like, I know that they have a bad past, but I can’t see how their past really shaped them into who they are. For example, Kira (yes, I finally remembered her name!! I think…) had a very bad relationship in the past which caused her to be very reluctant to get into relationships involving feelings. As for him, (I only remember his name starts with S), he had a very difficult childhood? He was bad or something. You see, the problem is, I felt that their pasts aren’t really well elaborated and a person’s past really shapes their character. For Kira, it was more obvious, perhaps also because we got to see more of her feelings throughout the book. For him, I completely had no idea what his past was like. It was brushed across very lightly and I know it really shaped him. But because I don’t know what really went on in his past, I cannot truly understand him. For me, its very important that I understand the characters in order to have an emotional attachment to them during the book. This book failed to do that, in my opinion.

Overall, the plot was pretty simple. Guy and girl meet, wild attraction, sleep with each other, quarrel, one party leaves, fall in love, have a happily ever after ending. The only difference is that in this case, its him who leaves. (I keep getting the feeling that his name is related to Stephen somehow.) I liked the pace of the book, each scene was elaborated enough.

As I said, my main problem with this is the dialogue. It wasn’t exactly interesting, he wasn’t THAT seductive, it was pretty boring to be honest. Or at least, it was for me. All in all, I didn’t really enjoy the book. It was quite a dread while I was reading it. I guess, it’s a 2 stars! I was hoping that the book would improve along the way, but it didn’t. Oh well, can’t do anything I guess.

Ruthless Magnate, Convenient Wife by Lynne Graham


First Published: November 2009
Publisher: Harlequin
Pages: 192
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished Date: 21 November 2011

Blurb from Goodreads

Russian billionaire Sergei Antonovich was famous for being knee-deep in stunning supermodels and aspiring actresses. But not one was suitable bride material. Would he ever grant his aging babushka her dearest wish and present her with a grandchild?
So, why not handle this challenge as business? Without emotion, but with a contract of convenience that would grant Sergei the perfect deal: a wife he'd bed, wed, get pregnant…and then discard…


My Rating
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My Review

I really dunno what to say about this book. It had me hooked right from the beginning, but somehow, I just can't say I love it. I really don't have any complaints about this book, but neither do I have anything that particularly stood out to me.

Sergei and Alissa are just two very different people. Sergei is cold, sometimes unfeeling and have that idea that women are all not very good people. Alissa is just the entire opposite. She's friendly, sweet and sometimes quite gullible. Oh, one thing that they have in common is that both of them are really loyal to their family.

Ok, let's get started with the plot. Pace of the book was alright, it didn’t jump forward too quickly and with barely a word to suggest otherwise. It wasn’t long-winded, each part was elaborated just enough. The plot was interesting and I liked seeing how Sergei was so affected by Alissa.

I really liked Alissa. She was really sweet and even though she was tricked by her sister (I hate that girl), she still manages to adapt. As for Sergei, I didn’t really understand him, so I can’t really comment on his character. He’s kinda a little weird. At first, I couldn’t stand him after he described the coat attendant as just a menial servant and was so rude to her. But later, when he was so sweet to Alissa, like buying her chocs frequently, and his actions to her sister, just made me like him.

I want to rant about Alissa’s sister, Alexa. Pardon my language, but that woman is a bi**h. Seriously. Gosh, what woman could even do what she did? She totally lied to her twin sister without even batting an eyelid. What’s best is that she totally did not feel remorseful. I hate her! Ok, this part may be a little bit of a spoiler. Let’s see, so first she convinced Alissa to marry Sergei because she’s pregnant and want to marry some guy called Henry. Guess what? There’s no baby. Another thing, she can’t stand it that Alissa can actually attract Sergei. Hello Alexa? You practically threw her into his path and now you’re unhappy and jealous that she’s the one with him. Wth? Oh, and she tried making a play for Sergei. In front of Alissa and her husband, Henry. Can I point out the fact that Alissa and Sergei were married at that time? Gosh, wth is wrong with her! Why oh why is she such a slut? And a bitch? Pardon my language, I’m really very annoyed with her right now. Haha I was so happy when Sergei just completely ignored her every move for him and was just so nonchalant about it. Gosh, that girl is soooo immature, childish and seriously, a bi**h. Ok, I’m not gonna talk about her anymore.

I know I said earlier that I didn’t have any complaints about the book. But there is one thing I didn’t really like. I felt that the love between Alissa and Sergei wasn’t very prevalent. Sure, they were wildly attracted to each other, neither having felt the same way before. But I couldn’t feel the love. They hardly spent any time talking to each other, instead most of the scenes containing both of them were of them making love. And they may have good sex, but that doesn’t mean they are in love. I just couldn’t feel it. Sure, all the signs were there. Possessiveness, some jealousy, happiness when they were together, but I just didn’t see the love. And that’s the main problem I have with it. Considering that this is supposed to be a romance, I’m pretty disappointed that it didn’t contain those aspects.

But all in all, this was a pretty good book. Yes, I was hooked from the start, but somehow there was just something missing. I think it’s the lack of love that I felt, or rather, didn’t feel. After I finished the book, I had this feeling of dissatisfaction. Oh well, it was still a rather enjoyable read!

P.S. I don't feel that the blurb was a very accurate description of the book! But maybe, that's just me!

Musing Mondays [2]


Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading! !

This week's musing asks...

How do you decide to read a book by an author you haven’t read before? What sort of recommendations count most highly in making that decision?


Hmm, for me, its normally about what the story is about. I read books by authors I've never tried before all the time. Mostly, I don't really care about the author. As long as the book looks good, seems interesting, I'll read it. I can read pretty quickly so if I don't like a book, I'll just finish it up really fast! Actually, a lot depends on my mood. If I'm in the mood to read a certain genre, the book will just seem really nice to me. For example, in romances, if I read too many Harlequin books, I tend to compare them and won't enjoy a particular book as much as in the past. Nowadays, I'll look at some reviews without spoilers to decide or see the average rating. If a book is rated really badly, I will tend to try it, because I want to see just why everyone dislikes that book. Somehow, if a book has wayy too many good reviews, I may not read the book. I dunno, I've never really enjoyed reading a book that EVERYONE knows about and have read, especially nowadays. Don't ask me why, I think I'm weird!

Heh, what about you guys? Tell me what you think! ;D

One Night with His Wife by Lynne Graham



First Published: January 2000
Publisher: Harlequin
Pages: 288
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished Date: 15 November 2011

Blurb from Goodreads

Can one passionate night mend a marriage? Luc Sarrazan's marriage to Star was hasty and brief. They separated almost immediately and Star disappeared, but Luc never filed for divorce. Eighteen months later, Luc tracks Star down fearing she's involved in a fraud. When he discovers that Star is the mother of TWINS, he feels doubly deceived! Luc demands his price: he will have the fraud charge dropped if Star will spend just one last time in his bed. But he's not prepared for the cost of that fleeting taste of passion - the morning after, he wants more... even to mend their marriage!


My Rating
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My Review

I really enjoyed this book. Though there were some parts I really couldn’t stand and at times, I really wanted to strangle the heroine, Star, overall it was a pretty enjoyable read. Besides the hero, Luc is really hot:P That just takes away the entire focus on the heroine!

Alright, let’s get started. Luc and Star are married. But after a few weeks of a disastrous marriage that Luc never wanted, but Star yearned for, she ran away because she was really ashamed of her behaviour, if I read her right. The story takes place about 18 months after she left him. She has his twins, even though he doesn’t know it. When he goes to find her again, he is extremely angry with her, even to the point of hatred, because of a misunderstanding. He thought she cheated someone close to him of all her life savings. And thus, when he went to confront her, he was really pissed. But in spite of all that, he was extremely attracted to her. Hence, he made her the proposition for them to spend one final night together, before getting a divorce and him not pressing charges against her for fraud. So she, being rather weak and seriously in lust with him, agreed. And when I say seriously in lust, it is way more than just seriously. I can’t find the right words to describe it. Let’s just say that in his every little action, she can find some sexual meaning and get super turned on, super quickly. For that reason, I just didn’t like her at first. I felt that she really accepted a lot of s*** he was giving her, without even feeling pissed or even realizing he doesn’t deserve her. Instead, because she’s blinded with love, she just practically accepts everything.

But at last, I really admired her. She found the strength of will to push him away because she realised his intentions towards her was not at all what she wanted. That really made me happy because she finally stood up for herself and not just give in to all her desires all the time.

As for Luc, he is not a very nice guy. Seriously. At every move he makes, he hurts Star. He doesn’t seem to think about her emotions at all, rather coldly logically calculating every move to give him what he wants. In spite of all that, I could really tell he loved her. Like, when she left, he was so depressed and worried. He even sent people to dig up the moat in order to ensure that she didn’t commit suicide. Now that always tells me beyond doubt that the guy loves the girl. Um, I really couldn’t stand how he always hurt her. It was really sad. But I absolutely loved it when he got so jealous of Rory! I won’t say who Rory is, go read the book! Heh, but I think its actually pretty obvious lol!

Um, I enjoyed the book as a whole. A few complaints though. I hated how he confessed to her. It’s like so… Casual. I dunno, I just couldn’t feel the sincerity in it! Sigh, but well, I could tell that he did love her a little, but not the kind of love that lasts forever. I felt that it was more of those possessiveness one would treat with regard to a beloved belonging. There was sexual attraction to be sure, so strong it was crazy. But well, I just couldn’t reconcile all this to love. And as I’m writing this, I cannot help but wonder. Why am I even analyzing their behaviour so much? Its not like they’re real people, right? They’re just fictional characters with fictional feelings! Wait, not fictional feelings as in love doesn’t exist but fictional as in they don’t have feelings. I’ll always believe in love! And omg, did I seriously write that piece of nonsense down? I apologise, I’m just weird this way. Coupled with sleep deprivation, it’s a wonder I even recognize myself.

All in all, I really enjoyed the book. It was a good book, and I loved the dialogues between them. Star isn’t someone who is THAT smart, while Luc is simply a genius. Honestly, I can’t see any similarities between them, but oh well, isn’t that what they say as opposites attract?

This is another of Lynne Graham’s books that I enjoy. Sure, its rather cliché, ok very, with the married people separated then after one night of passion, the guy (why is it always the guy?), decides that they shouldn’t be separated and starts trying to mend the relationship. Haha but I really loved it when Luc took her and the children to that beautiful place. It was really nice! And I love Luc with the children! He’s so sweet to them! Like a total turn-around from his usual self. He’s actually really good with them! Heh, pace of the book was quite good, I loved their quarrels! It was very stimulating and frustrating at the same time! Its like sometimes, I would be screaming at Star for her to not take everything lying down and to at least stand up for herself. I has also hoped that she would be able to resist him, but to no avail. Oh well, that sucks! But I did have fun reading this book!

Again, I apologise for this review. I just can’t seem to write properly. For those that actually read all the way here, I’m kinda sorry for wasting your time, because I really feel that this review didn’t really say anything!


IOU Sex by Calista Fox



First Published: 1 August 2011
Publisher: Carina Press
Pages: 66
Format: Ebook
Finished Date: 15 November 2011

Blurb from Goodreads

Fiona Carlisle didn't think anything could hurt as much as finding her fiancé in bed with her sister. But receiving an invitation to the happy couple's engagement party comes a close second. Determined to prove to her family and herself that she's moved on, Fiona has every intention of attending, looking red-hot and with an even hotter man on her arm. And there's only one man who will do: renowned photographer and reputed playboy Michael Houston.
Fiona's rebound fling with Michael was a brief but erotic romp. Michael has made no secret of the fact that he's still interested. So when Fiona asks him to escort her to the engagement party, he agrees, with one condition: she must spend a sensual weekend with him picking up where they left off.

Intensely attracted to Michael, Fiona can't resist his offer for long. But when the weekend is over, will she be able to resist giving him her heart?


My Rating
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My Review


So I kinda hated the ending of this book. It’s so stupid! It’s like after the whole book, I practically didn’t read anything! So this was a novella. An erotic one. Basically, after reading it, I felt super dirty. I mean, if it was a romance with erotic elements in it, I wouldn’t have hated it. But this, I can’t even classify as a romance. Major spoiler. There was no HEA. How can a romance not have a HEA? And thus, this isn’t a romance, short or long either way. It’s simply an erotic novella. Gosh, there was like what, two whole chapters dedicated to how they had sex? And the book had 7 chapters. There was no time spent on building the romance part. Its like we were suddenly thrown into the middle of the book. Let me explain properly. So the two protagonists, I forgot their names already. They had a past relationship where they were both crazy in lust for each other. Then she needed a favour from him. So in return they had sex. Then she realised she was in love with him. Then the end.

Now, I actually quite liked the start and was kinda anxiously waiting for their HEA. But surprise surprise, it didn’t come. It just left the reader hanging. I was expecting an epilogue to wrap it all up nicely, but it never came! I just don’t get the book. Like seriously. There’s really nothing I can say about this book, because its so short. But I certainly would not recommend this to anyone. Unless they want to read a pure erotica.

Alright, the book wasn’t THAT bad. The storyline was interesting, and the dialogue rather witty. The thing that really got to me was the terrible ending. I know, I shouldn’t be so mean, but that IS the truth. The ending was not a proper one and thus I cannot bring myself to like it. If the book had a good ending, I would certainly have given it a higher rating. Now, that’s about all I have to say about the book.


Booking Through Thursday - [1]



Today's Booking Through Thursday asks:

Of the books you own, what’s the biggest category/genre?
Is this also the category that you actually read the most?

Um I think the biggest category is YA and teenage fiction! No, it definitely isn't the category I read the most! I mean, sure its great, but it just isn't for me! The category I read the most is romance, and sadly, I own very few of those books! I always have to borrow them:( The only YA I read nowadays are those in my shelf and those that come very highly recommended!

WWW Wednesdays - [1]


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:
Actually, nothing! I just finished a book and haven't started a new one yet!

What did I recently finish reading:
IOU Sex by Calista Fox
Its an alright book, just hate the ending!
One Night With His Wife by Lynne Graham
It was really pretty good! I enjoyed it:)

What I'm gonna read next:
Perfect by Judtih Mcnaught!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've been keeping this book for so long without reading it, I NEED to read it! I love it so so so so so much! :D

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Have Been On My Shelf For The Longest But I've Never Read - [1]


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

So. This is kinda hard to decide! I mean I have like a million books I need to read! How am I supposed to cut it down to ten? Alright, a million is kinda exaggerating! Heh, but well, you get the point! Its a lot!

Alright! Let's start :)


1. Mine Until Dawn by Ednah Walters .

I got the book long back, but for some weird reason never read it! When I read the synopsis and a bit of the first chpt, I fell in love with the book, so I have no idea why I didn't get around to reading it!


2. When Passion Rules by Judith Mcnaught .

Now, I absolutely adore Mcnaught's books. At least, most of them. This looks so good, yet I never actually got round to reading it! I know, I'm weird right?

3. Captive Surrender by Linda Mooney .

Similarly, I've had this book for ages. I have absolutely no idea why its not read yet. I just remember I kept pushing it back and back, always wanting to read another book!

4. Sweet Magik by Penny Watson .

Heh, I just got this ebook from the author as I won it in her giveaway! But, I can't wait to read it! It looks so interesting and awesome!

5. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon .

This book was recommended to me ages ago, about when I first really started using Goodreads, maybe August? And I kept delaying it month after month! Every month, someone would recommend me to read it either through a challenge or just spaz about how great it was which would make me want to read it! But yet, time after time, I found myself delaying it. Why? I have no idea.

6. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare .

My friend lent me this book recently but I haven't got round to reading it yet. It looks pretty good, and I do remember the first 3 being a rather enjoyable read! Somehow though, I don't see myself reading it THAT soon. Heh, but I kinda have to return the book to my friend so... Guess I have to read it!

7. Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband by Melissa Mayhue .

I got this book at a book sale a couple months back. The moment I saw the book, I fell in love with it. But, I dunno why I didn't read it! I'm just weird that way I guess, never reading books I really yearn to read!

8. Rebels and Lovers by Linnea Sinclair .

I got this book at the same book sale as the above-mentioned book. I got instantly hooked and somehow, I just knew I had to get it. But as it turns out, I still haven't gotten round to reading it yet! I really want to do so, but it seems like I have a ton of books just waiting for me!

9. Invincible by Sherrilyn Kenyon .

Now, this has been on my shelf for like, forever. As usual, this is a classic case of procrastination. I said I would read the book as soon as it came out, but in the end? Well, I guess you can see what happened!

10. No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon .

Exact same reason as above. I know, I'm weird.























So yep, those are the top ten books off the top of my head! There are loads more, but I really can't remember!

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