Zoe and the Tormented Tycoon by Kate Hewitt

First Published: 1 October 2010
Publisher:
Pages: 192
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished Date: 29 December 2011

Blurb from Goodreads

Everyone's talking about Zoe Balfour—the illegitimate heiress! She flies to New York to discover more about her biological family and goes a little wild, shocking even herself by spending one night with a gorgeous stranger….
The gradual loss of his sight has caused Manhattan mogul Max Monroe to close himself off from the world—a wife and child are most certainly not on his agenda! How will Zoe, once just a spoiled socialite and now unexpectedly pregnant, unlock the dark heart of a man who may never see his own child?

My Rating

My Review

5 words. What a waste of time. I tried liking the book, but I really couldn't. As I got to the end, all I could think of was why why why did I even bother reading this book? Sure, the lessons the characters learn are pretty applicable to real life. But the story is just sooo cliche and really rather shallow. The pace of the book was way too fast and abrupt with many things left unexplained. Even the romance was practically non-existent. After reading the whole book, I honestly do not know what I just read. Really.

Let's start with Zoe. So she just found out she's illegitimate and she's so so sad because of it. She built her identity around who her parents were and so when she found out she had no blood connection with her father, she was superrrr sad and started self-pitying. Ok fine, acceptable. Your whole life suddenly shatters in front of you, sure, you'll break down a while. But I really can't stand it when people keep running from their problems. For a while, fine. But she's been running for so damn long it annoys me. Omg I'm getting annoyed talking about her. What's next... Yeah, the fact that she's a freaking socialite that really can't seem to do anything just gets on my nerves. Sure, maybe she's not very smart. But that doesn't mean she has to party the whole day and spend Daddy's money. Ugh. I hate heroines like that. She's freaking 26. Grow up, already? And I honestly don't believe she can fool herself that she's happy for soooo many years. Omg I cannot talk about her anymore. Does she have good points? I'm sure she does, she is pretty understanding and she can be sweet. But I can't like her because I feel her bad points far outweigh the good.

As for Max. He's going blind. Yeah, that's bad. And he's another one who starts self-pitying. But it's not so bad! Still. He lets his self-pity get in the way of everything and if Zoe hadn't gotten pregnant, he just might have lost his one and only chance at true love. Though i'm a bit skeptical of that. Ok. So his past was skipped over really quickly. I mean, it obviously caused him a lot of harm. But why didn't the author cover it more? I felt it was just brushed over and it wasn't given the weight it deserved.

Ok but his self-pity I can understand. I mean losing your sight is not easy. And it can cause you to lose your sense of security when you can't even perform basic tasks. Put that with the fact that he has a fear of not being able to see because of his past and I can understand why he's so insecure. But Zoe, I just cannot understand it. Yes, I agree, it's pretty bad, suddenly realizing she isn't who she is. But how does that affect her identity, her own uniqueness?

One thing that I felt was really lacking was the communication between them. I mean, you don’t just fall in love for no reason at all, do you? You can’t just look at someone and next moment you realise you love that person, right? There must be some interaction and I felt it was really lacking in this book. Its like a lot of the book was full of her insecurity issues. There was very little memorable parts between them. I don’t know, I just couldn’t see how they were in love. I just didn’t feel it. I felt like it was more of a grateful thing. And maybe lust.

The book was a little unrealistic too. I mean seriously. Which semi-blind person can just sense the person they “love” in the room? I honestly don’t think anyone can just sense it. And for goodness sake, he could just “see” her when he could barely see a thing else. Its just a tad unbelievable.

When I first started writing this review, I intended to give it 2 stars. After the 2nd para, I've decided it's a definite 1. And pardon me if the review isn't up to standard, it's my first review in about a month? But this book just inspired me to write a review. Gosh. I hope never to read this type of book again. I'm sorry, i know I'm mean, but I honestly can't help it.

I mean the storyline is pretty interesting. Most books don’t have a hero that is going blind with no sudden resolution of that problem in the end. So yes, it was unique in that sense. But I didn’t really see a HEA. I was kinda left hanging, not really knowing whether they would somehow work everything out.

And honestly. I can’t stand this. Is it really so coincidental that their protection failed the one time they made love and thus causing her to have a baby? Sure, I don’t mind babies being part of the plot, but I really can’t stand the whole plot resting on the baby. I’m trying to say that without the baby, nothing would have happened in the book. The two of them would have just gone on with their lives, probably never seeing each other again, just remembering that one amazing night they spent together.

Sigh, all in all, this was a book I just could not enjoy. Sure, it was different, but I felt it just didn’t have enough to make the romance believable and the love obvious. Too much time was spent on how each person felt rather than that essential communication between the characters for them to fall in love. Its not a book I would recommend to anyone. Its quite a pity though, the book could have been better if the characters didn’t spend so much time self-pitying. The one redeeming quality was that both of them “saw the light” in the end!

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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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.

Eye of Heaven by Michelle Reid

First Published: June 1988
Publisher: Harlequin Romance
Pages: 188
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished Date: 14 November 2011

Blurb from Goodreads
She was gloriously happy -- too happy!

The initial encounter between Alec, an arrogant photographer, and Jessica, a fiery theater star, had sizzled with hostility. But in due time, the currents between them changed from antagonism to soul-searing love.

The magical, sun-filled days she shared with Alec gave Jessica a taste of heaven. Then, with heart-stopping abruptness. . . it all ended.

Alec's ex-wife, Tracy, had always retained a malevolent hold over him. Now, the woman was back in Alec's life. . . and with a weapon against which Jessica had no defense

My Rating

My Review

Ugh, why did the ending have to spoil it all? It was going so well! Ok not THAT well, but good enough that I could enjoy the book! And then here came the ending. Which was a complete let-down and made me dislike the book. The beginning was great and I really liked it! But after the conflict, I absolutely could not stand the book any longer.

So when I got into about the 2nd chapter of the book, I distinctly remember myself thinking: He's weird. So is she. And when I reached the end, my mind was made. They are weird people. I mean it. Gosh, I think he has no social skills at all. Unless he tries. If not, he reverts back to the very basics of the human nature. Primeval. Seriously, even I was appalled at his behaviour! He completely embarrassed her in public! Like his lack of control around her on their 2nd date. Gosh, I cringed for her! Its like he literally could not keep his hands off her and kept saying stuff! Haha it was just damn weird! I mean, I love it that the super controlled guy just can’t control himself around the girl he’s meant to be with. But seriously? So bad? It’s just kind of unbelievable.

But well, it was kinda funny though. I enjoyed the book , or at least the beginning parts. Let’s see. The beginning was addictive. It sucked me in rather quickly. The attraction between them was fiery right from the start and the sexual tension between them set the story pretty well. I did feel that their relationship moved a bit too fast too. Like, by the end of the second date, she moved into his house. But honestly, that really isn’t anything. Its not exactly important. I wanna talk about the ending actually.

Ok so until they had their quarrel, they were living very happily together. I actually enjoyed the time they spent together. It was really obvious they were so in love, yet neither was willing to admit it. I really wonder why. But when their quarrel came, the book just took a turn for the worse. The quarrel itself was reasonable, she was certainly right to have left him. Heh, when he told her something, I was so angry with him I literally slammed down the book. Really, that was just about the most jerkish thing I’ve seen a guy do when he’s in love. Like, literally, she did not do a single thing, but because of his stupid conscience, they quarrelled and she left him. But if was after the quarrel that I really could not stand the book.

Its like he was so insincere about his apology. I just didn’t get why she forgave him. Yes, she loved him, but I don’t see a proper reason for her to forgive him. Granted, she could have talked to him when he asked her to, but she was pissed so it was understandable though annoying. And later on, though he was really sweet to her when her sister went to the hospital, I still couldn’t see a valid reason for her to forgive him. Its like, he didn’t truly apologise. Actually, I really dunno how to say it. Its like, the last quarter of the book was just talking about that, and I was getting so bored reading it, cos I felt it was just filler paragraphs and a waste of time. I know I shouldn’t be so mean, but it’s the truth. When I finished the book, I felt this sense of dissatisfaction. I didn’t feel like the ending was good nor did it really wrap up the entire story.

All in all, I was rather disappointed with the book. I don’t think it’s the first time I’m reading Michelle Reid, but this just wasn’t what I was expecting. I’ve always heard good things about Ms. Reid, and thus I’m really disappointed. Especially its like the first bits of the book was good, its just that the end was a let-down, and that really affected my view of the whole book. Cos in my opinion, the ending is one of the most important parts in a book. Without a good ending, I am just unable to enjoy the book. Its really a pity too, as I did like the idea of the book. If only he was more sincere in apologising, and if she didn’t just like accept his “apology”, I think I would certainly have given a much better review and rating.

P.S. Sorry for this terrible review. I tried my best, but I just couldn’t write it well. I guess my best just isn’t enough! Oh well, I was really tired when I wrote this, and so forgive its disjointness.

A Wedding Blunder in the Black Hills by Kim O'Brien

First Published: 01 September 2011
Number of Pages: 320
Finished Date: 11 November 2011

Blurb from Goodreads

David and Millie both have big problems. A widowed dentist with an almost-teen son, he’s being stalked by an amorous patient. Millie’s mom keeps sending her on blind dates, even though the café owner has trust issues. So when a lost filling lands Millie in David’s office, the two of them find a solution—a faux relationship. No one gets hurt and no one gets nagged. It’s a great plan—until they really start to care. Now what will they do?

My Rating

My Review

Wow, I actually really liked this book. When I first started reading it, I expected it to be a rather slow and boring book. It just shows you really can't judge a book by its cover. Not only was the book not slow-moving, the characters and the entire story plot was very interesting.

This book made me laugh several times. I was in the bus reading today, and I nearly burst out in laughter after reading several scenes. The beginning was a little slow but as time passed, the book picked up speed and became better and better.

The main characters in the book, namely, David and Millie were pretty interesting characters. At the beginning, I really liked Millie and I liked her attitude. But somehow, towards the end of the book, I felt that she got more and more insecure about little things. Like her father being in prison showed that there was something wrong with her. But I'm happy that she kinda changed at the end. I especially liked seeing how she started to trust in God once more. That really touched my heart.

David was just so funny and really a typical dad who simply does not know how to handle his kid. Every time he spoke to his kid, forgot his name, sorry!, I could just sense that father's desperation to connect with his kid, yet at the same time knowing that he was losing him. He was definitely a very believable character and I really adored him. The way he treated Millie was so sweet and through his actions, I could really tell that he had fallen in love with her. Heh its just so cute to think about it! When they were both young, he asked her out and she turned him down. But now, after all these years, they finally got together! And their love for each other is so sweet and the type of love that you know lasts forever.

So the plot WAS very interesting. They were pretending to date in order to get people off their backs! For Millie, it was her mum. And for David, it was Cynthia. I tell you, that woman is a joke! Gosh, she stalks him everywhere! Heh, its really funny to read how David tries to avoid her but yet she tracks him down every time, like she has the senses of a bloodhound! From their first pretend date, the attraction between them was sizzling. They were both attracted to each other from the start, and when they found that out it was so cute haha!

Ok I realise my review is pretty random. I apologise, its almost 2 here and I'm dead tired! Back to topic!

I loved their pretend dates, they were always so funny! Both of them were trying to pretend they didn't like each other but it was so obvious! OH, I loved their pretend date in the forest! It was so funny haha:) Some animal was going to attack them and haha they ran to hide in the toilet! It was kinda hot actually, I was hoping their mutual attraction would boil over and they would just kiss each other! Sadly, it didn't happen:)

But when it did, it was really sweet. As I said earlier, Millie got to be more unlikable as the book went on while David got more likable. Overall, the plot was very good and it certainly captured my attention. Characters were funny and easy to like. I especially the way Millie managed to open her heart and trust God again. Earlier, I was kinda getting pissed with her for thinking that she was bad, that God wouldn’t love her and basically all the self-pity she was doing.

I really enjoyed their love story and it was really a very sweet ending. Its this kind of love that you know will just last forever. It isn’t crazy passion, a lot of lust for each other, though its certainly there, but rather a love that was true, that was really from the heart. The book did touch me and that was something I certainly was not expecting.

I did find some parts of the book a little slow and not important enough to be so elaborated. Like, the building of the sled. I kinda didn’t really need to know all the things they were doing for the sled! Um, this isn’t a book that would fire your passion or anything. Rather, it’s a book that is just so sweet, one that you just want to savor and really see their love story.

All in all, I loved the book. It was definitely not something I was expecting and I was dreading to read it at first. But once I did, I had no regrets. I wouldn’t say it was amazing and all that, but it was a good book. However, its definitely not for people who enjoy fast-paced books or romances with hot, steamy sex scenes. This had none, and it was actually a very good thing in my opinion! I would recommend this book to people who can appreciate love stories and don’t mind sitting through boring scenes. Because there were boring scenes. And the book was slow-paced, but I still loved it, I dunno why.

Well, that’s just about all I have to say for this book! I really did enjoy this book. Though I may never re-read it again, I will have fond memories of this book. I laughed, I sighed, I hoped. This book did take me through a range of emotions. Its been a long time since I read a truly sweet book and though this isn’t the type of book I usually read, I really did enjoy the experience.

This ebook was given to me by Netgalley:)

P.S. Sorry this review is so... disjointed. I have no idea what I'm doing! If you can be high on sleep deprivation, then that's what was happening to me as I wrote this!

The Ultimate Risk by Chantelle Shaw

Published: June 21st 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Presents
Pages: 192
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished: 06 November 2011

Blurb from Goodreads

For better…or for worse?
When she sees Lanzo di Cosimo again after ten years, Gina Bailey's pulse races at the memories of their heady affair—a time when life seemed perfect.

Now she is far from being the carefree innocent she was before. Since married and abused by her ex-husband, and with her dreams of a family dashed, she's built up barriers around her heart.

But Lanzo's sweet caress implies that he wants Gina for the long term. Can she afford to surrender in the hope that he might protect her, cherish her, for better or worse…?

My Rating

My Review

The reading of this book was an enjoyable experience for me. Though I wouldn’t say it was amazing, this book did bring me through several ranges of emotions and I loved it.

Now, pardon me if this review isn’t written well (as usual), I read this book quite a while back and I’m not sure whether I can remember all the intricacies. But from some notes that I scribbled down before that and whatever remnants of the book left in my memory, I will attempt to write the best review that I can do!

So, Gina and Lanzo the main characters of this book actually have a history. They met each other 10 years ago, when Gina was 18. They had a brief affair then all of a sudden, he called it off. Of course, she was hurt because she did love him. And even before I read towards the end, I knew that he was falling in love with her during that period. But after he left, they both got on with their lives. Finally, they met again, at a party I believe.

The sexual tension between them was impalpable right from the moment they laid eyes on each other. He couldn’t exactly place her, but she recognized him immediately. Of course, its revealed later that Gina changed a lot, and hence he couldn’t remember. So basically, she was in need of a job. He offered her a temp job as his PA was away on maternal leave. Having no choice, she accepted. I think you can see where this is leading.

Heh, without a doubt, they became attached and everything. She loved him deeply, but he refused to admit he loved her. For this simple reason. He believed he couldn’t ever love again, or rather, he stopped believing in love all together. But from his every action, I could tell that he did love her, he just refused to admit it.

Later she became pregnant. She told him, he got pissed, she left, he got worried, blah blah blah. I really liked it that she had the courage to leave him even when she was so in love with him! It couldn’t have been easy. Oh yes, since we’re on the topic of Gina, I would like to say I absolutely agree with her view on life. That even if one person ruined quite a lot of your life, there was still hope for a better future. In her own words, she said “I believe that just because something didn’t go the way you planned it once, it’s no reason not to try again.” And “Of course there’s a risk that that could happen, but what is the alternative? To never allow myself to get close to anyone ever again? Never know the joy of loving someone for fear that it could end up in tears? My heart might stay safe, but it wouldn’t be much of a life.” Those words that she said just made me completely admire her. Really, her take on life is very inspiring. And yes, very true. Even if things go wrong, it doesn’t mean we give up and stop trying! After she said that, I began to see her in a completely new light.

Gina is also a very courageous woman. She dared to tell Lanzo all those things about him even though she knew he would be extremely angry. But she did it because she loved him. She is an extremely strong woman. When you put together all the pieces of her past, you’ll see that no ordinary person could have lived through all those things and still say what she said earlier about life.

As I was reading the book, I remember hoping that he would be able to let go of the past. Because for as long as he held on to the past, he would never be able to move forward. He would always be trapped in the past. But the time he started to let go was when she gave birth. Let me tell you, that scene was the most beautiful scene ever. It showed how a cold, hard man could be softened so much by the sweet, innocent gaze of the baby and how love truly healed. I remember crying as I read that scene. It was the start of him starting to actually admit he loved her.

At the same time, I didn’t like it. I mean, its like without the baby, he probably wouldn’t have been able to let go, or be able to finally admit he loves her. I kinda dislike it when that happens as it makes the baby so crucial to the whole story, and I really rather focus on how the love between a couple can heal all wounds, be it big or small, past or new.

All in all, I really liked the book. It did show how love healed. Not only was the love between a couple a balm to the tortured soul, but the most innocent love of a baby could heal an emotionally injured man. I can’t say I loved it, why, I don’t really know. Its just a feeling I get, perhaps overall, the book just didn’t do it for me. Oh, and I loved how he confessed to her! It was so sweet! :) heh, I did enjoy the experience of reading this book and I liked how love was portrayed here.