Delirium by Lauren Oliver

First Published: 1 February 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 411
Format: Paperback
Finished Date: 14 August 2013

Synopsis

Lena Haloway is content in her safe, government-managed society. She feels (mostly) relaxed about the future in which her husband and career will be decided, and looks forward to turning 18, when she’ll be cured of deliria, a.k.a. love. She tries not to think about her mother’s suicide (her last words to Lena were a forbidden “I love you”) or the supposed “Invalid” community made up of the uncured just beyond her Portland, Maine, border. There’s no real point—she believes her government knows how to best protect its people, and should do so at any cost. But 95 days before her cure, Lena meets Alex, a confident and mysterious young man who makes her heart flutter and her skin turn red-hot. As their romance blossoms, Lena begins to doubt the intentions of those in power, and fears that her world will turn gray should she submit to the procedure.

My Rating

My Review

Delirium was fantastic. I loved it. The story was really good and I felt that this book was a great premise to the beginning of the entire series. In this book, love, something that seems rather amazing to all of us, is seen as a disease. Its seen as something that one can have a cure for because it’s the root of all problems and without it, things will be better. Maybe in some ways, things were better. People didn’t fight over love, over emotion essentially. But their lives were devoid of that spark that love could bring you. The thing is, they all actually wanted it.

Lena and Alex are our two main characters. I have to say, I didn’t really like Lena in the beginning. I felt that she was too afraid to live, and that just rubs me the wrong way. Still, I like how the author is able to convey her fear and all the reasons for her being afraid. It was a little bit repetitive though, I must have read Lena’s reasons for being afraid many many times. I loved her character development. She transformed from a girl who was so afraid to love, to a girl who couldn’t live without love. Who did everything for love. And that touched me. It was the depth of love and the power of love that was the message conveyed through everything Lena did. It was beautiful.

Alex on the other hand, was someone we didn’t know much about. I would have liked to understand Alex a little better. It’s nice that he’s an enigma, which makes him just a bit more attractive. Still, I would love to know why he feels the way he does, what made him that way. I do think there are side stories of him, so I’m definitely going to check those out. His character development here wasn’t fantastic, he doesn’t develop per se. Because he started out believing in love, and I think there wasn’t much space for him to develop.

Yes, I have to admit, there were many parts of the book that was draggy. But Lauren Oliver made up for it with the love story she wrote. I think the most beautiful part of this book was how she captured love in it's simplest form. Everything she said, it just rings a bell of when you first find someone, when you first fall in love with that person and it reminds you of how beautiful love can be. Maybe it's also because of my own experiences and also because Lena's the same age as me and hence I can identify rather well. 

And oh gosh, at the end, what he did for her, that told me he loved her in ways that nothing else could. And while the action only came towards the end, I loved the build up to it. I loved how they fell in love. The ways she described how being in love felt was just so real. I love the way she captures teenage angst. When I was reading about how Lena felt love was like, and all the things that love made her feel, I was just yes yes yes, that's exactly what I felt! 

It's not the best romance in the world, but there's something so endearing about it. It was so sweet and I just found myself rooting for them. They weren't my favorite characters, but I adored them together. 

I know there's a lot of people that say it's unrealistic that she would kiss him in public if there were so huge consequences. Ok to be honest, I didn't even realize that. But on further thought, I just feel that sometimes when you're so young and you have so strong feelings, it just spills out. You heck the consequences because you just can't imagine not kissing him right there and then. 

And one of the parts I loved most? It was when she said, "It [love] will kill me. And I don't care." I just felt that little bit summed up love so simply yet it captured the essence. When you're in love, sometimes you just don't care about anything. You don't care about the consequences, all the things that could go wrong, all you can think about is how right it feels. And there was another part where she said how happy she was. How love brought her happiness. And that was beautiful too. You see, all of Lena's life, she was brought up thinking love was a disease, that it had to be cured. Yet, when it happened to her, when she fell in love, everything went away. And only love mattered. I know she’s young, I know she fell in love really easily and really quickly. But still, love comes at unexpected times, and maybe that’s the beauty of it.

The ending broke my heart. Still, it was for the best. I think when the book ended, I put it down and I started to cry. By how much they loved each other, how much he was willing to sacrifice for her. That touched me to the core.

There was one part I had a little bit of an issue with. It was the pacing. I honestly got a bit confused here and there because I didn’t know what was the timeframe like. Everything seemed to happen together that it got a little confusing. Its like one moment she’s preparing for something, the next we skip forward a few days because she has gotten an epiphany about the situation or something. Still, it was just a small annoyance and it didn’t really detract from my enjoyment of the book.

Delirium was fantastic. I loved it. The plot, the characters, and especially, the love. I would read it again in a heartbeat, just to cry over the sweet scenes.

Edit: After reading the rest of the series, I must say they were a bit of a letdown compared to this book. This wasn’t the most interesting or the most action packed, but it showed what love could be like, and that made it so beautiful.

Sweetest Taboo by Eva Marquez

First Published: 1 October 2012
Publisher: Terra-Mía Press
Pages: 294
Format: Ebook
Finished Date: 18 November 2012

Synopsis

Isabel Cruz was fifteen years old when she met Tom Stevens. She was 15 when they started dating, and 16 when she lost her virginity to him. By the time she turned 18 and went to college, everything had fallen apart. This hadn’t been an ordinary love, though. Not a love between two dear friends, or even high school sweethearts. This had been the most taboo sort of love there was: a relationship between a student and her teacher. Isabel started her high school career as a normal student, but set her sights on Tom Stevens as soon as she met him, and pursued him with an intense – and sometimes reckless – fascination. When he finally approached her after swim practice and told her that he shared her feelings, it was the start of a forbidden and dangerous relationship.
Join Isabel as she makes her way through this dark love story, hiding from teachers, lying to her parents, and defying the authorities to make a life with the man she loves. Watch as she discovers the wonders of love and romance, and the terrible betrayal of jealous friends. And cry with her when she learns the hard truth about life and the people in her world. Sweetest Taboo is inspired by the true and tragic stories of students who fall in love with their teachers, and live with the hard truths of forbidden romances. In a world full of after-school specials on sexual predators, this touching book seeks a different path, casting both student and teacher in a gentle light, and showing that true love may lie at the base of even the most illicit romance.

My Rating

My Review

Sweetest Taboo. A name that intrigued me from the start, coupled with a story that was beautiful and amazing. While reading this book, I was completely hooked. Initially, I thought that this book would merely consist of how she fell for him and vice versa with a lot of flirting and tension along the way. But from the moment I read the prologue, I knew it was going to be something different, and I truly enjoyed it.

I find that I am able to identify with Isabel in many ways. Maybe its because like her, I’ve always preferred older guys. Or maybe I just like the way she approaches the relationship between her and Tom. It was truly something very down-to-earth and very realistic. I found myself believing most of what had gone on in the book, which did add to my enjoyment of it. As for Tom, I do think that he is incredibly sweet. Through it all, he always stuck by Isabel, and while I do admit that even I doubted him for a while at the end, I’m glad to say I was proven wrong.

The love between Isabel and Tom, while not commonly witnessed, is something very believable. The taboo nature of the relationship made the book even more interesting to read about, simply because not many books talk about so taboo a relationship. And perhaps its just me, but I’ve never seen anything wrong with an adult having a relationship with a minor. As long as the minor made her own decision and what they have is real, I think its beautiful either way. After all, love knows no age, so why should we use something so minor to stop two people meant for each other from being together?

I really liked Isabel while reading the book. I felt that even at a tender age of 15, she did know her own mind. She wasn’t a normal immature teenager. Yes, there were times when I couldn’t stand her behavior, her thinking. But other than that, I found her extremely mature. Especially how she handled her relationship with Tom. As difficult as it was, I thought she dealt with it amazingly well, given that she was at that age.

I did especially love what Isabel did towards the end of the book when she finally took a stand. No matter how difficult it was, she decided to say, enough was enough and made that stand. I also love how we saw she matured throughout the entire book, going from a somewhat self-centered teenager (but still rather mature), to someone who truly cared about others and finally took a stand for herself.

There’s nothing much I can really talk about the plot. Essentially, it explores the relationship between Tom and Isabel, and at the same time, giving us more detailed views into their characters as the book progressed. I found it to be simple, yet good. It effectively conveyed the story without using excessive descriptions or other ‘good’ words. Simply put, the story was told to us, honest yet beautifully.

There was something I didn’t really get though. I felt that there should have been a little more about how Tom fell for her. I mean, it did seem a little weird that all of a sudden, a teacher could fall for his student. Personally, I felt that maybe more emphasis was needed on that part, because I think this is one instance where ‘we are meant for each other’ or ‘we’re soul mates’ just doesn’t cut it. Yes, none of these phrases were actually used, but the meaning was implied.

Overall, I really did like this book. I did wish it was longer though, so more aspects of their love could be explored. This is certainly a book that shows that love defies all boundaries, even age. Sometimes, love just happens, and it can happen at any age, at any time. Truly, this was an excellent romance, one that I think should be read! Am definitely looking forward to the sequel next year! At least, that’s what Ms. Marquez’s website stated!

P.S. Do forgive me for this review. I’m not feeling entirely well, and hence, am unable to really think properly! I did want to complete a review before I slept though! I do realize there’s quite a lot of repetition here so I do apologise!

A World Apart by Camelia Miron Skiba

First Published: 18 December 2011
Publisher: Self-published
Length: 122,000 words
Format: Ebook
Finished Date: 29 January 2012

Blurb from Goodreads

In a war that’s not hers, she loses everything.
Everything she loses is because of him.
Forgiveness is not an option.
Or maybe...

Lieutenant Cassandra Toma, trauma surgeon in the Romanian National Army starts her deployment at a joint-unit air base on a wrong foot, clashing on her first day with her new commander, Major David Hunt. Her rebellious nature and sassiness rival her excellent performance in the operating room—the only reason why she's not reprimanded, or maybe not the only reason.

They meet. They clash. A forbidden passion consumes them with the intensity of an erupting volcano, leaving her heartbroken and him with tarnished honor and pride as an officer. The only way out for David is disappearing into the dangerous warzone in Iraq. Their flame was supposed to be over when destiny brings them back under the same roof, this time with a common goal—to find Cassandra's brother, Maj. Robert Toma, kidnapped by insurgents while on patrol.

To rescue Robert, Cassandra and David put aside their resentments, uniting forces against a common enemy. Trying to forget the painful past, Cassandra opens up to give David—and their love—another chance. What she doesn’t realize is that her anguish is the result of David’s impetuous action—one reckless choice he made for which she may never forgive him.

His mistake, his secret, could cost them both the love they've finally found.

My Rating

My Review

A World Apart was something so unexpected; I can’t help but say I love it. When I first began the book, I found it rather slow and a little dry. But as the book carried on, I found how amazing it was. It may not always have been very interesting, but it was certainly very touching. When I first picked up the book, I wasn’t expecting what I read at all. The level of emotions depicted in the book is just so amazing and so so real.

The thing I really liked about this book was that it truly showed the real horrors of wars and the sufferings that is faced by family and friends. It didn’t brush across all these emotions lightly, and that is something I really liked about it. I especially liked seeing how just one small baby could bring so much joy to them, could represent so much hope for them. The people in the book were really noble. Without regard for themselves, they would work hard to save others.

The main characters of this book is David and Cassandra. Both of them are doctors and super good ones at that. Right from the start, they have conflicts with each other and David makes a super wrong assumption about Cassandra that almost ruined their entire relationship. He thought she was married. It caused a lot of problems later on, trust me.

David is a very kind man. I like him a lot. It’s very obvious how much he loves her, I can see it in his every action. But as for Cass, I didn’t really feel it. She had an epiphany towards the end then I felt was a little weak, given that she just kept running away then blaming him for pushing her away. However, I really felt that David was a very realistic character. His actions were rather justified most of the time and I could empathize with him. I also liked his attitude towards treating others. And what he did for the woman he thought was wounded was truly noble. Perhaps not the best thing to do, but it was really really noble. Want to know what I’m talking about? Go read the book! It’s great, and I really recommend it!

Somehow though, as the story went on, I found myself not liking Cassandra. I think it’s because she only thinks for herself when it comes to feelings. Sure, I get that she’s protecting herself but a lot of the problems between them came about because she was hurt and refused to give him a chance. Then she blamed him when he left. Seriously? You didn’t want to talk to him, he thought he was in the wrong and thus decided to leave so that he wouldn’t cause any more harm and you blame him? But then again, she never actually put herself in other people’s shoes. Maybe its just me, but I found her to be quite self-centred and thus, I couldn’t like her. But I have to say though, the way she acted was very real, it wasn’t like some fairytale character who does everything right. I guess I just couldn’t connect with her. She’s nice to her patients and all, but when it comes to feelings, and grudges, I cannot stand her. But I really admired the love between her and her brother, Robert.

The plot was good. Though the characters didn’t really spend a lot of time together, when they were together, you could just sense that mutual attraction and David’s love for her. I liked the character development for David, not so much for Cass. I liked Cass in the beginning, I kinda hated her towards the end. Total opposite for David.

Anyway, the book was really touching. I vividly recall a certain scene where I was in tears. The pain felt by the characters were so real, I grieved alongside them. But at the same time, when the characters were feeling joy, I felt that urge to jump up and scream because everything was great! I was rather emotionally involved in the book. Most of the time, I did feel how the characters were feeling and I loved that about the book.

But I do have to say one thing though. The book was rather dry. Overall, the plot is good, but I found the dialogues and conversations to be rather flat. It wasn’t really witty or particularly memorable. The pace wasn’t to my liking too. Some parts were too dragged out and then all of a sudden a few weeks or months pass and I’m thrown for a loop. Descriptions were fine as a whole, I could kinda see it in my head.

All in all, I really feel that this book is something different. Perhaps not to everyone’s taste, it certainly isn’t a light read. But it is a good book to be sure, one that can leave you almost crying in sadness and suddenly crying out in disbelief. Because that’s what I did. A good book through and through. The emotions it brought me through was really something different and of course, as I’ve mentioned earlier, the best part is that the author didn’t try to cover up the pain, sadness, atrocities and ugliness of war. It was just laid out bare for us to see. It showed me how pointless war is, if I didn’t already know that. And yes, I can empathize more with the soldiers now and how every life saved means so much. 4.5 stars to be sure.

Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Philips (Chicago Stars #3)

First Published: 1 February 1997
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 374
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished Date: 11 January 2012

Blurb from Goodreads

A temperamental quarterback is given a special "birthday gift" by his teammates--a ravishing young woman. The "birthday gift" is actually a physics teacher who is using the quarterback for her own special project. But before long, this mismatched couple passionately prove that opposites attract.

My Rating

My Review

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were so likable, even the supporting ones. The plot kept me turning page after page of this book, simple unable to stop. The story was really sweet and it truly showed how love could overcome anything. I especially like it when the guy realises that he could be happy without football, but he just needed her.

So Jane and Cal are the main characters in this story. Just to give you a short introduction, Jane is a genius. She wants a child, but doesn’t really want to get married. However, she has one criteria for the father. She wants the father to be stupid. This is so that the child will be of average intelligence, which will help him/her to fit in in the future. Needless to say, she saw Cal playing football on TV one day, and thought he was stupid. She couldn’t have been more wrong. Cal was one of the smartest footballers around. Basically, she contrived a plan to get herself pregnant by Cal. She succeeded, but Cal found out and insisted they get married. This book was mainly about their life as a married couple and how they fell in love. It was beautiful and sweet, that’s all I can say.

I loved the plot. Sure, it isn’t very realistic, but it was page-turning. My eyes were glued to the book and I simply could not stop reading. It was well-paced and well elaborated. The times they spent together were amazing. They were so unsuited for each other, yet in every way, they were perfect halves. Does that make sense?

The character development too was great. Cal really learnt how football wasn’t everything. As for Jane, love really changed her. You could see it in the way she behaved. The characters were really likable and you could just connect with them. I felt right there with them, laughing out loud many times at their conversations.

I loved it when Jane moved away and Cal finally realised he wanted to stay married to her forever. It was just so sweet! And the things he did to win her back was really nice and I have to say, I adored it.

I have to say though, the part about Cal’s parents was the sweetest thing I’ve read in a while. I don’t really know how to describe it, all I can say is that it was really touching to read. I’m not afraid to admit it, I cried. Though it was just a small little portion of the book, it really showed me how the spark of love could be reignited.

All in all, this was really a good book. The plot kept me turning page after page and I really enjoyed reading this.

Minx by Julia Quinn (Splendid Trilogy #3)

First Published: 1 September 1996
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 396
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished Date: 9 January 2012

Blurb from Goodreads

The attractive, yet utterly tomboyish, manager of a country estate is taken to London by her new guardian in order to be properly groomed for society. Her original spirit and winning manner capture society's attention and admiration, as well as her guardian's affections.

My Rating

My Review

Minx was a book that I really enjoyed. Dunford was a character that was shown since Splendid, the first book in the series. Hence, it was really a pleasure to read about him. Henrietta, or rather, Henry, is his perfect match in so many ways. Both of them together is just so sweet.

The beginning part was really funny. I really loved seeing how Dunford tried to resist his attraction to Henry out of some misguided sense of duty. And right at the beginning, when Henry tried to chase Dunford away, I was bursting out in laughter every few pages or so.

For me, this book was very real. The characters were very realistic and you could really feel their pain, their hurt, but also their love and joy. It was a book that made me feel a lot. It brought me through a whole maelstrom of emotions and even now, just flipping through the ending, I find myself tearing up at the sweet words they spoke to each other. Yes, it may be mushy and cheesy but it just is so sweet, is it not?

Alright, let me just start with a short summary.

So Dunford inherits the estate Henry is living on. She tries to chase him away at first. Afterwards, they strike a truce and become friends. However, they are both attracted to each other. Later, when Dunford finds out that he’s her guardian, he insists on bringing her to London so as to give her a season and find her a husband. And he tries to fight the attraction, thinking its very wrong to be attracted to her as he’s her guardian. But finally, in London, they both give in to their mutual desires and fall in love. They get engaged, but because of a major disagreement, which I won’t say what, they were estranged for quite a while. Of course, it all got resolved in the end and they had their HEA.

So the thing I really loved about this book was that it was really well written. I could feel the characters, as if I was living their lives. The part that I especially loved was when they had their major conflict. I really could feel their pain, and believe me, it was very painful. But when they finally made up, their love was so so sweet. Of course, before that, one could also feel their love. But I find that it is after major conflicts that you can truly see a couple’s love for each other.

As with the previous 2 novels in the Splendid Trilogy, the dialogue was very witty and I really enjoyed the times they spent together. Without doubt, I would be able to find something that I could laugh about, or sigh about within most of their dialogues.

There’s only one thing I didn’t really like, and what stopped this from being a 5 star read. I didn’t like the making up scene. It didn’t have that emotional impact on me that I thought it should have. The part after that was so sweet though, and of course, the epilogue where the baby is born just brings a smile to my face.

I think something I really liked in this book was how Dunford was humbled by love. He was a different man when he was in love. Still the same old adorable Dunford, but there was something so different about him when you saw him with Henry. Maybe its because we’ve seen him over 2 other books and thus can really see the change in him when he falls in love.

As for Henry, I really liked her a lot. She was someone that I could really relate to. The things she did were things I would have thought of doing were I in the same situation. And I like that she can swallow her pride and apologize when she’s in the wrong. I especially loved her tricks right at the beginning. She really fooled Dunford! Throughout the whole book, you could see Henry mature into a fine young lady. Before, she was really nice and really sweet, but still very innocent. At the end, she was truly a lady. I would call it, transformed by love. And not in a bad way. As in she didn’t change for him. It was a natural process that occurred because of love.

All in all, Minx was a great read and I really loved it. Certainly a book I would recommend to someone else. In fact, I would definitely recommend the whole series to another person. The final book, a novella in Where’s My Hero, was also very well-written. I won’t be doing a review for that so suffice to say that I really loved it and it did sum up all the characters that were introduced to us. And I loved the ending for that book. Funny and fantastic. But back to topic. Minx just shows me how love really changes people into becoming better persons. It was a completely enjoyable read. 4.5 stars.

It Had To Be You by Susan Elizabeth Philips (Chicago Stars #1)

First Published: 1 August 1994
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 376
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished Date: 7 January 2012

Blurb from Goodreads

The Windy City isn't quite ready for Phoebe Somerville -- the outrageous, curvaceous New York knockout who has just inherited the Chicago Stars football team. And Phoebe is definitely not prepared for the Stars' head coach Dan Celebow, a sexist jock taskmaster with a one-track mind. Celebow is everything Phoebe abhors. And the sexy new boss is everything Dan despises -- a meddling bimbo who doesn't know a pigskin from a pitcher's mound.

So why is he drawn to the shameless sexpot like a heat-seeking missile? And why does the coach's good ol' boy charm leave cosmopolitan Phoebe feeling awkward, tongue-tied....and ready to fight?

The sexy, heartwarming, and hilarious "prequel" to Susan Elizabeth Phillip's This Heart of Mine -- her sensational bestsellng blockbuster -- It Had To Be You is an enchanting story of two stubborn people who believe in playing for keeps.

My Rating

My Review

This was a very good read. I loved the characters in the book, and their love truly touched me. I devoured the book, and finished it within a few hours. I simply could not stop reading. The action that was unfolding on the pages of the book was really captivating and everything just fell so nicely in place. I’m trying to say, there wasn’t too much of anything or too little. At the risk of sounding like Goldilocks, everything was just right. I especially loved the romance, and honestly, the first love scene that Phoebe and Dan had was so so sweet, at least on Phoebe’s side.

So, I thought I start by talking a bit about the characters. Phoebe is at first glance, a bimbo. Because of the clothes she wears, the way she carries herself, people think she doesn’t have a brain. But let me tell you, there’s a very very devious brain lurking behind those clothes. She dresses that way as a form of self-protection. Protecting herself from what, I leave that to you to find out. She’s very headstrong and she wants her own way. And she’ll do a lot to achieve it.

As for Dan, I really don’t know how to describe him. Shall I say he’s someone who’s never really talking? My impression of him is that he’s always speaking with a loud voice, aka shouting. Or maybe that’s only towards Phoebe, because he simply has no idea how to handle her.

Ok, I’ve realised my reviews are so so so long, it gets boring. Then again, I was never really much of an interesting person. So I’m gonna attempt to write a short review. Next few reviews, I am going to keep it within 500 words. Excluding the summary. I’ll try!

The love they shared was so touching and even in later books, when they are mentioned, every time they look at each other, their looks are so filled with tenderness, its really humbling. That is true love. I believe it with all my heart. They went through so many ups and downs, so many pushing each other away, trying to hide their feelings. But at last, they could deny it no longer and gave in to it.

I really enjoyed the book. Though I read it for a challenge at first, I couldn’t help but fall in love with the characters inside the book. I love the witty dialogues between Dan and Phoebe. It makes me laugh every time. The supporting characters were really funny and the plot was really coherent and well planned out. The football games were nail-biting and the climax at the end? One word. Amazing. Even though I knew everything would turn out right in the end, I was still so nervous about how everything was going to turn out. And right at the end, there was still a little surprise that I didn’t see coming.

I loved the epilogue. It just tells me how sweet their life was. And through it all, true love really lasts a lifetime. Sure, the epilogue’s only 3 years later. But still, it’s so nice to see that they already have a whole family. And one thing I love is how the Stars don’t win every single game. They fought hard and eventually succeeded. And the way Phoebe tries to get them all settled and relaxed? Super funny. I burst out in laughter time after time at her behaviour. One of my favorite moments in the book is when she negotiated the deal with some annoying guy. Single-handedly, she did what no one else before her could achieve. With a lot of wit, courage and yes, flirtation, she actually succeeded. I really wanted to cheer for her just imagining the flabbergasted look on that guy’s face. And Dan, he must have been so proud of her.

Basically what I’m trying to say here is that Phoebe isn’t meant to be underestimated. Sure, she may not look like much, but she has one of the sharpest brains ever. And she totally knows how to use a situation to her benefit.

Yes, I should continue talking a little more about the romance right? Now let’s see, at first it was just lust. But behind that, they always cared each other. No matter how many times Dan screamed at her and got so frustrated with her because he thought she was irresponsible, I just know he loved her deep down. Omg, I just remembered. I totally love the jealousy in the book. It’s the most obvious sign a man is falling hard for a girl. And his jealousy wasn’t something small. I absolutely loved it every time he got jealous she was with another man.

That being said, I realised that the characters just suddenly realise they’re in love with the other character. Never being in love myself before, I have no idea how it happens. However, I do feel it’s a little abrupt. It’s like suddenly, Oh my gosh, I love him! In the middle of nothing at all, that thought can just suddenly come. I don’t doubt their love, but they way they realise it makes me kind of skeptical.

It Had To Be You was an excellent read, I loved every moment of it. I simply could not put the book down. The plot was amazing, the characters even more so. The pace was great, not too fast and not too slow. I can’t really describe why I love the book. It just speaks to me and touches my heart! I never once found the book boring or slow. I loved every moment of it. It was a great read to be sure, and one I’ll definitely recommend. Susan Elizabeth Philips is one awesome writer. I’ve read 7 of her books, and I love them all. They all suck me in and make it impossible for me to ever put the book down.

And on a side note, I finally understand the meaning behind the cover. I believe its because Phoebe wears really skimpy clothes and really revealing ones. Yeah, I think that’s it! :P

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!