Romancing the Duke (Castles Ever After #1) by Tessa Dare

I loved. Loved this book!
It was a real pleasure to read with its crazy characters, borderline insane dialogues and... bats.
Yes, there's bats in this: secondary characters that they are, they still managed to create an unforgettable scene. ;)
I am a sucker for feisty heroines and brooding heroes _ if they don't cross the "I am an ass" realm _ and this book has it in spades.
What to say about the romance?
Just that it warmed my little shrivelled troll heart! (yes, another exclamation point!)
Now off to start the second one...

Author's Official Site

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The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson

This is a tough story to review.
First of all forget all about what you've just read in the synopsis. Dismiss the title _ at least this one, because the English edition "The Moment Collector" is way more appropriate _ and prepare yourself to read an ya coming of age romance.

This is a character driven story and the characters are extremely well done, but through most of the tale... nothing particularly relevant happens.

The drowning girls is just something that happens outside of this story sphere of influence. A little like a prop. It goes "well" with all that white background of frozen lakes and bleak atmosphere.

The ghost?
See it as another character. It appears from time to time with its beautiful, sad and atmospheric prose.

"All I know for sure is that I’m timeless: I drift in and out of the past as easily as if I were walking from one room to another. Moments reach out and pull me in. Without meaning to, I’ve visited centuries in this very same spot."

It doesn't know who he or she was.
Neither do we. The only thing we know for sure is that the ghost feels a connection with Maggie, Pauline and Liam. The three main characters of the story.

Rarely I've read a more heartbreaking relationship that the one that will be formed by these three elements. In fact I don't think I'll ever forget it. It made me rant out loud. It left me sad.
It freaking broke my heart.

Now I have to address something that normally sends me into a rage. This story has a love triangle, but it ends up being a viable love triangle. Unlike many others that I've read, it isn't there only to fill the pages. It feels real.

Were it for the very last part of the story, for the intensity it has, this would get at least a four star rating. However like I've already mentioned, through most of the tale nothing particularly relevant happens. Maybe if the apparent thriller _ a murderer on the lose _ had been an active part in the story, this would have felt more complete.
Bottom line: This is actually a good book, but I doubt it is what you're expecting to get.

Author's Official Publisher page

Buy " The Moment Collector"
Bookdepository.com

or Pre-Order the paperback edition (well, there's also a Hardback edition!)
But they're really expensive.

A Perfect Blood ( The Hollows #10 ) by Kim Harrison

Lately I've become accustomed to a certain irregularity in the latest volumes of this series. From time to time a great story appears, but then then one has to drag himself through some pretty boring ones.
I loved "Pale Demon" but unfortunately this one wasn't on the same level.

First of all, this series has a lot of "crutches" and the author keeps using and abusing them: in all books there's always some level of repetition regarding some aspects. For instance:
Rachel's hormones live on constant overdrive. If there's a new guy in town, she'll make sure to notice him and his pecs.
Rachel may say that she isn't romantically interested in Ivy, but she will always show some kind of jealousy towards the living vampire;
Jenks will be as foul mouthed as possible... in fact I think he has gotten worse and it isn't as funny as it used to be.
Also can I say how tired I am of Rachel's reaction to her vampire scar?
As always we will get the same old descriptions on how Rachel's kitchen is... awesome.
...
As such the stories tend to drag and drag, and it feels as if half of the book is just filled with repetitive filler.
However _ no matter how long it takes me _ I will continue reading it... because I like that crazy witch demon and I keep hoping that she will grow up.
As for the story per se in this one, it was interesting, I just wish that what surrounded it wasn't the same old things.


Recommendation level?
It depends on how crazy you like your reads... and your level of patience.

Author's Official Site

Bookdepository.com

The Scarecrow King by Jill Myles

Now this was a fast paced and addictive retelling of King Thrushbeard's tale... of which I was only vaguely familiar.
With a little time available in your hands, I bet you'll be hard pressed to finish reading this asap (if retellings are your cup of tea...)
As one can read in the author credits, Jill Myles wanted to tell this story in the true fairy tale"(ish)" manner.
As such this doesn't have convoluted plots. The characters are what you see. No big secrets are lurking around waiting to be unveiled: You pretty much know what is going to happen.

It felt as if I was reading a more traditional kind of fairy tale... but without all the gore that normally abounds in those.

The characters are interesting, although a little one dimensional.
The plot ends up being interesting because of the bickering between the two main characters.
In the end if this had been more developed _ especially the last bit _ this would definitely get a higher rating.

Author's Official Site

Kobo

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

I'm terrible at following webcomics, so, while I love everything that Noelle draws, I could never keep up with Nimona.

I'm glad I didn't because I could just read it all in one go!

This was soooo awesome!

I love Nimona! She's so cute and always ready to demolish everything!

My favourite part of Nimona is, of course, Nimona's relationship with Blackheart. They're best buds/father-daughter and it's the sweetest thing.

I honestly couldn't put this down!

Obviously, I highly recommend it :)

Buy Nimona
@ The Book Depository (with free worldwide delivery)

Noelle Stevenson's tumblr and official site
You can see a few Nimona extras in Noelle's #nimona tag on her tumblr

Truth Within Dreams ( The Honorables #2) by Elizabeth Boyce

So... what possessed me to read this story?
Basically the fact that it sounded interesting and that it was bound to be short... you know, being a novella and all that.
__________
Unfortunately it ended up not feeling short at all: with the rampant soap opera characteristics in which the novella relies on.

First of all, the characters:
Basically they're two idiots.

Idiotic, moronic, prone to the occasional cheesy comment (1) and not that smart to begin with.
Yes, not everyone will be an Einstein during their lives, but common sense would dictate that the confusion would come to an end if those two had actually you know... talked to one another?! o_O

Hello? They're supposed to be friends. Friends talk!
This is a pet peeve of mine: I can't stand it.
If you're in the possession of healthy vocal chords, one must talk to each other. If your vocal chords don't work, there's sign language: USE IT.
Don't know sign language?
Write.

(1)"He was so handsome it made her teeth ache."
-_- How old are you?????

Illogical behaviour
Besides the one demonstrated by the main characters, there's also the occasional bout of stupidity perpetrated by family members _ Claudia's brother _ who believing that his long time friend had behaved less than gentlemanly towards Claudia, agrees however that the two of them may take a stroll... alone.

“Why do you have Henry’s coat? Did he violate you again?
Are you f****g serious?

Claudia who starts all of this nonsense by deciding to take a very risky attitude, placing Henry in a very uncomfortable position ends up sounding as a complete naive (don't forget stupid) throughout the book (except when she's busy getting naked).
The thing is, a naive most likely wouldn't have taken that stance. So the whole thing has no logic whatsoever to hold the plot in place.
Also she shows a shocking lack of comprehension to the results of her act.

Then there's Henry and his somnambulism problem: all because of a unmentionable situation involving a lady's slipper, the guy acts as if he has the plague.
It became ridiculous.

You're saying that this is a piece of fiction, therefore logic has no place in it...
Wrong. It better have some thread of logic or I'll DNF its sorry ****!

Also, the so called romance between those two ended up sounding really awkward, forced and less than romantic.
Definitely not what I was hoping for when I started reading this.

Good stories: I am in dire need of one.

Author's Official Site

Bookdepository.com

Ash & Bramble by Sarah Prineas

Arc provided by Harper Teen through Edelweiss

Release Date: September 15 th

Part of me can't help wonder how much I would have _ or not _ enjoyed this title if I wasn't reviewing it.
Thing is, reading for reviewing purpose is different from reading for enjoyment: I find myself constantly trying to analyse this and that, without mentioning the fact that I am constantly evaluating which rating I should give.
Then there's the second guessing myself, especially in cases such as this, in which the story's quality is unquestionable.

This definitely has quality and has to have had a lot of hard work behind it: the plot twists, basically being able to interwove a great number of retellings into a cohesive plot has to have taken a lot of hard effort. And it isn't as if this is a simple story. It most definitely isn't.
But, I can't say that as a whole it was perfect...

The pace of the story
For me this was the main culprit: one minute I was wondering what was going to happen next, and a couple pages later, the story had stalled. And I was bored.
But then it would pick up again until too many descriptions would stall it once again.

The main character
I am afraid she starts and ends as a mystery, and if at the beginning that is completely understandable, I can't say I was happy about it...
No, that isn't right. It isn't the case of me being happy or not _ don't worry, the story has a perfectly acceptable finale _ it was the vagueness of it all that left me unsatisfied.
The story took so long to get there, to the beginning of a new start that I wanted a little more . I wanted to have a little idea of what was it than Pen wanted for her life.

Also _maybe that was the author's idea _ I could never really fit Pen into some sort of "cast": okay, she's fierce, but also a little reckless, while keeping hold of a certain aloofness all around her.

She wants to be her own self, that's probably what characterizes her in the end.

However besides that, I could never establish a connection with the girl: what should come out as strength of character sometimes sounded to me more like selfishness and reckless behaviour.

Also I ended up disliking the way the love triangle _ that shouldn't be a love triangle _ was dealt. Thing is, were Pen a guy, the cavalier way she deals with "certain things" would be less than tolerated.

In face of all this, it comes as no surprise that my favourite character ended up being Shoe. He ended feeling more complete and with more depth than Pen.
The fact that he reminds me of Peeta with his quiet way of being ( not that it matters, but yes he has blond hair) is another point in his favour.

In here, you'll find stories within stories... do not expect a basic Cinderella retelling.
If any of you has alredy read Mercedes Lackey, The Fairy Godmother, book one in the Five Hundred Kingdoms you must be aware of the concept of a Story _ in Lackey's that concept goes by Tradition _ that forces characters into certain roles. Fairy tale roles. Sometimes things work out... most times they don't.

This is a dark take on a concept of a Story, determined to feed itself and to find strength in its constant never ending circle.
I loved that the author introduced some great plot twists that go against what we normally get in these type of stories: from the Godmother's role, to the evil Witch's role, to characters that are given a whole new direction like a lesbian couple whose half of it is a very well known princess.
That was great. Things like these would get a five star rating.
But then _like I mentioned before_ we would start getting a little too much description on certain moments, and not enough on others: it was driving me insane!
This was what was going through my head while reading this tale:
 "okay... 4.5 stars... no, 4 stars...maybe 3.5...this last part is boring 3stars... but this should get at least a four... but are you enjoying it... do you think you're going to re-read it... 3.5 stars maybe... oh, God how am I going to review this?"

I wanted to know more about the thimble: well the thimbles, plural.
Why did they have power? Where did it came from? Why a thimble from all objects?
I wanted more information on the sisters. Not to mention details about how Pen's life used to be.
I didn't find logical that .... how to say this without spoilers... there was someone that maybe could have shed some light on Pen's background, and she has that "attitude"? And then she "throws the problem" at someone else?
o_O
Also, wouldn't that, place her in the same path of that... *cough* person?
Finishing a story and having more questions than answers is never a good thing.

To finish this mess of a review I can only say that I don't know if you're going to enjoy it.
The only thing I can say is that it does have quality.

Oh, and the cover girl with the red dress?
Well, there's a perfectly good reason for the colour red :D

For the modern cut of the dress?
No. -_-

For the blankness of what surrounds the girl?
Okay, it can be comprehensible....although I would prefer to see that lighted path of the mushrooms in the cover ;)

"Who am I? I am nothing."(1)

(1)quote removed from arc *don't kill me, it is just a tiny little sentence* and prone to changes.

Author's Official Site

Pre-order it:
Bookdepository.com

Wife by Wednesday ( The Weekday Brides #1) by Catherine Bybee

Back in the day when I used to devour Harlequin novels, the whole "marriage of convenience plot" was amongst my favourite to read about.
The thing is, those harlequin novels?
Well they had more plot, and character development than this one! (Ah! Who'd have thought?)
And if they had some "ideas" that today would have sent me into a feminist rant, at least they had the excuse of having been written "back" in the eighties.
This one?
It was written in 2011 for crissakes!
So, let me see if I got this straight:
The woman agrees to marry the guy *due to reasons* and what does she immediately do?

Her "company", her job is immediately placed aside.
The two of them decide to get involved in the blink of an eye.

The guy has the depth of a fluffy... doughnut. A sweet fluffy _duke *snort* _ whose only downside is that he's the embodiment of the rich billionaire stereotype.

He's supposed to be a "player". A cad with two mistresses, but all through the book?
Immediately and completely smitten with this wife. And he sure likes to use that word _wife, my wife.
See?
Cad material. *the only thing missing would be a litter of puppies*

Her amount of confidence can be measured by a thimble -_-

Oh, and the baby issue? I've seen that nonsense before in a Jill Mansell story and I was not impressed! *shakes head*

So why a two star rating?
I managed to finish it *yay*, even if I did skip some supposed "sexy" bits, because I found them _as a couple_ boring as hell.

Better to re-read my favourite harlequin novels o_O

Author's Official Site 

Bookdepository.com 

Currently Reading

Since I was approved to read some really interesting arcs _ Edelweiss has been good to me :D _ I decided to start reading "Ash & Bramble" .
Yes, the fairy retelling addict _moi_ couldn't resist it.
Also, when I was downloading it I took a sneak peek into the story's first pages, and I loved them, which is always a good sign.
Now having read about twenty percent of it, I can say that I am liking it, but not loving it. At least, not yet.

The beginning like I've mentioned before is pretty good, but then it loses some of its charm  in repetitive actions. Despite that, it is still pretty early in the narrative, so, keeping my fingers crossed that it will get better.

Also fairy Godmothers suck. Big time!
( I will never *look* at another Fairy Godmother *unless we're talking about Carolyn's Turgeon ~godmother~ in the same way!)

Dearest Rogue ( Maiden Lane #8 ) by Elizabeth Hoyt

                         Arc provided by Forever ( Grand Central Publishing) through Netgalley

                                                           Release Date: May 26

Engaging story with likeable characters but with one too many kidnapping scenes.
Okay, there were three scenes. -_-

What I enjoyed more about this story was basically the characters: Phoebe and James make a really sweet couple ( I guess people who have been following this series, know this already...), and I thought that their relationship with their families was well done.

The guy isn't overbearing _much _ and he does take into account Phoebe's needs. Which makes him a decent and sweet human being.
Like Phoebe he also has a physical disability although of a very different nature: She is blind and he has a problem with one of his legs.
Neither of them dwell into fits of self pity: they make the best they can with what they've got.

It had been a while since I'd read a Maiden Lane novel _basically I read the first three books when they first were released _ so I had a lot of characters names thrown at me, but it "was bearable" and it definitely left me in the mood to read some more books in the series.

Author's Official Site

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