Review for Wedded Bliss by Barbara Metzger

Wedded Bliss by Barbara Metzger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 - 4.5 rating

Oh boy well I loved this one it was hilarious, endearing and a feel-good read.

The Early of Rockford is...wow...let's see if I get this right. He's clueless when it comes to taking care of his sons. He's floundering and out of his element. After all, he wasn't raised with his father around as much. Why should he be so ever present in his sons life...William (a.k.a Billy) has, at every point in seeing him, managed to soil some garment or the other. Clearly, he was not meant to be in close contact with him.

Riiiight.

It is upon meeting the lovely widow, Alissa, with two sons of her own, and watching her interact with them - and his own son who adores her- that he begins to realise, that his sons need more. They need affection and not his cold distance.

Rockford's change is not immediate, it is a gradual process..but he finds himself enjoying himself and the time he spends with his sons (both his and alissa's). It's baffling but he enjoys it. It's the most content he's ever felt in his life.

His relationship with Alissa is also one of those gradual things, yes he's attracted to her. Yes, he married her, but as the summary says it's more for the position that a glorified governess than anything else. It was a business contract. He needed someone to take care of his sons, she needed protection.

Although with the way he was distant to Alissa, one wonders if she had gotten the short end of the stick. He comes around though, and proves himself a man in both the way he takes care of the children and through his love for Alissa.

I ended this book smiling, because it really was feel-good. Not to mention the few chuckles it pulled out from me, because let's face it. I am a fan of dry humour and this has it in healthy doses.

So if you're a fan of that I recommend this book.

If you like smart heroines I recommend this book.

If you're a fan of character growth, well by golly gee, I recommend this book. After all Rockford wasn't the only one doing some growing in this book.

The only thing that really detracted from my enjoyment of the book, was the ending part -although at the same time I enjoyed it (o.O)- There was a chase scene, where everyone and the nephews were involved, and it got to the point where I had to pause and reverse a bit to keep track of what was going on.

But other than that is was a pretty good read.

P.S. if you're expecting this to have some steam, don't. But really it doesn't detract anything from the story.

The Arcana Chronicles

Yes, Yes.. I know I've been a horrible reprobate, not posting when I should.

I've been slacking in reviews and everything else. I mean  didn't I say I was at least going to do a weekly quiz *hangs head*

Well I went online today and saw Kresley Cole had put up a Three Chapter Excerpt of her upcoming YA novel the Poison Princess (a part of the Arcana Chronicles). I don't know about you but I'm pretty excited for this. One the concept sounds ah-mazehn and second, it's Kresley Cole and I am intrigued as to how she'll handle a YA novel. I don't doubt she can though, but you never know.

Oh for the those who don't know what the Arcana Chronicles is about:

"I couldn't get this idea out of my head, kept imagining what would happen if the 22 Major Arcana cards of a Tarot deck—like the Magician, Death, or the Empress—were real kids. I envisioned them with special abilities based on the characteristics of their Tarot card and plotted out how they would use those powers to battle other cards. I'm delighted to have the chance to develop a new mythology around the Arcana." - From Kresley Cole

And the summary for Poison Princess:

The characters on Tarot cards are real.

The Huntress, the Fool, Death, the Lovers . . . and eighteen other Major Arcana all exist. These warriors, femme fatales, magicians, and devils each have uniquely lethal powers.

And they’re coming for me.

To survive, I’ll have to embrace my own terrifying abilities—and team up with dangerously handsome Jack Deveaux, one of the few people I know that also survived the Flash. But if Jack ever beholds what I truly am, will he abandon me to my fate . . . ? - On the Arcana Chronicles Website

Or if you want one with more info:

Sixteen-year-old Evie Greene thought her horrific apocalyptic hallucinations were a sign that she was slowly losing her mind. But when her visions come true, decimating the world around her and killing everyone she loves, Evie is forced to accept that she was seeing the future.

Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she turns to wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate, the gorgeous and dangerous Jackson Deveaux for help. As Jackson and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have got the same call and discover that Evie is not the only one with special powers. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and as the battle between good and evil intensifies, it is not always clear who is on which side…

*nods*

And then I'm pretty sure you guys who are interested would like to see that three chapter excerpt right?

Behold....the link

http://www.thearcanachronicles.com/books/poison-princess-excerpt/

That is from chapters 7-9

Well until when I talk to you guys next, later ^_^

Driving Lesson #2

So today was a bust..XD..I did reversing today and unlike the last week..it was completely horrible.

Seriously. Every second the car kept stalling...but apparently that's because I came off the clutch too quickly >.> Yeaaaaah...You'd think after a person does the same thing so many times that they'd learn..But habit it's a hell of a thing, and if you're not making the conscious effort to do better..well you're going to end up in problems...or a stalled car..

Well that's it for now..Nothing much today.. Here's to hoping the next lesson is better.

Werewolves Vs. Vampires

As the title says werewolves versus vampires, which one would you guys pick? Yes I know I should be comparing and contrasting, but they're both sooo good XD. It's a pity that they can't seem to get along (which is why I just love romances between the two, but why are they so hard to find?!).

Really though on one had we have the cool, sophisticated "I am better than thou" personality. Not to mention they're pretty powerful...look at Victor in Underworld. The guy just picked up this huge Lycan(Werewolf) and killed him like *snaps fingers* that. They do have that major bummer though...sunlight...*sigh*

So a Werewolf can defeat a Vamp...when they take advantage of their weak point, but, is that really fair? Stiiill Werewolves can turn into WOLVES! at will or not...it depends which mytho you're going to go with, but either way that's pretty cool.

And personality wise they're generally more laid back playful, etc. They tend not to be solitary creatures (although some books...or majority have vamps belonging to a coven). and gosh darn it if they aren't growly. XD I have dogs...and I'm sorry I'm just picturing my german shepherd right now. lol...cute guy...

And then there's the fact that -if we're going with mainstream books here- vampires are undead and have to survive by drinking blood for the rest of eternity....sounds like a pretty bad deal to me. What's the point of living when you can't enjoy food? XD

Despite all of that however I think I'm gonna go with vampires?

What about you guys?

Feel free to answer in the comments section or use the poll on the sidebar ^_^

Review for Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

gaaaaah I loved it, I loved it, I loved it sooo much.

Okay, so Dashti is a lady's maid and is trapped in a tower with her lady for the period of seven years (they do manage to escape before that time is up). Dashti has a book with her, in which she details the days she has spent in the tower and otherwise. This may seem to be slow, after all, how many big/important things can happen while two girls are trapped in a tower and can't even see the sunlight properly?

You maybe right, but honestly, I didn't even notice it, if it was so. In addition, it wasn't as if there were mindless arbitrary actions depicted in detail . Miss Hale's writing through Dashti's voice really brings you into the story and you lose yourself in it. And I also think the pacing felt right.

Dashti is a brave character, an optimist (I really believe it was that facet to her personality that made her not give up, so I guess tenacious is another one) and loyal to a fault, and I mean really to a fault because there were times when I got frustrated with her, because of what she would do for Lady Saren (I'm coming to her later). She does change with regards to that later on, not that she still isn't loyal, because she is, but she is able to have a backbone as to how the gentry should be treated.

Lady Saren, I wavered between being sorry for her, frustrated at her and disliking her. In the end though, her character also found growth, and managed to find her inner strength, and at the end of the book I felt proud of her as did Dashti. She really came through.

All in all, if you read this book it will leave you with warm and fluffy feelings. It happened to me ^_^ and hey, I'm still grinning as I write this review.

Review for A Thief of Nightshade by J.S. Chancellor

A Thief of Nightshade by J.S. Chancellor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ack This book killed me (-- and now I have to rewrite my review and gah! that just sucks --)

So the story starts out with Aubrey attending her husband's funeral (for whom no body has been recovered) and after which she ends up in Avalar, a world her husband wrote about in one of his books. It is in Avalar that she finds out that her husband is in the custody of the Dark Fae Queen and any memory of his life prior to his return to Avalar has been forgotten and such Aubrey takes on a mission to save her husband.

Ah Aubrey, she is such a strong character in the sense that she had to undergo a lot of battles within her own self, but she came out on top at the end of it all. And that's one of the main points that this novel brings about. That little light at the end of the tunnel? It isn't just mere hallucination, it's real, and if you persevere, if you don't shatter (a little cracking is okay, we're just humans after all) you'll make it. That's really what I loved about this book, because Aubrey really had some issues (with due reason) that she had to work out, however and this is what I really liked about the book, was that even though she had her own self doubts, even though there were times when she feared her efforts wouldn't been enough, she still persevered. She still fought to free her husband with everything she had.

Another character in the book that I think really bears mentioning is Given, and that's because she feels, and she shows her emotions. After all it's not weak to cry. It's human, it's how we know we feel, because there are times when things become overwhelming, so you end up having to let it out. There's nothing wrong with that. It's what you do afterwards that counts, and Given is another fighter --both literally and figuratively. And that's great.

And now onto what I absolutely love, love, loved about this book.

The romance.

Sure, for majority of the book the hero and heroine are separated from each other, but this is what I think made this book so great. You could still feel this romance and this love between the two characters and it was so beautiful and sweet. We see the story of Aubrey and Julian unfold through a series of flashbacks, in which we see how they first met, etc. There were also little moments that as the flashbacks ran parallel to the ongoing adventure, we see how Julian was showing his love for Aubrey in his own little way, and man if that didn't hit me. Also this book doesn't need the love scenes to show how the characters feel about each other. The most we've seen of them is a kiss, and even then it's touched upon lightly, but the feelings, the feelings are there for us the reader to see and feel and you're right there with Aubrey hoping that against all odds, they will be reunited, and darn if that isn't amazing right there.

p.s. Lipsey (a.k.a Lips) the flying squirrel is so cute and sweet, where can I get me one XD.

Also, I think the cover art is absolutely beautiful, especially the close up of Aubrey, it really does capture her emotions at the masquerade ball.

Hello World #2

Hey all you people ^_^

It's been a while hasn't it? I know, I know my laziness is kicking. But I said I will do this blog, and so I will follow it through..To make sure my postings aren't so sporadic and dependent on only reviews. I'm thinking of say, taking two days out of the week to create a post on a specific topic...Unfortunately right now I'm not sure what to post on. But don't worry I will figure it out.

In other news, I have started learning to drive. o.O *le gasp*  And I find myself not know what on earth I'm doing. lol, but in any case, driving is a practical thing, and with practice and time, I should get the hang of it.