Review: Meant to Be by Donna Marie Rogers

Meant to Be by Donna Marie Rogers

Genre: Romance
Published: July 17th 2009
Where: Amazon, B&N, the Wild Rose press; print/e-book
Pages: 220

OFFICER GARRETT JAMISON is at the lowest point of his life. He believes a cop’s greatest asset is his instinct and feels he lost his the night he got shot and his precious nephew kidnapped right out of his own bed. So he takes a leave from the force while he considers whether he wants to remain a police officer, or start looking into another career. If only his infuriating—and gorgeous—neighbor would keep her pesky cat from howling outside his window at all hours of the night...

JESSICA MCGOVERN struggles back from the brink of depression after the death of her young son. She packs up her old pickup truck, her mammoth gray-and-white tabby, Mr Louie, and moves halfway across the country for a fresh start in Wisconsin where she’s rented her uncle’s house. As it turns out, Midwesterners are just as friendly as she’s always heard they were. Too bad her cranky new neighbor is the exception to the rule...

Aww, yes that is how it made me feel. It was great from the start and then it just got better and better. At one time I had to stop reading, because sleep is important. But yes I sure wished I had an e-reader so I could have read during my lunch break.

There's only been You is the "first" book, but it' no series so you can read this book first. Sure you learn some things in it, but even without having read book 1 I could still see the big picture, and it's even mentioned in the blurb. The little details she doesn't mention. I will still be surprised to see what goes on in that book. Garrett's sister had the lead in that one. And this is a stand alone novel about Garret and Jessica. But I am glad I have book 1 because I want to read more of her, but will wait a while and perhaps some things and names will slip my mind.

Garret is unsure about his police career after being shot and his nephew being kidnapped. Jessica is running from a tragedy in her past and dark memories. When they first meet sparks fly, but not in a good way. They dislike each other, but still there is something that pushes them together.

For all you alpha male loving gals out there, here they are. That must sure be a good looking family. Garrett, his brother Nick (who I would love to learn more about), and his uncle Luke. Who gets his own little side story of love in this book and that is so sweet.

I fell for both at once, Garrett, who even if he says the wrong things still is so lovable and it just oozes out of him, it makes me go awww. Jessica is a bit broken, and I only wish the best for her. A bug strong guy who can pick her up and man it better. Make her learn to trust again and fall in love.

I know it was a romance, but I didn't see the suspense coming. It picks up and I will not mention cos of what, but it gets dangerous. That had me sitting at the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen. It just got bigger and bigger and the suspense was killing me. Not to mention the romance part, they were stupid both at times, but then again aren't we all.

The romance part was great, and since I loved them from the start I was rooting for a big old HEA. Then some dark clouds from both their pasts showed up. And that sure picked up an already good story.

Negative parts, I can't really think of anything. Other than I would sure have loved it even more if it had been a real book I could hold, lol, then I could have read the whole thing at once ;). But it's out in print too so no worries. So really nothing to complain about when it comes to this book. It was sweet, romantic, hot, sexy alpha males, suspense, and a great story. It made me jump at the other book at once, and it left me in a happy satisfied mood.


received a copy for a review

Review: Flint by Margaret Redfern

Flint by Margaret Redfern

"Sometimes love runs deeper than blood or duty"

Genre: Historical
Publication date: 11th August 2009
Pages: 208
Published by Honno Welsh Women's press

Will and his brother Ned are on the long march from the Fens to North Wales, commandeered into the army of ditch-diggers heading west towards Flint, where they will be preparing the ground for the foundations of Edward 1's new castle. They are nervous and rightly so – for not only is Ned a mute, whose abilities as a horse-whisperer and herbalist make him suspicious in the eyes of their English overseers, but they have been close to the enemy. Ned had been secretly taking lessons in music from Ieuan ap y Gof, an exiled bard, when the Welshman disappeared one night without warning not long before Edward's officers came 'recruiting'.

The boys find themselves a long way from home, virtually friendless and then captured by the 'enemy', suspected of treason and near killed before they are able to escape. Finally, when all appears lost, Will learns that love is sometimes harder to understand and to come to terms with than death itself…

This was a good book, and a sad book in a way. Or maybe I as the reader was sadden by it. She has a good way of writing, a very easy style, that says much but at the same time not. I like the style, and it does draw you in.

It's a story about two boys, Ned who is sometimes looked down upon cos he is not right in the head, and his younger brother Will who looks after his brother. Or perhaps it's just the other way around. The story is told by Will as an old man, looking back at what happened back then. We get to see the march towards Wales and sometime things that happened before the march. This time told in another way. He is sent with them to be at his brother's side, and Ned longs to meet the Welsh bard again who visited their village. Ned is a master at playing, and his music echoes though out the book, and I wish I could hear it too. It's supposed to bring tears to your eyes.

Now why did I get sad at times, well I do like Wales, the name says it all. And here Edward I is hunting down Prince Llywelyn, and he will meet an sad end. The people is suffering. Then there are the diggers, English men from all over who has to prepare the grounds and build the castles the king wants. Horrible conditions and taken way from those they love. Always at risk since there is a war going on.

I like Will, he is a strong child, and even if he is scared at times he puts on a brave face. There are other memorable characters as well in the book. Some good, some rather bad. Some we meet just for a moment before they are swept away.

The book is short, but there is a nice conclusion, but I do wonder about Will afterwards. He seems to have lived a memorable life. I would like to read more, at the same time the book have to end where it does so he can grow up. As for Ned, everything is seen trough Will's eyes, and I sometimes wonder what goes on in his head. perhaps there is just the sweet music of the bard. I am so happy when he gets to play.

This is a historical book, set in a turbulent time. We don't get to see noble men fight and so on, instead we get to see what those behind, far, far behind are doing while people are fighting and negotiating. Life at the other side.

I liked the tone of the book, her easy way of writing. It's a book that can be read by all, no age limit either, well there is one bloody scene but people are used to everything these days. The language flows easy also.

received a copy for a review

Review: The Saint and the Fasting girl by Anna Richenda

The Saint and The Fasting Girl by Anna Richenda

Published: June 2009
Genre: Historical
Pages: 344

SISTER GEORGIA LIVES AT THE CENTER of a bustling Yorkshire nunnery at the eve of the English Reformation. Yet she is no ordinary nun. Georgia and her sisters follow the ways of the legendary Saint Isela, recording her signs and miracles and preparing for her return.

But the archbishop of London, Philip SeVerde, a man rising in Henry VIII’s royal court, cannot bear this ‘wild’ nunnery of the north. Driven by greed and a lust for power, SeVerde demands that the nuns submit to his control and strict monastic rule. Georgia is persecuted and tortured, yet she refuses to back down.

Drawing strength and visions from an ancient relic, Georgia must ensure that her mystical group of nuns survive the meddling of the corrupt archbishop. She must undergo an epic journey and endure, lifetime after lifetime, until the promise of Saint Isela can be fulfilled.

(Author's site)

I received this book from the author.

I do like to read different sorts of books, and therefore this one looked interesting. But when I got it I got scared for a moment that it would be overly religious, but luckily for me it wasn't. This was about the saints, religious intolerance and things connecting to that. But still not about all things religion or even mentioning a few things, well names books can.

First thing I did, well to see if there was any truth to the story since I am very curious. No saint Isela thought, but the funny thing was that I stumbled upon one saint that I had come across in another book some days earlier. And by knowing that fact it did make me feel like I understood the story more.

This is not your average historical book, it's all about the nuns who follow the way of Saint Isela and waiting for the day she will reborn with them. Life after life the Bearer is reborn to guide the way of the Chooser. The Bearer is always Georgia.

This was a sad book to read at times, it was horrible the things done to catholic nuns and monks at that time, rape, violence, torture, death. This is shown in the book and it's not an easy read Some things did make me cringe. And I have no idea how they suffered through it.

Georgia is a strong woman with strong beliefs. She will do absolutely anything to see the promise fulfilled and see Isela with them again. The strange thing is that I am pretty neutral about her for the first half of the book, I can't say what happens but it surprised me more than anything. And then I find myself liking her. She is stronger in some way, and I can connect more to her.

There are a bunch of other side characters here too, like Lo, who I would cry for, a bunch of nuns, and the bad guy Philip SeVerde. He is I didn't like, but there was someone worse, I shall not mention it because the reader will see that for themselves. But he is horrible. There are dark characters, light ones, and those in between. They can shift and that is a good thing.

One thing that I didn't expect was a bit of romance, just a tiny bit, but enough to make me smile among all the sadness that came over me at one point.

What was interesting about this book was to see how Henry IIIV's divorce and marriage to Anne Boleyn changed the church and what happened to those who thought differently. Truly from the inside

received a copy for a review

Seventh heaven by Cate Masters

Seventh Heaven by Kate Masters

Published 2009
35 pages
Romance

Lilah owns the New Hope Record and Crafts Shop with her friend, Val. Selling their handmade jewelry and pottery to tourists in their Delaware River town keeps them independent and free spirited. Lilah’s only hangup is James, who bartends down the street. She’s crazy about him, but lately he’s been cold and distant. Turns out he has reason to be down--he’s had his ticket punched for Vietnam. When Lilah makes him a lucky leather-string choker using a silver ankh--the Egyptian symbol of eternity--James is skeptical, but begins to warm to her again. Can Lilah show him that her love is all the luck he needs?
(author's site)


Well this was really a short one, how to write a review. It's gonna be short.

Lilah was a sweet girl, James a bit mysterious. She has been into him for a while and she wants him to look at her the way he did once. But there is a reason, he is sipping out to Vietnam. We get to meet them before and after.

It was a short and sweet read. With likeable characters, and some glimpses at some nice side characters.

It made me go awww, and then ooo, and then I was sad. How I managed to get sad in such a short read, well I did. My heart ached there for some seconds. But then I did smile again. She sure made me go through a lot of emotions in a short period of time. That is good work

Thanks Kimber for sending me this one :)

Review: The voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis
Book 5

Age: 9-12
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 288

Lucy and Edmund gets to go back to Narnia, and with them they have their annoying cousin Edmund who can't stop complaining. They suddenly find themselves on the ship Dawn Treader. Prince Caspian have left Narnia to go and search for 7 knights who left long ago. On this journey they will meet dragons, utter darkness, sea people and slave traders. It's a new adventure.


I was with my boyfriend at his parents over the weekend. I had two books with me and to my horror I realised that both was so not for me. What to do, I had this urge to read so I looked trough the house for something fast and easy to read, something I could finish there. This is what I found, and I have actually never read a Narnia book.

This is just going to be a short review. Some thoughts here and there. The book was really short and I finished it in now time, such an easy read and it was ok. Little too simple though for me, I am getting old. I have watched some miniseries long ago, and of course the two movies. The first one was ok, and the second cool, dark. This one, well it has an annoying brat, and the two kids that I least cared for in the movies. I did not care for that. Some exiting things happened, and all in all it was ok I guess.

But there was the end, I know that Lewis has a lot of Christianity in these books, but I didn't see that in the movies (ok, but hello, fantasy, we can pretend whatever we want.) This one had such an obvious end that it felt like preaching, if the use that in the movie, no, I will not like that. It destroyed it for me. There is a reason why I don't like people fall into other worlds books. They take their baggage with them. I want a world where anything is possible, a new world, with new ideas. Not something from this world. It actually made me not want to watch the movie when it comes out cos I know it will annoy me. He could have hidden it a bit more, and made us look, or made those who didn't get it don't see it.The fantasy lost it's appeal.

Review: Tithe by Holly Black

Tithe by Holly Black
A Modern Faerie tale

Group: YA
Genre: Urban fantasy
Pages: 336
Published: 2004

Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces the sixteen-year-old back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms -- a struggle that could very well mean her death.

(Author's site)

It seems I have had a YA week of the futuristic and paranormal kind. I heard about Tithe long ago from a friend but back then I didn't read YA and didn't see the point. But now I know that they have changed from the few I read some years ago. Not that I will read many now because I have more or less gone through those that looks nice. Those that seems to be books I want to read.

Tithe was a good book, and I truly enjoyed it. I can't belive I hadn't read it before. It's a very dark book and it takes up the normal things a teen goes through, sex, violence, alcohol, and feeling different from others. In that aspect I liked it, it was not a rosy sweet world, but a dark one where she didn't attend school anymore, and everyhting was just dirty and bleak.

If you thought the faerie world was better then you are mistaken. This is how the seelie and unseelie world should look like. They are not a bunch of happy cute faries that Disney made them out to be. In the old stories they are a dark, blood thirsty, baby stealing and people drowning folk. You thread lighly when thinking you are near them and you are careful and use charms to ward them off. I like that Holly Black uses this in her book, and the fairy world is just as dark as ours.

I liked Kaye, she was a good heroine of this book. She is a bit different and she can see things that others can't. Soon enough when back in her hometown she is thrown into a dark world and she will become a pawn in a bigger game. Then there is the dark knight Roiben, well I had to like him too. What was there not to like. Was there even ne charcater that was actually nice and sweet in this book, in a way the answer is no. For some reason I liked that because it was more real. They were nice in their own ways, like her friend Cory. Such a nice guy actually. Good truthful portraits.

I was sucked into this grim world, and I came back up wanting more. There are two more books, the second I can skip but I am curious about book 3 because there we meet Kaye and Roiben again. And I want to know how things turns out.

I would have liked to known why it was called Tithe, I just googled it and still don't know why. Otherwise this was a great book that I do recommened. It was a bit like Wicked Lovely in the faerie aspect but much darker and more true I thought, and better. I really enjoyed this book.

Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Book 1

Genre: futuristic
Pages: 448
Age: YA
Published: 2005

Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?


Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.


But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

(fantastic fiction...I so need to write my own blurb one of these days, but in a hurry as usual)

Finally a YA that made me think more than ok, this was a good book that had a depth to it. A scary new world after we have destroyed ours. It's a world where everyone gets pretty when they are 16 and then they live happily ever after. Now what is wrong with that? Well all the pretties seems to have no mind of their own, and they all have the same look in a way. It's supposed to stop people from hating each other, and that is good. But no one has a personality except from being pretty. It's not a world where I would like to live.

Tally is like all the other kids, she hates being ugly, and she cannot wait for her operation. I find myself liking her, I cannot help it. She is a good heroine that does what she thinks is right. And she grows as a person through out the book, and she learns the meaning of ugly, and pretty. The she meets Shay who doesn't want to have the operation. I am rather partial to Shay. Then there is the mysterious David, the one who frees the uglies. Him I like.

We learn how we destroyed the earth, oh that was creepy and made me fearful. One big accident. Because of this a new world was built, where pretty rule. I like his critique on society here. It gives the book depth and meaning. It's not just some futuristic YA book, I really understand why it became as big as it did. It's not like the other YA books I have read lately, and the subject fits the age group perfectly. I do not know if it would have worked as good with an adult theme.

I do recommend this book, it will make you think, and it's nicely written. Of course I read it in Swedish so I can't say where and how the translation played in. That is made is easier or things like that. Because if this was a good book, then is sure must be better in it's original language. Westerfeld is a good author and I really want to read book 2 now. Too bad I didn't pick it up the day it came to the library. If I had only known. This one restored my hope in YA again.

It has a good cast, a good story, and that depth behind it makes it a good book. And I do like a book that makes me think and feel. I am happy with my read.

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
Book1

Pages: 320
Age :YA
Genre: Paranormal
Published: 2007

Within New York City’s most elite families, there lurks a secret society of celebrated Americans whose ancestors sailed on the Mayflower. They are the powerful and the wealthy—and in fact, they are not human. They are the Blue Bloods, an ancient group of vampires.

Schuyler Van Alen has never fit in at Duchesne, her prestigious New York City private school. She prefers baggy, vintage clothes instead of the Prada and pearls worn by her classmates, and she lives with her reclusive grandmother in a dilapidated mansion. Schuyler is a loner—and happy that way.

But when she turns fifteen, Schuyler’s life changes dramatically. She has a mosaic of blue veins on her arms, and craves raw meat. The death of a popular girl from Duchesne is surrounded by a mystery that haunts her. And strangest off all, Jack Force, the most popular boy in school, is showing a sudden interest in her.

Schuyler wants to find out the secrets the Blue Bloods are keeping. But is she herself in danger?

(Author's site)

I don't know about this one, it was another ok book. It was good, and I wanted to know what happened next but something just made it ok for me. It might be that I don't enjoy reading about preppy bitchy kids, neither do I want to watch them on tv. Same things with preppy bitchy adults. That might have ruined it a bit for me. Gossip Girl with vampires, well if I must.

I liked Schuyler, she was not like the rest. Ste stands out with her clothes and her ways. So I did like her, and her friend Oliver. But then there are the preppy kids, nope I can't like Jack Force even if he is pretty decent. But I just don't fall for him. And I sure do not like his sister Mimi, then again you are not meant to like her. Blair, the new girl is actually rather ok and her I can connect with. But there is something missing in some of her actions.

I spent half of the book waiting for something good to happen. I didn't want high school drama, I wanted vampires. The finally I started to get some answers about the whole vampire deal. And here I like what Melissa de la Cruz does, she weaves a great history and mythology surrounding the origins of vampires, about different kinds of blood and how vampires live. A very interesting part that made me very thirsty for more. This was the best thing about the book.

The story, it started and then it ended and left me hanging. Nothing happened in a way, and I want to know more. Here is to hoping I get to read the next 3 books. Because in the end, many books I read I only feel ok about. That sure doesn't mean they are bad, no I need to know what happens in this series. I am curious about Schuyler (just don't do what I did and read the blurbs on the other books, I did spoil some things for me there. But in the end it left me really wanting to read the books.)

Not that much romance, not that much action, perhaps if you have watched Gossip girl and shows like that and enjoy them then this is the one for you. Cos vampires sure makes it so much better.

The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Published: June 2009
Hardcover: 448 pages

The whole of Barcelona stretched out at my feet and I wanted to believe that, when I opened those windows, its streets would whisper stories to me, secrets I could capture on paper and narrate to whoever cared to listen.'

In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man, David Martín, makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books, and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city's underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house lie photographs and letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner.

Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love. Close to despair, David receives a letter from a reclusive French editor, Andreas Corelli, who makes him the offer of a lifetime. He is to write a book unlike anything that has existed - a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realises that there is a connection between this haunting book and the shadows that surround his home.

Set in the turbulent 1920s, THE ANGEL'S GAME takes us back to the gothic universe of the Cemetery of the Forgotten Books, the Sempere & Son bookshop, and the winding streets of Barcelona's old quarter, in a masterful tale about the magic of books and the darkest corners of the human soul.
(author's site)


This story captivates your heart and soul. Zafon's words are magic that draws you in and refuses to let go of you. You are caught in his web and can't stop reading this story. He has a way of word like no one else, and they just flow over the pages like poetry. He is a master story teller, and the magic that gets caught in those pages makes me fall in love.

If it isn't visible by now, I can just tell you that I am so in love with Zafon. It's his way of writing that makes me melt and yes I loved this book. It wasn't as good as The Shadow of the wind though. That book had more good quotes and sentences that are forever written in my heart. But it's still the best book I have read this year, and it will be one of the best books I have ever read. But this one had such a great story, and the words still flowed. Some of my favs quotes from this book were these:

"Every book has a soul, the soul of the person who wrote it and the soul of those who read it and dream about it."

"Envy is the religion of the mediocre. It comforts them, it soothes their worries, and finally it rots their souls, allowing them to justify their meanness and their greed until they believe these to be virtues. Such people are convinced that the doors of heaven will be opened only to poor wretches like themselves who go through life without leaving any trace bu their threadbare attempts to belittle others and to exclude -- and destroy if possible -- those who, by the simple fact of their existence, show up their own poorness of spirit, mind, and guts. Blessed be the one at whom the fools bark, because his soul will never belong to them."


This is a confusing story that will make you imagine a lot of things, I thought David's boss was an Angel, a demon, a crazy person, that David was schizophrenic, that it was a dream and in the end I realized that I still didn't know what just had happened. It's a book that leaves you with a question that you yourself must answer. It's a fable, and you can choose your own answer to what you think. Does it have a happy ending, there the answer is both yes and not. It's a fitting ending to a mysterious book.

David is a great character and the reader get to see him grow up. He loves book and because of that he meets the owner of Sempere & Son, the grandfather of the main character in The Shadow of the Wind. He works as a journalist and he wants to write books. This will in the end lead him to meet the very strange Andrea Corelli, and here the gothic Barcelona really comes into play. The man has always been there from the start, and the book has a darkness to it that is really eerie.

There is also the lovely Christina that he is in love with, Pedro Vidal a good friend from his journalist days and that has secrets of his own. Isabella who we meet later in the book and that i really like. She has spirits and is a good influence on a David that keeps getting darker and darker. Even a house plays a major role in this book. It's a house filled with dark memories and I would not set my foot in it.

My heart aches for David, especially in a chapter to do with his book, my soul cries a but there. I always wishes him the best but this is not a happy book. It has it's happy moments, but at most there is the darkness and mystery that surrounds him. This especially later in the book as the story evolves. I can highly recommend this book, and especially The Shadow of the Wind. Read that wonderful book first.

This is a book that has to be read, for the sure joy of reading and feeling the magic of his words. Mr Zafon is a true author in every sense, and he makes me rejoice in my love for reading.

Selling forever by Kimber Chin

Selling Forever by Kimber Chin

Publisher: Champagne Books
Published: July 2009
Pages: 82
Romance

Can Cara close the deal on love?

The Best Sales Plans…

Real estate agent Cara Jones needs a celebrity handyman for her charity auction. Reclusive billionaire Richard Thompson is the perfect choice. All she has to do is find his trigger and trip it, without becoming emotionally attached.

…Sometimes Go Awry

Richard wishes to be valued for himself, not simply for his money. He certainly isn’t going to fall in love with a pushy, pie baking saleswoman, no matter how sweet she tastes.

This was such a sweet short story, Kimber Chin wrote it especially for her mum, and the book was a bit different from Invisible. But I sure like both sides.

It's the story about Cara who is a saleswoman, and she has big plans and wants to help her assistant and her family. That would be made easier if she could get a great guy for a charity auction. she has her eye on Richard, a computer millionaire who wants to stay out of the public eye. I am sure you can see where this is headed.

This is my first review for a short story, it feels weird, but then again, what is different. Ok, not as much things happen but there is still the story there.

I like Cara, she knows what she wants, and she is great at it. She doesn't mind being in the public eye and she is sweet and wants to help everyone. I am really fond of her at once.

Richard is the opposite of her, but I like him at once too. He seems so sweet and when he meets her for the first time, aww. They are so meant to be.

Talk. That was it. He’d cross the threshold and talk about the handyman auction. No saying yes and no buying a house. Kissing, fine, he’d kiss her, nothing more. That was final.

No how can you say not to that. How I liked those two when they met. But they are from different worlds, everyone wants to talk to her, and he doesn't want to talk to anyone, well except for her. So I finished the story quickly to see how their two worlds possibly could meet, and if you want to know then you just have to find out for yourself.

gift from the author, no obligation to review
.

To love, honour and betray (till divorce us do part) - Kathy Lette

Pages: 320
Published: 2008
Chick-lit

How can a husband have a midlife crisis when he's never left puberty?

Marriage is a fun-packed, frivolous activity – only occasionally resulting in death.

Lucy’s been married for so long, her wedding certificate should be in hieroglyphics. When Jasper walks out after eighteen years, she panics. What will she do about vehicle maintenance, shifting heavy objects and Allen keys? Not to mention her rebellious teenage daughter Tally, who blames Lucy for the marital meltdown. Low self-esteem is hereditary: you get it from your kids. While Tally’s busy trying to find a loophole in her birth certificate so she can put herself up for adoption, Lucy strives to accept that a child is for life and not just for Christmas. Could teenagers be God’s punishment for having sex in the first place?

This is a book about what to do when you fall in love. (Wipe it off your shoes before you walk it all over the carpet.) But above all it's a survival guide for anyone who has realized that the perfect marriage is like an orgasm – many of them are faked.

(author's site, cos I just loved the blurb)

I finished this one really quickly, it was a fun book, and I do love my chick-lit. But it also made me feel sad and upset cos it had the biggest bitch them all (well in a while for me).

I liked Lucy, even when she fell apart, started drinking and forgot about everything. She is in a foreign country and her husband walked out on her. No wonder she is upset, but I still love her, and I feel so sorry for her. Her oldest daughter blames her and verbally abuses her, when she is not baking. her youngest clings to that daddy is not gonna be gone long, wets her bad and have night terrors. It's a household in chaos.

Luckily she gets a witty friend, and yes I can't remember her name...nope. Anyway I did like her even if I forgot her name. We get to meet other fun characters, like Lockie, the guys who holds this course so she can take her bronze medallion, and be able to save people on the beach. Of course I know the minute he walks in that he might be someone that she could fall for. When she gets over her idiot husband that is. But there is also Sebastian, 25, snobbish English, and who promises great sex.

To the bitch then, Renee, her former best friend who slept with her husband and then lured him away, that woman makes me grind me teeth. No one can like her or feel for her. Every time she shows up I feel sorry for Lucy, and Renee always puts her down and says the most awful things. her husband is not any better since he is spellbound by Renee, still he is an idiot so who cares. Well I cared since Lucy loves him and I have no idea who she will choose in the end.

The negative things about this book was also a positive thing. Every time people met, who disliked each other somewhat, or a lot, they gave these witty remarks. And honesely, yes they were fun but come on, put on the spot, with your husbands mistress, will you be able to say all those clever things? Everyone did it, and that part I didn't like, it didn't feel real. Still I also loved this part since they so hit the spot every time.

But this was a book that made me laugh out loud and giggle. It made me feel for Lucy, and it was a fun ride while it lasted. The reason why i enjoy chick-lit so much, easy to read, and makes me laugh.

Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

YA urban fantasy

Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries.
Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty-especially if they learn of her Sight-and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.

Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.
Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.
But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King, who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. His is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost-regardless of her plans or desires.

Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; everything.


I thought the book was ok, but it stayed at ok. It was not bad, not great, well-written with a gripping story that made me go on. But afterwards it made me thinking, what if it would have been even better in English? Sometimes they just seems to simplify things in translations when it comes to children's and youth books. I guess I will not know that and it will stay at ok.

I like that this book had a darker tone and sometimes they brushed up against really dark things, those kinds of things that I don't even want to hear about in other books. But it really made this a darker story in it's way. It was a dark world when it came to humans, and it was a dark world where the fairies lived.

I liked Aislinn, I could not do what she does, walk around seeing fairies and not reacting, not even when she sees something awful. As for her friend and love interest Seth, I was kind of blah on him, didn't want to see them together. He could have been made into more, now I just saw him as someone who was there but that I didn't know that much about in the end.

The faeries then, the winter court was cold, I would like to know about that high court, those summer fairies were to lusty, and the dark court, well they are dark, and I want some info on them too. Keenan, him I liked, there was something to hope for. What a nice summer king, and how did he get a mother like that?! As for Donia, I liked the wolf and some things didn't add up in the end. All those girls, and why should anyone be more special in the end? As I said, they were sure lusty at that summer court.

I saw that book 3 is about them again so would be fun to read that one, and book 2 is about that dark king? Sounds cool to me.

This was a book that kept me reading and wondering about how it all would end, and it did surprise me in the end. She did well there, and Melissa Marr is a good author. A YA book worth reading.