Category Archives: Romance

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Posted on November 13, 2011 | 3 Comments

Summer time is for romance so before I left for my long summer vacation (benefit of being on maternity leave) I spent some time on goodreads looking for something good and I stumbled upon “Beautiful Disaster” by Jamie McGuire.

From  Goodreads:

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.
Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’ apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

“This book is like crack” says Torie on Goodreads and I can’t agree more.

It’s not healthy for you  (and you know it) but it’s impossible to  stay away until it’s OVER .

Everything about this story is really quite absurd, not that I have anything against this per sè  but while reading Beautiful Disaster I wasn’t feeling good about myself and especially about feeding my brain with this material, it can’t be good and yet it’s very good and juicy in all the right places.

Travis Maddox is uber sexy, fully aware of his hotness, a fighter who wants to major in criminal law, one of those “larger than life” character, nothing is subtle about his personality and I  usually don’t like this sort of hero (the sort that always behaves as expected, the two-dimensional hero) but somehow you can’t help sympthazing for Travis .

Abby Abernathy is supposed to display some kind of complexity, truth is I found her quite annoying.

Beautiful Disaster isn’t a character-driven novel, it’s a relationship-driven novel  and considering how many contradictions you can find in this story I will say that the title is PERFECT.

So why did I recommend this book in my previous post (a mention that intrigued Janicu who after came up with her review … do yourself a favor and read it!)?

I do think that if you have to spend a few hours on a flight or waiting in a doctor’s hall Beautiful Disaster will distract you completely, if you are feeling bored it will surely help to ease the feeling (more like dissipating it) , it’s juicy.

Your brain won’t like it but your guts will appreciate it so there must be something good in here :)

Em

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Posted in book reviews, Chick Lit, Romance

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A brief Summary

Posted on November 2, 2011 | 12 Comments

I can’t believe that my last post here was written more than one year ago!

For those of you who are interested here it’s a brief summary of my 2011:

* in february I moved back to Milan and for a while we had been renting a VERY little place in Milan;

* in may I had a baby, her name is Carola and she is almost six month old, here it’s a picture of us on vacation:

I had a natural childbirth because by the time I arrived to the hospital it was too late for an epidural, it was better & faster than expected…would I do it again? Next time I’ll make sure to be on time for my epidural :)

* I read a TON of books about babies (The baby whisperer by Tracy Hogg, a book by William and Marta Sears, Your Baby and Child by Penelope Leach and many others) , currently I am exclusively breastfeeding but weaning will be staring soon.  I am lucky because my little Caro is a very sweet baby who sleeps  through the night and sometimes takes a long nap in the early afternoon;

* during the summer we moved again (this time it’s our place, no more renting!) and we are currently decorating, we bought paint & stencils on-line, it’s hard work but great fun:

Right now I am on maternity leave but I don’t really have too much time for reading and reviewing,  here are a few books that I recently read:

Jane by April Lindner, Angie was right, I really enjoyed this retelling of Jane Eyre, although I am not crazy about the original one

You don’t have to say you love me by Sarra Manning, surprisingly I did not love this one, Neve and Max sort of got on my nerves but I must admit that I still haven’t come across a book by Sarra Manning that isn’t utterly compelling and somehow juicy

Pug Hill by Alison Pace, not my kind of story… I was bored from the beginning to the end

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, I completely agree with a few reviews that I found on Goodreads: THIS BOOK IS LIKE CRACK

The Help by Kathryn Stockett, a keeper! Now I understand what all the fuss was about, I loved it

My one and only by Kristin Higgins, I regard myself as a very picky reader when it comes to contemporary romance… I love the concept but actual books often disappoint me, this was not the case with My one and only, it’s really really fun

Ciao

Em

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Posted in A history of Love (dazzled and confused), book reviews, Chick Lit, Romance

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Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles and all sort of things

Posted on October 16, 2010 | 7 Comments

Oh I missed being here, hopefully I will start post regularly again  although nothing is quite settled right now I’m my life, I rent an apartment in Milan and one in Dublin, my husband is currently in London, I have a new manager and my team will probably undergo a re-organization (again!), and I will  soon have very BIG NEWS…I am so looking forward to december, this year I simply CANNOT WAIT but as my mum says “Patience is ‘the’ virtue of the strong ones” (italian idiom “la pazienza è la virtù dei forti“).

So here it’s the thing about Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles, I was hoping for distraction but all I got is a mild sense of annoyance, Carlos got on my nerves due to his self absorbed personality and poor listening skills, I couldn’t get into him and this is a big issue because this is a romance so the main male character is the focal point of everything.

This is not entirely Elkeles’s fault, it’s clearly one of those situations in which I read a good book at the wrong moment, lately I’ve been noticing that people always say “I am here if you need to talk” but are they really there? Don’t they just pretend for a few minutes so that they can then have their payback time which might take hours if I am the one listening on the other side of the coffee table.

Ok I am rambling… back to Carlos and Kiara all I can say is that attraction might have been in the air (not as overwhelming as in Perfect Chemistry) but love surely was missing and if the epilogue didn’t bother me too much in PC, here I found myself rolling my eyes and thinking “not again“.

I am quoting the super-quotable Carla:

“because we all know there is a BIG difference between love and lust and I just never felt like they crossed that particular line, I felt like I was told they did”

Precisely!

The opposites-attract routine never fails me but this time Kiara was a little too nice and understanding, I would have appreciated some  attitude.

Plus the whole sub-plot regarding gangs’ dynamics wasn’t engaging , it felt a bit like something that Elkeles had to throw in there somehow without too much conviction.

Other reviews:

The Crooked Shelf

Chachic’s Book Nook

Angieville

The YA YA YAs

My grade: 3/5

Em

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Posted in book reviews, Grade 3/5, Romance, Ya Books

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The secret countess by Eva Ibbotson

Posted on September 21, 2010 | 16 Comments

Eva Ibbotson had been on my mind for a while and then I was invited to We Love Ya on Chachic’s blog where both Angie and Holly recommended A Company of Swans and A Song for Summer but The Secret Countess was already on my bookshelf so I decided to start from this one.

I am super glad I did it because The Secret Countess it’s one of those enchanting, make-you-feel-good-about-being-good fairytale plus it’s unputdownable and once I started reading about Anna Grazinski I simply could not stop.

Book Review

Anna Grazinski is the heir of an aristocratic russian family based in St Petersburg, in Russia Anna has the most perfect life,  speaks many languages, plays the piano, she is not the most beautiful girl at court but her humble attitude and charm make her impossible to resist.

When revolution tears Russia apart and her beloved father dies, her now-penniless family is forced to flee to England where Anna becomes a housemaid at Mersham, a magnificent mansion on the verge of ruin.

Years ago  Rupert, The Earl of Westerholm, had promised his older brother that if required he would have done his best to save Mersham.

Differently from his brother Rupert has survived the war, he is coming back to Mersham and is getting married to the beautiful Muriel, a wealthy heiress who can afford to save Mersham and, most importantly, she wants to because those two are in love or so they think.

But the real story is about Anna and Mersham and the way Anna integrates herself so well that she becomes Mersham and Rupert learns to love his house through her.

This is a fairytale so there are no surprises, no shades, characters are pure goodness or utterly evil, Anna is a mix of earnestness, grace, sensitivity, she is perfect the way only fairytales’ heroines are.

I enjoyed reading about a princess who finds herself scrubbing floors and charms a whole community of supporting characters.

All supporting characters are great and there many but Ibbotson doesn’t overdo, she orchestrates them perfectly,  every single character is relevant and adds a contribution to the narration.

Predictability is not a bad thing, most of the books I read are  predictable and yet I don’t mind, I enjoy the ride if the story is well written and makes me feel something / think about something.

This it’s what I call a comfort book, a perfect way to spend a lazy day on the couch with a blanket and a cup of cocoa.

I reached the end with a BIG smile on my face and with a vague sensation that being good matters.

My grade: 4/5

Em

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Posted in book reviews, Grade 4/5, Romance, Ya Books

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Soulless by Gail Carriger

Posted on September 17, 2010 | 22 Comments

I picked up Soulless following Lit Snit’s recommendation without really knowing what to expect,  I am glad to say that Soulless has a mix of dry humor, personality, style and  romance that really worked for me and let’s not forget that Lord Maccon is a werewolf and you know how I feel about those.

Book Review

From Amazon:

Prickly, stubborn 25-year-old bluestocking Alexia Tarabotti is patently unmarriageable, and not just because she’s large-nosed and swarthy. She’s also soulless, an oddity and a secret even in a 19th-century London that mostly accepts and integrates werewolf packs, vampire hives and ghosts. The only man who notices her is brash Lord Conall Maccon, a Scottish Alpha werewolf and government official, and (of course) they dislike each other intensely. After Alexia kills a vampire with her parasol at a party—how vulgar!—she and Conall must work together to solve a supernatural mystery that grows quite steampunkishly gruesome. Well-drawn secondary characters round out the story, most notably Lord Akeldama, Alexia’s outrageous, italic-wielding gay best vampire friend.

A few years ago I had an appraisal with my manager and in my improvement area she wrote think overnight before speaking and then she added it’s probably because you are italian.

Every time Alexia blurts out her abrupt considerations, which happens quite often,  Carriger mentions her italian heritage and I can’t help smiling.

I instantly liked Alexia, an outspoken, sophisticated, perfectly mannered spinster which means  she can get away with many things (which she does).

It helps a lot that she is almost unique, Alexia  is a preternatural, who has no soul and can neutralize other supernatural beings such as vampires and werewolves, it’s a very rare condition she inherited from her italian father and very few people know about it.

The background is also very peculiar, it’s a Victorian London in which different communities, vampires, humans, werewolves coexist pacifically and respecting established rules.

This book it’s pure fun, it vaguely reminds me of Julia Quinn,  the romance  dynamic is also one of my favorite: a clever spinster who gave up hope for a marriage proposal and a hero clearly out of her league, except he is not.

And there are juicy bits that I wasn’t expecting, a welcome addiction to an interesting plot that works thanks to Alexia and Lord Maccon’s chemistry  but let’s not forget some well accomplished supporting characters like Lord Akeldama, a rather eccentric vampire, Professor Lyall, Beta to Alpha Wolf Lord Maccon, Foote, Alexia’s butler.

I really enjoyed the writing style, in typical victorian fashion here it’s a novel where the most daring conversations see our characters enjoying a walk in the park or a cup of tea.

It’s all rather polite and clever, very refreshing, absolutely worth reading. It’s a comedy of manners and I am a sucker for those.

Halloween is coming and I am  thinking of putting together an Alexia Tarabotti’s outfit, seriously that cover is an inspiration!

Other reviews:

Janicu’s Book Blog

Bookshelves of doom

Jawas Read, Too!

Angieville

Subverting The Text

The Infinite Shelf

My grade: 4/5

Em

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Posted in book reviews, Fantasy, Grade 4/5, Romance

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Sharing is Caring: Chick Lit September Giveaway

Posted on September 2, 2010 | 25 Comments

September is a very special month, I have a wedding anniversary (1 year!), a birthday (I’ll be turning 29 ), a possible relocation… I am excited and I thought I would share some of the fun by organizing my first  giveaway ever.

I selected two chick lit that I loved but don’t seem to have gained much popularity:

If Andy Warhol had a girlfriend by Alison Pace

The Family Fortune by Laurie Horowitz

Contest is open almost internationally (if BookDepository delivers to your country …).

If Andy Warhol had a girlfriend talks a lot about art, contemporary art especially,  to enter leave a comment telling me the title of your favorite painting, why you love it and a way of contacting you.

Here it’s one of my favorite paintings (Gare Montparnasse. The Melancholy of Departure by Giorgio De Chirico):

Gare Montparnasse (The Melancholy of Departure)

I am fond of this painting for its simplicity, the implicit tension, its shadows and lights, its subtlety.

Contest is open until September, 16th (that’s my birthday) , Hope you enjoy!

Em

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Posted in A history of Love (dazzled and confused), book reviews, Chick Lit, Contemporary and Classic Fiction, Romance

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A Good Book is a Good Book Forever

Posted on August 25, 2010 | 7 Comments

Yesterday I came across an excerpt of The Thief on the Harper Collins website.

When you reach the end there is a very interesting EXTRA titled “A Good Book is a Good Book Forever“:

I think a good book is a good book forever. I don’t think they get less good because times change. If I said that about an adult book , most adults would agree. Look at Shakespeare. What’s funny is that people might not think that it is true for children’s books as well.  I think that readers get pushed toward newly published books. Of course the bookstores want you to read the newest books – they need to sell them to you. But look at the library and you will see faced out on the front shelves the new books. It only makes sense to show you what has been added since the last time you were in the library. If you don’t know what is already in the collection and you want to find out, you need to ask a librarian. Say, “I liked Harry Potter, what should I read next?” The Librarian can show you new books and old ones. The disaster comes when the librarian isn’t there.Everybody should have a good librarian in his life, but not everyone does. So what those people see are the new books in bookstores and the new ones in libraries. When I want to buy someone a present, what do I get? Usually a new book, unless I know them really well. Obviously, I want to get them something they haven’t already read. So new books push the old ones aside. I’d like to make an argument for some great old books. It astonished me that some books last as long as they do.

I love it, it’s so simple and so truthful and so well written.

Em

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Posted in A history of Love (dazzled and confused), book reviews, Chick Lit, Contemporary and Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Ya Books

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The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

Posted on August 20, 2010 | 11 Comments

*This review contains spoilers*

Although I don’t believe that the success of this series lies exclusively in Gen’s character I must admit that he had a major role in keeping me reading day & night  until I reached The End and forcing me to go back and re-read most of the book …the first time I read it too quickly but  every single page in here deserves full attention.

The Thief thought me not to underestimate Gen, he has proven his ability to outsmart opponents and readers.

That  smart, carefree, young boy has grown up and when Attolia cuts his hand off  he finds himself questioning his position as Queen’s thief.

His previous outgoing attitude is replaced by cryptic silences, he needs constant medication to cope with the pain, he can’t sleep without experiencing terrible nightmares.

He is terrified by Attolia and what she can do to him:

He started to pace. “Her following stroke is as good as her attack” he said “I’m too frightened to leave my room, much less to be of any use to my queen”

Gen’s mutilation causes political ramification all over the country plus the Mede is  stepping in to try to gain power for his empire.

Attolia will stop at nothing to defend her throne, vicious, barbaric, edging toward insane,  she is also an astute strategist who rules her country with inflexible hand.

We  get to know Attolia’s story, which partly explains the brutality she is capable of.

The world is at war, the  Queen of  Eddis needs her thief, she needs Gen to steal her peace, not for the first time it’s up to Gen to come up with a solution that will preserve Eddis’ independence:

“Your Majesty” said her Thief at last. He’d never spoken before at a council meeting, and those at the table turned to look at him in surprise.
“Our goal has been to dethrone Attolia without inviting in the Mede.  If the instability of her rule were eliminated and Attolia had a government more stable but inimical to the Mede, it could mean an alliance between Eddis and Attolia that would drive back Sounis.”
“Yes,” Eddis agreed.
“I think,” Eugenides said quietly, “that I could eliminate the instability of the Attolian queen.”

by stealing the queen of Attolia.

And then there is a twist (not as  unpredictable as what happens in the Thief) and I genuinely melted because this is the kind of romance that warms my heart. Eugenides definitely had me swooning.

I feel a little overwhelmed, The Queen of Attolia doesn’t have the greatest plot ever  but while reading  this story I never  experienced that annoying sensation that the author is trying too hard to be smart.

There is a certain degree of simplicity in dialogues, strategies, descriptions and yet it’s subtle, smart without over complicating things.

Plus is not conventional, there is nothing I like more than an unpredictable love story :)

Other reviews:

Angieville

Jenny who is immoderately gushing about Megan Whalen Turner

Chachic

Fantasy Cafè

Just Book Reading

Fryrefly’s Book Blog

My grade: 5/5

Em

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Posted in book reviews, Fantasy, Grade 5/5, Romance, Ya Books

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Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Posted on August 6, 2010 | 6 Comments

WOW I loved Moon Called and I wish I could read the next book in Mercy’s series immediately.

Here it’s the official cover but I must say that I could never picture Mercedes Thompson wearing such an item, I would have appreciated something less sensual and more “Would You Do Me a Favor and Fetch that Hammer?”

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

From Goodreads:

Werewolves can be dangerous if you get in their way, but they’ll leave you alone if you are careful. They are very good at hiding their natures from Werewolves can be dangerous if you get in their way, but they’ll leave you alone if you are careful. They are very good at hiding their natures from the human population, but I’m not human. I know them when I meet them, and they know me, too.
Mercy Thompson’s sexy next-door neighbor is a werewolf.  She’s tinkering with a VW bus at her mechanic shop that happens to belong to a vampire.  But then, Mercy Thompson is not exactly normal herself … and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble

I mentioned before how much I dislike vampires, it’s now crystal clear that I instead care deeply for all kind shapeshifters (although vampires were ok in here).

Moon Called makes you feel part of a fictional world that might be on paper but after a few pages starts feeling very real. Briggs creates a strong heroine, her name is Mercedes Thompson aka Mercy, she is a “walker” and can shift into a feisty coyote, which she does quite often.

Mercy fixes cars for living, that’s right, she is a mechanic, an excellent one, as a general rule she minds her own business … at least she tries.

Mercy was raised among the Marrok, the most powerful pack of werewolves in North America, she now lives in Washington close to Adam Hauptman, the local Alpha, Adam’s wolves are the Columbia Basin Pack. Adam is a control freak, you can’t really choose your neighbour,  can you? Besides Mercy knows better than antagonizing a dominant werewolf.

Moon Called is a character driven adventure, it’s all about getting to know Mercy, a girl who is not afraid of getting her hands dirty, an independent creature who has no obligation to obey Pack’s rules, for all her toughness Mercy has a big heart, when Adam’s life is threatened and his daughter Jess is kidnapped, Mercy springs into action and her help proves to be crucial.

What I really liked about this story is the way it carefully details uses & rituals that occur among werewolves’ society, we all agree it’s NOT REAL but by setting clear rules Briggs ensures consistency and credibility to the story. By the end of the book I had a solid grasp of Mercy’s world.

The actual plot starts with the right pace but towards the end it becomes sloppy, the good characters are great but the villain gave a very poor performance (we all know how important a good villain is) and I was honestly confused, I don’t think he/she (I won’t say) has been enforced  with solid motivations.

Overall I can’t wait to see more. Romance doesn’t play a major role (there is hardly any romance) but Mercy and Adam have great chemistry, I am sure there is more to come.

Other reviews:

Sarah’s Book reviews

Renee’s Book Addiction

The Infinite Shelf

Aelia Reads

plus I was greatly encouraged by Angie on Angieville and Carla on The Crooked Shelf.

My grade: 4/5

Em

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Posted in book reviews, Fantasy, Grade 4/5, Romance

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Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

Posted on July 21, 2010 | 8 Comments

Magic Bleeds it’s the fourth book in Kate Daniels’ series by Ilona Andrews, I rambled before about how special Kate is ,  it gets better and better as you get to know and love all characters.

This is what I love about series, when they are good  I can feel my interest increasing to the point of turning into something that is no longer rational, a mild obsession, all I can think of is how badly I want to read my book.

I love when this happens, I love when books mess with my routine to the point that all I want to do is reading, reading, reading.

This review contains spoilers, This review contains swooning, This book is pure awesomeness.

On Ilona Andrews’ website there is a really cool feature “the world of Atlanta” where you can check all main players:

Kate Daniel:  engaging kick-ass  heroine, a combination of dry humor, determination and combat skills … I like the way she doesn’t take crap from anybody. She doesn’t cause problems, she CAUSES CATASTROPHES . Kate used to be a merc but she now works for The Order, highly empowered with magic, she cleans up magical messes

Curran Lennart: a shapeshifter (part lion and part human), 31 years old, 5′11,  Beast Lord, observant and shrewd, skilled fighter, confident but not obnoxious, jealous, possessive, insightful, caring, power comes with responsibility and Curran doesn’t take his role lightly

Saiman: I adore Saiman, talented, excellent at his job, a pervert with great sense of humor, a gentlemen when he wants to be, interested in money and pleasure, hid duplicity would appear at its best on screen

MAGIC BLEEDS by Ilona Andrews

The plot from GoodReads:

Kate Daniels works for the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, officially as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle—especially if they involve Atlanta’s shapeshifting community.
When she’s called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar midway between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers there’s a new player in town. One who’s been around for thousands of years—and rode to war at the side of Kate’s father.  This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family…

The opening is great, Kate is cooking dinner for Curran but he doesn’t show up, she calls The Pack and she is advised to leave a message plus the receptionist informs her that in the future she should go through proper channel.

Kate cooked a huge meal and Curran stood her up. Kate is sad, angry, mad, scorned but when duty calls she will run and work her ass off.

Payback Time later. Kate is not your average oh-I-am-so-heartbroken whiner, she is hard working and I love her even more for her strong ethic.

Magic Bleeds displays  gross content, there are some disgusting scenes (especially at the beginning), there is an engaging thrilling storyline but I kind of started grinning at this point in the story:

“Here you go” He leaned his head to me, his neck so close to my lips, I felt the heat coming off his skin. His breath was warm against my ear. His voice was a ragged snarl “I miss you”
This wasn’t happening
“I worry about you” He dipped his head and looked into my eyes “I worry something stupid will happen and I won’t be there and you‟ll be gone. I worry we won‟t ever get a chance and it’ s driving me out of my skull”
No, no, no, no . . .
Mad gold eyes stared into mine “Do you miss me, Kate?”
I closed my eyes, trying to shut him out. I could lie and then we’d be back to square one. Nothing would be resolved. I’d still be alone, hating him and wanting him.
He grabbed my shoulders and shook me once. “Do you miss me?”
I took the plunge. “Yes”

I melted at “Did you miss me?”, I waited three books hoping to see Kate and Curran together and IT WAS WELL WORTH IT.

Relationships come at a price, is there a future for those two together?

Not only they have different personalities (Kate can’t stand authority, Curran is a controlling freak) , they are also defined by their different natures (Curran is half animal), different roles in society,  different lifestyles. Kate is an agent of the order, she values her neutrality, Curran is the Beast Lord which means that his mate will have to accept responsibilities among the Pack.

The result is poignant, heart warming, compelling.

Magic Bleeds is clearly a transitional book ,  it helps us to understand Kate’s heritage and how scared she really is that something bad will happen to people she loves  because of her identity. We also find out more details about Curran’s Story.

This is by far my favorite urban fantasy series, I can’t wait for the next  book.

Read those reviews and you’ll want to read this:

Angieville

See Michelle Read

Lurv a la mode

Chachic

wonderful snippets from Curran’s point of view on Ilona Andrews’ website.

My grade: 5/5

Em

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Posted in book reviews, Fantasy, Grade 5/5, Romance

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