Title: Her Kind of Trouble

Author: Sarah Mayberry

Publisher: Harlequin

Imprint: Harlequin Superromance

Publication date: April 1st, 2014

 

 

My rating: 4 of 5

(Book read from August 27th to August 28th, 2014,  from a review copy received from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.)

Summary:

It takes one to know one

The moment Vivian Walker spies Seth Anderson she knows they're a match made in hedonistic pleasure. And they both agree their one night together is all about fun, not forever.

Now, years later, Seth remains a favorite memory. Surely the sizzling chemistry has faded, though, right? Apparently not. Because he's still sinfully attractive, and she likes the man he is. When he suddenly becomes a full-time dad to his newborn daughter, Vivian falls hard. Yet despite the responsibilities, he's not a good bet for commitment. And she needs to guard her heart before she gets into trouble!

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

There's something quite unique when it comes to Sarah Mayberry's contemporary romances. They're fun, and heartbreaking, yet so realistic. No one can make me feel as sad as she can. I've actually forgotten that until the first tears came. I think her stories & characters have so much impact on me, because they feel so much real & realistic. And Her Kind of Trouble is another read like that.

I have to admit that at the beginning I didn't quite like both Vivian & Seth. But, they're both still searching for themselves, so I could understand them. But, when the story continued 10 years later, everything was different. Slowly, I started to like them more, to cheer them on, to laugh with them, get angry with them, and cry with them.

The story was interesting, heartbreaking, entertaining, sweet & heartwarming. The interactions & chemistry between Seth & Vivian was good, and I really enjoyed their story.

I highly recommend Her Kind of Trouble to every fan of contemporary romances, as well as Sarah Mayberry's books overall. There's a reason why I keep reading her books, and that's because she's a great author that always delivers.

 

 

Challenges: 

Summer Bookish Bingo

2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge

Title: Shipwrecked with the Billionaire Rock Star

Author: Victoria Wessex

Publisher: Fido Publishing

Publication date: July 17th, 2014

My rating: 2 of 5

(Book read from August 16th to August 28th, 2014,  from a review copy received from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.) 

  

 

Summary:

Adam Sykes, bad boy singer with the rock band Iron Hammer, loves to party. When his latest escapade ends in arrest, he’s packed off by his manager to a private yacht to lay low.
 
Fiery ship’s chef Hannah is proud of her curvy body…and she has a tongue as sharp as her knives. She has no time for arrogant rock stars, even when they’re billionaires. So when Adam makes a pass at her, she rejects him. Now he’s fascinated.

When the yacht is caught in a storm, the pair are stranded on a desert island and must rely on each other to survive. As the days pass, the friction between them threatens to ignite into lust…but Hannah’s been hurt before. Can she learn to trust a man with Adam’s reputation? Can he prove he’s changed?

As they battle to control their feelings, new dangers emerge. Even if they can escape the island, their problems may be just beginning….

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

First of all, I have to mention that I have a thing for books featuring chefs or just cooking of any kind. So, the moment I saw this on NetGalley, thought it had potential & I wanted to read it. I thought it will be fun summer read, but unfortunately, this book didn't work for me.

It was actually quite subjective. First of all, I really disliked the main character Hannah, as for Adam, I couldn't care enough. I think it should've been from dual PoV, then the story would've been better, and I might have liked Adam. Now, I was just indifferent when it came to him. The characters weren't at all developed, I usually want a little bit more...

I also had trouble with the writing style, some choices of words & phrases at time I found quite ridiculous, that a few times I was thinking about giving up on this story. I don't know, it just rubbed me the wrong way. I'm not saying it was all bad, just not quite the read for me.

That being said, I quite liked the ending. It was better then the previous parts of the book. And, despite knowing quite early what happened, so I wasn't surprised, I loved the way everything resolved, and I might have started to care just a tiny bit about both Adam & Hannah near the end, and wanted them to make it. So, in the end, I'm glad that I didn't give up on this book & read it until the end.

Shipwrecked with the Billionaire Rock Star might not have been the read for me, but if you enjoy hot summer romances set on an island (the island was quite beautiful), I say you should give this one a try. It might just be the read for you.

 

 

Challenges: 

Summer Bookish Bingo

2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge

What's Next? is a weekly meme hosted by IceyBooks.

Every Thursday, select 3-5 books (not too many, not too little!) that you want to read but can't decide which one to read first, so the readers can vote on which one you should read next.

To participate, go HERE!

My picks this week are:

 

~ Broken Branch Falls by Tara Tyler

 

 

Doing homework for bully ogres and getting laughed at as the butt of pixie pranks, Gabe is tired of his goblin life. When he and his friends step out of their nerdy stereotype and pull a prank of their own on the dragons at the first football game, it literally backfires, bringing a High Council vote to dismantle not only Gingko High, but the whole town, too!

  
The Book of Ages – hidden handbook of the High Council, filled with knowledge and power – may be Gabe’s only hope. With the help of friends old and new, can Gabe complete his quest to find the Book in time to save Broken Branch Falls? Or will he remain an outcast forever?

 

 

~ Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen

  

 
Meet Captain James Benjamin Hook, a witty, educated Restoration-era privateer cursed to play villain to a pack of malicious little boys in a pointless war that never ends. But everything changes when Stella Parrish, a forbidden grown woman, dreams her way to the Neverland in defiance of Pan’s rules. From the glamour of the Fairy Revels, to the secret ceremonies of the First Tribes, to the mysterious underwater temple beneath the Mermaid Lagoon, the magical forces of the Neverland open up for Stella as they never have for Hook. And in the pirate captain himself, she begins to see someone far more complex than the storybook villain.

With Stella’s knowledge of folk and fairy tales, she might be Hook’s last chance for redemption and release if they can break his curse before Pan and his warrior boys hunt her down and drag Hook back to their neverending game. 

  

~ Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

  

 

Growing up on Forge’s streets has taught Kyra how to stretch a coin. And when that’s not enough, her uncanny ability to scale walls and bypass guards helps her take what she needs.

But when the leader of the Assassins Guild offers Kyra a lucrative job, she hesitates. She knows how to get by on her own, and she’s not sure she wants to play by his rules. But he’s persistent — and darkly attractive — and Kyra can’t quite resist his pull.

Tristam of Brancel is a young Palace knight on a mission. After his best friend is brutally murdered by Demon Riders, a clan of vicious warriors who ride bloodthirsty wildcats, Tristam vows to take them down. But as his investigation deepens, he finds his efforts thwarted by a talented thief, one who sneaks past Palace defenses with uncanny ease.

When a fateful raid throws Kyra and Tristam together, the two enemies realize that their best chance at survival — and vengeance — might be to join forces. And as their loyalties are tested to the breaking point, they learn a startling secret about Kyra’s past that threatens to reshape both their lives.

 

 

   

So, what do you think, which one of these should I read next?

Leave me a comment & help me decide!

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

        

 

Scandal and the Duchess

(Highland Pleasures, #6.5)

by

Jennifer Ashley

Publication date:

September 16th, 2014   

Scandal follows Rose Barclay, young widow of the Duke of Southdown, wherever she goes. It's never her fault--honor bright--but newspapers love to write about the young woman from Scotland, and the much older duke she married, who died on their honeymoon. The duke left her with a large widow's portion, now contested by his younger brother, who kicks Rose out of the estate's dower house and uses it to kennel his dogs.

Rose does *not* need to be found with a large, handsome Scot passed out at her feet, fueling gossips and giving her brother-in-law more ammunition. The Scot is Steven McBride--a decorated soldier who is notorious for heavy gambling and womanizing during his leave time. Steven is happy to open his eyes and find the beautiful woman standing over him, and happy to help spirit her away. But the journalists get wind and start a campaign to couple Rose with the scandalous Steven McBride.

 

 

 

 

Even though I'm not reading historical romances as much as I used to, the Highland Pleasures series is one of my favorites and one I've kept up with, so I'll be eager to read more of the Mackenzies &/or McBrides every time, and Scandal & the Duchess sounds like another fun read.

 

 

What are you waiting for this week?

  

Leave me your WoW links!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created & hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish. 

For more info about it, check out the post HERE.

     

So, My Top Ten Books I Really Want to Read, But Don't Own Yet are:

 

 

 

What about you? 

   

Leave me your TTT links!

Title: Rose and the Magician's Mask

 

Author: Holly Webb

 

Series: Rose, #3

 

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

 

Publication date: September 2nd, 2014

 

 

My rating: 5 of 5

 

 

(Book read on August 14th to August 15th, 2014,  from a review copy received from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.) 

  

 

Summary:

 

Rose is now a fully fledged magician's apprentice-will her new magic be enough to find the dangerous magician's mask?

When a precious mask of unimaginable power is stolen from the royal palace, Rose suspects that dark magicians are at work and that danger looms. The race to stop the evil thieves will take Rose to the mysterious city of Venice, where nothing is quite what it seems. Can Rose use her magic to find the terrible mask before its true powers are revealed?

 

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

Rose and the Magician's Mask is a wonderful middle grade novel, full of wonder, magic, whimsy, danger, humour, mystery & historical elements. And on top of that, the cast of characters in the series is quite wonderful & lovable, so what more can you wish for?

I'm a big fan of the Rose series. Actually, it became one of my favorites now, and I don't want it to end, EVER. But, unfortunately, there's only one more book to go: Rose and the Silver Ghost, and even though I'm sad it will be over, at the same time I'm dying to read it. I can't wait to finally find out who exactly Rose is, and I loved the hint we got in this book.

 

In Rose and the Magician's Mask, Mr. Fountain, Rose, Bella, Freddie, Gus & Bill face another dangerous mystery - the mysterious & powerful Magician's Mask has been stolen, and who's behind it? Who else, but the villain(s) from the previous book. Now, they must race to Venice to retrieve the dangerous mask & stop the thieves from becoming even more powerful & dangerous by absorbing the mask's powers...

 

I found the story to be quite interesting & entertaining, and loved every second of it. I also adored the setting - the Venice the author imagined was quite mysterious & magical, and probably a wonder to see. I'd love to visit that Venice.

And once again I adored the characters. From the quirky Mr. Fountain, to the spoiled Bella, the talking magical cat Gus, the grumpy Freddie, the non-magical Bill & the amazing Rose - I loved them all. All of them had gotten under my skin, despite their faults & I don't think I'll ever get enough of them. I also love the friendship between them, and the way they're always there for each other. Actually, no, they're a family, a wonderful family.

The ending was awesome, and full of surprises, and full of danger, and kinda cool. Definitely a satisfying ending to this wonderful book.

I highly recommend Rose and the Magician's Mask, as well as the Rose series to every fan of fantasy, no matter the age. I would've adored the series as a little girl, then again - I adore it now as an adult, so I can't recommend it enough!

 

 

 

Challenges: 

Summer Bookish Bingo

2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge