Once a Rake - Rona Sharon

Heh heh heh, I can't seem to let these reviews be. (Sorry Stien! I'm sure you'll forgive me...)

So,... I finished Rona Sharon's Once a Rake.
Okay, so this story was a bit too long. And at the same time, I liked the book being so thick. I don't know why I contradict myself here, but this is how I feel about it.

The main characters, Izzy and Paris (hehehe,... sorry, but I just kept reading Paris Hilton all the time... sorry!), well, they kept pushing each other away constantely! Ok, so I understand the need of a bit of conflict, but this just went on and on...

And normally, I don't like that so much in a book. (Here, it sometimes got on my nerves too. I wanted to say: "Come on, people! Just say you love each other and get over it, don't be so silly! I know you love each other... just. say. it. Sheesh!")

And at the other hand, I didn't want this book to end. I liked the descriptions of the battle of Waterloo very much! In my opinion, it was here that Mrs. Sharon showed a most remarkable talent. She played me like a violin when Will, Izzy's brother, died. (God, Will... Although he was dead, he was a very strong character!). I cried like a baby...

I guess that's why I kept on reading. Because of Will, and the social issues mentioned in this book. I enjoyed the descriptions of Brussels (for very obvious reasons, heh) and I appreciated that the author did a great job on the research. There was even a mention of Ninove. So, yeah, I loved that part of the book. (My, am I not being patriotic here? :P ).

I don't think this book is a true keeper for me, though. Even if there were bits I liked very, very much (Like the charity, the war, Wellington...).
I blame it on the Paris-Izzy antics. They just had TOO much going on in their personal lives.

I also had the impression there was too much information tried to put into the story. Like, for example, that scene with the highwaymen. That could have been left out of the book easily, without changing the story. It was a bit pointless to me, especially since the highwaymen just appeared for 2 pages or so, but then no more. (Plot devices!!!)
Or the ending, with the dressing up part...

Perhaps in this case, 'less' would have been 'more', if you know what I mean.

I give this book a 7 out of 10.


Love,
*Andi* ;-)

I'm spoiled...

Oh yeah, I'm spoiled already! These past few days, I've been reading like a madwoman, just to get through my pile of books (freshly bought in January).
The best thing of all is that I've had 3 keepers in a row! So I take it I'm a bit spoiled in that section ;-)

I've read:

- She's No Princess, by Laura Lee Guhrke (I read this one in Dutch, with the title De Perfecte Kandidaat, which means: The Perfect Candidate)
- Passion, by Lisa Valdez (in English)
- Untouched, by Anna Campbell (also in English)


She's No Princess 9/10:
This book has the best heroine ever! Hahaha, probably because she is so very much like me. I really could relate to her. And she was just so, well yeah, ME.
I've never had that with a book before, really.
She, Lucia, is the daughter of an Italian prince. Well, see, my father was Italian too, though not a prince, heh. And so Lucia and I share that Italian temperament ;-)
She loves getting what she wants (I sure do too), and she makes sure she lives her life her way. I understood her completely. *Way to go, girl!!!*

The hero then, Ian. At first, I didn't like him at all. (Yeah, Lucia shared my feelings). But then 'we' got to know him better, and well, it got from 'irritating guy' to 'wow-guy'. I loved the way how he supported Lucia and stood up for her.
And I loved the fact it was Lucia who seduced him, instead of Ian seducing her ;-)

I also loved the relationship between Lucia and her mother. It was just so... true. I wouldn't be able to give my mom up either.

Passion : 9/10
This book has the most beautiful, heartbreaking declaration of love EVER. I mean it, I was crying along with the characters at that point. God, I could cry again now, just by remembering it.
The first few chapters are all about sex, though. I found myself blushing my ears off my head! I mean, uhm, WOW, how far can you take it, huh? *tomato red right now*
But after these few chapters, the characters, Mark and Passion, get to know each other, erm,... better. Their personalities are fleshed out and you see them grow.
This is done in a really great way. And then you get that declaration... and the tears are unstopable, *sigh*.

Untouched: 9/10
I finished this one this night. Here, it is the hero who is absolutely UNforgettable!!! Omg, *super-sigh*!
I want a Matthew for myself! I do, I do, I do!
I also read Claiming the Courtesan from this author. There, I had a few problems with the ending (heroine who acted a bit silly at the end, ugh :-s ).
But this second book, my, my, my.
Okay, at the end, the heroine showed a bit the same tendency as the previous one, but in a way, it was understandable this time.
But overall, that's just a minor, teeny-weeny, problem I had. (Yeah, call me demanding :P)
The rest was just, gosh, mindblowing, I guess ;-)
The hero, Matthew, is being kept captured by his uncle, who says Matthew is mad, but is actually out for Matthew's money. Greedy bastard.
Still, Matthew is a great guy, and soooooo sweet! I think he must be the perfect boyfriend, and if only he were real. (Although that torture/capture bussiness shouldn't be part of the package then, poor boy)
But yeah, if I have to picture my dream guy, it would be Matthew.
*rave, rave, rave*
Can you tell I'm in love? ;-)

I have to stop now, since I could go on and on about him...

Rrrrrrr, I want a Matthew!

Okay, I promise that was the last thing about Rrrrrrrrr-Hmmmmatthew.

By the way, I learned quite a bit 'dirty language' from this book. Hee hee hee, like that sentence: "Shut your gob".
Never knew something like that existed, but I quite like the sound of it.

Edit:
And oeh, oeh, I almost forgot! There is something else that I have to say. It's about the last chapter. And the dog, Wolfram.
Matthew has this dog, Wolfram (I couldn't stop picturing Wolfram halogen lamps, every time I read that name). And Grace, the heroine takes the dog with her to safety.
That's the last thing you get to know about him.
So, my question is: What happened to the dog??? Especially since Matthew loved Wolfram so much, why don't they get back together at the end? Huh? Huh?
And that got me thinking about the last chapter. Now, you have a scene where Grace and Matthew make love in the summerhouse. Wouldn't it have been better if Grace had just been, let's say, reading with Wolfram by her side? And Matthew walked in, and he and Wolfram had got reunited? And Grace could have been like: "Oh, how adorable! Of course I want to marry you! Come in my arms, you, yummie Matthew!"
Or, thinking on it now,... why didn't she just give him the dog back once Matthew got free?

It's just, when you have a 'set up', there has to be a 'pay off'. (Ask my teachers, they taught me that)

And I know I would've want my dog back, you know.

Oh well, I'll just mail Mrs. Campbell to ask her ;-)



If you can (or want to), check these books out! They're really good.
Now, there are still a few books awaiting my greedy hands, so I'll try to put on some reviews in the following days. If I can, of course ;-)

Have a nice evening!
Love,
Andi

Time for another review

Hi there,

I'm back with another review. Now that I have more time to read, (every day 2 hours of travelling by train), I also have more to share with you.

Perhaps you don't know this yet, but I really like to read work by debut authors. So every now and then, I search that Kensington site for Zebra Debuts. Trust me, that way I have found a lot of good books already.

Plus that price is also very handy for such a poor student as myself ;-)
Long live the discount!


Well, what do I have for you guys now? It's a book by Sara Reinke. Not her debut, I understand, but it is with Zebra.


This is the back blurb:

When Brandon Noble and Angelina Jones first met, he was an awkward teenager harboring a crush on his tutor's sister. Five years later, Angelina is a streetwise cop who's sure she's seen it all, until Brandon comes back into her life - lean, handsome, possessing a strange, powerful allure... and a terrifying secret.

Brandon is one of the Brethren, an ancient clan of ruthless vampires. Like other Brethren families, the Nobles have accumulated great wealth and prestige, never marrying outside of their kin, never leaving the isolated Kentucky farmlands where they live, undetected, among their prey.
Horrified by his birthright, Brandon shunned the ritual of the first kill, earning the Brethren's lasting wrath. But the exhilarating passion he and Angelina share rouses the primitive impulses he has so hard tried to deny. And even if Brandon can protect Angelina from his enemies, can he save her from his own dark thirst?

Like many of you, who read paranormal romance, know, there is always such a stereotyping thing going on in those novels. The heroes are strong alpha males, the heroines totally beautiful women, and so on, blablablah,... You know the drill.
Well, not so in this book, hooray!!!

First of all, the hero, Brandon, is deaf, mute, 21, a virgin, and has little self-confidence, a low self-esteem. And that's totally yum, by the way!
The heroine, (Ange)Lina, is a cop, 26, black and super cool. I want to be like her when I grow up! She can kick some ass! *worshipping*

Brandon is a vampire. As a kid, he was attacked by burglars which costed him his hearing and his voice. But he lived, although he was almost slashed to pieces. Yeah, there's a lot of violence going on in this book.
Anywho, for this, he is considered weak by his family. His grandfather and Brandon's brother, Caine, are the two biggest assholes in this story. Stupid fuckfaces!
They treat him like shit, so it's no wonder Brandon wants to escape them. They want to force him into the Bloodletting. A ritual where a young vampire has to make his first kill. Brandon doesn't want this, so he flees from Kentucky to the city.
That's where he meets Lina again...

I don't want to spoil too much of this story. You have to read it for yourselves. But I do want to share my favorite passage with you guys. The one where Brandon kisses Lina for the first time. Totally hot, *swoon*, untill...

Lina didn't give him the chance. She caught his hand against her breast, folding her fingers about his, and then bright, excruciating pain seared up toward his shoulder and neck as she craned his wrist at a sudden, unnatural angle. He gasped sharply for breath as she hyperextended his arm, and he crumpled to his knees, helpless and immobilized.
"What the hell was that?" she demanded, hooking her free hand beneath his chin and jerking his face up to look at her. She looked wide-eyed and stricken, as stunned by his impulsive advance as he was.
" What's wrong with you? Why the hell did you do that?"
I'm sorry! I'm sorry! he signed, drawing his fist in quick, frantic circles above his heart. He grimaced as she momentarily flexed her grasp against him all the more, and then she stepped back, letting him go. Brandon drew his aching wrist against his belly and stumbled to his feet, trying to catch his breath.
Don't you ever do that again! Lina signed at him furiously. Who do you think you are? If you ever do that again, I'll break your goddamn arm! Do you understand?

God, I love this heroine! She's great.... so super fantastic great! Where else have you ever read about a heroine so totally cool?

Abouth what I understand, there are more books to come in these series. This is only the first book! I'm so blessed, he he he :-D

I think the second book will continue right where this one ended, or so I hope, since this ending was a bit open. I also hope we will see Brandon and Lina back in book two, because I want to read more about them, and about the great escape. I hope they'll make it!

(By the way, this would be a great movie!)

Hooray for Sara Reinke! I'm hooked!

-xxx-
Andi

P.S: I totally screwed up my copy of the book. Because of stupid me, the book got wet and looks like shit now. So when I'm placing my next order, I'll order a new one. See, that's how much I like this book!

Good news and other stuff

Hi guys!


I know you don't see much of us lately, but yeah, we're still alive! I was busy for a couple of days... with stuff. I had to fix some papers for my new school, clean the house, help some friends,... And so blogging wasn't on my mind ;-)

But now I have news! Fun, fabulous, fantastic, extraordinary great news! ....Tam-tam-tam...

My mom promised me a dog! Yay!!! Whoooo!!!

After two years of whining (practically non-stop) she finaly said 'yes'. We saw the dog on the website of Ace/Shin. That's an organisation in Spain that rescues dogs from killing stations.
And now we can save one too! I am so happy!

Wednesday, a lady comes to talk to us, about the adoption. So I will tell you more after ;-)



In the meanwhile, I also read 'Skin to Skin' from Dionne Galace, and 'Boundless', an anthology with Annie Dean, Bonnie Dee and Dionne Galace.

Now, for a first review I am pretty nerveous. Let's start with 'Skin to Skin'.

What Leilani wants, Leilani gets. That is, until she meets the enigmatic Oliver Clayton, her new neighbor. For some reason, Oliver seems to be intent on avoiding her even though he’s obviously interested. Leilani has tried to everything to get his attention, from wearing skimpy little outfits to walking a neighbor’s dog six times in front of his yard. Leilani wants Oliver…and she always gets her man.

In the heat of the summer, the temperature’s not only thing rising. Luckily, Oliver has that pool in his backyard and Leilani knows just how to cool off…

I really liked how this story started. We immediately get to know Leilani. A girl with a big mouth. She and her friend reminded me almost instantly of Stien and me. I mean, we would talk like that to each other too.
So the tone is set and we're off...

Oliver is a cop recovering from a gunshot wound. He tries his best at ignoring Leilani, which causes pretty fun moments, hehehe...
And then Leilani gets into the pool...

At first I liked that scene. I really did... but then it started to get a bit... erm, awkward. Man, I was embarrased in Leilani's place! That scene got a bit too much 'eeeew' for my taste.
Oh well, never mind... Quickly forgotten I continued, and I liked the rest. Oliver 'Ollie' turned out pretty sexy, and the end was great. Hehhehe, I'm still smiling when I think of it.

Too bad this story was so short! The characters were well rounded, but I would have liked to see more of them.




'Boundless' then...


First story by Annie Dean, titeled: 'Seven Days'
This one started pretty weird. At first I thought it was a historical, because we don't see a young girl in a convent that often anymore. But since this story takes place in America, I guess everything is possible.

After I had adjusted myself to that fact, I found that this story flowed. It was the first time I read something by this autor and I just loved her language.
This story read like a fairy tale. Soft and gentle, and so very romantic!
Teresa was a perfect fairy tale princess, and Dev, (how much he may claim to be a demon) was a perfect fairy tale prince.

People, this story reads like a Disney! And I love Disney! (well, not all of them, but you get my point)


Story 2: 'The Straw Man' by Bonnie Dee.
It's Halloween and Marie is alone. So lonely that she asks for a man, even if it is just for 1 night. That evening someone knocks on her door....
Man, I had a great laugh reading this! That scene when Sam comes knocking on the door is priceless! Hehehe, really great! It would work fabulous in a movie, believe me.
Also this story has some sweet magic. Sam is a super cute hero, who comes just in time for Marie... And Marie takes this chance with both hands. I love her for it!
This one was a lovely uncomplicated love story, *sigh and swoon*.


Story 3: 'Waking Kitty' by Dionne Galace.
Well, this story totally rocks! It's creative and very science-fiction. From the start I connected with Jack. (No, not because he was a reporter with a film crew... I mean, uh, I want a film crew too. And I really want to steal that Kenny's camera! Why can Kenny have one and I not? It's so not fair... *whine*)

Okayyy, back to earth... Jack gets called to do a story about a ship that appeared from out nowhere, into a bar. Yeah, pretty weird, but let's go along.
Of course the place is crammed with reporters and Jack and his crew are interviewing some people. That's when he meets Kitty.
Kitty has pink hair (*jealousy*) and looks like a manga figure. She's so cool! But her pink hair is not the only thing that's weird about Kitty... her imagination is out of control. Or so she thinks.

I hadn't any problem with the weird happenings in this story. In fact, I really liked them! This was just my kind of, how do I say it, style. Oh, let's just say it: Yeah, I wish I had written it, okay?
Anyway, it was fun. Turns out Kitty can do some neat tricks. Like a magician, but way cooler.


All in all, this was a great anthology about magical fairy tales. I liked that subject (magic) and I would love to read more from these authors. They did a fabulous job!



Love,
Andi