{Blog Tour} Spotlight + Giveaway: Coming Home - Priscilla Glenn

Title: Coming Home

Author: Priscilla Glenn

Release Date: January 21st 2014

Publisher: Self-published

Age Group: Adult

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Leah Marino hasn’t been on a date in two years. After discovering the man she loved had manipulated and deceived her, she refuses to even entertain the idea of a relationship. Instead, she focuses her attention on taking care of her family, a role she’s assumed since the death of her mother and the one place she knows her kindness won't be taken advantage of again.

When a nostalgic trip back to her childhood home results in a chance encounter with Danny DeLuca, a smart-mouthed mechanic who’s as attractive as he is mysterious, Leah's carefully cultivated walls begin to crumble. She finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Danny, despite his unreliable behavior and mixed signals.

But Danny has a secret...

One that could shake Leah's already precarious foundation and bring her world crashing down around her. Suddenly, she's faced with an incredibly difficult decision--is she willing to risk everything for the chance at finding the love she's always wanted? Or are some obstacles just too big for the heart to overcome?

About the author:
Priscilla Glenn lives in New York with her husband and three children. She has been teaching English at the middle and high school levels for the past twelve years while moonlighting as a writer, mom, coach, student, and professional laundry-doer.

If you catch her when she's feeling sophisticated, she'll tell you her favorite things are great books and good wine. In the moments in between, she'll admit her love for anything Ben and Jerry's, UFC fights, and Robert Pattinson.

Glenn is the author of the contemporary romance novels Back to You, Emancipating Andie, and Coming Home.

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Giveaway!

Book Review: The Angel Stone - Juliet Dark

Title: The Angel Stone (Fairwick Chronicles #3)

Author: Juliet Dark

Release Date: September 3rd 2013

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Age Group: Adult

Source: NetGalley

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For Callie McFay, a half-witch/half-fey professor of folklore and Gothic literature, the fight to save the enchanted town of Fairwick, New York, is far from over. After a hostile takeover by the Grove—a sinister group of witches and their cohorts—many of the local fey have been banished or killed, including Callie’s one true love. And in place of the spirit of tolerance and harmony, the new administration at Fairwick College has fostered an air of danger and distrust.

With her unique magical abilities, Callie is the only one who can rescue her friends from exile and restore order to the school—a task that requires her to find the Angel Stone, a legendary talisman of immense power. Propelled on an extraordinary quest back to seventeenth-century Scotland, Callie risks her life to obtain the stone. Yet when she encounters a sexy incarnation of her lost love, she finds the greater risk is to her heart. As the fate of Fairwick hangs in the balance, Callie must make a wrenching choice: reclaim a chance for eternal passion or save everything she holds dear.

I have a thing with last books in a series: I avoid them. For as long as possible, I save myself from the grief of having to say goodbye to characters I'd invested my heart into for the length of more than one book. Before today, I've only finished two series, but now I can add the Fairwick Chronicles to that list.

After having her hand forced to cast off her fey friends back to the fairy world, Callie is doing her best to act as guardian over her students at Fairwick College against the new administration that consisted of nephilim and trolls, all while being haunted by the memories of her demon lover and his reincarnations. When she learns of a way to banish these enemies and get her friends back, she dives headfirst into her mission, not knowing that ultimately, she will have to choose between what is right and what she wants.

The Angel Stone kept the Gothic atmosphere and dark humor present in the first two books, but what made this the best book in the trilogy, at least for me, was just how amped up the pace was. New magical creatures were introduced and the real identities of more Fairwick residents were revealed, adding color and variety to the already huge cast of characters. 

As The Angel Stone sucked me in, though, its imperfections started to be seen. The pace slowed down when Callie started looking for the stone, and that really disappointed me because that's the lead-up to the climax—it should have been intense and gripping! Instead, I got bored with Callie's lengthy monologues on her sadness, confusion, and longing.

I admit, what kept me reading this entire series was my curiosity as to how Callie's paranormal love life would play out, and I'd wanted to tell her more than once to damn everyone and everything and just be happy, so The Angel Stone's ending sure made my heart leap. Despite the problems I had, this is a worthy conclusion to this beautifully dark trilogy that I will surely revisit in the future.

MY FAVORITE PART was 

"Damn it, McFay, where'd ya get the light saber?"

=))

RATING:

Book Review: Shattered Illusions - Leigh Hershkovich

Title: Shattered Illusions

Author: Leigh Hershkovich

Release Date: April 20th 2013

Publisher: Full Court Press

Genre: Adult

Source: signed copy from author

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One murder. Four eyewitnesses. An unknown assailant. A victim with a mysterious secret. Bystanders beleaguered by life's losses. A killer at large...

When Sam, the proprietor of a local cafe, is shot dead on the street, four strangers become unwitting witnesses to the crime. As the investigation progresses, this quartet of onlookers find themselves not only haunted by the homicide, but pursued by their own pasts.

As they plunge deeper into the reality of his death, all are forced to realize that the loss of Sam is far from their most devastating. Inner anguish reaches a climax point for Ella, Marco, Sarah, and Danny as the answers they are hunting for continue to elude them—and the evidence they hope will vanish refuses to disappear.

I have history with Shattered Illusions. September of last year, I restarted my blog, and Leigh was the first author to contact me for a review. Back then, the book didn't even have a cover or release date yet, so I really watched this book grow. And wow, how finely it aged, indeed.

Leigh's captivating prose immediately stood out along with the obvious question of how four people, our main characters, got involved with the homicide. There were, admittedly, times when the story became too vague; one might even consider those parts unnecessary to the plot but, unclear as they were, I actually liked reading those because they tended to be the most descriptive bits and they added a lot to the overall mystery of this book.

What surprised me was how Shattered Illusions isn't a mystery novel so much as an exposition of our main characters' lives that diverged and culminated in Sam's killing. Even then you'd think the whole book is like listening to a new friend's life story, but no—I felt like I lived every moment as Ella, Danny, Sarah, and Marco. Shattered Illusions is dark, gritty, and emotional, just like how it truly is inside a human mind.

There couldn't be a group of four people with more different lives, yet at the heart of them laid one stark similarity: depression from taking the blame for another person's action. But one of this book's very few faults is the lack of distinction in the characters' voices despite their overall differences. Take out the essence of their thoughts and they might very well be the same person. Or maybe that's just a way of showing that suffering identifies with everyone.

A bleak story with lots of lessons to offer, Shattered Illusions is a very unique novel. It's not a simple thrilling mystery, and people looking for something straightforward and easy to read might find themselves easily distracted, but the right readers are surely in for a treat.

MY FAVORITE PART is the realistic ending.

RATING:

Book Review: Obsession - Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Obsession

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release Date: May 31st 2013

Publisher: Entangled Covet

Source: ecopy from publisher

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He’s arrogant, domineering, and... To. Die. For.

Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.

Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something... unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.

Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life... or is it Hunter?

"Every villain is a hero in his own mind." Not quite, Tom Hiddleston. Not quite.

Serena Cross was used to the quiet life, the only occasional disturbance being her outgoing best friend, so when Mel cried wolf on the man she was dating, Serena didn't think much of it... until she witnessed Mel's murder in the hands of an otherworldly creature, thrusting her into a dangerous game between the government and two alien races—into the arms of Hunter.

If you've read the Lux series, then you know that Arum are evil and ruthless killers—but think again. Apparently, this book has been making people jump from Team Luxen to Team Arum, and I'm glad to hop into the bandwagon! That doesn't mean that come Origin, I'll be wishing death upon Katy, Daemon, and the others, just that I'll have more sympathy for every Arum that I'll come across in the remaining books of the series. Consider me enlightened, knowledgeable (as far I as I know) of the real deal with the Luxen and Arum

Now on to the characters. Assuming you've read at least Obsidian, then you've witnessed the sizzling hot fury chemistry between the two MCs in the YA series; well, that's also how it was for Serena and Hunter. Even their first real conversation went very much the same direction: south.

"I didn't kiss you," he scoffed.

For some reason, I thought I should be insulted by the way he said that. "All right, when you put your mouth on mine? Is that clear enough for you?"

Hunter's grin tipped higher. "You have a feisty little attitude, don't you?"

"You're about to get a feisty little foot up your ass," I spat back.

Since I've already made the comparison, let me continue. Serena was like the adult version of Katy. She was bold and daring and sometimes downright stupid, but she never let Hunter and his domineering attitude dictate her actions (well, except in the bedroom ;D). Hunter and Daemon, on the other hand, had less similarities. Hunter was straightforward and there was no doubting or questioning him; he did as he said. He was no good guy, but when faced with Serena... well, you can imagine how that went.

Obsession is an extraordinary Adult spin-off novel to the Lux series, but read that: it's an Adult novel. So, young readers, while I don't really believe in censorship, you better be prepared for explicit sex scenes. Admittedly, said sex scenes came quite early on in Serena and Hunter's relationship, but who said only teens can have raging hormones? Besides, I enjoyed watching that lust turn into love while they tried to survive all the dangerous action. The ending was well and all, and I'm half-wishing and half-not-wishing for a sequel because I seriously don't want more characters to worry about in this fictional universe.

MY FAVORITE PART was Serena and Hunter's second visit to Luc's. Talk about a small world...

RATING:

{Blog Tour} Book Review + Giveaway: The Last Hour - Charles Sheehan-Miles

Welcome to my stop for The Last Hour blog tour! You can follow the tour here.

Title: The Last Hour (Thompson Sisters)

Author: Charles Sheehan-Miles

Release Date: April 19th 2013

Publisher: Cincinnatus Press

Age Group: Adult

Genre: Contemporary

Source: eARC for blog tour

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Twenty-seven year old Carrie Thompson-Sherman has the life she always wanted: her PhD, a prestigious fellowship, and an amazing husband.

Her life begins to unravel as a jealous colleague puts her fellowship in jeopardy and a haunting secret Ray Sherman carried home from Afghanistan comes to light.

Hounded by a federal investigation and the ensuing media feeding frenzy, Carrie and Ray desperately lean on each other, until a disastrous accident puts both Ray and her sister's lives at risk.

In the last hour, Carrie and Ray will each find themselves faced with a choice.

A choice that will change everything.

Attention, reader. If you want a light romance read for a plane ride or a day-off, The Last Hour isn't the book for you. Why? Because it's the most tear-jerking book I have ever read. The opening scene immediately took hold of my attention. How could it not when it felt like the climax already? And then in less than four chapters, the waterworks started. 

As was the case in A Song for Julia, the first Thompson Sisters book I read, I really admire how well the author sculpted his characters. He wrote the book from both Carrie and Ray's perspectives, and he was able to mold two fleshed-out characters with their own distinct voices. Also, his ability to portray every little emotion that goes on between his numerous characters is nothing short of amazing. 

I really admired Carrie. She was obviously a strong and smart woman, hardened by having to look out for her sisters because of their emotionally-absent parents. Even in the hardest times, she still looked out for them. She never bothered with wasting time on unimportant crap like a jealous co-worker or a spiteful future mother-in-law. Ray, on the other hand, was deeply traumatized because of his time in Afghanistan. I pitied the poor guy but at the same time admired him, too, because he still chose to do the right thing - kinda spoiler-y if I say more on this - and tried his best to live. 

While dealing with serious issues in the family, work, and even the military, the story still centered on Carrie and Ray's sweet and heart-wrenching romance as they struggled to go through everything together. This was mostly shown in the flashback chapters which were, basically, the only reprieves in this intense story. I don't know when I'll get to read Just Remember to Breathe but I'm sure looking forward to it because only God knows how much I enjoy revisiting these characters and how I wish the author won't leave the three younger Thompson sisters with their stories untold. 

MY FAVORITE PARTS were every happy moment which I'm glad I savored.

RATING:

 

About the author:
Charles Sheehan-Miles has been a soldier, computer programmer, short-order cook and non-profit executive. He is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books, including the indie bestsellers Just Remember to Breathe and Republic: A Novel of America's Future.

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Giveaway!

Book Review: The Water Witch - Juliet Dark

Title: The Water Witch (Fairwick Chronicles #2)

Author: Juliet Dark

Release Date: February 12th 2013

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

After casting out a dark spirit, Callie McFay, a professor of gothic literature, has at last restored a semblance of calm to her rambling Victorian house. But in the nearby thicket of the Honeysuckle Forest, and in the currents of the rushing Undine River, more trouble is stirring...

The enchanted town of Fairwick’s dazzling mix of mythical creatures has come under siege from the Grove: a sinister group of witches determined to banish the fey back to their ancestral land. With factions turning on one another, all are cruelly forced to take sides. Callie’s grandmother, a prominent Grove member, demands her granddaughter’s compliance, but half-witch/half-fey Callie can hardly betray her friends and colleagues at the college.

To stave off disaster, Callie enlists Duncan Laird, an alluring seductive academic who cultivates her vast magical potential, but to what end? Deeply conflicted, Callie struggles to save her beloved Fairwick, dangerously pushing her extraordinary powers to the limit—risking all, even the needs of her own passionate heart.

Since I already had nothing but praises for The Demon Lover, I didn't think this sequel could surpass that by a big margin. Well, I'm happy to say I stand corrected, because The Water Witch was everything the first book was, and so much more.

Cailleach McFay was trying to live normally after she had banished Liam, her incubus lover, but she couldn't deny that she missed him, and that she blamed herself for not being able to love him - the only requirement for Liam to become human. But being doorkeeper to the last passageway to Faerie was keeping Callie busy, what with a crazy undine who wants to kill her, and her grandmother's witchy friends set to close the door.

The Water Witch was a really great sequel. It kept the first book's winning attributes while working on the bad ones. It still teemed with magical creatures, expanding on the ones we met in The Demon Lover and introducing new ones, all of which were critical to the plot. The descriptions still flowed so smoothly and lyrically, especially as we learned more about Faerie (because Callie finally went there!) and its history. 

What made this better than the first book, though, was the fast pace. In less than three chapters, Callie already had a huge problem, and as the story progressed, her list of things to solve and face just got longer. She had to unlock her full power which her parents "warded" so her power-hungry grandmother wouldn't know about it, she had to learn how to keep the last door to Faerie open, and also deal with her conflicting feelings for Liam.

With a plot tighter than the first book's, The Water Witch was a fast read for me because I couldn't stop turning to the next page; I read 60% in one sitting! Although the foreshadowing was a bit too much because I'd guessed what I suppose was the big shocker, the ending was heartbreaking (again) and an absolutely perfect set-up for the third book, The Angel Stone!

MY FAVORITE PART was the shocking and excruciating ending.

RATING:

(cover and blurb from Goodreads.com)

{Blog Tour} Book Review + Giveaway: Back to You - Priscilla Glenn

I had just added this book to my TBR shelf in Goodreads when I saw the announcement about this tour, so of course I signed up right away! XD

 Title: Back to You
Author: Priscilla Glenn
Release Date: October 20th 2012

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Group: Adult with YA crossover

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When Lauren Monroe first laid eyes on Michael Delaney back in high school, she had every reason to stay away from him; within minutes of their first encounter, his volatile actions confirmed his notorious reputation. But Lauren saw something in him that caused her to question his bad-boy persona, and against her better judgment, she took a chance. She had no way of knowing that the unlikely friendship they formed would become so important to her.

Or that it would end so painfully.

Eight years later, when Lauren begins her new job at Learn and Grow Day Care, Michael is the last person she expects to see. Refusing to revisit the hurt and confusion of their past, Lauren vows to keep her distance from him. But staying away from Michael proves to be more difficult than she thought, despite her lingering grief and her instincts for self-preservation.

As Lauren and Michael recall the friendship that changed them forever and the events that tore them apart, will they finally be able to heal? Or will the ghosts of Michael’s past prove to be too much to overcome?

I had high expectations when I started reading this book—thanks to a well-written positive review I'd read—and I was nervous because expectations almost always led to disappointments. Thankfully, Back to You didn't just meet those—it exceeded them.

For me, what made this book a solid hit were the two main characters, Lauren and Michael. At first glance, they were total opposites—the smart, kind, and beautiful girl, and the scary, temperamental guy who everyone avoided. Two very different people but both of whom I very much loved and wholeheartedly cared for.

I liked Lauren because although she got excellent grades and did gymnastics, she still managed to party and be a normal teenager. But I loved her for her genuine kindness; she saw the good in everyone—not just in Michael—and didn't care about what everyone else said.

Then we have Michael, the moody loner who preferred to keep people at a distance. He tried to scare her away by showing his true self, but Lauren proved she was there to stay. As the story unraveled and I learned the reasons behind his actions, the more my heart broke. God. I just wanted to hug him... for a whole day.

Their story was written in alternating chapters of the present and past, and I loved how after intriguing the readers in the present, we are taken straight to the event in the past that caused it. It was also in this way that we are acquainted with their romance, which always left me craving for more. 

Having read this in less than a day—and without sleep, too—believe me when I say that Back to You was a real page-turner. Halfway through, I started feeling nervous for the ending, but Glenn couldn't have concluded this gripping story of understanding and forgiveness better.

MY FAVORITE PART was the epilogue, hihi.

RATING:

About the author:
Priscilla Glenn lives in New York with her husband and three beautiful children. She has been teaching English Language Arts at the middle and high school levels for the past eleven years. Glenn has written three books, although Back to You is her first published novel. Her guilty pleasures include great books, good wine, anything chocolate, and Robert Pattinson :)

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Giveaway time!

Book Review: The Demon Lover - Juliet Dark

Title: The Demon Lover (Fairwick Chronicles #1)

Author: Juliet Dark

Release Date: December 27th 2011

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Pages: 448 (paperback)

Source: NetGalley

Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly erotic dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of her having written the bestselling book The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she’s found herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.

But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: Her incubus is not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the demon, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this supernatural lover from her heart.

I've always had an interest towards incubi and succubi - yes, whatever that may say about me - so I don't know why it's only now that I read fiction about them. But I'm thankful that The Demon Lover is my first foray into it, because it sated my interest for the subject matter and more.

Cailleach (pronounced Kay-lex) McFay hadn't planned on staying in Fairwick - the town held nothing but the opposite of the city life she wanted - but one look at the Honeysuckle House, which stood almost dead yet still beautiful, was enough to change her mind. Unfortunately, the house and a job at the local college weren't the only new things in Callie's life - she also had a new suitor in the mist that was visiting her every night.

I read the synopsis and all before I requested this from NetGalley, and I knew that this wasn't YA (although the stunning cover would pass for a YA novel) so I really don't know why I was surprised when I got to the first steamy scene - I'm not being a prude here, though, because I have read books of this nature before. Anyway, those scenes were so lyrically-written, they actually didn't seem like the scenes they were. Think of the difference between having sex - there, I said it - and making love.

Moving on. I think it's safe to say that this book was character-driven. One different decision from Callie and the story would have taken an entirely different path. Probably one that wouldn't have broken my heart. Anyway, Callie - strong and independent - was a very likable character.  

But perhaps what made this a page-turner was the mystery. If only it were just about the incubus, the story would've progressed and ended faster, but no; I was surprised to encounter a whole assortment of paranormal and magical creatures, and they were all well-developed instead of being there just for the benefit of the plot.

Overall, The Demon Lover was a really good urban fantasy read. It was one of those rare books that made me question the line between right and wrong. Although definitely not for children, it should be good for those 16 years old and up, or just anyone looking for a great, unpredictable read. I'll definitely check out the sequel, The Water Witch.

MY FAVORITE PARTS were these heartbreaking lines: 

"Why?" I screamed.

"I couldn't let you destroy yourself for me."

 Just kill me now.

RATING:

(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)

{Blog Tour} Book Review + Giveaway: Once Upon a Second Chance - Marian Vere

First of all, thanks for dropping by my stop for the Once Upon a Second Chance blog tour! I really enjoyed this book and I'm thrilled to be sharing it with you!

Title: Once Upon a Second Chance

Author: Marian Vere

Release Date: November 6th 2012

Publisher: Omnific Publishing

Pages: 210 (paperback)

Source: ARC from publisher for blog tour

Julia's life seemed to be falling perfectly into place. She had burgeoning job prospects in the finance industry, an exciting life in New York City, and a wonderful fiancé, Nick Kerkley, who she was totally in love with. Nick, however, while being completely devoted to Julia, did not have the career potential or financial stability to be worthy of someone like her - or at least that's what she came to convince herself. Hesitantly, Julia ended the relationship, forcing herself to believe it would all be for the best. Little did she know, that one decision would lead both their lives to spiral away from each other, only to converge again.

What happens to your fairytale when you let someone else wave the magic wand? Will your dreams of love and enchantment still come true, or will your 'happily ever after' pass by without you?

Once Upon a Second Chance is a contemporary retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion.

When I started reading Once Upon a Second Chance, I was only expecting a light love story with a few cute moments here and there, but what I got was a captivating tale of a woman who had finally decided to take charge of her life. 

At first glance, Julia Basham seemed happy. She had a nice job and even nicer co-workers, a supportive older sister, and a life that she was living the way she wanted to. But she wasn't. For eight years, she'd secretly been regretting following the advice of Lisa - her older sister - to break up with Nick Kerkley, her ex-fiance from college who, back then, had an uncertain future. And for eight years, she'd been following his journey to success, right up to Forbes' Top 10 Richest list. Julia thought those news articles would be the closest she'd ever get to him again... until the day he was to be her personal finance consulting group's newest client. 

Honestly, when I first read the summary, I felt an immediate dislike for Julia. I mean, breaking up with your fiance just because your older sister thought he wasn't matching up to your foreseeable successful future? Really? But then I realized this story's not so far-fetched; I'm sure it's already happened to someone out there, so I quickly overcame that dislike and dived into her story, and she even more quickly made me regret that initial dislike!

Being inside Julia's head was really fun. She was witty and rational - well, most of the time - and her inside jokes with herself had me burst out laughing. But at the same time, I really felt the pain and regret she had in her, a weight she'd been carrying around for almost a decade when, if not for her one mistake, she should've been happy. I also pitied her when she was trying but failing to turn her love life around. When she wanted to give up, I also wanted to give up. When she saw a glimmer of hope, I also saw a glimmer of hope. Yes, this book took me on an emotional roller coaster, and I regret nothing.

Another thing I loved was how the characters all breathed life through the pages. There were quite a lot of them, but Vere developed them all very well, becoming their own selves. 

Though the plot was slightly predictable, I still got surprised. Like I were expecting to see a bridge but instead, what I see is a fallen bridge. Get it? No? Well, no one said I'm good at metaphors. *sigh* Also, I almost always got tempted to skip over Julia's internal monologues, or maybe that's just the constant anxiety this book brought me. The pace was brilliant and made this a real page-turner.

Overall, reading Once Upon a Second Chance was a great experience, and it is now one of my favorite contemporary reads! Sadly, I haven't read Jane Austen's Persuasion yet so I can't compare the two, but I'm sure that, like this retelling, it can only be good. Also... someone find me my Nick Kerkley!

MY FAVORITE PART was after the rehearsal dinner thingy ♥

RATING:

Five out of five hearts for a heartwarming story!

(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)

About the author:

Marian Vere is a twenty-eight year old writer of Women's Fiction. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she received her degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in - oddly enough - vocal music performance, only to later discover her love of writing and storytelling. Marian is represented by Carly Watters of PS Literary, and currently lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband and two daughters.

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GIVEAWAY TIME!

Book Review: One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

 Title: One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Release Date: The edition I have was first published February 21st 2006

Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics

Pages: 417 (paperback)

Goodreads 

One of the 20th century's enduring works, One Hundred Years of Solitude is a widely beloved and acclaimed novel known throughout the world, and the ultimate achievement in a Nobel Prize-winning career.

The novel tells the story of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía family. It is a rich and brilliant chronicle of life and death, and the tragicomedy of humankind. In the noble, ridiculous, beautiful, and tawdry story of the Buendía family, one sees all of humanity, just as in the history, myths, growth, and decay of Macondo, one sees all of Latin America.

Love and lust, war and revolution, riches and poverty, youth and senility -- the variety of life, the endlessness of death, the search for peace and truth -- these universal themes dominate the novel. Whether he is describing an affair of passion or the voracity of capitalism and the corruption of government, Gabriel Garcia Marquez always writes with the simplicity, ease, and purity that are the mark of a master.

Alternately reverential and comical, One Hundred Years of Solitude weaves the political, personal, and spiritual to bring a new consciousness to storytelling. Translated into dozens of languages, this stunning work is no less than an accounting of the history of the human race.

THE COVER

I love the cover for this edition. Actually, I google-d the covers of Harper Perennial Modern Classics and loved all of them, lol.

(Now to paste the review I wrote right after reading this.)

So I finally finished this lengthy baby.

My only expectation when I began reading this book was that, like other classics, it would be difficult to understand. But it wasn't. The writing was very simple despite the long paragraphs which sometimes spanned a few pages.

Unlike most of the people who have read this, I didn't find the magical realism aspects weird. I would've if Marquez claimed that this story happened in real life, but no, this is fiction. Unrealistic things should be expected in fiction. Also, the unending list of men named Jose Arcadio and Aureliano really irked me at first, but after a while I just found it really funny XD

This book's details surely won't stick with me for a long time (I just finished it, like, less than six hours ago and I already can't remember some minor parts) but I really loved this.

Especially the ending ♥ 

RATING: 4/5
(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)

Book Review: Bound to the Prince - Deborah Court

 Title: Bound to the Prince (Elven Warrior Trilogy #1) - Deborah Court

Release Date: The edition I have was first published August 19th 2011

Publisher: Smashwords

Pages: n/a (ebook)

Goodreads 

Some people believe that beneath our own world, separated only by a thin veil of human disbelief, there is another one—an ancient land of myths and legends, a place where magical creatures dwell. What would happen if one of them walked the streets of London at night?

Once a proud warrior, elven prince Elathan was living in exile, fallen from grace and separated from his own people. He wanted the mortal woman the moment he saw her standing on Blackfriars Bridge, staring down into the darkness with unbearable pain in her eyes. This strangely compelling female also happened to have luscious curves that made his body ache with desire. Naturally, he decided to hunt the woman down, drag her to his lair and command her to become his slave of pleasure. But would her frail human body survive a night of untamed passion in the arms of a Fae?

After a devastating breakup with her fiancé, Igraine Chandler was spending her honeymoon in England all by herself, her life utterly bereft of meaning. For who could ever love a plain, slightly overweight nurse from New Jersey with nothing left but a broken heart and her lost dreams of a home and a family? But she never imagined that she would soon set out into a world beyond her wildest dreams, and help a prince reclaim his throne...

Set in a medieval fantasy world of noble knights, monsters and magicians, honor, betrayal and revenge, Bound to the Prince is a romance influenced by Celtic mythology and Arthurian legends. But in its heart, it's a story of a woman's inner development to a new, strong, self; uninhibited desire, boundless love, loss and sacrifice.

THE COVER

My only problem with this cover is the model; I'm not a big fan of muscly guys. But all in all, it's really gorgeous and classy.

THE STORY

This is another "abducted girl" story so some female readers might not like it, but I think Elathan actually saved Igraine from her terrible life. 

I don't know if it's because it's an ebook (and I just can't stare at a screen for too long), but I felt like this was an overwhelmingly long read. I read it for almost a month. The pacing was good, the steamy scenes were written well, and the world-building was fantastic. 

Bound to the Prince is actually an erotica, but it's so good that I believe if the author cut out those scenes, this would still be an extraordinary book. The adventure and fantasy world alone was a story in itself.

THE CHARACTERS

I really pitied Igraine in the beginning of this book. Her king of douchebags fiance just left her, she had no family, and she had even sacrificed her education for the love she thought she'd had. Her hopelessness struck me straight from the pages. So I really loved it when she became stronger - physically and emotionally - during the training that Elathan gave her so she'd be ready for... him.

Elathan was this super cool, ultra bad-ass elven prince with a sad past. At first, he only thought of Igraine as a slave, but we could all guess where the story went.

 

MY FAVORITE PART was the ending. I read it during a programming lab class (sneakily, of course), and it was so gripping, I didn't realize my professor called on me until my seatmate kicked my chair, lol.

RATING: 3.5/5
(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)

Book Review: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne

 Title: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne

Release Date: The edition I have was first published August 30th 2007

Publisher: Penguin

Pages: 384 (paperback)

Goodreads 

An American frigate, tracking down a ship-sinking monster, faces not a living creature but an incredible invention - a fantastic submarine commanded by the mysterious Captain Nemo. Suddenly a devastating explosion leaves just three survivors, who find themselves prisoners inside Nemo's death ship on an underwater odyssey around the world from the pearl-laden waters of Ceylon to the icy dangers of the South Pole, as Captain Nemo, one of the greatest villains ever created, takes his revenge on all society.

More than a marvelously thrilling drama, this classic novel, written in 1870, foretells with uncanny accuracy the inventions and advanced technology of the twentieth century and has become a literary stepping-stone for generations of science fiction writers.

(I actually wrote a quite decent review of this book because it holds a special place in my heart, hehe.) 
I first read this book when I was eight. While my classmates were rushing against one another to bring home Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, I was devouring our library's collection of Verne and Sherlock Holmes books. They were thick, with huge prints and illustrations - clearly intended for kids. One time, I took out a book in the morning, read it during breaktimes, then returned it in the afternoon of that same day before I went home.

Of all the titles in that collection, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea ended up being my favorite. So, more than ten years later, when I saw it again in the bookstore, I knew I just had to relive the adventure again. It had been a light and fast read in that small, thick book from third grade, so I certainly didn't expect it to be long and, frankly speaking, quite dragging in its unabridged form. That said, it was still a better adventure than before. If Verne didn't expound too much on the sea creature naming, this book would've been paced faster, but less believable too since he wrote it in a professor's point of view.

In all, I still loved it and I look forward to re-reading his two other books that I first read a decade ago: Around The World In 80 Days, and A Journey to the Center of the Earth.

RATING: 3.5/5

(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)