BOOK REVIEW: Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

Publication Date: June 19,2012

Synopsis:
When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.

______________________________

Review:

I think this is the best shortest book I’ve ever read.

Travis is a 19-year old marine who came home from a one year duty in Afghanistan. He has a very supporting mom and a not-so-supporting dad and a brother who hooked up with his girlfriend.

I think it’s a typical story of a guy who went to serve his country and comes back a bit shattered and in a deeper perspective in life. You may think it’s like Dear John, which was mentioned several times in the book but it’s totally different.

Travis has experienced a lot of encounters in Afghanistan and one of them is the unlikely death of his friend, Charlie. He became a changed man since the incident and a more mature one. Coming back means being with his family-mom, dad and brother. But a lot has changed since then. I love his mom. She’s so supportive of him in all of his choices unlike his dad. I can’t help but feel for her, for all her sacrifices, not just for her son but for her family.

Then there’s Harper, a girl she knew in middle school who isn’t charmed by him, maybe, just in the beginning. Eventhough she hates Travis, their relationship gotten so much better and she became his salvation to pass through the trauma he’s experienced.

I only have two complaints. One is that the story was too short. Or maybe I just felt I need more! I even thought I have an incomplete copy when I saw the number of pages the book has. Second, I felt that there’s a need for closure between Travis and his dad, also his brother. So there!

Recommended? YES!

Rating:

Memorable Quotes:

“He was the person all of us should be, but most of us aren't. And if I could have taken his place to buy him a little more time in the world, I'd have done it. I'm sorry I couldn't.” 

“Maybe someday we'll see each other again, Charlie. For real I mean. Until then, save me a seat, okay?

_____________________________

Tenth book for

BOOK REVIEW: The Opportunist (Love Me With Lies #1) by Tarryn Fisher

Publication Date: November 14, 2011

Synopsis:

Olivia Kaspen has just discovered that her ex-boyfriend, Caleb Drake, has lost his memory. With an already lousy reputation for taking advantage of situations, Olivia must decide how far she is willing to go to get Caleb back. Wrestling to keep her true identity and their sordid past under wraps, Olivia’s greatest obstacle is Caleb’s wicked, new girlfriend; Leah Smith. It is a race to the finish as these two vipers engage in a vicious tug of war to possess a man who no longer remembers them. But, soon enough Olivia must face the consequences of her lies, and in the process discover that sometimes love falls short of redemption

______________________________

Review:

I don't know how to express in words what I felt about the book so just bare with me on my .gifs review.

My first reaction after reading the book:

Then:

And then:

Then:

I can't get over it!I just have to read other reviews to convince myself I'm not the only one who feels like this. 

So, that's all. Hopefully I helped you out. LOL.

Rating:

Memorable Quotes:

“You can only give your heart away once, after that, everything else will chase your first love.” 

“I think that after the first time you give your heart away, you never get it back. The rest of your life is just you pretending that you still have a heart."


_____________________________

Seventh book for

BOOK REVIEW: On Dublin Street by Samantha Young (On Dublin Street #1)

Publication Date: August 31, 2012

Synopsis:

Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare…

Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.

Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.

But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to the very soul.

______________________________

Review:

I really thought the genre of the book is fantasy and not contemporary. My mistake again.

I find the book really good and entertaining despite the concept being usual and not that unique.

The book has a heartbreaking start which gave me instant empathy towards Jocelyn or Joss. She survived and lived her life independently without the help of others. She has her two bestfriends and that’s it. She has a hard time opening herself to others. So when she moves to another place, she meets Ellie, her new roommate. I shouldn’t fail to mention that this new roommate has a swoon-worthy brother named Braden. Oooh! I love all about him his beautiful and airy self. The spark between them can’t be denied so Braden made a proposition to have friends-with-benefits kind of relationship. And that’s where it all starts, the fun-bickering, the drama, the tears and the laughter.

I love how it was well written and how it progressed. I like how Joss and Braden changed through all that. And I especially love Ellie, Adam, and the therapist too! I like all the characters and I wish there’ll be another book about Joss and Braden because I find it too short! Seriously!

Well, I won’t give you much more details so just read it! Highly recommended!

Rating:

Memorable Quotes:

“Jealousy is a horrible thing. The pain of it is almost as consuming as heartbreak, and I would know because I was feeling both at the same time. I felt like someone had ripped open my chest with their bare hands, removed my heart and lungs, and replaced them with a bunch of rocks and stones.” 

“Regret,Joss. Regret does awful things to a person.”

MY FAVORITE:

"You're letting me go?"

He curled his upper lip, his expression painfully bitter as he took a step back from me. 

"Apparently... I never had a hold of you." He turned sharply, and without another word striding down the street into the dark.

Braden never once looked back and that was a good thing.

If he had, he'd have seen Jocelyn Butler crying real tears for the first time in a long time, and he would have known that I'd lied. And lied big. For anyone who saw me, knew they were watching a heart in the process of it breaking.

_____________________________

Sixth book for

BOOK REVIEW: Losing It by Cora Carmack (Losing It)

Publication Date: October 15, 2012

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

______________________________

Review:

I think this will be the shortest review I made since I started my blog. I don't really need a lot of words to describe how I feel about the books and I don't think I need much to convince you to read this!

I have ONE WORD for this book. HILARIOUS! It was so fun I was already laughing from reading the first chapter of the book!

Bliss is so effortlessly funny! She had her embarrassing moments that I even felt sorry for her.  Then there's Garrick. I can't help but be in love with him! Just his accent made me swoooooon!

If you want to have a light,fun and fast read, this one's for you! You'll finish this in one sitting that you even want more!

Rating:

Memorable Quote:

“Sometimes, it's the scary things in life that are the most worthwhile.” 

“Some relationships just end. Like a star, they burn bright and brilliant, and then nothing in particular goes wrong, they just reach their end. They burn out.” 

“I am in love with this burrito. I would marry it if I didn’t want to eat it so badly.” 

“The tragedy of true love,” Cade whispered.” 

_____________________________

Fourth book for

BOOK REVIEW: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning (Fever #1)

Publication Date: October 31, 2006
Synopsis (Goodreads):

MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands…
______________________________

Review:

I've seen the latest book of the series, Iced, and most of the bloggers out there have talked about it constantly. But my curiosity didn't get the best of me so I just passed the opportunity to check out the series. When I was looking for some  highly recommended books, Darkfever came out. I read the blurb and I became so intrigued I read it right away. 

I'm not really into fae books so this is my first time to read one. I expected that this book will have a lot of terms  should be acquainted with and I was right.

Darkfever is about Mac finding out the reason of her sister's death. So she went to Ireland to unravel the mystery. 

Mac is the stereotype blond with tanned body but with distinct green eyes. I love her real personality. She's very vocal about what she wants and doesn't want. I also love her girly bright personality. It's something that makes the book lighter because the mood of the book is so dark. 

I felt for her throughout the book. If I were in her place, I'll have the same reactions and decisions. When someone you love suddenly dies without any closure, I too, will do something about it. But in her case, there's more to it other than finding her sister's killer. There's another world of creatures she doesn't want to be a part of. But does she have a choice?

I still don't get who Barron is. He's too closed up and arrogant. Like Mac, I don't know if he should be trusted. Although he was better in the last parts of the book where he showed some emotions, still, I need more! Second book please! :)

The storyline is definitely unique and fresh. I love that it caught my attention until the end. I didn't even notice I was about to finish until I was on the last page. I was too thrilled and so into it. Hopefully I will be enlightened more on the world of fae in the next book. 

Highly recommended to those who love Paranormal, Fantasy genre. 

Rating:

Memorable Quote:

“I love books, by the way, way more than movies. Movies tell you what to think. A good book lets you choose a few thoughts for yourself.” 

“Assume' makes an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'.”

“Sometimes, Ms. Lane," he said, "one must break with one's past to embrace one's future. It is never an easy thing to do. It is one of the distinguishing characteristics between survivors and victims. Letting go of what was, to survive what is.” 

BOOK REVIEW: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)

Publication Date: September 27, 2011
Synopsis (Goodreads):
Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. 

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?
______________________________

Review:

Whoa!That was..thrilling and unexplainable!

I sometimes don't read the blurbs of books I choose to read and I'm glad that so far, I liked all of them! This one is one of those books. Some blurbs just give so much away it takes out the surprising factor.

I have to admit, I've read one-third of the book but I was still too confused. At first, I was like, "What's with the teeth? Gross..." I don't get anything. Until..yeah..of course secrets were revealed. I'm happy I kept on reading and learned a lot from it. I love the building of tension. The author took her time and I love how she described the scenes, people and the worlds the book is about.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is basically the story of Karou, her journey of learning the truth about herself and her past. The book will bring you into a unique world and characters that will work your imagination in full blast! This is definitely worth reading!

Rating:

Memorable Quote:

“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.” 

“Have you ever asked yourself, do monsters make war, or does war make monsters?” 

REVIEW: Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood #1) by J.R. Ward

January's Feature: VAMPIRES

MY CHOICE:

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

Publication Date: September 6, 2005
Synopsis (Goodreads):

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.
 
The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.

______________________________

Review:

I haven't read other book that concentrates on vampires since Twilight. Then I saw this reading challenge and I thought it's an opportunity for me read more about the different creatures of paranormal books.

I chose Dark Lover because it's on my list for quite sometime now. I've been hesitating from reading the series because it's a long one and I've been contemplating if I can catch up. Then I saw high ratings other people gave the book so I finally decided to read it.

My first reaction: "WHY DID I WAIT THIS LONG TO START THE SERIES?!"

There's a lot of things to love about the book. I especially love all the characters! I had the tendency to be confused with a book with a lot of characters or guys in this case, but I wasn't. The author gave distinct characteristics about each character that you'll remember them well. They are not just the fighting and all serious types and I always love to see their witty sides. All of the brothers are so intriguing I can't wait to read their stories!

The romance part was predictably fast and steamy. What I love about Wrath and Beth's relationship is that they changed each other for the better especially with Wrath. Wrath learned how to love and be selfless.

There are a bunch of POVs which I think has it's positive and negative sides. The only negative side is that there are a lot and you may be confused at times. But I have to commend the author for pulling it off. I think it's a necessary move for readers to understand the sides of the protagonists and antagonists.

All in all, the story is quite unique and I can't wait to read the sequel! If you haven't started the series yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Rating:

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Memorable Quote:

“Some bridges you crossed on your own, no matter who drove you to the edge”