Review: Fame and Privilege

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:

Billionaire Jenn Cooper has run her own movie studio for the last 3 years with the utmost success. Everything in her life has been easy due to the wealth and privilege she's been afforded. Ryan Price is a young and talented manager in Hollywood who represents up-and-coming starlet Julia Belle. What will happen when Price and Cooper try to collaborate on one of Hollywood's most promising stories to date? Let's just say that things in Hollywood never follow the script.

The title says it all! Fame and Privilege tells the story of instant-love between two people and how they try to resist each other to save their reputations.

Review: Dreams of Fire

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Meet Kara Hartman, a young painter living and working in D.C. She would love to let you believe she is just an ordinary young woman with a dream of sharing her art with the world. But she is hiding an astonishing secret: Kara can wield magic, the most powerful force in the universe. Traumatized by the loss of her brother, she wants nothing more to do with magic. But when an old foe resurfaces, hellbent on destroying all that she loves, Kara has no choice but to embrace the only power that can stop her.

The beginning holds promise but ends up flat in the end.

Review: The Lay of Lady Percival

'' ''I was wondering how future generations might remember this time.'' 

''That,'' Galahad said meaningfully, ''depends on who wins.'' ''

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:

Rome has fallen and the eagles have flown. Left alone with her child when her lover, Arthur, leaves these shores, Persephone finds her world changed when he returns - as war duke and then King of Britain. She has the one thing he needs:

His son.

But he will not accept her as herself.

Thus is born the legend of Percival.

She is willing to give up her life to protect the future of others. The only question is how far she has to go to accomplish her goal and is it worth it in the end?

Review: What Heals the Heart (Cowbird Creek #1)

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Joshua Gibbs survived the Civil War, building on his wartime experiences to become a small town doctor. And if he wakes from nightmares more often than he would like, only his dog Major is there to know it.

Then two newcomers arrive in Cowbird Creek: Clara Brook, a plain-speaking and yet enigmatic farmer’s daughter, and Freida Blum, an elderly Jewish widow from New York. Freida knows just what Joshua needs: a bride. But it shouldn’t be Clara Brook!

Joshua tries everything he can think of to discourage Freida’s efforts, including a wager: if he can find Freida a husband, she’ll stop trying to find him a wife. Will either matchmaker succeed? Or is it Clara, a woman with her own scars, who can heal the doctor’s troubled heart?

Two stars? Two and a half? Maybe three, but not full three. What Heals the Heart is captivating, but there were a few things that bothered me.

Review: Memory of Water (Teemestarin kirja)

“ The ceremony is over when there is no more water. ”

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:

Some secrets demand betrayal.

'You’re seventeen, and of age now, and therefore old enough to understand what I’m going to tell you,’ my father said. ‘This place doesn’t exist.’

‘I’ll remember,’ I told him, but didn’t realise until later what kind of promise I had made.

When Noria Kaitio reaches her seventeenth birthday, she is entrusted with the secret of a freshwater spring hidden deep within the caves near her small rural village. Its preservation has been the responsibility of her family for generations.

Apprenticed to her father, one of the last true tea masters, when Noria takes possession of the knowledge, she becomes much more than the guardian of ancestral treasure; soon, she will hold the fate of everyone she loves in her hands.

The heartbreaking ending is worth the wait. 

Review: Maybe Someday (Maybe #1)

“ Sometimes in life, we need a few bad days in order to keep the good ones in perspective. ”

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:

At twenty-two years old, Sydney has a great life: She's in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter's cheating on her--and she is left trying to decide what to do next.

Sydney becomes captivated by Ridge, her mysterious neighbor. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there's something about Sydney that Ridge can't ignore, either. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one...

Original music created for Maybe Someday by musician Griffin Peterson can be accessed through the website listed in the ebook and paperback.

There's a soundtrack that is specially made in collaboration with this book. I can't get enough of it. I was vacationing in Mallorca when I read Maybe Someday and under the sun, I read it in one sitting. This book was addictive and I can't wait to read Maybe Not. 

Review: Confess

'' Everyday day of my life it feels as if I'm fighting my way up an escalator that only goes down. And no matter how fast or how hard I run to try to reach the top, I stay in the same place, sprinting, getting nowhere. ''

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:
Auburn Reed is determined to rebuild her shattered life and she has no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to become deeply attracted to the studio’s enigmatic artist, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is hiding a huge secret. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything Auburn loves most, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it—but can she do it?

The book begins with an ending that, in a way, plays a big part later on. To be honest, it caught me, I couldn't see it before I read it. Colleen Hoover does it again. 

Review: Hamartia

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Grace's nine-year-old son, Jordan, is dying. First, the Metagenesis disease will tear his soul from his body, and then it will kill him. Desperate for a cure, Grace agrees to take part in an illegal clinical trial cloning souls. Supported by her best friend Kay, the two embark on the ultimate "Vegas Vacation" to the past in search of the right soul to clone, racing against time to save Jordan's life. But someone is trying to stop them and when they discover why Grace must make a choice: let her son die or kill her husband. If she kills her husband, she triggers widespread Metagenesis, sealing the fate of the human race with a new plague.

Humanity is counting on Grace choosing to let her son die.

Hamartia = A fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or a heroine.
'' There's supposed to be an action that reveals the protagonist's hamartia.''

Review: The Unfettered Child

★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Her tribe is shattered. Her parents are gone.

When eight-year-old Samara faces the capture of her tribe, an unimaginable power awakens within her. Even as this magic threatens to consume her, a disembodied voice intervenes, offering guidance and helping her control these newfound abilities.

Meanwhile, Samara’s father chases his wife’s captors across an unfamiliar terrain. But can Orin find his wife in time to save her? Will Samara learn to control her power and reunite with her family? And who is the mysterious entity traveling with her?

Let me start by saying I really wanted to stop reading this book at about 10 %. This is definitely not a children's book even though the main character is eight years old. 

Review: The Art of Falling In Love

'' ''The world's always gonna be bigger than what you can fit in your hands. Being connected to the world around you is how you see all the art it has to offer.'' ''

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Claire Haynes always spends summer vacation at her family's beach house in Florida, sketching and dreaming of art school with her biggest fan--her Opa. But when Opa dies right before summer break, all Claire has left besides her memories is a sand-sculpting contest application with her name on it and the lingering question of why Opa filled it out in the first place. Claire has never even made a decent sandcastle, but she reluctantly turns in the entry forms, hoping the contest will help her navigate the grieving process by honoring one of Opa's last wishes.

When she meets Foster, a teenage boy with a talent for turning recyclables into abstract sculptures, the two join forces to win the contest and salvage the Summer of Art. They spend the humid summer days shoveling sand, devouring ice cream, and exploring Florida's art scene. Just like Opa, Foster understands Claire and her overwhelming need to create, but he has a secret that threatens to ruin everything: he's homeless and hiding from an abusive brother who would have him believe family trumps all.

When Claire's parents find out about Foster's homelessness, they offer him a home along with their hearts. But even picture-perfect families like Claire's can harbor an ugly side, especially in the aftermath of Opa's death. When someone close to Claire spills Foster's secret, they're both forced to choose between love and familial obligation. If Claire can't break through long-held beliefs and prove family is more than shared DNA, she could permanently lose Foster and a chance at the sand contest to honor Opa.

A grieving family's summer in Florida sunshine. Claire has made a vow to herself to keep her grandfather's memory alive since she feels that no one else in her family will.

Mini-Review: Holmes (Hotel #3)

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:
It's been six months since Holly broke her heart in paradise, but she didn't let the experience go to waste. She's moved to be close to the beach, and racked up some weekend frequent flyer points getting out to new experiences. She's not living to work anymore, but working to live. That dream job, it's exactly that. Holly's never had a better boss than Roger Holmes. But men. No, no men. Holly can't bear the thought of going through another heartbreak, and with Holmes City Resort hosting the International Conference for Hoteliers in a week, Holly definitely doesn't have time for a man. Yet, two men are standing there, demanding she choose one of them. Can Holly forgive the man who betrayed her and is now ready to try a real relationship? Or will promises kept win her heart back again?

Holly's heart has been crushed into little pieces by the revelation of Sean Cassidy's heritage and connections. Sixteen months ago she escaped back to Australia, but now the past wants to make amends with her, and neither of the men is willing to give her up. 

Review: Love Me, Love Me Not

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
When Hailey Brown is removed from her home and put into foster care, all she wants is a safe, comfortable place where she can finish school and move on with her life. It’s not easy adjusting to a new school and a new life, but Mr. and Mrs. Campbell and their teenage son, Brad, welcome Hailey with open arms.

As Hailey begins to adjust to her new life, she and Brad grow closer. For the first time, Hailey feels like she might have a real shot at a future. Soon, however, Hailey realizes her relationship with Brad has crossed the line from friendship into something more. But being with Brad would mean giving up the perfect life that Hailey has waited so long to have.

Can Hailey and Brad resist the feelings that are developing between them—or will they risk it all to be together?

No matter what we do in life, our pasts always catch up sooner or later. It's better to face it straight on than run from it, or that's what I would have told Hailey to do. 

Review: Oceans Away (The Atlas Series #2)

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
When the girl next door returns home as a millionaire to face the farmer who never lost hope, she's caught between the man of her past and the man meant for her future.

Adopted as an infant, Ireland Leighton grew up in the heart of the Midwest. After inheriting millions from her biological parents, she is determined to help others any way she can. The only string is a business engagement with another millionaire. Ireland returns to Iowa years later to plan her brother’s tropical wedding. The festivities would be easier if her sexy ex-boyfriend stayed out of reach and her future wasn’t already planned.

Time suppressed his feelings for the girl next door, but Gideon Taggart isn’t about to let Ireland escape again. Farmer by day, veterinarian by choice, his second chance with his first love is far from easy. He soon discovers that no matter how much he loves Ireland, she’ll always choose her family over a future with him.

Ireland Leighton had successfully avoided going back home for several years. Seeing her former love, Gideon Taggart, was just too painful. And now that almost her whole identity had changed, how could she face him? Having been raised on a farm, it came as a little bit of a shock to her to find out that her biological parents were heirs to a fortune. 

Review: Someday, Someday, Maybe

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:

Franny Banks is a struggling actress in New York City, with just six months left of the three-year deadline she gave herself to succeed. But so far, all she has to show for her efforts is a single line in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters and a degrading waitressing job. She lives in Brooklyn with two roommates - Jane, her best friend from college, and Dan, a sci-fi writer, who is very definitely not boyfriend material - and is struggling with her feelings for a suspiciously charming guy in her acting class, all while trying to find a hair-product cocktail that actually works.

Meanwhile, she dreams of doing "important" work, but only ever seems to get auditions for dishwashing liquid and peanut butter commercials. It's hard to tell if she'll run out of time or money first, but either way, failure would mean facing the fact that she has absolutely no skills to make it in the real world. Her father wants her to come home and teach, her agent won't call her back, and her classmate Penelope, who seems supportive, might just turn out to be her toughest competition yet.

Someday, Someday, Maybe is a funny and charming debut about finding yourself, finding love, and, most difficult of all, finding an acting job.

When the world strikes us down, we have to channel our own inner Franny Banks' to get back up. 

Review: Lies You Never Told Me

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:

Gabe and Elyse have never met. But they both have something to hide.

Quiet, shy Elyse can't believe it when she's cast as the lead in her Portland high school's production of Romeo and Juliet. Her best friend, Brynn, is usually the star, and Elyse isn't sure she's up to the task. But when someone at rehearsals starts to catch her eye--someone she knows she absolutely shouldn't be with--she can't help but be pulled into the spotlight.

Austin native Gabe is contemplating the unthinkable--breaking up with Sasha, his headstrong, popular girlfriend. She's not going to let him slip through her fingers, though, and when rumors start to circulate around school, he knows she has the power to change his life forever.

Gabe and Elyse both make the mistake of falling for the wrong person, and falling hard. Told in parallel narratives, this twisty, shocking story shows how one bad choice can lead to a spiral of unforeseen consequences that not everyone will survive.

I had no idea what the book was about when I turned the first page. I remember picking it up on a layover because it had a store recommendation on it, then I put it on my shelf only to pick it up a full year later. The Lies You Never Told Me falls into the same category as E. Lockhart's We Were Liars, it'll blow your mind with the truth you never expected.

Review: All We Can Do Is Wait

 '' Life can end, suddenly. But it can also stretch on and on and on. ''

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:

In the hours after a bridge collapse rocks their city, a group of Boston teenagers meet in the waiting room of Massachusetts General Hospital:

Siblings Jason and Alexa have already experienced enough grief for a lifetime, so in this moment of confusion and despair, Alexa hopes that she can look to her brother for support. But a secret Jason has been keeping from his sister threatens to tear the siblings apart…right when they need each other most.

Scott is waiting to hear about his girlfriend, Aimee, who was on a bus with her theater group when the bridge went down. Their relationship has been rocky, but Scott knows that if he can just see Aimee one more time, if she can just make it through this ordeal and he can tell her he loves her, everything will be all right.

And then there’s Skyler, whose sister Kate—the sister who is more like a mother, the sister who is basically Skyler’s everything—was crossing the bridge when it collapsed. As the minutes tick by without a word from the hospital staff, Skyler is left to wonder how she can possibly move through life without the one person who makes her feel strong when she’s at her weakest.

Waiting for news is always the worst. You don't know if it'll be good news or bad, if you're going to get them in the next fifteen minutes or if you have to wait for hours. You just have to sit tight, hope for the best, and wait. 

Review: Of Shadow and Light

'' ''Even for the immortal, life is always uncertain. You should always say goodbye; you should always tell those that matter you love them.'' ''

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
She will be the one to take his coldness,
She will unveil the Unseelie darkness and show them light.
She will unite what should never have broken.
The daughter of the moon will teach him love and the radiance of the sun.
Her inner light will purify the tainted ones,
And she will guide the fey by wisp-light.

'Prophecy of the Dark Prince'

Messina Doe was just looking for a warm place to spend the night. What she discovers is a place the human race had long ago buried and forgotten.

The dark Fey haven't forgotten humans. The throne room of the Unseelie court is the hottest underground nightclub around, but if you step through the wrong door, there is no going back.

No one ever escapes. Never.

Once, someone did.

Messina doesn't know what she's getting herself into when she accepts the offer to go to an underground party. The party for her only begins when it ends for the others. And it isn't something anyone would willingly participate in. 

Review: Emmie and the Tudor King

'' Of course, it was dangerous. It was majorly playing with fire, and I could already see myself getting burned to a crisp - probably on a sixteenth-century stake. ''

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
One moment, Emmie is writing her high school history paper; the next, she's sitting with a gorgeous 16th-century king who vacillates from kissing her to ordering her execution.
Able to travel back to her own time, but intensely drawn to King Nick and the mysterious death of his sister, Emmie finds herself solving the murder of a young princess and unraveling court secrets while trying to keep her head on her shoulders, literally.
With everything to lose, Emmie finds herself facing her biggest battle of all: How to cheat the path of history and keep her irresistible king, or lose him—and her heart—forever.

Waking up on a field with no memory of how you got there can be terrifying. Waking up on said field over four hundred years in the past is even more so. 

Literary Book Gifts: Writing Gloves - product review

I got sent these warm fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm when writing. I have always, like most people out there, written without any handwear. Sometimes, I even take my wristwatch out because it clinks against and scratches the laptops touch bar. 

They arrived fairly quickly after placing the order. The packaging is quite unimpressive, like almost all packaging on online shopping, but watertight, which is needed when shipping any clothing articles. 

Please, admire my DIY tripod. 

The gloves are 35% cashmere wool, mixed with cotton, polyester, and microfiber, according to the Literary Book Gifts website. They sure are warm and work perfectly as insulators when holding a hot cup of coffee, haven't burned my palms ever since.

The material will fall apart if you pick on the fibres sticking out after the fifth use. They are really comfortable to wear, didn't itch, and moulded into the shape of my wrist and hand perfectly. The downside was the length of the finger-part. My longest finger isn't even the length of a standard credit card. Since the gloves are one-size-fits-all, I had to fold the finger part a little to actually be able to write on a keyboard. 

This is what the website says about the gloves:
Fingerless gloves for writing! These soft cashmere knit gloves are perfect for handwriting, typing, touch screens, and crafting. Warm cold hands with this stylish accessory available in a wide range of colors from heather purple to blush pink.

Made of a breathable knit of about 35% cashmere wool. Cotton, polyester, and microfiber are blended in for durability.
The Literary Book Gifts Website has only a picture of the Light Feather Grey gloves even though there are twelve other options for colours. They ship domestically for 5USD, internationally for 10USD. For me, it was international shipping since Finland is a little farther away from the mainland US. It took about three weeks for the gloves to arrive. 

The gloves are sold for 52USD + shipping (possible customs taxes)

Review: It Ends With Us

'' As I stare back at him, I think about how easy it is for humans to make judgements when we're standing on the outside of a situation. ''

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

From Goodreads:
Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up
— she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

Books like this one make you truly realise how powerful words are. I could have read this in one sitting, but I needed to take breaks to breathe and cry in the middle. WARNING, minuscule spoilers ahead. 

Review: Under the Scrubs

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
My life is ordinary, steady, predictable. And I’m okay with that. Working long shifts at the hospital is all the excitement I need.

But when a simple rescue-attempt goes wrong, I find myself in the arms of an arrogant, yet sexy FBI agent.

Kai Evans is what I’d call way out of my league. Yet, we end up dating. Sort of. That’s if you count fast-bike escapes and kissing while bullets fly around us as a date.

While Kai tries to keep me safe and alive, Tyler Moore--an ex FBI agent with a smart mouth--slithers into my life. Turns out, Kai and Taylor have a history. The kind that can’t be erased with a simple handshake.

Now it’s all about settling the score between them, and Taylor has the perfect weapon to use against Kai…

Me.

When you accidentally stick your fingers into something you weren't supposed to you might gain something great, or if things take a turn to the worse, lose it.

Review: The Devil's Apprentice

'' ''Or, to put it another way, my boy: If Hell was shut down, the world would go to hell.'' ''

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Philip is a good boy, a really good boy, who accidentally gets sent to Hell to become the Devil’s heir. The Devil, Lucifer, is dying and desperately in need of a successor, but there’s been a mistake and Philip is the wrong boy. Philip is terrible at being bad, but Lucifer has no other choice than to begin the difficult task of training him in the ways of evil. Philip gets both friends and enemies in this odd, gloomy underworld—but who can he trust, when he discovers an evil-minded plot against the dark throne?

Philip has never told a lie in his life before. He is the epitome of a good boy, teacher's pet, an angel if you will. Then a fatal accident leads Philip down the stairs to Hell and to Lucifer's very own castle. Bringing Philip down wasn't the Devil's intention, he had another boy in mind who wouldn't need to be trained as thoroughly as Philip. But when you make a wrong decision you just need to deal with the consequences.

Review: All Your Perfects

'' ''If you only shine light on your flaws, all your perfects will dim.'' ''

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:
Colleen Hoover delivers a tour de force novel about a troubled marriage and the one old forgotten promise that might be able to save it.

Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair.

All Your Perfects is a profound novel about a damaged couple whose potential future hinges on promises made in the past. This is a heartbreaking page-turner that asks: Can a resounding love with a perfect beginning survive a lifetime between two imperfect people?

An unfortunate coincidence brought them together. Life tore them apart. 

Review: Always Forever Maybe

'' It would be easier if he were dead. ''

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
When Betts meets Aiden at the candy store where she works, their connection is like a sugar rush to the heart. Betts already knows the two of them are infinite. Inevitable. Destined to become an us.

Betts has only ever kept one secret from her best friend, Jo, but suddenly there’s a long list of things she won’t tell her, things Jo wouldn’t understand. Because Jo doesn’t see how good Aiden is for Betts. She finds him needy. Possessive. Controlling.

She’s wrong. With a love like this, nothing else matters.

Letting go of something is almost always the hardest part. 

Review: #Toots

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
A British non-romantic comedy built on white lies, pink elephants and grey areas.

LONDON: Four sisters swipe left on everything they hate in their life, one cocktail at a time.

Louise dreams of an exotic lifestyle, miles away from Hackney.
Nick comes along. Famous, fit, funny and filthy rich.
Louise will stop at nothing to seduce him.

Louise will fake it till she makes it. All the way to the ka-ching bling ring.
But the little white lies soon snowball into a mountain Louise’s Louboutins can’t climb.

Jess juggles work, two babies, a cheating husband and nannies from hell.
Carla goes on a bender, and wakes up next to her young assistant. Freddie.
Emily is getting over her cheating ex by throwing herself into the dating scene.

When work, dating and proposals…all go wrong, the four sisters’ friendship is their only lifeline.

If it can go wrong, it will go wrong. But there's nothing that a sisterhood cannot take. They may momentarily collapse from the weight, but they'll climb back up, with revenge.

Mini-Review: Cassidy (Hotel #2)

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
There is no better remedy for a broken heart than a holiday with your sisters. Holly Claire arrives in Hawaii determined to forget Benjamin Henderson. Fate wants her to forget him too. In her first six hours, Holly runs into the same delicious man no less than three times. When she literally runs into him, Sean Cassidy becomes determined to make it more. What harm could a holiday fling do?

Holly's story could not have ended with Henderson, it felt more of a beginning of a journey through Holly's love life.

Holly doesn't have the luck in love. She is the forgotten one in her family, having concentrated only in her career the past years instead of the family's political image. And after what happened with Benjamin Henderson, she just wants to escape everything. And though the idea of having a rebound with more than delicious hotel manager sounds perfect, Holly knows that it won't help her get over Henderson. 

Sean Cassidy tries to solve the mystery that is Holly. The chemistry between the two is sizzling and irresistible. The two characters play well together and separate. The reader has already gotten to know Holly a little in the previous book, and the background story gets more weight in Cassidy. The reasons behind Holly's estrangement from her family becomes more clear and more questions about her past arise. 

I wonder what the third instalment brings and how many hearts it will break? There's just something magnetic in the writing that pulls you in and leaves you wanting more.

Review: Unbecoming

'' ''Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies.'' ''

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:

Katie's life is falling apart: her mum's controlling, her dad's run off, she's in love with someone whose identity she can't reveal and now her estranged grandmother's turned up on the doorstep and Katie's expected to take care of her. Soon Katie discovers she's not the only one in her family hiding the truth. If she's going to get her life back together, she's going to have to expose everyone's deepest secrets - including her own.

Katie's lived her life just like her mum's wanted her to live. Endless practise for maths and never-ending piles of homework are her norm. It doesn't matter what Katie wants, if her mother commands something to be done, then it shall be done. But Katie's not quite sure what she really wants.

Review: Omitted

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:

Secrets. Scars. Solitude.
Those three words now define her life.
And the big one, Silence.
But this is not a vocabulary lesson. This is a story about a girl; a girl who chose to keep silent.
Did she make the right choice?

SHE IS DROWNING IN SILENCE.
When Hannah wakes up in the hospital, she makes a decision to feign memory loss about the events that landed her there. Now a college freshman, she’s determined to put the past behind her, but she’s coming to realize that silence may be her biggest enemy.

WILL SHE LET HIM LOVE HER?
Within minutes of meeting Hannah, Parker quickly discovers that trying to befriend this prickly girl will be like hugging a cactus; it can only end in pain.
But Parker loves a challenge, and he makes it his mission to put a smile on that girl’s face. The more he knows about Hannah, the more he wants to find out. If only she would let him get close to her…

Hannah is done letting anybody in, but being surrounded by so many cheerful people—especially Parker—is tempting her to open up again. Maybe even fall in love.
Will she put an end to the lies?
Or will she keep pretending?

Sometimes lying about it feels easier. Maybe a colouring a little here and there so it doesn't look so bad. But omitting the truth entirely, that's when you know something is truly wrong with the situation.

Review: Rich People Problems (Crazy Rich Asians #3)

'' ''We're too rich to have problems.'' ''

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

From Goodreads:

When Nicholas Young hears that his grandmother, Su Yi, is on her deathbed, he rushes to be by her bedside--but he's not alone. The entire Shang-Young clan has convened from all corners of the globe to stake claim on their matriarch's massive fortune. With each family member vying to inherit Tyersall Park--a trophy estate on 64 prime acres in the heart of Singapore--Nicholas's childhood home turns into a hotbed of speculation and sabotage. As her relatives fight over heirlooms, Astrid Leong is at the center of her own storm, desperately in love with her old sweetheart Charlie Wu, but tormented by her ex-husband--a man hell bent on destroying Astrid's reputation and relationship. Meanwhile Kitty Pong, married to China's second richest man, billionaire Jack Bing, still feels second best next to her new step-daughter, famous fashionista Colette Bing. A sweeping novel that takes us from the elegantly appointed mansions of Manila to the secluded private islands in the Sulu Sea, from a kidnapping at Hong Kong's most elite private school to a surprise marriage proposal at an Indian palace, caught on camera by the telephoto lenses of paparazzi, Kevin Kwan's hilarious, gloriously wicked new novel reveals the long-buried secrets of Asia's most privileged families and their rich people problems.

It's two years since Nick and Rachel got married. They have been living their life separate from Nick's relatives, and far away from Asia's richest drama. Nick's grandmother has a heart-attack and Nick flies to her bedside, to find out his been banned from Tyersall Park. What ensues is a play fulfilled with drama, backstabbing, and gossip, where the only one you can trust is yourself and everyone else is your enemy.

Review: Jake's Redemption (The Angel Eyes Series Prequel)

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
An imprisoned cowboy. An empowered woman. When true love is forbidden, opening their hearts could destroy them both…

Chained and enslaved, Jake Nichols is convinced he’ll die alone. In this new order where men are stripped of all power, he endures brutal torture at the hands of his female captor. But when he’s hired out to build a ranch home for an outspoken beauty, his dreams of escape transform into visions of passion.

Monica Avery struggles to fill her heart in a loveless society. With marriage outlawed and romantic partners reduced to pawns, she’s given up hope of finding her soul mate. But the rugged rancher building her shelter awakens her deeply buried desires.

As the project comes together, Monica discovers a kindred spirit in the tenderhearted Jake. But despite their growing attraction, he still belongs to a cruel woman who’d rather see him dead than free.

Can Monica save Jake, or will their love lead to a tragic tomorrow?

Jake’s Redemption is a full-length book in the Angel Eyes cowboy dystopian romance series. If you like scorching-hot chemistry, clever post-apocalyptic worlds, and star-crossed love stories, then you’ll adore Jamie Schulz’s captivating tale.

Most of us take freedom as granted. We are used to living in a world where we don't have to think about losing our right to make decisions for ourselves. When the war strikes in this book, the normal lives that you and I live, turn to the slavery of the previously dominate sex, the world is thrown into chaos.

Review: Daughter of Fire

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:

Laura led a sheltered, middle-class existence. Oh, she knew she was adopted, but what did it matter? A lot when her birth mother is murdered and the killers come after her next...for reasons that are deep in her very blood.

Based on the synopsis, there isn't much to go on so deciding to read this book was a true leap of faith. This time it just went in the wrong direction. Laura knows she is adopted but hasn't confronted her adoptive parents yet. Then the police officers arrive to inform her that her birth mother has been murdered and that they think that the killer is after Laura as well. Thrust into witness protection that fails to protect her leads Laura on a hunt to find the truth behind her mother's death and ultimately, her own true heritage.

Review: The Sidewalk's Regrets

'' I love this boy. I love him. And he loves me. But is that enough? This time I'm not sure it is. ''

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Sacha McLeod isn’t looking for someone to rock her world. But when she hears the boy in the music store play the guitar, the music thrills her and she falls hard for Dylan and his sound.

Sacha finds herself spending less time with her violin and more time with this guy. Her plans for her violin-virtuoso future—and her self-confidence—are shattered when she screws up the audition for a summer music program. Failure isn’t something she’s had to face before, so when Dylan asks her to spend her vacation with him in the city, she lies to her parents, pretends she won a place in the summer school, and secretly moves in with Dylan.

She’s expecting romance, music, and passion, but when she finds herself playing second fiddle to Dylan’s newly acquired drug habit, she realizes despite what the songs say, sometimes love isn’t all you need.

Falling in love might change the priorities in our lives. What used to come first is now the last thing on your mind. At least for a while. Then, people around you begin to notice the changes you are experiencing, they start to get worried, and the vicious cycle of deceit and lying begins.

Review: Eternal Soul

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Reign Elise La' Roche is savvy in business, evasive in love, and private and protective when it comes to her personal life. Born in the flavorful city of New Orleans, she is also the descendant of powerful hoodoo magick, age-old African mysticism and dark family secrets. This Creole beauty is content living a charmed existence; that is, until a strategic retaliation against her father changes her life forever. Reign is suddenly tossed into a whirlwind of betrayal, magick and the awakening of a whole new world where nothing appears to be in her control.To protect and preserve her lineage, Reign soon learns that she must embrace the one thing she'd fought years denying...a bloodline of ancient power. And with time, Reign evolves from a successful artist and gallery owner, to a woman of unlimited means and potential with one climactic goal: vengeance.

I am quite disappointed with this book. Too high expectations when going in played the most part in this, but still. The book took entirely another direction than I thought it would.

Review: Kingdom Cold

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Attempted murder, that's how sixteen-year-old Princess Charlotte's engagement starts. It seems like the only thing she has in common with Prince Young of Vires is their mutual discontent.

When her kingdom's attacked, Charlotte's parents renegotiate her hand in marriage to a handsome stranger with a sinister plan. With the people Charlotte loves dying around her, and her kingdom's future at stake, the only person she can turn to is the prince she betrayed. But, should she save her kingdom or her heart?

One must fall.

Princess Charlotte of Besmium made it clear to her parents, she doesn't want to get married. Not now, and not in the near future. Even the idea of someone robbing her from her one chance at freedom terrifies her to the brink desperation. She acts out a reckless plan that almost costs herself the entire kingdom.

Review: Realm of Beasts (Legend of the Nameless One #1)

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
An enchantress and a wizard get tangled in the grisly plans of an undead creature.
Tor Lir, the Nameless One, is unsure what he is. However, he knows he was born to bring balance to the powers of good and evil.
Forsaking his birthplace and fleeing from suggestions of a dark knowledge he’d rather not discover, he decides to take his fate into his own hands.
A chance encounter with a dead body, a dangerous beast, and a desirous creature lead him on the path to Paradise, where he senses imbalance.
Banished from her village and lost in a wicked forest, Citrine makes a deal with a dark creature, but that was before she found Paradise—the legendary land of a friendly giant.
Falling in love with the land, Citrine takes advantage of her time to study the lore of herbs and craft a spell of protection for her mythical beasts.
When darkness creeps into Paradise, bringing the mysterious Nameless One and an omen of death, Citrine realizes the consequences of her actions spell danger for herself, her beasts, and Paradise.
As time runs out the undead come to life. Citrine faces the ultimate showdown as everything she holds dear is ripped away.
Will the Nameless One save Paradise or destroy it to welcome an era of peace?

Reading the synopsis of the book again after finishing the book, I wonder, if the synopsis is meant to serve as the primary introduction to the world of the book, so that there doesn't have to an introduction in the story itself.

Review: Shadow Eyes (Shadow Eyes #1)

'' ''Are you sure you're ready to have your eyes opened to the truth?'' ''

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Iris thought she could ignore the shadows…until they came after everyone she loved.

Seventeen-year-old Iris Kohl has been able to see both dark and light figures ever since a tragic incident three years ago. The problem is, no one else seems to see them, and even worse…the dark figures terrorize humans, but Iris is powerless to stop them.

Although she’s learned to deal with watching shadows harass everyone around her, Iris is soon forced to question everything she thinks she knows about her world and herself. Her sanity, strength, and will power are tested to the limits by not only the shadows, but also a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows, a new friend with an awe-inspiriting aura, and a mysterious, alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend. As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, Iris must ultimately accept the guidance of an angel to revisit the most horrific event of her life and become the hero she was meant to be.

Iris didn't want to see the shadows. She wanted to be normal, but little did she know that her life would be far from normal. Meeting new people and navigating the treacherous path of being a teenager in the middle of real-life drama might just be the beginning.

Review: Hauling Checks

'' At Checkflight we always had the customer's best interest in mind. ''

'' Oh well, what you don't know can't hurt you. The engine seemed to be running okay. ''

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
I'm a cargo pilot. In the industry, I'm known as a "Freight Dog." I fly canceled checks and other types of high-value cargo around the country, mostly at night, in airplanes that are older than I am. Flying freight-or "work" as we call it-in small, twin-engine aircraft is a lesser known side of the aviation world. Our day starts when banker's hours end. Thousands of flights move millions of pounds of work from city to city every night while the rest of the country is asleep. We're out there in the freezing rain getting de-iced when you're laying down for bed. We're sweeping the snow off our wings with a broom at three in the morning. That horrible thunderstorm you heard last night while you were sleeping, we were flying through it. The fog you woke up to in the early morning hours, we were landing in it.

Hauling Checks is a comedy about the darker side of aviation. A cast of degenerate pilots, who work for a shady night time air cargo operation, take you on a flight through the unfriendly skies. The pilots abuse every Reg in the book in their quest to make deadlines for their high value cargo. As the company falls on hard times, management resorts to questionable measures to save the failing airline.

Hating your job is quite normal, especially if your working conditions are far from comfortable. But when you are flying a plane that was supposed to be scrapped a decade ago and most the flight-computer is so old that it isn't compatible with anything anymore, the job as a pilot doesn't seem so glamorous anymore.

Review: Destroyer's Blood (Blood Series #1)

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
Dev shook his head, spitting out dust and rock chips. The last rays of the setting sun stained the ground crimson. “Betrayer,” he murmured, ears still ringing from the terrific explosion, “we have a problem.”
The cryptic message from Olympus changes everything... One moment Devcalion and Betrayer are free, climbing up Half Dome without a care in the world, the next they are dragged into battle with the Destroyer, Zeus’s ancient foe.
The Dark Power is merciless, and time is running out. It’s up to Dev and Tray to try to stop him, or the world of men and gods is doomed.

I really should start to learn how to DNF books before it's too late. Before the only feelings, I have the author's baby is discontent and frustration. Destroyer's Blood intrigued me from the beginning. The concept of ancient Greek mythology and the disputes between the ruling gods has always been close to my heart, and, in a way, are what got me into reading in the first place. So, almost every time someone presents me with an opportunity to dive back into that world, I take it. I take it because I enjoy the lores, I enjoy the mystery and the great adventures.

Review: Hearts Abroad (Atlas #1)

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

From Goodreads:
When a fun-loving American nanny turns a millionaire British single dad’s world upside down, it’s inevitable life is going to get complicated.

Taking a break from screenwriting in New York City, Londyn Bellerose takes a nannying job in Colorado to get away from the hubbub. A summer to live without regrets is all she wants. While her boss is British, gorgeous, and a millionaire, he has no clue how to have fun. Determined to mend the relationship between father and daughters, Londyn doesn’t expect to fall for the museum curator.

Londyn is American and everything Callum Archer swore to never fall for again. With her carefree spirit and energetic smile, she’s perfect to nanny Callum’s two daughters. The problem is she’s also perfect for him. She’s sassy, musical, and tends to speak her mind more than she means to.

When old history and new dreams threaten her happily ever after, will Londyn and Callum’s love survive?

This solid three-star novel will warm you up with its promise of a HEA and lovable cast of characters. Take a chance and hop on board with this light retelling of the classic Cinderella.