Day 20 – Favorite romance book

I completely forgot that I didn't finish this challenge *iz ashamed*
Um, I don't have a favorite romance book. I know it sounds weird, but for me every book I read, even if they're part of the same series, is different and unique in its own way. So it would be almost like comparing apples and oranges. That said, the one book that pops into my head right now is Kat Martin's Nothing But Velvet.

It's the first historical romance I've read and it's one of the few books I reread every year. I remember when I first read it I was still pretty bad at English and it took me a while to finish it, but I'm glad I did. I loved it then and I love it now even more.

What about you? What's your favorite romance book?

Book Review: In Love With An Angel by Federica Bosco

Author: Federica Bosco

Original Title: Innamorata di un Angelo

Series: Innamorata di un Angelo #1

Country: Italy

My Rating: 4 cups

When I first saw this book on the shelf in a bookshop I felt this incredible pull towards it. Maybe it was the gorgeous cover, maybe it as the title or maybe the fact that it was wrapped in a plastic cover with no way to take a peek inside it and find out what it was about (yes, I always do that when I want to buy a book :P). I don’t know, I just knew I had to buy it.

If you’re looking for a HEA book, this isn’t your book. Before you go away though, I have to say there is a second book after this one. I don’t know if there will be others or if the next one will be also the end of the story, though I’m sure I’ll be buying the next book and the ones after that. Like I said, no HEAs, but you do get an extraordinary book, one worth reading.

It’s told from the heroine’s perspective. Mia is a fifteen year old girl, with big dreams of making it to the Royal Ballet School in London. But she’s a real teenager. You know how you get to read YA novels and they don’t feel they’re about real teens? This one is. You get to read about real teens, with teenage angst, first love, first kiss, the first real fight with your best friend, first time, first big fight with your parents, wishing never to grow up if that meant understanding what “compromise” is, everything.

Aside from being a very good ballerina, Mia is also experiencing forbidden love. She’s in love with Patrick, her best friend’s older brother, but she tries so hard to hide it, knowing that if she acted on it, she might lose her only real friend. So she keeps silent, left only with dreams, fantasies and hopes. When Patrick lets her know that he actually fell for her, it’s like a dream come true. And while it might seem sappy, their love story is so pure and real and strong and it left me rooting for them and hoping they make it and stay together forever. Then the ending came and things changed, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

I loved Mia. She was a little too mature at times, not in a false way, but because life was a bit cruel for her and her mother, and that forced her to see the world as it is too early. I think a lot of girls, teenager or past that age, could see themselves in Mia. She’s an outcast and while at fifteen anyone feels like that, she was a real outcast. She was a virgin while all girls her age were so past the first time, it wasn’t even funny. She wasn’t talented at anything except dancing, she wasn’t one of the best students in school. A real outcast, with only Nina as her friend. Though I have to be honest, I didn’t like Nina at all, even at the beginning of the book. She seemed like one of those girls that would have a best friend but not be a best friend. Mia was always there for her, but Nina wasn’t or when she tried, she came up with crazy stunts which landed only Mia in trouble.

I loved Patrick. While older than Mia, he didn’t treat her like she was a mindless little girl. On the contrary, he treated her like a mature woman, not trying to shelter her with pretty words when she needed to be shaken up a little bit and when she made a mistake, he told her she made it and why she needed to apologize or make it right. I loved him for that and for also being able to treat Mia like the most special person in the world.

The ending left me crying. It’s been a long time since I actually wanted to curl up in bed and cry after reading a book, but this one made me want just that. I wanted to slap Nina so hard at the end. And also, the ending didn’t feel right. Maybe it ended that way because there is a second book, maybe there will be some way to make it all right. But for now, I feel my heart breaking just thinking about the ending and about how Mia and Patrick’s love story developed. It may as well have ended, though I don’t want to try and anticipate anything. All I know is that I hope I’ll find the second book fast. I need to see what happens next NOW.

I do hope this book gets translated in English, because I do believe it’s one of those Must Reads. So if you can speak Italian or if In Love With An Angel is already translated, go check it out. You won’t be sorry for trying it, trust me!

Book Review: I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Author: Sophie Kinsella
My Rating: 5 cups
Blurb: (from Goodreads)

I've lost it. The only thing in the world I wasn't supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It's been in Magnus's family for three generations. And now, the very same day his parents are coming, I've lost it. The very same day. Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive!!

Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry the ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her 'happy ever after' begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring but in the panic that followed, she has now lost her phone. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect! 

Well, perfect except the phone's owner, businessman Sam Roxton doesn't agree. He wants his phone back and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life. 

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other's lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents... she soon realises that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

Another Kinsella masterpiece. That’s the first thing that popped into my head after I finished reading I’ve Got Your Number. I loved this book, just like I loved every other one of her books. I think I might be obsessed with this author. Kinsella is the author that introduced me into the wonderful world of chick lit and I can’t really think of anyone better than her. All her heroines are normal women, with flaws, with bad hair days, fears, questions, insecurities, everything that can make these women look… normal. Like you and me.

Poppy, the heroine from I’ve Got Your Number, is no different. She was a fun heroine to meet. She’s funny, a bit curious (okay, more than a bit), she’s trying to help everyone and she’s one of those girls that have a hard time expressing their feelings out of fear of offending someone. Or maybe she’s just trying to fit in, not wanting to lose someone important to her. I loved her. From the very first moment I read about her, while she was desperately searching for her engagement ring in a hotel lobby, to the very last moment when she’s standing in front of the church, dressed in a wedding dress and talking to the man she loves. Also, she loves footnotes :D

Sam is one of those imperfect heroes I love. He might be smart, gorgeous, successful, but he’s not one to be polite just to spare someone’s feelings, he’s not a guy who will send birthday cards to his colleagues or “I’m sorry your dog died” messages. But he’s the perfect guy for Poppy and I can see why she fell for him. He is funny, he is strong, he is a guy that will tell you the truth. And he looks good. What more can one wish for, right?

I laughed so hard while reading this book. I laugh at all of Kinsella’s books actually. Though I might suggest not reading them while on a bus or a subway?! People will look at you like you've lost your mind if you have tears streaming down your face and you’re laughing like a loon while reading. It was a gorgeous story. And humor aside, this is a story about real love, second chances, luck, coincidences and a lot more.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. I love Sophie Kinsella and her books are on my “auto-buy” list. If you haven’t yet read her books (though seriously, what are you waiting for???!!) you need to give them a try! You won’t regret it.

Book Review: Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Series: Women of the Otherworld #2

My Rating: 4 cups

Blurb (from Goodreads):

It was in Bitten, Kelley Armstrong's debut novel, that thirty-year-old Elena Michaels came to terms with her feral appetites and claimed the proud identity of a beautiful, successful woman and the only living female werewolf.

In Stolen, on a mission for her own elite pack, she is lured into the net of ruthless Internet billionaire Tyrone Winsloe, who has funded a bogus scientific investigation of the "other races" and their supernatural powers. Kidnapped and studied in his underground lab deep in the Maine woods, these paranormals - witches, vampires, shamans, werewolves - are then released and hunted to the death in a real-world video game. But when Winsloe captures Elena, he finally meets his match.

If the first book if this series, Bitten, was about werewolves only, we get to meet some very cool creatures in Stolen. Vampires (swoon), witches, shamans, sorcerers, demons, half-demons, and some creatures I haven't heard of before. I liked that part. While I loved Elena and her Pack mates, I was sure there had to be more creatures out there in this world. Glad I wasn't mistaken :)p

I felt that the story was a little slow, slower than in the previous book, but not enough to bother me. Or maybe I was expecting a little more... let's say drama? Before you start throwing things at me, let me explain. While the idea of human scientists targeting and kidnapping supernatural creatures in order to understand what makes them tick is fantastic, I was expecting a lot more gruesome details. I was ready for the torture, in other words. The fact that they just observed them without much harm, only a complete physical check up, was a little baffling. Not a bad thing though, since I would've hated to see Elena or any of the others tortured, but still... (I'm not making any sense, am I? Sorry for that)

If Clay and Jeremy managed to attract my attention in the first book, in this one Adam, the half-demon, made a very good impression. I'm actually hoping he'll be the HEA of a certain very young witch. In the future books, not now o.O Like, when she'll be twenty-ish. I also think he needs his own song. Something like I Love Playing with Fire (The Runaways <3).

All in all, I really am enjoying this series. So if you haven't started reading it yet, don't wait any longer. READ IT!!

Cover Love (17)

 

This feature is hosted by Carmel @ Rabid Reads. The rules are very simple. Choose a cover (or two, or three), preferably new-ish, and share what you like about it. Grab the graphic or don't just so long as you link back.


My picks this week:







Starcrossed - Josephine Angelini


The first thing I see when I look at this cover is the sea. I love the sea. I actually want to be a mermaid when I grow up, but that's a different story. Sea breeze, sea, storm clouds and a pretty dress. What more can I wish for?















Angel Arias - Marianne de Pierres


There's something incredibly creepy about this cover. Also, for some reason, she reminds me of the Evil Queen from Snow White. I have no idea why, but that's what I think of when I see this cover.

The Space Between - Brenna Yovanoff


I remember I saw this cover sometimes last year. I loved it then and I love it now. I like how she is lying on a bench and behind her is Hell. Or that's how I see it. And the bench is, in my eyes, some sort of door. And, also, the swirls around the bench make me want to get creative and make some sort of jewelry resembling that. ( I recently discovered wire jewelry *smile*)












What are your picks this week?

Book Review: A Hint Of Frost by Hailey Edwards

Author: Hailey Edwards
Series: Araneae Nation #1
My Rating: 5 cups
Blurb: (from Goodreads)

Hope dangles by a silken thread.

When the head of the Araneidae clan is found poisoned in her nest, her eldest daughter, Lourdes, becomes their clan’s new maven. If her clan is to survive, she has but one choice: she must marry before her nest is seized. All she needs is a warrior fierce enough to protect her city and safeguard her clansmen. Such a male is Rhys the Cold.

Born the youngest son of an impoverished maven, the only things Rhys has to his name are his sword and his mercenary reputation. His clan is starving, but their fondness for the flesh of fellow Araneaeans makes them unwelcome dinner guests. Torn between loyalty to his clan and fascination with his future bride, Rhys’s first taste of Lourdes threatens to melt the cold encasing his heart.

Amid the chaos of battle, Lourdes’s sister disappears and is feared captured. Lourdes and Rhys pursue their enemies into the southlands, where they discover an odd plague ravaging southern clans as it travels north, to Erania. Determined to survive, Lourdes will discover whether she’s worth her silk or if she’s spun the thread by which her clan will hang. 

Warning:
This book contains one mercenary hero with a biting fetish, one determined heroine who gets nibbled, and an answer to the age-old question, “What does dragon taste like?” Matricide and sibling rivalry are available upon request. The house special is revenge, best served cold.

I have to start by saying that it took me a while to look at anything other than that amazing cover. You do know I have a thing for pretty covers, right? Well, anyway, I was obsessed (still am, but that's another story!) with that cover. And if you think the cover is great, wait till you read the book and you'll see that there is something better than just "great".

It was so cool to see fanged creatures that aren't vampires. While I will never be able to get over my love for vampires, I sometimes feel the need for something new, fresh. It was such an amazing experience to read about these characters with spider traits. I loved them so, so much. Not the real-life spiders though, mind you! o.O

I loved the world too. And I loved the fact that there weren't so many descriptions. While I am one of those readers, the ones that don't get bored while reading loooooooong descriptions, I love the books that give me free reign in adding my own imagination to the reading experience. A Hint Of Frost does that. The absence of the descriptions make me believe that I'm sort of creating my own unique interpretation of the world, I can "see" the houses and animals as big or as small as I want, color them however I want. It's like reading a one of a kind story, something only I see.

The thing that made me love this book even more were the very, very unique names, titles and words. I find it so refreshing when I hear a name and I know exactly who I'm supposed to be talking about. You can find millions of Edwards, Erics, Marissas and all that, but how many Lourdes-es have you encountered? Or who else has the word Araneae in their works? It's these types of little things that make me remember a book for a long time after I've finished reading it.

The characters are very interesting too. I loved them all and I can't wait to meet them again. I could say more about them, but I think I'll let you discover them by yourselves. Suffice to say that you'll meet a lot of fascinating characters, from the wise old man, to the young woman who's supposed to be a leader at a very tender age, from the silent man, to the most talkative. I for one had fun meeting them all :)

I could go on and on, but I'll stop here, or else I'm sure I'll give away some spoilers. If you love fantasy, paranormal romance, new worlds and if you're searching for something fresh and new, try this book.