Book Review: Keeping Secrets in Seattle by Brooke Moss

Author: Brooke Moss
Series: Series #1
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release Date: February 18th 2013
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Seattle hairstylist Violet Murphy always knew the day would come when her best friend Gabe Parker would want to settle down. She’d secretly wished it would be with her, but now that he’s chosen someone else—the prim, perfect Alicia—he wants Vi to be his best man.

Healing her broken heart isn’t easy, but when Violet meets Landon Harlow, a man who isn’t fazed by her funky style and less-than-delicate attitude, she takes a step in the right direction. Until Gabe’s fiancé’s gorgeous façade begins to crack, and Violet’s disturbing past comes back to haunt her, that is. Vi now finds herself armed with a series of lies that would break Gabe’s heart—and his engagement—if he knew their truth, and a secret from their childhood that could change everything.

With the wedding looming, her relationships unraveling, and the bachelor party of the century to plan, Violet must choose between a fresh start with Landon, or confronting her painful past and risking it all for a chance at a future with Gabe.

If there's one genre that I love just as much as urban fantasy it's chick lit. I adore chick lit for a variety of reasons, but the most important one is that it teaches you something new in a non-preachy, very subtle way. If you pay attention to details, there's always a life lesson hidden behind the funny, quirky characters and hilarious situations. Keeping Secrets in Seattle is no different.

I absolutely adored Violet. There was something very unique about her. Her love for vintage clothing made me immediately like her. Her style in general was just awesome and it made me very sad that she's not a real person, because she gave me that feeling that if you respect her and treat her right, she'd be your bestie. I understood her fear of confessing her love for her best friend. It was hard to see her struggle with that, especially given her past. Underneath her vintage clothing and unconventional hairstyle, she's a really strong person. And it made me sad that she had to go through what she did alone.

Speaking of her best friend. Gabe was a strange character. I can't say that I loved the guy, but I didn't dislike him either. It was just so hard to believe that he was clueless about Violet's feelings. I just can't believe that. If in fact he had no clue, boy is he blind! And if he did know about how she felt, he was cruel. But you know what they say, the heart wants what it wants. I was sad for Landon. He really was a great guy. If I could pick between the two of them, I'd pick Landon. Okay, yes, he does have a motorcycle, but that's beside the point *coughs*.

I can't say I was surprised by some of the things that happened. Even so, they were done in such a way that didn't seem cliche. And I loved the diary notes. Those were fun and it really felt like reading a diary entry. There were some hilarious moments in this book too. I did giggle a few times. All in all, Keeping Secrets in Seattle was a quick, fun read and it showed me once again why I love this genre.

Obsessed With Covers #20: Passenger, A Thousand Nights, The Accident Season, These Shallow Graves & A Whole New World

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

This edition is brought to you by BEA 2015. Heh, that sounded formal, didn't it? I am soooooo sad that I like on another planet continent and I can't go to BEA. It sounds like so much fuuun *sobs**stomps feet like a 5 year old*. Anyway, maybe I'll get the chance to participate in the future. Until then, here are some of the prettiest covers I've seen at BEA (not all, I know, a lot of great covers this year).

 It seems that blogging made me admit out loud (or at least in writing) some of my many obsessions. But I'm obsessed with boats in bottles. I love miniatures and bottles with boats are so, so cool. This particular cover is so interesting. It seems like the people on the boat have this unique miniature of a fantasy land with fantasy buildings in a boat. I assume, based on the cover, that the people in the city are imaginary or at least not real for the people living on the boat.

I also love the font used for the title. And how there seems to be light on the city skyline, but a storm brewing for the ship. I really want to read this book to see if the story matches the cover, or at least the feel of it.



Passenger - Alexandra Bracken

 I absolutely adore the cover art for this book. It seems as though the tree of life is coming out of an Arabian palace. I love how the crown of the tree is made up of words. I also like the font the artist used. And the girl....what I happening with her? I want to know! I also like how the palace is surrounded by a halo of light, while everything else is covered by darkness.

A Thousand Nights - E. K. Johnston

There's something so scary about this cover. Maybe it's the perspective and the inverted landscape. Of maybe it's because of the girl falling (which I've always been afraid of). Or it could be the storm clouds. Whatever it is, there's something scary about this cover.

I love the colors used for the sky. And the button in the title is so cute. I wonder if it's just a random, art-related reason for it's presence, or if there's something about a button in the story.







 The Accident Season - Moïra Fowley-Doyle

 Where do I start with this cover? The roses are a nice touch, I have to say. It only increases the creepy feeling of the cover. And the hand? Just awesome. Especially when it sits just above the title. Shallow graves and the past? Shallow graves indeed. What's behind the wood panels is the detail that I like most. Just a hint of something that's hiding there. They could be other roses, or there could be more. I just love the cover.

These Shallow Graves - Jennifer Donnelly

The 8 year old in me is doing happy dances at the sight of this cover and title. I can't wait to see how this book is. The cover is just amazing. If the Agrabah palace was real, this is how it would look like to me. The colors used for the skyline just increases that magical feeling of the entire building. And the girl, which I assume is Jasmine, makes the story seem more real. I will definitely read this book once it comes out. And the title is just genius, because, based on the blurb, it takes a whooooole new meaning. If I had anyone sing the song in a completely new version, I'd had Lana Del Rey do it, because no one can make a Disney song sound more haunted than her.





A Whole New World - Liz Braswell

Sunday Book Soundtrack #16: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Sunday Book Soundtrack is a weekly feature at Ruby's Books, where I share some of my bookish soundtracks. Since I discovered my passion for reading years ago, I've discovered that more and more of the songs I loved remind me of certain books. So I thought I'd share my playlists with you. If you want to listen to the songs, I'll post a link to a Youtube videos for each and every title. No copyright infringement intended! I'll try to find the official videos for each song. There's no set number for each playlist, sometimes I might have 10, sometimes 5, sometimes if I'm one of my moods I'll have 15. If you want to read more about this feature, click the "show more" button below. 

I read with music. If there's no music, I can't read. And not just read, but almost anything, like studying of cooking or doing chores around the house. The only time I don't have music is when I sleep. And during exams, but that's a different story.

Sometimes it happens that a certain song and a book or a scene from the book I'm reading sort of... click. It's like they were made for each other. At least for me. And so I will almost always think of that particular book when hearing that song. I thought I'd share my book soundtracks with you.

Keep in mind that I have a very... weird taste in music. You'll find mostly rock music, country or the 80s-early 90s music in these lists. I might use some "contemporary" songs from now and then, but don't bet on it being something other than those particular genres. Also, not always the songs will be in English. If I have a link to a translation for the lyrics, I'll post it. If you like a song I'm using, that's fine. If not, that's fine too, just don't say I didn't warn you.

The songs aren't always on a book's playlist for their lyrics. Sometimes they're there for an instrument or for a feeling I get when hearing them. Also, I won't always mention what scene I used them for. If it's not a spoiler, I'll share the scene, if it is a spoiler, I'll let you guess.

Anyway, I hope you like my playlists :)

Hey guys! It's been a while since I've done one of these lists. I have inspiration right now. This is mostly because having no internet for a while forced me to listen to the radio more than I usually did.

This week's book soundtrack is for Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

I loved this book so, so much. I will write a review soon, but I had to say that I loved it. Unlike my usual soundtracks, this book didn't give me the impression that rock music was good for it. Which I know, shocking, right? That is why the songs I've picked are so different than my previous choices. Anyway, here's the soundtrack:

1. The Pierces - Secret - I just couldn't not include this song on the playlist.
2. The Pierces - Boring - I picked this song for two reasons: the flashbacks and the way "old" Samantha & crew are described.
3. Ke$ha - Die Young - This song fits with the image of Sam, the party girl. At least it does in my head.
4. The Chainsmokers - #SELFIE - The lyrics fit with the meanness of Sam's old friends and even Sam herself. And the sound of this song fits with old Sam.
5. Natalia Kills - Problem (Explicit) - This song fits both Samantha and Cassie. I'm not sure which girl is described better by this song. There's a little bit of Cassie in there, but if you've read the book, you know that Samantha wasn't necessarily a good girl in the past, either.
6. Indila - Dernière Danse - The feel of this song fits Samantha as she's struggling with not having any memories. And even the lyrics fit, in a more symbolic way.

Liked this list? Want more? Click here for previous Sunday Book Soundtrack posts.

Follow Friday #21

Welcome to Follow Friday hosted this week by Parajunkee and Alison!
The main idea behind FF is just to go see a bunch of new blogs you may never have seen before, and follow the ones you like (and they’ll follow you back!) It’s a total win/win, so take a peek around!


This week’s question is:

If you can step into one characters shoes (in a book) and be them for a day who would it be and why? Also if you want to be creative, what scene?

This is a tough question. There are so many characters that I love and that I'd want to switch places for a day. I'll go with Savitar from the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Several reasons for it:
 - I get to know EVERYTHING! All the things I've ever wanted to know about the series, past, present and future are in his head, I'm sure of it!
 - I get to be as sarcastic as I want and I know that my buddy Ash will understand and appreciate my sarcasm;
 - I get to have my own island;
 - I'm powerful and really, really old. Which means I got to see mankind in Ancient times. So yay for the history nerd in me;
 - because he's so old he knows a lot of languages. I love learning languages (did I ever mention I'm weird that way? No? Well, I am!).

That's who I'd want to be for a day. Who would you be for a day if you could?

TV Madness: How To Get Away With Murder

 

I'm always on the hunt for new TV shows to watch. I honestly like watching TV shows more than I do movies. Why, you ask? Well, it's the same thing with book series: I get to spend way more time with the characters and the story. There's much more space for the characters to grow and reveal all their quirks. 

I remember last year when the promo for How To Get Away With Murder came out and the first thing that drew my eye was Viola Davis. Let's face it, she's awesome! And there was a scene in the trailer with her presenting what her subject was about and I absolutely loved that scene. So I knew this show was on my "to-watch" list. For some reason though, it has stayed on that list up until about a month ago, when I went on a road trip. I went to my grandmother's for a week and when I turned on the TV, the pilot was on. I have to say, I was hooked from the last scene of that pilot, when they reveal who the dead body was. Holy crap, I did not see that one coming! 

What I love most about the show are the numerous twists and turns that I don't see coming most of the time. It's like a roller coaster. I don't understand who killed whom and I'm staying away from spoilers (IT'S SO HARD, GUYS!!). The funny part is that Mom already saw the show and she's gloating, because she knows what happens next and she's always saying things like "Oh, you wait and see next week's episode". And that's it. She then goes to do some other stuff! So unfair!

Anyway, back to the show. I love the writing and the flash-forward scenes are done amazingly well. And Viola Davis is just...there's a scene in one of the episodes where she's in the courtroom and she's interrogating the witness in such an aggressive way that I got goosebumps when I saw it. She should've won the Golden Globes nomination, because she is doing a perfect job. 

The nerd in me can't help but do a happy dance that one of the actors from Harry Potter is in this show - Alfred Enoch. It took me a while to recognize him, but when I did I squee-ed like the big nerd that I am. I was so impressed by his accent. And with each scene I wonder if Wes knows more than he's letting on. 

So I'm obsessed with this show. And I'm so, so, so happy that it got picked up for another season. I hope it gets to have many more seasons after that, because the show is just great.

Book Review: The Silver Swan by Elena Deblanco

Author: Elena Delbanco
Series: N/A
Publisher: Other Press
Release Date: May 19th 2015
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A debut novel about a daughter grappling with the legacy of her famous and imposing cellist father, the secrets he has hidden from her, and the fate of his great Stradivarius cello.

Alexander Feldmann is a revered and sought-after performer whose prodigious talent, striking good looks and worldly charm prove irresistible to all who hear and encounter him. After years of searching, he acquires a glorious cello, the Silver Swan, a rare Stradivarius masterpiece long lost to the world of music.

Mariana is Alexander’s only child and the maestro has large ambitions for her. By the age of nineteen she emerges as a star cellist in her own right, and is seen as the inheritor of her father's genius. There are whispers that her career might well outpace his. Mariana believes the Silver Swan will one day be hers, until a stunning secret from her father’s past entwines her fate and that of the Silver Swan in ways she could never have imagined.

*Disclaimer: I received this e-galley from Netgalley and Other Press in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing that appealed to me about the book was that it had nothing to do with what I normally read. I haven't read many books about musicians so far. And when I read an excerpt of this book something about the tone of the story and the narrative appealed to me.

There's a cinematic feel to this book. The way the scenes are put together, with the past and present mingling gave me the feeling of not only reading, but also watching a movie. I thought the way the author wrote the flashback scenes was very well done. I did, however, get confused at some point. This was because, although I felt that they explained a lot about Mariana and Claude's personalities, some of the flashbacks were introduced with no warning whatsoever. So it took a while to realize I was reading a memory.

Man, I felt for Mariana the entire time I read the book. She was ignored by her mother, treated like a soon-to-be clone by her father while she was growing up, then as a maid while he was old, her ex was a creep, and her love interest is...well, he's not that good either. Oh, and let's not forget the big hits her father delivered after he died, with his will and the "after I die" letter. I kept wondering how is it that she was sane, poor woman.

The novel is told from both Mariana and Claude's POVs. There were some aspects of the story that make more sense when told this way. It also helped me tolerate Claude more than I would've had there been only one POV. Claude wasn't the easiest character to like, but getting his side of the story made me understand why he was acting a certain way.

I liked this novel. I would've wanted a bit more time spent in the present time and less in the flashbacks, which were at times distracting. It was a quick read and if you're in the mood for something new, this might be the read for you.

Final Rating: 3.5 cups

Because the story was different from what I normally read, I'll give it 2 Jolly Rogers.