62 posts tagged “books”
Last month, I've bought Lensey Namioka's MISMATCH, a book about a Chinese-American girl who fall in love with a Japanese-American schoolmate. With the war deeply etched on her grandmother's mind, how can she have a happy ending with her newfound love when both of their families aren't approving their relationship? I enjoyed it at first but as I flipped through the pages, it became boring. The story is supposed to be their love story but I felt like that it was overshadowed by their trip to Asia and their immersion to their origins. Obviously, this book will not be categorized in my favorite list. It just failed me. =(
I am sucker for a medieval story so when I saw this at Passages of the Past, I immediately take a liking for this book! A non-fiction read about the Medieval Period and strong women always capture my attention! Unfortunately, I'm BROKE and I don't know if local bookstores here in the Philippines have this!
I wonder when can I ever have the time again to leisurely read a good book?
Penguin Classic's modern covers of classic novels are eye-catching, cute, and youthful. I liked it! The covers are designed by Ruben Toledo and I think it's a good idea to have such modern covers. It entices the youth to grab a copy of these timeless tales of love and tragedy. Agree or disagree?
Pictures from jessicarulestheuniverse... Visit her website... this woman is just so cerebral! She's so smart! I wish I have at least an inch of her intellect!
It seems like AGES since the last time I read a book! I was just so busy these past few weeks, especially with my GRAND DEMO that I have to sacrifice the pleasure of reading books, especially of romance. But, since I'm done and over with my demo, I am now free to read a good book from the time being (there's still the RESEARCH that I'm so excited about, no pun intended!) and from the MoonlighttoTwilight blog, I set my sight on this book that the blogger is raving about. Turns out, she's right! The hero of this book is such a man!
Meet Zack Knight, firefighter and paramedic—
the handsome genius of Station Five.
He can take on any blaze, but needs a certain kind of woman…
Zack fights fires and saves lives, yet his own thirst for life has run dry—until he comes to the rescue of hardheaded, sharp-tongued exotic dancer Corrine Shannon, who sparks a carnal appetite that has the normally shy hero burning out of control.
But just as they are consumed by the flames of passion, they find themselves under fire from two relentless enemies with fifty million reasons to succeed. Dangerous men who will stop at nothing to get what they want, even if it means putting a permanent end to Zack and Cori’s love—or their lives. Can Zack and Cori withstand the heat, or will their newfound romance be extinguished as fast as it began?
Zack Knight is a breath of fresh air when it comes to romance heroes. First, he's poor, he's broke, has lost his home, and a big-shot casino mogul is "pressuring" him to pay his father's gambling debts. Two, due to his financial situation, his health is also getting affected - he has no time for sleep and is on the verge of acquring pneumonia due to being overwoked (he takes as many loads as he can so that he can literally put food in his mouth!). Third, despite having a killer bod, Zack is still the fat nerdy kid who is always being bullied and ridiculed upon. Zack is gifted with an IQ of 150 that he can hack computers of the FBI. His boss gives him a hard time one day by lecturing him infront of his fellow firefighters and embarassing him in the process. Zack just stood there, accepting all the unjust remarks of his boss. Fifth, since he coulnd't think straight due to his father's debts, he got into a fender bender, hitting the SUV of a gorgeous woman. Lastly, Zack is a 26 years old virgin! Zack has never been in a relationship because he's an idealist. He wants to have his first with someone whom he has a strong, intimate connection with. That someone took a while to come but Cori Shannon unexpectedly came to his life after he accidentally hit her SUV sparking a love that is tested by trials after trials.
Corrine "Cori" Shannon is a nursing student by day, exotic dancer by night. Blessed with a silver spoon, she fled her glamorous lifestyle because she's tired of her brothers running her life for her. This decision led her to a troubled marriage with a husband who constantly used her as a punching bag. But her husband died so she starts her life anew in this small town in Tennessee. Blessed with good looks, she used it to pay for her tuition and not depend on her brothers' wealth and influence. Since Cori felt guilty that she's the reason why Zack got hospitalized, she offered her home to him after he learned that he was evicted from his rundown apartment. Ofcourse her motive wasn't entirely altruistic. She has a stalker looming in the shadows of her quite Tennesse home.
What I like about this book is how strong the connection is between Zack and Cori. The two have been in hell and back and they are perfect for each other. They complement each other very well that the trials they've encountered didn't deter them from loving one another. Zack is just a major cutie! He's so unbelievably and genuinely good! He can go to MIT if he wants to but he refuses instead he became a fireman. And his reason? He never get to have a toy firetruck! Awwww, I melted when he said that! He is also in and out of the hospital. First when he rescued Cori from her accident, when he was shot, took a blow on his head, and when he was knifed. STRONG and RESILIENT, our hero Zack refuses to die, no matter how many beatings he get. Cori is trying to start a new life despite the shadows of her past. She wants to prove to herself and to her brothers that she can stand on her own. Cori is several years older than Zack but boy-oh-boy, their lovescenes are all smokin' hot! I particularly liked it when Cori first introduced Zack to the whole thing and when she suprises him with a sample of what she does on her job.
The friends of Zack at Station Five are just really good friends. I'm glad that Zack have them because they are all supportive and very caring for his welfare. The stalking aspect of the story was really creepy and scary. Being stalked upon is a very ugly and dangerous situation. You don't know when your stalker is going to attack you.
There are two aspects of the novel that I didn't like. First is how swift Zack financial problems were solved. It didn't feel real! I mean, Zack is literally like a walking zombie just worrying about his father's ginormous debt then suddenly, it was gone! Also, the conflicting web that is between the two of them felt sometimes like I'm watching a soap! It's so melodramatic!
But, Zack won me over with his sexiness, geekiness, innocence, and resilience that I can easily forget about my qualms about the conflicts of the story. After all, who wouldn't like taking care of someone so adorable and lovable like Zack?!
Rating: 4/5
Description:
From the New York Times bestselling author of Ransom comes an exquisite tender tale of love, adventure and passion!
In feudal England, Elizabeth Montwright barely escaped the massacre that destroyed her family and exiled her from her ancestral castle. Bent on revenge, she rode again through the fortress gates, disguised as a peasant...to seek aid from Geoffrey Berkley, the powerful baron who had routed the murderers.
He heard her pleas, resisted her demands, and vowed to seduce his beautiful subject. Yet as Elizabeth fought the warrior's caresses, love flamed for this gallant man who must soon champion her cause...and capture her spirited heart!
This is a typical Julie Garwood Medieval Novel. After reading THE PRIZE, HONOR'S SPLENDOUR, and SAVING GRACE, I got tired of the plot of this novel because it didn't bring something new. Big, burly, rule-obsessed warrior met petite, feisty girl who would turn his carefully orchestrated life upside down. I've read it thrice before (the plot) so I didn't find it exciting. Plus, everything happened so fast that some things were lacking in explanations. I didn't also felt the chemistry of the protagonists outside the bedroom. Perhaps I'll have a different opinion about Gentle Warrior if I hadn't read the other medieval novels by Julie Garwood. It totally fails in comparison with the three =(
Rating: 2/5
After two weeks of hibernating from fictionland and an impending purgatory that I might experience once I get back to school next week, I decided that a good novel must be lurking somewhere out there, ready for one bibliophile's attention. So I searched the internet for an interesting read going from one blog to another, and while I was at the Outlandish Dreaming Blog, a novel finally caught my interest. A beautiful cover and a title, Spell of the Highlander will definitely caught my attention. I've been fascinated with the Highlands since earlier this year and continues to do so. Men in kilts and accents with a burr make me want to go to the Scottish Highlands to escape and find myself a bonny man! Hahaha...
POWERFUL. SENSUAL. SEDUCTIVE.
Powerful. Sensual. Seductive. He is all that is shamelessly erotic in a
man. In her sexiest Highlander novel yet, New York Times bestselling
author Karen Moning stirs up a sizzling brew of ancient mystery and
modern passion as she brings together a devilishly handsome Celtic
warrior trapped in time . . . and the woman who’s about to pay the
ultimate price for freeing him. Age-old secrets haunt them. Deadly
danger and irresistible desire shadow their every move. It’s a
relationship for the ages. And all that separates them is a mere
thirteen hundred years. . . .
Jessi St. James has got to get a life. Too many hours studying ancient artifacts has given the hardworking archaeology student a bad case of sex on the brain. So she figures she must be dreaming when she spies a gorgeous half-naked man staring out at her from inside the silvery glass of an ancient mirror. But when a split-second decision saves her from a terrifying attempt on her life, Jessi suddenly finds herself confronting six and a half feet of smoldering, insatiable alpha male.
Heir to the arcane magic of his Druid ancestors, eleven centuries ago Cian MacKeltar was trapped inside the Dark Glass, one of four coveted Unseelie Hallows, objects of unspeakable power. When the Dark Glass is stolen, an ancient enemy will stop at nothing to reclaim it, destroying everything in his path–including the one woman who may just hold the key to breaking the ninth-century Highlander’s dark spell. For Jessi, the muscle-bound sex god in the mirror is not only tantalizingly real, he’s offering his protection–from exactly what, Jessi doesn’t know. And all he wants in exchange is the exquisite pleasure of sharing her bed.
Yet even as Cian’s insatiable hunger begins to work its dark magic on Jessi, his ancient enemy is about to obtain the final and most dangerous of the Unseelie Hallows–and the ninth-century Highlander must stop him from getting it. Nothing less than the very fabric of the universe and two passionately entwined lives are at stake–as Cian and Jessi fight to claim the kind of love that comes along but once in an ice age. . . .
Extremely engaging with intense chemistry between the two leads and a humour-filled story, I loved this! Not only because of the romance that developed between a 9th century alpha-male and a 21st century independent woman, it also talked about the ancient Druids and the Celts - topics which I have very infinitesimal knowledge. Although at times I got lost with the details, the paranormal stuff that went on with it, and supporting characters with "archaic" names I still enjoyed the characters' banters and journey from uptown Chicago to the misty Highlands.
Cian MacKeltar was the FORCE in this book. He was so funny! With his ability to use his VOICE that makes anyone who hears it follow him and the uber-sexiness that he exudes, I just like him! Plus, he was a Highlander wearing kilt whose entire physique screamed of hotness! He was also very virile and sexual who was forced to celibate for 1,133 years that's why when he smelled Jessi St.James for the first time, he immediately wanted to bed her! Hahaha... And his first attempt to do just that using his VOICE was really hilarious! But their first time was really hot! I always want the first time of a Romance to be in bed but this one was an exception. Even though they did it on a library, I still liked it! Never would have thought that a first time which was done in a library would be so hot and steamy! And the way he described things:
Christ, woman, must you catapult forward after each cessation?
Are you certain you’ve strapped the mirror securely?
By all that’s holy, woman, what is that hideous noise? Cease and desist! A battlefield at full charge could be no more cacophonous!
You just got to love a man whose use of words is so centuries ago! He's also very bossy and sometimes Jessi can't stand his "barbaric" stance on how a man should lead and the woman must yield but he's from the Middle Age so it's understandable.
It's the first paranormal romance novel that I read and it's great!
Rating: 4.5/5
LORD OF SCOUNDRELS
They call him many names but Angelic isn’t one of them...
Sebastian Ballister, the notorious Marquess of Dain, is big, bad, and
dangerous to know. No respectable woman would have anything to do with
the “Bane and Blight of the Ballisters”--and he wants nothing to do
with respectable women. He’s determined to continue doing what he does
best--sin and sin again--and all that’s going swimmingly, thank
you...until the day a shop door opens and she walks in.
She’s too intelligent to fall for the worst man in the world...
Jessica Trent is a determined young woman, and she’s going to drag her
imbecile brother off the road to ruin, no matter what it takes. If
saving him--and with him, her family and future--means taking on the
devil himself, she won’t back down. The trouble is, the devil in
question is so shockingly irresistible, and the person who needs the
most saving is--herself!
Rating: 3.5/5
YOUR SCANDALOUS WAYS
James Cordier is all blueblood and entirely dangerous. He's a master of disguise, a brilliant thief, a first class lover--all for King and country--and, by gad, he's so weary of it. His last mission is to “acquire” a packet of incriminating letters from one notorious woman. Then he can return to London, and meet sweet-natured heiresses--not adventuresses and fallen women.
Francesca Bonnard has weathered heartbreak, scorn, and scandal. She’s independent, happy, and definitely fallen;
and she's learned that “gentlemen” are more trouble than they're
worth. She can also see that her wildly attractive new neighbor is bad
news.
But as bad as James is, there are others far worse
also searching for Francesca's letters. And suddenly nothing is
simple--especially the nearly incendiary chemistry between the two most
jaded, sinful souls in Europe. And just as suddenly, risking
everything may be worth the prize.
Rating 4.5/5
My Groups
-
Anything and Everything Updated: Yesterday
-
The Eclectic Book Club Updated: 3 days ago
-
QotD? Updated: Nov 4, 2009
Neighborhood
Explore friends, family, friends & family, or entire neighborhood.
