Tuesday, July 28

Blodeuedd Reviews: Her Secret Fantasy by Gaelen Foley

Blurb:
Regency London's elegant ballrooms mask a daring world of erotic adventure. In this second novel in Gaelen Foley's Spicy Trilogy, a mysterious beauty with a devastating secret discovers, in the arms of a bold and fearless cavalry officer, passion that breaks all boundaries. 
Some say the aristocratic Balfour clan is cursed, a once-great family now in slow decline. Graceful Lily Balfour is her family's last hope, and she has come to London with one goal-to marry a rich man. Her well-laid plans are balked, however, by the irresistible Major Derek Knight, a handsome highborn soldier and adventurer newly returned from India. 
Hardened by battles on India's lawless frontiers, Derek is not just a fighter but a skilled and insatiable lover-a master of the Eastern arts of pleasure. Though Derek finds no shortage of willing women in London, it is the untouchable, aloof Lily who haunts him. After one stolen moment, he hungers for nights of sensual abandon to fulfill her fantasies and free her from her self-imposed prison. But he has come to England on a vital mission, and when Lily is pledged to a wealthy man suspected of corruption, Derek must thwart the treachery that ensnares them both-for only then will ecstasy and the sweet promise of her heart be his to claim. 

My thoughts:
Lily is old blood, but has no money. What is a lady of noble blood to do? Get a rich, hopefully stupid man. And she does manage to get the attention of a nobody with lots of money. And it's not like she is using him, he is using her right back. She is Ton. He is nothing. She has no money. He has money.

But that is not the way of a romance. Of course there needs to be drama.

The drama is named Derek. He is a good guy. Soldier through and through. Nowhere as rich as the guy she has on her hook. He is a player. She is pretty. He does want her.

So they start to fall even though they do not want to. But he is still all, I can't! And she is all, I must marry rich! And is everything ok with the guy she has on the hook?

So yes a bit of drama. And the longest after the HEA ever, seriously, it went on and on and on. The book could have ended long before. Cute, light, fast. 

Mass Market Paperback, 399 pages
Published November 27th 2007 by Ballantine Books 
Spice  Trilogy #2
Historical romance
Own

Sunday, July 26

Joint Review: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon





This month Blodeuedd and I will be reading "The Bone Season" by Samantha Shannon.


Author: Samantha Shannon
Title: The Bone Season
Genre: SCI-FI, Fantasy, and Romance
Pages: ebook
First Published: August 2013
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people's minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.


It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford – a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.


B: Let’s get started then :)

C: Let’s first talk about the beginning. Thoughts?


B: No thoughts. It was a beginning. I knew on page 1 that this will not go well for me, and it did not.


C: Agreed. I knew that it was going to be a “meh” for me. I was stuck on page 5 until last night when I pushed forward. It DID get better, but yeah...meh.

B: I would actually say that the beginning was the best part, after half or so I just wanted to carve out my eyes. I was so bored.

C: I did enjoy part of the middle. But then the feelings of “love” started to show and it just made it more meh for me. I think the romance kinda ruined it for me as well. It was already meh and I was JUST starting to kinda sorta enjoy myself, but that cut the fragile ties and made it a meh again.

B: Even if I say the first part was the best, it was still infodumping for the sake of infodumping. Then she got to Oxford, and she turned really stupid didn’t she? I was all, seriously? What is this? This does not make sense! Oh and the love, eh, I never paid attention to it. It was too this will happen, ohhh, and I was all I do not care. This is not a mystery

C: She did get reaaaaaaaally dumb. I was hoping I’d like her, but nope. I agree there was a lot of infodumping, but it oddly didn’t bug me too much. I found it slightly interesting. NO. This was NOT a mystery, I pretty much knew what was going to happen next the whole time. I guessed the ending and I was 80% right. haha

B: She should have spread out the info a bit, because yes some things had potential. But then there was the flashbacks too that suddenly started and those bothered me. I never liked...I have forgotten her name. I just know she was stupid, and oh so perfect. And then I read there are 6 more books…6!!!!!!!!

C: Ugh 6? I was done after this one! (Paige *winks*) But yes I felt the flashbacks were out of place….maybe they would have been good to replace some of that infodumping at the beginning. So...what do you think of the whole premise of people having powers? It was cool I think.

B: That did, hmmm, well it had potential, it was kind of cool. But there were so many different powers! It felt a bit too much, could not one person have 1, instead of there being like 50 different powers that suddenly showed up. I do not know, the whole world building in this one is starting to get on my nerves.

C: I thought it was cool, but there were too many powers and it confused me on what was what. I feel like she tried to shove sooooo much into this box. Maybe not introduce certain powers until the next book.

B: That would have worked much better. Too much of everything now. Which made it too boring. And made me not care. Oh and I forgot to mention earlier that the name Paige tells me nothing. Ha, I have totally forgotten her.

C: Why was her name Paige? It feels too common. Everyone else has badass names while she is stuck with Paige. A silly complaint to have with a book, but the name seemed out of place for this world. I do like the name Jax though! I wish we could have seen more of her world as an outlaw before she was captured.

B: She could have had some badass Irish name, since she was from Ireland, but no. And yes more outlaw stuff could have been cool. She was better then. In Oxford she got careless and stupid. If she was my slave she would have been dead. But she was a Mary Sue wannabe so of course she gets the only sexy good guy around.

C: HAHAHAHA. You are bad. ;) But honestly...I would not have suffered her idiocy either, so she would not have lasted long as my slave either. He was sexy and a good guy, which I don’t think she deserved….

B: Anything more we can complain about? Like the bad guy, a very cliché bad guy.

C: Ugh. Why bring it up? I can barely remember the baddie, because it was so cliché. I was waiting for the evil “MWUAHAHAHA” cackle and then telling all her plans for world domination to Paige. WAIT...I think she did have a huge-ish monologue about world domination. Can’t remember though. You couldn’t remember Paige’s name, I can’t remember the baddie’s name.

B: I can’t remember anyone’s name anymore. Oh well, who cares. There was something I wanted to mention….and now I can’t remember that either. Tell me something while I think.

C: Mmmmmmmm. Ummmm….for all the infodumping, I wish she would have talked more about Paige’s power. I barely understood what the point was for it for her little gang. Was she just monitoring people’s spirits or whatever?

B: Do not start me on her powers, not a clue! Could have been done better. And now I remember! This was an adult book, but for me it felt soooo YA. Sorry YA, but some of your books are sooooo YA.

C: Yes, it did sound more like YA then an adult book. :/ Not even Rowling’s books sounded YA (well - the first one did, but the rest of books felt older). Maybe it was because the author was trying to make this narration sound like a 19 year old writing it or whatever.

B: Something like that. Big sigh from my part, I chose a bad book :/

C: Hey my last choice was a big bummer too. :( Hopefully next month’s selection will be better!

B: Aye, and what will you choose? ;)

C: Spoilers! I shall not say here. But I did find something random at the store and I got you a copy too! (It was super cheap like a buck) And I am intrigued! I’ll send it out ASAP, so it gets to you!

B: Yay, fun :)

C: Good job today! The end?

The end




**Carole's Conclusion:
Overall...this was meh for me. Meh characters, meh storyline. It had a lot of potential, but poorly constructed for me. The middle bit was interesting, but I feel that the flashbacks and romance were unnecessary. The flashbacks should have been in the beginning. Well, I shall stamp this with 2 stars.

-THE END-










Wednesday, July 22

Book Review: Bite Me Your Grace by Brooklyn Ann


Author: Brooklyn Ann
Title: Bite Me Your Grace (Scandals with Bite #1)
Genre: Historical Romance & Paranormal
Pages: ebook
First Published: April 2013
Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon Freebie)

England's "vampire craze" causes much vexation for the Lord Vampire of London, Ian Ashton. To save his reputation, Ian enlists aspiring authoress Angelica Winthrop without realizing she has hidden plans of her own.


Angelica Winthrop's life goal is to ruin her reputation, avoid marriage, and become a gothic authoress like her idol, Mary Shelley. To find inspiration for her new story, she breaks into the home of Ian Ashton, Duke of Burnrath, not knowing she will be coming up against the Lord Vampire of London. Romance sparks and reputations are at stake. But who knows the real difference between fact and fiction?


Silly, silly lovers. It was a tough romance, but of course it works out. Ian is a Duke, but he is also a vamp. There is a rumor around the ton that he is a vamp due to a book that was written. He needs to rid of this rumor FAST. Then there is Angelica who was a bloody idiot the entire novel. She may be smart, but she is dumb. I get that you want freedom to be a writer, but alas, ruining yourself will not get you there. It will hurt your family and in the end...you. That is what happens. Can you really live in poverty? Ugh idiot. I liked her for her spirit, but she was not the brightest bulb in the box.

I am glad that this was a tough love even though they got married fairly quickly. There is a lot of issues at play. Of course there is a lot of miscommunication at one point and it made me want to rip the hair out of my head. Honestly...though...I would have probably acted as Angelica did when overhearing something. I would have been ANGRY and super hurt. :/

I am excited that Rafael has his own book. I do want to learn more about him and his story! He intrigued me and I feel bad for him. I can't but love the cynical ones. hehehe

But yes, this was a good HR and PR. The mix was good and I can't get enough of HRs even with the paranormal element tossed in. The story had me hooked from page one. The ending was a little dragged out, but it ended how I wanted it to. So I am happy. HEAs for everyone!

In the end, this was a good one. It fixed my need for historical romance and for paranormal romance. The characters were fun even and the love had to be worked for which makes me happy! I recommend this to those that like this genre or someone new to it. When I got it was free. I am curious about the next two books in the series. Well...I shall stamp this with 4 stars.












Sunday, July 19

Book Review: Doctor Margaret in Delhi by Waheed Rabbani


Author: Waheed Rabbani
Title: Doctor Margaret in Delhi (The Azadi Series #2)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: ebook
First Published: May 5th, 2015
Where I Got It: My shelf (give to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

This historical fiction novel continues with Margaret's journey from the time she and her Canadian husband participated in the 1854 Crimean War. 

Doctor Margaret travels alone to India to be with her parents at the American Presbyterian Mission at Futtehgurh, and then on to her posting at a hospital in Delhi. There she has to not only overcome work pressures, but also deal with her intimidators and intrigues of the Mughals, at the Delhi Red Fort.

Margaret's tormentor since her childhood, Captain Albert, also joins a British regiment bound for service in India. The Russian, Captain Count Nicholai, whom Margaret had met in Crimea, also arrives in India under the guise of a French physician.

The events leading up to the Indian Mutiny/Rebellion that breaks out in 1857 profoundly affect not only Margaret's life, but also of those who love her and others’ who wish her harm.

Also, mixed-up in the bedlam is one of the King of Delhi, Shah Zafar, Red Fort’s Guard’s sepoy, Sharif Khan Bhadur, the grandfather of Doctor Wallidad, an American doctor.

The Azadi Series covers the exciting events and turmoil that inflamed India from 1857 to 1947, and led to her independence. Those incidences engulf the characters of this story at that time, and then later their descendant's lives, again in the 1960s. 


This is the second in the series. I did not read the first book, but this does stand alone pretty well. I honestly do want to read the first book, so I can get to know her husband before he died and understand more of the hatred of her childhood tormentor Captain Albert. However, I was able to understand the story pretty well; just missing some backstory is all.

This was a really good historical fiction. The first two chapter were a little dry, but once the drama began I was hooked. I got this done in one sitting pretty much. It was good and a quick read. However, it did have that old feeling of writing to it, which I liked immensely. It felt real and written in that era, so I approve.

Speaking of which, the writing style was beautifully done. The descriptions of the area brought India to life!

I am bummed that it was left on a cliffhanger, but I am curious to see what is coming up next for Margaret! I have hope for her, but I know some bad times are coming up for not only her, but for India itself. I worry, but I am curious to see how everything ties together and what is coming next! But yes...the ending was good, but it was a cliffhanger and those make me twitch!

Poor Margaret...especially near the end. :/ I really liked her, but I felt really bad for her. No matter what she did something would go wrong and she was screwed over. Especially at the end. I hope everything works out for her in the next book!

In the end, this was a pretty good historical fiction. I do want to read the first book and the next one! It does well as a stand alone, but it will make you want to read the next one in the series. I liked Margaret, but I did feel bad for her and I hope she gets a HEA. It doesn't seem so, but I am hopeful. The writing style was beautiful and it truly made the story come to life. It was a quick read, so I recommend this to those that need a quick historical fiction fix! So, I shall stamp this with...4 stars.











Wednesday, July 15

Super Late Review for B: Dark Horse by Michelle Diener

Blurb:

Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she's made a powerful ally­­a fellow prisoner with whom she's formed a strong bond. Sazo's an artificial intelligence. He's saved her from captivity and torture, but he's also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.

Captain Dav Jallan doesn't know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he's not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being. She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5's owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn't the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games. In this race for the truth, he's going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse.

My thoughts:

Please tell me where I can find sexy aliens with pointy ears...please? Pretty please with sugar on top? I want a Dav of my own.

Rose was kidnapped, tortured and experimented on by creepy claw aliens. But she found one friend. One who will do anything to free him and her. And then she is rescued....by pointy eared aliens! Yay, elves! Lol, well sort of.

Before I say more, I must say that yes I am a bit afraid of sci­fi. I always thinks it's all space, ships and guns. Cold somehow. Which is silly. There are all kinds of sci­fi. And yes there was space, there were ships and even guns. But there were awesome interactions. A great heroine.

Interesting world (well corner of space), and a good story. It did make me want to read more sci­fi.

Back to the story. She is rescued. She is a strange sentient being they have never encountered. Friend or foe? Who else is out there? And when the aliens who took her finds out they will surely be mad. So it's building and building. And in the mean time I enjoyed getting to know her and this world better.

And when it ended I would have loved to read more. I do hope she will write more too. It does seem I need more aliens in my life, more aliens on ships, hopefully with pointy ears (oh I do not have a weakness for pointy ears, what a thing to say...fine I admit, they are hot).

More adventures in this world would be fun.

ebook, 468 pages

Published June 15th 2015 by Eclipse

Sci­fi

Own

Sunday, July 12

Book Review: The Lady Bornekova by Sara R Turnquiest


Author: Sara R. Turnquist
Title: The Lady Bornekova
Genre: Historical Fiction & Romance
Pages: ebook
First Published: July 15th, 2015
Where I Got It: My shelf (give to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

The red-headed Karin is strong-willed and determined, something she inherited from her father. She tries to keep her true nature a secret to avoid being deemed a traitor by those loyal to the king. Karin and her father butt heads over her duty to her family and the Czech Crown. She is then sequestered to the Royal Viscount’s hunting lodge. 

Not aware of everything that is happening, she becomes the target of an individual with murderous intent. Her heart soon becomes entangled though her father intends to wed her to another. The turmoil inside Karin deepens and reflects the turmoil of her homeland, on the brink of the Hussite Wars

I'll be honest I do not know much about the history of Czech, especially during the Hussite Wars. I have heard of it, but my knowledge was limited. That is one of the main reasons I wanted to read this! A new location and an interesting part of history. This takes place shortly before the Hussite Wars. Many people are tearing themselves away from the Roman Catholic influence over the government and following the teaching of Jan Hus. Karin is one of these followers. However, it is quite dangerous to be noble and believe these thoughts. To protect her, her parents have taken her to exile to the Royal Viscount's hunting lodge and away from society. Honestly....I would not complain about that exile. Could be a lot worse....like a nunnery. ;) Maybe they should have done that instead.

Poor Karin. She had a lot of issues throughout the book with getting hurt and almost dying. Unlucky, I say. Also, she falls in love with someone, but she is meat to marry another. Truly unlucky and I felt bad. Plus, she is pretty much in "prison" at the lodge and is being watched and tattled on by her poor maid. I felt bad for the maid in a way too.

I wanted to kick Stepan, but he did make the story more interesting.

I'll be honest...the few chapters bored me. It was so slow and nothing was really happening or being revealed. BUT after a certain event transpired things turned around quickly and I could hardly put the book down! I had to find out how everything was going to end. This is not a historical romance, so the love between Karin and Pavel was a hard one to obtain. Again, tis not a HR, so I will not spoil if they end up together or not. However, I was worried and scared for them!

Also...I'll be honest...I did not like Pavel to begin with. Same with Karin's parents. They upset me, but they proved themselves and I liked all three near the end. 

UGH the ending. It was a cliffhanger, but not really. It was an odd ending. I liked it, but it bummed me out that it left so cliffhanger-ish. I hope there is a sequel or a short story, because I NEED TO KNOW. But yes....mixed feelings, but it was good and made me happy, but there were so many questions and not a solid conclusion to Karin's tale. It needs a short story or something. 

In the end, I liked it. I needed a nice historical fiction set in a location I've never read before. Also, it was interesting to learning more about a war and a situation I have limited knowledge on. Of course I googled the war and learned more. Can't help myself. ;) The beginning was a little slow and the ending I had a love-hate relationship with. However, the story was good and I was entertained! I need to know more! I highly recommend this for those that love historical fiction with a touch of romance involved. Out of 5 stars, I stamp this with 3. 








Friday, July 10

Movie Review If I Stay (2014)



Length: 1 hr & 46 mins
Released: 2014
Genre: Drama & Romance
Rating: PG-13
Where I Got It: On my shelf (Walmart)

SUMMARY:

Mia Hall thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam. But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate.



TRAILER: 






REVIEW:
Yes, yes. I actually bought this movie, because it was not on Hulu or Netflix. It was pretty cheap at Walmart, so I went and got it and watched it before book club (I could not wait). I must applaud the movie makers...they made it follow the book pretty well. Yes, there were some liberties taken, but for 90% of the film they stuck to the book. This would be a hard movie to mess up honestly. 

The actors were good. I wasn't a huge fan of the guy they picked for Adam, but perhaps I am biased, because I do not like him. I did not like him in here earlier. Especially during a fight (which didn't really happen in the book) went down. WHAT AN ASS! I wanted to punch him! Okay, okay. I kinda get his side of the argument, but he was kinda an ass about.

ANYWAYS

I fell in love with her family even more. The grandpa was perfect and I cried like a little baby during his speech. THE FEELS AGAIN! The speech and the actor was great. Favorite scene and it got me each time I watched it. The parents were perfect. It was kinda creepy the dad looked like a blond version of my Literature teacher that I adored! Creepy, but in a good way.  

I did love the blend of classical and rock music. It was beautifully done. However, I was very bummed that they did not include the song from the trailer. I feel like it was made for the film, but alas, not there. 

My other complaint is that film seemed to focus a lot of her relationship with Adam more then the book. The book was balanced between Adam, her friend, and her family. It was nice, but the movie flopped on this. Every moment she had with her family or friend was centered around Adam in some way, shape, or form. I feel like the relationships she had with her family or with her friend seemed diminished. 

Overall, this was a pretty good adaptation. The book was WAY better, but this held up okay. There were a couple of things that bummed me out. The one scene that meant a lot to me was done wonderfully! The actors did good and the writer did good too. I am happy that this is sitting on my shelf. I highly recommend reading the book before tackling this movie. In the end, I shall stamp this movie with 4 stars. 


Re-watch?: Watched it twice already....I am itching to watch/read it again.




















Wednesday, July 8

Book Review: The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling


Author: JK Rowling
Title: The Casual Vacancy
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, & Drama
Pages: 503
First Published: September 2012
Where I Got It: Borrowed from Reece

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils ... Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?




I am one for torture. I am, I truly am. I pushed through, skimmed A LOT (and I mean A LOT), and blacked out for the majority of this book. Honestly, I can barely tell you what occurred in this book; especially near the end...  

Now...if this had been a short story, I think it would have been better, but alas...it was a huge book. WAY too huge for my liking. The story is about a small-ish town politician who suddenly dies out of the blue and it follows reactions from random people and the impact of a vacant seat in government in politics. Many people were connected to the guy Barry in huge ways, some not soo much.

It was enough to make me want to gouge my eyes out!!!! It was boring, I did not connect to a single character, and it seemed like Rowling tried too hard to sound sophisticated and all adult-ish. The thing is...Rowling is an amazing writer! She really didn't have to try so hard! Let your natural voice take wing and fly!

She went from the fantasy world of Harry Potter to the dry, no-one cares, politician novel that flunks at causing any sort of emotion. It's a people tale, but there is no way to connect with anyone, because she jumps onto the next POV within a couple of pages. *sighs* A hot, boring, mess that made me almost fall asleep.




I'll admit the first chapter was interesting and I actually wish that the politician had gotten more spotlight. I really wanted to learn more about him and his family! I did feel horrible for the wife, because they had been in a strained relationship and they never got to resolve their issues. It was a bummer that he died and she was racked with such guilt and self-hate. Poor chit. Now...if the story stayed with her and maybe one or two other people then this would have worked out pretty good!

Just too much going on in a boring way. Sad.




In the end, I say run from this book if you are a Rowling fan. It is not her best work. She needs to try again and not try so hard. This book had too many POVs and a dry as toast story. What a bummer. I blame Reece for making me read this monstrosity of boringness. ;) Out of five stars, I stamp this with 1 star. If I could go lower I totally would. Can't win them all.









Tuesday, July 7

Book Review: Never Argue with a Dead Person by Thomas John


Author: Thomas John
Title: Never Argue with a Dead Person
Genre: Nonfiction & Paranormal
Pages: 256
First Published: March 2015
Where I Got It: Borrowed from mom

What happens when we die? Renowned psychic medium, Thomas John is one individual who, due to his special ability to communicate with the Other Side, is able to answer that question with a fair degree of certainty. Through his communications with the dead, he has learned a number of life lessons that he shares in this book.

Included are fifteen fascinating stories of what happens when clients ask him to contact their dead friends and relatives. He assists a thirty-something New Yorker who was unable to stop fantasizing about suicide and move on with her life until John conveys healing words from her dead fiance. In another chapter, he encounters a grieving young woman in a drugstore and relates the advice from her dead six-year-old son. And in one particularly haunting story, John, with the help of a murder victim, solves a case that had baffled the police.


In each story, we learn about life on the other side and lessons the deceased have for the living. Each chapter is a felicitous combination of good story telling and healing wisdom. We learn that the dead are eager to provide guidance to the living, that they watch over us, and they continue to grow and evolve on the other side. Most importantly each story reveals that both the dead and the living are capable of tremendous and profound forgiveness."



My mom made me read this book since I am into the whole Supernatural world and I believe it myself. I had never heard of this medium before, so I was interested and completely unbiased while reading.

He sounds like an amazing medium if you want to talk to the dead. Almost too good to be true. However, if his abilities are this good, I really want to do a reading with him as well. There are a couple dead people I know that I would like to try and connect with again to see if they have any messages for me. Honestly, I would rather go to one of his live shows with a huge group of people.

What I really liked about this is that he was honest while telling the stories. He's had moments of doubt in his ability and even moments of doubt about the dead people he was talking to. It was nice that someone like him even has doubts.

The stories where fun and interesting. However, they started getting repetitive for a while. Same message "don't argue with the dead". It was getting annoying and boring. However, he seemed to change tune and shift the stories a little bit and share different types of stories. I loved when he shared stories of total skeptics and how they fought him and then realized that there is NO WAY he can know some of this information about a dead loved one. I would honestly be a little freaked out.

I should go on YouTube and see I can find any of his live shows. I am curious.


In the end, this was an interesting read. It has certainly made me interested in learning more about him and his gift. Yes, I am a total believer that there is another side, I've experienced it first-hand. Throughout the book I felt like he was too good to be true, but you never know. He seems like a humble guy, so he doesn't seem to want to exploit himself and be live Sylvia Browne. I must research more about him. I recommend this for others who may be believers and even a skeptic. Out of five stars, I stamp this with 3 stars.











Monday, July 6

Second Opinion - Blodeuedd Reviews: Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning

Blurb:
He was known throughout the kingdom as Hawk, legendary predator of the battlefield and the boudoir. No woman could refuse his touch, but no woman ever stirred his heart—until a vengeful fairy tumbled Adrienne de Simone out of modern-day Seattle and into medieval Scotland. Captive in a century not her own, entirely too bold, too outspoken, she was an irresistible challenge to the sixteenth-century rogue. Coerced into a marriage with Hawk, Adrienne vowed to keep him at arm's length—but his sweet seduction played havoc with her resolve.

She had a perfect "no" on her perfect lips for the notorious laird, but Hawk swore she would whisper his name with desire, begging for the passion he longed to ignite within her. Not even the barriers of time and space would keep him from winning her love. Despite her uncertainty about following the promptings of her own passionate heart, Adrienne's reservations were no match for Hawk's determination to keep her by his side... 

My thoughts:
I wanted to knock these two over the head and lock them in a room, until they gave in and did it. Cos really! Omg, he has issues, she has issues.

Hawk is loved by all women, and a women scorned is not to be played with.

Adrienne is from the future and falls into 1513. Of course she is all WTF!!?! Luckily she can speak with a brogue, gods, wasn't that lucky for her! She also hates pretty men cos her last boyfriend was an ass.

They are married. She refuse him, he is all you are mine! She is all, I have seen prettier! He is all mine wench! But never to extremes, except for later on when I was ...that is the way you wanna play it? You'd lose me there. Still he is kind and she is stubborn. Why he fell in love, hmmm, cos she was stubborn?

It was amusing to see their dance of wills. 



Mass Market Paperback, 375 pages
Published May 29th 2007 by Dell (first published March 9th 1999)
Highlander #1
Historical romance
Own

Wednesday, July 1

Taking a Vacation!

Hi all!

This week is going to be a little dry, because Boyfriend and I are going on vacation! We are heading to northern Michigan for a bit. I'll have SOME access to wifi, but we plan to be out and about everyday.







I shall be back Sunday evening! I will, of course, share a million photos!!!!


Adios!