Tuesday, February 28

Book Review: Crush by Chrissy Peebles

Author: Chrissy Peebles
Title: Crush (The Crush Saga #1)
Genre: PNR and YA 
Pages: ebook
Published: September 2013
Where I Got It: My Shelf (Amazon freebie)

His precious touch could prove deadly… 

When Taylor Sparks moves from New York City to Big Bear Lake, California, her life is forever changed when she meets a hot guy with winter-blue eyes named Jesse. Their attraction is instant, the chemistry undeniable. But sadly, things aren't adding up. Taylor wonders what her 'crush' is hiding. When her new friend, Fred tells her his suspicions about Jesse being a paranormal creature, Taylor laughs. But when Fred turns up dead, she believes every warning he ever told her. 

Taylor is shocked to learn that Big Bear Lake isn't just glittering lakes, towering pines, and breathtaking mountains...there's more...way more than meets the eye. 

Will Taylor dive into a paranormal world she knows nothing about? To be with the one her heart can’t live without?

What is with that cover? This is a YA....and that cover is so not YA. ?_? 

Anyways....

I am SO shocked I managed to finish this. I nearly gave up 100 times throughout this journey. Shall I share my journey with this one?

- First chapter: I groaned at how childish this was written. This sounded like a 12-year-old pretending to write about her big girl adventures. The over explanation of outfits made me want to hurl.

- Next couple of chapters: I got used to the tone of the book and began to kinda enjoy the story. I was intrigued by Jesse.

- Chapter during and after the Big Party: Wait...what? That was SO UNREALISTIC! I was so confused. I was half expecting it to have all been a dream, because it was insanity. I can't say much, by Taylor and her "BFF" just shrugged the whole thing off. I'm sorry...if that happened in real life I feel like they would be more freaked out and needing to talk to a therapist. OR the cops. 

- Next few chapters: Super bleh until a big event happens. I was intrigued, but again...why would you call your BF instead of the cops first? Like, what? Gah. But the reaction from Taylor was more realistic. 

- Chapters following the creepy part: What!? Things certainly made an interesting turn. I must know more. 

- The rest of the book: After a super creepy and game-changing part, I became invested. I was nearly done, so I just followed through hoping things would happen.

- Last chapter: I wanted to hurl again...and not in a good way.  

I honestly should have DNFed this one, but every time I came close it sucked me back in thinking things would happen. Even when things were on the up-and-up (especially the one thing that happened that blew my mind) it crashed again. The ending was NOT worth all that trouble I went through. Too YA even with a cover like that one. I do not recommend this one, sadly. I shall give this one star.  










Monday, February 27

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: Happy People Read and Drink Coffee

Diane has a charmed life as a wife, a mother and the owner of a literary café in Paris called Happy People Read and Drink Coffee. But when Diane suddenly loses her beloved husband and daughter in a car accident her perfect world is shattered. Trapped and haunted by her memories, Diane withdraws from friends and family, unable and unwilling to move forward.

One year on, Diane shocks her loved ones by leaving Paris to move to a small town on the Irish coast to rebuild her life alone. There she meets Edward, a brooding, handsome photographer who lives next door. Initially Edward resents Diane’s intrusion into his solitary life, but before long they find themselves drawn to each other . . .

My thoughts:
This was a short emotional read. Diane is a wreck, it has been a year since she lost her husband and child. Her business, a cafe´-bookstore is falling to pieces (yes maybe not trust your partner to hold the reins). But then again she does not care about anything. And I understand, her life fell to pieces. It's hard to pick yourself up again and start living.

So she goes to Ireland. Awww, awesome choice there. I would love to visit Ireland and it was amusing when she saw the differences between Parisians and the Irish. Also she sure felt French with her love of ciggies, and thinking of wine. 

The book is her trying to live again, to find the will to live and it really is about her. Yes she meets other people, but this is someone who is trying to find something inside of herself that tells her that life can be worth living.

The blurb tells about a man, and yes there is an annoying man that she gets to know. But this is not a romance, and do not expect a romance. A man can not cure something she has to find out for herself. New love is not always the answer to everything. Life is not always that simple. But it was a nice turn of events cos that man was grumpy! So very grumpy, and his grumpiness makes her mad. And any feeling at this point is a good feeling.

Conclusion:
It was short and nice. I enjoyed it.

Cover
Nice

Paperback, 272 pages
Published June 1st 2016 by Allen & Unwin (first published December 2012)
Original Title: Les gens heureux lisent et boivent du café
Fiction
For review

Sunday, February 26

Joint Review: The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier






Happy February everyone! This month we read "The Lady and the Unicorn". Carole is in purple and Blodeuedd is in green. 
Author: Tracy Chevalier
Title: The Lady and the Unicorn
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 250
First Published: 2003
Where I Got It: On my Shelf (Used Book Store)

The Lady and the Unicorn is Tracy Chevalier’s answer to the mystery behind one of the art world’s great masterpieces—a set of bewitching medieval tapestries that hangs today in the Cluny Museum in Paris. They appear to portray the seduction of a unicorn, but the story behind their making is unknown—until now.


Paris, 1490.  A shrewd French nobleman commissions six lavish tapestries celebrating his rising status at Court. He hires the charismatic, arrogant, sublimely talented Nicolas des Innocents to design them. Nicolas creates havoc among the women in the house—mother and daughter, servant, and lady-in-waiting—before taking his designs north to the Brussels workshop where the tapestries are to be woven. There, master weaver Georges de la Chapelle risks everything he has to finish the tapestries—his finest, most intricate work—on time for his exacting French client. The results change all their lives—lives that have been captured in the tapestries, for those who know where to look.



Well...this was an interesting choice of mine. LOL


I have a feeling you liked it less than I did?


I’m not sure...I’m still mixed on my feelings. It was interesting.


I get that. I enjoyed it, it was an interesting setting, but I did have issues with almost everyone.


Yes, that is prolly where my issue lies. Even the ONE character I liked turned out to be, well, not...likable anymore. Super shame. Alinor, the blind girl, did something and made me dislike her. I did end up liking poor Phillipe...I just felt bad for him and I applaud what he did (good intentions and all), but poor guy.


Told ya! ;) Phillipe, yes he was a good guy, but not memorable. If I have to pick someone it would be Marie-Celeste, sure she was a silly thing, but I liked how she turned the table later on. She at least felt human, the rest felt like idiots.


She wasn’t bad. But everyone was an idiot in their own right. It annoyed me. LOL

Mostly I hated that stupid stupid stupid man. Arghhh Nicholas. Grrrrr


Gah! He needed a good kick in the arse or the other thing. He was like a poison. Every time he showed up there was something bad happening. King of the idiots.


I also did not get how all women were so stupid to fall for his BS. I mean honestly! It was like they all were horny and had not seen a man for years.


Hahaha well...I mean it was the 1400s and so everyone was super horny. So not entirely their fault. Especially the women...the only men they see are family members and stinky ones like that Jacques guy (or whatever his name was).


True and I can forgive Marie for it, but the girls, they should have known better. They would not get married like that. Stay in a convent for the rest of your life then. That stupid chit Claude I did not get at all. Also that scene when they looked at drawings, I am sure I have read that somewhere else too. It just did not feel like something she would do. It was like she had gone insane.


Maybe she was insane. I batted that idea from the beginning. She was something else. Speaking of that...what did you think of the ending? It felt so flat to me...the “big” reveal of the tapestry was lacking. I think the author got sucked up in the dramas of her characters and kinda forgot about what the tapestry that was supposed the be the centralized point of the whole story. Maybe it’s just me, but yeah….


Let’s go with insane. That fits. The rest were normal, but what she did, eh, she was in LUST. And yes I get what you mean. It was all, look we have a tapestry, whatever. It did feel like she forgot about her tapestry, and that was the whole thread throughout the book. If I am not wrong and the thread was how many women Nicholas could do.


Crazy Claude is her new name. But yes, thank goodness I am not Crazy Carole, but I felt the ending lacking. Even the epilogue didn’t mention it. Haha. But I do love drama, so it was entertaining to watch everyone messing around and ruining their lives because they are too stupid to realize what they are doing is a BAD thing. Like Alinor...exhibit A.


It was good for the drama for sure. And did you not have the notes at the back? Where it said that Claude got it and then they found it in the 19th century or something?


No I didn’t! I just got the “So and so had 500 babies”, “So and so died alone”, and etc. D:


Huh, weird. Yes Claude got it, then her husband’s family. Then they found it in a castle later on and it was cut up by peasants ;) But they fixed it


*flips through pages in book* OOOH okay, I guess I missed that!!!! Weird...I think it was because it was on the back page of the epilogue page. Hahaha. I retract my statement then!


Always check the end fellow readers ;)


I think I was over it and didn’t even care at that point. For some reason I stayed up SUPER late finishing it because I HAD TO know what was going to happen next with our little cast of morons.


Oh, I was not THAT into it. I was more or less reading it in peace and quiet, taking a nap, reading on. It was good, never amazing. But something saved it and made it good even if everyone deserved to get a slap in the face.


I really didn’t get into it until the thing with my previous favorite character happened. I was all, “NOOOOOO!” And I had to read on.


I never did get if that character really wanted it, or if it was a way out of another mess.


Honestly, I think she was convinced that was the only way to get out of that stinky mess. I mean….it worked in the long run in her favor….but yeah.


I should have been clearer, it was like she suddenly lost her mind, Instead we should have seen her thoughts when she was all, yup, gonna do this cos I wont be stinky.


She did go insane, because of Doom-bringing Nicholas. Every time he showed his face something bad happened and people just lost their sanity. I blame him for everything. Heck, I bet he lied about the tapestry’s due date being changed.


Such an ass. Slimey and creepy.


He was. But it was entertaining watch him ruin everything he touched. I bet his painting SUCKED!


Ha, I am sure they did. So, any last thoughts?


Mmmmm. I’m still on the fence with my feelings. It had good things, bad things, and things I’m not even sure about. Sanity was certainly questionable.


It was good, but I wish everyone had not been insane ;)


LOL but I think it would’ve been boring ;) I’m excited for next month’s read!!! *fingers crossed*


True, but he should have been more careful where he wanted to stick his junk. You are getting no new paintings that way mister!
Omg next month!!! I hope it will be good


Agreed, agreed. Until next month?

Until next month

**Carole's Conclusion**
This has been on my shelf for a long while now. I've read one other by this author and that was good, so I'm not sure why I avoided this book. Maybe I was worried, because I actually really like the tapestry? Not sure. But I finally got myself to read it. And I have mixed feelings. I liked some bits, but somethings were super meh. The characters were all stupid, but entertaining to see what next idiocy they were going to do next. I liked Phillipe, but he was forgettable. I liked Alinor, because she was the smartest UNTIL one thing happened and then she was the biggest idiot. So sad. Overall, this was okay. I do recommend checking it out. The author is good. I'll give this 3 stars.



Saturday, February 25

Movie Review: Legend (1985)


Film Title: Legend
Length: 1 hr and 29 mins
Released: 1985
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance 
Rating: PG (Honestly, I would say this should've been PG-13)
Where I Got It: Rented copy

SUMMARY:

A young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from both destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves.








TRAILER:






REVIEW:
I will admit...I never watched this movie before and I admitted it to BF who was appalled by the fact. We tracked down a copy and sat down and watched it. I'm not a huge Tom Cruise fan, but I do adore Tim Curry, so why not? 

First, I must really comment on the rating. They gave it a PG which means any age can watch it with a parent. Ummm...this was super, duper dark. if I was a parent, I would wait until my kid was at least 13 or 14 to watch it. Some parts were seriously dark and not meant for the wee ones. 

Okay...let's backtrack...

The story follows some princess (I think?) who is besties with a weird kid who lives in the woods. He loves her and she likes him a lot. One day he decides, the only way to win her love is to show her the last two unicorns. At the same time, the baddies from the underworld are ordered by the Devil to get a unicorn horn so he can start his plan to cover the world in darkness and reign both lands. The baddies follow Princess and weird kid to the creek to the unicorns. Events unfold, the Princess messes up royally, the Devil wants underneath the Princess' skirts, and lots of weird things happen. 

There were a lot of things that confused me. I had to have BF explain the whats and whys. A few times he honestly didn't know. So I'm happy I was just not being dense. There should've been some more explanation about the world and characters. The weird kid played by Tom Cruise was annoying to me. I might be biased here, but I didn't understand him. Maybe if I understood the character better I would've liked him better.  

The acting was not amazing, but decent. The script needed a wee bit of work. The effects, make-up, and costumes were pretty awesome. The Devil was the best character in all the categories. Maybe it is just Tim Curry? Maybe I'm being biased, but I feel he did the best.

I wish I had loved this like BF and a whole bunch of others did on IMdb. It was okay. Nothing to cheer about. A little fantasy movie with an interesting concept. A confusing concept for a first viewer. I guess it's a movie that you need to rewatch in order to fully grasp all the ins and outs. The cast and acting decent. The best part of the film was the special effects and look of the characters. Really cool. 

In the end, it is a classic film and it really worth the watch if one likes fantasy. I do wish another film would've been made so I could've understood the characters and world more. Out of five stars, I'll give this three. 


Re-watch?: Maybe


Friday, February 24

#FitReaders: Weekly Check-in Feb 24 2017 - 45 Day Challenge



#FitReaders hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog  and That’s What I’m Talking About.

Yayy! Joining this challenge again! This will help me keep track of the 45 Day Challenge of working out with my friend! :D In order to prove us doing the workouts, we need to take pictures! I'll share some of those photos.  :3


Day 1:  40 Min Pilates and Weights (Mamyia is an excellent cheerleader)


Day 2: 1 Mile Jog and 10 mins weights
So it beginsssss!


Day 3: 12 flights of stairs and 40 mins Yoga (Again, Mamyia is being a creeper and photo ;D)

Day 4: 2 mile bike, 4 flights of stairs, and 15 mins weights (Went nice and early this morning!)


Day 5: Super stiff and sore from the day before...so I took it easy. 30 mins Pilates and Yoga







Wednesday, February 22

Wednesday Writing Prompt #2


Happy Wednesday everyone! For Xmas I bought myself a little writing prompt journal. I just now started writing in it. For fun I'll share some of the prompts that I've written. Feel free to join in with your answers! I'm really curious to see what everyone else says.


1) Give your city (or town or region) a new name that reflects what type of a place it is, and explain why you chose that name.

Curve City. There is not a straight road in this city. There are so many lakes, the developers legit had to develop the roads around the lakes. It takes forever to get somewhere. Love the lakes, I do, but it is frustrating. 


A view at my apartments



2) Write about something presently in your life that is "worth it". 

Working is worth it. I would rather be at home making cookies and cleaning. However, I know myself. Without my own income and independence, I would hate my life. I would feel deprieved and locked away. Working allows me to get out, socialize, and get paid. It's totally worth it. 

3) You are the wind's interpreter. What is it saying? 

HUMANS SUCK! Die humans, die. Oh! Look! A piece of garbage! Oh! Look! Someone dropped money.....now it's gone. HA! 

4) Come up with a mathematical formula to express something you know/believe. 

Hard work + Kindness + Love + Humor + Responsibility - Religion - Hate = A decent world








Monday, February 20

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn

"London, 1887." Victorian adventuress and butterfly hunter Veronica Speedwell receives an invitation to visit the Curiosity Club, a ladies-only establishment for daring and intrepid women. There she meets the mysterious Lady Sundridge, who begs her to take on an impossible task saving society art patron Miles Ramsforth from execution. Accused of the brutal murder of his artist mistress Artemisia, Ramsforth will face the hangman s noose in a week s time if Veronica cannot find the real killer.

But Lady Sundridge is not all that she seems, and unmasking her true identity is only the first of the many secrets Veronica must uncover. Together with her natural historian colleague Stoker, Veronica races against time to find the true murderer a ruthless villain who not only took Artemisia s life in cold blood but is happy to see Ramsforth hang for the crime. From a Bohemian artists colony to a royal palace to a subterranean grotto with a decadent history, the investigation proves to be a very perilous undertaking indeed...." 

My thoughts:
We learned some truths about Veronica in book 1, and by that I mean who her father is. *wink wink* In this one she meets another family member. I do like how she does not let it mess with her work. She is a strong independent woman. Also, she does have the right to be pissed at them, but she really is not. She is above it. But sure, it lingers.

A mystery set in a historical setting is always awesome. It just works for me you know. It's the atmosphere and the fact that it's harder to solve the case. It takes more legwork too.

Anyway, I need to get back on point. An artist is accused of killing his muse, so someone asks Veronica to solve the case.

Oh and she and Stoker need to get it on! Soon! But I like him, he is rather prudish at times. His family is something else too. But they are such a good pair, great chemistry.

Conclusion:
It was a nice mystery, I kept thinking I knew who did it, but like always I just suspected everyone so that is kind of cheating ;)

Cover
Eh

Paperback, 320 pages
Published January 10th 2017 by Titan Books Ltd
Veronica Speedwell #2
Historical mystery
For review

Sunday, February 19

Book Review: Daughter of a Thousand Years by Amalia Carosella

Author: Amalia Carosella
Title: Daughter of a Thousand Years
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fiction, & Romance
Pages: ebook
Expected publication: February 21st 2017
Where I Got It: My Shelf (Given to me by the publisher/author for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Greenland, AD 1000

More than her fiery hair marks Freydís as the daughter of Erik the Red; her hot temper and fierce pride are as formidable as her Viking father’s. And so, too, is her devotion to the great god Thor, which puts her at odds with those in power—including her own brother, the zealous Leif Eriksson. Determined to forge her own path, she defies her family’s fury and clings to her dream of sailing away to live on her own terms, with or without the support of her husband.

New Hampshire, 2016

Like her Icelandic ancestors, history professor Emma Moretti is a passionate defender of Norse mythology. But in a small town steeped in traditional values, her cultural beliefs could jeopardize both her academic career and her congressman father’s reelection. Torn between public expectation and personal identity, family and faith, she must choose which to honor and which to abandon.

In a dramatic, sweeping dual narrative that spans a millennium, two women struggle against communities determined to silence them, but neither Freydís nor Emma intends to give up without a fight.


Holy drama! This was steeped in drama. Also, this also showed how times have not changed from 1000 AD to today. Religion is a huge issue that society is still dealing with. Which it really shouldn't an issue in my opinion. 

The story follows Emma is a modern girl who was raised Catholic, but it has never felt right. Things happen and her secret of being a "pagan"/"heathen" because she worships Thor and the other Norse gods is brought out to light at the worse time. She has to deal if she wants to continue living a lie or not. At the same time, in 1000 AD Freydis is hanging onto the old ways while Christianity is spreading like wildfire throughout her world. 

Honestly? I really liked Emma's story better. Strange, right!? But yes, modern Emma and her modern issues. I felt so bad for her because her ex was a jerk, her family is super Catholic, the whole community is super Catholic, she has to deal with a bitchy student, and trying to balance what she wants and what would be easy. Poor Emma. But yes, I really liked her and her story. 

Freydis was annoying. I get her issues too, but she was overly hot-headed for my liking. There times it was not really necessary. BUT it was really not her fault...her dad was bad too, plus everything is changing and she felt betrayed. Still...there were some times and situations that did not warrant her to explode. Okay...I did like her love story better than Emma's. I just might be biased because Freydis' lover is a hot Viking while Emma's lover is a PR guy....so yeah Freydis' lover is way better. ;D 

All-in-all, I really liked this book. I could hardly put it down. The two stories were really different, but very similar and it has the same morals. The two stories mixed well together. The writing was done well and I was sucked into both stories. I finished the book in a couple of sittings. 

In the end, I highly recommend this. This shall be stamped with 5 stars.
















Friday, February 17

Book Review: Once a Wolf by Susan Krinard

Author: Susan Krinard
Title: Once a Wolf (Historical Werewolf #2)
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Historical Fiction, & fantasy
Pages: 388
First Published: July 5th, 2000
Where I Got It: My Shelf (B&N)

In the unspoiled expanses of the American West, Tomás Alejandro Randall was called El Lobo, the desperado and sworn enemy of powerful financier Cole MacLean. Few humans knew his true identity: heir to a wolf bloodline that made him as much an exotic beast as a devastatingly attractive man. It was Tomás's plan to lure Cole MacLean's elegant fiancée, Lady Rowena Forster, from her New York mansion to the wild frontier. There he planned to seduce the golden-haired beauty as revenge for the destruction of his family at MacLean's hands. But once she was in his possession, El Lobo found himself unable to resist the call of his own untamed passion - a passion that would claim the beauty for his own. As for Lady Rowena, she desperately hid her own wolf heritage behind an icy, controlled exterior. Yet the famous "Lady Ice" found her inhibitions melting and her true nature emerging in the presence of this handsome desperado. Both knew the danger of their pairing, but their wild hearts would risk everything - even death - for a chance at everlasting love.

I've read the first book and the fourth book (don't ask how I did that...I can't read apparently) and I've been meaning to read this for a while now. I was worried because I didn't really care for or understand Rowena in book one. However, I finally got myself to read it. 

Rowena was better, but I still didn't understand her or really like. I did, however, pity her and feel bad for her. Even though she ran away to America to escape Cole, she still ended up getting engaged to him. Cole is a bad man and very manipulative. She got lucky El Lobo, Tomas, kidnapped her or she would've been stuck in a miserable life with an emotionally abusive man. 

Buuuut Tomas is not precisely the best of men....he's a rogue, desperado, and has a dark family history. However, at least he's way better. However, it's not an easy romance since he did kidnap her and all. Sure there was some lust...but the love took FOREVER. Which I'm glad. 

The beginning was really good and the ending had me on the edge of my seat. There was a huge LULL in the middle. I almost gave up, but I pushed through and it was totally worth it. I had no idea how everything was going to be okay and get fixed. It seemed impossible. I did guess the twist, but I had no idea how that was going to be revealed and how it was going to go down. 

Some honesty? I actually liked Esperanza's and Weylin's point of views better. They are really interesting characters and I want to learn more and follow their stories. Sim was interesting too, but I hated him even at the end.

In the end, this was okay. Not as good as the first book. It was an interesting love story. I am curious to read the next one in the series since it is about the other brother. I'll give this 3 stars.