Edenbrooke: A Review

Goodreads (description):

Marianne Daventry will do anything to escape the boredom of Bath and the amorous attentions of an unwanted suitor. So when an invitation arrives from her twin sister, Cecily, to join her at a sprawling country estate, she jumps at the chance. Thinking she'll be able to relax and enjoy her beloved English countryside while her sister snags the handsome heir of Edenbrooke, Marianne finds that even the best laid plans can go awry. From a terrifying run-in with a highwayman to a seemingly harmless flirtation, Marianne finds herself embroiled in an unexpected adventure filled with enough romance and intrigue to keep her mind racing. Will Marianne be able to rein in her traitorous heart, or will a mysterious stranger sweep her off her feet? Fate had something other than a relaxing summer in mind when it sent Marianne to Edenbrooke.


My Review:

So I actually read this book a few years ago when it came out, but I wasn't blogging back then. And with the ending of the semester, I needed a fun, light read that gave me a reprieve from the stress of studying. And I already knew how much I loved this book, so I decided to re-read it.

Marianne is a seventeen-year-old who resides in Bath and doesn't have a social life. Her twin however, is a social butterfly, annoying, and not a good girl.

The difference between them gets kind of funny at times.

Anyway, the story focuses on Marianne and how she finally leaves Bath when she and her sister are invited to the manor Edenbrooke.

Along the way, Marianne runs into trouble, and meets the oh-so-handsome-and-charming Phillip. He refuses to reveal his identity as he helps her find her way to Edenbrooke.

But of course, she finds out eventually who he is. Phillip owns Edenbrooke, and he has been claimed by Marianne's twin, Cecily.

For one thing, I admire Marianne for her loyalty to her sister, but it got incredibly annoying at times, especially since I have a belief that you cannot "claim" a person. People are their own individual and tend to do what they want, especially Phillip.

Marianne and Phillip's love story was as fantastic as it was frustrating. I forgot how oblivious they both are to each other's feelings, but loved reading their fall over again. Marianne is quite naive, but she isn't an idiot. I like how when she gets into trouble, she has a quick panic attack and then starts thinking clearly. Phillip is just amazing through and through. Tall, dark, and handsome, and not to mention strong. He is also intelligent and just a genuinely good person.

I can't say much more without giving the whole book away, but man ... I truly enjoyed revisiting this story. It is the perfect, somewhat quick, regency romance read. I highly recommend it to any who enjoy this genre!

I give this a 5 out of 5!

It's a Mall World After All: A Review

Goodreads (description):

It's too bad they don't give out diplomas for what you learn at the mall, because I could graduate with honors in that subject. No really. Since I've worked there, I've become an expert on all things shopping-related. For example, I can tell you right off who to distrust at the mall:

1) Skinny people who work at Cinnabon. I mean, if they're not eating the stuff they sell, how good can it be?

2) The salesladies at department store makeup counters. No matter what they tell you, buying all that lip gloss will not make you look like the pouty models in the store posters.

3) And most importantly--my best friend's boyfriend, Bryant, who showed up at the food court with a mysterious blonde draped on his arm.

Yeah, I saw it, and yeah, I told my best friend all about it.

You would think this would mean trouble for Bryant, but you would basically be wrong. Somehow, the evil boyfriend turned everything around, and now I'm the one who has to prove myself! But I will. Even if Bryant--and more importantly his best friend, Colton--keep trying to stop me.

My Review:

Charlotte is a strong willed girl who doesn't let anyone be mean to her. She stands up for what she thinks what's right and fights for it.

So when she sees her best friend's (Brianna) boy friend, Bryant, sneaking about with another while she's working at the mall, she is determined to set things right. And yet when she tries to tell her friend the truth, she is rebuffed and now has to prove that she is a good friend.

Bryant's friend Colton goes out of his way to stop Charlotte from ruining Brianna's and Bryant's relationship. He makes up several excuses and finally makes a pact with Charlotte that he will help her with a new NHS project if she will stop hunting down Bryant.

Charlotte holds true to her pact (for the most part) and starts to spend a lot of time with Colton while working on the NHS service project. So of course, the one person she really didn't want to fall for, she does. He also didn't want to fall for her, but he does.

So things seem to be going great, and then they change, all due to Bryant and his stupidness again.

Charlotte struggles to find out what she needs to do. She wants Brianna to be happy, and she wants Colton to still like her. She tries to make her various NHS projects and jobs work, but of course having everything turn out perfectly would be asking too much. It was interesting to see how she handled things (I won't spoil it ;) ).

Needless to say, various truths come to light and Colton realizes what's going on. All things resolved, even if some of them were bittersweet. (Sidenote, this part was actually kind of sad. I won't give specifics, but it was surprisingly heart clenching and actually really made me like Colton--he's actually a pretty genuine guy).

The ending was actually quite satisfying. It was great to see the big NHS project at the end, the Santa project. I loved how hard Charlotte fought for the service project despite all the other drama around her. It showed that she has a good heart and cares a lot for other people, even if she can be a bit harsh at times.

I give this a 4 out of 5!

Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Free Throws: A Review

There's several covers for this, but this is what I have

Goodreads (description):

Going head-to-head with your best friend is never easy, on the court or off.

Josie loves hottie Ethan Lancaster, the captain of the basketball team, but she never can do or say the right thing in front of him. So how can it be fair that Ethan is only interested in her best friend, Cami, when Cami isn't even trying for his affection? Or is she?

Cami dreams of winning her basketball team's coveted MVP award, and earning the chance to take the court during a special halftime demonstration with WNBA star Rebecca Lobo, but her best friend, Josie, is a better player. So how can it be fair that Josie is a shoo-in for the honor if she is barely interested in basketball in the first place and isn't even trying to be the best? Or is she?

My Review:

This was another cute story by Janette Rallison.

I do have to admit though, reading about 14-year-old girls got extremely frustrating. That's not to say if they were 16 it would have been any different, in fact, the drama they came up with probably would have been more childish if it came from 16-year-olds.

Josie and Cami have been best friends for a long time. They both play basketball and they both like the same guy.

A cause for trouble.

The boy they like is Ethan.

Josie has made it quite public that she likes him and Cami keeps her crush hidden. So of course Ethan has the audacity to talk to Cami and not Josie. So Cami acts on this, flirting with him and such. When Josie finds out, she has a freak out and turns around and stabs Cami in the back, starting up a rumor that isn't true. Then Cami retaliates in a stupid way.

So the fight begins. Granted, it was extremely frustrating because 1) it was over a boy and 2) both girls were being very petty. Of course, they were 14, so I wasn't surprised and it fit their age group.

Finally, these girls get abandoned at a gas station on their way to the final basketball game where the famous Rebecca Lobo will be. They are forced to work together to find a way to the game--which thankfully leads them to get over their petty fight and make up.

It made for a really good story. It was the drama was a little too much for me, because it was over something so stupid as a boy--who didn't turn out to be worth it anyways. The story was very well written through, as if I really was reading from 14-year-olds. This isn't my favorite Rallison book, but she is a really good writer. I highly recommend her books.

I give this a 3.5 out of 5!

A Longtime (and at one point illegal) Crush: A Review

Description (goodreads):

From the day Elsie’s older brother brought his friend Kye McBride over to their house, Elsie adored him. When she was eight, she secretly blew kisses to him. When she was twelve, she sat on the stairs unnoticed and watched him escort another girl to prom. When she was a senior in high school, she walked into math class and found out he was her new math teacher.

With that much emotion fueling her, things were bound to go wrong. And they did. Elsie not only spent the last two weeks of school avoiding him, she turned avoiding-Kye-at-all-costs into her life-long philosophy.

Now three years have passed and Elsie has come home for her brother’s wedding. She’s got to face Kye-–hopefully without getting crushed again.

My Review:


This was such a great short, little novella. This semester has been a really trying one, hence my absence on the visiting blogs. All the reviews I've been posting are books I read over my semester break. But, I was able to read this cute little novella in between classes and during homework breaks.

Oh my goodness it reminded me why I love reading.

It was a cutesy romance, but it just made me so happy! If you want a really quick, happy read, get this novella.

Elsie is a strong girl who is tormented by bad and embarrassing memories. Her crush, Kye, is her older brother's age, and at one point was her teacher! That made things even more humiliating for poor Elsie. Yet, seeing how both she and Kye grew up and got over the awkwardness of him being a high school teacher and her being his student, it was so sweet to see them get together.

And can I just say that Kye is a super hottie in my head? Not to mention that he is incredible sweet and has a huge heart. No wonder Elsie fell for him. He is protective and kind, despite Elsie's teenager mishaps.

At first I thought it was weird that she was in love with her teacher, but then you read the story and Rallison's explanation in the back. And overall, I think it was very well written, and flipping adorable.

I loved it.

There's not much else I can say, except I give it a 4.5 out of 5!

Mortal Heart: His Fair Assassin (Book 3): A Review

Description (Goodreads):

Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has...
My Review:

This series has been a pretty interesting one. It is partly historical fiction and fantasy. I think this one is my favorite out of all three. At first this series seemed too much like Poison Study, but in this book, I didn't feel that way.

Annith is a girl that has been taken advantage of her whole life. She is innocent, kind, and sweet. She is always there for those young assassin girls and her friends. Annith has incredible strength considering what she had to grow up with. I loved how she finally decided to make her own decisions and see the world for herself. Granted, she made mistakes, but she was finally experiencing life for herself!

I really liked Balthazar too. He was pretty awesome. I liked his mysteriousness. He was perfect for Annith too, exactly what she needed. I liked how strong he was, how honest, and open he was (granted, it took him a while to open up, but once he did, he never held anything back. He was completely honest and I love when characters do that).

As for the girls and guys from the previous books, I loved seeing them with their guys and how they have progressed. Ismae and Duval were so cute together. Granted, we didn't see them much, but the few glimpses made me happy to know that they were still going strong. Sybella and Beast were also amazing too.

Having all these characters work together to come up with a solution for their country was quite fun. The Duchess despite her young age remained strong also. It was amazing to see how well she did.

I liked this series. Although, it wasn't my favorite. I would recommend this to those who love a good adventure filled with intrigue and a bit of fantasy.

I give this a 3.5 out of 5!

The Enchantress: A Review

Description (Goodreads):

The two that are one must become the one that is all. One to save the world, one to destroy it.

San Francisco:
Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel have one day left to live, and one job left to do. They must defend San Francisco. The monsters gathered on Alcatraz Island have been released and are heading toward the city. If they are not stopped, they will destroy everyone and everything in their path.

But even with the help of two of the greatest warriors from history and myth, will the Sorceress and the legendary Alchemyst be able to defend the city? Or is it the beginning of the end of the human race?

Danu Talis:
Sophie and Josh Newman traveled ten thousand years into the past to Danu Talis when they followed Dr. John Dee and Virginia Dare. And it’s on this legendary island that the battle for the world begins and ends.

Scathach, Prometheus, Palamedes, Shakespeare, Saint-Germain, and Joan of Arc are also on the island. And no one is sure what—or who—the twins will be fighting for.

Today the battle for Danu Talis will be won or lost.

But will the twins of legend stand together?

Or will they stand apart—one to save the world and one to destroy it?

My Review:

I can honestly say that this conclusion was wonderful. I won't give anything away, but it was beautiful. It took me a while to get through this one due to college demands, but I enjoyed it the whole time and wished I could be reading it more often.

And finally, I finished.

And it was fantastic.

This novel brings everything together. It brings in the loose ends and fulfills our questions. That's not to say we are not left to wonder about our characters, we are, but the big major bothering questions are answered.

As you have seen from my reviews on previous book, Josh has not been my favorite. Well, things changed. Josh grew up a lot in this book. He finally realized what he was doing before was wrong and stood up for his sister and his friends. He honestly became one of my favorites, one thing I did not expect to happen at all.

Sophie grew up a bit too. I have always liked her, but like Josh, I came to like her even more. She became so much stronger. She did better at standing up for herself and doing what's right.

The Flamels, Scathach, Prometheus, Palamedes, Shakespeare, Saint-Germain, and Joan were all fantastic. I came to love their courage and sacrifices. Although they came from all different times and all different places, they recognized what they needed to fight for. They came to do incredible things with the twins.

I cannot say much without giving anything away, but I will say this. The adventure and intricacy of the characters was simply amazing. This series was wonderful. I loved every minute of it, and it is certainly one I will revisit in the future. 

I give this a 5 out of 5!

The Warlock: A Review

Goodreads (Description):

In the fifth installment of this bestselling series, the twins of prophesy have been divided, and the end is finally beginning.

With Scatty, Joan of Arc, Saint Germain, Palamedes, and Shakespeare all in Danu Talis, Sophie is on her own with the ever-weakening Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel. She must depend on Niten to help her find an immortal to teach her Earth Magic. The surprise is that she will find her teacher in the most ordinary of places.

My Review:

Holy crap. Can I say cliffhanger? Okay, so it wasn’t really that bad, it was just a HUGE revealing that I did NOT expect.

Althouh, now that I think about it I shouldn’t be surprised. It makes sense … but wow. It was crazy.

Sophie Newman is my new favorite. I mean, I always liked her, but even though she is confused about who to trust, she still knows how to do what’s right. She follows her heart, her gut. Her humanity is still intact, and she will do anything and everything to get her brother back. I like how she isn’t as easily swayed as Josh. Her inner strength will definitely be needed in the next and final book of this series.

Josh Newman is really getting on my nerves. Well, I sort of feel bad for the kid too. He is manipulated to the point where he is so unsure of what’s right and wrong, he is only acting on impulse. And his impulses aren’t good. It’s sort of heartbreaking what he does, especially to see the pain it causes others …

There are so many secondary characters now, I don’t really know how to write about them without writing pages. So let me say this:

Scathach continues to be awesome. Joan of Arc is way cooler than ever before. I’m actually starting to like Saint-Germain. Prometheus is super cool. Palamedes is freaking awesome. The Hook Handed Man is flipping epic—I would want him on my team any day. Shakespeare is far more entertaining in the modern world. I really appreciated the Norse Mythology references in here—I’ve sort of had a thing for Norse Mythology since the Thor movies came out (side note, Rick Ridorian is totally writing a series with Norse mythology!! Whoop!) But! Seeing Odin and Hel work together in this series was fantastic. Scott is a brilliant genius. The amount of mythology and folklore he incorporates in this series without making it sound like a textbook is incredible! I love it!

This is a wonderful series. I absolutely love it. And, the books just keep getting better as you go. I am so excited to read the final ending!

I give this a 5 out of 5!