Monday 29 February 2016

Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

Synopsis from Amazon:

Once an aristocrat in the heady days of pre-revolutionary France, now Lestat is a rock star in the demonic, shimmering 1980s.  He rushes through the centuries in search of others like him, seeking answers to the mystery of his terrifying existence.

His story, the second volume in Anne Rice's best-selling Vampire Chronicles, is mesmerizing, passionate, and thrilling.

My review:

This second instalment in the Vampire Chronicles is even better than the first. Most of us are familiar with the story of The Interview with the Vampire and like many others I already had a solid opinion on the character of the arrogant vampire Lestat.

Well this book changes it all. By going deep into his own beginnings, his upbringing, family ties and his friendship with Nicholas, Lestat suddenly becomes a human being first and vampire second. He is an intelligent, well read, religion-confused young man when he and Nicki come to Paris and it’s those characteristics that make him the perfect vampire.

He didn’t ask to be one of them, he was carefully chosen for it. His journey is colourful, painful and full of exciting surprises throughout the book and the history of the first Drinkers of the Blood is brilliantly thought out.

Once again Anne Rice triumphed for me. I just hope that one day this book will be made into a great movie that Interview with the Vampire is.


My score: 5/5

Saturday 13 February 2016

Indigo Nights by Louise Bay

Synopsis from Amazon:

Dylan James has no expectations when it comes to relationships. He uses women for sex and they use him for his money and power. It's quid pro quo and he's good with that. It works.

Beth Harrison has been burned. She's tired of the lies and the game playing that men bring and has buried herself in her passion--baking which keeps her out of the reach of heartbreak. As she begins her career as a TV baker, a new world opens up to her.

Dylan and Beth both know that casual sex is all about giving what you need to get what you want. Except that sometimes you give more than you need to and get everything you ever wanted. 

My review:

I always feel a little naught when I pick up a book that's been labelled as erotica. To me that genre used to mean a book full of sex but no proper substance. I have now changed my mind.

Beth was a very likeable character. Strong woman with a weak past. She knows what she wants and really seem to be the more grown up person in the story.

Dylan started off as an arrogant I-am-your-love-god kind of guy, but soon turned out to be the more romantic of the too. He turned a little too quickly for me - I was expecting him to play a little more hard-to-get character.

Both characters had a sad story in the past that shaped them into who there were when they met and thanks to those good back stories the book was made more believable.

I always look at books I can relate too, that I can believe in. characters should be easy to imagine and the paths they take should be natural and I think this books ticks the boxes.

This is a quick read romance well told I Louise Bay is an another I will look out for. And as I love baking too it was just a little more personal.

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this book in exchange for an honest opinion.


My rating: 4/5

Thursday 11 February 2016

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Celestine North lives a perfect life. She's a model daughter and sister, she's well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she's dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.

But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule. And now faces life-changing repercussions.

She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.

In her breath-taking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where obedience is paramount and rebellion is punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her-everything


My review:

I have always enjoyed Cecelia Ahern’s books, she is most certainly one of my favourite authors and so I was felt privileged to have an access to the ARC of her latest book.

There are some flaws (ironically) to this book – the start is quite slow and I find the inner thoughts of the main character, Celestine North, quite repetitive and sometimes interrupting the flow of the story, but saying that I still loved it.

It’s such an interesting concept, people being punished for making wrong decisions in life and it certainly begs the question of ‘Who decides which decisions are wrong?’ It also shows that corruption finds its way into any society, even one thought to be perfect as at the end of the day we are all human and as humans we makes mistakes.

Celestine is a great character. She has a mind of mathematics and logic and finally realises that not everything that this society is told to belief makes sense; and so one incident, one selfless act of helping an old man, changes her life forever.

She becomes an icon overnight, some love her, some hate her and this is where this book has its similarities with Hunger Games. There is also the mysterious Carrick and Celestine’s family, all of whom are well described in the book and they all have their roles to play in what happens next.

It’s quite a complex story, and this first book hasn’t given a lot away so it’s been the perfect build up for the sequel. I just hope we won’t have to wait too long.

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this book in return for an honest review.


My score: 4/5

Thursday 4 February 2016

The Dirty Secret by Kira A. Gold

Synopsis from Goodreads:

From the Desk of Donna Edith…
My services are unconventional. My clients come to me with needs and I match them to other clients with needs of their own…

Promising young architect Killian Fitzroy: Driven, clever, eager to prove himself. Starved for sex, though he’s come to me for professional assistance, not personal. Needs: Someone unique, creative and fast. An artist with a feminine perspective to breathe life into a house he’s built.

Aspiring scenic designer Vessa Ratham: Sensuous, spontaneous, but secretive. Recently returned to Vermont armed with an art degree that qualifies her for little more than waiting tables. Needs: An opportunity to shine.
Yes, Killian and Vessa will satisfy each other nicely—in more ways than one


 My review:

This book was filed under erotica genre on NetGalley, but upon reading the synopsis I thought there might be a little more to that.  And I am so glad I asked for access for this book as it turned out so much more then what the genre suggested.

It’s an intricate story of colours, design, architecture, senses and love.  Both Killian and Vessa have secrets that literally stop them living, but a specialist matchmaker with an insight into people’s soul (or so it seems), brings them together knowing how good they will be for each other. The attraction is obvious from the moment they first see each other.

Vessa accepts working for Killian designing the house he has built. Her ideas are so wild and almost supernatural and are described by the author so well, I found them easy to imagine. I fell in love with the house myself.

Their love story is special, sensual and really lovely to watch develop. They are both very likable characters and this book was a joy to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this book in return for an honest review.


My score: 5/5