Read and Review #26 - Romancing the Duke (Tessa Dare)

Title: Romancing the Duke (Castles Ever After #1)

Author: Tessa Dare

Publication date: 28 January 2014

Publisher: Avon

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Synopsis:

In the first in Tessa Dare's captivating Castles Ever After series, a mysterious fortress is the setting for an unlikely love...

As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens. She never doubted romance would be in her future, too. The storybooks offered endless possibilities.

And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off. One by one by one.

Ugly duckling turned swan?

Abducted by handsome highwayman?

Rescued from drudgery by charming prince?

No, no, and… Heh.

Now Izzy’s given up yearning for romance. She’ll settle for a roof over her head. What fairy tales are left over for an impoverished twenty-six year-old woman who’s never even been kissed?

This one.

My rating: 
4 / 5

My review:
What do I love more than historical romances? Dukes.

AND...

Baby Edward Duke Rancic by the way. I got carried away in my search for dukes and spent 10 minutes cooing over baby pictures instead.

Moving on.

In this book, we have a disgruntled duke. And disabled on top of that. The Duke of Rothbury, or better known as Ransom, is a good looking man with a cold heart and indifferent demeanour towards those around him. Not that strange in the 19th century aristocracy. Seven months prior to the event that took place in his castle at the beginning of this story, he was involved in an altercation which left him blinded along with a scar from brow to his temple. It was in this condition when he was met with Isolde Goodnight, nicknamed Izzy.

Izzy Goodnight was the daughter of a famous author who wrote a popular book series, The Goodnight Tales. Since a young age, she had always dreamed of having her own romantic love story but as she grew older, one by one of her romantic fantasies were shed off due to her acceptance to reality. She wasn't one of those heroines who were pretty and couldn't see her true beauty. No, she had already accepted that she wasn't going to be one of those pretty swans in the lake. And she's fine with that.

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those women with radical ideas.”

“No,” she returned. “I’m one of those women with nothing. There are a great many of us."

A misunderstanding caused Ransom and Izzy to stay in the same building, sorting out their living arrangement with each other. Ransom, ashamed of his actions more than his looks didn't expect Izzy to be compassionate towards him. Izzy on the other hand, finally found someone who would know her as she is and not based on the books in which she became the famous Little Izzy. 

I enjoyed this book because I do really love historical romances. It gives out a different vibe than contemporary romances and this book is no exception. Izzy is not traditionally beautiful or a hidden gem. She's a plain looking woman with wild hair. Ransom wouldn't even give her a chance if he was locked with her in a room for a few hours. 

The fact that he's blind left him no chance to get to know someone other than talking to him or her. He can no longer decide whether he wants to talk to a person strictly based on how they looked like. The situation suited Izzy because she was done being treated as Little Izzy instead of Isolde. This whole idea is interesting to me. She didn't became a raging beauty overnight, her personality showed her inner beauty instead.

It's an almost perfect story if it weren't for the missing pieces that were never recovered towards the end. There has to be more to the altercation that caused Ransom to lose his sight. Because really, one slash to one side of the face could leave both eyes blinded?

Overall, it's a good story. Focusing on Izzy and Ransom's relationship alone, and hell everything else would diminish into the background. If this is how Tessa Dare writes historical romances, then I have to get to work and read her other books.

Read and Review #25 - Wallbanger (Alice Clayton)

Title: Wallbanger (Cocktail #1)

Author: Alice Clayton

Publication date: 27 November 2012

Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Get a copy! Amazon | Google Play Store | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis: 

The first night after Caroline moves into her fantastic new San Francisco apartment, she realizes she's gaining an intimate knowledge of her new neighbor's nocturnal adventures. Thanks to paper-thin walls and the guy's athletic prowess, she can hear not just his bed banging against the wall but the ecstatic response of what seems (as loud night after loud night goes by) like an endless parade of women. And since Caroline is currently on a self-imposed dating hiatus, and her neighbor is clearly lethally attractive to women, she finds her fantasies keep her awake even longer than the noise. So when the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts Simon Parker, her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. The tension between them is as thick as the walls are thin, and the results just as mixed. Suddenly, Caroline is finding she may have discovered a whole new definition of neighborly... 

n a delicious mix of silly and steamy, Alice Clayton dishes out a hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight...

My rating:
5 / 5

My review:

Oh dear, this book. It took me almost a year to pick it up again. I had a dislike towards silly nicknames and was immediately turned off whenever I encountered any in the books I read. Pink Nightie Girl was one of them. Yes, I put it down the moment I found myself squirming from the absurdity of the name.  

And just recently I began to read it again. And I wondered, why in the hell would I hate a nickname such as Pink Nightie Girl? The fabulous that is this story is enough to outshine a small thing like a nickname. Well doesn't matter, I had read it and I absolutely love it! Not to mention most of my friends on Goodreads give an average rating of 4.5 for it.

Why is this book so good that almost everyone give it an almost perfect rating? I'll tell you why. There is no tragic backstory. No one is running away from anyone. Well, unless you count Cory, the guy who chased away O.  And therefore making Caroline wanting to run away from him. By the way, O is Caroline's orgasm.

ANYWHO, it's a likable story because the characters were not hung up on past relationship or experience emotional trauma from any form of abuse. Their feud was simple; "Stop banging on my fucking wall when you're having sex." So if you're looking for a book with no angst or drama, this is the perfect book for you.

Caroline was witty, sweet and funny whereas Simon exudes sex; flirty, charming and charismatic. They became from neighbors to enemies to friends to best friends and eventually lovers. I mean, that is how you become close to that hot neighbor, right?

And the sexual tension in that one chapter! The only chapter where we get to see Simon's point of view but somehow I got cockblocked by Ryan and Mimi instead. Don't get me wrong, I adore the other couples but please, it was the post breaking point of Simon and Caroline's relationship! 

It's funny, witty and I stayed up till dawn trying to finish this book. These characters are likable, the plot is hilarious and who doesn't love a reformed wallbanger? Despite the name, the book cover and the first chapter of this book, it's not as erotically charged as other romance books out there. Not even in the last few chapters. It's a fun book and definitely worth reading. 

Read and Review #24 - Attachments (Rainbow Rowell)

Title: Attachments

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Publication date: 14 April 2011

Publisher: Dutton Adult

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Synopsis:

"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you ... "

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives. 

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke. 

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories. 

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say . . . ?

My rating:
4 / 5

My review:

I don't know why I love this story because the idea of someone else reading my private messages to a friend is disturbing. But they brought it unto themselves, Jennifer and Beth. They knew any personal emails will be filtered and monitored to ensure that they do not break the company's Internet policy. But do they care?

And Lincoln O'Neill was the guy hired to do just that. Go through filtered emails and send warnings to employees who are violating company's policy. You'd think it's a cool job, reading about gossips and secret affairs and stuff?

Lincoln's job is pretty boring actually and he gets paid decently to do almost nothing every day. The highlight of his day? Reading emails between Jennifer and Beth. They had already broke a few of the policy but he didn't have it in him to send them any warning emails. Plus, their emails were just too juicy and provided him the entertainment to get through work.

Basically, half of the book consisted of email exchanges. It's like listening to that two strangers talking in a cafe whom you always run into that one day of the week. You don't hang out with them, but you know their story as if you've known them for years. Rest assured, I don't hang out at cafes listening to strangers having conversations.

Anyways, the plot is pretty subdued. Lincoln's life is mundane. And I don't get to know more about Beth and Jennifer outside their emails to each other. But the story kept me interested. Beth and Jennifer's emails are hilarious. I wouldn't want to stop reading if I could because of their wits and snappy comebacks. Lincoln, on the other hand is pretty boring. It's not bad because really, why have an amazing, perfect hero? Have you read any of Rainbow Rowell's work? Her heroes are imperfect.

What deducted one star from my rating is the ending. It felt rushed and unreal to me. There was not enough interaction between Beth and Lincoln to feel that sort of comfort around each other so soon after she found out about him. I get that she has a crush on him, stalked him and even admired him but I don't know, it feels a little middle school for me. 

"Do you believe in love at first sight?"
"I don't know," he said. "Do you believe in love before that?"

Cheesy as hell but I love that part the most. I like this book for the witty interaction, imperfect yet lovable characters and the appropriate pacing for this style of writing. Sure it has a slow pacing but it's not that lengthy that it makes you want to kill yourself for reading it in the first place. You won't even realize you're almost at the end. 

Upcoming Release #4 - Searching for Perfect (Jennifer Probst)

Title: Searching for Perfect (Searching For #2)

Author: Jennifer Probst
Expected Publication: 29 April 2014
Pre-order a copy! Amazon | Google Play Store | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

The up-and-coming matchmaking agency Kinnections is the hottest thing to hit Verily, New York—just like Kennedy Ashe, social director for the service she owns with her two best girlfriends. A coach, consultant, and cheerleader rolled into one super-sizzling package, Kennedy creates dream dates, encourages singles to shine, and never refuses a challenge—not even Nate Ellison Raymond Dunkle, rocket scientist, nerd extraordinaire, and Kennedy’s newest client.

Kennedy vows to work her magic and transform this hot mess in a lab coat with a disastrous relationship track record into the most wanted man on the Verily dating scene. If only she could turn the wand on herself . . .

Though she radiates confidence and sex appeal, Kennedy harbors deep-seated insecurities from a tormented past and lifelong struggle with weight issues. When she realizes she and Nate are cut from the same cloth and might be perfect together, can Kennedy learn to let her heart lead the way? Or will her fears sentence her to the sidelines as Nate finds love—with someone else?

Initial thoughts:

So far I can't find any excerpts, teasers or any hints regarding this book but it's still 3 months away so hopes are not all dead. 

In a three-friend circle of friendship, there's always the sexual one. In this case, it's Kennedy. And I absolutely love a Pygmalion kind of story. What is Pygmalion you ask? Or I assume you asked? Think Pretty Woman. Hadn't watch Pretty Woman? Damn, you're missing out.

In modern definition, or rather, more urbanized definition, Pygmalion is when a person falls in love with something he or she created. Now, while Kennedy didn't exactly 'create' Nate, he helped created his new look. The theme of pygmalion is not very strong in this story but it is enough to draw my interest.

Kennedy was likable in the first book and I am really looking forward to this one! And I have to admit, thank goodness she doesn't have any 'gift' like Kate. That's just me though.