Blogger Lift
I'm baaaaaaack...
...and I SO missed blogging. I'm still busy (working and preparing for my trip), but I'm trying to get back to blogging. It'll be a little easier now cos I've got a new & better phone. I still don't have Internet access at home, but the Internet on my phone is so much quicker now.
Anyway, I've decided to leave my book reviews on this blog and start a different blog for my Abu Dhabi experience. It'll be up within the week.
That's it for now. Hope y'all are enjoying your weekend!
Random Thoughts Thursday
I promise I haven't forgotten about blogging. I've just been so busy getting things together for my move to Abu Dhabi (notarizing, authentication, travel forms, etc). I'll be back within a week or 2 (more like a week, tho cos I miss blogging). There are gonna be a few changes here in the next coming months. I'll go more into detail after I've worked things out. But I'll be back. Really. I promise. Pinky swear.
Man-ificent Monday: Nicholas Gonzalez
This week's cutie pie is actor, Nicholas Gonzalez, from San Antonio, TX. Nicholas is best known for his role as Alex Santiago in Resurrection Blvd in the late 90s. He's played on TV shows like The O.C., Law & Order: SVU, CSI: Miami, and Melrose Place. He had a recurring role on ABC's, Of the Map (I think the show is cancelled, though). He was romantically linked to Regina King a few years ago. Nicholas has also done some nude modeling. Yeah, uh...I got quite an eyeful while looking for pics to post. ;D
Word(s) to Describe: Sexy, Gorgeous
ARC Review: Sweet As Sin
Author: Inez Kelley
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Release: January, 2011
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 5/5
Description: She was made for sin. Sin was something he knew intimately.
Bestselling YA author John Murphy is the acclaimed Master of Monsters. But when the door creaks shut, the monsters master him. His haunted past has destined him to hell, but he won’t let that get in the way of enjoying his present or his delicious new neighbor. Enthralled by her, his secrets begin to unravel and the pages of his latest manuscript are written by his deepest fears…and in blood.
Pastry chef owner of The Sugar Shack, Livvy Andrews is as sinfully sweet as the confections she makes and just as irresistible. Her hidden passions erupt when a spicy new neighbor moves in next door and she is powerless against the lure of a man familiar with the erotic delicacies of life. She realizes there are more layers to him than she imagined, each one a delicious or frightening discovery. As lust turns to love, Livvy will master the monsters John keeps in the dark— but at what price?
Review: When John met his next door neighbor, Livvy, his original plan was to have a hot affair. Livvy's original intention was to stay away from John and resist his charm. You know the saying, "The best laid plans often go awry." They find themselves in the middle of a hot and heavy affair, their feelings for each other growing each day. Will their love be enough to get them past the personal demons that threaten to overwhelm them?
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
- Honestly, there's nothing I didn't like about this book. Maybe that it ended?
WHAT I LIKED
Where do I start?
- I LOVED the complexity of the characters! Both Livvy and John are such three-dimensional. Livvy so dang lovable. She's strong, yet vulnerable. She sticks with John in spite of his personal demons. It takes a strong woman to stand by her man through his struggles. And John. Whew! He's a sexy bad boy. He's by no means perfect. At one point, he's an ass and nearly breaks Livvy's heart. We see his vulnerability big time in this book. The secondary characters are awesome, too, but Livvy and John are by far my fave.
- The author's voice is awesomeness.
- I was so emotionally connected to these characters that I wanted to know what happened even after the book was done. This book definitely took me on an emotional roller coaster. I mean, I felt what the characters were feeling, especially John. He went through hell in his tween/teen years and I felt for him...the kid John as well as the adult John.
- I liked the fact that John was a best-selling YA urban fantasy author. He wrote under a pen name. The characters in his books represented different parts of himself. When he met Livvy, a new character came on scene. The books coincided with his personal struggles. You know how some kids create outlets to help them forget abuse. Well, John's was his fantasy world.
- I loved the chemistry between John and Livvy. Can you say hot? There's some sexual tension, but they didn't automatically fall into bed with each other. I loved that.
- I loved the fact that Livvy got her inspiration for sweet creations from everyday living.
Sweet as Sin is so much more than just a romance book. I loved it! It had me from beginning to end. I seriously stayed up all night to finish this book. If you love books with complex characters you'll fall in love with, a catchy storyline that'll grab at your emotions, a romance story that's o much more than just a romance story, and a fun, sexy read, Sweet As Sin is the perfect book for you! Inez Kelley now has a new fan.
Book Review: Manifest (Mystyx #1)
Author: Artist Arthur
Genre: Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Release: August, 2010
Source: Bought
Rating: 3/5
Description: Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make the biggest difference. . . .
When fifteen-year-old Krystal Bentley moves to Lincoln, Connecticut, her mom's hometown, she assumes her biggest drama will be adjusting to the burbs after living in New York City.
But Lincoln is nothing like Krystal imagined. The weirdness begins when Ricky Watson starts confiding in her. He's cute, funny, a good listener—and everything she'd ever want—except that he was killed nearly a year ago. Krystal's ghost-whispering talents soon lead other "freaks" to her door—Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, and Jake, who moves objects with his mind. All three share a distinctive birthmark in the shape of an M and, fittingly, call themselves the Mystyx. They set out to learn what really happened to Ricky, only to realize that they aren't the only ones with mysterious powers. But if Krystal succeeds in finding out the truth about Ricky's death, will she lose him for good?
Review: After Krystal's parents divorces her mother eventually remarries then moves the family to her hometown of Lincoln, Connecticut. Krystal blames her mother for the divorce and hates that she had to move, so she makes her mother pay through her (Krystal's) behavior.
Once they're settled in, Krystal notices a cute boy following her, trying to get her attention. The only thing is the boy, Ricky, is a ghost, killed in Lincoln before she moved there. Ricky wants Krystal to help solve the mystery of his death. While trying to comprehend what's happening, Krystal meets Sasha and Jake. As they hang out more, they find that not only do they all have the same "M" birthmark on their bodies, but they also have powers: Krystal can see and talk to ghosts, Sasha can teleport, and Jake can move things with his mind. They work together to try and solve Ricky's death.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
- The narrating (in Krystal's voice) is a bit...casual. It's like she's telling the story to her friend. For example, to transition, she may say something like, "Anyway..."
- The story starts off slow, though it does pick up. I really wanted to support this novel because of the multicultural cast, so, despite the slow start, I kept reading. Other people may not do that. If you don't catch people at the beginning, you just may lose them.
- I would have liked for the whole Greek mythology aspect to have been explored a little more.
- I'm not crazy about the way that Krystal treated her mother at first. I guess it's cos of the way I was raised (the whole "honor your mother and father" thing). My parents were wrong at times, but I never disrespected them. The thought alone never crossed my mind. My parents did not play when it came to respect. I don't know. Maybe it's just me.
WHAT I LIKED
- Krystal's growth. She's disrespectful to both her mother and her stepfather and off in her own world at first. She even seems a bit self-absorbed. But the experience and hanging with Sasha and Jake helps her grow.
- I like the way Krystal bonded with her new friends and her potential boyfriend, Franklin. She kept to herself and originally didn't want to have anything to do with them in the beginning, but she lets them in.
- There is a couple of twists in the story that I did not expect. One deals with the real reason her parents divorced.
- I liked the Greek mythology aspect. A LOT of the paranormals today are dealing with vampires, werewolves, angels, demons, and fae, so this was a welcomed change.
- I like the multicultural cast of characters. Krystal, Sasha, and Jake hang with each other, despite the differences in culture and social status.
This was a fun read, despite the slow start. Ms. Arthur has two other books in this series, Mystify (February, 2011) and Mayhem (August, 2011), both of which I'll be reviewing within the next month or so.
