ARC Review: What Can't Wait

Author: Ashley Hope Perez

Genre: YA

Release: March, 2011

Source: Netgalley

Rating: 5/5

Description: "Another day finished, gracias a Dios." Seventeen-year-old Marisa's mother has been saying this for as long as Marisa can remember. Her parents came to Houston from Mexico. They work hard, and they expect Marisa to help her familia. And they expect her to marry a boy from the neighborhood, to settle down, and to have grandbabies. If she wants a job, she could always be an assistant manager at the local grocery store.

At school, it's another story. Marisa's calc teacher expects her to ace the AP test and to get into an engineering program in Austin—a city that seems unimaginably far away. When her home life becomes unbearable, Marisa seeks comfort elsewhere—and suddenly neither her best friend nor boyfriend can get through to her. Caught between the expectations of two different worlds, Marisa isn't sure what she wants—other than a life where she doesn't end each day thanking God it's over.

What Can't Wait—the gripping debut novel from Ashley Hope Pérez—tells the story of one girl's survival in a world in which family needs trump individual success, and self-reliance the only key that can unlock the door to the future.

Review: 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

•  I honestly can't think of anything I didn't like about this book.

WHAT I LIKED

•  I loved the character, Marisa. Such a strong, resilent girl with a good head on her shoulders. She could've whined about the cards life dealt her, but she doesn't. She's very loyal to her family, but in the end, she wants to do what's best for her.
• I liked the fact that this character doesn't let her environment define her. She's not exactly rich, surrounded by people who got pregnant young, etc. She's determined to break the cycle.
• Man, this book brings me through the emotions. I found myself cheering for Marisa, crying with her, etc.
•  This is a very realistic book.

Many teens, especially teens of immigrants, will be able to understand Marisa's struggles. Even if you haven't been in the same situation, you can still understand the character. Marissa's determination will have you cheering her on. I loved this book!

ARC Review: Stroke of Midnight

Author: Bonnie Edwards

Genre: Erotica; Romance

Release: January, 2011

Source:Netgalley

Rating: 2.5/5

Description:

An unlikely Cinderella…
When hardworking single mom Jaye Sinns meets younger playboy Alexander Carmichael, the sexual chemistry between them is undeniable. So Jaye gives in to temptation and allows him to whisk her away for her first-ever vacation. Two glorious weeks of no inhibitions, no strings and no responsibilities.

A charming prince of a guy…
Life with Alex is every woman’s fantasy—sizzling sex in the back of a limo, on a private plane, in exotic settings. But it’s not enough to fulfill a woman like Jaye for long. No matter how hot the sex is.

A happy ending?
Alex is soon craving more than Jaye’s body: he wants her love and admiration, too. For the first time in his life, he can’t buy the thing he desires most; and now he must decide if he’s willing to work at being the kind of man that Jaye needs, and give her the happily-ever-after she deserves.

Review:

What I Didn't Like

• The ending felt rushed. It was a happy ending and there was closure...it just felt rushed.
• It had a Cinderella premise, but was kind of predictable. Typical rich man meets and falls for poor girl...not much to set it apart.
• The fact that Jaye was kind of quick to leave with a guy she just met. Would single mothers worried about their kids really leave for a whirlwind vacation with a stranger? I don't know. Maybe it's just me.

What I Did Like

• Although it was quite predictable, the Cinderella theme kind of works for the story. I just wish there was something to set it apart from the other "Cinderella" romance stories.
• The characters were well-developed despite the short length.
• Jaye was a hardworking mother...I loved her strength.

Overall, it was an okay, but quick read. While it wouldn't be on my "Read Again" list, I enjoyed it. The love scenes were quite descriptive. Very hot and steamy. Lol!

Mail Call: Dubai Edition

In My Mailbox is a weekly feature hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Here, we post books that we have bought, borrowed, or received.

About 2 weeks ago, I visited Dubai, which is only about an hour and a half away from me. One of the places on my "Must Visit" list was Book World by Kinokuniya in Dubai Mall. My goodness the place was HUGE! So. Many. Books. We're talking about 68,000 sq. ft. of awesomeness here. You know I was in heaven, right? Cos I was. Book Nerd Heaven.

I had to stop myself from going crazy with the book-buying. I ended up buying a few books. Just a few...

The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable by Dan Gutman

Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-So-Talented Pop Star by Rachel Renee Russell

The Clueless Girl's Guide to Being a Genius by Janice Repka

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I Dare You: Embrace Life With Passion by Joyce Meyer

Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou

Modelland by Tyra Banks

Update/Future Plans

I'm still alive. I promise. Adjusting to living and working in another country has taken longer than I thought it would take. But I AM adjusting and that's what counts. I've just been totally drained by the end of my work days. Who knew teaching 20-something 3 and 4 year olds who don't speak speak your language could be so tiring. Because of my lack of energy, my writing, reading, and blogging has fallen behind. I'm hoping this is only temporary...something I'm experiencing cos I'm in a new country. Adjusting to a new environment takes time, right?


The end of the 1st trimester is near, so I should be good. I plan to relax and enjoy my WELL-DESERVED break in December. Of course, I plan to catch up also. There will be a few changes to both blogs for the new year. What changes, you may ask? Well, you'd have to wait til 2012. Until then, I'll be posting book reviews for the rest of this year.
Stay tuned...

Tickle-Me Tuesday

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Man-ificent Monday: Udi Karni

Manificent Mondays are back! This week's cutie is actually from my side of the world. Udi Karni is an Israeli athlete turned model. Aren't his eyes gorgeous? And I love his lips.
Word(s) to Describe: Cutie pie. Gorgeous.

Inspirational Sunday

"All the believers were united in heart and mind."

Acts 4:32

Rae's Thought: This is a previous post. I'm going to focus on lessons 21st century Christians can learn from 1st century Christians.

Lesson #1: Believers should be united in heart and mind. Somewhere between the first century and now, Christians became divided over the legalities (how to worship God, church laws, what should be worn, etc) of Christianity. Now, we have several groups separated - and sometimes even warring - with each other. But it wasn't always like this. There was a time, in the infant stage of Christianity, when believers were just that...believers.

Christianity was birthed during the first century. At that time, the death/resurrection of Jesus was fresh on believers' minds. Some believed because they witnessed the events first-hand, while others became believers simply because they heard and chose to believe. Either way, the Bible says they were "united in heart and mind." There were no Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, etc. They were just Christians - those who believed in the resurrected Savior, the Son of God. They may have disagreed with each other on certain things, but still they were united.

We, as twenty-first century believers, must become united. Sometimes we get so stuck on whose way is better, on who's the better believer, that we forget that it isn't about us, but about God. When we focus on the differences, not only do we become divided, but we also take the focus off of God and put it on us.

The Bible later tells us that "God's great blessing was upon them all" (Acts 4:33). Do you know how much more God would bless us if we move our focus of off us and put it on Him? Do you know how big of an impact we can have on this world if we were united in heart and mind. We live in a dark world, thirsty and desperate for light. WE can be that light. But first, we need to get over our differences and realize that, under all the legalities, we're all believers who love and believe in Jesus, the Son of God and the resurrected Savior.