Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn.

courtesy of Google.

I have been super lazy these days but i wanna make up by giving my honest review of newest installation from Julia Quinn, Just Like Heaven. :)

I bought this novel at MPH (okay, Hafidz bought it for me lol) last Thursday and I read thru few pages at KFC while waiting for buka puasa time, and I was pretty happy with my choice of book. That's because this is my first time reading a novel which has a character that satisfies my guilty pleasure- an emo-like-but-actually-a-very-nice-historical-romance-hero. I never came across this kind of character in a novel. Thus, i fell in love with this book almost instantly.

Actually, the hero, Marcus Holroyd is not an emo guy, but Julia Quinn portrays him as a silent with disdainful face. The heroine of the story, Honoria Smythe-Smith says that she could not determine whether Marcus is the hero or the villain in gothic novels. He looks like he is serious about everything, and people regard him as a serious person. But deep inside, he actually has a sense of humor. Yes, I have a knack for this kind of character. I love reformed rakes characters too, but sometimes we would want to take a break from reading novels which the heroes always make sexual advances to the heroines in it, right? (But maybe because the hero is in his sickbed for 1/3 pages of the novel lol) :)

Honoria Smythe-Smith makes quite a character too because she is not an annoying character. She is not your oh-i-am-so-weak-i-shall-swoon-on-everything or i-am-so-strong-you-would-not-dare-to-play-around-with-me type. More likely in the middle, i guess. She is one of the infamous female quartet from Smythe-Smith family which will perform 'not quite a musicale' every year. Haha, If you guys have read Julia Quinn's other installments such as Bridgerton series, you would know that the musicale is the horror-est event for music lovers, as the quartet themselves are not really capable (horribly untalented) of playing the notes. The audience would have to bring cotton bud to keep their ears from bleeding. Some want to destroy their instruments so that they would not be able to play again. lol.

I love the story, and I love the characters. Thus i am giving this book my 4/5 stars. :)

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

Bought this novel last week, and put my hands on it today.

And I couldn't stop reading it. :D

This novel is my bestest-unconditional-yet-randomest-choice of book, ever. PERIOD.

And while reading this, I was literally picturing every detail of the err- the cooking part (and literally salivating over foie grass with apricot glaze, orange-chocolate souffle with two homemade sorbet, Egg Benedict or whatever-freaking-Greek gourmet and I was fasting. C-RAPPP.)

And I shall say Sophie Kinsella is officially listed as one of my favorites. (Though I can't seem to register that the main character's name is Samantha- why Samantha, again?) The plot, is pretty interesting, however, too much fairytale thingy are going on and it made me "uh, it should be this way instead of that way" and "uh, so random...wth" .But I laughed my butt off because of the it lol.

Ah, and no steamy scenes! Perfect for teenagers, romance can be sensually depicted without any pornographic description! :D

I'll give Undomestic Goddess my 4/5 stars! :D

Bah! One down two to go!

Lady Sophia's Lover by Lisa Kleypas

It's time, it's time! (Alice Cullen way)

It's time for me to do this again- the so-called review!

Now, now. When it comes to Lisa Kleypas, you don't wan't to miss her Bow Street Runners Series.

But first of all, what is a Bow Street Runner? I also didn't know what the heck is that until I laid my eyes on her 'Someone to Watch Over Me'. According to wikipedia, the Bow Street Runners have been called the Professional Police Force, founded by Henry Fielding in 1749. They were called 'thief-takers' but somehow they were related to the Magistrate because they were paid by them using the central government funds to do...er...stuff. Okay, no need to elaborate, you can find the article here.

And...here it goes....

Sophia Sydney, once a lady, lost her title due to extinction of the title line because her little brother is believed to be dead in prison several years back, and seek for revenge from the very person who was at the time of her brother's execution, the Magistrate, Sir Ross Cannon. She wants to smudge his reputation, and the worst of all she wants him to fall in love with her- and take away her love from him- the very sweet and bitter revenge. So she comes to his office, asking for job which a female hired is unheard off. Her wrath and determination, however dissolved after some time, as she believes that she is in love with him.

Sir Ross Cannon, after the loss of his wife, celibates until Sophia Sydney comes to no. 4, Bow Street to ask for a job. He could not resist the temptation from Sophia, as she works in the same office as him, her scent lingers around him, her delicate movement seems to fascinate him.

The characters, Sophia and Ross are very strong and unique. Like Sophia, I never came across a female character that aged 25 years and above in any historical romance novel, (and in the novel, she is quite old- she's 28 years old and wayyy past her marriage age.O_O). Sir Ross however, is Ms Kleypas perfect hero, again the wealthy, the strong and the important character- but chooses to work his butt off in a professional career, being a Bow Street Runner unlike the others (the LORDS, the EARLS, yada3x). The plot, the storyline is really captivating, and interesting- as a little added twist about the little brother who is indeed a main character from her earlier 'Someone to Watch Over Me' novel. The development of characters are very detailed- a praise to Ms Kleypas, as usual.

As for me, this novel is worth to keep, and definitely my another 5 stars. :)

Immortal Sins by Amanda Ashley

Ahoy!

Time to review! :)

Uhuh..yeah. The plot- vampire-helpless-and-stranded-in-a-painting-and-saved-by-prey intrigues me. Ow yeah. Even though my passion for vampirism has faded after 'Twilight fever', I was tempted to read this book because of the synopsis. Aha yeah. Again, the author is my favorite paranormal author, and I was kinda expecting the unexpected from her but I guess after reading almost all of her novels, everything is kinda the same, well- vampire meets his mate kind of story. He meets her, he falls for her, he protects her, and blah blah blah...BUT what I really like- oh well...what's new from this author is the painting bit, well definitely the painting and what I don't like about this book is the heroine. She is too fragile, too stupid and she faints too much..eheh. For me, if you guys are not a fan of mushy vampire love story, this book is not for you guys.

My personal rating for this novel : 3/5

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas.

Yes I know- I KNOW this book is one of her old books but I could not resist. :)

I have to make a review on this wonderful novel. If you are a historical romance novel freak, you should get you hands on the book. And I am 1000% sure that you guys will love it!

I skipped the second volume of the wallflower series so I had no idea that the hero- Sebastian St Vincent is the extraordinary villain in that novel. But cut the rest- it's the third book here I am talking about. Yes, the third book. The story starts with Evie, the UNLIKELY heroine comes to St Vincent, the UNDISPUTABLE-IMMORAL rake to ask his hand for marriage. She needs him- and why him? to be her protector from the unchivalrous family of her. St Vincent, on his disadvantage (read the book! no spoilers :P) feels that he must marry no other than Evie when Evie enlighten him that her father will die- soon and she will get her inheritance for him, but in exchange- He must marry her.

Oooo yeah, I am rooting for both of them since the first page! I love how rakish St Vincent can be on Evie, and I love how innocent Evie can be on him! And I love how Evie overcome her shyness through the story, and how he open up his unsaveable heart to love Evie. It starts of with marriage of convenience and becomes so much deeper in the story- and I cried, I laugh, and I was amused, by the lines, the plot, and how Ms Kleypas delivered the story in Devil in Winter. And I was literally drooling when I planted my imagination to my head on his looks- Sebastian St Vincent (Gosh, his name sounds SEXAY too!). Here are some of unforgettable quotes that I found so amusing, and what make the book is worth reading :)

"Because I’m Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent. I can’t be celibate. Everyone knows that." -St Vincent

"“A lang, lang time ago…” MacPhee began, ignoring St.Vincent’s low groan, “there was a bonnie maid called Malvina. She was the betrothed of Oscar, the braw warrior who won her heart. Oscar bade his beloved tae wait for him while he went tae seek his fortune. But one black day Malvina received word that her lover had been killed in battle. He would lie forever in eternal rest in the faraway hills…lost in endless slumber…”
“God, I envy him,” St. Vincent said feelingly, rubbing his own dark-circled eyes."- St Vincent

And for this book, i'd love to give it my first 5/5. :D

Lavender Morning by Jude Deveraux

Yet another review, on Lavender Morning by Jude Deveraux.

Jude Deveraux is one of my favorite authors but I think her books are somewhat between a hit or a miss. For this new installment of a new series, I'd think this book is her miss. Why? Because I am utterly disappointed with the lack of romance in it, well this book is supposed to be a romance novel but yet I didn't feel any romance in it. The main guy- is tough one, I hate the kind of guy like him ( You have to read the book to know) and Jocelyn, well she's acceptable but I couldn't find the reasons to like her, more. The one who awes me is her dead grandmother, Edilean or Miss Edi. For times, I thought of 'hands off' from the book, but since I paid RM 35++ for this book, I decided to keep reading. The book itself is wonderfully written but I think the ending is too rushed, well from my point of view.

And this book is so not my kind of book, but for those who loves to get in a family drama, this book would be the right one for you. My rating for this book, 2/5

Tempt Me at Twilight by Lisa Kleypas

Hi folks. Another review on Lisa Kleypas' novel, Tempt Me at Twilight!

Tempt Me at Twilight is her latest book. I bought it on 24th (and it's my so-called personal Christmas present lol) and the disease of don't-really-want-to-finish-Ms-Kleypas'-novel-because-the-fear-of-nothing-to read-afterward strikes again. lol. But finally, I managed to finish this book....but with lethal disappointment. ( Sorry Ms Kleypas T_T)

Again, I don't want to spoil you guys but sorry, this time Ms Kleypas failed to dazzle me into Hathaway's world, as her previous works of 'Seduce Me at Sunrise' and 'Mine Till Midnight', which I found very captivating and irresistibly... absorbing. The interactions between the main leads, Harry Rutledge and Poppy Hathaway (lolled at their names, again, sorry Ms Kleypas) seems dull, and the attempts to make readers to fall in love with those two characters are..well they are not working for me. Harry is one complex hero, or should I say...a villain? and Poppy, the most conventional sister in Hathaway family. I felt sorry for the other character, the one who supposed to be the 'hero' (but he's super weak! lol) . And for the first time, I kind of skipped a little few pages, here and there because I felt they were not really necessary, to be included in the story. I hate to skip, but well I couldn't help it. However, there are few memorable lines and events that make this book worth to read. :)

I would say this book is not at her best (my all-time favorite is 'Devil in the Winter'), yet I don't really regret buying this one. :) My personal rating : 3.0/5

Blue Eyed Devil by Lisa Klepas

Wow.

That's what in my mind after reading Blue Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas. In my previous post, I have mentioned that I kinda skipped this one, as this one is the second installment of Travises Saga. Well, thought about it and why not give this novel a try, though? And it turned out this is one of the best contemporary romance novels that I have ever laid my hands on.

Blue Eyed Devil is the story of Hardy Cates, the villain guy from the first book, Sugar Daddy and Haven Marie Travis, the only daughter of Churchill Travis. And as usual, the story is written from heroine's point of view where the plot starts off at Travis Mansion, celebrating Cage and Liberty's wedding (from Sugar Daddy). The characters are introduced neatly, both old and new, one by one as we get to know the relationship between Haven and Nick, her fiance and of course, our hero, the goddamn sexy Hardy Cates.

And why was I wow-ing this novel? Yeah, this book is also about how a woman, married and alone, deals with domestic, emotional and verbal abuse from her husband, not to mention that she has to deal with the narcissistic authority at her workplace, as well. I would like to say that actually, this novel touches the critical point of narcissism, where the person who has this type of personality disorder tends to think he or she is normal and does what is right, but actually the act itself is beyond norm and cruel. They are not aware of what 'normal' really is. And reading the novel, it was like I am in Haven's shoes, experiencing her suffering, and stuff.

One flaw that I could point out is the romance between Hardy and Haven, is kinda fast-paced and it can be longer, though. I mean, realistically, Haven or any women out there should take a little while to heal and stuff after they had gone through such a pain-in-the-ass experience.

Emm. Other than that, I will rate this novel as 4.5 stars. And seriously, definitely, a keeper. :)

Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas

Another contemporary romance novel from Lisa Kleypas, my favorite historical romance novel author ( alongside Julia Quinn, Judith Mcnaught, etc etc) and a third installment of Travises Saga.

Smooth Talking Stranger is a story about yet another Churchill Travis's son, Jack Travis. Jack Travis is the only soft-hearted family member in the Travises and as usual, one of the mega-millionaire in Houston, Texas and one of the family's uncomplicated playboy (oh yeah..). The story is told in Ella Varner's point of view, (Ella Varner is the heroine, here here)..

The plot started with an introduction of Ella Varner's perfect life, her boyfriend Dane, her job as a columnist until one day, Ella is disturbed with her mother's phone call, the flight and the new-born baby of her beautiful sister, Tara Varner. Dane comforts her to go to her mom, Candy Varner to help out and see what she can do about it, but its not easy for her as Candy is her living hell and the source of every single problem of her in the past.

She helps to babysit the new born baby, Luke and it leads to a meeting with Jack Travis, one of the candidates of Luke's father. Jack protests that he did not sleep with Tara, but Ella keeps pushing him to do the DNA test which eventually, he agrees to do it but there is something that Jack really wants from Ella....

I read this novel for 2 days, because I don't want the story to end! Ya, stuff like this happens when I read Lisa Kelypas's novels, and because I have read almost all of her novels, I couldn't bear with the fact that I won't be able to read her new story in a short while... sobs.

By the way, I'm going to quick review the novel (even though I kinda skipped Blue Eyed Devil, the second installment). The characters are well-depicted, and I love how Ms. Kleypas portrays Jack in the novel. The heroine, is quite okay, she's a tough one (yeah, I know I screamed those words in my mind,' WHY THE HELL YOU KEEP PUSHING JACK AWAY EVEN THOUGH HE'S NICE TO YOU!!!'). Ah, forgot to mention, Luke, the baby. Even though he could not talk at all, but every time he's in the scene, I smiled because he acts so cute and I don't think of him as a nuisance for both Ella and Jack, at all. And cameo of familiar characters from previous novels, too ( kinda as a follow up from previous stories).

The plot? hm.. okay, though. Won't tell you much because I can't spoil it for you, you have to spoil it yourself. :P But overall, I will give this book 4/5 stars. Not the best contemporary ever because I have read a better one than this, but you can consider Smooth Talking Stranger as a keeper. :D

Another Review on The Dark One, by Ronda Thompson.

Yet another personal review from me, of The Dark One by late Ronda Thompson. Before this one, I have reviewed a novel that has been the best historical romance ever for me, Silent Melody by Mary Balogh. Being a historical romance-freako, I suddenly thought of something. Why can’t I add up some twist to it with a little bit of paranormal romance? So, I read this one as a starter and…well, actually it’s not really that bad. I mean, I can see Twilight things are going on in the plots…which it made me feels like, I’m currently reading a werewolves-and-regency romance version of Twilight. But the plots are a little lot CHEESY. Lol.

The story opens up at a London Ball (not specified where it was as other historical romance), Lord Armond Wulf, Marquess of Wulfglen is out to Society since a prostitute was found dead in his stable. Society of London thinks that he murdered the poor woman (his brothers and him are shunned out from Society because of the dead parents and the ‘insanity curse’, that’s why they assume it that way), but actually there is no real proof to it. Armond has attended the ball in the company of an old family friend, a dowager duchess. No one could be more surprised when a beautiful young woman, Lady Rosalind Rutherford, approaches Armond and asks him to ‘please ruin me! I need to save myself from my stepbrother!!’.

Lady Rosalind Rutherford is newly arrived in London, summoned by her nasty stepbrother Franklin, who is now her guardian. Franklin has squandered Rosalind’s inheritance and is about to marry her off to settle his gambling debts to ‘someone-that-I-don’t-really-remember-his-name-and-I-dunno-why’. Rosalind, to free herself from her stepbrother, needs Armond to do the deeds because of his own shattered reputation. By ruining herself…ehem…or to be bold, by losing her virginity, she will not be able to marry that ‘someone-that-I-don’t-remember-his-name-and-I-dunno-why’. However, Armond’s conscience prevents him from carrying things too far, and Rosalind is returned to the bosom of her cruel stepbrother without losing her virtue.

Armond can’t take his mind off thinking of Rosalind, met her during a tea party and Armond notices the bruise on her cheek. Armond visits Rosalind in her bedchamber after hearing her weeping (they are next-door neighbours, lol) , only to find that a woman was found hanged in the house – a servant who had been abused by Franklin. The body is placed at his stable, AGAIN, and he is arrested. Rosalind knows Armond couldn’t have committed the crime, because he was with her all night, though only to comfort her. She admits this to the authorities and then, Armond and Rosalind are married. Armond tells her he will never love her, and it will be a marriage of convenience unless she wishes otherwise – it’s her decision.

Armond, and his three brothers, Gabriel, Jackson and one missing brother (still why can’t I remember the names?!!) are anciently cursed with werewolves stuff and they have made an oath to not to marry because Armond’s father committed suicide due to the curse and his mother died of a broken heart. He’ll never risk his own heart and Rosalind’s life but…well.

One thing that I don’t really like is Rosalind. She is just plainly and passively drawn by the author. It makes me wonder that MAYBE, her stepbrother is one of the main characters, instead of Rosalind herself. I mean, her character is emotionally underdeveloped that other characters can shine brightly than hers. Much as I sympathized with her problem, she spends much of the book as a rather passive puppet.

The Dark One has been a quite benchwarmer for me in exploring a twist of paranormal and historical romance, but it’s not enough for me, though. I’ll say this book is 3 out of 5 because I manage to finish it. Anyone? Recommendations?

Silent Melody by Mary Balogh

I laid my hands on Mary Balogh's Silent Melody for the first time on Saturday. I never read her writtings before and I don't know what to expect, so I decided to pick up the book when I read ALL ABOUT ROMANCE.com reviews on it. Okay, for the first to the tenth page, the story was kinda dragged with no fullstop. I mean, too fast for me to get to know the characters.

Then for the next pages I started to get familiar with Emily, the mute and deaf heroine who can read lips and Ashley, a guy that returns home to England and to the bosom of his family and Emily-of course, after several years in India. Even though he totally forgot her existence while he was in India, Ashley, tall, dark and requisitely handsome, has never had any problem communicating with Emily. Emily, deaf since a childhood illness, knows that Ashley is the only person who truly understands her. They develop a sign language all of their own and their love is like a living thing that leaps off the pages of the book to draw the reader into their story.

I dont know if you guys r really into historical romance, but I strongly recommend this book as a keeper , because I cried- CRIED through the halfway of the book. Truly, I can't stop crying from page 10 till page 160++, I simply can't resist the temptation to cry because Mary Balogh has beautifully written the novel even though it's lacked with dialogues. I mean, the heroine can't talk you silly , but how she defined her silent world and her feelings towards Ashley makes you really understand what the disables-deaf and mute are thinking.

I'll give this book 4.5 over 5 stars - The best Historical Romance I ever read.