Review: A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest

Title: A Shade of Vampire (A Shade of Vampire #1)
Author: Bella Forrest
Publication: December 14th 2012
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Source: Provided by the kind author...

On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.

A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.

She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.
An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.

Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.

Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.

Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?

-- My Rating --

3.5 / 5 Oscars : Liked it...

-- My Thoughts --

     I have noticed, through these couple of years that I have started reading paranormal, many of the books that deal with vampires are replicas of Twilight. This one was not. It was a mixture of Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, and some other third material that I couldn't quite put my finger on.
     Sophia is a normal seventeen-year-old girl. But when she is kidnapped and taken to a place where the sun never shines, she will learn that walking all alone at night is never a good idea. And that the only way to survive in a place where everyone wants to drink your blood, is to make Derek Novak fall in love with her, head over heels.
     The characters in this book were typical. Sophia was brave, although sometimes i couldn't just fathom how she could be so calm when she had the chance of being eaten every second. I loved her calm manner, at times. Derek is a babe. He is a great guy but he reminded me of Edward, which I didn't like, at all. This book was enjoyable in its own way, but I had one complaint, it finished too soon. I felt like it was rushed, and the ending came too soon.
     Although not my favorite book, but i will continue with this series to see where Ms. Bella Forrest will take it from here.

Review: Glamorous Illusions by Lisa T. Bergren

Title: Glamorous Illusions (Grand Tour Series #1)
Author: Lisa T. Bergren
Publication: June 1st 2012 by David C. Cook
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: Provided by the kind publisher..

When Cora Kensington learns she is the illegitimate daughter of a copper king, her life changes forever. Even as she explores Europe with her new family, she discovers that the most valuable journey is within. The first book in the Grand Tour series takes you from the farms of Montana through England and France on an adventure of forgiveness, spiritual awakening, and self-discovery.

-- My Rating --

4.5 / 5 Oscars: Loved it...

-- My Thoughts --

     I have not read many reviews of this book and I had not heard of the author before, but I was totally missing out. I was not such a great fan of historical fiction, but this book made me want to read every single historical book that is out there!

      Cora's life was normal up until she discovered that she is the daughter of a copper king. And now, she has to go on the Grand Tour with his three arrogant. children. The Grand Tour is a tour of self-discovery and knowledge and Cora will learn much more about herself than she had ever dreamed. She will make new friends, possible love interests and might even fall in love.

      I absolutely adored the idea of the Grand Tour in this novel. I had not heard of it before, although it might not be called original, it was still a great introduction into that time frame of history. Ms. Bergren's cast of characters were versatile, unique and equally adorable. Cora is a girl you will root for, and eventually love. A girl you wish you were. Pierre and Will are genuine love interests and I fell for them both. Specially Pierre and his charm. I still can't decide which one I lean on to.

     Ms. Lisa has added elements of romance and history into a novel that is as memorable as an actual true story. I am looking most forward to reading the second book in this series, which will surely be even better...

Review: Second Stone by Kelly Walker

Title: Second Stone (Souls of The Stones #2)
Author: Kelly Walker
Publication: February 15th 2013 by Kelly Walker
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Provided by the kind author...

With her prince by her side, Emariya Warren begins the journey to Sheas to confront her uncle and bring her father home. 

Only days after leaving the castle, the devastating news of her brother's continued treachery threatens to tear Torian and Emariya apart. But before Emariya can try to repair the rift between her and her prince, she must first answer one important question. Why can't she wake up?

-- My Rating --

4/5 Oscars: Really liked it...

-- My Thoughts --

     I am always weary about the second books in series. New Moon (Twilight #2) was too depressing, Torment (Fallen #2) didn't capture me at all. So, you can guess my doubts about this. Fortunately, Second Stone was as intriguing and as lovely as the first book. 

     Emariya and Torian have tested the saying "love conquers all" a lot of times but their hearts are still in conflict. But suddenly, Emariya finds herself lost in darkness, in emptiness and she cannot seem to wake up. Will love truly conquer all or will their enemies finally be able to tear them apart?

     In this book, we are familiar with the characters. They have grown on us, so now, we can be able to tell them apart and root for them more. The character development of Emariya and Torian was inevitable. They got to taste the power of true love. But what really set this apart from me, was the secondary characters. They are unique and add so much to the story.

     Although this book was a little predictable at times, it's still very enjoyable. I loved what I felt through it, and I cannot wait to see what Kelly Walker is going to do for the rest of this series.... 

Review: Be Careful What You Wish For by Alexandra Potter

Name of book: Be Careful What You Wish For
Author: Alexandra Potter
Publication: January 2nd 2006 by Hodder & Stoughton
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Owned

Heather Hamilton is always wishing for things. Not just big stuff - like world peace, or that Brad Pitt wants her as his next leading lady - but little, everyday wishes made without thinking. With her luck, she knows they'll never come true...
Until one day she buys some heather from a gypsy. Suddenly the bad hair days stop. A handsome American answers her ad for a housemate. She starts seeing James - The Perfect Man who sends her flowers, excels in the bedroom, and isn't afraid to say "I love you".
But are these wishes-come-true a blessing or a curse? Does getting what you want make you happy? And is there such a thing as too much foreplay?

-- My Rating --

3/5 Oscars: Liked it...

-- My Thoughts --

     I have read only one book of Alexandra Potter's and although it is not a favorite of mine, I still enjoyed the quiet insecurity of the main character and the flow of the story.This book fell short for me in a couple of ways but it was amazing in others.
     Heather is definitely not the luckiest girl in the world, but she loves to make lists of wishes, even if none of them come true. But when one day, a gypsy woman gives her some lucky heather, suddenly, everything she wanted and wished for starts coming true. But what a girl wants is not always what a girl needs. Will Heather find love midst her wishes?
     I loved the idea of the lucky heather and the wishes coming true. It was like a fairy tale and Heather's wishes are believable, but not realistic. I would have the same wishes if i knew they would come true! Anyways, Heather's character is one that I loved. Her clumsiness, quick wit, and sarcasm were relate-able. The romance was a huge part of the book and i liked it, but I didn't really BELIEVE that Heather and the guy were really in love. Maybe it happened too fast. 
     Something else that bothered me in this book was that I didn't really connect with some of Heather's decisions. But I don't blame this on the author, it was just that Heather has passes her twenties and i am still in my teen years, so it was maybe some age thing.  I loved passing the time reading this book and it won't be my last Alexandra Potter book, definitely try this out. Romance fans will love it!

Review: This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

Name of book: This Is Not A Test
Author: Courtney Summers
Publication: June 19th 2012 by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: YA Paranormal
Source: Owned

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually wantto live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

-- My Rating --

3/5 Oscars: Liked it...

-- My Thoughts --

     I have read Courtney Summers' Cracked Up to Be and I was not happy with it. It was a little too cliché and confusing. But happily, this was much better and I have to admit that Courtney is much better in the paranormal and suspense genres than in the good ol' contemporary.
     Sloane's life was one living hell with her father, but when a dangerous flu spreads and people get all crazy and cannibal-ic, she tries to find ways to die. But being with five other teenagers in a locked-up high school who would do anything to survive, doesn't really give her much choice but to play along.
     I dove into this book expecting it to be horrific, gruesome and full of zombie-lore. While I got my share of zombie-lore, it was too little for my liking. But the lack in the plot-development was paid for by the uniqueness of the main character. Sloane is such a broken character and it was hard not to root for her. Although she made stupid decisions, the lack of anyone who cared about her in her life made up for it, somehow. I believed her motivations and her crave for love was sweet.
     Why I didn't give five stars? Well, first, there was not much action in this book, all they did was sit around and wait for the zombies to barge in and kill them. Second, most of the characters, except Sloane, were somehow poorly developed. They added charisma to the story and they had significance but I failed to sympathize with any of them. All in all, I am glad that I read this book and it was definitely unique, since I have not read anything like it before!