Full Throttle - J. K. Maclaren (4.5/5)

 

Rating: 4.5/5

Trope: Female racer, woman-in-man's-world, enemies-to-lovers, 2nd-chance, chemistry.

The FMC and MMC are both young-ish ( old in racing terms, but youngish overall). The story has flashbacks, but it's tasteful and does not give a whiplash. 

I liked the camaraderie between the drivers ( and the competitiveness). It's a novel novel (heh), if only because I have not read about female racers ( my kids love racing, wish I were the same!). There was strong chemistry between the leads even though the ending is Cars ( Disney movie) level of cheesy. 

I still had a smile on my face when I finished reading it so there's that. 

The CEO I Hate The Lockhart Brothers #1 by Leslie North ( 3.5/5 Stars)

Tropes: Brother's best friend, drunken encounter, Firefighters, writers, CEO.

Overall it's 3.5/5 stars.

The pluses:
1. Heroine is professional writer/cartoonist
2. Hero is a CEO
3. Heroine has curly hair? I think?
4. Hero helps heroine land a job (on merit, duh!)


The thing that irked me was that the third act break up was extremely stupid. Literally. The hero is like 38 years old so for him to act like a 22 year old pissed me off. Also, there was no discussion about the TV drama that the whole book was focused on. No discussion of what the show was about, what the first season was about, what the second season was about. It was really weird.

And the heroine is so pretty and accomplished that random people hit on her and her CEO BF is crazy about her but her parents are setting her up with the most pathetic losers? Something isn't meshing.

Thanks to Netgalley and Relay Publishing

Game Point - Meg Jones (3.75/5 stars)

 

3.75/5

Tropes: Friends to lovers, athletes, tennis, grumpy MFC, competition.

I read this book without reading the first book in the series, so my POV is biased because the MFC is expected to be grumpy, bitchy, difficult to manage with angry issues. However, without the context of her behavior from book 1, I found her to be pretty normal. 

She has struggled with winning the finals of any of her professional matches and struggles to comes to terms with it. The reason why I gave it a 3.75 instead of 4.5 was because while some friendship moments were shown between the leads, I didn't feel like there were that many? I mean, sure they watch Twilight together, but I wish more of the banter was shown prior to Oliver becoming Dylan's coach. In my opionion the transition from friends to lovers happened really quickly, I would have liked them to have explored the friend zone more fully. 

The whiplash from the leads wanting to retire, retiring, realizing they don't want to retire, to not retiring was also a bit much, in my opinion. Also, how old were the MFC and MMC? I don't think it said and in my mind that was a thought. Sometimes, despite your best talent, and drive, injuries and age is the limiting factor. And I wondered if that would happen to the leads but I didn't get an answer to this.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the e-ARC.

 

Thrown for a Loop - A New York Legends Hockey Romance - Sarina Bowen (4.5 stars)

                                  

                 

4.5 stars

Tropes: Beta-heroes, ice-hockey, figure skater, second chance, humor

Now this is how to write a romance novel with a strong, independent female protagonist. Zoe is strong, run down, sick of her helicopter mom and ready for a change. Even if it means coming to terms with her first love, Chase.

I really liked their story, which started when they were eighteen and nineteen. Chase is now a renowned ice hockey player and Zoe was a silver medalist. FULL DISCLOSURE: I hate books with dual story lines. THEREFORE, I ABSOLUTELY SKIPPED their history chapters!!! I literally just didn't read them. I feel like the story in the present should be indicative enough of what happened in the past and to be honest, I feel like I got the gist of it. MFC's mom was a bitch and she didn't want her daughter getting distracted from getting her medal.

The female friendships were strong in this one. And I loved the camaraderie that the men's team had with each other.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

Review of The Heir by Sophia Travers (3.75/5 stars)

3.75/5 stars

Tropes: Lost connection, old crush, rich hero, not-that-rich? heroine, angst, pining

Honestly this book deserved 5 stars. IF ONLY it had stopped when the going was good. Unfortunately, it just couldn't recognize a good thing and kept going on and on and on.... (you get the idea).

This is a book full of GOOD ANGST. You know the kind...? it makes your heart stop? The kind where you are IN IT. The only problem is... it doesn't STOP.

The story was just too long. I think a good 1/3 of it could have been edited out, and the outcome would have literally been the same. Both the MMC and the MFC are crazy about each other, had decades long crush ON EACH OTHER. TELL EACH OTHER THAT THE OTHER PERSON IS THE REASON FOR THEIR HAPPINESS AND PROGRESS. EVERYONE (including the readers!) CAN ALSO SEE THIS. And yet they distrust each other SO much that they literally act like young adults in their 20s rather than people who are 30. Also, the Hero is like The Heir and Super rich and yet the heroine DONATES 100K to the local high school. And apparently has done so many times before....SO IS SHE NOT RICH?

Also, there was no mention of the MMC and MFC going to work...? Like, Ok the MMC is a rich bastard and yet in all interactions, he's home chilling reading romance books ( I mean, no shade, because same, but I got a day job yo, so I have to manage the addiction, ya know?), hasn't left the house in a year??? I mean there is literally no mention of the winery (is that what it's called, the place where their family made whiskey?) And what happened to MMC's MOM? Did she run away? Abandon the kids - die? (Inquiring minds want to know!)

The MFC's parents are also just a means to an end. There is literally barely any interaction between her and her parents, but when the big conflict happens, they are suddenly there. And everything is ok? Also, yes, we know that the MMC and MFC love each other. That's what the whole book was about. We did not need two different Epilogues about it ( I think?)


Thanks to Netgalley and Sophia Travers for providing the e-ARC. Views are, obviously, my own.

Oaths & Vengeance Realm of Zadyra #1 by Susan Illene (4 stars)

4 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing the e-ARC. Views are my own

Tropes: other-world, elves, magic, literal-enemies, MFC is a softie, magical garden, powerful MFC, powerful MMC.

Aella is a powerful, magical elf and an orphan. She's 33 but still under the protection of her uncle, a sadistic elf who's leading the war against other elves. The story revolves around the war between the elves and their world slowly dying unless they find an artefact that gives life to their planet. This is book one.


1. The book took me a long time to read despite not being more than 400 pages long. I think it's because the author made a decent effort to make it action packed.

2. Good world building. I was not too invested in other magical creatures which don't play a role in the story. Wisps, centaurs... it didn't matter to me if they didn't move the plot in some way. I sort of skipped those paragraphs.

3. The story is intriguing. MFC who is under the control of her uncle by being cursed, she falls unconscious any time she leaves his territory. MFC who is cursed by not being able to fall in love.

4. The author allowed a world that allows both male and female elves to express themselves sexually without being judged. The rules are the same for both.

BUT
1. Despite a lot of action, I feel like the book could have been condensed. The number of times Aella went on portal trips but then nothing happened, could have been cut down.

2. The extra magical creatures didn't contribute much to the storyline. I think they could have been cut.

3. I kept thinking that according to the story, the MMC can't fall in love with the MFC, but then he was possessive of her, cared for her, craved her, listened to her limitations and followed them, allowed her liberty of his body, was gentle with her, missed her and lusted after her. What is love, if not this. I don't know what the author defines love as, but this is it.

4. Supposedly, the MFC could roam around wherever in the enemy kingdom without going unconscious so that really confused me.

I'll be anxiously waiting for the next installment when they try to reach earth.

Lessons in Faking - Selina Mae (Rating: 4.5/5)

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Tropes: Semi-enemies-to-lovers, trauma, daddy-issues, brothers-enemy, sweet, men-who-cook, girl-needed-a-confidence-booster

This is my first book by this author, and I was hooked from the first page. This is because I have around 100+ books on my TBR list, and unless something has a strong start, I'm not invested. I read the story as a stand-alone, and only got to know about the history of the author once I finished it. Now, let's be real. Are there things out of the realm of belief in this work? Absolutely. Realistically, there are a lot of things I object to. E.g. why did the MFC start dating her brother's supposed arch-nemesis to get her BROTHER'S ATTENTION? Or why the MMC had to have beef with his dad, because that aspect was literally unexplored and unnecessary. Or that the MMC was supposedly so in love with the MFC from the start that NO ONE SUSPECTED?

However, despite these gripes, the story worked well. It did. And the reason is for that is that it is really sweet without being cloyingly so. It's just sweet enough. The chemistry between the main characters is really strong. Read this as a floating leaf in the wind, without a final destination and without too many expectations, and you will love it, especially if enemies-to-lovers is your trope of choice.(Thanks to Netgalley and LYX publishers for providing the ARC. Views are my own)

He Falls First - Jill Shalvis (3.75/5)

 

Rating: 3.75/5 rounded up to 4.

Thanks to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for providing me the e-ARC. Views are my own.

Tropes: sweet romance, beta-hero, trauma-childhood, family-values, siblings, part-of-a-series, sassy-grandma, working-class-hero, working-class-heroine.

This is a sweet romance. I wish there were any other way to describe it, but sweet really does describe it well. The hero, Ryder, is the oldest sibling, takes cares of his family and all the kids were abused by their dad. Now their dad has had 2 strokes and is the sweetest ever, but the siblings are still reeling from the past abuse of their dad. Together, they own and run Colburn Construction.

Penny's mom is unstable and has left her grandma and younger (half?) brother alone. She gives up her job to help them out. She dreams of opening up her cafe, but is so bogged down from day to day, that she can't think straight. She works for the catering company that supplies lunches and snacks to the Colburn Construction.

I will concede that there is no doubt that the hero likes the heroine. All the people around him ALSO know that he likes her. He waits for her delivery and has (supposedly) bumped into walls because he was watching her. My issue is that I wish there were a little more anticipation between the two. The conflicts that each of them took a back seat, where as a reader you sort of discard their issues (they are not highlighted much at all, in my opinion). Because they kiss so naturally and are already so in tune with each other, it seems hard to understand why they aren't together already.

The about-face that Hank (the dad) had... I'm not sure if that was necessary? The relationship between the heroine's mom and herself could also have been explored much more to give more depth.

Rose In Chains - Julie Soto (Narrated by Ella Lynch) 3.5/5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio/Forever for providing me the Audio e-ARC.

Narrated by: Ella Lynch

Tropes: Enemies to lovers, magic users, war-torn, literal enemies, treason

Trigger warning: Human trafficking, auctioning, non-consensual sexual acts, aggression, forced nudity.

I will split this review into 2 parts, the story and the narration.

Narration:
The narration gets a 2.5/5 for me. The narrator was fine. But I feel like this book would have really done so much better with a dual narration style and the male narrator would have suited the story so much more. Any time the female narrator spoke male dialogs, it took me out of the storyline and was absolutely jarring. The narrator was also British ( I believe?) and I had understood Julie Soto be an American writer. I understand that this book was supposedly Dramione fan fic, but if it were being adapted to a wider audience, the book could have been narrated differently

The story:
The story gets a 3.5/5 for me (rounded to 4 because GR does not allow 1/2 stars). I'll share the good stuff first:

1. The outline is pretty cool: Countries fighting right now. They didn't used to. The elite kids went to school together to prevent wars ( clearly this didn't work)

2. MFC is a twin. She has magical gifts that supersedes her male twin, but she has to play nice.

3. MFC is innocent and oh-so-pure, but fantasizes about Toven, the richest boy from behind enemy lines

4. The angst between the leads is nice. There are a couple supposed explicit scenes that were done well. Language alert. Open door explicit

5. The story has a potential to be a block buster.

6. The triggering aspects of this book are thought provoking. It was physically repulsive, but a much needed reminder of how POW have been treated, especially how women have been treated. Made me physically sick to read those scenes.


Problems:
1. There was very little context. From the get-g0 you are thrown into a panic situation with the killing of Rory and the main characters are not given any chance to be developed.

2. The back and forth between present time and the past was super jarring. The panic of the present made me want it to be over and being dragged in the past was like being tortured over and over. I wish the past had been explained in the present instead of as separate chapters. I literally just skipped the past chapters because they added nothing new to the story. You still get the whole context without reading them.

3. The pacing is really, truly BAD. For like middle 1/3 of the book (around 30%), NOTHING HAPPENS to Briony except that she is TIRED, and SO EXHAUSTED, and SO SLEEPY. This literally could have been summarized in ONE PARAGRAPH. As in, "The first month, Briony only slept and BATHED"

4. Which, by the way, HOW MANY BATHS DOES THIS GIRL TAKE? AND IN CAPTIVITY!!!! Too many, if you ask me. It irked me. She is probably the reason why future generations will have a water shortage.

5. The pacing again. Because of Briony's frequent napping and bathing schedule for 300 pages, the last 1/3 of the book is action packed, and (dare I say?) RUSHED. I wish I had gotten more of the last third. It was literally like the author wrote a 2 part series and the editor said, we'll make it a 3 parter and you can insert chapters of MFC just sleeping and bathing.

6. What even is the point of introducing jealousy in the mix, when the MFC and MMC are literal enemies and MFC's life is on the line? So redundant and displeasing (also the MMC and OW is shown to be intimate in front of the MFC -so.... ew!)

7. Why was the OW auctioned? No answers to that. Initially I thought it was because she was gay, but then I guess not?



Overall, it was enjoyable. I wish the story had progressed way more than it actually did. If I had read another novel this long, I'd have expected way more progression in the storyline.

The Weekend Crashers: A Novel Jamie Brenner (3.75 stars)

3.75 rounded to 4

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me the e-ARC. Views are my own.

Tropes: Multiple story lines, knitting retreat, sweet, older MMC, older MFC, mother-daughter-bond.

BLURB:
Maggie Hodges and her daughter Piper are looking forward to a restful knitting retreat in the picturesque village of New Hope, Pennsylvania. But instead, they are surprised to find themselves sharing their charming riverside inn with a rowdy bushcraft bachelor party. Undaunted by the clash of interests and personalities, Maggie suggests a lighthearted competition—a battle of crafts—that sparks a rivalry between the two groups, and perhaps something more. But as the weekend unfolds, old mistakes and buried resentments begin to surface, threatening to destroy Maggie and Piper’s cherished connection.

Review:
This is a sweet women's fic type novel with a romantic element. And I say element because it's all closed-door and even the outcome (when it happens), is left open ended. The mother-daughter bond is very clearly outlined so if you love this trope, go in and have fun.
The older MMC is a sweet dude who's lost his wife and is ready now to move on. Overall this book wasn't high angst or suspense. It was a sweet telling of people moving on and finding love. There's technically three parallel stories running around (Trigger warning, one of them had cheating involved and that left the most bitter taste in my mouth for the remainder of the story!)

Over & Out - Claire Wilder ( 5 stars!)

5 stars!

Views are my own. Thanks to Netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing me the e-ARC

Part of a series but works absolutely as a stand-alone!

Tropes: independent-mfc, celebrity-hero, dual-pov, banter, battle of wills, traumatized-mfc, traumatized mmc, funny

This was a funny/sweet book. I really, really, really liked it. The banter was natural, not forced and I am a fan. My first book from this author, won’t be the last. The book has dual POV and it gives tons of soul to the story. You can feel the angst through the different perspectives and truly root for the leads. The side characters have their own stories, but it can be read a stand-alone.

The ending was a little corny ( in my opinion), I don’t personally like public declaration of love, but that may be a me thing.

Absolutely one of the best reads this year.

Scars of Anatomy - Nicole Alfrine (3.5/5 stars)

Thanks to Netgalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group | W by Wattpad Books for providing the e-ARC. Views are my own.

BLURB:

"Hotshot college quarterback Bronx Miller is on track to make it to the NFL, but while he’s hyper focused on football, that doesn't mean he doesn't have fun. In fact, he’s the most notorious player on and off the field. Even with a zero commitments policy, he’s never met  a girl who can resist him.

However, when he’s paired with straight-A, pre-med student Olivia McCausland as his anatomy lab partner, he realizes he may want something more. Olivia is quiet, thoughtful, and unimpressed by his big-man-on-campus status.

As the semester unfolds with study sessions and bets based on test scores, the pair grow close. Still, even as Bronx starts to let his guard down and shed his playboy persona, outside forces are determined to rip them apart.

While Bronx and Olivia may be more alike than they ever imagined, they’ll have to fight for a future together. Along the way, they’ll both learn that while scars come in various forms, they don’t decide someone’s future."

3.5/5

This is the first time I read a book completely in the guy's POV. So kudos to the author for attaining that. However, the way it was assembled really confused me because I thought the next chapter was the MFC's POV, but it wasn't.

Also, starting the book with how callous the MMC is was perhaps not the best way? Especially when he has a TON of sexual chemistry with a person who is not even the lead? I guess the author was trying to highlight how the MFC was not as beautiful as the other girl, but it actually did the opposite ( in my opinion).

The MFC was just too perfect. Straight A student, giggly, shy glances, sweet.... I mean, not that such people don't exist but they are not perfect ( unless her penchant for the MMC is taken as a character flaw, in which case, ouch!)

The Girlfriend Agreement (3.5 stars) - Rowan Croft

Thanks to Netgalley and Shire-Hill Publications for the e-ARC. The review is my own.

3.5 stars

Tropes: enemies-to-lover, multicultural, genius-lead, misunderstood hero


OK. I love stories where the lead come from 2 different perspectives, hate each other, then understand each other, and then fall in love. And this book introduces a new way to write about 'fuckboy' Damien.

The issue is that the transition between fuckboy Damian and hurt Damian is realllly abrupt. Almost to the point where it gave me a whiplash. The fact that he is so nonchalant about treating women like a commodity ( has a very, 'oh, well...' attitude about it) to being contrite doesn't feel organic.

Also...craigslist ad to advertise for a fake girlfriend? Who even goes on craigslist these days with the advent of facebook marketplace or nextdoor or whatever.

The FMC also fell victim to stereotypes: Kind, poor, genius, with a good head on her shoulders ecept when it comes to the MMC.

I wish the author had started the story from the middle half so we weren't superbly/intimately familiar with the MMC's attitude in the first half. In the 2nd half, he's perfectly fine. Pretty cool, in fact. There's a reason he's as antipathetic as he his, but I wish it had been hinted at earlier when he meets his folks for the first time ( in the book). I loved his relationship with his granma. The sense of community that he feels for his heritage.

Overall a good read.

Let's Make a Scene - Laura Wood ( 5 stars!)

 

(Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me an e-ARC. The review is my own.)

Tropes: m-f, second-chance, long-term-love, slow-burn, humor, fiery-love, funny, friends-are-family, he-falls-hard, alpha-to-beta, beta-hero, independent-heroine.

Ok. Here it is. THIS IS A 5 STAR READ!
OMG. OMG. OMG.

From the first paragraph, I was hooked. The way Laura wrote the scenes made me feel like I was there. I have read over 150 romance books this year (to date). This book has become my favorite find yet!

Favorite things:
- The writing is impeccable. The description is so vivid that you feel it's happening right in front of you.

- The character arc of the MMC is STUNNING. Jack's growth from an asshole to a mature and understanding man is realistic. I have had so many encounters with former asshole classmates/collegues who have changed (for the better) as they have matured.

- The way this book is written, the movie, that MMC and MFC have been a part of, is a character and it acts beautifully to support the growth of our characters.

-I literally imagined Penelope Cruz and Javier because, why not? It's hard to maintain relationships in the entertainment industry and these two have ALSO worked on a movie a long time ago and reconnected and now they have a couple of kids, right? It made Jack and Cynthie's story plausible to me.

- The side characters were really well-written. I loved them all.

-No third act break up ( thank the good lord!)

- Funny, in an understated, every day. Not a deliberate, "I have to put in a joke here" way, but just naturally... pleasant.

- SLOW BURN! but not boring or draggy in ANY WAY. Everything was just sooooooo! Ooooph!


AAAAAH I love this book!!!!!

The way that the MMC and MFC looked back at their behavior was so... natural yet full of angst, that it really hits hard. It could be that I'm an older millenial but that the MFC and MMC both did therapy and destigmatized it really plays a big role. Bring in a diverse supporting characters in a very natural way ( sort of like the cast of Brooklyn 99) and you have a hit on your hands.

Going in my re-read pile.

Behind Enemy Bylines: A Novel - Kathleen Fuller

 

Thanks to Netgalley for providing the e-ARC for review. All views are my own.

3.5 stars.

Tropes: Second chance; sweet romance; older main characters; older heroine; older hero; reunion; behind-closed-doors.

Blurb:
"Sebastian Percival Hudson might have a lofty name but he's as down to earth as it gets, making his living traveling around the deep South and writing slice-of-life articles for the dying newspaper in his picturesque small town. Over the years he's had run-ins with Jade Smith, a type-A former reporter..."

Premise: The story starts in the 2000's and Seb and Jade both work together in Arkansas. They have been going out for about 4 months and Seb is ready to say 'I love you' to Jade ( and does). Jade is a foster kid and has just received news that she may be able to adopt her foster brother. She feels like it's not fair to Seb and breaks things off with Seb.


The next part is about 10 years later when Seb is 40 and Jade is undetermined age.
The pluses:
- Older MMC and MFC. MMC is around 40 and has greying hair.
- The whole culture around small-town newspapers and community
- Side story line about a teenager finding her place in Arkansas (coming from CA)

The best way to describe this story is that it is sweet. It is a very cute/behind-closed-doors, reunion/second chance. There are a couple of side plots that I wish had been explored more fully ( e.g Logan's story (the foster brother). MFC's mom. MMC's sister etc. Even the secondary characters needed to be more fleshed out. As it was, they were like Hallmark versions of stereotypical with not much depth.

Review: Caught Out - Ann Butler (4/5)

 From the Blurb

"Bad Press is her middle name

What does a socially awkward introvert do when she's trolled for not measuring up to her super model mum and gorgeous media personality sister?
If she's Amara Allen, she keeps her armour polished and her punch bag handy. After all, she'll need some way to cope when the trolling becomes too much.
Things start to look up when the man she's been watching for months and has pegged as one of the good guys asks her on a date. Maybe with him she can let her guard down.

As for Nicholas, the man in question, dating a social misfit who struggles to make conversation is not his idea of a good time. But what can he do when her mum is pulling his strings?"

Review

(eARC provided via Netgalley, 2025)

The story's about Amara and her crush on/interest in Nicholas Lewis, a furniture brand mogul. It's not explicitly stated in the book that she is ND so as a reader, you're wondering it, without any confirmation. I wish the author had explicitly stated it so everything fir in better.

Trinity, Amara's mother, gets Nicholas/Lewis (I wish the author had decided what to call him and then stuck with it) to date Amara for 6 months in exchange for a social media campaign. This means the story is a blackmail/extortion trope.

The problem is that you get the clash first. The book starts with Amara finding out so it colors all their interactions negatively (for me). The lack of verbal communication (makes sense in the instance of MFC being ND) makes this an awkward read for at least the first half of the book. The story could have had more visual cues to make up for it, but that's neither here nor there.

Now, a lot of people may have issues with Trinity (the mom) interfering with her child's love life, but it is pretty cultural, I think. SE Asians have their parents arrange their marriages so for us, meh, it's ok.

It's not explicitly stated how old Amara and Nicholas are (as far as I remember) so that aspect would have helped contextualize their interactions as well.

Open door explicit.

Review: How to Break My Heart - Kat T. Masen

 

Thanks to Netgalley for providing the e-ARC of this book.
Tropes: Childhood crush, jealous MMC, jealous MFC, billionaire MMC, working class MFC, tortured-hero.

This is my first book by Kat Masen, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Premise: Everleigh (tragedeigh, anyone?) is best friends with Maddy (not Madeline, but Madelina) and sorta/kinda loves her older brother Aston. They never end up connecting ( almost, but not quite). It's about 10 years later and Aston is now a billionaire, works as CEO for his father's company and the story goes from there. Maddy is getting married and Everleigh and Aston are planning the wedding ( I mean a billionaire can't delegate a staff to do this?)

Good things:
- the writing style.
- it is open door explicit. Scenes are full of tension.
- plot twists

My questions:
- How did Everleigh (nickname Eva, which is NEVER used by anyone!) and Maddy connect? Like, how? When? Since Maddy's dad is so elitist, how did he let his (supposed) kids slum with the working class?
- There is literally no information about the MFC's parents or how she came to open a seemingly profitable shop that ONLY sells donuts and coffee. It irked me because: NOT IN THIS ECONOMY!
- The MFC also doesn't have many other friends, even though she grew up in this 'small' town near NYC. Like, how? Where's your support system, girl?
- The MMC is a billionaire at like 28? I can't tell because their ages are never explicitly stated.

If you can suspend your belief over these, it's a very enjoyable read. I really wish there were more day-to-day interactions between the lead. As it turns out, it was mostly about them hooking up. There were only a couple of times they actually helped each other out. We all know that chemistry doesn't make relationships last. But. Oh, well.

Apparently it is part of a series, but can be read stand-alone.

Handmade Chic - Laura Bennett

Excerpt

In Handmade Chic, Laura shares simple strategies for creating 40 small luxuries and high-fashion accessories, from a smart leather iPad portfolio to a feather-embellished evening bag. With sections organized in skill-building order and based on type of accessory—small leather goods, agendas and notepads, electronics, bags and wallets, and evening items—Laura offers patterns, easy-to-follow diagrams, and detailed instructions for fabricating each glamorous project, whether it involves sewing from scratch or embellishing a prepurchased garment. While showcasing her own creative designs, she provides readers with the basic techniques and encouragement they need to come up with variations and create their own signature pieces.
Packed with Laura’s signature flair and finesse, vibrant four-color photos, step-by-step drawings, and a complete list of suggestions on where to purchase materials, Handmade Chic is an accessible guide to at-home crafting that is elegant enough for the most modern, fashion-savvy of women.

Review
How can you make something hand made look high-end? Is there something wrong with all the crafts people do that makes them fall short of commercial stuff? To be honest, I've found the thing that counters this the creativity that goes into these projects. I love crafting and I've found that you can almost always create something on par with commercial stuff if you know what you're doing. Laura Bennett brings to the front is that the starting material is what basically gives your hand made stuff that extra special something that'll give you finished product the polish it requires. 

The material of choice for this book is (p)leather. I can understand it. Nothing speaks class as classic cut and sewn leather pieces and Laura is known for her classic cuts and designer pieces. 

I do feel, however, that other materials could have been included as not everyone is comfortable with the material she chose to portray. It would have been a better pitch if she had chosen some cheap polyester material and 'made it work', I guess. The other thing which I felt was lacking was that most of the stuff made were accessories which are fine but some old crafters would have preferred other items (or jewelry stuff maybe for kids so everyone can get on the bandwagon?) 

I did like the ideas however. The pattern is well explained. The thing are well made (no surprise), look expensive and yet easy enough to be tried. The ideas are aplenty and this book can and will serve as an inspiration to both novice and experienced sewers.

First Date - Krista McGee

Excerpt:

Addy Davidson is the last girl in the country who wants to be on the new reality TV show to win a date to prom with the President's son. She's focused on her schoolwork so she can get a scholarship to an Ivy League college, uncomfortable in the spotlight, never been on a date, and didn't even audition for it.

But she got selected anyway.

So she does her best to get eliminated on the very first show... right before she realizes that the President's son is possibly the most attractive guy she has ever seen in person, surprisingly nice, and seemingly unimpressed by the 99 other girls who are throwing themselves at him.

Addy's totally out of her comfort zone-but that may be right where God can show her the most about who she is . . . and who she was meant to be.

Review:


I loved the concept of the book. It sounded fun and relevant, exactly what a YA novel should sound like...But...well, let's see: 

The good: 
The character development was nice. Kara specially was really well written (perhaps too well?). I also liked the back story of Addy's parents. It brought tears to my eyes, it felt that real and the pain was tangible. 

I did however had some issues with the story 
a) I think the story just progressed unnaturally. Why'd Addy get chosen? I never understood that and the supposed answers didn't satisfy me. 

b) The constant complaining (or at least the statement by the author) that Addy didn't want to be there. Yes, we got that but you made a commitment...let's move on 

c) Jonathan. I just don't understand him running into Addy whenever. These reality shows really control these sort of interactions so that just rang false with me. Yes, I know... it's fiction but still. 

d)The religious element just got in the way of the story for me. I might've said I'm not meant to read christian stories but that'd be false because I not only managed to read The Next Door Boys by Jolene Perry without a problem, I actually enjoyed it. 


Still it was  a cute book with some very nice elements and with a healthy dose of how people are manipulated on these reality shows to be portrayed as really mean and angry (and selfish)

OMG Pancakes!: 75 Cool Creations Your Kids Will Love to Eat by Jim Belosic

Excerpt

Over 75 recipes for crazy pancake concoctions... Good-bye cupcake...Helloooo, PANCAKES!

When Jim Belosic started making pancakes in unusual designs, he was just trying to earn some cool cred with his daughter, Allie. Little did he know how happy he'd make her-and the millions of fans who eagerly await his latest creations on the Internet.

Review:

I was super impressed with Jim's daily escapades in order to entertain his daughter and I have to admit I requested this book to learn a trick or two from him. Boy, did I ever... 

I learnt: 

-You really need to think a little bit outside the box to make the most mundane thing fun 

-Simplicity really is everything. All those designs I thought were complicated? Weren't. Great tutorials and schemes 

-Epic fun is epic fun! The book illustrates some of his popular designs but they also provide inspiration for you to experiment. 

A great activity to with kids ( or even adults) which gives me an idea...