Mini Shopaholic: Review

Mini Shopaholic

by: Sophie Kinsella

Nothing comes between Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) and her bargains. Neither act of God nor budget crunch can shatter her dreams of wall-to-wall Prada. Every milestone in her well-shopped life (travel, long-lost sister, marriage, pregnancy) inspires new vistas to explore in the name of retail therapy. But now she faces her greatest little challenge yet: Becky’s two-year-old daughter, Minnie.

While motherhood has been everything Becky dreamed it would be—Baby Dior, Little Marc Jacobs, and Dolce & Gabbana for toddlers—adorable Minnie is wreaking havoc everywhere she goes, from Harrods to her own christening. Her favorite word is “MINE!” and her penchant for Balenciaga bags, Chanel sunglasses, and online purchases has no rival under age five.

Becky is at her wits end. On top of this, she and her husband Luke are still living with her parents. Thankfully it appears house buying attempt number four is a go! Until a huge financial crisis causes panic everywhere, and nobody wants to shop—not Becky’s personal shopping clientele, not her friends, nobody. And with Luke in the doldrums, it’s time for Becky to step in—with a party: A surprise birthday party for Luke (on a budget) is the perfect antidote to everyone’s woes. At first.

Will Becky manage to keep the party of the year a surprise? Can she hire jugglers, fire-eaters, and acrobats at a discount? Will enlisting the help of Luke’s unflappable assistant to convince him to have another baby realize her dream of matching pom-poms? Will Minnie find a new outlet for her energetic and spirited nature (perhaps one with sixty percent markdowns)? She is, after all, a chip off the old shopping block. And everyone knows a committed shopper always finds a way.

First Line(s): OK. DON'T PANIC. I'm in charge. I, Rebecca Brandon ( nee Bloomwood), am the adult. Not my two-year old daughter.

My Review: I am not certain if I was not into the book because of the story line or because I am not into this genre of books at the moment. I still found Becky to be witty and entertaining, this was not lost in this book. But I did feel this book went in way too many directions. Will this stop me from reading any further book should there be one? Nope, I will still read.

My Review: 3 stars

414 pages

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Vanished: Review

Vanished

(Private Series #12)

by Kate Brian

Synopsis:

Lost and found...
Against all odds, Reed Brennan re-established Billings as an underground literary society. She and the new initiates created a glamorous secret headquarters and were ready to show Easton Academy that even though Billings House is gone, the Billings Girls are stronger than ever. But before Reed had a chance to revel in her success, something horrible happened:

Noelle disappeared.

Now Reed has no idea who wants to hurt Noelle or why, but it's up to Reed to save her. As the clues build up, the clock ticks down, and Reed fears that unless she finds Noelle soon, she'll lose her friend forever....

First Line: I couldn't sustain this for much longer.

My Review: I had this book finished in just a over a day, so Kate Brian gets major points there, but other than that I believe the story line is grasping now. Will this stop me from picking up the next book out in December, no but I feel that the story line is running out of places to go, which leads us to the Prequel Kate Brian is releasing. I remain hopeful that I am wrong though.

My Rating: 3 stars

203 pages

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Geek Charming: Review

Geek Charming

by Robin Palmer

Synopsis:

Dylan Shoenfield is the princess of L.A.'s posh Castle Heights High. She has the coolest boyfriend, the most popular friends, and a brand-new "it" bag that everyone covets. But when she accidentally tosses her bag into a fountain, this princess comes face-to-face with her own personal frog: selfprofessed film geek Josh Rosen. In return for rescuing Dylan's bag, Josh convinces Dylan to let him film her for his documentary on high school popularity. Reluctantly, Dylan lets F-list Josh into her A-list world, and is shocked to realize that sometimes nerds can be pretty cool. But when Dylan's so-called prince charming of a boyfriend dumps her flat, her life and her social status comes to a crashing halt. Can Dylan with Josh's help pull the pieces together to create her own happily-ever-after?

First Line: One day I was watching Oprah, waiting for her to get to her "Favorite Things for Spring" segment ( she has the cutest taste in accessories), I heard this self-help guru guy say that teh word crisis in Chinese is actually two words: danger and opportunity.

My Review: For some reason the movie Can't Buy Me Love was with me the whole time I was reading this book. This book did a really good job on nailing what life is like for everyone in High School! The ups, the downs and everything in between. Don't judge that book by the cover because you never know what you might get, same can be said for your fellow student ( mankind).

My Rating: 3 star

338 pages

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Cindy Ella: Review

Cindy Ella

by Robin Palmer

Synopsis

Prom fever has infected LA especially Cindy's two annoying stepsisters, and her overly Botoxed stepmother. Cindy seems to be the only one immune to it all. But her anti-prom letter in the school newspaper does more to turn Cindy into Queen of the Freaks than close the gap between the popular kids and the rest of the students. Everyone thinks she's committed social suicide, except for her two best friends, the yoga goddess India and John Hughes worshipping Malcolm, and shockingly, the most popular senior at Castle Heights High and Cindy's crush, Adam Silver. Suddenly Cindy starts to think that maybe her social life could have a happily ever after. But there's still the rest of the school to deal with. With a little bit of help from an unexpected source and a fabulous pair of heels, Cindy realizes that she still has a chance at a happily ever after.

First Line: To the Editor:

For the two years that I've been a student at Castle Heights, I've been a very loyal reader of the Courier, your so-called newspaper, even though you have refused to print any of my letters.

My Review: It was a cute and fast read, but a tad to predictable. Of course one can be surprised by this, you can re-tell a story 101 times but the ending stays the same. Just the same I can check another book off of a challenge, actually a few challenges... score!

My rating: 3 stars

260 pages

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Royal Blood: Review

Royal Blood

(Vampire Kisses Series #6)

by Ellen Schreiber

Summer break is over, and Raven is hardly eager to be returning to Dullsville High. Not only does school mean daily interaction with preppy pest Trevor Mitchell, but her sleep-filled days and romantic nights with her immortal boyfriend, Alexander, must come to an end. Plus the shock of morning classes isn't the only change in store.

An unexpected letter turns up at Alexander's mansion—announcing his parents will be coming to town. And once they arrive, just about everyone has had a sighting of the macabre couple except Raven. What could be delaying Alexander from introducing Raven to them? Could Alexander be hiding something about his parents' homecoming?

When Raven is finally invited to the most thrilling dinner party of her life, the next turn of events could transform her entire future with Alexander. The sixth book in Ellen Schreiber's bestselling Vampire Kisses series takes an unusual twist in the continuing romance of Raven and Alexander.

First Line: The letter arrived mysteriously.

My Review: Boring! I get that this serious is Young Adult, maybe middle school age group. But I just remember this series having a bit more to it. Oh well, at least I can mark a book off in my Young Adult Reading Challenge.

My Rating: 3 stars

195 pages

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The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: review

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner :

An Eclipse Novella

by Stephenie Meyer

Bree Tanner can barely remember life before she had uncannily powerful senses, superhuman reflexes, and unstoppable physical strength. Life before she had a relentless thirst for blood.... life before she became a vampire.


All Bree knows is that living with her fellow newborns has few certainties and even fewer rules: watch your back, don't draw attention to yourself, and above all, make home by sunrise or die. What she doesn't know: her time as an immortal is quickly running out.


Then Bree finds an unexpected friend in Diego, a newborn just as curious as Bree about their mysterious creator, whom they know only as her. As they come to realize that the newborns are pawns in a game larger than anything they could have imagined, Bree and Diego must choose sides adn decide whom to trust. But when everything you know about vampires is based on a lie, how do you find the truth?

First Line:The newspaper headline glared at me from under a little mental vending machine: SEATTLE UNDER SIEGE- DEATH TOLL RISES AGAIN.

My review: At first I was just annoyed that this book had no chapters. I am the type that needs chapters no matter how short the book is! Second, I honestly feel like Stephenie Meyer should have stopped while she was ahead. Maybe the cheese stands alone ( me) but I just did not connect with these characters, even after reading this book they remained characters that just didn't need more bi line than what they already recieved in Eclipse. It was just alright.

My rating: 3 stars

178 pages

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Dead in the Family: Review

Dead in the Family

(Sookie Stackhouse / Southern Vampire Series #10)

by Charlaine Harris

After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she's angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he's under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie's connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry...

First Line: " I feel bad that I am leaving you like this," Amelia said.

My Review: Disappointed! I feel like I waited forever to read this book and was let down royally by it. The story dragged and never picked up for me. With that being said it will not stop me from reading any other book that is put out in this series. I have faith in Charlaine Harris to make a come back

Rating: 3 stars

311 pages

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Hard to Hold: Review

Hard to Hold

by Stephanie Tyler

THE SPECIAL OPS HERO FEARED NOTHING—UNTIL HE MET A WOMAN TOO HOT TO HOLD.…

Lieutenant Jake Hansen has survived some of the riskiest missions known to man. But now the wounded Navy SEAL faces his toughest job yet: smuggling Dr. Isabelle Markham out of Africa without triggering an international incident. Not easy to do when the gorgeous hostage happens to be a senator’s daughter—and about as easy to resist as an oasis in the desert.

If it weren’t for Jake, Isabelle would still be halfway across the world, where rebel forces left her for dead. The special ops warrior may have saved her life, but she doesn’t need him to protect her now. Tell that to the ruggedly handsome hunk in full battle fatigues who’s just been assigned as Isabelle’s personal bodyguard. Close quarters aside, Isabelle won’t let Jake anywhere near her heart—until danger throws them together again. And nothing in the jungles of wildest Africa could prepare them for a passion this wild. This crazy. This hot…

First Line: Lieutenant Junior Grade Jake Hansen had already muttered the word motherfucker as many times as he possibly could in under a minute's time.

My Rating: 3 stars
370 pages

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3 more book reviews

3 more quick reviews of books I have read while MIA from my blog! Enjoy!!

Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean

Delia Chandler, an eighteen-year-old Southern girl, marries Viscount Ivor Conisborough just before World War II, becoming part of the Windsor court. It’s every girl’s dream come true. But Delia is jolted from her pleasant life when she realizes, after the birth of her two daughters, that Ivor chose her only to bear an heir to his estate. Shortly thereafter, she begins an affair with her husband’s handsome, titled, and frequently scandalous best friend.

When Conisborough is appointed as an adviser to King Fuad of Egypt, Delia exchanges one palace circle for another, far different one. While she sees Egypt as a place of exile, her two daughters regard Egypt as their home. Only when war comes to Cairo—and Delia finally reveals the secret she has kept for so long—can she begin to heal the divisions separating her from those she loves.

My Rating: 32 stars

432 pages

Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.

Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendent of Martha Carrier. She is also a natural-born storyteller, and in her first novel, she paints a haunting portrait, not just of Puritan New England, but also of one family's deep and abiding love in the face of fear and persecution

My Rating: 4 stars

332 pages

Under Fire by Jo Davis

Zack fights fires and saves lives, yet his own thirst for life has run dry-until he comes to the rescue of a sharp-tongued exotic dancer named Corrine Shannon who soon has the normally shy hero burning out of control.

But just as they are consumed by flames of passion, they find themselves under fire from two relentless enemies with fifty million reasons to succeed. Can they withstand the heat while trying to save their own lives-or will their newfound romance be extinguished as fast as it began?

First Line: The back end of the SUV filled Zack Knight's windshield before his exhausted brain jolted to awareness, screaming the belated message to slame on his brakes.

My Rating: 4 stars

328 pages

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3 Star books of 2010

Here is where I will list the books that got

in 2010!

1. Suspicion- Kate Brian
2. Educating Gina - Debbi Rawlins
3. Palace Circle- Rebecca Dean
4. Hard to Hold: Stephanie Tyler
5. Royal Blood- Ellen Schreiber
6. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner- Stephenie Meyer
7. Cindy Ella- Robin Palmer
8. Geek Charming- Robin Palmer

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