New Year In Manhattan by Louise Bay

Anna and Ethan are separated by the Atlantic Ocean. Their previous rules no longer apply.

In order to make things work, Anna needs to let go of her past and take a risk with Ethan. Ethan needs to learn how to deal with the ambiguity of a relationship.

Long-distance relationships are never easy and their situation is fragile. For how long can it survive under the pressure of separation? Are either of them prepared to give up what they have for the other?


But distance isn’t the only obstacle Anna and Ethan face. Ultimately they have to decide whether they want to share a future together.


This last book in this series just proved just how much I have fallen in love with LB's writing. I had sexy to funny to romantic to quirky to heartbreaking in a snap. This review may have been long time coming but I had the best time reading this series. 

Ethan and Anna always had the most amazing chemistry to read. That was never more so than in this book. If I had never said in my reviews for the other parts of this series how real this story was, then let me say it now. A love story doesn't have to have all the extreme scenarios and plots and conflicts for it to be memorable. Sometimes it's the little things that matter. And that was how LB made this series extra special--she wove simpler situations together into this series and came up with a story that anyone can easily relate to.

I may be biased because Anna was a girl that was after my heart--I myself don't want to get married, in general. But I know that in the back of my mind, when the right one comes along and makes me want to overcome the apprehensions I have regarding the institution, I will undoubtedly say yes.

And what can I say about Ethan? Seriously, I love this guy. Even when his heart was breaking, he put on a brave front and still tried his very best to make Anna happy. Do guys like him even exist in real life anymore? I hope so. I really hope so.


Final verdict: 10/10. Great unforgettable read.


Empire State Trilogy series reviews:
A Week In New York
Autumn In London

Mr Beautiful by RK Lilley

I’ve been remade four times in my life. 

It is a distinct feeling. Impossible to mistake. The very marked sensation of being unraveled and reknit into a new thing, a new person. It can be good or bad, helpful or harmful, but above all, it is unstoppable. 

I was remade when my parents died, went from a happy childhood, into navigating a very dark world, with endless responsibilities, surrounded by enemies, and despairingly alone. 

It happened again at the hands of a cowardly predator. I’d become angrier with that one, more cynical, and it undoubtedly turned me into the kinky f**k I was today. 

The third happened swiftly. One day I looked up into a pair of pale blue eyes and saw the other half of my soul. Checkmate. I went from a completely controlled existence, a life where I made every decision with cold calculation, to a man overcome with feelings and emotions that were foreign but somehow wonderful. 

And all too soon after that cataclysmic change was this fourth one, this one where I begged a God I’d never entertained to spare the life of a woman that I could not live without. 


I went on a high upon learning that this book was coming out because hello? Who doesn't want to read more of Mr James Cavendish? But then after all the dust have settled, I realized that the first three books in the series were really put together so well and I hated the possibility that the story was going to be stretched too much because a fourth book was coming out. 

After many weeks of delaying, I finally decided to have a go at this book...because I felt that Mr Cavendish wasn't very happy about being looked over everytime I pick something else to read from my TBR pile. And man oh man, I have never been so happy to be proven wrong about my thoughts about a book!

There were just so many things I loved about this book. I got into James' head--whether it was in the past when he first met Bianca or later on in their relationship when he almost lost her after an attack. My god, the tears! I was practically crying in most parts of this book. And there were also more of Stephan and his relationship with Javier. Their story was just beautiful to read. Yes, you guessed it right--there were more tears.

Another thing I loved about this book was that it covered several years into the lives of James, Bianca, and their many friends. So this not only served as an extended epilogue for the Up In The Air series but of the stories of other well-loved characters that RKL have penned. What can I say except there were so much to love. 


Final verdict: 10/10. Great, must-read...especially for those who have already read the Up In The Air series already.


Up In The Air series reviews:
In Flight
Mile High
Grounded

A Week In New York by Louise Bay

Anna Kirby is sick of dating. She's tired of heartbreak. Despite being smart, sexy, and funny, she's a magnet for men who don't deserve her.

A week's vacation in New York is the ultimate distraction from her most recent break-up, as well as a great place to meet a stranger and have some summer fun. But to protect her still-bruised heart, fun comes with rules. There will be no sharing stories, no swapping numbers, and no real names. Just one night of uncomplicated fun.

Super-successful serial seducer Ethan Scott has some rules of his own. He doesn't date, he doesn't stay the night, and he doesn't make any promises.

It should be a match made in heaven. But rules are made to be broken.


Ahhh, how to begin this review without you picturing me flailing and crying happy tears about how great this novella was? Like I-could-go-days-without-reading-anything-while-I-soak-in-the-awesomeness-of-this-book great.

The chemistry between Anna and Ethan was just amazing to read and, well, experience. It just felt real and I loved how unpretentious their supposed one night stand was. Just like the characters, the story was in-your-face fun and had lots of steamy sex. Yes! What more do you need? Knowing that there pseudo-relationship has an expiration date, reading the book felt like I had to be in there, in the story to make sure that the week they had was something they would never forget. All this despite their promise that it was all going to be about the sex, one hundred per cent no strings attached.

So I just found myself another author to fangirl for. (Yes, there are favorite authors and there are those you fangirl about because favoriting them is too casual.) OMG, I loved LB's writing style. It was smooth, easy, and comfortable reading all through out for me. Don't get me wrong though. I still got euphoric at the highs in this book, still felt butterflies in my stomach in all those romantic scenes, and that ending? To put it mildly, it did a whammy on my heart. That's effortless effective writing.

Must.Get. More. Louise Bay. Books.

PS How friggin' sexy is that cover?! Le sigh.


Final verdict: 10/10. Awesome must-read.

The Club by Lauren Rowe

When playboy businessman Jonas Faraday receives a private note from the anonymous intake agent assigned to process his online application to an exclusive club, he becomes obsessed with finding her and giving her the satisfaction she claims has always eluded her, in order to fulfill his own desperate need for redemption.

Sarah: "When I read Jonas Faraday’s brutally honest personal message on his application to The Club—I practically climaxed at my desk. I’m an idiot to risk losing my job but I couldn’t resist contacting him. I knew my confession would be like dangling an irresistible carrot in front of his nose—but never in a million years did I think he’d actually hunt me down."

Jonas: "I was shocked to get my intake agent’s email—I’d attached that note to my application on a whim, never expecting a reply from an actual person, let alone a reply as mind blowing as that. Her message was so alluring, so irresistible, I’ve been spiraling into a full-blown obsession ever since I got it. What’s her name? What does she look like? Finding her is my top priority."

In The Club, what starts out as an innocent exploration of attraction quickly spirals into a steamy story of unbridled passion, obsession, heartbreak, and, ultimately, redemption.


I thought it was kinda cute that a few hours after I finished this book, I learned that January 9th was Play God Day (according to @daysoftheyear). How was that coincidence? Because Jonas Faraday just did that!

I am now so glad I stumbled on this book and decided not to wait in reading it. This turned out to be a great read, an instant favorite. Who would've thought that when this was my first book by LR? And wow. This was gooooood. Just wow. *blubbering*

I was sucked into the story right off the bat because who wouldn't? The fact that this was told in dual POV made it even more enjoyable. I loved how Jonas and Sarah's relationship started, when they started just by communicating through email. (HELLO! In case no one had noticed, words are sexy!) I liked how Sarah went with her guts in personally contacting Jonas even if he was her 'job.' And Jonas? God, Jonas. How sexy could this guy get? The way he singlemindedly pursued Sarah despite not knowing how she looked like was just panty-dropping hot because don't they say that guys fall in love with faces and ladies with words? There goes that line. And the chemistry between this two? Whew!

I felt that the story may have slowed down a bit after 'the chase' but I thought the writing was still great. It continued to be an easy read all throughout. I cannot wait to read the next book because things are going to get messy...in a bad way. I'm just here impatiently waiting for the next one. Sigh.


Final verdict: 10/10. Great must-read.

Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren

Despite their rowdy hookups, Harlow and Finn don’t even like each other...which would explain why their marriage lasted only twelve hours. He needs to be in charge and takes whatever he wants. She lives by the Want-something-done? Do-it-yourself mantra. Maybe she’s too similar to the rugged fisherman—or just what he needs.

I have been on a blog slump so it's an understatement to say that I have finished this book a while back and am just posting this review now. Oh, well. Better late than never.

With that said, let me say that this book was one of the sexiest books I have read this year. With the little snippets of Finn and Harlow's relationship that I have read from the first book of the series, I was nothing but extra excited for this next installment. And of course, CL doesn't disappoint. Ever.

I loved the chemistry between Finn and Harlow. Not to mention that Finn was oh-so-hot! Me: drooling! But what I loved best was their unapologetically honest relationship. It was also going so well I almost felt like stopping reading because I didn't want to come across the inevitable hiccup in their story.

But there it was and despite the oh-no-you-didn't moments, the characters actually seemed more realistic with their more-than-human mistakes. Yes, there was drama but not the type that would have you pulling at your hair and think 'Oh, enough already!' 

Bottom line is? This read left me all good inside. Good storytelling from my favorite writing duo...not that I still need to say that. It is a given.

Final verdict: 10/10. Awesome must-read.

Wild Seasons series reviews:

Sweet Filthy Boy

For The Love Of A Lush by Selena Laurence

Six months ago, Walsh Clark was the drummer of America’s hottest rock sensation, Lush. Now he’s living at the Double A Ranch in north Texas, home to cows, cowboys, and lushes—like him. He’s survived alcoholism, rehab, and the breakup of his band. But the one thing Walsh might not survive is the return of his ex fiancée Tammy DiLorenzo. 

Tammy and Walsh met at fourteen, and she was with him on every step to fame and fortune—until one fateful night when she betrayed him. Now she’s back, begging for forgiveness and ready to fight for her man. But some betrayals are too painful to forget, some mistakes can’t be repaired, and Walsh is certain that he and Tammy can’t ever be together again. 

But DiLorenzo women don’t back down, and Tammy always gets what she wants. In the wake of the lies and losses, she’s prepared to do whatever it takes for a second chance. She’ll give it all—for the love of a lush.


When I fell in love with this series, I knew it included getting down with the dirtier side of all that was shiny and pretty in this series. When I finished reading the first book, I did not expect how I would react to this second one because my shallow self had started to form my own biases.

I am thankful though for the dual POV because I thought it was more than important that we know the two sides of this story equally. Tammy and her conscious decision to do what she did to betray her fiance; Walsh and his coming to terms with the bigger picture, of his indirect role in Tammy's betrayal.  But most importantly, how does one take responsibility of her actions? Or better himself after years and years of self-destruction?

Infidelity isn't my favourite book conflict but sadly, that was what got thrown into the mix in this series. More like its pivotal moment, really. For me, it will be very hard to fix a relationship after it happens, if at all. And yet somehow, it became slightly easier to read as I realized how Tammy dealt with it--the initial guilt and then eventually owning up to the deed and being responsible for her actions. She had to give her all to show how much her actions in the past had changed her, how much she wanted to keep Walsh in her life. This was a painful but necessary part to the story.

And there was Walsh, the wronged party. Who wouldn't understand his pain? But after all the fingers had been pointed to two other people, it was still easy to arrive at the conclusion that yes, he did a play a part in the turn of events, no matter how indirectly. And he was the bigger man for not just wanting to fix the immediate concern but by trying to heal himself to the core from an addiction that was his downfall. It was a lengthy, painful process but the end result? It was well worth the effort.

If infidelity leaves a bad taste on your mouth, period, then this isn't the book for you. But if people trying to better themselves after the lowest of lows and to triumph over a painful past, if forgiveness of one's self, and deciding that keeping the people you love is more important than keeping the hurt they have caused you, This. Is. Your. Book. Trust me.

Get this, read this. You will not regret it. Also, the next book is just around the corner. Ohhh, be still my heart.


Final verdict: 12/10. Great, what-are-you-still-doing-reading-this-review, must-read.


Lush series reviews:
A Lush Betrayal

Cinder & Ella by Kelly Oram

It’s been almost a year since eighteen-year-old Ella Rodriguez was in a car accident that left her crippled, scarred, and without a mother. After a very difficult recovery, she’s been uprooted across the country and forced into the custody of a father that abandoned her when she was a young child. If Ella wants to escape her father’s home and her awful new stepfamily, she must convince her doctors that she’s capable, both physically and emotionally, of living on her own. The problem is, she’s not ready yet. The only way she can think of to start healing is by reconnecting with the one person left in the world who’s ever meant anything to her—her anonymous Internet best friend, Cinder. 

Hollywood sensation Brian Oliver has a reputation for being trouble. There’s major buzz around his performance in his upcoming film The Druid Prince, but his management team says he won’t make the transition from teen heartthrob to serious A-list actor unless he can prove he’s left his wild days behind and become a mature adult. In order to douse the flames on Brian’s bad-boy reputation, his management stages a fake engagement for him to his co-star Kaylee. Brian isn’t thrilled with the arrangement—or his fake fiancée—but decides he’ll suffer through it if it means he’ll get an Oscar nomination. Then a surprise email from an old Internet friend changes everything.


What's with the YA/NA read-hogging lately? Not to mention all these new authors, too. (For me, that is.) But I would say that I am on a good streak though. Because here I am with another great find...and I've a feeling that this will not be the last one.

(And isn't it the beauty of reading when you can't stop finding new good authors to read? That means more absolutely gorge books to read in the future!)

I honestly didn't take this book seriously at first glance. Because, hello? Cinder and Ella? How clichéd is that? But then I read the blurb and I thought, why not? By the time I finished this book though, I was hooked.

I am so totally in love with this book (and trying not to gush so much here).

This is a modern fairy tale with a twist. Or twists. I loved the virtual relationship between Ella and Cinder. I loved how they were able to honestly connect online even more than people who gave face to face relationships do. And I guess it was that foundation of three years worth of friendship that was their fallback when the going got tough when they finally met. And I loved how they managed to eventually trust each other with the world looking right at the end.

I was all cried out when I finished this book. KO, what have you done to me?! To make things better, it wouldn't hurt if there were more books about the rest of the great characters in this book. Yes, please. There won't be any complaints from this camp.


Final verdict: 10/10. Only love. Great must-read.

Cherry Girl by Raine Miller

A Blackstone Affair novel. Spin-off, yet can be read standalone. Book 1.

Elaina Morrison has loved Neil McManus her whole life. She doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t love him. Through heartbreaking tragedy and years of separation, her love holds true…until life stomps all over her heart, shattering her perfect dream, teaching her how hard it is to let go.

Real life doesn’t have anything on romantic dreams though, as these two have learned repeatedly. It sucks big time, leaving painful scars in its wake. 

But Neil isn’t giving up. He’s endured years of longing and sacrifice to wait for her. Always a soldier, he knows his way around a battlefield, and winning Elaina is no different. So that’s precisely what Neil is going to do. He'll go in fighting, and make Elaina see what he already knows.

That she will forever be his Cherry Girl...


***Disclaimer: This book is best read between books 3 and 4 of The Blackstone Affair. Personally though, I read this after I read all four books of TBA because I had feeling I wouldn't get over Neil and Elena so easily. And I was right.

So Neil and Elena's book was really something I was looking forward to reading because both of them were all over TBA. I couldn't help but think that theirs was an epic love story. Is it wrong of me to actually like this book more than TBA? I guess not...because I'm pretty sure more readers feel the say.

There are two story premises that I love the most--the friends-turned-into-lovers premise and the second-chance premise. Guess which one is this book? Both! And my heart kind of gave out with all the emotions I was feeling while I was going through the pages. I was actually expecting this read to be a bit darker but it turned out to be a really great feel-good one--the kind that wrings you out with feelings and had the best of endings that you just know your characters totally belong together.

Two things I am taking away from this book--forgiveness and having the can-do spirit for the things that you want. Forgiveness is necessary to be with the people you love and to be yourself. And to never stop pursue a goal because it is the best thing for you--and reading about Neil having a second chance with Elena and never giving up on her this time around was a total joy.


Final verdict: 10/10! Seriously, this is a must-get, must-read book.

About That Night by Julie James

He's Playing Games

Though Rylann Pierce tried to fight the sparks she felt for billionaire heir Kyle Rhodes the night they met, their sizzling chemistry was undeniable. But after being stood up on their first date, Rylann never expected to see him again. So when she finds herself face-to-face with Kyle in a courthouse nine years later, she's stunned. More troubling to the beautiful assistant U.S. attorney is that she's still wildly attracted to him.

But She's Making The Rules

Just released from prison, Kyle Rhodes isn't thrilled to be the star witness in a high-profile criminal case—but when Rylann comes knocking at his door, he finds she may be the one lawyer he can't say no to. Still as gorgeous and sharp-tongued as ever, she lays down the law: she doesn't mix business with pleasure. But Kyle won't give up on something he wants—and what he wants is the one woman he's never forgotten.


If I ask you to show me a bad JJ book, you will fail, fail, fail. I have yet to be disappointed by her books and I don't see that ever happening. Each book I read just keeps getting better and better and better...

I kind of fell deeply in like with Kyle Rhodes in the previous book of this series. I'm one of his high-fivers, I guess. JJ always comes up with these awesome characters so I'm not that at all surprised that Kyle became this awesome person despite my biases when someone is tagged as an ex-con. But then as Rylann said, he did not murder anyone. It was just Twitter. Which made Kyle even more interesting. (And adorable! Sue me.) By the end of this book, I was in love.

This was just the right kind of book to pick me up from an almost-two week reading slump. This was in-your-face romance at its best. No misunderstandings between two people who like and love each other. Just them coming to terms with their past and present; and then for them to move on from there. I may have mentioned this before but I just want to repeat it: Second chance romances are a-okay in my book, okay? Love them.

In short, this is the kind of book that, had I not been aware that it was part of a series, would make go scrambling for the rest of the books from the entire series...and for any more JJ reads I can find. It's that kind of feel-good, mushy awesome.


Final verdict: 10/10. Great, must-read. GET IT!!!


FBI/US Attorney series reviews:
Something About You
A Lot Like Love

Scoring Wilder by RS Grey

What started out as a joke— seduce Coach Wilder—soon became a goal she had to score. 

With Olympic tryouts on the horizon, the last thing nineteen-year-old Kinsley Bryant needs to add to her plate is Liam Wilder. He's a professional soccer player, America's favorite bad-boy, and has all the qualities of a skilled panty-dropper.

• A face that makes girls weep – check. 
• Abs that can shred Parmesan cheese (the expensive kind) – check. 
• Enough confidence to shift the earth’s gravitational pull – double check.

Not to mention Liam is strictly off limits . Forbidden. Her coaches have made that perfectly clear. (i.e. “Score with Coach Wilder anywhere other than the field and you’ll be cut from the team faster than you can count his tattoos.”) But that just makes him all the more enticing…Besides, Kinsley's already counted the visible ones, and she is not one to leave a project unfinished.

Kinsley tries to play the game her way as they navigate through forbidden territory, but Liam is determined to teach her a whole new definition for the term “team bonding.”


I have been asking for a football, er, soccer romance novel for what felt like forever now so when I first came across this book, I was ecstatic. Over the moon. Uber extra happy. And to think that it was by RS Grey? It was already scoring big with me because I loved the first RS Grey book I read, Behind His Lens. It had been months since then but this book just reminded me that I need to get started on her other stuff already in my TBR pile. Stat.

There are books that you enjoy and then there are books that make you all happy inside. This book was the latter for me. No, both. I was smiling nearly the entire time that I was reading this--whether outside or inside. Amazingly engaging narration and storytelling with the random Harry Potter or Game of Thrones reference thrown in. Who doesn't like when that happens? The main characters are entirely likeable...the others I like to hate.

Okay, although I am not 100% on the side of how Liam and Kinsley's romance started, I am nevertheless cheering for them. (I would like to score Coach Wilder, too.) Good Lord, their chemistry was leaping out of the pages. Eh, my iPad, that is. They were sooo hot together. And this was before the even hotter sex. Kilig is a Filipino word that doesn't have a direct translation in the English language (Google it) but nevertheless, the kilig-factor of this book is just skyrocketing! 

Everyone who knows me know that I have a weakness for footballers but Liam is just so easy to fall in love with. I have never put up celebrity pictures who would make for the ideal main characters in books but I shall make a first for this read because I did have someone in mind while reading this book. And Isco from Spanish club Real Madrid was the Liam in my head. Never mind that he may not fit the exact physical description of the character but everytime his scruff is mentioned...ahh, I just melt. Just look at the guy, for chrissakes! 

(Te amo, bebe. Sigh.)

And the epilogue just melted my insides. Melted me all over. Scrape me off the floor now please. Why oh why do you do this to me, Ms Grey?

Bottomline is, this was an utterly captivating romance and beautiful love story. Call me biased because I love football and any romance associated with it. But this was a definite win for me and my favorites stack. For the footy mad, dare I say, hat trick?


Final verdict: 10/10. I-drowned-in-awesomeness read.

Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren

One-night stands are supposed to be with someone convenient, or wickedly persuasive, or regrettable. They aren’t supposed to be with someone like him.

But after a crazy Vegas weekend celebrating her college graduation—and terrified of the future path she knows is a cop-out—Mia Holland makes the wildest decision of her life: follow Ansel Guillaume—her sweet, filthy fling—to France for the summer and just...play.

When feelings begin to develop behind the provocative roles they take on, and their temporary masquerade adventures begin to feel real, Mia will have to decide if she belongs in the life she left because it was all wrong, or in the strange new one that seems worlds away.


What is this awesomeness?! Ye, gods! I didn't expect to love this book sooo reakin' much. I don't think I can do this book justice with this lowly review. Maybe in a month? Because right now all I wanna do is gush and blubber I could cry.

This book was just brimming of chemistry! There's chemistry and then there's chemistry. Oh, my god! And the sexy is just overwhelming. I'm not talking about the action because this is a CL book and that went without saying. I'm talking about Ansel and Mia putting the flirt on. These two characters are just overwhelmingly good together. And the locales? Well, Las Vegas is hardly sexy but Paris?! Woah, shut up now.

I just can't make a decent review fit enough for this book. Blame it on Ansel because I am crushing so hard on him right now to string a single coherent thought. I can't find any faults at all. But trust me on this, buy this book now and start reading it!!!

Wait, there is no sixth star? Ugh, bummer.


Final verdict: 10/10. Great must-read. Awesome, lovely, sexaaay.

Still Human by Kerry Heavens

Danny and Liv are back...

Danny loves Liv. He knows he loves her more than she loves him because she ran without a word when she saw their future mapped out before her. He knows he will never love anyone like he loved her and this time he doesn’t think he can move on.

Liv loves Danny. She knows she loves him more than he loves her because he broke her heart in the worst possible way, right when things were falling into place. She knows she will never love anyone like she loves him and this time she doesn’t think she can move on.

They needed a second chance because they just weren’t ready for their first, but when events changed everything between them, they discovered they were just human after all. Now Liv and Danny have to find a way to survive being hurt by each other. 

They doubted, they underestimated and they did believe the worst, but only because they were too young the first time and too vulnerable the second time. But now they have changed and if they are not the same, surely things can only turn out differently?


So when the first book ended like it did, I did expect that this book was going to start off being quite a bit sad. A bit?! Right. I was on a high reading the first book only to come crashing loudly back down to the ground. You have favorite books and then you have favorite characters. Liv and Danny were fast becoming mine. These two were just beautiful to read together.

And somehow, as KH maintains the natural prose and relaxed yet intense storytelling, she took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. From the feeling of despair to the high of highs, this second book in this series had me crying in most parts of it. Either that or I would have just imploded! At the risk of not giving away any spoilers, I just would like to say that their wedding was a happy cryfest. I just loved everything about it. Sniff. I want someone to put ointment on my new inks, too. Gaaawd.

I don't think I have ever described a book as being generous. But I guess I will do so in this case. Apropos to the title, there were a lot of human emotions in betweens these pages. An influx of amazing secondary characters that made me all smiley. An extended epilogue? I cannot complain at all. I was glad I set aside my Sunday for these two.


Final verdict: 10/10. The awesome-est of great reads. Must read.


Just Human series reviews:
Just Human

Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren

A bombshell bookworm. A chronic Casanova. And a lesson in chemistry too scandalous for school.

When Hanna Bergstrom receives a lecture from her overprotective brother about neglecting her social life and burying herself in grad school, she’s determined to tackle his implied assignment: get out, make friends, start dating. And who better to turn her into the sultry siren every man wants than her brother’s gorgeous best friend, Will Sumner, venture capitalist and unapologetic playboy?

Will takes risks for a living, but he’s skeptical about this challenge of Hanna’s…until the wild night his innocently seductive pupil tempts him into bed- and teaches him a thing or two about being with a woman he can’t forget. Now that Hanna’s discovered the power of her own sex appeal, it’s up to Will to prove he’s the only man she’ll ever need.


I. Am. Done. Oh, good Lord. CL saved the best for last!

I am almost to the end of this series but this is the last full-length novel in it. I loved, love, loved this book. I will try not to gush about it (too much) but it's gonna be hard.

I should really be sad because I was about to end a wonder wonderful series and yet somehow I was glad to finally get my hands on Will. Figuratively, of course. There was so much build-up to his character in the previous books that I had such a high expectation on this book. Sooo glad it delivered the goods!

Will and Hannah was a delight to read. Was it because I knew nothing about Hannah prior to this book? No glimpse whatsoever and then boom! There are books about friends with benefits and then there are books about friends with benefits. Okay, so Hannah's big brother was really Will best friend in school. But you know what I mean, right? I think this has set the bar for that kind of premise. Wait, there's no I think about. It definitely has.

Friends going into the more-than-friends zone is never easy and this book just pretty much showed how complicated that situation is going to be. I went through all the confusion with Hannah and Will. I ccould just picture how a cute of a couple they made. ***SPOILER*** And that scene right at then when Will was trying really hard to be a friend to Hannah again after she broke it up with him. That right there was beautiful to read.  Ahhh. I can't. 

Long story short, I just went went gooey in just about sweet Will moments but this pretty much did me in: 

I'd somehow always expected love to be primarily a mental state, so I still feel unaccustomed to the physical manifestation of my feelings for her: the way my stomach would grow tight, my skin would start to feel hungry for her touch, the way my chest would press in, my heart pounding blood hard and fast through my arteries.

I can never do justice enough to review this book. Never.


Final verdict: 10/10. Brimming-with-awesome read, must have. (Did you not read the review?)


Beautiful Bastard series reviews:
Beautiful Bastard
Beautiful Bitch
Beautiful Stranger
Beautiful Bombshell

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.


When I heard of this book, I didn't know whether I wanted to read it or not. Having had a number of family members succumb to cancer, this hits home just a little too close. But when I did finally get to see it stocked at my favorite bookstore, I couldn't help but get a copy...but then I tried delaying reading it this time. But today, when super-storm Haiyan kept me home and with the power out for most of the day, I elected to stay away from ebooks and decided to cozy up with some paperbacks. So I finally settled on this.

Please note though this is going to be a very short review. If I can even call it that. Have you noticed that the books you like best sometimes are the most difficult to review? As if your words would never do justice...which I'm pretty sure is what's going to happen now in the next few paragraphs.

First, let me say that John Green is a master storyteller extraordinaire that kept me turning page after page, making me miss lunch and dinner. That may be unusual to some other avid readers but it is to me. Because in this instance, this is YA book and I'm not the biggest YA fiction fan. JG glued me to the pages with the fantistical play of adverbs and adjectives that reduced me to laughter, tears, and even both at the same time.

The story of Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters is a soul-warming, heart-breaking tale of hope and pain, of love and selflessness, of friendship and family. And yet, I ploughed on. Because this is a story that shouldn't be told to someone, it should be lived by reading through these pages. It was a joy reading about two old souls living in the bodies of these two young people. Who would eventually remain as forever young even after the book ended. There will be no sequels.

I cannot even gush about how I love this book. It's not that kind of book. So while the storm raged outside earlier, my eyes had become swollen from the crying while I was reading this. This is that kind of book. And yet there were smiles, too. If I could say something to it, I would take a quote right out its pages:

It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you. 

Okay?

Okay.


Final verdict: 10/10. Great read, must have. Should be re-read when you can.

This Man Confessed by Jodi Ellen Malpas

THE STUNNING CONCLUSION TO THE THIS MAN TRILOGY!

The Manor, the very place where their passionate love affair began, fills with guests on what should be the happiest day of Ava and Jesse's lives. She has accepted that she'll never tame the fierceness in Jesse-and she doesn't want to. Their love is profound, their connection powerful, but just when she thinks that she's finally gotten beneath his guarded exterior, more questions arise, leading Ava to believe that Jesse Ward may not be the man she thinks he is. He knows too well how to take her to a place beyond ecstasy . . . but will he also drive her to the brink of despair? It's time for this man to confess.


No matter how may reviews I make about this book, or this series as a whole, and despite the little things that really irked me at some points, the bottomline is that I love, love, love it. My top favorite book boyfriend right now is Jesse Ward. Let me count the whys.

One, Jesse Ward. Him and the fact this God is British. He was sexy in paper so just imagine if he was real and then you start hearing his British accent. I'm a goner just by the thought of all that. I want him. There's no -ish about it.

Two, Ava O'Shea. In most parts of the series, she would usually put up a fight but eventually gave in to anything that Jesse said or wanted. But if there was one person that could bring him to his knees and fast, it was her.

Three, in relation to numero dos, Jesse liked to believe he has the power. That wasn't really true. Ava had the real power, boy, and don't you forget it.

Four, the surprises that just kept on coming on every-other-chapter basis. I couldn't hold my breath otherwise I'd be blue. It was like being made comfortable and being left unawares, and then the author dishes in another hair-pulling Jesse-style issue, right up to the last few chapters.

Five, I loved how some issues that were left lingering from the first two books got all answered in the third and everything were put into perspective.

Six, the twists in this last books put the twists in the first two books to shame.

Seven, the very interesting secondary characters. Even the concierge kept me smiling.

Eight, *SPOILER ALERT*, so Jesse planned for Ava to get pregnant and when he succeeded, it was just endearing how he treated her and the entire situation. He had a book about pregnancy tucked away in his wardrobe, for pete's sake!

Okay, so I'll leave you to read about the rest about the nitty-gritty of the story. Let me just point out a couple of things that really bothered me in this story.

*ANOTHER SPOILER* First, the fact that Jesse took it in his own hands to make Ava pregnant for his selfish reasons didn't sit very well with me. For me, being pregnant is one of the most important things that could happen to a woman and leaving her without a say about it is just nasty. It's our body and therefore therefore it's our prerogative to have the first say in the matter.

Second, I was dying to edit these books. There were typos here and there and I mentally groaned whenever I spot one. Oh, well.

You must forgive me for the lengthy wait on posting these reviews. I couldn't be bothered with posting the review on the second book because I was too much of in a hurry to move on to the third one. And I just had to read the third one twice before I even thought of making the review.

Thank you, Jodi Ellen Malpas, for introducing me Jesse Ward. *crazy grin* Now cue Massive Attack's Angel. 

I wish I didn't have to say this but: end of.


Final verdict: 10/10. Great must-read, must have.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Wow! Absolutely fantastic!

I know those words are not enough to describe the last book in the Harry Potter series. In fact, I don't think mere words can do justice for what J.K. Rowling had written.

I was ready for anything before I started reading the book. I accepted the fact that Harry or anyone of the beloved characters could die. After all, freedom and peace always come with a price. I hid it well but I had tissues in pocket as well--that was how prepared I was. Which turned out to be a very good thing because, believe it or not, the waterworks started on the dedication page.

"...and to you, if you have stuck with Harry until the very end."

Stuck, studied, gone on adventure after adventure, suffered, triumphed, LIVED with Harry Potter for the past six years since I read the very first book in 2001--right after I saw the first movie.

It saddens me to think that this is the very last book in the series. But I think Harry had been through enough in his seventeen years that he deserves to have a relatively peaceful life. (Relative being the operative word, literally, once you read the epilogue.) I'm not giving out spoilers here although if you haven't read the book yet, I really dunno what you're waiting for. It's more than satisfying to have all the pieces of the puzzle fit together and have the entire picture out in front of you.

Since The Sorcerer's Stone, we have come to know and love characters book after book--and lost some along the say (I miss Sirius). The Deathly Hallows is no different. It makes victory all the sweeter. This book tells of stories testing the bonds of family and friendship; of loyalty and love; of the inherent goodness in people; and of the triumph of the good versus evil. I have never and would never have presumed how J.K. would cook up this seventh book but I had my own hunches. Suffice to say that I was right about Professor Snape (and gloating about it); and wrong about (my hopes for) Professor Dumbledore's character. After you've read the first six books you'd think that you have a general idea of what's in store for you here. Think again. There are still a lot of secrets to be uncovered and secrets in store for you.

And my props go to J.K. Rowling for not succumbing to the pressure brought about by the fame of the series. The style of this book is as pure as the first, only with grown and more mature cast. For all the talk about how the story had become darker and might not be for children anymore, somehow it manages to be what it's meant to be--a children's book meant as well for the adventurous young-at-heart. And I have to say, I was proud of myself--I was itching to do it but I never once peeked to the very last pages of the book.

As for how they'll make a movie version of this, I don't think it could ever surpass the beauty of the book. No HP movie had ever been better than its book version. But that's also to say that there are no (and, I think, ever will be) bad HP movies--only good and better ones. And I'm counting on this one to be the best. (Warner Brothers had better be looking for the best man to do the directorial honors right about now. Chris Columbus, anyone?)

Wotcher. All is well.

Final verdict: 10/10 (although it deserves 12.5). Fantabulous read and a MUST HAVE!