Review: I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella( NOT YA)

This book is classified as ADULT but has very little (almost no) adult content. I think it has YA crossover potential. Not for younger readers.

I've Got Your Number

by Sophie Kinsella

BLURB:

I’ve lost it. :( The only thing in the world I wasn’t supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It’s been in Magnus’s family for three generations. And now the very same day his parents are coming, I’ve lost it. The very same day! Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive :) !!

Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

Source: Library

I LOVE Sophie Kinsella. I know that her novels are predictable and her characters can be annoying sometimes but her books are so much fun! They're almost like modern day fairy tales.I like her standalone novels more than the Shopaholic series now( that series has been dragging on for too long now)

I've Got Your Number doesn't disappoint.This book is fun,light and predictable but still manages to surprise you.

I found Poppy to be a little annoying at times but I could connect to her and had a great time laughing at the situations she ended up in. One of my favorite 'situations' is when she's singing a businessman's name in All The Single Ladies tune and the time when she goes shopping for a ring.Those scenes were hilarious.

I really liked Sam too. Another thing I love about Kinsella's novels is the fact that she never has male protagonist's that are mean and make you want to cause bodily harm to them unlike some male characters(*cough*  any male character character from House Of Night series *cough*).

Overall,I really enjoyed this novel and hope that Sophie Kinsella keeps writing  fun standalone novels. Fans of chick-lit will love this one! I definitely did.

Note: If you're aware of any standalone novel Sophie is working on please don't hesitate to inform me.You'll have my gratitude forever!

My Rating: 

4/5

GREAT FUN!

Valkyrie Rising Review,Excerpt + Giveaway

Valkyrie Rising

by Ingrid Paulson

 blurb:

Nothing ever happens in Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there. 

What Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect something powerful and ancient to awaken in her and that strange whispers would urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, there’s suddenly a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it’s up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them.

Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s unexpectedly-epic coming of age.

Source:Shane for Blog Tour

Got this from Lori @Pure Imagination.Thanks Lori!

I don't know how to rate and review this novel.I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either.It's much better than a lot of novels I've read recently but it lacks something that stops it from becoming AMAZING.

The concept

I loved the concept. I've never heard of Valkyrie's before (unless you count that Tom Cruise movie) and it was interesting to read about and discover these new beings.I also loved the fact that Norse mythology was incorporated in this novel. I actually wanted to find out more about the history of Valkyrie's and find out more things about Odin.[I read part of his introduction of Wikipedia and found it to be a very interesting read]

The characters

Tucker

I really liked this character.I really enjoyed this novel because of him. The only problem I had with him was that whenever I would read his name I would be reminded of Tucker from the Unearthly series.Apart from that I have no complaints against him.

Ellie

I have mixed feelings towards this character. There were times when she really frustrated me and I wanted to yell at her to grow a backbone but I can understand why she's the way she is which made her more bearable. I didn't like the way she mistreated one guy but it's something that can be ignored.

Grandma

I really liked her when she wasn't hiding things from Ellie "for her safety" .

The plot

Some parts were unpredictable and I liked that.The first half was a little slow and a little frustrating.The second half was interesting and different.

Overall,I think if I was in a better mood I would have liked this a little more but I just felt as if something was missing.I thought the end was a little too tidy(i.e. things came together too easily) .This book is a standalone and maybe that's why I thought it was a little too rushed but the fact that it's a standalone is also a big plus for this novel.The author did manage to keep me hooked throughout the novel though.

Enjoyable read with a great male character and Valkyries.

My Rating:

3.5 /5

Scroll down for the giveaway

EXCERPT
This is from the ARC .There may be changes in the final version.

“What do you want?” I asked, instantly wary. “Shouldn’t you be enjoying the party?”

His smile curled up at one corner, proof positive he was up to no good.

But then he did something weird. He just shrugged and stood there, looking back down at the party without saying anything at all. After a minute like that, his silence was more unnerving than his usual fast talk. Anyone who looked up just then could definitely get the wrong idea.

I glanced down toward the pool, half expecting to see an army of girls watching me, planning their revenge.

“Are you leaning on me because you’re drunk?” I choked out, once the silence had stretched itself so far and thin it was fine dust coating my throat. Then I grasped for the only logical explanation. “If you’re trying to make some girl down there jealous, you should cozy up to someone else. No one would ever see me as a threat.”

“Why do you say that?” His grin reappeared, settling in and preparing to stay for a while. And marking the return to familiar footing. The muscles in my shoulder started to uncoil.

“Because of who I am.” Freshman year, Graham had thrown a boy out of a party for ignoring my polite hints.

And he had interpreted my one-time plea for help as an open-door invitation into my love life. Or lack thereof, thanks to his constant interference. I wasn’t supposed to know that my touch carried a social stigma second only to leprosy, but word gets back to you after.

“I meant, why play games? I get by just fine on looks alone.” His smile was blinding, driving his point home.

“Don’t forget your charming personality,” I said, and my stomach flipped when his grin widened at my words. Making Tucker laugh was the best kind of rush. “I hear modesty is quite the aphrodisiac,” I added.

“Listen to you.” He lifted those gray eyes to meet mine. “Graham would die if he heard sweet little Ellie use a word like that. And die all over again if he thought you knew what it meant.”

“Lucky he’s not here,” I said.

“Lucky indeed,” he said slowly. “For more than one reason.”

His smile was so pretty I almost sighed out loud. Fortunately, that was all it took to remind me of the manifold dangers of dropping my guard around Tuck. Because he was softening me up. It was a dance I knew all too well, even if he usually preferred a more direct assault with me.

“What do you want?” I repeated.

“Time with you,” he said sweetly. “Your undivided attention.”

“Cut the crap, Tuck.”

“Isn’t that the right answer?” he asked, all false innocence. Tipped with sarcasm. “Seems to me that’s what most girls want to hear.”

“For the record, insincere compliments work better when you don’t point them out,” I said. “And I’m not most girls.”

“Duly noted,” Tuck muttered before rallying and changing tactics. “I came to the right place, since you’re such a wise woman, seeing through all my subterfuge. I know you’ll be my savior.”

Apparently his plan was to exasperate me into submission. “For the third and final time, what do you want, Tucker Halloway?”

“Last name too? Bad sign. But here goes.” He leaned closer, knowing full well how destabilizing his proximity could be. Before I could help it, I was batting my eyelashes right back at him. A reflex as involuntary as the knee-jerk test at the doctor’s office.

“Hypothetically speaking, if a person urgently needed the key to the cabinet in the china hutch, what would that person need to do to acquire it?”

“Mug my mother,” I told him. “Hypothetically speaking, of course.” I held up one hand when he started to object. “You have a flask. That should keep you busy for the afternoon. I’m not helping you steal more alcohol.”

“Not everyone drinks scotch,” he said with a wink. “And Graham put me in charge of fun. Plus, I’ve already taken care of the hard part. We just need to put this back before anyone notices.” He held up a small glass bottle of gin that he pulled right out from the tangled green leaves of the geraniums. So that’s why he was really here, loitering around with me. He’d come to retrieve the bottle and was fortunate enough to find me standing here, a potential minion to do his dirty work. “You’ll be righting a wrong, so to speak,” he added. “Very noble of you, by the way.”

“Impressive,” I said, and I meant it. “It’s not easy to get around my mother’s radar.”

“Thank you, Ells,” he said. “It’s nice to be appreciated. Graham would have flipped. You, on the other hand, always understand.”

“Graham doesn’t know?” As far as I knew, Tuck never kept secrets from Graham. I’d assumed Graham had sent him to me for damage control.

“We don’t want to ruin his birthday with unnecessary stress,” Tuck said. “We owe it to him to handle this ourselves.”

I wasn’t sure how Tuck’s problem had suddenly turned into a “we” situation. But no one was more persuasive than Tuck when he was in the zone like this. His smile. The sweet, beseeching look in his eyes. Like I really was the only girl on the planet who could give him what he needed. I couldn’t believe I was falling for it.

Too many other girls had shown me where this particular road dead-ended.

“Fine. I’ll make sure it’s unlocked tonight,” I heard myself say. “Just put it all back by morning, or we’ll both be screwed.” Then I wiggled free of his arm, ashamed when I immediately missed it. But it was pointless to let myself pretend he was there for any reason other than covering up his typically Tuckish crime.

I expected him to leave now that his mission was a fait accompli. But he stood there a second longer, elbows propped on the railing, like he too needed a moment to catch his breath before plunging back downstairs.

“What are you two doing up here?” Graham asked. We both jumped and turned in unison, a little too fast.

Somehow Graham had extracted himself from his entourage and made his way up the deck stairs without either of us noticing. He looked at me, then at Tuck, and his eyes narrowed in mock suspicion.

I squirmed, uncomfortable he’d found us like that—locked in private conversation when the whole world was downstairs. Especially since Tuck and I now shared a secret.

“I could smell you five feet away,” Graham said, glancing at me, but then dismissing the thought as he zeroed in on Tuck. “Is that why you’re hiding up here? Seriously—lay off the scotch.” He made a grab for the flask, but Tuck was slippery as an eel. “If you’re hung over during practice, I’m not covering for you again—I don’t care if you throw up.” But his smile told a different story.

“Oh, I would never do anything to compromise my athletic career,” Tuck said, parroting the serious, grown-up voice Graham saved for teachers and college interviews

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Review: Tall,Thin and Blonde

Tall, Thin and Blonde

by Dyan Sheldon

BLURB:

Best friends Jenny and Amy have no time for Miss Perfect Teenagers, the tall, thin blondes whose only talk is of boys and fashion. Suddenly Amy's changed: she's into salads and diet Cokes; she's got a new hairstyle, wardrobe and set of friends. Jenny, meanwhile, finds herself part of a group of oddballs nicknamed the Martians. Will she follow Amy or find her own way?

Source: Publisher(Thanks Panmacmillan!)

My Thoughts:

This is a nice and VERY short read.It has about 180 pages but it's a great novel.

I could connect with Jen's situation and I formed a bond with her.This book may be short but it makes sense and gets a point across. Nobody should be afraid to be what they are and friends and people's priorities change but that doesn't necessarily mean that you need to change.

I loved almost all the characters and I found the commentary to be funny.I loved the Martians!

This is a clean read.The main character has just been promoted to high school and it deals with the changes that she experiences after getting into high school. 

I'm definitely going to read more of Dylan Sheldon.

Overall,if you're looking for a nice,fun,cute and short read this book is perfect for you!

My Rating:

3.5 stars

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"I write because I must. It's not a choice or a pastime, it's an unyielding calling and my passion."

~Elizabeth Reyes~

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New TV seasons I'm dying to watch!

So there are quite a few NEW seasons coming up this year and I decided to do a post on it.

KEEP in mind that I haven't seen these episodes yet so lets keep the comments SPOILER FREE please!

This post is not for BRAND new shows.I'll do a post on that later...(Maybe!)

New T.V. Seasons I'm dying to watch!

(in no particular order)

Castle Season 5

Did you see the SEASON 4 finale?? DID YOU??? I'm waiting to watch this with my friend (she's got it on her computer)

Merlin Series 5

I need Arthur to find out Merlin's secret!! Even if he doesn't I'll watch this for Arthur ,Merlin and the Knights!!!

LOVE THE TRAILER !

Supernatural Season 8

I'm still on Season 6 but I LOVE SAM & DEAN so much that I can't resist adding this to my list

Awkward Season 2

I love Jenna! I know it's been on air for sometime but I haven't been able to see any season 2 episode yet so it's on my list! Team Jake FTW!!

Once Upon A Time Season 2

I'm still on Season 1 but so far it's awesome so I cannot wait to watch season  2 as well!

How I Met Your Mother Season 8

Did you see the SEASON 7 FINALE???? Do you still need to ask me why it's on my list?? Well... Ted .Barney,Lily ,Robin and Marshall are reason enough for me!!

Bones Season 8

Booth LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

Dexter Season 7

I'd stopped watching it but after seeing the season 6 finale ... I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!

Love the song in the trailer too!

New Girl Season 2

Love Jess and the guys!

The Big Bang Theory 

SHELDON! that is all...

Grey's Anatomy Season 9

I'm actually at season 2 but I saw parts of season 8 on TV and it looks good..

LOVE George and Izzie and Christina. The actress who plays Meredith and Meredith not so much.

Honorable mentions:

Vampire Diaries Season 4

So I don't follow Vampire Diaries but whenever I do switch it on it keeps me hooked! PLUS I need to see IAN(a.k.a Damon) 

Also, I hear Elena turns into a vampire or is that Katherine? 

Review : Awry by Chelsea Fine

Awry (The Archers of Avalon #2)

by Chelsea Fine 

 BLURB CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOOK #1

Sometimes love is meant to be. But sometimes...love is the death of you....

Seventeen-year-old Scarlet has just died. Only, dying isn't unusual for a girl under a centuries old curse that left her semi-immortal. 

This time, though, she comes back to her current life instead of awaking in a new one, and she realizes the curse is changing. Together with the immortal Archer brothers, Scarlet must piece together her life and try to break the curse before her impending death comes again.


Source: Author (for an honest review!)

My Thoughts:
I really liked this book. If you loved Anew ,you need to pick this book up NOW! Because it does get better!

Much,MUCH better!

I for one was very curious about how Tristan,Gabriel and Scarlet had  met.Chelsea Fine tells us how all the characters first came to know about each other.Some of the questions answered in  this novel..

Why did Tristan jump in front of Scarlet to save her life?
Why does Scarlet feel a connection with Tristan?
Is Gabriel in love with Scarlet?
Is Scarlet in love with Gabriel?
Is Scarlet in love with Tristan?
Is Tristan in love with Scarlet?
Is the curse changing?
What were Gabriel,Scarlet and Tristan's lives like before they were cursed and found out that they were immortals?
and many many more

I formed a real bond with all the characters in this novel because I finally understood what kind of relationships they had with each other and what kind of people they were before the curse.

The author introduced us to these characters before the curse in flashbacks and I LOVED the flashbacks! I feel as if I know Tristan,Gabriel and Scarlet much better now and I'm dying to know what happens with them next.

Tristan you're such a cool guy! (I'm Team Tristan if you didn't know!)
This is me hugging you > >

I can't find the image source now..I do not own this image!

You deserve better Tristan! I felt so sorry for you after seeing what you've been through in this novel!

I liked Scarlet much more in this novel too.She's growing on me! 

I think I forgot to mention this in my review of the first book but I LOVE HEATHER! She's such an awesome character! If I'm ever stuck in a situation like Scarlet's I wouldn't want any other friend except for Heather. 

Nate was an awesome character too! Heather and Nate made me laugh and smile throughout the novel.These secondary characters were great.

The story was unpredictable and the pacing was great too! The author shocked me with the various twists and turns and I couldn't put this book down! At the end I wanted more!

Fortunately , this book doesn't really end with a killer cliffhanger but I'm dying to read what happens next!

Overall,if you haven't checked out this series you need to check it out now! It's only for $3.99 on kindle and this book is totally worth the money! This book is written by a fantastic indie author and I think it's made of AWESOME!

My Rating:

4/5

Need the next book!

Review: Soul Thief (UK: Forbidden) by Jana Oliver

Soul Thief (The Demon Trappers #2)

by Jana Oliver 

 Do not read the blurb if you haven't read book #1

Riley Blackthorne is beginning to learn that there are worse things than death by demon. And love is just one of them…



Seventeen-year-old Riley has about had it up to here. After the devastating battle at the Tabernacle, trappers are dead and injured, her boyfriend Simon is gravely injured, and now her beloved late father’s been illegally poached from his grave by a very powerful necromancer. As if that’s not enough, there's Ori, one sizzling hot freelance demon hunter who’s made himself Riley’s unofficial body guard, and Beck, a super over-protective “friend” who acts more like a grouchy granddad.  With all the hassles, Riley’s almost ready to leave Atlanta altogether.

But as Atlanta’s demon count increases, the Vatican finally sends its own Demon Hunters to take care of the city’s “little” problem, and pandemonium breaks loose. Only Riley knows that she might be the center of Hell’s attention: an extremely powerful Grade 5 demon is stalking her, and her luck can't last forever… 

UK COVER :

Source: Won from Fiktshun.

THANKS Fiktshun!

Note: Younger Readers cautioned. (Publisher's Note at the back of the book is that this book is for Older Readers)

My Thoughts:

OH MY GOD! This book was AMAZING!!!!!! Absolutely AMAZING!

Jana Oliver did a great job with this novel.I loved this book.I would recommend this series so that people can read this novel.This book blew my mind!

The best part about this novel was the fact that it was unpredictable.I couldn't predict anything! The ending was so surprising and I loved the fact that the author doesn't hesitate to make the characters suffer.

I'm going to try to not give away any spoilers of the previous book in this novel.

If you've read the first novel you know what Riley did in the end.I for one was dying to know what would happen. Even though the author didn't reveal what "they" wanted from Riley in this book till the very end,so many twists and turns take place that you barely notice because you (or I for one) were too engrossed in what was happening to wonder for long about the consequences of Riley's decision in Book #1.

I decided which Team I'm going to support in this novel! It was a tough choice because I love all the guys in this series but I finally made my decision.I'm Team Beck! The characters are the stars of this series. I love almost all the characters and hate all the characters I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to hate.Beck and Riley show so much growth .I love both of them so much.Ori was a great guy too(There was a close competition between him and Beck in my heart)

The story was great in this novel.It was unpredictable! In Book #1 the story was a little weak but this book has a great story.

Overall, this book is amazing and I would recommend this book to everyone! Go BUY,borrow or beg for this one.

Note: I've read the entire series including book 4 and this is pretty much the best book in the series .The last book was very close to beating the AWESOMENESS that was this book though.

My Rating: 

4.5/5

LOVED!