Jenny Colgan - Christmas at the Cupcake Café

Due to the Christmas season, I have mixed a couple of my books around so that they work better on this review blog.  Following Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop, I was intending to read West End Girls by Jenny Colgan but I switched that book around with another Colgan book, Christmas at the Cupcake Café.

Christmas at the Cupcake Café is the second book in Colgan's At the Cupcake Café series following Meet Me at the Cupcake Café, but this time there is a seasonal twist to the series which was good for this time of year and seemed suitable to review, especially following a very summery themed book.  Previously in Meet Me at the Cupcake Café, Issy was working a normal desk job, filing, but then she decides to seize the moment and open The Cupcake Café with the assistance of Austin, a bank manager who grants her a loan to begin running the shop.  Struggling at first, Issy then makes a success of the café with the help of her friends, employees, and Austin.

Rating: 8

Recommended To: Chick lit lovers

Favourite Characters: Darny - funny and stubborn

Favourite Part: 'Louis, hush about that stupid Advent calendar,' said Issy.  'It's not going to get chocolate in it.'
'It's a very sad Advent calendar,' observed Louis. - Page 118

Good Points: The embrace of Christmas; bringing new places in; introducing Marian to Darny

Bad Points: The cupcake girl in New York - hint of a love triangle

Matt O'Connor - The Icecreamists

A bit after my 21st birthday when my friend gave me Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book I bought The Icecreamists by Matt O'Connor because it looked interesting then my sister asked me to make one of the recipes out of it seen as I had the machine out to make the coconut ice cream and she chose the dark chocolate ice cream, Choc & Awe.

While it wasn't as simple as the Ben & Jerry's book because I could just dump everything in the food mixer then into the ice cream maker but that was because the final product was different; this time it was smoother and thicker, more like frozen custard, rather than like standard ice cream.

Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield - Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book

Previously, I have reviewed cookbooks from The Hummingbird Bakery after I have made at least one of the recipes so I decided, after making something out of this book, that I would review this one as it was different and I thought others would like to know how good this book was.

Hopefully you know what the Ben & Jerry's company produces because it is a good product, lovely ice cream and frozen yoghurt, and while in the UK we don't have all of the flavours that the Americans do, the ones we do have are extremely popular.  For my 21st birthday, one of my best friends from university bought me this brilliant book because she knows how much I like to cook for others as I used to make cakes for birthdays and such but I had never made ice cream so it was something new to do.

Abby Clements - Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop

Now that we're truly in winter now with the cold weather and as of this moment, it is raining like something out of Noah's Ark, I picked up a book that has a more summer based plot, Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop.  Plus, it mixes it up from the weird and wonderful books I've read recently which may have my intention when organising my bookshelf.

Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop is a novel from Abby Clements that focuses on two young women who inherit their grandmother's ice cream shop in Brighton following her unexpected death.  Clements is no stranger to the book publishing world, having worked behind the scenes for years then beginning to write her own chick lit books such as this.

Rating: 8

Recommended To: Those with Holiday book needs

Favourite Characters: Imogen - would love her life

Favourite Part: Anna had never thought of herself as the adventurous type.
[...]
But as she neared Pisa Airport, passing by the houses and churches of a small town, Anna wondered if the story she'd always told herself - about who she was and what she wanted - was still true.  Italy had opened her eyes - to adventure, and a world full of energy, and a life lived with food at the very heart of it. - Page 206-7

Good Points: Sisterly bond; identified with both Imogen and Anna on different levels; the epilogue

Bad Points: Françoise - annoying; Jon storyline annoyed me

Elf

Christmas Day is finally here and though I am rarely one to go crazy at Christmas because I'm not really religious or a child and my birthday is quite close to it, I decided this year to review a Christmas film that I love.

For three years until June this year, I was at university in Leeds and near Christmas, we would sit together on the sofa or the kitchen table (we had a kitchen/dining room/living room) and watch Elf to get us in the Christmas spirit and it became tradition. Now that I've left university, I am intend to carry on this tradition because it brings back good memories.

Elf is the 2003 worldwide-hit Christmas film from Jon Favreau (Iron Man), starring Will Ferrell (Anchorman), James Caan (The Godfather), Zooey Deschanel (New Girl), Bob Newhart (The Big Bang Theory), and Ed Asner (Up).  This was Ferrell's first film after leaving Saturday Night Live where he was a main cast member from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s and became his breakout role.

Rating: 10

Recommended To: Anyone!  Everyone!

Favourite Characters: Buddy - he's great

Favourite Part: Buddy: Buddy the elf, what's your favorite color?

Good Points: Buddy's childlike belief; great story because it's simple; Walter's change

Bad Points: Could have explored Buddy's relationship with his new family more

Gena Showalter - Heart of the Dragon

While I said after The Darkest Angel that I had stopped reading Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series, I also mentioned that I was beginning a new series from Showalter based on the myth of Atlantis just to see what it was like because I was intrigued.

Heart of the Dragon is the first in Showalter's Atlantis series focussing on the long forgotten city of Atlantis and its inhabitants which include dragon warriors, vampires, and nymphs to name a few.  Dragon warriors are meant to protect Atlantis from intruders so their secrets are not divulged, especially the two that are selected to guard the two entrances to Atlantis.

Rating: 7

Recommended To: Paranormal romance lovers

Favourite Characters: Grace - she humanised Darius

Favourite Part: She was poised on the periphery of a vision, gazing down at a bloody massacre.  Men, women and children were lying motionless in pools of their own blood.  The boy - Darius - knelt over one of the children.  A little girl.
[...]
He remained kneeling and gazed up to the crystal dome.  He slammed a fist into the dirt and howled, the sound more animal than human, more tortured than any child should ever have to endure. - Page 175

Good Points: Passionate scenes; the concept; twist to an old story

Bad Points: Everything seemed to go quickly; extremely sex obsessed

Cassandra Clare - Clockwork Angel

This year, Mortal Instruments: City of Bones was released in the cinemas, having been adapted from Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series, particularly the first book, City of Bones.  I have already read this series but I stole the prequel series Clare wrote from my sister and have decided to review it for you lovely people, if there's anyone out there.

Clockwork Angel is the first in Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices series which is a prequel to her already successful The Mortal Instruments series; this world focuses on the hidden world surrounding the normal one with various mythical beings known as Downworlders and Shadowhunters who police them.  Downworlders include vampires, werewolves and warlocks, all with their own leaders and needs and Shadowhunters are half-human half-angels with great strength and reflexes; Shadowhunters use their gifts and runes to ensure Mundanes (normal humans) don't become aware of this strange world.

Rating: 8

Recommended To: Mortal Instruments fans; fantasy lovers

Favourite Characters: Will - something about him; Charlotte - true female Shadowhunter

Favourite Part: Slowly Jessamine lowered her hand from her mouth, her face still pale.  "Goodness, my nose is enormous," she exclaimed.  "Why didn't anyone tell me?" - Page 74

Good Points: Expansion on the already established world; hints to the Mortal Instruments characters; Tessa's implied to be a new kind of Downworlder

Bad Points: Not enough steampunk; the Victorian gender roles

Frozen

Disney films were a big part of my childhood; I had pretty much every Classic Disney film on video when I was little and now have them on DVD.  I used to drive my parents mad watching them all over and over again and I can probably recite every word from each film.  After 22 years of Disney watching, I still love them so I took my little sister (who's taller than me) to see Frozen, the latest Disney Classic to be produced.

Frozen is the latest Disney Classic with musical numbers and spectacular animation loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale The Snow Queen.  Frozen stars Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars), Idina Menzel (Enchanted), Jonathon Groff (Glee), Josh Gad (Love & Other Drugs), and Santino Fontana (Submissions Only); all of the main cast members have backgrounds in stage musicals, especially Menzel who is a Broadway veteran.

Rating: 10

Recommended To: Disney lovers

Favourite Characters: Kristoff - the voice of reason

Favourite Part: Olaf: There's your act of true love - riding across the fjords like a valiant, pungent, reindeer king

Good Points: The way the story began; themes; Olaf and Sven; musical numbers

Bad Points: What happened to Kristoff's family?

Gena Showalter - Dark Beginnings: The Darkest Angel

Now for the third and final short story in the Dark Beginnings anthology that is part of the Lords of the Underworld series.  Each short story takes place before or after certain full length novels with some relevance to the previous one, with harpies featuring in this book like the one previous to this.

The Darkest Angel is the seventh story in the Lords of the Underworld from Gena Showalter which follows a group of immortal warriors; in the full length novels, the story revolves around the warriors who have hosted demons for centuries after opening Pandora's Box years ago and the short stories in Dark Beginnings, the stories revolve around different immortal warriors that are integral to the story but not part of the main group.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Those that like paranormal books, though definitely for an adult audience

Favourite Characters: Bianka - not just a self-serving Harpy

Favourite Part: His eyes narrowed.  She was trying to force his hand, and he didn't like it.  "You steal in secret.  You sleep in secret.  Why not this?"  
"That you don't know the answer proves you aren't the warrior I thought you were.  Have a nice life, Lysander," she said, jerking from his hold and walking away without a backward glance. - Page 258

Good Points: Another new supernatural being; unusual for the man to be the inexperienced one; didn't feel too short this time

Bad Points: Aeron subplot could have stayed in his book

Moira J. Moore - The Hero Strikes Back

It has been a couple of weeks since I've posted a review for a book, or even a film, there has been a good reason.  I got swamped with my job hunting and then it was my birthday this week so I've not had a lot of time to read for an extended period of time.  Fortunately, I finished the hero strikes back when I finally got the time to sit down and just read and now I'm happy again, having some time to myself.

The Hero Strikes Back is the second book in Moira J. Moore's Hero series which is told from the point of view of Dunleavy "Lee" Mallorough who lives in High Scape, working as a Shield, along with her friend and colleague, and Source, Shintaro "Taro" Karish.  Sources and Shields are gifted individuals who are trained to work together to prevent natural disasters from destroying the world they live in; unfortunately, they have no real choice in this matter because it is too dangerous for these gifted individuals to be untrained so they go to the Academy at a young age to gain control of their abilities.  While at the Academy, they are secluded so to prevent spontaneous bonding between Sources and Shields and they rarely see their families.  Once trained, the Sources and Shields are brought together for the first time and lined up to find out if there is a chance they can be bonded with one another so they can use their abilities safely.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Those that like fantasy books; more female orientated audience in my opinion

Favourite Characters: Taro - we all need a Taro in our lives

Favourite Part: I walked to him and put a hand on his back.  He jumped at the contact.  I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my face against his shoulder-blades.  He was so tense.
He shuddered, and he choked off a sound trying to escape from his throat. - Page 161

Good Points: The family; Lee and Taro; Lee's power development 

Bad Points: Cover still crap; the ending was very rapid

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

This was probably the most excited I have been in ages about a film coming out then I was about this one; ladies and gentlemen, I went to see The Hunger Games: Catching Fire to see my absolute favourite film's sequel as well as one of my favourite books being adapted into a film.  Instead of being directed by the director of The Hunger Games, Gary Ross, Francis Lawrence took over the directing helm of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire with most of the same stars; Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Josh Hutcherson (Cirque du Freak: Vampire's Assistant), Liam Hemsworth (Paranoia), Woody Harrelson (Now You See Me), Elizabeth Banks (Zack and Miri Make a Porno), and Donald Sutherland (Pride & Prejudice) with new additions Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Jena Malone (Sucker Punch), and Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale).  A note before I continue there are some minor spoilers in this review but if you've read the book then it's not a shock.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is the sequel to Gary Ross's The Hunger Games, both adaptations of Suzanne Collins's books, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire.  The Hunger Games focuses on Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) who lives in Panem, a totalitarian nation which is divided into twelve districts and the Capitol.  Every year two children (aged between 12 and 18, a boy and a girl) is selected at random to take part in the Hunger Games which is considered to be entertainment for the citizens of the Capitol but is also considered as retribution for the civil war between the districts and the Capitol that happened decades before.  Each of the tributes, those chosen from the districts, are forced to fight one another until only one child survives; Katniss's 12 year old sister, Prim (Willow Shields) is selected but Katniss volunteers in her place.  Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson), who goes to school with Katniss, is selected as the male tribute; Katniss finds out during the pre-Games interviews that Peeta has been in love with her for years (though she thinks it's a stunt) and eventually Haymitch Abernathy (Harrelson), their mentor, tells her that if she plays the part as a lovesick girl, she or Peeta could win.  In the arena, Katniss and Peeta are eventually able to play their parts as star-crossed lovers when a new rule is announced that if the final two tributes are from the same district at the end of the Games, they both can win, which works to their advantage as they gain attention from the citizens of the Capitol.  Eventually, Katniss and Peeta are the only ones left in the arena and think they can go home until the new rule is revoked.  As Katniss doesn't want to kill Peeta and vice versa, Katniss hands Peeta some poisonous berries to commit suicide with, though they both know the Capitol would rather have two victors that they can use to manipulate the masses than no victors so Katniss and Peeta are announced as victors of the 74th Hunger Games.  As they are both crowned at the end of the film, it is clear that President Snow (Sutherland) isn't happy and Katniss has inadvertently gained an extremely powerful enemy in the Capitol.  On the train home, the truth about Katniss not returning Peeta's feelings causes a rift to form between them, even though they both know they have to continue playing their role as star-crossed lovers. 

Rating: 10

Recommended To: Anyone - loads of action, romance thrown in, and a little sad

Favourite Characters: Peeta - love him

Favourite Part: Peeta: It's not real.

Good Points: Katniss and Peeta; the allies; the focus on being a victor; the additions, alterations and exclusions from the books

Bad Points: Lack of other families

Apologies from the Bibliophile

I don't know if anyone ever reads this blog but I'm sorry for not posting much this month.  I am writing some reviews, it's just taking forever.

At the minute, I'm working on

• Thor: The Dark World
• Overbite by Meg Cabot
• The Darkest Whisper by Gena Showalter

Hopefully the posts will be up soon and you can ignore this post because the ones mentioned above are dated before this one.

Regards

Stef The Bibliophile

Update: Finished Thor: The Dark World as of 26th November 2013

Update: Finished Meg Cabot - Overbite as of 30th November 2013

Update: Finished Gena Showalter - The Darkest Whisper as of 5th December 2013

Gena Showalter - The Darkest Whisper

I have been dreading this book out of the Lords of the Underworld series as this time, Gena Showalter is focusing on Sabin, the leader of the second group of Lords that was introduced later on in The Darkest Night.  I found Sabin really irritating in the previous book, The Darkest Pleasure, and I haven't liked him since his introduction but it seemed more obvious in The Darkest Pleasure because he was featured a bit more.

The Darkest Whisper is the fourth full length novel and sixth story from the Lords of the Underworld series by Gena Showalter that focuses on a number of immortal warriors, both male and female; each book in the main series focuses on a separate Lord and the short stories focus on other warriors that are distantly connected to the Lords.  Now that I am further into the series, I want to make a note to say that you could pick up any of the books because they focus on individual warriors so they are mostly self-contained though there are other storylines about the other Lords which continues throughout the series.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Those that like paranormal books, though definitely for an adult audience

Favourite Characters: Gwen - the not so timid; Paris - love the progression of his story

Favourite Part: An earsplitting squeak suddenly erupted from sweet little Gwen.
Both he and Kaia froze.  Even Taliyah and Bianka stopped their sparring to face Gwen as she crouched, sights locked on her redheaded sister.  The whites of her eyes had already turned black. - Page 249

Good Points: New mythical creatures; progression of the story; Sabin grew on me

Bad Points: Gwen's parentage seems too much

Meg Cabot - Overbite

So I have mixed up the genre a little this time, though it is still paranormal, I haven't read one about vampires for a while.  This book took me forever to read (two week-ish) for a couple of reasons: one, I've been a bit busier than normal, and two, I just couldn't delve into this book like I usually do.

Overbite is the second book in Meg Cabot's Insatiable series, a vampire series which stands out against her Princess Diaries series.  Insatiable is told from the point of view of Meena Harper mostly, a young woman with the ability to see someone's death when she touches them.  It's obvious from the name Meena Harper that the Insatiable series is intended to be a modern retelling of Bram Stoker's Dracula as well as the traditional "come and be my bride" from the vampire.  In the first book, Insatiable, Meena works as a writer from a TV show called Insatiable which is a fictional American Soap Opera with the standard insatiable women going about their everyday lives and cavorting with men.  Quite standard stuff until the network decides to mix it up by adding a vampire to the show to fit in with the influx in vampires in popular culture at the moment.  Meena then meets Lucien and she is delved into the supernatural world when she discovers that he is the son of Vlad the Impaler, also known as Dracula, and is destined to take over his father's dark empire.  It gets worse when Meena is approached by the Palantine, a subsidiary of the Vatican that want to eradicate Lucien's kind.

Rating: 5

Recommended To: Those looking for a holiday read

Favourite Characters: Jon - made me laugh; Alaric - strong and protective

Favourite Part: No.  It was his eyes.  There was no hint of that boyish mischievousness she was used to seeing in them.  For once, they weren't gleaming with deadly determination either.  She didn't recognize the look in them.
[...]
It was only then that she recognized the look in his eyes.  She'd seen it only once before: that night at St. George's, when Lucien Antonescu had almost killed them. - Page 112

Good Points: The concept; the themes of loyalty and with that, temptation; the inclusion of different cultures

Bad Points: Not as engaging as first; bits felt skipped over

Thor: The Dark World

So, this week I was spoiled because I went to the cinema twice in one week, once with my sister and then again with my mum because they both love me apparently so I get to post two film reviews within a week of one another.  This time we went to see Thor: The Dark World directed by Alan Taylor and stars Chris Hemsworth (Marvel Cinematic Universe, Snow White and the Huntsman), Tom Hiddleston (Marvel Cinematic Universe, War Horse), Natalie Portman (Black Swan, Star Wars), Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs, Thor), and Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) to name a handful.

Thor: The Dark World is the sequel to the 2009 film Thor from Kenneth Branagh as well as other films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and is the most recent one to date.  Thor is the film adaptation of the comic book hero Thor, based on the Norse god of the same name with a similar history; the film follows Thor (Hemsworth), the cocky son of Odin (Hopkins), who goes against his father's wishes and ventures to another planet with his brother, Loki (Hiddleston), and the Warriors Three, Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral (Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, and Josh Dallas respectively) where a fight ensues.  Odin then banishes Thor to Earth, along with his hammer Mjolnir, which he can only use when he is worthy enough.  Thor meets Jane Porter (Portman), Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), and Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and begins to fall for Jane.  As Thor is on Earth, Loki discovers he is the son of Laufey, a Frost Giant from Jotenheim, and seizes the throne when Odin goes into a deep sleep to regain his strength; when the Warriors Three and Sif, Thor's childhood friend (Jaimie Alexander), go to Earth to tell Thor about Loki but to stop Thor from returning, Loki sends the Destroyer to kill Thor.  The Destroyer finds Thor just after his friends find him and attacks them; Thor then decides to sacrifice himself for the safety of his friends and others.  With this sacrifice, Thor is deemed worthy by Mjolnir and is able to destroy the Destroyer and save his friends and new love; Thor and his fellow Asgardians then go back to Asgard to stop Loki's tyrannical rule after Thor promises to return to Jane.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Anyone; Marvel fans

Favourite Characters: Darcy - love her; Erik - completely barmy

Favourite Part: Loki: I think you missed a column.

Thor: Shut up!

Good Points: Thor's growth as a character; story was better; random cameo from Captain America; focus on Asgard

Bad Points: Odin annoyed me; Sif being pushed on Thor

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

Once again the bibliophile has ventured out of the house and gone to the cinema exactly a month after the previous trip (to see About Time) but this time to see a kids' film with my kid sister as well as my best friend that I've known since I was a kid.  We went to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 directed by Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn and stars Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Anna Faris (What's Your Number?, Lost In Translation, Scary Movie), James Caan (The Godfather, A Bridge too Far), and Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, Doogie Howser M.D.) to name a few of the stars.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is the sequel to the 2009 film, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (referred to as Cloudy from here on out), which is the animated children's film that focuses on the town of Swallow Falls, a sardine fishing town, where Flint Lockwood (Hader), a young inventor, lives who creates the "Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator" AKA the FLDSNDFR which generates food out of the bottom once water has gone through the top.  When it initially fails in his lab, Flint tries to hook the FLDSMDFR up to the town's power supply but inadvertently sends it up into the stratosphere.  As the FLDSMDFR is flying around the town, it hits Sam Sparks (Faris), an intern from the weather channel who is on her first assignment for the channel, humiliating her on live television.  Just as Sam discovers Flint is the one who humiliated her, the FLDSMDFR begins to work leading to Flint's and the town's success with the help of Sam; unfortunately for the entire world, the FLDSMDFR starts to overmutate the food which begins to destroy the world so Flint has to stop his own creation and save the world.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Animated film lovers

Favourite Characters: Sam; Steve; Barry

Favourite Part: Sam: A bully turned friend will be a friend to the end

Good Points: Recaps the first film; foodimals were interesting; sceneries are amazing; characters haven't changed drastically

Bad Points: Predictable story

Gena Showalter - Dark Beginnings: The Darkest Prison

So back to the Lords of the Underworld series and if you read one of my previous blogs, I am going to be alternating between this series (and I think a different one by Showalter) and other books from different authors for a bit.  Fortunately, this is only one of the short stories from the anthology, Dark Beginnings which contains The Darkest Fire and The Darkest Angel.

The Darkest Prison is the fifth story in the Lords of the Underworld from Gena Showalter which follows a group of immortal warriors; in the full length novels, the story revolves around the warriors who have hosted demons for centuries after opening Pandora's Box years ago and the short stories in Dark Beginnings, the stories revolve around different immortal warriors that are integral to the story but not part of the main group.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Those that like paranormal books, though definitely for an adult audience

Favourite Characters: Nike - unlike the other women of the series

Favourite Part: Atlas, Titan god of Strength, stared down at the bane of his existence.  Nike, Greek goddess of Strength.  And Victory, he inwardly sneered.  She loved to remind him that many called her the goddess of Strength and Victory.  As if she were better than him.  In reality, she was his godly counterpart.  His equal.  His enemy  And an all-around grade-A bitch. - Page 92

Good Points: Seeing the Greek vs. the Titans; true love/hate relationship; twisting Greek mythology

Bad Points: Over too quickly

J.A. Konrath - Whiskey Sour

So a brand-spanking-new series that was recommended to me through Goodreads after reading a large number of Stephanie Plum books as well as murder mystery books.  I think I also chose this series because of its title and my fondness for the whiskey of the same name.

Whiskey Sour is the first novel of J.A. Konrath's series, Jack Daniels Mysteries, as well as his debut novel.  The Jack Daniels Mysteries series focuses on Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels, an insomniac Chicago cop, who works with Herb Benedict, her overweight partner, as she works a number of cases in the Violent Crimes unit which includes murder cases.  Also involved in Jack's world is Harry McGlade, a private investigator who used to be Jack's partner before she was a lieutenant.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Murder mystery lovers; not a girly book at all, just has a female protagonist

Favourite Characters: Jack - great name, great character

Favourite Part: I brought up my knee, smacking him in the centre of his ugly face, and I couldn't resist grunting, "Eat this." - Page 86

Good Points: Point of view of the killer; proper murder mystery; male author/female protagonist

Bad Points: Sleazy PI was kind of pointless and just caused issues

Gena Showalter - The Darkest Pleasure

So now I've given up on the Stephanie Plum series for a little while, I'm going back to another series that I love but is more recent to my collection, having fallen in love with it after graduating university this year, Lords of the Underworld.  I've been anticipating this book for ages now because I really love Reyes, who is the focus of this book and have wanted to know what happens between him and Danika Ford ever since I started this series.

The Darkest Pleasure is the third full length novel in the Lords of the Underworld series from Gena Showalter which follows a group of immortal warriors who host various demons after opening Pandora's Box many years ago.  Each book in the series focuses on a different warrior; as well as the full length books, there are three (as of this moment) short stories that focus on various other warriors who are linked remotely to the demon possessed warriors.

Rating: 10

Recommended To: Those that like paranormal books, though definitely for an adult audience

Favourite Characters: Reyes - more to him than the self-harming warrior

Favourite Part: He'd been with a woman.  The knowledge was like being hit in the chest by a dozen arrows, all laced with poison.  She thought of the last time she'd slept with a man.  Sadly, she had to go back years.  Even more sad, it hadn't been that good.  Something had been missing.  Reyes's kiss had promised that something.  Or so she'd thought.  The urge to slam her palm into his nose, shoving cartilage into brain, filled her, but she managed to stop herself in time.  He'd like it. - Page 223

Good: Loyalty; love; Reyes and Danika's relationship; Danika's development

Bad: Sabin - didn't like him at all 

Janet Evanovich - Explosive Eighteen

As of October, this is my third and final review of the Stephanie Plum series as Notorious Nineteen isn't out in paperback as of yet and I'm not rushing out to buy it as I've become slightly disenchanted with the series.  While it is one of my favourite series still, the earlier books were much better and the new ones feel a bit repetitive.

Explosive Eighteen is the eighteenth full length novel from Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series which follows Stephanie Plum, a bail bonds agent who struggles to even complete a single capture without something going wrong, like her car being stolen repeatedly by a FTA for example.  Not only is her professional life chaotic, so is her love life; she is in an on-and-off relationship with Joe Morelli, a homicide detective, but also has an occasional fling with Ranger, her former bounty hunter mentor.  Stephanie is not alone when she bumbles her way through her FTAs as she has assistance in the form of Lola, an ex-hooker that Stephanie met during her first case.  It's not all bad for Stephanie though because she is still very close to her family, physically as well as emotionally, as she only lives ten minutes away from her parents' house in the 'Burg where she grew up.

Rating: 5

Recommended To: Chick lit lovers; crime readers

Favourite Characters: Morelli; Annie Hart

Favourite Part: Okay, so my family's a little dysfunctional.  It's not like they're dangerous.  At least we all sit down and have dinner together.  Plus, by Jersey standards, we're pretty much normal. - Page 87

Good Points: Steph is thinking about her love life more; humour; good old bonkers family

Bad Points: Wasted opportunity

Jojo Moyes - Silver Bay

So now for a normal book again, set in a different place from the UK or the States because they aren't the only places in the world.  Though I read other more normal books, like the Stephanie Plum series, they are still odd just from the events that happen, such as cars being destroyed in random ways which make no sense at all.

Silver Bay is a book by Jojo Moyes, an author my mother recommended to me.  I read another one of her books, Me Before You, which focussed on a young woman as she helps care for Will, a quadriplegic following a motorcycle accident.  This book was so sweet at points and also made me cry; it was an emotional rollercoaster and Silver Bay was the same but in a different way.

Rating: 8

Recommended To: Romance lovers

Favourite Characters: Mike - passionate, caring, adaptable

Favourite Part: So I leant forward, took Liza McCullen's exhausted, beautiful face in my hands and kissed her.  God only knows why.  The really surprising thing was that she kissed me back. - Page 142

Good Points: Interesting way of telling a quite mundane concept; a lot lighter than the other Moyes book I've read; sense of family

Bad Points: Lotte story seemed unnecessary; took forever for the truth to come out about Lotte

Meg Cabot - Awaken

Ever since my teens I have always loved Meg Cabot's more unusual books.  Don't get me wrong, Princess Diaries was a good read but I never really got into it because I never was into the girly books; I liked more action based books instead of girls swooning over the latest fella on the scene.  So I thought I'd share my love of Meg Cabot's books through my reviews with one of her more recent series which I started about a year ago and one of the latest editions to my bookshelf.

Awaken is the third and final book in Meg Cabot's Abandon series which is basically the Greek myth of Persephone being taken to the Underworld retold in the modern  day.  This series focuses on Pierce Olivieria who is brought back to life by the mysterious John Hayden.  When she tries to move on from this, she begins to see John everywhere and starts to fall for him as he falls for her.  Because Pierce has been revived thanks to John, she is a target for the Furies, unhappy souls who dislike their final resting place and possess weak willed people.  Furies want to throw the Underworld into chaos and targeting Pierce could do that because it would distract John so he takes her to the Underworld, at a price; she can no longer return home and has to stay with him forever as he sorts souls with his crew.

Rating: 7

Recommended To: Paranormal and/or myth lovers; good for holidays

Favourite Characters: John - formidable and strong; Reed - new, interesting

Favourite Part: When the lights flickered back on a second later, causing us all to blink, I saw that there was a tall figure, standing behind Seth who hadn't been there before. - Page 178-9

Good Points: Good rewrite of the myth; new characters; easy to get back into; symbolism

Bad Points: Too simply resolved; not exactly a good moral lesson; old characters seem forgotten

Michelle A. Valentine - Rock the Heart

So now for a new series and author altogether and a different story entirely for me which made it interesting for me because it was so unusual in context to other books.

Rock the Heart is the first book in Michelle A. Valentine's romance series, Black Falcon, which revolves around the band of the same name and their developing romantic relationships.  Each book, four full length books in total, focuses on one member in particular so that more time can be spent on each man and everything isn't told so rapidly.  This series appears to be self-published as which is impressive from my point of view as it is mostly well written.

Rating: 8

Recommended To: Adult audience

Favourite Characters: Riff - intriguing

Favourite Part: A tear rolls down my cheek, and I turn my head away from him.  "Please stop hurting me"  The words only come out as a whisper, but I know he hears them. - Page 268

Good Points: The way it was written; the concept; Noel; the ending

Bad Points: Typing errors; past could have been reflected on more

Gena Showalter - The Darkest Kiss

Now for a more recent favourite series of mine; Lords of the Underworld.  After reading the first one as a taster, I immediately bought four more to add to my collection because I was hooked.

The Darkest Kiss is the second full length novel in the Lords of the Underworld series from Gena Showalter.  This series follows the same twelve warriors from the first book that released the demon lords from Pandora's Box and were subsequently cursed to be possessed by one of these demon lords and each book focuses on a different warrior and their separate experiences as immortals.

Rating: 10

Recommended To: Those that like paranormal books, though definitely for an adult audience.

Favourite Characters: Lucien - really interesting

Favourite Part: "I remember Tartarus," Lucien said.  "I used to bring him prisoners.  He was an honorable man, even handsome, but I did not want to strip him."
"Lucien just made a funny."  She grinned.  She couldn't help herself. - Page 212

Good Points: The love interest wasn't human; completely different story to the others; expansion on the main warrior; makes sense more now after The Darkest Fire

Bad Points: Only a few of the other warrior were featured

About Time

Today I decided to boost the British cinema economy by going to the cinema for the first time not as a student with my mother today to see About Time written and directed by Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually) and stars Domhnall Gleeson (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Never Let Me Go), Rachel McAdams (The Time Traveler's Wife, The Notebook), and Bill Nighy (Love Actually, Pirates of the Caribbean).

About Time is a British romantic comedy with a science fiction twist that revolves around Tim Lake (Gleeson) who discovers from his father (Nighy) that the men in his family can travel through their own timeline. At first Tim doesn't believe him but when told to put this trick to the test (close your eyes, ball up your fists and concentrate on that moment), Tim is ecstatic to discover that he can really go back in time. Now the question is what will he use this amazing gift: get rich, find love, read everything book twice? Well what a British rom-com be without a lovely young man bumbling his way around trying to woo an equally lovely young lady (McAdams).

I warn you now there are minor spoilers in this review though I will try to keep them to a minimum.

Rating: 10

Recommended To: Rom-Com lovers; Richard Curtis lovers

Favourite Characters: Tim - he's adorable; Dad - like father, like son

Favourite Line: Tim: Never trust a blueberry

Favourite Part: When Tim is bickering with his dad that time travel is not true

Good Points: Gleeson; more family orientated than The Time Traveler's Wife; Tim's relationships with both his family and Mary; the settings

Bad Points: Could have had a British actress for Mary; reintroducing the first girl that broke Tim's heart, Charlotte

Janet Evanovich - Smokin' Seventeen

Back to one of my favourite series, Stephanie Plum, from an author I love, Janet Evanovich,  Like I've said before, I've read a large number of Evanovich's books and love the main characters of the Stephanie Plum series.

Smokin' Seventeen is the seventeenth full length novel from Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series which follows Stephanie Plum, a bails bond agent (a bounty hunter) and is in an on-and-off relationship with Joe Morelli, a homicide detective, but also has an occasional fling with Ranger, her mentor in being a bounty hunter.  Stephanie bumbles her way through her FTAs (those that failure to appear for court once they've been bailed out) with the assistance of her sidekick, Lula, a former hooker.  Stephanie also has an unfortunate talent of destroying any car she owns or borrows or even gets in, apart from her Uncle Sandor's practically indestructible powder blue '53 Buick Roadmaster (Big Blue).  Stephanie Plum lives in New Jersey, five minutes away from her parents who live in the 'Burg where she grew up and is still close to her family, visiting them whenever she can.

Rating: 7

Recommended To: Chick lit lovers; crime readers; not really necessary to read the previous books but reading the first one, One For The Money, gives you a background on most of the characters and maybe Hot Six for a bit more of information on Mooner (Moon-Man)

Favourite Characters: Morelli - flirty and everything

Favourite Part: 'This is delicious,' Connie said.  'He's a really good cook.'

Lula spooned out more casserole and looked over at me.  'You should marry him.  You could have perfectly good sex all by yourself, but you'll never be able to cook this good. - Page 179

Good Points: Mooner's still here; Steph's back on with Joe

Bad Points: Just pick one; feel a bit repetitive now; Dave

Tarek Malouf - Cake Days

For years, Macmillan Cancer Support have held the World's Biggest Coffee Morning and this year it is being held on 27th September 2013, tomorrow.  This Coffee Morning is the biggest fundraising event for Macmillan and over this wonderful country, people are encouraged to hold a coffee morning to raise money.

This year, my mother's work are holding their own coffee morning and I was asked to bake a few things for her; some mini cocktail cupcakes (mojito, piña colada, strawberry daiquiri) that can be found in Cake Days by Tarek Malouf from The Hummingbird Bakery. I agreed to this because it's a good cause, Macmillan has helped when my grandmother was ill and supported her and my family towards the end; I think I would do anything for this charity because of my grandmother.

Macmillan Coffee Morning

For years, Macmillan Cancer Support have held the World's Biggest Coffee Morning and this year it is being held on 27th September 2013, tomorrow.  This Coffee Morning is the biggest fundraising event for Macmillan and over this wonderful country, people are encouraged to hold a coffee morning to raise money.

If you haven't already signed up, get involved like me. Tomorrow there will be a review of the cookbook I used to make some baked goods for this coffee morning. 

Giovanna Fletcher - Billy and Me

I'm not going to say my next book I'm reviewing is weird but it's different for me because it's just a normal romance novel that goes through general relationship problems.

Billy and Me is the debut book from Giovanna Fletcher; I think the initial appeal for me was because I knew who was the author was because she had married Tom from McFly and they were my favourite band growing up so this sparked my curiosity.

Rating: 10

Recommended To: Those that like romance books, though focuses on the less physical side of the relationship

Favourite Characters: Molly - I love her; Sophie - relatable

Favourite Part: You've got to make the most of life and not let these little opportunities pass you by.  Before you know it you'll be old and wrinkly like me and wishing you'd done more. Just make sure you're happy. - Page 168

Good Points: The relationship between Sophie and Molly; the contrasts of the two settings; the story

Bad Points: What happened to her dad should have been told sooner

Gena Showalter - Dark Beginnings: The Darkest Fire

Now for something from a series I've already started to review, Lords of the Underworld. Technically this story is from Dark Beginnings which contains three short stories I decided to review the three stories separately as they take place in between different books within the series along with a guide to the world this is set in.

The Darkest Fire is the prequel to the Lords of the Underworld series from Gena Showalter.  This series follows a group of warriors who released demons from Pandora's Box and were each subsequently cursed to be possessed by one of the demons.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Those that like paranormal novels, though definitely for an adult audience

Favourite Characters: Geryon - he's different from the other men of this series

Favourite Part: They seemed to fall forever.  Geryon retained an iron-edged grip on the trembling Kadence, her hair whipping around them like angry silk ribbons.  She didn't scream something he'd expected, but she did turn and wind her legs around him, something he had not. - Page 38

Good Points: Keeps the passion from the series; Kadence sees there is more to Geryon; explains how the demons get in Pandora's Box

Bad Points: Too short

Kristen Simmons - Breaking Point

Back to an old reliable series that I've started reading already but want to share with you all.  Like every other time, I'll try not to give too much away.

Breaking Point is the second book in Kristen Simmons's series Article 5 which is told from the point of view of Ember Miller and focuses on her and Chase Jennings, a young man that she cared about from her past.  In a war torn America, there are no police but are soldiers who enforce the law of the land, known as Moral Statues, dictating to society the moral code that people should live by.  Punishments are severe if these Statues are broken, going from being arrested to the punishments (with long imprisonments and death being common).  In Article 5, Ember starts as a 17 year old girl who keeps a low profile so to draw attention to her family or home life because her mother has broken Article 5 of the Moral Statues, a child is only considered a valid citizen when they are conceived by a married man and wife.  Unfortunately, the seventeen years of hiding catches up with Ember's mother when she is arrested by none other than Ember's former best friend (and first love), Chase Jennings.  Ember is taken into custody and forced into a reformation school where the inmates are brainwashed to comply with the Moral Statues.  Meanwhile Chase goes AWOL and goes to rescue Ember; once they are together, they find the resistance, seeking shelter.  When they're alone together, Chase confesses that he watched her mother die and did nothing about it which causes Ember to run away so Chase goes after her and is captured and arrested because he went AWOL which means Ember has to save HIM.  Once she finds him again, they fake their deaths so those in charge of America won't come after them both again.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Definitely one for those that like dystopian fiction

Favourite Characters: Chase - many great things about him; Ember - great name as well as other great traits

Favourite Part: Instantly they consumed me, overwhelmed me, like the fact of my love was the only truth I'd ever known.  The only truth there was. Chase Jennings, I love you.  I love the boy you were and the man you've become and even when I don't like you at all I still love you because you are you, kind and safe and good, because you understand me and are not afraid.
As the honesty of my words sunk in, he became very still.  Statue still.  And I waited, more raw and vulnerable than ever.

[...]

"I love you, Em.  I've loved you since I was eight years old, and I'll love you my whole life." - Page 353-4

Good Points: How easy it was to pick back up; the reintroduction of old friends; Chase and Ember's relationship

Bad Points: Tucker - too easily accepted for me after everything

Tarek Malouf - Home Sweet Home

While I was reading Touch of Frost, the main character, Gwen, kept speaking about eating a number of sweet things including pumpkin roll. When this happened, I kept craving something sweet like what Gwen was eating so I decided to make something.

I first looked on the internet but then when I was looking through my many cookbooks, I found a recipe for pumpkin & cream cheese roulade (basically pumpkin roll) in Home Sweet Home which was compiled by Tarek Malouf from The Hummingbird Bakery. When I found the recipe in a book, I decided to review the book based on this recipe, though I have made a couple of other recipes so I will mention them at the end. I'm going to review this book based on how clear the recipes were and how easy it was to follow and the end result.