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.

Jennifer Estep - Touch of Frost

Another Goodreads recommendation, following me reading the final instalment of the Starcrossed series, Goddess.  This has similar mythic themes but the concept is a bit like P.C. and Kristin Cast's House of Night series where it takes place in a specialist school.

Touch of Frost is the first book in the Mythos Academy series by Jennifer Estep.  This series revolves around Gwendolyn "Gwen" Frost, a young Gypsy girl, who started a new school two months prior the beginning of this book.  She is established as the outcast in this young adult book while everyone around her is accepted in their own clique.  She has no friends, though she doesn't care about this, and dresses differently from all of the other students (who wear designer gear and nothing else); she also feels different to everyone else because she isn't a warrior like them and she only has a bit of magic.

Rating: 8

Recommended To: Those that liked the House of Night series and Starcrossed series

Favourite Characters: Logan Quinn - mysterious and aloof; Daphne - appears to be more than a pretty girl which is great; Vic - sarcastic and bloodthirsty

Favourite Part: Arm in arm, we left her room, the beginnings of a real relationship shimmering in the air between us, just like the bright pink sparks fluttering up from the Valkyrie's fingertips. - Page 236

Good Points: The concept; love interest is present but not a focal point; Gwen's determination; the powers and the weapons

Bad Points: School life is not fully explored; myths are vaguely mentioned

Carolee Dean - Take Me There

I thought this book was going to be so easy to introduce because the initial thoughts I had on it from the cover were it was going to be the same as Amy & Roger's Epic Detour; this is because Goodreads recommended this book to me when I had finished Amy & Roger.  However, it was completely different which was amazing from my point of view.

Take Me There is a young adult book by Carolee Dean about Dylan Dawson, a young man with an established background as a bad boy, combined with a criminal record, a jailbird father, and an alcoholic mother who is trying to forget her own past through the bottle.

Rating: 10

Recommended To: Anyone - some violence and gore but not horrific

Favourite Characters: Dylan - he's amazing; DJ Dawson - helps Dylan come to terms with his past

Favourite Part: I hear my father's voice faintly, over the telephone, answering for me in a soft drawl.  "He's my son."  He reaches out his hand, pressing it against the glass, as if trying to touch me.  He smiles, and I see a tear making its way down his cheek.
[...]

I press my hand up against my father's and I'm suddenly close enough to the glass to see my reflection, blurred by the tears now filling my eyes.  I wipe them away with my fist and take a good look at my father. - Page 167-168

Good Points: The opening; the poetry; DJ's writing; male perspective

Bad Points: Wade's sudden turn around

Tom Fletcher & Dougie Poynter - The Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas

It's going to be a bit of time until my next review and I thought I'd really mix it up yet again with a kids' book written by two members of McFly; I know it's random but I used to love McFly when I was a teenager and thought it was amazing that two of them wrote a kids' book. My friends thought it was childish but I didn't care, everyone needs to let out that inner child and give in to reading kids' books; they are simple, easy to read and for the most part funny if the reader can indulge themselves in the words.

This is going to be a short review with it being such a short story and even though it's not as long, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Good for kids and anyone else who can handle the content

Favourite Characters: Santy C - who doesn't love jolly old Saint Nick

Favourite Part: So big Santy C said, "I'll leave a present, but this year his present might just be unpleasant". - Page 4

Good Points: The illustrations; the writing style and story; the lesson

Bad Points: Slightly gross