Top Ten Tuesday #14

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top 10 books we read in 2013

1. Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh

2. The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandana

3. Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover

4. The Homing Pigeons by Sid Bahri

5. Arouse by Nina Lane

6. Twisted Perfection by Abbi Glines

7. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

8. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

9. Lucky In Love by Jill Shlavis

10. Thief by Tarryn Fisher

What are your picks?

Review- A Beautiful Wedding by Jamie McGuire

Goodreads Summary:

You know that Abby Abernathy unexpectedly became Mrs. Maddox. But what do you really know?

Why did Abby pop the question?
What secrets were shared before the ceremony?
Where did they spend their wedding night?
Who else knew about it . . . and didn’t tell?

Everything about Abby and Travis’s elopement was top-secret . . . until now. Fans of Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster will get all of their questions answered in this whirlwind tale of the wedding day (and night!)—and as with all good stories, this one will definitely have been worth the wait.

REVIEW:

Aw, A Beautiful Wedding is such a cute story! When I read Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster, I never once thought that there'd be so much of depth to Abby and Travis' decision to marry. I knew it would happen at some point and when it ended up happening quite suddenly, I was so happy to see them together that I didn't notice anything else.

Abby and Travis share the best relationship in the world- one in which best friends fall in love. There really isn't anything more wonderful than marrying your best friend and I loved to see Abby and Trav make it last and work from the very beginning. The two make for a cute couple and it was so sweet to see them together. 

A Beautiful Wedding tells us, from both Abby's and Travis' points of views, the reason why the two rushed into marriage at such a young age. Well, there's reason from Abby's side. Travis just seems too crazy in love to care about anything, but the transformation he has gone through from Beautiful Disaster to A Beautiful Wedding is so cute. No more fights, no more punches... It seems like the Trav I fell in love with has completely changed, for better of course. It can be seen in his actions, his words, and his way of thinking... And I am in love all over again!

I loved Abby and Travis. I loved seeing Vegas. I loved meeting America, Shepley and the Maddox brothers again. In short, I loved every tiny damn bit of A Beautiful Wedding. I can never get tired of the Beautiful series and this novella, in its mere 150 pages proved that Jamie McGuire can make me fall more and more in love with her books. It was beautiful. It was perfect. 

RATING:

Review- Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding

Summary-

What do you do when your girlfriend’s sixtieth birthday party is the same day as your boyfriend’s thirtieth?

Is it better to die of Botox or die of loneliness because you’re so wrinkly?

Is it wrong to lie about your age when online dating?

Is it morally wrong to have a blow-dry when one of your children has head lice?

Is it normal to be too vain to put on your reading glasses when checking your toy boy for head lice?

Does the Dalai Lama actually tweet or is it his assistant?

Is it normal to get fewer followers the more you tweet?

Is technology now the fifth element? Or is that wood?

If you put lip plumper on your hands do you get plump hands?

Is sleeping with someone after two dates and six weeks of texting the same as getting married after two meetings and six months of letter writing in Jane Austen’s day?

Pondering these and other modern dilemmas, Bridget Jones stumbles through the challenges of loss, single motherhood, tweeting, texting, technology, and rediscovering her sexuality in—Warning! Bad, outdated phrase approaching!—middle age.

Review-

I had been hearing about Bridget Jones since I was a kid and I always wanted to read and know what the hype was behind them. So when I got a chance to read Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy I jumped at it. I haven't read the previous books so I don't know the exact story behind but I figured it out. It was a good if not an exceptional read.

Bridget is in her fifties now. She has to take care of her two adorable kids, Billy and Mabel and take care of herself. I liked Bridget. She was a unique character with her share of insecurities and she did goof up quite a few times but still she always managed to keep her priorities right with the kids. There was a charm in her personality.

When Bridget tries to be tech savvy she joins twitter and meets the thirty year old Roxter. I understood how all Bridget wanted to do was have some fun with Roxter and forget her worries for awhile. Roxter was sweet and understanding and sexy and even though it wasn't love you could see that they cared for each other.

I loved watching Bridget go through all the dilemmas of modern life. Trying to cope with love, loss is not easy when you're alone with two kids in tow. I also loved Briget's friends. They were all hilarious and had their own opinions. On everything. But they truly loved Bridget and wanted the best for her.

I can see how the Bridget Jones books have their charm. The writing style was really good. It made the reading really interesting and funny. But I wasn't blown away by it like I expected to be. Maybe I should've read the previous books before starting this one or maybe I couldn't fully relate to the situation Bridget was in. But all is well that ends well, I guess.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Random House India in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Review- I Am Yours by Faith Sullivan

Goodreads Summary:

Adam is at a crossroads.

He has Katie on his mind and Jada in his bed.

Now with the ultimate choice before him, he must decide between fantasy and reality. 

Katie's his dream girl, but Jada's his best friend, his partner. As a paramedic, he's supposed to save lives, not wreck them. Yet his failure to commit leaves a trail of heartache in his wake.

Things come to a head at his brother's wedding when a surprise announcement leaves Adam scrambling to pick up the pieces. Sure, women find his shaggy blond hair and aquamarine eyes irresistible. But to him, sex is nothing more than a means of escape ... until it turns into a psychological trap.

His mind is telling him one thing, while his heart is beating another. He's not sure what he wants when it comes to a serious relationship. Sorting out his feelings, he finally comes to a startling realization. He is capable of love. 

But what if it's too late?

Heartbeat series:

My review of Heartbeat (Heartbeat #1)

My review of Come What May (Heartbeat #2)

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of I Am Yours by Faith Sullivan in exchange for an honest review. We thank Faith for the book! 

Author Faith Sullivan's Heartbeat trilogy has been one of the most mind boggling books I have read so far. Each book has been one of those books that keep you at the edge of your seat till the very ending. Luckily for me, I devour cliffhanger endings but when it comes to this particular series, I was dying to know how everything will be wrapped up and I feel proud to say that even though the whole plot of I Am Yours wasn't how I pictured it to be, the ending was exactly what I was hoping it'd be. 
Like I did in my reviews of the first book and the second book, I won't be talking much about the story, but I will tell you about the three main characters from whose points of views the book goes by- Jada, Adam and Katie. I must say that I quite liked reading from three points of views, especially when it was one guy and two girls. A three people point of view isn't usually the case in love triangles, so this was pretty good to see. 

Jada:

Jada is one kick ass heroine. She was strong, supportive and steady in I Am Yours as she was in Come What May. There was one point where I was really irritated with her, but I think I understood why she had to certain things and above anything else, I was most happy for Jada since by the end of this book, she finally seemed at peace with herself. 

Adam:

I really liked Adam in Heartbeat but he made me not like him in Come What May. He had changed so much that I couldn't believe he did everything he did. In I Am Yours too, there were times when I just did not like Adam and his way to deal with situations but then again, there were times when I thought he was being pretty good overall. 

Katie: 

Katie's side of the story is something different altogether. I just do not understand her. In Heartbeat, I liked how sweet and innocent Katie was and in I Am Yours, the Katie we meet seemed just like the one we first met and the two- personality wise and in a general life situations sort of way- are so similar to one another that it's highly creepy. 

While the three main characters each had certain qualities I liked and many qualities I didn't like, they were very unique and well portrayed by Faith Sullivan, who has created three very creative and quite interesting people. Not just them, even side characters like Adam's brother Brian and his fiancé Kelly and her guide Savoy were each distinct and well written characters. 
Like I have said before, this series is mind boggling and I'm not sure if I've even understood the whole story yet but what I can say and what matters most is that I enjoyed the books overall. While Come What May remains my favourite of the series, I'd say that I Am Yours did answer questions but I would still like to know more. Anyway, I loved how much of psychological and mind games were involved in the story. This book was a short and much needed read that I found pretty good.

RATING:

Mini Interview Review- The Bones of Stars by Giti Chandra

Summary-

‘I am the blood that flows under all, I am the fire and bones of stars. . .’ In the colossal caldera of Yellowstone National Park, a geyser blows in a startling eruption of red, and young Akshat disappears. This is only the tiny, terrifying start to the primal battle, now resurrected in full fury, between the two ancient foes, Elrai and Edasich. As the frantic search for Akshat ensues, his cousins, the child-guardians entrusted with olden secrets, come together with a coven of witches to rescue their beloved Akshat – and indeed the world – from certain peril. But will their growing powers be enough against the merciless evil loosed by the desperate and vicious Hyena-faced One? Will they be able to save Earth from a cataclysm of scorching lava and pulverized rock? Who will finally don the good Elrai’s baldric and leash the trail of death and destruction? Gripping and heart-stopping, The Bones of Stars tracks the defiant crusade of six extraordinary young people against a formidable, brutal force that threatens to obliterate the whole world as you know it. And end it forever.

Hey guys! So today, we have a very unique review interview for today. This is by my younger brother's friend Ashutosh. He loves to read just as much as we do and The Bones of Stars is something I thought he'd like. He's going to share his thoughts about the book with us.

Q.1. Did you like the book?

A: Yes! The way the different aspects of the supernatural powers of the six are portrayed had me hooked to the book until the very end. The sudden twists and turns kept me on the very edge of my seat. The plot is mesmerizing. This book is a must read for juvenile readers looking for adventure and the supernatural. 

Q.2 What did you like the most?

A:  I like the usage and the command of the writer over the language. The different new concepts pertaining to the supernatural are explored very superbly. The concept of the Starstones, The Tree of Life were really fantastic!

Q.3 What did you not like about the book?

A:  Everything was really nice!

Q.4 Who was you favorite character in the book and why?

A: Amar because he can make metal via music. I mean, that is so. damn. cool.

Q.5 Describe the book/ your feelings about the book in 5 words.

A: Heart touching and subtly awesome.

Q.6 Would you recommend it to your friends? Who do you think would like the book?

A: Yup! People of my age group ie, Teenagers

A's Rating:

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Hachette India in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Review- Arouse by Nina Lane

Summary-

"One day I'm going to touch you in a thousand different ways and show you how to touch me," he said. 

And he did.

Struggling with a tormented past, undergraduate Olivia Winter once led a practical but isolated life. Then she met Professor Dean West, a brilliant scholar of medieval history who melted Liv's inhibitions and taught her the meaning of both love and erotic pleasure. But after three years of a blissful, lusty marriage, Liv and Dean now face a crisis that threatens everything they believe about each other...and sex might not be enough to save them.

Review-

I picked up Arouse pretty randomly, expecting a steamy romance which I could enjoy for a while. But I was completely blown away by how good the book turned out to be. It brought out a varying range of emotions that stayed with me long after the book was over. It was a completely unique romance which is hard to say with so many romance novels which are out there.

Arouse starts off with Olivia Winter living with her husband, Dean West. They have been happily married for three years and have known each other for five. Olivia has had a horrible past to deal with but it all changed when she met Dean. He made her believe in her happy ending. With him. But when a little incident happens, there seems to be a chasm opened between Dean and Olivia pulling them apart.

I really liked Olivia. She was sweet and sensible. She truly loved Dean and was willing to do anything for him. She had laid herself bare for him since their marriage and she expects the same from him. But when Dean's secrets come out they threaten the foundation of their relationship. I loved Dean as well. He was clearly in love with his wife. He had a strong, determined way about him which was perfect for Olivia. All his geekiness with medieval history was endearing.

Though Dean was not very expressive with his words, his actions were a whole different story. Dean and Olivia had chemistry but they both had emotional baggage as well. I loved seeing how they both were so willing to work towards their marriage for each other. There were plenty of steamy scenes to keep you occupied but there were a ton of emotions behind them too.

The book primarily moves from Olivia's point of view but we do get a glimpse into Dean's head which helped in so many ways in understanding him better. Marriage is hard work and this book showed so well what happens after the honeymoon period when you get back to reality. Nina Lane is an amazing writer and I'm extremely glad to have read Arouse. Fans of romance should give it a try. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.

Christmas Giveaway (India only)- The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti

Hello, all! It's Christmas and we have a giveaway for you to celebrate! But before that, here's wishing you all a very merry Christmas! I hope you and all your loved ones have a wonderful time. 

Many thanks to Nimi @ The Readers Cosmos, we have a giveaway in which FIVE lucky Indian readers stand a chance of winning author Michelle Cohen Corasanti's novel, The Almond Tree. I myself read, loved and reviewed the book. You do not want to miss reading this amazing novel and here's your chance to win it. 

Read Sarika's review of The Almond Tree

Let's take a look at the basics about the book before we get on to the giveaway. 

GOODREADS SUMMARY: 

Gifted with a brilliant mind that has made a deep impression on the elders of his Palestinian village, Ahmed Hamid is nevertheless tormented by his inability to save his friends and family. Living under occupation, the inhabitants of the village harbour a constant fear of losing their homes, jobs, belongings – and each other. 

On Ahmed’s twelfth birthday, that fear becomes a reality. 

With his father now imprisoned, his family’s home and possessions confiscated and his siblings quickly succumbing to hatred in the face of conflict, Ahmed embarks on a journey to liberate his loved ones from their hardship, using his prodigious intellect. In so doing, he begins to reclaim a love for others that had been lost over the course of a childhood rife with violence, and discovers new hope for the future.

Now to the most anticipated part of this post- the giveaway! Let me tell you again that FIVE copies of the book are up for grabs. 

Giveaway rules are simple- 

*Giveaway open to INDIA residents only. 

*Enter by filling out the Rafflecopter form below and if it doesn't load, click here. 

*Once winners are picked, they will have 48 hours to respond or else we'll be compelled to pick new winners.

*The book will be sent by The Readers Cosmos.

Lastly, may the odds be ever in your favour! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We'd like to thank Nimi for the giveaway and thank you, readers, for stopping by! Happy holidays! 

The 2014 TBR Pile Challenge

Hi, all! So I really loved being part of Roof Beam Reader's LGBT Reading Month in October 2012 and I miserably failed Austen In August 2013, but this time around, I'm going to be taking part in The 2014 TBR Pile Challenge and I'm pretty excited for it. The goal is quite simple and doable- you've to read 12 books that have been on your TBR for at least a year. You can take part too. Go here to know all the details. 

Here's the list of twelve books (in no particular order) that I hope against hope I will read- 

1. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes 

2. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan 

3. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan 

4. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 

5. Moby Dick by Herman Melville 

6. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee 

7. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid 

8. The Collaborator by Mirza Waheed 

9. Orphan of Islam by Alexander Khan 

10. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo 

11. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult 

12. Looking For Alaska by John Green 

Alternate-

13. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Alright then. Here's wishing myself and all the other participants all the very best and a big thank you to Adam for hosting the challenge. Also, wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Happy reading! 

Top Ten Tuesday #13

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is: 

Christmas is tomorrow! Here are some books we hope Santa will leave for us under our tree or in our stocking.

Here are my picks: 

   

 

 

 

All book cover images from- Goodreads

Image from- Keep Calm & Read Romance 

What are you hoping Santa would get for you? Here's wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! I hope you and your loved ones have a lovely time. 

Review- Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James

Goodreads Summary:

Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house. 

But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.

While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.

This book is intended for mature audiences.

REVIEW:

I felt really embarrassed and odd to admit that I actually ended up liking Fifty Shades of Grey but when it comes to Fifty Shades Darker, I feel pretty comfortable in saying the same. 
Of course, I must admit that when I read the first book, I did it out of curiosity and my tendency to give in to hype, but unlike most, and not so surprisingly, I didn't loathe it from the bottom of my heart. It could be said that I read the second book again  out of curiosity but honestly, I read it because I wanted to read it and because I was genuinely interested in finding out what would happen next in the popular and people-can't-stop-talking-about Fifty Shades trilogy. 

When I read the first book, I had a psychological debate going on in my head about the story and the characters, but with the second book, I just decided to read and enjoy what I was reading and that made it an entertaining read. While Fifty Shades of Grey gave us a glimpse into the fifty shades of fucked up life of Christian Grey, Fifty Shades Darker actually plunged into his problems and even if not entirely, I was quite satisfied to get answers to questions that were running in my mind as well. 
I really hated Ana and Christian in the first book but somehow, as weird and stupid as they may be, they grew on me and I felt that, in a right and odd way, they made for a good couple. Even considering their twisted and kinky way, they seemed like a normal couple madly in love and dying to be in each other's arms. Ana had practically no past and Christian had a bucketful of it and that made them sort of balance each other out. I must say that I found all the romance very sweet. Although I still find the two to be very stupid, I liked seeing their love grow. 
Of course, with this series, it can't be all love and no hate at all. I did find the chapters to be too long and too boring and again there was barely any originality in the story. I also felt that the writing, which sort of slipped my mind in my review of Fifty Shades of Grey- but which I now noticed thanks to the many reviews I read by other readers- I realised was quite, in a way, repetitive and a bit irritating. Also, for an erotica series, there wasn't much kinky love making in this one, not like I wanted there to be any, but still- why is everyone calling it erotica when it actually seemed pretty clean to me? 
Overall, this was a good book and I because I have one more to go in the series, I'm all pepped up to see how it all ends. 

RATING:

Winners: Love and Lokpal giveaway

Another successful giveaway has come to an end and it's time to announce the names of the two lucky readers who have won a copy of Pooja Wanpal's Love and Lokpal. We also interviewed Pooja on the blog and that can be read here. 

The people who have won the book are...

Priyanka and Shree. 

Congratulations, people! 

Thank you to all participants and if you didn't win, we have a ten copies of The Homing Pigeons... (IN only) and two copies of The Other Side (IN & INT) giveaways going on so do stop by those! 

Review- Misbehaving by Abbi Glines

Summary-

An unexpected affair leads to mind-blowing harmony in this Sea Breeze novel from New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines. 

Jason is sick of living in his rock star brother’s shadow. So when he ships off to Sea Breeze, Alabama, he’s looking for a much deserved escape and a chance to blow off some envious steam. Falling for the local bad girl was definitely not the plan. But as the new duo enjoys some naughty fun in the Alabama sun, Jason learns that even though Jax is the musician in the family, he’s not the only brother who can rock someone’s world.

Buddy read with Aman @ Enticed by Books

Review-

I was a little bit worried before starting Misbehaving because I was so not a fan of Jess or Jason from the previous books. The book started off good for me. Maybe it was just because I was reading an Abbi Glines book after a long while, maybe it was me. But after I was halfway through the book, I did not like how things went.

Jason is Jax Stone's younger brother. We'd met him in the first book Breathe. He's always been living under his brother's shadow and when he comes to Sea Breeze all he wants is a break from life. Okay, first I liked Jason thinking he was the shy and quiet hero but as the book went his actions became dumb. Another point was all the hostility towards Jax. When did Jason suddenly start hating his brother? I didn't get it.

Then we have Jess. She's the local bad girl. Jess has lived a hard life with her mom who works as a stripper. After being in an awful on/off relationship with Hank, now all she wants to do is move on. I didn't like Jess from before and here though I kind of got what she was going through I found her stupid. The only times I did like her was when she was being true with her vulnerabilities and insecurities.

There is no doubt that Abbi Glines knows how to write romance. Misbehaving has plenty of steamy scenes in it. But I didn't get the emotional connect between Jess and Jason. Their reason for being together was unclear. I would have liked more depth to their relationship.

Even if the book was good, Jess and Jason really made me dislike them through their actions and the decisions they took which they thought were smart. It took out the overall enjoyment from the book. For an Abbi Glines book, it was a disappointment. I just hope the next book's better.