Review- Love Kills by Ismita Tandon

Summary-

‘The fat constable on duty brought to my attention a sketch. Every tiny detail of the murder scene was on paper: the wilted orchids placed across her midriff, the knife balanced precariously on the low table and her dreamy eyes…’ 
You won’t live a boring life if you’re named after a whisky (more or less).

Meet Johnny Will, named thus by an alcoholic father who died under mysterious circumstances. Johnny is the founder of Thy Will – a de-addiction centre for the rich and the famous that uses very questionable methods – and the fiancé of Mira Kermani, daughter of the richest man in town.

The beautiful young Mira dies of an overdose of morphine. Officer Ray is convinced that Johnny is the killer. Johnny’s assistant Sera, who secretly loves him, and his half-brother Zac are working hard to protect him from the officer. Or are they? Could Aunt Adele’s hunger for what was rightfully her son’s inheritance have driven her to murder? Or is the murderer an unhappy patient? 

From the author of the disturbing and controversial Jacob Hills, an unputdownable story of crime and passion in the hill-station town of Monele.

Review-

Every now and then I am very much in the mood to read a good murder mystery and Love Kills was just that. I have previously read Jacob Hills by Ismita Tandon and know that she is a fantastic author so of course when I got a chance to read Love Kills I went for it. Love Kills was an amazing read which kept me guessing through out. 

Johnny Will is the founder of Thy Will which is a de-addiction centre. I found Johnny's character to be the most intriguing in the bunch. He has had an alcoholic father who was not faithful to his wife. His half brother Zac and aunt whose intentions are unknown for the most part are present in Johnny's life. Johnny's way of treating his patients was definitely not traditional and we can see him sitting on the line between good and bad.

Then we have Mira who is murdered with an overdose of morphine. She was Johnny's fiance. Adding to this is Johnny's secretary Sera who is secretly in love with Johnny. This cast makes for the suspects in Mira's murder. As and how the story progresses we find out that each person has a hidden agenda of his own and things are definitely not as they seem.

I was completely reeled in as soon as I started reading. Love Kills is set in a small town with rich people with an eerie back drop. It goes on from various point of views so we get an all around view of what's happening with Officer Ray who is leading the investigation. I was really trying to guess who the killer may be but when the truth came out I honestly didn't see it coming.

Love Kills is dark and gritty. It touches the dark side of human emotions with twisted minds and greed. If you are looking for a good murder mystery which will probably keep you up all night in the hopes of figuring out what actually happened, look no more. Love Kills is the perfect read for you!

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

Waiting on Wednesday #90

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Then Came You by Jill Shlavis

Publication Date: July 1, 2014

Summary-

From the New York Times bestselling author of Rumor Has It and the Lucky Harbor series comes the story of a woman whose world is turned upside down by one night's torrid fling...

Veterinary intern Emily can’t believe she wound up in the small town of Sunshine, Idaho, instead of the Los Angeles clinic she had always imagined. Now she has to put her plans to move to L.A. on hold for a whole year while she fulfills the obligation of her vet school scholarship.

Then Wyatt, her gorgeous one-night stand from a Reno vet conference, introduces himself as her new boss. And Emily is just as drawn to his seductive looks and quiet strength as she was on that very steamy night. She soon learns that Wyatt isn’t just a laid-back doctor, but a delicious alpha male tempting her away from her carefully laid-out plans...

Its Jill Shalvis, of course I'm reading it!

What are you waiting on?

Top Ten Tuesday #31

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

Today's topic is:

Top Ten Books on my Summer TBR-

My picks are:

  

  

  

  

  

What are your picks?

Review- The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Goodreads Summary:

Set in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Havana, Hemingway's magnificent fable is the story of an old man, a young boy and a giant fish. In a perfectly crafted story, which won for Hemingway the Nobel Prize for Literature, is a unique and timeless vision of the beauty and grief of man's challenge to the elements in which he lives.

REVIEW:

Ernest Hemingway is such a famous name in English literature and that in itself was enough for me to decide to read at least one of the author's works. I am glad to be taking my goal to read some literary classics seriously. When I picked The Old Man and the Sea to introduce myself to Hemingway, I was ready for a deep, thought-provoking and philosophical read that would make me contemplate because that is what literature does. I wouldn't say that the book didn't induce any of it at all, I would just say that it wasn't up to a very great extent. 

I read the 2013 revised edition of The Old Man and the Sea and for an author whose works have been so highly appreciated and who has been an inspiration for plenty of writers, I wasn't impressed at all with the writing. It was very simple and easy to understand. It's not like I'm not okay with that. Simplicity in writing actually makes a book easy to read. However- and this might have just been an edition or reprint mistake- there were too many editorial errors and typos which frustrated me to no end.

The Old Man and the Sea can be interpreted in various ways. For me, it was a story about the struggle for life and it was about hope. Santiago, the old fisherman, is well aware of his poor state after not having caught a single fish for a very long time, and at the same time, he knows that he has to go out there to earn his daily bread. He sleeps on a pillow made up of his trousers and a stack of newspapers. When the young boy, Manolin, offers him food and drinks, it looks like Santiago feels ashamed to accept it and he makes up stuff about how he has food stored. However well Santiago tries to hide his weakness, it's right out there for the reader to see. 

The end of the book is where it gets a little philosophical as Santiago manages to catch the biggest fish in the sea which is destroyed by a shark that ultimately makes Santiago hate the damn shark. The feelings and thoughts that Santiago develops towards this fish of his portray his character and the soft comparison between the two tells a lot. Santiago has a battle with himself as he finds himself talking loudly when alone at sea and that shows how lonely a man he is which makes his work, his life. That's all he does and he proves himself by going from being a fisherman who couldn't catch a single fish for eighty four days to someone who succeeds at what he knows so well. 

Ideally, I would have liked to think more before writing my review and I will think over the book, but at the same time, I don't really want to think about it because it could get very, very profound. The ending was unclear and I have a theory about it but it might actually complicate matters more for me. The Old Man and the Sea wasn't as epic as I expected it to be and there were many points in it that put me off. I would have really liked the book had I read it when I was younger (like most people have) but I wouldn't have got it back then. It's not like I've got it now, but I could at least perceive it in a few ways. 

RATING:

Guest Post- Starlight Saga Song List by Sherry Soule

Hi guys! I have something absolutely awesome for you today. Let's get on to it directly but before that, I just want to thank author Sherry Soule for all the awesomeness she has in store for you. 

LOST IN STARLIGHT PLAYLIST

Guest Post by Sherry Soule

Today author, Sherry Soule has some exciting news to share with us! She will be publishing a brand new Upper YA / Sci-Fi romance series: the “Starlight Saga” with scorching-hot character chemistry, exciting suspense, and epic romance on June 26, 2014.

To help promote this amazing interstellar love story, “LOST IN STARLIGHT,” Sherry is doing this fun promo to share the news with fellow booklovers.

STARLIGHT SAGA SONG LIST

Some of the most ambiguous lyrics take on new meaning when you’re writing a book, even correlating to some of the scenes or giving insight into Hayden and Sloane’s romantic relationship. Sherry has put together just a few of the awesome songs—a collection of her character’s electric tastes in music—mentioned throughout this epic new series in this post. Enjoy!

“Still Into You” by Paramore

“Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons:

“Boom Boom Pow” by Black Eyed Peas

“Titanium” song by Sia

“I'm Not Okay (I Promise)” by My Chemical Romance

“Stay” song by Thirty Seconds to Mars

“Counting Stars” by OneRepublic

“Sugar, We’re Going Down” by Fall Out Boy

“Jar of Hearts” by Christina Perri

“Cello Sonata, L 135” by Debussy

While writing LOST IN STARLIGHT, Sherry listened to this amazing track on a loop, “4 Hours of Emotional Music” composed by the talented, Adrian von Ziegler. She found the melody really set the mood to the type of romantic tale that she wanted to write. At its core, LOST IN STARLIGHT is basically a love story about two lonely hearts finding each other and how their star-crossed relationship changes both of their lives.

Listen tohis music on YouTube

We hope that you enjoyed this post. Now go feed your mind and read a book!

Please mark your calendars to buy your copy of LOST IN STARLIGHT on June 26^th 2014!

Read the first five chapters for free on Wattpad

VOLUME ONE: Starlight Saga

High school reporter Sloane Masterson knows she has one helluva story when she witnesses hottie Hayden Lancaster bending forks with his mind.

Like any good journalist, Sloane sets out to uncover the truth, even if it includes a little stalking. When the superhuman feats start to pile up and the undeniable heat rises between them, Hayden has no choice but to reveal his secret: he’s an alien hybrid.

They’re as different as night and day—she’s a curvy, purple-haired, horror junkie and he’s a smoking hot, antisocial, brainiac—yet the intense fascination between them refuses to go away. Even at Hayden’s insistence that dating each other is “off limits” and crazy dangerous, their fiery attraction threatens to go supernova.

Now Sloane’s dealing with creepy government agents, über snobby extraterrestrials, and a psycho alien ex-girlfriend out for revenge. After a crash course on the rules of interstellar dating, Sloane must decide if their star-crossed romance is worth risking her own life....

Places you can visit Sherry Soule:

Official Blog

Twitter @SherrySoule

Please add LOST IN STARLIGHT to your TBR ongoodreads 

The awesome book cover was designed by thetalented, Kristen Thompson-Oh of KCT Designs 

Eager to read the first five chapters onyour Kindle? FREE every Friday from Amazon

Review- Take Me On by Katie McGarry

Summary-

Acclaimed author Katie McGarry returns with the knockout new story of two high school seniors who are about to learn what winning really means.

Champion kickboxer Haley swore she'd never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can't stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she'd stay away from. Yet he won't last five seconds in the ring without her help.

West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her-fighting for her-is a shot at redemption. Especially since it's his fault his family is falling apart. He can't change the past, but maybe he can change Haley's future.

Hayley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they'll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for.

Review-

I LOVE Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits series so I was super excited to read Take Me On. I just have to say that Take Me On was amazing. There's nothing in the book that I would actually change. It was perfect yet heart breaking at the same time and I loved every line of it.

Take Me On is the story of West and Haley. We'd met West in Crash Into You. He's Rachel's brother. I didn't think I'd like West as much as I did. He had the whole asshole thing going on for him but inside his reasons were genuine. He had all these bottled up feelings inside which resulted in disastrous outcomes. But West was a completely different person with Haley. He was fun and flirty wanting to be good for someone who mattered to him. 

Then we have Haley. She was one of the sweetest heroine out there. Haley has had a horrible experience with her previous relationship which makes her hesitant to trust another fighter, which is exactly what West is. On top of that her family is going through a really rough time. One of the reasons I liked Haley was that she tried to be so strong for everyone even if it meant suffering for herself.

West and Haley together were amazing. I really wish Katie McGarry would stop torturing the couple so much but they do come out stronger at the end of it. West and Haley had chemistry and tension. They understood each other and even though they knew things were difficult they stood by each other. I also loved how there wasn't any denial. They accepted their feelings and wanted the best for their loved ones.

I was also really happy to see Isaiah and Rachel in this book. Katie McGarry writes very full fledged characters even if they don't have a huge role to play. The only tiny fault I can find is that the book is a bit lengthy for a contemporary YA. But it was all good. I would definitely recommend this series to everyone.

Waiting On Wednesday #89

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Publication Date- August 5th 2014 

Goodreads Summary: 

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.

Colleen's last book was an absolute disappointment for me. I ended up giving up on it. I sincerely hope this one is better because she is a great author. I will think twice before I get to this, but I'm looking forward to it nonetheless. 

What are you lovelies waiting on this Wednesday?