Coffee, Ginger & White

8:00 pm 5 August 2013

Natural Born Charmer - Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Whao!!! I LOVED Natural Born Charmer. Ironically, it took me a longer time to read than the others (blame it on the work), but I think it was fantastic.

The main couple: Dean and Blue have fantastic chemistry and they just made me laugh with their bickering. They both have their issues (and pretty darn big issues too), but they grow throughout the book and their challenges are quite realistic. Their plot doesn't involve some third party threatening to destroy the peace. No. Their plot was all about getting to know themselves, their challenges, their dreams, and overcoming them. A+ for both.

The side stories:

- Nita is the best. She reminds me so much of my own grandma that I'd like to go over and give my grandma a hug, just for the sake of it. Typical rough-edged old lady with a heart of gold. Totally worth reading about her and her plots. Go Nita!

- Jack and April: Awesomeness. I can't give too many details without ultimately spoiling the story, but I'll just say that I loved them both. Jack is amazing. Especially when he's around Blue and Nita.

- Riley: You go, kid! Talk about being a teenager with issues, but learning how to overcome them and stand up to the world. It's not easy finding the courage to do what's right, especially if you've been misled most of your life. That's why Riley finding her voice and expressing it (there's a double entendre to this, which you'll understand if you read the book) is that much more important and heart-warming.

All in all. Totally recommend it.

8:00 pm 27 July 2013

Match Me If You Can - Susan Elizabeth Phillips

A great story and a great read! Definitely the kind of book you want to pick up if you want a good laugh and a very fulfilling set of characters. I'd be tempted to give this book a 4.5 just because sometimes the author repeats the same patterns, but "Match Me If You Can" at least attempts to break the mold. I have to say that the leads were charmingly imperfect and the side story was A+. Probably one of my favorites in the whole series.

8:00 pm 22 July 2013

This Heart of Mine (Chicago Stars, #5) - Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Here's the gist: Molly is sometimes impulsive (VERY IMPULSIVE) and this leads her to trouble. Kevin is trouble altogether. They're both very good characters with just enough spunk to charm the reader. I really liked the book and I really liked the characters. The only thing taking a star off this book is its predictability. Other than that? Great read! For those following the series in order, it's a great moment to see how other relationships have progressed through the years. For new readers to the series, it will be equally entertaining. The side story in this one is actually one of my favorites, though perhaps a bit rushed. In general, I'm quite happy with the book.

8:00 pm 17 July 2013

Dream a Little Dream - Susan Elizabeth Phillips

One word: Amazing!

This book is absolutely amazing (yet again)! The main plot revolves around Rachel, a single mother who has lost everything, and Gabe, a devastated man, who has lost the will to live. Their meeting, the development of the relationship, and their very struggle to face each of life's uncertainties makes this book 100% worth reading. I'm giving it five stars just because the first thing I wanted to do when I finished reading it was RE-READ it! Definitely, great material. Even the side story, which I thought was a bit tiresome, turned out to be completely fantastic. There are some very religious elements in the book that made me a bit skeptic, but that as well had its purpose and worked for the best.

8:00 pm 15 July 2013

Nobody's Baby But Mine - Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Ohhhhhh... I REALLY loved this book. I wish, once again, that goodreads had a 4.5 star rating because this book is really more than a 4.

Let me start by saying that it's probably one of the funniest and most enjoyable books I've read in a while. If so, you ask, why 4 stars? Well, as much as I enjoyed the book there are some aspects of the premise that are just too ridiculous to overlook. Without spoiling too much, Jane (our 180 IQ female lead) tricks our male lead, Cal, in order to have a baby. Why Cal? Because he's supposedly stupid, which she assumes with no further evidence (what happened to being smart professor?) If you can surpass the obvious ethical and moral issues at hand (not to mention probable legal dilemmas) you're in for a thrill. Seriously, Cal and Jane's bickering is top quality and hilarious to boot. It's worth the read if you can bypass their overall highly unusual situation.

Negative points? Aside from what I've said, I have quite an issue with stretching a character's flaws in order to prolong the ending and that happens here. I also didn't quite like the sideline story, contrary to what happened in "Heaven, Texas" and the ending is a tad bit to graphic and detailed for my taste (you'll see why).

Other than the latter aspects, I'd definitely recommend this book.

8:00 pm 13 July 2013

Heaven, Texas - Susan Elizabeth Phillips

I have to say it was an extremely entertaining read. With the first book of the series, I thought to myself I'd never like a book centered around American Football. With this second book, I thought I'd never be able to like a book whose main male character was named "Bobby Tom", but here I am, a book later, nodding and admitting it was pretty darn good. I liked it that the story was fast-paced and the characters are very charming. It was a bit forced at the end, and I have the feeling Susan Elizabeth Phillips sometimes has issues with the way characters cope with their feelings. There's a side story involving the main character's mom which I absolutely loved and that alone merits this book 4 stars in my opinion. Other than that... I definitely missed an Epilogue. It ends a bit abruptly for my taste, but it's a book I'd definitely recommend to my friends.

8:00 pm 11 July 2013

It Had to Be You - Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Whao. I think Susan Elizabeth Phillips has just acquired a new fan. First and foremost, this book is incredibly easy to read and you will not want to put it down. I repeat: you will not want to stop (kinda like Pringles). So... get comfy and be prepared!

Things I loved about the book? I loved Phoebe, the main female character. She's smart and persistent and it takes a lot to pull through the kind of things she overcomes. Dan took me a while to love, though, but all the same I like him all the same.

This is rare... because... it's a book about a football team and I don't even like American football! I actually quite dislike it! Nonetheless, you find yourself rooting for this unruly team and its equally crazy owner.

This book has it all. A bit of laugh out loud moments, a bit of suspense, grief, happiness, and reality. I really liked it. Although there are some things I would have fixed in some of the characters, I still believe the book merits a healthy five star rating.

...And yes...now I have to read the rest of this series!

8:00 pm 9 July 2013

It's a fast read, I'll give you that. I literally read it in one day. It's a bit slow and I'm not too convinced I liked the plot. The characters were okay, but sometimes they were downright annoying. I would have given the book two stars if not for some very funny an redeeming moments. In general, I'd say it's an okay book which you can entertain yourself with. Other than that? Not the big deal.

8:00 pm 8 July 2013

With this Kiss: The Complete Collection - Eloisa James

Very fast read, very bad book. The characters lack any true dimension (though the author tries).

8:00 pm 4 July 2013

Loved it!! The characters are amazing! I loved Caroline and Blake and it definitely is the kind of laugh out loud book!!!

8:00 pm 23 June 2013

I loved it! I positively loved it! It's funny (hilarious actually), it's witty and it's fast-paced. The characters are amazing (even though Elizabeth does have some very irritating moments)!

Basically, Elizabeth, Lady Danbury's companion, needs money desperately. She has three siblings she needs to care for and no financial support except her job as a companion. James is helping his aunt, and this particularly mission requires that he hide his identity as a Marquis. Elizabeth finds a book titled "How to Marry a Marquis" which is downright silly, but all the characters recognize this and it's just hilarious how they go about bantering about the edicts or trying to ridicule them.

I also love it that Quinn always has an old matriarch in her stories. Lady Danbury is SO FUNNY. I mean, she's just great! It reminds me a bit of my own grandma and, thus, I feel incredibly happy when I read about her.

In any case, I'm not going to go on and say that this book is perfect. It certainly has its flaws and it's obviously no Literature prize winner, but who cares? This is just the book one needs with one hell of a tough week ahead.

I do recommend! :)

8:00 pm 20 June 2013

It's like twilight but with time-travel. Take out your notes, ladies, your mission in life is to marry and breed and if by chance you travel to the 18th century and meet a hot guy forget hot showers for the rest of your life.

I think I could have liked this. It had potential. It had a few good scenes which together justify the two stars, but then? It just went downhill. The plot was not interesting in the least and some characters disappear entirely to be dealt with, conveniently, in the sequel. And, FFS there is no way I'm reading the sequels.

And what the hell?? Why does it have such a high rating? It makes no sense. This book could lead me to distrust my fellow goodreads readers.

8:00 pm 16 June 2013

"The Rose Garden" is the first book I read by Susanna Kearsley and, if anything, I thought it was entertaining. I did like her writing style and her characters were also lovable. I guess my two main issues were a) the plot altogether; and b) the ending.

In regards to the plot, the time travelling is very interesting. So this is what happened with this book in particular: the main character, Eva, travels through time, supposedly due to some mystical lines and she goes all the way to the 18th century. So far, so good. I'll accept the method of time-travel, because it's fantasy and I don't need a scientific explanation about it either. But then there are certain things that I'm just uncomfortable with: the reaction of the characters to her appearance, her role in the 18th century, the way she comes and goes... there's a lot that, ends up falling into place, but it seems forced.

That takes me to point No. 2: the ending. It was okay.

The thing is that the correct ingredients are there: it's a cool premise and I do like how she writes, and the characters touched my heart. It's just... after 476 pages, you could have given me a more complete ending with more details!

Do I recommend it? Yes, I actually do. Maybe you can tell me what you think and if I'm being unfair.

8:00 pm 8 June 2013

So... Whao (and not in a good way).

First and foremost, this book is deadpan boring. I think it's the typical plot that has been explored a thousand times already and, consequently, it's not original. Imagine a world where Voldemort and Darth Vader are combined into a villain, but ironically, made 100 times lamer. I mean, sure, the villain, Valentine (are we being serious?) has a cruel plan and he has the purpose of eliminating a certain group of individuals to purify the world (this IDEA IS TOTALLY ORIGINAL OMFG!). He appears a handful of times and the guy is lame. He talks a lot, has an army of zombies (called "Forsaken"), and he laughs ~insert evil laugh here~ rather frequently. I could actually imagine him doing a bua ha laugh, cape and all.

The characters are LAME. Clary is so useless and annoying she could be the new jar jar in Star Wars VII. All throughout the book you're expecting she'll amount to something. She doesn't. Having her in a fight is like choosing jigglypuff in a Pokemon battle: sing me a song and Zzzz

I had hopes for Jace. He seemed pretty charming here and there, but the author did a great job laming him out by the end.

Also... The weapons are lightsabers. They have some weird name but these are sticks that glow, people... Copyright George Lucas.

The plot is awful. The story is all over the place with so many random things happening that you don't really care at a point. By the end of the book I was skipping some pointless description; it became too much to handle.

Some pages are entertaining, but as a whole, the book lacks interest, consistency, chemistry, among other things.

My advice? Spare yourself the trouble and if you're ever curious about the novel or any character? Use WIKIPEDIA.

Btw. Why 2 stars and not one? There are two interesting characters in my opinion: Luke and Alex. Wouldn't read the other books based on my liking for them, though.

8:00 pm 2 June 2013

I love Markus Zusak. I love how he writes and I love the messages hidden or revealed in each book. The Messenger is a heartwarming story about Ed Kennedy, a cab driver that amounts to nothing that suddenly becomes the messenger. If you're wondering what exactly does he deliver, I invite you to read the book. It is thrilling, full of loving characters and wonderful moments that necessarily define life itself. It's fantastic. Seriously.

8:00 pm 11 May 2013

Well, whao.

The romance? Intense.

The characters? Great.

The chemistry? Whao! Turn on the fan.

I think the story was amazing until somewhere around 77% of the book. Then it just went downhill, in my opinión. The thing is this... if you're going to add drama to a story, you should do it with a pinch of reality and a bit less of 'are you kidding me'?

The guy ends up in prison... PRISON, FFS, for something he didn't even do! And then he pleads GUILTY and ruins his future? No no no... let's get serious here. I'm a lawyer, this was a personal punch to the gut. You don't do that. I mean, the guy gets accused for drug dealing, which I think is stupid as it is, and totally circumstantial, and then the court appointed attorney tells him to plead guilty when he wants to be an EMT? That makes no sense! At all! And then, I get that Rory is totally in love with him and what not, but, let's be serious, girl, you're 20! You're TOO young to be playing family.... AH! And then he gets out of prison and breaks up with her on Christmas! Because she's too good for him! Hand me the wall so that I can slam my head against it!

The worst part is the ending. The story went downhill with the whole prison thing, but then the ending was just... ridiculous. He gets out of prison, they break up, and then in one line his mother ODs without even paying for her crimes. This woman was completely insignificant and pointless and all she managed to do was get her kid in prison and the author didn't even make her pay for it in LIFE!? So, Rory, the main female lead, meats up with him in his mother's funeral and then suddenly they know their love is just too strong, a la Moulin Rouge and they agree to be together. Umm... what about his future? What happened with that? If the mother died aren't the kids (at least the youngest one) going to foster care, then? Like... all these sub-plots remained completely unanswered.

I'm still giving it three stars because the chemistry is fucking fantastic and I do love Rory, but the ending totally ruined it for me. It had such great potential.

Wah-waaah.

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