Review: Such A Pretty Girl - Laura Wiess

Such A Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess.

They promised Meredith nine years of safety, but only gave her three.

Her father was supposed to be locked up until Meredith turned eighteen. She thought she had time to grow up, get out, and start a new life. But Meredith is only fifteen, and today her father is coming home from prison.

Today her time has run out.

I was rearranging some of my books the other day and found Such A Pretty Girl amongst the stacks. I have been seeing her latest book, Ordinary Beauty, which is out in June around the blogosphere lately and I thought now would be a good time to get started with her work see if I like it.

I read the book in one sitting. It's not a long book but it is a very powerful one, one that you can't seem to look away from. There were many times when reading this book where I felt physically sick, it's not an easy book to read but I am glad I did.

It was really just a small glimpse into the life of a victim of child abuse. Meredith thought she was free of her father and his abuse but he gets out of prison and comes back home. Her mother turns a blind eye to everything and is intent on keeping her husband. Meredith has few friends that she can rely upon, but maybe more then she realizes in the end.

I found the mothers behavior abhorrent and I find it very hard to believe that someone would be like that in real life but I suppose it happens I just wish that it didn't. The situation Meredith found herself in, her convicted paedophile father being allowed back into her life in any way a little far fetched, I really really hope the justice system is a little better than this in real life.

But what really made the book for me was Meredith and what a great voice she had. She was far stronger than anyone gave her credit for and was fully aware of what would happen to her if she didn't do what she knew she had to. I can only hope that I would have her strength in that kind of situation

This isn't an easy read, it's disturbing and harsh but it's well worth it in the end. Laura Wiess has several other books already published and I will definitely be catching up before her next book comes out.

That's all for now.

Review: My One and Only - Kristan Higgins

I received My One and Only by Kristan Higgins from netgalley courtesy of Harlequin.

Divorce attorney Harper James can't catch a break. Bad enough that she runs into her ex-hubby, Nick, at her sister's destination wedding, but now, by a cruel twist of fate, she's being forced to make a cross-country road trip with him. And her almost-fiancé back at home is not likely to be sympathetic.

Harper can't help that Nick has come blazing back into her life in all of his frustratingly appealing, gorgeous architect glory. But in Nick's eyes, Harper's always been the one. If they can only get it right this time, forever might be waiting—just around the bend.

I have read almost all of Kristan Higgins previous novels and I am a big fan, she writes easy to read funny contemporary romance. I knew I was probably going to like this one before I read it as it combines a few of my favourite things. One of them being where the main characters are separated or divorced and the book is about them getting back together. I have no idea why this is such a big thing for me, my parents are still married so it's not like I have any latent Parent Trap style dreams (although when I first saw the movie I totally wanted my parents to split up so I could create some elaborate plan to get them back together - OK maybe I do have some Parent Trap desires). Plus this book involves a road trip and there is nothing I love more in a book than a road trip!!!

The main characters have a long complex history which we get the to see through some awesome flashbacks. It makes the love story far more realistic if you get to see how it has developed in the past rather than if they have only know each other for a couple of weeks. Harper and Nick's relationship unfolds in the present and the past. My One and Only is a little different from Kristan Higgins previous books, it has a little more edge. Her characters usually have charmed family lives and are pretty upbeat but in this one not so much, both Harper and Nick have unsettled family lives and as a result Harper is very cynical but understandably so, Nick is a bit more positive and the characters play well off of each other.

The secondary characters really make Kristan Higgins books that much more awesome. From Harper's hilarious stepmother to her dopey almost fiance, the characters really stand out. I was worried about how Nick and Harper were going to work things out because they both had such different lives and big commitments so I was happy to see the little epilogue at the end which assured me it all works out for them.

I will without a doubt be getting all of Kristan Higgins future books and recommend all her previous ones as they are excellent contemporary romance novels.

That's all for now.

It's NetGalley Month!

Emily at Red House Books has declared April NetGalley Month! For those who don't know what netGalley is I suggest you go to the website right now and check it out because it is the greatest thing ever!

Emily has created an awesome challenge where you try to read as many netGalley books in April as you can. This is perfect for me as I have a huge backlog of netGalley books to read. Check out this post to learn more, she is generously offering prizes too!

I have no idea how many I am actually going to be able to read but I am going to give it my best shot. Making it a challenge always gives me an added incentive to actually read books so I would like to say a big thank you to Emily for doing this.

Here is a list of books I have to read from netGalley:

Whisper Falls - Toni Blake

Queens of All the Earth - Hannah Sternberg

My Favourite Band Does Not Exist - Robert T. Jeschonek

The Vampire Voss - Colleen Gleason

Long Gone - Alafair Burke

Bluefish - Pat Schmatz

A Long, Long Sleep - Anna Sheehan

Die For Me - Amy Plum

The Last Little Blue Envelope - Maureen Johnson

The Vampire Dimitri - Colleen Gleason

Girl Wonder - Alexa Martin

Mercy - Rebecca Lim

Spell Bound - Kelley Armstrong

Never Eighteen - Megan Bostic

Pregnant Pause - Han Nolan

The Vampire Narcise - Colleen Gleason

The Girl in the Steel Corset - Kady Cross

68 Knots - Michael Robert Evans

Bite me, Try Me and Fang Me - Parker Blue

The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale - Christine Bell

The Art of Forgetting - Camille Noe Pagan

Ha I totally didn't realize I had that many to read. I'm hoping it will be easier now the Kindle option is back up though. And I am going to try very very hard not to request anything else, unless I really really want it, during April.

I will of course be writing reviews for these books but I won't be posting them until the actual book is released. I will however be writing a wrap up post at the end of April to tell you all how I did.

That's all for now.

Booking Through Thursday 11

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme which asks a bookish question which you have to answer. This weeks question is:

If you’re like me, you grew up reading everything under the sun, like the cereal boxes while you ate your breakfast, the newspapers held by strangers on the subway, the tabloid headlines at the grocery store. What’s the oddest thing you’ve ever read? (You know, something NOT a book, magazine, short story, poem or article.)

I'm not all that fussy - if it's got words on it I'll read it. Although I usually have a book with me so it's not really necessary for me to read lots of crazy stuff. I do however have a slight obsession with reading the backs of containers - cleaning products, beauty products, food products, etc. I love to know what's in things and I love to read the big long chemical words out loud just to figure out how they are pronounced. I also love instruction manuals. My family usually rely on me to figure out how things work and how to set things up as I am the only one who will read the manuals. Oh another thing I like to do is read the labels on clothes and towels - don't ask me why I don't really care about how to wash them I just like reading them. Oh another one - receipts, I like to read receipts again I don't know why I just do. OK so apparently I do read lots of crazy stuff! I have never been able to not read so I really can't help myself.

That's all for now.

Waiting On Wednesday 12

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that highlights an upcoming book release that we are eagerly anticipating.

This week I have chosen Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep. It will be released on July 26th 2011.

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy -- a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest. But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why – especially since I should have been the one who died …

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love Jennifer Esteps books she writes the awesome Elemental Assasin series - Spider's Bite, Web of Lies, Venom, the latest Tangled Threads will be released next month and the fifth book Spider's Revenge will be out in September. Touch of Frost is the first book in her new YA series and if it's even half as good as her adult books it will be well worth the read. The second book in the Mythos Academy series, Kiss of Frost is due out in November.

That's all for now.

Teaser Tuesday 12

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly book meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

The idea is to:
Grab the book you are currently reading.
Open it up to a random page.
Share two teaser sentences.
Give the name and author of said book.
And remember No Spoilers!

I am still reading The Two Pearls of Wisdom but I got a bit distracted because of all the awesome egalleys I got last week but I do intend to get back to it soon. So seeing as I gave you a teaser from that one last week I will give you a teaser from something else I am reading and that would be You Against Me by Jenny Downham author of the excellent Before I Die.

"She felt as if she'd been running up stairs, or as if she had suddenly become asthmatic. It was one thing listening to other people talk, but she didn't want to go into details herself."

Page 88.

If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge, right? If your brother's been accused of a terrible crime and you're the main witness, then you banish all doubt and defend him. Isn't that what families do? When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her at a party, his world of work and girls begins to fall apart. When Ellie's brother is charged with the crime, but says he didn't do it, her world of revision, exams and fitting in at a new school begins to unravel. When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide. Brave and unflinching, this is a novel of extraordinary skillfulness and almost unbearable tension. It's a book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it's a book about love - for one's family and for another.

Side Note: I just passed my Driving Theory Test!!! Yay me - just the practical to go now.

That's all for now.

Review: Dangerous Secrets - Katie Reus

I received Dangerous Secrets by Katie Reus from netgalley courtesy of Carina Press.

Isabelle Ballantine has been fighting for independence since she was old enough to walk. Now that she's finally out from under her father's shadow, she won't let anyone stand in her way. It's tough living on her own, working in a bar and keeping her true identity a secret, but things start to look up when a sexy new stranger walks into her life. After working side by side for weeks, Izzy can't figure out why he won't make a move... To cinch the deal of a lifetime, Adam Marcellus agrees to help Izzy's eccentric father convince his daughter to move home. He'd assumed Izzy would be another spoiled rich princess, but he's surprised to discover his feelings for her are stronger than anything he's ever experienced. When a deranged stalker targets her, Adam finds himself fighting not only an unknown threat—but an unexpected attraction to the one woman he can't have...

I am a big fan of romantic suspense and Dangerous Secrets was no exception, it's a fast paced exciting read. Izzy is a millionaires daughter who has moved away from her overbearing father. Adam is the security guy said overbearing father has employed to get her to move back. Of course they fall for each other and just forget to mention who they really are. Add in a twisted serial rapist that has fixed his sights on Izzy and you have classic romantic suspense.

This is one of those books where you are literally shouting at the characters to tell the truth. I know I know there would be no story if everything was out in the open but it's still frustrating when you know they wouldn't have this big conflict at the end when Izzy finds out the truth if Adam had just been honest a little sooner. But never mind it all turns out good in the end. I liked that the characters break the mould, Izzy although a millionaire's daughter was not a typical rich girl and Adam although ex-special forces was not an over bearing macho-man. And the climax at end where Izzy was trying to get away from the killer was pretty intense.

I will be on the look out for the authors other books when I need a fast paced entertaining read.

That's all for now.