The Not-So-Literary Heiresses

You know those book covers where the guy with the cut off head is wearing some tight shirt while he's showing his abs? WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?!

I can't really see myself dying to read a book because headless book cover guy is letting me take a peek of his oiled-up rock hard abs. I

-Amir

Engaging, well-paced, with a dark undertone and a hint of humor, this is a solid debut for author Mia Thompson.

I'm a big fan of Buffy (best show ever ❤) and Veronica Mars (can't wait for the movie), so naturally I love witty, ass-kicking heroines. I was really excited to get to know Sapphire and her reasons for putting her pampered life at risk. Plus, I'm always a sucker for a good whodunit mystery.

Heiress Sapphire Dubois leads a double life. She's a rich, shallow, spoiled brat by day and a crime-fighting vigilante by night. She traps serial killers and forces them to confess their crimes using the most imaginative ways possible and for the past two years, she has been successful in doing so. But what she doesn't know is that she is being watched by one of them... and he is planning to turn the tables on her and make her pay.

I like the multiple POV. I think this book would never have worked if done differently. We get to be inside different characters' heads, including the stalker, among others. We also get to meet Aston Ridder. Think of the ruggedly handsome detective that we always read about in romance novels -- only make him an absolute ass. He uses women, including Sapphire at one point, then kicks them out the morning after. Even he admits to the fact that he's one big SOB. I may not like being in his head at times because he can be a whiny ass hat, but it was refreshing to have a male lead so different from the norm.

I was predisposed to dislike this book, given my growing annoyance with teacher-student relationships, but a glowing review by someone whose opinions I respect convinced me to give it a try. I'm glad I did.

Right off the bat, I realized that this was different from other new adult titles in that we have a slutty heroine. Not the typical everyone-thinks-I'm-a-slut-but-really-I'm-not kind of girl we usually get in books, but a girl who genuinely enjoys hooking up. We meet Maise alone and drunk at a carnival. Told from her point-of-view, her first sentence includes the word "fuck" and you know that she's not going to be a dainty kind of chick either. She walks around, enjoying older guys' eyes on her legs and acknowledges upfront that she's screwed up, daddy issues and all. She's not just a tease either; she has slept with guys twice and thrice her age and she prefers that to the groping awkwardness of teenagers. I wasn't at all sure that I was going to like her at first, but she eventually wins me over when I realize that she has a good head on her shoulders and she's not throwing away her future any time soon.

We meet Mr. Wilke here too. I didn't care much for his sensitive mouth and overly beautiful face, but it was refreshing that he wasn't another jealous stereotype. He calls her out on her seduction tactics and at the end of that first encounter, he's the one who wants names and she's the one who gives him hope and runs away.

When the author offered her older works for review, I was immediately drawn toForgotten because the idea of a blind protagonist has always fascinated me. I was curious how an author would handle the subject of a disability that, in my opinion, is just so consuming.

Ms. Pepper warned me that she was slightly evil in writing the book and it would leave me with a lot of questions for a good part of it. I'm not sure if she warned me because of my not-so-happy review of the last book I've read that was confusing as hell but she really didn't have anything to worry about. Although I had a lot of questions, I really liked and empathized with the protagonist. Enough to keep me from getting too frustrated with all the mystery hanging about.

The Not-So-Literary Heiresses' New Design!

I added a slideshow, tabbed widgets and a working footer to the simple Binary Template (It's free!) from New Blogger Themes.

It's still a work in progress, we need work on our About Us page, I want a more artistic background, etc but I'm happy I was able to do exactly what I envisioned when I downloaded this very simple template.

Maybe after this I can finally focus on adding reviews on here. Here's to hoping.

-Amir

If you've seen the film version of The Devil Wears Prada, you'll be unable to read its sequel Revenge Wears Prada without having Meryl Streep acting all of Miranda Priestly's scenes in your head. The same goes with Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs and Emily Blunt as Emily. And therein, for me, lies the big problem of this book. The original book was one of those notable exceptions to the aphorism that the book is always better than the movie. This sequel suffers the same fate, and it doesn't even have a movie version yet.


Minor spoilers ahead: 

The Andy Sachs in this book seems to have a lot of things to complain about, but never seems to be able to fully express her issues clearly -- her doubts about marriage, her reservations about the proposed acquisition of her company, her feelings about Miranda -- to the people who are closest to her. I don't get it. She's a writer, for heaven's sake. She should use her words. Instead, she whines and vacillates in her head, which is a bit tiring for me as a reader. There were times when I just wanted to slap her, but since I had Oscar award-winning actress Anne Hathaway in my head playing Andy, I had to restrain myself.

Miranda is not present for the better part of this book, but still manages to make her ominous present felt. I did enjoy reading one of her litanies of orders to her new assistant, Chandra, in Ms. Streep's distinctive tone. But again, as in the first book, and unlike the movie, we don't really understand why Miranda does the things she does. Why does she go to all that trouble to acquire The Plunge, a promising new bridal magazine, insist on keeping the editorial team during negotiations, then fire the whole team after ten weeks? Why would she make a multi-million dollar offer to acquire it if she plans to change almost everything about it anyway? Wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to start a new magazine from scratch, especially with her connections and resources? Who knows?

Revenge Wears Prada brings back a host of old characters from the previous book, sometimes for no discernible reason at all. Case in point, that Christian guy (memorably played by the luscious Simon Baker in the movie) was back for two scenes, and I have no idea why. The book also tends to do a lot of the storytelling in flashbacks, and not in an innovative How I Met Your Mother way either. These factors combined made for a snoozable first 300+ pages. The book eventually starts to speed up in its latter half and becomes passably enjoyable as things actually start happening.

But by then all I can think is "Please be over soon so I can move on to my next book."

I really wanted to like this one, but I really really don't. Let's just wait for the movie, shall we? I have a feeling it will be much better. 

This is the first book by Daisy Whitney that I've read, and I'm glad I did. Told from a male point of view, the story is beautifully handled, juxtaposing Danny's humdrum LA, where he barely knows how to function after his mom dies, with the buzzing, colorful, alternately crowded and serene Tokyo, where he slowly learns how to live again. More than a story about death, this is a story about loss and the different ways of coming to terms with loss.

To be honest, I was never really interested in pixies, fairies, and little people in general. I don't think I've ever read any YA, NA, or Adult books about them either, so when the author offered to send me a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review I thought, why not? There's a first time for everything. I also really liked the book's blurb. Even if you take out the fact that the heroine is a pixi, I think I would still read it. I had no idea what to expect from this book but the premise of two people lost and afraid of their own version of darkness has a certain mystery for me and I wanted to find out what the characters are afraid of and how they will help each other through it.

I'm glad that this book served as my first taste of the fairy/faery/pixi genre because I found it absolutely delightful! I thank the author for giving me the chance to get to know the characters and the world she created.

Cailin, a misunderstood pixi among her clan, is sent to live with a human family as punishment for wanting and striving to be different. The family in question includes Owen, a dear friend of Cailin's father, and his son Teague, whose perfect life was shattered due to an accident that left him handicapped.

I got roped into watching Hostel when it was out a few years back. See, as much as I love the horror genre, I remember being absolutely disgusted with that movie. I just cannot stand the slow torture of individuals. Give me a slasher film or a movie about a ghost girl with long creepy hair any day. This book reminded me a little bit of that movie but better; I think because it was not the book's intention to shock and disgust me with blood and gore, I was able to go beyond the torture and focus on the story. And what a thrilling, creepy ride this book was.

"Jennifer and I, of all people, should not have ended up in that cellar. We were not your average 18-year-old girls, abandoning all caution once set loose for the first time on a college campus. We took our freedom seriously and monitored it so carefully, it almost didn't exist anymore. We knew what was out there in that big wide world better than anyone, and we weren't going to let it get us."

Growing up, Sarah and her best friend Jennifer survived a car accident that killed Jennifer's mother. Since then they were obsessed with staying safe and making sure they never did anything on the  Never List that they created... until that one fateful day when they unthinkingly rode a cab that delivered them into the hands of a sadistic monster. Along with two other girls, they were locked and starved in a cellar...tortured physically, mentally and emotionally for years.

"There were four of us down there for the first thirty-two months and eleven days of our captivity. And then, very suddenly and without warning, there are three."

10 years later, Sarah (now Caroline) is still struggling from PTSD, combined with the guilt that Jennifer died in that house but they still couldn't find her body. Tracey and Christine, the two other girls in the cellar, survived, but don't want anything to do with her. The man who tortured them mercilessly is up for parole and has been sending them disturbing letters over the years.

Since this is a joint account I really can't connect it to my GR account so I have to manually enter reviews. ARGH. SO. MUCH. WORK.

- Amir

Warning: As this is a combined review, expect some possible spoilers for the first book.

If you've read my reviews in the past, I've mentioned time and again that I do not find long lost childhood romances believable. Well, I take it back. It can work really, really well if done right. These two books are proof of that. I was conflicted if I should do individual reviews for each book but in the end, I decided that the best way for me to review them both is as one.

Leo's and Evie's childhoods were far from happy. They were victims of neglectful and abusive parents. They met in foster care and from there formed a special bond... first as very close friends, and when they got a bit older, as something more. When Leo got adopted at age 15, he made a promise that he would come back for Evie on her 18th birthday and from there they will start their life together. Evie waited for Leo but she never heard from him. And he never came back.

Because of a few flashbacks in the first book, I saw how strong Evie and Leo's bond was. They were each other's light in a very dark and unstable world of being foster children. Through these flashbacks I saw why they loved each other even at a very young age and that's why it was believable for me that those feelings were still strong even after years of separation.

Rock Chick Revolution is the eighth and last book in Kristen Ashley's popular Rock Chick series. The first Rock Chick novel, which starred Ally's best friend Indy, was what got me into Kristen Ashley in the first place. I foundher books fun, and I liked the sassy heroines and strong female friendships in them. Pretty good light reading.

And man, can she churn out those books. I don't know how many of them she has by now, but it seems like she has a new one out every month, what will all the different series and standalones she writes. I eventually got tired of reading pretty much the same plot over and over again in her stories (alpha males who all talk the exact same way meet crazy beautiful women and claim them as their partner within a week), so I stopped reading. But since theRock Chick series was my favorite among all her work and this was the last one, I made an exception. I'm happy to report that it was worth it.

Now this is a love triangle that I can sink my teeth into, I thought, even though I'm not really a fan of love triangles (just give me one dreamy guy and stop confusing me please!). Since Addie is living out two alternate realities, we get to be with both Duke and Trevor without any feelings of guilt.

More than just a love story, the premise is unique and interesting: In Southeast Texas is a secret, walled compound where the psychologically enhanced live, where people use more than ten percent of their brain and an ability would Present itself at around seventh grade, and where classes are taught to enhance these traits. Addie's world includes a Discerner  dad who can tell if anyone is lying, a Persuasive mom who can make her do anything she wants, and a best friend Laila who erases memories.

Addie's story starts when given this choice: live with her mom in the Compound after the divorce, or with her dad who was going to live in the Norm community. But the simplest of choices can lead to the most final of conclusions, and Addie's decision affects not only her, but the lives of everyone she loves as well.

Each chapter takes us alternately through the events in each reality. I found it cool that while in the Norm world, the happenings in the Para world would still inject itself, mostly through Addie's connection with Laila.

FictFact is a great way to keep up with your long list of upcoming books from your favorite series. I like the fact that they email you when a new book is added to the series. If you're like me who follow a lot of book series, it can get daunting at times to keep track of them all. I've also been blessed with crappy memory so this site really helps to remind me of all the series I follow.

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with FictFact in any way, I just really like their service.

- Amir

Dia's Review:

I love this book cover, and I really enjoyed this book. Although the rich guy/poor girl storyline is pretty common,The Distance Between Us inserts many fresh elements that make this story seem new again.

First off, the snarky heroine, Caymen. Love her. She's smart and a good kid, helping out at her mom's doll shop every day. She also has the best deadpan lines. Here she is talking to Xander about her father, whom she's never met:

"He lives in New York. He's some fancy lawyer there."
"You've looked him up?"
"I had to. I might need a kidney one day."

Next up, Xander, the rich love interest. He's sweet and hot. He flies Caymen to UNLV so she can meet a research assistant at the science lab and find out if she wants to be a scientist when she grows up. Isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever heard? He's intrigued by her and keeps pursuing her until he wears her down, but not in an overly aggressive or arrogant way. 

Together, Caymen and Xander are so cute that I want to pinch their cheeks. I like that they start off as friends, getting to know each other and spending time doing different things, before ending up together. I also like that Xander's family isn't the usual evil rich family that looks down on people who aren't from their own class. 

Sometimes, a story excites me enough that I'm tempted to recommend it to other people even though I haven't finished. This book is a reminder of why I should never ever do that. The first twenty or so pages were pleasant enough. Lucy is reading on a beach, trying to get Jude to notice her by making eye contact, and resorts to topless sunbathing when he won't. A heroine who knows what she wants... I could get with that. Jude dissuades her by being upfront that he's not looking for a girlfriend so she brushes him off. She intrigues him because of her sorry excuse for a dog that she had adopted earlier that day, and he gifts her with a dog house. It was fine, it was cute, it was all perfectly normal.

This is not a spoiler, it's a WARNING: