REVIEW: Blazing Midsummer Nights

Title: Blazing Midsummer Nights
Author: Leslie Kelly
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Blaze
Format: e-book
# of pages: n/a
Source: Netgalley
Links: goodreads

Summary:
(from goodreads)

Anything can happen on a magical midsummer's eve
Marketing director/workaholic Mimi Burdette has The Plan-work for her father and date his right-hand man. Problem is, there's no heat in the relationship. Not even a spark. And worse still, Mimi is having some seriously sexy, panties-ablaze dreams-and the star looks a lot like Xander McKinley, the hunky firefighter next door. Mimi's dreams might be due to the strange tea she drank. Or the predictions from the fortune cookie she ate. Or they could be due to Xander's smokin' hotness. But whether it's magic or just old-fashioned fireworks, Mimi is about to break all of the rules-including her own!

Review:
The title made me think of Shakespeare, haha.  But this isn't Shakespeare.  It's a hot romance by Leslie Kelly, who is one of my favorite authors.

The main characters, Mimi and Xander, are attracted to each other at first sight.  But Mimi is not looking for a hot man, as she's looking to earn a promotion from her father.  Instead, she's trying to date the Dad-approved guy.  And Xander decides to not get involved after learning that Mimi's an heiress.  But it seems like the universe has other plans and wants to keep throwing Mimi and Xander together.  First, with him mistakenly walking in on her half-naked in her bedroom, and then with him racing to her rescue and catching her when she falls from trees.  And then of course, there was the fortune cookie, strange tea, and vivid dreams.  I think this was Leslie's way of trying to add a unique aspect to this plot, but  Mimi didn't even remember the dreams when she woke up, except for her last dream, so I don't think it added much.


No doubt that these two have chemistry, allowing Xander to help Mimi release the real her and leading this book to be sweet, romantic, and funny at times.   However, the side characters didn't add much for me.  They were just there.  We hardly heard from them, since most of the book was just Mimi and her thoughts or Xander and his thoughts or them talking to each other.  We didn't get much interaction between Mimi and Dmitri, so I thought having him there was pretty pointless.  There was no real love triangle there, no conflict.  Mimi pretty much dismissed Dmitri as a romantic option at the beginning, and so I never got the sense that she was truly considering seriously dating him. I guess they were there as plot movers, creating scenarios for Mimi and Xander together and moving the plot along quickly.  But I felt like there could have been more interaction...I hope I'm making sense, lol.

And then, I'm a little iffy with the ending, but not because of Mimi and Xander's ending.  Dmitri ended up getting engaged to Helen, who he apparently had a relationship with before moving to Athens, GA.  When they saw each other at her parents' home, where Mimi also lives, after Helen had moved back, they were both shocked and tense.  I already knew they were going to get together when it was revealed that they knew each other.  But I want to know what happened between them!  How did they end up engaged?  I felt like that could've been a whole other book.  Or at least, a little more in the epilogue, other than Dmitri holding is soon-to-be wife and stepson.


But overall, the main characters were likable and this was a cute, easy read.  I recommend this if you're looking for a quick romance to read.

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REVIEW: As I Wake

Title:  As I Wake
Author: Elizabeth Scott 
Genre:  YA, Dystopian, Sci-Fi
Publisher: Dutton Books (imprint of Penguin)
Format:  Hardcover
# of pages:  269
Source:  library
Links: goodreads

Summary:
(from goodreads)
Ava is welcomed home from the hospital by a doting mother, lively friends, and a crush finally beginning to show interest. There's only one problem: Ava can't remember any of them - and can't shake the eerie feeling that she's not who they say she is.

Ava struggles to break through her amnesiac haze as she goes through the motions of high-school life, but the memories that surface take place in a very different world, where Ava and familiar-faced friends are under constant scrutiny and no one can be trusted. Ava doesn't know what to make of these visions, or of the boy who is at the center of them all, until he reappears in her life and offers answers . . . but only in exchange for her trust.

Review:
I randomly picked As I Wake up at the library the last time I was there.  Something drew me to it, but I'm not sure exactly what.  The cover is definitely intriguing, so it might have been that.  Anyway, it's written differently than most books are.  It can get repetitive, and the way the sentences and paragraphs are structured can make for stilted reading, but that didn't really bother me.  I know it bothered a lot of people to the point that they could no longer enjoy the book, but I felt like it was part of creating the character's voice.  After all, you are hearing from Ava's point of view, so you only know what Ava knows.  And at the beginning, Ava knows nothing.

This whole book is about Ava learning about who she is and what happened to her.  She's trying to piece together what happened because she feels that she doesn't belong in this world that she's in.  And she just so happens to be right.  As the book progresses, we begin to learn little by little that she's from a parallel universe, but it isn't until the very end that we learn who was responsible for her and Morgan being found out and thus for her being sent to this other universe.  I thought this was a very intriguing plot, what with traveling through parallel universes and time travel, and I did not guess the person who tattled about her and Morgan to Clementine.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, but I was left with questions at the end and I don't think there's a sequel, so that kind of sucks.  Elizabeth Scott created these alternate universes and rules for traveling between them, but the end left me confused because it didn't follow one of the rules she had set out.  But I may be missing something, so who knows.

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My Meg Story + Mini-Review of The Boy Next Door (for Meg-A Readers Blog Hop)

Hello~!  I'm back with a post for the Meg-A Readers Blog Hop.  I want to start with a little bit about my "Meg story," which is basically how I found Meg Cabot.

I think most people found Meg Cabot through her Princess Diaries series, but not me! :)  I found her through her novel, The Boy Next Door.  One day about 6 years ago, I was at the library after school and was browsing books when I stumbled upon The Boy Next Door.  The next thing I know, I'm staying up trying to finish the book.  I couldn't put it down!  So I went in search of more and more by Meg Cabot and am working my through all she's written.  I am a Meg Cabot fan for life!


Now, a little bit about The Boy Next Door:

It is the first book in Meg Cabot's Boy series, and is written through e-mails between the characters.  This was the first time I'd ever read a book that was written that way, so it was new and different and interesting to me.  You got to meet all the characters through these emails, and boy, were they characters!  I really liked the main characters, Mel and John, which is key to liking a book overall.  The book in general was quirky and funny, even though there was supposed to be a little mystery.  The mystery is not really a mystery, as you can easily figure it out.  So it wasn't a serious book at all, and I enjoyed reading it.  I think it would be a great beach read, which is perfect since summer has just started!

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So now I want to know...What's your "Meg story"? :)

REVIEW: Bet On a Cowboy

Title: Bet On a Cowboy
Author: Julie Benson
Series: A Cowboy for Every Mood
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Harlequin American Romance
Format: e-book
# of pages: n/a
Source: Netgalley
Challenge: n/a

Summary:
(from Goodreads)
Commitment phobic Colorado cowboy Griffin McAlister has it all figured out. Do the reality dating show, get the money his family desperately needs and go on with his life. Actually falling in love was never part of the deal...least of all falling in love with the show's spunky director.

Maggie Sullivan knows she's found a star the minute she meets Griffin. But as she gets to know the man behind the dimples, she realizes she might have found something more. It doesn't matter, though; she has a job to do. Besides, how could he ever notice her while he's busy wooing ten gorgeous women?

Now Griffin has a choice to make: stick with the plan and lose Maggie forever, or risk everything for a chance to win her heart!

Review:
I'm back with a review!  Finally, lol.  I get a break from school for a week, so I'm getting in as much reading as I can, while I have time. :P  I was looking to start with a light, fun read and definitely found it in Bet On a Cowboy.

The plot was not very original, but it was still fun.  The main characters are what make this book though.  They have great chemistry, leading to great dialogue and witty banter.  They didn't fall in love at first sight, though I do think Maggie fell in lust at first sight, but who wouldn't?  Griffin is described as tall, charismatic, very good looking and oozing sex appeal.  Maggie didn't stand a chance against lust here.  Though she does have some self-esteem issues which makes her think Griffin would never look twice at her.  And Griffin thought the same too, remarking on how plain Maggie looked, except for gorgeous emerald green eyes.  But Maggie is different from the usual girls Griffin dates, and so he doesn't know what hit him until later on in the book.

As they work on the Bachelor-esque show together, they get to know each other better, learning about each other's pasts.  Also, Maggie sees past Griffin's facade and doesn't fall for his bs, like women usually do.  She doesn't let him charm her into giving him everything that he wants, which is great.  They slowly realize they've fallen in love, but their romance is not easy as they are both torn between proclaiming their love for each other and their duties, Maggie's to the show and Griffin's to his mom.  But in the end, they get their happy ending.

I felt the story was just the right pace, not too fast and not too slow.  I really connected with Maggie and rooted for her and Griffin all the way.  It was also great to meet Griffin's family, who are all great characters.  Griffin's is the second book in this series.  His older brother, Rory, was the main character in the first book.  You don't need to read the first one to understand what's happening in this one.  I haven't read the first one and didn't feel I missed out on something I needed to know.  But I will try to get my hands on it, as I really like Julie's writing style.  Also, I think Grffin's sister, Avery, will be getting her own story too.  I recommend this book for a light, fun read!

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Read the Month: June (Irish Edition)

Wow, May totally sucked in terms of reading and posting on the blog.  I got hardly anything done!  Hopefully June will be better, since it is the start of the summer, and I'll be done with school...for the most part.  I am taking 1 summer class, but I don't think it will completely take over my life...

Read the Month Irish Edition
mi MEITHEAMH (June)
Duration: June 1, 2012 - June 30, 2012

Completed: 1/9

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As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott - 6/23/2012
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