On Villain POV's

Today’s topic is something that deeply interests me and I’d love to hear your take on this. Who doesn’t love a good villain, right? For instance, Tom Riddle is the prime example of a twisted, intriguing and malicious villain in my opinion. I would looooove to know what goes on inside that head of his (then again, perhaps not; it’d probably be too evil to handle lol). I was wondering, what makes a good villain POV?

Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Title: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Published: February 5th 2013
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Like I said in my review for Cinder: I had a very rocky start with The Lunar Chronicles series—I DNF-d Cinder at first, but then picked it up a year later and quite enjoyed it. Needless to say I was very hesitant to read Scarlet, but oh. my!!!!!! I should have read it asap because it was just ohhh-so-very-good.

Review: Believe by Erin McCarthy

Title: Believe (True Believers #3)
Author: Erin McCarthy
Published: January 21st 2014
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Robin used to be a party girl… until she got black out drunk and woke up in bed with her best friend's boyfriend. Now she's faced with being THAT girl, and couldn't be more disgusted with herself. She can't even tell her friends the reason for her sudden sobriety and she avoids everyone until she meets Phoenix—quiet, tattooed, and different in every way that's good and oh, so bad…
Phoenix is two days out of jail when he meets Robin at his cousin's house, and he knows that he has no business talking to her, but he's drawn to her quiet demeanor, sweet smile, and artistic talent. She doesn't care that he's done time, or that he only has five bucks to his name, and she supports his goal to be a tattoo artist.
But Phoenix knows Robin has a secret, and that it's a naïve dream to believe that his record won't catch up with them at some point. Though neither is prepared for the explosive result when the past collides with the present…

I like how Erin McCarthy’s New Adult debut series is made of companion novels so we get to concentrate on a different couple in every book. That’s pretty awesome since all of their stories are so very different and driven by unique pasts and happenings compared to the rest of the couples. Believe tells the story of Robin & Phoenix and if you’ve read the ending of Sweet? How could you not be intrigued by these two :)

Review: French Kiss by Sarra Manning

Title: French Kiss (Diary of a Kiss #1)
Author: Sarra Manning
Published: June 8th 2006
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Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

New town, new college, new people, Edie's feeling overwhelmed. What if nobody wants to be her friend? But then something happens that turns her life upside down: Edie spots Dylan. Messy-haired, pouty, frustratingly elusive Dylan. . .
Fast forward to the college trip to Paris and things are really heating up. In between the shopping, the clubbing, the kissing and the making up, something happens between Edie and Dylan that changes both their lives for ever. But do boys like Dylan ever play for keeps?

I had heard amazing things about Sarra Manning’s books. They’re supposedly light, funny, romantic and adorable. I know that French Kiss isn’t her best work, but that’s why I decided to read it with Jasprit [The Reader's Den]. What better way to start than not with the best work and move forward from there? Ok, it sounds a bit weird, but that’s what I thought. While French Kiss was quite light and definitely funny, it didn’t exactly sit right with me either.

Blogger Interview: Enticed by Books

This month's blogger interview features my lovely, gorgeous and fun friend Aman. She's one of those people who you can't help but connect with and fangirling over Grey's Anatomy, Scandal or a good book is never boring with her around. Her reviews are so full of personality and she always speaks her mind which I highly admire. So without further ado, here's Aman, everyone :)

Profile

Name: Aman Panesar
Age: 22
Origin: US
Blog name: Enticed by Books (still don’t know why I picked that :D)
URL: http://enticedbybooks.com
Blog’s age: 4 months shy of 2 years.
Favorite book of all time: I thought this was going to be hard, but the minute the read this question, On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves popped in my mind. I can read that book countless times and still enjoy it like the first time.

Review: Four Seconds to Lose by K.A. Tucker

Title: Four Seconds to Lose (Ten Tiny Breaths #3)
Author: K.A. Tucker
Published: November 4th 2013
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

When a gorgeous young dancer walks through his door, a strip club owner must decide whether to follow his rules or his heart in the third novel by the author of One Tiny Lie and Ten Tiny Breaths.
Owning a strip club isn’t the fantasy most guys expect it to be. With long hours, a staff with enough issues to keep a psych ward in business, and the police regularly on his case, twenty-nine-year-old Cain is starting to second guess his unspoken mission to save the women he employs. And then blond, brown-eyed Charlie Rourke walks through his door, and things get really complicated. Cain abides by a strict “no sleeping with the staff” rule. But being around Charlie challenges Cain’s self-control…and it’s been a long time since any woman has done that.
Twenty-two-year-old Charlie Rourke needs a lot of money, really fast, in order to vanish before it’s too late. Taking her clothes off for men makes her stomach curl but Charlie tells herself that at least she’s putting her acting and dancing skills to good use. And though her fellow dancers seem eager to nab their sexy, sophisticated, and genuinely caring boss, she’s not interested. After all, Charlie Rourke doesn’t really exist—and the girl pretending to be her can't get distracted by romance.
Unfortunately, Charlie soon discovers that developing feelings for Cain is inevitable, and that those feelings may not be unrequited—but losing him when he finds out what she’s involved with will be more painful than any other sentence awaiting her.

I honestly don’t even feel like writing a review for this. I feel like this series has gone so down for me that I’m not even sure I want to read Ben’s book. If this is any indication then I’m going to DNF his book which I do not want to happen. Ehhhh.. Okokok, I’ll try not to rant too much and say everything I have to say nicely.

Review: Before Jamaica Lane by Samantha Young

Title: Before Jamaica Lane (On Dublin Street #3)
Author: Samantha Young
Published: January 7th 2014
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

One simple lesson in seduction between two friends can turn into so much more…
Despite her outgoing demeanor, Olivia is painfully insecure around the opposite sex—usually, she can’t get up the nerve to approach guys she’s interested in. But moving to Edinburgh has given her a new start, and, after she develops a crush on a sexy postgrad, she decides it’s time to push past her fears and go after what she wants.
Nate Sawyer is a gorgeous player who never commits, but to his close friends, he’s as loyal as they come. So when Olivia turns to him with her relationship woes, he offers to instruct her in the art of flirting and to help her become more sexually confident.
The friendly education in seduction soon grows into an intense and hot romance. But then Nate’s past and commitment issues rear their ugly heads, and Olivia is left broken-hearted. When Nate realizes he’s made the biggest mistake of his life, he will have to work harder than he ever has before to entice his best friend into falling back in love with him—or he may lose her forever…

Before starting the 3rd installment of On Dublin Street series I had enjoyed all of them (including the novella). Because Down London Road felt to me as the weakest out of them all, although still very enjoyable, and I was afraid that perhaps I would not enjoy the follow-up novel, but I had no reason to be afraid. This was Samantha at her best—bringing the feels and laying them on every corner to wait in attack and tackle me with their power.

Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Published: January 2nd 2012
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?
Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.
A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?
Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

At first I really adored this book. Not to say I don't appreciate it now, but without the emotional fluff and cheese high holding me captive I can rate this more objectively. My review will contain my original thoughts 'while' and 'after' reading The Statistical since I’m using my notes to craft this review right now, but my rating has changed a little. Also, thanks so much to my lovely friend Christina [Christina Reads YA] who kindly gifted me a gorgeous paperback copy.

On Finishing Series

Last year I followed Mel [The Daily Prophecy] and Lauren [Love is Not a Triangle] when they were finishing series and posting about them. This year I want to finish some of the ones I'm in the middle of. There are many reasons for not finishing them, but in addition to describing some of mine and listing some of the series I hope to finish this year, I can't wait to see what you think of this topic so be sure to let me know in the comments :) Okay, so...

Review: Hothouse Flower by Krista and Becca Ritchie

Title: Hothouse Flower (Calloway Sisters #2)
Author: Krista and Becca Ritchie
Published: March 28th 2014
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review*

Ryke Meadows, meet Daisy Calloway ... she’s all grown up.
Twenty-five-year-old Ryke Meadows knows he’s hard to love. With a billion-dollar inheritance, a track-star resume, and an alpha-male personality—he redefines the term likable asshole. But he’s not living to make friends. Or enemies. He just wants to free climb three of the toughest mountains in Yosemite without drama or interruption.
And then he receives a distressed call from a girl in Paris—a girl that he has never been allowed to have.
Daisy Calloway is eighteen. Finally. With her newfound independence, she can say goodbye to her overbearing mother and continue her modeling career. Next stop, Paris. Fashion Week begins with a bang, and Daisy uncovers the ugly reality of the industry. She wants to prove to her family that she can live on her own, but when everything spirals out of control, she turns to Ryke to keep her secrets.
As Daisy struggles to make sense of this new world and her freedom, she pushes the limits and fearlessly rides the edge. Ryke knows there’s deep hurt beneath every impulsive action. He must keep up with Daisy, and if he lets her go, her favorite motto—“live as if you’ll die today”—may just come true.

I wish I was as strong as Georgina Kincaid who reads 5 pages per night to draw the high of her favorite books out longer. Nope, that’s not me *shakes head* I devoured this baby in two days and why so? Um, it’s an enormous beast full of so many amazing things that if I had had to take it any slower I’d probably have drowned in anticipation of what comes next since this pretty had a LOT in it. Oh, did I already mention this one includes a ROAD TRIP AND CAMPING? That's already made of win ;)

Review: One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker

Title: One Tiny Lie (Ten Tiny Breaths #2)
Author: K.A. Tucker
Published: June 11th 2013
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents' tragic death and Kacey's self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would...and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.
Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t want in a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fits Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?
As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.

I knew going into this that most people didn’t find this better than Ten Tiny Breaths or anything near the goodness that was TTB. Since TTB was a little rough for me because I didn’t connect with Kacey that much, I was seriously scared to read One Tiny Lie. Those negative-ish and 'meh' reviews didn't really help the cause. Oh, well, let's get on with it and hear what I had to say

March Wrap Up

Is it really April already? Seriously? *looks around* Where's the rush, Time? The last couple of months have flown by so fast. April is a wickedly awesome reading month on paper since so many of my anticipated reads are coming out this month, Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor being one of them. The weather has been great during the past few weeks and no snow in sight, yay :) Ok, so let's get on to my March wrap up, shall we?