Be Mine Tonight

Book # 24: Be Mine Tonight by Kathryn Smith

A Little Scandal

Book # 23: A Little Scandal by Patricia Cabot

An Inconvenient Duchess

Book # 22: An Inconvenient Duchess by Christine Merrill

Kinsey and Me

Book # 21: Kinsey & Me by Sue Grafton

U is for Undertow

Book # 20: U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton

Party Girl

Book # 19: Party Girl by Anna David

New Rule

New Rule: no reading during weekdays... because it is seriously affecting my productivity... I finished another book, though... more about it later as I'll try to salvage of what's left of my afternoon :/

Book Haul

because I can't walk out of Book Sale without buying a book... Found two books that are missing from my collection and the book version of the TV "series" I saw (and enjoyed)... excited to read these soon, it rounds out the recent "acquisitions" I made... I got mystery, historical romance, some deep, dark bios and comedy... still looking for two chic lits, though... if only I found the ebook version of The Wedding Night... 

I found lots of great books at Book Sale but they were mostly The Kite Runner types and that's not what I'm feeling at the moment... I'm looking for a fun, light chic lit...

As You Desire

Book # 18: As You Desire by Connie Brockway

Since I've read two modern romance books in a row, this time, I went for a historical romance book... one of my guilty pleasures... This one was set in Egypt. I loved that the heroine was strong and smart... I'm not just saying smart because she wasn't a mindless chit who's into fashion and gossip... I say this because she happened to be a child prodigy when she was younger. The hero was, of course, handsome and strong. and like all romance heroes, he had his faults... but he had one fault that isn't very common with historical romance books--he was dyslexic... interesting because in this day and age, there are still a few misunderstandings with this condition and imagine how it would be received during those times. Of course, it is this "deep, dark secret" that makes the hero stay away from the heroine until something happens that make him realize that, fuck it, I'm getting my girl... and as all romance books go, they live happily ever after.

The Bad: the author tends to over describe things sometimes which is something I don't like so I tend to skip pages. The characters are interesting but I feel like I could have gotten to know them more through how they would act or react in different situations they are placed in instead of just being described as such.

The Good: the characters, as I've said, were interesting. If you want a historical romance fix, this book is good enough to satisfy your craving.

Book Hunt: Anna David

Now that I have read half of the books I just bought, I'm searching for ebooks I can read once I blow through the other half... I'm looking for the other book by Anna David since I loved the Bought book she wrote... Turns out, she has two other books I haven't read yet... hopefully I can find free ebook copies of these :D

Members Only by Leonie Fox

Book # 17 Members Only by Leonie Fox

Hhhhmmmm... What can I say about this book? It kinda reminds me of a Candace Bushnell novel where there are 3-4 main characters in the book who are all friends or somehow interconnected... It's not that bad but it's no page turner either... it's not an "I-can't-put-it-down" kinda book...

I dunno, coz as you read it, you kinda wait for it to lead to the big plot twist in the end... but when you get there, there's none... well, fine, there were "twists" but they were either predictable or, for a lack of a better word, boring... when I started reading it, I kinda sensed how it will go early on but I continued to read it, hoping to be proven wrong... would I recommend this to others? I dunno...

Bought by Anna David

book # 16 -- Bought by Anna David.

Wow.  This book was great.  I read it with low expectations as I had quite a few disappointments when trying out new authors.  This was something else, kinda reminds me of the way Jackie Collins writes--she really transported me to that world.  Although the ending left me wanting closure for the characters, but I think that was the whole point.  There is no epilogue which ties everything into a neat, pretty bow because life is not that way and it ties in to the way the novel was written: gritty and real.  

This isn't a Sophie Kinsella novel where everyone gets what's coming to them in the end, but not exactly like a Jackie Collins one either where the bad guy (or girl) dies in the end.  It left me hanging but left it open for me to imagine the possibilities of how the characters would continue on  Too bad this author has only started to write fairly recently, I would have loved to scour for the previous books she has written and read those too... but she has only written another one, Party Girl, so I guess I'm looking for just one book for now..

Adult Archie Comic Books

I want to collect them all, huhuhu :( I could see this as one of the books I would actually go out to buy AND collect, but I doubt they are already available in Book Sale yet... and I'm too cheap to buy books at full price.. I want it so much, I coud cry... :( 

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas

Book # 15 -- Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas.  I scoured the net for new books and authors to read but the good authors must have suddenly discovered how ebook piracy is rampant because the ebooks I wanted to download have been deleted from the file sharing sites.  With no new books to read, I decided to revisit one of my fave books from Kleypas.  I have read this particular book more times than I can count and it never gets old.  The Devil in Winter is probably my most favorite book that Kleypas wrote.  That said, I REALLY need to get new books.

Sweet Valley Saga: The Fowlers of Sweet Valley

Book # 14 -- Sweet Valley Saga: The Fowlers of Sweet Valley created by Francine Pascal and written by Kate William

ahhh... Lila Fowler... the rich bitch of Sweet Valley... so of course, her ancestors had be rich as well... but then came the hardships... two family lines that went from up to down to up to down in each generation, almost finding their happy ending, but, alas, it was not to be... even Lila's parents--the generation where they "almost-made-it" would finally end--had major bumps along the way.. I read that this was the better among the other sagas.. but I found the George and Lila's mom (sorry, forgot her name) story was just too rushed... well, maybe because there's an SVH book out there that tells the whole story...

this book is a re-read... I unearthed this from our recent trip home... I owned this in high school...but for the life of me, I can't remember reading it... for a Sweet Valley book, this was really good (which is not saying a lot)... a good trip down memory lane book... :)

Again the Magic and Someone to Watch Over Me by Lisa Kleypas.

Book # 12 & 13 -- Again the Magic and Someone to Watch Over Me all by Lisa Kleypas.  This probably shouldn't count sine I'm re-reading these books... but that's how good Lisa Kleypas is, I won't get tired of reading her books over and over again..

If this is Paradise, I Want My Money Back by Claudia Carroll

Book # 11 -- If this is Paradise, I Want My Money Back by Claudia Carroll... so-so book... interesting plot... kinda drags on... you wonder when the arch is going to happen... but it's predictable, you know she's gonna make major mistakes and end up with her learning her lesson... even the "big twist" in the end was predictable... I knew she wasn't dead at the start of the book... I was just reading on, waiting for the "big reveal"... although the ending was left open to speculation for the reader, kinda like to allude that the slate was wiped clean and it was going to be fresh start for her..

The Klone and I by Danielle Steele

Book # 10 -- The Klone and I by Danielle Steele.  This is from last month's Book Haul... Here's what I think of it: meh.  Maybe it's because I had such high expectations because it's Danielle Steele? or maybe she was just off her game when she was writing this book that's why it was priced so cheap compared to her other books?  I would still give her another chance, though.  Maybe next time I would splurge and go for her pricier books.

Book Sale

I can't seem to pass by Book Sale without coming out with a book in hand.  That's why I don't go in there as much anymore because being broke, it hurts too much.  Luckily, hubby gave me a little bit of cash, so I forego food for this little gem.  Yup, I'm guilty once again on splurging on books.  I hope this author is worth it.

Crystal Flame by Jayne Ann Krentz

Book # 9 -- Crystal Flame by Jayne Ann Krentz.  One of the new authors I was trying out.  Here's what i think about it: I'm not gonna be collecting her other books really soon.  The premise of the book had real promise and the characters could be likable but they were not fleshed out that much that it didn't give them much chance for me to really like them.  If she had written them like Lisa Kleypas does, with good banter and made them more likable and relatable, I might have added her to my list of fave authors.  Maybe she gets better on her other books?