Misguided Angel - Melissa De La Cruz # 5 - Blue Blood Series

Pages: 365

Published: October, 2010- Atom

Date Finished: 30^th May 2011

Rating: 5 stars [ LOVED IT]

Book: # 5 in the Blue Bloods Series

After inheriting the dark Van Alen Legacy, Schuyler fled to Florence--with her forbidden love, Jack. Now the two of them must embark on the mission Schuyler was destined to complete: to find and protect the seven gates that guard earth from Lucifer, lord of the Silverbloods.

As the Blue Blood enclave weakens yet further, fate leads Schuyler closer to a terrifying crossroads--and a choice that will determine the destiny of all vampires – Good Reads Synopsis

Review:

Sticking with the series was one of my finer moments, and I can’t believe I even contemplated leaving it at the Van Alen Legacy. Who am I kidding? Leave the series at such a critical and provoking point- I couldn’t control myself. I had to know, needed to know and push past my usual reading habits to stay in the world of the Blue Bloods and continue the journey deeper into the secrets and war forging characters together and apart to create another stunning novel from Melissa De La Cruz.

She has outdone herself with an novel that not only pivots what it means to truly love and to sacrifice everything for it against friendship and community, including the world Melissa has created. But one that truly surprised me, scared me and made me question what it means to go to great lengths to not only save yourself, but those who depend on you. With so many twists in the plot and insights deeper into many of the ongoing subplots of the series I hardly wanted to put it down and often fooled myself into knowing what would happen next, only to be smacked in the face- pleasantly; shocked and surprised with the turning of events.

Oh, and don’t get me started on the characters, shall I go into great detail. I swear I could but for the sake of spoilers let me tell you I was taken into the lives not only of the familiar, but the brilliant and provoking new cast that enters the scene in misguided angel. Especially Deming Chen and I loved it…oh addiction is so sweet, but with such a diverse cast, ever growing and forming to change my options [in good ways] I am more delighted than ever to see character progression after the last two books in the series.

Without saying to much more about the book, I will say this, I totally recommend it if you have enjoyed the series so far or have been chugging along through the previous books because it does get better and when it does. You better tape your socks down, cause Misguided Angel blow your socks right off [oh god I did not just say that]

The Van Alen Legacy - Book 4# - Blue Bloods Novel

Pages: 369 pages

Published: 2010

Date Finished: 22^nd May 2011

Recommend and Rating: 3 Stars – Yes pick up the first book – Blue Bloods if you haven’t started the series.

With the stunning revelation surrounding Bliss's true identity comes the growing threat of the sinister Silver Bloods. Once left to live the glamorous life in New York City, the Blue Bloods now find themselves in an epic battle for survival. Not to worry, love is still in the air for the young vampires of the Upper East Side. Or is it? Jack and Schuyler are over. Oliver's brokenhearted. And only the cunning Mimi seems to be happily engaged. Young, fanged and fabulous, Melissa de la Cruz's vampires unite in this highly anticipated fourth instalment of the Blue Bloods series – Good Reads Synopsis.

Review:

It didn’t really pick up until the last fifty pages where the story actually picked up, which was both a disappointment and a relief. For the better half of the novel I was putting it down every few pages. For me The Van Alen Legacy felt like another transition novel, full of information and little action [even though was quite a few action scenes.] It was very plot heavy and while I enjoyed the overall progression it made reading the novel a lot slower.

There are some major break thoughts towards the end, which kept me anticipating the next book on my shelf. I know I always find it hard to read another book in the series straight after the other, but I think you can look forward to me reading the following books in the series while I wait for the next novel: Lost in Time #6 to come out on the shelf.

Voices on The Waves - Jessica Chambers Book Tour

Pages: 346

Published: September 30th 2010 by Red Rose Publishing

Formatt: Ebook

Website: http://www.jessicachambers.co.uk/

Recommendation and Rating: 3.5 Stars - Yes

Come along on a journey to Ireland, where even the rainy days are filled with passion and deceit, laughter and good food and where a provoking cast of characters come together to share their story at Trewalla, a country retreat owned and run by the lovely Faye Wakefield.

Voices on the Waves, kicks off with the promising story of Nine people who have won a contest to spend time at a retreat in the county. All come with baggage, and stories that is shared throughout the journey of the story.

While I enjoyed the introduction, the better half of the novel fell flat and really only picked up third ways into the book. Which by then, I found myself really enjoying the story and the characters for who they are. I think I appreciated it the more I read, for I understood the characters a lot better than I did in the first half of the book. My opinions of some stayed the same, while others changed as I grew more connected with them and their situations. To the point I nearly cried. [It takes a lot to make me nearly cry] Patrick’s story especially tore at my heartstrings.

I really disliked one of the male characters, who I would call a womaniser. It was one aspect of the novel that made me put it down for a few days, pressing my anger buttons and igniting debate when I was sharing the story with my partner. It’s not that I don’t understand there are men out there in the world, I have had my fair share of them, but it was the way the women reacted and behaved around him that made it impossible to enjoy the story. I like women who have back bone and while I could understand one characters motive to chase after him, the others annoyed me and lost credit to their personalities.

One character I really enjoyed and pushed forward with was Leah. While her story isn’t my own, I connected with her selfless personality and her willingness to be the one to stand up for herself when certain people tried to worm there way into her life. Bound with Will, her story was one of the reasons I kept reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Most of the cast were a little lacklustre for me and their dialogue just didn’t hold my interest. Most of the time the conversation was vague and forced and I found myself wanting to skip their parts in the story.

Voices on the Waves, was a novel that packed a lot of punches towards the end, but lacked a lot to begin with. While the story caught my attention, immediate dragging me into the world Jessica had created there were times when the events became monotonous – like the constant setting for eating and the characters behaviour and reactions became predictable. There were a few scenes that threw me totally of the high end and threw me back into the story, but it’s the little annoyances that made me put down the book for another.

I would recommend Voices on The Waves if you enjoy stories that share a lot of different character points of view and that intertwine together to bring you a full cast of diverse and provoking characters and life stories. Also if you are one for softer romances, I recommend you pick it up and give it a try.

Voices on the Waves is part of a Blog Tour hosted by Samantha at ChickLit Plus :

http://chicklitplus.com You can find Jessica’s Blog Tour here: http://chicklitplusblogtours.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/voices-on-the-waves-by-jessica-chambers/

Non-Fiction - Time to Write - Kelly L. Stone

Pages: 216

Published: 2008

Date Finished: 7^th May 2011

Rating: Recommend- Yes

In Time to Write over 100 authors including one of my favourites – Christine Feehan, come together to share their experiences and tips on how to make time for your writing. With there no excuses approach, many authors coming from busy work and family lives show you that it is possible to write that novel you have always wanted to or submit to your favourite magazine. All you have to do is make the time to write.

I found this book to be productive and provoking. It had a hint of no-bullshit advice, and prompted me to think about my creative writing and even non-fiction writing more seriously. With helpful tips, humour and advice on about every topic a beginner and an advanced writer will approach as some time in their life/career; Time to Write is a brilliant reference tool to kick start your motivation and rekindle your Burning Desire to write regardless of life.

The main theme that runs throughout the book is a constant reminded that the authors you love did not get lucky. They did not write when they felt like it, but wrote because they had to, because they loved to and couldn’t think of anything more passionate and hardworking. In the end we are reminded that it’s through dedication, perseverance and writing even when you’d rather throw your computer/notebook out the window. And that the only way to finish a book and kick start your journey towards possible publication is to write.

With practical tips on how to construct and find the right schedule for you, this is a must read for any writer wanting to carve out time for their writing. Whether it be ten minutes at work or half an hour each day. Early morning while your family is sleeping or later afternoon, So long as you are dedicated [there’s that word again] to facing the page, you are well on your way to achieving your literary dreams or fulfilling your passions.