DNF Review: Rampant by Saskia Walker

Description:
Possession is only half the fun…
The moment she arrives at her rented vacation cottage nestled in Scotland, Zoë Daniels feels it—an arousal so powerful she's compelled to surrender to the unusually forceful carnal desires…with nearly anyone who crosses her path. Crawford Logan, the boat builder with the wayward grin. The devilish restaurateur Cain Davot, who seems to know more about Zoë than he lets on. And even her sexy neighbor Grayson Murdoch, whose eyes delve deep into her soul as he explores every inch of her body.

Yet there's something unsettling about the way the locals watch her, something eerie about these overwhelming encounters. Zoë knows she's not quite in control of herself and begins to wonder if there's any truth to the legend of Annabel McGraw, a powerful, promiscuous eighteenth-century witch who once owned the cottage, and whose spirit t is rumored to affect anyone who stays there. Zoë doesn't t believe in anything that even hints at the occult, but t now strange visions are turning frightening…and only one man's touch can bring her back to earth.


Review:
I had high expectations and I desperately needed a good read so I looked at goodreads and found this book. Many of my blogger friends loved or at least liked it so I thought why not. I could use something sexy and finally opened my netgalley copy.

I really don't like to DNF or giving up in general but I just can't read more of this book. I have to force myself to read another few pages and I don't think I will like it more even if I do. So please consider while reading this that I only read this book up to page 150.
So here's why it's just not my kind of book:

1. I was way too confused with the beginning of the book. It had so much sex but by far not enough story or general information. I didn't really bond with the characters and they still felt like strangers when I read on. They never lost their mysterious touch- for my taste too much mystery and not enough disclosure.

2. Zoë is a business woman currently on her much needed vacation. She is usually a facts person, she believes in what she can see and prove with logic. But when she arrives in the Scottish small town she is immediately turned on, and with that I'm mean horny as hell. She is worried at first but then she puts it aside as caused by her long sex abstinence. So we have that rather tame girl now horny and all of sudden she has "mind-sex" (more about that later) with a guy and a woman and then real life sex with her sexy neighbor she just met 24 hours or less ago. She doesn't really worry about it. Just a thought here and there. It seems I'm prude but I didn't buy it at all.

3. The above mentioned mind sex was totally weird. She didn't ask for anything and is kind of forced into a vision like sex scene by the bad guy. She sees herself having sex with that guy and the post woman and in the vision she likes it. I'm not sure if I like that. Perhaps it would have been sexy if I would have liked the other 2 participants but I hate those and felt more like rape than anything else.

4. In general all the sex scenes felt like they were just there to actually have sex scenes in the book, like it is in porn you know? "Ohhh there is a sexy man lets have sex ASAP." Not something I like.

5. And I encountered a pet peeve. The bad guy calls himself he-witch and that's just ridiculous. It reminded me of he-man and I couldn't take that seriously.

The writing itself was good but the story didn't do it for me at all. For me it was too much storyless sex.

But don't judge the book only because I didn't like it. Here are some links to reviews of blogger friends who liked much more than me:
- Colette @ Buckeye Girls Read (4/5 Goodreads Rating)
- Pearl @ Pearl's World of Romance (8.5 out of 10)
- Pat @ Peace, Love & Pat (4 out of 5)
other reviews @GoodReads

To learn more about Saskia Walker and her books please visit her website here.

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Review and Promo: Coming Clean by Inez Kelley

COMING CLEAN never felt so good...

Grant and Vivi Michaelson share everything in their marriage: love, commitment—and their wildest sexual desires. But their relationship is tested when Vivi admits she wants a threesome with Grant’s old friend Cade, proposing their annual trip to the lake as the perfect opportunity to fulfill her fantasy.

All three of them are aroused by the idea. Vivi and Cade have long felt a smoldering attraction to each other…and Grant and Cade have hidden an illicit desire for decades. Going through with the ménage will test their boundaries, reveal old secrets…and maybe tear them apart. After all, there might be room for Cade in bed, but is there room for a third in their marriage?

Rated Top Pick, 4 Stars, 5 Blue Ribbons and called 'the best menage of the summer' by reviewers!

"The characters are adorable, the storytelling is perfect and Mrs. Kelley’s voice is something I will never forget."

HOT! WET! STEAMY!

COMING CLEAN by Inez Kelley BUY it now.

And if you want to know why I loved this book you can check out my review here at Book Lovers Inc. 

Go and get it! It's wonderful!

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A review, stress and a Simon's Cat video

I posted a review on Book Lovers Inc last Friday here. Three Over Par by Cathryn Brunet is another Carina Press release and it totally took me by surprise. Wow that books was so emotional intense and HAWT- unbelievable. Wonderful and highly recommended read.
That makes me think about how awesome Carina Press became. So far I loved every book they published and it really makes me want to get more. Great job these people are doing.

On other news my exams are over but so far the stress level is still too high for my taste and it looks like it will stay like that for a while longer. I've started my frantic search for an internship for next semester (and yes I know that I'm way too late- le sigh), have to start and finish the monster project till the end of September (planning a complete house means: we could build it like that *panic*), the evil part time job and there are the 2 blogs. I have no idea how I do it and I don't know how long I can stand the pressure. We will see. *puts on reassuring smile*

To make myself smile from time to time I visit the cheezburger network (lolcats and so on) and texts from last night regularly and that helps a lot. LOL Okay here you have something to make you smile.

So what's new with you?

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Review: The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber

Description:

What fortune awaited sweet, timid Percy Parker at Athens Academy? Hidden in the dark heart of Victorian London, the Romanesque school was dreadfully imposing, a veritable fortress, and little could Percy guess what lay inside. She had never met its powerful and mysterious Professor Alexi Rychman, knew nothing of the growing shadows, of the Ripper and other supernatural terrors against which his coterie stood guard. She saw simply that she was different, haunted, with her snow white hair, pearlescent skin and uncanny gift. This arched stone doorway was a portal to a new life, to an education far from what could be had at a convent-and it was an invitation to an intimate yet dangerous dance at the threshold of life and death...

Review:
I received The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker (for short Strangely Beautiful) as a review copy from the author and I couldn't wait for exams to be over so I could finally start it. And I have to say this book didn't disappoint. Okay I admit the start was a bit slow for my taste but after the first 50 pages I was so hooked I just couldn't pit it down. BF had to force me to stop in the train so I didn't miss our exit. Strangely Beautiful is a mix of historical and paranormal with a sweet touch of romance and that wonderful diversity caught my heart.

The story centers around Miss Percy Parker a very timid and shy girl with a rather shocking appearance. She's an albino and her pale exterior seems to frighten the people of that time. I think that nowadays she would still receive a lot of weird glances and stares but at that period people even more believed in the paranormal and all they see is a girl that looks like ghost and they act like she came to haunt them. Percy tries to stay in the background. She tries to avoid being noticed and she developed some skills to blend with the surroundings. But she is not a person who should be ignored. She was an intelligent mind and is one of the nicest and loveliest persons I ever read about. If you had her as your friend you would be really lucky. She is all in all a charming and good mannered girl.

And then we have the dark and delicious Professor Alexi Rychman. Oh my, this one is one I would like to have a professor. He seems to be untouchable and aloof but in his core he is as human as we all are. He is a controlled and very focused man. He knows what he wants and mostly has the exact route in his mind how to achieve it. No wonder he is the leader and mind of The Guard. He is a strong believer in science and fact and it sometimes collides with his job as paranormal investigator. How can explain something ghostly with science and logic. I loved to read about his inner struggle. His character and mind highly intrigued me but I have to say that there were some moments when I would have loved to hit him HARD but that's okay because after all he still is just a man.

The romance in Strangely Beautiful is nice and sweet with some lovely twists and turns. I felt like a cheerleader and caught myself telling the characters things like: Don't you dare thinking about that woman. Yes, perhaps I even screamed a bit from time to time but I just couldn't let some things happen. ;) The romantic part of the book is a bit tame but everything else just wouldn't fit the story and characters. And after all what happens was hot on it's own. *wink*

I was also really fascinated by Mrs. Hieber's side characters. You can really feel how much she likes to travel. Her characters are all special and really unique. You can see their life and their backstory but you never feel overwhelmed with the amount of information. That was really surprising for me. When I put the book down and thought about the story and characters I realized how much I learned in this book and I never felt like it was too much. I say that's great story telling.

The story is wonderfully strange and even though Strangely Beautiful is written in omniscient POV it never lost it's thrill for me. Every time a character made a mistake or thought something wrong I wanted to shake them and tell them how stupid that was. Okay perhaps I used more colorful words but I''m trying to behave.

Mrs. Hieber's writing is lyrical, full of emotion and passion. You can feel her love for the words and how much she enjoys writing. Her sentences just flow exactly right and they all warmed my heart. I think that made this book into something special for me. Strangely Beautiful is an amazing touching and emotional story with a thrilling paranormal mystery. Her characters jump of the pages and you will be unable to wait long to start book 2, The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker. I know I can't wait to learn how Percy's and Alexi's story will go on.


To learn more about Leanna and her books please visit her website here. 
And you should check out Book Lovers Inc tomorrow. I will dual review Strangely Beautiful togther with Caroline aka pattepoilue.

Strangely Beautiful Series:
1. The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker: goodreads
2. The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker: goodreads
3. The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess: goodreads

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My July Reads

July was mostly exam month so as you can see I read like a mad-woman. WHy is that? No idea. Probably cuz I try to escape the real world more often? Cuz I don't watch tv at all? I'm really not sure. I read really many short reads this months so that could be it too. But nonetheless here are the books that made my exams bearable:

1. Everything Changes by Megan Hart
 
This is Tempted out of Alex Kennedy'S POV and I have to say I expected more. I should have know cuz it is a short story and many situations I just wanted to see with his eyes came a bit short. It was a good one but my expectations just weren't reached. And yes my heart is bleeding while I'm typing this.

2. Naked by Megan Hart (Re-read)

I completely adore this book. It is made of awesome. It the best I read so far from Mrs. Hart and you should read it too. Naked is a very sexy thought provoking novel. The writing is outstanding and the characters will draw you in from the start. Naked made me laugh, think and cry and I loved every second of it. When you want a book that will touch you deep inside and entertain you the whole time this is the book for you. I'm sure it will be at the top of my Best Reads in 2010 list. An absolute Keeper and I'm sure I will talk about this book for a long time to come. (my full review)

(yep an extra wcc)

3. Three Days to Dead (Dreg City, #1) by Kelly Meding 

This book was a fast paced ride through a wonderful urban fantasy world. I loved the characters, especially the heroine Evy. Surprises, love, hate, action and explosions. Entertaining novel you shouldn't miss. (my full review)

4. The Missing by Shiloh Walker 

Again a very emotional read I highly enjoyed. Shiloh knows how to wring every emotion out of our hearts. The story gripped me and my heart from the start and didn't let me go. Highly recommended for everyone who likes to feel the story. (my full review)

5. Unholy Magic (Downside, #2) by Stacia Kane

I really adore this series. Stacia created a wonderful new urban fantasy series with everything I want. Her wold-building is great and her characters are unique and even that sounds like an understatement. I can't recommend this one enough. Go read!  (my full review)

6. His at Night by Sherry Thomas 

Funny entertaining historical romance. I enjoyed reading this one- it made me laugh but it sometimes made my shake my head too. The characters where lovely and funny but sometimes just a bit too much for my taste. (my full review)

7. Bounds of Justice (Psy-Changeling, #8) by Nalini Singh

This book reminded me why I love this series so much. Nalini writes books that grip you ASAP, touch your heart, make you smile and leave you with a smile on your face. I wasn't sure if I would like this one cuz I have to admit I had no idea who Max was but I adore him now. If you haven't started this series yet you're missing out. Her books are getting better and better.

8. As Lie the Dead (Dreg City, #2) by Kelly Meding

I liked this book even more than TDTD. It has more background info about Wyatt and brought some light into why everything happened. The story is still unbelievable fast paced and we get our share of explosions. ;) Can't wait to get my hands on book 3.  (my full review)

9. Coin Operated (Laundry, #1) by Ginny Glass 

OMG I loved this book. It gives hot a new definition. The characters are awesome and the story was awesome too. A naughty office story is always good in my eyes. The story telling  is wonderful. I know I will keep my eyes open for Mrs. Glass' books. (my full review)

10. Talk Dirty To Me (Laundry, #2) by Ginny Glass & Inez Kelley 

What's not to love about a hot and naughty professor who knows how to make you laugh and even more come. This one can call me any night and talk to me about pentration tests. Okay Susi's dirty mind just took over. Sorry about that. Highly recommended. (my full review)

11. Eve of Sin City (Marked, #3.5) by S.J. Day

I'm still not over the disappointment. I really want another Marked book but as it seems we won't get another full length novel. This short story was good but didn't give me everything I wanted after such a long wait. I hope we get at least a bit of closure in the next novella or even better perhaps we get another book after all. See I won't give up the hope.

12. Coming Clean (Laundry, #3) by Inez Kelley

This book is more serious than the first 2 books. That caught me a bit unprepared. I thought I would get another funny witty sexy read but it was different. Don't get me wrong it wasn't bad at all. I loved it to be true. A married couple and his best friend and their way to something hot. It's about what makes a threesome complicated and who it would come to it in real life with someone you know and actually like before. I loved the way these 3 interacted and talked about it. This book really touched my heart. Review to come next week.

13. Pleasure Unbound (Demonica, #1) by Larissa Ione


Wow, wow, wow!!!! Why I did I wait so freaking long with starting this series? I had this book at home since January. I can be so dense sometimes. I really liked it. The characters are awesome, it was funny, sexy as hell (yep every pun intended) and has a great plot too. I so need book 2 now. ASAP.

As it seems exams are good for my reviewing mojo or perhaps I'm just more organized at this time.

How was your July?

P.S. Only one more exam to go. =)

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