Book Review: Tangled by Emma Chase

Lines Tangled

Book Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Drew Evans is a winner. Handsome and arrogant, he makes multimillion-dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. He has loyal friends and an indulgent family. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed? He’ll tell you he has the flu. But we all know that’s not really true. 

Katherine Brooks is brilliant, beautiful, and ambitious. She refuses to let anything-or anyone-derail her path to success. When Kate is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, and his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating. Then, just when Drew is on the cusp of having everything he wants, his overblown confidence threatens to ruin it all. Will he rise to the most important challenge of his life? Can Drew Evans win at love? 

Tangled is not your mother’s romance novel. It is an outrageous, passionate, witty narrative about a man who knows a lot about women…just not as much as he thinks he knows. As he tells his story, Drew learns the one thing in life he never wanted is the only thing he can’t live without.

My Review:

Drew Evans is a successful businessman, a charming and non-strings attached guy who is used to have his way, but then this “golden boy” meets his match in the form of Kate Brooks and with that, everything he has known and believed starts to change.

I was totally hooked since page one and it was impossible to put down this book, the reason?  The story is funny, romantic and truly engaging.

I loved the characters, Drew and Kate are interesting and likeable and there’s also some support characters that I enjoyed reading about, like Alexandra (Drew’s sister) and Drew’s sweet and witty niece, Mackenzie.

My favorite thing about this book is the way is written. I loved the narrative from Drew’s POV and being inside his head provided a lot of entertaining and hilarious moments.

The writing style is like if this character is talking to you, sharing what happened to him, this made me feel even more engaged to the story.

I mentioned on past reviews how much I love male POVs in the Books, but Drew’s POV is the best I’ve read and now, he’s one of my favorite male characters.

My rating:   ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Do I recommend this book? Absolutely.

Will I read more books from this author? Definitely.

Book Review: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

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Book Description (from Goodreads):

Beth and Jennifer know their company monitors their office e-mail. But the women still spend all day sending each other messages, gossiping about their coworkers at the newspaper and baring their personal lives like an open book. Jennifer tells Beth everything she can’t seem to tell her husband about her anxieties over starting a family. And Beth tells Jennifer everything, period.

When Lincoln applied to be an Internet security officer, he hardly imagined he’d be sifting through other people’s inboxes like some sort of electronic Peeping Tom. Lincoln is supposed to turn people in for misusing company e-mail, but he can’t quite bring himself to crack down on Beth and Jennifer. He can’t help but be entertained-and captivated- by their stories.

But by the time Lincoln realizes he’s falling for Beth, it’s way too late for him to ever introduce himself. What would he say to her? “Hi, I’m the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you.” After a series of close encounters and missed connections, Lincoln decides it’s time to muster the courage to follow his heart . . . even if he can’t see exactly where it’s leading him.

Written with whip-smart precision and charm, Attachments is a strikingly clever and deeply romantic debut about falling in love with the person who makes you feel like the best version of yourself. Even if it’s someone you’ve never met.

 

Book Review:

When I read the synopsis I knew I definitely had to read this book and I’m glad I did.

Lincoln is the Internet Security Officer in a Newspaper and his job is to monitor (and sometimes read) the employees’s emails to make sure everyone makes proper use of the computers.
Jennifer and Beth work in the same Newspaper, they are best friends who enjoy their conversations using the company’s email. One day the system than Lincoln manages starts flagging some of these emails and Lincoln (as part of his job) reads them; the system flags more emails between these two women and as Lincoln continues reading them, he can’t help feeling attached in someway to Jennifer and Beth (more to Beth).

I found the story really interesting and captivating, I started reading this book one day after dinner and I couldn’t put it down until I finished it (when I looked at the clock it was almost 3 am, I had totally lost track of time).

The dialogues between Jennifer and Beth while they are exchanging emails are really delightful and addictive (sometimes so hilarious that really made laugh) and is like you can see through these emails how strong is their friendship.

I loved Lincoln, he’s a sweet guy, quirky, adorable and a little shy that seems not to realize how good he is, and I was rooting for a happy ending for him during the entire book. I truly enjoyed finding out more about Lincoln and follow his growth trough the book, to me he is a great character with an engaging story.

Overall I really liked this book, is well written, has some wonderful characters and it really made me smile.

Book Review: On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

On Dublin Street

Book Description (from Goodreads):

Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare… Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core. Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached. But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to the very soul.

Book Review:

“You’re not broken” ” You’ve got a few cracks in you, but we all have some”.
Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon and a few hours during the night near to my window and reading this book, I was so immersed that I didn’t even noticed when it got dark outside, I just couldn’t put it down the book until I finished.

I love a good romance and this one has some elements I liked a lot: takes place mainly in Europe, has very well developed characters and the story is really engaging.

First let’s talk about the main characters, Jocelyn and Braden, Jocelyn is an independent woman that had her share of hard moments in life and for that reason she has some inner demons, Braden is sexy, an alpha male that always gets what he wants and right now he wants Jocelyn.
The chemistry between Jocelyn and Braden is really strong and in this book they share some really intense moments.

The book is really well written, there is passion, it has some funny scenes that made me laugh (I won’t give any spoilers so you can enjoy it) and there are also some really emotional scenes that made me cry.

The secondary characters in this book are great, my favorites were Ellie (Jocelyn’s flatmate whom was incredible sweet, charming and a great friend) and also Adam (Braden’s best friend) and I would love to read more about them.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it.

Book Review: A Castle of Sand (A Shade of Vampire #3) by Bella Forrest

A Castle of Sand

 

Book Description (from Goodreads):

What Sofia has with Derek feels like a sandcastle; temporary and something that the waves of life and time will soon ruin…

Since the return of Gregor Novak, the island has turned several shades darker. His hatred toward Sofia and thirst for fresh blood lead to a brutal war igniting between father and son.

Meanwhile, the hunters are gaining formidable strength and resources by the day; they know that the safety of The Shade hangs entirely on its ability to remain hidden from them.

And a sinister secret lies in wait for Sofia within the bowls of an Egyptian desert … a secret that threatens to crush her sandcastle much sooner than she could have expected.

 

Book Review:

“What we have is a sandcastle, temporary, but beautiful and we can only treasure and enjoy it for as long as nature allow us”.

The first third of the book has a slow pace but it provides a good insight about the relationship between Sofia and Derek and also about the life in The Shade (these characters start to see and face the real challenges for their relationship), as you advance in the book the action begins (and is really good).

In this book, apart from the protagonists Sofia and Derek, there are some good secondary characters that enrich the world that the author created for this Series (and I have to admit that I liked more Ben in this book that in the previous).

I think the title of the book is perfect (I liked the references to sandcastles and how they fit into the story), also I love how the author use the multiple POVs in her writing (I believe that’s what makes me feel more connected to the characters).

Overall, I enjoyed this book (it started a little slow, but as I kept reading I loved that it had some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming), I liked the action, the suspense, the intensity and by the end I was so immersed in the story (as it happened when I read the two prior books in the Series) that I didn’t wanted it to finish.

Would I recommend it? Yes, specially to people who enjoys paranormal romance.
Am I going to read the next book? Definitely, as usual the author left me anxiously waiting for the next book

Book Review: Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, Maira Kalman (Illustrator)

Why we broke up

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Book Description (from Goodreads):

I’m telling you why we broke up, Ed. I’m writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened.

Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped.

Book Review:

In this story, through a long letter that Min is writing to Ed, we explore their relationship since they met until their breakup.

What I loved: The beautiful illustrations by Maira Kalman that enrich the story.

My favorite characters: Ed (for most of the book) and Al (Min’s best friend who was incredible supportive of her).

The story is rich and descriptive, I read the book in two days, I couldn’t wait to find out more about Min’s box and the story behind it and I was more caught with each page.

The book has some really mixed reviews in Goodreads, for that reason I think is important to mention that the writing is more complex than in other books from the same genre (the author definitely has his own style), there are some really long sentences and references that sometimes can make you lose track a little (I had to re-read some paragraphs but this didn’t make me enjoy less the book).

Would I recommend this book? Yes, because is a story full of emotions, has a good plot and because it kept me intrigued until the end.

My favorite quote from the book “You either have the feeling or you don’t” Hawk Davies.

Book Review: Ryan Hunter (Grover Beach Team #2) by Piper Shelly

Ryan Hunter

I loved “Play with Me” by Piper Shelly and in that book I fell in love with Ryan’s character.
When I found out that another book would be released, but now from the POV of Ryan, I knew I had to read it.

In “Ryan Hunter (Grover Beach Team, # 2)” we learn more about Ryan’s feelings towards Liza and we see more of the Soccer team.

The book was an easy read, engaging, sweet and fun with a lovely romance.
I really loved the main characters that the author created for the Grover Beach Series (Liza and Ryan) and I found Justin (one of the secondary characters) very likeable.

I must say than from the two books of the Grover Beach Team Series, this from Ryan’s POV became my favorite.
This book made me smile a lot, kept me reading without a break (it was impossible for me to put it down) and now is part of my “To re-read” shelf.

Overall this is a well written and very enjoyable book that I really recommend, specially to people who like YA books and stories with romance and sports (to have a better understanding of the story and the characters I recommend to read first “Play with Me” the Book 1 in the Series).

If in the future more books of the Grover Beach Team Series are released, I’ll definitely read them.