Monday 28 April 2014

Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon

From Goodreads: 'He's not mine, is he?' That's the question I fear the most. You see, I have a secret. My son is not fathered by my boyfriend, but by one of the most famous people that ever lived. And he doesn't even know it.

One-time celebrity personal assistant to wild boy of rock Johnny Jefferson, Meg Stiles is now settled and living in the south of France with her doting boyfriend Christian and son Phoenix. But they're living a lie - a lie that will turn their lives upside down and inside out. Because Meg's son doesn't look like Christian, he looks like his rock star father and, sooner or later, the world is going to realize ...


I think I may have loved Meg and Johnny even more in this one! Yes I think what Meg does (did) is awful – there is no getting around that and I felt so, so sorry for Christian because you know it’s not going to end well – but you can also understand the motivation behind her decision and how much it is making her hate herself – so I kind of felt sorry for her too.

Again it plays out really well and kept me completely hooked (and I absolutely love Johnny even if I kind of hate myself for it too because he really does have issues!) Still that’s probably the attraction right?

I’m so please this world is now going to be explored in her YA novel!  I can't wait!


Friday 25 April 2014

Get Ready For Dangerous Creatures: Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl


Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl have a brand new series set in the same world as their Beautiful Creatures series.  I am so excited! I love this series and can't wait to read the new series!

Dangerous Creatures is available to pre-order now and will be published 20th May.

I will be re-posting my reviews of the Beautiful Creatures Series (Caster Chronicles Series) each week to get you ready for Dangerous Creatures.  If you haven't read them yet I highly recommend them (the film is awesome too!)  And if you have, well, it's a good time for a re-read:-D
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For Review:  Puffin.  Published 28 October 2010
From Goodreads:  Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.


I loved this!  Picking up the story where we left it with Beautiful Creatures, we find Ethan and Lena trying to deal with the aftermath of her birthday.  When Lena starts to pull away from Ethan he doesn't understand why, but when it looks like Lena is in trouble he does everything he can to help her...

I really liked Ethan in Beautiful Creatures but I absolutely adored him in this one.  The whole book was really his story and his journey to make sense of the supernatural world he has suddenly found himself in.  He really steps up to the plate and I loved his loyalty and courage. For me, his is voice is the anchor to this series, and through him we get to watch all the events unfold and interact with all the amazing characters.

Amma and Link are back and on fine form.  We also get more Marian, and the introduction of a new character Liv.  I really like her and thought she was a great addition.  Unfortunately, we get less Lena but because this is more Ethan's story I didn't find it too much of an issue.  I did miss her presence and the connection they had in Beautiful Creatures but that added to the pull of the story - I wanted them to get it back.

This is much more of an adventure than Beautiful Creatures.  The pacing and plotting is brilliant - I found myself really surprised with a number of revelations and, unlike Beautiful Creatures,  I did not lose track of anything that was going on.  What I really enjoyed was that as the reader I knew what had happened the night of Lena's Birthday whereas Ethan did not.  I couldn't wait for him to find out - but it also meant I understood Lena's actions even when he didn't.  I liked that Lena had trouble dealing with her choice - it make the story much more honest and gives it an emotional reality that paranormal stories need in order to make them believable.

I'm really interested to see what direction the authors take this now.  Considering the ending of this one I assume there will be another in the series - at least I hope there will be.  I am really invested in these character and love the world - I'm really looking forward to more.  A great continuation of what I hope will be many books in the series.

Thursday 24 April 2014

Johnny Be Good by Paige Toon

From Goodreads: If your boss was the hottest rock star on the planet, would you mix business with pleasure?

I'm Meg Stiles. This is my leaving party. And that song we're making a mockery of? That's written by one of the biggest rock stars in the world. And I'm moving in with him tomorrow.

Seriously! I am not even joking. Well, maybe I'm misleading you a little bit. You see, I haven't actually met him yet...

No, I'm not a stalker. I'm his new PA. His Personal Assistant. And I am off to La-La Land. Los Angeles. The City of Angels—whatever you want to call it—and I can't bloody believe it!

Celebrity PA to wild boy of rock Johnny Jefferson, Meg's glam new life in sun-drenched LA is a whirlwind of showbiz parties and backstage passes. Cool, calm Christian, in town to write his famous friend's biography, helps keep Meg's feet firmly on the ground. But with Johnny's piercing green eyes and a body Brad Pitt would kill for, how long will it be before she's swept right off them again?


I love Paige Toon! I just fall in love with her books and characters. I loved Meg and OMG!!! How much did I love Johnny?! Although I do have to say this certainly shows the less ‘glamorous’ side to sex, drugs and rock & roll…

I also really liked Christian and strangely I was not disappointed with the ending – I would have thought I’d feel differently? Perhaps knowing there was a sequel made me feel that way.. And let’s just say I pretty much had it in my hand the moment I finished Johnny be Good! I couldn’t wait to see how it would all play out!


Wednesday 16 April 2014

Get Ready For Dangerous Creatures: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl


Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl have a brand new series set in the same world as their Beautiful Creatures series.  I am so excited! I love this series and can't wait to read the new series!

Dangerous Creatures is available to pre-order now and will be published 20th May.

I will be re-posting my reviews of the Beautiful Creatures series each week to get you ready for Dangerous Creatures.  If you haven't read them yet I highly recommend them (the film is awesome too!)  And if you have, well, it's a good time for a re-read:-D
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From Goodreads: Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. 

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.


I really liked this one.  It's one of those stories that pulls you in with a slow building intensity that works superbly.  I loved that it was narrated by Ethan - not only did I really like him but having it told from his point of view insured the book caught my interest.  Other authors may have gone with the more obvious choice of having Lena narrate the story.

I really enjoyed all the mythology and having it set in the South.  It gave it an authentic feel and made the book incredibly atmospheric - with a kind of claustrophobic sense of life in a small town with everyone knowing everyone else's business. I don't want to say too much about the story because I went into it not really knowing much about it and I really enjoyed the mystery aspect - having to work it out alongside the characters.

My favourite aspect of the book is Ethan and Lena's budding relationship.  It is one of those intense attractions we've come to expect from this type of paranormal story but it also feels as if a gradual and genuine connection develops alongside this intensity.  I really liked both characters and am looking forward to seeing how their story progresses in Beautiful Darkness.

A minor complaint would be that I occasionally lost track of what was going on.  There were a couple of scenes that came across somewhat fragmented and I had trouble working out what was happening - even after a reread.  This didn't affect my enjoyment though - in some ways in added a bit more mystery to the proceedings - but it did interrupt the flow a little bit.

I adored the ending and it sets the next book up as a must read for me.  I am looking forward to immersing myself back into this world and spending time with these characters.  Can't wait!

Sunday 6 April 2014

Crafting Corner (3)


Crafting Corner is a feature by Sarah @ Feeling Fictional

I've not been doing much crafting this month - I seem to be reading more which is good!  But when I have been crocheting I've been working on a blanket for a friend's daughter.


The blanket is a Wool Eater blanket - I love this pattern. It's really has a lot of texture and the bigger it gets the more weighty it is. You can find the pattern on Sarah London's website here.  When I'm finished with this one (I'm making this one to 13 or 14 rounds) I'm planning on making myself a really big one (I'm hoping for at least 25 rounds but would love it to be even bigger!)

I also bought some new books on needle felting that look really good! I haven't had a chance to try them out yet - hopefully I will for next month. But here are the books in case you fancy looking them up:





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