2011 September | Pages of Forbidden Love

When I was asked to read The Legend of Lady MacLaoch by Becky Banks I was so excited. I did end up greatly enjoying the book and you can find my review HERE

Today I’m pleased to have Becky here for an interview.

1. What got you into writing?

A little pink diary was what got me into writing. I was seven when I got it and started logging my life in it. That eventually transformed into poetic waxings in high school and most likely what made me take a fiction writing class in college. It wasn’t until I was solidly in my career in environmental sciences (not as a writer mind you) that I realized I wanted to write a novel. It came about more as a personal challege after having read a book I thought I could de better than, and I began writing my first manuscript. I’d go on to start and not finish two others before I began and finished The Legend of Lady MacLaoch. But unlike most writers, I’ve come to the writing path in a way that has taken me by surprise, who’d have thought that a little pink diary woudl cause all this?

2. What made you think of combining contemporary and historical romance?

Oh, great question! I’d not really thought of The Legend of Lady MacLaoch as a blend of comtemporary and historical romance until now. You see the stories I write just come to me and I write them, though I suppose the blend of past and present can come down to a single inspirational moment I had while in Scotland last. It was at Dunvegan castle, I was staring at what they call the “fairy flag’ on display in one of their artifact rooms. The flag was assumed to have flown over the warriors of the Clan MacLeod as they headed into battle around 800 AD. That simple fact that I, in present day, was looking at something a warrior of 800 AD rode into battle with was powerful. It’s that juxtaposition of history in the present day and the weighted feeling that ancient things carry that inspired me and I hope tthat I was able to capture within Rowan and Cole’s story.

3. What do you like to do when you are not writing?

In the rare moment that I’m not making characters fall in love or fight I’m attacking weeds in my oft neglected garden. Besides gardening you can find me trying out a new restaurant in town with friends or riding my bike or just hanging out with my husband and our two rascally pugs. :0)

4. What are you currently working on/ what is your next book about?

Currently I’m working on a new novel, its working title is called The Mechanic. It’s quite different from The Legend of Lady MacLaoch, as it is set here in the US and is much more of a gritty love story. The main characters are a woman named Eva Rodgers, she’s a business woman and chief editing officer for a large magazine, and a man named Nathaniel Vellanove who is a street-wise European auto mechanic with a brutal past. The grit comes out in strong language, even stronger characters and a storyline that is about fast cars, smart yet tragic youths and intense life changes, oh and the bond of it all: love. Currently planned to release early 2012.

Thank you very much for allowing me to interview you and be a part of your fabulous tour.

I know I for one am looking forward to this very sexy sounding European man in the next book.

I am the last person on the tour but if you would like you can check out the previous stops.

Thank you all for joining me today.

Sunday, September 25
Romancing the Book
http://www.romancing-the-book.com/

Monday, September 26
The Small Book Blog
http://small-book.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, September 27
Her Book Self
http://herbookself.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, September 28
Ali’s Bookshelf
http://alisbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/

Thursday, September 29
A New Kind of Ordinary
http://melaniemccullough.blogspot.com/

Friday, September 30
Pages of Forbidden Love
http://pages-of-forbidden-love.blogspot.com/

Filed Under: Blog Tour

The Legend of Lady MacLaoch

September 30, 2011 By Alexa 1 Comment

Title: The Legend of Lady MacLaoch

Author: Becky Banks

Publisher: Ha’iku Press

Publication Date: May 2011

Classification: Adult Romance Novel

Challenge: Outdo Yourself

Summary from Goodreads:

A legendary love, an unforgiving curse, and the discovery of a lifetime …
Centuries ago a vengeful curse buried itself deep into the history of the MacLaoch clan and become a legendary tale told by all those not cursed by its words.

In present-day Scotland, the laird and chieftain of the MacLaoch clan is an ex-Royal Air Force fighter pilot who has been past the gates of hell and returned a changed man. Rowan MacLaoch does battle with wartime memories and a family curse that threaten to consume him—unaware that his life and that of the history of the clan will be changed forever by the arrival of an American woman.

Cole Baker, a feisty recent graduate of a master’s program, stumbles upon the ancient curse while researching her bloodlines. Moved by the history of the MacLaoch clan and the mystery of its chief, she digs into the legend that had been anything but quiet for centuries.

On their quest for answers, Cole and Rowan travel to places they have never before been and become witnesses to things they have never before fathomed. The legend—one started with blood—will end with more shed as its creator finally exacts her justice.

My Thoughts:

I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this book. I thought I was going to be taken back in time to the time period of highlanders. What I was shocked to find out was that the entire book takes place in present time. It was very interesting to see a highlander in modern day setting yet with a historical romance twist because they are talking about things that they would in a novel set in the past. I feel like I was able to get not only a great contemporary story but also a great historical romance as well.

First off I love that Cole and Rowan do not get along at all in the beginning of the novel. Don’t ask me why but I love the witty banter between a couple when they are claiming that they can not stand each other. For that reason I was instantly drawn into Cole and Rowan’s world in Scotland. Plus who wouldn’t want to be reading about a setting that they normally don’t get to see much of. I thought the world and the characters were all very well established and I found myself loving Cole and Rowan and hating some of the “evil” characters in the book, which is exactly as it should be. While the characters were great the story did become a little predictable in some places.

Overall, I really did fall for Cole and Rowan’s gradual romance and I did like all of the historical elements that were part of the story. I can appreciate the curse that Lady MacLaoch put on the men in her family line and it was fun watching Cole and Rowan try to break the curse that says that the men of the MacLaoch shall not love until they have felt the same amount of suffering that Lady MacLaoch felt when she watched her beloved be murdered and was forced to marry a different man. I won’t tell you exactly how the mystery in the story unfolds because you have to read that for yourself. I will tell you that this was a great novel and that the only thing I would change is that I wanted more Cole and Rowan time. I wanted their love to be a little bit more spicy with a little bit more heat to the love scenes. Other than that one small detail I greatly enjoyed this novel and can’t wait to see what Becky has planned for her next novel.

Filed Under: Adult Review

Dark Lover

September 29, 2011 By Alexa 1 Comment

Title: Dark Lover

Author: JR Ward

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Publication Date: Sept. 2005

Classification: Adult Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.

My Thoughts:

Well now it would seem that the time is upon me to write my first ever romance review. If one would have asked me a few months ago if I would have been reading a romance novel, I am certain that I would have given that person quite the reaction. It is not to say I have anything against romance novels, but I never considered them to be my ‘cup o’ tea’. I do consider myself to be an open person and accepting of a great many things, and that is where Alexa came into play. I would listen for hours on end many countless nights about her passion for such novels and it became infectious to me. She had such a deep love for this genre of books and perhaps I was a bit curious as to the nature of her love. I wanted to understand it all so she suggested I read Dark Lover. I cannot thank her enough for such a suggestion.

I will confess; this was actually a good book. From start to finish, the story progressed at a decent rate and the slow hang ups that some authors encounter when writing a novel were few and far in between for this novel. The story began and I found myself having a copious amount of questions, but Alexa noted that such questions would arise and all would be explained in good time. She was right. The author fleshed out the characters in a decent amount of time and eventually, all of the significant plot elements fell into place. The main characters were established and the story was able to continue without many hitches.

There was action and adventure and of course, romance. Suprisingly enough, the amount of romance in the book did not seem to bother me until the end when it seemed things were a bit too sappy for my taste. The romance did not really occur until the end it would seem, as I had a hard time deciphering between romance and sex. The book had quite a few sex scenes and that was something I had no issues with. It was a change of pace compared to what I am used to; blow em up sequences and chaos running about.

I am seriously considering picking up the next novel in the series, Lover Eternal. Maybe……

All in all, it was a good book and I hope you all check it out if you have not already.

Filed Under: Adult Review

One Foot in the Grave

September 26, 2011 By Alexa 2 Comments

Title: One Foot in the Grave

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: April 2008

Classification: Adult Novel

Challenge: Outdo Yourself

Summary from Barnes and Noble:

You can run from the grave, but you can’t hide . . .
Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She’s still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.
Being around him awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline kick of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head—wanted: dead or half-alive—means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard she tries to keep things professional between them, she’ll find that desire lasts forever . . . and that Bones won’t let her get away again.

My Thoughts:
After basically loving the first book in this series I was excited to finally find the time to read the second book. One Foot in the Grave starts off four years after the first book so there is a huge time gap but that doesn’t deminish the story at all. I still loved coming back to the kick-ass Cat and her new team of humans that help her track down and kill bad vampires. Of course the story wouldn’t be complete without Bones coming back to spice things up. Even after all this time Bones still cares for Cat deeply and will stop at nothing to be part of her life yet again.

I loved coming back to Cat and Bones because they are a great couple. Bones taught Cat everything she knows about how to kill a vampire and it is a good thing he did because now several hitmen are out to take the Red Reaper off the map forever. So there is plenty of action going on at all times in this book. Even through all of the action and major fight scenes there are still plenty of love scenes between the leading characters. Everyone always talks about chapter 32 in this book and the main love scene, the only thing I will tell you about it is that Cat ask Bones to make it so she blushes in the morning when she wakes up. Cat is a little bit of a prude but after everything that she hears from Bones former lover that night, it inspires her to get down and dirty and of course Bones will not refuse her request. (To be honest the scene was good and it did have some steam to it but I have read steamier before. So to me it was a great scene but I have read things that would make the women reading them blush, since they thought the scene with Bones was hot.)

Overall I think so far in this review I have said the word love a few times so it is obvious that I did really enjoy this book. It ends on a small cliffhanger that will have you wanting the next book right there to start reading. I anticipate that the rest of this series is going to be just as awesome as the first two books are. Thanks to Frost for writing a paranormal romance series that really draws me in. These books will be staying on my shelf for re-reads and I can’t wait till I have the time to pick up and read book three. Overall I give this book 5 hearts for keeping my attention throughout the day that I read the entire book.

Filed Under: Adult Review

The Future of Us

September 25, 2011 By Alexa 4 Comments

Title: The Future of Us

Author: Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: Nov 2011

Classification: YA Novel

Challenge: Outdo Yourself

Summary from Barnes and Noble:

It’s 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM. Josh is her best friend.
They power up and log on and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future.
Everybody wonders what their destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out

My Thoughts:

Since Facebook has overtaken much of people’s lives I thought it would be interesting to read this book. Plus I have never read a book written by Jay Asher before, yes I know I need to read Thirteen Reasons Why, and wanted to see what his writing was like. On the other hand I was a little skeptical because the last time I read a book that was co-authored it felt a little choppy. I am glad to say that The Future of Us was never choppy, I honestly could not notice any bumps when transitioning between the characters. Plus each author gave their main character their own voice which really made Emma and Josh feel like two different people.

Very quickly into this novel Emma finds out that she can log on to Facebook 15 years in the future. She starts to notice what is going on with her future self and decides that although she is not on the best of terms with Josh, she is going to invite him over to look at Facebook with her. From here on out the two always look at Facebook together and watch how the things they are doing everyday are changing their futures. Josh at one point even suggests that they do not do anything drastic because they don’t want to change major points about their future, which is a little silly because you still have to live your own life.

Overall I really enjoyed both Emma and Josh and their individual stories. It was fun watching best friends fight their attraction to one another. I really enjoyed the overall message/lesson of the story. I don’t want to tell you what the message was because that is part of the fun of reading the book for yourself. All in all when I closed the book I wanted to stay with Emma and Josh and see how their lives were going to be as they grew up but I understand why the book ended where it did. They are on the path to their own futures and ending it where the book ended left room for some mystery. This book gets 4 hearts from me for a great message and entertaining characters.

Filed Under: Young Adult (YA) Review

IMM (43): Vlog

September 24, 2011 By Alexa 8 Comments

Big thanks to Kristi (The Story Siren) for this great theme.

Donna @ Book Lover’s Hideaway
Ashley @ The Bookish Brunette

Filed Under: In My Mailbox (IMM)

Opinion Video: Is the hype worth it?

September 23, 2011 By Alexa 6 Comments

So opinion videos make their return. For those of you who have never watched one, well it is very simple, Johnny and I give our opinions on a topic.

This feature use to be featured every other Friday and we forgot about it for a while because there wasn’t a topic that we felt strongly about. Well that changed once I started to read Matched and we came up with the topic of Is the hype worth it?

If you have any topics you would like Johnny and I to discuss please let us know. You can also chime in with your opinions below in the comment section! We would appreciate knowing what you think.
Thank you.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Lola and the Boy Next Door

September 22, 2011 By Alexa 3 Comments

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Dutton

Publication Date: Sept 2011

Classification: YA Novel

Challenge: Outdo Yourself

Summary from Barnes and Noble:

For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit – more sparkly, more fun, more wild – the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket – a gifted inventor and engineer – steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

My Thoughts:

Starting off with Lola and the Boy Next Door I wasn’t really expecting it to blow me away. Everyone was always talking about how great Anna was and my review was posted for that book just a few days ago. While I did think that Anna and the French Kiss was a great book there was just something, some element, that was missing for me. I didn’t completely 5 heart, all out love Anna, so I wasn’t expecting to love Lola, but let me tell you that Lola is even better than Anna.

I feel that Lola opened up a world that was so different than Anna’s world. Lola was her own person right from the start of the book, she had fun costumes to wear every day of the week and she had a very creative mind. She will make you laugh with her every time she does something extremely silly. So the story opens with Lola dating a guy by the name of Max, he is the classic bad boy, complete with attitude. Of course most of the people in Lola’s life think she is making a big mistake but she doesn’t see it that way, she thinks Max is “The One”. Of course her whole world turns upside down when her old neighbor, Cricket, comes back into town. Lola has nothing against Cricket except for the fact that he broke her heart when he left two years ago.

Now, lets talk Cricket! Who wouldn’t fall for this boy! He is the classic stereotype of the boy next door with the good boy persona to go with it. He left two years ago and he knows he left Lola very hurt but he wants to fix that with his return. He has never stopped caring for Lola and he hopes this time he will be able to get it right, expect he doesn’t know that Lola is already dating someone. For the rest of the story Cricket tries his hardest to just be friends with Lola and everyone should know how difficult it is to just be friends with someone when you really do want to be in a relationship with them. I personally loved Cricket and everything that he does for Lola throughout the entire book.

Overall, even after reading about two amazing character together for over 300 pages I wasn’t sure that I was in love yet. I mean I had laughed along for most of the story and fallen for the characters so I should have been set. So here I was, greatly enjoying the story and I only had 20 pages left and I was worried that Lola was going to be like Anna for me, a great book but just barely missing the mark of all out love. However, those last 20 pages did my heart in and I can say with full honestly that I love Lola and the Boy Next Door!!! I fell as soon as I saw the stars (this won’t make sense until you read the story), seriously I was almost crying by how beautiful Cricket’s story was. So overall this is 5 hearts for me, if you didn’t love Anna then I encourage you to go out and pick up Lola’s story because it will not leave you disappointed.

Filed Under: Young Adult (YA) Review

Is It Just Me?

September 21, 2011 By Alexa 7 Comments

Is is just me or is anyone else unimpressed lately by the more recent teen releases?

It seems like I keep reading advance copy after advance copy of books that are coming out in September and I’m not just becoming as engrossed as I thought I was going to be. Seriously I’m becoming depressed by the fact that every book that I have been dying to read lately is letting me down.

Maybe I am just becoming a harsh critique since I’ve been blogging for a year.

I feel that since I’ve been blogging I find myself analyzing each and every story that I read and as the amount of books I’ve read this year increase so do the standard of what makes a 5 heart review.

These days it is near impossible for me to 5 heart a book, which is just a very sad thing to realize.

Maybe it just takes a lot to impress me now a days.

Has anyone recently read a book that just blew you away?

Something that you know you are going to need a copy of for your keeper shelf because it is so amazingly fantastical (yes I know that is not technically a word) that you want to re-read it whenever you get a chance.

I want a book that does that to me, that makes me fall in love so deeply, that I know I need to put the book on my forever keep shelf, the shelf of glory!

Maybe I just need to turn to one of my favorite authors in order to get a story that I know I will love.

If you are still reading at this point, please, I beg of you, help me find a book that is going to knock my socks off. A book that is going to make me laugh, cry, and fall so deeply in love that it hurts.

Thank you!