Alphabet Soup Challenge: Sara Humphreys - Unleashed

What if you suddenly discovered your own powers were beyond anything you'd ever imagined...
Samantha Logan's childhood home had always been a haven, but everything changed while she was away. She has a gorgeous new neighbor, Malcolm, who introduces her to the amazing world of the dream-walking, shapeshifting Amoveo clans...but what leaves her reeling with disbelief is when he tells her she's one of them...
And shock turns to terror as Samantha falls prey to the deadly enemy determined to destroy the Amoveo, and the only chance she has to come into her true powers is to trust in Malcolm to show her the way...
Get swept away into Sara Humphreys's glorious world and breathtaking love story... 

Comment: This title had been in my TBR for almost an year. I decided to pick it up mostly because it would suit the alphabet challenge as a good title with an "u". I also had hopes for its appeal as a good PNR book, something that used to be my favorite type of book but as with everything, also reading tastes change. I didn't stop liking it, it's just not what I look for the most these days.

This is the story of Samantha Logan, an artist that has had enough of trying to be successful in New York. She's returning home to live with her grandmother and try to rest and think what her life will be like now.

She has a new neighbor, the mysterious Malcolm, a man that somehow seems to show up in her dreams. But while she thinks he's gorgeous and a potential boyfriend material, she's unaware he called her though dreams, he knows who she really is and that he is her mate.

While Sam slowly enters the Amoveo world, the shapeshifters' enemy also find her and their reasons are too dark to contemplate...

I feel like sighing. 

I'm debating again if I've changed so much and if my reading taste isn't up to relatively inferior works - my personal opinion - of if paranormals just aren't what they used to be.

It seems recent "wolds" set in paranormal societies can't seem to captivate me nor make me happy enough to be curious about what happens next.

In part I know it has to be the author's choices by how the story is presented, obviously. But this situation repeated again with this book and it starts to feel like an annoying trend for me.

The world the author created seems interesting enough. Apparently there are several clans of shapeshifters. Malcolm belongs to clan eagle and Sam comes from clan wolf. There are references about others but nothing to the point where we can understand the full extension of an organized society. I found this really annoyed me. I wanted to connect to the shapeshifters, I wanted to know the, how they work, why they organized themselves, how the different clans mixed and if there was any sort of hierarchy besides a prince that did show up. 

Maybe I'm picky but these things would have given essence and interest to the story. Unfortunately, everything was too mysterious and apart from the characters that appeared and were identified as part of this or that clan, very little information was given besides the existence of a prince and the fact the shapeshifters need to find their mates.

This last thing is a common cliché in books belonging to the genre and usually it doesn't bother me but in this case it was basically all we had. I don't know what kind of planning the author did but from the tone of the book I don't believe she actually thought much about world building and development. It feels like she wanted to tell a story without having to go through all the setting up. Am I being unfair? After all I haven't read more, but.. it does feel like it.

Of course, none of this would really make any lasting impact if the main couple were shown to be amazing together and working as a perfect fit. Again, I'm afraid that, for me, this didn't happen.

The relationship between Malcolm and Sam never seemed part of destiny or any cultural necessity among the Amoveos. They met in dreams, they met in person and suddenly they had to be together, they fell in love way too fast. There was no coherent transition from knowing each other to becoming close to being mates.

Their personalities also didn't match up. Sam had some interesting points but what made her interesting (her art, her quiet nature, her love for her grandmother) never managed to put her in evidence. The relationship only allowed her to be a wolf. I think any characterization was just plot related, not really meaningful.

Malcolm the same, what about his past, his Amoveo heritage, his views on everything shapeshisting? I felt like he was too one dimensional, without real essence. I think they were characters to fulfill a part and I never connected to them or their paths in life.

All in all, disappointing. I can understand the relatively potential good elements but honestly I fell this was almost too lazy. I don't like to say this because I'm certain the author did a lot of effort and went through a lot to get this done. But I regret to say that for me, it felt like uninspiring and underdeveloped. I needed this to feel more alive, more well thought and executed.

I don't feel like keeping up with this series...

Grade: 4/10

Alphabet Soup Challenge: Sophie Kinsella - Remember Me?

Lexi wakes up in a hospital bed after a car accident, thinking it's 2004 and she's a twenty-five-year old with crooked teeth and a disastrous love life.But, to her disbelief, she learns it's actually 2007 - she's twenty-eight, her teeth are straight, she's the boss of her department - and she's married! To a good-looking millionaire! How on earth did she land the dream life??!
She can't believe her luck - especially when she sees her stunning new home. She's sure she'll have a fantastic marriage once she gets to know her husband again. He's drawn up a 'manual of our marriage', which should help.
But as she learns more about her new self, chinks start to appear in the perfect life. All her old colleagues hate her. A rival is after her job. Then a dishevelled, sexy guy turns up... and lands a new bombshell.What the **** happened to her? Will she ever remember? And what will happen if she does?
Comment: I got this book almost an year ago at a used books shop and more than the book itself, it was the author's name that made me get it because I've read her before and although her books aren't to serious or perfectly executed, I liked them enough and thought this would be just as entertaining.

This is the story of Lexi Smart, she's a young British woman who works with her best friends in the same company and the story starts with them celebrating the bonus they all received..except Lexi because she joined the company one week later than all the others.

But while looking for a taxi, Lexi slips and falls and when she wakes up she is confused because everyone keeps telling her she' married, has a very different life than the one she had, has a different image and the date is three years later than that last day she remembers. What could have happened to Lexi?

Ok, I confess. I admit I thought the solution to this book was a weird time travel but it's really not the author's style. Then I thought the reason Lexi didn't remember time passing was because she had actually been in a long coma and everyone around her didn't want to shock her and pretended a different reality. But this is really an over the top plot, although not new or impossible!

So, the solution was simpler and rather obvious as soon as the book starts, she had an accident in 2007 and when she woke up she had memory loss and it looked like her life was still in 2004 before that slip waiting for the taxi.

Once Lexi realizes this she has to come to terms to her new life which she doesn't remember. At first everything is exciting and the reality she sees around her lets her know she has a dream life: she did something to her teeth which were crooked and now are perfect, she is one of the bosses at the place where she works, she has a beautiful house, countless clothes and shoes and is married to a gorgeous, caring husband.

However, because of her memory loss she can't connect the dots on why some people no longer seem to like her, why her behavior is weird to everyone, why those she loved are away from her, she can't remember details about her job or her new life and then she realizes someone at the job wants to humiliate her and a man she doesn't remember tells her the biggest shock of all.

All these things are expected in a story where the protagonist can't remember anything from a certain date. I think the author did well in setting the stage to let us know how Lexi was struggling to be the same person while she was different and still in the past. 

The way the book is written, we, the reader, find out at the same time Lexi does, what she did with her life, what happened to make her change, why things are the way they are three years later. Of course this had to be this way for the story to have a bigger effect, but honestly I think such a theme has to have heartbreak. Things can't just be solved with magic dust and someone in Lexi's shoes would have a really hard time coping and getting back on their feet. I liked that this story didn't end in a traditional HEA. To me, it was more of a HFN because the idea is there but rest assured, Lexi's life isn't magically restored, when the book ends things are still confusing, processing. In a way this is god because it's closer to what would happen in a real life situation. 

But, being this a fictional romance, it means the plot looses some rhythm and power when things don't have a stronger path or decision making. It felt like the author told a story, shared some information about Lexi and those around her, but nothing really happened and the only  - cliché / expected - lesson to learn is you should be truthful to who you are deep down.

There's a situation, which is the main shock in the plot, that while I understand for plot and drama effect, I didn't like seeing, no matter how it was made to look good or positive. I think memory loss is an already enough problem to deal with, much less what happened. I'd have done it differently. Those who read must know about it and I would have made it happen after Lexi wakes up and makes another decision first. 

I think the idea is god, some paths are necessary but overall I think the story wasn't executed in the better way. I liked Lexi but the way the story develops isn't the most likable one to make Lexi someone we can fully connect with. My opinion at least.

This was so so.

I do plan on reading more by the author, though.

Grade: 6/10

Alphabet Soup Challenge: Jess Granger - Beyond the Shadows

Commander Yara has spent years living without the distraction of caring for anything - or anyone. It's a sacrifice she's willing to make. Yara has honed herself into the perfect heir to the Azralen throne, but a bloody coup could destory everything she's worked so hard for. She must return home quickly to prevent war, but the only ship available belongs to an Earthlen trader with no regard for authority - especially hers.
Cyn is a rebel, driven to protect those suffering at the hands of the Elite leaders of Azra. Using his alias to manipulate the lovely but icy commander onto his ship, he has to keep her from Azra long enough to ignite the revolution. But when he awakens a vibrant and feeling woman between that icy exterior, he gets more than he bargained for - love. Can Cyn find a way to convince Yara to join them, or will they get caught in a web of lies and deception that could tear them apart?

Comment: Having read and liked the first book of this duology by author Jess Granger, I do have to say this is one of those cases of "why it took me so long to get to this" amazing gem in the pile. I mean, this book was really good and the only reason I can think of why I put it on hold for so long is I got the feeling this would be more about politics than society/planet rules, which I kind of wanted more after the first book. Thankfully, I was wowed and won over.

This story follows the happenings in the first book, which I read last year, and this time Cyn is the hero. He's the brother of Cyani, the heroine from the previous book.

Cyn, or Cyrus, is a rebel leader, he wants freedom and equality to his planet. The planet is ruled by a sisterhood but lately it's being more of a dictatorship and everyone walks in fear of what could happen if the Grand Sister is angered. Cyn thinks revolution needs to happen now and everything is ready for it but he needs someone from the Elite of the Sisterhood to help him open a sort of channel in order for the rebels and their allies to start the fight.

Yara is he next heir to the throne after Cyn's sister got out of the way. Yara only wants to defeat a rival before more bloodbaths and she needs to be at the temple/palace to do it. On her way she meets Cyrus and starts falling for him. But when she finds out the truth, can she help him? Or will she be the one to give him over to the Grand Sister?

I'm really giddy right now, this story has many of the elements I like in romance and the way the author used them here was perfect. It has adventure, romance, an interesting plot and a HEA!

I'm very happy this ended up being amazing, I just love when a book enraptures me this way.

The plot is simple, Cyn needs Yara to help the revolution happen in their planet. Yara is a product of the long tradition of the Matriarch ruling and she might not be convinced of the need for change but Cyn still needs to try. So he thinks he can kidnap her and give her to the rebels so she can be the face of change from a higher society group. During the time they must travel together they are, of course, wary of each other but slowly start to trust each other at the same time they feel a deep attraction.

This attraction thing is just the starting point, though. Their relationship is more complex and powerful than that and I loved how they got to fall in love. I think the author is very clever in how she creates her couples because Cyn isn't one of those overbearing I know best and Yara, despite her upbringing, isn't uppity and acts recklessly all the time.

Their relationship is balanced and I liked how Cyn changed his opinion of Yara and saw she wasn't like the other Elite females, she had feelings and she was worthy of his trust. Yara too thought badly of Cyn but she couldn't help seeing the goodness in him. Even when the possibility for treason and misunderstandings came, the author didn't make her stupid, she had her first reaction but after thinking about it she could see how Cyn really was an honorable man.

I loved all their scenes together, Cyn really needs to see Yara happy and safe and Yara can't help but wanting to see Cyn smile.

I mean, this should be whether too sugary, or too cliché, but honestly, their relationship felt so special, so beautiful, really perfect for my taste.

I think the author did well in balancing the sweetness but passion of the main couple's romance with their interesting personalities. I really like it when characters are proven wrong about others but instead of being silly about it, they act respectfully after realizing that. It was really good to see them interact.

Both of them had different upbringings, different views of reality. I liked the fact they didn't used those differences to the extreme to keep the other away, but their experiences together helped them save their lives in more action related scenes and in bonding too, for what one knows the other can learn from it too. Like I said, balance.

The resolution of the biggest issue was also well done I think. Some incredible scenes towards the end really made my day in terms of plot. The romance also ends up so sweet and amazing. I loved this book!
Sure, some parts seemed a bit more dragging, but they were few, I devoured this book in one day, I couldn't put it down. It was also very interesting to know more planets and their inhabitants and how their characteristics can help out heroes and why it's important for them to be like that. Very imaginative of the author. I think this could totally have more installments and hopefully it will one day after a certain character being mentioned as special.

All in all, a great story, wonderful really. I hope everyone can put aside any doubt about the sci-fi aspect if they don't feel like it, because this story was well thought, well structured and well executed for me! Amazing!

Grade: 9/10

Alphabet Soup Challenge: Molly Harper - Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs

Maybe it was the Shenanigans gift certificate that put her over the edge. When children's librarian and self-professed nice girl Jane Jameson is fired by her beastly boss and handed twenty-five dollars in potato skins instead of a severance check, she goes on a bender that's sure to become Half Moon Hollow legend. On her way home, she's mistaken for a deer, shot, and left for dead. And thanks to the mysterious stranger she met while chugging neon-colored cocktails, she wakes up with a decidedly unladylike thirst for blood.

Jane is now the latest recipient of a gift basket from the Newly Undead Welcoming Committee, and her life-after-lifestyle is taking some getting used to. Her recently deceased favorite aunt is now her ghostly roommate. She has to fake breathing and endure daytime hours to avoid coming out of the coffin to her family. She's forced to forgo her favorite down-home Southern cooking for bags of O negative. Her relationship with her sexy, mercurial vampire sire keeps running hot and cold. And if all that wasn't enough, it looks like someone in Half Moon Hollow is trying to frame her for a series of vampire murders. What's a nice undead girl to do?

Comment: Having loved the previous books by this author I already read, I was very hopeful about this one as well. I hoped the "feel" of this story would be along the lines of the others I've read and that I'd love it. 

This is the first installment in a vampire series featuring Jane Jameson, new turned. After this series there's a spin off, called Half Moon Hollow, which is where the action takes place both in that spin off and in this series.

I was really curious and prepared myself to be amazed.

This is the story of Jane Jameson, a librarian who loses her job as soon as the book starts and to top it off, ends up being shot to death in the same day. She is rescued by Gabriel and he turns her to save her life. sort of. 

The book is mostly about Jane dealing with her new condition, looking for a new job, dodging her mother and solving the mysterious problems that seem to follow her anywhere.

Can Jane deal with her new condition while still being who she always was and keeping the affection from her family?

Nope, I did not get to be amazed by this one after all.

I had really high expectations but I think I had a good excuse. The werewolf trilogy was really good and despite the fun vibe it had, I read it with a sense of balance, meaning the fun was good but the serious parts were well inserted too. There was balance between the two things or, maybe, I just managed to read it that way.

In this book's case I didn't feel that. Jane sees herself in funny situations, obviously the author planned on writing this with a funny/light goal in mind but for me, this seemed over the top and the fun parts seemed pushed and didn't mesh with the elements I liked most in the story.

At this point I start to think there's something wrong with me. This is another of a somewhat good number of books that are written to be funny, re meant to be funny but that I can't seem to enjoy that way. I like fun books but I need balance, I need serious stuff too. My life isn't a line of laughs, I don't think anyone, no matter what, can be in high spirits all the time. The way I see it, the fun moments/parts/things are so because we can compare them to more serious things, thus enjoy them more too. Again, balance.

I don't know if I'm being too picky with this but here it is. I enjoy the fun stuff more if I know there's something to compare it with. I don't know, I'm making a huge issue out of nothing perhaps, but it's the way I see things and that affects how I "judge" my books.

All this considered, I ended up feeling a bit annoyed. I mean, the other books by the author felt good, I found them funny too but better. Is the problem only mine?

Anyway, this story has interesting elements, the idea that new vampires have a sort of guidance in their sires and in the community that welcomes them is refreshing. I also liked that Jane keeps her personality, that she has friends and goals. I think I'd have liked to see more about the vampires as a society instead of colored scenes here and there that only existed for plot purposes. Again, another of my needs, I want a structured world to understand. I think this felt flat because of the silly parts.

I think the most serious things like Jane's thoughts about her new condition, about what it means to be a vampire, to have to look at things differently and the relationship to those she's close to, how it was affected, these serious things didn't get enough air time in my opinion. The way things are done is an obvious delay tactic - to be further developed in the next 3 books in the series certainly - and seemed there just to give the idea a thought. Not enough for me, and not well done.

There's the romance. I liked the idea of a sire looking for and trying to protect a new vampire. I liked the attraction between them. I think this is an interesting type of relationship to develop but they didn't seem to deal with it that well. Again, all the suggested funny things and the overall feel of the story kind of put this aside and I didn't really appreciate how things were done, nor did I believe much in their feelings, not the way it was shown to me at least.

All in all, not the best of reads, despite the good parts - which exist I'll confess.

This made me decide to skip the rest of the series, I'm just not fully invested in Jane and her adventures, although I'm sad because she's a librarian an I like books about/with librarians.

I'll jump to the spin off instead. I hope that, with different couples as protagonists, the focus is more intense on them and their lives because it needs a finished book to achieve a HEA more convincingly (I hope!).

As for this one, too bad. I won't give on the author no, but I'm sad about this one.

Grade: 5/10

Alphabet Soup Challenge: Lorraine Heath - Sweet Lullaby

REBECCA
The daughter of a prosperous rancher she became pregnant--and was abandoned by the father of her child...
JAKE
A ranchhand on the Lazy A, he dreamed of starting a life on his land in Texas--if he could find a woman to share it with...
Desperate to avoid a scandal, Rebecca's father made Jake the shocking proposition: marry his daughter and be a father to her child. Jake had always loved her from afar; now was his chance to forget the pain of his upbringing and build a loving home for three. But could Rebecca forget the promises of a lover who vanished like the wind--and follow Jake to a new life?

Comment: Some books have been on my TBR for a long time. Not as long as they've been published but many years anyway. This I don't even remember bit more than 4 years for sure. It's the first stand alone the author published and despite not being the first thing by her I've read, it still was forgotten in the pile. This month I decided to finally give it a go.

This is the story of Jake and Rebecca. Jake has had a terrible childhood and growing up but he's one of the most steady and caring human beings ever. He works at the ranch of Rebecca's father and he's been in love with Rebecca for a while.

Rebecca is pregnant and her baby's father has gone away without telling her when - or if - he would be coming back. Her father is angry at her and wants to marry to someone and he picks Jake because he's a good rancher and it a good man to take care of things after he dies.

But Jake and Rebecca take action to their own hands and step by step they start to grow something special for themselves, even when clouds arise further away...

This book was published back in 1994 and it seems books written on the 90s, especially close to the second half or in it- at least those I've read and remember - , have a special flavor and they feel like they were written today but in an older style, which I appreciate a lot. I think historicals in particular seemed to have a little special thing when they were written years ago, something historicals today don't seem to have whether because they have too much sex or too much contemporary writing details, I don't have the technical words to explain, it's just my way of seeing it.

I liked the story, especially Jake. He has to be one of the most amazing heroes ever and I don't know why he isn't mentioned more often in best heroes of  historical books. Here is a man that had an horrible childhood but all the bed things done to him didn't affect his personality nor his values nor his loyalty and honor. He works hard, he is fair to those he considers friends, he treats others well, he loves a girl but he never tries to influence her mind, he treats her well, he sacrifices things for her and he even lets her feel things her own way and he proves to her her happiness if the most important thing on the face of the Earth!

Does this mean he's perfect? Of course not, he trusts a little too easily, he should be a bit more demanding even if that cost him some good opinions and he surely should have told her how he really felt about her choices because although we can't change someone's opinions just because, we could try to make them see our POV. He tries to convince himself life isn't going to be what he thought so he does things he doesn't really want to. But Jake is amazing, despite his faults.

So the heroine, she is left pregnant but she has choices. She didn't have to marry Jake although it's highly inferred she had to; society rules to consider.

So she marries a man who loves her but she keep thinking about the man that left her. She thinks things would be different if only she could wait but she knows time isn't helping her so she makes a choice based on what she needs and not what she feels. I understand why it was so but she liked Jake as a friend and she seemed thankful for his help and the wonderful things he did for her and her unborn baby. But love didn't seem to exist even if she had warm feelings towards him.

But someone in her position could really hope to have the freedom someone nowadays has? Of dreaming about past lovers coming back or going to look for them? Rebecca made a choice but she kept knowing her first choice was out there and who knew how things could be with him, so she kept thinking about him even if only once in while.

Plus, she knew things about ranching Jake didn't because he grew up poor, unlike her. Somehow that came across to me, how she acted a bit superior to him, not condescending, but the idea didn't leave me while I was reading.

This couple has things to overcome but after a while their relationship balanced more and despite Rebecca's clear lack of appreciation for Jake and his actions - although she kept saying so here and there - things turned out alright and even the secondary characters seem to have a special place and all was well. Until Rebecca had to make a choice again and honesty she dumb as a door in my opinion. Some people just can't go past the "what if", putting aside steadiness, love, companionship, passion too, caring, loyalty, fun, romance, all th things one could wish for, in hopes of achieving something they think it's best. I totally understand the idea that we should try because we need to move on or tell ourselves we don't have regrets, but they way this went along, after Rebecca having proof of her own feelings and how Jake loved her and still even thinking she had to choose, much less actually making a choice... come on. Rebecca definitely isn't on my top heroines...

In the end all ended up well, there's a wonderful HEA with past bad decisions coming to ask forgiveness and things are amazing. 

But not perfect. How would someone live knowing it was chosen yes, but not first choice, no matter what. I think the story is powerful and beautiful and full of acts of good deeds and dedication but it wasn't totally perfect for me because of some of the heroine's choices, both in acts and thoughts.

But it's how the story is told, so...

Sweet Lullaby is one of those older stories that have a timeless identity, it feels as amazing today as it surely felt 20 years ago or 10 years ago. Even more so if we find them for the first time like I did.

I think the plot is old fashioned but the author treated it with such care and showed it with such talent, I feel like those characters could be next to me and I would cherish them like I don't do with characters from other books.

This is a good author and good writing to dream about in future reads.

Grade: 8/10

Alphabet Soup Challenge: Julie Schumacher - Dear Committee Members

Jason Fitger is a beleaguered professor of creative writing and literature at Payne University, a small and not very distinguished liberal arts college in the midwest. His department is facing draconian cuts and squalid quarters, while one floor above them the Economics Department is getting lavishly remodeled offices. His once-promising writing career is in the doldrums, as is his romantic life, in part as the result of his unwise use of his private affairs for his novels. 
His star (he thinks) student can't catch a break with his brilliant (he thinks) work Accountant in a Bordello, based on Melville's Bartleby. In short, his life is a tale of woe, and the vehicle this droll and inventive novel uses to tell that tale is a series of hilarious letters of recommendation that Fitger is endlessly called upon by his students and colleagues to produce, each one of which is a small masterpiece of high dudgeon, low spirits, and passive-aggressive strategies. 
We recommend Dear Committee Members to you in the strongest possible terms.

Comment: I knew about this book last year when I was browsing Goodreads and somehow I ended up reading the blurb of this book. I like epistolary novels and I was very curious to read another one and even more so when I realized this was centered around academia. I pre order this new edition and this month I finally got to it.

This story is told from professor Fitger's letters, because he can't stand emails, and how he must deal with a world of bureaucracy and letters of recommendation (LORs) for everyone and everything as part of his duties. While dealing with personal issues and professional problems he still tries to find the time to be as fair and honest as possible in his LORs but sometimes things aren't fast enough in such a demanding world...

I was really surprised this story was told only through professor Fitger's letters as he doesn't have any replies, or should I say, we the reader don't have access to any replies unless professor Fitger says so in the letters he answers to or sends to someone else.

Writing in this style isn't easy because information has to be told in a very precise way but still not in an unbelievable form, after all the letters aren't diaries where authors can write anything. Still, the author f this book, ms Shumacher managed to do well and to create a character that is probably so much like many teachers out there, forced to do things they would rather not but it seems academia can't put aside papers and too many tasks before something is actually accomplished.

I think this side of the book was well done, well portrayed and the incisive but sarcastic way Fitger writes is proof of his intelligence and lack of powers to change how things are done, even in small universities that fight lack or decrease of funds all the time.

The letters are mostly dedicated to two things, or Fitger's personal issues which he shares in his professional letters, or the LORs he is requested to write all the time.

The letters show a character that knows he hasn't led the most peaceful life and his personal dilemmas often went through his professional life making him a sort of person others seem to endure and not really are friendly to. He doesn't seem to be able to separate matters and his work is his life.

But he's smart and dedicated to his beliefs even if only trying to correct others of the proper use of grammar use.

But my favorite letters were the LORs, in which he can see his personality and wit and sarcasm in all its amazing glory. There are countless examples of these LORs which he writes often, from the student who cheated on class so he told so to the employers she applied to and also a student who applies to an internship with a senator and he says she did go beyond wikipedia research. 

One of my favorite LORs was the one he sent to a firm but he had trouble finding an address and even contacting the student so he writes some witty words and concludes with:

"should your firm and mr Mehta abandon your respective cloaks of anonymity and locate each other, I believe you will be reasonably satisfied with his organizational and writing skills"

I confess I laughed out loud with his one.

Actually I laughed about many things in this novel.

Professor Fitger writes a lot of profound things hidden behind the irony and sarcasm especially while defending his favorite student who he truly believes is a prodigy in the making.

I liked all his words trying to help this student and how strongly he defended what he thought - even if that wasn't true - a person he recognized as promising but unappreciated.

The end to this problem I didn't see coming but it only shows to prove the power of words and promises and hopes shattered.

The way things are written is really the proof this author knows her language, her ideas, and executes it well.  This tale about a somewhat ignored teacher who writes by hand and shows the passing of time affects everyone and everything is truly special and his personality is loud and clear in each letter.

I had a great time getting to know him and be happy with his clever letters and even when he had to deal with more serious problems and situations.

This book is good for me and I hope more readers can give it's witty words a chance.

Grade: 7/10

Alphabet Soup Challenge: Sylvain Reynard - Gabriel's Rapture

Professor Gabriel Emerson has embarked on a passionate, yet clandestine affair with his former student, Julia Mitchell.
Sequestered on a romantic holiday in Italy, he tutors her in the sensual delights of the body and the rapture of sex. But when they return, their happiness is threatened by conspiring students, academic politics, and a jealous ex-lover.
When Gabriel is confronted by the university administration, will he be forced to share Dante’s fate? Or will he fight to keep Julia, his Beatrice, forever?

Comment: This is the second story in the Gabriel's Inferno trilogy by Sylvain Reynard. I've read the first story back in 2013 and in the previous year I've purchased the remaining two books so I could read them closer to each other, considering I enjoyed the first story enough to keep reading.

This is the continuation of the story of professor Gabriel and his former student Julia. Now that the semester is over and Julia has a different teacher, she and Gabriel aren't hiding anymore and despite being reserved, they appear together in Italy when Gabriel is there to participate in a conference or something. While finding out the beauty of true love they still have their everyday lives to go through and deal with jealousy and problems others put in front of them. The real challenge is to be true to themselves while many others don't see what they have.

I liked the previous installment enough to keep reading, like I said. I think the biggest issue I had with that first book keeps up to this one and most likely will still be present in the last one. I think the author takes too long and is too wordy about certain pointless details such as the clothes they wear, the brands and how they get ready for everything. I think descriptions are always useful and offer a lot more than just adjectives, but balance is everything.

This book has less pages than the first but I got the same feeling too much space was being occupied with things that didn't really matter to the plot. Some ideas are slightly inferred which is great for us to use our brain but instead of so much detail, maybe space would have been better used for more interesting information. I feel too much attention was given to things that didn't have any relevance to the plot while other things happened in a way I feel wasn't done as well as it should.

Julia and Gabriel have had a relationship hard to accept by some people, especially when those people don't know everything about them or the connection between their families. This happened on purpose, of course, to better show the distance in status between them. But I think that the risk was too high to ignore, although they do that anyway.

This happened because they claim to love each other, and so on, but their relationship doesn't seem as well balanced as I thought after the first book, mainly because of the focus given to each of their personalities. I don't mean to say they should change themselves completely, but a better proof of their evolution and growth would have better, in my opinion.

I just think sometimes things happened because of stupid moves and avoidable steps and I wonder how clever people would do it, but there seemed to exist a certain rick factor that made their love and relationship something others wouldn't want to see but of course people can't help but look and know.

This being said, the main subject of the plot is of course their relationship and the fact there's a hierarchy and rules they should have followed on the college's sphere and didn't. I assume they took the risk for selfish purposes, not exactly because of blind love guiding them. Like I said, they are clever people, with pasts, with animosity in the beginning of their relationship. They should know to be careful, to do things right from the moment things changed between them. 

But they took a chance because they probably thought it wouldn't matter, because it wasn't any body's business, because who would care, because of their love bubble...I don't know, but the key conflict of this second book was how others found out about their relationship in a place where it shouldn't exist.

The following scenes and decisions are a huge part of the angsty development and subsequent making up, and apart from the sugary levels in there, most things happened in a way very close to a possible reality. Still, I think sometimes we might make decisions not always well thought so I can understand the conflict but again, it kind of needed a bit more polishing.

All in all, the slow pace, the exaggerated and endless details everywhere plus the many descriptions of every said detail cost much of my attention for this book. I still have high hopes for the next one and I hope that it offers less descriptions of what they wear and go to because that isn't as interesting as the author tries to make it so.

Grade: 6/10

Alphabet Soup Challenge: Catherine Bybee - Fiancé by Friday

Gwen Harrison:
The beautiful, high-born daughter of an English duke came to America to take over her sister-in-law’s matchmaking business. But just because she’s the boss doesn’t mean she can’t fantasize about making her own perfect match with bodyguard Neil MacBain. Will the enigmatic man who haunts her dreams cost her more than she bargained for?
Neil MacBain:
The retired Marine can’t deny the effect blue-blooded Gwen has on his troubled soul or his battle-hardened body. But as a client, Gwen is off-limits—until a threat from Neil’s past returns…and Gwen is caught in the crossfire. Now to keep her safe he will risk it all: his career, his life…and his heart.

Comment: This is the third installment in the Weekday Brides series by this author. I liked the previous two enough to want to read this one despite neither being such an amazing read. They were average good and interesting enough, so I've picked this one too.

This is Neil and Gwen's story. Neil is the friend and bodyguard of Blake, hero from book #1. Gwen is his sister. She has had feelings for Neil for a long time and since being in the US she hasn't been able to get him out of her head. Seeing her two friends Sam and Eliza marrying the man of their dreams makes her realize Neil might never acknowledge her feelings so she looks and looks but nothing happens.

Neil has had fantasies about Gwen but she's the sister of his boss and friend so he tries to see as a job. But now someone from his military past is trying to send him a message and Gwen might be in danger. But who's behind the dead ravens he finds and Gwen finds too?

The previous books weren't perfect but they had content amusing and entertaining enough to keep me interested in reading them. I hoped the same for this one but that didn't happen.

First of all, one thing about the author's style: this author is one of those who sets the next story in the current one, meaning we see many scenes with the next main character and a bit of the setting up of their story. This happened to Gwen and Neil on the previous book and when this book begun w already knew all about the looks they sent each other when the other wasn't looking and how it seemed there was something between them.

As another character feature so much in this story, obviously the next book will be about her.

Now, why does this matter, well, it's a good tool to make the reader interested in reading more because then we'd know the character and there would be something engaging that makes us want to read. It's actually smart but in this author's case, twice I've seen how promising the next story will be, there are scenes that are done well enough to be captivating but then the actual story isn't as good as that. A bit of a letdown to be honest. So, I don't know if I'll read more and if i ever do it won't be so soon.

Anyway, the key plot of this book is Gwen and Neil's relationship and the problems around Neil's past experience with the military.

The plot surrounding Neil was a cliché and honestly I wasn't that interested because somehow it didn't strike me as that emotional. Maybe the way it was told or my state of mind, but the truth is, I was bored with the story and didn't really care about it. The bad guys weren't that hard to figure out and their motivations same old.

As for the romance, I also expected much more. The way they acted in the other books I expected fireworks and more challenging takes on what was happening between them but their romance lacked excitement, a little more angst and heartfelt emotions. I don't know, it wasn't mesmerizing and again, I found it boring. Their intimacy also didn't seem the finally moment all the scenes before would indicate and after all things considered neither personality seemed strong enough to support their romance much less the overall plot.

After such a reading experience I don't find myself eager to read more so soon like I said. I was a bit disappointed in how this book was told, how things happened. I don't know, but it felt like a weaker story for me.

Still, in terms of series, it has its positive details like the appearance and importance of secondary characters, those know and those to know.

Grade: 5/10

Alphabet Soup Challenge: Jeannie Lin - The Jade Temptress

Welcome to the infamous Pingkang Li--home of the celebrated Lotus Palace courtesans, and a place of beauty and treachery...
Charming and seductive, Mingyu is the most sought-after hostess in the pleasure quarter. She has all men wrapped around her finger--except Constable Wu Kaifeng, the one man she can't resist, the only man to have placed her in chains.
Wu Kaifeng's outwardly intimidating demeanor hides a reluctant, fierce attraction to beautiful Mingyu. But the passionate temptation she presents threatens to destroy them both when a powerful official is murdered and they find themselves on a deadly trail. Amid the chaos, a forbidden affair could change Mingyu's fate forever, for following her heart is bound to have consequences.... 

Comment: After having read the first book in this author's Pingkang Li duology back in November, I was immediately interested in reading this one only to see if the follow up was as intense as the first one.

This title was also something I think would look well in the Alphabet Soup page, so here it goes the letter J for the challenge.

This is the story of Mingyu, she's the older sister of the protagonist from the first book. Mingyu is a well respected and sought courtesan but she's still trapped with madame Sun, her foster mother and boss.She has a huge debt to pay and she knows she won't be free. 

Wu Kaifeng is a constable and his behavior isn't the most well liked because he's serious and reserved. They met in the previous book and the animosity was obvious but Wu Kaifeng is professional so when Mingyu goes to meet her patron and finds him dead, the first person she thinks of is Kaifeng. From then on a mysterious story develops and where are Mingyu's wishes in all this?

If there is one thing we could say about this author's style - note that only based on two books so far - is that she has a serious writing and even in the most loving scenes there's a certain contention I assume comes from her own personality and background and not only due to the story's themes alone. I can't say I remember many Harlequin authors doing this and I guess this is the so called freshness many readers claim this author possesses.

This story is a mix of mystery and romance. The mystery is complex but very simply described and developed. I think this was quite smart because the focus of the romance is too irresistible to think about mysteries at times. Still, the mystery comes from a serious issue and deals with serious things and feelings and I couldn't help but feeling sad for some character's and their challenges. Of course, in the end the resolution was done quite well and it finished all the business we'd hoped for on that level.

Now, as for the romance, I have to say I was surprised by how it ended. The main couple has had a certain animosity due to things in the previous book but there is an attraction between them. Still, I feel glad the author managed restriction in presenting the cultural details of that community and society and not making them reckless or crazy. All their dealings, even th more intimate moments all happened after careful moments and due to serious thoughts and feelings. One could say practical too, but I think we can easily see the hints of emotion behind that so it isn't as cold as we first might think.

Mingyu is a fascinating character and I felt for her troubles. She knows she doesn't have much space maneuvers left but she tries and she acts according to her feelings and it was wonderful to see her act human. She is a great character, she knows her place, her value and the fact she isn't as free as others think. Her role is fascinating like I said. The end for her was both amazing and thoughtful. I think she was brave and fearful closer to the end but there are moments that really made me smile. 

Wu Kaifeng seems rather unfeeling but we have good explanations for why his behavior is like that. His relationship with Mingyu isn't simple but in the end I liked how he was the hero she never thought she would get. 

The end wasn't an unbelievable fairytale but a take on hopes and dreams and I convinced myself they would make it forever and sometimes that is all that matters.

All in all, a good enough romance, sure it could have been more passionate or detailed in terms of romance, but I think the author achieved a good balance between seriousness and cuteness in a society that didn't lived for an easy life.

Serious writing, style and story all well packed. I liked it.

Grade: 7/10

Alphabet Soup Challenge: Alice Clayton - Wallbanger

The first night after Caroline moves into her fantastic new San Francisco apartment, she realizes she's gaining an intimate knowledge of her new neighbor's nocturnal adventures. Thanks to paper-thin walls and the guy's athletic prowess, she can hear not just his bed banging against the wall but the ecstatic response of what seems (as loud night after loud night goes by) like an endless parade of women. And since Caroline is currently on a self-imposed dating hiatus, and her neighbor is clearly lethally attractive to women, she finds her fantasies keep her awake even longer than the noise. So when the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts Simon Parker, her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. The tension between them is as thick as the walls are thin, and the results just as mixed. Suddenly, Caroline is finding she may have discovered a whole new definition of neighborly...

Comment: I bought this book after seeing some very positive review grades. Yes, I didn't read the reviews, just saw some trusted readers had given this a good grade and the blurb seemed intriguing too, so there I went to buy it. 
It was the first book of February and as it started with a W I thought about using it for the Alphabet challenge too.

This is Caroline's story. She is a successful young woman, she has the work of her dreams, loyal friends, a good boss and has recently moved into a new apartment. Everything is perfect until the night her neighbor bangs the walls having sex with someone. This situation repeats until Caroline can't stand it anymore and they meet after she knocks on his door and yells at him to stop. But she didn't expect to be dazzled by his good looks and the sentiment is reciprocated. 
Later, they realize they have friends in common and their animosity changes to reluctant friendship. But being so close, can they change their relationship once more?

So, what really got to me about this book was the apparent - and inferred love/hate relationship that would exist between Caroline and Simon, her neighbor. I was immediately fascinated by the idea of what situations and conversations they might have while falling in love at the same time. I should have realized this would be too good to be true and voilá, after a while they just started to become friends and the "fights" I envisioned didn't happen.
I can understand this alright, but from the blurb I expected a different kind of plot development. It's really annoying when the blurbs get you all worked up and then they don't deliver, right?

From then on I was kind of going with the flow but I admit I was never amazed despite the easiness of the book and the speed I managed to have in reading, the story is easy and simple and the writing is very easy to follow, very to the point.
However, this story wasn't special for me. I like some chick lit and "lighter" books once in a while but I like them to have some importance, to address something that matters. I'll be honest, I don't really care about Caroline's issue of not having orgasms, which was the theme of this story. Everything revolved around her problem of not being able to reach the orgasm since a failed relationship. Sure this must be important for some people, but for me it's at the bottom of the possible problems to try to solve ever, so, the story just got redundant for me.

Now, if this affected Caroline's approach to Simon or to what her love life meant, I could understand why it mattered for her but from what I've read she's a healthy woman from a loving family and she has a sort of promiscuous love life - she does say she had some lovers - and from her conversations about sex and orgasms and how she can't wait to get them again, I deduce she must put a lot of importance on sex and sexual release. That's fine, woman's power! But for the plot's purpose, how can this endear her to me, as a reader? Where's the conflict, the interest in that for the story? I just didn't find it all that important, that's all.

In the end, everything works out well, and things happen in a way that I suppose is to reaffirm the idea that love changes things and loving someone and being loved changes they way you see yourself, thus your own expectations. Sure, but with all the sex taking and everything revolving about sex, I think any caring message was lost. I really didn't enjoy reading about this, at least not to the extend the story focuses on that. I'd have appreciated a better balance in everything.

After all things considered, this is a book that surely works for readers looking for an easy plot and theme. But for me, this lacked some depth and interest, despite the funny characters, the good scenes with the main couple together before the sex and the compelling writing. But apart from that, I don't feel interested in reading more.
Grade: 6/10

Alphabet Soup Challenge: Meljean Brook - The Kraken King

A former smuggler and thief, Ariq—better known as the Kraken King—doesn’t know what to make of the clever, mysterious woman he rescues from an airship besieged by marauders. Unsure if she’s a spy or a pawn in someone else’s game, Ariq isn’t about to let her out of his sight until he finds out…
After escaping her fourth kidnapping attempt in a year, Zenobia Fox has learned to vigilantly guard her identity. While her brother Archimedes is notorious for his exploits, Zenobia has had no adventures to call her own—besides the stories she writes.
But when she jumps at the chance to escape to the wilds of Australia and acquire research for her next story, Zenobia quickly discovers that the voyage will be far more adventurous than any fiction she could put to paper…

Comment: Another book for the alphabet challenge, where we match the letters of the alphabet with titles from books we read. This time it's the letter K.

I'm a fan of this series and I was really glad this book finally came out complete. This story was first released as a serial, but I don't think I could enjoy it that much on that format, so I waited even more to have everything completed and then I'd read it. As soon as I saw the complete edition available, I bought it and I finally found the time to read it, and it was worth the wait.

This is Zenobia's story. She's the sister of Archimedes, from book #2. She is a writer that, based on her brother's adventures, managed to create a hero and stories that sell quite well. However, people interested in money and getting her brother would kidnap her, which isn't something Zenobia liked, despite her hunger for adventure. When the opportunity arises for her to travel to Australia as a company to a friend, she doesn't think twice.

Things don't go well until the end and on the way Zenobia meets the famous Kraken King, a man her brother knew was relentless. But Zenobia only sees a man, someone interesting, fascinating...

The book is quite big because it has all the serial installments into one volume. I don't mind it and I think that, those who read it in the serial format had to have a great willpower not to despair for the next one because some chapters ended on almost cliffhanger moments. In terms of plot, I can't find it faulty because the author's imagination, ideas and skill are there for everyone to see and marvel how someone can think of so many details and elements to create a whole world, but so different from what we know.

The plot is actually easy to follow, but it's one of those cases that, having read the previous books would give the reader a certain background knowledge that explains many little things, in particular character related. This doesn't mean a new reader won't get the plot, but I think it's much better savored if there's a previous knowledge. So, the plot follows Zenobia as she ravels with her friend Helene to Australia and on the way their airship is attacked, everyone has to flee and the rescue is done by the Kraken King. Of course, nothing is as simple as that and on the way to safety they all meet dangers and challenges and once again we can marvel at the author's imagination in creating things so unique, it's amazing.

The plot focuses on a lot of things, namely what it means to everyone why some happenings take place. This allows us to see into most of the character's personalities, their motivations, ways of thinking, honor and inner character. I think it's a clever and witty way of showing character depth and development. The romance is included on this growing up, because the main couple has to deal with their own issues on it and what it means to those around them. I think this romance is a study on personal and group opinions mattering to one's happiness. Thankfully, all ends well.

I liked this book. I had a good time with it and it was quite balanced. I liked seeing the characters' interaction, even when things seemed to go a hard path. But all in all, this was a great voyage, the writing was easy and had many moments where the characters would think about what was happening and this allows the reader to compare things within the plot, which adds another layer of understanding to some scenes. I liked it.

All in all, another great installment. I'm a fan of this steampunk series and I can't wait for the next one, which I hope ms Brook won't take too long in writing and publishing.

Grade: 8/10

Alphabet Soup Challenge: Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Heaven, Texas

Come heck or high water, Gracie Snow is determined to drag the legendary ex-jock Bobby Tom Denton back home to Heaven, Texas, to begin shooting his first motion picture. Despite his dazzling good looks and killer charm, Bobby Tom has reservations about being a movie star -- and no plans to cooperate with a prim and bossy Ohio wallflower whom he can't get off his mind or out of his life. Instead, the hell-raising playboy decides to make her over from plain Jane to Texas wildcat.
But nothing's more dangerous than a wildcat with an angel's heart in a town too small for a bad boy to hide. And all hell breaks loose when two unforgettable people discover love, laughter, passion -- and a match that can only be made in Heaven.

Comment: This is the second installment of the Chicago Stars series by SEP. This is a very known contemporary series by the author, whose work I've tried last year and now plan to keep reading throughout the year.

I've decided to put this on my Alphabet Soup challenge status, with the alphabet running through titles of books, by picking a title with the letter H. According to the rules, the alphabet doesn't have to be followed in order, so, H it is to start with.

This is the story of Bobby Tom Denton, one of the athletes from Chicago Stars who we've met in the first book. Now, Bobby Tom has retired due to an injury and he doesn't know what to do with all his money or his life. He is starring in a movie and his hometown need him to still be viable and in the middle of the confusion that is his routine he meets Gracie Snow, a young woman sent by the film company to make him show up so the movie can start. But Gracie isn't like all the women usually seen around Bobby Tom and even more, she sees in him what others don't. Could this be a match made in heaven?

Two things I like about this author which I now realize are trademarks of hers. First, the fact her stories, despite some unlikely scenes, are quite well structured and following a logical human behavior. And also, how the romances, being it the main one and a slightly secondary one too, always manage to feel balanced because the couple complement each other.

These two things make this a author I now plan to read further. I like how her style is easy to follow and to appreciate. I like her voice and style and how the whole book environment was set to be, meaning from the character's building to the plot development, the story is approachable, easily recognizable and has a path a reader can follow well, without too many things clogging the story line or unrelated subjects that could turn this into a mess. The author has a target, a goal and writes to it, creating characters full of life and human traits I liked seeing. Like the scene when Suzy feels guilty over something she did and her reaction to it.

The romance also worked out for me. I think Bobby Tom had some less than stellar thoughts here and there but as a reader we have access to his thoughts and actions so we know why he acts and speaks like that. Gracie is sweet and I thought she would be more shy but her development, her growing trust in what surrounded her and her building self confidence were aspects I liked seeing.

I think they complement each other because where he is impulsive, she is more conscious of others, where he dreams, he is realistic, where he dares, she is more cautious, where he is determined and brave, she is a good learner and listener. I liked how their personalities fit each other well. This allowed the romance to feel more secure and real and that worked out well too.

The book is full of funny scenes. Although I didn't find them all that funny, I liked how that alleviated the tone from the more serious scenes, which do happen. Like I said, the author managed to give a good balance to the story.

This story worked out for me. I liked Gracie a lot and these days I feel I need to empathize with something about the heroine, or her alone, so that the book to work out completely for me. In this case it was so and thus the positive grade. I'll be eager to read more in the series.

Grade: 8/10

Joining challenges in 2015

This year I've decided to try two challenges. One of them I know I'll be successful at, the other is a first try, let's see how it goes. Rules are on the links to each page on the host's blogs.
More details will be updated on the challenges 2015 page at the top.
I hope to be able to accomplish both of them!

Wendy's TBR Challenge:

Dollycas Alphabet Soup Challenge: