Marina - Carlos Ruiz Zafón

En la Barcelona de 1980 Óscar Drai sueña despierto, deslumbrado por los palacetes modernistas cercanos al internado en el que estudia. En una de sus escapadas conoce a Marina, una chica audaz que comparte con Óscar la aventura de adentrarse en un enigma doloroso del pasado de la ciudad. Un misterioso personaje de la posguerra se propuso el mayor desafío imaginable, pero su ambición lo arrastró por sendas siniestras cuyas consecuencias debe pagar alguien todavía hoy.

Comment: Just finished, seconds ago, actually, this book.It's amazing, I can't even think of words to describe it. The author always has a certain tone of melancholy in his books, and this one isn't an exception, but the feelings are overwhelming. I feel sad, I feel frustrated because I can't change things; this is a great book.

The plot is in the same lines as the other books I've read by him (Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game) but this one is smaller and has a theme..well, it shocks but in the end the reader understands. Painfully, but we do.

I hope this writer will keep writing more books, I have to confess he is the spanish author I prefer these days.

Relentless - Bailey Bradford

Zane is the alpha of the Gila National Forest pack of shifters; he’s been forced to make some very bad choices—like kicking out Mika Blackwell, a gay shifter who was once Zane’s friend. When he and all other alpha’s of Southwestern packs are called to a mandatory meeting with the Dux Ducis—Aidan Criswell, the man in charge of all shifter packs in the Southwest U.S., something happens that sends Zane fleeing in panic. He’s found his mate, the one person who can complete him—and the one person Zane knows could never want him. Aidan Criswell.

Zane knows that Aidan could never want him, not after what he’d done to Mika Blackwell. Aidan Criswell is as shocked as Zane to discover the man is his mate; the one person he’d been ordered to investigate, who’d had a pack member banned for being gay, and Aidan gets him for a mate? But destined mates are always exactly perfectly matched, and once Aidan accepts that fact, he believes there is more to Zane’s story than meets the eye-- and as Zane is soon to discover, Aidan Criswell is one relentless son of a bitch.

Comment: One of my favourite types or paranormal settings is the shapeshifter's one. I love stories with them because most times there's pack dynamics and I like that. I also love the "mate thing" and the fate deciding who belongs to whom; this is something in our ordinary lives never happens or, at least, we're told not to believe in that, so it's extra sweet to read stories where it does happen.

The story is fun, interesting and I like the unity between the characters.There's some reluctance in them to acept right away their bond, which I like, not even in fateful mates I beieve in love at first sight, it just doesn't ring true. In this case there was some time before they acknowlegde their feelings so, another point for this story.

There's a story before this one but I don't feel the need to read it because both main characters from that story show up in this one and they participate often, so I don't have the need to check their book. Now I have the feeling there's another story coming and I can't wait to read it, because I love when shapeshifters sense and find their mates.

Blueeyed Boy - Joanne Harris

'Once there was a widow with three sons, and their names were Black, Brown and Blue. Black was the eldest; moody and aggressive. Brown was the middle child, timid and dull. But Blue was his mother's favourite. And he was a murderer.'
Blueeyedboy is the brilliant new novel from Joanne Harris: a dark and intricately plotted tale of a poisonously dysfunctional family, a blind child prodigy, and a serial murderer who is not who he seems.
Told through posts on a Web journal called badguysrock, this is a thriller that makes creative use of all the multiple personalities, disguise and mind games that are offered by playing out a life on the Internet.

Comment: Once again, the author surprised with the interesting, misterious plot. I never imagined who the vilan actually is.

I think this story is a bit confusing sometimes but that doesn't mean it doesn't grab you right away. I enjoyed reading it a lot.

Lately the books by this author are more suspense than fiction, but it's a unique voice and I don't recall anyone else writing like this, so, I'll keep reading her.

Jamaica Inn - Daphne du Maurier

The coachman tried to warn her away from the ruined, forbidding place on the rainswept Cornish coast. But young Mary Yellan chose instead to honor her mother's dying request that she join her frightened Aunt Patience and huge, hulking Uncle Joss Merlyn at Jamaica Inn. From her first glimpse on that raw November eve, she could sense the inn's dark power. But never did Mary dream that she would become hopelessly ensnared in the vile, villainous schemes being hatched within its crumbling walls -- or that a handsome, mysterious stranger would so incite her passions ... tempting her to love a man whom she dares not trust

Comment: I was a bit disappointed with this book. Not that the story is that bad, but my expectations about it were, as I see now, misplaced.

I believed this story would have the same dramatic atmosphere of Rebecca, but it's a bit more boring, I think.

The characters are quite well depicted and now that has been a few days that I finish it, it all seems better than when I was reading. At the time, the plot seemed too boring to follow, to try to understand but right now it feels more realistic. This is fiction, but human fiction. I mean, the characters feel real and act real, according to the time, it's different from paranormals or happy-ever-afters kind of books where there's always something too perfect. Those books worth what they do, but the opposite happening in this story allows it to have a different feeling.

In the end I liked it but not as much as I thought and it's unlikely that I'll re-read it in a near future.

Dead, Undead or Something in Between - J. A. Saare

One bad corpse can ruin your whole day.

No one knows better than Rhiannon Murphy that one bad corpse can ruin your whole day.
She left behind the flash and sass of Miami for the no-nonsense groove of New York City, eager for a clean slate and a fresh start. A bartender by trade, a loud mouth by choice, and a necromancer by chance; she managed to keep her nifty talent hidden from those around her—until now.

The deliciously good-looking vampire, Disco, knows her secret. When he strolls into her bar to solicit help investigating the mysterious disappearances of his kind from the city, Rhiannon discovers he’s not the kind of person that appreciates the significance of the word no.

But in a world where vampires peddle their blood as the latest and greatest drug of choice, it’s only a matter of time before the next big thing hits the market. Someone or something is killing vampires to steal their hearts, and unlike Rhiannon, this isn’t their first stroll around the undead block.

Comment: Just finished this amazing book!

Disco and Rhiannon are a great couple and all the secondary characters work perfectly together.

The plot isn't predictable or boring, it's a perfect balance of romance, mistery and discovery.

The end is "omg what have you done????" and I sure hope things get settled because although this is marked urban fantasy I hope it has a romantic ending...

I can't wait for the next installment!!

The Wild Hunt - Elizabeth Chadwick

In the wild, windswept Welsh marches a noble young lord rides homewards, embittered, angry and in danger. He is Guyon, lord of Ledworth, heir to threatened lands, husband-to-be of Judith of Ravenstow. Their union will save his lands - but they have yet to meet...For this is Wales at the turn of the twelfth century. Dynasties forge and fight, and behind the precarious throne of William Rufus political intrigue is raging. Caught amidst the violence are Judith and Guyon, bound together yet poles apart. But when a dark secret from the past is revealed and the full horror of war crashes over Guyon and Judith, they are forced to face insurmountable odds. Together...

Comment: This is the first book I've read by this author. And I must say it won't be the last!I liked everything, from the characters to the writing. It's quite amazing, I'm still grining when thinking about the book.

Guyon is given Judith's hand in marriage because it's convenient to the king and at first she's too young and afraid to make the marriage work properly, although she has a mind and skills too high for her 16 years. However, after 2 years things change between them, they learn to cope with their live together amongst political and personal issues around them.

The author convinced with her writing, with her steady hand in details and in making sure the story doesn't loose its appeal.

I'm quite happy to have read this book, I have another one in my TBR list by her, but I'll surely investigate and buy more in the future. Oh and it seems this is the 1st in a trilogy, being the following ones The Running Vixen and The Leopard Unleashed. Can't wait!

The Valkyries - Paulo Coelho

This is a modern-day adventure story featuring Paulo's supernatural encounter with angels -- who appear as warrior women and travel through the Mojave desert on their motorbikes. Haunted by a devastating curse, Paulo is instructed by his mysterious spiritual master to embark upon a journey -- to find and speak to his guardian angel in an attempt to confront and overcome his dark past.

The Valkyries is a compelling account of this forty day quest into the searing heat of the Mojave Desert, where Paulo and his wife, Chris, encounter the Valkyries -- warrior women who travel the desert on motorcycles, spreading the word of angels. This exotic spiritual odyssey is a rare combination of truth, myth, imagination and inspiration. Ultimately it is a story about being able to forgive our past and believe in our future.


Comment: I didn't like this book as much as two others I've read by the author. The theme is the same with a different goal. In this book the main character - the author - wants to finf his angel. The path to it is rocky and as usual, with doubts. I think it's too indifferent, there's not such a great connection to the reader, I think. I enjoyed seeing his previous path of discovery much more than this one.
Still, for someone who likes this tyoe of books I'm sure it's a good one. But I preferred the first two books he wrote best, The Alchimist and The Pilgrimage.

Blood Spells - Jessica Andersen

Mayan lore and modern science warn that 12/21/2012 will bring a global cataclysm. Dark forces stand poised to crush mankind. The only hope rests with a secret group of modern magic-wielders called the Nightkeepers. But as Patience White-Eagle and her husband, Brandt, team up as a mated warrior pair, they will face a deadly threat that will test their powers-and their love...

Comment: Patience and Brandt were the only formed couple when the adventure of the Nightkeepers began.
But their relationship wasn't well, they didn't talk and things always looked with too much tension between them. In this book they had to learn to trust each other, to solve old curses and problems and defeat their worst enemy and sava their sons.
I preferred the last book to this one but overall I was happy how things are developping tin the world, especially considering Mendez is with them now and it seems Anna really has to come back, sooner or later. There's this sense of union that in the end that's how things must work out.
In this book hapened things that are marking the time until the last book - Rabbit's - and it seems the Nighkeepers have to realize together is the only option.
I think Patience and Brandt's issues were due to lack of conversation, lots of RL couples face the same thing, but this is fiction, I think they could've worked out those things before..but it had to suit the timeline, so...I'm not totally disappointed but was expecting more fierce passion and not so much the simple acceptation in the end, just to ease things.
Another thing I'd like to see is more scenes between all the characters! They live together, come on, they should interact more than we see...although truth be told, there's this scene between Rabbit and Strike that made "awwwww" lol
Let's see if Mendez' book next year tops this one.

Louise Allen - The Viscount's Betrothal

Miss Decima Ross knows for a fact that her overbearing family regularly remind themselves to "marry off poor dear Dessy." But who would ever want a graceless, freckled beanpole like herself?

Hearing that she is once more to be paraded in front of an eligible gentleman, Decima hurriedly leaves her brother's house. And encounters Adam Grantham, Viscount Weston, the first man she's ever met who's tall enough to sweep her off her feet...literally! Could such a handsome rake really find her attractive?

Comment: I've finally finished this book. It's funny to read, easy to follow and the sexual tension keeps the book from being boring.

Decima and Adam are trapped in his house with two servants because of the snow. She's 27, a spinster who thinks no man would want her because she's tall and has freckles. He is a viscount who doesn't want to marry and stay with the same woman until he dies but during the time both are there feelings and desire start to developp between them and whan it's time to separate they do it sadly.
I liked how the characters behaved and I especially liked Decima for her convictions and independence. And she was brave to not just givein to Adam when the chance was presented. I liked the jealousy in both of them and the HEA in the end. Very good book to me. Not the best in the genre, but very good.

Play of Passion - Nalini Singh

In his position as Tracker for the SnowDancer pack, Drew Kincaid must rein in rogue changelings who've lost control of their animal halves- even if it means killing those who've gone too far. But nothing in his life has prepared him for the battle he must now wage-to win the heart of a woman who makes his body ignite...and who threatens to enslave his wolf.

Comment: Nalini Singh is currently one of my favourite authors. I simply adore her psy/changeling world. Love the interaction between characters, between packs, love all the dynamics involved.Indigo is a woman who won't accept less than what she wants and at first Drew wasn't what she wanted but he went and proved her he sure was!I liked both of them, and their feelings towards a real relationship. I enjoyed seeing them doing the mating dance, loved the funny side of it.

But most of all this book allowed us to see more of Hawke and Sienna, who aren't confirmed as mates but me, and I'm sure a lot more of fans out there, are praying for it, because they really sizzle.

Can't wait for more!!

Nora Roberts :)

Comment: I enjoyed these two novels much more than Bed of Roses. The heroines in these two are more real, more realistic. I think it's easier for the reader to identify oneself to them. The heroes were funny, interesting and although there's always a sense of rush in the romances, the stories didn't, opposite to Emma's. I'm not getting more blurbs as anyone can find them.

Savor the Moment was sweet and offered an interesting conflict, one I never find too repetitive in romance novels, the class difference. I think it could've been dealt differently, better, but it's nice to see.

Happy Ever After finally concludes the story, the romance was cute, but Parker seemed a bit cold sometimes, even tough in the end it was so beautiful to watch her in love.

Nora Roberts always deliver and in this case, once more. But she could invest more in conflicts, in explanations...I feel things are rushed. However, the stories are wonderful, they end happily and it's amazing the union between characters.

The Trap - Indigo Wren

Three years ago, David and his college roommate, Ethan, were on the brink of unimaginable success, ready to revolutionize an industry and reap billions. Then David accidentally revealed the attraction he’d never wanted to feel, and certainly never meant Ethan to see. Mortified, he ran from everything that mattered—the fledgling company he’d helped to build, the bright future he’d worked to secure, and the man he couldn’t let himself want.

Now he’s built a new life for himself. So what if it’s not the one he hoped for? He’s learned to look only forward, and not to envy the success Ethan achieved without him. He’s even learned to cope with the nightmares. The panic attacks. The failed relationships with women.

When an opportunity arises to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime getaway to a private island resort, David never suspects a trap is about to be sprung. One where he’ll be forced to face the truths from which he’s been hiding—and the man from whom he’s never stopped running.

Comment: This is one of the most emotionally well writen books I've read.
Everything concerning feelings and attitudes is in place, explained, suited, paced and realistic even if the setting isn't that possible, but who cares, to me this book's value rests on its emotion.
David left Ethan 3 years before because he thought his feelings wouldn't be welcomed or even understood. So he ran.
Ethan never had the chance to see him and discuss things, so he sets up a trap to a resort and talking time has arrived.
While in the resort things hapen between them and they do talk, revealing things, important things. A lot of feelings are exposed and I think the writing here is brilliant, especially about David's fears and personality. There are people like him out there. Real people. I loved to see him deal with his problems and what happend.
Of course it has a HEA quite enjoyable!
Totally recommend it.

Bed of Roses - Nora Roberts

As little girls MacKensie, Emma, Laurel, and Parker spent hours acting out their perfect make believe "I do" moments. Years later their fantasies become reality when they start their own wedding planning company to make every woman's dream day come true. With perfect flowers, delicious desserts, and joyful moments captured on film, Nora Roberts's Bride Quartet shares each woman's emotionally magical journey to romance.

In Bed of Roses, florist Emma Grant is finding career success with her friends at Vows wedding planning company, and her love life appears to be thriving. Though men swarm around her, she still hasn't found Mr. Right. And the last place she's looking is right under her nose.
But that's just where Jack Cooke is. He's so close to the women of Vows that he's practically family, but the architect has begun to admit to himself that his feelings for Emma have developed into much more than friendship. When Emma returns his passion—kiss for blistering kiss—they must trust in their history…and in their hearts.

Comment: The second installment of this series by Nora Roberts didn't convince as much as the first. Probably because I have some difficulty to identify myself with Emmaline, the heroine. She's bubbly, romantic, happy, girly, optimistic, a lot of things I'm not. So, it makes it harder for me to like her, to understand her. Jack is more like it, more "on earth", and I liked knowing him.

Their relationship is strange to me, I still think they dived too fast into a sexual relationshp, but hey, it's fiction. Actually it annoys me a bit that women in contemporary fiction have to be so assertive. No thinking, no indecision, let's get it on, right away. I'd like to see some seduction, a controlled one, not like in the book where things were rushed. I see why it was like that, but still it annoyed me.

Anyway, I have great hope for the last two books, let's see.

Vision in White - Nora Roberts

Childhood friends Mackensie, Parker, Laurel and Emmaline have formed a very successful wedding planning business together but, despite helping thousands of happy couples to organise the biggest day of their lives, all four women are unlucky in love. Photographer Mackensie Elliot has suffered a tough childhood and has a bad relationship with her mother, which makes her wary of commitment. But when she meets Carter Maguire, she can't stop herself falling for him, although his ex-girlfriend is prepared to play dirty to keep him. Mackensie soon realises she has to put her past demons to rest in order to find lasting love ...

Comment: Nora Roberts is one of my favourite authors. She still is.
There was a time whre I was obsessed with everything she wrote, she was the one author that "forced" me to read more in english, because there were few translated books of her in portuguese.
Things haven't changed and even tough some of her books don't say much to me, others remain in favourite tops.

Vision in White is the first in a quartet and is out for more than one year. I'm only now reading it because only now the 4th one was published. Now I can read them all together, like a giant book.
I liked Mac, I liked Carter and I liked their story. I think Nora has done better but it didn't disappoint me. I enjoyed the whole bride stuff, the why's, the how's.
The only thing I point at mrs Roberts is that everything goes well with her couples. They are all perfect in their jobs, in their motives, in their paths towards their professional goals. In real life (RL), people aren't like that. I'd like to see some struggle, some difficulties to reach that, instead of only the emotional challenges.
But ok, I forgive mrs Roberts because I like her books, I like the feelings she pours onto them.
Next read, Bed of Roses.

The Inn at Eagle Point -Sherryl Woods

It's been years since Abby O'Brien Winters set foot in Chesapeake Shores. The Maryland town her father built has too many sad memories and Abby too few spare moments, thanks to her demanding Wall Street career, the crumbling of her marriage and energetic twin daughters. Then one panicked phone call from her youngest sister brings her racing back home to protect Jess's dream of renovating the charming Inn at Eagle Point.
But saving the inn from foreclosure means dealing not only with her own fractured family, but also with Trace Riley, the man Abby left ten years ago. Trace can be a roadblock to her plans…or proof that second chances happen in the most unexpected ways.

Comment: I was very eager to read this book. The blurb seems great and I was hoping for a great book. But no, it was a bit boring and I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought.

Abby returns to help her sister (who is a bit irresponsible, I think) and gets back with her ex-boyfriend, Trace. First of all their feelings, although aparently sincere, lacked emotion, the whole book lacked emotion. To focused on little details, on how to deal with details instead of feelings. That bothered me the most. I think the union in the family is a goal to reach, perhaps it's just this first book, but I hope things get better, that the author dares to make the books more vivid.

I'll try to read another one in the future but right now this author isn't what I imagined.

The Bad Girl - Mario Vargas LLosa

Comment: I've read The Bad Girl by the Nobel Prize winner, Mario Vargas Llosa.

It was the 1st book by him that I've tried.

The first chapter started somewhow slow and I had some trouble concentrating on it. But after the second chapter, where things went forward, the book became more fluid.

The story shows us the life of Ricardo Somocurcio, a translator for the UNESCO in the 60s. We know about his life, about the political and social things in Peru (his country) and in Europe (where he works). We also know about his pratically blind devotion to the bad girl, whom he loves and worships. Personally, I don't think it's love, but simply a minor obsession. But he does claim to love her and does everything in his power to show her that. She, on the other hand, uses him and his feelings to abuse the relationship. She leaves him one, two, three times, and always returns when she needs to, but never with real feelings, at least romentic ones. When it seems she's there to stay there she goes again and this time Ricardo convinces himseld that's it. But she comes back and in the end one can say they're together. But still the feeling of wrongness is there, and I don't think Ricardo deserves that.

It was a surprising read, I believed it would be boring but it was quite good to read, to follow. Recommended.

An so is Love - Scarlet Blackwell

For two years of his ten-year prison sentence, Dane Faulkner has been a man best left alone. When Bailey Lewis disturbs his solitude and becomes a target for the local bullies, Dane finds the best way to protect him is to stake his own claim. What happens when the pretence becomes something more?

Comment: I loved this story. It was the first one I've read by this author and I was quite surprised by it. The relationship between the amin characters is amazing, their feelings seem real and everything fell in place. To me, at least. Just think it all hapened too fast. But then again, it's hard to convey time passing by in a short-story in a way that doesn't seem too rushed.
All in all, a good book.