Review "Never had a dream come true"

Some information

Title: Never had a dream come true

Author: Jennifer Wenn

Pages: 300

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

My source: author (thank you!)

My score on Goodreads: 5 stars

Blurb

Lady Penelope de Vere has been in love with Rake for as long as she can remember, daydreaming over him constantly. But as her debut in the ton comes closer, she decides to finally let go of her silly childhood dream and accept someone else's wish to court her, someone who appreciates a quiet, book-filled life as she does. She wants marriage and, despite all the hints she throws his way, Rake only wants a mistress...she thinks. 

Lord Richard Darling has known Penny since she was a child and not once thought of her as anything but his niece's best friend and a very convenient scone-fetcher. That is, not until he happens upon her swimming in the lake at Chester Park dressed only in her thin chemise. A most eligible bachelor with a libertine reputation, he suddenly finds the girl he's always appreciated has turned into a woman he could love forever. So why won't she accept his proposal?

My review

I just couldn't put this book down. Instead I put my work down.

Though I had a lot to do this weekend, I claimed some time to read. I really needed to know what would happen in this story(even though I knew from the beginning on how it would all end). 

In "Never had a dream come true" Jennifer Wenn succeeds in delivering a beautiful story about two people who are desperately in love with each other without realising it. Richard and Penelope (Rake and Jenny) have known each other since Penny was born and had a familylike bond since. Penny's best friend, Francesca, is indeed Richards niece. As a child and teenager Penny couldn't keep her eyes of Rake and she always hoped he would notice her one day and confess her his love. When Penny turns eighteen this hope doens't seem so vain anymore, but as Rake is a proud libertine she's desperate he won't ever want to marry her. What follows are lots of misunderstandings, witty conversations, love, pain, sorrow, laughs, tears,... Just everything we need in a good romantic drama which turns out to be some kind of romantic comedy.

What I appreciated a lot while reading this story, is the fact Jennifer Wenn jumps from interesting event to interesting event. All the unnecessary parts are left out and captured in a few sentences. For example: we see Penny while she orders her dress for a party. Instead of telling us about the months between the fitting and the actual party, we just go straight on to this party. All the uninteresting months can be captured in a sentence like "months have passed". I love this! Some readers like long descriptions and like it that the "big moment" is put off as long as possible (suspense!), but I simply don't. I hate long descpriptions (only when I read Austen I can appreciate them) and I want a story to move on. This way you keep the reader and romantic soul in me interested.

Maybe all the misunderstandings and the difficult main characters (sometimes even I did roll my eyes) would bother some other readers, but they didn't bother me so I just did what I thought I should do: give the book five stars out of five! In my opinion this book didn't deserve less. It got me hooked from the first chapter on (can't say "the first page" because that wasn't true) and I hope other readers will love it as much as I did.

Review "Attachments"

Some information

Title: Attachments

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Pages: 368

Published: February 2012

Publisher: Orion

My Scource: Standaard Boekhandel

My Score on Goodreads: 5 stars

Blurb

"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . "

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.

Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.

When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.

By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.

What would he say . . . ?

Review

Wow, I loved this book! I didn't know Rainbow Rowell, but since I'm a new addict to Booktube, I discoverd her while watching booktubers raving about her books. For me the story started a little slow, but after a while I couldn't put it down anymore. You get to know the characters Jennifer, Beth and Lincoln pretty good through the e-mails of both women and the thoughts of Lincoln. You know I like good characters, especially when I can relate to them and this is a reason why I started liking this book an awful lot. 

In "Attachments" we meet Jennifer and Beth, two women working for the same newspaper in 1999. The Internet is fairly new at their office so they use it to the maximum and send each other a lot of e-mails concerning their private life. Because the bosses don't trust this new Internet hype, they hire Lincoln. An 28 y.o. man with a lot of majors who thought he would be chasing hackers and building firewalls as the new Internet Security Officer. Too bad for him he just gets to read e-mails between co-workers and has to check them for inappropriate content. I said "too bad", but maybe this stupid job (at night!) is the best thing that ever happened to Lincoln. He doesn't realise it at the beginning, but by reading other peoples e-mails he gets to know some of them pretty well. In this case he gets to know Jennifer and Beth because sometimes they tend to talk about "inappropriate stuff" with each other. Lincoln doesn't turn them in though... Just because he likes these women and starts to feel like they're his friends at work. In the end they ARE charing personal information with him... isn't it?

In this book we see Lincoln struggle with feelings of love, guilt and disorientation. Is this the job for him? Is this the life for him? Is this the "wife" for him? He just doesn't know it anymore and his mother isn't really helping. It's a book that keeps you hoping there will be a good ending to it, but it keeps putting you on the wrong track too. I loved it!

Review "Een schitterend gebrek"

Some information

Title: Een schitterend gebrek

Author: Arthur Japin

Pages: 239

Published: 2003

Publisher: Uitgeverij De Arbeiderspers

My Source: My neighbour (thank you!)

My Score on Goodreads: 5 stars (would give it 6 if I could)

Blurb (in Dutch)

Lucia en Casanova leren elkaar kennen op een feest nabij Venetië, worden verliefd en beloven elkaar eeuwige trouw. Maar kort daarna verdwijnt Lucia plotseling uit Casanova's leven. Vele jaren later ontmoeten ze elkaar in een Amsterdamse schouwburg bij toeval opnieuw. Hij heeft er geen weet van dat zij het is omdat ze haar gezicht onder een sluier verbergt, en hij probeert haar te veroveren op de van hem bekende wijze.

Voor Lucia is de schokkende confrontatie aanleiding tot een reconstructie: haar jeugd in de Veneto, haar kortstondige maar heftige liefde voor Casanova, de verwoestende ziekte die haar trof, haar vlucht naar Amsterdam en haar werk als hoer. Langzaam wordt duidelijk dat haar verdwijning geen verraad was, maar een daad van liefde.

Review

I didn't plan on reading this book. I hadn't heard about it or about the author AT ALL. Shame on me! But then there was my lovely neighbour who asked me if I had ever read this book. When I told her "Nope", she lent it to me, after which I read it in one day. AND I TOTALLY LOVED IT! 

At first I was I little reserved. Would I be able to like a book about Casanova? I don't have a thing with this man and I hate the fact he is known as a womanizer. Juk! But then, I started reading... and reading. And I kept on reading without being able to put the book down. I liked the way the whole story is told from the perspective of Lucia, the first and only real love of Casanova. She tells everything in first person and switches between the present and the past. In this pendulum we get to know who the real Casanova was before he was disappointed in love and started to court every single woman he met. It made me like this man even though I started the book standing aloof. 

Lucia is a great character. She was only fourteen years old when she met Casanova(while he was a guest)at the mansion where she and her parents worked for a rich lady. She loved him right away and it seemed to be mutual. When Casanova leaves the house to make a career and promises her to come back, this means the world to Lucia. She hopes he can be whatever he wants to be and she certainly hopes she will stand near him for the rest of their lives. Too bad all these hopes were in vain. Lucia is hit by a terrible and dangerous disease while Casanova it away. Luckily she survives, but she is different afterwards. So different she fears to face her great love and runs away without letting him know why. 

Many years later Lucia meets an interesting man. She now lives in Amsterdam and has made her live work even though it wasn't easy at all. This interesting man reminds her of her only and first love, Casanova... Could it be him?

Oooh, I'd love to read some more books by Arthur Japin and I hope they will be as good as this one. I obviously recommend this book to anyone!

Review "The Trouble with Valentine's Day"

Some information

Title: The Trouble with Valentine's Day

Author: Rachel Gibson

Pages: 368

Published: January 2005

Publisher: Avon

My Scource: gift

My score on Goodreads: 5 stars

Covertext

Dumped by her boyfriend, stressed out by her job, Kate Hamilton needs to regroup and get back some self-esteem. She moves from the bright lights of Las Vegas to the wilderness of Gospel, Idaho for some small-town fun. But when her first attempted seduction of a hunky stranger is completely rejected, she wonders what else could possibly go wrong?

Well, for starters she quickly realizes that the Mountain Mama Crafters Original Poetry reading is about as good as it gets on a Friday night. Then she comes face to face with Rob Sutter, former ice hockey madman, owner of Sutter's Sports—and the hunky stranger who told her to get lost!

Rob's been more than burned by love—but then he and Kate find themselves in an ultra-compromising position in the M & S Market after-hours, giveing the phrase "clean-up in aisle five" a whole new meaning, and cause a whole lot of gossip in Gospel...

My short review

I don't know if this book is my favorite written by Rachel Gibson, but I liked it a lot! The characters in "The troube with Valentine's Day" are really great and very credible. The story is written in a way you keep on wondering what will happen even though you secretly know how it will all end. I never get tired of reading Gibsons books. In every single one of them the same things happen againts a slightly different background, but that doesn't matter. She knows how to keep her readers entertained and that's all I need in a chick lit book. Loved it and hope you'll love it too. I can't wait to start the other books in this series...

Review "Playing the Part"

Some information

Title: Playing the Part

Author: Darcy Daniel

Pages: 179

Published: February 2013

Publisher: Carina Press

My scource: The author (thank you!)

My score on Goodreads: 5 stars!

Covertext

Anthea Cane is a successful actress—well, action star. Her films are mostly about how hot she looks silhouetted by fiery explosions. But Anthea is determined to prove she's more than just a body. With the role of a lifetime up for grabs—a serious adaptation of her favorite novel—Anthea sets off to her small hometown in the name of research.

Cole Daniel is a blind farmer with no patience for divas, especially one who mercilessly teased him as a young boy. When Anthea shows up using a fake name and pestering him into letting her stay, he can't pass up the opportunity to torment her just a little.

But Anthea won't let the stubborn farmer deter her from her goal, even if he is hotter than any man she's ever met. Cole finds his form of payback less than satisfying when Anthea keeps turning the tables on him, proving her mettle and gaining his respect. Will Anthea's research land her a man, as well as the part?

My review

When I pick up a chick lit book I always hope to find another kind of story. Something I didn't already read in four different books with different characters in the same situation. Darcy Daniel did a great job writing "Playing the Part". She managed to offer her readers a beautiful and sweet story without repeating one. Her characters were very real to me and I really loved them though they weren't always shining and on their best behaviour.

In this book we meet Anthea, a movie star without big roles behind her name. She's only asked for action movies where her looks can be used. For a long time she just didn't care about this, but when she wants a role in a movie adaptation of her (passed away) mothers favorite book and nobody believes she can do it, she starts to reconsider her career. Is this everything her life will ever be? Are people only "liking" her because of how she looks? Don't they believe she has some kind of depth? Apparantly not and this bothers Anthea above anything. 

She decides to demand an audition for the role and to do some research. The movie she wants to play in "The Farmers wife" is set in the country. Where would she do her research best? In Mayfield, the town she lived in when she was younger. 

In this town she meets Cole, a handsome, blind farmer she bullied in school. Thing is Anthea needs him to do her research. He's a farmer and she needs to know what it feels like to be a farmers wife... Would be great if she could use him or euhm "work together" with him... Because she knows Cole wouldn't welcome her with open arms, she invents a fake name and lies to him... Luckily these lies can't keep her from falling in love with him... madly... 

In this book you see the evolution of two people who dislike each other a lot to two people who want to care for and love each other 'till eternity... Darcy Daniel describes the feelings of these characters very very well and gives you the feeling you're out there in the field too. I also liked the sometimes detailed descriptions of little things in life. This made me connect even more with Cole. For this blind man, details are very important. Even the once superficial Anthea starts to get this and she learns to appreciate the little things in life. She completely transforms from a selfish star to a loving and caring woman who puts Cole in the first place. 

This really is a story that makes you smile. For me it might have been a little longer ;) I read it in one day and regretted that it came to an end...

Review "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children"

Some information

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Author: Ransom Riggs

Pages: 382

Published: 2011

Publisher: Quirk Books

My Source: ECI Belgium

My Score on Goodreads: 5 stars

Covertext

A horrific family tragedy sends Jacob 16 to a remote island off Wales, to the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, where he finds unusual old photographs. The children, one his grandfather, were more than peculiar, perhaps dangerous, quarantined for good reason - and maybe still alive.

My review

A peculiar book about a group of peculiar children living in a peculiar place. I loved reading this book, though I wasn't sure what to expect. I bought it because I liked the idea of a story interwoven with strange pictures. Normally I don't like a book with drawings or pictures in it. They keep you from being creative and give you a certain idea about what everyone looks like. Here this wasn't the case! The pictures are only suggestive and so strange you don't always know what you see exactly. They help the author's descriptions to come to live and give an extra dimension to everything. 

In "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" Ransom Riggs tells a story that made me think of Harry Potter, Twilight and The Golden Compass. Books I liked to read when I was younger, but still love to read now. It's a mixture of strange things happening, new friends to be found, old friends to be left behind, memories to make, choices to make,... In short it's the story about Jacob Portman's ordinary life turning into a peculiar one. The story about a young boy who grows up in just a few days/weeks. The story about a boy finding his life purpose... On the way Jacob also discovers what true friendship and love feel like. Things he never experienced before.

When Jacob's grandfather, Abe, dies in strange circumstances, the 16 y.o. boy doesn't know what to do with his own thoughts. His grandfather used to tell him the most bizarre stories about "gifted" children. He even showed pictures of them. Jacob stopped believing his grandfather when he became older because his friends at school used to laugh with the unbelievable stories he told them. Abe also told him he used to live with these peculiar children on an island near England in a sort of orphanage. The older the man gets the more he starts involving monsters in his stories. Everybody believes the man is going crazy but when Jacob sees a monster when his grandfather is killed, he doesn't know what to think anymore. Were the stories real? Is he going crazy too, just like his grandfather? 

To discover all the answers, Jacob makes a trip to the island Abe told him about. The things he finds there change him and his "ordinary" life forever. And they can't be "unfound"...

This was really a good book. You never know what will happen next and you really want to know while reading this. The pictures in it were great too! I was always looking forward to some new ones because they gave the peculiar children and their world a little more tangibility!

Review "See Jane Score"

Some information

Title: See Jane Score (Chinooks Hockey Team #2)

Author: Rachel Gibson

Pages: 303

Published: January 2003

Publisher: Avon

My Source: Boekenfestijn Antwerpen 2013

My Score on Goodreads: 5 stars

Covertext

THIS IS JANE

A little subdued. A little stubborn. A little tired of going out on blind dates with men who drive vans with sofas in the back, Jane Alcott is living the Single Girl existence in the big city. She is also leading a double life. By day, she's a reporter covering the raucous Seattle Chinooks hockey team—especially their notorious goalie Luc Martineau. By night, she's a writer, secretly creating the scandalous adventures of "Honey Pie"...the magazine series that has all the men talking.

SEE JANE SPAR

Luc has made his feelings about parasite reporters—and Jane—perfectly clear. But if he thinks he's going to make her life a misery, he'd better think again.

SEE JANE ATTRACT

For as long as he can remember, Luc has been single minded about his career. The last thing he needs is a smart mouthed, pain in the backside, reporter digging into his past and getting in his way. But once the little reporter shed her black and gray clothes in favor of a sexy red dress, Luc sees that there is more to Jane than originally meets the eye.

Maybe it's time to take a risk. Maybe it's time to live out fantasies. Maybe it's time to....

SEE JANE SCORE!

My review

Oh how I love the writing style used by Rachel Gibson! Every single book of hers captures my attention from the first page on. I can't put them down and have to force myself to read slowly. I hate the idea that my book would be read in one single day. Less time to enjoy it... So I devour it as slowly as possible.

This book is the second one in a series, but what I love about these books is the fact you don't have to read them all or read them in order to comprehend the story. In fact you don't need the other books in the series at all. Aside from a little reference here and there these books are perfectly capable of standing alone.

I have read the first one in the Chinooks Hockey Team Series too, but that's just because Rachel Gibson is starting to be my favorite author! This is REAL chicklit and sometimes a girl just needs real chicklit! 

I'm just going to state the obvious, but in this book Jane Alcott is our main character. A short and natural woman of 30. For her job she writes fiction for women (and men!) in magazines. Some of her stories wouldn't give you the idea she's a calm and quiet person, but she is. When the Chinooks Hockey Team hires her as the reporter for their matches, she immediately accepts. She needs the money and a little fame wouldn't hurt her writing carreer. The problem is the team doesn't like the idea of a female reporter travelling with them. Maybe she's bad luck... You never know...

While Jane struggles to find her place in this team of big and bold men, she starts to get to know their goalie Luc Martineau better and better. He's arrogant and doesn't like Jane at first, but as always in a good chicklit book they discover a friend and even more in each other. Luc and Jane grow towards each other and soon love is in the air. They have to struggle through a few problems, but in the end they admit they need the other one in their life! Even Luc has to admit he loves this litlle reporter with the big mouth... And that's a completely new thing in his life!

Why are the books written by Gibson my favorites? She just knows how to create good and credible characters. In this book Jane was so recognizable for us, normal women. She doesn't look like a Barbie and has to persuade people with her character. This time she really succeeds to persuade a man with her character. Luc doesn't stand a chance when he meets this reporter. He hates her kind, but immediately feels she's different. Though Luc seems an arrogant sportsman at the beginning, he turns out to be a great brother for his sister Marie, a good man and a super lover for Jane. It feels good to see a "normal" girl and a "star" loving each other for who they are, putting their prejudices aside.

This book made me hold my breath at some times. I knew how it would all end, but still I couldn't stop reading. It's a book you can read in one day without a problem (it only is SUCH a shame if you do :p ). In my opinion these books would make great movies (for women :p).

Review "Spirits of Christmas"

Some information

Title: Spirits of Christmas

Author: Nicky Wells

Pages: 126

Published: October 2013

Publisher: Createspace

My scource: the author (thank you!)

My score on Goodreads: 5 stars

Covertext

Spirits of Christmas: A Rock’n’Roll Christmas Carol

At one time, up-and-coming rock singer Jude had it all: a great band, a platinum record, a loving girlfriend. This Christmas, however, he is well down the road towards spontaneous self-destruction. 

Unwitting at first, Jude has progressively alienated his band and driven away the love of his life. Tonight, the night before Christmas Eve, he has broken the final taboo during a disastrous gig. Yet Jude doesn’t see how badly his life has derailed, not until a ghostly procession of legends passes through his bedroom with a series of vivid and powerful wake-up calls.

Will the Spirits help Jude put the friendship, love, and rock music back into his Christmas?

Spirits of Christmas is a modern-day rock’n’roll adaption of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. This novella will enchant romance readers, rock lovers, fans of ghost stories, and everybody who adores the festive season.

My review

I have to admit something... I've never read "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. I know, I should be ashamed of myself... Well, I can say that after reading this adaptation I probably will pick up the original book one day. I liked this new and fresh version a lot! Nicky Wells was able to create a beautiful short story where you get to know the character soooo well and you really are curious about what will happen to him next. A real Christmas lover like I am, has to read this book. You will be in the festive spirit right away. 

After deciding I would read some Christmas themed books this month, I chose this one as my first and I don't regret it. I started singing Christmas songs, drinking hot chocolate and buying Christmas presents without hesitation (I mean it :p I only need a tree to put the presents under now). Nicky writes in a way you really feel the cold air around you (even when you're reading inside), where you're almost able to see the christmas tree in Jude's house, you feel his anger and frustration. You even feel Jude's regret after he has pushed all his loved ones away a few days before Christmas...

Talking about Jude... Jude is our main character. A young, once successful singer-songwriter with a little band, called "The Blood Roses". Once succesfull... Jude is unfortunately ruining his career by being a hateful person. He wants all the success for himself and doesn't want to share it with someone else in his band. His girlfriend also suffers his explosive character and his anger. Nobody wants to live a life near Jude anymore. He has ruined it all but believes he doesn't need anyone anyway. If they don't like him and support him, that's up to them. He's able to do it all by himself and to live his life alone. 

Just while Jude is thinking this a spirit apears. Here it all starts. Jude meets three spirits, one who shows him his past, one who shows the present and just guess what the third one shows him. The ghosts don't do this without purpose. They want Jude to learn a lesson. To see how he is with people, how they once loved him but started to dislike him more and more. It's important Jude learns his lesson... Otherwise he WILL be alone for the rest of his life, just like he wanted...

I really loved this story and recommend it to every reader, but especially to everybody who loves Christmas. Just take some hot chocolate, a cookie, a blanket and curl up with this book. You won't regret it! 

In fact this would be the best time to get it! Enjoy the promo in honour of St. Nikolaus. Buy yourself a little present! 

About the author

Hi! I’m Nicky Wells, your ultimate rock chick author. My books offer glitzy, glamorous contemporary romance with a rock theme ~ imagine Bridget Jones ROCKS Notting Hill! If you’ve ever had a crush on any kind of celebrity ~ rock, pop, movie or other ~ you’ll connect with my heroes and my leading ladies!

Like my first leading lady, Sophie, I love listening to rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters. When I’m not writing, I’m a wife, mother, occasional knitter, and regular contributor to The Midweek Drive show on Lincoln’s Siren 107.3 FM. Rock on!

Because this book really ROCKS and because Christmas music also Rocks, I wanted to give you this little song to end with! I chose this one because of the title. ;) 

Review "The Travis Club"

Some information

Title: The Travis Club

Author: Mark Louis Rybczyk

Pages: 381

Genre: mystery, detective

Published: June 2013

Publisher: Mark Louis Rybczyk

My scource: the author (thank you!)

My score on Goodreads: 5 stars

Covertext

Taylor Nichols is a young writer who pens obscure historical guidebooks about his hometown, San Antonio, Texas. His books receive little notice until he unearths a 100 year old mystery that the powerful had hoped would never have been uncovered. 

How far will the city's power brokers go to silence Taylor and his band of friend known as The Travis Club? Intrigue and romance bring this mystery alive in a one of a kind city, San Antonio.

My review

Not expecting a book that would be my genre, I was completely surprised when I couldn't put this book down and really wanted to know what would happen next! Normally I read very predictable books (chick lit :p ), but this time I loved the fact that I didn't know how it would all end. This story was really exciting, build up good and provided us with characters you really get to know along the way. Author Mark Louis Rybczyk was able to arouse my interest for a topic I didn't know a thing about. Writing about old buildings and "lost" treasures that need to be preserved for the future, he striked a chord. As I try to preserve old things every day (teaching dead languages), I liked this subject a lot!

While reading this book, I had the feeling I became a member of the Travis Club. A club of men who try to keep "alive" the old buildings with history in town. They are confronted with rich developers who want to buy everything and turn it into modern buildings. Their base of operations is San Antonio and to their dismay developer and rich man Noel Black is buying a lot of buildings with a beautiful history to knock them down for his big profitable projects. This mr. Black turns out to be one of the biggest enemies the Travis Club has ever had. At the same time he will be the one leading them to their biggest discovery ever. A discovery that changes the lives of all our characters.

Talking about the characters... Our main character in "The Travis Club" is young writer Taylor Nichols. It's not like he's one of the most successful writers in town writing books about historical buildings and the local water reservoir, but because of his 10 book deal he's able to be fulltime writer. Taylor is happy with the simple things in life. His big idol is architect Randall Hugley about whom he also wrote a biography. The most important persons in Taylors life are his friends from the Travis Club. None of them is the most successful or is building a big career but they have one more (important) thing in common. They all love history and they all do whatever they can to save it from destroyers.

What I liked most about Taylor is his enthusiasm. The author is able to let this enthusiasm beam over to us, readers. In his big search you feel along with him and you want to help him digging through big dusty books to find what he's after. It's really easy to get excited about the Travis Club projects. One moment I really got carried away and read 3/4 of this book in a few hours. That's always a good sign!

I have to admit that sometimes the long descriptions in the book about water reservoirs and all that kind of stuff got a little boring. Luckily this was only SOMETIMES the case. The rest of the book was great and it deserves some credit! Even if you're not into this genre or subject... just try it out!

Curious about this story? Watch this trailer! 

Review "Villa Honeymoon"

Some information

Title: Villa Honeymoon

Author: Ilse Spall

Pages: 320

Genre: chicklit

Published: January 2012

Publisher: Sijthoff

My Source: Standaard Boekhandel

My Score on Goodreads: 5 stars

Covertext

Mandy’s lust en leven is Villa Honeymoon, hét hotel voor pasgetrouwde stellen, waar ze als assistent-bedrijfsleider werkt. 

Als de bedrijfsleider ervandoor gaat, de kamermeisjes steeds te laat komen en de tuinman ontslag neemt, besluit de eigenaar het lot van Villa Honeymoon in Mandy’s handen te leggen. Samen met zijn zoon Thomas moet Mandy ervoor zorgen dat de omzet binnen een jaar met 40% stijgt. Daarnaast moet ze erop toezien dat rokkenjager Thomas zich niet met de vrouwen in het hotel inlaat. Als Mandy faalt, verliest ze haar baan, maar als ze slaagt in het plan krijgt ze een bonus én promotie! 

Mandy heeft goede hoop, totdat ze Thomas ontmoet – en als een blok voor hem valt…

My review

Oooh, this book was really welcome. I could use some cheesy chicklit with lots of love and without many depressing parts. A book with an ending you can predict before you start reading it, a book with beautiful main characters who don't really do a lot expect loving each other. I don't say this book was completely brainless! I loved the writing in fact... it made me want to read further. I kept on reading and reading... Conclusion: if you like chicklit and you don't speak Dutch/Flemish, you have to start learning it and read this book. Ilse Spall wrote a very good chicklit book! 

In "Villa Honeymoon" she tells us the story of a beautiful hotel for newlyweds in Drenthe, Holland. Our main character Mandy puts her heart and soul in the hotel, lives there and does everything for her guests. Too bad the manager of the hotel disappeared with a cleaning lady and left the hotel in a poor condition. Mandy tries her best to save the hotel, but needs the help of the big bos. He wants to help her and send her his son, Thomas, to get the hotel out of trouble. One little issue. Mandy has to promise him she won't end up in Thomas' bed and she has to get him to work. Mandy accepts without thinking twice. Like she's ever going to love a womanizer?! Let alone that he would love her with her big scar on her face... Mandy doesn't believe any man will love her ever again because of this scar she has after a terrible car accident. When Thomas' father also promises her a big bonus and promotion if she succeeds in her part of the deal, she immediately says "YES!" to it.

Mandy has high hopes in it untill she meets Thomas and sees how he really is. Beautiful on the outside and the inside... This was a little thing she didn't expect... How about her deal with his father, her bonus, her promotion,...? The hotel was everything she lived for... untill now...

Great read!

Review "The Beach House"

Some information

Title: The Beach House

Author: Helen McKenna

Pages: 507

Genre: contemporary/ womens fiction

Published: 2011

Publisher: Joshua Books

My Source: the author (thank you!)

My score on Goodreads: 5 stars (deserved!)

Covertext

Nothing much happens in the small Queensland town of Sunset Point, which is just the way the locals like it. So when an outsider with grand plans threatens to demolish an iconic local landmark and build a huge resort the battle lines are drawn.

Young journalist Jessica hopes to make it big with her coverage of the court case, but first she has to appease her editor and put a human interest spin on the situation. At first glance the five people she chooses to background have little in common – but it soon becomes apparent that staying at The Beach House has changed all of them in some way.

In telling the stories of Kate, Simone, Tom, Clare and Jack, Jessica too learns some important life lessons.

My review

Although it took me a while to read this book, I loved it! Helen McKenna wrote a story that doesn't get boring at all. I can't say it reads like a train, but I was always curious about the things that would happen next. I could really connect with the main characters in this story, though there were a lot of them. I didn't think I would be able to understand all the different characters and like them, but I did. The author has the great ability to describe characters in a "real" way. You seem to know them. You almost have the feeling you're staying in the beach house with them and that's what I loved so much about this book. If you're trying to get away from everyday life or stress, this is a great book to read. Also in other circumstances I really recommend it. 

In this book Helen McKenna tells us the story about a beautiful but simple building on the beach of Sunset Point, Queensland. Not providing internet, television or anything else modern people can't miss, it doesn't seem to be much of an attractive place to spend your holidays. We couldn't be more mistaken! The beach house turns out to be a great place to get to know yourself and the people around you a bit better. It seems to show the good there is in everybody, to heal wounds, to heal bonds that are broken, to make new bonds,... In fact this house turned out to be a little bit of a main character too. 

We "meet" the house when it's almost too late to get to know it. A big firm wants to place it somewhere else because they need the place on the beach to build huge resorts. Of course the people of Sunset Point don't like this idea and don't want their beach house to disappear. When a newspaper wants to write a story about the house, everybody is happy to participate. Just like all the people who once stayed at the house, they want to help in every way they can to save it. 

Instead of describing a boring discussion in court, Helen McKenna gives us five stories about different people staying at the house and somehow becoming better of it. These five people don't have a thing in common except for one major thing that changed their lives: they stayed at the most special house in Australia.

At first I wanted to give this book 4 stars, but I just couldn't because the story is so good and well written. I still believe the story could "move on" a little faster (it took me a month to read this book), but that didn't make me appreciate the book less. I believe Helen should get a lot of praise and I hope her book will do well!

Review "Adorkable"

Some information 

Title: Adorkable

Author: Sarra Manning 

Pages: 387

Genre: chick lit

Published: May 2012

Publisher: Atom

My Scource: Boekenfestijn Gent

My score on Goodreads: 5 stars 

Covertext

Jeane Smith's a blogger, a dreamer, a dare-to-dreamer, a jumble sale queen, CEO of her own lifestyle brand and has half a million followers on twitter.

Michael Lee's a star of school, stage and playing field. A golden boy in a Jack Wills hoodie.

They have nothing in common but a pair of cheating exes. So why can't they stop snogging?

My review

"I have bunny slippers just like yours! I'm going to put them on so we can be slipper twins!" A book with phrases like this in it has to be a fun read. And it was! Although it wasn't an extraordinary piece of literature, I enjoyed it a lot! 

In "Adorkable" we meet Jeane Smith, a girl devoted to her own lifestyle brand for dorks. She doesn't need real friends because she has loads of them on the internet. She almost breathes tweets and blogposts about her special life and interests. Jeane is 17, lives alone in a flat, doesn't like people, dresses like an old lady and loves dyeing her hair in the strangest colors. On top of that one of her dearest hobbies is to argue with people.

While performing this hobby she meets Michael Lee, the star of the school. Handsome, smart, friends with almost everybody. Not exactly the guy Jeane wants to talk to. Little problem: Michael's girlfriend is in love with Jeane's boyfriend Barney and vice versa. Michael just needs to talk about this with Jeane although she isn't his favorite person in the world either. 

A strange thing happens when Jeane and Michael start kissing during one of their arguments/discussions. They both think it was some weak moment, but they keep repeating this strange thing and both of them start liking it...

I just loved this story because it was simple but also had a lovely plot. We can really connect with the characters too because they each write a chapter in turn. We see events through Jeane's eyes and then through Michael's eyes. I loved it that Sarra Manning didn't repeat all the events (first the version of Jeane and after that the version of Michael). The story just keeps going but each character tells us a part of it. 

It's a very predictable story but one where you don't mind that. It's just fun to read!

P.S. I think this book would make a good and fun movie :D

Review "The professor"

Some information

Title: The Professor

Author: Charlotte Brontë

Pages: 199

Genre: romance

Published: 1994 (first published: 1857)

Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Limited

My Scource: Boekenfestijn Gent 

My score on Goodreads: 5 stars

Covertext

Charlotte Brontë's first novel certainly benefits from the vocal gifts of reader James Wilby. Title character William Crimsworth's attempt to find his own way in a world obsessed with money and manners comes alive as Bronte's vivid images and Wilby's lyrical delivery combine. Met with a rainbow of characters, the listener can easily establish each as an individual and understand how they impact Crimsworth. This recording is a fine introduction to nineteenth-century literature.

My review

As a "Flamande" (to use the word Brontë seemed to like a lot) it was really strange to read a book written by Charlotte Brontë about a professor, named William Crimsworth, who came to BELGIUM to teach English. There was a long time I didn't even know this book existed. Until one day I discovered there's a Brontë-tour in Brussels (http://www.thebrusselsbrontegroup.org/) because Charlotte and her sister Emily visited our beautiful country with their father in 1842. They stayed in a Pensionnat for a while and that's the place where Charlotte fell in love with a Belgian professor, monsieur Heger. With this man in her mind, she wrote her first novel "The professor" (only published after her death in 1855). 

The special thing about this novel was that Charlotte inhabited the voice and consciousness of a man. In all of her later novels she writes about a female main character. Some critics believe her male perspective in this book was flawed... I wouldn't know since I'm not a man, but for me she did a pretty good job in bringing William Crimsworth to life. She gives us an image of a man with a very special character. He knows this too and doesn't deny it. On our way through the story we find an honest man who seems to write his diary. He lets us know everything he does, what he thinks, what the people around him say and/or do. This may sound boring, but I promise you: this book isn't boring AT ALL! Charlotte knows how to keep her readers interested and we can see that she has practiced writing before she began her first novel. Untill the very end of the story you don't exactly know what to expect and that's one of the things a truly loved about this book. 

Now... something on the story. William Crimsworth hasn't exactly known in his life what it feels like to have a loving family, let alone one person in your life who loves you and supports you. His parents died when he was very young and his older brother, although very rich and successful, isn't quite loving or helping either. After a failed attempt to work for his tyrinnical brother, William decides to leave for Belgium. With some help he soon finds a job as English professor in a boarding school for boys. After a while he also starts to teach English in a school for girls. It's in this last school he meets the directress, miss Zoraïde Reuter, and falls in love with her. She seems to answer his love, but soon he finds out that things aren't always what they seem to be. Miss Zoraïde only saw him as a distraction and is secretly engaged to the director of the boys school where Crimsworth also works. 

This is a moment in the book where Charlotte really captures the feelings and thoughts of our main character. We can see him develop from a state of disappointment to a state of anger and finally to a new state of being in love. Indeed William falls for one of his students. Luckily this student isn't just one of the minor girls he tries to teach English, but a colleague who wanted to improve her English, Frances Henri. I'm not going to elaborate about this beautiful moment in Crimsworths live. You just need to read for yourself how William and his beloved student are being torn appart but finally find each other back.

If I have to find one thing I didn't like about this book, it's the fact Charlotte seems to find Belgians ugly and stupid. She grabs every opportunity to say something bad about the Flemish boys and girls in Crimsworths classes... Meuh! ;)

A thing a liked was that Charlotte Brontë used a lot of French in this novel. It just makes it a little bit more "real".

Review "Lessons from the gypsy camp"

Some information

Title: Lessons from the gypsy camp

Author: Elizabeth Appell

Pages: 298

Genre: Coming of age

Published: 2004

Publisher: Scribes Valley Publishing Co.

My Source: the author (thank you!!)

My score on Goodreads: 5 (deserved) stars

Covertext

Young Lolly Candolin journeys into a forbidden gypsy camp, befriends many lively outcasts, and unwittingly becomes entangled in murder. Knowing who the true killer is, Lolly struggles with the decision to either speak up, thus setting an innocent man free and devastating her abusive lawyer father hell-bent on destroying the gypsies, or remain quiet and allow a terrible injustice.

My review

Wow! I truly loved this book! Though I asume it's written for younger people, I enjoyed it from the first to the last page and I always wondered what would happen next in the life of our main character, Lolly Candoline. I believe this is a book that should be translated into many languages. It's a book my younger self would have appreciated too, I'm sure of that (and I was picky when it came to books ;) ).

Before I say something about the story, I want to mention the beautiful cover! At first I saw nothing special in it, but after reading the book, I noticed some hidden messages (or I believe I did so :p ). We see a young girl stooping (don't know if this is the right verb, but I don't know another one...). It seems she's not able to stand up straight because she's suffering under the tyranny of her father. Her father is presented as a dark shadow, like he's a shadow always hanging over Lolly's life. In the other corner of this cover we see the cougar Lolly meets in the gypsy camp. This cougar is the best pronounced picture of the three items on the cover. Maybe we can interpret this as a symbol for the strong character Lolly always shows. 

That being said, I'd like to tell something about the story. It's just wonderful! "Lessons from the gypsy camp" tells us about a part of Lolly Candolines childhood. She's a young girl with everything she can possibly want in life. But her life only seems to be carefree. What most people don't know when they see her is that her mother is depressed all the time, her father is a tyrant who drinks every night untill he's completely wasted and Loly isn't accepted at school by the other girls. On top of that Lolly discovered some true friends in a gypsy camp, Cougarville, where she isn't allowed to go. Nevertheless she visits her friends often and helps them where she can (because people in the city want the gypsies to go and Lolly's father is one of those people). In defending the gypsies, Lolly denies her fater... or he believes so. This doesn't benefit their already poor relationship and problems seem to get bigger for Lolly every day. The rule her father always goes by, is that there are always consequences for everything you do in life...

When reading this book, it seems like you are Lolly. You feel with her, you go with her on her trips to the gypsy camp, you could even cry when she finds her dead cat and burries him together with her gypsy friend, Tick. You start to hate Lolly's father, Regan Candoline, with her. At the same time you feel some compassion for this lost man, just like Lolly does. This makes you understand the confussion she feels all the time. 

This book tells us more about an average family with (more than) average problems. It's a story with some lessons for younger readers and on top of that it's just an enjoyable story I recommend to everyone.

Review "The Living Room"

Some information

Title: The Living Room

Author: Bill Rofle

Pages: 155

Genre: Love Story (and more)

Published: June 2012

Publisher: Living The Dream Publications

My Source: author (thank you!)

My Score on Goodreads: 5 stars

Covertext

When success and even love are not enough, you need a miracle…

Daniel Clay has good looks, money, and a rising career as a New York investment advisor. Meanwhile, his personal life is barren of love and family. But when a distant relative dies and leaves him a house in England, Daniel embarks on a life-changing journey—toward love and his soul’s awakening.

He meets and falls in love with Claire, a children’s palliative care nurse. With her help, he opens his home and heart to comfort young patients in their final days. As Claire tends to the children in a beautiful glassed-in room overlooking the sea, Daniel prays for miracles. Just when his prayers are answered, a mysterious illness strikes him down and relentlessly drains away his life. With no hope for a cure, Daniel holds fast to a deep secret that he can never reveal. And now, he needs a miracle of his own.

My Review

Normally I really like books because of the plot or the characters I can really connect with. This time I had a different kind of feeling. I think I liked this book so much because it kept me reading. It read like a train and I wasn't able to stop the train or jump from it. 

Author Bill Rolfe writes a beautiful story for us, he once saw in a dream. A story without unnecessary elements (I like that a lot). A good story... nothing more, nothing less. A story about two people who happen to meet in somewhat strange circumstances (although... they weren't that strange... I once had a teacher who met his wife in hospital where he lay after an accident). 

In this story we meet Daniel Clay, a typical New Yorker. Work is the only thing on his mind. He doesn't have a family, he doesn't have a warm home to get back to every evening, so he just keeps on working till he drops. When Daniel inherits a cottage in England there's needed more than persuasion to get him there. Luckily his tutor at work had a big influence and almost forces him to take a break from work. Reluctantly Daniel books a ticket to Europe and there he finds the woman who can give him the family and warm nest he always missed without knowing it. 

Do not think this is an ordinary love story (hmm, can love stories be ordinary?? ;p). There's more to it... We find in Daniel a man who finally discovers what's really important in life and afterwards almost loses this newfound treasure. Will Daniel be able to keep his new love, his health and his job? Or will he have to give up on one of them? 

I recommand this book to different types of readers, but mostly to the lovers of love stories. This doesn't mean there's only one "genre" to be put on this book... Author Bill Rolfe writes in a no-nonsense kind of way which can be appreciated by lots of readers. He just keeps on writing the main plot without getting distracted, without the need to fill more pages, without the idea the readers wants more mysteries. It's just a good book and that's the reason why I think it deserves 5 stars.

Don't think I always give books 4 and 5 stars. It's not because I'm in a good mood either ;). Maybe these people just provide us readers good books and we need to thank them by giving some stars and good comment...

Also visit: http://thelivingroomstory.com/