Review "The Gatekeeper's Sons"

Some information

Title: The Gatekeeper's Sons

Author: Eva Pohler

Pages: 384

Published: August 2012

Publisher: Green Press/Eva Pohler

My source: the author (thank you!)

My score on Goodreads: 4 stars

Blurb

Fifteen-year-old Therese watches her parents die. While in a coma, she meets the twin sons of Hades—Hypnos, the god of sleep, and Thanatos, the god of death. She thinks she's manipulating a dream, not kissing the god of death and totally rocking his world. 

Than makes a deal with Hades and goes as a mortal to the Upperworld to try and win Therese's heart, but not all the gods are happy. Some give her gifts. Others try to kill her. 

The deal requires Therese to avenge the death of her parents. With the help of Than’s fierce and exotic sisters, the Furies, she finds herself in an arena face to face with the murderer, and only one will survive.

My review

Good book! This was my first audio book and I have to say I don't like audio books as much as I hoped I'd do. That's the reason why it took me so long to finish this book. The story was very good so that's not why I had to plough through it for months. 

In "The Gatekeeper's Sons" we meet Therese, 15 y.o., who just lost her parents in a terrible accident. The only problem is: the accident wasn't just an accident. It was a brutal murder and the person who pulled the trigger, wanted Therese to be dead too. In a way Therese would've liked this outcome better too, but the gods didn't believe she was ready to stop her life. 

The gods... in this story we are confronted with the Greek gods in all their glory. As a teacher in Greek and Latin I couldn't be thrilled more. I was frightened there would be lots of incorrect details, but I was happy to see Eva Pohler did a lot of research. Everything made sense and the whole story was poured in a beautiful whole. The gods were presented in a very good and complete way and the characters in the book were tangible, understandable, real,... The mix between gods and human beings was lovely.

After the accident Therese meets these gods very often. She even falls in love with one of the darkest gods in Greek mythology... Hades' son: Thanatos. His name means "Death", his job is to guide dead people to the underworld, the empire where his father is king. Why couldn't Therese fall for the cute boy next door? Why did she fall in love with an almost untangable god? Why is she risking her life to spend the rest of it with him in a world she doesn't know?

Beside the gods and the other characters I also liked the story. It was exciting from the beginning on! Sometimes I did believe there were otiose parts, but the main reason why I didn't like these parts was the voice reading this story. The person who did this was very good, but when you stumble upon an insipid part in a book you just start to read a little faster. With an audio book this wasn't possible and I had to listen to all these little parts in a very slow tempo. Hated it! That's why I prefer a real book instead of these audio books...

Review "Next Time Lucky"

Some information

Title: Next Time Lucky (Lessons of a Matchmaker)

Author: Siggy Buckley

Pages: 252

Published: January 2013

Publisher: Createspace

My Source: author (thank you!)

My Score on Goodreads: 4 stars

Blurb

Cherie, a professional matchmaker from Dublin, Ireland, faces the ultimate challenge when she tries to find a soul mate for herself. She surfs the risky waves of the Internet and flies around the world to adventures, disappointments and not a few surprises. Chat-rooms prove to be intoxicating, and Cherie feels like in a kid in a candystore. Among the Lotharios she encounters are recycled bachelors, breezy islands of ego, fly-by-nights, birds of paradise, commitment phobics, and the odd sex maniac. She learns the hard way that it's easy come, uneasy go at this smorgasboard of cyber-dreamboats.

Her story is an intriguing read, offering a revealing glimpse into the world of cyber romance for singles that are toying with the idea, for those who haven’t dared yet, or those who just want to compare notes. It also discloses practical advice for modern day’s mate selection through the eyes of a dating expert, both on the Internet and in the real world.

With insight and great humor, Siggy Buckley tells the sassy story of a modern woman's dilemma of being independent yet longing for coupledom.

If you are thinking about online dating or want to compare notes, this book is a must.

My review

Well, this was something different from what I normally read... But I liked it! 

In "Next Time Lucky" we meet Cherie, a German woman who lives in Ireland. She's at a point in her life where she's looking out for something more. She feels lonely after her divorce and a break-up. Her children are learning how to fly on their own and Cherie has the feeling she's left alone. This is extra hard when your job is to match couples and find "the one" for your clients. How is it possible Cherie can't find the man of her dreams while she's a professional matchmaker? 

Luckily Cherie isn't the kind of person who just sits there and waits for something to happen. She takes control of the situation and starts to fly around in the world of Internet Dating. Something new for her since she's only familiar with a good old dating agency. I have to say: this woman is a brave one. She starts making appointments and going on dates with total strangers. She even travels the world for them. 

Cherie gets to know nice men but she also meets creeps or very strange persons with serious problems. Even these experiences don't make her stop her quest for the man of her life. She always hopes that next time, she'll be lucky... And as a reader you hope with her!

Though this wasn't the kind of book I would normally pick up to read, I have to say I enjoyed it. It was the perfect holiday read for me but I assume it's a good book whenever you read it. Cherie is a character you can really connect with, even though she doesn't always do sensible things. Her courage to meet these unknown men is something I don't get at all. I wouldn't be able to meet another stranger after a bad experience with one. Cherie keeps hoping and in that way I envy her! 

This book was funny, confronting and warning at the same time. Sometimes Cherie tends to see things black and white, but this gave a funny touch to the book. 

I do think that people who wanted to join the internet dating community will think twice after reading this book. They'll see that a lot of people aren't honest on the internet and meeting with them could be dangerous. 

The writing in this book is what I liked the most. You just keep on reading without noticing how many pages you've read. The story sweeps you away and you start hoping Cherie will be "Next Time Lucky"!

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 "Of love, actors and acrobats"

Some information

Title: Of love, actors and acrobats

Author: Brie Bennett

Pages: 358

Published: August 2012

Publisher:

My source: author (thank you!)

My score on Goodreads: 4 stars

Blurb

How does a smart woman who doesn’t own a strapless dress and hasn’t had a manicure since senior prom find love in New York City? By going out on a Saturday night in sweatpants and a faded unicorn t-shirt, of course. At least, this approach seems to work for Zoe Richards, queen of bad dates and a boring job, newly thirty, and determined to turn her life around without becoming a vapid dilettante in the process.

Haunted by The Dream (true love, familial bliss, and a kickass career), Zoe turns the big 3-0 facing its antithesis. Her career? Neverending document review on a toilet plunger patent case. Familial bliss? Try coming home alone every night to a studio that could hardly fit a Keebler elf. And as for true love, that fabled nemesis of many a single woman, Zoe is a walking advertisement for why sperm banks might not be such a bad idea.

When serendipity throws Zoe into the path of Huck Gentry, dreamy star of the hit TV show Justice, Baby!, she must face all of her insecurities. Can girls with big noses who are in no danger of falling prey to anorexia win the heart of a guy like Huck? Of Love, Actors, and Acrobats is a hilarious look at what happens when you dare to be yourself and take a chance on love. For any woman who has ever dreamed of changing her life or ever struggled with why things just don’t seem to come together, Zoe’s antics provide an opportunity to laugh about the crazy double standards women today face in pursuit of the perfect life.

My review

Sometimes it just takes me a (long) while to start reading a book I was given for a review. I'm always honest with the authors... If they send me an e-book, it may end up in my huge pile of books and I don't know when I will get to it. To be honest I wasn't sure I was glad to stumble upon this book. I didn't know what to expect "of love, actors and acrobats". What was this book about? I hadn't read the blurb and the title didn't give away a lot. Luckily I saw the word "love" and thought "Well yeah, I can use a romantic book..." and I'm glad I could. 

"Of love, actors and acrobats" is more than a simple love story. It's a funny and recognizable love story. The main character, Zoe, is witty and says the wrong things all the time but at the same time her timing is perfect and she manages to do everything good in a bad way. She personifies a lot of girls. All the girls who aren't sure about their looks, who think they're less, who have doubts, who don't know if they'll find true love. Zoe gives those girls hope. She shows them everything is possible... as long as you believe in yourself. 

This last part is a difficult stumbling block for Zoe. When she meets the man of her dreams, Huck, she's not sure whether this is all possible for her. Isn't she too normal? Too thick? Too "everything this perfect man doesn't need or want in his life"? It appears she's not, but the hard thing for Zoe is to believe this.

In this book you see Zoe in all her glory. You see her as happy as she can be. You see her crying. You see her making jokes about everything. You see her at times she doesn't know what to say. It's a very good way to get to know this character and to note the little or big things you have in common with her.

I enjoyed this book a lot but I didn't gave it 5 stars because there where parts I thought of as a little boring. Most of the time I loved the story and the characters though, so if you ever get the chance to read it: have fun!

Review "Vic Mongol"

Some information

Title: Vic Mongol

Author: Jerry Gill

Pages: 162

Published: January 2014

Publisher: Ann\Darrow#company

My Scource: author (thank you!)

My Score on Goodreads: 2 stars 

Blurb

Since man has been man, those called wise in every generation and culture have declared that true love never dies. There must be a reason they keep saying this. 

A merciless, agonizing memory can sometimes break a person and render them incapable of facing even the commonplace without being unnerved. Then sometimes it will forge a person into something more than human, a figure of near super human ability who can take action in even the most savage of circumstances.

Victoria Custer remembered how she and the one to whom she vowed her eternal love were buried by mountains and swallowed by the sea. That painful, frightening memory from a thousand generations past has forged her into something more than she was and has emboldened her with unrelenting purpose. Now, as Vic Challenger, she will confront even the grimmest peril and will venture into situations so horrible they make the bravest of men cower and weep for their mother. Vic has embarked against all odds on an epic quest that may last a lifetime and on any day could bring violent death. She has learned from her mysterious avatar Nat-ul, even when you face the gravest of threats, you need not be brave, you just need to do what needs done, for no matter how dire the circumstances, “It’s not hard. It’s just living.”

Nothing short of death will stop Vic. And even death itself seems to have failed at least once.

It’s the Fall of 1920 and Vic Challenger and her friend Lin Li have gone to Mongolia. They thought they were prepared for anything but doom begins to hound them, in the form of Hung-hu-tzes, White Russians, and hellish creatures that stalk them from underground. This is Lin's first trip with Vic but will it also be her last? They both have to wonder how this trip will end...

Review

Writing a book isn't easy, neither is writing a review about it. Sometimes you just don't know what to think about something you've read. For me that's the case with this book "Vic Mongol". I didn't know what to expect after reading the text on the cover. I also was a little scared because it's the second book about this main character, Vic, and I haven't read the first one. Always dangerous... I read the book nevertheless and now I'm sitting here and I don't know what to write about it.

The main thing that confuses me is the fact there seem to be many little unimportant stories in this book. We have a main character who's on a sort of quest in her life. We see her leaving for a trip to the other side of the world, hoping to find the person she's looking for. The one who can make her life complete. The curiosity is that this quest always seems to be put in the second place. Vic always gets in big trouble and instead of dealing with those things as quickly as possible, she always ends up putting these trouble central in her life. Where has her quest gone? Why doesn't she put more effort in finding that important person? Her whole life is dedicated to that mysterious person, but it seems to be easy to forget about him and end up looking for the murderer of an old lady she doesn't know of getting involved in political matters in Mongolia. Most of the time this just didn't make sense to me.

Who is this "Vic"? Victoria Custer, a.k.a. Vic Challenger, is a young reporter. She loves to travel around the world, take pictures of the amazing things around her and write controversial articles about them. Vic looks like a normal girl, a girly girl even, but she's everything but that. Vic has some sort of alter ego, Nat-ul. In her dreams Vic can communicate with this girl who lived more than a thousand years ago. Everything makes her believe she once was that person and is now reincarnated in a new human being. Nat-ul was in love with Nu, the son of Nu. A great warrior who returned her love and killed the biggest wild cat in the world to show her his love. Sadly Nu was killed after a giant earthquake. The cave he hid in, collapsed and he died. Nat-ul didn't survive this earthquake either but her soul keeps on searching her lover. Her soul which lives on in Vic Challenger.

Apart from Vic we also have some other characters in the book, but we don't get to know them very well. This is one of the things I didn't like about this story. Sometimes all of our characters and the crazy situations they were in, just became a big blur. Also the frequent hunting on animals, the unbelieveable situations and the supernatural creatures made me sigh more than once. Further there were a lot of indistinct descriptions of crazy situations. 

All these things set apart, this could be a good book for people who like this writing style, this genre and this kind of stories. 

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 "Dawn at Last"

Some information

Title: Dawn at Last

Author: Lawrence Grodecki

Pages: 251 (e-book)

Published: September 2013

Publisher: Lawrence Grodecki

My Source: author (thank you!)

My Score on Goodreads: 3 stars

Covertext

A smart and sexy romance, perhaps the kind your mother doesn't want you to know? Chances are she will love it too, even though this is definitely not old school shenanigans!

Secrets deeper than the Seven Seas . . . 

Modern day Victoria, BC sets the stage for Donna Belauche, a professional intimacy counselor who keeps her client list short and her list of friends shorter. Life is far from fun and games for Donna. In her quiet time, it is not her work that brings her to the brink of madness. It’s the weight of her past – so many deep secrets – almost crushing her. Holding love at arm’s length, she pushes men away, even one who especially adores her.

"That's when she wrote in her journal, 'genuinely kind and charming,' but next to that she added 'perhaps a little dangerous…be very careful.'"

Making Dali Blush 

As she pushes love away, Donna devotes her free time to the pursuit of a different kind of passion - a hobby involving tulips, a creative exploration of women – an exploration of what some call sinful, and yet others divine. She is not alone in this project. She and her partners do it all in the name of art . . . but have they taken it all too far?

"As wonderful as it seemed, still is it even okay, or was it all just decadence? Yet such a sweet decadence, as fresh as the first drop of honey."

It's funny how it works when love's at play. 

Some say this book is controversial because of its characters - interracial relationships, unconventional pasts, and affairs between lady friends who are oblivious to the label, "lesbian romance". They see nothing unusual in any of it. For them it is just how they live. There is Ben, the house painter who will paint most anything, and a server named Sunni, with a thing for buns. Along with three others, they manage to help Donna find her way, almost in spite of themselves. They don't realize how important each is to the other, especially to Donna, as she scratches away at the ties that bind her.

Untwisting the Night Away 

The lives of these misfits twist together like vines - never knowing exactly where they will wind up. Through all the intertwining, love offers up one amusing surprise after another. Then, on one final night - three men and three ladies - everything finally comes together. Lives are changed forever . . . but for the better? How does one ever really know? At last, is it ever just about love?

My review

Hmmm difficult one... The author of this book, Lawrence Grodecki, is a great and kind person and I wish I could say that this book was great too, but it wasn't completely my kind of thing. 

The story itself was pretty good. I liked the idea and the plot development was worked out very well. In "Dawn at Last" we meet a lot of people who are connected to each other in one way or another. The thing is most of them don't know they are connected to so many people around them. The main thing that brings them all together is a secret art project hosted by Charles Lartimer. He and his two companions, Pierre and Donna, have created something like an art heaven on earth (this is how they see it). They'd like to keep it a secret because it needs to be exclusive and they sometimes do things that aren't respected by "normal" people.

It's impossible for me to give you the whole plot without giving away spoilers.

Why wasn't the story my kind of thing? I don't know. Maybe I didn't believe the characters. Sometimes they all seemed so unreal to me I couldn't see them as actual "people". Maybe all the long dialogues and descriptions started to get on my nerves. You can sense the author wants to learn us a lot of lessons. He wants to share a lot of wisdom with us, but all these things don't come across (for me that is) as he would like it. Maybe it all seemed too far-fetched at times. I just don't know. 

Some people would blame the story, but I liked the story itself. I can't blame a thing. It's just that generally the book didn't seem to please me. Did I have expectations that were too high? It's possible. 

The strange thing is that, if I can ever read the sequel, I will do it with pleasure. Though it wasn't completely my genre, I would like to know how these characters develop. Maybe they get more real once you really get to know them and once you see them grow. 

The fact I didn't like this book as much as I wanted to, shouldn't keep you from reading it. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this kind of book. I really don't know.

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).

December - Christmas: Santa Claus is coming to town!

Here I am! After a long while, I'm back with some ideas about the books I read this month! For the first time I'm on track with my Goodreads Reading Challenge and it feels good! That's all due to the Christmas themed books I read the past two weeks. I'll put them all below and I'll give a short review (really short). Can't say I disliked one of these books because they were all full of love and the Christmas spirit. That's why I will only read one more Christmas themed book after the one I'm reading now. I wouldn't want to become tired of Jingle Bells and Candy Canes... 


Spirits of Christmas by Nicky Wells
For my review on this book, just check the one below. I loved this book! It made me want to read the original "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. This is certainly a must read! Hot chocolate and cookies are needed while you read this "cozy" story! 


Be mine for Christmas by Alicia and Roy Street
This short story was really a nice read. I loved the fact is was so short but despite its shortness was able to tell a beautifull story where you really get to know the two main characters, Ellie and Reece. When Ellie struggles to find a good job and Reece offers her one at his Christmas tree farm, she doesn't know this new boss will turn out to be the man of her life. Slowly the two start to like each other and realise they don't want to go on without the other one after Christmas!


Miss Kane's Christmas by Caroline Mickelson
When I started reading this book, I didn't really know whether I would like a book about a real Santa Claus and his family. I love Christmas, but to say I believe in Christmas... That's one bridge too far. After reading a chapter however I liked this book a lot and couldn't put it down... It also is a short story, but I didn't mind it at all. There were no unnecessary parts in this book. I loved reading this one and the cover is so simple but cute! 


Jingle This by Stephanie Rowe
My God, I hated the cover on this book! It's not ugly, but it doesn't give you the impression there's a good story behind it. It looked cheap to me and I didn't have high expectations on this one. Again I was mistaken and loved this book once I started reading it. The story developed well and I liked the characters in it (the good ones that is). 


Bah, humbug! by Heather Horrocks
When I read the covertext of this book, I didn't know whether it would be a read I'd like. I tried the book anyway and look at it now! It's on my "Favorites" shelve on Goodreads which means I liked it more than a lot! In this book we meet Lexie and Kyle. Lexie is extravert, loving, caring and a mother. Kyle is introvert, doesn't know how to show love to the people around him, suffers a writer's block and feels all alone (maybe because he is all allone). When these two meet each other they don't like the other one a lot. They have a big fight over a snowman, but after that they become good friends and realise they could use someone in their life to love! 

Mistletoe and Magic 
Insanity Claus by Carolyn Hughey
The first little story in this book was really adorable. We meet Mallory who owns a Christmas shop with her sister. She's a widow with two teenage daughters, struggling to have a good relationship with her eldest. Not knowing what to do when she meets the handsome stranger A.J. Miller, she pushes him away. Luckily for her he knows she wants him as badly as he wants her, but she's afraid her eldest daughter will disapprove a new relationship after the death of her father. A.J. tries his best to win the daughters for him too and shows Mallory they can have a happily ever after together.

The gift of Magic by Gina Ardito
I'm still busy reading this book, but it's a good one so far. In this story we meet Polina, a girl with a difficult childhood. When she's 28 y.o. her mother dies and wants her to put her ashes in the family grave... in Poland... Polina hates the idea of going to Krakow! It represents everything her mother stood for, everything she hated in het mother. Magic, the idea of romance, love,... What Polina didn't expect was that she would find the magic and romance over there for herself... Maybe it's even love... But will she admit that??

Voila, now you have an idea of what I've been reading this month so far. I loved all these little books! Again, I can't let you go without a Christmas song! Enjoy! Greatings from Santa Claus and me! 

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 "The Great Gatsby" - short

Some information

Title: The Great Gatsby

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Pages: 122

Genre: Classics, historical fiction

Published: 1993

Publisher: Wordsworth Editions ltd.

My Scource: Boekenfestijn Gent

My score on Goodreads: 3 stars

Covertext

Generally considered to be F. Scott Fitzgerald's finest novel, The Great Gatsby is a consummate summary of the 'roaring twenties' and a devastating exposé of the shallowness of the 'Jazz Age'. Through the narration of Nick Carraway, the reader is taken into the superficially glittering world of the mansions which lined the Long Island shore in the 1920's, to encounter Nick's cousin Daisy, her brash but wealthy husband Tom Buchanan, Jay Gatsby and the dark mystery which surrounds him.

The Great Gatsby is an undisputed classic of American literature from the period following the First World War, and is one of the great novels of the twentieth century.

My (short) review

Well, I'm glad I read this book! Still, because I want to write honest reviews, I have to say I didn't like it that much... I don't know why it wasn't my thing. Everybody else seems to believe this is a great book, well written, a good story,... I thought it was well written, but the story just wasn't for me. Those hollow characters and their hollow deeds probably have some depth, but I couldn't find it. I think that if I would have read this book at uni for some classes, I would have appreciated it more. I like it when there are different levels in a book, when you can link a lot of items to each other. This time I just wanted a book to relax, so I didn't jump into this book. Nevertheless I'm curious about the movie and still want to see it!

Review "The love of a cowboy" - Mini

Some information

Title: The love of a cowboy

Author: Anna Jeffrey

Pages: 368

Genre: Romance

Published: July 2003

Publisher: Onyx

My Source: Amazon

My score on Goodreads: 4 stars

Covertext

In this exquisite and sensual debut, Anna Jeffrey takes us to Callister, Idaho, where one woman discovers the love of a cowboy--and a passion as powerful and untamed as the rugged land they share...

Texas beauty Dahlia Montgomery isn't looking for trouble when she agrees to spend the summer with her best friend in Callister, Idaho. But the young widow's dreams of tranquility are shattered when she encounters Luke McRae--a long, lean cowboy who'd like to charm Dahlia into his bed. With his devastating smile and sinful swagger, Luke is something of a legend in these parts. Even though the last thing Dahlia needs is to fall for a man who's sworn off love and marriage, she finds it impossible to resist his sexy charm. But when one sultry night turns into another, she starts to believe that love--whether or not you trust in it--can happen when you least expect it...

My Review

Why do I like cowboys so much? I really don't have an idea... When I was younger I just LOVED to watch McLeod's Daughters. I still have all the seasons on DVD in my room and I'm planning to watch all the episodes again. I love ranches, cowboys, horses, ... although I don't have one of those elements around me in everyday life. Maybe that's why I like them so much. ;)

I liked this book by Anna Jeffrey about a woman who falls in love with a stubborn cowboy, Luke. It's a very typical story and that's the reason why I only gave 4 stars. You just know how it will all end, but that's also part of the fun. 

A sidenote: sometimes the story was very slow. You know what will happen next, but it doesn't seem to come. I don't like waiting for things I already know will happen. The book could be 50 pages shorter without a problem. But that's just a little thing I didn't like. It was a good read for lovers of chicklit and cowboys, nothing less, nothing more.

I know this is in Australia, but just because I love it: a little bit of McLeod's Daughters for you :D 

Enjoy!