A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

This is the tale of a sweet burgeoning romance between two college students, Gabe and Lea.  Unique in it's style, the story is not told from Lea's perspective, nor from Gabe's.  Instead, author Sandy Hall follows her two love birds through the eyes of those around them: the waitress at the local diner, Gabe's older brother, friends and roommates, the Starbucks barista, a college professor and even the squirrel who gathers food in the quad. Through conversations with friends and observances by strangers, we get to catch snippets of their first meeting and growing attraction. Soon it seems as though everyone but Lea and Gabe can see that they belong together. The unusual telling brings a fresh look at young love and what it takes to move from first glance to first date while dealing with insecurities, course assignments and  life in general. Hall delivers a light yet interesting romance told from 14 different perspectives. some sympathetic, some hostile and others merely curious or with nothing better to do than people watch. Pure fluff, but adorable and different enough to keep readers turning those pages.

The creative writing teacher, the delivery guy, the local Starbucks baristas, his best friend, her roommate, and the squirrel in the park all have one thing in common—they believe that Gabe and Lea should get together. Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is reserved, Gabe has issues, and despite their initial mutual crush, it looks like they are never going to work things out. But somehow even when nothing is going on, something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. You'll be rooting for Gabe and Lea too, in Sandy Hall's quirky, completely original novel A Little Something Different. 

Go Figure by Jo Edwards

Ryan is not obsessing....

But she does want to lose weight. Ever since she was outted as a "fat girl" at chearleading camp in fifth grade, Ryan's been on a mission to shed more than a few pounds.

Lately she's also on the hunt for a new relationship. Now that her ex- boyfriend is a rock star - currently posing on the cover of Rolling Stone - Ryan seriously needs to move on. They haven't spoken in months, but in the magazine Noah's wearing the bracelet Ryan gave him. She can't wondering what that means...Not that she wants him back or anything.

No, Ryan's plan is to make the most of senior year. After all, she's popular, funny, a talented photographer...she's got a lot going for her. So it's not all about losing weight or gaining a boyfriend. It's about getting what she wants. And it's about time.

********

Have you ever read a book and once a few chapters in, realize that you are just to old for the story? I think I may have enjoyed this novel in junior high, but at this point, I found the characters immature and the conversations lacking. The idea was worthy but the author didn't go deep enough, throwing in family issues and character histories as written explanations rather than weaving them into the characters themselves.  From the main characters, I had expected more during their interactions: more believably, more depth.   I was especially disappointed in the best friend relationship.  There was a lot more promise to their dynamic than was explored.  A life-long friend who had shared so many of the same issues and experiences could have been used as a mirror and touchstone for Ryan.  Instead, the friend (who's name I can't even recall now) remained one dimensional and distant. Spending more time here may have given the novel some needed soul.  In the end, I found that I felt as though I had read an outline of a great story that had every opportunity to connect with its reader, but didn't take advantage of it. The lack of character growth by any of the four main characters, especially Ryan gave the story a flat and unsatisfying ending. 

A quick, easy read with relatable YA topics,  I can not recommend this title. Instead I suggest Meg Cabot's Heather Wells Mysteries which also has the larger girl, pop-star romance plot.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

'R' is a zombie. He has no name, no memories and no pulse, but he has dreams. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.

Amongst the ruins of an abandoned city, R meets a girl. Her name is Julie and she is the opposite of everything he knows - warm and bright and very much alive, she is a blast of colour in a dreary grey landscape. For reasons he can't understand, R chooses to save Julie instead of eating her, and a tense yet strangely tender relationship begins.

This has never happened before. It breaks the rules and defies logic, but R is no longer content with life in the grave. He wants to breathe again, he wants to live, and Julie wants to help him. But their grim, rotting world won't be changed without a fight...


Before reading this book, I looked on Goodreads.com for some reviews.  I caught sight of some quotes from the novel and that is was made me eager to read it.

“In my mind I am eloquent; I can climb intricate scaffolds of words to reach the highest cathedral ceilings and paint my thoughts. But when I open my mouth, everything collapses.” 

“There is no ideal world for you to wait around for. The world is always just what it is now, and it's up to you how you respond to it.” 

“We're fumbling in the dark, but at least we're in motion.” 

“There is a chasm between me and the world outside of me. A gap so wide my feelings can't cross it. By the time my screams reach the other side, they have dwindled into groans.” 

“The world that birthed that story is long gone, all its people are dead, but it continues to touch the present and future because someone cared enough about that world to keep it. To put it in words. To remember it.” 

and so many more...


My thoughts: 

The trailer for the movie also works well for the book.

46. Beauty and the Beast

There is something wonderfully pleasing about picking up a childhood favourite as an adult.  To revisit old friends and relive adventures with a fresh eye brings a sense of comfort.  While flipping through my Kobo VOX I noticed that I had a copy of Beauty and the Beast in there.  Credited to Anonymous, this was not the sing-song Disney version  - which I never really took to - but one that felt quite grown up.  With formal wording and the suggestion of emotion, I fell back into a familiar space where I could curl up in my oversized chair and, snuggled in a hand sewn quilt, allow my imagination and empathy take me into that old-world setting.  It is a place where promises are still intrinsic with honour and a good heart can triumph.

 This  version seemed to be an expansion of the one I lovingly read by Marianne Meyer. The illustrations drew me in then and today it remains my favourite visual for this tale. With soft lines and rich colours, Mercer Meyers illustrations breath life into the characters and speak more of Beauty's spirit than the words could do. I am drawn to her capacity for appreciation, shown during her days at the Beasts home for the riches in the house, the artistry of the gardens, the birds she befriends and the for the kindness and restraint she recognizes in the beast.   Meyers illustrations reflect the emotions I have when reading this story.   Usually classified as a fairytale, I have always thought of this as a love story.  A pure and honest love story. I have a mini-swoon each time I read, or even remember it.

45. Jemima J. by Jane Green

Jemima Jones is overweight. About one hundred pounds overweight. Treated like a maid by her thin and social-climbing roommates, and lorded over by the beautiful Geraldine (less talented but better paid) at the Kilburn Herald, Jemima finds that her only consolation is food. Add to this her passion for her charming, sexy, and unobtainable colleague Ben, and Jemima knows her life is in need of a serious change. When she meets Brad, an eligible California hunk, over the Internet, she has the perfect opportunity to reinvent herself-as JJ, the slim, beautiful, gym-obsessed glamour girl. But when her long-distance Romeo demands that they meet, she must conquer her food addiction to become the bone-thin model of her e-mails-no small feat. 
With a fast-paced plot that never quits and a surprise ending no reader will see coming, Jemima J is the chronicle of one woman''s quest to become the woman she''s always wanted to be, learning along the way a host of lessons about attraction, addiction, the meaning of true love, and, ultimately, who she really is.



*possible spoilers (if you look hard)
I had read this novel  in 2001 or so and had very fond memories of it.  It was my introduction to author Jane Green , who has become one of my go-to authors..sort of like comfort food for rainy days.  Revisiting it this week, I found myself surprised at how dated certain aspects were: the introduction of the internet, mention of celebrity couples Tom Cruse and Nicole Kidman  and Demi Moore and Bruce Willis as a happily married ideals, and the detailed descriptions on fashions (now outdated, even in text). 
I also noticed in this reading, the use of a voice-over narrator that had been forgotten since my last visit.  I couldn't decide if it was quirky in a soap opera way - the author talking to the reader in between first person narration by the two main characters, or annoying in that same soap opera way.
These two points aside, I still enjoyed the story.  I find my perception has changed over the years as well.  During my first reading ten years ago, I identified greatly with Jemima  and cheered her on at every turn.  This time around, my cheers were interspersed with flashes of reason and logic regarding her weight-loss regime and her evolving self-image.  On the surface  the changes she made were great fodder for the genre but I found myself impatient for Jemima to reach her epiphanies and find her equilibrium in the world.  The ending still held the satisfaction I was seeking, although this time around it felt short as I found I wanted more details between the last chapter and the epilogue.
Ten years later the heart of this book  held up for me.  I wonder how I will view it in another five or ten years?

44. What a Gentleman Wants by Caroline Linden

Marcus Reese, Duke of Essex, has spent most of his life pulling his twin brother out of trouble. An occasional thank you would suffice; instead, his resentful sibling forges his name to a marriage license and presents him with an unwanted wife. She's a vicar's widow with a mind of her own who may be the first person in Marcus's well-ordered life to make him feel. . .completely out of control.
Hannah can't help but curse her own idiocy. Dire straits have led her to the altar with a gentleman she hardly knows. Played for a fool, she's embarrassed, furious, and worse, married to an equally outraged stranger--an exasperating man who unleashes all manner of emotions in Hannah, not to mention unwanted desire. Reluctantly, she agrees to play the wife until he can sort out the mess. But the nearness of the undeniably attractive Duke and the passion in his black eyes unsettles her well-guarded heart--making her want to do so much more than "act" the role of blissful bride. . .

This was a pleasant read with well written characters, humour and all the drama and refuse-to-admit-we-have-attraction a good romance requires.  I particularly enjoyed that the female characters did not fall headlong into stereotypes of the period or genre.  They remained feminine, somewhat bound by societal rules but also had intellect, compassion and strength.  Hannah, as a vicar's widow, is able to explain some of her meeker behaviours on upbringing and her station during her first marriage yet leaves no doubt as to her true feelings and is willing to bypass propriety when warranted.  Linden writes her as a flushed out character who has a belief code that she lives by but who also has true emotions, reactions and considers    her instinctive reactions against public expectation rather than  swooning or turning to hysterics as other authors would have her do.   Marcus and David Reece are also more than stereotypes once you turn a few pages, bringing dimension to the various relationships in this novel.  The inclusion of Hannah's daughter, Molly, is handled very well.  She serves as motive for Hannah's actions and as a means to explore the personalities of several characters by way of their interactions with her.  Any good romance needs some drama to sustain it and Linden opens the story with a dramatic trickery that forces our reluctant lovers together.  She is correct in knowing that more adventure is needed later to urge the characters to their final realizations, but the sub plot concerning counterfeit money and a nefarious challenger to out hero did not fit as well as it could have.  Hinted at from the beginning, too little detail was given to the reader until the end.  It made it hard for this reader to care very much about this part of the story.  The only merit I found in this 'mystery' was in the brief interactions between brothers David and Marcus and then between  Hannah and Marcus.  I did enjoy seeing the brothers interact as a team rather than their usual adversarial relationship.  A nice Saturday read...and yes, I am curious about the continuation of the Reece family romances in What a Rogue Desires (David's story) and A Rake's Guide to Seduction (little sister Celia's story).  Perhaps I'll look one of them up some other Saturday.

41-43. Kobo romance freebie reading spree

When I first bought my Kobo Vox I rushed to take advantage of the free books available.  They generally fell into two categories: lengthy classics and Harlequin-type romances.  This weekend I decided to move some of those romances from the "to-read" shelf to the "read & done" shelf.  Here's the list:

The Bride's Baby by Liz Fielding
Mercenary and the Marriage Vow by Doreen Roberts
Perception by Angela Verdenius
Once a Cowboy by Linda Warren
Hide in Plain Sight  by Marta Perry
Dancing in the Moonlight by Raeanne Thayne
Baby Bonanza by Maureen Child
Baby, I'm Yours by Stephanie Bond
Speed Dating by Nancy Warren

Most of these titles follow the standard formula for Harlequin books: Contentious first meeting, instant lust, sudden unexpected feelings of love on her part, refusal to admit feelings on his part, numerous misunderstandings, angst, and in the final pages they actually talk, realizing they could have solved all this and got on with their lives on page 5, and happily ever after.  Sometimes this can be an enjoyable 1-2 hour long read but often I finish shaking my head and eyes sore from rolling so much. Clichés, sickly-sweet sentiment, ridiculous misunderstandings.  I find that unless there is a substantial plot to accompany the romance story I become close to infuriates with  the man-handling, controlling behaviour and refusal to have a honest conversation.

I'll add to this list the Loveswept romance: I Do by Mallory Rush a.k.a. Olivia Rupprecht.

Mostly because I don't think it deserves it's very own post.  In the case of  I Do, I fell victim to the ever popular 'replacement cover'.  Always one to be intrigued first by the book cover, I saw this and figured...why not?
After reading the book I had a suspicion so I googled the book and located THIS!




SOL--He Promised Her Forbidden Pleasures.... 

He'd nearly died in a foreign land, and in a moment of madness he'd married the woman whose letters had given him a reason to live. But when Sol Standish faced his bride for the first time, he knew he should release her from her vows. Mariah Garnet trembled when her husband stepped off the plane, wildly excited at meeting Sol, but deeply ashamed of the deception that had made her his wife.
Irresistible Temptations
Innocent, passionate, unrestrained in her hunger for the sensual gifts he offered, Mariah was a mystery Sol itched to unveil, but was her reckless courage strong enough to heal a man whose scars ran so deep? Desperate for the trust of his wanton angel, Sol demanded the truth she'd kept from the man who shared her soul. Could he make her believe he'd let no one take her from him, that she was his answered prayer
SOL is his name...and he does start out in the book thinking he actually is Sh*t .Outta .Luck.

I read this book and thought that I may injure myself from the almost constant eye-rolling.  Such cheesy lines and that old story...almost underage girl, innocent and sweet falls for older, hardened, dominating man.  I actually laughed out loud a few times over utterings such as "He realised he was the wind beneath my wings" blah blah

...okay.  All complaining and making fun aside, I admit I did read the whole thing.  In one sitting.  And it was kinda fun.  If you can embrace or even revel in the cheese factor then I Do is actually a bit of fun!

13. Viking In Love by Sandra Hill

All Lord Caedmon of Larkspur wants, after nine long months in the king's service, is a bit of peace...not five bothersome Viking princesses who invade his keep, especially not the fiery redhead, Breanne. He has half a mind to kick her tempting arse out the door...but wait...he has a much more wickedly delightful plan for this thorn in his...um, side.

Princess Breanne of Stoneheim is shocked at Larkspur's rundown condition with servants and children running wild whilst Caedmon lies abed after a night of mead and, no doubt, wanton bedsport. Breanne must endure the loathsome lout to protect her four sisters. She can hardly imagine what this knight will demand of her in return.



Fun. Witty. A humorous historical romance with feisty women, tall, strong, handsome and occasionally befuddled men. With a nice mixture of adventure, romance and comical situations, Viking in Love delivers a light afternoon away from the stresses of daily life. Sandra Hill delivers bodice ripping fun and lively characters.

"Goodbye Earl."
Excerpt from Chapter one:

Breanne's back went rigid with anger.  Truly, she would gladly kill the brute all over again for what he had done to her gentle sister.  She could only imagine what a nightmare Vana's one-year marriage had been.  If only they had left the Norselands earlier to visit her in her Saxon home!

There was a light knock on the door.

Everyone stiffened with alarm.

They must needs dispose of the body, but Breanne had no idea how they could manage the feat in a keep filled with housecarls and servants, all loyal to the beastly nobleman.  Now it was too late.

Breanne stood and motioned for Vana to step forth.  Despite her condition, Vana would have to answer.  Limping toward her, Vana stood bravely and faced the closed door.  "Who is it?"

"Rashid.  Let me in."

Five sets of shoulders sagged with relief.  Rashid was the assistant to Adam the Healer, a physician, her sister Tyra's husband.  With a snort of disgust, Tyra--who was extremely tall for a woman and very strong, having once been a warrior--jerked the door open, grabbed Rashid by the arm, and yanked him inside, shutting the door behind them.

Breanne had the good sense to lock it after them.

"What are you doing here?  Following me?" demanded Tyra, hands on hips.

"Allah be praised, it is good to see you, too, Tyra."
Rashid spoke in heavily accented English, though he still, after all these years, wore the traditional Arab garb of hooded robe with rope belt, over Saxon tunic and braies.  "Your husband asked me to follow and see what you were up to...I mean, to offer you protection in the event of..."  He slapped a hand over his heart as he noticed the nobly clad body lying in a pool of blood on the stone-flagged floor.  "For the love of a camel!  What have you done?"

"When we arrived for a visit, unannounced, we found the spineless lout beating our sister with his fists and a whip," Tyra explained.  "When I broke his whip, he came at me with a knife, which I turned on him."

They all glanced at the knife, which still protruded from
his belly.

Some of her sisters began to weep.

Oh, good gods!  Not the tears again!  Breanne stepped between Tyra and Rashid.  "It wasn't just Tyra.  We all played a part.  I for one hit him over the head with a poker when Tyra's knife thrust did not immediately fell him."

"And I kicked him when he was down," Ingrith said on a sniffle, her blue eyes sparkling with fury.  So hard was she shaking her head that strands of golden blonde hair were coming loose from her long braids.

"I kicked him, too.  In the head.  Just to make sure he was bloody well dead."  Drifa paused.  "Is he dead?"

Rashid went down on one knee and put his fingertips to a certain spot on the earl's neck.  "Dead as a fly on a cobra's tongue."

Rashid always had a way with words, especially proverbs, one of which he spouted now as he stood to his full height, wiping his hand on his robe with distaste.  "Death is a black camel that lies down at every door.  Sooner or later every man must ride the camel.  Like yon earl."

Book #1: Love Overboard by Janet Evanovich

What? Yes, yes, it is Chick-lit. Sue me. I had fun reading it. Isn’t that the point of reading? Oh, I see. You are one of those. The intellectual readers. Yes, there was a tone. I have many tones. Most are sarcastic. While I ignore you ‘lectual types, let me tell the others why I liked it.


First, it’s by Evanovich. There is nothing like one of her books to bring laughter and lightness to a stressful day. She won me over when I realized that I laugh out loud every time I read her books. If laughing truly does extend the years of your life, then Janet Evanovich has cancelled out several heart-attack burgers and years of over-indulgence in macaroons and truffles. Godiva can stay in business.


Secondly, I like the flaws of her female characters. They may be pretty and smart and sassy, but you never think that they are anyone you couldn’t pass on the street or sit next to at your condo meeting. They are not geniuses, nor models, nor Alberta Schwitzers. Like so many of her other lead characters, Stephanie is capable, clumsy, self-aware and imperfect. She falls down hills, serves burnt biscuits, has bodies dropping from her roof and can tangle verbally with the annoyingly hot looking pirate/captain.


The mary-jane possibilities are almost endless…hey, I can fall down a hill; I burn dinner regularly; once I had a dead bird on my roof and it fell off during a wind storm…okay it rolled off after the cat climbed out the window. AND, I would definitely be tangled, tongue-wise, when faced with an annoyingly hot looking yummy pirate dude. Don’t judge! I said it had been a stressful day. And pirate hot-pants was the perfect cure. It didn’t hurt that in my mind he looked a lot like Captain Tightpants either!

YUM!