Review: Love, Chloe by Alessandra Torre (Goodreads Author)

Love, Chloe by Alessandra Torre
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I liked the synopsis and also the good reviews I read by some of my GR friends....and of course, not forgetting that I love this author....

Love, Chloe is totally different from the other two books that I loved, Hollywood Dirt and Sex, Love, Repeat.

This was such a fun read. It had some great characters, fabulous setting...I mean...NYC...my all time favourite place to visit....and we get a peep into the world and lives of the rich and famous...what more could I ask for!!!

So, this is the story of Chloe Madison, a totally engaging character that kind of grew on me.......

In a nutshell - Chloe is having a terrible time in her life.......her parents are crooks, their assets and money frozen....leaving poor Chloe homeless and moneyless

"…the easy wealth I’d enjoyed my whole, pampered life ended faster than a Taylor Swift relationship. Our accounts were frozen, cars taken, assets seized. Including my NYC apartment."

..but wait, not all is lost...she still gets to keep her designer clothes and her JImmy Choo's!!!

No money to pay for her college tuition, to rent an apartment...she's left to take a job as a administrative assistant/dog walker and sleeping in her friend's couch.

What I admired about Chloe was her resilience....she didn't wallow in self-pity or feeling sorry for herself....she dusts herself down and moves on with getting her life...well, her new life together.

"…Maybe the cultured, confident woman I was before was just a product of my parents’ money. Maybe now, with my new life a train wreck, I would discover the real Chloe Madison. And maybe, I wouldn’t like her. "

It's a story about friendship....

"…And I really expected, in the dark parts of my soul, for them to leave me over this. For our friendship to wither away into nothing, our common ground lost. Instead, they rallied—feeding me, housing me, and distracting me in times of struggle.

They had been better friends than I deserved, our friendship turning a corner, becoming deeper through all this. I hoped, one day, I would be able to return the favour. At the very least, to become a better friend.

.. I loved the way the author used copies of instagram on top of some of the chapters...

Romance........hell, Chloe has some problems in this area....her ex...who just happens to be a zillionaire is determined to get her back...she gave him the kick when she found him canoodling some women...but old Vic is persistent!!! He goes out on all stops...delivers a Maserati to her new apartment (more about that later!), gives her a $20,000 Birkin bag, Tiffany diamond earrings......and you would think...she's going to go right back to him...after all, she can have her life of luxury back..right!!!

Wrong............she wants nothing to do with him..well, she kind of gives in once or twice...but then, she finds Carter, her apartment super...a beyond hot and sexy male...filling her head with some hot thoughts!!! Seriously, men........

It takes a while for Chloe to make a decision....of course, the right one!!!

There are some brilliant secondary characters that are well-blended into the story......like Chloe's bff's Cammie and Benta (how are these names!!!)Joey, the movie star, Nicole, her boss........and the most brilliant of them all..............

Chanel is Nicole's "baby" and Chloe's main function is to be her nanny. The scenes with this pooch as hysterical........from the first moment we're introduced...Chanel has her own bedroom and her own bed and Chloe's first job is to wait for her to wake up from her nap and then make sure precious Chanel is kept happy at all times......
Chloe has a wardrobe to die for....she's a catwalk model in demand for fashion shows....My best scene with Chanel has to be her birthday party.............I was shrieking with laughter, tears in my eyes...........

It's worth reading this book just for that scene!!!

Great dialogue...and I loved Chloe's inner monologues!!! Brilliant!!

Humorous, entertaining, witty, funny, sweet, sexy and actually quite refreshing.

Hey, did I mention that I think this story would make a fab movie!!!!

If you want to...you can see my reviews on my favourite books of AT............
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

View all my reviews

Review: Switched by N.R. Walker

Switched by N.R. Walker
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

1,5 stars

Honestly..............I didn't enjoy Switched by N R Walker..........I know...be gentle here...

because I am in the minority.........but let me give a quick rundown on why I felt MEH about this story - I am not going too deep into the plot because it has been discussed on all the previous reviews.....so just a few pointers here!!!

-Sam, Iz's best friend who becomes his lover............drove me absolutely bonkers....I was doing a lot of this whilst turning the pages...I can't remember how many times (I gave up after a while...) Sam asked Iz..........

ARE YOU OKAY?????

and again...

and again..................

...now you see why I was in a state of madness!!

-Iz.......(OMG, I hated that name!!!! Seriously!!! Call me fickle, I don't care - Israel was bad but not as naff as Iz.)..okay, Iz......hell, the guy was a whiner deluxe..........

Tears...more Tears.........Okay, I get it!! The people he thought were his real parents were so not nice to him.....I understand his pain and shock at discovering the switch........but he was more of a wet rag..I wanted him to show some gumption...........instead

OOh Sam.....I am so not okay....and of course, Sam babies him and babies him!!!!

-I didn't feel the connection between Sam and Iz...maybe friendship but more...no couldn't feel that kind of love.

-I did like the author's writing style...but further than that...can't think what!!

This was my first book by this author and it wasn't a terrible story....it's just me......and although I am not recommending it, look at the other reviews and decide for yourself. You might actually like it.

View all my reviews

Review: Royally Matched (Royally, #2) by Emma Chase (Goodreads Author)

Royally Matched by Emma Chase
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You know when you read a love story that speaks to your heart and leaves you feeling something like this????

Royally Matched, the 2nd book in Emma Chase's fabulously funny and heart-warming Royally Series was one of those books that had me on a glorious "high" from page 1 until THE END! This is Prince Henry John Edgar Thomas Pembrook's, heir to the crown of Wessco, after his brother Nicholas gave up his crown to become king for love, story

I loved the first book, Royally Screwed, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... which was totally fabulous but WOW..........Henry's story...........I beyond loved it.

By now, after so many amazing reviews that have been written, everyone knows what this story is all about.............Plain, book lover and sweet heroine............

meets up again (she and the Henry met albeit very briefly in the first book)with the wickedly charming and handsome and carefree fun, lovable and gorgeous Prince........

What a strange pair we are. The sad boy and the frightened girl.

What I loved -

The writing was sparkly, smart, witty and breezy.....I had a smile on my face the entire time I was turning each page.

The dialogue was absolutely brilliant. I was rolling on the floor with laughter a lot.

The interaction between Sarah and Henry was stunning...

“I think you might be a bully, Prince Henry.”
“Well, in grade school I did enjoy pulling on the girls’ braids. But these days I only tug on a woman’s hair in a very specific situation.” His voice drops lower. “Let me know if you’re like a demonstration.”

The build-up of Henry and Sarah's love story. There were so many sweet and funny moments ...too many to note them down here.....

The secondary characters were just as engaging........

This was a total fairytale.......

A funny, sexy, sweet and totally addictive story.

One of my favourite quotes:

“You shouldn’t be afraid of dying, Sarah—everyone does it. The only thing to be scared of is not living before you do.”

Go on, read this series if you love romance, love and a HEA!!!! And me....still thinking about the Prince and the Librarian!! And still feeling GOOD!!!

View all my reviews

Review: Sacrifice by Sharon Bolton (Goodreads Author)

Sacrifice by Sharon Bolton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sacrifice is S J Bolton's debut novel........it's a dark, terrifying and an absolutely gripping thriller that will have you hooked from the very first page.

The Story
Tora Hamilton has moved with her husband, Duncan Guthrie to the Shetland Islands, where he was born with the hope to working out the problems they are experiencing in having a baby.

When she makes a gruesome discovery the body of a young woman, with strange rune symbols carved into her flesh and her heart ripped, in the ground surrounded her home, she becomes involved in trying to solve the mystery of who she was.

Despite the warnings to leave the case to the local police, she continues with her enquiries and soon uncovers some frightening information with links to the islands folklore and legends.

Intense, fast paced with twists and turns that leave you guessing until almost the end.

What made this story really interesting was the setting and the way that the author wove the local folklore and legend into the plot.

The Characters
I found the characters easy to connect with and I particularly found Tora Hamilton, very engaging. She's a very good pediatric consultant surgeon, but she has so many insecurities about herself....she always finds herself saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and just rubs everyone around her the wrong way. Her social skills are pretty dismal...........and that just made her more human to me. I wanted her to succeed and I worried about her as she continued with her "Miss Marple" sleuthing!!

There were some interesting secondary characters like Sgt Dana Tulloch, and Tora's boss, Kenn Wickliff.

The Setting
The setting of the wild, beautiful, isolated and remote Shetland Islands,

is vividly written that you almost feel that you are there.

It also adds an sense of eeriness

and darkness which creates an atmosphere of menace and creepiness.

Overall Feeling
SACRIFICE is a spine-chilling, clever and incredible debut novel and I am definitely going to be reading more of this author's work.

View all my reviews

Review: Mists of the Serengeti by Leylah Attar (Goodreads Author)

Mists of the Serengeti by Leylah Attar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book has been on my mind long after I finished reading the last page.....something like over a week ago. I've read some good and some great books and even some incredible ones too.

But this one - Mists of the Serengeti by Leylah Attar is one of those timeless ones...a story that spoke directly to my soul. It evoked images, memories and so many emotions in me. A book that has stayed with you forever from the moment you put it down and no matter how much you try...it's like the author's words were speaking for me....

Unique. Riveting. Haunting. Lyrical

So often a scene from book pops into my head and I find myself thinking about the story over and over again.

Having read so many reviews about this book, which have given loads of information on it, I have, therefore, decided to give more of my feelings on the story. What did I experienced reading this beautiful, powerful, emotional, poignant and breath-taking story of how a tragic moment brings two broken people together, under the most extraordinary circumstances and places, who find redemption, love and healing.

WHAT WAS IT ABOUT MISTS OF THE SERENGETI THAT MADE IT SUCH AN UNIQUE EXPERIENCE FOR ME?

Beautiful and Powerful Prose: The words resonate with so many meanings.

“Sometimes we need to be jarred out of our own reality. We base so much of ourselves on other people’s perceptions of us. We live for the compliments, the approval, the applause. But what we really need is a grand, spine-chilling encounter with ourselves to believe we’re freaking magical. And that’s the best kind of believing, because no one can unsay it or take it away from you.

They evoked images, memories and so many emotions to me.

The Story: The complexity, depth, profundity and multi-layers that make you think about it again when you least expect.

“We don’t always understand the things we do. We just do them and hope we’ll feel better.”

Reminded me of some many things about life that have happened to me....

The plight of the ostracizing of a certain group of people in Tanzania as well as some of history of the Masai people, is seamlessly woven into the story and fits in without it becoming the focal point in the story.
It's a story about love, loyalty, power, loss and fighting for survival.

The characters: Sympathetic characters that you care about, that you're rooting for, that you want them to win, that you want for them to overcome the challenges in their lives.

Jack Warden, a divorced coffee farmer in Tanzania and Rodel Emmerson, schoolteacher from England. Both flawed. Both struggling with their own demons, imperfections, traumas, obsessions and the amazing way we see the internal and external changes in the conflicting situations they experience that pushes them into reaching their dreams and goals.

"This is what it looks like when you wander somewhere between sand and stardust, and meet a piece of yourself in someone else."

.
Characters that are human, real life, with their own insecurities and frailties. I adored Goma, Jack's grandmother

and Bahati, the family friend, who shines through the pages. The fragility and strength of the albino children.

The African Setting:

I loved the evocative descriptions of Tanzania and the Serengeti. I have visited both places and the author brought to life the sense of place and time so incredibly well.

The Epilogue: Sad. Raw. Totally unexpected. It just blew me away!!

I was inspired. Reminded me again that anything is possible. You can reach amazing heights even when you're thinking that all is dark around you.

For me, Mists of the Serengeti, was a masterpiece in storytelling.

I will end my review thus:

"YOU KNOW WHAT'S HEARTBREAKING?
IT'S NOT WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO YOU, OR WHEN LIFE TURNS OUT COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM
WHAT YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.

WHAT'S HEARTBREAKING IS WHEN YOU DON'T GET BACK UP, WHEN YOU DON'T CARE ENOUGH GO PICK
UP THE MILLION BROKEN PIECES OF YOU THAT ARE SCREAMING TO BE PUT BACK TOGETHER,
AND YOU JUST LIE THERE, LISTENING TO A SHATTERED CHORUS OF YOURSELF."

View all my reviews

Review: Dark Crime (Dark, #27) by Christine Feehan (Goodreads Author)

Dark Crime by Christine Feehan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I think I'm giving up on what was one of my all-time favourite paranormal series, Dark Carpathians Series by Christine Feehan.

I was so hoping that the latest addition, Dark Crime would somehow be a "keeper"......I should have known that this being book #27....it could perhaps be a rehash of the previous books!!!! And of course it was..........the only good thing was that it was a novella instead of a full length book...otherwise I would have given up halfway...which I kept wanting to do!!!

Seriously, there is nothing new in this story. The uber alpha demands total obedience from the woman, who is again, fighting baddies...He comes to the rescue and within a chapter or two...it's sex and more sex and more pages and more sex and more pages....

OOOps..got that wrong....she doesn't tell him she wants sex./....in fact, she says NO NO NO......
... But he insists!!! Demands she give him a blowjob!!! Seriously!!! And of course.........she gives in.......IDIOTA!!!!! Too stupid for me...............

I'm sorry Ms Feehan.........I have been one of your diehard fans...but your latest books have been such a letdown for me...........I'm going to give this series a rest for now.

View all my reviews

Review: Maddy's Floor (Psychic Visions, #3) by Dale Mayer (Goodreads Author)

Maddy's Floor by Dale Mayer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Maddy's Floor is the 3rd book in Dale Mayer's Psychic Visions Series and this was one book I was so looking forward to.

MD Madeleine Wagner runs a floor in a hospital for terminal patients, known as Maddy's floor, where her psychic talent helps patients get better.

When some patients died under mysterious circumstances, Detective Drew McNeil, offers to help her with the investigation. And just in case you think there's some hot romance between these two...........so not!!! I felt no connection or chemistry with these two!!

Ooh, this story dragged on and on..........Maddy, Maddy, Maddy!!!! I just couldn't engage with the characters...yes, I know, Dr Maddy is a saint!!! See, it's pushed down your throat so much that after a while...I was like........

And the stilted dialogue....and talk about monologues.........

The worst part in this book, for me, was the ending!!! Really!! Not only did it feel rushed but it made no sense to me. I suppose I could say that.......I lost the plot along the way............

Okay, I am going to read the next book in the series and hopefully it's going to get better!!!

View all my reviews

Review: A Merciful Death (Mercy Kilpatrick #1) by Kendra Elliot (Goodreads Author)

A Merciful Death by Kendra Elliot
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is my first book by this author. This is the1st book in the Mercy Kilpatrick Series and the first that I have read by this author, Kendra Elliot.

The plot dragged on a bit too much for me.....I felt bogged down with all this information about the "preppers".........hell, these are pretty weird characters........and the build up was so slow...slow. There was so much angst and secrets re: the small town people and Mercy's family.

Whilst I found Mercy Kilpatrick a difficult character to engage with, I did find the local police chief, Truman Daly a much more sympathetic character. He took his job seriously and cared about his townspeople. The romance between these two is almost nonexistent and there's a bit of a romantic interlude near the end of the book...but nothing amazing.

We are introduced to a lot of characters in this book, which is obviously to set up for future books.....I liked Eddie, Mercy's FBI partner, Rose, Mercy's sister and Kaylie, Mercy's niece.

Overall this was not a bad book and I am going to read the next book in this series and see how it progresses for me.

View all my reviews

Review: Friction by Emily Snow (Goodreads Author)

Friction by Emily Snow
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I've read a few books by this author and really like her writing so I was so looking forward to this one.

Friction by Emily Snow did nothing for me.

I didn't enjoy the story line. I didn't connect with the any of the characters. The main characters...Lucy Williams was a total pain........here's this woman supposedly with an high IQ...an high achiever....and she let's everyone walk over her...her ex, her mother, her everyone...

The hero, Jace Exley...he just bored me to death...........I found nothing exciting or sexy about him!!!

By the time I reached 60% of the story....I needed to stop right there and then...........because really.....this was so true........a den of idiots out there

PS....These are my feelings and I know that there are other readers who like it...so all I can say is ...if you want to read Friction...then do it!!

View all my reviews