Review: Out of Plans (The Mercenaries, #2) by Stylo Fantome (Goodreads Author)

Out of Plans by Stylo Fantome
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kick-ass heroines RULE!!!!

Yes, there will always be those helpless damsels who need rescuing by Prince Charming…and that’s okay with me! But a woman who needs no rescuing or saving and perhaps even rescue the hero….now that’s what I call cool!!!

Liliana aka Lily Brewster, the kick-ass heroine we first met in Best Laid Plans, the 1st book in Stylo Fantome’s fabulous The Mercenaries Series, is back again in the follow up book, Out of Plans. Meaner, tougher and more determined than ever to take down the bad guys responsible for her sister’s death.

After being left stranded in some exotic island in Zanzibar by Marcelle de Sant, Lily doesn’t break down into distress mode for very long. If he thinks that she will abandon her goal of taking down the Russia Mafia head honcho….he’s got it so so wrong!!! Nothing and no one will stand in her quest for justice.

She contacts Kingsley Law…yes, the gorgeous and amoral mercenary she met in Africa and persuades him to train her in all the skills required to her becoming a dangerous and skillful killer.

The scenes between these two were so funny and enjoyable. Kingsley is beyond awesome…and he knows it too!!

Marc is in for a huge surprise when he meets up with Lily again……she’s much more than the woman he first met in Africa.

” He'd once told her that she didn't have to be the person she was anymore; clearly, she'd taken it to heart. She was something entirely new.”

And if Marc wants to stay alive and well, he’d better shape up and keep out of Lily’s way or else.
Lily is not prepared to listen to Marc’s excuse of abandoning her in Africa…..he wanted to protect her!! Pleeez!!! She doesn’t need or want his protection! She’s focused on her mission of vengeance and nothing will stand in her way.

Despite the chemistry and feelings between Marc and Lily, they both try to keep things on a professional level….which of course they both find very difficult to maintain. Lily doesn’t give in too easily …she’s mad at Marc and that’s that…..

…and he will have to work hard at getting her to trust him again.
Marc just never gets it about Lily. He continues to wanting to protect her, trying to keep her away from all the badness out there…..he has no clue on how to handle a deep relationship with a woman….his feelings for Lily affect his ability to stay focused on the mission.

"You left her, remember, idiot? So stop chasing her. Treat it like a job. Like any other job." –Kingsley

Non-stop action…………fast paced……….nail biting……on the edge of your seat…….

Evil drug and human trafficking cartels, car chases, arms smuggling, gun fights in the steamy South American jungles and the streets of NYC, assassins, romance, sexy and dangerous mercenaries, blowing up cars, friendship and best of all…….a totally KICKASS heroine!!!

The banter between all of the protagonists was absolutely stunning.

It’s amazing how much I engaged with the characters in this series. I know….mercenaries, killers…..but somehow there’s something about them that makes you believe that there’s a good side to them…..how could I possibly find Damiano Ledo, arms dealer, drug lord, killer……charming and likeable…..

What a great storyline! If you want an action packed romance with the most unlikely and unique characters…..this is the series for you.

I am hoping that we will get more about these three absolutely unforgettable characters….how about Kingsley story next??? Please Ms SF!!

Oh, yes…you’re curious about Quentin Tarantino’s pic having anything to do with this book?

Okay, let me explain! I sent a message to Mr Tarantino begging him to making a movie based on this series because I really believe he would be the only director who could turn it into an AWESOME, COOL and more than FABULOUS movie ever!
Now, please tell me….do you think the expression on his face could possibly be a YES?????

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Review: After She's Gone by Lisa Jackson (Goodreads Author)

After She's Gone by Lisa Jackson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

After She’s Gone by Lisa Jackson was a bit of a disappointment for me.

The story starts off really well but one third of the way I was completely “bamboozled” by what was going on. There were so many characters and a lot of different POV’s that I lost track of who was who and what was what. And all those flashbacks and inner monologues just added to my confusion.

The main character, Cassie – I couldn’t get this woman. Her behavior was beyond bizarre and she kept doing the most unbelievable things…..so much so that I kept thinking that there was something off about her….like she was someone else and that I was being led along with all those may red herrings and when all was going to be revealed…it would be a shocker!!!
But no……….the revelation in the end was not a huge surprise because I had an idea who the baddies were very early in the story.

I couldn’t engage with any of the characters in this book.

The writing style didn’t feel like the other books written by this author. I skimmed over a lot of the pages….the story dragged and I felt it a bit too long for me.

The plot was so interesting but got bogged down by some of the things I mentioned above and too much repetition of same phrases over and over……

I have read most of this author’s books and she has remained one of my favorite romance/suspense authors but this latest offering was a letdown for me.

Oh, I did like the book cover!!!

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Review: Mistress of His Revenge (Bought by the Brazilian #1) by Chantelle Shaw

Mistress of His Revenge by Chantelle Shaw
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

MISTRESS OF HIS REVENGE by Chantelle Shaw, is the first book in Bought By the Brazilian Mini-Series.

Cruz Delgado and Sabrina Bancroft first met when she visited her father, Earl Bancroft, at his mine in South America. He was one of her father’s workers in the mine, who had been born in the favelas and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks for the aristocratic Sabrina. During this time, the two had embarked on a very torrid relationship, which ended abruptly when she returned back to her home in England.

Ten years later, Cruz is no longer the slum boy and is now a very wealthy owner of a diamond and jewellery design empire. On being told by his partner that Sabrina’s father has in his possession a map of the mine he now owns, which could save it from shutting down, he decides to contact the Earl about purchasing it.

Sabrina’s life since she last saw Cruz has changed dramatically. Her father has gone missing for over a year, all his bank accounts have been frozen and she has resorted to using her ancestral home as a venue for hire to keep it in the family. She also needs funds to pay for her younger brother’s studies.

Cruz finally finds a way to get back at Sabrina. He believes that she had thought he was not good enough for her all those years ago and his ego is still pretty shattered. So he offers her a million pounds if she pretends to be his mistress for six months and help him with being accepted by the aristocracy, of which she is very much part of.

I felt for Sabrina. A father is totally not interested in his children; she is left alone and almost penniless with no family except her younger brother, who she’s determined to do everything for.

I did find her reason for leaving Cruz all those years a bit weird. Instead of talking to him about her feelings, she keeps everything bottled up and just runs away. But then, she was quite young and inexperienced at that time.

Cruz was a bit of a twit at times and I kept thinking that I was just not going to like this guy…but he kind of grew on me towards the end.

The one thing that made the story more believable was (view spoiler)[the author didn’t make out that the heroine would spend ten years without being with another man….would any woman do that today??? The fact that she did have a relationship with another man during that time apart from Cruz didn’t bother me. And yes, would any man remain celibate for 10 years???? Of course not!!! (hide spoiler)]

Their relationship developed really well, they had a great chemistry and it was great to see the two sorting through the issues in their past and working towards building a life together again.

An enjoyable read.

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Review: Theseus Discovers His Heir (Kalliakis Crown #2) by Michelle Smart (Goodreads Author)

Theseus Discovers His Heir by Michelle Smart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

THESEUS DISCOVERS HIS HEIR by Michelle Smart is the 2nd book in her Kalliakis Crown Series about 3 Princes and brothers.

I enjoyed the 1st book in the series, Talos Claims His Virgin and was looking forward to Prince Theseus book.

Five years ago, Joanne Brookes had a torrid and steamy fling with a gorgeous Greek man, Theo Patakis, whilst on holiday on a Greek island. When she returns home, she discovers that she’s pregnant and has spent years trying, unsuccessfully, to find Theo to tell him about their son.

She’s been given an assignment to do research for the biography of King Astreus of Argon and when she meets the Prince who is in charge of the book, she’s shocked to discover that Prince Theseus is the same man she had met and known as Theo Patakis.

Theseus was not the most likable character in the beginning but as the story progressed, I did find myself warming up to him. He kind of grew on me.

I did like Joanne – she was a caring and loving person……and also the love for her cute son.

The interaction between Theseus and his father was really beautiful.

The story developed at a good pace as Theseus and Jo try to work out their issues.

I would have loved if Talos and Amalie from previous book had played a bigger part in this book.

An enjoyable read of the girl who gets her Prince!!!!

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Review: The Cost of the Forbidden by Carol Marinelli (Goodreads Author)

The Cost of the Forbidden by Carol Marinelli
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Carol Marinelli’s Irresistible Russian Tycoons Series is about four Russian orphans, who lived together in an orphanage and how their lives are connected to each other.
I enjoyed the 1st book in the series, The Price of His Redemption, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... , and I was looking forward to the next story.

The Cost of the Forbidden is the 2nd novel and tells the story of Sev Derhavin, one of the 4 orphans.

His life is now very different from the time he spent in the orphanage. He has become a very wealthy and successful businessman and ruthless to boot! He does not allow any emotions of feelings touch his heart. Having been rejected as a child and never having experienced love and family in his life, he allows nothing to stand in his way of getting anything or anyone.

Naomi Johnson is trying to reconnect with the father who had disappeared from her life when she was a small child. She has also lacked a loving family in her life.
Hired as Sev’s PA, she soon realizes that her heart will be broken again by this man who shows no feelings whatsoever for any human being. But will she be able to walk away from him when she has such deep feelings for him.

I adored these two characters. They were so endearing and likeable.

There’s a lot of passion and chemistry between them and I enjoyed the way their relationship developed. I liked that there wasn’t all that OTT drama and darkness and angst….and the way they open up to each other. I also liked some of the quirkiness’s that these two had…..Sev and his coffees!!!! Sugar one day, no sugar the next…….it’s funny that in the beginning I thought…this guy is so just not for me….but as the story progressed…I actually found myself liking him a lot.

The epilogue left me with such a warm feeling…….

This is turning out to be a really enjoyable series and looking forward to Book #3.

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Review: Faithfull by Marianne Faithfull, David Dalton

Faithfull by Marianne Faithfull
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just finished Faithfull…for the 3rd time!! And each time I am fascinated by this woman.
One of the most unique and original female singer-songwriter.

An iconic singer, actress, songwriter and trendsetter, whose career has spanned over 50 years.

First reviewed in 2012

I love this book – first read when it was first published in 1994 and for me it’s a book that I can read again and again and still be touched and astounded by this extraordinary woman’s life.

Faithfull tells her story in a candid, hard-hitting and gritty way and one of the things I really liked was that she never looked for sympathy or made excuses for her mistakes but that she was honest and not shy to admit the mistakes she made.

”When you are 18, 19, 20, you're used to being photographed all the time, in a certain way. So, the narcissism becomes almost out of control. And the way that young women are photographed, they become addicted to this feedback of the image.”

There’s so much I want to write about my feelings and perceptions about this book..but it would fill pages and pages, so I am going to keep it as short as I can.

From a gawky, vivacious, ethereal and beautiful 17-year old, she soon became part of the Swinging 60”s London, after being discovered by the Rolling Stone’s manager and recording her first single, As Tears Go By, ironically written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, reaching No 9 in the British Charts.

By the age of eighteen, she was married and had a child, toured the country with well-known English bands, began hanging out with the Rolling Stones which soon led to her much-publicized relationship with Mick Jagger , which included the famous not so true “Mars Bars” episode,

the drug busts, her attempted suicide in Australia,
losing her baby at 8 months. A muse, fashion trendsetter…..

Her spiral into a world of drugs, drink and homelessness was fast, furious and unrelenting and complete by the age of 23.
Obscurity, shooting heroin into her veins, drinking, squatting, losing her child, going days without food so she could get drugs, living in the streets was her life for the next couple of years.

I felt really sad as I read about this young woman whose life could or may have been so different and to actually experience what she did at that age.

How many people out there could ever pick themselves up from the pitiless bottom she found herself in?

One asks the question of why would a woman who was loved and loved a rock star walk away and choose the life she did for the next decade.

Yet, she was able to comeback…after being rejected by most of her friends and lovers, her family….the fact that she was able to emerged from that dark and painful period in her life is truly astounding.

And how sad it is that she is most famously known as Mick Jagger’s beautiful and drugged girlfriend and not for her own singing, song writing and acting talents. She was already a pop star before meeting the Rolling Stones, she acted as Ophelia in the movie Hamlet, she had done stage plays and yet not enough credit or recognition. Even had to fight Mick to get him to give her credit for the lyrics she wrote for the song Sister Morphine, Wild Horses…..when Marianne woke up after her six-day coma from her attempted suicide, the first words she said to Mick Jagger were…“Wild horses couldn't drag me away” and they wrote the song Wild Horses together and she never received any credit for her contribution.
Keith Richards tells us in his autobiography, Life, that Marianne was the inspiration behind many of the Rolling Stones songs and even helped Mick writing a lot of the lyrics……and to date she has never received any mention or given any credit for being the early Rolling Stones muse.

There are some fabulous parts in the book that were humorous…her sense of wit and humor comes across so well, especially when she first meets Bob Dylan at the Savoy Hotel in the 60’s,

and later when she talks to him about her album Broken English.

Life was certainly not kind to her even after her comeback there were so many set-backs and excruciating times for her. But you know what? Despite the knocks and beatings she has had in her life, she’s still around, still singing, still reading and LIVING.

I love her voice and her 1979 comeback album, Broken English, totally blew me away.

It was like listening to her talk about her life and all that despair heartbreak...I felt it I felt it... and when she does The Ballad of Lucy Jordan - is she talking about herself? And I can never forget her version of John Lennon's evocative and so hauntingly beautiful song, Working Class Hero.

Read her book and you decide if she’s a survivor – an EPIC one or not.

For me, she will always be remembered as someone who had something in her that said…DON’T GIVE UP. In her own words….

:”'Never let the buggers grind you down.'"

And hey, if you want to see this incredible and iconic performer live…..this is where she will be in 2016…..I am booking my tickets RIGHT NOW!!!!

Tue, 02 Feb Roundhouse, London, UK
Fri, 08 Jul Jardin Public, Cognac, France

Check out some amazing shots of the beautiful and talented Marianne Faithfull:
http://www.vintag.es/2011/06/beautifu...

And if you want to hear some of her music…..check it out….
https://youtu.be/S7oTqILoLns?list=RDS... as tears go by
https://youtu.be/3N_rNz2oAGA?list=RDS... working class hero

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