A Kiss in Time

A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn
rating 8/10

Talia fell under a spell . . . . Jack broke the curse.



I was told to beware the accursed spindle, but it was so enchanting, so hypnotic. . . .


I was looking for a little adventure the day I ditched my tour group. But finding a comatose town, with a hot-looking chick asleep in it, was so not what I had in mind.


I awakened in the same place but in another time—to a stranger's soft kiss.

I couldn't help kissing her. Sometimes you just have to kiss someone. I didn't know this would happen.


Now I am in dire trouble because my father, the king, says I have brought ruin upon our country. I have no choice but to run away with this commoner!


Now I'm stuck with a bratty princess and a trunk full of her jewels. . . . The good news: My parents will freak!


Think you have dating issues? Try locking lips with a snoozing stunner who turns out to be 316 years old. Can a kiss transcend all—even time?

In one word:
entertaining

To start off, let me just say that this is possibly one of the cheesiest books I've read so far. Right on up there with Beastly.


Now that I've said that, let me also just say that this is also a totally awesome book. Right on up there with Beastly.

Other than the cheese factor, I really enjoyed this book. It was a really fun read. It switches off between characters, Jack and Talia. They were both pretty enjoyable characters. Talia was a little stuck up in the beggining, but this is how it's supposed to be. As the story goes along though, I really started liking her more and more. Jack was pretty likable, too.

The story moved pretty fast for the most part. It's the type of book you read in one sitting. I really couldn't put it down; it was addicting. The writing was very good, especially from going from Talia, who spoke very old fashioned and now found herself in the 21-centry, to Jack, who is the typical American teenager. As Talia spent more time in the new world, she started speaking more like, but she always kept that old-fashioned tome to her.

All in all, A Kiss in Time is very well-written and a good read. In my opinion, it's the perfect modern fairy tell. Also, like I said before, it was super-cheesey, but this factor made the book what it was.

2010 A to Z Challenge

This year I'm signing up for the A to Z challenge. I'll be doing both the title and author and read 52 books.

To sign up click here

A-Z Titles

A-

All Unquiet Things

B-

Body Finder, the

C-

Chasing Brooklyn

D-

Dust of 100 Dogs, the

E-

Eigth Grade Bites

F-

Fallen

G-

Gone

H-

Heavenly

I-

Iron King, the

J-

Jekel Loves Hyde

K-

L-

Lonely Hearts Club, The

M-

Mark, the

N -

Need

O-

O, Juliet

P-

Pretty Dead

Q-

Queen of Secrets

R-

Read my Lips

S-

Secrets of Peaches, the

T-

Tangled

U-

V-

Vison in White

W-

Wintergirls

X-

Y-

Z-

A-z Authors

A-

Anderson, Jodi Lynn

Anderson, Laurie Halse

B-

Brooks, Kevin

C-

D-

Derting, Kimberly

Despian, Bree

E-

F-

Fitzpatrick, Becca

Friedman, Aimee

G-

H-

I-

J-

K-

King, A.S.

Kate, Lauren

Klause, Annette Curtis

L-

Laurens, Jennifer

Livingston, Lesley

Leroe, ellen W.

M-

Mackler, Carolyn

Maxwell, Robin

McMann, Lisa

N-

Nadol, Jen

O-

P-

Q-

R-

Rowen, Michelle

S-

Schroeder, Lisa

Summers, courtney

Selfors, Suzanne

Sparks, Nicholas

T-

U-

V-

W-

X-

Y-

Z-

The Espressologist

The Espressologist by Kristina Springer
rating 8/10

What's your drink of choice?


Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you're lots of fun and a bit sassy.


Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life.


Or perhaps it's a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie.


Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it's not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane's Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She's the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right?

The Espressologist was a great light, fast read. It was very entertaining. It was also, for the most part, very unique. The entire time I was reading it I had a craving to go to the nearest coffee shop, and I did at one point.
Anyway. The characters in this book were very interesting. None of them were very deep. They were also forgettable. Jane was very likable, though. She could be a little serious sometimes. Not that this was a problem or anything. It was also hard to relate to her, at least for me.
The Espressologist is a very cute, light read. It's the perfect it's-a-blizzard-outside-curl-up-with-a-good-book-in-front-of-the-fireplace-with-a-cup-of-hot-cocoa kind of book. I really enjoyed it.

In My Mailbox (11)

In My Mailbox was created by The Story Siren

Airhead- Emerson Watts, 16 and female, loves playing video games, hanging out with her best friend, Christopher, and has made peace with her less-than-supermodel-esque looks. But when she's involved in a mysterious accident, she wakes up to find she's now in the body of...a supermodel. Who was behind this switch? What was the motive? And how can she get Christopher to realize she's still the same person inside?

Good Girls- Audrey Porter is a "good girl" -- a good student, a great daughter, a fab friend. She's also the last person anyone expects to be hanging out with Luke DeSalvio, the hottest guy at Audrey's school. But Luke is a liar, a player, a dream, and Audrey knows it. She dumps him at her friend's Halloween party with no intention of looking back. But everyone else is looking -- looking at a mysterious and humiliating photograph that has popped up on their cell phones and computers. But who took it? And why? And how will she ever live it down?

 
 
 
 
 
 

The Secrets of Peaches- Last summer, three very different girls --- wild Murphy, perfect Leeda, and shy Birdie --- etched their initials on a Magnolia tree at Darlington Peach Orchard to symbolize that they're friendship will last forever. But can it survive the less-than-peachy year ahead?


Murphy, more in love with Rex than ever, is torn between her big-city dreams and following her heart . . . all the way across the railroad tracks and into Rex's arms.

Leeda, nominated to be Bridgewater's Pecan Queen, basks in the rose-scented glow of her Ice Queen mother's sudden affection --- until her sister, the princess, returns.

Birdie, happy for the first time, wants nothing more than to make time stand still. Too bad everything is changing, whether she likes it or not.

What did you get this week?

Liar

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

rating 6/10

Micah will freely admit that she’s a compulsive liar, but that may be the one honest thing she’ll ever tell you. Over the years she’s duped her classmates, her teachers, and even her parents, and she’s always managed to stay one step ahead of her lies. That is, until her boyfriend dies under brutal circumstances and her dishonesty begins to catch up with her. But is it possible to tell the truth when lying comes as naturally as breathing? Taking readers deep into the psyche of a young woman who will say just about anything to convince them—and herself—that she’s finally come clean, Liar is a bone-chilling thriller that will have readers see-sawing between truths and lies right up to the end. Honestly.


*This review contains spoilers!*

I know there is a lot of people who liked this book, but I just didn't get into it. Every time I thought it was starting to get better, it ended up not.

There was so much to this book. I loved the idea of the main character being a pathalogical liar and not being able to trust her. It was something different that I've never read before. As it was, though, it just didn't work for me. The first part of the book was everything I expected, and that's a good thing. But when I got to the middle it just went down hill from there. It wouldn't have been that bad but then werewolves were just thrown in there. When I read this I thought "what the hell, where did that come from?" Then all after this I kept expecting Micah to come out and say she lied about this just like some of the other things. But she didn't. The whole werewolf thing didn't fit and yet it took up more than half the book.

Even though I don't like it,  I think you should try it anyway since it seems to have created some buzz. There are some people who like it.

Intertwined

Intertwined by Gena Showalter
rating 8/10

 There’s something about the new guy at Crossroads High . . .


Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:


One can time-travel.


One can raise the dead.


One can tell the future.


And one can possess another human.


With no other family and a life spent in and out of institutions, Aden and the souls have become friends. But now, they’re causing him all kinds of trouble.

Like, he’ll blink and suddenly he’s a younger Aden, reliving the past. One wrong move, and he’ll change the future. Or, he’ll walk past a total stranger and know how and when she’s going to die.

He’s so over it. All he wants is peace.

And then he meets a girl who quiets the voices. Well, for as long as he’s with her. Why? Mary Ann Gray is his total opposite. He’s a loner; she has friends. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks; she tries to make everyone happy. And while he attracts the paranormal, she repels it. For her sake, he should stay away. But it’s too late. . .

Somehow, they share an inexplicable bond of friendship. A bond about to be tested by a werewolf shape-shifter who wants Mary Ann for his own and a vampire princess Aden can’t resist. Two romances, both forbidden. . . doomed. Still, the four will enter a dark underworld of intrigue and danger. . . but not everyone will come out alive. . .

I must say, Intertwined wasn't as good as I thought it would be. I'm not saying it was bad, just not like I expected.
If you're a fantasy/ paranormal fanatic, you should read this book. From vampires and werewolves to fairies and witches to so much more, it's got it all. I'ts also go some action, suspense and mystery thrown in there, too. It may be a long book, but it's a pretty fast read. The suspense keeps you into it so you must know what happens next.
I think the main reason I didn't like this book as much as I thought was because of the romance. I was expecting a lot more out of it. Neither of the relationships were very good, I thought. They both moved too fast and weren't very real. When I first looked at this book, I was expecting most of it to be about the romance, but as it was, it's just not a very big part of this book.
Even through this, though, it was still very good. The writing was good and the plot harly ever got slow.

In My Mailbox (10)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren

~Liar- Justine Larbolestier

~Art Geeks and Prom Queens- Alyson Noel

~The Espressologist- Kristina Springer

~Avalon High- Meg Cabot
~As You Wish- Jackson Pearce
~Intertwined- Gena Showalter

So that's all that I got this week. What did you get?

Nothing Like You

Nothing Like You by Laura Strasnick
rating 8/10

When Holly loses her virginity to Paul, a guy she barely knows, she assumes their encounter is a one-night stand. After all, Paul is too popular to even be speaking to Holly, and he happens to have a long-term girlfriend, Saskia. But ever since Holly’s mom died six months ago, Holly has been numb to the world, and she’s getting desperate to feel something, anything—so when Paul keeps pursuing her, Holly relents. Paul’s kisses are a welcome diversion, and it’s nice to feel like the kind of girl that a guy like Paul would choose.


But things aren’t so simple with Saskia around. Paul’s real girlfriend is willowy and perfect… and nothing like Holly. To make matters worse, she and Holly are becoming friends. Suddenly the consequences of Holly’s choices are all too real, and Holly stands to lose more than she ever realized she had.

Nothing Like You was in no way as light a read as I thought it would be. That's what I thought when I first picked it up, that it would just be a quick, light read. But from the begging I found out I was wrong.
Holly was a good character...sometimes. From the start it was easy to feel bad for her. She had this kind of depressed feeling to her. At least thats what I got. But as the story went on, she would just make me so irritated. Just all the stuff that she would do. But even through that all, there was still some sympathy that I felt toward her.
Nothing Like You had a very good plot and the writing was good as well. It hardly ever got boring or slow. It's not very long, so it was a quick read, but like I said before, not very light. The ending was what was to be expected. There was no real happy ending. I won't give away any spoilers, though. I can't wait to see what other books Laura Strasnick comes out with.

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate
rating: 8/10


A steamy Southern beauty makes one fatal mistake


Natalie Hargrove would kill to be her high school’s Palmetto Princess. But her boyfriend Mike King doesn’t share her dream and risks losing the honor of Palmetto Prince to Natalie’s nemesis, Justin Balmer. So she convinces Mike to help play a prank on Justin. . . one that goes terribly wrong. They tie him to the front of the church after a party—when they arrive the next morning, Justin is dead.

From blackmail to buried desire, dark secrets to darker deeds, Natalie unravels. She never should’ve messed with fate. Fate is the one thing more twisted than Natalie Hargrove.


The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove was interesting to say the least. It was full of twists and turns and very unpredictable at times.

The main problem I had with this book was the main character, Natalie. She was way too selfish and egocentric, not to mention obsessed with winning the crown. Not only was she this way, but the characterization just wasn't good. All the characters were very one-dimensional.

While I didn't like the characters so much, I loved the plot. It was so dark and twisted. For the most part it was fast-paced, and rarely got slow. I loved the ending, too. It was so unexpected and very currupt. All in all, the plot made up for the characters. It was a good read and very captivating.

In My Mailbox (9)

Bought:
   ~Leaving Paradise- Simone Elkeles

Borrowed:
   ~The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove- Lauren Kate (ARC Tours)
   ~Perfect Chemistry- Simone Elkeles

Romance Reading Challenge 2010

So this year I'll be participating in the Romance Reading Challenge over at The Royal Reviews. I, for one, love reading romances and will probably fall under the obssesive catagory.


Challenge Guidlines:
1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate. To participate click here.

--Non-Bloggers: Include your information in the comment section.



2. There are four levels:



-- Curious – Read 3 Romance Fiction novels.



-- Fascinated – Read 6 Romance Fiction novels.



-- Addicted – Read 12 Romance Fiction novels.



-- Obsessed – Read 20 Romance Fiction novels.



3. Any book format counts.



4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.



5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010. Only books started on January 1st count towards this challenge.



6. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to the post about the Romance Reading Challenge. Include the URL so that other participants can find join in and read your reviews and post.