Book Review : The Witch of Primrose Hill by C J Wright

Title : The Witch of Primrose Hill
Author : C J Wright


After a teenager mysteriously disappears in the quiet town of Rantom Gallow, twelve-year-old Daniel believes Mrs Harris, an old lady living in Primrose Hill, is a witch responsible for this and with the help of friends and his brother, he's determined to prove that he is right. Is he really? If so, he must hurry before he becomes the next victim...


I felt young again while reading this amazing book. It brought back great memories of me reading stories for young teens about witches, ghosts and other things going bump in the night. The Witch of Primrose Hill is the kind of book I eagerly wanted to read when I was around twelve years old and wanted a good scary story (but not too scary!) to read before going to bed.


As soon as I started reading The Witch of Primrose Hill, I knew I was in for a great ride and I wasn't wrong. This book would be perfect for young teens but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. I think everyone can love this book, even adults.


A great mystery book that keeps you entertained until the very last page while giving you a bit of chills along the way.


4 stars!

Review : Heaven Falls by Winslow Eliot

Title : Heaven Falls
Author : Winslow Eliot
For more information: Visit Winslow's website here

From Goodreads :

Billionaires, politicians, and celebrities flock to indulge in the ultimate luxury of Heaven Falls, the world's most elite health resort. But they also flock to Heaven Falls for another reason... "You CAN buy love," says the Heaven Falls brochure. "Don't let anyone say that you can't." Heaven Falls offers something unique: the thrill of a romantic interlude. Romance with a complete stranger - romance that feeds the hungry heart and nurtures the soul. The ecstasy of falling in love comes with no strings attached, no misunderstandings... Sounds pretty good? Single mother, unemployed Tess thinks so. Especially when the owners of the resort invite her and her ten-year-old daughter to move there. Not only that, but, once there, she is guaranteed a job, a home, and a lifetime of financial security. And before long, she herself is falling in love. But Heaven Falls is not heaven, and soon her world begins to crumble. She has no one to turn to for help... except for the man who betrayed her.

Tess is a single mother struggling to make ends meet. Her job doesn't pay nearly enough for her and her ten year old daughter, Freya. A psychic tells her she'll go on a journey, meet a handsome stranger and inherit a fortune. Never would've she thought she was about to experience the adventure of a lifetime...

Her ex-lover and father of her child, Max, died in a car accident. Tess has never met his family until his brother arrives and turns Tess and her daughter's life around : he invites her to move and work at the world-renowned health resort, Heaven Falls where one can also buy love and romance while getting a spa treatment. Soon, she starts questioning the family's motives. Why do they absolutely want her to stay and work there? Are they hiding anything from her?

As family secrets are revealed, Tess starts fearing for her and her daughters life. Who can she trust?

This in a beautifully written story that got me hooked from the very first page. I fell in love with the main character, Tess and her daughter. I felt like I was one of the "sweethearts" (in the book, the clients are called sweethearts while the employees are the darlings) experiencing the luxury of Heaven Falls.

The suspense was great. I just had to keep reading to find out what was going on and why the family was acting strange. I found myself saying "just one more chapter" but ended up reading for hours. You definitely need to start this book when you actually have time to read because you won't be able to put it down. I could never have guessed how the story was going to unfold. I was truly left surprised.

I can honestly say that reading this book was one thrilling ride. A page-turner that kept me reading for hours at a time! I finished this 372 page book in less than two days, that's how amazing it was.

This is my first time reading a book by the lovely Winslow and it sure won't be my last. This one might even go in my pile of books to re-read. :)

I give this book :

5 stars!!

Teaser Tuesday : The 5th Horseman by James Patterson

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


Title: The 5th Horseman
Author : James Patterson

"I'm fairly sure every one of you has suffered the loss of a loved one, and you know it's perfectly natural to want to blame someone." Kramer said.

"You suffer, you get mad, and, eventually, you turn anger into good by remembering the good times you shared with this person."

What are you all reading this week?

Author of the week : Claude Bouchard!

This week, the "Author of the week" is a talented, brilliant, and funny Canadian author I had the chance to "meet" on Twitter : Claude Bouchard.



Here's a little information about Claude taken on his website :

I was born in 1961 in Montreal, Canada, where I still reside. I occupy much of my leisure time with my oil paints and watercolours, my guitars, travel, reading and writing.

Educated and experienced in management, mainly human resources, I have had many opportunities to write in my career, from simple memos to training and other manuals. I have also always immensely enjoyed reading, usually in the fiction/crime/suspense/thriller genres. Names such as Patterson, Connelly, Crais and Kellerman (and many others) fill my bookcases. Having read hundreds of books, I decided one day to put an idea down on paper, combining my writing talent and reading pleasure. The result was Vigilante which I wrote in 1995. This was followed by The Consultant (1996) and Mind Games (1997), both sequels. Having put my writing activities aside for a number of years, I recently reviewed and revised the above books which I have since self-published. I have just completed my fourth book, titled The Homeless Killer, which brings back the main characters of my previous works some 10 years later.

He's written four great crime-thrillers and is currently working on another project which I can't wait to read.

Here's a brief summary of Vigilante , the first book:

Summer of 96 in Montreal and a killer known as the Vigilante is on a spree, his victims, those who engage in criminal activities. Following 16 murders in 6 months, Lieutenant Dave McCall, head of Montreal's Special Homicide Task Force is without clue or lead until an electronic message is received from the assassin himself. Failure in tracing the origin of the email leads McCall to request the assistance of CSS Inc., a security firm specializing in computer and communication networks and headed by EVP and COO, Chris Barry. As murders and emails continue, the two men join forces to bring the killer to justice. But whose justice will prevail? Theirs, or the Vigilante's?

I've had the chance to read both Vigilante and The Consultant and I must say that I couldn't stop reading. You should all check those books out. You won't be disappointed!!! :)

I haven't had the chance yet to read Mind Games and The Homeless Killer but they are both on my reading list.





What are you waiting for? Hurry and go buy his books

Follow Claude on Twitter and tweet him a hello!
Check out artwork, short stories and more on his website.

Last winner of "Hidden and Imminent Dangers"

Happy Monday everyone!

It's time to randomly pick the last winner of a signed copy of "Hidden and Imminent Dangers" by D. W. Hardin. So the winner is...................



Stella



Congrats to you and all of the previous winners : Bianca, Angie, Lena and Veronica!

Thanks to everyone who entered my first giveaway and thanks to Doug, the author, who first suggested it. It's been fun!


Hope you all have a great week! :)

REVIEW : The Givenchy Code by Julie Kenner

From Goodreads:

A mind-bending code spawned from the mind of a madman...or maybe just a jealous ex.


A desperate race through the cathedrals and hotels of New York City...with a teeny bit of time for shopping, it's true.


An astonishing truth concealed for years, unveiled at last...with more than a little help from a supercute new guy.


As if a recent breakup, scrounging for rent money, and lusting after designer shoes weren't enough, Melanie Prescott starts receiving obscure codes and clues from a menacing stranger. She attempts to solve the mysteries -- enlisting the help of a tall, dark, and handsome new friend -- with high hopes for the multimillion-dollar reward guaranteed at the end (handbags, sunglasses, and shoes, oh my!). That is, if she can survive the deadly game.


My thoughts :

An Internet killing game : Play. Survive. Win comes to life. Melanie's the target and along with her assigned protector, Stryker, she must run around Manhattan (let's not forget small breaks so she can refresh her makeup!) to solve the clues in order to survive and escape the assassin.

I don't normally read a lot of chick lit but this one caught my attention. I'm a huge fan of the book The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown so I thought it would be interesting to read a code-breaking adventure with the main character, Melanie (love the name by the way!! :D) being a big fashionista.

Melanie has an undergraduate degree in math and soon she'll add a masters in history to her resume. She's no stranger to codes and ciphers. She uses her mathematical knowledge to solve clues. Unlike The Da Vinci Code, the clues in The Givinchy Code are easy to follow and understand.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would when I first picked it up. It's definitely a page-turner with a hint of humor and lots of fashion. This is a book that would be perfect to bring on a vacation at the beach or simply to read on a stormy and rainy day.

I give this book:

5 stars!!!

REVIEW: Thirst No.1 by Christopher Pike

Title : Thirst No. 1: The Last Vampire, Black Blood, and Red Dice
Author : Christoper Pike
Published : August 4th 2009 by Simon Pulse
Pages : 594

Alisa isn't like the modern meaning of the word "vampire". She doesn't turn into ashes when exposed to the sun, she can wear a crucifix without cringing, her heart beats like any human, she can digest food, and the list goes on. She does feed but never does she kill. In fact, in order to live she must not make another vampire. Little does she know that that's going to change...


Alisa, a fearless and cold woman, thinks she has been the last vampire walking on Earth for five thousand years but then she gets a call from a private investigator requesting a meeting. He reveals to her that someone wants to find out more about her and her strange activities. She starts suspecting that perhaps she is not alone in this world. It turns out that Yaksha, her creator, is hunting her. Now, she must request the help of Ray, her lover, Seymour, the nerd with prophetic dreams and AIDS, FBI agent Joel, and Andy, the scientist, in order to put an end to it all.


My Thoughts :


The book has a nice twist on the vampire legends we're used too. It's great to have something different than the vampires fearing garlic and crucifixes. I loved the idea of only having one vampire lurking around on Earth. Very original concept. I mean I haven't read that many books where a vampire carries a gun around and loves eating vegetables!


There's lots of flashbacks of Alisa's life which gives us a small history lesson at the same time. Although sometimes I did find those flashbacks a bit annoying and hard to keep up.


I would've liked to see more of Seymour in this book. He has quickly become my favorite character. He's only mentioned a few times which is not enough in my opinion.


One aspect that bothered me : the number of times Alisa has killed. She keeps saying that she doesn't kill but it's seems to be the only thing she has been doing for thousands of years and still does.


I wasn't thrilled with this book. It wasn't excellent nor was it awful. I guess we could say it was an "okay" book. I did find it hard at times to keep reading but I did. It was like a roller coaster ride : some parts I really enjoyed and others I couldn't wait to get over with.


These are all my opinions. I know there's probably some of you out there who enjoyed the book. I don't want to discourage anyone from reading it if you've been eagerly waiting to pick it up.


Will I read this book again? No. Will I read Thirst No. 2 ? Maybe. I haven't decided yet. The end left me with some unanswered questions so I might pick it up.

I give this book:

3 stars

Procrastinating and expressing my anger!!!

Hello everyone!

I'm just stopping by to write a post. Is there anything better to do?? Oh...yes that's right, I have a final exam tomorrow. Well I don't feel like studying. I'm actually tired of it since that's the only thing I've been doing for the past few weeks except eating, sleeping and reading.

So here I am, procrastinating like a pro on my blog. By the way, I hope you all like the new background. I accidentally ended up with it. It's actually a combination of two different backgrounds. I think it turned out well, don't you think?

Like the title says, I'm going to express my anger. Oh I'm really angry today which rarely happens. You know the feeling when you get a package in the mail and it's a book you've been eagerly waiting to receive so you can read it, well it turns out I had an empty package in the mail today. The package had been opened sometime between when the author mailed the book and when I received it in my mailbox. I haven't seen the empty package since I'm at my apartment for the whole week, but my dad told me it wasn't opened accidentally. So there's someone out there enjoying the book that was supposed to be mine! Very frustrating!! My dad is supposed to meet the boss of the post office tomorrow. I can't wait to hear what she has to say! I'll give you guys an update tomorrow!

Until then, I have to study, study, study!

Teaser Tuesday: Thirst No.1 by Christopher Pike

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



Goodreads




I am a vampire, and that is the truth. But the modern meaning of the word vampire, the stories that have been told about creatures such as I, are not precisely true.
page 1

Winner #4 of "Hidden and Imminent Dangers"

Happy Monday everyone!!

Time to announce the fourth winner of a signed copy of "Hidden and Imminent Dangers". This week the winner is............................



Veronica


Congrats!


This giveaway will end next Monday (April 19th). So hurry and enter if you haven't.

Hope you all have a great week!

In My Mailbox

Happy Sunday everyone!

I hope you all had a great week.

Got a few books that I'm going to share with you all:



1- The Givenchy Code by Julie Kenner
2- The 5th Horseman by James Patterson
3- A signed copy of Saving Rachel by John Locke (Thanks to a contest on John's Twitter)
4- Thirst No. 1 : The Last Vampire, Black Blood, Red Dice by Christopher Pike

What did you all get?

Happy reading! :D

Winner #3

The third winner of a signed copy of the book "Hidden and Imminent Dangers" by D. W. Hardin selected at random is................






Lena



Congratulations! An email will be sent shortly.


Fourth winner next Monday!


Have a great week everyone!

In My Mailbox (3)

Happy Monday everyone!

Last week I bought more books and I hope to find more time to read with finals coming up really fast. A little update on my bookstore giftcard : I only have 1.88$ left. lol I sure know how to spend money on books! :D

Here's what I got:

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong



Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost



Seduced By His Touch by Tracy Anne Warren






**I haven't changed the Author of the week for three weeks but I'm keeping D.W Hardin until the giveaway is over (in two weeks).**

Happy reading!! :)

REVIEW : Seeing Red by Susan Crandall

Thirteen years ago, Ellis was the one and only witness to the crime involving her older cousin Laura's kidnapping and death. Ellis was able to identify the murderer by his smell. Hollis Alexander was found guilty.

Fifteen years later, Alexander is out on parole and is seeking revenge. At the same time, Nate Vance, who was once a suspect, returns in town and it doesn't take long before sparks fly between Ellis and him. Murders and roses with anonymous notes encourages Ellis and Nate to try and prove that Alexander is the man behind these crimes and that he deserves to go back behind bars. In the meantime, secrets are unveiled. What really happened that night? Was the right man convicted?

This is a suspense novel with a great touch of romance. After the murder, Nate left town and was never seen again. Not long after his arrival back fifteen years later, Ellis is attracted to the boy she used to know but she realizes quickly that he's not like she remembered him. He's a mysterious guy not wanting to reveal anything about his life but Ellis finds comfort in his presence in her home and his love. Together, will they be able to stop Alexander or whoever is responsible for those crimes and move on with their lives?

Lots of questions are raised while reading this book and it makes the reader eager to find those answers. Lots of great suspense and romance that keeps you flipping the pages for more. From from the first page to the very last, I was hooked. I was truly surprised by the ending. I thought I had all figured it out but it turns out I was wrong.

I really enjoyed this book and I will certainly add Crandall's other work to my wishlist.

4 stars

To keep old books or not, that is the question.

Today I went in the basement to look at my enormous pile of books and I realized that I'm running out of space for my books. A lot of those books I know I'm never going to read again but I can't seem to get rid of them. I still have some of the books I used to love in my teens like the famous "The Baby-sitters Club" (Oh, how I loved that series!! My favorite was Mary Ann.), "Shivers", "Goosebumps", "Sweet Valley High"... I just can't give them away or sell them in a yard sale or something. *sigh* So, I have to deal with space issues in the basement because I can't find the courage to separate myself from things.

Probably one of the reasons I have to keep my books from my youth years is because my mom never kept any of my books from when I was a kid and now, I would love to pick one up and read it again. I don't even remember the books I used to read when I was 5 or 6 years old! I would love to have a look at them now. So, I think I'm afraid that if I sell or give away my books, in a few years from now I would regret it. Maybe when I'm old and wrinkled in a nursing home I would feel like reading "Kristy’s Great Idea" or "The Girl Who Cried Monster". lol




I guess my solution is : keep everything and build a bigger house so I can have more space!!! :)












What do you guys do with your books? Keep them? Sell them?