What Price Love? by Stephanie Laurens

Synopsis: There is nothing more fascinating than a darkly handsome rake, especially one as controlled and elusive as Dillon Caxton, protege of Demon Cynster. Despite his dangerous air, Dillon is a man of sterling reputation, but it wasn't always so. Years ago, an illicit scheme turned into a nefarious swindle, and only the help of his cousin, Felicity, and her husband, Demon, saved Dillon from ruin. Now impeccably honest, he guards his hard-won reputation and is the Keeper of the Register of all racing horses in England. His standing and aloofness make Dillon undeniably desirable to young ladies, but despite all the lures thrown his way, he remains uninterested -- his attention unfixed.

                 Until "Miss Priscilla Dalling" erupts into his life. A stunning beauty, she affects Dillon as no other ever has, but what fascinates him even more is that this tempting young lady is clearly desperate, and equally clearly lying about wanting to see the Register to fulfill the whim of an eccentric aunt.

                 Lady Priscilla Dalloway will do anything to see what's in the Register -- even lie! Her twin brother, Russell, who had fought with their father and left the family home to work with the finest racehorses, has disappeared. Pris knows that clues to his whereabouts can be found in the tome Dillon Caxton refuses to let her see.

                 She unleashes her feminine wiles on Dillon -- to no avail. But Dillon is now determined to learn the truth behind her quest. Exploiting the powerful attraction that flares between them, he succeeds in convincing Pris to tell him all, to trust him with her twin's life. Together, Dillon and Pris locate Rus, only to discover that his life is being threatened by the perpetrators of a massive betting swindle.

                 The time is ripe for Dillon to repay old debts by helping another as he himself was helped. Assisted by Demon, Felicity, and Barnaby Adair, Dillon and Pris embark on a journey riddled with danger -- and undeniable passion -- as they seek to overturn the swindle and expose Rus's deadly enemies. And along the way they discover the answer to that age-old question: What price love?

My thoughts: this is a romance that I usually call “pastime book”. When you don’t have anything better to do and want to enjoy an adorable evening reading a romance, that’s the kind of book that I usually pick to read. However, I’m starting to see an established pattern: a beautiful couple that hates each other in the beginning, but falls in love at first sight and just realizes that by the end of the reading. The only thing that really impressed me was that this time, the man realizes first. Usually is the girl the first to discover that is in love.

                After Jane Austen came up with the base for historical romance in Pride and Prejudice, it seems that all the other novelists thought that they should follow the same road, and thus the romances lose its gentleness and became something not original. There isn’t a lot differences, except for the change of scenario and this was the first time that the romance spun around horses and jockeys. I really liked the commitment of the author in making the scenes related to the races as truthful as possible, even though I couldn’t understand much about the details since I never participated in a race like that, but it was very instructive.

                Caxton and Priscilla made a cute couple, but even before they REALLY became a couple, I sensed that Dillon had a very possessive felling towards Pris. It only became a sweet sensation, like one of caring and protection, after 2/3 of the reading. I consider the quantity and quality of the romance according to the quantity of words and gestures that I mark during the reading and this one didn’t have many.

                What I liked was the couple and their friends. Prue was a little joy: the oldest daughter of Demon and Flick Cynster, Prudence was quite a mind and is very straightforward. She reminded me of Georgia from Rescued, so I really had fun when she appeared (unfortunately, she didn’t have that many scenes). Dillon is H-A-N-D-S-O-M-E. Another thing that was kind of funny was the name of the male members of the Cynsters: Demon, Devil, Gabriel, Vane. Some were from hell and others from heaven! (O.K. I stopped already)

                Last, but not least, is the cover. It gives the air of mystery, and the girl of the cover, obviously represents Pris. The fan in front of her suggest that she is hiding something (that I won’t tell what) from the reader, and to find out, of course, you have to read it. And the red color symbolizing love and passion.

Rate:

 and a half

Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi

Synopsis: Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

                  The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

                 The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war– and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

                 Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

My thoughts: L-O-V-E-I-T! It’s beautiful, exciting, cute, adorable… everything! We are presented to Juliette, a girl with some sort of gift/curse where she can’t touch anyone. Because of that, she’s been imprisoned for more than 3 years, without ever seeing someone or even talking. Then, one beautiful day, she receives the news that she is going to have a new roommate, but instead of a girl, a super hot-cute-sweet guy named Adam shows up at her cell. She feels that she knows him, but doesn’t remember from where or when.

                Suddenly, her life takes a turn up and she finds herself free and dragged to the headquarters of The Reestablishment, where some guy named Warner has plans for her and her power.

                But she is not alone anymore, because Adam is with her. They have a past together – that I’m not telling, but I can tell that is beautiful and he is so reliable and trustful – and in order to be together, they have to fight Warner, his security, Adam’s colleagues from the army – for which he joined to find her – and the whole Reestablishment. He is immune to her touch, which make things very interesting, especially their scenes together.

                What I loved about this book are basically two things: the extremely detailed writing, telling about Juliette’s almost madness, her suffering, her desire for Adam. The author used many metaphors to express the girl’s desire for freedom. She kept imagining about a white bird with golden details that was flying away and she wished she could go with him. Sometimes I thought that she was the bird itself, after I thought that it represented her future, then Adam and so on.

                The second thing that I liked was the fact that the author is Islamic or Muslim, – I don’t know exactly which religion is the correct one – since these religions are very restricted when related to a woman’s will and voice. Although she is from California, I believe the religion’s beliefs don’t change that much. She is very creative and sensitive, her kissing scenes are very detailed, as well as the fighting, and Juliette’s thoughts are so deep that in the beginning I actually thought that I was her! Tahereh made a sensational romance, mixing X-men – [SPOILER] when Juliette finds the resistance and everyone has powers like her, it reminds me of the scene in the second movie of X-men, and Wolverine finds a place with all the mutants, that are “ruled” by Magneto – The Host from Stephanie Meyer, – when Melanie finds the hideout of the resistance, together with the guy that she likes (if I’m not mistaken) – and sci-fi.

                The only thing that I didn’t like was that, sometimes, she – Juliette – had very confusing thoughts, but I think that was all part of her madness, so I can’t actually blame her.

                The last thing that remains is the cover: very simple. Maybe too simple for me. After I finished my reading, I thought that if Juliette appeared with some rags, just showing her face and made some highlights in her eyes would be pretty cool too, like she was trying to hide herself, her powers – that she tries most of the time, except with Adam – but never forgetting who she was, what she was capable of doing, that even with her dark past, she was never going to forget about herself nor her beliefs.

Rate:

 

O Inverno das Fadas por Carolina Munhóz

Sinopse: EXISTEM PESSOAS NORMAIS em nosso planeta. Homens e mulheres simples que nascem e morrem sem deixar uma marca muito grande ou mesmo significativa na humanidade. Mas existem outros que possuem talentos inexplicáveis. Um brilho próprio capaz de tocar gerações. Como eles conseguem ter esses dons? De onde vem a inspiração para criar trabalho maravilhosos? São cantores com vozes de anjos, artistas com mãos de criadores e escritores imortais.

               Existe uma explicação para isso.

               Sophia é uma Leanan Sídhe, uma fada-amante, considerada musa para humanos talentosos. Ela é capaz de seduzir e inspirar um homem a escrever um best-seller ou criar uma canção para se tornar um hit mundial. A fada dá o poder para que a pessoa se torne uma estrela, um verdadeiro ícone, ao mesmo tempo em que se aproveita da energia do escolhido para alimentar-se.

               Causando loucura.

               E MORTE.

Minha opinião: eu gostei bastante do enredo, que possui um conteúdo muito grande com relação a fadas etc. Até então, pra mim só existiam fadas e ponto e não esse monte de subcategorias que a autora nos traz.

                Nós somos apresentados a Sophia Coldheart, uma fada-musa, que seduz suas caças de modo a conseguir a energia delas através do trabalho delas na área da arte. Normalmente seus alvos são escritores, artistas e pessoas relacionadas à área. Então quando sua próxima caça aparece na forma de William Bass, um jovem escritor com futuro promissor na pequena cidade de Keswick, Sophia já sabe da rotina. Mas algo em Will lhe afeta de uma maneira que ela nunca pensou ser possível, ainda mais sendo ela uma Leanan Sídhe: ela se apaixona por ele. William é um rapaz fofo e dedicado ao seu trabalho, que é administrar um sebo que é do pai, além de extremamente carinhoso, romântico e gentil. Ele é convocado para participar de um concurso literário e resolve escrever um romance, tendo a ajuda de Sophia, em seu inconsciente. Ela o influencia a escrever para obter energia dos seus textos. Se ela quiser que fiquem juntos, ela terá de lutar para que ele sobreviva ao seu encanto e ele terá de ser forte o suficiente para aguentar.

                Como disse, eu adorei o enredo. Ele é muito bem redigido, – pelo fato da autora ser jornalista, isso não me surpreende – mas eu o achei pouco dinâmico e um pouco cansativo de início. Só a partir da metade da obra que as coisas ficaram mais intensas e menos estáticas. Há muito poucas falas e pelo fato de ser um livro em terceira pessoa, uma quantidade maior de falas leva a um maior dinamismo que leva a uma intensidade e força de atração ao leitor muito maior. Esse foi o principal defeito e que afetou minha crítica. A autora está extremamente interada dos assuntos atuais como Tolkien, Rowling etc, e isso eu achei muito interessante por trazer o leitor a se identificar com a estória.

                E finalmente, a capa. Ela foi meu principal atrativo por dois motivos: a cena ser feita no inverno, minha estação favorita, fazendo menção ao fato de que o poder das Leanan Sídhes ser mais forte e letal durante o período; e em segundo, pela aura de misticismo dela. A capa faz realmente trazer à tona a sensação de há algo místico nos rondando, mas que não é possível ver ou sentir através dos sentidos, apenas saber que está aí. A moça da capa é a representação de Sophia, numa das cenas em que ela tenta se comunicar com o reino das Fadas, além de outras cenas em que ela aparece utilizando a mesma capa.

Nota:

Coco Chanel: Fight Against Corsets

Full name:                             Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel

Birth:                                     August 19, 1883

Place of Birth:                       Saumur, France

Death:                                    January 10, 1971

Place of Death:                      Paris, France

                Coco was born in the workhouse in the Loire Valley where her unmarried mother worked, although she asserted that she was born in Auvergne. Her mother died when she was six years old, and the young Chanel was sent to the orphanage of the Catholic monastery of Aubazine, where she learned the trade of a seamstress.

                Her abilities as a seamstress improved during her vacations with her relatives in the provincial capital of Moulins. It was during a brief stint as a singer in cafes and concert halls that Gabrielle adopted the name Coco, a nickname given to her by local soldiers who went to watch her.

                World War I led her to move to the resort town of Deauvile, where Chanel became the mistress of a rich ex-military officer and textile heir Etienne Balsan in 1908. At the age of 23, she became his mistress and moved into his chateau, where she lived for three years. It was here that she started designing and creating hats as a diversion, which then turned into a commercial venture.

                She then started a relationship with a wealthy English Industrialist called Arthur Edward 'Boy' Capel who was a friend of Balsan. The relationship lasted nine years and in 1919, the single most devastating event of her life occurred when Capel was killed in a car accident. She commissioned a roadside memorial at the site of the accident.

                During the 1920s, Coco Chanel became the first designer to create loose women's jersey, traditionally used for men's underwear, creating a relaxed style for women ignoring the stiff corseted look of the time. They soon became very popular with clients, a post-war generation of women for whom the corseted restricted clothing seemed old-fashioned and impractical. Coco Chanel's bobbed hair, bright red lips and outspoken manner also broke the mould. This smoking, outspoken woman never married -although she had relations with the English industrialist Arthur "Boy" Capel - who lent her the money to buy Rue Cambon - Igor Stravinsky and the second Duke of Westminster Hugh "Bendor" Grosvenor, the richest man in Europe.

                In 1922, she launched the fragrance Chanel No. 5 and Pierre Wertheimer became her business partner, and reputedly her lover.

                During World War II, Chanel was a nurse, although her post-war popularity was greatly diminished by her affair with a Nazi officer during the conflict and she moved to Switzerland to escape the controversy.

                Coco Chanel worked until her death in 1971 at the age of 88, spending her last moments in the style she had become accustomed to at her opulent private apartment in The Ritz.

                “Fashion fades, only style remains the same."

                "Fashion has become a joke. The designers have forgotten that there are women inside the dresses. Most women dress for men and want to be admired. But they must also be able to move, to get into a car without bursting their seams! Clothes must have a natural shape."

Rescued by Arlene Lam, Kristin N. Hamm, Dawn Austin

Synopsis: Amelia has a problem: she is set to marry a man twice her age and though she does not love him, she aims to please her domineering aunt and do what is expected of her. This changes when she meets Jordan Bradford, her handsome white employer.

A man with everything—Jordan Bradford is interested in Amelia instantly and cannot for the life of him figure out why she lets those around her treat her as they do. He is determined to make her see herself worth but never dreamed that the pretty little maid could cause him such grief. Yet as time passes and they encounter each other more it is near impossible for him to keep his hands off the brown-skinned maid.

My thoughts: Love it, love it, love it! We are presented to Amelia, a colored young woman that works as a maid at Jordan Bradford’s house, but she never really saw him since he was always traveling abroad. Amelia takes care of his little sister Georgia, a smart girl that sometimes advices Amelia.

                Unfortunately, life for her isn’t perfect. Mistreated by her aunt and set to marry an old, grumpy man, Amelia doesn’t know what is to be able to make her own choices. Until Jordan comes home. They start seeing each other, but she knows that they would never work out.

                What I liked the most is that this romance isn’t like 50 Shades of Grey, it doesn’t talk only about sex etc, it has a story. You get angry at Jordan for being blind about his feelings, you feel sorry for Amelia because she knows that they would never get together in a time when segregation and racism were very strong and common. It’s sweet and soft, romantic but not dumb; it has some sensuality in it, but it’s very subtle.

                Jordan and Amelia go through a LOT to finally understand that they love each other despite their differences. Actually, she realizes before him. He shows her that she has a voice that was meant to be heard and she showed him that he was able to love again after a tragedy in his previous marriage. A new fact turn their life upside down, as Amelia tries to hide it and Jordan finds out and get really pissed about her attitude.

                A character that really amused me was Georgia. Despite of her age, she is extremely smart and wise, sometimes wiser than the adults. She is sweet and clever, and I loved her crazy temper. Really recommend it and you can find it as ebook at goodreading.com.

 

               And last, but not least, the cover. It’s a pretty simple one with the couple together, but she seems to be trying to run away, whether is because she knows they can be together whether is because she has something to hide – feelings, etc. Their skin tone is exposed in order to show their social differences at a times of segregation – as I already said. Really liked it, but it isn’t my favorite one.

Rate:

10 Nights by Michelle Hughes and Karl Jones

Synopsis: After graduation, twenty-four-year-old Leah was determined that no man would destroy her plans for the future. Or so she thought. Her best laid plans and well-ordered life were turned head over heels after her best friend, Janie, invited her to a “coming-out” party.

One look at Rhett and all previous thoughts went straight to hell. He made an unbelievable offer to her: “Give me 10 nights and I’ll show you pleasure beyond your wildest dreams.”

Was this an invitation to paradise or would his request destroy her mind, body and soul?

From virgin to courtesan in 10 nights? Was Leah even willing to consider it?

In a game of cat and mouse in which 10 nights, 10 choices and 10 fantasies could change everything, who would declare victory?

My thoughts: Well, If I ever meet these authors I would DEFINITELY say: LESS SEX AND MORE STORY! That’s the problem of this book, besides the strong language used.

                We are presented to Leah, a twenty-four-year-old woman that just graduated and wanted a “free life”. But when her friend presents her to Rhett, she is instantly drawn to him. He offers her then 10 nights to show pleasure to her. I started reading this story because of that part, which I thought that was very creative, but when I found out that he was a sadomasochist and was planning to turn her to a sex slave, I got shocked. And got more shocked when she accepts the invitation! I mean, girl, you’re supposed to have pleasure and not him.

                As usual, the two are completely blind because they fall in love, but don’t realize it until the end of it. She gets humiliated by his plans, and she KNOWS it, but she just let it go and say that it’s all right. For God’s sake, I had to look for the dictionary to know what the hell BDSM was – and when I discovered the meaning, I got really embarrassed and I really don’t know if I would be ok if someone ordered me to do it.
                The strong language in the book really ruined it, and the fact that the authors can describe perfectly sex scenes but can’t write a normal day in Leah’s life without repeat at every page that she is curious to know what Rhett will make her do. I believe that most likely girls and women are going to read this kind of romance so you need to slow down things and relax on the cursing thing. Having pleasure for 10 days isn’t only sex, I, for an instance, have pleasure when I’m in a big hot tub with bubbles, or reading a book, or watching a movie with a guy, going out for a romantic dinner and that kind of stuff. Leah becomes a courtesan – not to say worst – and she is OK WITH THAT!

                I got really uncomfortable and was a happy when it came to the end of it.

Rate:

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit by Nahoko Uehashi

Synopsis: You've never read a fantasy novel like this one! The deep well of Japanese myth merges with the Western fantasy tradition for a novel that's as rich in place and culture as it is hard to put down.
              Balsa was a wanderer and warrior for hire. Then she rescued a boy flung into a raging river -- and at that moment, her destiny changed. Now Balsa must protect the boy -- the Prince Chagum -- on his quest to deliver the great egg of the water spirit to its source in the sea. As they travel across the land of Yogo and discover the truth about the spirit, they find themselves hunted by two deadly enemies: the egg-eating monster Rarunga . . . and the prince's own father. 

My thoughts: Nahoko Uehashi had A lot of creativity writing this one! We are presented to Balsa, a warrior for a hire, that receives the mission to protect the Second Prince of the kingdom of New Yogo. Apparently someone was trying to kill the boy, and his mother, the Second Queen, asks Balsa to protect his son. But the prince Chagum has more things about him. He is (Spoiler) the Moribito, aka the Guardian of the Spirit, and he has within him a water spirit and he has to deliver it.

                Nahoko has a very simple way of writing, almost as if it were for teenagers or child, but it’s actually quite good. She describes every scene, every thought, every character as you go through the reading, so you are able to see their differences and don’t get so confuse. What I liked most was the fact that she created a whole new world based on ours – like the empire of New Yogo, the yakoos and everything else – and because she put a women as the main character. Balsa is tough and never runs away from her responsibilities. She learns forgiveness from the boy and he learns how to BE a normal kid and to actually love someone as well. Ok, he loved his mother but most of his life he never got real contact, you know?  Another thing that I liked is the connection the author made with all the cultures she created. It kind of shows us that we are all connected and that the world moves in one single flow. It has a lot of wisdom, I have to say.

                However, nothing is perfect right? It lacked, in my opinion, a little bit of romance. I mean, Balsa and Tanda – her childhood friend – obviously have an attraction to each other, but they don’t even share a small kiss!! I get that Balsa feels the need to save eight lives in order to repay her master’s “debt” – because he killed eight people to protect her – but come on! A little kiss won’t hurt!

                About the cover, I really liked it. The way it has been drawn reminds me of an ancient Japanese painting, and Balsa looks so stunning in that cover it gave me the line of thought to imagine every fight scene with her fierce face!

Rate:

 and a half