Book Review: What the Bride Didn't Know by Kelly Hunter

Summary:

Shh…it's a secret!

Special ops expert Trig Sinclair is a man's man, and that means he knows the cardinal rule of the bro code—no matter how dynamite Lena West is, as his best friend's younger sister, she's strictly off-limits!

But when a secret mission to Istanbul sees Lena and Trig pretending to be married (and sharing a bed!), he finds himself in a whole new world of sweet torture…. But if Trig thinks playing the honor-bound hero is tough, it's got nothing on how Lena feels when she discovers what her "groom" is really hiding….

NOTE: I received the eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

When I read the summary of What the Bride Didn't Know, I was sure I'd like it. I mean, spies, romance, come on! It's bound to be good. Then I read it in what could be described as one breath and I thought "Yup. You were right to request it." The story turned out to be cute, realistic, full of passion and not too much, but enough, danger.

Writing style:
It was impeccable, fluent and captivating. It didn't take me long to finish it both because it was short and really entertaining.

Story line:
Lena and Adrian are friends from kids. Then they become colleagues, working for the government as spies. Along with Lena's brother whose name I don't remember. When a mission goes wrong and Lena suffers the consequences, she's separated from her brother. Months later, when Lena's finally ready to go look for answers, she takes Adrian with her to the Middle East. Or actually, he goes with her, no questions.
Partially covert affairs and lots of romance, this story made me laugh, had me frustrated and, at times, too flustered to even think.

Themes:
-Loving your brother's best friend could be tricky;
-Self-doubt and mental insecurity can make you weaker than any physical trauma;
-Self-control, or the lack thereof depends on the situation. Mostly, whether the girl you've been in love with for ages, is or isn't trying to seduce you.

Characters:
Not many of those. Mainly Lena and Adrian.

Lena was insecure, feeling inferior, having always thought of herself as the average among a family of geniuses. Then she got her career and at least she enjoyed it a bit. Until the accident that had her even more traumatized, she'd been lively and capable to cope. Afterwards... not so much. But she kept pushing, because she had to at least appear to be strong.
Then the head trauma both complicates the things and simplifies them at the same time. With jumbled up memories, there are no insecurities, only the feeling that the embrace of the big man, who appears to be her husband, is the only place where she feels safe.

Adrian (Trig) was the most chivalrous man I have stumbled upon in my recent reads. Strong and committed to one woman only, even if she plain refuses to see it. I admired his self-control even though I wondered why he had to restrain himself with Lena. Then of course, I'd remember that Lena had a temporary amnesia, and that made me admire him even more.

My rating is

Book Review: Unleashing Mr. Darcy by Teri Wilson

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Audience: New Adult
Publisher: Harlequin
Date of release: December 31st, 2013

NOTE: I received this eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

My first thoughts after I finished Unleashing Mr. Darcy went something along the lines Oh my! I believe I just fell in love again! And this time it's for the right Mr. Darcy!

With that said, I am adamant that Unleashing Mr. Darcy is even better than the original Austen Pride and Prejudice. So judge me! Or not. I don't care!

Usually I dread reading a favorite classic's retelling. Why? Because I end up hating them more often than not. It's sad, I know, but it's the truth. In fact, I've already read one Pride and Prejudice retelling this year and I was abysmally disappointed.

So you see, I was very tentative when requesting Unleashing Mr. Darcy. I was even more so when I started reading it, but I just couldn't pass up the chance because you know - it might just turn out to be a jewel.

Good heavens! I'm elated to say that my worries were completely in vain. Nothing about this novel was the mirror image of P&P and I just so loved that! Sure, the story line followed the original, but it had it's own quirks too. Also, all the little things that annoyed me in P&P were gone here. Like Wickam's marriage to Lidia - completely out of the story. Or his pursuit of Darcy's sister. Phew! Gone too! Or Darcy's coldness. Gosh that needed to be gone - I mean no man can be a statue, right?

I can proudly say that I was more affected by Elizabeth Scott and Donovan Darcy than Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. Why?

Well, for starters, Donovan's character was a lot more down to earth and he had his own POV chapters! That right there is a huge bonus that I just can't ignore. I mean, I don't know about you, but I've always wanted an in on Mr. Darcy's thoughts! And let me tell you, Donovan did NOT disappoint! *I can only giggle!* It was easier to know where he was coming from, why he was behaving the way he was, what drove him etc. Which is why I found him not only charming, but also completely irresistible! He was lovely, passionate, incredibly careful and considerate. I really wanted to just snatch him off the pages and keep him for myself.

Elizabeth's character was the more conceited one here. Her prejudice - as Donovan pointed out - bordered on snobbery. There were moments when I was ready to strangle her for only seeing the negativity of her situation. That facade she had going on was - to say the least - annoying. I don't know how often I was urging her to just let bygones be bygones. I mean, the past cannot be changed, but that doesn't mean you should turn your back to the future too, right? Other than that, Elizabeth was strong. She followed her heart to the best of her abilities, and even managed to make friends far away from home.

If you're a Jane Austen fan, I suggest you don't pass up this opportunity. I'm sure you'll love Unleashing Mr. Darcy as much as I did!

My rating is

Book Review: Popping the Cherry by Aurelia B. Rowl

NOTE: I received the book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

When I read the premise of Popping the Cherry, I thought "Man, this sounds so good! So new and different!" It turned out to be just that - a fresh NA romance story, that had nothing to do with the usual, too cliched 'girl meets guy at college and they hook up right away' crap. No.

Unfortunately, there was another problem that bothered me out of my wits, and consequently lowered my rating. It was the writing style. I know this is too subjective to even matter to the majority of readers out there, but I just couldn't submerge myself in the story because of the way it was written. It wasn't the catch-your-attention-and-keep-it-till-the-end kind of thing. I was largely distracted a lot of the time, and with a hand over my heart I confess - I had to skim over the pages to keep reading. On numerous occasions.

There's nothing I hate about books more than not being able to keep my attention to the page. I mean, badly written books have me dnf-ing them almost right away, so I don't waste time on them. But books with potential, which turn poor somewhere around the middle... gosh! They infuriate me! I'm not saying you'll experience the same problem, but... keep it in mind.

Anyway, the summary of Popping the Cherry had me hooked, so I gave it a try. And I was sort of happy I did, even if it didn't totally win me.

So, Popping the Cherry is a book about Valentina (Lena) - a college student who is still a virgin. (Congrats for this by the way!) However, this is the very reason why she can't keep a boyfriend for more than several months. Her friends decide to take the matter in their own hands and make her a list of candidates to 'pop' her cherry. Lena's surprised to say the least. Then she decides to give it a try and that unleashes a whole bag of trouble. She meets new guys, and some old ones, but who will be the lucky one?

I liked the theme of peer pressure that Aurelia Rowl has incorporated in this novel. I mean, it's a pretty important one, seeing how many girls and boys give in to it every year. And I'm not only talking sex here. It's totally general. If you want to be accepted, you have to follow the group. It's a pretty stupid trick, but it's quite manipulative, so kids (and not only) use it a lot. It's the reason why Lena did the stupid list too.

Another theme that really spoke to me was that you don't really have to look for love - it will find you instead. I've experienced it myself, and I know exactly how strong the power of love is - it makes you abandon yourself completely and if you're not careful, that could be the end of you (both literally and figuratively).

Now, I don't want you thinking that just because the writing style bugged me, I would disregard the characters. Not at all. I actually liked them. They were all unique and had a certain depth that made them realistic.

For example, Lena wasn't just an empty headed girl who went completely with her friends' plan. She tested the waters first, and when things got shady, she pulled away. I call this cautious and smart. At times she ended up making mistakes - but who doesn't? That only made her more realistic. What I liked the most about her though, was that her character developed. By the end of the novel, she wasn't the insecure girl who was afraid to speak up her mind. She was confident about what she wanted and how she wanted it. I was impressed.

The knight in shining armor - almost literally too - was called Jake. He was Lena's best friend's older brother, who was super mature. He had one major flow, which sort of delayed the development of the romance - he was full of pride. But it suited his character and I just loved it on him. I liked how he was right there when Lena needed him, even though she didn't always see it. In other words, Jake was special.

Nathan, a friend of Lena's was the funny one in this novel, and I seriously enjoyed his company.

All in all, Popping the Cherry was a nice read. Not the best, but it could be enjoyed.

My rating is