Mini Reviews #18

I believe the 18th Mini Reviews edition should have something for every YA reader. Angels, demons and sinners, a cyborg mechanic from a futuristic China and mermaids. Today I'm reviewing SWEET PERIL by Wendy Higgins, CINDER by Marissa Meyer and OF TRITON by Anna Banks.

Sweet Peril (Sweet Evil #2) by Wendy Higgins

Anna is still the good girl at heart, no matter how many innocent humans the Dukes make her turn into sinners. Together with Kopano, the Son of Wrath she's travelling the world to find new allies in fellow Nephilim and ultimately fight for their freedom. Her feelings for Kaidan are true, they can help her win this war...or put her in great danger.

We meet new Nephilim, Zania and Flynn. Kopano, Blake and the twins are in for a fight against the Dukes as well.

With our jet set queen Anna travelling to meet the other Nephs we are seeing different cultures and exotic places. The change in scenery is well-done, taking us to places all over the world. It's a lovely collection of new impressions and the travelling makes SWEET PERIL so much more exciting. Whenever we were granted a scene with Kaidan all my senses were set on high alert, forbidding myself to miss even the tiniest details. This boy sure is the right to be the Son of Pharzup, the Duke of Lust. SWEET PERIL allows us to see many new facets of him, e.g. his emphatic and selfless character. Anna and Kaidan are exploring their domestic and cuddly side as a couple a bit. As much as they can be smoking hot, they can be cute as hell, too. 

5/5 ***** SWEET PERIL - The seven sins have never been sweeter and more tempting! 

After an amazing first book in the SWEET EVIL trilogy, I read SWEET PERIL in only one day. Engagingly written as it is, it was just as addicting as Wendy Higgins debut novel. Don't underestimate Kaidan Rowe's lust or better love spell!

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publishing Date: April 30^th 2013
Length: 371 pages
Keywords: YA, fiction, romance, lust, sins, travelling

Source: Bought

Goodreads Summary 

Sweet Peril Excerpt 

Author's Homepage

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Cinder is just a simple mechanic with a step-mother and two step-sisters. That's until she meets Prince Kai and gets on the bad side of Lunar Queen Levana by awakening Kai's interest. See the fairy-tale parallels? Of course, it's Cinderella!

CINDER is set in New Beijing, so there are apparent Chinese and Asian influences on characters and story. New Beijing has an original history which is currently determined by a plague that's spreading through the nation.

There are a bunch of fairy-tale retellings, but this one has an impressive magic of its own. Marissa Meyer took just one idea of an old story and made her very own story out of it. A very basic Cinderella retelling is pimped with a futuristic sci-fi interface. Who would think to make cinderella a cyborg? Sadly, I didn't click with the cyborg elements, even though they were inventive and a highlight for other readers. 

Kai and Cinder's dialogues are too funny, sometimes even sneaky and allusive, hinting at a more romantic interest on both sides. Their love story did help make CINDER a more interesting read, but wasn't a highlight either.

3,5/5 ***/* CINDER - A futuristic and cyborg-tastic fairy-tale world created by Marissa Meyer with much care and love for detail.

CINDER is not as explosive as I thought it could be, but unlike any other YA novel I've read. Marissa Meyer wrote a fairy-tale retelling of a whole new quality. She invented her own world, with the potential to not only be home to one fairy-tale character but a few more, like Rapunzel or Little Red Riding Hood. A versatile world I'm definitely coming back to!

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Publishing Date: January 20^rd 2012
Length: 387 pages
Keywords: YA, fiction, futuristic, cyborg, fairy-tale retelling, romance

Source: Bought

Goodreads Summary 

Cinder Excerpt 

Author's Homepage

Of Triton (Of Poseidon #2) by Anna Banks

Being the reason for starting a war between the two kingdoms of Poseidon and Triton isn't the worst there can be about your life, right? Finding out that your mother is the long-lost Princess of an underwater kingdom is worse. You are forbidden to be with your love, a true Prince. And what about learning that as a Half-Breed both kingdoms want to see you dead? 

OF TRITON might fill the spot next to OF POSEIDON on your book shelf, but barely adds progress to the actual story. What happened to Anna Banks' brilliant plot of the first book? Couldn't see it continuing in this sequel.

As Emma's mother's past is very important for the story in this second book, parts of her history are recapitulated and reconstructed and with that the story took a direction I couldn't enjoy that much anymore. Her mother's infuriating temper doesn't allow any discussions at all. And so she couldn't very well count on me to feel any kind of sympathy towards her. Then Emma and Galen's relationship isn't as fresh and as adventurous as in OF POSEIDON (which I loved). Can we please just abandon the adults in this story and let the teens have their sexy times?

3,5/5 ***/* OF TRITON - Not as much splashy underwater fun as the first book offered.

This is probably the shortest sequel ever. OF TRITON is weaker in story-building and romace-wise than the first book in the series.  Nevertheless it felt great to be back with our awesome sea crew, because Emma, Galen and their friends sure provide entertainment. I'm setting all my hopes on OF NEPTUNE to be the worthy and epic conclusion to OF POSEIDON.

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Publishing Date: May 28^th 2013
Length: 246 pages
Keywords: YA, fiction, underwater kingdom, mermaid, romance

Source: Bought

Goodreads Summary 

Of Triton Excerpt 

Author's Homepage

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Mini Reviews #17

Historical and fantastical kingdoms are inviting to be enjoyed in today's Mini Reviews post. TOUCH OF POWER by Maria V. Snyder pictures a world where healers are hunted and killed for their talents and a very strong heroine has to be willing to fight to win the war against evil. LEGACY and ALLEGIANCE are book one and two in Cayla Kluver's LEGACY series and should definitely be in the race if you are looking for your next historical fiction read.

Touch of Power (Healer #1) by Maria V. Snyder

Avry of Kazan is a healer, she's done only good with her gift, but if people find out what she's capable of, she will be hunted. In the fifteen realms healers are accused of spreading and originally causing the plague that's been bringing misery and death. Avry has been in hiding for quite some time now and her life changes radically when she's kidnapped by a band of men. That's when she starts questioning her sentiments and her loyalties. Can she become friends with strangers who are keeping her hostage, or heal her enemy?
We get to learn much about Avry's healing talent and she learns a different way of living. She falls in love with a man she never thought she could appreciate.

Maria V. Snyder sent Avry on a journey through many hardships. With a group of rogues who will soon feel like friends and one man among them who will mean everything to her. The camaraderie that binds them and their past, their fascinating stories and backgrounds, plus the dynamics of their group are a guarantee for liking them all and wanting to immediately return to the magical world Maria V. Snyder created with TOUCH OF POWER every time you had to leave it.
It was a long read and I enjoyed it so much, it was something entirely different from what I'd read so far. Really familiar characters, that fast became my friends, too.
All in all TOUCH OF POWER is a very satisfiable read with a great historical touch, a romance for Avry that you will come to enjoy naturally and an overall encompassing quest.

5/5 ***** A TOUCH OF POWER  - A fine fantasy read with an excellent historical touch and a fierce heroine.

A read right up my alley when I at least expected it. It's been over a year since I read TOUCH OF POWER, so it's definitely time to pick up the sequel soon. Equipped with a map of the fifteen realms, navigating this new fantasy world full of possibilities is even more fun.

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publishing Date: December 20^th 2011
Length: 390 pages
Keywords: YA, historical, fiction, romance, healer, quest

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads Summary 

Touch of Power Excerpt 

Author's Homepage

Legacy (Legacy #1) by Cayla Kluver

Seventeen-year-old Alera will soon be queen of Hytanica. The kingdom is in desperate need of a strong souvereign and so the young princess has to face her fate of marrying the suitor whom her father feels most capable of inheriting his legacy. And while her father is still trying to decide who to name new king of Hytanica, Alera clandestinely falls in love with another man, a Corkyrian, a traitor.

LEGACY is a debut novel with a slow start, overflowing with many redundant and way too many decorative phrases and scenes, and could have well been cut by some pages. Instead of all the irrelevant extra info I could've used more details about Hytanica's history and Alera and Narian's romance, more scenes concentrating on their emotional development and the very fatal war their relationship might be causing.

What always filled me with excitement and girly anticipation, left me cold in LEGACY. The search for an heir to the throne, a husband for Alera, daughter of the actual king. I know that it's a different time and that the story is set in a country with its very own complicated history, but no actual right to a say and ignorance of Alera's feelings made me so angry. The development of her character didn't live up to my expectations either, but other characters like palace guard London fast found a place in my heart.

3,5/5 ***/* LEGACY -  A potent YA debut, improvable in writing pace and editing that convinces with its strong world-building and Hytanica's history.

To be honest, it took me quite some time to finish LEGACY. With nearly five hundred pages it's not on the short side of YA books. It was the pacing, the excessive mass of details and additions here and there that hindered me to read LEGACY as fast as I would've liked. Now I'm hoping for a more consistent sequel to the first book.

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publishing Date: June 28^th 2011
Length: 496 pages
Keywords: YA, historical, fiction, war, romance, marriage, kingdom

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads Summary 

Legacy Excerpt 

Author's Homepage

Allegiance (Legacy #2) by Cayla Kluver

"An eighteen-year-old queen in love with the enemy as their countries pass the point of no return...", that's how ALLEGIANT continues the story of Alera and her Hytanican kingdom. The beginning was kind of sluggish and slow, comparable to the first half of LEGACY. Even though I couldn't get a head-start into ALLEGIANCE the world grew on me a lot in this sequel to LEGACY and I felt more at home than in the first instalment.

Her friendship with London was of such a strong presence, I couldn't help to be drawn into their story, his fate and his unbelievable will to survive. London is probably my favourite character in this series including Alera and Narian.

Alera's marriage to Steldor was a bummer. So much bickering (with negative energy), quarrels and coups wouldn't have been necessary to see that these two are not destined to be husband and wife. So Alera's heart is very much torn between her duty and her required respect for her husband and her passionate and undeniable feelings for Narian. You won't get to see too much of him, since this novel seemed to be intended to focus on Alera's relationship with Steldor and the changing bonds and loyalties between her and her family.

The war against Corkyri that has been dormant until now is raging again, turning the second half of ALLEGIANCE into a fast-paced and easily entertaining read. There are many twists and turns to the story, intrigues,  much is at stake and our Hytanicans have to think up a good plan to beat the evil Overlord.

4/5 **** ALLEGIANCE -  A historical YA read with a slow start, but a very strong outcome. Now give me the next book!

If the first book in this series wasn't your favourite, don't give up on the LEGACY series yet. Alera's story promises to become better with each new book in the trilogy.  I'm planning on reading the third book in the series soon, because I want to read it while the events of ALLEGIANCE are still fresh and present in my mind. The three books in the LEGACY series would make good material for a book binge.

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publishing Date: February 28^th 2012
Length: 494 pages
Keywords: YA, historical, fiction, war, romance, marriage, kingdom

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads Summary 

Allegiance Excerpt 

Author's Homepage

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Book Review: Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally

Title: Racing Savannah
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publishing Date: December 3rd 2013
Length: 304 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, romance, horse racing, family
Source: Publisher

They’re from two different worlds.

He lives in the estate house, and she spends most of her time in the stables helping her father train horses. In fact, Savannah has always been much more comfortable around horses than boys. Especially boys like Jack Goodwin—cocky, popular and completely out of her league. She knows the rules: no mixing between the staff and the Goodwin family. But Jack has no such boundaries.

With her dream of becoming a horse jockey, Savannah isn’t exactly one to follow the rules either. She’s not going to let someone tell her a girl isn’t tough enough to race. Sure, it’s dangerous. Then again, so is dating Jack…

Summary by Goodreads

 

Do you sometimes feel like you are attending Hundred Oaks High, too? I wouldn't blame you. That's because Miranda Kenneally's books always feel like home, and her characters like your best friends. When I read a RACING SAVANNAH excerpt months ago I was so desperate to get my hands on a copy as soon as possible (Miranda had me with the promise of spending some quality time with a bunch of puppies) and was lucky enough to snatch an ARC at Frankfurt Book Fair.

Miranda's fourth book in the HUNDRED OAKS series has everything for animal lovers. I'm just like Savannah, whenever I see a cute animal I can't resist to cuddle it and immediately want us to be friends. The horse racing was a different kind of sport than the other HUNDRED OAKS books featured. It was interesting in the aspect of exploring the bond between animal and human. You need to be professional and disciplined, but you have to be friends, too to win the race. Some parts of the story solely concentrate on Savannah's training with Star and her friendship with the horses. I'm not the biggest fan of horses and was surprised that Miranda picked this sport for her fourth book (glad she did). I learned a lot about horse racing, what it takes to be a respected jockey and had so much fun following Savannah's training. I would love to go see a real horse race some time.

RACING SAVANNAH is as much about the big race with Star as it is about family and romance. Savannah and Jack are just like Miranda's other couples. You have to love and root for them from the very beginning to the ending and beyond. 

From the first scene they had together, I knew they would make for an adorable couple. Savannah and Jack's romance is influenced by their difference in money and class and the worries about their parents not approving of their feelings for each other. The romantic scenes are as hot as usual, steamy and equally gentle and swoon-worthy. They both have strong tempers and some of their quarrels and misunderstandings didn't feel like they were leading anywhere. I wished they would have found to each other much sooner, but I'm sure Miranda will consider the needs of her readers for more of them in her future stories.

Savannah and Jack are a good team and I definitely want to see them again, in bed, on the racetrack and mucking out the the boxes, doesn't matter. 

The stories of Miranda's other characters from her three previous books are continued in RACING SAVANNAH as well. This is always my favourite part about Miranda's books. We don't have to part with our beloved book friends. Rory, Will's brother from STEALING PARKER makes occasional appearances, too. So Will and Parker fans are definitely in for a great treat here. 

I'm always anticipating Miranda's next book while reading her current release. Her HUNDRED OAKS companions are absolute feel-good novels!

 


 

4/5 **** RACING SAVANNAH – A naturally funny and sportive read lightening this cold December with country flair, the smell of fresh hay and sunny days spent on the racetrack.

RACING SAVANNAH is your lucky horse shoe in YA, meaning it won't disappoint and will get you out of every reading slump. It's every YA readers' sugar. This book will make you whinny. Ok, enough with the horse references. Seriously, this book is my December highlight! Who could say no to an entire farm of horses, puppies and a cute boy?

 

"No, no," I say, starting to explain, but then he unleashes his megawatt smile. It makes my throat close up and my heart pounds even harder. This guy is hot, but I don’t like boys who get whatever they want without trying. I worked damned hard to get my part-time exercise rider job back in Charles Town. Just like I’ll work damned hard to get a position here.

"Soo…" Jack says, stroking the bay stallion’s mane. "Do you want a private tour? You know, to say thanks for catching my horse?" ― p.5

RACING SAVANNAH you might also enjoy THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US by Kasie West and SUCH A RUSH by Jennifer Echols. They are about two couples who struggle with their differences in status and income. WILD CARDS by Simone Elkeles is a sporty read as well, we are playing football. 

* If you haven't read Miranda's previous books here's exactly what you need, the MIRANANDA KENNEALLY BUNDLE for your Kindle with Catching Jordan, Stealing Parker and Things I Can't Forget.

* Read an excerpt of RACING SAVANNAH by Miranda Kenneally here.

* For more information about Miranda and her books visit www.mirandakenneally.com.

* Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an ARC of RACING SAVANNAH at Frankfurt Book Fair!
 

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Mini Reviews #16

There are still so many 2011 and 2012 Netgalley titles on my review list that I thought I'd feature three of them in today's Mini Reviews post. NEW GIRL by Paige Harbison, ALL THESE LIVES by Sarah Wylie and DANCERGIRL by Carol M. Tanzman are on the darker and more thrilling and mysterious side of YA contemporary reads.

New Girl by Paige Harbison

This year a new girl is attending Manderley Academy. And she took Becca's place. Becca who was friends with everybody. Becca who was perfect. Becca who is gone now.

There are chapters alternating between our new girl and Becca’s point of view.

Set at boarding school, I was looking forward to a lively setting with a bunch of fun and individual characters. But the characters weren’t as I imagined them to be. Our protagonist who is known as the new girl at Manderley is welcomed by prejudiced and withdrawn people who have to constantly compare her to Becca. And I found myself growing irritated by the permanent references to the perfect girl who disappeared one year ago. So our new girl doesn’t really have a chance to be herself, people started defining her before she even arrived.

The love stories of Becca and the new girl aren't ordinary and solely romantic, they are bringing lots and lots of drama, intrigues and lies to the story. Becca is very different from the new girl who is only interested in one boy, Max. His and new girl’s relationship was one of my favourite parts of the story. Although Becca went missing over one year ago the story is mostly about her relationships and friends that the new girl picked up. It’s interesting to see how both girls started their lives at boarding school differently and how they define their relationships.

4/5 **** NEW GIRL - A cleverly constructed, lulling psychological drama.

The uncertainty about Becca Normandy's whereabouts, the strange behaviour of other students towards our protagonist and otherworldly occurrences play with the reader's imagination. This whole story is very mysterious and scary and I caught myself developing the wildest theories about who the new girl really was and what it was about her connection to Becca.

Publisher:Harlequin Teen

Publishing Date: January 31^st 2012
Length: 320 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, mystery, missing girl, boarding school, romance

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads Summary 

New Girl Excerpt 

Author's Homepage

All These Lives by Sarah Wylie

Dani is devastated about her sister having cancer. She is convinced she has nine lives and should be the one to offer all of hers for the one life her sister seems barely able to hold on to.

It must be a tough fate to deal with the looming death of one of your closest confidantes. ALL THESE LIVES is told from Dani's perspective in a first person point of view. We see how much Jena's weakness and pain upsets her and forces her to take fate and the life of her sister into her own hands. Dani wants to save her sister by giving away her own lives, of which she believes to possess nine. Her story is filled with dares and many risky stunts and near-death experiences. Where I first found the concept of her having nine lives intriguing, I never found a tangible point to feel like the things she was doing made sense. The whole story just didn't work for me, seeming dubious, inordinate and generally confusing. While Sarah's first book just wasn't for me and I highly missed a memorable romance, I'll still be keeping my eyes on her next book, SOMETHING BEGINNING WITH YOU, coming out in 2014.

2/5 ** ALL THESE LIVES - A profound sisterly bond, the fear of losing the other and very absurd ways to express your support.

Sarah Wylie's debut novel might have been a quick read for me, but not one that will stay with me for long. The cover was what drew me towards this book on Netgalley and the concept of Dani having nine lives was an intriguing feature, but in the end I couldn't find many points to connect with her, the other characters and her breakneck behaviour and irritating ways of thinking. 

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Publishing Date: June 5^th 2012
Length: 245 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, cancer, family, nine lives

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads Summary 

All These Lives Excerpt 

Author's Homepage

dancergirl by Carol M. Tanzman

Alicia Ruffino is a dancer. And when one of her friends posts a video of her online, everyone knows her as dancergirl. There is admiration and adoration. And behind a mask of false pretense, watching her every move, someone is stalking her. Wanting to be near her, to observe her. And that person wouldn't stop from hurting her either. 

Dancing is her passion. It was her private joy, her excersise and now she's sharing her talent with the whole world. DANCERGIRL was my favourite book about dancing so far. Ali was a cool character and very natural, modest and confident about her talent and her passion for it.

The love story underlying the overall stalking drama was beautiful. Ali's best friend Jacy is always there for here and would do anything for her. Jacy is such a sweet person. Whereas Ali's stalker is a major creep. It could be anyone who stalks Ali and it only takes a few chapters to feel watched yourself.

4/5 **** dancergirl - It's a fine balance between passion and obsession. Well-written and relevant YA contemporary read! 

Dancergirl was more exciting than any thriller and I'll happily pick up its companion novel, CIRCLE OF SILENCE, set at Washington Irving High, too.

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publishing Date: November 15^th 2011
Length: 248 pages
Keywords: YA, thriller, contemporary, dancing, friendship, love, stalker

Source: Netgalley

Goodreads Summary 

dancergirl Excerpt 

Author's Homepage

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New Books On My Shelf #68

I haven't done a New Books On My Shelf post in ages, since my Frankfurt Book Fair haul to be exact. I'm sure I left out one or two books that I didn't showcase before my book fair post, but are no less loved than the others. The books you see below are the books I got over the past six weeks.

The Taking by Kimberly Derting (Edelweiss/Read)

Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally (Netgalley/Read)

Captive by A.D. Robertson (Netgalley/Read)

A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young (Bought - Kindle)

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd (Bought - Kindle)

Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green, Lauren Myracle (Bought - Kindle/Read)

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales (Bought - Kindle)

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas (Bought - Kindle)

Allegiant by Veronica Roth (Bought - Kindle/Read)

Allegiant by Veronica Roth (Bought/Read) 

Winter's Kiss by Catherine Hapka, Jennifer Echols (Bought) 

Winter Town by Stephen Emond (Bought)

Jessica Darling's IT List by Megan McCafferty (Bought/Read) 

The Secret Dreamworld of A Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (Bought) 

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan (For Review - Many thanks to Harper Collins International for this epic book package!)

Split Second by Kasie West (For Review)

Infinite by Jodie Meadows (For Review)

Evertrue by Brodi Ashton (For Review)

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi (For Review)

Panic by Lauren Oliver (For Review)

Ripper by Isabel Allende (For Review) 

When The Guns Fall Silent by James Riordan (For Review - Thanks to OUP!) 

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia (For Review - Thanks to Simon & Schuster UK/Read)

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill (Won - Thanks to Disney Hyperion/Read)

A Gift To Remember by Melissa Hill (For Review - Thanks again to Simon & Schuster UK!/Read)

Teardrop by Lauren Kate (For Review - Thank you Random House UK/Currently reading)

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November Giveaway #3

So many books have been piling up on my book shelves and I decided to do a weekly giveaway. You can enter my giveaway every Saturday and it'll run till Friday. See the list below the rafflecopter widget to see which books are available. The giveaway is open internationally. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Relic by Heather Terrell (ARC)
Wild Born by Brandon Mull (ARC)
Thirteen by Tom Hoyle (ARC)
Dreamless by Josephine Angelini (UK ARC)
Haunted by William Hussey  (UK ARC)  
What Can(t) Wait by Ashley Hope Pérez

Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook
The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Raising Demons - Rachel Hawkins

Spellbound - Rachel Hawkins

Vanish by Sopie Jordan

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
Legend by Marie Lu (signed to Sarah)
Aces Up by Lauren Barnholdt

Killer Heels by Rebecca Chance

Slide by Jill Hathaway

Imposter by Jill Hathaway

If I Should Die by Amy Plum

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa 

Teardrop by Lauren Kate

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

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Book Review: A Gift To Remember by Melissa Hill

 

Title: A Gift To Remember
Author: Melissa Hill
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Publishing Date: October 24th 2013
Length: 406 pages
Keywords: Chick lit, romance, contemporary, New York, Christmas
Source: Publisher

Discover the magic of Melissa Hill this Christmas... Darcy Archer works in a small bookstore on Manhattan's Upper West Side. A dreamer who secretly wishes for true love similar to that in her beloved novels, Darcy refuses to settle for anything less than being swept off her feet by the perfect man.

One day, when cycling to work, Darcy accidentally crashes into a sharply dressed man walking his dog. He is knocked unconscious and rushed to the hospital, but his dog gets left behind. Wracked with guilt over the accident, Darcy resolves to care for the dog and reunite him with his owner. But the dog is not the only thing that's been left behind and when she finds a small beautifully wrapped package - suspiciously shaped like a book - she becomes curious. She decides to try and figure out all she can about this man, and make the delivery herself. Darcy gradually becomes drawn into his life; one that she soon discovers is filled with books, travel, adventure and all the wonderful things she's ever dreamt about. It doesn't take long before Darcy builds up a picture of this man's lovely life, and feeling an immediate kinship towards him, tries to make things right.

It might be a challenge but doesn't she owe it to him to try? But does fantasy match reality? And what happens when he finally wakes up?

Summary by Goodreads 

It's Christmas time in New York. Can you imagine the festive smells and the bright window displays? Perfect city, ideal season to set a story like Darcy's if you ask me. Melissa Hill captures the dreamy and romantic miracle character of New York and abandons all hecticness for a relaxing story that poses as an even more relaxing read. A read that will get you in the Christmas mood from page one.

I was very into the general focus on literature and all things bookish in A GIFT TO REMEMBER. The main character's name is Darcy, which makes it only natural to feel connected to her and instantly wanting to be best book friends. She's working in a book shop (heaven!) and shares her little apartment with a few books (more than a few). Chapters from Darcy's perspective always started with a fitting quote by a famous author or a favourite book. 

Some chapters in betwen are told from the mystery man's perspective. I can tell you that his name's Aiden and that he fills in the blanks as to what had been happening on his side of the story before the big crash occurred. His chapters are not as insightful or eventful as I would've wished them to be, but they are a nice bonus and worked well in alternation with Darcy's view on their story.

When I picked up A GIFT TO REMEMBER I expected a powerful romance to sweep me off my feet, like Darcy's crash would be an indicator for their relationship to be just as startling. Because Aiden can't remember anything, Darcy and he don't get the time they deserved to fall in love. It's not as turbulent and adventurous as I'd imagined her story with Aiden to be (they don't even have a date) and without any major surprises.
A GIFT TO REMEMBER isn't one of those loud and hilarious stories that you sometimes find in chick lit and romance books since Darcy's way of looking at things is more contemplative and unagitated, too. The ending was my favourite part of Darcy's story and that's where the story got into the romantic and flirtatious mood I wished the entire novel had possessed.

A large part of the book is dedicated to Darcy's hunt for clues about the stranger's identity. Aiden's appearance not only forces her into being a temporary dog sitter (the husky Bailey is so adorable!), but to come out of her book cave and play investigator. This one fateful crash gives her the opportunity to get to know her neighbour Grace better and open up to her reserved aunt, her last living relative. It's a different life that Darcy is facing every day now.

3,5/5 ***/*  A GIFT TO REMEMBER - A heart-warming holiday read with bookish Christmas spirit.  

A GIFT TO REMEMBER  was my first book by Melissa Hill and it was such a good pick to kick off the Christmas reading season. It's a wintry book of fateful crashes, clue hunts and has a light romance. Its hip New York setting and bookish theme are exactly what you need to pair with a cup of hot chocolate and some quiet reading hours curled up on the couch to enjoy Darcy and Aiden's story. 

"Anyone who says that money can't buy happiness has clearly never been inside a bookstore."
 ― p.1

A GIFT TO REMEMBER you might also enjoy three books I have on my Christmas reading list. Can't wait to read them! WINTER WONDERLAND by Belinda Jones, A WINTER FLAME by Milly Johnson and FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK by Miranda Dickinson.

* Can't get enough of Melissa Hill's writing? Then try her THE CHARM BRACELET!

* Click here to read an excerpt of A GIFT TO REMEMBER.

* Interested in Melissa's writing tips? Find them here.

* For more information about Melissa and her books visit www.melissahill.ie.

* Thanks to Simon & Schuster UK for sending me a copy of A GIFT TO REMEMBER for review!

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