#38 Teaser Tuesday: Rhymes with Cupid

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!

When he'd played the last chord, the room felt silent. Everyone, and i mean everyone, was watching him, watching me. Or watching me watching him, waiting to see what we'd do next - page 218, Rhymes with Cupid by Anna Humphrey

I missed Teaser Tuesday for a couple weeks, and now I'm back!

I borrowed Rhymes with Cupid by Anna Humphrey from my cousin. She actually recommended me to read this one. I finished within one sitting and I really like it. The story was so cute that I think I was grinning like an idiot all the way while I was reading this.

What's your Teaser Tuesday?

Review: The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1)
by Michael Scott

Genre:  Adventure, Fantasy, Young Adult
Publication: June 24th 2008
Format: Paperback, 375 pages
Author:  Website, Twitter, Facebook

He holds the secret that can end the world.

The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.

The records show that he died in 1418. But his tomb is empty.

The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.

Sometimes legends are true.

And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.

The Alchemyst follows two kids, twin, Sophie and Josh Newman. Josh was working in a local bookstore for Nick and Perry Fleming while Sophie was working in the coffee shop just across the road. When Dr. John Dee steal the Book of Abraham the Mage or the Codex and kidnap Perenelle, the twin suddenly became involve with Nicholas Flamel’s adventure to save the world.

I am not sure what I really feel about this book. There are times when I like it, and times when I don’t. I admit that I’m attracted with the book cover and that the book feature Nicholas Flamel and the sorcerer’s stone.  

It’s kinda hard to get into the book at first (probably because I didn’t really like the writing), but the story gets better after a few chapters. I like the plot and how the story progresses. There are lots of actions and magical stuff, but sometimes it can get a little bit confusing. Josh’s character kinda annoys me a little bit. I don’t get the ‘I’m worry about Sophie’s safety and what she feels with her new power, but I’m jealous that she has that power’ kind of thing. But still, The Alchemyst is definitely an entertaining read. I’m looking forward to the next book. Hopefully it will be better than the first book.

Review: Breaking the Rules by Cat Lavoie

Breaking the Rules
by Cat Lavoie

Genre: Chick Lit, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Publication: August 2012
Format: ebooks
Author: Twitter, Website, Goodreads

When twenty-seven year old Roxy Rule’s best friend and roommate accepts a glamorous new job overseas, she expects their relationship to continue as it’s always been—carefree and easy—until they share a heart-stopping kiss moments before his departure. Overcome with mixed emotions, she fights the urge to over analyze the situation and resumes back to her normal life in New York City, working for an intolerable boss at a dead end job, creeping further and further away from her own dreams of becoming a professional chef.

While things become more complicated between her and Ollie, Roxy is sure that nothing can come between two lifelong best friends—not even mild jealousy over a thriving career or a silly little kiss that meant nothing. In fact, it was such a meaningless and forgettable kiss that she convinces herself that it’s not even worth mentioning to her fiancé, although it is all she can think about.

Roxy’s already topsy-turvy life only gets more complicated when her sisters Steffi and Izzie suddenly become her roommates. Steffi is six months into a pregnancy she refuses to discuss and Izzie is in the throes of a premature midlife crisis. Roxy tries to take control of her career, her love life and her sisters – but can she really handle it all? And can the Rule family keep it together – or break under the pressure?

I received a copy of Breaking the Rules by Cat Lavoie from ABG Reads Book Tours as part of the blog tour.

Roxy Rule’s world turned upside down when her best friend, Ollie move overseas to accept a new, glamorous job. Roxy hoped that they would continue to stay as best friends even though they are going to live miles apart. But things got complicated between them when Ollie kissed her before his departure—and that she was kissing him back. Roxy decided that the kiss meant nothing and refused to think about it. Things gotten much more complicated when Roxy’s sister, Steffi and Izzie moved in with her. Steffi was six months into her pregnancy and Izzie was having her premature midlife crisis.

Roxy was one of the likeable and very relatable characters. What I love most about Roxy is how she loved cooking since I am a fan of books with foodie lover characters! There are times when I wanted to cheer for her and there are times when I wanted to smack her for doing something stupid and senseless. But Roxy just wanted to be happy and she wanted everyone around her to be happy just like the rest of us.  

I love Cat Lavoie writing. I really like how she portrayed Roxy and the other characters—there’s the annoying sister who loves to pry into your life, the best friends who constantly worry about Roxy, the fiancé who is a bit of a control freak, the boss who loves to well, bosses around, the handsome best friend who Roxy couldn’t stop thinking about after that kiss and much more.

Breaking the Rules by Cat Lavoie is one of the books that I know I’m going to enjoy even before I started. It is a light hearted story with a mix of humor, drama and romance. The pace of the story is just perfect for me. I love how Cat Lavoie adds in a little bit of twist in the story. It makes the story much more interesting. I just couldn’t stop myself from flipping the pages till the end to know how Roxy and the others going to achieve their happy ending.

Blog Tour: Swan Story by Priya Narendran - Review

Priya Narendran is now on tour with CLP Blog Tours with her book, Swan Story. Please visit her tour page on CLP Blog Tours for more blog stop.

Swan Story by Priya Narendran
Genre: Fairy Tale, Romance Publication: December 2012 Format: ebooks Author: Goodreads

Soon to be married Daniel Macgregor meets mysterious beauty Sarah Mitchell on the day his father gives him a ballet company as a present. Although at first reluctant to take on responsibility, he changes his mind when he realizes Sarah dances for the same ballet company. Over the course of the production of "Swan Lake" they fall head over heels in love. Although unknown to Daniel,Sarah is cursed to turn into a swan from sunset to sunrise and only true love will break the spell. So it makes Sarah wonder, what will happen when he finds out what she is.

I received a copy of Swan Story by Priya Narendran from CLP Blog Tour as part of the blog tour. I previously read and reviewed for Priya Narendran’s Schoolgirl Cinderella. I was excited to see how Priya was going to turn another write fairy tale, modern style since I haven’t seen many Swan Lake fairy tales retelling around. 

Daniel Macgregor’s father gave him a ballet company as his present, hoping that he will learn to take responsibility. Daniel weren’t too keen of his father’s idea, but then changed his mind when he met Sarah, a dancer in the ballet company. Sarah had a secret. She was cursed to turn into a swan from sunset to sunrise, which was why she always went back earlier than everybody else. The only way to break her curse is to find her true love.

I really like Daniel and Sarah interaction in this book. I like how they get to know each other despite Sarah keeping her secret from him. I love how Daniel grew up and decided to take his responsibility with the ballet company. He didn’t let his father decided his life. I think the pacing of the story was great. There were a few scenes that made me laughed. Overall, Swan Story was another short and light fairy tale romance. 

Author Bio:

My name is Priya Narendran and I have been a fan of paranormal fiction and fairy tales for years. I started writing when I was 7 years old and haven’t stopped writing since. So far I have written mainly fairy tale themed stories but I hope to branch out into paranormal romance and fantasy in the near future. As well as writing I’m an avid film buff and my favourite films include My Fair Lady, Amadeus, Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Shining. I tend to write mainly fairy tale re-tellings mainly because I find it fascinating to look at fairy tales through a modern lens. I hope you enjoy reading these books as much as I have enjoyed writing them.

Blog Tour: Breaking The Rules By Cat Lavoie - Interview

Hey there! Cat Lavoie is now on tour with ABG Reads Book Tours with her book, Breaking The Rules. I am pleased to welcome Cat Lavoie to Ai Love Books for an author interview. I am still in the middle of reading this book, but I can tell that this  is one will be one of my favorite chick-lit read. Please visit her tour page on ABG Reads Book Tours for more blog stop.

1. Tell me about yourself

 My name is Cat and I live in Montreal, Canada with my cat, Abbie. I'm a claims analyst by day and when I switch into writer mode, I write chick lit. My debut novel, Breaking the Rules, was released in August 2012 by Marching Ink. I'm addicted to cooking and home renovation TV shows and I never leave the house without my Kindle.

2. How and why did you become a writer?

When I was growing up, my nose was always stuck in a book and I knew that, someday, I wanted to create stories of my own. I went through a poetry phase when I was in high school and wrote the most horrible poems--they have since been destroyed, thank goodness. I was in my early twenties when I discovered chick lit and instantly knew it was what I wanted to write. I started a few stories that never went anywhere and—when I decided to really focus on writing a book from beginning to end—Breaking the Rules was born.

 3. Describe your book, Breaking The Rules.

 Breaking the Rules is the story of two lifelong best friends, Roxy and Ollie, and how their relationship changes when a goodbye hug turns into a passionate kiss. Roxy has to decide if she's going to go on with her life pretending that the kiss never happened—or if she's going to risk everything for Ollie. The novel also deals with Roxy's complicated relationship with her two sisters, her demanding boss and her fiancé. It's a story about standing up for yourself and going after what you really want.

4. What inspires you in writing Breaking The Rules?

 I'm inspired by real life. Since I spend a lot of time commuting to and from work, I overhear a lot of conversations on the bus and subway. (Not on purpose. Okay, maybe a little on purpose.) I'm fascinated by people in general and, although Breaking the Rules is completely fictional, it was inspired by things I've gone through or witnessed—or imagined while daydreaming during those long commutes!

5. How do you create your characters, Roxy and the others?

I often joke that there are tiny people living in my head and—when they have animated conversations with each other—I learn a lot about them. With every character, I begin with basic details and, as I'm writing, the rest of that person's story will start to emerge and sometimes take me in a completely different direction. That's what happened with Roxy—in my early drafts, her name was Rosalee and she was actually a teacher, not a personal assistant.

6. What are you working on right now?

I'm currently working on my second novel called Zoey & the Moment of Zen. It's the story of a woman who gets sent to a tropical resort by her friends and family to get over an ex-boyfriend.

7. Anything you would like to say to your readers?

Thank you, readers! I always thought that the best part of publishing a novel would be to see it for sale on Amazon. And although that's pretty darn cool, I'd have to say that the best part of being a writer is having complete strangers contact me to say they enjoyed my novel. I'll never get tired of that and I'll always be grateful that people are choosing to spend a few hours with my characters.

Breaking The Rules
by Cat Lavoie

Genre: Chick Lit
Pages: 380
Publisher: Marching Ink

When twenty-seven year old Roxy Rule’s best friend and roommate accepts a glamorous new job overseas, she expects their relationship to continue as it’s always been—carefree and easy—until they share a heart-stopping kiss moments before his departure. Overcome with mixed emotions, she fights the urge to over analyze the situation and resumes back to her normal life in New York City, working for an intolerable boss at a dead end job, creeping further and further away from her own dreams of becoming a professional chef.

While things become more complicated between her and Ollie, Roxy is sure that nothing can come between two lifelong best friends—not even mild jealousy over a thriving career or a silly little kiss that meant nothing. In fact, it was such a meaningless and forgettable kiss that she convinces herself that it’s not even worth mentioning to her fiancé, although it is all she can think about.

Roxy’s already topsy-turvy life only gets more complicated when her sisters Steffi and Izzie suddenly become her roommates. Steffi is six months into a pregnancy she refuses to discuss and Izzie is in the throes of a premature midlife crisis. Roxy tries to take control of her career, her love life and her sisters – but can she really handle it all? And can the Rule family keep it together – or break under the pressure?

Showers of Books Giveaway!

Showers of Books Giveaway!

Hosted by Books a la Mode & I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

I'm offering a chance to win a book of your choice up to USD12 from BookDepository.com. So what are you waiting for? As usual, please enter your contact details in the form below to enter this giveaway. Easy, right?

• This is an International giveaway as long as BookDepository.com ship them to your country.
• One entry per person.
• Winner will be notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected. 
• I'm not responsible for any lost package.
• Have fun! And good luck :)

The lucky winner for Showers of Books Giveaway is Mervi Mustonen. Congratulation!

Be sure to check out the other giveaway stops on this blog hop:

Review: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Blood Red Road (Dust Lands #1)
by Moira Young


Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Publication: August 1st 2011
Format: Paperback, 459 pages
Author: Twitter, Facebook

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

Blood Red Road tell a story of Saba who have been living in Silverlake with her family—Lugh, her twin brother, Emmi, her younger sister and their father. It all changed when a monster sandstorm arrives along with four horsemen. Her brother, Lugh, was captured and her father died. Saba went on a journey with Emmi and vowed to go after Lugh to get him back.

The truth is, I was afraid to read Blood Red Road by Moira Young. I was afraid that I was going to be disappointed what with the book been compared to The Hunger Games. It was hard to get into Blood Red Road at first with the dialect I’m not really familiar with. But after a while, I was hooked. I love the pace of the story. There were some slow, and some exciting moments. There were moments that make me laugh, smile, frustrated and thrilled to know what will happen to Saba next.

I loved Saba. She’s one of the strong female lead. She had a terrible temper and didn’t care about others other than Lugh. She wasn’t perfect.  I had fun watching her transformation—how she grew up and changed after her meetings with the gang of girls who called the Free Hawks and the handsome Jack. Saba slowly warmed up to others and developed her relationship with Emmi, Jack and her new friends. Most of all, I enjoyed her interaction with Jack and how her relationship with Emmi improved.

I didn’t expect that I would really enjoy this book! Blood Red Road was filled with action, suspense, drama, and a little bit of romance. I enjoyed Saba and her friend’s adventure. I am looking forward to see what will happen to Saba in the sequel.

Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)

by Tahereh Mafi

Genre:  Dystopia, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult

Publication: October 2012 by HarperCollins

Format: Paperback, 340 pages

Author:  Website, Twitter, Facebook

I have a curse. I have a gift. I'm a monster. I'm more than human.My touch is lethal. My touch is power. I am their weapon. I will fight back.

No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon. But Juliette has plans of her own. After a lifetime without freedom, she's finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time--and to find a future with the one boy she thought she'd lost forever.In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a riveting dystopian world, a thrilling superhero story, and an unforgettable heroine.

I’m not really sure what I felt about this book. I didn’t dislike it, but I don’t really enjoy it either. Shatter Me is a story of Juliette, who was imprison because of her power—her touch can be fatal. Her life gradually changed when she was given a cellmate, a boy named Adam. Juliette soon founds out that the reestablishment has plans to use her power as their weapon.

I was intrigued by Tahereh Mafi’s writing style at first. It was interesting to see how Juliette’s unwanted thought got crossed out. Tahereh Mafi’s way with words is unique. But then I got impatient and slowly got annoyed with the writing style. The story pace is a little bit slow to my liking. I think the story finally caught my interest again once it got to the very last page. Why? Because Juliette in my opinion, sounds like a weak heroine. It wasn’t until the last page that I feel that she has gotten a bit stronger.

Overall, Shatter Me is an okay book. Like I said, I didn’t really enjoy it. But still, I will be checking out the next book of the series because I wanted to see how ready and stronger Juliette has become.

Review: The Proposal by Katie Ashley

The Proposal (The Proposition #2)
by Katie Ashley

Genre:  Adult, Chick Lit, Romance, Erotica, Contemporary
Publication: January 10th 2013
Format: ebook, 218 pages
Author:  Website, Twitter

In the weeks following Aidan’s betrayal, Emma has tried her best to move on. Ignoring his countless texts, voice mails, and flowers, she isn’t sure she wants to be won back by him. But Aidan isn’t going down without a fight—especially not until Emma lets him reveal the secret of his past that caused him to be so commitment phobic.

But fate intervenes when premature labor forces Emma on strict bed rest for two weeks. Aidan steps forward with a shocking proposal. To prove his love and commitment for her and their unborn son, he will take a leave of absence from work to care for her around the clock. Vowing to guard her heart, Emma reluctantly agrees.

While she is touched by Aidan’s attentiveness and tender loving care, Emma is thrown for a loop by the amorous attentions of ER doctor, Alpesh “Pesh” Nadeen. Pesh is everything Emma could ever want—successful, stable, and ready to settle down and be a husband and father. Pesh wants nothing more than to win Emma’s heart, but she is not sure she’s able to give it.

Her heart may still belong to the very man who broke it—the one who is so desperately trying to win her back.

Aidan made a huge mistake in the last book, The Proposition. He regretted it, and wanted to make it right with Emma and their unborn son. But Emma wasn’t going to make it easy for him. She ignored his texts, calls and was trying her best to move on. When Emma was forced to have strict bed rest for two weeks after her premature labor, Aiden took his chance to win Emma back. He wanted to take care of Emma and his unborn son. Emma, having no one else she can rely on, reluctantly agrees. But things are not going to be easy for Aidan with the ER doctor, Pesh, in the picture trying to win Emma’s heart.

Emma was now torn between Aidan and Pesh. She was still in love with Aidan, and Aidan was doing his best to show that he was regretting his action, and was now ready for commitment. But with Pesh’s attentiveness she wasn’t sure of how she feels.

I’m still in love with this series. The story flowed perfectly. I love the interaction between the main characters, Emma and Aidan, and the interaction between the main characters and the supporting one.  I love how Aidan was showing his remorse and was trying his best to win Emma back. I like how Emma’s relationship with Aidan’s family was still okay despite what Aidan have done. In fact, they are on Emma’s side. But I do get a bit frustrated with Emma sometimes with Pesh, that ER doctor she met in hospital, in the picture. There are a few times and scenes that make me want to scream at Emma. 

Things are better around the second half of the book. Aidan showed how much he loves Emma. His past and reasons why he was terrified of commitment are slowly revealed. The Proposal was a perfect conclusion to Emma and Aidan’s story. I didn’t love it as much as the first book, but I was happy with how things turned out.

#37 Teaser Tuesday: Hector and the Secrets of Love

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!

My teaser this week:

In the end, her story made Hector think about his opinion on love: why do we go on being in love with someone who made us suffer? And why do we fall out of love with someone who cares about us?
- page 67, Hector and the Secrets of Love by François Lelord

I'm reading Hector and the Secrets of Love by François Lelord this week. I like the first book, Hector and the Search for Happiness and I was excited to get into Hector's journey in finding the secrets of love. The writing is a bit child-like style, but I really enjoy it.

Review: The Proposition by Katie Ashley

The Proposition (The Proposition #1)
by Katie Ashley

Genre:  Adult, Chick Lit, Romance, Erotica, Contemporary
Publication: November 1st 2012 by Katie Ashley Productions
Format: ebook, 232 pages
Author:  Website, Twitter

With her thirtieth birthday looming, Emma Harrison finds her biological clock clanging and the elusive knight in shining armor yet to appear. She’s running out of options, especially after her gay best friend backs out from being her sperm donor. Of course, there’s always a sperm bank, but Emma fears a donor mix-up might impregnate her with the spawn of Satan.

Resident company womanizer, Aidan Fitzgerald, is used to always getting what he wants, especially in the bedroom. When Emma spurns his advances at the company Christmas party, he's determined to have her no matter what it takes. After Aidan learns of Emma's predicament, he is quick to offer a proposition that will benefit them both. He will father Emma's child, but she must conceive it with him naturally. Not one for hook-ups or casual sex, Emma is reluctant to take him up on his offer, but his charm, coupled with her intense desire for motherhood, wins out.

Soon their baby-making sessions become more than just physical. Aidan can't seem to walk away from her while Emma begins to wonder if Aidan could be the one. But can Aidan leave his past behind to become the man Emma needs him to be? 

So where do I begin? Emma Harrison wanted a baby, but the problem was that she hasn’t found the right guy. Yet. After her gay best friend backs out from being her sperm donor, Aidan Fitzgerald, a notable womanizer offered to be the father of her baby with one condition. The baby must be conceived naturally. 

I never thought that I would like the book so much. I wasn’t a big fan of story where the characters would fell in love through physical romance, but I love this one.  Emma was such a sweetheart. She wanted to be a mother more than anything. I love that she showed both her strengths and weaknesses. Aidan was a hot and sexy notable player. He was terrified of commitment after a bad relationship in the past.

I love the flow and story line  There were lots of serious moments as well as the funny one. The secondary characters were very likeable. I especially like Aidan’s family. I love that even though Emma and Aiden got together because of, well, sex, I’m glad that they really got to know each other through conversations and romances. I love the romances. Emma and Aidan were very cute together. This is one of the books that made me grin idiotically.

What I didn’t really like was the ending. The cliffhanger! Why? So... I purchased the next book, The Proposal, as soon as I finished this one. I just cannot wait to read what will happen to them.

#36 Teaser Tuesday: Daughter of Smoke & Bone

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!

My teaser this week:

"An angel tried to kill me," she said.
A beat, and then, "Uh-huh."
- page 135, Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

I just started reading this one although it has been on my shelf for quite some times. I really like the book so far. Karau is a very interesting character!