Book Review: Mom Con by K. Morris

Mom Con
by K. Morris

Genre:  Chick Lit, Contemporary
Publication: December 2nd 2012
Format: e-books

Meet Anita Henry, a hard-working, single mom trying to launch her own business after losing her job. The only problem is a nasty lawsuit charging her with stealing secrets from her ex-employer.

Corporate espionage? Please. Her single greatest offense was a high school fashion felony. But when a shady court ruling forces Anita to cease and desist, she’s determined to set things right.

Her plan involves launching the hippest night spot in town, but can she work her scheme while juggling her brother the musician, who likes her couch just a little too much; his manager, who’s prone to some sketchy accounting practices; an ex-husband who can’t seem to remember those child support payments; and an old flame who wouldn't mind heating things up again?

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Anita Henry was a single mom who lost her job. When her former employer, Evan charged her and her friends, Reneé and Chris stealing secret from the company, Anita wanted revenge. She wanted to set things right. Anita met with various people to help her with her revenge—Drake, her old flame, James, her brother and Fredrik, her brother’s manager who happened to be stealing from James. But things weren’t as easy as it seems. Anita had to deal with her daughter, Tam, who was mad when Anita started dating Chris, Tam’s teacher. Not to mention that her ex-husband was filing for their daughter custody.

I like Anita. She was smart and fun. And it was very hard not to like the other supporting characters as well (my favorite is definitely Fredrik). I think they complimented each other very well. I love the interaction and dialogue they had. There were lots of fun and interesting twists as Anita and her girlfriends plot their revenge to get their money back from Evan. I would definitely recommend Mom Con to those who were looking for a fun, light read about revenge.

Blogoversary Giveaway!

It has been a year since ‘Ai Love Books’ started. I published the blog somewhere in February to sell some of my book collection. It was in March when I started to publish my book review. I can’t believe it has been a year!

Anyway… to celebrate ‘Ai Love Books’ Blogiversary, I’m having a giveaway for my followers to thank you for being with me throughout this journey. You may either follow me via GFC, Goodreads or Twitter to enter a chance to win a book up to USD 10 from BookDepository.com

• This is an International giveaway. 
• Winners will be notified via email.  Winners will have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected. 
• I'm not responsible for any lost package.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2)
by Maggie Stiefvater

Genre:  Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Publication: first published July 2010
Format: Paperback, 362 pages
Author:  Website, Facebook, Twitter

the longing.
Once Grace and Sam have found each other, they know they must fight to stay together. For Sam, this means a reckoning with his werewolf past. For Grace, it means facing a future that is less and less certain.

the loss.
Into their world comes a new wolf named Cole, whose past is full of hurt and danger. He is wrestling with his own demons, embracing the life of a wolf while denying the ties of being human.

the linger.
For Grace, Sam, and Cole, life is a constant struggle between two forces -- wolf and human -- with love bearing its two sides as well. It is harrowing and euphoric, freeing and entrapping, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But will it be enough?

Linger takes place after Sam was ‘cured’ after that high fever he caught from meningitis. And this book, we were introduced to more characters, like Cole, a rock star who became a wolf to lose himself. Just like Shiver, Linger was written in the characters’ point of view. And in Linger, it was written in Grace, Sam, Cole and Isabel’s.

Linger, in my opinion was a little bit too draggy from the beginning to the middle of it. I guess one of the reasons was because we were introduced to Cole. I have to admit that I put aside the book for a few times because I was frustrated with the slow plot. I was waiting for something big to happen, but this big thing only happened towards the end of the book (the ending was the most interesting thing that happened in the book, but why did it have to end there?)

I was also frustrated with how Grace acted in the second book. I like Grace in Shiver. But I didn’t like her that much with what was happening between her, her parents and Sam. Linger is an okay read. It wasn’t really my preference. But I will still read ‘Forever’ because I'm curious of  what will happen to Grace and Sam next.

Book Review: The Green Ticket by Samantha March

The Green Ticket
by Samantha March

Genre: Chick Lit, Contemporary, Friendship
Publication: December 2012 by Marching Ink
Format: ebooks
Author:  Website, Facebook, Twitter, Chicklitplus

College junior Alex Abrams scores her dream job at the ripe age of twenty – manager to a successful salon and spa. Thrilled to finally have a real adult job, Alex enthusiastically jumps into the world of schedules, conference calls, and getting a massage when interviewing prospective employees. What she doesn’t expect are the very grown-up issues that comes with a demanding boss. Kevin Dohlman quickly becomes Alex’s worse nightmare – covering up his affairs, dealing with his enormous ego, and trying to protect her female staff from him becomes a full-time job in its own right. Alex has also befriended Kevin’s wife and co-owner, Dani, and is trying to keep Kevin’s secrets hidden from her. The situation only worsens when Kevin starts paying Alex off to make sure she keeps her insider knowledge to herself.

While struggling to keep her wits and stay happy with her new grown-up job, Alex is juggling college courses, a new love interest, and keeping up with her close group of girlfriends. When her roommate and best friend Lila gets offered an opportunity to move to Los Angeles and sign with an agent, Alex realizes her life truly is changing, and everyone around her – including herself ­­–– is growing up. Knowing she is faced with some hard decisions ahead, Alex struggles with keeping her job at Blissful. But does she really want to throw away what she dreamed of as a career – or will the secret-keeping for Kevin become too much to handle? The Green Ticket is a story about morals versus money, and how one young woman navigates the shaky line between the two.

I can’t tell how surprised I am with The Green Ticket by Samantha March. It wasn’t what I expected. I was surprised that I really enjoy the book.

Alex, a college junior was thrilled when she got her dream job at ‘Blissful’ to manage a successful salon and spa. What she didn’t expect was that her dream job can turn into a nightmare. Sure, her boss, Dani can be really sweet.  But working under her husband, Kevin Dohlman, can be a nightmare! Alex had to deal with Kevin’s affairs and his attitude.

I love The Green Ticket. The character, Alex was sounded so real! I love watching Alex and her friends grew up throughout the story. Alex had her fears and doubt. I adore how the way Alex dealt with her problem and dilemma was realistic and believable. I was most surprised with what happened between Alex and her boss toward the end of the story. It was unexpected.

The Green Ticket wasn’t really a love story although there is a subtle touch of romance. The Green Ticket was more of a story of how a college girl survived her life balancing her life between her studies, works, friends, family and her love life. It mostly tackled the subject of ethics where Alex had to choose between her principle and money. Reading The Green Ticket was very absorbing. Once I picked it up, it was hard to put it down. I just had to know what was going to happen to Alex with her work and how her life will turn out. I can’t help but wanting to know what will Alex do in her situation. I would definitely recommend this book.

 

Book Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling (Graceling Realm #1)
by Kristin Cashore

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Publication: 2008
Format: Paperback, 471 pages
Author:  Website, Twitter

Deadly Grace

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight--she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graces as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace--or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away..

I was really excited to read Graceling by Kristin Cashore since it was recommended by a friend. She wanted me to read Bitterblue, but I think it would be better if I read the series from the beginning. 

As a Graceling, Katsa had a gift, a skill which able to kill a man with bare hands. Her life slowly changed when she met Po, a Graced fighter. She began to learn more of her Grace and her capabilities. Katsa, the heroine of Graceling was one of my favorite heroines of all time. She was strong, fierce, and independent and she got a bit of humor in her. I love the other characters as well, although at first, Po’s name reminded me of that Teletubbies.

Graceling have lots of slow parts. I think I started to really enjoy the book when Katsa and Po had an encounter with King Leck and led them to meet Bitterblue. But still, it was written beautifully. I love the romance between Katsa and Po. Although the ending makes me a little bit sad. It was beautiful, but sad.

Overall, Graceling was a book packed with romance, action and bits of humor. I would definitely recommend Graceling to anyone who loves strong, independent heroine. I cannot wait to read more of Graceling Realm—Fire and Bitterblue.

#32 Teaser Tuesday

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:

There's only one problem.

If I touch him, he might die.
- page 166, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

I'm reading Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi this week. I'm still not sure of the story. I'm still at the beginning and I'm still not used to the writing style. But I hear that this book is good.

What's your Teaser Tuesday?

Book Review: Click: An Online Love Story

Click
by Lisa Becker

Genre: Chick Lit, Contemporary, Friendship, Romance
Publication:  March 29th 2011
Format: Kindle Edition, 347 pages

Fast approaching her 30th birthday and finding herself not married, not dating, and without even a prospect or a house full of cats, Renee Greene, the heroine of Click: An Online Love Story, reluctantly joins her best guy pal on a journey to find love online in Los Angeles. The story unfolds through a series of emails between Renee and her best friends (anal-compulsive Mark, the overly-judgmental Ashley and the over-sexed Shelley) as well as the gentlemen suitors she meets online. From the guy who starts every story with "My buddies and I were out drinking one night," to the egotistical "B" celebrity looking for someone to stroke his ego, Renee endures her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates. Fraught with BCC's, FWD's and inadvertent Reply to All's, readers will root for Renee to "click" with the right man.

I received a copy of this book from the author to provide an honest review.

Click: An Online Love Story was written in e-mail format all throughout the book. Renee Greene, the heroine was talked by her best friend, Mark to join an online dating site. This was where the fun started. We get to watch how Renee interactions with the guys she met online and how her best friend, Shelley, Ashley and Mark would react to it as Renee bcc and fwd some of her email to them. I didn’t like how the story was written at first. It can get a bit confusing with how the story was written (in email form). There were a few times when I have to rewind back because I keep forgetting who the email is for or who is it from (and the bcc and fwd). But after a while, I got used to the format.

Click: An Online Love Story was an easy read that you can probably finish in one day. I love to watch (or read) Renee’s adventure in looking for love. She sounded fun. I love reading her emails (and Shelley’s). And I enjoyed reading emails Renee got from the guys she met in the online dating site. It was mostly hilarious! I got excited to know who Renee will end up with.

Overall, Click: An Online Love Story was a quick, light read. But in my opinion, the book was lack of emotion and human interactions.

The Sequel to Click, Double Click is expected somewhere this spring