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11/12/2013

Review: Gabriel's Redemption,by Sylvain Reynard+International Giveaway

Posted by Ana Neves on quarta-feira, dezembro 11, 2013 in
Title: Gabriel's Redemption
Autor: Sylvain Reynard
Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Professor Gabriel Emerson has left his position at the University of Toronto to embark on a new life with his beloved Julianne. Together, he’s confident that they can face any challenge. And he’s eager to become a father.
But Julianne’s graduate program threatens Gabriel’s plans, as the pressures of being a student become all consuming. When she is given the honor of presenting an academic lecture at Oxford, Gabriel is forced to confront her about the subject of her presentation – research that conflicts with his own. And in Oxford, several individuals from their past appear, including an old nemesis intent on humiliating Julia and exposing one of Gabriel’s darkest secrets. In an effort to confront his remaining demons, Gabriel begins a quest to discover more about his biological parents, beginning a chain of events that has startling repercussions for himself, Julianne, and his hope of having a family.


I’m interested in the way literature can help us explore aspects of the human condition – particularly suffering, sex, love, faith, and redemption. My favourite stories are those in which a character takes a journey, either a physical journey to a new and exciting place, or a personal journey in which he or she learns something about himself/herself. I’m also interested in how aesthetic elements such as art, architecture, and music can be used to tell a story or to illuminate the traits of a particular character. In my writing, I combine all of these elements with the themes of redemption, forgiveness, and the transformative power of goodness. I try to use my platform as an author to raise awareness about the following charities: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation, WorldVision, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, and Covenant House. For more information, see my Twitter account.



I still can’t believe that it ended! 
Sylvain Reynard created such a beautiful and intense trilogy and it’s really hard to let Gabriel and Julianne go away. Well, they are not going for long, I really have hope that we can see them in Sylvain’s next book. About this one, I have to tell you that it’s a little different from the others. It is an amazing story with an incredible plot, but because they have an official relationship there are some aspects that turn the story in other directions. To be honest, in the beginning I was afraid, something was not right, but after reading a couple pages everything started to make sense and I enjoyed reading it very much.
Gabriel is always perfect! Even after marrying with the love of his live, he maintain his personality and continue to fight for his happiness. He struggles with himself, putting Julianne in the center of his Universe. He is so intense! About Julianne I have to say that she is so selfish in this book. She seems only interested in her studies and keeps forgetting about her husband wishes. Sometimes she made me so mad! But in the end I really loved the book and looking back I can’t say this one is worse than the others. It’s just different. 
Hope you enjoy and much has I did. Sylvain Reynard is an awesome author and I hope to read more of his work.

International Giveaway
Enter for a chance to win a pair of Christian Louboutins, and signed sets of the Gabriel trilogy!
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21/09/2013

Review: The Blood She Betrayed, by Cheryse Durrant

Posted by Ana Neves on sábado, setembro 21, 2013 in
Title: The Blood She Betrayed
Author: Cheryse Durrant


To save her kingdom, she must betray her blood...
Thrust into the technology-driven Earthlands via magical mists, Shahkara is forced to rely on Max McCalden to help find the ancient Elnara death lantern, her homeworld’s last chance of survival against the heart-devouring Taloners.
Max has his own problems, but nothing prepares him for this fugitive warrior’s razor-sharp talons.
Shahkara longs for love, but as deadly enemies attack at every turn, will her heart-lust for Max destroy them both? Or will she find the strength to free both worlds from a threat more horrific than the demons that share her blood?



For those who don’t know her, Cheryse Durrant is an Australian Urban Fantasy Author who just released the first novel of the Heart Hunters series.
There are so many things that I could say about this book, but I have to confess I'm still feel a bit overwhelmed with the amount of feelings that this book aroused on me. This book is not like any other, after reading so many books about this theme I can say that I found something new, an incredible and inspiring originality that eventually feels like a new breath of fresh air in a theme like urban fantasy. The details in it are so accurate that you feel like you’re in the center of the story.
Although being a incredible book, there are no perfect stories. In my opinion the beginning it was a little difficult to understood what was happening and because of that it was not easy to create an empathy with the protagonists. I don’t know how to explain what happened, but I stayed a little confused in the first pages. Fortunately this sensation quickly disappear and I found myself completely stuck in the plot and could only settle down until I finished reading. Beyond the originality, the plot seems very strong, showing the author's care in creating that world, moreover, the characters are well framed in the situations and revealed their personalities with their actions and not with descriptions, not tiring the reader with details not important to the course of the story.
Being the first book of a series, this was an introduction to some events that seems to be eminent. It seemed to me that the revelation of the true identity of the Max’s father will still bring new developments, because I think that everything was settle too quickly. When I finished reading I felt a bit incomplete, wanting to read more, feel more...
A book full of action, betrayals, romance and humor - features no one can remain indifferent. I'm looking forward to the second book.
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14/08/2013

Review: The Best Man's Baby, by Victoria James

Posted by Ana Neves on quarta-feira, agosto 14, 2013 in
Title: The Best Man's Baby
Author: Victoria James


Florist Claire Holbrook has always played by the rules her entire life, but breaks them to spend one night with sexy lone wolf Jake Manning, a man she's adored since she was a teenager. Six weeks later things get complicated when she discovers they created a bond that will last a lifetime...Jake has never played by the rules. Getting Minister Holbrook's daughter pregnant wasn't part of any life plan, but he won't run from his responsibilities. He'll step up and be the best man he can, even if he doesn't have a clue where to begin. The more time he spends with Claire, though, the more he wants her, and the harder it is to get close because that would mean sharing the one thing he hasn't with anyone--the truth and his heart.



Victoria James is another unknown author in Portugal. She lives near Toronto, in Canada and writes for Entangled, Indulgence. I feel sad when I read such great books as “The Best Man’s Baby” and realize that are so many good authors out there waiting for the opportunity to be discovered by Portuguese publishers.
About this book, I totally fell in love with it. It’s a sweet and romantic story, with amazing humour scenes, which made me enjoy the book very much. I didn’t read the first instalment in Victoria James’ Red River series, but I hope to do it soon. She is a very talent author that makes us forget all of our problems and just enjoy the reading moment. The characters are perfect, too. Clair, although being the reverend’s daughter, is a very independent woman, with her own beliefs and fights every day to fulfil her dreams. The scene where she stabbed the positive pregnancy test through Jake’s hamburger while he was with another woman in their friend barbecue party was hilarious, but it showed how tough Clair is in very difficult circumstances. Jake Manning is the opposite – at least on the outside. He is the spoiled playboy, always having the perfect women besides him. It may be true, but his story is a little more complicated than that, He isn’t as perfect as people thing he is and he keeps a terrible secret from his siblings that can tear his family apart. But when he knows he’s going to be a father he decides to be a grown up man and take responsibility for what he did – at least he wants to. I loved the book very much and thinking in everything that happened I don’t seem to find any failures in the plot. It is not only a romance story; it’s a story of family, friendship and human values. Now I’m very curious about Evan Manning’s story. The sneak peek at the end of the book is so great that the idea of waiting for the winter to read it makes me very sad. Keep going, Victoria, we are waiting for it.
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12/08/2013

Review:Disconnected by Bethany Daniel

Posted by Ana Neves on segunda-feira, agosto 12, 2013 in
Title: Disconnected
Author: Bethany Daniel


A Fast Paced Love Story!
Liam and Katy were high school sweethearts. Shortly after they graduated they ran off to Vegas to get married. Liam does theater acting and it's there that he is discovered by Excite Entertainment and flown to L.A.
Once he's in L.A his marriage takes the backseat to rubbing elbows with Hollywood's biggest and brightest. One night Liam throws a big party and Katy comes into their house filled with half dressed women. When Katy says she's going to leave, Liam doesn't believe her until he comes home from filming and finds a note that tears him apart.
Four years later, he's tried to move on but never let go of the love he has in his heart for his Katy. It's in a little town they are filming in that their paths cross again and Liam has to try and convince Katy that their love is worth fighting for.



Bethany Daniel is an unknown author in my country. Ever since I started following international fellow bloggers, I discovered some amazing new authors that I hadn’t yet heard about. Bethany is one of them. She writes contemporary romances and her first book is “Reconnected”. It is stated in her website that she lives in Texas, with her husband and two sons.
I admit that I didn’t read her first book, but I did read the second and I’m more than pleased for having had that opportunity. “Disconnected” tells the same story of its previous book with the small difference of being from Liam’s point-of-view (POV). I believe this story is beautifully written, with a simple vibe in the way that we forget about everything surrounding us and, of course, I find it to have a really strong and good structure. The reader knows what’s happening, from the start, and so he doesn’t seem to have the chance of getting confused with the story. Since I did not read the first installment I’m unable to compare both books, but what I can tell you is that I think that some scenes should had been more developed. Some things happen too soon, too fast. Because it is Liam’s POV we can only see what he sees, which made it a little harder for me to imagine what was happening overall, but, as I said before, I really did enjoy this book. It was refreshing! Being inside Liam’s mind was seriously interesting and it will be great to already know what he was thinking at a given moment when I read “Reconnected”—Yes, I’m going to read it, too! I look forward to the moment of when I’ll have the opportunity to do just that, and for the release of the 3rd book, which will tell Krista and Scott’s story. I can’t wait!
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24/06/2013

Review: Lost to the Desert Warrior, by Sarah Morgan

Posted by Ana Neves on segunda-feira, junho 24, 2013 in
Title: Lost to the Desert Warrior
Author: Sarah Morgan



"Walking into the lion's den unprotected, Princess?" For Layla, princess of Tazkhan, her arranged marriage means one thing—a lifetime of cruelty and captivity. Such an unendurable prospect drives her to throw herself at the mercy of Sheikh Raz Al Zahki—her family's greatest enemy!
Raz demands one thing in return for the safe haven Layla is seeking—this brooding desert king wants to make her his queen! Her freedom might be secured, but now her heart is at risk, for soon she's lost to the scorching heat of their marriage bed. However, it will take more than fire to thaw her guarded husband….



Unbelievable! There really is a reason why I love this kind of stories so much. I don’t exactly know how to explain it, but all Harlequin Romances whose stories have something to do with deserts and sheiks make me feel intrigued and, somehow, I simply just can’t resist reading them.
Sarah Morgan created an amazing story, with a strong plot and realistic details. Although part of the action takes place in the desert, she quickly changed it to a big house where true royalty could live and have access to incredible luxuries—properties, parties, cloths, jewels… Of course that I believe these characters live part of their lives in the desert, but it is quite difficult to accept that they’re there all the time. Well, it definitely was a great beginning with the death of Layla’s father because it became clear to me that she was going to have to marry someone to maintain control of the land, what I wasn’t expecting was for her to run away in order to look for a safety place with her family’s worst enemy. It was a dangerous choice, but it was something needed for herself and her sister to get out of Hassan’s hands.
Sadly, I think all happened too soon! I know Harlequin’s books are rather small, but the characters fell in love too soon and I discovered the traitor almost right in the beginning. I believe there could be some sort of continuation, with the author writing a story with Layla’s sister and Raz’s brother has protagonists this time. They were in the desert, alone, for so long that something could have happened between them… I sure can dream, can’t I?
Overall, it was a sweet story that I enjoyed reading very much.
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08/06/2013

Review: Heart of a Desert Warrior, by Lucy Monroe

Posted by Ana Neves on sábado, junho 08, 2013 in
Title: Heart of a Desert Warrior
Author: Lucy Monroe


Stepping off his private jet in his designer suit, Sheikh Asad returns to his kingdom ready to secure his legacy. For beneath the starched white shirt beats the heart of a desert warrior!Iris Carpenter barely recognizes the man standing before her. He's more magnificent than he was six years ago and even more dangerous. Especially when the searing heat of his eyes burns hotter than the fierce desert sun.
Iris can resist all she likes, but Asad knows it's just a matter of time before the flame-haired temptress is back in his bed—where she belongs!


Sometimes it’s too hard to believe all I’ve already achieved with my blog—and what I continue to have. Since my teenage years that I’ve been reading Lucy’s books, but I never thought that I would have the honour of talking to her about her work. Of course some of you already know the feeling of getting more than what you ever imagined, the pure joy that something like this can bring to you, the strength that possess your body and soul and that carries an enormous confidence in your work, and now I can actually say that many of my dreams are becoming real because of this space I love and care for so much.
Lucy Monroe’s books were always in my favourite reading list. Her novels always have this special mixture of culture and of a love that can conquer everything, and this book in particular made me re-read some of her older works that I had once read.
Heart of a Desert Warrior is the 10th book in the Royal Brides series and because of that we can continue to see characters that we already know. I love this kind of books, it gives me an idea of continuity but the really good thing about it is that someone who hasn’t yet read the previous volumes can easily read this one. I think this is a very important feature, it show us how much the author cares for her readers—not only for the ones who religiously follow her work, but for the new ones too. Lucy’s writing is very simple and intense, at the same time, and in all of her books she demonstrates a lot of knowledge regarding the theme she’s writing about. This particular book tells a story of second chances, of a love that is strong enough to overcome all the differences and obstacles in life. And although I didn’t find any innovation in terms of plot, I still loved every single chapter of it. I hope to have the opportunity of reading more of Lucy Monroe books very soon!
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03/04/2013

Review "A Shade of Vampire" by Bella Forrest

Posted by Ana Neves on quarta-feira, abril 03, 2013 in


Title: A Shade of Vampire
Author: Bella Forrest
Amazon USA | Amazon UK | Goodreads 



 On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.
A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood. She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.
An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.
Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.
Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.
Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?



I’m still astonished! I’d never heard of this author before, actually I found her, by chance, on Goodreads and got captivated by her debut novel. The art cover looks so gorgeous, and the synopsis left me suffering for the moment that I would finally read the book.
A Shade of Vampire isn’t just a first book in a series but also the first published work by Bella Forrest; a small story incredibly well written and without any kind of slippery information that could, somehow, spoil the entire plot to readers. I was very pleased to see that this was not just another paranormal romance or another YA book, this story was—for me—very special. The author built a terrific world by combining in one single narrative two different genres that, in my personal opinion, are not only harmonized perfectly but also allows to both teens and adults to better appreciate what they’re reading. It was so easy to make a mistake and simply ruin everything, but Bella Forrest made her homework quite well and didn’t turn her book into an adult story nor a childish one. Again, the balance was way to perfect for that to happen.
In 147 pages, we have a great story, with a well-built plot and amazingly developed characters that are rooted to their story. I’m so in love with Derek, he’s such a cutie!
I’m also very excited with the idea of reading the second book, I believe that there are a lot more adventures and romance to happen. I hope Bella Forrest keeps her quality in the following book and that doesn’t get shaken by spotlight or by bad reviews (haters).
If, in the beginning, it was the cover and the synopsis that made me want to read the book, now, at the end, I see myself completely surrendered to this story. Congratulations, Bella Forrest, for your wonderful book!
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17/03/2013

Review " How to love a Princess" by Claire Robyns

Posted by Ana Neves on domingo, março 17, 2013 in

Title: How to love a Princess
Author: Claire Robyns


Synopsis: Love exploded into the sheltered life of Princess Catherine de'Ariggo when she met Nicolas Vecca. But duty calls Catherine to sacrifice that love. Now, years later, she must be strong once more. Can she ignore the whisperings of her heart and stand firm in her convictions? Trusting in Nicolas, loving him, is a risk she dare not take.
When Nicolas sees Catherine again, he thinks he's looking at a ghost. Either that, or he has been cruelly deceived. Haunted love turns to hate. But even as he determines to remain unforgiving, his heart refuses to forget.

  
Review: Do you know the feeling when your mind keeps focusing on something and doesn’t let you do anything else? From the moment I read the synopsis of this book, that was what happened to me. Simple for some and common for others, to me, this was a story that brought me back to my teenage years when I was allowed to dream. Since a very young age I’ve become fascinated with the subject of this book. Princes and Princesses, forbidden love, duty above feelings… for so many people all of this is difficult to understand, but for others it is still so real…
This was a story that reminded me of the many books I read on those younger years and that Harlequin keeps publishing nowadays. I see it as a light novel, with a straightforward plot, that anyone could read smoothly. Plus, I find it to be a very well written story, with a lot of care from the author. In my opinion, books don’t necessarily need to have heavy themes to be great or to be impeccably written. For me, even simple stories need care and attention from authors, and I believe Robyns showed, in this book, all that and much more.
Although I liked all the characters, I especially loved Nicolas, who despite having plenty of reasons to abandon Catherine, still fought for what he believed and for who he truly cared about. Many were the times that I wanted to put myself in the middle of them and tell to that spoiled princess who did everything to take her ideas forward a few not so sweet words. Catherine, who at first seemed to be the perfect protagonist suddenly became a person who despite having reasons to act that way, sometimes exaggerated and made took on decisions capable of overcoming a 10 year-old girl, and maybe that was the secret, the reason that made me want to turn the page and follow the story through the end.
With a lot of romance and a bit of mystery, this book was an excellent company for me in these long, cold winter nights.

You can read this review in Portuguese too, just click here
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04/03/2013

Review: "Starcrossed" by Josephine Angelini

Posted by Ana Neves on segunda-feira, março 04, 2013 in

Title: Starcrossed
Author: Josephine Angelini
Format: Print


Synopsis: How do you defy destiny?
Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.
As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.


Review: Sometimes I feel so dumb. I can’t believe that I had such a wonderful book at home and it took me almost two months to start reading it. This is really something that I don’t know how to explain to you. As you can see in the image below, the Portuguese cover is gorgeous (the others as well, but I felt a special connection with this one) and the publisher gave us a synopsis which turns irresistible for readers.
Josephine Angelini arrival in Portuguese Literary Market was made in a spectacular way, I’m completely in love with this book and wishful for the release of the second one.
To be honest with you all, in the beginning I thought that maybe the story was a little too childish, it was only when Lucas appeared that everything was set in motion and star to develop in an enthusiastic way. Unfortunately, the first chapter has low quality if we compare to the book as a whole. Forgetting about the first chapter - especially the first five pages – and we have a great surprise which end’s with the introduction of the Delos’ family in the story. This is the moment that the veil of mystery is uncovered, we totally forget about time and we only want to know some more about what’s really happening.
I really enjoyed the book, in some way it seems that we only have erotic books in our bookstores, so this story was, for me, something new and separate from our market tendency. Mythology is such a great theme, there are so many topics to explore, so I don’t understand why we – Portuguese readers – don’t have more of these books to read.
The characters are great, it was a job well done with their construction, just like it was the scenery. For me, everything was so well set that it was almost normal to see people using special powers; it was just like this was something that we see every day in our neighborhood. Although they were only teenagers, I keep forgetting it, because their behavior was similar to an adult and not a 16 year old teenager. I loved the relationship between Lucas and Helen, just like I loved Jason and Claire. Since the beginning I noticed that something special was waiting for them. Another character who made me curious was Hector, I believe we are going to see more of him on the next books.
Josephine Angelini, you have conquered another fan!
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