Because Your Vampire Said So by Michelle Bardsley

So I was trying to type out another review for a different book and it just wasn't flowing for me. I really, really liked the book so I'm not sure what the trouble is other than I felt like I was saying the same things that I've said before. Hmm...apparently I just needed to get this review out of me first.

Because Your Vampire Said So is the 3rd book in the paranormal romance Broken Hearts series. I loved, loved, loved the first book in this series and really enjoyed the 2nd book as well. So I admit that I went into this one with high expectations which made me think that I was going to love this one. Sadly, not so much!

Because Your Vampire Said So features Patsy, a single mother, and newly turned vampire that is the town hair dresser. But even though she is part of the undead crowd, she still has to deal with her teenage son that is growing further and further apart from her. And there is an evil ancient vampire that is causing trouble for all of the Broken Heart residents. Before Patsy knows it she is being targeted by that ancient vampire and her savior comes in the form of a shapeshifter named Gabriel. It looks like there is going to be a huge supernatural showdown.

I'm going to state once more how much I enjoyed the first two books in this series. I feel that it is important to say because I don't want my review of this book to come off as too negative. So let's start off with my dislikes. I disliked Patsy. Immensely. To be quite honest it seemed to me that the author created a stereotypical character and in the worst way. Patsy was a "country loving" hairdresser who lives in a trailer, has an alcoholic ex, and comes across as uneducated as she doesn't like to read. I mean, really? Could you throw any more stereotypes into one character? Oh but you can if you listen to the way Patsy talks with "Whoo-wees" and crap like that. She never once believed in herself and her character didn't have much depth which is unfortunate as she is the main character. The storyline itself had potential but fell flat. I think (and of course this is my opinion) that this was because the author didn't flesh it out enough. There were a few times that I was reading where all of a sudden I would feel like I missed something so I would go back and reread. I didn't miss anything...the details just weren't there. I wanted more about the Ancients, more about the prophecy, just more in general that would have made the story better. My final dislike was the relationship between Patsy and Gabriel. They were just thrown together with no actual building of their relationship. It was more of attraction, sex, and we're in love forever. Seriously? The whole point of a romance is to root for the couple and I didn't care about this couple getting together at all. The sex scene itself was just shoved into the story and I had to stop and say WTF? It didn't fit for me at all.

Wow, after reading all of that back it makes it seem like I hated this book but I really didn't. I flew through it in just two short days which doesn't happen all that often. I really thought the story itself had a lot of potential but it just didn't get there. And I was glad to see the characters from previous books included within this story as well. I was just disappointed to not have enjoyed this one more. All in all, a read that was ok but I would definitely recommend starting with the first book in this series instead of this one.

Disclosure- From the library as usual.

*I read this for the following challenges:

Romance Reading Challenge

100+ Reading Challenge

Support Your Library Reading Challenge

BTW- I leave you with a link to my review of the first book in this series...and just to let you know I still do plan on continuing on with the next book at some point.

Waiting For Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk

Sometimes (well maybe a lot of the time) a book comes up in the blogsphere that sounds too good to pass by. That's what happened when I first heard about this book....I couldn't resist and just had to request a copy from the libray. I'm so glad I did as I really enjoyed this book.

Waiting For Columbus begins with a man being admitted into a mental instituion claiming that he is Columbus. Nobody seems to know who he really is and the stories he tells are all about exploring new lands, his ships, and the journey he plans to undertake. Before she knows it, Nurse Consuela is caught up within Columbus' stories and finds herself believing him. But the question of Columbus' real identity is a mystery that is just waiting to be solved.

The book started off a bit confusing for me as we are instantly thrown into Columbus' stories and supposed "memories". So it took me a bit to really catch on and immerse myself within the book. Before I knew it though I was swept away into the stories that Columbus was telling to Consuela. This book just had a wonderful atmosphere to it and although it wasn't historical fiction, it did have a historical feel to it. The author's note afterwards said that he based some of the stories on research that he had read on the real Columbus. I loved Columbus' character and was curious about him from the very beginning. Who was he really? And why did he believe he was Columbus? These were questions that were constantly running through my head. Because you know that he isn't the real Columbus. And it didn't really matter because halfway through the novel I felt myself kinda/sorta believing that he was Columbus even when I knew that it wasn't possible. That is how caught up in the story that I was. The writing was beautiful and really helped to make this novel even better. The ending was strong and although it left things open a bit, I wasn't left feeling unsatisfied at all. All in all, a great read and one that I would recommend.

Disclosure: From my local library. Again.

*I read this for the following challenges:

New Author Challenge

100+ Reading Challenge

Support Your Library Reading Challenge

"W" Title for A-Z Challenge (personal)

Library Loot - In Which I Lose My Self Control...

Let me state just a few things first:

1. These are from over a two week period...so at least I didn't grab them all at once, right?

2. And yes, I know there is no possible way of reading all of them before they have to go back (even if I REALLY, really want to).

Anyhoo, this week the linky is at Marg's blog so if you've went to the library recently and want to share all of the loot you've found go there. And if you picked up more books than me please share so I won't feel so embarrassed. I mean, really, I already had books checked out before I grabbed all of these lovely books up :)

Since I have so many I'm going to break it down a little bit. I picked up French Milk for the World Party Reading Challenge. I couldn't pass by Grave Secret as I've dying to read the last part of this series every since it came out. After realizing that some of the book on the 2010 Orange Prize Reading list hadn't yet come out in the U.S. I began searching the longlists for past years which is how I came upon The Keep and Black Water Rising is from this year's list. Some I picked up solely based on their covers...Original Sin, I'm looking at you! I've been craving some Agatha Christie so I had to grab a mystery by her. And others are from reading all of your amazing blogs. All in all, a GREAT haul these past couple of weeks. And now I'm starting to think that I might have to hunker down just to be able to get some of these read. I always love a good challenge!

Kitty's House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn

In the latest installment of the Kitty Norville series, Kitty finds herself agreeing to be a part of a "supernatural reality television show." Kitty is shipped out to the middle of nowhere along with a variety of others that have ties to the supernatural world including some characters from previous books. But what starts out as a relaxing getaway for Kitty quickly changes into something more dark and dangerous as cast members begin dying and there is no way to reach the outside world.

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite urban fantasy series. Kitty is an awesome main character: she isn't afraid to be herself around anyone and she doesn't apologize for it. The situation that Kitty found herself in was definitely unique and added up to make a tense and edgy atmosphere within the story. I liked that we got to see more from characters from previous novels even if Ben wasn't in this one that much. And I love Kitty's husband Ben! In fact, I really like the fact that Kitty is married as it is highly unusual within urban fantasy series. I can't think of any other married main characters in urban fantasy off of the top of my head. The book itself was fast paced and intense and was definitely hard to put down. I flew through it and it left me wanting more. More of Kitty and her adventures please!!! This is one of the VERY few series that I am caught up in and now I'm waiting impatiently for the next Kitty novel.

All in all, a great addition to this wonderful series. I've seen a few negative reviews of this book and I have to say how important it is to read this series in order. The character growth makes these books great and probably affects readers who haven't read all of the books. But of course that is just my opinion...and I say that I highly recommend this entire series :)

Disclosure- I requested this one from the library as soon as it came out...I just couldn't wait :)

*I read this book for the following challenges:

Speculative Fiction Challenge

100+ Reading Challenge

Support Your Library Challenge

"V" Author for the A-Z Challenge (personal)

And here are links to the other books that I've read from this series if you want to check them out:

Kitty and the Midnight Hour

Kitty Goes To Washington

Kitty Takes a Holiday

Kitty and the Silver Bullet

Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand

Kitty Raises Hell

Harry Potter Reread Thoughts

I have a serious love for Harry Potter. When all of the hype for these books started, I avoided them. Like the plague. Not for any good reason other than I figured that I wouldn't like them. And sadly, I'm not even sure now why I thought that I wouldn't like them but I WAS convinced that I wouldn't. So because I am SUPER excited about the next Harry Potter movie coming out in November (I think) and because I joined the Flashback Challenge which is all about rereading, I decided that I would reread the Harry Potter books. Unfortunately, last year I fell way behind in reviews and didn't share my thoughts on rereading the 1st book so this will be a mix of both even though I just reread Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets recently and not the Sorcerer's Stone.

I'm happy to say that I felt that both of these books were just as good the second time around as they were the first. I was a bit worried that they might have lost some of their magic for me but that just isn't the case. And it has been awhile since I read these so it was fun to notice the differences all over again between the books and the movies. I'll admit that I absolutely love the movies as well but for different reasons. The main one is that the characters in the movies are exactly as I would pictures the characters in my head while reading the books. Especially Professor MacGonagal (sp?). The movies have become comfort watches for me that I pick up whenever I need a pick me up.

J.K. Rowling is an amazing author and it was interesting to see how things from these two books tie into later books. Stuff that I missed the first time reading these. It just blows me away to think that she created these books especially when they are SO fabulous. Enough of me gushing though, suffice it to say that I'm a huge fan and cannot wait to pick up the 3rd book :)

P.S.- Did anyone see that they have broken the last book up in two movies?!?! I may be a bit behind the times but I can't say that I'm happy about this. It just means more waiting too.

And I think I'll leave you with the links to my actual reviews of the first two books here and here.

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

From Goodreads:

"Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never shows up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far away from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost heirloom for him. The search-and the stranger-will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared..."


My Thoughts:


I'm not a huge YA reader but books like this make me want to read more. This was a fun, fast read that was completely an enjoyable experience. Nothing amazing but a good read nonetheless. Tamsin is a character that I could easily relate to and I'm sure that others (especially teens) can relate to her as well. The mystery was well thought out and kept me interested especially with the time travel elements. My only complaint was with the ending as it fell a bit flat for me. But as their is a sequel (I'm assuming due to the ending), I'm still agree to read more about Tamsin and her family. And may I just say that I really enjoy books with witches in them. All in all, a good read and I'll be waiting for more by this author!



Disclosure: Checked out from the li..li...library!
*I read this book for the following challenges:
YA Challenge
New Author Challenge
Support Your Library Challenge
100+ Reading Challenge
Speculative Fiction Challenge

Another Challenge Post

I know I'm a bit crazy when it comes to joining challenges but I just can't seem to help myself. If you haven't figured it out by now...I'm pretty low key when it comes to participating in them :) I love to try to finish them and feel that the challenges help to expand my reading. But it doesn't bother me if I don't finish. So with that said let's look at the new challenges that I plan on joining!

First off, I'm joining the lovely Trish's Classics Challenge. I'm horrible with reading classics. It is sad but true. And it pains me to admit this but I've never read Jane Austen. Ever. So this is the challenge for me as I'm going to give her a try this year :) I'm joining in at the "snack" level which is requiring me to read 4 classics. Should be interesting!

I'm also joining in The Nonfiction 5 challenge which is also hosted by Trish. This is the perfect challenge for me as I'm trying to read more nonfiction this year. The only rules are that you have to read one book that is in a different category of nonfiction than the other 4 that you read.

The next challenge that I decided to join was the Cozy Mystery Challenge. I love a good cozy mystery so this is another great challenge for me! And it only requires me to read 6 cozy mysteries...should be fun ;)

The World Party Reading Challenge is another one that I can't resist. 12 books from 12 different countries. And a party at that...how could I possibly resist?? I'm always trying to expand my reading so it only makes sense to join this one.

And finally I'm joining the It's the End of the World III Challenge. I've got a ton of dystopian fiction that I want to read so this one should be easy. And it only requires reading 4 books.

So that is the end of my insanity...for now. I can't promise that I won't join more if I see another challenge that catches my eye. We'll have to see if I manage to finish any challenges this year :)

Truly, Madly by Heather Webber

Truly, Madly stars Lucy Valentine whose family's business is matchmaking. Unfortunately, Lucy doesn't have the same skills as her parents but instead is able to find objects that have been lost which isn't a very helpful psychic ability in her opinion. That is until she gets drawn down into the family business and finds herself searching for a murderer. With the help of a private investigator named Sean Donahue, Lucy is going to need all the psychic help that she can get.

I love a good cozy mystery and this definitely fit the bill. It was purely a fun, light read that I was able to breeze through in a couple of days. The strengths of this book were the characters more than anything. Lucy is fun and instantly likeable which made for a great main character. Sean isn't your typical "perfect" male love interest/mystery solver which made the book more unique. Plus, Lucy has a couple of close friends that were fun to read about as well. The storyline was a bit out there which didn't detract so much as I just had to let go and enjoy the story that the author was trying to tell. The ending was great as I thought I had it figured out but I most definitely didn't. All in all, a fun read and I will be reading the next book in this series when it comes out!

Disclosure: I received this book from a giveaway on Goodreads. This review is my honest opinion :)

*I read this book for the following challenges:

1st in a Series Challenge

100+ Reading Challenge

New Author Challenge

"W" Author for the A-Z Challenge (personal)

Once Upon a Time IV Challenge

How exciting to see that Carl is once again hosting this fabulous challenge! I participated last year in the Once Upon a Time challenge and had a blast so of course I was eagerly anticipating joining in on the fun again this year. And I have a ton of books on my TBR list that fit so I'm joining in on the first quest which requires me to read 5 books relating to fantasy, fairy tales, and other fun stuff. I put together a pool of books that I might choose from but I'll probably end up improvising as I see what everyone else is reading :) Yay for Carl and his wonderful challenges!

1. Un Lun Dun

2. Wondrous Strange

3. Rampant

4. Poison Study

5. The Colour of Magic

6. A Madness of Angels

7. The Book of Lost Things

8. Lips Touch Three Times

9. Lament

10. Ink Exchange

11. Fables: Volume 3

12. Death Masks

13. Ice

14. Book of a Thousand Days

15. Ash

16. The Wood Wife

These are just some of the options that I have to choose from. If you are looking for recommendations may I suggest The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. It was my favorite book that I read for this challenge last year! Here is to some fun-filled months of reading fantasy :)

Library Loot

Library Loot asks us to share what we found at the library each week. This week Eva has the linky so go visit her and share what you found at your library.

I'm not sure what I was thinking...I already had plenty of books checked out from the library. But I got the itch and couldn't help but scratch it by putting more books on hold. And of course the holds all came in together which is always exciting at the time except now I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to read all of them. They look so pretty though that I can't help but want to read each and every one of them RIGHT now! I have issues...especially since I saw that Carl is once again hosting the Once Upon a Time challenge. That is going to require me to request even more. LOL! Okay, maybe require is a strong word but really how can I resist? I'll need to put some more fantasy on hold just to make me happy. Anyways, here is what I picked up from the library recently:

1. Jamaica Inn by Daphne DuMaurier

2. Because Your Vampire Said So by Michelle Bardsley

3. Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler

4. Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

5. Break Neck by Erica Spindler

6. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

7. Angelology by Danielle Trussoni

I'm so excited about all of these..it isn't even funny! I'm currently reading Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk which is an interesting read. I had to take Wolf Hall back to the library as I couldn't renew it (someone else wanted to read it apparently ;0) so I'll have to request it again at some point. I wasn't very far into it though so it didn't bother me that much. That's about it. Let me know if you've read any of these and your thoughts if you have!

P.S.- I've had a busy couple of weeks but I'm hoping to get a few reviews posted soon. Plus, I need to create another challenge post as there are a few more challenges out there that I feel compelled to join. I'm crazy...I admit it :)