Book Review: The Lost Cats and Lonely Hearts Club

the lost cats

Title: The Lost Cats and Lonely Hearts Club
Author: Nic Tatano
Publisher: HarperImpulse
Date: August 26th, 2016
Pages: 250
Format: eARC
Source: from Publisher for a review

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Swapping Prada for purrs…

While covering a story, feisty network reporter Madison Shaw gets more than she bargained for when she rescues a box of orphaned kittens. Suddenly the glamazon of the Manhattan news room is doing two am feedings to keep these furbabies alive!

This is certainly a change of pace for the high maintenance workaholic she’s become and taking care of the kittens makes Madison realise how far off track she’s come—after all, she was a stray once too…

When a video of her caring for the kittens goes viral, she knows her image as a hardnosed reporter is shot to hell. What Madison doesn’t expect is the media circus that propels her and the kittens to stardom. And the domino effect that has on her, her career and her love life—especially when she meets sexy Officer Nick Marino…!

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Review:

Imagine finding four little orphan kittens, too small to take care of themselves and without a mother to feed and bath them. What would you do?

If you’re a person with a good heart, you would take them under your roof and do your best to give them what they need to survive.
And that is exactly what Madison did.

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Disclaimer:

I will have to start this review with a disclaimer and say that I will be totally subjective when it comes to expressing my thoughts. This story is very special to me and I observed it from a different angle then usual because I experienced (almost) the same thing as the main character of this story, but was also in a situation that in parts reminds of the one  character Nick was in.

I really don’t want to make this review about me, but I think it would be fair to tell you that, because my personal experience is what led me to percieve the story in the way I did.
So I will just briefly mention that I have two cats that were only 13 days old when they lost their mother and I bottle fed them and took care of them. They are healthy now and are best cats in the world.
Also, five years ago I had a car accident and I was unable to move for weeks. Those days all I could do was lie in bed and sit with someone’s help, so I know how the recovery process looks like.
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Now, on to the real review…

Lost Cats and Lonely Hearts Club tells the story about a reporter called Madison. She is a real career woman. One day when reporting from construction aera, she and her cameraman find four kittens and a dead cat. In order to save kittens’ life, she takes them home and starts taking care of them.

Although she did not plan to, she keeps them and becomes their second mother because she got atteched to them, especially  to the tortoiseshell one.
For Madison, cats are not just company. They (or should I say tortiseshell one) help her see what kind of person people around her are so she ends up breaking up with her cold hearted boyfriend the same night cats move in.
As the story progress, we follow Madison and her three friends living a life in New York, dating and helping the world make a better place.

This book warmed my heart. When I say it, I really mean it.
There were so many memories that came back to me thanks to this novel.
And although it wasn’t the best read ever, I certenly enjoyed reading it.

The writing style was really good, easy to read and you can read this novel pretty quickly.
It is written in first person, from Madison’s point of view.
What surprised me is the fact that the writer is male.
I don’t usually pay attention whether I read male or female authors, but it really blew my mind how Nic Tatano perfectly described women’s way of thinking.

Character development plays a big part in this story.
Madison really changes through the story and even if that change is mentioned more then few times by side characters, readers can also see it in Madison’s behaviour.
However, I have to mention that I wasn’t on best terms with some of her actions.

The story itself was naive in parts in a way that everything went so easy for Madison, but I will assume that the purpose of this book is to bright reader’s mood.

It also had some flaws and unexplained things that I just feel like they have to be metioned.
I will write them down in the spoiler section  so I wouldn’t ruin anyone’s reading experience without their permission.

Overall, this book was pretty good and it really left me in a good mood.
I think that cat lovers would enjoy it so if you are one of them, I suggest you to give it a try.

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Spoiler Alert!!!

  1. We never got an explanation why mother cat died. I know some things we’ll never know, but somehow I wish we got to know what happened to her.
  2. Tortoishell cats are basically always female. Male tortoishell do exist, but they are so rare, finding one is like finding a niddle in haystackes, and male can’t produce due to their chromosomes. I wish vet said that to Madison bc I have a feeling many readers will just assume that the writer didn’t do his homework because „all tortoishells are female“.
  3. Nick had an accident where he lost the ability to walk and had to use wheelchairs. I feel like his situation was described unbelievably too easy. Madison could have just leave him alone for hours and it was like there was no fact that he is human and therefore has to use toilet, has to take a bath. Madison once told him he can just roll into the shower but guess what? He has to take off his clothes, wash himself and use a towel. Without help, that is impossible.
    I feel like the whole thing could have easily be fixed if there was a nurse to help Nick.
  4. Although it maybe is not a big deal, I wish getting rid of parasites was also mentioned.
  5. I wish tabby, rushian blue and tuxedo cat were more present in the story. They were in the tortoishell’s shadow.

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3,5

Manga Review: Alice In Wonderland – Special Collector’s Manga by Jun Abe

alice in wonderland disney

Title: Alice In Wonderland
Author: Jun Abe
Publisher: Diamond Book Distributors
Date: June 7th, 2016
Format: eARC
Source: from Publisher for a review

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Manga publishing pioneer TOKYOPOP is back … bringing readers Disney Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” a retelling of the film in manga style. Alice Kingsleigh was a young girl when she visited the magical world of Underland for the first time. Now a teenager, she spots a white rabbit at a garden party and tumbles down a hole after him where she is reunited with her old friends. Alice soon learns it is her destiny to end the Red Queen’s reign of terror.

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Review:

If you’re a fan of Disney’s Alice In Wonderland movie (from year 2010), there’s a great chance you will LOVE this manga.
Why?
Because it is almost exactly the same.

For those of you who still haven’t seen that fantastic movie produced by Tim Burton (What you are waiting for??!), here is what the story is about:

Several years has passed and Alice is a grown girl now, old enough to get married and start her own family. However, Alice does not feel comfortable with that and she still finds herself daydreaming everyday: wondering how it would be like to be able to fly, picturing the impossible.
Her nights are filled with dreams of Wonderland and all those silly creatures that live there.
One day, as she is older, she sees a rabbit with clock and starts following him around.
You can guess what happens next!
You’re right! She falls into a whole that leads her back to Wonderland.

I really, really enjoyed this story.
If you didn’t know, I am a huge fan of the movie, so it is no wonder that I enjoyed this manga so much.

As I already said, it is almost exactly the same as the movie.
The only difference I noticed is that at the beginning of manga we get to see Alice as a little girl and her father talking with her before her sleeptime, while in the movie Alice told us about that, but we didn’t get to see it.

I liked the art in this manga. Characters looked so much better then in the movie (not sure if that is unintentional critic for the actors but… bare with me). Alice and the White Rabbit were so beautiful but yet simple, and as for Hamish – he looked like a model here. So much more handsome then Hamish from the movie (again, every insult aimed at actor is unintentional).

There is only one character that I didn’t like how was drawn, and that is Mad Hatter. While in movie he looked perfectly (and I was never  too crazy about Johnny Depp so that has nothing to do with him), here in manga he looked like a weird skinni woman.

All in all, I would recommend this manga to everyone who likes the movie but also to anyone who still hasn’t seen it.
But, if you disliked the movie, you probably wouldn’t like the manga either, so I would suggest you to skip this.

4

Book Review: The Fire Child by S.K.Tremayne

the fire child

Title: The Fire Child
Author: S.K. Tremayne
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Date: June 16th, 2016
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: from Publisher for a review

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads): The chilling new psychological thriller by S. K. Tremayne, author of the Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller, THE ICE TWINS.

When Rachel marries dark, handsome David, everything seems to fall into place. Swept from single life in London to the beautiful Carnhallow House in Cornwall, she gains wealth, love, and an affectionate stepson, Jamie.

But then Jamie’s behaviour changes, and Rachel’s perfect life begins to unravel. He makes disturbing predictions, claiming to be haunted by the spectre of his late mother – David’s previous wife. Is this Jamie’s way of punishing Rachel, or is he far more traumatized than she thought?

As Rachel starts digging into the past, she begins to grow suspicious of her husband. Why is he so reluctant to discuss Jamie’s outbursts? And what exactly happened to cause his ex-wife’s untimely death, less than two years ago? As summer slips away and December looms, Rachel begins to fear there might be truth in Jamie’s words:

‘You will be dead by Christmas.’

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Review:

 

„The doubting the doubt is the beginning of faith.“

 

In the blurb for this book, they said it was chilling.
And it was.
I got chills multiple times as I was reading this brilliant, in a good way disturbing novel.

The story follows Rachel, a thirty years old woman who marries David, a rich widower, and moves into his big, beautiful house called Carnhallow, in Cornwall.

Cornwall is the place I read about in so many books, I can’t even count. But you know what? This was the first time I was reading a dark tale that was settled in that admirable place I’d like to visit one day.

I liked the atmosphere in this book. Nothing was perfectly clear and, often, it felt like I could picture the mist over the Cornwall and the whole story that S.K. Tremayne so talentedly presented to us.

What I liked the most was the fact that all characters, main and impotant side ones, were unreliable.
Jamie, Rachel, David, David’s mother Julie – they were all unpredictable and I couldn’t trust anyone.
Even the dead character, David’s first wife Nina, was untrustworthy.

This book messed with my head bigtime, and I welcomed it wholeheartedly.
It kept me on the edge of my seat, made me want to read faster and then made me feel angry I couldn’t.
It made me emotional, it made me scared for characters, it made me question my logic.

And those, in my opinion, are the signs of a well-done psychological thriller.

The story is written in two POVs: Rachel’s and David’s.
Rachel POV was written in first person and it had that power to pull you into the story. Majority of The Fire Child is written in Rachel’s POV, as she is the main character.
David’s POV was written in third person and even though there were only few chapters that told his perspective, they were important ones.

The writing style was pretty amazing. It was fast paced with some bigger words used from time to time.
S.K. Tremayne is one skilled writer who knows how to capture the intension and compel his readers.

This was my first time reading his work but it surely won’t be the last.
I already have his Ice Twins on my tbr and am happy to give it a go when I’ll be in a mood for something extremely thought provoking.

4

Book Review: Truth Or Date by Portia Macintosh

truth or date

Title: Truth Or Date
Author: Portia Macintosh
Publisher: Carina
Date: April 11st, 2016
Pages: 243
Format: eARC
Source: from Publisher for a review

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

Falling for the man of her dreams…

Ruby Wood is perfectly happy playing the dating game – until she has a red-hot dream about her very attractive flatmate, Nick. He might spend every day saving lives as a junior doctor, but he’s absolutely the last man on earth that fun-loving Ruby would ever date!

The solution? Focus on all of Nick’s bad points. And if that fails, up her dating antics and find herself a man! So what if she manages to make disapproving, goody two-shoes Nick jealous in the process…

Only, after a series of nightmare first dates, there’s still just one man on Ruby’s mind. Maybe it’s time to admit the truth and dare to ask Nick to be her next date?

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Review:

Ever since I’ve heard about this book I wanted to read it.
The cover is just adorable, it’s like it shines with positivity and the premise sounded like something I’d enjoy.

The best thing about this novel was the writing style it was wrtitten with.
Even though this was my first time reading Portia Macintosh’s work, the feeling I had while reading this book was like coming home, if you know what I mean.
It was like coming back to something familiar that makes you feel comfortable, if that makes sense.

I can’t say if maybe Macintosh’s voice sounded like the one from my favorite author Sophie Kinsella, or if it’s only me who find the similarity between the two.
No matter what the case is, the point I’m trying to make is that I liked it.

The story follows Ruby, a quirky 28 years old girl who works in a cafe shop.
She doesn’t take life too seriously and has no luck when it comes to guys. She does not give up, though. Going on dates reguraly is what she does. So what if most of them don’t end up too well? One day maybe her dream guy worth keeping will show up, right?

My relationship with Ruby was, in the lack of better words, pretty complicated.
At times I loved her, I liked how silly and funny she was. But at other times, I wanted to shake her. It didn’t help that I didn’t approve what she was trying to do (her main goal) and to be honest, I questioned her morality.

Her best friend Millsy was an interesting character and I liked him better then Ruby. Reading about them together was really fun, but when in the story came Ruby’s brother Woody, it was even better.

Nick was the guy I had a feeling we should all fall in love with.
And I did, for a second. I’m not gonna lie.
However, as the story progressed, that love faded and I ended up not liking him all that much anymore.

Nick’s girlfriend Gwen was my favorite character. I can even say I understood her at some point (when it comes to being annoyed by Ruby and her non-stop presence). I think every girlfriend who’s boyfriend had a roomate like Ruby would want to get rid of her.
I didn’t like how Heather’s character developed. It was like she suddenly lost a big precentage of her IQ level and I feel like the main thing about her personality was there just so we could start on hating her and maybe it was even there as an easier way for the author to make us root for Ruby and Nick.

I like how Ruby and Nick’s relationship developed from „not like“ to „more then like“ trough the story.
The end was a bit rushed.

Overall, a quick and funny read that is perfect for chick-lit lovers.

3,75

Book Review: Splintered by A. G. Howard

splintered

Title: Splintered
Series: Splintered (#1)
Author: A. G. Howard
Publisher: Lumen (Croatian publisher)
Date: January 1st, 2013
Pages: 324
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads): This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence.

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

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Review:

So you think you know everything about Wonderland?

Then think again, because this isn’t the Wonderland you remember from your childhood.

Prepare yourself for the creepy, dark and twisted version of the happy place you used to visit when you wanted to feel better.
In this Wonderland, White Rabbit is a skeleton-looking faery with horns, and here, flowers wait to eat everyone who step on their theritory.

Alyssa Gardner is a great, great, granddaughter of the real Alice, who once visited Wonderland.

Women in her family are cursed. They can hear bugs and flowers, and eventually, everyone of them lose their minds.

Alyssa is on the mission: she wants to find the Wonderland and take the curse off from her family. By doing that, she’ll save her mother and herself.

I love this version of Wonderland.
The world building was amazing.
The logical aspect behind this world building was worth to be admired.
I really like how the writer portrayed Wonderland as a fairyland and all the characters from our well-known story as mysterious faeries.

The writing style was also beautiful. There were so many good sentences and quotes and if I read my own copy intead of the one from the library, it would probably be full of marks and underlines.

Our protagonist, Alyssa was pretty interesting to read about and in some kind of way, she was different from other female characters in ya novels.

There are two more characters worth mentioning: Jeb and Morpheus.

Morpheus was very manipulative, but because he is a faery, it made me appreciate him and I liked him as a character (when I look at the whole picture). As a love interest, he isn’t the greatest choice, but he is still better then his rival (if you can call him that).

Jeb, on the other hand, is the person I wouldn’t want for anyone. I didn’t like him at all, and honestly, just when I think about him it makes my nerves go up.
Why I have a negative opinion about Jeb will be discussed in my spoiler section.

There is also one character that I’d like to talk about: Taelor.
To us, she is presented as Alyssa’s rival and we weren’t supposed to like her, but I couldn’t help but to do opposite. In my eyes, she was pretty realistic and I actually think she tolerated a lot from her shitty boyfriend.
I feel like we all had to root for her to brake up with Jeb so Alyssa could be with him, but I actually rooted for her to brake up with Jeb so she could get rid of the douche.

The pacing was great, action packed in all senses. I even lost the track in some fighting scenes but it wasn’t long enough until I figured out what happened.

The only aspect of this book I didn’t like was romance.
In our love triange, I feel like Alyssa had an option to choose between bad and worse.

I also didn’t like the scene at the very end, which I like to call „The redemption scene“ (if you read the book, you’ll know what I mean).

Plus, I think there was too much cheese on the last page, if you get me!

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Spoiler Alert!!!

Why I didn’t like Jeb:

He was in relationship with Taelor who he treated bad. He kept putting her on second place, made her feel insecure in herself. He went on prom with her but hang out with others and saved only two dances for her.
At the same time, he had no problem accepting that her father would rent a place in London for him to live in.
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4

Book Review: Take Me On by Katie McGarry

take me on

Title: Take Me On
Author: Katie McGarry
Series: Pushing the Limits
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Date: May 27th, 2014
Pages: 544
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Acclaimed author Katie McGarry returns with the knockout new story of two high school seniors who are about to learn what winning really means.

Champion kickboxer Haley swore she’d never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can’t stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she’d stay away from. Yet he won’t last five seconds in the ring without her help.

West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her-fighting for her-is a shot at redemption. Especially since it’s his fault his family is falling apart. He can’t change the past, but maybe he can change Haley’s future.

Hayley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they’ll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for.

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Review:

In this, fourth novel in Pushing the Limits series (that can be read as a stanalone) we follow Haley and West.
The story is written in first person, switching from Haley’s to West’s POV.

Haley‘s life is not an easy one. After her father lost his job and her family lost the roof over their heads, they moved to her uncle’s house. Living with her uncle is not easy. He has strict rules they all have to obey and he verbally abuses them on regural basis.
Some time before, Haley was a kickbox champion but then, after something terrible happened to her, something that left her with the bitter taste in her mouth, she decided to leave fighting once and for all.

West is a troublemaker. After stealing money from his sister, the money she needed badly and ended up in a car accident because of that, he can’t stop blaming himself for what happened to her.

I loved protagonists of this story. I can honestly say that Haley is now my favorite character Mcgarry created.
She is strong and smart, never gives up and even though people around her bring her down, she doesn’t allow them to change her own opinion about herself. She knows she is worth.

West we already met in Crash Into You, book three of the same series.
There, he wasn’t the guy you would root for. However, giving us the chance to look from his perspective, McGarry made us understand him and therefore I changed my opinion about him and ended up really liking him.

As for characters impressions, author didn’t stop there. From the beginig of the story (and even in previous book) she made us dislike a certain character. I honestly think some readers even hated that same character. But, as the story progressed, and more reasons behind actions showed, as well as some secrets have revealed, McGarry got us to understand that character, and to look at him not as a bad, but as a good guy.

The writting style didn’t disappoint. It was beautiful just like always, although it wasn’t poetic as it was in Dare You To.
Maybe I should stress out here that I came to conclusion that the writing style in Dare You To has more to do with it’s narrator Beth. In the end, she is the one who presented the story to us in that book.

The chemistry between main characters was captured very well, I could feel the intensity between them and I enjoyed reading how they fell for each other slowly and then how that love developed pretty fast.

Although this is a love story, it also has many famly issues and family situations.
I will even be brave enugh to call it a love story with elements of family prose.
That, family aspect of this story, I liked a lot and it made me appreciate this novel even more.

Overall, I think everyone who likes McGarry already will enjoy reading this book, but I would also recommend it to everyone who likes to read ya contemporary about love, but with the darker atmosphere in it.

4,5

Book Review + Giveaway: Holding Court by K.C. Held (Blog Tour)

HoldingCourtTour

I am happy to be today’s stop at Holding Court Blog Tour.
I really enjoyed reading this novel and I want to say thanks to Entagled Teen for providing me a digital copy of this book and to MaryAnn from Chapter by Chapter for giving me this opportunity.

Copy of HC22

 Holding Court Cover

 

Book Title: Holding Court

Author: K.C. Held

Release Date: March. 1, 2016

Genre: YA Mystery

 

 

Sixteen-year-old Jules Verity knows exactly what’s in store at her new job at castle-turned-dinner-theater Tudor Times. Some extra cash, wearing a fancy-pants dress, and plenty of time to secretly drool ove
r the ever-so-tasty–and completely unavailable–Grayson Chandler. Except that it’s not quite what she imagined.

 

For one, the costume Jules has to wear is awful. Then there’s the dead body she finds that just kind of…well, disappears. Oh, and there’s the small issue of Jules and her episodes of what her best friend calls “Psychic Tourette’s Syndrome”–spontaneous and uncontrollable outbursts of seemingly absurd prophecies.

 

The only bright side? This whole dead body thing seems to have gotten Grayson’s attention. Except that the more Jules investigates, the more she discovers that Grayson’s interest might not be as courtly as she
thought. In fact, it’s starting to look suspicious…

 

Amazon | B&N | iBooks |Kobo | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca | Entangled Page

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My Review:

Written in the first person, Holding Court follows a girl named Jules, who is „cursed“ with what she likes to call „Psychic Tourette’s Syndrome“.
If you’re confused just like I was and wonder what that could be, let me explain it to you: from time to time, Julie, uncontrollably, blurbs out what will happen to someone in the future, but she tells that pretty much in codes. Overall, the whole thing makes her a weirdo in other people’s eyes.

She’s not the only one with the gift. Her grandmother can see other people’s auras and her mother can tell authenticidy of an object with a single touch.

One summer, to make some money and save enough to buy herself a car, sixteen years old Jules gets a job in a place called Tudor Times.
Fun fact: Grayson, the guy she has a crush for years works there.
Funnier fact: her girlfriend Bree also works there.

Jules knew not everything will be roses and butterflies, but what she couldn’t even dream about was that, while exploring secret chambers of her workplace, she would find a dead body…

First thing I have to warn you about: there are some illogical happenings trough the story.
If you are a critical reader you’ll probably find it’s flaws and they could put you off when it comes to finishing this story.
However, I think it is only fair of me to tell you how, if you can play blind to those flaws, you will probably end up really enjoying yourself while reading.

Yes, the main character does swoon over the guy while she should be worried about the killer and about her own sake.
Yes, the story does have a love triengle (that is, let me make that clear, a really good love triangle).
Yes, the character does not act the smartest way possible at some scenes, but…

The writing style is so good, it makes you want to devaour the story in one sitting.
The more pages you read, the plot is more and more interesting, characters are more and more likeable, the mystery is more and more mysterious.

I also have to emphasize that I didn’t see who the killer was. Of course, I had my own suspicion, but I was wrong.

And now, let me tell you what I liked the most about this book: Love triangle.
At first, I tought about giving this book a lower rating, but what made me really appreciate this novel is the love triangle in it and the way it resolved in the end.
Maybe some would call it naive or unbelievable, but I like to call it refreshing.
I have never before read the story in which all love interests  wrap up the way they did here, and it never even crossed my mind that someday it would be great to read the story with that kind of result.
Just because of that,  K.C. Held deserves an extra applause.

Overall, this is an easy, quick read with a great atmosphere, perfect for spring or summer when you want to read something entertaining and cute.
The writing style is enjoyable, the story has something different to offer when it comes to love interest and the very last chapter is the best chapter in the whole book, which made me appreciate this piece.

I gladely recommend it!

3,75

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Giveaway (US Only)

Giveaway Information:  Contest ends March 18, 2016

 

  • One (1) winner will receive Holding Court swag pack containing a magnetic prophecy kit, signed bookplate, coloring postcard with stacked coloring pencil, and a bookmark.

HC Swag pack

 

ENTER HERE:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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About the author:kc-held

K.C. HELD was born and raised in California with stopovers in Honduras, Mexico, and France. Married to her high school sweetheart, and mom to two avid bookworms, she holds an MFA in costume design and is an accomplished seamstress with a background in opera, theater, film, and television. Although she once spent a summer working in a castle, there were no dead bodies involved.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Goodreads

 

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Book Review: Christmas At Tiffany’s by Karen Swan

karen swan Title: Christmas At Tiffany’s
 Author: Karen Swan
 Series: At Tiffany’s (#1)
 Publisher: Pan Macmillan
 Date: January 1st 2012
 Pages: 585
 Format: Hardcover
 Source: Purchased

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Three cities. Three seasons. One chance to find the life that fits.

Cassie settled down too young, marrying her first serious boyfriend. Now, ten years later, she is betrayed and broken. With her marriage in tatters and no career or home of her own, she needs to work out where she belongs in the world and who she really is.

So begins a year-long trial as Cassie leaves her sheltered life in rural Scotland to stay with each of her best friends in the most glamorous cities in the world: New York, Paris and London. Exchanging grouse moor and mousy hair for low-carb diets and high-end highlights, Cassie tries on each city for size as she attempts to track down the life she was supposed to have been leading, and with it, the man who was supposed to love her all along.

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Review:

This is the story about a woman who has to find herself again.

After ten years of marriage, on her anniversary party, Cassie finds out the ugly truth: her godson is a lovechild of her husband and her best friend.
What does she do?
She leaves him and goes on a year long search for her truth-self.
Where?
To three different cities that happen to be three leading places when it comes to fashion industry: New York, Paris and London.
In every city, she has a friend she will stay with.

In New York, her good friend Kelly, takes her under her wing. She shows her a lifestyle of a real New Yorker: morning running routines, going out in the clubs on regular basis, dating hot guys and keeping up with the latest trends.
She also find her a job in the fashion industry, but the thing is: when it comes to fashion, Cassie is pants and sweater kind of girl.

In Paris, Cassie is on her way to find her new-self. She listens to her inner self and discovers her passion for cooking.

London, her last stop. Place where the main decission has to be made.

Although this book sounds like a real chick lit in all it’s glory, it’s so much more then that.
I feel like I expected nothing but entertaintment from this story, but got so much from it.

Everything that happened in this book, all those little silly things and all those situations that were so easy to judge, they all happened for a reason.

There were no black and white characters, only grey. 
With all their flaws and reasons behind them, they opened my eyes and made me think about what makes people behaving a certain way.

It is so easy to be judgamental when it’s other people lives we’re talking about!

With it’s brilliant writing style and amazing setting (I liked New York the best), Christmas At Tiffany’s is a book every women’s fiction lover should read.

 

4,5