Book Review: From Rags by Suzanne Wright

From last 5 minutes iam thinking of something to write about this book....but i just can't express my feelings on this wonderful book!! From Rags is one of the best books i have read!! And that also after saying, the storyline is a common, simple love story. But I'm quite impressed by the author and her writing style, the main characters  of the book - Jaxxon and Connor were fabulous - i don't have words to tell about them. Fantastically depicted characters by Ms. Suzanne Wright, I loved each of them!!

A short summary to the book:

There has only been three people in Jaxxon Carter's life who truly mattered to her. Her mum, who committed suicide. Her sister, who she hasn’t seen since her teens. And Connor McKenzie, who disappeared from her life the same day he left their foster home. The hardest part of that was that he never completely left her life because she was forever seeing him on T.V. or in magazines as a Formula One Driver. But Jaxxon refuses to live a ‘woe is me’ life, even in spite of living alone in her one-roomed flat and being expected to survive on a ridiculously low income. Then one night she is offered a modelling job and before she knows it she has been catapulted to the peak of success, gaining fame, fortune and security. Oh and a stalker.
Connor McKenzie is busy trying to shake off his crazy ex-girlfriend - another woman who thought she could get around his no marriage rule - when he sees Jaxxon on the cover of a magazine. Remembering how close they had once been, he’s shocked when she doesn’t respond to his attempts to contact her and then acts indifferently to him when they meet. But Connor can’t let it go. The only reason he had kept his hands off her ten years ago was that she had been younger than him. Now that they’re adults, he isn’t prepared to allow anything - not even Jaxxon - to stop him from having her.

The story is about how Jaxxon Carter, grown up with a foster care past, endures all the worst sufferings life can ever give at a very young age and becomes a successful model and finds her true love in the end (childhood crush reunited) - a kind of rags-to-riches story.

Jaxxon .....I adored her!! She is so different and unique, the best one word description for her is real, than any other female characters i have read, I really enjoyed her character. Jaxxon is everything a woman should be, strong, beautiful, kind, loving and the best quality is she is so bold...speaks her heart to anyone and everywhere, a not at all attention-seeking, down-to-earth character. Still, there are so many things to Jaxx's character, i cant tell in words. I loved all her dialogues, it was funny and entertaining. Connor.....a F1 race car driver, from a broken home, raised in foster care, temperamental and sometimes short-tempered. Initially i did not like him at all, he was so possessive and controlling towards Jaxxon but still he was a lovable character, gentle and caring most of the time. Both Jaxxon and Connor are not sweet or soft characters, as they have both suffered a hard past, but they become successful in life because of their strong personalities and never failing attitude. Their relationship also starts with a strong attraction, lot intense and steamy romance , but at the end realize their forever love for each other. Even though Connor took a long, long time to realize his love, it was wonderful when he realized and acted on it.  I loved how Connor does not allow his friend to call Jaxxon 'Jaxx' as he tells only he is allowed to call her Jaxx. There are lot of local slang dialogues and funny conversations between Jaxx and Connor which entertains us a lot!

The secondary characters - Ollie, Richie, Tony, Anna and Dane were great. The stalker angle was okay, not much contributing to the story, but for Jaxx she was able to lighten some of her past burdens. I just thought the multiple POVs was not a good idea...sometimes it was confusing when suddenly the pov changes from one person to other without any warning. Otherwise, an enticing recommended read for everyone!!

Oh ...i forgot to say one thing... the epilogue...was the best part of the book where we get a glimpse of the HEA life of Jaxx and Connor and it was superb!! Enjoy!!

Book Review: Playing James by Sarah Mason

Recently, I have been reading lot of chick-lits.....and i was kind of over-dosed with it. So, i decided that i need a change in scenario and thought of reading some romantic novels. Keeping that in mind, i selected a book with a good plot - Playing James. But, when i started reading it, i realized it was actually a chick-lit and had only the female point-of-view which i don't like much. Anyways, Playing James was not what i expected as a typical chick-lit - it was refreshing, funny and entertaining.

The main character - Holly Colshannon has a flair for the dramatic, a nose for trouble, and the remarkable ability to smile through any indignity. She is the new crime reporter for Bristol Gazette who has a quirky and lovely, confident persona. Her latest crime assignment is to shadow the unsmiling, though gorgeous  Detective James Sabine through his action-packed days, and then capture all the danger and thrills of a cop’s life in a daily column for the paper. Even though Holly gets her own byline, delectable James Sabine is not happy to work with a reporter. But, then, that makes the story interesting, the bickering interactions between James and Holly and their slowly developing friendship.

The story was a normal predictable one but, i enjoyed it a lot, Sarah Mason has written the story beautifully. The best thing about the book was it made me laugh and smile a lot. Normally, in chick-lits, i have seen the hero character is almost non-existent, but Playing James has a strong hero character. James is very caring and loving even though he was grouchy and grumpy most of the time.I loved Holly and James as a couple, they were great. Only problem for me was the way they ended the book, i did not like the change in Holly's character, she is so confident in everything in life but when she falls in love she becomes exact opposite...very vulnerable....and James also takes a long time in deciding what he exactly wants. There was a little drag at the end but otherwise, it was a enjoyable read.

When i read the book, i could not resist sharing my opinion of the book even if it was an old book. It will be worth your time if you try this fun-filled romantic book!!

Book Review: Midnight Fear by Leslie Tentler

Midnight Fear is the latest romantic suspense thriller i have read recently. I love suspense thrillers for a change when i get overdosed with romance novels. And this book is an chilling and intriguing suspense thriller by Leslie Tentler who is a first time author with her Chasing Evil Trilogy series (Midnight Fear is the second one of the series and the best one). I expected a story with a serial-killer plot as most of the thriller goes but this one was different with a surprising suspense.

Synopsis from GoodReads:

The still of the night is once again shattered by Caitlyn Cahill's recurring nightmare—her brother standing before her, gripping a butcher knife, his eyes black with hatred. Two years ago, the former Washington, D.C., socialite defied her powerful senator father and risked the ruin of her family by helping the FBI link her troubled brother to a string of horrific murders. "The Capital Killer" was sent to prison for life…and Caitlyn's entire world fell apart. Now, FBI agent Reid Novak is forced to rend the peace Caitlyn has found on a rural Virginia horse farm. A copycat killer is on the loose and slowly toying with Caitlyn—his ultimate target—in a terrorizing cat–and–mouse game. Almost destroyed two years ago by Caitlyn's family, not to mention the Capital Killer's haunting final murder, Reid vows to save the woman he's never forgotten or die trying.

In this book, Ms. Tentler brings us a suspense thriller which has a serial-killer who is copying Joshua Cahill's , 'the Capitol Killer' horrific murders and is trying to finish what Joshua started—and Caitlyn, Joshua's sister is the main target of his fantasies. 

Caitlyn, an adopted daughter to a US Senator, defies her family and helps the FBI to expose her brother. After her infamous brother's arrest, she loses her whole family and leaves her socialite world to start an equine therapy program in a Virginia farm. But, after two years of trying to rebuild her life in isolation, she again gets dragged into the investigation when her brother's copycat killer is on loose. FBI Agent Reid Novak was the investigating officer for Capitol killer case and is the FBI link whom Caitlyn helps in catching Joshua. Now, once again Reid is there to assist and protect Caitlyn, whom he still have strong feelings for. 

Both the characters, Caitlyn and Reid are loving, caring persons with a strong attraction to each other from first but due to life's worst circumstances, had to continue through their own different path. When once they meet again after two years, they realize the depth of their feelings and develop a strong relationship. At first, Reid was hot and cold towards Caitlyn, but it was understandable as Reid was faithful to his job and gave his job the high priority but later due to his illness and recuperation and all, he realizes his priorities of life. I loved their relationship, it was not a suddenly developed one based on impulsive attraction , but a relation developed on understanding and care which develops into love. Even though there is not much as a romance plot, Caitlyn and Reid are really good together throughout the book.

Ms. Tentler keeps you mesmerized through the whole book till the end. The suspense is really twisty and intriguing. Both Joshua and his copycat are so creepy and evil, it keeps you engaging to find out who the copycat is. And as expected by author, the end surprises us. The author's writing style is admirable. I had read her third book in this trilogy - Edge of MidNight and that was also good, but this one i liked more. I hope she writes more novels for suspense genre.

Highly recommended for thrilling suspense book readers.

Book Review: First You Plz by Nisha Takur

"First to Plz" is a sweet and simple story about an immature girl. The book was very short, i could finish it in just three hours. 

The female character of the novel, Avanti is a sweet girl who is very homesick as she is away for MBA at her new college. Her best friends Meenakshi and Rachana are with her in her new journey. Here, she meets Akash, a handsome boy, whom she falls in love at first sight. He is adorable and Avanti is unable to take her eyes off him, why she herself doesn't know. She feels that Akash is her first love and secretly nurtures the dream that he will propose to her first. The story goes on from there as Avanti tries to know what is in Akash's mind and if he is interested in her,  will he understand her feelings and who will propose first!

In my opinion, the story was very shot and sweet, Avanti as the author herself has depicted as a immature girl, i felt she is more sensitive than immature in most of the book. As she is away from her parents, very homesick, it is natural she tries finding comfort in her friends. When she starts falling for Akash, even for a very small thing he says or does, she feels hurt. I think it sometimes happens someone you love tease you or make fun of you, it will hurt your feelings, i think it is because of that particular age. But, then, there were some things in the novel which i felt was very immature behavior like when she cries because Akash tells her she is cute and not beautiful.Also, there is not much insight into Akash's feelings or thoughts in the book but as the author has depicted the story as Avanti's story, it was ok! But i always love a story when both the character's have their own point-of-view. Otherwise, it was ok, a page-turning book, author has tried to create an interest from the first page. But, still when i finished the book, i felt like there was not much as a story, i like books with a solid storyline. One more i felt was, the end was abrupt, it would have been nice if there was something more at the end, some more pages with the happy ending.

All in all, First you Plz is a sweet read if you prefer a simple, not much time-consuming read. I liked reading it. It was a nice debut novel by Nisha Thakur.

Book Review: The Best Man by Kristan Higgins

The Best Man is the one of the best book i have ever read. I loved Kristan Higgins writing. This has become one of my favorite Ms. Higgins book.
It is funny, sweet, and entertaining with lot of interesting characters and a good plot.

GoodReads Summary:

Sometimes the best man is the one you least expect?

Faith Holland left her hometown after being jilted at the altar. Now a little older and wiser, she's ready to return to the Blue Heron Winery, her family's vineyard, to confront the ghosts of her past, and maybe enjoy a glass of red. After all, there's some great scenery there?.

Like Levi Cooper, the local police chief and best friend of her former fiancé. There's a lot about Levi that Faith never noticed, and it's not just those deep green eyes. The only catch is she's having a hard time forgetting that he helped ruin her wedding all those years ago. If she can find a minute amidst all her family drama to stop and smell the rosé, she just might find a reason to stay at Blue Heron, and finish that walk down the aisle.

Faith is a lovable, sweet person who lost her mother at a young age and still carries the grief in her life as she thinks she was responsible for her mother's accident, which affects all her important decisions in life. Her most important decision of life being marrying Jeremy, who was her high school sweetheart and town doctor who was a perfect man but she gets jilted at the altar when he announces himself as gay. She always did good things for others to make them happy without caring for her happiness so that she can forgive herself. Thatsy she never use to understand Levi Cooper who seemed not to like her and always felt Levi was the one who ruined her marriage by outing his best friend.

Levi always thought of Faith as "Princess super-cute - spoiled, irritating and ditzy", but he was attracted to her even when she was her best friend's fiancee.
Now, after 3 years, Faith as a successful landscape designer has come back to her hometown Blue Heron to do a work on their Holland barn and end up as a next door neighbor to Levi. When both start getting to know each other, they realize what they thought about each other was far from the truth and their feelings for each other are deep. They start falling for each other and it is the best part of the story, a sweet romantic part - it is amazing.

I would say the book is lovely, the depiction, Ms. Higgins writing style and the characterizations are fabulous. Lot of humorous dialogues which makes for the fun part. Faith has a quite interesting family, with her grands always bickering, i loved pops and groggy. All her family members were interesting characters including Faith's niece and nephew, nicely depicted secondary characters. There are lot of funny dating scenes with Faith dating different people, either non-straight men or liars and also Faith fixing her dad on dates, very witty and entertaining.

One of the dialogue from the novel i loved best where Faith describes Levi:

Twice in her life, Faith had been in love. Once with a man so perfect she should’ve known there was something wrong. And now with a man who wasn’t perfect at all, who was stubborn, occasionally irritable, and mildly to moderately constipated when it came to emotions, and maybe had some abandonment issues going on, too, not to mention the weight of the world on his shoulders.
He was also the best man she knew.
There was nothing he wouldn’t do to help someone. Find a cat on a dark night, drive an hour to do his sister’s laundry, wash a dog covered in chicken poop, let his ex-wife say her piece. Go out in the middle of the night to reconstruct a twenty-year-old accident. Stop his best friend’s wedding when he knew it would only lead to misery...for Jeremy and for her.

One thing is found little bit irritating was Faith forming ridiculous conlusions of Levi. she has her own boredom scale in which she will measure Levi's expression from 0 to 10 and the she is using this scale at every time she meets Levi in the book, i don't know it was slightly repetitive and just that i was not happy reading about that part.

All in all, it was a good book, but with a predictable plot and some cliqued moments but, a lovely, romantic, fun read.
I would rate it as fantastic!!