Book Review: The Bet by Rachel Van Dyken

I saw this book in the 2013 new releases list and after reading the synopsis, just grabbed it and book was just fantastic. No single word to describe about the book...it was a mixture of everything...sweet , funny, refreshing! I finished the book in a single read till morning 3am. Ms. Rachel has done a great work - my best wishes to her.
I enjoyed the book very much for its funny, hilarious dialogues. Really entertaining! And i want to tell a bit about the story also....i loved the situations created in the book and how the author has beautifully sketched the storyline. The characters are nicely depicted.
Kacey, Travis and Jake are just wonderful, i loved each of their characters. Kacey's world was turned upside down after a fateful night where she not only loses her best friend but also her parents. Jake has always been Kacey's best friend and protector from not just his older brother who terrorized her as a kid, but also mean high school girls who did not understand their relationship. Travis, Jake's older brother, has a big crush on Kacey from their childhood. He teased and tortured Kacey as he was not able to express his feelings properly and also, he thought he was her saviour by slaying dragons (created by himself) for her (so cute and sweet:) thinking ). A few years later, after the falling out with Jake, Kacey gets a call from her ex-best-friend, Jake who is a millionaire playboy and heir to the Titus throne, with a proposition to be his fake fiancee for a weekend so that he can save his image in front of press and family. Kacey agrees to play the role for the sake of Jake's family and especially his grandma who she loves more than anything. Now, when Kacey and Jake comes to the family home....the story becomes really interesting as Travis, Kacey's nemesis, is also there the whole weekend. From there, it is lot of funny dialogues and sweet conversations between Travis and Kacey which will make you laughing out loud and happy at heart. I loved how they both develop their relationship and understand each other's feelings, and it was so cute to see their fights, very enjoyable. 
Travis's 85 years old grandma is a fantastic character , makes you laugh a lot, her affair with her neighbor was awesome :). This book was a refreshing experience for me. When you start the first chapters, you will think the story is going on the best-friends turned lover track, but it was a change from all such stories when we meet Travis. And you will love it, it makes the story more entertaining. It would be really unfair not to mention Jake, even though this is not his story but he has a equal role in this book - Ms. Rachel has created a great character in Jake, you will love and hate him at the same time. And because some chapters have Jake's point-of-view, it will help you to know him and understand why he is doing the things he does.
All in all...a romantic read with lots to laugh. It was an excellent read for me!!
  

Book Review: Making Chase by Lauren Dane

Lauren Dane's Chase series was on my to-read list for a long time. I love family series, love reading family drama/dynamics mixed with romantic stories. But, when you start a series , you have to read all the books in the same order from the series otherwise it is won't be much enjoyable. And that was the reason, i started reading this series now only when i wanted some spicy dose of family dramas.

Making Chase is the final book in the Chase Series and this was the best one among all the four books of the series.  The three other books of  Chase brothers - Kyle, Shane and Marc was ok to read bot bot much enjoyable for me. But this one, wow, I loved reading this book especially because of the female protagonist - Tate. The book was sweet and emotionally touching.

From the goodreads summary:

Matt is an expert and the Chase is on. Tate doesn't stand a chance.

Tate Murphy is a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. She grew up a million miles away from the easy life Matt Chase has had. She's spent her life pulling herself and her siblings up and out of that trailer by the railroad tracks and she hasn't looked back. 
Matt Chase is a dream of a guy and she's certainly not going to turn down a short fling with one of the most handsome men she's ever seen! Matt Chase has watched each one of his brothers find love and he knows he's ready for that too. It's all a matter of finding the woman who captures his heart. He's certainly sampled his fair share of them but none has moved him the way Tate Murphy does when he goes to her shop to thank her for some cookies and a thank you note.
But as Matt gets to know Tate and appreciate her strength and unique beauty, he also realizes she's got some big self esteem issues about her past. To build a future, he's got to find a way past some big road blocks.

Tate Murphy - she is one of the best female character i have enjoyed reading. She is beautiful - not stunning beautiful but, beautiful at heart, funny, intelligent, compassionate and etc etc. The character of Tate is really admirable, even having a rough childhood because of abusive alcoholic parents, she took care of her siblings and pulled them and herself from the worst situations. She has made a successful life for herself as a hairdresser and owns a family salon. She is always self-conscious as she had been emotionally tortured by her father, but she is so strong that she is always ready to face the new challenges of life. Now, what to say about Matt Chase, i love all Chase brothers, they are so charming and irresistible. Each had their own good personalities, but Matt is my favorite. He is a firefighter who has daily challenges in his professional life but his personal life is boring, easy. He had everything easy in life, but he is searching for the right soul mate who challenges him to be a better person and he has found that in Tate. Matt is smitten with Tate when he first sees her in her salon laughing, he is attracted to her personality and gets to know her better by spending more time with her during lunch time. He is determined and patient to bring Tate into his life. Tate is also attracted to Matt but she has her own past that she is ashamed of and also self esteem issues but with Matt, realizing his sincerity and love, she is ready to lead her life as she deserves. The romance is sweet, but there were lot of problems with town people harassing Tate and small fights but both Matt and Tate understood each other and were able to overcome them together.The other characters in the story - Tate's overprotective siblings, sometimes they were irritating but understandable as they only cared for Tate's happiness.

At last not the least, how can i not mention the Chases - a wonderful, supportive family. They embrace Tate and her siblings to their home. And Polly chase is the best mother-in-law ever. All the chase brothers and their wives from other books of the series also have small roles in the book, they were great.

My favorite scene from the book was when after a huge fight with Tate, Matt returns home to find Tate cleaning the bathroom tile with his toothbrush, that was really funny. I loved it . And i loved how Matt always call Tate  'Venus', it was sweet. 
A recommended read for romance lovers!! It would be better if you read the whole series at a time but this one as a stand alone will be enjoyable on its own! 

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.