10 Ways To Kill A Cupid by Leigh Parker

10 Ways To Kill A Cupid

Author: Leigh Parker
Pages: 265

Synopsis:
Three years after becoming a Cupid, the normally cheeky and cheerful Leigh has to question her work ethics when her next assignment happens to be the woman who killed her.

Meet Natalie McIntyre, actually, no, you wouldn't want to meet Natalie McIntyre, the foul mouthed, anti social Senior Manager at her father's cardboard box factory who really isn't in the mood to spend the next 7 days with a weird blonde haired girl who just will not go away.

Over the course of a week Leigh has her work cut out when she learns that not only is Natalie hell bent on being stubborn, cranky and incredibly hard to pair but the appearance of the blue spark puts everything she’s ever learnt as a Cupid in jeopardy. 

What I liked:
This book is freaking AMAZING! I just couldn't put it down. It was witty and ingeniously written.
The whole concept is very new and refreshing. A point of a cupid, a different spin on what waits for us after we die.
Sometimes you really want to strangle Natalie but simultaneously you want to know if she can get better. Leigh and Natalie have, as it seems, a hate/hate relationship full of bantering and Natalie trying to destroy Leigh.
In the 3/4 of the book, the relationship was a between them was a bit strange for me, but I didn't mind it at all, because the book was just so good.
But the end. My GOD! I really didn't expect that. And I couldn't help myself, so I just smiled till the very last page. I love, I adore this book.

What I didn't like:
What is this even doing here.

Perks:
Just one question. Is there any website where I can sign up for my personal cupid?  A soulmate would come in handy :)

 Excerpt from the book:

The Night Sky by E.K. Eonia

The Night Sky: A Series of Short Stories

Author:E.K. Eonia


Synopsis:
The Night Sky is a series of nine short stories inspired by star gazing and some of the visible stars and constellation in the night sky. Each story weaves into its unraveling a particular star or constellation that captures a part of the essence of that short story. Traveling all over the globe to places like South Africa, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Hawaii, Japan, North America, Ireland and Iceland, each story captures a series of moments in time reflecting the variety and diversity that exists across the world as reflected by the expansive reach of the Night Sky. With tales of family, love, death, hope and optimism, spanning different times, spaces and expectations each story weaves itself into the canvass that is the Night Sky. This collection is positive, uplifting, humorous and above all human.

What I liked:
Amazingly written. Every time a new story I started I felt I don't want to let go of the previous one but somehow the other one was nearly just as good.
This book consists of few stories from nearly every kind of perspective. I have to say that I have a few favorite of mine.
Orion - the first story. And the best in my opinion. Written in unbelievable way, witty, funny, unbearably cute and romantic. It's very beautiful and feels very natural. It could be made in a short 10 minute movie and I would love to watch it when I am feeling down. It's pretty much a story about love at first sight.
"She walked in, sat down, I was fucked." You just gotta love Phinn. The way he acts is just unbelievable. 
Sirius- At first I didn't realize that this story was written from a point of a dog. I really thought that she was a girl. I loved the HP reference because I am desperately in love with HP.
I love the quirky and actually human way of how the dog's thinking was described. I liked that she declared the flower beds safe. That was just cute.
Seven Sisters- A touching story of an old woman waiting for her end. Yet she seems so full of energy. And I just loved the names of the birds.

What I didn't like:
Some stories were a a bit confusing for me.  But otherwise I don't know what else I should not like. Wait. I know. I don not like that this book has so little recognition. It is better than it seems. 

It was quite a quick read. Took me about an hour. This book is ideal for moments when you want to relax and when you do not seek adventure. Finding a way, clash of cultures, counting stars, family or carrier, couple's decisions, love at first sight, waiting for an end, protecting what you love and taking pride in what you have done.
All I can say is that I am glad that I read this book.

If you are interested in reading, here is the link:
http://www.goodreads.com/reader/35092-the-night-sky?return_to=%2Fbook%2Fshow%2F17412378-the-night-sky
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17412378-the-night-sky

Swept by Becca Lee Nyx

Swept

Author: Becca Lee Nyx
Pages: 94

Synopsis: 
College is supposed to be a magical experience, a time of self-exploration and discovery. For Crystal and her friends, Ryan and Kelly, this couldn't be closer to the truth. Crystal, the geeky girl on a scholarship, Ryan, the rich entitled kid who feels he is misunderstood, and Kelly who is looking for love in all the wrong places... These three friends will take you on an exciting trip as they encounter situations they never dreamed possible. Mystery men, betrayal, relationships, and steamy sex. All this and more await you in this first book of a trilogy by Becca Lee Nyx.

What I liked:
I liked Crystal from the start.She has a hoarding problem with brochures and likes Harry Potter and Hobbit. She even wore a shirt with Snape on the front. She has high ambitions and wants to work at NASA.  I myself am going to university in the fall so I was quite excited to read this book. It was quite catching and easy to read.
One of the main guys is Gabriel Knight. One hell of a hot name and a person if you ask me. The other one is her friend Ryan. Well if I had to choose I would go with Gabriel. I have to say I put quite put off with Ryan's behavior.
And the cover is just yummy.

What I didn't like:
The first few chapters were very interesting and made me want to read more. But I was a bit taken by surprise when Crystal had no problem sleeping with two guys and having a threesome even thought she has been raped in the past and had very little experience. She seemed a bit reckless when she decided to got to college just because she saw a guy on the campus that caught her eye.
Guys in the story clashed a bit to me. Mostly Ryan. At first he seemed like a nice guy,but then turned into some king of a jerk.
I also think that there was a bit too much of mindless sex between characters even though they had no feelings for each other.
And I imagined the ending to be a bit better. I thought that Crystal would have decided differently.


Perks:
Now I at least know what 'merkin' is. And I actually did google it as soon as it was mentioned in the book.
"The wind was blowing my hair making me feel like some important character in a
romance movie."  -the first sentence. Juts gotta love it :)

I'm glad I had the chance to read this book. Thanks for the chance.

Raised by Hand, Lifted by the Tides by Willet Thomas

Raised by Hand, Lifted by the Tides : a Southern Child's Memoir

 Author: Willet Thomas, Redden Sanders
 Pages: 170

Synopsis:
When we first meet Lily “Lil Bit” Dalton, she is quite literally drowning. This “lip flapping” event, along with others, takes place in the quirky, yet racially divided waterway township of Arcadia, Florida in 1954.

In Raised by Hand, Lil Bit recounts the years between ten and thirteen spent in the care of the woman she considers to be her grandmother, "Bubbah," and this woman's alcoholic son, Bobby. As the story opens, it’s been five years since Lil Bit’s mama, Violet, “dropped her off like nothin’ but a bit of dirty laundry,” when on “Ditch Thursday,” Lil Bit is pulled from the river by Sheriff Marin. The Sheriff’s act of heroism leaves her not only with the secret of what lies beneath the water, but also with gnawing doubts about Sheriff Marin, “the only white man worth a damn in all of Arcadia,” who also knows the river’s secret, but tells no one.

Like the tales told by the young heroines in the classics To Kill a Mockingbird and the Secret Lives of Bees, Lily “Lil Bit” Dalton’s quest to reunite with her mother, while also keeping the secret of the Massaquatta’s murky depths, takes readers on a tumultuous ride filled with adventure and mystery. But more importantly, Raised by Hand answers the age old question: What does it take to be a family?

What I liked:
Though I have read many books, I am a bit ashamed that I haven't read much books with a black girl as the main character. Now I am glad that I did through a little black girl named Lil Bit. 
When I started reading at first, I was a bit hesitant. It didn't seem like my cup of coffee. But after a while the book snatched me in it's story. There wasn't a lot of action. Quite the opposite. At least to me the book had a, I could say, calming effect. It was very pleasant to read. 
The descriptions of the surroundings showed me America in 40's and 50's in a way I never saw it before.
The book shows us what it means to be a family, to belong somewhere, a certain compactness of the community, worth of people and behavior of society. How people act and what they say through the eyes of a small girl, who is wise beyond her age.

 What I didn't like:
I considered to review this book few times in the past. The only thing that stopped me was the synopsis. It seemed a bit chaotic to me and I didn't know what to think of it at first. But after few pages, the book got better.
I prefer more action, so the book was a bit slow paced for me and sometimes went into too much of an detail about something that I believed was not very important for the story.

I would recommend the book for people who enjoy looking at the world through eyes of someone else. Maybe of a little girl who knows more then she should, were there where she should not and for us from time to time remember what it is like to be a child and wonder about the world that we created.

Tempted by the Storm by Maxine Mansfield

Tempted by the Storm

Author: Maxine Mansfield
Pages: 384

Synopsis:
Larksong Hammerstrike has always been just the younger sister of Princess Aryanna. Never quite as pretty or as smart, always lacking, a mere empath whose power gets her into trouble more often than not. But at Carnalval, the festival of all things sexual, she unleashes her sensual side for a night in the arms of a masked stranger. When morning dawns, Lark can't resist a peek beneath the mask of her lover and is once again crushed by fate. The man of her lusty adventure is none other than the future Lord of the High Elves and destined to marry her sister. As heir to the kingdom of Landis and current instructor of wizardry at the Academy of Magical Arts, Sarco Sunwalker is honor bound to rise above the temptation of the beautiful empathic student who invades his mind, body, and soul. But when sparks fly, lightning strikes, and thunder rolls, Sarco finds himself more than tempted by the storm of Lark's passion and vows to find a solution that will prevent a war between races, fulfill an infamous quest, and win Lark's hand.

What I liked:
The concept of it seemed quite interesting at first. When Lark spends a night with a stranger, about who you will later find out that he is destined to marry her sister, I was quite understanding about it. I mean, loosing yourself in passion for one night with a masked stranger that makes you insides squirm with lust seems like an interesting idea. A hot stranger, and night full of fantasies.
Also, the author works with different types of characters. Especially of different races. I like the she chose the human and elf race as the most prominent in the story. I feel like elves are a bit underestimated. There should be written more about them.
There were times when I laughed out loud at nonsense sentences said by some characters.

What I didn't like:
Sometimes it seemed to me, that nearly every conversation end with something physical. Though I am in no way prude, it was a little bit too much for my taste. I don't mind a bit smut here and there but everything to a certain extent.
Also the cover of the book doesn't do it justice. It seem like those historical novels with damsel in distress and a hero on a horse.

I think this book is good for someone who has a liking in these types of books. Maybe I am just not old enough to appreciate this book.

Read the Flower by Alexandra Lanc

Read the Flower

~ Lisez la Fleur…“Read the Flower” ~
Première partie…“Part One” of the Fleur Passages
Le beau début…“The Beautiful Beginning”

Author: Alexandra Lanc
Pages:66
 


 Synopsis:
Twenty-year-old Lorine Stringfield’s life is about to change forever, and she doesn’t even know it.

Weighted down by the death of her father, her overbearing mother, and the sadness of her little brother, Lorine has less than high hopes for her family’s trip to France. But all of that changes when she is invited to visit the illustrious Château du Jumeaux – a premiere nightclub that only the most privileged attend. Lorine jumps at the chance to do something for herself, but gets more than she bargained for when she discovers the terrible truth: the chateau isn’t a nightclub at all, but a feeding ground for perhaps the most ruthless of beings, the creatures known as vampires.


What I liked:
It captured me right away. It was very catching and made you want to know what happened in the end. What made it better were the characters.
Lorine is easy to relate to. Her relationship with her younger brother, Josh is beautiful. With her mother, on the other hand, it is quite the opposite. She restrains herself from snapping at her or openly disagreing with or arguing with her. She is just like any other girl and that's why I like her even more. I know that people have the tendency to maybe expect rebelling side of character but the truth is that she is behaving in the exact way she is supposed to. I myself would never argue with my parents and rebel. Fact that her looks were not described exactly in the book made her even more likable. Sometimes you find yourself disliking the way someone looks and then you try to overlook the fact whenever it is mentioned in the book. And if you want, you can picture yourself in her place.
I liked as well, that she didn't jump to the chance of going to the party right away. It would seem a bit sill. agreeing to go somewhere with a stranger without any other information.

And Honoré. Hot, sexy, mysterious with French charm and French pet names. Tall, sunset eyes, black white and grey hair. The perfect catch. As you will find out later, the first impressions were quite deceiving. He is exotic and something new. It may come off that he has just one face but you later find out that there is more to him than he just lets on. And you want to know what.
Book is quite mysterious. we do not know how her father died and why Honoré chose her. Neither we know the history and the meaning behind this all.

What I didn't like:
It could have been just a little bit longer, but knowing that there will be more of it makes this fact bearable.

Perks:
This is  a special category. And this story deserves it. The fact that we, readers, can participate is just min-blowing. There is a poll; on the author's website where you can to a certain extent decide the fate of characters.
It is very exciting and new for me.

All in all, the book definitely has a  potential and is very likeble. 26th July is the day of the second part. Let's just say that I can't wait to read more.