2016 Reading Challenge: Book 6 - Lady Midnight

This is also my first finished book for Modern Mrs Darcy's 2016 Reading Challenge.  Yay, it's only taken nearly 4 months to read one! Lol.


Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Why I Chose This Book: I chose this book as it is a new book in the Shadowhunter world.
Genre: Fiction
Date Started: 16/03/2016  Date Finished: 28/03/2016
Would I Recommend This Book: Yes, if you are a fan of the other Shadowhunter books (The Mortal Instruments or Infernal Devices), then you will enjoy this book.

My Review
I did enjoy this book, but I felt that it was a little too long.  As I was reading it on the Kindle, I felt that although I was getting through chapters, the percentage wasn't going up very much.  I had to Google the length of this book and was surprised to find it was a monster at 720 pages long!  I think for the first book in a new series, this is quite long.  The story was quite padded out with other plot lines that didn't always seem to flow with the main plot line.  I'm sure there is a reason for it and no doubt it will all come with the rest of the series, but I felt that some of it wasn't needed for this book.

For the main storyline though, the book takes us five years after the Dark War to the lives of Julian Blackthorn and Emma Carstairs at the LA institute.  We do get snippets of what has happened in that time for our other favourite Shadowhunters, but ultimately, this is Emma & Julians story.

It starts with the LA Shadowhunters finding out about some odd mundane and fae killings in the area, which links to the death of Emma's parents.  The young Shadowhunters investigate the killings without the Clave knowing and get themselves caught up into more than what they initially thought.

I can't really say much more than that without giving away spoilers.  As I said above, I did really enjoy the story.  It's introduced us to the new generation of the Blackthorn family and it has introduced some new characters.  Other than the slowness of the book, we have some good action scenes, a bit of romance and the usually emotional rollercoaster that Cassie Clare gives us in her novels.  I will be reading the others of the series and look forward to them coming out, but this book hasn't taken over from The Infernal Devices as my favourite Shadowhunter series.

Jackie. x

2016 Reading Challenge: Books 4 & 5 - Clockwork Prince & Clockwork Princess

As I have read these two in quick succession, I felt it was only fair to review them together.

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Why I chose this book: With the release of Lady Midnight coming up, I really wanted to finish The Infernal Devices series.
Genre: Fiction
Date Started: 22/02/2016  Date Finished: 07/03/2016
Would I Recommend this Book: Yes, I would say it is suitable for girls and boys from teens upwards.  For anyone who enjoys The Mortal Instruments or The Infernal Devices, this is a must read.


Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Why I chose this book: After reading Clockwork Prince, I needed to read this one!
Genre: Fiction
Date Started: 11/03/2016  Date Finished: 15/03/2016
Would I Recommend this Book: Yes, definitely, for the same reasons as above!

My Review
I loved, loved, loved these two books.  As you know, I don't like to put spoilers in my reviews, so for that reason, I will have to keep this short and sweet!  I am also going to be reviewing both these books as a whole, rather than breaking them down.

It's been quite a few months since I read Clockwork Angel, so my memory of it was a little rusty.  Within the first couple of chapters I managed to catch up though, so the break didn't hold me back.

I love Cassie Clare's writing and I love how she develops all her characters, not just the main ones.  It would be so easy for her to focus on the main three, Tessa, Jem and Will, but she draws us in with the others.  I especially loved the character of Sophie outside of our main three.

Some people may be sad with Tessa's initial choice of fiance in Clockwork Prince, but I think the way it played out in Clockwork Princess really added to the emotions of the story.  I was heartbroken for the last few chapters and most especially the epilogue in Clockwork Princess.

Whilst it's not all fighting, the action in this book is not lacking.  There is just the right balance between love story and action.

I really hope this isn't the last we see of Tessa.  I'm really hoping she might pop up in The Dark Artifices series.  I am also very tempted to buy The Bane Chronicles to find out more about Magnus.  I loved Magnus in these two books, especially Clockwork Princess.  I thought it really added to his character and gave us more of an insight to his (slightly) younger self.

In summary, if your a fan of The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices or even the Shadowhunters TV show, then you will love this series.

Jackie. x

2016 Reading Challenge: Book 3 - Spy for the Queen of Scots

You may notice that I have skipped from Book 1 to Book 3.  The reason for this, is that Book 2 is a series book.  I will be posting a review for Book 2, but as my next read will be the sequel, I thought I would review the two together.

In the meantime, lets move on to Book 3:

Spy for the Queen of Scots by Theresa Breslin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Why I chose this book: I saw this book at a book sale and we purchased it for the library I work at.  I was drawn to the book as I have recently been watching the Netflix show 'Reign', based on the life of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Date Started: 13/02/2016  Date Finished: 17/02/2016
Would I Recommend this Book: Yes, most definitely.  I would say this would appeal to anyone interested in historical fiction and would be suited for 14+.

My Review

The story tells us of the life of Mary, Queen of Scots from the view of her closest friend, Lady Ginette (Jenny for short).  Jenny realises quite early on that Mary's life is in jeopardy and makes it her personal mission to spy on Mary's enemies at court to try to keep Mary out of as much danger as possible.

Now, I will start off and say that I love historical fiction, but I am not a history buff and therefore do not know the factual in's and out's of Mary's history.  For this and other books of the genre, I enjoy them for what they are.....a fictional story based on real life events.  As such, I accept that things will be altered or dramatised for the sake of the story.  

In terms of this particular book, I felt that the timeline worked well.  Again, I wouldn't know if the dates given were exact, but seeing as the exact date was only given for key events, I would imagine they would be correct.  The rest of the book was pretty vague, with just the season or month given.  I found the book to be realistic to the era and the story believable and enjoyable.  

I loved the characters of Jenny and listening to her view of life.  The book certainly displays a completely different view of Mary to which the show 'Reign' does.  I also enjoyed how the Scots accent that is written in the book.  When reading, I was able to read in a Scottish accent, which as a welsh person, I normally wouldn't be able to do.

I read some reviews which slated the love story between Jenny and Duncan.  I quite enjoyed it.  I do enjoy a love story and I enjoyed the 'will then, won't they' that ran through this.  I also liked that we as readers were also left on the edge of wondering if Duncan was a good or bad guy and we only find out at the same time as Jenny as to what side of the fence he sits on.

It has left me with a desire to look further in to Mary's story and read/watch more historical fiction based on her life.

To summarise, if you love historical fiction and/or would like to read about Mary, Queen of Scots, then this book is definitely for you!

Jackie. x

TV Review: Shadowhunters

To start with, apologies in advance.  Rant alert coming up!  I know this isn't a book review, but I've been wanting to do a write up on this since I watched the first episode a couple of weeks ago as it's annoyed me so much!!

Warning: This post will contain spoilers on the first two episodes of Shadowhunters.

For those who've not yet seen the show, here's a sneak peak from Episode 1:

If you haven't heard of Shadowhunters, this is a new weekly show based on Cassandra Clare's popular book series, The Mortal Instruments.  In the US, you can find the show on the Freeform (ABC) channel and here in the UK, it's available the following day on Netflix.

Firstly, I am a huge fan of the books.  I loved reading The Mortal Instruments and have started on The Infernal Devices series.  The first book of her next Shadowhunter series The Dark Artifices is on my MMD 2016 Reading Challenge to read list. 

Before reading the books, I watched the movie, which was ok, but not amazing.  It was from watching the movie that I could see the potential of the books. 

I think this is why I was so massively disappointed by episode one of the TV show.  I had seen a couple of reviews online that things were different to the books, so I was expecting some of this.  I was prepared to watch the show, much in the same way that I do for The Vampire Diaries, where the show has just taken some key points from the books, but all in all, is completely different.  

That said, there are certain things that I felt should not be messed with and unfortunately, this show messed with them!  

One such thing is the drawing of runes.  Fans of the books know that the Shadowhunters draw the lines of the runes on the skin, but in the show the kinda 'swipe' the stele across the skin and the rune appears.  I mean come on! WTF! Aaarggh.  The show did redeem itself slightly in episode two, in which Jase did actually draw a rune onto his skin, but it does seem very hit or miss as to whether it is done for every rune. 

The other thing that really wound me up was the use of the Seraph blade.  In the books, to 'activate' a Seraph blade, the name of the blade needs to be called out.  All blades have names based on the Angels.  In the show however, the Shadowhunters are able to activate a blade by simply touching it!! With this and the accompanying sound effects, the show has likened them to lightsabers! Grrr.

Another peeve for me were the characters of Luke and Simon.  Luke has been changed from being a loveable meek bookstore owner to being a 'badass' cop, helping to cover up Downworlder crimes from 'mundanes' and Simon has also been changed from being totally geeky (film Simon was perfect casting) to being a muscly hunk!

That said, the show isn't a complete flop.  The main cast, Clary, Jase, Isobel, Alec and Magnus all seem to be well cast (although why they couldn't get a real blonde for Jase, rather than a bad dye job, I don't know!).  There are lots of things that have been changed that work for the show (not saying is better than the book, but it doesn't ruin the show).  I'm hoping after a couple more episodes, the above grievances won't be quite so infuriating!

Jackie. x

2016 Reading Challenge: Book 1 - Goth Girl & The Wuthering Fright

So, here we have the first review of the year!

Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright by Chris Riddell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Why I chose this book: As I work in a school library, we have in stock the Goth Girl series of books.  I loved the general appearance of this book, from the shiny pages, to the illustrations.
Genre: Children's Fiction
Date Started: 30/12/2015   Date Finished: 07/01/2016
Would I Recommend this Book? Most definitely YES!  I would say that this book would appeal mainly to girls aged between 9-14.

My Review

I loved this book!  As mentioned above, the shiny pages first caught my attention to the book.  I tried to take a picture of this, but I really didn't do it justice!  This is the third in the series, but to be honest, you don't need to read them in order.  I didn't feel like I was missing any part of the story from not reading the others.  

I loved the story and the play on names for the characters.  'Hands Christmas Anderson' and 'Dean Torville' may go over a lot of children's heads, but I'm sure the adults will love them.  

In terms of the story, this book tells us of the goings on at Ghastly-Gorm Hall during the Christmas holidays.  In this particular year, Ghastly-Gorm Hall pays host to the Literary Dog Show, where fictional (kind of) world famous writers participate with their dogs in a number of tasks to be crowned the winner.  Of course, not all goes smoothly and there are some strange goings on that needs investigating.  

All in all, I thought that this was a fun story and I think this will be loved by girls and possibly boys everywhere.  After finishing the book, my initial thought is that it is suitable for ages 9-14, however, after my Goodreads posted on my Facebook wall, a friend commented that her 7 year old daughter loves this series of books.  She did explain to say that her 7 year old isn't quite able to read this by herself, but that it's something they enjoy together.  The opinion given by my friends daughter is that she likes them "as they are adventurous and she likes reading about what life was like in the past".

The illustrations in this book is stunning.  As you can see in my pictures, they are so fun and suit the story so well.  I also really enjoyed the 'Cogwheel Foot Notes'.  They just add that extra bit of fun to them and explain a little more about places or characters.  

All in all, this was a very enjoyable read and would be the perfect addition to any pre-teens bookshelf.

Jackie. x

2016 Reading Challenge update...

Hello all, how are we?

Just before I post my first review of the year, I thought I'd do a little update to the 2016 Reading Challenge and let you know what books I have added to my list so far.

As mentioned in my last post, I have decided to join in with MMD's 2016 Reading Challenge.  I have been loving thinking of which books to pick.  The only downside is that I want to read SOOO much that I'm struggling with narrowing it down to just one book per category!  This is my list so far:

A Book Published This Year

In looking up what books are due to be published this year, I was super stoked to find that there is a new Shadowhunters series due out this year!  I'm still to finish the Infernal Devices, but loved the original Shadowhunter series and Clockwork Angel.  Lady Midnight is due to be released on 8th March this year, so this will be a book for a couple of months time.

A Book You Can Finish in a Day

This was another fairly easy choice for me.  Last year I was given a couple of Quickreads books from my local library.  As I have read the other story, I figured this one would be perfect for this category.

A Book You've Been Meaning to Read

I had a little trouble deciding on this category, as there have been so many that I've been meaning to read.  In the end, I decided on this one.  This book was given to me by a friend, who had a couple of copies left over from World Book Night.  It's been sitting on my bookshelf since!  So, this category gives me the perfect chance to read this book.

A Book Recommended by Your Local Librarian or Bookseller

As I work in a school library, my boss (and local librarian ;-)) has chosen this book for me to read.  I'm going to be honest, I haven't got a clue what this book is about and Goodreads hasn't really enlightened me that much!  I can see that it's a classic and as I love a bit of historical fiction, I'm hoping that I will love this one.

A Book Chosen For You by Your Spouse, Partner, Sibling, Child or BFF

When I asked hubby what he thought I should read, this is what he's come up with.  As I really enjoyed reading Ready, Player One for my book club last year, hubby thinks that I will enjoy this one too.

A Book Published Before You Were Born

This is another book taken off my bookshelf.  When I started my current job, I fell in love with the cover of this book.  Isn't it so pretty!  Now, I may be in my mid thirties, but I think I can safely say that this book was published before I was born! Haha.

A Book That Was Banned at Some Point

I loved researching banned books for this category.  we are setting a slightly amended copy of the 2016 Reading Challenge for our pupils at school and I've had so much fun compiling a list of banned books and the reasons for them being banned.  Who knew there were SO many massive titles that have been banned!  It did make it hard to narrow it down to just one for this category.  As I liked the synopsis of this book, I decided to chose it for this category.

A Book You Previously Abandoned

This is a book that I started reading in October 2014!!  I initially chose it as it looks similar to Joan Jonkers books, which I love.  Unfortunately, for some reason, I just couldn't get into the story.  I'm hoping that this time round it will captivate me and I manage to finish it.

A Book That Intimidates You

When thinking about a book that intimidates me, pretty much any classic would fit into this category .  It took me about a year to read Pride & Prejudice, so I was debating on trying another Jane Austen.  I then decided to go for a different classic - the wonderful Charles Dickens.  We all know the stories, but I've never actually read the books.  I do find the language of the older books difficult to read, so for that reason, I do find them intimidating.

A Book You Should Have Read in School
A Book You Own But Have Never Read
A Book You've Already Read At Least Once

I've not yet chosen which books I'm going to read for these categories.

It's been a while since I was at school, so trying to think of what I should have read at school that I didn't is tough.  I am toying with the idea of George Orwell's 1984.  I studied Animal Farm for my GCSE's, but the whole 'Big Brother' story intrigues me.  One of my guilty pleasure is the TV show Big Brother, so it would be nice to find out where the idea came from.  I will get back to you on that though.  I do seem to have quite a few classics already!

For the book you own, but have never read, my bookcase is full of books I haven't read yet!  Three and a half of them are listed above.  Not to mention my Kindle list.  Trying to narrow it down to just one more will be difficult!

Lastly, a book I've already read at least once.  Again, there's loads!  Just on my Goodreads I've logged 104 books and I only starting logging my books in the last 2-3 years!  I have agreed with my 7 year old son that we would start reading Harry Potter series together, so that may go down for this category, but, as that might take us a while (he doesn't have the ability to read for hours like me!), I think it will have to be a different book off the bookshelf.

Well, that's all we have so far.  How are you getting on with your lists?  Don't forget to check out Modern Mrs Darcy's post to see hers!

Jackie. x

New Year.......New Reading Challenge

Well hello there!  It's been a while, hasn't it!  As you can see from my Goodreads profile, although I have been absent from here, I have still done plenty of reading.

Today I stumbled across a post on Facebook of Modern Mrs Darcy's 2016 Reading Challenge and have decided that I am going to join in on this challenge.  As such, I thought this would be a good time to refresh my blog and start posting reviews again.

via Modern Mrs Darcy 

I will update with which books I have chosen for each of the challenges.

Since I last posted, I have since starting working as a Library Assistant in a local Secondary School, so part of my aims for this year is to read more books suitable for the age range of 11-18 year olds.  That's not to say I will be abandoning the more adult 'chick lit' books, just adding in some books aimed at a younger audience.

For the sixth year, I will be taking part in Goodreads Reading Challenge.  My aim this years is to read at least 24 books.  I figured that equates to 2 a month, which sounds like a doable aim.  Last year my aim was to read 15 books, with the thoughts being that I would try more tricky books.  I smashed the reading target by reading 20 books during 2015, however, not so many were as tricky as I thought they might have been, so kinda failed in reading more challenging books.  Hopefully the above challenge will help with that for this year.

Lastly, I thought I would share with you my Year in Books for 2015, courtesy of Goodreads:

2014 Reading Challenge: Book 17 - Geek Girl

Geek Girl by Holly Smale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! I loved all of the characters and the development of them. I also loved that it wasn't the typical geek girl turned mean girl story.

The chapters in this book are quite small and this made it a very easy book to pick up if you only have 10 mins to spare if you are the type who likes to put a book down at the end of the chapter, although, once you have picked it up, you will find that you don't want to put it down, end of chapter or not!

I was well and truly hooked on this book. I found myself literally laughing out loud at times, to the point that my hubby was even commenting on it! I really can't wait to read the next book in the series.

View all my reviews

Jackie. x

2014 Reading Challenge: Book 16 - The Judas Scar

The Judas Scar by Amanda Jennings
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It was sent to me as part of the Britmums book club and from the cover, I wasn't quite sure what type of book it would be.

I really liked the characters Will and Harmony and although I did like Lukes character, I would have liked to of known more about his adult life, although I'm thinking that keeping him a mystery is part of the suspense of the book.

The theme of bullying running through the book is something that most people can relate to, and as someone who was bullied at school, I think it was done well, especially in how it highlights the effect on your adult life.

I found this to be a well written book, which kept the mystery for most of the book. Quite often with these types of books, it is pretty transparent, but this one had plenty of surprises along the way.

A fantastic read and great for book clubs as there is plenty of discussions that could be had from it.

Jackie. x

2014 Reading Challenge: Book 15 - Watermelon

Watermelon by Marian Keyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I have read Marian Keyes books before a long while ago and I had forgotten the subtle humor that she has.

I loved how honest Claire's narrative is and even that she seemed to go off on a tangent. I really liked how the story started and the pace of it was ok, but at times it felt a bit waffley. I felt like I really knew the characters and at times, I felt like shaking Claire and telling her to get a grip.

I was glad that she got a happy ever after, although I thought this was a bit rushed compared to the rest of the book.
All in all though, a thoroughly enjoyable book and I will most certainly pick out another 'Walsh family' book again.

Jackie. x

2014 Reading Challenge: Book 14 - Sweet Tempation

Sweet Temptation by Lucy Diamond
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a heartwarming story about three women, Maddies, Jess & Lauren who meet each other through their common goal to loose weight. Meeting at the local 'fatbusters' class, the three women form a close bond and end up supporting each other throughout life's ups and downs.

As a larger lady myself, and one who attends a weekly 'fat club', I love how truthful this is. My first thought when Maddie, Lauren or Jess described themselves was that these girls (or more so the author) haven't got a clue what being really big is, but as I continued to read, I realised that it doesn't matter if your a size 14 or a size 24, your insecurities about your weight and body are the same.

As I mainly read during my commute on the bus, I have had to stop reading a couple of times as I was getting emotional, especially through Maddie's story. I loved Jess's story as well and how confident she became as a person, not just through the weight loss, but from the support of the others.

I would recommend this to any women, whether they are dieting or not, as it's such a lovely story. Having lost 2 stone over the last 6 months, I am also going to take the advise of Alison, the fatbusters instructor and go out and get myself that charm bracelet (or rather necklace in my case)! ;-)

View all my reviews

Jackie. x

2014 Reading Challenge: Book 13 - Dracula

Dracula by Bram Stoker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It took me a while to read it, but I think that added to the beauty of it. Like most, I had obviously heard of Dracula, but had never read the story. The fact that it was written and based in I would guess the late 19th/early 20th century really adds to the drama of what the characters were going through.
I think this is a huge must read for anyone who loves vampire stories.

View all my reviews

Jackie. x

2014 Reading Challenge: Book 12 - Notes from an Exhibition

Notes from an Exhibition by Patrick Gale

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I enjoyed this story and found it interesting in the way it was laid out by the author. Telling the story of the life of Rachel, the book starts the chapter with a description of an object or painting from Rachel's life, followed by the story from that period of time. The story is narrated from a number of different characters, including Rachel, her husband and her children.

I liked that the story tackles the subject of mental health, in that Rachel suffers from bi-polar disorder, both from modern times and also from the 70's when it was a very taboo subject.

I enjoyed seeing the story from the different sides. It was interesting to 'see' into the mind of someone with this condition, as well as hearing from those close to her and how it impacted on their lives.

Whilst I wouldn't put this down as a favourite, it was an enjoyable and interesting read.

Jackie. x

2014 Reading Challenge: Book 11 - Above All Things

Above All Things by Tanis Rideout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was sent this book to read as part of the Britmums book club. I wasn't sure what to expect from the book, as it's not something I would normally pick up, but I do like a love story and the 1920's, so I decided to give it a go. I'm so glad that I did! It wasn't until I was about 1/2 way into the book that I realised that it is a fictional book based on real historical events. I made the mistake of googleing George Mallory and of course, in doing so, I did spoil the ending a little for myself.

I loved the way the book focuses not just on George's side of the story, but also from Ruth's side as well. I did find Ruth's narration a little confusing in that she flits from telling a story to 'talking' to George, but I thought this also added to the emotional side of it. I also enjoyed reading Sandy's point of view as well.

I have never read or watched anything about mountaineering before, so I don't know how factual the technical side of the story is, but it felt realistic as to how they would have been feeling physically and emotionally.

In summary, this is a well written story with drama and romance added in. Whether you are interested in the story of George Mallory or just after a good book to read, this is a fantastic read.

Jackie. x

2014 Reading Challenge: Book 10 - Three Girls and a Baby

Three Girls and a Baby by Rachel Schurig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a lovely story about Ginny as she puts her life back together after splitting up with the love of her life. Finding herself pregnant, she has to come to terms with bringing up a baby on her own.
The story wasn't perfect and at times I found it a bit too descriptive, however, on the whole it was a nice easy read. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

View all my reviews

Jackie. x

2014 Reading Challenge: Books 6-9

As I haven't posted in a while, I thought it was probably a good idea to post the last few books I have read in one go!

Book 6

The Oyster Catcher by Jo Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book. It was a cheapie Kindle book, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was very pleasantly surprised.
The story follows Fi after she is jilted at the alter and she takes the rented honeymoon camper van and ends up crashing in a small Irish seaside village. In order to earn a little cash and have a place to stay, Fi ends up taking on an assistant role with the local oyster farmer. A job she would never have dreamt of doing in her normal life and we read as she overcomes some of her greatest fears and adapts to village life.
It's a lovely, heartwarming tale that is a quick and easy read for any chick lit lovers.

Book 7

Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a book club read for me and not the type of book I would normally choose.
The story follows Brigid, an ex FBI officer who comes of retirement after an old case of hers is re-opened.
The prologue of this book almost put me off completely, however, the book does get much better. It is well written and is very good at keeping you guessing as to who the killer is.

Book 8

Got You Back by Jane Fallon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a freebie book that I got quite a while ago, that I never got around to reading.
It tells the story of Stephanie and Katie. Stephanie finds out that her husband James has been having an affair with Katie for the last year. Stephanie and Katie join forces to teach James a lesson.
I found this to be a nice, quick read. There are some funny bits in it, but I wouldn't class it as a comedy.

Book 9

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have wanted to read a classic for a long time and chose this book as it's the ultimate love story. It has taken me nearly a year to read! I did love the story, but I found it very hard to read. I found that I was only able to read small parts at a time, so it was often used as my 'back up book' for times such as a bus journey or when waiting to be seen on an appointment. I did think it was quite slow going and resorted to watching the 6 part tv show to see if it was worth continuing with the book.
I am glad that I did so now, and from about 65% of the way in, I was hooked in a way that I didn't want to put it down. Today I read the last 30% or so in one go. Had the rest of the book read that easily, I think I could have completed it in a matter of a week or so, rather than a year!
As much as I enjoyed this book, I think I am going to stick to the movie versions of these period classics.

View all my reviews

2014 Reading Challenge: Book 5 - Necessary Lies

Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a touching story about newbie social worker Jane and two of the families that she works with. The story is set in the 1950's-60's in rural America. The story alternates between Jane and one of her young clients Ivy. I really enjoyed reading this from both sides of the story.

I thought that the book was well written and it was a heartwrenching story. I wasn't aware of the eugenics programme before reading this book and it is heartbreaking to know that this story was based on thousands of real life stories like this.

I would recommend this book to anyone to read, but be warned, I read the last three/four chapters in tears!

Jackie. x

2014 Reading Challenge: Book 4 - Not Dreaming of You

Not Dreaming of You by Nina Cordoba
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a sweet story about Argentinean Kiki, who is looking for her perfect man, who was described to her in a dream when she was a teenager.

I found the story followed the typical chick-lit pattern, so was a little predictable. However, I found the book an amusing and enjoyable read. This is a great read for any rom-com lovers.

Jackie. x

2014 Reading Challenge: Book 3 - Release Me

Release Me by J. Kenner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was a recommendation as I a fan of FSoG and Bared to You. I did enjoy the story, but was also quite disappointed in it. I don't know if it's just overkill, but I wanted something different to the typical 'damaged billionaire with major control issues'. If these books are anything to go by, I would be thinking that any super rich young, sexy billionaire has is a hugely damaged, controlling stalker when he finds a women he is interested in (who is also messed up in her own way). I'm going to be honest, I'm getting bored of this stereotype.

What I do like in this book is that Damien does show his softer side a bit more than the leading man in the other 2 books mentioned above. In fact, I would love to read a story of a nice, super sexy millionaire who is 'normal' and hot in bed, but hey ho, you can't always get what you want! I also like that on the whole, Nikki knows her own mind and isn't afraid (for the most part) to stand up for it. There were times when I felt that it was stupidly unrealistic, but then most of these types of books are.

The ending was pretty transparent and obvious. In fact, I would say the whole book is to be honest. On the whole though, it was a quick and easy read and there were enough good bits for me to like it, but I certainly don't love it.

Would I read the other 2 books of the trilogy? Probably. Will I go out and buy them straight away because I can't wait to carry it on? No.

Jackie. x

2014 Reading Challenge: Book 2 - The Chrysalids

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a book club read for me, so not something I would normally pick up. After reading the description, I didn't think that I would like this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. I really enjoyed reading this and found it easy to read.

The story was really interesting and a unique picture of how the world might be in the future. It was only after it was pointed out at book club the probable reason for why the country is the way it is in the book that I really understood and appreciated it.

I did find the ending a little disappointing. I'm not quite sure what I want for the ending, but I wasn't expecting it to end the way it did.

All in all though, it was an enjoyable read and if you enjoy books of this genre, then I would recommend it.

Jackie. x