Triangles by Ellen Hopkins (Audiobook Review)

Triangles: A Novel by Ellen Hopkins

Narrated by: January LaVoy, Jan Maxwell, Janel Moloney, Michele Pawk

Grade: 2.5 stars out of 5

Length of Production (Unabridged):  8 hours and 14 minutes

Published: Simon and Schuster Audio in 2011
Source: Simon and Schuster Audio

This (audio)book is for mature readers! I will try to keep this PG-13, but things that I do think might offend somebody will be hidden(ish). 

A triangle is a three-sided polygon. There’s obtuse, acute, and, ever so perfect, equilateral triangle. My geometry teacher would be so proud knowing that I remember that. Triangles, however, is a novel about 3 women dealing with life’s hiccups (or in this case, backhanded slaps). All 3 women are connected by blood and by friendship. 

Holly: tied down in her own home; she wants to escape.
Andrea: looking for a relationship like what Holly has with her husband, Jace.
Marissa: dealing a terminally ill daughter, a rebellious gay son, and a husband that’s never home (and continuously hitting up that alcohol).

Having never read any of Hopkins work, but heard the great praise I was eager to start Triangles. As I hit midway through the story I realize maybe it wasn’t for the best that Triangles was my first Hopkins novel.

First off with the audiobook you lose her style of writing. Her verse prose comes across as regular paragraph writing. I’ve read sections of Triangles (from the physical book) and when it’s laid out it has more life. There are mini-breaks in-between chapters, which has two poems in one: one where you can read left to right from up to down; and there’s this single phrase from the title straight down on the left-hand side that is beautiful. With the audiobook you can’t experience the different ways how Hopkins chose to write Triangles  you can’t see the creativity and the work that was put in. You can only listen.

Secondly, with the voice narration I had trouble finding a definite distinction between Marissa and Holly. I went by context as to who was who rather than just listening and immediately knowing. With Andrea’s narrator, she didn’t change her tone often enough for me. She sounded indifferent and slightly exasperated (with a whiny pitch) throughout most of the CDs and by the words coming out her mouth, I expected something else. The narration for the inbetween sections that try to connect the different character chapters (but it’s not really needed) I thought was the best. It gave me the right tone with a loud voice.

Overall I didn’t have much trouble with the audiobook. Every word came out crystal clear, no static, no murmuring.

My third problem with Triangles was the characters. Will you find these girls and guys in real life? Probably. Will you want to immediately punch most of them in the face once they tell you their story? I would.

Holly is my least favorite character out of all 3. In fact she’s the only character whom I really hated. Let’s play pretend:

If you and your partner were having issues in the bed since nothing is doing it for you, would you:

1. communicate and try to spice things up
2. you know what you like so just finish it off by yourself, hint hint
3. start writing erotica, join a critique group, have sex with 2 of the 4 (5?) people in your critique group. Eventually end up having a foursome with your NOT husband in public. <--small spoiler so highlight to read.

If you say 3, congratulations you are a Holly and you officially suck. (And by suck I mean that in the most nonsexual connotation.)

But seriously it’s like me doing badly on an exam. Instead of getting a tutor or talking to the teacher for help, I run away from home and join a circus for the rest of my life. Jumping the gun aren’t we?

Holly’s sections are the most sexually explicit scenes. She has sexapades and experimentations that are not made from public reading (or listening), which is why I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone under the age of 18. (Even then I wonder how young are the kids when they are mature to read about sex. It seems as though there’s plenty of teenage pregnancies.) Here’s a snippet of what I’m talking about: (sexual, so highlight to read)

‘“Now that you’re wet, I’m going to do something I’ve always wanted to.” He slips one finger inside me. Two. Three. At four, the pressure becomes terrific. But when I squirm, he gives my arms a warning tug. “No. Hold still.”


 I do and he works his entire hand into that narrow place. And, over the flashing silver pain, I shudder orgasm. “That’s my girl.”’

Holly was the most difficult to like because quite frankly I just wanted to hit her. Did she try to communicate to anyone? No. Hardly anyone in Triangles tried to talk to other people to help with their problems and eventually it became this giant ball of yarn: entangled and never-ending. Victims do not have to stay as victims. Am I encouraging people to who have been cheated on to have revenge sex with someone else? Of course not, but there other ways to get your point across.

I found Holly to be one-dimensional. She is this 'itch whose actions reflect that. Sure there are one and two scenes with her children, but it's far and few with nothing fleshed out as if it's a passerby comment.

Andrea and Marissa are not the strongest characters I’ve come across. Andrea has an unfortunate string of bad luck with men, but her life isn’t disastrously horrible. For me, it was Marissa’s story that stole the limelight. It was powerful, raw, and something you worry about in the future. Shelby is the angel in her eye, but at age 4 she doesn’t have much longer to live. It’s tragic. Your emotions cannot help but pour out. On top of that, she’s dealing with a teenage gay son whose father isn’t the most accepting of his sexual preference. And he’s doing drugs. 

And a character was raped. And someone is HIV positive. And there’s a teenage pregnancy. And there are abandonment issues. And cheating. There are lots and lots of cheating with emotional and physical acts of adultery. (Revenge cheating definitely makes everything so much better.)

My fourth reason why I wasn’t a huge fan of the book: Ellen Hopkins shoves too many problems in a not-so-tiny book. Really, let’s stick a son/daughter who’s a solider in the war against Afghanistan then we’ll have everything. Eventually you wonder if this is the most ill-fortuned group of people you’ve ever read in a book. (Answer: It’s pretty darn close.) I understand that Hopkins is leading the charge of writing books outside of the comfort zone, but there is a limit. No need to hit the reader with a mallet to get your point across—life sucks, deal with it. I get it. A girl can get lost and frustrated with a book like this.

Jerry! Jerry!

The ending did nothing for me. Three of the couples needed marriage counseling or just break up. But they most likely won’t. Because no one really talks in this book. The person who Andrea ends up with came from nowhere.

Let’s end this review in a positive note. Triangles is filled with flawed characters who would make a dynamic episode of Jerry Springer. There’s enough heart wrenching scenes to make me think about my own life and what is means and what could happen. It’s a powerful tale, just not one I will be reading again.

The Taker by Alma Katsu

The Taker (Book 1) by Alma Katsu

Grade: 4.5 stars out of 5

Surgeon Luke Findley is working the night shift at the hospital in a small town in Maine when a young woman accused of murder is brought in for an evaluation. The girl, Lanny, admits her guilt to Luke but also begs him to help her escape. However, he doesn’t give it a second thought until Lanny cuts herself and heals miraculously. Suddenly, play-it-safe Luke turns to his subconscious to let his impulses out in order to help Lanny escape across the border, all the while telling her story of love, beauty, sex, and immortality.

Yan gave me this book to read. “Start with it first,” she said. I never heard of it and it’s not even young adult (what I usually read). The Taker would never appeal to me, especially with the synopsis that is given. The Taker is close to a “bosom-heaving romance” (Yan’s words) [ETA by Yan: LOL, I was implying "bosom-heaving romances" to another book which I stuck in the bag for you], but without the descriptiveness, which I was grateful for. And it is well-written, with an even flow and classic 19th century air of politeness (similar to Jane Austen). I found that I really enjoyed it. The plot only dragged on in a few places, but everything Lanny told Luke was important. Even the things she omitted only enhanced the magic (I admit it; I stayed up for an extra ten minutes wondering what terrible thing happened to Lanny that she didn’t tell Luke). I really like the whole story-telling bit. I even liked the story-within-a-story, how it was Lanny telling Adair’s background. It just seemed more real, or at least as real as you can get with a character that’s immortal.

On the point of immortality, I loved that magical realism element: we don’t know why, but we are, and we’re just doing to live with it. How very Kafka (^_~). One of my favorite things about high school English class was reading magical realism, and The Metamorphosis was one of the few stories I completely finished in high school. (Spoiler alert?)The best part of this immortality business was at the very end where Luke sorta-kinda wants it, and Lanny just wants to be done with it. Honestly, while I didn’t like the ending compared to the rest of the novel, it was the only way to finish it.

Most of the book was about Lanny, but Katsu didn’t write about Lanny; she wrote about Lanny and Luke. So this was as much Luke’s journey as Lanny’s which moved me. Lanny helped Luke break out of his shell, his daily routine of *blah blah I-need-to-leave-but-I-won’t-blah*. Luke was the first person Lanny met after her arrest that Lanny felt she could trust, which was why she told him the truth, which would be the first step to breaking the spell, and everything just comes together.

I didn’t like the ending. I wanted ACTION. But like I said, it was appropriate. I also didn’t like the fact that the story didn’t return to Luke’s mother’s death. I thought it would somehow be important to the plot, but it wasn’t (though as I’m writing this I think I understand why she died that way *cough cough* more magical realism).

One last comment, my late grandfather once told me that it’s a mitzvah (~human kindness) to “die on your own”. My grandfather said this in Russian, so I’m roughly translating. What he meant, I think, is that it’s a mitzvah to not expire on someone else’s command, whether it’s a doctor or someone else. I thought about this a lot, since my grandfather died ~2 months ago on his own, and I just thought that this fit rather well with the theme of the novel. Once you read The Taker, I think you’ll understand. *wink*

All in all, The Taker was a great read, and it decidedly answers the question "Who Wants to Live Forever?".

Source: I borrowed this book from Yan. And she didn’t give me the cover, though I would LOVE to see it.

Black Night

Black Night (Black Wings 2) by Christina Henry

Grade: 4 stars out of 5

If obstinate dead people were all that Maddy had to worry about, life would be much easier. But the best-laid plans of Agents and fallen angels often go awry. Deaths are occurring contrary to the natural order, Maddy's being stalked by foes inside and outside of her family, and her two loves-her bodyguard, Gabriel, and her doughnut-loving gargoyle, Beezle-have disappeared. But because Maddy is Lucifer's granddaughter, things are expected of her, things like delicate diplomatic missions to other realms.

Black Night is as hot and action-packed as its prequel, Black Wings. From the very first chapter, Christina Henry will take readers from the ground to the sky, from angels to werewolves to vampires to faeries. It’s almost impossible to settle down before being rocketed off to the next fight-for-your-life adventure that Maddy Black seems to be dealing more of.

The beginning lagged in my opinion that took a while for the plot to finally pick up. Throughout the entire novel, there was one question on everyone minds: who is killing the werewolves? That answer is ignored until the very end, which puts it in an awkward position. There was already a climax that proved to be a showstopper and yet Christina Henry went as far as to create another climax at the end shocked me. I had wanted Henry to weave the two problem, Gabriel’s disappearance and the murders, together and yet they were as a separate as can be. It proved to be a clunky read.

A problem that I originally had with Black Wings reappears yet again: the onslaught of names and paternal/maternal linage. At one point in the book I threw my hands up and thought to myself that everyone must be related to one another by some distant relative. They could be cousins (second twice removed blah blah), uncles, sisters, or something. Halfway through I resigned myself to not caring and ignored whether or not if a new character was related to Maddy.

Maddy for the matter remains to be the strong heroine who can deftly kick butt. With a sword that can do almost anything by her side and magic powers that rival many, Maddy tries to protect her life and her loved ones. As her power grows, as do the number of enemies she accumulates. Yet despite that, Maddy is still that rock-headed girl readers know from before. For all her flaws, Maddy continues be one my favorite heroine because she’s soft and hard at the same time. She doesn’t pretend to know everything and is unafraid to ask for help or shed a little tear. Even then, she’s hard when she doesn’t show her fear, tears, and sadness in front of the enemies.

The cast of Black Night develop in a way that I would have never imagined. Strangers become familiar, and ones that we thought we knew suddenly casts a shell around them. Gabriel is first and foremost the male lead I liked from Black Wings. In Black Night, Gabriel does not appear much. When he is rescued, his relationship to Maddy is altered completely. For better or for worst is to be determined in the sequel.

J.B. and Nathaniel’s personalities are finally unleashed in Black Night. I was able to understand them better and connect them to a level further than another-guy-that-might-like-Maddy. Their lives do not revolve around Maddy, but undeniable it is affected by her actions. I may have felt a bit bad for Nathaniel after Black Night (surprisingly since I did not like him in Black Wings).

The humor takes the constant pressure and stress of fight scenes off the novel whenever Beezle, the animated comic-relief character, talks.

With added characters, Black Night becomes a political battleground with fists and magic instead of pens and heated words. Black Wings series starts to shape itself as the chapters go by and hopefully by the third book, readers will find themselves with the full cast and the climax as a high. I am counting down and preparing myself for whatever next Christina Henry will throw at readers.

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Source: unsolicited ARC from Ace

Published: 2011 July 26
Amazon

The Fallen: Raziel

The Fallen: Raziel by Kristina Douglas

Grade: 2 stars out of 5

Allie Watson always has an issue with time. But now she doesn’t have to worry about it anymore. The next thing Allie knows after walking into the street is sexy, brooding man telling her that she’s dead. Allie will not take that as an answer.

The Fallen: Raziel was a very dramatic read with Biblical context. I found the novel nicely set up as the Fallens being the ferrymen of the dead and the state of being neither dead nor alive. However, while the settings were wonderfully done I have some issues with the characters.

Raziel is hardheaded and a destructive character. Down is up and I don’t know where I stand with him. He can be kind but most of the time he plays with Allie’s heart. Or perhaps Raziel doesn’t know where his own heart lies? After this last lover’s death (as Raziel lives for a very long time while his lovers eventually die) Raziel doesn’t want to suffer the heartbreak again. So instead he turns to celibacy and being cold-hearted to strangers.

Until he met Allie.

Allie is smaller than curvier than her coworkers or the women walking down the streets of NYC in their heels. Allie writes Biblical mysteries with a side job so she knows a thing or two of the Fallen’s history. It works well with the novel in a big coincidental kind of way.

I don’t quite understand the relationship between the two as they seem to really hate each other’s guts, but lust for one another just as much. The sudden shift to affection had me a bit angry at the sudden development. I later accepted it as the novel progressed, but at that moment, the book let me down so much.

I also couldn’t understand Azazel, the head of the whole group, and why he was such an ass. The action/fight scenes ended as quickly as it started. Just an explosion of carnage and blood. The entire novel had a very slow, molasses-paced, start that hardly went anywhere.

Overall I’m not sure where I stand with this series. Usually the first book in a new series sets the tone for the rest. If the rest of the series is an indication of what The Fallen: Raziel started, then I am afraid that I will no longer continue the series.

Cover D

FYI: Raziel's a blond, but his wings are kind of midnight-blue

Source: review copy from Pocket Books

Published: 2011, January 25

Swept Off Her Feet

Swept Off Her Feet by Hester Browne

Grade: 3 stars out of 5

Evie Nicholson is an antique appraiser who’s fascinated by the history of each piece. It’s less about the money, but the story behind each tea set, tattered teddy bear, and photo frames. Her next job is to appraise the furniture of a modern castle. The home is perfect in Evie’s eyes; she can imagine all the posh dinners and exciting dances that the castle once held. She just doesn’t want to participate in them for she and her sister, Alice, are the bulls in the china shop: clumsy and dangerous to everything near them on the dance floor. However, this job may just spell trouble.

When I first read the synopsis of the book I had expected a love triangle, multiple perspectives, and a little confusing plotline. However, Swept Off Her Feet was rather straightforward, single POV tale of Evie having her dream come true. She lands herself in a tragic love story with hidden notebooks of the past owners of the castle. She finds herself dancing and loving the Scottish reel with a man that may just like her back. Ah, but if only things were that simple. The dance of love is painful but rewarding.

Swept Off Her Feet has a forbidden element love to the novel that makes it more juicy, but what makes the novel was the world that Evie dreams of. The life behind the furniture is fascinating and the dance moves is intricate but described well. Anything curious enough to do the Scottish reel with me? For whatever reason, I pictured the dance scene from Pride and Prejudice, but with more twirling and spinning.

Swept Off Her Feet was a simplistic chick-lit novel but breezy and fun all the while.

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Source: review copy from Gallery Books

Published: 2011 March 8

Amazon

How to Flirt with a Werewolf

How to Flirt with a Werewolf by Molly Harper

Grade: 4 stars out of 5

This is the second Molly Harper novel I’ve read and here are two things I’ve learned this far: she likes writing about the South and she makes awkward moments funny/sweet. The title itself, How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf, is both funny and awkward.

Mo, whose real name is not any better, decides to move to middle-of-nowhere, Alaska to start a brand new life. Leaving her old marketing job and her suffocating parents behind, Mo wants a clean new slate. She’s fresh meat in the small town where outsiders are exactly welcomed with open arms. And Cooper is the committee head. He also just happens to be Mo’s closest neighbor and hot, hot, hot. Too bad he’s a jerk.

How to Flirt with a Werewolf is a little charming book that makes reinventing one’s self fun! Mo is the girl to be who knows how to take a flirt and flirt right back. She’s not so serious as to not take a good joke, but not too careless that she’ll fall under any guy’s spell. He has to work for it.

While Mo and Copper still have that instant connection, Molly Harper doesn’t take that route. Instead Mo leads her life in Grundy, Alaska as she would have without a man on her arms. She makes friends, acquaintances, gets a job, and rekindles her love of cooking and baking. She lives an independent, happy single life for a while. Harper allows the readers to view Mo as a character and focus solely on her for a good portion of the novel. This lets the reader get a good feel of Mo and her quirks, her family, and her personality.

The banter between Cooper and Mo only adds to the fun and sexiness of the novel. However, Cooper’s own family troubles add to the simmering pot of seriousness just as Mo’s decision to leave her old life. Cooper is the alpha of the town’s wolfpack, but a past action forces him to leave. Now, tourist and towners are being killed by a wolf and he’s not sure if it’s him or not. Cooper’s insecurities makes him less grumpy (and less of jerk).Cooper is more sensitive and concerned about everything then we originally see. He’s one big-ol’-softy inside.

The mystery behind the deaths adds a level of suspense that I would have never imagined. It was done well considering what I had already presumed based off the appearance and the genre of the book.

Looking forward to more of Molly Harper’s works.

Cover A

Source: review copy from Pocket Books

Published: 2011, February 22

The Mercedes Thompson Series

The Mercedes Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs

Grade: 4 stars out of 5

[images link to Amazon]

The Mercedes Thompson series I realized when I only read the first book was something like swallowing gum: Thick, uncomfortable, and difficult to get down. But as I read more and more to the encouragement of readers who said that the second novel was much better than the first I was blown away. This series became addictive; I wanted more and more of Mercy and the wolf pack.

Mercy is a strong heroine like what you would typically find in urban fantasy novels with female point-of-views. I love how she’s slightly different from the rest of the characters as she’s a werecoyote rather than a werewolf that had to be dealt with diffidently. Briggs explains the pack magic and pack rules of wolves and how they differ when taking into consideration coyote. She does this in a way that won’t leave readers utterly confused, frustrated, and on the verge of giving up.

Mercy is ongoing growing character that continues to impress me. For one thing, she doesn’t simply roll over with her belly when a stronger, bigger, guy comes strutting along. She fights for her rights, personal space and territory, and definitely her friends. However, Mercy is not that indestructible superwoman that I am sometimes finding in fantasy novels. This is a future spoiler, but she does get raped and that impacts the novel 100%. Mercy is a girl and is vulnerable to such acts especially when she’s constantly fighting and dealing with males.

I love the continuous of the series similar to a TV series. While the episode might end with a cliffhanger or compact, there is always room for future development. The Mercedes Thompson series leaves readers not with huge cliffhangers, but definitely leaves some lingering questions that most of the time is answered in the next installment.

The love triangle is absolutely part of the continuation throughout the series: Team Adam or Team Sam. I crave these short scenes because they make the book much lighthearted in a heavy action packed series. I am also definitely a Team Adam fan. Spoiler again: I found it too perfect how Sam find his match.

I was encouraged to this series and now I’m encouraging you to read this series if you haven’t had a chance yet. Just be warned that it takes a while to really get into it.

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I don't think Mercy has all those tattoos and she doesn't dress so openly

Source: personal

I have yet to read 5 and 6, but I plan to really soon

Right Hand Magic

Right Hand Magic by Nancy A. Collins

Grade: 3.5 stars out of 5

Tate is a trust fund baby, but wants to make her own life as a metal sculptor instead of killing time with drugs and partying. After being kicked out of her old apartment, Tate moves to Golgotham because of its cheap rent and large space for her sculptures. But life in Golgotham is definitely different than what she's used to.

When I first began Right Hand Magic the thought of the race card being dealt came across my mind. Here was the race card disguised as a fantastical community (rainbow colored hair anyone?). This community is perceived to the rest of the city as a dangerous because of the people, culture, and generally the unknown. But there’s the possibly of me thinking too much of it having spent the semester learning about race in a class.

Watching Collins build the world of Golgotham was an enjoyment to read because here was a community that fascinated with every turn of the page. Black bird pie, 6 fingered hands (the extra finger is the magic finger), terms such as a right hand magic and left hand magic, witches, warlocks, etc. It is more than what meets the eye as the world expands underground, through alleyways, behind closed doors. There are the good people and the evil people and Boss Marz falls into the latter category. I mean, the name speaks EVIL and MAFIA.

The gradual buildup from tenant and landlord to friendship to something more was an ongoing thing rather than an explosive of random feelings suddenly combusting into the perfect love. That’s not to say there wasn’t some sexual tension. For some reason when they describe Hexe I pictured him with an Oriental appearance especially with those golden cat eyes. I like to imagine him that way *smiles*

However, there were at times when I was bored. The dialogue can be very dry at times and the comical relief, usually in the form of some animalesque being, wasn’t really funny….  The action and the high level of adrenaline were structured to be in three parts and in between those parts were dull.

Cover C+

Source: Roc Fantasy

Published: 7 December 2010

Amazon

Black Wings

Black Wings by Christina Henry

Grade: 4 stars out of 5

Maddy is an agent of death who helps and guides souls to the ‘door’. Her job doesn’t help pay the bills, but luckily there’s a new tenant whose rent will. The tenant, however, may bring more than what Maddy wants right now.

Black Wings, I need to get this off my chest, needs a family tree. Oh boy, I was considering stopping midway, reread everything all over again and just plot everything out myself. This angel comes to earth has this many children whose names are so-and-so and those children has this many children named so-and-so and they never age so they continue to have babies and now the question is: Is everyone related to each other in some twisted way? I tried connecting the dots, but I’m 99% sure that no one really cares except for me because it’s pretty irrelevant and doesn’t pay a huge role that will make people go “ew”.

So Maddy is a kick-butt heroine who can easily defend herself against demons, mean bosses, and the occasional grumpy gargoyle. (Who, by the way, is that comical relief character that I always love to read in these types of novels.) She is the somewhat typical heroine that I am finding in fantasy novels: independent, strong willed, and powerful. I can’t say that it’s a bad thing since if she was a winy, dependent, clueless character I would probably pull all my hair out by now. Maddy is a well-likable character who isn’t afraid to get dirty and a little mean.

I find the world that the novel builds, while confusing sometimes (it’s always the names that get me), was creative and definitely shows the author’s effort. There’s the present world and the past world that readers’ discover through Maddy’s visions that blend well together. It was the back bone of the story without having to go through the whole ordeal of long-winded speeches. The collided of the two worlds was impressive as one expected when facing fallen angels and meeting your father for the first time. The resolution and climax was done in a fashion that left me with no qualms *insert smiley face*. A little love story never hurts either.

Speaking of love! Oh la la la. The tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet is an ongoing concept throughout the novel. Let’s just say some of these guys are yummy (if they can keep their mouths shut between you and me). A smidge on the fast pace for one potential relationship, but nonetheless, enjoyable to follow.

However, there were definitely times that I questioned how something happened. More in the controlling power sense than plot-wise sense. It’s the finer details that seem to kill me with novels.

Black Wings was one of the better beginnings to a series that hit every point that it needed to hit. This is a series that I plan to continue and will continue to enjoy if Christina Henry maintains this caliber of writing.

Cover B (that tagline is hilarious)

Source: Ace Fantasy

Published: 30 November 2010; mass market paperback

Amazon

The Love Goddess' Cooking School

The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate

Grade: 4.5 stars out of 5

Holly Maguire's grandmother was the Love Goddess of Blue Crab Island, Maine–a Milanese fortune teller who could predict the right man for you, and whose Italian cooking was rumored to save marriages. Holly has been waiting years for her unlikely fortune: her true love will like sa cordula, an unappetizing old-world delicacy. But Holly can't make a decent marinara sauce, let alone sa cordula. Maybe that's why the man she hopes to marry breaks her heart. So when Holly inherits Camilla's Cucinotta, she's determined to forget about fortunes and love and become an Italian cooking teacher worthy of her grandmother's legacy.

But Holly's four students are seeking much more than how to make Camilla's chicken alla Milanese. Simon, a single father, hopes to cook his way back into his daughter's heart. Juliet, Holly's childhood friend, hides a painful secret. Tamara, a serial dater, can't find the love she longs for. And twelve-year-old Mia thinks learning to cook will stop her dad from marrying his phony lasagna-queen girlfriend.

As the class gathers each week, adding Camilla's essential ingredients of wishes and memories into every pot and pan, unexpected friendships and romances are formed–and tested. Especially when Holly falls hard for Liam . . . and learns a thing or two about finding her own recipe for happiness.

Everything you need to know about the novel can be surmised from the synopsis. The Love Goddess’s Cooking School makes one reader very, very hungry for some decent Italian cuisine. Thank God that there are recipes readers can follow at the back of the novel or I might have taken a bite of the novel. Yum….

The Love Goddess’ Cooking School was a delicious novel that held different layers like a lasagna with various textures, aromas, and tastes. The novel does not completely focus on cooking and many of the side-characters try to find their niche in life and the reason for existence at all. The potential of a new stepmother drives Mia to the cooking class. She becomes the bright singular light and one of the wisest and fearless out of the bunch. But she herself is so fragile and breakable, just a young tween, that the arrival of her mother throws everything out of balance. Mia physically demonstrates in a person whereas Holly emotionally develops through her cooking.

Holly’s grandmother’s diary, however, leaves some questions remaining. It does bring light to this family tension that passes through generation and takes into account the progression of assimilation and the effects it has on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generations. Having taken a course on race and culture, The Love Goddess’ Cooking School follows the exact same pattern and concept. This is just another layer to that piling lasagna that makes this novel delicious.

The novel is part heartbreaking, part love humor, and all gobbled up by me. The ending, however, was just a little tough to chew through.

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Source: Gallery Books

Published: 2010 October 26; paperback

Amazon / Indie Bound / Book Depository

The Year of Living Scandalously

The Year of Living Scandalously by Julia London

Grade: 3.5 stars out of 5

The Year of Living Scandalously (the cover itself is quite scandalously enough for me!) was a tale of star-crossed lovers whose passion reaches the stars. Nope. I’m lying to you. It’s actually about a girl turned woman whose beauty and charm attracts man out of their wits and an earl who loves horses. The rape and suicide of a childhood friend leave them both haunted and in hatred/guilt in each other’s presence.

But when Lily, Kiera’s cousin, finds herself a new title her desire to travel abroad overcomes her sense of duty and enlists the help of Keira to maintain her newest property. Keira finds Ashwood barely hanging on—a clear cry from when it held the grandest party of all time. There, she runs into Declan who plans to purchase a fine horse from the estate and cajoles him into helping her. Keira is determined that Ashwood stay afloat despite a new neighbor who is out to get the family and discovered what truly happened to the family jewels that led to one woman’s death and her cousin’s sudden arrival to her home.

Keira may find more than she ever bargained for.

The first thing that made me pause and think about the novel was the prologue and epilogue. See, they are both told in Lily’s perspective while the rest of the novel is told through Keira. It was such an odd match that I had to look up the synopsis of the novel to figure what the novel focuses on. The prologue was a much longer chapter than I expected and set things up more so for the sequel rather than this installment. It set the ball rolling for The Year of Living Scandalously but doesn’t play the biggest role in the romancing of Declan and Keira.

Declan and Keira are well suited for each other: both being born in Ireland, wanting to travel and experience life, and a strong liking to horses. They are both also like horses or rather mules—stubborn, head strong, doesn’t exactly think things through carefully before acting and reacting. Going with their gut instincts. Oddly enough, this is an appealing characteristic to the novel as the novel is direct about the plot while amusing as the two butt heads.

The novel ends roughly, which leaves plenty of tidying up to do in the sequel for Lily as she comes back from her trip.

Cover C-/D+

Source: ARC/Bound Manuscript from Pocket Books

Published: 2010 October 19; mass market paperback

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And One Last Thing...

And One Last Thing... by Molly Harper

Grade: 4 stars out of 5

After discovering that her husband is cheating on her, Lacey sends a mass newsletter to friends, families, and coworkers of what a dick he is. But the newsletter garners more attention than she ever thought of and lawsuits are now being thrown. Lacey goes into hiding from her soon to be ex-mother-in-law, the press and random people.

Lacey runs off and stays in her families old summer home near on the dock. There she meets Monroe who is renting the neighboring home to get away from the noise of the city. And recently divorced woman. But Lacey’s southern hospitality will be her downfall and Monroe’s.

And One Last Thing... is one of the more humorous chick-lit novels that I enjoyed very, very much. It is part legal stuff (not boring at all guys!), part crime-thriller novel writing, and part family embarrassment. But constantly fun and a blast to read.

What And One Last Thing... and several other chick-lit novels have in common that I recently found was the involvement of families. In teen novels it seems that families are missing or at least one of them is dead, but in this genre the family is present throughout the entire novel and 99.99% of the time they are crazy.

Quite frankly the majority of the characters in And One Last Thing... were an enjoyment to read because there were vibrant characters—full of life they were. Lacey’s brother, Emmett, who is gay demonstrates some of the clichés of fashion orientated spunk, and that extra spoonful of perky, but has an overly protective male buffness.Some of his antics and his choice of friends were LOL-worthy. Monroe’s family, all aptly titled Dr. Monroe (Monroe is their last name), was a hoot. A little spoilery for you but what other family would be completely okay by finding a new girlfriend half-naked making coffee in your son’s home? And then joke about it? Hilarious.

Lacey’s growth in finding her own self outside that little bubble of plastic, cheerful, perfect suburban home is diminished when compared to Mike’s “apology”. Having cheated on her for his secretary, “BumbleBee” (another cliché which borders on intentional), readers may expect and want an earnest apology, but we did not get that. We were only left with an agreement that all charges would be dropped.

In all, Molly Harper’s And One Last Thing... is a feminist work of fiction that has a great sense of humor, a strong style of writing, and a cast of the most interesting characters I’ve read in a long time.

P.S. I am going to immerse myself in her adult romance series as soon as school allows me to. Any opinions of those?

 Cover B- (fits the book nicely)

Source: Won from Gallery Books via Twitter

Published: 2010 July 27; paperback

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