5/31/2017

Und Niemand Soll Dich Finden by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke

I loved reading the first book of this new series, where Mary Higgins Clark writes together with a co-author. So, when this book was available, I literally jumped to get it and was totally thrilled when I got the approval for the book. It is always a great feeling when I get a book sent by the publisher. And when it is a Mary Higgins Clark book, it is an even greater feeling.  She is the Queen of Suspense, but with Alafair Burke she seems to be even better. 

Und Niemand Soll Dich Finden*

by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke
Under Suspicion Series #3
Original Title All Dressed In White*
Publisher Heyne on April 25, 2017
Genre Thriller
Pages 366
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher

Goodreads

✶✶✶✶

Five years ago, Amanda Pierce was excitedly preparing to marry her college sweetheart in a lavish ceremony at The Grand Victoria Hotel in Palm Beach. Then, with their guests and families on site, Amanda disappeared. In present-day New York City, Laurie Moran realizes a missing bride is the perfect cold case for her investigative television series, Under Suspicion. She and her team set out to recreate the night of the disappearance at the Florida resort with Amanda´s friends and family in attendance, hoping to shed new light on the mystery as the series has done in past episodes. With a jealous sister, playboy groomsmen, Amanda´s former fiancé now married to a bridesmaid, and rumors about the “beloved” bride herself, Laurie and Under Suspicion host Alex Buckley quickly realize everyone has a theory about why Amanda vanished into thin air. One thing is certain: whoever was behind Amanda´s disappearance plans to keep the truth hidden “until death do they part…” 

Story

Laurie Moran is planning which story she wants to present in her next Under Suspicion show when she has to deal with the surprise visit of Sandra Pierce. The mother of Amanda Pierce, who disappeared out of the blue on her wedding day.  But for some reason, Sandra touches a nerve in Laurie and within no time she knows: this is her next case.

Style

From the start, I was captured. Not only was the reading fast, but the characters also showed some sides I hadn´t seen in the other book. As usual, the language is soft and sensitive, but to the point. 

The authors show you all the figures that are important and you can see from the very first page, that not everything is gold and great. And through the change of scene, you never know what´ll come next. That way the tension rises and the psychological finesse gets an incredible way to unfold right before the reader´s eye.

Characters

At some point, I wished the authors would have gone into more detail when it comes to the relationship Amanda has had with her elder sister Charlotte. There was a lot of tension to feel and that a huge sibling rivalry must have been between them. Well, you can´t have everything, can you?!

It was quite interesting to see how all the different figures in this thriller saw the missing Amanda. Some of them called her an angel, others a calculating bitch. 

Conclusion

Again, a solid and wonderful to read Mary Higgins Clark thriller. Good, I wasn´t that excited as I was after reading the first book of her Under Suspicion series. But as long as I am well entertained I don´t mind. 

Happy reading

I received this book by Heyne in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the German cover is shown first in this review.

The original book All Dressed in White was published by Simon & Schuster on November 17, 2015 

Mary Higgins Clark

Mary Higgins Clark, born in 1928 in New York, lived and worked in Saddle River, New Jersey. She sold her first story 1956 for $100 to a magazine. After the sudden death of her husband in 1964 she wrote her first book, a biographical novel about George Washington. Her first suspense novel Where are the Children from 1975 meant a turning point in her life and career: He became a bestseller. She is #1 international and New York Times bestselling author, has written thirty-four suspense novels; three collections of short stories; a historical novel; two children´s books; and a memoir, Kitchen Privileges. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she has coauthored five more suspense novels. Her books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone. She is the most successful thriller author worldwide.

Alafair Burke

Alafair Burke is the daughter of James Lee Burke and the youngest of four children. She is a graduate of Stanford Law School and a former Deputy District Attorney in Portland, Oregon. Now she works as a Professor of Law at Hofstra Law School, where she teaches criminal law and procedure. She lives with Sean and their dogs in Manhattan. 

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5/29/2017

The Hawkweed Prophecy by Irena Brignull

What a beautiful cover. Good, I am usually not very fond of purple or the grass-green but here it looks actually pretty amazing. And in combination with the motive the cover of the German edition has and the silver of the letters, I was hooked. The book itself is a bright lavender color hardback, which fits the purple of the book jacket. Did I mention that this was my first book written by the author? Well, it is and despite my feelings for this one, I want to read the second book, too.

The Hawkweed Prophecy*

by Irena Brignull
Hawkweed Prophecy Series #1
Publisher Weinstein Publishing on September 6, 2016
Genre Children 14+
Pages 368
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher*

Goodreads

✶✶✶½

Poppy Hooper and Ember Hawkweed couldn´t lead more different lives. Poppy is a troubled teen: moving from school to school, causing chaos wherever she goes, never making friends or lasting connections. Ember is a young witch, struggling to find a place within her coven and prove her worth. Both are outsiders: feeling like they don´t belong and seeking escape. Poppy and Ember soon become friends and secretly share knowledge of their two worlds. Little do they know that destiny has brought them together: an ancient prophecy, and a life-changing betrayal. Growing closer, the begin to understand why they´ve never belonged and the reason they are now forever connected to each other. Switched at birth by the scheming witch Raven Hawkweed, Poppy and Ember must come to terms with their true identities and fight for their own place in the world. Enter Leo, a homeless boy with a painful past who – befriending them both – tests their love and loyalty. Can Poppy and Ember´s friendship survive? And can it withstand the dark forces that are gathering?

Story

Poppy and her father have moved to a new town -  again. Leaving her mother behind and a life that wasn´t at all what people usually call a happy one. But new beginnings are never easy and the new school, the new teachers, the new house and her father almost never home give Poppy a feeling that is far from home or that everything is turning for the better. Until she meets Ember. From that moment on something starts to change. Finally, pieces start to fall into their right place and Poppy gets some answers to long-asked questions. 

Style

Irena Brignull has a writing style that is not the usual one. Some words, some sentences sound old fashioned and I sometimes had to read them twice to make sure that I had read them correctly. No doubt, the author has a beautiful fantasy and has created a wonderful plot with the two girls switched at birth to let another witch fulfill the prophecy. But either my expectations were way too high or the novel just couldn´t live up to what the blurb promised. At least not in my eyes.

The language is easy to understand and the style of Irena Brignull is very smooth and without frills. It was more the fact that some things came to fast. Poppy and Ember meet for the first time and just like that they are the best of friends. Or that Ember seems to be more a supernumerary in this story. Or maybe that Leo, who shows up at some point, brings the two girls into a situation that made things only complicated.

Characters

A world where women or better said witches are the main figures and where men are only used to get pregnant. Where magic and nature guide every step, you do and where a queen has incredible power. Well, nothing against that. All that can be one hell of a plot if you play your cards the right way.

Ember is a breathtaking beauty without knowing it. Living in a witch coven she does everything to prove that she is worth being called a witch – and fails miserably. Only her mother Charlock knows the truth but stays silent. No doubt, the way how Ember discovers the things Poppy calls her world, is beautiful to watch. And reminded me of a small child that discovers everything the world offers. But because of the blurb, I had thought I would see much more of her. More of her feelings, more of her thoughts, more of what she wants. Oh yes, it becomes very soon very clear that she wants to travel, to see the world behind the borders the coven is forcing on her. But she does nothing to free herself from her boundaries. It is as if you are watching a living ghost.

Poppy is a very self-reliant young teenager. The fact, that she isn´t capable of showing feelings, that she can´t connect with others and that whenever she feels in rage or uncomfortable weird things start to happen around her, gives her the creeps. The fact, that she never laughs or that her relationship with her parents is weird – to say the least – makes her feel that something is missing in her life. Something that would answer everything and that would be the solution to her situation. The moment she discovers the truth, and starts to dig deeper and to follow her instincts is not told as a key moment, but as one of many scenes of this book.

Conclusion

Yes, I kind of enjoyed reading The Hawkweed Prophecy. And yes, the fantasy of the author is wonderful. But I wasn´t haunted or thrilled by it. Maybe my expectations were really too high after I had seen the cover and read the blurb. Sad, but for me, it turned out to be a novel a bit above average. Despite that, I want to read the second book as well, only to see how things will continue – because I have some unanswered questions left. 

Happy reading

*I read the German edition new release by Fischer Sauerländer on March 16, 2017. 

Irena Brignull

Irena Brignull was raised in the Chiltern Hills in the southeast of England and lives today with her family in London. After she studied English literature in Oxford, she wrote scripts for award-winning movies like “Shakespeare in Love” or “The little Prince”. The Hawkweed Prophecy was nominated in 2017 for the Branford Boase Awards.

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5/27/2017

The Sins That Bind Us by Geneva Lee

This book is totally different from all the other books I´ve read so far by the author. Full of emotion, drama, love and the desire for a normal life and a family. Yes, I know that some of this too, is part of her Royals Saga, but in a totally different way. Read this book, and you´ll understand what I am talking about. My first thought was when I got a glimpse at the beautiful cover: I must have and read it! Blue, black and the shimmering silver – holy crab what a hot combination. And again, I know *smile* blue and hot is not the usual way to describe that color. But then, what is usual when it comes to a Geneva Lee book?

The Sins That Bind Us*

by Geneva Lee
Publisher Westminster Press on May 2, 2016
Genre Novel
Pages 276
Format Softcover
Source Blanvalet
Goodreads

✶✶✶✶½

I wasn´t given a choice. Not when I did my first line of cocaine. Not when I became a single mother. But I changed, and every decision I´ve made was to protect myself and my son from my weaknesses – and my past. Until Jude came along and made me question everything, even my own secrets. The sins I carry with me can never be discovered. Life handed me broken bits of people and left me to construct my own world, and it´s too fragile to take a chance on Jude Mercer. We write our own stories. We build our own prisons. We weave our own lies. We commit the sins that bind us.

Story

Faith is fighting. To stay alive, to be there for her little son, to care for him and to keep him away from the hell, she once was in – and still feels. Drugs, alcohol and being addicted to something, is nothing she wants her son to know or even experience himself. And men are so far out of reach for her. They are all nothing but trouble and that´s the last thing she needs. So, when Jude Mercer shows up at the church where her weekly meeting is, she is not only thrown out of her daily routine but also has to face the truth. That she lives a life that isn´t hers and never was.

Style

From Faith´s first-person narrative you learn the story that made her life such a drama. The loss of her parents at such a young age, the growing up at her grandmother´s house and the moment she went to her first party and her life turned upside down. But there are moments when you think that something isn´t quite right here. There are some scenes where nothing seems to make any sense and you start guessing “could it be, that ….?” And oh yes, the end shows that exactly that, what you weren´t sure off, is correct. The pages between fills the author with a great story, that is told in a sensitive but blunt way and where you always have the thoughts that this must have a happy end. Not a kitschy one, but a happy one that fits into the plot and to the characters. 

Geneva Lee is very clear in her writing style. It is kind of the same, she used in her Royals Saga and yet totally different. The focus is more on the addiction and that addiction can have many faces. It is not always about drugs, alcohol or glue. No, a person can be addicted to a lot of things. And not all of them are life-threatening. On some pages, the story goes back to the time when Faith and Grace lost their parents and got on the wrong track. Where one of them lost the fight to get clean and the other had to step in and give up her plans because of the other. 

Characters

Losing a parent or both due to an accident or a sickness is never easy. To lose them at such a young age is the worst-case scenario and no matter what the rest of the family does, it is never enough. 

Faith was after the sudden death of her parents for many years the good girl. She loved books and wanted nothing but to discover and to experience the romantic part of life for herself. Doing wrong things or the opposite her grandmother wanted her to do, was not an option. Not, until her sister Grace wanted to go to a party and invited her to come along. From that moment on, everything went south for her and there was no turning back.

Conclusion

OMG, this was awesome! I never felt so touched, so shocked and so numb after I had finished it. This novel wasn´t at all what I´ve expected – it was way more and excelled my highest expectations. You have to read it!

Happy reading

*I read the German edition new release published on March 3, 2017, by Blanvalet.

Geneva Lee

Geneva Lee was since always a hopeless romantic, who prefers fantasy to reality – especially fantasies involving powerful, dangerous, and sexy men. With her Royals Saga, the love-story between the English crown prince Alexander and commoner Clara, she hit into the heart of the reader and took the international bestseller lists by storm. Geneva Lee lives with her family in Kansas City.

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5/26/2017

Follow Friday #18 – Audiobooks

Launched by Sonja of A Bookshelf Full Of Sunshine, continued by FiktiveWelten with a new logo. The blog action is for lively communication between bloggers, a good network, and should be fun.

Duration of the question: Friday to Thursday. Rules. No registration required. This week is the question: On what occasions do you listen to audiobooks? Or why are they not for you? Oh boy, me and audiobooks *laugh* Well, long story short: I am not the type of girl who can listen to an audiobook while doing my laundry or cleaning the household.

The reason: After a few minutes, my mind is drifting away and I am not really listening anymore. And I hate to rewind all the time and to have to look for the exact spot where my head stopped listening. That is annoying. The only way for me to enjoy them and stay focused while listening to a narrator is when I am running in the woods, am walking to the next grocery store, or when I can´t sleep and lay with open eyes in the dark bedroom and have my earplugs in. And to be honest: It takes me way longer to listen to an entire audiobook than to read the printed version of it. If an audiobook is longer than six or eight hours it takes me ages to finish it because it only runs while doing some sport or running some errands outside the house. And that doesn´t happen every day or all day long.

What are your experiences with audiobooks?

Happy reading (or in this case happy listening?)

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5/26/2017

The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

Actually, I like the idea of a female protagonist who solves almost everything she has to face by only being smart with her skills as a chemist. That sounded very intriguing and turned out very haunting and clever. Sure, at first it was a bit strange, but after a few pages and some reading, I started to like the style. Not absolutely new, but used again in a fresh way. And for the protagonist, it was the right way to get her into action and a new plot.

The Chemist*

by Stephenie Meyer
Publisher Little Brown and Company on November 8, 2016
Genre Thriller
Pages 512
Format Hardcover
Source Library
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶

She used to work for the U.S. Government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn´t even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning. Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They´ve killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon. When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it´s her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous. Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.

Story

Dr. Juliana Fortis is on the run and hiding from her former boss for many years. She knows things and saw things that mean a threat to those who want her dead. So when she gets asked to work on a subject to prevent the world from a deadly virus, she meets Daniel, and everything changes.

Style

This book is different from all the others the author wrote. Her writing style is still soft and decent, but there is some plain tone, the words she uses work for her scenes perfectly. Oh yes, so no harm was done. But I had to get used to it. And I have to admit, that after the first few pages I actually started to like this book.

Characters

It is quite refreshing that a female protagonist uses her brain and her skills as a chemist, to stay alive and to keep her enemies at bay. Dr. Juliana Fortis, during some pages Chris and now Alex (at least for most of the story), lives for years under the radar. She has to keep a low profile since she knows that her former boss wants her dead. With a unique style, she does everything to avoid this and even when she gets asked by her former boss to look into the profile of a young man and to get some information out of him, she keeps her shields up. No doubt, this woman is a great one.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed The Chemist. Yes, this book is different from Stephenie Meyer´s other books, but in my opinion in a good way. I started listening to the audiobook before I turned to the printed book, and the narrator Ellen Archer did a fantastic job. So if you prefer the audio, go and get it right away!

Happy reading












*German edition published by Fischer Scherz on November 8, 2016

Stephenie Meyer

Stephenie Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English Literature. In 2008 USA Today declared her “Author of the Year” because she had swept the top four slots in that year – which no one else ever had in the 15 years of the USA Today bestselling book list. Her internationally bestselling Twilight Series has sold 155 million copies worldwide and altogether her books have spent over 303 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List. She lives with her husband and three sons in Arizona.

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5/19/2017

True North - Wo Auch Immer Du Bist by Sarina Bowen

I had the huge pleasure to get to know the author´s work with this fantastic book. When I applied for it, I never expected to be one of the few lucky persons who could actually read it long before everyone else would. And what can I say? I ENJOYED every second of this fantastic novel! This is the first book by Sarina Bowen I have ever read. And for sure not the last. She got me hooked right from the beginning and kind of read it overnight.

True North-Wo Auch Immer Du Bist*

by Sarina Bowen
True North Series #1
Original Title Bittersweet
Publisher LYX on April 24, 2017
Genre Love-Women-Erotica
Pages 379
Format Paperback
Source Publisher

Goodreads

✶✶✶✶✶

The last person Griffin Shipley expects to find stuck in a ditch on his Vermont country road is his ex-hookup. Five years ago, they´d shared a couple of steamy nights together. But that was a lifetime ago. At twenty-seven, Griff is now the accidental patriarch of his family farm. Even his enormous shoulders feel the strain of supporting his mother, three siblings, and a dotty grandfather. He doesn´t have time for the sorority girl who´s shown up expecting to buy his harvest at half price. Vermont was never in Audrey Kidder´s travel plans. Neither was Griff Shipley. But she needs a second chance with the restaurant conglomerate employing her. Okay – a fifth chance. And no self-righteous lumbersexual farmer will stand in her way. They´re adversaries. They want entirely different things from life. Too bad their sexual chemistry s as hot as Audrey´s top secret enchilada sauce.

Story

Audrey has the dream to become a chef cuisine, running her own restaurant, and doing simply what she loves the most: creating and cooking delicious things that no one can resist. But it isn´t easy to stand up for her dreams with her mother in her neck and a boss who thinks a woman in a professional kitchen is only good for chopping vegetables. And with her being sometimes a bit clumsy things are not getting easier.

Style

The novel is written from Audrey´s and Griff´s first-person perspective and structured into three parts. Hot scenes, quick-witted dialogues, to die for characters, the great beauty of the landscape of Vermont, and a very fun to read writing style (and OMG Sarina Bowen uses some words!) make this novel a fantastic read. Not only that I read the entire book overnight – I just couldn´t stop reading – I also had to laugh quite a lot. The scene with the sex-cider, oh yes, you´ve read that right, was one heck of a show.

And the fact that Audrey has a very nimble-witted way to deal with Griff and his grumpy way is so hilarious that you can´t do anything else but laugh tears. 

Characters

All the characters show a lot of heart, understanding, emotions, and loyalty. But don´t think that everything is sunshine and flowers here. Oh no! The one scene where Audrey´s mother shows up at the farm is one of the scenes that show a completely different side of how you usually expect a mother to be. With such a mother in your back, you don´t need any enemies, that´s for sure.

Audrey is a lovely, a bit clumsy, straightforward young woman who knows exactly what she wants. Cooking, cooking, and … guess what: right, cooking! To create a delicious meal out of some vegetables, meat, herbs, and whatever nature provides at that moment is bliss for her. And she fights for becoming a chief and running her own restaurant someday. She has to fight a lot of prejudice and that she isn´t French. 

Conclusion

I had the time of my life reading this book! And for sure I will read the others of this trilogy as well since I am really eager to find out how the others will do and if they get their perfect match. For fans of Sarin Bowen, this is clearly a must-read. And for those who don´t know her, the perfect way to change that. Highly recommended.

Happy reading

*The book was originally published Bittersweet by Rennie Roads Books on June 14, 2016. 

Sarina Bowen

Sarina Bowen is the USA Today bestselling author of steamy Contemporary Romance and New Adult fiction. She lives with her family in Vermont´s Green Mountains. In 2016, she became a Rita Award winner. 

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5/09/2017

News – Blog Got A New Name: Inkvotary

Same old me, same blog, BUT TOTALLY NEW NAME! And as far as I can see everything went a lot faster than I´ve expected. Well, the technical stuff, not the search for the new name or the creative stuff with all the headers, etc. etc. Gone With The Books becomes Inkvotary. I was thinking about changing my blog name for quite some time now. And I got really excited when I found it after literally spending nights coming up with names I liked and therefore stayed awake because my brain was working and creating them like crazy. And the checking back and forth if the name I liked was actually available, cost me some additional sleep and nerves. Some weeks back I finally found it. Inkvotary was born and I am happy as hell to share the good news now with you all.

And I want to thank some friends for their HUGE help and support. Patricia at FiktiveWelten, Isabella at Mikku-chan and Anna - without you I would´ve probably turned nuts, so THANK YOU, LADIES, for your patience and honest words and thoughts. You kept me sane. Good, now it is official *phew*, Inkvotary is set up, even Facebook accepted the new name, and Twitter was easy to handle too. Instagram is changed as well and I am posting the first blog post as Inkvotary – same old me, same blog. Just a new name *YAY*

Now I can stop thinking about that part of blogging and go back to the fun stuff: reading and reviewing books *laugh* Hope you like what you see.

Happy blogging & reading

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5/05/2017

Follow Friday #17 – Break-off Or Rant?

This is a Friday meme hosted by Patricia of FiktiveWelten. Every week she asks a question that you can answer. Everyone who would like to participate, just answer her question, link to her blog, and write a comment under her post to let the others know that you are participating. The entire rules you can find here.

This week Patricia is asking if we rather break-off the reading of a book that can´t catch us at all or if we go all the bitter way and finish it. Oh boy, after I´ve read the question I couldn´t help it but think of one certain book, that fits exactly the criterion and made me kind of rant in my review. In a decent way, but still, I was ranting about it. My rating was below zero and for the very first time since I was reviewing books, I had to give a rating I didn´t want to give. To be clear, I wanted to give no rating at all but had at least to give one star.

A non-reviewer (someone who doesn´t get reviewers copies by publishers or authors) can just stop reading the book if it turns out to be a real pratfall. That person might be a bit pissed for having spent some money and time on it, but that´s about it. But as a reviewer, who gets most of the books for free from publishers or the author directly in exchange for an honest review, I don´t have the luxury to just stop reading. At least that is how I see it. To be able to write a proper review I must know the entire book. And that contains that I must read it all the way to the end, no matter how much I dislike what I read.

To call it a bad book after just a few pages is just not possible. Every author and publisher has the right to know why I didn´t like it and my review must explain it in a decent but clear way. To be blunt: It is the book, that I tell my opinion about, not the author itself. Over years I read and reviewed books and never had to struggle to get it to read or how my rating would be because every book I read was somehow fitting my taste in genre, the writing style, or some other criterion I had. I read the summary and checked if and how the cover spoke to me. I was lucky and rarely had a book that didn´t quite fit and where I had to give less than three stars.

But to be honest: Even after all those years as a reviewer I very rarely chose a book only because many other readers have loved it. And therefore, given a high rating. I still go with my instincts, if a cover “speaks” to me or not, and if, in combination with that, the summary makes me want it. If I have the chance to read an excerpt, great! And if I like what I read there it goes onto my reading list and has the high chance to be read and reviewed by me.

Sometimes it happens that I read a review from someone else and get curious because of the way how the review was written. When I can feel the excitement, the fun they had with that book, and the thrill they got out of it in every line of their review then this is another criterion that counts for me. And if the genre fits, so why not?

How is it with you?


Happy reading

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5/05/2017

For 100 Days – Täuschung by Lara Adrian

The cover was the first thing, that caught my attention. Blue, white and black in combination with the visible skyline in the number 100 – looks elegant but modern. And the summary made me curious, so I had to read it. I had no high expectations since this was the first book by the author I´ve read so far and therefore I only had the hope that it would entertain me. Which it did.

For 100 Days-Täuschung*

by Lara Adrian
100 Series #1
Original Title For 100 Days
Publisher LYX on April 24, 2017
Genre Love-Women-Erotica
Pages 382
Format Paperback
Source Publisher

Goodreads

✶✶✶½

Struggling artist Avery Ross is barely scraping by. Bartending at a trendy New City restaurant for an overbearing boss and two weeks away from losing her apartment to a condo developer, she´s desperate for a break. So, when she´s offered a temporary housesitting job, she takes it. Living at one of the poshest addresses in Manhattan is like entering a new world – one that catapults her into the orbit of billionaire Dominic Baine, the darkly handsome, arrogantly alpha resident of the building´s penthouse. What begins as a powerful attraction soon explodes into a white-hot passion neither can deny. Yet as scorching as their need for each other is, Avery doesn´t expect Nick´s interest in her to last. Nor does she dare to dream that the desire she feels for this scarred, emotionally remote man could deepen into something real. For Avery has secrets of her own – and a past that could destroy her … and shatter everything she and Nick share.

Story

Avery has a dark secret. A secret that overshadows her life for many years and lets her fear everything and anything. When she meets Nick, she experiences a world full of passion, money, and – as it seems – great easiness. Everything could be so great. But her past is nothing that likes to be ignored.

Style

This novel contains a lot of very graphic sex scenes and some of them aren´t really my taste. The good thing: The language is always decent and nice. No bad talk, no dirty talk, and no obscene words. Good, that author could have used some words a bit less, but that could also be due to the translation. And don´t expect the story to be ambitious or the characters to be very profound. Despite some clichés, I had my fun reading it. But this novel has some issues that gave me, in the end, the feeling that the entertainment was not the best the author could have given. And the negative change in the main character´s way of thinking, acting and behaving was something I couldn´t really understand. So, a novel that had a great start but turned into a story a bit above average. 

Characters

Lara Adrian has created some beautiful looking figures who couldn´t convince me completely. Nick seems to be too much of a God – following the words how he is being described. And Avery is a bit too distant though she is a likable woman. And the fact, that she jumps right into bed with Nick very early in the novel, was another thing that unsettled me a bit.

Conclusion

For 100 Days is a nice novel, that entertains its reader in a good way. And if you are in for hot scenes and therefore hot details, where everybody looks amazing and the man handles the things for the woman, this could be your book. 

Happy reading

*I read the German edition new release provided by Lesejury in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. The original cover you see on the right.

Lara Adrian

Lara Adrian, aka Tina St. John, is a New York Times and #1 internationally best-selling author with nearly 4 million books in print and digital worldwide and translations licensed to more than 20 countries. Her books have been named among Amazon’s Top Ten Romances of the Year and have also been nominated by readers multiple times as finalists for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance of the Year. She writes as Tina St. John historical romances which have her won numerous awards including the National Readers’ Choice; Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer’s Choice; Booksellers Best; and many others. She was twice named a Finalist in Romance Writers of America’s RITA Awards, for Best Historical Romance and Best Paranormal Romance. More recently, the German translation of Heart of the Hunter debuted on Der Spiegel bestseller list. With an ancestry stretching back to the Mayflower and the court of King Henry VIII, the author lives with her husband in New England, where she is working on her next novel.

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