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Posts by mvbookreviewer

A lover of all things romance, from Maldives.
by mvbookreviewer

Coveting Amazon’s Kindle

Ever since Kindle was released by Amazon in U.S. on November 19, 2007, I have wanted one. It’s not surprising since IKindle_Front read tons of e-books, given that it’s pretty tough to get a good selection of books in Male’. So imagine my happiness when I saw that Amazon is releasing the international version of Kindle on the 19th of October, next Monday. It is available for pre-order now and costs US$ 279.00.

It is said to be light weight, just 10.2 oz., and quite slim in fact 1/3 of an inch which is as slim as most of the magazines available. And since this device supports 3G network, there is no need for one to go about connecting the device to the nearest pc available in order to download books onto the device, which seems to be the deal with Sony’s e-book reader. The Kindle device has an internal memory of 2 GB which could hold up to 1,500 books.

And for me, the coolest feature would have to be the fact that all New York Times bestsellers would be available for just under US$ 10.00 i.e. US$ 9.99. I mean how cool is that. For instance, Dan Brown’s Lost Symbol, the hard cover release which is available for around US$ 29.95, you get it on Kindle for just US$ 9.99 and save around US$ 20.00 while you are at it!

Some of its other cool features include its anti-glare display, adjustable text sizes, built-in dictionary with instant look-up, compatibility for audio books, and its experimental read-to-me feature. It also supports MP3 format so that you could listen to music while reading.

Although its going to land me with around US$300 deficit in my bank account, I’m thinking that it’s gonna be worth it, when I hold a Kindle in my hands, and start reading all those books, which for now, I barely prevent myself from purchasing because of the hideous amounts of money that I have to pay for shipping.

If I do land myself with a Kindle, I will let you all know how I rate this much coveted device of mine!

Until my next review comes up, happy reading everyone! xoxoxo

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Remembrance by Jude Deveraux

Format: Paperbackremembrance
Read With: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Atria Books
Series: Standalone
Hero: Tavey/Talis/Tariz
Heroine: Catherine/Callie/Hayden Lane
Date of Publication: October 1, 1997
Started On: October 7, 2009
Finished On: October 10, 2009

I am not much of a fan of Jude Deveraux, but the novels that I have attempted to read of hers has been interesting. A Knight in Shining Armour is one of my all time favorite romances. Apart from that I attempted to read one novel of hers, the title of which I have forgotten, which didn’t end pretty well. Remembrance is one story that I have always wanted to read, ever since my sis discussed with me about this novel, which she remembered to be a wonderful romance, which is saying a lot since she doesn’t read romance novels that much. And after reading this book, I have got to say that this book is a pretty wonderful read.

The story picks up with Hayden Lane, who is an author about to reach her forties, unmarried, who writes romance books. Remembrance starts off in first person and most of the story is narrated in second person although it does end again in first person. Hayden Lane, starts to visualize a character (Jamie), for a book of hers, which makes her lose interest in the real world, and inevitably makes her fiance’ walk out on her. Hayden, for the life of her, can’t even feel a twinge of disappointment because he left, but rather this gives her all the time in the world to absorb Jamie into her mind and soul. After her editor starts worrying about her, Hayden finally realizes that she is in deep trouble when she refuses to share what she has written about Jamie with her publisher, starts on her quest to find out what is wrong with her. Endless therapy sessions later, (which points out she wants to sleep with her father!), the self humorous dialog is quite funny and made me laugh out loud several times, Hayden visits a psychic, who points out that Hayden is so unsatisfied with this life because she has loved so deeply in her past lives, and that a curse prevents her from finding that special someone in this life.

Hayden, being someone who can’t just sit by until two lifetimes pass by for her to find her true love again, takes matters into her own hands, and gets hypnotized which starts off the story of a love that is so deep and intense that I felt like crying at times. Hayden time travels all the way to when her life began in the Edwardian times, where Callie and Tallis, born at the same hour, are two halves of one soul, that is quite beautifully described by the author.

All in all, at the end, it is a happy ending for Hayden when she meets Tariz at the end of the story. I was enraptured by the story of Tallis and Callie, as I am sure rest of the readers of this book were. This might end up as one of the books that I re-read time & time again, because Callie and Tallis’s story is one that you can read more than once and still fall in love with over & over again!

Purchase Links: Amazon

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Guilty Needs by Shiloh Walker

Format: E-bookGuilty Needs
Read with: Mobipocket Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Series: Standalone
Hero: Colby
Heroine: Bree
Date of Publication: September 19, 2008
Started On: October 10, 2009
Finished On: October 10, 2009

Shiloh Walker is absolutely one of my most favourite authors. Her books have a fantastic mix of emotions that can make you really cry, and throw into this wonderful sexy characters who know what they want and aren’t afraid to go after what they want. This is the THIRD time that I have read this book and it wouldn’t be a lie to say that I will most probably read this book again in the near future cos I just can’t seem to get enough of this wonderful story.

Bree, Colby and Alyssa are the main characters in this story. Bree and Alyssa have been the best of friends since childhood rather like sisters to one another. Colby is the shy introvert who bloomed late in life. Alyssa and Bree both notices him in high school, but Alyssa is the one who ends up going after him and eventually marries him.

All the while Bree, silently loving Colby all her life, stands on the sidelines, envying what Alyssa and Colby have together, but determined not to lose what she has got with Alyssa, never acts on her feelings. That is until, Alyssa gets diagnosed with rapidly advanced cancer and dies leaving behind a devastated husband and a beloved friend in great turmoil with Alyssa’s dying wish which strikes a chord of longing deep within her heart.

Guilty Needs is a very appropriate title for a book that is steeped in unvoiced longings and desires that just creates the most wonderful sexual tension that I absolutely reveled in. Colby finds that he has an attraction, (which is putting it mildly), towards his wife’s best friend which fires up all the guilt inside of him which makes him leave everything behind until he gets himself sorted out. 

This is a really moving story and the passion between these two scorches ones hard disk drives whilst reading. I highly recommend this book for all romance lovers and especially for those who love books from Shiloh Walker. I tell you, you wouldn’t be disappointed.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | eBookMall | iTunes

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by mvbookreviewer

Those Tacky Harlequin Titles!

Being one of the most avid reader of romance books, I am guilty as hell of reading Harlequin romance books. Back in the 90’s, they were my favorite source of books of romance and I wouldn’t have it any other way I suppose. I even have favorite authors from the series as well. Lynne Graham, Sandra Marton, Sharon Kendrick and Sarah Mayberry are some of my very favorite authors of this line.

But somehow, these line of books, except for a selective few, have lost their luster. Maybe it has got something to do with those oh so tacky titles, and the never ending theme of these books. I know that these books are supposed to be a light read, a book that you can just read without thinking too much about the storyline. However, I need something more than that when I start to read a book. I need characters that I can relate to, (not that I don’t love the handsome as sin, rich as they come heroes in most of the books) and a storyline that doesn’t bore me to death with some simpering female character who is oh so pure that it makes me grit my teeth.

What turns me off, the most of all are the tacky titles, which I cringe from embarrassment whenever I see them on bookshelves.

Below I will name some of these titles that I have come across of late.

  1. Proud Revenge, Passionate Wedlock by Janette Kenny
  2. Italian Boss, Proud Miss Prim by Susan Stephens
  3. Playboy Boss, Live-in Mistress by Kelly Hunter
  4. Argentinian Playboy, Unexpected Love-child by Chantelle Shaw
  5. The Playboy Sheikh’s Virgin Stable-Girl by Sharon Kendrick

And I could go on and on, but inevitably I would just end up cringing myself with embarrassment to DEATH!

Its high time that authors of this line of romance try to come up with more innovative titles and story lines, rather than blabbering on about innocent virgins who beckon  the wild and wicked playboy hero like a siren, and ends up getting pregnant, which forces the hero to offer for her hand in marriage, which by then the heroine would be simperingly in love with the hero and oh, the story goes on!

Until my next review, happy reading everyone! xoxoxo

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Slightly Shady by Amanda Quick

Format: Hardcoverslightly
Read with: Hardcover Edition
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Lavinia Lake and Tobias March – 1
Publisher: Wheeler Publishing
Hero: Tobias March
Heroine: Lavinia Lake
Published on: May 2001
Started On: September 2009
Finished On: October 2009

This is the first book that I have read of this author; Amanda Quick an alias used by Jayne Ann Krentz. This book starts off in Rome, when Tobias barges into the antique shop that Lavinia and her niece had established in order to get by, after being cheated off by the lady with which they had made the journey from London.

Her antique shop shattered on the accounts from Tobias that the shop was being used by a vicious criminal organization for communication amongst their members by hiding messages in the antiques in the shop Lavinia and her niece finds themselves sent off to London and these two meet once again when Lavinia upon being blackmailed by someone, finding out who the blackmailer is, comes to his place to find that someone had murdered him and in the process finds Tobias at the scene who is in search for the diary that the blackmailer was using.

Then begins the rather fascinating journey these two embark upon after forming an uneasy alliance to find the diary before it reaches the wrong hands once again, with Lavinia changing her profession to become a private investigator like Tobias. Desire, passion and love takes a backstage in this novel, which had me laughing at the quirky dialogues between the two and the really funny situations that these two found themselves in at times.

The story ends with a rather unique twist, which I would say that I didn’t really foresee coming.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | eBookMall | iTunes

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Sea Fire By Karen Robards

Format: Paperbacksea
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Pirate, Book 2
Publisher: Dell
Hero: Jonathan Hale
Heroine: Lady Catherine Aldley
Published on: November 10, 1998
Started On: August 2009
Finished On: September 26, 2009

Being a long time since I have been able to read a book and write its review. Life happened & I had to give up reading for a little while that kept me from  finishing this book and writing a review about it.

I think that with this book, I would have to agree with the rest of reviewers who read this book. It would have been better if the author had never attempted to write this book, or rather just included whatever she had written in this book in the first book of the series.

The characters in the book never seemed to learn from their mistakes, never seemed to grow up or move on from past grievances and there was too much violence between the hero and the heroine to make me believe that they really loved one another.

Anyhow, I did finish this book agonizing page by page. I guess that says something for the book, or maybe it was just me that wouldn’t put down a book I had spent such a lot on to buy in the first place.

I do not know what I will be reading next. But I will be sure to post a review of it as soon as I am done!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Kobo | eBookMall | iTunes

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Wild Orchids By Karen Robards

Format: E-bookwild
Read with: MS Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Warner Books
Hero: John Roberts “Max” Maxwell
Heroine: Lora Harding
Published on: January 1, 1994
Started On: September 2, 2009
Finished On: September 2, 2009

For those who have read my last review (Island Flame by Karen Robards), I mentioned that the most favorite book of mine by this author is Wild Orchids which was the second book of this author that I tried. Writing the review for Island Flame and thinking about the book Wild Orchids, which I had previously read twice, made me stop the book Sea Fire in the middle (the second book  in the Pirates series) to read Wild Orchids once again, and sigh… I wasn’t disappointed! So here is my review for this special book, which most probably, I would end up reading AGAIN sometime in the near future.

This book starts when Lora, who is on vacation in Mexico, finds herself kidnapped at gun point by Max who is on the run for his life from the Mexican authorities. Max married previously, fought in the Vietnam war, and carries the emotional baggage of a war that turned pretty ugly. Lora, a teacher in a quiet town, engaged to a Mathematics teacher at her school, had been nursing her paralyzed mother for ten years or so, and was trying to enjoy a long awaited vacation after her mother dies of pneumonia leaving both her children with a bit of money, allowing Lora to splurge a bit on herself for a change.

Max, a strong alpha hero, from the moment he kidnaps Lora, who gives as good as she gets, has his hands full. Desperate attempts to escape which are thwarted at the last minute by Max, exasperates him endlessly, whilst Lora and Max start to feel the first stirrings of an attraction to one another that won’t be denied. The witty dialogue between Lora and Max never fails to amuse me.

Halfway through the novel, Max releases Lora to return back to wherever she came from, advising her not to go to the cops, when Lora just does the opposite and finds out that she really doesn’t want to turn Max over to  the authorities a moment too late and finds herself locked up. Max and his buddies rescue her from jail and in a harrowing chase, ends up on the plane which was to take them away from the hell hole. However, fate had different plans, when the plane crashes in the midst of the thick jungle, leaving one of Max’s buddies dead, and the other Tunafish (Theodre) with a broken ankle.  Max finds out that who loaned him the plane had double crossed him, and in fact the plane was full of millions of dollars worth of dope.

The story that unfolds is fast paced, filled with action, humor and moments of glorious passion between these two strong willed characters which you can’t put down till you have read the last line. My only peeve with this book is even the first time that I read this book, I thought that Lora didn’t make Max suffer enough before succumbing, which is a problem with most of the romance books. Maybe my ultra feminine side doesn’t like the fact that the heroine suffers so much throughout the novel, and in the end the hero just has to crook his finger in the “come to me” motion and the heroine just forgets every little thing that the hero puts her through and swoons on the confession of ultimate love, desire and marriage. However, even though the ending may not satisfy me 100%, I still love this great book and would continue to re-read it from time to time.

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | eBookMall

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Island Flame by Karen Robards

Format: Paperback
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Pirate, Book 1
Publisher: Dell
Hero: Jonathan Hale
Heroine: Lady Catherine Aldley
First Published on: September 8, 1998
Started On: August 29, 2009
Finished On: August 30, 2009

As usual, I seem to be deviating a LOT from my ‘currently reading pile’ and the ‘to-be-read pile’ which seems to be mounting. This was a book that caught my eye whilst searching for a book on FictionDB. There is a section on the website that displays a book by a featured author. Since I have read books by Karen Robards, my favorite book of hers being Wild Orchids, which I recommend for everyone who loves a good bout of romance, I couldn’t resist but read this one, which sounded exactly like the kind of romance I would love.

Lady Catherine, a lady of immense wealth and gentle breeding, (though she is not so gentle herself), the ship she is traveling on, en route to Portugal, gets attacked by the notorious pirate Jonathan Hale. Crude, cynical beyond most heroes I have encountered and jealous to a fault & possessive as much, Jonathan claims Catherine as his own. Catherine hates Jonathan with a vengeance for treating her like common trash, ultimately making her his mistress, and fears the passion that Jonathan could invoke in her with a single glance.

Her last and final attempt to escape Jonathan lands her in a perilous situation, from which Jonathan risks his life to save her. Nursing him back to health, and falling in love with Jonathan which was a foregone conclusion from the moment they laid their eyes on one another, Catherine vows that she would bring this notorious pirate to heel and make him fall for her.

However, fate had different plans in store for these two, when suddenly their idyllic life on the pirates retreat found them under attack by the British soldiers, thirsting for revenge, thinking that Lady Catherine had been done away with.

Eventually wed, though her father had different plans in store for both of them, leads the reader on an enthralling ride, which I assure you, wouldn’t make you want to put this book down, even for a second.

And the interesting tidbit to this romance is that there is a second book which features these two strong characters, (which is rare for a romance), which I would start on most probably today. Although the second book Sea Fire didn’t get as raved about as Island Flame did, I would form my own opinion about the book in due time.

Until my next review, which most probably should be of Sea Fire by the same author, happy reading everyone!

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Not Quite A Husband by Sherry Thomas

Format: E-book
Read with: MS Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Bantam Books
Series: Standalone
Hero: Leo Marsden
Heroine: Bryony Asquith
Published on: May 19, 2009
Started On: August 23, 2009
Finished On: August 28, 2009

I have never before read a story by Sherry Thomas and this one proved to be a delightful find with the sensations that coursed through all of me when I lost myself in Leo and Bryony’s story. I decided to give this delectable read a try, or rather grabbed the chance to read this book upon reading a thread on Amazon’s Romance Discussion forum which helps me to separate out my books into the “must-read, read-if-you’ve-got-nothing-else & do-not-read” piles.

This book proved to be worth my while and then some and I was instantly hooked to Sherry Thomas’ style of writing and her vivid characterization which you can’t help but fall head over heels in love with.

One of the most interesting factors in this story is the fact that Leo is younger than Bryony. This story is told from the viewpoints of both Leo and Bryony and is gut and heart wrenching tale with obviously a happy ending that put a smile to my face when I went to sleep tonight.

This story begins where others usually end with the story of how Leo and Bryony gets married up to the point of annulment of their marriage. Bryony, a surgeon by profession which was hardly in fashion during the Victorian era for a woman, leaves England and goes traveling halfway around the world to soothe her broken spirit and to get away from all the gossip that surrounds her in London. Thinking that Leo never did love her when in fact the truth is from the beginning of his life Leo had in fact being fascinated with Bryony and loved her and never had a clue why his Bryony remains so cold and aloof towards him during their short-lived marriage, ends up in a remote little village in India where Leo finds her to inform her that her father with whom Bryony has always had a strained relationship with, is on the deathbed and needs her back home.

The journey that these two take across the tiny villages scattered across India wrought with danger, and the ultimate realizations and truths about their marriage and enlightening insights into both Bryony and Leos past weaves a breathtaking tale of romance, love and passion that is guaranteed to keep any true romantic hooked from the beginning to end. I have to warn all the ladies though — Leo is lethal, he will stake and claim your heart from the very beginning of the story and never let go!

Highly recommended for all historical romance lovers out there. This is a MUST read!

Looking forward to many more great tales by Sherry Thomas.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble 

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Doomsday Conspiracy by Sidney Sheldon

Format: Paperbackdoomsday
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Warner Books, Incorporated
Published on: December 1, 1992
Started On: October 2006
Finished On: October 2006

This is a book that I reviewed during 2006 on an old blog of mine. Just thought that I would post it here since a visitor to the blog requested for a review of one of Sidney Sheldon’s novels. This is one of my absolute favorites from the author.

The story was written at a time where U.F.O sightings were becoming a common occurrence throughout the world and where stories of government cover ups were becoming quite the norm. The story centers on such an incident where a U.F.O craft crashes into Switzerland and is witnessed by a busload of tourists.. The main character of the book a trained official of the CIA is given the task of finding all who witnessed this crash on the pretense of “warning” them not to talk about what they have witnessed. The official who is handed over the task has no idea that the what they had witnessed had been a U.F.O crash but rather a highly secretive military aircraft of some sort.

So thus begins his journey in locating all these witnesses.. as soon as he finds them and reports them to his superior they are killed in mysterious ways.. so as not to arouse any suspicion… The story continues with snippets from the past to show to the readers that the hero was so in love with his ex-wife that he hadn’t been “whole” ever since she left him for another man.. the reason being that the agent didn’t have any time for “them” anymore..

The story does make an interesting read… and leads onto a climactic ending that leaves the reader stunned with disbelief..

The author ends this book by giving a whole lot of information on the extensive interviews and research that he had carried out before writing the book… It hints of the possibility that such an incident is not so far from being the truth.. He further goes onto such “coincidental” deaths of scientists who were involved in the investigation of such actual incidents that had taken place all around the globe..

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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