en-US Sun, 08 Dec 2013 15:12:14 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 6936382 beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?]]> 372 Stephanie Perkins 0525423273 Lora 0 I absolutely, completely, utterly love this novel!

You say too many adverbs, I say enthusiasm!

This novel makes me question why I don't read YA contemporary more often. I mean, it's not like I don't enjoy the genre, it's just that I don't seem to pick up a contemporary novel nearly as often as I do other genres. Anna and the French Kiss has definitely changed that! I'll be reading many more contemps this year, for sure.

Now, on to the good stuff: Etienne! Anna and the French Kiss has been floating around the blogosphere for quite some time, and I FINALLY decided to pick it up the other day. And boy am I glad I did! Let's just say that it lives up to its hype and then some.

Going into this, I had very high expectations, and I'm very happy to say that they were all not only met, but surpassed. Normally I don't like a lot of the heroines I read about, but Anna totally rocked. Sometimes she makes mistakes, sometimes she doesn't, but no matter what choices she made in any situation in this novel I loved her. That's not something I can say about many heroines I read about. She's fun, smart(er now because of Etienne;), and definitely the kind of girl I want to hang out with. And boy is she lucky!

Which brings me to my favorite part of this novel: Etienne! Gosh I don't even know if I should touch (haha, get you're mind of the gutter----there isn't enough room for the both of us on this subject. He's smart, short (by the way, I LOVED IT that the author didn't go with the usual 6 foot + that most authors use; I found that VERY refreshing), British (HELL YEAH!), and sexy as hell. Oh, and he's callipygian (you know what that means if you've read this *evil grin*). Yep, Etienne's all that and a Porsche.

And you can't review this novel without mentioning the other main character; and that, of course, is Paris. I loved reading about this beautiful city, and I don't think it would be too much to say that Paris stole some of the scenes in this novel.

All in all, this novel was fabuleux.


FAVORITE QUOTE: I accept the tissue.
"I'm here." St. Claire is angry. "I'm just sorry I'm not there. With you. I wish there was something I could do."
"Wanna come beat her up for me?"
"I'm packing my throwing stars right now."

P.S. Sorry for the overzealous review; I'm just so pleased with this as I've never found chick lit this good.]]> 3.96 2010
author: Stephanie Perkins
name: Lora
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at: 2011/01/12
date added: 2013/12/08
shelves: g-ya-realistic, favorites, fluff-in-its-best-form
review:
I absolutely, completely, utterly love this novel!

You say too many adverbs, I say enthusiasm!

This novel makes me question why I don't read YA contemporary more often. I mean, it's not like I don't enjoy the genre, it's just that I don't seem to pick up a contemporary novel nearly as often as I do other genres. Anna and the French Kiss has definitely changed that! I'll be reading many more contemps this year, for sure.

Now, on to the good stuff: Etienne! Anna and the French Kiss has been floating around the blogosphere for quite some time, and I FINALLY decided to pick it up the other day. And boy am I glad I did! Let's just say that it lives up to its hype and then some.

Going into this, I had very high expectations, and I'm very happy to say that they were all not only met, but surpassed. Normally I don't like a lot of the heroines I read about, but Anna totally rocked. Sometimes she makes mistakes, sometimes she doesn't, but no matter what choices she made in any situation in this novel I loved her. That's not something I can say about many heroines I read about. She's fun, smart(er now because of Etienne;), and definitely the kind of girl I want to hang out with. And boy is she lucky!

Which brings me to my favorite part of this novel: Etienne! Gosh I don't even know if I should touch (haha, get you're mind of the gutter----there isn't enough room for the both of us on this subject. He's smart, short (by the way, I LOVED IT that the author didn't go with the usual 6 foot + that most authors use; I found that VERY refreshing), British (HELL YEAH!), and sexy as hell. Oh, and he's callipygian (you know what that means if you've read this *evil grin*). Yep, Etienne's all that and a Porsche.

And you can't review this novel without mentioning the other main character; and that, of course, is Paris. I loved reading about this beautiful city, and I don't think it would be too much to say that Paris stole some of the scenes in this novel.

All in all, this novel was fabuleux.


FAVORITE QUOTE: I accept the tissue.
"I'm here." St. Claire is angry. "I'm just sorry I'm not there. With you. I wish there was something I could do."
"Wanna come beat her up for me?"
"I'm packing my throwing stars right now."

P.S. Sorry for the overzealous review; I'm just so pleased with this as I've never found chick lit this good.
]]> 7600922 Deep in the heart of Texas, Morganville is a small college town full of laid-back students and eccentric townies, not to mention the sort of creatures you wouldn't want to run into after dark. Despite their obvious differences, the human and vampire residents of Morganville have learned to coexist, but that doesn't stop genius student Claire Danvers from keeping up her guard. Because in Morganville, nothing is as it seems...

While developing a new system to maintain the town's defenses, Claire discovers a way to use the vampires' powers to help keep outsiders from spreading news of Morganville's "unique" situation once they've crossed the city limits.

But the new system has an unexpected and possibly deadly consequence: People inside the town start forgetting who and what they are - even the vampires. And when Claire's boyfriend, Shane, and her best friend, Eve, start treating her like a perfect stranger, Claire realizes she has to figure out a way to pull the plug on her experiment - before she forgets how to save herself... and Morganville.]]> 335 Rachel Caine 0451231619 Lora 4 fluff-in-its-best-form But after coming up with a solution that seems to work, Claire starts noticing strange changes in her friends and in the townspeople. At first she tries to brush it off, but then when her occasionally insane(ly hot and adorable) boss starts acting weird(er than normal), she decides it's time to shut the new machine down: and that's when things really get bad.

I absolutely love this series! Sorry, I just had to get that out.
Seriously, though, since book one this series has been action-packed, non-stop fun, and a whole lotta hotness (I of course am referring to Shane and Myrnin; not necessarily in that order *grin*).
Anyway, Claire's just as strong, brave, and devoted to her boyfriend, Shane, as ever; she continues to be one of my favorite heroines in the YA genre.
The ending of this one was shocking and somewhat unexpected.
Overall I'd say this was a spectacular installment to a series that just plain rocks; I will be eagerly awaiting the next installment, Bite Club, set to release in May, 2011.]]> 4.26 2010
author: Rachel Caine
name: Lora
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2010/12/23
date added: 2013/01/02
shelves: fluff-in-its-best-form
review:
In this installment Claire must fix the machine that runs Morganville or suffer the consequences; which just so happen to be fatal to either her beloved friends or herself.
But after coming up with a solution that seems to work, Claire starts noticing strange changes in her friends and in the townspeople. At first she tries to brush it off, but then when her occasionally insane(ly hot and adorable) boss starts acting weird(er than normal), she decides it's time to shut the new machine down: and that's when things really get bad.

I absolutely love this series! Sorry, I just had to get that out.
Seriously, though, since book one this series has been action-packed, non-stop fun, and a whole lotta hotness (I of course am referring to Shane and Myrnin; not necessarily in that order *grin*).
Anyway, Claire's just as strong, brave, and devoted to her boyfriend, Shane, as ever; she continues to be one of my favorite heroines in the YA genre.
The ending of this one was shocking and somewhat unexpected.
Overall I'd say this was a spectacular installment to a series that just plain rocks; I will be eagerly awaiting the next installment, Bite Club, set to release in May, 2011.
]]> 7091713
Vampire musician Michael Glass has attracted the attention of a big- time producer who wants to cut a demo and play some gigs-which means Michael will have to enter the human world. For this, he's been assigned escorts that include both a dangerous immortal as well as Michael's all-too-human friends. And with that mix of personalities, this is going to be a road trip from hell...]]> 246 Rachel Caine 0451229738 Lora 4
I didn't start reading the Morganville Vampires until just last month, but I read them all in a row with barely any interruptions, and I loved them all. This one was no exception. "Kiss of Death" starts off awesome and doesn't let up.

I'm a huge fan of Shane, and Shane and Claire's relationship: which is basically a perfect mix of sweet delicious moments and hot chemistry. Claire's actually one of my favorite female protagonists out of all the series I read; and that's really saying something. Unlike most, she knows how to kick a$$ and stick by her man without playing the field (some of you must know what I'm talking about). Just as always, there's never a dull moment; even though there's not a non-stop crazy apocalyptic plotline like in the earlier installments (which, by the way, I think it's nice to sometimes just have things maybe a little bit more calm and simple, rather than the classic, Oh my goodness, we're all going to die! It's the end of the world!---Just sayin'). The last 100 pages just flew by in a blur of awesomeness.

The only complaint I have about this installment is that there wasn't enough Myrnin for me; I may love Shane and Claire, but Myrnin is MY MAN! I love his lovable, crazy, eccentric a$$! So, I'm hoping there'll be a lot more of him in the next one, Ghost Town; which I'll be starting on shortly.

(Was that actually short?)]]> 4.21 2010
author: Rachel Caine
name: Lora
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2010/12/19
date added: 2013/01/02
shelves: lib-read, fluff-in-its-best-form
review:
Well, since this was released back in April, I think I'm just going to keep this review short.

I didn't start reading the Morganville Vampires until just last month, but I read them all in a row with barely any interruptions, and I loved them all. This one was no exception. "Kiss of Death" starts off awesome and doesn't let up.

I'm a huge fan of Shane, and Shane and Claire's relationship: which is basically a perfect mix of sweet delicious moments and hot chemistry. Claire's actually one of my favorite female protagonists out of all the series I read; and that's really saying something. Unlike most, she knows how to kick a$$ and stick by her man without playing the field (some of you must know what I'm talking about). Just as always, there's never a dull moment; even though there's not a non-stop crazy apocalyptic plotline like in the earlier installments (which, by the way, I think it's nice to sometimes just have things maybe a little bit more calm and simple, rather than the classic, Oh my goodness, we're all going to die! It's the end of the world!---Just sayin'). The last 100 pages just flew by in a blur of awesomeness.

The only complaint I have about this installment is that there wasn't enough Myrnin for me; I may love Shane and Claire, but Myrnin is MY MAN! I love his lovable, crazy, eccentric a$$! So, I'm hoping there'll be a lot more of him in the next one, Ghost Town; which I'll be starting on shortly.

(Was that actually short?)
]]> 6289938
Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve’s castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realize that this film project, whose subject is the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger—and way more dangerous—than anyone suspected.]]> 237 Rachel Caine 0451228669 Lora 4 4.19 2009
author: Rachel Caine
name: Lora
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2010/12/01
date added: 2013/01/02
shelves: lib-read, fluff-in-its-best-form
review:

]]> 5212771
In the small college town of Morganville, vampires and humans lived in (relative) peace-until all the rules got rewritten when the evil vampire Bishop arrived, looking for the lost book of vampire secrets. He's kept a death grip on the town ever since. Now an underground resistance is brewing, and in order to contain it, Bishop must go to even greater lengths. He vows to obliterate the town and all its inhabitants-the living and the undead. Claire Danvers and her friends are the only ones who stand in his way. But even if they defeat Bishop, will the vampires ever be content to go back to the old rules, after having such a taste of power?]]> 256 Rachel Caine 0451227190 Lora 4 fluff-in-its-best-form 4.20 2009
author: Rachel Caine
name: Lora
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2010/12/01
date added: 2013/01/02
shelves: fluff-in-its-best-form
review:

]]> 9376345
After discovering that vampires populate her town, college student Claire Danvers knows that the undead just want to live their lives. But someone else wants them to get ready to rumble.

There's a new extreme sport getting picked up on the bare—knuckle fights pitting captured vampires against each other—or humans. Tracking the remote signal leads Claire—accompanied by her friends and frenemies—to discover that what started as an online brawl will soon threaten everyone in Morganville...]]> 340 Rachel Caine 0451233182 Lora 4 Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Notice: This review is completely subjective, bias, and is written by a total Morganville fangirl.

There's trouble in paradise - or rather, Morganville - which is just about as far from paradise as you can get. Nevertheless, things have been going well for Claire and her housemates. Sure, Frank, her boyfriend Shane's once thought dead father is really alive - and Claire's forced to keep the secret from Shane by none other than Frank himself. But things could be worse, in a town like Morganville. But as Claire knows all too well, things are never easy going in Morganville for very long.
Everything starts getting shaky again when a boy from her science class is found murdered, Shane starts acting strangely violent and aggressive, and a new pay-per-view internet show featuring vampires vs. humans in extreme fighting hits the Web - and Shane is one of the humans.

I'll admit that it was hard reading about Shane getting lost in the fights and in Glory's eyes. That bitch. I apologize for the language, but there really is no other way to describe Glory. My homicidal tendencies always come out when a female character comes into the picture in a series only to screw up everything between one of my favorite couples. And that's exactly what Shane & Claire are - a favorite couple. I've been rooting for their relationship since Shane called Claire a "kid" in chapter 4 in Glass Houses. (Yes, I remember that far back.) (Okay, fine - I looked it up. BUT, I still remembered him calling her that. ;))
The thing is, I was really anticipating reading from Shane's POV because I expected a lot of sweet, awww-worthy thoughts about Claire. But Shane's head is in such a bad place through the majority of this installment that it ended up being a lot of resentful, cruel thoughts and there were even some instances where he was verbally mean to Claire.
A lot of it is glamour-induced, but Shane does seem to have some issues with Claire and her relationship with Myrnin. He isn't buying that it is strictly platonic and therefore he has doubts - and everyone knows that doubt is the #1 relationship killer (that and financial problems - but that's only if you're married). I just hope that his issues don't ruin things for the next two installments.

The thing that really pleases me about this series is the characters; I love 'em. They're characters that I can imagine myself being friends with in real life (Clare). They're ones I can imagine doing unspeakably naughty things to that are too inappropriate to list in this review for fear that a child might happen upon it and get a much too early education in the fine arts of naughtiness (e.g. Shane, Michael, Myrnin, and, yes, even Oliver. Oh, don't look at me like that - I realize that he was turned in his fifties but I still love him). They're ones that make me laugh and cry (yes, I am sappy) at the most unexpected times.

FAVORITE QUOTES:

"We're getting married!"

"Are you in the car that's almost caused three accidents on North Vance?" Hannah asked. "Because I'm following you with my lights flashing, and whoever's driving isn't pulling over."
"Let him go," Claire said. "Trust me. You aren't going to get him to stop."
"Oh, God. It's Myrnin, isn't it?"
"Tell that police lady to stop chasing me," Myrnin said, annoyed, from the front seat. "Really, I'm not that bad at this."

(The scene where Myrnin drives is HILARIOUS.)

"I pulled back my fist for another punch, and he didn't flinch. He didn't look away, either. He just said, "It's not your fault, man. I don't blame you."

So you see, my friend, this series is definitely a favorite of mine. And when it eventually ends, like all good things do, I will be heart broken. But that's all right. Much like watching reruns of your favorite shows after they've left the air (Buffy, Friends, Moonlight, etcetera, etcetera), I'll reread this wonderful series time and again.

And for those who've been living on another planet, Last Breath comes out later this year in Nov and what is expected to be the last installment (*sobs*) is set to come out in April of next year. It is currently Untitled.

I � Nekkid Shane]]> 4.21 2011
author: Rachel Caine
name: Lora
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/05/07
date added: 2011/06/12
shelves: g-ya-paranorm, fluff-in-its-best-form
review:
Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Notice: This review is completely subjective, bias, and is written by a total Morganville fangirl.

There's trouble in paradise - or rather, Morganville - which is just about as far from paradise as you can get. Nevertheless, things have been going well for Claire and her housemates. Sure, Frank, her boyfriend Shane's once thought dead father is really alive - and Claire's forced to keep the secret from Shane by none other than Frank himself. But things could be worse, in a town like Morganville. But as Claire knows all too well, things are never easy going in Morganville for very long.
Everything starts getting shaky again when a boy from her science class is found murdered, Shane starts acting strangely violent and aggressive, and a new pay-per-view internet show featuring vampires vs. humans in extreme fighting hits the Web - and Shane is one of the humans.

I'll admit that it was hard reading about Shane getting lost in the fights and in Glory's eyes. That bitch. I apologize for the language, but there really is no other way to describe Glory. My homicidal tendencies always come out when a female character comes into the picture in a series only to screw up everything between one of my favorite couples. And that's exactly what Shane & Claire are - a favorite couple. I've been rooting for their relationship since Shane called Claire a "kid" in chapter 4 in Glass Houses. (Yes, I remember that far back.) (Okay, fine - I looked it up. BUT, I still remembered him calling her that. ;))
The thing is, I was really anticipating reading from Shane's POV because I expected a lot of sweet, awww-worthy thoughts about Claire. But Shane's head is in such a bad place through the majority of this installment that it ended up being a lot of resentful, cruel thoughts and there were even some instances where he was verbally mean to Claire.
A lot of it is glamour-induced, but Shane does seem to have some issues with Claire and her relationship with Myrnin. He isn't buying that it is strictly platonic and therefore he has doubts - and everyone knows that doubt is the #1 relationship killer (that and financial problems - but that's only if you're married). I just hope that his issues don't ruin things for the next two installments.

The thing that really pleases me about this series is the characters; I love 'em. They're characters that I can imagine myself being friends with in real life (Clare). They're ones I can imagine doing unspeakably naughty things to that are too inappropriate to list in this review for fear that a child might happen upon it and get a much too early education in the fine arts of naughtiness (e.g. Shane, Michael, Myrnin, and, yes, even Oliver. Oh, don't look at me like that - I realize that he was turned in his fifties but I still love him). They're ones that make me laugh and cry (yes, I am sappy) at the most unexpected times.

FAVORITE QUOTES:

"We're getting married!"

"Are you in the car that's almost caused three accidents on North Vance?" Hannah asked. "Because I'm following you with my lights flashing, and whoever's driving isn't pulling over."
"Let him go," Claire said. "Trust me. You aren't going to get him to stop."
"Oh, God. It's Myrnin, isn't it?"
"Tell that police lady to stop chasing me," Myrnin said, annoyed, from the front seat. "Really, I'm not that bad at this."

(The scene where Myrnin drives is HILARIOUS.)

"I pulled back my fist for another punch, and he didn't flinch. He didn't look away, either. He just said, "It's not your fault, man. I don't blame you."

So you see, my friend, this series is definitely a favorite of mine. And when it eventually ends, like all good things do, I will be heart broken. But that's all right. Much like watching reruns of your favorite shows after they've left the air (Buffy, Friends, Moonlight, etcetera, etcetera), I'll reread this wonderful series time and again.

And for those who've been living on another planet, Last Breath comes out later this year in Nov and what is expected to be the last installment (*sobs*) is set to come out in April of next year. It is currently Untitled.

I � Nekkid Shane
]]> 2295829 It was hard to imagine how Claire's day could get any worse... And then the vampires holding her hostage wanted breakfast.

In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans have learned to live in relative peace. Still, Claire Danvers knows that after dark, her homework often takes a backseat to staying alive. This fragile harmony is shattered with the arrival of Mr. Bishop.

Bad to the bone, the ancient, old-school vampire cares nothing about maintaining peace—staying at the top of the food chain is enough for him. What he wants from the town’s living and dead is unthinkably sinister. It’s only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes Bishop’s plan—and the elaborately evil trap he’s set for the warm-blooded souls of Morganville...

"Thrilling, sexy, and funny! These books are addictive. One of my very favourite vampire series."—Richelle Mead, author of the international bestselling Vampire Academy series.]]> 242 Rachel Caine 0451224639 Lora 4 4.15 2008
author: Rachel Caine
name: Lora
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2010/11/01
date added: 2010/12/08
shelves: g-ya-paranorm, fluff-in-its-best-form
review:

]]> 544257 245 Rachel Caine 0451222385 Lora 4 4.10 2007
author: Rachel Caine
name: Lora
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2010/11/01
date added: 2010/12/08
shelves: fluff-in-its-best-form, g-ya-paranorm
review:

]]> 261122
Now a fraternity is throwing its annual Dead Girls' Dance and---surprise!---Claire and her equally outcast best friend, Eve, have been invited. When they find out why, all hell is going to break loose. Because this time both the living and the dead are coming out---and everybody's hungry for blood.]]> 248 Rachel Caine 0451220897 Lora 4 4.04 2007
author: Rachel Caine
name: Lora
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2010/11/01
date added: 2010/12/08
shelves: g-ya-paranorm, fluff-in-its-best-form
review:

]]> 27266
College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. Will she be able to face the town's terror or will she drown like everyone else?]]> 239 Rachel Caine 0451219945 Lora 4 fluff-in-its-best-form 3.92 2006
author: Rachel Caine
name: Lora
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2010/11/01
date added: 2010/12/08
shelves: fluff-in-its-best-form
review:

]]> 3558003
Violent black cyclone clouds hover, promising a storm of devastating proportions as student Claire Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against elements both natural and unnatural.]]> 246 Rachel Caine 0451225724 Lora 4 fluff-in-its-best-form 4.15 2008
author: Rachel Caine
name: Lora
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2010/12/01
date added: 2010/12/08
shelves: fluff-in-its-best-form
review:

]]>