[BOOK REVIEW] Brown-Eyed Girl by Lisa Kleypas

Title:  Brown-Eyed Girl

Author: Lisa Kleypas

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Year Published: 2015

Number of Pages: 291 pages

Date Read: 11/19/2015

Series: Travises #4

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Sex Scenes)

 FINALLY!  The fourth book in Lisa Kleypas’ “Travises” series has finally arrived and I got the chance to read this book in its glory!  “Brown –Eyed Girl” is the latest book by Lisa Kleypas and it continues the adventures of the Travis brothers (and their sister Haven) as they find true love in the most unlikely places! This time, Joe Travis is going to get all the loving in this latest installment of the “Travis” series!

Avery Crosslin is a wedding planner who is well known around Texas as she continues to attain rich and powerful clients for her growing wedding business.  But one day, when she attends a lavish wedding she planned herself, she meets up with Joe Travis, the youngest brother in the wealthy Travis family and from then on, Avery’s life has changed forever!  Unfortunately, since Avery had her heart broken in the past, she refuses to let Joe get anywhere near her heart, but Joe Travis is one man who always gets what he wants and he definitely aims to make Avery his!

Wow! It has been years since I last read Lisa Kleypas’ popular “Travis” series and after I heard that Lisa Kleypas was making the fourth book in the series, of course I was excited as heck to check this book out!  Lisa Kleypas has once again created a truly heartwarming and witty romance novel about the importance of true love and how true love can cure your own insecurities about yourself.  I loved the way that Lisa Kleypas wrote the relationships between the characters as I actually felt warm inside whenever we see moments between the Travis family and how they try to stay together through hard times, especially during the scene where Haven goes into labor and we see the Travis family band together to be there for Haven during her time of need. But let us talk about the best part of this book and that was the relationship between Joe Travis and Avery Crosslin!  I loved the way that Lisa Kleypas made Joe and Avery’s relationship come naturally as Avery had trouble being in a committed relationship due to being rejected years ago and it made it believable to me to have Avery slowly build up her relationship with Joe rather than rush into the relationship without dealing with her inner demons first.  I really loved the way that Lisa Kleypas wrote both Joe and Avery as Avery is shown to be an independent wedding planner who is trying to decide what it means to fall in love again, while establishing an extremely heartwarming relationship with her half-sister Sofia which I loved reading about throughout the whole book.  Now, Joe Travis was one hero that I just fell in love with immediately as he is shown to be extremely patient with Avery’s situation and I loved the way that he supported Avery throughout the book, even dealing with her insecure nature towards love.  I also really enjoyed the subplot involving Sofia and Steven, the two co-workers who work with Avery, as I found their relationship with each other to be extremely heartwarming and hilarious and I would love to read more on their relationship if Lisa Kleypas decided to write a spinoff series for the “Travis” family series!

The reason why I gave this book a four star rating was because I felt that we did not get to know much about Joe Travis in this book since we rarely see things from his perspective in the story.  As much as I like the fact that Avery gets a lot of focus in this story, I would have liked it better if we actually get to see things from Joe’s perspective and see more of his relationship with his family members, which we also did not get to see that much, which was pretty disappointing since I loved the Travis family as a whole.

Overall, even though “Brown-Eyed Girl” was not the best story in the “Travis” series (that honor would have to go to “Blue-Eyed Devil”) it is still a truly great book about the importance of true love and I definitely cannot wait to check out more books from Lisa Kleypas in the near future (especially if we get more books with the Travis family once again)!

[BOOK REVIEW] Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas

Title:  Secrets of a Summer Night

Author:  Lisa Kleypas

Genre: Historical Romance

Year Published: 2004

Number of Pages: 326 pages

Date Read: 2/16/2011

Series: Wallflowers #1  

Publisher:  Avon

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Sex Scenes)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

Why is it every time that I read a book by Lisa Kleypas, I am always so into the characters and the situations that surrounds them?  Well, the answer to that is that Lisa Kleypas is clearly a brilliant romance writer and reading many of her books has been an awesome experience that I have enjoyed doing over and over again!  This time, I have read the first book in Lisa Kleypas’ “Wallflower” series called “Secrets of a Summer Night” and it is surely full of drama, thrills and hot romance that will surely put any romance fan in a soothing mood!

Annabelle Peyton, well known for being a wallflower in London society, vows to seek a worthy husband to cover her family’s debt since she does not have a dowry that would make her worthy in any nobleman’s eyes.  However, Annabelle has her sights set on Lord Kendall, a lord who is currently unmarried, but suddenly, Annabelle realizes that Simon Hunt, a mysterious man that Annabelle met years ago, is also after her heart and plans to make Annabelle his alone!  Will Annabelle allow Simon into her life?  Read this book to find out!

Oh my goodness! Words cannot describe how much I loved this book from Lisa Kleypas’ popular “Wallflower” series!  Lisa Kleypas has done an excellent job at writing this romantic tale of what true love is all about!  What I really loved about this book were the characters themselves, especially Annabelle Peyton and Simon Hunt as they are both strong and interesting characters!  Let me start with Simon Hunt first since I am really interested in his character.  Simon Hunt is easily one of the best romance heroes ever created because not only does he have an awesome muscular body that makes him somewhat of a superhuman, but he has a heart full of gold as he deeply cares for Annabelle during her time of need and he is willing to put his life in the line if anything happens to Annabelle and it was that personality trait of Simon’s that made me really love his character.  I have briefly mentioned about Simon’s muscular body and I just love any romance hero who has muscles of steel, especially in the case of Simon as Lisa Kleypas makes sure that the audience knows how hard Simon’s muscles are!  Another character I really loved in this book was Annabelle Peyton herself as she is clearly a strong and independent woman who does not let anyone get in the way of her goal of obtaining a husband.  I will admit at first that I got a little annoyed with Annabelle always dismissing Simon, even though it is clear from the get go that Simon is a seriously pleasant man, but once she found out what a gentle and loyal man Simon is, she cared as much for Simon as Simon did for her and I was just so amazed at the lengths that Annabelle took to protect Simon!  I also loved the brief little relationship between Lord Westcliff and Lillian Bowman as they clearly hate each other, but I guess once I read the rest of the “Wallflower” series, they might change their tune.  And let us not forget about the sizzling love making scenes between Annabelle and Simon as they are extremely out of this world hot and they provide the best love making dialogues I have ever read from any romance novel like:

“I want to make you scream and claw and faint in my arms.”

For anyone who do not like reading about sex scenes in a book, this book has many sex scenes between Annabelle and Simon and it would be best to skip over these scenes if they are uncomfortable to read through.

Overall, “Secrets of a Summer Night” is a clearly extraordinary book from the great romantic mind of Lisa Kleypas that all romance novel fans will enjoy for many years to come!

[BOOK REVIEW] Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title:  Lola and the Boy Next Door

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Year Published: 2011

Number of Pages: 338 pages

Date Read: 2/15/2012

Series: Anna and the French Kiss #2   

Publisher: Dutton Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Strong Language)

  

“When you have a talented costume designer and a gifted inventor living next door to each other, what do you get?  You get one cute and thrilling teen romance of the century!”

I have been reading romance novels for a long time now, but I have never read a romance novel quite like this before!  “Lola and the Boy Next Door” is a teen romance novel by Stephanie Perkins and it proves that true love can be at the place where you least expected it to be.  “Lola and the Boy Next Door” is full of humor, drama, and cute teen romance that will have teen romance fans falling head over heels in love with this novel!

Dolores “Lola” Nolan is a regular teenage girl who enjoys creating beautiful costumes and wearing them to school.  To add to her wonderful life, she has a hot boyfriend who performs in a rock band named Max and she loves him to death.  One horrible day however, Lola finds out that her rival Calliope Bell and her twin brother, Cricket Bell are returning to her neighborhood and are now living next door to her!  Even though Lola denies her feelings for Cricket Bell after he hurt her years ago, Lola cannot help but feel like she and Cricket were meant for each other no matter what happened between them years ago.

You know when you read a certain book that after you finished reading it; you wish that the book never ended?  Well, that is what I got from “Lola and the Boy Next Door” since after I read this book, I was sad that it was over with so fast.  Stephanie Perkins has certainly done a wonderful job at writing this cute little story about the trials of seeing your first love reappear in your life again.  I loved the way that Stephanie Perkins wrote all the characters in this book, my favorite characters being Lola Nolan and Cricket Bell.  Lola Nolan is one of my favorite heroines ever because not only does she speak her mind and tries to do what is best for everyone, but she loves dressing up and getting creative! I loved Lola Nolan because she is always creating new styles for herself, even if it looks odd to other people and I loved this aspect of Lola Nolan because I also love creating new styles for myself since it makes me feel so creative about myself and I am glad that creating various designs for her costumes make Lola feel so good about herself.  Oh my goodness, I just fell in love with the hero, Cricket Bell!  Cricket Bell is one of those heroes that you just cannot help but fall in love with because he is such a sweet and brilliant teenage boy! I loved the way that Cricket Bell is portrayed as being a shy yet sweet natured boy who loves inventing various contraptions and I loved the way that he uses his inventing skills to impress Lola Nolan, even though his kind nature is what really made his character shine.  I really loved the way that Stephanie Perkins wrote the relationship between Cricket Bell and Lola Nolan as it is extremely sweet despite their terrible history with each other and I loved how they just communicate with each other through their windows every night, which makes me want to do the same thing with my neighbors!

Probably the only thing that might be troubling in this book is the strong language, especially for a teen novel.  If you do not like strong language in a novel, then it is probably best to skim over these words.

Overall, “Lola and the Boy Next Door” is easily one of the best teen romance novels I have ever read and I am definitely looking forward to reading more of Stephanie Perkins’ works in the future!

[BOOK REVIEW] Pecos Bill by Brian Gleeson

Title:  Pecos Bill

Author:  Brian Gleeson

Artist:  Tim Raglin


Genre: Western / Humor / Adventure / Tall Tale



Year Published: 1988



Year Read: 2007



Series: Storybook Classics

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books


Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Some Suggestive Humor)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 
 

 In the 80’s Rabbit Ears had made their trademark as one of the most popular series for children. “Pecos Bill” is no exception as this story won numerous Grammy Awards. With Robin Williams’ narration, Tim Raglin’s drawings, and Ry Cooder’s music, “Pecos Bill” is surely a story you will want to watch over and over again.

Robin Williams’ narration, Ry Cooder’s music and Tim Raglin’s illustrations are the true highlights of this story. First off, Robin Williams narrates with high-energy and a cowboy accent to boot. Whenever, Pecos Bill goes through any peril, Robin Williams is loud and excited about the situation as if he was there when Bill performed these spectacular acts. Next on the list is Ry Cooder’s country music. Ry Cooder’s solo guitar performance has provided the perfect mood for the story, going from a light and happy tune highlighting Pecos Bill’s early adventures to dark and intense when Pecos Bill goes against the cyclone, which Cooder’s music may have foreshadowed Pecos Bill’s disappearance from Texas in this scene. Finally, Tim Raglin’s colorful illustrations have greatly influence the mood of this story. Raglin’s drawings are colorful and rich as he greatly details the plains and the cyclone in fluent colors. Raglin also illustrates Pecos Bill’s life in a humorous way, such as, the scene where Pecos Bill is shown throwing around the rattlesnake like a lasso. Tim Raglin’s highlighted illustration was of Pecos Bill himself, as Pecos Bill is drawn with white, fluffy pants, a polka-dotted handkerchief, and suave red hair that make him have the appearance of a true hero.

“Pecos Bill” was considered to be Rabbit Ears finest half-hour story. Well, I think that they were right about that. “Pecos Bill” has everything that you would expect from a natural cowboy movie. The story has loads of adventure, comedy, romance, and suspense and each scene describing these genres is greatly enhanced by the narration, drawings and illustrations. “Pecos Bill” is loads of laughs and shocks and is a perfect film for the entire family.

[BOOK REVIEW] Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas

Title:  Again the Magic

Author: Lisa Kleypas

Genre: Historical Romance

Year Published: 2004

Number of Pages: 391 pages

Date Read: 12/31/2010

Series: Wallflowers #0.5  

Publisher:  Avon

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Sex Scenes)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

Imagine having loved someone at a young age, but you both realize that it was a forbidden type of love and at the time, you thought that the only way to protect your lover is to drive them away from your life. Well, that is what had happened in Lisa Kleypas’ historical romance novel, “Again the Magic.” “Again the Magic” has drama, romance, lies, secrets and excitement that outshines from most romance novels ever written and it will have you waiting in anticipation as you read this book!

Years ago, Lady Aline Marsden fell in love with a servant on her father’s estate named John McKenna and their love knew no bounds. One tragic day however, Aline’s father, the Earl of Westcliff, found out about their affair and he sent McKenna away from the estate, breaking Aline’s heart, since Aline was forced to tell McKenna that she did not love him to protect him from her father’s wrath. Years later, however, McKenna returns to London as a rich man, but now he has a vengeance on Aline for breaking his heart years ago. But will McKenna’s and Aline’s love for each other rise up again?

Wow… my heart is just beating wildly right now! This is clearly one of Lisa Kleypas’ most intense books ever created as it clearly has drama, romance, and betrayal all mixed into one book! Lisa Kleypas has done an excellent job at bringing life into each character as all the characters in this book intense to the tenth degree! The characters I loved the most in this book were John McKenna and Aline Marsden as they were the most intense couple I have ever read in any romance novel since they have so many issues to work through! John McKenna is truly one hot bad boy hero of this story as he is always being described as an extremely muscular man (which I love) and he had such an intense personality. At times, I get scared by McKenna because he had such a dark and intense personality and you do not really know what he is going to do to Aline to extract his vengeance, but once I realized about how he was hurting deeply when Aline said hurtful things to him, I actually felt sympathy for him. Aline Marsden was a truly remarkable and innocent character as she truly cares about McKenna and what I really loved about her character was that she accepted McKenna for who he is and she did not care if McKenna was servant or not. Of course, there were times where I got a little irritated with Aline for not telling McKenna the truth, but I guess if someone cares for another person the way that Aline did for McKenna, then it would have been a bit difficult for anyone to feel rejection from the person they love. McKenna and Aline’s love for each other was genuine as they literally cannot live without each other and despite the various obstacles these two had, they still tried to stay together and it was that aspect of the story that really drawn me in this story. There is also a lot of love making between Aline and McKenna that is so hot and steamy that romance fans will literally flipped over with anticipation at reading those scenes!

There are many sex scenes in this book and some of the sex scenes are pretty graphic in some areas. For anyone who does not like reading about graphic sex scenes, might want to skip over the sex scenes when they are reading this book.

All in all, “Again the Magic” is a truly wonderful and hot romance book about the importance of honesty that has never been explored in any other romance novel and romance fans everywhere will definitely fall in love with this book for its pure intense romance!

[BOOK REVIEW] The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley

Title:  The Many Sins of Lord Cameron

Author:  Jennifer Ashley

Genre: Historical Romance

Year Published: 2011

Number of Pages: 298 pages

Date Read: 1/11/2012

Series: Highland Pleasures #3   

Publisher: Berkley Sensation

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 18+ (Sex Scenes)

Since last year in 2011, I have started reading Jennifer Ashley’s fantastic “Highland Pleasures” series beginning with “The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie” and ever since then, I have fallen in love with this fantastic series!  Now, I have currently read the third book in the “Highland Pleasures” series which is called “The Many Sins of Lord Cameron” and it is easily the best story in the series so far!  “The Many Sins of Lord Cameron” has loads of action, heartwarming moments and hot romance that every romance fan will definitely gush over for many years!

Six years ago, a young Cameron Mackenzie meets up with a young woman named Ainsley Douglas and even though they tried to make love to each other that day, Ainsley could not finish it because she was married to John Douglas at the time and did not want to betray him.  Years later, Ainsley Douglas is now a widow and when she meets up with the notorious Cameron Mackenzie again, Cameron decided that he will finish what was started between him and Ainsley six years ago.  However, Cameron and Ainsley will soon realize that dark secrets will be revealed and that their love for each other might ignite brighter than before!

Oh my goodness! This book was just absolutely amazing, heartbreaking and exciting all at the same time!  Jennifer Ashley has certainly woven a truly brilliant and heartwarming story about two lovers who both have dark secrets in their pasts, but are willing to put the past behind them in order to obtain true love!  I just loved all the characters in this book and Jennifer Ashley has done an awesome job at crafting each character’s personalities to make every one of them stand out.  I especially loved Daniel Mackenzie, Cameron’s son, who was always trying to bring Ainsley and Cameron together while providing good humor for the story.  It was amusing seeing how Daniel always seems to know what is best for his father and Ainsley while he is always doing the opposite of what his father tells him to do.  I really loved the awkward relationship that Daniel shares with Cameron because it brings so much humor to the story, especially with Daniel just randomly spewing out secrets that his father never told anyone.  Now about the two main characters, Ainsley Douglas and Cameron Mackenzie, they were probably the greatest couple I have ever read about in any romance novel!  Ainsley Douglas is shown to be a strong and crafty heroine who does not let anything get in her way of her love for Cameron and it was hilarious seeing her constantly pick locks to get into other people’s rooms.  I also loved the way that Ainsley was trying to help Cameron overcome his inner demons that dealt with his late wife, Elizabeth and the things that Elizabeth did to Cameron were just too horrible to describe.  This truly shows that Ainsley really cares about Cameron and was willing to put her own desires on the side to be with Cameron.  Cameron Mackenzie is probably my favorite hero at this moment because he is so dark yet handsome and that really made his character truly interesting!  I also loved the way that Jennifer Ashley describes Cameron’s body being a body of “God” as he is truly large and muscular and tall! But what truly touched me about Cameron’s character was with his dark and frightening past.  It was sad seeing Cameron being so distrusting of women because of what his late wife, Elizabeth did to him all those years and I really felt sympathy for Cameron.  Bringing out Cameron’s dark past and his sadness over it has really brought out a new dimension to Cameron’s character by making him somewhat vulnerable, but still trying to overcome that fear that he has been holding up for many years.  I really loved the love shared between Cameron and Ainsley as it was genuine and sensual at the same time that I was literally anticipating the next scene of them loving each other!

For those of you who do not like sex scenes, there is sex scenes littered throughout this book and they are extremely explicit as many naughty phrases are littered throughout each sex scene.

Overall, “The Many Sins of Lord Cameron” is easily one of the best books out of Jennifer Ashley’s “Highland Pleasures” series and I am definitely looking forward to reading Hart’s book, “The Duke’s Perfect Wife.”

*Winner: 2012 RITA Finalist for Historical Romance
*Nominee: RT Reviewers Choice Award Nominee
*Winner: Australian Romance Readers Award