To Catch An Heiress

Caroline lost both her parents at a very young age and so she moved from guardian to guardian since those people passed away too. In her years of living with those guardians, she was never treated right, forced to do chores and living in small rooms. Caroline was going to turn 21 where she will obtain her inheritance and then she can leave the latest guardian Oliver Prewitt. One night Oliver was out for card games and it was odd that all the servants was given the night off. There was a gun shot and Caroline had to protect herself from being raped by Oliver's son. The plan was to force her to marry him so that her fortune will be his. 

Caroline had no choice but to leave the household and so she packed her valuables went out at night. Unfortunately for her, she had to hide for 6 weeks with only 50 pounds and she had no idea where to go to. In the midst for her escape, she was tackled by a gentleman and was kidnapped for mistaken identity. Blake Ravenscroft was stalking the house and when he saw a woman leave he was sure it was Charlotta De Leon, spy for the enemy of the country. Caroline did not know how to explain herself but she was glad that she was taken away since she did not know where to go. 

To Catch an Heiress by Julia Quinn  is about a girl trying to escape her terrible guardian and then being mistaken as another person by a gentleman. This is not the most hilarious book from the author but nonetheless it was still funny. In terms of how in depth you know the characters, I feel it's just their surface level, nothing too deep was written in. It would be more interesting if the readers could know a bit more about their past.

This book was just an okay book for me and it did not grab my attention like the Bridgerton series. I took some time to read it because I wasn't super excited about this book. But because I'm a fan of the author I will definitely read all her books and this book is a new one to my collection. It's up to her usual standards of historical romance but the characters are not super interesting. I wouldn't recommend a person who would want to try historical romance pick this up because there are better ones. I read this as a fan and a collector of Julia Quinn. Sadly it's not a book that I will read twice.

Brave

Lately I've been inspired by music and it sort of gave me the motivation to do things that I planned to do. Laziness have always been a downfall to me in executing my plans and I wished I was that eager teenager I used to be. Being all discipline and diligent in studying for my exams which I lack now. Of all the inspirational songs, Sara Bareiles' Brave was really meaningful. I thought of my past and remembered how I was bullied a lot in high school, being turned into a laughing stock. I kinda regret how I allowed it to happen and never stood up to the bully.

Secretly the way I thought that I was standing up was to beat her in studies but she wasn't particularly interested in it in the first place.  If only I was brave enough to tell her that even though you are bigger, taller, and look prettier that doesn't give you the right to bully anyone but I couldn't because I was dumber. I hope that more people who listen to this song will be brave to do what you want, things you want to say, and just be yourself without fear.  I hope I will also be brave to step out of my comfort zone from now on.

Wedding Night

Lottie is getting excited at the restaurant that her boyfriend Richard booked and she is thinking that he will propose today. Lottie had many failed relationships and Richard is finally the one for her. They understood each other just by looking at each other. Richard mentioned he had a big question to ask and Lottie got so excited she excused herself to the toilet first. In the end, it was a big misunderstanding which resulted with Lottie breaking up with Richard because they didn't want the same things. Lottie stormed out of the restaurant without giving Richard a chance to say more and he had to fly to San Francisco for work the next day.

Fliss is the editor of a magazine that reviews hotels and she loved her job. While working she received a message from her sister saying that Richard will propose soon and she is excited for her. Fliss felt that Richard is the one for her sister because he was the best out of all the failed relationships Lottie had. After awhile, Fliss have gotten a message that there was no proposal and they broke up instead. Fliss got worried because everything Lottie breaks up she will make irrational choices which are bad and Fliss calls it Lottie's Unfortunate Choices. Fliss could not keep checking on Lottie because she had a ceremony to handle and worse her son who was suppose to be with her ex was dropped off at her office. Her divorce is a on going disaster because her ex doesn't care much about everything and just listens to his current girlfriend. He also dropped more conditions for their divorce which made Fliss mad. 

Lottie was devastated and sad, she got a call at the office from Ben who mentioned that Lottie will know. She kept thinking who is Ben that was once in her life and then remembered that he was the guy that she hooked up with at her gap year vacation in Ikonos, Greece. She decided to have dinner with him. During dinner, Ben was reminiscing all the good times that they had in Ikonos and Lottie was feeling all teenager again. Ben proclaimed that he loved her for fifteen years and they should have been together. He got down on one knee and proposed to Lottie whereby she accepted. Lottie said that they should make their wedding night special hence they will hold off sex till then which made is more exciting.

The next day, Fliss was going on vacation with her son Noah but actually she was out to review more hotels. After she was back from vacation, she decided to check on Lottie so she called her office and found out that Lottie was out shopping. Fliss then called Lottie's cellphone and Lottie was so excited telling Fliss that she was engaged and she is shopping for lingerie to wear on her wedding night. Fliss was happy for Lottie that she is finally getting married with Richard and she was invited to attend the ceremony which is happening the next day. Fliss thought it was odd that they were getting married so quickly without a wedding reception and after more talks she got shocked that Lottie is marrying a guy called Ben which she didn't know who it was. It was Lottie's unfortunate choices and Fliss must put a stop to it before Lottie ends up in a heartbreak or a bad divorce like herself.

Wedding Night  by Sophie Kinsella is about a woman rushing into marriage and her sister trying to stop it. I love Sophie Kinsella's works all the time and this one is no exception. I love that the story is very refreshing to me. I enjoyed the characters a lot especially the elder sister Fliss where she has the kind of personality that makes the story realistic. Fliss' story is the realistic to the world because divorce is tough to go through and it kind of changes a person. Lottie on the other hand is trying to be a strong person and keeping herself occupied instead of grieving for the relationship that she lost. The thing I love about this author's books is that it's always funny and this book is not excluded.

The start of the story is  like an introduction to the ladies and slowly it reaches the middle part where all the funny parts start and it's the most enjoyable part of the book for me. As I read the book, I have many anticipations for the story and I'm happy that some of it happened which made me feel that I could think like the writer. People would say that it's called predictable but to me I love being able to predict chick lits because I love that love story goes my way and there is always a happy ending.

I often compare her books with each other and I still find that Twenties Girl is my favorite one because it was funny from start to end and it was touching too. Nevertheless this is still a great book to read with two characters that are interesting and a story line that is refreshing and funny. Because I love her books much I bought the hardcover one and I recommend it to book collectors of her works. This book is worth the money and the time to spend on. 

Wake

Gemma loves swimming and she works hard at her practice all the time. Whenever she has the chance she would sneak to the bay and swim at night, it's the time where she can fully enjoy her swimming. Lately, there have been teenagers disappearing and Gemma's father gave her a curfew to not be home later than 11pm. She would sneak her way to swim and return home before the curfew. Other than people missing, there were 4 girls who people assumed as tourists around town that time. When Gemma swims in the bay, she could see 3 of them partying at the cove and it was weird that one of them were missing. These girls Penn, Thea and Lexi were beautiful and most men like to look at them when they walk pass but people in town did not know why there are there and what they are doing around.

One night when Gemma was swimming at the bay, the girls invited her to join them and she couldn't resist since there was a pull to them that she could not explain. They gave her something to drink and then she was knocked out. The next day, Harper (Gemma's older sister) realized  that Gemma had not come home last night and so she rushed to the bay to look for her and along the way she got Daniel's help. They found Gemma lying around and brought her home. Gemma could not recalled what happened that made her unconscious and woke up with bruises and scratches. But Gemma felt something weird was going on with her, she felt that somehow something changed within her.

Wake by Amanda Hocking is about something weird happening to a girl which is supernatural. This book is a little slow in the progress to reaching the climax of the book. It was also easy in guessing what it was about. There was some mystery, romance to the storyline and just a small bit of funny there. For me this Watersong series is not as good at the Trylle series that this author previously wrote.  The characters were just okay for me and it's not like they are super interesting people to begin with. Trylle on the other hand had very interesting characters which is of course the main hero of the book itself. I felt that Gemma was just an ordinary girl who had normal dreams and acted like anyone of her age would have. The ending was also just okay and it is quite obvious what the second book would be about. This is just an average young adult story and I would recommend to treat it as light reading because it's not a thick book. Sadly, this is the type of book where because I got the first book I would read the rest of the trilogy, which results to not a book that I would read again in the future. 

Insurgent

Tris has managed to stop the simulation that were controlling the Dauntless faction but after what happened she could not go back because everything was in chaos. So Tris, Four, Marcus, Peter and Caleb went to seek refuge in the Amity faction home. Amity decided to be neutral and offered shelter to all factions as long as they follow the terms and help out in the community. But Tris know that things cannot be left that way without resolving the issue that Erudite had caused. 

Tris did not trust Marcus, so she followed him and discovered that he knew information that is important which was the cause of Erudite's attack on Abnegation. Marcus did not reveal what information he knew but it upset Tris because she found out that her parents wanted to protect that information and died for it. Tris could not stand the Amity because they were a happy faction and only wanted peace instead of helping the rest to stop Erudite. Tris and Four decided to leave the place to go back to the city to find out what's happening. Before they have a chance the Erudite came with a bunch of Dauntless traitors to search for them. They escaped safely and headed to Candor where they heard other Dauntless members were at. 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth is the second book to her trilogy of Tris Prior. The story continues where Tris has left her faction and she needs to figure out what to do next. I was impressed with the first book and this book was even better. I really love how the story continued and the excitement seems to be endless. I couldn't stop reading and I wished the book would not end. I just wanted more and unfortunately I will have to wait till October where the third book will be released. I loved how more characters are introduced into the plot and more development for the characters that were in the 1st book.

There are many secrets which are yet to be revealed and this is one of the perks I love from reading books. The twist at the end of the book was just the best part for me.  This is definitely one dystopian future that I love and to compare with The Hunger Games series, I really preferred this because the characters have much more to give and harder to anticipate. A book that is worth every penny and I would gladly read it again and again. Just one thing to take note of is the version that I bought contains some mistakes and if you really are reading the book and not breezing through it quickly, you'll notice the mistakes. But it's okay because the author has apologized that she had two drafts and mixed it up a little at certain sentences. So excited for the third book to come!

Divergent

Beatrice is sixteen years old and it is time for her to choose a faction. Before it the choosing ceremony, all the sixteen years old goes an aptitude test to help them determine their fate. Abnegation is where Beatrice is born in and somehow she has troubles becoming a selfless person but it is hard to leave her family behind and go into another faction. The motto of all factions is "Faction before blood" where your faction is your main importance. 

It was the day for the aptitude test and Beatrice is feeling nervous in what her results will be and what kind of future lies ahead of her. To her surprise the test results were inconclusive and the invigilator advised her to think properly which faction to choose because for Beatrice it is either Erudite, Abnegation or Dauntless. The next day was the choosing ceremony and Beatrice have not decided where she would join and her brother went before her in sequence. Her brother Caleb chose to join the Erudite which was too shocking to Beatrice and her family. It was her turn to choose and it was between Abnegation and Dauntless. Beatrice dripped her blood on the Dauntless which also shocked her father greatly. When the ceremony ended, Beatrice was to follow the other Dauntless and her new life starts here.

Divergent by Veronica Roth is about a teenage girl trying to find her place in the world and ultimately her choice will impact her future. This is a young adult book that is similar to Hunger Games in terms of the world setting where people are divided based on something. At first I was a bit bored by the story because it seemed to be just about the struggles of a young lady but slowly it was more and her struggles bring about an inspiration to me. When the story was nearing the end it was really exciting and the book captivated me. What I love about the stories is the other characters in the book because their past mostly remains a mystery. I love books who always have something to hide because then I will get to uncover and read about it while speculating on it myself. 

Tragedies do happen in the book and I hope in the second book I will know more of what I want to know now. This book is well written whereby I can't find any loopholes on parts of the society. The flow of the story is also well done, very smooth and the surprises come at unexpected places which is great. In terms of how the characters develop throughout the story I find that it is also good but I feel some characters need a bit a improvements. If I were to compare this book with Hunger Games, this book is better because the characters are much more interesting to me whereby in Hunger Games most characters end up dying. This is definitely a book worth your money if you're into young adult books and I do see myself reading back on this in the future.

The Bridgertons : Happily Ever After

The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn is a compilation of second epilogue for the 8 books in the series. It's short stories on all the eight siblings in one book and another short story on their mother Violet. I won't give any summary to the book because that would giving away most of it. What you expect is a story on each sibling that is after the happy ending of their book. Many fans wanted to know more of what happened and so the author wrote second epilogues for the characters. I enjoyed the book thoroughly which made me rethink of the stories that I read last year. The stories inside this book made me smile, laugh and also cried. If you loved all eight books then this book is a must buy. What you can expect is an ending to their happy ending.

Fire and Hemlock

Polly was packing to get ready to go back to college and then she stared at the Fire and Hemlock picture above her bed at Granny's home. She always saw the picture in different ways and it jolted some memories that she thought she didn't have. Polly was ten years old and it was Halloween where she and her friend Nina dressed up and went to play. Nina always like to play pretend and threaten Polly to go along with her else she won't be her friend. And so they both made up an adventure that day and climbed walls to people's home. Along the way Polly got separated from Nina and ended up in Hunsdon House. There was a funeral happening there and it was the first time that Polly met Thomas Lynn who was just an ex husband of the deceased daughter.

Tom brought Polly out of the hall where the will was read out and he showed her the outside of the place. Polly started a game of make believe with Mr Lynn and saying he was a hero and she was his assistant and they go on heroic adventures together. After that day, Polly kept in touch with Mr Lynn and they exchanged letters about what adventures they went on.

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones is a story about a girl growing up from ten to nineteen, a story filled with adventures and mystery. I retained myself from writing too much in the summary because it will spoil you from enjoying the book hence this is one that gave a general idea of the stories that is written. This book was published long ago in the 1980s and the version I bought was a reprint along with Garth Nix introducing the book and also a little more one the creative process of the book by the author. I loved the introduction because it gave me the thoughts of another fantasy writer on Diana. Throughout the book I spent many times reading back on sentences to understand and to imagine what was happening. Maybe I'm too lousy in picturing but it was kinda hard but enjoying.

 At the end of the book I was thinking I'm a bit confused as to how it came to that ending and there were many elements that I lost track of. Being confused a bit was not a bad thing to me and it was this feeling that made me love the book because you have to keep track of the events and also try to understand what was happening. The events that happened were really interesting and it all had some meaning to how things turned out. I will definitely read this book again in a few months time because I'm sure I will discover new things just like Garth Nix did.  The reread value of this book is definitely high and worth the money. I'm totally amazed by Diana and I wished she was still alive to write more interesting stories.