In the Hammock Blog

Giveaway and Review: "Confessions of an Improper Bride"

Friday, August 5, 2011

"Confessions of an Improper Bride"
by Jennifer Haymore

Publisher: Forever
Release Date: Aug 1, 2011

Source: ARC sent by publisher

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:

Serena Donovan left London six years ago, her heart broken and her reputation ruined by devilishly handsome Jonathan Dane. Now, with her family's future in peril, she reluctantly agrees to return to England and assume her late twin's identity. The price? Marry a man she doesn't love and spend the rest of her days living a lie.
Jonathan Dane, Earl of Stratford, has become an incorrigible rake, drinking, gambling-and trying to forget Serena Donovan. Yet the moment he's introduced to the prim and proper "Meg", he recognizes the sensual young woman who captured his heart. Haunted by his past mistakes, he refuses to lose Serena again. But convincing her to trust him is no easy task. Claiming his lost love means exposing the truth and destroying the life Serena has sacrificed everything to rebuild. With the future of all the Donovans at stake, and their undying passion capable of triggering yet another scandal, how much will Jonathan and Serena risk for a chance at true love?

My Review:

My favorite thing about Jennifer Haymore is that she really knows how to write about overwhelming, all-consuming love. Her characters are always over the moon for each other, which is exactly what I want in a historical romance. At the same time, her writing is never sappy and the love story always feel real.

The plot was new and different for me. I liked the tangled web created by Serena masquerading as her sister. The almost love triangle or even love square was intriguing.But it was so sad that Serena's sister Meg had been lost at sea which was what set the whole plot in motion. I liked the situation with Meg/Serena's fiance, Will, and I thought it was tied up well in the end without being too easy.

Jonathan did some very bad things but I can honestly say he redeemed himself in my opinion. I don't say that often about romance heroes, I'm not so fast to forgive them But Jonathan really showed Serena he was sorry and that he had changed, instead of just telling her.

I'm anxiously awaiting the next book in this series. I sincerely hope we get to see more of Serena and Jonathan as the older and wiser couple in her sisters' stories. And I hope Meg gets to have her own story somehow.

Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 5/5

Bottom Line: Two strong leads, a captivating romance, and a great start to a new series!

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Hachette books has generously provided three copies of this historical romance for readers of my blog!

All you have to do is follow my blog publicly and leave a comment on this review with your email address! Please follow publicly or I can't tell that you are following :) Also, if you aren't comfortable leaving your email here, go ahead and leave a comment and then send me an email with your email addy
Extra Entries:
+1 Tweet this contest (leave link in comment)
+1 Post link in sidebar of your blog (leave link in comment)

Rules:

US and Canada only

No PO Boxes please

Must be a follower to enter

Extra entries are optional and can all be left in the same comment

Leave a comment with your email address

Books will be mailed out by Hachette, it is the publisher's responsibility to mail out the prizes. Please allow up to 8 weeks for delivery.

Must be 18 or over

Ends Thurs August 18

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

"The Near Witch" Review

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

"The Near Witch"
by Victoria Schwab

Publisher: Hyperion
Release Date: Aug 2, 2011
Source: ARC sent by publisher

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

My Review:

This is a truly unique book, and I enjoyed reading something so different, even though I didn't really love it.

I appreciate the author's writing style and her ability to create a world that seems to exist outside of any traditional time period or geographical region. She never tells you when or where the story is set, it's simply a mystical small village. There are really no references to structures, clothing, etc, or anything that would give the reader clues as to time and place. This almost dreamlike aspect of the story was probably my favorite part.

I also liked the small, fable-like lessons and observations sprinkled throughout the book. They added to old fashioned and folk tale like nature of the story.

I liked the romance between Lexi and Cole. They genuinely cared for each other, and they helped and protected each other even in the face of great danger. It was never one sided where Cole would swoop in and save the damsel in distress, they shared their battles.

Still, something about the actual plot didn't really grab me or pull me in. I never felt truly scared of the Near Witch.

Main Characters: 4/5
Supporting Characters: 3/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 3/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 3/5 (almost too light, doesn't grab me)
Writing: 4/5

Bottom Line: The writing style and dreamy setting are truly fascinating, even when the plot itself becomes slow.

Winner Announced! Un-Required Reading Cards

The winner of the Un-Required Reading Playing Cards is

Ashley Suzanne!

Winner was chosen via random.org random number generator. Congrats to the winner!! I have emailed the winner for her mailing address. Winner has 3 days to respond :) A huge thank you goes out to everyone who entered!! Congrats!!

Waiting on Wednesday (79)

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine, and it is a way to show off the books you can't wait to be released!!

This week I chose:

"The Future of Us"
by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
Razorbill
Release Date: Nov 1, 2011

The following description is from goodreads.com:

It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet.

Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM.

Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on--and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future.

Everybody wonders what their Destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out.

This is one of the most interesting concepts I've heard about in a long time! And two great YA authors collaborated to write it!

What are you waiting for this week???

Teaser Tuesday (43)

Yay for "Teaser Tuesday" from MizB of Should be Reading!!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser Tuesday pick:

" 'Fear is a strange thing,' he used to say. 'It has the power to make people close their eyes, turn away. Nothing good grows out of fear.' "

p 25 ARC of "The Near Witch" by Victoria Schwab

"To Win Her Heart" Review

"To Win Her Heart"
by Karen Witemeyer

Publisher: Bethany House
Release Date: May 1, 2011
Source: sent by publisher

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:

Having completed his sentence for the unintentional crime that derailed his youthful plans for fame and fortune, Levi Grant looks to start over in the town of Spencer, Texas. Spencer needs a blacksmith, a trade he learned at his father's knee, and he needs a place where no one knows his past. But small towns leave little room for secrets...
Eden Spencer has sworn off men, choosing instead to devote her time to the lending library she runs. When a mountain-sized stranger walks through her door and asks to borrow a book, she steels herself against the attraction he provokes. His halting speech and hesitant manner leave her doubting his intelligence. Yet as the mysteries of the town's new blacksmith unfold, Eden discovers hidden depths in him that tempt her heart.
Levi's renewed commitment to his faith leads Eden to believe she's finally found a man of honor and integrity, a man worthy of her love. But when the truth about his prodigal past comes to light, can this tarnished hero find a way to win back the librarian's affections?

My Review:

I had mixed feelings towards this story, there were aspects that I really enjoyed, but overall the message was a bit too heavy handed for my tastes in Christian fiction.

I really liked Levi's character. He was so well developed and I hadn't seen a former prisoner as the hero in a romance before, especially in the Christian market. It was interesting to see his guilt over his actions explored. I also really liked the story about his speech impediment. It was interesting how he was able to completely alter his vocabulary so it wouldn't include the letter s. It must have been challenging for the author to write his dialogue.

Eden, however, I did not like as much. She was so close minded and superior acting about her faith. She was the type of person to brag about how pious she was but not really show it. Yes, she grew over the course of the story, but she still irked me.

I loved the character of Chloe! She was the brightest spot in the book. She was able to talk sense into Eden with her "rock toters" story, which was a story and attitude that I won't soon forget. I also loved her romance with a certain gentleman but I'll let you find out their story when you read the book. They could have had their own entire story, in my opinion.

Main Characters: 3/5 (difficult because I liked Levi and disliked Eden)
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5 (gotta love a western setting)
Romance: 3/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 5/5
Writing: 4/5

Bottom Line:There were many high points in this story, but especially towards the end, the innovative story was weighted down by a message that felt overbearing.