Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games

I admit, I am quite late to this party, but what's even stranger is, how did this party happen without me catching even a hint of its progress?

I mean, considering my taste in books, this one falls right in - except for the freshly discovred post-apocaliptic worlds I used to avoid. That might be the reason. :)

Anyway, after hearing about the movie, I checked the books and decided to give it a go at first (luckily for me, there are three).
And here I need to give you a word of advice:
DO NOT start reading that book unless you have enough time to finish it. Reading until 2 am when you have to get up in the morning is not very appropriate if you have to stay awake the whole day after. :)

But it's been a very long time since that happened to me.

So, the story. The basics are probably familiar to everyone interested in either the book or the movie.

What I'm wondering though is whether the movie will be able to display the bleakness of the lives in some of the districts and the non-smiling faces of the contestants (and in some cases aggresive and blood-thirsty).

Possibly the practicality of Katnyss'  character?
The world she lives in calls for practicality if you want to survive. That doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings, her family means everything to her but that is also where practicality steps in - she needs to keep them alive and well.
She's as strong a girl (she's 16) as you could imagine.

I must say I'm wondering which parts of the book are not going into the movie, and also how are some parts I'd like to see transfered onto the screen possibly being delivered?

I plan on seeing the movie and then reading the following 2 books (if I can wait that long). :)

I can't help but wonder if someone will be able to do something to bring down the awful world they live in.

Locke Lamora read-along, part 2.

This weeks read-along questions were posed by Susan from the Dark Cargo and here are my answers:


1) Do you think Locke can pull off his scheme of playing a Midnighter who is working with Don Salvara to capture the Thorn of Camorr? I mean, he is now playing two roles in this game - and thank goodness for that costume room the Gentlemen Bastards have!

Ok, for me the answer to this question is something that solely is author's choice. I'd say Locke can pull it off by taking into account his previous (and further) accomplishments but you never know what obstacles might be put in his way by the author.

2) Are you digging the detail the author has put into the alcoholic drinks in this story?

I'm always digging any alcohol details. :D

3) Who is this mysterious lady Gentlemen Bastard Sabetha and what does she mean to Locke?

I'm wondering the same thing, and this being my first reading, I'm wondering if she will even appear in the book - although I'm guessing at some point the childhood parts will catch up with the beginning of Locke's adult life, so I hope Sabetha will appear at some point.

4) Are you as creeped out over the use of Wraithstone to create Gentled animals as I am?

Oh yes I am. What I'm left wondering if that is really so easy to accomplish, how come nobody uses it as punishment? Or just for showing their evilness?

5) I got a kick out of child Locke's first meeting with Capa Barsavi and his daughter Nazca, which was shortly followed up in the story by Barsavi granting adult Locke permission to court his daughter! Where do you think that will lead? Can you see these two together?

Nope, I have a hard time seeing them together - but then again, it's too early to say so in the story.

6) Capa Barsavi is freaked out over rumors of The Gray King and, in fact, us readers are privy to a gruesome torture scene. The Gray King is knocking garristas off left and right. What do you think that means?

I must say I have no idea what will be the Gray King's part of the story (which makes it a good story for me, I hate it when I already think I know what will happen and it proves correct). Although, as soon as I saw the mention of the Gray King, I knew it was him following Locke's troop in their shenanigans.

7) In the Interlude: The Boy Who Cried for a Corpse, we learn that Father Chains owes an alchemist a favor, and that favor is a fresh corpse. He sets the boys to figuring out how to provide one, and they can't 'create' the corpse themselves. How did you like Locke's solution to this conundrum?

Ingenious! Especially the part where they earn back the money they needed to pay for the corpse. :)


The read along is hosted by these great blogs:

Little Red Reviewer

Dark Cargo

Ashley at SF Signal

My Awful Reviews

I breathed a gentle fragrance – April Aromatics

By Asali

We all know the feeling; so much to do, so much we want to do, and yet there seems to be not enough hours in the day, days in the week etc, to do all that. I was actually in the privileged situation that Ines wanted me to write here on her blog, and it would have been a very suitable time to ‘help out’, since she’s busy with her thesis. But I just couldn’t find the space, neither in my diary nor in my head to write something, and that, although I wasn’t short of things that I wanted to write.

One of the things that I have wanted to write about, are the perfumes of April Aromatics. However, I got a bit carried away with one of them. So, I’ll save the others for another time.

April Aromatics are organic perfumes from Berlin based perfumer Tanja Bochnig. I first read about Tanja’s perfumes at another blog, where all her fragrances were listed with a mini review of each. One particularly seemed to be calling my name, not as usual because of the description or the notes as such, but the name; it was called ‘Unter den Linden’. This name associated so many stories for me that, wanting to refer to some of them now, I hardly know where to start, or how to explain the deep strings it tucks at with me.

First of all, the famous Boulevard in Berlin, the place where for the last three and a half centuries Berliners and visitors alike have been taking their Sunday strolls. It’s also the calling name for the famous old Statsoper Berlin, also called Staatsoper Unter den Linden (as opposed to the (former)West- Berlin opera called Deutsche Oper Berlin), in short Unter den Linden.  Any musician talking about Unter den Linden will be referring to this historic house. Then there are the numerous poetic references to lime tree in the German literature as being the tree of love. From Walter von der Vogelweide’s (1170-1230) ‘Unter den Linden’ to the Romantic poetry, the lime tree becomes the symbol of love and harmony, the place where lovers meet, below the lime trees. Perhaps most famous of all is Müller’s poem from Schubert’s Winterreise ‘Der Lindenbaum’ or ‘Am Brunnen von dem Tore’ as it’s called when sung as a simple strophic version of Schubert’s more complicated artsong. My own favourite song of lime trees is Mahler’s interpretation of a Rückert poem ‘Ich atmet’ einen linden duft’ (I breathed a gentle fragrance), where Rückert plays with the different meanings of the word Linde in German to make it respectively; the twig of lime blossoms, gentle, soothing or with ease. It is also under the lime tree that the thwarted lover seeks and finds eternal peace (as in ‘Am Brunnen...’, or another Mahler song ‘Die zwei blauen Augen’).  So there is also sadness in this idyll. You probably see where this is going...

UdL has a lovely fresh citrusy opening, like the first linden blossoms still light and gentle. As the fragrance warms on the skin, you feel other blossoms coming out to play, here I especially smell a rounded mimosa; but like with the bergamot in the beginning, it feels like they are there to add to the true nature of the linden scent, rather than wanting to take over from it. There is never any of that heavy summer drunkenness of the lime, it’s the early excitement of the first curious flowers all dewy fresh in their loveliness, and only slightly sweet. Now and again I feel as if a tiny bit of twig found its way into the perfume as well, as if in homeopathic style the flowers would still remember the tree which they grew from. The fragrance shimmers as if you were walking underneath the lime trees, the sun shining through the heart-shaped leaves, between lightness and sweetness, playfulness and reflection.

Unter den Linden manages to be calm yet uplifting, and joyous yet melancholic. It's an adorably beautiful Linden Duft, and just perfect these days as we long for warmer and gentler weather.

"Unter den Linden" spoke to me from the first moment, the name alone, I wanted a perfume with that name, and it was everything I hoped for and more too, and I'm delighted that it found me. That’s one happy linden-love story.

Notes for Unter den Linden from Tanja’s webpage; Linden blossom, Mimosa, Honey, Bergamot and Gardenia (and confirmed no twigs in thereJ) and can be purchased at

http://www.aprilaromatics.com/

As a little aside UdL has just been nominated for a Prix de Parfum Artistique.

The Lies of Locke Lamora read-along

This is my first ever read-along and as I wanted to read The Lies of Locke Lamora for some time now, this read-along seemed like a great idea.
Plus, I never really think much about the books I read and now that the book is split into several parts after each there will be a discussion, I feel I will get to know the book in a much better way than I do the books I regularly read.

So, each Saturday for the next 5 weeks, I will be posting my answers to the discussion questions, posted by one of our hosts, The Little Red Reviewer, Dark Cargo, SF Signal and My Awful Reviews.

And here are the answers to this week's questions:

1. If this is your first time reading The Lies of Locke Lamora, what do you think of it so far? 

Well, I could tell from the reviews I read of this book that I would like it. I was wondering a bit about all the warnings I read regarding cursing but since I live in Croatia, where curses are such a standard part of language I no longer register them as such, I find the book fits right in among the type of discourse I am used to on a daily basis. Although, I do admit, it doesn't sound so invisible in English.
Besides that, I am enjoying the pace and the changes in the story - which aren't difficult to follow at all.
And I absolutely love the banter. :)


2. At last count, I found three time lines:  Locke as as a 20-something adult, Locke meeting Father Chains for the first time, and Locke as a younger child in Shades Hill. How are you doing with the Flashback within a flashback style of introducing characters and the world?

Honestly, the flashback is working fine for me. In my opinion the story would be much worse if the time lines didn't switch. This way, the information comes at the right time and all is revealed accordingly.

3. Speaking of the world, what do you think of Camorr and Lynch's world building?

There is only one thing I can say to that. I sincerely hope an explanation will come regarding the alchemy used by the peopleof Camorr and the race that built all the incredible glowing structures. And how it relates to the story.

4. Father Chains and the death offering. . .  quite the code of honor for thieves, isn't it? What kind of person do you think Chains is going to mold Locke into? 

Honour among thieves? That is what Father Chains and even Master Thief seem to adhere to. As with every other society today (or in the past) there doesn't seem to be a fair leadership in power, so people are left to field for themselves the best they can.
As far as I can tell, Father Chains is teaching Locke to steel from the rich and powerful and not those who don't have much. And not to take himself too seriously but be aware of his intelligence at the same time (and aware of other people's intelligence as well).

5. It's been a while since I read this, and I'd forgotten how much of the beginning of the book is pure set up, for the characters, the plot, and the world. Generally speaking, do you prefer  set up and world building done this way, or do you prefer to be thrown into the deep end with what's happening?

Oh no. I'm quite fine with the set up. Actually, I could even do with more of it as I keep having unanswered questions about many things.

6. If you've already started attempting to pick the pockets of your family members (or even thought about it!) raise your hand.

Can't raise my hand on this one, I'm afraid. :) I'm such a lousy liar and not so very capable with my hands, I just know I wouldn't be able to do anything.

Spring is here (and hopefully, so am I)

Ok, so spring might not be exactly here, but it's definitely coming (the sunny day today is rather cold and biting).

We've been having sunny days and some rather high temperatures for this time of year but mostly, it's a slow rise of temperature into real spring.
But spring is definitely here as evidenced by the photo my boyfriend sent me the other day from a large park (partly woods) in Zagreb (Maksimir):

Anyway, I have big plans for this spring and I do hope I make some of them come true (knowing me, some is fine as I tend to plan for more than is actually possible).
One of the plans is another trip to Paris in very late spring (probably summer weather by then) as Suzanne already announced on her site. I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to meeting Suzanne and having fun with her and Asali in Paris. :)

I also hope, now that the hectic period is over at work, I'll be able to write more regularly and sniff more regularly as for the past few weeks all this was on hold.

Happy spring time everyone!

Amanda Hocking: Hollowland (The Hollow #1)

My first dystopic, zombie novel ever! :)

And I loved it. Not so much the part where it ends with a cliffhanger and I have to wait for the next book, but everything else was great. Including the zombies. :)

Ok, so before I give you the idea it's a funny story, it isn't. In no way can you call a future where a virus turns people into zombies and coming into contact with their saliva or blood while sporting an open wound, will transform you into one too, funny.
Honestly, I never thought I'd find a novel with such a topic interesting. But if there are more like this, I'm all ears (or eyes in this case). :)

Important to mention is that this is a YA novel. I do seem to be on a kick with those lately. But what can I say, I enjoy the perspective. :)

Remy is an incredible (albeit  a bit too far away from my perspective) character and I enjoyed immensely her track to find her little brother.
I won't give you any spoilers because even a hint might give away too much.
But, if you enjoy YA novels and are not scared of depressing future scenarios, you might give this one a try.


The first book is free for download and I just saw the second one is 5$.



P.S. Did you know Amanda is a self-publishing wonder? She made quite an amount of money through e-publishing,  and serves as a poster girl for those who want to go that way. The only problem is, it's not so easily reproducible.

Trish Milburn: White Witch

I wonder why is YA literature so tempting and interesting?
Once you start reading YA novels, it's really easy to get sucked into that teenage world full of strong emotions and instant decisions that always seem monumental. :)

Sometimes I wish I would feel again such strength of conviction and emotion. In the meantime, I'll enjoy some YA novels.
And I really enjoyed this one. :)

The good thing is, it's only the first in three. The bad news is, there doesn't seem to be much information on when the others are coming out. Or any. The really bad news is that by the time next book comes out, I'll forget most of what happened in this one.

But let me say something about the book.
I love the new witch angle - that the covens are secret and some time ago got their powers from evil sources so they are all evil now. And we get enough proof of that - but basically, it's again all about power, having it, maintaining it and getting more of it.

Jax is not yet 17 (when according to bad witch lore she would come into her full powers) but she manages to run away from her coven in order not to lead the evil life they will make her lead.
And this is where the story starts and gets interesting with hunters hunting the supernatural beings (and of course, who gets to fall in love?), with high-school problems, meeting a best friend, fighting off some bad stuff and looking for a way out of the life on the run.
All this is done very nicely, the pace is quick and you get pulled into the story without having to concentrate. Of course, it follows a traditional YA approach but in a novel enough manner.

I wish the sequel would come out soon as I really enjoyed reading White Witch.

M.J. Rose: The Book of Lost Fragrances

As an avid reader, I always love an opportunity to receive a free book on the topic that interests me. Perfumes certainly qualify as a topic.
Therefore, I was more than happy to receive an ARC of The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose, especially as The Reincarnationist has been on my to-be-read pile for some time (it's still there, I'm afraid).
And speaking of reincarnation, even though I haven't read any other books by MJ Rose, reincarnation seems to be a recurring theme.
If I were to say my thoughts on the subject, it would probably be, I believe it's possible but I can't say I'm sure it's real. Then again, most of the stuff I believe fall into the same category. :)

Onto the book itself.

I love the idea of a perfume that enables you to become aware of your past lives. I must say, I never before heard of memory tools out of the history that made that possible. I don't know if that part of the book is real or invented.
I just realized, I cannot put this book in a category. If I were to classify it, it would be a novel about a quest. Intentional and unintentional.
Also, it's obviously a novel by an author who put a lot of research into the perfume industry (every perfumista out there will recognize so many familiar problems, issues and notes). I'm still wondering about blue lotus...

I'm also wondering about so many things in this novel, did Napoleon really have such a delicate sense of smell, are perfumers sellling dreams and not formulas, are the Triads causing so much problems for the Tibet, or is it China itself, or is there a connection between the two (which strikes me as the most possible), is it possible to learn about your past lives, are tulpas real/possible, etc.

The book poses so many questions. At the same time, there are many wonderful ideas to be taken from it.
Perfumers are artists (and Jac being the true manifestation and at the same time struggling with her genius), scents described in colors, all the things to see in Paris (I'm visiting L'Orangerie on my next trip), the whole reincarnation - Lama - Tibet angle, love (although I'm not terribly happy with the love scenes), the sorcerer of scent idea...

I won't tell you the details of the story but I will tell you that if you order the book before March 1, you are eligible for a sample of perfume being released alongside the book (although only for residents of USA and Canada I'm afraid):

How does it work?


1. Just click on the preferred website and pre-order THE BOOK OF LOST FRAGRANCES from the links below.
2. Email the receipt or a scan of it to LostFragrances@gmail.com along with your name and your Snail mail address for fragrance delivery.

Your sample of Âmes Sœurs will be shipped to you on or before March 13th. The book will arrive separately, from the store of your choice, at the same time so you can enjoy both together.

Amazon
Barnes & Noble


Btw, I completely forgot to mention the Âmes Sœurs angle - souls finding each other again and again through time, but then again, you won't miss that angle once you start reading. :)
And speaking of that, it's all left a  bit hanging in the end - I realize the idea behind it but I think the perspective should have been explained better.
All in all, a very interesting book to read.

*Offer ends March 1st, is limited numbers of supplies available and only to readers in the US and Canada.

Tom Knox: The Lost Goddess

Well, I don't know where to start.

I actually can't be sure what I think of this book. It's obviously interested enough if I managed to finish it. And it raises some interesting and troubling questions, without actually aiming to make you conform to the answer. But that only happens at the end.

In the meantime, you go through an action packed thriller that didn't manage to pull me into the story. Although it did manage to broaden my geographical and historical horizons. Sometimes in a more gory and troubling manner than I would have wanted.

Quite a lot of story describes the regime of Khmer Rouge and Cambodian bloody history. This part made me realize my historical knowledge of the 1960s to 2000. is seriously lacking. Because I don't remember learning about the Khmer Rouge which could be termed as smart because it's too tragic (and traumatic) for teenage years if you ask me. I don't see how it could be described in any historical book without coming across as a horrible tragedy, contained in one country and performed by its people on its people.
But I don't want to go into that - the history of our world is full of tragedies (which always makes me think of the movie The Fifth Element where Milla J. watches the history of our world and considers humans not worth saving).

I realize I haven't really said much about the book. :)
I should warn you that some parts are not for sensitive people or those with a weak stomach and good imagination. Because at some parts I kept thinking to myself, please, this can't be true. Although, I'm afraid it probably is (was). Which brings me back to the fact that this was an educational read and one that made me realize how little we know of the world outside the cocoon of our lives.

Unfortunately, I could understand the character of Chemda the best. Both Jake (the photographer) and Julia (the archeologist) weren't people I could connect with or understand their motivation. But I'm not holding that against the book because the experience was eye opening and the premise of guilt/the leap in mankind's thinking/and the god module was a very interesting one. More so than many I've come across lately.
But it still feels it could have been better intertwined in the story, because after finishing it, I felt like the parts were disjointed in my head.

Still, in my opinion, it is a book worth reading.
Especially if you consider my reviews are usually short and I obviously had a lot to say about this one. :)

Hoarding

Sometimes the most unexpected things occur to me.
Although, I probably shouldn't call them unexpected. It's just the fact that they haven't occurred before that makes them unexpected but then again, every idea anyone has could be called that. :)

Basically, I realized I hoard my samples and decants.

Especially decants.
They are rather small to begin with (compared to bottles) and are either 5 or 10 ml of perfumes I like, and would like to know better (so I can review them).
But that same size makes them rather fleeting, when compared to bottles, so I'm scared of using them, in order not to use them up before I get the chance to write about them.
I realize it's rather stupid, because if I wore them, I'd have a better chance of actually talking about them than now, when I'm hesitating of wearing them in order not to use all of what I have.

That is also why this winter I've been rotating 5 bottles I have in order not to spend any of the decants I have. Which I guess contributes to the winter blues I'm experiencing, but hopefully, now I'm aware of my perfume hoarding tendencies, I'll be able to combat them with spraying decants with abandon. :)
After all, they are a legion. :)

Does this happen to anyone else?

Visiting India II : Mohur by Neela Vermeire Creations

It took me quite a long time to get to know these perfumes, but now I have (not completely, mind you), in my mind, they each have a designation beside their name: the Cardamom one, the Tea one and the Mango one (I'm saving the mango for the end).

I admit, my knowledge of India is limited to what I heard from people who were there (and school), but mango and spices do feature highly on the list of mentionable India characteristics.

Mohur for me, is the Tea one, and  "embodies, and is a dedication to, the mix of all the best of Mogul and the Bristish Raj".

I realize this is a "rose-based perfume" (that's what its description calls it) with additional facets "that can only be imagined during a hight tea after a polo match".

Still, for me it's a tea based perfume, as that is the note I get most prominently and with the most endurance. Although, I have to admit, it's a rose tea in my mind. :) The first two notes I got out of smelling Mohur were tea and rose, followed quickly by almondy (lightly alcoholic and salty of all things) quality with a lightly botanical tinge.
Here again, we have a shape-shifter perfume.

Wear it once, and you think you know what's it all about. Wear it again, and you're wondering what happened to the flowers from the first time, a more violet powdery floweriness is coming through. Then, wear it for the third time, and I wonder what did they do to make those flowers behave in such a transparent manner. And all the time I'm having problems teasing out particular notes, the scent is wafting as if on a breeze and when you want to stop and smell it, it wafts out of your reach.

Eeven though I'm calling this a tea perfume in my head, it's a perfume with a floral heart.


Notes: Cardamom Absolute, Coriander Seed Oil, Ambrette Seed, Carrot, Black Pepper, Elemi Oil, Turkish Rose Oil, Moroccan Rose Absolute, Rose Accords (more or less 11%), Jasmine Accord, Orris, Aubepin Flower, Almond Milk Notes, Violet Flower and Orris Effects, Leather Vitessence, Sandalwood, Ambre, White Woods, Patchouli, Oudh Palao from Laos, Benjoin Siam, Vanilla and Tonka Bean

Pics and notes by: http://www.neelavermeire.com/

Visiting India: Trayee by Neela Vermeire Creations

Sometimes you smell something and your brain refuses to provide the notes for what you are smelling. That is what happened to me with Neela Vermeire Creations (brought to life by Bertrand Duchafour).

It took me quite some time to form words around these perfumes, and today, I'll talk about Trayee, which name harkens to the divine origin of the first 3 Vedas, the Triad.

Trayee is one of those perfumes that each time you apply it, it smells a bit differently. A shape-shifter of the most interesting order which displays its shape-shifting nature mostly on skin.

Usually it starts for me with a sweetish, strangely earthy, cardamomy smell, soon to be enveloped in spices. Several times I thought it had a really natural start to it (as similar to what I'm used to with natural perfumers).
Sometimes, it smells like the resins from an evergreen tree are mixed with meadow flowers, but those flowers barely peek  through the spices mixed with cardamom.
Last time though, the cardamom got in line by the blackcurrant dancing on the fumes of sandalwood, cedre and vetiver.  It had that lovely dark fruitiness that blackcurrant can provide.
Eventually, the fruitiness dissipates and the smoothness of the base notes comes to the fore, interspersed with vetiver and other relatively raspy notes so the smoothness wouldn't be boring (I'd be lying if I said I could smell exactly which).
Sometimes the smoothness takes on a leathery tinge.

On paper though, the fruitiness completely bypassed me and instead smelled more like a combination of cardamom and cedre, lightly cinnamony and lightly sweet, but spicey (clove and saffron do their thing). Also, it was only on paper that I caught whiffs of ambery background.

But then again, who knows, maybe next time I wear it, amber and oud come out to play as well... :)

Notes: Blue Ginger from Madagascar, Elemi Oil, Cinnamon Bark, Ganja Effects, Blackcurrant Absolute, Basil, Sambac Jasmine Absolute, Egyptian Jasmine Absolute, Cardamom Absolute, Clove, Saffron, Sandalwood, Javanese Vetiver, Haitian Vetiver, Incense, Mysore Sandalwood Oil, Patchouli, Myrhh, Vanilla, Cedar, Amber Note, Oudh Palao from Laos and Oak Moss

Samples of all 3 were provided by Neela Vermeire.

Notes and pics taken from: http://www.neelavermeire.com/

Veronica Blade: Something Witchy This Way Comes

I'm pretty sure it hasn't escaped anyone's notice that except for romance, I am also a fan of YA novels (where there is always romance as well). :)

And I must say, I didn't think I was going to say this (I blame it on Ms Blade) but now that I finally read a stand-alone book, I am wishing for sequels. Usually, I'm upset with the cliffhanger in all those YA series but now I read this and enjoyed it a lot, I wish there were more adventures for Tessa and Hayden.
Tessa who is Miss Perfect (and I don't mean it in a condescending way) and Hayden who is the poster bad boy. :) And who of course gets in contact with his conscience and good nature during the book.
Again, I don't mean it in a condescending way, it's actually quite nicely done.

I must say I enjoyed all the Star Wars references (especially when those concerned Hayden).

I could give a word about the story now. :)
Basically, Tessa finds out she's a witch and can do all these interesting things, and is courtes by one group that is saying the other possible group to belong to is not nice. Of course. :)
So, Hayden is enlisted as her bodyguard during school hours and this is where the story starts. It's easy to follow and enjoy the book, it has the feel of watching a good teenage movie.
One of the things I especially liked is that the problems don't rain from all sides but some situations actually have a positive resolution.
And, of course, the novel ends with a happy-end and the final feeling. Which is something I missed (everything nowadays is coming out in numerous sequels, not that I mind a lot, but it's hard keeping track in your head what happened where).

So, even though I was happy to press my Kindle button for the last page, I did feel a bit sad I wasn't going to read more about Tessa and Hayden.

(which is in no way an endorsement to Ms Blade to write a sequel, I believe the story is perfect the way it is and that a sequel might ruin the whole)

Some romance for cold winter days (or nights)

Stephanie Laurens: In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster

I've been following the Cynsters forever. :) I have to say I didn't expect there would be more after the original Devil's crew of rakes, but luckily, there are always other family members on the lookout for love (or not). :)

This is the second book in the trilogy and we still have Angelica's and laird's story left (to come out soon, luckily for me). :)
In this book, we get to know the laird much better and I really appreciated that, it made me eager to read his story when the time comes. As obviously the first 2 kidnappings of Cynster sisters (so he can marry one because of a complicated story) didn't work out well for him.

I must say though, the lead male character Jeremy (a scholar turning half-warrior during the novel) is incredibly fun to read. He and Eliza go through some peril and a serious adventure during which both grow as people and fall in love (of course) with each other through their adversities. I particularly loved their theorizing as to why they should take advantage of the fact that she is obviously ruined (as she had to spend nights with only him as company). :)
Jeremy is also one of the rare male characters in romance novels who, even though he could have the woman he loves without him declaring it, decides to take all the facts into account and state his true feelings.
In the end, they both grow as people and show their families their true worth. :)


Sabrina Jeffries: A Lady Never Surrenders

This is the last novel of the Hellions of Halstead, the story of the youngest sister, Celia an Jackson Pinter, the investigator into the murder of her parents. The investigation starts in the first novel and runs through the whole year, which is how much time all 5 of them have in order to get marries unless their grandmother disinherits them.

Celia is the most fragile of them, not in appearance so much, but in emotions. Which is why her love story with Pinter (who has some problems of his own) is fraught with misunderstanding (and some heavy passion). I have to say, this seems one of the better S. Jeffries novels I read in a long time. She is always good, but this one made me react to many of the stories encounters. And that is one of the ways I know a story is good (any kind of story).
In the end, the manage to understand each other (through some serious misunderstandings and flounderings on Mr. Pinter's part - of course, he is a man, understanding female feelings is a bit difficult for him).

As this is the last Hellion of Halstead to get her love story, of course that the murder of their parents is solved.


Linda Mooney: Captive Surrender

I find the premise of the story, even though it's set in a future universe that doesn't exist, a bit scary and unfortunately possible. Kidnapping people and forcing them to have sex in order to broadcast it all over the universe (in this case) in order to make money seems not so far fetched in today's world.
Maurra is a member of Psi Police Corps and is kidnapped and forced into this by a guy she formerly sent to prison who got free.
And as the story is set in a universe full of different species, of course, her kidnapped partner is of another (much bigger) species. The problem is, it is forbidden to have inter-species relations and her a member of police force that uses their psi powers, she both needs to uphold the law as well as help the innocent, who is in this predicament because of her.

In the end, they break free and then a whole another set of problems occurs but the story is interesting, fast-paced and well a bit too short. :) I could have used a couple of more pages of this story. Especially as it's a sci-fi romance, something I haven't read in a while (I forgot how good they can get).

The only question I am left with is, is Maurra completely human in appearance or not? As there is a mention of her having 3 arms which are never explained afterwards. And I wondered where would you place a third arm on a human body... (as this was advanced uncorrected proof, that could account for this particular problem)

P.S. As I read this on my Kindle, I only now saw the cover - I have to say, Maurra looks much better (and smarter) in my mind than on that cover.

Winter 2012 Top Fragrances & Other Stuff

I always enjoy participating in joint blog projects as they make me organize my thoughts on a certain subject and it's fun to take a look back and see what my top winter perfumes and other stuff wore.
Thanks to Helg of the Perfume Shrine, today you can check some of the winter favorites both here and on the other participating blogs (the list is below). :)

So, in no particular order, this winter I've been enjoying the Voluspa Winesap Apple Spice candle in the evenings. I light the candle, and curl in my favourite armchair with a book. This winter has seriously sapped my energy levels (not the weather, but the period) so this is my way of relaxing and enjoying some down time.

On the plus side, when the candle burns out, I will have a beautiful cup to put in some of my favourite decants. :)

This winter, I also found out that if one is to go by perfumes, I had a completely wrong idea of what India smells like.
I have been lucky to test the Neela Vermeire perfumes (proper reviews to come soon) and I was completely taken by surprise by the perfume interpretation of India.

For some reason I thought that all the spices and notes will turn into an oriental perfume fullbodied and heavy.
Instead, what I found is the warm, summer air saturated with all kinds of smells but at the same time breezy and light-hearted. I can't wait to be able to wear them once the weather turns slightly warmer, I believe the cold we are having these days would kill their light happiness.

And that brings me to the fact that this winter, I'm all for warm and sweet when it comes to my perfumes, so I'm wearing vanillas and ambers and Shalimar in the evenings.

L'Artisan's Vanilia and L'Eau d'Ambre, MdO Vanille, Un Bois Vanille by SL and of course, Ambre Sultan.
Among all these ambers and vanillas, a strange little cinnamony gem also found its place - Un Crime Exotique.

Those are my go-to scents when I want to feel wrapped up in my little warm cocoon where the world can't get me (and they work rather well in that context).


As does my first ever cashmere sweater! :) Ok, so I might be late to that party but I just never thought there is a type of wool out there that could work with my extremely sensitive skin when it comes to clothing texture. Not to mention that the price wasn't exactly making me eager to buy one.
All I can say is, I might not be buying cashmere sweaters regularly, but they will slowly start appearing more and more in my wardrobe.

And last but not least, my list of top stuff couldn't be complete without a mention of an alcoholic beverage. ;)
This winter I discovered my favourite cognac and cognac house. Not that I've tried many but Frapin are my clear favourite. Not surprising though as I love their perfumes a lot as well (if they can make such great perfumes, imagine what they can do with cognacs which they've been making for 20 generations).

And here are my fellow participating bloggers with their thoughts on winter favourites:

The Non Blonde

Perfume Shrine

Katie Puckrick

I smell therefore I am

Under the Cupola

Waft by Carol



Apples and wine pic by http://www.gasparic-pejzazi.com/