Review - Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Published by Macmillan
Published 3 June 2011

When shy, awkward Helen Hamilton sees Lucas Delos for the first time she thinks two things: the first, that he is the most ridiculously beautiful boy she has ever seen in her life; the second, that she wants to kill him with her bare hands.

With an ancient curse making them loathe one another, Lucas and Helen have to keep their distance.  But sometimes love is stronger than hate, and not even the gods themselves can prevent what will happen....

There is little I like more than hate at first sight, and one of those things is ridiculously gorgeous boys with rocking bod's.  Just that feeling of pure hatred makes me feel SO HAPPY.  Because love stems from hate you guys, and there is a fine line between mortal enemies and super hot lovers.  Lines that can just get rubbed right out of existence with the power of hot hatefullness.

Okay, so the main aspect of the story, apart from the love/hate I want to kill you thing, is the fact that it's all about Greek myhtology and the history of famous Greeks from way back when.  And I LOVE mythology like crazy.  All the things with Medusa and the snake hair and death stare, and  Zeus and his lighting bolts of crazy power!! OH and Hercules with his golen hair and amazing bare chest.  They make me happy.  So score one for that.

So, Helen and Lucas HATE each other and I am cool with that.  But then things I can't tell you happen and situations and such change. Thats where all the side characters come into play.  But it seems like it takes quite a while to actually get INTO the story, which meant that for around the first 75 pages I just wanted to have a magic remote that fast forwarded me past all the useless (note - boring!) information I didn't really care for.  (Had the clunkiness been taken out, the book would have flowed so much better and trotted along at a nice brisk, keep turning the pages pace.)  Then the party gets well and truly started.  And like most parties, I spent my time either laughing, rolling my eyes and trying to dodge convo's (note - book) to hit up the bar.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy reading the book, because really I did enjoy it.  But in a hahahHHHHHHAAAAAAAA UR SO FUNNY kind of way, because really, what in the effery was the dealio with the necklace? Those who have read this please please tell me your were like wtf explain yourself woman, and then when it finally DID get explained were you not totally over it? like necklace? what necklace? OH THAT NECKLACE.  And the secojndary characters were quite alright too, except there is too many of them and now I have forgot their names.  i did however, feel like one or two of them got sold a little short and i questionned there whole point of existence, but i'll let that slide because i'm thinking that will be explored in the sequel.

BONUS.  This girl obviously knows her shit.  She knows the happenings with her mythology and her knowledge is fine tuned into a character in its own right, because the lore was fascinating and was the main reason why I will still with the series.  If not for that, then for the topless scenes, which I can assure you, are apleny.

In My Mailbox!

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren and inspired by Alea @ Pop Culture Junkie

Review

There is No Dog - Meg Rosoff - oh my goodness the final copy is so beautiful!! I want to lick it, but I shall not because thats a little gross.  oh, who am I kidding?!

Girl Missing - Sophie McKenzie - the new covers for these books are SO shiny...like for real shiny shiny, and it helps that the covers are more updated because they look SO much fab.

Everlasting - Alyson Noel - I REALLY need to catch up on this series since I have all the other books and i've only read the first one.

Gift

This Lullaby - Sarah Dessen - From the lovely Jennifer, with whom I went on my epic American road trip with.  and its SIGNED!!! This is my VERY FAVOURITE Dessen book so when it came in the post as a belated birthday present I went crazy.  That girl is a legend!!

Happy Reading.

Review - Heist Society by Ally Carter

Published by Disney Hyperion (US) Orchard Children's Books (UK)
Published 9 February 2010 (US) September 2011 (UK)

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre....to case it.  For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie travelled to Austria.....to steal the crown jewels.  When kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own - scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind.  

Soon, Kat's friend and former consirator, the gorgeous Hale, appears, pulling her back into the world she has only just escaped.  But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster's art collection has been stolen, and he wants it returned.  Now.  Only a master theif could have pulled off this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list.  Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat's dad needs her help.

Kat's solution: track down the paintings and steal them back.  So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and, hopefully, just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's (very crooked) history.  And, with any luck, she might just be able to steal her life back along the way.

Ahem.  I do not know where this book has been hiding all my life because HOW DID I LIVE WITHOUT IT!! Because who DOESN'T want to read about a bad ass teenager that can steal things, expensive one of a kind things, and NOT GET CAUGHT! Because i'm thinking no-one. Which is what I want to do when I grow up, except without the getting caught and possibly going to jail for a long long time thing.  Basically, this book is what my life would be like if it was one of those choose your own adventure books. 

So Kat is intensely interesting, because even though she is super young she is also SUPER intelligent and could probably boggle my mind in two seconds flat.  She's independant and tried to do the right thing by walking away from this life of crime (WHAT GIRL! DON'T BE A CRAZY!), but really the family business is more important to her than she realises, which is good because family is important, I mean who else would visit her if she went to jail from a heist gone terribly wrong (Hale now withstanding, because he would be with ME).  But that's why I love her so, because even though she has this really bizarre relationship with her family, and even though she leads this rather insanely intense life, she still deals with nerves and anxiety and DOES HE LIKE ME? IS THIS A THING? thing.  Which makes her accessible.  Which makes me want to be her friend, or y'know, maybe her.

The crazy theiving stuff in the book IS OFF THE CHAIN!!! I mean, Carter brings it with the technical sides of pulling off a heist in a rather incredibly secured building. In fact, I started to think at one point that maybe she knew how to steal things without getting caught, which made me want to be HER friend.  Boy, Kat and her crew were SNEAKY! and I love sneaky people because that's what i've always wanted to be!! but i'm way too clumsy so living this sneaky globetrotting sightseeing advernture through the eyes of a sneaker extraordinaire was pretty damn fab.  And I liked the team something fierce.  And all the "casing" places was mind blowing, because I couldn't case an empty house on an empty street in a deserted town without getting caught.

Also, I can't let this review end without talking about one of my favourite parts......the slooooooooooooooooooooooow burn.  OUCH BABY IT'S HOT UP IN HURRR.  (in the book I mean).  Given the nature of the book, I kind of expected sexytimes because everyone knows that casing joints + building a sick as crew + a kick ass girl (Kat) + a super rich, smoking hot guy (Hale, obvs) = SEXUAL TENSION.  And crap does it hit you right in the face with it's steaming action, because you're all will they won't they OH they just touched hands, what's going to happen HALE JUST TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT ALREADY.  Which is possibly my favourite kind of any book, the maybe they will but we're gonna be coy about it.  And I would definitely be all over that, because then I would be able to fulfil my lifelong wish of swimming in a giant tub full of cold hard cash.

In conclusion, you can't really argue with my maths.  I may not be a mastermind criminal, but I do know a little something about books and well if I had to build a crew to case a bookstore to steal a book, well, this would be the one I would go after.  It has tips inside after all.  


p.s my lovely friend Cap, has a VERY interesting post on why this cover works for her!

Waiting on Wednesday - Shadows Cast by Stars by Cathering Knutsson

Published by Atheneum
Published 2012

Two hundred years from now, the great cities of the west coast of the United Americas are under water. Blood has become the most valuable commodity on the planet – especially the blood of aboriginal peoples, for it contains antigens that protect them from the plagues that ravage the rest of the world. 

Sixteen year old Cassandra Mecredi might be aboriginal by blood, but without a totem animal, she cannot make sense of her visions or walk the paths of the spirit world. When her family is forced to leave their reservation, they flee east to the Island: a mysterious and idyllic territory free from the depredations of industry and sickness and under the control of the Band, a group of guerrilla warriors. There, Cassandra will become the apprentice to a wise woman, fall in love, and find her destiny when the creatures of spirit claim her as their own. For the spirit world is angry... and they have chosen Cassandra to be their voice and instrument.

Okay so I heard about the when I was stalking over at The Book Smugglers and I saw the cover (do i spy a wolf?) and I was all OMG WANT!!! and then I read the synopsis and had a full on book nerdgasm.  How amazing does this sound? THE SPIRIT WORLD! GUERILLA WARRIORS!! HOPEFULLY KISSING!! ahhh I get excited way too easily!!

Review - Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

Published by Atom
Published 26 July 2011

HEY, so I'm going to be posting spoilers about Nightshade and maybe some minor ones about what sort of shizzle goes down in this one, but i'll try NOT to basically spoil the entire book for you because that would suuuuuuuuuuck.

Okay, so after the rather random out of the blue attack on Calla from the end of Nightshade, Calla wakes up in this strange room with the SEARCHERS!!! (omg gasp!) who are like the Regina George's of her world aka her ENEMY!! But then something strange happens.....the searchers happen to be quite alright and not as Regina Georgish as first imagined, I mean they want to HELP Calla by destroying her former masters.  Which basically means that she can save her pack that she left for Shay (laaaaaaame you don't do shizz like that for a guy, let alone a boring ass one) and the guy/wolf she was supposed to marry aka the reason I read these books aka Ren.  But is Ren worth risking her freedom for? (hell YEAH HE IS) and will Shay stand by her side and help or bugger the hell off already? dun dun DUUUUUNNNN.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA these books make me laaaaaaaugh.  Because they are pure literary porn.  Like I know this isn't some kind of literary work of art.  And I know I should really enjoy it for what it is, an engaging and entertaining read.  But I just can't.  And you want to know why? SHAY MAKES ME WANT TO POKE OUT MY OWN EYES.  Gah I really hate that kid and I have no logical explanation why, it's just he really grates on my nerves and every scene he is in (which is a LOT), I could feel my patience wearing thin.  He is just a rather overbearingly dull character with little to no depth or character.  And Ren, this is for you WHAT IN THE WORLD.  I just can't even, I want to give you a hug and take off your shirt because that was a low blow.  LOW BLOW.  

Also, there are a TON of new characters that made me smile, because y'all know a girl likes a smart ass boy with a cute face and a soft side.  They are THE BEST.  Plus, having the plotline revolve around the Searchers and their efforts to free the guardians from the Keepers was a clever smart move on Cremers behalf.  Getting to read about a different aspect of this supernatural community and learning the lore was FAB, because i'm all for new perspectives that don't want to get into Shay's pants because ICK.  Can we also discuss the sexytimes in the book? LIKE WHERE WAS THE HEAT FROM BOOK ONE.  Like i'm not even going to deny it, I said so in my review of Nightshade.......the whole reason I liked the book was because it was full of kissing and sexy stuff and well, I HATE SHAY.

A girl has got to admit that Cremer has talent.  I never once lost attention and the story proppelled forward at a nice and easy pace, just enought to keep me on my toes and want to turn the pages faster.  And DAMN, that cliffhanger was a nice touch.  I just am hoping that Ren gets his chance to steal the show in the last book, because you can't introduce a character and pitch him to be important and set up a love triangle just to pop a pin in it and let it deflate.  Thats just doing it wrong.  AHHHH.  And I know you can do it right.  

In My Mailbooks!!

In My Mailbox is hosted by the ever fab Kristi @ The Story Siren and hosted by the lovely Alea @ Pop Culture Junkie.

Review

Delirium - Lauren Oliver - Well holy crap, y'all can see the photo way down there and see why I completely lost my shit when this paperback arrived.  Also, we all know that I loved this book like woah right? because my review is right here.

He's So Not Worth It - Kieran Scott - So I was a pretty good girl this week, and I read this book on the VERY SAME day that it turned up because i'm consciensious like that.  And damn let me tell you, Cooper is off the hook hot.

Rip Tide - Kat Falls - Man I really really need to read book one in the series because damn this sounds so gooooood!!

Forbidden - The Demon Trappers - Jana Oliver - Ditto on the above for this lovely one too.

Nocturne - Christine Johnson - Wolves.  Enough said.

Emerald - Karen Wallace - This cover is just so damn pretty and GREEN and oh gosh it sounds good!!!

I am going to be truthful and tell you that I wasn't even going to do a IMM post this week what with not having posted all week BUT then I got the paperback of Delirium in the mail and I just had to show this off BECAUSE I AM ON THE BACK COVER AND ON THE INSIDE JACKET LOOK AT ME!!!!! (yeah my url on the back cover is wrong but whatevs it's still me and wahhhhhhhhhhhh yayayayayaya)

Okay, so I know I've been THE WORST BLOGGER IN THE WHOLE WORLD.  What with not posting all week and such lark but I do have a valid reason.  I just couldn't really be bothered.  No just kidding, though that did factor in this just a little.  You see, my harry potter movie journey was coming to an end and I just HAD to watch all the films again before the midnight showing, so I spend all of my evenings this week doing that and let me tell you it was one giant sob/snot fest that NO ONE wants to see. Also, I was aided in my total internet/laptop isolation by the fact that my house is getting all this shitty stuff done to it to make it look shiner which means NO WIFI.  ARE THEY TRYING TO RUIN MY LIFE.  But no worries, I got that back yesterday evening, so now I can do things like turn on my computer and ACTUALLY be able to go online and no just sit and stare at the empty airport lines and weep.  SO YEAH.  HARRY POTTER MAN!!!

Best scene? NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM COMPLETELY KICKING SNAKE ASS LIKE A BAD ASS MOTHER FUCKER WEARING A CARDIGAN THAT HIS GRAN PROBABLY KNITTED HIM.  BEST SCENE EVERRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! Also, Neville has also been hot, he just had to wear fake teeth and a fat suit for his scenes.  NO LIE.  So don't be trying to put any claims on him now.  Just sayin.

In My Mailbooks

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren and inspired by Alea @ Pop Culture Junkie.

Review

Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor - OH MY GOSH Y'ALL.  This came in a fancy pants package all wrapped in gold ribbon.  Plus, for the past week i've been receiving these mysterious postcards of like feathers and teeth.  OHHHH THE INTRIGUE!!! And, as you have probably guessed from my erratic tweets, i've already read this book and OH HOW I LOVED IT SO.  It was mind blowing amazing. her prose, it's like cocktails on a sunny afternoon with my favourite people.  YEAH I KNOW.  It was reaaaaaaaaaaaally that good.

Wolfsbane - Andrea Creamer - I loved the first book in the sense that it made me giggle a lot and featured a rather hot beatuche that was fab.

Ship Breaker - Paolo Bacigalupi - WANT! I want to read this oh so badly and I am SO glad they kept the US cover because its just so pretty!

Panic - Jeff Abbott - Not heard of this one before today but excited to see whats a diddling.

Bought

Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin - I am one of THEM kind of fans.  I had never even heard of these books before I watched an episode of the TV show and fell in love.  OH JON SNOW AND ROBB HOW I LOVE YOU.  ahem.  So of course, I had to get the books because EVERYONE knows the books are always better.

A Clash of Kings - George R.R. Martin - see above

A Storm of Swords, 1: Steel and Snow - George R.R. Martin - see above the above

The Two Pearls of Wisdom - Alison Goodman - so the lovely April over at Good Books and Good Wine (best blog name EVAHHHH) recommended this one to me and well, I've completely head over heels loved all the other books shes recommended me, so this is on the money.  OH and also, this is called Eon in the US for all y'all Americans.

HAPPY HAPPY READING!! :)

Amy & Roger's Epic Blog Tour - Morgan Matson on the Americanisms in A&R!

When I saw Amy and Roger over at Jenny's blog last year, I just knew that I had to have a copy RIGHT NOW.  Thanks to Amazon one click and a speedy delivery service, I only had to wait a 2 days before this fabulous book was in my hands.  And let me tell you something you've probably heard numerous times....I LOVED IT.  A book about this epic road trip with these funny and real and likeable characters! and most importantly MUSIC! (HOLLA), well is a book that I can put my full force of book loving pusher behind.  And guess what? Amy and Roger was published here in the UK on Thursday and I for one and SO happy that this book will get into more people hands and I can't think of a better publisher! So when I was asked to join in the tour, you can bet I was on it like a bonnet!! The tour has been going on all week, so go visit the schedule here.  Yesterday was the fabulous Book Smugglers and tomorrow the tour will be heading to Book Babblers.

So without further ado, I give you the lady herself.

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Americanisms in Amy & Roger

One of the most fun parts of writing Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour – and taking the road trip across America that served as research and inspiration for the trip – was going to all the different states, and soaking up all the cultural differences from state to state.
But when it came time for the book to be published in the UK, I realized that a guide to some of the more regional American aspects might be in order.  America is such a huge country with so many different regionalisms and slang, that I’ve had to answer questions from American readers as to what some tings mean.  So here’s a handy guide to some of the more specific and puzzling American aspects of Amy & Roger.

Y’all
This is a southern expression that just means “you all.”  A lot of Southern characters pop up in Amy & Roger (even in places like Colorado, where you might not expect them) and so, this phrase is used liberally.  It’s pronounced as one word, and rhymes with “call.”


Frozen Custard

This is a dessert that’s not even familiar to all Americans. It’s found primarily in the American Midwest, and I seriously considered moving there after trying it.  It’s like ice cream, but with the consistency of frozen yogurt – except much richer and creamier. YUM.

AAA
This is the standard American roadside assistance organization – it stands for American Automobile Association, but most people just call it Triple A.


Sweet Tea
Sweet Tea is a beverage found primarily in the South. It’s iced tea, but brewed with sugar (generally, a lot of sugar) so that, like the name suggests, the tea itself is sweet.  It’s the absolutely perfect thing to drink on a hot day.


Drive-Ins
Drive-in restaurants used to be a lot more common in the US, but there are still quite a few of them – there’s a pretty big chain, Sonic Drive-In, that gets a shout-out in the book.  Drive-in restaurants are pretty much what they sound like.  You order through a speaker, and then pull around to a designated space.  And then your food is brought out, and you eat it in your car.


Grits
Grits are a traditional Southern breakfast food.  It’s thinner than oatmeal, more like polenta, but much better and more breakfast-y. A necessity if you’re ever having breakfast in the American South.There are probably many others, but I hope this helped a bit.  Happy reading!

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YAY!!! Thank you so much Morgan.  As you guys will probably already know, I love love LOVE saying y'all even though I am british and when I say it I sound like a fool.  And you all probably know that I went on my OWN american road trip and having experienced it for myself, I can truly say that Morgan managed to translate into words something so amazingly exciting and fun.  Amy and Roger have the right idea.  Road trips are the BEST.  

Lets Break it Down - Secret Society Series by Diana Peterfreund

Okay, so you know when you read a book and you just want it to come alive into this rather hot guy who proceeds to get down on one knee and ask you to marry him? NO?! Just me then.  Ahem.  Anyways, this is kind of how these books make me feel.  They make me want to commit and damn I can't even make dinner plans without them falling through (just ask Jenny).  And you know what really really makes me go OMG YOU GUYS WHAT IN THE WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!!? The fact that not every single person in the whole damn world, and yes I mean all 6.93 billion of you.  Okay, that is a SLIGHT exaggeration, I would just be happy if my blogging besties would read this series, because then I would have people to talk about these books to, which is kind of the reason I started to blog.  To talk about books that is.

MAN, are these books good.  SO GOOD.  And you want to know why? Because Amy Haskel is the most kick ass, smart, intelligent, and independant gal you will ever met.  She is SUPER smart, what with being a junior at a prestigious Ivy League school, Eli University, and being editor of the lit magazine and all and the fact that she is going to get on of the highly competetive internship at some fancy pants swanky publishing houses in the big apple.  But what she never thinks will happen only goes and does.....DUN DUN DUN.....she is tapped for the next class in the most esteemed secret societies EVER, Rose & Grave.  Well y'all can bet Amy is colour me shocked at the tap, particularly since she figured she would get tapped into one of the literary societies, and also because R&G are infamous for being a mans only tree house.  

Also, Peterfreund ROCKS at the relationship thing.  You can bet that sexytimes are ahead.  And not just with one guy, NO SIREE, there are THREE GUYS.  And you'll have to read the books to find out more.  But let me tell you this, there is some seriously fucking hot FWB action, some beatuche action and some melt your pants right off with his gorgeous eyes action.  

I really hope you guys read them.  I really do.  We have things to discuss and sexytimes to dissect!

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT READ THE BOOKS, DO NOT READ ON BECAUSE I'M POSTING SPOILERS Y'ALL.

Okay, for me there was only ever one guy who I wanted Amy to be with.  Call me crazy, because I am crazy and i'm cool with you acknowledging that.  And I don't even know why I liked him so much because he was such an arsehole the majority of the time.  Maybe it was the sparkle in his eyes, or the fact that he is a bit of a control freak who doesn't like to let his patriarch armour down.  Whatevs the reason for him being a supreme jackass, his "I can do no wrong because I better than you will ever be" act made me want to rip his shirt off.  And I have one word for you ladies.  One word.  SHOULDERS.  Holy shit, make a girl cry from hotness.  And it's not the fact that you get to see his soft side that much, its more the fact of anticipating it, knowing it was there underneath it all that made me love him all the more.  All the little things he did for her, like teaching her to swim, giving up his dream job, even when things are uncertain.  And Lord Voldemort and the mowing of the lawn and the shoulders.  Because love isn't flowers and chocolates and dancing in the rain.  It's mutal respect, understanding and compromising.  It's working hard for what you want because you will appreicate it all the more when you have it.  Pajaime, you moody and arsey son of a bitch, you have magnificent shoulders and I would love to punch you in the face, but I love your face off.  

WANT BOOKS? Also a "whats diddling with me"

HEY HEY HEY.  Guess what? I only went a did a guest post for the amazing Elle and Kate over at The Book Memoirs in which i talk about important things, like which 3 books i think y'all should read like right freaking now, and why i love them so.  ALSO, the fabulous girls are hosting a contest with the guest post so you can choose which of the books i talk about that you would like to win.  AND it gets better, the contest is INTERNATIONAL.  So click the photo and go see!!!

In other news, I have a throat infection.  Which is why i haven't been around well, anywhere, INCLUDING light of my life twitter and don't plan to be until i am better because well, this took me like almost an hour to do because i am so sleepy.  I think i did too much shouting and drinking this weekend what with turning a QUARTER OF A CENTURY and such lark.  i regret nothing, because i still have my voice, i cannot however eat or drink anything that tastes remotely nice.  But alas, i got some nice things.  Like these outfits.

Review - Heartbreak River by Tricia Mills

Published by Razorbill

Published 16 April 2010

Alex thought she’d be spending the summer focused on her family’s rafting business, burying the memories of her father’s death last year, and leaving behind all the messes she made in its wake. But when Sean returns to town, she is forced to reckon with her mixed-up crushy feelings for him—more powerful than ever before. It takes another tragedy to make Alex realize Sean has loved her, and forgiven her, all along.

Don't you just kind of hate it when a synopsis basically tells you everything that happens in the whole damn BOOK.  People, where is the mystery.  If this was in a comic book, you are RIGHT ON in thinking that Robin wouldn't need to call Batman to whizz over in his fantastical Batmobile, because he could deal all on his lonesome.  Now, this may just be me, but doesn't that synopsis just get right up your nose, like those pesky flies have been doing to me ALL WEEK, making me spazz out and rrop everything I am holding.  Really, that was a bad call (like crank calling your ex when your a LITTLE sozzled).

Anyway, apart from the synopsis basically telling you in 5 lines what happens in over 200 pages, I kind of enjoyed this book.  Enough that I read it in one day and didn't put it down until i'd finished.  Alex is this major anal goody two shoes girl, BUT, so many crappy things have happened to her in the past, that I kind of forgave her for being a bit OCD about peoples feelings.  She works at her familys rafting business during the summer, but then her ex boyfriend Sean turns up and Alex has to deal with her feelings for him and her fear of the past and how it's going to affect her future.

Okay, so the story isn't just about Alex and Sean and their relationship, we do get introduced to a nice array of secondary characters, who for me, made the book all the more readable.  Tommy, the British guy who kind of has a thing for Alex.  Tommy was the BEST character in the book, and not just because he was British.  He was spunky and flirty and most importantly, he was so naughty.  I love guys that are just all "I don't really care that you like that other guy, because I think you should like ME, because i'm much better".  And when he acted like that, which was probably every scene he was in, I was thinking "YES!!! I believe you, screw Sean, go have some dirty fun with the British dude".  Like most of my wishes, this was never fulfiled.

Basically, thats about all I have to say about the storyline.  It was addictive and Mills writing is easy to fall into, but I think i've read this story before, just told a different way by different voices.  Alex was anal to the point where she had this constant inner monalogue going about how she couldn't stop wondering what people were thinking or feeling.  I my protag to have the get up and go, and I wanted to shake her and say "just ASK them".  Also, Mala, her cousin was a big slutty slut with no redeeming qualities apart from the fact that she was up for a bit of fun.  And the ending was so bizarre, I even flipped back and wondered where these events had popped up from.  It was so unlike everything that had happened in the book thus far and it threw me a LOT.  

All in all, I wasn't blown away by this book.  However, readers who like easy flowing stories with a plethora of secondary characters and a sweet romance for their protagonist, I am sure they would let this sweep them away right on down to book love creek.