tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83443936269565232632024-03-19T02:11:37.718+01:00Lipstick and MochaCarla Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06268478482673884958noreply@blogger.comBlogger203125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-54705142857504259632018-02-19T00:56:00.000+01:002020-05-14T19:24:15.738+02:00HIATUS + Manga Classics: Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, Stacy King, Po Tse<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21433253-manga-classics" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="279" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BpYZMk0FYJU/WkV-Uic-bxI/AAAAAAAAA3M/IAU2f6nBCKQVwtL4tFb5oXFNhL4y96N-QCLcBGAs/s400/prideandprejudicemanga.jpg" width="278" /></a><span style="color: #666666;"><b>Title: </b>Manga Classics: Pride & Prejudice</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>Jane Austen, Stacy King, Po Tse</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> Udon Entertainment</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>Manga, Classic<br /><b>Publication:</b> August 19, 2014</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>5/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Beloved by millions the world over, Pride & Prejudice is delightfully transformed in this bold new manga adaptation. All of the joy, heartache, and romance of Jane Austen's original, perfectly illuminated by the sumptuous art of manga-ka Po Tse, and faithfully adapted by Stacy E. King. </i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Beloved by millions the world over, Pride & Prejudice is delightfully transformed in this bold new manga adaptation. All of the joy, heartache, and romance of Jane Austen's original, perfectly illuminated by the sumptuous art of manga-ka Po Tse, and faithfully adapted by Stacy E. King. Beloved by millions the world over, Pride & Prejudice is delightfully transformed in this bold new manga adaptation. All of the joy, heartache, and romance of Jane Austen's original, perfectly illuminated by the sumptuous art of manga-ka Po Tse, and faithfully adapted by Stacy E. King.</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello!!<br />
<br />
So, if you follow my blog, I guess you've seen that I haven't been posting much lately. I'm in a place in my life, where it's been a little hard to pursue this hobby of mine, meaning reading + reviewing.<br />
<br />
That doesn't mean that I'll stop altogether, I know that's not what I want, although the new blog design that I mentioned, that I was doing myself, probably won't be possible at the moment. I hope you can bear with me on this :(<br />
<br />
I'll stay around, I love doing this. I'll just be less present and sharing less reviews.<br />
<br />
Now, let's leave that sad topic behind and concentrate on the good stuff. Another <i>Pride and Prejudice </i>review!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/field-guess-gal-vLwPmHF7NDZT2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="550" height="169" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zo36r5WVP2Y/WooRT5NcLvI/AAAAAAAAA3g/tE80KMH1RKQBBXeHd7BSvOL2yB0PQBTCwCLcBGAs/s320/celebrate_amypoehler_elmo.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This time it's in the form of a manga. And it's pure perfection!<br />
<br />
I had already read the <i>Emma</i> adaptation, and I really enjoyed it, so I obviously had to get my hands on this. Lucky for me, I got this as a present... twice, ahem (a lot of people are well aware of my love for <i>P&P</i>).<br />
<br />
I have to start off by saying that this version is a bit more "funny" than the original, although please let's still not forget how witty Jane Austen really was. The original <i>P&P</i> has a lot of funny parts in it, even if many people don't easily see it.<br />
<br />
Mrs Bennet, who is usually so annoying and unlikable, was just hilarious in this! She's a perfect manga character, that she definitely is. Oh and Mr Collins as well! So lucky I got to see them being adapted to manga.<br />
<br />
The art is really amazing. I think Darcy was drawn perfectly, it fit his personality so well! Didn't love Elizabeth's hair though, but I'll live.<br />
<br />
As for the plot, there's a little extra ending here, which I really enjoyed! I think almost any Darcy and Elizabeth lover will appreciate it.<br />
<br />
Definitely recommend this to all <i>Pride and Prejudice</i> fans, and people who'd like to read a lighter version of the book.<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-15734895814280976842017-11-25T19:12:00.001+01:002017-11-25T19:12:12.923+01:00DC Super Hero Girls Vol 4: Past Times at Super Hero High by Shea Fontana, Agnes Garbowska<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34023079-dc-super-hero-girls-vol-4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BoOqMMKOVOk/WhmUB6pD5CI/AAAAAAAAA24/DRHZsqTgGF4yHWDwStsbB61icLqfyt5jACLcBGAs/s320/dcsuperherogirls.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Title: </b>DC Super Hero Girls Vol 4: Past Times at Super Hero High</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>Shea Fontana, Agnes Garbowska</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> DC Entertainment</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>Comic<br /><b>Publication:</b> October 3, 2017</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Publisher on NetGalley</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Welcome back to DC Super Hero High!</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>In the newest original graphic novel from the DC Super Hero Girls line, catch up with the students of Super Hero High School as they find out that fun, friendship and hard work are all parts of growing up! DC SUPER HERO GIRLS VOL. 4 continues to develop the relationships forged in DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: FINALS CRISIS and HITS AND MYTHS. Written by Shea Fontana, this story is perfect for girls 6-12.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>The DC Super Hero Girls line is an exciting new universe of super heroic storytelling that helps build character and confidence, and empowers girls to discover their true potential. Developed for girls aged 6-12, DC Super Hero Girls features DC Comics' most powerful and diverse lineup of female characters as relatable teens, playing out across multiple entertainment content platforms and product categories to create an immersive world. Icons including Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Bumble Bee, Poison Ivy, Katana and many more make their unprecedented teenage introduction, as each character has her own storyline that explores what teen life is like as a super hero."</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**</i><i>I received a free eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i><i>**</i><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
What a cute series this is!<br />
<br />I was surprised to see it was all one long story, and not just a collection of shorter ones. I found it very entertaining and quite adorable, I loved how they captured each of the character's personalities and created these mini versions of them all.<br />
<br />
And I'm a Harley fan, and I'm glad this version of her stays true to her character, and the little (but adorable) mess she is. She's always causing trouble, without really meaning to, and is always very eager to help (even if other people won't let her, because she might mess up... I'm looking at you, Batgirl).<br />
<br />
I hadn't read this series yet, but had seen it around and wanted to give it a try. I didn't know if I would feel a bit lost, since I didn't know what happens in the previous volumes. But I could totally keep up with the story. So if you, like me, are interested in this, but worry that you haven't read the other volumes, just go ahead and give it a try yourself :)<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-1077965346870701082017-10-29T17:48:00.000+01:002017-10-29T17:48:22.851+01:00Harley Quinn, Volume 3: Red Meat by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34662874-harley-quinn-volume-3" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="305" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UHHG8J-iogo/WfXqJ3sMvqI/AAAAAAAAA2o/dQv5pmTkmE8SkiAwWgcdcHYRsKgXQu-egCLcBGAs/s400/HarleyQuinVol3.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Title: </b>Harley Quinn, Volume 3: Read Meat</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> DC Entertainment</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>Comic<br /><b>Publication:</b> September 19, 2017</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Publisher on NetGalley</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>The latest chapter in the smash-hit action-comedy saga from Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, John Timms and more is here in HARLEY QUINN VOL. 3: RED MEAT!<br /><br />With her life finally clear of psychotic clowns, Harley Quinn is eager for things in Coney Island to get back to (ab)normal. If only! Comics’ most adorable antihero is about to face the fight of her life!<br /><br />First, she’s taking on the corrupt mayor of New York City, whose evil plan for the homeless population will take a bite out of the Big Apple in more ways than one. They say you can’t fight city hall, but they haven’t met Harley Quinn!<br /><br />Next, it’s the return of Harley’s former adversary, Harley Sinn! This twisted sister is out of prison with plans for revenge. When Sinn targets someone Harley loves—and thought she’d lost—can anything stop the wrath of the mighty Quinn?<br /><br />Find out in HARLEY QUINN VOL. 3: RED MEAT, which collects the lead stories from HARLEY QUINN #14-21.</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**</i><i>I received a free eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i><i>**</i><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
There's a lot going on in this volume: Harley dealing with this crazy narcissistic alien, cannibals wanting to get a piece of her, and even a huge Batman fan coming from the future to kill her (yep!).<br />
<br />
And I seriously have to ask, how does this girl manage to cause so much trouble? It's admirable, really. And she doesn't even do it on purpose, we all know she's become a good girl now, no matter how crazy she might be. Bad stuff just happens wherever she goes... which actually makes things more fun.<br />
<br />
Oh and I was really happy to see that Harley meditates! I know it may sound dumb, but it's just that I also meditate a lot myself, so I thought it was pretty cool.<br />
<br />
The art for the most part was amazing, as always, although I think this is the first volume where I wasn't such a big fan of some of the art.<br />
<br />
Also worth mentioning, I can't get enough of Red Tool! I just love how crazy he is about Harley, and how nice he is. Hopefully we get to keep him around much more.<br />
<br />
Fun as always, I love reading these comics :)<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-79838577710604331832017-10-07T00:54:00.000+02:002017-10-07T00:54:24.019+02:00A Suitable Affair by Erica Taylor<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32928056-a-suitable-affair" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JIgBzSof3GM/WdFldZ2eYvI/AAAAAAAAA1w/N3udH6Fhbwo0t1WY-qxSvYo7g8h1l5VNwCLcBGAs/s400/ASuitableAffair.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
<b style="color: #666666;"><br /></b>
<b style="color: #666666;">Title: </b><span style="color: #666666;">A Suitable Affair</span><b style="color: #666666;"> </b><span style="color: #666666;"><i>(The Macalisters #1)</i></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">Erica Taylor</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="color: #666666;">Amberjack Publishing</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">Historical Fiction, Romance</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b>June 6</span><span style="color: #666666;">, 2017</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>4/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span> <b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Publisher on NetGalley</span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><i>Despite being beautiful and wealthy, Lady Susanna Macalister’s marriage prospects are rather lacking. To avoid a life of spinsterhood, she decides a loveless marriage to the dull and unromantic Lord Riverton is better than none at all. But still, Susanna longs for true, passionate love, the kind she grew up hearing stories about.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Enjoying a quiet walk with her insipid suitor one afternoon, Susanna is nearly trampled by the handsome Earl of Westcott as he rides through Hyde Park. Driven by his own guilt and despair, the earl embraces this chance encounter as an opportunity for vengeance, for Lord Riverton is the very man whom Wescott suspects is responsible for the untimely death of his beloved sister. But is his mission of separating Susanna from Lord Riverton simply a desire to save another unsuspecting lady from his sister’s fate, or something deeper?</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>As Susanna helps Lord Westcott investigate her future fiance, she realizes she might have found what she was looking for all along. Can the pair keep their budding romance a secret from everyone around them until the investigation is over? Or will the unsuspecting Lord Riverton win Susanna’s hand in marriage before the truth comes out?</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**I received a free eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**</i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Susanna has not been very lucky when it comes to attracting suitors, mainly because of her older brothers (especially the duke), so she's almost convinced herself to settle for boring Lord Riverton... Until Lord Westcott comes along and makes her realize that she can actually hope for more.<br />
<br />
I really liked Susanna. And I felt so bad for her, everyone just wanted her to marry and move out. It's not like her brother didn't love her, but he obviously thought they would all be better off if she had her own house to manage (why scare off suitors then?). It's really unfair that a woman just stops having her own home when her brother gets married, even if she's been living there her whole life!<br />
<br />
And Ian was a sweetheart! Although he was going waay too fast. He needed to calm down, and start to take some responsibility for his actions. Ian wanted to spend an awful lot of time with Susanna, but didn't want to marry her, and that was a little selfish... Good luck trying not to ruin Susanna's reputation, Ian! It's not like it's the 21st century. Be a responsible grown-up and propose!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://imgur.com/gallery/0tkhqkP" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lywf3twfYzA/WdgHWnEDxXI/AAAAAAAAA2I/_hPB5vtFki4gjC-e9yslEZz04LW0xjmCQCLcBGAs/s320/comeOnMan.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
He just kept asking too much from her, and was always trying to get her to answer his questions. But he never answered any of hers.<br />
<br />
I would've liked to see someone worthy of Susanna coming out of nowhere, sweeping her off her feet and proposing... Now, what would you do then, Ian? Huh?? Would you let her go? It's like he thought she'd just be there for him and that there'd be no consequences or whatever... No, wait... I just don't know what was going on inside his brain.<br />
<br />
The poor girl had so much pressure to get married that she would've accepted (almost) any offer.<br />
<br />
And ok, all right, I know I'm just complaining about Ian, but what I said at first is true, he is a sweetheart. I just wanted to slap him for risking Susanna's reputation and not proposing to her when he obviously wanted to marry her.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/15/signs-youre-not-chill_n_7063750.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="160" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8dSdN2tOd_4/WdgJH2zlNMI/AAAAAAAAA2U/gD0ScVkP6HMnI8uAg086teTytIGQWcEqACLcBGAs/s320/monicagellerNotCare.gif" width="180" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Something I really enjoyed was that Ian and Susanna spend so much time together from the very beginning! We don't have to wait to finally see them together, it just happens right away!<br />
<br />
A very cute couple. And a very cute ending, I would've liked to see more though :)<br /><br />
Another thing worth mentioning: Susanna's brother's relationship was really touching and I loved reading about him and his wife, I'm very interested in reading their own story.<br />
<br />
Really recommend this to any fan of historical romance.<br />
<br /></div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-62229509423688461062017-09-10T23:05:00.001+02:002017-09-10T23:05:29.915+02:00Millie Hardiman and the Red Parrot Fever by Eddie Owens<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31254318-millie-hardiman-and-the-red-parrot-fever" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="297" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-piqY1ydKPUc/WX3FItTTmmI/AAAAAAAAA1I/KcMuaMo2_ikBSZa0yc2WvO3t94b8U5-hQCLcBGAs/s400/MillieHardiman.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="250" /></a><span style="color: #666666;"><b><br />Title: </b>Millie Hardiman and the Red Parrot Fever</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>Eddie Owens</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>Children's</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Author</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Millie Hardiman is a thirteen year old from Bognor Regis, with a wild imagination, who dreams of becoming a writer.<br /><br />When Millie’s scriptwriter Dad, Barry, has writer’s block, Millie becomes his muse for the daytime television soap, Double Top.<br /><br />After her success on Double Top, Millie creates a Sci-Fi, teen drama, The Adventures of Martian Girl.<br /><br />Millie falls in love for the first time with Wolf Van Der Beek, an arrogant, South African child actor.<br /><br />This is a story about friendship, first love and growing up.</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>** </i><i>I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review **</i><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
This is a very funny story about a girl named Millie, who likes making up ridiculous stories.<br />
<br />
At first I found Millie to be a bit annoying and disrespectful. And I felt so sorry for her mom! Her daughter just kept lying all the time, sometimes saying things that were incredibly insane, and I didn't even know why she found it necessary.<br />
<br />
I also didn't see how everybody kept saying she acted like a grown-up. She really didn't.<br />
<br />
But, thankfully, things start getting better, especially after she starts helping out at her dad's workplace by sharing her ideas for a TV show, where her lies are actually put to good use. Millie grew on me, I enjoyed her crazy stories for the show.<br />
<br />
And I loved the message we can get from the story. Millie did get herself in bad situations due to her lying, and she realized this and decided to stop with the lying. Just because you have a great imagination, doesn't mean you can go around making up stories that would make people worried or uncomfortable, Millie.<br />
<br />
I especially recommend this to young readers, who might benefit from reading about Millie's struggles on her path to becoming a responsible teen.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-31093874120088836092017-08-17T00:25:00.000+02:002017-08-17T00:25:02.300+02:00Harley Quinn, Volume 2: Joker Loves Harley by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33232906-harley-quinn-volume-2" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="304" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3YS4jQOUIUY/WYnUV8Gzo7I/AAAAAAAAA1g/wms9H7S1m_02q4Z6cG28XntL4ZkM4R3FwCLcBGAs/s400/HarleyQuinnVol2.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Title: </b>Harley Quinn, Volume 2: Joker Loves Harley</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> DC Entertainment</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>Comic<br /><b>Publication:</b> June 27, 2017</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Publisher on NetGalley</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Harley Quinn's punk-rock epic concludes with a BANG. Too deep and not covered enough, their undercover mission comes to an end as the gang takes on thieves and murderers. All the laughs and some of the quacks are all here.<br /><br />Taking a break comes with unexpected woes when Harley and Ivy head to the Bahamas for sun-kissed beaches and ice-cold drinks.<br /><br />Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti continue their mammoth run on this New York Times best-selling title in Harley Quinn, Volume 2: Joker Loves Harley!<br />Collecting: Harley Quinn 7-12</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**</i><i>I received a free eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i><i>**</i><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
This volume is all about Harley's relationships. First we have Harley and Poison Ivy doing some travelling together and having lots of fun. Along the way, they find a big surprise, but, being as they are, they just go along with it. Harley also tries her best to take her relationship with Ivy one step further.<br />
<br />
Then we have a story featuring the Joker, and he's incredibly crazy about Harley, doing everything in his power to convince her that he's changed, that's he's a good man now, and that he wants her back. But Harley is having none of it. I thought this was very entertaining, and a little bit hard too watch haha.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/joker-harley-quinn-batman-the-animated-series-6y9BI0LAKEsjm" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="500" height="131" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7uTz9cPX3VU/WYn6ZAdrrWI/AAAAAAAAEpc/C-XdIxu8ixY4xNWQOy6fSqLo0l_VV6AsACLcBGAs/s320/HarleyJoker.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The last story made me feel a little bit disappointed in Santa Claus at times, because, like Harley asked: <i>"What would Mrs. Claus say??</i>". I know, I'm a child like that. I still love Santa too much. It was still very enjoyable, I adore how much Harley loves Christmas.<br />
<br />
Really recommend this to anyone who wants to have a light, fun read :)<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-19390984596914797782017-07-30T13:03:00.001+02:002017-07-30T13:03:15.852+02:00Falling for the Beast by Victorine E. Lieske<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34532807-falling-for-the-beast" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ykVXFMcDm3g/WX26CkM8_xI/AAAAAAAAA08/SFo4zDEREP88N7iSB0-E5BxJ5vy8K4xyQCEwYBhgL/s400/FallingForTheBeast.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Title: </b>Falling for the Beast</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>Victorine E. Lieske</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>Retelling, Romance, Fairy Tale</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">March 10, 2017</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">NetGalley</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>4/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Aribelle is backed into the position of cleaning house for the horrible Mr. Thaddeus Walker. Not only is he rude, he's dangerously secretive, going out at night and coming home with injuries which seem to heal mysteriously fast. She should be keeping her distance, not trying to break down his barriers. But the more she uncovers, the more attracted she becomes until the cost of exposing his secrets fades behind the risk of losing her heart.<br /><br />
Thaddeus knows he should have sent the girl away instead of allowing her into his home. Now she’s asking questions he can’t answer. And the more time they spend together, the more he wishes he could pull her close and kiss her. But he can’t afford to do that. Beautiful Aribelle could never love a beast.<br /><br />
Falling for the Beast is a sweet romance.</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>** </i><i>I received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **</i><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
You'd really think that I've seen it all, being the <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> addict that I am, reading all retellings I can find and what not, but this story is actually pretty original. This beast is different and he actually has some very interesting powers and an unusual way of dealing with his guilt.<br />
<br />
The plot does change considerably and, even though you do expect the happy ending, where the beast turns into a "normal" guy and lives with the girl happily ever after, the way the story develops is a little bit different.<br />
<br />
This beast is actually a human man, with a body covered with scars, and secrets that he doesn't want to share. But when Aribelle starts working for him, he begins to open up and we start to see this other side of him.<br />
<br />
We also have the jerk who wants to get the girl and slay the beast, and oh boy is he annoying. Thank God we don't get to see him much.<br />
<br />
And I was glad that Thadeus and Aribelle spent so much time together, we don't get that many pages where they're apart. But I was surprised to see how fast everything happened, I thought they were going a bit too fast, they were already hugging very soon in the story (yeah, ok, maybe hugging is not that much big of a deal), but hey, she was working for the guy. A hug can be a huge deal. It was the beginning of something here.<br />
<br />
I also loved how this is a very realistic story, but still has a bit of fantasy and magic in it. It was very well done :)<br /><br />
<br />
How do you feel about retellings?<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-73396753523353658002017-07-10T00:22:00.002+02:002017-07-10T00:22:46.889+02:00Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8133190-anne-of-green-gables" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="297" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UMnSOZoihmk/WVGFyklc_pI/AAAAAAAAA0s/XqEqaa90ISYfJa6t6C-uBAHXZ6iC7rhgQCLcBGAs/s400/AnneOfGreenGables.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Title: </b>Anne of Green Gables</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>L.M. Montgomery</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>Classic, Children's</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">June 1908</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>5/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>When Anne Shirley arrives at Green Gables farm on Prince Edward Island, she surprises everyone: first of all, she is a girl. Marilla Cuthbert and her brother, Matthew, had specifically asked for an orphan boy. She has bright red hair that won't manage and a mouth that won't shut. Nothing will ever be the same at Green Gables!</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
A favorite story of generations of girls ever since it was first published in 1908, Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic story of one girl's profound effect on a small Canadian community has stayed in print for nearly one hundred years and has been made into a popular TV series and even a musical.</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"Dear old world," she murmured, "you are very lovely and I am very glad to be alive in you."</i></div>
<br />
There are so many amazing quotes in this book, that if I shared them all, I'd just end up sharing the whole book.<br />
<br />
I can't really go and say that <i>Anne of Green Gables</i> reminds me of my childhood and brings back so many memories. I never read it when I was a child. I think that the book wasn't that popular where I grew up.<br />
<br />
But anyway, here I am, all grown up now, just finished reading and I loved every second of it! I seriously had just started reading the book and I had already fallen in love with Anne!! I just adore her!<br />
<br />
It's so entertaining to see how theatrical she can be. The drama when she finds out that the Cuthberts wanted a boy and not a girl, and that they probably would send her back... Oh the agony, oh the horror, oh the tragedy...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://fangirlish.com/anne-1x01-review-will-shall-decide-destiny/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="519" height="220" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cb3kbxd17ec/WVLodNbm-dI/AAAAAAAAB_I/UqXGl6fVki4vDwi2dYjGsADn5gXX-6IgQCLcBGAs/s400/AnneWithAnESad.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
She's so adorable, she could make me laugh and cry at the same time.<br />
<br />
And Anne most definitely wanted to see me weep, I almost started crying on the subway because of her, she certainly knows how to touch your heart and get to you, good God.<br />
<br />
Even so, she never failed to impress me with her optimism. She seems to make mistake after mistake, but, like she says, she learns from them and never makes the same mistake twice (well, I'm not completely sure about that, I must say).<br />
<br />
I love the way she sees the world.<br />
<br />
And oh my God does she talk a lot!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://sg.style.yahoo.com/netflix-just-changed-title-one-180424325.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="787" height="223" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I5K6Fz7ogT0/WVLn4uvZ65I/AAAAAAAAB_A/hhcvoRCJYXwk6th3RmgFn2NeBAR2t1D6gCLcBGAs/s400/AnneWithAnE.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Anne also had a very peculiar and funny way of expressing herself, she managed to make me laugh all the time. I especially loved it when she'd say something about "a kindred spirit". She was really fixated on that phrase.<br />
<br />
The Cuthberts were very lovely people and I really liked them. I found it very interesting how they both had such a hard time sharing their thoughts and feelings, but were still so incredibly different from one another.<br />
<br />
There were also all kinds of characters, and I enjoyed reading about them all, even if I didn't like something about them or their personality. Gilbert Blythe definitely caught my attention, he seems like a really nice guy, I can't wait to see what else happens between him and Anne.<br />
<br />
Can't wait to read more of Anne's adventures :)<br />
<br />
Did you ever read this book as a child? What do you think of the new Netflix adaptation?<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-47333709218675498172017-06-18T13:24:00.003+02:002017-06-27T00:06:55.845+02:00The Law of Attraction by Roxie Cooper<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34927591-the-law-of-attraction" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="297" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p4zMHNGxulw/WUZUEr-QB7I/AAAAAAAAAz4/xRvI7ZrWOlcZ3L2We_gJiirLix946oV7gCLcBGAs/s400/TheLawOfAttraction.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Title: </b>The Law of Attraction</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>Roxie Cooper</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="color: #666666;">HQ Digital</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>New Adult, Contemporary</span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">June 23, 2007</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
</div></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>"Well, it's fair to say your background isn't conventional in terms of the average barrister…" Dolus points out. "Well that depends on your definition of conventional and who wants to be average anyway?"<br /><br />Northern girl Amanda Bentley isn’t your average lawyer.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>She spent her teenage years in the Working Men’s club and hanging out in the park to avoid going home. Fresh out of law school she lands pupillage at a top set of Chambers and is catapulted into a world completely alien to her own, fighting prejudice and snobbery at every turn.<br /><br />Piling on the pressure, this year it is announced two candidates have been accepted but there’s only one job at the end of it. And her competition? Marty, her smarmy law school nemesis.<br /><br />Throw into the mix an ill-advised romance with the staggeringly sexy Sid Ryder and Amanda quickly realises winning pupillage isn’t just about how good a lawyer you are.<br /><br />But even if she does come out on top, all of it could be for nothing if her colleagues ever discover who she really is and one very dark secret.<br /><br />Perfect for fans of Legally Blonde, Lindsey Kelk and Joanna Bolouri. Don't miss this hilarious new ebook!</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**I received a free eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**</i></div>
<br />
Had me at <i>Legally Blonde</i>, to be honest. One of my favorite movies for sure.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.tumblr.com/search/mine:%20legally%20blonde" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="500" height="160" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b7484ZFArFs/WUZfKzepNGI/AAAAAAAAA0I/JjPF_X4ohA4WnCXd2_EV2TaXbS28RJEOACLcBGAs/s320/legallyBlonde.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Even though that's what caught my attention in the beginning, once I started reading this, I realized that these two stories are still very different, and that <i>The Law of Attraction</i> is much more original than I thought at first.<br />
<br />
I found the main character, Amanda, to be very likable, and I could relate to her in some situations. It seems like some people judge her too easily, so she has to prove herself and work harder, but hey, she has time to do so in this case.<br />
<br />
There's another guy that Amanda has to compete with to get the job, and oh my God is he annoying! I felt so sorry for her, having to put up with him... But you know what? I bet most of us have had at least one Marty in our lives at some point, that one phony guy that most people seem to like and we just sit there like "how??"<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/johnny-depp-jack-sparrow-gif-UmdZRIYWK90Uo" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="500" height="135" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C2cr_t92Ol4/WUZgS_CI7WI/AAAAAAAAA0U/mBbtiPOH0Is9A41mGsjBuWjrc_YyNvpOACLcBGAs/s400/confusedJackSparrow.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Something I did not like about her was that, even though she was very much against stereotypes, and hated it when people catalogued her as the hot blonde and things like that... She did that to others as well, and seemed to believe in stereotypes herself as well, especially when it came to genders. A bit contradictory, Amanda.<br />
<br />
But seriously, why are such bad things said about women? Why are women sly, why do women stab you in the back, and why are women bitches?... I've gotten so much drama from men in my life, I sometimes feel like people only interact with women. Men can be sly. Men can stab you in the back. Men can be bitches. People need to give this ridiculousness a rest. Gender does not make a difference there. And for the record, the most manipulative person here is Marty, and he's a guy.<br />
<br />
To make the story more interesting, there's also this other guy who seems to fall for Amanda. But, to be honest, I didn't really care too much about Sid, and Amanda trusted him so easily! I think she should've been more careful, especially since she was trying to get that job and he was her senior... I know it's not right to believe in rumors, but if you hear all those things about a guy, you could at least be more careful, until you get to know him better and prove those rumors wrong... But no, little Amanda here had no patience at all. She should listen to her pupilmaster, Skylar, more, he may not be right all the time, but you kinda know when he is...<br />
<br />
And Skylar is pretty adorable. I liked how he took care of Amanda and wanted her to succeed.<br />
<br />
It was very interesting to read about her job and everything that went on around her, which I know nothing about, really. Seeing her in court kicking ass was amazing, I loved every part of it.<br />
<br />
Oh and there's another couple in the story that we read about, although just for a little while, the one including Amanda's best friend, Heidi. Now, Heidi sounds nice and fun... but date a married guy??? Honey, even if the guy says things are not working for him and his ACTUAL partner, he's still a cheater. What are you thinking anyway?? Also, he would do it to you, you know that, right? You're only special now...<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/burn-Cn3fH1nLjgCys" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hHrvUlj1ihE/WUZg0vZimYI/AAAAAAAAA0c/2slb9K-gJ3UuufZ8LwP9eesiYPB21GTEwCLcBGAs/s320/burnThat70sShow.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<i>"The heart wants what the heart wants"</i>... Obviously what an older cheating man, with kids, would say when what "his heart" wants is a young woman in her twenties. The nerve. Dude, even if things were bad at home, at least break things off before. I don't know...<br />
<br />
Well now, back to Amanda...<br />
<br />
<br />
As the story progresses, we get to know more about Amanda's past, and I really enjoyed that, she had a very complicated childhood because of her father, I felt incredibly bad for her, but I'm glad she works things out and learns to be happy and doesn't let her past bring her down. She just went and got things on her own.<br />
<br />
The ending is also very touching, and it didn't feel lacking at all. I really enjoyed this book, and oh the drama haha, as you can see from all my ranting (I'm so sorry). I would recommend this to anyone who wants to have a nice, light read with some substance :)<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-33605266257329263502017-06-04T13:19:00.001+02:002017-06-04T13:19:35.352+02:00Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18660669-vampire-academy" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2eoPsGAUeZQ/WRofPeOTb0I/AAAAAAAAAy0/gX6k8-EIkDk11SbDLfYnVeSJObWv0kIJgCLcB/s400/VampireAcademy.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="270" /></a><b style="color: #666666;">Title: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Vampire Academy</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>Richelle Mead</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="color: #666666;">Razorbill</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>Young Adult, Paranormal</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">August 16, 2007</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies...</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires - the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger... and the Strigoi are always close by.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love, and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever...</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Vampire Academy</i> has been around for a very long time, it's one of those series that a lot of people have read, and I just sat there, being the only person who hadn't. So I decided to get it a (long) while ago, and finally got around to reading it!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.sharegif.com/excited-gifs-compilations.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="452" height="190" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mvtkxD_IQ38/WTPngrAVzNI/AAAAAAAAAzY/t-4_TXVfirkA9Nz1wiw765OGYS4MYQeggCLcB/s320/excited_amy-adams.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The story is <i>very</i> different from what I imagined. For some weird reason, I thought there was some kind of clique that both main characters were a part of. But turns out they mostly kept to themselves, even if Lissa was a royal and worked on climbing the social ladder to be one of the popular kids, it was still about her and Rose.<br />
<br />
At first I didn't know which girl I liked more, they're so different! Although I did find Lissa a bit boring in the beginning, but we get to see more of her and her personality later in the story. Even so, I thought she was a little bit bland. Rose, on the other hand, was one hell of a roller coaster, she's pretty funny and so strong! And I love how she fights for what she believes in. She's still kind of crazy though.<br />
<br />
I found it very interesting to read about the different kind of vampires there exist in this world, and the roles they play. Seems there's some sexism going on as well, I thought it was really awful that so few damphir girls became guardians, apparently most of them become what they call "blood whores". Damn...<br />
<br />
And the supernatural powers they had! I really loved that, it's not like vampires here have the regular superpowers we usually hear of in other stories, but these people can learn to control elements and do very interesting things, like Lissa can.<br />
<br />
There are a lot of other characters, but these two girls play the biggest roles. Although we do get to see this girl called Mia every now and then, who started dating Lissa's ex-boyfriend (who totally has a crush on her still) while she was away, and man is she ridiculous... If your boyfriend likes another girl, you don't mistreat the girl, you do something about the boyfriend situation. I mean, you should be together because you like each other, right? If he doesn't, then what are you even doing staying with him and getting mad at the girl he likes?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/eye-roll-annoyed-chelsea-lately-DAYsnNd8dlRhC" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="179" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fWIKjqO6YPg/WTPslS8mcTI/AAAAAAAAAzo/A0G0ZC_83Vkqan1y3W_TvLJVOlfHs4aKwCLcB/s320/eyeroll_chelseahandler.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
As for the girls' love interests, I really like Christian, he's so misunderstood because of his family, but he's actually quite nice! And Dimitri is pretty cool, although we don't really see much of him, but we'll probably get to read more about him in the future.<br />
<br />
<br />
Have you read this book? What did you think about it?</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-26196332782314300482017-05-18T22:10:00.003+02:002017-05-18T22:10:37.461+02:00Attachments by Rainbow Rowell<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yhQJG8a_QBs/WQ29Mp4fiHI/AAAAAAAAAxY/wbjEuVYYOLo1I4wKzyeeRcxb9VUhf4GawCLcB/s1600/Attachments.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 1px solid black; clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yhQJG8a_QBs/WQ29Mp4fiHI/AAAAAAAAAxY/wbjEuVYYOLo1I4wKzyeeRcxb9VUhf4GawCLcB/s400/Attachments.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<b style="color: #666666;">Title: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Attachments</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">Rainbow Rowell</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="color: #666666;">Dutton</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">Contemporary</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">April 04, 2011</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you..." </i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I finally read my first Rainbow Rowell book!!</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://sk.pinterest.com/pin/245024035950110732/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0q-OdaMDk_s/WRjs-PJlepI/AAAAAAAAAyk/GOKT1IlB0hk0gzRBfu3MZXO26Z4oNH41wCLcB/s320/RockyCelebrating.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This one takes place in 1999, I felt like a baby when it was mentioned. It's funny seeing everyone talk about the internet as something new, about all the problems and new, crazy things the new century might bring and, also, how a lot of people don't want to do "the internet thing". For someone like me, who's had internet her whole life, this was very interesting to read about.<br />
<br />
Maybe this is why Lincoln's job sounded so weird to me at first, but I guess there were (are?!) people who do that kind of job? I seriously don't know.<br />
<br />
And Lincoln actually seemed... Well, I don't really want to use the word "loser", so maybe unaccomplished? He's just so lost. Lincoln wants to keep studying, live at his mom's, and never get over his ex-girlfriend. He even went to college where she wanted them to go when they were together... For real?! Lincoln gets pretty stupid when it comes to her. Seriously, even if she hurts him, he says that he'll just ignore it, that he doesn't care. How about loving yourself a little bit, Lincoln?<br />
<br />
And by the way, what's with this friend of his saying that he doesn't believe in owning a car (what does that even mean?), but always wants others to give him a ride?<br />
<br />
Anyway, now to the actual story: the emails...<br />
<br />
I asked myself many times, how can Beth and Jennifer write <i>such</i> long messages to each other while working? Go get a coffee later and catch up! I know most of the time they said they weren't doing a thing, or were waiting for something to be able to keep working, I don't know. But they just wrote <i>so</i> much... I still loved them though, they're both hilarious! I found myself laughing throughout this whole book thanks to them. They're just crazy.<br />
<br />
I love to see that Rainbow Rowell's humor is pretty witty, she seems like she must be pretty fast minded, and she comes up with very good jokes! Although I must say that it seemed like almost all of the book's characters shared that same kind of humor, which was a bit weird. But hey, they made me laugh a lot, so I can live with that.<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span>
So, eventually, Lincoln starts to go through some kind of transformation (thank goodness!), and I started to like him a lot! I felt really proud of him. He wanted to have a big change in his life, and he made it happen. Good for you, Lincoln!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.reactiongifs.com/tag/nod/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F-GZTmiJ18c/WR38I014kzI/AAAAAAAAAzE/MIPmPMQ67wUwvW3nTvwwAae3-VL-0-AvACLcB/s320/ObamanProudNod.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I was really looking forward to Beth's and Lincoln's meeting to be honest, what he would say to her, how she would react, and all that. I was also hoping we would get to see them together after that, and we do! But it wasn't for too long, it lasted like two seconds and then the book was over, so I definitely would've liked to see more of their relationship. But I guess that's just me, I know the book is about the emails and everything about that, so maybe that's why the book needed to end where it did.<br />
<br />
I enjoyed this very much, and I'm looking forward to reading more Rainbow Rowell stuff, I seriously had a great time and laughed so much while reading this :)<br />
<br />
<br />
What's your favorite Rainbow Rowell book?<br />
<br /></div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-44973015100865472992017-05-06T18:06:00.000+02:002017-05-06T18:06:44.106+02:00Gametalk: Final Fantasy XV<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SWITbJIFY6U/WQ2-cOJxQUI/AAAAAAAAAxk/vA5syTHgRjsw16UyF8emOdI1DBfdzpGGACLcB/s1600/FF_XV_cover_art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SWITbJIFY6U/WQ2-cOJxQUI/AAAAAAAAAxk/vA5syTHgRjsw16UyF8emOdI1DBfdzpGGACLcB/s320/FF_XV_cover_art.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50669080" target="_blank">Image Source</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Enroute to wed his fiancée Luna on a road trip with his best friends, Prince Noctis is advised by news reports that his homeland has been invaded and taken over under the false pretense of a peace treaty – and that he, his loved one and his father King Regis, have been slain at the hands of the enemy.<br />
<br />
To gather the strength needed to uncover the truth and reclaim his homeland, Noctis and his loyal companions must overcome a series of challenges in a spectacular open world - that is filled with larger-than-life creatures, amazing wonders, diverse cultures and treacherous foes. (<a href="https://www.finalfantasyxv.com/en/overview" target="_blank">source</a>)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I'm a big <i>Final Fantasy</i> fan, I can't get enough of these games (currently playing <i>World of Final Fantasy</i>, by the way). I actually got both the movie and the game for Christmas, and I really recommend you watch the movie before playing <i>FFXV</i>, it's all a bit confusing at first, as <i>Final Fantasy</i> stories usually are, but, once you get the whole idea, it's a really great concept and you'll understand the game better. You'll also get to see characters who don't appear in the game.<br />
<br />
I remember that wen I first saw the trailer (this wasn't even going to be<i> Final Fantasy XV, </i>but<i> Versus XIII</i>) I thought it looked pretty cool, definitely more... how should I say?... modern, than the previous <i>Final Fantasy</i> games for some reason. I don't know, there's always amazing technology in <i>FF</i>, but this one just seemed more twenty-first century to me, if you know what I mean (you probably don't).<br />
<br />
The main characters are great. Before playing this, I thought: <i>"Where the girls at?"</i>, I love playing as a girl, or having strong girls in my party, but this one only consists of guys. Of course, you get to see Lunafreya every now and then, and the hotness that is Cindy (Who even repairs cars in a bikini top? Not very <i>Final Fantasy</i>-like, I think, but she's pretty cool). Still, I loved my party, these guys are amazing and I ended up loving them to bits.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.themarysue.com/final-fantasy-xv-all-male/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r5uVkAAH0FE/WQ3ymlhdu0I/AAAAAAAAAyU/R9O6639V66o7ISJqbJHKxX1_FYCxzdHlQCLcB/s400/ffxv-party.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I was also very happy since this is the first <i>Final Fantasy</i> game I have that's available in Japanese, I love being able to listen to the original Japanese audio. Turns out that it didn't work too well here, you always find yourself running around with the guys in your party shouting things at you and you don't have the time to read the subtitles while you're fighting and running, so I had to change the audio back to English. Wasn't really bad though, turns out I'm pretty used to the English audio and it adds a little something to the game, maybe because I always play <i>FF</i> in English.<br />
<br />
As in any other <i>Final Fantasy</i> game, there are a lot of quests and missions for you to take on, most of them optional, but if you're familiar with RPGs, you'll know there's a lot of leveling up to do and money to earn, so these missions come in pretty handy. There's this guy who'll ask for you to take some pictures (not always as easy as it sounds) and the pay is really good, so make sure you listen to him.<br />
<br />
The battle system is amazing, they tend to change a lot in these games lately, and the warping ability Noctis has here is so very useful! It's a bit confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, you won't be able to stop using it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://forum-animeindo.com/inilah-perbedaan-mencolok-yang-terjadi-antara-spin-off-anime-final-fantasy-xv-dengan-game-nya/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dg3eYV5hHgE/WQ3m9hSKUpI/AAAAAAAAAyE/d7TSbWUyj1gFZRYfuUN7w-sjoQAh-rH8wCLcB/s400/ffxv-warp.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Oh and that Cup Noodle publicity though! I found it really funny and original, to be honest. There's a point in the story when you can actually learn the recipe for Cup Noodles and Ignis will be able to cook them for you. And let's not forget about the Vivienne Westwood wedding dress.<br />
<br />
But let's just appreciate Ignis for a second now. The guy does literally everything! He drives the car, cooks and plans strategies... What would we do without him? He's precious.<br />
<br />
You also get to drive the car, and I was actually very eager to, but once I started I got tired of it pretty fast and let Ignis take back the wheel. It's just so comfortable to sit back, put on some nice music (I especially enjoyed the <i>FFXIII </i>soundtrack) and look at the scenery. Driving around in the Regalia was pretty fun, I felt such freedom being able to do that in the game. Whenever I didn't have the Regalia I just went all crazy and impatient (Why God, whyy?), but you also get to ride chocobos later in the game, hurray! I love chocobos.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nyaawn.tumblr.com/post/153273244121/capture-all-the-chocohugs-and-the-failed-one" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xeXdmQBDpx0/WQ3h2Qhc6SI/AAAAAAAAAx0/KY9s5iDHF604EKymcB_YdqT_v2gScJU2QCLcB/s400/ffxv-chocobo.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Also, a little warning here: do not, I repeat, DO NOT by any circumstances go out at night when you're still starting out. It's ridiculous how fast you're going to get killed. A joke, really. You've been warned.<br />
<br />
Even though the game is fifteen chapters long, it all starts to go pretty fast once you reach chapter eight o nine. Seriously, make sure you get everything done before then, as you won't have much time left after that. It was all just a whirlwind of emotions starting from there. My poor heart just kept breaking over and over again (and again and again). And the ending is really something to look forward to. Confusing at first, as usual, but then things start to fall back into place and it's all amazing and beautiful.<br />
<br />
The final battles aren't really too bad (loved this Ifrit), just make sure you have a lot of items to heal yourself. And be prepared to get all the feels, you know how <i>Square Enix</i> likes to make things all emotional and get you feeling all nostalgic. Prompto's photos don't help either.<br />
<br />
Now that I've finished, I can't wait to do all those missions I didn't get done before, since you're able to get back to them once you're done.<br />
<br />
<br />
Do you also enjoy playing video games? Any <i>Final Fantasy</i> game you like?<br />
<br /></div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-34283645724539670752017-04-25T20:14:00.001+02:002017-04-25T20:14:41.608+02:00Wonder Woman: Her Greatest Battles by Various<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34296790-wonder-woman" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NYIVK9wefIk/WOpCZ8bMzLI/AAAAAAAAAw8/jRz1dcuN9v4dnFhk_npLhRCuJt95uMENgCLcB/s400/WonderWomanGreatestBattles.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">Title: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Wonder Woman: Her Greates Battles</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, George Pérez, Gail Simone, Johny Byrne, Jim Lee, Cliff Chiang</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="color: #666666;">Quillfire Publishing</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">Comic, Action</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">February 14, 2017</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span> <b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Publisher on NetGalley</span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><i>The perfect companion piece to 2017’s highly anticipated film Wonder Woman is here. With the powers of a god and the fighting spirit of an Amazon, Wonder Woman is Earth’s fiercest defender. On Themyscira, Diana was trained from birth to be a warrior. Her skills in battle are unmatched, as are her bullet-stopping bracelets and Lasso of Truth. Now, relive her greatest triumphs!</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>In these stories from such top-tier comics talents as Greg Rucka, George Pérez, John Byrne, Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang and Gail Simone, the Amazing Amazon must use every ounce of her strength and steel to bring down gods, monsters and—when mind-controlling villains take control—even her friends. Collects WONDER WOMAN #6, #119, #210, #219; WONDER WOMAN #41; JUSTICE LEAGUE: PART THREE #3; WONDER WOMAN #23.</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**I received a free eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**</i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is a collection of some of Wonder Woman's greatest battles. It's not the best book to pick up if you want to know more about Diana's story, but it's perfect if you want to see her fight and what she stands for. And to check out some really cool art from many different artists.<br />
<br />
Not only does Wonder Woman know how to kick butt, but she's also compassionate and caring. She wants to keep people safe and believes in redemption. I loved seeing her humanity and how she defends others.<br />
<br />
And let's face it, even blindfolded this woman is strong as hell, her fight with Medusa was one of my favorites, and what she does at the end is just brutal. The art in that one is also amazing, her outfit is pure perfection.<br />
<br />
I also loved the parts including members of the Justice League. Aquaman looked pretty badass here.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vf3MHmZZZ0g/WOpGkJoAb3I/AAAAAAAAAxI/nkPvt4LTHEUb055S4UheQSb9rmZvaQe1wCLcB/s1600/aquaman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vf3MHmZZZ0g/WOpGkJoAb3I/AAAAAAAAAxI/nkPvt4LTHEUb055S4UheQSb9rmZvaQe1wCLcB/s400/aquaman.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I recommend to check this out even if you don't know much about Wonder Woman, seeing her fight is pretty amazing.<br />
<br /></div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-62081967729400901852017-04-16T18:33:00.001+02:002017-04-16T19:19:24.525+02:00The Mad Countess by Erica Monroe<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34015900-the-mad-countess" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SNjOzEibJdc/WOogdCsUF1I/AAAAAAAAAwg/bXN0bLbBgrAlGbVF8nrb1QQsA1LzQBVbgCLcB/s400/TheMadCountess.jpg" width="265" /></a><span style="color: #666666;"><b style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;"></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">Title: </b><span style="color: #666666;">The Mad Countess (Darkest Regency #1)</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">Erica Monroe</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="color: #666666;">Quillfire Publishing</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Romance</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">March 21, 2017</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>4/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span> <b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Publisher on NetGalley</span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><i>When two best friends become lovers, their scandalous path to happily ever after is fraught with danger in this emotional, Gothic novella from USA Today Bestselling Author Erica Monroe.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Theodore Lockwood, Earl of Ashbrooke, has been in love with his best friend, Lady Claire Deering, for as long as he can remember. Claire too harbors a secret desire for him--but a witch cursed her family with madness, and she's terrified she'll only hurt him if they act on their feelings. When a will reading at a mysterious castle in Cornwall brings them both together on All Hallows Eve, they'll work to break her family's curse...and find true love.</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**</i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I already read a book by this author, <i>I Spy a Duke</i>, and really enjoyed it, so I had high hopes for this.<br />
<br />
I'm glad to say that this was a great read! Although I didn't know this was a novella until I opened the book and it was mentioned there, which actually made me kind of sad, since I was very excited and wanted to spend a lot of time reading this story! But I still enjoyed it a lot and was very happy by the time I was done reading. It didn't feel rushed or forced, the pace was just right and it didn't leave me feeling like something wasn't explained or told.<br />
<br />
So Teddy and Claire have always been best friends and, as they grew up, they started having feelings for each other, but none of them told the other. Claire didn't think it'd be fair to tell Teddy, since she was cursed to become mad in the future, just like her mom and aunt, and she just couldn't hurt him like that. Teddy, on the other hand, didn't believe in the curse, but was afraid that Claire wouldn't want him and that he'd lose his best friend for ever, at least by keeping quite he would be able to stay by her side.<br />
<br />
Both main characters were great, I especially liked Teddy, it was such a joy to read a book with a hero I liked, God knows I've been having such a hard time liking heroes in my books lately.<br />
<br />
Teddy is very rational and precise, he has many fears he's trying to get over and wants Claire to stop believing in that curse, because, according to him, if you can't see it or explain it in any way, then it's not possible or real. He's pretty adorable actually, and thank goodness he's nothing like his brother.<br />
<br />
And Claire is such a sweet girl, I felt so bad for her, it must be exhausting having to worry every day that you might not have a future, and that you might start going crazy when you least expect it. That's no life.<br />
<br />
I think I can easily say that this is one of the cutest couples that ever lived. They're so very adorable it hurts, and I can't believe Teddy never realized Claire had feelings for him, she did suspect Teddy wanted to be with her, but she wouldn't allow it because of the curse, because she thought he deserved happiness, and not a potentially crazy wife. Not what her mother became.<br />
<br />
And can we appreciate how he's 25 and hasn't even had his first kiss yet, because he only wants to be with Claire? It was so common for men back then to frequent brothels and keep mistresses, and he didn't do any of that, he was waiting for Claire. Although let's be honest here, he's the only one to blame for it taking so long. Seven seasons, Teddy?? Really?!<br />
<br />
Anyway, this is a man to be admired, that is serious commitment there. Some other man might not have done that.<br />
<br />
And not only that, but he was also ahead of his time.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"He did not understand society's fascination with the virginal states of women - it was a double standard he found distinctly illogical, for men were allowed to cavort with as many women as they wanted, whenever they wanted."</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://giphy.com/search/can-t-stand-it" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dKXJFBopkfI/WOpAJij8qrI/AAAAAAAAAww/XxJdSlmiJ1AHS7gaFd7u3krCaX8vqEZIwCLcB/s400/MerylStreepExcited.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Take note, gentlemen, this man is dreamy.<br />
<br />
He also even considers servants his equals, because he says we're all human beings and titles and money shouldn't make a difference.<br />
<br />
And I was very surprised to see how much I liked this couple, since I'm not a big fan of stories where childhood friends become lovers, I don't know, I'm one for first meetings and such. I like seeing the exact moment someone falls in love with another character.<br />
<br />
I still wonder why the witch had to curse her sisters because her father wouldn't take care of her. Really? They did nothing wrong, get back at him, not his innocent daughters, who could've easily been you. Ridiculous woman.<br />
<br />
I was glad they found a way to fix everything, and that Claire finally felt comfortable, well, living life!<br />
<br />
If you're a fan of historical romances and nice guys, then I really recommend this :)<br />
<br /></div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-11397556621762703732017-04-08T14:39:00.001+02:002017-04-15T00:56:03.484+02:00Beauty of the Beast by Rachel L. Demeter<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34098873-beauty-of-the-beast" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WSi-15eJMYA/WNlvkVtVXRI/AAAAAAAAAvM/MDLgjzWePFw5ANa844G7C-b4XKZlafFKACPcB/s400/BeautyOfTheBeast.jpg" width="256" /></a><span style="color: #666666;"><b style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;"></b></span><br />
<b style="color: #666666;"><b style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">Title: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Beauty of the Beast (Fairy Tale Retellings #1)</span></b></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>Rachel L. Demeter</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>Historical Fiction, Romance, Retelling, Fairy Tale</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b>March 15, 2017</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>5/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span> <b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">NetGalley</span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Experience the world’s most enchanting and timeless love story—retold with a dark and realistic twist.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>A BEAST LIVING IN THE SHADOW OF HIS PAST</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Reclusive and severely scarred Prince Adam Delacroix has remained hidden inside a secluded, decrepit castle ever since he witnessed his family’s brutal massacre. Cloaked in shadow, with only the lamentations of past ghosts for company, he has abandoned all hope, allowing the world to believe he died on that tragic eve twenty-five years ago.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>A BEAUTY IN PURSUIT OF A BETTER FUTURE</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Caught in a fierce snowstorm, beautiful and strong-willed Isabelle Rose seeks shelter at a castle—unaware that its beastly and disfigured master is much more than he appears to be. When he imprisons her gravely ill and blind father, she bravely offers herself in his place.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>BEAUTY AND THE BEAST</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Stripped of his emotional defenses, Adam’s humanity reawakens as he encounters a kindred soul in Isabelle. Together they will wade through darkness and discover beauty and passion in the most unlikely of places. But when a monster from Isabelle’s former life threatens their new love, Demrov’s forgotten prince must emerge from his shadows and face the world once more…
</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Perfect for fans of Beauty and the Beast and The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty of the Beast brings a familiar and well-loved fairy tale to life with a rich setting in the kingdom of Demrov and a captivating, Gothic voice. </i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**I received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**</i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm just so happy, this book is so, so wonderful!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.tumblr.com/search/belle's%20dad" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8EzN9RS8vPc/WOVngpt5SvI/AAAAAAAAAvY/lSTOHDEniSg5xs74UzL8qby7dNuAsbfXwCLcB/s400/beautyandthebeast1.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
And yes, it's another <i>Beauty and the Beast </i>retelling, what did you expect? I can't resist these things, I think I've lost count of all the retellings I've read of this story. IT'S JUST SO PRECIOUS. I can't get enough of the girl's kindness and the beast's vulnerability, they make me happy, and their love makes me happy.<br />
<br />
This book in particular is a retelling with a darker, more realistic twist. The hero, Adam, was badly burnt when he was just a young boy, and has been hiding for 25 (YES, TWENTY FIVE) years, not wanting the world to see his scarred face and body, and especially avoiding people, since he finds it very difficult to trust others after what happened to him, which we more know about as the story progresses.<br />
<br />
It broke my heart to see that Adam is actually quite nice! He didn't do anything to get all that! And he is just such a good person...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://mashable.com/2013/07/22/sad-gifs/#JrsDWghpqPqS" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mAEGq4lCAJs/WOjMW9coyEI/AAAAAAAAAv0/V6lmtqcm6Q4yTFOjF8aYDJUHU-j-rZMAwCLcB/s400/LifeUnfair.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I <u>loved</u> him, he is an incredible human being, and being able to read from his perspective as well was great, I really enjoy it when books include different POV's, so you get to know what goes on in the heads of both heroes. And Adam cared so much for Isabelle, he had so much goodness in his heart and he was oh so sweet and innocent.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"Would she give me my first kiss?"</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://popkey.co/m/Gez0e-pokemon-cry-tears-crying-sad" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bKkFZjQ60hU/WOjJfSckkzI/AAAAAAAAAvo/il6G9wtK-yUIXYsAgKgkWBQtn0elSGxeQCLcB/s400/CryingPokemon.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Isabelle is just as loveable, she's as kind as she's beautiful, and has been caring for her father since he became blind, which broke my heart into very tiny pieces. It's really heartbreaking to see her talk about her dad before he got ill and lost his sight, it felt like he was a different man.<br />
<br />
Her sisters are a pain though, I couldn't believe how selfish they were! I don't even know what Isabella's dad was thinking when he married their mother, since apparently they behaved just like her. I blame the dad, I do.<br />
<br />
Isabella is also engaged, but the guy is a complete douche. Not that she always saw him that way, she actually liked the man, until he started to show his true colors, but poor Isabelle didn't want to break off the engagement, since her dad needed all the attention he could get, and her fiancé Raphael had the money for that.<br />
<br />
Oh and not only is he a douche, but he even keeps a mistress and parades her in front of Isabelle...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jennssv/pin-aalllllll-the-supernatural-gifs/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uBP5thZONWo/WOjQlqBYwUI/AAAAAAAAAwA/sId3-joAXRY1e9tQTzoFn1Le5h6bpB6MwCLcB/s400/WhatEven.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Normal behavior for a man back then, but that's something I won't tolerate when it comes to my beloved heroines.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.tenor.co/view/my-little-pony-bronies-cute-gif-3966217" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UNgtr9P6K0A/WOjStmeQQ8I/AAAAAAAAAwM/7VgYh1b5jbcH0SgTuIaEjzNKOs3D6-d3gCLcB/s400/ComeAtMeBroPony.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Adam and Raphael are complete opposites, and it's endearing to see Adam try to make Isabelle forget about Raphael's mistreatment. The way their relationship develops is done very well and beautifully, I even found myself falling more and more in love with these two characters, since we get little pieces about both of them along the way.<br />
<br />
I also loved the role Adam's passion for music played in this. He's an amazing musician and, even though we can't hear his playing and singing, I could definitely feel from the pages how beautiful his music was and how it affected Isabelle.<br />
<br />
And I have to say that I'm so very glad we got an epilogue, and a great one at that! I always want my books to let me now what happened to the characters afterwards and, in <i>Beauty of the Beast</i>, it is done perfectly.<br />
<br />
<br />
Any <i>Beauty and the Beast </i>retelling you might recommend?<br />
<br /></div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-22593965730848957862017-03-31T23:40:00.000+02:002017-03-31T23:40:53.873+02:00Life on the Edge by Jennifer Comeaux<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13163303-life-on-the-edge" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2_NmD45sMK4/WNeXsLjc9eI/AAAAAAAAAuo/QbYJsGXWpmkuuPsZIthFWrvl9DwihIwJgCLcB/s400/LifeOnTheEdge.jpg" width="266" /></a><b style="color: #666666;"><br /></b>
<b style="color: #666666;">Title: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Life of the Edge (Edge #1)</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>Jennifer Comeaux</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> Astraea Press</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; margin-right: 1em;"><b>Genre: </b>Sports, Romance, Contemporary</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b>January 3, 2012</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span> <b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">NetGalley</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Nineteen-year-old Emily is new to pairs skating, but she and her partner Chris have a big dream-to be the first American team to win Olympic gold. Their young coach Sergei, who left Russia after a mysterious end to his skating career, believes they can break through and make history.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Emily and Chris are on track to be top contenders at the Winter Games. But when forbidden feelings spark between Emily and Sergei, broken trust and an unexpected enemy threaten to derail Emily's dreams of gold.</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**I received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I was really excited about reading this book, since (as far as I remember) I've never read a book about sports, and ice skating has always had an appeal to me, it's not only very demanding, but also incredibly beautiful.<br />
<br />
And who didn't grow up watching movies like <i>Ice Princess</i> starring Michelle Trachtenberg?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://maybellemilk.tumblr.com/post/30878232385/favorite-movies-ice-princess-2005-whats" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kDcZdP4pL7g/WNexBFvg2nI/AAAAAAAAAu4/rISuJfWzcNs4Y_-Q0SwHy5fWpIfKdQz1QCLcB/s320/IcePrincess.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Emily and Chris always made me feel like I was right there with them, feeling nervous just before every competition, and getting a smile on my face when they succeeded. You really feel their emotions, and I actually felt like crying once, it was very exciting.<br />
<br />
And Emily and Sergei were adorable. Sergei actually seemed too perfect to be true! He was such a sweetheart, and he respected Emily very much, which I really liked. I don't think I have anything bad to say about them. Although we start to notice that Sergei doesn't share anything about his past with Emily, but when it all finally comes to the light, it's something that, being Emily, I would've liked to know from the start, and wouldn't have liked to be kept in the shadows like that, so I completely understood her reaction and the way she handled things.<br />
<br />
Even so, I really liked Sergei, he's an admirable guy. Where are all the Sergei's at?<br />
<br />
Once people start finding out about their relationship, they share their opinion with Emily, and what they all say is actually pretty understandable! If you're finally making your dream of competing in the Olympics come true, it's only natural that others will freak out if you start dating your coach. What if you have a fight and it affects your performance on the ice? What if you break up and don't want to see him again? What if the federation find out? Emily obviously doesn't see this, since she's very much in love, but I did understand others people's worries.<br />
<br />
And I hadn't realized this was taking place in 2001! The attack to the World Trade center is included here and it's really well done, it brings people together and makes them realize what's actually important. I thought this was very beautiful.<br />
<br />
Another thing I hadn't realized at first was Emily's faith. She's a religious girl and has very strong beliefs, which Sergei respects.<br />
<br />
I enjoyed this book very much and hope I get the chance to see what happens to Emily's career in the future, and also to her relationship with Sergei, since they're oh so adorable.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Have you read any books about sports?<br />
<br /></div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-14767982248267984322017-03-20T16:39:00.000+01:002017-03-26T22:20:17.333+02:00Beauty and the Beast (2017)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yfWBYYdZLlo/WM_lo2yfqYI/AAAAAAAAAtM/yhL2FB8v3EwjDP3CEPxssqID0dUVJhwRQCLcB/s1600/Beauty_and_the_Beast_2017_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yfWBYYdZLlo/WM_lo2yfqYI/AAAAAAAAAtM/yhL2FB8v3EwjDP3CEPxssqID0dUVJhwRQCLcB/s400/Beauty_and_the_Beast_2017_poster.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Beauty_and_the_Beast_2017_poster.jpg" target="_blank">Image Source</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I can't believe this movie is finally here!! Seems like it was ages ago that it was announced, and I've been eagerly waiting ever since!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Every time someone would mention this movie I'd just get so excited (and oh so impatient). If you're a regular here, then you know <b>my undeniable passion for <i>Beauty and the Beast</i></b>, it's my favorite fairy tale and I can't get enough of it. And not only that, but Emma Watson playing Belle?? Honey, I grew up a Potterhead, and Hermione has always been one of my favorite characters. I really appreciate Emma's work as advocate for gender equality as well. Also, I'm a Disney Princess at heart (yes, I'll be an 80-year-old granny and still consider myself a Disney Princess, one is never too old for that, what's your point). So, how could I not be excited??</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Just to share this with you, I went to this movie knowing that I would be bawling throughout the whole thing. And boy was I right! I'm so lucky I decided to apply that coat of waterproof mascara on top of my regular one, God knows I would've left that cinema with a black streaked face if not.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/polonana102/disney-10-beauty-the-beast/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EJsCCV-9xtQ/WM_ndPTytII/AAAAAAAAAtY/g0d4GvyzoZoBGy0c7biQDa2Am3sC_hKaACLcB/s320/BeautyAndTheBeast_Crying.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This especially happened when they sang the original songs. I just lost it during the ball while they were dancing and all. Too many emotions. Too many childhood memories. Too much happiness.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.popsugar.com/love/Why-Beauty-Beast-Best-Disney-Movie-43119757" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-utN430Te2dE/WM_ou78fZxI/AAAAAAAAAtk/U-BMbUKCU-MFct_eGcmHL8YOago9HD_bgCLcB/s320/BeautyAndTheBeast_Ball.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Many people thought that it'd be a complete copy of the original, mostly because of the trailer, I guess. It bothered me a little bit that people would be so quick to criticize this before it was even out, just because they were completely sure that this would be like the trailer, like it would be the exact same thing. Why? Why condemn it when you don't even know for sure that that's how it's going to be?<br />
<br />
<b>There were a few things that weren't in the original version</b>, and I just loved them all. None of them felt unnecessary or like they were out of place or ruining the story, it was all very well done.<br />
<br />
AND OH MY GOD THAT BOOK HE HAS.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As for the actors, I have to say that Emma Watson really fit the part. Can someone tell me how one can be so incredibly beautiful?! How is that even possible?!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/coniscotto/emma-watson/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S_1dtW2iyak/WM_qtN-Km0I/AAAAAAAAAt0/nh_hj5LA4OYzlYGgdzoClfNrEvLCRSReQCLcB/s400/EmmaWatsonCute.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The beast was adorable and his lopsided smile melted my heart. I also loved the people from the castle (Lumière was incredibly funny!) and the designs were amazingly done, they all looked awesome (Mrs Potts was a bit harder to get used to at first, I'll admit).<br />
<br />
And two of the people that I think did a wonderful, wonderful job were Gaston and Lefou, they were just like the characters from the animated movie!! But don't get me wrong, I didn't see them as copies of the original ones, they both added their own touch to their characters and it was great, and let's just appreciate Luke Evans' singing for a moment, can we?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Luke-Evans-Beauty-Beast-43302299" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2PO1D3cLkTg/WM_vHzeFoMI/AAAAAAAAAuA/Bc_07lh5Z-4uLxIbxNeVd5A73vdDX91hACLcB/s320/Gaston.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b>Another thing I loved was the wardrobe</b>, Belle's dresses were always perfect and, honey, how I'd love to wear them myself, especially the blue one she usually wore. Beautiful. They were very simple, even the famous yellow dress.<br />
<br />
And I'm already seeing myself, doing my hair and makeup like Belle's everyday for the next few weeks. It's <i>Frozen</i> all over again, where I'd wear a braid like Elsa's and do my makeup just like hers (just a bit more subtle though) for days! I just can't help it :)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I also like how Disney is handling things when it comes to <b>diversity</b>. These past few years there has been more acceptance towards the LGBTQIA community, and I've actually read many people wondering if Disney will make a story about a gay character one day, especially a male one (understandable, I can't remember how many men I've heard criticize male homosexuals, while saying they love seeing girls together, but sexualizing the whole thing, of course), and I've actually seen many parents complain about it and say that they wouldn't want their children seeing that kind of relationship, because they wouldn't want to explain that, because how do you explain that to your child? (Yeah, I know, what the F).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/reaction-nOidmjYzVQMxO/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FbBBLYi1SjA/WM_0m5oXGPI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/PfGY0_lXEowCSFFWoOLpUmpD-oGhrxK2gCLcB/s200/BelleWhat.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Let me just say this: I'm a young woman, and there has never been a moment in my life when I first saw a gay couple and was all <i>"omg what is that?!"</i>, to me it's just always been kind of normal, it's always been there, although I did grow up in a sexist country, so I've seen how much hate gay men can get in such places. But I'd like to think that my own way of thinking represents that of today's youth, these new generations are seeing things with new eyes, and they're being more accepting, which really gives me hope for the future.<br />
<br />
And not only that, but there's also a guy in the movie who apparently enjoys wearing ladies' clothes.<br />
<br />
Disney is also including black actors for roles that were originally for white people. I especially noticed this in <i>Descendants</i> (loved it, happily waiting for the sequel - why yes, I'm never growing up, we established that already). And, of course, they're showing little girls that they can achieve whatever they want in life on their own.<br />
<br />
As you can see, I only have nice things to say about the movie. <b>My expectations were high</b>, and I left the cinema a very happy person. I really enjoyed it and I loved how it made me feel, like I was a child again. I even enjoyed the credits! They were so pretty...<br />
<br />
I hope you get the chance to see this and enjoy it as much as I do. This is a story that never gets old, and that deserves all the attention it gets.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/tw-2MSXxxvzEGNtC" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5X0yPYGYVOs/WM_1WQkr6XI/AAAAAAAAAuY/SNr-YMjbdksbjTS077zFarhfm010q05OgCLcB/s320/BeautyAndTheBeast_Ending.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Have you seen the movie? What did you think of it?<br />
<br />
Thank you for reading! ♥</div>
Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-27840641201036314842017-03-12T02:04:00.000+01:002017-03-12T02:04:49.767+01:00Manga Classics: Jane Eyre by Stacy King, Charlotte Brontë<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26591771-manga-classics" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yw3teZoaNYo/WLrltLJyPhI/AAAAAAAAAsk/raFsPGL6mNggbX7VCZQFeA6wn2_8FZU_wCLcB/s400/JaneEyreManga.jpg" width="280" /></a><b style="color: #666666;"></b><br />
<b style="color: #666666;"><b style="color: #666666;"><br /></b></b>
<b style="color: #666666;">Title: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Manga Classics: Jane Eyre</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>Stacy King, SunNeko Lee, Crystal S. Chan, Charlotte Brontë</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> Udon Entertainment & Morpheus Studios</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>Historical Fiction, Romance</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b>November 15, 2016</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span> <b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Publisher on </span><span style="color: #666666;">NetGalley</span><br />
<div style="color: #666666; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i>
<i>As an orphaned child, Jane Eyre is first cruelly abused by her aunt, then cast out and sent to a charity school. Though she meets with further abuse, she receives an education, and eventually takes a job as a governess at the estate of Edward Rochester. Jane and Rochester begin to bond, but his dark moods trouble her. When Jane uncovers the terrible secret Rochester has been hiding, she flees and finds temporary refuge at the home of St. John Rivers.</i></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="color: #666666;"><br /></i>
<i style="color: #666666;">Fully unabridged adaptation of the original Bronte classic. Universally appealing manga format brings new meaning and context to the story. Manga Classics on-going series of classic adaptations.</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books, so I was really excited to get my hands on this!<br />
<br />
This manga follows the plot of the original book without any additional changes, it just stays true to it, and we get some pretty adorable drawings. I just couldn't help but love Rochester's character here. It's one thing how you imagine a book's characters when you're reading, but seeing them drawn doing such exaggerated facial expressions... I do mean it in a good way though, I really liked it. Rochester can be pretty ridiculous at times, especially when he declares his love for Jane, so this characterization was spot on, if you ask me.<br />
<br />
Oh and Jane is adorable here!! It's actually quite funny how she looks like a little child and Rochester like a grown man. But it makes sense though, since he's <i>way</i> older.<br />
<br />
Sadly, there are some annoying characters as well, like Jane's cousin John... I always disliked that little rascal... And the guy who ran Jane's school when she was younger, I always thought it was so ridiculous how he would say that the girls who went there should not be vain, have naturally curly hair (for real?!) or whatever, but wait, his wife and daughters are incredibly fashionable and vain themselves, and they wear such expensive clothes...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://giphy.com/search/judging-you-gif" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1XVb7sKkLNM/WMMuRGRcikI/AAAAAAAAAs4/nlfoCkyrMs03gwh6VCIHj4yq6PwVDRZlQCLcB/s400/JudgingYou.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I really enjoyed getting into this story again, I liked reading about Jane once more and seeing her work hard and just wanting to be loved, since she never got that in her life. And seeing how nice and caring she is when it comes to Rochester as well. It all just breaks my heart.<br />
<br />
I think fans and new readers alike might enjoy this :)<br />
<br />
<br />
Have you ever read <i>Jane Eyre</i>? What are your thoughts on it?<br />
<br />
Thank you for reading! ♥ </div>
Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-89527147064545812052017-02-20T21:05:00.002+01:002017-02-27T22:54:35.408+01:00Forbidden by Katrina Snow<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27763505-forbidden-fantasy-romance" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ivudbJHdx7s/WKjduIN1PuI/AAAAAAAAArY/vo2JTxKrcoQ5gFg8WnRmxGmkhOzJb0JqgCLcB/s400/Forbidden.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="271" /></a><b style="color: #666666;"></b><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">Title: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Forbidden (A Zafarian Novel #1)</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>Katrina Snow</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> KL Andersen</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>Fantasy, Romance</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b>November 7, 2015</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span> <b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Publisher on NetGalley</span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Lady Katherine Durant has perfected the art of hiding her Gifts—a valuable skill in a land where any hint of sorcery could lead to the burning stake. But, hiding her Gifts isn’t the same as not using them, and that troublesome difference has led to capture each time she’s run from her uncle.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Now, using a newly-discovered spell, she binds her powers and flees again—this time for her life. Unfortunately, her plan to hide as a maid in a distant kingdom goes awry when she unwittingly gets entered into a festival competition for the hand of a prince—a man with a wicked kiss and a sense of adventure that rivals her own.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>All she’s ever hoped for is a quiet existence as a servant, never imagining she could find laughter and belonging and love. And now the mischievous prince has her dreaming of all those things.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>With a bounty on her head, sorcerers closing in, and a prince threatening to steal her heart, could it finally be time to stop running? Time to trust? Time to love? </i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGally in exchange for an honest review**</i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Let me just start by saying that Bregovi was incredibly difficult for my mind to think it right, it's like I was trying to pronounce it in my head, and the only thing I managed to say every time was Begrovi. So, for the sake of my sanity, I'll just call the guy Begrovi throughout this whole thing.<br />
<br />
Now, if I had to say how I felt about <i>Forbidden</i>, I'm not pretty sure what I would say, and I realized it was because, to me, this felt like two books in one. Let's just say that about the first 70% was book one and the other 30% was book two. And, in the first book, I could not stand Begrovi.<br />
<br />
But what kept me interested and wanting to read more was Kate. She is amazing, her past is really sad and I felt so bad for her. She's had to put up with so much, and pretty much being a slave, which is what she really was all those years. And now that she's run away (once again), she struggles to stay hidden and get as little attention as possible, which proves to be a lot of work.<br />
<br />
Begrovi was very selfish and didn't think about her feelings. He just wanted his new shiny toy, and he had to have it no matter what, even if he wouldn't get to keep it in the end.<br />
<br />
I thought it was so wrong to see him insist and encouraging Kate, so she would fall in love with him before he had to choose his actual bride... For real? You think Kate's just a toy to entertain yourself with for now? How nice of you to not think about her feelings and wanting to leave her heartbroken. How kind.<br />
<br />
He is a rake, it's very obvious he loves seducing women, and there was actually a point in the story where he was all "my affection for Kate be damned" and really wanted another woman, even though she was mean and annoying (and also after he said he liked Kate!). Wow, what a shallow guy. And he loves to play the victim as well, he always does everything right (according to him), and can't understand why Kate would be mad at him whenever he did something wrong.<br />
<br />
I wanted to punch him in the face.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://illinoispixels.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/using-giphy-the-gif-database-weve-been-waiting-for/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xqsUMuPD_4I/WKtL11SIO7I/AAAAAAAAAr0/f-eTNnDBJacgesn_DqnxmytvjFfkJj4dACLcB/s400/amenToast.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
On the other hand, Begrovi's sister's love interest was adorable! Rachel had been writing to a man, Sebastian, for a while, and he actually showed the same interest as her, but the king surprised her and had the same tournament organized for both his children, at the same time, which meant that Rachel had many guys fighting for her hand, and the one who won the biggest amount of games, would become her husband. Sebastian was so cute, he was so nervous about losing her that he kept messing up all the time, and he was so sweet to her, and respected her and said such nice things... Begrovi's complete opposite, as you can easily tell.<br />
<br />
But you see, I did mention that I couldn't stand Begrovi in what I call the first book, but I did like him a lot in book two! I don't know what happened, but suddenly he was so sweet and not selfish at all. It's like he had and epiphany or something, because I can't understand how that happened.<br />
<br />
And not only that! But this second book included so much action and fantasy, it was amazing! Kate's powers were very interesting and I kept wanting to know more. And we also meet other people who have different powers as well, and they're very cool! It was a real shame that we only get to see most of this at the very end. Seriously, if the whole thing had been like that, I would've loved this.<br />
<br />
<br />
Any similar books you recommend?<br />
<br /></div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-78782296657190749112017-02-12T02:45:00.002+01:002017-02-27T23:00:08.708+01:00Girl Online by Zoe Sugg, Siobhan Curham<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22510983-girl-online" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PlPrP-F0ELo/WJkPDn6IUQI/AAAAAAAAAqc/PYnizB4SpH8aoywh72jPQDuxvrSDHzGugCLcB/s400/GirlOnline.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="271" /></a><b style="color: #666666;"></b><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b style="color: #666666; font-weight: bold;">Title: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Girl Online (Girl Online #1)</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">Zoe Sugg, Siobhan Curham</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="color: #666666;">Atria / Keywords Press</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">Young Adult, Contemporary</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b></span><span style="color: #666666;">November 25, 2014</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span> <b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Publisher on NetGalley</span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><i>I had no idea GirlOnline would take off the way it has - I can't believe I now have 5432 followers, thanks so much! - and the thought of opening up to you all about this is terrifying, but here goes...</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><i>Penny has a secret.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><i>Under the alias GirlOnline, she blogs about school dramas, boys, her mad, whirlwind family - and the panic attacks she's suffered from lately. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets the gorgeous, guitar-strumming Noah. Suddenly Penny is falling in love - and capturing every moment of it on her blog.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><i>But Noah has a secret too. One that threatens to ruin Penny's cover - and her closest friendship - forever.</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**</i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
About a couple of years ago I used to watch Zoella's videos all the time, I really enjoyed them and looked up to her. I remember her mentioning this book back then when she was working on it, and I was really looking forward to it.<br />
<br />
Now, we all know about the whole ghostwriter scandal and what not. Zoella didn't exactly write this, but she created the story and had someone actually write it for her, and I think that what made people mad was the fact that it wasn't really pointed out that this is how it all went.<br />
<br />
But I don't care too much about that, it's all out in the open now and we can move on.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://wifflegif.com/tags/32344-zoella-gifs" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tw14ZfRDYTg/WJ-4SNgacZI/AAAAAAAAAqs/zD-uExBn7a8vkxWlm2rc2xiscQWA5asygCLcB/s200/zoella1.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Now, like I mentioned before, I liked Zoella a lot back then, so I've seen a lot of her videos and, from what I read here, it seems like Penny, the main character, is pretty much her. I mean, I know a few things about Zoella, so it felt like the book was not new to me at all, you know? It felt like I had already read part of it or something, I don't know...<br />
<br />
And Penny is actually very likeable, I think it's easy to relate to her. Who doesn't have a lot of embarrassing moments from their past? Or keeps having them every now and then...<br />
<br />
Although at first I couldn't understand her choice of friends, it's like she liked to be mistreated by them, but I'm glad she starts to value herself more by the end of the book. Because seriously, who's so mean that they can share someone's (especially a "friend's") incredibly embarrassing moment caught on video on social media!! I could never do something like that, it's awful!<br />
<br />
And Noah, Penny's love interest, is pretty adorable as well. I haven't liked the male heroes from the last books I've read, so this was definitely a nice change. Noah is hiding something from Penny though, which is obvious from the very beginning and it's not easy to figure out.<br />
<br />
Even though there's this misunderstanding regarding Noah's secret, they make things work and they're great together.<br />
<br />
Penny also has an amazing best friend named Elliot, who is very funny and, well, he does have his moments, but he is really cute in the end, and tries his best to be a good friend to Penny.<br />
<br />
This book has many cute, inspiring messages as well, which I guess was to be expected coming from Zoella.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.mtv.co.uk/tags/lena-dunham" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-to0qspAbsYw/WJ-9yg5AIrI/AAAAAAAAArI/2_42o8k8qn4P6KdJuqEO2XFfCjy6OqyHwCLcB/s320/zoella2.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Are you a fan of Zoella? What did you think of her book?<br />
<br /></div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-29897820454706281892017-02-03T00:54:00.000+01:002017-02-07T00:30:10.009+01:00To Win a Viscount by Frances Fowlkes<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30824170-to-win-a-viscount" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lJv52cu1OqM/WHtoprpsCFI/AAAAAAAAApE/Az5TLzioCwgApzMQ2BhEeV6rCoXSeU5-gCLcB/s400/ToWinAViscount.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<b style="color: #666666;">Title: </b><span style="color: #666666;">To Win a Viscount</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>Frances Fowlkes</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> Entangled Publishing, LLC (Scandalous)</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>Historical Fiction, Romance</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b>July 25, 2016</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>DNF (41%)</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span> <b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Author's Publicist</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>England, 1820. To gain a certain marquess’s notice, Lady Albina Beauchamp aims to win the derby. What she hadn’t planned for is the price handsome Mr. Edmund White asks in payment to train her to race: each lesson for a kiss.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>A first place finish isn't the only thing worth racing for.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Lady Albina Beauchamp is in love with the Marquess of Satterfield. Unfortunately, his only interest is in horses, and doesn’t know she exists. But when the marquess confesses he will bestow his undying admiration on the jockey racing the winning horse at Emberton Derby, Albina sets out to win his affections by training to race.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Mr. Edmund White is a master groomsmen for the Earl of Amhurst in line for a viscountcy, should he abandon his passion for horses and become a respectable sheep owner. But horses are his love--until he meets Lady Albina and her silly notions of racing. When she affirms she will enter the derby with or without his assistance, Edmund not only instructs his student in racing, but seduction as well.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>For Albina, a first place finish isn’t the only thing at stake. She must decide whether to take her place in society...or follow her heart and love a groom.</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review**</i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
About a year ago I read the first book in this series, and I loved it! I found it so sweet and beautiful, Henrietta and the Earl were a great couple, reading about their imperfections and flaws, and how much they cared about each other was very enjoyable. So when I had the chance to read the sequel, following the story of one of Henrietta's sisters, I thought I might also enjoy it. But boy, was I wrong.<br />
<br />
I think the main reason is that I really loved the Earl and Henrietta in the last book, I loved how broken they were (and let's be honest, I also loved the whole <i>Beauty and the Beast </i>vibe that was going on there, I'm a big fan of those). But there wasn't a single moment while reading <i>To Win a Viscount</i> when I actually liked the hero. In fact, I couldn't even stand the guy.<br />
<br />
In the first few chapters Edmund thinks so often about how he's bedded so many woman, how he had uncontrollable urges when he was younger and what not. Relax boy, I don't need to know all that, or that you can't seem to keep it in your pants.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/30-rock-eye-roll-liz-lemon-y7UOeSrNzY14k" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iQISnViRnxQ/WJPDKxJJVZI/AAAAAAAAApw/fc2ChHC7hOE2AcOiz_cBNxEwDA1hsvQ-wCLcB/s400/TinaFeyEyeRoll.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The Earl was much more sweet and less creepy than Edmund, what he thought most about was how hunted he was by his past and a former love of his, and also about the scar that covered half of his face and the pain that came with it. Edmund just seems to be thinking about women and sex.<br />
<br />
I loved to see how the Earl, who was Albina's protector, and the Duke (and owner of the derby) wanted Albina to race, while Edmund just kept shouting in his head "<i>BUT SHE'S A WOMAN!!</i>". Oh-My-God, Edmund, yes, she's a woman, we know already, you made that clear, and thanks to you I'll never forget that Lady Albina Beauchamp is a woman. Thank you.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://forums.defiance.com/archive/index.php/t-75074.html%3Fs%3D97384f86e099a8b4605d907459ecda02" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V3x3mrNinAk/WJPFT7ODncI/AAAAAAAAAp8/Mil0E63KWhsUkzTaeKKwOm3D7jO6mcG3gCLcB/s400/unimpressedClapping.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
If her protector and the owner of the derby are fine with Albina's wish, then just let it be! You're in no position to tell any of them what to do. And by the way, I was actually very surprised to see how freely he addressed them, no groom in his serious mind would do that.<br />
<br />
And even though he mentions so often that she's a woman and, on top of that, a lady, he doesn't seem to have any problems taking so many liberties with her. Sure, Mr. White, less than seven seconds of riding is definitely a day's lesson, surely you deserve "your payment", that kiss you asked from her when you told her you'd be training her for the derby... But oh no, please, just suit yourself and try to get more than a kiss while you're at it, even though it wasn't part of the deal <i>and</i> even though you're getting something out of it from the Earl: actual payment.<br />
<br />
He is so disrespectful that he even starts questioning Albina like crazy, like he has the right to know whatever he wants, but the moment she asks a simple question, he estates that they're not equals and what not, and that he shouldn't be telling her anything...<br />
<br />
I really tried reading this, I almost put it down more than once before I finally did, but decided against it and gave it another chance every time, especially because I liked the first book so much, but I just couldn't like Edmund, I couldn't.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.tenor.co/view/imout-bye-thebachelorette-gif-5599838" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O8oCtevsSeQ/WJPGe1DKIgI/AAAAAAAAAqI/aasjdVAlzm8qDH8M0PhDZS9M807q5axaACLcB/s400/imOut.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm sorry if this was just me ranting about how much I dislike Edmund White, but he was, after all, the reason I wasn't enjoying the story.<br />
<br />
<br />
Have you ever had this happen to you? Loving a book in a series and then not liking the sequel?<br />
<br /></div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-23307309417536818892017-01-28T18:08:00.001+01:002017-02-27T23:01:10.621+01:00The Christmas Project by Maxine Morrey<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32306652-the-christmas-project" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6xUOLj3Npik/WHKwid9dTCI/AAAAAAAAAok/vG5QlCkX3mk_A077wpzfqrsMikF8iXFLgCLcB/s400/TheChristmasProject.jpg" width="249" /></a><b style="color: #666666;"></b><br />
<b style="color: #666666;"><b style="color: #666666;">Title: </b><span style="color: #666666;">The Christmas Project</span></b><br />
</div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>Maxine Morrey</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> Harper Collins UK</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>Holiday, Romance</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b>November 14, 2016</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span> <b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Publisher on </span><span style="color: #666666;">NetGalley</span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Professional organiser Kate Stone has never – NEVER – been tempted to hit a client over the head with a snow shovel, but Michael O'Farrell is the most obnoxious – and heart-stoppingly gorgeous – man she has ever met. If he weren't her best friend’s brother, she would not have waited on his doorstep in the freezing cold for five minutes, let alone an hour.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Kate knows, however, that her job isn’t just about tidying up, sometimes she needs to be part therapist too, and Michael clearly needs her help to declutter his heart as well as his home.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>But with the festive season just around the corner there isn’t much time to get Michael’s house ready for the O’Farrell family celebrations, but everyone knows that at Christmas anything can happen…</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**</i></div>
<br />
Ok, so this book is very cute and has a great main character, I seriously loved reading about Kate! But I feel like I need to get some things off my chest about Mr. O'Farrell here, Kate's love interest.<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
My first impression of him was awful... I mean, the guy is super rude. And there are other things as well, especially as we get to see him more during those first encounters with Kate.<br />
<br />
Now, maybe this is a personal thing, but I'm just not into guys who sleep around. I also can't believe him when he plays the gentleman part, like he doesn't just pick a different hot girl to warm his bed every now and then. Maybe he says he respects them and that it's mutual and whatever, but the day he finds someone he wants to actually stay with... How is it going to work? I don't know, is it just me? Am I giving it too much thought? To me this guy doesn't care about women at all, he just wants satisfaction in the moment and would not be able to stay in a serious, committed relationship after leading this kind of life. I don't think it's that easy.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.tenor.co/view/oh-well-dam-gif-7381824" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9ERWzx3uiO0/WIzMNM7T6iI/AAAAAAAAApU/VU9LKO7xFZw3W5V5uXYwk_sQZVVe4oOqQCLcB/s400/OhWellNeilPatrickHarris.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Again, maybe this is a personal thing. But hey, I'm my own person, and this is my opinion.<br />
<br />
And honey, most of us have had our hearts broken, no need to blame everyone for it, it happens. From the very beginning we come to understand that his ex-wife had a bad personality and that she was very shallow, but I think that he "fell in love" with her because she was incredibly gorgeous, everyone around him told him how she was not good for him, but he was just blinded by her hotness, at least that's how I see it.<br />
<br />
Oh, and let's not forget about his temper...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://gifsec.com/funny/deep-sigh-gif-2015-and-sigh-gifs/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kOKH05hv8aI/WIzOMATFGCI/AAAAAAAAApg/UM5hmQ9HygUxpF0WsDXt6u0xNXJrSTYzACLcB/s400/DeepSigh.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Anyway, let's just get back to Kate, she's the one worth talking about.<br />
<br />
Kate is just incredibly nice and sweet, she works really hard and even volunteers at this animal shelter, I mean, come on! She's too good for you, Mr. O'Farrell, I'm sorry. You and those lost thongs under your bed can go now. And yes, Kate has a crappy boyfriend and their relationship is awful, but that doesn't make you any better.<br />
<br />
I also loved what she did for a living, even though it seemed like she just makes the place of a client more tidy and clean, in the end it can be so much more than that. She helped Michael have a real home, one where he could have his family over for Christmas.<br />
<br />
And I liked her even more once we find out about her past, it's amazing she grew up to be this incredible accomplished woman and that she's so nice and friendly.<br />
<br />
I guess I can say that I'm happy for Kate, even if she found happiness with Michael, she deserves whatever she wants in life.<br />
<br />
<br />
Any cute Christmas book you read this year?<br />
<br /></div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-43155947976447033382017-01-21T11:43:00.000+01:002017-01-21T11:47:31.956+01:00Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas by Jun Asuka<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30795613-disney-manga-tim-burton-s-nightmare-before-christmas" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E6nsbweudG4/WHKsLo6CvSI/AAAAAAAAAoY/zYtcnmKwwVcXfTuWehyNPjK-uKRwK06KgCLcB/s400/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
<b style="color: #666666;">Title: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>Jun Asuka</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> Diamond Book Distributors / Tokyopop</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>Manga, Holiday</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b>November 8, 2016</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>3/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span> <b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Publisher on </span><span style="color: #666666;">NetGalley</span><span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Manga publishing pioneer TOKYOPOP brings you a special edition gorgeous hardcover manga based on the classic Halloween masterpiece Disney Tim Burton s Nightmare Before Christmas. A must-have for manga fans, Tim Burton fans, and Halloween fans alike!! Collect this horrifying masterpiece!</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**</i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm a really big fan of the movie, I think it's amazing and so original, and the best part is: it's great to watch around Halloween <i>and</i> Christmas time!<br />
<br />
Something that makes this movie even better is the music, and I thought it was pretty cool that parts of some of the songs were included in this manga, it was a nice surprise.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Nightmare-Before-Christmas-GIFs-35991917#photo-35991917" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kv8SiAkfFsQ/WHtMpahAuaI/AAAAAAAAAo0/gQn4CPeBER4ydQ6jooP9lDfe81uks3VzQCLcB/s400/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas1.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I couldn't help but sing along while reading!<br />
<br />
The story here follows pretty much the same plot of the movie. And the drawings are great and so cute! Sally is not my favorite character ever, but I'll admit she looked adorable.<br />
<br />
A great read for the fans! :)<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-38252373313673047242017-01-10T21:00:00.001+01:002017-01-10T21:00:47.201+01:00Tainted Bride by A.S. Fenichel<div style="background-color: #fef6cf;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28795201-tainted-bride" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QCG95Vw9pjA/WENVxDIKyJI/AAAAAAAAAmU/KmG3jOCst8M1PnEQ671wZ8j_IvlqlX61gCLcB/s400/TaintedBride.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<b style="color: #666666;">Title: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Tainted Bride (Forever Brides #1)</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Author: </b>A.S. Fenichel</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publisher:</b> Lyrical Press</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Genre: </b>Historical Fiction, Romance</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Publication: </b>September 27, 2016</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><b>My Rating: </b>3.5/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span> <b style="color: #666666;">Source: </b><span style="color: #666666;">Publisher on </span><span style="color: #666666;">NetGalley</span><span style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Only trust can save her….</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Sailing to London, Sophia Braighton only hopes to escape certain ruin. But when she arrives, her Great Aunt Daphne has other plans for the American-born beauty. Determined to marry off her niece to a man of means, she propels Sophia into London society, not knowing that the young woman’s trust in men is shattered. In fact, Sophia never expects to ever feel anything for a man. Then again, she never expects to find herself in the company of the dashing earl of Marlton….</i></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>From the moment he sees Sophia, Daniel Fallon feels alive in a way he has not since his broken engagement. Though the vulnerable beauty shies from the passion burning bright between them, Daniel is determined to court her and make her his bride. And when he learns of the painful secret she harbors, he is equally determined to take revenge on the man responsible. But will the quest destroy him—and his future with his beloved?</i><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>**I received a free eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**</i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sophia has been hurt by a man, and her reputation suffered a lot after that. Since the attack, she finds it really hard to trust men, and can't see herself getting married to one. She thinks they just care about their own satisfaction and nothing else, and she can't stand the thought of having a man touch her.<br />
<br />
It's really sad to see that Sophia is blamed for what happened, like she was responsible for such a thing! And I have to say that I liked Sophia very much, she's so nice and wishes to help people who are in a similar situation as hers, which is actually very risky, since she could be once again involved in a scandal. But because of this, Sophia makes two great friends, and I love the relationship between these three girls. They really stick up for each other.<br />
<br />
Daniel was a very nice guy, but for some reason I wasn't too crazy about him, I think he was a bit immature at times.<br />
<br />
And I'm still not sure, but I think I might've liked Thomas better than Daniel, he was incredibly nice to Sophia and didn't judge her straight away without having any proofs, like Daniel did. Thomas met Sophia first, and was also captivated by her, although I don't think he actually fell in love with her, just appreciated her and admired her a lot.<br />
<br />
Something really interesting about this book is that the pace was just perfect, and it was like the whole thing contained only good parts! No, seriously. You know how, when you're reading, you might find yourself wanting to read like crazy to get to the good stuff? This book was pretty much all good stuff, I didn't feel the need to rush through things to get to the cool parts. Not bad, not bad!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.steamgifts.com/discussion/jIxTb/userscript-koncat" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RIaIGYLpVV0/WEs26kcmEqI/AAAAAAAAAmk/ra-sE9FyBUcFAmDw_WTyAflBzz2YYnETQCLcB/s320/notBad.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
And it was very sweet to see how badly Sophia wanted children and to form a family, but, since she didn't wish to marry, she didn't think she could have that in her life. And that awful man who hurt her wouldn't go away! I just felt so bad for her...<br />
<br />
I hate the double standards from that time, since it's rumored that Sophia might have shared her bed with a man, Daniel gets mad and runs off to his former mistress to make Sophia jealous, rub it in her face or whatever... And seriously, it just makes me so mad that men expect women to remain virgins until marriage, but they can fool around all they want (even after getting married), while saying awful things about prostitutes, their mistresses and such. Stop being such hypocrites!!... Ugh, I can't...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://weheartit.com/entry/group/5890488" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zjSdYgrVPs8/WEs490mEUnI/AAAAAAAAAmw/ZUgYlvSf2FoGFY16lxiCvrECeQnvg8PLwCLcB/s320/notAmusedSupernatural.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
But oh well, can't change the past now, can we?<br />
<br />
All in all, a very entertaining read if you like historical romances and a female lead to admire, it's also very nice to see how she gets over her fear of men step by step.<br />
<br />
Oh and can we also talk about how stupid Michael is? You don't ruin the reputation of the girl you like and then run off without saying a thing... I wonder how <i>that</i> story's going to end.<br />
<br />
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?<br />
<br /></div>
Thank you for reading! ♥ Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8344393626956523263.post-14121421614420297922017-01-02T19:29:00.000+01:002017-01-02T19:29:34.139+01:00My Year In Books (2016 Edition)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PnzZI_KMbEI/Vz5sz-umxNI/AAAAAAAAAQI/5iwgIyPR9J8ZL-1eAWJHEcrxXL_nFVIigCPcB/s200/ACOMAF.jpg" width="131" /> <img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MoB4Pvq95Ag/V_zLUkxpW-I/AAAAAAAAAfQ/mGkXhJtfTvsjQJbpcfJw5Eq34WaPDfJkgCPcB/s200/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild.jpg" width="132" /> <img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s3JKvPYS7dU/V3id0D_Vg0I/AAAAAAAAAXs/F0hdq-PUUnEj38iYJoyROy4rhGFJp-zCgCPcB/s200/HarleyQuinn4.jpg" width="131" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Another year has gone by and I've read so many great books!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">
Last year I shared with you all the books I had read in 2015 and I thought it was pretty fun! So I thought I'd do the same this year :)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My challenge for 2016 was to read 40 books, and I read 52!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.reactiongifs.us/minions-cheering-despicable-me/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HSrlzgRXj2A/WGfB9gZc6TI/AAAAAAAAAoE/nlkwk4qAHiYZOsUn3IKGMgUKKD74KI_3wCLcB/s320/MinionsExcited.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, I actually read 53, but one of the books wasn't on Goodreads.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And here are some of my Goodreads statistics and the books I read:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vq21hzECs7s/WGcQYeZA9XI/AAAAAAAAAnw/MMqsBkjk1vUc76hP6Jx15Wp2_kmXQH_MgCLcB/s1600/Goodreads2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vq21hzECs7s/WGcQYeZA9XI/AAAAAAAAAnw/MMqsBkjk1vUc76hP6Jx15Wp2_kmXQH_MgCLcB/s640/Goodreads2016.jpg" width="585" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27181052-henchgirl" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27181052-henchgirl" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1464286249l/27181052.jpg" width="128" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28400072-poison-ivy" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28400072-poison-ivy" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453027524l/28400072.jpg" width="130" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26308949-a-duchess-in-name" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26308949-a-duchess-in-name" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447851996l/26308949.jpg" width="126" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Henchgirl</b> <i>(Dakota Kekoa #1) </i>by Rita Stradling</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death #1</b> by Amy Chu, Clay Mann</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A Duchess in Name</b><i> (The Grantham Girls #1)</i> by Amanda Weaver</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28375227-pawn-of-the-phoenix" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28375227-pawn-of-the-phoenix" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451327634l/28375227.jpg" width="129" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28247772-christmas-with-the-vampire" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28247772-christmas-with-the-vampire" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1450568864l/28247772.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26310351-pretty-poison" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26310351-pretty-poison" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441928837l/26310351.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
<b>Pawn of the Phoenix</b><i> (The Memory Collector #2)</i> by Jamie McLachlan<br />
<b>Christmas with the Vampire</b> <i>(Heartblaze) </i>by Shay Roberts<br />
<b>Pretty Poison</b> by Lynne Barron<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21900575-days-of-throbbing-gristle" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21900575-days-of-throbbing-gristle" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402905979l/21900575.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28572802-escaping-the-prince" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28572802-escaping-the-prince" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452875341l/28572802.jpg" width="129" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25810153-new-suicide-squad-volume-2" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25810153-new-suicide-squad-volume-2" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453058677l/25810153.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Days of Throbbing Gristle</b> by Kevin Cole</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Escaping the Prince</b> by Lorraine O'Byrne</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>New Suicide Squad, Volume 2: Monsters</b> <i>(New Suicide Squad #2)</i> by Sean Ryan</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28800950-through-the-veil" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28800950-through-the-veil" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1454089803l/28800950.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26067583-batgirl-volume-2" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26067583-batgirl-volume-2" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453304222l/26067583.jpg" width="130" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25898454-soul-to-keep" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25898454-soul-to-keep" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445052666l/25898454.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Through the Veil </b><i>(Aisling Chronicles #1)</i> by Colleen Halverson</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Batgirl, Volume 2: Family Business</b> <i>(Batgirl, Volume IV #7) </i>by Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher, Babs Tarr</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Soul to Keep</b><i> (Vampire Sorority Sisters #3) </i>by RebekahWeatherspoon</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23494034-the-princess-wore-plaid" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23494034-the-princess-wore-plaid" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1435044036l/23494034.jpg" width="128" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26067690-danganronpa--the-animation--volume-1" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26067690-danganronpa--the-animation--volume-1" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1454295332l/26067690.jpg" width="141" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29477105-lord-haven-s-deception" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29477105-lord-haven-s-deception" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1457641973l/29477105.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>The Princess Wore Plaid</b> <i>(The Oxenburg Princes #2.5)</i> by Karen Hawkins</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Danganronpa - The Animation - Volume 1 </b><i>(Danganronpa - The Animation #1)</i> by Spike Chunsoft, Dave Steward</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Lord Haven's Deception</b> by Donna Lea Simpson</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12578077-obsidian" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12578077-obsidian" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328275091l/12578077.jpg" width="128" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7735333-matched" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7735333-matched" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1367706191l/7735333.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25785932-snoopy" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25785932-snoopy" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1444694598l/25785932.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Obsidian</b><i> (Lux #1)</i> by Jennifer L. Armentrout</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Matched</b> <i>(Matched #1)</i> by Ally Condie</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Snoopy: Party Animal </b>by Charles M. Schulz</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16096824-a-court-of-thorns-and-roses" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16096824-a-court-of-thorns-and-roses" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480113012l/16096824.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15839984-cruel-beauty" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15839984-cruel-beauty" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371652590l/15839984.jpg" width="132" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25241707-gotham-academy-vol-2" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25241707-gotham-academy-vol-2" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456424381l/25241707.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A Court of Thorns and Roses<i> </i></b><i>(A Court of Thorns and Roses #1)</i> by Sarah J. Maas</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Cruel Beauty</b> <i>(Cruel Beauty Universe #1)</i> by Rosamund Hodge</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Gotham Academy, Vol. 2: Calamity</b><i> (Gotham Academy #2)</i> by Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl, Mingjue Helen Chen, Msassyk</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12254451-tiger-s-curse" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12254451-tiger-s-curse" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328308058l/12254451.jpg" width="140" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13489919-the-duchess-war" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13489919-the-duchess-war" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1363009176l/13489919.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28542984-bob-s-burgers" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28542984-bob-s-burgers" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1457890217l/28542984.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Tiger's Curse </b><i>(The Tiger Saga #2)</i> by Colleen Houck</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>The Duchess War</b> <i>(Brothers Sinister #1)</i> by Courtney Milan</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Bob's Burgers: Well Done</b> by Loren Bouchard, Jeff Drake, Tom Connor, Anthony Aguinaldo, Frank Forte, Ben Dickerson</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16086630-is-it-just-me" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16086630-is-it-just-me" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1350254108l/16086630.jpg" width="129" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26311082-everealm" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26311082-everealm" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441941469l/26311082.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16071020-scarlet" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16071020-scarlet" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349574226l/16071020.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Is It Just Me?</b> <i>(Is It Just Me? #1) </i>by Miranda Hart</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Everealm<i> </i></b><i>(Everealm #1)</i> by J.D. Wright</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Scarlet</b> <i>(The Lunar Chronicles #2)</i> by Marissa Meyer</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17927395-a-court-of-mist-and-fury" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17927395-a-court-of-mist-and-fury" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452783825l/17927395.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25246596-court-of-the-dead" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25246596-court-of-the-dead" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455765280l/25246596.jpg" width="163" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26074181-the-crown" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26074181-the-crown" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1446759650l/26074181.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A Court of Mist and Fury</b> <i>(A Court of Thorns and Roses #2)</i> by Sarah J. Maas</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Court of the Dead: The Chronicle of the Underworld </b>by Tom Gilliland, Landry Q. Walker, Corinna Sara Bechko, Sideshow Collectibles</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>The Crown</b> <i>(The Selection #5)</i> by Kiera Cass</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30174129-portrait-of-passion" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30174129-portrait-of-passion" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1463038713l/30174129.jpg" width="129" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28349922-the-ultimate-truth-knowledge-wisdom" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28349922-the-ultimate-truth-knowledge-wisdom" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1457892361l/28349922.jpg" width="125" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28109897-harley-quinn-vol-4" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28109897-harley-quinn-vol-4" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465646549l/28109897.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Portrait of Passion</b> <i>(Idyllwild #1) </i>by Lynne Barron</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>The Ultimate Truth, Knowledge & Wisdom</b> by Sanjay Goel</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Harley Quinn, Vol 4: A Call to Arms</b><i> (Harley Quinn Vol. II #4) </i>by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Chad Hardin</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27131006-doodletopia" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27131006-doodletopia" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1460909973l/27131006.jpg" width="156" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30002513-alice-in-wonderland" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30002513-alice-in-wonderland" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462161601l/30002513.jpg" width="130" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29083263-royal-enchantment" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29083263-royal-enchantment" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455335973l/29083263.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Doodletopia: Manga: Draw, Design, and Color Your Own Super-Cute Manga Characters and More </b>(Includes Bonus Manga Crafts and Cut-Outs) by Christoper Hart</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Alice in Wonderland: Special Collector's Manga</b> by Jun Abe</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Royal Enchantment</b> <i>(Skeleton Key)</i> by Lia Davis</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25863713-dawn-at-emberwilde" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25863713-dawn-at-emberwilde" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436236530l/25863713.jpg" width="131" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28109694-my-fair-princess" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28109694-my-fair-princess" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1454443442l/28109694.jpg" width="122" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27416037-a-duke-to-remember" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27416037-a-duke-to-remember" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1464045273l/27416037.jpg" width="124" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Dawn at Emberwilde</b> <i>(Treasures of Surrey #2) </i>by Sarah E. Ladd</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>My Fair Princess</b> <i>(The Improper Princesses #1)</i> by Vanessa Kelly</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A Duke to Remember </b><i>(Season for Scandal #2)</i> by Kelly Bowen</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30630319-disney-kilala-princess-volume-1" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30630319-disney-kilala-princess-volume-1" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466048962l/30630319.jpg" width="125" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28109909-batgirl-volume-3" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28109909-batgirl-volume-3" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1471287497l/28109909.jpg" width="128" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9460487-miss-peregrine-s-home-for-peculiar-children" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9460487-miss-peregrine-s-home-for-peculiar-children" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472782916l/9460487.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Disney Kilala Princess Volume 1</b> <i>(Kilala Princess #1) </i>by Rika Tanaka, Nao Kodaka</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Batgirl, Volume 3: Mindfields</b> <i>(Batgirl, Volume IV #8)</i> by Cameron Stewart, Brendan Fletcher, Babs Tarr, Rob Hayes, Eleonora Carlini, Moritat, Ming Doyle</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children</b><i> (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children #1)</i> by Ransom Riggs</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30055885-a-thousand-salt-kisses" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30055885-a-thousand-salt-kisses" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461942757l/30055885.jpg" width="135" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29496288-harley-quinn-vol-5" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29496288-harley-quinn-vol-5" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1481235276l/29496288.jpg" width="130" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29069989-harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-parts-1-2" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29069989-harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-parts-1-2" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470734340l/29069989.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A Thousand Salt Kisses<i> </i></b><i>(Salt Kisses #1)</i> by Josie Demuth</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Harley Quinn, Vol 5: The Joker's Last Laugh<i> </i></b><i>(Harley Quinn Vol. II #5)</i> by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Chad Hardin</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2</b><i> (Harry Potter #8) </i>by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26796684-bird-magic" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26796684-bird-magic" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1468230109l/26796684.jpg" width="161" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32187611-children-of-the-veil" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32187611-children-of-the-veil" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1478113019l/32187611.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29430701-how-the-secret-changed-my-life" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29430701-how-the-secret-changed-my-life" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475460779l/29430701.jpg" width="155" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Bird Magic: Wisdom of the Ancient Goddess for Pagan and Wiccans</b> by Sandra Kynes</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Children of the Veil</b> <i>(Aisling Chronicles #2)</i> by Colleen Halverson</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>How The Secret Changed My Life: Real People, Real Stories </b>by Rhonda Byrne</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18878060-from-gods" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18878060-from-gods" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1463958274l/18878060.jpg" width="132" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28795201-tainted-bride" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28795201-tainted-bride" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1467212802l/28795201.jpg" width="133" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17791503-wucaii" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17791503-wucaii" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465762592l/17791503.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
<b>From Gods</b> <i>(Descendant Prophecies #1)</i> by Mary Ting<br />
<b>Tainted Bride</b> <i>(Forever Brides #1)</i> by A.S. Fenichel<br />
<b>Wucaii </b>by Pembroke Sinclair<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32492338-christmas-at-the-castle" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32492338-christmas-at-the-castle" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475818822l/32492338.jpg" width="133" /></a> </div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Christmas at the Castle</b> <i>(Ever After) </i>by Melissa McClone<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: large;">Currently Reading</span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30795613-disney-manga-tim-burton-s-nightmare-before-christmas" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30795613-disney-manga-tim-burton-s-nightmare-before-christmas" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475179344l/30795613.jpg" width="141" /></a> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32306652-the-christmas-project" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32306652-the-christmas-project" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1475065822l/32306652.jpg" style="text-align: justify;" width="124" /></a></div>
<b>Disney Manga Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas</b> by Jun Asuka<br />
<b>The Christmas Project</b> by Maxine Morrey</div>
<br />
<br />
Now it's time to think how many books I should read for my Goodreads Challenge next year, I guess it should be more than the number I read this year, right? To make things interesting...<br />
<br />
I hope you found something to your liking!<br />
<br />
And I wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/ross-gellar-monica-the-routine-TcvaohKVy28Ni" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bj4P6svD_9s/WGfBvWG4-FI/AAAAAAAAAoA/bJwnC8d2buACODi-Pp18I4yQXUqDo1fDwCLcB/s400/FriendsRoutineNewYears.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Thank you for reading! ♥Carla @ Lipstick and Mochahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16386857288207472411noreply@blogger.com8