Chick Lit · Contemporary · Humor/Funny · Romance

Neanderthal seeks human – Penny Reid

17673307| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: There are three things you need to know about Janie Morris: 1) She is incapable of engaging in a conversation without volunteering TMTI (Too Much Trivial Information), especially when she is unnerved, 2) No one unnerves her more than Quinn Sullivan, and 3) She doesn’t know how to knit.

After losing her boyfriend, apartment, and job in the same day, Janie Morris can’t help wondering what new torment fate has in store. To her utter mortification, Quinn Sullivan- aka Sir McHotpants- witnesses it all then keeps turning up like a pair of shoes you lust after but can’t afford. The last thing she expects is for Quinn- the focus of her slightly, albeit harmless, stalkerish tendencies- to make her an offer she can’t refuse.

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My thoughts: Sometime I wish that GoodReads had the function to choose half stars when it comes to rating. Because this is one of those books that are more a 4 star in rating than a 2 but did not quite reach all the way. So more like 3,5. It is a good book, I liked it, but the 300 + pages of self esteem rant totally destroyed it for me.

Janie is a great character. She is a little naive, stuck in her own head and do not have the best ways to handle feelings. She is witty, a lot insecure and a lot more “girl” than what you first would think. And by that I mean, that constant rant about how “big” she is, tall, big feet, big hands, big ass, big hair and so on. Everything is big with her. She is according to herself not beautiful, and definitely not in a league for a good looking man like Quinn. And when she is done ranting about her body, she goes on to her mind and personality. She is freaky, she talks to much, she can’t flirt, she know too much uninteresting trivia, she is uncontrollably gabby, and on and on and on. And when she is done with that, she starts to rant about events, what she did that particular event and what the persons there did, reacted and so on. I do understand low self esteem. Been there, done that and at some ways still are fighting with it. Everybody does! But there is a limit of how big part of a book it should take. I’m not a big fan of mental insecurity and angst. Some can be great. Too much I just feel I want to punch the character in question and say “there is more to life than this”. It should not take over. And here it takes it all.

If we scaled it back like 50% but kept the rest of the story, I would probable be a five star, freaking loved the book, book. So that’s too bad. Reid did however do a great job with not including Quinn in this rant. He did not confirm or deny her verbal rants. (The most of them was mental though). I loved that he didn’t try to change her toughs through words, but by action. And he kept asking her, pushing her out of her shell and genuinely was intrigued by her mind and personality. So the rants did ease up a bit towards the end. It is a great love story where there is more than a female with hot sexy body and a alpha caveman, with psychotic tendency. Besides, I did learn a lot of facts since Janie is a trivia nut and talk about a lot I didn’t know but now do.

Great story. Funny. Loved the way it started. The whole situation with family and friends was funny and awesome. Was some angst, but not much and it was quickly over. Loved that there was several bad situations but they had not much to do with each other. There is no cliff-hanger, nicely tided together in the end! Can be a great series to follow. Not every girl in this series is like Janie I hope. One is enough.

Contemporary · Humor/Funny · Romance

Christmas from hell – R.L Mathewson

27742535.jpg| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: Duncan Bradford is used to putting other people first even the annoying little jinx that lives next door, but when the unexpected happens and he starts to see her in a whole new light, he decides that it’s time that he acts more like a Bradford and takes what he wants.

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My thoughts: Sometimes I feel for an easy read. A book that is funny, easy and a little predictable. A book you just read for the happiness of it. A book that makes your mind rest for a bit. I often feel to read this kind of books after I have read something big or boring, difficult or just not that pleasing mentally. Many would say that these books are simple and not real literature. But to make me laugh or cry to a book is the hardest thing for an author to do. And if you succeed with that, you have succeeded to write real literature in my opinion. And R.L Mathewson has certainly succeeded with that.

This is the 7th book in the series about the Bradford family. After 6 books, I know what to expect and I was not disappointed. We meet Duncan who haven’t been a big character in the other books. But he is an original Bradford trough and trough with the food obsession and everything. Then we met Necie, who is a queen in both cooking and baking. I would have thought the relationship between Duncan and Necie would start off from the beginning with his food obsession and her skills with food. But Necie is one unlucky person who keeps hurting herself or Duncan so he “hates” her and tries to avoid her at all costs. And the whole thing is just hilarious. Hilarious!

There is not one book in this series who have gotten a lower score than 4 by me and this one must be one of my favorites. It is just that good. It is funny and relatable and it just makes me happy. Exactly what I wanted when I picked it up.

Contemporary · Humor/Funny · Romance

Grin & beard it – Penny Reid

23337863.jpg| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: Sienna Diaz is everyone’s favorite “fat” funny lady. The movie studio executives can’t explain it, but her films are out-grossing all the fit and trim headliners and Hollywood’s most beautiful elite. The simple truth is, everyone loves plus-sized Sienna.

But she has a problem, she can’t read maps and her sense of direction is almost as bad as her comedic timing is stellar. Therefore, when Sienna’s latest starring role takes her to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park she finds herself continually lost while trying to navigate the backroads of Green Valley, Tennessee. Much to her consternation, Sienna’s most frequent savior is a ridiculously handsome, charming, and cheeky Park Ranger by the name of Jethro Winston.

Sienna is accustomed to high levels of man-handsome, so it’s not Jethro’s chiseled features or his perfect physique that make Sienna stutter. It’s his southern charm. And gentlemanly manners. And habit of looking at her too long and too often.

Sienna has successfully navigated the labyrinth of Hollywood heart-throbs. But can she traverse the tenuous trails of Tennessee without losing her head? Or worse, her heart?

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My thoughts: I’m in love. Yes I am. I’m in love with Penny Reid. And even though i’m straight I can totally appreciate beauty. Specially if you have the beautiful gift of writing. Which Reid totally has. And it is so obvious in this book.

I’m that kind of reader who makes faces when I read. I smile, frown, I cry and even look bored if the book is boring. But I do NOT laugh out loud, hardly ever cry so that other notice, gasp or talk to the book and the characters. Do you still follow me here? Okay… but this book started with me laughing out loud. Yes. I was like 4 pages in, it was 06:22 am in the morning and it totally made me laugh and I was hooked there and then. The book is highly funny in this sarcastic, in your face, type of way and I totally love it.

I have read one book by Reid earlier (the first book to this series, this one is the second). And even though I really liked it, I did not LOVE it. Not like I love this one.

The characters is just wonderful and it is nice to really get to know them more. Cletus (who is not the main character in this book) has such a big part and you can’t do anything other than loving him, and looking forward to his own book. Sienna is wonderfully quirky, funny and has like “joke diarrhea” which is funny as hell. Jethro is this dark, brooding type of man who is trying to make amends for his past and make everything right by his family and friends. He is open, funny and lovable if given the chance and him and Sienna really match each other perfectly.

I thought, half way through the book, that some shit would happen and you would get this tense, anguished and mentally exhausted part, but it never came and it was so uplifting that Reid not followed the mainstream way, that seems to be dominating in this types of books. And that just made it all that much better.

Contemporary · Humor/Funny · Mystery/Crime · Romance

Spotless – Camilla Monk

30197979.jpg| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: Island Chaptal—nerdy IT engineer by day, romance novel junkie by night—just walked into her messy New York apartment to find Mr. Right waiting for her. No, wait…Mr. Clean.

A gentleman professional killer with a bad case of OCD and zero tolerance for unsorted laundry, March isn’t there to kill her…yet. He wants the diamond her late mother stole for a sinister criminal organization. Island agrees to help him find it, facing the kind of adversaries who dismember first and ask questions later. Good thing she’s got March to show her the ropes. And the guns. And the knives.

The buttoned-up Island is soon having a blast racing from Paris to Tokyo following the clues in her mother’s will, and for the first time, she’s ready to get close to someone. But falling for a hit man may be the very definition of loving dangerously.…

Spotless marks the beginning of Island and March’s ongoing adventures.

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My thoughts: This is the first book of an series that an friend have recommended me. I finally got to the first book and I do not have words for what I’m feeling right now. I’m in love. In love with March and his bad OCD. He is such an broken soul and my heart cries for him. There is an little story in the book (about how he was caught and thrown in prison as an teenager) and it made me cry. It is so bad. Maybe it effected me so much because I have been there, but no longer are. Not as bad anyway. And I can still understand and relate. I really like Island even though that she is a little stupid. Or no, not stupid, but naive is probably the better word. It was some bits in the book that I was just angry at her and her actions. Come one, use your head. You are suppose to be smart. But yeah, if you are a little naive maybe it isn’t that easy.

The story is exciting, speedy and really cliffhanging. I could not stop reading and read this book in one go. I only stopped to eat and use the bathroom. That is how good this book was. But afterwards my head hurt a lot and that I cried to the ending did not help. I can’t handle this long reading sprees as well anymore. I’m getting old. 😉

There is 3.5 more books in this series so I know I will get to meet them all again, but I have had trouble to decide if I should continue the series right away or wait a bit. I chose to wait. Mostly because if the second book is as good as the first, I do not want to start it right before a new work week. I need some free time if it will be the same again. That is how good this book was. 😀

Fantasy/Paranormal · Fiction/Science Fiction · Humor/Funny

The Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy – Douglas Adams

386162| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Seconds before Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.

Together, this dynamic pair began a journey through space aided by a galaxyful of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two-headed, three-armed, ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian (formerly Tricia McMillan), Zaphod’s girlfriend, whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; and Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he’s bought over the years.

Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? For all the answers, stick your thumb to the stars!

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My thoughts: This is not (and please don’t shoot me) some literary wonder, where the book will make some big impact on you, your life or/and cause you some sleepless nights. No, nothing like that. I didn’t expect that either. I haven’t seen the movie and all I knew beforehand about the book was that the answer is 42.

But what is my thoughts about the book? Well, it is okay. Kind of funny sometimes. Really light read. But maybe not in my taste. I don’t know really. It is okay. A great book for the younger people. Don’t feel that much for it so I really don’t have that much to say. Will probably not continue the series.

Contemporary · Humor/Funny · Romance · Young, New adult/College

Truth or Beard – Penny Reid

23314731| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Identical twins Beau and Duane Winston might share the same devastatingly handsome face, but where Beau is outgoing and sociable, Duane is broody and reserved. This is why Jessica James, recent college graduate and perpetual level-headed good girl, has been in naïve and unhealthy infatuation with Beau Winston for most of her life.

His friendly smiles make her tongue-tied and weak-kneed, and she’s never been able to move beyond her childhood crush. Whereas Duane and Jessica have always been adversaries. She can’t stand him, and she’s pretty sure he can’t stand the sight of her…

But after a case of mistaken identity, Jessica finds herself in a massive confusion kerfuffle. Jessica James has spent her whole life paralyzed by the fantasy of Beau and her assumptions of Duane’s disdain; therefore she’s unprepared for the reality that is Duane’s insatiable interest, as well as his hot hands and hot mouth and hotter looks. Not helping Jessica’s muddled mind and good girl sensibilities, Duane seems to have gotten himself in trouble with the local biker gang, the Iron Order.

Certainly, Beau’s magic spell is broken. Yet when Jessica finds herself drawn to the man who was always her adversary, now more dangerous than ever, how much of her level-head heart is she willing to risk?

My thoughts: I had this book in my kindle for months. It had such good reviews that I felt that this book/series I needed to read. And when I finally got around to do it, I wasn’t disappointed.

In this book you are introduced to the Winston brothers. There is 6 brothers and one sister. They are a tight family, who hadn’t have the best childhood. They all have their own quirks and seem to be characters I will be falling in love with in the future. This book is mostly about Duane and Jessica. I love Duane. The first impression of him is so wrong and when you get to meet the real Duane, you fall hard. Jessica is a warm and really likable characters. I often has problems with female characters in this kind of books but not Jessica. She is a grown up, funny, strong woman with enough self perspective to stop her self when she sees she is being ridicules. I LOVE THAT!

The whole book was realistic and the story felt real. It was a really great book that many times made my chest retract and give me that anxiety/tingling feeling in my stomach. I was on pins and needles when I read and tried to get to the good parts where the truth was out and everything was as it should be. Unfortunately I was missing something, I felt it was a bit slow sometimes and that´s the reason to why I cant give it a full 5 stars.

It is an adorable book and i really looking forward to read more.

Contemporary · Humor/Funny · Romance

Double Dare – R.L Mathewson

22593948.jpg| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: Marybeth still couldn’t believe that she’d survived this long with a friend like Darrin, but somehow she’d managed to beat the odds and not give in to temptation and smother him with a pillow while he slept.

Of course some days were more difficult than others…

For twenty years he’s been biding his time, waiting for the right moment to make his move and now that it was here…
He couldn’t seem to stop screwing up.

My thoughts:I Love the neighbor from hell series. I stumbled over the first book as an freebie at Amazon last year when I just had bought my kindle. Didn’t know what to expect but I laughed, cried and loved the first book and off course had to read more. This is the sixth book in the series and the journey have been great. It’s sad to think that is soon over. If I’m remember correctly there only gonna be 10 books.

This book however was not my favorite but it still was really good. Hadn’t it been for the great emotional story line, I would probably not have liked it that much. Because it was a little to much drama and deceiving. Darrin is an great character. A little to chicken for his own good. That’s the same for Marybeth to actually.

Then we have the family Bradford. Haha. You can’t do anything other than laugh. They are just so fantastic and if I ever would meet a family like that I would be terrified since I know how to cook, cook pretty well and actually likes to cook.

Mathewson says that you can read the books in the series as a stand alone, except for this one. Because Darren and Marybeth are also in the fifth book (not with a big part) and the main characters from the fifth book have a big part in the this one (makes sense?), so for your own peace of mind I do recommend that you start with the fifth book if you not want to read the others. Me however has big problem with not reading series in orders even if they are stand alone or not. But that’s just me.

One more thing, don´t let the books cover fool you. Every book in the series has something like that. I think the cover is kind of cheesy and not that appealing, but the books are so great. To bad how a cover can be destroying.