I thought Red Fox was definitely better than the first book, Darkhouse. Though there are still some annoying little bits in the book, mostly made by Perry. Like venturing off alone and not telling anyone.😒 Or Dex leaving Perry again. Or the fact that they are still denying the truth about what they see even as they are still reeling from the incidents in the first book.

I do like the character development in this book. We discover more things about our main protagonists, or why they are the way they are. Also, the relationship. It's what I actually love about the first two books. The slow romantic build-up. The tension and waiting if they will or they won't act on what they feel.💕

I still do find them a little bit unconventional and quirky. Dex is strange and very hard to read. I find myself questioning his reactions and answers like Perry. 😔

And Perry, has a lot of issues. The lying, I understand, but still...She could do without those and be at a much better place. But they are growing on me.

Maybe because I don't know anyone in my life who acts the way they do. Or I've been led to believe by other romance novels that there are certain ways people need to act when they like each other. Maybe.

The book wasn't as scary as I initially thought, though. I'd be more scared of paranormal and ghosts stuff than what Perry and Dex encountered in this book. It didn't make me want to leave the light or TV on to go to sleep, which the first one did, BTW.

All in all, a good second book in the series. I rated this book 4★★★★ in Goodreads.

Finally! The third installment of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series, 3rd Degree, got my attention. While the first two books of the series were okay, the whole thing fell flat for me. It took me so long to finish both books because there wasn't enough suspense to keep me going. I just could not keep the pages turning.

This is the cover of my ebook

Rating:  * * * *

I wanted to give this a 5 out 5 star rating because I really enjoyed the book. Proof of that is the length of time it took me to finish the book: 2 days. That's despite of the fact that I have an 8-5 job and a total of 4 hours commute to contend with.

However, I have some reservations about the it. Yeah, it was quite funny and entertaining. The premise of the story is a bit different from the paranormal novels I've read so far. And the characters are very likeable.

Charley was snarky, witty, apparently beautiful, and a grim reaper. Yeah, kind of reminds me of, first, Bleach (you know, soul reaper), second, Grimm the TV series. But they have totally different takes on the reaper job. Me, I always thought they collect souls, in a bad kind of way (read: Grim).

Meanwhile, Reyes--I know, I know it's a funny name, add that to being Filipino where Reyes is a common surname rather than a first name--was as mysterious as they come. Nothing is known about him except for that brief encounter with Charley some 10 years ago. And he's been described as dark, tall, brooding, and super hot. In fact, I can imagine him as looking like this:

Actor Jason Behr

And if that is not proof enough that most of those who read the book are probably in love with him, how about this image that's on the Internet:


Ok, Reyes Farrow is hot. But that didn't make me like the book more. :D

I just thought that, as one review in Goodreads said, a thousand wisecracks does not make a novel. And I agree with that. It was amusing at first, but if every bit of thought and comment that pops out of Charley is a wisecrack, where is the fun in that? After a while it got a little too old. Makes you wonder if someone really can think that way EVERY FREAKIN' TIME.

And I just cringed at the almost end part when Charley was describing the universe and et al being formed. Ack. Skipped most of it. It was way too cheezy for me.

Anyway, I think it's a good first novel of the series, and I wouldn't mind grabbing the second, third, fourth...wait. Is there are 6th book already? Hmmm.

Lately, I've been finding myself giving up on a book halfway through. One of the main reasons is that I keep thinking I will be able to guess what will happen next--and I do most of the time. And that kind of wanes my enthusiasm a bit. Ok, by a lot.

Then I realized that maybe I need to change genres. I've been reading contemporary romance novels for the last 2 months and I think I'm getting a little critical of the way the characters act. Talk about taking things too seriously. Hello.

Let's see...according to my Goodreads track, here's what I have been reading lately:

• Can't Stand The Heat (Recipe for Love #1) by Louisa Edwards
• Love Unscripted (Love, #1) by Tina Reber
• The Alien King and I by Lizzie Lynn Lee
• Scot on the Rocks by Brenda Janowitz
• Sex Snob by Elizabeth Hayley
• His Brother's Bride (Banks Brothers Bride, #4) by Rose Gordon
• Her Best Friend's Brother by T.J. Dell
• Propositioning Her Brother’s Best Friend by Sam Crescent

Now, I'm reading another romance novel, Falling For the Ghost of You by Nicole Christie. Where my mystery, adventure, Indiana-Jones-type novels? I need to get some James Rollins into my system again. Or Maybe an Andy McDermott. Or a Matthew Reilly. Anything, just not another love story.

I hate to do this to Abbi Glines but I'm rating this book with 2 disappointing stars out of 5.

I guess I should've seen this coming because of the not-so-happy-good reviews about the book in Goodreads. But I still wanted to read it as I TOTALLY LOVED the Too Far series. So, it couldn't be that bad, right? Oh boy...

It had a great start. Definitely reels you in. The premise of being able to see ghosts and haunted by a dark, mysterious, and handsome soul...to me was really interesting. I was hooked. I wanted more. Until I didn't.

First of all, I really hated their names. And no. I didn't get used to it. Seriously, of all the names available on God's green earth Ms. Glines chose 2 of the most terrible ones for her characters(read more name rants below). Every time I read "Pagan" it reminds me of its meaning, one who has no religion. Yet here we are reading about heaven and hell and death and deities. And then there's Dank. Every time I see that name I imagine a dark, damp, humid place that I'd rather stay away from. I think for just a little bit I get why the author used these names. But honestly, they don't fit the characters. I just don't see these names on the characters she created. Ok, nuff said about the names. I. JUST. HATE. THEM.

Second, Pagan is one clingy, super needy girl! I swear I never hated a protagonist as much as her. Geez Louise! I was so close to not finishing the book. She used Leif. She used her friends. For someone who has a great life, great friends, a loving mother, good grades and standing in school, she was undeserving and lacking. Her will to live hangs on one person-thing she'd known for like, what, a week? Like all the other good things in her life MEANT NOTHING. Even her sacrifice at the end didn't redeem her. Arrrgghh! She was weak. We need a strong heroine here and not a wimp. She's dealing with death for chrissakes!

Third, Dank was a good character. But he wasn't a standout. He could've been more. I really don't know what to say about him. I'm kind of torn. Do I like him? Do I not like him? *shrugs*

Last, the cliffhanger. What the hell was that? Nowhere in the book did Leif appear to be anything more than human. He was as normal as they come. And then suddenly the one-sentence cliffhanger?! I almost pulled my hair out for that one. It doesn't even entice me to read the second book. But I will anyway because I'm hoping that Abbi Glines redeems herself and all her characters in the sequel.

I've been on a book slump for about a month now, so I'm already 1 book behind my Goodreads Book Challenge of 40 books for 2013. This is still after reading 2 books in a row: James Rollins' Black Order and Nyrae Dawn's Charade. At this rate, I think I'll go blind before reaching my goal. Sheesh. Makes me want to give awards to those who challenged themselves to reading at least 80 books in a year. I think I even saw one with 100.

To try to catch up, I breezed through The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro. It was a short read, though a bit slow for my taste. There were pages and pages about art techniques, artists, and materials used for painting that had me going "huh?" every few paragraphs. And the "love story", if you can even call it that, sounded forced. There wasn't substantial scenes or even thoughts from the characters before getting together that would make the love story believable. It just sorta happened. WTH? Oh well, it was my way of diversifying my reading genre list. Can't say I'll read another one just like it. Maybe if it was something like The Thomas Crown Affair...now that would be interesting to me.


I've also just finished, barely, Crash by Nicole Williams. What can I say? It was a so-so book. I had a few cringe moments and many times I've questioned the heroine's logic (or the lack thereof) and even sanity. Oh, to be 17...I don't think I'll even try to read the 2nd book of the series, Clash. Or maybe after a year? Hehe.

So, now I'm back to reading what I love most, adventure-suspense-action stories. And I'm picking up on the 4th installment of James Rollins' Sigma Force series, The Judas Strain. It's already gripping and I'm only in the first chapter! Ah...this is more like it.


With this, Goodreads said, I'm a book ahead of my 40-book challenge! Weee-hooo!

I clearly remember the very first time I came across Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl. I was looking for alternatives after reading Harry Potter's 4th installment. I didn't want to be idle while waiting for book 5 to come out (which did take long, by the way), so I searched and searched for a good HP-like series and found Artemis Fowl.

Artemis Fowl the First Book

I was instantly hooked. It was like Harry Potter, but it really wasn't. Haha! First, Artemis wasn't a wizard with a magical wand or spell to zap away evil minions. No. All Artemis had was his remarkable brain (and his adorably gigantic but efficient bodyguard, Butler). He was a genius. And a criminal. A very rich, intelligent criminal. Who stumbled upon the world of the faeries, in particular, Holly Short.

I followed Artemis and his many adventures until the 7th book, Artemis Fowl The Atlantis Complex. Watched him grow into a teenage boy and change from a mastermind out to amass wealth and knowledge, to a savior of the world. I love the witty banter between the characters. I love the characters and the way they developed in each book. I even love Mulch Diggums, even though he seems like a stinky character, literally.

I love the series so much I even bought the 2 graphic novels of the first 2 books (wonder when the 3rd will come out)!

The First Book in Graphics

Now, the last book of the series has rolled off the press: Artemis Fowl The Last Guardian. And like the HP series, it's going to be hard to let go of  the characters you've come to love over the years. It's kind of sad. Like an ending of an era. Haha! Getting all sentimental, am I?

I have yet to buy the last book, as it's still in hardbound cover. But until then, I don't have to say goodbye to Artemis. No, not just yet.

Well, I'm on a roll here. I finished another book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, last weekend. It was an audiobook actually. I find that it's really hard to read on a moving train and that it makes me sleepy. So, I opted for the audio version of the book, which is a good thing as I could never have pronounced the names of people and places in the story correctly.

Anyhoo, I think the book is good. It's just a bit long-winded for me. There were too many characters and background info about them. I was already halfway through the book before the 2 protagonists met. I guess the good thing about having so many back stories about the characters is that you get to know them more, and thus, might endear them to you. Or something like that.

I do admit that I did feel that I needed to finish the book as soon as I could, and couldn't wait to get back to the story wheneve I needed to stop. But that only happened when Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist met and were tackling the mysterious disappearance/ death of Harriet Vanger together. Before that, I felt like skipping some parts of the book.

Although I didn't dislike the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I don't know if I want to read the rest of the Millenium Trilogy (as the 3 books in the series are called collectively). I guess, I'll just have to wait until the mood strikes me. For now, I think I'll watch the movie.

I'm happy to say that I'm starting the year right by finishing another book from my list of To Read. Yesterday, I read the last pages of Heist Society by Ally Carter. It was light reading compared to the last 5 Matthew Reilly books I read the past month. And I think it was just the right genre (young adult) and right story (a little bit of suspense, funny, and romance) at the moment. For me, it was kind of like the teenage version of Sidney Sheldon's If Tomorrow Comes - without the prison story arc, of course. And I absolutely looooooooooove If Tomorrow Comes. It's one of my favorite books and my copy actually has brown pages already (sad).

I'm thinking if I'm going to read Uncommon Criminals, the sequel to Heist Society, or Brad Meltzer's Inner Circle next. Toss coin?

Last year, though I had less time to read books, I was able to peruse my way through at least 20. I used to read more than that, but then last year I traveled more and got busy being a mom and a career woman. This year, I'm planning to get back on track and finish at least 30 books. Well, if my list is anything to go by, it'll be a suspense-filled, action-packed year for me.

My Book List

1. Ice Station - Matthew Reilly - done
2. Area 7 - Matthew Reilly - done
3. Heist Society - Ally Carter - currently reading
4. Temple - Matthew Reilly
5. The Inner Circle - Brad Meltzer
6. Lost Temple - Tom Harper
7. The Lazarus Vault - Tom Harper
8. The Book of Secrets - Tom Harper
9. The Templar Legacy - Steve Berry (book 1 in the Cotton Malone series - planning to read all)
10. The Hunt for Atlantis - Andy McDermott (book 1 in the Nina Wilde series - again, planning to read all)
11. The Millionaires - Brad Meltzer
12. Artemis Fowl: The Atlantic Complex - Eoin Colfer
13. The Tapestry Series: The Fiend and the Forge - Henry H. Neff
14. Uncommon Criminals - Ally Carter
15. Witch and Wizard - James Patterson
16. With and Wizard: The Gift - James Patterson
17. Witch and Wizard: The Fire - James Patterson
18. City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare
19. The Clockwork Prince - Cassandra Clare
20. The Confession - John Grisham
21. The Associate - John Grisham

Whew! That's a long list! But I have more than 11 months to go. This should be, uh, easy. =D

I think that stylish Harry Potter star Emma Watson and luxury brand Burberry is the perfect fashion mix. She, along with her 17-year old model brother, is the new face of the famous brand.


I read that Emma likes to spend on designer clothes and accessories and has been seen on and off the red carpet wearing the likes of Rodarte and Chanel. So, becoming a model for a luxury brand should come as no surprise. Even the hard-to-please press loves her for her age-appropriate style and aplomb. I love her, too. She's so pretty she can make rags look cool.

10. Up
9. Avatar
8. Mega Shark VS. Giant Octopus
7. Star Trek
6. G.I. Joe
5. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
4. Terminator Salvation
3. 2012
2. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

...and the #1 spot goes to...can you guess? I think it's easy. Ok, ok. It's Twilight: New Moon! Hooray for all you Twilighters out there.