Timeless by Alexandra Monir

I can honestly say that this is the best YA book that I've read so far in 2011. I mean wow, it was really good, beautiful and very touching because debut author, Alexandra Monir really knows how to incorporate historical and contemporary together very well. I always knew I had a thing for time traveling! It sort of reminded me of The Time Traveler's Wife, but also very different and original in it's own way. The end was totally a twist and I'm dying to find out what will happen to Michele and Philip in the next installment of Timeless! I absolutely love the relationship between those two because honestly, I have a thing for star-crossed lovers.

When I first read the summary and the back of the book, I knew instantly that this book was going to be good. The beginning of Timeless was rather slow, but it soon picks up right after Michele enters her Clara Windsor's diary; she ends up meeting her, and also Philip (the guy who she's been dreaming about her whole life) at the ball. Their romance together was very bittersweet, and I do believe I shed a couple of tears because they could never be together; the shocker was that she didn't exist in his world. There are many secrets in Timeless and I have to admit that I was confused at times... but it made total sense in the end. You'll have to read it to find out because some of those secrets made me gasp out loud, cry, and even had my eyebrows raised.

To sum it up, I'm pretty sure I will re-read this again because it was that good and I totally recommend it to those who love stories about time-traveling, star-crossed lovers, a shocker ending, and a unique and original story line. I'll definitely be looking out for Alexandra Monir's books in the future so a BIG 5 stars for this wonderful book.

Rating: ★★★★★

When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

We all have come to know and love the classic story called, Beauty and the Beast. But in Eloisa James' version of it, there is much more to it than you can ever imagine. It's a story about finding true love, regardless of outer-beauty, how society looks at you, and even if you have disabilities. You would think that Piers, the Earl of Marchant- who is the hero of the story, the Beast right? While Linnet, the heroine of the story, Beauty. But that is not necessarily the case.... and that is what makes this book such a wonderful keeper! Towards the end, everything takes a turn-- either for the bad or good, I won't say. But it was very heart-breaking and bittersweet that I cried so much for the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves classic fairytale stories, bittersweet endings, and heroine with a backbone, witty characteristics, and a sarcastic bad-tempered heroine who is much more than meets the eye.

The Characters:
Piers Yelverton, the Earl of Marchant is no other but the hero of the story. In the beginning, you don't exactly get a good impression of him because he always yells and bickers at everybody (with a hint of sarcasm in it). But inside, he is definitely capable of love and so he falls deeply and heart-breakingly for Linnet towards the end, and she the same. Everyone is afraid of him so of course, he gets an infamous reputation for being a beast because of his horrible temper. He believes that no one would ever want to marry him, due to that fact that he is a cripple. His father, the Duke of Windebank tries desperately to find his son a wife and there's a whole background story of what happened between them that caused Piers to hate him. Anyway, Piers ends up giving the duke a list of requirements stating that his future wife must be as beautiful as the moon and such... thinking that there's no way his father would even be able to find someone like that! And in comes our lovely heroine, Linnet.

Linnet Berry Thrynne's beauty is so beautiful all the men falls in love with her. But regardless of that, she has a witty personality, she loves to talk back to Piers, very kind to patients, and she has plenty of sarcasm. At the beginning of the story, we find out that everyone in the ton believes that she is pregnant with Prince Augustus' child. It's really ridiculous but she isn't and so her aunt comes and tells her to fake that she's pregnant and have the Earl of Marchant marry her! The plan of course, fails because when Piers first meets Linnet, he knows right away that she isn't pregnant, so she lets go of the act and from then on, Piers gets intrigued by this lovely beauty with a sharp tongue and a brain to match! Apparently, she has a secret weapon that consists of smiling at anyone and they fall in love with her... but that doesn't work on Piers at all!

The Romance:
One of the top most things that I love in any romance novel, is the relationship between the H/hr. It was attraction at first because Piers thought that Linnet was the most beautiful woman that he ever met, while Linnet was intrigued by Piers. I absolutely love how Piers didn't fall in love with Linnet because of her beauty, but rather her personality and sharp tongue. Linnet fell in love with Piers because she sees that he is also beautiful in his own way, plus the chemistry between them was explosive and sexy. There is though, one thing that broke my heart. Piers did not want to marry Linnet because he believes that she is too good for him and deserves someone better. But then again, when it comes to love, you can never control your feelings! I did mention that their romance was heart-breaking and bittersweet right? Well... towards the end, something tragic eventually happens and Linnet ends up being a victim of scarlet fever, after the heart-breaking scene where Piers tells her that their relationship was nothing and that he never intended to marry her. We all know that Piers loves Linnet but because he thinks she deserves someone better, he lets her go. Linnet almost dies due to scarlet fever, but Piers finds her and restores her back to health, with a cost... her beauty is gone and her hair as well. I'm not going to go in-depth in this part because it was my favorite scene in the entire book. You'll just have to read it to find out! Although, I will leave a quote just to tempt readers.

"I love you," he said, his voice catching. "When I thought you were going to die, I wanted to die."

Rating: ★★★★★

The Countess by Lynsay Sands

The Countess by Lynsay Sands was my first book by the author and I have to say, I really enjoyed it so I'm definitely looking forward to her next books! The book itself was sexy, witty, and amusing with a very engaging plot. It's slightly part mystery and romance but it fit well together. Throughout the entire story, I was clueless as to who the main culprit was, so if you like mystery with a touch of spice in the romance department in your historical romance books, then this is the one for you! Although I do have to admit that I thought the love between Christiana and Richard was rather weak. They definitely did have plenty of sexual chemistry, ahem! So I guess I just shrugged and went with it because their sexual chemistry was oh so hot.

The story starts out with an unhappy Christiana who is married to a horrible man who she fears. Her sister ends up arriving at the doorstep one day-- which of course, angers her husband. It was rather amusing as to what happened when she finds out that her husband had apparently died... so she ends up packing him in ice to preserve the body, literally! The reason why was quite simple, since her sisters were in dire need of a husband in order to access their dowry money, Christiana and her sisters decided to hide the body in order to have a scandal-free debut! This is where the fun truly begins because at that same ball, Christiana ends up meeting her husband's twin who she thinks is her dead husband come alive. This person is of course, the real Richard Fairgrave, while the one Christiana married was the evil twin named George who tried to kill Richard and impersonated him. You'll get it once you read it. Anyway, that's basically how Christiana ends up meeting Richard and how they both start to have feelings for one another. And making hot love scenes as well. *coughs*

To sum it up, I really did like the first book to this series and I can't wait for Suzette and Daniel's book, The Heiress. You pretty much get a preview of their relationship in The Countess, and I'm guessing Lisa the romantic of the sisters will end up with Langley in the 3rd book. The love scenes were sizzling and very hot, so you definitely don't want to miss that! I'll be giving this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

Rating: ★★★★★

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins is a funny and humorous book with a sudden twist that is entirely different from the norm of YA books. The story itself is about a teenage 'witch' named, Sophie Mercer, who gets into all kinds of trouble on her first day of school at the reformation school for the unnatural beings called Hecate Hall. I absolutely love how Sophie's character is so witty, sarcastic, and she's not afraid to say what she thinks without being straightforward. One her first day, she meets her crush, form three powerful enemies in the school, and ends up with a vampire who is the outcast of the school as her best friend and roommate. It's definitely a refreshing take from the normal paranormal books that I've read and I'm really loving it! Can't wait for the second installment of this series, Demon Glass.

As I've said, this book is funny and humorous but it also comes with a huge twist! I was absolutely shocked when I finished it and I'm dying to read more of what will happen to the girl named Sophie Mercer. I thought the romance between her and Archer Cross was rather cute and sad at the same time-- due to sudden development in the end. I do truly believe that he has feelings for her so I sure hope they'll somehow end up together in the end. But ah, yes. Every teenage angst book has to have a group to tortures the main heroine right? Well, in this book, you get exactly that! Hex Hall reminds me of Harry Potter meets Mean Girls who eventually meets Sabrina the Teenage Witch at the same time; it's so hilarious. But the main, MAIN villain of the story is a organization called The Eye that specializes in hunting down and wiping out the Prodigium (who are not normal beings like demons, witches, vampires, werewolves, faeries).

With that all said, I'm truly looking forward to the next book and I'm really curious as to where Sophie's adventure will lead. As for Archer, oh god. He is such a mysterious character that you can't help but fall in love with and hope that he and Sophie end up together. A big thumbs up to Rachel Hawkins because now, I'm instantly a fan! 5 out 5 stars for this lovely book.

Rating: ★★★★★

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones is a wonderful start to The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. It is a story about love, deception, betrayal, family, and friendship. I remember the first time I tried to read it, I wasn't able to get into the story line because I didn't think the plot was interesting. But thankfully, The Clockwork Angel changed all of that for me and I guess this is where it all began. I'm truly looking forward to reading more of Cassandra Clare's books and finding out how the Infernal Devices and The Mortal Instruments series are connected.

The story itself, is about a teenage girl named Clary Fray who is unsure of her identity in the world ever since she discovers that she is a Shadowhunter and who her real father is. Eventually, she is thrust into a world of Nephilim-- the Shadowhunters, the Downworlders-- werewolves, vampires, faeries, and even demons. But her life soon takes a turn for the worse, when she finds out that her mother was attacked by a demon and is rescued by a Shadowhunter named, Jace Wayland. I have to admit that the beginning was slow, but the author soon picks up the pace after Clary wakes up to find herself inside of the Institute where the Shadowhunters resides and meets Isabelle, Alex, and Jace. From the very beginning, I always knew that there was something special about Jace. He oddly reminds me of Will Herondale from The Clockwork Angel... so that must be a BIG clue as to who his parents are later in the books. I'll just have to wait and find out!

Let's take a deeper look on the characters of The Mortal Instruments series, shall we? Clary Fray is not only a tough heroine but she is also full of wit and backbone. She's not afraid to talk back to Jace and I absolutely love the chemistry between the two. Jace believes that she is beautiful, even if she doesn't know it, and I think that is the reason why he is attracted to her. As for Jace Wayland himself, he is sexy, sarcastic, and I have to say, a very intriguing character. And the ending of the book, holy cow. Another big betrayal and deception coming from the one and only Valentine. I never would have guessed it but I definitely refuse to believe that is true!

To sum up this review, this series has earned a place on my pedestal of books and I'm truly looking forward to reading more of these books. I can't believe I waited this long to start this series but hey, it's better late than never!

Rating: ★★★★★