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Falling for Mr Wrong: A fun romance with twists and turns. by Joanne Dannon – Review by Jana Teppih

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Falling for Mr Wrong: A fun romance with twists and turns.Falling for Mr Wrong: A fun romance with twists and turns. by Joanne Dannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Falling for Mr Wrong takes you on a crazy ride from the first Chapter on and never lets you off! I am not complaining! I loved it!
The story is not too complicated – an Aussie girl gets caught up in a web of an unscrupulous British politician who uses her to cover up his infidelity and then a White Knight with plans for revenge gets into the picture and…you get the picture, right?
I loved the way Ms Dannon writes – having lived in England and hung out with different Aussies, reading her book felt like being back – all those words and expressions…
Considering that we have an Aussie nanny working in the UK, it is actually quite surprising that the whole story actually takes place in Israel – I love it as it is not so common. It sets a believable stage for Tilly’s plans for re-inventing herself and also might get us thinking that maybe we should go and travel to Israel ourselves…
Falling for Mr Wrong is a very good romance that takes you away from every day dreariness and you simply cannot stop reading – set your children up with some sort of activity where they do not need supervision (or send them off to a play date), grab a glass of wine and just indulge!

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Virtue of Death by Randi Perrin – Review by Jana Teppih

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Virtue of DeathVirtue of Death by Randi Perrin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Virtue of Death is the first of the series of Earthbound Angels and I absolutely loved it! I have always loved paranormal and the author has now a place in my bookshelf next to Cynthia Eden and Gena Showalter and … It did not hurt that I also love baking and quirky bakeries.
I am impressed how the author has duality of life – life-birth-creativity and the death-end. I feel so much like Sera when baking – you are creating something amazing that brings people pleasure, creates memories and awakens memories. I also love how she has found positive in her ‘job’ as an Earthbound Angel – it would be so easy to just get stuck with the surface and say it is so morbid.
Another great storyline is the unconditional friendship between Sera and Cheryl – they have been friends since they were 8 years old and they have been Angels together since they were 18 years old. I love Cheryl’s black humor and unwavering loyalty and gothiness mixed with sweetness.
Of course we cannot forget about the love story between Sera and Destin. What an irony – when Sera finally truly falls in love, it is with a …. food critic and journalist!
With little twists and pain and suffering it all ends well, there are no lingering questions that would hound us and I think it is good as sometimes we simply need a book that is a great read, makes us laugh and cry and makes us look forward to another Earthbound Angels’ story. The author has confirmed that she has finished the manuscript). I hope she does not make us wait too long!

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The Sound of Love (The Sound series #1) by Maria Watts – Review by Jana Teppih

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The Sound of Love (The Sound series #1)The Sound of Love by Maria Watts
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I started reading and the first chapter build my expectations very high. I kept reading and … got more and more frustrated… I kept shaking my head and thinking to myself what the heck… and then, I put myself into the shoes of a 16-year-old sheltered girl who gets pulled into this crazy narcissistic life that seems so fascinating and cool on the pages of a tabloid but in reality is something completely different.
I loved how Maria Watts took the naïve Nina through the steps one needs to take when growing up, the contradictions, the peer/partner pressure, sticking with your principles, insecurity, self-esteem … we could go on and on. I think that Nina could actually be a sort of a role model to those young boy band fans as she is crazy about Chris (and has feelings for Nathan that she is in denial about) and wants to get to know him better and on a deeper lever but still sticking to her guns and not succumbing to the pressure (to have sex).
I did not like Chris very much as he was the stereotypical narcissist hyped boy band member who feels he is entitled to whatever he wants, though we did not get to know a lot what his story is, how he got to where he was… we could share his confusion and his abusiveness but there was no clear progression or growth and maybe it was not needed as for me the story was more about Nina and her self-discovery and growth and the Chris served more like a landscape that it happened on.
I wish that every girl who has a poster of a handsome guy on their bedroom wall (ceiling) and dream about him, would read this book as I think it gives a good glimpse into the reality and they could learn a lot from Nina without needing to suffer so much themselves.

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Tell Me Something (Something, #1) by Aubrey Bondurant – Review by Jana Teppih

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Tell Me Something (Something, #1)Tell Me Something by Aubrey Bondurant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tell Me Something sucks you in from the first chapter, it keeps you on your toes and it is hard to put the book down as you want to know how do those 2 hard headed aka independent and strong willed people figure out a working relationship.
The author was able to find a great balance between cute and light-hearted and ‘sturm und drang’ making it an enjoyable read.
Haylee came across independent and strong mostly though at times I got pretty frustrated with her responses in certain situations that were pretty straight forward. At those moments I reminded myself that she is young and has lost her parents and is in the process of finding herself and her way out there.
Josh was complicated, he reminded me some of the other contemporary romance heroes out there being both in control (or wanting to be in control) and vulnerable. He comes across very human with his flaws and shortcomings and his fears and reactions in different situations.
It is a good story and even though it is quite many pages, it does not feel long. Plan with some extra time to give Haylee and Josh and their relationship a chance, there is something we all can take away with us into our relationships. I am looking forward to the next book as there are quite a few intriguing characters in this book that deserve their own story!

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Chasing You (Thirsty Hearts Series, #4) by Kris Jayne – Review by Jana Teppih

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Chasing You (Thirsty Hearts Series, #4)Chasing You by Kris Jayne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Chasing You by Kris Jayne is the fourth of the series but it is the first one I read.
It was hard to get into the story at first as it felt like a tennis match and both Alexa and Graham seemed not to want to acknowledge what they really want and kept snapping at each other. Once I got further into the story and let myself go along on a ride, I started to relate to Alexa and her resistance to any kind of personal commitment – it is so much simpler to commit to one’s carrier and friends than one’s romantic interest as it makes us vulnerable and tests our trust.
I liked that it was not a wham-bam thank you ma’am story, I ended liking the long way it took for Alexa and Graham to get together as this is how it is also in the real life out here – we might dream of someone sweeping us off our feet but very often the deep and lasting relationships are built long and slow.
On the surface the story might seem fun and sexy but Kris Jayne manages to create different layers and touch upon important issues that we encounter in our daily lives – stalking, lack of communication, assumptions when it comes to other people’s actions, disconnection when 2 people go at different pace in a relationship…
It is a good read, put aside some time, pick up a glass of wine and enjoy the hours!

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Maggie by Mya O’Malley – Review by Jana Teppih

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MaggieMaggie by Mya O’Malley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Maggie by Mya O’Malley is the first book by the author that I have read. The story pulls you slowly in from the first chapter on. It does not start at all like your everyday ghost story so you relax and go with the flow rolling your eyes when Naomi goes to another awful blind date and deals with a horrible and abusive ex.
At the same time, you can feel something creeping in from the side with the objects moving on their own and shadows blinking in and out. I love how Naomi has such an open mind and instead of being weary of the cemetery and all the spirits inhabiting it, she looks at it as a source of inspiration.
The author has an amazing ability to blend the romance and paranormal and I can see how even the ones not believing into paranormal might be thinking “maybe it is possible” if they really allow the story to come alive and be honest with themselves. I love that it is not a ghostly love story but something deeper and more meaningful.
The story keeps you captivating and at the edge of your seat until the last page – I loved the way Mya weaved different stories into the main story, it never got boring or let you down.
I can see myself going back and re-reading Maggie and also reading other Mya’s books.

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The Snowflake Valley Advice Fairy by Holly Tierney-Bedord – Review by Jana Teppih

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The Snowflake Valley Advice FairyThe Snowflake Valley Advice Fairy by Holly Tierney-Bedord
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Snowflake Valley Advice Fairy by Holly Tierney-Bedford is an adorable novella perfect for a cold winter evening in front of a burning fireplace after a long and busy day. It is a short feel good read that touches upon real life issues.
Already the first sentence sets the scene for the quirkiness of Snowflake Valley Gazette and the challenges that Elinor will be facing along her journey of growing into her new job, the Snowflake Valley and its people.
I love the way the author pulls at your heart strings and makes you laugh out loud when reading about the problems that Elinor aka the Snowflake Valley Advice Fairy needs to give an advice on. We all can relate to them and I am sure all of us would have the similar initial reaction as Elinor. It was great how she took the concept of the advice column, changed it and made it into something that actually would help the asker.
I hope there will be another book that takes us deeper into the lives of Snowflake Valley inhabitants, I know that I would definitely read it.

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