Book Review Archives - Page 7 of 24 - nite lite book reviews

November 26, 2014

Review: Blood Kin by M.J. Scott

Blood Kin is the second book in The Half-Light City series, a fun urban fantasy/paranormal romance series I picked up on a whim earlier this year. Book two focuses on Guy DuCaine, brother of the sunmage Simon from book 1 and legendary Templar. I really enjoyed this one and found myself finishing it in only a couple of days. Holly and Guy are like oil and vinegar but they work so well together. I love adversarial relationships and sparks fly when Guy and Holly are together.

4 stars, Book Review, Paranormal Romance, Thuy, Urban Fantasy

by Thuy

0 Comments

November 20, 2014

Audiobook Review: As You Wish by Cary Elwes

Unlike a lot of my friends, I did not watch The Princess Bride growing up and only saw it for the first time when I was in college. Of course, I had heard of the film but for whatever reason, had never managed to see it until then. I knew that it was a much beloved classic. My friends were quite appalled that I had never seen it and so I made a vow to finally watch it and see what all the fuss was about. Now, watching something as loved as The Princess Bride can be a little intimidating for the first time viewer. I was worried that the film would seem dated or that maybe I just wouldn’t “get” the humor. There was the chance that my expectations were totally skewed and that, as a result, the film would fail to live up to the hype.

5 stars, Audiobook, Book Review, Movies & TV, Thuy

by Thuy

4 Comments

November 12, 2014

Review: The Slanted Door: Modern Vietnamese Food by Charles Phan

While I have not yet been to The Slanted Door restaurant, I have heard many sing its praises. Having grown up eating traditional Vietnamese food made by my mother, I am always a little wary of Vietnamese restaurants that claim to be “modern.” I think it’s just my inner prejudice that always wants to eat food that tastes like mom’s home cooking. However, I knew that this book as going to be different and I went into it with an open mind.

Book Review, Cooking, Non-Fiction, Thuy

by Thuy

2 Comments

October 28, 2014

Review: Burn For Me by Ilona Andrews

Yes! New Ilona Andrews book! Burn For Me very similar to the Kate Daniels series with the magical and mundane worlds mixing, a reluctant working class heroine with hidden powers, and an extremely powerful alpha male. The characters and settings are different but the patented Ilona Andrews style is definitely there. While this is classified as paranormal romance, don’t let that scare you away if you’re typically not a fan of romance. While it has more of a romance element to it than the Kate Daniels series, I would still categorize it as closer to urban fantasy with a healthy dose of romance vs the other way around. Andrews is a master of the slow burn so expect a lot of foreplay, both verbal and physical. It reminds me a bit of The Edge series in tone so if you like that series, I think you’ll like this one.

4 stars, Book Review, Paranormal Romance, Thuy, Urban Fantasy

by Thuy

0 Comments

October 22, 2014

Review: Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt

After being falsely accused of murder and spending 4 years in Bedlam, Apollo Greaves escapes with a little help from the Ghost of St. Giles. A beating has left him unable to speak and he poses as a simple gardner on the grounds of the ruined Hart’s Folley. The authorities are still looking for him and he must figure out who really murdered his friends before they find him. Things get complicated when celebrated actress Lily Stump and her son take temporary refuge in his garden.

4 stars, Book Review, Historical Romance, Thuy

by Thuy

0 Comments

October 7, 2014

Review: My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz

As an avid reader of David Lebovitz’s blog, I knew that I wanted to add My Paris Kitchen to my cooking library as soon as it came out. His stories on life and cooking in France are funny, charming and delicious. I already have several of his dessert cookbooks in my kitchen and they are well used and well loved. While you may expect a former chef to be snobbish about food, Lebovitz is not. While he recommends getting the best ingredients you can afford, he isn’t stuck on labels or appearances so much shopping local and using what tastes good to you. My Paris Kitchen is a wonderful extension of Lebovtiz’s blog and is filled with funny stories and anecdotes about his life in Paris as well as over 100 recipes for modern French cuisine.

5 stars, Book Review, Cooking, Memoir, Non-Fiction, Thuy

by Thuy

6 Comments

October 2, 2014

Review: Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh

I am a huge, huge fan of author Nalini Singh, with my favorites being her Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunters series of paranormal romances. The announcement of the Rock Kiss series was a bit of a surprise since she doesn’t usually write straight contemporary. While contemporary isn’t my favorite genre, I knew that if Nalini Singh was writing it, I had to read it. If anyone could turn this paranormal/urban fantasy lover into a contemporary convert, it would be Singh.

3 stars, Book Review, Contemporary, Romance, Thuy

by Thuy

2 Comments

September 24, 2014

Review: Reaver by Larissa Ione

We finally get Reaver and Harvester’s story! If you’ve been reading this series, you know that their relationship is complicated, to say the least.

Overall I liked this one, but not as much as I thought I would. The pacing felt a little off at times and I didn’t like how a lot of Reaver and Harvester’s back story was told instead of shown to us. However, I enjoyed learning about the long history between Harvester and Reaver. They have both made mistakes with each other and both learn to forgive each other.

3 stars, Book Review, Paranormal Romance, Thuy

by Thuy

0 Comments

September 10, 2014

Audiobook Review: Rule by Jay Crownover

Shaw London has it all – or so it seems. A beautiful woman from a respected family and she’s on the fast track to medical school. The one thing she wants is the one thing she can never have. Rule Archer doesn’t play by anyone’s rules but his own. He thinks of Shaw as an annoying little sister until they both have a little too much to drink one night and suddenly Rule starts seeing Shaw in a totally different light. It’s a classic case of good girl meets bad boy but can these two seemingly opposite personalities work past their differences and find the love they both deserve?

3 stars, Audiobook, Book Review, New Adult, Romance, Thuy

by Thuy

0 Comments

August 27, 2014

Review: Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Where’d You Go Bernadette is an epistolary novel told through emails, faxes, newsletters, FBI reports, handwritten notes and journals entries from various characters as they try to piece together the events leading up to the disappearance of Bernadette Fox. Bernadette Fox is an agoraphobic mother and former architectural genius who lives in a crumbling old school house with her precocious daughter Bee and her workaholic husband Elgin Branch. A few days before her family is set to go to Antarctica, Bernadette goes missing. The book is a collection of documents that Bernadette’s daughter Bee pit a together to try to unravel what happened leading up to her mother’s disappearance.

3 stars, Adult Fiction, Book Review, Mystery, Thuy

by Thuy

3 Comments