"The Book of Tomorrow" by Cecelia Ahern

Book Description:

Tamara Goodwin has always got everything she's ever wanted. Born into a family of wealth, she grew up in a mansion with it's own private beach, a wardrobe of designer clothes, and a large four poster bed complete with a luxurious bathroom en suite. She's always lived in the here and now, never giving a second thought to tomorrow.
But then suddenly her dad is gone and life for Tamara and her mother changes forever. Left with a mountain of dept, they have no choice but to sell everything they own and move to the country to live with Tamara's Uncle and Aunt. Nestled next to Kilsaney Castle, their gate house is a world away from Tamara's childhood. With her mother shut away with grief, and her Aunt busy tending to her, Tamara is lonely and bored and longs to return to Dublin.
When a traveling library passes through Kilsaney Demesne, Tamara is intrigued. She needs a distraction. Her eyes rest on a mysterious large leather bound tome locked with a gold clasp and padlock. With some help, Tamara finally manages to open the book. What she discovers within it's pages takes her breath away and shakes her world to it's core...

Review:

"The Book of Tomorrow" tells the story of 16 year old Tamara Goodwin, who moves to the country with her mother to live with her aunt and uncle after a terrible tragedy befalls her family. Tamara is your typical silver-spoon fed brat who expects everything she wants when she wants it. And like every spoiled brat, she only thinks of herself during this sad time in her life, and not about how it's possibly affected anyone else around her.

While Tamara's character is a somewhat funny one, there were times when I really just wanted to punch her in the face. She's rude, she only cares about herself, she ignores her conscience, and she never thinks about the consequences of her actions. To be honest, she's one of the most perfect representations of a 16 year old I've read about in a long time. The whole book actually had a believable cast of characters. Though, that doesn't surprise me since Cecelia Ahern has never disappointed me when it comes to developing realistic characters.

Tamara is one of the reasons you got drawn into the story. The only problem I ever have with any of Cecelia Ahern's books is that I always find that it takes awhile to get into the actual story. But since she developed Tamara Goodwin's character so well, you keep reading just for her.

The plot of the story is actually quite interesting all in it's self. The book that Tamara gets from the travelling library is actually, in a sense, a magical diary. Every night, there's a new entry, in Tamara's writing, about when happens tomorrow. Knowing ahead of time what happens, Tamara then has the chance to change things. Sometimes though, even knowing what is going to happen, doesn't prevent something bad from happening.

The end of the story though was interesting, and at this point, I'm still not sure if I liked it. Since the diary played such a huge role throughout the story, and is referenced in the title, for it to not really have any outcome on the end of the story was interesting. That being said, the end is not something you see coming whatsoever.

I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates well developed characters and an engrossing story. It's definitely a good read for those days when you're curled up in a comfy blanket with nothing else on the go.

"Fantasy Lover" by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Book Description:

Dear Reader,
Being trapped in a bedroom with a woman is a grand thing. Being trapped in hundreds of bedrooms over two thousand years isn't. And being cursed into a book as a love-slave for eternity can ruin even a Spartan warrior's day.
As a love-slave, I knew everything about a woman. How to touch them, how to savor them, and most of all, how to pleasure them. But when I was summoned to fulfill Grace Alexander's fantasies, I found the first woman in history who saw me as a man with a tormented past. She alone bothered to take me out of the bedroom and into the world. She taught me to love again.
But I was not born to know love. I was cursed to walk eternity alone. As a general, I had long ago accepted my sentence. Yet now I have found Grace -- the one thing my wounded heart cannot survive without. Sure, love can heal all wounds, but can it break a two-thousand-year-old curse?

-Julian of Macedon

Review:

From reading the book description, you don't really get a good picture of what is really going to happen...other than steamy love scenes. I have to point out, that this was not a book I picked up myself, but rather a suggestion of a friend, who, up to this point, had been giving me some very giving suggestions. I figured I would give this one a try.

I now see why there isn't much of a description on the back of the book. The story tells the tale of Julian of Macedon, the son of a Spartan commander and Aphrodite. After doing some no-no's, Julian brings down the wrath of his half brother, Priapus, and gets cursed to be a love-slave to any woman who calls him for a month. Any time he's not called, he resides in a book, that has made its way through time and around the world. He eventually gets called into the twenty-first century by Grace Alexander, who was dared by her best friend on her birthday.

I have to say, I liked the use of Greek mythology. I had always enjoyed reading the myths throughout school so seeing some of the Gods and Goddesses in this novel was quite nice. I also liked the Grace was a real depiction of a normal, modern woman. She's not drop-dead gorgeous like some heroines I've read about; she's completely average. That was a pleasant change.

To be honest though, despite those two things, I'm still not sure if I liked this book. It didn't feel like there was much to the plot other than sex. And yeah, there were a lot of steamy scenes. And I mean A LOT! I've read quite a few romance novels in my short life, and I don't think I've ever encountered as much blush-inducing passages as I did in this book.

If this book wasn't recommended to me by a friend, would I have read it? Probably not. That being said, she has also lent me the second installment in this series and it does sound much better than "Fantasy Lover", so I'll definitely give it a try.

And yes, "Fantasy Lover" is part of a series called the Dark Hunter series. From what I've gathered so far, each novel is about a different person.

So, if you're a hardcore romance novel addict, read this novel. If not, maybe skip this one.

"Pretty in Ink: A Tattoo Shop Mystery" by Karen E. Olson

Book Description:

Brett Kavanaugh is a tattoo artist and owner of one of Vegas's hottest tattoo shops, The Painted Lady. And in her spare time, she does some sleuthing -- because nothing needles her more than murder.

After Brett and company ink Sin City's newest drag queen stars, they're invited to opening night at the Strip's glamorous Nylons and Tattoos show. An evening of glitter and dancing ends in disaster when a stranger with a queen of hearts tattoo fells Britney Brassieres with a wayward champagne cork.

Even though Britney recovers, she mysteriously dies soon after, and then another drag queen is found poisoned. Someone's targeting Vegas's fabulous femmes. And sharp-as-a-needle Brett must crack the case before the show's over for good.

Review:

"Pretty in Ink" is the second installment in Karen E. Olson's Tattoo Shop Mystery series, the first novel being "The Missing Ink". Brett Kavanaugh is a full-time tattooist with a knack for getting involved in solving mysteries,

I won't lie, I was first drawn to this series mostly because the main character is a tattoo artist. And I love tattoos, I think they're beautiful. I have to say, I'm still glad I picked up this series. The dialogue is funny, the characters interactions are believable, and the mysteries always leave you guessing.

While this is part of a series, you don't need to read them in order (there is currently only two books out so far, the third one will be out in Fall of 2010). I, personally, prefer to read a series in order, but like most mysteries, you can read these in any order since (so far) nothing from the previous books are actually relevant. Though, if you're like me, and love knowing about the characters, reading from the beginning is usually helpful.

So, if you like murder, intrigue, some Vegas high-rollers, drag queens, and some killer tattoos, you have to pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.