Review: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Title: Dragonfly in Amber
By: Diana Gabaldon
Series: Outlander
My Copy: Amazon.com
The BookWhisperer's Rating: a thousand praises!

For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland’s majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones ... about a love that transcends the boundaries of time ... and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his....

Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire’s spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart ... in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising ... and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves....

This whole series so far, has me in the most delicate emotional stage.  I can experience the happiest version of happy and the darkest, lowest version of sadness when reading these books. Dragonfly in Amber was no doubt a brilliant follow-up to Outlander and struck my heart in so many ways. 

Roger (the cute little boy from the first book) and Brianna make an appearance at the very beginning for the first few chapters but then Claire picks up where the first book left off and just sweeps you off of your feet.  Again, I found myself sucked into the world of Jamie and Claire and all the new and old characters that make an appearance. 

I can tell you that there were some lulls in the book; some parts you wish you could just fast forward but you can’t.  Their time in Paris kind of dragged on but really it is all relevant to story.  You must know what they did in order to make sense of the up coming events.  However, these lulls are outweighed by the most insane, intense writing that I have ever experienced.  Jamie and Claire’s love knows no bounds but it is put to the test more than once. I felt the character’s pain.  I felt their happiness.  I felt their despair.  I felt all of it! 

This series is just brilliant all the way around.  I can’t compare it to any other series that I love for you to get the jest of how much I truly love it because nothing really can compare to these characters and their story. 

So I leave you with one of my favorite quotes: “ ‘I know it,’ he said quietly.  ‘I do know it, my own.  Let me tell ye in your sleep how much I love you.  For there’s no so much I can be saying to ye while ye wake, but the same poor words, again and again.  While ye sleep in my arms, I can say things to ye that would be daft and silly waking, and your dreams will know the truth of them.  Go back to sleep, mo duinne.’ “

Review: Reforming the Rock Star by Christine Bell

Title: Reforming the Rock Star
By: Christine Bell
My Copy: Ebook from Publisher
The BookWhisperer's Rating: 

When Sydney Metcalf's bestie asks her to cater her wedding, Syd can't say no, even though the thought of going back to her hometown makes her break out in hives. She's off to a great start until best man and rock god Lazlo Stone calls with a request for her to cater the bachelor party too. Petit fours adorned with rose petals, she can handle. A cake shaped like boobs for the sexiest guy in the universe? She's not so sure. But this is the chance of a lifetime and she refuses to screw it up by being a prude...

When a sexy stripper dressed as a Plain Jane crashes the bachelor party, Laz is all about getting vertical and making some music with her. Too bad his stripper is really the caterer and the bride's best friend. After a kiss between them blazes out of control, he can't seem to stop thinking about sweet little Syd.

But everybody knows, life on the road and love don't mix...

I will admit that I really liked Sydney in this book.  She was just the perfect, classic beauty that wasn’t too sure if she was beautiful or not.  It is something that every girl might struggle with at some point in her life.  I think that moment when I realized what a great character Sydney was is when she jumped out of the kitchen window because she didn’t want to run into all the rock star guys and then ends up running into the main guy that she was trying to stay away from, Lazlo.

I will say that while the title states, “Reforming the Rock Star” I do believe that it is the exact opposite.  Lazlo really didn’t need to be reformed in my eyes; the reforming that was needed was for Sydney.  Lazlo really brought out a different side in Sydney than what the reader was presented in the beginning of the book.  They really were a beautiful couple.

Review: Tempting the CEO by Angela Claire

Title: Tempting the CEO
By: Angela Claire
My Copy: Ebook from Publisher
The BookWhisperer's Rating: 

If lawyer Angie O'Hare needed another reason to hate New York City, this would be it. Locked out of her room and stranded in the hallway. Wearing only a towel. Lovely. But then, rescue arrives—in the form of the wickedly hot, funny guy in the penthouse next door. Angie is so relieved that she ignores her usual buzz-kill tendencies, and agrees to have a drink with Mr. Sexy Salvation...

But things don't stop at just a drink. Or even a hot make-out session.

Cue one night of hot, ultra-x-rated sexy time. No names. No personal information. And the next morning, Angie sneaks out, returning to her prim-and-proper life, every hair in place. But New York City isn't done with Angie yet. Because her meeting that morning is with CEO Jed Worth... whose bed she did everything but sleep in last night! And Jed isn't the sort of man to take “conflict of interest” as an answer...

I hate to say that because this was such a short novella that I didn’t become that invested into the characters.  I think I would have liked Angie and Jed more if I got to spend a little more time with them instead of 140 pages worth. 

This doesn’t mean that I didn’t like them at all.  I loved the plot of Angie getting locked out of her room in only a towel and Jed coming to her rescue by allowing her to call the front desk in his room.  They spend the night together and as a reader, you could tell there were sparks but the flame didn’t light up like I hoped it would.  Which kind of left me wanting more.  Instead of Angie sneaking out in the morning, I was hoping that they might have had some time to connect some more on a personal level and then have the big reveal of who they are in the office meeting.

Jed seemed very forwarded and knew what he wanted why Angie kept pushing him off and making herself seem like a cold person.  It was like she wanted nothing to do with him after their night together and then all of a sudden a flip switched and she changed her mind.

I guess, all in all, it was good but it lacked a flow that kept throwing me off.

Review: No More Mr. Nice Guy by Amy Andrews

Title: No More Mr. Nice Guy
By: Amy Andrews
My Copy: Ebook from Publisher
The BookWhisperer's Rating: 

He's done playing the nice guy...

Newly single school counselor Josie Butler just made herself a Sexy To-Do list (featuring Bad Boys only). To her mortification, her best friend's gorgeous older brother Mack finds it…and laughs. But when Josie goes looking for some sexy fun, Mack's nice guy side turns all hot bad-assery, and suddenly she's pinned against an alley wall. Hottest. Sex. Ever.

Veterinarian Mack Kennedy can't believe Josie wants to ditch her sweet, girl-next-door lifestyle. Even worse, that she'd consider doing it with anyone but him. When she leaves for London they'll go back to being 'just friends' but until then, he's going to show her just how bad nice guys can be.

And it's the perfect plan, as long as no one finds out... and no one falls in love.

No More Mr. Nice Guy started off wonderfully.  I loved that Mack comes home to find a passed out Josie on his couch and a to-do list featuring all sorts of naughty things.  It’s comical that two people who have grown up beside each other are put in such an awkward and embarrassing situation.

I guess what I found a little hard to swallow was that during Josie and Sal (Mack’s sister) childhood, there was no attraction between Mack and Josie.  Nothing.  Then this sex list is written and found and all sorts of attraction come to the forefront. Mack and Josie have never had a lustful thought about each other until then and all of a sudden the dial is cranked to 100%.  That doesn’t mean that the time that Josie and Mack spend together wasn’t steamy.  They both have a great time with each other completing the list but I just questioned where it all came from.

I think after they got together the story just leveled off for me.  It seemed like there was no more emotions between the two because they kept reiterating to Sal that it was just a rebound and all of a sudden Josie moves to London and the world has spun out of control.  Both become depressed and realize what they have lost but as the reader, I didn’t see what relationship that was built to warrant these feelings.

Review: Crimson Beat by Elle J Rossi

Title: Crimson Beat
By: Elle J Rossi
Series: Josie Hawk Chronicles #0.6
My Copy: Ebook for Review
BookWhisperer Rating:



The Spring Equinox brings a slew of nasties to the streets of Nashville. Huntress Josie Hawk is determined to get her arch enemy to sign a treaty, whether the Assembly is behind her or not. But when Keller O'Leary--sexiest vampire alive--returns, will Josie learn to be a team player, or will she stake the heart that has captured hers?

Crimson Beat is the great start to a series. OMG!!! The Irish vampire with his Luv comments; I am having flash backs to BONES!!!!! This is just the start of this series in a little novella. Not much in length, and a vague look at the life of these characters. I am sure that the next will have to delve into their history and such, but I am definitely impressed. We all know how I love me a bada** female lead and supernatural romance; this has it all. I will follow up with Indigo Dawn shortly, so be on the lookout for more on this series. 
~BookWhisperer Reviewer Jax~