The Bookworm: Paradise - Judith McNaught

• Title: Paradise
  
• Author: Judith McNaught
• Format: Paperback 709 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Published: 01 October 2006
• Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
• ISBN 13: 9780671776800
• ISBN 10: 0671776800
• Source: Bought it myself

In an apple core (The Bookworm’s version of a nutshell)

Forbidden love never read so good. If you only have time to read one good romance, Paradise is at the top of my recommendation list.

Summary

Ruthless corporate raider Matthew Farrell was poised to move in on the legendary department store empire owned by Chicago's renowned Bancroft family. In the glare of the media spotlight, it was a stunning takeover that overshadowed the electric chemistry between Matt, once a scruffy kid from steel town Indiana, and cool, sophisticated Meredith Bancroft. Their brief, ill-fated marriage sparked with thrilling sensuality -- he was the outsider who dared to rock her country club world -- and ended with a bitter betrayal. Now, locked in a battle that should be all business, dangerous temptations and bittersweet memories are stirring their hearts. Will they risk everything on a passion too bold to be denied?


My Thoughts

To me, the book's summary does this beautiful love story absolutely no justice. Judith McNaught's books have gotten me through thick and thin over the last decade and are dear to my heart. And at over 700 pages, this is quite the romance tome. You get to grow up with these characters and follow them through their challenges and share their emotions. Paradise is about a man who came from nothing, rising to the top of the world (or Chicago at least) who was scorned and is now out for some payback. Yet love gets in the way and like most cases, complicates things. It is about how these two lovers defy the odds set in front of them from the time of their meeting. Is their love meant to be? Or will they be pulled apart by unexpected forces.

Matthew Farrell had big dreams. Dreams of making it big and providing his loved ones with a life worth living. He started out as a lowly steel worker cum part-time mechanic, getting by on hard work and smarts alone. Matt is the epitome of sizzle and charm. His character is like the stone walls of Troy, yet once broken, is like sugar and spice and a fountain of everything nice. The beginning of the end starts with his short-lived marriage to Meredith Bancroft, shortened even more due to some meddling he is hopeless to defend against. Now, he is out for vengeance and his dreams of becoming a better man are put to the test. With trust and honesty being immensely important to him, the betrayal of a loved one is like a jagged knife to the heart. Can he forgive the past and turn his future into paradise?

Meredith Bancroft is the typical platinum blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty. Except she really isn't as she is the heir to a huge, profitable departmental store. I don't know of any young girls who has not wished she could shop in her very own store, but Meredith can, and does. She was not always the beautiful swan she is known to be as a grown-up. The book follows her from her youth, when she was still a gawky wee little thing who on the surface, seemed to have it all, even though it was far from the truth. Meredith's character is one we can sympathize with as she goes through misunderstanding after misunderstanding. Her life is made more colourful by the presence of her school friend Lisa, a direct opposite of Meredith's character in every way. She has also been in love with the same person since youth, creating further complications in her future life. Meredith's character is smart and bright yet is always sheltered from the truth, leading her into some very sticky situations. In order to achieve paradise, she has to gamble and decide where her heart truly lies. 

Philip Bancroft is Meredith's meddling father. He always does what he thinks is best for her, although it may not always be the case nor the best thing to do. This is one character you just love to hate. His character is thick with suspicion and makes him take offense at everything that is different. As president of Bancroft's, he is wary of anyone he thinks is trying to crawl their way into the company or his family life. 

The other secondary characters in this book are a lot of fun and pretty well-rounded. They add some great layers to the story. I also liked that Judith McNaught incorporated the tough business world in this book. You get a sense of what it takes to become a big player in the real world. I also loved how Matt drizzled his conversations with business and some betting talk.


This is the Ultimate Modern Day Love Story and is still one of my favourite books. Looking at things, it will be one forever. If you have not read any of Judith McNaught's books before, I say, this is a good place to start!

WARNING: There is sex and sprinklings of mild language in this book so please note that this should only be read by those 18+.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review financially or otherwise. Everything mentioned are my own thoughts based on my experience.


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The Bookworm: Strangers in Death - J. D. Robb

• Title: Strangers in Death
  
• Author: J. D. Robb
• Format: Paperback 368 pages
• Publisher: Piatkus Books
• Published: 07 February 2008
• Genre: Crime
• ISBN 13: 9780749908706
• ISBN 10: 074990870X
• Source: Bought it myself

In an apple core (The Bookworm’s version of a nutshell)

If you haven’t read this book, what have you been doing!? A kinky read in every way, and a great one to start the day. Crime mystery at its best. And you know when a book is good when you can't stop thinking about it even after more than a month and a dozen other books.

Summary

Technology may be different in 2060 New York, yet the city is still a place of many cultures and great divides. But as ever, some murders receive more attention than others - especially those in which the victim is a prominent businessman, found in his Park Avenue apartment, tied to the bed - and strangled - with cords of black velvet.It doesn't surprise Lieutenant Eve Dallas that Thomas Anders' scandalous death is a source of titillation and speculation to the public - and of humiliation to his family. But while all those in the city are talking about it, people close to Anders aren't so anxious to do the same. With some help from her billionaire husband, Roarke, Eve is soon knocking on doors - or barging through them - to find answers. But the facts don't add up. Physical evidence suggests that the victim didn't struggle. The security breach in the apartment indicates that the killer was someone connected to the family, but everyone's alibi checks out. Was this a kinky sex game that turned into a crime of passion - or a meticulously planned execution? It's up to Dallas to solve a case in which strangers may be connected in unexpected, and deadly, ways.

My Thoughts

This is my first J.D. Robb book. And of course, being my silly self, I didn't know this was part of a series, and a long and very popular one at that! I’ll admit, shamefully, that I’ve never been quite taken with Nora Roberts’ books. I’ve never even picked one up before! But when I picked up this book and saw that it is written by J. D. Robb aka Nora Roberts, I thought, why not give it a try! The summary sounded good enough. I guess the name Nora Roberts to me spelled “old-fashioned”? But boy was I WRONG!

This book is like a futuristic version of a Castle case. But spunkier and naughtier, and definitely more matured. The technological factor makes everything so much faster and more fun. And the summary really captured my attention. When you take a wealthy man plus kinky sex gone wrong, I don't know about you, but to me, that makes for a good read! The whole book is a mind-game from start to finish and full of surprises. It's even worth it just to see how Eve outwits the culprit.

Eve's men have a somewhat standstill case of their own. And it is up to her to help them out with theirs while she works tirelessly on her own high-profile case. A few returning characters come in to help out, only to end up having minor problems of their own. All will be revealed close to the end of the book.

And oh my my, Roarke ooh la la.... What can I say. I finally get it! After months of seeing people comment about a guy named Roarke, I can finally put a face, or an as-far-as-my imagination-will-take-me face, to the man. And what a man he is! Through Robb's words, his voice purrs like smooth whisky (must be that Irish accent), he's all-intelligent when it comes to IT and *ahem* hacking, a good and extremely useful tool that Eve manipulates to perfection. Oh, did I mention he is GORGEOUS too?

Eve's character is really well-built too. Did you notice I mentioned her name only after Roarke's? She's the foundation that seals the book's success, and rightly so. She's spunky, foul-mouthed (no filter can stop her), and doesn't give a rat's a** what she does to get the job done. But that's why I love this character! She's like a rose, with lots of layers that slowly unfold to reveal a totally new secret. I also found her quite adventurous in the sack. Like they say, "when you work hard, you play hard." I really liked Eve's constant debate with Roarke yet almost always succumbing to his wiles.

Even the villains are something to talk about. I will be a good blogger and not divulge any spoilers. Unfortunately this means I can't reveal quite a lot of the storyline. The plot twists and turns like a rollercoaster ride Revenge (the TV series) style.

But I must say that villains were very meticulously created and one main baddie would probably win the Sneakiest Villain in Book History Award! Shameless I tell you! But you'll have to read it to find out how deeply conceited Robb's villains can be.

I even like that Robb gives her main characters the CUTEST pet names for each other. Roarke's is The Civilian (very cool) and Eve is logically called Lieutenant or Eve darling (to Roarke). Also another plus point of this book is the humour within the entire squad. Especially love the way the coppers talked about "real food"! Trust me, you'll love that bit when you read it!

The bad thing about this book, is that you have to have read the series from the beginning to be able to understand the complexities behind the relationships. In this book, Eve and Roarke are already married and very settled down. Some of the minor characters get their own romances this time around which makes for even more fun. And as for character descriptions, I feel this book is a little lacking too. I know fans of the series won't encounter this problem since they have been with the characters from the beginning but I'd have loved more details in character building.

All in all, a very fast-paced book that will keep you on your feet till the end with strong characters. I loved the twists and turns this book took and the depth the case went into. All I can say is, Give Me More! 

WARNING: There is sex and some bad language in this book so please note that this should only be read by those 18+.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review financially or otherwise. Everything mentioned are my own thoughts based on my experience. 


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Random Thoughts: I'm Taking Part in an Upcoming Giveaway Hop!

Just to let you know, I will be participating in the My Favourite Reads Giveaway Hop from June 1st - 6th.

The winner gets his/her choice of 1 book from my list of 6 offerings.

I am doing my best to review all the books and will be posting them as I go. I only have 1 week to go so we'll see how many I can finish.

If you like to participate in my Giveaway, do check out my reviews so that you can start picking the one you'd like to pick should you win!

I'll be posting the links to this post as well for your convenience.

Thanks for reading! Hope to see you in the Giveaway Hop!


Strangers in Death by J. D. Robb

Paradise by Judith McNaught

Random Thoughts: Random Acts of Kindness: May Sign-Up

I haven't joined RAK since January and I think it's about time I shared the book love again. I intend to send off at least 1 RAK this month, especially to those May babies! Happy birthday to them! 

As usual, a big thanks to Book Soulmates for the greatness that is RAK.

But before you jump in, do read the rules first! And remember, this is about giving as much as receiving!

Here's my Wishlist if you'd like to share the book love with me! THANKS.

COMPLETE RAK RULES RE-CAP:
Please read carefully & follow all rules!  Thank you!

• Please sign-up each month that you can participate (and by participate, we mean give as well as receive).
• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button (code is in the right sidebar).
• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog, etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger directly for their information.
• Once you receive a RAK, send an email to [rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com] so that they can update the Google Doc. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEND EMAILS TO THIS ADDRESS!
• E-book participation is limited to files being gifted directly to a person from the e-book store. Amazon's Kindle Store is set up to allow this, as well as the Kobo store and we believe Barnes & Noble with Nook as well.
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K by making a "RAK Wrap-Up" post.  This post should include who you SENT gifts to as well who you RECEIVED gifts from :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE including all our International brethren!

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

Easy peezy!!

Links you will need:

• Sign up for May [HERE]
• See who else is participating [HERE]
• If you have any questions regarding RAK, please contact them via the following: rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com

Tips:

1. When talking about RAK on Twitter, please use the hastag (#RAK). It makes it much easier to keep track of the conversations, answer questions and/or tweet back! =)

2. When submitting your wish list, please make sure that it is set to PUBLIC viewing. Some people have run into trouble with wish lists that were set to private. We want to be sure that no one is left out of getting great RAKs.

3. Some of you seem to have gotten frustrated because you can't get your links to appear active. This is a very easy fix :) Just make sure that when you enter your link, do NOT hit the Enter key. Instead, hit the TAB key which will send you to the next field on the form. Additional spaces entered after the link will leave the link inactive. However, if this does happen to you...no worries, we'll fix it for you :)

Random Thoughts: 10% discount on every order at The Book Depository! What are you waiting for?

Do you have an ever-growing book wishlist?

Been thinking about giving books away as gifts?

Or maybe just interesting in joining some of those cool book Giveaway Hops?

Then look no further as The Book Depository is having a 10% SALE on EVERYTHING in store! And what's more, you get to ship your books to a whole load of countries FOR FREE! Some of my favourite words in the world.

I am an affiliate, boy, the number of books I get from them, it's be crazy not to be one. Please feel free to click on the banner under my header or on the button just below to help me out. Every bit helps!

All you have to do is type this coupon code into the box and ta-da, instant discount! Here it is for your convenience.

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The code expires May 14th so get cracking on those wishlists! I know I will be!