Valentine's Day Review: The Marriage Bargain by: Jennifer Probst

The Marriage Bargain by: Jennifer Probst (2012) 

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC

308 pages

Genre: Romance

Barnes and Noble Summary: A marriage in name only . . .

To save her family home, impulsive bookstore owner Alexa Maria McKenzie casts a love spell. But she never planned on conjuring up her best friend’s older brother—the powerful man who once shattered her heart.

Billionaire Nicholas Ryan doesn’t believe in marriage, but in order to inherit his father’s corporation, he needs a wife and needs one fast. When he discovers his sister’s childhood friend is in dire financial straits, he offers Alexa a bold proposition.

A marriage in name only with certain rules: Avoid entanglement. Keep things all business. Do not fall in love. The arrangement is only for a year so the rules shouldn’t be that hard to follow, right?

My Review

I decided to pick up a sexy romance novel to review for Valentine’s Day. Sadly, I didn't make the best choice. Many recommended this book to those that were fans of Fifty Shades or Bared To You. Although I wouldn't necessarily call myself of a fan of these books, I enjoy a good steamy romance on occasion and they fit that bill. This book did not.

The Marriage Bargain was missing a lot of steam and a lot of originality. I know romances have a general plot usually accompanied by cheesiness and that doesn't usually bother me, but this one seemed so familiar that I cringed a little. I had the occasional laugh while I was reading, but there was just nothing overly special about this book.

The characters were okay, but nothing to write home about. Although I really liked Nick he wasn't anything too new. I did however enjoy that there weren't huge dark horrible secrets/pasts that the characters had to deal with, like in Fifty Shades and Bared To You. That was a nice relief. On the other hand, there was way too much "I really like you but I’m not going to admit it crap."

I think if you are looking for a light read and don’t mind the repetitiveness of the romance genre that is obviously displayed in this novel then you would probably enjoy this book. For some reason it just didn't have me sold. I feel like it should have been either more cute with more comedy or more steamy and dark. I just felt like the book was trying too hard. 

Rating: 2.5/5   BUY The Marriage Bargain

Happy Valentine's Day!

Library Loot #7

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

My Library Loot

The Marriage Bargain by: Jennifer Probst

• I wanted a good romance to read for Valentine's day. Sadly, it wasn't really that great.

The Waiting Sky by: Lara Zielin

• I've been waiting a while to get my hands on this one. I just started it and so far so good. It reminds me a lot of the movie Twister. 

Slated by: Teri Terry

• I saw a review of this book on one of the blogs I follow and I had to give it a chance.

Crash by: Lisa McMann

• This one reminded me a little of Final Destination.

Article 5 by: Kristen Simmons

• Who wouldn't want to read a book that has a crumbling city and the line "Compliance is mandatory." on the cover.

Addition by: Toni Jordan

• I also read a review of this book on a blog. I was intrigued. 

I'm hoping to read all of these. I still have a couple I haven't read from the last time I went to the library. I also have a hand full of ARCs I need to read and a couple of books for upcoming tours. Wish me luck!

Teaser Tuesdays #4

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Make sure to share the title and the author too!

My Teasers

This book has been a great read so far! My teasers will show you how the book can be funny and dark at the same time.

"The winds have whisked his reddish-blonde hair into a fauxhawk, which would be hilarious if he wasn't standing a quarter mile away from a spinning vortex of death." (pg. 2)

"... let's face it, reasoning with a drunk is a lot like trying to train a chicken. After a while, you just let the thing squawk and flap and hope it doesn't escape the coop." (pg. 1)

~ The Waiting Sky by: Lara Zielin

Share the link to your teasers below!

Review: The Archived by: Victoria Schwab

The Archived by: Victoria Schwab (2013)

Publisher: Hyperion

336 pages

Genre: Young Adult/Suspense/Thriller/Fantasy

Goodreads Summary: Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

My Review

This book exploded on the internet and I was eagerly awaiting its release. So here is the big question with this one… did it live up to its hype?  I’m going to have to say yes and no. I think all of the hype from other bloggers made my expectations too high. So here it is, my four star review of The Archived. 

Let's start with the characters. I was really excited about Mackenzie Bishop. Her character starts off strong and promising, I really couldn't wait to read a book with a strong female lead. However, as I got farther into the book my love for her wavered.  I can’t go into great detail here because it would ruin some of the plot, but let’s just say that I expected a little bit more out of her. I will note that I was hesitant about loving Wesley, I’m not a huge guyliner black nail polish wearing fan, but his personality was so amazing that I didn't care. I however didn't like the fact that we don’t get that much interaction with this character, I wanted more.

I really enjoyed Schwab’s writing style. I love how she seamlessly incorporates Mackenzie's past relationship with Da into the novel to help us better understand The Archive. There were some scenes that were so well written I got goosebumps, and not just from the creepiness of this novel. Which by the way, I advise that you don’t read this book late at night when it is super dark and your husband is sound asleep. It gets scary.

The action in this novel was very fast paced. The plot moved forward so quickly that at times I think I got whiplash. Although I enjoyed that it was full of mystery and action, I was kind of hoping for it to slow down just a little. I would have loved to get to spend some more time with Mac being a keeper and her general life before the conspiracies and such popped into the story. I just wanted a little more.

I really did enjoy this novel. It was definitely different and full of suspense. I just can’t give it a five because, and I am sorry to say this, but I didn't love it enough. I am still recommending this book to others, especially those looking for a amazingly written creepy novel. Enjoy!

Rating: 4/5   BUY The Archived                                            

Top Bookish News of The Past Week

Here are all the interesting bookish stories, pictures, videos, and blog posts I found this past week. 

All of the titles are linked up to their respective articles/blog posts. Click away!

ARTICLES

What We Know About 'Divergent' Filming in Chicago

• I live in Illinois. I will be keeping tabs on this story!

The 10 Most Anticipated Book Adaptations of 2013

• What book to movie adaptation are you waiting on? I didn't even know about all of these!

15 Hot Celebrity Guys Reading Books

• You know you want to look...

BLOG POSTS

Is This Book Actually Out Yet?

• Read this post, its rather interesting and humorous. 

Torched Review

• I can't wait to read this one. Thanks for the great review!

As a fellow reader...

• I love a post that makes for a good discussion. I love that in the blogging world you can speak your mind.

VIDEO

• This commercial aired during the Super Bowl. It was funny, but it made me cringe...those poor books in that poor library. 

Waiting on Wednesday #3: Code White by: Scott Britz-Cunningham

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I'm waiting on...

Code White by: Scott Britz-Cunningham

Release Day: April 9

Goodreads Summary: Under the glare of live television cameras—and with her lover, Dr. Richard Helvelius, and her estranged husband, Kevin, both looking on—Ali is about to implant a revolutionary mini-computer into the brain of a blind boy. If it works, he will see again. But someone wants to stop her triumph. No sooner has she begun to operate than the hospital pagers crackle with the chilling announcement, “CODE WHITE.” A bomb has been found in the medical center.

But this is no ordinary bomb—and no ordinary bomber. As minutes tick off toward the deadline, Ali suspects that a vast, inhuman intellect lies behind the plot—and that she herself may be the true ransom demand.

This book sounds really interesting and I'm always open for a new type of thriller. Plus, it reminded me a little of Grey's Anatomy.

What are you waiting for?

ARC Review: Rapunzel Untangled by: Cindy C. Bennett

Rapunzel Untangled by: Cindy C. Bennett (Feb. 12, 2013)

Publisher: Cedar Fort

304 pages

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Fairy Tale/Gothic

*I received this free ARC for review from Netgalley, it in no way impacted my honest review, and I received no compensation. Thanks to Cedar Fort publishing for this awesome book!

Goodreads Summary: For one thing, she has a serious illness that keeps her inside the mysterious Gothel Mansion. And for another, her hair is 15 feet long. Not to mention that she’s also the key to ultimately saving the world from certain destruction. But then she meets a boy named Fane, who changes all she has ever known, and she decides to risk everything familiar to find out who she really is.

My Review

I tip my hat to you Cindy Bennett, for giving me the chance to climb into a fairy tale retelling as unique and loveable as they come. I couldn’t put this book down once I started.

This is no ordinary story of Rapunzel. This Rapunzel lives in the 21^st century locked in a tower in an old creepy mansion with Facebook being her only connection to the outside world. I loved the moderness this old fairy tale was given. Not only do I love the modern twist but this story is dark, and reminded me of a gothic novel more than anything. The fact that Bennett has no problem showing how dark these fairy tales can be makes it that much more enjoyable. I was getting kind of tired of the cute little fairy tale stories I’ve run into as of late and this one is anything but.

I loved the characters. Rapunzel was interesting and humorous, just wanting a chance to leave her tower with the ever looming prophecy hanging over her head. Fane is a cute and charming young guy, a perfect prince. I instantly liked him. This book has all kinds of funny dialogue between these two characters with one liners you won't soon forget. You can’t do anything but love them. I even enjoyed Gothel, the evil mother, and the slow revealing of the woman who locks Rapunzel in a tower. This was the most complex and interesting fairy tale retelling I have ever read. Full of mystery, cuteness, and terror, this one is original.

I recommend this novel to anyway and everyone, especially those that love a good fairy tale. Take a chance and read it. You will be surprised at what you find lurking in the pages.

Rating: 5/5   BUY Rapunzel Untangled