Book Review: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (UK) Ltd (5 Oct 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848451725
• ISBN-13: 978-1848451728

Ive left some clues for you.

If you want them, turn the page.

If you dont, put the book back on the shelf, please. 

Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

Dash is perusing the bookshelves of an out-of-the-way bookstore when he comes across something that doesn’t belong. The red notebook has a serious of challenges to make sure he is the correct recipient for its purposes. Dash has found Lily’s book of dares.

But Dash doesn’t play by Lily’s rules, and he dares her back with his own concoctions. Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares has the pair racing all over New York, making puppets and building snowmen and slowly but surely falling for each other – even though they have never met. They push each others boundaries and get them to open up in ways they never thought they would.

I absolutely loved this book. Not much can be said about this book without giving away it’s magic. And magic it has. Plenty of it.

Dash and Lily were two completely opposite characters that intrigued and drew sympathies from the reader. I couldn’t put this book down and the suspense nearly killed me. The whole thing was serendipity and I dare anyone who reads this not to fall for its charm.

There is, quite simply, no other book like Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares. 

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Book Review: Between The Lines by Tammara Webber

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 549 KB
• Print Length: 320 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0983593167
• Publisher: Penguin (13 Sep 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0097JYTLG

Seventeen-year-old actress Emma is starring in her first major film role, opposite Hollywood It Boy Reid. The exclusive nightclubs, snapping photographers and screaming fans are a normal part of life for Reid but it's all new to Emma. The rest of the cast befriend her but Emma can't help feeling out of her depth. She's grateful to fellow actor Graham for his friendly support and thinks maybe he's interested in something more - until she sees him sneaking out of beautiful Brooke's room one night . . .

Reid has no holds barred in his pursuit of Emma; he loves the thrill of the chase but he's also experiencing something new. Could he be genuinely falling for his co-star?

He’s Hollywood’s hottest teen heartthrob. She’s just landed her biggest break after years of commercials and bit parts. Reid and Emma are worlds apart when it comes to their careers, but after undeniable chemistry in a screen test their worlds are going to be thrown together.

Reid is used to the fame – to the girls throwing himself at him, so when Emma doesn’t react to him like he expects, he is even more intrigued by her. Emma has no idea what’s in store for her. She didn’t really consider the consequences of accepting the leading role opposite Reid and how her life would change. Suddenly there are pictures of her everywhere, stories fabricated about her.

The longer Emma is immersed in Reid’s world, the more she can’t help thinking what her life would be like if she was normal. She would get to do normal things. Date. Prom. College.  And as if she didn’t have enough to keep her mind occupied, Reid’s interest in her beyond their working relationship intensifies. So when she is kissing the best looking guy on the planet, she shouldn’t be thinking about co-star, Graham, should she?

Reid wants nothing more than for Emma to fix him. For so long he has taken what he wanted and never looked back. But now he actually sees himself able to commit…if only Emma will give in and give him what he wants. And in between charming Emma, he is avoiding Brooke who is not only a fellow actor in the movie, but his ex, too.

Between The Lines was so much more than I thought it would be. I was expecting a light romantic read. What I got was something so much better with a fuller story. Emma and Reid’s relationship with their parents was nothing short of heartbreaking. I honestly felt for both of them and was brought to tears more than once.

Even though he has some serious character flaws, Reid was likeable and very believable. He drew my sympathies and I wanted nothing more than for things to work out for him.

Between The Lines could have been a glossy and completely unrealistic book. Instead it was gritty and raw and I really felt as though I caught a glimpse into the lives of real people. Each character, even secondary ones, were fully developed and riveting. I wanted to know more about all of them.

This book hit every note perfect for me. It made me feel plenty of emotion, I could barely put it down and when I had to, it was on my mind almost constantly. It left me craving more. I could not ask anymore from a book. Except a sequel. Which there is. And I want it right now. 

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Book Review: Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Random House International (9 Oct 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385740182
• ISBN-13: 978-0385740180

Cursed to live out eternity in his rotted corpse, Romeo, known for his ruthless, cutthroat ways, is given the chance to redeem himself by traveling back in time to save the life of Ariel Dragland. Unbeknownst to her, Ariel is important to both the evil Mercenaries and the love-promoting Ambassadors and holds the fate of the world in her hands. Romeo must win her heart and make her believe in love, turning her away from her darker potential before his work is discovered by the Mercenaries. While his seduction begins as yet another lie, it soon becomes his only truth. Romeo vows to protect Ariel from harm, and do whatever it takes to win her heart and soul. But when Ariel is led to believe his love is a deception, she becomes vulnerable to Mercenary manipulation, and her own inner darkness may ultimately rip them apart.

Romeo is cursed to spend eternity in his rotten, stinking corpse – his punishment for defying the Mercenaries. But he is offered a chance at redemption by an Ambassador. All he has to do is make Ariel Dragland fall in love with him.

As the world’s most famous lover, Romeo believes this will be his easiest assignment ever, and his reward is just around the corner. But Ariel herself has a dark side, and if Romeo cannot bring her into the light and make her love him, then the scales will be tipped in favour of the dark. 

When the lines blur and Romeo can no longer be certain that he is acting, Romeo vows to protect her forever and do whatever it takes to keep the Mercenaries at bay. Ariel herself cannot believe her own luck. As the school freak she never thought love was on the cards for her, and just when she lets herself believe it might be real, Ariel is convinced it is all a cruel hoax.

Romeo must prove to her once and for all that she is his true love, and not even the Ambassadors or the Mercenaries can take that away from them.

Romeo Redeemed, was actually preferable to me than Juliet Immortal. This does not happen often, but in the case of this sequel, it has more than surpassed its predecessor. This book was achingly romantic, tender and raw all at once. It is action-packed and bittersweet, hot and cold. It is one of those rare books that make you feel just about every emotion possible. And it more than passed the tear-test.

While Romeo is one heck of a flawed character, it was a pleasure to watch him, well, redeem himself. It was beautiful to see him grow and lay aside the seducer in him and try for something real.

And though it is doubtful, my only wish is that there will be another instalment in Romeo and Juliet’s epic saga. 

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