Scrappin' Saturday

 

I bought a few new stamp sets, a friend had some blank cards w/envelopes, and this is what I ended up with.

Review: SUMMER AT SEASIDE COVE by Jacquie D'Alessandro

Contemporary

Penguin Group (USA)
368 pages

After a viscous betrayal by her own sister, Jamie Newman has had enough. She decides that a seaside get away is just the thing. But when she arrives at the cottage she's rented for the summer she finds that Paradise Found is not really an appropriate name, more like Paradise Lost. The landlord of the dilapidated bungalow is no where to be found, but Jamie is ready to pounce. 
Nick Trent isn't sure what hit him when his firecracker of a tenant finds him, though he must concede that the cottage has seen better days.

When Jamie's family drama follows her to Seaside Cove she isn't sure if she can take it anymore. Will her family finally drive her off an emotional cliff or can Nick help keep her grounded? Is it possible for summer love transition into happily ever after?

*****

Jacquie D'Alessandro's first contemporary is a definite WIN! Ms. D'Alessandro successfully combined drama, humor and an plethora of emotions in between into a spectacular storyline. She created realistic characters that seemed to spring from the pages, as I could feel their rolling emotions and picture the panorama of events and characters while I devoured this book in one sitting. SUMMER AT SEASIDE COVE will definitely be put on my “keeper” shelves, as I can easily envision rereading this again and again.


In Jamie and Nick I have found two new characters to add to my favorite couples list. Neither are perfect, but they both compliment each other so well. They have fantastic chemistry, that positively sizzled. I loved Nick's laid back attitude, but I could see why it was a bit nerve racking for Jamie, until she got to know and understand him better. I also loved Jamie's neighbors, they were a hoot!


It was great watching Jamie learn to live a more relaxed lifestyle, though her family still wanted to lean heavily on her. Jamie's mom was a basket case, but I liked the twist Ms. D'Alessandro added to her storyline, it was a very uncommon issue for a romance heroine have to deal with when it comes to their mother. I really liked how all things were resolved between Jamie's family and her and Nick, it was a tiny bit over-the-top, but I really liked it!


I look forward to reading more of Jacquie D'Alessandro's books whether they are historical or contemporary. She is absolutely staying on my auto-buy list, SUMMER AT SEASIDE COVE just confirmed why I love her writing so much.
 

Rating 5/5

 

Author's Website

When I'm not reading or reviewing, there's a good chance I'll be...

Playing with scissors! My other passion, uhm, I mean hobby is making big paper into little paper a/k/a card making and other papercrafts. I really don't have the patience for scrapbooking. I'm a panster, I don't plan, I tend to fly by the seat of my pants. To be a scrapbooker, I've found that it's much easier if your a plotter- you have to get all the right pieces before you can put those photos together, with card making I can just grab whats at hand and see what I come up with.

A good friend (and some Stampin' Up bloggers) gave me the idea to try and make this stationary box:

Of course I had to make some cards to go inside of it...

Review: ELEVEN SCANDALS TO START TO WIN A DUKE'S HEART by Sarah MacLean

Love by the Numbers #3

Historical Romance/ Regency

Avon, an imprint of Harper Collins

384 pages

Available April 26, 2011

Juliana Fiori is no stranger to scandal, in fact you could say she was born in scandal. Upon her arrival to her half-brother's home in England, Juliana quickly learned that she provided fodder effortlessly for the Ton with her propensity for trouble. 
 

Simon Pearson, the Duke of Leighton, a/k/a the Duke of Disdain because of his spotless reputation and his contemptuous view of those who did not follow societies rules, was appalled by the shameful behavior of Miss Fiori. When he stumbles upon her hiding in his carriage, it's the last straw. 
 

Can Simon instruct the bold Juliana in the ways of being a proper lady, or will Juliana turn the tables, teaching Simon that sometimes you should let passion rule?

*****

Sarah MacLean's superb writing and characterizations has quickly thrust her onto the top of my auto-buy list. In ELEVEN SCANDALS TO START TO WIN A DUKE'S HEART, her plot and characters were beautifully interwoven into an enchantingly romantic tale, complete with the struggles of clashing personalities, as two people who can't conceive ever being together in a relationship, learn that they can't imagine a life apart. She was able to give Juliana and Simon very tangible emotions which pulled me further into their story. This is a book I didn't want to put down once I began.

Simon was so infuriatingly arrogant, I really wanted to see him knocked down a notch. While he was such an pig-headed ass, Ms. MacLean still made him likeable, which I considered to be quit the accomplishment. I could feel him fighting his emotions as he tried to be so cold. Of course being a romance I knew that he was starting to fall in love with Juliana, but I loved seeing his transformation. Ms. MacLean made it apparent why he had such highly prudish morals, which helped me to understand why Simon acted the way he did.

Juliana had a special knack for falling into bad situations. She could be doing everything right and still end up wrong. Sure there were a few times were she was deliberately mischievous, but so many of her actual scandals were not her fault. While Juliana fell into many scrapes, Ms. MacLean kept a believability to them, I have had the kind of bad luck Juliana had, where no matter how hard you try to do the right thing, you still manage to get it all screwed up, I could empathize with her. She was such a lovable character, and I liked that she was intelligent and had strong sense of independence. 
 

I was so captivated by ELEVEN SCANDALS TO START TO WIN A DUKE'S HEART that Simon's asinine behavior even had me in tears, I was so infuriated with him for causing Juliana such pain. If there was ever a hero that needed to grovel, it was Simon. One of the best scenes was when Juliana saw Simon with his niece, it opened up his personality even more. I also liked the glimpses of Juliana's half-brothers and their wives.

Rating 5/5

Author's Website

Night Owl Reviews