Speed Date: Bourne by Lisa T. Bergen

Woops!! Sorry my speed date is a date late, but here it is. 

The Deal: Gabriella, the new Lady Forelli is learning that even when you win the big battle, the war is far from over. Soon her new husband Marcello is fighting for his life; her sister Lia is feeling the stress and pressure of always having to be on high alert and of living in a world where men feel its perfectly okay to say "It's a guy thing" and keep the women in the dark. 

Lord Greco betrayed his alliance to Firenze and now is struggling to find his place in Sienna where no one but Marcello really trusts him. And even the the big battle is over, they might be in more danger than ever. 

My Thoughts: Bourne is a short novella (I would guess about 110 pages), that takes place a day or two after the big battle at the end of Torrent and that, I think, it's the big problem with the novella.

It's well written, I liked seeing the characters again, and getting to read Lia's perspective, but the fact that the story takes place a day after the big battle, and that it shows there is only more trouble in the horizon, well, that kind of takes the impact away from the previous book.

In Torrent, things ended in a hopeful note that now is just gone. I would have preferred for the things to happen a few months down the line and shown what had been going on rather than this. Also, didn't feel there was enough things happening to warrant a novella.

It's not bad, and it's not a waste of time, but it could have been better, and it wasn't. 

What's a Book Speed Date, you ask? It's a quickie review--about 150 words or so--of any genre book (variety is the spice of life, after all).

If you want to join in or just read other speed date reviews, check out The Book Swarm

Book Review: Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren

Warning: This review might contain spoilers about books 1 and 2 in the River of Time Series. 

At First Sight: Finally learning to somewhat control their gift for time-travel, Gabi and Lia Bentarrini decided to rescue their father from his future death, and bring the whole family together back to Siena. Where once again, things have changed. 

And though Castello Forelli was lost to the Fiorentini, Gabi's beloved Marcello rose to a position of great power in Siena - becoming one of the Nine who rule the city. His joy is great at having Gabi, and he wants to make it forever, even if Gabi's parents and sister aren't entirely sold on the idea.

But all that gets put on hold when they receive word of Marcello's brother's impending death. Fortino has been suffering as a captive of Firenze for close to a year and his condition is quickly deteriorating; so Gabi convinces Marcello to try a very risky plan to rescue him. But the plan might proof to be more dangerous to Gabi's heart than she ever imagined, as she's once again pushed to Lord Greco. 

Greco who is almost as handsome as Marcello and who keeps sending her mixed signals, and who might prove to be the path of least resistance...

Second Glance: Torrent is another roller-coaster ride of adventure and danger that kept pushing the story forward at a breakneck speed, and I liked that. But I did reach a point where I thought, "Okay, why can't these people ever catch a break?". 

I did love seeing more of the family dynamics of the Betanrrini family and how much they loved their dad - in a way, he's a big driving force of the decisions they make. The romance between Marcello and Gabi was sweet and swoony, and that was another big plus. 

On the other hand, I had a bit of a trouble with the love-triangle that develops in this story because it's not really my thing and I had a hard time figuring out why one of the parties was so in love so quickly. And second, I wished they had explained more about the nature of the bond between some of the characters (I won't say more to avoid spoilers, but you'll understand once you read). 

Bottom Line: Torrent was a great conclusion to this story of Marcello and Gabi, and I loved spending time with them again. I only wish I had seen them together more than appart as it was the case. But, over all, Torrent was a lovely story about all types of love: between Marcello and Gabi, Gabi and her family, Marcello and his friends, and the love they all felt for Siena. 

This review is part of the River of Time Book Tour. To see the future and past tour stops, please check out The Teen {Book} Scene.

Lisa is hosting a Scavenger's Hunt among all the blogs in the tour, and she's giving away some fabulous prices - among them 3 Kindles. Check out her site for more details.

Book Review: Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren

At First Sight: One hot, summer day sisters Gabbi and Lia Bentarrini were bored, having been dragged to yet another excavation site by their archeologist mother, even though they weren't really allowed to touch anything. 

Deciding to do a little exploring on their own, Gabbi and Lia wander into one of the Etruscan caves her mother was studying... and by the time Gabbi gets out, she's no longer somewhere near 21st Century's Siena, instead Lia is gone and she walks right into a group of knights fighting each other. 

That's how she meets Sir Marcello Forelli, younger son of the Lord of Castello Forelli, where she's taken as a guest. Gabbi isn't sure what to make of the situation but she knows she's in the 14th Century, and that she must find her sister. 

But the 1300's Italy is anything but peaceful, as Florence and Siena battling for power, much as the Forellis are fighting their neighbors, making it that much harder for Gabbi to find her way back home.

Second Glance: Sorry for the short summary, I'm trying not to spoil things for anyone. 

I went into reading Waterfall knowing only two things about it: that Small @Small Review loved it, and that it had some time travel involved. And what I learned is that whenever Small tells me to read a book, I should just go ahead and do it, because she's generally right and I seriously loved this book too.

Gabbi's adventures in Italy were that awesome to read about, how she struggles between what would be expected from a well-to-do lady in the 14th century and the things she wants to (and knows she can) do. I loved that she could think fast, and used her common sense, and how much she loved her sister. 

And I loved seeing her with Marcello, his brother Fortino and his best friend Luca, how she develops different relationships with each of them and they come to respect her for different reasons. 

And I know I said I wanted to walk away from Christian Fiction for a while and that these books are technically considered CF, but you really don't feel it at all, even though there is a bit of faith woven into the story. 

Bottom Line: Waterfall is a delightful read, full of adventure and drama and romance. I found it impossible to put down and incredible entertaining to read. I can't wait to dig into Book Two: Cascade.

Favorite Quote: "There was only one way to play this. The superior, don’t-mess-with- me route." - Gabbi