Book Blogger Hop #11

Haven't done this one in a while, but I liked this week's question.

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer@Crazy-for-Books

"If you find a book that looks interesting but is part of a series, do you always start with the first title?"

Yeah, I need to read in order. I don't like it, but I do it anyway because I think you just enjoy more of the background and the running jokes. I can only recall once reading out of order, when I started reading the Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn. I started with An Offer From a Gentleman because someone had told me it was a re-telling of Cinderella (it is, in a way), but then I realized it was a whole family saga, so I went back and read from the start all the way till the end.

Sometimes I wish I could read out of order, but if there is something that irritates me as a reader is when a reviewer picks up a book mid-series and complains about not fully understanding certain jokes, or the fact that characters kept popping up and they weren't sure why. Hence, I go in order.

What about you?

At the Movies: The Holiday

Amanda (a successful movie-trailer producer who just broke up with her boyfriend) and Iris (a London journalist who just found out the guy she has been sighing after has just gotten engaged to someone else), meet on the internet and decide to swap houses for 2 weeks around the Christmas holidays.

Once in England, Amanda meets Iris' brother Graham, who at first glance seems like a worry-free bachelor/womanizer about town but who turns out to be a lot more than that. And she starts to regain contact with some of her emotions (She hasn't cried in years).

Meanwhile, in L.A. Iris is enjoying Amanda's huge mansion and strikes friendships with both Miles, a movie-music composer friend of Amanda's ex; and an elderly screenwriter who, most of all, needs someone to listen to him.

Maybe is the season, but I've been seeing this movie a lot on TV and I really loved it, so I decided to write about it. Usually, I don't like watching Cameron Diaz's movies, or Jack Black's (find them both vaguely annoying) and there are only 3 movies with Jude Law that I've ever liked (this one, Sherlock Holmes and Enemy at the Gates), but I liked them all three in The Holiday. And I loved Kate Winslet (I actually think she looked prettier than Cameron Diaz in this movie)

The Holiday is a fairly simple story, and it neatly falls into the chick-flick category, but it's good at it. And it's funny and entertaining, it gets your mind off things for a couple of hours. I loved Iris' character, she felt quite real to me, and the other people were quite nice (though I still think Jack Black's face is slightly odd and funny looking and he honestly reminds me of Kung Fu Panda all the time!).

A nice little movie, perfect to watch on a cold night, cozy at home eating popcorn.

Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter

Sworn as a Guardian of the Mist at a very young age, Darius has spent his life killing those who dare enter the mist, protecting the mythical city of Atlantis and all the creatures that duel within. He's a dragon warrior - the king, actually - and, after having lost his family to intruders, he is not about to show mercy on anyone.

But when a woman named Grace crosses the mist, Darius can't bring himself to kill her. She's innocent and beautiful and is wearing a necklace that she has no business having. Intrigued, he brings Grace into his palace, to ask questions and because he simply can't be away from her.

What's more, Atlantis is in danger. and it falls to Darius to protect them all.

Okay, so I had never read a book by Gena Showalter, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I liked Heart of the Dragon. Grace was likable and sweet, if a bit too naive at times; and Darius was a nice hero, with so many emotions buried inside him (and not quite as deep as he would sometimes wish). And he has the most endearing reactions to 'human' food. The other warriors were kind of funny and I liked Grace's brother too.

However, I did feel like somethings were sort of skimmed over. I like when stories move fast but in this case I would have liked a couple more explanations, because I never really grew close to the characters, even if I liked them and the villain wasn't all there (a good villain is the mark of a good story, in my humble opinion).

I'm going to read the second book in the series and see if I like more, for this one I'll say it's OK.

Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

Parker Brown's favorite game as a girl was Wedding Day. As an adult - and on the wake of the sudden death of her beloved parents - she started a wedding planning company with her best friends Mac, Laurel and Emma.

For Parker, VOWS was her sink or swim moment, when she chose to step away from her grief and start making her mark in the world. While her best friends take care of flowers (Emma), photos (Mac), and cake (Laurel), Parker takes care of the details.

She's good at smoothing ruffled feathers, managing crises and making every wedding as beautiful as possible. On the side, Parker has seen her best friends find the love of their lives and she can't help to want a little of that for herself.

It so happens that the only guy she currently finds interesting is Malcolm Kavanaugh. Mal is not at all like any guy she has ever dated before, and she's not even sure she wants to. He unsettles and confuses her.

Mal has always liked to know how things work - hence his job as a mechanic - and he wants to figure out Parker. However, he's not so happy when she tries to figure him out. There are things of his past he doesn't like to talk about, period.

But hey, no one said the road to Happy Ever After ran smoothly, right?

Happy Ever After it's the final book in the Bride Quartet, and I truly enjoyed it. The book was nice, the series was nice. For this book specifically, I think it suited Parker's personality beautifully. The problems she and Mal face are inherent to the way they are and I was surprised because it was quite non-cliche.

I liked them both as individuals and could understand why two such different people would want to be together. Parker is very giving and loving, for all that she's a bit of a control freak. Mal is very down to earth and understanding of what makes Parker who she is. And they are both so accepting of each other, even if they stumble a time or two.

My only disappointments are that I didn't see as much of the other girls as I expected to see. And that we only saw Mac's wedding and we were left hanging with Laurel's, Emma's...etc. Maybe Nora Roberts will write a novella with the rest. I don't know. I hope. 'cause this was not only nice romance, it was also wedding porn at it's best - the flowers! the cakes! the dresses! - to suit my wedding obsessed inner self (the one that doesn't want to get married but loves watching at wedding shows).

Favorite Quote: “It’s hard to resist a bad boy who’s a good man.They’ll knock the legs right out from under you.” - Mrs. G.
1/2

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas

Mark Nolan's life plan didn't include children or a family. Not after the wreck his own childhood was. But when his sister Victoria is killed in a car accident, Mark has no option but to take on his six year old niece Holly, and try to do his best by her. To do so, Mark moves into his brother Sam's house in Friday Harbor (located in the San Juan Islands), knowing he can't do it alone.

But how well can two single men raise a little girl? Well, they are certainly going to try.

Maggie Conroy moved to Friday Harbor to start over after the death of her husband nearly 2 years before. In the island, she owns a magical toy shop, which enchants Holly and starts to bring her back from the sad place she fell into by missing her mom despite loving her uncles very much.

Mark doesn't believe in magic but he can't help to notice how Maggie connects with Holly. He can't help to notice Maggie herself!

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor it's a pretty straight forward story and I really liked it for it. I wouldn't really call it a Christmas story, but it was sweet just the same, more of a chick lit story rather than a straight-romance.

Still, there is a lovely relationship that develops between Maggie and the entire Nolan family. All of them are hurt and a bit afraid of love (Maggie and Holly because they have lost loved ones, and Mark, Sam and Alex (youngest brother) because most of their lives, family meant trouble rather than comfort). But they eventually give life another chance and that's always lovely to read about.

It's a short book, though. Or at least it felt very short to me and I wanted more (more info, more back story, etc), but I know that I'll see these characters again in Rainshadow Road, the second book of this series, which will be out in 2012.

Favorite Quote: "A good conversation always involves a certain amount of complaining. I like to bond over mutual hatreds and petty grievances.” - Maggie.

1/3