Just Haze

Review: Torment [Fallen Series] (by Lauren Kate)

Torment [Fallen Series] by Lauren Kate

Publish Date: September 2010

Synopsis:  Hell on Earth.

That's what it's like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.  It took them an eternity to find another, but now he has told her he must go away.  Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts -- imortals who want to kill Luce.  Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students:  Nemphilim, the offspring of the fallen angels and humans.

At shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives.  Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn't told her everything.  He's hiding something--something dangerous.

What if Daniel's version of the past isn't actually true?  What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?

The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series ... where love never dies.

My Review

I give five out of five stars.

I loved the first book and from its ending, I was sure that it would be a series  After Tormet was released in September, I went ahead and downloaded it to my B&N Nook.

I love the story between Daniel and Luce.  In this book, Luce begins to doubt Daniel as he tries to protect her.  Luce begins to glimpse her past through the shadows that haunted her for most of her life.  She sees her past and even takes a road trip to see her previous parents and even meets her sister.  With this revelation, Luce begins to wonder what Daniel is keeping from her.  She tries to confront him with it but he just tells her that it's for her own good.  Luce begins to resent their love and the secrets that Daniel's keeping from her, most of all she resents that their love brings so much sadness to those families she is born to.  Although she begins to question all this, there is one thing that is for certain, that Daniel indeed loves her and will follow her to the ends of the world.

It's such a great love story and it isn't like Twilight where Bella doesn't question anything.  Bella just accepts the way things are.  With Luce and Daniel, Luce questions everything.  I definitely recommend this book.  If you haven't read the first one, buy it or borrow it from someone.  I assure you that you will not be disappointed.

 

Review: Mini Shopaholic (by Sophie Kinsella)

Mini Shopaholic (by Sophie Kinsella)
Publish Date: September 2010

Synopsis:  Nothing comes between Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) and her bargains. Neither act of God nor budget crunch can shatter her dreams of wall-to-wall Prada. Every milestone in her well-shopped life (travel, long-lost sister, marriage, pregnancy) inspires new vistas to explore in the name of retail therapy. But now she faces her greatest little challenge yet: Becky’s two-year-old daughter, Minnie.

While motherhood has been everything Becky dreamed it would be—Baby Dior, Little Marc Jacobs, and Dolce & Gabbana for toddlers—adorable Minnie is wreaking havoc everywhere she goes, from Harrods to her own christening. Her favorite word is “MINE!” and her penchant for Balenciaga bags, Chanel sunglasses, and online purchases has no rival under age five.

Becky is at her wits end. On top of this, she and her husband Luke are still living with her parents. Thankfully it appears house buying attempt number four is a go! Until a huge financial crisis causes panic everywhere, and nobody wants to shop—not Becky’s personal shopping clientele, not her friends, nobody. And with Luke in the doldrums, it’s time for Becky to step in—with a party: A surprise birthday party for Luke (on a budget) is the perfect antidote to everyone’s woes. At first. 

Will Becky manage to keep the party of the year a surprise? Can she hire jugglers, fire-eaters, and acrobats at a discount? Will enlisting the help of Luke’s unflappable assistant to convince him to have another baby realize her dream of matching pom-poms? Will Minnie find a new outlet for her energetic and spirited nature (perhaps one with sixty percent markdowns)? She is, after all, a chip off the old shopping block. And everyone knows a committed shopper always finds a way. 

My Review

4 out of 5

I've been a big fan of Sophie Kinsella since her first novel The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic was released.  After Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) gave birth to her daughter, I was wondering if Ms. Kinsella would write another book about Becky.  When this book came out, I was ecstatic to read it.  Instead of getting it for my Nook like I do with other books, I've purchased this one on hardback!  Instead of reading it as soon as I got home, it went into my TBR pile.  When I finallly had some time to devote to the book, I was a bit annoyed at how immature Becky still is.  She's a mother and her shopaholic tendencies were way out of control.... along with her child.  Despite the disaster of the news that the Banks are in serious financial trouble and the whole of England saving up whatever money they have left, Becky is still purchasing designer clothing for Minnie and herself (after Luke had told her not to).   I was most annoyed at this kind of behaviour.  It was good and fun to read when I was in my twenties and had no responsibilities or even a clue to what life is about, reading Becky now when she's supposed to be my age is simply quite annoying.  Her lack of responsibility and immature thinking made me cringe.  I'm not saying not to read the book... I'm just saying that be prepared to read a lot of stupid decisions.  It's still a good book... comical at its best.  But I think at some point, even being a shopaholic, Becky needs to grow up and think about others but herself.

Baked Goods

Last month, I was on a baking spree.... well, when have I not been on a baking spree?  Baking always calms me down whenever I'm stressed out.  Last month, I've been so stressed that I made goodies to pass out to Gruff's (aka Michael) employees.  I made chocolate drizzled macaroons, shortbread cookies, peppermint star cookies (my own recipe) and brownie bites (my own recipe).

It's really funny when Gruff took these to work.  He had to ration them since his employees are pretty much .... well ... um ... serious eaters.  I laughed my arse off as he put certain ones and a certain number of them in different containers.  He wasn't about to bring all of them to work!  It's one tupperware at a time!  

I also made some chocolate peppermint cupcakes (my own recipe again) with homemade buttercream frosting topped with star candies.  It was a bit disastrous when it came to the star toppings.  Note to clients:  to store cupcake, store in an open container as candy stars melt.  Despite the deco on top being disastrous, Gruff liked them.  Actually, he likes all the desserts that I bake.