Monthly Archives: November 2009

WoW: Kresley Cole, IAD series

Uncategorized November 9, 2009 Comments: 2

I don’t know how many of you read that I absolutely love Kresley Cole’s IAD series. I was actually starting to read again one of the previous ones (Dark Desires after Dusk) when I got a call fromAlgoritam that a new one by KC arrived. 🙂 Yeey! This one is Dark Kiss of Winter in combination with Gena Showalter (who I haven’t read yet but will soon because I keep reading good things about her). Anyway, Untouchable is the story of Daniella (the Ice maiden/queen who is half Valkyrie, half Icere fey) and Murdoch Wrath (a good vampire – there are bad ones as well in this world), the last of the 4 Wroth brothers to get his love story. That does not mean there will be no other books in the series. Oh, no. There are Valkyirie, vampires, demons, witches and all other kinds of creatures turning up in these novels and of course, they are all immortals, meaning they won’t die of natural causes but can be killed (not easily though).

What I love about KC novels is that they are so unpretentious, easy to read and the dialogues are totally funny (sometimes going into absurd but in a positive way). I can’t wait to read the next one that is to come out in February 2010. There are several stories I hope she writes, although whatever she writes, I’ll be reading it. Some thing just can’t be helped. 🙂
Anyway, back to the story. I have to admit, I felt like an idiot after I read the final paragraph where everythings turns out right. I don’t want to say much about the story, but the heroes have a serious problem consumating their desire and when the solution presented itself – I thought to myself – What an idiot! It was so logical and obvious if you actually used your brain. Which, as you can see, I did not. 🙂 I wonder how many people thought of it before it was actually announced.
As usual, the book is intertwined with stories and characters from other novels because they are all happening at about the same time, getting prepared for the Ascension.
So, if you’re looking for something witty, interesting, a bit different and containing a love story (with some hot sex scenes), Kresley Cole should be your first choice.

Picture by: www.kresleycole.com

I hate the fact that…

Uncategorized November 8, 2009 Comments: 3

1. I go to sleep and while falling asleep I get this great idea for a post which is at least half – if not completely lost by morning.

2. You cannot tell which wine is going to cause a headache in the morning, even taken in small amounts and tasting great.

3. It’s raining and raining and raining. No end in sight to all the rain and cloudiness here in Zagreb.

4. Someone names a perfume “Naughty little minx” getting my hopes up and it turns up smelling like fruit candy. Yuck!

5. I’m paying the price of recession because someone was greedy and is not being sentenced to a life in jail, while I’m the one who got her pay reduced because of it.

6. Continuing the previous point, our goverment for the last 20 years stole from wherever they could (including the state budget) and now when they have no more money, they decided we have to give them another 4% from our pays because they don’t have enough money for government obligations. How totally “nice” that we have to pay for their incompetence and stealing!

7. Nobody wants a free book. Of any kind.

8. I don’t have enough free time to do everything I want.

9. I need to start thinking about having children even though I feel so young and unready.

10. I can’t do something I love and earn a lot of money doing it.

11. It’s much easier for men to lose weight.

12. I keep forgetting things I want to say or do. Then I remember them, and forget again. Eventually I remember and do them, but not as soon as I wanted to.

13. I cannot find a shampoo and conditioner appropriate for this time of year and the fact that my hair is more dry than usual.

14. You have to take great care what you eat and drink in order not to feel and look bloated.

15. Living in Croatia is so frustrating, and nobody in power takes notice and feels badly for causing it, while more and more Croatians feel the need to take antidepressants.

WoW: Karen Marie Moning, The Fever series

Uncategorized November 6, 2009 Leave a comment

Before I start, there is still one copy of Stephanie Laurens’ Untamed bride left – so the first commenter will win the second copy. The Romantic Query Letter won the first by commenting on a post containing the reminder.

On to Mrs Moning. 🙂 Just so to let her know, if she ever comes across my blog, I’m angry with you! The third book in the series Faefever ended on a terrible cliff hnager and now she did it again with Dreamfever. I don’t want to put any spoilers into the post, so I’ll just say, it better not have ended the way I think it has.

It frustrates me to no end when I come across a series (that has a definite ending in sight – not those that go indeterminately) and then it gets more and more interesting and I have to wait for the next installment for months. If you get interested in the Fever series, wait for the last book to come out and then start reading.

This series revolves around Fae (Seelie and Unseelie – i.e. good fae and bad fae) and the fact that people can’t see them as different (they cast glamours) unless you’re one of the sidhe-seers, which MacKayla Lane is, but has just found out. That’s the beginning and then well, all hell breaks loose. Actually, all fae breaks loose. 🙂

A bit on the dark side, but still interesting to read. I had some serious problems with Mac’s look on life (sometime still do) – she begins as young and frivoulous and although her experiences in the book make her grow up and become stronger, her young and optimistic side still peeks out of her.

There’s only one book left before the end and now I wonder what will happen in it, because even though there’s been a lot happening in the last 4 novels, there are many threads left hanging. And I still have no idea who half the characters are or what their agenda is and what motivates them or drives them to act the way they do.

Hopefully, I’ll find out soon (or soon enough) – there is still no release date on Shadowfever but I do hope it will be out before summer (so I can take it to beach with me).

Picture by: http://www.karenmoning.com/

Checking my perfume learning progress

Uncategorized November 4, 2009 Comments: 2

It seems I found a way how to check how much I learned (or more likely didn’t) by smelling Andy Tauer creations. Yep, a good way to test how little I know.

I tried Lonestar Memories and Reverie au jardin. Ok, I did smell a bit more than the first time some months ago but there’s so much more there that my nose cannot get hold of. 🙂

Notes for Lonestar memories: geranium, carrot seed, clary sage, birch tar, cistus, jasmine, cedar wood, myrrh, tonka, vetiver and sandalwood.

The smoky tar hits you straight off, it has a bit strong opening (like all Tauer creations I tried). I get some herbal and fruity notes (got surprised by the fruit, I wasn’t expecting that). I did get hints of carrot (yeey for me) and supposed what smelled somewhat herbal was sage but that’s about it. The rest of the notes are a blur in a smoky, slightly sweet leathery setting that ends in the drydown with a burnt caramel note I completely love.

I have a bit of a problem with all Tauer creations so far – they are strong on the initial spritz and although I actually love all of those I tried, and I tried them on my wrist, I cannot imagine what it would feel like wearing them. They really need to be used sparingly since not only do they come on strong, they stay on forever. 🙂 Well, not forever but longer than anything I’ve been wearing/smelling lately.

I find them all terribly serious. They cannot be taken lightly or worn indoscriminately otherwise it might happen that the perfume is wearing you. 🙂

The second one I mentioned was Reverie au jardin. I realized lately I have a tenuous relationship with lavender – although I like the essential oil and the real-life plant, there are not that many perfumes that have a strong lavender that I find wearable, or even nice.

Notes: green and fresh lavender, galbanum, fir balm, bergamot, rose, frankincense, ambrette, flowery orris, vetiver, tonka bean, oakmoss.

It striked me as a clean and floral lavender before I read the notes. Than I realized it does smell fresh and that the clean part was probably my association regarding fir (so many cleaning product having that smell). Then I got a really strong citrusy feel for the lavender and after that, my smelling fell apart. I mean, everything coalesced into this joyful, loud, sunny, happy creation that I couldn’t for the life of me take apart. So I just kept smelling it and enjoying it. Of all those I tried recently, I don’t think I’ll be able to wear this one as often as others. I wish I could, but at the moment I don’t see myself as how I described it so we woulnd’t suit. But who says that’s not going to change come spring? 🙂 I certainly hope that the sun and greenery will be what it takes for us to get together again.

So, of the 4 I tested recently, my favourite is Lonestar memories. It even sounds like I feel these days.

REMINDER (again): You still have time to win a copy of the first novel in The Black Cobra quartet series, by Stephanie Laurens which, trust me, shouldn’t be missed. You never know, you might get hooked like me (and that’s not a bad thing). 🙂 Or at least have a little fun and spend a cozy evening reading a book that is made for anti-stress therapy.

P.S. I still have Une Rose chyprée to try and see how far I go. 🙂

Subrina hair color

Uncategorized November 3, 2009 Leave a comment

I colored my hair yesterday and was surprised in more ways than I expected. I wouldn’t even be talking about this color today if there wasn’t some kind of promotion so I decided to try it. It’s not like it can be that bad, but since this is a Slovenian company and not my usual L’Oreal, Garnier or Schwarzkopf which I trust, I never before bought Subrina (by Ilirija). I know it’s not nice to be prejudiced against small cosmetic companies but sometimes I can’t help it.

Anyway, it’s in the lower price range regarding what’s on offer (L’Oreal Preference being higher price range for hair colors here).

Anyway, I took the box after seeing the hair color in the book the SA offered without actually reading the name of the color. It looked the right kind of red. Even when opening the box yesterday to mix the color and reading the instructions for the color named Orange, I still thought it was going to look the same as on the box. Well, as you can imagine, I was wrong. 🙂

But truth to tell, I am not disappointed with the color – it does hint toward orange but it’s actually a really strong copper tone. Which is what I aim for most of the time. Only this copper leans more toward orange than red. This will be then the tone of the month – it’s good it’s so lively because the weather here is grey and we had our first snow today! 🙂 Yeey! It was mixed with rain and it’s too warm for it to stick, but I love watching it fall and it has made my gray rainy day much happier.

Back to the color. I wanted to talk about it today because I was pleasantly surprised to find that the gloves that come attached to the instructions are much better quality than what can usually be found in the package and that there was more color in the end than I was able to utilize. That has never happened before. I mean, I do have short hair but lately I started asking myself is it possible that they put less and less product into those bottles and tubes because one color is barely enough for my hair. Well, Subrina obviously does put enough which is certainly a plus for them. Another plus is that their instructions say that after washing off the color shampoo, you need to shampoo the hair one more time with a color save shampoo and then apply the conditioner that came in the package. The problem with the conditioner satchet is that it is not perforated which luckily for me, I noticed before starting to wash the color off so I cut the top off.

Now, I cannot as of yet say how lasting it will be (I mean they all wash off, it’s just the question of how soon and how much) but it washes of your skin incredibly well enough. Hopefully it will remain this vibrant long (at least the SA said it would).
REMINDER: You still have time to win a copy of the latest Stephanie Laurens romance (I mean, who doesn’t want to win a book), just leave a comment saying so here.

WoW: Stephanie Laurens and The Black Cobra Quartet, and… – a prize draw

Uncategorized November 1, 2009 Leave a comment

The way I’m going, this writer of the week might turn to be every two weeks. It’s the end of the week and I barely made it. But I have a good excuse. 🙂 I got offered a new book by Stephanie Laurens to read and review, so when it arrived, of course I left everything else and went to read it.

Well, what can I say. It’s a typical Laurens novel and that’s really good. The fact that this book comes with short info on all Cynster and Bastion club novels written so far has been some good thinking on someone’s part. It really made my reading much easier because it put into perspective what year each of the stories happened. You know, after, what? – 16 Cynster books and 8 or 9 Bastion, you kind of lose the details, so having them at the end of the book is really helpful. Especially so, as both Cynsters and Bastion club members feature in The Untamed bride and in the rest of the quartet to come.

I’m not going into the story and how the Black Cobra situation came about, but I’m happy to say that I can’t wait for the next book. The bad thing is those sequels never come soon enough. 🙂

What I really liked about this novel is that I could relate with the main female character, she’s 29 (I’m 30) and her state of mind is in accordance with her age. At least from my perspective. Though it seems, the more stubborn you are, the more likely you are to burst into flame with the right man. And the older you are, the less likely you are to debate on the possible consequences for your social status if you decide to enjoy the man of you choosing. Like I said, totally in accordance with age. 😉

I know that real-life love stories usually do not look like those in romance novels, but there are times I wish they would. At least for a while. I mean I can tell myself I can paint my love life in more romance-like way but in the end, it’s not really the same. Maybe it’s me, maybe it’s the time we live in, but I cannot imagine letting go the way you are supposed to for true love. And sometimes, I do wish I was the kind of person who can do that with the right man. You know, all those real virile, patriotic, handsome, honest, fit, large men are a girl’s dream come true. 🙂

So, if I cannot have them/him in real life, I’ll live in the novel for a while and enjoy myself. You can certainly enjoy yourself while reading Laurens romance.

Now, who of you wants to enjoy yourself reading the latest Laurens romance? 🙂 The lovely people who sent me my copy, also offered 2 copies to my readers (they’ve made me very happy, I have to say). The only unfortunate thing is the copies can go only to US, Canada or UK. If you’re interested in one, please say so until Thursday midnight and on Friday, I’ll announce the winners.

I do hope you will enjoy it as much as I have. 🙂

P.S. This book made me realize the time has come to read some of the love stories from the beginning of the Cynster line. I’ve forgotten some of the stories but I know I enjoyed them very much. After all, I wouldn’t own all of them if that was not the case. 🙂
Like I said, addicted.