Friday 28 February 2014

Super glue looks promising (Big Dreams Blog Update #5)





Yet another Update Day!  Whew.  Is it me or are the days flying by and it seems every other day is the end of a month?


So, what does the end of February bring other than no breaks until essay, assignment and final deadlines?  Winter?  Daylight Savings?  (Hint: All of the named.)


Anyways, enough of my grousing.  As part of the Big Dreams Blog Hoppity Hop hosted by geniuses Misha Gericke and Beth Fred, Update Day means I get to let you know how I've been faring on my long-term goal of completing stories adding up to one million words.  (Also, make sure to click the official picture of the Blog Hop to find all 21 of us participating big dream crazy troopers and cheer us on!)


Well, since I haven't completed anything (and I keep scraping everything I start) I'd say the goal is going nowhere.  BUT I'm ever the optimist and I figure one of these days I'll stick a WIP through to THE END.


Basically the way I see it is that it's never too late to start again...or to superglue your butt to your computer chair*.



I swear the things I find on cheezburger.


Yes, definitely not too late to start.  And today seems like a good enough day to try again.


*SIDE NOTE: I'm going to talk about a new process I've been working on...actually not new, more like tried and true but I've backed it up with textbook analysis and weeks' worth of self-exploration.  (More on this in next post, I promise!)




Wednesday 12 February 2014

BOOK REVIEW (2): Kholodov's Last Mistress

Book Review:
Kholodov's Last Mistress



M&B cover here.  The model playing heroine Hannah looks right for her role.
But I don't have much to go on with the male model here...not my Sergei surely.


Let's role with the summary first, why don't we:

When Sergei Kholodov rescued American tourist Hannah Pearl, her wide-eyed approach to the world shocked the man whose life had left him bitterly cynical.

Hating how powerfully she affected him, Sergei made a cold-hearted decision to obliterate his dark emotions . . . . He would lose himself in sinful pleasure before pushing her away and destroying her dreams.

One year later, Sergei returns. Hannah has been seared in his memory - perhaps one more night will allow him to forget her once and for all? Or will he realize her innocence is a Pearl beyond price and that he'll never have enough . . . ?


And then I read the book.

My first thoughts:  Stupid, stupid.  Why is are you so naive, Hannah!?!  *proceeds to kill exclamation and question mark tab on keyboard*

Seriously.  I was nodding furiously--like a crazed idiot in the comfort of my home, thank you very much--every time Sergei tried to pop that impenetrable "the world is just" bubble of hers.  Okay, okay.  Let's work with a visual why don't we?

So a career in digital art isn't in my future...

If this is the spectrum of expectation of our interaction with the world, Hannah would fall on the far right in lala land of lollipops, sunshine and unicorns farting chocolate and to the extreme left Sergei won't budge from his position leading the war against just about everything (and no, not even your babies are safe from Sergei's cynicism.  According to him, they'll probably just grow to hate you. Yeesh!)

So in a dream-like way, Thank you Ms. Hewitt, I went all psycho-analytic on our leads' butts. (and, uh, brains.)  It made for great conflict, really!

Have you ever wanted to know what would happen after you put a pessimist and an optimist in a room together?  This 181-page story, that's what.

So yeah, again, I'm a cynic and I was really angry by Hannah's optimism.  And the funny thing is, I know there really are people out there like Hannah.  Mellow, happy-go-lucky peace keepers.  My mom is one of them and I love her to bits, but that doesn't make me less of a mix of frustration and admiration for such a personality type.

And as much as Hannah bunched me up, Kholodov didn't offer me much of a reprieve.  Sergei's so wish-washy with his feelings.  There's a reason I don't like Katy Perry's "Hot n Cold" and it has nothing to do with the lyrics and music.
Can we please not have Riri and Brown playing Hannah and Sergei?
Suffice to say that the ending was beautiful, the sexual tension gut-wrenching and heart-racing, and the book a must-read!

(Note: The links below are for the 2-for-1 deal with Kate Hewitt's The Prince She Never Knew AND Kholodov's Last Mistress.  Why not save money?)





My verdict:


(4 stars)

BOOK REVIEW (1): The Prince She Never Knew

Book Review:
The Prince She Never Knew

Not how I pictured the heroine or the hero, but beautiful dress!

Okay.  Going into this one I thought the title was a cue to a classic trope: undercover lover.  Actually, I made that up.  The trope is called "Undercover Cop".  Best example thus far, IMHO, is 21 Jump Street.
Guess who's not making a cameo in 22 Jump Street?
Although in this case I thought the prince was going to be undercover and the heroine would be all like "what?  I can't believe my luck!"
Then I started hoping it was a twist on the trope, and that the heroine would be a princess undercover or something along that fancy.

Turned out I was wrong on all predictions.  Phew.  Because it was SO much better.  So before I go on and on, I'll post the summary

While the world believes her romance with Prince Leo Diomedi, Alyse knows it's just a calculated sham. 

Yet beneath his icy exterior, Leo's kisses give Alyse a taste of the man behind the crown… But will their fairy tale survive the headlines threatening to rip everything apart? 

Barely gives you much, but here's the stitch:  Prince Leo and Alyse are the perfect couple.  Lucky us we get to see past the cameras into the lives of two very flawed people.  On one hand we have Leo, the no-nonsense heir who suffers from a Hero complex (which is totally allowed where his parents basically screwed his life over and over again) and Alyse, our brilliantly hopeful heroine.  I'm a cynical person by nature so I initially didn't understand how Alyse could swallow her not-so-happily ever after without choking and dying.

Seriously, if life handed me lemons, I'd make lemonade--but I'd also complain all while squeezing the juices out.  Or better yet I'd do this:




So yeah I was more a Leo than an Alyse.  (He'd prefer I called it "realistic" while reviewing.)  Fine, fine, Leo—moving on.

What we learn very quickly is that underlying classic trope here is the marriage of convenience, and though it's quite clear why Leo's agreed to the fake marriage (Psst!  It has something to do with his future inheritance of the throne of his kingdom), I didn't understand at first how any of this would benefit Alyse.

You know aside from the wealth and fame, and possible hot prince sex and baby-making
I liked Alyse and I felt that there was more to her acceptance to an arranged marriage.  (Hint: There is.) 

And a side note, there is no use of the virgin trope!  Hooray!

For those of you who don't know...*cough*allofyou*cough*, I abhor the virgin trope.  Specifically the innocent, virgin trope.  Simply for the fact that not all virgins are "innocent" (wth does innocent mean anyways?  Relative much?).  

Rant aside, although the title suggests the enigma only shrouds our hero I'd argue Alyse is as much a mystery herself.  I thought I had her figured out from page 1: "oh gee.  Here's the little innocent virgin bride, yadda yadda" to pg. 56: "Aw.  How cute.  She wants to make the best out of the situation and be friends with Leo." to pg. 64: "Okay.  So she's not a virgin.  Didn't see that one coming." and between this point and the end I kind of gave up trying to pinpoint her.  Frame her as being a cardboard cut-out.  She's very dynamic and clearly she knew what I was trying to do.

But really I think the best part was nearer the end, when Leo and Alyse are outing for the first time as a married couple and he starts to freak out a bit.  Up until now he's shown himself to be pretty suave around cameras.  Like he popped out of the womb for his first baby picture one second later…

Who doesn’t like vulnerable alpha heroes?

And with enough plot twiststhere are two specifically, and both are connected so one follows after the other—not overwhelming the main romantic conflict, The Prince She Never Knew is an un-regrettable read! (Yes, I made up that second-to-last word.)

Now go out and read it!

Barnes & Noble



My verdict:


(4 stars)