Friday 31 October 2014

Covet by Terri Herman-Poncé

Title: Covet
Author: Terri Herman-Poncé 
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Online Ratings: 4.6 out of 5 stars

*I RECEIVED THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*

NO SPOILERS! 

Summary from Goodreads: 

Everyone wants something.
Even if it belongs to someone else.
And some will destroy the very thing they want, just so no one else can have it.
Professional soldier David Bellotti's latest mission seems simple: steal the key card to a drug lord's compound so the empire can be infiltrated and destroyed. But when David discovers evidence of his lover Lottie’s possible infidelity, his mission turns personal. He searches for answers others would kill to keep buried and discovers a link to the past he's been trying hard to ignore.
Ancient lives, twelve thousand year old secrets, murder, and primal instincts lead David on a journey through past lives and present danger—all to save the woman he loves.

My Opinion (Spoilers from first novel): 

From what started off as business turned into a personal mission. The first novel follows a strong female named Lottie and Covet, the second novel, follows male protagonist and Lottie's lover, David, through his unexpected journey back to the past. Following David and Lottie's love story through this mysterious novel has been phenomenal. Covet, the second novel in the Past Life series, has lived up to the high expectations I set before reading this novel. This novel was definitely more action packed and mysterious than the first novel.
Poncé's unique and elegant style of writing definitely shone throughout this book. The chapters were written in three different perspectives, firstly, in David's point of view, secondly, in Lottie's point of view and thirdly, in third person. 
The small aspect which I wasn't a huge fan of was that the alternating chapters did not state whose point of view it was currently in. This led to a small amount of confusion and I really hope that the next novel states whose point of view the current chapter is following. 
Other than that, David's perspective in the novel had to be my favourite to read from. Following his opinions and thoughts on certain situations was definitely a treat. Also seeing his transformation and him reliving his past lives was quite interesting as he was quite oblivious to the fact he was reliving old times. David's reactions were 'spot on' and I could feel all his emotions and really relate to him.
Reading Lottie's 'point of view' chapters was quite amazing and refreshing as it helped relive the special bonding I created with her in the first novel, 'In This Life'. Lottie still had her strong, bold, independent personality and I felt that she also went through quite a bit of character development. 
Lottie and David's relationship definitely developed into a more mature, trust-worthy relationship. In this novel I felt the characters were more comfortable in their relationship. Although in the beginning there wasn't much trust in their relationship, by the end readers could see the an enormous difference from the beginning of the novel as David and Lottie were more honest with each other. Their relationship development was another aspect I really enjoyed reading about. 
This novel was very intriguing and had really great plot twists! With new characters introduced, this novel has many twists that never would have been expected! The novel had so many mysteries to be solved and so many answers to find that readers were always left with something to anticipate for. I adored how every event, situation and character intertwined to together. The interconnection was an intelligent idea and really made me appreciate this novel more. 'Covet' by Terri Herman-Poncé was a very mysterious novel that kept readers entertained and curious to the end. 
I definitely recommend this series to mystery readers and romance readers. This series is exceptionally good to read if you want to try reading in the Mystery genre for the first time. Thank you Terri Herman-Poncé for allowing me to read and review your excellently written novel- I am very grateful. 

- Erisha <4 


Friday 3 October 2014

I Know Lucy by Melissa Pearl

Title: I Know Lucy
Author: Melissa Pearl
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 
Online Ratings: 4.1 out of 5 stars

*I RECEIVED THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*

NO SPOILERS! 

Summary from Goodreads:

Lucy Tate is on the run. After witnessing the brutal murder of her parents, she's spent five years in hiding -- taking on different personas and faking her way through life. The authorities can't be trusted, so she remains in the shadows, always one beat ahead of the man who is forever hunting her. That is, until she meets Zach Schultz, a senior at Monte Vista High and the one guy she can’t bear to leave. Suddenly her natural instincts to lie, steal, and run are overshadowed by something else...the desire to stay. It’s her one shot at a normal life.
Curious by nature, Zach is immediately drawn to the new girl at school. How can a person look both confident and vulnerable all in the same moment? Determined to learn more about her, he tries to get close, but is thrown into a world of lies and confusion. The only thing that becomes apparent is that discovering the truth may get him killed.

My Opinion:

'I Know Lucy' by Melissa Pearl is an adventurous and mysterious read. This novel, by far, is one of the best books I have read this year.
Melissa Pearl has written in a new, unique way which definitely helped captivate readers attention. Pearl decided to try a new style of writing which was to dedicate each chapter to the two main protagonists. With alternating perspectives we got an insight on the female protagonists' past life and also we got to follow the present story in the male protagonists' point of view. This idea was really interesting and definitely worked out well. The male protagonist's, Zach's, chapters were written in first perspective while Lucy's, the female protagonist's, chapters were written in third person. I commend Pearl for testing this new technique and I can definitely say that I am a fan of novels written like 'I Know Lucy'. Melissa Pearl has definitely risen my expectations of Author's writing styles and I can not wait to read more novels like this one. 
The characters in this novel were very relatable too and I felt as if I could feel all of the characters emotions, especially Lucy's. Lucy, the female lead, was definitely my favourite character. Her mysterious past and all the adversities she had to face were two things that I adored about her. Lucy was independent, helpful and headstrong. At first, Zach, the male lead, seemed immature to me. But that theory proved to be incorrect as I read more. Zach's character was protective and caring- he supported Lucy through her tough decisions and always had her back. Zach and Lucy's relationship was adorable. It was not fast paced and we really got to understand their feelings for each other. Character development was conveyed incredibly in this novel. We saw each character face adversities and also overcome those challenges with great strength. Some methods to overcome obstacles were taken 'to extreme' but I still enjoyed reading those certain scenes. Those scenes made me realise how humans can become so desperate in their lives that they have to 'do the unthinkable'. Overall, Melissa Pearl has written a beautiful novel with a lot of character development. The characters, plot and setting were amazing and I loved how this novel was set in different time periods. I recommend this novel to any romance and/or mystery readers- this novel is a 'must read'. Thank you Melissa Pearl for allowing me to review your fantastic novel. 

- Erisha <4