Accidentally Hers .. By Jamie Beck

Love can happen in the most unusual of ways. It can be beautiful, it can be magical or it can be accidental.

Another love story, I thoroughly enjoyed reading. A romance set with a backdrop where the love interests are pitted on different sides of a criminal/legal battle made for a winner.

Grey Lowell and Andy Randall are two people that have been spurred by an infatuation that soon turns into something more real, but the circumstances could not be more against them as both of them are fighting a losing battle against each other, where neither can't afford to lose. But a win, in either case, also means that they have to let go of each other in the process. What a pickle!

Even though it is very much a meat and potatoes contemporary love story, the combination of drama, character development, and romance were perfectly paced. The lead and all the supporting characters were easily lovable and the anecdotes that they shared were truly enjoyable.

Accidentally Hers is not the greatest book ever written, but who cares when you are getting ample entertainment, which is all it's about.

Happy Reading!!!

The Shining .. By Stephen King

The scene from FRIENDS pretty much sums up its review and piqued my curiosity to start reading this book in the first place.

Rachel: Hmm. (she opens the freezer) Umm, why do you have a copy of The Shining in your freezer? 

Joey: Oh, I was reading it last night, and I got scared, so. 

Rachel: But ah, you’re safe from it if it’s in the freezer? 

Joey: Well, safer. Y’know, I mean I never start reading The Shining, without making sure we’ve got plenty of room in the freezer, y’know. 

Rachel: How often do you read it? 

Joey: Haven’t you ever read the same book over and over again? 

Rachel: Well, umm, I guess I read Little Women more than once. But I mean that’s a classic, what’s so great about The Shining? 

Joey: The question should be Rach, what is not so great about The Shining. Okay? And the answer would be: nothing. All right? This is like the scariest book ever. I bet it’s way better than that classic of yours.

Well, what Joey said is somewhat the truth. The Shining is a great book, but not the scariest in my opinion, still one of the best ghost stories I ever read.

The story is of a small family that has an unpleasant past with bad blood between the members who are on the verge of falling apart. Nevertheless, they want to hold on to each other and thus look for a fresh start. A new beginning that requires them to move to a new house, a hotel in this case. A place that, as it turns out, is HAUNTED.

Add to that a psychic or clairvoyant kid, who is young enough to be influenced and scared by the supernatural powers and entities. An empathetic figure who is willing to help a bad-tempered alcoholic father and an over-paranoid mother, gets in terrible trouble because of his capability to "Shine". 

King has created a lot of spookiness with things that are metaphysical to wrap the reader in a blanket of horror. Even though you will not feel the goosebumps that you are supposed to feel while reading a scary book, you will surely feel the anxiety for the unpredictability of the unread plot. Some of the chilling moments that will get your heart pumping harder are the strange apparitions to crazed topiary animals to haunted elevators and an atmosphere thick with foreboding. 

It is the sheer brilliance of the writing style that makes this book worth it and makes it stand out in a crowd of similar books. The thing I have come to love about this author is the fact that he very subtly lets you inside the head of the characters and forces you to feel their emotions.

“Monsters are real. Ghosts are too. They live inside of us, and sometimes, they win.”

I envy the people who have already watched the 1980 classic film version of it because I might as well have been living under a rock. Time to get cracking on the movie...

Happy Reading!!!

The Storm Sister .. By Lucinda Riley

My first ever blog post was on the first installment of this series, "The Seven Sisters" and ever since I have been dying to get my hands on the hard copy of the second book from various libraries, but was finding it almost impossible.

Finally, I caved in and purchased a copy of it in Kindle and I am so glad I did, as it turned out to be as good as the first one, might even be better since I am into the story full on now and trust me when I say that this journey is unbelievably fascinating.

Without further ado, let me review this beautiful story.

And before I get into the second book, let me give you a quick replay on the first one. The story is of six different girls from six different origins, adopted and raised by an aged and wealthy man called Pa Salt, as his own daughters at his home, Atlantis, a fabulous secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva. He didn't get a chance to bring the seventh sister as per the story, but I am sure there will be some mystery around her as well, which will be revealed in the other books. He named each of the girls in the name of the seven stars of Pleiades. One day when they are all grown-up and are leading their own lives in different cities, they suddenly receive the news of their father passing away and each of them gathers at Atlantis, where they are told that he has left them each a letter with a tantalizing clue to their true heritage. 

The first story was of Maia, the eldest of the sisters, who goes on a hunt to find out about her birth parents and how she came about to live with Pa Salt in the first place. This tale of hers took me on a whirlwind journey of colors from the past and aesthetically touched my heart. To find out more about the story, please check out my review of The Seven Sisters.

The Storm Sister is the story of the second sister, Ally, who, after receiving the news of her father's death, rushes back to Atlantis to find her letter and clue to her past. Although devasted by the news, she finds herself quite content at present with her newfound love and her passion for sailing, that she decides not to pursue the past for now. However, her life is altered completely when she loses another loved one and when destiny throws her face to face with reality, that she has no choice but to embark on a journey in search of her original roots.

The clues lead her to the icy beauty of Norway, where the story again takes us a hundred years back in time highlighting the story of a young Norwegian woman and singer Anna Landvik, who happens to be part of the original five-act play, Peer Gynt, composed by Edward Grieg. Her journey from the countryside to the city of Christiania, to become a popular singer was remarkable and tragic, filled with love, loss, grief, introspection, and new beginnings. 

There is so much love in this book - the quest for Ally to find her roots, her beautiful relationship with Theo and his parents. The sadness and drama of losing loved ones. The joys of finding new hopes and things to live for was worth reading.

Lucinda is such a talented writer and her attempt to paint and write music with her words is commendable. The story itself was a stunner, so eloquently mixed in the present day is the tale of life across Europe in the early 1900s up through World War II. 

The Storm Sister was a marvelous epic read and one that consumed me. This is definitely going into my favorites collection.

Happy Reading!!!

The Zoya Factor .. By Anuja Chauhan

Let's get a taste of this new buzz going on in the showbiz starring Sonam Kapoor. The Zoya Factor is a quirky little love story of a girl who was born at the moment India won the cricket world cup of 1983. She grows to become the soul-spirit to the Indian Cricket team when they go about winning each of the matches where Zoya have breakfast with the team. Amazed by the ragtag team's sudden spurt to victories, the nation declares her a Goddess, which gets so ridiculous to the point of irritation to the Indian skipper, Nikhil Khoda, with whom she develops a romantic relationship later.

Would she still be her sensible self and not go crazy deep into this "Goddess" mode or will she start believing that she is the reason for the team to play well and lose her chance at love? 

For many, this novel might seem like a chick-lit. I too agree. Yet still, it doesn't feel like your usual breezy romance. The story has great potential to keep you glued till the end. What really blew my mind was the "Hinglish" part, which was hilarious. Especially the satire on Indian cricket management and the team itself were honest. It also gave a slight peek to the workings of the great Indian advertising industry as well.

Overall the book runs on an ordinary plot with predictable twists and turns with a much-deserved happy ending that was surely written to please the Indian masses. The metaphors used in the book have an evocative quality that makes the story feel real and that's where you find the book so much more readable.

I think Salman Dulquer was a good choice as Nikhil Khoda and I wish they had chosen Parineeti Chopra in place of Sonam. At least her chubby cheeks would've done justice to Zoya's facial description, which was highlighted so often in the novel.

I strongly recommend this book to those who prefer some fun rom-com reading. Or would you rather watch the upcoming movie? Do let me know!

Happy Reading!!!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets .. By J.K. Rowling

No words can describe how much I love this book, although this is not my favorite of the whole series, still, no one can deny the sensation it caused across fans all over the world when it was released. Be it the novel or the movie, both were just perfect!

I am not here to review the book, as better people have already rated it the best read series of all time, so I would rather just talk about it, as I am one of the biggest fans of Harry Potter ever and would never stop raving about it.

Let me walk you through Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which was yet again an adventurous one where he had another face-off with the evil wizard - Voldemort!

During his summer holidays, Harry was depressed because the cruel Dursleys were not allowing him to talk to his friends. And since he was not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts, the poor thing couldn't do anything about it. Here is when an amazing character - Dobby, was introduced to put Harry out of his misery.

Well, not really! 

Dobby is a house-elf, who came to warn Harry about the dangers he will be in if he returns back to Hogwarts this year. However, instead of helping Harry, he made matters worse for him by getting Harry in trouble with the Dursleys, who locks him up permanently.

Harry was saved by Ron and his twin brothers as they fly him out of there to "the Burrow" (Ron's house) in a freaking flying car during the middle of the night. Mrs. Weasley was not pleased with the means of getting Harry out, even though the outcome was what she hoped for. She happily accommodates Harry in their house for the rest of the summer holidays, which turned out to be really fun for him. He especially enjoyed Mrs. Weasley's cooking, playing Quiddich with the Weasley brothers in the yard and a trip to Diagon Alley was what he would've hoped for. He was also pleasantly surprised at how much the Weasleys adore him, especially at how Ginny (Ron's little sister) seems to react, every time Harry enters the room.

"What Harry found most unusual about life at Ron's, however, wasn't the talking mirror or the clanking ghoul: It was the fact that everybody there seemed to like him."

Now when it was time to return back to Hogwarts, things again started to go downhill for Harry. He and Ron missed their train from platform nine and three quarters, so they had to again fly Ron's dad's flying Ford to Hogwarts, which they thought would be a super cool way to travel and it would make everyone jealous if they land it on the school grounds in style, instead, they crashed the car straight into the Whomping Willow, a hitting tree planted on the grounds of Hogwarts, which beat the shit out of them. They were lucky to get away with detention, too bad for Professor Snape, as he was definitely planning for their expulsion.

There was a new "Defense Against the Dark Arts" teacher in the school this year, Gildroy Lockhart. He was the most annoyingly pretentious yet colorful character and was famous in the wizarding world for constantly showcasing himself as a hero, claiming that he saved the wizarding community from dark creatures in his super-expensive, self-proclaiming books. However, as a person, he repeatedly makes a fool of himself in front of students and the staff while demonstrating his bravery.

As Dobby predicted, bad things had started taking place in the school. Someone, who claimed to be the "Heir of Slytherin" was trying to hurt the students whose parents were "Muggles" (non-magical folks). Threatening notes were written on the wall which made Harry very concerned about finding the culprit, as his best friend, Hermione was one of those students who could get hurt.

Another reason for Harry to find clues about the heir was because everyone suspected him to be the heir, as he could talk to snakes in parseltongue, an ability, which was infamously related to dark arts and known to be associated with Voldemort.

Situation took a worse turn when Hermione was petrified along with a couple of other muggle-borns and Hagrid was dismissed from the school, as everyone thought it was something to do with him because of his monster fixation and the fact that he was last expelled from school in his third year, which was fifty years ago when the chamber of secrets, which houses the Slytherin monster, was last opened.

The story becomes unbelievably interesting when Dumbledore was asked to leave the school, following more attacks on students and Harry and Ron take matters in their own hands and sets out to find the location of the chamber all by themselves.

What sets this book apart is the way J.K. Rowling has created the flow of the entire story connecting Harry's past with his future. She introduces lots of interesting magical creatures, like the gnomes, a giant talking spider, Pheonix, and a Basilisk. She also formulates a death-day party featuring ghosts who were funny and creepy at the same time. This story also takes Harry's and Draco Malfoy's enmity to the next level, which was extremely fun to read. 

It surprises me by J.K. Rowling's ability in creating a fantasy world to die for. I always feel the adoration for the characters every time I read this glorious, bewitching novel. It still baffles me that many still haven't read it yet. I seriously don't know..what are they waiting for?!

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - Albus Dumbledore

Happy Reading!!!

The Perfect Murder .. By Stacy Aumonier

Is the perfect murder ever possible?

One of the short stories compiled by Ruskin Bond in his collection of murder mysteries/thrillers that go with the same name and one of the most ironic, I'd say! 

Paul and Henry are two brothers who are poor and waiting for the opportunity to inherit their late uncle's fortune. Unfortunately, they couldn't get their hands on it until their aunt passes away. However, given their financial situation, they were not in a position to wait for the dead woman's shoes, since as old and grumpy she was not likely to perish sooner they'd have expected. So, one not so fine day, they decided to take matters in their own hands as they are left with no choice but to finish her off. But the thing must be done without violence, without clues, and without a trace.

The beauty of this story is its unpredictability and narration is exciting without indulging into an overt dramatization. 

I absolutely loved the entire collection of these short stories and it is for those who love pitting brains against some of the most accomplished writers of mystery stories.

Happy Reading!!!

The Red-Headed League .. By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

One of my favorite Sherlock Holmes stories. Anyone would love it for its quirkiness alone.

A red-headed man by the name of Mr. Wilson has sought the advice of Sherlock Holmes in a strange case where Mr. Wilson was employed by Mr. Duncan Ross, manager of the Red-Headed League, to copy from an Encyclopedia for four pounds a week only because he had a vivid shade of red hair. After several weeks of nominal work, the league vanished without a trace and no one knew what the whole business was or who Mr. Duncan Ross was. Holmes takes up the case and unveils the cleverly conceived mystery of the whole business.

What hooks you more is the creativity of the story and its not so much the crime as the approach to solving the crime which makes it a great story in my opinion. The subtle clues that Holmes picks up as he goes about solving the case makes this quite an enjoyable read.

If you want some fun bed-time reading, pick this short story that comes with the collection of other Adventures of Sherlock Holmes or in the Complete collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories. If you would like to read this individual story, please check out the below link:

The Red-Headed League

Happy Reading!!!

Tell Me Your Dreams .. By Sidney Sheldon

Sidney Sheldon once again left me in a sort of a daze for weeks with his uncanny storytelling and proved yet again that no one is better than him at masterminding a crime thriller.

Ashley Patterson is a brainy and gorgeous computer whiz with a cushy job at a fast-growing computer company in Silicon Valley. She is utterly shy, lonely and lives a life that is unfulfilling to her and is absolutely convinced that someone is stalking her. 

Toni Prescott and Alette Peters are both co-workers of Ashley, however, the similarities end there.

Toni is a saucy, British vixen with a penchant for internet dating and dancing at discotheques. Alette is an aspiring Italian artist who prefers quiet, dreamy weekends spent in the arms of handsome young painters. Reminiscent of high school, Toni and Alette do their best to keep Ashley out of their cool clique but finds it extremely difficult after a string of murders irrevocably binds their lives together. Toni, Alette and Ashley know virtually nothing about each other until all three women are inexplicably linked into a murder investigation that will lead to one of the most bizarre trials of the century.

The trial itself takes you to such a journey into a person's soul that you keep wondering whether the possibility of such an impossible thing happening is even true or not.

The book itself was a masterpiece work of Sidney Sheldon right from the start until the very end. Check out this 1998 thriller if you want to get your socks knocked off your feet.

Highly Recommended!!!!

Happy Reading!

Angels and Demons .. By Dan Brown

“Faith is universal. Our specific methods for understanding it are arbitrary. Some of us pray to Jesus, some of us go to Mecca, some of us study subatomic particles. In the end, we are all just searching for truth, that which is greater than ourselves.”

The best-seller mystery of 2000 is in my opinion, the best book by Dan Brown so far and the best mystery book ever sold on this planet. This is the novel that introduces the phenomenal character of Robert Langdon, the Howard Professor and symbologist, who is a genius problem-solver and is one of my favorite ever fictional character.

Religion will always remain a sensitive subject for the majority of readers out there and that is the reason till date, this is one of the most controversial books ever sold in the world. The constant battle that rages between religion and science here is what makes it all the more interesting and thought-provoking.

In this outstanding thriller, Dan Brown combines action with mystery, historical and scientific elements together to create a mind-boggling fast-paced adventure that you just cannot put down.

This time the gorgeous background belonged to the historic city of Rome and the Vatican. The description of the churches was especially mesmerizing which made me want to visit the city, even more, just to bear witness to the baffling architectures of Lorenzo Bernini and the legends of "The Illuminati", in person.

And when it comes to the book as a whole, it impacted my belief quite a bit. I remember when I first read it, it just changed my viewpoints on religion, God, and science and ever since then, I have tried not to have a closed mind when it comes to both - religion and science. They are not the opposite things, and just as Brown said in his book:

"Science and religion are not at odds.

Science is simply too young to understand."

And to conclude, I get why so many people dislike or even hate Dan Brown's books, but he was one of those writers who got me into reading in the first place. Until now, not one of his single books have ever disappointed me and I am pretty sure that none of them, yet to be written, will.

Happy Reading!!!

The Choice .. By Nicholas Sparks

There are far fewer books that made me shed tears and I'd say that this is one of them. The title itself is so right and I hope I would never have to do that choice. 

To be fair, I am not a big fan of romances, but Nicholas Sparks has a tendency to surprise the readers, for his every story is unique in it's own way. His books aren't always centered on two people falling in love. Most of the times, there's more going on. Also, one never knows if the ending will be a certifiable tear-jerker or joyful happiness.

Gabby and Travis are two neighbors who are drawn to each other but reluctant to get in a relationship. But one weekend spent together changes everything.

Eleven years later, Travis is torn between two choices that could alter the course of his life. Gabby made her wishes clear, but it's different when it is a hypothetical scenario in the future and another thing when the situation is staring you in the face, especially when you blame yourself for it.

The book is startlingly exciting and I found myself bonding with the characters despite the minute exposition and short storyline. I won't spoil it all, but will say that "The Choice" is expansive and gripping novel of love at all costs. It teaches you to conquer your fears and let go of what may happen for the honest experience of what is happening.

I would also like to quote one of the lines from the story that struck me as really awesome..

“That  staring  at  the  stars  was  like  staring  backward  in  time,  since  some  stars  are  so  far  away  that  their light  takes  millions  of  years  just  to  reach  us.  That  we  see  stars  not  as  they  look  now,  but  as  they  were when  dinosaurs  roamed  the  earth.  The  whole  concept  just  struck  me  as  .  .  .  amazing  somehow.” 

I suggest you all read this beautiful story and feel the warmth of it in your heart.

Happy Reading!!!

The Forgotten Room.. By Lincoln Child

Lincoln Child's fourth novel in the series of enigmalogist Jeremy Logan's investigation is a chilling tale in which he is summoned to probe into the situation on how a well-to-do computer scientist committed suicide so horrifically within the confines of Lux, a think-tank mansion in Newport. 

Logan's scrutinization leads to a long-dormant wing of the estate, into the ingeniously hidden secret room, that he uncovers to be a time capsule, filled with eerie machinery and obscure references to a top-secret experiment known as "Project Sin". As Logan attempts to unravel its meaning, he begins to discern what transpired in that room and why the frightening project was abandoned and sealed off many years ago. He progresses to fall into another paranormal conundrum at the cost of losing his own sanity in the process.

It is a great stand-alone book and does not require the reading of the earlier books of this series to actually enjoy the mystery. It has enough meat of content and the prologue promises an intriguing journey ahead, but half-way through it though, the story dwindles to a common mystery novel where the cat's out of the bag too soon to a reader's liking. The characters also didn't behave logically, failing to take the obvious course of action on many occasions.

While the supernatural is always hinted at in all of Child's novel, its presence always lacks the terrifying intensity. Even so, the final confrontation in this book spanned several chapters, which was very well-written and manages to catch up pace towards the end. Overall it is just to say that it's interesting enough while reading but quite easily forgettable once completed. So, anyone starting new with mysteries can pick this one up without wanting to get into too many complications of over-explanation and still enjoy a good thriller.

Happy Reading!!!