Great contest at Elisabeth Naughton's!!!

I've read Stolen Fury - and it was great!!!
Now you have a chance to win great and valuable prizes as well as Stolen Fury and Stolen Heat!
Contest ends August 15th and it's open to all!
Click ‘enter’ on the widget above to go to Ms Naugton's page and find out about the rules and how to enter.

Broken by Megan Heart

I've read this great review by Cecile at All I want and more of Megan Hart's book called Broken. And I just had to have it. Unfortunately it was sold out. So my great friend Cecile offered to borrow it to me and sent me the book over the ocean to Croatia. I immediately started reading it. It's erotic novel but you'd be wrong to assume it's an easy read. Actually, I could read only two-three chapters a day because of all strong emotions that overwhelmed me. The book started me thinking about my own relationships: with my boyfriend, parents, sisters and friends.
I loved the book but I don't have a desire to read it again soon. It drained me and left me thinking about more things that I ever wanted to think about at the same time.
So, you ask what's this book all about? Here goes the blurb:

"This month, my name is Mary.

My name is different every month -- Brandy, Honey, Amy...sometimes Joe doesn't even bother to ask -- but he never fails to arouse me with his body, his mouth, his touch, no matter what I'm called or where he picks me up. The sex is always amazing, always leaves me itching for more in those long weeks until I see him again.

My real name is Sadie, and once a month over lunch, Joe tells me about his latest conquest. But what Joe doesn't know is that, in my mind, I'm the star of every X-Rated one-night stand he has revealed to me, or that I'm practically obsessed with our imaginary sex life. I know it's wrong. I know my husband wouldn't understand. But I can't stop.

Not yet. "

I have several book parts that are my favourite but this one struck a nerve and I couldn't go on with reading. I had to stop and think about my life :)
"I'd always wondered why people who'd throw away an appliance that had ceased to function would hang on to a marriage that no longer worked. Next to my husband, the only man I'd ever loved, ever made love with, ever slept beside, I thought I knew. Hope." - Sadie

The book is not about some married woman wishing she had a better sex life and trying to compensate it with the stories from single hot guy every first Friday in a month. It's about how your life can change in one second from happy to extremely difficult. It's about how we think we'll stay forever young with bodies intact and capable of doing whatever whenever we want. In Sadie's case, her husband is paralysed from neck down and in their thirties they are struggling to keep their marriage from falling apart. As I said, very emotional read.

If you want to read more detailed review, please visit Cecile's blog. She'll hook you up, and I guarantee you'll run for the nearest bookstore.
For more information about the author and her other books go to www.meganhart.com.
This was my first book by M. Hart but I'll keep on reading her work (although I'm not into erotic novels so much).
I give it five feathers

This is a theme song for Sadie and Joe’s relationship (with video from Grey’s Anatomy) - Joshua Radin's What If You

Love?

"I'd always wondered why people who'd throw away an appliance that had ceased to function would hang on to a marriage that no longer worked. Next to my husband, the only man I'd ever loved, ever made love with, ever slept beside, I thought I knew. Hope." - Sadie from Broken by Megan Hart

"In relationship, the power lies in the hands of one who cares less" - can't remember where I heard or read this one, sorry.

So what do you think about those two quotes?
For me they struck the nerve. I can't stop thinking about them and my own relationships. I think they are so true. Are we stubborn when we stay in relationships that no longer work? Is the power balance always misbalanced actually? In Croatia we have a saying that Hope dies the last, is this true? Do we hang on hope longer then is healthy for us?

Please tell me your opinions and experience. We are all here (mostly) romance readers but I'm not talking only about relationship between man and woman but between parent and child, friends, etc.

I'm back

I've been away for 6 days but it feels like ages! I had the best time and I didn't have an Internet connection. I think I'm cured of my net obsession (well not really, I had a glimpse of the www on Friday and last night as soon as came home I had to check my e-mails :))
For those who don’t know I went to visit my pregnant sister. We wanted to spend some time before she has her second child. She lives at the seaside and the weather was marvellous all week (despite the weather forecast that kept foreseeing the rain every day). In the mornings I went to the beach all by myself and spent my time sunbathing. The sea was warm and I just couldn't resist swimming the whole morning away. In the afternoons we would pickup my nephew from the day-care and had a marvellous time. We went shopping, to the cinema, had dinner in a restaurant, gone to the birthday party - every evening was something new!
I took with me 3 books (I was convinced I'd have to buy another one there because 3 couldn't be enough) and been able to read only one. I just didn't have time!
I feel out of the place today, don't know what to do. I don't want to go to work tomorrow!!!
I'm whining, I know - can't help myself.
Oh, and you may ask where are all the pictures? Well, there aren't any. My camera broke the first day and my sister borrowed hers thinking I'm coming with the better one anyway!
I took few with my mobile phone camera but they aren't so good. So you are stuck with these two:

The sea

and my bathing suite :)

I hope you all had a great weekend!?

M.I.A.

Hi to you all!
I had a great weekend. Gone shopping (spent half of my salary in one day:)) and saw Ice Age 3. Not a bad movie but not as good as the first one. Didn't see it in 3D because it was a late show and I couldn't wait so I saw the 'normal' one.
I'm going on a trip for a week and I'm 99% sure I won’t be able to go on-line However I will check my e-mail so if you have anything important (or not so importanat:)) to say, please feel free to send me a letter or two (it would be nice to hear from you :))
See you on Sunday!

Have a great week!

I'm off packing my luggage.

Ice Age 3 - Dawn of the Dinosaurs

I just can't wait to see the whole movie! The first two were great :)

P.S. I've just reserved seats for tomorrow - can't wait! Hope nothing will come in a way between me and the cinema :)

Temptation of the Warrior by Margo Maguire - review

This author is one of the nicest persons I had contact with. I won her book Wild at The Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills blog (great blog btw, check it out) and when she contacted me she decided to give me one more book (my choice). After her parcel had arrived I discovered that she didn't send me two books but three (third was her choice and the one I'm reviewing today) with bunch of promo stuff and signed bookplates of the other Jaunty authors.
The first I've read was Temptation of the Warrior (it's paranormal historical) because I prefer paranormal over normal historical (which were the other two books). So here goes the blurb:

A new land, a new time . . .

To protect his people from a great evil, Merrick Mac Lochlainn, newly crowned high chieftain of his clan, must travel forward in time nearly 1,000 years. But when he awakens in nineteenth-century England, he has no memory of his mission to save his race, nor can he recognize Jenny Keating, the spirited young beauty who calls herself his wife.
A new love . . .
Orphaned and on the run from a cruel headmaster, vulnerable and alone, Jenny never dreamed of being rescued by any man, much less a chivalrous and handsome warrior like Merrick. Drawn to his powerful physique and mysterious ways, she begins a dangerous deception and poses as his beloved. But her feelings of desire are all too real. Together they will battle a dark threat that jeopardizes their very lives, all the while tempting each other with a passion too powerful to resist.

Margo Maguire is the author of twelve historical novels, mostly of the medieval era. This one is historical with paranormal elements, but most of the story is set in 19th century. Of course this is a second book in the series (I usually read series backwards :)), so I had difficulties following the story at first (I haven't read the first one A Warrior's Taking, of course) but after a chapter or two I did catch up and enjoyed the story.
Merrick and Jenny are believable characters and the whole story is well written. I've read it in two days, and the second day I stayed up until 2:30 a.m. because I wanted to find out what happens at the end. Great part of the story involves trip with a Clan of Gypsies so you get to meet them and you are given an insight into their way of life. The story line is fast-paced from the opening and never slows down until the confrontation. It's a story about evil vs. good and love vs. destiny.
I give it four feathers because the end feels a little bit rushed and I would love to know a little bit more about what happened with Merrick and Jenny's lives after the confrontation with the evil forces :) I will buy A Warrior's Taking to find out how did the story begin at the first place :)

Book information:
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Avon (March 25, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061256374
ISBN-13: 978-0061256370
Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches

For more information about other books and author herself please visit her website http://www.margomaguire.com/.

Be warned - brags only!

If you are tired of my bragging for the last couple of posts feel free to skip this one because it's only about me and my brags!!!
But I just have so many reasons to brag!!! First of all - THANK YOU CECILE for awarding me with this great blog award!!!!!

You are sunshine and smile bringer in my life! I am so happy and privileged to know you and to be able to call you a friend. You always have a kind and supportive word for me. I know that all of you who know Cecile will agree with me on this ;)
About the award:
The Humane Award is in order to honour certain bloggers that I feel are kind-hearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn’t for them, my site would just be an ordinary book review blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a daily basis. I thank them and look forward to our growing friendships through the blog world.

I'll just have to think hard about who I'll award with this special award (since it can't go back to Cecile - or maybe it can?)

My second brag is about my niece. She has just finished her first grade of music school. She plays piano and I am so proud of her! We have a special relationship since the day she was born. I am her godmother and I've been looking after her on a daily basis for two years (my sister has demanding job and works for 12 hours regularly). She had a concert (with the other students of her school) on Tuesday and here are the pictures.

This is her playing

And the two of us after the concert