Book Review: Overruled (The Legal Briefs, #1) by Emma Chase

Read on September 27, 2015

A Washington, DC, defense attorney, Stanton Shaw keeps his head cool, his questions sharp, and his arguments irrefutable. They don’t call him the Jury Charmer for nothing—with his southern drawl, disarming smile, and captivating green eyes, he’s a hard man to say no to. Men want to be him, and women want to be thoroughly cross examined by him. Stanton’s a man with a plan. And for a while, life was going according to that plan. Until the day he receives an invitation to the wedding of his high school sweetheart, the mother of his beloved ten-year-old daughter. Jenny is getting married—to someone who isn’t him. That's definitely not part of the plan. *** Sofia Santos is a city-raised, no-nonsense litigator who plans to become the most revered criminal defense attorney in the country. She doesn’t have time for relationships or distractions. But when Stanton, her "friend with mind-blowing benefits," begs her for help, she finds herself out of her element, out of her depth, and obviously out of her mind. Because she agrees to go with him to The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, Mississippi, to do all she can to help Stanton win back the woman he loves. Her head tells her she's crazy...and her heart says something else entirely.What happens when you mix a one-stop-light town, two professional arguers, a homecoming queen, four big brothers, some Jimmy Dean sausage, and a gun-toting Nana? The Bourbon flows, passions rise, and even the best-laid plans get overruled by the desires of the heart.

I can't believe I read this in just one day! Very impressed with myself right now! Lol!

So, I really like Emma Chase's style of writing. It's very realistic and projects emotions very genuinely! I was interested in the storyline throughout despite the cliché plot line!

The relationships in this book are to die for! I love how Stanton's family operates, including the Monroes that is, and I just fell more in love with the characters as I kept reading!

I'm so envious of how Stanton and his pals have this thing going on! It just feels so good to read about gangs of friends like these in books! They're absolutely the best kind of characters to read about!

Overall, this book was a fun read! It had me laughing so hard at some moments and had me cursing at other times! Pretty interested in seeing how the rest of this series plays out!

my Goodreads review

ARC Book Review: Court of Fives (Court of Fives, #1) by Kate Elliott

Read from May 22 to June 17, 2015

On the Fives court, everyone is equal.
And everyone is dangerous.
Jessamy’s life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family, she can be whomever she wants when she sneaks out to train for the Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom’s best competitors.Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an improbable friendship between the two Fives competitors—one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy—causes heads to turn. When Kal’s powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes’s family apart, she’ll have to test her new friend’s loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.In this imaginative escape into an enthralling new world, World Fantasy Award finalist Kate Elliott’s first young adult novel weaves an epic story of a girl struggling to do what she loves in a society suffocated by rules of class and privilege.

This book started pretty slow but I loved it by the time I finished reading it!

I loved Jessamy and her independent, rebellious personality! Her loyalty and love for her family was a big plus point when it came to her! And I love the tentative connection she shares with her father!

And Kal!!! I wish there had been more of him in the story!!! I just loved his characters and I really need to see more of him, especially after that cliffhanger ending!!!

The ending was so powerful! The emotions in that part of the story just carried me along to the epic cliffhanger ending, and I'm dying to read the next book in the series!!!

my Goodreads review

It's 2016!

It's my first post of the new year and I'm so glad I still have this blog up and running! Cheers to me!

I'm prepared to make 2016 a whole lot more exciting than ever before! Last year was all about moving away from home, starting uni, trying to stay on top of my studies and making new friends. This year ought to be just as hectic since year 2 of MBBS is, supposedly, a toughie and it'll be my last year at Sunway before I move to Johor Bahru at the end of 2016. So much to look forward to!

I'm so excited to be making new year resolutions too! What better way to get myself motivated! Sooo, my super duper resolutions for 2016 areeee...

• To stay on top of my studies and ace my end of year exams
• To enjoy this whole year of studying
• To manage my time much better than I did last year
• To cook much more than I did last year
• To read my goal of 30 books (my Goodreads reading challenge! Haha!)

Basically, I'm revved up to enjoy this year much more than I did last year! Which is gonna be quite a feat since last year was full of amazing stuff! Haha! 

Since I'm pretty much done rambling, I WISH YOU GUYS A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 

Xoxo,

Hasini N. E.

ARC Book Review: The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

Read from May 02 to 06, 2015

The magic and suspense of Graceling meet the political intrigue and unrest of Game of Thrones in this riveting fantasy debut.Your greatest enemy isn't what you fight, but what you fear.
Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that's been laid upon him.But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth's witch hunting past--if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she's thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.

I never thought I'd like this book as much as I loved reading it now!!! I was wishing for a sequel before I even ended reading it! I was so much in love with it!

I absolutely love Elizabeth! I love the fact that she's named Elizabeth and that she's so badass! She was a very good protagonist and had the reader's liking from the first chapter!

The plot wasn't very complex or vast. Sometimes it was pretty easy to guess what's coming next, but what really had me was the characters! Boecker built her fictional characters into real - life beings and that was magical! I was so absorbed by the characters throughout, and every characters had their own distinct personality. I was so attached to the characters after I finished reading this!

I also found the romance in this book very touching. It was subtle and passionate at the same time and it was so beautiful! <3

Overall, the author should be proud of what she's come up with because this is one of my favourite witch/wizard stories and I'm so hoping for a sequel right now! I just can't get enough of Boecker's writing!

my Goodreads review

Book Review: Allegiant (Divergent, #3) by Veronica Roth

Read from March 02 to 14, 2015

One choice will define you.What if your whole world was a lie?What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

When I was done with this, what really impacted me were the friendships and sibling relationships in the story. I personally thought rhat the romantic relationships weren't much to talk about. 

I'm not a huge fan of FourTris. Their issues that keep getting in the way of their relationship just kept annoying me a lot and I was pretty tired of their relationship in the end.

But I was really emotional over Caleb and Tris, Zeke and Uriah, and all the friendships. I was fangirling so hard when the whole 'gang' got together in the epilogue! 

Also, I found the whole concept of the plot interesting but the story was too stagnant at one point that I just went into a reading slump! 

So, overall the story was okay because of the relationships but I'm definitely not happy with the 'flat' quality of the writing!

my Goodreads review