[Book Review] A Perfect Proposal

Title: A Perfect Proposal
Author: Katie Fforde
Date Published: April 9, 2013
Publisher: Century
Source: ARC
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick-Lit
Rating: ★★★★★



Links:
Goodreads
Amazon

Book Information:

Sophie Apperly's family has never taken her seriously. Fiercely academic, they see her more practical skills as frivolous whilst constantly taking advantage of her. So when her best friend Milly invites her over to New York, she jumps at the chance. It'll do her ungrateful family good to do without her for a while. What s more, she's on a quest America holds the key to solving her family's financial woes, even if they don't deserve her help. 

From the moment Sophie hits the bright lights of Manhattan she's determined to enjoy every minute of her big adventure. So when an evening at an art gallery throws her into the path of Matilda, a spirited old lady who invites her to Connecticut for Thanksgiving, Sophie willingly accepts, much to the dismay of Matilda's grandson Luke. Undeniably attractive but infuriatingly arrogant, he is very protective of his grandmother and seems to doubt Sophie's motives for befriending her. No match for the formidable Matilda, he eventually admits defeat, but first he has a proposal to make. He'll help Sophie in her quest to save her family from financial ruin if she repays the favour. But just what does she have to do in return...?

Review:
The perfect book to keep in your bag to combat dull moments and kill lots of waiting time.

This story showcases the adage  which says, 'You can't choose your family'. Sophie Apperly, the protagonist of the story, seemed so out of place in her family of academics, as she was the only one who was practical enough to learn basic household chores rather than drone and research about theoretical knowledge. Though most of her family undermines her skills because she was considered as the 'dim' one, she practically runs the whole household because she's the only one who actually knows how to work menial jobs.

I like Sophie. She's not book smart, but she has a good head on her shoulders and has a big heart to stand and love the family that always undermines her. I would admit though, that I would have smacked some sense into her head with a broomstick had she stayed with her family instead of finding the adventure of her life. Thank God the story gave her the chance to grow and find the love she deserved.

Character-wise, I really loved the fact that aside from Sophie, there were other very colorful characters included in the book! I love Matilda! She's probably my favorite character in this story. I'm a huge fan of quirky Grandmothers, and Matilda definitely fit the bill! She's very generous bordering on being gullible, but she's also cunning because she knew just what to do to bring Luke and Sophie together!

Then of course, how could I forget the banter between Sophie and Luke. They always end up arguing because of being too different from one another. While I understood that Luke was merely protecting his Grandmother, he should also learn to distinguish which people should be trusted and not.

Story-wise, it was a little predictable, but the character growth and the quirky grandmother were a fun mix. All in all, I really enjoyed reading this one!

[Linking Up] Feature & Follow #27

Q: Activity: PHOTOBOMB!!!! 

Photobomb a picture with your favorite book. 

Share it of course.

No one said anything about not looking like a derp while photobombing. LOL

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is one of my most favorite books for the sole reason that it broke my heart into pieces and still has me glad I read it. 

As for the picture, in my defense, I just woke up when I decided to construct this post and I didn't know it entailed a picture. Secondly, my webcam is grainy. So there.

[Book Review] Touching Melody

Title: Touching Melody
Author: RaShelle Workman
Date Published: May 14, 2013
Publisher: Polished Pen Press
Source: ARC
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Young-Adult
Rating: ★★★★★

Links:
Goodreads
Amazon

Book Information:

Maddie Martin's first weekend at college is nothing like she's used to. It's wild, like the wilderness on which the University of Bellam Springs sits. Roped into going to a fraternity party, she literally runs into Kyle Hadley. The boy she's loved since she was nine. The boy she promised all of her firsts to. But that was before his father killed her parents. 

Determined to stay away from him, she throws herself into her music. Practicing piano eases her heavy heart, calms the sadness, and pushes away images of Kyle's face. 

Until it doesn't. 

Her music professor asks her to play a duet for their annual Winter Gala. Doing so means she'll be assured another full ride scholarship. It's an opportunity she can't pass up. 

But Kyle is the other half of the duet. And that means hours and hours of practicing. 

Weeks of seclusion - just the two of them. And it's more than just music. It's passion like Maddie never believed was possible. 

The inevitable happens. She falls in love with him all over again. 

But, will loving him be enough to erase all the hate in her heart for his father? Can she look at him, and not see the evil in his family tree? 

And maybe it's all a set up. Maybe Kyle is only pretending to care so he can finish what his father started, and kill her too.

Review:

This is one of those books which has great premise but lacked a lot in execution.

Maddie is a level-headed girl on the outside. To most people, Maddie is mature and responsible, someone who has a bright future ahead of her. But on the inside, Maddie is completely out of sorts, and the only thing that keeps her grounded is pain. She keeps a plethora of tattoos signifying the seven stages of grief under her clothes to remember her parents and her horrific loss.

Then there's Kyle, her first everything. Maddie knows that she should avoid Kyle because he reminds her of the grief she felt when her parents were killed. But then fate had other plans for the two of them.

Story-wise, RaShelle Workman has mentioned that this story was inspired by true events. I'm a little amazed by this because of how the story actually turned out in the end. And you just have to read the story to actually find out why I'm sort of amazed.

Anyways, the development between Maddie and Kyle seemed a little unnatural. I do understand that they had history and chemistry, but the romance aspect between them seemed bland. I also found the writing a little unrefined because some of the scenes were merely put into the story for the sake of having a scene, and not because it's in any way significant.

At the last quarter of the story, that's where everything fell into place and where the loose ties were finally fixed. It was a little unexpected, but nothing that really blew me away. 

All in all, the reason I gave this story three stars is because it was inspired by true events, and because of the ending twist which I really didn't foresee.