BOOK REVIEW: The S.E.C.R.E.T and The S.E.C.R.E.T Shared

I have to give the combined total a 3.75 stars.  And so I don't fill my blog posts with countless reviews, I decided to combine the two books. I will review them separately.

 I will start off with The S.E.C.R.E.T by L. Marie Adeline.

Cassie Robichaud’s life is filled with regret and loneliness after the sudden death of her husband. She waits tables at the rundown Café Rose in New Orleans, and every night she heads home to her solitary one-bedroom apartment. But when she discovers a notebook left behind by a mysterious woman at the café, Cassie’s world is forever changed.

The notebook’s stunningly explicit confessions shock and fascinate Cassie, and eventually lead her to S∙E∙C∙R∙E∙T, an underground society dedicated to helping women realize their wildest, most intimate sexual fantasies. Cassie soon immerses herself in an electrifying journey through a series of ten rapturous fantasies with gorgeous men who awaken and satisfy her like never before. As she is set free from her inhibitions, she discovers a new confidence that transforms her, giving her the courage to live passionately. Equal parts enticing, liberating and emotionally powerful, S∙E∙C∙R∙E∙T is a world where fantasy becomes reality


Cassie is a lonely  35 year old (and yes she has a cat), who hasn't had sex in 5 years. Let alone gone on a date in that time.  She finds this notebook in the cafe where she works at, and is intrigued. This notebook is a sex diary of sorts, and she gets all giddy with exciment. I mean, wouldn't you? Not having sex in 5 years probably enticies a lot of giddiness.  Anyways, upon giving the notebook back, Cassie is offered into this sexual secret society. Apparently she oozes with unsexy vibes for them to know she is in need of help.

Enters The S.E.C.R.E.T. Obvisouly with some tripidation Cassie finally agrees to let these 40-80 year old women of all different backgrounds plan out her year of sexual awakening.

There are 10 Steps in order to gain your sexual enlightening and the ever so pretty S.E.C.R.E.T bracelet.  (Each step= a charm)
1) Surrender
2) Courage
3) Trust
4) Generosity
5) Fearlessness
6) Confidence
7) Curiosity
8) Bravery
9) Exuberence
10) The Choice.

The thing that would bother me, is that this whole process takes a year!  I mean you could bang this out (pun intended) in a month or two. And to top it off the steps aren't all sex based. Well foreplay based yes, but she really doens't get to bang someone until step 5.  I mean... a year! I think she jsut needed to go have a one night stand and forget about being a virgin and get back in the game!

The scenarios I have to say are realistic. Well excpet for the anal sex one, because no matter how much of a quest I am on for sexual fufilment, I ain't having anal sex with a guy I JUST MET! Thats just me though..  But yes, realisic as in the fact that they are more 'romantic' than jsut getting flogged ala 50 Shades of Grey.

 "No judgement, No limits, No Shame" the motto of the secret club. Which isn't a bad motto at all, I am all for sexual liberation...I think maybe because I am younger than those ladies in the club, its very hard to imagine going into a meeting where older women plan out sexual fantasies...maybe thats why a romantic massage is considered fantasy......


Now for The S.E.C.R.E.T Shared:

"I, Cassie Robichaud, solemnly swear to serve S.E.C.R.E.T. to the best of my abilities. I will do what is necessary, what is right and what is within my power to assist in the execution of sexual fantasies for our participant(s)..."

And so begins S.E.C.R.E.T. II, which opens with Cassie's initiation into this mysterious organization, one that helps women experience their most potent sexual fantasies. Cassie spends the next year as a "S.E.C.R.E.T. member-at-large," not quite a guide, she'll assist Committee members (including two new ones, Kit DeMarco and Angela Rejean) in recruiting men and helping to execute a new inductee's fantasies.

After a false start with the first potential inductee, Cassie makes the acquaintance of Dauphine Gray, a 31-year old who works at the Funky Monkey vintage clothing store on Magazine Street in New Orleans. Geeky, gawky and easily distracted, Dauphine has no idea how attractive she really is because her face is forever in a book. Reading is her passion, music is her pleasure, and Dauphine's all but given up on sex, especially after a painful rejection that still haunts her. Then Cassie and the women from S.E.C.R.E.T. show her it's possible to reignite that flame.

Meanwhile, Cassie must work through her resentment over losing Will to Tracina and their future baby. But when paternity questions surface, Tracina threatens to expose Cassie's S.E.C.R.E.T. membership to the one man both women love. Will Tracina expose Cassie to Will, and if she does, what will he make of his secret love's S.E.C.R.E.T. life

Cassie is now a guide.  She fufilled her duties, got a great looking bracelet and decided to come help another lonely soul into the art of sexual liberation.  The thing being is she didn't really want to be a guide. She wanted to go off with Will and start a life together. But Will knocked up some waitress and there goes that ending.  So she goes into this guide life a little hesitant.

But fear not, she finds a willing soul, Dauphine. Dauphine is more shy, but not as repressed as Cassie was in the first book. Which makes the sex scenes a little more titalating than its predecessor. I mean, she actually has sex. I also liked that she just said 'fuck it, suprise me with the fantasies'- I mean you join a secret club, let them be the ones to decide what to do.

Throughout the book you get snippets of Cassie's life now that she is sexually liberated, you can see she is more confident. Yet she still longs for Will. And you would think it wouldn't last the whole book, but it does.

You can totally tell there is going to be a third book in the series, as it just ended with Will and Cassie's decision on moving forward or giving up and the state of her membership in The S.E.C.R.E.T.  And I will probably read it just to see how it ends.

So in the end, sex aside, this book is about changing the way you feel on the inside. If you love and honor and rspect yourself, you exude it to everyone else. And that sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone is what you need to revamp your mindsent.  That I think is the takeaway message from these books. Don't be afraid that you have desires and fantasies, I mean they can only come true if you tell someone about them. I have no problem with the sex secret society; I don't think I would ever join one...but ya, all the power to you if you want to be less inhibited.

I felt these books were quick reads, entertaining but filled with a few eye rolls and head scratches.  So they garner a 3.5/3.75 stars rating.


 

BOOK REVIEW:The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski

Get in bitches! We are going on a road trip! (seriosusly I just really liked ths .gif and wanted to put it in a review somewhere!)

So The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski was actually a pretty good read. It was another netgalley one, but its already been released and I do recommend it for you peeps to pick up.

The basic plot according to Goodreads:

Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.

Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.

With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.

But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?

I liked the dulaity of the narrative in the novel. Its a great way to see eaxactly how each of the characters are feeling.

Camryn, yes she was a little flighty and her deep thoughts got a little annoying. But hey, we all have flaws. Speaking of flaws I get your boyfriend dies, and you think you will never love again. I can't even imagine that. But vowing to yourself that you will never love again because it hurts to much, come on. You are 20 freakin years old!  I did like how she questioned things though, she just didn't fall into bed and fell head over heels.


I liked Andrew as a character. Mainly for the Justin Beiber bashing:

“She got pissed when I accused her of having Bieber Fever (it pisses me off that I even know “what the fuck that means—I blame that on society”

And also the fact that he wasn't the typical rich guy in all the rest of these romance novels. He seems like a genuine good guy. Tattooed, hot, and he turned down a modelling contract because he didn't want to sell out.  I'm not sure if this makes him a good guy or stupid. But whatev. Things I didn't like about Andrew is that he needs to calm the fuck down. Keep the fists in the pocket, don't go all protective on everyone.

 
They both were very much closed off to the fact of love.  They didn't want to invest into the feeling in fear of hurting the other, or themselves.  This is where the love story really begins. They both want to deny themselves of this based on certain reasons.
 
The build up was good if not slow. The first half seemed to drag on a little and I found myself contemplating on if it was ever going to get better. Then it did. I think it started with the whole washroom scene and the start of the road trip. See the car .gif does fit in a little bit!
 
As always, I'm critical so here are things I didn't like:


The emotional rollercoaster at the end. I don't mean to give any spoilers but you pretty much go from this:

to this:

 

 (however this made a great plot and ending)
 
-Some of the descriptions of outfits and stuff. Call it what it is. Pigtails, not 2 braids on each side resting over the shoulder. Pigtales.  I know thats really minor, but still...
 
 -Also, the whole  "If you were to let me fuck you, you would have to let me own you ." Whoa, Andrew. Whoa. Calm down. What does this even me? Would you make me a slave? Would I not be allowed to do anything. COuldn't you just say, we can only sleep together if we are exclusivily dating? That surely sounds more romantic. I think if someone said that to me I would definitly be like "peace out man,  I really don't need to have sex right now"

-There were a few lines that could be taken the wrong way as well. I won't get into them but still, something to be mindful of while reading.
 

Overall though, I did really like The Edge of Never. The novel felt like an actual romance, with build up of feelings not just an instnat, boom lets fuck, i love you mentality.  That I liked. Yes, they both had some serious issues, but they meshed well with eachother.  It made me want to get a matching tattoo with G, as well as to go on a long trip. 

(on a side note rant: what is it with people only listening to classic rock? I mean, yes its good but come on give a little of the new stuff a chance. That classic rock wsa new at some point.)

And check out the song  Posion and Wine by The Civil Wars. It made me happy that they mentioned it because, well I love it!

 

BOOK REVIEW: Blood of The Lamb: A Novel of Secrets by Sam Cabot

Blood of The Lamb synopsis from GoodReads:

While in Rome, American Jesuit priest Thomas Kelly is called upon to reclaim a centuries-old document stolen from the Vatican. An enigmatic letter leads him to the work of a 19th century poet, where Thomas discovers cryptic messages that might lead to the missing manuscript. His search is unexpectedly entwined with that of Italian art historian Livia Pietro, who tells him that destructive forces are threatening to expose the document’s contents. As they’re relentlessly chased through the heart of Rome by mysterious men who quickly demonstrate they would cross any line to obtain the document for themselves, it becomes clear to Livia and Thomas that the pages hold a deep, devastating, long-buried truth. Livia, though, has a secret of her own: she and her People are vampires. But all this pales in light of the Secret that Thomas and Livia discover together—a revelation more stunning than either could have imagined.

 My first impression was wow, this is like The Da Vinci Code and it is something I could definitely get into. And then the twist that I did not anticipate was that there were vampires involved! So Da Vinci Code meets Twilight. And not in the whole vampire meets werewolf meets girl, but more so if The Volatri had their own book. Thomas Kelly and Livia Pietro are brought together to search for a missing document called The Concordant. This document binds the two worlds together, so naturally if it is missing the world could go a little crazy.

 Blood of The Lamb was a good read; it took you on a journey through both religious and supernatural venues.  Cabot’s writing is free flowing and easy to get swept up in the mystery aspect of the book. I just wanted to keep reading.

The one thing I didn’t like about it was some of the characters. The main characters were great and I felt like Cabot did a fine job describing them- making you sympathetic with exactly how they are dealing with the life they are give:, priest or vampire. However I found that some of the characters just weren’t needed such as the police officer.  I didn’t really care that he was drinking coffee, eating bread and fromaggio (which is another point.  You are writing it in English; you don’t need to throw random Italian words in there).

 I loved the revelation at the end of the book, which of course I won’t share due to spoilers. But wow. From the upheaval that the Da Vinci Code had (sorry I keep referring back to it) I can see this book causing some of the same. It may seem very controversial to some, so I warn you not to read it if you are strongly religious.

 Also, Sam Cabot is a pseudonym for two other authors, S.J Rozan and Carlos Dewis. I think this is pretty cool as they each offered different expertise to the novel. I have not read any of their individual books, so I am curious to maybe try them out now.

Another netgalley read that I was fully impressed with. Expected to come out on August 6th, 2013 and I recommend you add this to your book shelf. 3.75-4 stars