My mom… *grins*
It is the coolest thing to be able to share in this hobby with her. She’s the one that started it all for me. She used to read to me before bed every night, she taught me to read and sound out words. We’d go to libraries and scour book fairs together every weekend and snuggle on the couch for hours reading quietly. Her Harlequin romances, her Stephen King novels… my Judy Blume books, my Sweet Valley Highs… her Stephen King novels. 😉 Hehe. My love of horror started young, and she didn’t tell me no, so I read those too!
And then… she sent me the Twilight and the Sookie Stackhouse series for Christmas a few years ago, (I was more of an autobiography girl by then) and she re-introduced me to the pleasure of romance and fiction. She cemented my addiction for life.
Now we’re back to snuggling on the couch together reading (of course, in different countries now, but hey, FaceTime makes it like we’re really together!), and we continue to chat and rave about books every week. My mom recently told me that she’s an avid follower of my freebies lists and has read a bunch of ’em. She emails me every few days with her notes and mini reviews. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten to all of the freebie books yet, but her enthusiasm (and swooning) made me giggle.
When Sandra posted this on my Facebook page…
Sandra: I have over 40 books in my to read pile…has anyone read and liked any of the freebies?
Maryse’s Book Blog: I’d love to know also. My mom read 3 or 4 of ’em. Want me to post her mini-reviews she sent me?
Sandra: Thank you…I have so many books. I’m starting to feel like I should read some of these freebies before I buy anymore.
Rebeka: Post post post woman! I want a swoon worthy book! Go Maryse’s Mumma!
… I knew I had to share her emails.
Without further ado… a few mini reviews from my mom (by the way, these are no longer free, but most are still bargain priced. And for those who got them while they were free, this might help!!):
“I’m reading a book right now that you HAVE to read. It’s called “Shadows of the Soul by Angelique Armae” and it’s in your list of free books that you had put up a while back… same list as the others I read.Wow!!! NICOLAI….. total swoon………. a fallen angel… but not completely fallen…….
I’m at 52%… totally in love with this angel and wanting to be in the place of Isabel…
This book is in-between heaven and hell… it deals with angels and demons and devils and many more and is totally captivating… but I’m reading it and I’m just thinking that I know for sure that you will love this book. I’ll let you know more as I go along.
However Isabel had her memories stolen by a demon and I somewhat think that Nicolai has a very important secret concerning her past that he is not allowed to tell her…. I’m pretty sure I know what it is …. but I’ll let you discover it for yourself… I’m telling you Sweetpea… you HAVE to read this book!”
and a day later:
“I just finished reading it…. I totally loved it… right to the end you don’t know what’s going to happen… and for a little while there I almost put it down ’cause I was so upset at what had just happened, but I toughed it out and realized that it was worth reading to the end!I think that it has everything that you like in a book… lots of romance, lots of paranormal… angels, demons… love, pain, fighting but very well balanced and put together to keep you wanting more!
Luv U
Mom
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx”
Hehe. My mom calls me Sweetpea. *blush*
Sidenote – this one is no longer free 🙁
Holding the Cards (Nature of Desire, Book One) by Joey Hill
“I really liked this book even though I’m not into D/s way of life. I usually have a tendency to skip the hot sex descriptions but if I had done so in this book I would have skipped the whole book.It is the story of Lauren who has once again been heartbroken (once too often) and she decides to isolate herself at her friend’s island retreat… she finds it hard not to delve into her past and relive the pain that she is trying to escape… until she meets…….. JOSH… the HUNK… but unfortunately, as her friend told her he’s gay.
Him and his friend Marco are presently staying on the island and Josh is kind of the caretaker for all the beautiful mansions established on this island for all those rich people who are also trying to escape life one way or another. A strong friendship develops between the threesome and nature takes over from there… is Josh really gay? Has Lauren really decided to do away with men and sex? Is Marco also gay?
If you’re into D/s stories you will absolutely LOVE this book… if you’re not, well you may get captivated by the story the same way I did! one way or another it is well written and has a good storyline!”
Sidenote – this one is no longer free 🙁
Remix by Lexi Revellian
“A little heads up… I’m reading REMIX. If you haven’t read it, make it your next…. you’ll LOVE IT. I’m at 55% and I can’t stop reading it… it has everything you want in it… except for sex… that’s not in it yet…It’s more of a kind of investigation story with a bad boy rocker in the center of it, but it totally keeps me captivated… I just want to know what’s next.
If the day keeps going the way it is, I might be able to finish it today… I’ll let you know if the interest keeps up but I doubt very much that it would change.
Luv U
Mom”
Sidenote – this one is no longer free 🙁
Sleeping with Paris by Juliette Sobanet
“not too bad… but somewhat repetitive throughout. She finds her boyfriend cheating on her. She moves to Paris, makes friends with other girls, she plays the field like a man. She meets the boy next door, she finds out she loves him… the rest is for you to discover…”
Sidenote – this one is no longer free 🙁
Unlocked by Courtney Milan“I LOVED that book… very easy to read and very quick… I started it this morning and at 3:25 I’m done… but I loved it all the way through.
In 1840 a handsome guy falls in love with a beautiful debutante… through his teenage dumbness, instead of getting her to fall for him he makes her the laughing stock of high society. 10 years later he returns and vows to win her love…. and this book is about how he goes about it… will he succeed after hurting her that bad many years before? I’ll also let you discover it for yourself!
A clever romance… not too much sex… even though there is still some and they just make you want to be there. You can picture yourself in this book (and I bet the other books are like it). I could not stop reading right to the end!
I liked Unlocked way more than Sleeping with Paris but IF you read them, let me know which one YOU preferred!
LUV U
Mom”
So there it is friends!!
What a cool mom!!
Cool! I LOVED Sleeping with Paris. Now I will read the one you said was better. Thanks!
I never did get back to Maryse concerning the end of Remix, but I can confirm that I loved it all the way to the end. Have fun reading!
Sherry! She totally is!!
Melissa – I’d love to know what you thought of the others.
Mom: It’s Mom” now, mom. Not mommie!! *blush* Good to know it was good to the end. I noticed I was missing a bit there… But it was still a pre-review so that works too.
I, too, got my love of reading from my mom, who got it from her mom, who got it from hers… I’m also proud to say I’ve passed it on to my daughter in keeping with our long family tradition.
It was too cool to read about your mom kindling a love of lit exactly like mine did!
My mom is gone now, but we used to do the same thing. She passed on her love of reading to me in a big way. I miss talking on the phone with her about books so much. Glad to see you share that with your mom.
Weirdly, I just finished reading Unlocked AND Sleeping With Paris, and though both were really good, I much preferred Unlocked.
It seems a lot more realistic regarding the emotions involved (but there was a little bit of cheese which I attribute to old-timey relationships).
Sleeping With Paris was more of a fluffy romance.