Outlander

Title: Outlander

Series: Outlander - book 1

Author: Diana Gabaldon

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Historical Fiction

Number of Pages: 863

Publication Date: 1991

Publisher: Arrow Books

Summary: In 1945, Claire Randall is back from war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon in Scotland. She walks through a stone circle in the Highlands, and finds herself in a violent skirmish taking place in 1743. Suddenly she is a Sassenach, an outlander, in a country ravaged by war and by clan feuds.

Marooned amid the passion and violence, the superstition, the shifting allegiances and the fervent loyalties, Claire is in danger from Jacobites and Redcoats - and from the shock of her own desire for James Fraser, a gallant and courageous young Scots warrior.

Jamie shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire, and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is one of the most beautifully rich stories I have ever read. This book easily deserves 5 stars.

The story follows Claire Beauchamp, a combat nurse during WWII as she shares a second honeymoon with her husband Frank in Scotland to reconnect after years of separation. While visiting the standing stones of Craigh na Dun (think stone henge) she is transported 200 years back in time to 1743. Now Claire as a sassenach must use her wits and what she knows of history to navigate through the volatile world of the English vs the Scots. But through the her relationship with Jamie, Claire begins to see that being sent through time might be a gift and not a curse.

This book was originally published under the name of Cross Stitch so don't be surprised if the story line sounds really familiar but not the title.

The thing I loved the most about this book is the complete realism it holds; not just in the characters  but the time period as well. Surprisingly most of the negative comments I have read about this book seem to be on its realism. This book is not a 'they all live happily ever after story', it a book that is filled with the violence, sex, rape and mistreatment that is found throughout the history of the world. So if you don't want a taste of how some people really lived in the 1700's, I would suggest picking up a different book. However, if you are like me and history is one of your passions, it is the truth of the story that makes it so incredibly beautiful.

The relationship that forms between Claire and Jamie is told in an amazing way by Gabaldon. They face the challenges of meeting and getting to know someone all the while fighting for the relationship you want to have. Claire and Jamie do not just struggle through the challenges of living in 1743 Scotland but also face the challenge of coming from two very different worlds.

As for the writing itself, like all books it has it highs and lows. Some parts I felt could have used more detail and others could have gotten to the point far quicker. The writing style, however, is easy to loose yourself in and the charm of the Scottish accent is easily found throughout the book.

Outlander is no small read but a huge 850 pages and totally worth it. This book is the first in a series of 8 books but could also be read as a stand alone if the idea of reading a series of such large books is rather daunting. I myself cannot wait to pick up the next book.

Outlander has also been made into a TV series which is an incredible adaption. The TV show brings the story to life without compromising the book in any way. It also gives you the added bonus of seeing how the story further unfolds by exploring the story lines of Frank and Jamie that we do not get through Claire's perspective in the book.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Series: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - book 1

Author: Michelle Hodkin

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Number of Pages: 456

Publication Date: 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary: Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. 

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

There are some books that simply blow your mind away, they make all the books you have read recently look rather plain in comparison...for me this was The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is the first book in the Mara Dyer series and follows the story of Mara Dyer as she tries to piece together her mind and life following a tragic accident that kills her best friends and boyfriend and which she was the only survivor.

Through this book we see Mara learn to adapt without her best friend, Rachel, who has been by her side her whole life and watch as she tries to make new friends in a new school.

And then there is Noah Shaw! Noah is one of those character who just needs to be lifted from the pages of the book and just be real, he is amazing! And he is British! This character is totally swoon worthy and despite a slight bad boy rep he is also an incredible compassionate character too and is determined to help Mara in any way he can, despite the risks. This guy...just no words for how incredible he is.

I listened to the first third of this book as a audiobook and wow does the audiobook really bring these characters to life, especially Noah with his accent. This was the first book I have ever listened to and I don't think it will be my last. The thing I hated about listening to this as an audiobook, however, is that I can read faster than they talk, and this book was just too good to wait and listen.

As for the actual story line itself, well this is where it get interesting. The way this book is written just blows your mind! Mara, who is suffering from PTSD, is struggling to understand what is reality and what isn't and working out whether she does have supernatural powers or her hallucination are just creepy andcoincidental.

Michelle Hodkin's writing style is beautiful and manages to role complexity and simplicity all together to create a truly incredible book.

If supernatural is not your cup-of-tea don't be put off because this book is not focused around the strange in these strange events but instead around Mara's ability to cope.

This book is quickly moving up the ranks of my all time favourite books and I can't wait to get my hands on the next two books in a series.

Please leave a comment and tell me what you thought of this book, whether you loved it or hated and what you thought of the next two books in the series as well. If you have any recommendations for what I can read next, please let me know as I am always looking for something new to read.

Happy Reading!

Fallen Too Far

Title: Fallen Too Far

Series: Rosemary Beach - book 1

Author: Abbi Glines

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: New Adult, Romance

Number of Pages: 300

Publication Date: 2012

Publisher: Kindle Edition

Summary: She is only nineteen. 

She is his new stepfather’s daughter. 

She is still naïve and innocent due to spending the last three years taking care of her sick mother. 

But for twenty-four year old Rush Finlay, she is the only thing that has ever been off limits. His famous father’s guilt money, his mother’s desperation to win his love, and his charm are the three reasons he has never been told no.

Blaire Wynn left her small farmhouse in Alabama, after her mother passed away, to move in with her father and his new wife in their sprawling beach house along the Florida gulf coast. She isn’t prepared for the lifestyle change and she knows she’ll never fit into this world. Then there is her sexy stepbrother who her father leaves her with for the summer while he runs off to Paris with his wife. Rush is as spoiled as he is gorgeous. He is also getting under her skin. She knows he is anything but good for her and that he’ll never be faithful to anyone. He is jaded and has secrets Blaire knows she may never uncover but even knowing all of that…

Blaire just may have fallen too far.

Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines is the first book in her Rosemary Beach series following the story of Rush and Blaire. Fallen Too Far is followed by Never Too Far and Forever Too Far. There is also a fourth book which tells the story from Rush's point of view. The rest of the books in the series follow the story of other characters from the books.

I was really surprised about how much I enjoyed this book and in turn the rest of the series. These books are an easy read and filled with just the right amount of drama. We get to watch Blaire and Rush find who they really are as individuals as well as fighting the temptation to give in to their desires. I would love to have given this series 5 stars but unfortunately I felt it lacked in a few areas.

First I hated Nan, she was just way too whiney and bitchy to love despite how crap her life had been. I wish that as the series had progressed that I could have seen her character grow and develop in some way in these first three books as her story is just as important as Blaire's and Rush's. Instead I felt that she got worse, especially in Forever Too Far.

A second thing I hated was that I felt like the third book was unnecessary, I think the story of Rush and Blaire could have come to a nice conclusion at the end of the second book but the third book was still really good and a lot of important events do happen to Rush and Blaire that effect their relationship.

For an easy read that makes you want more this is your series. The first book leaves you needing to know what happens next but by the end of the third book you are ready to say goodbye to the characters because you know that where the story ended was as good as any ending can be. I don't usually enjoy contemporary novels, but I did thoroughly enjoy the story line of Blaire and Rush. So I give it a strong 4 out of 5 star.