Top Five: Summer Reads

Don't you just like those nice comprehensive lists? I know I do. I love spying on other people's top lists, see if I know any of the books they read and enjoyed. It's the reason I have stalked around on Goodreads for almost three years now, and the reason I'm going to do a series of posts highlighting my Top Five somethings!

Obviously, there are several "Top Number" memes out there, and this has been inspired by those.

The sun is finally showing its wonderful head here in the Netherlands, and I thought I'd kick off this series of posts with my Top Five Summer Reads!

#5 The House of Silk by Anthony Horrowitz

Don't you just love letting other people do the hard detecting work while you are relaxing in your chair with a nice cold beverage? Especially when those other people are Sherlock and his trusty sidekick Watson.

The House of Silk is one of those books I thouroughly enjoyed, but never reviewed. Well, here it is. This book is awesome, especially if you have a little Sherlock Holmes crush. Not that I have one of those.

#4 Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

This is one of my worst guilty pleasures.

I don't even really know why I adore these books as much as I do. J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood books are straight up paranormal romance books with kick ass tortured alpha males that swoop their eternal loves off their feet.

Maybe every girl needs some swooping once in a while.

#3 Angels by Marian Keyes

Angels was my first foray into chick-lit territory. You know, that scary world where there are no zombies, vampires or werewolves to keep you feeling safe and comfortable? That's the one.

And quite amazingly enough, I very much liked it. It's not something I would want to read all the time, but fast-paced, light but not fluff, full of hilarious friends Angels works very well to keep you company while getting a tan.

#2 The Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind

During summer is actually the only time in the whole year that I feel like I have the time to read a massive fantasy book, like the Sword of Truth series. There is nothing like being fully immersed into a world so different from ours, a world so fascinating and full of all these wonderful characters I would just love to know in real life.

This is definitely one of those series that has everything to keep you entertained during quite some summer weeks.

#1 Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I'm starting to get the feeling that at one point or another, Harry Potter always shows up in Top lists. Doesn't matter if it's summer reads, winter reads, awesome reads, favourite reads, best character lists, favourite worlds... I almost feel compelled making a list of the lists Harry Potter dominates. But I'll save that for another time.

There is no denying that Harry Potter has grown dear to me. To hell with Twilight, Harry Potter is what got me hooked on reading. I grew up with these books, and I will continue reading them in sickness and in health, until I die.

Review: Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
(Black Dagger Brotherhood #1)

5 out of 5 stars

Published by Signet Eclipse
416 pages

Black Dagger Brotherhood, where have you been all my life?!

When Beth suddenly finds a leather-clad mountain of a man in her apartment, her life takes an unexpected twist. He tells her she is the daughter of a vampire warrior, and will change into a vampire herself. He is the leader of a band of brothers, The Black Dagger Brotherhood, that protects civilian vampires from extinction. Should she believe him?

Dark Lover takes some time to get in to. The point of view shifts repeatedly from Beth, to Wrath, to the Lessers (the bad guys). This made it harder to connect with the main characters. There are also a lot of brothers to get to know; and with names like Phury and Vishous, I had a hard time telling them all apart. I did appreciate their different appearances and personalities, making it easier to remember which one is who.

When the romance started building, I instantly became hooked and couldn't put this book down any more. J.R. Ward's writing is so awesome. She is one of the first authors that make me actually believe that the main characters truly love each other. Not mere lust, but that they will do anything for the other. And I have a huge soft spot for the big bad-ass guy in leather pants that on the inside is loving and protective and so incredibly cute. He made me go "aawwww" all the time, which is quite an achievement.

The lessers point of view didn't interest me that much, but their story gave the book some action and made sure Dark Lover isn't only about the lover part. I loved how the brothers fight, with each their own technique and style.

I can't wait to read more from this series, and get to know the other brothers some more. I really loved Thorment because he's actually a nice guy. Phury is pretty interesting, and so is Rhage. I'm curious to see which one of the brothers will find his true love in the next book in the series, Eternal Lover.

Blurb

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.

More links

• J.R. Ward Author Page
• Amazon