Eve Koguce's Blog, page 11

A Forever Summer by Havelah McLat

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


If you are looking for a book that will gently stir your imagination rather than unceremoniously attack you with harsh revelations, „A Forever Summer” by Havelah McLat is a perfect read for you.

Katherine has enough emotional baggage to deal with when her father dies and leaves her and her sister an unexpected inheritance. A house in a small beach resort town. Katherine is a practical young woman, and her first impulse is to get rid of the property she sees as a burden. But circumstances force her to spend some time in that house, and with every day she spends there, she finds out unexpected things about herself and her past.

Our memory sometimes plays tricks with our minds, protecting us from the traumatic events making too much damage. But the time inevitably comes when we have to face what happened to move on with our lives. That is what Katherine has to reconcile with. Still, some memories are too painful to deliberately try to revive them.

While reading, I was curious about Katherine. She seems to me the kind of person whose character remains a mystery to those around her. Even the people she loves and who love her don’t really know what’s going on in her head. When I meet such people in real life, the question I always have is if there is hidden depth in them or if their inner world is as calm as their appearance.

When Katherine meets Jason, it becomes clear that she won’t be able to continue living as before, hiding in the shell she’d built around herself after her mom’s tragic death. It is more than the attraction between the two young people; it’s the secrets they have to reveal to each other about their shared past. The past Katherine doesn’t remember.

Set in a charming small resort town, „A Forever Summer” is a pleasant story to read on the beach or, if the summer is over, with a cup of hot beverage, in your favourite chair, reminiscing on the sunny hot days.



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A Forever Summer

Betrayal : Crimes Against the Crown by Wendy Bayne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“Betrayal” is the second book in the Crimes Against the Crown historical crime and adventure series by Wendy Bayne. Just as I predicted in my review of the first instalment of the series “Untitled”, upon beginning to read the continuation of the story, I had no smallest idea what to expect from it.

After the head-spinning adventures Lissa, Miles, and a versatile set of characters went through in “Untitled”, “Betrayal” doesn’t disappoint in the action department. Events you couldn’t have envisaged happen in every chapter, and you simply can’t stop yourself from turning the pages. Similarly to the first book, the second one is also packed with mysteries, risky endeavours, hard-to-catch villains, as well as heart-melting love stories.

Set in the 19th century, “Betrayal” takes the reader on a risky journey between high society mansions and the neighbourhoods of the poor. The author masterfully portrays the life of different classes, with vivid strokes of her words drawing a picture of human motives and destinies, all with infinite variations and thus, incredibly exciting.

I loved the feeling of “joining the big family” that filled me reading this book. There are a lot of characters in this series, each of them essential to the story and remarkably well-developed. Although Magda probably is the most charismatic of the female characters, I am in the Lady Bruce team. Mothers-in-law remain the same through centuries, countries, and continents – fiercely protective of their sons’ well-being and interests. Even though their vision of what their grown-up sons want and what is best for them, doesn’t always correlate with the ideas of the men in question. Aunt Millicent is an embodiment of a mother-in-law from anecdotes, suspicious of any woman who comes close to her sons. But at the same time – and I applaud the author for having achieved that – you can deeply relate to her inner turmoil since her bad temper comes from the deepest love she feels for her children.

Lissa and Miles are a lovely couple in the centre of the story. After getting married, they are thrown into a whirlwind of events – most of them dark and sinister – and instead of sailing away into the honeymoon, they are forced to deal with investigating murders. Surrounded by their numerous family members, all with their own personal issues that have to be solved in addition to untangling the mysteries for the Crown, the newlyweds do their best to adapt to their life together.

I enjoyed the second book as much as I enjoyed the first. I appreciated the side stories of secondary characters woven into the main plot. I can’t wait to see what happens next.




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Betrayal : Crimes Against the Crown

Forbidden Manuscript: A Supernatural Mystery by Lubov Leonova

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It was a pleasure to return to the magical world of Lake Kingdom Lubov Leonova has created in her books. Despite it not being a perfect place, where everyone lives peacefully and happily, there is a cosy feeling about reading this series.

Set a few years after the events of book one, “Forbidden Manuscript” follows the lives of the four Guardian academy graduates pursuing their careers and trying to find a work-life (and love) balance.

Jackie and Elisa are together. It isn’t easy to live, hiding their relationship from everyone and knowing they are putting their careers at risk. And probably because of the constant pressure, they easily fall into a trap a dishonest person sets up for them to make them break up. I really appreciated the sly literary agent character that appears to shake the already fragile routine of Jackie and Elisa’s lives.

Four friends now work in different fields, but they come together to solve a particularly shocking series of murders. Young women get killed, and there seemingly isn’t any connection between these cases. But eventually, threads lead to a cult, and finding out who this cult’s leader is will bring trauma and shock.

“Forbidden Manuscript” is a story that keeps the reader guessing what will happen next. It is packed with magic and mystery along with questions and situations that people in the nowadays real world also face. Is it worth it to fight against the existing prejudices? Can one person make a change? Does some special trait one possesses make one better than those less lucky? Is it worth it to sacrifice one’s peace of mind for love?

The ending of the book, although heartbreaking, suggests new fascinating adventures for the characters in the future. The author opens up a curtain hiding other magical kingdoms beyond Lake Kingdom and leaves readers wanting to learn more about them.



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Forbidden Manuscript: A Supernatural Mystery

Walking into Dreams by Steven Decker

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride that will leave you breathless after you turn the last page.

“Walking Into Dreams” by Steven Decker is a story of a young woman who hasn’t given up on her dreams. She could have easily done so because of a tragic accident that has changed her life forever. She could have succumbed to depression and self-pity, and no one would have blamed her for this. Instead, she chose to live her life to the full despite the consequences of the accident affecting her everyday routine.

Emily is an active and determined young woman. She is good at her job; her family and friends love and support her. She cannot change her past, but she concentrates on her present and future. There are certain limitations she faces every day. But she has learnt to cope with them rather than made them the centre of her life.

Emily’s life isn’t perfect, and she realises that it hardly can ever be so. Still, it is satisfying in many ways, and its direction is straightforward and clear. Until one day everything turns upside down.
A strange encounter makes Emily doubt everything she’d known about life before. Suddenly, things that she thought were impossible become too real. If she wasn’t strong and determined, she would probably try to forget what she saw. Her mind and logic would eventually persuade her that it was something unimportant and unreal. But Emily isn’t one to let a chance slip between her fingers. So, she embarks on an incredible journey – both physical and emotional – searching for answers.
And the answers she will find are mind-blowing – both for her and for the readers.

I thoroughly enjoyed walking the Wicklow Way together with Emily in beautiful Ireland. I love walking; it is my favourite pastime outdoors. I could relate to Emily bonding with the people she met on that tour.

“Walking Into Dreams” is a story about following your heart – even if your mind warns you against jumping headfirst into the unknown. Even if it wasn’t in your plans to cross the world chasing what others would call a mirage.

It is a story of a person’s triumph over circumstances and hardships. Taking us readers with her, Emily travels from the steep ski slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to the countryside of Ireland and across the world to the temples of China.

Steven Decker knows how to make his readers’ hearts beat faster with anticipation of what will happen next. And in most cases, you cannot guess where this author’s imagination will take you.







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Walking into Dreams

Follow the Blue Rabbit by Elena Carter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Can you tame your dreams? The chances are as slight as when you try to tame the reality. Especially since the dreams Tina, Alice, and others in the Dream Tamer Chronicles series by Elena Carter want to tame aren’t products of their imagination but real worlds.

Still, just as with the reality we live in, which at times succumbs to the will of the persistent, you can learn to change the worlds some can travel to in their dreams. But who will teach you if your teacher left you, having gone to one of those other worlds?

In “Follow the Blue Rabbit”, book two of the Dream Tamer Chronicles, Tina feels more comfortable travelling to different worlds in her sleep. Some of these places are beautiful, and their inhabitants are friendly. Since learning about dangerous creatures she must avoid, Tina has been successful in keeping away from danger during her nocturnal trips. But when she learns that the most important world she has visited is in grave danger, she has no other way than to search for ways to learn about how she can influence what is going on in other realities.

“Follow the Blue Rabbit” is a tribute to a wonderful character we meet in book one. After Alice left, Tina couldn’t make herself read her friend’s diary. Although Tina knew that Alice was happy in her new life in a new world, her reluctance to read about Alice’s life was about the sadness Tina felt about losing Alice in their world.

Nothing is more motivating than the absence of choice. Tina doesn’t have one. Alice is in danger, and Tina is the only one who can help her. But can she find a way to help her friend? And another question is whether she can do it without putting herself in danger.

The Dream Tamer Chronicles series offers readers a rare gift: the one of escapism. You can literally get lost in mesmerising dreams, imagining the realms completely different from the world we live in. These realms can be dangerous. They can also be picturesque beyond belief. Travelling between dreamy worlds, Tina meets people whom she can’t meet in the real one anymore. She still has to uncover the laws these worlds live by.

In the meantime, a plan of changing her life forever is forming in her head. But before she can explore the path her friend Alice has taken, she has another important mission to complete. Tina’s friends seem to be a magnet for trouble, and now, she has to put herself in danger again to save another friend…

It’s needless to say I think that I’m looking forward to starting book three in the series “Follow the Dragonfly” soon.






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Follow the Blue Rabbit

Genavine's Faith: Left for dead by Jupiter Rose

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What a head-spinning journey it has been reading this book! Just like its main character Gena, readers are bound to be knocked off their feet by events no one saw were coming.

Genavine became a leader in more than challenging circumstances. This isn’t easy to lead people in peaceful times. But to maintain order and discipline among the people who have assembled in a group not by choice but by a harsh necessity is almost impossible.

The dystopian setting of “Genavine’s Faith” by Jupiter Rose is dark, cruel, and hopeless. It seems like a miracle that there are any survivors after the government has disappeared and people were left to survive on their own. Violence runs rampant. Fights between units scattered around deserted cities and search for food are an everyday reality. Is there any reason to cling to such a life?

Genavine is young. But although she’s seen too much to have any hope left for a better future, it is her youth and her faith that don’t let her give up. Besides, she feels responsible to make the people who believe in her and her leadership skills keep their faith too.

What I loved about this book is how I didn’t see any of the twists and turns coming. From chapter to chapter, “Genavine’s Faith” kept me on the edge of my seat. After a while, I stopped guessing what might happen next and simply enjoyed the story.

Apart from being a leader, Gena is a young woman whose heart longs for love. I liked the way the author portrayed both her strength and her vulnerability. Gena doesn’t hesitate to make and execute difficult decisions, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt to take lives. She also makes wrong decisions that have only seemed right.

The plot of this book is complex, as are the characters. You can never guess who turns out to be from the “dark side”. And that is what makes “Genavine’s Faith” a perfect read for those who like to be surprised by a book rather than expect the plot to be following certain genre-accepted rules.








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Genavine's Faith: Left for dead

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What makes a book a masterpiece? I don’t believe the criteria for this can even be measured. Our perception of art is and always will be subjective. If a book reaches a wider audience, there will always be those who love it and those who absolutely hate it.

Still, some books prove their worth with their undiminishing popularity among people who are born after the artist’s death. From this point of view, I think it’s rather safe to say that “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien is a true masterpiece.

For me, loving this book was a surprise. I am not a fan of epic fantasy. I have my favourites in this genre, but I certainly don’t binge-read such stories. I am a true bookworm through and through. Books have been my sanctuary, my escape, my salvation, and a dozen other life-changing and life-defining things since I was a teen. During three decades of reading, I’ve read so many books, including “world classics must-reads”, that if I haven’t read some book, there is a serious reason behind why I haven’t. With “The Lord of the Rings”, this reason is that I simply didn’t feel compelled enough to read it. I did read “The Hobbit”, but eyeing its three-volume monstrosity of a sequel, I realised it’s not what I want to spend my time on.

Well, what can I say… Thirty years later, I “swallowed” the trilogy in about a month – and it took me so long only because I was reading it during a very busy time and could dedicate to it only short moments before bedtime.

I don’t see any practical use in retelling the plot of the book read by millions. So, I’ll just share some thoughts and impressions I was left with after I finished reading.

The real hero of the global battle against Sauron is… Sam Gamgee. What an incredible strength of spirit! Even the seemingly infinite power of the Ring couldn’t break his will. Yes, Frodo was the Ring Bearer, but if not for Sam, he wouldn’t have even brought the formidable thing to the Cracks of Doom.

Although I found some other parts of the journey fascinating, the most exhausting and gut-wrenching leg of it is my favourite. When two hobbits were crawling up Mount Doom, forced to leave more and more behind – Sam’s beloved kitchen gear and remnants of hope that they can succeed – my lips felt parched and my heart hollow. I guess, for many it might not be the most exciting part of the book, but for me, reading it felt like I’ve made that impossible climb myself.

I won’t pretend that I wouldn’t like to see more pages dedicated to female characters. Not only strong women. As much as I admire the Amazonian-style, fierce, and “step-away-I’ll-do it myself” type of heroines, I do enjoy reading about mothers who take care of their children (and not by slaying everyone who enters the house), about wives who stay behind when their husbands go to war (or the office) and have an equivalent of “the secret life of pets” (no offence meant, since I am that wife myself). But I strongly believe that every book has a right to be whatever its author created it to be. It’s impossible – and unreadable and unwatchable, to be honest – to fit in everything in every single book or a movie or a tv series. There exist different families, different work teams, and versatile environments in any aspect of our lives. In my opinion, such things shouldn’t serve as the sole reason to judge a book by.

“The Lord of the Rings” is a story about so many things. The things that are easily applicable to real life and modern times. It is a story about the power of persistence. You might lose your strength for a while when the burden becomes too heavy. You can even lose faith in success at times. But if you continue moving forward, no matter how you feel or what you think, if you put one foot in front of the other and repeat this action without contemplating whether you’ll be able to do it until the end, you have a chance to throw that ring into the burning abyss and see a new, magnificent dawn.




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The Lord of the Rings

Finding Home by Juliette Caron

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


At first glance, everything is simple. Two people fall in love. They find out they cannot be together. She is a schoolgirl; he is her teacher. After going through an obstacle line (you can read about it in book one “Gone Away Girl”) they finally can explore their love.

There still are some inconveniences since he is still a teacher and she is still his ex-student. But in general, Chloe and Damien enjoy the joy and freshness of being young and in love. Until… real life hits them. The blow is unexpected. And both Chloe and Damien are unprepared to deal with it.

It was fascinating to read about how far a misunderstanding and miscommunication can lead two people who are madly in love with each other. Moreover, both are ready to make sacrifices for each other. But I guess, when you are young, it’s easy to set your blood on fire with jealousy, insecurity, and doubt.

I loved how vividly the author portrayed the differences between Chloe and Damien. It is clear, when you read the story, that these two come from completely opposite environments. And that is what makes reading about them trying to make their relationship work especially exciting.

Apart from complicated relationship issues, there are beautiful scenes set in Thailand in the book. After reading these chapters, you’ll want to take a bath with elephants!

“Finding Home” by Juliette Caron tells a story that must be enjoyed with an open heart. Its characters make rushed decisions, hurt each other, and because of it suffer themselves. This book reminded me how difficult it is at times to be young when, on one hand, your whole life is ahead of you, while, on the other, you don’t necessarily know what to do with it.






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Finding Home

The Darcy Secret: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Kelly Miller

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What if the most eligible bachelor Mr Darcy isn’t a prize catch everyone considers him to be? If the mothers of the ton, who are determined to marry off their daughters, found out about the dark Darcy family secret, they would breathe out relieved that Mr Darcy has chosen a lady from the countryside without any wealth and connections.

Mr Darcy himself finds out about this dark secret at the most inconvenient time imaginable. What his late father had decided to keep from him, threatens to ruin Mr Darcy’s life forever.

“The Darcy Secret” by Kelly Miller is a real treat for Jane Austen fans. Although I do believe that the original “Pride and Prejudice” is perfect in every way, I’ve always wanted more interactions and dialogue between Lizzy and Darcy. And that is what Ms Miller generously provides in her elegant Austenesque variations. Keeping her stories true to the Regency era norms and societal limitations, the author adds a bit of spice and edge to the plot to make the books interesting for modern readers.

In “The Darcy Secret” we get to see more of Georgiana Darcy. Moreover, it is unclear until almost the end of the book if she is who we’ve been used to believe she was. There are some dark secrets lurking in the past of this innocent and shy girl, who was always in the shadow of her elder brother. I liked this plotline since it kept me musing about Miss Darcy’s true character. Besides, by portraying Georgiana’s struggles with adjusting her behaviour to meet the expectations of others, the author has raised important questions about the influence of that era’s rules’ rigidity on an individual.

“The Darcy Secret” offers everything that we love about Austenesque romance variations. It is beautifully written, full of lovely Lizzy and Darcy scenes, and on top of that, it tickles the readers’ nerves with unexpected mysteries and shocking revelations.








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The Darcy Secret: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

Light My Pyre by Kat Kinney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


How to love a dragon? It is absolutely obvious that you cannot train one.

Asher is a firefighter, a loving brother and grandson, a faithful friend, and – a fae. He is many things, but definitely not a coward. So, when he meets Gwyn for the first time – in her twenty-foot fire-breathing dragon form – he is ready to do everything to keep his dog Daisy safe (now, if it isn’t the most adorable name for a huge Irish wolfhound who likes nothing better than eating one sock out of every pair, then I don’t know what is).

Gwyn – apart from being able to transform into a huge, menacing-looking dragon – is a girl from a loving family who is forced to run from her perfect life.

Everwood Falls is a small town in the Rocky Mountains – a sanctuary for some supernatural creatures and a place of exile for others.

“Light My Pyre” by Kat Kinney has everything to make your heart beat faster. A mysterious arsonist who seems to follow Asher even when he moves to another town after a tragic event at work. A kaleidoscope of events that put almost everyone under suspicion. A slow-burn romance between a fae prince (who is an impossibly and seductively handsome firefighter) and a red-haired beauty who turns into a powerful dragon.

In addition to the mystery, romance, rules and intrigues of the supernatural world, “Light My Pyre” teases readers’ appetite with eloquent descriptions of delicious food and tugs at your heartstrings by making you fall in love with adorable pets and then putting them in grave danger. Did I mention a herd of enchanted elk with their antlers glowing in the dark? The werewolves of Everwood Falls have a peculiar sense of humour…

I’m certainly looking forward to the next book in this series.







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Light My Pyre