Looking Forward Friday (1)

Want to know what's coming up for The Coffee Pot? Well here it is! :D The official to-be-read list (not specifically in the following order). Bring on the reading and reviews!

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

This will be the final book for the Spring Into Reading 2012 challenge and I'm full of excitement to finish The Coffee Pot's first reading challenge so I can look forward to the next challenge I take on.





Dead is the New Black by Christine DeMaio-Rice

This novel promises a romp through the fashion world with one of the main characters being accused of murder. Very intriguing!





Entangled, Spellbound #1 by Nikki Jefford

Main character, Gray, wakes up in her sister's body after her mother witch attempted to bring her back to life. Show me the way out of this one!





Fifty Shades Freed by E L James

The conclusion of the Fifty Shades trilogy where reader's will find out if Mr. Grey and Ana will end up happily ever after or...





Now what's on your TBR list? :D

Fifty Shades Darker

"Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house.

But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Ana cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Ana learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven, and demanding Fifty Shades.

While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Ana must confront the anger and envy of the women who came her, and make the most important decision of her life."

* May Contain Spoilers *

In the first novel, Fifty Shades of Grey, by EL James, the reader came to know Anastasia. Much was revealed about her personality, goals, hopes, dreams, and fears. But in book two, Fifty Shades Darker, shifts the focus on to Christian and suddenly the reader is introduced to a shade of Mr. Grey no one knew existed. 

Fifty Shades of Grey introduced Christian as a f*ed-up-control-freak-sexual-slave-master. While, on the other hand, Fifty Shades Darker introduces a whole new proposition, no contracts involved...well maybe one, towards the end.

Christian promises Anastasia that he will give her the "more" she wanted. And suddenly he becomes a f*ed-up-control-freak-sexual-slave-master-who-asks-permission-and-tries-to-give-hearts-and-flowers. But along with "more," Ana wants to know who he is, and how he came to be that way. Thus, the blooming of Christian's character. 

Readers finally learn what happened to Christian as a child and how he coped with that at such a young age. Who helped him, who thought they helped him, and who cares for him more than he realizes. Readers discover the view Christian has of himself and that allows them to connect deeper with his character. EL James also gives the readers a peek into Mr. Grey's psyche, letting Anastasia discuss Christian with Dr. Flynn, his therapist. 

All the disconnection that readers felt with Christian throughout the first book, has disappeared. The main focus of this novel is the connection with Christian which allows readers to better understand Ana's sweet Fifty Shades. Perhaps, they'll even have an opinion change. I know I did. 

Fifty Shades Darker

on Amazon

rating: 4/5 cups

Midnight Sun

"This wasn’t the adventure she’d signed up for…

A sexy boss, a rough crossing, and pirates—all Brylie Winston wanted was a job to help her earn money to buy her own restaurant. She hopes to earn it by working as a chef on a cruise to Antarctica. But she’s slept with her boss, which throws her off-balance even more than the rough seas and warnings of pirates in the area. And he’s determined to have a repeat performance…

Bad boy former snowboarder Marcus Devlin is running from his reputation, sent to learn the family business after decking a senator’s son and making the papers. So maybe he indulged in a last-minute fling before boarding his family’s cruise ship to Antarctica. Perhaps Fate is showing him that wasn’t so bad—the gorgeous redhead who snuck out of his bed is on the cruise. She’ll be a lovely distraction during his exile.

But when modern-day pirates take over the ship, his instinct is to protect her and the other passengers. But what does a spoiled rich boy know about saving people’s lives?" - Amazon Blurb

* *

Midnight Sun by MJ Fredrick is a whirlwind of a novel. It grabs you from the first sentence and doesn't stop. The entire book was an action film in story form, which is great for intrigue and entertainment but lacks a little on character-reader connection. Though Fredrick ensures the readers come to know the characters by the end of the novel. 

Brylie and Marcus are the two main characters, the novel focusing on each of them, equally, throughout. The lovely thing about these characters is that the reader watches them change throughout the novel. The plot allows them to become the people they want to be. 

Readers can connect with Brylie through her past. Running away from her life in New York to escape her mistakes, wanting to feel loved again, and trying to make her dreams of owning her own restaurant come true. This speaks to the readers, though the details of their own lives aren't exactly the same, everyone has dreams they want to achieve and Fredrick plays on that to connect the readers to Brylie.  

Marcus is a little harder to connect with at the beginning. He's a bad-boy rich kid who repeatedly lands himself in a lot of trouble. But when Fredrick shows the readers what's underneath his appearance, readers can begin to understand what his life is really like. The trouble he had when one of his closest friends died, the urge to find a meaning for his life, and the need to understand his feelings bring Marcus to life for the reader.

Stumble upon this on Amazon, like I did, and I doubt you'll be disappointed. 

Midnight Sun
on Amazon

rating: 4/5 cups

WWW-Wednesday (2)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

01. Currently Reading:
Midnight Sun by MJ Fredrick and I plan on finishing it today! :) Modern day pirates taking over a cruise ship sailing toward Antarctica with a love story? Oh yes.

02. Recently Finished:
A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin and although I was a little disappointed with the missing main characters, it was a good novel. :) One more book to go for Spring into Reading 2012.

03. Reading Next:
Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James and I'm eager to learn what happens between Ana and Mr. Grey. Started the series, so I have no choice but to follow it all the way through to the end. :D