Anyone who know me is aware of my book-addiction but I'd been stuck in a rut for a while. The last few books I'd chosen were good but weren't outstanding. It was like surviving on tofu, nutritious and keeps you full but not quite satisfying.
I'd also been reading a lot of paranormal romances of late, having already zipped through most of the light-hearted romances of my favourite authors. Nothing wrong with paranormal romances, of course, I love them. But there is only so much of that macabre sense of doom one can stomach and unless they are written by Jayne Anne Krentz or Sherrilyn Kenyon - who have the very uncanny yet exceptional talent of injecting lots of humour into such a genre - most paranormal romance writers have the usual level of seriousness, paranormal mystery and yes, that impending sense of doom, that often accompany such books.
To top it off, I was bracing myself to cut off ties with Sunny Bookstore. It was regrettable but their move to a new location has made it less convenient for me and the departure of the gals who used to recommend me amazing books made my choice easier. I'm rather sad about it. It's like the end of an era. I'd been going there on and off since I was 15 years old but I guess it's time to move on.
I'd been satisfying my craving via e-books on my iPod, which is wicked cool, though the problem with that is with so many titles at my immediate disposal, I tend to jump between books, LOL! As if that was not enough of a problem when I was reading physical books, I assure you that annoying habit can be even more magnified with electronic books. I'd managed to finished two or three books and would have continued along that vein when I had the urge to pay a visit to Woodlands Regional Library on Tuesday. I thought why not, I'd brought the book bag after all and felt kinda 'empty' so I thought I'd give it a shot - usually a trip to Sunny always ensure a full bag since it would mean an exchange of books.
I dawdled along the shelves and had one book in my hand which I was not really in the mood to take and it was about 20 minutes before I had more in hand (we are entitled to six books for three weeks) but even then I was in two minds whether I should even borrow any. See that's why I'd always preferred Sunny. I may have had to pay for them but the books are sorted in alphabetical order by genre so it'd be a quick matter of looking for specific books I wanted. With the National Library I had to go through shelf upon shelf before finding the books I wanted. They may not even have the books of authors that I'm familiar with, though to give them credit, they have vastly improved their collection in recent years.
In any case, I didn't get any book that truly appealed to me and was contemplating putting all the books back until I chanced upon my seventh book. I gasped out loud (luckily no one was close by, LOL). Just by looking at the cover, I knew I'd not read it before but the published year confirmed it for sure. Without even looking at the synopsis, I immediately grabbed it and returned one of my other choices back to the shelf.
There are some authors whom I trust explicitly to be able to pique my interest. Rachel Gibson is one of them. I'd already read every book written by her and had no doubt that I would enjoy this one too.
TROUBLE...
Chelsea Ross's acting career has been a total bust. The closest she ever came to stardom was her brilliant performance as "Pretty Dead Girl #1." But leaving Hollywood to become the personal assistant to a famous hockey player could be her stupidest career move ever.
MORE TROUBLE...
Injured superstar Mark Bressler's glory days are over. The one time bad boy jock could at least be civil to the pint-sized, pink-haired bombshell who the Seattle Chinooks hired to be his P.A. If Chelsea didn't need the money, she'd be skating away from the world's biggest jerk-on-ice as fast as her feet could carry her.
BIG TROUBLE!
Chelsea can deal with Mark's rotten attitude and dark moods. The problem is those biceps and that red-hot hockey-toned bod! And when the bad boy starts to put the moves on her, Chelsea knows it's time she banished him to the penalty box...if only she could resist the kind of trouble he has in mind!
Suffice to say I was not disappointed. I started the book at 7.20am on Wednesday morning and by 8.45pm of the same day, I was finished! The story is so charming and hilarious, it was like I was watching a movie rather than reading a book. I laughed out loud at many parts - and hopefully no one thought I was loon when I couldn't hold back the smiles on the train, LOL. I was almost reluctant to see it end.
I'd forgotten how enjoyable it is to read such a light-hearted book and more importantly, how wonderful it is to hold a physical book rather than an iPod. There are advantages of carrying an iPod around since means you are never out of a book but nothing can surely beat the feeling of flipping through pages and seeing how much of the book you've covered and how much more you have to enjoy the moment.
I'd also missed zipping through stories at such speed, not because I can't wait to finish it but because I couldn't put the book or at least can't wait to get back to it. The thrill is just amazing! So thank you Rachel! May you write many more beautiful stories!
