Lady Antebellum is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2006. It is composed of Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals), Dave Haywood (background vocals, guitar, piano, mandolin) and Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals).

I heard their song ‘Need You Now’ in the radio and can’t get it out of my head! Really2 good. Scott and Kelley’s voice really complements each other, and it has a catchy rhythm and nice arrangement.

Here’s the lyric for you to sing along. Check them out here and their blog here.

Blurb :

What’s a girl to do? Sophisticated urbanite Julia Devaux loves her life. What’s not to love? A fabulous job in publishing, wonderful friends, gorgeous apartment, the company of her beautiful though temperamental Siamese cat, Federico Fellini?she’s got it made. And then Julia has the bad taste to witness a Mob murder and her life goes straight down the toilet. Under the Witness Security program, Julia is relocated to the boondocks, a hundred miles from the nearest bookstore and Estee Lauder outlet, where the only fast food is deer and the only entertainment is sex with a laconic local rancher. Luckily, talking isn’t what Sam Cooper does best… Former SEAL Sam Cooper can’t believe his luck when mystery woman Sally Anderson hits town. Simpson, Idaho, can’t even offer a decent cup of coffee let alone gorgeous new grade school teachers. The instant Cooper sees Sally, he stakes her out as his own. Granted, he’s not much good at talking, but he does his best to keep her happy. When he discovers her life is in danger, he’ll stop at nothing to keep her safe and with him. He’s not alone. The whole town of Simpson wants to keep her.

Synopsis : After witnessing a murder while photographing, the worldly Julia Devaux found herself put into Witness Protection Program and whisked away to the elegant Simpson, Idaho, where coffee serves at local diner is at best, won’t poison you and the delicacies hopefully won’t send your blood sugar level skyrocketing. It certainly doesn’t help that she becomes paranoid and insecurity which led her braining  local rancher and war hero Sam “Coop” Cooper in their first meeting! Nevermind that Cooper is a silent, brooding male with hot legs. Conflict arise when the mob offers top dollars for Julia’s head, which send the town spiraling with the influx of assassins and other deviant characters. However, Simpson Idaho and Cooper especially won’t give up Julia without a fight…

Comments : I took up this book without any expectation, merely just found that it’s description sounds fascinating is all. And how happy I am to report that once i started, i did throughly immersed in this book till the last page. WOTR really opens me up to Lisa Marie Rice (LMR), whom i never heard before.

I can’t help but convinced that Cooper and Julia really suit each other, that their romance is believable. On one side, we have this sophisticated urbanite, Julia, whose father a diplomat, which led her growing up in a lot of exotic places. She loves a good book, art and museums, plus she has a cat named Federico Fellini! On the other hand, we have a tongue-tied, ex-marine rancher named Sam Cooper, whose hands capable of doing a lot of things (from fixing leaking plumbing, installing mean safety devices around the house, competent driver, plus skillful in handling rifles) but turn into a complete gibberish when he wants to woo a lady.They’re both came from a totally different background, but LMR manage to point out their differences that in the ed they complement each other.

I literally go ‘aww’ in the scene where Cooper confesses his feelings to Julia, which totally sounds right to me (given Cooper one-question one-answer policy). The addition of the stray dog, Fred is also an interesting aspect in WOTR, seeing how the dog interacts with Julia never fails to amuse me. Normally, I go for tough, resourceful heroine, but here I found that Julia’s fragility is sweet and enduring, especially when Cooper go all macho and masculine on her.

It’s suspense plot is also good, with a twist in the end, a sorta feeling when we thought ‘OK, this is it, moving on to the HEA part’, but noo…there’s more in store for the reader.I also like the fact that LMR includes observations on the small town’s origins, cause of deterioration and of course, the “Broken Window” theory, which is intriguing and is a great plus.

This book manage to convince me to read more of LMR, coz her voice resonate well to me. There’s enough of humor, suspense, thrills, action, romance and hot sex thrown inside to make a strong concoction for a romance reader. I strongly recommend this book!

Verdict : iHeart WOTR! Solid A.

Blurb:

Poppy Hathaway loves her unconventional family, though she longs for normalcy. Then fate leads to a meeting with Harry Rutledge, an enigmatic hotel owner and inventor with wealth, power, and a dangerous hidden life. When their flirtation compromises her own reputation, Poppy shocks everyone by accepting his proposal—only to find that her new husband offers his passion, but not his trust.

Harry was willing to do anything to win Poppy—except to open his heart. All his life, he has held the world at arm’s length…but the sharp, beguiling Poppy demands to be his wife in every way that matters. Still, as desire grows between them, an enemy lurks in the shadows. Now if Harry wants to keep Poppy by his side, he must forge a true union of body and soul, once and for all…

I have to admit, although i have read historical romance in the past, it’s not categorically my fave. One of the reasons could be that the settings is not that much different from one book to another, and the hero and heroin characteristics is pretty much predictable. However, i have to admit, reading Lisa Kleypas is like taking a breath of fresh air.

Sypnosis : Basically, all Poppy wants is a sense of normalcy, having grown up amidst of eccentric and unconventional family members. However, her hope to start a “normal” family with her current beau, Micheal was dashed when Micheal’s father found out about it. He threatens to disinherit his son should Micheal proceeds to marry Poppy, who’s family background is not of that blue-blood lineage.

Enters Harry who, after decided that he wants Poppy at all cost, conducts some cunning move and maneuver, manage to convince Poppy to marry him, albeit protests from other Hathaway clan. Conflicts starts when Poppy found out of Harry’s role in smashing her relationship with Micheal, Harry’s vehemence of letting her go, and dealings with the instability of her marriage.

Comments : What i love about this book is how it has a character-driven plot, sprinkled with eccentricities and some quirkiness, and a huge dose of romantic antics by the main characters is enough ingredients to make this an enjoyable book. Plus, it was written with enough humor to successfully tickles my belly in some outrageous scenes!

A lot of aspects that i Love, one of it is the hero himself! Oh Harry! I am really a sucker for tortured hero but fallen head over heels to his heroin. I love that Harry will do anything (moralities be damned) to have Poppy (cute name BTW!) to himself. Before you start any protests about that, I might add that I am sold to Harry’s argument that Poppy is better off with him anyway, since Micheal might not want her THAT much anyway since he’s not doing his best to make sure that Poppy stays with him (albeit his father’s protests that he marry beneath his caste, and in the wedding scene, where Micheal only change heated arguments with Harry and Poppy and left afterwards). I also love the fact that Harry never stop to woo his wife although her cold treatments to him (adorable!). And I was totally going “aww”  in the scene where Poppy sprained her ankle, and how anxious Harry is to make sure that she’s alright (she is).

As for the heroin, Poppy is, I am happy to report, a rationale and level-headed heroin (which is a BIG plus for me, since i detest damsel-in-distress kind-of heroin). I love that she didn’t throw “virginal theatrics” when Harry tried to be intimate with her. She thinks Harry confusing reactions thoroughly before settling on any prejudices clouding her thoughts, or when she cannot she turns to seek advice from her family. This trait avoid any conflict by  misunderstanding plot that seems to plague a handful of romance novels out there. I found that i can relate to most of course of actions taken by Poppy to resolve her conflicts, through sane logical thinking.

One other aspect that captures my attention is the antics of the Hathaways, which never fails to amuse me (especially their little sister, Bea who collects unconventional pets and sprouting spot-on observations of human behavior  through studying animal’s). And Leo! It’s hard to stay mad when one is that charming!

Although this book does score major brownie points, but it still suffers from some flaws. I felt that the suspense added after Harry and Poppy admit that they care about each other is a bit last minute. I mean, reading this book felt like watching a rom-com, and suddenly bam! enters action flick out of nowhere. I felt dazed and confused, and that scene pretty much can be scraped away, coz evenif i think the whole point of that suspense plot is to reaffirms Poppy’s and Harry’s feeling toward each other, it can be done WITHOUT the suspense plot. Major pfft. Other thing is that the whole Poppy-Micheal relationship for me felt as forced and insincere. Kleypas should make it sound at least convincing so that her conflict with Harry later can be construed as having a solid ground, as in she really have strong feelings for Micheal before Harry came and meddle in.

All-in-all, I found myself really keen on Kleypas’s voice and style, who can really write the most amazing and quirky incidents throughout the novel. Definitely will scouring more of Kleypas, I am! If you have any recommendations on Kleypas books, pls2 do not hesitate to contact me.

Verdict : iHeart this book. A strong B.

MoZella

I started to follow MoZella after I heard her song in The City, which I found so captivating although I heard in only in glimpse. Her style is lyric-centered, story-telling kind of music, slow and breezy, which I love coz i felt like the musician is baring their soul for me and I’m their confidante. Her is an artist that i recommend that you give her benefit of the doubt if you haven’t listen to her yet.

Songs that iHeart : Freezing, Going Home, Light Years Away and You Wanted It.

Check her Official site here, and her wikipedia page too here!

First, I’d like to thank those of you (maybe one or two lost little Internet surfers out there!) who kind enough to “stumbled”  upon my humble abode (for now anyways, promise it’ll full of exciting stuff soonest!).

Why iHeart Romance?

- I’ve been reading seriously since 13 y.o, so books has been a huge part of me (not that i’m geeky that way, i found that readers are usually coolest bunch of ppl, coz their opinion is much more intriguing that most). I’ve been drawn especially to romance (yay!), maybe coz of the escapism aspect of it, or the sprinkles of shiny, summery, flowery in the midst of storm that can be found in it. And i truly am believe in romance and HEA (Happily Ever Afters).

Why iHeart Music?

- Music for me is an inspiration. It also serves as a companion for those happy times(upbeat, disco, electric-fusion, make you-wanna-dance-kind of music) as well as some of the bleak moments of life (slow, silent-type music with in-depth reflective lyrics). Music and me has evolves with time. Sometimes I heard songs from the radio and can’t help but feel that nostalgic feelings, reminiscing what phase of life was I’m at when that song was out and there for me.

Why iHeart Fashion?

- How can I not? Fashion is self-expression, you can tell that person’s story by looking at what they wore that day, whether they have a blast or bleak day. It’s fun to play stylist to self, looking at the latest fashion evolution and determine what works for us, to bring out that sense of uniqueness that is you.

So, that is basically what this blog is all about, me sharing my little thoughts with other ppl, and expand my horizon. Sure there’s a lot of things that iHeart, also few misses that iHate and also some Heartbreakers. Can’t wait to share with you! Be back in a while!