ERAGON (503 pages) by the young Christopher Paolini will take you on an exhilarating, dangerous, and magical journey—a journey that will unveil his destiny as a Dragon Rider. This is Book 1 of the Inheritance Trilogy and it’s highly readable. When I discovered that Paolini was only fifteen when he started writing the book, I was even more amazed. I loved what he has done with the characters and how each event unfolds.

Readers will be able to see Eragon’s progression from a brash young fifteen-year-old farm boy to a more mature sixteen-year-old warrior when the time comes for him to face the battle.

LADIES’ MAN by Suzanne Brockmann is a romance novel with a touch of thriller, which I finished in two sittings. I could’ve done it in one sitting, but hey, I only started late last night. It was still a treat.

The story unfolds at the airport where Ellen Layne meets a handsome stranger named Sam Schaefer. Ellen, a divorced single mother of two is from Connecticut and she comes to New York with her children to spend the summer at her uncle’s residence. Sam, an NYPD detective and best friend of T.S. Harrison, is a low-profile but hugely successful author. He is doing his friend a favor and that’s how he meets Ellen. It’s a chance meeting that leads to an unexpected fling and possibly a long-term romance.

My first and only Suzanne Brockmann book was LADIES’ MAN read back in December 2007. I’ve enjoyed it very much and I can say the same for THE UNSUNG HERO, which is the first book of the Troubleshooters series. I love its good mix of intense adventure, love story, and flashbacks by the Second World War veterans.

Thirty-six-year-old Navy SEAL Lieutenant Tom Paoletti returns to his New England hometown on a medical leave after a near-fatal head injury, which could potentially end his military career. Back home, he meets again with his old-time love Kelly Preston, now a pediatrician, whom he left behind sixteen years ago. He has never stopped thinking about her and his feelings for her are still very strong.

During this time, he spots someone in his hometown who looks like the international terrorist he had been tracking [...]

GUYS & DOGS by Elaine Fox is a cute yet intense romance involving a girl and a guy, and indirectly, a puppy. It’s almost like a fairy tale too; too good to be true. Megan Rose is a veterinarian who has recently taken over her father’s practice at the animal hospital. Divorced, she moves from another city, reconciles with her father and hopes to start life anew after her mother’s death.

One morning, a golden retriever puppy strayed into her house and into her room. The tag on the puppy says that her home is the mansion owned by Sutter Foley, a software mogul […]

VALLEY OF SILENCE by Nora Roberts (NR) is the final book in the Circle Trilogy.

In the third and last book of the trilogy, the six are now in Geall. Moira is to be crowned the next queen after the death of her mother. Her mother was brutally murdered by the vampires who had mistaken her for Moira. Lilith has every reason to get her out of the way because she knows Moira will lead her people into battle and even victory. The people of Geall are gathered and trained for THE day. In the Valley of Silence, a bloody battle breaks out between good and evil.

DANCE OF THE GODS by Nora Roberts (NR) is the second book in the Circle Trilogy.

The first book talks of the romance between Hoyt the sorcerer and Glenna the modern-day witch, and how their love strengthens the magic that they create together. In Dance of the Gods, love blossoms between Larkin Riddock the shape-shifter and Blair Murphy the warrior.

Blair is a demon hunter and is well trained by her father who abandoned her when she turned eighteen. At first, her father could not accept the fact that she’s become the demon hunter and not her brother with whom he had placed his hope in.

MORRIGAN’S CROSS by Nora Roberts (NR) is the first book in the Circle Trilogy and also her first endeavor in paranormal romance. This is also the first time I’m reading NR and am glad to say that I have found a new favorite author!

The story is set in the 12th-Century Ireland. Sorcerer, Hoyt Mac Cionaoith is said to be descended from Morrigan, fairie queen and goddess. Hoyt lost his twin brother Cian to Lilith, a centuries-old vampire queen who turned him into a fellow bloodsucker. Lilith is an impossible beauty. There is no way Hoyt can defeat her by himself.

The Road is a heart-wrenching post-apocalypse story of an unnamed father and his young son. For this work, Cormac McCarthy won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2007. It was also selected by Oprah for her book club.

At this juncture, I would like to quote Daily Express: “A daunting, unsettling book that ideally should be read at one sitting, as long as you are prepared to bear the brunt of its full impact. [...]” And in one sitting did I finish the book. I’m still feeling its impact: haunting, gripping, sad. It makes me wonder if the world would really—one day—come to this devastating end. And when it does, will I have the willpower to survive […]