Location: United Kingdom
Member Since: July 13, 2012

c jenn84

Smashwords book reviews by c jenn84

  • Every Little Piece of You on Sep. 15, 2012

    Opening with the lines “It was awfully quiet in his head”, Neha Yazmin’s novel grips you from start to finish. Who is he, you ask? Jamie York, an aspiring singer-songwriter from East London. Suffering with a severe case of writer’s block, he has become introverted and cuts himself off from the world. That is, until one day he sees Mukti by the needle sculpture. He senses her watching him and is surprised to discover that song lyrics flood his mind. The silence is broken and he just has to find out why. But this isn’t your typical love story. His writer’s block might be gone, but Jamie is still haunted by the shadows of his past. And Mukti Khan, a research analyst starting a new job in the city, has a troubled past of her own. Together will they find the strength to come to terms with the past and make a fresh start in life? Or are some problems just too big to overcome? There are so many things I love about this novel. Jamie’s creativity. Mukti’s determination. Twists and turns with every chapter. But most of all, I love that you get to see the characters grow and develop. When you reach the last page, it feels like you’ve been a long journey with them- but yet it’s a journey that you want to do all over again! Another thing that I should mention is that there is a playlist! It’s something that many authors are now doing - including Stephanie Meyer, author of the Twilight series - where they share the playlist of songs that inspired the chapters in the book. I think it’s a really cool idea and it adds another dimension to the novel. You get an insight into how Adele’s ‘Chasing Pavements’ and other songs from other artists inspired Neha Yazmin in her writing. I can’t wait to see what other novels (and playlists!) are to come from Neha Yazmin. I recently found out that her second novel is out - ‘Poision Blood’ – so looking forward to reading that next!
  • Vampire Revelation on Sep. 16, 2012

    Coming to terms with her new life is hard for Ellie. She is a moody seventeen year old, living rough on the streets of London. Still hurt from the revelation of her mother’s secret, Ellie longs for a childhood that she never had. Oh yeah, and did I mention she is a vampire? I have to admit I was sceptical at first. Being a novel about vampires, my first thought was ‘I hope it’s not another Twilight knock-off!’ But actually I was pleasantly surprised. This is definitely not a soppy vampire romance novel! If anything, it is a coming-of-age story. It is her past that Ellie finds difficult to come to terms with, not her present. But if she wants to move on in her new life, her past is the very thing that she has to accept… I don’t want to give too much away, but as usual with Neha Yazmin’s novels, things are never as they seem. Just as Ellie comes to terms with one secret, she finds out that her mother was hiding so much more. Much much more! I really enjoyed reading this novel. I loved the way the puzzle pieces of Ellie’s life unfold. Just as you think you have a grip on what’s happening, Neha drops more bombshells to keep you guessing (and the pages turning!) If I have one complaint, it is that Book 1 ended just as I was really getting into it. I hope that Book 2 is released soon. I have a taste for blood - Poison Blood that is! Please publish the next book soon!
  • Every Little Piece of Me on Aug. 04, 2013

    You didn’t think it finished there did you? How wrong you were- that was merely book 1! The Soulmate Saga continues! I was lucky enough to read an early draft of this novel almost a year ago. I can still remember how much I loved it and how I was unable to put it down. I am so glad to see that Neha has published it this year and now at last other readers can enjoy it too! When I first read ‘Chasing Pavements’ (the first book of The Soulmates Saga) I remember thinking that it seemed to be the perfect ending, how could the story possibly continue? But as I started to turn the pages of ‘Make You Feel My Love’ (the sequel), suddenly it felt like just the opposite. How could I have thought that the story was over, when in fact the story had just begun! Starting a new life together in New York, Mukti feels very much in love with Jamie. But how long will this happiness last? And what happens when another person (whose identity I will keep anonymous!) becomes entangled in Mukti’s life? The plot of ‘Make You Feel My Love’ is a refreshing change to the typical narratives of romantic fiction. True to real life, what might seem like ‘happily ever after’ can change in an instant. Sometimes love can evolve over time, changing for the better or for the worse. And sometimes you might think that love is forgotten, to later find that it never really left you at all… I enjoyed the various plot twists and the way the narrative flits between the points of view of the different characters involved. But most of all, I loved the characters themselves. Neha has a unique way of writing where you really empathise with the characters. You might not always agree with the choices they make(!) but you are able to understand their points of view and you care about them all the same. At times I found myself laughing out loud at their humorous conversations. At other times I found myself crying over their heart-wrenching sadness (yes I admit it, it made me cry!) This story really does take you through a whole roller coaster of emotions. And, like the first book, ‘Make you Feel My Love’ also has its own soundtrack that you can enjoy- plus a Q&A from the author herself. Again this helps to add an extra dimension to the novel, as you are able to gain an insight into Neha’s inspiration and how the novel came about. Check out Neha’s website for more info: http://nehayazmin.blogspot.co.uk/ All in all, I would thoroughly recommend this book! Now to wait for the third part of The Soulmate Saga (hurry up Neha!) ;) x