Bloggers Commenting Back

  I've seen one quite surprising circumstance among the English bloggers called Bloggers Commenting Back. We the Bulgarian bloggers don't have such a thing yet. Besides, we're quite a small society unfortunately. I've been blogging more than two years and the only way I can get attention to my blog is sharing through social medias, groups and stuff like that. However, I rarely get much of an attention and I want a... reaction, anything! That's why this phenomenon is a great opportunity for all bloggers to communicate yet spread their blog without spaming or "begging social attention". That's why I decided to be part of Bloggers Commenting Back.

  I think the whole idea is simple but great. You can get in touch with people sharing your interests (for example a review of a specific book) and you can discuss on the topic. At the same time, you return the favour by commenting on other back on blogs that have commented on yours. It's absolutely fair and I fully support this initiative.

And you, are you a part of this event? (If not, you should definitely do it.)

P.S. Sorry if my English sounds artificial I'm still getting used to speaking it all the time.

  - Melly

The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter

  BOOK TWO OF "LORDS OF THE UNDERWORLD"

  The second book's for the one possessing the Death. He, in turn, must take every soul into paradise or hell respectively. That's why he has two different eyes - brown for the human world and blue - for the spirits. I personally didn't fall on people with different eyes, so for me, this combination is not the best, just my opinion.
  On the cover, the man isn't bad, oh, not at all but he isn't my guy. Somewhat I don't like him very much, but I like the bluish colour plus the moon in the background.
  The name of the warrior is Lucien, and the woman, more precisely the goddess of Anarchy, is Anya. He hasn't met anyone like her because she's a reckless and uncontrollable fighter, but at the same time attracts him. But when Cronos orders him to kill her in order to save his friends, because if he doesn't, they will suffer. So, he faces a huge dilemma but does everything in his power to avoid losing either. Maybe it's a huge spoiler, but I hope it's not. Lucien is not my stereotype for a male character, but there are a lot of qualities that I approve of.
Anya... I will not deny, I don't like her at all. She is not one of the heroines I prefer and she's so crazy and uncontrollable that it's almost irritating. She does whatever she wants, and makes all sorts of disorders among people. It's like a walking bomb for trouble and I don't like her even more. But there is a curse on her, which is very terrible because she hasn't deserved it. Because of her mother, she's doomed to suffer, which is not fair at all! And what I despise the most is the injustice.
  I don't think this is exactly the book I would recommend for reading because it's not a big favourite of mine, but you can not read a series and decide to "stink" one of the books just because the hero doesn't appeal to you so much, right? Anyway, The Darkest Kiss is a part of the Lords of the Underworld so it's inevitable to skip it. But it's only my opinion, someone may like it much more than me, everyone has its tastes after all.

The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter

  BOOK ONE OF "LORDS OF THE UNDERWORLD"

  I got this... obsession with long fantasy series about immortal warriors and each book is about a different character and his story, or as I call them "Black Dagger Brotherhood type". So when I saw Gena Showalter's series Lords of the Underworld... I was in seventh heaven. I like how the title of every book contains the darkest. It's so significant for this series. Moreover, I am quite interested in Greek mythology(everything mysterious and magical is appealing to me). So fantasy series ala Black Dagger Brotherhood with mythology in it? Perfect!

  I like the cover, more precisely this butterfly-tattoo symbolizing that he has a demon. *Please, say it isn't a spoiler.* I don't know why, but the English demon-possessed sounds to me a thousand times better than in Bulgarian. In fact, I can't find a corresponding translation, it doesn't sound right. The butterfly is somewhat cool, not like sweet, but on the contrary, it emits mystery and power.

  But let's talk about the book. She seems to me the most beloved of the whole series. It tells the story of twelve immortal warriors cursed to keep the demons out of Pandora's box. Here with the spoiler. Otherwise, I have a whole paragraph telling the story of their "curse", but I'd rather save it, and if anyone wants to read the series he'll have to learn all the details by himself.

  The first of the Lords is Maddox, who has the demon of Violence. He is cursed to die every night the same way he killed Pandora - six times stabbed with a sword. Already with the first two sentences separated in its own paragraph, the book draws attention: Every night death came, slowly, painfully, and every morning Maddox awoke in bed, knowing he'd have to die again later. That was his greatest curse and his eternal punishment.

  Until Ashlyn appears, an unusual girl who hears voices from the past. She was quite interesting to me because of this supernatural ability, which doesn't just extend only to hearing voices from the past. Maybe she reminded me of Beth (Black Dagger Brotherhood) but it was one of the main reason I was attracted to this series after all, right?

   The relationship between Maddox and Ashlyn is very beautiful and special. Already when they met for the first time it became clear that both of them were written to be together because she managed to tame him, and he - to bring her the so-called silence and calmness of the constant voices.

  In addition, I will only say that Maddox has violet eyes (something terribly attractive and inert) and, together with Aaron, they're the only ones who have such eye colour. In general, I recommend this book and if you like fantasy but also Greek mythology, you will most certainly like it.

What Happens in London by Julia Quinn

  BOOK TWO OF "BEVELSTOKE"

  As far as I saw, the Bulgarian cover is different from this one, but I think it's several times more beautiful. The combination of Westminster Palace with this very well-done effect of the photo and the roses is really amazing. The key word for me is London, if there's something with London in it, give it to me! (I'm quite obsessed with it.)
  The second book of Bevelstoke series is about Olivia. She's unpredictable, wild, and rarely anything attracts her attention for long. It's the ideal for a woman at that time - blond hair and blue eyes, unlike Miranda, which has brown hair and the same eyes that are nothing special, and she isn't so attractive. A mysterious new neighbour is placed in the next house in London. He spends all day in his office and writes something, but after hearing a rumour about him, Olivia decides to spy on him. From her window, she has an ideal view of his office.
  Sir Harry Valentine works in the boring department of Military Intelligence, translating documents from Russian and French. Having passed through all the training for a spy instantly detects the eyes of a beautiful blonde girl. For him, she's nothing more than an irritating and curious debutant, but when he realizes that the Russian prince is interested in her, but is a potential plotter against England, he intervenes and gradually realises that he himself may fall in love with her. She also doesn't remain indifferent to him and their love adventure begins...
  This is literally ab extract from the summary, so it can't be called a spoiler, I hope. This book is really much more fun than the first one and there are quite comical moments. Harry is not that appealing to the description given in the book, but nothing prevents you from imagining it as you wish, yet no one can control what's going on in your head, isn't it? Personally, I imagined it with curly brown hair and some emerald green eyes, maybe everybody already knew who I was imagining oops.
  You have to see the Bulgarian cover, it's so sweet, isn't it? I love cute love stories, preferably historical as these ones. And just now I decided to post both cover editions in case the other's so beautiful as this one.
  A really light and fun reading that you can't refuse to read. It's really intriguing and I highly recommend What Happens in London. These 400 pages pass in an instant, really.

- Melly

The Get To Know Me Tag

Hi, everyone! This is my very first bookish post in this blog and I chose to be an introducing tag. I saw it in Nut Free Nerd's blog (btw, I like her blog). So, let's tell you something about me.

• Name: Melina (but I like Mellyna)
• Nickname: Melly
• Star Sign: Aquarius
• Occupation: Student

• Hair colour: Brown
• Hair length: To the middle of the back
• Eye colour: Brown
• Best feature: I'm loyal and I have good sense of humour
• Braces: Not since high school, fortunately
• Piercings: Not!
• Tattoos: Nope
• Right or left-handed: Right-handed

• Best friend: I think Yuli. I've shared with her the most embarrassing and perverted things ever. I couldn't be more thankful for meeting her.
• Award: I've a bunch of certificates, most of them are language certificates.
• Real holiday: Christmas!
• Concert: Unfortunately, I've never been to a concert.

• Film: I have plenty of favourite movies. Maybe Home Alone or The Parent Trap(my all time favourites)
• TV Show: White Collar
• Color: Blue and purple
• Song: Despacito by Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee
  
• Restaurant: Don't have one.
• Shop: Everything bookshop.
• Shoes: None, I'm not obsessed with shoes.

• Feeling: Happy
• Single or Taken: Single
• Eating: Nothing.
• Watching: Something on TV, don't pay any attention.
• Wearing: Comfy clothes.

• Children: Yes.
• Marriage: Of course.
  
• Careers: Well, I want to be Computer Specialist but also something with design. Oh, and a writer, too.
• Where you want to live: Maybe the UK but I'm not certain yet.
  

 I'm a newbie so I'll tag only my friend Yuli(her blog's Damaged Pages) who's new like me. The tag isn't exhaustive enough but you'll get to know me with time.


Also, this is my FB page, if you're interested or just like books as me, you can like it (I'll be really happy if you do 😊).

Shattered Shelves

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn

  BOOK ONE OF "BEVELSTOKE"

  One of my favourite historical romances! I first saw the second book and its cover was admirable, it was with London after all. Then I realised that it was a whole trilogy and I started from the first book, The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever. The historical themes are extremely intriguing. The action unfolds in the 19th century and is extremely fascinating.
  I have to admit that at first, I didn't even know what this book was about. I was just captured by the second book - What happens in London, but when it was connected in a series I had no choice but to start from the first one, so I've read it.
  The story is actually quite clear and very easy. Totally perfect for unloading, that's why I read it so fast.
  Miranda is nineteen, and since the age of ten, she has been in love with Nigel Bevelstoke, the beautiful and charming Viscount Turner. He is the older brother of her best friend, Olivia. Olivia tries to repeatedly matchmake her twin brother William with Miranda, but unsuccessfully as she has only eyes for Turner. The young Viscount has been unsuccessfully married, and his late wife has been cheating on him constantly, and her own death is quite ridiculous. He doesn't want to fall in love anymore and is very negative to any woman, preferring to be alone. With time sparks flare up between them and a fascinating story unfolds.
  This rather resembles a spoiler, I know, but if you read the resume you can find some of these things (I always read them, whether the books are in a series or not, I have such a habit). So I hope I gave you a good perspective about the book anyway.
  I like both covers, maybe a little bit more the Bulgarian one but who can blame me? It's so... authentic and I can really believe it's taking place in the 19th century. I choose the second cover to be a small size in order to not being too strikingly but you can always click and open to see it full size.

  Besides the obvious romance, there is also a flavour of fun, which is significantly reinforced in the second book. The author, Julia Quinn, is really good at the descriptions of erotic scenes, and I would definitely be very interested to see her in a different light - for example, a modern novel, and why not a paranormal romance like the Black Dagger Brotherhood? This is going to be something quite interesting because the author has the potential and maybe there should be a book whose work is developing in the present, not in the past since most of her books are historical romances.
  The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever was my first historical romance to read and it introduced me to this genre which happens to be one of my favourites now.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

    BOOK ONE OF "THE SELECTION"

  The first thing that grabbed me was the unique cover. I adore blue, and this dress is like some gorgeous fairy tale! When I showed her to a friend she was outraged and thought it was too childish or something like that, but in my opinion, this comment was totally devoid of any logic. On the cover is a girl with a ball dress, not a child's picture, right? And if I like it, the opinion of others can influence me in no way.
  I was intrigued what this choice of thirty-five girls would be. I bought The Selection maybe a month after its release in Bulgaria because my parents refused to sponsor me. I tried to persuade them to buy it, but no! So, I'm not really sure if it's one or two months after it.
  I read the book during the summer, as well as the second, only for a day each. In the end, I didn't want to end, and after I finished The Elite, I was eager to come out The One. America doesn't want to be even part of the Selection, but because of Aspen, she applies and entry into the race of her life. I personally like Prince Maxon much more. Their story is very interesting, and the time of action they're in is ... indefinitely (that's why it's a dystopia). There is a Third World War, a Chinese state (or somewhat I don't remember exactly) and many other places and events. And this caste system is very interesting and different to me.
The Selection has become one of my favourite series! At first, I didn't suppose it would be a series, I thought there were only three books, that is, a trilogy, but the author, Keira Cass, who, by the way, is one of my favourite authors, has decided to write two more. Well, so I will have more nice books to read and even better as a part of my library, which in turn has increased recently and I will probably make some shifts in it in the future.
  Overall, the book is so intriguing and if it can't grab you with its cover, then I don't know if your eyesight is alright because it's unique! I guarantee that you will be completely enchanted by the story of America Singer and you will not want to leave it until you finish it.

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

  BOOK ONE OF "BLACK DAGGER BROTHERHOOD"

 , Definitely this is a world of stormy passions and breathtaking action that will captivate you right away!
  If a friend of mine hadn't given me Dark Lover, the first book of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, for my birthday I would never be interested in this series, I confess. Even after she had shown it to me while we were in a bookstore, I still didn't want to read it.
  At first, I was quite sceptical about the book because I hadn't like to read anything in the fantasy genre, I preferred anime with such a subject or even The Vampire Diaries, but vampire books - no. I started it and it immediately grabbed me. I think it is extremely interesting and intriguing.
  The first book tells the story of Wrath and Beth. Wrath is the king of the vampire race and the only one having absolutely pureblood. They call him the "Blind King" because he has an eye damage due to his blood. I like that he has long hair because I'm falling on men who have a little longer hair a little past their shoulders, but it's a lot longer than that. Despite the damage he has, I like the pale green colour of his eyes. Moreover, this physical flaw creates even greater awe in the rest.
  Elizabeth Randall, Beth, is a seemingly human girl who leads a dull and monotonous life: from work to home and from home to work. She has long black hair that reminds me of Wrath. I'm glad she met Wrath because he brought variety to her grey everyday life and revealed to her a whole new world. Beth is an interesting image I like very much. I can't forget her charming black kitten Boo, as I adore cats.
  I've always liked vampires, but those of J. R. Ward made me fall in love with them. I very much like this feature that she has invented her own race completely different from any other. The war between the vampires and the lessers is indeed very large and it causes quite a lot of damage to all of the vampires. And here comes the title of the series. It is called so precisely because of this brotherhood of brave warriors who defend their race from destruction. All six of them really intrigued me and each one had some specific feature. I like the names she chose. They come from different English words, some have even changed with some letter to give them their own uniqueness.

  I am glad to have this book paperback because it has a blue background and I adore blue (the Bulgarian cover is blue)! I even have a book divider to her, which still makes me happy. But the cover is undoubtedly adorable! The design is wonderful and I can only admire the designer (s) of this amazing cover. This one is absolutely amazing, too. I'll look forward to buying it sometime. Ibis Publishers make the best covers ever (I admire every single edition of them for real!)!
  The book is very intriguing and enchanting. There is no way a fan of fantasy not to fall in love with the series from the very beginning. Now as I look back and sincerely thank my friend for giving it to me because it's definitely worth it! I recommend it because you will certainly not be sorry if you read it.

Hello!

 Welcome to Shattered Shelves!

I'm Melina and this is my English book blog. I have another one in my mother tongue Bulgarian - Melly's Book Blog, which I've had since 2015. As I'm a student in the UK now, I decided to make a new blog.

Soon I'll do an introducing tag in order to get to know me. Gosh, this post sucks! Okay, time to end it anyway. Again, welcome to my place!

- Shattered Shelves, aka Melly K.

Also, visit & like my Facebook page if you want. :)

Shattered Shelves