My Book Boyfriend (5): Marcello Forelli

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader.  It was created to give us all a chance to gush and swoon over those amazing boys we fall for in our books.  If you’d like to participate then click the link and grab the image.

My Book Boyfriend this week is the brave and honorable Marcello Forelli from Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren.  Marcello is everything a Knight and soldier should be, and he’s very nice to look at.  He’s caring, and compassionate, and serious about the safety and protection of those he loves.  There is nothing not to love about Lord Marcello.

Lord Marcello Profile:

  •    

    Model’s physique and face
 
  Big chocolate-brown eyes
    Curly brown hair
    Square jaw and aristocratic nose
    Pronounced cheekbones
    Head soldier and Knight 
    Next in line for Lordship 
    Cares for older brother Fortino
    Best friends with Lucca Forelli

He put his hand on the side of my face and leaned down to look into my eyes.  “You are courgeous, Gabriella.  And clever.  And strong.  Remember that, in the thick of battle.  You can utilize all three.  And I will see to it that neither Lord Paratore nor Vannucci ever has the opportunity to harm either you or your sister.” pg.179

 

 ”‘Tis not simply what I owe you as a man loyal to Siena.  ‘Tis what I owe you as a man Gabriella,” he said, looking intensely into my eyes, “you own my heart.  My life, and all I have in it.  You have captured me, m’lady, like no one else.  My hours are spent absorbed in thoughts of you, dreams of you.  I cannot imagine a life without you in it.  Might I dare believe that you would leave Normandy for good?  To remain here, with me?” pg. 221

 

 

 

My Marcello is being played by actor Ben Barnes of Chronicles of Narnia Fame.  The images actually kind of fit perfectly so cool beans.  It’s the first one were I think the description closely matches my pick, even the eyes!

Why I Love Wednesdays: Book Worlds

Reflections of a Bookaholic
 

Why I Love Wednesdays is a weekly meme created and hosted by Alexis of Reflections of a Bookaholic. Each week she posts a Why I Love Topic that she answers. If you would like to participate head on over to her site for the topic and the image. This week’s topic:

Book Worlds:

This topic is easy peasy!  Most dynamic, fun, and unforgettable book world, that I’m beyond ready to re-visit, is the wonderful world of Harry Potter!  I loved it all, Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, the Ministry.  Even the backwoods and mountains they found themselves hiding out in in Deathly Hallows.  I particularly love Hogwarts and the Weaseleys though.  And I even loved seeing Harry at his Aunt and Uncle’s house because he always overcame some obstacle or learned something new about himself or his world.

So hands down, the world of Harry Potter is my pick!

 

If I Had My Way Winner!

Congratulations to Leah C.  She is the winner of an e-copy of If I Had My Way by Lena Sledge!

Leah has already claimed her prize, so I hope she enjoys the book.  I want to thank everyone who participated.

My Top Five Street Lit Novels

The Black History Month Blog Hop, hosted by Alexis of Reflections of a Bookaholic and Alysia of  Mocha Girls Read, is here! It’s purpose is to give black authors, books, and those who support them a month in the spotlight.  This hop is open to any blogger who wants to participate at any time of the month.

This Week focuses on books from all genres.  Read, review, and talk about any and as many black books as you can. Any genre, any author, anything related to black books.

With that said I wanted to share my top five Street Lit or Urban Fiction Books.  It’s been a while since I’ve picked up a street lit book because I felt like the industry got overly saturated with them.  They weren’t a novelty anymore and became a dime a dozen with many of the same stories being regurgitated.  But when the genre was first revived it was an awesome, awesome genre to be into.  I found myself devouring these books and ran across some real gems.  Just remembering them makes me want to get back to this genre and see if anything will catch my interest.  Anyways, without further ado, check out my top five street lit novels.

 

Five: True to the Game by Teri Woods

It’s the late 1980s, and Gena, a young girl from the projects, meets Quadir, a millionaire drug dealer, and falls madly in love. Quadir builds a massive empire while fighting his rivals and enemies. Gena faces the challenges of holding onto her man, her house, her car, and the cash. Both of them find themselves caught up in a vicious yet seductive world, and learn that success in this game is no easy win. Gena and Quadir also learn that once you’re in, there’s no way out, ’cause everyone stays in forever….True.

 

 

 

  

This is the first Street Lit or Urban Fiction book I can remember picking up and thus sparked my interest in the genre.  I will say that this particular book wasn’t out of this world good, but it good enough to keep me turning the pages, and definitely good enough to make me want to try another.

 

Four: Push by Relentless Aaron

Reginald “Push” Jackson was a good kid from Harlem. He never meant to do anyone any harm. His parents raised him better than that…But then they were murdered and he was left on his own. And that’s when the real trouble began…
 
Street fights. Guns. Drugs. Push fought his way through the back alleys to become one of Harlem’s most powerful players. He made a name for himself for being tough. But he was loyal, too. Push would do anything to keep his loving sister, and his baby nephew, out of harm’s way–until the law caught up with him, and he landed himself in a federal penitentiary.
 
Fifteen years later, Push has paid his dues. Though he planned to leave the thug life behind once he got out prison, he suddenly finds himself back in the game. But this time there are new players, and the rules are more dangerous–and deadly–than ever…

 

 

Loved this book and Relentless Aaron had a unique way of telling a story.  This book definitely had me up late flipping pages and desperate to know how it would all play out.  These street themes can be such a rush, almost like reading a thriller.  This story was great and a definite must read in this genre.

 

Three: B-More Careful

Growing up on the cold, mean, inner-city streets of Baltimore is Netta, leader of an all girl clique called the Pussy Pound. With no father and a dope fiend for a mother, Netta learns at an early age to use her beauty and her body to get the things she wants, money, cars, and jewelry. Chasing the almighty dollar, Netta meets Black, a local drug dealer with a deep seeded hatred for New Yorkers, who falls head over heals in love with her. With a broken heart, Black discovers that Netta is only after his money and he seeks the ultimate revenge against her life.

 

 

 

 

OMG OMG OMG, words cannot describe the awesomosity of this book here.  This was gritty, and grimy, and totally disturbing.  I stayed on the edge of my seat, completely shocked and engrossed in this book from start to finish.

 

Two: Dutch by Kwame Teague

James Bernard Jr., a.k.a. Dutch, has become the most dangerous criminal in New Jersey. From his early skill as a car thief, Dutch recognized the opportunity to rule the streets and he seized it. Feared by all, and completely fearless, Dutch and his dangerous clique take over the lucrative heroin business of a local African drug lord. With both the protection and respect of the Mafia, Dutch becomes the most terrifying force on the streets. District Attorney Anthony Jacobs is determined to take down Dutch and his crew, and he’s confident that his witnesses will testify against them. But a sudden turn of events will soon make the DA’s job harder than he imagined.

 

 

 

 

This book will go down in Urban Fiction history for me.  When you talk about falling in love with a book and character, this is exactly what happened with me reading Dutch.  You couldn’t help but love Dutch.  Though he was a criminal and a thug, he was super intelligent and uber charismatic.  He inspired such loyalty and trust among his people, and he knew how to care for and love a woman.  And the ending of this one….woooooooo!  Probably the most epic of epic endings I’ve ever read.  My mind is blown every time I think about it.  This is actually a trilogy, and it only gets better.

 

One: The Coldest Winter Ever by Sistah Souljah

Ghetto-born, Winter is the young, wealthy daughter of a prominent Brooklyn drug-dealing family. Quick-witted, sexy, business minded, and fashionable, Winter knows no restrictions. No one can control her. She’s nobody’s victim. And her Pops lets her know she deserves the best.

Winter knows the Brooklyn streets like she knows the curves of her own body. She maneuvers skillfully, applying all she has learned to come out on top, no matter how dramatically the scenes change. But a cold Winter wind is about to blow her life in a direction she could never have expected.

Unwilling to give up her ghetto celebrity status, her friends and her lovers, Winter sets off on a series of wild adventures to reclaim her role as princess of the alleyways. But when her schemes begin to unravel, Winter is on her own, figuring out a whole new way to survive.

 

 

This is the best Street Lit book I’ve ever read.  It is brilliant, and poignant, and had long-lasting effects on me.  Winter was a beautifully written character and masterfully crafted.  She was the girl you loved to hate, and the girl you hated to love.  Despite the things she did you wanted her to come out on top.  And Midnight was beyond swoon-worthy.  I remember re-reading this while I was doing a stint in the hospital.  While I was asleep my Dad picked it up and started reading it and got sucked into the story as I did.  Captivating, and compelling, The Coldest Winter Ever was everything an Urban Fiction novel should be and so much more.

Review: Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren

Publisher: David C. Cook
Copyright: 2011
Publish Date: February 1, 2011
Pages: 277
Form: e-Book
Series: River of Time (1)
Author: Lisa T. Bergren
Buy the Book: B&N | Book Depository

Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives among the romantic hills with their archaeologist parents. Stuck among the rubble of the medieval castles in rural Tuscany, on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds…until Gabi places her hand atop a hand print in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces.

Suddenly Gabi’s summer in Italy is much, much more interesting.

My Thoughts:

What a charming and lovely time travel book. The story was so sweet and old world romantic that I cannot wait to get into the next installment of this series. Gabi and Lia are on yet another archaeological dig in Italy with their mother. Determined to find the Etruscan burial site their father had set out to find before his death, their Mother keeps going until she finds the Etruscan ruins. While their mother is distracted 17 year old Gabi and 15 year old Lia explore the grounds. Matching their hand prints to those left on the inside walls, they are transported back in time to the days of knights, and keeps, and castles.

Though Gabi is thrown and disoriented when finding herself in another time, she is more concerned that her sister is nowhere to be found. She stumbles upon a battle being waged and is rescued by Lord Marcello Forelli whom he is instantly attracted to. Gabi finds that the manners and language of the time period comes naturally to her as if she’s been there before. Her rescuers are quite intrigued by her and the fact that she doesn’t really follow the rules of being a lady.

Gabi is a great heroine. She’s strong and brave and not one of those whiny girls who depends constantly on someone else to rescue her. She is skilled with a blade, thanks to her father, and I like that she takes matters into her own hands and does what she needs to get her sister back from the Forelli’s enemies the Paratore’s. Also, I enjoyed the fact that she still had the thoughts and feelings of a teenager. Far too often when teens are thrown into precarious situations in novels they become too adult in their words and deeds. The author managed to create a courageous character while still being true and authentic.

Marcello was the bees knees. Excuse me while I swoon. He’s very honorable and really cares for his family and his men. I also love that he is courageous enough to say screw tradition and family expectations and goes for the love that he truly desires, Gabi. He’s sweet, and strong, and wonderfully brave. He’s also very intelligent and has compassion for others. I love that he is attracted to the unconventional girl, and finds her a refreshing change of pace for him and his men.

Minor characters in this one are all great too. I LOVED Lucca and hope I get to know more about him. Even the antagonists were well developed, solid characters that helped to progress the story forward in the most intriguing ways. The writing was beautiful and the story was engaging and the world building was excellent. It had all the elements I expected of a historical of this time period.

Overall I thought it was a great time-travel story and I’m anxious to get into the next book. Of course Waterfall leaves us with quite a few loose ends, but that makes it all the more interesting. I can’t wait to revisit this world and these characters.

Books in this Series:


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