Well that was different...
The story follows the push and pull relationship of Jane (Harriet) and Trey (George). Make no mistake about it, this is in fact a romance novel. We must remember that romance has different categories underneath it 😉. A woman sleeping around with other men??? How oddly empowering. This is something you don't see everyday especially in the romance department. I personally found it rather refreshing to have the woman take the part of the usual male persona. It's almost as if their roles had been reversed. Even though I did find the role reversal an interesting part to read in this book, I still couldn't really get into the Jane character. As a person who deals with depression on a daily basis (Bipolar II), I know what it's like to have to go through that every day. I know what it's like to want something one minute and then push it away the next. It's difficult to say the very least. Although Jane seems to take this to an extreme. Her problems seem to be not just her mental illness but also perhaps some immaturity along with it. Nevertheless, this book was in fact very well written and I enjoyed it very much. Although the beginning was a little difficult to get into, but I stuck to it and enjoy the ending. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes romance under a different light.
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Wow what an emotional ride!
Kayla has been kidnapped and held for ransom and Nick is sent in to rescue her. But the question is, can they rescue themselves from their tattered pasts? This book tugs on more than your heartstrings and sends you on a wild emotional ride as we follow the story of Kayla and Nick in this romantic thriller! This book is definitely about overcoming the demons and destruction of your past and being able to find love and hope for the future. This book is well written and well-executed in just about every way. The story is well thought out and the characters are described in vivid color and detail. PLEASE HEED THE TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS BOOK! This book is definitely a difficult pill to swallow but if you can do it, it is well worth it! A fabulous read that I would be happy to recommend to those who can get past the triggers in this book and those who enjoy a good romantic thriller. Creepy little read...
Michael is constantly getting himself into trouble. So his mother decides it would be best if he visited his grandparents in Stone Hill for the remainder of the summer. But very soon Michael finds out that he will be haunted by more than just his past. This book sucks you right in from the very beginning. It is well detailed and easy to follow along with the story. The main characters are all very realistic and believable. The suspense, thrills and chills are definitely there and start building up early on in the book. The story, while fresh and new, also harkens back two older tales. The writing style reminds me of Dean Koontz especially since the book starts off in California as most all his books tend to be set in California. The story also reminds me very much of Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon. The storylines are very similar in feel and presentation. I would also like to give a big bravo to the author and to the editor of this book as I found nearly no errors whatsoever. So kudos to you both! All in all this is a very well done and spooky little read and I would be happy to recommend it. A fantasy dystopian? Or a dystopian fantasy?
A band of unlikely friends are brought together for an epic journey in a post-apocalyptic world complete with dwarves, elves and orcs. Okay so at first glance of the cover of this book it reads and looks like a fantasy novel. However the back synopsis suggests a dystopian novel. Then again, when you start reading you get the feel of a fantasy novel again. There really is no true mention of the dystopian element within the novel itself. And this is what I personally have a problem with with these types of books... If this is a dystopian tale, set 4,000 years after the destruction of humankind where only a third of the population remains, how exactly are there characters like elves and dwarves and orcs? Where did the fantasy characters come into play and how exactly? None of this is explained in the book. It makes it very hard for a reader like me to understand exactly where and how the story is set. There's lots of action starting from the beginning and the book is written very well. Unlike most high fantasy novels this one was very easy for me to follow along with. Even with the issue that I mentioned above, this book really does make the fantasy theme work. Perhaps a different synopsis on the back of the book would be more pertinent? Or perhaps moving the setting to a different world or dimension? I did find a few typos in the book but another once-over by an editor would fix that right up so no worries there. One thing in the beginning of the book that I really did not like or appreciate was the campfire scene where they are all sitting around and one by one go through telling all of their back stories. I felt that this was very daunting to read and not very well done. I feel that since this is Book 1 of something that will obviously become a series, it would have been better to leave at least a few of the back stories for future books. It is always good to leave just a little bit of mystery. It keeps the reader wanting more. Other than the issues I have mentioned above the story is engaging and very reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. There are familiar terms and names that are used in this book. The journey was fun and the character development throughout the book was also very well done. With everything said and done I would recommend this book BUT I would definitely like the author's to flesh it out a bit more and rethink some things. With the copy that I am in possession of, it seems that the book is only half done, but it has great potential! It definitely needs a little more work before I can fully recommend it. Cute story...
Cameron's family have been murdered in a car bomb meant for him and set by members of the drug cartel in which Cameron has put members of behind bars. He secludes himself in a quaint little beach cottage in Maine and it is there that he has sentenced himself to rot in his own misery. Little does he know that Brianna, a very talented but also very slow writing author has moved in next door in an effort to put some distance between her and her best friend who has fallen in love with her. Neither Cameron or Brianna could have possibly known what was to happen next. This book is very cleverly written with lots of twists and turns. Dee Stewart definitely has a way with her descriptions. I like the back stories that we get on the characters. It definitely gives a lot of dimension and gives you insight into why the characters make the stupid decisions that they do. LOL I did love the constant back and forth between the two main characters but at times I felt like it was a little too much which maybe just enough for most people. Like I said it was rather enjoyable to watch and my mind's eye. One thing that you do not expect in these type of novels is a lot of action and you definitely get that towards the end of the book. It is a bit short-lived but the build-up to it is very well done. I have to admit, this book was not exactly my forte but it was fun to read and I thank the author for the awesome ride that she took me on with this novel. All things considered, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good romance with a sprinkling of action. So many problems with this book...
Taking place in Sicily in 1943 during World War II, Eddie Harkins, a Philadelphia beat cop, is now the first MP on the scene of a murder case. As he is very reluctant to take the case and eager to hand it off to someone else, he gets told that he is to head up the murder investigation and discover the killer. Okay so first of all this book has an extremely slow beginning. Like slow to the point where it put me to sleep several times trying to get through it. Also the author switches from one point of view to another and while this works for some books does not work for this book and is extremely disorienting. I found myself having to reread sections of the book in order to follow along properly. The ending of the book had some good action in it but was very short-lived. Now onto my two HUGE problems with this book.... 1. Military Police do NOT get put on to solve murder cases. That is actually a separate division. That would either fall under the branches of NCIS or CID depending on the investigation and the branch of the military investigating it. An ordinary MP would definitely not formally head up a murder investigation. 2. The incessant talk of sex and rape in this book is stifling. I found it completely unnecessary for plot purposes and frankly it just turned me off from the book entirely. Whether this may or may not be historically accurate is beside the point. And noting that the author made such a huge mistake with who can head up a murder investigation in the military makes me think that research was not fully done to create this book. I'm sorry but that takes the realism out of it for me. I'm sorry but I will not be recommending this book. I received a free copy of this book from McMillan in exchange for an honest review. Absolutely fabulous...
Arthur is a young teenager who is sent off to a boarding school by the eminent wicked stepmother to rot in his own hell. But far off in the distance the planet Avalon quakes in the darkness. An evil plot is brewing. Little does Arthur know that has past will dictate not only his future, but the future of us all! This is a very fast paced young adult novel which brings the Arthurian legend back in a whole new light. There is lots of action and fight scenes that fill these pages but of course that is to be expected in a book about the legendary King Arthur. This book has great world-building. The author has obviously done his research on the Arthurian legends to stay as true to them as this book has. I have to say I absolutely LOVE the female Merlin character. Bravo! I love the character descriptions of Arthur as well but would have liked a little more backstory on other characters too. Especially Merlin and Morgana. For me, the conflict between these two women screams The Wizard of Oz which, while the two women are not fighting over magical shoes, is still fabulous nonetheless. Strong female characters are always a plus. Perhaps we will be able to hear more about them in future books. As a person who has read quite a bit into the Arthurian legends myself, I wasn't quite sure about the setting on different planets, however it still works well for this reboot. I give the author major props for being able to mix in not only Sci-Fi but fantasy as well in this novel based on a more historical topic of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. I very much enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who like sci-fi, fantasy and (of course) the Arthurian legends. Bravo!
Mallory is back in this second installment of her Magic series. She finds herself in the comfort of a new home surrounded by a brand new family, but when her biological family shows up things start to get a bit more than strange. Does Mallory have the inner strength to get her through this trial? This is a great book. Even for a sequel, it definitely is able to hold its own. I'm still having a little bit of an issue with the world building as it is not very clear and some of the descriptions make it even more confusing. I understand that this is a fantasy but it would help to be just a tad bit more descriptive of things like what the characters are wearing, what they are seeing in the landscape, what buildings look like exactly and how they are furnished... things like that. We as readers take these things for granted sometimes but they really do help us to understand the characters and the world that they move around in much better. Especially in a fantasy novel that takes place in another world, another time, or even another dimension. This story was very well executed. A story such as this is sometimes difficult for the author to write and to convey with the correct level of emotion and even urgency but this author definitely does do this well. I still love the main character by the way. Watching a character grow as a person is a very interesting thing in any book. The author has a very good grip on this and makes her main character Mallory one that most people can relate to in one way or another. So far this is a very good series and I would be happy to recommend it to anyone who likes a good fantasy novel. Great novella...
Kimber Cassidy has learned all so that she can from her father. Now after a drunken one night stand she finds herself smack dab in the middle of a murder mystery. Does she have the skills to solve the mystery before things get a little too close for comfort? This book has a very cleverly written plot. The twists and turns were great and very exciting. This book is obviously well-thought-out. I must say the character development is pretty amazing in this book for a novella. You would think for such a short book it would give you just a glance overview but this book seems to go a little bit deeper than that and it serves its purpose well in giving you a better picture of the characters and why they do the things they do. I usually don't like books that are written in first-person, however this book is very well written as such. Instead of the author droning on in the first person point of view they actually have achieved writing a vivid story. It is very nearly like playing a video game where you are looking through the eyes of the character and following the motions of what they experience. Even though there will be more books the ending closes out the story quite nicely and I do appreciate that. As for the main character, I do like her. She is a bit more than over the top in many respects but I do like the strong female main character role that Plumb has created here. Very sassy! I have to admit that I don't usually like murder mystery books. Mostly for the fact that they are a dime a dozen. Quite literally in fact. But this one stands out a bit because it is so well written and because it is a novella, seems to make it more enjoyable for me personally than a full-size novel. All in all I would have to say bravo to the author for a very well-done book and a cute little backstory included at the end. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes murder mysteries and strong female characters. Okay ladies and gentlemen, this is my first review back for a long while so please be gentle with me.
Brooke comes from a very loving and caring family. She has just returned from studying abroad in Italy for a year and crosses paths with Hawk a biker who has not had life too easily handed to him. After a tangled web of romance and tragedy, Brooke and Hawk find themselves in a position where they may not be able to recover what once was. First of all I'd like to say that I really did enjoy this book. It is very well written but I do have some things that I would like to point out if I may... I have the paperback version of this book and the formatting seems to be a bit off. The chapters come at strange points in the book and don't seem to have any indentation on the pages so that you are completely aware that you are starting a new chapter. However the author did give us titles to each chapter so it is not that hard to figure it out. It was a little disorienting for me personally to go about the first few chapters in the point of view of Brooke and then suddenly switching the point of view over to Hawk.This is just my personal opinion of course but it does make it a bit rocky to read. I had to read Hawk's first chapter a few times before I figured out that it was actually him speaking from his point of view. The story is a bit slow in the beginning but does pick up and is very enjoyable throughout the rest of the book. However the ending seems to go by too quickly and I feel needs a bit more detail and gentility to really hit home the effect that the author is intending the reader to get. Although the ending did feel a bit quickly done, I felt that it was a wonderful ending to this book and I felt that the author did a great job on the wonderful story and the chemistry between the two main characters. As I said before it is very well written. I would also like to give props to the author for the editing job that was done on this book as it was also very well done. Overall, this was a very good read and I would definitely recommend it to those who like a good romance. |
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