I am not lost…

January 29, 2018

BOOK REVIEW: THE NIGHT CHILD by Anna Quinn

Filed under: Reviews — R @ 5:00 pm
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I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 

I’m never write sure what to make of the books I pick up from netgalley. I’ve read some really amazing things, and I’ve found some authors I will actively avoid in the future. I don’t mind the disparity of it; it’s part of the charm of the site. I’d rather have a mixed bag than always know what to expect.

I know, this is a pretty ominous opening to a review, huh? It sounds worse than it is, I promise.

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January 12, 2018

BOOK REVIEW: UNTEACHABLE by Elliot Wake

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It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Elliot Wake’s work. CAM GIRL is one of the books I point at every time someone asks me for a book request. (…As long as I think they’d be okay with the subject matter. Cause it’s…uh. A bit dark. XD)

It’s also not a huge secret that I’m a sucker for the teacher/student trope in romance, though I can be a little picky about how it’s executed. But I’m like that with most romances, so that’s not specific to the trope. So when I realized that Wake’s first novel (I believe, back when he was writing as Leah Raeder) was a student/teacher romance, I jumped on it so fast.

(And you know, let it sit on my Kindle for way too long. But…again. That’s kinda my MO.)

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September 13, 2017

BOOK REVIEW: MIRRORED HEARTS by Emily Sheppard

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I received a copy of this story through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I had absolutely no idea of what to expect when confronted with this story. It sounded interesting, so I requested it and it found its way to my Kindle. The description gives away very little (including not telling me something that I would have enjoyed knowing going in) but I’m usually up for an adventure.

And…well, this was certainly an adventure of some sort. THERE ARE POTENTIAL SPOILERS (so to speak) BENEATH THE CUT. BE FOREWARNED. (tl;dr rating: *** – Worth a Look)

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August 9, 2017

BOOK REVIEW: HOLDING by Graham Norton

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So maybe I’m behind the trend on this one, but I wasn’t aware that Graham Norton wrote books. I’m a fan of his TV show–I don’t go out of my way to watch it, but I’ve enjoyed it the times I’ve seen it–but I really didn’t know he did anything outside that.

I mean, I suppose I should have guessed. He doesn’t just live in a bubble of television. (That would be weird.) But in any case, when I saw his name on the book and ascertained that it was in fact that SAME Graham Norton, I knew I had to pick it up.

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June 14, 2017

BOOK REVIEW: BLACKBIRDS by Chuck Wendig

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I did it! I finally read the damn thing! Everyone should be very proud of me.

It’s an interesting departure for me, given that my only experience before this with Wendig’s writing (that isn’t a tweet or blog post) was the Heartland trilogy. And Miriam Black and her world aren’t even remotely close to that kind of world.

And…I don’t know. Sometimes it worked, and other times it didn’t. I’m a little torn.

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May 17, 2017

BOOK REVIEW: THE BLUEBELL INFORMANT by Nick R B Tingley

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I received a copy of this book free of charge from the author in exchange for my honest review.

I like killers with calling cards. I like the concept of calling cards in general. (One of the video games I’m playing at present uses the concept, and it pleases me immensely.) So in reading the description of BLUEBELL INFORMANT, and seeing the flowers used as such, I was instantly intrigued. (I blame all the Criminal Minds I’ve watched over the years. My brain wants to profile everything, and the calling card just adds a new level of interest.)

As with so many thrillers I’ve read as of late, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I always get a little nervous about body counts (I blame Ethan Cross for that one) but if I wanted to make a judgment on stereotypes alone, given that the main detective is female, I didn’t expect a very high body count.

How amusing, I find out later, that I base that on assumptions.

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February 1, 2017

BOOK REVIEW: THE TYRANT’S DAUGHTER by J.C. Carleson

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This is another book I initially got from NetGalley and then lost track of and missed the window on. From the description, I can tell what would have appealed to me–the story untold, the repercussions of a parent’s generation on their children. And especially in a place as politically charged as the Middle East, this is a powerful topic.

Unfortunately, the story lacks a bit of the punch I believe it could have had.

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October 19, 2016

BOOK REVIEW: HIGHWAY 13 TO MANHATTAN by Kourtney Heintz

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I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

So just a couple weeks ago, I read book one in this series, THE SIX TRAIN TO WISCONSIN, and I absolutely loved it. I was excited to get into the next book and see how things started to resolve and grow and change. Heintz had done such a good job of creating believable characters that I knew had such potential, it felt like nothing could possibly go wrong.

And yet, somehow it did, and all the cards in the castle came tumbling down. There are going to be some spoilers (mild ones) in the below review, so if you don’t want to get ruined, the short form is: I have never felt so betrayed by a book in my life, I have lost almost all interest in the characters, and the only thing that saves this from a worse star count is that Heintz is still a very talented author. 3 stars.

For the rest of you? We jump below.

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September 28, 2016

BOOK REVIEW: THE JUDAS GAME by Ethan Cross

Filed under: Reviews — R @ 5:01 pm
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I received a copy of this book from The Story Plant in exchange for my honest review.

Two things stood out about this book to me as soon as it came in the mail. One, is that it’s by Ethan Cross. I’ve read Cross’ work before (see my review for BLIND JUSTICE here) and while it didn’t overwhelm me, there was a quality in the writing I appreciated. I have the benefit of knowing another Story Plant reader, and so I could ask him if the body count was better before I read it. (His verdict was that yes, the body count was lower in this, so I was content with that.)

Second, is that the word Judas shows up in the title. For those who know me well, this is an instant catch for me. I have what is likely an unhealthy obsession with Judas Iscariot, and pretty much anything that has to do with him. I’m aware that this book likely doesn’t REALLY have anything to do with him, but hey. It got my attention. Betrayal is probably a theme here.

And…yes, it is a theme. But…there are other problems with this book.

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September 14, 2016

BOOK REVIEW: BEDDING THE WRONG BROTHER/THIS MAGIC MOMENT by Virna DePaul

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(I have no idea what’s up with the title. I got it under the first title, it’s on Goodreads as the second title… I don’t know what’s up, so you get both. Yay?)

I love any kind of story that balances on family dynamics. One of my all-time favorite stories I ever worked on with a friend dealt with two brothers in love with the same girl. Family problems can be some of the most fun, because they are so ingrained and so core to who these people are, that it can push them away from all the other answers. Needless to say, hand me a story where a girl means to end up with one twin and finds herself with the other…yeah, I wasn’t going to let that one get away.

And it’s another story that when I looked back at some of the other reviews, I was a little confused.

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