Rachael Tamayo's Blog, page 17

Spin: By Genevieve Raas

Fairy tale re-tellings can be iffy sometimes.  Its taking a chance to retell a story that's been told about a billion times before, right? So I picked this book up. Rumplestiltskin this time around.

Honestly... I didn't like it. 

I LOVED IT.

Holy crap this is the best thing I've read this year... no lie.  The first line of the first page got me, and I read the entire book in one day.  I absolutly cannot wait to read the second book. 

I love what she did with him, his character is dark and mysterious, true to the fairy tale and yet sexy.  I found myself rooting for him, wondering if he was good or bad.  Hoping that maybe he would give into his desires for the fair maiden and throw her down in one of those piles of hay before sitting down to spin it into gold for her. 

Raas found a way to freshen up this tale, make it believable, and take you away with just flat out fabulous writing.  If you read one book, read this one.  I just adored it. 

Mel and the Mob: Molly V Lovell

Mel is a lawyer. She's smart, classy, and a little sassy.  And she gets herself into a bit of a pickle in this book. But with the help of her boss' teenage daughter she manages to wiggle her way out of it. Somehow, I don't think we are done with Mel and her predicaments.

I enjoyed this read.  It was smart and smooth, not to complicated and stressful like some books I've read where the author tries too hard and makes the book so difficult to read it's just easier to put it down than to figure out what is going on.  Nice plot, not to many characters, and they are all likable.  I hope to see something romantic spark for Mel in the next book, without giving anything away. I would totally read the next book in this installment when it comes out. 

Available now on Amazon here. 

Outside Ascension: Amy Proebstel

When it comes to fantasy, I'm a tough nut to crack. As a self admitted book-snob, I struggle to find books that I just love, especially in this genre.  My all time favorite author is a master of all things fantasy, far-fetched and thrillers... Ted Dekker. I've yet to find anyone that I love as much as I love his books. 

That being said...this book was really a good read. It had very light Christian undertones (I picked up on them being raised a die-hard baptist... and former avid reader of nothing but Christian fiction until I branched out) that reminded me a little of Ted Dekker. The way he weaved a story, pulling you in, and you don't realize it until you look up and it's two in the morning.  The author here has a masterful way of creating not just one, but two worlds that suck you into them and keep you salivating for more. 

This book has that I can't put it down quality that I love, even though in parts it did start to drag a little bit. (Hey, no one is perfect, right?) The ending isn't so much a cliff hanger as it is a crap where is the next book what's going to happen!? 

I really enjoyed this book, and I will absolutely  be finishing this series.  

A Penny's Worth by Cynthia Austin

Damn, she did it again. The last time I read one of this woman's books I absolutely was sucked in and loved it. This one is even better than the last one!  I’ve been a fan of this author since I read her first book, and when this one came out it went right on my reading list. Finally I get to it and it didn’t disappoint. This book exceeded my expectations and then some.

Not to mention the fact that she totally surprised me, didn't see that coming at all! And let me tell you, I'm damn hard to surprise.  

Her characters are just so good. Real, conflicted, layered people. Not one dimensional bits of fluff that I've read in other books.  She does a brilliant job creating this world and the people that live in it.  

With characters that are just amazing and layered and real, a white knuckle ending and a fantastic love story in between, it’s got it all. Absolutely loved to hate Ezra and get annoyed with Sara and saying “Omg!” Out loud while reading. A can’t put it down -fantastic book.

Check it out on Amazon here. 

Sister Witch: The life of Moll Dyer By David Thompson

I like book reviews. I read book reviews, so after a bit of a break, I'm back posting my thoughts on all the things I'm reading.

To accounce my return to this world, I'm here to talk about an Urban Paranormal Fantasy. This book is the story of a woman, a legend in the North East, Moll Dyer. It's said that her spirit haunts the area talked about in this book. Now, being from Texas, I've never heard of her. However-after reading this book you can be sure that I did some Googling! 

As I read this book, I enjoyed the authors attention to detail and was reminded of my childhood. Why? Because as a kid and growing up, my favorite books were the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. I read them all, every single one, some more than once. I loved the old timey way of life, it fascinated me. I found a touch of that here, being that Moll lived at the end of the 1600's.   I realize that some might find these details mundane, even slow or boring-but I loved them.  Really took me back to all those books I loved as a kid. And you can be sure, books create memories-and I really enjoyed the fact that this read took me back to them.

I liked the story as well, and I could connect with Moll. Thompson created a real character here, a woman that is like so many living today. Screwed over by events she had no control over, starting over, pulling herself up by her bootstraps and doing what she had to in order to get by.  Loved the character, the book, the memories.  Looking forward to seeing what this new author comes out with next. 

Between Dreams (Pendant Series book 1) by Cynthia Austin

 

This book had a really slow start. I'm not saying that's bad, but it's a matter of preference. The writing is great, and almost to descriptive at times, but it's easy to be taken away by this writer. 

Now, it was about halfway into this book when it really grabbed me. I wish it had sooner, but I stuck with it and i'm glad that I did. I really love Adrian's character. He's got a really sexy vibe and totally mysterious, which I think you will love. 

And Sidney left me pissed off at some moments. A bit of a doormat when it came to her long term rock star boyfriend, but I guess being that it's all she knows, it's pretty realistic when you think about it. I hated seeing her let him walk on her and charm her over and over again, but isn't that what books are supposed to do? Pull us in, make us mad, sad, happy, and take us on a ride? 

Despite the way this book started, I'm glad that I decided to stick with it. It  came through in the end. Now, I'll say this, it ends with a massive cliff hanger, pretty abrupt. It jarred me a bit and if not for the fact that the next book is available I would have hated the way it ended. No loose ends were really tied up, it just ends with a stunner and we are left holding the book and looking for the next page that isn't there. After a chat with the author, I discovered that originally this series was one book, at in editing it was broken down into a series. Knowing this, I can understand better why this book ended the way it did. Don't let this stop you, since book two is available. I recommend buying them both at the same time, LOL

Four stars for this one. Watch for my review of book two, coming soon. 

 

Pura Vida by Annette Montez Kolda

The unexpected hero, that is what this book is all about.  A nun, that seems to have  tendency to fall into trouble, and a teenage boy that's struggling to overcome the death of his idolized older brother.  An unlikely duo, but they seem to find each other and get the job done. 

In between there is the Story of Miguel's (the teenage boy) parents. His mother travels to mexico to retrieve her husband after he vanished ten years before. 

As a native Texan, I felt a connection with this book. It takes place between Austin and Mexico, this book was a bit like home to me.  I felt immersed into the beautiful Mexican-American culture that I see around me on a daily basis, living in the southern region of Texas. (Not to mention the fact that I'm married into it.)  Kolda does a beautiful job with her characters, and painting that picture. I enjoyed it very much. 

The pace in this book wasn't to fast and wasn't to slow. Honestly, I felt that it matched the characters, a fifteen year old hothead and a sweet nun. Any faster wouldn't have felt right.  The story was realistic, genuine, and at times heartwarming.  

I have no problem giving this book five stars, and I hope to see more from this author. 

Dysfunction Junction: By April Erwin

“I’m twenty-six and I’ve never been kissed.” 

I flew through this book. I think I finished it in a little over two days, which is no small feat since I'm a breastfeeding mom of two, have a full time job, and am actively writing a new book.  I enjoyed this book very much, such a sweet story.

This chick-lit/Romance is the sweet tale of a young innocent woman that is eagerly seeking her first love, her first kiss, but is seriously lacking in confidence where she feels she falls short in the appearance department. It's the tale of a woman learning to love herself, take no mess off anyone, and not settle for anything less than she deserves.  

I love a romance, LOVE. I don't however, love a romance with tons of sex and no plot (translation...pure porn.) I hate reading a book that is chocked full of sex for the simple sake of sex itself. HATE...This book was nothing like that. A sweet, clean read that warmed my heart so much.  Five entusiastic stars!  

 

Seventh: The Blessed Warriors Series Book 1 by Ray Chilensky

You might be wondering if I give all the books I review 5 stars. The answer to that is no, I don't. Not long ago I picked up a thriller called, In the Eyes of Madness, eager to jump into it since I love a thriller. I was so disappointed by this book, and it had so much potential. You can see my Amazon review for this book here. 

Now, on with the show! I've read few paranormal books, and even fewer fantasy. This book is a lovely blend of the two with fantastic attention paid to detail throughout.  With so many authors now skimping on attention to plot details it was nice to read a book where the author took the time to think through all the finer points of the plot, leaving no holes or loose ends. The dialog was great, I really enjoyed it and it made me think that this scripting is movie worthy more than once as I read it.  

The fight scenes are spectacularly choreographed as well.  Ray Chilensky spared no expense when it came to writing this book.  It's well thought out, well crafted, and just down right entertaining. 

The Choosing: Seer Book 1 by Rachelle Dekker

“Not to be Chosen would yield a cruel fate of my own making.”

First of all, let me say that I'm a HUGE fan of Ted Dekker. I read his books without even reading the blurb, that's how much I love and know that his work is amazing.  As a writer, I can only dream of ever being as good as he is. This book is written by his daughter, so I had high expectations for it, and I was not disappointed. 

The Choosing is a book set in the future, a dystopian fantasy in a society where woman are chosen by their mates without say. Taught to look forward to this day and pray that they are selected, if they are not they are sent off for a life away from their families, no love, no future accept to work. We follow the fate of one woman, who expected to be chosen and was not, and is therefore ripped from her family home, bringing shame on their heads, and plopped down among strangers to work her life away.  It's the first in a series and I look forward to reading the next installment.  It an amazing read with a deeper meaning woven in between the lines if the reader chooses to see it.  I hate to go to far into the plot, I don't want to give it all away, but I highly recommend this read. It's clean, well written, fast paced and sure not to disappoint.  

Five stars and I very highly reccomend you pick this one up.