Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 259

Review: COME JOIN THE MURDER by Holly Rae Garcia

James had killed someone. It was supposed to be a robbery, but all he got was $32 out of it—not enough to help his mama. And the news had the reports on him.
Rebecca will never forget the last time she saw her husband and son alive—it was the night they both disappeared.
Story tends to be too descriptive on the scenery, even when looking at a photograph. It would seem that every little thing sparked a memory for the main character. She just re-lived too many memories, which slowed down the story a lot. And what a lengthy funeral, which just described the memories, the process, and the angry feelings. We’re just dawdling away here. Story over embellishes when it should’ve been progressing. Heck, there’s even over embellishment on James’ side—on his childhood and whatnot. C’mon, let’s a get a move on! I’m just waiting for the mystery/thriller part here….
My rating: 2 stars

Review: LAYLA’S SONG by Paul McCracken

David is the father to 5-year old Layla. After a mysterious phone call, some men break into his house and kidnap his daughter. That’s when his past catches up with him. They can’t call the cops or they will never get Layla back. But David vows to her back, no matter what.


At first, this story was fairly easy to get into with its simplistic writing style, but then it gets dragging down by such a lagging pace, which doesn’t make it that exciting.


It had a good start and I liked the premise, but, overall, the read wasn’t as good as I expected it to be. It was just okay.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: ANYBODY WANT TO PLAY WAR by Tommy B. Smith

After a vicious dog attack, Bryce was left a stark reminder in the shape of a fresh scar twisting on the side of his face. Since then, he’s had a fear of dogs. Not being able to withstand the pity and the glares, Bryce runs away and meets a group of characters on the street.
Narrative is simple and appealing.  Bryce is just a trouble-free kid just trying to get through his life, which is a battlefield of treachery and obstacles.
A decent YA read with an urban flair.
My rating: 3 stars

Review: THE MATCH DISASTER by Latesha Kellam

Graphic Image designed by Sandra Lopez

This is a story about a middle-aged woman who recently got divorced and thought she was open to companionship. She was very apprehensive about opening her heart again after being hurt badly by her ex-husband. To her surprise, she met someone on Match.com that seemed like the man of her dreams. They had so much in common and really enjoyed each other's company. He managed to convince her to be open to the possibility of falling in love again.

She ended up giving this man her heart only to find out that he wasn't the man of her dreams at all. He wasn't like her ex-husband but he had just as many issues. She found it difficult to be the woman that he needed her to be while not compromising her integrity and moral standards.

This story is told totally from her point of view. She is finally able to tell the love of her life everything that she wanted to say throughout their relationship. She is able to express her perspective on all the events that were occurring in their lives without feeling like she is being ungrateful for the good times but imagining the bad times.

She will take you through five years of her relationship. Will she figure out that she deserves so much better than how she was being treated? Or, will she talk herself into saving this relationship and giving her one true love another chance?

Available on Amazon


 
My review: They met on Match.com.
All she wanted was to find someone special and she may have found him.
“It felt like I had known you my whole life.”
Right away, during the get-to-know-you process, I got the feeling that this guy wasn’t right with his dominance, decisiveness, and temper.
Story had a 1st person narrative that was actually speaking to the man in question. It almost read like a letter to this guy, like what you would do for a therapist. The whole thing is a mediocre play-by-play of the relationship, highlighting the status and what her feelings were. She summarizes the highs and lows as well as her confusion and doubt. It makes you wonder if this thing would really last. Personally, I didn’t know what she was really doing with this guy. She just seemed so much better off without him.
The cover of the lit match doesn’t represent what this book is about. It kind of gives off the impression that a fire will start at some point with the main character being an arsonist or something. It makes you think that the book is a suspense/thriller rather than a romance. The cover just didn’t fit the story.
Overall, the character narrates her thoughts and feelings in soft and deep notes. The reader really gets to know her side in all this. In fact, it’s almost like a love story for herself, of herself. I think she needed to realize that she needed to love herself so that she could be worthy of love.
An okay read.
My rating: 3 stars  

Review: THE MOVE by Whitney Dineen

“In your 30thyear of life, after the dog jumps over you, your whole world will change in the most unexpected ways. In 3 days, Lexi lost her job, her place, and the guy she’s been crushing on. So what does she do? Move to Small Town America.


At first, the character struck me as witty and relatable, but, after a few chapters, her babbling gets on your nerves. And, to top it off, there are 56 chapters in this thing. Why so long? Most of it was a lot of nonsense and adopting the Southern life. Who cares about this stuff? For sure, this thing gets MOVED to the trash bin.


My rating: 2 stars

Review: LOVE BREAKS by Alicia Dean

In one story, a murderer is lurking in the neighborhood. Could it be the strange and mysterious neighbor?


A heartbroken woman chases away the holiday blues with a Christmas-hating bodyguard. Then, after he leaves, he’s dubbed as “the a#@ that stole Christmas.”


A woman is coerced by her boss to visit his family for the holidays.


Well-written and compelling stories! A good, quick read!


My rating: 4 stars

Review: WHITE COLLAR WOMAN by Nicholas L. Maze

“Marla Evans ain’t jumping for any man.”
Working a 9-to-5 didn’t leave much time or energy for romance…until Kevin, which wouldn’t be a big thing except she was already married. Of course, it was a loveless marriage, so maybe it didn’t count. Hoping to start an office fling, Marla sets up a date for the Jazz Fest with Kevin. But then she finds out that her husband got her tickets for the same event. Oh Dear!
Then it turns out that her boss was also into her along with another co-worker. Wow, she’s just surrounded by all these men. It was interesting to see how she handles all these men, but the narrative is not very compelling. It needed more drama and action. It was most comprised of slow, mediocre days at the office. Nothing really too scintillating.
I could see where this was trying to go, but it just didn’t quite make it there for me. An okay read though.
My rating: 3 stars

Review: SAGA by Laure Malaprade

A Parisian woman takes some time to tend to her family—her grandfather was dying. Throughout the book, we get the views of various characters (Lennart, Lisbeth, Guillame.)  They were a few too many characters, but they’re all kind of connected to each other. It only became really interesting when the mystery was brought to light.
“Her name was Saga. She isn’t buried anywhere. She disappeared. She was declared dead, but her body was never found.” (28)
Then the questions came. How did she disappear? Was it an accident? A kidnapping? She just left and never returned?  
The pace is kind of slow, but the mystery on Saga was certainly titillating. Story then plays back the narrative of the time of Saga.  In fact, the story constantly shifts between past and present. I was really more interested in the mystery, which is sort of layered in between the mourning and reminiscent period of this family. Little by little, the mystery began to unveil with the backstory and the constant dialogue.
A decent read.
My rating: 3 stars

Review: THE POPE’S MISTRESS by Laylah Aragón

Marquis: A man that Laylah adored. There’s a story here that everyone wishes to know. It all started on a fun night in the town, a night in which she was only looking for sex. What she got was more than she bargained for.
Narrated in 1st person POV, story relays the journey of a woman’s love, painting a world with lovely lyrics and emotional hues. Story shifts and sways, dancing to a soft rhythm—it doesn’t move that fast, but you kind of get into it. This is basically a woman’s love diary—a bare canvas full of romantic notions, bumbling attempts, and hard truths. With her candid thoughts and down-to-earth nature, you get to like the character and relate to her in some way.
A pretty good story.
My rating: 4 stars

Review: SING FOR ME by Maggie Clare

Graphic Image designed by Sandra Lopez
Jake Evans isn’t looking for love when he walks into a dive bar while on leave, just a beer and a no-strings hookup. Fiona Flynn isn’t even looking for a date. She’s got a musical career to launch and a past heartache to overcome.

When Jake sees the stunning singer on stage, he knows he wants her – maybe for more than one night. Fiona can’t deny the chemistry between them, and she can’t ignore her growing feelings for the hot sailor with the easy smile.

Their sweet, sexy, long-distance love affair comes to a screeching halt when Jake is injured overseas. Wrecked body and soul, Jake can’t imagine a different kind of life, for himself or with Fiona. But when the unthinkable happens, and Fiona’s life hangs in the balance, Jake will have to rediscover his inner warrior in order to save her.

Available on Amazon



My review: 4 years ago: Jake was mesmerized by a voice belonging to a beautiful girl. Days prior to his deployment, Jake spends an amazing time with the lovely and talented Fiona that he found himself wanting more. It was just supposed to be temporary—but it was real.
Story between the characters was well-written and enticing. It’s an easy narrative of a long-distance relationship. Over the years, the two really connect on an emotional and physical level. As he fights for his country, she becomes a rising star. The read soon settles into a lackadaisical and comforting rhythm. The days sometimes seem slow and repetitive as the couple ride the ups and downs of drama and emotional turmoil. Through the course, they battle loss, depression, and heart ache, but the love for each other never waned. Although full of compassion, at times, the story felt ordinary and trivial. But things take a surprising twist when Fiona goes missing, making it more alluring toward the end.
A charming mixture of romance and suspense. A nice story!
My rating: 3 stars