Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 266

Review: THE MANUSCRIPT by Nathan Hystad

A worn-out detective visits an old friend, who’s now a rich and famous author. What could this visit be about?


“There was no way for the four of us to be in the same room without the memory of that hot summer day being all that was on our minds.” (LOC 318)


Old friends reuniting and a promise to never bring up what happened. Well, what did happen? Whatever it was, good ole’ Jay decided to write about it in his latest manuscript, one they must all read.


Of course, having to read the entire manuscript was kind of daunting. It was nothing but a bunch of 15-year olds reliving high school. You can’t even remember who’s who because all the names were changed.


Although the story certainly sounded scintillating, it was too slow to get into the nitty-gritty. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but it had good writing though.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: I WAS MURDERED LAST NIGHT by A.J. Gallant

Anita died last night in Central Park—murdered, in fact. But her ghost still remained. Her mind was a jumble of confusion and chaos. What did this mean? Odd thing is that she can’t remember anything.


Too analytical and repetitive. The character tends to babble on, going off tangent. It needed to be more directed to the murder (that’s what I wanted to know about.) Instead, she’s talking about Grandma and Fluffy. WTF?! C’mon, get on with it already!


Eventually, we start to relive her last day (good, at least, we’re getting somewhere.) But it doesn’t go anywhere at all. In fact, it goes right back to where we started: nowhere.


I thought I would like this. I expected to like this. But it was just one big, fat disappointment.


My rating: 2 stars

Review: LATE FOR DINNER by M.K. Scott

For Lola, retirement stunk. There was nothing to do, especially since her favorite crime show was replaced by some teen drama.


My god, this reads old and slow. How many geezers were there?


A mission to solve a cold case. Really, this was just to give them something to do. I thought this would be a good series to get into, but the whole thing kind of puts you to sleep. If I couldn’t get through the first book, there’s no way I can get through the series.


Not worth it.


My rating: 1 star

Review: THE MOTHER-IN-LAW by Judy Moore

Victoria didn’t know what to expect when she accepted her boyfriend’s dinner invitation. But there he was—down on one knee as he popped the question. Before she realized it, she was engaged to be married. Even though they hadn’t known each other that long, Victoria knew she could never love any other man more than she loved Brad. Of course, since they were in Vegas, the marriage happened just as quickly as the engagement, and Victoria couldn’t be happier. After all, what could possibly ruin this marriage?
Victoria was riding Cloud 9…until she stepped out of the car and came face-to-face with her new mother-in-law. For the first time, Victoria wondered if she made a mistake.
While setting into marital life, Victoria soon started suffering under the cold scrutiny of the dreadful M.I.L. With the criticizing of her weight, age, and her bungling attempts, Victoria was at her wit’s end. And then she found out she would be living with the M.I.L. Oh, gawd no!
Reader journeys along through the trials and doubts of a woman’s new adjustment (new husband, new son, new mother.) It was a little slow at times, but it still holds the reader. Tension and resentment continue to rise with every bossy and rude comment. Who will win in this grueling battle of the in-laws?
An engaging and simple read.
My rating: 4 stars

Review: DEFINED BY OTHERS by M.C.V. Eagan

“At forty-seven my perfectly organized life was suddenly disrupted, destroyed.” (11) Only one ideal word defined the moment: despondent. Even though the wake of a frenemy’s sudden death should make her feel alive, Anne still felt empty. “Enemies always attend the funeral of the fallen. It’s a way to show they’ve won.” (19)
Actually, Anne really didn’t have much against Amanda, especially since they haven’t spoken in over a decade. Still, it created a lot of questions for Anne. What defines us? Is there a word that defines certain moments? Throughout the book, that’s exactly what Anne does as she wagers with an unexpected inheritance and plays a little game.
The writing was clever and thought-provoking. The character seems to ponder the social hierarchy as she meddles and snoops around. I didn’t always understand the reasoning behind the characters’ motives. I mean, what was the whole point in all this?
Defined by Others certainly has a way of making the reader think, although the concepts can be widely varied.
A decent read.  
My rating: 3 stars

Review: THE MORBID FASCINATIONS OF DAVID BENNETT by R.M. Smith

“My name is David Bennett and I am a man who treads a fine line between two worlds, the realm of the living and the place where things dwell after they pass through this world.” (2)
His parents died in a tragic car accident, thus, provoking his pensive thoughts about the why of human existence. Why did they deserve to die? Why them and not him?
The writing was somber and lovely. The way he puts things were perplexing, yet oddly comforting.
“I wasn’t a psychic or medium. No, I wouldn’t call myself that at all. I would consider myself a traveler, who took vacations from his body in the night, on occasion, and voyaged to a realm that ordinary people choose not to see because it would mean confronting an entire layer of reality that they weren’t prepared to acknowledge actually existed.” (14)
And that’s when his fascination with the paranormal began.
This dark tale certainly makes you wonder what the deal is with David Bennett. He wasn’t anything special, but he had a keen sense and was hypersensitive.  This facet is also probably what makes the tale so ambiguous and perplexing. I couldn’t always follow what was going on, but I still enjoyed the structure and composition. It was almost like dark poetry.
It’s a pretty good read.
My rating: 3 stars

Review: MISCREANTS, MURDERERS, AND THIEVES (Anthology)

This book is a collection of tales about devious deeds.


Stories were, overall, well-written. I understand that shreds of irony were perhaps supposed to tickle at these tales, but I’d say they were more complex than what I wanted. There definitely was an air of sophistication, which imbued them with intelligence and splendor; however, I didn’t exactly get that into them. They’re smart reads though.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: TWO BOYS, A GUN, AND SUMMER by Kelly McKinney

This is your typical coming-of-age story. We have 2 boys, a weird summer, and a mystery surrounding a lost gun.
The writing was simple. Its easy narrative brings the character to life, saddling the reader right next to him as he journeys through this wide-eyed adventure.
A nice YA read!
My rating: 3 stars

Review: THE BOOGER HUNTER’S APPRENTICE by Benoit Chartier

An ad for a booger hunter’s apprentice. Flin was surely in for a magical tour.
Nice illustrations! I enjoyed the vibrancy in the somber tones. The imagery had such character. Some of the language was a bit odd. I have to admit that I didn’t quite understand it all. Was the term “booger” a euphemism for monster? It would seem so.
But, nonetheless, this is an okay children’s book.
My rating: 3 stars

Review: THE ALBUM by Sian Ceinwen

Graphic Image designed by Sandra Lopez

What happens when you fall in love with a rock star?

Ariana Chamberlain just wanted a peaceful life. She’d had her taste of living life in the fast lane with rock star, Gabriel Knight, and she’d walked away. She was just aiming to survive letting him go and move on with her life.

That is, until the day she wins tickets to his concert. The smart thing to do would be to decline, but what harm could it do to go and see his band perform one last time? It had been two years since she’d seen him, and it’s not like she still ached every day for Gabriel. She was over him, right? No regrets?

Available on Amazon



My review: Ariana’s colleague was excited over a band’s upcoming performance—Cruise Control. She pretended not to know them, but, of course, Ariana knew them all too well. She never expected to win VIP tickets to their concert. The only thing on her mind was dread over seeing Gabriel, whom she hadn’t seen or heard of in 2 years. Back in the day, she used to work as a roadie with the band, then became something more with Gabriel.
When Ariana first met Gabriel, she was star-struck, like every other girl. At first, she thought he was nothing but an arrogant celebrity, but then she realized that there was a sweet, caring, funny guy beneath that rock star exterior.
Story relives moments of the duo’s past during a concert in the present. They certainly moved quickly in the relationship, which was nice at times but seemed superficial, I think. Each song played in the concert brings back the first time Ariana heard that song, bringing back a memory from their past, which, at times, sounded repetitive and mediocre. The pace is slightly lagging with some awkward sentencing here and there.
Ultimately, this chronicles the life, love, and hardships of dating a rock star. Overall, this was a decent past romance.
My rating: 3 stars