Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 281

Review: RIGHT FOR ME by Cindy Dorminy

As she helps out a friend with breaking news, Shelby meets a tall, fine specimen that can bake the best cookies in the world. Both Shelby and Tommy have been burned by love, but neither can deny the explosive chemistry they had, which turned into a lot of kissing that night.


Tommy is so adorably dorky when he so obviously wants to take it to the next level with Shelby. If only he didn’t promise to take it slow for the next 2 weeks. He’s literally counting down the minutes. Dork!


They even get all tingly by joining hands in the cookie dough. Talk about a Ghost moment.


Well-written and witty, this is a sweet love story between an artist and a baker. It gets a little too lovey-dovey at times, but it’s pretty good overall. Because she comes from a corporate family and he comes from a religious family, the two try to keep their relationship “casual” without telling anyone. With parents such as theirs, could you really blame them? Her family was more into saving money and his family was more into saving souls. Oh, brother…Will their parents ruin their chance for happiness before it even starts?


I did think that they fell into this “casual thing” pretty fast, even though he did wait the two whole weeks. Shelby and Tommy couldn’t be more different, but one thing they did have in common: the family pressure and the strict expectations. The whole story was just filled with pressure and drama. And I understood why there were such hurdles for them, because, honestly, I wasn’t too sure if they were quite “right” for each other. Nonetheless, it was still a pretty good read.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: GETTING LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN by Cindi Madsen

Lyla has been a hermit, studying her butt off for a full course load, ever since her break-up. She was always referred to as “vanilla,” “nerd,” “the weirdo”—just plain “fugly.” That was her high school existence. In college, wasn’t smart supposed to be sexy? You would think so, huh?


In low times, Lyla can always count on her best friend—the hot, man-wh#@ hockey player. Lyla was a slave to her studies and she was tired of it. She wanted to do college the right way—a total geek makeover—and she needed Beck’s help. She doesn’t want to be the nice girl; she wants to be the hot girl.


I liked the friendly, comfortable camaraderie between Lyla and Beck. But did Lyla have to go extreme with this makeover? She’s fine just the way she is. The whole story revolved on her makeover and new lifestyle. I kind of felt like this has been done before. Of course, the jock would fall for the geek.


An okay read.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: THE PERFECT BLEND by Susan Coventry

Brooke knew her HEA was just around the corner. Stuck in the friend zone with the guy she’s known since high school, she thought that she would finally have it—love. Instead of proclaiming his love for he, he asks her to be his Best Woman at his wedding. WTF?! What a waste of time and pining!


Is it so hard to find love? Everyone she knew was either in love, married, engaged, or having kids. What was she doing wrong? Well, when the going gets tough, the tough get going home for the holidays. At least it would be a temporary escape. Besides it be great to see her sisters and Mason again. Mason, who was not part of the family and who was always nice to her. So what if he had a girlfriend? She didn’t like him that way…right? Brooke just had the worst luck with men.


As her luck would have it, the guy she was pining for has suddenly decided that he wants her now. Kyle and Mason. Kyle was self-centered and needy while Mason actually put her needs before his own. Mason was also way hotter! Damn that he had a girlfriend.


A relatable and enjoyable read! It was a perfect blend of friendship and passion.


My rating: 5 stars

Review: MATTERS OF THE HEART by D.S. Pais

Kate Swift had beauty and brains. Always in the company of her book, nothing else could sway her attention.
She soon starts a new job, where she meets a new colleague named Ernst, who seems to have taken her attention and seems to affect in a way she’s never felt before. She quickly became consumed with thoughts of him, wondering such things as how he got the name Ernst and whether or not he had a cat.
Kate always believed that things happened for a reason. Maybe there was a reason Ernst came into her life.
Story was simple and the writing was decent. It seemed kind of slow to me, but, overall, it’s an okay read.
My rating: 3 stars

Review: VULTURES by Grant Palmquist

Trent Sable was a thief and a killer. The only way Yvonne White can feel anything is by hurting herself.
The writing is pretty good; however, I’m not sure if the various points of views lent anything to the plot. Or perhaps there were several plots? There are definitely a lot of characters that came into play that it was kind of hard to focus on one angle.  Too many angles going in different directions. This basically turned into a maze of complexity, making it hard to follow and easy to lose momentum.
My rating: 2 stars

Review: I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS by Kresten Forsman

When I first started this story, I thought I had a clear idea of what to expect. A mysterious message would appear on the wall. This seems to be a long short story (a novella) with no chapter breaks, and what I initially gathered was disarray. Multiple characters appear at the very beginning. Personally, I don’t like too many characters in a story as it causes lethargy and confusion. I couldn’t really get into this story that I was so looking forward to as it had elements of supernatural mystery. I just couldn’t get into this story. I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS…not in this case.
My rating: 2 stars

Review: TOUGH KARMA: A RACE AGAINST TIME by Laura Simmons

It starts off where the last book (which I haven’t read) left off: Amber having lost her baby and facing the strenuous effort to move on. The grief is what jumps out instantly as everybody mourns a death.
Story is well-crafted in a lyrical and sorrowing fashion. There were various characters, each with distressing ties and emotional loose ends. Having not read the first book in this series, it took me a while to learn these complex characters. Jenny, Luke, Bryce, James. Characters are so burdened by the weight of their emotions that it’s really all you see. I didn’t quite connect with any of them. Of course, I became even more detached going deeper into the past, especially with extra cast members interlacing the richly dense and multifaceted story. On top of that, the story maintained a monotonous drone, making it easier to disengage that much more. The concept sounded exciting, but the overall read wasn’t what I had anticipated.
My rating: 2 stars

Excerpt: THE DOCTOR'S ESTATE by Heather Quinto

I decided to use an Uber to get home rather than drive after I had been drinking. I waited a few minutes outside the bar for my ride. A young man pulled up and gave me a wave for me to step inside the vehicle. “Fun night out?” Asked the driver.I peered out the window as I rubbed my hands on my knees to warm them up. My nerves were numbed a bit from the alcohol. “Yeah, It’s been a tough few weeks.” I furrowed my brow and shook my head. I was never this open with others. It must’ve been the alcohol.The man looked straight ahead at the road. “I get you. Life can weigh you down.” He looked over at his GPS and said, “You live off of Batson avenue?”“Yeah.”“So, you live nearby that old mansion, right?”“I live in the old mansion.”The driver widened his eyes in surprise. “I didn’t think they’d ever sell that house to anyone after what happened.”I jerked my head towards the direction of the driver. “What happened?”“The realtor didn’t tell you?” He said dumbfounded. He whistled. “Pretty sure by law she has to, right? Anyway, the house was where a murder took place about eight years ago.”My heart sank low, and I blinked in disbelief. “A murder?”“It was some girl who got murdered by her boyfriend there. He just went crazy one day, I guess, and started shooting at her.”I bit down and lowered my gaze to my knees. “They never caught the guy.”I snapped my head back up. “They never caught him?” My voice cracked.The driver shook his head. “The authorities went searching like crazy, but they never found him. He must’ve left the country or something. I also heard the house was once a mental hospital.”My heart lurched at what the driver said. A mental facility? I wanted to turn it into a makeshift one for my mother. “Not sure about that fact, though,” said the driver. “But teens always liked to break into it to find ghosts.” The driver pulled up to my home, and I stared at it with reluctance. The beautiful paneling was now covered in menacing shadows that spread out like hungry arms out towards the street. The windows that were once welcoming took on a far darker and eerie energy. “Well, have a good night,” said the driver.I swallowed. “Y-yeah… Thanks.” I slowly stepped out of the car and retreated up the steps to my house. The sound of my front door closing echoed throughout the bare walls of my home. It was a stark reminder of how expansive and empty it was. I looked around at all the half-empty boxes that still needed to be attended to. I sighed as I ran my fingers through my hair. Placing my keys into the basket by the garage door, I went upstairs to my room. Despite the history of the house, I wouldn’t and couldn’t believe it was haunted. The home just had a bad history, and the dreams were just a coincidence. That was it.Later on that night, I rolled over to my side, clenching tightly to the blankets. I tossed to the other side and pulled them up closer, but my teeth still chattered, and my body shook. I opened my eyes and sat up. The piercing feel of the cold air hitting my skin caused a shiver to roll down my spine. I threw off the blankets and walked out of my room to check the AC. I knew I didn’t turn it on since it was the middle of spring, and it was still pretty chilly in Saratoga Springs during that time. The snow had barely melted a few weeks ago.I rubbed my arms as I walked out of my bedroom, but once I stepped out, I noticed a dramatic change in the temperature. The hallway was much warmer than my room. I stepped back into my room, and the chill hit my face like ice. I checked every window and vent. I double-checked the thermostat, but it said my AC was turned off. I decided to turn on my heater to see if that’d help. Afterward, I walked over to one of my boxes to take out two extra blankets. I closed my bedroom door before I laid back down in bed and closed my eyes.Right then, a raking sound like metal gliding against metal made me open my eyes in alert. The soundwas small, but since my room was drenchedin absolute silence, this made the squeaking all the louder. I sat up in bed, and plain as day I saw my doorknob turning. The moonlightfrom my window hit the gold doorknob just right. I could see my reflection on the knob as it turned slowly to the right and then to the left. The aged metal screeched with every movement.My heart stopped as I froze in place. I clenched tightly to my sheets before taking a deep breath. “This is ridiculous,” I said to myself. I blinked wishing the hallucination away, but still, the knob turned. I refused to let fear overcome me, so I yanked off the blankets. I grabbed one of the lamps I hadn’t plugged in yet to use as a weapon if needed. Then I charged towards the door, bracing himself for whatever I may see on the other side. I threw open the door. I had my lamp held up ready to attack, but there was nothing there. While lowering my arm, my brow pinched together in confusion. I looked down the hallway, but there was nobody there. I placed down my lamp onto the floor and shook my head. “It must be the alcohol,” I said to myself. I went downstairs towards the kitchen to get some water. I gulped down one cup and then the second. “Perhaps the water will stop these drunken delusions,” I thought. I splashed some water onto my face before heading back upstairs. I decided that if there were any more noises during the night, I’d ignore them at all costs. I wasn’t about to give in to fear and delusions. It was all due to stress, a mixture of alcohol, and that driver telling me about the history of my house. My mind was playing tricks on me. However, it wouldn’t let up, not even as I dreamt.As I slept, I had the same dream of watching that woman in a purple dress running down the stairs of my home in a panic. She screamed as she heard a gunshot set off. I wanted to face the attacker to try to help her this time, but I was forced to follow her. My adrenaline rushed throughout my body as I watched the woman struggle against a tall man with a buzzed haircut. He towered over her, and his muscles in his arms flexed as he pulled at her hair and knocked her down to the ground. “Get up!” I yelled. “Run!” My hands shook with apprehension.“Where’s the journal?” The man demanded.I tried to help the woman up, but nothing I did, worked. It was as if I had no strength. It was too late, and the woman got a shot right in the middle of her abdomen. I curled my hands into a fist, ready to fight the man, but as I swung, my arms went right through him.“You bastard!” I yelled.The man stepped over the woman’s body and shot at her head, killing her. He said, “I’ll just find the damn thing myself.” I snapped awake with a fury that pulsed through me, which made my sheets become soaked in my sweat. Despite the dream being over, I could still hear the sound of the gunshot ringing in my ears.

Review: HANDS UP by Stephen Clark

Ryan: I am NOT a murderer.


Who was he kidding? That wasn’t true. A police officer killed a black teenager. Was this shooting justified? That was for the court to decide.


Jade was shocked to hear that her brother was shot down by an officer. Why would they shoot him? She was determined to find the answer…and justice.   


Story was overall well-written and delves deep into the inner-workings and political ramifications of the judicial system. Although it can get boring and complex at times, story was thought-provoking and invigorating.


Hands up is a gripping tale of urban survival, integrity, and justice.
  
My rating: 3 stars

Review: RETIRING WITH THE DEAD by Nancy McGovern

Nora’s husband, Harvey, has collapsed in the heat and was rushed to the hospital. Maybe this was a sure sign for him to retire. What now? Do they just sit around and grow older and older?


Nonetheless, old Harvey decided to take the plunge, sell his business, and retire. He soon realizes though that he unwittingly sold his business to his most hated competitor. Needless to say, he did not react well—he lunges at him in front of dozens of witnesses and punches him once in the face. Then the guy drops dead. Who dies from just one punch? Obviously, the cops think Harvey killed the guy.


Nora has very little time to find out what happened. Was it poison? And who was the real killer?


A nice, little mystery and a fitting end to the series, all culminating in RETIREMENT.


My rating: 4 stars