Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 298

Review: SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN by K.G. Reuss

At the insistence of his twin sister, Trevor signs up for her Perfect Match campaign—to spend 7 nights in a romantic cabin with his “match.” Trevor couldn’t think of any worse torture, especially after he caught his girlfriend cheating on him. Scared by past relationships, he’s only into no-strings hook-ups.


Sasha is a baker with a burnt bakery. She lost everything she invested and now she was broke. Her friend suggested she take a break and signs her up on Perfect Match. Sasha was the girl Trevor had a huge crush on in high school. Wouldn’t it be perfect if she ended up being his perfect match? Well, that’s how they get stuck together. You’d think it be a dream come true, except, ever since a disastrous pitfall of “7 Minutes in Heaven,” Sasha wanted nothing to do with Trevor or his rich kind ever again.


Characters are flawed and endearing. Obviously there’s old tension between the two, but there’s also that familiar spark. After one of their battles, Trevor somehow ties her up and negotiates 7 minutes in heaven with her. Mmmm.


A light, romantic read! I liked how they fell into a comfortable friendship (like the old days) with pointed dares, tickle fights, snappy quips, and other fun games. So sweet!


My rating: 5 stars

Review: HOW LONG YOU SHOULD WAIT TO HAVE SEX by Monique Sorgen

Samantha is reaching the end of her 20’s. With hours away of turning 30, she’s frantically heart-wrenched that she has not met the man of her dreams. How could this be?


Deadline: 17 hours to find a man.


It shouldn’t be so hard to find someone who is nice, sweet, thoughtful, romantic, and good in bed. Right?


Samantha is smart and savvy, however, she tends to ramble a lot—how she’d on a deadline, how she has standards, yadda-yadda-yadda.  She’s real anal about the time—hours left before her deadline. This book just wasn’t what I thought it be.


My rating: 2 stars

Review: A LITTLE HARMLESS SEX by Melissa Schroeder

After his engagement ended, Max felt one thing: relief. After all, it was just a business arrangement between their families and she fit the role of the corporate wife. But why should he commit himself to a meaningless marriage with boring sex?


Anna wasn’t looking for a serious relationship, so she focused on hot flings.


With each having issues with their love life, it’s no wonder that Max and Anna have been friends for years. And neither is afraid to point out the shallowness of it all. Behind their light-hearted friendship is a secret they both share: their want for each other.


One drunken night, the two share a night of wild passion.


“Hot, steamy sex, no commitments, that was Anna…There would be no Happily Ever After.” Just sex. Bu Max would show Anna that they were right for each other…even if they have to have sex every night.


Will they get over their issues and find long-lasting happiness with each other? Family, exes, and town gossip threaten the couple’s future.


Passionate, engaging, and scintillating.


My rating: 4 stars

Review: NAUGHTY LITTLE SECRET by Shayla Black

Lauren couldn’t stop the constant fantasies of Noah. She had to stop mooning over her boss and long-time friend. After all, he’s never really noticed her, and since her divorce, she’s been feeling frumpy and unwanted.


Sudden notes from a stranger entice her, making her anticipate a night of wild passion. But could she have uninhibited sex with a stranger? Well, turns out the stranger ends up being Noah in disguise.


The two have a sensuous and erotic night. Two people that have been in love with each other for years finally express it in one scorching night.


Noah knows that Lauren’s been hurt by her divorce, but he can’t stop loving her. To Lauren, men weren’t built for long-lasting relationships. But Noah vows to make Lauren fall under the hard spell of Mr. Mysterious.


This was a sweet and decent romance. I liked the whole secrecy angle and how Noah was determined to make Lauren fall for him; however, it’s pretty mediocre and the read lags a bit.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: VISION by Elizabeth Holden (short story)

Would you freak if you kept seeing a little girl in your apartment? Yeah!

Lana just keeps seeing her. Is she a ghost? A hallucination? Or maybe it’s just something with her eyes? She does have glaucoma after all.

We follow along as Lana goes to doctor appointments, trying to find some logical explanation for the little girl and her book.

A quick, okay read.

My rating: 3 stars

Review: WHERE THERE'S SMOKE by Jodi Picoult (short story)

Even as a child, Serenity Jones knew she possessed unusual psychic gifts. Now, decades later, she’s an acclaimed medium and host of her own widely viewed TV show, where she delivers messages to the living from loved ones who have passed. Lately, though, her efforts to boost ratings and garner fame have compromised her clairvoyant instincts. When Serenity books a young war widow to appear as a guest, the episode quickly unravels, stirring up a troubling controversy. And as she tries to undo the damage—to both her reputation and her show—Serenity finds that pride comes at a high price.




My thoughts: Told in the POV of a T.V. psychic, this story is a quick and compelling read. It was interesting to get the cliff's notes on the different spirits and the similarities between our world and "theirs."

The challenge: To boost ratings, our psychic must find the Senator's missing son while a miserable poltergeist follows her with fire. Where's there's smoke, there's fire.


My rating: 3.5 stars

Review: THE WATCHER IN THE NIGHT by Michael Carlos Maroney

“As they died, they crawled to the nearest shade, to the womb. It was the desire not to die in the open, exposed to the harsh light of day.” (6)
Another meaningless death of a cat. What were the humans up to?
“Yes, if you wanted a suspect who was evil and perverse, a human would usually be your first choice.” (8)
Tobias was a proud member of The Watch Cats—they investigated treaty crimes and brought the guilty to justice.
This was definitely a twist to the traditional killing spree. Who would even bat an eye to the random deaths of stray cats? But, evidently, bodies were springing up more and more.
The story seemed to be almost political in the sense that officials were taking investigative duties and procedures. I’d say it was satirical really, because it was hard to take any of it seriously. By the tone of the cover and summary, I guess I kind of expected a horror similar to the movie, Strays(I’ve always thought cats could be pretty scary.) But reading this made me realize that it wasn’t the case. It wasn’t to my liking.
My rating: 2 stars

Review: NOCTURNE IN ASHES by Joslyn Chase

Riley was talented on the piano.
A mystery lurks within the story, but it was kind of hard to see. Various characters come into play, which complicate the plot.
The overall read was rather dull and the pace was pretty slow. It really did nothing for me.
My rating: 2 stars

Review: SPIN by K.J. Farnham

Jenna was missing…but not for good.
It would seem hopeless that she could be found…until Bonnie finds her diary with the last entry holding a clue to what may have happened to her.
The mystery concerning Jenna certainly seemed compelling, but the staggering events surrounding it didn’t really lead up to anything. The story dictates the events before and after Jenna’s disappearance, which was unsettling and a little confusing. You almost lose track of the time span, at times. Not only was it hard to keep track of the time, but it was also hard to keep track of the various characters. In fact, I think it had too many characters. Story was just too complex for my liking.
My rating: 2 stars

Review: RUNNING FROM A ROCKSTAR by Jami Albright

Scarlett, the No-Fun-Nun, has woken up from her wild, one-night stand in Vegas. She was a children’s book author that just had sex with Gavin Bain, famous rock n’ roll star. And if that wasn’t shocking enough, she also realized that she married him in Vegas. Yikes! So she became a Bride on the Run, and it was captured on film all over the media.


He needed to save his bad boy image for his record deal. She needed to spice up her good girl rep and money to help out her father. Could the two stay married and pretend to be in love?


I liked that the characters felt real and endearing. Story was well-written and easily-read, however, it gets a little slow, turning mediocre towards the ends. Life of a husband/wife on a TX farm was not all that stimulating. I mean, an author and a rock star were like oil and water. But I guess this would be an okay romance.


My rating: 3 stars