Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 302

Review: LOVE NOTES by Susan Coventry

Sophia was just invited to a wedding in FL. She recently broke up with her boyfriend and missed having a date for things like this. Maybe she can ask her best friend, Drew?


Drew was too good-looking to be anyone’s friend…but he was Sophia’s (friend.) Sophia was the book-loving book worm—“Guys don’t make passes at girls who wear glasses.” But Drew liked her as she was, and instantly agrees to be her wedding date.


The two have wanted each other ever since high school, but neither are willing to risk their friendship. As they practice being a couple, the feelings start to stir.


This started off fun and flirty, but I thought it was kind of slow. You’d kind of wished the two would get it on already. The whole thing is on the “should we or shouldn’t we” question. And then Drew makes a list to convince Sophia that they should be together. Well, that just made it even slower.


It’s a good friends-to-lovers romance, but it just felt lukewarm to me.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: DYING TO MEET YOU by Rich Amooi

Liz just won the lottery―$575K. Somehow her excitement was tapered by her predictability and routine, but she didn't need fancy, extravagant things to feel fulfilled. But then again...was she fulfilled?


What to do with all that money? It was interesting to find out how the lottery works in California...you know, in case it ever happens to me (fingers crossed.) It was annoying and overwhelming how Liz becomes the center of attention and that everyone wants a piece of her and her money. A dying mother, really?


Adam is a private-jet pilot with a stern view: "Money can't buy me or anyone else happiness. Health is more important than money." (LOC 502) Yes! Still, Adam has a fear of hospitals, like Richard Nixon, which is understandable. After all, who likes hospitals? His fear was that if he ever went in, he might not never come out. I get that! Hospitals + Doctors = Death.


Figures that after Liz wins the lottery is when she finds out she has a terminal disease. Turns out she has a rare bone marrow disease, which is sad. She has 3 months left to live. Damn! In comes the bucket list. Yes!


She makes a list of all the places she wanted to see, so she charters a private plane (Adam) for all her trips. Together, they have the trip of a lifetime.


Although they were opposites, Adam and Liz shared a deep connection. She was a planner and he was spontaneous. She lived in the past (on account of her being a history teacher) and he lived in the present.


Liz: "By failing to prepare, you're preparing to fail." (LOC 1234)


With Adam's help, Liz learns to enjoy life for once.


"It's what we make of the time that counts." (LOC 875)


Smart and well-informed. Witty, endearing, relatable! A good story!


Most people wait 'til retirement to travel to these exotic destinations. Why wait to stop working to have fun? Do it now while you can!


Peru, Africa, Paris, Norway―all places I'd like to see. Very travel inspiring.


My rating: 5 stars

Review: SEEING DOUBLE by Tamra Baumann

Dani vowed to find a more compatible man, hold down a job, and stay out of harm’s way.


Even with a soon-to-be ex-husband, living in her mother’s fame, and prophetic visions popping in her head, she still aims to make an improvement on her mess of a life. In addition to seeing crimes before they happened, she was also seeing DOUBLE—caught between an ex that she slept with from time to time and a friend/one-night stand.


While Jake (the ex-husband cop) wanted to get back together, Dani didn’t because she was a lousy wife and would make a lousy mother, especially if the kids inherited her abilities. Michael was a former NFL football star now working as a lawyer, whose wife left him for another woman. One thing they two men have in common is that they both want Dani.


Meanwhile, Jake and Dani work another crime case, one she swears will be the last one. Dani (now a realtor) was also helping Michael buy a house. The whole thing was wonderfully chaotic.


The two men were wonderful and Dani loved them both, but, according to her vision, Dani knows the man she’s supposed to be with and it’s not Jake or Michael.


Of course, that’s not the half of it. It would also seem that Dani’s life is in danger. If she testifies in court, she may not live another day.


Contending with two men, figuring out puzzling clues in her visions, finding a killer and keep from being killed herself—all while trying to make a sale and find her independence. So many questions that beg for answers in this novel.


I was intrigued by the premise and the character, but I thought there were too many angles. Who will Dani choose? Or will she choose at all? Who was the killer? Will Dani survive? And, if so, will she find her independence as well as the man of her dreams? It all kind of bubbled with excitement, but then it all watered down to mediocrity.


An okay story.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: MY PERFECT EX-BOYFRIEND by Annabelle Costa

Bailey is a divorcee with a young daughter. If there’s one thing she can’t stand, it’s her flaky ex, the starving musician who constantly stands up their daughter and doesn’t pay child support. Her father’s sudden engagement shocks her as her mom was always supposed to be it for her father. What’s even more shocking was that her future stepmom had a son she hadn’t seen in a decade. It was none other than Noah, her hottie ex-boyfriend.


You would think that by-gones would be by-gones, but nope. Noah will never be able to forgive Bailey for what happened. So what did happen?


Story goes back and forth between past and present, reliving Noah and Bailey’s relationship from the first time they met in college. Segments quickly stop, then regresses back to the present, where Noah hates Bailey in the face of their parents’ nuptials.


It’s a reverse love story. I’m not too keen on the back-and-forth jumps, but I’m willing to overlook it as long as the story had a steady stream. But this one read kinda slow for me. It still has wit, but it wasn’t the greatest story. It was okay.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: PUZZLE PIECES by Rachael Bloome

Elle owns a dating app called Puzzles designed to help people find their perfect puzzle piece. Could he single status be sabotaging her business? Could an old friend from high school be the solution?


Graham was surprised that he was asked to be the pretend boyfriend, but he was all too eager to play the part since he’s had a crush on Elle for years.


Cute and sweet. An okay romance.

My rating: 3 stars

Review: THIS 20-SOMETHING LIFE by Jon Rance

They called this a “prequel (sort of) to The 30-something Life.” What the heck does this mean? Was it a prequel or not? How could it be “sort of” a prequel?

The premise of this so-called “story” was all about a man weeks before the wedding getting the jitters, and he’s writing into this hourly diary, dictating what goes on and how he feels—like he was talking to himself. It was so poorly written that it was like reading the rambling unfinished thoughts of a ranting lunatic. Man, the dude sounded like a chick! Case in point: “Make a mental note to ask Emily about my performance in the bedroom without actually asking her about it. Is that too needy?” (82) Yes!
It also had all these weird British vocabulary. What’s a “naff”?
This was basically the male version of Bridget Jone’s Diary, and I wasn’t into that movie either. In fact, I could barely take tiny snippets of it before giving up on it. 


My rating: 1 star

Review: BLIND DATE by Morgan Kay (short novella)

Darla is going on a blind date. Well, at least, she’ll eat, right? But “Alex” (the foreign guy that showed up) was not her date. Looks like it is now.  Who wouldn’t want to spend the night with a hot Italian, right?
“Why couldn’t she find a responsible man who wanted to look after her? They were all too much like little boys looks for a second mother.” (LOC 156)
Bulk of this story centers on Darla being romanced by Alex. The story is fairly clean with one sex scene that doesn’t get too graphic. The ending was a real bombshell.
My only beef was that it was too short.


My rating: 3.5 stars

Review: NIGHT OF SHAME by Karen Lewis (short novella)

One hot night with a soldier was something Morgan Taylor will not remember. When she woke up, the housekeeper mentioned something about a wild party….with soliders? What did they do to her? Then it all becomes painfully clear.
The reader observes the trauma of a young woman battling her shame and wanting to forget that awful night. Then it veers toward Morgan’s obsession of tying her friend’s murder to the gang rape. And round and round it goes. It turns out there was some army conspiracy cover-up. I found this all to be a bit blasé. 


My rating: 3 stars

Review: PISCES: MURDERS OF THE ZODIAC by A.P. Morgan (Book 2)

Detective Jesse looks into a possible suicide for a man hung on his birthday. Was there an epidemic of suicides going on here?


While trying to figure it out, Jesse tries to spend time with his kids while also dealing with an ex-wife. All of a sudden, he gets attacked on his birthday. Detective Leslie and Ryan return to lend their insight on the Zodiac Killer.


Compelling mystery! I can’t wait for the next book in the series!


My rating: 4 stars

Review: AQUARIUS: MURDERS OF THE ZODIAC by A.P. Morgan (Book 1)

It’s Leslie’s first day as a homicide detective, and her first case is a woman bludgeoned to death. Under her hand was a birthday card with the sign of the Aquarius.


Turns out this pattern was happening all over town. Why kill these women on their birthday?


For a rookie, Leslie was very smart and inquisitive. She’s a good listener to her instincts. While navigating the clues to this astrological mystery and trying to stop a killer, Leslie also contends with the trials of online dating.


“Beware of strangers who bring death hidden by happiness.” (1694)


The mystery was fascinating and fast-paced.


My rating: 4 stars