Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 318

Review: RAGE by Gary Lusby

16-year old Jay can’t stand the domestic violence caused by his drunken father, especially when that abuse is mainly targeted to the one person who means the world to him—his mom. “His mom was a prisoner in her own home and his dad controlled everything.” (137) Jay truly loved his mom (yeay!), which was why he picked a girl just like his mom (eesh!). It’s kind of gross when you think about that.
As memories flood his frustrated mind, the rage inside Jay grows more fervently and intense. His poor mom—what a stupid, little thing. Why didn’t she just leave? Fear. That’s what all abusers thrive on. Fear. Take away the fear, take away the violence. His mom won’t help herself, so it was up to Jay to do it for her.
Reading through it, I kept hoping that Jay would kick his father’s ass. On the other hand, Jay was getting so angry that, deep down, I worried that he might take out his rage on someone else, like his girlfriend (like father, like son.)
The story brings an interesting psychological perspective to why men hit women (insecurity, power, the need to control, etc.)—nothing I didn’t know already. For some reason, the author felt compelled to repeat the same thing over and over again. Okay, we get it! There was abuse in the house. Now what? 

Additionally, the POV constantly switched from 3rd person to 1st. So was Jay telling the story, or was it narrated? Odd. This should’ve been kept uniform. Also, there was way too much football. Sports have never held my interest. 

Towards the end, I wondered: Will Jay kill his dad? I hoped so, but I didn’t want his life to be ruined. The author attempted to pump the reader with excitement and seat-gripping adrenaline, but failed. The book was just a long, warring battle (yawn.) It was just a repetition of the same ideas over and over again.
Ultimately, this was a boring read. 

My rating: 2 stars

Review: HERE COMES THE NIGHT by Linda McDonald

A psychological crime thriller, as dark and twisting as a suspenseful noir film, told against the background of the stockyards in Oklahoma City.

At one time ex-football-star Buck Dearmore had it all: power, adoration, a seemingly bright future. But that was long ago. Now the only life he considers worth living is with Angie, his lover, and the wife of his boss.

After their plan to kill the mean-spirited bank president succeeds, their path to happiness seems clear . . .for mere moments. As Buck walks away from the crime, henchmen carjack him, setting off a series of fatal miscommunications.

Then, as daylight turns to dawn, a dangerous parolee impulsively take Buck’s custom Mustang on a bloody joyride, implicating him in a horrific crime he didn't do.

There’s no way to know who’ll survive until dawn, and of those that do, who’ll be charged with which crime. Hang on tight, Here Comes the Night. A dark, steamy suspense thriller.




My thoughts: Question: Was this a bank heist story planned out Ocean’s Eleven-style, or was it all about Oklahoma-Texas football?
Either way, I couldn’t get past the first couple of chapters. Boring. 

My rating: 1 star

Review: PEDDLING DOOMSDAY by Petra Jacob

When I first started reading this, I was a bit confused. I mean, at first, a character feels things moving in his head (whatever that means,) then we move on to Sarah and Dove trying to fix a printer machine. Obviously, I saw no connection here.
Story soon focuses on Deidre and her mediocre existence. The plot has an unbelievable lag. I kept on wondering when things were going to get interesting. Or was it ever going to get interesting?
Unfortunately, this book did not get interesting at all for me.
My rating: 1 star

Review: THE LAW OF TALL GIRLS by Joanne MacGregor

If you really stand out, can you ever fit in?
Peyton is a tall girl and has always abided by the Law of Tall Girls, which indicates that no male over 6 ft. shall date a female under 5’8”. There are so few tall guys and they are wasted on short girls. So true! Why should short girls get the tall guys when they have a massive pool of average guys? Yeah!
“Once you go tall, you never go small.”
A $400 bet was that Peyton couldn’t get the hot, tall guy to kiss her. Well, mission accomplished. But then there’s a raise in the stakes. The bet was now $800 to get a tall guy (at least 6’3”) to go on 4 public dates with her with a final date at the prom. Sounds easy enough, if Peyton had any confidence and didn’t feel like a freak show so much.  
Being a tall girl, I related to Peyton, especially never finding clothes that fit unless they came from the men’s dept.
This was a pretty good story, but it was lagging at times with a bunch of high school crap. Still, it was interesting reading about Peyton’s quest to find a tall guy (it’s like trying to find a needle in a hay stack.)  At times, I thought Peyton focused too much on her tallness, and I couldn’t get into the Romeo & Juliet plot. Apparently, that was her chance to snag the hot, tall guy she’s wanted all along. The problem was that he was already snatched up by, yep, you guessed it. A short girl!
This was okay.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: PAR FOR CINDERELLA by Petie McCarty

A stalled yacht leads to an unexpected encounter. And it is at sea that sets this sappy Cinderella story. He is captivated by the alluring woman and she simply can't stop thinking about the elegant stranger. But how to find one another?
It had a slow start and had some lagging areas throughout. Although the yachts and the sea life were certainly romantic elements, I just failed to see any chemistry between the two characters. They struck me as nondescript and blasé. They're story was not very riveting. It wasn't what I expected.
My rating: 2 stars

Review: FORGETTING OPHELIA by Julie C. Gardner

At 35, Lia has wondered if it was too late to adopt. Not that she seriously wanted kids, because she was overall satisfied with her life with Jake. Until recently, she and Jake have always been in synch, but lately it just seems that she has been second in his life. He's not following The Plan. Then, like a punch in the guy, Jake announces that he's leaving her.
Story has a slow start, then it progresses with Lia's ponderings of her recent separation and her life amidst the company of pedestrian characters. Frankly, I wasn't too taken by any of this. Between her and Jake, all I got was a barrage of memories and endless musings.  I didn't feel like the story went anywhere.  I mean, what was the meaning of forgetting Ophelia? I honestly anticipated for Lia to take on more of an independent role―for her to take charge of her life. Although the story was well-written and contained a poetic feel, I just wasn't too impressed by the development.
My rating: 2 stars

Review: SEX IN THE CRAZY ZONE by Teri Riggs

This is a short novella about an old married couple wanting to reignite that sexual spark.


It had quirk with a dash of ridiculous scenarios, like sex on a trampoline or in a playhouse. I thought this would be a funny, little story. After all, the funny illustration is pretty eye-catching. However, it didn't do it justice. It was on ok read, but I thought it would’ve been funnier than it was.


My rating: 2 stars

Review: WOMAN SCORNED by Shannon Heuston

Lexie was a shy, chubby child that loved to read and adored her big sister, Monica. Monica had always wanted a little sister, but then got more than she bargained for with Lexie.


Always the “freak,” Lexie didn’t quite fit in with the normal crowd and her mother was hardest on her most. Monica was always the popular one with many friends and respect, so she instilled the fear in others to stop picking on little Lexie, even though that only alienated her even more.


Told in the POV of Lexie and Monica, story follows two sisters that couldn’t be more different—“two sides to a coin”—but yet were always a part of each other. Life takes them through grueling obstacles as the two grow into adulthood, which include marriage to a controlling spouse and the death of their parents. Is it any wonder why they snapped? But no matter what, you feel for the girls right away and are endeared by their unbreakable bond.


“Our Prince Charmings had never arrived and the Evil Queen was too powerful after all.”


Lexie and Monica are two women scorned, but it was most interesting how each handled it in a different way. Monica would focus on her children and Lexie would just sit and cry. Things take a sinister turn when scorn leads to murder, and the sisters are put through a taxing trial. You won’t believe the ending of this emotionally charged novel.


Simply a scintillating read!


My rating: 4 stars

Review: MODERN SORCERY by Gary Jonas

As a result of his death and resurrection, Jonathan can see ghosts and was now working as a P.I. for the modern sorcery. One of his clients is his ex-girlfriend, who seeks his help in solving her mother’s murder and proving her father’s innocence of the crime. The father, a well-known wizard, sounds like he may have been possessed as he had no idea what he was doing and was shocked to see his wife’s mangled body.


The case was on.


“How do you stop someone who can simply point at people and make them die? How do you kill something that’s already dead?”


Furthermore, what else could Naomi, Jonathan’s former love, be hiding? Perhaps she’s not telling the whole truth?


Jonathan is inquisitive, smart, and a smart-aleck. He can definitely talk smack with the best of them and can keep up his wits. Plus, he knows how to fight. His partner, Kelly, was my favorite—the kickass Sekuter.


Fascinating murder mystery filled with a keen private eye and a magical sense. An exciting, magical tale!


My rating: 4 stars

Review: COMMITTED by Michael W. Griffith

Peter was working hard on his manuscript and wonders what could be if he did what he wanted instead of what was expected of him—working alongside his father at his multi-million dollar company. Could he give up his writing dream at 24?


“I spent 4 years getting a degree for a career I don’t want.”


The story follows the struggles of a writer wanting to venture into the world of publishing. He thought the world of writing would be so easy (he’d write the books, the publisher prints them, and the bookseller sells them.) Yeah, right. If it was that easy, then everyone would do it. Actually, a lot of people are doing this with the breakthrough of indie publishing.


“If you don’t read and read a bunch, how can you tell the difference between good writing and bad?”


“I have a thing for good stories no matter which shelf they’re on.”


But Peter must prove to his arrogant and controlling father that he could make a successful living as a writer. Will Peter be able to prove his bullheaded father wrong, or will he fail and end up working the grind for the rest of his life? You can’t wait to find out what happens.


I shared his love for writing. Writing is vividly candid and easy-going. Book is a crash course on indie publishing, which many authors would find helpful.  It combines a how-to manual format with a fictional story. A great read!


My rating: 5 stars