Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 325

Review: SEASONAL SHENANIGANS (Anthology)

These are short, simple, sensual shorts.  Stories seemed to be the same. Did we really need to get that descriptive with the holiday stuff?
 
Most of these were dumb and boring. I mean, a woman that’s all about kittens when she finds them abandoned in front of her door?

 
I thought the first few were pretty good (a woman that hates Xmas and a Secret Santa,) but most of them were boring.

My rating: 2 stars

Review: WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE HOLIDAYS (Anthology)

A flat tire leads a woman down memory lane to a high school crush that heats up her night. A woman comes home to find out her boyfriend cheated with her sister and knocked her up—talk about a helluva Christmas present; but perhaps her sexy teacher might be able to teach her a thing or two.

What happens during the holidays is a sultry, steamy night of passion—each one of these stories has one. Each one had a hot sex scene, which was okay since they had some kind of story in it; however, they all followed the same trite pattern—intro, sex, convenient ending.

 
They were okay quickies.

My rating: 3 stars

Review: 12 DAVES OF CHRISTMAS by Juliet Madison

Abby is a successful romance author, but her love life was anything but successful.

 
One day, old letters from her grandma sparked a curiosity over “Dave.” Suddenly, Grandma’s ghost appears and urges her to find Dave, her first love. But why? The woman’s dead now.

 
And so begins a LONG and arduous search across country, searching through 12 Daves, trying to find THE Dave that got away 70 + years ago. OMG! Why, for the love of god? Why’s a dead broad seeking a live, old man? It’s not like they could be together now. Obviously, I had a hard time grasping this concept.

 
This story was so very, very SLOW. But I guess this journey gave Abby ideas for her upcoming book and taught her the true meaning of Christmas—that you need love and stuff. Not as witty as I thought it would be—just a long, long search.

 
My rating: 2 stars

Review: THE WRITING ON THE WALLS 2 by Amanda Linehan

A man quickly rushes through the crowd to meet his fate in “The Wallet.”

 
“Franklin” is a wry twist to Pet Cemetery.
  
Odd meaning could be reflected in “The Numbers.”

 
These stories are short, quick, and simple.  Perhaps they were a little too short as I would’ve liked a few to expand more on the story. I guess the truth was explicit when the cover indicated that these were “VERY SHORT stories.” In any sense, they were pretty good reads. These quirky tales were snippets of observation—some with a smidgeon of irony. This irony would’ve been more enjoyable if it had some type of ending to it. For instance, what was the point in “The Numbers?” 

The writing was good and the stories certainly had an interesting insight, but they were just too short. I wanted more of these fascinating tales.
 
My rating: 3 stars

Review: NORTH: AN ADVENTURE by Amanda Linehan

Jayne is on the run. After stealing money from her department store, she nervously clutches her bag, hoping the bundle would be the answer to all her problems. After coming home to a desolated and dark house, where she found broken glass and blood stains, Jayne panics and flees. Phantom blood?
 
Shortly after, she finds a gas station and steals a car…with the owner in it. A thief and a kidnapper, huh.  Who would’ve thought? Of course, it wasn’t her plan to take him, but she wasn’t going to stop now, not with stolen cash and a bloody scene. So it’s Jack and Jayne on a road trip…heading north.
 
Meanwhile, a pair of cops are investigating the scene and looking for Jayne, because, quite frankly, it looks like she might’ve committed a murder.

 
Story was simple and interesting—well-written, for the most part. I thought it was pretty good, but it might’ve been a little slow for me. Plot was informative of Jayne’s domestic and criminal background as well as the history between her and the cop, Savage. The story shifted constantly between the perspective of the two runaways and the two cops. As the cops got closer and closer, the runaways were driving further and further.  At times, the back-and-forth pace got a little annoying, and I just felt like I was getting the run-around by each side. Story just didn’t feel like it was moving forward. I also didn’t buy the chemistry between Jack and Jayne—just two runaways lumped together.
 
This would’ve been better had it gotten to the point quicker. Like I said, this was pretty good, but could’ve been better.  

 
My rating: 3 stars

Review: THE WITCH’S EYES by Iris Kincaid

For the past 3 years, Gillian’s eyesight was gradually fading to blindness. A true artist at heart, she was determined to maintain her creative sustenance through other means, such as music. She hated to be defined by her disability, to have to rely on others to help her in her time of need, even if she was dating the most selfless and generous man in the world.  The loss of sight is so beautifully and poetically rendered in this woman’s tale of woe.
 
One night, after a cancelled opera, Gillian returns home, feeling her way through the bedroom, where she accidentally touches a woman’s breasts. What!? Talk about a shocker!

With no job, no dreams, no independence, and no love, she suddenly was at her wit’s end. But when her ex stops by, telling her that she cannot make it on her own, bitterness settles within her. Shortly after, a cousin she never knew has decided to move in with her, and that’s when she finds out that her ex has not only been cheating, but he’s been mooching off her for years. Boy, things keep getting better and better.  
 
It is during this time of emotional and financial distress that Abby learns to trust in her new cousin, Abby. Soon, Gillian undergoes eye surgery, not knowing that those eyes belonged to a witch. Now we’re getting somewhere!
 
Oddly, story veers to the history of those eyes, which involves a formidable and cantankerous witch named Lilith. Apparently, Gillian’s doctor cut up her body and is selling the organs. Unrelenting, Lilith vows to train these recipients of her organs to do her bidding and complete her revenge. And her eyes were her most precious and powerful commodity. Oooh, chilling!
 
Although well-written and lovely, story had a lagging start (even though I busted up when Gillian accidentally confronted those breasts.)  I expected that once the witch’s eyes came into play that the plot would accelerate, filling me with thrill and suspense; but the story maintained its steady and unappealing pace. The sudden shift in perspectives in the middle of sections was also slightly disconcerting.

 
The only thing that kept me going was the curiosity on what Gillian would do with the witch’s eyes. After all, she had reasoning for revenge, too.
 
Overall, story had an interesting premise and a lovely prose; however, it wasn’t that exciting. I expected something different…something more.

 
My rating: 3 stars

Review: DANGEROUS REGRETS by Morgan Kay

Darcy is an aspiring writer working as a librarian. One evening, the usual quiet of the library was punctured by a discussion she overheard, one with words like “heist” and “emerald.” What the…? Darcy has never come across conspiracies like this. And what’s worse is that nobody believes her. Her boss just thinks it’s just another one of her “stories.”

Story was witty and well-written with a relatable main character. I liked the reality of a life situation (having to work two menial jobs to pay rent while struggling to make a big name for yourself) adding nuance to the life-and-death situation of a dangerous heist. It’s not something you’d expect for a nerdy, quirky librarian/waitress/writer-in-training.

While I was intrigued by the premise, there was an occasional lag here and there. The beginning had a flourish of faceless characters that were easily dismissible. In fact, there may have been a few too many characters. The progression of the story also struck me as rather hum-drum. I wish it would’ve picked up the pace a little, especially with the so-called heist in the mix.

This book tended to gear more toward the romantic-comedy side, even though there wasn’t much of either. I just wasn’t too compelled by the so-called suspense side of it.  

 
My rating: 3 stars

Review: THE SPOOKSHOW by Tim McGregor

Billie Culpepper can see the dead, ever since a freak accident left her in a coma for 3 days. Then a friend with an obsession for the paranormal convinces her to go see the Murder House, an old ramshackle of a house that’s been abandoned for over 70 years.
A group of girls then stumble on a dead body, a relic of old bones really. What the? Who was this guy? How did he get here? And was he murdered? Maybe it was the Murder House?
Ever since then strange paranormal occurrences have been popping up, resulting in the disappearance of one of the girls. Now Billie must use every ounce of her ability to find her before it’s too late.
A murderous ghost story concerning witches and the occult. Chilling from start to finish!

My rating: 4 stars

Review: BEAN COUNTER by T.A. Clark

Nick is a bean counter—a wage worker slaving away at a cubicle for a money-grubbing corporation at the mercy of a demanding boss, who died under mysterious and suspicious circumstances. Now, Nick is in charge of the office. He’s never really been much of a go-getter. In fact, he’s always avoided risks, ever since his childhood. After his cop father was killed on duty, his mother always kept him away from risks. No sports, just track to practice escape; no becoming a doctor as there are too many sick people; no becoming a lawyer as there are too many unsavory characters. So accounting seemed to be a safe bet. After all, there was nothing perilous about numbers.

At the urging of his pistol of a fiancé, Nick pursues a promotion, but soon finds himself in the middle of something much more than he can handle, something that certainly involves risk. In his efforts to move up the corporate ladder, Nick literally stumbles upon the dead body of the CEO and is accused of murder.
Told in the POV of a variety of characters, story is a tale of murder, mayhem, and bean-counting. It’s a witty repartee of the working-class stiffs that get muddled in a conspiracy. I thought it was a little too complex. Story was just all over the place that it soon turns into a jumbled mess. You start to lose interest pretty soon.
 
My rating: 2 stars

Review: THE CANDLE by Charles Howard

A house that didn’t feel right. A man that won’t soon forget. Stephen can’t seem to shake off the creeps over this house.

 
It all started when he visited Trish’s house after having been on a few dates. What better way to strike up the mood than with a few candles? But there was something odd about this one candle. Why was he so fixed on it? Why did he feel such movement when he held it? Was that a shadow in the flame? And who was Frank? So there was a living creature in the candle—one that only he could see apparently.
Was this the sound of a man going mad…or homicidal?

 
This short novella definitely had mystery and allure, but there was also some lag and confusion in certain areas.  It wasn’t as compelling as I would’ve liked, but, all in all, it was okay.

 
My rating: 3 stars