Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 326

Review: BACKSEAT IN THE DARK by Milton Dewar

Written in four part segments, this book relays the story of a man coming down from a bad day at work, but what he doesn’t know was his night was about to get much worse.

Each part was a portal to his madness and read almost like a haiku. It was strange because you didn’t know where you were or what you were doing. Where was the plot going exactly? Was there even a plot? I felt like I was in the dark most of the time, blindly roaming through a fog, desperately searching for something and coming up with nothing.

 
My rating: 2 stars

Review: IF TWO TRAINS LEAVE AT MIDNIGHT by Meredith Rose

Cate leers at her Book of Horrors (A.K.A. her math book) as Tutor Number Six hovers over her. Who wants to know the difference between rational and irrational numbers anyway?
 
“Is it irrational that I have a sudden desire to gnaw off my fingers just to relieve the tedium?” (11)
 
Right away, Cate is clever and sassy; however, I started to question whether she might be delusional, because she often corresponded with Svee, the swan. What the…? I’d like to think that her boredom led to an overactive imagination, that she’s just “strange,” but I’m not too sure.

 
Unfortunately, story only went downhill from there with hardly any direction and no real interest on my part. I thought that this would be a young, quirky story, but it just didn’t pan out to my expectations.

 
My rating: 2 stars

Review: WHY JUAN CAN’T SLEEP: A MYSTERY? By Karl Beckstrand

This is the story of why Juan can’t sleep. Noises surround him. Dreams assault him.

Story is composed in a series of haikus, it seems. It’s almost as if random sentences were pasted together.
Ex: “At least my arm’s asleep. Drowsy, drifting, dreaming, DRUMMING? Dizzy Dancers.”
This didn’t really make sense. And why did they question of this was a mystery? Why Juan can’t sleep: A Mystery? Was there really any question in that?
Nice illustrations though.
 
My rating: 2 stars

Review: WILY AND THE CANINE PANDEMIC by Michelle Weidenbenner

It all begins with some kind of canine mission, probably to free the dogs or something.  Apparently, dogs are disappearing or getting sick or something. The intro really isn’t that clear, and I certainly don’t know who Thor is.  

Then we meet Wily, a geeky 5th grader. What if he could bring the dying dogs back to life? That seemed a little far-fetched to me.

 
Story an interesting premise full of allure and mystery, but I wasn’t too taken by it. This really was all about the dogs, which was fine, but I guess I just expected something a little different.  I get that the goal was to save the dogs, but the plot could’ve definitely benefited from a little simplicity and fewer characters. Wily is certainly the unlikely hero that youngsters can look to, and the cover art was pretty cool. The story was okay.

 
My rating: 2 stars

Review: I OF THE HURRICANE: EATING UP A STORM by Kali

This is the story told from the POV of…a dog.  Yep, look who’s talking now! (I kinda referenced the John Travolta/Danny DaVito movie there.)
It’s an unorthodox tale with a quirky voice (I mean, a dog is telling the story here.) There’s really not much to the dog’s life but food, sleep, and running around. I mean, who would want to trade lives with a dog? Although it’s somewhat pleasant to see life through a dog, it certainly wasn’t that interesting. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a cute, fuzzy tale. Just not very interesting.
 
Like the movie, this is a family-oriented story designed to make you puppy-crazy and feel good. Any old dog film will do that you.

An okay story for children.

 
My rating: 3 stars

Review: WEB OF LIES by JG Sumner

Is it wrong to have a crush on your 16-year old babysitter?  But Mr. Trent Davis, a successful lawyer with a perfect wife, perfect family, and perfect trust fund can’t help but be allured by the young and voluptuous Beth.
“I ignore the number flashing like a neon sign in my head and inch forward, mesmerized by how her tongue and lips could make eating so sexual. I press myself against her and lean down as she removes the stem from her lips to invite me in.” (14)
For Beth, a sultry vixen, Trent was the whole million-dollar package. The only thing standing in her was the wife.
Told in the POV of the main characters, story encompasses powerful and exciting emotions, like Trent’s resentment of his wife’s charities or Beth’s envy and desires. It’s a whirlwind of moral ethics, obsessions, and complications. How could something so wrong feel so right?
However, it turns out that there is much more going on than just a tawdry affair. Something big is happening with the family business and everyone is holding secrets. Turns out blood and loyalty run deep in families. And, soon, the web of lies takes form, quickly spiraling into an intricate pattern of manipulation and betrayal. Who can you really trust?

Well-written and captivating, Web of Lies is a mysterious embellishment of passion, greed, and deceit. There’s a game being played and no one knows who will win. You can’t wait to see how this ends. A worthy read!

 
My rating: 5 stars

Review: TIE DIED by Kathryn Elizabeth Jones

A dead body in the snow—frozen in a tie dyed sweatshirt.

Instead of being scared at the sight, 18-year old Brianne James was curious. What had happened to this girl? Why is she dead? And could it have been a murder?
 
For starting off fresh in a new town, this case would seem like the perfect distraction for Brianne, who was your average teen with an inquisitive mind and flippant attitude.
 
Told in the voice of the main character, story almost reads like a diary with its quick repartee and wandering teenage notions. At times, it feels like she’s rambling, running aimlessly from one idea to the next. But, of course, that mostly pertained when she was talking about school, teachers, and homework. She definitely has more pizzazz when she’s working on the case, which she asks a lot of questions on. If only school wouldn’t get in the way.
 
Basically half the story dealt with high school life and the other half dealt with the mystery of the dead girl. The writing was okay with some lag here and there.
 
Overall, this was an okay mystery with a savvy, little detective.

 
My rating: 3 stars

Review: MOLLY’S MISADVENTURES by D.E. Haggerty

This is the story of Molly Smith—soon-to-be recently divorced from her cheating husband. Then she goes home to care for her sick father, who’s as loud and rude as they come. And trying to hire a nurse to care for the chauvinistic, old bastard sounded grueling enough. Of course, coming home doesn’t seem all that bad, especially when her old school crush hottie was still living next door. Imagine how ecstatic Molly felt when she learns that he had a crush on her, too. Oh, and he’s single again!

Story takes on a diary format, detailing the angst, stress, and sheer awkwardness of Molly. It was interesting how she started off each entry with a Facebook emoticon and post. Readers will surely get a kick out of her candid and wry humor. Also, the notion that Molly’s deemed as “weird” makes her all the more relatable.
Things certainly take on a more interesting turn when her friend pushes her into starting a dating blog. Yeah, that’s all Molly needs—to be airing out her dating fiascos to the world.  It’s Molly’s Misadventures, so sit tight, buckle up, and enjoy the bumpy ride. Her blog posts are a riot!
Quick, simple, and easy. Molly’s Misadventuresincludes fumbling scenes in getting caught stealing a Kama Sutra book, a topless snafu, and a blind date that ends with a pair of crushed balls.   
Molly’s so enjoyable that you’ll seek out more of her misadventures.

 
My rating: 4 stars

Review: GRAPHICALLY NOVEL by Allyson Lindt

Archer is trying to getting over his ex, who is now engaged to someone else. Not that he misses her or anything. He just can't figure out what went wrong--what he did wrong. Good thing he has a swell friend in Tori.

Tori has a stressful management job at a lingerie company that she co-owns with her brother. That be cool and all, except that her employees don't respect her and take advantage of her good nature. She's just not good at telling people what to do, and she has this one employee that likes to do things at the last minute, which prompts Tori to do the work for her and be on-call 24/7. I mean, working on a Sunday? Really?

With all the stresses in the life, is it any wonder that the two find comfort and solace in each other? So what if that includes amazing sex? So they agree to no strings and no complications. Just sex between friends. But can they really accomplish this, especially with Archer on the rebound and Tori not wanting to push. After all, she's never believed in sex without love.

Story is full of relatable characters and sexy scenes. The chemistry between Archer and Tori is off the charts.

A sexy and fun romp!

My rating: 4 stars

Review: LOVE, LITERARY STYLE by Karin Gillespie

30-year old Sabrina is a part-time student in Professor Aaron’s writing class. Although slightly impressed by her, Aaron was taken aback when he discovered that she wanted to write a “cozy”—as in a cozy mystery. Being the literary expert, Aaron questioned her on the theme, the underlying issues, and the critical analysis of her latest “cozy.” Or, rather, did it pass though her like cheap fast food? Ouch! 

Of course, for Aaron, literary fiction was far superior to genre fiction with “the most important quality of fiction [being] authenticity.” (12) Well, what can you expect when his father was this critically acclaimed literary phenomenon, who was also a pretentious and pompous jackass.
Laurie, a librarian and a lover of romance novels, dares to dream of becoming a writer. But, unfortunately, the successes of an indie writer weren’t plentiful. Her friends wonder how the heck she’s supposed to write romance when she doesn’t even have it in her own life.

It would seem the story takes on a mild romantic element when Aaron and Laurie become intrigued (almost smitten) with each other.

The book basically takes place in the world of literature, where the written word can bring such honor and prestige. Story seemed to take on several character perspectives, but it remained consistent with a lagging pace. I wasn’t particularly that taken by the characters, especially Aaron, who struck me as a total bore. In fact, the whole thing was a total bore.

 
My rating: 2 stars