Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 354

Review: CURSES by Calvin Dean

Martin Gallagher is a middle-aged bachelor, who recently moved into a house that seems to be haunted. But that’s ridiculous, right? It all started with a sudden appearance of a mysterious boy in his backyard. Then came the advice from the town’s clairvoyant, Madame Z. Help the boy? What could that possibly mean? And where were those noises coming from? Something’s obviously wrong with this house.
Suddenly, Martin gets tossed into the whirlwind of Stone’s Curse, and he must convince a ghost to kill another ghost. What in the world? How does one go about doing this?
But it turns out this was just the beginning. “A family of four ghosts occupied my home when the exorcism started. Three passed to the afterlife. One lingers.” (119) Odd thing is that Agnes (the ghost) is a spiritual seductress who is only tempting Martin to his weakest point. And, hey, the guy’s only human—unlike Agnes. I so enjoyed the comedic torture brought on by Agnes. It wouldn’t be so bad being haunted by Agnes, except for one thing... “One minute Agnes wants to seduce me. The next she tries to kill me. The woman is schizo. Psychotic.” (230)
Written in three-part sections, this book captivates the reader with its intellectual prose, avant-garde style, and dark irony. Author infused his character with a kooky sense of humor and witty dialogue, while exploring the sinister recess of a mysterious terror.  The best part about Martin is that he had virtually no clue how to get rid of a ghost. Hey, we’re not all ghost busters here. But he approaches it in a way that is both sensible and tactical while also carrying on with wry, unequivocal humor.
Curses is a riveting compilation of one ghost-hunt after another.
Very entertaining!

My rating: 5 stars

Review: ZIGER THE TIGER IS GETTING FAT by Robert Locke

This story started off innocent enough. Ziggy is a young tiger and he is feeling a little lazy after the last adventure (I haven’t read.) That little selfie is a bit odd. Looked to be nothing but a botched Photoshop project. Not exactly something you’d see in a kid’s book.
Then Ziggy notices something else. Everyone is looking at him strange and calling him fat. Well, what do you expect when you eat nothing but junk (burgers and fries and such.) Again, it was quite unsettling to see an actual photo? Wouldn’t it be better to have an illustration instead?

Book was filled with a lot of junk food pictures. Ziggy was sure out of control, and the only way to get him to eat better was because his mom offered to buy him a new smartphone. 
I liked how this book incorporates a chart for good eating habits. By thinking of the colors of the rainbow, Ziggy was able to name foods of that colors (red=apples, tomatoes, cherries; green=broccoli, spinach; etc.) This book promotes you to “Eat a Rainbow.” I also liked how his mom taught him never to judge by one’s shape. 
Overall, this was an okay children’s story. I mean, I would’ve appreciated more colorful illustrations rather than photographs, but this had a good message.

My rating: 3 stars

Review: HEAD OVER HEALS by Cindy Proctor-King

One tiny lie can cause a whole lot of trouble....

Magee Sinclair has had it up to her sassy short hairdo with the recent blunders pushing her family's advertising agency to the brink. How can she accept the promotion her father plans when she keeps making costly mistakes? She needs to bring in more business however she can. So when new client Justin Kane asks her to role-play as his girlfriend for a weekend in exchange for a lucrative campaign, she jumps at the chance.

Justin's goal to expand his chain of bike stores hinges on a distribution deal with a manufacturer. First, he needs to impress the man at a mountain resort while they bike trails with their significant others. But Justin's girlfriend dumps him, forcing him to find a quick replacement. Magee--pretty, clever, and a skilled cyclist--is the perfect choice to masquerade as his "lover."




My thoughts: Justin needs a woman--a woman for the weekend to cinch the deal with a bike distributor, which means mega bucks. Magee is counting on Justin's deal to make up for all her blunders at her father's ad agency. The story is set.
Magee seems to be a klutz in that cute, funny, adorable way. You gotta love her sincerity and dedication, but she's just not very good at lying, which makes for an entertaining show. What torture to pretend to be someone's girlfriend! Yet each couldn't deny the growing attraction for one another.
Witty and Enjoyable! A sweet, little romance.


My rating: 4 stars

Review: TO LOVE A CAT by Billi Tiner

Detective Mitch was never much of a cat person. He always thought they had an aloof and superior attitude. Boy, does he get a surprise when he suddenly has to take in an injured cat that breaks into his house in the middle of the night.
Catherine ,“Cat,” is reluctant to adopt a troubled teenage boy, but, after suffering abuse at the hands of her own parents, she feels it is her duty to give Ethan a home. The bond between Cat and Ethan is endearing. Both have baggage and demons from their past, and both are helping each other cope.
As Mitch and Cat struggle with their own dramas (Cat with Ethan; Mitch with the case), the two find themselves drawn to each other.  
Things get frightening when Ethan’s father returns and tries to take back what’s owed to him (not Ethan, but money and jewelry). Luckily, he and Cat have a newly-adopted dog and one hunky police detective to protect them.
A heartwarming story!

My rating: 4 stars

Review: MOLLY HACKER IS TOO PICKY by Lisette Brodey

Known as “Picky Molly Hacker” to meddling friends and family, she refuses to let anyone dictate her life. So what if she can’t seem to find “the one?” Still, she aims to prove to them that she can find someone all on her own. In fact, she found four.
Molly is brazen, witty, smart, and not afraid to say something. She’d rather write obituatiers for the newspaper than cover weddings. Me too!
Her story is a rollercoaster of lover’s lane—from prospective loves to past loves. Readers will enjoy Molly’s analytical shenanigans. It’s amazing how many men she juggles in this hilarious tale. Who will she choose in the end? Alan is an annoying schizo who could be a pawn by the she-devil; Tony is a past crush that recently got divorced and could be on the rebound; Cody could just be a R&R player; and Max just seems to be this perfect specimen that landed right smack-dab in the middle of this triangle. And then there's Leo, a ghostly love from the past that still haunts her to this very day. 
“I believed that I had all my demons neatly lined up like laundry, each one held up by a clothes pin, basking on a line in the afternoon sun. And now [the] windstorm had blown everything off the line, across splintered fences and into the neighbors’ yards, where everything I thought I knew lay twisted and unrecognizable on soiled grass.” (64) Loved this analogy!
Funny and relatable! I love her fast-talking, biting wit. It’s like listening to Billy Crystal. She’s kooky, quirky, and cute.

My rating: 4 stars

Review: FAKE BOOBS by Ryan Ringbloom

Judging from the title, you know that the theme is all about boobs. That’s how it starts off.
Tori has always felt self-conscious about her body. She’s thin, but thin is not attractive because everything on her is thin—thin frame, thin butt, thin chest. At 18, she’s never gone past first base with a guy. Bottom line: she feels ugly and hates it. Right away the reader will empathize and hate the way she gets treated sometimes.
Then she gets a crush on Grant, one of her brother’s friends. They spend an amazing week together, then, for no reason, he leaves. Wanting to be in control and tired of being used, Tori turns to the true power of “fake boobs.” She gets hooked on the power so much that eventually she makes the fake boobs real.
Story centers on a young and naïve girl looking to please everyone but herself. I thought she was way too eager to get things “over with.” She was trying to grow up too fast, trying too hard to be something she’s not, which doesn’t make her a character to admire.
Book is divided in two parts. The first part is in Tori’s POV and the second is in Grant’s POV. The reader gets the love story from both parties.
Endearing and relatable, story is a journey of self-reflection, self-discovery, and self-acceptance. And, of course, there’s a love story in there, too.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Review: FINDING LAILA by T.K. Rapp

Laila Nixon was inducted into the boys club at 5 years old when she first moved into town. These boys have been her peeps all of her life.

Laila is a smart high school girl that doesn’t give a crap what others think of her. She has a foot-in-the-mouth complex—she speaks first, thinks later, which gets her into trouble.  She’s a classy chick who’s lucky to have her boys who will stick up for her. Each guy is different, but they all matter to her, and because of them she is hated and envied by the other girls in school. Yes, she can have a good, solid relationship with the boys without it being romantic.
The truth is: could one guy feel more for Laila than friendship? Haden is a sweet, quiet, and talented artist. He’s always been one of Laila’s best friends.

Favorite Haden quote: “You’re smart and strong. I see everything you’ve put up with and you never let it get to you. You’re comfortable being you. You cuss like a sailor, eat like a guy, and have the looks of a model. From the time we were kids, you were always the coolest chick I knew and I couldn’t help but fall in love with you.” (49) WOW, sweet!

Overall this is a good YA story. It’s about a high school girl finding out who she really is with her male posse. It goes to show you that things don’t stay the same and “some changes are necessary.”  Her 18thbirthday was the best; the guys really went all out for her.
But what will happen with Laila and Haden after graduation?

Towards the end, story kind of tapered off, becoming less and less interesting.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Review: ONE NIGHT WITH A STRANGER by Linda Steinberg

First of all, I thought the lady on the cover looked more like a grandma. But, don’t judge this book by the cover.
Lisa, Courtney, Tish, and Jessica are BFF’s and all part of the Unforgettable Nights series. This one centers on Lisa, who hadn’t expected her one-night stand to happen twice—and about eight other times, too.
“She preferred to think of Matt as a phantom lover who existed only in her pleasure zone.” (LOC 588) Lisa and Matt kept on repeating that one night every chance they got. Holy Tamale! And who wouldn’t jump on Matt? I mean, he was an underwear model that could cook! He was also an awesome dad to his 9-year old son, which was hot as hell. And they’re both writers, too!
This book was definitely cleaner than some of the romance novels I’ve read, which I liked. The characters, especially Matt, were rendered in a realistic and endearing fashion.
A nice, contemporary romance!

My rating: 4 stars

Review: CHASING LUCK by Brinda Berry

18-year old Malerie is celebrating her birthday with a BANG—literally! A gunman shows up at her birthday dinner and kills her uncle. What a shock!
Ace is a struggling contractor trying to make ends meet and somehow he finds himself in the chaos of the restaurant shoot-out and saves Malerie.Malerie is sick and tired of being called “lucky” because “lucky people don’t walk around waiting for the next horrible thing to happen,” which is all she seems to be doing, ever since a bomb killed her mother many years ago.
From then on, Malerie turns into a cold, somber, menacing shrew. Who can blame her? Nothing kills your confidence more than when someone needs to bathe you. But, of course, she begins to soften when Ace gets hired to install security in her big mansion, eventually becoming her bodyguard—her babysitter, it would seem. I could see how Ace would resent having to watch over a spoiled, rich, little princess.
This is just like The Bodyguard with Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, except Whitney is a medicated and paranoid psycho. Or is she? Apparently her life really is in danger. How else would you explain all the recent close calls? But who wants to kill her?
Then the story unveils a hidden mass of Chinese hieroglyphic computer codes outlining a series of numbers—a mystery that dates back to the day her mother died. The numbers reveal specific dates and coordinates, giving Malerie and Ace the clues to follow and figure it all out before something bad happens. Is Malerie’s death prophesized by fate? And how will they save her?
An engaging mystery, romance thriller!


My rating: 4 stars

Review: FORGIVEN by Rachel Morgan

“My heart starts jumping around in my chest like it wants to get out. I understand. I want to get out too. Out of this car. Out of this country.” (Loc 27) Don’t we all know the feeling?

“I can’t joke my way through an explanation for why I left. Why I stayed away for so long. Why I still don’t want to be here.” (Loc 40) So, right away, I’m intrigued.
The story kicks off to Julia’s return to her home after being away for 306 days (for some reason, that number is very specific,) but we know nothing of her trials and adventures during her time away from home. Where did she go? What did she do? And why, for heaven’s sakes, did she leave? I mean, good friends, great boyfriend, a promising future—what could be so wrong?
Of course, not everyone is glad that Julia is back—not her baby sitter, and certainly not the boy she loved. Seriously, did she think he’d wait around for her forever? If anyone deserved the truth of why Julia ran away, it was sweet, lovable Josh. Like him, you won’t be able to rest until you find out what happened on that last night.
Filled with light-hearted drama and quirky humor, this story is all about regression—reacquainting yourself with dear friends and old flames, regaining your confidence to face hidden truths, and remembering your past to discover a future. For all these characters, it’s about forgiveness.
A quick and enjoyable read!
My rating: 4 stars