C.J. Butcher's Blog, page 120

Review: Turbulent Waters

Turbulent Waters by Melody Anne
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Coast Guard pilot Nick Armstrong savors the taste of danger. But after his helicopter crashes into the ocean during a mission, shattering his knee, he encounters a whole different type of thrill when he meets his new physical therapist. Maybe being grounded isn’t so bad after all.

Smart, sexy, and deeply guarded, Chloe Reynolds is the type of woman who drives Nick crazy for all the right reasons. But as she tries to help him heal, Chloe struggles to keep her heart—and secrets—safe.

For years, she has been told that Nick is responsible for her brother’s death, a “fact” that she slowly learns may not contain the entire truth.

But can Chloe’s growing feelings for Nick, and their undeniable chemistry, really overcome a years-long family feud? Or will the past ultimately destroy the future they both desperately want?

This book was like watching a train crash and not being able to stop it...I just hated it!! It had DNF written all over it. Written on the front, back, all around, top, bottom and in-between the pages....Like for real. I hate saying that! I really hate saying anything bad about any book because I think you can usually find at least a couple redeeming qualities in any book if you try hard enough. I'm usually so lenient when it comes to my stars because I KNOW the work it takes to put into a book but THIS book set my teeth on edge!

Can I just say that I have never in my almost 40 years - Yes 40 years...never wanted to nag slap a hero and I don't think I would call Nick a hero, by the way!! Side note - I think he's a man-child who doesn't listen to ANYTHING! I usually love Melody Anne's books but Nick, he had me wanting to bat for the other team! Seriously, I almost took up a whole new genre of books after reading about him and his needs, his wants and how he wanted it. Here's a hint for all the guys out there: If you want a woman and think being cocky about it is the way to go about it, go ahead but you're gonna come across as a dick and douche canoe which is what this guy was. If some dude showed up in my room buck naked and demanded I tell him "yes" I'd attach the prongs of a stun gun to his naked hiney (or something else) and light him up. Try it and see if I'm kidding! Chloe should have diagnosed him with Narcissistic Personality Disorder and got the heck out of dodge, thrown him some meds from a safe distance away and said buh-bye! Now, maybe I'm being old and harsh but maybe I'm being smart in a world filled with men who think they can treat women any way they want because of the Fifty Shades of Grey craze and No I haven't seen it and I'm not going to. So while I usually love Melody, I didn't love this book and I can't recommend it to women who I respect.

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's

View all my reviews

Review: Making Faces

Making Faces by Amy Harmon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ambrose Young was beautiful. The kind of beautiful that graced the covers of romance novels, and Fern Taylor would know. She'd been reading them since she was thirteen. But maybe because he was so beautiful he was never someone Fern thought she could have . . . until he wasn't beautiful anymore.

Making Faces is the story of a small town where five young men go off to war, and only one comes back. It is the story of loss. Collective loss, individual loss, loss of beauty, loss of life, loss of identity. It is the tale of one girl's love for a broken boy, and a wounded warrior's love for an unremarkable girl.

This is a story of friendship that overcomes heartache, heroism that defies the common definitions, and a modern tale of Beauty and the Beast, where we discover that there is a little beauty and a little beast in all of us.

I dropped all other books when this showed up on my shelf. I've read this book three times and every time I'm a snotted mess at about 72 percent until the end of the book. This book is one that resonates in your soul and doesn't let go. It hangs on, it's one that you recommend to your friends, family and everyone in-between. I love it and hate it at the same time because I know I won't be able to breathe the next day. Amy Harmon has done something that not many authors do - she tells a story without explicit sex or language. She tells a story and keeps it going til the very last page and you're sitting there with a feeling of loss, strength, hope and love. I bought this book for my mother when it came out to read. My mother is someone who only reads Christian books but yet I wanted her to read this so bad. This book has some Christian scripture and references, it does have some language but not a lot. I bought it in hope that she would see past it and boy did she. She loved this book and for my mother to give her stamp of approval on a book, it means the world. I read this book in about 5 hours and didn't stop. That means radio silence for everyone and I was on-call.

This book is about Fern, Ambrose and Bailey (Oh Bailey, how I love you!!) and it goes back and forth through their childhood. I loved all these characters, there wasn't one of the main characters that I could say I didn't like. I loved Brosey's (Ambrose's) friends, even Beans. This book was a tearjerker. It was heartbreaking and tore at your heartstrings. Bailey has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and it can't be cured and the first time he finds out he's going to die, I thought I was going to go through a whole box of Kleenex so I cut up an old t-shirt and used it instead. To listen to Fern tell him she might die first by getting hit by a car while walking down the road to make him feel better is so real to life. She starts listing all the ways she might die first to make him feel better. How we all need a Fern!! She is his person. She's his helper but also his cousin who I honestly believe God sent to him and you find out at the end of the story that her father always believed that once Bailey was gone God would take Fern soon after because of it. It's a sad thought to think that God would do that and he's a pastor but he does. Fern always has Bailey's best interests at heart and always helps him and he is one of those characters you can't help but love. He's all about wrestling and wanting to wrestle but he's also all about Ambrose and helping him become a better person and wrestler. Bailey is really the hero in this story. Hands down, this book wouldn't be what it is if not for Bailey.

Fern is an ugly-duckling and she's never the one that the boys look at. She writes letter to Ambrose for her friend Rita who's beautiful, even though she's always been in love with him. Ever since he helped her bury BS "Beautiful Spider" and sang the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" at it's funeral when they were ten. She's a deep character who writes the most eloquent poetry that says:

If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?
Does he make the legs that cannot walk and eyes that cannot see?
Does he curl the hair upon my head 'til it rebels in wild defiance?
Does he close the ears of the deaf man to make him more reliant?
Is the way I look coincidence or just a twist of fate?
If he made me this way, is it okay to blame him for the things I hate?
For the flaws that seem to worsen every time I see a mirror,
For the ugliness I see in me, for the loathing and the fear?
Does he sculpt us for his pleasure, for a reason I can't see?
If God makes all our faces, did he laugh when he made me?

How many times have we all looked in the mirror and thought this? It's like the author reached inside my very soul and knew what I felt and how long I'd been feeling it. Those words I will have written on a plaque and framed, so I can read them everyday and know that I'm more than a face. This book just has all the feels!!

There's a scene in the book that I love where Fern refers to Bailey as BS like the spider but calls him "Beautiful Sheen, Beautiful Bailey Sheen" and it's at a part in the book that I'm not going to give away but I had to get up and take the dogs out...at 4 a.m. because I couldn't breathe from crying. I literally was like "NOPE...can't handle no more snot, gotta get up and find something cause I'm dying here." And then I went right back to the book of the best night of my weekend.

You come to love all the characters in this book but one. Ambrose's friends: Beans, Paulie, Grant and Jesse - You love them all in their differences. It's not an easy story to read about them. It's about September 11th, the fallout afterward and 5 boys who join up to make a difference not knowing that the difference will be made in 4 families and a whole town.

There was a lot going on in this book but I didn't feel at any time that I didn't know what was going on. I always felt like everything was explained. There were some really hard topics in this book: War, domestic abuse, dying, peer pressure, ugliness of the world and of oneself, terrorism. It's all in there and it's dealt with appropriately.

Buy this book, buy it for your friends, family and gift it to people you love. It's an awesome book and has made me read all of the authors books since. You will not be disappointed you read it and if you are, then you're not human...you just can't be!! I will guarantee that a part of this book will resonate with you somewhere unless you're a sociopath and then it probably won't!

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

View all my reviews

Review: How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days

How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days by Kerrelyn Sparks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As one of the Embraced—one born with magical powers—the beautiful, innocent Luciana escaped certain death after her father hid her away on the Isle of Moon. Now, nineteen years later, her father has returned with a frightening request. He will be executed unless Luciana returns to the mainland and marries a man feared throughout the land: a terrifying brute known as the Beast.

Luciana accepts her fate and agrees to wed the Beast—Lord Leo—in order to save her father. Soon she learns that her betrothed is also one of the Embraced. With the ability to wield lightning, Leo’s immense power strikes fear into the hearts of men. . .and his mere touch can put an end to a woman’s life. But Luciana cannot deny the passion that burns between them. How can she resist the man who scorches her soul and makes her feel intoxicated with desire—even if surrendering to him could destroy them both?

This really should have been titled "How to Tame a Beast in Two Days" because it didn't take seven days nor did it seem like it. Seriously, there was no build up between the characters and no real romance that I felt. The good thing is...It's my opinion and everyone has one and die-hard fans may truly love this book. I, for one...just couldn't. I love Kerrelyn Sparks and read all her novels but this book really didn't feel "KS" to me. It was well-written grammar-wise but I just couldn't get into it. I kept reading other books in between. If I start doing that with a book - it doesn't end well! Will I pick up her next one? Definitely!! Because I don't think that you can judge an author by one book. You just don't. It's like judging a person by their one outfit. It's wrong and against some readers creed or something. LOL. So if you love Kerrelyn, you'll probably make a voodoo doll with my name on it and burn it in effigy. I'm okay with that because I try to be honest with my reviews and not blow smoke up your butt. It's your money and I try and save you that and time. Wait for her next one which I'm sure will be awesomeness personified!

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

View all my reviews

Review: Making Waves

Making Waves by Laura Moore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A self-made woman with a sweet, successful life discovers that even the best-laid plans are no match for unexpected passion in this brand-new series from award-winning author Laura Moore.

As the responsible daughter of an irresponsible socialite, Dakota Hale has plenty of practice catering to the whims of the rich and spoiled—and she’s turned that experience into a thriving concierge business serving the needs of the Hamptons’ wealthy elite. But living and working among the upper crust has never tempted Dakota to follow in her mother’s jet-setting footsteps. Anytime the drama on land gets too outrageous, Dakota finds calm surfing the Atlantic waves. But when sexy mogul Max Carr hires her, it rocks her balance in a big way.

Max works hard, but he’s never had to put any effort into winning over a woman—until now. With her stunning beauty and keen intelligence, Dakota is worth the effort. But it’s plain she has no interest in a casual fling, and that’s all Max with his grief-stricken heart can offer. But one fraught night changes everything, with consequences neither Dakota nor Max anticipated. Now they must navigate the rough waters of society gossip and devastating secrets that threaten their fragile relationship. If they can trust in the strength of their growing feelings, they’ll find that the dreams they’ve been chasing are close enough to embrace . . . together.

I must say this was a good book. I loved Dakota except she lets people walk all over her. Piper - what can I say about this woman, other than she's crazy, self-centered and the mother (if you can call her that, I just call her the breeder of Dakota) she was that loathsome!!! And yes it gets worse as it goes on! She has a sister, Dakota's aunt who is an evil, conniving, blood-sucking parasite. Is that a little harsh? Does that sound like I'm a little bitter and wanted to at times slam my kindle into the wall or run it over with my Corolla? Why yes, yes it does. The whole family hated Dakota because she was illegitimate and she kept going back...Why? I would have been like...Peace - out and given the finger but not Dakota. They never let her forget her illegitimacy and threw it up in her face every chance they got and I have to say if it had been me - I would have not taken the high road and sticks and stones route.

Her breeder mom was a lush and a slut who slept with anything with 2 legs or is it 3 legs? :P She would constantly describe the details of her exploits to Dakota, like that girl wanted to hear that trash!! I say "Girl, run and stay away lest you get fleas and rabies!!" All her life she wanted a dad and she finds out that her blood-sucking stench of a mother has been lying to her (big shock...NOT.) She knew who the man was that got her pregnant. So, Dakota finds out his name and goes to look for him.

They live in a super rich neighborhood where Dakota runs a concierge business called Premier Service and if her clients wanted something - she provided it. From cleaning houses to buying food, booze, ice cream for kids - you name it and she got it. All her families she provided for loved her.

Her uncle goes and sells her grandparents mansion to a man named Max Carr and he hires Dakota to stock, remodel and furnish it for him. He looks at her and she looks at him and BAM...it's on!! Max though is a hard guy and no nonsense. He's all about work and money, money and work. Throw some sexy, sexy, sexy in there and that's Max!! Max...Oh Max!! Max blamed himself for his twin sisters death since he was 18 years old and his mom's death a year later because his Dad told him he was the reason they were both dead...What is it with these horrible parents?? Max, of course leaves home brokenhearted and becomes a cold-hearted man - not feeling anything until meeting Dakota. She teaches him to surf and they form a kind of friendship - then the sex happens lol!!

The cast of people you come to love in this book that I thought were standout - Hendrick!! The gay Psychiatrist was just a sweetie - I wish there was more about him. He was a father figure to Dakota that she met when she was in middle school. He gave her her first job watering his plants, raking his leaves and a friendship was born. He also bought her the first surfboard she ever had! I love Hendrick and I think we all need a little bit of a Hendrick in our lives. Her friends, Alex, Gen and their kids - Which as a side note can be found in the story "In Your Eyes."

I'm not big on sex scenes and I think the Lords name could have been avoided and not been in there but the majority of books today throw that in there constantly so comparing it to other books - it wasn't OTT. I could have knocked stars off for that but I don't believe in doing that just because a book has that. If so, every book would have 1 star!!

*****Spoiler Alert*****
I had a really hard time believing at one point the ending. If you are in labor, HARD LABOR - You don't go for a stroll along the beach while you're water is breaking and you just keep strolling!!!! Honey child, you are screaming "Where are the drugs and drive to the hospital NOW!!!!"

Overall, I thought this was a worthwhile read and would read it again but skip over the mom parts cause she sucks life out of people!

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

View all my reviews

Review: Wedding Date Rescue

Wedding Date Rescue by Sonya Weiss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As a Firefighter, Kent Wakefield has been burned before, and not just by fire. So when Casey Bradford, his best friend's off-limits, gorgeous little sister, asks him to be her fake boyfriend, he flat out refuses. He doesn't do relationships, real or otherwise. But when his well-meaning, marriage-pushing mother corners him about his cousin's wedding, he panics and tells her he has a date.

After being left at the altar, Casey is out of options. She needs a boyfriend ASAP or she can kiss her dreams good-bye. Who better than her brother's emotionally unavailable best friend, Kent. She may have nursed a childhood crush, but this arrangement will be purely platonic...that is until he kisses her and suddenly it gets a lot harder to remember it's all pretend.

This was an excellent book that had no sex, hardly any language and some awesome characters!! Sonya Weiss knows how to write a true romance novel with good build up to a love story. Everybody in this story knew the main characters were in love but them and I love those kind of books. This was about a couple in their thirties who had been friends since they were children - which was another check in the box of golden romance stories. I love when you have childhood to adult sweetheart stories. They just have a way of tugging at your heartstrings. I fell in love with the extended families in this story and was rooting for them to all have a book because if they do...I will definitely be reading and reviewing! I loved that this was a honest to goodness plot-driven romance. So often, there isn't a plot in books nowadays - it's just sex with a side of plot. This book was totally different. Sonya reminds me of Kristan Higgins, Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery rolled into one. She weaves a story of family, love and loyalty. Pick this book up as soon as it comes out and you won't be disappointed!!

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

View all my reviews

Review: Undiscovered

Undiscovered by Sara Humphreys
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

He's the man of her dreams
A long time ago, Zander Lorens was cursed to walk the earth stripped of his Dragon Clan powers. Every night, trapped in a recurring nightmare, Zander relives his darkest moment. He can hardly believe it when the dream changes and a beautiful young woman appears. Zander believes she's the key to ending his torment. Finding her in the real world is one thing, but how will he convince her of who-and what-she really is?

She's the end to his nightmare
Rena McHale uses her unique sensitivity as a private investigator, touting herself as a "human divining rod" and finder of the lost. By day she struggles with sensory overload, and by night her sleep is haunted by a fiery dragon shifter. Nothing in her life makes sense, until the man from her dreams shows up at her door with a proposition.

Usually, I love Sara Humphreys and all her books but this one just didn't kick off as quickly as all her other ones for me. It's not that the book wasn't good but I didn't think that it was on par with her other works. I had just read another supernatural book and then I read this one and that one was a 5 star read and this one just fell flat. I think that true fans will buy this book and wait for the next one because true fans do that. Not all books will you like but you'll always like an author.

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

View all my reviews

Review: Fake Engagement Real Temptation

Fake Engagement Real Temptation by Joya Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh. My. God. Carrie Morgan can’t escape her cheating ex fiancé. She goes on her Hawaiian honeymoon fantasy vacation to prove she’s over him—but he’s there with his mistress in tow. Good thing Carrie’s annoyingly over-protective friend Blake came with her. How’s she going to prove to her ex she’s over him? Easy. One… Two… Three… She grabs Blake and kisses him.

Blake Harris isn’t about to let anyone take advantage of his heartbroken friend Carrie. And that includes himself, even if she’s sexy as sin in that bikini. Then she kisses him—and he’s on fire. Damage done, but he can back off. Except he sees that broken look in Carrie’s eyes. No. Hell no. New plan. He intends to show her ex just what he’s thrown away.

The kisses? For show. The heat? Part of the performance. The private practice sessions? Uh-oh. Those are starting to feel a bit too real…

This book was okay for me but I also read another book with the same premise as this one that had almost no sex or profanity and it was a 5 star read. So was that harsh of me? No, because other people will hate that book but like this one. What worked for me in this book was the Hero and what didn't was the antagonist because he was a giant douche canoe. Yep, I called him a douche canoe! He just got on my nerves and I know you're not supposed to like him but I got sick of having him in the book...If I could have chucked my kindle through the wall, I would have.

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

View all my reviews

Review: Playing the Player

Playing the Player by Amy Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After a long history with crappy guys, high school teacher Em Newman is going man-vegan. Four months of revirginization has opened her eyes to her doormat imitation but, baby’s got spine now, and some smooth-talking—even if he is sinfully hot—rugby player, won’t be adding her as a notch anytime soon.

Lincoln Quinn loves rugby, women, and poker. And he likes to win at all three. When his team mates bet him he can’t break through Em’s resolve, he’s more than up for the challenge. But this lady has a shoebox of stipulations before she’ll even go on a date with him, much less use that mouth for kissing instead of giving orders.

Something’s gotta give but this time Em’s not settling. And Linc’s questioning everything he ever knew about matters of the heart.

This was okay but again not something I would go right out and buy. I hate it when the hero isn't all that heroish lol. He just didn't do it for me. The heroine was kind of wishy washy and not definitive as a character. I just wanted to get through with the book because Linc didn't want to get married and his "bet" was to sleep with Em. Now, I'm pretty sure that puts him in the douche category. If you're going to bet that you can get a woman into bed in so many days and put a hundred dollars into the pot to bet for your ownself - you're a douche!! That's not a story I'd want to tell the kids or maybe some out there would. Maybe that is your story and if so then...that's great!

However, the writing was really good and it was really fast-paced. There was a lot of sexual content and language.

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

View all my reviews

Review: Cartel

Cartel by Lili St. Germain
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How much is a life worth? The USA Today bestseller and first scorching novel in the Cartel trilogy.

I grew up in Columbia, the daughter of a wealthy drug lord. I lived a life of extravagance, until one day a drug run went horribly wrong and everything came crashing down around me.

I was given away. A payment for a debt. The Gypsy Brothers motorcycle club became my owners, and I did everything I could to survive.

But falling in love with the man who owned me wasn't part of the plan ...

This was a great start to the new trilogy by Lili St. Germain. My heart broke for Mariana and I felt so sorry for her. I fell in love with Dornan Ross in this book but I know in the other books that he's a cruel, murderous, evil man who has no redemptive properties. He's just evil incarnate and you think that it's because of his father but he chooses to be the way he is. He doesn't have to be that way. He could change and throughout all of the series, you see him make decisions and the turning points to all those decisions where he could make a different decision. Mariana is a woman who's in a tight spot. She can't leave, so she's making the best of what she has with what she's got. She's probably got Stockholm syndrome and she's using Dornan as a means to an end.

In the end, she knows what her fate will be and she can't change it. She knows she's going to probably be killed by his family but she still fights back to some extent. This book also ends in a cliffhanger but it's so worth it and I would read it without having the other 2 books.

There should be warnings on all the books regarding sex and violence but I think that people who read the reviews and the authors bibliography will get that when she says she writes "disturbing dark romance" that means exactly that. Is it worth it to read knowing that? Yes, if you can take the language and explicit sex and violence.

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

View all my reviews

Review: Close to Home

Close to Home by Lily Everett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When Tessa Alexander came to Sanctuary Island, she left behind a marriage to a man who didn’t love her the way she loved him. When she finally found the strength to set them both free, she discovered friendship and self-acceptance in her adopted hometown. Now she’s settled into a quiet life on her own—never expecting to see her husband again.

Johnny spent almost two years deep undercover, unable to let his wife into his cold, dangerous world. He’s shaken to the core when he comes home to find her gone. It’s painfully clear that Tessa is no longer the timid young woman he married—she’s become a force of nature, a brave and determined beauty. Johnny can’t let her go without a fight so he sets out to seduce his own wife. But will passion alone be enough to convince Tessa that her new life should include a second chance at happiness with a man who must learn to believe in love?

I loved this book! I loved Tessa. I thought she was the best heroine I had read since...in a while. This had some really great moments that left me sighing. I love Lily Everett and there hasn't really been a book she's written that I've been like "I don't like this book!" I've liked them all because they're all different in some way, shape or form. Johnny, oh we all want a guy like him. In my mind I kept picturing him as Chris Pine in This Means War...well because he was HOT in that movie!!

My recommendation is get this book and just dive in...kick your kids to the grandmothers house and kick your husband out to somewhere because it's way worth it!!

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.



View all my reviews
Close to Home