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The Forever War by Dexter Filkins*****
The description of The Forever War on Goodreads begins with "How they happened and why, how they've succeeded and failed. The Forever War is not that kind of book..." This is one of the primary attributes that made this without question the best book I have read about the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Rather than focusing on the politics and historical implications, Dexter Filkins chose to focus on the people. Part memoir, part oral history, he has woven a narrative based on his own experiences over the course of nine years in the Middle East and the tales of those people he met. We see the changes over time in his feelings, the dissonance between the different sides. We hear the fragments of stories of the Marines with whom he spent a considerable amount of time. We read of deaths that haunt him and moments of beauty that amazed him. This book brought tears to my eyes more than once and reminded me that I am thankful for the people who spend their time in these hellholes, regardless of my opinion of whether or not they should be there.
July Review #7
Original Post
The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark***
It has taken me a couple of days to decide what I think of The Driver's Seat. Ultimately, I prefer The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, the only other work by Muriel Spark I have read. The Driver's Seat reminds me of the film that forms on one's teeth after eating or drinking too much sugar; vaguely unpleasant but otherwise unremarkable and easily removed. It is a methodically executed psychological thriller that initially left me unsettled, but that feeling has faded over time. It did not have any staying power; something that, to me, is the hallmark of an exceptional work. I do not regret the time I spent reading it, but I might if it were a longer work.
July Review #8
Original Post
Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin****
I would love to give Winter's Tale 5 stars, but ultimately there was something lacking in the story for me. The book is beautiful and rich, with absolutely stunning descriptions of both light and winter scenes. Sometimes the latter waxed repetitive, but the overall picture painted of New York City over the 20th century and the upper reaches of the Hudson River Valley was breathtaking. The plot, however, was inconsistent in its pacing. It took around 200 pages to really get going, and it weaved in and out thereafter. There were some very touching moments, particular between the character Peter Lake and Beverly Penn, but there were equal numbers of dull ones. The ending also felt weak to me, although I do not know that it would to everyone. Overall, this is a book I would recommend, but not without disclaimers.
July Review #9
Original Post
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick*****
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is without a doubt my favorite book of all I have read by Philip K. Dick to date. The story is beautiful and poignant. Taking place primarily in a single day, it follows the life of Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter who begins to question the job he does. He hunts androids who hide among and pretend to be human. Faced with a new model that thinks faster than humans, the only way to detect them is by administering tests that judge empathy, the only thing really separating them. Deckard's seesawing emotions created a tension that was only partially relieved by the end of the story. I am still thinking about it and the questions it raises.
August Review #1
Original Post
The Good Muslim: A Novel by Tahmima Anam***
I have not read A Golden Age and I know nothing about the Bangadeshi war against Pakistan. Both of these facts most likely decreased my appreciation for The Good Muslim: A Novel. I enjoyed the first of three sections very much, but somewhere in the second what had seemed like an introductory style began to feel very much like a lack of coherency. The lack of exposition contributed to my confusion about the setting and Maya, the primary character, began to repeat her thoughts and observations in a way that became irritating. I find it frustrating that this book was not better, because it very well could have been. It feels like there is a beautiful story that could have been told if only the author had more time or a more brutal editor to trim away the outer edges and reveal the center.
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy of this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program.
August Review #2
Original Post
I think I might have to do Easy this month. I'm just way too busy with all the stuff going on this month.Review #1:
Numbers by Rachel Ward
2/5 Stars
Yuck! This book was SO not for me.
This story is about a girl named Jem, who sees the date of people's death. She feels trapped with this power, and can't risk being anybody's friend. It's too horrifying for her. So, Jem obviously meets somebody.
This story is not at all what I expected based on the cover and description. I thought it would be all about finding out what the city is a target for [based on the description] and how to stop it. It was nothing like that.
The thing that I actually liked about this books was that the characters were fairly believable, meaning that they did have flaws. But they may have been too flawed. I couldn't find a good thing about them.
I also didn't like that this book was mainly romance. I was expecting action, suspense, and a thriller, but this book wasn't any of that. At many times in in the book, I wanted to give up reading it.
Another flaw is Jem's power.I feel like it was barely there. It SHOULD have been the main part of the story, but frankly, it wasn't. The story almost could have been the same without it.
In the end, there were lots of disappointing aspects in this book. It had a great idea, but it was done terribly.
Link to Original Post:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Nineteen Seventy Four by David Peace***
Given my utter hatred of Tokyo Year Zero, I was pleasantly surprised that I mostly enjoyed this book. The plot was grimy and violent and the view of humanity extremely dark, but the writing did not bother me. I can't say it changed the fact that I am reading Nineteen Seventy-Seven only because it is on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, but at least I no longer dread that and expect to abandon it partway through. Overall, this book goes in the category of books I respect more than enjoy, but don't hate.
August Review #3
Original Post
Updating since I've been MIA for a while:Month: June
#1
Rating: 3/5
It was a fairly easy read. I had enjoyed the first book more, but the second one was fun as well. The ghost, Helena, was as crazy as ever - or crazier, rather. Although it's been a while since I had read the first book so my memory is not entirely reliable, I thought that Helena's personality had changed just a bit in this book.
While it's a ghost story/mystery/romance, I felt that the romance took a backseat to the mystery, which was fine by me but due to the limited on-screen time of hero and heroine interacting with each other, the fact that they fell in love with each other was just the slightest bit unconvincing (it was more like love at first sight, I suppose). I liked the hero well enough, who was former FBI turned detective. His background story for why he chose the specialty he did - searching for missing persons - made sense. The heroine didn't stand out too much to me, but heroines rarely do for me.
The mystery of who was trying to kill the heroine was quite a mystery. I couldn't figure it out until the heroine did although...I'm not that great with figuring out whodunits in the first place so that's may not mean much.
I was bothered about two things. One was the significance of the heroine's great-aunt's diary entry, which I didn't think was explained. The other was how neatly everything fell into place. Granted, the tone of the book was fairly humorous and light-hearted, and as a mystery romance, we're guaranteed a HEA, but it seemed terribly convenient the way things ended up to the point of it being unnatural - or forced, even.
I do intend to read the third book though. I do enjoy this series, especially the ghost.
#2
Rating: 3/5
This was a short, slowly building, sweet story. The BDSM leaned more strongly to the D/s side, and the scenes were light and short. I liked how the author showed Hadley struggling to accept his submissive side, and it was sweet to see how patient Rawlings was as he helped Hadley explore his submissiveness. This feels more like a long excerpt to a longer story given how it ended. I'm interested in seeing how their relationship works out as Hadley further explores his submissive side.
#3
Rating: 3/5
Typical Harlequin: a one night stand, the "secret" baby, the BIG Misunderstanding, angst, kiss and make-up.
If it weren't for the BIG Misunderstanding plot that made me want to bang my head each time I was confronted with it, this could have been a 3.5 - 4.0 stars for me because I did enjoy it (although I'm not quite certain why). I liked how Tom realized that he had fallen in love with Sylvie but I wanted to hit him each time his "BIG Misunderstanding" prevented him from simply talking things out with her. As for Sylvie, she could have saved a lot of heartache if she had been more explicit. I also liked the setting which is not a typical one for me - contemporary British. If you want a quick read with a bit of angst and sweetness, you might like this one. If you tend to have violent reactions to certain romance tropes, I recommend avoiding it and saving yourself a headache, a trip to the dentist, or your precious e-reader.
#4
Rating: 2.5/5
2.5 stars
When I first started this, I did not know about the historical background of Hysteria and the treatments that had been recommended until I'd read a couple of reviews and looked up the information online. It enabled me to look at it from a different perspective, and made it a better reading experience.
I liked this story. The HEA was rather sweet although it was too short to show why and how Dr. Drake and Constance fell in love. It was also a bit uncomfortable to read and I wasn't certain I would finish it. I think it was because there was some "ick" factor for me in how the two met and under what circumstances. There was also the fact that as the reader, I was reading from Constance's 1st person, present tense POV. It is actually a bit disturbing how eagerly she looks forward to her treatments and manipulates her mother and her doctor to get her way although I can see why she would do so. But the writing style lent her voice a particular "mad" quality to it which became very authentic when (view spoiler). If I could have seen her processing why she had felt so anxious and disturbed by Dr. Drake, I think I would have liked it better. And then, there's the question of whether (view spoiler).
#5
Rating: 4/5
The first thing I noticed about this book was an age-old romance novel quality you might say. It had the perfect friendship in childhood which stayed strong into adulthood forming a perfect business - and at first it put me off a little because of how familiar it was. But then entered Carter.
How did she do it? How did Nora Roberts manage to make an ex-nerd, former Yale instructor, current high school English teacher sexy? Because, by golly, he was that. We stayed mostly in the heroine's POV, and oddly enough she found him very attractive. Carter was soooo sweet in his awkwardness, his honesty, and his sweetness and caring. He got the chance with Mackensie that he had been waiting for since high school at last, and this time he didn't let his bashfulness and insecurities stop him from even talking to her. And then when he really became comfortable with the relationship, the more confident Carter was even sexier.
Mackensie annoyed me, just as she had annoyed Emma. She had this great guy who was head over heels in love with her, and she let the baggage of her familial relationships dictate her actions, hurting Carter. But because she was what Carter had always wanted, I was very happy for the HEA.
This was my first Nora Roberts romance after over a decade of reading romance novels. This won't be my last. Now on to Book 2. :)
#6
Rating: 2.5-3/5
****SPOILER ALERT****
My feelings about this book are a bit conflicted. On the one hand, I hated the premise of the book: betrayal, manipulation, the level of deception, etc. In fact, I had to force myself to read it months after I'd read all the others in the series, including the Liars' Club series, by placing it as one of the books in a reading challenge. On the other hand, I liked the HEA and the certain level of heartache involved when the hero makes a major goof.
I couldn't like Marcus whole-heartedly. The level of deception and betrayal he dealt Julia did not sit well with me. I would have liked a whole lot more grovelling and to have him suffer more - a lot more. But perhaps Julia is a better person than I. I don't know if I would have forgiven him so easily even if I did love him and understand that he was doing what he thought was right.
To be honest, although Julia is supposedly this intelligent, tough-minded, sharp-witted woman, I felt like I was told all this more than shown it. There seemed to be too much evidence of her gullibility and naivety that simply did not match up with her persona as the Fox. I was especially displeased when she turned into a gullible, lovesick woman who rattled off her history prior to becoming Lady Barrowby after her first orgasm. While I could understand that Julia the Fox was also Julia the sexually frustrated young widow and woman, I saw too little of the former to be willing to accept the latter.
I did not like the torrid, erotic diary entries although it seemed to fit her character as a lonely, sexually frustrated young wife. However, I did like Marcus's initial reaction to finding what the diaries were about.
After Julia learned of Marcus's betrayal, although it was evident that he had regretted his actions, I really disliked how quickly she seemed to forgive him and to fall back into his arms, if only to experience the pleasures of sex with him one last time. I felt ready to throw the book against the wall at that point because all I could think of was, "Girl, don't you have any pride?"
While the author described Marcus's misery rather well, I still would have preferred to have him suffer more than internally. I wanted Julia to take longer to forgive him. I wanted to feel more of the impact of his realization at what his actions had cost him. No, I just wanted him to suffer for what he did longer than he did. It wasn't enough for me. (Yes, I am a teeny bit vindictive.)
So where was my conflict? About halfway through Marcus's deception, he realized that he could not complete it - or at least not easily. He was falling in love. He was ready to admit the truth of his identity and purpose to Julia. He kind of seemed desperate for a way out of the situation he found himself in after the betrayal. So when the HEA occurred, it was satisfactory enough - and he was rather sweet in his suffering and his lovesickness.
Unfortunately, the ending was a bit too tidy. Marcus thinking that he wasn't ready for the position too easily made way for allowing Julia regain her position as the Fox. It felt too contrived. There should have been a better way to show why Marcus was willing to give up the position he'd betrayed his lover for.
So while the negatives drag my rating of this book down to 1.5-2 stars, the pang I felt for Marcus and the happier note at the end raises it up to 2.5 - 3 stars.
#7
Rating: 1.5/5
1.5 stars
There wasn't much of a plot to this novella. I felt that this could have been better. The beginning started off interesting, particularly the glimpses of the world-building that the author started setting into place. But the last 2/3 of the novella was a long, drawn-out sex-fest that had me wondering how long this was going to take. I also found Hunter's reactions, responses and actions hard to believe, particularly to the existence of vampires and to Malcolm's confession. I found it difficult to relate to or even really like either of the main characters. The ending was barely satisfactory although my vague dissatisfaction had not really anything to do with the fact that it was a HFN instead of a HEA.
Progress:
February: Intermediate - 5 reviews
March: Challenging - 9 reviews
April: Intermediate - 7 reviews
May: Challenging - 9 reviews
June: Intermediate - 7 reviews
Month: July#1
Rating: 3/5
I enjoyed this book. It was a sweet romance which portrayed both the positives and negatives of living in a small town. It was a story about second chances, and friends finding love in each other. There were a good number of laugh-out-loud parts, which had me chuckling at the gym while on the bike or the treadmill, and that's always a plus. I also liked the characters in this book, especially the blue-haired elderly busybodies. While I liked Tara a little less than I did Ford, I kind of felt as if I understood why she was so hesitant to forge ahead for a true relationship with him. So overall, although I liked this book, I still think that I like the cover better.
#2
Rating: 3/5
This book was enjoyable. I particularly related to Callie despite not having the full-figure that I imagine the heroine has because I feel as if I understood where she was coming from. I fully understood her loneliness and the feeling that life was passing her by while everyone around her got fell in love, got engaged, and started a family. Due to her frustration, it made it believable that she wanted to break all the rules governing women in society. I also liked the grovel factor after the hero messed up although I didn't think the make-up scene was quite as satisfactory. Unlike Callie, I have yet to take what I want and to live in a way that would get me what I wanted.
Anyway, other than this, this book was nothing out of the ordinary and therefore just slightly disappointing.
#3
Rating: 3.5-4/5
3.5 - 4 stars
I really enjoyed it. It made me laugh at every chapter. Although not a teacher, I had tutored in classrooms and I sympathized. It was great to see how the author did seem to enjoy teaching, for the most part, and felt more fulfilled doing it. I woukd like to know how year 2 went for him and how it compared with year 1.
Progress:
February: Intermediate - 5 reviews
March: Challenging - 9 reviews
April: Intermediate - 7 reviews
May: Challenging - 9 reviews
June: Intermediate - 7 reviews
July: Easy - 3 reviews
Month: August#1
Rating: 2.5-3/5
2.5 - 3 stars
What I liked about A Kiss to Remember is the overall romance. I also liked the humor and how the reader can see that Sterling did care for Laura without him saying, "Yes, I love her." Instead, the reader sees Sterling being amused by her moods, his thinly veiled concern for her, and his desire to keep her despite what she'd done.
But what bothered me about this book had more influence in how I viewed this book so while I had enjoyed this book, I would not read this again - and I am reluctant (surprisingly) to read the second book.
First of all, I did not care too much for the plot device. After reading the blog entry referenced here, I have had difficulty accepting this plot device. I also did not care for Laura's "brilliant" plan and her lies, no matter how "well-intentioned" she may have been. But I found it amusing how she attempted to make Nicholas Radcliffe in the image of her dream man - and his reaction to it. But of course such a plan must come with an amnesiac which just drew an eye-rolling from me.
The second MAJOR thing that bothered me was...Lottie. Her machinations seriously disturbed me and I simply could NOT believe that Sterling just brushed her actions off as pranks or the like. I think that the author meant for Lottie to be seen driven by immaturity, misconceptions and a bad influence from the gothic novels that she read, but all I could see was a seriously deranged kid who should be locked up and given...well, there likely wasn't any help for the insane in those days but the way she calmly spoke about her plans chilled me. Jane Austen did a much better job at showing how a (silly) character might be influenced by what she reads without majorly turning a reader off - at least not this reader.
I had been hoping that the second book in the series was Diana's book, but apparently it is Lottie's, which I have some misgivings about. The romance was fairly traditional, the writing fairly decent albeit with a few wince-inducing choice of words and phrases, and the characters are somewhat likable. If you think you can allow the author to persuade you that Lottie was acting like an anxious child and not a mentally ill one, then this book might work for you. But honestly, I would not recommend it.
#2
Rating: 1.5-2.5/5
1.5 - 2.5 stars
This book disappointed on several accounts, not least of which was that I was expecting a historical romance but ended up with historical erotica. I am by no means prudish when it comes to my reading tastes but I was in the mood for a nice, historical romance, something I had not been in the mood for for a while, and to end up with historical erotica was a bit shocking and dismaying. I had not read such in several weeks and the cruder language and frequency of graphic sex scenes turned me off.
I got this book for free, which is a relief since I would have been disappointed to have paid for it. Given that due to Hurricane Irene, I had no electricity, I figured taking down yet another book from my huge TBR pile would be the thing.
Within the first couple of chapters, I thought that there was a lot of info dumping going on, and a lot of narration to describe the characters, their history, and their thoughts. I was not impressed since it caused the story to start off slowly. The premise of the book was somewhat over the top and silly, and the constant popping up of obstacles to the eventual HEA was exasperating and lengthened the story unnecessarily. While the grammar was solid and the book was fortunately free of egregious misspellings and typos (for an e-book), the language was alternately flowery and crude, such as in Bay's letters to Deborah, and didn't seem "period". While spinster, lonely and boring Charlotte Fallon might have considered them romantic, I did not. The frequency of the sex scenes and the crude terms to describe them was not a plus for me. I couldn't really relate to any of the characters, and didn't feel involved with them.
Bay's letters to Deborah did not give me an initial, good impression of Bay; he seemed gullible and hardly a hero type. Charlotte was annoying. As another reviewer noted, she was dishonest especially with herself - and that annoyed me a lot, particularly in the first half of the book. While she kept on going on about being a respectable woman, she all too readily fell into bed with Bay, which lowered my opinion of her since she talked the talk but didn't walk the walk.
What I did enjoy about this book was the banter between Charlotte and Bay, and the interactions. While initially my impression of Bay wasn't favorable, in retrospect, I appreciate the fact that he did not seem like a typical romance hero. He gets shoved on to his arse a couple of times by Charlotte, gets kidnapped and worse by his ex-wife (and later saved by Charlotte - yay!), and completely flubs his marriage proposal a la Mr. Darcy. I appreciate how unlike a traditional romance, certain events occur (to Bay) that would not normally occur - although, the author did tend to gloss over the severity of the issue. I also appreciate the fact that the heroine is not a perfect, everyone-loves-her type. And Lady Christie's story intrigued me.
While I thought the book itself might have normally rated 2 - 2.5 stars from me, I myself felt my enjoyment level was only 1.5 stars. I ended up with 2 stars anyway because the latter half of the book was a slight improvement over the first half due to what seemed to be a progression in the romance department.
NB: I do not recommend this book to anyone for whom rape of any form is a very sensitive trigger button.
#3
Rating: 3.5-4/5
3.5 - 4 stars
I really enjoyed this novel as I have enjoyed most of Heyer's romances I have read. Gervase reminded me quite strongly of The Scarlet Pimpernel and I'd been somewhat hopeful of a like occupation, but alas, I was disappointed in that.
I confess that I 'd guessed the culprit of the attempts on Gervase's life early on - from the first attempt, to be precise. It disappointed me to have supposed correctly because I did like that character.
The romance between the main couple was so understated that I felt it to have appeared out if the blue. Neither of them had given any true sign of having fallen for each other, but I suppose that that is true for many of Heyer's romances.
I found quite a bit of difficulty in understanding many of the references and the turns of phrases. However, although I'd wished for a glossary, it did not deter me too much from enjoying the novel.
What really delighted and amused me, though, was the irony of the elder Morvilles'. It seemed like a very Jane Austen thing to do, and to be honest, was the main reason I'd raised my rating from 3 stars to 4.
One last remark would be regarding the ending of the book which I felt was rather abrupt.
Progress:
February: Intermediate - 5 reviews
March: Challenging - 9 reviews
April: Intermediate - 7 reviews
May: Challenging - 9 reviews
June: Intermediate - 7 reviews
July: Easy - 3 reviews
August: Easy - 3 reviews
Month: September#1
Rating: 4-4.5/5
4 - 4.5 stars
No, we do not have the perfect hero, the rake who is good to his elders, loving to his siblings, gallant to the distressed, and saves puppies or kitties. Instead, we have the Marquis who does his best to dodge his responsibilities to his family, has little to no affection for his siblings, and is quite selfish. What a refreshing change this was from historical romances written by modern-day authors!
I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Marquis find himself in a situation that was more than he bargained for when he decided to play his trick on his sister and cousin. I liked watching him change from an entirely selfish creature to one who was able to care about Frederica and her younger brothers. Yet, he doesn't make a 180 degree change. He still retains his derision for tiresome people such as his elder sisters, his cousins and even Frederica's beautiful younger sister. However, at least in regards to Frederica's sister, he manages to hide his true feelings in order to spare her tender feelings and not offend Frederica.
Frederica initially seemed like a young, chatty ingenue, instead of the de facto head of the family. Although she was described as being quite capable, I actually don't recall much evidence of her managing her family affairs very well without having to rely on "Cousin Alverstoke". However, her siblings do look upon her as the virtual head of the family. Aside from very tiny, subtle hints that Frederica might be feeling more than gratitude to Cousin Alverstoke, it wasn't until the end of the book when the reader gets a confirmation that Frederica does love him. When it came to romance, it was not very convincing. Nevertheless, if I put myself in her shoes, I can kind of understand why Frederica was not able to recognize her true feelings because I think that I would have been just like her.
As secondary characters, I found Frederica's two youngest brothers to be quite engaging. I enjoyed the scrapes that Felix got into in his attempts to learn more about mechanics, but I found Jessamy to be more interesting - a mix of a young man trying to become saint-like but showing flashes of the boy he still is. Frederica's sister, Charis, was a bit boring but towards the end, she got a bit tiresome and silly. I could not disagree with the Marquis's feelings toward her. I found Alverstoke's sisters to be as disagreeable as Alverstoke found them, but I thought that despite the eldest's dislike of her younger sister getting anything more than she herself got, she was still rational enough to consider the Merrivilles somewhat objectively and find the prospect of Frederica as her sister-in-law to be acceptable. However, this complacency is probably due to her elder daughter being quite eligibly engaged already unlike her poor sister.
In short, I really enjoyed this book. I give it 4-4.5 stars.
#2
Rating: 2.5/5
2.5 stars
The descriptions about this book strongly reminded me of another Georgette Heyer book, The Foundling, and I had a strong feeling that I would know how things would turn out. I was right.
I really liked Desford although he seemed a little too perfect. I enjoyed his exchanges with his crotchety father, and how could one hate a guy who was so gallant towards his mother? The interactions between Desford and Henrietta clearly showed their closeness but like everyone else, it seemed one of just two young people who had grown up as close friends with each other. Henrietta was too good. She was a bit snobbish, very mindful of class distinctions in one scene, which tarnished the halo a bit in my eyes, but still remained generous and a kind friend to Charity.
Charity was too helpless, too naive and eager to please, and too boring, and her father was over the top. He seemed like a caricature of a con man, and not at all like an Honorable. While Desford and Henrietta might have found him amusing, I found him irritating as Simon and tiresome.
I thought that Desford's quest to help Charity took too long. There were so many obstacles that I grew a bit bored and eager for the end. He is sent here and there, and manages to get to a resolution just as everything was coming to a close, and that was just too many convenient inconveniences for me. Desford just couldn't get a break, and neither could I. I struggled with the scene when Simon is forced to deal with Mr. Steane, and I was ready to bang my head against the wall. I just wanted Simon to throw the guy out.
Basically, the only thing I really liked about this book was Desford and his interactions with the people he comes into contact with. Most of the other parts of the book kind of just bored me.
#3
Rating: 3.5/5
3.5 stars
I don't remember what brought me to add this to my TBR pile nor why I had purchased it, but I don't regret it. It was a surprisingly decent read for someone who didn't expect much out of it. I think the main reason was the characters.
Dana was an impressively competent heroine, and I rarely find heroines interesting, competent or impressive. I admired her ability to booby trap her house in the event her ex-husband found her, her ability to stand her ground before FBI agents who think they should control everything, and her ability to defend herself with "legal facts" when questioned about her methods by said FBI agents. It was a really fun scene, and I laughed along with the hero. She seems to be more competent than so-called female FBI agents in other romance novels. I also really liked her relationship with her son. Instead of shielding him from the facts about their life, she trusted him with everything in the hopes of increasing their chances of survival - and it worked. It was really quite amazing. I think that it would take a strong woman to make a 10 year old boy a nearly full partner in their quest for survival for however many years they were hiding.
Dana's son, Xavier, was also a good character. I appreciated how the author seemed not to make him sound too young since so many authors I've read tend to have this problem. Sometimes he sounded older than he was, but it was quite plausibly explained by the life that he had had to live. I admired his courage and resilience, and for not losing his composure when he found himself in a bad situation.
I liked the hero, Caine Bradley, uncover FBI agent, as well. He was a pretty typical romanticized FBI agent so he didn't stand out too much. I felt that I didn't get to witness him as a FBI agent as much as I witnessed him as a regular "dad". I was attracted to the "dad" persona more than the FBI agent persona anyway.
And finally there is Shadow. What an awesome dog! XD
Although the plot of wife and son on the run from crazy, evil mobster guy is one that I've encountered, I liked the execution of it better in this book. It was a little more exciting, most particularly the climax when hero and heroine are trying to rescue the Xavier. I don't remember any of the other books making me feel glued to the scene, hoping to be able to finish reading before I get interrupted.
One last thing that I appreciated about this book was the fact that there were exactly 2 sex scenes - and they came around 60% and 80%. I was relieved that this felt more focused on the plot instead of peppering it with gratuitous sex scenes.
Now for the negative parts. I don't know whether this was due to the Kindle edition but the transition between one POV to another was practically nonexistent. The first time this happened, I was so confused about what was happening because one moment I was in Dana's POV, and the next I was in Caine's. I thought I'd missed a page or something because there was absolutely no indication that this POV switch was occurring so I kept flipping between the two "pages" and rereading. It was exasperating enough to kind of pull me out of the story.
There were a couple of no-communication misunderstandings which made me want to bang my head, but I think if I had not been so tired of "misunderstanding" plot devices, it might not have irritated me. I also got annoyed by Dana's constantly lustful thoughts about Caine. Was it really necessary to have 80% of her thoughts be about how much she wanted to jump him?
Apparently Xavier is multicultural. It's mentioned in the second half of the story. While on the one hand I am all for multicultural main characters, especially if their diversity is not painfully described to show how multicultural they are, on the other hand, what's the purpose of mentioning this if there was absolutely nothing else to indicate that the boy was multicultural? In fact, only from what I could glean from the scenes with his birth-father, I can suppose that he is either half or full Hispanic. Say, is it possible to have a Hispanic with the name of Donovan Walker? I don't know about Dana.
There were a couple of typos but no unforgivable errors in spelling or grammar. I liked the author's voice and writing style, and the humor she injected into some of the scenes. All in all, it was a decent, entertaining read.
#4
Rating: 2.5-3/5
2.5 - 3 stars
I would not recommend this for anyone who did not see the video(s), Where the Hell is Matt?, and wondered about the back story of each location Matt Harding had been to.
The author basically talked about each location - an anecdote or two, how he got to where, what he was thinking, how he did what he did, etc. - and added a picture or two, which were most often stills from the video.
It was interesting and fun to read the anecdotes, and the author's thoughts at the time. He had a sense of humor that tickled mine so he kept me smiling or chuckling for about half the book.
Is the book worth buying? I couldn't say. But I got it free from Amazon.com, and I did like it.
#5
Rating: 2.5-3/5
2.5 - 3 stars
I was rather pleasantly surprised by this despite the low ratings. While it was by no means the best book I had ever read, I found it rather intriguing and fascinating. It was a paranormal romance with a strong suspense-thriller component - or was it the other way around? As a thriller, therefore, it was kind of dark and spooky, especially since I was reading in the dark. The nature of Maddie and Sarah's abilities made the whole experience of reading almost surreal and confusing, but that was also what I found so interesting. I was better able to identify with Maddie and Dr. Keith, who find themselves struggling to figure out what is going on, who they can trust, and how they can regain their normal lives.
The plot didn't make a whole lot of sense to me, probably because I couldn't clearly understand what was going on. I didn't understand exactly what the Wolf's mission was, and who he was. The world-building, in retrospect, seems a little sparse. While I kind of understood what the Watchers were, I didn't understand what the Brotherhood were. I didn't get a sense of either of their histories either. There was this big deal about the Temple legacy or the Temple curse but I didn't think this was explained adequately. Furthermore, a revelation toward the end of the book made me wonder whether this had anything at all to do with a Temple anything instead of targeting certain types of psychics. Finally, there were some questions such as...how was it that Dr. Keith was able to be on the run with Maddie and not think about whether he will still have his job when he returns?
I have mixed feelings about the characters. One thing I admired about them was the fact that almost all of them had deep flaws. Almost all of them. Dr. Keith was almost too perfect - loyal and trusting and strong from start to finish. I didn't understand how he could start developing some sort of psychic ability to connect with Maddie when he had not had any to begin with. This was not explained. Although I had to commend him for trying to do his best to protect Maddie and I couldn't blame his distrust of the Raven, it was so frustrating to see how he kept demanding answers and kept accusing the Raven of everything when time was clearly of the essence so he should have just shut up and got the hell out of the situations they were in. I'm tempted to label him as a TSTL hero but...I really could not blame him for wanting to ensure Maddie would be safe with the Raven.
Maddie was too helpless. While her strong psychic abilities made her a force to reckon with when under her insane twin's influence, from Chapter 1 to the very last chapter, she needed Dr. Keith. On the one hand, her mental status was deteriorating due to the Wolf's and her twin's tampering so it was understandable that she would need a lot of help. In fact, this helplessness didn't really bother me much as I was reading because it fit the context of the story. On the other hand, when I think back on it, I wish she was stronger. What I liked about her was that I kind of see her as a somewhat atypical heroine because her particular disability is a gradual deterioration of her mental status and being on the verge of insanity. I don't often come across books where the heroine's sanity can be questionable.
Her relationship with Dr. Keith was believable because they had been kind of seeing each other before the start of the story. Dr. Keith's loyalty, strength and support made it seem obvious to me why Maddie would fall in love with him. While I didn't see what the attraction was going the other direction, I could accept that perhaps he had seen something in Maddie that he had really liked before Maddie started having problems.
Sarah was...a total nutcase. However, the author successfully made me feel sorry for her. What I found intriguing about this character was the fact that she is clearly the heroine of a story yet to be told, but she is more of an atypical heroine than Maddie. She is certifiable and has done things that you would rarely find a romance heroine doing, and yet she is the other half of a relationship that remained in the background of this story. I am interested to see how the author pulls her HEA off.
Just as intriguing was the Raven, the man who loved Sarah. It was kind of hard to believe because we were never really shown what attracted him to her, considering Sarah had spent nearly almost all her time in either a coma or a drug-induced dream state - and she was crazy. It was also a little hard to believe that he cared about her so much given the fact that he participated in the experiment that nearly destroyed her. However, I was able to accept the fact that he had to hurt her in order to save her due to their particular situation.
So, overall, I guess I kind of enjoyed the book. I mostly appreciated the way the author seemed to push the envelope when it came to characterization. It left me bemused and interested in checking out Book 2.
#6
Rating: 3/5
3 stars
This book confused me. On the one hand, I liked it - or rather, I liked the ending (Io and Blake together). On the other hand, some things seemed to be missing and affected how I viewed the first half of the book.
The world sounded pretty interesting. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be too much effort in world building. There were just enough descriptions to get a sense of what the world was like. I would have liked more but I guess for the less demanding, it was enough.
At first, I couldn't really "feel" the characters. Io seemed interesting upon first impression - tough despite his life and what he had to do. I didn't like either Ronnie or Blake. I didn't care about any of the characters. At first. But it started to change a little as we got more signs of Io's and Blake's mutual attraction for each other.
While I didn't quite buy into Blake's "softness" for Io nor his sudden interest in the well-being of Bentley's whores, I found him to be quite a fascinating character. He was not very likable but his need, desire and unfamiliar fondness? for Io makes him seem more human. Ronnie seemed like the typical bad-guy-is-bad character. He was actually more detestable than the usual bad guys I find in typical (het) romances.
The ending made it feel as if I was left hanging. It was a HFN that somewhat satisfied me. I would have liked more.
In short, I guess what I liked most about this book was Blake's gradual and limited transformation. While it seemed forced, I liked how it led him to care for Io, which in turn allowed Io to soften and warm up to him, and allowed me to believe in the HFN.
#7
Rating: 3.5/5
3.5 stars
Beauty and the Beast, m/m-style. I really liked the idea behind the story, and how the title was made relevant to it. I thought it was great how the author showed that even those "not beautiful" on the outside deserve a HEA too. It wasn't the typical het romance's plain or stuttering heroine. It wasn't even the occasional lame one. Instead, we have a really ugly, Quasimodo-type character who, due to the cruelty of his neighbors, attempted to twist his inside to match the outside; yet, by the love of his mother and sister, apparently retained an inner beauty. I liked the lessons the author tried to convey. I thought it was fairly subtly done.
I found Naef a.k.a. Knife to be an interesting character. In order to protect himself emotionally and physically, he developed a barbed way of speaking and skill in throwing tiny dagger projectiles. Yet, despite himself, he was not immune to the kindness of his sister's suitor. He also wanted the very best for his mother and sister to the point that he was willing to go away to make their lives easier. This meant that despite his gruffness and sometimes rude behavior to other people, he was still redeemable in my eyes because I was able to understand why he did what he did. It was also interesting to see how Naef tied up his identity with his physical appearance, and yet, was willing to accept the "beasts" of Aerie-Smith's island for what they were inside rather than what they appeared to be.
Aerie-Smith wasn't so very interesting, I think, in part because we see him after the magical enchantment has wrought the necessary changes to his soul so there was no character growth to witness. Yet, his tenderness, patience and caring for Naef - especially after his revelation about the truth in the dark - really impressed me because he truly looked beneath the appearance and loved Naef for who he was, and not what he appeared to be.
I had a bit of difficulty with the language and style. It seemed too modern for a fantasy tale based on a fairy tale. I would have liked it better had the language seemed just a little bit archaic, and that there were less use of profanities. I thought that Selah March did a better job in that respect in "Year of the Cat".
There was minimal world building. While there were enough details to satisfy the less fussy, I would have liked more so as to feel this world come alive in my imagination. Instead, I was given a hazy sketch which failed to satisfy, and questions which were left unanswered such as (view spoiler)
One of the primary niggles in the back of my mind was the way the author engineered the basis for the plot. I found it as incredulous as Naef did that (view spoiler). Although the punishment of hubris is a common theme in literature, I didn't think the author wrote it in a way that I found believable. While I was able to accept that Mrs. Potts and Chip turned into a teapot and teacup, respectively, because the Beast had committed hubris against an enchantress, I wasn't able to suspend my disbelief for the people of Aerie-Smith's island. (view spoiler) But most especially, why did Knife's transformation occur as it did due to the enchantment? I really liked how it had played into the lessons of the story but I wasn't able to accept why behind it. (view spoiler)
I think if it weren't for the problems I had with the plot, world building and language, I might have rated it a star higher simply because I really liked the "story with a lesson behind it".
#8
Rating: 3/5
3 stars
My first reaction to the ending? What the hell just happened. I've never felt so taken in by a twist in a book. It took me a while to figure out what had just happened.
I liked how Dan's breaking was coordinated. I never expected it. I thought it was an interesting idea. I wish there had been more to it though because I wasn't expecting it to be this short, fast-paced and focused.
I thought that Dan's conversion from straight to bi or whatever he was was not very believable. It was too fast. I felt that his defiance didn't last very long, but I liked the metaphor of Eric being his last hopes of escape.
I also don't like watersports.
#9
Rating: 1.5 - 2/5
#10
Rating: 2/5
Month: October
#1
Rating: 4/5
The dialogue was anachronistic and the interrelationships as well, but the author's style of writing carried me along and I was able to disregard how superficially based the book was on the time period. It was a very entertaining read.
I loved the interactions between the heroine and the hero. Linnet and Piers fit each other so well. They were both sarcastic and prone to blunt speech. I loved the fact that Linnet was not afraid of Piers and stood toe-to-toe with him when it came to exchanging verbal sarcastic volleys. Their exchanges were a lot of fun, and I sensed that the author had fun as well. I liked the fact that aside from her extraordinary beauty and compassion for the patients in Piers's castle, the author didn't try to turn Linnet into a perfect heroine. Instead of giving us a heroine so modest that she was oblivious to the effects that her beauty had on the men who laid eyes on her, the author made Linnet a little vain, and willing to acknowledge to herself that she deliberately manipulated men with her beauty and smile.
I loved the character of Piers as well. He was blunt, irascible and sarcastic. He didn't have softer feelings, even when it came to his patients. He did have a typical romance hero disability, but I liked the fact that the pain from his disability was highlighted - and that he was even forced into positions that were somewhat undignified. It was around 65% of the book when I realized who he reminded me of - Dr. House from House, M.D..
I liked the relationship that Linnet and Piers started off with. I liked how it evolved. I liked the detail of Piers making himself unhappy with his actions. And I loved how he realized that he simply could not live without Linnet. I admit, I'm a sucker for this type of realization. The "grovelling" was so well done, I was shedding tears of sympathy for Piers since the moment of his realization to the end of the book.
A final problem I had with the book was that the author decided to make a perfect happy ending - (view spoiler) Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the book.
#2
Rating: 1/5
I don't think this author's writing style works for me. I read the words but they meant nothing to me. While it amused me to have a historical romance written in such an anachronistic style with modern dialogue, it was off-putting as well. While there was humor in it, it wasn't the type of humor to appeal to me, especially when I was already irritated everything else. The plot was ridiculous. The dialogue was ridiculous. The characters...well, you get the picture.
I didn't feel any connection to any of the characters. They were completely flat. I felt nothing for them, and I wasn't invested in their romance. Because I couldn't care less for them, it made me dislike reading this book, which I wouldn't have continued with if it weren't for a) the fact that I dislike leaving books unfinished and b) I'd already paid library late fines for it.
Basically, I didn't like this book because the author's writing style didn't work for me, and I did not feel any connection with the characters. Because I was completely uninvested with the whole book, I do not feel up to the task of critically reviewing it. This book was pure fluff - and I do read fluff - but it was not the fluff for me. I will not be reading another book by this author.
#3
Rating: 3/5
3 stars
Emory, on leave for 5 days, is returning to his small hometown to ask his best friend and lover, Shelby, to marry him. I like the friends to lovers romance trope, and I like marriage-minded heroes. I find them to be rare in the romance genre. Therefore, I was predisposed to like this.
I appreciated the conflict that Shelby had between wanting to please her father and wanting to live her life because I could completely relate to it. Unfortunately, Shelby seemed pretty bland in much of the short story.
It was inevitable that a marriage proposal must be made twice: the first time was for practice, which usually entails mortification on the part of the proposee, and the second time was for real, which the heroine usually accepts at this point. While the past few books I've read usually went the route of Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy (i.e. insult the heroine), where Emory went wrong was in failing to propose with Shelby's happiness in mind, which I found to be an interesting turn of affairs.
The catastrophe that occurred to Sweetness, which took a bit of a stretch to suspend my disbelief, actually ended up making me roll my eyes when Emory started worrying about the fate of Sweetness and Shelby. I'm not quite certain why, but at that point, my battle to suspend my disbelief was lost.
In the end, however, I finished this short story with an interest in continuing the series. I just knew that his buddy was going to require a story, and I am willing to take the bait.
#4
Rating: 3.5/5
3.5 stars
I feel as if I cannot recall the last time I liked the heroine so much. I think I've got a girl crush on Syn. I am just in awe at how competent she seemed, and how poised and well she handled the constant questioning of her authority. She was so confident. I want to be just like her when I grow up. lol. Also, despite her need for Xan, she did not let it get in the way of her job. They would schedule their personal time during their off-hours, and I respected that. I was a bit iffy about her consorting with a subordinate, but it wasn't a major issue, and I thought that the author explained it almost to my satisfaction.
This book and I had a bit of a rough start. Despite my picking this book randomly from the library (well, not quite. I had previously read the author, and the blurb sounded interesting), it took me several months, incurred late fines, and a couple of restarts to get past the first couple of chapters. Part of the reason was all these unfamiliar names and terminology. I've been reading romance for so long, I must have forgotten how to read fantasy, because the unfamiliar names and terminology which had once not bothered me, confused the heck out of me this time. I had no idea what the world was like, what was going on, what exactly the two factions were and who was with what faction. I guess it didn't help matters that I had not read the first book in this series. But I also appreciated the author not taking the easy way out with pages of infodumping. I eventually managed to figure out...well, something of the world.
The world-building was okay. There were some questions that poked holes in that reality, but nothing major that I can recall. While it wasn't such that I was able to fully imagine this world, it also wasn't so badly done that I didn't care about it or see the characters living in it.
As for the characters, I've already stated that I really liked the character of Syn Caar. She was pretty cool. Xan, though, was a bit of a typical "good" (view spoiler) hero, and I think in romance or erotica, typical is not a very good word to apply to anything (although it's not really bad either). As for the secondary characters, I liked the Commander, I liked Elina and Mhorn, Laithe and Lothen. I did not really like Lee, which is a pity since apparently Book 1, which is her book, would full in some of the background information. I did not find it absolutely necessary to read Book 1 to understand Book 2, but I think that it might have helped.
I also had a bit of a problem with the language, but this is science-fantasy erotica so such language is expected. I think that it wasn't necessary, though. However, my preference is for a science-fantasy tale with a strong romantic element, which wasn't the author's intention.
In short, I really liked the heroine. I thought that the author succeeded in creating a strong heroine who didn't fall apart and depend on the big, strong male in a crisis nor ignored her duties or abused her position in favor of hot sex. The hero was a match for the heroine; he just wasn't very extraordinary. The plot wasn't the best, but it wasn't something that really bothered me. I find the author's writing style to be readable. I was pleasantly surprised to like this book as much as I did. I will be reading Book 1 and I hope there is a Book 3.
#5
Rating: 2.5/5
#6
Rating: 2/5
#7
Rating: 1.5 - 2/5
#8
Rating: 2.5 - 3/5
#9
Rating: 2/5
#10
Rating: 3/5
Progress:
February: Intermediate - 5 reviews
March: Challenging - 9 reviews
April: Intermediate - 7 reviews
May: Challenging - 9 reviews
June: Intermediate - 7 reviews
July: Easy - 3 reviews
August: Easy - 3 reviews
September Challenging - 10 reviews
October Challenging - 10 reviews
Month: November#1
Rating: 1.5/5
#2
Rating: 3.5/5
#3
Rating: 2.5 - 3/5
#4
(Radio Theatre)Rating: 3.5/5
#5
(Radio Theatre)Rating: 2.5/5
#6
(Radio Theatre)Rating: 3/5
#7
Rating: 3.75/5
Month: December
#1
Rating: 3.5 - 4/5
#2
Rating: 2/5
#3
Rating: 3/5
#4
Rating: 3.5 - 4/5
#5
Rating: 2.5/5
#6
Rating: 3.5/5
#7
Rating: 3/5
#8
Rating: 2/5
#9
Rating: 3 - 3.5/5
Progress:
February: Intermediate - 5 reviews
March: Challenging - 9 reviews
April: Intermediate - 7 reviews
May: Challenging - 9 reviews
June: Intermediate - 7 reviews
July: Easy - 3 reviews
August: Easy - 3 reviews
September Challenging - 10 reviews
October Challenging - 10 reviews
November Intermediate - 7 reviews
December Challenging -
Wow, you've been reviewing a lot! Are you going to start a blog?
Sashana wrote: "Wow, you've been reviewing a lot! Are you going to start a blog?"Nope. I tried but I can't make it stick. :) Also, my reviews aren't "polished". I have intentions of going back and rewriting them one of these days. I also haven't been reviewing all the books I meant to so that's my next goal.
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Nothing But Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
Dark Sun (other topics)Sh*t My Dad Says (other topics)
Clean Slate (other topics)
The Emperor's Wolf (other topics)
Fairy Tales for Freya (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
David Peace (other topics)Rachel Ward (other topics)
Tahmima Anam (other topics)
Philip K. Dick (other topics)
Mark Helprin (other topics)
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*****
Oryx and Crake is both post-apocalyptic and dystopian. It deals with themes of religion, sexuality, violence, oppression, genetic engineering, love, lust, and friendship. It opens with a man who calls himself Snowman living on a beach after a disaster of proportions we do not fully learn until later. There are also other beautiful beings who seem like humans, but both more advanced and more simple. Snowman's thoughts then turn inwards and backwards to his childhood, when he was called Jimmy. The book switches back and forth between Jimmy's memories of life and his present day reality. We learn about his friendship with a boy named Crake and who they both became, as well as his relationship with a girl named Oryx. We also see an unfolding picture of how and why Jimmy became Snowman and why his world is the way it is. Along the way, the themes I mentioned above also unfold, with all the questions they bring.
I found myself thinking of This Perfect Day a lot while reading this, but also of Speaker for the Dead. This has intriguing similarities to both. It is also an excellent book.
July Review #6
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