8
Followers
9
Following
Pieces of Stars
Honestly, just trying to see if this place can compete with anywhere else.
Friday's Child
I actually listened to this on audiobook this time around. I loved it! I love this book, period. If you like funny Regency Romance and you haven't read this book, then SHAME on you! SHAME!Really, so, so goo!
These books are a re-read for me. A celebration of the fact that Marion Chesney finally made them ebooks and then started selling them at such a reasonable price. If you like funny, Regency reads, and a teensy bit of spice, you will love these! They are pure fluff, but pure fun. As much fun as georgette heyer!
The Governess Affair (Brothers Sinister, #0.5)
As a rule, I don't like prequel novellas. They rarely do what they're intended, which is to wet your appetite for the upcoming book, or give you some extra backstory on a series.Courtney Milan has changed my mind. She has shown me that a prequel done right will not only introduce you to the world as an author, but convince a reader to go out and buy ALL of the other works said author has available.This book was great, the story was interesting, and the epilogue really, truly did make me go out and buy the novel. So Kudos to Milan for some great writing!
"History is so disappointing, isn't it? I mean, all these women being so repressed all the time. In fact, it would just be so cool if I wrote a book about a reformer who would want to change all that bad nasty history stuff."Oh lord. I like sassy female characters and I like reformers, but is there really anything wrong with writing a book that has characters who are actually normal? Like Austen did. Like Heyer did. I'm not complaining about this book overall. Overall, I really loved it. I thought the duke was so endearing and sweet. I can see that Milan has a thing for vulnerable men, which is an interesting twist for historical fiction. A nice twist. Refreshing, even.Her main characters are well fleshed out, her secondary characters are pretty darn good, too. She's got the plot and pacing all figured out (being a longtime author, you can tell she's got the practice).In short, I devoured this book and loved pretty much every bite. Now if Milan could switch it up with the male characters, I would like her all the more.
When I read Hugh Howey books, the phrase that always pops into my head is "great and terrible beauty". There is something about the way he writes his characters that is so excruciatingly beautiful and sad. It's wonderful and you become so attached and then he snatches all that goodness right away from you until before you know it, you're crying your eyes out and telling yourself, "I'm waiting a FREAKING YEAR before I read the next one because I just can't take the PAIN!" I mean, I'm a nervous wreck over here, people.But for all that, I love this series. I love Mollie. She is so vulnerable and yet so AMAZINGLY strong, and as a character she is probably one of my favorite in the world. I love her more than Katniss and probably as much as I love Arya or Dany.If George wrote YA sci-fi, I think it would be like this. And that is probably the biggest compliment I can give Howey.But forgive me if I wait awhile to read the next one...
I was very confused by this book. Overall, as far as the main character and her secondary characters went, I liked the story. It was also a very funny book. The parts with the toads made me laugh out loud several times. I liked the world and the time and effort the author took in putting it together.Where it fell flat for me: the HERO. I don't get it... on several fronts. First of all, he doesn't really have any redeeming qualities. I mean, the guy is a straight up thief, and not the good kind like in The Thomas Crown Affair. You see, there is an unspoken rule about thieves and heroines and the rule is that YOU CAN'T STEAL FROM THE GIRL YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH. Period. End of story.And then the author pretty much never explains it. He's just "sorry" and "oh, here's some money for consulting" and "look I made you a cool little place to sell cupcakes which I'm going to conveniently take back when you turn me into a toad". He's not a likeable main character pretty much at all. And I think having him steal her food to make money off his ice cream was a TERRIBLE idea, just in terms of making me want them to be together. I was pretty much thinking, "Isn't there ANYONE else she could be with?" the whole time I was reading this book. I think, personally, that the author should have stuck with having him be the nephew of the annoying bakery shop owner. (And yes, that couple was pretty flipping annoying). The plot was also confusing. The author seemed to have made the seeds to a good story, but the fact that the MC and the guy fell in love after literally like 3 dates, and topping it off with what a schmuck he was, just totally left me flat.In the end, I would say this author has a lot of potential, but I will probably wait until about 6 or 7 more books before I read her again. Just so she's had some time to work out some of those plot and character issues.
True Confessions
I just can't ever rate one of these suckers higher than a 4 star. Sure, they're hot and the characters are really diverse (I'll give credit where it's due), but there's just not enough DETAIL.For instance, the MC in this book decides to write about the former sheriff of the town, but it's given the most cursory of storylines and then, it's pretty much not resolved except for one line that said she finished and sold it. We never find out what the mystery was about and we never get to go along with her during her discovery. I just always end up feeling dissatisfied at the end. Not how I want to feel about my romances. :(
Along Came Trouble: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance
This was cute and hot and I liked the two different story lines, but the two main characters fell in love after like two days. It was really hard to keep reading after that. I'm just not into characters falling in love that quickly.Even I took a few months before I knew I loved my hubby enough to spend the rest of my life with him. lol
3.5 starsI've been a fan of Jennifer Crusie since Bet Me, but this book doesn't do her justice. It's a book without a genre. Not romance (no steam, and bummer for that). Not mystery(none of the traditional plot point trajectory for that, this book is all over the place). Not chick lit (none of the characters really seem to learn anything about themselves).I waded through this super long book hoping against hope that it would make a turn for the better... that I would read that hilarious and snappy dialog I've read in some of her other books, but I never got it. I laughed a few times, but honestly, this book reads sad and tired to me and when I read it I wondered if Crusie even likes writing anymore?Which made me sad. I love her books and I'll continue to read whatever of them I run across, but this book was not her best. Maybe if there'd been some editing and a TRUE genre label, I might be able to get on board. This book was just a mess. Overall, I loved the characters, and I loved the dynamic between the brothers and friends. But that was about it.
Spark (Brigid Kemmerer's Elemental Series #2)
I have no time for reviews these days. Seriously, my reviews are getting shorter and shorter!I liked this book a lot better than the last one. Which is weird, right, because this one still has 4 stars. Things I liked:It's a quick read.Both of the main characters had much more mature back stories and interesting dynamics with their families and each other.It was really a sweet romance and I liked how Gabriel really seemed to find himself in this book.Things I didn't like:Oh boy. Can we have enough of the "popular kids bully the nice kids"? Please? Kinda done with that plot line in general, but this is the second book in a row that she's done it.I'm usually okay with giving characters the benefit of the doubt when it comes to attitudes and ideas (sexism, racism, etc.) because I expect there to be some character growth. I didn't really see Gabriel undergo character growth in regards to his sexist/slut shaming issues. True, I got to sympathize with him a lot more, but there were so many stereotypical "slut" characters in this book that it made my head swim. Honestly, why do girls have to steal each other's power so much in this book.Oh, and I found Becca to be soooo much more annoying as a character in this book.I continue to be intrigued by these characters and I won't deny that Kemmerer has a lot of talent as a storyteller, but I wish some of her characters would LEARN to change some of their outdated ideas.Looking forward to that third book, for sure!
Any Man of Mine
What is this author's obsession with button fly jeans? So not getting that one.Pretty good. Not sure it's a re-read or anything.
I really liked the two characters in this one and I would have probably have given it 5 stars if not for two things:The first sex scene. YICK. I was with it through the whip cream on the boobs until he basically throws her down on the floor and does her like a dirty dog. Ew. That may be some people's thing, but I like respect. (Honestly, it wasn't about the sexual position, it was about the WAY he did it. No.)The heroine never really had her "I figured out what I want to do with my life" moment. She did some stuff, she tried baking, and running the store and granola... but she never settled into any one definitive thing. I wish, if the author was going to go that way that she would have at least ADDRESSED that, instead of making her whole life change about the guy. That made it fall flat for me.Other than that, it's probably my favorite one so far.
Not Another Bad Date
Good, funny (not hilarious). The sex is right at the edge of where I like it (they use REAL names for things). But overall, I liked the story and the main character was really cute. I adore first love stories.
Oh, I did love this book. I liked it better than Cinder by a long shot, simply because I didn't feel like we were being led down the rosy path of a fairy tale plot this time around. I won't spoil it, but the red riding hood theme is pretty much in name only.Cinder still gets a lot of face time in this book, but Kai not so much. Which is a bummer, but I see things ramping up in the next book.What I like about Meyer is her characters. Even the shallow ones, like Carswell, are still so well described that I can picture them clearly in my mind. Love his character.I also love how well she mixes the world building in with the plot. So nicely done.What I didn't love this time around... the relationship between Red and Wolf. I won't deny it was hot. I loved his character a lot. Like a lost puppy.But the accelerated relationship didn't do it for me. There was no talk of love in Cinder. Attraction, yes ma'am, but not love. If they had kept to attraction and walked that fine line with Scarlet and Wolf, I would have been a lot happier. It wasn't horrid. There was no talk of the world ending if they had sex or how their souls were meant to be one the instant they came in contact with each other. Still, it put a chalky taste in my mouth when I wanted to enjoy all the yummy goodness.Can't wait till the next one comes out, though! Can't come fast enough for me!!!