4 stars I generally love Norma Hinkens’ stories, but the main character of this one bothered me. Lauren is constantly taking inadvisable actions, reaching premature conclusions, and above all else, trying to hide her past, even from those who love her most. Every time she was told not to do something, she’d do it. Every time she thought about whether she should do something, she ended up deciding to do it anyway. And she jumped from one potential subject to the next without stopping to think that maybe she had it all wrong. (Also, with all of the money she had inherited, she could have moved anywhere to start her business. Why go back to Austin?! It made me wonder if she might be an unreliable narrator.) Maybe I’ve acclimated to this author’s style, but I felt like the hints she dropped were more obvious than in other books because I had a pretty good idea who was behind Lauren’s torment. Perhaps for that reason, when it was revealed, it confirmed my suspicions and made a lot of sense. If you can get past Lauren, for whom I felt very little sympathy primarily because of her dishonesty, it’s a well-written book with great attention to detail and a complex back story. Although it’s not my favorite book from this author, I still enjoyed it and would recommend it. October 28, 2021
0 Comments
4 stars After the first two books in this series, I expected a bit more darkness, but this was the conclusion of Logan and Keily’s story, so their HEA made sense. That’s not to say that it was easy for them to get there. There are definitely some unexpected twists and turns along the way. There was something about this book that I didn’t like quite as much as the previous ones. I’m not sure exactly what it was, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was its predictability and banality. By the end of the book, I felt like the author was telling me more than showing me. I’m not sure why she felt the need to recap that Logan and Keily had changed so much since they first met and that was why they valued what they now had. Yeah, okay, we get it. They were both immature and self-absorbed, both damaged by early experiences with bad parenting, and both changed through the transformative powers of love. Despite my criticisms, I’m still giving the book four stars. I enjoyed it and it was a satisfying conclusion to the series. October 26, 2021 5 stars Thanks to the author for an ARC of this, the first book in her new series, Off Limits. Expect a cliffhanger because Piper Lawson enjoys torturing her readers. I’ve discovered that if I go into one of her books aware that I won’t get my HEA until probably the third book in the series, I can handle the tension a little better. Unfortunately, I’m not a very patient person so it will always bother me that I cannot know what happens immediately. The next book is scheduled to release in about three months, and I don’t expect that will be the conclusion of this series either. The book is about Olivia, an undergraduate engineering student, and Sawyer, her professor. To be fair, they don’t know this when they initially meet, and both find it impossible to ignore the chemistry between them. Inappropriate actions ensue. There are hints that Sawyer is hiding something in his past and there is reason to suspect this will be what drives them apart at the end, and that’s exactly what happens. Knowing the formula doesn’t make the story any less enjoyable because Piper Lawson is an exceptional writer. Bottom line: I’m hooked and can’t wait to find out what happens next. October 24, 2021 5 stars Brothers of Ash and Fire is the series that introduced me to Lauren Smith so when I was offered an ARC of a long-awaited sequel, I jumped at it. I was not disappointed. This must have been a difficult story to relate because it involves love that transcends time and possible reincarnation, although it's not exactly that, (which makes it even harder to describe). At times, it reminded me of time travel in that it's a confusing subject that sensible writers avoid. That said, Lauren smooth does an outstanding job of explaining the concept, although I wouldn't be able to do so, even now. In a nutshell: Vasili dies after his mate Marina dies, but then Tasha, somehow, wakes him after 700 years. Needless to say, things have changed significantly in the world and Vasili bravely faces what would be terrifying to anyone else. Tasha convinces Vasili to get into a taxi to her hotel so she can take Tylenol for her headache and they can figure out what to do. She tells him it's about a forty-five-minute drive, "depending on traffic." Already feeling protective of her, he demands to know, "... who is this traffic? I will not let them stop you getting to this Tylenol." I laughed out loud when I read this. Additional descriptions of Vasili's perceptions of this new world and his adaptations to it are detailed and believable. Luckily, dragons learn quickly. In this book, we briefly see Grigori, Mikhail, Rurik, and their mates again, as well as their allies in London. We also encounter witches and a blood cult of rabid vampires. In other words, there's something for everyone. Overall, it was a satisfying addition to the series and I recommend it. October 20, 2021 5 stars I received an ARC of this book from the author. I always enjoy her League of Rogues series and this was no exception. Of course, now the series has expanded to include brothers and friends of the original Rogues. This story is about Peregrine, who unexpectedly becomes an Earl when his distant uncle died, and Sabrina, a girl reliant upon her brother and wife because she is unmarried. Unfortunately (and fortunately), Sabrina’s brother decides to marry her off to an earl to pay off his debts, and the earl, whom Sabrina does not want to marry, stipulates that she must be a virgin. Seeing a way out, she attends a masquerade ball with the intention of sabotaging her brother’s plans. There she meets Peregrine. It’s a magical evening and they never exchange names before Sabrina mysteriously disappears, but they are both deeply affected by the experience and pine for the other. Naturally, they do meet again and blah, blah, blah, the HEA eventually arrives. Although the lovers need to go through hell first before they find their way back to one another. I really enjoyed the book. It is well-written, conveying the emotions of Peregrine and Sabrina realistically, and although Sabrina leads a bit of a charmed life after leaving home, it furthers the plot so it’s okay. I particularly liked the plot because it’s not often (if ever) that you run across a regency romance in which the woman wants to lose her virginity to avoid an unwanted marriage. I thought it was very clever and I recommend it. October 18, 2021 3 stars I generally love Sophie Barnes so I was excited when I saw this book offered on Netgalley. Unfortunately, I found this book to be a bit derivative. The plot was more predictable than I would have preferred and I felt that the love Marcus and Louise claimed to have for one another was not supported by the relationship they had built. Their declarations of affection were saccharine and superfluous. Also, Louise’s father was almost a caricature of a villain. How would I fix it? For one, I’d have more interaction between Marcus and Louise, rather than internal conflicts about whether the other cares, and in Marcus’s case, his concern that his feelings for her were unprofessional. It was not completely lacking, as Louise shared her desire to found a school for blind children and Marcus shared his story of falling from grace and working to find meaning in his life. There was much for the other to admire about the other, but marrying for love when they hadn’t actually known each other for very long (and yes, I know it can happen) seemed a bit impulsive in light of all Louise had to lose. It was right for Marcus to be concerned that Louise was too young and did not comprehend what she was considering. I’d have also liked to see a glimmer of care from Louise’s father. When it is revealed that he actually did something to make Louise happy, it is glossed over as incidental while I felt it was significant and could have added depth to his character. Louise’s feelings about her father seemed to be based more on fear and deference than on love. Meanwhile, her mother was two-dimensional and offered nothing of value to the story. Faced with the prospect of not having either of them in her life, it seems unlikely to me that anyone would feel much of a loss. What did I like? Well, the descriptions of Louise’s eye surgeries, though they made me cringe, were enlightening and (to be honest) riveting. I couldn’t look away (pun intended). The emotions were realistically conveyed, and yet another reason for Louise to resent her parents. The aftermath of the surgery performed by Marcus was a good opportunity to highlight Louise’s bravery and fortitude as well as Marcus’s compassion and professionalism. Overall, the book was good. Unfortunately, sometimes an opinion on a book can be influenced by the book read prior to the one being reviewed. The last one I read earned 5++ stars so, in comparison, I couldn’t rate this as highly. Nevertheless, I feel it was time well spent reading it and I enjoyed it. October 17, 2021 5 stars Thanks to the author for the ARC to another amazing book. Just like her others, this contains lovable, relatable characters and a compelling story, combined with a poetic ability to craft images and evoke emotions. Although long, this is an example of the poetry to be found in this book: Her gown was ethereal, an ivory and silver fantasy that shimmered with each willowy step she took. A train of some wispy material dusted the steps behind her like a dewy fog she strode through, then allowed to settle back to earth. Her mask was simple, gray and nothing but, without the feathers and jewels needlessly adorning the others in the ballroom. Her hair, near the color of the honey he’d slathered on his toast at breakfast, was gathered in a refined knot at the back of her head. Only the lower half of her face was visible, but her lapis eyes caught the candlelight and held it like a ray of sunlight you wished to trap in the palm of your hand. If you’ve taken the time to read that quote, I shouldn’t need to convince you to read the book, or any other by Tracy Sumner. It’s writing like this which makes her one of my very favorite authors. October 13, 2021 5 stars I worked on the editing for this book so I may be biased. I think I might like this the best so far because it focuses on a relatively calm time between Karma and Mika and the developing relationship between them. Karma is making some friends and she’s beginning to see that Mika has some positive qualities (not many, in my opinion). She also gets to know the brothers better and forms a friendship with Xander, the sweetest of the brothers. Of course, it ends on another cliffhanger. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to wait to dive into Mafia War. October 10, 2021 5 stars I worked on the editing for this book so I may be biased. I think I might like this the best so far because it focuses on a relatively calm time between Karma and Mika and the developing relationship between them. Karma is making some friends and she’s beginning to see that Mika has some positive qualities (not many, in my opinion). She also gets to know the brothers better and forms a friendship with Xander, the sweetest of the brothers. Of course, it ends on another cliffhanger. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to wait to dive into Mafia War. September 20, 2021 5 stars I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley based on a description that piqued my interest. Partway through the book, I was so involved in the plot and characters, I started to panic that it might end on a cliffhanger, but it didn’t. This is a complete story, and what a story it is! I don’t even know what to compare it to (although there were certain aspects that made me think of Cloud Atlas—the book, not the movie). The characters in this book are basically human, with some supernatural qualities, primarily related to their connection with the Earth, which, in this case, is the Island. The Island is a world all its own, essentially its own universe, complete with supernatural monsters and a deep connection to the land and their ancestors. The Queen descends from a long line of royals in which one royal from each generation is called to the Pond to sacrifice themselves and become one with the Island. From here, they feed the Island, and consequently all of the inhabitants of the Island. When the Queen is unexpectedly “unburied” or pulled from the Pond, it is something that has never before happened and the mages have all kinds of hypotheses as to why it occurred. They are not in agreement, and one, in particular, decides to lead a revolution to eliminate all remaining royals, making them into scapegoats. Everything is thrown into disarray and the Island comes close to complete devastation as easily fooled people hunt down the remaining royals to kill them all. Meanwhile, Loon is the last royal and needs to avoid capture while waiting for the Pond to call her. The places in this story are so well described, I could clearly envision them. The characters were so relatable that I was sad when some died and anxious for the success of others. The plot kept me guessing until the very end, and although it wasn’t a completely happy ending, it was a hopeful one. This book is a masterpiece of fantasy fiction and one I highly recommend. I am excited to read more from this author. I even signed up for her mailing list. October 8, 2021 |
Elizabeth J ConnorWriter. Editor. Proofreader. Archives
September 2022
Categories |