Category: B reviews (Page 35 of 74)

December Round Up

January 3, 2015 / Kaetrin

Monthly Mini Review

Room for Just a Little More by Beth Ehemann – B- At the end of the first two books, Kacie and Brody got engaged and this book takes us through to the wedding. I’m pretty sure it’s meant to be something for fans of the series and is, effectively, an extended epilogue so we get a glimpse of the HEA. Brody continues to be perfect and a wonderful father to the girls and earns many many brownie points and best fiance/husband ever points. Kacie is contacted by her biological father and he’s a real piece of work, let me tell you. It’s difficult for me to understand a character who just walks away from his own daughter like that but my own husband has one just like him so I know they happen in real life. In fiction, it’s tempting to call them out as being without nuance but I know from my husband’s POV, there is little nuance to be had and it is Kacie and Brody telling this story after all. They know what they see. And what they see sucks. I didn’t really approve of Brody going behind Kacie’s back but his heart was in the right place even if I disliked his methods. That said, I can see it working for Kacie and Brody in a way it wouldn’t work for Kaetrin. Brody does just enough not-quite-perfect stuff to retain his almost perfect status and feel somehow more believable because of it. He’s still pretty perfect though. I see on Goodreads that Viper is getting a book of his own so maybe we will see a bit of Brody and Kacie and the girls in that. It’s a 100 pages novella which was entertaining and enjoyable but it’s very much an epilogue rather than a must-read. I liked it for what it was and, to be honest, I don’t think it was trying to be anything else. Continue reading

Room for More by Beth Ehemann

December 19, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I bought this book after the first in the series was a DA Daily Deal.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Four years ago, my dreams were shattered in an instant.

Three months ago, I found something I haven’t had in years.

Hope.

That hope came in the form of a sexy, carefree hockey player named Brody Murphy. He swooped in and won me over with his big heart and the way he cared for me…and my girls. When they look at him, they see the father they’ve never had.

Now, my past and present are colliding and the outcome might just be too much for me to bear. Can I make the right decision when I’ve spent my whole life making the wrong ones?

Warning: Spoilers for book 1 follow.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Brody continues to be his (almost) perfect self, as he and Kacie navigate their new relationship.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I cocked my head to the side and looked at him skeptically. “Since when does staying home with kids all day interest you?”

He looked over at the girls, who were watching a movie in the living room, and shrugged. “Since them.”

Awwwww. See? Perfect.
Continue reading

Room for You by Beth Ehemann

December 15, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: This book was a DA Daily Deal a little while back – I bought the two full length books and the novella for $1.00 each.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Four years ago, my dreams were shattered in an instant.

I tried to pick up the pieces and glue them back together the best I knew how, but something was always missing.

A father for my two girls.

But then, Brody Murphy landed on my doorstep, literally. He was a carefree, playful hockey player who barged into my life and messed with my head. He left me more confused than I had ever been.

What if the one thing I thought I needed was the only thing holding me back?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): There is a fair amount of wish fulfilment in this book. Brody is almost the perfect man. He’s gorgeous, fit, kind, loves kids, sexy. He’s even rich. Every now and then he will do something not quite perfect (but never really egregious – the only thing which got up my nose a little bit was the Ferris Wheel thing – I get his motivation but I thought it was just a bit of a dick move all the same) to put readers off the scent but basically, he’s perfect.

“Holy shit,” Brody muttered from behind me where he stood frozen at the kitchen sink.
My heart rocketed into my throat and stuck there as I spun to face him. “Is that a good holy shit, or a bad holy shit?”
He didn’t respond with his mouth, but his eyes spoke volumes as they raked slowly all the way down my body and back up again. “It’s the best holy shit ever.”
Proudly, I looked down at myself and beamed up at him. “I cleaned up okay, huh? On a scale from one to ten-”
“Six hundred fifty-two.” He interrupted as he stalked over, gripped the back of my head and pressed his mouth to mine hard.

Good answer Brody. Continue reading

Divine Tarot by Thea Harrison, narrated by Sophie Eastlake

December 9, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I was gifted this one.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) In “True Colors”
Alice Clark, a Wyr and schoolteacher, has had two friends murdered in as many days, and she’s just found the body of a third. She arrives at the scene only minutes before Gideon Riehl, a wolf Wyr and current detective in the Wyr Division of Violent Crime–and, as Alice oh-so-inconveniently recognizes at first sight, her mate.
But the sudden connection Riehl and Alice feel is complicated when the murders are linked to a serial killer who last struck seven years ago, killing seven people in seven days. They have just one night before the killer strikes again. And every sign points to Alice as the next victim.
In “Natural Evil”
Claudia Hunter is on a road trip through the Nevada desert when she sees the body of a dog on the side of the highway. Pulling over to investigate, she quickly determines that the enormous animal is clinging to life. While working to save him with the help of the local vet, Claudia realizes there’s something about the creature that seems “more.” Other. “Wyr.” Which makes this case of animal cruelty attempted murder.
Too injured to shape shift, Luis Alvaraz is reluctant to tell Claudia what he knows about his attack, afraid it will only make her a target. But the sheriff is corrupt, and his attackers know Luis is alive and vulnerable. To make matters worse, a sandstorm is sweeping into town, and if they’re going to survive the night, Luis will have to place all his trust in Claudia.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I’ve actually bought all the novellas in digital format but apart from the latest trio of novellas featuring Dragos, Pia and Peanut, I haven’t actually read any of them. Bad Kaetrin. I found it easier to slip the novellas into my listening and, as Sophie Eastlake is a favourite narrator, I knew they’d be worthwhile. I’m really happy that all the novellas are available on audio and are produced with such high quality. Continue reading

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

December 3, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: Various friends of mine have been telling me I need to read this book. I was warned about possible ugly-crying and an emotional wringer. It seems to be a much beloved book. I bought it a while ago and finally decided to actually read it. From a quick survey of my Twitter friends, it seems I’m a bit of an outlier. So, YMMV. A LOT.

Warning: This book has been out a while so I feel less guilty about spoilers. What I most want to talk about is very spoilerish. So, ALL THE SPOILER WARNINGS. If you haven’t read Jellicoe Road and you want to, don’t read this review. It’s a very plotty book and while the structure of it didn’t always work for me, I think it probably works best not knowing all that much going in. (It is “safe” for romance readers to read.) I also think that if you haven’t read the book you won’t get a lot of out the discussion below and it could colour your view because I have Things. To. Say.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) I’m dreaming of the boy in the tree. I tell him stories. About the Jellicoe School and the Townies and the Cadets from a school in Sydney. I tell him about the war between us for territory. And I tell him about Hannah, who lives in the unfinished house by the river. Hannah, who is too young to be hiding away from the world. Hannah, who found me on the Jellicoe Road six years ago.

Taylor is leader of the boarders at the Jellicoe School. She has to keep the upper hand in the territory wars and deal with Jonah Griggs – the enigmatic leader of the cadets, and someone she thought she would never see again.

And now Hannah, the person Taylor had come to rely on, has disappeared. Taylor’s only clue is a manuscript about five kids who lived in Jellicoe eighteen years ago. She needs to find out more, but this means confronting her own story, making sense of her strange, recurring dream, and finding her mother – who abandoned her on the Jellicoe Road.

BUY IT:
AMAZON KOBO BOOK DEPOSITORY

I’m putting the entire review under the jump because: SPOILERS

November Round Up

December 1, 2014 / Kaetrin

Monthly Mini Review

Holiday Sparks by Shannon Stacey, narrated by Savannah Richards – B I read this novella in the Naughty and Nice anthology when it first came out (scroll down a bit to see the brief reviews). Sometimes when I can’t decide what to listen to next a novella length story is low risk – this one was only a couple hours long so the time investment was small. And, I had fond memories of the story. Chloe Burke is a web designer who lives in Boston but has come back to her small Maine hometown ot housesit for her parents in the weeks before Christmas. Electrical problems lead her to electrician and all round hotty, Scott Quinn. They went to school together but he looked a lot different then (he was a nerd). Sparks fly (heh) and they start a fling. The conflict is that Scott is embedded in his hometown and Chloe is going back to Boston. Given Chloe’s job, it has a relatively easy resolution once they are committed to seeing if the relationship holds to its early promise and it is perfect for a novella length story. It’s sweet, sexy and low angst and I liked it very much.

I hadn’t heard Savannah Richards narrate before. She had convincing deeper tones for Scott and generally a pleasant voice to listen to. However, there was one thing which bothered me and it’s very much a “it’s not you it’s me” thing – articulating it is hard because it is an aural thing. The best I can do is to say there is kind of a lowering of pitch and a kind of … trailing off at the end of many sentences. It bugged me a bit. I’m sure others won’t notice it at all and others who do, won’t mind it but it’s the sort of things that I hear straight off and, over time, it gets a bit like fingernails on a blackboard to me. Fortunately, it’s a short novella so I didn’t have time for annoyance to truly set in. Honestly, the rest of the narration was very good. I think I’m just fussy.

I’m sure I bought this as a stand alone – but my records don’t tell me if it was a special release. All I could find at Audible today was the entire anthology.

BUY IT:
AUDIBLE