Category: B reviews (Page 50 of 74)

A Basic Renovation by Sandra Antonelli

August 29, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I bought this book a little while back, having heard lots of good things about it.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) When it comes down to it, rats in the oven trumps Lesley’s desire to never set eyes on another Brennan family member. So Lesley, a pro at property redevelopment, scrambles to Dominic Brennan’s hardware store for supplies. Dominic knows poison — rat and otherwise — and he sees it in Lesley. The woman ruined his brother’s life. Now that she’s back in town, Dominic’s afraid she’ll drag up the past, the secrets, and the pain. They clash immediately, but mix in a teenage boy, a puppy, some white paint, and some loud music, and what starts as cold fury transforms into a nuclear attraction. This basic renovation becomes a major life refurbishment for them both.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Forty-something heroines and heroes appeal to me now in a way they didn’t when I was in my twenties. From my current perspective, it does not seem at all ridiculous or icky to read a romance with older protagonists. I am happy enough to read about younger people too, but there is definitely room in my reading for people my age and older. Lesley and Dominic are both in their 40s, both experiencing some of the visible signs of aging Olay warns you about on the television at every possible opportunity. (I expect, nevertheless, they look better than I do – that’s okay, I tend to imagine romance heroes and heroines are good looking no matter what the text tells me – perhaps this is a flaw, I don’t know). Because both are older, they fit well into their own skins – they know themselves, their wants and desires, their tics and foibles fairly well and neither of them are likely to change all that much. But they have both changed very much from the people they were when they (briefly) knew each other sixteen years earlier, when Lesley was (briefly) married to Dominic’s douchebag brother Terry. The book presents them as having come into their own – particularly Lesley, rather than just being “not young anymore” and certainly, Dominic finds the current Lesley much more fascinating and attractive than he ever did before.

Glitterland by Alexis Hall

August 24, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. I’m also friendly with Sarah Frantz and the author on Twitter (although those relationships made me want to read the book, they didn’t affect my opinion of it).

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) The universe is a glitterball I hold in the palm of my hand.

Once the golden boy of the English literary scene, now a clinically depressed writer of pulp crime fiction, Ash Winters has given up on love, hope, happiness, and—most of all—himself. He lives his life between the cycles of his illness, haunted by the ghosts of other people’s expectations.

Then a chance encounter at a stag party throws him into the arms of Essex boy Darian Taylor, an aspiring model who lives in a world of hair gel, fake tans, and fashion shows. By his own admission, Darian isn’t the crispest lettuce in the fridge, but he cooks a mean cottage pie and makes Ash laugh, reminding him of what it’s like to step beyond the boundaries of anxiety.

But Ash has been living in his own shadow for so long that he can’t see past the glitter to the light. Can a man who doesn’t trust himself ever trust in happiness? And how can a man who doesn’t believe in happiness ever fight for his own?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Sometimes, what seems on the surface to be the strangest pairing, is not so strange at all when you really look at it. Ash is bipolar type 1, with an anxiety disorder on top of it. He is a successful author, well off financially and fond of bespoke suits. He is cynical, sharp, articulate, intelligent and, let’s face it, a bit of a snob. He is also… passive. He feels like his life is basically over, his mental illness having robbed him of the life he thought he would have.

Darian, on the other hand, is almost exactly the opposite. He’s an Essex boy who does a bit of “moddlin’” – think Zoolander meets The Only Way is Essex (which, for the US audience, is a British Jersey Shore). That is; exactly the kind of person the reality TV watching audience loves to watch in order to feel superior (sometimes, this has been me). At first, Darian seems like bit of a joke character – his complexion is unashamedly orange from his fake tan, he’s (apparently) not too bright, and has a broad accent which many would perceive as a further reducing his already average IQ. He’s the unsophisticated opposite of Ash. I wondered if Ash would accept him as a romantic hero? I wondered whether I would.

Fear, Hope and Bread Pudding by Marie Sexton

August 19, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: Strawberries for Dessert (scroll down after you click the link to see my review) is my favourite of the Coda books (all of which I love) and Cole is my favourite character of the series. I bought this book a while ago and I approached reading with a mixture of nerves and excitement – more Cole (yay!) but would it (could it) live up to Strawberries?

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Families should grow, not shrink. It’s been on Jon Kechter’s mind since before he tied the knot with his millionaire lover, Cole Fenton. Now hoping to adopt, Jon and Cole search for a mother-to-be willing to let them love her baby, but the interminable wait is wearing on them both.

Jon is close to his father, George, but until Cole, he didn’t have anyone else. Now George is pushing Cole to reconcile with his estranged mother. When the three of them spend Christmas with her in Munich, the results are disastrous. Jon and Cole resolve to stay positive, but no hope exists without a tinge of fear. Jon and Cole can’t help but wonder if their dream of being parents just wasn’t meant to be.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): No time spent with Cole Nicholas Fenton Davenport III is ever wasted. That said, this book I thought the book was more of an extended epilogue than anything else. I don’t think a new reader could come in and really understand what makes Cole tick and without that, I don’t think . But it does make a nice endpoint to Strawberries and it was nice to see Cole and Jon so happy together.

I’m over at AudioGals…

August 16, 2013 / Kaetrin

with an audiobook review of Backstage Pass by Olivia Cunning. See what I thought here.

Her Favourite Temptation by Sarah Mayberry

August 13, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: This is the free “novella” released last week by Harlequin. I enjoy all things Mayberry so I not only downloaded it the same day – I read it too. I say “novella” because it’s 180 pages so it’s a long-ass novella. Bonus!

It’s free until the end of August but after that, it’s likely to go up to $2.99 or so. It’s well worth the money but free is better so get downloading.

Australian readers please note that the title is spelled Her Favourite Temptation over here.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Leah Mathews has always been the good sister, the favored one who could do no wrong. But as her thirtieth birthday looms, she’s ready to step out of her parents’ shadow and make changes in her life. Shes even more inspired by the sexy musician who moves in next door and his seize-the-day attitude. And tempted to take comfort in his arms…

Will Jones is facing the prospect of losing the career he loves–and possibly his life–to a sudden illness. When he meets Leah, he feels a powerful connection to her, and flirting with a smart, beautiful woman seems like the perfect way to spend the weeks before his risky operation.

But as their relationship heats up, Leah still doesn’t know the truth about Will’s situation. Will their bond be strong enough to face the challenges yet to come.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Leah Mathews is a doctor training to be a cardiothoracic surgeon. Unlike Christina Yang in Grey’s Anatomy however, she doesn’t have passion for the role and is jumping off that train to get on board with Clinical Immunology. While she is very happy with her decision it also marks the first time that she has stepped away from her parents’ wishes/hopes/plans for her and they don’t take it well. I was pleased that Leah stuck to her guns even though it brought her into conflict with her family and I liked the way that being on the receiving end of her parents’ disapproval opened her eyes in a new way to how her older sister Audrey has been treated nearly her whole life. This spurs Leah to reconnect with Audrey and attempt to establish a closer relationship and I really liked how Leah actually does something here. She doesn’t just lament, she makes a move and by the end, she and Audrey are forging a new bond. I hope this will be explored a little more in the next full length book due out in early September – Her Favourite Rival (Her Favorite Rival for US people).

Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews, narrated by Renee Raudman

August 12, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I listened to it: I’m a fan of the series and downloaded it as soon as I could. My print copy arrived in the mail just yesterday as well.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.

Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.

Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Magic Rises changes things up a bit by taking Kate, Curran and some other prominent pack members to Europe and out of their comfort zones, with the end goal being to get “panacea” for the Pack – the medication that significantly limits loupism in shapeshifters. I enjoyed how the book showed Kate’s emerging acceptance in the Pack – she is not and never will be a shapeshifter but she belongs and by the end of the book this becomes even more clear. I mean, I already knew that but there are some slowpokes in the Pack that need more time to come to grips with it.

Kate is challenged by the interest Curran shows in a young beautiful shapeshifter from the Alaskan pack (aptly named Lorelei), who has ambition and thinks Curran belongs with one of his own kind. In the meantime, Kate and company have to find out who is responsible for the attacks on the pregnant lady they are in Georgia (the European one) to protect and Hugh D’Ambray makes a surprise appearance. Also there’s a gnome. There’s more “fantasy” than “urban” in this one and it was a lot of fun. It’s not the sort of thing you can do in Atlanta but it fit very well with the almost medieval-type European setting. There were some drastic consequences for some of the characters which was sad but on the other hand, it makes sense that not everyone of the “good guys” is going to survive or come out unscathed.