Category: C reviews (Page 12 of 20)

Stay With Me by Elyssa Patrick

August 31, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the author via NetGalley. It had a rock star heroine and it’s in the New Adult genre which I like. I say I don’t get books because of their covers but I’ve come to realise that’s not entirely true. I won’t make a final decision based on a cover, but there are plenty of times when I click to find out more because of an eye-catching cover design and this is one of those examples. The cover is gorgeous.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) With one look, I’m his . . .

With one touch, he’s mine . . .

With one kiss, it changes everything between us . . .

I’ve been famous since I can remember. Singing, acting, dancing—I’ve done it all. The tabloids cover my every move, but I don’t want that anymore. I want to be normal, whatever that is.

When I leave Hollywood for college in Vermont, I’m on my own for the first time in my life. This is my chance to figure out who I am and what I want in life.

But it’s a lot harder than I expected. I can’t escape my image. Classes are difficult, and I’m struggling. And then there’s Caleb Fox.

Sexy, intriguing Caleb Fox.

Caleb is the one man who doesn’t want to use me. He breaks down my walls. He challenges me. He wants me. And I just don’t know if I can give him the same—or if he’ll stick around when he finds out my shameful secret that the tabloids haven’t managed to uncover.

Dating him is risky enough, but loving him could break me.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I found this story a bit of a mixed bag. There were parts where I was immersed and enraptured but other parts which felt a little flat to me. As much as I thought Caleb was wonderful, he was so perfect that the romance lacked tension. Caleb is gorgeous, smart, faithful, honest, funny and awesome in bed. He has good friends, a great family, a career plan, talent – really, what’s not to love about him? Hailey on the other hand, is a bit of a mess. She has been managed by her mother who is the ultimate awful “stage-mom” – manipulated into roles she didn’t really want, relationships she didn’t really want and increasingly, into a career she didn’t really want, Hailey has made a break. She has quit acting, singing and dancing and is going to college. She doesn’t know exactly what she wants to do yet, other than be “normal” (or, as normal as it is possible to be given how rich and famous she is). She plans to spend her first year of college finding herself and I think the book succeeds very well here. It skirts the line so that Hailey stays on the right side of “poor little rich girl”. She isn’t unaware of her privilege and doesn’t whinge. She does read older than her 18 years, but I think this is explained by her history – she’s worked professionally since she was a small child (even as a baby she was the face of Gerber). When she struggles in school, she takes it on the chin and doesn’t whine about it. She goes and gets some tutoring, works hard and does better. Yay!

I’m Over at Dear Author…

August 28, 2013 / Kaetrin

with a review of Burden by AnnMarie McKenna. I liked it but it was a bit too short.

Please stop by and share your thoughts about whether the instalove can work for you. 🙂

Unbreakable by Rebecca Shea

August 27, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I picked this up for 99c after I saw it in one of Dear Author’s Daily Deals posts (which are hell on my wallet).

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Jessica Harper is the epitome of perfection. She’s a good daughter, makes excellent grades, and always strays on the safe side of life. The last thing she thought would ever happen was falling in love with her best friend’s brother. But sometimes fate just has a way of bringing two people together.

Wide receiver for the University of Arizona, Gabe Garcia, seems to have it all. When his feelings for Jessica come to surface, Gabe will give up everything to be with her.

But what happens when a tragedy abruptly changes the course of your life? For Jessica and Gabe, everything they thought they knew about each other will be questioned. Sometimes, there are scars in life that are cut too deep to completely heal.

Will their love prove to be unbreakable, or will it shatter and prove fate is just another lie?

**Warning: Although there is very little graphic/on page violence, those with rape triggers may want to avoid this book. Also, here be spoilers.**

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Even though I found numerous editing issues (typos, bad grammar, repeated words) in the text, there was something in the story which kept me reading and mostly engaged until the story went off the rails a bit in the second half. But it really needed a good editor.

Shrugging my shoulders, Dad moves in on our hug and wraps himself around both mom and me.

Reading that sentence (which appears later in the book) I was puzzled: how does one shrug someone else’s shoulders?

Even with my concerns about the editing issues, I was pretty much entertained but about halfway through the book took a right turn which made it difficult for me to really enjoy the story. I think the author has an engaging voice but this book was a mixed bag, with the mix weighting towards the negative for me.

Self Preservation by Ethan Day

August 17, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Davis always assumed they would wind up back together, until Jack calls and invites Davis to his wedding to Tadd Austin, a prominent architect in Chicago. Jack’s only known Tadd for two weeks, so whatever Jack feels for Tadd couldn’t possibly compare to what he shared with Davis. There’s no way in hell Davis can stand by and watch the life he always expected to get back slip away to some guy Jack barely knows. Tadd Austin, indeed…more like Toad Ass-ton, Davis thinks.

With his best friend, fashion designer Deseree Wildwood in tow, Davis has to shed his sweet, guy-next-door persona, and re-vamp his image into a self-confident, hot piece of eye candy. He’s going to the wedding with only one goal in mind: to do whatever it takes to win back Jack. The Toad is toast!

Once in Chicago, Davis discovers it isn’t going to be as easy as he thought. Not only is Tadd very un-Toad-like, but a mysterious British playboy named Alex Parker manages to interject himself into the mix. Only true love will survive as the tug of war ensues in this Bermuda love triangle from hell.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I read this book during a fairly difficult and busy period in my life and as a result, it took me longer than usual to finish it and the experience was broken up long periods of no time for reading. So, it may well be that had things been a little calmer I would have enjoyed the book more. I did like it but it didn’t wow me. In part, I think that’s because of what’s been going on with me and in part it’s because the story didn’t follow the usual romantic trajectory and I spent a fair bit of the book confused as to who I should be rooting for to end up with Davis.

Tea for Three by Anne Douglas

August 5, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: This book was recommended to my by one of my Twitter friends when we were having a discussion about m/m/f menage stories, so I went and bought it.

What it’s about: (from author’s website) Straight, gay or in between, turning thirty’s never easy.

Craig wonders just where his life is heading. His relationship with Jack is satisfying, to say the least. But deep down, he sometimes still craves the soft touches of a woman.

Something’s bugging Craig, and Jack knows it. Some sort of pre midlife crisis that he just can’t understand. The sex is hot and demanding. Their home life is comfortable without being too familiar. But he just can’t help feeling he might be about to lose the love of his life.

Then they meet lovely, loyal and slightly broken Wren Browne. It doesn’t take long to realize, they might have just have found the solution to both of their problems.

Love isn’t tidy or simple; it doesn’t come packaged in neat little boxes. And sometimes you have to set the table with tea for three.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): If there are two men and one woman in a romance, my personal preference is that it is an m/m/f rather than an m/f/m story. I have enjoyed m/f/m stories but I think they work better where there is a sexual connection between all three parties – it has something to do with my sense of equality I think. When GrowlyCub said that she thought this book was one of the better examples of the genre, I couldn’t resist. I didn’t end up liking it as much as she did, but I did enjoy it.

Agony/Ecstasy anthology edited by Jane Litte

July 23, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: Sometimes, I’m in the mood for a short story, kind of like a sorbet. I’d had this on my TBR for some time, having bought it ages ago, and I decided to intersperse the stories with my other reading.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) All new stories of punishing extremes and unbearable pleasure…

With historical, contemporary, and futuristic backdrops, this outrageously diverse collection of original stories explores every conceivable variation of BDSM erotica–from knitting circles to the Titanic to a retelling of The Little Mermaid. Featuring all-new stories by Meljean Brook, Jean Johnson, Bettie Sharpe, Jill Myles, Margaret Rowe, Sara Thorn, and more, this book has everything a reader could hope for in an erotic romance.

What worked for me (and what didn’t):

Agony

Transfixed and Transformed, the two stories by Anne Calhoun in the anthology (one each in Agony and Ecstasy) were about the same pairing, one from her POV, one from his. I liked these stories very much and could happily have read a whole book about them. That said, the stories did feel complete and I didn’t feel at all shortchanged. For me, these stories showed how a skilled writer can immerse me in a character in a very short space of time. After I got finished enjoying them, I did sit back and think about how cleverly it was achieved. Short is not my forte, so I’m particularly impressed when it’s done as well as this.

The Sybil by Jean Johson had a Warprize/Game of Thrones type feel to it. I liked the worldbuilding which was fairly detailed for such a short story, but the ending was not only unclear but it also bent toward the traditional and that kind of let it down a little I thought.