Page 213 of 274

Private Eye by SE Culpepper

September 30, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: Some of my Goodreads friends have rated his series very highly so I bought all three using a 50% off Kobo coupon.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Rafe Bridges stopped mixing business with pleasure long ago, but when he receives a call from an intriguing cop who needs help searching for an old family friend, he breaks down and takes on the case. With each day that passes, Rafe becomes further fascinated with Jeremy Halliday…but the biggest problem isn’t his attraction to the cop or his growing need for him. It’s the tiny little detail of Jeremy being straight.

Jeremy isn’t as immune to Rafe as he’d like to believe and as they work together, sifting through a case that is more mysterious and dangerous than it seems, Rafe draws away from him. Knowing he might miss out on someone incredible, Jeremy has to figure out what and who he really wants. And soon.

Nothing is black and white anymore.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I found this book very hard to grade. It was very readable and there were things about it that I liked but there were also things which bothered me and the more I thought about them, the more they did. I appear to be an outlier regarding this book however, so YMMV.

I’m Over at AudioGals…

September 27, 2013 / Kaetrin

with two audiobook reviews today – The Proposition and The Proposal by Katie Ashley, narrated by Justine O. Keef. Outlier alert: I get (what passes for) my snark on.

I’m Over at Dear Author…

September 26, 2013 / Kaetrin

with a review of Where The Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller. Enjoyable, but not quite what I was expecting after the success (for me) of Something Like Normal. See why here.

Unspoken by Jen Frederick

September 25, 2013 / Kaetrin

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

ETA April 2015: At the time I accepted/read the book and wrote the review, I didn’t know Jen Frederick was also Jane Litte from Dear Author. No Jen Frederick books have been reviewed by me, anywhere, since I became aware of this and, given my existing relationship with Jane, I will not be reviewing any more of her books. I will continue to update my personal Goodreads account with all the books I read as per usual but, consistent with my review policy, there won’t be further formal reviews of Jen Frederick’s work.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Whore. Slut. Typhoid Mary.

I’ve been called all these at Central College. One drunken night, one act of irresponsible behavior, and my reputation was ruined. Guys labeled me as easy and girls shied away. To cope, I stayed away from Central social life and away from Central men, so why is it that my new biology lab partner is so irresistible to me?

He’s everything I shouldn’t want. A former Marine involved in illegal fighting with a quick trigger temper and an easy smile for all the women. His fists aren’t the danger to me, though, it’s his charm. He’s sliding his way into my heart and I’m afraid that he’s going to be the one to break me.

Impulsive. Unthinking. Hot tempered.

I allow instinct to rule my behavior. If it feels good, do it, has been my motto because if I spend too much time thinking, I’ll begin to remember exactly where I came from. At Central College, I’ve got fighting and I’ve got women and I thought I was satisfied until I met her.

She’s everything I didn’t realize I wanted and the more time I spend with her, the more I want her. But she’s been hurt too much in the past and I don’t want to be the one to break her. I know I should walk away, but I just can’t.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): After reading the first book in the series, Undeclared, I was keen to see what the author would come up with next. The first book was a bit of a mixed bag for me but I certainly wanted to keep reading the series. This one was for me, a much stronger book. The plotting was tighter and more cohesive and there were barely any errors or typos. There were more of the things I liked in the first book (much more) and less of the things I didn’t like (much less). If the first book was a bit of a mixed bag, this book was a bag of goodness.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore, narrated by Emma Powell

September 23, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I listened to it: Most of my audiobook listening these days are review copies for AudioGals but every now and then I like to fit in a book from my own audiobook library and that’s what I did with this one. I have had it for a while and I was in the right mood. A number of my blogger friends have said the book is excellent and I’d heard good things about the audiobook too.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) In a world where people born with an extreme skill – called a Grace – are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po’s friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace – or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away…a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone

What worked for me (and what didn’t): It had been so long since I’d bought the audiobook, all I remembered about it was that it was a fantasy. So I plunged in basically knowing nothing about it. I was caught up from the very start. Katsa is a girl of about 18 or so. She is the orphaned niece of King Randa who rules the Middluns, one of the Seven Kingdons in this alternate world. In this world, some children are born “Graced” – the outward sign of it is that they have bi-coloured eyes – but just what their Grace is, cannot be told from looking at them alone. Graceling children in King Randa’s realm are sent to the king to be of use. Those whose Graces are not useful are sent back to their families but they are treated with suspicion and are basically outcasts.

When Katsa was about 8, her Grace revealed itself. She is a very capable killer. Her uncle decides to train her as his own private attack dog. Quickly, Katsa gains a fearsome reputation. As she grows however, she dislikes being forced into breaking arms, removing fingers, knocking heads and killing for the king’s purposes. She starts a kind of resistance movement, called the Council and by it, uses her Grace for justice. I think that in doing so, she begins to understand her own power and that she can control it’s use. This is a theme which the book comes back to every now and then as Katsa grows and issues of power and control are extremely important to her. Continue reading

I’m Over at AudioGals…

September 20, 2013 / Kaetrin

with a review of Love With A Chance of Drowning by Torre DeRoche, narrated by Candice Moll. It is a biography, so a little bit of a departure, but there is romance and it is a fascinating story. See what I thought here.