Tag: NetGalley (Page 28 of 37)

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

July 26, 2013 / Kaetrin

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

What it’s about: (from author’s website) “Bono met his wife in high school,” Park says.

“So did Jerry Lee Lewis,” Eleanor answers.

“I’m not kidding,” he says.

“You should be,” she says, “we’re 16.”

“What about Romeo and Juliet?”

“Shallow, confused, then dead.”

“I love you,” Park says.

“Wherefore art thou,” Eleanor answers.

“I’m not kidding,” he says.

“You should be.”

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, Eleanor & Park is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I didn’t know a lot about this book going in. I knew it was YA, I wasn’t entirely sure how much romance would be there and whether it would have a traditional HEA (it did not, but romance readers, don’t be scared – it doesn’t end badly and Eleanor and Park are only 16/17 in the story). When I started reading, as much as I was engaged when I was reading, I found myself sometimes reluctant to pick it up again. Not because it wasn’t good. That’s not the case at all. The writing is lovely and the characters are drawn so well. No, it was because there was an aspect to this book which was painful to read. Eleanor’s story in particular is sad. I was worried for a lot of the book that things would not end well for her. I had a deep sense of foreboding throughout the story which made me increasingly reluctant to keep going. Perversely, the further I got into the story, the faster I read and the last third of the book took one day whereas the first two thirds took a week.

Making it Last by Ruthie Knox

July 14, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. I read and enjoyed How to Misbehave a while back (this marks the start of Tony and Amber’s relationship) and I have the other two Camelot books on my TBR. But I am a sucker for marriage in trouble stories so I decided to read this one out of order after being assured by the author that doing so wouldn’t spoil the other books. I don’t think it’s absolutely essential to have read How to Misbehave first but I do recommend it.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) A hotel bar. A sexy stranger. A night of passion. There’s a part of Amber Mazzara that wants those things, wants to have a moment — just one — where life isn’t a complicated tangle of house and husband and kids and careers. Then, after a long, exhausting “vacation” with her family, her husband surprises her with a gift: a few days on the beach . . . alone.

Only she won’t be alone long, because a handsome man just bought her a drink. He’s cool, he’s confident, and he wants to take Amber to bed and keep her there for days. Lucky for them both, he’s her husband. He’s only got a few days in Jamaica to make her wildest desires come true, but if he can pull it off, there’s reason to believe that this fantasy can last a lifetime.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): It has been 14 years since the events of How to Misbehave. Tony and Amber now have three sons, the youngest of whom (Jake) is 6 and has recently started school. Tony is working 80 hour weeks and far from home because the housing industry is in the toilet – he’s gone by 5.30 and doesn’t get home until around 10 most nights. If they’re lucky, he and Amber have half an hour to talk before they fall asleep. Amber is feeling particularly lost and lonely – the kids are all at school, she barely sees her husband and somewhere along the way her sense of self has disappeared in what she is to everyone else in her life. Tony and Amber still love each other but that isn’t enough.

The Story Guy by Mary Ann Rivers

July 7, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. The first line from the blurb was enough to make me want it.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) I will meet you on Wednesdays at noon in Celebration Park. Kissing only.Carrie West is happy with her life . . . isn’t she? But when she sees this provocative online ad, the thirtysomething librarian can’t help but be tempted. After all, the photo of the anonymous poster is far too attractive to ignore. And when Wednesday finally arrives, it brings a first kiss that’s hotter than any she’s ever imagined. Brian Newburgh is an attorney, but there’s more to his life . . . that he won’t share with Carrie. Determined to have more than just Wednesdays, Carrie embarks on a quest to learn Brian’s story, certain that he will be worth the cost. But is she ready to gamble her heart on a man who just might be The One . . . even though she has no idea how their love story will end?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): This is a special little book. At just on 100 pages, it sounds like the sort of thing you could read in an hour or two but it is meatier than that. The words are dense on the page and having layers of meaning. So it might take a little longer to read, but it’s totally worth it.

Skin in the Game by Jackie Barbosa

June 23, 2013 / Kaetrin

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

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Angela Peterson was always the quiet, shy kid growing up in Harper Falls, crushing on the high school quarterback and honing her football strategy skills. Now grown up and coaching the high school team, she’s shocked when that same sexy quarterback returns to Harper Falls asks her back to his hotel room. And then tries to steal her job.

Injured NFL quarterback Cade Reynolds is in Harper Falls to take over as interim head coach, and he never thought the tall, blond bombshell he propositioned would offer up any resistance. Not to a repeat of the amazingly wild night they shared and certainly not to his coaching position.But the Harper Falls High Eagles are Angie’s team, and even the hometown hero won’t take that away from her, no matter how hot he is. As the two engage in a battle of wits and wills, this is one game neither is prepared to lose.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I liked Angie very much in this book. She is a strong woman in a non tradiational role, kicking ass and taking names. She is the math teacher so popular there’s a line to sign up for Calculus (this is unimaginable to me) and not just because she’s good looking – but because she’s such a good teacher. She’s also the Head Assistant Coach of the high school football team and she designs all the plays for the team. Her vision and imagination when it comes to the team’s playbook is one of the main reasons the team is headed to the championship. She has the respect and affection of the players. She loves her job and wants to keep doing it.

It Had To Be You by Jill Shalvis

June 18, 2013 / Kaetrin

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

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Ali Winters is not having a good day. Her boyfriend left her, everyone in town thinks she’s a thief, and now she’s about to be kicked out of her home. Her only shot at keeping a roof over her head and clearing her name is to beg for help from a police detective who’s as sexy as he is stern….After a high-profile case goes wrong, Luke Hanover returns to his hometown for some peace and quiet. Instead he finds a bombshell brunette in a heap of trouble. As he helps Ali put her world back together, the pieces of Luke’s own life finally seem to fall into place. Is this the start of a sizzling fling? Or are Luke and Ali on the brink of something big in a little town called Lucky Harbor?

What worked for me (and what didn’t: There is something to be said for a reliably good read. My reading mojo was a little down when I picked this book up but I knew that this would be a fun sexy read. Jill Shalvis books are always that for me. Some are more successful than others, but even the “average” ones are good and the comfort I can take in knowing that I’m going to have a good experience when I open a Jill Shalvis book cannot be underestimated.

Fire Inside by Kristen Ashley

May 31, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. Of course, I had to read it immediately.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Lanie Heron isn’t looking for love—no surprise, considering her last serious relationship nearly got her killed. So when Lanie propositions Hop Kincaid, all she wants is one wild night with the hot-as-hell biker who patrols with the Chaos Motorcycle Club…

For Hop, Lanie has always been untouchable. She’s too polished and too classy for his tastes. But when she gives Hop the once-over with her bedroom eyes and offers him a night in paradise, he can’t say no. And he doesn’t regret it when he finds that Lanie is the best thing that’s ever happened to him—in or out of bed. Now the trick will be to convince her of that.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Hop. Hop worked for me. Big time.

“Yeah, I liked skank,” he bit off. “Liked the taste. Wild, free, and easy. Went back for more. Repeatedly. But that was before I had my mouth between the legs of a lady. You get that, you don’t go back.”

Tack is still my favourite but Hop is next in line from the Dream Man/Chaos series so far. He was most sighworthy. As much as I enjoyed Shy and Tabby in Own The Wind, I preferred this book. I guess in part, this was because Lanie’s backstory was caught up in Motorcycle Man (Tack!). But the rest, kind of surprised me. I hadn’t seen Hop that way before. In fact, in Motorcycle Man, he is a bit of a cheating cheatypants. In this book, there is an explanation which is much better than Ross Geller‘s even if there was something a little reminiscent of it.

“Fuck me, babe, seriously?” he ground out then threw a hand toward the bed. “You knocked yourself out to make me wild. You told me your fuckin’ self. Why, Lanie? Why the fuck would you pull out all the fuckin’ stops to make a man already drunk on you drunker?”

I like that Ashley mainly writes older heroes and heroines, even though I didn’t have any trouble relating to Tabby and Shy and I don’t feel like I enjoyed Own The Wind less because they were younger. Still, I can’t deny that I do enjoy the older protagonists here – it is still quite rare in romance I think to have a hero who’s 40 and a heroine who’s 39.