105 Followers
93 Following
SharonL

Sharon L

"My imagination has always topped anything a movie could come up with" 

 

-Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Currently reading

The Diviners
Libba Bray
The Vampire Lestat (The Vampire Chronicles, #2)
Anne Rice
The Carnelian Legacy
Cheryl Koevoet

I bid you goodbye

The Republic of Thieves - Scott Lynch

For more reviews, visit my blog The Accidental Reader

 

This is a sad one. 

I'm not even sure anymore how to explain it. reading the book took time...It's a long one, and I found it very uninetersting in comparison to the first two books. 

I'm going to do a mash up between a brief review and an overall review to the series. Simply put, I don't remmeber much about this book anymore. It started with me not wanting to write the review because I felt disappointed. Later I simply forgot. 

Today as I went through my books I saw it again and realized I needed to write a review. I needed to write something. 

So I'm gonna try. 

The first two books were good, they had an interestimg plot, and interesing world building, the characters were great and there were some unexpected twists and turns that were done SO WEll. I'm fond of them. Yes, I had issues- it felt as if in some way the author forgot to do his research and didn't research the small things- things that concern nature, it's law and simple physics. Truth be told, Had I not read the books with my father I probably wouldn't have known on these little holes and improbablities. 

But as vain as I might sound, my lack of knowledge or my own tendency to suspend rational thought when I read a fantasy book cannot excuse the author's mistakes. Hence, the first two books got 4 stars only. The little things can sometimes be a pain in the ass. ;)

However, in the thief book I could no longer ignore those little details, moreover, there were bigger issues. 

I shall explain the best I can. But remeber, it had been a while since I read it and I don't remember it that much anymore...

Throughout the book we jump between two story lines, one in the past one in the present. Eventually, they collide. 
The jumps between the story lines happen so often.that the whole pace of the book is slow 
So many interesting things happen, the plot moves so slowly that I was fighting to continue reading it. 

While I read the first two books I felt that the author had planned each one of them from start to end before writing them. While it was one of the good things about the first and the second book, in the third book it was...well...a problem. 

While adoring the author's efficiency, as many things he mentioned had a purpose, I cannot ignore the feeling that the author was so single minded in achieving his purpose & goals that he forgot to let the characters have free rein. 

As a result, the characters don't have the freedom to develop. 

All in all, it was Ok but I didn't like it. And in the long run it has left no impression on me. As I am not invested in the series I think, for me, it's time to bid goodbye. 

I still recommend the first two books. They were greet, they were wonderful! 

A review copy was kindly provided by Dell Rey in exchange for Ann honest review. Thank you!

I have so much love for this series

Cold Blooded - Amanda  Carlson

For this review and more visit my blog The Accidental Reader

This book has a lot of running around, a lot of things happening. And I think a war is coming soon. The demons wants Jessica, other sects wants Jessica. Some sects support Jessica. And it all comes back to the vampire queen. 

Basically, the last book has left us with a warning regarding the underworld, and here Jessica tries to figure out what she should do while dealing with one missing friend, one angry witch, some crazy stupid dudes, a father that might just die if no one is careful, a new born (very hungry and very angry) vampire, one plotting vampire queen and one Hotter than Hot, absolutely and McSteamy and McDreamy all rolled into one in the form of a mate. 

Jessica and Rourke are getting to know each other better, they both know they have lots of work to do- Jessica is a moving target, she's powerful but young and Rourke is much older than her and had been alone for a long time. Which is why they have lots of compromising to do- Rourke finds the tender balance between protecting Jessica and trusting her to fend for herself? Jessica realizes that every decision she makes affects them both and most often consults him and learn from his experience. 

I have to admit, these characters are quite growing on me and I can't wait for the next book. 

I'm willing to bribe whoever I need in order to get my hands on an early version of the next book. 

A review copy was kindly provided by Orbit through NetGalley. Thank you!

And the good continue

Hot Blooded - Amanda  Carlson

For this review and more visit my blog The Accidental Reader

 

Here, Jessica tries to save her mate. Escorted by two vampires, two werewolves and one angry human, Jessica sets out to save Rourke from one sadistic and vengeful goddess.

May I just say I LOVED this book.

There is a fair share (the lion's share) of world building here. We encounter demons, bats, mermaids (of sorts), spiders, ants, magic, and a little witch's potions. Furthermore, we learn of the system- the hierarchy between the sects and who controls and enforce laws on all the sects, we also learn how one achieve the status of a goddess. There is more character development as we get to know some of them better.

There is lots (!!) of action, for those of you that like fighting scenes, some hard decisions are made and some new alliances are forged.

There are only few things to complain about, but complain I shall-

First of all, the romance; Jessica and Rourke had a brief encounter before he was kidnapped. Thus their relationship didn’t develop much. As the whole book si about saving him from the goddess, you can guess how much development can possible be here (almost none).

Secondly, while I appreciate information and good dialogues as much as the next person. When a killing scene takes too long because everybody is too damn busy with talking you can guess how irritating this might become.

Thirdly, in case you find yourself not liking this book and consider a drinking game- each time someone threatens to kill someone else you are most welcome to drink. Considering, of course, that you'll take small gulpes or you have a high tolerance for alcohol. Another option is drinking each time someone threatens to kill the human. Or whenever a vampire says that something is impossible to achieve. Both will get you happily drunk quite fast, so still don't use a strong drink.

One thing I really lived is that we learn more about the prophesy and that Jessica grows into her own power.

A review copy was kindly provided by the publisher through NetGalley. Thank you!

Good start

Full Blooded - Amanda  Carlson

For this review and more visit my blog The Accidental Reader

Will you look at that? As some of you might say, we have nothing new here. Nothing we haven't seen before in other Urban Fantasy books. And you’d be right. However, let me assure you that in the next book you learn new things that make this book worth reading if only so you can read the rest of the series. 

But this one is worth reading on it's own accord too. 

First of all, this series is a great example as to how the author is writing each and every book with the thought of the total series plot. Yes, each book has a plot of its own. But they all add up to the great plotline and I love it. 

Much thought was put here, and I appreciate it so much I can't even start to explain it. This book focuses mostly on character development, defining the various relationships and explaining a little about the werewolves' world and their folklore.

This is the foundation for books to come. And while weak on it's own (hence, 3 stars) I am happy to say I appreciate it much better after reading the next two books. 

It has been a while since I read the books, so I'll try my best to write for each of them a well explained review.

Shall we start then?

The World Building : as I already mentioned, the focus here is on the werewolves world. There are other sects of supernatural, but as this book focus on Jessica discovering her wolfish side the book focus mainly on the furry kind. Being a shifter is something genetic, and is passed down from father to son(shifters have only male off-springs). The wolves live in packs around the globe, with each one having an Alpha. Also, most wolves are alpha born. Some wolves also have a special talent- like running or healing faster. Jessica is the daughter of an Alpha, and the only female ever born to a shifter. A prophesy claims that she will be the end of the wolves, if she turns out to be a shifter. Till now (25 years) she has shown no sign of that. But at the first chapter she makes her first change, which in turn, causes a war among the wolves as of them, obviously, fear the prophesy. However, the wolves are not the only ones that hunt Jessica down. 

The Characters : Most characters that forge Jessica's inner circle are introduced here. Some of them we get to know better than others, some give us only a vague feeling of who they are and others are just passing by to say hi. 

Jessica- the books are told from her POV, and she's a great character. She's loyal, smart, stubborn, and rational. She manages a good balance between being one the takes action but always thinking and learning. And yes, more often than most she tries to do the right thing. She yields quite a lot of power, and she stumbles around while she tries to figure things out. Her wolf is a character of her own.

Tyler- aka Jessica's twin brother. He's very protective and loyal, he's smart and charming, strong and very reliable. He also has some prejudice regarding other sects and how werewolves are superior which is fun to see as he keeps on having to overcome them. 

Danny- this British flirtatious overly smart mouthed werewolf that provides lots of comic relief as well as smart remarks. 

There are other characters as well, but I either can't or don't have much to say about them ;)

The Plot : as I said, this book while being a great debut is somewhat weak. It shows lots of potential (that is being delivered later), and it has great foundation. Amanda Carlson's world is fairly interesting. A few good points I liked:


1. Jessica has some steamy sex with someone, just because the two of them feel like it. 
2. There is relationship here, family love and support. Jessica has a female friend (though, she doesn't appear much in the book)
3. There is this guy Jessica meets, and let me tell you he is a fine piece of meat. OMNOMNOM. 


A review copy was kindly provided by Orbit through NetGalley. Thank you!

You can skip this one

Blooded - Amanda  Carlson
For this review and more visit my blog The Accidental Reader

I'll keep it short. It's a nice novella that tells us a bit about Jessica before we meet her at Full Blooded. However, you can skip it as well. 

You'll get enough of Jessica's character without this one, and while being well written I didn't feel like it added anything to the story line. 

 

One stupidly Hilariuos book

Becoming Alpha - Aileen Erin

For this review and more visit my blog The Accidental Reader


This book came out more than 3 months ago. And only now do I write my review as I had trouble writing it before. 

When thinking of this book I cannot avoid the feeling of Twilight. Once again we have an insta-love that is quite not…well…clear?

I really couldn't comprehend what Tessa found in Dastien or what he found in her for that matter. 

Also, Tessa is this annoying character. I mean, her parents love her, her older brother adores her, she has this rare gift that could be really useful, and it seems like her destiny holds greatness. 

Guess what she does folks?

Yep, she cries, she complains and she shows no signs for greatness (though once in awhile she shows signs of something that might one day after lots and lots of training become quite…good?)

Here comes the important question: why did I give it a 3 stars rating? WHY?! This book in many ways is just like any other books in the genre that is out there and we've been through before. Like Twilight.

Truth be told, I'm still trying to figure it out myself. You see, unlike Twilight I actually had fun reading this book. 

Bella Swan was so dull, so boring and so very stupid. Her story was boring, her guy was way too much 'perfect' I wanted to kick his ass to the medieval times. 

But Tessa? Maybe someone hit me on the head, I don’t know. But while Tessa is an annoying character, she is also really fun to laugh at.

She'll go and say how she's not stupid then will go and do something totally stupid, and before I realized what was happening my whole interaction with her became one when she did or said something and I commented on it in the most sarcastic way possible and I had fun. 

Furthermore, Tessa's world has potential. Yes, I admit that more often than not it was a soap-opera (reminding me of the days me granny forced me to sit with her and watch "the Bold and the Beautiful", augh) but it had potential. 

I want to see how the witches' folklore here will evolve; I liked the fact that vampires were ugly and quite stupid. I liked the talk about the weres and their abilities and I'd like more explanation on that part. 

Also, while some of the side characters weren't that needed. Some of them, like Mer, were totally awesome. 

I'm a complete Meredith fan! I really like the girl and I really want to see what will happen to her next, who will she mate with (please let it be that totally swoony guy!) will her problem be solved?

The next book is going to be about her problem and I really want to read it. Furthermore, I'd like to see Tessa grow into herself. While she was quite annoying at first, little by little she grew balls. And she has potential to become total kick-ass!

So, while this book is non favorite of mine, it still has some good side to it. And I'd take it to Twilight any day. 

A review copy was kindly provided by the publisher through NetGalley. Thank you

Just the cutest ever

Geek with the Cat Tattoo - Theresa Weir

For more reviews visit The Accidental Reader

Since this is a short one, I'm gonna keep it short (I'm also trying to learn to control the length of my reviews so yay me :P)

This is the story of geeks Emerson and Lola and one special cat named Sam. And, IMO, it is one of the sweetest love stories I had the 
pleasure to read [and I do plan to read more books by Teresa Weir.

First of all, the writing is quite simple but still I found it held some magic. It was so easy to imagine everything, almost like a movie.

The sense of humor, and the love for cats and music only made this more vivid and cute. 

Besides, a love story between to geeks…need I really say more? Yes? Well how about shy geeks?

It was just so cute, and gentle, and it's no wonder they say geeks make the best husbands. And Sam's voice (the cat) was just so funny and scarcastic and cat like I kept laughing. He really added spice to this whole story…is he up for adoption?!

I can only say, READ IT! [if you love cats that is…]

a review copy was kindly provided by the publisher through NetGalley. Thank you 



This book is such a short sweet read, with one of the cutest love stories ever (Lola and Emerson are both so dorky and geeky it's just sweet)

Half Bad, Half Good

Half Bad (Half Life Trilogy) - Sally Green

For more reviews visit The Accidental Reader

I found that the title is really quite befitting the name. Because this book is half bad. But more on that in a minute

Some of you would do the comparison to Harry Potter. Since they both deal with witches in England I guess that comparison is unavoidable. Yet, whatever issues I might have with the book (and I have), I think such comparison don't do this book justice. 

Fans of Harry Potter, don't hate me. 

Half Bad has some of the elements that were so lacking for me in HP. 

You see, Harry Potter talked about the fight between good and evil, and they both played their roles until the very end. It was quite simple, really. It lacked in conflict. Furthermore, Harry never got dirty he remained the golden child, the pure soul until the very end. 

In Half Bad good is not that good and Evil has a soft side too. It is not your element or your lineage that determine it. It is who you are inside. You can be the son of a criminal and mother Theresa. It does not matter. What matters, in the end, is who you are inside. 

Nathan's story is not an easy one to read. It is a dark one from start to end, and I'm really not sure if even one drop of hope really do exist there. Nathan is branded bad from birth, his surrounding ridicule him. Yes, some support him. But they are so few, and even though their support is better than nothing. It is still not very helping. I can't fathom the pain this child had gone through (and probably will continue to).

The world is fairly interesting, there is an new concept on witches' lore. 
Nathan is an interesting narrator. As many mentioned he is sarcastic. Though school wise he is regarded as dumb the child has other skills- like surviving in nature. He is also quite perceptive. 
However, I DNFed the book at about 40%. I did skim through it to the end. But 40% was as far as I could endure. And even now I regret that fact. 

I will start with what bothered me. Nathan's voice- he is a boy, but sometimes I really felt that it was a woman who wrote the book. He was a bit to weepy for a boy [perhaps that's not the right way to explain it, but in lack of other ways to explain it'll have to do].

Secondly, I'm not sure at what time that story takes place. There are cellphones…but I felt very confused about the time as the witches' world felt stuck in the ancient times. 

Thirdly, the love interest. I can understand what Nathan would find in Annalise. But really the girl felt quite and dull to me. I know, she's young and she's just as much a victim as Nathan is. And yet, she felt dull. Sometimes I wondered what she's doing there. 

Last, but not least- be careful what you wish for 

I'm sure you heard the saying. Well, while I read HP I kept thinking I wanted a darker story. I got it here, and now I'm sad to say it was too dark for me with the tortures…it was so dark that at some point I simply didn't want to continue reading it. Before you read the book, pay attention to that. It is not a happy story, or a simple one. And I appreciate it a lot. 

The more I think about it the more I regret not being able to finish it. And I certainly will try again when I'm in a more befitting set of mind. Maybe, once I'll do that I'd be able to appreciate it better and what bothered me before will not bother me again. Maybe not. 

Another thing I have to mention is that the UK's cover edition is really beautiful. 

This book is not for everyone, but I have a feeling that if I'll be able to finish it and if the two other books will be just as good, then this will be one of these books I hold close to my heart. The kind that are not simple, the kind that is very tiring, the kind that makes you think and teaches you a valuable lesson, the kind you know has affected you deeply, the kind you will always be able to talk about. 

A review copy was kindly provided by Penguin through NetGalley. This has not changed or affected my opinion in anyway. I'm, however, grateful for the opportunity to read such a book 

when beauty is empty

And We Stay - Jenny Hubbard

For more reviews visit The Accidental Reader

 

Do you love poetry? If so, you might want to give this book a chance. 

But for those of you who don't like poetry or don't feel anything particular towards it, well, you might want to hear me out. 

(Those who love are welcome to join as well, of course)

When I started this book I was awed at the beauty of the writing. But as the story progressed I found myself thinking that I might give this book 5 stars despite not liking it at all because the writing was very beautiful. 

I sobered up.

I do not like poetry in general. Maybe I do not possess the gentle soul required. Yes, I read poetry every once in a while. Yes, sometimes a poem, a paragraph or a phrase cut through me in a violent way- just like the waves that crush on the beach. Sometimes I listen to a song and something touches me so deeply I'm rendered speechless.

But more often than not I simply go on with my life. 

I appreciate poems, I appreciate anyone who write poems. Poems can be short or long or come in so many different ways, sizes and shapes just like people do. And you need to convey something, a short message in them. This, IMO, makes it all the more difficult. In a novel you have time to build you message, a poem requires a much more direct approach.

I like that.

The problem starts, once again in my humble opinion (I am no expert nor do I intend to be), when you try to write things in such a unique and beautiful way that the message eventually is 'lost in translation'. [this, I think, can be told on most versions of art]
Perhaps my figure of speech is no adequate, but I feel this is the best way to convey it. While we might all read something in the same language the way we understand it is different. And I'd like to think of that as another sort of translation. 

Now, back to the book.

And We Stay is a book about a girl (aka Emily) who deals with a trauma; her boyfriend killed himself in front of her eyes. The reasons remain to be explored as the book progresses. I am happy to divulge that as you continue reading you realize there is nothing simple here, like most stories, there was more than one right choice. 

We meet Emily as she starts her life in a new school, and soon she deals with her grief, her blame and her trauma through poetry and two nice girls she befriends. Emily learns how to move on. 

What is the problem then?

The writing, the very thing that I thought will make me give this book 5 stars ended up the reason why I'm giving it less. And why I DNFed the book (I did skim through, so I know it all, but still…)

The writing is so beautiful, so poetic you might want to claim this whole book is just one huge poem. 

But sometimes beauty is empty. 

Maybe that's a cruel thing to say, but I find it to be true. While beauty may come in many variations, something remain empty no matter how beautiful they are. 

You see, Emily's story was the kind that might have broken my heart. I might have cried. But I didn't. no sting to the eyes….I felt only some vague notion of pity once in a while. And even that faded as the book progressed. 

The book was written so beautifully so lyrically, that the feelings; the pain, the hope, the cries. And ultimately everything (I dare say even the characterization) have been sacrificed in the name of the beautiful prose.

I don't need my characters to be likeable. Or sympathetic. I don’t need the story to be gut wrenching. But when I feel empty most of the time and confused the rest of the time because the sentence is written so damn beautifully that I can't comprehend what the fuck the writer wanted to say I feel that something is very very wrong here. [Forgive my language and yes, pun intended in case that was a pun]. 

In the end, I think it's a question of taste, if you like a beautiful prose you might like this book.

a review copy was kindly provided by the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review 


Pre-Review: 
I can't. I just can't. 

Since I read half, I will still review it. But I can't keep on reading so I dnf this.

I complained about the book the other day and my friend asked me why do I keep on reading, my answer was because I got an arc. 

The thing is that I don't want to pick it up. So I think I just shouldn't. 

RTC.

But wait - THERE'S MORE! [They never learn....*sigh*]

Reblogged from TezMillerOz:

https://www.facebook.com/MJRCircle/posts/537578289674274 Please fine me every time I go to read my Goodreads reviews. Please.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=537888222976614 Oh joy! Got alerted to this today- its from some woman's blog who got my book free off Netgalley -which means she knew she was downloading a "soul mate" book. But she took it anyway. And now she's going to eviscerate me. And she's letting us all know in advance!!!!!! So tell me, if you hate scrambled eggs, why order them? Even if they are made by Julia Child, you will still hate those scrambled eggs.

I'm willing to give books a chance. Maybe I don't like, say..."fated to be together" stories, but maybe that's because I've only read the bad ones, and have yet to find the one that works for me. Is it wrong for readers to give books a chance, instead of ignoring them completely? DON'T YOU WANT PEOPLE TO READ AND SPREAD WORD ABOUT YOUR BOOK? Or do you only want "the right people" read and spread word about your book?

WTF is up with authors bitching about readers this week?!

This is just the wrong blend

THE DEVIL'S FLOWER -

Do you like bikers? Do you like New Adult books? Do you like angels and demons? What about the well-known fight between good and evil? 


If your answer is yes, this book might be the book for you. The Devil's Flower[what a befitting name] is a new adult novel about motorcycle club with a paranormal twist. 

The thing is I am not a fan of most NA novels, and while I like paranormal I do not fancy MC (motorcycle club) books

This book and I started on the wrong side of bed

- "she had to pee so badly she could taste it" 

I mean, really? That's what you came up with? Yuck. For the first 50 pages of the book I thought this would be a rant review. This book is not so bad, it's just not for me

If that's not enough the girl is rescued by the guy, on the highway, from a bear. That's right A bear 

This book has the whole "we are tough motorcycle club+gang fights+ drugs+ a woman is someone's property" feel to it. Which from the previous MC novels I read I think is the usual setting (but I read only 2 MC novels before). 

And just like in most common NA novels, both Rose and Steele come from an abusive family, both had been dealt such an awful hand in life it's a surprise how Rose still looks so innocent and manage to be so kind. It's not a surprise how Steele became the brooding, violent man that he did. We have instant attraction, and of course Steele wants to listen to this attraction but Rose is so innocent and he wants to protect her that he just can't touch her. 

As for the paranormal twist- think good Vs. evil. think star-crossed lovers...

And after approximately 100 pages we finally learn of the paranormal twist. 

It is not an awful book, not by a long shot. Steele is quite sweet when it comes to Rose, and I always appreciate it when a super tough guy becomes a poodle because of a girl. 

The thing is the while there was enough action in the book I still felt the pacing was too slow for my taste. And while I liked Rose her angelic nature made me feel she was mostly a Mary Sue. And the most importantly, though the bland is somewhat unique, if tea's blend is made of things you mostly hate odds are you are not going to like that tea. This book is not my cup of tea even on a bad day, and I was tempted to give it 2 stars. I was really tempted. The only reason I didn’t was the despite the well-known well-wrought (and much hated, IMO) tropes of each of the book's element it is not a bad book. Those who like paranormal, NA and MC might really like this book. But those who don't I suggest to find something else to read. 

P.S. in case you were wondering, yeah, I wanted to read this book because of the cover….

A review copy was kindly provided by Curiosity Quills Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 

for this review and more visit my blog The Accidental Reader

*if this review doesn't make sense, it's because I really don't have much to say here. Nothing important actually.

The best yet

Who's Your Baby Daddy? - I. Ronik

By I.Ronik tradition we are in for a treat once again. Unlike the previous two shorts I liked this one a lot. In the previous two books I understood the irony but had a problem connecting to the humor. 

I connected here all right. Right from start I found myself laughing, hard. As the name and the cover might here we have a parody on the ridiculous 'baby plot' which if you are a romance reader you're probably well acquainted with. 

This plot is one of my most hated plot lines. I don't mind babies; I love them just not as a plot line in my books. Especially when done so stupidly so, e.g- "Jinoxious was a millionaire that had slept with the best women. He was rich, beautiful and successful and he liked his women to match his car. But when he so the marvelous, beauty that was Timaina he knew he wanted her. One passionate night with the virgin was all he planned on. But Timaina became pregnant and Jinoxious had decided he was going to have his mistress and his child, no matter what he had to do to get them" =_= *

Yeah…

So here we have a laugh at that plotline, not like the example I just gave, but no matter the various colors this plotline might wear, under the beautiful dressed it is the plotline all the same. 

So let's start this. Since some part of this book takes you by surprise, I have decided to talk only about the feeling this book evoked in me. 

It started with a snicker and a small laugh the soon evolved into a "I'm laughing so hard I can hardly breathe" sort of laugh, that felt just SO good. Then it was a little funny and a lot hot and I started to enjoy it as you would a serious book and not a parody. 

Some shit went totally crazy and I even felt a little sad for a moment there. I. Ronik wrote this one so well I felt like I could like the 'baby plot' if she was the one to write it. 

Then, shit escalated and I wasn't happy anymore I was a little mad, somewhere along the line I forgot this was a parody and I started to take thing seriously. Almost to seriously, and right when I was ready to flip the table and call it quits I. Ronik delivered her punch line, which was a really good punch line and I found myself laughing again. Remembering it's a parody and a good one at that. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that this time the sense of humor fit me just right. 

Recommended if you are searching for a short read with a good laugh, especially if you are a resident of the romanceladia who knows that sometimes these tropes get so ridiculous…yeah, I know, they are fun but reading them in a parody is also fun ;)

A review copy was provided by I. Ronik through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 

 

For this review and more visit my blog The Accidental Reader

NO NO NO! This is a rant

Revenge of a Chalet Girl - Lorraine   Wilson

I'm sorry, this is not a review this is a rant. The only reason I kept reading this book was because it's short and the writing is nice for a third person, and because I liked the previous book Secrets of a Chalet girl. I was really tempted to DNF this book. 

Consider yourself warned, this is a rant 

Once again it is Christmas time for the chalet girl, and this time they are hosting a party. A bachelor party. 

That's OK. That's even nice if it wasn't for the story of Amy seeking revenge on her Ex, Josh. 

Now, really, I don't mind revenge. Revenge can be fun when you do it right. But the story, this story contains one of the plots that annoy me more than anything in the world. 

SO Amy and Josh dated back in the day and they broke up because Josh got his dream job. And he needed to move abroad for it. And he couldn't ask Amy to come with him because he didn't want to ruin her dreams. So he did the right thing (not) and broke up with her. 

Let's say that I can forgive Josh's idiocy for choosing what's best for Amy instead of treating her like the partner she was supposed to be. Instead of consulting her and let her choose on her own. Let's say, for a moment that I could get past my anger about that 

What did Amy do, when her heart was broken to tiny little pieces? Did she move on? No. Did she try to talk to him and understand what happened? No. Did she put up a fight? No. she got depressed over a broken heart? YES! Her grandfather died around the same time. So she sinks into depression, quit her studies and turn into this shadow of the girl she once was. She becomes a scardy cat. She becomes a quiet girl. And after lots and lots of therapy she leaves home and goes to work as a chalet girl. 

I might sound a little harsh here, but I can't respect someone who let their whole life be destroyed because of a broken heart. As for the grandfather- it sucks, I talk for experience, but you need to move on. You move on with that pain in your heart, but you don't lose you damn mind! Amy did. 

Now she meets Josh and with her friends encouragement she decides to seek revenge, and she does it stupidly by flirting with his friend and by turning into mush every time Josh touches her. But her, guess what? Things can't be simple. Remember? We are having a bachelor party. Guess who is the bachelor? That's right! Ain't that fucking awesome?!

Here is where my real problem starts. Josh in engaged, he is supposed to marry in a week. We learn from it might just be the wrong girl. I can live with that. People fall in love and marry the wrong person all the time. Josh decides he doesn't want to cheat on his fiancé (I appreciated the guy for that). But guess what? By some cruel turn of events, Amy meets said fiancé and helps her with the wedding arrangements. And what does she discover? That said fiancé is a gold digger! NO WAY! 

That's right where my blood burned with raged. 

Amy decides to save Josh and the rest you can guess on your own.

The thing is while I might not care for many ideals in life, I can't ever understand or tolerate cheating. Even in someone you don't love. You don’t love the person? Don’t stay. You have to stay? Don’t cheat. The fact that the fiancé is a gold digger was a supposed excuse as to why Amy should fight for Josh. I'm sorry, but I cannot tolerate such plot device. I'm all for Amy for fighting to get the back the man she loves (even if she's years late), but just like I think one shouldn't cheat. One shouldn't convince another to cheat. If you sight you should do it fair and square. Yep, I'm aware of the saying, but once you convince someone to cheat you actually hurt the person you claim to love, which raises the question, do you really love that person?

I think you understand the problem….

A review copy was provided by HarperImpulse in exchange for an honest review 

 

For this review and more, visit my blog The Accidental Reader

No Ifs, Ands, or Bears About It

No Ifs, Ands, or Bears About It: Paranormal BBW Romance (Grayslake) (Volume 1) - Celia Kyle

I read this book less than two weeks ago. And though I remember it was a little funny, full of action in the last 30%. 

I keep remembering just one thing in particular- Instant Love. 

I think I'm onto something here. You see the best way to claim instant love as a justified something is by using were-something and claiming a mating bond. 
It happens a lot if you think of it, the only thing is that unlike in here it is not that obvious. 

How was it so obvious? Well, the author herself kind of pointed it out for me. 

I'll elaborate. In most books we have the instant attraction when the 'animal' side identify it's mate. And we break on an adventure with the Weres both denying the connection. They grow close and realize they actually fit each other- gee, didn't see that coming from start. 

But here, we have the whole 'I want her but bears don't mate for life' and 'she's so damn sexy, she's mine so any of you bros stop looking at her' and 'I really like you, you are soo hot' from his side.

And we have 'wow, a man like that is a rare species' and 'he can't possibly be interested in me' and 'this is all chemistry and nothing real' from her. 

But guess what? That doesn't stop them from making out like two heated teens. That doesn't stop her from thinking of his clan as her family though it has been only 5 days since she met everyone. And that certainly doesn't stop them from fulfilling the bond after they had a fight about the fact that she feel like they don't really know each other (they don't BTW). Guess what? They still don’t know each other. Beside multiple orgasms and the fact that they decided to raise a boy together. BUT WHO CARES?! They are true mates, after all 

Ok, that was harsh. Really harsh, and I'm sorry for being bitchy but that was kind of annoying. Now let's go to the good stuff, shall we? *wicked grin*

I am not familiar with werebears and their whole hierarchy, so I can't tell you if it's right or not. Still. The author has written a lot of shifters books, and she did get the werewolves here right. SO, I guess she has done this part well. 

The writing is good and really funny, Mia hardly curses, and her substitute for cursing is damn funny 'crap on a cracker' and 'for frog's sake'. Yeah, she wishes well to a lot of frogs. 

The attraction is well and apparent and the sex is OK. What I really loved? The little boy and how he awakened a parental instinct within Ty and Mia. It was cute. Yep I'm a sucker for those- when there is a big sister/brother that love their siblings deeply or some little child in need that's treated with love by the MC I turn to mush.

I have to admit there's another reason why I like this book- it's part of a series, and Ty has some really delicious brother. Two of them are named: Isaac and Keen. And I can't wait for their stories. Because Keen is super smart and Isaac is really, really kind and nice (he's a doctor) and I think his story might be just a little like 'beauty and the beast', and how do I love those!

All in all, a nice read.

A review copy was provided by Summerhouse Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 

For this review and more visit my blog The Accidental Reader

Lauren Layne party, part 4/4

Just One Night - Lauren Layne

Sam Compton meet Riley McKenna, she's going to turn your world upside down. 

We've met Riley in the previous two Stiletto books. Riley's expertise is to write about sex….but now she's faced with a mission that might just be to big for her belt. 


considering Riley love for sweet things, this is a perfect picture

She, Riley Mckenna, is a sexy brunette bombshell with great rack, blue eyes, long legs and and the quality of a sex kitten. Now, she's on a mission for the Love Agency [Stiletto branch]. 

Her expertise- none. Riley writes the most shocking articles about sex, but the truth is she is just one awkward encounter from being a total virgin. 

Her mission- to find the passion within herself. To get personal. 




He, Sam Compton, has been hanging around this bombshell since that time ten years ago, that he was invited to his best friend's home and met his sister in the kitchen. He always found her attractive, even so growing up with an alcoholic mother that always blamed him for her problems Sam knows he is not worthy of Riley and he is never going to make a move on her. 


But Riley isn't going down without a fight. If she has to get dirty than she might as well do it with the only man she has ever wanted.

Out of all the three books of Stiletto so far, this one was the hardest, I think. 

You see, Lauren Layne creates great women- they are womanly, they are fighters, they're full of passion, fun, snark and they are very different from each other. Each has her own role. Just like if you think of yourself with your friends. 
You are equals but to each her own skills. 

As for the guys, well, they are also very different. Mitchell was the proper kind that had an Alpha male hiding underneath and Jake was the one with the traveling bug and the player ways. Even so, they didn't really have a problem. They were both confident. 
Yes, they were somewhat complex and very human, and totally to die for hot but they didn't have a paradox. Some internal fight they needed to win. 

In that regard, Sam in different. 

I'm side tracking for a moment. Julie had the family issues she had but they didn't hurt much of her everyday life, and Grace had her heart broken but she came back up again. Even Riley with her family and lack of sexual experience does not have any personal demons. As for Emma and Alex, I think that remains to be seen but I suspect that they are also clear of personal demons. At least the kind of Sam's caliber.

In that regard, Sam is different. 

You see, Sam is good looking, he is smart. He is talented. At least if the career he left behind and his new business are any indication to go by. 

But Sam is afraid to move on, and each time he makes a step forward to dealing with his insecurities he encounters his mother that reminds him how unworthy of everything he really is. And my heart went out for Sam [at least when Riley wasn't getting hurt from it]. 

Loving someone damaged is never easy, and I dare say most people are damaged in one way or another. But loving someone whose damage prevents him from going forward and achieve his dreams? It's even harder. This is not a heavy book. It's light and fun, but Sam's insecurities are dealt with seriousness, and I really do believe out of all three love stories we read so far Sam's & Riley's are the hardest. 

What I loved about Riley was that at first she accepted Sam as he was, she gave him the space he asked and did things on his terms. moved on his pace. But when she saw that it's not helping him, when she saw and understood what he was dealing with she stopped cutting him some slack and demanded that he grow up. She threw it all in his face and left him to deal with the harsh truth. Sometimes doing that is even harder than supporting the one you love. 


Out of this series this one is my favorite because of that very reason. It's fun, it's light but it's also very serious. And you can see Lauren Layne's growth as a writer. I think she is one author I can trust to tell me a wonderful love story in a light way with a serious subject and balance it all in just the right way. 


A review copy was kindly provided by Loveswept in exchange for an honest review 

 

For this review and more visit my blog The Accidental Reader

Lauren Layne party, part 3/4

Love the One You're With - Lauren Layne

I'm going to continue with the way I've done the previous review. We met Julie and her friends in the previous book. They belong to the "dating, relationship and sex" division of stiletto. 

In each book of the series we get to know one of them better and escort them in their journey to love. Just a little side note before- in the previous book they were 3 girls. Now they are 4. And I hope that means there will be 4 books in the series and not 3.

Now let the fun begin.



She, Grace Brighton, is on a mission for the Love Agency [Stiletto branch]. 

Her expertise- relationships. After dating the same guy for nearly 10 years, Grace found the lowlife cheating. Her pride is hurt and she needs to build her reputation once again. Grace is also great and being elegant and lady like in ANY situation.



He, Jake Malone, is on a mission for the Love Agency [Oxford branch]

His expertise- women. Jake love women, he understands them. After all he has grown up watching his sisters' love life. 

May the best agent win

The two are thrown together by the bosses, in a mission to date and determine the better agency between the two. Who can read the other sex better?

The result? Pure fun! 

Do you remember the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith? There was a fight scene there with one of my favorite quotes "Still alive, baby?"

Well, we get something like that here- only the arena is dating, and the sparing is verbal (mainly). 

Soon what started as 'who would dupe who?' develops into a sincere friendship and a sizzling attraction. And the two agents find themselves duping the audience. What they didn't bet on, was falling in love.

This book is pure fun for many reasons. Jake is a great guy even if somewhat player and Grace is this elegant, graced lady who happens to wear knives under her dress ever since her heart got broken. She's fierce, she stings with a smile and some part of her is a man-hater. Grace has two versions Grace 1.0 and Grace 2.0 and the whole internal fighting is completely fun. 

I suggest it as a light read. Instead of going to watch a stupid comedy with a questionable humor I suggest you read this book with its great banter, charming characters and a love story you just got to read. 

And when I'm talking about charming characters I'm not talking only on the MCs, but also of Grace's friends- Julie and Riley. Of her replacement turned colleague turned new friend- Emma, who has a story of her own that I hope will be written (*Looking at Lauren Layne expectantly*), and of Jake's family with his sister and parents that were just SO lively. 

A review copy was kindly provided by Loveswept in exchange for an honest review 

 

 

For this review and more visit my blog The Accidental Reader

 

 

 

*Origianl Pre Review*

Five stars it is, and I'm officially a Lauren Layne fangirl. Selling a tiny piece of my soul or bribing whoever I need in order to get my hands on her next book is not beneath me. 

also, I really want the story of Riley and Sam, but dear Mrs. Layne- Emma will get her story too, right? * big puppy eyes* 

So review to come ;)