Latest Book Reviews and Comments

I loved getting to come back to Fairhaven Falls and see Flora work her magic with her latest matchmaking victims Garrick & Maris. These two were fun to read about and see how they worked through their previous emotional issues and Maris' son Toby was a great addition to the story. I look forward to reading about Aiden in the next book.

Steam Rating: Explicit and Plentiful

I received an early copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Red-Haired Woman revolves around two mythical stories: Sophocles’ tale of King Oedipus, who kills his father and marries his mother, and the story of Rostam and Sohrab from Iran’s national epic The Book of Kings, in which a father kills his son. This father-son theme shapes the entire life of the protagonist, Cem. The mythical narrative style is captivating at first, though it fades toward the end of the book. My first experience with Pamuk’s writing was quite enjoyable and compelling.

I thought this was a good book, particularly since it was the author’s debut novel.  The story flowed nicely, interesting because it was being told from several character’s perspective.  Typically that is difficult to follow but I did not find that.  I also usually am trying to figure out whodunnit but this story flowed so nicely I wasn’t doing that.  The characters were almost all very likable which is also unusual.  A couple of the characters could be good spin-off characters in another series.  I would have liked more about Danny, the brother in jail for murder, who may or may not have done it.  You will have to read the book to find out.

Maybe it was because the book is old and hard to relate to the present, but I didn’t find this classic novel to be that great.  I don’t really like a main character that sleeps with his partner’s wife.  He says that he feels obligated to find his partner’s killer but seems like he wants the money to find the falcon more. The book’s portrayal of woman in the book was consistent with the times but still undesirable.  The author had many quotes that were funny because the main character was such a jerk if he were real.  I did not see this movie but maybe I should have instead of reading the book.

I thought the book was just OK.  Nowhere near as good as the first in the series.  The story itself was pretty good but it was dragged out way too much.  It took over 200 pages to get the important part of the book.  I also didn’t like the blacked out text, didn’t think it was necessary.  With all the bad things that happened to the main character, James Reece, the first book, you really root for him.  You must read the first book prior to this one to understand him and the story.  The author left us hanging in a couple of areas, one of the bad characters is still alive and James needs brain surgery which will be good lead-ins to future books. I intend to read the next book, just hoping the editors remove unnecessary text.

Its pretty amazing how this book takes characters we love and ruins them. From how the story is told, to the story itself, to the characters themselves. This book took everything great about the original trilogy and destroys them.

I liked the story.  I really liked the back and forth between past and present.  This was my first Sager novel and to be honest, I read it because I needed a gothy book for the Goodreads reading challenge.  I typically don’t enjoy this type of novel so my rating is higher than I would have thought it would be.  I was pleasantly surprised and will consider reading more of his novels.  But, if you like gothy books, I think you will really enjoy this book.

Overall, I enjoyed the audiobook.  Grisham did a very good job developing the major characters.  The main character was Simon, a down on his luck lawyer (bad marriage, broke, gambling problem).  His problems then were exasperated when he met an elderly woman with no beneficiaries who claimed to have millions of dollars in her estate and needed a new will.  Of course he succumbed to greed and stacked her personal affairs in his favor.  When she dies and the autopsy reveals she was poisoned, Simon is the primary suspect.  He has to solve the case to save himself.  Overall, it keep my interest but it was slow developing and much of the excess could have easily been edited out.  While the guilty party was a surprise, the person came out of the blue.  No way to figure it out myself until the very end, which felt rushed after the long story.  Despite these weaknesses, I enjoyed the book and hoped Simon would be vindicated despite his moral weaknesses.

A good start but a very weak ending.

It's been awhile since I read a book from the Starlight Alien Mail Order Brides series and I really enjoyed this first book from it's newest trilogy to be added. This story is about Cairn & Georgie and I thought the two of them made a great couple. This is a fairly quick read and I look forward to reading the next two books.

I LOVE the Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides Series and was excited to see that three new books are being released. This story is about Draevan & Cora as well as Draevan's adorable 8 month old niece that he is the guardian for. I really enjoyed reading this book and how all the characters and their relationships with one another developed. I am looking forward to reading the next two books in this series as they are released.

This was an interesting story between a Vampire who doesn't eat named Julian & Penny who is caterer in their small town. The two of them had an interesting story and I enjoyed the way the town offered Julian their support and acceptance. The epilogue at the end was really sweet. I am looking forward to the next book which sounds really fun.

I love the series but just thought this one was okay.  You really need to read at least some of the previous novels to understand the main character’s (Evan) personality and the other characters.  I think it is good that the author is “growing” Evan in his personality and empathy.  I look forward to the future novels in the series to see where the author takes these new found characteristics.

I really liked this book.  I think too much sex detracted from the story and I reduced my rating because of it.  However, the story was great.  I liked that the heroine had synethetic capability, was an interesting twist.  The story had lots of tension and twists and turns.  The heroine turning the tables on her bosses/tormentors was great.  I don’t see any point of the recipes after each chapter but you don’t have to read them.  I didn’t see the movie, but sight unseen, you may want to see it over reading the book.  I expect that the sex will be toned down a lot.  I recommend this book though and plan to read the other books in the trilogy.

I listened to audio book for this one.  It went quickly but in no way was this was a thriller.  I liked that she was going to get married and like the portions on Enzo.  But overall, it was disappointing.  I sure hope the next book in the series is better or it will be my last.

I didn’t think this second novel was as good as the first.  In fact, I may be getting tired of the series.  The second plot was too similar to the first for my taste.  I also didn’t like that the housemaid character was stringing along her boyfriend.  From his character description, he did not deserve it. 

Incidents Around the House is a thrilling and unsettling novel. A little girl is forced to confront the frightening world of adults while a powerful entity looms over her. It has a well-crafted atmosphere and a chilling ending. I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie.

This was my first book by Ember Sage and while it can be read as a standalone since each book focuses on different couples I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I was more familiar with the town and other characters and how they all tied together. This story is about Reed & Lea and I enjoyed seeing how the two of them overcome their issues together and their shared love of plants. The epilogue at the end was nice and sets things up a bit for the next story.

While the plot seemed totally unbelievable, it really kept my interest.  I liked all the action and double crosses.  I also liked the detail of lock picking and computer hacking.  For a second book, it was good and has improved on his first.  I plan to continue reading his books. 

I love the Serpents of Serant series and was so glad to get a new story as well as see that another is in progress. I really enjoyed getting to know Ekkire & Jasmine in this story and their sleara companions Hunter & Dove were SO adorable! I loved how Ekkire was so great with Dove when they first rescued her despite his not fully understanding Jasmine's bond with her until he bonds with Hunter. I look forward to reading more about Joxra in the next story.

I did like this book and honestly was surprised that I did. It was not filled with action or plot twists.  It kind of slowly plodded through the story going back and forth between the present and past.  It revealed the killer early so the booked focused on the why he did it.  You need to pay attention as some of the changes between past and present were hard to follow.  I also think the author could have eliminated the unnecessary detail.  Made the book seem longer than it needed to be.  The ending was great.  Was the basis for the higher rating despite comments above.

This was my second book by K.M. Shea and I really enjoyed her Retelling of Wild Swans and all the characters in this story. It can be read as a standalone although I do plan to read more books in the series to find out what happens with some of the other characters who have their own books in the series. I really liked the fact that at the end this book has two different epilogues allowing the reader to decide which of the two different love interests Elise ends up with and I read and enjoyed both.

This is such a fun book and I loved getting to know Cole & Summer and seeing how everything comes together for them despite their rocky beginning. This book is set in a small town during a heatwave that causes a few problems for both Cole & Summer. I look forward to seeing what comes next in this new series.

This is another fun addition to the Wrong Move, Right Monster series of standalone romances. I enjoyed getting to know Malachi & Isadora in this story and how they initially clashed with one another but slowly grew closer and helped one another overcome issues from their pasts. I also loved Mal's imp Nix even though he was in so little of the story but he was so fun whenever he did show up. I look forward to reading more of this series as well as many more books by Honey Phillips.

The Trial by Kafka is a strange and even unsettling work. K is accused of a crime that is never revealed to the reader — or even to K himself. He insists on his innocence, but as a reader, I’m not so sure. What bothers me about the events unfolding around him is how women are portrayed in the story. Perhaps that’s why I’m not sure how I feel about K myself. This work has probably been analyzed to death, and I have nothing philosophical to say about it. It’s as if I’d just had a rather strange nightmare.