Sheila's Reads
What I've read between 3/17 and 4/6/14
Lots of reading going on. I did some beta reading for authors. Please I donated plasma yesterday. I've now donated 125 pints of blood or plasma. Today I went to the symphony. Excellent program. Finished today having dinner at Texas de Brazil Steakhouse. A favorite of mine!
So onto my reviews:
Nightcap for Threeby T. Lee Alexis
3 out of 5
| Brittney was dumped and her friends Tia and Jack try to make her feel better especially after they run into Rick as they are having dinner. While the sex is hot I often felt that was more a two person story than a ménage. I liked that there was sex between Tia and Brittney but I would have liked to have seen more interaction between the three of them instead of two having sex and the third one watching. I liked the characters and how Tia and Jack watched out for Brittney. I'd like to see more of them and see where this can go. |
Playboys of the Caribbean by T. Lee Alexis
5 out of 5
| I loved this book! The sex is hot, hot, hot. I love these characters and the dynamics between them. I cannot wait for more secrets to be revealed in this series. |
Zelda: A Biography by Nancy Milford
4 out of 5
| The biography of Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald. This book gives us a look at a literary couple during the 20's and 30's. I found it interesting but it bogged down at times with the exchange of letters between the couple. Zelda's letters at times were hard to follow. I also thought that Scott became the lead character at times. She led a tragic life because of her illness. F. Scott was less than wonderful. |
Make Mine a Cowboy by Sandy Sullivan
4 out 5
| This starts slow but finishes wonderfully. This is a good set up for the series about the Young boys. I liked Mesa and how Joes rescues her. I also liked their sparring. I did wonder how long it would take before they admitted they needed one another. |
Mayhem at the Orient Expressby Kylie Logan
4 out of 5
|
Nice beginning to a new series by Kylie Logan. The neighbors keep bickering with each other so the magistrate sentences them to a weekly book club. The librarian suggests Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express then they have a murder committed on their island that is reminiscent of Christie's novel. They find the similarities chilling on their quest to find the murderer. Fun group. Sarcasm reigns her. I loved the first person point-of-view through Bea's eyes. I want to know what she is running from. Can't wait for the next book of the series. |
Primani by Laurie Olerich
5 out of 5
Mica's mother has died and she has to leave the place she has lived all her life and move to her father's home with his second family. She is not happy about it. Being rescued after being attacked by a boy from school, Mica's life changes. Who are these protectors? Why is she changing after being around these men? I loved this book. It's the first of a series. Something is happening to Mica and she is gaining these abilities but her protectors (Sean, Declan, and Killian) do not know why. When she discovers that evil walks this earth and these men stand between it and humans, she wants to help especially since it seems her powers make her strong as well as these men when they are with her. I love Mica, Sean, Declan, and Killian. I don't know what they are, only that they are the good guys. I like Mica's friends and family. Scott, her attacker, was a believable villain. He is creepy and malicious along with his friends. They are also dumb and do not learn quickly. I'm looking forward to when they do learn their lesson. I also look forward to reading the rest of this series. Questions need to answered.
Much Ado About Jack by Christy English
4 out of 5
Angelique is a widow of 10 years. She finds James Montgomery on her ship. He desires her ship which is not for sale and he desires her but she says no to both and walks away. Knowing he will have her, he prepares for a siege of her. Angelique is intrigued with him but will not allow any man to rule her life again. The battle of wills begins. Who will fold first? I loved these two characters. Neither will give way. When Angelique's business is on the verge of ruin and her best friend is being threatened Angelique decides which is most important. I liked that she put her friend first. I liked that Angelique was independent and that James did not try to break that independence as other men in her past tried and almost succeeded. I also liked that Angelique respected her elders though they were lower in the social strata than she. Angelique is the friend you want by your side. She was loyal, resilient, intelligent, and courageous. James is a hero you want. He is brave and smart enough to know to let Angelique be herself, even if what she did was not what was dictated by society. A good read.
Revenge: No Statute of Limitationsby Whit Gentry
4 out 5
Did Jake commit the perfect crime? Four women are kidnapped. The FBI is called in but no ransom demands come in the days following the kidnapping. Where are the woman and why were they kidnapped? What binds them together except for their mahjong games? I kept putting this book off but wow! What a read! You know from the first that Jake is the kidnapper. The question is why.
I liked the story. I had a hard time putting the book down. I especially loved the scenes with the women and Jake and would have liked to see more of those scenes and get more thoughts from the women and how the kidnapping was changing them and eventually the affect it had on their lives. I liked learning about the women as the FBI investigated their husbands and families and I was interesting to see how the husbands reacted and changed during the time the women were gone. I liked how the narrator would let us readers know that Jake's thoughts were premature. However, having the narrator as prominent during the epilogues weakened what could have been a strong part of the book. The narrator became a joker at that point and should have been left out. I also want to know what happened with Jake and did he change because it did not seem he had changed.
The writing needed to be tightened up. There were typos. The story is told in a passive voice and there is an emphasis on telling as opposed to showing. There were sections where dialogue between characters should have been instead of a synopsis of what they discussed. These are errors that occur on a first novel and get better with more experience in writing.
Regardless of the writing style, this is a book that kept me guessing until the end. I never suspected the reason for the kidnapping. There were parts when I was gasping for fear of what would happen. I actually turned off the television and did not go onto the internet so I could finish this book. I was that into it. I look forward to the next one and hope my remaining questions are answered.
A Plain Death by Amanda Flowers
5 out of 5
This is an Amish murder mystery. It was different and enjoyable. I liked how it twisted and turned. There were so many suspects that I was constantly changing my mind as to who was the killer. I liked the characters. I also liked the lessons on the Amish that were part of the story. I learned but I also was lost in a murder mystery. I didn't figure it out but I knew the reason, which was very plausible and realistic. Chloe is going to be fun to watch as she wriggles her way into Amish lives. She's an Englisher but the Amish seem to trust her. I do want to know what is going on with her and her father. I'll be reading this series. Well done!
Lavender Days by Robin Squire
5 out of 5
| I loved this book! An older English gentleman stumbles across a back pack from 20 years earlier. In it are letters, a journal, and trinkets from an affair he had with an American lady in Provence. I enjoyed the beginning. He was funny as he made comparison to the current and past him and as he saw life. As he starts through the letters the tone changes. He fears what he will find in the past. I liked how he read parts of the letters and then thinks about what he wrote. I like the first person POV. It gives an intimacy to the story and I connected with Gabriel. I laughed. I cried. I fell in love. And I'm giving it a happy ending! |
Order Restored by Ioana Visan
4 out 5
Jesse has been kidnapped and Liana has been saved by Max. Now all Liana wants is to find Jesse. As they go out hunting where the new breeds are hiding, Liana falls and discovers where the new breed leaders are keeping humans for them to feed on. It is now up to her to use her diplomatic skills to bring them all out alive. I liked how this series concludes. We learn how the new breed side experimented and why. I liked the final confrontation. There is action and adventure plenty along with betrayals, friendship, and romance. A few of the characters are left hanging. I wanted to know how they survived, if they survived. I also want to know if what Liana says will happen actually does and if she is able to reconfigure bureaucracy. But this is a good ending for the series. I will miss these characters.