Broken Arrow by Chelsey Butler

Tour Page and Schedule

Broken Arrows by Chelsey Butler

Page Count: 174
Released Feb. 6, 2014 

Adult Romantic Fantasy 

Cari Harris lives what should be a charmed life. She owns a quaint bed and breakfast in a charming southern town, is surrounded by loving friends and family, and possesses magical powers. Most of the residents in Fable, GA, are descended from mythical creatures straight out of fairy tales, and Cari is no exception. As a descendent of Cupid, she has the ability to see when two people are soul mates and the power to make sure they fall in love. However, this power is sometimes more of a curse than a blessing, because Cari is also the town screw up. While hosting a murder mystery weekend at her inn, she tries to match a young couple and makes a huge mistake. Now she must fix her mistake before the guests leave at the end of the weekend, all while making a bigger mess of things along the way, in her typical fashion. As if Cari didn’t have enough to worry about already, her old boyfriend just moved back to town. Years ago, she forced herself to stop thinking about Mike, but now that he’s back, there is no avoiding him. It’s a small town and she keeps running in to him, no matter how much she hopes to avoid it. When she stumbles across some unexpected secrets, and Mike helps her with her current matchmaking dilemma, all of her feelings from the past come flooding back.

My Review:
This is a cute book. Cari is a likable character. She's known as the town screw up which may be true. I will say that her problem is that she doesn't ensure that her matches are in prime position when she makes her move. An obvious remedy but she hasn't figured that out yet.

The writing was average. It did it's job to keep me wanting to read. The characters engaged me. The story was predictable but really most plot lines are. I will tell you that it could have been better. What does Cari look like? We know she has a pointed chin, red hair, a little curvy but what else? Is she short or tall. How does she dress? The same is true for the rest of the characters.

Cari works in a bed and breakfast. We as readers have no idea what it looks like. We know that the town square has old fashion Southern charm but what does that look like. What I am saying is that we were told these things but there were not described to us. For an author I know it's a delicate balance. Too many details and you bore the reader. Too little detail and the story isn't as tight as it could be.

Broken Arrow is not a stand alone. The way it ends, you expect there to be a second book. There are questions left unanswered. The novel is fast paced; it's perfect for a weekend read. If this book was a person and a cupid asked me about it as a match may answer would be "I liked it but I'm not in love."

Purchase

*this is an ARC

**most links are an affiliate links

-I receive a small percentage of any purchase made through affiliate link

About the Author:
Chelsey Butler was born and raised near Fort Worth, Texas. She still lives in north Texas with her husband and four daughters, but she rebels against the Texan stereotype. She loves God, her family, and all things involving books, and is a self-proclaimed nerd, a history buff, and vintage enthusiast. She also writes young adult fantasy under the name S.G. Tillery. Chelsey loves hearing from her fans and encourages them to find her on Facebook.

  Facebook | Twitter

   

Giveaway:

$10 Gift Card (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This tour was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

Pan's Conquest by Aubrie Dionne

@Bunnitaz #NewReleaseTuesday #blogtour
rating 3stars

Blurbs:
Syrinx pulled a fast one on Pan to escape his raging lust. The God of Chastity wasn’t about to break her vows and succumb to his temptations. Transported to the twenty-first century, she runs a florist shop – fulfilling her fake, mortal life. Until the breathtaking Parker Thomas hires her to decorate his grand estate for a gala. Five hundred roses? Easy enough. Except Parker makes her feel things she can’t ignore…

As the God of Fertility, Pan is used to maidens flocking in droves to his pastures. So when Syrinx denies him, he’s determined to win the one that got away. He poses as a mortal to get close to her, but he doesn’t count on falling hard for his conquest – hard enough to make a life and stay.

But Syrinx is falling in love with a man that doesn’t exist. Can Pan hide his identity forever, or will the truth tear them apart?

My Review:

My overall impression of this book is ok. I didn't too much like the beginning. When the characters started living in the present day it made the story more enjoyable for me. It also helped me to start to like the characters. Syrinx was very determined to remain true to her vow of chastity. Pan loved the chase of getting any goddess and maiden he wanted. However, Syrinx would not be such an easy conquest. During his stint living as a human he began looking at women in a different way.

I ended up liking this book. I think that there may be a book 2 based on the way it ended. I didn't mind the happily ever after as it made sense to have one with this book. I think that once you get past the very beginning of the book any romance fan will enjoy this novel. For me, it was a medium paced book meaning that it took me a few days to finish.

Purchase

Goodreads * Barnes & Noble * Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

@Bunnitaz #NewReleaseTuesday #takecontroltbr
rating: 5stars (4.8)

From Kobo:
Galen, a Syrena prince, searches land for a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. It’s while Emma is on vacation at the beach that she meets Galen. Although their connection is immediate and powerful, Galen's not fully convinced that Emma's the one he's been looking for. That is, until a deadly encounter with a shark proves  that Emma and her Gift may be the only thing that can save his kingdom. He needs her help--no matter what the risk.

My Review:
You know I have a habit of putting off reading books. Such is the case with Of Posidon. I had seen the cover pop up on Y.A. book searches and booktube. So I finally took the hint. I still wasn't sure if I was going to like the book so I checked it out of the library.

I am glad that I did. I like that the story is about merpeople...excuse me Syrena. In this telling of Syrena, Emma McIntosh is a Syrena but she does not know it. Galen is a Royal Syrena who has heard about Emma from his human friend Dr. Milligan.

When Galen finds her he has two surprises. One, she doesn't seem to know what she is. Two, there is an intense physicalk spark between them. The latter is significant because though Syrena can sense each other in the water it doesn't not happen on land.

As the pair are dealing with their feeling for another they are also trying to piece together why Emma has been living life as a human. He knows that she hasn't actually broken the law that probids them from spending too much time on land since she has been on land from birth. The question is how is it possible for her or rather her parents to have escape the notice of Syrena and why did they leave in the first place?

Meanwhile Grom, Galen brother, has become King of Triton. He had avoided mated since his previous mate Nailia was killed during an underwater human mine explosion. As king he will have to have an heir at some point. This is where Jagen and his daughter Paca come in to play. They are from Poseidon. The two kingdoms have been at odds with one another since Nailia died. King Atonis of Poseidon blamed Galen for his daughters death. Now as King, Grom has an obligation to marry someone from the other kingdom if she has the Gifts of Poseidon which Paca claim to have.

The ending is a great set up for the next book. Rayna discovers that Paca isn't who she claims to be and Galen confirms it. Grom for some reason (perhaps because it costed him so much to consider mating with Paca as he states that he feels that at times it feels as though he is betraying Nailia) doesn't believe them and ends up expelling them. Galen and Rayna return to land learning that Emma mom is not who she claims to be either.

The story is well written at times downright poetic. It is descriptive without being overly narrative. I like the explanations as to how the Syrena bodies adapt from water to land. The intermingling of history and myth makes the story believable. All I can say is, shame on me for waiting so long to read this.

Quotes:
The wind whispers through the dune grass just off our back porch, making it look like a gathering of hula dancers.

Characters:
Emma McIntosh - (didn't know she is a Syrena)
Galen Forza (last name is fake for human purposes) - A Royal from Triton
Chole - Emma best friend who dies during a shark attack while on vacation in Florida
Rayna (Samantha Forza for human purposes)- Galen sister
Toraf - Triton tracker and Rayna mate
Dr. Jerry Milligan - human friend to Galen
Grom - King of Triton and older brother to Galen and Rayna
Rachel - Galen personal assistant
Mark Baker - quarterback and admirer of Emma
Mr. Pinner - History teacher
King Atonis - King of Poseidon mother to Nailia
Nailia - mated to Grom (deceased)
Yudor - Triton tracker and trainer of Toraf
Romul - Archive, oldest living Trident, and a teacher of sort to Galen
Dr. Morton - friend to Emma's father and her doctor
Mrs, Poindexter - works in school office
Jagen - Distant cousin to King Atonis father to Paca
Paca - Daughter to Jagen, rumored to have the Gift of Poseidon,
Herof - Past king of Triton, father to Grom, Galen, Rayna
Atta - Archive
Officer Downing - a town policeman
Hal - a town paramedic

Setting

• Destin, FL
• Jersey Shore
• Titanic
• various place under water
• England
• Mexico
• Taressos (human name Atlantis) - city built for Poseidon

Challenges:
2014 Book Bingo Reading Challenge
I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014
YA Bingo Reading Challenge 2014

He Loves Me, He Loves You Not by Mychea

#NewReleaseTuesday #BingoReadingChallenge #MonthlyKeyWordReadingChallenge #MonthlyMotifChallenge
Kindle Edition 222 pgs est.
rating 4 stars (3.6)

From Goodreads:
It's been years since their parents were murdered. Twin sisters Shia and Leigh are trying to readjust to life, while caring for their baby sister Remi. With the exception of Leigh s angry, dramatic mood swings every now and then, everything seems to be going great. That is until Demetri; the mysterious stranger enters their midst, and falls right in the path of the newly single Shia. After dating Trent for so long, she is looking for a man to treat her like a queen, and Demetri is heaven sent...until inexplicable things begin to happen. When one of her sisters goes missing, and was last seen with Trent and Demetri, Shia suddenly realizes no one is who they appear to be. The seemingly normal world she and her sisters recreated is destroyed. Shia begins to realize that her parents' past deeds are coming back to haunt them all and no one can be trusted. It is unclear to Shia which man truly has her best interest - and safety - at heart. Staring at the wilted flower she calls life, she is slowly pulling back the layers to try to understand if He loves me, he loves you not...

My Review:
Started off interesting. It was a hint that the story was going to be psycho twisted. After the opener
the story settles into drama filled romance triangles. No that is not a typo, it is triangles.

Shia and Leigh are twins. They may look like each other but there personalities are differently different.
Their night at a club sets up a chain of events that will change everyone lives forever. Well, that's not fair. It
is actually the girls' mother who set things in motion but I won't get into that as it would ruin the surprise.

The characters are all emotionally unstable. I can't really get into why they are emotionally unstable as it
would probably ruin some of the drama of the book. What I can say is that after reading this book if you
know someone who has a problem letting go give them this. Hope that they see themselves in it. Get them help. Speak on it. Because even though there are some overly dramatized moments in this book there are just as many real moments. Many people have been beaten down over someone else's mate. Hey, it ain't right but it happens.

For those who think the story is too far fetched. Sorry to tell you but other than the kidnapping and murder I knew women who could not let go and would fight rather than let the man she think is hers go. And I know several men who have date the mother, the daughters, and the cousins. Unfortunately, I know of a mother who made it obvious she wanted some of the loving her daughter boyfriend was throwing down. As well as, sisters who have the same "baby daddy". There's no limit to how crazy drama can get.

The lesson to take away is that when someone makes it know that they don't want you then you let them go.


*There lost score here was the writing. There were misspelled words, tense changes, and punctuation errors that messed up the flow of the book.

Against Nature by John G. Nelson

#NewReleaseTuesday
pages 215 (ebook)
Wildchild Publishing  April 2011
rating: 5stars

Synopsis:

The U.S. is ground-zero for a mysterious global pandemic. The disease is highly infectious and kills its victims within two weeks of exposure. It’s neither bacteria nor a virus and all traditional treatment regimens have failed.

Serena Salus, a radical scientist, discovers the organism is an extraterrestrial dust mite brought to earth by a shuttle astronaut. The government contends it’s a genetically-engineered organism created on earth by enemies of freedom.

Dr. Salus uncovers a vile plan for distributing her experimental vaccine and finds herself in a deadly confrontation with powerful forces that’ll stop at nothing to control the distribution of her vaccine.



Review:

Okay let me tell you this right of the bat. I was contacted by the author and asked if I would like to read Against Nature as part of the Dystopian Reading Challenge. Why am I giving you this disclaimer? Because I loved this book and I want you all to know that it's because I like the story and not because I was given this book. So on the the review.

The action gets going right from the beginning. While trying to return a satellite back to its orbit, a astronaut gets cut. Thinking the cut is minor everyone deboard the shuttle and head their separate ways. Soon they are turning up dead all over the planet. Turns out the astronaut picked up extraterrestrial dust mite in that cut. These mites are high contagious and deadly. Everyone who becomes infected dies.

The mites are really the background story. The real story is how the government handle this crisis. Many people may find this story to fantastical. Government would act that way. Or government could make this decisions in such a rash way. I am not one of those people. The world that Nelson lays out is completely plausible. Look at any election and you will see hints of what goes full blown in Against Nature.

So here's the jest of things. This country is full on contradictions. We are a nation of Christians (our money states "In God We Trust") but we have business open on the Sabbath. We claim to be peaceful but we have been in one war or another since Vietnam. We say "every man is created equal" yet we are still having the first black this, the first Latino that. The list of contradictions could go on.

When it is all said and done though, this country is about money. Period. Those who have it and those who want it. One of the quote from the book stands out I'm paraphrasing "the middle class is an illusion. There are only two classes. The leisure and the working." You know what, that is the most true statement about society. Because no matter how many figures you are making at upper middle class, you still have to work in order to maintain that lifestyle. So though you may get paid more that Burger King worker you consider yourself better than just like him/her you are in the same boat. You NEED a job.

Lastly another highlight for me was how the book pointed out that people who don't outright say God is great and this country is perfect are looked at as socialist, anti-christian, and/or anarchist. There are those who may read this and think those things of me. Here's a news flash. Waving a flag doesn't make you a patriot and quoting scripture doesn't make you a believer. If we all thought the same way this country would be completely different than it is today.

Against Nature makes you think. Whether you think a post pandemic world like the one depicted in Nelson pages can happen or not, it will at least get you to thinking about what you value, who you are, and where you stand.

*source: given by author for an honest review

Challenges:
Let Me Count The Way
2013 Ebook Reading Challenge
Dystopian Reading Challenge

Exposed by Naomi Chase

rating: 2stars

From Kobo:
Her past is back to haunt her--and it's hotter than ever. . . On the brink of a major promotion Tamia Luke is within reach of the glitzy life she's always dreamed of--until her client Dominic "Nico" Archer blackmails her into becoming his mistress threatening to reveal her scandalous past. Tamia has no choice but to submit to his demands. But the tables turn when her hostility towards Nico is replaced with insatiable lust. No man--including her boyfriend--has ever satisfied her the way he does. And as her infatuation grows the closer she comes to losing everything--including her life.

My Review:
"Tamia has no choice ..." Life is all about choices. Even when you think you do not have a choice, you do. Some times there are things that happen to us that we can not control but how you react is up to you. You have a choice. Tamia made choices when she was younger that she knew may come back to bite her. Then when confronted with her past she made the choice to keep hiding, all that followed was of her own doing.

This book was entertaining and at times steamy. The ending was not a happy one and I am quite okay with that. The only thing I did not like was the sister. Very unappreciative and certainly did not learn her lesson. The fact that she was jealous and ultimately turned on her sister goes to show that people, even family, will bring you down to save themselves.

TBR 3

Challenges
2013 Ebook Reading Challenge
2013 Book Bingo Reading Challenge
New Author Reading Challenge 2013

Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs

Knit the Season

by Kate Jacobs

mp3 audiobook

rating 5stars

from Kobo:
Not only are the holidays are just around the corner, the women who knit at Manhattan's Walker & Daughter have an extra reason to celebrate: there's a wedding planned for New Year's Day. In the meantime, college-age Dakota Walker is working to finish a sweater her mother started before Dakota was born. As she takes on her mother's pattern, she learns from her family and friends that there was much more history in these stitches than she had anticipated, and that to build on her mother's legacy, Dakota must allow herself to become the woman she truly desires to be...

It has been awhile since I have posted a review. *smh I know, I know, shame on me. Worse yet, I haven’t been reading that much lately. Still I have a ton of reviews to write. I am also not happy with the style of writing on this blog. So I’m going to try something a bit more conversational and see how it goes. On to today’s post.

Knit the Season is book three of the Friday Night Knit Club series by Kate Jacobs. Change is the theme of this latest book. Learning how to adjust when life throws you a curve ball is an important lesson. At every
Dakota is faced with a situation not turning out the way she thought it would or was just plain blindsided.

I listened to this on audio several times. I really like the story. Dakota was annoying at times. Though the theme of the book is change, and knowing that meant that she would most likely have a hard time trying to deal with change, the way she constantly thought about how things were going to affect her bother me (especially when it came to Gran).

Kate still finds way to keep Georgia relevant. Switching from present day to flashbacks are hard for some readers to get right, it is done well throughout the series so far. The characters are all well developed. Reading the story and its characters makes me want to walk into Walker and Daughter yarn shop. And finally, there are several recipes and knitting patterns at the end. I love this about the books. You don’t just get a story, you get activities to try as well.

TBR list 1

Challenges:

2013 Audio Book Challenge
Let Me Count The Way
2013 Book Bingo Reading Challenge

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

#NewReleaseTuesday
Ebook: 200p
rating: 2stars

From Goodreads:
Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum’s life is set to blow sky high when international murder hits dangerously close to home, in this dynamite novel by Janet Evanovich
Before Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127 from Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble. Her dream vacation turned into a nightmare, she’s flying back to New Jersey solo, and someone who sounds like Sasquatch is snoring in row 22. Worse still, her seatmate never returned to the plane after the L.A. layover. Now he’s dead, in a garbage can, waiting for curbside pickup. His killer could be anyone. The FBI, the fake FBI, and guns-for-hire are all looking for a photograph the dead man was supposed to be carrying.
Only one other person has seen the missing photograph—Stephanie Plum. Now she’s the target, and she doesn’t intend to end up in a garbage can. With the help of an FBI sketch artist Stephanie re-creates the person in the photo. Unfortunately the first sketch turns out to look like Tom Cruise, and the second sketch like Ashton Kutcher. Until Stephanie can improve her descriptive skills, she’ll need to watch her back.
Over at the Bail Bonds Agency it’s business as usual—until the bonds bus serving as Vinnie’s temporary HQ goes up in smoke, Stephanie’s wheelman, Lula, falls in love with their “largest” FTA yet, lifetime arch nemesis Joyce Barnhardt moves into Stephanie’s apartment, and everyone wants to know what happened in Hawaii?!
Morelli, Trenton’s hottest cop, isn’t talking about Hawaii. Ranger, the man of mystery, isn’t talking about Hawaii. And all Stephanie is willing to say about her Hawaiian vacation is . . . It’s complicated.



My Review: I love the Stephanie Plum series. The characters are likable. There is always something going on including many funny situations and comments. My favorite charater is Lula. She says what is on her mind. Here's the thing, there isn't any movement with these books. She is in the same place she was at the start of the books. She hasn't learn anything new. She still a bounty hunter afraid of using a gun. She is way too sympathic with her skips (the people she's trying to catch). Granted it is hard to chose between two men when neither one is really pushing for a decision but even that scenerio has become tiresome. I don't think she have to chose but either stop complaining about not knowing which to be with and enjoy the situation or pick one!
Fans keep reading because...well we love the story. However, I think it is time for the series to come to an end. Nothing is happening. It is just one crazy skip situation after another and even though her being a bounty hunter is the main part of the series, we readers are interested in the characters lives. Stephanie needs a life change or end the series at book 20.

Challenges:
2013 Ebook Reading Challenge

2013 Where Are You Reading Challenge

50 States Reading Challenge

Peaches and the Gambler by A.T. Hicks

Peaches and the Gambler by A.T. Hicks

http://saltygurl.com

Can be found on smashwords and amazon

Rating 3 (2.6)

Summary:

What Does a Strip Club, a Dead Man and a Dove Ice Cream Bar All Have in Common?

Peaches Donnelly

Peaches Donnelly has a major problem: she's just been fired.

Unaccustomed to filling her days with nothingness, she embroils herself toute suite in the recent murder of a childhood friend.

However, standing between her and the solving of this heinous crime are two pesky daughters, a selfish opera singer sister, the diet from hell and two sexy men she can't resist.

Add to this bubbling pot a hasty decision to go undercover as a stripper and you have a story rife with drama, laughs and a little dash of danger.

Follow Peaches and the always funny cast of characters in this first installment of a rollicking series of cozy mysteries.

My Review:

I actually liked this book. It’s like street fiction meets a detective story. It reminded me of a Stephanie Plum type novel probably because she don’t exactly know what she is doing and finds herself in some pretty crazy situations. Peaches gets laid off from her job and finds herself trying to find out what led to the death of her childhood friend. It is the relationships that make this book though, the relationship between Peaches and her ex, her daughters, her friends, and her sister. 

The story flowed. Just when things seemed to slow down there was something one of the characters was dealing with to keep you interested. I did not enjoy the epilogue. I am the kind of reader who loves end tied up. The outcome doesn't have to be happy but I like knowing what happened to the characters after the initial story. However, this epilogue reads like a list. 

This is a fun light read. I do want to know what will happen next since Peaches is threatened with payback at the end. If you enjoy a fun chick lit, street lit, mystery, detective story give this novel a try.

Note: this book does have some explicit language and scenes

Fathomless by Jackson Pearce

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published September 4th 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

ISBN 0316207782 (ISBN13: 9780316207782)

Series: Fairytale Retellings #3

Rating: 3 (3.4)

My Review:

Fathomless is a retelling of The Little Mermaid. It is not at all how I thought it would be because I was thinking of the Disney version. However, it is based on the Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid. All the basic elements of the original story is there with Pearce's added twists.

Celia is the youngest of a set of triplets. She is able to see a person’s past with just a touch. Her sister Anne can see the present and the other sister Jane can see the present. She don’t see the value in her gift until she meets Lo.

Lo is an ocean girl. She don't remember how she became an ocean girl and she don’t remember much of her life as a human. Each day they grow older and more beautiful until the day they drift away and become angels…or so they believe. When a new girl joins them they tell her that the only way to become human again is to have a boy fall in love with her and then take his soul as her own. All the ocean girls have fallen for this story but Lo can not bear to see it happen. She saves the boy. Taking him to the shore where Celia is.

Throughout the story Celia is learning how to be her own person while balancing the triplet bond. Jude the boy they saved coming to terms with his near death experience and falling in love with Celia. At the center of this story is the ocean girl with multiple personalities. Lo is the ocean girl. She loves the water. She loves the other ocean girls. She wants to grow old and eventually become an angel. Lo is also Naida. Naida is who Lo used to be…the human girl. Naida longs to be human again. She wants to go back to her family, back to the life she once had.

In the end, Lo finds out that the ocean girls don’t become angels but monsters. They become the same monsters made them into ocean girls, in the first place. Celia finds out that it was Lo but Naida’s desperation that may end her life. All involved learn that to find peace you have to first be okay with yourself.

Challenges:

2012 Fairy Tale Challenge

2012 Support Your Local Library

2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge

Unenchanted: An Unfortunate Fairytale by Chanda Hahn

Unenchanted: An Unfortunate Fairytale

By Chanda Hahn

Ebook: pgs. 233

Series: An Unfortunate Fairytale Book 1

Rating: 2 stars (2.4)

From KoboBooks:

Mina Grime is unlucky, unpopular and uncoordinated, but it all changes when she learns she is descended from the Brothers Grimm and has inherited all of their fairytale unfinished business. To break the storybook curse on her family, Mina must relive all of the fairytales…until the very Grimm end.

My Review:

I was going through the Kobo website looking to see what YA books they had. Basically I had some time to kill. I came across Unechanted. It was free so I said what the heck. I liked the concept of the story. As the title and cover (clue #1) suggest this is a fairytale retelling. I am not going to say what of because what would be the point of reading the book.

I didn’t even feel annoyed by Mina insecurities like I usually do because of her mother. Mina never understood why when anything the least bit weird. During a field trip to Babushka (clue #2) Bakery Mina saves one of her classmates from falling to his death which starts her family curse. The Grimm curse: (she also learns for the first time that her name is Grimm not Grime) a family member must complete all 200 fairytales. If the person doesn’t succeed they die and the curse starts over from story one with a new family member.

I just had to finish this book. The concept had me hooked. I’m actually looking forward to the second book, Fairest. With all this said, time should have been spent editing and then editing some more. If you are a stickler for a well edited book, you will indeed be unenchanted. However, if you can over look Mina’s winey, annoying, insecure personality as well as the typos it’s an entertaining story.

Plot: 2*  Writing: 2  Character: 2  Other 3**  Overall Feel 3***

*There were some things left unexplained. Like the guy who helps Mina. It is never explained who he is and why he is there. The ending of the relationship between her and Brody (the classmate she saved) was unsatisfying.

**The retelling concept is good.

**I couldn’t put it down.

Challenges:

2012 Fairy Tale Reading Challenge

2012 YA Reading Challenge

Mixing It Up Challenge 2012

Reaper by Rachel Vincent

Reaper

By Rachel Vincent

enovella pgs. 64

Series: Soul Screamers Book: 3.5

Rating: 3 (2.8)

From Goodreads:

Tod Hudson was a typical teenager. He liked girls, sports, food and tolerated his younger brother, Nash. In fact, he had his whole life in front of him--and due to his bean sidhe heritage, it was going to be a very long life indeed. And then the car accident occurred.
Suddenly Tod's future wasn't so sure, and he had to make a choice. Life... Death... or something Between....
An ebook exclusive Soul Screamers series novella.

My Review: 

I had not heard of this series prior to downloading it from my local library. I was in the mood for a quick read and this fit the category. This book is not meant to be a stand alone obviously but I found that it could have been.  The novella is about how and why Tod became reaper. I can not go into any more details than that without giving something away since it is a short story. I going to go back to book one at some point for sure. TBR 2 

A question to ask yourself when you read it:

Did Tod make the right choice?

I’m not sure that he did. It was out of grief and guilt. Plus I don’t think he wanted to be the one to face his mom and get blamed.

Beware: the word creep used alot! 

Plot:3  Character:3  Writing: 2  Other:3  Overall Feel:3

Kill Switch by Baer & Greene

Kill Switch

By Neal Baer and Jonathan Greene

Narrator: Bernadette Dunne

Rating: 3 stars (2.8)

Overview (from Barnes and Noble)

A heart-pounding glimpse into the world of forensic psychiatry, Kill Switch marks the powerful fiction debut of Neal Baer and Jonathan Greene—former executive producers of television's acclaimed Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Filled with breakneck suspense, vivid characters, and riveting detail, it is a mindbending thriller you'll never forget. . .

Meet Claire Waters, a young, dedicated forensic psychiatrist with unnervingly personal insights into the criminal mind. Haunted by a disturbing childhood incident—and driven by her demons—Claire has always been drawn to those rare "untreatable" patients who seem to have no conscience or fear. She has a natural ability to put people at ease, to help them face their darkest secrets. But one shocking case could make or break her career—and it's waiting for her in the psychiatric wing of New York City's Rikers Island.

His name is Quimby. A deranged inmate whose boyish good looks hide a sordid history of dysfunction and abuse, Quimby triggers something in Claire she'd rather not face. As she tries to unlock Quimby's past, she unwittingly reveals her own painful secrets—leaving herself dangerously vulnerable. For Claire, the patient's obsessions are just the beginning. When the case propels her into the mind of another killer—a homicidal maniac who's watching her every move—it could only end in madness, or murder, or both. . .

Brilliantly constructed and breathtakingly suspenseful, Kill Switch is a masterful combination of murder, mystery, and modern forensics that will keep you turning the pages to the final shocking conclusion.



My Review

Claire Waters has accepted a fellowship working with inmates at Rikers Island. Her first patient, Quimby, reminds her of deed seeded emotions from her childhood.  When a blond turns up dead Quimby is the likely suspect. Waters being hard headed and quite frankly too nosy dives head first into the case. Detective Lawler is assigned to the case after returning from one personal tragedy and going through another. Lawler and Water work together to find the serial killer who may turn out not to be Quimby after all while coming to terms with their own personal demons.

Ok this book had action. It kept you engaged all the way through. There are many side stories. Fortunately they are all intertwined so it works. Main story: the serial killings. Side story A (strongly linked to main story): Claire’s friend from childhood being abducted. Side story B (weakly linked to main story): Lawler career ending medical condition.

The way the story is written is choppy in the beginning. The purpose for the choppiness is clear, it is written that way to show the confusion that Waters is experiencing. The rest of the book is written in alternating point of views of Waters and Lawlers. There isn’t much character development for any of the characters. You know what ails them but you don’t know them. The book is about events that happened, how they happened, and how they are solved period. Overall, it’s a good read. Or in this case a good listen.

Plot: 3  Writing: 3  Characters: 2  Other: 3* Overall feel: 3**

*side story B was unnecessary to the story. If he didn’t have the medical problem and was just a regular detective the story would have still worked

** I was interested but it didn’t bother me if I had to put it on pause

Challenges:
Mixing It Up 2012
2012 Support Your Local Library

He Was My Man First by Flowers & Parker

He Was My Man First

By Nancey Flowers & Courtney Parker

pgs 338
rating 4stars

From Goodreads:

     Valentine Daye is a product of the streets. Raised in the projects, she lost her father and her mother young. By fifteen, she was living the life with drug lord Colombo. But when Colombo and his crew are murdered, Richard Washington, one of Colombo’s many street runners, swoops in and wastes no time making Valentine his queen.
     Nine years later, Valentine and Rich are a happy couple who have weathered some “minor” problems. Valentine is well aware that Rich steps out on her. But doesn’t every man? He always finds his way home. Or at least he did before Vanessa Knight.
     Vanessa Knight is a woman who has everything . . . except Richard Washington. An heiress to a multimillion-dollar company, Vanessa is willing to forgive Rich’s flawed background. However, she wants him for herself, and tells him that he must decide what’s important to him—a flourishing career at clothier Jorge Jacobs, where she can make him a VP, or a life with his street past, Valentine?.
      When Daye meets Knight, each woman plots and schemes to steal Rich’s heart. Rich must make a decision. Does he gamble and start a new life with the beautiful and cunning Vanessa, or does he stay with his around-the-way girl Valentine, who has been with him through thick and thin?

My Review:

     He Was My Man First is a fast paced book about love, lost, and lies. I had a problem with all the characters in this book. Let’s start with Vanessa. She comes from somewhat old money though in my opinion having your great grandfather make a fortune doesn’t count as old money to me. To those who have “real” old money 3 generations of wealth is still new damn money so what her and her family really is just a bunch of siddities who have forgotten where they come from. Anyway…she lost her love to a car accident which she blames herself for. Since then she has become all about using people to get what she wants. At first, Richard was just a means to get herself a higher position in the company but then she starts to catching feelings. All the while, she enjoys what they affair is doing to Valentine. I have no sympathy for Vanessa. The back story of how her fiancée died was suppose to stir up some empathy for her character but it didn’t not work for me. No she wasn’t exactly responsible for his death but her actions were insensitive and added to the circumstance of his death.

            On to Richard, like some many men out there he enjoys having his cake and eating it too. Unfaithful and selfish are the two words to describe his character. He’s the type that likes to have his main chick and have a girl on the side. He says and does whatever he has to to get over on them including using the word love. What is sad about men like him is that they usually do have love for the woman they are dogging out but they love themselves and their wants more.

            Now to Valentine, having a abusive relationship with her first man does tend to make any relationship after that seem great but her rationale for Richard was pathetic. She never blamed him for any of the cheating that he did. It was always the chick fault because hey…men cheat. Even if that is true, one doesn’t just go along with the program. Men cheat because the main woman tolerates and the side chick(s) don’t care. If women refuse to deal with infidelities there would be a lot less of it. Valentine annoyed me to no end. I do like how she finally got a clue though she had to be put in a situation in order to get it. I also like the ending. I can’t speak on it without giving it away but there is never one way to do things and I don’t disagree with the path she chose. TBR list 2

Challenges:
2012 50 State Reading Challenge
2012 Romance Reading Challenge

Fun and Games 2012:
Bunnita Reading Travel Buggie