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The Lemon Sisters (Wildstone, #3)
The Lemon Sisters (Wildstone, #3)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I absolutely love reading Jill Shalvis books. She has the uncanny ability to get right into my head and thought process to lead me on an extraordinary adventure from the first page. The Lemon Sisters is no exception, with life quotes on every chapter and stories like “popcorn farting”, this is a true to life story.

Brooke and Mindy are the Lemon Sisters. Separated by time and distance, they each are settled into their own crazy lives. Brooke is busy adventure journalist who had a little hiccup in her career and Mindy is a mom to 3 wild kids. Mindy shows up and Brooke’s door and needs a break so Brooke agrees to take the kids home for a couple days to give Mindy the time she needs. Not wanting to mention to Mindy how close the edge Brooke was herself, she keeps her mouth shut and helps get Mindy’s life back on track.

Wildstone is a place Brooke never wanted to head back to, ever. She ran fast and far as soon as she could seven years ago and never looked back. Putting Garrett out of her every thought has been the hardest part of living away from home. This could get very interesting.

Garrett has lived next door to Mindy and Linc for years, he loves being a psuedo uncle to their 3 kids. He’s tried hard to keep Brooke from encroaching on his daily thoughts, but that has proven to be futile. Now with her next door again for who knows how long, his thoughts are no longer his own.

I love the flow of storylines from Brooke to Mindy to Linc and Garrett. Add in a quirky OCD like storyline with Brooke and her niece and you have a perfect flow of characters both main and secondary. Telling storylines within the main storyline including lines like “Popcorn Farts” and the cool quotes Ms. Shalvis puts at the beginning of chapters is just one of the many reasons I flock to books by this author. 5 out of 5 stars for a book I voluntarily read and reviewed without expectations. Wildstone hooked me again, toss me back and I’ll get hooked again I’m sure.
  
Every Fifteen Minutes
Every Fifteen Minutes
Lisa Scottoline | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
4
8.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dr. Eric Parrish is a busy psychiatrist juggling his work as Chief at a hospital unit, as well as his own private practice. He is also reeling from his recent separation from his wife and the subsequent time he must spend away from his daughter, Hannah, who is only seven-years-old. One day, Eric is called to treat an elderly woman who is dying from cancer, but it quickly becomes clear the real patient is her grandson Max, who, at 17, is having difficulty dealing with his grandmother's impending death. Eric quickly discovers that Max is depressed, struggling with OCD, and having violent thoughts about a girl he knows from his job. However, as Eric treats Max, he suddenly finds his own life breaking apart around him. There is a murder, a violent incident, problems with his wife and daughter, issues at work, and much more.

I never really got "into" this book. To me, Eric is not a likeable character. Throughout the course of the novel he seems to make a remarkable number of questionable decisions, even if his life is somewhat spiraling out of control. For instance, as he goes through the divorce with Caitlin, Eric is constantly lamenting about Hannah and the effects of the divorce on her. So much so that he comes by the house unasked, calls his wife and daughter at all hours, completely ignores the advice of his lawyer, etc. He seems to lack knowledge of any basic divorce or legal protocol - not to mention common sense.

The lack of common sense prevails throughout the book. So much of the plot is supposedly driven by what Eric knows about Max, this teenage kid he meets at the hospital, but really they have two sessions together before things go awry. It seems insane that he would have learned so much about his patient in this time. So much of the plot just seemed implausible and annoying. We hear constant talk about Eric's past anxiety and how he overcame it. OK - so what?

Overall, I just found myself irritated by Eric and annoyed by his decisions. Parts of the book seem completely improbable and the plot is so thinly constructed that once you figure out how everything comes together, it seems barely possible. Then Scottoline throws in another twist that seems completely unnecessary. Overall, rather disappointing read.
  
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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Hostage Three in Books

Dec 17, 2018  
HT
Hostage Three
Nick Lake | 2013
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>

<i>Hostage Three</i> is the second literary thriller by Carnegie Shortlisted Nick Lake. I must admit that I was a little apprehensive about reading this book after having read Lake’s first literary thriller, <i>In Darkness</i>, which, although well written, was rather hard going and, at times, boring. However I really enjoyed <i>Hostage Three</i>. Maybe it helped having a narrator I could relate to more, or maybe it was because the narrative was not shared between two major different time periods as <i>In Darkness</i> was. Whatever the reason, it was good.

The narrative jumps straight in to something happening in 2008 on the coast of Eyl, Puntland, Somalia. Seventeen-year-old Amy Fields is on a yacht, there are pirates; it appears someone is about to be killed. End of part one. What has happened? What is going to happen? Begin part two, three and a half months earlier. From this moment on Amy narrates what has happened in the lead up to the initial insight given and what happened afterwards. The reader learns more about Amy, her father and his wife, Sarah, who Amy constantly refers to as ‘the stepmother’, which gives an indication of their tense relationship. Throughout the book there are also flashbacks to what happened to Amy’s real mother, a sufferer of severe OCD, and the events that caused Amy to become the rebellious teenager she is portrayed as at the beginning of the novel.

Amy and her family end up travelling the world on a private yacht only to get taken hostage by pirates in the Indian Ocean. To begin with it is clear that the Fields family and yacht crew are the goodies and the pirates the baddies, however Amy begins to develop a complicated, secret relationship with one of the pirates, Farouz. The reader discovers the pirates’ motives, well at least Farouz’s motives, behind the hostage situation. Things begin to look less black and white, less good versus bad. And everything, of course, becomes more complex once romance is thrown into the mix.

<i>Hostage Three</i> is well worth a read. Lake writes really well and keeps the reader engaged. It is as if Amy is talking to the reader the entire time. Once you get used to the unconventional use of punctuation (no speech marks) it will become fast paced and you will be torn between wanting to read it all in one go and wanting to slow down to prevent it from ending too soon!
  
Secretary&#039;s Obsession (Obssessions #4)
Secretary's Obsession (Obssessions #4)
JP Sayle, Lisa Oliver | 2025 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Loving these!!
I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 4 in the Obsessions series, and I STRONGLY recommend that you read the previous 3 books, or the very least, book 1, Demon's Obsession. Scott is Dakata's assistant in that book.

Scott is a demon, a small blue one at that. His family thought him lacking in all things. So Scott makes up for that by being the BEST assistant he can, by being in control of every little detail. George is a bear shifter of the highest lineage. But he choose to walk away from his nutty father and drives a taxi near the forest. When he gets sideswiped and ends up in hospital, George meets his blissful one, but the pair are mismatched in many ways. Then George goes missing and Scott's demon loses it.

What I especially loved about this one, was the complete opposites that Scott and George are, but George is so flipping patient with Scott and his OCD about everything, once he understands WHY Scott is this way. It takes time for them to actually talk about things, and I liked that they were both willing to make this work. Even if the talking thing takes some time!

I disliked both sets of parental units. Scott's especially was a nasty piece of work towards Scott and George. George's male unit was just a freaking power tripping nutter who wanted George's *insert correct word so it gets approved* to continue on the lineage that the nutter could not do himself, since ALL his other children were girls and George the only male. (did you get my meaning?? :-p) Loved that Scott, and indeed George, stood up to said male units and both male units gets their comeuppence!

There is some overlapping with Christa's Obsession, since Christa disappears for a time but no one is worried. We know where she was ;-p if you read that book.

While steamy and smexy, this one concentrates more on the emotions between these two, rather than the physical. And I loved that.

But what I'm loving the most about these books, is this: at the end of each one, we get a snippet of Asmodeous, the demon king and what's going on with him and his blissful one, even if, at this point, he's denying the connection. I just cannot wait for him to be pulled down a peg or two by said blissful one, and you know it's gonna be glorious!

5 wonderful stars and I can't wait for the next one!

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Body Language
Body Language
A. K. Turner | 2020 | Crime, LGBTQ+, Medical & Veterinary, Mystery
7
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
It is worth reading.
The protagonists in this novel are Cassie and DS Flyte, and the story is told from their perspectives. When it comes to the characters, the author really went all out. 😀 Cassie is a bisexual, goth looking woman, who loved dead creatures since she was little. She had a very difficult life, and Cassie is an extremely complex character. Her eye to detail and a very sensitive six sense, just an icing on the cake. DS Flyte is fighting her own demons, but she has an OCD when it comes to her work, she does not like cutting corners, and many people don’t like her. Both of these women are very strong personalities, but their love for the job makes them an amazing combo. Cassie has to be my favourite though, her relationship with the dead ones and her Babcia (granny) is very heartwarming. 🙂

The book started quite slowly. There were more thoughts about the past and previous experiences rather than the investigation itself, and I was about to lose my hope, but I was very glad that I didn’t give up because the investigation was very entertaining indeed. Cassie’s life story was quite absorbing, and I was happy to learn more about her and her upbringing. I would have liked to know a little bit more about DS Flyte as well, I think she is quite an interesting persona. I really enjoyed the twists and turns that this book had to offer, they were really unexpected. On the other hand, there were some events that didn’t really make sense and they were kind of forgotten at the end. 😦 The topics discussed in this novel were loss, miscarriages, homelessness, poverty, drug dealing and drug use, difficult family relationships, and many more.

The book is set in Camden, London, and I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the author’s knowledge of the area. The writing style of the book was very creative, detail-oriented but very enjoyable nevertheless. I liked the way the story was flowing, revealing interesting surprises bit by bit. The chapters have a medium length, and the pages just flew by for me. The ending rounded the story very nicely, and I truly hope to read more books with this very intriguing character duo.

So, to conclude, if you are looking for a thriller with different, diverse characters, that are complex and intriguing, this book is for you! The narrative started quite slow, but it allowed to get to know Cassie better, and the rest of the story truly had me engrossed. I enjoyed this thriller, and especially the characters, and I hope you will give this book a try. I think everyone needs to meet Cassie. 🙂 I hope you will like it as much as I did.
  
Bloodshot (Cheshire Red Reports, #1)
Bloodshot (Cheshire Red Reports, #1)
Cherie Priest | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
What a truly awesome and fresh take on vampires in the crowded genre of Urban Fantasy! The star of <u><b>Bloodshot</b></u> is vampire Raylene Pendle, a top thief of priceless artifacts, who takes on a case from another vampire. This vampire, Ian Stott, was blinded by a top-secret government program and wants Raylene to steal back papers dealing with those experiments. What follows is a fast-paced, scene-changing adventure filled with unique characters that fulfills everything the book promised and more.

Raylene is your typical vampire in a lot of ways: the sun gives her a nasty sunburn to the extent of death, there's no awakening to dusk after decapitation or going up in flames, and of course, she's preternaturally fast and strong. However, she differs in that she's paranoid, self-deprecating, neurotic, and a tad OCD. So while Raylene can kick some major ass and make sarcastic remarks like the rest of the UF heroines, she also second- (and third and fourth) guesses herself a lot and is always prepared for the worst, usually thanks to her quick wits and sometimes even to the helpful contents of her "go-bag". I found Raylene to be a terrific protagonist, and for someone who claims to be anti-social, she sure picks up a lot of "pet people" throughout the duration of the book, which makes her a big, warm, gooey marshmallow inside (even if she doesn't own up to the fact).

What did surprise me was how funny the book was. I laughed, giggled, chortled, snorted, and smiled (usually rather goofily) quite often (there was many a line that left me in hysterics -- good thing I was reading in the privacy of my own home). Judging by the cover, I expected a more serious and suspenseful read, but while I wouldn't say this was exactly light, it wasn't as heavy as I imagined either. The plot moves swiftly each step of the way and kept me glued to the pages; there wasn't one dull moment to be had. Every character that popped up in the book was interesting and fully fleshed out, no bores within these covers, and helped move the story along. The writing was great, from Raylene's first-person inner dialogue to the action scenes, not one thing bothered me overly much.

While there is a sense of closure to the book as a whole, the story is really just beginning and I am left eager (and impatient beyond belief) for the next installment, [b:Hellbent|9842559|Hellbent (Cheshire Red Reports, #2)|Cherie Priest|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|14733361] (set to come out August 30, 2011). If one book can make you a fan of an author, surely this one did it for me. Cherie Priest created a great intro to a character whose very vitality is evident every page of this book and has made Raylene one of my new favorites in the UF field.
  
4.5/5

She’s the One is the 1st book in a 5 part Counting on Love series by Erin Nicholas. It is apparently a continuation of sorts to Nicholas’ Bradford series with some characters bridging the gap. I haven’t read the Bradford series as of yet but with some characters I’ve met I definitely will start asap.

Amanda Dixon is the oldest of her 3 sisters. Her brother Connor is their oldest sibling and has been a father figure in their lives since their Dad died unexpectedly years ago. She is the leader, the mother hen, the one she wants her sister to come to for advice, help or anything really. She doesn’t want to let her brother or sisters down, even as she has a secret in her past only Connor knows about. She knows she needs to have more of a life for herself but she can’t seem to stop. Can she find a way to work and have fun too?

Ryan Kaye is an all around manly man. He is a top-notch paramedic, football player and party guy. He knows the Dixon sisters as well as their brother Connor, his quarterback, and can honestly say he is interested. Emma has flirted with him in the past but they’ve never hooked up, not that he corrects the assumptions on that rumor.

Amanda assumes Ryan and her sister Emma have hooked up in the past, she envys Emma and how she handles herself. During a birthday party for her youngest sister, Olivia makes a birthday wish that Amanda and Emma trade places for one weekend. Each living life the way the other one would. That leads Amanda to make some wild choices for her weekend and she wants Ryan along for the ride. A motto of WWED (What Would Emma Do) makes her realize she had the wild child inside already.

Ryan can’t believe Amanda wants him to be a part of her wild weekend. He is definitely the man for the job. What he doesn’t count on is being the tame one during their night out. He realizes Amanda needs to get something out of her system and he doesn’t like the way she thinks about him and his past. He does the hardest thing by walking away. Can he make her realize she needs him for more than just one wild night?

They have quite a few obstacles to overcome, Connor, a car accident and missed signals but Amanda and Ryan are both strong characters who know what they want.

I read this book 2nd after reading book #2 first. I can honestly say that usually bugs the heck out of me. Not so with this author and this series. Each book is individual even though part of a series. You can easily read each on its own and know pretty much all there is to know to enjoy the story. I love that about books in a series. It doesn’t always help my OCD with reading order but it wasn’t unbearable.

I will most certainly read more from Erin Nicholas (and have already).