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Down on the Farm (Ames Bridge #1)
Down on the Farm (Ames Bridge #1)
Silvia Violet | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Down on the Farm (Ames Bridge #1) by Silvia Violet
Down on the Farm is the first book in the Ames Bridge series, and we meet Beck, who has returned to the town he grew up in to sort out his grandma's home, and get some respite from the stress that he has been under recently. The only trouble is his grandma's house is right next door to the guy that Beck had a crush on when he was younger, but who bullied Beck whenever he saw him.

This story got me from the start. Beck and Cal have an instant spark between them that everyone else can see. Cal is worried, with reason, about how being 'out' and dating will affect his farm. He already struggles because of his sexuality, and thinks dating will just make it even harder. Beck has to learn that Cal has changed from his younger days, and perhaps, there is a chance for them both.

Down on the Farm is full of amazing characters, some huggable, some punchable. Either way, they are never bland, and it does give an insight into just how hard it might be. There is plenty of story, with steamy bits too (gotta say, I loved the barn scene! phew!!) It isn't all about the sex though, but about how these two men have to think about what they want and if they are brave enough to reach out for it.

With no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The pacing was smooth, with enough angst to make it tense in places. Highly recommended by me.

Oh, and one other thing - can I just say how much I loved Elsie and Irene! A couple of stars right there. And I certainly hope they make an appearance in future books.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
The Dream Runner
The Dream Runner
Kerry Schafer | 2013 | Paranormal
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
DEFINITELY DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!!!!!!

Hmmmm.... I am of a mixed mind about this book. First of all -- my very first thought? It ended much too abruptly. I was reading right along, and all of a sudden, I turn the page expecting to see the next paragraph and see "Thank you so much for reading 'The Dream Runner' by Kerry Schafer!"

What what?!?!

Totally threw me off... completely. I realize this was a novella AND part of a series to boot, but still... very disappointing ending.

On the plus side of things, the premise for the book was pretty great. Custom-tailored dreams, made to order? Piping hot, fresh, and delivered in 40 minutes or less or its free? (Wait... is that pizza?)

Still. Very cool. I even really like the mystery surrounding the Dream Merchant. But Jesse is not a great protagonist. I felt no empathy for her at all. She suffered a terrible loss as a teenager, but her reaction to it is so far BEYOND extreme... she literally terrorizes her ex lover every night in her custom dream world because he killed her father in a complete freak accident to which he could not POSSIBLY have changed the outcome. Even at the end, when she has her big moment of honesty and self-realization... yeah. It actually made me like her even less.

Furthermore, some of the scenes in the book were very "out of left field" and felt very forced. There was no reason for them at all. It was as though the author thought, 'Hmmmm...maybe people would enjoy this more if I threw some obligatory sex in there. Or at least hint at it.' But it is very clumsily done and adds nothing to the story.

However, all that being said, this was by no means the worst book I have ever read. With a lot of work, I think this could potentially be turned around and made into a great series.
  
HB
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Cameron was that typical jock who only cared about his sexy girlfriend and how soon she'd let him sleep with her. He got drunk and insulted his pretty waitress—which was a bad idea because she turned out to be a witch of sorts. She laid a curse on him out of spite: Every day, he grew to be one year older.

As he aged rapidly he was faced with a reality check: His life would end in a few short weeks. He would never see his graduation. His girlfriend breaks up with him and goes back to her ex. He's not sure if his parents love him or hate him. And they're not sure either.

Then he meets Leisel. And Leisel had her own secret.

The first third of the book frustrated me because Cameron was stupid, rude, immature, irresponsible, and disrespectful. But further in, I started to feel for him a little more. Near the last third of the book I was really enjoying it, I liked all the characters more (or less, in his girlfriend's case) and I was hooked on the story. It was fast-paced and interesting. I think the part I liked most was watching Cameron change from an obnoxious jerk into someone who had some depth and good qualities. It was what I wanted to see, and it made me happy to see him change.

The writing was a little frustrating only because there were ALL CAPS sprinkled in through the book. Now I understand why Rowe used all caps (If I woke up and looked like a thirty year old, I'd say everything in all caps too) but it still makes the editor in me cringe. Aside from that, I liked the writing and the style, I liked the pacing, I liked the humor, and I liked the dialogue. I don't often find a self-published book with good writing, so I'm wary to accept them. I'm glad I made an exception!

Content/Recommendation: Some language, some sexual references, no sex. Ages 16+
  
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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Triangles in Books

Apr 27, 2018  
Triangles
Triangles
Ellen Hopkins | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The thing about Ellen Hopkins is she writes about the stuff that everyone knows happens, but nobody is willing to admit to. She gives emotion and reason to why people make the choices we do, and what they feel like in the middle of a messy hurtful situation. She is the opposite of happyland syndrome. She tells it how it is.

I had read a little bit of Hopkins's work before: I started Crank (When I say started I mean read the first few pages) and loved it, but I was busy and never got the chance to get into it. But I got an ARC of Triangles, so I sat down and read it—and after one page I was hooked.

If you've been reading my blog at all, you know I'm not a person who likes stories about love gone wrong and marriages failing and extramarital sex etc. because I'm a Christian, and a romantic, and a softie (read 'wimp'). But I went ahead and dove into this book, because I knew Hopkins is a good writer.

It surpassed my expectations. I should have expected her to be this awesome, since obviously she's pretty famous and everyone else figured it out before I did, but I really am blown away, not only by her blunt yet graceful storytelling, but by her nerve to tackle the stories nobody wants to tell: a dying child, a gay son, a pregnant teen, sexual disease, threesomes, a woman sleeping with her best friend's husband… it's all in here. Yet, it's not plot overkill. She made it work. Somehow.

Though, be warned. Since she does say it like it is, this book is not for the easily offended. But if you're willing to look past the content, there's a gem waiting for you about forgiveness, hope, and what love really means.

Content/recommendation: explicit sexual content, swearing. Ages 18+
  
Rating: 3.75

Lord Benjamin, the youngest of the Westfeld brothers, is a broken werewolf. He can no longer change in the light of the full moon. Horrified at himself, he seeks out a healer—a witch, although he isn't sure he believes in them—and comes across the beautiful Elspeth Campbell. But in order to let Elspeth heal him, he has to tell her everything. And spilling his guts to a beautiful Scottish girl isn't the easiest thing in the world.

Elspeth isn't quite sure what to think of Lord Benjamin… especially when her sister witch, a seer, claims that he will take her away from them forever. She vows not to leave them, but when she meets him… she begins to have second thoughts. Falling in love with him hadn't been part of the plan.

Tall, Dark, and Wolfish was really cute. I adored Elspeth: she was a fun, stubborn, slightly sarcastic character who was strong in herself. And Benjamin… poor broken Benjamin who lost his wolf-ness. I loved their interactions and I loved their dialogue. I especially liked the interactions between Ben and Will, his brother. They're just… great.

The writing was satisfactory… but the accents were great. Elspeth and her witch sisters spoke in their Scottish accents, and it was written with the accent. Although it was a little hard to read at first, you can catch onto the sound of their voices quickly, and it adds to the character.

I was pleased at the plot: at first I was wondering how Dare would stretch the limited romantic plot into a full length novel, but there were a lot of aspects and sub-plots that were woven in, making it an exciting fun story.

Although, all things considered, it was just a tad sappy. But not enough to make me put it down. I think I read it through from beginning to end in about four hours.

Content/recommendation: some language, some sex. Ages 18+
  
TF
Tempting Fate
Jane Green | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Gabby is 43, married with two children and she is in "the afternoon of her life." She isn't particularly pretty or dowdy nor does she stand out in a crowd. She is just your average mom of two. According to Gabby she is middle-aged.
On a girls night out, she meets Matt, a social media mogul who is 10 years younger than her. Matt makes her feel like she hasn't felt in a very long time...far from middle-aged. But Gabby has been happily married to Elliott for years, and even though this young man is flattering and gorgeous, she would never do anything to ruin her family. But then Gabby and Matt begin to email and text and soon neither of their lives will be the same.
As women, when we age, we tend to lose our identities. We are used to being single and carefree and then we get married and have to learn to be a wife and share our lives with another person. Then the kids come along and it feels as if we are no longer ourselves. We're someone's wife and maybe a few peoples mother, seldom are we called by our own name. So when we get noticed, our minds start to turn, especially when we as women get noticed by the opposite sex. How we handle these types of situations can be a testament to our strength and character.
At times this book was predictable, which I don't think is a bad thing in this case. It's a story that you have probably heard in your real life. How the characters developed and the story progresses is what makes you want to continue to read. Jane Green always does a great job of writing about female relationships and emotions. This is the second Jane Green book I have read this year, the first being Jemima J. I have read a few others as well. Jane Green is now on my list of favorite authors.
  
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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Vengeance in Books

May 10, 2018  
V
Vengeance
Zane | 2016
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wicket is a world famous performer. She dazzles crowds wherever she goes and she's sold more albums than most artists. She is known to her friends, which are very few as Ladonna Sterling and even fewer know her as Caprice Tatum. When Caprice was 15 years old, she was brutally attacked by the people she trusted. Having been cut as a young girl by her mother her life hadn't been the easiest, but she never thought anything like that would happen. Now as she approaches her fortieth birthday she hopes to get vengeance against those who wronged her.

It has been a while since I've read one of Zane's books. I used to read her books a lot when I was in my early twenties. This book took quite a different turn that I wasn't expecting. There is always sex involved in her books, but this one was not the same.

Wicket has a lot of issues that have stemmed from her childhood. She has never gotten the kind of therapy necessary for the type of trauma she has experienced in her life. Now she has issues with intimacy and finds it difficult to connect with people in general. Sure her fame as a little to do with it, but trust is not something that comes easily.

The book started out slowly for me. But once Wicket made her big move, it started to pick up. This young lady had been through a lot of hardship in her life. Without those things, she may not have made it this far in her life, but no one should have to go through all of that to find happiness. Zane always made me look at events in my life to know that things can be much worse and for a lot of people out there they are.

Zane had a new book released earlier this year that I can't wait to read [b:Three-Piece Meal: A Novel|32920252|Three-Piece Meal A Novel|Zane|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1482355789s/32920252.jpg|53537928]
  
LT
Letter to My Daughter
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Maya Angelou has long been one of my favorite authors. I have even performed her poetry during my high school day in regional speech & debate tournaments. [b:I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings|13214|I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings|Maya Angelou|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327957927s/13214.jpg|1413589] was her first book that I read as an adolescent. Her words are always inspiring and listening to her read [b:Letter to My Daughter|4016515|Letter to My Daughter|Maya Angelou|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320448534s/4016515.jpg|4062985] was incredible. Reading her books always leave me feeling refreshed and alive, but hearing the emotion in her voice while she was reading her words, gives the book even more enjoyable. Hearing her voice crack as she talks about being beaten and raped almost brought me to tears. It made me feel a deeper connection to Ms. Angelou.

It's ironic that this book is called <u>Letter to My Daughter</u> when Maya Angelou doesn't have a daughter. She claims women such as Oprah Winfrey, Rosa Johnson Butler, Valerie Simpson, Brenda Crisp, and Frances Berry allowed her to be a mother to them. This book goes through different aspects of Maya Angelou's life from childhood living with her grandmother, to becoming an undeveloped woman who thought sex would bring in her breasts. And it did, but they were filled with milk.

We as women go through many struggles in life. A lot of the time, we put ourselves on the back burner in order to take care of those around us. In this book, Maya Angelou proves to us that no matter the struggle, if we work hard and put ourselves first, we can accomplish anything. She had it just as hard, actually harder than any of us and look at all she had done in this world.

I recommend this book to all the women I know. It will leave you feeling empowered, strong and on top of the world.
  
Well, I read this book in under twenty-four hours easily, and that is with two toddlers to keep me on my toes. With all of the positive reviews out there, I'm surprised it took me this long to get to this book, even despite the over-abundance of vampires in fiction literature.
Cat is like a Midwestern version of Buffy, with a healthy dose of vampire genetics to add to her coolness. Bones' style, looks, and British accent remind me of Spike, so he quickly became my favorite character in the book. These factors alone are enough to get me hooked on the series, but Frost's ability to write hot sex scenes without any of the cheesiness that is prevalent in the romance genre just adds to the appeal.
There were a few small things I did not like, such as the death of certain characters, but I can see how these events served to move the plot along. There were many unpredictable twists and turns in the plot that constantly had me guessing as to what would happen next - and reading to find out. The humor was very entertaining without becoming center-stage in the plot, and I especially loved the dynamics between Cat and Bones. I would have loved to read all two hours of dirty talk that Bones dished out to Cat as part of her training, his forthrightness with her regarding his feelings was intoxicating.
The ending was noble, but not what I would have preferred. Still, it sets up wonderfully for the next book, because I just know that Bones will be hunting Cat down like he promised. Plus, there is lots of untapped potential in Cat's abilities, and I have to wonder if she does not have the same abilities as other vamps with her green eyes. On to One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 2)!
  
DS
Dead Sexy Dragon (Dragon Heat, #1)
6
6.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I recently went back to NetGalley after a long duration and saw this was still sitting on my shelf. About two and a half years later. Oops. I sent it to my Kindle again and was surprised to see it show up. I figured it was high time I read and reviewed the story. Luckily it's about novella length, maybe shorter, so I thought it'd be fast and easy.

<b>Dead Sexy Dragon</b> is the first book in a paranormal series featuring shape-shifting (you guessed it!) dragons. Cora's the heroine fleeing from some trouble to her late brother's best friend and old Marine buddy, Stig Wyvern (I see what you did thar). Unfortunately for the both of them, it's his time of the month. Just kidding, but he goes through a nine-day period every three years where he's in heat. Sadly it's not called <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Pon_farr"; target="_blank">pon farr</a>.
<IMG src="http://rs32.pbsrc.com/albums/d6/satilanna/spock_pon_farr_by_monicaaofthesand_zps9ne2inv0.png?w=480&h=480&fit=clip">;
Anywho, they've been hot for each other for years but neither of them knows it. Naturally. Pretty soon, like the next day, they have loads of sex after she finds out he's a dragon. The sexual interactions take up around 40% of the book and treads the line between romance and erotica. Some stuff happens that I don't want to give away, but Cora ends up in peril, and then Stig. It's a romance so obviously you know how it ends.

The story is pretty rushed, and the first couple of pages were a bit rough, but there are some interesting ideas here, so I just might pick up the next book and see where it's going. In the end, it didn't rock my socks, but it was an entertaining way to spend an hour or so.

Received from Netgalley for review.