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Janine O (2 KP) rated Fortune's Pawn in Books

Oct 18, 2017  
Fortune's Pawn
Fortune's Pawn
Rachel Bach | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
the characters (0 more)
Science Fiction meets complicated Romance
I am both a romance fanatic and a science fiction buff and one day I was just poking around looking for something that would blend these two things without being...you know...bad. I've read a lot of things about some lady in an experimental ship who accidentally ends up on a planet where a hot alien alpha dude wants to make her his interplanetary bride.

I did not want that. I wanted a complex story with romantic themes set in space...and that's exactly what this book gave me.


Fortune's Pawn rocked. Devi Morris is a badass, power armor clad mercenary with a dream to join an elite merc unit...but she has to get some expedition references first. So what does she do? Chooses the one ship with the worst track record in the hopes it with fast track her ambitions to the top. While I wont put spoilers I will say she gets her wish...kinda. She finds romance...that gets VERY complicated, mystery, and tossed into what is bound to end in an interstellar war.

9/10, highly recommend.
  
He's Captured My Heart
He's Captured My Heart
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
He caught my heart is more of a romance story than anything. It mainly about Libby Stewart. Her dad had a client come in and is to show her around.

Alex comes with his friend and business partner. This friend name is Michael. There quite a few things going on as you turn the pages of the book. Though Libby and Alex have a little trouble keeping from being a part.

Though the story starts out about Libby brother Ethan and his struggles to raising his daughter. There seems to be a story of romance. We see a villain in the story that use to be Libby boyfriend. Libby is trying to heal from a broken heart. Alex seems to have other plans for her.

She is attacked by her ex-boyfriend. What will happen to them? Will Libby trust the stranger or will she let him go? I advise this book for though that really like romance but also watch with the age you allow your children to read. For it really has some sexual acts and has some scenes where they are nude together. I suggest the of age 18 and up is best for this book.
  
I'm extremely surprised by how much I enjoyed this anthology! I picked it up intending to just read the stories by authors I know I like—Kelley Armstrong, Ilona Andrews, Carrie Vaughn, Holly Lisle, Jeaniene Frost, Maria V. Snyder. I had never heard of some of the other authors. A few names I remembered seeing in other anthologies and not enjoying their work.

I did, however, deliberately put myself in a tolerant mindset: this is a book of romance stories. It wouldn't be fair to judge them as anything else.

That worked rather better than it has in the past. I still got a little annoyed at having so much of each story dedicated to couples (and all het/mono couples, at that!) rather than some intriguing world ideas, but managed to stay on track.

In the end, I only skipped one story—I just don't like the Weather Wardens stuff at all. I found a couple of others substandard, but all in all, Telep chose very well. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance (maybe even those who usually stick to just romance), and most urban fantasy fans.
  
Fifty Shades of Grey
Fifty Shades of Grey
E.L. James | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.6 (103 Ratings)
Book Rating
I didn't intend to read this book, as I'd largely heard snark about it. A dear friend recommended it, though, so I finally gave it a read.

The writing definitely needs polish and a good editor--I couldn't possibly give it more than 3 stars due to that alone. The sexy is there, though, and that's the whole purpose of the book. It does follow most of the traditional romance tropes, which explains most of its acceptance, but the addition of spicier sex seems to be what has everyone talking. (I'd call it spicy more than truly kinky.)

The entire plot takes place in just three weeks, which isn't bad in the romance world. That doesn't leave much time for character growth, but there is a little. That brings the book up a star from where I'd put most romance novels.

If you want some light, sexy summer reading and don't mind the fact that this is so very obviously a self-published first novel, go for it. Some people will want to read it just because of all the uproar, I imagine. If you're looking for literature or true erotica, pass this one up.
  
Yay!

This is the second book today to make me cry. They were really pushing it at the end there and I was starting to panic, thinking I'd be staying up even longer (currently 2am) to buy and start reading the second book in this series just to see what happened with Rosie and her love interest but it all worked out in the end so yay!

Some of this book had me laughing, some of it had me cringing. Some of it, mainly where Rosie was oblivious to her love interests' interest in her, had me screaming at my kindle. I mean, come on!, how oblivious can you be?

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to reading The Randy Romance Novelist soon.
  
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Kristina (502 KP) rated The Quickie in Books

Dec 7, 2020  
The Quickie
The Quickie
James Patterson | 2007 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences, Travel
8
7.3 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
BookReporter.com says, "Action? Check." Very true. It was pretty action packed. "Suspense? By the carload." Fact, the suspense, twists, and turns just kept coming. "Romance? Yes." Now I know why their answer is so vague and only one word - anything that could be considered romance occurs before the 11th chapter (and these were some short chapters!). "Erotica? Let's just say that it's not limited to the cover." Error, error! What Patterson has written couldn't even touch the average erotica novel - I've written more erotic scenarios. I know erotica isn't James' forte and it didn't take away from the story, I was just disappointed in this part of BookReporter's review. I can tell you I never would have predicted the ending and there was no way I could have foreseen some of the shocking revelations within the book. It's shocker after shocker. Once again, Patterson has managed to write another brilliant suspense!
  
Hunt (Sin City Wolf #2)
Hunt (Sin City Wolf #2)
January Bain | 2021 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Holy smokes!!

I thought the first in the series was good but Hunt has blown my socks off.
    I always love a shifter romance and I wasn't disappointed.

With twists and surprises I was kept entertained from the first page to the last.....And it didn't hurt that there were two smoking hot guys and some even hotter loving going on.
    I love the way the characters develop and how they interact with each other, it really helps to create a bigger more rounded picture that ensnares you.

Definitely an adult read, perfect with a cheeky drink and some decadent chocolate.
  
All I Ever Wanted
All I Ever Wanted
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
All I Ever Wanted really made me happy, and got me hooked on Kristan Higgins. This is why:

First, I loved the characters. Some were quirky (Louis the mortician, Noah her one-legged grandfather), some were funny (Her sister Hester! ROFL) Some were just mean. (MOM.) And some had the biggest heart in the world (Our hero, Ian). The relationships and the characters played out in such a real tangible way, and I loved every minute of it. Although I’m glad my family isn’t like Callie’s… it’s fun to sit back and watch.

Second: I was very pleased with the fact that the characters, dialogue, and plot weren’t perfect (happyland syndrome.) Some of you may know that happyland syndrome—everything working out perfectly all the time—will make me close a book in three minutes. All I Ever Wanted had nothing of the sort. It felt like real life, and because of that, it was relatable.

Third: It was a very sweet, very real, very good romance. And it was CLEAN. Yes! No skipping chunks of pages and trying to avoid unnecessary scenes! This pretty much made my day—maybe my week—that I’ve found a good romance author who doesn’t write sex scenes into her novels. Thank you Kristan Higgins, you’ve just made my bookshelf.

So that’s why I loved it. And that’s why I’ll be reading more of Higgins’ work in the future.

Content/recommendation: little language, very few sexual references. Ages 14+