That's code for : I would say more but it would all be a spoiler.
Not that I don't think you all will figure out what the spoile
#@%#$&@#!!!
That's code for : I would say more but it would all be a spoiler.
Not that I don't think you all will figure out what the spoiler is pretty early into the story. It wasn't hard to figure out.
But...I won't do it.
This is the perfect (shorter) romance story for Halloween. It has just enough of a spooky element to qualify as paranormal, but not enough to turn off contemporary romance readers. The story itself reads like a contemporary with a slight twist.
I could/should throw out the instalove warning. It's here in all its overbearing glory. However, the instalove makes sense in this instance, when we're not dealing with a full book. You have to get in and get out in less pages, hence the sped-up romance. Plus, the "twist" makes the instalove element stronger in a good way. If the "twist" hadn't been part of the story, I don't think I would have enjoyed the read nearly as much. A lot of the character behavior was bordering on odd until the twist brought the story full circle and made you want to root for the characters, which I appreciated.
As usual, Reisz writes interesting characters peppered with zany character quirks who like to engage in entertaining banter. I felt like the characters were somewhat recycled in parts from other characters of hers I've read in the past but it wasn't enough to deter me. The headmaster reminded me of a stuffier/more proper version of Zach and Nora's pushiness was ever-present in Gwen. But...there was enough of a change that I was able to soon move past any similarities and allow myself to fall into the story.
The setting was its own character, which is something I tend to love. If a book is able to make me feel like I can picture the character's surroundings, I find myself that much more invested. I was easily able to imagine the creepy, elegant, and regal school. It's not quite Hogwarts but I still wanted to be there, even so.
If you're looking for a short romance with a dash of mystery and love, as people are brought together through a strong hand of destiny, I'd definitely say to give this a go. ...more
This book continued to confirm that I am, indeed, the queen of double standards, especially when rum is involved.
Wherever You Are wasn't written any This book continued to confirm that I am, indeed, the queen of double standards, especially when rum is involved.
Wherever You Are wasn't written any better than the last book I rated and reviewed at 2 stars (Archer's Voice). The writing in Wherever was shaky, the editing was sub-par, and this time, there were even moments which didn't quite make sense in my own head.
Outlander, this is not. At least with Outlander, the standing stones were a sacred (and known) anchor with a bit of legend surrounding them (and the druid rituals further cemented the suspicions). In Wherever, there was a magic mirror that just "happened to be." And no one really seemed to be all that concerned about having a mirror in their attic which people could step through AND GET LOST in.
If I owned this mirror, I would have smashed it, family legacy be damned. Well, at least I would have smashed it BEFORE people went through and GOT LOST.
But...details. Whatever.
I enjoyed the tale. Sometimes (granted, not often), I will overlook some things which don't line up if I'm liking the story or characters well enough.
However, there's one thing which couldn't be overlooked.
"Captain Morgan!" her jailor called out.
[image] Ya don't say? The cap'n of all rum is here? In this story? WOW. Okay.
I liked Mr. Captain Morgan though. He was a bit of a conundrum with his wavering between being a hero and an anti-hero (his backwards thinking toward the end still has me puzzled), but I found myself rooting for him anyway.
Maybe it was the time travel. Maybe it was the pirate ship capers. Maybe it was the long-lost-and-found love aspect. I don't know what it was. For all of this book's faults (and there were plenty), inconsistencies, and things which really made no sense, I enjoyed the read.
Swashbuckling and romance and time travel. I'm in.
I think this book is due for an editing/story overhaul and republish. With some polish, Wherever You Are could be a shiny little read. I think romance readers who wouldn't mind being stashed away on a ship in a (very) watered down Pirates of the Caribbean style setting would probably enjoy the book. ...more
[image] Never, have I ever wanted an author to pull a George RR Martin the way I wanted it to happen in The Leftovers.
WHO WANTS TO BE A MARTYR?
[image] Never, have I ever wanted an author to pull a George RR Martin the way I wanted it to happen in The Leftovers.
WHO WANTS TO BE A MARTYR? the caption asked.
Yeah...there was not as much of this as I'd hoped.
Up until the last few pages, I was somewhat enjoying the book, happy sunshine (oh wow, I accidentally typed happy sunshit and had to correct that. I might have just coined a new term.) and all. Okay, so there wasn't actually a whole lot of happy or sunshine going on, but compared to the show, this book was very light on the drama.
Why I picked up The Leftovers : I was on a "need to know" basis regarding all of the information that the show is leaving out for now. DEAR LORD, THEY GIVE NOTHING AWAY ON THE SHOW. Season 1 is almost over and I was still struggling to figure out what the entire purpose of the Guilty Remnant cult was about. Within a few minutes of picking up the book, I had that AH HAH! moment! Why the show felt the need to have to withold info that the book gave away up front, I don't know. I guess it lends to the aura of darkness and mystery that the show has, which the book DOES NOT HAVE. AT ALL. Okay, so there was one scene toward the end which was a bit of a trip, but that's the only crumb we got.
Book vs. Show : Even with all of the frustration and lack of info, the show wins because the show actually seems to have a backbone.
Laurie on the show is kind of a bitch. I like that. Nora on the show is kind of a bitch. I also like that. Both of these characters in the book are weak and boring (and in the case of Nora, downright disposable).
But again, the book itself wasn't all that bad of a read. It just wasn't very developed either, past the point of showing people surviving their day to day existence after their loved ones vanished into thin air without explanation. At least the show has more depth to it (so far).
This is where the problem comes in : when the entire premise of a book revolves around PEOPLE DISAPPEARING INTO THIN AIR, the reader might decide at some point that they care more about the disappearance than the people who were left around to cope. Oh sure, at first it's this big psychological draw, watching people in their struggle to figure out how to be normal again...until it's not.
"The world went back to sleep," she said. "It's our duty to wake it up."
I waited. And waited. And waited. Surely, the ending was going to give up the goods. I just had to know what had caused the disappearance, and if the missing would ever come back.
Yep. Here comes the spoiler - (view spoiler)[Not one damn thing happens. Everyone goes on living their life. Well, except for the whole "who wants to be a martyr?" situation which kind of ended badly for some characters. But other than that, there's nothing. No hints. No explanations. No thought processes. Nothing.
Open endings of this magnitude piss me off. Even if there'd just been one person musing at the end about how "one random idea" could have been the reason for the disappearance, I would have been okay. Give me just one hint as to a possible reason - just one. Even if it wasn't going to be a case solved, I could have handled a glimpse, or a clue, or even a hair-brained idea. (hide spoiler)]
The Guilty Remnant weren't exactly the reliable source, after all.
I don't count my read as wasted time, but if the only reason you want to pick this book up is to get some answers, just read this : (view spoiler)[The Guilty Remnant believe that they're proving themselves worthy for God's return. They see smoking as a show of them not being afraid to die. They see martyrdom as a way to keep the "rapture" fresh in people's minds. If people remember, they feel guilty. If they feel guilty, they may seek out the remnant. Blah. Blah. Blah. (hide spoiler)]
Sorry for the weird review. If you don't watch the show, this review probably makes no sense. If you don't watch the show, I wouldn't bother with the book anyway. So there we go. ;) ...more
~Lina as Persephone~ [image] How wonderful is it to find a book about soul-mates where the coupling is actually focused on two people loving the soul of~Lina as Persephone~ [image] How wonderful is it to find a book about soul-mates where the coupling is actually focused on two people loving the soul of another person, and not about two people being brought together by some sort of instant connection?
Before I go into what I really liked, two other things :
1. The amount of Batman references were horrible. And annoying. Repetitive gushing - STOP IT. Besides, when is cape wearing a "romance hero thing?" 2. While I did sigh heavily at mentions of the street cats organization, animal affinities with cat/horses, the Tulsa location, and the close-knit relationship between the female lead and her grandmother (all things repeatedly mentioned in other Cast books), outside of those few things, I would have never known this book came from the author of the HoN train wreck. Apparently, there are still some things in this world which can surprise me.
Now, I will commence with the good stuff :
This story is about a 40 something woman named Lina who is running a struggling bakery. She stumbles upon a recipe with a spell attached and (stupidly) does the spell in a plea for help.
Demeter answers the plea and offers a solution : switch bodies for 6 months with her daughter Persephone, Goddess of Spring. Basically - go to the underworld and hook up with Hades, so her daughter didn't have to.
Lina (again, stupidly) goes along with it, and in the process, inherits a youthful, nubile appearance which isn't her own true self.
Yes, stupidly. But this one time, I don't care as much about "stupidly" as I usually do because I loved the multiple messages of this story :
1. Friendship and bonds with other women are something to be celebrated.
2. Kindness can break down walls.
3. People are rarely what they seem on the outside (this went both ways for Persephone and Hades).
4. Real love is about more than physical attraction or outward beauty.
Outside of the first few awkward chapters (I thought I wasn't going to like the book before Lina got to the underworld), the story flowed from one scene to the next, pulling me along in wonder. From Lina bonding with Orion the dreadsteed, to Lina helping Hades make narcissus bloom, I had a happy little smile pasted on my face as I read.
This is the type of adult fairy tale that I love.
There was a little bit of everything. I appreciated the positive messages, I felt a little emotional over the scene with the soul-mate spirits at the river, I relished the steamy scenes, I laughed at a few light-hearted moments, and I even felt a couple of tears leak out as the story came to a close.
What would the Lord of the Dead do if he knew he had wooed, not the Goddess of Spring, but a middle-aged baker from the mortal world?
Rarely, do I even get excited over hot guy descriptions in romance anymore. Most of them are all the same and nothing new. But even I had a bit of a "hot damn" moment when it came to the scene with Hades working at the forge. My personal notes written in the book at that scene : FFS, I don't usually get worked up like this.
I wasn't sure if this would be a spoiler or not, but since it's not a huge plot point, I'll add it. I loved how Hades wanted to learn how best to please Persephone/Lina. It wasn't that he was inexperienced, but he knew that in order to be the right lover for her, he would need to learn her as she was, and not based on other experiences. It was a refreshing change from romance novel men who cockily think they know how to set every woman on fire. The intimate scenes between Hades and Persephone were tender and sincere, much more so than I've read in many books. Yet, he still had his "shake the ground with anger" type of wicked god moments, so it wasn't all about breaking every stereotype of his persona. The balance was lovely.
"Teach me how to set you afire, too."
I'm not sure if this will be the book for everyone, but if you've been reading a lot of the same types of romance novels over and over, you might consider giving Goddess of the Spring a try. This is one of those books which could appeal to all ages, but I think would be special to women over 30. It really celebrates being a woman and becoming your own unique form of beautiful, even if you're not young and perfect looking. Just speed through the first few weird chapters (and pretend Lina doesn't make 50 Batman fangirl references) and it will get better.
Standard f/f pwp. Cheesy lingo, but nothing abnormal. The use of a snowglobe would piss off one of my friends though. She hates when people use anythiStandard f/f pwp. Cheesy lingo, but nothing abnormal. The use of a snowglobe would piss off one of my friends though. She hates when people use anything for sexual pleasure which could result in injury. There are sites online for strange things that end up inside of people, after all!...more
3 "I appreciate the effort" stars. Not bad at all...I think most people adored North Pole Reform School more than I did. In all fairness, the humor wa3 "I appreciate the effort" stars. Not bad at all...I think most people adored North Pole Reform School more than I did. In all fairness, the humor was well-timed, the flirting was sweet, and there were enough sugary feel-good holiday moments to satisfy lovers of fun holiday movies near and far. Even though Santa started off as kind of a grouch and zombies surprisingly got a nod, the story stuck with a traditional "what goes on at the north pole" theme, complete with elves and lots of Christmas-related puns and names.
Other than a few swear words (which never bother me, but seemed out of place in this particular story), North Pole had a very "family friendly" kind of vibe.
If you're looking for a fun book to kick off the holidays with cheer, this might be a story you want to check out. I'm no Grinch, but I think I might have been hoping for a bit more mischief with the words "reform school" in the title.
Are you an adult who loves to read and chat about young adult books? Join us over in the Rated YA-MA group! ...more
Andie Butts. What a name. I'd change mine too if I got stuck with Butts.
Moral of the Story : If you're going to change your name, you might as well gAndie Butts. What a name. I'd change mine too if I got stuck with Butts.
Moral of the Story : If you're going to change your name, you might as well get involved with a drug lord, so you can steal 2 million dollars.
Oh wait. That wasn't it. Take 2.
Moral of the Story : If you're going to steal 2 million dollars, try to outrun the person tailing you, so your reckless behavior gives you a chance to experience some wtf-ery.
I do believe I got buzzed again. Take 3.
Moral of the Story : If you're going to start a new life, make sure to hook up with the hot assassin killer who is tailing you.
Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!
So maybe that wasn't really the moral of the story. Who cares? I liked where we ended up.
I had no expectations for Death Angel, other than hoping it was as good as Mr. Perfect. While the great humor from Mr. Pee wasn't present in DA, I did alright without it. There were plenty of other aspects of the story to keep me entertained.
Surprisingly enough, I wasn't bothered by how (view spoiler)[rape-y (hide spoiler)] things got in the first few chapters. This is something which would normally bother me (just the other day I ripped on book for having a similar, but less graphic, situation). However, the setup of how this particular story started made for an interesting turn of events later. What can I say? There's no way to predict when or how something will or won't set you off. It wouldn't be the first time I've experienced an awkward double standard. :p
This is one of those times where I'm glad that my in-depth knowledge of technology and surveillance is limited, so I didn't have to nitpick anything for being inaccurate. From my viewpoint, Drea/Andie's escape and time on the run all seemed thrilling and plausible. I still don't fully understand why someone would choose to transfer funds to a stateside bank vs. an offshore account, but maybe I didn't need to know.
Finding her didn't take five minutes. It took two minutes and seven seconds.
My lone gripe lies with a scene around the 50% mark and how it didn't fit in as well with the story as I think the author would have liked it to. There was a reason for the scene and how it tied in to the characters' world view later, but you could have removed the scene (and recurring "talents" of Andie's) and it wouldn't have been missed. Plus, there wouldn't have been this weird paranormal/magical realism thing stuck in there haphazardly for a weak reason. I didn't hate what happened, but found it to be unnecessary.
Overall, I'm still happy. This is the second Howard book I've read and both have been a success. I'll definitely be checking out more by this author. She's shown me that I might not actually dislike suspense the way I thought I had. It might have been all along that I was just trying out the wrong authors. ...more
I've seen this movie subject done at least a few times before. Yet, I haven't taken the time to read this particular setup in a book, so it was somethI've seen this movie subject done at least a few times before. Yet, I haven't taken the time to read this particular setup in a book, so it was something I was excited to try.
For the most part, Secret Sister was executed well. You have two best friends who get into a car accident. One dies (not a spoiler, this happens at the very beginning), and one lives.
The reader learns right away from the book synopsis that not everything is as it seems. However, we don't get to see this while reading the book until close to the halfway mark. I failed to understand the need to "wait" for Cathy to find out who she is, when we all know before picking up the book what's going to happen.
It's like Freaky Friday, except one person kicks the bucket. Hah.
The story itself had me. I was anxiously awaiting the moment when Cathy would figure out that she was Cathy, and not Roxanne. And I really wanted to speed ahead to the moment when Cathy's husband figured out who she was because I wanted to know how he would react.
Even though the story was working for me, I struggled with the characters. The real (deceased) Roxanne (who we find about through everyone else's accounts) seemed like a shallow and uninteresting person. Plus, it didn't help that Cathy was way too forgiving when she found out about how badly people had done her wrong. This 'quick to forgive' attitude made me turn sour toward her. (view spoiler)[When she thought her husband had participated in an affair; she was ready to jump back into bed with him right away??? (hide spoiler)]. It also didn't help that Cathy participated in behavior herself which seemed out of character for the type of person who she was being portrayed as. I got tired of all the deceptions and lies. And we won't even go into the complete pointlessness of Roxanne's ex-boyfriend as a character.
How do you root for characters when you don't like them? This was the hard part for me. I wanted to know what would happen next because with an extreme story such as this one, the curiosity to want to know how it's all going to turn out overrides everything, even one's dislike of the characters.
This leads me to wonder how I felt about the book in the end. I did actually find myself absorbed in the storytelling and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, which is a good thing.
Would I recommend the book? Possibly. If you haven't watched any "body-swapping" or "body invading" movies, I'd say you might want to give Secret Sister a shot. It's a freaky concept and one that is probably worth the experience at least once. If you have already watched a few movies featuring this subject like I have, I'd say that you might not find anything new here to get excited about.
This book provided from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review....more
What is the theme here? Is it Magic, Mayhem and Mystery? Or perhaps just Neuroses, Nausea, and Novelties? Or could it even possibly be Blackouts, BikiWhat is the theme here? Is it Magic, Mayhem and Mystery? Or perhaps just Neuroses, Nausea, and Novelties? Or could it even possibly be Blackouts, Bikinis, and Bravado?
Why the nausea, you ask? When Holly swoons over the fact that Elijah just called her Tuna Helper...uh, yeah.
2.5 Stars. Fans of Jennifer Echols seem to be unitedly (wow, no spell check on that - I had no clue unitedly was even a word) appalled over Levitating Las Vegas. Since this was to be my first Echols book, I went in with no expectations from what I'd expect out of this author when it comes to writing style. I'm not going to lie...my impressions from the cover and title left me thinking that this was going to be more of a lighter read than it was (yes, I didn't pay enough attention to the synopsis), but I wasn't bothered by finding out that I'd gotten a hold of something completely different.
Getting to see the Las Vegas underworld isn't a bad draw, after all. Having a magical element thrown in did throw me for a loop though. My impressions of magical realism are cutesy romance type of books. Yet I couldn't quite make myself call this a paranormal book. It read like a contemporary fiction with a few magical twists thrown in.
Something about the basic story idea reminded me of the Psy-Cop series, with the drugs providing a buffer against unwanted reactions.
The concept was a good one. The execution was not completely successful. There would be an interesting couple of chapters, then the story would sort of wander off into a lull. Maybe it's just me, but I wanted to feel the danger more than what was actually conveyed. I really wanted to like this book, but wound up feeling very ambivilent. I can't even say that I disliked the book (which is the reason for the extra half star), but it felt like we were being set up for more to happen than what actually happened.
I'm not someone who needs to have steamy sex in all of my books, or even a romance for that matter, but when we're being set up to watch a couple on their journey to be together, I'd almost expect more chemistry than provided. When we finally got to the hookup, it was kind of "eh."
This might be a case where it would have helped if the author had leaned more to one side when it came to subject matter and picked whether or not to be an "edgy/dark" book or a "romance" book. I could have handled if there was less romance and more of the "shady" dealings from the people who were out to sabotage Holly and Elijah, or I could have handled with a steamier romance angle. Either/or.
One extra note about something that I wasn't a fan of. Holly laments about someone's suicide by saying that it's awful someone had to die, but how cool was it that she did it in such a dramatic way. That paragraph really bothered me. People are responsible for their own decisions, but what a ridiculous idea this was to even plant in someone's head, that there could be a way to die which might look cool to others...
I am so sorry that this is probably one of the most boring reviews I've ever put out there. When you feel meh about a book, it's hard to write anything that's not meh?
This book provided from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more
I am shocked. I didn't believe it was possible for me to EVER dislike a Kleypas book. How could this have happened?
Before I start this review, I must I am shocked. I didn't believe it was possible for me to EVER dislike a Kleypas book. How could this have happened?
Before I start this review, I must first go back in time a few days...
DATE : December 23
TIME : Lazy afternoon with the kids out of the house
ACTIVITY : My viewing of a recorded movie - Christmas With Holly, based on the book I'm reviewing. Don't ask me why I decided to record and watch it, but I have to admit to being curious about seeing a Kleypas book translated to film.
RESPONSE : Well...that was a couple hours of my life that I'll never get back. Surely, the book HAS to be better. I guess I need to read the thing.
And now...back to the present...
I figured that there was no way the Hallmark Hall of Fame crapfest of a movie that I watched could be any better than the book itself.
I was wrong. So my mind is thinking that the story would be more interesting in book form. At the very least, there might be a nice little sex scene that wasn't shown in the PG rated movie.
BAH. I SAY BAH. To all of it.
By the 25% mark I started skimming. People had warned me that this was Kleypas' weakest book, but I didn't honestly think it could be that bad.
Let's just put it this way...it was as if every single thing that I would love about a Kleypas book was edited out of Friday Harbor. The banter was awful, the humor was practically nonexistent, the story was boring, and the steam was laughable.
I never, ever thought I'd see the day come where I'd have to write a negative review for this author. It's a sad day for me indeed. I honestly have nothing else that I want to say. Hopefully, the next Kleypas book that I pick up will wash the memory of this one away....more
I take back every single time in the past that I've said, "what did I just read?" All of those previous times feel somehow inappropriate now, since I'I take back every single time in the past that I've said, "what did I just read?" All of those previous times feel somehow inappropriate now, since I've just finished the mother of WTF?!? books.
"You aren't just being followed. You are being hunted."
Seriously...WHAT DID I JUST READ? I'm not sure if I've stumbled upon pure brilliance or sheer insanity.
First off, the book summary and cover were the first things to catch my eye and sucker me into wanting to read The Blessed. The stepback cover was even more awesome. I had to screencap it :
[image]
Part of me thinks I should rate this book higher simply because it got me to sit on edge while I tried to figure out how everything was connected. For that, I was completely into the story. There's something about the characters which really squicked me out though. It was as if cewpie dolls came to life and met up with a sexier Jim Jones. Think The Craft meets Cruel Intentions meets Paris Hilton meets some sort of religious cult obsessed with symbolism and mysticism.
I was annoyed I was disturbed I was intrigued I was slightly aroused I was ready to toss my cookies I was so frustrated at the end I have to read the next book
The rotating PoV of the three girls threw me off at first. The only girl I even liked was Cecilia because she seemed the most normal. Lucy was the paparazzi golden girl and Agnes was a seemingly downtrodden girl who didn't have much of a spine. But Sebastian, the guy who brought them all together...he was the most frustrating of them all.
Sebastian mini-rant/mini-spoiler : (view spoiler)[I hate that Sebastian was sexualized as this super hot warrior guy who all the girls were attracted to, when he wasn't going to DO anything with anyone. I hated that he loved all of the girls in a far too angelic way. He should have been aged then to represent a father figure or something, not a HOT guy. (hide spoiler)] Teasing = evil.
Someone else needs to read this book because I want to inflict it on another person. I want someone else to scream WTF?!? with. I want someone who will go on this bizarre journey with me as I continue the series. Yes, I am cruel like that.
"You are (this)," Sebastian said ominously. "There is no army of angels coming to save you." "Three girls and a guy from Brooklyn." "Why not," he said simply. His words hung in the air like a punishment. A death sentence.
If you have any expectations of what this book will be like based on the cover, throw them away. You won't find a dreamy, romantic, fairy-tale retelliIf you have any expectations of what this book will be like based on the cover, throw them away. You won't find a dreamy, romantic, fairy-tale retelling here.
It's more like this type of crazy business going on... [image]
Recipe for a twisted, dark fairy tale :
1. One crazy witch 2. Stupid men who think with the wrong head 3. Seals (I'm being serious, the actual sea creatures) 4. Blank-eyed women who are willing to serve their men Stepford-Wife style.
Confused yet? Trust me, I was confused for the first couple of chapters. Once I started figuring out what was going on, I found myself disturbingly aroused uh... scared uh... interested.
Basically, this nasty, crazy witch woman can call up seals and cut them open. These seals then pop out these extremely sensual looking women who are willing to cling to the first person they see/bond with. Yes, it's like mail-order brides, except more of a local affair. Needless to say, the men were ALL over this trend.
Islander number 1 : Hey Frank, you got your hot seal wife yet? Mine cooks me dinner every night before doing the naked tango with me.
Islander number 2 : Nah. The dumb witch wants more money than I can afford. I'm putting in extra hours down at the docks so I can get me a slave soon.
Think there's a catch? Of course there is. That's where the story takes a turn.
I loved this book but I can honestly say that it won't be for everyone. It does take a couple of chapters to get to the point where you feel sucked in. Because of the confusing and almost dreary start, I could see how some people are going to jump ship before the story gets to a point where you want to keep going because you're bizarrely fascinated with this twisted, beautiful, and disturbing world. I was glad that I stuck with Brides of Rollrock Island because I love books that stray outside of the realm of normal. Anything that isn't cookie cutter tends to earn extra marks from me.
This author is shelved as YA but I found this book to read more like an Adult historical fic w/a sprinkling of magical realism. Basically, a more modern (albeit dark) and grown-up fairy tale. ...more
3.5 stars. I think I hated this book, even though I was drawn into it like a moth to a flame.
I wake up the next morning in Beyonce's body.
3.5 stars. I think I hated this book, even though I was drawn into it like a moth to a flame. And by hate, I mean that I did like the book, but found myself frustrated because I was forced to question every single damn thing. There was something about the entire story that suffocated the hell out of me. My head hurt from trying to figure out how all of 'this' was supposed to work. My heart hurt from the presumed hopelessness of the situation. Yet, I still kept reading. There has to be some talent hidden in the storytelling if I find myself continuing to work my way toward an ending of which I'm uncertain will be positive or negative. The closer I got to the end, the more worried I became. Yet, I still kept reading.
If there was ever a book which would make for a great book club discussion, this would probably be it. The range of opinion would quite possibly be vast. People who tend to want specifics for every detail would pick everything apart, while the dreamers would want to imagine how to change the situation.
So much happiness can only make me sad.
Our main character in this book is never described as male or female. "A" is a being who wakes up every day in a different body. This person is the very definition of "walking a mile in someone else's shoes." Mainly it's because A has never had shoes of his/her own.
This is not my body, but it's the body she wants. I feel like a pretender.
I often tend to put myself in the place of the lead character in stories and find myself wondering what I would do in the same situation. To be completely honest, I know that I could probably never survive a life in which I never was allowed to have at least one person to call my own - whether it was a parent, sibling, friend or lover. How could ANY one person survive waking up every morning in a different body without wanting to finally give up on life? Even knowing that A had always lived like this and knew nothing else, I kept wondering how A was not constantly envious of at least some of the people that A had inhabited.
So of course, love would have to come in and complicate things. The connection between A and Rhiannon was bittersweet. Their friendship was a challenge every step of the way.
I never want to stay. I'm always ready to leave. But not tonight. Tonight I'm haunted by the fact that tomorrow he'll be here and I won't be. I want to stay. I pray to stay. I close my eyes and wish to stay.
Other than having to find my way out of a paper bag by the time I was finished reading, I don't have any major complaints other than one. At times, there did seem to be some repetition with a few of the author's opinions. I would have preferred the sexuality side of the story to have been a touch more organic with the surroundings. The characters were who they were. That should have been the beauty of it all - the varied cast of characters. I would have appreciated the variety much more if I didn't feel like I was being lectured to question my beliefs on sexuality (when I hadn't given any sort of opinion in the first place). This book felt like a bit of a soap-box at times.
In the end, I was glad that I'd read about the journey of A, but found myself frustrated that he/she was a better person than I wanted him/her to be at times. Where was A's one selfish moment? When you get to keep nothing in life, would you for at least ONE day, choose to do what you wanted, even if it meant screwing with the path of someone else? I'm pretty sure that I would.
I want to get back to her. I want to get back to yesterday.
Why I read The Immortal : This was one of my favorite books when I was younger. I wanted t
The fish, of course, made me feel kind of horny.
Why I read The Immortal : This was one of my favorite books when I was younger. I wanted to see if it held up with time.
How did it go? : The read went great, actually. I really don't remember Josie being such a narcissistic twat, but it makes sense that she was the way that she was with the way the direction of the story headed. If she'd been a selfless saint, the outcome wouldn't have been nearly as satisfying.
Oh sure, the book was outdated as hell. Every time one of the love interests was called Ralphy-boy, it made me grin. And I'm pretty sure that this passage would be skewered to death by any reviewer if it were to show up in a present day book :
But I wanted to give him a taste, so that later, when I gave him the real thing, he would want to marry me. Ralph had asked me to marry him after we had sex the first time.
That said, there was one thing that The Immortal had going for it which helped nullify how outdated the book was, and that was a great concept. The recipe for success included one part romance, one part horror, one part vacation adventure, one part bitter rivalry, and one part mythology.
I love books which choose to showcase the charms of another country. I also love mythology retold. I also love creative assassination attempts...uh...yeah...what?
That (view spoiler)[burger (hide spoiler)] scene is the one thing I remembered about this book from twenty years ago, outside of the Greek location. That's how inventive bizarre it was.
If I was picking up this book for the first time in 2015, I'm not sure how I'd rate it. Maybe I'd go 3 stars for being a little outdated and because I wouldn't have appreciated the main character. Maybe I would go 4 because the way that the book comes to a head is crazy. Knowing now how offbeat this book was for the time period that it was written, I feel it deserving of a 4. And I had so much fun reliving the past. Every time something happened which I'd forgotten, and I remembered it all over, it made me happy.
What did fish have to do with anything, and why did they make Josie horny? Beats me. That's why I added the quote to my review. It was just one more thing about this book that was both charming and bizarre.
Early Christopher Pike (Christina Pike? Part of me thinks a woman wrote these books, or does he/she use ghostwriters?) books really had a hold on me back in the day. Back in the day, I force-threatened (bullied) my friends into reading The Immortal, as well as Chain Letter. It might soon be time to revisit Chain Letter again....more
Sweet love story (erotica lite) about a hairdresser with amazingly beautiful hair, which turns out to be a wig. We find out that she ha18 plus review.
Sweet love story (erotica lite) about a hairdresser with amazingly beautiful hair, which turns out to be a wig. We find out that she has just gone through chemo and is battling her inner demons. Of course, that would be the time she happens to meet someone, and has to decide if she wants to let him in.
As with the other books in this series, these lean more toward the erotica lite side of things. They are nothing like some of Kitt's more detailed and taboo books. If you like the idea of a sweet love story with an extra helping of steam, this is a good pick....more
I really liked this book. It was surprisingly tame (not at all taboo) for a Kitt story. There were only 2 real sex scenes (still very18 + plus review.
I really liked this book. It was surprisingly tame (not at all taboo) for a Kitt story. There were only 2 real sex scenes (still very hot though!) - one near the start and one near the end. Most of the story revolved around this girl who had a mystery encounter with a guy in the dark and how she goes on a big adventure in the search to find him later. There's a little bit of magic in the book, which was a nice little twist.
I'd recommend this book to a person looking for some steamy sex without having an entire book filled with it....more
Having not read the first book Enchanted, I picked this up with the expectation that it would be naughty fairy tales...something fun and steamy at theHaving not read the first book Enchanted, I picked this up with the expectation that it would be naughty fairy tales...something fun and steamy at the same time.
Maybe I expected the book to be more light hearted than it was, especially with the beautiful, ethereal type cover.
These tales are pulled from stories past, but were a bit too creepy and dark in some parts for my taste. I did like a couple of them okay, but some of the fetishes were a bit odd to me. It just wasn't my thing as a whole....more
3.5 stars. Free download for nook (still might be, and also for kindle).
Cute, fun, light, sweet, etc, type of read. Take one mischievious fae that's 3.5 stars. Free download for nook (still might be, and also for kindle).
Cute, fun, light, sweet, etc, type of read. Take one mischievious fae that's in trouble who's forced to team up with a human male to bring three couples together, and you have a fun and predictable story. It's no surprise that the matchmakers will eventually fall under the love spell, but it's still cute to watch.
The content is pretty mild, for those that prefer sweet or YA romance. The only sex scene had no detail, and only lasted for a couple of paragraphs....more
Tonight I lost my book-throwing virginity. Sure, I've been tempted to chuck something across the room before, but have never actually done it until noTonight I lost my book-throwing virginity. Sure, I've been tempted to chuck something across the room before, but have never actually done it until now.
Maybe the book didn't make it all the way across the room, but it was thrust off my lap with a certain amount of ferocity. Why, you ask? Because no book should EVER have the ending that I was just subjected to.
'My Name Is Memory' should have been a 5 star book. It was beautifully written, and I was captivated by the journey of one man traveling through several lifetimes, trying to right the wrongs that he had inflicted upon his one true love. With each new life Daniel was given, I followed him on the search for his "Sophia," and found myself hoping that this time would be "the time" that he would finally have her.
There was a bit of back-and-forth in the timeline, as well as age differences that didn't match up (he'd be much older or younger than his love in some of the lifetimes), which vaguely reminded me of 'The Time Traveler's Wife.' However, this book transitioned much smoother and I never found myself confused like I did sometimes in TTW.
I was unable to find anything wrong with this book, up until the last two pages. Rarely do I mind open endings if they're done right - leaving you with some sort of assurance that things will be resolved in the end. This book was an example of the wrong kind of open ending. (view spoiler)[Oh sure, the author tried to convey that there would be hope, but somehow failed to hit the mark. I am completely confused as to why the hero wrote a letter to his beloved that he didn't actually send because for reasons unknown, he was unable to, yet he never explained why. What...the...heck? (hide spoiler)]
It isn't fair that such a great book had such an unresolved ending. Had this been a first book in a series, this is what would have been called a cliffhanger, which would have been no big deal because there would have been a book 2 to look forward to. Unfortunately, this one appears to be a stand-alone, which makes me sad.
*edit* As of right now, book 2 is in limbo. If a book 2 does eventually happen, I will revise my review to reflect a more positive outlook....more
Stacia (the 2010 club)
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