As a LONGtime fan of Nicole Jacquelyn, it bums me out to rate this so low, but thems the breaks, folks. I haven't loved the books of this spi1.5 Stars
As a LONGtime fan of Nicole Jacquelyn, it bums me out to rate this so low, but thems the breaks, folks. I haven't loved the books of this spinoff series nearly as much as the original series (which is usually the case), but this one is probably my least favorite of them all thus far.
I thought Emilia's reasons for disappearing were LAME. And she didn't have had to pay nearly enough penance in my opinion. In fact, "not nearly enough" pretty much exemplifies how I felt about this book in general. Seriously though, this story felt rushed and had none of the angst, chemistry, and/or depth that makes Nicole Jacquelyn one of my all time favorite authors.
Not sure what happened with this one, but it was definitely a huge miss for me....more
I'm not in a reviewing mood, but I want to get something down here before I forget everything about this book entirely. So this won't be the 1.5 Stars
I'm not in a reviewing mood, but I want to get something down here before I forget everything about this book entirely. So this won't be the rant I intended to write, but it'll have to do.
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Some quick background: I didn't love book one of this series and I skipped book two as book one and two were a veritable duet. Book three was a surprising success and I went into this one thinking it would be a slam dunk.
As fans of the author will know, this book featured the son and daughter of two of the main couples of this world. Two of my FAVORITE couples. Additionally, both of the male halves of these couples are the head honcho "Capo" of their respective mafia group. So this should have been amazing. And, admittedly, I am a bit of an outlier here for not thinking so, so keep that in mind.
Long story short, this would have been amazing if it was an arranged marriage between Amo/Greta and the two mafia families. With Greta being like her Uncle Nino (to be blunt: they both present with autism spectrum qualities), the build of a forced relationship with Amo would have been absolutly delicious, just like the building of Luca/Aria, Remo/Seraphina, Gianna/Matteo, Val/Dante, and Anna/Santino's relationships were delicious. Because they BUILT over time.
Instead, Amo and Greta barely meet in passing and we were presented with what amounts to one of the crappiest renditions of insta-love that I have ever had the misfortune to read.
But seriously though. I felt ZERO chemistry, ZERO connection, and ZERO investment. And plenty of boredom. And the (very delayed) sex sucked.
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The book started off strong and Greta had such potential as a character, but she ended up landing very flat for me. I just didn't care about her.
But let me get to what annoyed me the most about the book.
People are going to probably disagree with me because, LOVE, and that's fine.
***SPOILERS***
What Luca (the head of the Famiglia) allowed to happen at the end of the book was a complete betrayal to the Famiglia in my opinion. A betrayal to his own people. Straight up. And I honestly wouldn't blame his soldiers for revolting against him.
They were at WAR with the Camorra. Earlier in the book, peace is ended and they are at each other's throats for the next full year or so. It's blatantly stated that the Camorra returned Famiglia members back in pieces. Meaning the Camorra killed seized members of the Famiglia - KILLED them - and returned them back in pieces. Returned people's son and husbands and fathers back in pieces. And then Luca just allows the Camorra to come to a Famiglia meeting and openly kill Famiglia members?
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That's fucking insanity.
Yes, what Cressida did was fucked up. And them "allowing" Nevio to kill her is one thing. Perhaps Luca killing the people who helped her because they did so without is permission I would even accept. But to allow the Camorra onto your soil, into your house, and allowing them to KILL your members in front of other loyal members?
Nahhhhh, man.
And I don't care that the "Traditionalist" faction supposedly disagreed with Luca. Squabbles happen. But to actively allow your longstanding enemy to come in and kill members of your group?
Why would anyone stay loyal after that? In real life, the soldiers would all rise up and fucking off Luca.
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Just sayin.
Anyway, I will still continue with this series, because I still love it and just accept that some of the installments are duds for me. And I am REALLY looking forward to Nevio's book. He's my favorite brand of crazy. Fingers crossed Reilly doesn't fuck that one up. ...more
I really wanted to like this one. It started off well and I had high hopes. The story seemed like it would build to be very engaging and the 1.5 Stars
I really wanted to like this one. It started off well and I had high hopes. The story seemed like it would build to be very engaging and the author definitely displayed a talent for similes and slicing analogies...
To a fault.
Don't get me wrong, I love a good simile. But when they are peppered throughout every single paragraph, they start to feel forced. They start to feel smothering. They start to annoy me.
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Something else that started to annoy me? The word "shitnuts." It was everywhere.
Also annoying was the author's seeming need to prove she knew New York. That the main character was ALL New York. But it wasn't enough for the main character to constantly remind us that she knew New York, she had to make it clear that she knew it better than everyone else present.
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Now, I get it. New York is its own little microcosm. New Yorkers are VERY proud to be from New York. And I've read other books based in New York where the author had a similar need to make sure they too represented themselves as knowing the city and that OMG tooooourists are just soooooo basic, you guys. But for some reason, the way it was done in this book felt super extra and super judgmental toward anyone not from the main character's neighborhood.
Now, had these things been interspersed between a great story, everything could have been potentially offset. Instead of a great plot, however, we were left with overly descriptive daily details of the main character waking up, eating or not eating breakfast, riding her bike, endlessly scrolling through Instagram, and Googling EVERYTHING...very slice of life. And not in a good way.
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The book as a whole ended with a LOT of loose ends and the killer and their motivation felt very weak and out of left field.
Perhaps most disappointing to me, however, was the way things played out with Lena and her music mogul father. I was really hoping for some of my favorite thing: family dynamic drama and the exposure of long held family secrets. But nothing.
Instead, Lena and Mel barely saw each other and had very few conversations. There was one scene in the book where I thought - finally! - we are finally going to get some true interaction here, but then nah. Nothing. Nothing is discussed, nothing is moved forward.
And there was SO much potential here, you guys. There were SO many interesting characters in this book. I just felt like the author failed to do anything with them....more
I decided to edit this review as I originally did it on my phone and it was sloppy and choppy. Not that reviews I actually spend time on are objeOoof.
I decided to edit this review as I originally did it on my phone and it was sloppy and choppy. Not that reviews I actually spend time on are objectively better...because, you know...
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But I digress.
I was SUPER excited to read this book. I really liked Hattie in the previous books and was super intrigued by Lucian in Lucie and Ballantine's book.
Excitingly, I was solidly loving this through the first 100-150 pages.
And then...?
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Everything fell off the rails for me.
The flow of the story fell apart and I suddenly couldn't stand Hattie.
For someone who supposedly wanted to fight for the rights of women, she sure got super fucking judgmental of women who weren't upper crust and/or who had to work for a living to feed their families. What a childish, hypocritical snob of the worst order. I couldn’t stand her and her cruel, entitled whining one second longer. Her lack of self awareness was rivaled only by her inability to read the room.
Her abhorrence at having to stay in a less than 5-star, family owned inn in Scotland was but the icing on the cake for me.
And don't even get me started on that ending. What a pathetic joke. Lucian deserved a better heroine and a better story. But, I seem to be in the minority here, so maybe it's just me...but then again...
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I really love the idea of this series...a romance series against the backdrop of the suffragette movement...it's a great idea and I love reading about it...but at it's core, this is supposed to be a ROMANCE book, not a political science course. And, sadly, the character relationships, plot, and romance took a back seat to the politics and the nonstop socialist commentary...and the story suffered for it.
I have read two other books by Katherine Center and really enjoyed them, so I was really looking forward to this one. I put it off for a bit 1.5 Stars
I have read two other books by Katherine Center and really enjoyed them, so I was really looking forward to this one. I put it off for a bit though because I saw that reviews were somewhat mixed. And now I definitely understand why as this just completely missed the mark for me.
I'm not trying to be scathing here as I really did appreciate the message of joy the book was trying to send, but...holy quirky sugar overload, folks. If you've been following my reviews for a while, you might know my stance on quirky-overkill...
Spoiler alert: I can't stand it.
And this book had it going on in spades. There was just too much effort made to make these characters whimsical and free-spirited and, I'm sorry, but polka dots, Hawaiian shirts, hot dog covered ties, and pink bang diarrhea cannot be the sole legs upon which character development stands. There was just too much much of it, too often.
And Duncan's "former self," as it were...good God, he sounds like he was a complete nutcase and I got tired just reading about his supposed antics. I can't even imagine being the poor guy's coworker and having him bust into my personal teaching space for a random dance mob marathon. I know it was supposed to sound like he was the endearing heart of the school, but to me he just sounded like an immature asshat who needed to always be the center of attention. I know people who act like that. I'm sure we all do. And it might be endearing or "oh my gosh, he's just so fun" to be around once or twice. But after awhile? It's just obnoxious.
The only characters that played off like actual adults here were current grumpy Duncan, asshole Kent, bitchy Tina, and sad little nine-year-old Clay (for whom we are supposedly to feel pity, hatred, disdain, and empathy, respectively). Everyone else seemed like a total child. And maybe that makes me an asshole, and...that's fine. I accept that.
And don't even get me started on the "twist" that is blatantly obvious the minute Duncan shows up transformed and focused solely on school safety. It felt like overly ripe, low-hanging fruit and - because I couldn't get invested in ANY of the characters - the sakes never felt high enough for it.
But in the end, oh well. I am sure the guileless joy this book brought to a lot of readers was very welcome, I think I am just too cynical for these types of characters. I struggled with this book for the same reason. Still, I look forward to the next Katherine Center book. You can't win them all and that's okay....more
For those looking for an old school rant review, today is your lucky day.
I have so many thoughts and words floating through my head righElitist Drivel
For those looking for an old school rant review, today is your lucky day.
I have so many thoughts and words floating through my head right now that I am struggling to formulate a review - which almost never happens.
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In fact, speaking of "struggle..."
This book was a struggle to get through. And I have a feeling it matches the struggle of being Glennon Doyle and living inside Glennon's Doyle's head - ALL of which is created and meticulously curated by Glennon Doyle.
Seriously though, she is the driver of her own self-mechanized Struggle Bus, yet acts like she has overcome monumental life suffering derived from forces outside her own damn self.
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But I will come back to that.
First, I want to say (before I forget to do so) that I was really looking forward to reading this. The blurb sounded awesome. A former Christian mommy-blogger who reinvents herself upon meeting and falling in love with a woman? Sign me up.
Key word there, though: INVENTS. Because hardly anything about this book felt authentic.
In fact, this book felt like nothing more than an elitist American white woman (who has never truly suffered from anything more than low self-esteem) attempting to prove how "woke" she is because, hey, she's a lesbian now, yo, and just rocking life so much better than you.
For the first 50 pages, she had me totally on board and I was enjoying her story and her message.
But then the completely self-righteous (and yet wholly indeterminate) lecturing about every buzz-word topic on the planet started. Motherhood? Racism? Feminism? Toxic masculinity? The dangers of technology and its effects on mindfulness?
Step aside, peons, because Glennon Doyle has this shit ALL figured out. And she will tell you all about it. Because she gets it more than you.
The fact that she - a grown ass middle/upper class married American woman with three children - didn't even know how to buy her own plane ticket? Irrelevant. She still adults SO much better than you. Because she trusts her "knowing." And because I do what I want, losers.
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And don't get even get me started on how much she contradicts herself and makes her complete hypocrisy blatantly obvious whilst still lecturing us all on how we should be doing things.
In one chapter, she talks about how she was a "good parent" to her first daughter, but then "got tired....[and] by the time [her third child] exited the birth canal, [she] just handed her an iPad and wished the child godspeed on her journey."
She talks about how this made her third child SO #independent and confident in who she is...and then turns around and talks about how she decided to take her son's cell phone away because it was stifling his "creativity" and causing him to withdraw from life. She, of course, includes the whole conversation she later had with her son (her firstborn) about taking away said cell phone...a conversation in which she, of course, sounds like a mage-mother with woke mom skills. Because, you know, #stillbetterthanyou.
And while on the topic of phones...she later discusses how her friend Erika called her cell phone. Poor Erika.
"Recently, my friend Erika called my cell phone. I will never understand why people insist upon calling my cell phone. It's such an aggressive action to take: calling someone. Each time my phone rings, I have a heart attack like my pocket's on fire and a tiny siren is going off."
Wow.
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I have no words. That quote basically encompasses so much about this woman. She is so sensitive, she is "damaged" by her friend calling her, you know, to be a FRIEND. And she prefers texts, but doesn't answer them, because (again) I do what I want and refuse to be a part of your damned patriarchy. But here is your iPad, sweetie.
She is also so damned sensitive and "empathetic" that she RECENTLY became so tired, hungry, and concerned while watching Survivorman on TV that her wife had to remind her that, don't worry, he would be okay. Because TELEVISION. And PRODUCTION TEAM.
And I am supposed to give a fuck what this woman thinks about real world issues?
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Nope.
I would continue to include more contradictory quotes and stories - of which there are MANY. But I just can't be bothered to think or talk about this woman and her book one second longer. In fact, the minute I finish this review, both this book and my thoughts about it are headed for the bin.
I don't usually rate books I DNF unless I make it to 50%, but this book has me bitter...even though it's pretty much my fault. Still. I got dDNF @ 37%
I don't usually rate books I DNF unless I make it to 50%, but this book has me bitter...even though it's pretty much my fault. Still. I got drawn into the hype and pretty cover and so, I bought not only this book in hardcover...but also books two and three...Because IDIOT. Regardless, you can imagine how much I wanted to love and persevere through this thing and its successors.
But alas, as much as I loathe wasting money, I just can't force myself to pick this book up anymore.
It basically reads like every other YA fantasy romance you've ever read before, except SHITTY. I have read (and rated highly) many a cliched YA in my time, but this one just isn't cutting the mustard. The writing is blah, the characters are wooden and one-dimensional, and the magic system is non-existent.
The only silver lining here is that I get to pare down my physical tbr by three books, albeit not via the avenue I would prefer. Thankfully though, I have since trained myself to stop buying entire series at once without first reading and loving book one. I still have a few unread series on my shelves which were purchased before said training took place, but hopefully I have better luck with those.
In other words...everyone around me is roaring with applause and I be over here like, wuuuut?1.5 Stars
So this was me after finishing this book:
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In other words...everyone around me is roaring with applause and I be over here like, wuuuut? What did I miss?
Cause this "performance?" Was a total train wreck.
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And yet, pretty much almost everyone I know decorated this thing with gold stars like a General getting ready for a fucking military ball.
In fact, there were so many glaring issues with this book, I don't even think I have the time or the energy to get to them all.
But fear not, friends. I will endeavor to do my best.
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Issue #1: The Boys of Brayshaw
Dude.
So the premise behind this story is that these idiots guys "run" the entire school. In fact, they apparently run the town for...some reason? Yeah, my brain actually hurt after trying to make sense of their ridiculously convoluted back story. It made no sense. None at all. Something about two families founding the town and then one family wanting to be more "gangsta, yo" so they brought in three other families and these current "Brayshaw Boys" are descendants of those wannabe mafioso families. Or something.
Even if it DID make sense...it would still not justify why these supposed teenagers have so much power that even the school principal does what they say.
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Now, before we go any further, I should say this. I am VERY talented at suspending belief for the sake of a good story. And the whole "high school bully trope" is one that I truly love to get behind. I love reading about powerful alphas and romantic push/pull. And the trap of high school and being under 18 (and thus unable to willingly escape said trap) is a natural setting for this kind of story to truly flourish.
My favorite bully-trope story of all time is, aptly named, Bully by Penelope Douglas. And, while reading Boys of Brayshaw (BoB from here on out)...I couldn't help but think BoB's author was a fan too.
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MADDOC, Royce, and Captain read like caricatured copies of Jared, MADOC, and Jaxon, even to the point that their roles in the group are the same. Maddoc and Jared are the enigmatic spearhead of the group, Royce and Maddoc the smooth-talking sidekick, and Captain and Jaxon the silent third leg with a mysterious side story.
Except, in this book, MADDOC (I mean, really?) is one of the most wooden characters I've ever come across. His sunglasses and trusty black SUV have more personality than he did.
And Madoc and Jaxon Royce and Captain? While better in that department than Maddoc (the one from THIS story; yes, I realize that is VERY obvious confusing), they still read like parodies.
Add to all that the fact that these guys are supposed to be badasses...who really weren't all that badass in my opinion. Unless you call "always miraculously showing up just in time to glare at someone" a super power.
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But really, aside from getting into random fights at high school parties, groping Raven in the cafeteria, and playing basketball on an omg crappy public *gasp* basketball court they somehow called "their territory," NOTHING these dudes did was badass on any level.
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Now...speaking of Raven...
Issue #2: Raven
God save me from this idiot.
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In a valiant effort to make Raven the top contender in the Not Like Other Girls Games, Brandy basically made her a cross between Lara Croft Tomb Raider and Eminem's character in 8 Mile...but with an apparently detailed background in adult psychology 101 instead of mad musical wordsmith skills.
Even though she bashed any other characters when they erroneously got judgmental, she of course, had crazy ghetto life skills. Because trailer park. Meaning, she could totally sum up the totality of anyone she met within the first few seconds of meeting them.
But don't you dare call her the daughter of a whore.
And while the almost threesome scene was hot (why do you think I gave this 1.5 stars instead of 1 star, after all), it just didn't align with character actions and behavior up to that point, namely on the part of Maddoc...not that he had much of any characterization at all, mind you; but what was present on that front didn't make me think he would so easily go along with his brothers (not brothers? brothers from another mother?) practically tag-teaming her in a dark room as a group.
You know, to distract her. From her fear of the dark.
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And don't even get me started on her supposed side hustle as...wait for it...an underground match fighter.
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That's not any more believable than Angelina Jolie being a leather-wearing, weapon wielding Indiana Jones. And since Raven's appearance is basically based on Angelina Jolie - but only wearing jeans, hoodies, and no makeup, you know, to make her "uglier" - I just can't even begin to visualize this girl throwing down in between endless tokes on her joint. And books don't provide stunt doubles, people.
This brings me to perhaps the most ridiculous issue of all.
Issue #3: The Lack of ANY Adult Presence Whatsoever
Now, I realize the dead parent/drunk parent/absentee parent shtick is a mainstay in the high school novel world. I mean, after all, how else would we reach 90210/Gossip Girl levels of pseudo-adulting with any actual adults present.
When needed, I can usually accept this as par for the course. But this book?
Took that shit to a whole other level.
I think the only adults mentioned in the entirety of this book - and we are talking throughout numerous schools days, evenings at home, planned house parties with last-minute "secret locations" *snort*, a weekend long cabin vacation in the mountains, the aforementioned illegal fight scene crap, and so many other situations where adult presence would be completely unavoidable - were Raven's mother (the quintessential white trash prostitute with a cocaine problem who lives in a single-wide), the principal (who doubles as our white cardboard child molester who skulks around school hallway corners), the social worker (who reads more like Raven's older sister with no actual social working skills or knowledge), and the "last resort" juvenile house manager Maybell - who is basically an insult to all token black female characters everywhere.
Truly though, it was like this book took place in an alternative universe where teenagers ran the world and adults were like majestic unicorns who were talked about but aren't actually real.
Issue #4: Repetitive Words Choices and Phrases
If I had to read the words "she popped her eyebrow like a brat" or "she popped her shoulder" one more time...I might have popped my kindle across the room.
And don't even get me started on how much the characters licked their lips. I mean, Jesus, someone gets these kids some chapstick, FFS.
Now yes, I realize that^ was petty. But we were surpassing Anastasia Steele lip biting levels with all this constant lip licking here, people.
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Now, there are definitely more issues I could list here, e.g., the mysterious absence of any court proceedings preceding all this re-homing of underage juveniles (or at least a half-assed off page reference to anything like that taking place), but I just can't be bothered to articulate myself any further.
I had put off reading this book because I had seen a couple 1-star reviews on it (definitely the minority) from people I trust, but it was just rated so damn high (and free via KU) that I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
This book represents the death knell of my interest in alien romance.
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I think this trope trough is officially empty for me, which is a1.5 Stars
This book represents the death knell of my interest in alien romance.
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I think this trope trough is officially empty for me, which is a bummer as I have really enjoyed me some good alien smut in the past (hello, Ruby Dixon); but, alas, I find myself reaching for it less and less...and this book was just plain bad.
There was virtually no character development to be had (although, to be fair, I had finished a Mariana Zapata book the same day as this). And while you're totally right to say, "Bitch, I really doubt you are picking up alien SMUT romance for character development..."
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...I've also gotten spoiled over the years and expect at least a little effort in that department.
Also, what character development there WAS?
Made me not like any of the characters.
So there's that.
Anyway, I'm not gonna sit here and and go on bashing this.
I didn't like it. I'm glad I got it for free (or the bashing would have continued). And I won't be reading anymore alien shit for a while....more
The blurb for this book is very misleading. It basically tells you how the book anticlimactically ends and not what the book really focuses on. “Nope.
The blurb for this book is very misleading. It basically tells you how the book anticlimactically ends and not what the book really focuses on. “Taking” is in the damned title for fuck’s sake and yet there is no taking (aka kidnapping her for her safety) to be had until almost 90%.
Furthermore, the book itself is just plain bad.
Once again the innocent heroine goes from complete virginal purity to “oh yeah, baby, fuck me harder” virtually within minutes. And, by the way, she also gives head like a skilled pro. #clevergirl
The first person MALE narrator/main character describes his OWN eyes as sparkling green jewels *snort*.
And the plot itself just felt like it was going for a grittier tone with heartfelt moments...but simply fell short all around....more
I love this series...but this installment was a hot fucking mess.
I am hugely bummed out by this, people. HUGELY.
Truly. I was so excited for this, wordI love this series...but this installment was a hot fucking mess.
I am hugely bummed out by this, people. HUGELY.
Truly. I was so excited for this, words cannot express what a letdown this was.
I adored books 1-3 in this series. ADORED. I have truly read them all multiple times each. They are go-to's in the treasured "re-read forever" library shelf I keep stocked and catalogued in my mind.
Will everyone who reads them feel that way? Of course not.
But for me? They check all my personal fave romance cliche boxes.
HARD.
But some of the things I loved most about books 1-3 became the things I hated the most about book 4.
1) The heroine (Eve) from book 1 read like a vapid trophy wife.
2) The MC club seemingly turned into a group of incompetent asshats unable to find their dicks without the aide of the chicks they didn't used to even have around.
3) The wacky characters I loved from books 2 and 3 became TOO wacky.
Too much of pretty much anything is never a good thing. And I can't tell you how many times characters were described as disturbed or unhinged or crazy.
It was constant. In almost every scene, someone had to either SAY how crazy someone was or that someone had to do something ridiculous to prove it. Again.
It became a veritable parody of the humor I loved about books 1-3.
WE GET IT.
Stop beating me over the head with it.
As I said, the wackiness of certain characters was one of my favorite aspects of the previous books. I really liked Sarah's character and I ADORED Maya's character. They were completely batshit, and I dug it; however, their craziness ADDED to those stories without taking anything away from them.
It this book, it's like proving how crazy they were in a push for "quirkiness" became the sole focus of the book.
And the rest of the book suffered for it.
Which made me a sad little bunny.
Regardless, I'm hoping this was a one-off for me. I'm hoping Snake and Sarah's story is as awesome as I want to be. #fingerscrossed...more
This was very meh. I was expecting in-depth cases studies and got overly dramatized, poorly written snippets (1-4 pages apiece, on average) w1.5 Stars
This was very meh. I was expecting in-depth cases studies and got overly dramatized, poorly written snippets (1-4 pages apiece, on average) with very little actual information beyond that of the surface variety.
In fact, I already knew more about the cases I was interested than this book provided. I suppose if you are not a weird freak like me who has already read a lot about serial killers and other crazy cases, you might get something out of this; but, for those like me, who have been interested in true crime and true crime memoirs already, this one offers nothing....more
It was nothing like I thought it would be - which, although that might be my fault for not doing my Not for me.
I didn't care for this at all, really.
It was nothing like I thought it would be - which, although that might be my fault for not doing my "due diligence" so to speak when picking it out - that doesn't change the fact that I was not a fan.
There was pretty much NO romance to be had here and, being that I found it through the recommendation of an author whose romance books I love, I just assumed there would be SOME kind of romance here.
Not so.
On top of the main character being one hot mess of straight up crazy, her perspective and thought processes were EXTREMELY convoluted as well. And, being that the entire story was told from her perspective, it made the entire plot and book as a whole convoluted as a result.
The "twist" near the end was very abrupt and hardly explained and, overall, I just wasn't impressed by this book or drawn to the author's writing style.
I know I read these for the quick moving/guilty pleasure aspect...but this one was really quick moving and the insta-loDefinitely not my favorite AR.
I know I read these for the quick moving/guilty pleasure aspect...but this one was really quick moving and the insta-love was...well, kind of disappointing in the sense that (view spoiler)[the H and h meet and bang for the first time while the H is drunk AF. He doesn't even remember the h until the end and they don't meet again until almost the very last scene. (hide spoiler)]
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I felt kind of...robbed of all the AR goodness, sadly. I would have been pissed if I had paid the $0.99 for it actually, but luckily I have KU. ...more
I love Penny Reid and I love that she wrote a book with a character having legit OCD.
That said, I just didn’t love this.
It took me forever t1.5 Stars
I love Penny Reid and I love that she wrote a book with a character having legit OCD.
That said, I just didn’t love this.
It took me forever to read it, I had no problem putting it down, and I had to practically bribe myself to pick it back up every time.
I liked both Shelly and Beau, but their romance felt sterile and stale in most areas.
There were also a lot of smaller side stories I felt distracted from the main plot. There was Beau’s issues with Duane, with Christine, with Shelly...Cletus’ issues with Jennifer...Shelly’s issues with Beau and Quinn...it just didn’t all flow smoothly for me.
In short, I was just bored. Bummer. But oh well, win some/lose some....more
I didn't like the H and his club was weak. They didn't seem to actually do anything.
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There was this whoDNF at 36%
This just isn't working for me.
I didn't like the H and his club was weak. They didn't seem to actually do anything.
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There was this whole side story involving some club chick - her name was Cherry, but of course.
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And it really was original...the first ten times I read an MC book with a chick named Cherry in it.
But anycliche, there is this side story with the Cherry chick - who is NOT the heroine, mind you - but whom the H used to fuck (we the reader actually get to hang out while she sucks the H off in the beginning of the book. So that was fun).
Once the H hooks up with the h, Cherry hooks up with one of the H's buddies and he have that buddy have a discussion about it.
I just didn't see the point in these events. It felt gratuitous and completely unnecessary.
But the main thing?
***AUTHORS: PLEASE READ***
Not every book needs to have BDSM in it.
I repeat:
Not every book can or should be Fifity Shades of Grey needs BDSM in it.
Seriously, I'm getting sick of so much post-FSoG romance trying to throw BDSM elements in there when it just doesn't fit.
Please streamline the bullshit, people.
If you are already employing the MC Club theme, AND the parent dying of cancer shtick, AND the "Hey sure, complete stranger, I'll knock you up cause you desperately want a baby" ploy...
Do you really think we need to add BDSM in there too?
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Seriously.
One boat can only hold so many gimmicks before it starts to capsize.
Seriously, I can'tHoly shit, Julie Garwood. Holy Shit...
*Rant Ahead*
All I can say is...
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What hath happened to one of my favorite authors?
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Seriously, I can't even with the mourning here, people. It's like owl suicide watch up in these parts, yo.
In fact, let's have a moment of silence for the death of my Garwood reading joy.
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Some background: I just checked my shelves and, according to GR, I have read over 25 Julie Garwood novels. Some of my favorite reads of all time are Julie Garwood novels. Some of my fondest reading memories involve Julie Garwood novels.
I started reading her when I was 12 years old.
Thus: Nostalgia.
Which makes this suck even more.
The funny part of this is that, as I was preparing to read this, I thought to myself, "Self, I hope this isn't as shiteous as The Ideal Man. Surely that one was a fluke of heinous. SURELY this one can't be as bad as that, right Self?"
Well, all I can say is this:
* * *
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SUPER WRONG.
Because folks, this was bad.
Bad as in "not good."
Not good at all.
In fact - when I went back and read my review for Ideal I laughed my ass off, because I could literally copy/paste some of the exact same commentary regarding the characters.
Case in point, here are my comments about the two main characters in Ideal:
Not only is Max a Special Agent with the FBI, he's also a lawyer, a graduate of Vanderbilt, and (along with 5 of his six brothers) was adopted after his own parents were tragically killed in an accident when he was 5. His older brother is a quarterback in the NFL and, in his spare time, he talks little boys down from the ledge because he has a "special touch" that apparently no other law enforcement officer in all of St. Louis possesses.
And Ellie? Jesus.
This paragon of perfection is like fucking super woman, people. She's a prodigy genius who started high school at ten years old, schooled math geniuses as a pre-teen, saves choking men in restaurants, and discovers melanoma on gang bangers in police stations just whilst "passing by."
She is also so drop dead gorgeous (of course) that every man present notices her (unbeknownst to her, of course) and was so captivating as an 11 year old that she picked up a stalker from whom she has been running her whole life. And while she's not earning prestigious medical awards that haven't been given out in over a decade prior to her awesomeness, she's giving prenatal advice to wives of FBI agents via phone, and threatening doctors to give people without insurance medical aide.
Holy shit, someone give me the Heimlich Maneuver, because I'm choking on the pretentious bullshit that is this character.
You could legit take out the names Max and Ellie and slide in Liam and Allison.
In this book, Liam is also an FBI agent, also a lawyer, and ALSO seemingly the only law enforcement officer in the whole city of Boston, what with how he always seem to show up just in the nick of time. Every time.
And Allison?
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Good lord, kill me now.
Not only was Allison a meek personification of patience and self-sacrifice, she was drop dead gorgeous - for real though, not only did she model "on the side" she was supposedly some kind of Versace muse - AND she was such a computer genius that the FBI needed her college-age ass to solve their problems - cause, you know, apparently the FB-fucking-I can't find their own dicks without Allison holding the magnifying glass.
Not only were my rolling eyes hitting the roof of my skull with the ridiculousness of the characters, the plot was seriously all over the place.
And by all "all over the place" I mean:
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And the romance?
Sucked.
All that said, I think I will call it quits here with reading any future Garwood books.
As much as I LOVE her earlier works, everything she has published circa 2000 and after have been...less then awesome.
But, I saw this on the library shelf...its protective1 Star
Geeeeez.
This was quite the YA train wreck.
And I probably should have known better.
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But, I saw this on the library shelf...its protective and majestic plastic library jacket just gleaming with promises of fantastical wonder...and I was drawn in like the total sucker I am.
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But then reality hit.
Sigh.
This thing was about 100 pages too long...while still simultaneously feeling like it was 100 pages too short of actual information.
You know, "INFORMATION," AKA...
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS GOING ON
The "mystery" of what/who Daniel and all the other keys players in this thing are were withheld until the last 30 pages of this 420+ page jackfest, and not only that, but I felt like we were moving at the pace of molasses.
High viscous molasses. Traveling uphill. On carpet.
I mean FUCK, come on.
I don't know if I should beat my own ass for starting this...
Beat my own ass even harder for finishing this...
Or just call it a day and straight off myself over the fact that I am actually considering reading book two.
Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️
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Books:
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