Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Book Review: Blind Trust (A Novel) by Felisha Antonette


Loving someone has never been so deadly.

Valerie Harper has one assignment, one mission. Assassinate her mark and everyone he loves. But what happens when she finds that she loves him too?
Her instructions are simple; do not fraternize with your target, observe at a distance, and never engage with the enemy. However, as things take an unexpected turn in Val's world, these simple instructions begin to change.

Refusing to be a puppet, Kyle Shultz walks away from his old life and settles into the college routine. But the life of a student is more difficult than he imagined. Making friends and attending parties are as foreign a concept as showing a target mercy.

The lines between the state of the job and the affairs of the heart are blurred as Valerie and Kyle’s worlds collide. 

With a maze of enemies and hit lists to navigate, will these two young adversaries proceed wide-eyed and alone into the fray? Or will they blindly trust the feelings they can no longer ignore?



 


This is the first book that I've read by this author and unfortunately, it's probably the last also. It wasn't any one thing that didn't do it for me with this book. It was a varied combination of basically every aspect of the book. Honestly, I didn't even finish the last 60 or so pages because I just wasn't invested in the story and I didn't really care how it ended. 

One of my biggest issues was with the conversations between the many characters in the book. They didn't seem authentic - they were stiff and the wording was sometimes weird. At one point, I even wondered if the author was from a different country because maybe something was literally lost in translation. Unfortunately, that wasn't the explanation ... well ... unless Arizona seceded from the union and they were able to establish their own language in the last 3 or so years. 

Right along with the conversations comes the inner dialogue for the characters. This was also dry and stiff and because of that, I felt like I never really got to know the characters. It was almost like the book was being written from an unemotional pov. Which would be fine ... but that wasn't established within the story and it just doesn't make sense. Now this isn't a direct quote but let me give you an idea of how the story read: He was mad. He stomped his foot. He didn't like what was going on. He was so mad.

Like I said, that's not a direct quote but do you kind of see how you read it in your head with that monotone, robotic voice?!? That is how the book sounded in my head with every single word. Is that the author's fault? Not necessarily. But I'm pretty sure my inner reading voice isn't broken because as I type this and talk in my head, I sound pretty awesome. This robotic read issue could very well be me. But that doesn't take away the fact that the book just fell extremely flat for me. 

I thought that the plot trudged along slowly. I think that my attention would have been captured if it had moved just a bit more swiftly. Basically, this just wasn't the book for me. The characters didn't grab me, the plot didn't grab me and I didn't even care enough to finish the book (which hardly ever happens, btw). On to the next one. 

* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *



Available Now


Book Review: Eye Candy (Real Love #1) by Jessica Lemmon


Jacqueline: As an adult woman--and the vice president of a marketing firm--I shouldn't be waiting by my office window to ogle the mystery man who jogs by every morning at 11:45. Sure, he's a gorgeous, perfect specimen of the human race, but I can't bring myself to hit on a total stranger. However, my best friend-slash-colleague Vince Carson thinks I should do more than talk to the guy. In fact, he's borderline obsessive about "getting me laid." (His words.) But the more time we spend together, the more it's clear: The one I'm falling for is Vince.

Vince: Jackie Butler's got it bad for some pompous, over-pumped A-hole who struts his stuff past her window. That doesn't bother me. I know she deserves nice things. What does bother me is that she friend-zoned me big-time last year, so I can't ask her out myself. But what if I set her up with Mr. Steroids? Then, when he breaks her heart, I can swoop in and save her like the nice guy I am. Everything's going according to plan . . . until we share a ridiculously epic kiss. And suddenly anything is possible.



 


For the first time in my Jessica Lemmon reading history, I didn't give one of her books 5-Stars. Dude. I'm as shocked as you are. I know that it's really not that big of a deal, I gave this one 4-Stars. That's close to the same, right? It is but at the same time, it's no where near the same. 

I don't think that there was any ONE thing that made me shake my head and say nope to a five star rating. The concept of the book was interesting ... you have these two friends ... Jackie has hard-core friend-zoned poor Vince and she's interested in this sweaty buff runner dude. Vince (being the genius that he is) decides that he is going to help Jackie get said sweaty buff runner dude and Vince thinks that he'll be there to pick up the pieces when Jackie's heart gets broken. Which, if we're being honest, is a depressing thought. Pretty sure it would just be easier to tell Jackie that he likes her rather than pushing her towards another dude but hey, who am I to say what would be easier ... I have ovaries and common sense. Most of the time. Anyway, so I don't need to tell you how things worked out with Jackie and sweaty buff runner dude.

I liked the characters okay. I actually liked Vince more than I liked Jackie. I don't know if it's because I felt badly for Vince and his idiotic ideas or what. Come on, who doesn't love an underdog. I did find myself both rolling my eyes and rooting for Vince during each sentence. Jackie kind of annoyed me ... I just wanted her to make out with Vince and his sexy tattoos already. 

Maybe that's what my issue with the book was ... it wasn't the book itself, you know, the meat of the story ... no, not Vince's meat, you perv. The foundation of the story was amazing. Maybe it was my frustration towards Jackie and her tunnel vision for sweaty buff runner dude. Honestly, we've all been there, I'm sure. You have a close friend that you don't see as being a sexual entity who happens to be made for you and you only focus on the handsome shell of a man that for some reason, you  just have to have but then you get it and you realize that you don't want it. 

Anyway ... if you could read between my random tangents,  I liked the book. It was good. Because Jackie is a blind donkey, I didn't LOVE the book but it was one that I would read again. Maybe I just need to give it a couple of months and give this one a shot again. I don't want to break my 5-Star rating streak for all Lemmon books, right?

* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *



Available: July 25th, 2017


Book Review: This Time by A.J. Warner


Alison Scott never believed in such things as destiny or fate, but she did think that everything happened for a reason. So, when her life and marriage crumble before her eyes, she picks herself up out of the rubble and forges a new way.

Ethan Glenn worked hard to build his life, never taking time to really live. When Alison crosses his path again, sparks soar, sexual fantasies collide with reality, and Ethan wants more. He wants to be her everything.

Brought together by the destruction of their pasts, their hunger for each other could be the very thing that destroys them.

What happens when distance and circumstance threaten to stand in the way of this love? How do they cope when all that they want is everything time won’t let them have?



 



Before I even get into my review ... I seem to be the only person that read this book who didn't enjoy it. I've also never read anything by Warner, so I didn't really know what to expect. All of that being said ... I didn't expect to not connect with this book. And "not connect" is putting it nicely. 

To be blunt, I found the book cheesy. The conversations were cheesy, the story itself was cheesy, everything was cheesy. It didn't feel realistic in the least. It was also dry. I didn't fall into the story, it felt forced upon me and again, nothing was realistic. Actually, at one point, I even noted that "It's like the Sahara up in this shit". Apparently, my grammar goes to the wayside along with my language when I get irritated with a book. One of my biggest pet-peeves is when conversations are stiff and forced. In no way did I see any of these conversations happening in real life. 

I'm not sure if it was the stiff dryness that was the kiss of death for me on this one or what but I wasn't even halfway through the book and I felt like I didn't really know the characters. I didn't understand their motivations or wants or needs or even just the crux of who they were. 

I was already irritated with how things were so completely boring and then by the time I was done with the book, I was just pissed. I felt like I invested myself and then got nothing in return. Now like I said at the beginning, I'm basically the only person in the entire world that didn't like this book. So take my review with a grain of salt and try it out for yourself. 

* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *



Available Now

Book Review: Walk of Shame by Lauren Layne


Sparks fly between a misunderstood New York socialite and a cynical divorce lawyer in this lively standalone rom-com from the USA Today bestselling author of Blurred Lines and Love Story.

Pampered heiress Georgianna Watkins has a party-girl image to maintain, but all the shopping and clubbing is starting to feel a little bit hollow—and a whole lot lonely. Though Georgie would never admit it, the highlights of her week are the mornings when she comes home at the same time as her uptight, workaholic neighbor is leaving to hit the gym and put in a long day at the office. Teasing him is the most fun Georgie’s had in years—and the fuel for all her naughtiest daydreams.

Celebrity divorce attorney Andrew Mulroney doesn’t have much time for women, especially spoiled tabloid princesses who spend more time on Page Six than at an actual job. Although Georgie’s drop-dead gorgeous, she’s also everything Andrew resents: the type of girl who inherited her penthouse instead of earning it. But after Andrew caps one of their predawn sparring sessions with a surprise kiss—a kiss that’s caught on camera—all of Manhattan is gossiping about whether they’re a real couple. And nobody’s more surprised than Andrew to find that the answer just might be yes.





 

 
Not entirely sure how I missed writing a review for this book ... it's by one of my favorite authors and one of the best books I've read for the year ... so how did I miss it?!? No clue. I've got two boys that try desperately to make me lose my mind every day. Pretty sure they're doing a good job at chipping away at my sanity. 

Anyway ... If you've read a Lauren Layne book, you're well acquainted with how well Layne writes characters. You get a couple of pages into the book and you feel like the leading lady is a real person and you want to hang out with them immediately. That's how it is with every single heroine that Layne writes. Georgianna is no exception - she's this funny and extremely witty chick that you just want to go hang out with. She's unapologetically ornery and I found myself rushing through the pages just hoping for her next snarky comment or staged scene. Georgianna is perfectly ridiculous and if I weren't so into my husband (and dudes, tbh), I might totally fall in love with her. 

And Andrew. Sweet, baby Jesus ... I can't even put into words how much I just absolutely adored this stubborn man. Something about this dude was just sexy as hell. I don't know if it was because you could tell that he was a great guy underneath that indifference or what. Maybe it was because I don't think he knew how attractive his stubbornness was, especially when it started to crack. I better stop now before I give anything good away. 

Of course, true to Lauren Layne form, this book was just spectacular. It moved along at a fast clip and I just didn't want to put it down. Actually ... I didn't put it down. I got the boys off to school, made some coffee and then read all day long. This is the kind of book that will ruin other romance novels for you - it is completely perfect and perfectly ridiculous. 

* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *



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