Book Review: Thursday Afternoon by Beth Rinyu

I'm just your typical working girl who never mixes business with pleasure. Although some may say my business is all about pleasure. For the past four years, I’ve allowed my profession to define me, distancing myself from family, friends and most of all love. Hating the reflection I see staring back at me in the mirror, I muddle through each day with my heart sealed off like a tomb, until two strangers enter my life.

One teaching me the true meaning of friendship.

The other teaching me the true meaning of love.

She’s everything I’m not.
Humble, loving, and devoting her life to others.
We’re an unlikely duo who are polar opposites, but at the same time so alike.
Never in a million years could I be friends with someone like her...until I was.

Then there’s him.
He’s my Thursday afternoon client.
Just like all the others: handsome, rich and charming…yet so very different.
Trying to overcome a painful past, he seeks out my services as a refuge, only to find that we’re opening our hearts to each other in ways that neither of us could've imagined.
I could never fall in love with someone like him...until I did.
And now I'm finding myself longing for it to be Thursday afternoon all week long.

I've never read a book by this author, so I really didn't know what to expect as I dove into the pages. The whole concept of the book was intriguing ... you've got this female escort/call-girl that (as the blurb states - no spoilers, promise!) falls in love with her Thursday John. I mean client. And before someone jumps their soapbox, I have no problem with that profession, to each their own but let's not sugar coat it - a polished penny is the same as a dirty penny, you know?

As I started to read, I really thought that when I got to know our main character, Bree, that she would be one of two extremes - either she really hated being a paid escort and detested every moment or that she loved what she did and didn't want to give it up. But Bree was neither of those. She was just kinda 'meh' about everything. I was a little surprised. With her lackadaisical outlook on her career, it made the story a little convenient. And by convenient, I mean she didn't have any real hurdles to get over. There wasn't enough conflict, in my mind at least. I won't lie, there was one situation that happened and that added to the story but other than that one struggle, there really wasn't anything else for Bree to overcome. Which is sad. Because it took away some of the depth that Bree could have had with more inner strife or something.

And along those same lines, the story felt really drawn out and sluggish. That could be attributed to the conflict issue that I experienced throughout in the book. It felt like I was trudging up a super steep mountain and every once in a while, I'd find a pretty flower but for the most part, I was just wearing myself out. Or the sluggishness could have come from the characters themselves. 

I liked the characters enough but there was just something missing. It didn't feel like there was any real chemistry between Bree and Thursday. There weren't enough sparks. Now, in MY mind, if you're reading a book about a paid escort, you expect some good stuff when it comes to the steamy scenes but I didn't get that. It was a bit ... wah-waaaah ... in my mind. I just wish that there had been more between those two. This book had so much potential but it just didn't ring any bells for me. 

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

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Book Review: Properly Groomed (Wedding Favors #3) by Boone Brux

When Joya Bennett wakes up after her brother’s wedding, half-naked and lying next to her lifelong crush, she’s mortified. OMG, did she try to jump his bones? Worse, did she succeed? Intending to lay low and housesit for her brother until the embarrassment fades, she sneaks away before he wakes up.

What she didn’t plan on is having company.

Lincoln Fisher doesn’t do relationships, but if he did, his friend’s little sister would be the one to tie him down. Good thing Joya had one too many drinks during the reception or he’d have crossed a line. Her brother would kill him if he found out all the places Linc wanted to kiss the sexy, auburn-haired beauty.

And now they’re stuck in the same house. For two weeks.

She’s off-limits. And he needs to keep it that way, even if the heat building between them is hot enough to blow off the roof…

 

It is a rare occasion when a book that Entangled Publishing has put out doesn't knock my socks off. Unfortunately, this is one of those times. 

I think that the big take-away that I had with this one was the fact that I was able to put it down. It just didn't hold my attention and make me feel like I was losing a part of myself when I had to put this book down. 

I really didn't connect with any of the characters. They were okay ... but not one of them was one that I thought about after the pages were closed. To be honest, I finished this one a while ago and when I got it back out to write this review, I couldn't remember even one quality about any of the characters. Actually, I couldn't even remember what their names were. That's not a good sign. 

The meat of the story was just okay as well. Nothing that stuck out as funny or sweet or memorable. It was just okay. The pace of the book was fine but it felt stale. The romance was lacking something - excitement. I didn't get those butterflies when Lincoln and Joya were together, I didn't get that palpable chemistry that I love so much when reading. 

All of these issues might be because I haven't read the other two books in the series. Absolutely. Maybe that is what was wrong with this reading experience. It could very well be the disconnect that I felt. 

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be picking up another book from this author. This one just wasn't for me. 

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

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Book Review: Stripped Bare (Vegas Billionaire #1) by Heidi McLaughlin

They don’t call it the Strip for nothing. . . .

In this sinfully sexy Las Vegas romance from bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin, a man who has it all reunites with a woman who takes it all off.

Living in Sin City, Finn McCormick is no stranger to one-night stands, but the last person he expects to find losing big on the casino floor is a former high school fling. Even though Macey Webster’s clearly down on her luck, she’s still a knockout, and she’s dressed like a stripper—because she is one. Drunk off an unfamiliar cocktail of lust, pity, and compassion, Finn offers to pay Macey’s debts if she cuddles up to him around town . . . and does whatever he wants between the sheets.

Macey came to Vegas for one reason only: money. She’s got a young daughter to support, and the tips really are bigger in Vegas. But when she blows her earnings on blackjack, her guardian angel is the rich boy who once stole her heart and never called her back. Although Macey would love to turn the tables on Finn, she can’t afford to refuse his proposition—and soon she’s enjoying herself much more than she cares to admit. Macey’s used to baring her flesh, but baring her soul will take far more courage.

 

Just as a heads up ... this is going to be a rough review. I'm going to try to keep everything constructive ... try being the operative word because I'm a little irritated. Maybe more than a little and it feels almost irrational. Which doesn't translate into anything good. 

Without giving anything away that isn't in other reviews ... yes, this is a modern-day retelling of Pretty Woman. And by "retelling" I mean that it is pretty freaking close to the movie. Too close. There are some iconic scenes in that movie that were not a retelling. It was the same darn thing. In my readers-mind, I want a retelling to kind of pay homage to the original but not try to BE it with a few twists added. 

There were  a couple of times when our lead character, Heidi, told Finn (our dashing young wannabe Richard Gere) to not insinuate that she was a prostitute and of course, after him telling her that he wouldn't, you guessed it ... he did. Just like the movie. Then there was the creepy old dude that is a work associate of Finns and yep! You guessed it again ... skeezy old dude hit on her. 

I think that all of that would have been a little bit more okay if the book hadn't been predictable and the characters bland. Does our hero, Finn, (the strapping young gentleman that should have made me swoon) stand out in my mind? No. All I could think about is how Richard Gere could beat his ass. I didn't really like Finn as a person and that's probably because I felt like I didn't know him at all. 

Same goes for Heidi. This woman came across as a doormat. I don't want to read about that! Not in a romance novel! I want to read about a woman who started out as a doormat and then she clawed her way to the top of that horribly deep hole, conquered her self esteem and flipped the bird to anyone that had ever put her down and made her feel like crap. That's not what I got here. 

And there's this twist at the ending ... it just irritated me. Not only because I guessed it at the very beginning but because it was simultaneously made a huge deal out of and swept under the rug. Basically, not the book for me. I'm not too sure how I feel about this author. Does she write other retelling-esque novels? Are they all going to irritate me like this one did? Think I might keep a distance for the time being. 

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

Available: March 28th, 2017

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Book Review: Deadly Omissions by Lauren Reign

Harper Sloan is a warrior. She’s survived the childhood from hell and clawed her way out on her own. But no amount of life experience could have prepared her for the heartache Colton would bring. He was the best man she’d ever dated, until he shattered that flawless image with his unthinkable deception. Colton is a liar, but so is Harper. And now her own secrets may have deadly consequences.

FBI agent Colton Brady made a choice. He faked his death, going undercover to save his best friend's life from a serial killer, but it cost him the woman he loves. When he learns Harper is involved with a dangerous loan shark, he forces his way back into her life. Harper may hate him, but there is no line Colton won't cross to protect her.

I seem to have read a completely different version of this book than everyone else or something. This book received super high ratings and I'm a little shocked by how much I just didn't get and/or like this book. 

One of the first things that I noticed was the fact that there was more talking about conversations than the characters actually having them. Basically what would happen is the characters would think about half of the conversation in an inner dialogue and then finish the conversation in a ... you guessed it ... actual conversation. It was very strange. I found that I wasn't getting to know the characters as much as I wanted to because about half of the time, you never got to experience them interacting with anyone else. Because of all of this, the book reads more like a monologue. 

The timeline in the book is also muddied beyond recognition. I have absolutely no clue how long it was between some of the scenes. It's insinuated that a long time has passed in some of the inner dialogues but it isn't always stated. It's difficult to get your bearings in a book when you feel like you're caught in a vortex of timeless space where no one talks to each other, they just think about it.

There were about 75 zillion characters that you have to keep up with. Unfortunately, they kind of just meld together after a little while. That's not good. All of the male characters seemed to be exactly the same, they just had different names and different women that they hovered around. Maybe it feels this way because there were 10 different stories going on at once and you were never able to fully invest into any of the story because there was so much going on. 

I'm not sure if there is a book that preceded this or what. I felt like I never fully understood why certain things were happening in the book or why characters were behaving the way that they were. In addition to so many things going on, there was tons of shit that was completely omitted. The characters would be at the beginning of a situation and then it would just skip over what happened and then the characters would vaguely touch on it later. HEY!! I want to read that shit! It's the entire reason I picked this book up - to read about this story that the blurb on the back of the book hinted at. I don't want stuff skipped over. 

The only reason this book got two stars from me is because there were hints of a good story in there. I liked the bones of the book but there was too much going on, too many characters that were too similar, main characters I barely knew, a ridiculously vague timeline and too much skipped over. If it weren't for that and a few more things, I would have liked this book. Not for me but there are a ton of people who just loved this. I don't understand what they saw that I didn't but I'm glad that they had a better reading experience than I did.

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

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Book Review: Infinity (The Infinity Division #1) by Jus Accardo

There are three things Kori knows for sure about her life:

One: Her army general dad is insanely overprotective.

Two: The guy he sent to watch her, Cade, is way too good-looking.

Three: Everything she knew was a lie.

Now there are three things Kori never knew about her life:

One: There’s a device that allows her to jump dimensions.

Two: Cade’s got a lethal secret.

Three: Someone wants her dead.

 

When I saw that Jus Accardo had a new book out, I almost did a little dance. I adored another book that I had read by her (Rules of Survival) and I had super high hopes for this one even though it was science fiction. Nothing wrong with scifi but that genre seriously hates me. It seems like no matter what I read from that section, it just doesn't work out. I figured if anyone could break me out of that bad never-ending funk, it would be Accardo. But it just didn't end up like that even though I wanted it to. 

I'm not entirely sure what it is about science fiction that I just don't seem to mesh with. No clue. I used to read Michael Crichton all the time! Maybe he ruined the genre for me. No clue. So anyway, when I saw the blurb for this one, I jumped on it. It sounded super intriguing and like a story I could fall into and not get hung up on the scifi aspects. And that's what happened at first ...

I just loved Kori when I started the book. I thought that she was a little spitfire, super spunky with a bullheadedness that I couldn't help but relate to. Not that I'm bullheaded. Unless you ask my husband and he's wrong. He's always wrong. The aspects of Kori's character that I adored at first quickly became something that was just irritating. Stay with me for a second, this is going to get gnarly but when I was thinking about her character, I was thinking about the wreaths that I used to make. Like I said, stay with me ... so I would make these mesh wreaths and the best way to do it was to make it as gaudy as possible with ribbon and extra crap you throw on it. It's ugly as hell at this point but the way to make it perfect is to add one more aspect ... more ribbon or something big and sparkly ... just take it one more step past gaudy. Then all of the sudden it all makes sense and it's gorgeous. It felt like Kori was like my wreaths ... she had all of these attributes and it made her a little over the top but if she was taken one step further in her character development, I think that she would have been perfect. I just always felt that something was missing with Kori. No clue what it was, but there was a hole that needed filling. 

You know, I didn't really like any of the other characters either. I didn't connect with them on any level and while I liked most of them at first, it wasn't enough to keep it going throughout the entire book. Unfortunately, the characters broke this book for me. It ended up not being anything to do with the science fiction stuff in the book, it was only the characters. I wanted to either love them or hate them or feel SOMETHING. But I didn't. I felt indifferent. And it killed the book. 

I am most definitely almost completely alone with my feelings on this. This is a really highly rated book from an amazing publishing house. We just didn't fit this time. Maybe the next one. 

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

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Book Review: Her Unexpected Engagement (Checkerberry Inn #2) by Kyra Jacobs

Sometimes you’ve got to fake it ‘til you make it…

Stephanie Fitzpatrick wanted out of the spotlight after her pro-golfer husband was caught on camera cheating. But when she returns to Michigan for a job interview and some much-needed R&R, a fib told by her well-meaning sister has her looking for a temporary fiancé, or she can kiss her new start good-bye.

Desperate to hide the truth, she goes to the one man who can help—her former best friend.

Miles Masterson is relieved to see the Checkerberry Inn beginning to thrive once more. Not only does it ease his mind about his grandmother’s financial future, but also about his decision to finally escape town. But then one all grown up and sexy as hell friend from the past shows up needing rescue. Now the temptation to change the “temporary” arrangement into something more is making it harder to think about leaving.

 

This is the first time in a very long time that I've gone against my rule of not reading a book in the middle of a series when I haven't read the books that came prior. I think I was pulled in by the statement on Goodreads that reads: Each book in the Checkerberry Inn series is a standalone, full-length story that can be enjoyed out of order. I think that this is what did the story in for me. I'm not completely sure why I wasn't a fan, but I really do suspect that it's my own damn fault for not sticking to my rules. 

It kind of goes without saying that I absolutely adore any book that comes from Entangled and any of their zillion imprints. I know that when I pick up one of their books that I will just love it but that most definitely didn't happen this time. 

I'm not sure why I didn't like this book ... the characters are okay, the plot was okay, I kept reading ... although reluctantly at times ... maybe it has something to do with the characters. They really didn't stand out for me. I read this book over a week ago and I honestly had to look up the names of the characters so that I could write this review. That's not a good thing. I want characters to grab me by my metaphorical balls and take me for a ride! That didn't happen. I want to be swept up in the story and lose track of time because I'm so immersed in the book. Now, that didn't happen either. I actually found the pace of the story to be VERY slow. Painfully slow. I just wanted to smack it on the ass and get it moving along. 

I guess I figured out why I didn't like the book, didn't I. The pace was too slow for me, the characters didn't stand a chance in my memory and the story didn't keep me coming back for more. And that's okay, some readers like a slower paced book that they can sink into but I'd rather have it moving a bit faster and drum up some excitement while the pages fly past me. I'm not too sure that this author is the right one for me.

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

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Book Review: Rule Breaker (Unbreakable #2) by Kat Bastion with Stone Bastion

Racial Tensions Flare as Hot as the Passion in RULE BREAKER,
a Modern-day Romeo and Juliet Story

Leilani Kealoha wants to be set free. Of family expectations. Of generations of prejudice.

Chafing at rules made by the proud Hawaiian men in her family, she yearns to discover herself and hungers to explore the world. Her adventuresome heart? Longs for something even greater, deeper.

The last thing she expects is an East Coast haole surfer to hold the key to everything.

Mason Price is done walking his parents’ path. Done with social acceptance—with cold politics.

On a surfing quest to reinvent himself, Mase finds an exotic beauty standing on his towel. But it’s her feisty bargaining that catches him off guard. When he challenges her with a “Truth or Shots” drinking game, she unwittingly reveals more than she’d intended about herself…and him.

The raw truth stuns him: She’s suffered like he has, is lost like he is—keeps secrets like he does.

But will young love and shared situations be enough to conquer racial and cultural divides?

Lines in the sand…were meant to be crossed. 

 

Rule Breaker is the second book in the Unbreakable series by Kat Bastion and Stone Bastion. The first book is called Heartbreaker and I read it earlier this year. I enjoyed that one and when I was asked to read this one, I couldn't have been more excited. Unfortunately, it was just not my thing this time. 

I really wanted to just fall in love with this book and I almost did at first. When I got started, I enjoyed getting to know Leilani and Mason and I thought that the heat between these two was almost palpable. Leilani is a bit spunky and that made her a fun character to get to know. Mason is devastatingly handsome (how all leading men should be, of course) and he marches to the beat of his own drummer. That's also a great quality for a character to have because you really get to see what makes them tick and that just makes for an entertaining story. These two together was awesome. I liked the chemistry between them and it's what pushed me to continue reading. 

The story line should push readers to keep going but this storyline was just not one that I connected with at all. I don't know if it was because of all of the Hawaiian words and slang that made the book difficult to read for me or what. It's not like the authors didn't explain what these words meant, they did. But the words and explanations happened so often that it felt like the story was being put on hold each time there needed to be a definition. I won't even bring up all of the times that there were words that had previously been defined and I had completely forgotten what in the world that they meant and then I had to stop and either look it up or search for it in my book again. To top it off, I found myself trying to read things phonetically because I was subconsciously reading these character's words with a Hawaiian accent. Again, it just slowed the story down to the point where it felt like you're trudging through some Louisiana marsh and your shoes keep getting filled with mud and it's becoming increasingly difficult to take a step. That sounds super harsh but the marsh thing was exactly what I made a note of as I was reading. 

In the end, after taking all of that stuff into account, I just couldn't find it in me to enjoy the story. Eventually, the characters became stale because I felt like I couldn't just read about them and their situation and instead I was trying to decipher what they were even saying. Either I'm too old to read this one or too closed minded with my books. It's probably a little of both, I guess. Don't take my word for it, read some other reviews and check this one out yourself because I did enjoy the first book and I know that these writers know their stuff. We just didn't mesh this time. So on to the next one!

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

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Book Review: Tainted Deception by Aleya Michelle

Ivy Maisen thinks she knows exactly what type of guy Chase Hudson is — billionaire, extremely good looking, cocky as hell, and a guy that women salivate over...

But looks can be deceiving...

Underneath the tuxedo, luxurious demeanor and smooth character is a bad boy covered in tattoos, piercings, the lead singer in a band, and he owns three of the clubs that Ivy frequents.
Oh and he rides a Harley...

Will Ivy finally open her eyes and allow herself to see the real Chase or will she reject his alter-ego and refuse his advances again and again?
When desire is tainted with deception and lies, does that person become less desirable?

Could love be the one thing powerful enough to push them past the deception and down to the real person underneath the facade?

Before I get into my review, I think that it needs to be said that I had massively high hopes for this book. I was super excited to read it but it was a bit of a disappointment. In a big way. 

I LOVE a good bad boy in a book. They are just so much fun to read. That is not what I got with this one. I think that I'm supposed to like Chase ... I'm pretty sure that was the author's intention but dude. This guy was a douche bag. Could not stand him. I found him scary-possessive and then he would grab Ivy and shit. Hey, some characters are supposed to be like that, right? Every book needs that one a-hole but it shouldn't be the hero of the story. Chase was disrespectful and incredibly self-absorbed. He was also fairly contradictory. This dude would say that he doesn't care about money but then every five seconds, he's talking about how much his clothes cost and about his stupid car. Every sentence just made me hate this dude more. Such a hypocritical jerk. This character completely ruined the book for me. He also made it so that Ivy wasn't even a blip on my radar! I was so irritated that THIS was the leading man in the story that everything else fell by the wayside. Nothing else mattered because this character was an epic failure in my mind. 

There were also these weird things with Ivy and Chase's best friends. Ivy and Chase basically hated their best friends. They would both go on and on about how they didn't like how their bestie was materialistic or a womanizer. If you don't like your best friend, that's freaking weird! Why be friends with someone if you don't like who they are?!? Then again, I'm sure Chase likes who he is and he's an asshole. Maybe it fits. But that doesn't mean it works for the story. 

Maybe it's because I didn't like the characters or something but the conversations these characters would have were stiff and stilted. They weren't realistic or plausible and basically just not something I was looking for in a book. I want the pages to come alive and not play dead.

This was definitely not the book for me. The whole premise of the storyline was intriguing and if the characters hadn't been such asshats, I think that I would have enjoyed the book. Then again, who the heck knows. Definitely not one for me.

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

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Book Review: Calculated Risk by Zoe M. McCarthy

Believing they're too opposite to attract, a jilted, vibrant marketing gal and a private numbers guy spend Thanksgiving with his family. She loves classical music; he listens to 70s tunes. She drives a red SUV; he owns a beige sedan. She orders a peppermint shake with extra chocolate bits; he prefers vanilla. What can change the improbable odds they'll fall in love?

 

When I first picked this book up, I had no idea that it was a Christian romance novel. Not that this genre is a bad but I just prefer to not read them. I enjoy a well placed f-word and based on the previous Christian romance books that I've read in the past, they are just very slow paced and everyone is sugary sweet and almost unrealistic. 

Unfortunately, that's what I found with this one as well. The characters were ... okay. I didn't find myself drawn to either character because I wasn't interested in them at all. They had these emotions about breakups that should have endeared Cisney and Nick to me but it didn't happen. I think it may have been because the conversations were dull and honestly, the characters were dull as well. I was just plain bored after the first chapter or so. 

There were these weird things that would happen ... this thing with the post-its ... Cisney would write basically every thought that she had, on a post-it. Nothing wrong with that and it doesn't seem weird to me ... I do it all the time. But the way this author wrote about her habit, she made it sound like Cisney was hiding dead cats in her bathtub and then reading them a bedtime story at night. McCarthy made  Cisney sound like a weirdo for writing on pieces of paper. I totally didn't get that.

I don't want to give anything away but in the beginning, Cisney is talking to someone about this piano and someone refers to the piano as "The Old Girl" and Cisney thinks that it's crass for them to call a piano that name. I guess it's just me but I don't see how calling an inanimate object The Old Girl is being insensitive. OR irreverent. If someone runs into the middle of a church service and starts heckling the pastor, THAT would be irreverent. I mean ... I guess you could say that the nickname is irreverent if you worship the piano or something ... I don't know. It was just weird. I didn't get those two things and that is where I started to pull away from the book. 

The rest of the novel was uneventful. The characters within the book are perfect - particularly Nick's family - and it made for a very bland read. Something was just missing and it was a healthy dose of umph. You know, the stuff that makes you think back on a book and be like, "WOW! THAT CHANGED MY LIFE". Unfortunately, this didn't change anything except my views on Christian romance novels ... I'll not be reading another one. Ever. I just need a tad bit more excitement to keep me interested, I guess. 

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

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