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 *

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Book Review: When It Hooks You (The It Series #2) by Nicki Elson

Three dates. It was only supposed to be three dates—he was only meant to be a fling. I didn’t want to feel all of this for him. And I certainly hadn’t counted on him keeping such a deal-breaking secret from me.

Till death is too long for Trish Cerise. The twenty-seven year old receptionist is tired of men asking for her forever when she just wants to keep things light and fun. World-traveling businessman Adam Helms steps off the elevator and into her life with his own reasons for keeping relationships at a safe distance. Together, they’re destined for the most glorious short-term romance in history…until they break their own rules and Trish learns something about Adam she wishes she never knew.

I know a future with him is impossible, but how do you break away from such an intense, consuming, heart-crushing love when it hooks you? ~Trish

 

I haven't put a book in my DNF pile in a LOOOONG time. Unfortunately, this one is at the top of the pile of those few books. Here's the thing, everyone has books that they don't enjoy. It happens to us bloggers also. But not too often. And usually, even if I don't like a book, I'll still finish it because you never know ... sometimes, just sometimes, a book will redeem itself. This book just didn't have that potential for me. Reading this was almost like nails scratching a chalkboard. That's not a good sign. 

I don't think that it was the writing but it WAS the characters. So I guess it was the writing. Trish was absolutely infuriating. She thought that she was a gift to mankind and let me tell you ... she most certainly was NOT. She was annoying and irritating and I've never hated a character that I was supposed to love before. You don't go into a book thinking that you'll hate the main heroine. That shouldn't happen. Don't get me wrong ... there are heroines within literature that you're supposed to not like. Trish wasn't one of those. I think that readers are supposed to love her or at least understand her a little bit but negative. Did not happen. 

And then there were the dudes in the story. I couldn't keep track of them at first! Holy crap!! Slow the hell down, woman! There's nothing wrong with dating around but this lady was a serial dater. And a tease. Again, infuriating. See ... I was talking about the abundance of dudes and I was brought back to Trish again. Damn. I hated her character. And honestly, I don't really care about any of the other characters either. Her besties are non-entities basically, they just take up space and I couldn't tell you one thing about any of them and the same goes with the dudes. Thank goodness I'm not being quizzed on them because I would totally fail.

I don't know if this is how all of Elson's characters are written but I'm okay with never finding out. I will not be reading another book by her. She's just not the author for me. But she is for some other readers. Sometimes you just don't click. And we didn't click. No where near clicking. 

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

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Review: The Face Transplant by R. Arundel

Dr. Matthew MacAulay is a Facial Transplant Surgeon at a prestigious New York hospital. His friend and mentor, Tom Grabowski, dies under mysterious circumstances. Matthew is forced to investigate. He uncovers his friend's secret. A new technique that allows perfect facial transplants. No incisions, no scars. The surgeon is able to transplant one person's face to another with the perfect result. Tom was able to accomplish this monumental feat with the help of Alice, a supercomputer robot with almost human abilities. While trying to find the people responsible for murdering his friend Tom, Matthew realizes he is the prime suspect. Matthew must flee for his life with the help of Dr. Sarah Larsson, a colleague and reluctant helper who has a secret of her own. Alice helps them make sense of a baffling series of seemingly unrelated events. Matthew is forced to undergo a facial transplant to hide his identity and help to uncover the truth. The clues carry Matthew and Sarah around the world. Matthew stumbles onto a sinister plot of monumental proportions, the real reason Tom was murdered. This discovery leads Matthew all the way to The White House with a dramatic conclusion. Matthew never wavers in his quest for the truth and perseveres against all the odds. He must race to stop a major catastrophe, ratcheting up the excitement until the thrilling conclusion. The Face Transplant is a powerful medical suspense thriller of the first order. The novel was written by a surgeon. The novel has a realism that only a surgeon can bring. The plot weaves politics, medicine and espionage into a tightly paced, intelligent thriller. The novels crescendos page by page to a totally unexpected conclusion.

What in the hell was that?!? I did NOT want to start my new year off like this but (Whoomp!) there it is. Haha ... that song jumped into my mind when I wrote "there it is" ... back on track ... let me just say this ... there was no "shocka locka" going on while reading this. I don't know what that means but it was part of the song that now won't get out of my head and if there were such a thing as shocka locka, I bet this book wouldn't have it.

When I first read the blurb on The Face Transplant, I should have known. I should have known that it was going to just really stink because of how much information was put into the summary!! Why in the world would you put all of the important parts of the book on the back?!? Why not leave something for a surprise? The only thing surprising about this novel is the fact that it didn't come with a refund. I know that sounds harsh but here's the deal ... as a reader, I want to be entertained. If I wanted to be bored out of my mind, I would read the dictionary. Now I do believe that I have an ARC version of this book and maybe a lot was changed before the final product was put out onto the market but the version I read was not good. At all. Oooh ... and I take offense to the phrase "crescendos page by page". Crescendo means increase. Increase means to become more. This most certainly did NOT crescendo.

I cracked this book open (metaphorically, since I read it on my Kindle) and the first thing that I read was this introduction or something titled The Beautiful Life. It felt like I was being preached at ... I don't have any clue what this had to do with the damn story. Then again, I will be honest ... I tried to finish this book and I just couldn't. I would rather try and scoop my eyeballs out with a rusty spoon and dirty bald eagle talons than read any more than my 109 pages that I tortured myself with. I hate leaving a book unfinished but in order to preserve my sanity, I had to chunk this one.

After the whole "Beautiful Life" debacle, I wanted to just get into the story. Thankfully, I found that the main character was boring as hell and not in a sexy/mildly-interesting way. He was boring. There's this one part at the very beginning when he is talking about maybe contracting three deadly diseases while he was operating on someone and you know what his response was? Was it freaking the hell out like any normal person? Or being upset? Or crying or wondering what the rest of his life might be like if he gets to live for much longer?!? No it was "WHAT A PITY". No sane person is going to have that kind of reaction if they were in that type of situation. It just won't happen.

The writing was unrealistic, stiff and extremely stilted. I could have been reading a textbook of some kind rather than this "thriller" for all the emotion that was in it. I don't think I'll be picking something up by this author ever again. Ever. Well, Whoomp, there it is.

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Review: Louder Than Love by Jessica Topper

In this powerful debut novel, a young librarian grieves the loss of her husband...and discovers a love that defies classification.

It's been over three years since a train accident made a widow of Katrina Lewis, sending her and her young daughter Abbey back to the suburban town of her youth...the only place that still makes sense. Lauder Lake is the perfect place to hide and heal.

Recluse rocker Adrian "Digger" Graves survived the implosion of his music career, but his muse has long lain dormant. Until Kat hires him to play at her library—not on the basis of his hard rock credentials but rather, because of the obscure kids' TV jingle he wrote years ago. In a case of mistaken identity, Adrian stumbles into the lives of Kat and her comically lovable daughter.

Using tattoos as a timeline, Adrian unfurls his life for Kat. But as the courtship intensifies, it's unclear whose past looms larger: the widow's or the rocker's. Will their demons ever rest, or will they break these soul mates apart?

This is really the part of reviewing novels that I dread. I don't like saying that a book just isn't good for me. And I REALLY don't like saying that I just couldn't finish a book. It doesn't happen very often with me but it does happen. I could go on and on about how guilty I feel because this is what someone worked on for a long time. Novels don't happen overnight. They take tons of work and I'm sure worry over what is or isn't what the author is looking for. All of that is understood and while it doesn't change my views, I needed to say it just for me. So that whoever reads this understands that I really do this review with a heavy heart.

That being said, not every novel is made for every reader. And this one just didn't tickle my fancy. Right from the beginning, I could just feel a disconnect. I didn't really understand why the book was so slow to me or why it felt like I was riding shotgun with a student driver. It would just start getting good and then BOOM! Someone stomped on the brakes. Damnit. Those first 70 or so pages were just terrible for me. I really struggled to stay interested and to be perfectly honest, I started reading this one around the first of October and I had to put it down a few days later after only having read about 100 pages. Then I picked it back up after a couple of days and tried again. Same thing. I got about 20 pages and had to put it down. I finally progressed to about halfway through the book and that was it. What little interest I had left in the book was completely gone and I felt really guilty for giving up.

Like I said, I don't like having to just DNF a book. Reviewers really owe it to the author to put everything they can into a novel so that they can give their honest opinion. Well, honestly, I just can't go on. I would be lying if I said I would try picking this up again later because I probably won't. The writing isn't bad, per-say. It was just completely uninteresting. I didn't enjoy the flashbacks or the rapport between all (what seemed like) 700 of the main characters friends and their babies. I didn't really like any of the interactions between any of the characters because I just couldn't connect with them for some reason. For a split second, I really enjoyed what was going on when Adrian (the rocker dude) came into play in the novel but then that too, fizzled off. 

All in all, this was definitely not the book for me. 

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Review: Thy Kingdom Fall (After Eden #1) by Austin Dragon

Thy Kingdom Fall is the provocative, debut thriller of author Austin Dragon--a dramatic mix of politics, religion, and intrigue set over 75 years in the future. In 2089, a former skin-runner-turned-star-reporter investigates the Washington DC daylight murder of the most powerful political king-maker in the nation. It is just the tip of a wider conspiracy and the start of a chain of events leading to the explosion of World War III. It is the first in the epic After Eden series.

I am one of those people that think DNF statuses for books is a cop out. For those of you who don't know what DNF means, it's short for Did Not Finish. Now, sure, there are books that are hard to get into but 99.998% of the time, I'll push through. That way, I can at least give a full, informed evaluation of the book in question. But then I came across this book.

I first received Thy Kingdom Fall over a year ago from the publisher and I was super excited to dive into it. I thought that the premise was interesting and I was so glad that I was chosen to give it a read. That first day of reading, it was almost painful. I was forcing myself to read just one more sentence. Reading should be enjoyable. Reading became torture. So I put the book down. I do this every once in a while because sometimes, I'm just not in the right mindset. I picked it back up a few weeks later but had the same results again. And then again. And again. Over and over. I was on a nightmarish ferris wheel that no one would let me off of.

Finally, I put the book down for 3 months. I didn't think about it, didn't even glance at the cover. That was at the beginning of August. And now it's the 26th and finally, I'm going to stop beating a dead horse. I can't go any further with this novel. 

Now keep in mind, there are tons of people who really enjoyed this book and you might be one of them. If it sounds awesome, check it out and let me know how it goes. I hope it goes better for you than it did for me. 

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