Review: Insanity (Mad in Wonderland)

Insanity (Mad in Wonderland) by Cameron Jace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was crazy good but was most of all just plain crazy. I can't really compare any of this to the original tale of Alice because I never read it. I know about it, of course, pretty much impossible not to in this day and age, but Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll somehow never made it into my pile of books to read. So I admit only to recognize the most basic of clues and hints throughout the whole novel. It wasn't easy. In fact, it was mostly just confusing and embarrassing for me but also oh so good and entertaining. Mind-boggling. Weird. Insane. I questioned everything and everyone. I absolutely loved it.

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Review: Alex

Alex by Irish Winters
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I expected a different book. This is an emotional story focused on abuse, violence and new starts. I'm usually all for this but this story depressed me a lot. Alex is an ex-marine haunted by the death of his family in a car crash four years ago. Kelsey is the dying woman Alex finds near his cabin in the woods. So, while I was expecting a whole of a lot of action, like the main couple running from her ex-husband in the middle of the woods or something, I was served a lot of drama and sadness instead. This is a book about the recovery of parents who lost their children. Of a woman abused by her husband. Of two people learning to love again. To trust. It's a story to inspire but it's also a story about the cruelty people are capable of. The blurb is kind of misleading I think. I wasn't expecting such a heavy book. Anyway, I still felt compelled to finish it and I'm not regretting that decision either or anything. I wasn't disappointed, per se, more like confused. I kept expecting it to turn things a little lighter and it never did. That's all.

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Review: Playing for Keeps

Playing for Keeps by R.L. Mathewson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Considering this is purely fictional...it was damn entertaining. Laugh out loud funny and compelling. If this wasn't fictional I'd be honestly worried about these people's mental health. Seriously. Initially I thought Jason was out-of-this-world crazy but sweet in his craziness. He changed a lot during the course of the story and I liked him. Haley was a cute and shy little thing but she came into herself. They both made awesome progress and I liked them as a couple. They were obviously crazy in love with each other. Then the Big Fight rolled around and they really went crazy. They acted like lunatics. Both of them. Constantly. No reprieve. Those last few chapters? I didn't know those people. They were not the characters I'd been cheering for since the beginning. He acted like an *sshole. She acted like an *sshole. I can honestly say I have no idea what happened to them. Amazingly enough I ended this book not even caring if they decided to stay together or not. That's how bad they made it.

*2.5 ★

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Review: Too Good to Be True

Too Good to Be True by Kristan Higgins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Entertaining if a little simplistic and predictable. Too bad I wasn't able to connect with any of the characters. Grace was such a Mary Sue, always so apologetic and helpful. Bleh. Callahan seemed like a nice guy but you don't actually get to know him all that much. You only get Grace's impressions and she was mostly too busy noticing his hotness to describe anything else. Natalie was oh so perfect it was annoying to read. Margaret was the only normal person here and even she grated on my nerves. She complained about her husband's complacency and then proceeded to act the same. I think my favorite character in the entire novel was actually the dog.

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Review: You Slay Me

You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I know the blundering ways of the main character were supposed to entertain me but I have to say they mostly just annoyed me. Ordinarily I'm all about initiative and getting things done but bumbling about when literally the world depends on you is very bad form and incredibly stupid. I am not a fan of the way Aisling solved things and I really didn't like how she practically jumped Drake every single time he showed up. I get it. They feel a very intense pull whenever they're around each other. I really get it. But didn't anyone teach them restraint or control? Anyway, saying you are not mates kinda loses steam if you kiss him five seconds later, just saying. Or f*ck him. Yeah, she did that too right after finding a dead body. Like I said, not fond of her methods. Or impressed by them. The mystery though did draw me. I was most curious to find the culprit and I found it impossible to put down until I did so I guess the story wasn't a total waste of my time. I also liked Rene and Amelie. They seemed like the most sane people in this entire ordeal and I was cheering for them both, even if I'm not exactly sure what for, to run from Aisling before she got them killed or help her before she got herself killed. Glad they both survived more or less intact. Not sure if I'll read the next book tho.

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Review: Falke's Peak

Falke's Peak by Madison Layle
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Not exactly impressed by Gunnar having sex with Dakota pretending to be Axel but the rest was okay. And yes, simply okay. I never really connected with any of them and ended it just out of curiosity about their life together as a threesome. I also found it all so very bland and easy, specially her mother's acceptance of both Gunnar and Axel. I honestly expected more.

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Review: To Light The Dragon's Fire

To Light The Dragon's Fire by Margaret Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not sure about this story yet. For one, I wasn't expecting this book to end on a cliffhanger. I am not a fan of them. Two, I am not sure about any of the main characters. I like them well enough but some of their decisions leave much to be desired. Three, I am a little disappointed about how things are developing. I expected more action and less romance related drama. On that note, I am not entirely upset about this story so far either. The plot interests me a lot and like I said, I do like all the characters well enough to keep reading.

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Review: No Words Alone

No Words Alone by Autumn Dawn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The overall plot was good but I didn't care for Ryven. He had some good things of course, like his honor, determination and courage but I mostly disliked him. He was incredibly stubborn, unsympathetic with Xera's situation and just hard to like. He did make some improvements towards the end but it was just too little too late. And the pregnancy. Jesus. I can't see that situation as more than a betrayal of her trust. She never outright told him no but it was so damn obvious. Are males really that oblivious or they're simply too self-absorbed to care? I can't really say I would have chosen to stay if truly given a chance to return home.

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Review: Ice Planet Barbarians: The Complete Series

Ice Planet Barbarians: The Complete Series by Ruby Dixon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not really sure I'd ever get past the horns, blue skin and other "demonic" characteristics these aliens seem to have but I kinda liked them. The cold and barbaric living would probably be a problem too I admit. I am not a girl made for the cold. Or to live without, you know, plumbing. But this was a good story. I liked Vektal a lot and Georgie did really well for a kidnapped human living in a hostile environment with blue-skinned aliens. I gotta say I was proud of her throughout the whole book. Probably a weird thing, right? But I liked her determination and courage and, most of all, her lack of constant hysterics and crying fits. Definitely a major plus.

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Review: Bear Necessities

Bear Necessities by Dana Marie Bell
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Not impressed. Just like any other shifter romance...predictable. I was also pretty disappointed the focus of the book kept shifting from the main arc and mystery to Tabby and Bunny's romance. Honestly? I was more interested in catching the bad guys than reading their sex scenes. I wanted to know more about Tabby's family. I wanted to find out who attacked Chloe and why. And I wanted Tabby to have a little more of a backbone. Green hair and a couple tattoos do not make a bad ass. To be considered one, you actually have to act as one and, Tabby was more tell than show. Like I said, predictable and even a little boring. And that thing with Gary being there following orders? I saw that coming from a mile away and had they all been a little more concerned with their safety instead of thinking about mating all the damn time, they would have seen it too. But, hey, maybe that's just me.

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Review: Grim

Grim by M.K. Eidem
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is good. Crazy good. Compelling story. Engaging characters. The works. Oh the irony that something so enthralling can have such poor editing. Seriously all over the place bad. In fact, I'm pretty sure this wasn't even proofread at all. Ever. Oh but the story...and the characters. They all act like adults. Okay, some are pretty much just self-centered a**holes but still adults. And the main couple was awesome. The author didn't simply wave a wand and proclaimed them happy ever after. They fought for it. Hard. It was certainly good enough to keep me awake past 5am last night to finish. Why not a better rating then? Editing. As much as I like this book I simply cannot force myself to give a higher rating. Not like this.

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Review: Armor

Armor by C.L. Scholey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Actually liked this romance. It was a really slow build and the reasons for it were valid and understandable. The end, however, was pretty lackluster and annoying because Dasks ignored Amy's desires and made a decision without her consent. It paid off of course. He saved her life but...still if it hadn't, it would mean both of their deaths and they should have decided that as a couple as it was firstly done. He should have tried harder to convince her it was worth the risk and only mated her after she agreed to take said risk. This way...it was kind of a cop out after such a great romance. Almost like to finish it off and be done with it. So I was disappointed. And she got pregnant at their first try. As if the novel couldn't finish without the female getting pregnant. Jesus.

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Review: When an Alpha Purrs

When an Alpha Purrs by Eve Langlais
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Laugh out loud funny and yet full of clichés. Then again, they're clichés for a reason. I'm simply tired of reading the same things over and over when it comes to shifters. Man meets woman. Man is vexing and overprotective. Woman runs and gets kidnapped or something equally dumb. Man saves her. They live happily ever after. The end. I know it works and sells but what about something new for a change?

3.5 ★

PS: Yes, I am aware I'm giving a good rating but, in my defense, it worked. I liked both main characters and enjoyed the plot even if it was predictable.

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Review: Shield

Shield by C.L. Scholey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not sure I particularly liked Caspians having the ability to calm their females with a touch. Sounds kind of like forcing them to be calm even if they don't want to. Some kind of violation. So, not a fan then but I did like the overall "plot". Of course I still can't, in good conscience, give a higher rating because this is still a pretty simplistic novel with some weird concepts of romance and happily ever after. Good for mindless fun though.

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Review: Bay's Mercenary

Bay's Mercenary by C.L. Scholey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I kind of liked it. Totally weird and the sex scenes did nothing for me but I was totally entranced with the aliens and their world.

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Review: Furyous Ink

Furyous Ink by Saranna DeWylde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nice story but a little rushed. In fact, this story read more like a short than a full book. Less than a 100 pages so it was probably the point but I can't help wishing for more. Anyway, it was good. I liked it a lot. I found it to be the right combination of mystery, sex and violence. Well done.

3.5 ✮

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Review: How To Lose a Demon in 10 Days

How To Lose a Demon in 10 Days by Saranna DeWylde
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kind of disappointed in this one. Too much happening at the same time and yet not enough. How this managed to be confusing and slightly boring too is beyond me. There's a lot of sex. Like, even more than usual and normally I wouldn't even care because I thought there was no such thing as too much sex. This book proved me wrong. Everyone seems to have sex in this story. All the time. And that, while not necessarily unpleasant, certainly complicated the plot and its evolution. I'm okay with complicated plots. I even like them from time to time. What I don't like is trying to understand said complicated plot with only a couple pages. And that's what ended up happening because most of the 300 pages in this novel are sex scenes. One after the other. Nonstop. How the main couple even managed to fall in love is, again, beyond me. They barely talked. And because they never talked and were always busy having sex, they never came up with a plan for the bad guys. All that concentrated power and completely useless. Her father had to come save her for Christ's sake. And the angel Raphael being her father? Totally out of the blue and, honestly, someone that didn't even needed to be there. Her Grandma is Baba Yaga. Her grandpa is Hades. She's a hald-demon/half-angel witch. Her boyfriend is a Crown Prince of Hell. I'm name dropping, I know. But you get my point. And the bad guys weren't even that clever or powerful. They simply made a plan and executed it. Not that hard, really. So why couldn't our good guys do the same?? Nope...Much more fun to wait for our doom, have sex while waiting and expect a miracle when the time of reckoning comes. Much better.

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Review: Big Bad Billionaire

Big Bad Billionaire by Saranna DeWylde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not as good as previous works by this author but still good. Or maybe I'm just being pigheaded because I don't usual care much for wolves. That could be it too. I'm not entirely sure. I can say, however, it's one of my favorite stories with werewolves. I'm not a big fan of "all for the good of the pack" because while I do understand protecting family, I also understand that not all family deserves this kind of devotion either. The overly done "alpha" thing isn't much to my taste either. I usually find alpha heroes to be obnoxious, full of themselves and actually disrespectful of women because they always think they know best and listen to no one. This was, surprisingly enough, not the case here. Blake, the alpha, is most definitely obnoxious sometimes and full of himself but, after meeting Randi? He gives her choices. He doesn't try to force her hand. He wants her happiness more then his own. Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is a true alpha. And Randi? I'm still not sure about her. I did like her after she turned wolf. Before though? I had a hard time pining her feelings down and relate to her.

3.5 ★

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Review: Last Hit

Last Hit by Jessica Clare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I ate it all up. I'm sure someone, somewhere will find some issue to complain about but I truly liked this. I'm not exactly certain what I liked about it just that I did. Daisy is so incredibly naive. Normally this would turn me off because it's usually connected with a lack of intelligence from the heroine but that was not the case here. She didn't know a lot about the world around her but she was smart. A little insecure too but strong. I liked watching her discover stuff and her overall happiness with the smallest of things. And I liked Niko. She liked him immediately but didn't automatically fell in his bed so points for that too. And Niko was so weird with her. So secure in all things but how to interact with her. I loved his willingness to try and make her happy and safe. Their romance was slow, tentative and sweet. Not my usual thing either. Of course the whole hired killer just added that much needed spice of danger. Her kidnapping was clichéd though and incredibly unreal. The resolution too. Overall tho? Definitely enjoyable.

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Review: Brody

Brody by Mandy Harbin
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I made it more than halfway through which is a new kind of record considering I had so many issues with this book it's not even funny. This woman rises up from the abuse her ex-husband inflicted on her for years, goes to the FBI and testifies against him. After being shot in the HEAD. That kind of sh*t takes cojones. Not everyone has them. Not sure I would in the same situation. So after years on the run and raising her son alone and again showing a great deal of strength, she meets this guy Brody and pretty much loses her brain. That's how I see this bull crap anyway. After 12 years of self-denial, she meets Brody, they kiss, he treats like shit, she goes back, they have sex, he kicks her out of his house...are you seeing a pattern here? Like her getting hurt after he gets what he wants? Like him treating her like cow dung every time they're not having sex? And then, after only having had sex two other times and her saying she doesn't trust him, they have anal sex. Anal sex. Something she's afraid of because of her husband. But she let's him do it. And then he spanks her too. Are you kidding me?? It got nothing to do with the anal sex in itself. It's about seeing a strong woman, who is on the run from the MAFIA, turn into this insecure mess with no self respect because this guy she meets is hot. He's not attentive or nice. He's not her friend. Yeah, he's secretly protecting her but she doesn't know that so...her decisions regarding him don't make any damn sense. They make her stupid and naive. They also make her incredibly exposed because he could be a bad guy. She doesn't know sh*t about him. And you're telling me a woman running from the Mafia for the last 12 years is just gonna trust some a**hole because he's hot? I might've even accept that if she didn't have Scott to protect but she does so this is all bull crap and just...bad writing. I also felt a sudden need to throw up every time Brody opened his mouth. Sorry.

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Review: Neighbors with Benefits

Neighbors with Benefits by Marissa Clarke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Surprisingly good, quirky and funny. Oh and romantic. Can't forget the romance. Well done.

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