Review: Covet

Covet by J.R. Ward


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Overall, this was a good book. Ward is great with characters, and that doesn't change here. Her hero(es) are fantastic, down to their witty one liners, and her two main female characters (heroine and villainess) were outstanding. For all the knocks that Ward has taken about under-developed female characters, she certainly seems to have taken that criticism to heart and fixed it in this book. There is actual character development with her heroine, and her villainess is just plain evil. And kinda scary, like all the best villains are. I was expecting a lot more from the fallen angels, but ended up liking their roles just fine. Maybe, in time, they will become more front and center, but I found myself liking their sideline role very much. They are helpers, but ONLY helpers. Heavy lifting has to be done by someone else, and I thought that was very nice.

I liked the nods to people and places of the Black Dagger Brotherhood books. I liked seeing a lot of Trez. (Who doesn't?) Other throwbacks were more subtle but made me smile. The story, for the most part, moved along nicely and this was the first full length novel I read on my Sony e-reader so it, and the book, passed the test.

A few things I could have done without: I liked this MUCH better than the first Black Dagger Brotherhood book, Dark Lover but this one still suffered from a few first book problems. There was a lot of telling (and not showing) in terms of world building. When you're setting up a new world, new rules of engagement, new characters, it is really hard to get around the pages of explanation that are needed for the reader to understand what is going on. I get that. Some authors do this really well, and some do not. Ward does not. It is all stuff the reader needs to know, but the delivery method leaves much to be desired. Quite frankly, I get bored. Pages and pages of exposition, important or not, makes for droopy eyelids. That's just how it is. Where she does characterization REALLY well, this could use some work.

The other thing I hate is the narrator's voice. The narrator speaks like a thirteen year old girl. Calls a new beer a "freshie". That is the one example that is still grating on my nerves even though I'm done with the book, although there are more examples. If a character talks like that, I'm fine with it. That is their vocabulary. I may want to smack them, but if it is consistent with the character, so be it. But when the omniscient narrator speaks like that, it grates on my nerves. A lot. It wasn't as bad as the BDB books can get sometimes, but it was bad enough that I noticed it. I could have taken notes about it on my new Sony toy, but I haven't made it to that advanced user level yet!

Overall, though, this was a good book. I liked all the characters, I am interested in their past, present and future, and I'm excited for the next book.

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I have an addiction

I can't stop checking out library books materials. No, really, I'm serious. We have new item limits coming into play in a few months, and I am currently WAY over those limits. Meaning, if I don't find things to return, I won't be able to check anything out. Sounds like a good fate for someone who can't stop checking things out, right?

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. The problem is that when you are constantly seeing new books, people with addictions (ie. me) are compelled to put them on hold or check them out. There was a time when I had absolutely NOTHING checked out on my card. I had returned everything, paid a ginormous fine, and said I would *never* blah blah blah.....yeah, you get the picture. Yesterday, I had 100 items checked out. 100.

100.

And what am I currently engrossed in? What can I not put down? Which library book, CD, movie am I going to return to break out of three digits borrower's prison? Yeah. Covet, by JR Ward. On my Sony ebook reader. If only that was a library item so I could return it......

Review: Frostbitten

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
You CAN go home again!

While Kelley Armstrong has never traveled too far afield from the werewolf clan that started the Women of the Otherworld series in Bittenthere have been many characters and storylines added since then. But, coming back to Elena and Clay was like a GOOD trip back to the place you called home. You can see how they've grown and changed over the years, but some part of them is still the same couple that I remember. And, even beyond the relationship aspect of the book, the plot and the mystery and the action was as good as it has ever been. If you're looking for a straight romance book, this will disappoint you. The "couple" after all, is married with children already. This isn't a boy meets girl kind of book, although some of her books are heavy on that element. This is a boy and girl battle snow, beasties, bad guys, kick ass, have sex, save the day kind of book. But, if you're an Armstrong fan, you already knew that, right?

While there are some mentions of other characters, this is a Clay and Elena book. No Paige, No Lucas, No Savannah, etc. You get the picture. So, if those are your favorites, just know you won't find them here. A couple of new, potentially future main characters were introduced and I found myself loving them both. I was recently in Anchorage (2007) and could practically feel the place through Armstrong's scenery descriptions. I felt like I was back there. They felt like visitors, having the same experiences (for the most part) that I had when I was there. Even Reindeer sausage was mentioned (although I didn't try it like Clay and Elena did.)

Overall, reading this book made me happy. I enjoyed every part of it, was up late three nights in a row reading, and am already anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. All of these are good signs that whatever it is Armstrong is using to power this series, it is still going strong.

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Review: An Echo In the Bone

An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Don't get me wrong, I liked this book. I liked it very much, in fact. But, it is hard to read (or rate) this book without comparing it to the others in the series. In that comparison, this book rates three stars for me. There were pages where my eyes glazed over at the intense minutiae of Revolutionary War time historical accuracy. Partly, not my cup of tea. Partly, give it a break already, will ya? I get it. You're accurate. Wonderful. I don't care what was on that guy's buttons.

The "Story" seemed to move along much more slowly than usual too. It seemed compressed, even though a lot happened in that small amount of time. The "present day" part of the story was interesting, but I really just wanted them to do something. Anything. Brianna's job seemed like a vehicle to get treachery moving again. RogerMac....well, his adjustment was interesting, but not much more than that. Jem and Mandy....you get the picture.

It was nice seeing people I never thought to see again in these books (without giving spoilers, of course) and my favorite characters (Ian, John Grey) did not disappoint. But, something in this book was just off. Maybe it was the excessive detail about a time and place I care little about. I will say that the process of reading this book made me want to go back and read favorite parts from the previous books. I don't anticipate having the same feeling about this one when the next book comes out.

Speaking of the next book.....

Cliffhangers...... there was definite cliffhanger fail in this book. When you KNOW the next book is going to be years in the making, why would you leave so many cliffhangers?!

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Review: What White Boyz Ride

What White Boyz Ride by Kelley Nyrae



I'm not going to drag this out: I didn't find anything redeeming in this book. Not the characters in the stories, not the plots of the stories,not the writing, not the settings, not a thing. If you're a fan of these authors, this book might be for you. If you're picking it (and them) up for the first time, prepare to be disappointed. I won't be reading anything by any of these authors again.

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Review: Tortured

Tortured by Amanda McIntyre



I'm not giving this book a rating because I didn't finish it. But, unlike most DNF's, I'm not sure it was entirely the book's fault. It isn't badly written, and there are some interesting historical details. But, I was bored. I didn't engage with the characters, and I skimmed more than half of it before I decided to just give up. The parts that I read seemed well written, and the premise I was getting was interesting enough for me to pick up the book in the first place. But, I just didn't find it enough to keep reading. I would try another book by this author, but I won't be giving THIS book another try.

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Review: Lamentation

Lamentation by Ken Scholes


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The audio version of this book was fantastic, but this may have been a case where the print version would have made things easier. You can flip back, in the print version, when things start falling into place. Or, when things get even more confusing. Both situations happened during this book.

If you're a fan of the political intrigue, twisty plot and twisty characters version of SF/Fantasy, this book will be right up your alley. How Scholes ever kept it all straight could probably be a book all its own! Yet, he doesn't sacrifice characterization for the sake of plot. Each of the characters makes you feel somthing for them. It isn't always a good something, but Scholes manages to make even the worst characters seem redemptive. And I mourned the absence of Gregoric secondary characters I probably wasn't meant to get so attached to. I won't say more than that for spoilerish reasons.

I was a little bit lost at the end, but that could be because I was listening, working and/or driving while I listened and was bound to miss important clues given at important times. But, it is possible that there were a few too many twists and turns. Nothing is as it seems in the Named Lands, and, possibly, even beyond. Can't wait for book 2, which I'll be taking in with my eyes instead of my ears.

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Review: In the President's Secret Service

In the President's Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect by Ronald Kessler


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Parts of this book were so good I didn't want to put it down. Yet, there were some parts that were so boring I skimmed the pages. There were some good insights into the Secret Service, and the history of the organization was wonderfully done. But, at times, the book took on a gossipy tone which, while fun to read, didn't really add much to the core content. On the other hand, that is probably what will move books because we have an unquenchable thirst for gossip about....well, everyone.

What I found most amazing about this book was how stupid some of my fellow citizens can be when it comes to how (and how not to) behave in regards to people who enjoy Secret Service protection. Most of the things that are detailed in the book had me saying "Really? Someone would really be that dumb? Seriously?!" The book passes a lot of it off as mental instability/illness and I'm sure some of that is true. But there seems to be just a lack of common sense in these anecdotes as well.

As always, readers have to decide for themselves how much of it they're going to believe. When you're dealing with real people, especially real people who aren't around to defend themselves anymore, you take it all with a grain of salt. I can't remember what I said to half the people I saw last week. Do I really believe all of the reports in this book were remembered correctly from 10, 20, 40 years before? Not necessarily. And, there is always bias involved when you have people reporting what other people may have done or said. That's just how things go. But, taking that into account, I believe you can still get the gist of the Secret Service job and a sense of how they felt about the particular people they were assigned to guard. If you're a political history buff, or have an interest in the secret service,you'll probably want to check this one out.

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Review: Blindman's Bluff

Blindman's Bluff (Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus, #18) by Faye Kellerman


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The rating of this book depends on why you're reading it. If you're reading because you're a Rina Lazarus/Peter Decker (and friends) fan and you want to catch up, it is a solid 4. If you're reading for a good, suspenseful mystery....it's a solid 3, possibly 3.5.

This isn't one of Kellerman's best mysteries. From the very beginning, you can make a pretty solid guess about who is behind the murder. She tries to throw you off with a few events, but all the information is right there in front of you. There are some gun fights, some investigation, but very few surprises. By the time the end of the book rolled around, I was curious as to the why, but only for a few of the more minor details. The main WHY (as in why the three people were killed) was evident long before the end.

But, for the most part, the characters shine in this book. If you're a longtime fan of the series, you'll be happy to catch up with your favorite people to see how their lives have progressed. The relationship between Decker and Hannah is a little bit awkward, and maybe that is on purpose as Hannah is in an awkward teen place. There was barely a mention of the boys and Koby, but other than that, it was like a reunion. I only wish Kellerman could have done BOTH well, instead of just one side or the other. I always said I cared more about the characters than the actual mystery of the books, but maybe that wasn't as true as I had hoped. It was a good book, as far as it went, but I was expecting more.

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Review: Bound By Honor

Bound By Honor: An Erotic Novel of Maid Marian by Colette Gale


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
You know.....this book surprised me. There was more of a story here than I expected. The problem for me started and ended with "An erotic novel" because it wasn't. I didn't find anything in this book erotic. I was far more fascinated with the political machinations, the threeway friendship between Robin, Marian and Will and the romance between Alys and Will. I think it was SUPPOSED to be erotic, but if that's what you were looking for.....well, maybe other people got that out of this book. I did not. So, in that sense, I found it disappointing.

And, while the historical fiction part of this book was good, there are many, MANY that are better. I just think it missed the mark here. Don't know if that is typical because this is the first book I've read by Gale. Not sure I'll try another one.

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Review: Start Me Up

Start Me Up by Victoria Dahl


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
After reading "Talk me Down" I wasn't sure how any other contemporary romance could win my heart. But, after reading Start Me Up, I've learned that my heart can be an incredibly fickle bitch! Start Me Up is more funny, more sexy, and more romantic than Talk Me Down. Of course, I'm a sucker for the "old friends" vehicle so I was already pre-disposed to like this book. (I'm also a sucker for exes getting back together if anyone is keeping score!)

Because I didn't talk a lot about the sex in Talk Me Down, let me make up for that here. Wait....can I do that without giving anything away? There is one sex scene in here that made my book catch on fire. Seriously. I burned my fingers turning the pages. It is spoilerific to tell you what it is, but, trust me when I saw you'll know it when you see it! Hot. Now that sex is all the rage in romance books, the scenes can range from ho hum, to pretty damn ridiculous. It is the rare writer who can write sex in a way that isn't just believable, but incredibly exciting. Worth re-reading. Again. If it sounds simple to you, that's because you haven't read enough bad examples. Quinn and Lori weren't exceptionally hot separately, but they were combustible when together. It just reinforced my already widely held beliefs: Nerds (and Geeks) are hot. But please, don't take my word for it. That means more for me!

The characters, alreeady introduced in Talk Me Down, were developed nicely here. Although, I have to admit, I had a hard time picturing Lori in my head. The description was there, but that isn't what I wanted her to look like so I could never get a focus on her physical appearance. Her personality, though, was crystal clear. Dahl gets a bad rap on her heroines, but I happened to love Lori Love. I don't think she was unsympathetic at all. I thought she was a bit hard headed at times, but never in a way that seemed uncharacteristic. It always seemed to be in the way of someone who was used to fending for herself and not relying on the kindness of strangers, or even friends. She wasn't whiny about the things she'd given up, just matter of fact. She wasn't asking anyone to feel sorry for her, and she didn't waste time feeling sorry for herself either. If anything, that made her more sympathetic because who wants to read 300+ pages of someone feeling sorry for themselves? And who doesn't have a longing for something more? Something else? You can be happy with what you have and still wish you had something different. Travel? College? Or whatever it may have been you feel you've missed out on. That is a universally human characteristic (even if you don't want to admit it) which made Lori seem all the more likeable.

Quinn surprised me. The impression I had of him from Talk Me Down didn't go away -- he lived up to my geeky expectations -- but there was an entirely different side to him that I was surprised to meet. His interactions with Ben were especially entertaining. And just thinking about him speaking Spanish is taking....away....the chill....of the air conditioner..... ahem. Right. Geeks (and nerds) = sexy. All I'm saying....

The only "complaint" I might have about this book is that the ending and resolution seemed a bit rushed. You got an explanation about "who did it" and why. And, you know, it solves the mystery, but didn't seem particularly satisfying as endings go. I almost wish it had been an ongoing thing, continued into the next book, so it could be more exciting. But, it certainly wasn't disappointing enough to move this off the five star mark. All in all, it was a fantastic book. Run, don't walk, to pick it up.

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Review: Turn Coat

Turn Coat Unabridged CD by Jim Butcher

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
The only thing wrong with this book is that there was no Michael Carpenter. :) Everything else was spectacular. It started out fast, and as I listened to it, there didn't seem to be any points where it dragged. Normally, I only listen to audiobooks in the car but this one went from the car, in to work, back to the car, into my apartment and back to the car. I could not wait for the next car ride to find out what happened. The down side of that, of course, is that it is over quicker.



For long time readers of this series, you may not like the audio editions of these books. Sometimes, fans have an idea in their head of the voice and can be disappointed when what they hear doesn't match that. For me, the audio versions of these books are magic. I wanted to like the books, but I never could get into Storm Front. Once I listened to it, though, I finally saw what all the fuss was about.



Hard to summarize this book without giving away major plot points, so I won't do that. There are plenty of summaries online. Hell, I think Dresden has his own wiki! There are a few beatings, some crying, some dying, some transitioning, some regretting, and a very unsettling ending. I already can't wait for the next one.


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Review: Lord Demon's Delight

Lord Demon's Delight by Gia Dawn

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I expected to hate this book. I can't remember where I even heard of it. Was it on Twitter? A blog? Samhain's webpage? Can't recall. But, I expected to hate it. The cover did not help. I thought it would at least be good for some laughs, right? Turns out, it was pretty darn good!



It started out with a terrorist fistbump to William Shakespeare's Macbeth. The whole witches watching, plotting and scheming. Elitist though it may be, literary reference made me more curious and interested in the book. It got my attention. And, not only that, but the witches were funny. They had personality, AND got the story going.



The voyeuristic aspects of the story were also interesting. Some people may find it creepy, I didn't. I liked how Dawn made sure to always let the reader know the couple being spied on were fully aware they were being watched. She didn't hit you over the head with it, but it did make the whole thing less stalkerific.



Hero and Heroine were both well developed, and the secondary characters were rounded as well. The plumbing of the book (grammar, sentence structure, spelling) was also very good. It seems almost shameful that it needs to be mentioned, but there are some really badly edited books out there!



Which leaves the plot. There were some holes. Tne end of the book was rushed. Not so much the romance between H/H, but the backstory. Jessaline's father was a son of a bitch, we got that. Why did it take him so long to get to her for confrontation? He knew where she was. If he was waiting so long to set up things with the King, he didn't do such a hot job. And if he's so good at machinations, why did it all end so badly? It seemed a bit glossed over towards the end. I understand that wasn't the "real" story, but I wanted to know details! Dawn had done a good bit of world building and that's why I wanted to know more.



All in all, it was a good book. I don't think romance fans will be disappointed.


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FYI

While I can't stop reading completely (not even for my own good!) book reviews and other various activities will be light around here while I study for the bar exam. It might be linky for awhile, or maybe crazy (or crazy good) book covers. Regular scheduled reading (and posting) will continue after July 29th.

Review: Skin Trade

Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Well, I'm not sure this was enough to get me back into the Anita Blake fold, but I did like the book. Very much. It made me realize some things about the series, though.



I hate Anita Blake. I think I've always known this, and I believe this is where my problem with heroin(e) started. All the guys want to screw her, and all the girls want to be her. And poor Anita Blake, she just can't figure out what to do with this wacky, crazy life of hers. But, as much as she doesn't want to be a "victim" she's just a crazy slave to her unfortunate, but of her own making, circumstances. Whine. Whine. Whine. It has been this way since Circus of the Damned, and it hasn't really changed except for the circumstances have gotten more complicated.



Yet, what I have really liked about the books were the other characters. Okay, Jean-Claude and Edward, mostly. Asher some. The rest of them I could give a toss about, really. And, what has really irritated me about the path the books were on was that she diminished Jean-Claude's power to raise Anita's. Either he is or he is not the shit. Right? I know characters change throughout the series, but she has watered JC down so much that I'm almost wondering what purpose he serves. I know Richard fans have similar complaints.



Back to this book: It had plot. I know! A plot that centered around something other than who Anita was going to screw. Don't get me wrong, there was screwing. And, you know, I thought I was pretty well innoculated from the name issue thanks to JR Ward, but something about her screaming "Wicked" during sex still made me laugh out loud. But we got tbrough 300 pages before there was screwing, so take that for what it's worth. Sadly, though, I didn't find the sex hot. There were parts that were luke warm, but never reached hot. That's what happens when you make sex something other than what it is supposed to be (ie. food). It becomes common. Mundane. "Oh, huh. She's getting off with someone she either doesn't like, doesn't trust, or doesn't want to add to her stable." To me, that's kind of the equivalent of eating vegetables. You do it because you have to, not because you're really digging parsnips.



The only character here who had actual growth was Edward. There were some plot issues here as well, and it seemed like Hamilton lost the thread towards the end. The end of the book was the weakest part by far. Bernardo, Olaf, and Edward just drop off the face of the Earth. What happened to them? No goodbyes? Suddenly, she's back in St. Louis, new playthings in tow, and life is back to some shade of normal. Okay. Um....right. But, there were some good parts, which is more than I can say for the previous 6 books. It did read very much like Obsidian Butterfly so if you didn't like that one, you're probably not going to be much for this one either.


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Review: 52 pt. 1

52 - Part 1 by Greg Cox

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Well, the first part of this was not as engaging as Infinite Crisis, but it has an appeal all its own. It is much easier to keep up with all the characters, and there seems to be more drama than Infinite Crisis had, but not as much action. Normally that is good, but you really have to pay attention to this one or you might miss something other than just another fight sequence.



It isn't just no Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, though. Where is Green Lantern? Martian Manhunter? Aquaman? MIA. Nightwing? Teen Titans? Nope. I love The Question, don't get me wrong. Black Adam is a little much, but okay. Green Arrow? Nada. If you're not giving me Batman, throw me something, right?



The time travel angle is a good one, but there wasn't enough of it in part 1. It was good enough that I want to get to the next part and find out what happens, but not so great that I want to keep driving until I reach the end.


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Review: Lover Avenged

Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was better than Lover Enshrined, even though I gave it a 4 star review as well. But, it just didn't reach the five stars for me.



What I love about Ward's writing is also what I hate about Ward's writing. When I read her prose, it isn't just filler. The narrative voice in this book is almost another character. An omnipotent one, to be sure, but still a separate character. I don't like how this character adds "ilies" to everything. Is it really that hard to say Stilettos, Mr. or Ms. Omnipotent? And I REALLY wish the word "shitkicker" was permanently deleted from your vocabulary. But, you do have a way with words and I appreciate how you could turn something very dry and boring into a fast, page turning adventure.



This whole series reminds me of how easy it was for me to make the leap from Fantasy to Romance lit. The world building is good and I love huge casts of characters. The more pages the merrier, and I love series. I can also see how this would be disturbing to those who started this series expecting one thing, and find themselves in this new place. It is dishonest to market this as a romance series with a hero/heroine focused plot. That is not where the plot is focused. The world does not revolve around the hero/heroine finding their happily ever after. They do find it, don't get me wrong, but I don't think anyone can say that is where the focus is. It seems to be something that happens along the way in the larger story. To me, that is absolutely fantastic. To people who are expecting the beginning, middle and end to be about Rehv and Elena, your set may need to be slightly adjusted.



I'm not sure what the endgame is here with the whole Lessers/Vampire war, and I'm not sure I care. I assume Ward wants me to care, so this may not be a good thing. I enjoy the characters, and I tune in to see what is going to happen next with them. I am more than a little caught up in how the war is affecting Wrath. But, other than that, it's background noise to me. It's a little like North and South. You know there is a war going on in the background, but the battle scenes are not the reason why you're watching. It's what goes on because of the war, during the war, before and after the war, that holds your interest.



Very hard to do this without spoilers, by the way.



Ward also has a style of writing, and dropping hints of future plot lines, that means if you have an interest in this series and where it might be going, you have to pay pretty close attention. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes from here, and I'm hoping that what looks like a recycled plot isn't going to be a recycled plot. I'm crazy about Xhex, John-Matthew, Blay and Qhuinn so the next book will be wonderful for me. I'm hoping that Bella gets a rest because she had a hell of a book this time around. She deserves some R & R. She had like, five scenes and all of them were drama? Come on.



I hate Lassiter. Just had to get that out.



And a word about the "gangsta": I wonder why people get so bent out of shape that some of Ward's characters don't act or talk like run of the mill white bread. Each of these characters has a distinct voice and, contrary to popular internet opinion, they don't all embrace the street talk. But the ones that do, seems completely consistent with the other characteristics they have. Is it so unusual? To me, the bigger question is why so many people have a problem with it?



And I hate Lassiter.


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Review: Hard as Nails

Hard As Nails by M.A. Ellis

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the first book from Ellora's Cave that I can say, unequivocally, that I loved. That isn't to say I've read everything they published and hated it all, obviously that isn't the case. But everything I had read before was not good. Maybe I was picking the wrong ones. It had gotten so bad, that I didn't even want to pick up anything published by them. So why did I pick up this one? Your guess is as good as mine. But, I absolutely LOVED EVERY BIT of this book.



All four stories was fantastic. The sex was hot, as you'd expect, but there was much more to these stories than the hot sex. The characters had emotion and depth. My favorite story was "Twisted Steel and Sex Appeal" which made me laugh out loud and swoon in equal measure. Shelly and Luke were a fabulous couple, and I wish their story could have been a full length book instead of just a short story.



The weakest story, for me, was the first one. The Cake Babe. I thought there was a little too much serendipity in how the two of them got together. I didn't believe it. And, even though the sex was hot, I bought the idea of hot sex for the sake of hot sex much more than I bought longlasting love. That story needed more time to, bake (as it were) and I would have thought it better if they had started as a couple and worked their way up through the other three stories. Even though the other three brothers met their matches (ha!) in similarly short periods of time, Jason and Marissa just didn't work for me. But, even that wasn't enough to knock off a star. It was really that good. I look forward to reading more from Ellis.


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Review: Hittin' It

Hittin' It by Amie Stuart

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
If it weren't for the first person confusion in "Screwed" this would have been a five star review. That bit threw me off and, even though I eventually got used to it, I think there may have been a more effective way of pulling it off. Maybe putting names at the beginning of the chapter when the voice changed? I mean, I could see that the voice changed, of course, but...I don't know. I'm not opposed to first person on general principle, it just seem to stall the story each time the voice flipped and the reader had to re-adjust how they were seeing the world. That's all. Purely personal preference, I suppose.



None of that did anything to dull the excitement of the characters, though. Stuart populated her world with fascinating people who you wanted to follow. I wanted Will to read more of Sabrina's diaries so I could learn more about her too! I wanted to hear more about Will's family, hear more about his background with the bitchy exes. I loved the world that was built around a family of assassins and how they make their way in the world. Worldbuilding only works if you care enough about the people who populate that world. Stuart succeeded in making me care about them. Of course, making me care about the main characters is really a basic characteristic of a good writer. I know it may seem like it is complex, but that is because so many writers can't make that happen. A truer sign of a complex writer, however, makes you care about the secondary and tangential characters as well. They aren't just props for the main characters to move around, but they have three dimensional thoughts and motivations of their own. I got that from the secondary characters in both "Screwed" and "Hooked". The characters weren't just there as roadblocks (cockblocks?) but could easily be turned into heroes and/or heroines in their own right. Well, maybe not Mark Green. I really don't like that one.



Even though I liked all four of the main characters, I think I preferred "Hooked". Don't get me wrong, I loved Will and Sabrina (and Will....did I say that already?). But, I really thought John and Tish had more chemistry. And while I really liked Tish, she seemed to irritate me in a way that made me wonder why I cared so much. That isn't to say that Will and Sabrina weren't good, because they most definitely were. There was a real depth there, definitely more serious, and not just because of the circumstances that led to them being on the run. Each of them had (or seemed to have)lived more life, had more to overcome which made it nicer when they found each other. John and Tish seemed to be more fun. I was equally happy that they found each other. And, even though there was the drama in John's past that made him commit to the non-lying, it still seemed more light hearted and fun.



Overall, very good book with two very strong stories. I can't wait to read more from her.


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Review: Body Chemistry

Body Chemistry by Dara Girard

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
I should tell you, up front, that I did not finish this book. So, take that into consideration if you plan to keep reading.



Girard had a few good things going on in this book. I like the idea of the Black Stockings Society, and it could have been a very interesting plot point. Who doesn't get all excited at the thought of a secret society? And I absolutely love a plot line with exes. Yep, I sure do. But this was a book where the ideas were good and the execution just didn't do it for me.



First of all, all of the characters were problematic. Brenda had her moments where she was extremely likeable. But, there were more moments when she seemed defensive and angry and condescending. I didn't see why anyone would want to be with her at all, quite frankly. Dominic was boring. There was no conflict in him. He had everything (except the girl) but that made him kind of blah. Where was the excitement? The only character that showed some spark was the resident jerk, Dr. Franklin. I was looking for more in the way of character development (or even interest) and it wasn't there. There were glimmers of it (which is why the book gets 2 stars from me) but I was hoping for more.



The real problem I had with this book, however, was the writing style. I realize this is a personal preference, but it really did bother me. There was much "telling" in this book instead of showing. The book started with a letter, which sets the plot into motion. But, immediately after that, things are slowed down my the way Girard puts too many words between the reader and the characters.

Brenda Everton calmly put the letter down on her desk. She had no urge to crumple or throw it but accepted it for what it was: a rejection.

Well, does the reader need to be told what she had the urge NOT to do? I know she didn't have the urge to do that. Why? Because she didn't do it.

She swung around in her chair and stared out her office window. She placed her hands on the arm rest. "Damn" she said in a soft whisper that quickly disappeared in the empty room. She listned to the sound of the clock, which seemed to keep time with the light drizzle of rain outside and the footsteps walking past her office door.

That last sentence was the best in a paragraph that was desperately in need of an editor.



I wanted to like this book, I really did. I read through the cumbersome writing, hoping that when hero and heroine finally met up it would be worth it. Unfortunately, there was very little magic between the main characters. They didn't spark with me individually or together. At that point, I gave up. I would try another book by Girard, but this one was a wash for me.


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