Review for Dirty Dates by Rachel Kramer Bussel

a free copy of the novel was provided by the editor, Rachel Kramer Bussel, for an honest review

This was one of the most interesting and diverse collection of erotic BDSM stories I've read. Not diverse in way of race (though I wish it was), but in the focus points of the stories. This book has something for everyone, and maybe something you didn't even know you needed. Each author paints an intimate scenario between loving and trusting couples. I like how some of them were borderline romance. But with a lot of kink thrown in. It goes to show that someone's kink is someone else's normal. It's all about what floats your boat. There is no judgement, just exploration of self.

My favorite stories were:

The Swap by Jade A. Waters
Slow Burn by Morgan Sierra
The World in My Pants by Valerie Alexander
Lying Down by Kathleen Delaney-Adams
The Rabbit Trap by Nik Havert
Switch by Mina Murray
Well Lit by Sara Taylor Woods
A Soundproof Room with a View by Leigh Edward Gray
Cry to Me by Skylar Kade
Admitting It Is the First Step by Rachel Kramer Bussel

The other ones were still well written and interesting but just didn't grab my attention as much as the stories above. As always, I'll be looking forward to reading more of anything with Rachel Kramer Bussel attached to it.

Reading Goal complete!

I did it. With a few days to spare, I have read 150 books for the year 2015. I'm slightly over my goal now but the pressure of finishing this task is gone. I can now truly read for pleasure without this deadline looming over my head.

Assassination Classroom Vol 3 by Yusei Matsui
A new assassin robot is deployed to destroy Koro Sensei
4 STAR RATING

This obsession with this manga series is getting out of hand. I will literally stop everything that I'm doing just to read these damn books. I had to hold off on this one just so I could finish a book club read. The art and story are better than anything I'm reading at the moment ans it's distracting me. I know I'm gonna go crazy when I have to wait for these books to come out.

The Heiresses by Sara Shepard
Four young women from money must figure out who's targeting them before it's too late
4 STAR RATING
Book Club Read

Finally, this book became interesting to me. I just couldn't take it with waiting for the action to start. I hate slow beginnings and this was one of the worst. But once Poppy is killed, shit gets real quickly. All of a sudden you have every person in the story becoming a possible suspect as the murderer. Each heiress had their own drama that unknowingly tied all together to Poppy's death. I wish the author had shown that side of the story more than dealing with each girl separately. And that ending...Damn it, I really hate cliff hangers. Especially when there isn't even an upcoming date for the next novel of a new series. I was hoping to just have an ambiguous ending to a stand alone novel. Instead, I'm left with a waiting game. This next book better have more answers than questions. I don't want another PLL fiasco where the plot drags on and on and on. 

Assassination Classroom Vol 4 by Yusei Matsui
Koro Sensei faces off against an unexpected opponent, his brother
3 STAR RATING

This is the first book of the series I wasn't entirely in love with. I just felt like it was not as exciting as earlier volumes. But the fighting scenes between Koro Sensei and his "little brother" were awesome and I can't wait to see more about where they come from. Now as far as this baseball game is going, I didn't really have any interest in the story until Principal Douchepants showed up. He just has to suck the joy out of everything. I really hope Class E can prove him wrong with this game.

Homecoming by Kass Morgan
The final novel in the 100 series
2 STAR RATING

So, that's it. As far as I know, this is the last novel of The 100 series. And I'm glad for it. This series doesn't have a lot of substance to it. It could have been a real page turner but instead, it's filler reads. You would use these books to pass the time. Now for the individual book, it was a disappointment as a finale. It felt totally rushed and forced. The characters had no depth to them and I felt the author wasn't even trying to give them any. In the end, I didn't care what happened to any of them.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
A group of thieves must steal a power enhancing powder that will cause major destruction
5 STAR RATING
NEW FAVORITE

HOLY CHEESE BALLS! This book was awesome. Bardugo really took her Grisha world and turned it all the way up. The setting, the plot, the characters; everything was perfect. I loved all the action and how grown up the group was even though they were teens. The subtle romance between each pairing was amazing as well. Nothing felt forced. It all flowed. That ending was just torture though. You can't flip the script like that and then keep me hanging. That's just not fair.

149...

I am literally one book away from reaching my goal of reading 150 this year. Hopefully by the end of today, I'll have finished this book and will be victorious. I've been on a manga kick lately and it's been easy sailing to the finish line. but I plan on closing out this challenge with a full length novel.

Soul Eater Vol 3 by Atsushi Ohkubo
Tsubaki and Black*Star must face off against a formidable foe for his soul
4 STAR RATING

The action is so awesome in this series. It's seriously making me want to watch the anime so I can see it in motion. How I Learned to Fly by R.L. Stine The 52nd original Goosebumps book 2 STAR RATING lol Jack is a real sneaky son of a bitch. He learned a real valuable lesson though, let the assholes in your life ruin themselves. You don't have to do anything but wait for karma to come around. Assassination Classroom Vol 1 by Yusei Matsui An alien form threatens to destroy Earth unless the students of Class E can kill him first 5 STAR RATING A NEW FAVORITE Okay, now I have a new addiction. What the fuck is up with these weird mangas I've been reading lately? This alien teacher is just insane. But I love it. I was literally laughing out loud, not just in my head, at the shit he was saying. The dialogue translates really well to English. And the art is awesome. I just need to read more of this as quickly as possible. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats Peter wakes up to find his neighborhood covered in snow 4 STAR RATING This book is just downright adorable. Watching Peter enjoy his snow day reminded me of when I was a kid and would stay out as long as possible in my new found winter wonderland. The drawing of his snowsuit is too funny. the little part sticking up at the top is so cute. I'd read this to any child for a bedtime story, especially in these cold winter months. Assassination Classroom Vol 2 by Yusei Matsui A new teacher enters Class E with the intention to kill Koro Sensei 4 STAR RATING I seriously am taken aback by how much I am loving this series. It's so fun to read. I know I could probably read it online and not have to wait for the next book to come in from the library but the anticipation makes it better. It's like Christmas when a new volume comes for me. Now I just need the third book so I can see how these kidnappers get their asses handed to them.

Last month of the year

I am less than 10 books away from my goal. And of course now is the time that I drag my feet to finish it. I still haven't been reading as much as I'm used to. There have only been 3 books since my last post. I hope to have a literary hard on sometime soon. And close out this year with some amazing reads.

Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older
An urban fantasy young adult novel 
3 STAR RATING
BOOKCLUB 

To have my sights set so high for this book, I couldn't be anything but disappointed. The cover, the premise, the hype. It all spelled out an amazing young adult novel. And it was amazing. It just wasn't enough to live up to my expectations. I will say that the author got the strong female lead down pat. Sierra is everything I wanted in a heroine. She has her shit together and doesn't take anyone else's drama. I only wish this novel could have been more exciting. Despite the potential for added tension and fantasy, I feel like Older dropped the ball when it came to the actual mythology of Sierra's family. It just fell flat.

Deadman Wonderland Vol 9 by Jinsei Kataoka
9th graphic novel of the series
4 STAR RATING

Ganta finally finds out who Wretched Egg is and I'm devastated. I feel like he should have figured it out already but I still loved the reveal. It was just so sad. And the they have to go kill Azami. That was brutal. I literally screamed when I saw her head. This series has taken me on a roller-coaster ride and I'm both excited and fearful for where it's going to take me next.

All I Want by Jill Shalvis
The 7th novel of the contemporary romance Animal Magnetism series
2 STAR RATING

Riding high from the last book I read in this series, I was expecting a lot from this new installment. So I have no one but myself to blame for being disappointed. The characters were nothing special. I honestly didn't feel the chemistry between them at all. Everything was blah blah blah. The only parts I liked about the story were the adopted animals. Those kittens were so darn cute. If there is a next book in the series, here's hoping it's better than this one.