Pathetic

It's been almost one month since my last post and I've only read four book...FOUR BOOKS! That is just depressing to me. I usually read four books in two weeks time, not one month. It's just that lately real life has been a bitch to deal with and by the time I get home, the only thing I wanna do is sleep. I'm trying to get back into reading every day but it's definitely been a challenge.

My Stepbrother the Dom by Arabella Quinn
Ava and Cole give in to temptation at a sex club
3 STAR RATING

The chemistry and sex scenes were beyond amazing in this book but then the ending almost destroyed everything. It was overly dramatic and seemed stuffed in there to cause unnecessary drama between the "siblings". It could have easily just been the father finding them and keeping them apart without the blackmail aspect of the situation. Thankfully it didn't completely ruin this reading experience for me.

Beware, the Snowman by R.L. Stine
The 51st book in the original Goosebumps series
3 STAR RATING

There was nothing really bad or good about this book. It was just in the middle for me. I did laugh at the last line in the book though. Why is a snowman complaining about being cold lol

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
Jess Brightwell is ordered to spy on the Great Library but ends up fighting on their side
4 STAR RATING

I've been a reading slump lately. I haven't felt like reading much of anything and this is the only book I've read in almost two weeks. I was reluctant to read it. It started out really boring and it was a book club book I hadn't heard of before. But once Jess is sent to the library for training, I was hooked. The dialogue was witty, quick and funny. Jess is a very likable character and his other "classmates" are all entertaining. You can tell Rachel Caine took er time to build this world. From what I could tell, ever detail was accounted for and everything had a purpose. It makes me eager to read the second book of the series.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas
A retelling of Beauty and the Beast with faeries 
2 STAR RATING

For it to be the main feature of the story, the romance between Tamlin and Feyre was awful. It completely ruined the book for me. I absolutely hated the last third of the novel. Now I gotta worry about a possible love triangle with a complete douche who shows signs of redemption? No thank you. I just can't deal with it.

Mediocre books

In the past two weeks, I've only read ONE BOOK that had more than a 3 star rating. That just kills me because I hate reading "okay" books. I went though most of these books in a day because they had no substance to them. They were quick, easy reads that mostly failed to fully impress me.

Your Face in Mine by Jess Row
 A Baltimore based novel about cultural and racial alienation
1 STAR RATING

Seeing as I didn't read this book all the way through, fully comprehend it, or had any interest in it, I'd like to say that my rating is completely invalid. I heavily skimmed this novel and I'm not even sure how it ended. I think Kelly got the operation done as well but I was not paying attention at this point. The writing style was annoying. It all rambled together. I had no idea who was talking when or what about. The characters were all boring and I couldn't wait to finish such a drag of a book. The only redeeming parts were the descriptions of Baltimore. It was fun knowing exactly where the characters were int he story. Other than that, this goes in the loser pile of book club reads for me. 

On the Job: Volume One by K.D. Grace, Rachael Kramer Bussel, Izzy French
A short story collection about on the job quickies
3 STAR RATING

Quick and easy smut. I read these short stories in about 30 mins. I wish they were a bit more drawn out but I still enjoyed them. It makes me wanna have a quickie at work (not really but it brings up questions like where I'd do it and how I could sneak away for about 20 mins.)

Blackbird by Abigail Graham
The first book of the Stepbrother Romance series
3  STAR RATING

I found Eve a bit too annoying to give this book four stars. The male love interest, Victor, was a winner from the very first page. His determination was hot. I was surprised with how dramatic the story was. It could almost be a murder/mystery if it wanted to be. Either way, it's started an obsession for reading Abigail Graham novels.

Mockingbird by Abigail Graham
The second book of the Stepbrother Romance series
4 STAR RATING

This was the best one of the series. The innocent young woman meets and falls for the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. That's a great recipe for an erotic romance. It was funny, sweet, and somewhat believable. This could have easily been broken up into two parts. I'd have read a novel about Apollo's life before he met Diana.

Hawk by Abigail Graham
The third novel of the Stepbrother Romance series
2 STAR RATING

After the binge I had of her first two books of the series, this one failed to impress me. The writing had stretched thin, the love scenes were lukewarm, and the "wash rinse repeat" story line fell flat. Hawk didn't seem like the kind of guy I'd swoon over so I just found him annoying. Either way, as a whole, I enjoyed this series. It was the perfect mini vacation read.

Grey by E.L. James
A retelling of FSoG told from Christian's POV
3 STAR RATING

This book was way too long but since I skimmed most of it, I was able to read it in 2 days. It's was great to see FSoG from Christian's POV. He's just as domineering and insane as I thought him to be. With that being said, I did find some of the sex scenes even hotter from his perspective. And now that I've seen the movie, I had those actors stuck in my head while picturing this novel. That happened to work in my favor since I find Jamie Dornan extremely attractive. If you're a fan of the original trilogy, then you'll love this book. If not, then I'm sure you weren't planning on reading this obvious cash cow anyway.

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
The classic children's book about the friendship between a pig and a spider
2 STAR RATING

I can see why I loved this book so much as a child. It's heartfelt and sweet and easy to read. But that nostalgia has worn off tremendously and I'm thinking that this book is full of characters that aren't so likable. And since I now know where bacon comes from, I can't help but think that the family would be better off killing Wilbur and eating some good food. But since animals talk in this story, that would be inhumane. It's a cute and sad story for young kids but I probably won't be puling this off my bookshelf to read to my child in the future.

Deadman Wonderland Vol 7 by Jinsei Kataoka
The 7th collection of the graphic novel series
3 STAR RATING

This series is just great. I'm never bored when I'm reading these books. I'm getting more and more excited when they introduce new characters. These perfect ninben are not to be messed with. I can't wait to see them in action.

Soul Eater Vol 2 by Atsushi Ohkubo
Soul and Maka must face off against the crazy Dr. Franken Stein
3 STAR RATING

These weapon meisters are hilarious, especially Death the Kid. I think he may be my new graphic novel character of all time.

Rereading old favorites

Kindle Unlimited is the best and worst thing to happen to me. It's only 9.99 a month and you can download up to 10 books at a time. And they have a lot of titles under this feature. But now it's sidetracking me from all my other books I need to be reading. It's both a blessing and a curse.

When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys by Lori Foster, etc.
A romance anthology about bad boys falling in love
4 STAR RATING
REREAD
OLD FAVORITE

I was in the mood for a funny romance and I got exactly that. It's still a go to for a quick, enjoyable read.

Mouth to Mouth by Erin McCarthy A detective finds my falling for a mark of a scam artist in this romance 5 STAR RATING REREAD OLD FAVORITE You have the perfect recipe for a classic romance novel. A strong yet stubborn male meets a slightly innocent but confidant woman and fall in love. There's a hint of a threat in the form of a con artist. And you even have the two best friends fall in love with each other. All in all, it's one of the best romances I've read. The Irish Devil by Diane Whiteside Viola seeks protection from a lecherous admirer with the rugged William 3 STAR RATING REREAD OLD FAVORITE  This used to be one of my all time favorite romance series. But rereading it years later has not been kind to this story for me. The characters were boring and the erotic scenes made me laugh instead of hot and bothered. I still enjoyed the romance but I was glad when I finished this book. I was tempted to reread the rest of the series but I think I'll just leave that to fond memories.

Utter disappointment

I haven't been reading a lot of books lately. And for the most part, the ones I have been reading are just not doing it for me. Some were okay and some were just bad all the way around. I'm itching for a good read right now. I don't wanna end my summer reading on a bad note.

Sabriel by Garth Nix
Sabriel, a necromancer, must go into the Old Kingdom to save her father from evil forces
2 STAR RATING
REREAD

UPDATED 8/12/15

I really tried this time. I let my old disinterest go, started anew, and was still highly disappointed. There were really good action scenes and had so much potential to be more. I just found it completely lacking. Most of the characters were bland and the interesting ones didn't have enough page time to shine. The ending was stupid and I didn't like Sabriel's POV. It would have been better to have a narrator. And I know this is typically the kind of book I devour and love but not this time. 

DNF at 19%

This book had too many words and too small a font to grab my attention. I'm rarely that bored when I don't even finish a book, especially a book club pick. But I had to put this down; I have other stuff that will surely entertain me.

Chosen at Nightfall by C.C. Hunter
The final novel of the Shadow Falls series
5 STAR RATING

This series has been a pleasant surprise. I didn't think I'd like it, let alone love it but I do. It's just everything I want in a young adult paranormal romance series. You have the believable love triangle that doesn't make you wanna rip your hair out. You have a naive yet likable heroine who grows into her powers and become a bad ass. You have the funny sidekick best friends who are your comic relief. And then you have the best drama/bad guys for the protagonist to deal with. It's just been awesome to read about Kylie's journey and I am beyond satisfied with her conclusion. 

The 100 by Kass Morgan
100 juvenile prisoners are sent to see if planet Earth is safe for rehabilitation 
3 STAR RATING

It's annoying how the author left me hanging at the end. I'm not a fan of cliff hangers and this novel leaves me hanging with three different characters. Me no likey. But other than that, I liked this book. It makes me wanna give the T.V. show another try. I can only hope that Morgan's writing gets better with the next book in the series. It was a bit boring here but I saw potential for improvement.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
The first novel of the Remnant Chronicles
2 STAR RATING

Okay, this book pulled a dirty trick on me. Literally, the first 400 pages were a mess. The writing was fine and the story had potential. But Pearson really dropped the ball on interesting story telling. I mean, NOTHING HAPPENS! The main character gets things started off with a runaway bride move. And then...nothing. It's pages and pages of nothing. Until she's kidnapped. Am I spoiling the book? It doesn't even feel like a spoiler because it's the only thing worth knowing about the book. What's really pissing me off is that those last few pages were amazing. Great character development, heartbreaking scenes, a hint of fantasy. It had it all. It was just too late in the game to really matter. I thought about giving this series a try. And in the future, I might end up reading the second novel anyway. But for now, I'm putting this series on the back shelf and forgetting about it.

End of Summer Reading 2015

I read 41 books this summer for my local library. That's no number of books to sneer at either. Mind you, some were children's books or graphic novels. But a book is a book is a book. I really hope I win this year. The prize for staff members is a vacation day which would be MUCH APPRECIATED.

Hera: the Goddess and her Glory by George O'Connor
Volume three of the Olympians series
4 STAR RATING

I was expecting a totally different book with Hera as the title character. She's always depicted as a raging bitch. But with Zeus as her husband, who can blame her? I get that she can't directly retaliate against him but I always felt bad about the women and children who were on the wrong side of Hera's wrath. She's a bit of a doozy and scary as hell. But O'Connor showed her in a different light. She's just a wife who's tired of her cheating husband. She's gotta do something to take the edge off. And she's not all bad. I just wish the book had focused more on her and not Heracles. I get that he's a big part of her myth but he could have gotten his own book for all that.

Hades: Lord of the Dead by George O'Connor
Volume four of the Olympians series
4 STAR RATING

These just keep getting better and better. I was expecting the focus to be on Hades. But with Hera turning out the way it did, I shouldn't be surprised that the focus was shifted a bit and Persephone was the lead character. It's true that you don't really hear anything about her except she was kidnapped and married off to Hades. This book gives a different perspective on that. It's possible that she actually wanted to stay there with her hubby, that she liked him enough to want to rule the Underworld.

Poseidon: Earth Shaker by George O'Connor
Volume five of the Olympians series
5 STAR RATING

This one has to get 5 stars. The last few pages of his story are so beautifully told and drawn, I had it give it the golden rating. It's almost heartbreaking when to read this entire life he thought he lived, only for it to be revealed that it was a dream. It's makes him a more relatable character. that's not to say he's likable. He's a grade A asshole and so are most of his offspring. But O'Connor got under my skin and that's why so far, this is my favorite of the Olympians series.

Aphrodite: Goddess of Love by George O'Connor
Volume six of the Olympians series
3 STAR RATING

No matter what retelling of Aphrodite I come across, I still don't like her at all. She's such a little bitch. She has her moments of decency but for the most part, she's an egotistical maniac. I honestly think she's even worse the Zeus. I still liked the story and art and all that, but i couldn't help but wish that some other god/goddess had taken the spotlight for this volume of the series. Literally anyone else who have been more tolerable than Aphrodite.

Soul Eater Vol 1 by Atsushi Ohkubo
Maka and other weapon meisters must collect 100 souls to become death's ultimate weapon
4 STAR RATING

Aaaaaand I've started yet another graphic novel series. This is what happens when I have no books that I already want to read around to distract me. I pick up more to fill the void. I always need a book near me that I'm currently reading or about to start reading. When I don't, shit like this happens. Now I'm addicted to this awesome story and I need more!

Ares: Bringer of War by George O'Connor
Volume seven of the Olympians series
4 STAR RATING

Ares doesn't really shine the brightest in this story but he does get the best comeback line to Zeus at the end. Everyone in this story isn't very likable, least of all Ares. But you can kind of see where he's coming from and are mostly on his side by the end of the war.

Calling All Creeps! by R.L. Stine
50th book of the original Goosebumps series
3 STAR RATING

lololol That ending was horrible for all those bullies and mean spirited kids. Obviously Ricky comes out on top in that scenario. This is why you don't treat people like crap, you never know when the tables will turn.

Jason & Kyra by Dana Davidson
A popular jock and the school's brain fall in love
5 STAR RATING
OLD FAVORITE
REREAD

This is just the perfect teenage love story. Even after all of these years, it still holds up to the test of time.

Played by Dana Davidson

Ian must get Kylie to fall in love with him and more in three weeks

5 STAR RATING

OLD FAVORITE

REREAD

This one doesn't tug on my heart strings like Jason & Kyra does but it's still a favorite of mine. The main characters are both idiotic and annoying at times but by the end, you can't help but hope for them to be together. Although if this were me, I'd have been done with Ian's trifling ass.

Too Much Temptation by Lori Foster

Grace and Noah have a "sex slave" agreement until they both start feeling more

5 STAR RATING

OLD FAVORITE

REREAD

I love this book so much that I bought a brand new copy off Amazon for $14. FOURTEEN FUCKING DOLLARS! And this book is old as dirt, being published more than 10 years ago. But I still love it and I'd buy the damn thing all over again.