Readsalot81

Seriously, how does that happen? The ending of Omens picked up... and actually made me curious.. but good grief. Stuff DOES happen, but it's not remotely exciting. Just kinda meh. Boring. Oh, and there's some boning going on too.. but not between Gabriel and Liv.

Sorry.

Ummm... this is bad. This is really not a good book. I signed up for a blog tour though. Will have to check back with my blogmate to see if it's good reviews only.. because, this - most likely, will not be getting a good review.

SADNESS.

But yes. Oh yes it is. Geezus, what a half-assed self indulgent novel. I thought the premise was good, but everything about overall exexcution.. just NO.

I did not. *Cries* I feel like such a disloyal reader.  (and fan) But I bought the book at midnight, so it counts for something right?

I thought the beginning was slow, slow, and SLOW.  Took a long time to build up to what happened with Hugh and co.  I could see several things coming from a mile away and the predictability factor was bigger in this one than in previous books.

I loved that we finally got to know more about Ghastek.  Desandra was a hoot and a half, and I hope she has more to say in the upcoming books.

I'm torn about Roland. In a way it makes sense, the way things unfolded - but it seemed pretty anticlimactic, and the ending sure as hell didn't resolve things as it left everything up in the air. So I wasn't entirely satisfied with how the plot arc seemed to end. *shrug*

I love the humor in these books, it's one of the best parts of the series, and even that seemed to lack a real punch. Kate was Kate.. and she was awesome.. but Curran missed a pretty big chunk of the book. 

*dodges the tomatoes* I stayed up reading it til about 2:30 am.. and I was going to order a print version as well.. but now? I dunno.. I'll probably wait until mmpb :(

Ahem. Since Amazon and Hachette are still doing their thing, I can't bring up It's In His Kiss in the BookLikes search.

This is the book where I abandon Lucky Harbor forever.

It includes, but is not limited to:

Rape (though she doesn't actually come out and say it until close to the end, but it's inferred heavily throughout the book) No therapy, just keeping herself arm's length from men for 10 years. WTF? I've read this situation many times in a contemporary. WHY IS 10 THE MAGIC NUMBER?  No false starts - well ok then.

Man that won't commit or say I love you. Because yes, it's always the man.

These people are pretty damn well flawless - which means I'm snoozing my way through the text. There are some pretty contrived situations and for fuck's sake - it was like nails on a chalkboard.

Bonus: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results right?  Sam, you're a ding dong.

I can be somewhat forgiving when I'm presented with a clunky plot if I like the characters - but there's no depth, no logic, and no flaws.

*sets book on fire*

A very hot mess are thee, Omens.  I gave up around 11 pm too baffled to try to make sense out of you.

Pro-tip: Have SOMEONE or SOMETHING to care about while you're reading - because well, I got nothing. Worldbuilding is hooey, the characters are tepid to say the least, and it goes in circles like that car that does the donuts in Dukes of Hazzard. *shrug*

I suppose I wouldn't know what that really is, since I don't read Kristen Ashley or Joanna Wylder - but this has the framework of a murder mystery woven in with a love story.

I thought the hero's character was that of an alpha, but not an alphahole. He skirts the line between not being a terrible guy, but not a great one either. So he's done some sketchy stuff, but probably not enough to make the average reader repelled by his character.

He likes getting his way and is somewhat pushy, but he isn't abusive or controlling.

The heroine, Kim, I was a little less impressed with since she came off as a little more bland in comparison to Raina, the other woman in the story. But she wasn't a pushover and I wished more of her scenes had included interacting with others, not just Vince.

The beginnings of an MC club take place at the end, but really - this isn't like Motorcycle Man or anything. It has hints of paranormal, but the murder mystery and love story is the focus.

Not another UF you say. Well, yes, sorry.  She's not the most likable heroine, (she can be a bit sarcastic, stubborn, even bordering on the edge of TSTL - and utterly normal. She's not flashy or edgy, she likes routine and gets freaked out at the sight of blood)

But the worldbuilding of Faerie is fantastic, intricate and doesn't dumb it down for the audience. The relationship between Tybalt and Toby is often confusing, filled with conflict and the romance is a very SLOW build that takes place over at least 6 books. The pay off you get when it all comes to fruition is awesome.

The secondary characters are fleshed out well (some more than others) and people do die upon occasion - so these aren't filled with happy endings at every single book.

I will keep reading until she's done writing them.

I was debating between a half star and 1 star.. but I did like several scenes - and I did read these rather voraciously years ago.

But sweet jumpin jesus. Is she going to go down the Anne Rice road and forgo all editing, like forever? Because this was in serious need of the red pen. Pages and pages devoted to breast feeding, leaking, and what people are wearing. It was really odd. When it was devoted to Taranis or Aunt Andais, the writing was relatively smoother and flowed a helluva lot better. When it wasn't focused on that, it was scattered, overly detailed, and monotonous. I made myself finish because I requested it for review.. but trust me, I was punished for that as well. I'm not ever going to recover the time I spent slogging through this book. :

Go ahead and LOL - I won't blame you. But I started reading the Merry Gentry series years ago, and I wanted to see how it ended.

 MORE FOOL ME.

I had counted on going to the launch party that was in Redondo Beach to get my signed copy, but fell sick unfortunately :(

Thankfully, there's always the ebook.

I've never read his books, but from what I understand - this book is aimed at younger readers (or in the author's words - a wider reach) - but it's still really good. Dark, but not overly so - and fascinating characters.

Pros:

Fascinating characters, interesting plot twists, very good visual imagery.

Cons:

World building is half-hearted -  has that medieval euro historical setting - but not much sets it apart from just about every other fantasy book out there.

Ableist point of view - got tired of the MC's referral to himself as half a man - half a king. ARGH (Yarvi- protag - has deformed left hand)

Per Merriam-Webster : the condition of having a right to have, do, or get something.

I've seen this accusation thrown out in blogger land for quite some time.  Regarding ARCS. It’s a perk, a bonus, something I am glad to receive, but I don’t ever think it’s my *right* to receive one. Do I think I’m entitled to books just because I blog and review them? Well no, no I don’t. 

If you like reading about pretty, wealthy people - this is a fine book. Fun banter.  Didn't really care for the hero who kept calling the heroine a ball buster just because she calls him out on his nonsense.

Meh. It reads easily enough, but in two weeks I won't remember the plot or characters.

Because I'm sure as hell not coming back for more.

I'm being serious. I will forgive a weak or lame ass plot if there are strong characters and the writing shows promise.

This. I can't even. So much TELL and not enough show.  The girl who thinks she's fat but who's really not - internal slut shaming YAY - and a guy who won't be straight forward with the girl he's interested in.

I tried. *shrug*  It was a freebie on Amz, and that Book Ball event in February featured Kristen Proby..

DNF

Dear Ms. Stein,

I was recently loaned your book, Beyond Repair.  I've read several of your books before and have loved the interaction of your characters. This looked like it had a lot of potential.