I did not know what to expect from this book and, to be honest, even after finishing it, I am not quite sure how I feel about it.
The story of Naima (who lost her father) and Dew (who lost
both parents) was an interesting premise, and I thought the author would mostly
tackle the process of how young adults grieve. This did occur, but it seemed
lost in other aspects the author tried to address.
I did not care for Naima’s character. She was obviously
angry at the world (as so many kids today are) and lashed out at everyone,
including those who loved her most. It seemed as if she was also angry at her
father for being in the military (which ultimately led to him being taken from
her) and she took her anger out on everyone around her. She was rude and unlikeable
a majority of the time. It is difficult to get behind a story where a main
character is supposed to garner sympathy but doesn’t.
Dew, on the other hand, was more interesting to me. He dealt
with his grief differently from Naima, and his attempts at keeping his life together
were more believable. I liked his interactions with his adopted parents and
laughed out loud at some of the scenes involving his sister, Faith. I would have
liked more with Dew and less with Naima.
Ultimately this book is as much about mental health as it is
about love and loss. As a former teacher, I can see some of my high school
students being able to relate to the characters, but I did not find them
particularly relatable myself. I also think that the emphasis on buzzwords and
concepts like gender fluidity, non-binary, and other “of the moment” issues was
detrimental to the story. But that is just my perspective. There may be others
who love the way these topics were addressed.
While I did not particularly like this book, I would still
recommend it. Just because it wasn’t my cup of tea doesn’t mean that others may
not find it amazing. Give it a try for yourself.
I seem to be in a “second of series” phase right now because I have read a bunch of books lately that have had me concerned for “sophomore slumps.” Fortunately, I believe that all of them have been successful, and Kiss Me Tonight is no exception. I loved the first book in the series but the second installment hits full stride, and what a fun read it was!
From the initial text message to the method of
communication between Noah and Reagan, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read. I
loved the interplay between the two, I thought the situations were unique, and
I thought the author did a great job of staying true to the characters while
creating a realistic scenario.
Nobody would ever think that a random dick pic
could lead to something more, but in Reagan’s world, it does. Fortunately, that
dick belongs to a decent guy, Noah, who got shafted (no pun intended).
What follows is an unfortunate event, which in
turn leads to several realizations by both characters that they are meant for
each other.
Oh yeah, and there is a panty-eating chihuahua,
a fairly crazy great aunt, the usual best friend snark included in the budding
relationship.
Honesty, it’s just as crazy as it sounds, and it is fun reading. Ms. Hart certainly knows how to turn a phrase and create dialogue that is realistic and relatable. I especially loved the banter regarding favorite TV shows. And yes, totally agreeable on the fact that Ross from Friends is one of the most annoying (read: worst) characters ever. Fight me on this (and I LOVE the show).
But you have to read it for yourself to get the full essence. The book even sets up the third in the series, which…YAY! If you haven’t read the first one (and why not?), pick it up for the raccoons, stay for Poosh. I promise you will not be disappointed.
I have found a new series to get into (my list is getting long).
The second in the Detective Jo Fournier series
by M M Chouinard was entertaining and intriguing (and sometimes that is a
difficult combination to achieve).
From the first death in the office of a
college professor, I had a feeling that I was going to like this book. Having
worked in higher education, I am always interested in how accurately portrayed
it is. I am happy to report that the author does an excellent job of detailing
the politics and pitfalls of higher education faculty and staff.
The mystery itself was also gripping. By the
time Jo and her partner, Arnett, caught on to the links between the victims,
there were so many other questions to answer that I was kept off-balance as to
who the killer might be – there were a few red herrings that helped to
complicate the investigation. I did not mind those because they were well-written
and did not seem gratuitous.
I liked how the author interspersed a few
chapters from the killer’s perspective. This gave the depth to the motivations
and made the story more interesting. I also appreciated the “cat and mouse”
aspect to the search for the killer, because there were a few times that I
couldn’t tell which characters were the cat and which were the mouse. To be
kept guessing equals a good read in my book.
Usually I do not like it when there is random
personal background thrown into a story, but in this book it worked. I enjoyed
Jo’s visit to Louisiana and would love to see more about her family. I think it
was good background to her character.
There were a few places where I felt that I
missed a reference from the first book, but ultimately it did not diminish my
interest in the story. In fact, I had to go out and grab the first one to fill
in the backstory. In other words, this can be read as a standalone.
If you are a fan of crime thrillers, look no further.
Go and get this one now!
In a town full of secrets, the truth won’t stay buried…
When a girl’s body is discovered in a park in the sleepy Massachusetts town of Oakhurst, local detective Jo is shocked to the core. Because the girl is the second innocent victim to turn up dead in three days. And just like the first, a tarot card has been left by the body. The meaning of the card: betrayal.
After uncovering a series of threatening messages targeting the girl, a student at the university, and the first victim, her teacher, Jo thinks she’s locked the killer in her crosshairs. The primary suspect is a volatile ex-military student with an axe to grind for failing grades, and the frightened town is out for his blood. But the next day, a much-loved member of the community is found dead in her home, a tarot card in her mail. There’s no clear motive to link her death to the others, and the message on the card this time is even stranger: domestic bliss.
With a fourth body and card appearing the following day, Jo knows she’s running out of time to crack the code and bring the killer to justice. And the pressure only gets worse with heart-breaking news about Jo’s father forcing her to choose between helping her family heal or the victims’ families get justice. Can Jo find the twisted murderer sending the town into a panic before another life is lost? Or this time, will the dangerous killer find her first?
A completely addictive detective thriller that will keep you guessing into the early hours of the morning. If you love Kendra Elliot, Melinda Leigh and Lisa Regan you’ll love Taken to the Grave.
Author Bio
M.M. Chouinard’s first fiction story was published in her local paper when she was eight, and she fell in love with Agatha Christie novels not long after. While pursuing a Ph.D in psychology and helping to found the first U.S. research university of the new millenium, the stories kept rattling around inside her skull, demanding to come out. For sanity’s sake, she released them. She’s currently at work on her seventh novel.
On the one hand, I appreciated the setting of
higher education. I have extensive knowledge of the current trends in higher
ed, and the author did a great job of describing the problems that colleges are
facing these days.
The “for-profit” models, the focus on FTEs and
enrollment at the expense of programs, the theory of using a business model hierarchy
(CEOs, COOs, etc.) instead of traditional positions (Presidents, Provosts,
etc.), and especially the propensity to use adjuncts as a replacement for tenured
faculty are all very real to today’s world of education.
I also thought that the murder mystery at the
heart of the book was intriguing, and the “whodunnit” nature of that thread is
what ultimately kept me reading.
Unfortunately, there were a couple of things
that made this book a more difficult read than it should have been.
First, the focus on neoliberalism in colleges is
misguided in today’s higher ed universe. While it is true that the emphasis on
capitalistic practices in higher ed has grown, it is by no means the driving
force of today’s colleges.
Indeed, the author almost totally lost me with
the statement that colleges have experienced a rightward shift since Thatcher
and Reagan.
Now, I may be misunderstanding the intent, but
that could not be further from the truth. Colleges have become places where group-think
is encouraged, and opposing viewpoints are to be ridiculed or (in many cases)
completely shut down. And this is all done from the leftist point of view. So,
to say that colleges have shifted right really rubbed me the wrong way.
I also thought that the author got too carried
away with the minutiae of academia. I found it to be interesting because of my
background, but an average reader could find it challenging to wade through a
lot of the detailed academic descriptions to get to the heart of the plot.
Overall, it wasn’t a horrible book. But it certainly
could have been tightened up in several places to make it a more exciting and
accurate read.
This is becoming one of my favorite series. I like the setting of Seaside/Monterey. I especially like how the heroines in the series are strong women who support each other. This time, we get Sarah, who works at Bliss, a lingerie store. Her romantic interest–well, the attractive guy, but a jerk–is Jared.
Jared is a fairly typical romantic hero, in that he is gruff on the outside for personal reasons, but the heroine can really get him going. His character had more depth than Sarah. It felt like her backstory was a little less fleshed-out, and I wished that her brother and sister had played a bigger part. As it was, they were mentioned off-handedly as a plot point but didn’t have much else to do.
Of course, you know from the title that there is a “fake date” involved, this time to an engagement party in San Francisco. The couple has to work through some family-related stumbling blocks and, as usual, there are a few misunderstandings. I thought the characters involved with the engagement party were interesting because they were not the stereotypical type one might find. There was no bitchiness (which was refreshing).
But there is a HEA. Overall, it is an enjoyable book with good characters, and I look forward to the next in the series. I was really happy to see that Jared’s sister Candice is getting a story, but there are plenty of gals left to match up!
I loved T.M. Logan’s first book, Lies, and was
hoping that he wouldn’t suffer a “Sophomore Slump” in the second book.
Spoiler Alert: He didn’t. This book was even
better than the first.
From the teaser prologue, the book jumps back
in time a mere two weeks to when the main character’s life takes a turn for the
worse. Sarah is in a job that she loves with a boss who could win the title of “Worst
Boss Ever.” A chance encounter and a split-second decision ultimately give Sarah
the chance to change the trajectory of her life.
Sarah’s character was fascinating. I loved her
job, and the academic setting was more interesting than a typical business or corporation.
It also made the differentiation between public and private personas more striking.
As always, no spoilers, but in this case, I
feel strongly about not saying much more about the plot because readers should
be allowed to experience it on their own. As with the author’s first book, the action
moves along at a swift pace. I finished this in less than 24 hours, reading
deep into the night and getting up early in the morning to finish it (a girl
has to sleep sometime; otherwise I would have read straight through the night.
It was that good).
Also, similar to the first book, there are a
few twists that keep the reader guessing. At one point I wasn’t sure about
anything I had just read because it went in a different direction than I
thought it would.
There were only two brief parts that I could
have done without, and they involved mention of American politicians. I have commented
on this with other books as well. If the book is not politically-oriented, and
there is no bearing on the characters, there is no reason to throw it in. It
seems gratuitous, and it takes away from the story at hand. I, for one, avoid
political thrillers for this reason – I read to escape. And a jarring mention
takes me right out of the story.
Those were minor, however. Overall, this is
one fantastic book, and I don’t know why you’re still reading this review – go pick
it up now!
“This book was like the best sort of dessert. I. Am. Addicted.” – #1NYT bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken
Fake Date, an all-new standalone contemporary romance by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Monica Murphy is LIVE!
Working at Bliss Lingerie, Sarah Harrison deals with all sorts of—interesting clientele. Yet no one sparks her interest more than Jared Gaines, the ultra-rich, ultra-sexy businessman who frequents her shop, buying delicate little “gifts” for the women in his life.
But one day, Jared sends her a gift from Bliss. Then another—and another. So when Sarah walks into his office demanding to know why he can’t stop sending her gifts, he makes her an offer she somehow can’t refuse: be his fake girlfriend for the weekend while attending his brother’s engagement party.
Next thing Sarah knows, she’s in San Francisco, pretending to be in love with Jared. Not that it’s a hardship. Once you get the man away from the office, he’s much more relaxed. Sweet. Funny. Even…thoughtful? Oh, and sexier than ever, of course.
Their pretend relationship feels very real, very quickly. Soon Sarah’s in over her head. Could what she and Jared share turn into something real? Or is it all actually…fake?
Monica Murphy is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is both self-published and published by Random House/Bantam and HarperCollins/Avon. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance.
She is a wife and a mother of three who lives in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.
The creators of Spicetopia know adulting is hard. Bills. Mortgages. Parenting. Estate planning. Sometimes you just need to kick back and indulge your inner kid — except now that inner kid has grown-up tastes.
Two couples set out to create a world of adult fun in a slice of paradise called Spicetopia. Cy and Jolie have experience from the kids’ theme park Cy’s family owns. Moon and Katja bring technical and architectural expertise to the table. Can these four work together and build their dream world — while having plenty of adult fun along the way? Or will their dream end up being flushed right down the toilet?
Virtue & Vice is Book 2 in the Spicetopia series. Though these sweet and spicy books can be read in any order, we recommend you read Book 1, Sugar & Spice first. You can find it in the Sweetest Obsessions boxed set or in paperback.
As the oldest of the wealthy and well-connected Blackthornes, Trey always puts family first. To end his parents’ separation, he heads to France, only to find that Paris has much more to offer than one missing mother. But Trey’s not the sort to slow down, even when a beautiful and free-spirited American volunteers to play tour guide.
Mia Thomas won’t take no for an answer, however, and soon Trey is questioning his all work, no play, and no commitment lifestyle. Then a family secret is revealed, and he must once and for all decide the kind of man he truly wants to be.
Meet the Blackthorne men, each one as hot, fast, and smooth as the whiskey that built the family fortune, and yachts and race cars that bear their name. From proud Scottish stock, Blackthornes never lose. But, one by one, the seven sexy men in this family are about to risk everything when they fall for strong and beautiful women who test their mettle in life…and love.
Don’t miss these sexy, heartwarming, emotion-filled books by seven bestselling authors: Barbara Freethy, Julia London, Lynn Raye Harris, Cristin Harber, Roxanne St. Claire, Christie Ridgway, and Samantha Chase. Check out every book in the series!
Christie Ridgway is a California native and author of over forty-five contemporary romances. A six-time RITA finalist and USA Today bestselling author, she writes sexy, emotional reads starring determined heroines and the men who can’t help but love them. She has a Career Achievement award from RT Book Reviews and twice has received their Reviewer’s Choice award for best contemporary romance of the year. Married to her college sweetheart, Christie lives in Southern California in a house filled with boys and pets. She writes as an escape from sports equipment, football on TV, and dog hair.
