Month: September 2014

Review: Cooking Up a Storm

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Cooking Up a Storm Cooking Up a Storm by Ashley Ladd
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This was just … bad. There are bad books where you wonder how anyone could have liked them (Outlander!) but usually those are about taste. Then there are books where you wonder how anyone could have published them. It’s not that this particular book was eye-searingly bad and will haunt me for the rest of my life. I’ve read those and while bad, this doesn’t quite reach that category. It’s more so that I’m confused how no one pointed out the numerous problems with the writing and plot. There are certain details- such as continuity, flow, changed character names- that I’d think someone, somewhere would have pointed out as problematic. Apparently not though and so the finished product, such as it was, leaves a lot to be desired unfortunately. Continue reading →

Review: Only You

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Only You
Only You by Katrina Strauss

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So apparently I’m going through a phase where all I read are series books out of order. I kind of hate doing that, by the way, and try hard to avoid it when I can. With Blue Ruin, I actually thought I’d read the series since I like the author and the books sounded familiar. Well apparently I’d read only the first book in the series but none of the subsequent books. I’m ok with that because I definitely did not like the characters enough to want to read more but I seriously lacked some considerable context for the cast and situations mentioned. I would not recommend reading this one if you haven’t been following the series. That said, I also don’t think it’s a series I want to catch up on but it’s an easy enough read with a happy ending that seems final for the series. Continue reading →

Review: Best Kept Secrets

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Best Kept Secrets
Best Kept Secrets by Evangeline Anderson
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

It’s been years since I read an Evangeline Anderson book but I remember her writing being hot, erotic, and decent reads. In fact I remember quite liking several of her m/m books. So I took a chance on her m/f book, Best Kept Secrets. I thought it was an incest book, but it actually the brother and sister are only “step” and not actually related. That’s ok because the two have enough angst that you would think they were blood related fifteen times over and the worst sin in the entire universe was two step siblings getting it on when they live alone on a ship and hop from planet to planet with only minimal interaction with anyone else. So the drama is manufactured in numerous ways that made me roll my eyes several times, especially when the alien tells the female that they have to fuck to solve all problems. You pretty much have to read it to believe it… Continue reading →

Review: Only You

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Only You
Only You by Willa Okati
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read a fair bit of Willa Okati’s books and they are solidly average reads. I never really love or hate the books but I find them easy and forgettable. Which honestly is exactly what I wanted when I picked this one. I also liked that it was a shorter novella. I don’t have the time or mental energy for something long and involved right now, which only matters because that was my attitude coming into the book. I hadn’t read the previous book in the series but figured it couldn’t be that difficult to figure things out. The story was easy to read and romantic enough, although not having read the first book in the series did hinder my understanding somewhat. Overall Soulmarked is an enjoyable read and made me curious to continue with the series. Continue reading →