Author: Kassa

Throwback read…Counterpoint: Dylan’s Story by Ruth Sims

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8489115Counterpoint: Dylan’s Story by Ruth Sims
4.24 of 5 stars 4.24 · rating details · 170 ratings · 58 reviews
Published 2010 by Dreamspinner Press
Blurb:
At eighteen Dylan Rutledge has one obsession: music. He believes his destiny is to be the greatest composer of the rapidly approaching twentieth century. Only Laurence Northcliff, a young history master at The Venerable Bede School for Young Gentlemen, believes in Dylan’s talent and encourages his dream, not realizing Dylan is in love with him. But Dylan’s passion and belief in his future come at a high price. They will alienate him from his family and lead him on a rocky path fraught with disappointment, rejection, and devastating loss that kills his dream. A forbidden love could bring the dream back to life and rescue Dylan from despair and bitterness, but does he have the courage to reach out and take it? Will he deny the music that rules his soul?

I can still remember how much I loved this story. Not so much the details per se but just reading the title made me think “god what a great book.” If you haven’t read this…you must! Sims is a phenomenal author.

My Review: 5 out of 5 stars Continue reading →

Review: Dark Around the Edges: Possession

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Dark Around the Edges: Possession
Dark Around the Edges: Possession by Cari Z.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cambion is back in the 5th installment and if you’re not on the edge of your seat, why not! This is a great, punchy series that just gets better every episode. I honestly can’t recommend it enough. I’m enjoying reading short bits of it at a time and think it’ll hold up really well (if not actually better) when re-reading the whole thing at one time. It feels as though this was a novel that they split into parts for a serial so I’m kind of excited to re-read it all at one sitting. Anyway, in this installment Devon has been cambion-napped by his demon father, Cressidus, while Rio is struggling to find him. Time is running short and once Cressidus binds with Devon completely, all hope is lost. Continue reading →

Review: In the After + Giveaway

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In the After
In the After by Demitria Lunetta
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read quite a few YA post-apocalyptic, dystopian books and I’d say this is about average. It fits within the genre without redefining or contributing in any meaningful way. The writing is clean, almost too clean and sparse, with a lack of exposition that I almost missed. The story is told in three parts and the first part is the best. It grabbed me right from the start and I sped through the first half. The second and third parts definitely slowed and while it’s an easy book to read, and very quick despite the 400-page length, I didn’t love the second and third parts as much. I’ll probably continue with the series if the next book comes out pretty soon but if too much time passes I’ll forget about the series and probably not even cares what happens. Continue reading →

Throwback..whatever day of the week it is

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So I’ve been seeing this trend “throwback thursday – tbt” on blogs now for a while and I’ll be honest, I always thought it was ridiculous. Kind of campy and silly, something best avoided, especially when it involves pictures of people in their youth. Seriously – that is NEVER a good look.

However I’ve recently been thinking it would be fun to revisit old books, but I’m not always doing it on Thursday. Such a rebel. And much to my dismay in this genre or any genre, stories over 2 years old seems ancient, old, and decrepit.

How sad is that?!

With these recent posts (mine , Jen’s, and Tam’s) in mind, I decided I’d do a few throwback posts of my own. This format is open to change whenever my laziness, busy schedule, or wandering interest are factored in, but for now I’m hoping to highlight older reviews. I’ll also be re-reading several books. I may even review some of them as I don’t have reviews for all of my favorite books.

Sometimes I get stuck in a rut of always reading new books. I feel like m/m is my review genre so almost everything I read has to be something for review. It takes out some of the fun of reading. So instead of re-reviewing a book, I want to see how my old reviews compare and hold up. Plus it’ll shed some light on some truly great books that get forgotten within short amounts of time.

Total side note – I wonder if authors get frustrated that all their immense hard work gets shuffled to a book graveyard so soon?

Anyway, first up –

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The Protector by N.L. Gassert
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Published January 1st 2008 by Seventh Window Publications

This is the only book NL Gassert has published (WHY!) and it was a great debut. I’m still waiting that someday she’ll publish     something again. Or I’ll find out that she’s publishing under another name (so popular). Either way, I still hope for more from Gassert. I ran a giveaway when I initially wrote my review and maybe if anyone’s interested I’ll do another one. I’m thinking of re-reading it as my own review has me excited about it.

For anyone that missed it the first time around or anyone who cares, here’s what I had to say about it.

Continue reading →

Review: Take A Gamble

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Take A Gamble
Take A Gamble by N. Wood
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The book is listed as out of print on GR. Considering it was just published recently a few months ago, I’m not sure why. Perhaps there’s some scandal I don’t know about but in case it’s just something random or benign, here’s what I thought about it. N. Woods is a new author to me and I choose this novella due to shorter length, new author, and a seemingly fun premise. I like the offbeat vibe of the story but I never connected to the characters or their romance. They seem nice but the problems brought up are way too easily solved and the couple doesn’t really become a couple until they have sex at the end of the story. I took a break around the halfway mark and it took me almost a week to want to finish the novella, despite the easy reading. Continue reading →

Review: The Door Into Spring

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The Door Into Spring
The Door Into Spring by Missy Welsh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

These short stories, in between longer novels in a series, are fun additions but tend to be fluff for loyal fans. The Door into Spring is no difficult. It shows Wes and Mal from the original book, My Summer of Wes, but the story is too brief to offer any real additional depth or interest. It’s a glimpse into the characters’ continued happy lives but not much else. In fact writing a review will take longer than reading the short story. The quick bite did help me remember why I liked the first book and want to read any sequel that happens. Continue reading →

Review: No Man’s Land

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No Man's Land
No Man’s Land by G.S. Wiley
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I’m a big fan of author GS Wiley. While her books may never be 5 star reads, they’re very solid 3 star stories that I really enjoy reading for the lovely romance, intriguing settings, and the smooth almost singsong quality of the prose. I always know what to expect from a Wiley story and I’ve never been disappointed yet. She’s an easy author to recommend too – solid, dependable, and familiar stories in unique settings. The characters are never over the top passionate but instead shimmer with emotion and need. It’s all under the surface and I like how the author peels back the layers. This delightful story is a good addition to her backlist. Continue reading →

Review: From the Ashes

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From the Ashes
From the Ashes by Daisy Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Daisy Harris is a new author for me and I was happy to try out her upcoming book from Samhain. Usually Samhain has good instincts and solid editing and I certainly can’t resist firefighters. I had high hopes when I opened this to read and I was happy by the time I got to the end. I enjoyed reading for the most part and although I didn’t always like the main characters, I did appreciate their complexity and ability to grow. This is a nice novel with a few roadblocks to love, but honestly very few. Instead it focuses on sweet romance and a happy ending. Continue reading →

Review: Succubus Blues

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Succubus Blues
Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this on a friend’s recommendation. I like UF and I’m good with kick ass females (though they can be so stereotypical and generic that I get bored). SB has a lot to recommend it with decent amount of action, a love triangle, lots of hellish demons that you can’t help but root for and a relatively smooth writing style. I found the book very easy to listen to though I never quite connected to the characters. I definitely am not invested in the book or series but I like it enough to continue. Continue reading →