Review: Home Ice

Home Ice
Home Ice by Kate Sherwood
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’ve liked previous Kate Sherwood stories so I took a chance on this one even though it’s from a publisher I usually avoid. Sadly I should have known better and stayed away even though I like this author. Home Ice is a cliché on a cliché filled with super quick actions, repetitive elements, very little unique detail and ultimately wooden characters. I liked the hockey elements, which come across genuine and interesting. The coaching environment and the teens are fun and eye catching but there are too many distracting elements. The story can’t quite decide what it is and therefore throws a bunch of unrelated actions together to try to create some tension. It works but not successfully or in a good way. Continue reading

Review: False Start

False Start
False Start by Janey Chapel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m a fan of Chapel’s work and with this offering I realize I like her writing more than I like the actual plot. The story here is predictable though well told, and almost boring with its mundane and expected actions. There’s nothing unique or different to the story but Chapel’s clean, inviting prose makes it enjoyable to read anyway. She has a way of writing that invokes clear, impressionable imagery while being smoking hot every single time. It wasn’t until I hit the end of the novella that I realized the characters are woefully under developed, there’s no closure, and no real purpose to the story. Yet despite these issues the crispness of her writing makes me want to read it again for the easy flow, wrenching emotions, and hot sensuality. Continue reading

Realism in fiction

Realism in fiction is an ongoing debate. Readers and reviewers alike often invoke this argument, usually in pointing out flaws. Authors seem to universally loathe such a criticism, frequently referring to extensive research or personal experience. Yet even these arguments are not always met with positive reactions and readers are likely to still claim otherwise, regardless of what an author says.

These days I tend to give a proven author the benefit of the doubt and no matter how improbable or ridiculous a detail or scenario may seem – I assume the author knows what they’re talking about. The caveat to this of course is if a book is poorly written or horribly edited then I’ll assume the author clearly couldn’t be bothered with realism or facts.

But this brings me to the crux of the “reality in fiction” argument. It’s not really about what is realistic so much as what is believable. Continue reading

Review: Chase in Shadow

Chase in Shadow
Chase in Shadow by Amy Lane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Chase in Shadow is a somewhat typical Amy Lane story filled with angst and emotionally damaged men. There is enough emotional turmoil, tears, and intense drama to exhaust anyone at the end of reading but the ending is definitely and very solidly a happy, deeply in love ending. These kinds of stories have become almost, I’m sorry to say, formulaic for Lane. The individual protagonists are expectedly broken and damaged almost to the point of no return but the deep love of another slightly less damaged but still broken man can help save them both. This only happens after considerable emotional torture and pain but all’s well in the end. There are enough differences in the circumstances and details to make each story interesting so if you’re a fan of Lane’s style, you’ll likely appreciate this addition. Continue reading

Review: Secret Light

Secret Light
Secret Light by Z.A. Maxfield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The last few ZAM books have been good but they haven’t hit the high notes of previous books for me. Finally Secret Light delivers the addictive and engaging prose by Maxfield I love so much. Here the story flows so easily with wonderful characters that the few flaws and obvious story manipulations are easy to forgive. There’s not such a defined happy ending but it fits with the time period and general story making it easy to see there likely will be a happy ending, even if it’s not spelled out. The tone is more subdued, as fits the story and characters, so this isn’t exactly a feel good holiday story, nor is it exactly a Hanukkah story, but it’s definitely worth reading and I quite liked it. Continue reading

Review: The Forester

The Forester
The Forester by Blaine D. Arden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Forester is an impressive mix of fantasy and murder/mystery. The writing is superior and the romance is a nice touch without being too easy and ignoring the many potential problems. I personally liked the mystery component of the story more than the romance as ménages are a tough sell that I don’t always appreciate. Overall I quite like this novella and recommend it even if the threesome didn’t quite win me over as a reader. Continue reading

Review: Better

Better
Better by Jaime Samms
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’m a big fan of Samms’ writing and I leapt at her first full-length novel. I’ve been asking for one of these for a while and it’s not surprising that the concept is pretty deep. While the idea is solid and makes for an involving story, the writing stumbles in multiple places. There are problems that I’ve never associated with this author before and ultimately this one is merely ok. It has some high points but more low points than anything and makes me wonder if full-length stories highlight more weaknesses. Continue reading

Freeing myself from the TBR…

One of the things I’ve been doing recently is getting rid of stuff. Tons of stuff. Stuff I actually like and probably will have to rebuy. This includes clothes I haven’t worn in forever (including brand new items with tags), books I won’t read again, random items I don’t remember why I bought but I seem to own. I’m more than de-cluttering, I’m going a bit overboard.

However I can’t tell you enough how good it feels to get rid of these things that I won’t ever wear or read again. I kept them for so long because they were nice clothes or good books but in being honest with myself, I simply have no use for them anymore.

This includes my TBR booklist. It’s a lovely list filled to overflowing with books I’ve bought and always meant to read. My folder on the computer is easily over 1000 books and they’re good books let me tell you. There are some by my favorite authors and some that have landed on top lists for years. They’re good books! I should read them and that’s why they’re in the folder/on the list.

The problem is that I don’t seem to reach for my TBR list very often and lately not at all. It seems to grow exponentially while I make very little headway into it. It’s a stress, knowing it’s there and knowing I should be reading it. I -know- I’m missing good books in that folder but there always seems to be something more shiny catching my attention.

So, it’s gone! 

Well not literally but I put the entire folder on my backup drive and got rid of it on my main computer. It’s no longer the first thing I see when I open up my book folder. I cleaned out my e-reader too.

It felt so good to forgive myself for never reading those excellent books. I know I’m missing out and I may go back in for a book here and there. Maybe more but maybe not too.

That TBR has been staring me in the face for years and constantly making me feel bad for choosing a new release over something in that folder. No more! And it’s a relief to be done with it.

A break…

So I’ve decided to take a break from reviewing. I’ve been reviewing this genre for 4 years (wow) and I still love it. While my taste in books has definitely changed and evolved with time, becoming more discerning, I still think the best books in this genre stack up against the best books in any genre. I won’t stop reading or reviewing what I love but I am taking a short break. It could be a long one but I hope not.

While the holidays should be a time for cheer and wonderful reflection, unfortunately this month has decided to devastate my family. Not even once either, but on multiple fronts. My mom and I actually listed everything that’s been going on this month and it’s really staggering that so many horrific things could happen to one family. If I believed in karma then I’d wonder but there is no way karma could have anything to do with the sad events this month. When I think about it I just want to cry and never get up from bed but of course that helps no one. So I do get up and go through the day but just coping takes all my energy with nothing left over for reviewing or much interaction. I am still reading here and there, mostly to zone out though so not exactly critically reading.

I think I’ve reviewed everything waiting in my queue or I’ve tried. If I missed something just let me know and I’ll put it at the top of my list when I can think about reviewing again. I apologize for not commenting on blogs lately – it’s not that I don’t read them but I do it in fits and starts and never seem to have the time/energy to comment. I’m sorry. I should do a better job and please know that I value the effort people put into posting and I’m at least reading.

I think that’s it for now but I hope everyone is having a better holiday filled with healthy/prosperous family and friends.