2 stars

Review: Love the Sinner

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Love the Sinner
Love the Sinner by Avril Ashton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

In my quest to experience new authors, Avril Ashton is my pick from Ellora’s Cave. While there are numerous good reasons why EC is not a publisher I go to when choosing books (esp m/m books) this particular choice wasn’t horrific. As that’s not a ringing endorsement, I found the writing to be standard if unimaginative, the characters to be stereotypical and predictable, the story littered with clichés, and a plot that didn’t always make much sense. Yet I found the book ok and finished it without having to force myself. I like the concept of the characters and the plot more than the actual execution. I know there are 2 more books in the series that tempt me because I like the potential of the characters and the situations. I’m just not entirely sure the writing can execute them. Continue reading →

Review: The Casual Vacancy

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The Casual Vacancy
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Having recently finished The Casual Vacancy on audio book, I’m left wondering at the point of the entire story and why I wasted so much time on this book. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a bad book, but I think it’s over written with a wandering plot and abrupt ending, but it’s definitely not a great, wonderful, read over and over again book (like the Harry Potter series). The prose often feels as though it’s trying entirely too hard to be clever and unique while the plot never has a cohesive trajectory. The vast cast of characters is certainly multifaceted and nuanced but entirely reprehensible with not a single likeable character in the entire book. I don’t really know what point the author was trying to convey with this book, nor what the book is actually about. Continue reading →

Review: After the First Taste of Love

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After the First Taste of Love
After the First Taste of Love by Talon Rihai
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It’s rare that a SMP book fails to deliver for me but sadly I struggled with this one. It’s only a novella but I kept wishing it’d end sooner so I’d be done. It’s not a bad concept but the execution leaves something to be desired. The story attempts to add complexity and depth in numerous ways but I’m not convinced any of them actually worked. Instead of a story about long time friendship turning into true love, this reads more like an examination of cultural and societal issues. The main couple do not feel like a committed, ever lasting couple so much as friends that have sex because they both have too many issues to be with other people. Ultimately this novella failed to entice me to want to read it and I think failed to convey the many messages it attempted. Continue reading →

Review: Book Of Secrets

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Book Of Secrets
Book Of Secrets by R.J. Scott
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’ll say first that I haven’t read the first book of this series. I didn’t actually realize it was a series until I started reading and oops, yea book two. You certainly can read this one without reading the first book, as I did, but there is so much missing information that I wouldn’t suggest it. There is no independent character development – I assume it all takes place in the previous book – and the plot is incredibly complicated for no real reason. The end result after a madcap of heists, escapes, death threats, gun fights, and a ton of magic is a little girl helped when there had to be an easier solution. At least there is a lot of action. Continue reading →

Review: Sweet Talk

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Sweet Talk
Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It’s been a while since I’ve read a Julie Garwood book but I have a whole shelf of them so I figured I’d check out her newest contemporary book. Sweet Talk is just that, almost nauseatingly so. I found the characters way too perfect. Everyone is gorgeous, kind, charitable to a ridiculous degree, and all with genius level intellects. The bad guys are bad without any real reason but tend to make near comical mistakes while the good guys are so perfect and caring I kept rolling my eyes at them. Flaws of any kind don’t exist in this fantasy land. On the up side the plot is decent and I actually liked many of the concepts of the book, the writing just couldn’t quite flesh them out well enough. Continue reading →

Review: One Good Year

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One Good Year
One Good Year by Rowan McBride
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I vaguely remember quite liking both this author and the previous book so I snapped this one up on that brief passing feeling. While this sequel is decent and helps recall events from the previous book, it feels too incomplete and flounders looking for a strong purpose. Initially I was really excited to read from Spade’s first person POV but soon I realized he’s just as empty and mysterious as he was in the first book. Without Ace’s charming personality to help cover any gaps in the writing and storyline, this sequel leaves a lot to be desired. The author’s winning voice and engaging manner shines through and makes the novella easy to read and get through but it easy falls short of the original and by a lot sadly. Continue reading →

Review: Home Ice

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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 →