Book Review: The Shadow Society

The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Let down and then surprised...

I'll explain.

So, I really had a little bit of a hard time getting into this book.  The writing was choppy, the characters cliched, and the plot was cliche.

As Darcy grew as a character the writing smoothed out.  Maybe the author did this on purpose.  We'd have to ask.  But it seemed to fit.  As she calmed down and found her place in the world there was less angst (which translated into choppiness for me) and more calm, real, decent writing.

I don't mind a little cliche in plots... with SO MUCH YA BEING PUBLISHED... it's kind of inevitable and a lot of authors (or maybe it's publishers) seem to want to stick with what works rather than take a chance.  I can't fault 'em entirely, but I always loved something new.

So, yes, the type of paranormal characters were different (read: NOT vampires and NOT werewolves), but the feel of the characters and their roles in the story was not so much.

Not a waste of time. Not spectacular or miraculous, but decent on the side of good.

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Book Review: Count Down to Love

Count Down to Love by Julie N. Ford
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Bahaha. I don't know. It was cute. It was clean. It wasn't really cheesy... it just felt... obvious. It was clean, which was lovely. And quick which is often nice because I like to finish a book in one sitting whenever I can.

The characters were cute and likable and the books was fine, just fine. Nothing special, but cute enough.

These other two books are basically the same thing:

,

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And the hits just keep on coming...

Carla Kelly's Christmas Collection by Carla Kelly


 Heads Up... again!!

I'll be participating in this blog tour. The date I am posting on will be October 8th.  I just finished it and am starting my review.  Check back so you don't miss it!

Love, Me

Heads up!

I'm going to be part of another blog tour. I'll be posting November 7th.  Keep coming back so you don't miss anything!

-Brooke

Book review; A Long Way From Chicago

A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very... Dead End-esque .. though as good as it was, it didn't quite measure up.

It was fun, quick, witty, with a strong voice and loveable characters. It was fun to see their grandma huff and puff and then quietly show her good-as-gold heart. I especially thought Richard Peck did an amazing job making it sound like a good ol' boy was telling the story without making it seem forced, awkward, and lame. He did awesome. AWESOME.

I definitely recommend this book (slightly older kids... it does talk about a bloated, bloody body and a few other such things that I wouldn't recommend for first grade listeners).

I declare it not a waste of time.

I am excited to read the next book, "A Year Down Yonder". .

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Book Review: The Heirs of Southbridge

The Heirs of Southbridge by Jennie Hansen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So... wow. Um... glad I didn't buy this book when I was going to

I planned to purchase it... I had just read "Edenbrooke" and was looking for a book that would draw me in and keep me reading... a book that would be clean and sweet...  A book that was hardly ever cheesy...

This was not that book.

Not to be a negative Nel. It wasn't that bad. Hence the fact that I didn't rate it one star.  But... it just wasn't very good.

The writing wasn't poor... or crummy. It just... was boring. The plot wasn't when I think back on it. But man! I had the hardest time paying attention or getting into it. I had a really hard time caring about the characters at all... I just... it just... bah. It fell flat. There's no other way to say it.

And I am sorry for it. I am. I really wanted to like this book. I made myself finish it. I'll just never read it again and feel relieved I borrowed it from the local lib. instead of buying it.

I don't really feel like I wasted my time... but kind of.

The characters were not bad. They could even be likable... I just never felt a connection. Never really cared about any of them.

It was clean. Which was good. I appreciated that. And I could even see how the author may have set the book up for a spin off (Travis's story) if you enjoyed the book and wanted to see where things went (you might get lucky, it sure seemed like she was thinking in that direction).

Okay. Sorry if this seemed harsh. It's hard to find the line between honest and rude.  And maybe you'll love the book. I've never read a lot of westerns (like, almost none) and this, I would say, would fall into that category so maybe that's why I didn't like it much.

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Book Review: Destined

Destined by Aprilynne Pike
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Okay. So. I just finished this book like... five minutes ago.  I was stressed 'cause I had things going on here at home making it difficult to finish!!!

First off, this was a really fast read... like, if I hadn't had any interruptions I probably would have finished in two hours.  BUT! It honestly had everything it needed to have in it.  Aprilynne Pike didn't waste a lot of time on useless descriptions or crummy ol' sex scenes.... she just wrote the story and I appreciated that.  The pacing was great and I never felt bored or rushed. She found a really great middle ground for all the plots/action/adventure/love story/ friendship/ intrigue that she had to wrap up for the other three books.

I liked the ending. It wasn't totally drawn up and clear and yet all the endings I needed as a reader to feel satisfied, I got.

I am having a hard time recalling all the books, but going off this book and the fact that I read the other three (and the fact that it was such a fast read anyway) I would say this series wasn't a waste of time and the ending really made me feel satisfied and like I could move on knowing things work out without feeling stressed... like maybe the author has another eighteen books in the works. ;)

Okay. Let me add one last tiny thing. So, Laurel's wings (her flower) were such a big deal in the first three books... from adding a sexual note (which, really? Not my cup 'o tea anyway and pretty darn near unnecessary) to revealing her fairy identity... NOT EVEN MENTIONED ONCE and honestly, you'd be hard pressed to think of her as anything other than human in this book until the very, very last moment. She was a weak heroine indeed. That I did not like.

All right. That is all!
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Book Review: Delicious Conversation

Delicious Conversation by Jennifer Stewart Griffith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A modern day LDS take on Persuasion (which is one of my favorites). It was cute, fun, quick, and overall fairly well-written. It took me a second to notice the correlation to Persuasion and when "the penny dropped" I felt awfully silly... it's obvious!
A good love story-ish. I wish there were more scenes between John and Susannah... but it was cute.  The tortoise bits were... strange really. A funny take on making the bad guy interested in the heroine... and just a little ridiculous. But not much.  At least, it didn't ruin the book for me.

I have read it three times... and it's on my "I want to own" shelf on Goodreads... so that can tell you something!

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I found out about a giveaway on another blog: Kindle Fire giveaway link...

http://www.faebooks.co.uk/2013/07/SummerKindleFireGiveaway.html

Hello readers! There's a giveaway happening at that link ^ there.  Check it out. Good luck! This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT! Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HD 7".

Kindle Fire HD 7" Giveaway

The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HD (US Only)

  Or $199 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)

  Or $199 in Paypal Cash (International)

 

Sponsoring Bloggers & Authors

1. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
2. Feed Your Reader
3. New Adult Addiction
4. Jessabella Reads
5. The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Somthing Year Old Girl
6. Books Unhinged by StacyHgg
7. S.A. Larsen - Writer's Ally
8. Author Inger Iverson
9. The Geeky Gamers
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11. Everyday Word Magic
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16. Feed Your Fiction Addiction
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27. Mother Daughter & Son Book Review
28. Meredith's Musings
29. Auggie Talk
30. Author Camelia Miron Skiba
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34. Curling Up with A Good Book
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46. Sher A Hart: Written Art
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48. Word to Dreams
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50. Tasty Book Tours
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52. Romance Bookworm's Reviews

  Giveaway Details 1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire 7" HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash (International). There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire. Sponsor a future Kindle Fire Giveaway by signing up HERE. Ends 8/15/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale by Rebecca Jamison

Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale by Rebecca H. Jamison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So. Truly, I have to say I was impressed. There was definitely a connection to this book and the original... but Rebecca Jamison did a wonderful job modernizing the story.  I felt as though she really captured the heart of each of the characters even though she modernized the book. Even though, when you re-write a classic you already have the plot lined out for you... honestly, it would be difficult, I imagine, to capture the feel of the original characters while completely removing them from their original surroundings. The plot doesn't do all of your characterization for you.

Rebecca Jamison also did a good job of keeping the original plot, and yet not.  It was not set in England, he wasn't the captain of a ship, she didn't have her horrid/"trustworthy" friend, she didn't have to move out of a house (she was already out), and she was... a stock broker.

I appreciated all these new details. I appreciated the way there weren't obvious connections to the original book... and yet there were.  I didn't feel as though I were reading a sad wanna-be of a masterpiece... I felt like I was reading a clean, modern nod to a wonderful classic.

I would like to own this book. It is clean, it is sweet, it is fun, it is a little fast-paced sometimes and just a nice, easy read that would be lovely to pick up whenever I'm in the mood for a little light-hearted romance.

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Book Review: Scarlet

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Did not love...the crude language. The love triangle.

Did love... pretty much everything else.

Wow. I stayed up 'til 1:15 in the morning to finish this (took me about three hours to read so it was sort of quick) 'cause I was so into it.

Will Scarlet is actually a girl... is actually (spoiler. Won't ruin it for you).

Little John and Robin Hood and Scarlet with a little guy named Munch make up the band of Merry Men

Robin Hood rocks.

Not a waste of time. Fun, exhilarating read.
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Book Review: I Belong With You by Shannon Guymon

I Belong With You by Shannon Guymon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is also posted on Amazon.

So. I love Shannon Guymon's books. Clean, sweet, and all of them end happily. Now, some people might have a problem with that. But she does it on purpose... 'cause fiction can be an escape. Doesn't have to be, but it can be and she chooses to make it one.

This book in particular was lovely. I haven't read the first one yet, but aside from a few things I didn't know... this book could have stood alone. Shannon does a good job filling in the gaps and reminding readers what happened in the previous book without making it seem like she's retelling the whole thing.

I literally had a smile on my face for most of this book and I finished it within a couple of hours. I had to know how it ended. Also, because I'm that kind of reader (don't hate) I skipped to the end for a moment because the suspense was killing me and I HAD TO KNOW who she was going to end up with.

A lot of suspense (both romantic and otherwise)... clean... fun... thrilling... and enough to make me smile while reading.

I also, just to add a note, should say that if you like girl power, sister relationshipos, close girl friends... any of Shannon's books would be for you. The way she writes about the bond between sisters and friends in her books makes me think she would be a lovely, lovely friend to have.

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BLOG TOUR: Book Review: Emma A Latter-day Tale by Rebecca H. Jamison

 This is Rebecca Jamison.

And this is her new book.

I am excited to be a part of this blog tour and to have had the opportunity to read this book. Welcome if you're visiting from Rebecca's website and welcome back if you are a returning reader.

I love Jane Austen... not that unusual ;). I also love when an author can take a plot that obviously works and make it feel fresh and new.  In this version, the characters were modernized in a way that I really enjoyed. It felt halfway between "Clueless" and "Emma".

Emma has recently found success as a matchmaker so when quiet, sweet, poorly dressed Harri catches her notice Emma decides to keep the ball rolling. Enter Phil. A single guy that Emma is sure would be just the guy for Harri. Just as in the book, Emma, Harri is persuadable and easily led.  Phil is not on the same page. Emma is determined to force things that won't be forced. Justin Knightley is lovely. And Emma's dad provides a little comic relief.

I knew what plot twists were coming because I've read and watched Emma before so the really intriguing part about this book was seeing how Rebecca Jamison modernized the characters and setting.  I also love how well LDS culture blends into classic stories.  Keeps the classics as clean as when they were first written. I do not like seeing classics "smutted up" for the masses.

A sweet, twisty, silly love story that makes you think about perceptions and makes you wonder if you really do know what's best for someone else.

Worth a read... NOT a waste of time. Not even a little.