Rebecca Crowley - Crossing Hearts

New to the U.S. soccer scene, not to mention the English language, compact yet explosive Chilean soccer legend Rio Vidal is driven to define a role on his new team, Atlanta Skyline. But he must also adapt to a new culture—and accept that he can’t do it alone. His beautiful interpreter, Eva, has been his voice, his refuge. But she is becoming so much more. If only he could convince her he isn’t like the other men she’s worked with, players on—and off—the field.
As a translator for pro athletes, Eva Torres is used to dealing with self-interested super stars. But Rio seems different, and she’s blindsided when he locks eyes with her across a church pew. By now, after weeks of close contact with the endearing athlete with whom she shares a language, her thoughts are far from holy. She must remind herself flirtation is probably just his default style. Plus, she’s the only one he can really talk to. But when his ambition threatens to derail his career—and their deepening connection—they’ll both have to lay their hearts on the center line.

Comment: I've had this book to read since 2017 and what probably made it something I'd be interested in reading was the fact the heroine was a translator, something I wanted to see represented since I also got a translation degree and it's always a little thrilling to see similarities between the characters and ourselves. Sadly, this was not an engaging read for me after all.

In this story we meet Rio, a soccer player from Chile who recently got his chance to play in the American league. This means a bigger opportunity for him but he doesn't speak english, so his new club got him a translator, Eva Torres, and he doesn't really mind because she is nice to look at and he understands her, something he appreciates since he feels a little isolated due to the language barrier.

Eva is a woman who recently got into her 30s and she feels the pressure of seeing all her close friends find someone and she is single yet. She seems to be attracted to Rio but considers him to be just one more player, not interested in commitment, something she went through before with another guy in the team. Can they find common ground and find love with one another?

This comment will include spoilers.

Reading blurbs, I have said many times already, can be a misleading tactic, especially since without blurbs some books would not be picked to be read.

The one for this book made me think of two people, sharing some things, being too different in others but who would be put together in a professional capacity and had to work along for both their careers but who wouldn't exactly trust each other immediately. I imagined them getting along with time and finding love. I thought their relationship would be focused more on the professional side of things and love would be impossible to avoid.

My so-so opinion in the first sentences was mildly interested since Rio didn't seem to be such an interesting guy (apart from his vulnerability of not speaking english in an english speaking country) but to be honest, I felt like giving up as soon as we got the heroine's initial inner thoughts where she remembered that on her 30th birthday she felt depressed over her single status and went to a bar, got drunk and slept with a guy almost ten years her junior.

That she did so is not what made me think this was not going to go well but the fact she thought of herself like that. I could see I wouldn't find much to be sympathetic with Eva but her job.

In fact, from this on it as quite a duty I convinced myself of doing and I didn't give up on the book because I thought something good could still happen, after all I was only on the first two or three chapters. Although some interesting situations were presented I think my views were already colored and everything seemed cliché for me, including the angsty moments and the doubts, the reluctance to admit attraction between them, the bliss scenes followed by the conflict and the HEA.

I'd say now things got textbook in any romance novel type of story but I was not focused enough to enjoy it completely.

Eva got on my nerves. I just didn't like where she was in her attitude towards life and her thoughts sometimes felt unfair and not that relatable.

Rio was more interesting but he did act a bit contradictory. I liked his personality, so bubbly so often despite his difficulty to understand what others were saying but then, when thinking of Eva or dealing/interacting with her, he seemed to be placed in the role of alpha and it made me wrinkle my nose at him. All things considered, the romance was only meh.

Rio is a professional soccer player. I'm not any sort of expert but soccer might just be the sport that more European people see or follow and I am one of them since it's the sport I watch the most and whose rules I tend to understand as well. 

I was looking for to see the sport portrayed and apart from a specific detail I don't think the focus was that much on the technical details that a non-follower wouldn't understand or would be too bored. The idea was more to showcase Rio's enjoyment and approach to the sport.

However, it did feel very odd indeed to see Eva so often near the pitch to tell things to Rio, or to explain, even during games. Perhaps it depends on the place but I never saw players in the leagues I follow having translators nearby to give them instructions, even in their initial games with a new team, in a country where they never played before. This is secondary in the bigger scheme but... it left me thinking.

Thinking on the book now that a few days have passed just doesn't give me any indication whatsoever. It was not memorable and I don't feel like trying another. I won't say this is bad on itself but the author's style and writing certainly didn't work enough for me.

Grade: 4/10

Dylan Thomas - A Prospect of the Sea and Other Stories

Comment: I will just write a small comment on this literary work that I've recently read. This is a

book I had in the shelf since 2006, an edition I got in Portuguese. As I've said before, I tend to, more often, read literary or classic books that have an older type of writing in Portuguese because it's easier to get some things that way. In this case I'm glad I did because the language used was both beautiful and complex and I'm certain I'd have missed a lot had I tried in its original language.

In this collection of stories, the poet leads the reader through an amazing journey, where each reality is different, surreal, often dreamlike and sometimes without an obvious conclusion to reach.

I'm positive that, for those really interested in the work of Dylan Thomas besides the amazing poem Don't Go Gentle Into that Good Night, there are several sources to be used and to explore his talent as a writer, a poet and other things he produced.

I confess I wasn't that familiar with what he has done, he's not a poet often studied in Portuguese schools and even in the university it's more common to focus on others.

The collection of short stories I've read can be divided into two parts: a set of stories that have an obvious paranormal feel, in the sense many elements are very dreamlike and not set on "our" reality, and the second group, a little easier to grasp since they were thought purposely to be read on the air on BBC radio.

I admit I liked the second style of stories more because it was easier to focus on something, to follow a line of thought, to understand what was I was really reading.

The first set of stories probably has a meaning but the words are so lyrical, so poetic, so surreal in their images that I was often confused. Yes, the sentences, the images created while reading are gorgeous and beautiful to simply read but how complicated to concentrate on if what is being described is weird and unlike any real scene we could compare to.

Its beauty is, at the same time, its biggest complexity.

To be honest, I couldn't really get into each tale individually because they are all very difficult to describe or to comment on. 

Another reader whose review I saw said the prose is so complex that it got frustrating to understand. I can agree with this idea but perhaps the interest of the experience is that, to confuse and to make the reader aware of their limitations and how close minded we might be. Or maybe this is just one way of trying to interpret it.

All things considered, this felt a little too vague though, for me to fully savor and enjoy the tales, and in the end I think what sticks is how the stories were done and not as much what they were supposed to mean.

Grade: 5/10

Rebecca Zanetti - Winter Igniting

With nothing to lose, former cop Damon Winter agrees to an undercover op, infiltrating a cult in the dangerous post-Scorpius world. After one look at his new partner, he knows she belongs far away from not only the cult, but from him. She's sweet and kind and has no business being in peril, but she's determined to help. Suddenly, the part he's playing as her man explodes into a passion neither of them had expected.
April Snyder has survived loss, pain, and uncertainty. Now she's ready to live again. There's nothing left but to make a difference for others, so why not go undercover in the cult? Now all she has to do is keep it professional and ignore her handsome, deadly, overbearing partner, who's too sexy for her peace of mind. Intrigue, risk, and danger make for an irresistible temptation--until enemies close in, threatening everyone they've sworn to protect. 

Comment: This is the fifth story in the Scorpius Syndrome series by author Rebecca Zanetti. I've been positively surprised by the series despite featuring an apocalypse type story, something I usually don't like much. I had hopes for this one too but it wasn't as captivating overall.

In this story we have April as they protagonist, someone who has been a recurrent character in the series, and she is about to participate in a mission for the group. Along with her is Damon, one of the recently joined Mercenary elements to the Vanguard one. The two seem to be mutually attracted but Damon is as alpha like as they come and April is still seen as someone fragile after the death of her daughter in one of the first books.

As the mission moves forward to try to make certain a smaller group currently isolated within Vanguard territory, April and Damon have to decide if there is a chance they can be a couple or not...

The books in this series have been quite addictive to read and probably what I liked the most about them was how, despite such a dire theme and some less than interesting scenes (namely the ones from the villain's POV which I never like in any book), the focus still felt optimistic and the focus on the characters made me "forget" some of the less than good parts or details.

In this book I think the distracting elements just didn't work as well and although the issues the characters had to face were solved, the overall feel is that the story was not as engaging.

The relationship between hero and heroine is usually a strong point in the stories but in this case I couldn't find April and Damon to be that impressive together. Yes, they do seem to match or made to match in the necessary ways but their connection didn't feel that strong.

Damon has a very alpha personality despite the scenes where he acted like a more laid back guy before. I can understand the more active evidence of his personality now he is the main character but some of his attitude felt a bit too much sometimes.

As for April, she has always been fragile but not inept so I was not surprised she found more strength in her usefulness and in how she felt being with Damon. 

As a couple, though, I was convinced by their feelings.

In regards to the plot, of course I expected some more development in what is going on. I understand the need to keep things in a low level so that there is always something to add, to develop but I just think some things could just move on more quickly. It's not know if this will be a longer series or how many books will exist but it would be nice to see if the groups could move to a better spot, if there's a way to save those not in danger, if the enemies could be vanquished... it would also be nice to see the focus go from fighting enemies to establish a new society and how that would happen.

To me this book was a bit boring at times. The characters take some time to act, to decide...then if they do, there's something interrupting, something more important to do first... I get this tactic to keep a fast pace and the attention always on the page but at the same time, it can be a little complicated to remain interested if things are just being described and described and then it takes time to happen. In the other books this situation was not such a problem because the romance felt better but in this one, things were just more evident to me in how they didn't work.

The end of the story was positive, though. There is a specific situation that gives me hope the next one will focus on developing something new and that is hopeful. The next couple is also very promising in terms of a possible relationship.

I just hope the book can be balanced and the author keeps up with moving things forward instead of just hinting at some things over and over.

Grade: 6/10

Liane Moriarty - The Husband's Secret

Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .
Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.
Acclaimed author Liane Moriarty has written a gripping, thought-provoking novel about how well it is really possible to know our spouses—and, ultimately, ourselves.

Comment: I got this book in a Portuguese edition because it was at half price since it was close to Christmas a couple of years ago and the supermarket where I got it had a sale of several titles.

I had read another book by the author which hadn't been such a great experience but this one has a better average and at a lower price I thought why not.

In this book we follow the POVs of three main characters, Cecilia, Tess and Rachel and how their lives in the small Sydney community they are part of suddenly collide after Cecilia discovers a letter by her husband with a devastating secret that also affected the other's lives, mostly Rachel's.

Throughout the book, the characters have to deal with how their choices affected their lives, how uncovering secrets would have consequences in more ways than one and what it means for their conscience as well...

I really enjoyed this book more than the other one. The author's writing style is quite unique so I expected the narrative to have a similar feel to it but this was different enough to be more engaging and captivating to read.

The plot centers around a small group of people whereas the other book was more focused on two characters... I think I appreciated the sense of community included in this one a lot more.

The base premise is that Cecilia finds a letter by her husband with the instruction to be read only after he dies. Of course human nature is difficult to ignore and the more Cecilia thinks of it and wants to respect his wish, the more eager she feels to read it. One day she does, after amusing chapters of her inner thoughts debating the issue and from there, the biggest developments happen.

I think this was, in fact, my favorite part of the book: how we got to know the characters feelings, thoughts and not so friendly opinions on several other people and subjects while they behaved slightly different from their thoughts.

I mean, it was not just Cecilia, since with each development, the plot would move on and it felt like something would have to happen at some point. For how many of us must deal with a certain situation and we let our thoughts go wild even if we don't act on them nor do we treat people accordingly to our "lesser" behavior? It was both sarcastic and amusing to see how their ideas would go everywhere while in specific situations.

I'd say the majority of the story is focused on the power of guilt and the hopelessness of fate.

Things happen for a reason and so on but at the same time each step has a consequence and how we think of it and how it feels to live with the weight of our choices can be a powerful stone in our chests. It's not that easy to go through life without stronger emotions or regrets or guilt over things done or said and not done, not said.

I think the author conveyed these little things that can have huge impacts quite well on how some characters dealt with a few situations in their lives.

It's also difficult to imagine but what we do, in small communities or when people are closely linked, can seriously affect others somehow without or direct knowledge, such as Cecilia's husband actions in the past are still having repercussions now.

I would have given this story a better grade but the presence of Tess and her family issues and how she is connected to the main plot was a bit too forced. In fact, her sub plot was even irrelevant to what I consider the most important part of the book.

There are some details used that actually don't have any relation to the plot nor to the themes of guilt and sometimes despair that follow tragedies but I think in some cases, those details were just a fun add on, in others it was a missed call.

Generally speaking, though, I think the book is consistent. It's pretty obvious the author's intention from the start so I can't understand why some readers complain about the often vague things here and there. I can agree with the fact some situations feel too handy to be taken for serious but I think the overall effect of the fun elements and the more serious ones was well done.

The psychology of things, of the character's thoughts is really the hidden gem to look for. How many of out actions are based on assumptions and sometimes even small mistakes that grow into big bad scenarios?

I think the end had an interesting twist, one I thought had to happen but not the way it happened. It was rather..."eye for an eye" of sorts.

The epilogue has a series of possibilities explained in regard to some things in the story, different perspectives included... I understand why the author included these but I think they only served to show how small a decision can be but what a huge impact it can have. I'm still thinking if I liked because it clarified a few things or if it ruined the drama for me.

Grade: 8/10

Joseph Joffo - A Bag of Marbles

When Joseph Joffo was ten years old, his father gave him and his brother fifty francs and instructions to flee Nazi-occupied Paris and, somehow, get to the south where France was free.

Comment: I got this book the last time I was at the library. The cover shows the Portuguese edition, which actually uses a poster from a film adaptation of this book into a 2016 french movie. I had no expectations at all, since I had never heard of the author, but the obvious fact the setting was the Nazi occupied France was reason enough to convince me. After all, the WWII is a time in history that was harsh but quite inspiring in literature.

In this adventure, we have the biographic story of the author, Joseph Joffo, as he traveled to France with his older brother Maurice to try to reach the south, where the Nazi influence wasn't as heavy as in Paris. The fascinating part is that they did it while being 10 and 12 years old.

I won't take too long to comment on this book, it is apparently used in french schools and has won a prize back in the 70s, when it was originally published. Recently, a movie was made and I can assume that is why more attention has come to it as well. At least, before seeing the over of the book I had not heard of it at all.

The book is a biography but also a little bit of history through the eyes of a child.

I liked the book but I have to say the view it offers is quite simplistic. If one is looking for an angsty or overly dramatic tale, this is not it. On the other hand, it does look a little too reductive of the serious issues people faced back then, as if the problems weren't that big or serious since the author focuses on his highs and wins rather than the losses.

I suppose it's a matter of perspective: those that read between the lines can certainly glimpse the power of the simplest sentences and situations but it's not as dramatic as one could imagine.

I've read a critique that the author wrote the book as if he was still a little boy or, at least, thinking of little boys reading it and that for grown ups it's not as moving. I can understand that point of view but I wouldn't agree the target audience could/should be just children...

For me, the biggest issue and why I didn't enjoy the book more is that the bright side of seeing such a task as an adventure (the boys' travel through France to reach older brothers) meant that things happen so quickly, the things they did were almost too unlikely to be believable and some of the impact was lost for me because of that.

When something dangerous happened, the way things were told, it looked easy, simple, manageable... but I can't really envision scared young children would be so easily resourceful, no matter how clever or quick on their feet they were.

There is some loss in the book and those parts sounded quite touching, especially because the author would say something like "we didn't imagine it would be the last time...." or similar clichés. The book ends relatively well in terms of survival for the author and his family in such dire years. 

I kind of liked reading this story and a few scenes/situations were good enough to make me grade this positively. However, it could have been better.

I liked the author's note in the end, where he explains a few things, adds a bit more of information... I think it helped to give me a different idea of what he went through.

Grade: 7/10

LA Witt - Skin Deep trilogy

Comment: This is a trilogy I got quite recently because someone's recommendation was so positive I felt like not waiting to read the books and I bought them all last month.

Since the stories are connected, I've decided to have a general comment on the trilogy rather than individual posts on each story. For blurbs, there is always goodreads or the author's website.

The three books follow characters from the tattoo shop Skin Deep, Inc. and we get to see how each tattoo artist finds love with a previous client despite the initial agreement being they will have a casual hook up and won't let things go beyond friends with benefits but, of course, falling in love in the process.

In the first book, Back Piece, we have the story of the owner of the tattoo shop, Colin.

Colin is a 30 something guy who has dealt with a toxic relationship which affected his self esteem and he now has to deal with an eating disorder. Work and his brother help him being steady in his routines but things change when he checks Daniel out at the gym and is checked out in return by him. Daniel, a navy (sort of) soldier, looks for him for a tattoo and they discover they are a good match.

I liked this first story more because Daniel is a sweet guy, innocent in several ways but not stupid. I really liked how he felt attracted for Colin and felt comfortable enough to take a chance on him and share some intimate details with him such as the fact he had never been with anyone.

The relationship felt really nice because neither felt like overpowering the other and the main conflict was not solved, only dealt in a realistic way.

I finished this just glad they got an HEA and that they talked about their issues and neither judged the other for past choices and how supportive both are now. The book wasn't better because I think there was a bit too much time spent on the sex scenes where more "domestic" situations showing their bond in a different way could have happened instead.

The second book, Pounding Skin, features Matt, another tattoo artist, and navy pilot Jon, when he and a bunch of friends go to the shop so Jon can get a tattoo after losing a bet. Matt and Jon feel attracted to one another and at first they agree on a hook up but soon see themselves being together more often than not and even sharing personal moments like when Matt invites Jon to his mother's house or when Jon takes Matt with him to official ceremonies.

This felt a bit more centered on the sexual aspect of the relationship and in a way that can be explained by the fact Matt has recently come to accept he isn't straight but bi. Most of the conflict shows how his doubts have affected his life but now he is with Jon he can be himself and things even start to look better in other areas too. For Jon, the issue is commitment. He is never mean nor unfair to Matt but it gets to a point his reluctance to admit they have strong feelings for each other becomes too silly. 

I liked their story and how intense it was, how some emotions were put on the page but the relationship didn't feel as easily balanced as the first couple's.

The third book, Cover Up, introduces Nate, a friend of Jon's whose husband of ten years cheated on him and now Nate wants to cover up a matching tattoo they did. The most recent add to the shop is Lucas, a sort of expert on cover ups. Lucas has three jobs and is feeling a little down because he botched a tattoo. Colin and the other guys support him but he does perk up a bit when he meets Nate and the attraction is instant.

This was, I felt, the most cliched story of the bunch. I mean, the one where it was more obvious that the characters went through the motions and the final HEA felt like a need to finish the trilogy rather than an obvious consequence of the character's paths and emotions together.

Nate is still mentally dealing with the loss of his marriage and Lucas has a lot on his mind so the beginning feels like they are sort of using each other but their actions clearly indicate the opposite. I just think it wasn't as subtle how the romance had to evolve. 

I liked them together and that it got to a point where they felt like talking for real about their relationship and things end up well after all. But their match didn't feel as balanced because they didn't feel as emotionally equals. Perhaps it was just my personal impression.

Although I liked the first one better, as a trilogy this was a good series. I had a good time reading and I often space out series reading because I don't want to feel too immersed in a "world" that things start to feel too repetitive.

Here, the formula was obviously the same but each character had enough differences that it made the reading experience a good one.

As a whole, I'd say this is a series above average and this does make me confident to read more things by the author in the future too. another final mention to the covers which, by the way, are gorgeous.

Grade: 8/10

Kathryn Shay - Taking the Heat

Liam O’Neil simply wants to make it through the day. His son is depressed, his beloved wife died three years ago and he’s lonely! Enter, Sophie Tyler, a firefighter who lives on the edge and likes it that way. Though she carries some of her own baggage, she’s the total opposite of Liam. However, when she begins work at the family pub, they’re drawn to each. Then they fall in love. But nothing can erase the biting fear Liam—and his kids—feel about the danger Sophie is in every day. Eventually, an arsonist upsets the delicate balance of their relationship and they realize they can’t be together. Or can they?

Comment: This is the third book in the O'Neill series by author Kathryn Shay. What I have enjoyed the most with these books is how they are pretty simple, the characters interact, they have some issues and the story is on them, on their actions and how they deal with things. The drama is more internal than from an external source and sometimes it does feel good to simply focus on the characters.

In this story the focus is on the middle brother, Liam. Now a widow after the death of his wife Kitty, he does feel some loneliness despite his children and the love of his family.

His interest in dating again hasn't been met with much success but when the new waitress of the pub starts there, he can't help but like what he sees. Also interesting is how she, Sophie, seems to reciprocate the visual interest and they start talking and spending moments together, to the point they decide not to ignore their attraction anymore.

The problem is that Sophie's main job is to be a firefighter. Can Liam accept the risks inherent to the dangerous life Sophie leads? Can he cope after already losing a woman he loves? Can he be with someone his children might get attached to as well and then lose?

This was a good enough story. I think the majority of it was successfully done and I had a good time reading it. I'd change some details, though, and that is why this didn't feel more perfect for me.

The writing isn't new since this is not the first book by the author I try but it does seem to be a tactic of hers to allow the reader so much time in the character's heads. This can be good but at the same time, it makes several situations feel repetitive.

The biggest conflict in the book is how Liam and Sophie deal with her job. I think the author did a good job portraying the doubts and the anticipation people must have for their family members/loved ones who work in such dangerous fields. I understand why the book went this road and the often dichotomy between expectations and reality was interesting to follow. 

One could conclude it's not fair some people have to put their lives in jeopardy so much but...if not them, who would?

Before this notion is repeated constantly and the reader has to decide if Liam isn't being understandable or Sophie is intransigent in her choice, the romance develops in a good way. They seem to barely talk to being sort of too focused on one another. It's not that this is a bad thing and the fact we can follow both their POVs makes things better for me, I liked to understand both characters instead of just assuming by behavior or dialogue.

I think the biggest issue is that as quickly as they would be supportive of each other, a new problem would happen and this would go round and around and not be really dealt with.

In the end of the book, things just get temporarily solved but I can't really be happy with how it was, especially thinking about the emotional aspect of the protagonists and how this related to Liam's children as well.

The best part of the book for me was how amazing the interactions between characters happen and how we get to savor the family bonds. It's really nice to see how the family is supportive and there for their members.

Liam is a good protagonist, very caring, very reserved, the kind of hero I like and he cooks. I get his fears and for the most part, I sort of agreed with his way of thinking. But it does get to a point it feels he is just repeating himself.

Sophie is a sweet heroine, she works a difficult job and I do applaud her because she wants to do her job and not have it easier once she falls in love. 

I also could understand her side of things so it was complicated to think of a solution for them that would not mean one would have to compromise all the time for the other.

There's a little bit of suspense -which I find unnecessary - regarding an arsonist, there's the children's personalities which the author tried to develop a bit, there's the minor notion of how the secondary characters are dealing with life... there's quite a lot in the author's books to think of, they certainly feel rich. However, this one dragged a bit and when everything is close to be solved, it's as if the big issues were always passable to be easily solved. I don't think they actually were, though.

I'm still curious about the next book.

Grade: 7/10

Emily Fridlund - History of Wolves

Fourteen-year-old Madeline lives with her parents in the beautiful, austere woods of northern Minnesota, where their nearly abandoned commune stands as a last vestige of a lost counter-culture world. Isolated at home and an outlander at school, Madeline is drawn to the enigmatic, attractive Lily and new history teacher Mr. Grierson. When Mr. Grierson is charged with possessing child pornography, the implications of his arrest deeply affect Madeline as she wrestles with her own fledgling desires and craving to belong.
And then the young Gardner family moves in across the lake and Madeline finds herself welcomed into their home as a babysitter for their little boy, Paul. It seems that her life finally has purpose but with this new sense of belonging she is also drawn into secrets she doesn’t understand. Over the course of a few days, Madeline makes a set of choices that reverberate throughout her life. As she struggles to find a way out of the sequestered world into which she was born, Madeline confronts the life-and-death consequences of the things people do—and fail to do—for the people they love.

Comment: I bought this book by impulse at a book fair. In this day and age, with the help of the internet is can be pretty easy to think a book might be something we like or not but I'm still in that small percentage of the population in the western "civilization" that does not have internet on the phone so I stumbled on the cover, the blurb mentioned a teenager which put me off but since it was part of a award list nomination, it couldn't just be about a teenager's tantrums. 

I have to say that, despite how difficult it can be sometimes, I really should avoid buying things without at least looking up at reviews...

In this story we follow the thoughts of Madeline, mostly known as Linda, and how she deals with the situations around her, especially after a new family comes to live near her house.

Linda and her family live in a sort of remote area far from the city and when the cabin near theirs becomes occupied, it's no wonder Linda is curious to know them. The husband seems to be away at work so Linda forms a friendship with the mother Patra and the 4 year old boy son, Paul.

Along with the challenges of living in such a spot, in an area where suspicion still drives some people's behavior and following the outcome of a scandal, the novel is centered on Linda and how she is caught in the middle of a situation she can't exactly understand...

The good thing of having impulse purchases is that there are no expectations about what's going to be read, so I've started this book not really worried if I'd like it. Still, it's always a given that we hope it will be a good read. I can say this was definitely interesting in the generic way anything unfamiliar could be but in the end it was just confusing.

One of the most recurrent positive opinion is that the writing is beautiful and I have to agree. The author has managed to convey anticipation and  a little bit of suspense especially well. The descriptions are evocative and do help to create a good idea of what's around the characters. Some segments are very visual and I was able to imagine some details quite well.

There is also some characterization of Linda and those near her that I thought was very well done. One can simply understand a character by a description, a detail, an expression and this is good, of course.

The pace also offers that feeling that things are building up and most of the novel allows the creation of a certain atmosphere that the reader immediately imagines something will happen.

This book was in a list of nominations for literary awards and I can understand why. There's something very adult and polished and intentional in the writing and in the story.

However, this was not a story I enjoyed. I can accept the good parts and the positive aspects but all of them aren't much if the story itself isn't captivating or engaging.

I can accept the literary side of this novel, but the connection with the fictional lives of the characters was a miss for me. I didn't really connect with any character and the big mystery with all the suspense issues, the reason why Linda, as the character we follow the most, has to sometimes tell us things out of time, being it only a comment here and there (I mean, for instance, when she says how old she is now while doing whatever but she actually wants to mention what she remembers when she was 15...) makes everything confusing and unbalanced. There's this build up of anticipation and the notion something is going on we can't really grasp and when we do.... I mean, talk about an out of proportion tale!

The big reveal was not as exciting as I imagined. Even worse for me is the fact the story has a great potential, the big secret could have been exploited in a better way while maintaining the atmosphere of the story. I just think the reason why Linda and the family she made friends with could never work was not that clear and I can't tell if the author just assumed it was or if the meant it to be vague enough for the (usual?) literary demands of allow things to be read between the lines.

Another issue is the huge amount of needless details in the story. Sure, many things are evocative and give us a glimpse of emotions and states of mind but really, what do some things have to do with others? Mainly with the central plot? I think the need to insert as many special elements or wordy expressions, drama and character's musing or how they oddly thought about weird stuff was too obvious and ruined the more interesting things the story had to offer, such as what is right and wrong in how people think and behave and act on that and the result after.

All in all, this wasn't fun to read and I don't mean it had to be a comedy. But I didn't have a good time reading and wished it was over. I admit it wasn't difficult to turn the pages and the fact is small helped. But I wanted more of the main plot regarding the family or even more of Linda's own and her development. Too many things and too little action for a mostly disjointed book, I'd say.

Grade: 4/10

Maggie Osbourne - American Pie

Spirited Polish immigrant Lucie Kolska and Dublin native Jamie Kelly arrive on Ellis Island the same day. Lucie is instantly drawn to Jamie and his daring dreams of success. Lucie, too, has hopes of her own...tucked away in the corner of her suitcase. The family formula for beauty cream.
Work is scarce, the tenements teeming—and bitter family rivalries keep Lucie and Jamie apart...until Lucie's menial job in a Madison Avenue mansion connects her with New York's elite—and an opportunity to build a beauty empire. Now, more than ever, she needs Jamie's love—his passion—to make their American Dream come true.

Comment: This is a book that had been in the pile for a long time. Since it's not very big, I picked it to carry with me while in an outing so that it wouldn't take me too long had I the chance to dedicate to reading.

In this book we have the story of Lucie Kolska, a recently arrived emigrant from Poland who, like many others, sees in America the land of opportunities. The same day she arrives, while waiting for her brother to find her, she meets Jaime Kelly, also a brand new arrival from Ireland. They seem to connect briefly while waiting for her brother but soon lose track of one another.

While looking for work and dealing with the failed expectations of being in the country many have dreamed about, both Lucie and Jamie face their own problems and obstacles. However, it seems fate ha made it necessary for them to be together and they meet again but will the apparent connection between them enough to make them succeed?

This is an Harlequin publication, so the more obvious detail about it, when compared to other books by the author, is the smaller page count, which means more had to be inserted in a smaller story.

In a way this is very evident and made some things too repetitive and not as fluid. On the other hand, perhaps that wouldn't have mattered anyway since I think the story focused on the wrong elements.

This was not the first book by this author I've tried and I imagined a certain writing style, a certain "flavor" to this, as I found in the past in mrs Osbourne's work.

However, it's clear this is part of a set or a theme or something and, unlike most of the author's work, this is not a western. The story is pretty much focused on the way emigrants would arrive in America, thinking about the dream of finding things they couldn't in their countries. The hope and dreams is always there and the author managed to convey that but this means that for me the story is short for publishing demands and unfulfilled for plot reasons.

Lucie and Jamie are interesting enough characters for the time they lived in but, again unlike other books by the author where the characters would face adversity in a specific setting but their uniqueness or personality would make them special to try and overcome whatever challenge they faced, in this one I didn't feel that.

Lucie and Jamie are, individually speaking, too close to the accurate descriptions of people of those times: she is too focused on marriage and the place of a woman, even on the price of her dreams, and he is too worried about being a provider and a man who supports his family even if that means he wants a wife to stand by him and not support him instead.

In a way, this is the reason why I disliked this book. It's not a bad book and it does offer a realistic portrait of what life used to be like (and still is in a way for those who still go to another country) for those people, always poor and working to only pay rent in miserable places or not have work at all.

I did like the raw descriptions of difficulties and worries.

However, the whole book was focused on this. There's too much negativity, complications, disease, unfairness, tragedy and even a bit of chauvinistic behavior that bring the mood down. The book is too negative, overall. Yes, this was probably more realistic and often that the stories of success but this being a romance, I did expect more of it and a bit more positivity too.

In the end, something good happens and the characters seem to find hope. Not before more tragedy and loss, though. I think the good details didn't have to be exaggerated for the story to be realistic and interesting. In such few pages maybe less descriptions of all the difficulties and bit more "after success" would have made it a more balanced plot.

The way it is, between the depressing situations and the way women were treated by some and their own limited expectations that no matter how well done were still irritating, there wasn't a lot I liked in this. In the end, it was not a pleasant read nor a good experience to read this one as it was to read other things by her.

Grade: 4/10

Talia Hibbert - A Girl Like Her

In Ruth Kabbah’s world, comic books are king, silence is golden, and human contact is a pesky distraction. She doesn’t like people, which works out just fine, because the people in this small town don’t like her. The exception to that rule? Evan Miller, her way-too-charming next-door neighbour…
Ex-military man Evan is all tattooed muscle on the outside—and a big, cuddly teddy bear beneath. He’s used to coaxing prickly people from their shells, but he’s never met a woman quite like Ruth. Blunt, sarcastic, and secretly sad, she’s his exact opposite. She’s also his deepest desire.
Soon, Evan’s steady patience and smouldering smiles are melting Ruth’s reserve. But when small-town gossip from her past begins to poison her future, she’s forced to make a choice. Should she trust Evan completely? Or is her heart safest alone?

Comment: This book has been well liked for the last year, since it made the best of lists of several people, especially those I tend to follow more often. I believe it's a fact more people are reading more inclusive things, with more diverse types of characters than just the expected white ones but to be honest what made me interested in reading this was not the interracial couple, it actually was the fact the heroine belongs somewhere in the autistic spectrum and I was quite curious to read about her.

In this story we meet Ruth, a young woman who seems the town's pariah, if one sees how others treat her. She is fascinated by comics, in fact she works on her own online, and she doesn't care about how everyone else treats her though she tries to stay on her apartment as much as she can.

One day, she gets a new neighbor, Evan. He is sweet, concerned and even cooks her something, thinking she might be an old man, so much is the time she stays inside. When they meet, sparks fly but Even is super patient, even when others start spreading rumors about her reputation.

Will Ruth be able to open herself up to someone after a disaster years ago? Will both of them trust one another to be that special person?

This wasn't a very long read. It only took me one day to read it, especially because it was a very slow day at work while the computer was updating. This means the writing is easy, fluid and compelling enough and that allows the reader to read without having the feeling to stop.

I liked the heroine, Ruth. I think she was a great person who was caught in a very unpleasant situation but I can't decide if it feels like she was taken for granted because she didn't read the situation of her past well or if she was picked on purpose because of that. I mean, I liked Ruth, I liked to see how her mind worked in some situations but to be really honest, I don't think it was that obvious why she was so special as to have been the obsession of some people.

Apart from her personality, she wasn't in anything that amazing to set her apart. I mean, she is a good person and dealt well with some things, badly with others but...that's pretty much everyone.

From the hype, I did imagine Ruth would be a bit more fascinating. I know some people would not think on it but to me it also was a little negative how she coped with what happened to her. I really struggle to understand people (woman in this case) who react to a bad experience in romance/relationship by proving oneself by sleeping indiscriminately with many others. I can understand the psychology of it somehow, and here Ruth had a different mind process but...this immediately made Ruth less special for me. I could not relate to this choice of hers, perhaps there could be other ways for her to experience feelings/attraction while she was in control of the situation.

Evan was a much more fascinating character to focus on, probably because he seemed too perfect. He is almost caught in a violence scene but is stopped before he actually hits someone and that was the biggest fault he evidenced, so how interesting he is so considerate and amazing but a bit too much. 

It's not that I don't think Evan and Ruth aren't a good couple. I could see why they felt attracted and how they could match.; the epilogue was very sweet too. However, all things considered, this could have been depicted better, with stronger emotions and better scenes (to my POV, of course).

It just feels like their relationship happened more from proximity than a mutual need to be with that person. Although Ruth is described as autistic, her behavior and reactions in some situations made it clear she was aware (as did her thoughts on occasion) of what was happening, so I can't say the detail that made her different was what made her special. It's a bit confusing to explain but I sort of expected to be amazed and the story, overall, was simpler than what I thought by such amazing reviews.

All in all, this was good, different enough to be a good read, there are many positive things but overall, the negative ones caught my attention more and made me grade lower than what I imagined I would.

Grade: 7/10

Suzanne Brockmann - Some Kind of Hero

Navy men don’t come tougher than Lieutenant Peter Greene. Every day he whips hotshot SEAL wannabes into elite fighters. So why can’t he handle one fifteen-year-old girl? His ex’s death left him a single dad overnight, and very unprepared. Though he can’t relate to an angsty teen, he can at least keep Maddie safe—until the day she disappears. Though Pete’s lacking in fatherly intuition, his instinct for detecting danger is razor sharp. Maddie’s in trouble. Now he needs the Troubleshooters team at his back, along with an unconventional ally.
Romance writer Shayla Whitman never expected to be drawn into a real-world thriller—or to meet a hero who makes her pulse pound. Action on the page is one thing. Actually living it is another story. Shay’s not as bold as her heroines, but she’s a mother. She sees the panic in her new neighbor’s usually fearless blue eyes—and knows there’s no greater terror for a parent than having a child at risk. It’s an ordeal Shay won’t let Pete face alone. She’s no highly trained operative, but she’s smart, resourceful, and knows what makes teenagers tick.
Still, working alongside Pete has its own perils—like letting the heat between them rise out of control. Intimate emotions could mean dangerous, even deadly, consequences for their mission. No matter what, they must be on top of their game, and playing for keeps . . . or else Pete’s daughter may be gone for good.

Comment: Since 2011 that I haven't read a full length story of the Troubleshooters series by Suzanne Brockmann, featuring a team of current and former navy seals. The first reason is that not many full length stories have been published recently (there are novellas, though) and also because the series was much more hyped years ago. Having read the majority of the books years ago, now it feels as if time dilutes the «greatness». Or are the recent books just not in the same page as the others? Food for thought.

In this 17th installment, we have Grunge's story, a.k.a. Peter Greene. 

Grunge has always been a good guy but he is a bit reserved so when this story begins and he can't find his 15 year old daughter, who has recently come to live with him after her mother Lisa, died, not many of his closer friends knew she existed before that happened. Of course, some of those who can are quick to help Peter locating his daughter.

Peter also has the help of his neighbor Shayla Whitman, a writer who gives him a ride when Peter decides to follow a car where he saw his daughter Maddie get into. Using technology, some clues and Maddie's somewhat boyfriend's care for her safety, the group unites efforts to help the girl before something bad happens to her.

Each book is different and I can't remember that well what made the previous books in the series so amazing to me. Yes, I liked some more than others and if I recall, only one wasn't good enough for me, mostly because the heroine was annoying.

Anyway, even thinking about the time passing and the easy distraction that is to focus on other books between reads, I have to say this story didn't move me as much as others have. I think part of it was the story itself, that was centered around a subject I don't particularly like, but perhaps the writing has changed a bit too.

I remember previous books being addictive, usually fast paced but with some slower moments for the couple to connect and such. I don't know if the characterization of the characters here just wasn't the way I remember but I failed to really empathize with them so although the story had its interesting scenes, overall it was just average and I can't tell for certain if the problem for me was on the writing style, which I thought great in some installments, or these characters in specific.

Another issue I found annoying was Maddie. So, basically we have a story about a concerned father ans his helpful neighbor looking for a teenager who, after some heartbreak over the death of her mother and the idea of living with an apparently impersonal father, has skipped classes and found a friend who wasn't really so and even got her into trouble. Now Maddie is running from a man who used to have a business deal with the "friend". This girl stole money and told the bad guy Maddie would give it back, framing her. Now Maddie needs to find the money or the bad guy will hurt or kill her even.

That a teenager with issues decides to do something on her own and her father wants to find her is not such a big surprise but that a whole book is centered on that? I found the plot to be very basic, especially because Maddie annoyed me a lot. I get that is angry and all that but how recklessly she behaved! How good it is to see her father wanting to connect with her, respect her, help her, bond with her emotionally but to go to the extend of allowing her to do this even after what she does made me really irritated.

I think this plot could have worked a little bit different but just as well, had Maddie been a bit more understandable of her situation. It can be examples like these that make me think twice about reading YA.

The romance was quite bland. I got the idea Shayla is just a couple years older or something ( I can't remember how old Peter is) but apart from the fact she is an amazing mother and very helpful in complicated situations, I don't think the couple really matched. We know they work as a team but I didn't feel they really were falling in love. The situation they were in was not conductive to domestic understandings: I mean, people react one way in stressful situations but they might not when nothing happens. This was something the other books exploited well but here I just don't think it worked.

We have an epilogue with them together, a little bit of what happened to all the characters we've seen on the page but the romantic aspect of their relationship felt like mostly physical and hypothetical.

All in all, this book felt like it missed the mark a bit. There are many interesting details, scenes, I liked the cameo appearances of previous characters... but the romance, the way we are supposed to connect with the main couple, their lives... I think this was a miss. Along with the main teenager-behavior, this just didn't sound as good as I hoped for.

Grade: 6/10

HJ Brues - Yakuza Courage

Ex-Navy SEAL Brendan O’Farrihy enrolls in kendo classes to investigate a Honolulu dojo acting as a front for a yakuza syndicate. Or at least that’s what Brendan’s client, Senator Harris, believes. Through his kendo instructor, the cocky, short-fused, gorgeous Kinosuke Yonekawa, Brendan learns the criminals who are supposedly using the senator’s son, Kenneth, to expand their activities into the US, seem to have severed any yakuza connections. The jaded, soul-scarred former soldier is captivated by the loyalty these gangsters show each other and the way they protect Ken like a tight military unit. Brendan wonders why the senator lied to him, and what the yakuza are shielding Ken from.
When Ken disappears, Brendan suspects foul play and decides to help the man he is falling for, Kinosuke, and his friends, find Ken. But when Kinosuke discovers Brendan has been on the senator’s payroll, all bets are off.

Comment: It's practically two years since I've read the first book in the Way of the Yakuza duology by author HJ Brues. I got distracted/occupied with other reads, as usually happens when things gets postponed, but I finally decided to read this second story. 

I didn't have high hopes because the majority of opinions was only average but I still felt like reading, especially since some characters would be familiar.

In this second story we focus our attention of Kinosuke, one of the small group's members who traveled to Hawaii with Kenneth Harris at the end of the first book.

The life in the island isn't as easy and laid back as he imagined, despite the dojo they all work in, the established relationships of Shigure and Ken and Tachibana with his wife and the interactions with other members of the community. Kinosuke still feels this isn't the life he imagined.

On the way is Brendan O’Farrihy, an ex SEAL who now works special security, with the task of investigating if the dojo isn't actually a front for a yakuza cell and if Ken Harris isn't there on his free will. However, the more Brendan investigates, the less clear things are so he decides to enroll in classes at the dojo to be closer to their members. He was certainly not counting on liking prickly Kinosuke so much...

In general, this book was as appealing as the first one and the cast of characters extremely interesting to follow. It's actually a very positive aspect that the characters get alive with the words used by the author and that it's so easy to get their emotions and thoughts even with the simplest descriptions.

The interactions between them all, especially when a situation had to be solved or dealt with were very well done too.

I think I understand the lower grades though. I share some other reader's POVs, in particular how the romance between Kinosuke and Brendan wasn't as amazing as it could. It's a fact their relationship progresses very quickly in an initial stage but as the plot moves on, they stop spending as much time together and the conflicts make it easy for them to avoid one another. I liked them together but it's indeed a pity they didn't spend more time together.

In the end, when things are all done and they are on the path to HEA, this actually happens in a very choppy way. Not even the sugary epilogue made it look better.

The plot is all over the place. I liked how the author introduced more characters, not only to help wit the evolution of things but mainly because it allowed the reader to have access to how the tight group of people we already knew would react being side by side with different people. 

The problem is that with so many people needing attention, even in the most basic manner, or for the most simplistic reasons, the focus was lost and it got complicated to be always interested in what was happening.

It also didn't help that things dragged. There are scenes and situations that take forever to happen, to be finished... I think a lot of precious time is wasted in unnecessary scenes whereas others are solved too quickly or without the emotional power I expected.

One thing that I liked were the characters we got to meet. This story had room for more romances, I bet so it's a pity the characters spend too much time worrying and describing the things they will do and are doing, instead of moving on or actually doing it on the page.

It feels like there was a lot of attention to things that didn't have to be as detailed and what mattered was just like an add on.

I really expected more from this and although it was a big book, which, in the right way could have been like a very long addiction, it was captivating in some parts, but boring in others. 

Nevertheless, it was great to see more of the characters I came to care about from book #1 and for that alone, I'd grade this positively.

Grade: 6/10

TBR Challenge: Molly O'Keefe - Can't Buy Me Love

A girl from the wrong side of the tracks, Tara Jean Sweet knows that opportunity will never knock; she’ll have to seize it. Elderly Texas rancher Lyle Baker has a dying request: He will give Tara Jean a stake in his leather business in exchange for a little family subterfuge. All Tara Jean has to do is play the part of a gold-digging fiancée to lure Lyle’s estranged children home. The mission is soon accomplished. 
Now Lyle’s gone—and his ridiculously handsome son, Luc, an ice hockey superstar sidelined by injuries, is the new owner of Crooked Creek ranch. He’s also Tara Jean’s boss. But being so close to sinfully sweet Tara Jean does crazy things to Luc’s priorities, like make him want to pry her deepest secrets from those irresistible lips. But when Tara Jean’s past demands a dirty showdown, will Luc stay and fight?

Comment: Time does seem to pass very quickly and it's again time for the TBR challenge post of the month.

This time, the theme is contemporary, which could encompass a huge variety of titles. I picked a long standing book in the pile for no special reason except it would fit the theme.

In this story we meet Luc Baker, a professional hockey player whose career is about to end because he has a brain injury that, as more hits he gets while playing, the more serious it can get. He is angry he is being forced to end things before he won the major cup in the sport and even more so when his father, a man he never respected and who hit him when he was a child, decides to marry a gold digger.

Tara Jean Sweet is certainly not a gold digger but she needed the money Lyle Baker offered so she accepted to play the role of a vain, empty headed woman only interested in money so Lyle could reunite with his children before he dies. 

The plan only works to some extent and Tara and Luc don't get along at first but the more time passes, the more attracted they feel and the more time they want to spend with each other. If only Luc could see past his own doubts and someone from her dubious past didn't suddenly show up to make things worse...

It's the first time I've tried a book by this author. I saw great reviews some years ago and that is probably why I thought to add it to my TBR but it has been waiting a long time. 

I had no real expectations about it, the only detail I had fixed in my head about the book was the fact the heroine wasn't what others thought of her and this "trope" usually is one I tend to like, if done well. She was not in disguise but those around her imagined the was more spoiled and vain than what she really is.

The idea of this story was cute enough. However, the older man Lyle wasn't a nice person while he was younger and able and he seriously mistreated his children. This means the possibility of having Luc and his sister Victoria going through a dramatic turn in the relationship with their father was lost and, for me, made things a little too unconvincing between them and after Lyle dies. I mean, the biggest point of conflict is gone, so what is left is the character's own behavior and self doubts and issues which could be a little too annoying at times.

From early on, the focus is on Luc and Tara as individuals. they feel attracted, it's clear they will develop a relationship and while I liked some steps of it, I couldn't avoid thinking they made many things, took some decisions behind the curtain. I mean, they would do things and the reader would know about the outcome later on or in another chapter. 

This wasn't happening all the time but it also reminded me a bit of Susan Elizabeth Phillip's writing style. The heroine is often a beaten down woman, whether financially, emotionally, physically and she finds a new strength in her dealings with the hero and those she accepts closer to her (like Tara accepted Luc and his mother Celeste, the housekeeper Ruby, etc) and she often would do stuff that would have a repercussion later on, like her decision in the end regarding the business deal that was so important to her and that we only see what happens after.

The romance wasn't anything special, I thought. They weren't getting along at first for obvious reasons and despite Tara Jean pretending to be more arrogant than what she is, I felt the balance wasn't achieved in all their interactions. They were a match sexually and we saw how they tried to connect emotionally as well and although this was obvious in some scenes, it was not in others. I just felt their relationship moved on too quickly for the type of personality they both had. It wasn't as easy to believe such headstrong people, with serious issues in their lives would want to be that vulnerable with one another so soon, even outside of sex. Still, I'm glad they got happy, of course, and I can say several scenes were good enough to make me keep reading.

Some decisions they took through the novel were a little annoying to me. How Luc put his life in jeopardy over a situation he couldn't control (how certain are you that in a team sport, you can determine the outcome of a season?), how Tara had a problem from her past and in a point she was having bonding scenes with the hero, she didn't trust him with that when they had discussed similar details... I can understand these inner conflicts help the plot move on but then, when things are solved and the HEA approaches, it feels a little uneven.

The secondary characters were mildly interesting. Eli, for instance, was mysterious enough for me to ant to get his story right away. His HEA, though, will be with Victoria, Luc's sister. We get plenty scenes with her and it's obvious she feels guilt and shame over something not her fault and her path will be one of self discovery but I admit I found her irritating here...

As for the major problems Luc and Tara Jean face, in the end there's nothing true love can't deal with... it was the expected ending but I finished the book and thought I certainly expected some more magic and romance from this. I might read the other two books in this trilogy one day...

Grade: 7/10