Janet Chapman - Spellbound Falls

Maximilian Oceanus arrives in Spellbound Falls just in time to save Olivia Baldwin from an overly aggressive suitor, only to find himself attracted to the beautiful, if rather aloof, widow. And although Mac has come to Inglenook to get a handle on fatherhood, his newly discovered six-year-old son has set his sights on finding his father a wife.
Olivia, however, is busy getting Inglenook ready for its new season, so she doesn't have time to deal with her growing attraction to the dangerously seductive Mac. Besides, weird stuff seems to happen all around him. Take the fact that her seatbelt keeps getting stuck in his presence, or locks magically open for him without keys, and that he seems to have a talent for "sensing" things. Never mind the three lost albatrosses walking down the road in the middle of the night. Since when are there albatrosses in Maine?
But despite Olivia's resistance to falling under the sexy man's spell, Olivia is having trouble fighting her longing. Because she knows Mac is just the man to unlock the powerful passion deep within her....

Comment: Another buddy read I have with my friend H.

We have decided on this one around 2015 for some reason, mostly due to the romance content but the specific reason I can't remember anymore.

We were hoping this was sweet and romantic as the cover also suggests but, for me, once again that old saying is correct: don't judge a book by its cover.

In this story we have the tale of Olivia Bladwin, a widowed mother who is trying her best to make a camp for troubled families work. It's true that is is her mother-in-law's idea but Olivia has deicated much of her time and effort to it but things seem to go a wrong way when the only worker for the camp decides his crush needs to be addressed and attacks her. Conveniently, she is rescued by Max Oceanus, one of the new guests, when he sees her in the road.

After this rescue, Max starts to focus his attention on Olivia's life too and not just on how to mend his relationship with his young son. But when weird situations start happening around Olivia, can she ignore them or will she realize Max is just another enigma as well?

From beginning to end, this story felt like it was too weird and the pacing and scenes' switch not that good.

I confess I struggled a little to keep track of what was supposed to be important because there are many things to pay attention to and not all were included well in the plot. This is mostly a contemporary story but with some paranormal elements here and there but the setting, the dynamics all point to just contemporary. The "rules" are the ones we see in contemporary. I really think the author missed the mark with the balance in this book.

The plot seems to be simple underneath all the complicated details. A widowed young woman with a young daughter works at a sort of camp where families go to not only have vacations or a good time, but also to connect with one another, something that Olivia, the protagonist, found a way to accomplish. I liked this idea of a single mother now having to/wanting to work to provide for her daughter but to be an example too. But this is the basics. From this premise on, everything is too weird and out of pace.

The plot is very centered on Olivia assuring the continuity of the work she's doing but many things happen, like the attack on her person, the two guests who turn out to act more like friends of the family, the dad being someone Olivia is attracted to and the young son he has acting too much as a grown up to mysterious things happening without any warning.

Apparently, this book features Max, the protagonist hero, a character known to fans of the author from another series. I had no idea this would be so and that means I felt a little lost sometimes and the writing certainly didn't give me the impression of helping.

The romance scenes/vibe were off as well. Why were these two people attracted? I would have loved to see them interact with their kids in a believable way for a story set on our world. The paranormal details weren't that heavy but they weren't fully explained as well (a detail we were supposed to have known already?) and they made no sense in this story. In what way did the story gain from this? I don't think in any. Even the kids' behavior was off putting since they were like mini adults. 

Some secrets uncovered had their impact but overall, I was disappointing because I expected a certain type of story and this went a different way. 

I know the author has passed away and she as very liked by her fans but I can't say I ended up being one. I still have another book by her to read... hopefully, it will be better.

Grade: 4/10

Donna Tartt - The Goldfinch

It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.
As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love-and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.
The Goldfinch combines vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and suspense, while plumbing with a philosopher's calm the deepest mysteries of love, identity, and art. It is an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the ruthless machinations of fate. 

Comment: To be honest, I never thought about this book as something I'd want to read. But I saw it at my local library and since I would certainly not buy it, I could have the chance to see what made so many readers talk about it, especially in 2013, when this was published.

However, the story despite being interesting, was not enough to make me feel sympathetic to what was going on with the main character...

In this huge book (practically 900 pages in my edition) we follow Theo, a 13 year old boy who sees himself in a situation no one would ever think about and his mother, sadly, dies as a result of an attack in a museum. His life is shaped out of hand from that moment on and the one thing that connects him to this episode and the memories and feelings associated with it, is a painting, "The Goldfinch" by Carel Fabritius. 

After the attack, Theo is in one of the galleries looking for his mother when he helps an old man and ends up being with him when he passes. He keeps a ring given to him by that man, which will later take him to a person who helps Theo but he also keeps the painting, having somewhat personal reasons for it. 

But as Theo's life starts to spiral out of control, attaching himself to what the painting means can prove to have been a mistake...

I must say the first 200 pages or so were divine. The book is divided into five major parts, each focused on a stage of Theo's life and the first is definitely the best, both in plot and in writing. I really, really wanted Theo to deal well with what happened and, most important, at that time he was surrounded by people who wished him well and were part of his recovery process, which would certainly help. 

I imagined a coming of age story about Theo and those he cared about and how he would deal with having the painting and the need to be himself after a tragic event such as losing the mother he loved. 

I also created scenarios in my head about what Theo would do and how his character would be but yet I can't accept the path the author chose for him. No.

Basically, this book is about Theo's choices. Theo is the central character, he is the narrator and he is deeply affected by his mother's death. The painting works as an almost sort of match to his reality: he is like the goldfinch in the painting, shackled to something he can't escape but still letting him exist. I suppose, in a way, we are meant to see the similarities and realize Theo was stuck in a cycle that started by having lost his biggest support system.

WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD!

However, I ended up so terribly disappointed because Theo is not a stupid boy. He is young but he is not an idiot. He isn't unaware of reality. He might have lost his mother and might have been taken by a friend's family because his close family didn't want him but he isn't out of reality. He is quite clever in his speech and he does manage to process things around him well. He understands taking the painting wasn't right. He understands finding Hobie, a man who helps him, was a good thing. He understands his friend's family didn't have to but still welcomed him. He was and talked and acted as a stable human person, despite his loss. A loss that countless people in the whole world go through, sadly, as well so Theo isn't different from other people simply because of his mothers' death. 

But he is young, so he was bound to make mistakes. I can understand why seeing his father again, the man who had issues and abandoned him and his mother, was a shock and even more so when he took Theo to live with him and his girlfriend all the way from New York to Las Vegas. In there, his life changes completely first because he meets Boris, a student at his school and then because they start on a self- destructive path.

What I simply cannot accept as the way for things to go was for Theo to become a drug addict and a jerk and a person who sacrifices his intelligence for silly adventures he is definitely cognizant of as being something wrong. At some point he does even say he doesn't know how he went from a recognized merit student to being part of the lost cases at his new school. I just can't accept that someone will knowingly and consciously choose drugs. Yes, he was young but all in his mind and behavior process wouldn't lead him there. He was sad so he joined a loser and did drugs? I just cannot accept that.

Therefore, this book was sort of a huge let down. Theo grows up, he was still a junkie, eventually he gets out of them only to meet his childhood friend Boris again, the guy who "helped" him at the critical point he decided to do drugs and he goes back to it. There are more (mostly negative) things happening around Theo, things I can rationalize as having affected Theo's decision making and it does seem everything around him was conspiring to make him lose his mind and become more and more stressed and not able to solve his issues properly.

But.

Theo was not dumb, he was clever, he just didn't act on things in a way I think would have been the "right" one for the matters at hand. He chose, it was not Fate deciding for him.

Towards the end, Theo sees himself in a dire situation, and he does have negative thoughts about how things might happen if only he wasn't there. He decides to make things right at last but in the crucial moment he does not. Once again, Boris shows up and personifies the problem solving somehow and Theo's actions lose power and focus and change again. 
I didn't like this much and all the conversations about art and philosophy don't seem relevant, considering Theo just chose to use his free will to lead him to negative paths. He must be dumb after all.

All things considered, I regret all the worries I had reading, I hate that Theo didn't embark on a more magical/special/extraordinary self worth journey instead of the realistic, yes but also cynical and too adverse life situations he went through. Isn't life supposed to teach you things and to make you want to improve and become a better person? I hated that Theo didn't think that among all the specific philosophies he talked about, not even at the end.

Grade: 4/10

Jet Mykles / Hope Ramsey

Rom is Dasher. As Santa’s lead reindeer, he has everything he’s ever wanted. He is everything he’d ever wanted to be. His life is perfect, filled with good friends and any pretty he wants.
Until Shaw appears in front of him. The drab little elf from Archives isn’t anything like Rom’s other partners. Oh, he’s cute, but he doesn’t knows it. Even more amazing, he seems immune to Rom’s flirting. It’s almost like he doesn’t want Rom. Wait, no. When Rom does proposition him, Shaw turns him down flat.
Amazing!
Even more amazing, Rom is hooked. He can’t get Shaw out of his mind. He even goes to the Library to pursue him. But Shaw -- and Shaw’s mother -- can’t figure out what Rom would want with him.
Well, Rom’s not entirely sure either but he knows he wants to find out. Can he convince Shaw?

Comment: I'm not reading this series in the right order but to be honest I'm mostly interested in her m/m stories. This was a nice, simple and easy novella, without much happening and very quickly solved as well. The central focus is on Rom, an elf that all the others look up to considering his almost rock star status among the Santa's reindeers.

The novella basically tells us about the unlikely but slowly developing romance between Rom, someone very popular, and Shaw, a shy archivist who barely cares about the popular elves. This obviously changes when he needs to ask questions for a census and later needs to be around the popular elves for a special project. The romance is sweet and and slow burn, not very graphic, unlike some other series by the author. It's mostly sweet and I liked it but in some aspects, the conflicts proposed barely reached any meaningful situation; the main conflict is easily solved. For such a small page count of course not much could really happen but overall, it could have been better. Still, it allowed for some easy back hours.

Grade: 6/10

*  *  * 

Dear Reader,
Yes, our town is way off the beaten path, but strange, wonderful miracles happen a lot around here.

I've owned the Cut 'n' Curl beauty shop for years, and I've seen folks come for a visit, then stay for a lifetime. Take Jane-that pretty firecracker of a girl who just arrived in town. I would swear she's running from something. She came with only five dollars in her pocket but she's worked real hard to make a fresh start. She's turned my son Clay's life upside down without even realizing it.
And thank goodness for that! Ever since Clay left his country western band, he's played everything too safe. He needs to take a chance on Jane. Besides, the more he tries to keep his distance, the more he'll realize that he and Jane are singing the same tune.
But I should quit ramblin' and go check on Millie's permanent wave. Next time you're in Last Chance, be sure to swing by. We've got hot rollers, free coffee, and the best gossip in town.
See you real soon,
Ruby Rhodes

Comment: This is the first installment in this Last Chance series by author Hope Ramsey, the first book her I tried. I can't remember why I decided to read this, but it was in the TBR pile...well, at the end of things, I wasn't much impressed with it. I think the plot was too cheesy and not focused enough on the main characters. I usually don't mind different POVs and a big cast but in this case, it was not easy to focus on what should matter the most.

The romance between the protagonists, Clay and Jane wasn't very romantic not well structured, in my opinion. I can see why they are in love when we don't see enough emotional development in them to match the actions and the plot's changes. It just felt so...weak. Then there are other characters who crowd the story but are so underdeveloped that it all just looks random and meaningless.

Some readers mention the Christian content but honestly that I could easily ignore because it certainly didn't seem consistent to what was happening and the main characters' decisions.

All in all, good details but not enough structure nor content to make me want to read more.

Grade: 4/10

Cameron Dean - Passionate Thirst

Candace Steele is as tough as she is alluring. For her, killing vampires isn't just a job-it's personal: She's still haunted by erotic memories of an all-consuming affair with Ash, a seductive vampire who thrilled her-and then nearly destroyed her. Now, working undercover in a Las Vegas casino, she seduces the most powerful undead-right before she drives a stake through their unbeating hearts.
When hot-ticket singer Temptation McCoy sweeps into town for a major concert, Candace is tapped for security. But after meeting Temptation, Candace feels the cold, tingling sensation that can mean only one thing: There's a vampire in the diva's entourage. To complicate matters, Ash suddenly appears in Sin City, vowing to do anything and everything to draw Candace back into his arms. Overwhelmed by desire and suspicion, she lets down her guard . . . a move that could cost Candace her life. 

Comment: Once more I have added some books to my monthly list that have been in the pile for a long time. This is one of those, something around since 2010, a few months after my PNR discovery. I've come to really like the genre and I confess I've got several titles, usually first books in a series, to pile up and leisurely enjoy as time went by and series were finished. For months in a row I would get one or two or three books that I thought I would probably enjoy just by the blurb and my tastes at the time.

However, time goes by and we all change, even if at that precise moment we think we won't. I still like PNR but I tend to stick to certain series and very specific styles nowadays so many other books no longer catch my attention nor do I enjoy them as I probably would have years ago. It's life but I can't help feeling a little bit unfair towards these not-so-great-books. At the same time, if they were really amazing for me, it's not time that makes them bad...

Ok, little sharing moment, over, this book is focused on Candace Steele, a woman we meet working at a casino in Las Vegas but we quickly realize she is a vampire hunter in disguise. Candace doesn't have a great history with the acceptance of vampire existence so she does what she can to help them disappear but there's this man from her past who can't seem to let her move on...

Candace has a job at the casino so when a superstar comes to perform and brings her entourage, Candace, as part of the security team, meets everyone and surprisingly one of the elements is a vampire. Candace tries her best to investigate, to help the superstar somehow but then her past and her present meet and she will have to make a choice.

This ended up not being a great book to me. Although it's not a complete deal breaker, books with first person narrator aren't my favorites. I just think that, as happened with this story, we loose a lot from only having one POV. Now, if the narrator were someone incredibly interesting, that would be good enough but I didn't really like Candace that much. I can understand her attitude and fears and some of her actions but the settings described, the way things develop looking through her eyes just didn't seem that interesting. 

The plot wasn't terribly addictive. In this world vampires can be bad or not too bad and they can control humans in a robotic manner which makes them less appealing than average but only the strong ones do. I never got the notion why vampires exist or why does it matter to the world and why was Candace special for one of them. I got the idea that vampires and humans never mix except in specific situations like when vampires obviously want to feed and of there is attraction between them. If there isn't a well structured society then it's no longer appealing to me to read about bad and good vampires in the old school style. It just doesn't interest me anymore.

The narrative wasn't boring per se but I also didn't feel eager to keep reading. I skipped the sex scenes and I got really annoyed at the incredible amount of chapters going back and forth with past and present situations about the protagonist's relationship.

In terms of plot, there's a twist at the end, it wasn't so bad but the whole execution sucked and honestly, because we only got Candace's POV it didn't feel that interesting and I wonder why the author bothered when she could have simply kept the focus on the romance.

The romance was weird. Candace was in love with a vampire, then she hated him for something, now she is dating a cop, but she stills think about the vampire, she also still hates what he is, she is bent in killing as many vampires as she can but when she is in trouble, there comes the vampire she hates to help her, then she changes her mind but still fears afraid and goes back to hate him. It's tiring to read about indecisions and things like this without any real conclusion. I see there two more books, i might read the next one one day but I'm not feeling the urge that much, to be honest.

I didn't see much point in Candace's actions overall, and not in the plot as a whole. There are some erotic scenes to...give atmosphere? Who knows, but I bet I will easily forget about this book. Years ago it might have been good but now I can't go past what annoys me.

Grade: 4/10

Mini Comments

Seeing I'm reading at full speed these days, to keep up the pace here I'll try to add some shorter commentary on some reads.
The ones I've put together here weren't the best overall, but I'm happy to think it's two more books out of the pile!

RULES FOR THE (VERY) RELUCTANT GUARDIAN OF THE SCROLL
1. Don't lose the above artifact you've inherited from your ancestors-no matter how much it starts messing up your life.
2. Do learn how to control its powers. (And, yes, that means putting up with über-complicated guardian lessons from your father's meddling ghost.)
3. Don't trust anyone. Especially Rhys, the mysterious bad boy who's always one step ahead of you . . . and as irresistible as sin.
4. Do anything to keep the scroll from landing in the wrong hands. Even if that brings on a heartbreaking betrayal, an evil you never saw coming, and a choice you may not live to regret. 

Comment: I've had this book in the pile for ten years. Ten years and after such a long time two things can happen: the book is a hidden gem and we are left wondering what took us so long or the book isn't great and that's why, subconsciously, it was almost wearing out at the bottom of the pile.

This is the first book in a trilogy by Kate Perry but I was not impressed. Many readers comment on the lack of empathy towards the heroine, for she acts rather selfish and whiny and I agree. The romance that should help us see her through a different perspective, didn't help and that's even worse when we think this is a first person narrator. The plot is very simple, the concept original even for PNR, but too many loose ends and little details that didn't really matter, so the end also felt weak. I don't feel like trying the remaining stories even if apparently they are better.

Grade: 4/10

  *   *   *

After a career on the rodeo circuit, Ben Sterling longs to settle down on his farm and start a family like his brothers. He’s searched all over for the woman of his dreams. Yet the only one to spark his interest is the new owner of the local café. Getting her attention, however, won’t be easy.
Sissy Sue Bentley has worked hard to make it on her own, and she doesn’t need another man in her life. From her alcoholic father to the men she’s dated, who were after only one thing, they are nothing but trouble. Except Ben keeps showing up whenever she really needs help. Sissy struggles to deny her growing feelings for him—but soon Ben’s tender concern has her hoping for a happier future. Then her past comes barreling back into her life, and it will take more than the love in Ben’s heart to hold them together. 

Comment: This is the third installment in the Mystic Creek series/trilogy by author Catherine Anderson. I've been a fan of this author for years but I've come to notice her most recent works are all very.... bland. I miss the vibrant stories featuring less than perfect heroes and heroines, yes, but always with something amazing and romantic. The books continue like this, but it's difficult to see the best things. In this case, both main characters were great as were the secondary ones but they are were too perfect, not in their personalities but in their actions. The romance was sweet, as always, but it took so long for them to connect at a more intimate level that it just lost momentum. The heroine, Sissy, was also too innocent when it came to her dealing with things, even more so after her past and how hard it was for her to overcome so many issues and be a hardworking woman now. Yes you can be innocent in many things but there's a naiveté about her that just sounded childish.

Grade: 6/10

Debra Dier - Scoundrel

Independent minded Emily Maitland knew her parents would never allow her younger sisters to attend the Season until she married. Since she had no intention of making a loveless match with some witless fop or sentencing her sisters to spinsterhood, she eloped with the perfect man. Major Sheridan Blake was her ideal husband: handsome, charming, dashing—and completely imaginary. She was stunned when a counterfeit Major Blake marched into her life and claimed her as his bride. Determined to vanquish the handsome rogue without revealing her own deception, Emily soon discovers the bewildering scoundrel is even more intriguing than any ideal from her imagination.
An agent for the Ministry, Simon St. James exploited Emily’s deception to suit his mission. He was searching for a traitor smuggling arms to Napoleon’s army. He found an auburn haired virago who could heal his wounded soul. Trapped in the web of his own deception, he would fight the devil himself for the chance of winning his lady. 

Comment: This is one of those poor lost books in the bottom of lists kind of books. It means it has been kept alone for a long time since arriving at the pile but usually there are two reasons for that: a) you got it for some weird reason (some cheap or free deal) and now no longer feels interesting or b) you are leaving for the perfect time and don't want to go through the pain of reading it and that is it.

To be really honest, this is more alike the first reason....

This is the story of Emily Maitland, a young woman who decides, along with her grandmother, to invent a fake husband so her sisters can enter society and, eventually, marry themselves. This because their parents thought of only allowing Emily's sister into society if Emily married first.

All seem well when, during a party, Emily's fake husband appears and Emily can do nothing but go along with his plans.

Why this stranger showed up using her lie, she doesn't know, but she believes him to be scoundrel of the worst kind...too bad she likes him and wants to be close to him...

This is my second story by the author and unlike the first one, this didn't have many positive qualities in my perspective, which made it seem weaker to me.

I mean, the story isn't all that bad but the way the plot moves along and the absolutely silly situations the heroine gets into and her often childish behavior put me off a lot. It took me some days to go through this book but it was a struggle, especially at the beginning.

The writing style isn't very appealing to me. It offers the right information but it's not properly done, for instance, when we get why Emily's husband is posing as such the information is important for us to know but why he had to use that particular disguise is silly, there were so many other ways he could have tried to find the information he wanted... There seems to exist a very small amount of logic in some aspects and even in terms of character development, I felt things weren't well thought.

Major Sheridan, however, has some interesting personality details, things to endear him to the reader, his motives, expectations, past experiences...he tries to the best out of a sticky situation, he obviously plays a part in order to find of someone in Emily's family and father's business is smuggling...and forgetting about the idea of pretending to be married to her - which is silly - his actions seem to have a reason, a line of continuity...I liked several scenes with him, some emotional details, but the execution only made him look unprofessional and a cliché.

Emily, however, is the real element in the book that got on my nerves. She is a young woman but her attitudes and behavior seem those of a bratty teenager. I suppose this is meant to make her look feisty and impetuous, somewhat wild too, for us readers. But for me, she only looked ridiculous. The way she dealt with the masquerade of Sheridan, how she imagined she could get rid of him by sending him in a ship somewhere, how things go wrong and he then pretends to be amnesic... and in the middle of all this she is supposed to, convincingly, be falling in love with him...I mean, no. I don't think anyone would consider her mature enough to be sane, much less a good wife or companion.

This is meant to be a romance, so I get the path the author takes us on, but I feel the plot is very lacking in structure and reasonable development to make it something I enjoyed reading.

But between the irritating heroine and the several situations they both get into (maybe the shooting the husband on the head but not causing him harm can be one of the most challenging), I just think the author invented too much, too many things had to be secret from some characters to others and when we got to the real villain's identity, the solution was as stupid as the reason it had to exist in the first place.

The HEA is sweet, and sure, that is great, but I won't miss this book and after two less than stellar attempts, I think this is it between me and this author. I won't say never again, but so far, I think I might be done. Too many loose points and unnecessary situations to be dealt with. Too much and not well explained or presented.

Grade: 4/10

Mini Comments

The story of the people of Daring Castle. Adrianna was an independent woman, living on her own in New York City.That was until she came home to find two huge barbarians in her home.Taken from not just her home but her world, she was transported to a new world controlled by huge warrior men who thought women should be sex slaves.Left chained to a bed, a shadowed warrior came to her, stealing away her good intentions before disappearing before the first light of day.Could she escape his fiery touch or was she forever Bound by Love?

 Through with running from the past, Joelle Randall has come to the rugged Canadian Rockies determined to face her pain and begin anew. All she needs is a guide to lead her through the untamed mountain wilderness to the site where her parents' plane crashed long ago. But the only guide Joelle can find is Luke Gevaudan, a magnetically attractive loner with the feral grace of a wolf and eyes that glitter with a savage intensity. She has no idea that Luke is the stuff of legends, one of the last survivors of an ancient race of werewolves, a man whose passion she will not be able to resist--no matter how terrible the price.

 

-> Here I am, trying to keep track on the things I read with a new personal feature. Mini reviews are well known everywhere, I prefer to say I comment on books I read, so for me, mini comments they are.

I'm just going to write a few lines about certain books from time to time, whether because they aren't as great as deserving a full comment, or not interesting enough or not as impressive enough (negatively or positively) to make me want to write more.

These books were two of the longest standing ebooks in my ebook pile. For some reason, when I started to be interested in ebooks, before I ever got an e-reader and my only reading device was the PC, these two ended up the pile but I no longer remember why I thought it was a good idea. This is the danger of long and endless piles of books... some just no longer seem to be things one can feel interested in, but then there they are and I'd feel bad by at least not trying them.

Prince of Wolves is the story of Joelle, a woman who wants to go to the mountains somewhere, where she thinks her parent's plane crashed. She just wants to see the place so she can find some closure. She intends to go with a guide but somehow it's not possible. Then she meets Luke, a weird man in the small town where she's staying but her life gets even weirder after trying to stay away from him and looking for to seduce him not long after. 

The story was ok, I guess, but way too boring in the beginning. So many pages spent making things ready for the fact Luke and Joelle had to go together into the mountains that when it finally happens and we get to know why Luke is weird and why Joelle and him are meant to be together, I was too bored and lacking real interest.

The writing isn't too bad but it didn't captivate me enough and to be honest it was really annoying to endure the back and forth type of relationship they had and all the surrounding things. It's one of those books that when I first discovered paranormal might have been good but now, not so much.

Grade: 4/10

Bound By Love starts when Adrianna, a woman in her New York apartment, is kidnapped and taken to a different time and place where women are mostly slaves and she just becomes one herself. With time, however, Adrianna falls in love with her captor but she needs to go through several obstacles before a HEA can happen.

What was I thinking is the question to ask here, this isn't the romance I expected, it's erotica bordering on the pornographic or, at least, fantasy for guys where any woman immediately falls prey to lust. The concept was the good thing about this book, and I imagined a world where things would change, where a heroine could be the first to reveal a better existence for other women, where the purpose was more on the relationships and not the sex, but nope. I skimmed all sex scenes, meaning I didn't read that much but oh, what to say about the character's personality or their behavior... so many things that don't make any sense in what is supposed to be an organized world. The end was ridiculous, totally against any possibility and something I don't think suited the story. There was a reason why this was unread for so long, I guess!

Grade: 3/10

Christine Feehan - Shadow Rider

Whether it’s fast cars or fast women, Stefano Ferraro gets what he wants. When he’s not fodder for the paparazzi, he commands Ferraro family businesses—both legitimate and illegitimate.
While their criminal activity is simply a rumor yet to be proven, no one knows the real truth. The Ferraros are a family of shadow riders capable of manipulating light and dark, an ability Stefano thought ran in his family alone—until now…
With little left to her name, Francesca Cappello has come to Chicago in hopes of a new life. She wasn’t expecting to attract the attention of a man with primal hunger in his eyes, driven to claim her as his to protect and to please. And if he discovers her secret, it could ruin her...

Comment: As soon as I've read a certain book in the Carpathian series that was a long time coming, I've taken the decision to not read more books by Christine Feehan. There are some books by her I've loved, but the last books didn't convince me and I struggled to go through them. This meant I only went forward with reading this one because it was the choice for my book club and maybe - don't we all always hope for magic - this book was a return to her best work and it would be amazing? After 4 or 5 chapters I knew it wouldn't be fun...

This book is the first of a new series and will certainly feature the Ferraro family. This first book presents the oldest of several siblings, Stefano Ferraro and how he recognizes the woman for him when someone from his family's neighborhood brings a unknown woman to ask for a job at a deli. The new woman seems to be struggling, her clothes aren't appropriate for the cold weather and she clearly needs help. More important than that, she is a Rider like Stefano.

Francesca is hiding from a dangerous man, she has nothing and was one step from being homeless but her friend Joanna said she could help and got her an interview at a deli. Meeting Stefano was a shock because he is everything Francesca is not, sophisticated, rich, attractive, confident... but there's a deeper connection between them. Can Francesca accept to be a part of Stefano's world?

Where to start? While I was reading, I kept thinking about things I should mention in this comment because they annoyed me to no end. It seems incredible to me how so many readers don't see the flaws in this book the way I did. Thankfully, diversity exists and everyone can have an opinion, otherwise, poor author!

Let me try to go by topics so I can convey why this book felt like such a disappointment to me.

1) The concept of the book is quite good. Strange people that can ride the shadows like if they were a special route or path only some can take. How could this influence others' lives and how did it work were things barely addressed in the story, and to me there wasn't much development about it. Sure, maybe this will become more and more important as future installments come out (as it seems to) but then why did it took around 400 pages to tell us this?

2) The heroine was first described as someone poor, in need of help and a job and overwhelmed by the new rich family she meets. She soon realizes the new people are overly protective and controlling. Sure, she's hiding from someone dangerous but would someone who's already burned just accept a stranger controlling her life, her steps, her routines? And more, not only accepting but embracing it? Not to mention the little detail but that hugely annoyed me that Francesca simply didn't ask questions, would anyone in this modern age just accept the word from a stranger, especially if she had reasons to be suspicious and not demand explanations about him, the weird behavior of others and all the apparent secrets that were being hidden from her but that affected her current daily life?

3) I know the point is to see how well matched Stefano and Francesca are and how trust is important but Stefano takes this too far, he acts as if Francesca can just assume everything about him and it has to be a positive thinking, she has to accept his ideas, behavior, knowledge, control, protection because he knows best, he does not explain things to her as he should but if she tries to leave to think about it or if she's suspicious about this or that, he immediately accuses her of running and not trusting him! How can this be considered romantic or acceptable?

There are more little things I could point out but this got to my nerves. It's repetitive, all secondary characters' POV about the Ferraro family is understandable considering the mafia-like environment, but where's the personality in everyone?

I can understand why some readers appreciate this, I don't mind if a hero wants to help and prove his superiority somehow but the relationship has to be reasonable, balanced. Both parts must act sanely and Stefano was too demanding and  at some point even told Francesca "you're never going to be independent". I don't consider me a radical feminist, but this made me angry. Francesca didn't seem to gain a backbone and despite all the right she has to want to raise children, she keeps saying she doesn't want to be a kept woman, but then easily accepts to be something like it.

The shadow business disappoint me too and even the talk about Francesca being one was almost put aside. It fit the need for her to be a mate for Stefano but then, nothing.

I'll stop now. I wanted to scream at the characters not to act like that. I know mrs Feehan said her books always will have a darker tone/setting/environment because it's the way her wok is, but everything is always too gloom and the fun or lighter moments seem mechanic actions meant to distract. I don't know, but I miss a better base and a strong, believable development.

Fans will still like it, many have, but for me...it is over.

Grade: 4/10

A few mini comments

In order to lower the pile of unread m/m books I have, I've decided to "attack" some shot stories. They don't have any connection, they're simply small in page count and that was why I picked five. I'll try to do this again in the future and I'll keep the comments short, just a few notes about my impressions on each one.

When his master is defeated in battle, the concubine Tamet volunteers to take his place as a royal hostage. But when betrayal leaves Tamet trapped in an unfamiliar land, with a prince who both attracts and repels him, what fate will the future hold for him?

Comment:  This is a sort of slave/master story. Tamet seemed good character, his actions revealed loyalty and I expected him to learn to trust again where he went but...It has interesting elements and I liked Tamet's character but the whole conception of the fantasy world didn't win me over and I would have preferred a different society instead. It made the romance, if one can call it that, rather pointless if the feelings between them won't ever be exclusive because the master has other slaves and wives.

Grade: 5/10

 
Ricky has it all, and that's part of the problem. Countless personal assistants and managers organize his celebrity life for him, so that he barely needs to lift a finger. It's not until he hires Jim as a bodyguard that he realizes he can't pay everyone to kiss his ass. Jim's quiet manner and integrity makes him a challenge. However, the more Ricky gets to know the no nonsense body guard, the more he realizes what's missing in his life. And when Ricky's life is in danger, sparks begin to fly.

Comment: This would have been an interesting take on the bodyguard romance if only they had known each other for longer to make it more believable! I know this is a short story but there are ways to make it credible without the usual clichés. However, Ricky seems too needy, and I guess that would always put him in a less than desirable position for the romance to be strong in my POV.

Grade: 4/10

Kasumi is an elite warrior, trained in skills that very little of the world even knows exists. The price for his skills is high, and they are not sold lightly. Given into the service of a famous scholar, Kasumi travels the world at his side, a secretive, deadly shadow, his only defining trait a mask that no one can remember in detail the very moment they have looked away...
When Kasumi and his Master board a ship, Kasumi is certain he will be facing nothing more than a very long, very boring trip. But the companion his Master is travelling with proves to be the most idiotic, most infuriating man that Kasumi has ever met, and the trip proves to be frustrating rather than boring. Then everything goes wrong...

Comment: The proof short stories can have development! This is believably divided into parts and each has interest and real development! I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed it. No sex but amazing details and subtle sexual chemistry and a truly magnificent end! I loved the main couple and the things they went through to defend something they believe in and how special it was to finally see them together and admit their feelings. It was also amazing to learn about the mask, why it was important and how it worked as a means to keep the couple together until they found what they were looking for. It didn't feel such a short story at all!

Grade: 9/10 

After a seven-year absence, only a catastrophic event could bring Trace Tilton home to Farley Gulch-like his father having a heart attack. Once Bud's on the mend, Trace plans to leave the Triple T Ranch again. He's certain his gruff father will never accept his...lifestyle. Triple T foreman Nash Stokes thinks Farley Gulch is the ideal place for a man to live a simple life-and keep his sexual preference a secret. A hot roll in the hay with his boss's gorgeous son is the last thing he expected. Before long, scorching passion and small-town rumor find both men taking a hard ride home.

Comment: This is a contemporary, interesting but again, the too much sex, not as much development is the issue, in my opinion. Nash is the character I felt more interested in but too bad he wasn't developed more than just superficially. Trace has an appeal to his personality but I feel this was a short story made him look less certain of himself. The end was positive and hopeful but totally sugary and unlikely.

Grade: 5/10

Thom is down on love, having walked in on his lover with "a friend" and caught them doing the nasty. After he kicks said lover out, he writes off men for good. Then Bradley moves in next door, so flaming he’s practically on fire, and Thom can’t help but notice. Especially when Bradley seems to be quite the exhibitionist, having sex with his boyfriend in front of the bedroom windows, and getting frisky with another guy out back in his pool.
Suddenly Thom finds himself in the precarious position of voyeur, and he knows Bradley knows he’s watching. He even suspects Bradley might be deliberately flaunting his sexuality for Thom’s benefit. He doesn’t need another cheating lover, but how long can he resist Bradley’s advances?

Comment: The idea is not appealing and I thought this would go on a different route. The first person narrator didn't make me feel sympathetic and Bradley's character was annoying and had an attitude I disliked. I'm also not a fan of the "twink" persona and had a hard time finding will to read this, even more because it's short. 

The end was not believable, the romance development focused too much on uninteresting things and not enough on personality and feelings, something I expected. I won't cherish this fondly.

Grade: 3/10 

->I hope my next short reads won't be as average low but good ones like the third story, which had all the elements necessary to make it wonderful.

Let's see...

Terry O'Reilly - Walking in Two Worlds

Lee Masters is fired from his cattle drive when his sexual orientation is discovered. Frustrated and angry, he rides to a mountain lake where he meets Running Buffalo, Tatanka, who is also exiled from his tribe for refusing to adhere to tribal custom for braves who prefer men to women. They strike up a friendship, which readily turns to love. Their family is completed when a young Indian, Sleeps With Dogs, insists they take him with them on their search for a home. Where can they find the acceptance they seek? Will they always be Walking In Two Worlds?

Comment: This is one of the many m/m stories I've had piled up, or should I say kept in one folder in my PC, for years. Since I've realized I would enjoy reading this sub-genre of sorts I started collecting" books but as always, it wouldn't be easy to actually grab them and read them. I blindly picked a book and this is it.

In this story we follow Lee Masters, a cowboy who's been fired as soon as his co workers found his sexual preferences. He has been riding with no destination and in one of his stops he meets Tatanka, an Indian who doesn't seem to mind to share a blanket with him. They fall in love and start looking for some place to be together in peace but in their journey they stay for a while in Tatanka's village and sort of adopt a child. They move on again and find some work in a city where they are mostly well treated until they are discovered by their preferences. Will they ever find a place or are they condemned to be part of two separate worlds?

I won't take too long... this book has an interesting concept and interesting details but for the most part, its execution wasn't up to my personal preferences...the story is divided into many parts, the narrative suffers an interruption quite often and the plot itself isn't well done.

I think it's one of those cases where the writing isn't helping an already weak plot.

I liked how Lee and Tatanka had their ideas about how happiness should be lived and it annoyed me a lot that they didn't feel free - nor where they - to be in love in the open. I also liked how they stayed with one another despite everyone and society as a rule not accepting them as a couple.

But there were problems too.

First of all, they claim to be in love too soon! And truly believing it. I suppose there's a certain level of inferring and almost spiritual aura in this novel - and not only because of the Native American elements in the story - but to just take being in love as fact after one night of sex is too much for my credibility acceptance.

Then, at some point, Lee finds himself in a situation that I simply don't understand why it had to happen. It didn't add anything to the plot, it's redundant and avoidable and if it's not serving any reasonable purpose why should we be reading it?

Throughout the book the writing doesn't get better. I struggled to understand some actions and decisions they made and I wasn't always convinced the way things were going was the best one.

Many readers speak of inconsistency and I have to agree, many things (and characters) don't seem to follow any sort of rules about anything. It's frustrating. I also don't know why they should act like that and why we should think it's fine for them to explain things later. To me, this is too superficially written.

Lee and Tatanka are interesting characters, Tatanka especially. I liked reading about his tribe's characteristics and rules and how things work within the hierarchy. I liked the simplicity of his thinking and the beauty of his spirit. But as part of a couple with Lee they were average.

Lee has a good thing, he's naturally suspicious and afraid of being rejected but somehow his actions in dealing with others or in certain situations didn't seem very plausible.

In the end I was just hoping to have a more well structured and executed story but despite the positive things I could glimpse, it wasn't enough to make it much better than not good enough for me.

Grade: 4/10

Judith Ivory - Beast

American heiress Louise Vandermeer has agreed to marry a European aristocrat. Her intended is rumored to be a hideously ugly man, a prospect that propels her into a reckless shipboard affair with a compelling stranger she never sees in the light of day. Unbeknownst to Louise, her mystery man is actually her betrothed, Charles d'Harcourt, whose romantic prank backfires when he becomes smitten with his own fiancee.

Comment: I've had my eye on this book for years because I've heard it was a version of Beauty and the Beast and that is my favorite Disney fairytale, therefore I feel curious about books with that theme and also because I've read another book by the author, which I liked and I wanted to get that idea again. Sadly, that didn't happen.

This is the story of Charles Harcourt, a wealthy aristocrat french lord that has interests in perfumes and fragrances and so on and after letters exchanged with a prosper American businessman, he decides to marry that man's daughter without having seen her before.

Trying to get an idea of his unknown fiancé, he travels in the same ship as her family does and what he learns isn't positive as Louise seems vain and not interested in him. He decides to play a joke on her by seducing her and seeing how far would she go. However, the two of them fall in love and Charles doesn't know how to fix things when do meet officially and marry. Will they be happy?

My answer to the question above is pretty much the reflex of my overall opinion and lack of interest in the story: who cares?

I felt disappointed in this story because it's almost idiotic how things progressed and I can't find any similarity in terms of narrative between this book and the one I've read before by the author, which was much better in any level.

This book has one of the themes, or is based on one of the themes I like the most but there's nothing remotely connected to the Beauty and the Beast idea except the heroine is considered gorgeous and the hero less so. Then the plot is one of the silliest in romance, I thought.

Basically, he story develops as such: hero hears heroine doesn't consider him a good party or someone she would like to married to because she heard he didn't look handsome and thought that a given fact. Hero then decides to play a game with heroine and prove to her attraction can exist without physical eye contact, which is absurd because he does see her that way. The best way to play a prank is to pretend to be someone else, never reveal his face and seduce his fiancé. When she obviously gives in, he thinks he should feel superior to have gained the upper hand with a 18 year old girl who appears to be vain and without much personality. However, in their little game - of which she has no clue - he falls in love with her and feel bad by having deceived her so what does he think to do? He will disappear as her unknown lover, be her husband and make her feel for him the same way she felt about the man in the ship where all this happened.

I feel really surprised this can be considered a love story because although the idea has some interest,, namely the not revealing who he is immediately, I can't go past the notion he was deceiving her on purpose for silly and selfish reasons!

Everything is even worse because, in reality, I don't even like the heroine, she's vain, silly, immature and nothing in her ways of thought, personality or attitudes made me care about her. Not to mention how easily she let herself be seduced, even if she thought she was "in love".

Overall, I consider this book silly. The characters, both the 18 year old and the 30 something hero behaved like children and I can't imagine how one can enjoy reading about such childish behavior and attitudes. I don't care about these characters, nor the challenges they face to be happy. It was all their doing, after all!

The personal characterization, their personalities and bond didn't appeal to me as romance reader, because I don't think they changed or grown or improved themselves by knowing the other or falling in love, nor did they get a new perspective of life and feelings because of that.

There's a HEA, there is a future to look for on their horizon and that's fine but I feel disappointed in the author's attempt to make this more important or special than what it really is by using the Beauty and Beast concept.

I think this isn't a good love story, the plot is silly, the characters not strong enough to be engaging and charismatic. The end is a mess and I was just eager to finish at that point.

One or two scenes are interesting enough but everything considered, this wasn't an appealing book to me.

I can understand why it works for some people and why many readers have enjoyed it, but I like some seriousness in my books, some notion of reality even in comedies. This was just silly.

Grade: 4/10

Elle G. Mraz - Love Me Back to Life

Kendall Matthews is intelligent, quick on her feet, and compassionate - everything you'd want in an ICU nurse. When a fatal accident turns her world upside down, she struggles to pick up the pieces, uncertain that she'll ever regain control or rediscover her sense of self.
Dr. Anson Allaway is a renowned neurosurgeon... and an unapologetic playboy. Kendall's colleague at South Florida's Gold Coast General, he would never consider dipping his pen in the company ink (despite rumors to the contrary).
But everything changes when Kendall brazenly looks to Anson for an escape from her grief - and he unexpectedly finds his way back from the burdens of his own past.

Comment: This book caught my attention on one of the lists at GoodReads. Which one was it or featuring what exactly I no longer remember but after reading the blurb I immediately thought medical plot, a heroine being a nurse in a hospital recovering from a tragedy, I thought she has been cured of some disease and had fallen in love with her doctor. (Maybe I do see too many movies...)

I went to buy the ebook, after a month or so I added it to my reading list of March and I was quite eager to try it at last!

So, this book features Kendall, she is indeed recovering from a personal tragedy but it's the loss of her beloved husband and she has been in mourning...but now she's ready to "come back to life" and she decides that if there's one barrier she needs to overcome is to have sex again. She picks a doctor at her hospital, known for his attitude of never letting women cling and she thinks he's perfect to get sex out of the way for the first time after she became a widow.

However, emotions do get on the way and both Kendall and dr Anson must deal with baggage before admitting their one night stand is really just the beginning.

Ok, I thought this would be a emotionally sweet romance with a patient and her doctor so I was kind of let down when they were both working at the hospital but then again I was never against romances between doctors and nurses so I thought why not as long as the story would be interesting, but the truth is Kendall never warmed up to me and I couldn't really empathize with her because, the way this is written, I was left to think she was just looking to get her fears out of the way and the relationship never had a chance.

It's not often a heroine doesn't appeal to me but Kendall didn't. Sure, she needed to reaffirm her being a woman after a tragedy (although I could discuss the way she chose to resurface again) but there are many ways to find yourself again and her going after a man just to get sex out of the way, no matter how realistic, contemporary, sexually accepted or even emotionally, does not appeal to my romantic views. I just didn't like her from the start and it was difficult to change my opinion as the story moved along.

Now, if the story had started like this but then the romance developed well enough, I could maybe justify it as just a rocky start, but personally I never saw a positive evolution in the story. I lost count of the amount of times Kendall and Anson said they were just being friends with benefits but nothing serious would happen between them, then, in the next scene/chapter they would be jealous or angry the other didn't immediately realize they should matter. It was a constant going from and to the acceptance of the fact they had a relationship. Apparently, at the end of it all, they don't.

Anson is very mysterious and it looks, though most of the novel, that he is falling for Kendall. But I never really saw him as a developed character and not even the personal tale he shares with Kendall makes him more captivating to me.

I also wrinkled my nose at their behavior in professional terms. They didn't seem to work much on the page, the focus wasn't that, but one or two times there they were, behaving not very professionally an sneaking to kiss or fight talk about them.

The execution of the plot didn't seem very interesting. I confess I struggled because many of the scenes wouldn't seem to matter much, after all the focus was how sexual compatible they were and how emotionally weak both felt and what if they couldn't find a balance? Or what if they could?

To me, if the aim was to present a romance, it failed because I didn't think the story very romantic. If the goal was to give us a more woman's fiction, it lacked structure and something more, maybe flavor to make the reader glued to the pages. Honestly, I just wanted to finish.

Yes, there are some good things, I liked some secondary characters and some passages were interesting in that specific context, but overall...apparently I'm the only one thinking so in GR, my grade is the lowest the book has.

Of course, if the end or epilogue had been amazing I could excuse the author's debut, the not being used to her "voice" or "style" but the truth is the end is more than weird, people say it's a cliffhanger but I was totally confused, not only left in need to find out what would happen. I really don't understand why the author would go on that path! If it's the path I'm thinking, that is.

Come on, it's really weird and not that necessary, I think.

Now, apparently a new book, a follow-up or sequel will be released but I won't read it. I just don't feel that curious. The book wasn't expensive and this is the beauty of reading, of finding out new worlds, new sets where we can let our imagination free. To me, however, this one wasn't very pleasant despite the few good things.

Grade: 4/10

Stephen McCauley - Alternatives to Sex

William Collins is a real estate agent working near Boston. Despite a boom market, his sales figures aren't what they should be, due mostly to the distractions of compulsive ironing and housecleaning binges and his penchant for nightly online cruising for hookups -- "less impersonal than old-fashioned anonymous sex because you exchanged fake names with the person."
There's also his struggle to collect the rent from Kumiko Rothberg, his passive-aggressive tenant, and his worries about his best friend, Edward, a flight attendant he's certainly not in love with.
William has known for some time that his habits are slipping out of control. But he figures that "as long as I acknowledged my behavior was a problem, it wasn't one."
When he finally decides to do something about his life, he needs a role model of calm stability. Enter Charlotte O'Malley and Samuel Thompson, wealthy suburbanites looking for the perfect city apartment. "Happy couple," William writes in his notes. "Maybe I can learn something from them." But what he learns challenges his own assumptions about real estate, love, and desire. And what they learn from him might unravel a budding friendship, not to mention a very promising sale.
Full of crackling dialogue delivered by a stellar ensemble of players, Alternatives to Sex is social satire at its very best: A smart, sophisticated, and astonishingly funny look at the way we live now. 

Comment: This is one of the many books that have been in the TBR pile for years. I was looking at some of the M/M stories that have been languishing for 5 or 6 years now (since I became interested in reading m/m more seriously) and this one caught my eye, also because of its title. I confess I didn't pay much attention at the time but now that I went to see reviews about it, the general opinion isn't too positive. Still, I had it and it could be good for me...

In this novel we follow the live of William Collins, a forty-something gay man who lives in Boston and works as a real estate agent. The book is told from his unique perspective and shows us his life, the people he meets and knows, his friends and his strange characteristics, such as having a cleaning OCD and the need to have anonymous hook ups with men he meets online.

William is trying to change his habits and he attempts celibacy but soon fails at it. But is there any hope for him and a possible romance too?

This story is a satire, this is important to know because it's not a traditional romance, in fact I wouldn't consider this as a romance, I'd label it more fiction than something else.

The writing is clearly aiming to a more complex thinking despite the humor and the apparent silliness of certain elements. Basically should people just let others do wrong choices, can we really change the stereotypes others have of us, is out society truly losing values... and these questions and others are hidden under a layer of sarcasm, clichès and a fictional story where we aren't always certain of why some characters act r think the way they do.

In a way, certain details were quite interesting but the execution isn't very easy to follow or to be engaged in. William's voice is interesting enough and many of his thoughts have a sharp aim but he's not a character I liked much, overall.

Despite his quirky charm in some scenes, I found his actions, thoughts and some attitudes to be hypocrital and morally wrong. This has nothing to do with him being gay, in fact that was his best feature, but the way he says he will be celibate and then changes his mind the next and his lack of interest or conscience by sleeping with married men or men in a relationship (even if those made their choices as well) didn't win him over to me.

I get his character illustrates a certain mentality, a certain trend as well...but the point of this novel should be to show us how "good" choices should be not how the choices that help us being better people are for naive people only; I suppose this story is only a reflex of how badly people behave nowadays. I think the message is there but the characters never seem to achieve any redemption, therefore despite all the philosophical issues we get from this, I still think that in terms of message, we don't actually have any sort of lesson to be learned here, unless one wants to be reassured everyone is selfish and cheats.

In terms of fiction, I wasn't very impressed with the book, the characters weren't captivating and often their actions and mind processes were confusing and pointless. The plot was superficial and not always interesting to follow...there is a lot to dislike and not much to appreciate and William, being the main character, should be someone we can connect to, someone we should like to know or someone whose happiness we would want to see happen or, at least, to see him acknowledge his behavior isn't good and then actually act on a change! It didn't happen and the apparent love interest for him not only was badly developed but doesn't even get a satisfying end.

All in all, interesting themes and ideas but I just can't understand how a novel can look so pointless and without any sort of balance between the good and not so good elements. It might be super clever for some, but to me it didn't work that well.

Grade: 4/10