Meljean Brook - Demon Angel

Half-demon, half-human, Lillith is bound by a bargain with the devil and forbidden to feel pleasure. She draws upon her dark powers and serpentine grace to lead men into temptation. That is, until she faces her greatest temptation, Heaven's own Sir Hugh Castleford. Once a knight and now a Guardian, Hugh's purpose has always been to thwart Lillith, even as he battles treacherous hunger for her. When a deadly alliance unleashes a threat to humans and Guardians angel and demon are forced to fight together against evil and against a passionate desire for each other.

Comment: I had this book in the pile since 2010, a time when I was still very much invested in paranormal romance, and I thought the premise to be captivating.

Hugh and Lilith have been in opposed sides of a war between Heaven and Hell for centuries but deep down they both want something out of the other. Lilith wants to defeat Hugh and he wants to somehow redeem her. It seems their battle will be never ending, at least until a mutual threat makes it necessary for them to join forces. Will such an alliance be the way they needed to finally learn more about one another and see what has always been in front of them?

I have read several books by this author, from her other series, and have liked all those stories. I was also, at a time, eager to read the Guardians series, in which this Demon Angel is included, and even more so when it seemed there were many installments to look for. Still, despite getting this book before the others, somehow I got to them first and this one stayed behind. And stayed....

Now, sixteen years later, I've finally decided to start it. Sadly, it ended up being a DNF because I just could not get into the story. Not surprising, as often happens in a situation like this, time and my personal taste have evolved and I no longer feel the patience to read this genre as I used to. I mean, I still like PNR but now the story has to be something extra for me to want to immerse myself in such a new world. Had I read this back then I might have liked it, but now I simply don't feel the vibe.

I've read 110 pages and they were all of Lilith and Hugh on a cat and mouse game, kind of, and while the possibilities seemed intriguing, I just didn't want to read the huge amount of pages left (my paperback edition had more than 400 total) to see them get their HEA. So, I've stopped and glimpsed the end. I think the writing is competent and captivating, but the characters didn't convince me, not in the way they were being developed.

This author published her last book under this name in 2014. She has voiced how difficult it has been to find motivation and eagerness to write the stories fans were waiting for in the ongoing series she had. After that she has written other things under a pseudonym, which I have not read. Perhaps she will never return to these worlds, but her stories are always incredible, that's a fact. It's just my poor timing that cannot appreciate this Demon Angel.

Grade: DNF

Julie Shackman - A Secret Scottish Escape

When Scotland’s sleepiest hamlet becomes the centre of hot gossip, Layla Devlin finds herself caught in a mystery…
When Layla’s fiancée has an unexpected heart attack and dies – in another woman’s arms, no less – Layla is determined to pack up and leave Loch Harris, the village she’s always called home. But an unexpected inheritance and love for her quiet corner of Scotland send her down a new path.
Now Layla finds herself facing a whole new kind of drama. Rumours swirl that a celebrity has moved into Coorie Cottage and Layla is determined to have him headline her opening night at local music venue The Conch Club. But the reclusive star is equally determined to thwart Layla’s efforts. Rafe Buchanan is in hiding for a reason, and soon his past comes to Loch Harris to haunt him…

Comment: I got this book because the premise sounded good. I like these apparently moody types of novels where characters must do something or live in a place where they can think of their life, which is what I imagined the plot would focus on.

In this story we meet Layla, a young woman whose much older fiancé (just one year younger than her father) dies while being in a compromising situation with another women, who happened to be his ex. This makes Layla believe she needs a change but she ends up staying in her beloved village, since the fiancé  leaves her an inheritance, and she can fulfill her dream of opening an intimate music venue. Luckily, a celebrity musician is staying at a cottage nearby and is the perfect person to help her get more publicity. The question is, is he willing to help?

I cannot remember when, in such a small period of time, I had had several DNFs in a row as I had recently. This is the second one this month, and the third one if I look at it since last month. Is it that I have less patience? Are the books this poor?

The first chapters were likable enough and I could certainly empathize with Layla and her situation, I mean, not only is the fiance older and quite obviously "using" her, even if he does have genuine feelings for her, but he is also cheating and we find out it wasn't a one time thing. I thought this would certainly lead to her need to redefine her life, but I sensed right away that the book would not be for me. The writing style is simply lacing for me and I did not appreciate the characters.

I've only managed to read 80 pages, which might seem unfair, but until this moment, apart from the premise, nothing made a positive impression in me. Until this moment, the heroine had only whined and revealed her anger, which is understandable, but made me see her character and personality from a very unflattering POV. I was not interested in getting to know her better, nor see what would happen or if she had chemistry with the hero. At this point, in fact, the main male character, the apparent celebrity, had not even been introduced.

I don't have much more to say except I didn't "feel it", no matter how vague and arbitrary this might sound. The characters I knew were card board, Layla seemed to be someone I'd not want to know in real life and her goals didn't make me curious to learn more about how she would turn her ideas into a self sufficient business. It is a pity, but what I've read didn't seem engaging.

It is also totally ridiculous to say this, but I was even more disappointed because let us look at the cover, so, so gorgeous! Actually, all the covers of this series are cute and make me feel so happy, I really like the color/style schemes. Oh well.

Grade: DNF

Becca Kinzer - Dear Henry, Love Edith

After a short and difficult marriage, recently widowed Edith Sherman has learned her lesson. Forget love. Forget marriage. She plans to fill her thirties with adventure. As she awaits the final paperwork for a humanitarian trip to South Africa, she accepts a short-term nursing position in a small Midwestern town. The last thing she needs is a handsome local catching her eye. How inconvenient is that?
Henry Hobbes isn't exactly thrilled to have Edith, who he assumes is an elderly widow, dumped on him as a houseguest for the summer. But he'd do almost anything for his niece, who is practically like a sister to him given how close they are in age. Especially since Edith will be working nights and Henry works most days. When he and Edith keep missing each other in person, they begin exchanging notes--short messages at first, then longer letters, sharing increasingly personal parts of their lives.
By the time Henry realizes his mistake--that Edith is actually the brown-eyed beauty he keeps bumping into around town--their hearts are so intertwined he hopes they never unravel. But with her departure date rapidly approaching, and Henry's roots firmly planted at home, Edith must ultimately decide if the adventure of her dreams is the one right in front of her.

Comment: This book got on my radar because the blurb implied a romance between two people who would fall in love not knowing their respective identities. This trope is very good when done well and I was curious to see how the author would develop things.

Edith is a young woman who had a bad marriage and now she is ready to have a more adventurous life. While waiting for the paperwork to be done so she can go to South Africa she accepts the invitation to work at a nursing home in a small town. She thinks this will be a temporary, easy task but she sees herself more and more entangled in the town's life and she can't seem to help noticing the cute guy who looks like a young Paul Newman...

Henry Hobbes is still annoyed he needs physical therapy after an injury and even more so when his niece tells him he needs to host a woman who will stay for a while. He hopes he can be right on track when she leaves but in the meantime he is fascinated by the new woman he starts seeing around, so much that his relationship with his girlfriend starts to seem all wrong... when these two realize the truth, is there any hope for them?

This had been my initial choice for the TBR Challenge post, but I only managed to read 106 pages before I decided to quit. At first, the story was very silly, just like any comedy of errors usually is, but once Henry figures out who Edith really is, everything stopped making sense to me, because he makes a choice that I think was ridiculous. Then, a certain secondary character stars having more protagonism and I thought to myself, there's no way this will ever go well, so I stopped reading.

I did like the idea, that is true. Two strangers who share the same house, who have a wrong idea about the other one's identity and age, and who still share handwritten notes as a cute, friendly way to communicate seemed very sweet. I actually pictured this with an historical setting but it's contemporary, in fact. Still, why not this quirky detail, it did make the story seem special and I hoped things would develop in a romantic, funny way.

Well, no, at least not until the moment I've stopped. I've found the characters to be superficial, lacking depth to the kind of situation that was being presented, and the silly tactics used by the author to delay the discovery were incredibly juvenile and weak. The characters' inner thoughts also seem misplaced, considering their lives and how their relationships went/were going. I did not connect with anyone and I think the tone/vibe the author used was not the best choice.

It was ridiculous to see how two apparently clever people could not see what was so obvious, especially if it's a small town where everyone knew each other, and attending the detailed notes they kept exchanging. yes, key information was missing because of assumptions, but I think this situation took too long to be presented. Then, someone from Edith's past starts being more intrusive and I felt annoyed at this obvious tactic to, again, delay the progress of the actual plot. Then Henry makes a choice I think is wrong if one thinks of his reasoning.Therefore, I quit.

I think Edith and Henry end up together but I don't really feel bad by not knowing how they ended up there.

Grade: DNF

Mini - Comments

These are the last books I've read in April. Nothing in common between them, but since I don't have much to say about them, I've decided to group both in a smaller post.

The Postman by Antonio Skarmeta is a well known short story featuring Pablo Neruda and a man who is his postman for a while, Mario. The story isn't developed much and the social and political allusions to the situation in Chile in the 1970s quite superficial. I suppose a short book would not contain much anyway, but I did expect a bit more setting and sequence to what was being said. 

The focus is on the postman who, by getting to know the poet, sees Neruda for who he is and not for his fame. Mario was a likable character but he is also quite distracted by his feelings for Beatriz. This relationship didn't convince me, but it was also a way for Mario and Neruda to talk and the best part of the book was certainly the supposed meaningful short conversations they shared. 

This short book was one of those that I think have a special value but don't leave a big mark on the reader, at least not for me. Sadly, it's very likely I'll forget about it easily.
Grade: 6/10

The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki is also a short story (less than 200 pages, just like Skarmeta's book) about a set of characters who connect somehow. The element they all have in common is the coffee shop which only seems to be open and available at certain times, and is managed by talking cats. In recent years, I have read several books by Japanese authors who have stories with cats and bookshops or coffee shops and in general all have been easy to appreciate. Of course, not all have been great for most include some sort of magical realism element too, and this can be tricky to do well.

In this book, sadly to me, I think the conjunction of things did not work out. I could not seem to connect with the characters, I had some difficulty recognizing the fun or the cuteness of the talking cats and although the book is short, it was also boring. There is also an element of astrology, which the author inserts in each character's life by having the cat providing advice and wisdom, but I was not convinced. I cannot say this bothered me as it did other readers but yes, it didn't help.
All in all, it just didn't make sense to me at any level, so I've decided to not finish.
Grade: DNF

Bradley P. Beaulieu - Twelve Kings in Sharakhai

Sharakhai, the great city of the desert, center of commerce and culture, has been ruled from time immemorial by twelve kings -- cruel, ruthless, powerful, and immortal. With their army of Silver Spears, their elite company of Blade Maidens and their holy defenders, the terrifying asirim, the Kings uphold their positions as undisputed, invincible lords of the desert. There is no hope of freedom for any under their rule.
Or so it seems, until Çeda, a brave young woman from the west end slums, defies the Kings' laws by going outside on the holy night of Beht Zha'ir. What she learns that night sets her on a path that winds through both the terrible truths of the Kings' mysterious history and the hidden riddles of her own heritage. Together, these secrets could finally break the iron grip of the Kings' power...if the nigh-omnipotent Kings don't find her first.

Comment: In 2015 I've added this book to my TBR. It has been languishing there all this time and now that I have finally decided to give it a try, I find out I'm not in the mood nor did I feel interested after all...

In this fantasy world, the city of Sharakhai is being governed by twelve kings who are known for their cruelty and personal army of "maiden blades". The heroine Ceda, a young woman whose identity of a talented fighter is still a mystery, wants to get revenge on the kings for it's because of them that her mother is dead. Things don't seem to be likely for her to succeed in defeating the kings but one day, something happens that opens up the possibility, but will Ceda be ready to act? Or will the road be too difficult and the price to pay until then to high for her?

Looking back, I have no recollection of why I've added this to my list, but it probably had something to do with the idea of a heroine defeating powerful men and finding friends and love on the way. I mean, I don't read much fantasy nowadays for the sake of it, I know most my reads in the genre now have to include some kind of romantic sub plot, but if there was another reason, another element that caught my eye in 2015 which I can't remember now, who knows.

I confess I didn't start with much eagerness but sometimes this happens to me when it comes to books in other genres I like more, so I had hopes that as I went along, I might find reasons to keep my interest but that didn't happen. I'm also ashamed to say I have only lasted for 70 pages before telling myself that I didn't want to read more. The setting and the overall environment around Sharakhai seemed incredible and I would have read more for that alone, but the characters didn't convince me.

Ceda seemed to be a very competent heroine but in the short 70 pages I've read - I understand the unfairness of this poor average, if the book has, like, 500 or something - she did a few things i think were ridiculous, and a few which seemed pointless. I can only imagine that the point is for her to learn, to "grow up" or become more mature as life and her goals drive her, but I kept thinking I didn't want to wait to find out. This short amount of pages didn't grab me, so... dnf it is.

After making my decision, as I always do after finishing a book (or not, as happened here), I've glimpsed at other readers' comments and some reviews to have a better understanding of the book's content and plot. I think that reading these other ideas is enough to give me a sense of closure of this book and I feel happy enough to simply have that knowledge. Therefore, sadly, this is for me. As always, other readers had a completely different experience and loved it. It is what it is.

Grade: DNF

Sarah Micklem - Firethorn

Introducing a mesmerizing debut in the rich tradition of Marion Zimmer Bradley and the powerful narratives of Jacqueline Carey—a passionate tale of love and war in which the gods grant a common girl uncommon gifts… Before she was Firethorn, she was Luck, named for her red hair and favored by the goddess of Chance. A lowborn orphan, Luck is destined to a life of servitude. But when her mistress dies, Luck flees to the forest, where she discovers the sacred firethorn tree, whose berries bring her fevered dreams, a new name…and strange gifts. When she emerges from the woods, Firethorn is a new woman, with mysterious powers.
And soon, in the chaos of the UpsideDown Days, when the highborn and the low trade places, Firethorn couples with the warrior Sire Galan, whom she follows to camp with the king’s army. There she learns that in her new role as a sheath, a warrior’s bedservant, she is but one step above a whore. By day she uses her gifts as a healer to earn a place among the camp’s women, and by night she shares Sire Galan’s bed, her desire equal to his. But the passion they feel for each other has no place in a world ruled by caste and violence. When her lover makes an ill-considered wager that chances her heart, the consequences are disastrous—and Firethorn will learn how hard it can be to tell honor from dishonor, justice from vengeance.

Comment: I had this book in the pile since 2011. I probably got it because it was a fantasy that suggested some sort of magic in the protagonist's abilities and, of course, I imagined a romantic story as she follows the hero, which the blurb suggests...

Luck is a young woman who has been a servant to a lady and she has had a good life despite her status and the fact she is an orphan. When the lady dies, her house and servants are passed through to one nephew, someone who isn't as interested in keeping things as they have been. Luck runs away into the nearby forest where, after an year surviving, she ends up eating the berries of a sacred firethorn tree, which allows her to develop some skills.

She returns to the estate and she is eager to have a new life but most of the problems continue. In the aftermath of a traditional event, she decides to follow Sire Galen, a young man on his road to battle, and Luck, now self called Firethorn, goes too, as a healer and as his lover. This situation isn't well seen by others for women who do this are considered no better than a prostitute, but Firethorn is determined to show them all how different she is...

I really should have read the blurb more carefully when I decided to get this book. I also should have been more selective in picking it in the first place, apart from the single fact it was a fantasy and that it suggested elements I was interested in seeing developed. Sadly, I cannot say if this ends up being so, because I DNF'd around page 130, more or less, just as Firethorn is about to leave with Sire Galen.

The beginning wasn't too bad and the writing was captivating enough even though the chapters are very long and the prologue, with Luck pretty much alone in the forest, not having much action. I commiserated with this heroine, whose live changed at the whim of someone else and when she failed to be receptive to the advances of the new owner of the estate, I figured her road would be one of becoming stronger, independent and, perhaps, finding love in adverse circumstances.

By this point, I had convinced myself this would be a story about Luck/Firethorn learning how to do things and deal with her new skills, but also be more discerning and aware of what others might be like, and how much she would try to "be a good person". Yes, this expression might mean a lot to some, not enough for others, but it was my perception. Anyway, then I was also kind of misguided - I really misread that - regarding the words "in the chaos of the UpsideDown Days, when the highborn and the low trade places" ,which made me think something in this world would magically happen and Firethorn would become a noble... how ridiculous my lack of attention was, I didn't even read the rest carefully...

Suffice to say, the "UpsideDown days" are precisely that, days, as in time and not in eras, and it wasn't much of a big deal. Firethorn is still as lowborn as she used to after the celebration of this event and instead of being this wise, careful woman in a world that does punish women, she sleeps with this random guy and then thinks her best option of life - perhaps she wasn't too wrong, after all I have not read the end - was to follow him and develop her new skills where necessary, such as in a war. Well... perhaps this is being feminist and independent, as in making one's own rules, but I was disillusioned. I confess I expected more of the heroine and of how she would think/behave.

When she decides to join Sire Galen despite what it would entail, even if it was her own choice, the way everyone reacts to this decision of hers, and what it meant socially, the way women are considered cattle and or/propriety in the big scheme of things... well, I can dream her journey might take her into a gorgeous scenario but I'm not interested in actually reading about it since it seems it would also include a lot of chapters with bad tings happening to her or where she would be mistreated. 

I prefer to not get annoyed at this.

Therefore, despite the long time in the pile, this one is a DNF.

Grade: DNF

Neve Wilder - Want Me

Nate:
Living with four other guys, it's bound to happen.
Every guy's been caught taking care of business at least once, right?
It shouldn't be a big deal.
But I don't know Eric as well as my other roommates, and things are a little awkward now.
He's a loner. A mystery. Quietly confident. Smart.
Sexy as hell.
I've been happily subsisting on the typical frat guy diet of booze and sorority girls.
But the way Eric looked at me that night?
There was something there.
Something that's got me curious.
Something that's stirring up feelings I thought I'd left behind for good.
Something that's making me think I'm not as straight as I thought I was.
I can't get him off of my mind.
I don't think I want to.
So when he offers to help me study for a midterm, I take him up on it.
It's innocent.
Probably. Maybe.
There's no way I could've known what it'd start...

Comment: I have no idea why this was in my TBR. I probably added it because it was supposedly similar to other books I had read before featuring m/m romance and college students...

Nate is a student sharing a house with four other guys and he has noticed Eric is not as extroverted as the others, or at least he has not been able to know him better since he went to live there. Things change after Eric catches Nate in what should be a private moment and although Nate tried to pretend nothing happened, Eric is obviously around and one day they do talk about it. One thing leads to the other and they become lovers but what perhaps should have been an easy thing, soon becomes mind consuming for both of them. Their personalities are certainly different, is there any chance they can be a real couple?

I did enjoy reading college stories before, and especially when it comes to m/m romance. the dynamics and the situations are just a lot more specific and I've found I can accept the sometimes lack of maturity more in this situation than if it was m/f. Plus, I did read amazing books with this same theme and those kind of make it now hard to like things that might not be as smart, or as well done, or as consistent as those other books, which was clearly the case here.

Besides that, once again, the first person narrative also ruined things for me and I think Nate's POV only was a weak element and made the story feel very repetitive. Well, I suppose this would have been an issue anyway because the romance part was not an element I also found well done. The problem? The story is pretty much about them becoming sexual partners, trying out things, having sex as often as possible and the sex scenes were, for the most part, detailed. I got to half way and DNF'd. There wasn't enough plot for this to be likable....

It also reminded me of other authors/books where the sex or the erotic aspects were the focus and those stories no longer appeal to me. The beginning wasn't bad, though, and I was quite interested in seeing how the guys would take the first step, and after they got together the first time I hoped things would now progress in a more, well, romantic way, but the more pages I got to, the less interested I felt and to make it even worse, the sex scenes became more and longer and kinkier. That's when I decided to stop reading.

I see Neve Wilder is quite liked by many readers (for instance, this book has a huge amount of ratings on GR) but having this as an example, I would say her style or voice is not for me. the author did include a note where she explains this started off as installment episode she published, perhaps in a blog or in a site? and this is the compilation. In a way, this might explain too the sequence of what happens, but even knowing this did not make the reading more pleasant for me.

All things considered, there isn't much more to say about this story. Sometimes I understand why a book is seen positively by some readers and I guess I can see it here, but it's really not something I felt interested in, so a DNF it is.

Grade: DNF

Tim O'Brien - Tomcat in love

A wildly funny, brilliantly inventive novel about a man torn between two the desperate need to win backhis former wife and a craving to test his erotic charms on every woman he meets.
He is 6'6" tall, a cross between Ichabod Crane and Abe Lincoln. He is a professor of linguistics, bewitched by language, deluded about his ability to win the hearts of women with his erudition and physical appeal. He is Thomas H. Chippering, a.k.a. Tomcat, a masterly addition to the pantheon of unforgettable characters in American fiction.
And in his private dictionary of love, three entries stand out.
Tampa. Just the word makes Tom Chippering's blood curdle. That's where his ex-wife, the faithless Lorna Sue, now lives with a suntanned tycoon whose name Chippering refuses to utter.
Revenge. If Chippering can't get Lorna Sue back, at least he can wreak havoc with her new marriage. (How about some strategically placed lingerie in the tycoon's "ostentatiously upscale Mercedes"?) He also has plans for Lorna Sue's brother, Herbie, with whom she has always had an unnaturally close relationship.
Love. His ex-wife may have disapproved, but is Chippering's fondness for women--especially the nubile coeds who attend his classes--really so wrong? And now love finds a new Mrs. Robert Kooshof, the attractive, demanding, and, of course, already married woman who may at last satisfy Chippering's longing for intimacy.

Comment: This will be a short comment, for I have DNF'd this book.

I had it in the pile for years, I got this Portuguese edition at a book fair, and if I remember well, I got it because it was at a discount, and the blurb made me think the protagonist would go on a self discovery path and on the way he would find love again, after his divorce.

Well, I've managed to read until page 157 of my 403 pages edition. I actually liked the writing, I could see the author is very clever and smart in his commentary, although he does write in that style that seems someone is writing as randomly as thoughts come one's mind and while in a conversation this can be easier to follow (if not still rather annoying), on paper I don't think the effect is the same, and things jumped from thing to thing without much coherence.

Despite liking some of the things here and there, I started to become more and more frustrated by how repetitive everything was. The protagonist is a teacher of linguists and while at first this interest in specific words and how he linked them to his personal life was cute, but after the first two or three times this happened, I was already tired of the same thing. It was also incredibly annoying to have the protagonist describing himself in the way he did. I wondered if the goal was to show how sarcastic he was, but apparently he did consider himself to be that special.

Then, to make things even more disappointing, he loved his wife but they got a divorce and he can't get over it. I can't be certain if he wasn't such a devoted faithful husband either, but if he really was the title's tomcat, I lost interest about that as well. Plus, I didn't find what I read to be funny, even though comedy seems to be a possible way to describe this book for some readers.

Since I have more things to read and, to be honest, this story stopped being appealing, with also the probable repetitiveness of what would come, I decided to not finish.

Grade: DNF

Mini - Comments

Here is another set of mini-comments. This time it's books that didn't impress me enough to make me feel like writing a lot about them, to be honest. Still, I want to leave at least a few notes about each book I have in my lists, including the ones I liked less.

Inda by Sherwood Smith had been in the pile for years and I probably got it because it was mentioned by readers who also recommended fantasy books with possible LGBT characters. There was a time I was quite interested in these books, but as it happened with another similar book I had had in the pile for long, so did this one disappoint. 

I only read 100 pages (out of 600 more or less in my edition) when I decided to DNF. The story was set in a sort of military/coming of age society which, sadly, didn't appeal to me at all. There was so much talk about battles or preparing for them, and bullying and keeping secrets and political agendas between different characters that I got terribly annoyed and decided to stop. I suppose the elements that make this a rich and compelling read might come after, but I was not interested to endure things I might not like to reach the good parts.

Inda, the main character, is a kid when the story begins and it seems most characters get older as the story develops, but I just didn't care. I might have been unfair in why I decided to stop, but the truth is that what I did read did not stay with me, so... one less book to worry about. I did read a few reviews after, and that is enough to satisfy my curiosity about the "what ifs".

Grade: DNF

-//-

The Unexpected Guest by Charles Osborne, based on a play by Agatha Christie was a rather short story about a man who suddenly shows up at a house after his car broke down and when no one answers the door, he manages to find another entry and stumbles on a couple, but the man is dead and his wife claims she did it. He, then, helps her to cover up things before the rest of the household and the police shows up...

As always, when it comes to a story planned by Agatha Christie, there's a crime to investigate and a clever solution, but I will say that this one felt a little weak to me. Or, perhaps, it was the way mr Osborne thought on how to construct the narrative. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it, but if the inspiration was the play, perhaps there wasn't enough to start from, or perhaps mr Osborne didn't want to "invent" on someone else's work, but what I felt like reading was that this was too short and under developed.

The crime's motif and its execution were, as assumed if Agatha Christie has her mark on it, cleverly done and planned, but the explanations and the sequence of events a little ineffective, in my opinion. However, it was an easy story to read and does satisfy those who like these types of crime stories.

Grade: 6/10

Jen Frederick - Losing Control

I’d do anything to keep my mother alive.
Anything, including ask Ian Kerr for help. I don’t know much about him, except that he has more money than some small countries. And he’s willing to spend it on me. Just one catch: there’s a string attached, and not just the one I feel pulling me into his arms and his bed. There’s also the plan for revenge he wants my help with.
Every time he says my name, it makes my body shiver and my heart stutter. I know he’s going to wreck me, know there won’t be anything left of me but lust and sensation by the time he’s done with me, but even though I can see the heartbreak coming towards me like a train, ready to crash into me, I can’t get out of the way. I want what he makes me feel. Want what he’s offering.
This may have started out as something to save my mother, but now…now it’s about what he makes me feel. I’m in danger of losing everything that’s important. Worse? Ian's whispered words and hot caresses are making me believe that's okay.

Comment: I had this book in the pile because I've read somewhere that it would feature a relationship where the protagonists have different finances. I'm always interested in this set up because while not simple to do well, it can be a good way to strengthen a couple's trust in each other. Well, in theory...

Sadly, however, I just could not find enough interest and I've DNF'd this story.

Victoria, or"Tiny", is a young woman who works as a bike courier and has a pretty much regular life except her mother is battling cancer again and the bills have been astronomical. Now she is even told they should move from their apartment into a place without stairs because her mother won't be able to climb them, but how can Tiny find a way to manage everything? She gives in and accepts to do jobs for her stepbrother Malcolm, who seems to be in some sort of shady business. One day she has to deliver a package to Ian, a very good looking guy who seems to be willing to help her as well, as soon as he finds out about her worries, but can she really trust him?

Well, I assume Tiny did, indeed, trust Ian because when I read the last pages, they seemed to be together and there was even a note saying there would be a second book from Ian's POV. Since this one was all from Tiny, I can see what the author's goal was here, but I admit I don't feel curious about it anymore. Perhaps it if had been third person narrator I might tried to read more...

This is my first DNF of the year because I got to page 66 (my edition had 240) and until then Tiny, this amazingly gorgeous young woman, wanted to help her mother and the way for her to do this was to do something she felt was not legal, but she needed the money. Desperation and good will can be a bad match but one has to do what one has do to, right? Well, I thought the story would go on a different path, more towards sweet and romantic, to be honest, and that wasn't so in those first 66 pages.

I struggled to be interested in their personalities - Tiny's "voice" was a bit annoying to me, despite the fact I felt she was this way as a sort of defense mechanism, and Ian seemed to be sarcastic and flirting all the time - but while I turned the pages, nothing about them, nor Tiny's choices seemed to captivate me. I decided to quit because I really think I would not end up enjoying this anyway.

It seems as if some plots just don't work out as others even if authors use cliches or trusted tropes, and here I didn't connect with the characters nor with what they were supposedly doing, and I was really not that interested. I would have kept going if the plot was centered on dealing with their issues, but since from a certain point on it was all seemingly about how quick would they give in to have sex... and now reading other reviews seeing that this did take over most of the story, the more convinced I am to have stopped

Ehh, one less book to think of, is my conclusion.

Grade: DNF

Liora Blake - First Step Forward

After eight seasons playing pro-football, Cooper Lowry knows all the right answers.
Is he stubborn, short-tempered, and impatient? Yes. Are jersey chasers more trouble than they’re worth? Absolutely. Has he ever imagined a life beyond the game? Nope.
Cooper has built an enviable career—the result of staying focused, working hard, and keeping his head on straight—even as his body takes the brunt. So when a hard hit during a Sunday home game leaves him in a dazed heap on the field, it’s nothing more than another day at the office. The only thing that’s different about this Sunday is a chance encounter with a certain fascinating, beautiful free-spirited woman. And some sternly-worded instructions from his coach to take a little time off and give his body the TLC it craves—before he does lasting damage.
Whitney Reed is a few months away from losing the organic fruit orchard she bought three years ago in the tiny town of Hotchkiss, Colorado. At the time, she was just looking for a place to get lost. Instead, she found a home, somewhere she could finally put down roots. Now foreclosure is knocking on her door—along with a grumpy, gorgeous football player who might be just what she never knew she needed.

Comment: I think I got interested in this book after seeing it would feature a couple who had different jobs and lifestyles and I was curious to see how the author would play with that. Unfortunately, I didn't feel any connection with the characters and decided to DNF.

In this story we meet hero Cooper Lowry, a professional football player who has a concussion and at some point that stars to cause him issues, he can't be as focused as before, among other things. Before he realizes he would need to make changes or think about what else is there for his life, he randomly meets Whitney Reed, a woman down on her luck, who is about to loose the orchards she has invested all her money and time into. Somehow they connect but their lives are too different and they go their separate ways. However, since Cooper's life is about to change, why not trying to recover in a beautiful place, and trying to help a beautiful woman... perhaps they can both trust and help each other, but are they truly ready for that, when everything else seems too much?

I feel I could not even give a decent chance to this story from the first chapter. The story is narrated in the first person, in alternate chapters, by Cooper and Whitney. I disliked how they thought about things, from the start. When I say this, i mean thoughts about other people, especially Cooper thinking about other women and experiences he had in the past. Perhaps he has reason and it is realistic to assume someone like him in real life has reason to be cynical and mean at times, but it put me off.

I've read until a certain point, practically half way if I remember well, and then skipped to the end. The formula of the story isn't hard to guess, Cooper would need to think about his life, his choices and since his childhood was also spent on a farm, it becomes obvious he will help Whitney with her orchard and her business.On her part, Whitney is someone who is hardworking but in the chapters I got to have her POV, I wasn't really moved by her nor her plights... which should be worrisome for certain.

Since I was feeling bored by how this was going, by how the characters spoke and interacted, I pushed on but it was becoming pointless, if what I was reading held no interest and I was distracted by other things. I've decided to skip to the end, whoch seems to have some grand gesture by Cooper that Whitney feels she must decline but of course she gets her wit back and they have their HEA. I know it is unfair, but I feel that I didn't miss much by not having read the whole thing. I also know it is unfair to the author and that perhaps I just chose the wrong book to get her "voice". Perhaps one day I'll try another one.

Grade: DNF

Sara Dobie Bauer - Abstract love

Sam never expected to move back to Cleveland.
Donovan never expected to be attracted to a man.
Well, shit happens.
After high school, Sam Shelby moved to New York. Eight years later, he returns to Cleveland and lands a job at the best ad firm in town. It would be the perfect gig, if his boss weren’t such an ass.
After his wife leaves, Donovan Cooper questions everything. The arrival of a young, arrogant, gifted graphic designer at Donovan’s firm is the last straw.
Tempers flare over office gossip, and following a nasty argument and scathing kiss, Donovan flails away from heterosexuality while Sam struggles to keep his “no relationship” rule intact.
Despite ugly socks, fiery fights, and their best intentions to not fall in love, these bullheaded coworkers can’t deny their chemistry. Donovan seeks happiness while Sam seeks success, but is there room for more?

Comment: I got interested in this book because it was said that it would contain an enemies to lovers tropes and had age gap but not too much. I was quite curious - as always! - to see how the author would treat these tropes/features and turn them into a good romance.

In this book we meet Sam Shelby, a 20 something bright graphic designer who has returned to Cleveland from NY for reasons and is now working for a good firm, where Donovan Cooper is the one in charge. The two don't get along, mostly because it seems their personalities don't mesh: Donovan is recently divorced and bitter and Sam is unapologetic loud and confident in his value. At first, it felt as if they would never get along, but the more they clash, more certain thoughts get in their way, as well as feelings. But will a man who never thought of other man that way be able to let go of his low moment and embrace happiness again? And will Sam deal with why he returned to a place he wasn't happy as a child and teenager?

It is obvious by my grade that I didn't like this book. I think the idea is great and exciting to read about, but the characters just ruined the experience for me. I often comment on the execution of a story, that sometimes it's not the best - in my opinion - for certain ideas or premises, but here I can't fault the writing, nothing about it felt out of tune, which makes me assume other books by the author would feel much more appealing to me.

The writing worked, yes, but the characters didn't. The less than half I've read showed me two protagonists who were polar opposites in personality and attitude but the enemies to lovers trope didn't convince me because I felt it was more a matter of them not knowing each other and clashing personalities than real animosity or reasons to be enemies. The time it took for them to go from the enemies stage to the lovers one wasn't that big and I found this jarring and too quick, where was the development of each one and why were acting so unconvincingly?

Then, their personalities just... argh. Sam, in particular is loud and proud, that's fine, although he does tend to have a more "twink" behavior which I tend to dislike in books, and he used his bisexual self identity to justify sleeping around. I just did not warm up to him, even though it was obvious he had some sort of childhood or teenage trauma for being gay or bi and didn't get along with his family anymore. I think this would have been developed to enhance his evolution as a character but... no real interest for me, to be fair.

Donovan was more likable but he is facing quite a stressful time, by divorcing. I liked that he was a repressed artist and happiness could come from it but he was also depressed and bitter and I found his sudden desire to be with Sam to be too unlikely for his mind frame at this time. Not that he can't be bi as well, but I wasn't convinced. Since neither guy, for almost half of the book, seemed to have any kind of mental or emotional evolution or development and I was annoyed at Sam's quirks, I stopped reading.

So I've read around 40% before giving up and skipping to the end, just to see at what point the main characters were and if some kind of HEA was happening. I think I got the idea of what happened, plus I've read the reviews of other readers and I think I have a pretty good idea of how things went, and this is enough to satisfy my curiosity or to lay down that feeling of having "unfinished business" which sometimes happens when a book is left unfinished.

Therefore, I might try something else by the author one day but to be fair, right now, it isn't a priority at all.

Grade: DNF

Kristen Ashley - For You

Lieutenant Alexander Colton and February Owens were high school sweethearts. Everyone in their small town knew from the moment they met they were meant for each other. But something happened and Feb broke Colt’s heart then she turned wild and tragedy struck. Colt meted out revenge against the man who brought Feb low but even though Colt risked it all for her, Feb turned her back on him and left town.
Fifteen years later, Feb comes back to help run the family bar. But there’s so much water under the bridge separating her and Colt everyone knows they’ll never get back together.
Until someone starts hacking up people in Feb’s life. Colt is still Colt and Feb is still Feb so the town watches as Colt goes all out to find the murderer while trying to keep Feb safe.
As the bodies pile up, The Feds move in and a twisting, turning story unravels exposing a very sick man who has claimed numerous victims along the way, Feb and Colt battle their enduring attraction and the beautiful but lost history that weaves them together.

Comment: I won't take too long with this one, for this was a DNF for me.

In this story, the first in the 'Burg series, we meet detective Alexander Colton as he investigates an apparent stalker of February Owens, his high school sweetheart. The stalker seems to have escalated into murder and when the story begins, a woman everyone in the town knows has been murdered. As the investigation starts, February - now helping with the family bar after years away - is placed in a complicated situation and those close to her are eager to be assured of her safety. Alexander wants to be a professional and find the bad guy but he also wants to win February back, although he doesn't yet know, after years, why she broke up with him when they were together in high school... will they finally find peace?

Not many words are necessary to express myself here, this was a book I didn't finish therefore there isn't a lot about the plot I am able to comment on. While I was reading the first chapter, the way the author described the female characters was just so... abhorrent to me, I just couldn't find any real motivation to keep reading. February was described as someone all guys would want to be with but the words used weren't in any way acceptable to me. We have Alexander's POV as he describes February and it was more than simply an alpha male talking, as often one would expect from this author. To me, that was more along the lines of sexist and derogatory.

However, even worse was how he described another female character, clearly an opposition to the heroine February in all ways, and I won't repeat it but let it be said it made her look like the dirt on someone's shoes. I really think the author could have done this differently, better, while maintaining her usual style, which is probably one of the reasons why so many readers like her work and keep reading her books.

It didn't motivate me to read nor do I think this method is one a woman should use to write about other women. I say this because it isn't one word or one time, this is her style, and here it just didn't work for me at all.

I also was a little put off because the characters are, apparently, in their 40s. I would not say so if it wasn't shared. They don't act nor talk as mature people or someone who has had the life experiences they say they did.

I've read the second chapter too, hoping I could become more interested in the plot but since the writing style continued in her trademark of telling every single detail about the characters' surroundings and clothes and actions, I confess I simply decided to give up.

I've read another book by the author which I found meh and I've read one I surprisingly liked. I will read another in that series when possible, perhaps it's a genre thing for me, when it comes to the author's style.

Sadly, this one was a no. (The cover isn't also appealing at all...)

Grade:DNF

Ellen Kushner - Swordspoint

In a nameless city with the elegance of Regency London, the decadence of eighteenth-century Paris, and the hard edge of modern New York, an array of glittering characters weave intrigues that will capture them all in a net of love and death, wit and treachery.
In Riverside, a violent district of twisted streets and ruined houses inhabited by the criminal elite, there are men who must earn their living by fighting to the death. Most last only a season or two before they die. Even Richard St Vier, the finest swordsman in the city, lives his life at swordspoint.
On the Hill, the elite of the city—the beautiful Diane, Duchess of Tremontaine; Lord Horn, a languid, aging libertine; the dangerous Lord Ferris, one-eyed Dragon Chancellor of the Council of Lords; and the young rake Michael Godwin—throw sumptuous barge parties, attend the theatre, plot and scheme, slip in and out of romantic liaisons. But there is a plot afoot to gain control of the city, and the chosen instrument is Richard St Vier.
And if St Vier does not wish to be used, they will force him, even if it tears the fabric of the city apart…

Comment: Another one of the many books I got somewhere between 2008 and 2011, at a time paperback editions were much cheaper in certain online retail stores and when I was devoted to collect as many as I could, especially the first of a series, hoping they would be the beginning of my love affair with many of them.

In this fantasy world, rich and influential people on the privileged side of the city don't do their own battles, they pay a swordsman to do that, and such is the occupation of Richard St Vier, a recognized profession in this field. However, on a certain occasion things don't go as usual and now Richard and his companion, the mysterious Alec,must face danger and prove their side isn't the guilty one. But society is alive with intrigue and manipulations, could these two, along with those who help them, prove there is a lot more to problems arising than anyone could anticipate?

As immediately evident from the number I added below at the end of my text, I didn't finish this book. I also struggled to write a simple summary above, because I still can't say much about the book; I barely understood what was going on. I've read until page 134 of my edition and then skimmed until the end, just to see if something major would be mentioned, but to be honest, this one did went by without much attention on my side...

I added it to my TBR because it would be fantasy, it would feature LGBT characters and when I got it, these two aspects were enough to make me curious about a big number of novels, including this one. I don't think my disappointment is only a matter of having waited too long to get to it, though. In fact, I feel the plot just didn't grab me as I can only imagine it wouldn't have either had I started the book 12 years ago...

The first paragraph is magnificent, such a good description and so atmospheric...I imagined this could only go well forward but after a few pages my focus on what I was reading started to disappear. The characters never felt like people I could root for, I struggled to understand their motivations, their personalities and why they behaved a certain way. Pretty much everything seemed to be confusing and over done and the beautiful writing style, which I had felt was well done at first, became confusing and less appealing page by page.

Apart from the fact this is a fantasy about people who live in a wealthy area and people who live in a poor one, and that somehow a crime was committed, I confess I can't say much about this novel. I've read reviews by other readers and usually that is the fun part, often I can think of things I might have missed while I was reading and, in this case, that did help me a little. This said, I don't feel like trying anything by the author, no matter how well liked her work is...I do feel a little sad but...the TBR is still huge...

Grade: DNF

Kele Moon - Defying the Odds

When struggling waitress Melody Dylan gives a handsome, lonely stranger a simple gift she has no clue her life is about to take a drastic turn.
The stranger ends up being Clay Powers, a famous UFC heavyweight fighter. Clay’s large build and dangerous fists have always intimidated. People in his hometown keep their distance and Clay is fine with that. Everything changes when a new waitress at the local diner buys him a piece of pie on thanksgiving. Touched by the gesture when it’s obvious she can barely afford to survive, her warm smile and lush body churn up powerful feelings that leave Clay wanting more from her than pie.
Melody is running from her past and the small, country town of Garnet is the perfect hiding place. With an ex-husband after her and scars from her abusive marriage etched deep, the last thing she expects is to fall for a man who makes a living with his fists, but she can’t resist Clay or the tender connection they share.
Finding love in the most unlikely of places, the passion is undeniable, but Clay and Melody know their haunted pasts and unpredictable futures leave the odds stacked against them.

Comment: This will be just a simple post to register this book on my reading diary. I didn't finish reading this one although it had been in the pile since 2015.

I initially thought it would be a good choice for the TBR challenge because the hero sounded as if he was grumpy (which is the theme) but it turned out I wasn't too keen on this one. I can't even say why exactly, apart from the usual reason that the story didn't interest me. However, to be fair, I sometimes finish things that also don't feel that interesting either...so why not this one? Well, I truly didn't feel any emotional investment nor enough curiosity to keep going. Sometimes I might not really like something but there might be some detail which propels me to want to know what happens next but.. not this time.

Since this is a romance, I know it ends in a HEA but while I usually like books about opposites attract and heroines trying to make ends' meet, these elements weren't done in a way that I found captivating. The dynamics between them, considering what we are told about their difficult romantic pasts, were not convincing during the time I read, which was until more or less half way.

Another issue I also didn't like - it was just so distracting to me - was the writing style, too simple, and the fact the author wanted the reader to know the characters lived in a southern part of the US. I admit it was hard to process that in my head, since the words were written as if someone from that region was talking. This wouldn't have been a deterrent for me if the story was something I was invested in, but because it wasn't, it was just one more element I found to be picky about. 

Thinking about this and the fact there's lots to be read yet, I decided to not finish.

Grade: DNF

Mary McCarthy - The Group

THE GROUP follows eight graduates from exclusive Vassar College as they find love and heartbreak, forge careers, gossip and party in 1930s Manhattan.
THE GROUP can be seen as the original SEX AND THE CITY. It is the first novel to frankly portray women's real lives, exploring subjects such as sex, contraception, motherhood and marriage.

 

Comment: This won't be a lengthy comment for I ended up DNF'ing this book. I got it by curiosity at the library because it promised to be a fictional tale on the average life of women, in the 1930s, and their life expectations. There isn't much fiction regarding these themes (independence, maternity, real life) about women in the 1930s and even less written in the 1950 or 1960s, with a clearly realistic take, and therefore I felt like trying it.

In this book we follow the lives of 8 Vassar finalists, how they went on after their graduation, what paths their lives took, what wins and losses they had... all told without censorship and ambiguity. 

As their hopes get shaped by their surroundings, will these young women live up to their own expectations or will they need to follow what society demands of them?

When I started the book, I hadn't read anything about it. On the cover of the edition I read, there was a reference to this being the book that inspired Sex and the City and there is even a prologue of sorts, written by Sex and the City author, Candace Bushnell.

I have never been a fan of the Sex and the City tv show but I knew exactly what it was about which means I did create some expectations on this book.

I thought the characters would have interesting takes on life, even though they were all going to be well-off women, but I wanted to see what the author would do about them.

I was especially curious to see how the time they lived in would play such a big part in their actions and choices.

I read around 150 pages, more or less. I'll be very honest: the writing style put me off and I didn't find any interest whatsoever in reading more about characters that felt like caricatures, like mannequins within a possible scenario, of how a woman might behave and we had 8 possible examples based on background, wealth status, connections, looks, family, personality...

Since I was struggling, I went on to read more about the author and based on what I read, it was obvious she had been a trailblazer of her time, as was this book, so scandalous and innovative for the time it was written and on how the content was so explicit.

I recognize the importance of this book and what it meant for the gender and for the target audience it was aimed at. There's no doubt this was a special book, with a key role in, perhaps, influencing what we can call today "woman's fiction" or even "chick lit".

However, its importance to the literary world notwithstanding, to me personally this was simply a boring book, told in a unappealing way, about unappealing characters and the idea of keeping up with it was putting me off and making me lazy in thinking about reading another page.

So, this was it. I did learn something, for I had never heard of the author nor of what she represented, but I don't think I'll be interested in reading her books.

Grade: DNF

Philip Roth - American Pastoral

‘Swede’ Levov is living the American dream. He glides through life sustained by his devoted family, his demanding yet highly rewarding (and lucrative) business, his sporting prowess, his good looks. He is the embodiment of thriving, post-war America, land of liberty and hope.
Until the sunny day in 1968, when the Swede’s bountiful American luck deserts him.
The tragedy springs from devastatingly close to home. His adored daughter, Merry, has become a stranger to him, a fanatical teenager capable of an outlandishly savage act of political terrorism that plunges the Levov family into the political mayhem of sixties America, and drags them into the underbelly of a seemingly ascendant society.
Rendered powerless by the shocking turn of events, the Swede can only watch as his pastoral idyll is methodically torn apart.

Comment: I got this book at the library. Something could be said about impulsive decisions regarding picking books one isn't really that interested in reading but between the free availability, the easy access to a title that has been in the literary radar nevertheless and the notion no demands are expected in return, libraries are heaven and I still brought this with me.

In this book we have the story of ‘Swede’ Levov, a man who seems to embody the American dream of living in the 60s, where the spirit of a certain expectation of life propels many to be bold, to be liked, to be amazing. The main character seems to be all this, he is envied by many of his peers but one day everything changes because his daughter does something atrocious and puts the attention of everyone in his family.

From this on, the lives of several people are changed and Levov cannot really get back the control of his own life. The dream isn't that magical as everyone would think....

I DNF'd this book.

I suppose it did help it was not a book I paid for (isn't it interesting that when this happens, in general we tend to feel we have to read it to justify the money spent?) but I just didn't find any eagerness to go on.

It was one of my decisions for this year, to be more focused on reading appealing things, and that could mean not finishing books I was not enjoying. It's still a little complicated, and after nine months this is only my second DNF. I suppose it will do for an interesting post at the end of the reading year how this idea affected my grades... so far only two DNFs, just three excellent books and many average stuff in between.

Anyway, this book was not something I put aside just because. The story was a little confusing because I honestly didn't like the writing style. It was the biggest reason why I didn't feel like keeping up.

I know this author has won many awards, has gotten many accolades, has been seen as a great writer. I was mildly interested in one day reading something by him also because of it. However, his writing style was too confusing for me. He writes as if he were orally telling this and in person this might work if the speaker is gifted. We like ramblings and details and detracts from the main conversation because it gives speeches allure, it makes people feel they are being talked to and not just given an pre recorded text.

The problem for me is that in writing, this means we are reading about one subject, then the author/narrator follows another detail, then another and when I think of it, what are really discussing? The story gets lost so often I started to lose interest in what mattered.

I've read some reviews to understand a few details about the parts I read but didn't get to understand and about what happened after I stopped (around 43% I'd say).

Many have mentioned the supposed message behind this tale and the way the characters behaved. I can see why some of the scenes happened the way they did but it's incredible what can be lost when one fails to concentrate on what's on the page. I do feel a little bad I didn't see in this what so many others did but, well, that's why taste is different. The same things touch everyone differently.

All things considered, this was a fail for me.  I really couldn't get into the story because of the writing. I've read other labeled "literary" works similar to this one in genre I was not as affected by as with this one. But it was good to try, now I feel like I have a reason to avoid further things by him.

Grade: DNF

MLN Hanover - Unclean Spirits

Jayné Heller thinks of herself as a realist, until she discovers reality isn't quite what she thought it was. When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it's all hers -- and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric left her a legacy of a different kind: his unfinished business with a cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College.
Led by the ruthless Randolph Coin, the Invisible College harnesses demon spirits for their own ends of power and domination. Jayné finds it difficult to believe magic and demons can even exist, let alone be responsible for the death of her uncle. But Coin sees Eric's heir as a threat to be eliminated by any means -- magical or mundane -- so Jayné had better start believing in something to save her own life.
Aided in her mission by a group of unlikely companions -- Aubrey, Eric's devastatingly attractive assistant; Ex, a former Jesuit with a lethal agenda; Midian, a two-hundred-year-old man who claims to be under a curse from Randolph Coin himself; and Chogyi Jake, a self-styled Buddhist with mystical abilities -- Jayné finds that her new reality is not only unexpected, but often unexplainable. And if she hopes to survive, she'll have to learn the new rules fast -- or break them completely....
 
Comment: This is yet another of the books that was on the TBR pile for the longest time. I still have others that have been there for longer (more than 9/10 years) but I'm saving those for desperate times or when my taste goes back to classics at a more frequent pace.

I got this at a time I was very fond of UF and PNR and as I've said before, I've "collected" many books which are the first in a series with the hopes of liking them so much that I'd feel ecstatic with the possibility of having tons of things to look for! 

Sadly, the most likely scenario is for me to regret the time it took to pick them because they no longer appeal...

In this new world, the author created a reality where demons take over humans by entering their bodies as spirits and controlling the host's mind. The story begins with heroine Jayné discovering she's the heir of her late uncle and now, after years of some misery she finds herself with the funds to do what she wants. The problem is that at the same time she realizes her uncle was a ghost hunter of sorts and wanted to help humans get their personality back. For that he was at odds with a consortium, a group that worked by getting more demons to come to our reality and enslaving humans that could add to the consortium's power and influence.

Battling this group and getting a payback for her uncle are just secondary outcomes to help humanity and Jayné has the help of a bunch of guys that used to work with her uncle, including fascinating Aubrey. Will Jayné succeed?

For some time now, years actually, I've considered the idea of DNFing books. I've held on to my personal dedication to a book and kept telling myself it was only fair, especially if I had purchased the book. Sometimes I'd push myself forward because I felt I had to even though I wasn't enjoying the book. Other times I liked only a few elements and I'd think about giving up but still managed to finish even if to just justify my low grading.

However, I did sort of promise myself this year I'd start to be more picky in what I'd read. I just felt I had to join those readers who, having huge TBR lists, need to be more selective.

This brings me to this book again. I think this might be the same old case of wating too long to read certain things. This book is labeled urban fantasy, a genre that no longer appeals to me much and that, when I read one, I find more things to annoy me than to entertain me. Generalizing, I just don't have as much patience to read about worlds where gritty and drama are hand in hand and the protagonists need to be almost superheros to accomplish something. Often UF stories don't have romance nor lighter scenes to balance things out.

I still follow some beloved series of course, where the writing and familiarity with the characters  way overcompensates for some minor issues.

This probably isn't a bad book overall. I've remembered reading things I disliked more but I just didn't feel like this was being appealing to me. It would be a task, a duty, a forced situation to read this. When I out this thought aside, I could just et go and I've only skimmed the rest of it. I've read 222 pages before giving up. Of the pages I've read, despite the interesting take on the world, of course the idea is that demons are bad and how they "take over" humans is icky. Coming from enjoying PNR where demons can be the heroes, this felt annoying to read about.

I also had issues with the heroine's place in all this. She is a student who admits not having had many goals, who seems to not have too many apparent worries and she suddenly gets a lot of money. I really didn't like knowing this heroine and I didn't feel she was special enough like other UF heroines to the point I felt I had to root for her.

The author did insert some interesting elements here and there but I completely overlooked those after a while because nothing much was happening, nor in terms of action, nor in how the characters interacted or were developed. I assume this might happen in the following books but I don't think I'll be interested in reading them (even if they are graded better, according to GR). I also didn't like how Jayné and Aubrey were labeled as a couple.

I wasn't really feeling this so I've decided to just stop. I skipped a few pages, just read a sentence here, another there and the way the story ends didn't make me think twice about trying again. 

I do feel slightly sad I did this but I also feel a little relived it's one less unappealing book I had to go through until the end. Of course, having not worked out for me it still can for others, so for readers of UF, I'm certain there is something about it. 

I'm dreading the fact I still have many UF (and other types of books)  to try so having bad experiences does put me off but there is something about the liberation of telling oneself we are not really being forced to read something we got for leisure just because.

Grade: DNF