Month: August 2017

Everyday things

Happy Birthday To Me

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Today it is exactly one year until I’m turning 30 years old. :O Soooo! I have made myself an list with 30 books i want to read before turning 30. There where 3 reasons for a book to end up on the list and those reasons are, 1. Been in my library to long (we are talking years), 2. Books I feel for one or another reason i need to read, 3. I want to read it but never get my self to do it.

So here is my list with 30 books I want to read. In one year from today we will see if I really read all 30 books or not. I´m not gonna make myself read something I don´t want to read or are yet not ready for, but I hope it will help me read some of the stuff that have been in my “to read” list a little to long.

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The books are listed in no special order.

The Luminaries – Eleanor Cotton
And the Mountains Echoed – Khaled Hosseini
The Redbreast – Jo Nesbø
War´s Unwomanly Face – Svetlana Alexievich
Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela
Blood Honor – Russell Blake
Dissent – Jessica Gadziala
After the Dark – Cynthia Eden
Adam – Kris Michaels
Deadly Silence – Rebecca Zanetti
Four Letter Word – J. Daniels
The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year – Joanna Bolouri
Salt to the Sea – Ruta Sepetys
Blue Smoke – Nora Roberts
The Boat Man – Dustin Stevens
A Dark Lure – Loreth Anne White
Departure – A.G. Riddle
Fall of Giants – Ken Follett
For You – Kristen Ashley
The Collector – Nora Roberts
Dark Lover – J.R. Ward
The Good Daughter – Karin Slaughter
Twisted – Mandi Beck
Rot & Ruin – Jonathan Maberry
The Hitchhiker´s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Three Wishes – Kristen Ashley
Ransom – Callie Hart
Spotless – Camilla Monk
Seven for A Secret – Lyndsay Faye
The Doll´s House – M.J. Arlidge

Fiction/Science Fiction · Romance

Fluency – Jennifer Foehner Wells

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22566044| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: NASA discovered the alien ship lurking in the asteroid belt in the 1960s. They kept the Target under intense surveillance for decades, letting the public believe they were exploring the solar system, while they worked feverishly to refine the technology needed to reach it. The ship itself remained silent, drifting.

Dr. Jane Holloway is content documenting nearly-extinct languages and had never contemplated becoming an astronaut. But when NASA recruits her to join a team of military scientists for an expedition to the Target, it’s an adventure she can’t refuse. The ship isn’t vacant, as they presumed. A disembodied voice rumbles inside Jane’s head, “You are home.”

Jane fights the growing doubts of her colleagues as she attempts to decipher what the alien wants from her. As the derelict ship devolves into chaos and the crew gets cut off from their escape route, Jane must decide if she can trust the alien’s help to survive.

My thoughts: First off, I want to say that i really dont like cliffhangers. If you do need to break up a book in two, do it at least a little more satisfying. It was like just hit pause in an movie and wait a year before you will see the rest. I´m not even sure that I will read the second book. Mostly because I feel such an dissatisfaction.

So the book earns its two hearts for the writing. I like the writing because its easy to read and most of the times it is also easy to understand. It can sometimes be hard to understand all the technology in Science fiction. But in the book I only had like two or three times that I had hard to understand or make myself an mental picture. I also do like the red thread throughout the book. It feels consist and are quite exiting. And it did have some really exciting chapters.

What i do not like is the characters. They feel kind of superficial and I think the author could have done a better job to make an connection between reader and character. I do not like the romance bit either. I would be a lot more satisfied if i could get closure there, since it never had a big part though out the book but still was a meaningful subject that really never happen anything with.

So overall, a book that can be great for the right person. I´m just not that person.

Contemporary · Humor/Funny · Romance

Double Dare – R.L Mathewson

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22593948.jpg| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: Marybeth still couldn’t believe that she’d survived this long with a friend like Darrin, but somehow she’d managed to beat the odds and not give in to temptation and smother him with a pillow while he slept.

Of course some days were more difficult than others…

For twenty years he’s been biding his time, waiting for the right moment to make his move and now that it was here…
He couldn’t seem to stop screwing up.

My thoughts:I Love the neighbor from hell series. I stumbled over the first book as an freebie at Amazon last year when I just had bought my kindle. Didn’t know what to expect but I laughed, cried and loved the first book and off course had to read more. This is the sixth book in the series and the journey have been great. It’s sad to think that is soon over. If I’m remember correctly there only gonna be 10 books.

This book however was not my favorite but it still was really good. Hadn’t it been for the great emotional story line, I would probably not have liked it that much. Because it was a little to much drama and deceiving. Darrin is an great character. A little to chicken for his own good. That’s the same for Marybeth to actually.

Then we have the family Bradford. Haha. You can’t do anything other than laugh. They are just so fantastic and if I ever would meet a family like that I would be terrified since I know how to cook, cook pretty well and actually likes to cook.

Mathewson says that you can read the books in the series as a stand alone, except for this one. Because Darren and Marybeth are also in the fifth book (not with a big part) and the main characters from the fifth book have a big part in the this one (makes sense?), so for your own peace of mind I do recommend that you start with the fifth book if you not want to read the others. Me however has big problem with not reading series in orders even if they are stand alone or not. But that’s just me.

One more thing, don´t let the books cover fool you. Every book in the series has something like that. I think the cover is kind of cheesy and not that appealing, but the books are so great. To bad how a cover can be destroying.

Mystery/Crime · Romance · Suspense

You Belong To Me – Karen Rose

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8697191.jpg| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: A killer is branding his victims with numbers. How many will he kill before he’s stopped? YOU BELONG TO ME is a fantastic thriller from bestselling author Karen Rose, and the first novel in her Baltimore series.

When forensic pathologist Lucy Trask stumbles across a mutilated body by the chess tables in her local Baltimore park, its face so badly damaged it is unrecognizable, her sole concern is that it might be her old school teacher Mr Pugh.

When the corpse is identified, Lucy is shocked to discover that the victim is actually another man from her past. Who killed him and why his skin is burnt with the number ‘1’ is unclear but it’s evident that someone is demanding Lucy’s attention.

The discovery of a second branded body raises worrying questions: how many more lives may be at risk before the killer’s final message is revealed? And can Lucy solve the killer’s gruesome puzzle before their thirst for revenge is complete?

My thoughts:Great book. Great characters, great story, great suspense and great, hot romance. Just a great book. Karen Rose has done a great job with the mystery and suspense so it is not until the end you really get to know whats going on. I love to sit through a book and guess how it all hangs together and when an author proves me wrong in the end, i have won big. And Karen Rose really did it in this book.

The book is part of an series. It is nr 12 in Romantic suspense but number 1 in the Baltimore series. I definitely want to read more by Rose. Her writing is great and I cant believe that i never stumble over her books earlier. It was actually one of my Goodreads friends who read it and thats how I discovered her books.

There is one negative thing with the book tho and that is that it are a little to many people and it’s sometimes hard to keep track on who is who and from where. But other than that it’s an great book. And you get the best from two worlds. Super romantic exciting and murder, crime suspense. Just up my alley.

Adult fiction/Erotica · Contemporary · Romance · Sports/Games

Defying The Odds – Kele Moon

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29537831| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: A MMA Romance

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.

My thoughts: Oh such an sweet story. You just got to love Clay and Melody. The first thing I loved was how fast the book started. There was no introduction, no page fillers or history prolog. It just started right where you want it to and it was great. It´s also great that it takes a little time before it really is starting to happen stuff between Clay and Melody. Yeah it is an adult fiction, erotica kind of book but for me as an reader i also need a story with an connection and some realism. And i do get that in this book.

And the characters around is just great and you cant do anything other than love them. What i did not like however is how short it was. According to Goodreads it is like 181 pages and that i read on one day.

Defying the odds is the first book in battered hearts serie.

Contemporary · Mystery/Crime · Romance · Suspense · Thriller/Horror

Shadow Of Perception – Kristine Mason

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25361217| GOODREADS | AMAZON | My rating: ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: What happens when negligent plastic surgeons get a taste of their own medicine…?

Chicago investigative reporter, Eden Risk, receives an unmarked envelope containing a postcard ordering her to watch the enclosed DVD…or someone else dies. No police. After Eden watches the DVD, a gruesome, horrifying surgery, she turns to the private criminal investigation agency, CORE, for help. Only she hadn’t expected that help to come with a catch. Her former lover, Hudson Patterson, has been assigned to the case.

Hudson would rather have another CORE agent handle the investigation. Two years ago, he’d screwed things up with Eden…bad. And as more DVDs arrive, Eden and Hudson find themselves not only knee-deep in a twisted investigation, but forced to deal with their past, and the love they’d tried to deny.

My thoughts: This is the second book in Masons CORE Shadow Trilogy. I did like the first book and gave it three stars, but I really liked the first book from her other CORE series (above the law). But this one I did not like at all. I didn’t like that the suspense disappeared to fast since Mason gave to much explanations to early. So the murder and his mystery was not that exciting. And I did not like Eden at all and some of the drama was totally her fault and then try to make it Hudsons fault. That kind of relation and drama is really nothing for me.

And its to bad. Because i´m starting to see and a pattern and Mason has an sick imagination. An imagination totally in my taste. Something new and a little on the border of insanity that is really refreshing for someone like me who read a lot of thriller, suspense, mystery and books with romance.

So in total, this was not the book for me, but I still want to read more and the third book is about an character named Rachel and that is really exciting. 😀

Contemporary · Romance

Mark – Jessica Gadziala

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34824884.jpg| GOODREADS | AMAZON | My rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: Mark- Love and commitment might be great. You know, for my brothers. Not for me. But then, in a chance meeting, I came across her. Why was she different? I couldn’t say for sure. Maybe it was the fact that she was the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen. Maybe it was the the sharp edges she wore like a shield that made me want to see what was beneath. Or maybe it had something to do with whatever secret she was trying so desperately to hide.

Scotti- Love and commitment weren’t even in the realm of possibilities for me. My life had one purpose, one mission, and I couldn’t afford to let anyone get in the way. But then there was Mark Mallick – ladies man, loanshark enforcer, and very determined to know my secrets.

That was problematic any day, but especially so with him. Why? Maybe because the things he would offer me, the things he would show me were possibilities for me, could make me reevaluate the mission that had completely consumed the last ten years of my life.

But could I have those things? Could I escape the life I had been trapped in for so long? With Mark Mallick by my side, I was thinking maybe it was possible…

My thoughts: This is the third book in Gadzialas series about the Mallick Brothers and oh my! I love Gadziala. I love that every book that takes place in Navesink bank do have small connections to each other but you can still read every series for them self. I do recommend that you start with the first book in every series. So for this one it is the book Shane who you should start with. There will be one more book, one brother left and I can hardly wait. But now, lets talk Mark.

Mark was one of the characters I knew the least about before I started reading. And now after I have read his book, I feel like he is like his brothers. A good man, even tho he is an criminal. He values family, single life, women and to make stuff with his hands. There is really nothing that makes Mark more special from his brothers. They are pretty alike. But it is Scotti I totally fell in love with. She is all soft and hard balled up in one. She lives with here four! brothers *who I also cant wait to read more about* and trying to live of the grid as much as they can while they go about there revenge. And then she meets Mark and there is some serious sparklers going on.

Even though the book is about Mark and Scotti, Eli got a pretty big part in this book. I hadn’t expecting it and I was chocked, but understand now that it was needed to be read before his own book comes out (in September 2017). So here I recommend strongly that you read Mark before you read Eli.

Adult fiction/Erotica · Contemporary · Romance

Dane – Liliana Hart

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18105339| GOODREADS | AMAZON | My rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: This is book #1 of the MacKenzie Brothers Quartet!

Bad boy, Dane MacKenzie, is coming home to Surrender, Montana. It’s been ten years since he left the woman he loved behind to make a name for himself, and now he’s bound and determined to claim her once and for all.

But Charlotte Munroe has no desire to welcome home the Prodigal Son with a fatted calf. The bitterness of Dane’s betrayal runs deep, and she has no plans of letting him back into her life.
Especially since she’s trying to protect the son Dane isn’t aware exists from heartbreak, since she’s sure he’s only going to walk out of their lives again.

My thoughts: A nice story. Perfect book for those terrible book hangovers you can get sometimes after a book. And other times when you read a really long or heavy book, this is a great book to catch a quick break in the middle of the book with. I really liked it. Unfortunately it was also to short for me. Everything happens a little to fast and i would have loved to have just a couple of pages more. But hey, thats me.

However i still recommends it to everyone i know. And on top of that, don´t miss the great deal at amazon (as of august 2017) and get the first five books for just $1.24.

Romance · Suspense · War/Military

Blind Fury – Gwen Hernandez

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20878943| GOODREADS | AMAZON | My rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ |

Goodread synopsis: When always-play-it-safe Jenna Ryan starts questioning how her brother died in Afghanistan, someone decides she must be stopped. Permanently. Her brother’s best friend—a sexy thrill-seeker she can’t stop thinking about—won’t reveal what he knows about the fatal shoot-out, putting Jenna at odds with the only man she trusts to keep her alive.

Former special forces operator Mick Fury would give his life to keep his best friend’s irresistible sister safe. He took an oath to stay silent about their last mission, but Mick’s will is tested by the white-hot attraction to Jenna he’s tried to ignore for years. Now he must risk everything—even falling in love—to protect her from the truth that could destroy them both.

My thoughts: First book in a new series for me and I was actually pretty exciting to start it. I love this kind of romance books with an “soft” alpha male, military and suspense stories. It´s an emotional book with a really good start but then it get kind ow slow and in the end when it started to get really thrilling, I was just done. Done with the slow paste between Jenna and Mick, done with the yes/no situations that are all the way through the book.

Mostly it is not a big deal for me, but Jenna was totally destroying it for me. I understand that the history between her and Mick was not that easy but come on. I just wanted to hope in the book and shout to Jenna “grow some freaking spine”. I was totally on Micks side. I understood his reasons and that it was not easy for him. She knew that. He told her, and still she had to act like a immature teenager.

But other than that I did like the story. I liked that the “mystery” was totally believable and the end made me considerably more open to read the next book in the series.

Everyday things

When you try to brake an pattern!

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So you know that feeling when you have read a genre a little to long that the books are starting to float together and the story lines starting to feel the same to you? Well, yesterday when I was done with the latest book (Blind fury by Gwen Hernandez) I felt kind of sick on romance. Now i needed something new. So i decided to go with a book I have had in my electronic library for ages. An science fiction with aliens. That felt just perfect for me. But after just two chapters in the story i started to feel that maybe this is not as clean, cut and dry science fiction book that i first thought. So i looked little closer on the books description on Goodreads, and lo and behold, it is an Romantic science fiction. Bwahahah 😀

Oh well, cant stop reading it now.

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*Picture borrowed from google.com.