Contemporary · Romance

The Messenger – Jessica Gadziala

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41576496| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: He’s loved her since the day he met her. She’s been either oblivious or uninterested.
And now she is set to marry another man.
So, he decided he had to let her go.
But when he finds her on what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, staining her wedding dress with tears, needing help, he realizes he had never let go. And now that he has the chance, he will stop at nothing to show her that he was the one she was meant to be with all along.

 

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My thoughts: I’m happy for Kai to finally get his HEA. He have been a side character in the first two books but his love for Jules have never been a secret. And damn this was intense and yes, it was a good book. But at the same time, I’m little disappointed. I expected Jules to be this bad ass, strong woman, who just had no idea that Kai had a thing for her. Then it turns out she had known all the time, misinterpret (maybe) her own feelings and never acted on it. Kind of meek and submissive and not in the good way. It made the story a little to unrealistic and certainly not what I had expect. Then the whole like me, like me not, needs time, do not need time cabal back and forth, just irked me. But Kai totally saved it. I love him. He is the perfect guy. And maybe I love him more than other characters because he reminds me of my own man, but hey, we are not laying not on that.

The plot was believable and new compared to what Gadziala usually writes. However somewhat unsatisfying and anticlimactic with the whole Gary thing. I wish we got to follow Bellamy instead according to that topic, but that just me I guess. I crave the more darker stuff in these type of books.

Next up is the fourth book in the series and I’m so exciting. Because there you will (I have heard) get to know the whole truth behind Eli’s incarceration and the circumstances surrounding those characters. But I’m going to save it to a time where I do not have to work. Hate to read those really good books, but then have to go to work.

Contemporary · Romance · Sports/Games · Young, New adult/College

The Chase – Elle Kennedy

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34851664| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Everyone says opposites attract. And they must be right, because there’s no logical reason why I’m so drawn to Colin Fitzgerald. I don’t usually go for tattoo-covered, video-gaming, hockey-playing nerd-jocks who think I’m flighty and superficial. His narrow view of me is the first strike against him. It doesn’t help that he’s buddy-buddy with my brother.

And that his best friend has a crush on me.

And that I just moved in with them.

Oh, did I not mention we’re roommates?

I suppose it doesn’t matter. Fitzy has made it clear he’s not interested in me, even though the sparks between us are liable to burn our house down. I’m not the kind of girl who chases after a man, though, and I’m not about to start. I’ve got my hands full dealing with a new school, a sleazy professor, and an uncertain future. So if my sexy brooding roomie wises up and realizes what he’s missing?

He knows where to find me.

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My thoughts: This started of quite bad to be honest. I really didn’t like Summer. I found her shallow, egotistical and with a lot of self-pity. She got on my nerve and I was quite certain I would not like this book. But as I continue the story, something new was growing, blossom and in the end I freaking loved it. It is nothing like my first impression and I’m so glad I was wrong. It is that good and the character development is just beautifully done, vivid and the perfect tie with the plot. It did however get a little repetitive there in the middle and I’m not a big fan of love triangles. It wasn’t that bad however so I was able to ignore it. I did feel for the characters though.

On another note, I would have want some more satisfying endings with both the characters Hunter and Laurie. But I understand why the first did not end since it will probably continue in another book and I understand that the second was skip, but I would have like some more repercussions. A little more action. It is however NO cliffhangers so don’t worry about that.

Overall I’m so happy. It is a great book, who is easy to read, gets the blood pumping and after you just feel so good. The second book in the series has a release date in the end of February and I so looking forward to be reading Brennan’s story. And in the fall of 2019 the third book is being released. I wonder who we will follow then. I’m so excited.

Contemporary · Fiction/Science Fiction

Little fires everywhere – Celeste Ng

Book Chick1 Comment

34273236| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the alluring mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When the Richardsons’ friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town and puts Mia and Mrs. Richardson on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Mrs. Richardson becomes determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs to her own family – and Mia’s.

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My thoughts: So…! First off, Ng is a phenomenal writer and I really liked her writing style. Under the storyline, she quite skillfully included a lot of symbolism and important themes, worth discussing. The writing was easy to read and had a soft and gentle, flowing feeling about it. Almost like waves on a beach. It was lulling in a way where you felt good while reading but didn’t get tired or fall asleep by it. It was quite an eerie feeling to receive but at the same time it just felt so right.

First book read by Celeste Ng and though I did enjoy it, I had some trouble to really connect with it. I was reading, following the plot, but never really invested in it if you understand what I mean. I liked the way we got to follow several characters, there life and thoughts, bounded together around one main event and several smaller ones. I liked how it took place in the 1990’s but unfortunately I wished that the ending would have been more satisfying. I liked several of the characters, understood some of the others and a few could just be left out in my opinion.

There is so much to discuss and talk about and I’m glad we opted for this one to be discussed in the book club I’m a member of. It is a perfect book for that kind of purpose.

Everyday things · TBR

TBR February

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february.JPG

I have decided to try a TBR lists for every month. I do not know how many books I should choose and so on, but I see February as a trial and error month.

I have selected six books I wish to read this month. I do own everyone of them and I will try to only select books I already own.

Golden son, Reeve and The chase is books I have had in my library for a long time now and I wish to get them read. The seven deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle I choosed due to the highly interesting synopsis and The Seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo I choosed due to the highly raving there is about it in the bookish community. I do hope it isn’t hyped to death.

Little Fires Everywhere is actually my book clubs choice for January but Bookdepository was so slow so I didn’t receive it until the end of January. The meeting is however not until Thursday so I will have the time to read it.

 

What are you planing on reading in February?

Monthly summary

January Summary

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monthlysummery2

Wow what a month. So many ups and downs but I’m really happy with the result. How was your reading month?

Favorite book this month: The kind worth killing by Peter Swanson
Least favorite book this month: Ragdoll by Daniel Cole

Number of physical books: 5
Number of e-books: 7
Number of audiobooks: 4
Total pages: 5987
Female authors: 10
Male authors: 4

30762017The Liar – Nora Roberts
Settings: Tennessee, USA Pages: 564 Published: 2015
Genres: Contemporary, romance, suspense, fiction.
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
36373463Us against you – Fredrik Backman
Settings:“Beartown”, Sweden Pages: 519 Published: 2017
Genres: Contemporary, fiction, sports.
My rating: 5/5
Links: Review
Book 2 in The Beartown series.
11594337The one and only Ivan – Katherine Applegate
Settings: USA Pages: 307 Published: 2012
Genres: Fiction, Children, Young adult.
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
15697889Did you miss me? – Karen Rose
Settings: Baltimore, Maryland, USA Pages: 544 Published: 2012
Genres: Romantic, suspense, crime, mystery, thriller.
My rating: 3/5
Links: Review
Book 14 in The romantic suspense series.
40360105Mallicks: Back to the beginnings – Jessica Gadziala
Settings: Navesink Bank, Fictional USA Pages: 198 Published: 2018
Genres: Romantic, suspense, contemporary.
My rating: 5/5
Links: Review
Book 5 in The Mallicks brothers series.
36187690Strange the dreamer – Laini Taylor
Settings: Fantasyland of Weep Pages: 536 Published: 2017
Genres: Young adult, fantasy, romance.
My rating: 2/5
Links: Review
Book 1 in The strange the dreamer series.
23129640Robin Williams – Emily Herbert
Settings: USA Pages: 244 Published: 2014
Genres: Biography, non-fiction.
My rating: 2/5
Links: Review
21936809The kind worth killing – Peter Swanson
Settings: Maine, USA Pages: 311 Published: 2015
Genres: Thriller, mystery, fiction, crime, suspense.
My rating: 5/5
Links: Review
13424356Fire & Ash – Jonathan Maberry
Settings: Post apocalyptic USA Pages: 537 Published: 2013
Genres: Horror, zombies, young adult.
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
Book 4 in The Rot & Ruin series.
30633337Rock Chick Reawakening – Kristen Ashley
Settings: Denver, Colorado, USA Pages: 207 Published: 2017
Genres: Contemporary, romance.
My rating: 5/5
Links: Review
Book 0.5 in The Rock Chick series.
g.cover.JPGRock chick redux – Kristen Ashley
Settings: USA Pages: 10 Published: 2013
Genres: Contemporary, romance, short stories.
My rating: 1/5
Links: Review *Review only at Goodreads.
Book 8.5 in The Rock Chick series.
35729Lover eternal – J.R Ward
Settings: Caldwell, New York, USA Pages: 441 Published: 2005
Genres: Romance, suspense, paranormal.
My rating: 3/5
Links: Review
Book 2 in The BDB series.
42900Lover Awakened – J.R Ward
Settings: Caldwell, New York, USA Pages: 448 Published: 2006
Genres: Romance, suspense, paranormal.
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
Book 3 in The BDB series.
25170118Delectable – R.L Mathewson
Settings: USA Pages: 315 Published: 2017
Genres: Contemporary, romance, humor, funny.
My rating: 3/5
Links: Review
Book 9 in The neighbor from hell series.
30259893Ragdoll – Daniel Cole
Settings: New York, USA Pages: 384 Published: 2017
Genres: Crime, thriller, mystery.
My rating: 1/5
Links: Review
Book 1 in The Fawkes and Baxter series.
40512568Throne of glass – Sarah J. Maas
Settings: Rifthold, Adarlan Pages: 422 Published: 2012
Genres: YA, romance, fantasy.
My rating: 2/5
Links: Review
Book 1 in The throne of glass series.
Fantasy/Paranormal · Fiction/Science Fiction · Romance · Young, New adult/College

Throne of glass – Sarah J. Maas

Book Chick2 Comments

40512568| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Meet Celaena Sardothien. Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament – fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

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My thoughts: I’m a little disappointed actually. I know I can’t compare this to the ACOTAR series but it is hard not to. And to be honest, this is not what I expected from an author like Maas, who where one of my top favorite author in 2018. Very underwhelming after years of hearing that this is THE YA series to read. I expected more and not to walk away with an unsatisfying feeling.

Every reviewer and booktuber I follow loved Celaena. I however did not. She is arrogant, mean, lame and high on herself. She is such an over hyped character that it is a disappointment to read the book about her. To be that young, for having had such a hard life and after a year as a slave in the most notorious salt mines, you would expect her to be more humble toward life and not as vain and shallow. Her and most of the characters have no dept, no smooth development and the plot is slow and quite overrated. Maas have been raised to the skies for her strong, female protagonists and deep YA relations, but I saw noting of that here.

There is some attempt to romance and love/triangles but that just fell flat. It is not good. Nothing that got my heart pumping or the need to keep reading. You really get to know Dorian and Chaol and they both are so much better in my opinion than Celaena, which is supposed to be the main heroine character to love and follow. There is nothing unique or original. And the plot is just weird. There is some questionable decisions and there is more of a telling the story than showing the story. All the action and important parts, where jump over and later retell so that we, the readers, knew what had happens since last. No, not good.

To be honest I do not know if I will continue the series. At first I gave the book three stars but after a night’s sleep and the time of writing this review, I realize that I was too generous and lowered it to two. It is not as bad as a one star rating but certainly not as good as a three. It wasn’t as mind-blowing as I expected and it was nowhere near as well written as the ACOTAR series. Both in the character development, plot and settings.

Is it worth more of my time?

Fiction/Science Fiction · Mystery/Crime · Thriller/Horror

Ragdoll – Daniel Cole

Book Chick1 Comment

30259893| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: William Fawkes, a controversial detective known as The Wolf, has just been reinstated to his post after he was suspended for assaulting a vindicated suspect. Still under psychological evaluation, Fawkes returns to the force eager for a big case. When his former partner and friend, Detective Emily Baxter, calls him to a crime scene, he’s sure this is it: the body is made of the dismembered parts of six victims, sewn together like a puppet–a corpse that becomes known as “The Ragdoll.”

Fawkes is tasked with identifying the six victims, but that gets dicey when his reporter ex-wife anonymously receives photographs from the crime scene, along with a list of six names, and the dates on which the Ragdoll Killer plans to murder them.

The final name on the list is Fawkes.

Baxter and her trainee partner, Alex Edmunds, hone in on figuring out what links the victims together before the killer strikes again. But for Fawkes, seeing his name on the list sparks a dark memory, and he fears that the catalyst for these killings has more to do with him–and his past–than anyone realizes.

With a breakneck pace, a twisty plot, and a wicked sense of humor, Ragdoll announces the arrival of the hottest new brand in crime fiction.

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My thoughts: I’m so freaking tired of the same crap over and over again when reading crime/thriller books. Is that genre so used up and impossible to create something new with? Why do you always have to go in the same track over and over again? This one was so hyped up and I saw so much good about it that I’m actually surprised that people have not reacted over how bland and badly written it is.

Here we have all the clichés, crammed onto 380 pages, which may I say, trees gave there life for. We have the unjust system of the government, politically large characters you hate, that dead beat cop who is an alcoholic and breaks every rule in the book. The falsely accused, the skeptical colleges, the ex-wife, the career driven people and off course in the middle, there is that one serial killer with a “personal” vendetta.

I’m so frustrated. All I wanted was a good crime book, that was not predictable and used up. I wanted something exciting with deep and interesting characters without all those stupid clichés you have literally read a couple of hundred times by now.

The story, plot and characters are just unpleasant and unlikable. There is nothing there for a crime lover like me. It is messy with too many POV and a cold, unimaginative setting. There was nothing warm. Nothing that I liked, could connect to or feel that it will get better. It is certainly not worth the hype.

Adult fiction/Erotica · Contemporary · Humor/Funny · Romance

Delectable – R.L Mathewson

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25170118| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Reese Bradford is a typical Bradford, he enjoys his food, is easy on the eyes, and has a killer smile, but there’s one thing about him that he doesn’t want anyone to know about, which of course is the first thing that his ex-fiance makes sure that everyone finds out about after she leaves him for his best friend. Out of options, he reluctantly heads out of town to spend the summer in the cottage that he’d rented for his honeymoon only to find himself tormented by a woman that never should have crossed his mind twice.

More intrigued than he’d ever thought possible, he can’t help but wonder about the woman that made him smile.

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My thoughts: I LOVED the characters. Absolutely loved them all. This is probably, so far, Mathewson’s best character development, connections and familiarity she has written. Reese we have meet before, Kasey is a new and such funny character to get to know. Then Reese enters the picture and I must say the way he entered was so perfect, funny and captivating. Then we have my absolute favorite character, Mikey. Kasey’s 10 year old daughter who with her quirky personality, it makes the whole book. It was also nice to meet some of the other characters from the earlier books.

But the plot however did nothing for me. It was kind of slow and bland. I have always found the food obsessions pretty funny and thought it would be a huge part in the book, since Kasey is a cook. But it wasn’t. And the whole virgin thing? Come on! Can it be more cringe and flamboyant?

It kept balancing on the border between funny and immature. Some parts really was to much for me and they felt forced, so in the end, it wasn’t good. And I certainly missed some groveling and the huge “explosion” between two of the characters that I really thought would come.

So over all, I loved the characters, not the plot and in total I did like the book.

Fantasy/Paranormal · Romance

Lover awakened – J.R. Ward

Book Chick1 Comment

42900| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other – six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Of these, Zsadist is the most terrifying member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion—until he rescues a beautiful aristocrat from the evil Lessening Society.

Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for one another begins to overtake them both, Zsadist’s thirst for vengeance against Bella’s tormentors drives him to the brink of madness. Now, Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his tortured past, and find a future with her…

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My thoughts: You got to love those angst filled, save him, save her, type of romantic suspense books. This one is even in the paranormal category. I absolutely love the characters. I love how vulnerable they are even though they are vampires. They can easily be hurt or even die. I liked Bella a little less than I thought I would. She seemed so much older in the last book where you meet her. But she is a lot younger than you though and that shines through. In some occasion I liked it, in others not so much. Zsadist, gosh I hate the names in this series, was such a complicated character. He is deep with a lot of hurt in him. He is so far gone that even himself thinks he is a goner. But no, there is so much more in his core, just waiting and it certainly gave the whole book some serious depth. The history, memories and relationship with his brothers and friends certainly makes the book come alive and the building of future books is so greatly done. I did however not like Phury’s part of the plot that much. But I do not need to get into that. I do hope, when I come to his book, that it will be a lot better than I feel it would be right now.

Overall this is a page turner. It is exciting, captivating and astonishing. very little predictability and a lot of questions who you get all the answers to. It ended just perfect, with happy tears and all. And no cliffhanger. 🙂

Fantasy/Paranormal · Romance

Lover eternal – J.R. Ward

Book Chick2 Comments

35729| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly turf war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed by a deadly beast, Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He’s the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover-for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Owned by this dark side, Rhage fears the time when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage’s protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. She lost her faith in miracles years ago. But when Rhage’s intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves…

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My thoughts: Warning for a small rant. I will try to keep it on the down low. It was a good book. A real page turner. But not as good as the first book and as I’m thinking now, not as good as the third book. Yes I had to jump right into the next one since it ended on a cliffhanger and I just had to know how it would end.

I never really fell for the characters. The love story is overused and quite predictable. When the side characters are more interesting than the main characters, there is clearly something not working for me. I didn’t really like Mary and Rhage didn’t do anything for me. I remember Rhage, from the first book, as a funny, sexy, devilish, and charming character. Now he is just whiny and feels sorry for himself. Yeah, yeah! You have a curse. Boohoo! Get over it and move on. You have had a couple of hundred years so you should have been miles ahead by now. But yeah, it was just so repetitive.

I really liked the plot however and how the lessers had a big part and how all the other characters just built up to the story of the third book. It was interesting and quite captivating. The ending came a little fast but it made it easy for me to just throw myself right into the next one.

I really like Wards writing and her version of Vampires which feels just so right. This one was not a favorite but I still like the series and hopes the third one will be even better.