Contemporary · Romance · Suspense · War/Military

Midnight Revenge – Elle Kennedy

25476363| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Out of all the stone-cold mercenaries in Jim Morgan’s black ops organization, Derek “D” Pratt is the most intimidating. He is tight-lipped and covered in tattoos, and even the other guys on his team are afraid to ask him about his past. D’s been off the grid for years, but after his teammate Sullivan is mistakenly captured in his place, D is forced to come out of hiding and face his demons.

When D lands in Mexico, he’s ready to risk everything to save his friend. To complicate matters, Sofia Amaro, a feisty doctor whom D had a one-night stand with months ago, has tracked him down. And in an instant she’s unintentionally caught up in his life-threatening rescue mission.

Now D must extract not one but two people from the most violent world he’s ever encountered. And one of them is carrying his child..

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My thoughts: This is a damn good book. Pretty sure my heart stopped at least two times while reading this. Fast paced and action packed and I loved it. Not my favorite in the series however but a pretty close second, I must say. This series and Elle Kennedy is really starting to be one of my all time favorites. Her writing is so good and easy that just reading her words makes me feel god. Then we look a little deeper and reading her story and just like that I’m lost, in love and forgotten the world around me.

This book is about Derek “D” Pratt. An character who have been around for most of the series. He is a hard son of a bitch with a past darker than anyone can imagine. I didn’t like him at all the earlier books, but I do now understand why. It took me a while to really connect with him, but then I had Sofia. She is a wonderful character with just the right amount of umpf, stubbornness, quirkiness and she has a really smart head on her shoulders. There is no way you do not like her. I really liked that there was no love at first sight, no lost love or heartache in the beginning of the book between those two. I liked that they “knew” each other beforehand but the lack of sappy, fluffy love made it more believable and the suspense unbearable.

Then it is always nice to meet the characters from the earlier books. Book number 6 ended on a small cliffhanger and this one gives you all the answers you need about what happened. It’s not completely over and done with but I would not say that there are a cliffhanger so you can rest easily.

Kennedy do like to create tension in her plots and between her characters and I think it is the way she does it that makes it so good. She is always balancing on the edge and if you have not read this series, I do have to say “what, you have not read it? You just have to read it!!” 😉

Chick Lit · Contemporary · Humor/Funny · Mystery/Crime · Romance

Hot six – Janet Evanovich

6858.jpg| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Low-rent bounty hunter Stephanie Plum reaches depths of personal experience that other women detectives never quite do. In Hot Six, for example, a sequence of new and hideous cars bite the dust; she finds herself lumbered with a policeman’s multiply incontinent dog; and she has several bad skin days. All this when she is trying to prove her distinctly more competent colleague and occasional boyfriend Ranger innocent of a mob hit; avoid the heavies trailing her in the hope of finding him; and cope with a wife-abusing bail defaulter with nasty habits, such as setting Stephanie on fire.

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My thoughts: This is, by far, the best one in the series (so far). Book number 6 totally knocked me out of the park. It is funny, quirky and the characters and plot is just over the top great. I love how easy it is but still really exciting and hilarious. How bad luck Stephanie keeps having but this time it isn’t on the border to be too much. An we get to meet a new character. Bob! I love Bob and hopes to see more of him in the future books.

Homicidal maniacs, dog poo, Ranger, Morelli, a dead guy in a lawn chair, eccentric grandma Mazur, the nemesis from hell, good friends, bad luck, mobsters and a Star Trek party. That is just some of the many fantastic highlights from this laugh out loud story where we are following Stephanie Plum and many great secondary characters like Lula, Vinnie, Eddie, Connie and many more.

The writing is great. I always forget how good the writing really is. It is easy, fast and makes you not realize how long you have been reading. You are totally eaten by the book so hear my advice and make sure you have someone to remember you about the important stuff. Like eating. Sleep you can do when you are dead.

Stephanie is an character that is easy to connect with. Her bad luck is recognizable and true and you cant do anything other than just love her. She is a bad luck charm walking and everyone around her needs to be careful. In the earlier books, all that bad luck got a little to much sometimes but in this book it is just the right amount. She is strong and funny and o I would love to see this series as an tv-show. (The movie was awful).

Contemporary · Romance · Suspense

Sinful intent – Chelle Bliss

25151764.jpg| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Someone was after her and it was my duty to stop them.

Never cross the line. That had always been my rule. But that was before Race True.

The moment I saw her, I wanted her. But there was a problem. She wasn’t just another pretty face—no, she was my first client at ALFA PI. My take-what-I-want attitude shouldn’t include her, but how the hell can I be expected to keep my hands off?

The danger that followed her had my protective instincts in overdrive. And as the clock ticked down, the choice was laid out before me: save her career or risk everything and have her in my bed. Could I put aside my wants for her needs? Or would my selfishness destroy everything in the process?

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My thoughts: Meh! Not worth the time or money. It’s right now free on Amazon if you wish to give it a chance, but I would not recommend it and i’m glad that I didn’t spend any money on this peace of *not my kind of book*.

I can’t understand how this book has such high rating on Goodreads. I was after something easy, sexy and funny with characters to connect with. This however was not anything like that. The plot is thin at best, the hero is an asshole, the heroin is a bitch and nothing was easy, sexy and funny. There was nothing to like when it came to the characters and quite frankly they do deserve each other. There is a different between being tough girl with an attitude and a bitch. This just went in the wrong directions and nothing helped me like the characters when they are that stupid. And that the hero kept telling how much he *disliked* his sweet and caring mother just pissed me off. The story is long and filled with one cliché after another. The start was boring, the middle was just about sex and the ending I kept asking myself “is it over yet?” There was some attempts on suspense and romance but it just felled flat.

I could barely finish and if it was not for the reason that I didn’t have the energy to try to choose a new book, I would probably have DNF it. I applaud you who found this one a four-five star book. I do not know what you see in it, but apparently I missed something. My loss I guess.

Monthly summary

June Summary

monthlysummery2

I don’t feel that I had a good reading month this time. Of my eleven books I read, three of them I gave a one star rating and I even DNF one book because I just couldn’t take it. No one earned a full five stars this month. That is how bad my reading month have been. I don’t know why but I been picking it completely wrong.

I did read some good books however. Like the name of the wind, Simon vs the homo sapiens agenda and dark lover. Red rising and shiver was good books to. So not a completely waste of time and money. I do hope that July will be better for me. Maybe need to be more selective with what books I chose to read. And I’m still working on bringing my TBR (kindle + physical) down to a more acceptable level. 😛

Favorite book this month: The name of the wind – Patrick Rothfuss
Least favorite book this month: 
The Collector – Nora Roberts

Number of physical books:
4
Number of e-books:
 5
Number of audiobooks:
2
Total pages: 5232 pages. Not including those from the DNF book.
Female authors: 7
Male authors: 4

59829Dance upon the air – Nora Roberts
Settings: Massachusetts, USA Pages: 400 Published: 2001
Genres: Romantic, paranormal, contemporary.
My rating: 1/5
Links: Review
Book 1 in The three sisters island series.
186074The name of the wind – Patrick Rothfuss
Settings: Fantasy world Pages: 662 Published: 2007
Genres: Epic, fantasy, fiction.
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
Book 1 in The Kingkiller chronicle series.
13547386Shiver – Karen Robards
Settings: East St. Louis, Illinois Pages: 385 Published: 2012
Genres: Romantic, suspense, fiction, thriller,
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
23299555Brilliance – Marcus Sakey
Settings: Washington DC, USA Pages: 444 Published: 2013
Genres: Science fiction, fantasy, thriller
My rating: 1/5
Links: Review
Book 1 in The Brilliance saga.
15839976Red Rising – Pierce Brown
Settings: Planet Mars Pages: 382 Published: 2014
Genres: Science fiction, fantasy, YA, dystopia.
My rating: 3/5
Links: Review
Book 1 in The Red Rising saga.
22554261Stalker – Lars Kepler
Settings:
Stockholm, Sweden Pages: 603 Published: 2014
Genres: 
Thriller, mystery, crime, fiction
My rating:
4/5
Links:
Review
Book 5 in 
The Joona Linna series.
19547856Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens agenda – Becky Albertalli
Settings: Atlanta, Georgia, USA Pages: 303 Published: 2015
Genres: Young adult, contemporary, LGBT, romance
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
Book 1 in The Creekwood series.
18668066The collector – Nora Roberts
Settings: New York, USA Pages: 752 Published: 2014
Genres: Romantic, suspense, mystery, contemporary.
My rating: 1/5
Links: Review
26158415Fire & Brimstone – R.L Mathewson
Settings: USA Pages: 336 Published: 2016
Genres: Romantic, funny, humor, contemporary
My rating: 2/5
Links: Review
Book 8 in The neighbor from hell series.
36448430The rabbit hunter- Lars Kepler
Settings: Sweden Pages: 572 Published: 2016
Genres: Mystery, crime, thriller.
My rating: 3/5
Links: Review
Book 6 in The Joona Linna series.
42899Dark lover – J. R. Ward
Settings: Caldwell, New York, USA Pages: 393 Published: 2005
Genres: Romantic, paranormal, fantasy, vampires
My rating: 4/5
Links: Review
Book 1 in The Black dagger brotherhood series.

DNF

28814948Wind river wrangler – Lindsay McKenna
Settings: Wyoming, USA Pages: 342 Published: 2016
Genres: Romantic, suspense, contemporary
My rating: -To repetitive. Only got 20% in before my patience had run out.

 

Fantasy/Paranormal · Romance

Dark lover – J. R. Ward

42899| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.

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My thoughts: What a great book. I’m often sceptical toward this kind of books. This whole supernatural, paranormal, love, suspense kind of books do not often sit well with me and I often find them exaggerative. Specially if it is about vampires since that topic have been pushed for centuries now. But here I was really surprised that I liked is as much as I did.

It is a complexed story where vampires are not as I’m used to. They are a lot more vulnerable but still strong and mystic. In this book, just under 400 pages, you get a story filled with suspense and thrilling events from the first to the last page It is well written with a lot of details, great characters and hot, hot scenes. It is a complex world with even more complex characters and I just fell hard for the main male character, Wrath and almost as hard for the rest of them. I found the name at first somewhat excessive but after a while I got used to it and now I can’t have it any other way.

Really looking forward to continue this series. There is like 16 books in this series with another one that has it release next year. Oh wow this is going to be awesome I hope. If I’m right, I might have found a new favourite author. 🙂

Mystery/Crime · Thriller/Horror

The rabbit hunter – Lars Kepler

36448430.jpg| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: It begins with a nursery rhyme. Nineteen minutes later you die…

The sixth gripping thriller in Lars Kepler’s bestselling series featuring Joona Linna. Perfect for fans of Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo.

There’s a face at the window.
A stranger wearing a mask stands in the shadow of a garden. He’s watching his first victim through the window. He will kill him slowly, make it last – play him a nursery rhyme – make him pay.

A killer in your house.
There’s only one person the police can turn to – ex-Detective Joona Linna – but he’s serving time in a high-security prison. So they offer him a chance to secure his freedom: help superintendent Saga Bauer track down the vicious killer known as The Rabbit Hunter, before he strikes again.

Only one man can stop him.
Soon another three victims have been murdered and Stockholm is in the grip of terror. Joona Linna must catch a disturbed predator, whose trail of destruction leads back to one horrific night of violence – with consequences more terrifying than anyone could have imagined…

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My thoughts: Joona Linna is back in one more of those intense and thrilling books where he is hunting a cold blooded killer out of the ordinary! Old secrets, new promises and a rabbit hunter is what he tries to unravel. And even though I really liked it and I like all the characters, I find that I don’t like this book as much as the others. The reason for that is probably that the whole police investigation alignment is not as prominent as usual and the side characters in the mystery has a much bigger part. It made the old characters fall a little flat and I missed them.

I wouldn’t say that it is a bad book but it is the weakest one in the series in my opinion. It is a little too long and slow in the middle. Some stuff didn’t make sense since the details were not fulfilling but I don’t think they were important for the plot itself so I can ignore it. It still has the same psychological depth, uncomfortable detailed descriptions as always which makes it easy to imagine what is happening and it is certainly terrifying. I did like the history and the old secrets twist but however I did not like the ending. It was a bit confusing but I hope I will get my answers in October when the 7th book in the series has release in Sweden. Will probably be some months before it has a release on English though.

This is the 6th one in the series and they really should be read in order. So you know. I think I have told you that before but one time to many can’t hurt.

Contemporary · Humor/Funny · Romance

Fire & Brimstone – R. L Mathewson

26158415.jpg| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: What happens when a Bradford with questionable OCD, a tempter and a reputation for making his employees cry falls for the woman that refuses to accept the fact that he’s fired her and was terrifyingly more of a Bradford than he was?

Well, we can’t share that here, because it would be seriously inappropriate, but we’re sure that you can see where this is leading…

To the altar or a stint in the slammer, either one is possible when it comes to the Neighbor from Hell Series.

Author’s Note: This book along with the rest of the series is intended to make you smile, let you relax and forget the drama and stress that plagues our lives even if its just for a little while. This is a drama free book. My goal is to put a smile on your face and I hope this book does that.

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My thoughts: This is the 8th book in the neighbor from hell series and I have loved pretty much every single one of them I have read. Except this one. It really did not reach the target this time and that is too bad and even makes me a little sad. Since my accident I’m in a lot of pain and don’t sleep well. When I’m not dumping my brain into a random tv show or game on my phone, I try to read. And I really needed some kind of pick me up read that would make me happy and maybe make me feel a little better. I thought that this was the one who would not disappointed me. Unfortunately I was wrong.

The first 30% of the book is pretty funny and good. I am not denying that. There is some good characters and you got to love their reactions and counteractions to each other. Unfortunately it just got to be too much. They kept ranting and same thing happened over and over again. I didn’t fall for the heroin in the same way as I’m usually do and find her kind of annoying a lot of the times. Christopher aka Lucifer certainly has more depth than what meets the eye but that is not really showed in the story either. And there is really no plot either. It’s to loosy floosy with any real goal.

The whole book feel like something pushed out of thin air with nothing but an idea, without love or excitement for the writing of the book itself. It was weirdly written where it was not that easy at all times to know who talks/thinks and suddenly the point of view shifted to other characters from the earlier books. This has never happened before and was total surprise and I actually thought for a while that my eBook was defaulted. It just didn’t make sense at first to be there with Lucifer and Becca and then suddenly you where there with Trevor and Zoe for a whole chapter. Talk about confusing.

I’m still gonna continue the series. Just see this book as an bump in the road and that Mathewson is just human and not even she is flawless. 🙂

Contemporary · Mystery/Crime · Romance · Suspense

The Collector – Nora Roberts

18668066| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: When professional house-sitter Lila Emerson witnesses a murder/suicide from her current apartment-sitting job, life as she knows it takes a dramatic turn. Suddenly, the woman with no permanent ties finds herself almost wishing for one. . . .

Artist Ashton Archer knows his brother isn’t capable of violence—against himself or others. He recruits Lila, the only eyewitness, to help him uncover what happened. Ash longs to paint her as intensely as he hungers to touch her. But their investigation draws them into a rarified circle where priceless antiques are bought, sold, gambled away, and stolen, where what you possess is who you are, and where what you desire becomes a deadly obsession. . . .

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My thoughts: What a utter disappointment this book was. It is sad that I had that “total waste of time” feeling after finishing it. What the heck happened? I should have DNF it and if it wasn’t for the fact that I had to spend 10 (!) hours at the emergency room, I would probably have done it to.

It is the same predictable, old, boring plot as usual, with to much details and information. It was impossible to connect with the characters and it is a long, rambling story with a lot less excitement than there should be. The characters are grey and bland with really no personality, difference or depth. There is no tension in the mystery. Nothing that makes my heart beat extra hard, the adrenaline pump through my system or giving me the feeling of “I need to know more”.

There is predictable and there is predictable. Just need to be clear about that. Because if the story and plot itself is well written and exciting it doesn’t matter to me that the story is predictable. It is the ride there who matters, not the destination. But if the story is boring, unconnectable or in some other ways just not catching me, the easy predictability will just make it worse.

I’m surprised to see that the book have such high score with so many bad reviews on Goodreads. I’m happy that i’m not the only one feeling this way but still sad because it’s Nora Roberts. I’m suppose to like her books. I’m not suppose to force myself thru it an later on describe it as one of 2018 most painfully reads.

Contemporary · Romance · Young, New adult/College

Simon vs. The homo sapiens agenda – Becky Albertalli

19547856.jpg| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

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My thoughts: I have been avoiding these cutesy, young adult romances as the vampire avoids sunlight. Not only because they often are to fluffy and angst filled for my taste. But also because they feel to unrealistic and predictable. It is like these teenage movies where you have 75 minutes of “funny” cringe worthy scenes and you still KNOW that the prins and princess will get each other in the end. I can see the charm, I do, and I do watch them sometimes when I don’t have the energy to use my head. At times I only want to be filled with something shallow, where I can remember or forget. Depending on the mood. And I do wish I could enjoy them, as much as so many others do. I feel I miss out a lot but the most of these YA I have tried, I have not enjoyed no matter how much I have tried.

But I did enjoy Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens agenda. It is not specially fun, it has its moments, and it brings up the storm of emotions in a young boys life who knows he is gay, but has yet told anyone. Except Blue. The mysterious, email friend Simon has but don’t know who it is. Blue is also gay and they talk a lot about how it is to still “be in the closet” and the big “coming out” thing. I loved that I could not predict who Blue was until he was revealed and it was a total surprise.

What I liked the most with the book was the day to day life. Simon is a great character. He is deeply developed, funny and sarcastic. He is grounded in the story and who is easy to relate to. I had some trouble the first 50+ pages since there is a lot of characters and it was hard to keep track of who talked when or did what. But as soon as I got used to the way it was written it was much easier and the book was a fast past read.

It is a great book but still a little to light and fluffy for my taste. But then again, YA Romance is not my favorite genre. I did like it and feel that this is a great book for all ages. Now in 2018 the movie on the book, Love Simon, have had a release and of course I want to see it. Haha. I love movies made on books. Usually not as great, “The Book was better”, you know, but still want to see them.

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

Stalker – Lars Kepler

22554261| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: The police receive a video clip of a woman in a window and reason that someone must have been standing in the garden just outside her house to be able to film her. The next day the woman is found dead in her home, the vicious violence of the scene shocks even the most seasoned investigators. A few days later, another clip is sent anonymously to the police, but there’s no way of identifying the woman before she too falls victim to a brutal attack. When he finds her, the woman’s husband is so traumatized by the violent scene that, in a state of panic, he starts cleaning the house. He even washes the blood from his wife’s body and puts her to bed, as if nothing is the matter. He may have seen a vital clue but is in such an extreme state of shock, and seems to be suffering from short-term memory loss that the police cannot usefully question him. Criminal psychiatrist and hypnotist Erik Maria Bark is called in hypnotize the man in order to unlock his memories of the murder scene. But what Dr Bark uncovers in his sessions with the dead woman’s husband make him decide to lie to the police.

It becomes clear that the case cannot be solved without the help of Detective Joona Linna, the man who’s been missing for more than a year and has been presumed dead.

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My thoughts: Lars Kepler, the married duo who writes under that name, has done it again. With Stalker we yet again meet Joona Linna and all the loose threads from the earlier books are finally tied together. Even though the series is about Joona Linna, he has a lot smaller part in this book than usual. Here it is Erik Maria Bark who stands in the headlight and the character you get to follow the most. He is awesome and I have always liked him so it was great to get to know him even more.

I really like the stalker plot where as a woman, it even was a little frighting for me and with its graphic content, gave me the chills.  I found it somewhat of a paranoid thriller and I’m happy that I don’t live on the first floor (even though I curse those stairs everyday). And I Still checked my windows and doors a little extra, just in case. Not that I’m in any danger of being stalked, but it just felt better you know. Funny how books can have such  big impact on the everyday life. Anyway, I liked the plot and it is well written as always. I wouldn’t say that Stalker is my favorite in the series but it isn’t the worst either.

There is a lot of plot twists and one was really surprising and I did not see that coming. I should have and I kick myself for not doing that and it is great work by Kepler to fool me. I’m not easily fooled. Just saying! And this series is not a stand alone and you should read them in order, just to really understand some huge things that are not deeply explained.

A solid thriller with a solid and somewhat frightening plot and I give it four stars. Loses a star because it is a little too long. With almost 700 pages I felt somethings could have been edited out to make the flow more smoothly. And there is a lot of characters and even though I’m Swedish and doesn’t have a problem with the names, I still forgot sometime who was who.