Sunday, May 25, 2014

One More Night (One Night #2) by A.M. Willard

Title: One More Night
Series: One Night #2
Author: A.M. Willard
Genre: Romance/Adult

Maturity Rating: 17+
*WARNING*: VERY GRAPHIC SCENES

My Quickie Synopsis: Angela is finally back home and she's ready to figure out where things stand with her husband. But Christopher isn't being as receptive as she would have hoped, and his secretive behavior isn't helping matters. As Logan's determination to see her again increases, Angela quickly finds herself at a cross-roads. Is her marriage worth saving, or is her future with Logan?

Enjoyment Factor: 
As a quick recap, I did a review of the first novella for this series here. I've opted to not do an overall or technical rating until the series is complete because of the length of these novellas. On to the review!
I'm still not overly impressed with the editing, but it is a lot better! My main concern is the lack of semicolons! Don't be afraid of them; they are your friend! See what I did there? I'm a semicolon pimp, and possibly a little neurotic. I'll give an example because the teacher in me demands it. I'm pulling it from the first page, so you don't have to worry that I'm spoiling anything.

"I can't think straight, I thought I would never see him again after he left my room last night."

There are a few different ways that the above comma splice can be fixed. Obviously, as a semicolon pimp, my number one fix would simply be to change the comma.

"I can't think straight; I thought I would never see him again..."

The next fix would be to use a subordinate conjunction. The semicolon actually implies it, but sometimes it's better to show the relationship between the two clauses.

"I can't think straight because I thought I would never see him again..."

Finally, you could separate the two independent clauses. I would only use this fix if the two clauses weren't related at all. That isn't the case here, but I'll show it for the sake of the example.

"I can't think straight. I thought I would never see him again..."

But enough about that! On to the good!
How I wanted Angela to respond at the end!
The writing flowed much better this time around. Instead of spending time explaining what characters were about to do, we got right into the action. And there was quite some steamy action there! The dialogue felt a bit more natural, and it was easier to focus on the story as it developed. I'm rooting for Angela; I'm not sure how I'd react in such a situation!
The ending made me laugh a little though; the word "examine" in the last sentence felt a little clinical and cold. It would have worked if I thought that Angela was truly that detached from it all, but considering the fact that she responded, I think a warmer phrasing could have been used. I know that's vague as hell, but I'm trying to avoid giving anything away; buy One More Night so you can see what I mean!


My Icing on Top:
One More Night is an example of why I generally enjoy reading from new authors, and I do mean that sincerely. When it comes to a dedicated author, you get to see incredible development sometimes. There is a great deal of improvement between the first novella of the series and the second. Could it still use work? Absolutely. However, I'm happy to see growth already! It's my hope that this pace of refinement continues into the third novella and onward. I look forward to the conclusion of the One Night series; let's hope Angela gets what she wants!

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Blood Shadows (Blackthorn #1) by Lindsay J. Pryor

Title: Blood Shadows
Series: Blackthorn #1
Author: Lindsay J. Pryor
Genre: Romance/Paranormal/Adult/Urban Fantasy

Maturity Rating: 17+
*WARNING*: VERY GRAPHIC SCENES
Overall Rating:

My Quickie Synopsis: Caitlin Parish is running out of time; she knows that whatever killed her parents is going to come after her next, even if no one believes her theories. Her best bet is to get answers out of the elusive vampire, Kane, a being notorious for his cunning brutality and irresistible charm. But Kane has his own agenda concerning Caitlin and it may not include playing nicely.

Enjoyment Factor:
For the most part, Blood Shadows is a very engaging read. I enjoyed the world-building immensely, although I do wish that Ms. Pryor went into more detail about the lore surrounding it. However, as it is with most paranormal/fantasy series, I'm sure that she'll reveal more over the span of the next installments.
You've been warned.

The sensuality of this book is through the roof; I will admit that some of said sensuality is a little questionable (slightly dubious on the consent at times). Kane is quite the persistent vampire and Caitlin, in my opinion, is just a tad unstable.
I originally wanted to give Blood Shadows a four out of five. I finished this book a couple of days ago and was all set to give it a nice and glowing review. But now that I've come back to it and reviewed my notes, I had trouble justifying the rating. That's never a good sign! The story is memorable, but it sometimes drags. A great deal of the book is spent solely on the interactions between the main characters in one locale; it gets old pretty quickly. Yes, I enjoyed the steamy bits, but give me more non-sexually-charged action, please!

Technical Rating:

Character Building:
Every scene, in its own way, lends a hand to building the personalities of the characters, and it's extremely well done. The only character that could have used more work was Xavier; I understood Rob and Max in their supporting character roles, but Xavier felt a little incomplete.

Plot Strength:
While I don't necessarily believe that there's such a thing as the over-development of characters, I did see a lack of balance between their build and the strength of the plot. Ms. Pryor has such a great concept in Blood Shadows, but her focus on the growth of the relationship between Caitlin and Kane drowns it out. A lot of the heavier plot driving doesn't come into play until the book is nearly over.

Sincerity:
My heart went out to both Caitlin and Kane numerous times! Their situations felt very real and it was absolutely heartbreaking. It's not an easy feat to humanize a story that's set in a world steeped in fantasy, but Ms. Pryor successfully did so.

Editing:
There were a few minor glitches here and there, such as misplaced words. For example, there was a sentence that said "within in" instead of "within it." So, like I said, little things. But, if you haven't noticed already, I'm a little neurotic when it comes to errors! However, they're so few and far between in Blood Shadows, so it doesn't really affect the story.
As a side note, I am far from perfect, and I make mistakes all the time. In fact, there are a few in this very blog! Don't worry; I'm just as harsh on myself, guys!

Pacing:
Because the character development and the plot development weren't balanced, the story dragged at times. Instead of character growth being woven into the plot, Ms. Pryor seemed to take a series of character time-outs. It almost felt like each character interaction had its own little time bubble surrounding it, where the plot slowed down considerably.

My Icing on Top:
I'm not going to lie; I want more Kane and Caitlin! But, guess what? The next books aren't even focused on them! Believe me when I say that I was not a happy camper when I found out. Blackthorn is one of those paranormal series that bounces around between different couples until the story lines converge. Alas, I was not looking for that kind of commitment! These series can become incredibly long, and if you become overly attached to one couple over the others, it can quickly become very frustrating and expensive to keep up. But, if you love these kinds of series and are looking for a hot paranormal read, look no further! Blackthorn is shaping up to be a solid series, and Ms. Pryor is now on my list of authors to follow.

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K

Thursday, May 22, 2014

One Night (One Night #1) by A.M. Willard

Title: One Night
Series: One Night #1
Author: A.M. Willard
Genre: Romance/Adult

Maturity Rating: 17+

My Quickie Synopsis: Angela Stephens is beginning to realize that she's at a standstill in her marriage with Christopher; their jobs have them constantly traveling, and they rarely see each other these days. Planning on rekindling her relationship with Christopher, Angela is derailed by a handsome stranger she meets on a business trip. Will she be able to resist his charm, or will she succumb to an offer of one night?

Enjoyment Factor:
I want to tackle a couple of things before I get into the reasoning behind this rating. First and foremost, I probably would not have had this novella on my radar if it weren't for a friend's recommendation. This is a new author, and I'm going to go on a limb and say that my friend is acquainted with Ms. Willard and wanted to help spread the word about her debut. Secondly, I'm not going to give One Night an overall rating or a technical rating; it isn't because I don't think it's deserving of one, but rather that I don't think there's much to go on at this point. If I read the next two novellas I'll give the full series an overall rating and a true technical rating.
I'm not trying to be a jerk; I really do understand that it's not easy to write a book!
So, why did I give this only two stars? The writing, the writing, the writing. I think the plot itself has potential, and the characters are likable enough; however, it's all wrapped up in some very awkward and stiff writing. Honestly, it was to the point where I had difficulty reading through. There was a great deal of telling instead of showing. Don't tell me what your character is going to do, just show the action. It's a waste of valuable page real estate to have a character explain what they are going to do before they do it, especially if it's something as mundane as taking a shower. The dialogue wasn't as consistent as it could have been; there were times where contractions weren't used and they should have been. It would be one thing if you had a character who never used contractions because they're supposed to be "proper," but when the voice of the character isn't consistent, it creates a stilted read. I do feel that One Night could benefit from another round of editing; misuse of commas, missing commas, run-on sentences, and a slew of other grammatical errors plagued the story. Regardless of the length, I just can't get into a story that has such rough writing.

My Icing on Top:
I really don't like giving books low ratings, especially when it's a book that comes recommended. It makes me feel like I'm being so disloyal! That being said, I do believe that Ms. Willard has potential. I think that with a bit more polish and more writing under her belt, she could really go far. I would recommend this book to fans of the adult romance genre who aren't particular about grammatical errors; as I said before, the story itself is okay, it was just the presentation that I took issue with.

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Drawn by Lilliana Anderson

Title: Drawn
Author: Lilliana Anderson
Genre: Adult/Romance/Dark

Maturity Rating: 17+
*WARNING*: VERY GRAPHIC SCENES
Overall Rating:

My Quickie Synopsis: Henrietta is suffocating under the overprotective thumb of her father. However, she finally gets the chance to make her own rules; when she turns 18 her father agrees to let her leave the nest. While enjoying her freedom, she meets the highly attractive Damien and sparks fly. But, is Henrietta simply trading in her new-found independence for the shackles of lust?

Enjoyment Factor:
Oh, boy. What the hell did I just read? I'm not going to lie; I skimmed through portions of this book (namely the multitude of sex scenes). I can't recall being this incredibly naive when I was 18. I don't even recall anyone I knew at the time being this dense. I honestly just wanted to slap Henrietta. And her mom. And her dad. Just line them up and we can get this over with quickly. The book started off okay and it seemed like it had some good material to work with. But then it just kept devolving until it was unbearable. The sad thing is, I can still see why others would enjoy this read. For that and the ending alone, I give Drawn two stars.
How I felt for at least 75% of the book.
I understand that the story is supposed to be dark, but I didn't see a point to any of it. I didn't care about these characters. At all. If they have any redeeming qualities, they're all lost in the swamp land of a plot.







Technical Rating:

Character Building:
Ms. Anderson's characters do have potential. There are the faint beginnings of foundation elements for her main heroine/hero, but they aren't as strong as they could be. A lot of their personality traits feel forced on the reader, to the point where I was more annoyed than sympathetic. The supporting characters are full-on terrible though; Aaron's role didn't sit well at all.

Plot Strength:
Was there really a plot? If so, I missed it. Maybe their relationship in itself was the plot? Seriously, I'm at a loss here; why did I just spend time reading about a naive girl and her controlling boyfriend? There's nothing there to keep a reader engaged (unless you're reading it for the smut). The attempts at plot elements were weak and uninspired; I'm honestly surprised I finished the book.

Sincerity:
I still have a difficult time believing how someone could be so naive, but it works (to a point) in terms of how Henrietta grew up. The "darker" parts of the story felt the most sincere, oddly enough. But everything else just seemed so shallow and fake. I had a hard time believing that Henrietta's father would condone Damien being around his daughter at all. And Aaron was just so lackluster! So much for having someone to root for!

Editing:
There was a lot of awkward wording and dialogue in Drawn. Sometimes I wonder if it was due to a cultural disconnect; the author is Australian, so I did stumble over some of the slang. I'm not discrediting the editing for the slang though; it's always interesting to learn new things. However, I think overall Drawn was just a little too verbose in places and stiff in the presentation.

Pacing:
Too much smut and too little story-telling made the book drag in a bad way. There were spots where Ms. Anderson did okay keeping the book moving forward, but it's hard to keep a good pace when there are so many plot holes to stumble on.

My Icing on Top:
The epilogue felt a little rushed and jumbled; it seemed more like a preview into the next book instead of an actual epilogue. That being said, apparently Ms. Anderson is writing two separate concluding books in a "choose-your-adventure" kind of fashion. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that; although, then again, I'm not sure I care enough to read on anyway. I'd suggest Drawn to readers who want their fix of dominant male smut, but don't necessarily want to be bothered with too much story.

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K

Fading (Fading #1) by E.K. Blair

Title: Fading
Series: Fading #1
Author: E.K. Blair
Genre: Romance/Dark/New Adult

Maturity Rating: 17+
*WARNING*: TRAUMA TRIGGERS
Overall Rating:

My Quickie Synopsis: Candace Parker is entering her final year at college and she's excited for the opportunity to continue her dream of becoming a professional ballerina. However, a brutal assault at the beginning of the school year leaves her broken and struggling to pick up the pieces. Ryan Campbell, the owner of a nearby bar, meets Candace by chance and sparks fly between the pair. Ryan wants nothing more than to be the rock that she needs, but his own demons may doom their relationship before it even starts.

(Enjoyment) Factor:
This is not a book for enjoyment, but rather inspiration. I'm going to be blunt; Fading is a story about a rape and how it affects a young woman. You'll see her spiral down, but you'll also see her build herself back up. It's incredibly moving, and extremely honest to the point where you may be left just slightly raw.
Fading is not an easy read by any means; it is profoundly sad at times.
Even through the dark subject material, Ms. Blair was able to keep me hooked onto the story. I wanted to keep reading for the sake of Candace. I wanted to see her obtain as much closure as she could, and I wanted to know that she'd be okay. The only issue I had was the slight twinge of disbelief some of the happy coincidences caused.




Technical Rating: 

Character Building:
I can only imagine how exhausting it must have been to write these characters into being. Both Candace and Ryan are beautifully complex both individually and together. Ms. Blair does an incredible job of making sure that Candace's character truly isn't defined by her assault. There are multiple layers that are explored; we see everything from how she works, her goals, her interactions with her friends, her family dynamics, and how she falls in love and learns to trust. Ryan is just as well-thought out as a character, and even though the focus isn't on him, you still understand everything you need to about him. However, I'm glad Ms. Blair is devoting a book to his perspective.

Plot Strength:
The plot in Fading is concrete, easy to follow and works very well with the characters. I'm not sure what more you could ask for in a book! I have seen reviews that fault the author for having the plot revolve around the assault, but, in my opinion, that's the heart of the book. Should a reader fault Twilight for revolving around the concept of vampires and werewolves?

Sincerity:
Even though I'm not entirely satisfied with how Ms. Blair decides to handle the outcome for the rapist, I can't say that it actually harms overall feel of Fading. There was never a point in time where I thought that these events and these characters didn't fit within the realm of the book. The entirety of the story is full of heartbreaking sincerity.

Editing:
The editing gets an A from me.

Pacing:
The pacing was perfect for the story. The romance wasn't rushed and the story flowed quite naturally. There's a bit of formulaic writing in the book in terms of pacing, but Ms. Blair does it well; it doesn't detract from Fading at all.

My Icing on Top:
I usually try to avoid books that are this heavy for a variety of reasons, but I recently purchased Devour, which is an anthology featuring 8 full length new adult novels. It was only $0.99 and it benefits First Candle. In other words, I couldn't help myself; eight full books AND the profits go to a charity? Sold! I just didn't actually read any of the book summaries. So sue me; I went in for the surprise element!
This book is not a romance of the "bodice-ripper" genre, but rather a story of survival and love. That being said, don't be scared off from reading Fading, even if it isn't your normal cup of tea. As a matter of fact, I encourage you to read this book, or any book that goes into the devastating aftermath of sexual assault. As the end of the book states, "Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted. Approximately 2/3 of assaults are committed by someone known to the victim. And only 46% of assaults are reported to the police." That's just in the US alone; can you honestly afford to not seek to understand how this affects everyone? So, what are you waiting for? Start reading!

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K



Monday, May 19, 2014

The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Iron King
Series: The Iron Fey #1
Author: Julie Kagawa
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Romance

Maturity Rating: 13+
Overall Rating:


My Quickie Synopsis: Meghan Chase must go on a fantastical adventure when her younger half-brother is kidnapped and brought to another realm. Along the way she meets all manner of odd creatures and learns secrets about herself and those around her that send her reeling head-first into a secret war.

Enjoyment Factor: 
The Iron King has been on my radar for a while now, but for some reason I just never felt the pull to read this particular book. However, I was specifically searching for books that were similar to the feel of the 80's movie Labyrinth recently, and The Iron King consistently came up. So I finally gave in. Don't judge me; David Bowie fascinates me! But, my obsession with 80's movies aside, I didn't rate this book based on its nostalgia factor for me, I promise!
If anything, The Iron King reminded me of Alice in Wonderland.
Ms. Kagawa is one powerhouse of a writer, and it shows in this book. It is an enjoyable read, but I wasn't falling all over myself to get to the second book right away. I had a few problems with plot execution to the point where I started to feel slightly disenchanted. The story is like a deliciously tantalizing piece of chocolate that's only slightly expired. You eat it anyway (well, if you're me, ha!), but you realize that it's not as good as it had the potential to be.




Technical Rating:

Character Building:
I suppose the one character that I take issue with most for development purposes is the Iron King, himself. The book is titled after him, for goodness' sake! And yet, I don't feel like we learned much of anything about him at all. What's up with that?! I'm not also entirely sure how I feel about the shaping of Ash; I understand for the time being his character is supposed to be more on the mysterious side, however, already there are inconsistencies.

Plot Strength:
Oh, boy. Well, like I said, this book was an enjoyable read, but had some plot issues. SPOILERS HIDDEN
I'm somewhat wondering if these issues had to do with the fact that this is Ms. Kagawa's first series. In my mind, perhaps she wasn't sure of the reception of the story so she gave it the ability to be a stand-alone if it came to that; but with a story of this magnitude, wrapping the story up so tightly actually suffocated the plot and didn't allow it to play out naturally.

Sincerity:
Perhaps I'm out of touch with the times; I hear that it's a problem that plagues adults as they get older. Anyway, I think that the insta-love was ill-placed. I understood it to a point, but seriously? A girl who just turns 16 and a boy (man?) who is quite possibly immortal and who is supposedly her enemy just don't add up. Sorry, not buying it!

Editing:
The Iron King shows Ms. Kagawa to be quite the proficient writer with a fantastic editing team.

Pacing:
The main antagonist and the general romance were so incredibly rushed. I was highly disappointed! This is the first book in a series and I felt like rushing those elements was a great disservice to both the book and the series overall.

My Icing on Top:
I haven't read many books that center specifically on Fae; usually Fae are companion characters to paranormal story-lines. I'm not sure if that's because I haven't been looking hard enough, or if it just isn't what's "in" right now. Either way, this book was interesting and I do know that I will eventually continue on with this series. My hope is that because her first book was so well received, Ms. Kagawa's remaining books in the series will strive to be a bit more polished in terms of plot and character development.

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K

Sunday, May 18, 2014

The Atlantis Gene (The Origin Mystery #1) by A.G. Riddle

Title: The Atlantis Gene
Series: The Origin Mystery #1
Author: A.G. Riddle
Genre: Thriller/Science Fiction

Maturity Level: 13+
Some mildly graphic scenes of violence, but an okay read for an advanced teen reader
Overall Rating:

My Quickie Synopsis: The secrets of the origin of modern day humans are closer than ever to being revealed, but the world may be unprepared for the consequences of that knowledge. David Vale, an international intelligence agent, and Dr. Kate Warner, a lead genetic researcher, must pair up to defeat a centuries old organization before they doom humanity.

Enjoyment Factor:
I was teetering between the 2 star and 3 star mark, but I gave in to the three stars because this really is a very entertaining read. However, it's a very exhausting read. The chapters jump so fast back and forth to different locales and different characters that it'll make your head spin.
Trying to navigate the story was quite an undertaking!
It takes some getting used to, but it does make sense in terms of what Mr. Riddle presented as the plot line. I'm not entirely sure whether I want to read the second book, simply because The Atlantis Gene wiped me out. I feel tired after completing it, and I'm not sure how soon I want to zap my energy again.



Technical Rating:
Character Building:
The main heroes are explored adequately, but I think overall, character building came across as fragmented due to the constant shifting of focus. For a while, I didn't even have a clear image of what the main characters even looked like because they don't have memorable descriptions. It's not the worst offense in the world, but it is something that Mr. Riddle can address.

Plot Strength:
Again, the constant shifting is a problem here. The plot is fine, but it can be hard to follow at first because there's really no clear sense of what the story is actually about. You can't just pick up this story without reading the book cover first because it takes a while for the book to start coming together.

Sincerity:
The Atlantis Gene is a well thought out conspiracy theory story from an author who clearly did a lot of research. Some of the plot elements are a little far-fetched, but that's what you get with over-the-top super action-packed thrillers most of the time. But, everything is plausible within the world Mr. Riddle built.

Editing:
No one can fault Mr. Riddle when it comes to the editing of his grammatical structures, however, I think that editing should have included the flow of the overall story.

Pacing:
The pacing in the story is choppy at best. It strives to be so fast-paced, that at times the plot trips over itself.

My Icing on Top:
On the bright side, I think that the plot is intriguing enough, which in the end, counts for a lot. I'm not going to say that I think it's entirely original; conspiracies surrounding origin and the like have been around for quite some time, and I can't say that I'm entirely "WOW"ed by the theory presented. But I didn't drop the book. Mr. Riddle provides a story that is compelling in its own right and he does explore some thought-provoking aspects of humanity. This is his first book, so perhaps the story-line will come together more for him in his following books.

Check out my informal review on Goodreads!

Happy reading!

-K