Reviews

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Review | "Taming His Viking Woman" by Michelle Styles

This week's review is over another genre I don't review too often: Harlequin romance.
I have reviewed romance novels before, but Harlequin is one of the originals- rather than a series with complex plots, these books tend to wrap up during the course of one story without continuations. I'll admit, I was a little nervous going into this book, I knew it wouldn't be the fun, gritty world of Sector Four, and I tend to get a little tired of romance if there isn't a good plot line pushing the story along.
Sadly, I wasn't pleasantly surprised by this book. I admit, I wouldn't have picked it up myself, but I won it in a Goodreads giveaway. Before I get too far into my review, here's the book's description:

Taming His Viking Woman
The sea-king's warrior bride… 

Legendary shield maiden Sayrid Avildottar will marry no man unless he first defeats her in combat. And in powerful sea-king Hrolf Eymundsson she has finally met her match. 

Hrolf may have won her lands—and her body—but can Sayrid welcome a stranger to her bed? The world of fighting is all she knows! With a husband intent on seducing his new bride, perhaps, just this once, Sayrid will discover that surrender can bring the greatest pleasure of all… 


Okay, so a lot of my problems with this book are problems I notice a lot with indie books or books that are written in a short period of time. 
Technical things, like phrase wording being out of order and redundance.
Plot related things, such as bad dialogue that doesn't fit the characters or their time period, a forced love-hate relationship between two annoying protagonists, and writing that felt to me like it was trying too hard and had me skimming a lot throughout the story. 
The plot wasn't that original, which is only a fault when the unoriginal aspects aren't woven in a new, exciting sort of way or if someone is tired of the same tropes being used over and over within a genre. 

Did I like this book? Not particularly, but Harlequin romances have a very specific demographic. People outside of that mold can pass on this because you probably won't like it, people within it, give it a shot.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Review | "Rocky Mountain Heat" (Six Pack Ranch #1) by Vivian Arend

This week's review might be a familiar title for anyone who follows Kit Rocha on their social media. Vivian Arend it usually very highly praised by the ladies who write the beyond books, after all. When I saw that a few of her series starters were available for free download on Amazon, of course I downloaded them to see what all the hype is about.
Before my thoughts, as always, here's the book's Goodreads description:

Rocky Mountain Heat (Six Pack Ranch, #1)He’s the one who taught her to ride. Now all he wants is to ride her.Blake Coleman is old enough to know that acting on impulse causes nothing but a heap of trouble. But when trouble’s a western-hat-wearing blonde with slim legs that go on forever, what’s a man to do? Wanting the sweet girl next door is just wrong. The responsible thing to do is keep his hands off.Jaxi has other plans for Blake’s hands, and his heart. She may have once considered him a big brother, but that was a long time ago. She’s all grown up now and ready to convince him that she’s perfect for him. Except he can’t seem to see past the big “don’t touch” sign that’s apparently still hanging around her neck.When Jaxi ends up living right under Blake's nose, the undeniable heat between them slides off simmer and leaps up to barn-burning levels. However, a few of the younger six-pack Colemans have decided Jaxi’s brand of trouble is worth risking a few busted bones.That is, if Blake’s finally ready to let go the reins and fight for what he wants…Warning: Sexy cowboys seducing and being seduced in trucks, pool halls and barns. Droolworthy country charm, a little double-teaming, a few secrets and a whole lot of brothers to look forward to. Anyone wanna go for a ride? 
Okay, so the description wouldn't usually draw me in, but like I said, I was going off of the praise I had read about her books. 
I gave this one a 3 star rating on Goodreads, but I had a lot of issues with it.  
To start, the writing is a little generic. There really isn't anything special or particularly captivating about the way the story is worded which makes the predictability and lack of original content that much more evident. This next one is personal taste, but I seem to have a lot of issues getting into cowboy stories that aren't  old western/alternate history/steampunk. I don't particularly know why, but I've noticed this tendency with a few books I've read or tried to read. 
The family is very close...I don't know,  the idea of brothers enjoying the thought of having sexual encounters while each other is watching seems off to me. Also, Blake got upset that Jaxi was teasing his brothers, yet he seduces her when he knows their watching- a little bit of contradiction, right? 
The set up of the love scenes was all over the places and confused. 
How do the boys not know their parents' ages? They're all grown men, blake is in his 30s, these are things he should know.
The chapters that focus on introducing other books were confusing and not well established which would throw off the writing. Also, rather than seeming like a way to let the reader know what is going on with other characters, it felt more like those parts were thrown in to have more sex in the story. It didn't really advance the plot at all.
All the tension felt like it was added in as an afterthought (especially when it came directly after passages of lovey dovey, all is perfect-ness), in fact, the conflict wasn't well established. I know it didn't entirely resolve because this is a series, so it needs to sell the other books, but it wasn't done well, in my opinion. Instead, it just seemed like the author knew the book lacked conflict or that the series needed something to tie all the books together so "poof" some underdeveloped, unnecessary drama. I will say, I was pleased that the drama was more familial than romantic- otherwise this book would have been too stereotypical romance. 
The dialogue wasn't that great at times. Especially the male dialogue. It read like a woman trying to write a male character.
The bonus chapter was a little weird. It's a prologue in a way. Told from Blake's perspective when he was 17. It shows him when he first meets Jaxi, who is 7. I don't know, I guess it could have been written a little differently or excluded entirely, I think.
Did I like the book? I guess. I was entertained, at least. Did I skim? Towards the end, yes- and kind of a lot. Would I recommend it? Sure, if it's available for free. I personally don't plan on continuing the series, though.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Review | "On The Rocks" by Sawyer Bennett

This week's review is over book one in the "Last Call" romance series by Sawyer Bennett which I downloaded from Amazon for free. Currently there are four books released in the series, with a fifth set to come out in March, so if after reading this review you're interested in checking out the book for yourself, there is some definite marathon potential.
As always, before I get into my thoughts, here's the book's Goodreads description:

20343102
He left to travel the world for fame and glory, but only after spurning Gabby Ward and crushing her young heart. Now Hunter Markham has come back home to the sand and salty breeze of the North Carolina Outer Banks so he can open up Last Call, a beach bar nestled among the dunes of the Atlantic. 
Gabby Ward is not happy that Hunter has returned. Bitter over his rebuff years before, she’s content to stay far away from him and his dangerously charming ways. 
Gabby’s well-schemed plans to ignore Hunter go up in flames when he presents an offer to her that she simply can’t refuse, throwing them together in a common quest to each reach their goals. Working together day in and day out proves to be problematic for Gabby, who soon realizes that the feelings she had for him are still very much alive. Hunter struggles to reach through to Gabby’s cold heart, all while starting a new career away from his life as a top ranked, professional surfer.
What starts out as a mutual business arrangement soon turns into a passion that neither of them can continue to deny. 
Hard choices lay ahead for both of them when Hunter is offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to return to the pro surfing tour.
Choices that could destroy what they have built or take them further than they ever had dared to hope.


I have a decent amount of notes so I'll just get started:
The first thing I noticed was some of the wording choices were a little eye roll worthy, followed closely by the fact that Hunter doesn't come across like a rugged, make you swoon sort of forbidden guy- more like a creep. He deliberately tries to make Gabby uncomfortable to emphasize sexual tension between them/take advantage of her feelings and that's not OK. In real life he'd be looking at a restraining order more than a date. 
The story is written to be realistic, and by that I mean it's supposed to sound like a 22 year old contractor and a 27 or so year old ex-surfer, but it felt forced to try to get those voices to come through genuinely. 
Much like "In Kelly's Corner" this book tries to be edgy, which made it fall flat to me. It needs to be effortless otherwise it just seems like everything is trying too hard. 
Literally everyone except Brody and Alyssa acts like a spoiled child and refuses to communicate like they adults they are.
This is yet another book that uses sex as a way to resolve problems. That's not just unrealistic, it's also unhealthy to try to sell to readers. It's just asking for resentment to start building up, especially when, like I said, the characters aren't so great at communicating with each other. 
There's a part in the story where Gabby "Can't go over to Hunter's" because his ex is there. This isn't him imposing that rule, either- and she isn't there for them to discuss things either. She and her brother are visiting, so what is she going to do? Stay away from her guy for an extended period of time? Sure it would be awkward at first, but she should still go.
A whole group of characters try to push Gabby to sway Hunter in one way or another regarding his life choices. Apparently they all forgot that he's pushing thirty and capable of making his own decisions/trying to force anyone to do anything never works out. 
All in all, it was a quick read. Again, I read critically so I can do these reviews, but just because I had a lot of things I noticed could have been improved upon doesn't mean that I thought the book was bad. I don't think I'll continue with the series, but if it's available for free and you're up for a quick romance, there's really nothing to lose in giving it a shot.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Review | "Inevitable" by Angela Graham (Harmony #1)

This week's review is over yet another ebook available for free download from Amazon as a way to entice readers to buy the rest of the series.
Before I get into my thoughts, though, here's the book's description:

Inevitable (Harmony, #1)After experiencing a humiliating breakup, twenty-two-year-old Cassandra Clarke is fresh out of college and living a simple solitary life without any intentions of pursuing love anytime soon.
When the estate next door sells, the last thing Cassandra expects is the unnerving attraction she feels for her sinfully handsome neighbor, Logan West, the young and charming single father with a playboy reputation.
It’s through Oliver, Logan’s four-year-old son, who keeps popping up in her childhood tree house, that she slowly begins to catch glimpses of the compassionate and wounded man Logan has hidden beneath his strong exterior.
Cassandra knows it's wrong and that she's heading for another heartbreak. Logan will never be able to give her what she wants…love.


This book has an over 4 star average on Goodreads which was promising to me when I started reading it on a trip I took at the end of February. 
I, however, did not like this book. Almost at all. The first few chapters, while not good, were entertaining enough to keep me from closing down the book right away, but things got worse for me. 
Right away I noticed that Cassandra came across as not only a "man hater" but a woman hater as well. She was rude and came across as having very strong "slut shaming" opinions that I didn't like reading. However, a little over halfway through, she becomes sweet in a way that, to me, came across as trying to erase her less than ideal personality in the beginning. 
The dialogue was rough and the writing itself was missing something. It didn't feel like a 22 year old woman telling the story so it lacked a lot of authenticity. Also, a lot of the backstory is told through clunky exposition.
Logan is just as unlikable as Cassandra (really, all the characters are) and was very clearly inspired by the new "fifty shades" bandwagon image of a love interest. He's a rich, powerful guy who happens to be attractive and thus has no need to be a decent human being and comes across like a lowly frat boy stereotype- completely playing off the over-used "womanizer with deep issues" cliche`. 
The characters don't know how to communicate. 
There were times where Cassandra says she's acted sexy and alluring in Logan's presence, which contradicts how the story actually plays out almost entirely.
The major cliffhanger doesn't make me want to read the next book at all, and from what I've read in reviews, the sequel is lacking compared to this first installment. 

All in all, I didn't like this book and personally wouldn't recommend it, but I'm in the minority. If it's still available for free, give it a try yourself, but I wouldn't say to purchase it.