I really liked this book! I have been wanting to read this series for a long time and mThis review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
I really liked this book! I have been wanting to read this series for a long time and must admit that I have been more than a little intimidated by just how big the series is. I read the first book in the series not quite two years ago and I am realizing that I need to pick up the pace if I want any chance of catching up with the series before I die of old age so I am ready to start working on it. I am ready to fully embrace this series and was excited to jump into this second book in the series.
Eve is investigating a murder and the victim has a lot of connections to some pretty important people. Before she can solve the crime, she learns that another victim has been found. I enjoyed trying to figure out who was responsible for this string of murders along with Eve. The futuristic setting was fun. I never would have imagined that a detective would need to interview an android during their investigation. I really enjoyed the developments in Eve and Roarke’s relationship.
I listened to the audiobook and thought that Susan Ericksen did a fantastic job with the narration of this book. I love the accent that she uses when Roarke is speaking and I think that her voice fits the rest of the characters quite well. She has a very pleasant voice that was easy to listen to for hours at a time. I do believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of the book.
I would recommend this book to others. This is the second book in the In Death series but it could be read as a stand-alone. Readers of the series will enjoy watching the character relationships grow and change over the course of the series. I am looking forward to starting the next book in the series very soon.
Initial Thoughts I thought that this was really good! I have had this series on my tbr forever and I decided that this is the year that I am finally going to start making a dent in it after listening to the first book a couple of years ago. I was hooked by this mystery right away and couldn't wait to see who was responsible. I like Eve a lot and Roarke even a bit more. I listened to the audiobook and thought that the narrator did a fantastic job with the story. I cannot wait to start the next book!
My feelings are pretty mixed about this one. I really enjoyed the last book by Karen MaThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
My feelings are pretty mixed about this one. I really enjoyed the last book by Karen MacInerney that I read a few months ago so I decided to give this one a try when I saw it offered through Prime Reading on Amazon. I had a moment while listening to this book that I considered not finishing it. I decided to keep going and did find the second half more exciting. I would say that this was an okay read in the end.
Margie has been a stay at home mom but she decides to go back to work to help make ends meet for her family. Getting a job turns out to be more of a challenge than she expects until she gets a job with a local private investigator firm. Now while her kids are at preschool, she is out doing surveillance and whatever is needed. Everything seems to be going okay until she finds a murder victim while on the job.
There were a few moments that were humorous during the story but I often felt like the book was trying too hard to be funny. There was never a time that I actually wanted to laugh out loud. I may have actually groaned a time or two due to the forced humor which wasn't all that funny.
I was also not a fan of Margie's husband. From the very start of the story, I didn't care for the man. As the book progressed and I realized that he was hiding a few things, I liked him even less. What I really disliked was Margie's response to everything. I couldn't understand why she wouldn't sit down and have a conversation with him instead of investigating everything. Although, I must say that one of the things that kept me listening when I considered stopping was that I wanted to know what was going on with this man.
I did have a little bit of an issue with how the transvestite characters were treated in this story. The murder victim in this story is a transvestite and had an identity both as a man and a woman. I didn't think that this was handled in the story with any sensitivity. It almost seemed like it was supposed to be funny when the characters stumbled over which pronoun to use.
There were several storylines going on during this book and I wondered how everything would eventually come together. I did find the story to be a bit more exciting once some real action started happening. I did think that some of the things that happened in this book to be a bit of a stretch and there was at least one "clue" that Margie suddenly remembers from the very beginning of the story seemingly out of nowhere.
This was the first time that I have had the chance to listen to Cris Dukehart narrate a book and I think she did a great job with it. There were a lot of different voices that she used to really help bring the story to life. She had a very pleasant reading voice and I wouldn't hesitate to listen to her work again in the future.
In the end, this was a book that had some good moments and some moments that weren't as great. I thought it was okay but I probably won't be continuing with the series. If you are wanting to try one of Karen MacInerney's cozy mysteries, I would recommend picking up Killer Jam instead.
Initial Thoughts I am honestly not sure what I think about this one. It seemed to try a little too hard to be funny at times and some of these steps taken to solve the mystery were a reach. I didn't hate it and I didn't love it. It was simply okay. I don't really feel compelled to continue with the series even though I was enjoying the story a bit more by the end. The narration was great.
I am loving this series! I am so thankful that I stumbled upon this series because I amThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I am loving this series! I am so thankful that I stumbled upon this series because I am very taken with it. I am a huge fan of The Walking Dead but I don't actively search for zombie books to read (although maybe I should). As I listened to this book, I have found myself comparing it to The Walking Dead but I don't think that is a bad thing since I would expect some similarities. This book was hard to put down and I ended up listening to it for hours at a time and thinking about it at other times.
I do have to tell you that this book broke my heart. More than once. I didn't expect to care about this group of characters as much as I do but it seems like any time they experience something terrible my heart hurts a little bit. In a world with zombies all over the place, there is a a whole lot of horrible going on. There is also a whole lot of good and I love that this book really shows how great people can be during a crisis.
Cassie and her group of friends are living at Kingdom Come. The community at Kingdom Come works well together. They are growing food, canning, and basically doing whatever is needed to support their population. They have even set up a school for the children. Everyone has their assigned jobs and life is about as good as you can make it during the zombie apocalypse.
But things eventually go wrong and Cassie has to learn how to move forward even when she doesn't want to. This book really put me through the wringer at times and just as I started to feel a bit better about things it would crush my heart all over again. There times that I was nervous for the characters, times that I was happy for them, times that I laughed along with them, and times I wanted to let them cry on my shoulder.
I do really like Cassie and her group of friends. The group that we met in the first book are still together and I really feel like I know them at this point. I think it is great how much they are really able to support each other and it is obvious how much they really care for each member of the group. It is really a more positive approach to their situation since they really work together to get through different events.
Julia Whelan does such a great job narrating this series. This book is from Cassie's point of view and she does a fantastic job of capturing all of Casie's emotions during the story. There is a pretty large cast of characters in the book and she handles them all very well. I think that her reading of the story may have added a bit of impact to some of the more intense sections of the book.
I would highly recommend this series to fans of The Walking Dead or zombie apocalypse stories. This was a highly entertaining story filled with wonderful characters trying to not only survive but flourish. I usually take a break between books in a series to stretch things out a bit but I moved straight into the next book in the series once I finished this one because I couldn't wait to spend more time with Cassie and her group. I will definitely be reading more from Sarah Lyons Fleming in the future.
Initial Thoughts This book broke my heart several times. Damn. Great characters and lots of zombie fun. The narration is fabulous. I can't get enough of this amazing series.
This was a really good conclusion to the series. When I find a series that I enjoy, I uThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
This was a really good conclusion to the series. When I find a series that I enjoy, I usually try to take a bit of a break between books just to stretch things out a bit. After finishing the previous book in this series, And After, I knew that this would be a situation where I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. It has been quite the adventure with Cassie and the group.
This is the third book in the Until the End of the World series which I do think needs to be read in order. This book picks up immediately after the events of the previous book. I do my best to write spoiler free reviews but there may be some spoilers about events from earlier books. The second book really left the group in a desperate situation which is where we find them as this book opens.
Cassie and the group need to make to a new safe zone. The plan has been to head to Alaska if Kingdom Come was compromised. She is with a small group making their way by vehicle across Canada to reach their goal and hoping to avoid the zombie pods. They have limited supplies in terms of food and fuel but they are resourceful and work well together. During their travels, they encounter some pretty scary situations that had me at the edge of my seat. They run into some really nice people and some people who could be described as anything but nice. I felt like I was right there with the group and wanted to see them reach safety more than anything.
This was a really exciting book. There seemed to be more instances where they had to deal with life-threatening zombie situations. They spent nearly the entire book in danger. I did think that the book slowed down for me at the end. The last section of the book focused more on relationships than anything else and I thought it was drawn out just a bit. I did like the fact that the characters continued to talk about other characters that have died to keep their memory alive. I thought this felt really authentic and it helped me get over a certain character that was lost at the end of the second book. Can you tell that some of these deaths still bother me? No character is ever safe in the zombie apocalypse.
Julia Whelan does an amazing job with this series. There is a large cast of characters and she did a fabulous job representing them in the same manner in each book of the series. I was constantly pulled into the book through her narration. Exciting scenes, funny scenes, and more heartfelt scenes are all handled equally well. I listened to this book for hours at a time and definitely plan to listen to her work again in the future.
I would recommend this series to others. I think that fans of The Walking Dead would appreciate this story of survival. I liked the series enough that it is one that I hope to listen to it again at some point in a few years. I hope to read more works by Sarah Lyons Fleming in the future.
Initial Thoughts This was a good conclusion. The group was in a lot of danger for much of the book so there was a lot of excitement. It did fizzle out a bit during the last hour or so of the audio when the focus was almost entirely on romance. Overall, I really enjoyed the whole series.
My feelings are a little mixed on this book. I liked it but it didn't wow me in any wayThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
My feelings are a little mixed on this book. I liked it but it didn't wow me in any way. This is the third book in the Broken Destiny series which really does need to be read in order since each book builds on the events of the previous installments. I thought that this book brought the series to a satisfactory conclusion and was a fairly quick listen.
Ivy and Adrian continue their quest for the hallowed weapons that they began at the start of the series. They need to find the spear before anyone else can get their hands on it. The problem is that should Ivy decide to use the item it will most likely kill her. Ivy wants to do what is right and Adrian wants to protect Ivy. Can they both achieve their goals?
Ivy got on my nerves in this installment a little more than I remember from previous books. At times, it seemed that she was just trying to create drama. In the last installment, Adrian and Ivy were in a good place in their relationship but of course that can't last. It just seemed like unnecessary drama to me. She also had such a hard time figuring out something that was painfully obvious to me that I had begun to doubt her intelligence. She didn't drive me crazy throughout the whole book. There were times that she seemed really strong and willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good. It is just that when she annoyed me in this books she really annoyed me.
I thought that this book did some things really well. There were a few surprising revelations that I did not see coming. I really enjoyed the scenes with Brutus in the book. He became my favorite character in the series because of a few of the scenes in this book. I did feel that the ending of this story was a bit rushed and would have liked to see just a bit more to really help wrap the series up.
Tavia Gilbert did a great job with the narration in this book. She handles a variety of characters very well along with a wide range of emotions. Her voice was very pleasant to listen to and I found myself able to stay focused on the story for hours at a time. I would not hesitate to recommend her narration.
In the end, I thought this was a decent trilogy and I am glad that I read it. I do prefer Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series but found this trilogy to be interesting and unique. I look forward to reading more from this talented author.
I received a review copy of this audiobook from Blackstone Audio, Inc. via Audiobook Jukebox.
Initial Thoughts I don't know 3 stars? 4 stars? Somewhere in there, I guess. I liked the book but found that Ivy got on my nerves more than I would have liked. She also had a hard time figuring out something that seemed pretty obvious to me. I thought that the ending was a bit rushed and would have liked a bit more to wrap things up. I really enjoyed Brutus in this book. The narration was very well done and it was a pretty quick listen....more
I loved this book! I am not usually someone who reads a lot of Christmas stories. I wilThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I loved this book! I am not usually someone who reads a lot of Christmas stories. I will read them but I don't really look for them. This book made its way into my hands and something about that cover drew me right in and I wanted to start reading it right away. Once I started, I didn't want to stop and I ended up reading the whole thing from cover to cover in a single day. I really enjoyed every moment I spent reading this wonderful little story.
Clayton is ex-military and has been working overseas until he is called home to the family ranch. The ranch is in trouble and his dad is sick so Clayton must come home to run things and try to save the ranch. Abby has not had it easy. She has been raising her two younger brothers and doing her best to get ahead in life.
Abby and Clayton meet when Abby's brother is caught stealing cattle from the ranch Clayton's family owns. Not the best way to start things. Clayton turns out to be a really nice guy and instead of sending Abby's brother, Brice, to jail he lets him come and work his debt off at the ranch. Clayton also enlists Abby's help with the ranch's books hoping that she can sort out exactly what is going on.
I loved the characters in this book. Abby and Clayton were both amazing. Abby was strong and cared deeply for her two brothers. She was smart and willing to sacrifice her wants for the sake of other people. Clayton was such a good guy. He has had some things to deal with in his personal and military life. I loved this pair together. They had great chemistry from the very beginning and it was really wonderful to watch them fall in love.
The secondary characters were also really well done. Abby's two brothers, Brice and Caleb, played a large role in the story and were really great. Their relationship with their sister really helped illustrate how much she cared for them. Clayton's parents were also key players in the story. I liked how they welcomed Abby and her brothers as if they were family right from the start.
The mystery in the book kept things interesting. I really wanted to see Clayton save the ranch with Abby's help. There were a few scenes where we got to see Clayton, a former SEAL, in action which was pretty exciting. This was really a book more focused on romance than anything else and it did a wonderful job with it. I don't know that there was really anything too surprising in the book but everything was executed perfectly. I couldn't help but get swept away by this romantic tale.
I would highly recommend to fans of contemporary romance. This book had just the right combination of romance, action, and great characters. The story had just the right amount of Christmas adding just a bit to the story. This is the first book by Donna Grant that I have read and I am really looking forward to reading more of her work soon.
I received a review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press.
Initial Thoughts I loved this book! Clayton and Abby were absolutely perfect together. I thought the secondary characters were amazing and the mystery held my interest. This probably falls somewhere between 4 and 5 stars for me so I am rounding up for now....more
This book really got to me. I mean there were tears with this one. Real tears! I almostThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
This book really got to me. I mean there were tears with this one. Real tears! I almost never shed tears over books but this one got through my shield. I didn't really know a lot about this book going in. I saw the book offered on Blogging for Books and decided to give it a try without reading any reviews for it. I ended up really enjoying Matt's story.
Matt and Tabby have always been together. Tabby lives just across the street from Matt and they have really grown up together. Matt's mom watched Tabby while her dad worked since she was an infant. They are really almost like family. Except they are not family and Matt is not thinking of Tabby like a sister at all.
Matt doesn't know what to think when Tabby starts handing out with Liam, a cool senior. Tabby is only a freshman. Matt really doesn't know how to handle this new development. Suddenly Tabby has other places to be even though she still makes some time for Matt and his family.
I really liked the characters in this book. They all felt so very real to me. Being a teenager is tough and I think that this group of characters did a fantastic job at really illustrating the emotional ups and downs in their lives. I also liked the adult characters in this book. I thought that they were very supportive. Sometimes that support was shown by remaining silent and other times speaking up.
This book really did put me through a wide range of emotions and it did it well. I thought some parts were rather comical while others broke my heart. Some parts made me uncomfortable and other made me fondly remember my own childhood. This story really packs quite the punch.
I would recommend this book to others. I would recommend that other readers go into this book as blindly as possible since some spoilers could really lessen the book's impact. This is Jared Reck's debut novel and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
I received a review copy of this book from Knopf Books for Young Readers via Blogging for Books.
Initial Thoughts Dang...those may have been real tears....more
This was really good! I went into this book rather blindly having never read the authorThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
This was really good! I went into this book rather blindly having never read the author before and not seeing much about the book. I thought it looked like a rather good mystery so I jumped in and started reading. I didn't stop reading until I had reached the end of the book. It has been a long time since I wanted to read a whole book in a single sitting but that is exactly what I ended up doing with this story. I am so happy to have stumbled upon this wonderfully written mystery.
This book grabbed me right away. You know from the very start that something bad is going to happen to Jamie's kids. When they disappear in the parking of the local Kmart, there aren't a lot of clues as to where they might may be. Jamie's aunt hires a private investigator who has a reputation for finding lost people, Alice Vega.
Vega is determined to find the girls and will do what it takes to find them quickly. She enlists the help of a former cop turned private investigator, Cap. Vega and Cap have very different styles of investigating but they soon form a great team. Together they sort through clues and piece a trail back to the girls.
I liked the characters in this story. Vega and Cap were both really interesting characters that ended up in their jobs for very different reasons. Vega was more than willing to cross over the line if that is what is was going to take to bring the girls home. She was tough and worked tirelessly. Cap seemed more like your normal good guy. He is a really good guy who puts his teen daughter first in his life. They were both really smart and have a lot of great instincts.
There was a lot of excitement in this story. I was actually pretty nervous about what would happen a time or two in this story. I couldn't figure out how things would work out and just had to go along with Vega and Cap to find out. I didn't expect to have an emotional reaction to this story but as I read to the end of the story, I found myself with a broken heart.
I would recommend this book to others. This was a very fast paced novel that was almost impossible to put down. I will definitely be reading more for this talented author in the future.
I received an advanced reader edition of this book from Doubleday Books via First to Read.
Initial Thoughts This was really good. I wasn't able to guess how things would go because this is a really complex mystery. I thought that Cap and Vega made a wonderful team. ...more
I loved this book! Once I started reading this book, I didn't want to put it down. I enThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I loved this book! Once I started reading this book, I didn't want to put it down. I ended up reading the whole book cover to cover in a single evening. This was a pretty fast paced novel that kept me guessing. I may have figured a few things out but there were a whole lot of things that really surprised me. I was truly impressed by this thriller.
This book is told in two timelines, 2016 and 1986, so we get to see Eddie and his friends both as children and adults. Both of the timelines worked together to tell the story and I really enjoyed both of the equally. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as I was incredibly eager to know what had happened when they were kids and what was happening to them in their adult life.
I thought that the opening pages were incredibly strong and set the stage for the novel. I wanted to know how that body ended up where we see it at the start of the novel and needed to know its identity. When everything was eventually revealed, I found it to be a somewhat surprising and satisfying conclusion.
I thought that the characters were well developed. The story is told from Eddie's point of view so we see everything from his own perspective. There are things that the boys do that made me cringe a bit but I thought that they all felt very realistic. This group of boys go through a lot together and it was interesting to see how some of those things impacted their relationship with each other over the years.
I would highly recommend this book to thriller fans. I found this to be a really exciting read that kept me guessing. I am really impressed by that fact that this is C.J. Tudor's debut novel. I will be eagerly waiting for more books from this new author.
I received an advance reader copy of this book from Crown Publishing Group via First to Read and Blogging for Books.
Initial Thoughts This was really, really good! Just the kind of book that I was in the mood to read. Once I started reading this book I did not want to put it down. I ended up reading the book cover to cover in a single evening. The book is told through two timelines, 2016 and 1986, so we see Eddie and his friends as both children and adults. I may have figured a few things out in the book but I was for the most part completely in the dark. I couldn't turn these pages fast enough. ...more
Initial Thoughts This was just okay for me. The characters spent a lot of time thinking about each other but were apart for a lot of the story. I thinkInitial Thoughts This was just okay for me. The characters spent a lot of time thinking about each other but were apart for a lot of the story. I think that this is the first historical M/M romance that I have read. I thought that the danger of their relationship in the time period added to the overall story.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Full review to be posted soon....more
I really need to warn anyone planning to read the first book in the series, Until the EThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I really need to warn anyone planning to read the first book in the series, Until the End of the World, to stop reading this review now. I cannot talk about this novella without spoiling the first book. It just cannot be done. This review could ruin one of the best moments in the first novel. You have been warned.
I enjoyed this novella quite a bit. I usually listen to audiobooks at work and only rarely listen to much at home. I decided to start this one on a Saturday while I was walking my dogs and planned to finish during the work week. I listened to the whole thing over the weekend because I couldn't get enough. It is rather short but it answered a lot of questions that I had from the first book in the series.
**Spoilers Ahead**
This novella tells Peter's story. Peter was a character that I wanted to feed to the zombies at the beginning of the series. You know, the one guy that you kind of hope will die quickly and painfully. Peter did what few characters are able to do. He completely redeemed himself in the first book. The same guy I wanted to see die a horrible death became a man that I got a little choked up over once I believed he had actually met that fate. Not to mention the surprise and joy when I realized he had survived at the close of the first book.
Since finishing Until the End of the World, I wondered how Peter could have possibly survived. When the group left him, he was in an impossible situation. This novella details what Peter goes through from the point the group left him until he is reunited and what a story it is. Peter has turned into a genuinely good guy that I would want fighting on my side. He encounters a few new characters and has some great moments with them. He also runs into more than a few zombies and things look dire a time or two. Of course, I knew he would survive and make it back to the group since I saw that in the first book from Cassie's point of view.
I think that Julia Whelan does a great job with this series. I am very happy to see that she narrates all of the books in the series. I think it would have been a huge mistake to switch to a male narrator for this one despite the fact that this story is told from a male point of view. She does a great job with Peter and all of the other characters he encounters. I look forward to listening to this narrator again very soon.
I would recommend this book to others. This is a series that really should be read in order. I think it would be possible to read and enjoy this as a stand alone but I don't think that it could possibly have the same kind of impact. I can't wait to read the rest of this touching zombie series!
Initial Thoughts So this answers the question in regards to what actually happened to Peter. I am really enjoying this series now that zombies are everywhere. I picked this one up as a freebie on Audible a while back but decided to listen to them in order which I think was a good choice. This could possibly work as a stand alone but so much of the book is directly related to the first that I do think it would be best to read this series in order. I thought that the narration was very well done.
I didn't want this story to end! I was really excited to get my hands on this prequel nThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I didn't want this story to end! I was really excited to get my hands on this prequel novella to Molly Harper's Southern Eclectic series. The fact that I won this title in a Goodreads giveaway made it even a little nicer. I listened to the audiobook of another of Molly Harper's books earlier this year and really enjoyed it so I was really eager to give this new series a try. This turned out to be a very enjoyable read.
This really felt like Marianne's story to me. Yes, there is some romance between Marianne and Carl but this was Marianne's tale. Marianne left the small town she grew up in when she went to college because she was looking for something more. She found what she thought she wanted and has a life she likes and what she thinks she needs as she comes home for a little while before going to law school.
Marianne has a large and colorful family and they all live by each other. Some of her family works in the funeral industry and Marianne is there to help out since she is home for a while. She ends up putting some of her negotiation skills to use pretty quickly when a family can't decide how to handle a loved one's final wishes. It was fun to watch Marianne try to find her spot in her family and their business.
When Marianne left the small town, she left Carl. It is pretty obvious right away that Carl and Marianne are still very attracted to each other. They have a lot of unresolved issues to work through since their break up was pretty rough but I thought that they really seemed to fit with each other.
I would recommend this book to others. I will say that just as the romance started to get going the book ended. I guess the idea behind a prequel novella is to make readers want to start reading the series and I can say that this novella accomplished that goal because I do want to find out what happens next. Anyone who enjoys a fun romantic story filled with humor and great characters will enjoy this one. I can't wait to read more from Molly Harper soon!
I won a kindle copy of this book from a giveaway on Goodreads.
Initial Thoughts I didn't want it to end! Really...it was just getting to the good stuff and boom...it's over. It was a nice intro to the series. I thought it was fun and the characters were great. I had fun with it but would have really liked to see another chapter or maybe an epilogue. ...more
This book was such a delight to read! I decided that I was going to have to read this bThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
This book was such a delight to read! I decided that I was going to have to read this book as soon as I got a really good look at it. The cover is great and the description is even better. When I noticed that this was the first book in a new series, I was even more excited. This book lived up to all of my expectations. I had such a good time reading it and honestly hated to put it down.
The characters in this book were wonderful. Alaric is frustrated by all of the attention he is receiving. He is the kind of man that cares little of what other people think unless they are important to him. Willa knows what is expected of a proper lady and is not impressed by Alaric's fame in the least. These two fit together so well and the chemistry between them really helped to keep the pages turning. I liked these two characters on their own but they really seemed to come alive in the scenes that they shared with each other.
There were a lot of secondary characters that played important roles in this story. I had a moment early in the book that I had to really concentrate to keep everyone straight but each character was so well developed that wasn't an issue for long at all. I am a huge animal lover so I am usually a fan of animals being a part of the story especially when they are important characters in the story. Sweetpea and Hannibal were such nice additions to this story. Who doesn't want an adorable pet skunk?
This was a really well done romance. There is enough excitement to really keep things interesting especially as the book progressed. I found the story to have some more humorous moments and a few nail biting scenes. I loved how romantic the story really was with just enough steamy scenes to have a very nice balance.
I would highly recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance. This book has that happily ever after I was looking for and things wrap up nicely for Alaric and Willa. There is a bit of an open end for Alaric's brother, North, that has me really eager to get my hands on the next book in this series. I will definitely be reading more from Eloisa James in the future.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Avon Books via Edelweiss.
Initial Thoughts I had so much fun reading this book! Willa and Alaric were simply wonderful characters and had great chemistry with each other. The secondary characters were great as well and really added to the overall story. There was even an adorable skunk and a misunderstood cat to round out the ensemble. I can't wait to read more about the Wildes!...more
I ended up really liking this book. I stumbled upon this series quite by accident whileThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I ended up really liking this book. I stumbled upon this series quite by accident while I was browsing Audible. I am a huge Walking Dead fan so I thought this looked promising and decided to give it a try. This was a story that I liked more and more as I continued to read. I listened to the audiobook for hours at a time and never tired of the story. I am so glad that I took a chance with this book.
This book starts just as the trouble begins. Cassie and her friends live in New York City and there is a virus causing people to get sick. The group quickly figures out that things are a lot worse than they are being told and they make plans to get to Cassie's parents' home. Cassie's parents prepared for disasters and though they have both passed away the home is well stocked.
I found that during the beginning stages of the book the focus was more on the drama between the characters than the zombie outbreak. I really wanted someone to smack a couple of Cassie's "friends" and move on to more zombie stuff. As the book progressed, I started seeing more and more of the zombie action that I had wanted.
There is a rather large cast of characters to keep track of in this book but each of their personalities were well developed so it really wasn't too much of a problem. The characters do grow over the course of the book and the same characters that I wanted to feed to the zombies did end up redeeming themselves. I did end up liking the characters and wanted to see the whole group remain safe.
I thought that Julia Whelan did a great job with this story. She handled a large number of character voices very well. She put a lot of emotion into the reading of the story and made some of the scenes fell even more intense. She had a very pleasant reading voice and I look forward to listening to more of her work soon.
I would recommend this book to others. This may not have been the most original story but it was a lot of fun. I can't wait to see what is in story for Cassie and her friends in the next installment.
Initial Thoughts I liked this one. At the beginning, I did have a few moments that I wanted more zombies and less drama but as things progressed that changed. I was very invested in the safety of these characters and wanted to see things work out. The narration in the audiobook was very well done and I am looking forward to listening to more of the series very soon.
I was having a really hard time getting my mind to focus on an audiobook. I decided that Mad Rogan would be able to cure that little problem. I was riI was having a really hard time getting my mind to focus on an audiobook. I decided that Mad Rogan would be able to cure that little problem. I was right. This book was excellent as always.
If you are counting...yes, I have read this book 3 times this year. Yes, my tbr pile is enormous and I have no business re-reading a book so many times in a single year. I have no regrets....more
I liked this story. I don't read a whole lot of M/M romances but I do enjoy them every This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I liked this story. I don't read a whole lot of M/M romances but I do enjoy them every once in a while. The cover of this book really grabbed my attention when I first saw it and after reading the description, I knew that I wanted to give it a try. This book is the fourth book in a series but it can easily be read as a stand alone novel. This was a quick read that really had me excited to see the characters make things work.
I liked the characters in this book quite a bit. Nikko and Jake were so good together and I liked the chemistry that they shared. They were very different from each other but seemed to really compliment the other. They are both at a spot in their lives where a lot of things are changing but in very different ways. Nikko is headed out of the spotlight to focus on family while Jake is trying to figure out what project he will pursue next.
I did wish that there would have been a bit more of this pair together. We do see Nikko and Jake spending time together in the book but they also spend time apart. It just felt like they were apart for the wrong reasons and a conversation could have cleared a lot up. I would have liked to see a bit more resolution to the story. These two have a lot to work out with the kids, Jake's new role, and trying to be a couple and I would have liked to see a bit of that. It almost felt more like a happily for now instead of the happily ever after I was hoping for.
I would recommend this book to others. It was a nice quick read with great characters. There were a few points in the story that the writing felt a bit awkward to me but there were no major concerns. I would read more from Megan Derr in the future and would be interested in reading some of the earlier books in this series.
I received an advance reader copy of this book from Less Than Three Press via NetGalley....more
This was a fun little Christmas romance! Lauren Layne is one of my go to authors when IThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
This was a fun little Christmas romance! Lauren Layne is one of my go to authors when I am in the mood for a contemporary romance. When I pick up a Lauren Layne romance, I expect to enjoy myself for a few hours with characters that just seem to fit with each other. This was a perfect example of her writing and I had a really nice time reading the story.
Kelly and Mark were great. They have been best friends for the past ten years. They live right next to each other sharing a backyard and even a dog. Seriously, they share a dog...I am not sure that it even gets more perfect than sharing a dog. There is one little problem in that Kelly is convinced that her romantic future is with one of her ex-boyfriends after a conversation with a psychic at the train station.
So this book was a little bit predictable. I knew that Kelly wasn't going to find her happily ever after with one of her loser ex-boyfriends as soon as Mark entered the story. They were just so perfect together and I thought that they had a really fun way of relating to each other. There was some definite chemistry between them as well.
This book was filled with Christmas fun. Kelly goes all out for Christmas and this is the first year that her parents are out of town for the holiday. You will get the full holiday experience with this story with tree decorating, holiday movies, a Christmas parade, and even a bit of snow. I loved the small town holiday setting and thought it added a bit of romance to the story.
I would recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance. I thought that this was a well done friends to lovers story with a whole lot of holiday spirit. I can't wait to read more from Lauren Layne very soon.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept via NetGalley.
Initial Thoughts Completely predictable but cute. ...more
This was great! Honestly, I think that this may be the hottest book in the series so faThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
This was great! Honestly, I think that this may be the hottest book in the series so far. If you follow my reviews, you probably already know that I am a huge fan of the Cold Fury Hockey series. I jumped into the series with the second book and haven't looked back although I should probably check out the first book at some point. This is a series that works great as stand alone books but fans of the series will appreciate seeing well loved characters for just a bit. Van is a excellent addition to the series.
I went into this book hoping that I would like it as much as the others but not sure that I would warm up to Van as a Hero. Let me assure you that was not a problem because I fell completely in love with him. He has such an interesting history that really explains some of his behaviors. He is really a great guy that has spent his life trying to remain distant from other people.
Simone was something else. She is the baby sister of the two Fournier brothers that have been the Hero of their own books, Max and Lucas. Simone is at a crossroads in her life and is trying to figure out what direction she wants to go. One thing that she knows she wants is Van and I loved watching her go for what she wants. I loved how Simone isn't afraid to take risks and was so willing to put her heart on the line.
This book actually takes place at the same time as the previous book in the series. You do not need to read the previous book to enjoy this one but I really enjoyed seeing certain events from a different perspective. The book opens with Simone moving into the house the her brother shares with Van. The chemistry between Simone and Van was wonderful and grew throughout the story. If you are looking for a steamy story, this one brings quite a bit of heat. I just loved this pair together.
I would recommend this book to others. I had so much fun reading this sexy romance with great characters. I can't wait to read more from Sawyer Bennett very soon!
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept via NetGalley.
Initial Thoughts Whew! This may be the steamiest book in the series so far. I liked Van and Simone together a lot. ...more
This was such a cute story! I went into this book with extremely high expectations. I hThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
This was such a cute story! I went into this book with extremely high expectations. I have seen so many 5 star reviews for this book that I just had to give it a try myself and was thrilled to catch it on sale recently at Audible. I thought it was good and I liked it but I didn't love in the way that some other reviewers did. Don't get me wrong....this is a great story but it wasn't as mind blowing as I had expected it to be. I did have a lot of fun with this story and really enjoyed my time listening to it.
Lucy and Joshua work together and are always up against each other. This story is told from Lucy's point of view and she does look at the world in a very interesting and often funny manner. Lucy sees Joshua as her nemesis which is why she pays such close attention to everything he does. When they both are going for the same job, tensions are high since only one of them will get the position.
I loved Lucy and Joshua. Lucy was a bit naive but I really liked her innocence. She leads a rather solitary life that really is centered around her job. Joshua was really easy to love. He was such a nice guy but didn't always know how to handle Lucy. It was really obvious how much they cared about each other even before either of them realized it. They were just so cute together!
I enjoyed Katie Schorr's narration. I think that her voice was perfect for Lucy's character. She was able to bring the story to life and added a lot of emotion to her delivery. I thought that her delivery made the funny parts just a bit funnier and the sweeter moments just a little sweeter. I ended up listening to this book for hours at a time and had a lot of fun with it.
I would recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance. I loved the blend of a sweeter romance and humor. All of the games that Lucy and Joshua played with each other brought a big old smile to my face. I am very impressed that this is Sally Thorne's first novel and look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
Initial Thoughts This was entertaining. I liked the dynamic between Josh and Lucy. There were some really sweet moments and some other moments that made me chuckle a bit. I thought that this was a really cute story.
This book was seriously fun! I knew that I wanted to read this book as soon as I saw itThis review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
This book was seriously fun! I knew that I wanted to read this book as soon as I saw it described as a time-travel thriller. I was completely entertained by the story from the first page. When I wasn't actually reading the book, I was thinking about how this kind of time travel would work. I am so glad that I made the decision to read this exciting story.
This book is told from Eli's point of view. We first meet Eli as a child and see him as he first encounters Harry. As a teenager, he comes across this same individual with her Model A Ford once again. After their third meet when Eli is an adult, he decides to find Harry so that he can warn her that she may be in danger. That is when Eli's life take a dramatic turn as he learns about people traveling through history.
I loved the time travel, or history travel, described in this book. There are two groups of people traveling through time. One group is searching for the American Dream while the other group is trying to stop them. The skip through time just by finding specific slick spots in the road that lead to a specific time period. Some towns are stuck in time while others have slick spots leading to many periods. The faceless men were also very interesting. The whole idea of their certainty gave me something to ponder as I went through my day. Who need eyes, a nose, a mouth, or a face when you have certainty? I was very glad that we were able to get a bit of perspective from this unique group.
The biggest strength of this book was that it was just a lot of fun. There were a lot of exciting scenes and enough mystery to keep me guessing. I thought that the whole concept of the story was well thought out and incredibly original. I also really appreciated the fact that the characters didn't get sidetracked with romance. Eli and Harry are simply working together to find the lost Dream.
I would highly recommend this book to others. I found this to be a really fun and exciting read filled with great characters. This is the kind of story that almost feels like it should be made into a movie or television show. I look forward to reading more from Peter Clines soon.
I received a review copy of this book from Crown Publishing via Blogging for Books and NetGalley.
Initial Thoughts This was great! I found this story to be very entertaining and it kept me guessing the whole time. I found myself really thinking about how this would work anytime I wasn't actually reading the book. ...more
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