The action packed story of the family outcast who finds himself tangled in a web of lies. My first book by Scottoline, I wasn't sure what 3.5 stars!
The action packed story of the family outcast who finds himself tangled in a web of lies. My first book by Scottoline, I wasn't sure what to expect and ended up enjoying the ride of this plot. TJ was an interesting character and narrator as the black sheep of the family and how that all caused things to unfold. This is one of those books where I had a lot of fun listening along to what was happening, but I can tell in a couple of months I probably won't remember the details. Mango the cat was my favorite part of the book, she's a star!!...more
The story of a con-artist fake medium Gretchen who is paid to go and complete an exorcism for a farmer named Charlie on his land. Once there, 4 stars
The story of a con-artist fake medium Gretchen who is paid to go and complete an exorcism for a farmer named Charlie on his land. Once there, Charlie rejects Gretchen as a fraud, but a funny thing happens: Gretchen sees her first ghost. Everett is Charlie's distant relative and warns Gretchen that if Charlie sells and leaves the farm he will die and be stuck in the afterlife. So now, Gretchen has to save the farmer who hates her and think's she's full of it.
I picked up this book as it fits the bingo square for Diners, Drive Ins and Dives for the 2024 Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo challenge, and I am very glad I did. I never would have picked up this book otherwise and it was so good!! I loved the whole story with Everett the ghost and Gretchen's romance with Charlie which was slightly angsty and the perfect amount of sweet. As strong as the romance was with Charlie, I thought the friendship between Gretchen and Everett was the best part of the book. There was a really good amount of character development for all of the characters which I really appreciated as often that seems to be left out of romance. Also Mara Wilson was a great narrator, she really made the book and characters come to life....more
The first 50 pages were really strong, but the lack of worldbuilding or character development made it fall flat for me. Very glad we DNF at about 50%.
The first 50 pages were really strong, but the lack of worldbuilding or character development made it fall flat for me. Very glad we are getting more queer romantasy, especially a FFA one....more
I will start this out by saying I am not the target audience for this book. I read it for a book club and I am actually very proud of mysel 2.5 stars
I will start this out by saying I am not the target audience for this book. I read it for a book club and I am actually very proud of myself for finishing this 19 hour audiobook. Not much to say other than I think I would have liked it more if there had been either a time jump or maybe 200+ pages had been shaved off of this one. It was overly long with subplots that lead nowhere sometimes. At times it reminded me a lot of Robert Jordan's work in that while at its heart I recognize its worth and that there are good parts, but we didn't really need all of that....more
It wasn't my favorite book, contemporary adult fiction is not a genre I typically choose to read. I did like t 2.5 stars
Read for One Book One County.
It wasn't my favorite book, contemporary adult fiction is not a genre I typically choose to read. I did like that this book was a look at a family and wasn't stereotypical or negative depictions of a Hispanic family like we tend to see in fiction. It was fun to follow along where they went in Los Angeles and surrounding areas.
Overall, I just didn't like any of the characters or really cared what happened to most of them. Most of them were incredibly selfish and wouldn't even talk to their father when they could tell he was really dealing with something awful. ...more
Really not much to say about this one. I think I prefer Ann Cleeve's stories on screen more than reading her books. This book felt all over the place Really not much to say about this one. I think I prefer Ann Cleeve's stories on screen more than reading her books. This book felt all over the place with the reveal at the end coming out of nowhere. It's probably just me though, many other readers really loved this book....more
Book 2 in the Dark Rise series, you need to have read book 1 before reading this one. If you haven't, maybe avoid reading my review as it 3.75 stars
Book 2 in the Dark Rise series, you need to have read book 1 before reading this one. If you haven't, maybe avoid reading my review as it may contain spoilers for book 1. Also I won't do any summary, just thoughts on the book.
Dark Heir started out very slow for me, to the point that I almost quit at about 35%. There were a lot of new things thrown at us and lots of names to keep track of, but it got a lot better by the end of the book. I was sad we didn't get more of Violet in this book as she's my favorite character, but it made sense as other plot points needed to be pushed forward.
I am very excited for book 3 but nervous as there's no release date. I really want to know what happens mostly because (view spoiler)[ I was so frustrated with how quickly all of Will's friends turned on him once they found out he was the dark king. (hide spoiler)].
So if you get frustrated reading this push through because the end was great....more
I was very excited about this book when I heard about it: marriage of convenience, didn't actually get divorced, have to pretend to really 3.5 stars
I was very excited about this book when I heard about it: marriage of convenience, didn't actually get divorced, have to pretend to really be married, only one bed? It had all the markings of a book I would usually love. And I enjoyed it for the most part, but we ended up with a Succession like family story and that's where this fell a little bit flat for me.
I really loved the parts with Anna and West falling in love. But if you're going to dive in hard with toxic familial relationships I need a bit more closure on that in the end, more than what we got in this book. I liked this book, but felt pacing and story were a bit off. But Christina and Lauren always write a good time so I'm still glad I read this one. More glad I checked it out from my local library....more
A romance between wedding planner Lear and divorce attorney RJ. I liked this book, but it also didn't wow me. I really loved Denise Williams' first boA romance between wedding planner Lear and divorce attorney RJ. I liked this book, but it also didn't wow me. I really loved Denise Williams' first book How to Fail at Flirting, but I've read 3 other books by her and none of them have blown me away. Hopefully her next book knocks it out of the park!...more
It's really hard to describe the plot of this book in a way that would make sense, so I won't even try. CS Pacat is an author I've read before and didIt's really hard to describe the plot of this book in a way that would make sense, so I won't even try. CS Pacat is an author I've read before and didn't super love, but a book friend asked me to trust them that this was good so I did, and I really liked this book a lot. I listened to the audiobook which was excellently done.
There were lots of fantasy bits that I didn't quite compute, but am told book 2 helps make a lot of sense of book one so I'll read it soon. I really liked the worldbuilding and characters in this book a lot and would love to see more of both in the series. You can also tell when reading this book that the author put their heart and soul into writing it....more
I've really become a fan of Lisa Gardner this year and have really enjoyed this Frankie Elkin series. The third book in the series, it can 3.75 stars
I've really become a fan of Lisa Gardner this year and have really enjoyed this Frankie Elkin series. The third book in the series, it can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading the other two books first. Frankie is contacted by the lawyer of a female serial killer on death row. The woman wants Frankie to find her missing sister, and after some convincing Frankie agrees and is flown to a remote island off the coast of Hawaii to search for her undercover at a resort.
I saw a lot of reviews not enjoying this latest installment in the series and I can see why. A lot of the plot near the end was a bit over the top, but I felt the same way about the second book in the series too. You kind of just need to go with the flow on these books and remember it's fiction and of course none of this would happen in real life. I like Frankie a lot as a main character, her snark and her need to find missing people. I also think Lisa Gardner is excellent at pacing, which not many authors are and I really appreciate that there aren't many lulls in her books. I'm excited for whenever the next book comes out, if there is one....more
This book was a really great look at what happens when a big moment occurs in the timeline and how it affects a singular family. It was a bit hard to This book was a really great look at what happens when a big moment occurs in the timeline and how it affects a singular family. It was a bit hard to get into at first, but as the story progressed and we got closer and closer to the truth I found myself really wanting to know what happened. This is my second book by Angie Kim and both have been three star reads. I think she's a very talented writer, but I haven't loved either one of her books, I've mostly just liked them....more
You know you're a millennial when your brain adds "gossip girl" every time XOXO is said in this book.
I thought this book was super cute, in a lot of wYou know you're a millennial when your brain adds "gossip girl" every time XOXO is said in this book.
I thought this book was super cute, in a lot of ways it reminded me of the Netflix series XOXO Kitty (I believe this book came out first, not sure). But also as a millennial woman in my 30's I am not the target demographic and it wasn't for me, nor was it meant for me! I mostly read it to complete my A-Z title reading challenge for a title with the letter "X".
A sweet romance between a music student and a K-Pop star. I had fun reading along as the main character moved from the USA to Korea and all of the stories of her making new friends and getting to know her grandmother better. The cast of characters is what made this book strong for me. But reading this book helped me realize (even more than I already have) that I think my reading tastes are evolving away from YA....more
In the 1960's Frances has her fortune told and it predicts her future murder. Now, present day, she has been murdered after a lifetime of t 3.5 stars
In the 1960's Frances has her fortune told and it predicts her future murder. Now, present day, she has been murdered after a lifetime of trying to find out who. Her great-niece Annie Adams who was in town to meet with Frances, begins to try and solve the murder. Using documents her great-aunt left behind, Annie begins to unwind the web surrounding Frances' death. But she isn't the only one trying to solve the murder, and whomever does first, inherits everything.
I thought the first half of this book was a little boring and stilted. I actually almost quit but decided to keep listening and I am glad I did because the second half was way better than the first half. Lots of the dialogue felt very stiff and disjointed but got better. And the overall mystery of everything picked up and the story got going a lot better. I had trouble keeping track of a lot of the characters, but I did really like Annie as a main character and would be willing to try more books if she is in them....more
I'm not sure what deal with the devil Abby Jimenez, made but her last three books have all been amazing!! Also this book is the epitome of "If he wantI'm not sure what deal with the devil Abby Jimenez, made but her last three books have all been amazing!! Also this book is the epitome of "If he wanted to, he would".
Justin and Emma both suffer from the same curse: every person they date finds their soulmate after they've broken up with them. So Emma and Justin come up with a great idea, the two should date each other, and when they break up both of them will find their soulmates. But life has more in stock for them and soon Justin and Emma realize there's more to this relationship than a deadline.
Abby Jimenez has become one of those authors I get really excited about with every new release. And it's funny, because I hated The Friend Zone and almost never read another book by her again until a friend (thank you, Christy!) promised me I'd love Part of Your World, and she was right! Abby packs such an emotional punch in her books peppered with her own unique sense of humor. I was laying in bed listening to the last 90 minutes of this book because I couldn't wait until the next day on my commute to find out what happened.
And for those who want to know, Nadia cakes mention count in the spoiler tag (view spoiler)[ She only mentions it once in the first 15% and then never again! Those of you who hate this are spared! (hide spoiler)]...more
Probably my least favorite of Simone St. James that I've read, but not terrible! Taking place in the 90's, a newlywed couple pick up a hitch-hiker on Probably my least favorite of Simone St. James that I've read, but not terrible! Taking place in the 90's, a newlywed couple pick up a hitch-hiker on a secluded highway. But soon they realize the girl they've picked up is dying, and a truck is in pursuit of them. After the girl perishes at the hospital, the couple are the number one suspects for her murder.
Sun-Down Motel and The Broken Girls are some of my favorite books ever, so Murder Road had a lot to live up to and it didn't quite reach. I found I didn't care about the mystery of it all or most of the characters in this book which is really a shame. Even the twists and turns seemed really out there and yet... boring at the same time. I mostly enjoyed this book hence three stars, but this was the weakest of this author's books I've read so far and it was quite the disappointment as a fan of hers....more
I really mean it when I say the truth is stranger than fiction. I'm not kidding, if the the story in this book came out as a fictional novel I can alrI really mean it when I say the truth is stranger than fiction. I'm not kidding, if the the story in this book came out as a fictional novel I can already see all the reviews saying how ridiculous and made up it all sounded. Except it's real, this bonkers story is real.
Empire of Pain chronicles three generations of the Sackler family who own Purdue pharma and the creators of the highly addictive opioid OxyContin. The story begins in the early 1900's when Isaac Sackler immigrated to America, and then follows his son and his grandson who inherited the Purdue Empire.
The first half of this book, while I knew less about it, wasn't as interesting to me. It's an important part of the story but I was more interested in closer to modern day events. The second half of the book details the creation and marketing of OxyContin and the toll and destruction it had on America. What Purdue and the Sackler's did was truly evil and their response and lack of accountability is insane.
This was a great comprehensive history of the rise and fall of the Sackler Dynasty. It wasn't as riveting as I expected hence 4 stars and not 5, but I'm still glad I read it....more
Wildfire is about Aurora and Russ who had a one night stand with each other at a party, only to discover the nOkay this one was actually pretty good.
Wildfire is about Aurora and Russ who had a one night stand with each other at a party, only to discover the next day they're working at the same camp all summer. At first, things are awkward between the two of them. But as they work beside each other every day, sparks begin to fly.
One of my biggest issues with Icebreaker was it took place during college but we saw like, no actual college. Not the case with Wildfire! We got hot AND plot *gasp*. We got romance and the camp counselor experience which was a lot of fun to read. I especially loved that we got a quiet and shy nice guy as the hero instead of some alpha male and that Russ and Aurora made each other better and lifted each other up. This book has redeemed Hannah Grace for me and I look forward to reading her next book...more
I really enjoyed this author's previous book The Hacienda and was excited to pick up Vampires of El Norte. While I enjoyed it in the end, the 3 stars
I really enjoyed this author's previous book The Hacienda and was excited to pick up Vampires of El Norte. While I enjoyed it in the end, there was a point maybe 70% in where I considered dnf-ing this book because quite honestly: this book was kind of boring. It was also filled with a second chance childhood sweetheart romance that was fairly lackluster. But the best parts were the fighting scenes at the end, otherwise this would have been a 2 star read....more
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