Tammara Webber: Easy

Easy
Tammara Webber
Published May 24, 2012 (self-published eBook)
A SIN: B0085ZHMA8
304 Pages

Synopsis
Jacqueline (don’t call her Jackie), followed her high school boyfriend to college. She is musical and very talented, but she chose to follow love over logic. Kennedy is her first boyfriend.  He’s political, handsome, and a bit selfish.  When Kennedy breaks up with her to ‘sew his oats’ in college, Jacqueline is heartbroken.  But then, her eyes open…

Lucas is the broody, artsy, bad boy in her class, who she finds actually has a sweet, dedicated and hardworking demeanor. Landen is the smart econ tutor; he’s engaging, funny, and truly interested in Jacqueline, but she’s never met him in person.  All their communication has been via email. Buck is the jerk, Benji the friend.  With all these men swirling around her – Jacqueline has a lot to figure out.


Musings
Easy was a smooth ‘easy’ read (I know, overdone puns are awful, right?).

After just coming off a couple of roller coaster plot lines – this book was a relaxing switch. It wasn’t slow, but the dramatic and shattering ups and downs were softened.  A boy with a troubled past, innocent girl, attraction, secrets… all makes for a good story. This one was sweet and calm, and where I am so used to the dishonesty being the reason the relationship screws up – these characters were crazy honest with each other and worked through things with logic and realism.

The tragedy in Lucas’ history was shocking, and I was surprised to find it at the root of a romance novel, but the author handled it well.  This book has a definite message – one powerful and exceedingly important to women everywhere.  Don’t dismiss it.

I would recommend this book to all my girlfriends. It was really good. 3.5 Stars

-Rita

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Jamie McGuire: Beautiful Disaster

Beautiful Disaster
Jamie McGuire
Published May 26, 2011 (Self-Published eBook)
A SIN: B0052VUNHC
361 Pages



Synopsis
Abby Abernathy has a past she is trying to bury, so she moves to a new town with her best friend in tow, adopts a cardigan, attends college, and swears off trouble. Travis Maddox is trouble on legs. He is a womanizer, a fighter, and an anger management needing head case.  When they meet, they challenge each other in weird ways and there is an immediate friendship. A lost bet forces them to share a living space for a month and in the course of that time their friendship is cemented beyond their expectations. Then come the challenges of other people, underground fighting rings, a dangerous stint in Vegas, and a couple brushes with death. This story is a roller coaster ride of ups, downs, I love you, I hate you, I need you, breakups, makeups, and savage intensity.


Musings
I gotta say I had mixed feelings about this one. As is the trend with most successful, self-published works lately– the story was freaking awesome, but the flow, editing, and general organization left something to be desired.

I liked that the book didn’t gloss over how couples fight, how they can love each other to death – but simultaneously hate each other. The characters were emotional, the reactions believable, and the writer actually put time into building a connection between the two main characters!!!  Yes – interaction, budding relationship, a lasting connection observed over time!  It may have been destined, and they had the same instant earth shattering connection as other fictional couples – but like real people, they weren’t declaring their undying love by day 2. I really appreciated that, and it in no way took away from how powerful their relationship was.

However – this tale was a bit creepy. I think the roommate sums it up exceptionally well…

“Do you know what co-dependency is, Abby? Your boyfriend is a prime example, which is creepy considering he went from having no respect for women at all to thinking he needs you to breathe…It’s dangerous to need someone that much. You’re trying to save him and he’s hoping you can. You two are a disaster.”  - Kara, pg. 232.

The hero(?) is Travis Maddox, a overprotective, violent, moody, intense, manic, crazy person. Oh and did I mention codependent?  He fights in an underground fighting ring, over-reacts to every threat to disturb his precious girlfriend’s peace, and should have been arrested on assault charges at least 3 times in the course of the book. I’m a little worried about how this will make young readers feel/act. I can sense that it is honest. These people could be real, their pasts make them what they are and allow them to accept each other – but in no way should the general population think irrational violence is in any way good or romantic. A younger reader may romanticize the fights, but a jaded person can recognize that sometimes crazy needs crazy to be happy – but that doesn’t make them any less crazy.

The Vegas/Mob bit was interesting, but felt out of place with the entirety of the story – probably not necessary. The writer could have found other ways to motivate the characters and give them back story without mucking up the roller coaster ride that is this book.

I really enjoyed it, and might recommend it to others who like similar stuff - 3.5 stars.

-Rita

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Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Habits

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by our friends and the awesome bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new Top Ten list for us to review and then compile our own. 

This week's topic: Freebie Week! (Bookish Bad Habits)

What are your top ten wacky reading habits ?

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Mine? 

1. I dog-ear books. Yes this shames me, but I do it anyway.
2. If I consider a book a 'keeper' I have to buy it (and it's mathcing compaions) in hardback to display on my shelves, even if I already have a copy, or multiple copies.
3. When a book makes me anxious, I like to skip ahead to random parts and read a page or two before continuing the story, just so I know what I am getting into.
4. I sometimes read up to 4-5 books at the same time. I have one by my bed, one in the bathroom, one at work, one in my car... the list goes on.
5. I love to re-read books, even if I literally just finished them. Some of my favorites I have read 10 + times, others I make a point to re-read every year.
6. Once I commit to an author, I keep reading their stuff, even if it sucks, and I know it is going to continue sucking.
7. I always make a point to watch the film, if there is one based on the book.
8. I have to have access to a book to read, whenever, wherever I go - even if I know I won't have the opportunity to read it. (Thank you Kindle for iPhone for not making me continue to be that weirdo with a paperback sticking out of my back pocket).
9. I fall alseep reading more often than I fall asleep watching TV, or any other activity. (I've aquired the ability to sleep with all the lights on).
10. I over organize my books: read, TBR, by author, by series... my bookshelves are very intimidating to others.

What are your top ten wacky reading habits?

-Rita

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Colleen Hoover: Slammed

Slammed
Colleen Hoover
Published January 1, 2012 (eBook)
ISBN: 2940014187602
314 Pages

Synopsis
Layken was named in a compromise between her very loving parents. Her mom wanted to name her Layla, her dad wanted Kennedy, so they took the first three letters of each and mashed them together. He mom calls her Lake. Lake is 18 and a senior in high school when her father dies in a car accident. She, her mother, and her 9 year old brother Kel are forced to move from their big ranch home in Texas to a small rental house in Michigan. She is quickly losing spirit when her new, attractive 21-year old neighbor enters the picture. There is an instant connection, but life quickly rears it's head, and there are some major obstacles keeping them apart. 

Musings
One night I woke up about 2am and I could not go back to sleep. I wanted to read something new, and found this in the Amazon top 100 romance (at #9 this week). It sounded good, but I was a little apprehensive because it's YA fiction. I asked myself, how good a romance could it be without falling into the cheesy category?  Then I read a handful of reviews and found out some tid-bits.  Call me interested.  This is Colleen Hoover's first work, and she wrote the bulk of it in a month (my guess, NaNoWrMo, considering her slam poem in book 2). Reviewers were gossiping that some of her feedback was faked, and her 5 star rating wasn't legit.  I decided this was the book to read that restless night, just to see who was right. I started in around 2:15am and finished it that same morning, setting it down only once to go pee.

First: the high rating, the quick climb, the hype - all deserved. It gets some leeway for being Young Adult Fiction, but even then, it's well written. The first person PoV takes some getting used to, and could be a little stronger, but once you sink in, you can easily get past it. The characters are awesome too. I want Lake's mom's insight, Will's patience, Eddie's confidence, and Caulder & Kel's imagination. These people are so rich, you very quickly become attached.

The story is what makes this exemplary. It didn't feel like a repeat. So often (especially right now) the new hot books are re-writes of previous success. I was starting to get the feeling I was reading the same books over and over again.  Not with this story. It has a couple of unique twists that almost catch you off-guard.  And yes - it totally made me cry. It was happy, sad, romantic, inspiring, all the default things you want a good book to be. But it was also different. The poetry aspect bothered me at first, but this isn't stuffy old Keats.  This poetry is modern day, powerful, and highly emotional - not to mention easy to understand and relate to.

This is definitely one of my must-reads. All ages, all walks of life, everyone can get something out of this series.  Highly recommended 4.5 Stars.

-Rita

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The E-Reader Delima

So I am going to stray from the review genre for this post. I just wanted to put my experience out there on the subject of e-readers. If anyone else is going through what I did, and looking for a good e-reader solution, then read on...

I consider myself a technical person, although not a total computer geek. I have run through the gauntlet of e-readers in the past several years, spending way more money than I wanted to - and having to manage multiple software products, locations, file transfers, etc.  I burned through Sony, Nook, Kindle, iBooks. I used Calibre software, Adobe, Stanza, Smashwords, e-Books.com and more. It was a pain in the a$$ to say the least.

So my ultimate solution after all that time and moolah?  Kindle for iPad + iPad

At first, I was resistant to the idea of an e-reader all together. I love reading outside, in the bathtub, in the hot tub, and all kinds of other places I don't really want to take an expensive electronic.  Plus, there is something to be said about the tactile sensation of holding weight and paper in your hands to read a book.  However the benefit of a back-light, cloud library, and seamless updates won out.

Why Kindle for iPad?

Selection: Amazon has the best selection of ebooks I've found. All my mainstream favorites, and new, self-published authors. Plus, they are cheap.

Synergy:  Gotta love the cloud. I have a laptop, a desktop, an iPhone, an iPad, and a Kindle(older). But with the Kindle app on my computers and iDevices, I can read the same book in multiple locations - each updating as soon as it connects to a network. I'm on the couch reading a great book, but then I have to get in the car for a trip to the market (no I'm not driving). On the way, I whip out my iPhone, and pick up exactly on the page I left off. Then when I get back home, I can go into my office, begin paying bills - and pull up the kindle app on my second monitor.  Again - I'm on the exact page I left off on on the iPhone. It's smooth,, easy, and not that expensive.

 So why the + iPad?

For those books you can get cheaper, free, or only through other applications - Stanza, iBooks, Smashwords - they all have apps for the iPad.

Not trying to sound like a sales pitch, but when I think about my e-reader experience - I am now giggly happy, as opposed to confused and frustrated... and I just thought I'd share :)

-Rita

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Rick Riordan: The Red Pyramid

The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles - Book 1)
Rick Riordan
Published May 4th, 2010 by Hyperion Books
ISBN: 1423113381
516 Pages

Synopsis
Sadie and Carter Kane are siblings who look nothing alike. They have been separated since their mom died, Carter traveling the world with his Egyptian Archaeologist dad, and Sadie trapped in London with her grandparents. On the one day a year the kids get to spend together with their dad, they disobey his request and watch him perform some world altering magic in the British Museum's Egyptian wing. Now there are Egyptian gods on the lose, both good and evil, and it is up to these to siblings to set things right.



Musings
Okay, so this was recommended to be by a friend. I read Riordan's Percy Jackson series, and it was pretty good - so I figured I'd give this series a shot. First impression - it's not really my cup of tea. I had to force myself to pick it back up (several times), just so I could finish.  And now, since I promised my friend I would read the whole series, I am starting Book 2. She ensures me it gets way better, the 3rd book being the best. We shall see...

I think my feet dragging on this book has more to do with personal preference & interest than the quality of the book. Riordan writes well, his story flows, and there are lots of plot devices and constant action. He manages to surprise you a few times, and the story is funny and fresh. Egyptian lore is limitless, and you can interpret and twist the gods and mythology as needed to complete the story. Maybe my problem is that I am a little too saturated with Egyptian fiction?  Stargate being my favorite show of all time. And then, every popular show has it's own take on the mummy, or some other popular Egyptian tale or artifact.

Riordan's interpretations are standard, and can be a little boring. He didn't experiment enough.  The two main characters Sadie and Carter are well rounded, but again - lack that punch that makes them someone you root for (or love to hate). And the method of story telling (transcribing a recording told by two characters)... annoying at times, confusing at others.

I would recommend this to the kids it was written for or anyone with a hankering for the author. It's good. Just not great. 3 stars!

-Rita

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Liz Braswell: Nine Lives of Chloe King

Nine Lives of Chloe King (Books 1-3, The Fallen, The Stolen, The Chosen)
Liz Braswell (as Celia Thomson)
Published June 7th, 2011 by Simon Pulse
ISBN: 1442435704
771 Pages

Synopsis
This was an interesting take on the wereanimals that have become so popular lately. It moves away from supernatural creatures controlled by magic and moon phases, and instead makes the transformation more nature based, less primal, and better rooted in ancestry and tribe than a virus, curse, or mysterious bite. Chloe King is remnant of Buffy, Elena, or any other good old high-school girl who suddenly has her world turned upside down. On her 16th birthday, Chloe not only has to deal with raging hormones and friend drama - she has to work around claws, increased agility, wacky dreams, and a psycho that keeps trying to kill her. Oh - and a deathly fall from Coit Tower. We discover that Chloe has nine lives, but even among the cat people (Mai), that is something pretty special.


Musings
This was an okay book. I could see a lot of similarity to other fantasy novels, even Star Wars - which it so aptly points out itself. I wouldn't have finished the series if it hadn't been presented together in a single book, but since it was all there, I was tempted to mow through and finish. The end is good, although anti-climatic.

I would recommend only to those familiar with the genre, and looking for an easy teen read. The ABC Series is way better...

-Rita

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Marissa Meyer: Cinder

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)
Marissa Meyer
Published January 3rd, 2012 by Feiwel & Friends         
ISBN: 0312641893
387 Pages


Synopsis
This is a Cinderella story with a twist. It is set in the far future of Earth, where humans have long colonized the moon, and moon people have evolved into an entirely different species. Earth humans have become so technologically advanced that robots, androids, and cyborgs abound. However, Cyborgs are thought of as less than human, basically second class citizens, with very few rights and even less respect.

Cinder is a girl stuck in a household with two step-sisters and a cruel and unforgiving stepmother.  Her adoptive father died long ago, and her stepmother blames and resents Cinder. Cinder, a cyborg, makes a living for the family working as a mechanic. The plague hits her shopping market and people are getting sick all around her.  Cinder finds out much about herself and her past, falling for the handsome Emperor along the way. This is a complicated story of with humor and plot twists. The book goes beyond a simple Cinderella story and dives much deeper becoming an emotional and intriguing ride.


Musings
I thought this was a great twist on the stagnate and often overdone Cinderella story. I think the author favors the movie Ever After, because I saw a lot of similarities, however the added content, unique setting, and awesome storytelling kept it fresh and moving fast. I finished in one sitting, which I rarely have the opportunity to do anymore - but it was so good, I made time.

I would recommend it to most, especially those looking for a fresh twist on an old classic. 4 stars!

-Rita

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E.L. James: Fifty Shades (Books 1-3)

Fifty Shades of Grey (Book 1)
E.L. James
Published May 26th, 2011 by The Writers Coffee Shop
ISBN: 1612130291
360 Pages

                         Fifty Shades Darker (Book 2)

                         E.L. James

                         Published September 13th, 2011 by The Writers Coffee Shop

                         ISBN: 1612130585

                         532 Pages

Fifty Shades Freed (Book 3)
E.L. James
Published January 19th, 2012 by The Writers Coffee Shop
ISBN: 1612130291
466 Pages




Synopsis
Book 1: Anastasia Steel is a journalism student on the verge of graduation. Her best friend and roommate is the editor of the school paper, and asks her to conduct an interview of the rich and successful Christian Grey. It is a fateful meeting that has Ana tripping over her feet, and Christian aching to break her of her fidgeting habits - in a rather startling and pleasureful way. The story spins these two characters together, Ana into a dark and sexual world she has never experienced, and Christian into wanting more than he ever has.  Christan finds himself unable to resist this innocent girl, and breaks several of his own rules to have her.

Book 2: Ana has broken off her affair with Christian for both their sakes, but they soon find themselves back together under a new proposal. Ana has started her career, and endearing and racy emails set the stage for a majority of this book. Enter the mystery of the saboteur, more about Christian's past, and a few other twists - and this is probably the best of the three books.

Book 3: (It gets much more difficult to not give anything away!!) Christian continues to be a control freak, but they both now acknowledge their relationship is 'more' that they ever believed it would be. Ana is finally gathering together all the clues and history about Christian and his needs and desires; she finds herself willing to flex, and grows more confident in their relationship - and their future.

*The tidbits at the end of book 3 make the story worth while, and got my blood pumping to re-read the first novel. (Think: Midnight Sun)

Musings
Wow, what a book to pull me back into the review and discuss mindset!  Okay, so first the -gossip- I heard that made me want to read the book:

These books started as Twilight fan fiction. Christian is Edward, Anastasia(Ana) is Isabella(Bella). Christian is dark, rich, and leads a secluded and secretive life. Ana sees herself as plain, and is a typical college student, about to get her journalism degree (think about the plot - she couldn't be a minor and in high school!) Ana is dorky and clumsy, Christian becomes obsessed with her and her safety. Then there is Jose(Jacob), The psychiatrist father figure(Carlisle), the spunky sister(Alice), and even the self-centered best friend(Jessica). It is a total parody - down to Audi's instead of VW's.  But instead of Edward/Christian being a vampire... he is a sado-masochist, and into BDSM. He wants to bring Ana into his world, but can't stand the thought of actually hurting her.

I enjoyed E.L. James' rise to fame and proof of concept that a self-published, normal person, can write a best seller - and bring sex back to mainstream. However, I do want to say for all you scardy-cats out there: this is not a story about S&M. There is no bondage, beatings, or described acts that even come close to true BDSM. I will say it does have a lot of spanking, some fun toy use, and a little bit of 'tie me up, tie me down' - but it's mostly vanilla. That said... it is a LOT of vanilla, but well done. However, there is that room full of implements, and the constant threat that it could turn dark at every turn. By the third book, it begins to gloss over some of the sex scenes because the story of these characters is just as important (if not more so) than their vigorous exercise regime. Christian goes through a powerful character development and peaks over the course of the novels. You are given tidbits about his dark past, and begin to see what makes him tick.

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My favorite, and easily the most powerful scene in the books:  Book 2, page 319-325: Christian the Submissive. That he feels so strongly the threat of her leaving snaps him. Just a wow moment.

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4.5 Stars - I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun and sexy read. It's quick and easy, and just racy enough to keep you on your toes, without losing the plot and character depth required for a good read.

-Rita

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Reading Burn Out

Hi Guys....

I wanted to explain my absence....
I am going through a short period of reading burnout.

             I could give you excuses:
                           - Christmas & Family
                           - The 2 week cold/flu
                           - Starting back at college, and having to read scholarly books... constantly.

But I won't :)

I will just say three things....

1) I did read Wild Children by Richard Roberts, and it was AWESOME!!   I plan to post about it very soon, but since it has been a month since I read it, I want to re-read it to refresh my memory on all the good parts.

2) I am abandoning the partial reads from last year (Game of Thrones, Voyager, and Eldest). I still plan to pick them back up eventually, but I am getting them off my chest as 'work' that I have to read.

3) I am going to run through a sequence of cheesy, awesome, smutty, and hilarious romance novels to get myself back into read mode. Whenever I get burned out, this is my burn in. If you are interested in any of them as listed in the Reading List, let me know. I can probably pull out a few words to describe them. :)

In the meantime, keep hanging out. I promise, it won't be long.

-Rita

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