Yesterwary by Styna Lane

5 out of 5 stars

This was an easy 5 star review. I honestly could not put this book down. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.

This story is about a writer who wastes all her love and ends out transported to another world-type-thing. A very interesting idea in my opinion.

The story started off a little slow, but I quickly got into it. It wasn't what I was expecting when I went into it but it was such a great surprise! It kinda reminded me a bit of Corpse Bride in the way that someone got transported to another world type thing that could be seen as gloomy and ended out finding their happiness.

The thing I really loved this book is that I felt it showed the importance of books.

The characters were great and I ate this book up. I'm pretty sure I read it in less than 12 hours. As far as main characters go, I was happy with Demi. She was the kind of character I wanted to root for.

There were a couple dry moments, some filler and a few moments where the main characters made me cringe because of their choices- but I feel like that happens in every book.

I also want to let the lovely author know that I want to read more about Yesterwary! 

Off Book by Jessica Dall

5 out of 5 stars

Off book tells the story of Eloise, a character waiting to get called into her own story. She's a good student, but the chances of her getting her own book are getting slimmer and slimmer so when she is offered a job at the Recording Office she takes it. At least that way she won't fade away. 

This was such an amazing book. It was pretty short but very moving. I think as a writer it was a very interesting read to think about how you treat your character- and even could be quite motivating for the right authors!

I want to say that the world was stunning, the author did an amazing job on creating it and explaining it!

When it came to characters I have to admit that I wasn't as drawn to  them as I would have liked. She felt a little depressing and two dimensional but I think for this story it wasn't as annoying as it could be- but the one thing I will say is that I hate depressing characters. But I actually didn't mind Eloise, and that says a lot about this book. I just wasn't as attached to her as I wanted to be. 

The characters were great though, the side chracters brought a great affect to the story and they offered information to the story. 

Finally, I'm sorry but I was totally shipping Own/Eloise and Barny/Alice. Own and Eloise are perfect for each other.

I'd love to see more from this series.

The Mine (Northwest Passage #1) by John A. Heldt

4 out of 5 stars

This was a book I received from the author in return for an honest review. 

I really enjoyed it. Took a while to actually get started but I didn't mind reading most of the filler at the beginning. I really felt like this was a little too long and honestly, but chapter 15 I wasn't invested as I should be.

The story itself I love! I love retro stories and I love the idea of time travel. The characters were fun, I wanted to know what happened to the next and there was a good chunk of humor in this that kept me interested but… there was smething off. Something lacking for me.

I think it was that the main character came off lacking emotion- actually I think a lot of the characters did.

That being said there wasn't anyone I didn't like, in fact I really liked a lot of the side characters and would love to see more about them!

I honestly had a hard time picking this book up every time I put it down, but when I did pick it up I was glad I had and didn't want to put it down.

I loved the way this book ended. I wanted to see Grace show her smarts and she pulled through at the end. I also thought it was great to see some of the characters from the main story- set in the 1940s- in semi modern day-Around 2000- and the way that they changed. I also loved hearing their stories and knowing how the main character helped them by accidently traveling back in time- and how he helped them even when he was gone! 

Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn

3 out of 5 stars

"We have Beth from Tampa on the line. Hello."

So, this is the second book about Kitty. I said in my review of the fist one that I'm not a huge fan of the series, yet I keep reading it.

In this book Kitty is in Washington (Shocker, I know) at a senate discussion thing about the paranormal.

During the book she starts to spend more time with Ben, the hunter from list books cousin. As he is a lawyer he's been helping her with all this senate stuff.

But, since this is Kitty there's a little more to it! Kitty's been invited to stay at a vampires house during her visit and I must say, this vampire is one of my favorite characters in the series!

We also get to read about a different werewolf… well their not even a pack. I loved seeing that and the author always has an amazing way of bringing mythology into the series with a paranormal spin.

Over all, the story line didn't draw me in as much as the tone this story was told in. I love the characters but the fact that there really is very little romance bothers me. Then again, I'm a romance fan.

Also Kitty still annoys me a little she is more likable . She feels a little whiny still and a little dull.

I love Cormac and wanted to see more of him! Ben on the other hand… I like but I feel like he is a little flat. However it was nice to learn more about the characters and it made me want to keep reading so I can keep learning. 

The other Issue I have about this book is that a major plot point from the last book is resolved and… it was just anticlimactic.

That being said, be sure to stick around for the next book! One of my favorites! 

Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn

3 out of 5 stars

I tossed my backpack into a corner of the studio and highfived Rodney on his way out.

This is the first book in a long series about a werewolf named Kitty.

I've read this book probably 3 or 4 times. It's something I really enjoyed the first time… really, really enjoyed actually. But the more I read it the less I enjoy it.

Warning: Kitty is a winey character! She's not always smart and she's kinda… dull. But you know what is great about the book? The hunter who wants to kill her! Of course he doesn't, he comes in as a love interest and he is a GREAT love interest.

The conflict is simple, but good and the story telling draws me in whenever I read anything by the writer. I'm not going to lie to you, it's simple and light- I would tell you to read it if you want something… well with substance.

Honestly, these are very fun books, there are really cool side characters, good mythology and the fact that they are light reads and there are a lot of them is a big plus for me because I like to be able to finish a book in a day. I'm busy and I don't like taking a while to read a book- its why I like light books. I probably would have given the rating 2 stars if not for the series. But you know what? No matter how much I find myself wondering why I read the last book, I still pick up the next one and I'm glad I have because I've found a couple gems from the series.  

Too Many Curses by A. Lee Martinez

5 out of 5 stars

Margle the Horrendous had a habit of collecting things.

Okay, so I lost half my notes on this book which sucks cause it's pretty much full of all the reasons you should read this book!

But I'll tell you all the reasons I can remember:

First and foremost, this is by A. Lee. Martinez, therefor you should read it! I have never read a bad Martinez book and I have never met anyone who has read a bad Martinez book. I can go on for days about how much I love Martinez, and how his writing is amazing and how I wish I could write that well, but for now I'll just try to focus on the book review.

This book started off strong! It pulled me in right away and by chapter four I couldn't put it down for the life of me.

The entire book takes place in a castle, but I didn't feel like it lacked because it only took place in one location, in fact I loved the location.

In reality I feel like this book was just one big subplot/not really a major story. That being said I still loved it! I could not stop reading it and I loved every little  aspect of it. The story was great, the characters were fun and

Like that it is not written from any one characters point of view. We all realize that Nessy is the main character but we also get to see how other characters feel or what they think. I loved seeing how other characters felt, thought and what they saw.

I love the optimistic outlook at Nessy has throughout this book and I think Martinez did a great job with the mythology/rules of the world. In other words, he did a great job creating the universe.

The characters are so good! This book takes place in a wizards castle who loved to curse the opponents he defeated instead of killing them, things brings in many fun characters who have unique curses (Examples include: Bats, bodiless people, being cursed to speak fun, owls, etc.) and each character really has their own unique fun aspect about them. One of my favorites was The Monster Under The Bed, that begins to show signs of jealously when he thinks Nessy has been reading to another monster.  So cute!

Oh! And the nurgax! How could I have forgot him? He was another great character that makes this book worth reading for sure! 

As we get to the end of the book we get to see the characters work together, and we even get to see some special characters who I won't mention as not to spoil the book!

I loved seeing The Monster Under The Bed help save the day. Over all he played such a small role in most of the book but he was such a fun character that seeing him play a heroic role was thrilling!

I loved the way this book ended. Honestly the only thing that I could say is wrong with this book is that it ended! 

Here is one of my favorite quotes from the book:

"I hope it’s a dragon. I love it when they kill dragons. Pretentious reptiles, think they're so special just 'cause they can breath fire and fly. Like that's so great. Is it a dragon?"

The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

It was a breeze, a change in the texture of the unseen that made her look up and walk around a stand of shading beech trees. 

This stated off so slow and there we a lot of things I didn't like about this book. I actually thought several times that I wasn't going to be able to make it through this book. But I REALLY liked the idea of it. It felt slow and sentences like: "The annual Ludlow antiques auction to raise money for the poor" rubbed me the wrong way

Tim annoyed me and there are a few character traits from the main character I HATE reading about. Like the "I'm not that pretty" personality. The big thing for me is that I have my own self esteem issues, I don't want to read about a character who has them. Also as a reader I want my main characters to FEEL beautiful.

But! By chapter 3 things started picking up and the action started. I loved being able to read about all the other women who had the dress. And I'll admit I had a hard time putting this book down at some points

There is a bit of a misunderstanding with "another woman" that just feels like it is so over done, then the characters went on to put the "other woman" down. It felt really of them low to me.

And then there was the part where they needed to open a trunk that hand been welded shut… and they considered using a drill. I'm not as handy as I would like but I can change my oil and normally fix thing something if I need to and I felt like a character not being able to use a drill was unbelievable. I mean I can understand if someone hasn't used them but after a quick look at them it's obvious. And then using a hammer to  hit the welded metal and what? Hope it magically breaks the welds? I've welded twice in my life (once when I was like 8) and even my welds would be strong enough to withstand a hammer

Another thing that really annoyed me about this was that she "feels" like she met her long lost father at one point but there is NOTHING to suggest it. Just a feeling she gets and, while I understand getting odd feelings and everything, I really didn't… it just didn't feel real. It felt like the author just wanted someone to happen and tossed it in there and left it to "feeling"

I loved Emily and hearing the stories about the other 3 women who wore the same dress and, as much as there were things I didn't like about this book I finished it in less than a day. It kept me reading and wanting to read more- Dare I say I even enjoyed it? I think so. 

Abandon by Michelle Lowhorn

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

So, I read this book because I offered to do some promoting. This being said it is not the kind of thing I would pick up on my own, so I am somewhat biased on it.

This story fallows Gage and Brook. Gage is a ripped hunk- so that got me off to the right start! I love my men with muscle. And Brook, Brook is the ex-wife of Gage’s late brother. I wasn’t sure how I felt about a romance the involved a man and his brother’s wife but I liked it!

Starting off I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get into this. I wasn't sure how I would feel about either of the main characters- or the side characters.

Before long I warmed up to Gage and Brook and was even rooting for them to win!

I love seeing kids in a romance! I feel like kids really can bring a couple together in a romance novel and this story did an amazing job of bringing the kids into the story and helping bring the couple together. And this book did that! The kids added succchh a cute aspect to this story!

I thought Gage's parents were a lovely couple and would have loved to see more of them.

I have to say that I loved seeing Gage's team and meeting them. They brought a fun element to it and brought more to the story.  The first sex scene was, although not quiet my cup of tea, very romantic and I liked seeing that in a romance novel.

The only thing that really annoyed me is that I didn't feel like there was a real "I love you moment". Something I always look forward to in romances

Overall this was a sweet book with a great plot line. The perfect evening read, and something I could finish in a couple of hours, which was a nice change.

Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I knew better than to be preoccupied when the Tambuku Tiki Lounge was overcapacity. Crowds are ugly; it doesn't matter if they are human or demon.

 I had a really hard time deciding if I was going to review this or not. I really liked the way it started out and I really loved the way the author wrote everything, but I didn't think  I was going to like the main plot. But honestly. I loved this book.

Like really, I couldn't put it down.

There were about two things I didn't like in this, so I'm going to get them right out of the way:

1. I didn't like the fact that Candy (our main character) seemed to really dislike Lon (the love interest) at first. To me, it just didn’t seem like her reasons not to like him were… very good.

2. There is a quick moment were Lon over reacts. Though it is done in a way that is very understandable it still left me going "Oh god, don't be stupid man!"

And that's it! Which is a big deal for me because I'm so freakin nitpicky about books I normally find at least five things I didn't like with in the first chapter!

Anyways, let's move onto everything that I loved about this book.

I’m going to start off with two large aspects of the book, the magic in the world and the magic society in the world. I loved them both. I felt like the magic used in this world wasn’t something I have read about in all the other books I’ve read but it didn’t try too hard to be original.

I like both the main characters, and I felt all the side characters were done well. I love the fact that Candy has a pet hedgehog, and that Lon has a 13 year old son. But more than that I love romance novels that involve the kids bringing people together, and in an odd way I felt like Lon's son helped down that. I also liked seeing a father with full custody of a son in the novel. Now, since Lon has a 13 year old son it's safe to assume he's a little older than Candy… there's also a paranormal element that keeps him from aging (which I won't give away but I LOVED) and I thought the author did a good job with the age difference. It wasn't the a major issue, but it did leave both characters wondering.

Speaking of loved… I loved the way the author did demons in this book. They play a huge role and they are done beautifully! There is so much detail and thought put into them it was… honestly just great.

Since this is a romance it is safe to say there is an “I love you” or something along the lines of one. So let’s talk about that… because (you guessed it) I loved it. I won’t give too much away but there is a bit of a fight scene. I love fight scene I love you’s! They always make me laugh and this one was no exception.

This book got a 5 star review because I could not put it down for the life of me, and on top of that I wanted to read more. As soon as I finished this book I put the second one on hold at my library. It let me gratified. It didn’t drag out too long or end too soon. It was action packed and I felt like it was a really good beginning to a series.