Well, a short break

Hello!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be taking a short break, sadly I've run out of books to read!

So, if there are any authors who would like to get their books reviewed let me know and we can work something out!
In the mean time, I should have a whole bunch of new books coming in soon!

Shy Kinda Love by Deanna Eshler

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

I want to start off by saying that this was a book review the author asked me to do. I love new adult but I don't read much of it because I'm always scared the main characters will be dumb! 
But anyways, let's jump right into this. 

As I lie on the floor, both hands covering the cut on my right side, I can feel sleep pulling me down.

This pulled me in right form the prologue! It moved fast enough to keep me reading. It honestly kept me reading. I could not put this book down and finished it in a matter of hours.

I love that Deanna doesn't give away what Shy's dad has been up to! Every time it was mentioned I wanted to know.

I love the relationship that Ryder and Shy have.

It took me a couple pages to realize they were not lovers but I loved he brother/sister relationship they have and Ryder was probably one of my favorite characters.

Loved the country setting of the book and love the role that the stable/horses played in this novel. 

There were a couple issues with the formatting but I was okay with that.

I guess the major issue I had with this was that I just couldn't get into the main character. She was nice, and I could understand the trouble she was going through, but I just wasn't emotionally attached to her.

Kade is a fun character. I thought his determination at the beginning was nice and his total honestly was so refreshing and real.

Although sometimes I feel like his words are coming right out of a movie script. A little too "what the reader wants to hear" in some areas of the book.

I do have to say that I spent the entire book waiting for him to go to the barn with her

I actually adore Keegan and would love to read more about her- I'll be the first to say it; I want a love storya bout her!

This book had lots of funny moments to it, it had loads of cute moments to it but god this book had me crying!

There is no doubt in my mind that I want to read more about them and from Deanna

Guest post: Deanna Eshler

Today I am pleased to welcome Deanna to the blog!
I’m a happily married - most of the time :) - mother of two. We live on a small farm in Ohio, where we use to have horses, but now just have a heard of barn cats. For 15 years I worked at a foster care agency as a therapist, and supervisor. A few years ago I completed my certification to provide Equestrian Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP).
As I began writing Shyanne’s story, I struggled with how to resolve her past trauma. One day, during an EAP session, it practically smacked me in the face. I’ve seen children, who have experienced much worse than Shyanne, find healing from the horses. So, that night, I began to write Walker into the story. That was the piece I needed, and from there I couldn’t stop writing. Just ask my husband… I’m pretty sure my family thought I was permanently attached to my computer.
While I was still in undergrad, I began working at a boys group home. It was a shock to hear so many horror stories about the boys, and what they’d been through in their short lives. That was the first time I thought about writing a book. I wanted to write about one boy specifically. His life story, personality and strength, although sometimes misdirected, taught me more than I learned in 4 years of college. Although I’ve not yet written his story, I still hope to one day share him with the world.

Excerpt: Captain’s Surprise

It’s 5:45 a.m. and I’m walking down the front steps, coffee in hand, when I look up and see Kade sitting on the tailgate of my truck. He’s eating what looks to be cereal, but still manages to lift one side of his mouth in a smile.
I stop a few feet from where he’s sitting. “What are you doing?” I ask, not trying to hide my frustration.
He looks around at the truck, up at the dark sky, and then down to the bowl in his hand. “Sitting on your tailgate eating my breakfast.”
I narrow my eyes. “Okay, so that was the wrong question. Why are you sitting on my truck eating your breakfast before sunrise?”
“Don’t you remember last night? You told me to meet you here,” he says. He sets his bowl next to him on the truck.
He’s trying to be funny, make me laugh I guess, but I’m not in the mood. Plus, I have no intentions of being alone in a barn with a guy I just met. The idea makes me shiver.
I close my eyes and draw in a long, slow breath. “Listen, Kade, I’m honored that you got up at 5:30 in the morning to spend time with me, but I don’t do this,” I say, as I wave my hand back and forth between us.
“I’ve been up since 4:30 thinking about spending time with you,” he says, with a playful smile.
I roll my eyes. “Your room is right next to mine, and our walls are paper-thin. I heard your alarm, asshat.”
He shrugs, as if saying I tried. “Anyway, what do you mean by this?” he asks, now waving his hands between us.
“Talking, hanging out, friendships, relationships. All of it; I don’t do any of it.”
He narrows his eyes. “You have two friends in there that I’ve seen you talk to and hang out with.”
I can’t help the frustrated grunt that escapes. “I didn’t want friends, but they showed up looking all comfy with their marathon biker shows, and stayed at my house all day… Keegan’s all straightforward and Gemma’s so damn cute… I tried to say no.”
I’m rambling and I know it, but I can’t seem to stop. I’m looking everywhere but at Kade, and one of my legs is bouncing nervously.
“Then they keep making me go out… where I meet new people… and I have to talk to those people too… and they say funny stuff and make me smile… so I feel bad telling them I don’t want friends… then the next thing I know I’m living here and I have two best friends.” I let out one final huff, then make eye contact and plead, “I just want to be by myself, with my horses, alone in my own head. I don’t want to laugh and have fun. I want to go back to being cranky and alone, at least for a few hours.”
Kade looks concerned. “You know that social isolation can alter functioning of the brain? Can lead to depression, health issues, and even impulsive behavior.”
I raise my eyebrows, unclear what he is saying. I don’t speak nerd.
Kade attempts to explain. “It’s like your horses. They’re social animals, so if you separate one from the herd, what happens to it?”
It becomes depressed and/or highly agitated. I don’t answer out loud, because it’s clear he already knows.
“They become extremely agitated,” he says, proving me right. “After an extended period of time of separation, the stress will begin to affect their health and they will even injure themselves in an attempt to get back to the herd.”
This is true. I’ve seen a horse go through fences to get back to its herd.
I gesture for him to get off my truck. “Okay, thanks for the lesson on isolation, but I have hungry horses waiting for me.”
Kade’s expression changes to hurt. “I just want to get to know you.”
Now I stomp my foot, getting frustrated at my failure to chase him away. “Well, I don’t want to get to know you,” I spit. It’s harsh, but I’m desperate to get away from him. Away from all the things he makes me feel.
Kade lifts both hands in surrender. “Okay, I’ll let you go play with your horses and be grumpy in peace.”
He jumps down off the tailgate and dusts off his pants. He takes a few steps, then stops when he’s next to me. He places his hand on the small of my back and leans in, so that his mouth is only an inch from my ear. “If you feel like trying the friendship-slash-hanging out thing later, I’ll be home all day.”
Surprisingly, I don’t feel the all-consuming anxiety take over my body at his touch. I clear my throat and step away. When I turn to lift my tailgate, I realize Kade left his bowl of cereal so I pick it up with one hand, then instantly cover my mouth with my other hand. “What is this?”
He reaches out, retrieving the offending object from my hand. “I call it Captain’s Surprise. When I can’t decide what kind of cereal to eat I just dump them all in.” He looks down into the bowl and wrinkles his nose. “Now it’s just Soggy Surprise.”
“That’s disgusting,” I say, with my hand still covering my mouth. I’m trying to hide my smile, but when Kade smiles back, before turning to back into the apartment, I know I failed.


My Review for Shy Kinda Love will be up on Friday!

Princess by Kelly D.Smith

3 out of 5 stars

                                                

Oh this is awkward. I hope he doesn't notice me. I bowed my head, brushing my hair into my face.

                                                         So, Princess is a millionaire romance that fallows Becky and John.

Becky meets John when her gold-digging roommate tried to go out with him, apparently the roommate doesn't like him because she never calls him back and then Becky runs into John at a coffee shop. He asked her to come to an event with him and she agrees.

And that's how it all begins.

The is a romance book and to be perfectly honest, it's the kind of romance you read if you want something light and fluffy.

The characters are good, though Becky seems to have a hard time controlling the water works. That being said I did like Becky as a character. She cried a lot but she did work hard, even though she probably could have gotten away with having John buy her everything and she was a… I don't want to say "strong" character but she was… Ah! I know. She was independent.

As a hero John was fun. I wouldn't say I loved him but he was a good hero and more than anything I felt like he was encouraging of Becky as opposed to some hero's I've read that are possessive, alpha male, etc. Just not my thing

The side characters were fun and it was a light read that I could finish in a day. Although I didn't love this book I didn't put it down until I was done.

There were a few dumb moments like *Spoiler* Becky thinking that John is with another woman, but it gets sorted out quickly so I was willing to look over it.

This was a typical romance novel. There was drama, there was spicy sex and there was love. If that's your kind f thing than I suggest this as something short and fun. 

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! 

Gwynneth Ever After by Linda Poitevin

4 out of 5 stars

Gwyn Jacobs stuffed sketchpad and charcoal into her shoulder bag, and then, satisfied she had everything she needed, turned t her baby sitter

Alright! Again, this was something that I wouldn't normally gravitate towards or pick up and go "Yes, I should read this."

I picked it because my mum actually recommended it and I happen to know the author personally!

This story fallows Gwynneth (With two "n"s) as she meets Gareth; a sexy, Irish(?) movie star who is staying with his cousin in the winter… in Canada's capital, Ottawa.

This was a very fun read that I actually finished on a Bus ride to Manitoba. It was light and easy to keep reading. There were kids, and anyone who reads my blog knows I love seeing kids in romance novels! The kids really helped bring the couple together and this book gets added points for being set in a place that I used to live!

In a sense this was a millionaire romance; after all Gareth is a movie star and money does not seem to be an issue for him. But this is also a family story. Gareth doesn't go out of his way to spend on this kids (or Gwynneth) instead the couple focuses on bounding with the kids over chicken pocks, sick days and bedtime stories.

Now, the main conflict is… well I wont spoil it for anyone who wants to read it but it is a silly and could have easily been dealt with via a little communication. So if you're going to read this make sure you can overlook it! Otherwise you probably wont enjoy it.

So yes, I just wasn't feeling the main conflict and but  I really did enjoy this book. It was one of those romances where the heroine spent most of her time trying to deny the hero (because she was worried about how it would affect the kids) and because of that there was so great sexual tension! It was sweet and light. Defiantly something I would suggest for someone who wants a light read.

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.