Friday, October 31, 2014

A Kiss by the Book (Kiss & Tell #2) by Christy Hayes

Although this is the second book in the series, you do not need to read the first book; this is a stand alone book. 

Zach Chamberlain's life is perfect; he is the school's golden boy, football star and he's dating a pretty girl he plans to propose to.

There's just one problem with and that is his girlfriend is in love with someone else and that someone else happens to be his younger brother and her best friend. Which seriously, how could he not see she wasn't really his girlfriend, their relationship was solely physical. If your girlfriend turns to someone for every little thing there is something going on there.

To save face Zach turns to his tutor Jenna Peterson for help. Along the way and few kisses their friendship turns into a real relationship and Zach realizes he never really loved his ex. He realizes he stuck around because she was safe and just there; which sounds really bad, but come on, it seems she basically stuck around because he was the popular guy. They were both bad.

Jenna was a really funny and endearing character, she knows how to stand up to Zach and take him down a peg. Zach and Jenna made a cute couple because they actually, and Zach wasn't such a bad guy, a little blind maybe, but not bad.

I will say though, Zach's ex should have come clean forever ago and his brother, dude low blow. He knew his brother was thinking of proposing and just goes along with it, when he's already starting something with his brother gf, DRAMA. Still, things worked out great, Zach got someone good and even if his relationship with his brother will be a little strained for a while. Definitely an enjoyable read.

Rating 4 out of 5
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Thursday, October 30, 2014

What a Bride Wants (The Great Wedding Giveaway #1) by Kelly Hunter

21525582This is a funny, lightweight read; the story is only 84 pages of a love at first meddling father.

It's bad when parents decide to play matchmakers, it's bad when they try to point out potential "candidates", but it is horrifying, beyond traumatizing when your father goes out and puts a full color personal ad in the paper trying to find you a domesticated husband.

When, Ella Grace Emerson's father does just that, after contemplating patricide she decides to put up her own ad at the saloon. Her ad, seeks a lover not a husband and preferably one that can annoy her father. Which can you blame her? If I were her, patricide would be very appealing, that is of course if I didn't drop of mortification the moment I learned of the ad.

Enter Cam Sawyer, good looking new bartender in town who decides to answer Ella's second ad. Cam doesn't want any forever, he is constantly on the run from his crazy brother; but for Ella he is willing to reconsider his way of life and make Marietta home. 

The story is sweet, I love that for Ella there has to be a spark, she doesn't want rich, she doesn't want luxury, all she wants is SPARK! Cam is a good and funny character and Ella's father is also very endearing, as long as he is not putting any ad's out.

Rating 4 out of 5
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Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Shattered (Extreme Risk, #2) by Tracy Wolff

18465707Ash Lewis is dealing with a lot; this book picks up almost a year after the tragic ending of the previous book. The last we saw, the crew was getting ready to compete, when Ash receives a call telling him his parents died in a car crash and his little brother, Logan is hanging on for dear life.

Now Ash has quit snowboarding and is doing his damnedest to take care of a now paralyzed Logan, unfortunately his overprotective ways are really putting a strain on his relationship with his brother.

Tansy Hampton is living life like there is no tomorrow; she has spent the last decade waiting for the cancer to finally do her in, but against all odds, she has survived. Now working for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, she wants to make Timmy's wish come true; that wish, seeing his hero Ash Lewis snowboard again.

With a little doing from Ash's friend Z and the others, the whole gang is off to the mountains of Chile to make a dying boy's wish come true. Along the way Ash will have to deal with his relationship with his brother as well as the love he's developing for Tansy.

It was nice read, very emotional though because the characters find it difficult to deal with the tragedies in their lives. Logan was by far my favorite character in this book, despite his tragedies, he still tries to see the better in things. I hope Ms. Wolff will give us a third novel that focuses on Luc and Cam, we've been teased with their relationship since book one, we deserve a book.

Rating 3.5 out of 5
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Shredded (Extreme Risk, #1) by Tracy Wolff

18283137Z Michaels is the best snowboarder on the mountain, too bad he's more interested in punishing himself for the tragedies of his past.

Ophelia left lovely New Orleans to recover following a tragic accident that left her with more than just physical scars.

When Z and Ophelia meet there is an instant attraction, too bad Z is a total douche and Ophelia has no problem cooling him down with a nice, ice cold coffee down his pants. Z's friends, Ash, Cam and Luc, are always there to help him out, which is really great because after you find out the trauma that is leading him down the self-destructive path, you are glad he has someone to turn to.

These two eventually learn to trust each other and deal with all the horrors of their dealing with. What I did not like was that after we learn the great tragedy, which is like 70% into the book, and Z eventually starts dealing with things, there is never a confrontation between him and his dad. That confrontation between Z and his father was really needed so that the book would have been all neatly tied up.

Rating 4 out of 5
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Monday, October 27, 2014

Close To Her Heart by C.J. Carmichael

22398800I love Ms. Carmichael's books, they are always so emotional and the characters are so realistic. The issues in her books are always real issues that people often face in their lives.

This book takes place during the same events as Good Together, another of Ms. Carmichael's books, except this book follows Dani Carrigan and her journey through a damaged relationship, finding herself alone and pregnant, and finally finding a man who loves her and is willing to be her friend and lover.

Dani Carrigan has been secretly dating Adrian Carlson, head of the department at the university they both work at; a widowed single father, who treats her more like a mistress than a girlfriend. When Dani tells him she is pregnant he is upset and from that point on Dani begins to see, rather slowly, what a horrible guy he really is. Add that the baby might have defects and Dani feels ill prepared for all of this.

Eliot Gilmore is Dani's neighbor and friend, he is there for her through thick and thin, and he secretly harbors feelings for Dani. Eliot helps Dani through her pregnancy and eventually their friendship turns romantic.

What I hated was that Dani took forever to see what a jerk Adrian was and how good Eliot was. That is why I gave it a 4, but other than that the story was great.

Rating 4 out of 5
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Android Angels by Kosuke Kabaya

18854858A collection of short stories that follow the emotional attachment humans form with their androids and makes you questions the damage these bonds can for, on the human psyche when the lease of an android ends in four years.

The book was good because it makes you ponder how much more emotionally dependent on technology we would be in the future. Even now we are incredibly depended on technology, most people cant go five minutes without checking their smartphone.

The art is manga style, the stories are short and follow different characters and their interactions with their android. The concept is engaging for those that like to think of the future and the day they will have a robot.

Rating 4 out of 5
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Friday, October 24, 2014

Meka by Jean-David Morvan, Bengal

The story follows a Lieutenant and a Corporal who pilot a giant robot called a Meka. They are fighting in a war and after their Meka is damaged in battle they must travel through the remains of their most recent battle ground to survive.

The story really didn't have any direction, but what really saved the book for me was the art. The graphics were incredible.

Rating 3 out of 5
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Hatsune Miku Graphics: Vocaloid Comic & Art Volume 2 by Comptiq

A collection of art covers and a short comic, the book was all right, entertaining. The art is your typical manga, girls in colorful outfits, with lots of frills.

I would have liked if the comic would have been longer, the comic was only like 10 percent of the book and the rest was just covers. The very colorful, internet like style of the graphics made me think of Dance, Dance Revolution, so it made me laugh.

Rating 3 out of 5
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999 Frogs and a Little Brother by Ken Kimura, Yasanuri Murakami

This book was cute and charming; the story follows the youngest of 999 frog brothers. The littlest frog develops slower than the others and as he becomes separated he goes in search of his big brothers and in the process becomes a big brother to a baby crayfish.
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The book is short and perfect for young readers ages 3 to 5, little kids who are barely learning to read. The way this book is written and the cartoons actually took me back to The Very Hungry Caterpillar, these books are for children so the 5 year old in me loved the book, the adult in me might find this book too short, but adult me isn't the target audience.

The illustrations are very colorful and engaging, as such little children will love this book. The simple text makes it easy for young readers to grasp and understand what they're reading. 

Rating 5 out of 5
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Thursday, October 23, 2014

White Death by Robbie Morrison and Charlie Adlard


The story follows the despair of the conflict at the Austrian-Italian border during World War I.

Pietro Aquasanta has returned to his old village as a soldier and is now encountered with the sorrows of war. Through the story he often clashes with Orsini, his commanding officer, who has adopted an approach of kill or be killed and do whatever it takes for you to survive and screw the brother standing next to you.

The story is sad and the black and white of the drawings really works well to convey the story.


Rating 4 out of 5
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FBP: Federal Bureau Of Physics Vol. 2: Wish You Were Here (FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics) by Simon Oliver, Robbi Rodriguez

Agents Adam Hardy and Rosa Reyes continue their searches, one for his father's stolen research, the other for the universe she was born in and was happy with her family.

The book was alright, it was engaging and captivating because hey who doesn't love the multiverse theory. A minute difference is all that separates one universe from another and so on; that's the stuff of sci-fi dreams.

The ending was very cliffhanger-y, so you will be looking forward to a followup.

Rating 3 out of 5
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Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Big Nate: The Crowd Goes Wild! by Lincoln Peirce

21535712Nate Wright is the star of his own universe. This book is a collection of strips from the Big Nate comic strips. The book is hilarious, granted it's marketed to children but this book can bring a laugh to everyone. Nate is a very smart kid, with a very sarcastic mouth and a knack for detention. 

He can tell you the most ancient facts of baseball, but don't ask him what he retained from class; you'd be asking too much.

His smart alecky attitude really brings a laugh out of you on every page.  
Rating 5 out of 5
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A Very Married Christmas by Erika Marks

I hate speaking ill of books, but I did not like this book. The story follows Beck and Marley Chambers, two former high school sweethearts that after ten years of marriage are about to be divorced. The have been apart for a year now and are reunited at a friends wedding back in their hometown.

Beck was a very dislikable character, he shows up to a friends wedding with a new girlfriend, sees his still wife Marley and realizes he still has feelings for her. First of, he could have made an effort to save his marriage. Then, bringing a new girlfriend to a friends wedding, when you're not divorced yet, trashy. Then going on about how he has feelings for his wife, if he really cared, he could have tried.

Marley was nice, she leaves her husband because when she sought a career, he was unsupportive and then when her cookbook become a bestseller, he makes her feel bad for having obligations that don't center around him.

Yes, they get a Christmas miracle and are able to reconcile and save their marriage, but still Beck was an ass. Even when he gets back together with Marley and she asks what about his girlfriend, he's like what about her. Beck was basically an ass in the middle of a mid-life crisis; did not feel the love in this book.

Rating 2 out of 5
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Monday, October 20, 2014

The Honeymoon Prize by Melissa McClone

22604588Nick Calhoun and Adalaide "Addie" Sinclaire have been best friends since they were five years old; through all their ups and downs, the only thing that has remained constant is their friendship. So, when Nick needs a wife of convenience for work, who better to ask than the best friend he's had an on-again off-again crush on, he refuses to act on for the sake of their friendship. Because, nothing can go wrong there right.

Addie is down on her luck, after dropping out of college to take care of her grandmother and then getting kicked out of the family home by her never present greedy relatives, she is now sans family, job and a place to live. When best friend Nick offers her the deal of a lifetime; money to go back to school and a place to live, all for just two little words, how can she say no. It's not like her on-again off-again crush on Nick will be a problem, right?

Well, thanks to a meddlesome friend these two have won an incredible honeymoon vacation prize, there is just one tiny, itty, bitty detail said friend forgot to mention [drum roll please], they are going to be filmed their entire honeymoon for a reality TV show; don't know about you,but this friend is off my Christmas list.

How hard can ten days in paradise be for these two "friends" be when they have to act like they're over the moon in love with each other? Read the book and find out just how good these two are at acting like they're in love.

Rating 4 out of 5
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Parker: The Hunter by Richard Stark and Darwyn Cooke

Think old school crime drama and that is what you've got here. Parker has been left for dead; betrayed by his wife, his partner and his employers, he is back with one goal in mind. REVENGE, which you'd be too if your people stabbed you in the back.

Through an elaborate and dramatic plot, these back stabbers are going to learn what tough guy Parker has in store for them.

The novel is a little gritty and some concepts, you'd go "whoa there" but despite it all, it really works, definitely worth looking into this and other Parker novels.

Rating 5 out of 5
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Friday, October 17, 2014

Mack's Witness by Myla Jackson

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Marine Mack Magnus is on his way to Dublin, Ireland for his brother's wedding; he is tired of the heat, the sand and war, all he wants to do is relax and maybe have some fun with an Irish girl. He just never expected very in demand supermodel Deirdre Darcy to be his lift [read the book to see why lift is so funny].

All Deirdre Darcy wants is to make sure her cousin's wedding goes off without a hitch, she doesn't want to be attracted to the way too self-confident Marine.

Between the wedding, their crazy attraction and a murder, these two get to spend a lot of time running and bonding.


The story was a short quick read, it was entertaining, however, I felt that it lacked a little something as far as the two characters. If the story had been a little longer, the characters could have bonded a bit more and seemed more compatible.

Rating 3.5 out of 5

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Transformers Windblade by Mairghread Scott and Sarah Stone

The story follows Windblade's adventures on Cybertron as the Cityspeaker for the Titan Metroplex. Cybertron has just come off the wars and its piece is relatively new, but trouble is already arising and to top it off, the elected leader, Starscream is up to something.

The story is engaging and captivating and leaves you wanting more answers. What lies in store for Cybertron, what is Windblade's agneda and more importantly, what is Starscream up to? We know we can't trust a Decepticon. The art doesn't disappoint and the Transformers always make a great story. This saga is definitely worth following.

Rating 4 out of 5
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Thursday, October 16, 2014

Wild Ways (Justiss Alliance #2) by Tina Wainscott

No offense to younger siblings, but if you're older sister tells you don't do that it's bad, PAY ATTENTION!

18624950Mollie Reagan is on a quest to find her missing sister, Diana, who fell into a bad crowd and called Mollie asking for help before dropping off the edge of the Earth.

The last Mollie knew, Diana was hanging out with a biker gang, known as the Kings of Chaos. Now, Mollie is on a crazy and extremely dangerous adventure to find her sister. Along the way she meets and recruit Julian Cuevas or more like he recruits himself to help Mollie find her sister.

Julian is intrigued by the brave, borderline insane woman on a mission; as a former Navy Seal, he knows all about dangerous missions and the need for backup, so he recruits himself to helping Mollie find her sister. 

Along the way these two grow really close and aside from stopping the bad guys, they find a happy ending.

The story is action packed and a real page turner, it's like watching an episode of Sons of Anarchy; super addictive.

Rating 4 out of 5
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Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Littlest Pet Shop by Georgia Ball, Nico Pena (Illustrations), Antonio Campo (Illustrations)

22808338This is a happy, cheery book for little girls. It follows the adventures of the Blythe and the Littlest Pets. 

The stories are appealing and funny, so little girls will have lots of fun reading this, boys too, regardless of premise books are never really gender specific.

The cartoons are so colorful, that right there is what really gets me color, it's so cheery and bright. Definitely worth getting your little ones a copy.

Rating 4 out of 5
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The Mutts Diaries by Patrick McDonnell

Great and fun book, it collect a series of cartoons from the Mutts. I loved that just like the title all the cartoons in the book look like clippings pasted onto a journal book. You get to see the page lines and everything.

The publishing company targets it to kids, but this book will be enjoyed by everyone with a sense of humor. Definitely worth buying.

Rating 5 out of 5
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Friday, October 10, 2014

Delectable (Big Sky Pie #1) by Adrianne Lee

17333458Quint McCoy is back in his hometown, after spending a month fishing in Alaska. Following his father's death Quint went into a bit of a spiral and now his business is gone and his wife is in the process of finalizing the divorce he asked for some three months ago.

Callee McCoy is in town for one reason only, to finalize her divorce and pack up her things. After putting off the final step for some time in the hopes that Quint would come to terms with his grief and take back some of the hurtful things he's done, she's come to accept the only thing left to do is pack up and say goodbye.

Callee and Quint see each other again when Callee goes to say goodbye to Quint's mom, Molly, who just opened a pie store. When circumstances beyond their control bring them together again, Quint realized what a jerk he's been and that he wants a second chance to make things right in his marriage with the woman he loves. They have their ups and downs as they figure out what went wrong the first time and how to make it right. 

The story is sweet and endearing, the characters are entertaining, so you'll have fun with this one. At the end of the book there is even a pie recipe for the featured pie in the book, not sure how good it is, because, well lets face it me and the kitchen are mortal enemies

Rating 4 out of 5
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Heat (Club Inferno #1) by Jamie K. Schmidt

Dr. Mallory Bryant is on the run from her abusive ex-fiance, David, and when she finally needs a safe place to turn to and stop running, she goes to her sister, Colleen Bryant.

19286846Colleen knows something is wrong with her baby sis and the all she wants to do is kick David's ass and take care of Mallory. At her exclusive resort Colleen gives Mallory everything she needs to recuperate and then some.

Max Spencer has been assigned by his boss, Colleen to be Mallory's bodyguard and while he knows he should stay away, he can't help falling for the messed up Doctor he can relate to. Mallory and Max develop a friendship that quickly turns into something more.

The story was short and enjoyable, Max and Mallory made a cute couple and I can't wait to read more books in this series; I really want to read about Colleen's assistant and her head of security those two look like there is a really good and dramatic story there.

Rating 4 out of 5
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Thursday, October 9, 2014

The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances by Matthew Inman, The Oatmeal

20926077If you read one inspirational book this year [or whats left of this year] it has to be this one. The book is written in a journal/confessional style, where the author tells us about how he is a masochist and got into the horrible, torture filled activity that is running.

The book is full of satire and observational jokes that reemphasize that running is demonic sport meant to torture people.

The author goes into his personal struggles with his weight and his unhealthy life style. One of the key messages of this book is that exercising should not be about losing weight and dieting, it should be about you making changes for yourself because you want to feel good.

I absolutely love the Blerch, the little fat cherub that encourages all our bad choices. That was really funny; the Blerch is the cool friend that brings you a burger and some large fries, just because.

This book is really good and super hilarious and definitely worth the about $20 you would spend on it, that's like two large McDonald meals.

Rating 5 out of 5
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Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Kiss Me, Cowboy by Melissa McClone

23203522This is the third book in the series, like the first and second book, it takes place in the town of Marietta in the time before, during and after the 76th annual Copper Mountain Rodeo. This book follows Charlie "Charlotte" and Zack as they work to sort their lives and find happiness, either together or on their own. 

I'm just throwing this out there but during the entire book you just want to smack Zack upside the head for being such a jerk.


Charlie likes Zack, Zack likes Charlie; seems easy enough. Except Zack doesn't want to date someone he works with because of something that happened in the past. Charlie has decided that it's time to get over Zack and as she contemplates a job in another state. Zack knows he doesn't want Charlie to go, he doesn't want to lose her, so he offers to help find her a boyfriend [this is where you want to smack him upside the head], except, Zack doesn't like the idea of Charlie being with someone else.

The entire book is Zack accepting his feelings for Charlie and acting on them and then pulling away and then realizing he's wrong. Still a very good story and I loved that gives you a look at what is going on with the other characters in town that are only briefly mentioned in the first and second books in the series.


Rating 4 out of 5
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Montana Born Rodeo Series
Book #1 Tease Me, Cowboy
Book #2 Cherish Me, Cowboy
Book #3 Kiss Me, Cowboy

Cherish Me, Cowboy by Alissa Callen

23111275This is the second book in the series, like the first book, it takes place in the town of Marietta in the time before, during and after the 76th annual Copper Mountain Rodeo. This book follows Payton and Cordell as they work to sort their lives and find happiness.

Payton is struggling to maintain her farm after a severe drought, her only help comes from her widowed, old neighbor and father like figure, Henry.


Cordell is on a mission to find someone [this is the juicy part], so he comes to town with a goal that does not include falling for a tough as nails cowgirl and finding a place to call home.

The story is great, it's sweet, it's dramatic and the characters are very likable. 
The combination of various authors, really makes this series shine. Every author brings their own great and unique style to the series. It's so hard not to include spoilers as I right this review, so that's your hint to how good this book actually is. 

Rating 5 out of 5
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Montana Born Rodeo Series
Book #1 Tease Me, Cowboy
Book #2 Cherish Me, Cowboy

Monday, October 6, 2014

I Married a Billionaire: The Prodigal Son (I Married a Billionaire #3) by Melanie Marchande

This is the final installment in the series. Maddy and Daniel have now been married for a while and things look like they're starting to be okay in their life, or so it seems.
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When a ghost from Daniel's past appears things get crazy. Daniel's father has been dead for quite some time, or so it seemed. Now that Daniel knows that his father faked his death there are a lot of hurt feelings.

Maddy gets some really surprising news and now Maddy must now find a way to reconcile Daniel and his father so that no shadows from the past hang over their future.

The story is a great conclusion to the series and it's a good way to end things. It has everything a series finale should have, suspense, drama and a whole lot of crazy.

Rating 4 out of 5
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Friday, October 3, 2014

Except My Love by Mary Burchell

Ugh, I hated this story. Oliver was such a jerk, he marries Erica and although at first it's a marriage of convenience; Erica really does love Oliver. When Oliver tells her he doesn't want her love and that he's basically still in love with his ex, who by the way was a total bitch. Erica finally leaves Oliver.

Oliver, doesn't even really have any feelings for his ex, he only goes to see her because he wants to show Erica that her opinion doesn't matter. Oliver appears to be hurt when Erica leaves him, or at least that's the impression when these two see each other almost two years later. The only silver lining in that two year separation is that based on their conversations, Oliver doesn't cheat on Erica, so that's like a point for him.

After leaving Oliver, Erica finds out she's pregnant, she names her baby Oliver, but calls him Bunny. After seeing each other, Oliver tries to mend his wrongs with Erica. Eventually in the end they reconcile, but the ending was so blah. Oliver really never apologizes and their getting back together is so unrealistic.

Rating 3 out of 5
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Displaced Persons by Derek McCulloch

This book starts off a little weird and even as you read, you're still like "what?", but what you do get is that everything revolves around a tree that temporally displaces people. The book follows various generations of one family and you will see the interaction between future and past generations as they all come in contact with this tree.

Displaced Persons OGNThe people of the past never know they are interacting with someone from the future. It trippy and a unique concept so it's worth checking out. The art is all in what would be considered black and white, except it uses sepia, grayish blue or blackish gray at different points in the timeline. 

Rating 3.5 out of 5
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Thursday, October 2, 2014

Manga Classics: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, Tszmei Lee (Illustrations)

21433251Les Miserables has been turned into a manga, the book is entertaining and fun. Because it's a manga it will read backwards, so I know a lot of people will not like. The illustrations are in typical manga style, big expressive eyes and long flowing hair. The story is told a PG-13 so it's not too graphic or anything. Definitely worth checking out.

Rating 4 out of 5
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Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Injustice: Gods Among Us Year 2 Vol. 1 by Tom Taylor, Mike S Miller (Illustrations), Tom Derenick (Illustrations)

If you played the game you know that following Lois Lane's death, the Man of Steel crosses over to the dark side. Finding that the only way to protect humanity is to implement martial law, he sets out to create a new world order with him at the helm and any hero that disagrees, will find themselves and outlaw or worse, dead.

Even in a totalitarian state the people will not submit to this new world order and a resistance is formed, led by the Dark Knight. Batman and his allies, know Superman has gone too far and they must bring him down.

The story is riveting and engaging, you never think of the day you will see the JLA as the bad guys and more importantly, you never think of the day when Sinestro and Superman will be allies. The illustrations are incredible, they implement a much darker color scheme that conveys atrocities of this new world. This is one series you definitely have to follow to the bitter end and see how many heroes will fall from grace.

Rating 5 out of 5
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