This was a very sweet holiday read; Lucy DeMarco has turned into a semi-grinch following some shocking revelations by her father on his deathbed. When Lucy finds herself needing a place to crash after her pipes freeze (I am still so unclear how that is possible) her friend Lane Scott lets her stay at his cottage and there she meets another looking for a place to crash.
When a storm makes it impossible for Trey Scott to continue to the gathering his family is having, he decides what the hell, he'll crash at his brother's place. Trey and Lucy find a way to pass the night and from there what started as fun turns into two sad hearts finding the one person that makes them smile.
The story was really sweet and when Trey finally get's his head out of his lens, well that was just icing on the cake.
Rating 4 out of 5
Read@Book
This story was going so nicely and then the final chapters were just so bleh; I felt like the end was just so rushed.
We get a funny meeting scene between Mick Atwell and Lucy Waverly; which by the way know-it-all big brothers should not share certain stories with their best friend's. Mick and Lucy worked really well throughout the whole story and seemed like a very well set couple, but then at the end it just went wrong. When Mick finally comes back to grovel to Lucy, there really isn't any groveling or "let me think about it" from Lucy. Plus the whole scene with Lucy's ex-boss and what was supposed to be an action packed moment just fell flat.
I've read a few of Ms. Marks stories and I'm usually very impressed, however, although this one was good, it wasn't great.
Rating 3.5 out of 5
Read@Book
This book was meh, Kate and Alf have been together for like forever and at the age of 32 Kate finally thinks that this is the birthday Alf will pop the big question. When that doesn't happen, Kate begins to wonder if Alf is the "ONE" or should she just move on.
Enter Alf's friend Marcus and with his kind demeanor he has Kate questioning her life and should she keep hanging on to Alf.
Okay first of, what made this book so meh was the fact that there is no way a guy can be that oblivious, you've been with this woman for seven years and you practically don't know her. Then we finally see Alf grow and become more attuned to Kate and Kate just automatically embraces this change in such a rushed manner. I could not feel the communication between the two characters so this one is meh.
Rating 3 out of 5
Read@Book
Dane Bergman is Mr. Top-of-the-World, his company, The Bergman Group is super successful. He is a super commitment phobe which when you learn his backstory you understand.
Pamela "Pam" Atwater is Dane's super efficient personal assistant and second in command. She is such a pushover softy.
When Dane learns that one of his many flings resulted in Dani, a cute little girl who is still reeling from losing her mommy, he decides to do the responsible thing.
Dane starts relying even more on Pam and eventually these two come together. Sure they have some hiccups, what with Dane being an idiot and Pam trying to protect her heart. The proposal was so sweet, however, at the end there is reference to them being finally married; it would have been nice to get a page or two on them getting actually married.
At first I kinda did not like Dane at all he seemed like a jerk and Pam seemed like such a pushover when it came to him. As the story progresses you get to see why each character is the way they are and they grow on you. Ms. Snopek really knows how to bring a dramatic and captivating story that keeps the reader hooked and thinking of the happy ending.
Rating 5 out of 5
Read@Book
This was a super short read, the mini story follows Mike Kennedy who makes a wager with his friends in Cambridge to show that his hometown of Tide's Way, North Carolina really is as kind and goodhearted as he believes them to be.
Mike wagers that if there was a homeless person in his hometown, the people would be kind enough to bring him food. Mike uses his spring break to go spend a week disguised as a homeless man. After three days he is beginning to feel discouraged, until someone leaves him a plate of nice warm food for him to enjoy and the next day he gets invited to breakfast. No one knew who he was only that he needed a meal. After his return to school, he takes his winnings and decides to spend them on the homeless people in the area.
It's a quick 30-minute read about kindness and optimism. It might be nice if the author expanded this short story in a full book.
Rating 5 out of 5
Read@Book
New York Times cartoonist Matthew Diffee brings us a book that is darkly and satirically hilarious. The jokes in this book are not for everyone and depending on your sense of humor you might find them offensive or you might not understand them at all. The cartoons have minimal text and require the reader to understand conceptual comedy.
I had a lot of fun reading this one. The entire book is in black and white and the pages that have text are just beyond funny. If you're looking for a new coffee table book that will show you which of your friends are smart and which ones are not this is a perfect book, plus you get to tease them a little or a lot. Diffee really knows how to write an engaging collection of cartoons with very a very appealing title.
P.S. My favorite cartoon had to do with Doctor and Lawyer and the retention of one of those two
Rating 5 out of 5
Read@Book
Oh my freakin god, at the end of volume one Euless "Coach" Boss kills Earl Tubb and the people of Craw County, Alabama stood idly by and did nothing. In volume two we get to see the story behind the monster; growing up poor, with a dead mother and a criminal father Euless didn't have much. The only thing Euless has is football and when that is taken from him he goes dark, I mean really dark.
While reading, I felt really bad for Euless at first, but as his story progresses you start to think what a douche. He revolved his whole life around one event that he eventually becomes so much worse than the petty criminal his father was. The people of Craw County were just awful, they turn a blind eye and prefer to hide out of fear. They don't even realize that together they can overpower Euless and his thugs. Plus going off the stereotypes in the book, I'm gonna say, guns are everywhere.
The art like in volume one is impressive, but what really hooks you is the compelling characters and the dramatic story. Like volume one, volume two ends in a death and the introduction of a new character. I'd like to say who dies and who's coming, but what's the fun in that.
Rating 5 out of 5
Read@Book
