Showing posts with label < Three Stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label < Three Stars. Show all posts

Books That Didn't Make the Cut Pt. 2

August 07, 2022


I'm back with three more books that weren't for me, but they might be perfect for you.

Maybe.



The Stopover by T L Swan

The Stopover by T L Swan


I was upgraded to first class on a flight from London to New York.
The food, champagne, and service were impeccable.
The blue-eyed man sitting next to me, even better.
He was suave and intelligent.
We talked and laughed, and something clicked.
Fate took over and the plane was grounded, and we had an unexpected stopover for the night.
With no plans, we made our own.
We danced and laughed our way around Boston and had a night of crazy passion that no woman would ever forget.
That was twelve months ago, and I haven’t heard from him—until today.
I started a new job and met the CEO. You can imagine my surprise to see those naughty blue eyes dance with delight when he saw me across the mahogany desk.
But I’m not that carefree girl anymore. My life has changed, I have responsibilities.
I just got an email.
He wants to see me in his office for a private meeting at 8:00 a.m.
Naughty blue eyes have no place in the workplace.
What kind of private meeting does he have in mind?

NO RATING - I am struggling to read this book. Why is it told from a single perspective? And why does that single perspective have to be the heroine, who happens to be really hard to like?

Okay, although I did get some quick peeks at Jameson's mind, it wasn't enough to counteract the pain of reading about Emily. Her thoughts and feelings were too dramatic (honestly, she was so irrelevant) and she was too much of a brat for me to tolerate. I've read plenty of books from this author and LOVED them. This just doesn't happen to be one of them. Instead of rating it poorly, I'm going to leave it right here on my DNF shelf. Sucks too because this story had tons of potential. Jameson and his dirty mind and mouth!


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Poet by Crimson Syn

Poet by Crimson Syn


POE - I’ve been left for dead. Twice.
I’ve been threatened countless times.
And yet, someone up there still wants me alive.
My name is Poe Chambers, better known as POET.
A name given to memorialize a murderer.
Bad things happened, and now I have to live with my mistakes.
But in the center of all my chaos,
There’s an angel.
And my vow is to never allow her to suffer again.

GRACE - Poe has returned to me,
But he’s not the same man I once knew.
Tall, rough, brooding, and built like steel,
Yet there’s something in him that burns deep.
Revenge.
And there’s no stopping his agenda.
I want to keep him safe.
But how am I to do that,
When the men who once threatened his life,
Have now set their sights on me?

NO RATING - I've read pretty much everything Crimson Syn has written and loved it so reading this should have been an easy thing to do. It wasn't. It was such a different read and things happened that I'm not down with nor did I expect this author to go in this direction and I just can't continue.

It's a second chance romance... I think. But after a hot and intense scene between the characters, I'm dumped into a scene where the 'hero' is all over and obsessed with another woman. What?! And then it goes further off the rails from there. Instead of having this book take away my love for this author, I'm going to quit while I'm ahead. I can only hope my next read from her goes back to the old tried-and-true formula I've come to know and love and appreciate from her.


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Blood Trial by Kelly St. Clare

Blood Trial by Kelly St. Clare


The dice are rolled at midnight.

As the twenty-one-year-old heiress to the Le Spyre fortune, my life should consist of strawberry mojitos and golf carts. Right?

But I’m determined to forge my own path.

Desperate to escape the meaningless games of the rich, I flee my family’s estate.

Secret alias—check.
Place to sleep—uh, kind of?
Job—crap!

I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, but that’s the least of my worries.

My city is a giant board game. The players are supernatural— freakin’ vampires—including an overbearing crown prince whose unwanted attention could spell my demise.

Now, I must play their deadly game, or my grandmother and best friend will pay the ultimate price.

NO RATING - I feel like I was reading a different book from the one that garnered all of those four and five-star reviews I've seen. I don't get it. Maybe it's because it was told from the heroine's pov. Maybe it's because the heroine was suffering from poor little rich girl syndrome while knowing and acknowledging and obviously not caring that she was suffering from poor little rich girl syndrome. I really don't know.

The writing itself, without the baggage of the heroine, was fine.

The Books That Didn't Make the Cut

July 16, 2022


Hey y'all! This is a post that has been simmering at the back of my mind for a while. For the last few years, I haven't posted any of my reviews that were less than 3 stars. I didn't think it was fair to the authors and I wanted to keep the blog upbeat. But then I thought... well, just because the book didn't work for me doesn't mean that one of my readers wouldn't absolutely adore it, right?

So here I am, sharing three of the books that I didn't like, hoping it may reach someone who is willing to give it a try and maybe fall in love.

It might work. It might not. But at least these books got a chance to shine.

Please Note: this is only three books and I have even more to share (unfortunately). I will definitely be putting together another post soon.



Torn (Fallen Angel #1) by Ditter Kellen


One angel’s redemption and the love that saved his soul...

A fallen angel desperately seeking redemption, a terminally ill girl hoping for a miracle she believes will never come, and a demon who will stop at nothing to keep them apart. When Exodus and Niki’s worlds collide, they just might find what they’re looking for. If they survive…A heartfelt story of hope, forgiveness, and a love stronger than time...

TWO STARS - This read like a sweet, country, small-town romance with a touch of paranormal. It was pretty bland, with a spark of something else. I felt like the author didn't give it the push it needed to make it special, although it had plenty of potential. I've read from this author before (and she slayed), so this book won't stop me from giving her another try.

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Arranged by R.K. Lilley


There were rules in the cash-for-beauty game. The money held the power. The beauty followed the rules and jumped through the hoops.

THE BRIDE
I knew what everyone would think if they knew the truth about my marriage. They'd be shocked and appalled. And rightly so. I was a young, modern, independent woman, and I'd done the unthinkable. I'd sold my virginity to a spoiled, rich boy. To a stranger who didn’t love me.

And yes, I'd done it all for money.

THE GROOM
My bride was as gorgeous as she was unwelcome. As desirable as she was unwanted. I wanted nothing to do with her, but that didn’t seem to matter exactly the second she got close enough to touch. I wanted her to hate me more than she loved the millions she’d sold herself for.

I wanted to spurn her, but unfortunately, I wanted to fuck her more.

NO RATING - I remember adding this during the hype of this author. And I really enjoyed what I had read from her before. But this one doesn't seem like the read for me. Cheating, decidedly unsympathetic characters, a plot that I can't really feel, and I KNOW this isn't for me.

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Mesmerized (Technicolor Love, #3) by Violet Elizabeth Moon


Madison Lee has always been the resilient type. With an absent father and a mother who goes through marriages the way most people go through wine tasting, she's had to be. So when she finally finds the love of her life and he vanishes, she has no choice but to get through this too.

Except Gabriel Delacroix comes back, and he comes back better than ever: he's a vampire.

Madison has loved and believed in the supernatural since she was a child, so the return of her lover and the hypnotically enchanting world he now belongs to is delightful. There's only one problem: Gabriel has the choice to age with her, or gain immortality, and he doesn't have a lot of time left to decide...

TWO 1/2 STARS - Madison is obsessed with the supernatural until her love is lost... it all comes back when he returns as a whole new man.

The characters lacked depth and this is one of the reasons why I don't like single perspectives. However, Gabe had the potential to be something more. I was intrigued by him and the mystery he brought to this read. I enjoyed the author's take on what vampires are like. It was unlike anything I've seen before so it gets stars for being unique.