Not Quite Dating--Catherine Bybee

She has commitment issues. He has commitment issues.  

Catherine Bybee weaves a tumultuous tale of half-truths and hidden feelings. I love Catherine Bybee’s writing style but this one was a bit predictable, even for her. Sometimes that isn’t a bad thing; sometimes a cute, sweet romance is just what the soul needs. When I read this series that is exactly what I was looking for and that is what I got.

The biggest issue for me was Jack Morrison’s dishonesty. You find out in the first chapter that he is going to withhold something huge, huge like he is a multimillionaire (if not billionaire). He has a point he wants whoever he is with to like him for him and not his money like that last few of his conquests. But Jessie is not a normal girl. She has it set in her head that if a man doesn’t have money he isn’t set to “protect and provide”.  Her stance comes from a serial monogamous mother and a deadbeat baby-daddy. So when Jack pretends that he picks up waiter shifts at the Morrison Hotel for the holidays, she views him as unstable and is unwilling to date him.

They definitely have their ups and downs, mostly it stems from the dishonesty.  Let’s face it, out of all the books we have read, whenever there is a giant secret it comes to light in the most gruesome and misconstrued way possible. I mean, every single time! There doesn’t seem to be one book that has the secret keeper divulge his drama is a quick and timely manner. No, nope, definitely not. This book is no exception.

One thing I will say, I tend to avoid books with children because they are unrealistic when it comes to parenting. “Oh sure we can spontaneously fly off to Jamaica for a week and not bring the kid.”  “We have been on an extended weekend and I haven’t called to check up on my kid once.” Yeah, not realistic. However, Catherine Bybee must feel the same as me because Jessie’s relationship with her son is quite realistic, so I was impressed. Plus Jack spends quite a bit of his time ensuring that everything he is doing for Jessie’s son is okay with Jessie.  Score two for realism! Overall an enjoyable read, even if it is predictable.

Soul Rest-- Joey W. Hill

This was my first book of this series (of course I didn't realize that until I had started it but luckily they can be read as standalones). So far the series is truly amazing; Joey W. Hill did an amazing job of weaving this twisted tale. There are so many insignificant things that we don't see or think about but Celeste being the awesome reporter that she is does. Not only that I think it's a very inviting way to reveal hidden clues. Some books you get the feeling of being an idiot because you didn't piece things together. In this book though, everyone but Celeste feels like an idiot, too.

Now, on to the beefy-man-cake that is Leland. He is an Alpha male with a capital A. once a Marine now a police sergeant. He sees Celeste and knows that she has the spark he wants and needs in a relationship. He also knows what he will do to get it. Celeste refusing to submit while being naturally submissive, as you might guess it causes some problems. Those infractions are solved by Leland’s 'master'ful hands. He was a very well written and rounded character.

The book kept bringing up the fact that he is black, I don't mind the description reminders but it just seemed forced at times. If you read the book, you know he's black we don't need to be reminded every few paragraphs. Also, Celeste is told to have a pixie cut in the very beginning but for the life of me I was not picturing her with one. She had longer hair that she loved to wear up out of her face. A pixie cut didn't work with who I saw her as. (Obviously the author saw her with a pixie but I couldn't reconcile the two.) There were things like this that made this book read slow to me. I just wasn't as engaged as I wanted to be.

I enjoyed the book, no doubting that, however there was something that stopped me from sinking fully into this book. I don't know what it was, but that's what knocked down the rating for me.

3.5 STARS

#Hater--Cambria Hebert

This is the second installment of the Hashtag series by Cambria Hebert and the continuation of Romeo and Rimmel’s story.  #Hater follows the drama that surrounds the “it-couple” and the fall-out from dethroning Zach.  Romeo feels the hate first and he knows why; publicly humiliated and slightly psychotic Zach’s plan is to make Romeo pay. He also knows the best way to get to Romeo is through Rimmel.

Romeo is on edge but Rimmel doesn’t really think that it is anything to worry about--that is until she is attacked.  Not only is she attacked but her attacker takes a picture of her in a forced and compromising position.  Now the threat is real, neither Romeo nor Rimmel know how far they are willing to take it to get revenge.

I liked #Nerd better, this one seemed a bit farfetched, while I know that obsession in people who are chemically imbalanced is a bad thing and can happen. What Zach did in this book just doesn’t seem all that plausible. Don’t get me wrong the climax was nice and all but what really got me was right at the end. Romeo’s mother starts spouting all kinds of things and BAM almost like a cliffhanger. Who does that? (Okay, granted quite a few people do but come on!)

With Me Series-- Komal Kant

This series is all interconnected but the books can be read as standalone. I recommend that, if you read them, you start from the first as I did but it's ultimately up to you.

Where to begin with this book, this was my favorite out of the series. In the beginning of this book Ashton was your stereotypical stuck up cheerleader. Luca is her next door neighbor with whom she hadn't spoken to in seven years--doesn't seem plausible since I don't even know my neighbors but I still talk to them about once a month and I usually try to avoid interactions. Luca and Ashton were best friends until his dad died and he pushed her away. By the time he came back to her she had moved onto new friends and a new personality. She was no longer the Ashton he knew, she was a shadow of her former self filled with hate and evilness.

She's a bully plain and simple. She gets turned in for bullying (yay books doing something right!) She basically forces Luca to be her friend again, or more correctly persuades him to her boyfriend so she can become popular again.

It is the petty stuff that is disconcerting, but on the positive side throughout the whole story Ashton is learning more and more about herself and by the end of the book she has truly found who she I supposed to be.Overall 3.5 stars.

I have a very hard time believing this story. Not only does the main storyline (which is a giant spoiler and will not be shared here) have a few gaping plot holes, there's the familial drama that due to the main storyline I find unrealistic to the extreme. It was a romantic loving story that doesn't really make much sense in the grand scheme of thing but it was enjoyable enough that I wanted to read the next book.

While I was reading this I kept checking the pages left, trying to see how they would resolve everything in the short amount of pages left. The fact of the matter is they didn't. The last few chapters should have and could have taken up half the book. Vincent up and changed his entire life and Estella got a tattoo which fixed all her deep seated issues out being sexually abused. This was my least favorite of the series and left much to be desired but also killed my enthusiasm to read the rest of the books.

My Life with the Walter Boys--Ali Novak

Jackie just lost her entire family to a tragic car accident. After the accident, her uncle moved in to her New York City apartment to try and get her life back to normal. However, it wasn't really working, most of the people around her were worried that she was closing herself off to others. So what do they decide to do?! Ship her off to Colorado with a family friend, who has twelve kids! It gets better, not just twelve kids but twelve boys. (Eleven if we are being technical but the one girl is a tom boy to the extreme.)

So just from the start the premise is a bit weird. Send a girl who might be depressed away from everything she knows to people she has never met. In my opinion not smart.  She doesn’t really know where she fits in anymore, so the brothers help her find a spot in their school.

Most of the drama surrounds her and her romance (or lack thereof) with two of the brothers. Isn’t that one of the first rules in the girl code? Do NOT, I repeat DO NOT date brothers.  On top of that don’t date your roommates.  Maybe it’s just me but those seem like a really good list of things to not do. But Jackie does them ALL. Goodness woman, haven’t you learned anything in all the books you claimed to have read.

This book really irritated me, while I know it was set in high school, what parent is okay with their son having a different girl over every week and well known hook-ups.  Then there were all the shenanigans that the older kids got into. It just wasn’t plausible and really simplistic.  While I was reading it, it was okay but it was definitely not the best that I have read in a while. Disappointing since I heard good things about it.

Books a plenty, Books GALORE!

It seems that all I have wanted to do recently was read books, while there is nothing inherently wrong with that it makes doing other things difficult--like laundry and dishes. Not only have my household chores suffered my growing pile of reviews that need to be written has exploded. Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of them, I read more books instead of reviewing...it's a vicious cyle. Since I am 28 (or so) books ahead of my Goodreads Challenge of 365 books this year.  I am taking a break--for as long as I can handle... it might be a few days might be a week and a half, who knows?  In that time I hope to catch up with my reviews and do a LOK  (Legend of Korra) Marathon with my husband. I am in the middle of one book now, but that will be my last for a little while.

Good Reading.

Mud Vein--Tarryn Fisher

 There hasn't been a book in a long time that while I'm reading I think "this is an amazing book". Most books I find flaws or start nit-picking at where the book will go. Tarryn Fisher kept me pulled into this book; I hung on every word she wrote.

Senna the main character is numb, numb to the world, numb to herself. But as a reader you are anything but numb. You absorb all the feelings that she neglects, that Senna pushes away.

While the book may be highly improbable, what with the dual abduction and the craziness that happens, somehow while reading it I was convinced that the story was actually happening. The charater development was amazing, Senna went from this shell of a person to someone who faces her past and rights her wrongs.  Isaac is more of a support character, he may be a huge part of the plot, but his entire role was to lead Senna to facing her life and everything had happened. I really just was enthralled by this book.

I think what Senna goes through in this book is an analogy of herself. Senna is locked inside herself projecting a cold front, refusing others care or compassion or love. In the present, she is locked in a building surrounded by ice and snow, unable to get help. One circumstance locked her up and one unlocks her.

It made me think, while Nick saw her Mud Vein, while Isaac only saw her. People can be viewed so differently by others. I just am reeling from finishing this book; I'm still running on the adrenaline and endorphins. This book to me was amazing--slightly depressing but amazing all the same.  When I say slightly depressing, I mean this book is one I probably won’t read again because it’s so depressing.
 

Wife by Wednesday-- Catherine Bybee

The Weekday Brides #1

Have you ever been running a match making service (that is more for financial gain then love) and then been propositioned by one of you r clients? No. Well neither had Sam Elliot until the fateful day when she met Blake Harrison. After the first meeting he decides to offer her a 10 MILLION dollar proposal for a year of marriage. He has to meet his father’s wishes, or he would lose his inheritance. Of course Sam thinks he is crazy but she realizes that she is even crazier if she turns down the offer especially since she needs the money for her sister.  The only probably she sees is keeping the relationship professional mainly because Blake is one hunky, hunky piece of man-cake.

She fits into his lifestyle as seamlessly as a hired bride can; she gave up most everything to follow him to Europe where his family and estate are. Fitting into his life is actually almost too easy, so cue the struggles and the jealous ex-lovers… in this case there was only one crazy ex-lover dubbed the Viper. She thinks she is heads above Sam so she will do everything in her power to undermine their relationship. Not only is the ex an issues, dearest Daddy’s lawyers are a pain in the butt as well, they stoop so low as to bug Sam’s household.

Sam who has been independent for many years has to really lean on Blake throughout this book because many of the things that are happening are beyond her control. Her growth as a character is quite realistic and enjoyable. Catherine Bybee knows how to write a captivating and fun romance story while having an overall theme of honesty and trust.