Random thoughts on a day spent in bed reading!

Its been a long time since I sat at my laptop to write a blogpost, its been even longer since I read a book from cover to cover - let alone enjoyed it! But it had been a long week at work and all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and spend the day snuggled up with my cats and escape into a world of fantasy and adventure for a few hours.

My book of choice was Deadmen Walking by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Now, off the top of my head I don't think I've read a book from this author in almost seven years... and I have to say it was really easy to slip back into the world that has been created.

Yes, there are some new characters to get to know and a few new rules to learn about them, but there are also a few familiar faces and mentions to help you acclimatize - and I won't waffle on about character and world building, because this isn't an actual review... just a few thoughts I've rattled off as I cook dinner!

I'm guessing that fans of the Dark Hunter world will either have loved it or hated it and that's okay, I thoroughly enjoyed my lazy day in bed meeting new hero's and remembering why I loved this world to begin with... it may be time to catch up on all the books I've missed in between!

For a new series within an already well established world I give it 3.5 stars

Book Review ~ Rough Justice by Sarah Castille

Title: Rough Justice (Sinner's Tribe Motorcycle Club #1)

Author: Sarah Castille
Release Date: February 3rd 2015 (originally published in 2013 by Avon Books)
Publisher: St. Martin's
Source: Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

From bestselling author Sarah Castille comes a scorching new series featuring red-hot, hard-riding bikers and the women who can’t help but love them…

IT TAKES A GOOD, STRONG WOMAN

Raised in a motorcycle gang, tough, beautiful Arianne Hunter has always dreamed of a normal life. But no sooner does she escape her father’s domineering grasp than she wakes up to find herself in a rival gang’s clubhouse—at the mercy of the dangerously sexy Jagger Knight.

TO TAME A MAN WHO’S HELL ON WHEELS.

The alpha leader of the notorious Sinner’s Tribe, Jagger Knight is all muscle, all biker, and all man. But somewhere inside this hard tattooed outlaw, Arianne senses a kindred spirit—and she can’t ignore their tempestuous attraction. Can she beat him at his own game in a revved-up blaze of glory? Or will their passion spark a war that’s the end of the road for them both?

I have to say SOA has a lot to answer for. Never have I seen so many motor cycle club themed romance novels!!

Considering Rough Justice is all about a criminal MC, I found it all a bit tame - I was expecting a lot more violence, a lot more hard edged danger and meanness from the bikers.
I also found myself getting thoroughly confused as Rough Justice contained members with the same or extremely similar names to bikers in other stories I have read recently!!

The writing was okay, I did find myself zoning out a bit. Rough Justice could have done with something to set it aside from all those other biker books, and it didn’t.
Over all 3 ½ stars

Release Day Book Review ~ Hitched by Karpov Kinrade

HITCHED, the first book in the deliciously schmexy Red Shoe Memoirs series by wife-and-husband writing duo Karpov Kinrade, is here!

WARNING: This book contains a lot of sex and a lot of swearing. Now go enjoy it.

Get it on Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Nook Add it on Goodreads

"Hitched is a deliciously fun romp in the sheets with a swoon-worthy man.  If you're looking for a sexy read, look no further."  - Courtney Cole, NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author -

He called me "wife." This man standing naked in front of me. Tall. Dark. Sexy as sin... He's my husband?

Disjointed images from the night before, the night I can't entirely remember, float into my mind. Meeting him in the bar. Sharing tidbits of our lives. I own a company that plans bachelor parties. He's a pediatric heart surgeon. We both live in Las Vegas, but we come from very different worlds.

And then I remember that kiss. The way his lips brushed against mine, gentle at first, then harder, deeper, with more urgency. Sex in the elevator. Hot, forbidden, delicious.

I remember the way he made me feel. The way our bodies fit perfectly together. But I don't remember marrying him. And now, he won't let me go. Dr. Sexy who saves children for a living. He wants the summer to prove we are meant to be.

I can give him a summer. But can I give him a lifetime?

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas...or it changes your life forever.

This is the first book by writing duo Karpov Kinrade that I have read. Unless you want to count the children's book by Kimberley Kinrade that I read with one of my daughters a couple of years ago!

Hitched is based around a tried and true theme; woman wakes up from a drunken night in Vegas with no recollection of the night before - and lo - she's married! Not that I have a problem with this popular theme, but I started reading Hitched with an expectation of something to break it from the box I had inadvertently put it in.

The romantic story of Hitched is pretty good. Sebastian and Kacie have their lives pretty much mapped out and are on track to get what they want from their careers and friendships etc. But all that is put to the test when Sebastian decides he wants his impromptu marriage to Kacie to continue and begins wooing his reluctant and fiercely independent wife.

Kacie is not interested and immediately sets in motion an annulment, but all the flowers and gifts, and the sexy doctor himself, wear down her resolve and a relationship ensues - if only temporarily.

Hitched is a rather sex laden read, I'm not sure I'd go as far as to say the sex was erotic - exuberant yes - but I didn't really get a hot and sexy, erotic feel from it. In fact it was pretty normal sex when compared to some of the more well known erotic books hitting the headlines these days!

Overall I liked the story and Hitched was a relatively quick and easy read, although the second half of the book was filled with frequent short chapters that took away from the flow somewhat. I would also have liked more character building if anything as I found Sebastian and Kacie both lacked depth and therefore I wasn't 100% invested in them.

Still a good read for fans of an almost fairytale romance, 3.5 stars.

Karpov Kinrade is the pen name for the husband and wife writing duo of bestselling, award-winning authors Kimberly Kinrade and Dmytry Karpov.

Together, they write all things sexy in romance, mystery and paranormal that will get your blood boiling and keep you turning pages.

Look for more from Karpov Kinrade in the Call Me Cat trilogy, the Seduced Saga and the Forbidden Trilogy. Read all about their extensive book list at www.readKK.com.

They live with three little girls who think they’re ninja princesses with super powers and who are also showing a propensity for telling tall tales and using the written word to weave stories of wonder and magic.

Find them on their website | Facebook | Twitter | Epic Fan Perks Newsletter

Book Review ~ Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Tile: Black Ice
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Release Date: October 7th 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: Received from the publisher for an honest review

Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late.

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place on that very mountain... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

BLACK ICE is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous…

Initially I found Black Ice a little difficult to get into. When we first meet Mason he comes across as super sweet, and Britt seems like a reasonably resilient girl but once it slipped into a flirty “I’m gonna make you jealous” scenario, I was rolling my eyes... it’s all so cliché, and the best friend is an annoying whiny bitch! Who wants to be friends with someone that absolutely grates on your nerves, treats you like crap and says nasty things behind your back, I didn’t understand this friendship at all.

By the 25% mark the story picked up some. I found myself curious and more attentive of the characters; I started to care about them a little and the situation which they found themselves in. But with its erratic story flow I repeatedly became bored and I had pretty much guessed who the murderer was before the halfway point.

While Black Ice was an okay read, it wasn’t the thrilling story I was expecting. I wasn’t captivated by the situation or the characters, and the love story element fell flat for me. There was an attraction early on but beyond the initial sizzle, it didn’t really go anywhere. I wasn’t sucked up into the story and it just didn’t feel authentic. The only part that I truly enjoyed was the epilogue – it was the only part of the book that I felt connected to, that actually felt genuine. All in all it was a little too predictable for me.

I was left with a sense that this may not be the last we will see of this Black Ice couple. I could be wrong but I was left with many questions, **no spoilers** but there were a couple of things said by the killer that had me questioning his motives – and whether he was alone in his murder spree.

An okay read overall but Black Ice only gets 3.5 stars from me.

Book Review ~ A Place For Us by Harriet Evans

Title: A Place For Us
Author: Harriet Evans
Release Date: September 9th 2014
Publisher: Hachette (NZ)
Source: Received from Booksellers NZ for an honest review

The day Martha Winter decided to tear apart her family began like any other day.

So opens A Place for Us by Harriet Evans, a book you'll dive into, featuring a family you'll fall in love with ... and never want to leave. If you devour Rosamund Pilcher and Maeve Binchy and have discovered Jojo Moyes, you'll be thrilled to add Harriet Evans to your collection of favourite authors.

The house has soft, purple wisteria twining around the door. You step inside.

The hall is cool after the hot summer's day. The welcome is kind, and always warm.

Yet something makes you suspect life here can't be as perfect as it seems.
After all, the brightest smile can hide the darkest secret.

But wouldn't you pay any price to have a glorious place like this?

Welcome to Winterfold.
Martha Winter's family is finally coming home.

I have to admit I found A Place For Us very difficult to get into. I found the constant changes in POV far too regular and that frustrated me. I wasn’t given enough time to familiarize myself with one member of the family before I was being thrust upon another.

I had the same problem with the time differences and I had to make a conscious effort to push through my misgivings and carry on because if I hadn’t this book would have ended up on the DNF (did-not-finish) pile less than 100 pages in!

It’s not that it was a bad book in any way, the writing is well developed and the story has merit – a little romance, some mystery, but it was all just a bit ordinary. I mean, I’m sure there are plenty of readers that will love this slowly paced family saga; I just found the time shifts and multiple points of view a little overdone and it made the flow of the book too clunky for me. And I prefer my family dramas more real, heated, scandalous, and full of gasp worthy moments – A Place For Us was just too safe and vanilla for my tastes.

Still a good if safe read, 3.5 stars.

Book Review ~ Close to the Wind by Zana Bell

Title: Close to the Wind
Author: Zana Bell
Release Date: October 15th 2013 (first published August 29th 2013)
Publisher: Choc Lit
Source: Received from Booksellers NZ for an honest review

What would you give to be free?

Georgiana da Silva is catapulted out of the Victorian drawing rooms and into a world of danger when she escapes her fiendish fiancé to engage in a mad dash across the world to save her brother before an unknown assassin can find him.

Meanwhile, Captain Harry Trent is setting sail for New Zealand. With a mission to complete and the law on his heels, he’s got enough trouble of his own without further complications.

Thrown together, unable to trust anyone, Georgiana and Harry are intent on fulfilling their missions despite the distractions of the other. But liberty comes at a price and the closer they get, the more they must question the true cost of being free.

Masquerades, deceptions and subterfuge – and that’s just on the heroine’s part.

My Thoughts

"It doesn't seem fair that New Zealand should have quite so many beautiful corners tucked away..." (Close to the Wind by Zana Bell)

I love a great historical romance, so when I was offered Close to the Wind for review I jumped at the chance; I can't say I've ever read a historical that is partially set in little old New Zealand!

The story starts off in 1860’s England with our heroine blissfully unaware of the turmoil and danger that is about to turn her already far from perfect world upside down.

In her haste to escape the grip of an overbearing aunt and a deceitful and dangerous fiancée, Georgiana disguises herself as ‘George’ and secures a position aboard a ship sailing to New Zealand in the hopes of finding and saving her sick brother. And so under the watchful, albeit blind-to-the-ruse eye of Captain Harry Trent, ‘George’, for the most part fits in to life at sea. But it’s not long before trouble finds our hapless heroes and things are again thrown awry.

Becoming ‘Georgiana’ again, our heroine tries to fend for herself and while thinking herself a master of disguise and cunning, takes on yet another persona in the hopes of throwing off the fiends on her trail.

Not knowing who to trust, yet falling victim at every turn, ‘Sarah’ finally makes her way to New Zealand to again find herself in the middle of another misunderstanding, another scuffle, and another change back to ‘Georgiana’ (are you keeping up, it’s confusing I know!) and finally sharing some tender moments with Harry. And then it’s all tied up into a tidy little bow with happily-ever-afters for everybody.

Close to the Wind is well written as far as grammar and punctuation etc go, but I found it hard to get into because I felt I was being told what to see rather than sinking into the story and feeling the journey. I enjoy heroines with lots of spunk and quick wit, but I didn’t feel that from Georgiana, I found her to be rather dull; her loyalty to her brother proving to be her one redeeming quality. I also felt let down by the lack of New Zealand in the story. If you’re going to use the tag line “Love, Passion and Adventure in 1860s New Zealand” on the cover, then you might want to make more use of its beauty and its people because other than a few phrases mentioning the mountains, the lack of decent roads, and the lightweight wooden buildings, there really isn’t much more detail. There’s no mention of the Chinese population that worked the mines or the Maori (indigenous people of NZ) that would have also been living in and around the surrounding countryside in which Harry and Georgiana traveled.

Overall, for me the book was a slow paced, thinly veiled historical read with a touch of light romance.

A good read if you’re not going to get hung up on the lack of depth or details, but Close to the Wind was not the swashbuckling adventure I was hoping for.
3.5 Stars

Book Review ~ Alienated by Melissa Landers

Title: Alienated (Alienated #1)
Author: Melissa Landers
Release Date: February 4th 2014
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Source: Received from the publisher via NetGalley

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.
 
My Thoughts

Alienated by Melissa Landers is a fresh and interesting YA story that revolves around the integration of an alien boy and a human girl.

I pretty much devoured the first two thirds of this book, soaking up the well written story, the interesting characters and the journey of prejudice and love in which Cara and Aelyx find themselves.

However, I felt let down by the rushed and too easy ending that just didn’t ring true for me. The hurried and seemingly simple solution to the plight of the entire world, and the punishment met out by the L’eihr elders just didn’t measure up with the punishments the reader is led to believe exists for much lesser crimes, earlier on in the book. 

The lack of emotion and compassion we are also led to believe about the L’eihr race seems to disappear in order to round out the story, letting Cara and Aelyx off pretty much scot-free.

Overall, I did enjoy the story and I’ll be sure to read the follow up, but in-my-opinion, there needs to be more story consistency in order to make it coherent and believable. 3.5 STARS