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Sassapphras

Sassapphras

A lass with sass / Who's full of class / Yet has the brass / To pass gas / To kick your ass / To be crass

Just the Sexiest Man Alive - Julie James Very well written and easy to read. There were a few grammatical errors, but nothing bad enough to get my panties in a bunch. I laughed out loud a few times, which always helps towards my overall feeling of a book. I think with more elaborate resolutions this could have been five stars; i.e:

1. Although the romance build-up was nice, ending the book as their relationship was just getting started was a little unsatisfactory. I also didn't like that they were engaged so soon and so publicly.

2. With Daniel sending flowers and leaving her phone messages, I honestly expected him to show up. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but a small drama scene with him showing up while Jason was there would have been interesting.

3. The whole relationship started because of Jason's work on a legal film, so an epilogue regarding his finished film would have been nice.

Overall, it was entertaining enough to read in one sitting.
Not Quite Dating (Not Quite series) - Catherine Bybee This book is the reason I have started to lay off of reading. I read my novels too fast and end up searching for hours, sometimes days, for something that sounds interesting to read, only to end up with something less than subpar. It's depressing, really. I got tired of looking for crappy books and have taken a break. While on Amazon one day, this book was being advertised, and with some pretty great reviews. I thought, "Hey, why not? It's been awhile since I picked something up and it's cheap." Well, I can only go so far through a bad story before I have to put it down--this one took me to 40% of the ride (over a several day period) before the towel was finally thrown in.

Now, as far as awful books go, this is not the worst I've read. But it is boring, boring, boring. The writing is flat, and the characters boring and one-dimensional. I respect my time too much to give this read any more of it.
Daughter of the Empire - 'Raymond E. Feist',  'Janny Wurts' I honestly think this book deserves 5 stars, but I just can't give it that.

The years Mara spent under Bunto's brutality didn't sit well with me. I am very American in that I can't understand family honor over honor of one's self. And also very American in that tradition doesn't hold to me like it does for those in older countries with more history. And the degradation Mara willingly put up with for the sake of the Acoma only made me angry. She was so strong throughout the entire story except during her time as Bunto's wife. Though she was strong then, too, images of her cowering from beatings truly effected the grand scheme of things for me. But a really great story. I do wish that Mara had more cunning in the last battle of wills with Jingo. Her sending the note to Teana seemed amateurish in that no plan really seemed to follow beyond getting Teana to her room. And the fact that they had to rely on the warlord's mage to prove things took away from the satisfaction of Mara finally seeing Jingo fall. I think if Mara were truly cunning she could have orchestrated something more public without roundabout means for proof.
City of Ghosts - Stacia Kane I liked the first 3 books, and I'm sure I'd like the next one (and perhaps others that come after), but I generally get bored with a world if there is little to no character development. Every story feels the same with only slight variances in detail. They start slow, a tiny bit of relationship drama happens somewhere in there, then finishes strong. But every time a new book is started, it feels like you almost literally start from the beginning of the series--book 1. Chess doesn't change. Ever. She's always a druggy, she always hates herself, she's always scared (though always goes after what she's scared of), and always powerless until the end... and it just keeps on. No growth. For that, although I liked the first three books in the series, I feel like I can't go on. Maybe I'm giving up too early, but I can't really see where Chess is going anymore--or maybe the problem is I can see where she's going (and it's nowhere). So that, combined with the fact that I really wanted Lex over Terrible (I think I'm the only reader who does), and know it's not possible for them because it's emotional with Terrible and has never been with anyone else, makes me feel like I'm done. But I will admit that it was good while it lasted. I just have a short attention span. If after three books some awesome shit hasn't permanently happened to the main character, I'm done.
Unholy Ghosts - Stacia Kane Turned out to be really good. Very different from most books in this genre--as far as the characters are concerned. I've read in many reviews that people didn't really like Chess, and although I'm not happy with her drug dependency, I thought she was a good heroine, if not a typical one. She has her issues, she lives in a crummy world. All in all, if she can function, I think she's doing alright. Definitely a heroine I hope to see grow. I actually really like the fact that she's not a Mary Sue. It's refreshing. Morally obsessed female protagonists piss me off.
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn - Alison Goodman Such a great story, but so badly executed. Maybe not bad, exactly, but not very good. I can handle the many long and tedious info dumps, but the heroine's naïveté and self-inflicted victimization is not something I can respect, or read without a constant feeling of loathing. And especially from a first-person pov, it's unacceptable [to me].

I'm hoping the next installment brings out a better, stronger side of the heroine. (fingers crossed!)
Cry Wolf - Patricia Briggs The whole story had a melancholy feel to it. It was also really slow-paced, often going on and on about a thing. It felt very linear, and none of the characters really popped out. But, it was entertaining enough to get through, and didn't drag so much that I had to put it down. Though I did wonder a few times throughout if I'd be willing to move on to the next installment--I'm still not sure.
Glory in Death (In Death, #2) - J.D. Robb 2 of 2 so far in the series that focuses on male superiority, and putting a thumb on women. A new theme would be nice... something not to typical.
Shades of Dark - Linnea Sinclair As a story, it was pretty good. As a love story, not so much. It both aspects, though, it felt incomplete. The next two books might (or might not) elaborate a little, but they both have different main characters so I probably won't be reading them.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith - Cathy East Dubowski Read while waiting for the movie to be released. It hit the spot.
Shadowfever - Karen Marie Moning OMG, that was an intense ride. It strikes you from the beginning and doesn't let up until the end.
Dreamfever - Karen Marie Moning This only gets to keep its five stars if the last one turns out well. Otherwise, I may go on a [review] killing spree and re-rate the entire series to one star. The author sure knows how to get you emotionally invested (whether you 100% like the heroine or not).
Angels And Ministers Of Grace - Michelle O'Leary I've been looking for [modern] books in this genre for awhile and was both surprised and happy to come across this author. First, I have to say, I love indie authors. You're just as likely to get a book you like as one you don't, at half (sometimes even a third of) the price of a published author. But published authors seem restricted in their settings, and so allow indie authors to shine where published authors cannot.

I liked this book, but it didn't quite grab me the way I was hoping. It could be the one-book deal. Although I like reading a single book over a series because things aren't so drawn out that you become sick of it, they can also lack in depth--a million great ideas that aren't quite fleshed out in enough detail. But other than the not grabbing me part, this book was really well done and I can't wait to try some of O'Leary's other works.
Wanderlust - Ann Aguirre Jax is WAY too whiney. Everything is her fault (from her POV and everyone else's POV) and she dwells on death too much. I hate March and I can't stand Jax. And everyone... I mean EVERYONE has a snarky attitude. It's cool when it's one or two people--not when it's every single person you meet. I won't be continuing this series.
Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2) - Laini Taylor I had a really hard time with this book. It may be my state of mind at this time (I've been very restless,) but the writing format didn't help. I'm not one of those people who like different points of view. If I do want one, I'd like it in a [very] short story. This book was riddled with them. And they were sometimes very out of focus. I did not like Zuzana's point of view. It bored me. I liked Karou's point of view, but I did not like her very much in this book--the author destroyed so much of her self worth that it made me sick. Akiva's POV was okay. The one slipped-in POV of an unknown short-lived character was just weird. And sometimes, a thing would happen, then the next chapter would backtrack and explain a recent set of events leading up to that happenstance. I don't like that either. That's like unwrapping a gift you already know the contents of. I much more liked the way the first book was written. If I remember correctly, there were a couple of scenes focused on Akiva, and a few that went back in time (which I thought important), but it was mostly focused on Karou. That's what I like. I like one main character and the story to be focused on her. And when an author can pull a fully flushed-out story from a [relatively] single POV, that, to me, is impressive.
Death's Rival  - Faith Hunter Ah, finally bringing the exciting back. Now if Jane would stop being such a prude and a tease, all would be right with the world. Screw somebody already!