The Shadows by J.R. Ward

The Shadows by J.R. Ward

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I still haven't figured out why Ward's use of question marks is so sporadic. Sometimes she uses them and sometimes not. There doesn't seem to be a pattern.
This was okay. Made me cry a little. It was a bit long. I still enjoy this series. It's good the way it's its own little world and seems to be sustaining itself quite well. I will definitely keep reading.



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Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum

Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have to admit, the thought that kept occurring to me as I was reading this book was: I'm so glad I'm not this woman. She's self-destructive and unlikable but you still end up feeling sympathetic towards her. There were some other things I had wanted to read at the same time as this book, but I couldn't stop reading this one. As soon as I was ready to put it aside, a plot element would suck me back in. I have not read either Anna Karenina or Madam Bovary but I have heard that it shares similarities to both, so if you like those give this one a shot. If you haven't read them, I can attest that it is still excellent all on its own.

This review is in exchange for a free e-galley from Netgalley.com.



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The Fit Bottomed Girls Anti-Diet by Jennipher Walters & Erin Whitehead

The Fit Bottomed Girls Anti-Diet: 10-Minute Fixes to Get the Body You Want and a Life You'll Love by Jennipher Walters

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I felt like a lot of the content of this book was very common sense. It is full of practices I already implement, but they do work. Perhaps I have just had enough trial and error in my quest for fitness that I have come to a lot of the same conclusions on my own. That said, I really enjoy the authors' writing style. I'm a big fan of their blog and get their emails all the time. They are positive people with a great ethos.



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Lords of the Sith: Star Wars by Paul S Kemp

Lords of the Sith: Star Wars by Paul S. Kemp

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Meh.
The writing was good and I can appreciate the imagination that went behind the story. I just didn't feel like it much furthered the original story line the movies were based on.

This review is in exchange for a free e-galley from Netgalley.com.



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The Fall by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

The Fall by Guillermo del Toro

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Not bad for the middle book of a trilogy. The momentum was good with just enough tease to make you want to finish the series. Now if the library would just call to say book 3 is in.....



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The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I wanted to read this before watching the show. I have heard they were quite different but I usually like reading the book first anyway. This was very suspenseful. The book makes mention of the action being not unlike a Twilight Zone story, I couldn't agree more. It's a great comparison. I think this book would be good for fans of vampires and zombies both. It's a different spin and very well done. Looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.



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The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


***There are spoilers, kind of.***

If you're in the mood for an overdose of irony, this might be for you. Me? Not so much.

I kept hoping the main character would redeem herself. When she described another character as a "nasty cunt," I gave up. I pretty much hated the narrator from the get-go but the hints at past atrocities were enough to keep my interest piqued. The little glimpses of intrigue kept me chewing on the soft pulp even though I was sure it was going to leave me with a worm in my mouth. Even after you find out about the horrible things that happen, you can't like the narrator because she was just as terrible a person before as she was after.

The author is a good writer though and has an excellent feel for drama.

This review is in exchange for a free e-galley from Netgalley.com.



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The Madman and the Assassin: The Strange Life of Boston Corbett, the Man Who Killed John Wilkes Booth by Scott Martelle

The Madman and the Assassin: The Strange Life of Boston Corbett, the Man Who Killed John Wilkes Booth by Scott Martelle

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This book was kind of interesting, it just felt like there wasn't much to the story. As the author states, Corbett was a pretty ordinary man for the times, so there really wasn't much to say about him other than explore his religious eccentricities and his disappearance. The disappearance is the more interesting to me but what can you say about an unknown story? Aside from the assassination tale, there isn't much of a story here, but it was interesting to learn about a person involved in the act that you never hear about.

This review is in exchange for a free book received from GoodReads First Reads.



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Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I knew this series was fan fiction based on the Twilight books but I didn't think it would be so similar. Personally I think Stephenie Meyer should sue for plagiarism. If nothing else, it would be amusing to see a Mormon housewife take a BDSM author to court. I think this book could have been interesting if it had been written by a psychiatrist or psychologist and had the issues explored from that angle. This, is just plain bad. It felt like most of the chapters should have begun with "Dear Diary,". I'm giving the book 1 star since you can't really give a zero star rating. I am giving the author 1/2 a star just for writing. I still haven't finished writing the stories I want to get to so I give her that. The other 1/2 star to the author is for putting her bad self out there. I takes a lot of guts to admit you have thoughts like these floating around in your brain, much less publish them for all the world to see. I don't like to encourage bad writing but I can't discourage guts and courage. You go girl!



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