Author Archives

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In a Treacherous Court by Michelle Diener

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and I have pretty high standards when it comes to reading books that fit within that genre. I especially love books written in the era of King Henry VIII.

I started this book with high hopes after seeing the amazing reviews other people had left, but was left wishing it had had more. More history, more connections and more believablility. While I liked the characters as individuals, the relationship between Susanna and Parker seemed somewhat forced and I found it difficult to accept it.

I was hoping I’d be more entranced by the mystery at the heart of the story, but found myself easily distracted and not very into the plot.

I feel like this book had the potential to be something really amazing, but instead it came across a little flat, fast and forced.

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The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle

I was drawn to this book after reading books like If I Stay. I always try to go into reading a book without drawing too many comparisons between books with similar ideas. I’m sure if I were to compare The Beginning of After to If I Stay, I might find it lacking or not up to par, but instead, I view it as its own book as found it to be an emotional ride that didn’t feel fake or contrived.

Castle wrote the emotions of her characters so well, that even when she didn’t explicitly say what a character was feeling, as I reader, I could still tell. I could feel the confusion and hurt and anger of her characters. She was able to give them depth and a dimension that is rare to find in books. Where I usually find myself getting annoyed with characters that become selfish and seemingly lose themselves, I didn’t feel that way at all during this book.

Something else I enjoyed was just followed Laurel’s journey, from wanting someone to blame for the accident, to realize that she needs to find acceptance and live her life for her. That journey was easily placed into the novel, but wasn’t obvious. It made it feel extremely real. Things didn’t happen overnight for her. She came to realizations, but there weren’t many lightning bolts of reason, and when those did happen, they made sense; they fit.

Where If I Stay dealt with more of the emotional aspects of life after losing your family, The Beginning of After dealt with the emotion side, as well as the reality that the world goes on and you go with it. It’s a strong, amazing novel, and I’ve very glad to have read it.

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Count Down to Love by Julie N. Ford

This book was a pretty quick read, and fit the genre well. I have to say that I’m not the biggest fan of romance novels, but this was one of the better ones I’ve read.

As much as I understand that this book was about Kelly and her growth, I wish there was more focus on the secondary characters. At least in which ones were still around and which had left. It was slightly confusing not knowing which girls were still on the show, or how the rose ceremonies went.

There were also a few moments when character personalities seemed to do a 180 in a matter of seconds. I’m not a fan of those in any book. People don’t suddenly realize their many years of thinking one way is wrong and start thinking the opposite unless there is a huge life altering event. There wasn’t one of those for the moment I am thinking of. It was simply a sudden change in personality that felt fake and like it was done for the sake of making everything perfect.

I can’t say I’ll be reading this book again, but it was a decent late-night read.

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A Texan’s Promise by Shelley Gray

I almost feel as though I can’t give an honest review of this book. It’s not the type of book I usually read. I’m not a Christian, and while religion in books doesn’t usually bother me, the several references to the Lord and the Bible occasionally got in the way of my enjoyment.

That being said, it was a good book. The storyline was good and well thought out. It was easy to follow the shifts in point of views, and I did enjoy the characters. Corrine was one of my favorites and I almost enjoyed her and her husband more than Clayton and Vanessa.

This was a good book once I could look past the religious aspects of it, but I don’t think I’ll be reading anything like it soon.

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Dangerous Secrets by Katie Reus

This book was alright. It was a quick read and had a pretty good storyline. I enjoyed Izzy and Adam’s chemistry and, even though they moved very fast, it was mostly believable.

I feel a little disappointed by the book because I felt it could have had so much potential, and it just didn’t seem to live up to it. I’m not sure I can put my finger on it, but I felt there could have been more action involved with her stalker, and maybe a little less of the erotic side of things. I just feel a little…shortchanged, maybe.

Overall, it was a decent book.

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The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

My cousin gave me this recommendation and I’m very glad I listened to him. This is one of my favorite books of the year.

It’s told from Enzo’s, the dog’s, point of view. It opens with a heartbreak, and concludes with a heartbreak, but everything between was pure magic.

I wanted to throw this book across the room in anger several times, and I wanted to cry, and often did, other times. Enzo brings humor and a unique way of looking at life to the story. You sometimes forget you’re reading about the word through a dog’s eyes. It just becomes a story about friendship and companionship.

I will tell everyone I meet to read this book. It tells an amazing story in a beautiful way and makes you look at life through new eyes. Amazing, amazing, amazing.

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The Twisted Thread by Charlotte Bacon

I was a little cautious when I started this book. Mystery/crime novels are always hard for me to get into, and I loose interesting in them quickly.

However, I was completely drawn into this book and the different stories Bacon was able to create and weave together. I found myself reading and rereading pages, just to make sure I was getting everything she wrote, all the hints she left for people to pick up on. I was pulling out my hair (figuratively) wanting to know what had truly happened.

It was an excellent mix of trying to find out who did it, and showing the secret lives of the students, and how their own world, as secret as they thought it was, did have some cracks in it, and yet seeing the teachers and professors be absolutely shocked at the extent of the secrets their students created. It showed the system of power some students are able to create in order to keep themselves safe.

My only qualm with this book was the jumping perspectives, and while I understand why it was done, it still was slightly distracting.

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Entwined by Heather Dixon

I know people say, “don’t judge a book by the cover,” but I can’t help but do that sometimes.

I started Entwined because I was in the book for something in the realm of fantasy and having to with royalty. I’ve always been fascinated with that world, and the cover of this book looked especially beautiful.

This book greatly lived up to the expectations I gave it. It was beautifully written, and it was a nice escape from the day to day reality of life, and you could really tell Azalea loved and greatly cared for her sisters. She stepped up and became the mother and father they needed when they didn’t have anyone else.

The difference between their real lives and how dreary it is compared to the secret world they discovered shows just how badly they want things to change. It’s clear they wish they lived the life of most royals, having lavish food and gift, but they’d settle for simply having a family life where they knew everyone cared for everyone else.

Azalea was a great, strong female character and I loved reading her story.

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Legacy by Cayla Kluver

I got my copy of Legacy and couldn’t wait to read it. Forbidden-type romances really draw me in. There’s just something about two people you know should be together, and yet they can’t that makes me crave more words.

Legacy didn’t disappoint. It started a little slow, but I quickly got into in and found myself willing Alera to find her voice and really use it, to tell her father exactly what she wanted. Don’t get me wrong, she was already strong to begin with, but she was still very compliant and gave in to her sheltered world, not questioning things she should. When she started asking questions, the new strength she found was amazing.

Narian was able to make her see that there was so much beyond the walls she had been living in, a completely different world from the one she currently resides in. He told her that woman can have power, and should. The future should not be left up to the men only, and Alera needed to add her voice into the mix.

My heart was breaking towards the end of the book, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series to see how Kluver handles the future of her characters.

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Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

I have been anxiously awaiting Forever since I finished Linger last summer. My heart has been slowing breaking more and more, just waiting to learn the fate of Sam and Grace.

It did not disappoint me. My emotions kept going up and down, and I refused to put the book down any longer than absolutely necessary. I was enthralled from beginning to end.

I feel like I can’t give this book the praise it deserves without giving away everything, but I will say this entire series will be read and reread several times over. It was a beautiful end to a beautiful love story.