Love Letters

I think the synopsis does a pretty good job of explaining what happens in the book, so I won’t go into a more detailed account in my review. I featured this book on a WoW a few weeks ago, and when I saw it on Netgalley I snatched it up in less than a second. What I Didn’t Say was kind of an adventure for me, since I haven’t read anything from this author, nor have I ever read a book where one of the characters is mute. I also don’t read many books told solely from the hero’s POV, but I’m always looking to expand that number.

Taylor did a really great job of handling Jake’s loss of speech. I’m sure it’s tough to take such a delicate subject and make it real, and not somehow turn it into a joke or a sob story. It’s also the kind of subject where an author has to walk a very fine line of getting her message across, but not being too preachy about it. After Jake’s accident, he was faced with several ways of how to react to his new way of life. Not only did it affect the now, but everything he wanted to accomplish in the future was changed as well. And it wasn’t just a one time struggle either. Every time he’d get frustrated or feel sorry for himself, he had to choose what kind of person he wanted to be. Did he want to go the depression/drug/alcohol route, or would he learn how to deal with the changes, and make the best of it? Everyone goes through this sort of personal choice when faced with trials and adversity, and I’m glad that the author included that struggle in the book. Taylor did her job for most of the book of just telling the story, and it wasn’t until the end that it started to get preachy. She was wrapping everything up in the conclusion, and it was obvious where her personal opinions were in the matter. And, truthfully, the ending was really great up until that point. The way that Samantha finally told Jake that she loved him was super romantic, and then it kind of spiraled down into the realm of cheesy. Kind of a bummer.

As for Jake and Sam, I liked them. Jake more so than Sam, but I’m sure that’s due to the fact that he was the one telling the story and I didn’t get much out of Sam. Jake’s disability wasn’t the only struggle the couple had to overcome, and Sam’s struggles were sad and awful as well. I feel like the book was more about the situations than the characters though. Which is fine, it just doesn’t make the characters all that memorable. I’ll remember the story, I’ll remember Jake’s disability and Sam’s family situation, but I’ll forget the minute details that make them, them. I did, however, love Jake’s family and the interactions between him and his siblings. It’s always wonderful to read a book where a young adult character comes from a fully functional family. I loved the little town that Jake lived in, and how they banded together when one of their own was in a crisis. Jake’s friends might have been wigged out at first by Jake’s inability to speak, but they stuck by him and the whole island learned how to adapt. It was incredibly sweet and heartfelt how loved Jake was by his classmates and neighbors.

I tend to judge how great a book is by how reluctant I am to put it down. If I’m in the middle of the action and I can get distracted by dishes or folding laundry, it clearly isn’t keeping my attention. Especially since folding laundry is my least favorite chore. If I’m so enthralled that I throw crackers on the floor to keep my toddler entertained so I can keep reading, then it’ll probably become a favorite. What I Didn’t Say fell somewhere in between those extremes. I could tell that Taylor put a lot of thought and effort into the story, and it was personal to her. I wasn’t a fan of the preachy ending, and I had a hard time connecting to Sam. Overall, there was just something missing from the story. It was almost great, but it lacked that little something extra to push it there.

Loved!

If ya’ll didn’t know, “J. Lynn” is actually Jennifer L. Armentrout. Or JLA, as she’s known here on the blog.

What?! You mean JLA wrote an adult novel and it’s out? Like, I can buy it right now??!?!

Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Tempting the Best Man is her first adventure (at least her first published, as far as I know) into the adult romance genre. All of that talent showcased in her YA novels just explodes all over the pages of this book.

Basically, she took the genre and made it her bitch.

One of the reasons why I love JLA’s books so much is the chemistry I feel between the main characters. I don’t know what she does, but all of the passion, anger, hatred, jealousy, attraction or whatever just oozes off the page and I really, honestly connect with the characters. The great thing about her adult books (or book rather, since there’s the one), is that the “almost” scenes in her YA novels go into a little bit more detail. If you get all hot and bothered by Daemon and Katy’s intense make-out session in Obsidian, just wait until you get a load of Chase and Maddie. It’s almost ridiculous how insane the chemistry is between these two. It took them awhile to figure things out, but if there is another thing that JLA excels at, it’s the build-up.

The book is short, only 172 pages so it shouldn’t take you long at all to get through it. It spans one weekend as they attend the wedding of Maddie’s brother, and the two manage to pack a ton into the weekend. They’re childhood friends and have loved each other since they were kids. Chase doesn’t think he’s good enough, Maddie does but has been shot down by him one too many times. Like I said, it takes awhile for them to figure things out. But when they do.. fireworks y’all. Explosions, bombs, dynamite, earthquakes, and whatever else suites your fancy.

Loved Chase and Maddie, loved the story, loved the chemistry, love the genius that is JLA. Tempting the Best Man is sexy, but tastefully done and definitely a must read. At least it is for this fangirl!

This would have totally gotten 5 stars, but the ending was super craptastic! It was more of a HFN instead of a HEA, and I can't find anywhere that the author is writing another book, continuing the story. If there is another book, I'll bump it up to 5 stars. I feel too cheated to give it a full rating now.

Otherwise, I LOVED it! Highly recommend.

Okay, I need y’all to bear with me for a minute while I get a little personal here. Feel free to skip ahead, I won’t be offended. There I was, a newlywed at the ripe ol’ age of 21, standing at the airport sobbing, about to send the love of my life into a war zone. It was the roughest year and a half of my life as I spent all my time worrying about his safety, or glued to my cell phone just in case he was able to call. Then he finally came home, and we spent six months dealing with all the issues a soldier faces when returning home from combat. As a result, I’m extremely sensitive to stories involving soldiers. In hindsight, I probably should have left this one to Barbara. Something Like Normal was beautiful in it’s simplicity, but I spent more time wiping the tears off my cheeks while reading than was probably normal.

Travis has just returned home from spending the last year in Afghanistan with his unit, only to find that life went haywire in his absence. Home is the last place he wants to be, since he joined the military to get away from it, but he has nowhere else to go and his one month leave is mandatory. Sitting down to dinner with his family that first night, he realizes just how wrong everything is. His parents aren’t getting along and his little brother has literally taken over Travis’ old life, including his old girlfriend and even his car. Everything is awkward and uncomfortable, and all he wants is to return to his unit and his friends, the guys who really understand him and know what he’s been through. He goes out one night with his brother to a local party and runs into Harper, a girl who has hated him since junior high. But for some reason, being with Harper is calming and Travis can forget about his wrecked home life and the nightmares that plague him every night since returning home.

Something Like Normal is simply a tale of a young man’s experience of dealing with life after a year of living in such a traumatic environment. PTSD is a serious and real issue, and Doller doesn’t sugar coat it or gloss over how hard it is on not only the solider, but his family and friends as well. Personally, it reminded me of what it was like dealing with my husband after he returned home. The nightmares, the inexplicable rage and anger, the jumping at every unexpected loud noise for months afterwards all happened. Travis experienced all of that, along with survivor’s guilt over losing his best friend. Travis has examined the events of that horrific day over and over and is plagued with playing the “if only” game. When Travis got up to speak at the funeral, I felt how much love he had for his best friend and how much he missed him. AND.. that’s when I lost it y’all. All death is sad and heartbreaking, for some reason the death of a solider hits me the hardest. Yes, even the fictional ones.

I really loved Harper’s role in the book. I felt like the romance was secondary to Travis learning how to cope with returning to normal life, but she was there for Travis. She didn’t treat him with kid gloves, or make excuses for him, and Travis needed that. He wasn’t always a stellar guy to her, and I admired how Harper had enough self confidence to stand up for herself, despite his emotional status. I also really loved the ending and how everything worked out between Travis and Harper. Harper didn’t rush off to be a military wife, and they made it work while still following their respective dreams.

My Summary: I can admit that I’m probably not the most objective reviewer when it comes to this book. I was too enthralled with the subject matter and my own memories to pay attention to the details. I enjoyed the book for its realness and for Doller’s willingness to take such a serious matter and write about it for young adults. It’s not often that I pick up a book knowing beforehand I’ll probably use up a full box of tissues, but I just couldn’t pass this one up. Something Like Normal was a wonderful, happy, and heart breaking story and I recommend it to anyone. I’m sure you’ll come out of it crying way less than I did.

My Rating: A

Completely amazing! Speechless.

Full review closer to release date.

Loved! I really enjoyed reading the story from both POV's. Anyway, this is my favorite so far of any of her books.

Full review to come.

3.5 Stars

Full review to come.

Cute and funny. Loved the relationship between the Hadley brothers the best.

Full review to come.

I have a confession to make… I have no idea goes on in a man’s mind. Shocking, I know. It’s for this very reason that I’m hesitant to read a book written from a guy’s POV in first person. I’m always afraid I won’t be able to connect with the character, or that I won’t understand his thought processes behind his decisions because he’s a dude and I’m not. But, I spend all day with an 18mo and I crave a little adventure in my life, so when we were approached about participating in the blog tour I said “heck, why not? I’ll give it a try!” And so I did.

Jason is in the middle of getting his lunch handed to him when he hears the strangest thing: a woman’s voice calling out, sounding suspiciously like it’s coming from inside his own head. Days later, Jason wakes up completely healed in a monastery in the middle of nowhere. If it wasn’t for the lovely face he wakes up to, he would have bolted the instant he woke up. Instead, he waits until the monks tell him a crazy story about how he’s a vessel for old souls reaching back thousands of years, and then bolts. It’s then that the woman who saved him before speaks up, and tells him everything the monks told him was true. The voice in his mind introduces herself as Erin, and tells him that his physical body does indeed house thousands of souls. Jason isn’t your typical oldsoul either, he’s the Ancient of Days, the one prophesied to bring an end to the war between the oldsouls and their bitter enemy, the Athanatos.

Jason immediately begins training to fight, and is soon sent out on his first mission. He is tasked with killing a powerful Athanatos, but the plan goes awry when Jason and his crew are ambushed. They do kill the intended target, but Mela (the lovely face from above) is kidnapped, and Jason ends up in the clutches of someone from his past. It seems the monks weren’t entirely up front with the status of the war, and the lines blur as enemies become friends, and friends become enemies.

I had a few issues with the book, but thankfully none of them were gender related. I enjoyed Jason’s character for the most part. He was a likeable guy, but he didn’t invoke strong feelings of passion or anything. He had a sarcastic sense of humor that sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t, and he was a lot like that awkward guy in class that is really nice, but will never go beyond the “strictly a lab partner” line. The world and premise of the story was unique and interesting, and I enjoyed the action scenes and the twists.

However.

I struggled with the writing style. It was choppy, and what could have been said in one or two sentences was said in five. Can sentences be too short? If so, then that was definitely the problem here. Ex: They walked to the car. They got in the car. They drove to the warehouse. They each received duffel bags full of weapons… and so on and so forth. When I’m reading a book, I don’t want to be bothered with the writing style, grammatical errors or other editing issues. I want to be taken away from my mundane life into that of the fantastical and make-believe. Unfortunately, Oldsoul didn’t achieve that for me.

And the romance. Dear heavens. I use that term loosely, by the way, since I wouldn’t use that word to describe the relationship between Jason and Mela. First of all, she hardly gets any page time, which means she hardly ever gets face-to-face time with Jason. By the end of the story all I know about her (and what I know is based on what Jason knows) is that her favorite color is dark gray, and she’s good with a bow and arrow. That’s it. As an avid romance reader, it’s difficult to believe in the love story when I don’t know the characters or feel the chemistry. I would have much preferred the story if they had been friends instead of a couple, or if the romance part had been taken out all together. Although, since Jason’s motto was “save the world, get the girl” I’m not quite sure how not having a girl would have worked out.

My Summary: I wanted Oldsoul to be a success, I really did. The author has created such a unique and interesting world, and it has such potential. I just couldn’t ignore the fluidity issues in style, and the romance needed to have a bit more back bone. I probably could have moved past the lack of romance, if not for the fact that most of Jason’s decisions were based on Mela’s status and safety. It just wasn’t believable. While Oldsoul didn’t work for me, I would definitely recommend giving it a shot and forming your own opinion. Who knows, maybe this author’s particular writing style is what you’ve been looking for.

My Rating: C

I didn’t pick this seris up until the third book, City of Ghosts, was already out. I distinctly remember searching through my GR friend’s favorites lists, looking for something new to read. I was in the mood for something a little dark, a little gritty and almost everyone who recommended this series described the books using those exact words. It was meant to be. I originally thought the series was supposed to stop at three books, and I was thrilled when I found out that Stacia Kane would continue on with Chess’ story.

As as a Debunker for the Church, Chess has been assigned to some strange cases in her career. This is the first case, however, that she’s been given that now has the previous investigator on the run. But, whatever, Chess is a professional and is good at her job so she accepts the case. It isn’t until after she opens the file that she discovers the case is on the other side of town, in the heart of Slobag’s territory, the rival crime lord.

Meanwhile, Chess is summoned by her drug dealer, Bump (the Man in Charge over her part of town), to investigate an arson that took place in one of his supply buildings. This isn’t any ol’ arson though, since it covered up an even more sinister event – a ritual sacrifice. This kind of dark magic may not be her forte, but as Bump’s unofficial Churchwitch, she really has no choice but to say yes. Chess is getting hit from all sides as she pursues leads for both cases, and has frequent run ins with Lex which causes a bit of tension between her and Terrible. Not only because Lex is her former lover, but Bump has a snitch and Chess is very afraid Terrible might suspect her.

Chess isn’t your typical heroine. She’s a drug addict, and her level of self worth is non-existent. The only area where she has any confidence in her abilities is her work for the Church. She knows she’s a good witch, and she’s worked dang hard to be that way. While the majority of the book focuses on the mystery of her cases, it’s also about the growth of this one very flawed individual. Chess grew up in foster homes, and has never been loved before by anyone. She honestly feels like she doesn’t deserve it either. She and Terrible are trying to navigate this relationship, and she is consantly worried that the bottom will drop out, and Terrible will realize she is nothing and leave her. Being apart of a relationship for Chess isn’t easy, but I love her all the more for sticking it out and doing the best she can.

Chess’ character is one of the main attractions of the series for me. I never, in a million years, would have thought I’d come to care so much for a character like her. It’s a fascinating thing to be in her head. The self-loathing aside, the glimpse into what it must be like to be a drug addict is particularly interesting. She knows exactly how many pills she can take or lines she can snort before it becomes too much. I wonder where the author is going to take her addiction. Will Chess continue to use drugs as an escape, or will she continue to grow as a person and in her relationship with Terrible and kick the habit?

As a side note, I love how Terrible loves Chess despite the constant pill popping. I also love how Terrible wants her, not just her body or her witch talents. Mostly I just love Terrible. He’s so solid and strong and perfect for Chess.

My Summary: Stacia Kane doesn’t disappoint with Sacrificial Magic. I’m so happy to be back in the Downside world with Chess and Terrible. I love both of their characters, and I can’t help but hope for their happily ever after. Thankfully I have the next book already downloaded on my Kindle, so it won’t be such a long wait this time to find out what happens with them next!

My Rating: A+

Everything was really great in the book, except.. the main character. Nina. Nina, the spoiled, whiny little princess. Nina, the girl who cries WAY too much and spends WAY too much time feeling sorry for herself. The girl that makes stupid decisions that hurt other people because she feels like she knows best.

I have no idea what Jared sees in her. He has this incredibly beautiful love for her, and she's a brat 90% of the time. Now the question is, will I be able to handle the next book? Hoping she gets better...

I loved the story and all of the other characters. Would have been a solid five stars if Nina hadn't annoyed me so much. I think I need to go read some Beautiful Disaster now, and have Travis and Pidge make everything all right again!

This was good! I loved the background and intro this provided to the whole series. It explains a lot of Daemon's animosity towards Katy in the beginning of Obsidian. I have to say.. I love Daemon better though. What does that say about me that I prefer the jerky brother to the nice one?

Is it August yet?! I'm dying for Onyx. Dying.

This one was just.. strange. Bizarre. Weird.

Full review to come later. Have to think on it a bit!

SO. GOOD. Seriously, the best one of the series yet. It made me cry. Like, huge alligator tears for several minutes. That's powerful writing right there!

Full review to come closer to release date.

Thanks to Samantha Young for releasing this one early.. I bought it this morning and have already finished it. Loved it!

Full review to come.