Thursday, August 7, 2014

Review - There's Only Been You

This review is for There's Only Been You (Jamison Series Book 1) by Donna Marie Rogers.

I'm going to say this book was charming, despite the fact that there were some thrilling/suspenseful moments in the book.

Sara Jamison is a single mother, raising her son, Ethan, while working in her bakery "Sara's Bakery".  She is surrounded by the men in her family, who fulfill the father roll for Ethan, while making sure that Sara is getting by okay.

Mike Andrews, a detective, comes back to town when his father passes away to tie up some loose ends on the house.  He is Ethan's father, but he doesn't know it.

When Sara and Mike run into each other for the first time, it's a tense moment.  Sara is afraid he'll find out about Ethan, and Mike is just trying to figure out why Sara is acting so angry towards him.  Throughout the book, with interactions with Sara's brothers, Mike finds out why her family hates him - and he sets out to fix the problem and the rumors that started it all.

Mike gets an assignment that makes him stay in the area, which he's happy about because it allows him the time to try to win Sara back.  However, he's also distraught because his assignment is currently dating Sara.

I can't really say a lot about this book without giving major spoilers.  Just know that it was riveting, charming, and romantic all in one.

4 stars, currently free for Kindle.
http://www.amazon.com/Theres-Only-Been-Jamison-Book-ebook/dp/B00DNQOOU0

Review - The Edge of Courage

This is a review for The Edge of Courage (Red Team Book 1) by Elaine Levine.

I just want to start by saying I have mixed feelings about this book for personal reasons.  One of the main characters, Rocco, suffers from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) after a 7 year undercover assignment in Afghanistan.  His flashbacks set the scene of a massive explosion with humane carnage surrounding him, and the scenes where things trigger his PTSD are very intense.  Had I known that was going to be a focus on this book I probably would not have picked it up - my boyfriend served in Iraq and was broke his back from an IED, and I don't really like to imagine what it's really like over there because I don't want to think about what could have happened.  But with that aside, I'll do my best to review this book.

Rocco is hired to work on a ranch for Mandy, little sister of a man (Kit) that he served with.  Kit felt that this would be a good place for Rocco to start his recovery process, and Mandy needs the help because someone has been trying to sabotage her dreams of opening a therapeutic riding center.

Because of his PTSD, Rocco is very reluctant to get near Mandy and he is practically starving himself.  He also decides to grow his beard because he has plans of going back to Afghanistan for his son.  Mandy makes it her mission to make him eat, and finds herself diffusing several situations that develop with the town and Rocco's severe PTSD.  She also finds herself developing romantic feelings towards him.

Kit eventually comes home and finds out that the enemy has followed him from Afghanistan - to his sister.  A team of men assembles to protect her and the ranch.  If you read the book, you can find out what happens to both the ranch, and Mandy and Rocco's relationship.

I'm somewhere between rating this 3.5/4 stars.  Currently free for Kindle.
http://www.amazon.com/Edge-Courage-Red-Team-Book-ebook/dp/B007WXJ0H2

Review - Now and Then

This review is for Now and Then by Brenda Rothert.

Emmaline (Emma) and Layla are sisters who had a sketchy relationship for a lot of their lives but are finally becoming close friends.  Cole is man who used to be their neighbor (his parents still live next to their parents).  Layla and Cole went out a few times in high school and now it's Layla's life mission to make him her husband, but she's having a bit of "no-strings" fun along the way.

Emma runs into Cole, literally (she gets bumped into him) at a coffee shop.  This is the first time she's seen him for years.  He is now a very attractive attorney who, until he ran into Emma, had a vow to stay single and put his career first.

Of course in typical romance fashion, the male sees the female and is blown away.  They start to date each other, but Emma insists on keeping it a secret, both because of Layla's infatuation with Cole, and the fact that both of their parents seemed to have always wanted Cole and Layla to end up together.  Cole is unhappy with this decision but agrees - for awhile.

When it eventually comes out, some drama ensues.  Does Emma end up with Cole or does she throw her happiness away to ensure that she and Layla will remain on good terms?  I don't know, you'll have to read for yourself!

3.5 stars, currently free for Kindle!
http://www.amazon.com/Now-Then-Brenda-Rothert-ebook/dp/B00EC197UC

Review - Saving Grace

This is a review for the book Saving Grace (Serve and Protect series, Book 2) by Norah Wilson

First I want to start by saying that even though this is book 2, it can be read as a standalone.

Grace and Ray Morgan had a happy marriage, or so Ray though.  At the start of the book we find out that Grace just dropped a bombshell on Ray - she is leaving him for another man.  He starts to drink himself into oblivion when he receives a phone call that Grace was in a car accident and is now in the hospital.  He's distraught because he still loves her, but he's also obviously upset about what has come out.

He makes it to the hospital and discovers that Grace has amnesia - she has no idea that she left him just hours ago.  Ray feels that he is responsible for helping her with her recovery, but he refuses to get close to her, no matter how hard she tries.

This book is a gripping read, with romance and thrills (suspense) throughout.  As Grace recovers her memory, she knows in her heart the real reason why she had to leave Ray, but she doesn't want to tell him why because she wants to protect him.

3.5 stars, available for free at the Amazon Kindle store.
http://www.amazon.com/Saving-Grace-Serve-Protect-Book-ebook/dp/B003ZYEXGA

Review - Come Dancing

This review is for Come Dancing by Leslie Wells.

Imagine yourself in New York City in the early 1980s.  The SoHo district was just starting to thrive with artists moving in.  Our main character, Julia, lives there and works as a publisher's assistant with dreams of becoming an editor.

While the book does follow along with her job, a lot of it is also focused on her personal life.  This is where we meet, Jack Kipling, guitarist for a British band.  Julia plays hard to get which only intrigues him more, and he eventually manages to get her to agree to come out with him and another member of the band, as well as her best friend, Vicky.

That was all it took to turn this into a whirlwind relationship, full of the typical things you would find in the band scene in the 1980s.  A lot of drugs, sex, and parties.  Julia does have a slight jealousy streak (which I imagine would be typical dating a famous person) when it comes to other women and Jack.  Jack also has his faults, including major insecurity issues.

If  you are interested in reading a story that takes part in the past, you will probably enjoy this book.  It's not the type of book that I typically pick up but it was free so I decided to give it a chance and I'm glad I did.

5 stars, available for free at the Amazon Kindle store.
http://www.amazon.com/Come-Dancing-Leslie-Wells-ebook/dp/B00KVQAL98


(I just want to say how difficult it is to review books I really enjoy because I want to write so much more but I'm afraid I'll give out spoilers!)

Review - Forever Dreams

This review is for the book Forever Dreams (Montana Brides Book 1) by Leeanna Morgan


Recently, I decided to find books to read when I'm feeling stressed out that I can consider "mush for the brain".  I don't mean a terrible book, I mean a book that's simple, about love, and something that I don't have to think about while I'm reading it.  I discovered that a lot of the romance books, based in Montana, do just that for me.  Now the sex scenes in most of these books are a little more than I like (I'm not really into Harlequin books), but the story lines are generally so likeable that I can get past that.

Gracie is a teacher from New Zealand who comes to the United States to find her father.  All she knows about him is that he was part of the radio circuit that was in her country when she was conceived, and that her mother's last known address for him was in Montana.  She came to Montana to work on a ranch (and she also was to spend some time teaching) for a few weeks while on the search for her father.

Enter Trent, owner of the ranch.  He picks her up from the airport and the attraction is obvious to the reader at once.  In typical romance fashion, she stays in the house with him (but separate bedrooms of course) and begins to fall for him, although she tries to deny it.  This is where I got slightly annoyed by her character, because she tended to be a bit hotheaded, and Trent's character always seemed to give up too easily.

While she works on the ranch, she continues to follow leads to find her father and battle her feelings for Trent at the same time.  I won't spoil the book for you, so you'll have to find out for yourself if she finds him and what happens with Trent. :)

4 star rating, and the book is currently FREE from the Amazon Kindle store!
http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Dreams-Montana-Brides-Book-ebook/dp/B00JNON0LU

Review - Forever Yours

This review is for Forever Yours (Moreno Brothers 1.5) by Elizabeth Reyes.


I have to start by saying that I'm shocked this book has such a high rating on Amazon.  Like, seriously shocked.  I realize that this is a book meant to fit between book 1 and 2 of her series but from what I gathered by reading it, it can be  read as a standalone.

The book focuses on the two main characters, Sarah and Angel.  I'm not entirely sure how long they've been dating, I think the book said 3 years.  What surprised me about the characters, being together as long as they have, is the jealousy throughout the book.  I'm not talking about getting a little jealous once in awhile because someone is hitting on your significant other.  No, I'm talking about the insane type of jealousy, where a girl who has been best friends with a male since childhood and even mentions him once is intolerable.

The entire jealousy thing turned me off of the book completely.  It was literally in every single chapter and how can anybody like a character like that?  Sarah wasn't innocent in the jealousy either, although she wasn't as bad about it.  What bothered me about Sarah was how completely clueless she was about situations that sounded shady from the start.  If there is one thing I can't stand about female characters like that is a situation would be so obviously sketchy from the start to CHILDREN and yet an adult female doesn't see the signs until it's too late.  Yeah, no.


SO anyway, the jealousy issue aside, I guess the plot was okay.  Sarah's father who has been absent from her life makes contact with her and tells her she also has a brother.  She emails back and forth with her brother for awhile and they decide to meet but things aren't really as they seem.  I'm not going to spoil the book for anyone who will still want to read this despite the childish aspect of the book.  If you can get past the jealousy and follow the plotline, you might think it was an interesting read.  I did not.

I would rate this book 2 stars (1.5 if I could) on Amazon.  The book is currently 3.99 at the Amazon Kindle Store.
http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Yours-Moreno-Brothers-1-5-ebook/dp/B00I0BT83Q

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Review - Almost Perfect

This review is for Almost Perfect by Julie Ortolon. Part of the Perfect Trilogy (Book 1).

Almost Perfect is  a fun, easy to read romance story.  It starts with three women in a book store, discussing the success of a former friend who has been very successful in life.  From this woman's self-help book, they decide to go on a journey to better their own lives.

The main character of this book is Maddy.  She is an artist who gave up her dream to care for her terminally ill husband.  Once he passes away, she is in a kind of "funk", and the book (and her friends) challenge her to try to start up her career again.  An opportunity for a job comes up and with some encouraging, she takes it.

She's an arts & crafts counsellor at a camp.  Her love interest in the book, Joe, is introduced as the director.  He is a man from her past, and throughout the book the reader gets to see if they can rekindle their romance or if its just best to let it go.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book.  There were a few spelling errors but other than that it was quite enjoyable.  I'm always a sucker for romance, so I tend to like most books pertaining to it.  This author's writing style made it very easy for me to follow along and really drew me in to the character's lives.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes rekindled romance books!

4 stars, currently free for Kindle on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Almost-Perfect-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B004SY9KYG

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Review - Finding Pride

This review is for Finding Pride by Jill Sanders.  It is part of the Pride Series.

I loved this book.  That said, I also had a lot of issues with it.  Maybe it's just the Kindle version, maybe it's all ebooks, I'm not sure.. but there were a LOT of grammatical errors which drives me crazy.  I realize on this blog I've probably already made a lot of grammatical errors, but I'm not writing  book so I don't feel the need for my writing to be perfect.  If I were writing a book, I would do my best to eliminate all errors.  Some of the phrases in the book were also a bit weird, and the actual formatting of the book was mostly highlighted with a white background on my Kindle.  That bugged me so much that I nearly deleted it on the spot but I decided to give it a chance.

Finding Pride is about a woman named Megan who is leaving an abusive relationship.  The start of the book is a little confusing and very abrupt, because when I was reading the description I thought we'd get to know her brother, Matt, a little bit before he gets killed off.  The beginning of the book actually takes place at his funeral which isn't how I tend to like the stories I read to begin.

The beginning is also where there is a lot of weird phrasing in the stories, especially with the description of Todd.  Todd is one of her neighbors (along with is siblings but you can find out about them by reading the book) who, like with many romance books, becomes her lover.  Todd comes off as quite standoffish and his jealousy is a huge turn off for me, but the author made it work.

Megan begins to trust him, and he helps her to finish making her brother's dream of owning a business a reality.  The book was very predictable from the beginning, and it came as no surprise when her abusive ex husband made an appearance.

If you like romance books that you can read in one sitting, you'll probably enjoy this one. I'm considering buying the next book in the series.

I gave it a 4 star review, and it is currently free for Kindle on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Series-Romance-Novels-Volume-ebook/dp/B009LQKHIO

Review - Mountain Angel

This review is for the book Mountain Angel by Suzie O'Connell.  It is part of the Northstar Angels series.

Mountain Angel takes place in Northstar, Montana.  After reading the description of this beautiful place, I almost want to visit it myself!  The main characters of the book are Aelissm, Pat, June, Luke, and Adam.

I'll admit that I was almost put off of this story just because of Aelissm's name.  It has to be the weirdest name I have ever come across and honestly, I'm not even sure how to pronounce it.  "Uh-leese-um"?, "Uh-liss-mm"?  I have no idea.  But anyway, when the author referred to her as Aeli in the book I just called her "Alli" in my head and went from there.  I also was annoyed at Aelissm calling her uncle "Unk" constantly in the book.

So anyway, Aelissm moved back home to Northstar after a series of events that happened to her in Washington.  She is fleeing from her past, including her former friend, Adam, who is now stalking her.

Pat is a member of the police force and is sent to Northstar by his boss (who happens to be Aelissm's uncle).  The circumstances surrounding this is a little complicated, because it's referred to as a vacation, but he's also to basically act as a guard for Aelissm while he's there.  He stays with Aelissm and helps her to run a Bed and Breakfast that she took over for her grandparents.

It was slightly predictable that the uncle was ALSO acting as a matchmaker (so now we have Pat in Montana on vacation, to protect Aelissm, and to be set up with his boss's niece), but sometimes predictability is nice.

In the book we basically follow the every day lives of Pat and Aelissm, her best friend June and her son, Luke, and occasionally her stalker, Adam.  Pat tries to figure out what Adam's motive is, while battling demons of his own past (which may or may not come back to haunt him in the story).

Near the end there is a dramatic scene that unfolds between the main characters and people from their past.  I'm not going to spoil the book, so you'll have to see for yourself.

Overall, I thought the book was a slow, but steady read.  I enjoyed it and hopefully you will too!  While I did enjoy the book, I probably will not be purchasing the rest in the series.

I would give it a 3.5 star rating.  This book is currently free for Kindle on Amazon!
http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Angel-Northstar-Angels-Book-ebook/dp/B0083PN2QI

Review - Clouded Rainbow

Okay so I know this is mostly focusing on chick lit, but sometimes I see a book in the Kindle store that draws me to it.  Clouded Rainbow by Jonathan Sturak was one of them.

I just want to start off by saying that this book is a heartbreaker.  Reviews on amazon are quite mixed for the book but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.  A lot of people complained that the author was very descriptive in the book which is true, he was.  However, I felt like with some of the descriptions he used, I was actually drawn into the story and I could picture the settings.

Roger and his wife, Lois were celebrating their anniversary at a restaurant.  On their way home, there is a terrible, tragic accident and the two are sent to separate hospitals.  The book follows Roger's desperate journey to find and reconnect with his wife.  He will do whatever it takes, which often involves breaking the law.

We are also introduced to a detective assigned to figuring out the identity of Lois.  Through his discoveries, he empathizes with Roger and it becomes a race to get to him before the other police do (see above about breaking the law).  The end had a twist that I did NOT see coming.  I'm not going to spoil it for anyone, so I highly recommend you read the book and see for yourself!

Overall, I'd give this a 3.5 star rating.  It is currently free for Kindles on Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/Clouded-Rainbow-Jonathan-Sturak-ebook/dp/B0032UY4FW

Figured I'd give this a try

So I'm currently unemployed and between looking for jobs and getting rejected for jobs, I get kind of bored during the day... Figured I'd give blogging another shot to try to keep myself occupied and hopefully stop me from thinking about how much being unemployed stinks.

I'm a huge reader (mostly only chicklit) so I thought I'd try out reviewing books I've read.  I tend to read about 4-5 books, sometimes more, in a week so this should fill up pretty fast!  I'm undecided if I want to try to review books I've already read, I might read them again to freshen my memory before blogging about them.  I have hundreds of books on my bookshelves and also hundreds on my kindle.  Let the fun begin!


I'll have three reviews up today, only because I've finished three books since Friday and they're all still fresh in my mind ;)  After that, my posts will be a few days apart unless I'm really into it and stay up all night reading!


ps, idk why it's called dreamie-eyes but I initially created this account several years ago so I'm sticking with it haha