I can't believe we are already five days into November! This year has gone so fast. Here is my list of books I read in October, some I loved and others...not so much.
This is the second full title in the Secrets & Shadows series, I enjoyed this more than the first one, while if did clear up a lot of the mystery from the novella and the first novel, there is still a lot to be found out in Madison. I've loved the character Adam since he was introduced, I knew he was a damaged character, as man of Shiloh Walkers are. An enjoyable read I gave it 4 stars.
Deacon by Kristen Ashley
The fourth book in this series, I haven't read any of the others so far, and not reading them in order doesn't affect the story. Deacon what can I say...a very silent, strong type alpha male. I loved that this wasn't instalove, the tension built up over years. I have a secret wish to run off to Colorado or Montana and this book played right into that. I really liked that Cassidy didn't need a man to fix her problems, she is more than capable of doing it herself. This was lots of fun to read, although there were a few points that made me raise my eyebrows, for such an alpha man there were a few things that happen during smexy times that I didn't feel was believable to the character, but overall I could let that slide. A solid 3.5 stars that I bumped up to 4 on Goodreads.
Empower by Jessica Shirvington
I'm glad I finished this series, but I had a few issues with it in general, I'm still not over Violets selfishness, her immaturity, although she has grown up a lot in the last book. I enjoyed visiting characters that weren't in the last book and I'm glad with how it ended, I plan on doing a full review of this series, because I read them one after the other, I find it hard to separate the stories out. 3 stars.
It's been ages since I have read a Shelley Laurenston book and I can't for the life of me work out why. I loved the Magnus Pack series, so I delved into three of the Pride series and wasn't disappointed. Her characters are so sassy, there's a lot of humour, many laughs and hello smexy, smexy times. These never fail to make me laugh, often to the point of asthma or scaring the crap out of my dog.
Bite Me is about Livy (honey badger) and Vic (bear/white tiger), she keeps sneaking into Vic's house and eating his honey, it wouldn't be such an issue if she's stop tearing holes in the walls to get inside. The honey badger clan is know as one of the craziest, they like to steal things and party hard, where as Vic is much more laid back, which is the bear side of him, but wake up the kitty and damn are you in for some action! This was my favourite of the three. 5 stars.
The Mane Event is a two novella bind up. Christmas Pride is Dez (human) and Mace (lion) story, they were best friends as kids and finally meet up again. She's a NYPD Detective now and Mace is a retired Navy SEAL. This was a fun read, it's interesting to see the human aspect come into it, as most of the time the H/H are shifters. I love Dez, she's a fun character, she knows how to get things done and Mace, lovely, lovely Mace. So naughty.
Brendon (lion) and Ronnie (wolf) are the H/H of Shaw's Tail. He's a hotel owner and their story runs on from the first novella. Brendan is seriously injured and Ronnie is the one who nurses him back to health. 4 stars.
Bear Meets Girl is Lou (bear) and Marcella (tiger) story, she works for the FPU (feline protection unit) and is also a professional hockey player. Lou works with Dez, after recently being outed as an under cover police officer. He's taking time to adjust, (apparently bears don't like change). They're thrown together because of there's someone in the human world who likes to big game hunt...using shifters. I love that we get to revisit characters from previous books, Dez of course frature sin this one and there are some hilarious scenes between her a Lou where it comes out that she now watches Animal Planet to get tips on how to deal with her husband and new family.
The
Cuckoos Calling by Robert Galbraith
This is my first foray into J.K. Rowling, I love Cormoran, and I'm looking forward to reading the next in this series. I enjoy British police procedurals, although often the ones I read are a little more graphic, (think Mark Billingham). Overall, I liked the writing style, I thought Strike and Robin worked well together they make a good team, although there were a couple of points I wanted to shake her and remind her 'he's your boss, not your BFF or boyfriend' - he doesn't own you an explanation. I thought the characters were well developed and the story while a little slow and repetitive at times kept my interest. There is a little twist at the end. A solid whodunnit. 3 stars.
Pawn by Aimee Carter
The first in a trilogy, because that's what you do in YA these days it seems. This is a dystopian tale that centres on Kitty, (Katniss Everdeen she isn't!) While she is capable, she is quite passive a character, she mostly goes along with what happens, I didn't dislike her, I just wish she had a little more spine. I enjoyed this enough that I'll read the next book when it comes out, I think she will become a stronger character in future. I thought this had a interesting premise. You are ranked on your ability to perform duties, the higher your number the better off you'll be once you become an adult. I'm also happy to report this didn't have a love triangle at its center and I'm hoping it stays that way. What it did have was some fairly predictable back characters, the friend who's a little slutty, and I really wish they would just stop with that. Be original, why not have a cast of strong, likeable characters. The loveable boyfriend 3 stars.
The
Collector by John Fowles
So creepy, so well written. This is the story of Fred and Miranda. He kidnaps her and keeps her in a purpose built cellar in his house. He just wants her to love him, she would rather escape. This was claustrophobic to read, I enjoyed the first half more than the second - the book is in two parts, the first being from Feds POV and the second from Miranda's. I think I was a little frustrated by Miranda's character, I didn't connect with her completely. And as weird as it sounds it wasn't as enjoyable to read her side of the story, which is told in a diary. She's very whiny and I know I wouldn't be this fantastic wonder woman if I was in the same situation, but she was so unlikeable. I went into this no knowing anything and I think that made for a more enjoyable read. 4 stars.
Let
it Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green & Lauren Myracle
I really wish I'd read this all at once, I think I would've enjoyed it more. I enjoyed the first to novellas enough, but I just couldn't get into the third, I started it I don't know how many times before I finally finished it. What I did love about this books was that all the stories are interconnected. Which makes sense, they all happen over one night. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. (Blurb taken from goodreads). 3 stars.
The
Lightkeeper by Susan Wiggs
Susan Wiggs is not for me. This is the second book of hers I've read and I've come to the conclusion it's safer for everyone if I never read one of her books again. This gave me so much rage. I didn't relate to either of the characters, the conflict felt like it was there for conflicts sake. I know it needed to be there at the start, but throughout the whole book? Not so much. The one thing I did like was when Mary covered the whole house in flowers, lace and chintz to piss Jesse off, that was funny, but then she ruined it my having Mary go snoop into personal things and BOUNDARIES people boundaries! 1 star.
Covet by J.R. Ward
I haven't read any of the BDB, I've been meaning to, the series has been reccomened to me by numerous people and I enjoy this enough that I'd like to continue the Fallen Angel series and start the BDB. I'm assuming there will be seven books in this series - there are 7 deadly sins after all. The start of this was a little confusing, it was a huge info dump of characters, plot set up and I was a little confused as to whether this was Jim's story or Vin & Marie-Terese's. I liked the H/H enough, I was rooting for them to get their HEA, and thanks in part to Jim they do. Jim is an interesting character, you learn little snippets of his life before you meet him working on the construction of Vin's huge mansion. There were a few cameos from the BDB, which I didn't get obviously, but for me I didn't feel like I missed out by not reading the other series first. Once I got through the initial part of the book I was hooked, looking forward to continuing the series and finding more out about Jim. 3 stars.
I managed to read a bit of everything in October, I've got quite a bit to get through in November, I need to try finish off some on my challenge books. And I'll being doing an update post in the next few days about how they're all going.
Let me know what you read in October, or let me know what you thought about the books I read, I'm always up for a chat about books :)
Until next time, happy reading.
C.
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