Slumber by Samantha Young

Slumber by Samantha Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In short, this book was an awesome read, a real gem by an author that has become a recent favorite of mine. A little warning, though, it is one of her earlier works. So, please, do NOT be surprised if it is not as well developed as her blockbuster “On Dublin Street.” In fact, the book doesn’t even feel like it came from the same person.

Just keep in mind….apples and oranges.



What I like about this book? It’s got everything.

A princess in distress.

An epic journey.

Kidnappings. Escapes. Self-discovery. Overcoming personal/emotional obstacles.

Oh, and don’t forget the romance. The angst-ridden, heart wrenching, she-hates-me-but-I-love-her-anyways kind.



Yep. My favorite. I will read the crap out of that kind of romance regardless of how badly it is written. Good thing for me this is not the case in this story.

Rogan has a gift. She can find things. Just ask and she will know where it is and how to get it. She’s really handy if you lost your car keys. She’s really, really handy if you need to search for a cure that can save an entire kingdom.

But she cannot do it alone.

She has to rely on the one person she hates most in this world, Wolfe, the son of her enemy. In fact, View Spoiler she believes that he’s just biding his time before he decides to kill her.Close Spoiler
Understandably so because View Spoiler (uh, uh...read the book).Close Spoiler
.
So, there’s the premise. The plot was a little south of amazing and north of pedantic. Basically, it was eh. What made this book interesting are the characters in it. I got invested in the characters, ergo, got interested in what happened to them.

Plus, all that unwanted attraction running throughout the book. Yum!



(Don’t judge me)

Characters: Fantastic. I wish a sequel is in the works but according to the author’s blog…it’ll be a cold day in yada-yada-yada… You get the idea

Plot: Not too ingenious but liked it none the less.

Writing: Decent for an early, under-developed work. Could be cutting more slack due to my love of the author.
Do I care? Nope.

Recommend:


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Otherwise Occupied by Shay Savage

Otherwise Occupied by Shay Savage
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*Received ARC from L.J. Anderson in exchange for an honest review

4.5 Uncomfortable, Mind-blown Stars





At least, not in the traditional sense. Maybe not even in the non-traditional sense. I hesitate to even put this book within the romantic genre. There is a girl. There is sex. However, the love story itself



But the story is riveting and worth the read. It's unique and mind-blowing with tons of holy shit...HOLY SHIT! moments.

Evan is a POW ex-marine who is the main hit man for the Moretti outfit of Chicago.



Between his battle with PTSD and trying to get back into his boss’s good graces, his life is complicated to say the least. Part two of the series is more of a character study into Evan. He struggles to treat his syndrome in the least harmful way (to himself at least) as possible. He drowns his nightmares in work and in sex. And never does he get emotionally involved. In his business, that’s just a death sentence.



The places where he takes comfort in, other people would find unquestionably immoral.



Trying to fit Evan in the role of the hero is next to impossible. So just accept him for what he is and move the fuck on.

The story had a slow build to the ultimate climax but with plenty of interesting and WTFs spread throughout. You are slowly treated to the harsh realities of Evan's world. With each chapter, the reader can see Evan's control slowly chipping away. I was increasingly horrified as the story progressed and at 80% I just knew...



This is a three part series. You will need to pick up the first book in order to understand the second. There were tons of flashbacks. You will get annoyed quickly without the reference.

And yes, there is the dreaded cliffhanger.



And it is a bit of a…



But I don’t mind it. I hate cliffies only because there are so many out there and I can’t remember which ending went with which book. They are all so interchangeable. Believe me when I say that I won’t be having this problem with this story. I don’t think I will forget it anytime soon.


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Surviving Raine by Shay Savage

Surviving Raine by Shay Savage
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*Me waiting for this book to go live*


*Me when it finally went live*


*Me while reading this book*


So yeah, I neglected all while I read this book and it did not disappoint.

Think of the movie Cast Away and instead of


You get…..


And instead of


You get


Sebastian Stark is far from a hero. In fact, I’m pretty sure under normal circumstances at best he can be called a criminal. At worst (can’t tell you. That’s part of the narrative hook.) But these aren’t normal circumstances. He woke up from a drunken stupor with his schooner sinking and all of the life boats and passengers gone.

Except for one.

On both counts.

He saves Raine from certain death and now they are stuck in a life raft with enough supplies for one passenger. For years, Sebastian is used to securing his survival. He now has to worry about two.

The story is shown in the POV of Sebastian and you can see him going through all of his issues. Alcohol withdrawal. Anger management issues. Violent tendencies. All with Raine as a witness. The book is a unique story about survival and how two unlikely people can come together in unusual situations. Both Raine and Sebastian have to learn how to depend and trust each other. Even if it’s just for the sake of maintaining sanity.

To me, Raine was an alright character. She is not one dimensional per se. And thank God she is not a door mat (a hated female character book trait of mine). She was a bit of a “Mother Theresa” and the older I get such characters are lacking appealing to me.



But that is just a personal preference.

There is nothing wrong with virginal/sweet/kind female characters and I will take them over thinks-she’s-virginal-but-is-actually-a-skank/wishy-washy/can't-decide-if-she-wants-this-guy-or-that-guy characters any day of the week (my most hated trait and widely used by most new authors).



Like I said, a personal preference.

Just like me falling in love with Sebastian is another personal preference. When I say that he is a criminal, he is exactly that. In one of the worst ways possible. He is raised to behave like a rabid dog and acts accordingly.



Because of despite his dangerous tendencies, I can't help but feel for him. He is the by product of his environment. And within the little life raft, he tries to fight off his natural insticts...hard.

I liked the story. It was long but I thought the pace was pretty good. It kept me wanting to read it just to see what Sebastian would do next or how he handles a situation. It does not have a cliffhanger but the ending does leave an opening for a continuation to the series.

Kind of like when Jason popped out of the lake at the end of Friday the 13th. Same kind of…



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One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker

One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Drop whatever it is you are reading and pick this book up right freaking NOW! Stars



Awesome. Wonderful. I am lost for words except



Even with the love triangle aspect (which I hate right away unless it is well done....and here it is WELL DONE). There are books when the author throws in a triangle just to create angst. This is not one of those books. When you finally realize the situation everyone is in and the problems they have to deal with, it actually fits the story.

How can that be when triangles only complicate things? I can't really say without spoiling it.

Just...



Oh, there were times I just want to pull my hair out and say Just do it already! Get it over with! Toss her over your shoulder caveman style and just get it over with!

This book had me turning circles. Ashton blowing hot and cold. (Don't judge him too quickly. He's got reasons). Evie trying valiantly to stay the course she thinks her parents would want her to (stubborn ass).

It was like watching two magnets trying desperately to separate but no matter what they did they just gravitated right back together.

Just a lovely, entertaining story. I will be reading this all over again.





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