Wednesday, December 28, 2016

The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny

5 STARS

Chief Inspector Gamache - Book 11

I think this is one of the best Gamache books.  Many favourite characters are back, but there is a renewed focus on Armand Gamache, Jean-Guy and Isabelle Lacoste.  Especially on Armand.  We are getting to see how he is, or isn't, dealing with retirement from the SQ.  I mean, honestly, does anyone really think that Armand will just be able to sit on the porch of his home in Three Pines reading, walking Henri, eating Reine-Marie's wonderful cooking, chatting with the denizens of our favourite Townships village?  I'm sure he'd like to think he'd be quite happy doing just that, but I think even he realises that he might be fooling himself.

The mystery is interesting.  A BFG - and that's not Big Friendly Giant, my friends - is at the center of case that begins with the death/murder of a young boy known for his huge imagination.   I'm glad it wasn't a graphic murder, I have to say.  I don't deal well with those at the best of times, but when it's a child...  well.  I'm glad Penny did things the ways she did.  Also interesting was that there is a historical basis for the BFG.  Very cool.

But as always, the main reason I adore these books is the characters and they have all grown, changed or shown a little more of themselves in this volume and I have loved it.  I really loved the final shot (in the book, that is) of Clara - it was perfect and insightful and made me smile.

So all I have left is the latest book in the series, A Great Reckoning.  And I'm saving that for a bit.  For a special time.

Friday, December 23, 2016

Santa Baby by Heidi Cullinan

4 STARS

Minnesota Christmas - Book 4

The last of my Christmas reads - I saved the best 'til last.  As you might know already, Heidi is one of my favourite authors and I adored the first 3 Minnesota Christmas books, so I was very much looking forward to my read.

Santa Baby is a little more serious than the first three books and it didn't seem to me to be quite as 'Christmas Focused' as the others.  Part of that might have been that it starts one Christmas season and finishes up the next.  I also think that part of it was the lack of intimate holiday traditions/scenes between the main characters.  I get that these things weren't really part of the story Heidi had to tell, but I missed them.

As advertised, this is a the story of a budding threesome, Arthur and Gabriel, the stars of book 2 and newcomer Dale.  I really enjoyed the getting inside of Arthur's thoughts as the love of his life, Gabriel, develops a massive crush on Dale who has come to Logan to help get them on the map, so to speak.  It was fascinating to watch as he realised that his Gabriel might be polyamorous and what he, Arthur, needed to do to help and support him.  Arthur, is not poly, but he is open.  Dale is indeed poly, but desperately needs his 'alone' time.  And while Arthur isn't poly, he does, in his own way, fall for Dale and have a desire and a need to have him as 'his' (in a positive way, not a yucky overly possessive way).  For the most part, I enjoyed how all this played out, but I couldn't help but feel that somehow, Arthur was doing most of the compromising and bending to make it all work for the three of them.  I kinda felt as if he were short-changed somewhere along the line - especially at the end when they have the wedding/ceremony.  It came across, to me, that the important thing for Gabriel was the small and privateish ceremony with his shiny new lover, Dale, as opposed to his marriage to Arthur, the supposed love of his life.  And also, the giving up of their dream to have a place for foster children felt sad to me, even though there were other things that would be filling that 'hole' in their emotions.

Dale, for his part, has a dark past in which he was abused and used by a 'supposed' lover.  I thought this was pretty well done, horrific as it was and decidedly NOT Christmassy.  *LOL*  But the way that Arthur helped him get through that and come out the other side was fascinating.  The only part that bugged me was that it at times felt that Arthur was doing all this to present Gabriel with a lovely and perfect lover with a bow on his head, if you get my drift.

There was one point in the book, in the last quarter, if memory serves, where I felt like I was sitting at a lecture and it was fairly short-lived, so I can't complain.  :)  I just think there must be a more conversational or convivial or personal way to talk about the challenges facing the queer community that might resonate a little more with a reader?

All that is why this book only gets 4 stars instead of 5.  :)  It seems like I've been bitching and complaining a lot, but don't be mislead, I really did enjoy this one.  :)  And Marcus... my lovely Marcus - he and Arthur were, for me, the heroes of the book.

Sunday, December 18, 2016

You Had Me At Christmas - Various Authors

2 STARS

You Had Me At Christmas is an anthology of 5 Christmas romance novellas.

The first one is Play by Karina Bliss and you know what?  I couldn't put it down!  *LOL*  I love me a good rock star story and this one was one.  But mostly told from the rock star wife's POV.  Yup, story about a married couple with two little kids.  He's a fresh made rockstar and she's his childhood sweetheart learning to cope with his newfound fame.

I found both characters believable and their insecurities and doubts worked for me.  As did their reconnection - especially the parts with their kids.  The sexy scenes were sexy and steamy, but it was the scenes where they were dealing with their kids and their rekindled desires at the same time that I really enjoyed.

A really good read!!

Now, on to the next one!

One Naughty Little Christmas was a lot of fun!  Starts off with a dating app and some sexy sexting between a business woman and an ex con on Christmas Day night, neither of them in the first blush of youth (Thank God!).  I found it an interesting pairing and their back and forth texting and sexting at the beginning of the story was well done and easy to follow.  I don't know that there was a lot of holiday in this one, other than the setting and the set up, but it left me with a smile on my face, so all was good!  :)

Twelve Kisses Until Christmas was ... well.. not my cup of tea.  Each time that I began to really enjoy the characters, they pulled some whiny bullcrap that made me go UGH.  It was really very much a New Adult type story and those I avoid like the plague.  The characters are never likable or sympathetic or not whining about something.  I think maybe the premise might have been better served with an actual novel where the characters could have been better fleshed out and maybe some positive sides shown?  Not much of Christmas or the holidays in this one either.  Anyway... the story wasn't great.

Snow-Kissed.  Well.  The first chapter left me so down and in despair that when the second chapter started the exact same way, it was fast forward time.  I want to read holiday stories that don't throw me into a pit of dark despair before maybe... MAYBE giving me my HEA or HFN ending.  I know miscarriages are devastating and tragic, but maybe not in a holiday romance novel?  Seeing as I DNFed this story, I have no idea if it actually held up the Christmas part of the bargain.

Let's hope the last one leaves me in a better frame of mind.

Christmas Eve: A Love Story.  It was an improvement, I'll give it that.  (Honestly, couldn't have been much worse than the DNF story.) I dunno. I wanted more joy, more happiness, more Christmassy feeling.  I wanted to finish the story with a smile and a happy sigh, but that didn't happen.  I think it could have.  The story of long-time friends to lovers is always an enjoyable trope for me, but this one was so - angst-laden? - that I found it hard to enjoy.  It was missing a sense of fun.

So, out of five novellas, I can honestly say that I enjoyed 2 of them.  Way too much 'woe is me' in the others.

What a shame.


Tuesday, December 13, 2016

A Little Bit Naughty by Farrah Rochon

3.5 STARS

Moments in Maplesville - Book 2

This is the second novella in the Moments in Maplesville series and it was as entertaining as the first. Now, I know I'm supposed to be reading my holiday stories, but I got fooled into thinking this was another Christmas story. Well, fooled... I didn't pay enough attention. *LOL*

Anyway, we meet another pair of charming main characters, Jada (a bestie of the heroine of the 1st book) and Mason, a couple who have known each other since high school and disliked each other since high school.

While it might seem that the enemies to lovers happens awfully quick, I'm reminded of the day way back in time, that John Goldie (who was just a guy in my class) said something innocuous to me and I was instantly in love. *LOL* So I'm willing to give Jada and Mason a pass.

The author seems to have cut down on the fanatical use of descriptors in this book - YAY! But I realised that whatever happened to Jada to 'pique her interest' went directly to her nipples. SO many nipples. Nipples galore. Too many effing nipples. *LOL* Honestly, there are other ways/responses that women feel when they get turned on.

So yes, this was an entertaining read and I'll probably read more in the series should the chance arise. And once again, this is a story about POC written by a WOC.

Monday, December 12, 2016

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

A Perfect Holiday Fling by Farrah Rochon

3.5 STARS

Moments in Maplesville - Book 1

Farrah Rochon is an author I see mentioned many times in my Twitter feed by the romance authors I follow, so I figured it was about time I checked her out.

A Perfect Holiday Fling is the first of the Moments in Maplesville novellas which seem to all circle around holidays, and I found it quite enjoyable and perfect for the Christmas season.

I liked the characters, but as always, I bemoan the fact that there just isn't enough time in a novella to really get to know them, but what we do g
et is pretty good. I enjoyed the instant chemistry between the two MCs as well as the fact that Stefan's young 5 year old nephew wasn't perfectly precocious as so many kids in romances tend to be.

My one problem with this book was that the author likes her descriptors a little too much for my taste. Adjectives abound all over the place. Now I'm all for giving the reader a picture, God knows, but I often felt as if I was being inundated with colours and textures and brand names and all kinds of other stuff.

But I did like the book. :) Perfect read for the holiday season.
And for those that search them out, this is a book written by a WOC and about POC.


Saturday, December 10, 2016

Mackenzie Family Christmas: The Perfect Gift by Jennifer Ashley

4 STARS

Mackenzies & McBrides - Book 4.5

This was a very enjoyable, sexy, holiday novella that had SO much crammed into its 165+ pages that it fairly made my head swim!  But in a good way.  :)

All the Mackenzies are here with their wives and their children and the place is rollicking.  There are so many instances of sexytimes, all of them lovely and steamy.  We have babies being born and kisses being stolen.  And we have the lovely Lord Ian, who is such a wonderful character, seeming to be the one holding it all together.

Great fun read and a good reminder to me that I have to find the others!  *whispers*  I've only read the first one, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, and it was really, really good.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Shiver by Jocelynn Drake & Rinda Elliott

3 STARS

Unbreakable Bonds - Book 1

This book was a round-about rec in a way. One of the romantic suspense novelists I follow on Twitter was quoted on a book blog about some of her fave reads and the 3rd book in this series was one of the ones she mentioned. So, I went to check out the series and it hit a lot of my 'ooooh' buttons, so I went and picked up this first book.

There are 4 men who are as close, if not closer, than brothers. A millionaire club owner/businessman, a surgeon, a security company head and a chef. This story is about the millionaire and what happens when he gets targeted by the bad guys over his latest property venture. His buddy, the security company guy, sends him a bodyguard and the romance begins. :)

It worked for me for the most part. I enjoy the whole band of brothers thing and all the characters are bigger than life, which is fun for me. It could be compared, I guess, to the Abi Roux Cut & Run books or SE Jakes' Tommy & Prophet series, but it's got a bit to go to live up to those faves of mine.

The romance and sex is steamy hot and the falling in love stuff makes sense for the most part. Although I did find that maybe, in certain tense situations, maybe the guys could have held off on the whoopee for a little bit?

However... I did knock down my rating because this pair of authors, like many in the m/m genre, use the word SMIRK so often and think it's a hot and sexy expression. OH. MY. GOD! It's SO not. It's smarmy and supercilious and obnoxious and it turns me right off and hauls me out of the story quickerthanthis. UGH, I hate it. In my uneducated opinion, I they use it in the hopes of it coming across as uber masculine. Anyway, if I were the editor, I'd be raising hell.

So, I will be adding the others to the TBR pile and hope that the word is used much, much less.

Percepliquis by Michael J. Sullivan

5 STARS

Riyria Revelations - Book 6

This was a most satisfying end to a really good series. Some things I had suspected came to be true and others that I suspected did not, which is the way I like things. :)

Thinking back, it seems a long, winding journey from the first book to this one, but I loved the characters so much that it really didn't bother me one bit. I do like well-written epics with great characters.

And we really did come full circle more than many epics do. - I have to wonder if that's because Sullivan waited until all the books were written before publishing it? That might make it easier to tie up all the loose ends.

Royce remains my favorite character of all and boy, oh boy, does he run the gamut of emotions in this book and indeed, throughout the whole series. And Myron.. my goodness, he comes into his own in this book. In my mind's eye, he's Dr. Reid from Criminal Minds. *LOL*

I'm in one of those places where I couldn't give a good review of this book and the whole series if you paid me! *LOL* I can just say that I really, really enjoyed it. The ending was most satisfying and there is definitely a part of me that's sad to see it end. :)

The first book of the series was also the book that rekindled my Big Love for the fantasy genre which had been quiet for a few years.


Wintertide by Michael J. Sullivan

4 STARS

Riyria Revelations - Book 5

More questions, more answers. :) But never as many of the latter as there are of the former. In this, the 5th (or 1st half of the 3rd) of the Riyria Revelations, you can almost feel that things are working towards a climactic resolution.

We spend a lot of our time with Modina, the young empress and Hadrian, the warrior half of our core duo of Hadrian and Royce. Their characters grow and expand and even as we learn about some of the others... Nimbus, Arista, Royce, Amelia, Breckton etc... and how they all fit into this epic journey.

I enjoyed it so much that I dove right into the next book in the series right away, something I never do.