The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose

 

The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose

This is another one of those books where the underlying idea is better than the execution. It's very highly-rated and there will be a movie based on it. There are also follow-up stories.

It was a fast read. But as someone who loves true crime shows and crime procedurals I felt very cheated by the execution of the story. 

Spoilers do follow.

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Just because things are possible, doesn't mean they are plausible.

#1 biggest issue I have is the lawyer wife defending the cheating, accused-of-murder- husband. This just wouldn't really happen, although it is technically legal. This just wouldn't happen in real life and it's not adequately addressed.

#2 biggest issue is the main narrator. She not just an unreliable narrator. She's not even a dishonest narrator. The author did not put in any of the little clues that would give the reader a chance to figure out the solution. As a reader, you can't go back and say, oh, there's a hint because they aren't there.

The clues in general are weak.

I didn't like or sympathize with any of the characters. I love morally gray characters but every single one of the ones in this book are just annoying and/or unlikeable.

So, yeah. Not a fan. I doubt I'll read anything else by this author.

Book Review - Carnage by Shantel Tessier

 Carnage by Shantel Tessier

If you read for dark romance, then this is excellent, as always: creative, detailed and diverse. 5 stars (Be sure to pay attention to content/trigger warnings, if you need them. This one's intense.)

If you also read for the story/plot/characters, you might be disappointed, as I was. SPOILERS follow.

I really liked the first three books in this series. Sabotage was Meh.

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This book is over 500 pages long which was too long. Only about 25% of it is story and most of that happens at the end of the book. But I had to finish it because I just am compelled once I start a book, plus I was so looking forward to the Spade Brothers, it's the next to the last book in the series currently available, I need to get to Haidyn's book and I couldn't figure out the bad guy which is really unusual for me. This review is unusually long because I invested so much time in reading this and ended up being disappointed in it. I'm a little worried because the last book, Madness, is almost 800 pages. Fingers crossed.

Ashtyn and Saint's relationship is fraught with misunderstandings. They've know and been in love with each other for years but they can't have a simple conversation. So annoying. They've grown up in a secret society full of power hungry, and duplicitous people. Ashtyn just doesn't seem too bright. She doesn't seem to recognize or care about the obvious enemies all around her. Saint, despite the generational expectations of his life, years of training, testing and torture, lacks the self-control that would have gotten him to his position. He just makes dumb choices.

People just get in and out of super special and secure Carnage without any real good explanation or skill. The bad guy ends up being this dude who causes havoc but there aren't any good explanations on how he manages to wreck their lives. He's just some guy. His patrons are dead or disabled, so where is he getting his money and crews? And Saint has seen his face in a couple of key events/videos, but he's shocked, shocked I tell you, as to his significance.

Other things happen, too, without good explanations, like the disappearance and deaths of the Spade Brothers' fathers. They just disappear.

Wish me luck with the next book. I like Haidyn, so I'm a bit nervous. (It's not the last. There's another one in the works.)

Book Review - The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

"For humans and vampires, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always – always – guard your heart.

The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself."

This is a 6 book series organized into 3 couplets. The first four books are complete.

I liked the main male character, Raihn. He's big and strong and hot and still nice, caring and funny. 

Unfortunately, so much of the rest fell short. I had a hard time getting past the Hunger Games element of this story and that's a huge focus of the book. The world-building and character development just weren't enough. If I wasn't curious as to how the author was going to pull the two main characters out of the you-or-me predicament, I would have stopped reading. And I found the ending unwhelming.

The fight scenes or competitions packed a lot of energy and page space. They were tough, but I just didn't buy Oraya making it out alive. There was little buildup showing us her training, showing us how this small, puny human was so good at killing vampires. She's got attitude, and lots of help but few actual skills that make it believable for her to constantly best superior killers.

I feel the idea of the story was bigger than the execution and I ended feeling flat about it.

I give it 3 out of 5 Vampire Butterflies.

Book Review - Beyond the next Star by Melody Johnson

 

Beyond the next Star by Melody Johnson

Beyond the next Star is the award-winning SyFy Romance of Melody Johnson. She's taken the decades-old story of alien abductions with their tales of scientific observations, tests, and rats-in-a-cage by beings similar to humans that don't recognize "peoplehood." However, this time, the specimen is kept and taken to the alien homeworld as a pet.

Torek, a warrior with a psychiatric prescription to get a pet to relieve his PTSD symptoms, adopts the exotic animal. He must prove his fitness to be returned to active duty by keeping the fragile being alive. 

Staying alive on a hostile, frozen planet isn't easy for a human, but Delaney has survived and hidden from danger her whole life, so it's no big deal to pretend to be a witless pet, especially since she's hiding from a murderer. Even on alien planets, greed rears its ugly head.

Despite all the obstacles of the situation, mutual affection and love grows as there are attempts on Delaney's life and she reveals her humanness to save Torek.

This was a surprising storyline and well-written. I enjoyed the creativity that made the story come alive.

Beyond the next Star is the first standalone book in the Love Beyond series. It is followed by Sight Beyond the Sun. Melody Johnson also has a vampire series called Night Blood with four books available. You can find Melody Johnson's books on her WEBSITE. 

Book Review: The Prague Cemetery

I finished reading a book. It's been about 3 years since I've had the energy. Who woulda thunk it?

The Prague Cemetery
by Umberto Eco

I gobbled up The Name of the Rose when it came out in 1980.

It took me 15 months to get through The Prague Cemetery.

The narrative device of two men speaking to each other via journal entries in the same diary fascinated me but it got lost in the great preponderance of names from history. Every person named in the book, except the main narrator, was a real person. I looked them up.

The story of how the fictitious / fake Protocols of the Elders of Zion became a conspiracy theory and reality for some people that led to Hitler's atrocities while intriguing got lost in the excessive details. The exhaustive minutiae exhausted me.

I worked my way through to the end because the history was compelling but it was work.

Other books read in 2019:

Brief Answers to the Big Questions - Stephen Hawking

White Hot: A Hidden Legacy Novel - Ilona Andrews

Iron and Magic (The Iron Covenant Book 1) - Ilona Andrews

SAVE THE CAT! Writes a Novel - Jessica Brody

microfiction Monday - A New Fairy Tale

Susan’s Picture:

My Story:

 "Hallo" called the Prince.

"Please come back to me Little Mermaid.

I made a terrible mistake.

The Princess, my wife, doesn't understand me." 

microfiction Monday:

Write a story in 140 characters

using the picture Susan provides as inspiration.

Hosted by Susan @ Stony River

The Jesus Dynasty

book review at

Nessa’s Reading Room 

microfiction Monday – Scat Singing

Susan’s Picture: 

My Story:

rat atat tat badda bing badda boom zing zag zowie zoom schlapp schapp lapp lop loom toop too tow whoa low slow so so so low slow hush hush 

Book review at

Nessa’s Reading Room

Breaking Dawn

microfiction Monday: Write a story in 140 characters using the picture Susan provides as inspiration.

Hosted by Susan @ Stony River

Flash 55 - Don't Let the Evil Road Runner Keep You Down!

~ click to make the image biggerer ~

In my dreams, I stand upon the cliff's edge, 

toes dangling in the breeze. 

I fling myself into the air and soar. 

Sometimes I do a Wile E. splat 

and like the coyote, 

I get up and do it all again. 

I survive the tortures of my mind, 

what is there to fear in life?

There is a new book review at 

Nessa's Reading Room.

I am going to start an online writers' group. 

If you are like me and 

can't seem to get out of your own way, 

stop back over the weekend to see what I'm doing.

Write a story in exactly 55 words.

~ Hosted by G-Man @ Mr. KnowItAll ~

Weekend Reflections and Sunday 160 - Prick of Life

~ click image to make biggerer ~



Raindrop jewel glistens & beckons. 
Reach out in eagerness, 
excitement expressed in the trembling of fingers. 
Skin pricked, membrane broken, 
blood and water mix.

My book review of 

Tsunami Blue

can be found at

Nessa's Reading Room

See what you can write in 160 characters or less, spaces included.

~ Sunday 160 hosted by Monkey Man ~

~ Weekend Reflections @ Newtown Area Photo ~

Flash 55 - Remember When

~ click the images to make them biggerer ~

The Little Ice Age which lasted between the 16^th and 19^th centuries in the Northern Hemisphere was caused by lowered atmospheric CO₂ emissions from the decreased population caused by the Black Death and by Christopher Columbus not following proper import/export regulations. Based on this, we can say that today’s global warming is because of antibiotics.

My latest book review on 

"The Girl..." 

can be found at 

Nessa's Reading Room.

Write a story in exactly 55 words.

~ Hosted by G-Man @ Mr. KnowItAll ~

Book Review – Moving In

Come back a little later today, Tom. I have been writing. I have thousands of new words. Well, the words aren’t new. The way I put them together is new. That might not be very new either, but there’s lots of them in one place that might make some sort of sense. Maybe.

Moving In
Author: Alice Audrey
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Pub. Date: February 2010
Novella


Many of you may have seen Alice Audrey from Alice’s Restaurant commenting here. You may know her from her own blog.


Alice Audrey released her first book, Moving In, February 2010. I read it Sunday night. If you like sweet, fast-paced romance with a hot hero and all of the misunderstandings that two people can throw at each other, then you will love this story. 


Moving In is well written, as you would expect if you’ve read her ongoing story Suzie’s House (a story related to Moving In) which she posts on her blog every Friday. Moving In is contemporary in its time frame and sex is only slightly suggested.


Do yourself a favor, buy Moving In and learn how Diane and Trigvey connect.


My only complaint, dear Publisher, is that it was not long enough. I need more. Hurry up and publish another book by Alice and let it be longer.


From Alice, I want to know from where the name Trigvey comes.
Not only has Alice Audrey released her first book, Moving In, but she has also created an Association meme. Here’s the lovely meme button.

  ~ press the button to find the rules ~

Alice said: Excellent

Nessa said: Fritters

Now, I’m supposed to tag someone else or leave it open ended which is the option I choose since I’m not really sure how this works. I can’t tell if I should follow the other players around and associate to their words or if Alice will collect them all and then post the list.

I’m really confused.