Reading Recap: Week of September 18th

While waiting until I can post the reviews that I have completed, I decided to do a bit of a "week in review" kind of post for the books that I did finish, whether or not they will ever get an actual review from me. Here is what I read this last week (from Sunday to Saturday):

This week I finished 5 books, all of them full length novels.

Love is Blind by Lynsay Sands was an enjoyable enough read, and I thoroughly liked the premise for it. Clarissa is blind as a bat--or nearly so, and when her stepmother takes her spectacles away from her, she is doomed to a world of blurs and plenty of embarrassing (and sometimes fatal) mishaps. But when Adrian begins to fall for her anyway, showering her with sweet and romantic surprises, Clarissa begins to fret as to whether her stepmother may be right: one look at her in her glasses and Adrian will quickly push her aside. So she only wears them in private, not letting her new husband see her in them. Little does she know that meanwhile Adrian is dealing with some insecurity issues of his own. A ragged scar from his time serving in battle ten years ago still plagues him, especially after a few bad experiences with people's reaction to it (women in particular). After marrying Clarrisa, he doesn't run out to buy her a new set of spectacles for fear that once she sees his beastly face she will never desire him--and worse yet, never love him. As the story goes on, various mishaps and issues come up, including a bit of a mystery concerning who is trying to murder Clarissa. But in the end, they both find out, the hard way of course, that they love each other dearly, despite their flaws.

3.5 Stars---There were a few flaws in the book, mainly around characters and such, that lead me to give it this above average rating. However, I still enjoyed it at the time, it was a storyline that was, at times, unique and held my attention, and I plan on reading more of Sands books in the future.

My next book was an anthology I had in my TBR pile for far too long, though I'm not sure why: Snowy Night with a Stranger. With the exception of Jane Feather, I have read (and very much enjoyed) previous works from the authors in this book. After reading Feather's story, I'm also putting more of her books on my list, as it was pretty good (though not my favorite out of this particular collection). It is a toss up between Jeffries and London; both of their stories, though obviously shorter than their own novels, did not feel particularly rushed and I was able to see many of their writing qualities shine through, even with the shortage on pages in which to do so.

4 Stars---All three stories were lively and charming, with a good (if brief) dash of heat hot enough to melt some of the snow that was blocking everyone in!  Given the chance for a "do over", I would gladly buy this anthology for the pure enjoyment of reading any of these stories, though together they mesh nicely despite the fact that they are not connected in any way to one another as far as stories or characters.

My next escape from reality came in the form of my ARC (thanks to NOR) of The Last Breath by Rachel Caine. I won't say much about this particular book, as you'll have to read my full review. However, I will tell you this: Easily my favorite book in this series, and one of my favorites for this year! 5 Stars--read my review HERE!

Next was my second ARC from NOR---The Next Always by Nora Roberts. A little teaser into my thoughts on the book: AMAZING! Nora Roberts at her best, showing the world that even after 30 years of publishing books she can still entertain her readers, still make them feel like they are reading something new from her for the first time. Another contender for on of my favorites for the year! I can't wait for the next two books in this trilogy, though I doubt I'll be as lucky to get ARCs of them as well. 5 Stars--read my review HERE!

My last book was The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers by Angie Fox. This was a fun read, a chick lit kind of paranormal romance that I don't often read; but I always keep a couple on hand to break up some of the more series (or at least intense) novels I read. This is the second book I've read by Fox, and I know that I'll be looking for more of her work in the future. 4 Stars----A quick, witty read, but one that still had an intriguing storyline and a good deal of steamy lovin'!






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What books did you read this past week? Share them with us, both the good and the bad!


Enjoy!




Until Next Time,