Reading Recap: Week of October 16th

Well, this week was another slow one for me, at least for reading. As to life in general, I've been up all week it seems running around. *SIGH*

I managed to read four books (all full length novels) and write (and post) one reveiw. Here's hoping next week will be better! Otherwise I'm afraid my TBR mountain will collapse on me soon.....


Here's what I read:

All You Desire by Kirsten Miller  was the first book I finished this week, and may I say it was amazing, just like book one! Captivating, full of romance (though not hot and steamy, as this is a YA book, remember!), and mysteries abound at every corner. (I did receive it from the publisher in ARC form, um, quiet a few months ago, actually.... Oops.). 4.5 Stars--read my review HERE!

My next book was a huge disappointment. However, it wasn't one that I had bought to read, rather it was one of those that family/friends often buy for you because they know you love books and therefore assume that means ALL books. You know the kind I'm talking about, right? Well, I usually try to at least give most of these gifts a chance and read them; some I end up loving, some I end up putting in the pile to trade. 2012: The War for Souls was one of the latter kind of books. The storyline was, granted, a bit unusual and therefore seemed like it could have potential. But the writing was chaotic and confusing, half the time I wasn't sure what I was reading, whose point of view or what they were talking about. Also, the story was just a bit...weird, and very creepy. I guess for those that like these kind of books, this is perfect.  For me, however, this one was a real problem, one that I will be trading in next time I go to the used book store. 1 Star.

I enjoy a good alpha male type, really I do. But in To Burn by Claudia Dain, the hero isn't an alpha; he's a barbarian jerk! I couldn't stand him, nor the heroine for that matter, and the whole story was a big disappointment. We hear the heroine whining for the first 3/4 of the book ("Should I kill myself? How can I kill myself? I'm Roman, therefore I will die before I'll stay around these Saxon pigs, especially Wulfred.") It just went on and on, and I wish I had been there to smack the twit and tell her to get over it! I can understand pride and not wanting to be pushed around, but this was different; this was just annoying. Wulfred didn't sound sexy, didn't sound at all like a man I'd fall for, and I didn't care whether or not they fell for one another before the end of the book. I had to force myself to finish the book. There were a lot of inconsistencies in the book (almost 250 pages in, suddenly this Marcus enters her thoughts and shows up, he used to live there with her and her family, and while Dain leads us to believe that he was an old beau of hers, it was her brother instead), and I could not stand the sex scenes; they were not sexy. In fact, I will forever be scarred by the reference used in this book for a woman wet with desire: "she was weeping woman's milk, and it was the kind meant for men not babes". Okay, eww, thanks for that picture. Milk oozing out from between her thighs! Really, Ms. Dain, I don't care what time the novel is set in, no romance reader wants that for the imaginary during the sex scene! 1 Star. The cover on the left is the out of print paperback that I have (kind of ugly). The cover on the right is the new e-book cover out (even uglier). Sorry to those involved with the making of this book, but it is true!

I decided to work through my TBR mountain and the next book in line was a (sort of) romance, but more of a mystery/suspense with romance thrown in. The Angel by Carla Neggers was a refreshing read, especially after the last two books that left me bored and annoyed. I've read one of her books before, but it was part of the Harlequin Tyler series, and I didn't feel like I got a good idea of her writing type. Now I know and I will be adding more of her books to my list, especially in this series. The suspense is griping, the mysteries intense, the storylines intriguing, and the romance, though not the main part of the storyline, is pretty good, if brief. That is, perhaps, the one thing I would change about it, but even the way it is it's a good solid read, I finished in a day. 3.5 Stars.




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What did you read this past week? Or, have you read any of the books I just listed above--if so, what were you thoughts on them? Let us know!



Enjoy!

Until Next Time,