Books Read 2017

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Kasey Chang
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Finished Hiding out in Hollywood by Jennifer Farwell

Emily had a quick fling with superstar singer Cory, but when Cory went on to someone else, then she had dinner with yet someone else, the tabloids got hold of her photo and portrayed it as a "betrayal" and basically destroyed her career when Cory's fans complained vociferously and that lead to sponsors withdrawing their offers. Now shunning publicity, she was surprised to see TV/movie superstar Raine Kingston, in her morning yoga class... and he wanted to date her. But everything in her scream "no" because she has had it with the papparazis. But Raine's persistent, and he has means to ensure their privacy. However, secrets always leak, esp. when Cory's publicist are willing to pounce on any sort of publicity, even when it involved an "ex". And soon Emily have to make a choice: give up the relationship for the anonymity and privacy she craved... or go with the man that made her happy, and be hounded by papparazi?

Kinda in the alpha billionaire wooed an outsider trope, this one used the tinseltown gossip rags as background to pretty good effect, and the fight was real, and the conflict true... how much privacy is there when everybody has a camera phone and everybody can be a blogger? 6/8

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Finished Dragon Security: Volume 2 by Glenna Sinclair

Six novels involving the agents of Dragon Security solving cases and finding love. As in volume 1, the first five stories all provide elements for the sixth novel to connect them all into a big resolution. It's a pretty interesting way to conclude a volume, and the author managed to do it twice (counting Volume 1 too)

The romances are pretty average, but the background used are pretty fresh, including a UFO enthusiast camp, have the girl framed for murder, have the amnesiac wanting his memory, and more.

6.5 out of 8

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Finished Logan's Redemption by Cara Marsi FREE on Amazon

Doriana Callahan and Logan Tanner had a thing together. They imagined a future together. Until one day, he disappeared, leaving her broken-hearted... and pregnant with a son. Twelve years later, he's back, placed by her father as her temporary assistant (her regular assistant is going on maternity leave) against her protests. Someone is trying to ruin her company through vandalism and sabotage. Someone is stalking her, calling her at night with threats. Someone was leaking bids to competitors. Are they connected? Are they connected with Logan? Why back now? Logan did not know about his son, but Logan is still in love with Doriana and promised to protect her with his life... but can Doriana let her guard down to let Logan back in?

Fairly decent romantic suspense that included stalker, but the evil guy was a bit too "plainly evil", IMHO. 5.5/8
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xenocide
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Re: Books Read 2017

Post by xenocide »

Finished The Devil's Only Friend (John Cleaver) by Dan Wells

Book 4 of the John Cleaver books. I don't want to give a summary of this book to not spoil the first couple for those who have not read them as a lot depends on a book 1 reveal. A solid entry in the series, not the best of the four but still good. John has a team in this book and I prefer when he works alone. But this book does have the best look into the series lore so far.

Book 1 is great and could be read as a stand alone if you don't want a new series. Here is book 1 link and blurb:

I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells -- John Wayne Cleaver is dangerous, and he knows it. He's spent his life doing his best not to live up to his potential. He's obsessed with serial killers, but really doesn't want to become one. So for his own sake, and the safety of those around him, he lives by rigid rules he's written for himself, practicing normal life as if it were a private religion that could save him from damnation. Now, for the first time, John has to confront a danger outside himself, a threat he can't control, a menace to everything and everyone he would love, if only he could.
xenocide
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Re: Books Read 2017

Post by xenocide »

As an aside, does anyone else hate that kindle books don't first open to the cover? I also hate that they are putting the copyright at the end of the book. When I read a book I want to see the cover, read the acknowledgments, see the copyright date and then start the book. This is especially true of older books as they can have differing views on women, discrimination, technology, etc. and I want to take that into account as I read.

With the cover at the beginning and the copyright at the end you can't just page back, you have to link to the end, then link back to the beginning. Not the end of the world I know but it bugs me every time I start a new kindle book.
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Kindle books now change their formating a lot, throw in a ton of bonus material (that outweighs the original material by a lot), a ton of previews, links to various places, and so on. It's almost an advertising medium by itself. The copyright and stuff are considered fluff and often relegated to the endmatter.

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Finished The Chinese Woman: Barbados Conspiracy by Brian Cox

The Mei Hua Triad from China has been infiltrating North America for a decade, and they are utterly ruthless in keeping themselves under the radar. Only those in the know, like FBI Special Agent Sean McNamara and his team knew of the Mei Hua. But China decided to send their best in to take a Mei Hua boss back to China... preferably w/o US knowledge, in a case of extraordinary rendition, if you insist (or you can call it kidnapping, same thing). China sent their State Security officer, who goes by codename Li Mei, and she had a personal stake. Over twenty years ago, two triad killers killed her parents and almost killed her. She goes undercover in Seattle to search for the boss who escaped ahead of the sweep in China. Later she was diverted to Barbados... some sort of conspiracy was going down on the island. As agents converge from China (State Security), US (FBI), and Canada (RCMP), hostile and rogue agents on their own agenda hunted them, and the stakes are high as it is believed to involve broken arrow (rogue nuke) that may push PRC to go to war with the US through an attack on Taiwan...

Fast-paced thriller, Li Mei is basically the quintessential undercover agent, looks like a grad student, but a lethal operative when she had to be (punch in the trachea and you choke to death) And the plot is convoluted and high tech enough for things to go sideways. Rather enjoyable, actually. 6.5/8

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Finished A Bride for the Deputy: Western Mail Order Bride Romance by Emily Woods FREE on Amazon

Claire fled the East from the ruffians that killed her fiancee to collect on a debt, then tried to squeeze money out of her. Upon arriving in Bozeman, Montana, she was mistaken by a handsome man to be the just arriving mail order bride. She made the snap decision to embrace the mistake... only to find that her "intended" Wesley, is a deputy in town, having had his own heart broken back in Texas and is not kind toward liars. Can Claire confess before Wesley finds out that she's a liar? Can Wesley accept a liar, but only forced by circumstance?

Not bad for a twist on the mail-order bride. Mistaken identity was used pretty well in this novelette. 6/8

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Finished The Sinful Bride by Rebecca Elyon

Cassie was engaged to man of her dreams, until he disappeared on wedding day... and left her pregnant, and this was 1902. Cassie was bundled up and sent to a faraway conservative town to aunts that hated her, for being a sinner, being the harlot of town, always being whispered about. She had been studying to become a nurse, but that's obviously no longer possible. She can only be menial help. And the only one kind to her in town was the young doctor, Will, who even offered to train her to be his nurse. But can love survive when the entire town is against them?

Good twists at the end, even though the plot was somewhat tropish. And the religious intolerance in this book was... devastating (apparently Cassie's "aunt" can't even recognize the poor girl going into labor and she almost bled to death, kept yapping about the girl's possessed by devil and so on). *sigh* 5.5/8

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Finished Texas Cowboy by Eve Gaddy FREE on Amazon

Trey Kelly is the oldest son of Boots Kelly, and runs the Kelly Ranch, as well as his horse breeding business, but his love life is... negligible. Plenty of women wanted to warm his bed, but he can't seem to find one he wanted to keep... until he spied his neighbor, Ariana Wright. Ariana was jilted when her fiancee ran off the road with her in the car and scarred her for life, right on the cheek, then dumped her when she's no longer beautiful. Now she's a recluse on her lavender farm next to the Kelly ranch with her cousin creating a new line of lavender-based beauty products, but felt ugly and broken. However, she looked fine to Trey. Can Trey convince her of that and to give him a chance for her heart?

Pretty good push-pull, not too long, not too easy, feels about "just right" for a romance that don't feel too angst-y. 6.5/8

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Finished A Good Hearted Man by Barbara Kaylor FREE on Amazon

A "Christian Romance" (i.e. a lot of talk about Jesus and Bible, no sex, barely any kisses), Sarina Bridges is on her own. After death of her parents and constant berating by her two spinster aunts that she's worthless and useless, she finally leaves for Nashville, but her plans were ruined by theft of her travel funds, and she drifted into town, and sought shelter in a shed, after trespassing onto private property, only hoping to spend the night. That's where Jess Slinger found her. Jess was a former wrestler, and now the town farrier. He had inherited the farm from the couple who took him in at his lowest, at death's door, and lead him to the Lord. He had desired a wife and family, and the appearance of Sarina can only be a sign from High Above, so instead of calling the sheriff, Jess offered a helping hand, and earned the enmity of bitter locals who are afraid of strangers, esp. the "law-breaking kind". Jess is determined to protect Sarina, but is Sarina staying around, or will she leave to give Jess peace? Esp. when Jess was accused of a crime she did not commit? In times of need, will the couple turn to love and faith of each other?

Other than liberal dose of Bible Quotes you can recognize the romance structure of meet-cute, build-up, forced proximity, darkest hour, and grand gesture. Even as a not-really-religious guy I'd say this book was pretty decent. 6/8

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Finished Every Wrong Reason by Rachel Higginson

Kate Carter thought she married the right guy Nick, and will achieve her happily ever after. Seven years later, she decided she had made a mistake, they are no longer in love, they are miserable together, and she wanted a divorce. But as both Nick and Kate found out, separating actually hurts even more, as they are forced to confront the people they've become. When Nick refused to cooperate at the asset division (fighting tooth and nail for both the house and the dog) Kate had to decide... is Nick just trying to make her life miserable... or is Nick telling her that their relationship is still worth fighting for?

It's a second chance love, but set with the separation toward divorce as the background, and it's emotional, yet often, very petty at times. It's almost exactly what couples would yell at each other at their worst, when the words are meant as weapons, not reasoning. 6.5/8
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Finished Secret Maneuvers by Jessie Lane FREE on Amazon

Bobby Baker had forever regretted his "Dear John" letter he sent to his high school sweetheart Belle after promising he'll be back for her after joining the army. He wanted her to get the subsequent message about how stupid he was , but she was never found again. Fifteen years later, Bobby is a part of EX-OPS team assisting the ATF on some arms smugglers when Belle walked back into his life... this time as a tough no-nonsense ATF agent. And she doesn't want to talk to him, because she has a secret she kept... for 15 years. But Bobby was not about to let her walk out of his life a second time...

Two problems about this idea... 1) CIA have a "deniable" team assisting ATF in taking down arms smugglers? Really? Why not just call in DEA, FBI, and others to assist? 2) The team seems to have a lot of free time sitting around doing nothing so Bobby and Belle can go off doing their own things. Still, nothing overtly wrong with the military stuff, or with the overall plot other than "wait what?" problems identified earlier. 5.5/8

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Finished Fatal Truth / Shadow Force Book 1 by Misty EVANS FREE on Amazon

Savanna Bunkett exposes corruption and cover-ups on her award-winning TV show: The Bunk Stops Here. She even exposed a SEAL turned traitor and put him behind bars. However, when she started digging into a pharmaceutical company's link to the president, her sister disappeared, and she found herself on a termination list, seemingly ordered by no less than POTUS himself.

Trace Hunter was a Navy SEAL, until he was recruited into Project 24, and survived the procedures with no impairments, and vastly enhanced reflexes and skills. He used these skills to carry out assignments to protect his country, until he questioned one direct order, and was quickly branded a traitor, exposed on National TV, and dumped into ultra-security prison where he was expected to die, but didn't. Suddenly released, he was recruited by Shadow Force International, to offer a chance for redemption... and revenge. And his first assignment was to protect Savannah, the reporter that outed him, from the person that wanted both of them dead... POTUS himself.

The two are mortal enemies, but their common goal united them. She's his one chance to set things straight, and right. He's her one chance for survival. Can they trust each other? And even if they do, do they have the ability to defeat arguably the most powerful man in the world?

The plot is fun enough to make it work, as it's kinda like TV episode that remixed Universal Soldier with 24. However, this particular president seems to be able to just go anywhere any time, no Secret Service teams needed, just two close-contact guys. He also seems to have a lot of time sitting around calling people just to mess with them. That's not very realistic, IMHO. If you can get past this part, then the book is actually kinda enjoyable. 6.5/8

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Finished Fated Mates: True Mates Book 1 by Alicia Montgomery (FREE on Amazon)

The Fenrir Corporation, headed by Grant Anderson, is merely a front of the Wolfshifters (or Lycans, if you will) that had been among us for centuries. And Alynna Chase, private investigator, suddenly found herself smack in the middle of Lycan clan when her heritage was revealed... She is actually 100% Lycan, which means she was a true mate offspring between her human mother and Lycan Alpha father. Forced by circumstances to join the Lycan society, she felt inexplicably drawn to her Lycan bodyguard, Alex Westbrooke. But Alex knows that he can never have her. He is a newcomer to the clan and merely a bodyguard. When a threat to the clan threatened Alynna and forced Alex to get closer, Alex will do anything to protect Alynna, even if it means he must challenge the Lycan hierarchy.

Previously I've reviewed books 2 and 3 of this series and they are actually quite a bit of fun to read. The first book was not QUITE as good, IMHO, due to all the world building and the pretty tame "coming out / debutante" ceremonies that leads up to the presentation of Alynna to the Lycan Council. Still, it's a fun read. 6/8

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Finished Maid for the Rock Star by Demelza Carlton

Audra is a maid for the Romance Island Resort, an exclusive resort off the coast of Australia and New Zealand. She can handle all sorts of people, keep their secrets and clean up their messes, and she knew the rules: absolutely positively no relations with the guests, even when it's super rock star Jay Felix. With his band potentially breaking up, he needed an break and hides out on RIR, and bored out of his mind, he sets his mind on wooing Audra, who's out of reach

Frankly, I'm tired of reading cocky SOBs who thinks rules don't apply to them, as this often reads like a sitcom. 5/8
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Finished Breaker by Rob Aspinall FREE on Amazon

Charlie "Breaker" Cobb is a rarity in Manchester England... He's an unaffiliated gangster, hired for special jobs, the ultimate "fixer" who keeps the peace between rival gangs. But when his daughter Cassie asked him to pinkie swear to give up his violent ways, and Charlie has a little bit of a hallucination problem, he was forced to choose between killing a young witness to a horrible crime... or save the kid, and help the kid (and the Crown prosecutor) take down the Russian crime boss Ivan Rudenko?

Kinda anti-hero with a bit of Jack Reacher and a good dose of mafia, it's a fun origin story. 7/8

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Finished Breaking Free by Teresa Reasor FREE on Amazon

Lt. Adam "Hawk" Yazzie was the SEAL team leader when Ens. Brett "Cutter" Weaver was injured on a mission in Iraq. And the only one who could have done it... was a fellow SEAL on the team. Hawk's faith in the team was shaken to the core, even as he struggled to figure out who, and why? Zoe Weaver raced to her brother's side as he recovered from his devastating injury that should have seen him paralyzed or dead. It was a miracle that he's recovering without major cognitive damage... just amnesia. Drawn to Hawk for his strength and support, Zoe nonetheless was reluctant to get involved with a SEAL. Hawk tries to manage the reputation of a SEAL team member by keeping the problem within the team instead of involving NCIS but it backfired and put Zoe in danger...

Now here's someone who knows how to write a SEAL romantic suspense without being too trope-happy, and without abusing SEALs to be things they are not: bodyguards, generic badasses, etc. They were forced to somewhat be cops in climax, and that's all I'm going to say. It reads a little long, but the plot and mystery was nicely peeled with multiple red herrings. 7/8

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Finished Her Secret Prince by Madeline Ash FREE on Amazon

Dee Johnson fell in love with Jed Brown at 16, only to see him vanish with his mother one night. Ten years later, Dee is a screenwriter in LA, when Jed suddenly appeared at her door... asking for her help. Dee had been left behind by everybody she knew... Her parents, her friend Alexia, and her stream of lovers. She was not ready to let Jed back into her life, and only to see him leave again. But Jed knew Dee was where he belonged, even as he needed Dee's help... He suspects that he's the illegitimate son of a genuine European Royalty... And he needs Dee by his side when he finally meets the man that made his mother uproot them every few years, forever on the run... Until he refused to run anymore. And the revelation may break them apart forever...

Sweet, secret baby, second chance, but there really wasn't that much... conflict and tension in the whole thing. 5/8

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Finished Cassie / Brides of the Rockies by Carre White

Cassie Bjorn had always hated Nathan Carroll since they were kids. He dipped her blonde braids in ink, poured honey in her school bag, and more. When he grew up, he was a womanizer and drunkard with appalling manners. Unfortunately, he's also son of the sheriff, and their mothers were best friends, so despite Cassie's utter hatred for Nathan, their families want them to marry. When a shootout caused an unexpected kiss between the two, the town soon was flooded with rumors... But if Nathan is willing to change for Cassie, can Cassie change her mind about Nathan?

A bit of "enemies into lovers" trope, I find this more of a rom-com than a romance. 5/8

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Finished His Promise / Married in Montana book 1 of 3 by Lorhainne Eckhart

Kim and Bruce were inseparable as teens and have promised to wait for each other... Then Kim married someone else.

Years later, when both returned to town after Kim's divorce, they tried to avoid each other, but both have a lot of say, each believing the other left and broke the promise... but each found that it wasn't the whole truth, and each wanting to find what will they do about such...

At only 75 pages it's really 1/3 of a book. And it's always someone hiding the messages and the family "forcing" one or the other to "move on". 4/8

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Finished Daisy Does It All by Kylie Gilmore FREE on Amazon

Single mom Daisy Garner wrote a blogpost about life with "Darling Husband" and "Baby Delight" in a Victorian house, and it went viral... and it brought a national talk show to her door. The problem is... She made it all up. Baby was fussy as heck, and there is no husband, having rejected the baby's daddy THREE TIMES, and divorced twice before. And she lived in an apartment.

But she's not about to pass up the opportunity to make her blog famous... So she borrowed her sister's Victorian, and got the baby's daddy to agree to be married... for real. And he, desperate for a family he never quite had, agreed. But before the wedding can happen, weather brought the TV crew ahead of time, and the host was hungry for ratings (through any means necessary)... and the producer turned out to be one of Daisy's ex, who wanted to offer her more, if she'll take him back. When a winter storm trapped them all within the house. Can the fake marriage lead to real love?

Rom-com stuff where pretense turned real. Darkest hour is when the TV host exposed every one of Daisy's scenarios as lies. Grand Gesture is baby daddy married her any way. Fun if you like rom-coms 5.5/8
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Finished Collision Course by Chuck Gleason

Kelli meets Lincoln at Denison college, but due to a bad impression he made (he criticized her writing) she hated him for a long while, and hooked up with a sophomore, but she found she doesn't love him, and later, realized he went home and was also f***ing a hometown girl. This soured her for a while on relationships, while he pursued her but she keeps turning him down. Linc was also being groomed at home for a position in the family store, even though he hated so. The two continued to hit and miss each other, going to school dances, but did not hook up, even though they loved each other. Linc joined a literary agency as Kelli finished her novel, and Kelli got the blow-off by Linc (even though she used a pen name). A different agent loved the book and it became a national bestseller, but against kept the couple apart... Basically, these two kept circling each other but never quite staying together until... The wedding! The book covered like 5-6 years of their lives, from they entered college up to their getting their real jobs and finished their real projects. It's pretty low stakes, the fun is in the journey.

It's just a bunch of scenes that covered the 6 years of their lives, from the meet to the wedding. The struggle? Hmmm... I guess there's enough push pull to make it fun. And Linc's mom? TOTAL douchebag, even to the end, so egotistical and oblivious to the world she's almost comic relief instead of "evil". EX: Both son and daughter only need her to sign the tuition checks, then ignore her completely. At the wedding, she was denied entry (at explicit instruction of bride and groom). Why was she attending? She just wanted a photo and reporters to say she and son had made up, not aware that the press event was at the library, instead of on top of the hill, blocked off by police and guards. So she hid her car and hiked through the woods... in dress and high heels. Needless to say, she didn't arrive in proper condition, and was quickly hauled in by the perimeter guard. She managed to sat through wedding, then had to quip about "No reporter, must not be a big deal" then someone had to tell her that press event was two hours ago... and in her condition (her daughter gave her a mirror) she would not want to appear on camera. It's kinda funny, but how can someone be this delusional?

Still, things just happen, and happen, and happen. There's not like much decision being made. 5/8

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Finished Hunter by Terra Wolf

Capri is a businesswoman in her father's outdoors catalog empire, but her heart belongs to Hunter, youngest of the Grizzly Brothers, and yes, she knows he's a bear-shifter, and as much as she wanted to spend a night with him, he hates her, and prefers to be alone. What she didn't know is Hunter knew Capri is his true mate, but Hunter wasn't ready to settle down, despite his two brothers already done so. When Capri came back into town, it's time for the two to stop denying what they both wanted.

Frankly, this book is just Hunter being difficult and denying "his inner bear". 3/8 At least it's short.

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Finished Convincing Cara by Melanie Shawn FREE on Amazon

Cara McCord has survived cancer, and is ready to tackle life... and love. Her beauty is unequal, but her illness means she still has her V-card, and who she really wanted, Trace Briggs, was someone she knew she can't have because he knew her since they were... very young. Trace however, was not ready to take no for an answer, thus he sets out to convince Cara that perhaps, he is the best guy for her... if she will let him in.

Feels so slow and so drawn out that the sweetness became artificial. 4.5/8
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Finished Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Fantasy stand-alone with a fairy tale flavor with roots in Slavic folklore. 2016 Nebula best novel winner. Tells the story of Agnieszka and what happens to her when she is taken by The Dragon, a wizard who is the ruler of their valley. “Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley."

Brilliant. The best book I've read in a while, I loved it from start to finish. I have seen a few reviews that love the 1st half but not the 2nd, but I didn't feel that way at all. Great world, interesting plot, good characters, awesome villain. The Slavic folklore gave it a feel of something new (to me) also.

I listened to the audio and the reader has a pronounced Slavic accent which threw me for a second at the beginning but I very quickly got used to it. I think it turned out to be a good thing as a lot of the words, especially the magic ones, look unfamiliar on paper but sound good when read properly. I assume that is because of the Slavic base as opposed to a Latin/germanic base (in my completely uneducated and un-researched linguistic opinion). Take the main characters name for example; Agnieszka looks funky to me but read by the narrator sounds nice: pronunciation

It is listed as YA in some places, but I'm not sure I agree with that. If so it is on the upper end. For pure maturity level I would say it felt similar to Sanderson's Mistborn.
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Finished Murderous Lies by Chantel Rhondeau FREE on Amazon

Max Kensington was finally set free after serving eight years for a murder he did not commit. He went home to reclaim his life, but his ex-fiancee, whose little sister was the murder victim, was not ready to forgive him, nor was the town. Harassed by police and whispered by residents, Max was eager to find the real killer, even as Rose was ready to accept Max was not the killer. But the killer was still out there, and soon more are killed, including a prime suspect and the person who got Max exonerated. Someone in town is the killer, and no one is above suspicion, including best friends and even the police...

Fun murder mystery even as Max tries to woo Rose back and succeeds, but also puts her in danger (not sure who the killer is). The ending was a surprise to me, but I guess I should have gone through the suspect list again, as red herrings are everywhere. Fun read 7/8

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Finished The Courage to Love by Christina Tetreault FREE on Amazon

Hollywood sweetheart Mia Troy needed some R&R at the nice and quiet Victorian Rose B&B before she goes off to start her new movie. She's traveling alone and incognito, trying to be be recognized, and she was surprised to find Sean O'Brien, co-owner of the B&B, recognized her, but gave her no further admiring glance. He simply saw her as another person, something she did not expect. Sean gave up on his dreams when his father walked out on the family, and stayed to run the family B&B to take care of his mom and younger sister. Now that little sister had married into a rich family, he had quietly gone ahead and got his degree, and planned expansion into the next door building, and was surprised to find his mother against the expansion. Sean also found himself accepting Mia's friendship... and reciprocating, as he was not immune to Mia's charms, but he was convinced Mia merely wanted a fling, nothing more. But as Sean escorted Mia to local events, their attraction to each other grew, even as Sean was contacted by his estranged father, and learned that something he thought was the truth... was not... Sean must now decide, should he just retreat and sulk, or take a chance for the happily ever after?

Sweet, and the darkest hour was indeed dark, but the grand gesture wasn't that grand. 5.5/8

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Finished The Icing On the Cake by Rosemarie Naramore FREE on Amazon

Kristine Branton co-owns a bakery with her mother and sister in the small town of Cooper Glenn, but it's in name only, as she's the only one really putting in hours... and working herself to death. Her mother is basically sulking at home after her father's death from heart attack. Her sister Lori was a habitual liar that takes all the credit and none of the responsibility, comes and goes as she wishes as the bakery's "manager", despite having a son. She prefers to be wooing men than managing the bakery. When Kristine tries to fix the Branton's Bakery sign and falls, she was surprised to be caught in the big burly arms of Joe Lancaster, her long-time crush. however, Joe had once dated Lori (Kristine's liar big sister) back in high school, so it was a secret crush only. However, Joe soon made it clear that he's after Kristine, not Lori, even as Lori dated the lawyer in town, then claimed she still had feelings for Joe. When an unprecedented disaster struck the Branton family, Kristine must reconsider her future as she confronts her family about having enough of being a doormat... will she accept Joe's affection, or try to push him into someone else's arms?

Clean romance (no sex), it's actually a lot of fun, though the fire and the investigation was too drawn out, IMHO, and the "change of heart" after that life-shattering event was, IMHO, a bit too abrupt. I don't see a family that was this delusional make 180 turns, esp. when it wasn't just after the event that they turned, but only after lies were caught and truth bared. But for a clean romance, it was actually kinda tense. 6/8

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Finished To have and to hold by Charlene Raddon Western Romance

Tempest Whitney has two children, a barely running ranch, and no husband. To make ends meet she had to take out a loan, then a scheming man with a gang of toughs and a huge chip on his shoulder bought up the debt and gave her an ultimatum: get kicked out... or marry him, and he's the kind that'd gladly use fists to force her to comply. Then on the wedding day, a man showed up claiming to be her dead husband... That guy's name was Buck Maddux. He spent two years in jail for a crime he did not commit, and he made a promise to a dying man to take care of his family. He was fleeing his past, and he did not plan to stay, but he was compelled to help defend this feisty beauty from a marriage she did not want. Buck wanted a family, but he felt very undeserving of such from his past sin. But he can offer Tempest safety by helping her locate the mythical treasure in the canyons... If the evil schemer doesn't kill him first...

Lots of trials and tribulations, and Tempest was "almost" raped a couple times, and these townships apparently don't have sheriffs as it's the toughest folks win. Hard to read at times, but the karma does balance by the end. 6/8
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Finished Running on Empty by Christy Reece FREE on Amazon

WARNING: Explicit violence

Sabrina Fox was one of the best female agents ever produced by The Company. She eventually tired of the game and was transferred to the civilian organization LCR (Last Chance Rescue) rescuing victims from the most volatile regions in the world. Her marriage to Declan Steele, her trainer, lover, and fellow Company employee, was a secret, but she was elated when he said he was contemplating retirement. Then he disappeared. Then one day she got a text to meet him in Paris... she thought she saw him, then just as she approached the cafe, it exploded. She eventually recovered, but she was dead inside, having locked down her emotions and continued on her missions...

But Steele was not dead. Whoever captured him tried to torture secrets out of him, and convinced him that his wife was a traitor that set him up. Months later, he was rescued, and the only thing on his mind was revenge... how he will get his hands on her... But when he finally did get her... he couldn't quite do it. As his memories came back, he slowly realized that he had been played... and there was a mole in the company that he was trying to find... But whoever that was, he was very very close, and very very good. As they narrow in on the traitor, the traitor kidnapped Sabrina and tried to torture secrets out of her instead. Now Declan must race against time, with the rest of LCR on his side, to rescue the only woman who has his heart.

Uh, while the back and forth mindgames was kinda fun, and the meetcute about he believe she had betrayed her was interesting, that plot line soon played itself out, and the idea that you can torture info about of trained agents was just plain ridiculous. It's just a bunch of spy scenes and plot twists backed by... nonsense (makes no sense for people to be putting in so much effort for no appreciable gain as they got nothing out of Declan Steele or Sabrina Fox. ) 5/8 for the twists. If the idea made sense it's be 7 out of 8.

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Finished Set Free by Kelly Collins FREE on Amazon

Mickey Mercer walked out of Denver Women's Correctional Facility, having served a year for... slashing tires?!? (of a vengeful fiancee who slept around on her AND broke her ribs). She returned to her ranch, having gotten a ride from a cop, Kerrick McKinley, and found her ranch to be empty of cattle AND horses, and her bank account drained by her ex-fiancee. Kerrick wanted to help... by being bossy and irritating, but he's also right... She can't have a ranch without horse or cattle... There is no income. And let's just say, Kerrick is handsome and hunky, and she really missed a man's touch, having gone without for at least two years. And Kerrick knew Mickey is trouble... but Kerrick is willing to take the chance... but how about Mickey?

Quite good for an unlikely couple and their adventures. There's one sticky point: there seems to be some inaccuracies about the definition of equity. Legally, equity when it comes to business, means assets - liability. So when the FMC thought "I never questioned the word 'equity'. I took it to mean ownership, but in reality it meant his share of earnings, provided he produced" That made no sense. The will mentioned nothing about "share of earnings". It says that so-and-so is entitled to 20% equity IF he keeps the ranch profitable and good standing and increase herd numbers. He didn't, so he gets NOTHING. There's no need to mention profit. The guy thought he would get 20% if he force sale of the ranch by gutting the ranch. That made not a lick of sense, since he'd be destroying his own share, not that he would get any due to conditions. Even if there are no conditions, a ranch w/ no cattle or horse is not worth much. 5/8
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Our Bodies Our Data by Adam Tanner (B) :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky:

When it comes to privacy issues, many people think their healthcare information is a sacred trust shared only between themselves and their doctor. After all, we have a government act, HIPAA, that protects us, right?

Well, not so much. Our Bodies, Our Data is a history of the collecting and selling of sensitive medical data. This is not a new thing borne from the Internet Age (although it's experienced a boom in recent years), but has roots as far back as the 1960's. HIPAA does allow collecting and selling on certain kinds of anonymized data, but with modern techniques, this data can be re-identified, often by entities not beholden to the restrictions of HIPAA. If you ever wonder why you are seeing so many ads regarding treatment or meds after searching such things on WenMD, for example, this is partially why.

To be fair, there has not yet been an instance where re-identified data has been used for truly nefarious purposes. However; the data and means are there and we might not be too far from the day when a prospective employer can not only see what conditions you might have, but also a profile of what you may be susceptible to. Or worse, insurance companies tailoring their rates in light of such specific information. That the medical data industry is not always forthright in their disclosures nor willing to discuss openly suggests they really don't want people to know what is happening with their data. Some of the data can be used for good, steering the development of new drugs or providing data mining opportunities to discover correlating factors that might lead to certain conditions. If such data were collected by medical people and used solely for this purpose, many would not object. But there are billion dollar companies now brokering this information - and it is driven by sales and advertising, not by clinical research. As more try to profit from this information, the prognosis is not good for the patient. Which is all of us.
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Finished The Mermaid's Sister by Carrie Anne Noble

This is a beautiful little fairytale of a novel about a young girl and her sister who is slowly turning into a mermaid. On the surface level, it's a very light fantasy with much of the same charm as a Hans Christian Andersen tale.

However, underneath the whimsical prose there lies a story about coming of age, the love between sisters, feelings of loss, etc. Not being a female (or having a sister) I couldn't *totally* relate, but I certainly appreciated the allegory. I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would, and its underlying meanings stuck with me for several days.
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Finished Uncharted by Anna Lowe

Julie regretted not spending more time Seth when he walked out, needing to move his boat with his brother, except he never came back. When she agreed to take something to an orphanage on Belize for her archaeology professor, she didn't expect to be confronted by corrupt cops and mercenaries. She barely escaped on her trusty little motorcycle, but she did not expect to find Seth again, coming to her rescue, by taking her (on his sailboat) to her destination. But dogged by corrupt cops and mercs on the way, it will take some serious effort and clever thinking by both for both to sail off into the sunset!

Kinda adventure romance, it's actually not a bad read, esp since it's short. Julie doesn't take guff from any one, while Seth wasn't a total scoundrel, just likes to act like one. 5.5 / 8

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Finished Justice for Laine by Susan Stoker FREE on Amazon (short novel)

Realtor Laine Parker had to fill in for her best friend at a volunteer hunk photo shoot for a fund raiser, and found the drool-worthy model, Westin King, who's a genuine Texas Ranger, the boot-wearing stetson-toting kind. Wes hadn't found what he had been looking for until now, and immediately he woos Laine. Then Laine disappeared. And Wes has to call in every favor, both over and under the table, to hold her in his arms again.

Somewhat of a spoiler, but let's say Laine did befall of some bad luck, but not the human kind (she fell into a well while inspecting an old farm) . 5/8

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Finished Summer with the soldier by Amy Lamont

Jade Roberts liked to see her friends happy, which is why she throws these parties to match people up, and when she saw the hunk on her beach, her heart sputtered. It was Logan Murphy, her best friend's older brother, home for 2 weeks R&R after deployments in Afghanistan. It'd be the perfect summer fling. She's willing, he's gorgeous. But they were friends before. Can they be more?

Not bad, except for the psych issues (he has a bit of PTSD and she kinda helped him out of it) but there wasn't much at stake. 4.5/8

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Finished Surrender by Serenity Paz

Michelle, a teacher, wants love and sex, preferably in that order. On a date from hell with a chemist, she meets Ben the bartender. Ben is handsome, and understanding, but a bartender? Not a long-term prospect for sure. Until she learned of his secret. Will that destroy their relationship?
Spoiler:
Turns out he owns the pub and just plays bartender for lulz but he's serious about Michelle
Meh. 4/8

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Finished Quake by Jacob Chance

Kyle is a retired cop turn P.I., and while investigating a different case he had a chance to observe college student Janny Moore (without her knowing) and he quickly developed an obsession with her, and he vowed to woo her in every way... but when he had to reveal HOW did he knew her, will that drive her into his arms, or drive him away for good?

Ends on a cliffhanger of sorts that came out of nowhere, and the suspense element was, again, out of nowhere (which is signs of a bad twist), the book starts off rather dark and unhealthy, with the guy constantly thinking about / with his dick (which is NOT a pun about him being a private dick) and only later turned into more of a romance. Suspense didn't pop up until later as yet ANOTHER twist, none of which are foreshadowed properly. 3/8

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Finished Follow Love / Diamond Creek Alaska Book 2 by J H Coix FREE on Amazon

Tess Stanton had a rough year that soured her of love, so a vacation in Alaska with her family was the perfect thing for her to forget her trouble. She did not expect to find the hunky Nathan Winters, their fishing guide. Nathan was a true outdoorsman who found Tess' reserved nature irresistible. A fun fling quickly turned into much more. Tess's return to her home was bittersweet, as Nathan has to stay behind. It was made worse when her unscrupulous ex blackmailed her into his dastardly schemes. Then Nathan came to town, both to protect her from her ex and both to claim her for himself. Will Tess follow her heart?

A bit of back-and-forth, the ex gets his comeuppance (though there wasn't a proper karma moment other than Nathan's punch) by the end, and of course there's an HEA, if it's a bit drawn out. 6/8

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Finished Once more with feeling by Jackie Smith

Jonas pulled into the bar named Giddiup for a quick beer before resuming his trip home, and found a lone girl sitting in a corner nursing a beer, and she intrigued him, but she had steadfastly rebuffed his advances. Only after multiple trips did he learn her name was Emma-Lou, and she felt responsible for the death of her family, and she was still not yet ready to move on. However, they both loved books, and it was with that did he slowly drew her out of her shell, for he was obsessed with this girl, while he had to work through his own issues. But he knows that she was his happily hereafter.

An interesting meet-cute, if a bit long the long side, the court-ship was sweet. 6/8

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Finished Love Chocolate and Beer by Violet Duke FREE on Amazon

Luke Bradford and Dani Dobson are at war. He's the town chocolatier for the quiet Cactus Creek. She's the brewmaster of the town pub. He's selling romance, she's against unrealistic cliches. They are fighting over Valentine's Day advertising... and perhaps, each other's heart... if they will just admit it to themselves.

A bit wordy (at almost 400 pages), the book was over-the-top sweet and sassy. Plotting was nice. 6/8

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Finished A Chance on Love by Kristine Raymond

Ben Kincaid is the doc for Hidden Springs, and he was keeping a terrible secret. Ten years ago, his wife took their daughter and just left. Ben vowed never to trust any one with his heart... Until Shiloh Bishop came into town... to stay, and 8 months pregnant. Shiloh was forced into arranged marriage when young with a much older man who treated her like a servant than a wife. It was to her surprise that she got pregnant, and a few months later he dropped dead of aneurysm, she looked forward to a fresh start... on her own. He was not ready to move on, she was not ready to be a wife, yet Ben and Shiloh cannot deny their attraction to each other...

Nice push-pull, enjoyed the journey. 6/8

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Finished Katie Lost and Found by Karen Welch

Tess Weldon had an unforgettable summer with Jan Pieter Kosten, but she had to go home and soon lost touch when she was forced to move. She eventually became housekeeper and then head housekeeper until she was noticed by the Walnut Lodge owner "Jim", who found her to be the best person and asked her to marry him so he can give her the Lodge fair and square. He died soon after and she became the owner/manager, having no life outside of it, for the staff was her family and the lodge her home. She sometimes dreamed of her lover from 16 years ago... Until one day his name, now shortened to Peter Kosten, appeared on the Lodge guest list... Peter Kosten is now a renowned architect and divorcee. His marriage to company owner's daughter did not work out. His discovery of Tess (back then known as K.T., or Katie) can only be serendipity, and he's determined to make a go at this second chance... If Tess can only let him back in...

Sweet reunion, family secrets, manipulations by many, kept the pair apart. But encounter 16 years later, both have... not moved on. But can they get back together? Good sexual tension. 6.5/8

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Finished A Modern Proposal by Emma Nichols

Willow Stone wanted to write and vowed to win a position as a sex columnist in the newspaper... except she kinda sucks at sex. And apparently her family is full of Vulcans who don't show emotion. She picked the playboy she knew... Wyatt, to "teach" her about sex, by going down this huge bucket list (cross out the couple really weird / gross ones). And the more items they ticked off, the more their mutual attraction grew. But is this a relationship that can last?

Cute list, many of which are pretty tame, like "have sex outdoor", "try cosplay sex", etc. It's more about enemies into lovers, or "relatioship of convenience turned real". 6/8

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Finished Tatooed Dots by Kimberly Knight FREE on Amazon

Easton Crawford put his modeling career on hold to fight his wife in a bitter custody battle over their daughter Cheyenne. On final day of the trial, his wife died in a tragic car accident. Years later, he and his godbrother Avery co-own the Halo Bar. Easton only do casual hookups, not yet seeking a mother for his little girl, but he sensed time is running out. Then Avery surprised him by sending both of them to a Singles Cruise, where they ran into Brooke and her bestie, and Easton was hooked on Brooke. Brooke was celebrating her 30th and her bestie got her to go on a cruise (only later revealing it's a singles cruise) When Brooke's shoulder pain (from before the cruise) was diagnosed to be a tumor, Easton was right there to hold her hand... But is Easton only there in passing, or is there a happily ever after in store for them?

The story is touching, but the beginning and ending points seem to be all over the place. A lot of the scenes seem to be superfluous or extremely wordy. 5/8
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xenocide
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Re: Books Read 2017

Post by xenocide »

Finished Warbound (The Grimnoir Chronicles Book 3) by Larry Correia

Final book in the trilogy. Great ending to this storyline. A nice build up to an epic final battle, cool new uses of the magic system.

Correia never disappoints me!
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Kasey, are you listening to the books at like 4x speed? Even so, I can't believe you can finish that many books a day.
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Re: Books Read 2017

Post by Isgrimnur »

2016
Kasey Chang wrote:
McNutt wrote:Kasey, I apologize if I asked you this before, but how are you able to read that many books? It seems like you read one or two books a day. It's incredible.
Kindle has audio narration feature... I turn on TTS and I listen to the book. Most of these cheap novels are only 300 some pages any way, done in a couple hours, esp. if it's set to 2X speed. (Oh, and it had to be a genuine Amazon Fire / Kindle device with TTS, just the Kindle app won't do it)
It's almost as if people are the problem.
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Last edited by El Guapo on Thu Oct 26, 2017 12:46 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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McNutt
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Re: Books Read 2017

Post by McNutt »

Isgrimnur wrote:2016
Kasey Chang wrote:
McNutt wrote:Kasey, I apologize if I asked you this before, but how are you able to read that many books? It seems like you read one or two books a day. It's incredible.
Kindle has audio narration feature... I turn on TTS and I listen to the book. Most of these cheap novels are only 300 some pages any way, done in a couple hours, esp. if it's set to 2X speed. (Oh, and it had to be a genuine Amazon Fire / Kindle device with TTS, just the Kindle app won't do it)
I remember him saying something about it, but I still can't seem to add up the time required to listen to them. A 300 page book should take about six hours to listen to, so 3 hours at 2x speed (how can you even enjoy something read at 2x speed?). He seems to be averaging 3 books a day, so that's at least 9 hours per day. That's mind boggling.

Does the Kindle give out award badges? If so I'd have to think he's received every one.

Again, I'm not making fun of you, Kasey. It's genuine amazement.
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa.

This is a history of the wars in the Congo (formerly Zaire), which are sometimes called Africa's World War 2 due to the scope of the conflicts in terms of geographic area and casualty levels. There's a lot that I didn't know. For one, the book covers a lot about the Rwandan genocide at the beginning, which was essentially a direct cause of the Congo wars. The Rwandan genocide was perpetrated by a failing regime - the Hutu government was about to lose to mostly Tutsi rebels in Rwanda, and the genocide was a desperate lashing out (which, maybe unsurprisingly, failed to stop the government's overthrow). But the remnants of the Rwandan regime fled into the Congo (then Zaire), where the government gave them shelter. Unsurprisingly the Rwandan government wasn't thrilled about this, and made plans to cross into Zaire to root them out.

As it happens the Zairian government had been meddling in a lot of countries in Africa, which gave rise to a pretty broad-based coalition to deal with Zaire. In the meantime the dictator of Zaire (Mobutu Sese Seko) had spent decades undermining his own military (and civil infrastructure) for fear of being overthrown by one of his own people. As a result, this incursion was the push that led to the quick collapse of the state. Unfortunately the steady degradation of civil infrastructure under Mobutu hasn't made it easy for anyone else to govern since, and Rwanda and other regional powers remained for a long time for their own reasons, while a lot of people have continued to suffer.

Very well written, and provides a great overview of the history.
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Re: Books Read 2017

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xenocide wrote:Finished Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
I remember reading the short story and thinking it was really good. When I later read the novel I felt it was too long, so yes, you might well enjoy the short story when you get around to reading it.
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." Voltaire

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Re: Books Read 2017

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hitbyambulance wrote:...
Nation - Terry Pratchett (first novel of his i've ever read)
I've never read Nation but I've read most of his other stuff. If you find you don't like Nation all that much, let me know. I might be able to recommend a better "entry" book.
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." Voltaire

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Re: Books Read 2017

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Star Wars: Darth Vader Vol. 1

I picked this (and the second volume in the series) up because my daughter is big into Star Wars in general and Vader in particular. I read it to her for a little while, until she said that she was bored. I read on...and I don't really blame her. The characters aren't especially interesting or nuanced or anything. Also Vader's a little weird - the Emperor essentially demotes him on account of the first Death Star getting blown up, so he's being ordered around by General Tagge and a lackey imposed on him by Tagge. It's just a little weak to have Vader as middle management, essentially.

Anyway, I'm going to finish Volume 2, but probably skip the rest, unless there's some crazy sale or something.
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Re: Books Read 2017

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McNutt wrote:Kasey, are you listening to the books at like 4x speed? Even so, I can't believe you can finish that many books a day.
Some of these are novellas, 100 to 200 page, not 300 page or 400 page tomes.

And yes, I listen to TTS at 3X. 4X is a bit too fast.
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Instead of new books I'm going back and rereading olders books. I've read 20+ Matt Helm books and just bought the entire series of Elric of Melnibone.
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Finished Vice by Jayne Blue FREE on Amazon

Jace has been forced out of the one thing he loved: his job as police detective, mainly because his twin brother is the leader of a motorcycle club/gang that used to do nasty stuff, and words had been whispered that he interfered in investigations. Then a different police department offered him a lifeline: go undercover at a restaurant ran by a notorious mobster's niece and get some dirt on the big guy. Except he got there, and fell for the niece, "Devin". She was totally honest, even though she knew her uncle is a mobster. What she didn't know was no one around her can be trusted, esp. not the new guy "Jace"... As Jace got closer to Devin, and they fell for each other, both Feds and uncle Cy are closing in, forcing them to choose sides... and making the wrong move means death...

As an undercover cop / mob girl tale this one was actually quite good. The plot twists were actually quite good, and the characters did not do the idiot dance. The end was a bit on the quick side. The bad guy did get his comeuppance, but it was too fast. 7/8

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Finished Dancing In the Dark by Kristine Raymond

Rusty Flanagan had worked his way across the west after his tough childhood. He wanted to buy a ranch which is being auctioned off, until he met Charlotte Drake. Charlotte ran away from home because her mother refused to allow her to dance. She trusted the wrong person and ended up a prostitute in Ivy's... whorehouse in Hidden Springs. Charlotte met Rusty, and they fell in love, and Rusty swore to find a way for her to get out, just as a land baron came to town and wanted to buy the ranch... and also bought Charlotte. Rusty was able to help Charlotte escape, but both will make a sacrifice for each other that may destroy each other...

The land baron seems to serve no purpose in the story other than to make trouble for the MCs. He has no other motivation, yet it's not a vendetta. Why? 5/8

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Finished Driven by Eve Silver

In the post-apoc world a hundred years from now, the Northern Wastes are as inhospitable as ever. The only ones moving about are the ice truckers moving supplies from the few camps and truck stops that remained, apart from the ice pirate camps and rebel camps. Raina Bowen was waiting at Bob's (Truck Stop) for Wizard, someone who's supposed to get her a special license so she can join the great race to Gladow station for the 50 million in prize money. But Raina was also on the run from the sadistic megalomaniac that had hunted her for years. Wizard arrived as a prisoner, necessitating a rescue by Raina, who then found to her chagrin he did not need rescuing at all, despite how circumstances looked. And indeed, Wizard is full of secrets, and they had to run across the wastes, outrun rival truckers, ice pirates, and the megalomaniac after them. As Raina discovered more of Wizard's secrets, and the maniac closes in on her, she discovered that she has her own secrets that even she did not know... and together, they may be able to give humanity a chance...

Like the scifi world-building a lot, romance was weak, and the MMC, Wizard is basically Spock or Data, not much human emotions, but also "fully functional". And there was a reason why Raina's fate is tied to Wizard's, and his two "sisters". Romance is merely so-so, but the sci-fi setting and adventure is top notch. 6.5/8

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Finished For the Love of Ash by Taylor Lavati

Maggie is a reformed party girl raising Asher, her 9-year old brother after their parents' death. Luke is a teacher in doubt of the future his parents had laid out for him. Neither is ready for a relationship, but life has other plans, forcing both to question their own priorities in life... and where does love fit into their lives.

Frankly, this one just reads lukewarm, nothing really memoriable about this one. 4/8

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Finished Sapphire and Ice by Hallee Bridgeman FREE on Amazon

Robin Bartlett grew up believing all men were beasts, and worked two jobs and went without to give her two sisters (well, half-sisters) a chance in life by funding their college all by herself. She would accept no help from any one, and she had lost her faith in God long time ago. Antonio "Tony" Viscolli grew up in the streets and had a rough life. He entered a church one day, hoping to rob it, but instead, had a crisis of faith and was fostered by the youth minister, reformed, and became a real businessman. And he just bought the restaurant that Robin bartended. Robin resented the charismatic and powerful Tony, and suspected his attention to her is simply expecting some sort of payback. Tony knew that God lead him to Robin for a purpose, but how can he show Robin the way back to God and love?

Marketed as inspirational romance, i.e. Viscolli won't love Robin until she found God for herself first, but he'll be nice to her, and expect nothing in return except consideration for God's grace... Wait, I think I'm getting a bit too sarcastic there. It reads kinda weird, really, but I guess it could work. 5.5/8

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Finished Wired by Douglas E. Richards

Kira Miller is a brilliant genetic engineer that discovered something with grave implications for humanity, and she's on the run, with uncanny abilities to elude her pursuers, even ex-military hunters. David Desh left the special forces after his team was brutally butchered in a mission in Iran. He was activated for the greatest challenge of his life: find Kira Miller, implicated in an intricate bio-terrorism plot that will threaten millions around the world. But as Desh conducts his own investigation, he realized the bio-terror plot was merely a facade, hiding something far more serious, from a mad genius with a plan so diabolical and the potential impact on humanity is nothing less than potential global devastation...

Nice thriller. What Kira discovered was some serious drugs that can slow aging by 50%. Another will add couple hundred points of IQ to any one for short periods. The first one has potential of destroying the planet due to overpopulation. The second creates megalomanics and psychopaths unless the subject was carefully monitored. As you can probably guess, Kira's nemesis, who we will call "Moriarty", is one such individual, like Kira. But when Kira plays by the rules, and Moriarty does not, how could one defeat Moriarty? For that, read the book. Very rare recommendation: 8/8

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Finished Hypnotic Seduction, a romantic comedy by L. L. Kellogg

Frumpy Hanna Oliver is almost 30 and negligible self-esteem. She was raised by her pious grandparents who taught her lust is a sin, mainly because of her centerfold mother (who graced more "Gentlemen's magazine" than classy stuff). While she possessed D-cup figure she hid it under baggy clothes and gets super-tongue-tied around gorgeous guys due to some childhood trauma as well. When she found her fiancee (and employer) bonking her roommate, she lost her job as well. So when a kind older gentleman telling her she's a real gem and his grandson needs a personal assistant, who was she to refuse? She did not realize the grandson was the infamous Jordan Calder, CEO of Calder Pharmaceuticals, and a reputed ladiesman, so infamous that any women who approach him either want his body... or his wealth. Nobody wanted his heart, and he can't afford to hire a cute assistant either. Last one stripped down on her desk and posed seductively, forcing him to fire her. When his grandpa hauled in the dowdy Hannah, Jordan hired her on the spot, figure she'd be totally harmless (to him). Which Hannah was, until she started getting hypnosis sessions trying to boost her self-esteem. With newfound confidence, Hannah goes after Jordan, but will Jordan get the (subliminal) message?

Fun to read, nothing too special here, kinda ugly duckling into swan kinda story. 6/8
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Finished Earth Alone by Daniel Arenson FREE with Prime Reading

Marco Erenson is going to war against the Scum, but first he had to make it through training.

Frankly, this story was essentially a clone of Starship Troopers. It was told competently, but nothing too special. Marco have to get processed by the training intake system, broken down as a recruit, went in with his heart broken (his girl is going to officer school), but with a "sister" who has affection for him, picked up a bully/enemy who will turned out to be allies later, and have a big battle with the invading Scum.

5/8

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Finished Betting On You by Jessie Evans FREE on Amazon

Mason Stewart left town four years ago, leaving Lark March in a... lurch. He promised to take her with him to medical school to Atlanta, then he ran off to New York without another word, breaking her heart. Now Mason is back, a certified MD now, and he wants a second chance with Lark. But Mason's evil uncle Parker is still around, who seem to relish in Mason's misery, always telling Mason he'd amount to nothing. And Lark's two sisters don't want Lark's heart to be broken again. Even as Mason asked Lark to give him 7 days and 7 dates to rekindle their love, the sisters have a plan to dig up something about Mason. And Lark can keep telling herself she's over Mason, but she isn't. He's the only one who can make her heart race and her knees weak. Is there a chance between this couple?

Frankly, while the dates are fine, the "darkest hour" was... pretty lame. Basically, Mason apparently signed the lease for New York, then 5 days later, asked Lark to go with him to a DIFFERENT city and stay together, four years ago. So he's kinda messed up when he kinda proposed to Lark, then ran off the next day without another word. Based on this, she's not ever going to trust him again? EVER? She basically screamed it's over, and he walked, then two months later, she decided she was being stupid and went back to propose to him (on her knees and everything). MELODRAMATIC!

5/8 for the push-pull. The ending is meh.

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Finished Love Muffin and Chai Latte by Anya Wylde

Tabitha Lee Timmons was from the US until she moved to UK. When circumstance hit all at once, leaving her with no place to live, no job, and almost no money in the bank, her boyfriend "Chris" of Indian origin, proposed to her (again) and she reluctantly agreed, then realized this means she had to go with him back to India to meet the family, and get the blessing of his grandfather's guru. Her only ally seems to be Maya, Chris' sister, who seem to be going back for an arranged marriage of her own. But she does not love the groom (nicknamed "Cuckoo Singh"), and Tabitha soon realized she does not love Chris either. But cousin Dev... now that's one hunky Indian she can get her hands on... but she's engaged... So now Tabby is mixed up with crazy relatives like aunts and uncles, lots of exotic Indian customs, grumpy grandpa holding all the money, and younger folks locked in arranged marriages vs. following their heart...

It's pretty clear the writer is Indian or well-versed with Indian family (married into one?) as this is almost biographical in nature, and heck funny. If you want a light-hearted romp through India, and some romance, this is the book. Rare recommendation: 7.5/8

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Finished Four Sides of a Triangle by Heather C. Myers FREE on Amazon

Madeline Perkins want to see people happy, and as if her job being personal assistant to the notorious Billionaire CEO Robert Swift wasn't tough enough, she also tries to setup people around her, playing matchmaker, often with hilarious or disastrous results. Robert has a penchant of getting himself into trouble with women or booze, and cannot form long relationships. Heck, Madeline was the PA that lasted the longest... 3 years and going. She takes NO vacation days because Robert was demanding at all hours of the day, so much so he hired Madeline an assistant! Robert and Madeline often joked that Madeline is practically Robert's wife... without the title or the benefits. As Maddy tries to setup her assistant Jewel, with the company flirt Ethan, she can't help but swoon over attention by the successful author James, but both were met with Robert's disapproval. Was Robert jealous? Or was Medeline just being a busybody poking her nose where it didn't belong? And what will Madeline do with Robert's attention... if there is any?

The book is basically Jane Austen's Emma retold in a contemporary office setting. It's actually kinda entertaining! I haven't read any Jane Austen, but at least this version didn't read stiff or such. 6/8
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Finished Hiding out / Finally Found box set by Emma Nichols

Hiding out: Sam Davenport, along with his playboy brother Adam, runs the small but prestigious advertising firm founded by his father. When his personal assistant Ellen had to go on maternity leave, he hired a temp, and Haley is a very hard worker, and happened to be Ellen's college roomie. But Haley was perpetually troubled and jumpy, as if someone was out to get her. Both worried and intrigued, Sam ordered his PI buddy Jake to look into Haley's past, and the answer horrified him... and brought out his protective instincts. Haley was hiding out from a psychopath that caused her almost unspeakable trauma. He saw a lot more in Haley, the drive to succeed, that he practically offered her an account, and to move in with him after some simple dates. But his investigations also lead a psychopath to New York, intending on finishing what he started, even as Haley realized the depth of his betrayal...

Nice push-pull, though the psycho part was... not that well explained. I can see the initial attack works, but someone who had the compulsion to do such thing...
Spoiler:
He raped his best friend's fiancee, with force, took her v-card by force, beat her badly, AND cut her back with a knife to slice off her bra. She took her medical file and disappeared from the hospital after being treated in the ER, but before talking to the police, intending to confront her fiancee, only to find him in bed with a different girl. So she ran to New York, and used an assumed name, for he's backed by a powerful family.
So what drew the psycho to New York? His powerful father wanted to make sure he doesn't have any skeletons in the closet (why? may have missed it), and he decided to personally investigate where did the darn girl went. And when he witnessed Haley in Sam's arms, he got a murderous rage and tried to run her over with his car, and his the younger brother Adam instead. He got away, and Adam spent a couple weeks in hospital in a coma, but recovered. It was never explained what he planned or why. Apparently, he's also one possessive SOB. But the ending's perfect. It's resolved through her own efforts. Nice wrap-up. 6.5 out of 8


Finally found: Adam Davenport lost a month of his life when he saved Haley, his brother's girl, from being ran over by a car, and was hit himself instead. He had been running from the pain of losing both parents, first mother to cancer, then in a few months his dad to broken heart. He put up a facade of playboy with no care in the world, the wild irresponsible one, and only had meaningless relationships, as he advertised right up front that he doesn't do relationships, it'd be just sex, and he may have had more than a few partners... okay, over 100. When he finally got out of the hospital, he was ready to settle down and change his life, have a family, except he can't find a girl that was willing to believe he changed his ways... Esp. not Cammie, the caterer trying to get away from her family party planning business (dress up as clowns, or other themed parties) Cammie was so driven he's immune to Adam's charm, but Cammie also hid a secret... Her sister Cin had her heart broken by Adam years ago, and Cammie vowed to never trust Adam... but Adam can be persistent, and he designed his greatest advertising campaign ever... Winning Cammie's heart, as he realized that loving someone means willing to give with no expectations...

Again, good push-pull, as Cammie tried to see her relationship with Adam as just business transaction, with no heart, and Adam wanted more, as he realized that girl who takes no crap from him was just perfect. This one had a twist at the end that kinda threw me for a loop, but it was sweet. 6/8

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Finished Biggest Little Truckstop by Bobby Hutchinson

Kate and daughter Susie had to run from a stalker and when their car broke down in Starwood, they had to go to Truckstop Diner and met up with Mac, the eccentric owner. Kate needs a job, and Mac needs a hostess / waitress, But Kate wanted to move on, and Mac... had a heartbreak and vowed to stay away from women (except his cousin, who was the hostess / waitress until she went to take care of her animals). The attraction was mutual, but both are keeping secrets, yet both can offer something the other wanted... Can such a quirky romance work?

Turns out Mac has a touch of Asperger's syndrome and wanted control (no substitutions, no special requests, must have order and rule in his life) and the place looks so bland which basically means the cafe is losing money. Kate... was an advertising exec before she had to run. Only 53 pages, there was enough sweet romance here to make this a good read. 6/8

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Finished Marry me twice by Catherine Avril Morris

Janie Adams, the newly minted producer, takes her sister Rosemary and cameraman Carlos to Rose Quartz New Mexico to do a featurette on the town's Valentine's festival. The town is also famous for lots of successful marriages, and the love stone, the actual rose quartz, that was supposed to keep the lovers true, which is where they meet Mason Hart, who was the owner of the mine that produced the quartz. Mason was in a bind, in that he had merely weeks to marry or else his ranch will go on the auction block (it's that strange will his daddy wrote, and so did his grandpa, and great grandpa...) As Janie struggles with overbearing producer back in HQ who demands an update every 15 minutes, and then forces her to take the story in a direction she did not want, she impulsively made a bargain with Mason... a marriage of convenience: she will help him get his inheritance by marrying him, he'll give her the seed money for her to get her small film production company off the ground. But as the two went through the wedding plans, they started having real feelings for each other...

Light-hearted (but not comedic) romance, the push-pull was fun, with backdrop of a local legend, a ranch, and more. Fun read, rather enjoyed it. 6/8
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Finished Daddy's Little Felons by Rick Bennett

Morgan Rapier is a navy SEAL and now white hat hacker, who got drawn into a cyberwar against China and Russia, a holy war that divided the entire Muslim world, a serial killer investigation in Utah, beat up a wife and child beater (that was uploaded to Qik), helped change the current cyber security policy of the administration (imagine cyber privateers under US Marshall service...) , and took out a couple commando teams... all within a week. Yes, he's one busy man.

Now this book is a real gem. First he got Russia and China to hack each other by launching coordinated attacks that leads one to the other and vice versa. Then he launched the Holy War by hacking a Saudi email to announce that Islam is not what it appears to be (and I'm being... very very polite). He got called into helping a murder investigation that seem to bear the calling card of a serial killer, to lend his computer expertise, and got the local police headquarters blown up (by someone covering his tracks), got a guy's pants off while in court (hey, he's wearing it hanging off his butt), turned Secretary of State apoplectic when she dared to criticize him in front of the president, got the national cybersecurity policy changed (by proposing privateering cybersecurity, with letter of marque under DOJ / US Marshalls, and reward accordingly with seizure laws) and took out a couple commando teams from ISIS, Russia, and later, China when they finally figured him out and retaliated. Oh, AND figured out the murder. It's one fun read, HIGHLY recommended. 8/8

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Finished Ties That Bind by Carolyn Arnold FREE on Amazon

Detective Madison Knight thought someone who was murdered in her own bed, strangled by a necktie, was an isolated incident. But when a second woman found in a park died by the same MO, it was clear she was dealing with a serial killer. When a third woman was found dead as well, also dead from a tie, the evidence pointed to only one guy... And both the chief and the sergeant wanted the case closed ASAP. But something nagged at Madison's mind... Was it... too easy? What was the connection among the three victims and the perp? There weren't any... or were there?

A good serial killer mystery, the motive of the perp was revealed slowly enough that had you going one way, then the other. Lots of red herrings, and while the endign was kinda trope, it was polished well enough that you probably wouldn't care that much. 6.5/8

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Finished Katie: Cattleman's Daughters Book 1 by Danni Roan

Katie James was the oldest daughter of the Broken J ranch, and she promised her dying mother that she'll always be around to take care of the family. She believes she's too late to find love, and family comes first. She's always a bit of a tomboy anyway, ride on roundups as one of the boys. And the cowhands on the ranch, all of whom are much older, treats her like a niece or daughter, never as a love interest, which all but made her forgot she's a woman... until she met the new foreman, Wilson Robertson. Wilson lost his home during the Civil War and had been wandering the states, from Texas to Kansas, until he was referred by a nice couple to head for Broken J. He's pushing thirty, and he's ready to settle down, but he had nothing to his name, and not worthy of love, even as he admired Katie from a distance, and Katie found the new foreman handsome, and dedicated to the farm. But is there a chance for love here?

It's called "sweet", which basically means there's no sex, and honestly, there's almost no romance here, it's barely lukewarm. 4.5/8
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Finished Split Second by Douglas E. Richards

Jenna Morrison had a great time visiting her family and had just walked into the door of her lover, Nathan Wexler, a brilliant physicist who may be the next Stephen Hawking, but without the physical handicapp. They just sat down and Nathan was just about to share a brilliant discovery he had made in the last week when they were rudely interrupted by three men, who were obviously dangerous, and insisted the couple go with them, or things can get very ugly. But soon things turned horribly wrong, when the first group went into a pitched gun battle with a second group of gunmen, and Nathan died along with his research, and in the middle Jenna escaped, and found the only remaining copy of of Nathan's work. She decided to hire a PI, who's a former Army Ranger, to protect her, and to hire someone who can decrypt the work, and the implications are staggering... Nathan had discovered a way to tap into dark energy and cross the 5th dimension to send something back by a couple microseconds. It's not worth anything, right? Oh, how wrong he is, and he got killed for it. But the implications of this discovery was far worse than people can contemplate, with nothing less than the future of humanity and a megalomaniac with almost unlimited resources at his command... but who is Jenna really fighting? And what do they really want? Who's the white hat and who's the black hat?
Spoiler:
Sure, sending something back by microseconds wouldn't matter... if you think of it as a time travel device, but what if you are using it as a replicator? Or a teleporter (with a way to incinerate the original copy?)
Let's just say I saw the ending coming as soon as the "stupid move" was revealed, for I knew it to be a ruse. But it's fun to see all the wrinkles being considered. 7.5/8
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Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America

Aside from the overlong "Conclusion" that decided to cover every president to the 1989 date of writing, I enjoyed learning about the four migrations that set the culture for the Massachusetts, Virginia, Delaware Valley (Pennsylvania Quakers), and the Backcountry (Appalachia).

It's evident from this study that some of the culture that was seeded before the American revolution still has an impact today in recurring cultural values and regionalist grouping.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
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Finished Six Months in Montana by Pamela Kelley FREE on Amazon

Molly Bishop is about to ascend to her dream: being GM of a boutique luxury hotel in Manhattan... except his childhood friend, Christan Ford needed her help. Christian's grandpa put in a weird condition in his will... Christian needs to marry Molly and stay married for at least six months, or else he won't inherit the ranch and the real estate development company. Molly was just informed that her promotion was put on hold because the hotel is changing hands, perfect for Molly to take a leave of absence... And Christian is renovating the guesthouse on the ranch into a B&B for Molly. What Christian failed to mention is his former girlfriend also has plans to open a B&B, and Christian is developing feelings to Molly despite his repeated claim that he's a bachelor for life. Can a marriage of convenience work?

Barely lukewarm romance, 4/8

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Finished Dangerous Passage by Lisa Harris FREE on Prime Reading

Avery North, a detective of Atlanta PD and behavioral specialist, was surprised to see another young Asian girl dead behind a dumpster, and on her shoulder was a magnolia tattoo, same as a previous victim. As she dove into the leads for possibilities of a serial killer, she found that a homeless man had removed stuff from the dead girl first. Was he the killer? Did he kill the first girl? As the man was picked up, it was found his wife also dead, making him even more of a circumstantial suspect. Then a missing person case was called in, and upon investigating, the family claimed the dead girl was a cousin they had given shelter to, and if that weren't true, they were "obviously" victims of a scam. When canvassing the neighborhood, Avery and partner Mitch came upon another young Asian girl who seems to recognize the girl in the photo but chose to pretend she didn't. What was she hiding? Then the medical examiner Jackson Bryant found something that cast doubt on the family's story... the "cousin from Arizona" was a fabrication, because the girl had a disease that did not exist in the US. The more Jackson, Avery, and Mitch dig, the more layers of deception they encounter, even as Avery encountered someone from her past, someone who may have killed her husband, and someone who attacked her in her home and stole her files. Why? Is it all related?

This is one heck of a suspense and mystery novel, as the layers are peeled back gently. I knew the case would involve human trafficking early on, as I'm aware of "domestic slavery" cases. But to see it masterfully weaved into a mystery like that is a treat. 7.5/8

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Finished Kiss me again by Kimberly James

Kenna James had divorced her loveless marriage and dedicated her life to raising her daughter (almost to college) and her new baking business and was already known as the "Cookie Lady". There is no man in her life except one lingering memory of Nick Frost, a guest at the New Year's party thrown where he kissed her passionately, then a minute later kissed a long-legged much younger blonde called Samantha. When her daughter went off with her boyfriend to a luxurious beachhouse for a week long vacation, and brought her along, she did not expect to run into Nick Frost here, who's her daughter's boyfriend's dad. Nick Frost was Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL QB, and he finally get to retire at age 45 after building up and selling the company his father had started. He was thrilled when he realized he had a beautiful house guest, and he's determined to get a repeat, but Jenna's definitely off the field, believing either Nick can't possibly want her, or Nick just wants a taste, nothing more. Nick has seven days to convince her otherwise...

Pretty sweet, but the stakes are pretty low, as the only conflict was in her heart: accept his love, go or no-go? 5/8

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Finished A Lawman's Reward by Kay P. Dawson FREE on Amazon / WESTERN Romance

Lydia had gone off to get her teacher's credentials, and she's heading back to Abilene, Kansas to her family and her town, and to the only man she pined for... Lewis Kincaid, the local sheriff, even though she believed she had nothing to offer to a man. Lydia is physically handicapped having been dumped from a horse when young and the legs never set correctly, and a teaching job seems to be ideal for her, and going home was the logical choice, when the last teacher... didn't last. But Abilene now has some unsavory characters and Lewis promised to keep an eye out for her... What Lewis didn't say was he had his eyes on her for a long time... But Lewis has his own problems, when his ex rolled into town on the stagecoach, intending to resume their relationship (after she ran off on him first to chase her own dreams), then after finally getting rid of her, after making certain she understood that he had ZERO interest in resuming that part of his life, his parents rolled into town, trying every which way to force him to go back east and be the rich heir of the family fortune... Can Lewis and Lydia's love survive these trials?

Sweet, not too long, and the twist ending at the end? Yep, I saw it coming. It's exactly what I'd expected. 6/8

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Finished Sherlock Holmes and the adventure of the primal man by Derrick Belanger novelette (80 pages)

Intrepid explorer Drake Patterson had discovered a frozen ancient man dubbed "Primal Man" in the remote Himalaya mountains, and brought back to London England in 1901, for an exhibit in London as "proof" of the missing link in the theory of evolution, then to be auctioned off. Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and Holmes' distant cousin, Professor Ellington Dynamo went to check the authenticity of the beast and found it to be fake. Just as the results were presented, they were told that the Primal Man had been stolen, and one of the three inspectors guarding it had been killed. Who would steal a fake artifact and kill a policeman in the process?

This one is pretty decent Holmesian adventure though I don't feel enough clues had been dropped early on for us to figure it out for ourselves. 6/8
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Finished The Unwanted Wife by Natasha Anders FREE on Prime Reading

Theresa Noble was brought up to entertain her father's guests, and be the perfect hostess, until she saw the most handsome man ever... the Italian Sandro De Lucci, and he was as passionate as ever, and they got married, but she got pregnant and miscarried once. But the love died. Now 18 months after marriage, Sandro is now ice cold. They still have sex, but it was just... fucking. Theresa wanted a divoce, and Sandro demands one thing in return: a son. And the stalemate continues, until Theresa realized they were both being played... By her cruel father, Jackson Noble...
Spoiler:
Turns out, Sandro came to Jackson needing some help, and Jackson trapped Sandro with a contract... Marry my daughter and produce a son, and you can have this vineyard that meant so much to your daddy who was my bitter rival. Turns out Sandro's father was already dying of cancer. Now, Sandro was stuck in the US, with a woman he wasn't sure he loved or not, and Theresa was just as wounded by 18 months of loveless marriage and a divorce she can't get, but Sandro was trying to change, yet his every gesture was rebuffed by Theresa as "you're just trying to appease me". Eventually his father died, and he was free from the albatross around his neck, but what will he do with Theresa now?
Nice push-pull. A lot of the Western Romances have this weird stipulated contract about inheritance tied to getting married and having kids, but this is the first genuine twist on this theme, even though it was still the same theme: a marriage of convenience turned into a genuine love affair. The darkest hour wasn't that dark, IMHO, but the grand gesture was recognizable. There was a LOT of angst in this novel, not all of which were caused by trauma, but a loveless marriage can be just as nasty. 6.5/8
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Finished TFS Ingenuity by Lori L. Harris FREE on Prime Reading

Captain Tom Prescott is shaking down Terran Fleet Command's first jump capable ship TFS Ingenuity, a fruit of labor derived from information sent from deep space of a race believed to be far in advance of the humans, in all areas of science, but most are just enough to get by, nothing that can create quantum leaps. The shakedown cruise turned into mission of mercy when the ship recovered an alien survivor of a fleet ambush in the outer orbits, and the gift Earth had been getting is a Faustian gift that will soon lead to centuries of interstellar war by proxy of an advanced race with unknown agenda. But there may be hope, as a different alliance propose a preemptive strike. TFS Ingenuity was not armed, but this soon will change, as the crew finally understood that TFC had contingency plans in place... and the Terran ship does have a bite to back up its bark...

Combat was pretty good, but the crew didn't do anything except fight space battles. The rest just "happened" to them. 6/8

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Finished The CEO gets her man by Anne Ashby

Debra Laurie is the CEO of the largest hotel chain in NZ and Australia, and all her hotels are profitable, except one. Goaded by her mother into going undercover as a waitress, she found her corporate ego completely useless in the world of her minions... she had ZERO skills as a waitress, and her ego takes a further bruising when she found that the assistant manager was a former rugby star she had a crush on when she was younger. The assistant manager is Jase McEwan, who knew Debra was definitely NOT a waitress, but he already had to deal with a temperamental local GM whose arbitrary random decisions put the entire staff on edge, and reductions in budget was about to force kitchen to revolt. On top of this, there are rumors that the co-owner (Debra's mother) is arriving soon and corporate may be ordering an audit. As Debra tries to determine if Jase (a former rugby champ as hotelier?) was the problem at this branch, or did the problem run deeper? As they discreetly investigate, they can't help but to fall for each other, and what would Jase do when he found that Debra is really his CEO?

Not too bad, but the book had to add another couple chapters after the culprit was found so Jase can romance Debra properly. 5.5/8

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Finished Sinful Secrets by Cynthia Eden FREE on Amazon

Catherine Donnelly of Donnelly Dining chain was supposed to be the responsible one, but she doesn't have the killer instinct for the corporate world, so her father said. So even she was surprised to find herself in the bed of Jason August, superstar chef enemy of the Donnellys... He swept her off her feet, and they and a wonderful evening. But before dawn, she slipped out of their bed, left the ring on the nightstand, and walked out. A year later, Catherine found herself at her wit's end, being blackmailed with a secret sex tape... and was rescued by who she believed to be the perpetrator... Jason August. All the signs point toward Jason as perp of long list of actions taken against the Donnelly empire, but Jason swears he had abandoned his revenge plans when he met Catherine. And Jason was not about to let Cat walk out of his life again... even as someone strikes from the shadows, waiting to spring his trap, on the older Donnelly, Catherine, and Catherine's brother, with Jason being the ultimate fall guy...

VERY angst-y romance where Cat cannot trust Jason no matter what he does. 6/8

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Finished Until Harry by L. A. Casey FREE on Prime Reading

Lane is going home to York, England, after almost six years of no contact with her family, except with her uncle Harry, and now Harry is dead of a heart-attack. Lane ran because she cannot take the double whammy of a death, and a betrayal. The man who she believed she will have a future with got a different girl pregnant. The girl she believed was her best friend... died. So she ran. But now she's back, to confront the past, including with Kale, the man who still has her heart, someone she knew since 6 years old, someone she gave herself to, someone who broke her heart... but now, thanks to Uncle Harry, it is time for them to confront the past, on what happened then, why did each make their decisions, and should they be together now?

Still Angst-y as, nothing stopping both of them unless they want to hold old grudges. 5/8

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Finished The Butterfly Garden by Mary Campisi

Jenny Romano was the wild one, the rogue, of the two sisters. Shes' a free spirit that don't like to settle down, and her assignment of a photographer was perfect for her. She'd gladly leave the housewife nice girl stuff to her sister Grace, who is indeed, married, with two beautiful daughters, and a loving husband, and a house, and all that. Even Jenny's mother called Grace perfect. But that perfect tranquility was shattered when Jenny was summoned to a hospital thousands of miles away... Grace had been in a serious auto accident and is in a coma... and her husband... is dead. Jenny struggles to take over, at least temporarily, Grace's life, and found that all that beautiful marriage was just an illusion, and Jenny is stuck in a suburban life, and had to meet psychologist Elliot Drake, recommended to help the two girls through the trauma. Elliot had been hurt before and was not about to open his heart, but he can't help to be intrigued by this free-spirit Jenny, who's unpredictable, yet kind-hearted. Is there a chance between the two?

Kinda meh for me, the chemistry wasn't really there, IMHO, as family drama kinda took over the plot. 4.5/8
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Finished The Texas MIllionaire's Runaway Wife by Mary Malcolm FREE on Prime Reading

Cassie owned a bakery and has employees as well as sister and nieces and nephews that need her, leaving her to no life, and no love. In the one time she let her hair down and fell in love in Las Vegas, she married a man who she believed was as far down and out of luck as she was, only to find that he's actually son of a Texas Mogul and richer beyond sin, and he wanted to HIDE his relationship with her. She stormed out, swore to never trust another man. A month later, Cassie had to eat humble pie and went back to the one man she swore she never wanted to see again... One of her nieces is autistic and needed help... serious financial and institutional help. And he's willing to give it to her, his runaway wife, if she will come back into his life, so he can punish her in the way that she deserved, but secretly he hoped that Cassie will see past his wealth and power, to see the man he really is... But both with betrayal, blackmail, and worse on their minds, is there room for love in their hearts for something that once was?

Frankly, this feels like a soap-opera plot. 5/8

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Finished Hero of Her Heart by Lindsey Brookes

Tanner Montgomery was running from Bethany Warner as soon as she came into town. She was the hangers-on when young, and even at 10 she was telling everyone about one day she'll marry him. Tanner was busy chasing his own dream... Be the town sheriff like his father. He can't afford to get involved with anyone... He saw first hand what his father's death did to his mother. He can't imagine putting anyone else through that. And when Bethany and her family moved away, he concentrated on achieving those goals. Over a decade later, Tanner is the sheriff, and Bethany is coming back to town, having donated heavily to the town library, and Tanner's mother saw it as the perfect time to try to matchmake them... AGAIN. But this time, Tanner is a handsome uniformed man, and the lanky awkward ugly duckling is now a successful confident and striking businesswoman, and young Bethany never stopped dreaming about Tanner... But will Tanner get the hint?

Pretty sweet, partly rom-com 6/8

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Finished Set in Stone by Kelly Collins

Megan Connelly is finally free, but more lost than ever. Megan went to prison 6 years ago, for killing her tormentor, but she also lost her unborn child that day. Now that she's free, she was unsure of what to do with her life, and only her association with her prison friends that allowed her to live at Second Chance Ranch, and contemplate her life about starting over. It was also where she encountered Killian McKinley, the youngest of the McKinley brothers, who has a dark reputation of being a love-me-n-leave-em man, who may have peculiar sexual tastes... Yet even she cannot deny that Killian attracted her like no other, but Megan's own heart was hardened due to years of abuse, physical and mental, and has no desired to be controlled by anyone, even as she learned her aptitude in horse training. Killian was torn in trying to control Megan even as he falls for the oddly vulnerable ex-con and in letting her go when his heart screamed "this is the one". But love is about trust, and ultimate relinquish of control. Will both learn their lessons in time?

Sweet, but not as suspenseful as the first volume "Set Free" reviewed earlier. 5.5/8
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Finished Duping Cupid by Gina Ardito Novelette (100 pages)

Vivi Maxwell runs "Cupid To Go", who specializes in escort service for social events (no sex, total discretion), but her own love life was rather lacking. When a rich former model Ava Featherstone demanded a mature man for the entire winter season to escort her to events so she does not appear to have been dumped by her cheating husband, Vivi was about to pick through her portfolio when her platonic friend (and silent partner) Sebastian "Bass" Lawrence came to visit, and Ava immediately demanded Bass as her escort, over Vivi's protest. Indeed, Bass' rescue of Vivi at a social event years ago when her then beau Julian dumped her (for being frumpy) was what got the entire business started. Now Bass is stuck with Ava for several months, while Vivi misses Bass, both are denying they really have love for each other. But Ava's sharp tongue made both realize they are really lying to themselve. But is there any love to be had when each are bound by non-disclosure agreements?

Funny yet poignant, there's a lot of plot in these 100 pages. 6.5/8

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Finished Weldding Bells Bundle / 4 novelette collection by Ginny Baird FREE on Amazon

Christmas Catch: Struggling Mom and kid house-sitting in Vermont romanced by handsome bachelor professor whom she almost ran off the road earlier...

Must-Have Husband: Girl in need of a groom got lost in the woods on a hike and had a handsome bachelor literally fell on top of her (almost) and she took him home to meet the folks!

The Sometimes Bride: Carrie the jilted bride found a ditched bachelor to ride out the PR disaster by agreeing to be mutual "fake fiance"... That nevers works, right?

How to Marry a Matador: girl went to Spain for business, woke up one morning married to a Matador. Hmmm...

Eh... First three's okay. Fourth one is tolerable. 5.5/8

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Finished SEAL of Approval by Jack Silkstone

Mike Saunders is a SEAL dog handler who can't seem to pick the right woman, so much so that his SEAL buddies planned a whole "girlfriend selection course" to test his next love interest. When his dog was seriously injured saving him on an assignment taking down a Cartel baron, he fell for the hot veterinarian, who rose to every challenge in the selection course... Right up to the point where the drug baron's brother sent in assassination team to take down the people who killed his brother....

Funny, but not very realistic. SEALs can just raid their own armory and take out military weapons for their own use? Really? If you ignore that, I guess it could kinda work. But this is a major sticking point, as the author resorted to "SEAL abuse" 5/8

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Finished Irresistible SEAL book 1 of 4 by Amanda Heartley

Luke Carter joined the SEALs to get away from home, but after 12 years with the elite unit he's almost ready to retire and start a family, but with who? Juliet Morgan worked in finance, is smart, beautiful, and was yanked by her father to work in a plain accounting job in Burbank as a favor, and a chance search on military-mates.com lead her to Luke Carter's profile, and they started exchanging messages... Until Luke was seriously injured on one mission and was flew home to rehab... his future in the SEALs is uncertain. Wallowing in self-pity, but only 1 hour away from Juliet, will his pride prevent him from finding the love he needed?

It's just a teaser volume setting up the situation. Meh. 4/8 At least there's no "SEAL abuse".

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Finished Love and Oreos by Elizabeth Bemis FREE on Amazon

Katherine Mendoza is a curvy advertising exec who loved her career first, and Oreos second. Men... are third or lower. She was about to land the creative director job, but her boss kept sabotaging her at every turn. When the senior partner in the firm handed her a new account for a fitness center chain, and a class reunion invitation arrived the same day, Katherine saw it as a sign... she'll save the fitness chain's boss, the super-handsome and very fit Quinn Mitchell from his PR disaster, and he'll help her get in shape. Quinn Mitchell would love to help Katherine slim down... with some quality hands-on time on some of those luscious curves, but his ex, now a reporter, apparently has a vendetta against him, and this is causing him to lose investors left and right. And his business partner thinks that being seen with the curvy Katherine instead of some model-thin waif is going to be bad for business. Is there any chance for the two?

Fun read, where agendas collide with hearts' desires. 6/8

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Finished Hidden Moon Bay by Vickie McKeehan

Hayden Ryan was lost south of San Jose, fleeing from a past not of her doing, except picking the wrong boss: a Russian scammer with connections to the criminal underworld who eliminated witnesses with ruthless efficiency. Trying to head into Santa Cruz, she ended up on a dark coastal road at Pelican Pointe, a sleepy town on the California Coast, and the handsome and rugged deputy who sensed she's running from something, but not sure what. As Hayden pondered settling down in the sleepy town, and falling for the deputy, she was fighting her instincts to be secretive and run, even as a hitman closes in...

As a suspense novel, it was almost amateurishly bad. A hitman who has an accent and asking around for the victim? That's so blatantly obvious it's hilarious. As a romance, it's actually not bad, even as it gets into spirits and ghosts and visions and so on. Yet it's NOT really a supernatural romance, but about confronting one's past. 5/8

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Finished Texas Secrets by Jean Brashear FREE on Amazon

Rising star chef Maddie Collins suddenly learned that her father's life was a lie, when she received a letter from a lawyer that she is now proud owner of a family home in Texas that she had never known... bequeathed by the husband of the only woman her father had ever loved, but had to give up. The catch is she had to stay there at least 30 days. After that it's hers, stay, sell, whatever. But the land the home was on... belongs to the two estranged sons of the same man, Sam Gallagher. Boone Gallagher was a former navy SEAL, but after injuries, he's just a cowboy driven away from home by his bitter father who turned on his sons after death of his wife Jenny, and he had long lost touch with his brother Mitch. Now Boone is back, and was angry to find that his home now belongs to a city girl who obviously did not want the place, and he had to convince her to stay 30 days when they can't stand each other, for the alternative is for both of them to lose. As Maddie learned about the town of Morningstar and the less hectic but no less work ranch life, she found that this house was where her grandmother grew up, and her father's role in the struggle, and how Sam was now trying to repay the debts that can't be explained. As Boone and Maddie was forced to live with each other, they found that each was attracted to one another, and each was ready to do the other right even if it kills themselves... Is that love?

Wow, this is one messy situation. Maddie's father left town to take the blame of his mother (Maddie's grandma) killing her husband, but apparently before he left, he got Jenny, his GF, pregnant, but he didn't know. He left, and got a new name and a new life, and had Maddie. Back in town, Jenny gave birth to a girl, sent her into secret adoption, then came back and married Sam because her guy is gone or dead. And Sam was ashamed that he knew the guy's alive but hiding, and Jenny / Sam had the two kids, Boone and Mitch. When Jenny died, Sam turned super bitter and the the two boys into bitter young adults. Now Sam's at his deathbed and his solution was to get Maddie to come back and match up with Boone, and hopefully they can find the other parts of the missing family.

I need a map to keep all this clear. No wonder this series has like more than a DOZEN books. Ouch. The enemies to lovers / forced cohabitation due to strange will was tropish, but the angst tension "sins of our fathers / grandfathers" was refreshing. 6/8
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Finished Mail Order Bride Delia by Charity Phillips

Delia went west to Wyoming to marry her betrothed, but upon arrival she found she had been duped, a neighbor boy's photo was used. Just as she was about to resign to her fate, she was rescued by the real person in the photo, her chaperon's older son. The end.

Yes, the story really is as lame as my summary sounds. 2/8

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Finished Julia (Mail Order Bride Club) by Ashley Merrick FREE on Amazon

Julia lost the accounting job when the owner had to take an early retirement and sold the company. Repeated interviews went nowhere, so she took a chance and went West to Wyoming to meet her friend Emma, who became a mail order bride and was now very happy and pregnant. And Emma's husband has EIGHT brothers... One of whom, Liam would very much like Julia to stay around, and perhaps help his family-friendly pub. Then she discovered his secret even as the other much seedier pub's owner started to fight back...

As a suspense, this novel is rather lame. As a romance, it's a little better, but the talk of "depression" in the 1880's seems to be well ahead of its time. 4/8

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Finished Rugged and Relentless (Husbands for Hire Book 1) by Kelly Eileen Hake FREE on Amazon

Four women, related by blood or marriage, decided to head West to Hope Falls, Colorado to try to revive the town in order to revive their fortune. One of them was already betrothed, then was told that her fiancee was killed in a mine collapse in the town. They decided to put up a husbands-wanted ad for the three free women, who'd also be setting up a cafe, a mercantile, as well as a library by transferring all their belongings from the city. There is no going back. Evelyn Thompson was the cook and never imagined there could be more than a dozen men waiting for them in the small dead town, including Jacob Granger, who was a logger, but he's hunting for the man who killed his brother, and clues lead him to Hope Falls, where he fell for Evelyn as well. Even as he courts Evelyn, he's looking through the residents to see who can be the scammer and killer...

Not bad, as the mystery part was well drawn, for Jacob does not know what the killer looked like, only a general description, and trying to figure out who's who in a town full of bachelors and rough men can be problematic. 6/8

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Finished What's Life Without the Sprinkles? by Misty Simon

Cake maker and single mom Claudia Bradley was fine with her life. She has a business, lots of female friends and sisters, and a male friend who made her perfectly comfortable without making any moves on her. But when her son's father Peter came back into her life as if nothing had happened, she started to notice her male friend, Nate, was very indeed... very yummy. But she doesn't want to change her friendship with Nate, and... Neither does Nate... At least, he didn't want to either... But Claudia may be ready to change her mind...

Eh, it's okay, nothing too memorable. 5/8
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Finished Exposed by K. Foster

Kate witnessed the killing of a dishwasher at a restaurant's back alley, except the killer let her live, the first time according to the cops who had been after this killer called Locke. Cops put two cops to protect her, but both got killed. US Marshalls Jake and Leonard took over her protection and moved her to a safehouse, but Locke found them again, even as Jake started to suspect his partner by going to his local police liaison Mike. And Jake was the only one that can keep Kate safe... or can he? As Jake figured out that Leonard betrayed him, he learned that Locke had kidnapped Leonard's sister Marie to force him to do his bidding. As Jake struggle to keep his affection of Kate at bay, Locke executes his master plan... For he will have Kate, no matter what...
Spoiler:
WTF? Locke killed people and kidnap Kate and force a US Marshall to do his bidding just to force Kate to wield a paintbrush again? WTF?!
Why is a US Marhsall so cozy with some guy in local police who's NOT a captain, yet pretty darn high up? Don't Marshalls have their own office? Plot really makes no sense. 4/8

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Finished Worth the Gamble by Kristine Raymond

Olivia Thatcher is practically a spinster, getting older. While her career as Hidden Spring's teacher was fulfilling, her heart aches for love... until Dallas Trent came to town. Dallas is a gambler, and extremely honest. The problem is he's too good, AND he's a gunslinger too, and he made more than a few enemies, and his reputation preceded him... for shooting a man over game of cards, a reputation he did not deserve. But Dallas Trent is a learned man, and when Olivia ran into problems with her students, Dallas came to her rescue, and their friendship developed into a lot more. When Dallas is accused of murdering another gambler, and only Olivia can be his alibi, Dallas chose to remain silent to save Olivia's reputation in town...

Not a bad western romance of a gambler gone straight over love, with the grand gesture and darkest hour rolled into one. Too bad the resolution was not accomplished by the FMC or the MMC, else this may get a 6.5. Right now it's a 5.5/8

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Finished Montana Snowfall by Caroline Fyffe

Sally Stanford had to leave St. Louis. She was raped by her married boss, the newspaper editor, and she's now pregnant, but not showing yet. She went west to "visit" her sister and her husband. But her stagecoach was damaged en route and she was tasked to ride a mule to seek help, and got lost, and she stumbled into a snow cabin and almost froze to death, only to be saved by Roady Guthrie, foreman of the McCutcheon ranch, who was out for his own reasons... Hunting a giant bear only known as "The Behemoth". The snowstorm stranded them together, and Roady fell in love. Sally would love to have a family with Roady, but she hadn't told any one that secret... And when there is no longer any choice, Sally asked Roady to marry her in a marriage of convenience, knowing that the child was not his, only to preserve her honor. But will she realize that he will do anything for her?

There's a lot of plot here with a lot of characters in a complex family saga, including the McCutcheon brothers and clan, the town, the orphan they kinda adopted, and more. it felt a little disjointed, IMHO, but makes for a good series. 6/8
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Finished Texas Roots by Jean Brashear FREE on Amazon

Scarlett Ross trusted the wrong man to fund her restaurant, and an ambitious prosecutor wanted her to testify against her boyfriend who's tied to the mob. When two toughs almost cut her throat, she grabbed everything she could and ran... to one place she never knew about... Her grandmother's place in a little town called Sweetgrass Springs in Texas. Her mother had NEVER mentioned the grandparents while she was alive, and she had never questioned such, being all alone in the world after her death. It was only in browsing her mother's diaries did Scarlett even knew of the town. On the way, she was stranded by a flat tire and was rescued by sexy cowboy Ian McLaren, who also lived in town. As Scarlett found her grandma Ruby, her hesitation grew... How will she fit in in the quiet lifestyle and the close-knit community? How could she tell her grandma, whom she had never seen, that momma is gone? How could he tell Ian that she's interested but not ready? How could she explain that angerous men are after her and she could never put anyone in town in danger? And as she grew more attached to the town, that she must leave before she hurt any more people?

Good "small-town" life, and the suspense works, but the resolution was a bit weak though on the suspense part. Still, it is sweet. 6/8

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Finished Into the Crossfire by Kathleen Hope

Caleb's SEAL team was to recon a drug lord's compound, when they witness a rival gang's attack on the compound. A woman and a young girl were caught in the middle. The lieutenant in command of the SEAL team made an insane decision to try to rescue the young girl, and was almost blown up by a mine. Seriously wounded, he was stuff into the truck of woman's car and driven off the property and cared for, and as he recovered, he realized he's in the home of the man he's was recon'ing, even as he learned of the woman and the girl (not mother/daughter by blood) and fallen for the woman...

Sorry, this is another "SEAL abuse" novel, as the situation can't possibly happen. If the orders were recon only, SEAL team will gladly witness civilians die, shed a few tears, and do their duty. This basically made SEALs into protector/cops. And the rest of the team just watch their lieutenant got stuffed into a potential hostile's car trunk and did nothing? WTF?!

2/8

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Finished Cade by Magery Scott Historical Western Romance Short (only 55 pages)

Cade Morgan had never committed a crime in his life, but revenge and love compelled him to do something he never expected... Rob a stagecoach, and kidnap a woman. With his two cousins, he must stop the stagecoach and take his childhood friend, Isabella Morrow away, to stop her wedding to an evil man... both for his sake... and hers.

Quite a lot of plot in these 55 pages. 6/8 at least.

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Finished Mail order Bride Club: Emma by Ashley Merrick FREE on Amazon

Emma Byrne and her friends grew up in an orphanage and they hold odd jobs around Boston to make ends meet. Emma however, was forced out of her job when her employer basically told her that unless she gives in to his unwanted advances, she will lose her job. She chose to resolve her problem by becoming a mail order bride, only to find that the intended groom did not place the ad! It was placed by his brother! But Ethan does need help with a 3-year old girl... But he's not over the death of his wife when giving birth to a second child (neither made it). As Emma get to know Ethan and his family, Emma found that Ethan has EIGHT brothers... most of whom are single...

Not too bad, actually, if a bit slow. 6/8

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Finished Ranch's Retreat by Kirsten Osbourne Novella

Five Romance Authors decided to do some writing at River's End Ranch in Riston, Idaho. But for Kaya Taylor, her life will never be the same. Her life was rather lonely despite the words she put into the novels, but one look at Glen Johnson at the ranch and she found herself lost. But Glen can't commit to a relationship. He's about to get his doctorate and turn his uncle's old ranch into an equine therapy center. While he felt a connection to Kaya, he couldn't change his life plan for her... Or can he?

Not bad for 115 pages, packs all the points of romance, including a bit of fourth-wall breaking. 5.5/8

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Finished Do Not Tell Me No by Kathryn Jane FREE on Amazon

Cassandra was determined to find her family. She was separated from her father and brother when young, who were never seen again. Years later, she thought she found her father, dead, but her brother was still missing. She was supposed to be chasing a lead in Las Vegas, but a night with a sexy cowboy derailed that plan, and she was quickly called back to Texas... a horse on her ranch may have killed someone... again. Her attempt to reclaim the horse was successful, until a bear sent the horse into a panic flight, and she flew off the horse and went unconscious, only to wake up in a place that's NOT a hospital... and greeted by that sexy cowboy that bedded her in Vegas. What's going on?

Frankly, this book makes absolutely no sense, and feels like disparate scenes stitched together and "voila", a novel. A private security firm with a "silent helo"? What's next? Airwolf? Characters are introduced than abandoned. Witness security that lasted over a decade, including planting fake bodies. 2/8

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Finished Westward Wings by Linda Bridey FREE on Amazon

Tessa refused to follow her family plans to be a socialite as the suitors are all pompous suits with no substance. Feeling trapped, she approached her "crazy aunt" for her chance at freedom... become a mail order bride to Dean Samuels, a widowed father and rancher in Montana...

Actually a pretty good book about a girl finding herself by taking a huge gamble. Rather enjoyed it. 6.5/8

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Finished Now and Then by Brenda Rothert FREE on Amazon

Emmaline Carson has settled into her career as a graphic designer. She was the quiet sister, compared to her sister Layla, the outgoing, confident one. Emmaline had a crush on the neighbor boy, Cole Marlowe, but Cole had dated Layla, not Emmaline. A decade later, Cole's now an attorney planning to work his way up the corporate ladder, until a chance encounter at a cafe brought Emmaline back into his life. Now Emmaline has matured into a woman, and Cole's comfortable in the friendship they developed, possibly into something more. But Emmaline and Cole are both keeping secrets... and these secrets can be tearing them apart...

Proper amount of love and angst, IMHO, but the sister was too... "flat evil", IMHO. 6/8

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Finished Secret Sister by Emelle Gamble

Nick and Cathy Chance had the perfect marriage. Cathy and Roxanne had a perfect friendship and called each other secret sisters. But Roxanne was not perfect... Her mind is falling apart, and on the way for her to see Dr. Seth with Cathy... The unthinkable happened... Roxanne ran head on into a truck, and Cathy was ejected and died. Roxanne's heart stopped but then was revived, and she woke up with total amnesia... And recovered. As Roxanne struggled to get back into her life, she slowly realized this was not her life... She is Cathy Chance... Now in Roxanne's body... But her second chance at life was full of despair... How can she convince any one she's not crazy? How can she convince her husband Nick that she's still there? And how is this connection even possible?
Spoiler:
Turns out Cathy and Roxanne are really half-sisters... both had the same father.
And it's one huge twist of fate that worked within this context. 7/8
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Re: Books Read 2017

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Image


Unlike the so-called "History of Comedy" series that CNN is airing (and isn't much of a history, let alone very good), this is chronological and full of juicy stuff. So far in just the first few pages of chapter one (covering vaudeville and burlesque) I've learned:

Bud Abbott's father owned one of the largest and most successful chains of burlesque houses on the East coast

The equivalent of CPS was constantly trying to shut down the Keaton family because the act consisted of Buster's father kicking and throwing him around the stage.

Bob Hope and Milton Berle started out in Blackface

The Bloody Mary was invented by George Jessel (allegedly) as a hangover cure and named for Ted Healey's girlfriend. When Healey found out he grabbed his gun and threatened to shoot him..



And I'm just getting started.
I spent 90% of the money I made on women, booze, and drugs. The other 10% I just pissed away.
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