Month: June 2015

Review – Invasion of Privacy by Christopher Reich.

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23278495New go-to author alert!

I found this book on Netgalley and thought that it sounded like an interesting read. Was I right, or was I right? In fact, I’ve now gone on to read two other books by the same author (a series featuring the same main characters). I must warn you, if you’re paranoid about technology and how it can be used to know every single detail about your life, then you will be vindicated when reading this book! It is scary and fascinating at the same time.

The plot follows an FBI agent who gets killed whilst on assignment and his wife is not satisfied with the official answers given to her by the FBI, so she goes on her own investigation.

Now, this is a fairly common plot shell to have, but Reich makes it work. Clearly a lot of research went into this book due to all the technological jargon and explanations, and that is a credit to Reich that he didn’t just write a simple thriller plot. Even the characters are fairly well fleshed out, and that does not often occur with a lot of plot driven thrillers.

This was a quick and easy read, and that is exactly what I’m looking when picking a thriller. If you want an author that can put their personal breadth of experience into words to create a good story, then look no further than Christopher Reich!

Pegasus.

Invasion of Privacy: A Novel

Review &VIDEO: Tiny Little Thing by Beatriz Williams

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I love reading books set in a familiar locale, so when I saw that Tiny Little Thing was set in the Boston area and Cape Cod, I knew I had to read it. I grew up in southeastern Massachusetts and spent many a summer day on the family beaches at the Cape. 

Tiny, a well-bred dancer who marries a well-bred politician, finds herself unfulfilled and held back. She wants to escape, but is conflicted about appearing callous or selfish to her in-laws who have ostensibly given her the keys to fame and fortune. 

A niggling thought just won’t let go, though. Her in-laws are hiding something. As Tiny uncovers family secrets, she also peels away her fear of the unknown. With the help of those who truly love her, Tiny takes a leap out of the family’s political circus and into her own big life. 

So I didn’t love that this was set in the ’60s – I can’t relate – I wasn’t even born yet! And I hated that Tiny was portrayed as such a “victim” who needed to be saved. But I appreciated the redeeming values of her husband, and the gentle respect of the Captain. 

My favorite thing about this family saga/romance is that Williams explored Tiny’s relationship with her sister Pepper. While restoring an old car, they restored their sisterhood. Williams even brought their mother in full-circle at the end. I like that she tied up loose ends. 

And even though Tiny wasn’t exactly the best example of a strong woman who knows her mind, she was a good woman, rescued over and over by a good man, and that’s my kind of happily ever after. 
-calliope

Buy TINY LITTLE THING 

Review: Ruby by Cynthia Bond

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24902492Can you remember the last book that you read that you absolutely loved? How about the last one you absolutely hated? The answer to that question for me is the same. Ruby by Cynthia Bond. The prose in this novel is simply put…brilliant. Bond really does have a way with words. Not only is it stunning, it is also filled with deep meaning and thoughts. It often demands of you to pause and relish in its aftermath. Because, yes…sometimes it is not just beautiful…sometimes it is also downright brutal.

I won’t go into all the plots and twists of this story…I will instead just list quotes and more quotes so you too can see exactly what I mean when I say Bond’s prose is both beautiful and brutal….

She wore gray like rain clouds and wandered the red roads in bared
feet. Calluses thick as boot leather. Hair caked with mud. Blackened
nails as if she had scratched the slate of night. Her acres of legs
carrying her, arms swaying like a loose screen. Her eyes the ink of
sky, just before the storm.

Celia poured the steam back in his coffee.

Maggie cut her eyes against his face, her fists tight in her lap.
‘Beatin’ ain’t the worse can happen to a body.’ The orange tip of her
cigarette devoured the white.

Ruby felt the lonely before it came. Knew that for all she’d have to
face when she left this tiny shack, the lonely would be the worst of
it. She knew too that it was the thing each of them shared, only it
was waiting for them in different places. For Ruby it was a room at
Miss Barbara’s. For Maggie it was the minute after Ruby said good-bye.
And for Ephram, it was right here, right now. She felt how the lonely
never left him, not even sitting beside her.

Some folk say after time she come to love him. Others say she jes’
give in to shame. Me, I don’t know much, ’cept that he chased her all
the way to lonely. And once you make it there, ain’t too many choices
left.

By the time Ephram turned fifteen, he and Gubber were barely speaking
to one another. Ephram watched Gubber swell and grow and strain
against the fence of clothing, only to build a bigger fence, only to
strain, again and again. Gubber wouldn’t look at Ephram if they passed
in school or at P & K, and worse, when circumstance threw them
together, Ephram became the perfect foil for Gubber, a soft, weakened
thing to point out when collective fangs were bared. The fact that he
accomplished this with a chain of rebukes and thick jokes, and that
those actions had done more harm to Gubber Samuels than himself, was
not lost on Ephram. He’d watched Gubber swallow his kindness and shit
it out until all that remained was the waste of a good man.

Your daddy and me named you Otha. It means ‘wealth.’ You were your
daddy’s treasure from the time you were born until he died. He used to
say there were rubies buried deep inside of you. Remember, baby, don’t
never let a man mine you for your riches. Don’t let him take a pickax
to that treasure in your soul. Remember, they can’t get it until you
give it to them. They might lie and try to trick you out of it, baby,
and they’ll try. They might lay a hand on you, or worse, they might
break your spirit, but the only way they can get it is to convince you
it’s not yours to start with. To convince you there’s nothing there
but a lump of coal.

**Possible spoilers**

I’m still trying to figure out why I obviously disliked this novel so much when it’s clear that I also loved it just as much as I hated it. There is some black magic in this novel. That doesn’t bother me. There is also much abuse. Again, that didn’t bother me (well, it DOES bother me, but not a reason I disliked this novel). I’ve spent a great deal of time trying to suss it out…I think for me, Bond only touched on some areas (the Ruby that was in New York, Ephram’s sister, Maggie, Charlotte and so many other things) and yet she seemed to go on and on about others (Chauncy and the Dybou in particular). It’s almost as if Bond was trying to beat us with the worst of the lot to wear us down and overwhelm us. For me it just didn’t work. See, evil is evil. We all know that. We don’t need that shoved down our throats. But it’s the tragic that overtakes the good that really display just how evil that evil can get. It was all too lopsided for me. I realise that Ruby was overwhelmed with the evil….but the real tragedy was hidden into the why she was overwhelmed with it. It didn’t just happen. There were other’s involved. There were layers and layers that all conspired together to get to that point. What made the Reverend into the man he became? Why was Maggie so protective. Why did Charlotte run? Why was Celia so broken?

Yes, I realise that Bond touched on all of this….but that’s just it. She only touched on it. Yet she seemed to beat us over the head with Chauncy and Dybou without really going into the cause of their characters, only the effect.

I do realise that if Bond had given this novel the depth and care that it deserved that it might very well mean that the novel was twice it’s length. I wish that novel was written. There was so many things to be learnt in those missing pages. So much depth that her prose promised us. That is why, although I love it…I also felt cheated….and a bit bored with it….

Until next time…

Urania xx

Review copy provided by Edelweiss for an honest review

Buy it now Ruby by Cynthia Bond

Review: Vicious Cycle by Katie Ashley

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01 vic This was actually my first “not perfect” MC book I’ve read. All of them have been clean and law abiding clubs. This one was a bit rough and serious, but it was most definitely real. And I completely enjoyed it. This was filled with action, suspense, heartache and romance. Perfection.

When Deacon was handed a daughter that he knew nothing about, he was in no way prepared for the changes that would happen in his life. But watching him slowly become softer and more caring, was very sweet to see. He hasn’t lived the easiest life, but he’ll do everything in his power to make it, so she’s protected and has everything she could ever want or need.

Alexandra cares so much for her students, that she was willing to come into the local MC just to teach a little girl and make sure she’s caught up. She never, in her wildest dreams, would have though that this life was going to slowly take hold of her.

After spending so much time together, Deacon was slowly falling for the teacher, and she for him. Even as dangerous things are happening all around them, they are constantly pushing through to find the perfect way to work for their happy ending.

“For her, I wanted to be a better man, a better father, a better brother, and hell, a better human being.”

I adored Willow. She was the perfect person to bring a change to Deacon, even before Alex showed up. It was fun to see these big and bad bikers dudes, fall before her and become sweet. Who knew a little girl would bring such change to the club.

I am anxiously awaiting the next book, because after I read the last few paragraphs, I am totally dying to know what happens!! Rev’s book is going to be amazing!!! Bring on October!!

~Melpomene

Buy Vicious Cycle (A Vicious Cycle Novel Book 1)

Pre-order Redemption Road: A Vicious Cycle Novel

Review: The Song of David by Amy Harmon

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01 song “The most intimate thing we can do is to allow the people we love most to see us at our worst.”

My heart is full and happy. The Song of David was so beautifully written, I can’t seem to wrap my head around any coherent words that will make this review even a hint of what it should be. I can’t see through my tears, even if I could think well enough to do that. Amy Harmon’s stories are perfect. The characters are real. The problems are real. The hurt is real. She is the master creator of stories that will change you and heal you.

SYNOPSIS
I won my first fight when I was eleven years old, and I’ve been throwing punches ever since. Fighting is the purest, truest, most elemental thing there is. Some people describe heaven as a sea of unending white. Where choirs sing and loved ones await. But for me, heaven was something else. It sounded like the bell at the beginning of a round, it tasted like adrenaline, it burned like sweat in my eyes and fire in my belly. It looked like the blur of screaming crowds and an opponent who wanted my blood.

For me, heaven was the octagon.

Until I met Millie, and heaven became something different. I became something different. I knew I loved her when I watched her stand perfectly still in the middle of a crowded room, people swarming, buzzing, slipping around her, her straight dancer’s posture unyielding, her chin high, her hands loose at her sides. No one seemed to see her at all, except for the few who squeezed past her, tossing exasperated looks at her unsmiling face. When they realized she wasn’t normal, they hurried away. Why was it that no one saw her, yet she was the first thing I saw?

If heaven was the octagon, then she was my angel at the center of it all, the girl with the power to take me down and lift me up again. The girl I wanted to fight for, the girl I wanted to claim. The girl who taught me that sometimes the biggest heroes go unsung and the most important battles are the ones we don’t think we can win.

No one fights alone.

David “Tag” Taggert has been a fighter for most his life. He will fight for those he loves and cares about, until he can no longer swing. We met Tag in The Law of Moses and I’m so glad we get to see more of him. He hasn’t had the easiest of times, since the death of his sister, but he puts on an act and carries on. On the outside he seems like the most confident and happy go lucky kind of guy, but there’s a secret that he’s keeping from those who love him most.

I adored Millie!!! She was the best girl for Tag. She’s a fighter and a mighty protector. She lays it out there and tells him what he needs to hear, not what he wants to hear. No matter how much he wants to protect her from the ugly side of life, she forces him let her in and be there for him.

“When you’re with me, I feel like I glimpse a David nobody else knows is there. It’s a Song of David, and nobody else can hear it but me.”

This book struck a chord with me. So many parts of this story I could relate to, and it made me connect and feel it, even more than I normally would. There is a connection between David and Goliath that everyone faces at some point in their lives. They must fight their giants, and keep fighting til they’re taken down and destroyed. Never stop fighting. No matter what.

“You hold onto me. You trust me. You lean on me. You rely on me. You let me shelter you. You let me love you. All of you.”

~Melpomene

While you can read this as a standalone, to avoid spoilers and get the full experience, read The Law of Moses
first. You can thank me later.

Buy The Song of David

Review: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

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41SS8CrR6yL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_So I read a lot of young adult books. Enough that there are times when I think that I’ve read every possible scenario involving teenage love-drama-angst-not fitting in-bullying-teasing-etc. And yes, the storylines can become stale and/or familiar from time to time. But books like this one are the reason I keep at it, the reason I keep reading almost anything I can get my hands on. Not all of them, however, reach the level of this one.

A teenager with OCD. That alone was enough to grab my attention. But that by itself is not enough to carry a story. This one has so much more.

On the outside, Samantha has it all. She’s part of the in-crowd, popular girls who have been friends since they were little. She has a good family, does well enough in school, and is a star swimmer. There’s more to Samantha than meets the eye, however. In addition to all these things, she has OCD. Her mind is consumed by obsessive thoughts-the number 3, questions she must find the answer to, people she can’t stop thinking about.

With the help of her family and excellent therapy, she does a good job of hiding it. Appearances can be deceiving, though. On the inside, she panics at the thought of losing the approval of her friends. Friends who, if she’s completely honest with herself, really aren’t that nice to begin with. But they provide her with a safety net, and that’s what she needs.

Then one day she meets Caroline, who is the complete opposite of what she’s used to. And more importantly, Caroline leads her to Poet’s Corner, a hidden little nook of people just like her. With Caroline’s encouragement, Samantha begins to branch out, to share parts of herself she’s never exposed to others.

And then there’s AJ. Because what would a young adult story be without a love interest? AJ is exactly what Samantha needs. He’s calming and comforting, and through his love she finds the courage to be herself. But the OCD is always there, lurking, threatening everything Samantha’s found. She can’t bring herself to tell AJ about her struggles because in his eyes she feels normal.

This book broke my heart. I cried inside thinking of everything that Samantha went through each and every day. And yes, I know that it’s fiction. But it’s truth for many young people. It’s full of sadness, and it’s full of hope. There’s friendship lost as well as friendship found. The inner struggle that Samantha faces is very real as are her feelings of loneliness. And at the end of the book is a story that you won’t soon forget.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Every Last Word

Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

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  Oh my. Let’s start at the end.  I go into every book anticipating a happily ever after. This book ends happy from some people’s perspectives, but it’s definitely not what I expected. 

You know what led me to believe it would be my kind of HEA? Love. That’s right, I’m a hopeless romantic when it comes to books, and I was enamored with Louisa’s love story. After a dozen years of holding back and reining in and SETTLING for the safe bet, Louisa led with her heart. 

Louisa got out there and lived and loved and made herself happy… by the side of a depressed, egotistical, narcissist who was just trying to get by with the appearance of dignity that he couldn’t feel. 

In some ways I think Me Before You comments on how some people come into our lives for only brief moments, but they touch us in such a way that our lives are forever changed. And some people – like Louisa’s longtime boyfriend – are with us for so long without affecting us at all. 

I loved the banter between Will and Louisa, the characterization of Will’s hopeless and hopeful mother, and Moyes’ skillful descriptions of time and place that made me believe I was there. 

I laughed out loud, certainly. I bawled my eyes out, as well. I hated the ending, but I’d read it again in a heartbeat. 

A little birdie told me a sequel is being released in September. 

                     *in the queue*
-calliope

Buy ME BEFORE YOU 

Review – The Buried Giant, by Kazuo Ishiguro. 

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22522805I finished reading this book over a month ago, and honestly, I’m still not sure what to make of it. Is it a work of genius that layer upon layer of undiscovered insight? Or is it a bit of a failure? Well, after a month of letting it sink in, I think I can say it falls somewhere in the middle. Now, Ishiguro is one of my top 5 favourite authors – if I could ever write a novel even an 1/8 as good as The Remains of The Day, or Never Let Me Go, then my life would be complete – and so this review is hard for me to write as I really wanted to love this book.

I suppose I better tell you a bit about the plot. Set in the early years of the Saxons, we follow an elderly couple as they go on a journey to visit their son in a neighbouring village. There is however, a strange mist enveloping the land and this causes everyone to lose their long term memory, that the people believe is being caused by a dragon rumored to be living in a mountain. Throughout this journey, the couple are pitted against many obstacles, including a cantankerous old knight from the days of King Arthur, the above mentioned dragon, and various other people that wish to do them harm.

Hmm… this sounds like a fairy tale you may say? Well, it is certainly told in a similar fashion, except this one delves into much deeper issues. I don’t want to explain each metaphor or what I think the author is trying to say – that’s for you to decipher. However, what I will say is that I think Ishiguro had all of these themes and contemporary issues that he wanted to incorporate into his book, but yet he tended to over crowd it without offering context. Or maybe it was my mind making up these issues and themes?

Even though there were some weak points, two things that Ishiguro does really well are characters and depicting loss and acceptance. This is what ultimately drove up my rating of this novel. Ishiguro is a master at portraying long-term numbness, sorrow and pathetic hope, and this novel is full of that. If you’ve read any previous novels by Ishiguro, then I do recommend reading this one. Certainly not his best one, but a solid 4 stars nonetheless.

Pegasus.

The Buried Giant: A novel

Review: Once Upon a Summertime by Melody Carlson

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Anna is a family girl who takes a job at a value hotel in order to be near her grandmother. Anna doesn’t expect to stay on her grandmother’s couch for two years, though. And she’s frustrated managing a hotel that isn’t in line with her hospitality philosophy. So she finally goes to New York on the referral of a friend and starts working at a chic boutique hotel… where her childhood crush is the manager. And he’s still handsome and charming and kind. And she kind of sort of can’t help falling back in love with him. 

Great plot, pretty good characters, and easy dialogue made Once Upon a Summertime a very nice read. The only thing I didn’t really like was the interaction between Anna and the other girls. The banter was contrived, and the snark was inconsistent. I couldn’t get a handle on Marley – and here Carlson missed an opportunity to let Anna show how strong she was by being an example to, or firmly standing up to, her friend. Besides that, the book is well-written and a joy to read. 

I always love the sweetness of Melody Carlson’s books. I like that she writes main characters who experience a transformation, or who grow due to a life-changing event. Anna goes from thinking about her ideas to acting on them – and in the process she becomes more true to herself. A person is always rewarded internally for living authentically, and in Once Upon a Summertime Anna is also rewarded by those she loves. 

 -calliope

Buy ONCE UPON A SUMMERTIME

Review: Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent

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19099368 (1)One of the better books I’ve read in quite a while. You’re completely hooked from the first line…

I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her

What an opening line! The rest of the book does not disappoint. There really are no lulls in this story. The first chapter is told in Oliver’s voice and of course from the opening line we know what he has done.

So how many times have we wondered how someone could harm another person that they claimed to love? Have you ever heard something shocking about someone you know? Have you felt disbelief? Or are you completely unsurprised by their actions?

The rest of the book alternates between people who have known Oliver…either as child, teenager or an adult. All of their memories and encounters with Oliver paint a very complex portrait.

From the very start with Oliver’s nonchalant and matter-of-fact justifications we are left feeling very cold towards him. His lack of compassion and empathy is downright startling. It allows the reader to instantly hate Oliver and you have no problems at all distancing yourself from him.

As the book progresses and you see Oliver in different stages of his life…well, you can’t help but to be drawn in a bit closer to him….

Are people born bad? Or do events and experiences make them so?

At the end of this story you’re not sure if you hate Oliver completely or if a small part of you feels sorry for him. At some point I knew I can’t change my mind on my feelings….but I am stuck sat here and wondered if just one instance had been different….one turn different, what type of man would Oliver have turned out to be? Or is that really just more of Oliver’s nonchalant and matter-of-fact justifications trying to sway you? Even though he at no point makes any excuses for his behaviour…after all….it is what it is….

This is a disturbing read. But in such a good way. It was original. And best of all….it leaves the reader with shadows of the book haunting them long after the last page ends. Nugent has left me wanting more. I hope she graces us with another book soon. I didn’t really care for the ending…but that doesn’t bother me as much as it does some readers….after all….life doesn’t always turn out as you would like it either…

________

After thinking about this book a couple of days I have one more thing to add….

I wonder if we’re meant to hate Oliver from the start….If his voice led off the story to make us bias towards him. Nugent has done a brilliant thing here….I mean, though out the rest of the story I found myself looking for the bad in Oliver. I was looking for him to burn a kitten in the woods whilst he was in school. I was looking for some type…any type of cruelty….to justify how I pictured him in my mind. To show me a hint of the man he was as he told his tale.

It wasn’t there….

I am reminded of studies I have heard about….how we label individuals. Even professionals. One example in a study had doctors pose as a mentally ill person. They were admitted to a hospital after they displayed mental health tendencies. After they were admitted, they dropped the act and were their normal selves. Even though they were sane and logical, the workers and the doctors refused to see them as anything other than mentally ill. They ignored the evidence that said this person is not mentally ill….and instead sought to justify the label of mental illness….

My random musings of all this is to just point out…..

Did I hate Oliver and think he is vile based on the label I placed on him from the start? Did I completely overlook the child that he was simply because of the man he became? If we had read the story in chronological order, would we feel different about the entire novel?

See!!!!!!!!!! That’s what type of book this is! It doesn’t leave you in peace…days later you will still be thinking about it and asking yourself questions…..

Just saying…..

Until next time…

Urania xx

Review copy provided by Netgalley for an honest review

Buy it now Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent