Review: Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher

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5982474Oh how very angry this book made me. And it did so in varying shades, slowly at first and then by the end I was basically running to my computer to write this review so there was no lag in my reaction time. I basically went from a slow simmer in the beginning to a burning rage at the end. Which really rarely happens to me with books because I almost never finish books I don’t like. I’ve been making a better effort to finish these kinds of books so I can review them for this blog. Because I would never review a book I didn’t read fully. So I am glad I finished this book so I could fully express my distaste!!

Logan Witherspoon was recently dumped by his girlfriend Brenda of 3 years. He found out she cheated on him and she then dumped him. Logan spends the first portion of the book lamenting this loss, but not really lamenting the loss of Brenda, much more so the loss of the possibility of getting laid. While he was angry at being dumped he seems much more angry at the idea that Brenda never allowed him to get past “second base” but cheated on him fully with another guy. Logan is extremely bitter about this. Which starts my slow simmer.  Being angry at being cheated on is completely understandable but Logan goes on and on and on about what a wonderful, amazing guy he was for not pushing Brenda to have sex with him.  When in reality that’s what a decent human being is supposed to be like.

Logan meets Sage Hendricks when she moves to his school that year and is in his lab with his friend Tim. Which brings me to point 2 of my anger level rising. Logan describes TIm as this disgusting slob. Every single time Tim is mentioned he is talked about as eating more food, as being grossly huge and just fat. At first I figured he was going to turn into a bad guy in the book and that was the reason for the description but nope, Tim is nothing but a good guy and a great friend. So basically Logan is an ass that describes his friends in very negative terms for no reason even though they’re good people.

Sage, meanwhile, is a cute girl that Logan is attracted to but who is not allowed to date. Logan finds this odd and they get closer and closer. Sage finally discloses her biggest secret – she is actually a boy. Her parents hate that she dresses like a girl and this is the first year she has been allowed to go to school in a very long time. She sneaks hormone pills in order to grow breasts and is hoping to get a sex change operation in the future.

This obviously gives Logan a completely good reason to freak out. They had kissed right before this revelation and he was understandably freaked out. I totally got this part of Logan, and his reactions in this part of the book made sense to me. However, as the book goes on Logan’s reactions no longer made sense to me at all. He knows this about Sage from a relatively early point in the book yet things still progress between the two so it felt like a yo yo for most of the book.  Which led to more of my hatred of Logan. I really wanted to smack him. His reactions for most of the book were extremely superficial and felt like we never got to go much past that. When for the briefest of moments we would get there he would pull back immediately.

I was left frustrated by this book. I thought Sage was believable, as was Logan and unfortunately the whole book probably was too.  I, however, did not enjoy it. Logan was an ass an not someone I want to read about.

2 Stars

~Clio

Almost Perfect

Review: The Truth is in the Wine by Curtis Bunn

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This novel has a good premise but many flaws. The story is about a husband and wife with a rocky marriage. Since they both enjoy fine wine, Ginger and Paul decide to take the vacation they’ve always wanted – to Napa Valley.

The book could be great, but the writing is amateurish and long-winded.

  1. Instead of dialogue, Bunn uses stream of consciousness much of the time. While this is okay in theory, it’s difficult to read a whole novel written in this way. In addition, the thoughts are repetitive and circular. While this may mimic a person’s thoughts in real life, it doesn’t work In a novel.
  2. The writing is uneven. A well written page might be abruptly punctuated with an amateur “it didn’t feel good.” If the description is precise, the reader doesn’t need to be told that something didn’t feel good.
  3. The sex scenes are abrupt and vulgar. Perhaps college boys would appreciate them, but a (mumblemumble)-ty year old muse…. Not so much. Perhaps I am not the intended audience. But then, who IS the audience for a book about marriage with unappealing and unromantic sex scenes?
  4. The author uses so much real estate to describe and explain things instead of showing the reader something succinctly. Describing four people’s meals in detail — when the menu isn’t relevant — doesn’t move the plot forward.
  5. Implausible subplots: The 40-yr old wife who couldn’t get pregnant for 20 years gets pregnant, has an abortion without telling anyone, then 2 months later gets pregnant again. The two pregnancies are a result of having sex three times over the course of four months. Really?
    Another far fetched subplot was a double date 3000 miles away where one woman and the other woman’s date are long lost lovers from 40 years ago.

There’s more if you can stand it.

Curtis Bunn uses incorrect vocabulary and confusing descriptions. Examples:
-One passage states “to determine if they had stuffed contraband up the cracks of their anuses”. Anuses don’t have cracks.
– Putting lips to a wineglass is described as akin to putting lips on the wife’s breast. How exactly is a wineglass like a breast?
-God and His blessings are mentioned frequently… And even more frequently, the use of “Goddamn.”
-The author includes in the double date conversation a joke-y allusion to jerry Sandusky “who molested all those boys” – and “the ladies laughed.” Not funny.

The book was all over the place. Curtis Bunn employs frat boy humor, pretentious mentions of numerous specific wines, wannabe-marriage-counseling through a thin veil of fiction, and totally unbelievable subplots to create a confusing, uneven novel that I struggled to finish.

One star for unique ideas. The book needs heavy editing.

-Calliope

I don’t recommend The Truth is in the Wine. But I DO recommend this wonderful, witty, clever, well-written book about a marriage on the rocks:

The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank

Review: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

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16130549The day this book came out I heard a BBC Radio review of it. The reviewer ended her review stating that they believed that this book would hurt Stephen King’s reputation….well talk about a ruined day! I am always scared to read a new book from an author I love. What if it’s a complete dud and I hate it? It’s harder to remember a great passionate love for a book when you read a few that are total rubbish from the same author. Should it matter? No. Maybe not. But it does. Think about it…how many times have you said, “well, I used to love xxxxxx but I hate their later works, so I don’t even bother any more….Do you ever spend sleepless nights pondering all the great reads you might have missed just because of one bad book? Aw, co’mon….I’m the ONLY one??????? Psssffftttttttt……

So, anyway, I was hesitant now to start a book that I had *really* been looking forward to….all because I happened to hear a random stranger on the radio piss and moan about how boring this book was at parts….SERIOUSLY?????? I’ve been a Stephen King fan for over 25 years!!!! Yet, this random stranger made me doubt that love! This is why I avoid reviews (well, except for Muse Reviews….we offer only the BEST and most honest reviews EVER…no! REALLY we do!!!!)

Well, let me tell you, Doctor Sleep grabbed me from the very first paragraph and I tell you now….it had me by my throat and it did not let go until the very last….and I tell you now….I am still a bit breathless from the whole experience…..

However, that crazy woman from BBC Radio stayed close to my mind. As I read this book, I had to stop and think about Stephen King as well. Sure, there are one or two authors I follow because I have learned that I love just about everything they write….blog posts, reviews, epic novels, whatever…..but it’s not often that I am wondering what the hell is going on in their mind as they are writing the book I am reading…..I don’t mean, wondering how they ever came up with the story, or the wonderful characters….I was wondering what actual thoughts of failure or success SK was pondering. How was he able to put his own thoughts of what this book would mean to his readers and his career to the side and actually write this novel. What sort of discipline that must have taken!

With all the hoopla over this book, I know that SK has been a bit anxious about how it would be received. Any one of the dozens of interviews with him leading up to this novel will tell you he’s been nervous. Especially since “The Shining” is so well known……Why wouldn’t he be? Think about it……take a moment out of your busy day….go on then…..close your eyes……turn off that telly…..and think of one single word…just one…

~ REDRUM ~

What do you see? What do you feel? What do you know?

Stephen King did that! With a single word! How f**king brilliant is that? Seriously…..How many people in this life time get one word that instantly brings such a strong memory to you? ONE. SINGLE. WORD!!!!

So how do you top that? How many of King’s works have been pure and magical brilliance? How many have been…errrrr….rubbish? How does he handle that? Is he able to shut that off? At the end of this novel he puts the date of May 1, 2011 – July 17, 2012 as the dates this one was written….of course there is probably no way to measure just how many minutes, hours, days, even years that little Danny Torrance played in and out of King’s mind.

If you think “The Shining” scared you, well how do you reckon it has scared SK all these years? Who haunts him the most? Jack with his alcoholism that AA was not readily available to help him though. Especially knowing SK’s own battle with the disease…..Was it little Danny, aka “Doc”, whom was a victim by no fault of his own. Or is the complete success of “The Shining” itself that haunts him the most?

The fact that this book was so wonderful, well it’s just amazing. It wasn’t overdone. It wasn’t a rehash of the first book. Most importantly, it was so NOT a disappointment. It’s been a few days since I finished it and I am still thinking about it! I am still savoring bits and pieces in my mind. I wish I was STILL reading it!!!

SK did little Doc proud in this novel. He also makes amends to any wrong he might have inadvertently caused Jack Torrance in “The Shining”. Most importantly, for me, SK also manages to do what I love the very most from any author….he ends it in such a way that the reader can walk away with a smile on their face…or the story can be revisited years later….he leaves you, the reader, completely happy with a closure yet leaves a huge, elaborately carved thick wooden door there….it’s closed at the moment….there’s no way we can see beyond it….we don’t have the key to enter….and really…. it’s lovely to just look at….but….if by some chance…..SK decides to open it at a future date, we, the readers, will be thrilled to once again let him hold our hand and guide us through that magic that is contained within his mind that he sometimes shares with us…..just please….Someone! Anyone! Don’t forget the bloody torch! It can get scary sometimes where he leads us….and no way am I riding in a RV to get there either….just saying….

~Urania

Buy it now Doctor Sleep

Review: The Wager, by Rachel Van Dyken

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Let me start out by saying that I never thought I’d laugh so much, or that I’d cry this much, while reading this book. My emotions were all over the place. I completely fell in love with this book.

Char has had a crush on Jake for practically all her life. But in Jr. high, she was tossed aside and was forced to give up on him. He was never gonna like her. So she goes on with her life until one night sends her in a tailspin that brings all these past feelings back up. And when they both are in Kacey’s wedding, it’s the best and worst thing that can possibly happen.

Jake lost Kacey to his brother and is now being forced to watch them get married. What he wasn’t expecting was Char to saunter back into his life. He’s had a crush on her since Jr. high but never did anything about it. And now she’s back and he’s determined to try for her, but since he’s such a manwhore, he doesn’t feel like he’ll ever be worthy of her love.

“Scratches. They always sting before they heal. So it stings to get rejected, but I think in the end it will be worth it.”

Watching Jake and Char go back and forth was hilarious! The banter and flirting was so very fun. Grandma’s antics had me rolling. I don’t remember The Bet being this funny. I’m sure if I was living this, it wouldn’t seem funny, but holy cow, was I cracking up.

“I’m only listening to her because she bought a shock collar the other day.”
Kacey gave him a confused look.
“She doesn’t have a dog Kace. She bought a collar. If I don’t listen, she may use it on me…”

Watching Grandma torture Travis was downright giggle inducing. I felt so bad for the poor guy. But he took it all in stride.

There were also plenty of times I cried ugly tears too. I mean wedding always get me, but this was crazy!

“To my second son…and his new wife… may your bed be filled with laughter, your nights filled with pleasure, your home filled with the smell of good food, and your hearts be filled with joy. This is the reason we are on this earth-to love.”

In the end, Grandma, the master manipulator, got what she wanted…happy grandsons.

“…your hands. God made them to hold mine…
Marriage is just the beginning of our story, and I hope to God that when he write The End, it’s us, on that last page, still holding hands.”

*swoon*

~Melpomene

Buy it now The Wager: The Bet series: Book 2

New Releases for October 1, 2013

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I can’t believe it’s October already!! But I love the Fall weather. It’s perfect for cuddling up in a blanket, with a cup of mint tea and my kindle.

I can’t believe how many new releases come out this month. I am almost afraid to see how low my Amazon account will dwindle down to. So maybe if I only look at it week by week it won’t be so bad….maybe.

Since it’s the first of the month, that means new $2.99 book deals. Here is the link.

And here are a few that some of us are waiting for:

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Torn: The Connections Series, #2
I’ve read Connected, the first one, and it left us hanging with a cliffy. So I am so anxious to read this! It has a hot rocker. What more can we ask for? 🙂 This will complete the duet. I’m so glad to here it’s only a two book set. All these trilogies kill me!!

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Midnight’s Temptation (Dark Warriors)
I LOVE this series!! I was bamboozled into reading the first book of this series. And ever since then. I was completely addicted. If you like druids and fea, with a smidgen of romance thrown it, you’ll like this series.

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Love and Let Die (Masters and Mercenaries)
I have been waiting very impatiently for this one. I’m a sucker for BDSM books. This book has that, and an extra dose of suspense. Perfect combination.

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The Wager: The Bet series: Book 2
I totally loved this book!! Funny and emotional. I seriously was cracking up. But there’s one scene that had me tearing up. So sweet.

“Love isn’t effortless; it hurts. When I watch you my chest feels like it’s going to explode, when you touch me I feel it everywhere, when you breathe I hold my breath until you exhale. Love is hell, it’s torture, it drives a man insane, and it’s the scariest thing I’ve ever felt. I feel like I just jumped into a burning building…but Char, you’re my water. I need to know one thing.”
“What?” She whispered.
“Will you come to my rescue?”

I know, right?!?! Here’s the link to my review.

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Red Hill

If you’ve read Beautiful Disaster, and loved it, you should try this one as well. I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I’m not a fan of zombies, but this book threw me for a loop. I figured if I loved BD, I would love this one as well. I was right. 🙂 Here is the link to my review.

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Love and Lists (Chocoholics)
If you haven’t read Tara Sivec’s Chocolate Lovers series, you must do that first!! This is the spin off series. SO technically you don’t NEED to read the others first, but you’d be missing out on a whole lotta funny. And who doesn’t need funny in their lives??

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Possession: A Novel of the Fallen Angels
This is another paranormal romance series from J.R.Ward. I’ve only read her Black Dagger Brotherhood, but I have the first book, in this series, sitting patiently on my kindle. Hopefully one of these days, I’ll get to it.

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Found in You (Fixed)
I’m dying to read this trilogy! I will admit, I only bought it because of the cover. I’m shallow like that. I’m hoping to get to these sometime this month also. The first book, Fixed on You (The Fixed Trilogy), didn’t end on a cliffy. So that makes me feel a lot better.

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The Signature of All Things: A Novel
A novel about desire, ambition, and the thirst for knowledge, from author of Eat, Pray, Love and Committed. I’m finding myself drawn to historical fiction lately. This sounds like something I may have to squeeze in. 🙂

~Melpomene

Review: Between the Lines Books 1-3 by Tamara Webber

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I’m going to do this review a little differently and review the whole trilogy at once because, well, I read all 3 books at once. Which I love. I was able to not have the anxious wait in between books which is a good and a bad thing. That build up of excitement wasn’t there but I also didn’t have to experience any disappointment if that build up anticipation didn’t meet my expectations. So I’m going to divide my review into 3 parts- one for each book.

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Between the Lines #1

Reid Alexander is young Hollywood star who is used to getting what he wants- cars, movies and girls. Emma Pierce is a small time actress who just got cast in Reid’s next movie. Reid quickly sets his sights on Emma. Emma is very down to earth and notices quickly that Reid expects things to come easily to him. But she is still very attracted to him and unsure of herself. When Emma meets Graham, another young actor in the movie, they begin to hang out and Emma finds herself also attracted to him.

I liked the dynamics of the books and the dual points of view- from Emma and from Reid. Reid decides Emma is what he needs in his life and we as the audience gets to see how he maneuvers things to make that happen. From Emma’s point of view we can see how Graham is very kind to her and how quickly they fall for each other. Of course issues arise and Emma begins to date Reid instead. With the secondary characters around them playing important parts – I loved to see the different worlds of each of these young actors. Some were born into it and some worked very hard to get there. This first book set the stage for young love though at turns it’s hard to see exactly for who.

4 stars

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Where You Are (#2)

This book had an altogether different feel to it than the first one. While the majority of the first is on a movie set, this one moves around a lot. From New York, to Texas and then back to Hollywood. It starts out with Emma and Graham declaring their love for each other and dealing with the fact that Graham has a young daughter. From there the plot revolves around Brooke, the temptress best friend who has been waiting for Graham to wake up to what’s right in front of him for years. She teams up with Reid to break up the two to get to the ones they think they want.

A series of potential misunderstandings are luckily sidestepped by the young couple. I really liked seeing how both Emma and Graham were pretty open and communicative with each other. Reid and Brooke really seem to deserve each other by the end of the book and I was surprised that’s not where it went. I was also surprised there was another book to go as the book seemed to wrap up all that I cared about.

4 stars

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Good For You (#3)

This book revolves around Reid Alexander. He is a complete party-er and has gotten into multiple situations that he had to be gotten out of by his PR rep or lawyer. His most recent scrape means he needs to do community service. Enter Dori. She is a genuinely good person and wants nothing to do with Reid and doesn’t really want him around while he does his time. Slowly they begin to have pull on each other until they realize they are both falling for each other.

This book for me was completely out of nowhere. It felt nothing like the other two and to be honest I didn’t really care for Reid at all. I didn’t see the point of his own book, or if he got his own book I was waiting for something more interesting. Dori felt completely boring to me and I could never really get into her storyline at all. I’ve heard many other people with opposite opinions of mine, including another muse actually, but I wish this would have ended with just the 2 books. I was surprised to find out there was a 4th book in the series (the last one) but I will not be purchasing it.

2 stars.

So my personal recommendation is to read the first two and enjoy them. They’re cute, enjoyable, funny and sweet. Skip the next two.

~Clio

Between the Lines #1 Buy it Now Between the Lines (Between the Lines #1)

Where You Are (#2) Buy it Now Where You Are (Between the Lines #2)

Good For You (#3) Buy it Now Good For You (Between the Lines #3)

Review: Gated by Amy Christine Parker

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I admit it, I am a huge fan of young adult and dystopian novels.  The Hunger Games did it for me.  So, I went into this one expecting another typical dystopian/apocalyptic story based around a teen protagonist where everything works out in the end. Was I ever pleasantly surprised!  The story centers around the Community, a cult-like compound founded after 9/11 under the premise of protecting its members from the evils of the world and the eventual end of mankind as we know it.  The story is told from Lyla’s point of view.  Having been part of the Community since she was a young child, she unquestioningly follows along with the community leaders.  After all, this is the only world she has ever know.  But things are so much more than we are led to believe.  This book combines the best aspects of a young adult/dystopian/psychological thriller into one well-written package.  The characters are nicely developed, believable, and most importantly for me, extremely likeable.  While I had an idea where the story was heading, the author kept me guessing until the end.  It’s also a nice, safe read for young adults without any overtly irresponsible behaviors on the part of the teenagers involved.  This one was a five star read for me!

~Thalia

Buy it now Gated

Review: A Beauty Uncovered by Andrea Laurence

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This is the second in the Secrets of Eden series by Andrea Laurence .  I had not read the first one before I picked up A Beauty Uncovered and didn’t find that it detracted from this book at all.

Brody Eden is a reclusive CEO who rarely, if ever goes out in public due to major scarring he has over half of his face which has made his life pretty miserable. He has a past filled with secrets and protects himself and his family fiercely from anyone who would discover those. Brody’s gruff demeanor keeps everyone at bay, which is just where he wants them.

Samantha Davis has her own issues she’s dealing with and just wants this new job to work out for once and doesn’t want to screw it up.  She’s intrigued by Brody from the beginning but intent on not becoming interested in him at all for her own reasons. That doesn’t exactly go as planned.

“No woman, sparkly or otherwise, had ever deliberately touched his scars like that. With every fiber of his being he wanted her to do it again.”

I really enjoyed this book overall, I liked the dynamic between Samantha and Brody. She is plucky and strong enough to not let him get away with anything and he is strong enough to appreciate that in both an assistant and someone he’s interested in.

This is part of a series about a family of foster children who bonded and are a close knit family now that they are all grown and successful. However the brothers and sister have some pretty big secrets that are an overarching thread through the series. Normally with series like that I can be irritated with a few different things – unnecessary cliffhangers and dramatic hinted at secrets. However, A Beauty Uncovered was able to not do either. While there are heavy secrets, they come out in the open in a reasonable amount of time, without the dramatic drawing out I hate in some romance novels. With the cliffhanger- which there was a mini one- it was done in such a way that it set up the next book nicely, making me want to read that one, and still liking the one I just got done with. I felt this story was wrapped up well. And I want to read the rest too!

4 stars.

~Clio

Buy it Now A Beauty Uncovered (Secrets of Eden)

Review: Bridesmaid by Julia London

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20130928-072827.jpg Bridesmaid is a novella about Kate, who has to travel from New York to Seattle on a deadline — and with a poufy bridesmaid dress in tow. Joe, a handsome, successful IT guy who hasn’t yet found his one and only, sweetens the trip.

Kate and Joe overcome funny travel challenges together in order to their final destinations. On the journey, they notice they kind of like each other. What do they do about it? Read the book!

I’ve read Julia London before and I usually like her books. I also appreciate a really tightly written yet thorough novella. I didn’t enjoy Bridesmaid as much as I wanted. The writing wasn’t as good as I expected, the dialogue was just mediocre, and the characters were a little flat.

Bridesmaid has a cute plot and a nice, easy love story. But it isn’t quite the best you can get from Julia London.

–Calliope

Buy it now Bridesmaid

Price drops!

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I just looked on my amazon wish list, and though my list is a mite outdated, I did see some price drops. So I’m sharing. 🙂 Just click on the title to get to the amazon purchase page.

Enjoy!
-Calliope

Fortunately, the Milk – by Neil Gaiman

Night Film – by Marcia Pessl

Home to Whiskey Creek – by Brenda Novak

A Time to Kill – by John Grisham

The Newcomer – by Robyn Carr (The Hero is also just $3.99)