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Review: The Samaritan by Mason Cross

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21566238oh dear….I’m not sure what happened here…I LOVED the first book in this series. This one? Meh…not so much….

We still are dealing with Carter Blake….We are still wanting to find out more about Blake and his past….we are allowed once again to see bits and pieces….He’s still in the same line of work….finding people that don’t want to be found….so why didn’t I like this one as much as the first?

A couple of things….First we know Blake was part of some top-secret government black ops that very few people played a part in and even fewer knew about…however, once again, Blake stumbles across someone from this operation. It was too much like the first book.

Another thing…..we are left, yet again, with secondary characters that are playing a major part in the story and yet we aren’t given much insight into them. I hardly think one paragraph explaining the controversy around the main detective qualifies…especially since it her were her POV we saw the most of during the novel…

The way the story jumped around from one POV to another for the first 80% was also distracting….and it might be poor editing that will hopefully be fixed once released, but the flashbacks that the Samaritan had…well….they didn’t flow right….there was no stopping point where the present met the past…it made for a very awkward reading experience..at least a space between paragraphs was needed….

Finally….we didn’t even get much of Blake until the end of the book….just a little bit here and there….Carter Blake is the one who makes this series!!!! Yes he is a mystery….but FFS, he should be playing a major role throughout the entire novel…not just at the end…..and it’s been proven in the past that he is known by the FBI and certain elements just didn’t add up at the end with the bit FBI players involved….

Am I let down by this novel? Yes….it felt choppy and unedited….it wasn’t smooth at all….do I still look forward to the next in the series? Hell yes….Carter Blake is a great character. I still think Mason Cross has a great opportunity to make him a household name. I just hope in the next novel that he expands and doesn’t expect the reader to believe that such a small secret operation has team members that are always running into one another…it’s a very large world out there…I think Cross is safe to look outside this small circle for someone who Blake can hunt….it might even make it more interesting and show his skills if it a complete unknown….

Just my thoughts…

Until next time….

Urania xx

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review

Buy it now The Samaritan by Mason Cross

Review: The Keeper of Lost Causes (Department Q #1) by Jussi Adler-Olsen

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keeperHow many times to you keep seeing a title of a book and remind yourself weekly that you *really* should get around to reading it? Well, “The Keeper of Lost Causes” is a book I’ve been meaning to read for years. For one reason or another it just kept getting pushed to the back burner.

Now that I’ve finally finished it I feel that I need to give myself a swift kick up the arse for being a total idget and not reading it sooner! This is a detective novel for sure…there’s plenty of mystery and suspense to go around. The storyline and the suspense is truly enough to satisfy anyone that loves Thrillers. However, what is even more remarkable with this novel are the characters. Not the main character. Granted, once again, the head of Department Q is plenty enough to satisfy anyone…there is so much to his inner workings that you can’t wait to spend more time with him….however, the secondary characters are truly outstanding. There isn’t a single one that you don’t long to know more of. There are many that you can easily hate (but in an, “I LOVE to hate you” kind of way) but there are also a few that you will absolutely fall in love with. You will want to rush out and finish the rest of the series just so you can see where Adler-Olsen takes them. You will long to hear their background history…You will thirst to know what happens next. I simply can’t wait to revisit them all soon and to see what is happening with them.

Adler-Olsen has done a brilliant job in laying the foundation in a series that will have you wishing the characters were not only real people….but also part of your intimate circle of friends.

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now The Keeper of Lost Causes (Department Q #1) by Jussi Adler-Olsen

Review: The Girls of Mischief Bay by Susan Mallery 

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Three women in an L.A. suburb find themselves in the middle of some changes. Big changes. Marriage, divorce, pregnancy, death, grief, friendship, and new beginnings all play a part in this new series by one of my favorite authors. 

The writing is excellent, from the fleshed out characters to the descriptions of the coastal setting. Technically, everything is on point as Mallery invites us into the lives of three women of different ages, their families and friends, their businesses.

But there’s something missing for me. Excitement, maybe. And I get it that lack of excitement is one of the relationship issues in the book, but the reader should still somehow be pulled into the book… And I just wasn’t. For one thing, there was a lot of “telling instead of showing” (like when one character sat across from her friend and next to her other friend and put her purse on the free chair). I liked the book enough, but I wasn’t totally invested in it. It didn’t thrill me. 

On the other hand, Mallery successfully shows the reader real emotions. For example, one character is mourning a loss. Brava for getting to the nitty gritty of being beside oneself with grief. The scene at Goodwill – I can picture that kind of thing because I have seen people just UNDONE like that. I’m thinking WOW as I remember reading Mallery’s take on it.  And the spa scene with the possible future stepchild – realistic and full of tension. 

Although this particular plot was a bit of a downer for me, I enjoyed Mischief Bay and its inhabitants. I’ll be on the lookout for book number two. 

-calliope 

buy THE GIRLS OF MISCHIEF BAY

Review: The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice

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*1Although I’m far from an expert in regards to Anne Rice, this did not feel like an Ann Rice book to me. It seemed….errrrr….well….it just wasn’t complicated enough…The characters didn’t seem complex enough….and finally….errrr…and….it was boring….

I really enjoyed the first part of the novel…perhaps even the first two-thirds of the novel. It was entertaining and full of possibilities. I loved the take of the Wereman superhero aspect. The downfall in this novel for me was when the hero met the other weremen. As in real life it seems that if you put a group of old men together they just start rambling and telling stories…talking over themselves, each vying to be heard. It seemed to become repetitive and rambling. I lost complete interest in it at this point and just wanted it to end…I might have even nodded off a time or two…it was just so awful…it was so bad that I actually resented Rice a bit…She almost had me hooked and then, wham…she ended it with that and I regretted spending my money and my time on the entire novel….I’m 98.3% sure I won’t continue on with the series…

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice

Review: One in a Million (Lucky Harbor #12) by Jill Shalvis

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One in a Million is the tale of Callie and Tanner. I’m going to tell you why I’m so in love with Tanner and EVERY Lucky Harbor character I’ve ever read.

Jill Shalvis has a way of making Lucky Harbor heroes ultra-alpha with a big dose of sensitivity and adorableness. It’s a talent. A skill. A miracle even. The men have muscles and brains and businesses and big hearts and deep souls. They are perfect.

Even though Tanner is clueless or selfish or begrudging at times, he still wants what’s best for Callie… And he wants Callie. Sigh. I live for watching the guy want the girl. He’s all meeting her for coffee and bringing her doughnuts and remembering that she gave him a Valentine in high school. See? Perfection.

And Callie. Well, she doesn’t believe in love. In her wedding planning business, she has seen too many brides focus on the wedding rather than the marriage. When Callie realizes she has loved Tanner for a long, long time, she puts up her defenses, leaving Tanner wondering.

She finally caves, of course. There’s a meeting of the minds and a heart-to-heart. And grandma Lucille? She makes sure this one in a million love story is happily ever after #12. 🙂

-calliope

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Review: He’s So Fine (Lucky Harbor #11) by Jill Shalvis

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I said it for book #10, and I’ll say it again. I love Lucky Harbor, and Shalvis writes the best alpha men ever.

He’s So Fine tells the story of Olivia (not her real name, but hopefully no one finds out) and Cole (like McGuyver, but more sensitive and nosy and muscly and alpha).

They don’t mean to hit it off, but the electricity between them is just too much to resist. When they finally knock down some emotional walls, they might even start a real relationship… If it weren’t for Cole’s inability to trust, and Olivia’s inability to share the truth. You see how that might cause some problems!

What impressed me was that Shalvis made Cole and Olivia’s character flaws a platform for comic relief, a wonderful use of wit that endeared me to the couple instead of being annoyed with them. The two pretty much save each other from themselves, and enjoy a terrific Lucky Harbor happily ever after. Sigh. Those never get old.

One of the mainstays of the Lucky Harbor series is Lucille, resident blue-haired busybody. In this particular book, Shalvis introduces us to Olivia’s friend Callie, Lucille’s granddaughter. That introduction has got me veddy veddy interested in what might be coming up ahead in Book 12. I can’t wait!

-Calliope
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Review: Field of Prey (Lucas Davenport #24) by John Sandford

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lucasI think I love his books more with each new release….I’ve been in a massive book slump…nothing holds my attention….but this did….and the ending….I love Davenport so much….I love that he is flawed, but his heart is not….I love that he faces moral and ethical dilemmas head on…..doing what he knows will allow him to sleep at night….even if it costs him something somewhere else down the line….and never putting his job before people…..those close to him, or just those he encounters for a short time….

I marvel at Sandford….an author that has kept me engaged for 20 plus years and more in love with a series now than I was with at the start….I also love that he doesn’t feel the need to make every thing nice and neat and wrapped in pretty paper…..his novels often get messy…and end messy….but that’s to be admired, not shunned…..

I hope Sandford is around for many more years to come…..still a favourite after all these years….

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now Field of Prey by John Sandford

Review: It’s In His Kiss (Lucky Harbor #10) by Jill Shalvis

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I love Lucky Harbor. The women are tough cookies even though they cry and glare and let a good kiss redeem bad behavior (well, not SO bad). Shalvis writes the best alpha men ever, EVER, and they are all different. How can there be so many smart, cocky, sensitive, charming, muscled men in one town? And all with distinct personalities and quirks and talents? I do not know, but I like it.

It’s in His Kiss is WONDERFUL. Becca moves to Lucky Harbor to get away from her wacky family, and she meets Sam. They ogle each other and work together at Sam’s boat chartering business for a while, until Becca realizes Lucky Harbor has avenues for her to use her musical talents. Meanwhile, they fall a little bit in love. And of course there’s a misunderstanding and a happily ever after.

That’s my kind of book: Relatable, likable characters; quick, smart dialogue; a forward-moving plot; characters who display authentic humor and poignant friendships; and a satisfying romance. And Shalvis further proves her writing talent by writing a series where each book can be read standing alone, yet if you read them together you enjoy nuggets of recognition and common threads. Just perfect.

I stayed up late to read this. I stayed up late to read #11. And I’ll stay up late to read #12. I can’t get enough of Lucky Harbor. 🌊☀️☔️😎💏

The subsequent books in the series will be released in September and October.

-Calliope
buy IT’S IN HIS KISS

Review: Return to Homecoming Ranch (Pine River #2) by Julia London

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Sigh. I wanted to love this book. I liked some of it, like the romance, the realistic struggles of Libby and Sam, and the changes happening at the ranch.

But Libby’s relationship with her mom and sisters needed more development. I would have preferred more of that subplot than about Libby’s ex-boyfriend and her stalker-ish behavior. Reading about Libby’s obsession and Ryan’s pathological lies was just depressing. I wanted to skip the downhearted ramblings. I know depression is real, as is alcoholism and PTSD… I just didn’t expect them all to be subplots in a romance novel!

If you loved Pine River #1, and you’re okay with real life struggles making up a big part of a romance novel, you really will enjoy Return to Homecoming Ranch. As for me, I like my happily ever afters preceded by predictable solutions to the small problems in life. 🙂

-Calliope

BUY Return to Homecoming Ranch (Pine River Book 2)

Review: Kissing Under the Mistletoe by Bella Andre

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20140325-221756.jpg This 10th installment of The Sullivans is a look back into the history of Mary and Jack Sullivan, the parents of the Sullivans who star in the other books in the series.

Bella Andre takes us on a charming, sweet trip down memory lane. A box of Christmas ornaments is the catalyst for Mary to recall milestones in her life. Then she gets lost in thoughts of her romance with her husband so many years ago.

I breezed through this book, enjoying Mary’s strong will and gentle spirit, and Jack’s patience and persistence. Mary and Jack’s story is original and well-thought-out. There were chaste kisses, steamy scenes, arguments, giddiness, fun dates, a proposal, and all the trimmings of a good romance.

Now that I’ve read their history, I’m totally ready for the next present-day Sullivan romances! Soon I will review If You Were Mine (book 5, Zach Sullivan), published in 2012; and Always on My Mind (book 11, Lori Sullivan), to be published this April.

–Calliope

Buy KISSING UNDER THE MISTLETOE