BeckyL

Lauren B now owns a book. (see 6 more books added to shelf)

Lauren B reviewed a book.

“Series Note: This in book #1 in the 2nd Dark Crescent Sisterhood trilogy. The first trilogy should be read for the backstory.

Disappointing. The opening scenes have potential but it all fizzles out as the story develops and the book ultimately pales in comparison to the...”

“Series Note: This in book #1 in the 2nd Dark Crescent Sisterhood trilogy. The first trilogy should be read for the backstory.

Disappointing. The opening scenes have potential but it all fizzles out as the story develops and the book ultimately pales in comparison to the first trilogy.

Most significantly, Bela Argos, the take no prisoners Sibyl from the earlier books, is now a mere shadow of her former self. She is no longer a confident warrior and leader but someone who constantly questions her decisions and abilities. The hero's characterization is also contradictory. On the one hand, Duncan is described as a determined fighter with an amazing strength of will who succeeds against all odds yet he accepts his fate as inevitable and his willing to sacrifice himself without fight.

Duncan and Bela's romance and its resolution are problematic as well. Their relationship comes out of nowhere with no foundation or build up. They are simply together with no explanation of exactly what they see in each other. Similarly, the solution to Duncan's demon possession appears out of the blue and feels tacked on.

In terms of the villains, Raksasha from Hindu mythology, it is impossible not to compare them to the same creatures in Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews. Unfortunately, Windsor's portrayal comes off as a diluted version of the monstrous creatures in Andrews' book. A number of scenes in the beginning are presented from their perspective, which initially serves to ratchet up the tension. However, these disappear toward the middle and the villains are nowhere to be seen until the final anti-climactic showdown.

The secondary characters make a better impression, especially Andy, now a water Sibyl, and John Blackmore, whose adversarial relationship is definitely leading somewhere. The next book is that of Camille, the fire Sibyl, and Duncan's childhood friend, John Cole. Hopefully, it will be better than this one. ”

Tez Miller plans to read a book.

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Eileen M reviewed a book.

“This one was good and bad. The author lumps all kinds of crimes, like familicides and mob hits, under the term "serial murder," so the book is fundamentally not as advertised. Why make room for the Purple Gang when you could be talking about a real serial killer like Coral Watts, Tony Atkins or...”

“This one was good and bad. The author lumps all kinds of crimes, like familicides and mob hits, under the term "serial murder," so the book is fundamentally not as advertised. Why make room for the Purple Gang when you could be talking about a real serial killer like Coral Watts, Tony Atkins or 'Bigfoot'? The book also needed some serious proofreading before going to press. I do mean serious. But all the stories were interesting to read and there was a whole serial killer in there I never heard of before. So overall reading this one was well worth it to me.”

Ladyslott would like to own a book. (see 2 more books added to shelf)

Lauren B reviewed a book.

“Four years have passed since Halfway to the Grave and Cat is still doing her vampire slayer thing only now she works for the government. While she is dedicated to her job and her team, she has never gotten over the love of her life, Bones, and when the opportunity arises to show mercy to...”

“Four years have passed since Halfway to the Grave and Cat is still doing her vampire slayer thing only now she works for the government. While she is dedicated to her job and her team, she has never gotten over the love of her life, Bones, and when the opportunity arises to show mercy to his maker, Cat makes a life altering decision. This sets off a chain of events that puts her loyalties to the test and may even result in the loss of her freedom.

The plot is exciting and action packed with new information on the structure of the vampire world and some compelling twists and turns in Cat's personal life. Unfortunately, the romance is somewhat of a letdown as I was expecting more for Cat and Bones's reunion considering the way she left him and the build up in the first few chapters. The way it plays out is far too easy and oversimplified with anger, angst and hurt feelings glossed over very quickly.

Another irritating element is the fact that virtually every man in the book, with or without a pulse, has the hots for Cat. Don't get me wrong, Cat is a very likable kick-ass heroine but she's not ALL that! As for the infamous chapter 32, maybe my expectations were too high. Yes, it is exceedingly steamy with some very original positions but it lacks the intensity of emotion that characterizes a truly excellent love scene (see Kate and Curran in Magic Strikes and Magic Bleeds for references).

In terms of the supporting cast, Frost is particularly skilled at incorporating each and every secondary character, both major and minor, into the story without making them seem superfluous. From Cat's enigmatic boss and loyal teammates (Juan is a definite favorite) to her obnoxious mother (someone should slap that woman), not to mention Bones's mates in the vampire world (Mencheres and Ian have definite potential), each and every one contributes to the overall Night Huntress world.

Overall, the solid world building, exciting story and engaging characters make this a worthwhile series and I look forward to getting to the next installment. ”

Ladyslott is now following Susan T.

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Cheryl reviewed a book.

“Helen and Rachel McCallister are sisters. They only have each other now that their parents are gone. For years Helen has been jealous of Rachel and her beauty. Due to Rachel’s blindness, she can not tell any different what Helen is telling her when she tells Rachel that she is ugly. Helen’s lies...”

“Helen and Rachel McCallister are sisters. They only have each other now that their parents are gone. For years Helen has been jealous of Rachel and her beauty. Due to Rachel’s blindness, she can not tell any different what Helen is telling her when she tells Rachel that she is ugly. Helen’s lies grow when she creates this world around Roam filled with flesh eating birds and other monsters. However Helen could never know what her story was actually doing to Rachel until Rachel makes an announcement that will change both of their lives.

I was curious about this book. I thought I would give it a chance. Wow, I am so glad that I did. I almost missed out on a great book. I found myself not reading this book fast enough. What with life getting in the way!

I can not imagine depending on someone like Helen. She was so bitter towards Rachel. However I am glad that as the story went on Helen did turn a new leaf and became a better person and one that I actually liked. Due to Helen’s meanness towards Rachel I instantly liked Rachel.

There are two stories happening in this book. There is the one involving Rachel and Helen and then there is the other one involving Elijah and his slave Ming Kai. This story was just as captivating. It was fascinating to get to learn how Roam was discovered and got to be the place it was. The Kings and Queens of Roam is a book not to be missed! It is filled with lots of wonderful characters and a magical place.
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Inkberry reviewed a book.

“The BURGESS BOYS is a journey into the lives of Jim, Bob, and Susan Burgess. They were brothers and sister whose relationship with each other fell apart after their mother died.

THE BURGESS BOYS centered on family, feelings, secrets, lies, and on Zachary's being disrespectful of...”

“The BURGESS BOYS is a journey into the lives of Jim, Bob, and Susan Burgess. They were brothers and sister whose relationship with each other fell apart after their mother died.

THE BURGESS BOYS centered on family, feelings, secrets, lies, and on Zachary's being disrespectful of Somali immigrants which caused problems for the Burgess family who already had many problems of their own. You will feel the tension among the three siblings as they try to solve this dilemma, and you will also see how it brings them closer.

Jim and Bob had become courtroom attorneys with Jim being the more successful one. Bob left the courtroom and went to the appeals court, and Susan is the one who stayed in their hometown and is now burdened with what her son did. She definitely needed her attorney brothers for this situation. She preferred Jim but Bob had to help her with Zachary's problem.

When Bob arrived at his twin sister's house, he didn't like what he found in terms of how Susan lived. He was sure this didn't help with how quiet and withdrawn Zachary seemed. Jim finally did intervene with the courts, and thought he had helped, but he wasn't too happy about helping his sister get her son out of this mess. As usual, Bob was in the middle of it all or completely left out.

The interaction of the main characters was very well done. Bob and Jim definitely were portrayed as rivaling siblings with Jim being the cruel one as he threw barbs and cruel comments at Bob. This wasn't anything different from their childhood, though. Their sister remained the sister in the background.

I enjoyed the great descriptions and well-developed characters Ms. Strout employed, but I wasn't a great fan of the storyline. I really was looking forward to this read and am a bit disappointed. THE BURGESS BOYS seemed to be a bit slow even though it was interesting to learn about the legal system and the life of the Somali people.

The ending focused on the Burgess children as adults thinking about their lives and alluded to the fact that your childhood shapes you as an adult in terms of how you feel about yourself and your life choices. I do have to say THE BURGESS BOYS did touch on some good subjects.

I can't say it was my favorite read, but it wasn't my least favorite. The major problem for me was the type of book it was. I like more of a saga. To me it seemed more like stating facts or a narrative.

The book did get better in the last 100 pages, but to me it still was not that interesting and was a little disorganized. 3/5

This book was given to me from a win on LibraryThing and the publisher without compensation in return for an honest review.”

Brad B rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Kristen H plans to read a book. (see 6 more books added to shelf)

Kristen H reviewed a book.

“If you love cutthroat thrillers in the middle of political action, this espionage thriller is for you. This takes place in post-Cold War Era America between Russia and the USA, while another kind of war is going on. Beth Convey is an international lawyer, who's also a heart transplant patient, is...”

“If you love cutthroat thrillers in the middle of political action, this espionage thriller is for you. This takes place in post-Cold War Era America between Russia and the USA, while another kind of war is going on. Beth Convey is an international lawyer, who's also a heart transplant patient, is caught up into a mess, when she came across and witnessed a murder. Jeff Hammond is a former spy turned journalist, when it's after a possible mole in the FBI, and a potential person of interest. Beth and Jeff join forces to stop a worldwide calamity between two countries in an international conspiracy. With Russian killers breathing down their necks, it's up to them to stop them before it's too late. There's also a hint of romance to his fast-paced thriller.”

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Glenn Kleier is now following Felicia Glaser.

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Ruth Ann H rated a book.

• Rated 3 stars