Review: Together at the Table: A Novel of Lost Love and Second Helpings

Together at the Table: A Novel of Lost Love and Second Helpings by Hillary Manton Lodge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a free copy via the Goodreads giveaway.

So, having not read the previous 2 books, this book had its moments of less than clarity. However, I was able to piece together most of the gaps and really enjoy this book. Finding out Alice and Gabrielle's history was well worth the read, but watching Juliette work through the hassles of managing the restaurant was an interesting series of events.

DID I MENTION THE FOOD? Oh the Heaven I was in as I tried some of these recipes . They are to die for. Seriously, I want to find the first two books just to see what culinary treasures they hold.

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Review: One Less Problem Without You: A Novel

One Less Problem Without You: A Novel by Beth Harbison
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I received a free ARC copy via Netgalley.com.

Wow..... just wow. There was nothing in this book that I expected there to be. I mean, I get it. One bitter little boy grew up to be a bitter, but powerful, man and destroyed so much in the 30-something years he was alive. Let's just skip to the pros and cons before this Review gives me a headache.

LIKES

1: The Characters
Beth Harbison did an excellent job of writing well rounded characters that had real emotion in them.

2:(view spoiler)[Lief Tiesman dies
Normally a character dying wouldn't make me so happy, but by the end of the story the only way this book was getting any type of stars was if he either went to prison or died. (hide spoiler)]


DISLIKES

1: EVERYTHING
I hated how the book would jump back and forth from random times in the past to the present. I understand that the author was providing back story, but there had to be a better way to do it. I hated that there were so many different stories going on in this one book. I hated how Diana's story was in first person while EVERYONE else was in 3rd. I hated that Chelsea didn't share her story about Lief with the 2 women closest to her. I hate that everything seemed to wrap up into a nice little bow at the end, and it drives me nuts that after Lief died each additional chapter read like it was going to be the last, but nooooooo, there had to be at least 3 more that really made no sense, but since the book had already been written that way, I guess the ending chapters were a necessity.

I am a Beth Harbison fan, and I can't believe that this is close to a final draft of hers. This book is set to come out July 2016, but it reads (in my opinion) more like it needs another years worth of work.

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Review: MacLean's Passion

MacLean's Passion by Sharon Cullen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**Free ARC provided by Netgalley.com**

A bit, and I mean a bit, better than it's predecessor, MacLean's Passion was a decent read that only slightly held my attention throughout. I didn't have to force myself to read this, but I did get disgusted a few times at the repetition. First things first though.... what I liked and disliked.

LIKED
1. Maggie. Plain and simple, Maggie was my kind of heroine. She was fierce, brave, vulnerable, unsure, strong, and all woman. She used her brain when she needed to, her body when necessary, and her sheer stubbornness when left with no other option.

2. The Writing. Sharon Cullen has the ability to really pull you into her stories. Her writing is clear, concise, and she really makes an effort to make every characters accent and personality their own. I'm not saying her books are for everyone, but I think as she evolves as an author, her work with lose most of it's rough edges.


DISLIKED
1. Evan, Colin, Campbell.... literally every man in this book. Before anyone starts shouting "feminist", hear me out. Most of the time I hate to read a book with a strong male/weak woman scenario. I also hate reading books where the opposite is true. While there were so many similarities between Colin and Maggie, I felt like Colin's strength was mostly a facade whereas Maggie went out of her way to prove her strength.

2. Repeated, and detailed, sex scenes. I get it, they're married, they're really attracted to each other, the sex is incredible between the two of them, and passions are running high all around them. Honestly though, did we need literally a dozen pages telling us how much Colin enjoyed sex with Maggie?

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Review: Beauty and the Highland Beast

Beauty and the Highland Beast by Lecia Cornwall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley.com for providing me with a free ARC of this book.

This was not the story I was expecting. Wonderfully written, great plot twists, intense character connections and growth.... *sigh*, magic. I liked how the author took us on this journey while still maintaining the important historical facts. Yes, most Scottish people were superstitious at this time. Yes, some did still pray to the old Gods. Yes, being found guilty of witchcraft was the biggest sin a person could commit. I digress...

Now, I'll make this small paragraph for what I The final chapter and the Epilogue simply felt rushed. The author wrote so beautifully throughout the book, and then just seemed to push the rest of the story at us because there really wasn't more to tell. Sadly, this is the case with even the best of authors at times. Once the reader has experienced the hype of the climax and 90% of the issues have been resolved, the author tries to tie up the loose ends without dragging the story out and as a result, we see things such as this.

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Review: Stealing Jason Wilde: A Novel

Stealing Jason Wilde: A Novel by Dee Ernst
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I thought this would be a fun, light-hearted read that I could get through in a day or two, or so the synopsis would have me believe. I promise you, I now know more about the Hamptons than I do about the characters in which I read about. There were also these stupid little mistakes that made me want to tear my hair out. One example: The FBI come by to do a house to house check so the girls switch the tags to fool THE FBI. Now, I come from a small town in Georgia (I currently live in a city, but that's not the point) and let me tell you, when you get pulled over and don't have the correct tag on your vehicle, the officer that stopped you will know about it. THEY HAVE COMPUTERS PEOPLE! You mean to tell me that the FBI, involved in a high-profile celebrity kidnapping with 50 million dollars on the line doesn't have the same technology that my backwoods hometown police have?

None of the characters made any sense, the small bits of romance that the reader experienced sounded like something my 14 yr old would come up with (minus the sex) and not something more fitting to a 50 year old woman.

I received a free ARC from Netgalley.com in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Review: The Beast of Clan Kincaid

The Beast of Clan Kincaid by Lily Blackwood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book, but it wasn't the best. Yes, I am interested in reading the remaining books in this series, because in this time in literature EVERYTHING is a series. I just felt like this is a story that has been told already, too much in fact.

I received a free ARC via Netgalley.com

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Review: Wooed by You

Wooed by You by Sophia Knightly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

ARC provided by Netgalley.com in exchange for my honest review.

Linc is one of those characters that has a larger than life personality, and for him it works. However, given everything Isabel has been through, I honestly can't see her being with someone with such a forceful personality. Once you get past that, and the constant sexual tension, this is a decent book. I was hoping for a little more drama from Isabel's past, but I suppose I can make do with Linc's drama instead.

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Review: Wooed by You

Wooed by You by Sophia Knightly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Linc is one of those characters that has a larger than life personality, and for him it works. However, given everything Isabel has been through, I honestly can't see her being with someone with such a forceful personality. Once you get past that, and the constant sexual tension, this is a decent book. I was hoping for a little more drama from Isabel's past, but I suppose I can make do with Linc's drama instead.

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Review: To Wed a Rebel

To Wed a Rebel by Sophie Dash
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this book in spite of myself. Let me explain, when I first read the synopsis on this I loved the concept so I requested to review it. After waiting a week to get approved, reading the 3 books I already had in my queue, and re-reading the synopsis, I found I wasn't so interested in this book after all. Still, I had already made the request and been approved so I had to see this book through. I'm so happy that I did.

I think every woman can relate to Ruth in some way. We've all wanted to avoid conflict, ease the tension, or simply want to be wanted by a man. Not to mention we've all had that one awkward relationship, usually our first love, where we weren't sure how to go about things and too embarrassed to just come right out and say what we want. I loved seeing Ruth and Issac's growth throughout this book.... I have a soft spot for characters who have more personal growth than romantic.

My reasons for chopping off the final star are simple....

1. There was a brief moment where the author had Ruth in a dress that, after reading that chapter twice, I still can't tell what color it is. Usually this wouldn't bother me, but the author went through a lot of trouble to be very descriptive when describing the dress, so I couldn't let it slide.

2. As is the case with many books, I found the ending to be a bit rushed. The author seemed to have told the story she wished to tell, but had no way of tying up the loose ends so she just threw things together. Mind you, it did work, but it just didn't feel as natural as the rest of the book did. I liked how the events unfolded, just not how the author chose to jumble everything together the way she did.

That concludes my review of To Wed a Rebel which was generously provided as an ARC through Netgalley.com

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