Sunday, May 31, 2015

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Book: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Author: Sarah J. Maas


When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.-Goodreads

Review: I have mixed feelings over this book but overall I really enjoyed it. The first part, where we learn about Feyre and her family, was fantastic. I was really drawn into her world and I was impressed with her survival skills. When Feyre moves to fairy...the book really slowed down and dragged and I felt like I had to force myself to read at several points. Feyre ends up living in the Spring Court with high Fae Tamlin, who although being somewhat bland, it is a pretty great guy. It doesn't take long for Feyre to get over her Fae prejudices and they fall in love. Of course, things aren't perfect at court, everyone has had glittery masks stuck to their faces (yes, I rolled my eyes at this as well) for several decades due to a magical curse and they are losing their powers. The last quarter of the book picks up the pace considerably when Feyre has to participate in some Hunger Games-esque activities and I couldn't put this down. 

My favorite characters in this were not Tamlin (nice but boring) nor Feyre (resourceful although also a little boring), but rather Lucien, Tamlin's right-hand man and Rhys, another high Fae from a different court. I also loved the relationship between Feyre and her sister. 

Although extremely slow at times, I enjoyed this one and can't wait for book #2!

*I'm not sure if there will be a love triangle in this series (she is planning a lot of books so who knows where the story will go)..but right now I'm loving Rhys. He's darker and more fun than Tamlin!


Grade: 4/5

A Good Killing

Book: A Good Killing
Series: Anna Curtis #4
Author: Allison Leotta

Former federal prosecutor and critically acclaimed author Allison Leotta’s spellbinding thriller follows prosecutor Anna Curtis as she heads home to Michigan to defend her sister in a case that will bring her to her knees.
Newly single after calling off her wedding, sex-crimes prosecutor Anna Curtis is summoned home to Michigan when her old high school coach—a hometown hero—is killed in a fiery car crash. But Anna isn’t there to prosecute a crime, she’s home to support her innocent sister, Jody, who has been wrongfully accused of the coach’s murder.
But maybe Jody isn’t so innocent after all? The police are convinced that Jody was having an affair with the married coach and killed him out of jealousy. As Anna investigates with the help of her childhood friend Cooper Bolden—an Afghan War veteran with a secret of his own—she slowly peels back the facade of her all-American hometown and discovers that no one is telling the truth about the coach, not even the people she thought she knew best.
When the town rallies against them, threatening not just Jody’s liberty but both sisters’ lives, Anna resolves to do everything she can to save her sister and defend the only family she has left. -Goodreads


Review: This is my first Allison Leotta book and I will definitely be reading more of this series. Although this started a little slow, I really enjoyed the writing style and seeing the story unfold. Although it was predictable, this was still a fun read that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

Grade: 3.5/5

Second Life

Book: Second Life
Author:  SJ Watson


She loves her husband. She's obsessed by a stranger.

She's a devoted mother. She's prepared to lose everything.

She knows what she's doing. She's out of control.

She's innocent. She's guilty as sin.

She's living two lives. She might lose both . . .-Goodreads


Review: After Julia's sister is murdered, she decides to investigate using her sister's profile on dating websites. Julia quickly jeopardizes her marriage and sobriety when she starts up an online relationship.
This was slow and boring. Julia was incredibly unlikable and should have been way more internet savvy given her age (late 30s). I'm pretty sure my grandpa (who is in his 80s) is more astute than how she was written. Parts of the plot were predictable and the ending was not tied up in a red bow, which will frustrate many readers.


Grade: 1/5

The Perfect Husband

Book: The Perfect Husband
Series: Quincy & Rainie #1
Author: Lisa Gardner

What would you do if the man of your dreams hides the soul of a killer?
Jim Beckett was everything she'd ever dreamed of...But two years after Tess married the decorated cop and bore his child, she helped put him behind bars for savagely murdering ten women. Even locked up in a maximum security prison, he vowed he would come after her and make her pay. Now the cunning killer has escaped--and the most dangerous game of all begins....
After a lifetime of fear, Tess will do something she's never done before. She's going to learn to protect her daughter and fight back, with the help of a burned-out ex-marine. As the largest manhunt four states have ever seen mobilizes to catch Beckett, the clock winds down to the terrifying reunion between husband and wife. And Tess knows that this time, her only choices are to kill--or be killed. -Goodreads


Review: I love Lisa Gardner but this book did not work for me. This read more as a romance novel than a thriller. Don't get me wrong, I love a good romance novel but I didn't care for any of the characters and the romance happened too fast between Tess and JT. Tess is the ex-wife of a sadistic serial killer who has escaped prison while JT is an ex-marine with serious family issues. I realize we have to suspend disbelief reading sometimes, but it seemed crazy to me that ex-cop Jim Beckett (the 'big bad'), while a complete psychopath, was able to evade law enforcement so easily and he should have been no match for an ex-marine/mercenary in a fight. There was a good twist at the end (which I kicked myself for not seeing!) but overall, this was an okay read.


Grade: 2/5

Triptych

Book: Triptych
Series: Will Trent #1
Author: Karin Slaughter

In the city of Atlanta, women are dying—at the hands of a killer who signs his work with a single, chilling act of mutilation. Leaving behind enough evidence to fuel a frenzied police hunt, this cunning madman is bringing together dozens of lives, crossing the boundaries of wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is hanging by a thread—and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael's lover before she became his enemy.

But another player has entered the game: a loser ex-con who has stumbled upon the killer's trail in the most coincidental of ways—someone who may be the key to breaking the case wide open...-Goodreads



Review: This is my first Karin Slaughter book and I will definitely be back for more. This was dark, gritty and not for anyone who shies away from violence. The first part of this book was fantastic-it was written from detective Michael Ormewood's point of view after a brutal murder. Slaughter starts to weave in news articles about the murder of a young girl several years ago and eventually the story lines merge. There is a huge plot reveal early on which killed any sort of suspense for the rest of the book, but I still enjoyed the cat and mouse for the rest of the book. I wish we have more narrative from the killer's point of view and I wasn't a huge fan of Will Trent, but overall this was a fun read. 

Grade: 3/5

The Wrong Man

Book: The Wrong Man
Author: Kate White

New York Times bestselling author of Eyes on You and The Sixes delivers a compelling thriller of mistaken identity and psychological suspense about an accomplished career woman who thinks she's met the man of her dreams--but instead he turns out to be her worst nightmare.

Bold and adventurous in her work as one of Manhattan's hottest interior decorators, Kit Finn couldn't be tamer in her personal life. So, while on vacation in the Florida Keys, Kit resolves to do something risky for once. Flirting with Matt Healy--the rugged stranger she literally bumps into at her hotel--is one thing. Going back to his room after their date is another.

Instead, Matt offers to cook her dinner when they're both back in the city. But when Kit arrives at his luxury apartment ready for the date of a lifetime, who is the man who opens the door?

Kit's usually so good at reading people. How could she have been taken in by the deceptions of a con man? And why has he targeted her? Piece by piece, Kit realizes that this treachery goes a lot deeper, and gets a lot deadlier. Now the only way out is to expose the vicious puppet master who's turned her life upside-down.

Adrenaline-charged and filled with harrowing twists at every turn, The Wrong Man will leave readers guessing until the final page.-Goodreads


Review: Kit Finn, an interior designer on a business trip to the Keys, gets more than she bargained for after a one stand stand with Matt Healy. After returning home to NYC, she discovers the man she met as Matt Healy is not who he said he was. Kate is shocked that she was duped, but things get worse when her apartment is broken into and people start dying around her. 

While this book was predictable and the people and dialogue never felt totally real, this was a fun read and I enjoyed it. 

Grade: 3/5

Catch Me

Book: Catch Me
Series: Detective DD Warren #6
Author: Lisa Gardner

In four days, someone is going to kill me . . .

Detective D. D. Warren is hard to surprise. But a lone woman outside D.D.'s latest crime scene shocks her with a remarkable proposition: Charlene Rosalind Carter Grant believes she will be murdered in four days. And she wants Boston's top detective to handle the death investigation.

It will be up close and personal. No evidence of forced entry, no sign of struggle...

Charlie tells a chilling story: Each year at 8:00 p.m. on January 21st, a woman has died. The victims have been childhood best friends from a small town in New Hampshire; the motive remains unknown. Now only one friend, Charlie, remains to count down her final hours.

But as D.D. quickly learns, Charlie Grant doesn't plan on going down without a fight. By her own admission, the girl can outshoot, outfight, and outrun anyone in Boston. Which begs the question, is Charlie the next victim, or the perfect perpetrator? As D.D. tracks a vigilante gunman who is killing pedophiles in Boston, she must also delve into the murders of Charlie's friends, racing to find answers before the next gruesome January 21 anniversary. Is Charlie truly in danger, or is she hiding a secret that may turn out to be the biggest threat of all?-Goodreads


Review: Another fun, fast-paced thriller by Lisa Gardner. Even though I figured out the ending, I couldn't stop turning the pages. I love this series!

Grade: 4/5