Regina
I'll admit, it took me a little to warm up to both Milo and Jill, because they really can both behave like perfect jerks towards each other. But after that initial reluctance, I fell very much in serious like with the two of them.
The story has all the good stuff I expect from a Sylvie Stewart book - flawed, but likeable characters (really, they aren't that bad once you get to know them... ;) ), witty banter, heartbreaking as well as heart-melting moments, and a good dose of heat.
As an added bonus, it was fun to reconnect with Felicity, Ted, and Haley from “The Nerd Next Door”.
Disclaimer: I'm usually not a big fan of stories with paranormal elements, but I found the premise of this book intriguing.
Like other readers / reviewers, it took me a while to warm up to Nicole. Dale, on the other hand, was so easy to like. I did enjoy getting to know these two and discover the real people behind the respective facades they put up for the rest of the world.
While Nicole and Dale both have gone through tragic and truly heartbreaking experiences and still have plenty of baggage to work through, there were enough lighthearted moments (Nicole coming to terms with her ghostly existence, for instance), fun and snarky banter, and - though sometimes quite dark - humor that made me smile way more often than I would have expected.
On top of that, there was the mystery to unravel of what really happened to Nicole (now THAT took some turns I didn't see coming!), plus the budding romance that provided some sweet (and sometimes funny) moments.
This is my favourite book in the series so far (I have read books 1 - 4, looking forward to reading more).
I already liked Caroline's character in Lingerie Wars, so I was excited to read her story, and I was not disappointed. :)
As is par for the course in Invertary, our hero and heroine find themselves in all kinds of absurd and sometimes laugh-out-lout hilarious situations. But despite all the silliness, the story has a lot of heart (with less drama than Lingerie Wars).
I loved the dynamics between Josh and Caroline, as well as the loveable cast of quirky supporting characters, some of which were already familiar from book #1. Oh, and I would like to read more about Mitch, please... :)
Totally my jam!
Having read Artemis City Shuffle first, I was intrigued by both Lasadi and Raj and their world, and Ghost Pirate Gambit did not disappoint. This first novel in the Nanshe Chronicles ticks so many of my favorite boxes: Not only does it start with heist gone sideways, it throws together a misfit crew of intriguing characters and sends them off on a wild space adventure ( ghost pirates! fights! subterfuge! booby traps!).
I found this tale wildly entertaining, and I loved getting to know each of these complex, flawed, and vulnerable characters. Not only did I enjoy their banter, but it was lovely to see them grow together as a team and learn to trust each other, even if everyone brought plenty of secrets and personal baggage to the table. Add to that the sloooow-burn attraction between Lasadi and Raj (I'm not going to call it a romance just yet ;) ), and it's a no-brainer for me to give this story 5 stars.
One minor PSA, though: While bringing the story about the Ghost Pirate to a satisfactory conclusion, this book ends on a cliffhanger / teaser for book 2.
Fun introduction to Wil and his crew with lots of pop culture references and nods to genre giants.
The first book I've read by Carla Luna, but it sure won't be my last! I'm especially looking forward to reading more books in the series (I so want a HEA for Dusty and Stuart, too!)
I had a lot of fun reading this! Picturing Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle penning this adventure of his ruggedly handsome alter ego made it even better.
Like in other Derrick Storm stories, there is a bit of crossover with the Nikki Heat universe, and there are numerous parallels to the TV Show as well.
Yes, it is over the top, but - in contrast to other (spy) novels - it doesn't take itself too seriously, so it's all good in my book.
If you like the humour of the TV Show, you are probably going to like the Derrick Storm novels, too. For me, it was a very entertaining read. :-)
I loved this book!
Getting to know Mackenzie and her friends was a lot of fun, I loved the writing style, and even though there are a lot of familiar tropes and clichés, there were enough twists to keep the story fresh and entertaining.
Looking forward to reading the other books in the series (already on my TBR)!
When an AI escapes the lab onto the internet, develops - for lack of a better word - a liking for his human colleague, and tries to play matchmaker... what could possibly go wrong? (Spoiler alert: Probably not what you might expect. At least not what I expected...)
In equal parts hilarious, philosphical, bizarre, heart-warming, and - not to forget - alarming, this story appealed both to my inner geek as well as the eternal romantic.
In some ways, the book reminded me a bit of the Turin Hopper series by Donna Andrews, especially the AIs' musings, their banter among each other and their interactions with the(ir) humans.
While I still like Suzanne Brockmann's writing, this spin-off of the Troubleshooter series wasn't quite up to par compared to the previous books by her I have read.
Although I liked Phoebe as a heroine, she sometimes did acted terribly, predictably stupid, and I somehow didn't like Ian all that much as a hero and his brother more often than not came across as a spoiled brat with a massive chip on his shoulder (and I felt Shelly would be better off without him. :-p).
I would have liked to read more about Martell (I guess we will, this is another series, after all...), and while I loved Jules and his love story in the Troubleshooter series, I would have liked Aaron's story better if it hadn't been delivered quite as heavy-handed and preachy (and if he hadn't been quite as prickish...).
Overall not bad, an entertaining read with some laugh-out-loud moments, but I'm not sure I'm going to continue reading this series.
3.5 / 5
“Is this a kissing book?”
I was not prepared for the first half of this book being mostly about Devi's (struggle with her) feelings. So I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't more ass-kicking in the beginning.
Still, I like the author's style, her voice (even if I can't always relate to Devi's POV) and her characters (mostly). (Extra points for Hyrek's joke! :) ).
I also liked how the story got resolved in the end, plus the glimpse we got of King Stephen (I'm not worthy!)
If there is going to be a Blackbird spin-off (wishful thinking? rumours?), I'll surely give it a go (though I am currently not finished with Eli nor the Heartstrikers, yet).
A new, super-cute addition to the “Cute Shorts” series! Yay!
I'm always delighted when I learn that Laurie Baxter has published something new - I thoroughly enjoy her light-hearted stories, and “Blindsided” is no exception.
One of Laurie Baxter's gifts is creating characters that I'd like to know and be friends with in real-life. Abby and Mark make a fun couple (albeit unwilling at first), so Trish and Jeff had the right idea (in general), even if the set-up was not necessarily the smoothest... ;)
This new series is off to a great start!
Roseanne Beck has become one of my go-to rom-com authors, her stories are funny, a little snarky, a little sexy, and her take on the “wounded” hero usually means that they poor guys are (getting) injured in one way or another...
Lauren and Jake are likeable and relatable main characters. I love that they are not perfect, but that they are still perfect for each other.
I also enjoy the family dynamics a lot - sometimes the situations are outright hilarious (Jake's nephew Reece and Lauren's Aunt Sheila have some of the best lines!), but it still feels genuine, and there's always a lot of heart (big kudos to Lauren and Jake's sisters, Kylie and Tracy!).
On top of all that goodness, there are also some pop culture references for those so inclined, but it doesn't take any of the fun away if you happen to miss them.
All in all, this is just my jam, and I can't wait for the next book in the series!
What can I say about this book (or this series, for that matter) without repeating myself ad nauseam? ...?
Okay, then I'll just go ahead and say it. Again. And again, if need be: I love this series so much!
Snowbound Squeeze is such a fun, quick read - Gretchen is an awesome heroine I would love to be friends with, and Gabe (sorry, I just can't bring myself to think of him as Gable) fits right in with the rest of the Ponderosa Resort heros: sort of a mess, vulnerable, swoon-worthy, funny.
My personal highlights of this story include (but are not limited to): Sally the Chainsaw, the blanket fort (love!), Jim and Bob, and - of course - the posse to the rescue.
3.5 / 5
When I started this story, I was not aware that this was a “true” series, meaning this is not really a standalone story. While it doesn't end on a real cliffhanger, it is still sort of open ended.
While the motocross scene is definitely not my natural habitat, I had fun dipping my reader-toes into this world.
I liked Bella - and especially her relationship with her best friend - and also how Liam owned his mistakes.
I'm not sure if I'm going to read the other books in the series, though.
5 / 5 dramatic donkey-ear-flip stars
“Rally, love is... awful. Why did I want this so badly?”
While things may get quite difficult (and, yes, awful) for both Cassie and Mateo, this is a lovely and engaging story, and I can't help but root for both of them to get over their respective misconceptions and finally get their HEA.
As always, the characters are three-dimensional, and I especially enjoy the family dynamics - not only with Mateo's family, but also with Cassie's mom and the BFFs. (Bonus points for Rally being an exceptionally awesome friend!)
A(nother) swoon-worthy YA sports rom-com by Maggie Dallen!
First of all, I love that tagline... - and the rest of the book too!
Hannah is a heroine I can easily root for - she ist capable, she knows what she wants, and she isn't afraid to go for it. Exhibit A (among many):
“You sure you know what you're doing with that guy?”
I shook my head. “No,” I said in all honesty. “But I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't try.”
River is a great addition to the long list of Maggie Dallen's swoon-worthy YA heroes, mitigating his cockiness with showing distinct (and quite entertaining) symptoms of having this long-time crush on Hannah.
Adding to the fun are both Hannah's friends and family (including the other two “tomboys” Alex and Jordan, who are getting their own stories in the series), but especially River's best friend Tristan - even more so when he teams up with River's older brother in one of my favorite non-romance scenes.
Looking forward to the other two stories in this multi-author series!
Short and sweet read. Alyssa and Sven are likeable main characters, and I also enjoyed the family dynamics with Mimi and Alyssa's mom.
Very minor niggle: I wish Sven's last name were more Swedish and less sounding like bad German... ;)
Overall, the story is well written and I liked the main characters. But I felt like the story tried to tackle too many issues beside the YA romance (cancer, death, dyslexia, teen suicide), and didn't do any of them justice in the end, so that fell a bit flat for me.
That being said, Lane was a really nice guy (if you ignore the initial bet), and I liked to see how he and Trudy eventually became friends and more.
Valerie and Josh are both awesome additions to the extended Bracelyn clan - whom I love more and more with each new book in the series.
I am brave. I am fierce. I am—
“I'm going to die.”
“I don't need any help doing stupid shit,” he says. “I do plenty on my own.”
Feelings. Lots and lots of FEELINGS.
Let me just say that after reading the prologue, I was already half in love with Bo. I found Spencer to be more complicated, both as a person and for me to connect with.
But I still enjoyed getting to know these two and finding out more about their (shared) history.
This was a very emotional read - which was fully expected (it is a Heidi Hutchinson book, after all ;) ). What I didn't expect though, was who would make me cry the most.
But there were lots of lighter moments, too, that made me smile and complementing all the angst and sad feelings very well. (And the epilogue had me laughing out loud. :) )
The story probably works as a standalone, though if you haven't read the first two books in the series, there might be some spoilers. Also - it sure helps if you are already familiar with the Soaring Bird “family” and their somewhat quirky group dynamics.
The Rescue is a truly cute “meet-cute” short story with a very likeable hero (I seriously felt bad for Mike(y) with the relentless teasing by his colleagues) and a funny damsel in it-seemed-a-good-idea-at-the-time distress.
More, please!
Having read “Perfectly Played” before its companion, I liked how “Beautifully Baked” started off with Flora and Dean's non-weddings - but from M.K. and Clay's perspective, of course - and continued to show glimpses of already familiar events throughout the story.
I knew I already loved M.K. and Clay before I even started this story, so I was rooting for them from the get-go, even if it was no secret that they'd get their HEA.
But... all those near-misses in the beginning! Gah! :D And I particularly enjoyed the close friendships between M.K. and Flora, and Clay and Dean respectively.
An unexpected yet absolutely delightful crossover with Holly Kerr's Oceanic Dreams story “I Saw Him Standing There” added an extra layer of happy for me. (Perfectly played, Ms. Kerr, so to speak... ;) )
Now... how about Adam's story?