Tuesday, February 9, 2016

I love this fan art - mle

I don't have proper credits for it, but I love this fan art. So much. Also it is supposed to snow Saturday! The day I was going to see Deadpool. Color me unhappy.

Friday, February 5, 2016

My new mug - mle


Pictures and Memories by Lauren E. Mitchell

I received this book as an ARC though Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this story. The setting was well drawn, and I could see how these characters were drawn to each other despite the age gap. I liked the holiday feel to their romance. Things moved quickly, but it didn't have that forced true love feel to it. More like an intense attraction. I liked how things played out in the main story line, and how the epilogue rounded out the story. Happy, but not in a too impossible sort of way. A fun and enjoyable read for a lazy Sunday. 

mle

How Not to Summon Your True Love by Sasha L. Miller

I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing style was fun, and the plot nicely engaging. I really liked the characters, and it was nice to read a story with an asexual main character. I felt for his fears, and insecurities, and I appreciated how that shaped, but didn't define or limit his character. I thought the ending was nicely done, and I thought it worked well with what I knew of the characters, and their interaction. Another fun story from an author I really like.

mle

Where Loyalties Lie by Logan Taylor

I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this story. The world building was nicely done for a short story, and I felt like I had a good grasp of where the characters were from, and how their cultures interacted.  The plot was fast paced, and engaging, and it felt like a fully formed story rather than just an excerpt from another longer work. The characters were well developed, and I liked seeing them learn to understand, to trust, and to love one another. The ending was well done, and fit the story well. A good read for a snowy day.

mle

The Siren and the Sword (Magic University, #1) by Cecilia Tan

I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book, and I was pleasantly surprised by exactly how much I liked it. I liked that in some ways it felt like a bit of a nod to Harry Potter, and other stories without feeling like a rip off, or a trite copy. The world building was well done, and complex. I liked how the sex fit into the story line, and how virginity had a purpose, and a function within the world. I really liked reading a book that explored all exiting possibilities of sex between and man and woman that didn't include penetration. It was refreshing seeing a wider world of heterosexual sex than is usually presented even in erotica. It was sexy and fun, and I loved how active and in charge Jess was. I also loved the open nature of sexuality in this world, and relationships.

The plot was well done, and engaging. I felt drawn into what was happening, and why. I liked the complexity to the full cast of characters, and I liked how much everyone added to the story. I liked the ending, and appreciated that things didn't work out in quite the way that I expected. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book.
 
mle

Patchwork Paradise by Indra Vaughn

I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have to admit I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The maturity, and sensitivity that the author brought to the characters, and their story was a refreshing change from so many other romance novels. The author's understanding of the complex nature of the grieving process was nice. I didn't feel that Ollie's loss was glossed over, but it didn't feel like it was drowning in melancholy, overwrought angst either. The writing really drew me into the story, and I had a hard time putting it down.

I found the characters to be well drawn, and relatable. I really liked Ollie, and his journey. I felt like he grew to understand himself, and his friends so much over the course of the story. I loved his relationship with Sam, and I appreciated that the author didn't feel the need to vilify Sam to legitimize Ollie's new relationship with Thomas. A nice change of pace from a lot of other romance novels I have read. Thomas was an interesting character, and I appreciated getting to know all sides of him, and that it wasn't just Ollie that had relationship issues. I really appreciated that Milo's mother was presented in a positive light, and her issues were treated with the gravity they deserved. I liked that those issues didn't prevent her from caring for Milo, and that she was a part of the story, and not just a throw away antagonist. I appreciated that the secondary cast was well drawn, and had their own issues and plot lines. They didn't just exist to drive the story, or act on the main characters. Baby Milo was a highlight for me as well, and it was nice to see a baby in a romance novel act like a baby, and not a fluffy bit of plot driver.

The plot was well drawn, and I enjoyed the slow build between Thomas and Ollie. Considering the issues, and the events facing both men it made sense for things to move at the pace that they did. I also could feel for Ollie, and his problems with Sam's parents. Death does not always bring out the best in people, and this problem felt very true to life. I also like how Simon's parents felt like two different people, and had a backstory of their own that I felt added to the problem with Ollie. 

Overall this was a really well written story, about love, friendship, and family. About responsibility, fear, and change, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

mle

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

The Forbidden Zone by Victoria Zagar

I received this book as an ARC though NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I found the concept interesting, but the execution didn't live up to the concept. I found the writing to be awkward, and stilted. There was too much information dumping, and so many of the major plot points relied on coincidence, or things happening in just the right way at the right time. It felt very heavily staged, and it left me feeling disconnected, and uninterested in what was going on. The characters felt too flat to me, and the world building, and cultures just didn't pull me in. By the time I finished I forgot why I was supposed to care whether anyone made it or not.

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mle

Spark of Thought by Lucie Lukačovičová

I received this book as an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this story. The concept is interesting, and the cover is really pretty, but I found myself unable to buy into the story. I found Nikola to be too weak willed, and too whiny. I didn't buy Ignatius's obsession with Nikola, and why he decides to do what he does. The romance felt too forced, and I never could understand why these characters fell for each other at all. I actually was rooting for the people trying to break Nikola out, and I never developed any sort of warm feelings for Ignatius, and his situation. Sorry, you torture, and have people burned alive for having magic you're not exactly making my Christmas card list. The ending twist was the final nail in the coffin for me, and was truly a head desk moment for me.

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mle

Ashes on a Distant Wind by Yolande Kleinn

I received this book as an ARC though NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this story. It was short, but well developed, and the world building was really solid. An interesting idea, and I could see how things could play out in that way. The characters were nicely developed, and I got a feel for them as people. I think some of the romantic aspects did feel a bit tropey, and the sex scene was not my favorite. The plot was well focused, and it didn't feel like a chapter plucked out of a larger work. I would however, love to read more about this world, and the characters that inhabit it. Such a neat concept.

mle