Summary:
Treflee Miller (yes, that's her name, though her given name is "Elizabeth." Go figure!) is an almost-divorcee who wants nothing more than to help her cousin through what should have been the happiest time in her life and is turning out to be one of the toughest. Carrie, Treflee's cousin, has left her groom a few days before the wedding, and has decided to take the honeymoon trip with her former bridesmaids instead. Treflee expects a calm, relaxing trip to Hawaii. Instead she finds her spy husband, who she is desperately trying to divorce, on an undercover assignment. Ty wants anything but a divorce, and is trying to figure out why his wife went from wanting to jump his bones every time he came home to the coldest ice queen ever. Treflee gets wrapped into the spy game, making a deal with Ty that she'll help him get the bad guys in exchange for his signature on the divorce paperwork, while Ty tries his damnedest to win back her heart.
Thoughts:
Not bad. The writing could surely be worse. It's a fun romp through a spy's world as he fights to hold on to his wife. Treflee keeps a secret from Ty (she had a miscarriage while he was on his last mission and never told him!) and blames him for not being there for her. I hate to say it, Tref, but it's absolutely your fault sweetie. The spy bits are interesting, though the bad guys' organization names are stupid. (Revolutionary International Organization of Terrorists, or RIOT, and the Fuk Ching. Really, Ms. Robinson? Really?) The main characters' names are ridiculous. But the storyline and the writing otherwise is fairly good. It's a good going-on-vacation book. (I say this because I read it while on vacation myself!) Go for it. It's a fun little read, and it goes really quickly.
Book 30 of 50
Pages: 352 read as an e-book
Genre: Romance, with a side of mystery.
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Sure. It's light, and addictive, and apparently it's the start of a series. (Music to all your ears, right? Another series for me to read through!)
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Hot Six (Janet Evanovich)
Summary:
Stephanie Plum has only been a bounty hunter for a little while. Maybe a year or two at this point. And she gets handed the hardest bounty she's ever had to bring in. She has to bring in Ranger, her mentor and friend, who has helped her out of countless scrapes, and who she kind of has the hots for, though don't tell Joe Morelli... Stephanie doesn't want the job, but gets pulled into Ranger's mess anyway. He is wrapped up in a mob deal, and everyone is after him. Stephanie gets sucked in because she can't leave well enough alone, and has two goons tailing her, along with Joyce Bernhardt, her least favorite person ever. And as a bonus, Grandma Mazur pisses off Stephanie's dad, and decides to move in with Stephanie, putting a crimp in her suddenly a little more active sex life. Not to mention that Ranger has started setting his sights on Steph too. What a pickle.
Thoughts:
They really just keep getting better. Stephanie has to deal with a slightly loopy mob boss, a very horny almost-boyfriend, and a hot co-worker on the run. These books just keep getting funnier and hotter under the collar! They feel so familiar, too, thanks to their setting in New Jersey. I feel like I know Stephanie and her whole family. Maybe not the crazy people she hangs with thanks to her less than desirable job, though... I just keep wanting more from this series, and not in a bad way. Thank goodness there's another twelve books to go!
Book 29 of 50
Pages: 336
Genre: Mystery, romance, and chicklit in equal parts
Grade: A
Would I Recommend?:
Stephanie Plum has only been a bounty hunter for a little while. Maybe a year or two at this point. And she gets handed the hardest bounty she's ever had to bring in. She has to bring in Ranger, her mentor and friend, who has helped her out of countless scrapes, and who she kind of has the hots for, though don't tell Joe Morelli... Stephanie doesn't want the job, but gets pulled into Ranger's mess anyway. He is wrapped up in a mob deal, and everyone is after him. Stephanie gets sucked in because she can't leave well enough alone, and has two goons tailing her, along with Joyce Bernhardt, her least favorite person ever. And as a bonus, Grandma Mazur pisses off Stephanie's dad, and decides to move in with Stephanie, putting a crimp in her suddenly a little more active sex life. Not to mention that Ranger has started setting his sights on Steph too. What a pickle.
Thoughts:
They really just keep getting better. Stephanie has to deal with a slightly loopy mob boss, a very horny almost-boyfriend, and a hot co-worker on the run. These books just keep getting funnier and hotter under the collar! They feel so familiar, too, thanks to their setting in New Jersey. I feel like I know Stephanie and her whole family. Maybe not the crazy people she hangs with thanks to her less than desirable job, though... I just keep wanting more from this series, and not in a bad way. Thank goodness there's another twelve books to go!
Book 29 of 50
Pages: 336
Genre: Mystery, romance, and chicklit in equal parts
Grade: A
Would I Recommend?:
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins)
Summary:
The final book in the Hunter Games series, Mockingjay keeps the action going. At the end of Catching Fire, Katniss is pulled out of the arena from her second Hunger Games to find out there is a whole revolution already happening in Panem. She finds herself in District 13, the district that the rest of the country thought was long gone, and she's in the midst of the revolutionaries' camp. She is asked to be the face of the revolution, the Mockingjay, the person to inspire Panem's people to fight against President Snow and the Capitol's forces. This final installment in the series watches Katniss try to find her place in the world, and figure out who she wants to have at her side in the end.
Thoughts:
This series is a good one. There is a lot of hype about it for a reason. Is it the next Twilight or Harry Potter? Maybe or maybe not, but the writing is definitely on par with Rowling's. (Stephanie Meyer's writing is no where near the same caliber, so I refuse to acknowledge her popularity further.) The concluding book is bittersweet for sure, and watching the deaths of some of the characters in this one are hard to handle, for sure. The problem with this book is that it flies through the story so quickly that you don't have time to really mourn anyone, as much as you'd like. One death in particular is so shocking, not even Katniss really deals with it. I understand that the plan was always to have a trilogy, but this particular piece could have used a good fifty to one hundred extra pages of exposition. The ending is what I would have wanted to see, but hardly brushes the surface of the joy and happiness it should have. It could have been worse, certainly, but it really could have been better.
Book 28 of 50
Pages: 400
Genre: Post-apocalyptic teen lit, with touches of romance
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Yes, but read the first two first!
The final book in the Hunter Games series, Mockingjay keeps the action going. At the end of Catching Fire, Katniss is pulled out of the arena from her second Hunger Games to find out there is a whole revolution already happening in Panem. She finds herself in District 13, the district that the rest of the country thought was long gone, and she's in the midst of the revolutionaries' camp. She is asked to be the face of the revolution, the Mockingjay, the person to inspire Panem's people to fight against President Snow and the Capitol's forces. This final installment in the series watches Katniss try to find her place in the world, and figure out who she wants to have at her side in the end.
Thoughts:
This series is a good one. There is a lot of hype about it for a reason. Is it the next Twilight or Harry Potter? Maybe or maybe not, but the writing is definitely on par with Rowling's. (Stephanie Meyer's writing is no where near the same caliber, so I refuse to acknowledge her popularity further.) The concluding book is bittersweet for sure, and watching the deaths of some of the characters in this one are hard to handle, for sure. The problem with this book is that it flies through the story so quickly that you don't have time to really mourn anyone, as much as you'd like. One death in particular is so shocking, not even Katniss really deals with it. I understand that the plan was always to have a trilogy, but this particular piece could have used a good fifty to one hundred extra pages of exposition. The ending is what I would have wanted to see, but hardly brushes the surface of the joy and happiness it should have. It could have been worse, certainly, but it really could have been better.
Book 28 of 50
Pages: 400
Genre: Post-apocalyptic teen lit, with touches of romance
Grade: B+
Would I Recommend?: Yes, but read the first two first!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
High Five (Janet Evanovich)
Summary:
The bounty is almost nil during the hot and sweaty summer of [whatever year this is supposed to be...] and Stephanie Plum is hunting for something to do, and some way to pay the bills. Her mother begs her to help find her uncle Fred who has gone missing during his morning errands. She soon learns that there's far more to the disappearance than just a wandering old man. Stephanie gets one little bounty to go after, though, and I do mean little. Her little person FTA bounty is not coming quietly, and winds up living in Steph's apartment thanks to a broken door at his place. In the wake of the waning bounties to recover, Stephanie's mentor, Ranger, throws a few "small" jobs her way to help her get by, and she winds up developing more than a passing interest in Ranger himself.
Thoughts:
I don't have to keep singing Evanovich's praises if you've read any of my previous reviews of her other three books, but I will say this: High Five was the hottest book so far, and there wasn't even major action in the romance department. The tension, however, was incredibly high, in every respect. HEL-lo! The ending leaves you hanging, too, and I fought like hell to not pick up number six, especially considering how addicting this series is, and the fact that I already had six in hand! Whooooo, boy! The story line is a great one, with another great twist. I might be the most clueless reader, but I never really guess who's going to turn out to be the bad guy with Evanovich's work until she reveals the last clues. Highly suggested, as usual.
Book 27 of 50
Pages: 340
Genre: A+
Grade: Mystery, romance, chicklit, and a whole lot of all of them, too!
Would I Recommend?: Yesyesyesyes! Go start the series. Read it. Love it! GO!
The bounty is almost nil during the hot and sweaty summer of [whatever year this is supposed to be...] and Stephanie Plum is hunting for something to do, and some way to pay the bills. Her mother begs her to help find her uncle Fred who has gone missing during his morning errands. She soon learns that there's far more to the disappearance than just a wandering old man. Stephanie gets one little bounty to go after, though, and I do mean little. Her little person FTA bounty is not coming quietly, and winds up living in Steph's apartment thanks to a broken door at his place. In the wake of the waning bounties to recover, Stephanie's mentor, Ranger, throws a few "small" jobs her way to help her get by, and she winds up developing more than a passing interest in Ranger himself.
Thoughts:
I don't have to keep singing Evanovich's praises if you've read any of my previous reviews of her other three books, but I will say this: High Five was the hottest book so far, and there wasn't even major action in the romance department. The tension, however, was incredibly high, in every respect. HEL-lo! The ending leaves you hanging, too, and I fought like hell to not pick up number six, especially considering how addicting this series is, and the fact that I already had six in hand! Whooooo, boy! The story line is a great one, with another great twist. I might be the most clueless reader, but I never really guess who's going to turn out to be the bad guy with Evanovich's work until she reveals the last clues. Highly suggested, as usual.
Book 27 of 50
Pages: 340
Genre: A+
Grade: Mystery, romance, chicklit, and a whole lot of all of them, too!
Would I Recommend?: Yesyesyesyes! Go start the series. Read it. Love it! GO!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Four to Score (Janet Evanovich)
Summary:
Stephanie Plum's latest FTA (Faiure to Appear) bounty is a waitress with an ass of a boyfriend. She swiped his car because she was pissed at him, and he pressed charges. Maxine and her family take Stephanie on a wild goose chase thanks to her clues for her dumb-ass boyfriend. Of course, Stephanie has to figure out what all the clues mean, because they might lead her to her bounty that much faster. She enlists not only Lula, a former prostitute turned secretary and sidekick, but her Grandma Mazur, a seventy-something lady with time to kill, and a drag queen named Sally Sweet. It doesn't help that she can't figure out what the hell is going on with her hunky almost-boyfriend Morelly, or that her cousin has brought her least favorite person in the world (the woman she found screwing her now-ex husband on their dining room table) on as a fellow bounty hunter after the same bounty, or that someone is once again trying to kill her. Just another day in the life of a Jersey girl.
Thoughts:
I straight-up love this series. It's addictive, and I am so totally hooked. It takes everything in me to hop to another book after finishing one, so that my blog doesn't look like a Janet Evanovich love fest! (Currently, I'm in possession of the books up to number nine, but I'm trying to take my time... You'll see in the next few weeks how well it's working out!) This particular installment sees Stephanie fighting several different wars as usual, including a few of the heart. I love that Stephanie's forced to stay with Joe Morelli, thanks to a tiny little thing called a fire bomb... I like their dynamic. I have a friend that's a fan of a certain other gentleman in the series, though we'll get into that situation further when Stephanie's travels put her more in his way. For now, I love this series like a fat kid loves cake. Keep it coming, Evanovich.
Book 26 of 50
Pages: 313
Genre: Mystery, romance, and a whole lotta chicklit
Grade: A
Would I Recommend?: Definitely. Love this series. Enjoy!!
Stephanie Plum's latest FTA (Faiure to Appear) bounty is a waitress with an ass of a boyfriend. She swiped his car because she was pissed at him, and he pressed charges. Maxine and her family take Stephanie on a wild goose chase thanks to her clues for her dumb-ass boyfriend. Of course, Stephanie has to figure out what all the clues mean, because they might lead her to her bounty that much faster. She enlists not only Lula, a former prostitute turned secretary and sidekick, but her Grandma Mazur, a seventy-something lady with time to kill, and a drag queen named Sally Sweet. It doesn't help that she can't figure out what the hell is going on with her hunky almost-boyfriend Morelly, or that her cousin has brought her least favorite person in the world (the woman she found screwing her now-ex husband on their dining room table) on as a fellow bounty hunter after the same bounty, or that someone is once again trying to kill her. Just another day in the life of a Jersey girl.
Thoughts:
I straight-up love this series. It's addictive, and I am so totally hooked. It takes everything in me to hop to another book after finishing one, so that my blog doesn't look like a Janet Evanovich love fest! (Currently, I'm in possession of the books up to number nine, but I'm trying to take my time... You'll see in the next few weeks how well it's working out!) This particular installment sees Stephanie fighting several different wars as usual, including a few of the heart. I love that Stephanie's forced to stay with Joe Morelli, thanks to a tiny little thing called a fire bomb... I like their dynamic. I have a friend that's a fan of a certain other gentleman in the series, though we'll get into that situation further when Stephanie's travels put her more in his way. For now, I love this series like a fat kid loves cake. Keep it coming, Evanovich.
Book 26 of 50
Pages: 313
Genre: Mystery, romance, and a whole lotta chicklit
Grade: A
Would I Recommend?: Definitely. Love this series. Enjoy!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)