The Dating Challenge by B. N. Hale My rating: 3 of 5 stars I received this ARC from Red Coat Publishing and the authors in exchange for an honest review.I was looking for a light read this month, since this time of year can be especially busy and stressful. The Dating Challenge provided just the right amount of distraction to allow me a few hours of retreat from reality. There were just a few points I wished had provided more depth, although, I suppose that’s what made this read a light one.The characters had great potential and really captured my attention at the beginning, but by the time I reached…
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Bring Me Their Hearts
Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf My rating: 5 of 5 stars I was given this ARC by the publisher in return for an honest review.If I had a print copy of this book, it would go on my permanent bookshelf. It was that good, nay great. A few weeks ago, I saw a Goodreads friend reviewing it, I decided to check it out and subsequently requested it on NetGalley. I was surprised when I was approved within a very short time and excited to start reading it. I’m so happy I had the chance to read it. It was such a rare and spellbinding treat for a reader.All…
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When Dimple Met Rishi
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon My rating: 2 of 5 stars I have seen many people on Goodreads read this book and even though I have taken a step back from reading much of the YA genre these days, I was curious to see what it was all about.It started out quite well, with the protagonist going against tradition and wanting to put her education and career aspirations ahead of her family’s traditional hopes for her. Introduced as a make-up avoiding, computer science enthusiast, Dimple had my hopes up high for an unconventional story that wouldn’t end the way most YA contemporary stories ended. She felt relatable and…
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The Mermaid
The Mermaid by Christina Henry My rating: 1 of 5 stars I have loved Disney’s The Little Mermaid ever since I was a young girl. I loved Henry’s Lost Boys, the first book of hers I have read and I couldn’t wait for her latest one that I thought would take a similar dark and eerie perspective on a classic fairy tale. Little did I know that The Mermaid was less horror and more romance than I had hoped and sadly left me wanting for so much more.The characters were too far removed to make any connections with as a reader. As complex as they at first appeared, their development…
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According to Audrey
According to Audrey by Happy LaShelle My rating: 5 of 5 stars I received this ARC from Red Coat Publishing and the author in exchange for an honest review.That was quite the trip down memory lane with respect to my first high school love. A lot of different emotions were running through me as I made my way through this story and I was truly invested in Dove’s journey.Although at times the protagonist came across as overly emotional and analytical with a big splash of teenage hormones, it was interesting to read her narration as she dealt with love, school, family and her uncertain future. She felt alive and real,…
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Trick and Treat
Trick And Treat by Madison Faye My rating: 1 of 5 stars It’s a very long story how I stumbled across Trick and Treat on Amazon, but my curiosity won over, seeing how it promised to be centred around Halloween, my favourite holiday.I am relatively new to this genre and I understand that it is more heavily influenced by a person’s tastes and preferences than any other genre, because it deals with such a personal/intimate subject matter. I have to say, though, that this particular story of this particular genre was not my cup of tea.I found the author had a set vocabulary typical for erotica that she kept repeating…
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Bossed Three Times
Bossed Three Times by Madison Faye My rating: 2 of 5 stars This story was part of a combo pack with and apparently, I had nothing better to do, but to read this one as well. I felt this one had more of a story arc and narration to it. It actually made me smile once or twice. Although, in this one the male characters had a tendency to purr (why? I’m not quite sure).More realism and less fantasy inspired, I was surprised how quickly I made it through the book. There was something about it, though, that didn’t seem believable (?), tangible (?) genuinely excitable (?). I can’t put…
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The Uninvited by Cat Winters
The Uninvited by Cat WintersMy rating: 5 of 5 stars This may sound a bit forward and weird, but this author’s stories I could just swallow whole, because I can’t get enough of her wonderful story telling and read fast enough to discovery another gem that she created.The main character was such a mysterious reading pleasure to get to know. She was easy to identify with, partly because I saw a little bit of myself in her, but mostly because the author’s ability to create multidimensional characters is just absolutely amazing. The interaction she created between the protagonist and the secondary characters is superbly executed. She is part of the…
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The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters
The Cure for Dreaming by Cat WintersMy rating: 5 of 5 stars I never judge a book by its cover. I don’t care, if there is a pretty picture on the front cover, trying to allude to the contents of the story or if it is just wrapped in brown paper. But something struck me when I looked at this book the first time. I had to read it without even perusing the synopsis. It was a strange and enticing feeling being drawn to a book with such intensity. This strange and enticing feeling continued throughout the entire reading of the story. It was dark, sad, infuriating and powerful.Being an…
