Bury Oneself in a Good Book: May 2016

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Inheritance – Christopher Paolini – 2*

I wish I'd read the reviews of this book before purchasing it. But as a fan of the first three I pre-ordered it. Like everyone else I was anxiously waiting to see how the series ended and when I finally got it and began reading it was very disappointed. The story was very stagnant and felt like it wasn't going anywhere.

Spoiler

Through most of the first half of the book I kept thinking can we move on already. It felt like there was no movement in the story. It finally picked up about when Nasuada was kidnapped but then felt it kept getting bogged down with the details through the rest of the book.

There were also too many questions left unanswered. In addition to unanswered questions I wanted to know why there was so many scenes that weren't vital to the overall story.

There were a lot of fight scenes that didn't move the story forward. Though I love Roran most of his fight scenes didn't help the story at all. What was the point of these scenes other than to increase page length.

Galbatorix claimed to have spies high up in the rebellion but we never find out who any of them are. When Eragon entered the castle to take him out Galbatorix already knew he was coming and with the dragons but we never found out who told him. There was only about a handful of people who could have told him but we don't find out who.

Another issue I had was with how Arya handles the hatching the last egg Galbatorix had. Even after all the things Eragon and Arya have been through she couldn't tell him what happened or the fact that the elves make her there queen. It is months later that he finds out right before she tells everyone. There are a number of ways she could have told him that other people wouldn't have been able to intercept but she chose not to tell him. I also didn't like how the relationship between them ended.

One of the biggest issues I had with the ending was the fact that after all this fighting Eragon and Saphira end up being banished. Yes it was a self banishment but couldn't all of the people who wanted him to stay have gotten together and come up with a solution to keep him closer. Nasuada kept trying to give him things. Why couldn't she have gifted him land that wasn't to close to anyone which was his biggest reason for leaving.

Overall I am VERY disappointed with this story and want my time back.

Maggie on the Bounty – Kate Danley – 3*

I loved the beginning of the series and this book just fell flat for me. I think the issue I had with it was Maggie and Killian jumping through different times to fight the bad guys. This is more a me issue and not necessarily the story itself. This book just didn't keep me hooked like the other books in the series.

Sucking in San Francisco – Jessica McBrayer – 2*

I got the second book for free and read it. Laughed so hard reading it that I wanted to read the rest of the series. After reading this one I don't know if I want to. This book was not funny, very predictable, and the main character was very wishy washy. My recommendation is skip this one and go right to the next one.

03 Raising Innocence – Shannon Mayer – 4*

I liked this book a lot. Some loose ends from past books were answered while giving us even more loose ends for future books. Rylee gets sent to England to solve a mystery of who is kidnapping dying children. She finds out that there is someone else like her who is dying and can't help the police.

Millie makes a number of appearances bring havoc and chaos. I can understand now why Rylee doesn't like working with anyone because all she gets nothing from the locals is guff. She does make some new friends and new enemies. By the end of the book you didn't know who you wanted to root for.

02 Immune – Shannon Mayer – 5*

This book continues where the first book ended. Rylee fighting her attraction to O'Shea while they both try to find a missing boy and lift a curse placed on her by a demon from the first book.

The story was fast pased and some of the less appealing characters were not in this story for long (Millie). I really don't understand why they are friends. Maybe it will be explained in a prequel or something. There were a lot of twists and turns that kept me interested in the story and when I finished I cursed the author for making me want the next book :)

What Lies within Dark Secrets – L.A. Miller – 1*

The author had an interesting plot but didn't convey it well. She jumped between characters and retold the story from each person. I don't need to be told the same story over and over.

One of the minor details that bothered me was about Riley's tattoo. She explains to Christian how and when she got it and she was a minor but the tattoo guy knew what it meant to her and disregarded the LAW and gave it to her anyways. No tattoo that wanted to stay in business would ever do this.

Overall she could have edited out about half the book still conveyed what she needed to and had a much better story. I looked at the next two books in the series. Book two has the same description as book one and book three has turned the series into a supernatural story. I have no problem with the supernatural but you cannot just throw it in the mix particularly as the third book in a series.

Forbidden Magic – Jennifer Lyon – 2*

I've read everything written by Jennifer Lyon and have enjoyed them until this book. The story in this book was just as enjoyable as her other books in the series up until the very end. Where it just stops! Books whether regular length or short story have to have a beginning a middle and an end. There was no ending to the story. The reader has to wait until the next book to find out what happens with the couple from this book. Other authors have series like this but they tend to be serials and are released in short time line. This book was released in 2012 and there is no release date for the next book.

Shadow Study – Maria V. Snyder – 3*

I hate giving this book a 3 star review as I love this author. When I heard she was writing another story with Yelena and Valek I was extremely happy and couldn't wait. The book has two big no-nos for me.

The first no for me was it switches between characters. Chapter one was Yelena, Chapter two Valek, and chapter three Janco and this continues through the rest of the book. Now I loved each of the stories told from the different views but I always find myself skimming to get back to the cliff we were left at the end of the last chapters. This leads me to missing vital storylines.

The second no for me is not having a complete story. Books are meant to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. This book did really well with the first two but it didn't end the story. I read Snyder's Study series and though there were plot points from book one continued into two and three each book had an ending. This book has a lot of unanswered questions that we will have to wait until the new book comes out for answers.

Overall I loved the story that was told in this book I just wish there had been more conclusions of the different plots so I didn't feel like I read half of a book.

Hedging Her Bets – Celia Kyle and Mina Carter – 3*

I've read all of Celia Kyle's books and some of them are awesome and some are just ok. This was just ok.

What I liked:

I liked the humor in the book. That's about it.

What I didn't like:

There was no character development. The couple fought through the whole book and it just got to be very old very fast considering the book was only 70 pages. It was also 2.99 for 70 pages. If it weren't for the fact that I LOVE other books by these authors there is no way I would pay this much for a story like this.

Overall, if you are looking for a funny shifter book check out some of their other series.

Dragon Her Feet – Celia Kyle and Mina Carter – 3*

I've read all of Celia Kyle's books and some of them are awesome and some are just ok. This was just ok.

What I liked:

I liked the humor in the book.

Spoiler:

*
*
*
*
I loved that the woman in the relationship screwed up and had to go after him.

What I didn't like:

It seemed to jump from scene to scene. There were a couple of times where I went back and reread parts to make sure I didn't miss something only to find out I hadn't missed anything. There also wasn't a lot of character development. I know the book is only 113 pages and is part of a larger series but it just seemed like there could have been some more development.

Overall, if you are looking for a funny shifter book check out some of their other series.

12 Kisses After Dark – Marie Force – 3*

I've read all the books in the series and this one did not do it for me at all. Marie Force always goes back to all of the characters on the island which is great to see what they are all up to but this is the 13th book. There are more then 13 couples now so there didn't seem to be any time spent on the main couple. The time spent on Shane and Katie seemed very rushed and not all that believable.
*Spoiler*

My biggest issue with the book was when Shane's ex comes to town. Katie seems to take issue with the fact Shane wanted a minute with his ex. This is where I no longer cared for their relationship. Katie knew Shane had never gotten any closer from his ex yet she took issue with him wanting a minute to talk with her. When Shane does finally track Katie down she wants time to think because she doesn't believe he is over his ex. Doesn't matter that he said he was over her and he wants to be with Katie...nope Katie who had never been in a relationship prior KNOWS that Shane isn't over the ex. Shane had to go all out to prove to her he was over the ex. Not only does he have to prove to Katie but he has to defend his actions to his sister and her husband Katie's brother. I'm sorry I don't know anyone who wouldn't want to talk to their ex if they had been given no explanation for the divorce.

For me if it hadn't been for some of the other stories I would not have finished this book. But maybe if there had been less other stories the author could have done a better job with Shane and Katie.

11 Gansett After Dark – Marie Force – 2*

I have read every book in this series. Some I've loved and some have been just ok. This one was just ok to me. I liked getting some loose ends tied up but there were more bad then good for me.

Issue number one: The general's trial. I didn't understand why his prior history was being used at trial. Prior history is only used at sentencing OR if the defendant takes the stand. Also why would he suddenly decide to plead guilty when a former friend decides to testify. It is still hearsay. I get the author wanted to wrap some previous loose ends up but if you are going to write a court/trial scene please do some basic research. When I read some of these scenes it made me stop and say that's not right and a quick search online found the information.

Issue number two: Laura's morning sickness. I don't know any doctor that would let her get away with extreme morning sickness without treatment. At one point Laura said she didn't want to take ANY drugs during her pregnancy and it just no! I know some women have a really hard time with morning sickness. There is nothing wrong with taking anti-nausea meds while pregnant. I also don't think it would be instant relief from the symptoms like it was with Laura but what do I know.

Issue number three: Too many people. The author goes over every single previous character and their are too many of them. It is hard to keep track and it causes repetitiveness.

10 Meant for Love – Marie Force – 4*

This would have been a five star review except for the drama forced into it the story. I had been waiting for Jenny's story since she had been introduced and looked forward to it. I loved how the couple meets for the first time with her throwing tomatoes at him for waking her. Some people might not like the fact they don't introduce themselves officially (last names) until later in the book but it makes sense with both of their histories why they wouldn't want to. She finds out his story when she is on a date with another guy. She over hears Alex firing the company manager for talking about how "crazy" his mom is. She has dementia not crazy and it sets him off. Jenny understands and fills Alex in on her tragic loss on 9/11 and they seem to roll along nicely. It isn't until her parents show up and they do a sit down meal with her parents and his mom where it falls apart. His mom goes off on her (dementia) and he breaks up with her. It just seemed very contrived and didn't make any sense. The mom had had other episodes with Jenny around. She had talked about her family experience with dementia so why is it now an issue. Alex ends up groveling to get her back but it just seemed like the whole argument was forced.

09 Time for Love – Marie Force – 3*

I had a hard time with this one. In fact it had been sitting on my to read shelf for a while. David is Janey's ex. The one who cheated. I really really hate cheaters. Probably the only reason I got through it was the other storylines. I get David had made amends and saved lives and what not and Joe and Janey were awesome together but grrr he cheated. Then he ends up with Daisy who is sugary sweet...sometimes to sweet. I don't know how much time between Daisy being assaulted by her ex and this book but it is a little iffy that they started a relationship so fast. Though that seems to be how Marie Force rolls. There is much drama with Janey and Joe.

*Spoiler*

Janey is nearing the end of her pregnancy and she starts to have problems. With her systems it sounds like she has preeclampsia. I am pretty sure with how far a long she was any doctor would have instructed her to go to the main land and be induced. I feel like the author didn't have that happen because she wanted the shock value of David saving Janey and the baby.

08 Waiting for Love – Marie Force – 4*

Third time has to be the charm....right? Abby is back on the island since things didn't work out with Cal the doctor. She comes over with Adam where she tells him her sob story and he tells her his. They are both coming off of bad break ups and are looking to have some fun. They are there for each other. One of the best scenes was after Adam told Grant they were having some fun together. Grant is asked by someone (can't remember who) if he was upset by the situation and his was response was I can't be. If I am then Stephanie will think I still want Abby and I don't want her I want Stephanie so I have to be ok with it.

The big issue I had with there relationship was lack of communication towards the end of the book. Throughout the book they are pretty honest with each other. Very very honest so why change that at the end. It seemed like the author needed to come up with some big drama before the book could conclude. Something bigger than Adam dating his brother's ex.
*Spoiler*
Adam fights for his company and has to go to the mainland to do it. He tells her he is coming back but hey she's been sold this bill of goods by two other guys. She says they are done. He waits a whole week before he starts texting her. He said he couldn't hold out any longer. Why wait? You know what you are doing is going to the mainland to sell the company why not just be honest with her and tell her that. Text her all the gooey things you want to.

07 Longing for Love – Marie Force – 5*

I loved the seventh book in the series. I loved how Tiffany picked herself up after her ex dumped her. Leaving her and her daughter high and dry without any furniture. I loved that Blaine waited until her divorce was finalized before starting something with Tiffany and when he does he always does things with her when the daughter is having a sleep over elsewhere.

06 Season of Love – Marie Force – 2*

I had a really hard time with this one. I liked the characters. I liked them as a couple. What I didn't like was how they got together. There was no down time between Laura breaking up with her husband and her getting together with Owen. Like no time. She shows up on the island and he changes his entire life to take care of her. She's pregnant with her ex's baby, going through a nasty divorce, and they both think it is great idea to jump into a new relationship.

Another issue is there are too many storylines. Each book has stuff from the other couples. Some books it blends well and the story is continuous without any problems but with this one it wasn't.

05 Hoping for Love – Marie Force – 5*

I loved this one. It is the fifth book in the series. Grace is stranded on the island by a jerk and Evan comes to her rescue. He puts her up for the night in his parents home and the next day gives her money to get home. A week goes by before they see each other again. She rocks his world and he hides from his feelings. When his friend kicks his behind about it he sets out to prove he is good for her. They were such a sweet couple and I wanted more from them.

04 Falling for Love – Marie Force – 3*

liked this one. I didn't love Grant. Grant was a big idiot which he was supposed to be but he irritated me. He is back on the island trying to get his ex back but she is engaged to someone else. It felt like he didn't really care to get her back but he needed to get her back so something was going right in his life. Stephanie was another story. I liked her a lot. She had spunk and when you find out her life story you like her even more. She deserved better from Grant. It takes him a bit to realize how great she is and pursue her.

Side note...You get Stephanie and Grant's love story mixed with all of the previous love stories. This is great but it would be nice if more time was spent with the "main" characters and not the secondary characters.

03 Ready for Love – Marie Force – 5*

This is the third book in the McCarthys of Gansett Island series. You will need tissue for this one. This is the love story of Sydney and Luke. They were sweethearts during the summers in high school. Sydney went off to college and never came back. She never told Luke she wasn't coming back. I really wanted to hate her for that but she actually was a really nice character to read about. She apologizes to Luke for never talking to him and explained it was to much pressure from her parents that caused her to act the way she did. Not a great excuse but she was 18 so fine she gets a pass. She is now on the island because her husband and both children were killed by a drunk driver. She is there to heal from her injuries as well as her loss. All Luke wants is to be there for her in whatever way she needs him to be. Their romance is a slow romance but totally worth the wait. Marie Force also introduces a bunch of secondary characters in this book she will use later on.

01 Maid for Love – Marie Force – 4*

I liked this story, didn't love it but I liked it.
Maddie is a maid in Mac's family hotel. They meet when he steps out in front of her and she crashes her bike. She is injured and because he feels he is to blame he decides to take care of her. She tries to get him to leave all the time but he feels he needs to take care of her and her son. It is pretty much insta love for him and her. He admits it a lot sooner than she does but she falls for him. One of the best parts of the book is how much Mac loves Thomas (Maddie's son). He steps up and wants to do for both Maddie and Thomas just because.

Issues:

Mac loves to make decisions for Maddie that have nothing to do with him.
*Spoiler*
The bio daddy for Maddie's baby finds out she has a child and he goes to Mac. Mac should have directed him to talk to Maddie instead he gets him to agree to sign away his rights to Maddie's son. Now they have just started dating even if they had been dating for a long time this still had nothing to do with him. This was Maddie's son. Yes he loved them both but this was between her and the ex. This was not the first time he had made decisions for her but it was the biggest.

02 Fool For Love – Marie Force – 4*

This is the second book in the series. Joe has been in love with Janey forever but she is engaged to someone else. He is willing to sit and watch her be happy as long as she is happy. The book starts with Janey calling Joe in a panic. He rushes off to rescue her. When he gets her he finds out she had caught her fiancé (David) of 13 years in bed with another woman. David never saw her she just took off and ended up stranded. It was interesting to watch Janey realize she was in love with Joe.

I feel like there were two big issues with this book. The first being she wasn't officially broken up with David when she sleeps with Joe. It was the night of the rescue when they hook up for the first time. She says she is over the ex but come on she was with the guy for 13 years and Joe is not a rebound in some way. At one point in the book she says the instant she saw David with another woman her feels were turned off and that maybe so it just seems very fast. The second issue was she makes a huge life decision that affects both of them without even discussing it with him. She makes both of them miserable in the process and it seemed to me that instead of her apologizing and trying to make up for it he does the apologizing. The screw up was all on her side and it just seemed off to have him doing the grand gesture. Neither of these made the book bad just rubbed me the wrong way.

I LOVED the fact that we get to see what is going on in Mac and Maddie's life in this book as well as the love story of Joe and Janey.

Maid for Love 4*

Mad, Bad, and Dangerous in Plaid – Suzanne Enoch – 3*

This book just irritated me. Normally I love Suzanne Enoch's books but this one just missed for me.

Rowena MacLawry had been in love with Lachlan MacTier her whole life. Lachlan felt she was like a little sister until she is no longer obsessed with him and then he must have her.

This irritated me. He fell for her almost instantly after she told him she was no longer interested in him. I could see if there was time from when the pressure was off of him to marry her to when he realized he loved her and needed her but it was probably less than 12 hours.

I think the best part of the book was how her brothers made him prove his worth. Their attitude was you had her, didn't want her, and hurt her now prove you deserve her.

Unleashing – Shelly Laurenston – 3.5*

Unleashing is the first in a new series by Shelly Laurenston. It was not what I was expecting. In fact I didn’t write a review of it until now because I didn’t think I was being fair about it. The other books under her Laurenston name are much lighter books. These books are more like her G.A. Aiken dragon books. All of Laurenston/Aiken books are funny and have interesting characters but her Laurenston books I think of as lighter and less blood and guts though I know her shifters has fights and battles they just didn’t seem as series as this one. Done with my justification here are my thoughts on Unleashing.

Kera Watson recently left the marines. While she was taking out the trash she is stabbed in the chest and killed HOWEVER, Ludvig “Vig” Rundstrom has been in love with her for a while and begs Skuld to save her which Skuld does and makes Kera a crow. Norse gods are each represented by humans and those who have died and come back for their second life. Kera becomes a crow while Vig is a raven. All of the groups are supposed to stop the end of the world from coming about. There is so much that goes on in this book it is hard to write a succinct summary. Basically Kera is thrust into this new world, she butte heads with her fellow crows, she falls in love with Vig, and is tasked with preventing a Goddess from entering our world and starting the end of times.

I liked the book. It had the humor that all of her other books have. One of the detractors is that there are a ton of characters to keep track of. The reader is given a dump of characters and at times it is hard to keep track of who is who. Saying that her other series are like that in the later books but I think those books also slowly introduce the additional characters.

Sorry Charlie – Dana Marie Bell – 2*

Sorry Charlie is the third book in the Poconos Pack series. This is not a stand-alone book. You not only should read the first two books but also the Halle Puma and the Halle Shifters series. This book references back to both of these series with events and characters.

Charlie is the sister to the white lion alpha who is in charge of all shifters. You meet her in Finding Forgiveness which is book one in the series. She is wanting a change so she moves to the lodge (for the life of me I can’t remember where they live in the US other than the east coast). Once there she meets Ted who is her mate. Fated mates know each other instantly and if they don’t mate right away they start having mate dreams which are highly erotic but will drive the mates crazy. Ted refuses to mate with Charlie. He won’t tell her why just nope not happening. Eventually they work it out and end up mated. There is not that much to the story which is why it gets a 2 star.

I am going to start with I think the book is too expensive. It is a 76 page book and it is $2.66. I get that authors put time and energy in their books and they deserve to get paid for all of this but that is a lot of money for what amounted to about 20 minutes of reading. The first two books were longer 95 and 98 pages and that is a more reasonable price to pay for a 100 page book. I have purchased all of her books and found them enjoyable, some more than others.

A Promise of Fire – Amanda Bouchet – 3.5* ARC

A Promise of Fire – Amanda Bouchet – 3.5*

A Promise of Fire is a fantasy novel with romance thrown into it. It is the first book in what will be a trilogy. It looks like the other two books will be coming out next year.

Catalia Fisa better known as Cat is discovered at the traveling circus by Griffin. Griffin has been searching for her sort of. He was given a dream by Poseidon and he has been searching for someone with her talents since he helped conquer the realm. She is a Kingmaker which means she can tell when you lie. Big or little lie she will know which is why Griffin wants her to come and help his sister who is the Alpha. He tricks her into helping him and when she proves she is who he was looking for he takes her. He gives her a choice of coming with him or staying and everyone she cares for will be arrested so she goes. The book is about their journey to the capital where his sister resides and what happens once they are there. Cat nearly dies a couple of times saving the men she travels with. This is amusing because she acts like she hates them all the time. I believe this is just a way for her to keep everyone at arms-length because of what she will face in the future. What that is we don’t know a lot about because her past is not explained very well.

I liked this book for the most part. There were times I wanted more information which I am hoping will be in future books, like her past. Cat keeps a lot of secrets even up to the end of the book. She ends up engaged to Griffin and he still doesn’t know who her family is and what that means for their future. I am guessing this will be a bone of contention in the second book. I also didn’t like that Cat seem to be willing to be with Griffin even though he kidnapped her and was not sorry. I have read this in other books and think it was better done in those books then this book. Even with my complaints I still went to see when this follow up books were coming out because I wanted the next one NOW. This was an ARC and hasn’t come out yet which means the next one won’t be out until next year… curses

ARC copy provided by Net Galley

How to Manage a Marquess – Sally Mackenzie – 3* ARC

How to Manage a Marquess – Sally Mackenzie – 3*

How to Manage a Marquess is the second book in the Spinster House series. This book can stand on its own. I haven’t read the first book yet and was able to follow along the story just fine without reading the first book. Miss Anne Davenport is trying to win the spinster house so she can leave her father’s house. Nate the Marquess of Haywood is trying to keep his cousin safe from a family curse. Anne tries to get her friend Cat to marry Nate’s cousin so she has less competition for the home. Nate can’t let this happen since he promised his dying mother he would protect the Duke.

I really wanted to like this book. I have read a couple of her other books and liked them. There is humor in all of them which I love. This book did have humor but the characters to me were very unlikable. Anne was whiney and a bit annoying. While Nate was meddlesome and that just rubbed me the wrong way. There were times where the book was quite enjoyable but about half the time I wanted to smack them and tell them to get over their issues. The only time I didn’t feel that way with Anne was when her father announces he is getting married without telling her and then the stepmother’s family volunteers her to take care of her new stepbrothers. She had every right to get mad at the situation since she was being pushed aside with no consideration. In addition to this her stepmother’s family send her with her stepbrothers and Nate home. She is unmarried and has no maid so no chaperone. As soon as that happened you know they are going to get stuck somewhere which they do. Even though they are caught alone they don’t marry but somehow her reputation remains intact. Nate had his own issues. Up until the end of the book he thought it was a bad idea for his cousin to marry. He is all the curse the curse. You can’t do what you want because you will die. I won’t allow it. Bah the man is grown and can do whatever he wants even if it kills him.

A couple other things that irritated me were how they addressed Anne and the timeline. Everyone kept calling her Miss but her father was part of the nobility so I don’t understand why she wasn’t Lady Anne. At one point in the book it is noted the stepmother is a year younger then she is and Anne is 26. Her mother passed 10 years ago right after her first season this would make Anne 16 when her mother died. My understanding is most girls didn’t reach marrying age until they were 17. Maybe I am wrong and she came out at 16 but it just bothered me.

Between the behavior of the main characters and some disparity in facts as I believe them to be I couldn’t love this book. I am going to pick up the first book to see if it is better and I will probably get the third book when it comes out.

ARC copy provided by Net Galley

Ransomed Jewels – Laura Landon – 4*

Ransomed Jewels is a historical romance set in 1855 in England. The Marquess of Huntingdon is a spy for England. While on a mission in Paris where he and Major Samuel Bennett were tasked with stealing some jewels which were being used to finance war. Instead of just taking what he was supposed to the Marquess stole a necklace and some papers. He is killed in front of Major Bennett and with his dying words he says his Marchioness has them. This sets the Major and a handful of bad men after Lady Claire. The Major and Lady Claire meet when he interrupts her being assaulted by a Russian. The major believes she has the necklace and papers through most of their interactions he demands she hand them over. Through most of the book Sam and Claire bump heads until the conclusion where they end up together.

For the most part I enjoyed this book a lot. There were some things that rubbed me the wrong way. One of the big ones is no matter how much Claire’s actions show Sam the kind of person she is he keeps thinking horrible things about her. He blames her for his friend stealing the jewels, for not giving the Marquess an heir, and then how she resolves the necklace conflict. It was very frustrating the way most of the men in Claire’s life treated her.

This next part is a HUGE spoiler so if you don’t want to know stop reading!!!!

Claire’s husband never slept with her because he was already married to someone else at the time of their wedding. He married an actress who his father didn’t like and would disinherit him it came out. Yes he was in love with this woman and had four children with her and in his own way he was staying true to his wife by not sleeping with Claire but he committed bigamy to keep his father happy. He guaranteed his first family, heir and wife, would be shunned by society as well as making it almost impossible for Claire to be able to marry someone else. This plot line really bothered me for a number of reasons. First and foremost is the father could not disinherit his son of the title. He could take away the money and land that wasn’t entailed but anything that was entailed would have to go to the son/grandson. Second he guaranteed Claire would live a loveless marriage without children and once it came out she would not be welcomed by most. The Marquess basically made his family he loved live in secret to appease his father and was a bastard to the wife he was forced to marry who was also forced to marry him. Yes he kept her virginity intact but seriously it would not have mattered.

If it wasn’t for that plotline this book would have been a 5 star book for me. I cruised through it and wanted more but it really really pissed me off.

Demon’s Deadline – Tori Centanni – 3.5*

Demon’s Deadline is a YA story about a girl who makes a deal with a demon to live. Nicolette agrees to be Azmos assistant to live. As far as this book is concerned all she does is deliver letters to people when Azmos asks her to. There is another book in the series where her duties could be different.

This book was ok. It was interesting with its story but some information about the plot should have been more forthcoming then it was. Example you don’t know who, what, where, when of her deal until about halfway through the book. Would it have changed the story to do a prologue to show her making the deal. I don’t think it would think it would have in fact I think it would have enhanced the story and made it more enjoyable. I also spent most of the book thinking like this was more like the Christian belief of Heaven, Hell, and Demons. It actually was something else entirely more along the lines of Greek myths but not completely. Even with these issues the story was interesting and I will probably pick up the second book in the series.