Book Review - Bonita Faye

Bonita Faye by Margaret Moseley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was pleasantly surprised as I began this one. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but I really liked it. There isn't a ton of mystery to it, but a few questions that we get some answers to. I like how the story is told from her perspective. We see how she evolves and grows throughout the novel. She's optimistic and brutally honest. I really loved her friends and Harmon. Claude wasn't my favorite, I was routing from Harmon the entire time. There is some romance, war, crime, lots of trips to France and lots of small town country moments. It wasn't super fast paced but it didn't bore me at all. There were some parts that began to lag and I found myself skimming over some parts. I was able to put it down, it wasn't edge of your seat kind of book, but I was eager to pick it up again.
Bonita Faye is a strong woman who claws her way out of undesirable circumstances and changes her life for the better. The characters were all likeable unless they were meant to be hated. I liked how everything didn't go perfectly for her, and that was alright too. It made me chuckle but I wouldn't compare this to Janet Evanovich, I didn't find myself laughing out loud throughout. This was a light and easy read that kept me entertained.

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Book Review - W

W by John Banks
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I was definitely in the minority with this one so far. Oh man, this book.
I'm sure where to begin. It was a mish-mash hodge-podge hot mess. I could not find any plot throughout this book. It was impossible to follow. There are numerous stories going on, which don't seem to have any purpose. The Norway story was my favorite and had that been the novel itself, I think I would have enjoyed it. I feel John Banks is definitely talented, but I'm not sure what he's doing with that talent. I don't find this to be anything like Mark Twain as others have suggested. I feel like the author took all his talents and abilities and wrote every random thought, poem, conversation that popped into his head. There was no order, the wording, style, characters all jumped from here to there without any explanations or meaning. I like to read for entertainment and fun and this did not fit the bill. I might consider this author again, but this book was certainly not for me.

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Book Review - Broken Promise (Sons of Broad #3)

Broken Promise by Tara Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third in the Sons of Broad Series by Tara Thomas. I received this book from Netgalley and after I started it, I knew I had to start from the beginning. I hunted down the first two and finished them before diving back into Broken Promise. I did not read any of the prequel novellas which may have been helpful for some more backstory. Each of the books in the series focuses on one of the Benedict brothers. In the last book we are introduced to Kipling. I had a feeling the older mature and seemingly playboy brother was more deep than he let's on.
The romance begins between him and Alyssa, the police officer from the previous books. The romance isn't a surprise, there's a lot of playful banter and sexual innuendos from Kipling in the other books but the feelings behind them aren't introduced until this final installment. A lot of questions are answered in this one. We found out the who and why of the Gentleman which fills in a lot of blanks. I wonder if there's a novella from the POV of the Benedict's mom? That would be an interesting read.

I would definitely read the series in order, otherwise the finale built up in the first two is spoiled in book three. I liked Alyssa. She was a strong heroine but not perfect, you saw the flaws too. I do wonder, whatever happened to her partner from the first book? She originally has a partner, then he just stops coming and no more mention of him. Generally if a department runs two deep, they don't just stop. I also felt her decision to leave the department felt pretty rash. I definitely saw her leaving, but there wasn't much in the way of her decision, just that she made it.
I will say each of these girls seem to come from a home with a rough father.

SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!!


The loose ends from the other books all seem to tie up at the end. Some questions I had with the ending is Kipling's injury. We aren't ever really told what happens with him, he seems alright, like he's faking but then ends up in a coma and needing physical therapy? For what?! Also, Jade seems to have no problem being shot since it's no longer mentioned again. The part with Tilly's dad is a bit confusing. It's talked about that he's a hindrance to the Gentleman, but then that's it. So did he plant the evidence? It wasn't very clear. And the decision he made for the Benedict parents was surprising, considering his motive behind it all.

In the end it was a good book, a good series and I am definitely interested in reading more from this author, and perhaps I'll check out the novellas as well.

Thanks for the opportunity!

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Book Review - Deadly Secret (Sons of Broad #2)

Deadly Secret by Tara Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second novel in the Sons of Broad series by Tara Thomas. I actually received an ARC for the third in the series and started it. Since I ended up enjoying it I tracked down the first two.
This was probably my least favorite of all three. I didn't read any of the prequel novellas so I might be missing some of the back story to these.

What I didn't like as much in this one was our heroine, Bea. I liked Knox, he wasn't my favorite brother but I liked him a lot more than Bea. The first half of the book drove me nuts.

**Spoiler Alert!**
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

She was so adamant about not letting her fear of this madman move her from her home, but this was the same guy who's keeping her from who she loves? She won't let him dictate where she sleeps at night (which would keep her alive), but she's willing to give up her husband because he said so? What kind of a woman is this?

Rant over.

She was a little too trusting of Jade in my opinion. Not to say that Jade didn't need someone in her corner, but Bea was a bit too naive to stay alive without Knox.

The suspense was good, the madman was hate-able, the mystery was there. There are some open ends, some from the first are weaved in, but new ones are formed. For me, it wasn't so bad since I had all 3 books at once. I was able to pick up book 3 when this was over so it didn't leave me hanging.

There is romance, sex scenes, some language and mature content like in the last, an adult read for sure. On to the next in the series!

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Book Review - Darkest Night (Sons of Broad #1)

Darkest Night by Tara Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This author was new-to-me and I'm pleasantly surprised with the result. I haven't really gotten into romantic suspense until now. I actually received an ARC from Netgalley for the third book in the series. I began reading it, and then since I liked the story, I had to hunt down the first two. I have not read any of the author's other work under her pen name or through her novellas.
The Benedict boys each have their own angle and personality and each one will have their own book. The first begins with the youngest, Keaton and his childhood neighbor Tilly. This was a sweet and quick romance that skips the instalove feeling since they were childhood friends and crushes until a tragedy ripped them apart for years. They are later reunited and all the old feelings rush back.
As soon as they are reacquainted, the bodies and danger start showing up at Tilly's door. Keaton's desire to protect her was sweet. The suspense moved quickly and kept me thoroughly engaged. Sometimes the pacing and change of POV threw me, I'm not sure if that was because of the ARC format though.
The gentleman was a character I loved to hate, and I know there is something much deeper for him in all this. The characters weren't super deep, but I could get a good glimpse of them. This book really focuses on a few, I'm imagining the other books each focus on different characters. The only character I wasn't a fan of were the twins, and one of their quick 180 in personality. It just felt forced.
There were some sex scenes, some language, and mature content, it wasn't over the top but definitely an adult read. There were a few references that had me wondering and perhaps there is something in a previous novella that accounts for those details. A few loose ends when this was over, however, it's a series. It wasn't a cliff-hanger, but enough to make me wonder how they will connect in the next book. I will definitely continue in the series and I'm eager to find more from this author.

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Book Review - The Mermaid and the Shoe

The Mermaid and the Shoe by K.G. Campbell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought this was a sweet and beautiful book focusing on how every child is unique and special in their own way. Sometimes their talent lies hidden from others for a time and that doesn't make them any less special. King Neptune's 50 daughters all had amazing talents except for little minnow. Minnow doesn't seem to do anything right and just asks way too many questions. These questions lead her on an adventure as she searches for the answers. I loved the beautiful whimsical pictures of this book. My daughter loves mermaids and this book was no exception for her. It's a quick and easy read and we read it multiple times before bed one night. Definitely will keep an eye on this author in the future.

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Book Review - The Song of Blood and Stone

Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this one and felt it wasn't like anything I've read lately. It was a very easy read, fast paced and intriguing. I finished it within a day. I definitely felt that this book was hitting on a lot of different major issues all at once. It hits racism, refugees, interracial couples, f/f couples, sexual assault, political conflict, and moral dilemmas just to name a few. Race/cultural differences between the opposing sides plays a huge role in this book. I really enjoyed reading how there were good and bad on both sides and not singling one side out as good/evil. One could definitely take this book with a political view but I read for entertainment so I leave politics out of it.
I loved the characters. I found myself rooting for both main characters and connected with them each in different ways. I would loved to have read about Jasminda's life with her family before. I loved her connection to them, but some added memories of her twin brothers or her parents would have really brought them to life. I really liked how independent she was, how she was terrified and strong at the same time. I loved Jack. His identity wasn't a complete surprise by the time it is made known but it didn't detract from the story. I really enjoyed Nash and Usher and hope they make more appearances and perhaps some more depth in the future.
I would not classify this as a YA but more NA. It has some pretty descriptive sex scenes for YA, not too detailed, but way more than I would feel comfortable sharing with my teenager. There are also scenes of attempted rape that are pretty descriptive. There wasn't any language and in between these scenes, it was YA suitable.
The fantasy in this one was light and easy. It didn't get too complicated when speaking of magic, which makes it a fast read. Sometimes too much fantasy can weigh a book down and make it work to get through. This was not one of those. I really loved how the magic is connected to each other, to the earth.
This was a great and easy read and I am glad I was given the opportunity to review it. I will definitely follow the author and I'm eager to read what comes next!

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