Review-A Good Excuse to be Bad

A Good Excuse to Be Bad by Miranda Parker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When I saw this on the library shelf, I was excited to read it because the description sounded interesting:
"Smart, gorgeous, and too tough for her own good, bail recovery agent and single mom Evangeline Crawford moved to the burbs for a quiet life. Fortunately, it's not turning out that way...

Angel has to admit she's feeling restless. The only excitement in her new life is her schoolgirl crush on the town's new pastor, Justus-too-Hot-to-be-Holy Morgan. But a fateful encounter and a job gone wrong at Club Night Candy in underground Atlanta is about to change all that... Soon, Angel's trying to save her divazilla twin sister from her big mouth and a scandalous murder charge, and probing a church cover-up--with none other than Justus by her side. But Angel has one more pressing concern: will Bella be ready for kindergarten? Only time will tell for this bad girl gone good whose days are once again far from boring--and hopefully far from numbered..."

Unfortunately, that description was the best thing about the book. It was a struggle to finish, as the story line was boring and repetitive and none of the characters were particularly interesting. It did pick up at the end, which bumped my rating up to a 3, but not much else was good about this.

View all my reviews
Source: Library Challenges: Outdo Yourself Challenge, Support Your Local Library, 2012 Mystery and Suspense Challenge

Review-Another Man Will

Another Man Will by Daaimah S. Poole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Daaimah S. Poole's books are very hit or miss for me, but this one was a definite hit!

We have three sisters--Crystal, Yvette, and Dana, who are all looking for the same thing--a good man.

Crystal hopes she's finally found one in the guy who's had a crush on her since childhood. Dana crosses the color lines and ends up falling in love. And Yvette bounces back from her loser ex-husband by hooking up with a sexy older man.

I thought this was a really cute story that kept me interested from start to finish. All three characters were very likable and relatable and I enjoyed reading each of their stories. I definitely recommend this funny and engaging tale.

View all my reviews
Source: Library
Challenges: Support Your Local Library, Outdo Yourself Challenge

Review-Got a Right to be Wrong

Got a Right to Be Wrong by K.L. Brady
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading "The Bum Magnet" and couldn't wait to pick this one up and see what was next for crazy Charisse.

At the end of "The Bum Magnet" it seemed as though Charisse's long string of bums had finally come to an end. She met and fell in love with Kevin, and now they are one week from their wedding day. However, Charisse then finds out something about Kevin that makes her wonder if he is just another bum to add to her collection. Along with dealing with that, she also has her crazy family members in town for the wedding, as well as her best friend Lamar who is looking to replace Kevin as soon as he can.

This was a fantastic follow up to "The Bum Magnet." K.L. Brady does a fantastic job of making all these characters come alive and is able to keep what could have been a typical "baby mama drama" novel into an exciting page-turner. I couldn't wait to see what Charisse would do next.

I look forward to reading more of K.L. Brady's books.

View all my reviews

Source: Purchased

Challenges: Outdo Yourself Challenge, 2012 E-Book Challenge

Review Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So a few weeks ago I finally finished the books that had been all the rage with women this summer: the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. I started the first one while on vacation, so I was able to fly through it pretty quickly, but it took me awhile to get through the other two, mostly because of being back to work.

First of all, I must admit, I was a tad disappointed while reading the first book. I thought the book would be basically all BDSM porn, I didn't know there would be an actual love storyline involved. At times, the book just read like a glorified Harlequin romance novel. But once I got past that, it was a little easier to get into the story. I did like the characters of Anastasia and Christian. I liked how Ana was not afraid to stand up to Christian at all, no matter how much she loved him, and how she stood by her beliefs. Likewise, I also liked how she did open herself up to some of his "Red Room" fantasies.

The second book I liked the least in this series, this one seemed to really drag by and nothing really interesting happens. The third book was my favorite of the three (although I grew tired of all the mushiness at the beginning with the constant "I love you Mr. Grey" and "I love you more Mrs. Grey.") This one had a lot more action and conflicts and I loved the way it ended. I also enjoyed reading their first meeting from Christian's point of view. While I wouldn't have liked the whole book from his POV, it would've been interesting to read more of his thoughts.

All in all, I give the series as a whole about 3 and half stars. Not a classic by any means, but an enjoyable, hot little read.



View all my reviews
Source: Purchased
Challenges: Outdo Yourself Challenge, 2012 E-Book Challenge

Review-The Bum Magnet

The Bum Magnet by K.L. Brady
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I won this paperback last year from a giveaway by Diva's Bookcase and finally got around to reading it.
Charisse Tyson calls herself a bum magnet, because that's all she's seemed to be able to attract-bums. Throughout this funny and engaging read, we find out about all the bums Charisse has had to deal with--the playa playa who secretly had eight kids, the pretty boy with a wife on the side, and the deadbeat who made out with another woman in Charisse's car while she was out watching his kids. Now she meets a new guy named Dwayne, and wonders if her bum magnet curse will finally be broken.

I really enjoyed this story and I liked Charisse and all the other characters. It was a tad predictable at times, but still kept me eagerly turning the pages to read more. A great debut for author K. L. Brady.

View all my reviews
Source: Won Challenges Outdo Yourself Challenge

July Review Round Up

Should Have Known Better by Grace Octavia
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Dawn believes she has the perfect marriage, until her sorority sister from college comes to visit and decides she wants Dawn's husband for herself.

This one was just okay, didn't really like the characters, although the story line was intriguing enough to keep me reading.

View all my reviews
Source: Library
Secret Obsession by Kimberla Lawson Roby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have enjoyed every Kimberla Lawson Roby book I have read and this one was no exception. Paige has lived in her sister Camille's shadow all her life and she is sick of it. She has devised a devious scheme to take away everything her sister loves, starting with her husband Pierce.

This was a very quick read as I couldn't wait to figure out what Paige would do next. The only criticism I have is that Camille and Pierce were just way too naive and stupid, unbelievably so. Still, a very good read.

View all my reviews
Source: I own this
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment by Steve Harvey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I know I'm a couple years late on this one, and I still haven't seen the movie, but I'm glad I finally read this. Harvey fills this relationship manual with very straight-forward advice that's very easy to read. Most of it is common sense, but it was nice to hear it from a man's perspective. I also like that he kept the little personal stories and anecdotes to a minimum and the ones that were included, were interesting to read.

View all my reviews
Source: Library
Fast Break by Regina Hart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was excited to pick this book up since it combines two things I love: romance and basketball. Plus the main character, Jackie Jones, has the same name as my mother. Jackie is the new owner of her family's team, the Brooklyn Monarchs, who are the worst team in the league. She is not too happy when she finds out that Marcus, a former NBA championship player, has signed on to be the new coach. Even worse, she wonders if he is part of a plan to sabotage the team so they will have to relocate to a new city.

This one started off really slow, and I wished there had been more romance, and less of the basketball behind-the-scenes meetings. Those parts really dragged the story down, but the romantic parts with Jackie and Marcus definitely made up for it. If this is the first in a series, I look forward to reading more.

View all my reviews
Source: Library (although I realized after reading it, that I had also already downloaded a free copy to my Nook)
Guilty Pleasures by Donna Hill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jake and Eva Kelly are happily married--happily married con artists, that is. They've sailed along with no problems, until one day they end up conning the wrong couple.

This is another one that I wish had been more romance and less thriller. Once I got over that part though, I did enjoy reading their antics on the cruise ship, while they tried to out-con the people after them.

View all my reviews
Source: Library

Review-Breaking the Tied that Bind

Breaking the Ties That Bind by Gwynne Forster
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kendra is a 30-something woman, working a dead-end job at a restaurant. She desperately wants a career in communications and has finally scraped together enough money to enroll in college. Her main problem is her mooching mother, Ginny, who does nothing but beg Kendra for money and will go through any means to get it from her. As Kendra's career and relationship dreams start to come true, she wonders if she will ever be able to break free from Ginny or if she will always be holding her back.

I've read a few Gwynne Forster books and I've noticed they are all quite similar in that she has a very old-fashioned way of writing. The way the characters speak is really not how people of today speak and that's kind of hard to get used to while reading. The characters always seem a little too impersonal and it's hard to really feel connected to them. I didn't really connect with Kendra at all, or feel sorry for her when it came to Ginny. The romance that she has with the college professor was just kind of meh to me, as was the whole book.

View all my reviews
Source: Library Challenges: Outdo Yourself Challenge, Support Your Local Library

Review-The Available Wife Part 2

Available Wife Part 2 by Carla Pennington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A few weeks ago I read The Available Wife, the prequel to this one, in which we are introduced to feisty Niquole, who is running her own record label. She is unhappily married to Germaine, and they have two young sons. She gets her needs fulfilled by having an affair with a man named Kingston, who has some secrets of his own. Niquole is definitely a character and I couldn't read fast enough to see what kind of troubles she would get herself into and how she would get out of them. The Available Wife ended with a cliffhanger, and I was glad that I was able to find and read Part 2 not too long after. This one picks up where the other one left off, and Niquole is up to her same tricks, sneaking and scheming to get what she wants, no matter what the cost. I liked this one even better than the first. Niquole hooks up with a younger man, whom I really liked her with. The whole book was great, and my only gripe was with the way it ended, since that means there will be no Part 3 and this series is complete. Definite must read.

View all my reviews

Source: Library Challenges: Outdo Yourself Challenge, Support Your Local Library

Review-Crush

Crush by Michele Grant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Crush is an anthology comprised of three novellas. The first, White Mocha, was written by Michele Grant, whom I've never read any of her books before. White Mocha is about a workaholic named Jayla, who begins a steamy love affair with a coffee shop owner. Although a bit predictable, I enjoyed the characters and this was the only story in this collection I liked.

The second story was Wanted: You by Lutisha Lovely, whom I've read a few books by but never been too impressed with any of them. Lois is the homely, shy, and conservative secretary of a prominent, handsome lawyer. He begins receiving erotic letters and emails, which embarrasses Lois, since she is very much in love with her boss. Throughout the story we meet a bevy of women that the letters could be from. This story started out very promisingly and I was dying to know who the letter-writer was. However, I hated the ended, so much so that it ruined the rest of the story for me.

The last story was From One Lover to Another, by Cydney Rax. I've read a few of her books and have liked them. In this story, Lorraine has recently broken up with her hip-hop, gangsta-loving, ebonics-speaking boyfriend Posse, however she hasn't been able to completely let go. She still takes his calls and thinks about him often. She starts seeing one of her coworkers Wendell, but learns that even that isn't a match made in heaven. This story was pretty boring the whole way through and I didn't like Wendell, and I definitely didn't like him with Lorraine.

All in all, this collection of short stories is a fast read, but will not leave a memorable impression at all.

View all my reviews

Source: Library

Challenges: Support Your Local Library, Outdo Yourself Challenge

Review Round Up

One Way or Another by Rhonda Bowen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was just okay. Toni Shields is a no-nonsense, career-driven woman who has no time for a man in her life. However, she can't fight the attraction she feels to Adam Bayne, a friend of her brother's who runs a group home for wayward boys.

I really liked all the characters, but would have liked to read more about the romance between and Adam and Toni, and less about the boys' home and Adam's past troubles. This was definitely more of a contemporary Christian fiction book, than a contemporary Christian romance.

View all my reviews

Source: Library

He Was My Man First by Nancey Flowers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wrote out a review for this but GoodReads ate it and I don't feel like typing it again, so I'll just say this was definitely an enjoyable, action-packed read.

View all my reviews

Source: Library

An Accidental Affair by Eric Jerome Dickey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

EJD's recent works all seem to follow the same pattern (at least the last two I have read.) Someone commits a crime, then spends the rest of the book on the run. All the characters are the same, just different names.

In this one, writer James Thicke, flies into a violent rage, attacking Johnny Handsome, who had sex with James' wife, famous actress Regina Baptiste, on camera. James then flees away to an apartment complex, where he gives a fake name and has sex with many of the women in the building.

As I said, all the characters in these books seem to act the same way. And, just like EJD did in Tempted by Trouble with continuing to repeat Eddie Coyle's full name all the time, he does the same thing in here, with repeating characters' full names over and over (in this case, Regina Baptiste), I don't know why this bugs me so much, but I wish he would stop.

This was not a bad read at all, but again, I like the diversity and uniqueness in EJD's earlier works, that seems to be missing from his newer novels.

View all my reviews

Source: Library

Review-New York to Dallas

New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In this installment of the In Death series, Eve goes back to her hometown of Dallas to track down a violent pedophile named Isaac McQueen. Even put him away in jail many years ago, but now he's escaped and ready to get revenge.

I am a huge fan of this series and have enjoyed most of the books, however this one was a little too slow for me and it took awhile for me to get into it. Since it didn't take place in New York, there were just few scenes with the usual cast of characters such as Peabody and Summerset. As usual, I did enjoy the romantic interactions between Roarke and Eve, although there didn't seem to be too many of those also.

Oh, and the reveal about who Isaac's female partner was fell a little flat to me also. I felt that Eve was just a little too unattached to that when she should've been a bit more.

All in all, not a bad read, but definitely not one of my favorites in the series.

View all my reviews
Source: Library
Challenges: Outdo Yourself Challenge, 2012 Mystery and Suspense Challenge, Support Your Local Library

Review-White Lines 2: Sunny

White Lines II: Sunny: A Novel by Tracy Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I truly enjoyed reading the first book in this series, White Lines. While I knew I definitely was going to read this sequel, I wasn't too excited about it. Seeing as how this one is titled White Lines 2: Sunny, that meant the main character would be Sunny. I wasn't a hge fan of her in the first book, so I didn't really want to read a whole book based on her. Secondly, I REALLY liked the characters of Jada and Born from the first novel. Those were the ones I really wanted to read about, and I wasn't sure if they would be a big part of this one.

However, as soon as I started reading, I was hooked. The character of Sunny is much more fleshed out in this book and I quickly grew to like her. She is still struggling to get over what happened to Dorian in the first novel, but she is trying to move on after starting to date a new man. With the stress of her new relationship, as well as the book deal she is working on, she again begins to find solace in the white lines she had once been addicted to.

I was also happy to read that both Jada and Born are in this one as well. Jada is now completely clean, and she and Born are slowly rekindling their romance. One thing Jada is struggling with, is raising the son she had with Jabari in the first novel. Sheldon is now showing the effects of being a crack baby, and is acting out in school, disrespecting Jada, and showing overall psychotic tendencies. Born is worried that, although he loves Jada, her problems with Sheldon (who is his enemy's son) might be too much for him to handle.

Again this novel keeps you on the edge of your seat and I enjoyed it even more than the first one. It ends with a cliffhanger and I absolutely cannot wait to find out what happens next.

View all my reviews Source: Library Challenges: Outdo Yourself Challenge, Support Your Local Library

Review-Do You Take This Woman?

Do You Take This Woman? by R.M. Johnson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In this story we have Pete and Wayne who have been friends since childhood, they grew up together and call each other brothers. They end up both falling in love with the same woman, Carla. Pete saw her first, but Wayne is the one who ended up engaged to her.

However, Wayne cheats on Carla with another woman, and Pete runs to tell Carla. She then falls in love with Pete and they end up married. But that doesn't mean that Carla and Wayne are finished with each other.

This book started off very slow and I did not like any of the characters. Seriously, I thought they were all idiots and didn't understand why they would continue to participate in this little love triangle. Pete was the biggest idiot of all, since it was apparent to me that Carla never loved him, and she was better off with Wayne.

The book did pick up a bit towards the end, although it was a tad predictable. A quick read, but will leave you more frustrated than entertained.


View all my reviews

Source: Library

Challenges: Outdo Yourself Challenge, Support Your Local Library

Review-The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had seen this book reviewed on a few other YA blogs (although I only skimmed through the reviews) and I liked the premise of this one, which is about a girl and a boy who fall in love one night while in an airport. The main reason that I liked that premise is because many years ago when I did NaNoWriMo for the first time, I started writing a story about the same thing (never finished it.)

Anywho, in this one, 17-year-old Hadley is flying out to London for her father's wedding, which she is not too happy about having to attend. While in the airport, she meets and falls in love with Oliver, who is flying back to his home in London.

I was actually a little disappointed. I never really got into either character and especially wasn't into their love story. I was actually more interested in Hadley's relationship with her father and new stepmother. I found some of the events that happened to be a tad contrived.

View all my reviews
Source: Library
Challenges: Outdo Yourself Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge

Review-Explosive Eighteen

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

There's not much I can say about this book that I haven't already said in my past reviews of the last few books. Predictable storyline. Mystery I don't care about. Jokes that are no longer funny. I remember the first few books in this series, I was literally LOLing every few pages. Now all I do is read as fast as I can just to be done with it. I no longer care about the love triangle between Stephanie, Ranger, and Morelli. Why should I? It seems like it will never be resolved so I don't see the point in caring.

On the positive side, I do still like the Stephanie and Lula scenes, as well as dinner scenes with the family. That's about it.

View all my reviews
Source: Library
Challenges: Outdo Yourself Challenge, Support Your Local Library, 2012 Mystery and Suspense Challenge

Review-White Lines

White Lines by Tracy Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

White Lines is an urban love story about a teenage girl who is addicted to crack, who falls in love with a drug dealer.

Jada left home at age 16, and soon got caught up in a world of drugs and prostitution.  She quickly becomes addicted to crack cocaine, but is able to get herself clean.  She then meets and falls in love with Born.  Born grew up with a drug dealer for a father, and as he got older, began to follow in his father's footsteps.  He and Jada fall in love, but she keeps her past drug addiction from him.

This book definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.  I enjoyed all the characters and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen with them: would Born find out about Jada's addiction?  Would she be able to stay clean or would she slide back into the comfort of the crack?

A definite must read and I can't wait to read the sequel White Lines 2: Sunny, which recently came out.


View all my reviews

Source: Library
Challenges: Outdo Yourself Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge

Review-Back Spin

Back Spin by Harlan Coben
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In this installment of the Myron Bolitar series, Myron sets out to find the kidnapped son of a famous golfer, who is currently leading a major golf tournament.

I'm sure I've said this about some of the previous books in this series, but this one is so far my favorite.  The mystery was very straight forward and easy to follow, but had lots of twists and turns along the way to keep me on the edge of my seat.  I also liked how we were able to delve a bit more into Win's back story and get to know him better.

Can't wait to read the next in the series.


View all my reviews

Source: Library

Challenges: Outdo Yourself Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge, 2012 Mystery and Suspense Challenge

Review-Sometimes it Happens

Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


In this story, the main character, Hannah, is starting her senior year with a big secret: the night before, she slept with her best friend's boyfriend.

This book alternates between the events of the summer,during which Hannah and her BFFs boyfriend grew closer, and the first day of senior year.

The story line was cliche and I found most of the characters, especially Hannah, to be very whiny. It kept me interested enough to want to know what would happen, but I didn't really care once I found out. Not a big fan of this one.



View all my reviews

Source: Library
Challenges: Outdo Yourself, Support Your Local Library

Review-I'm Telling

I'm Telling by Karen E. Quinones Miller

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This story had a very good premise, but was not executed well.



The main character is Faith, who when she was younger, witnessed her stepfather sexually molesting her twin sister, Hope.



Fast forward to when they are adults, Faith is a successful book editor with a loving boyfriend named Henry. Hope, on the other hand, has spent much of her time out on the streets, doing whatever she can to get drugs. Their mother takes Hope in, but throws her out once she catches Hope sleeping with the mother's boyfriend.



This story was all over the place, and the characters were never really developed. Although Hope was obviously very messed up after having been molested as a teen (since she thinks it was her fault) it was never fully explored in the novel. The ending seemed very rushed and forced, although the summary on the back of the book makes it seem as if that's a major part of the novel, when it really only ends up being about 3-5 pages at the end. I'm not sure what the purpose of Faith's friend and business partner Ann was, or her relationship with Carol. I know that it helped set up the ending (which I could see coming from a mile away) but their story was unresolved and I don't know why it had to be mentioned anyway.



Almost gave this two stars, but it did keep me interested enough to want to see what would happen, so I gave it a 3. Definitely not a must read, though.



View all my reviews

Source: Library
Challenges: Outdo Yourself Challenge, Support Your Local Library

Review-Tempted by Trouble

Tempted by Trouble by Eric Jerome Dickey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I used to be a big fan of Eric Jerome Dickey's earlier works: Sister Sister, Friends and Lovers, Milk in My Coffee, Liars Game, Between Lovers, and The Other Woman are some of my favorites. Then he started moving more into crime novels with his Gideon series and I was NOT a fan, so EJD had kind of fallen off my must-read list (although as I look through his bio now, I remember reading and liking Pleasure also, the last EJD novel I read.)

I read the synopsis of this one and figured it sounded interesting enough for me to give it a try and I'm glad I did.

The main character Dymytryk has fallen on some hard times-lost his job and his wife has left him. He finds himself as part of a bank robbery ring, under the operation of a man named Eddie Coyle (and I really disliked how he was ALWAYS referenced by the full name Eddie Coyle throughout the book.)

Lots of twists and turns in this one and although I didn't like many of the characters (with the exception of Dymytryk) EJD kept the storyline interesting enough for me to keep reading to find out what happened to them.



View all my reviews

Source: library
Challenges: Outdo Yourself Challenge, Support Your Local Library