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