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.

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



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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.

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Source: Won Challenges Outdo Yourself Challenge

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.

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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.


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Source: Library

Challenges: Outdo Yourself Challenge, Support Your Local Library

Review-Off the Chain

Off the Chain by Candice Dow

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


London is a young woman who just wants to love fashionably and take care of animals. Unfortunately, she flunks out of veterinarian school and is living on her best friend's couch. Things start to look a bit better for her when her friend helps her start a dog walking business and her mother gets her a job as an administrative assistant. That success is short-lived, though, when her friend kicks her out. Londod doesn't know what she will do, until her boss offers her an opportunity she can't pass up: become a call girl for his escort service. AKA a prostitute.

I really liked London as a character and thought the author did a good job of making her relatable, even though one would think a prostitute isn't really someone the average person can relate to. There were plenty of twists and turns in the book to keep me hooked. I always enjoy Candice Dow's books and this one was no exception.



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

Review-Scandalicious

Scandalicious by Allison Hobbs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a pretty good book, that chronicles the events of three main characters. The first is Solay, the owner of the cupcake shop called Scandalicious. Solay is currently going through a love drought and decides to hire a male escort to relieve some of her pent up feelings. Deon is her hired male 'ho, and while the loving is good, Solay finds herself falling for him.

Melanee is one of the employees at Solay's shop, whom butts heads with Solay when she wants to put some new cupcakes flavors on the menu. Melanee seems like a shy, quiet, and plain young girl, but underneath that exterior is a freak. She is in a BDSM relationship with her "master" Colden, who leads her through all kinds of freaky things in the book.

Last up is Lincoln, an attractive man who thought he had the perfect marriage with two little kids, but then he finds out his wife has cheated on him with some common thug. Lincoln sets out to find who this man is and make him pay.

The book was pretty good and kept me interested, although it was a tad confusing. I didn't understand Lincoln's storyline in relation to Solay and Melanee's since it had nothing to do with them and the cupcake shop, so it seemed kind of tacked on, until it finally came together at the very end. The whole ending seemed a bit rushed.

All in all, an okay book and I did enjoy the characters. I am looking forward to reading more books by Allison Hobbs.

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



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Review-One for the Money (book and movie)

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Great book, one of my favorites. This is the Stephanie Plum I fell in love with, the witty dialogue, the LOL situations, the lovable bumbling idiocy of Stephanie as she figures out the bounty hunter business. It's such a refreshing change from the disappointment of the last few books in the series.

The movie, however, does no justice to the book. I should've gone with my first instincts when I heard this movie was coming out and just not bother to see it, but the closer it got to release date and the more previews I saw, the more I wanted to see it, especially after rereading the book. But I should've waited until it came on TBS or something. I'm pretty much indifferent to Katherine Heigl (liked her on Grey's Anatomy, loved her in Knocked Up, haven't paid much attention to anything since then) but she wasn't so good as Stephanie. She played her a little too overly confident for my tastes. I hated the guy who played Morelli. I'd give the movie a 2.5 out of 5. If they decide to come out with another one (and I hope they don't) I won't be seeing it.



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Source: bought
Challenges: Outdo Yourself, Mystery and Suspense, Ebook Challenge

Review-Diary of a Mistress

Diary of a Mistress: A Novel by Miasha

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I began reading Diary of a Mistress last Saturday morning. I figured I would read a couple of chapters before getting out of bed and starting my day. Well, about two and half hours later, I had finished the book. It was so good, I couldn't put it down and just had to keep reading to see what would happen.



Angela is a woman who has had no problems with sleeping with married men. She's mentally unstable due to her poor relationships and has been in and out of mental facilities. During her latest stint in one, her therapist tells her she should keep a diary to help her air out her feelings. Angela does--writing all about the relationship she's had with a married man named Carlos.



Monica, Carlos' wife, thought they had the most beautiful, wonderful marriage, until she receives the package in the mail that contains Angela's diary. At first she is skeptical about it, but then too many things to Angela writes about add up to things that have actually happened in Carlos and Monica's marriage.



The book was full of twists and turns that I didn't see coming and kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't wait to see what Monica would do and what would be the outcome of Angela's little plan. I definitely enjoyed this one.



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

Review-Smokin' Seventeen

Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Another typical Stephanie Plum novel. What more is there to say, they are all exactly the same at this point. I could see who the killer was a mile away. In fact, it was so obvious that I was actually surprised when that's who it turned out to be, because I was like was it supposed to be that simple to figure out?

In other news, the more I see the previews for the One for the Money movie, the more I want to see it. I'll be rereading the book beforehand, to remind myself of the days when the Stephanie Plum series was great and laugh out loud funny. Nowadays, not hardly.



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

Review-Mama Dearest

Mama Dearest by E. Lynn Harris

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I read a few E. Lynn Harris books years ago (Invisible Life, As I Am, and something else) so I was somewhat familiar with Harris' writing styles and his characters. This book is about Yancy Braxton, a former Broadway diva who is struggling to get back on top of the game. Derailing her plans is her mother, Ava, who has recently been released from prison.

The story is very slow moving, although it does make you want to keep reading to see what Ava's plans are for Yancy and just how low she will go. I wasn't a fan of any of the characters, especially Madison B. I'm not sure why, I just didn't like her at all.

There were also a couple of grammatical errors such as tense changes in the same scene (one second it's in the past tense, the very next sentence it's in the present tense), things like that drive the English major in me crazy.

All in all, not a bad book, it just takes awhile to get into. I might have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous books about Yancy right before this one.



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

2012 Reading Goals and Challenge Round Up

GoodReads Challenge
This year I am challenging myself to 65 books.

The Book Vixen's Outdo Yourself Challenge
Last year I read 61 books, so this year I hope to outdo myself by reading 65, which is the Getting my heart rate up level.

Why Buy the Cow Reading Challenge
I still have a bunch of freebies on Strawberry from last year that I never got around to reading, and I know I'll get more this year, so I hope to read at least 12 free e-books, which is the Coupon Clipper level.

2012 Support Your Local Library Challenge
I signed up for this one since most of the books I read anyway are from the library. I originally signed up for Level 1-Read 12 books, but I'm already going to change that to Level 2-24 library books.

2012 E-Book Challenge
I am going for the CD Level-Read 10 e-books.

Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge
I am going for 12 mystery/suspense novels this year.

That's it for now. Happy reading to all!

2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

The Book Vixen is hosting the 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge.

Details:

Runs January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012 (books read prior to 1/1/12 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at anytime. Sign up on The Book Vixen’s blog.
The goal is to outdo yourself by reading more books in 2012 than you did in 2011. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. Nothing is set in stone; you can change levels at any time during the challenge.
Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).
Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
Grab the reading challenge button and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you could track your progress on Goodreads or LibraryThing.

Levels:

Getting my heart rate up – Read 1–5 more books
Out of breath – Read 6–10 more books
Breaking a sweat – Read 11–15 more books
I’m on fire! – Read 16+ more books

I will have read about 60 books by the time 2011 is over, so next year I am setting my goal for 65 books, so I am signing up for the Getting My Heart Rate Up level.