Library Liz·ard

Library Liz·ard

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.

Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."

Groucho Marx

Review
4 Stars
Review - The Captive
The Captive - Grace Burrowes

Swoony romance between two damaged people who find their way back to healing together. Loved it especially because it had an old romance flavor to it. Definitely reading on since, at the end of this one, we get a hint of how book two's protagonist (who tortured our hero!!) will be redeemed.

Review
5 Stars
Review - Magic Shifts
Magic Shifts  -  Ilona Andrews

WARNING - extreme fangirling ahead

 

I can only remember one time I was disappointed in a Kate Daniels book. Magic Rises had that moment when Kate decided that Curran preferred that cupcake, Lorelei, to her...really? You went there, book? I DO NOT want, nor accept, that kind of nonsense in my KD stories. Mercifully, we have nothing of the sort in Magic Shifts and in fact the Kate/Curran partnership is completely, beautifully rock solid. Halle-frickin-lujah.

 

I love that we've moved away from the Pack, freeing Curran to focus exclusively on Kate. I really loved the expansion of Julie's character, showing only previously hinted at development she's experienced at Kate's side. 

 

Ilona and Gordon have positioned this story and the plot 'shift' perfectly, aligning us for the ultimate showdown with the inimitable Roland. And now we wait! *sigh*

Review
2 Stars
Review - The Bourbon Kings
The Bourbon Kings - J.R. Ward

What is mostly amusing and predictably cheesy in the BDB series is not so tolerable in a contemporary, real world setting.

Who writes novels?

Source: http://myjetpack.tumblr.com/post/120167979645/a-cartoon-for-the-new-yorker#notes
Review
2.5 Stars
Review - Steelheart
Steelheart - Brandon Sanderson

Pretty torn on how to rate this. I loved the premise (superhero nerd alert!) but the character's voice was too juvenile for his age and the story suffered for it, IMO. I thought the world building had a good frame work but since we stuck with David's POV we never saw much complexity in terms of setting, the larger impact of the Epics coming to power, etc. Not sure I'll continue.

Review
4.5 Stars
Review - Asking For It
Asking for It - Lilah Pace

Emotionally complex and intense, really well done. Vivienne is a smart, thoughtful woman exploring and working through the trauma that defined her early in her life. She meets Jonah, and together they take the exploration to the next level but suddenly the stark honesty of their relationship causes it to change and they both realize they want more. Watching the two of them peel back their emotional scars is riveting and heartbreaking at the same time. Can't wait for the second book since

a HEA remains just out of their reach

(show spoiler)

*This book is most certainly not for those with non-con/dub-con/sexual assault triggers (less)

Review
5 Stars
Review - All The Light We Cannot See
All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel - Anthony Doerr

Maybe a teeny bit long, I might have just wanted to get to the end to see what happened. I'll admit I lost my composure at the end and cried a bit. This story is weighty, heartbreaking and utterly gorgeous in turn. I blazed through most of it in one day I was so completely captivated. Adding Saint-Malo to my list of must places to visit.

Review
2 Stars
Review - A Gentleman In The Street
A Gentleman in the Street - Alisha Rai

This wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't the book for me. I liked Akira: supremely in charge of her life and sexuality. The sex scenes were pretty over the top and well done (definitely adventurous, so kudos for that!). But I thought the conflict was thin and didn't drive the story quite enough. I mean, I understand that family can scar you but to make that the whole problem? I guess I just didn't 'buy' it. I took another chance hoping to find something enjoyable outside my usual genre choices and bombed out again..ah well.

Reblogged
Sock Poppet's 2015 Read-By-the-Month Reading Challenge ~ March Prompts

March's Reading Challenge ~ Go Forth!

 

This month you will read:

 
1 ~ a book with character(s) who travel.
 
2 ~ a book that takes place in a different country from where you live.
 
3 ~ a book that takes place in the future.
 
4 ~ a book you read at a place other than your home.
 
Link to your blog post about the book you read (or simply list the book) here: 
 
 
 
Reblogged from Sock Poppet at Play
Review
4 Stars
Review - The Lion and The Crow
The Lion and the Crow - Eli Easton

A well written historical in a time period I didn't even know I'd enjoy. Originally written for the 'Love Has No Boundaries' free fiction event put together by the Goodreads M/M Romance group, I picked up the expanded and re-edited version on Amazon, and what a great find! I'd like to read more from this author and I will definitely seek out more medieval settings.

Source: http://paperpie.tumblr.com/post/74092927802/a-sort-of-pro-e-reader-editorial-piece
Review
3.5 Stars
Review - Radiance (Wraith Kings 1)
Radiance - Grace Draven

Some quick thoughts:

 

  • if you liked previous novels by Grace Draven, you will probably like this

 

  • the heroine annoyed me only because she doesn't bother to learn how to defend herself despite marrying into a warrior race. I just figured she should take advantage of all that free training!?

 

  • the romance is a real slow burn and the tone and pace of the story is very unhurried but also very romantic

 

  • overall it didn't wow me but I am looking forward to the next book in the series mainly because of what happens at the very end, go figure
Review
4 Stars
Review - Forsworn (Powder Mage 0.1)
Forsworn - Brian  McClellan

Oooh, I liked this! A very intriguing magic system fitted into some basic world building. Felt similar to the Shadow Campaigns novels in that it's a flintlock fantasy. The characters here were interesting but the villains a little too evil. Still, I will read the next prequel and then probably book 1 which has been widely lauded.

Review
2 Stars
Review - Lord of the White Hell, Book 1
Lord of the White Hell - Ginn Hale

Vividly written with excellent world building and distinctive characters, I'm really sorry to say this book bored me to tears. I just kept waiting for something to happen and it never did. Not even the developing romance held my attention and the strong YA flavor did not help. The book ends quite abruptly on a tense, adversarial note but it won't be enough for me to continue

Reblogged
If you like Jane Austen, you'll like these books

Reblogged from Bookish Quotes
Review
3.5 Stars
Review - The Lascar's Dagger
The Lascar's Dagger[LASCARS DAGGER][Paperback] - GlendaLarke


A good, epic fantasy yarn, I definitely enjoyed it. There were moments where Saker had me slapping my forehead (hello, TSTL!) and I definitely felt it could have been edited down a bit overall, I still thought it was very well written and fun to read. I will also mention that there were a few times where things went a little too according to plan but my heart was in my throat at those moments so I guess I can't complain. There is an excellent cliffy ending so be warned, but book 2 just came out so it won't hurt too much!