Book: Watcher in the Woods by Kelley Armstrong

Watcher in the Woods by Kelley Armstrong

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I read a digital copy of this book I received via Netgalley.

While this is the fourth book in the Rockton series, it can stand alone. I had no trouble following characters and events, even references from previous books, which I have not read.

I loved the Yukon as its own character, and the relationships between Casey and other members of the town feel genuine, even when it involves dislike or even hate. Casey's a capable LEO, and a self-rescuing princess.

I would gladly read more of this series.

The one downside, which I have to hope will be fixed in the published version, was the enormous number of typos and other errata. Normally, I might count off mentally for this, but there were so many I had to presume this was truly an Uncorrected Copy. :D



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Book: More Than Bones by Craig David Singer

More Than Bones by Craig David Singer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I read a digital copy of this book I received via Netgalley.

More Than Bones revolves around friendships, self-confidence, and knowing who one is.

Parts of MTB are completely silly, and other parts are deep and thoughtful. The secondary characters are interesting and have decent depth.

I enjoyed the resolution of the story with regard to Emily's sense of self. Definitely worth a read, particularly if you want a break from thinky books or studying. :D



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Book: Enceladus Mission by Brandon Q Morris

The Enceladus Mission: Hard Science Fiction by Brandon Q. Morris

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I read a digital copy of this book I received via Netgalley.

There was a bit too much information in this one - too much focus on minutiae and 'we did this then we did that' for my taste.

The communication thing on Enceladus was fascinating, but it lasted about twelve seconds. I would have loved more depth with regard to that. It was actually the most interesting part of the book for me.

There is a huge twist in the early bits of the following book, so if you're not ready to be spoiled, avoid reading it.



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Book: In the House of Five Dragons by Erica Lundquist

In the House of Five Dragons by Erica Lindquist

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The first quarter of this book absolutely crawled for me, and I considered more than once just giving up. In the end I'm glad I didn't.

This is more fantasy than scifi in case that's important to you.

Things I loved:
the twin worlds concept, and the fact that what is matter of fact in one world is magic in the other; the understated romance over the last three-quarters of the book; character growth for multiple characters; a couple of twists I wasn't expecting; the way the girl learned to understand what Rikard was saying, and used that knowledge to help him appear less "mad" during public appearances; who the Crest turned out to be; the odd mishmash of modern and medieval sensibilities; Rikard's journey to make his society honorable again, the way nothing was easy for Rikard, especially when I expected it to be; the action sequences.

Things I didn't love:
the first quarter of the book; the weird ways names changed depending on whether one was talking about a place, a nation, or a person from that nation; the ending (not that it was a bad ending, just that I wanted a bit more about the main characters and how their lives had changed rather than about the son) - I understood it was written that way to create a bookend feeling with the opening, but though it was a perfectly good sequence, it didn't tell me what I wanted to know about how the part of the story I cared about ended; the unveiling of the Crest's identity; that we only got to know two characters from Alterra.

When I read some of the stuff in the last few pages of the book, it became clearer to me why the first quarter of the book was so boring to me: it was setting up a roleplaying universe. For some people all that information would be fascinating. For me, it was as boring as D&D is in person. Yes. I'd rather play solitaire in the dark with actual cards.

And on a personal note, I was predisposed to dislike the son, named Gaius, because that character on BSG is far from my favorite. James Callis is a superb actor, and it's a testament to his acting that I dislike Gaius Baltar so thoroughly. Some names are just ruined forever, though. lol



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Book: Never Be Alone by Paige Dearth

Never Be Alone by Paige Dearth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received a digital copy of Joon via Netgalley for the purposes of providing an unbiased review.

The book ends on a note of hope. That is the single best thing I can tell you.

Joon is full of triggers. If you are at all squeamish about the rough side of life, my sincere advice is to be sure you have support in place for when this book gets tough. And it does get tough. There were several times I seriously thought about stopping and moving on to another book, but Joon is a compelling character. It was impossible to give up on her because despite all odds, she never gave up on herself.

She kept living, kept loving, kept trusting, and is a shining beacon for people who feel overwhelmed by the neverending bad stuff in their lives.

If you are the kind of person who reads stories like this to remind you where you came from and how hard you worked to get where you are, I can guarantee Joon will do that for you. If you are the kind of person who reads stories like this to help you renew your heart and your compassion, Joon'll do that for you, too.

This book is not for everyone, but if you choose to read it, I believe you'll come out the other end enlightened to some degree. Paige Dearth has a way with words, and doesn't mince them. She'll be an author I return to when I need another reminder of how good life is right now, and how much worse it used to be.

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Book: Dead Girl Running by Christina Dodd

Dead Girl Running by Christina Dodd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a digital copy of this book via Netgalley for the purposes of providing an unbiased review.

Y'all, I don't give five stars easily, but this one deserves it.

I got introduced to all new characters I can care about. Kateri Kwinault had a cameo. The mystery about Kellen's past was equally as compelling to me as the whodunit threaded throughout the book. I wanted to know, and I was not disappointed!

There was a subtle and low-key romantic undercurrent, which I cannot describe any better for fear of spoiling you.

Best of all, the book was chock full of women being awesome!

Go. Read. I think you'll be glad you did.

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Book: After Anna by Lisa Scottoline

After Anna by Lisa Scottoline
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received a digital copy of this book via Netgalley for the purposes of providing an unbiased review.

While I did not like this book overall, there were things I did like. Caleb was an awesome kid and he rises to the occasion toward the end of the book. Wreck-It Ralph is a phenomenal name for a cat. The long-term relationship between Maggie and Kathy spans the gamut of emotion, and is a wonderful example of friendship.

Though the craptastic formatting was irritating, and I'm mentioning it, it's not included in my reasons for disliking After Anna.

The first chapter was good. I was certainly hooked enough to continue reading. The next chapter belonged to Maggie and the goddess of exclamation points, and I wasn't even to the bottom of that page before I was rolling my eyes and wanting to tape Maggie's mouth shut.

There was an instance or two early on of infodumping on the courthouse's appearance, which may be of interest to some, but I was reading, "blah, blah, blah" instead. Plenty of awkward phrasing throughout, and so many misused and improperly punctuated words - the proofreader needs to be tossed overboard.

I didn't enjoy the split reverse timeline method of storytelling. It can be done well and ratchet up the suspense, but here it was just annoying. I was at 80% before the plot became interesting again.

There was a glaring mistake in the final rescue scene, and it took me entirely too long to get back into the story for the last few pages.

I was disappointed in the epilogue: too much time was skipped over, and I felt like the characters didn't deserve the endings they got. In particular, too much was glossed over in the family's recovery for the end to be believable to me.

I can't recommend this book unless you are a hardcore Scottoline fan who must read every book.

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In addition to the above, there are some triggery scenes in he last quarter of the book. If you have triggers involving children or sex, please ask so I can help you decide if this book is for you.

Book: The Dark Divide by D. K. Stone

From the opening paragraphs to the final word, Ms. Stone creates and maintains the perfect pace.

She starts with the right touch of history - enough to be ominous but not tiresome. Then she includes throwaway details - Hunter and his coffee mugs, Rich pumping gas to the nearest dollar, Susan burning eggs because she answered the door - to make these people come alive, make them real. She ends with a soupcon of hope.

Rich's life is still in turmoil, with the aftermath of the fire nipping at his heels, the main story opening with calling the courtroom to order, only in the Canadian way (which was an interesting contrast to the US way), and the suspense in The Dark Divide continues to ratchet higher and higher. Who will testify at the preliminary hearing? Will Rich be bound over for trial? Who will be subpoenaed on behalf of the prosecution? Who the hell is Alistair Diarmuid, and why is Lou the only person in town who likes him?

But as crucial to the future as the court proceedings are, the story here is really about Louise Newman, and about Rich Evans only as his life intersects with Lou's. And frankly, that feels appropriate. Lou's stories are less omnipresent in The Dark Divide, but more on the mark, and there are fascinating responses in her listeners. At one point, I wrote to myself, "Why does Rich not see that Lou's telling him about herself with each and every story?" Little hints are dropped here and there about Lou, her childhood, her "knowing," and for me there is some satisfaction in learning these new things, while at the same time I'm eager to know the rest of her story.

As much as Rich does, I grow frustrated with Lou's inability to tell Rich straight out what her deal is. Then I want to smack her for revealing a big thing at precisely the wrong moment. I'm equally frustrated with Rich: One of my notes says, "What bug crawled up his ass?" These two personify the old rhyme about the little girl - when she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid. When things are right between Rich and Lou, the story settles into a happy place. When things are going wrong, sometimes one after the other, it seems impossible to believe they'll come back from this. Even as I'm ready to snatch either one of them bald-headed, though, I never stop rooting for these two kids to work it out.

Ms. Stone's ability to create fables, or fable-like tales, to suit circumstances in the story, is remarkable. There's always a little something which makes me ask, "How do you DO that?" In this case, it was the story about the God of Death. A couple of hundred years ago, it would have been her voice we listened to around the fire in the dark, the atmosphere soothing or crackling with every tale from our collective pasts. She's got a gift.

Despite the fact that the overarching mystery is "resolved" by book's end, I'm beyond excited about the third book. I have no doubt it'll be as suspenseful as the first two, with plenty of surprises along the way.

Go. Read. You'll be glad you did. And if for some reason you haven't read Edge of Wild, hie thyself to your crack dealer of choice.

Giveaway: The Dark Divide by D.K. Stone

Author Danika Stone, writing as D.K. Stone, revisits her beloved Waterton in the follow-up to her fascinating mystery Edge of Wild, entitled The Dark Divide!

Waterton is a town with dark secrets, and after a summer of murder and mayhem, American ex-pat Rich Evans knows exactly how far people will go to hide them. Jobless after the fiery destruction of the hotel he once managed, Rich is charged with arson. Only one person, local mechanic Louise "Lou" Newman, believes in his innocence. But even Lou's love and support can't dispel the darkness that's spreading through the community. Dead animals appear on porches, strangers threaten the safety of the locals, and a fingerprint from the fire is linked to a decades-old murder.

The lonely border town has a new danger: a murderer willing to do anything to protect a web of secrets that links them to the arson.

As the risk of jail or death increases, Rich turns to Lou for guidance and she finds herself in an impossible position. Lou has her own secrets! Does she protect the border town where she grew up, or side with the man she loves... even if it means she can never tell him the truth about herself?

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My giveaway opens Thursday, April 5! The package includes a signed copy of both books, a Canada luggage tag, a trio of Hallmark magnets, a flower-themed To Do pad, and anything else which strikes my fancy and is legal to ship. :D

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Starting April 15th, to celebrate the release of The Dark Divide, visit the listed blogs for blog posts, reviews of the new book, and other fun things. On Monday, April 23, return here for my review of The Dark Divide.

Sunday, April 15th: https://booksandbelleblog.wordpress.com/
Monday, April 16th: http://hermitlibrarian.blogspot.ca/
Tuesday, April 17th: http://www.emilyreadseverything.com/
Wednesday, April 18th: http://www.shootingstarsmag.blogspot.ca/
Thursday, April 19th: https://kcmmp13.wordpress.com/
Friday, April 20th: https://fangirlsince1988.wordpress.com/
Saturday, April 21st: http://www.beatricelearnstoread.wordpress.com
Sunday, April 22: https://fafasbookcorner.wordpress.com/

On Tuesday, April 24, I'll choose a winner for a giveaway package!

#mystery #waterton #thedarkdivide

Danika Stone is an author, artist, and educator who discovered a passion for writing fiction while in the throes of her Masters thesis. A self-declared bibliophile, Danika now writes novels for both teens (All the Feels and Internet Famous) adults (Edge of Wild and Intaglio). When not writing, Danika can be found hiking in the Rockies, planning grand adventures, and spending far too much time online. She lives with her husband, three sons, and a houseful of imaginary characters in a windy corner of Alberta, Canada.

Ms. Stone is represented by Morty Mint of Mint Literary Agency.

Book Release and Giveaway! The Dark Divide by Danika Stone

Danika Stone is following Edge of Wild with The Dark Divide, releasing this month!

To celebrate, she is giving away a book bag and a copy of each book.

Go here to enter her international giveaway.

Visit Danika here!

I'll also be giving away a package, so check back in a day or so for details about how to enter!

Book: Sirius: Hidden Truth by A.L. Long

Could have been entitled Sirius: Clear as Day No, and been more accurate.

Sirius: Hidden Truth by A.L. Long

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I received a digital copy of this book via netgalley for the purposes of providing an unbiased review.

This was billed as erotic bdsm suspense. I don't remember any suspense in what I read. The subtitle is Hidden Truth, and I'm not sure what was hidden, either. The story was too short for their to be anything which remained a surprise for long.

This is one of those college girl falls for her dom professor, with every single cliche in the genre. On top of that, it was poorly written, with egregious grammatical errors. And yes, for some people, those mistakes don't impact their enjoyment of a book. Grammar, poor or otherwise, can make or break a book for me. In this case, bad grammar was just another nail in the coffin.

I cannot recommend this book unless you want to use it as a template for writing college girl falls for her dom professor in every shape imaginable. In that case, go for it.



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Book: No One But You by Brenda Novak

No One But You by Brenda Novak
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a free digital copy of No One But You from the author for the purposes of providing an unbiased review.

This is one of my few five star reads - no, not even Brenda Novak always gets five stars!

The characterization was wonderful, the pacing was perfect, and the ending was satisfying. An all-round good read! I enjoyed this one better than the first in the series. My connection to the characters was much stronger. I look forward to the next in the series.

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Book: Tag by Simon Royle

Tag by Simon Royle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tag had an engaging story. I found the personal details of the characters' lives more interesting than the overall end-of-the-world plot, which got resolved much too easily, and offscreen, to boot. The world-building was good enough, with mostly understandable language changes. Though I learned the metric system while in Thailand, I haven't retained the formula for making centrigrade into fahrenheit, so I never knew what the frakking temperature was.

The book could use another pass by a good editor (though since the copyright on my copy is 2010, it may already have happened). There are missing words and extraneous words all over the place, as well as sentence fragments, which drove me crazy until I started to tune them out.

Nonetheless, the story trumped the inadequacies, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The bit of the next book included functioned more as an epilogue, and with that, I'm satisfied with the story as it ended. If the author ever writes a sequel, I'll certainly give it a try.

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Book: Finding Our Forever by Brenda Novak

Finding Our Forever by Brenda Novak

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received a digital copy of this book from the author for the purposes of providing an honest review.

I loved the characters, the way none of them were perfect, and they were each imperfect in ways I could recognize and empathize with. The insight into the emotional struggles of an adoptee was illuminating.

I loved the way Cora's reticence to ask Elijah questions about his past actually worked to help him feel more able to share with him - she wasn't pushy, and he liked it. The progression of Cora and Eli's relationship was great, with realistic concerns on both sides.

The pace of the book was perfect, at least until the very end. At that point, once Cora's bio mom's "secret" was out, the push and pull of tell her, don't tell her was resolved much too quickly, and Cora knew exactly what to say to make everything magically okay.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a happily ever after, and the central HEA was satisfying, but the mother/daughter "HEA" came much too easily considering the circumstances, and though the romance was good, I was left feeling a little deflated by the mother/daughter relationship.

Nonetheless, it's a Novak, so definitely worth the read. I'm looking forward to getting to know the other characters and seeing their happily ever afters, particularly Darci. Novak does know how to create a believable small town inhabited by the most interesting and unique characters.



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Book: Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb

Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoy the changes in Eve's life, and the way the books have increased the focus on secondary characters. My only complaint, for the most part, is the sex. It's just...(I can't believe I'm saying this) boring.

I'd be perfectly happy if the inevitable Eve/Roarke sex scenes could be fade to black from now on. I get more fun out of the conversations they have and their references leading up to sex than I do from the smexy scenes themselves. WTF.

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Book: The Secrets She Kept by Brenda Novak

The Secrets She Kept by Brenda Novak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an e-copy of this book from the author for the purposes of providing a review.

The Secrets She Kept is a sequel to The Secret Sister. In this one, Josephine, a force of nature in her children's lives, is dead. Why? How?

Keith, who has been away for five years, getting and staying sober, making his own fortune, basically learning who he is without his family around, returns to the island to take care of the details. His sisters are more than capable, but he feels he needs closure, and wants to take care of things himself.

I loved that the siblings' relationship was a major part of the story. Roxanne was a "new" addition to the family in the prior book, and in this one, she's an established part of the family hierarchy. Maisey and Keith talk to her regularly.

There were mentions of Rafe and Maisey and their kids, and Roxanne's marriage has a fairly strong focus here, too. Along with that, of course, is the mystery (even if only in Keith's mind) of how Josephine died, who her new boyfriend was, and Keith re-establishing his friendship with Nancy.

The balance between all the elements was good, never leaving me feeling like anything was missing or getting short shrift. Though I enjoyed the first one, I think I might like this one a wee bit better.

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Book: The Body Reader by Anne Frasier

The Body Reader by Anne Frasier

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I received a digital copy of this book via Netgalley for the purposes of providing a review.

Wow. The Body Reader provides us a unique main character in Jude Fontaine. When she escapes from captivity, we have no idea who she is, and only an idea of how long she's been held. She gets across the city via cab to the first place she thinks of: the home she shared with her boyfriend. Her second choice is the police station, and she gets quite a welcome there.

The Body Reader takes us into the mind of a woman who's been abused and manipulated and terrorized, without going into the gory details. We know what happened, but we don't see it onscreen, as it were.

The Body Reader is a fast-paced thriller, full of twists and turns, and the surprises don't stop until the end. There are hints of sexual attraction, but not a whiff of romance, and the book is better for it. This one's intended to make you think, to examine one woman's path toward recovery, and it doesn't pull many punches.

On the other hand, a secondary character's name was Uriah, and I was more than halfway through the book before I stopped mentally adding Heep to his name. Guess I'm showing my age. lol

Even so, The Body Reader earned its five stars, a rarity for me, even for books I like. Kudos to Anne Frasier.



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Book: Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book was a slog for me. I started to get more interested toward the end, and the book just ended. I'm not sure if I want to interpret that last line as the woman finally croaking, or just another woman from her group coming over to get her for their meeting.

There were definitely moments, but for the most part, I did not find this book enjoyable. It was not funny. It was painful to watch the hateful way this family interacted with each other.

I couldn't identify with Alice at all, and being the matriarch, she pervaded the book. Reading her life story in bits and pieces was a train wreck, surrounded by the train wreck of her current existence.

It was well-written, and I found few, if any, mistakes, so I can't go lower than three stars, but I really can't recommend this book to anyone I like.



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Books: FBI Trilogy by Allison Brennan

I saw these at the local library, and since I'd enjoyed the Lucy Kincaid books so much, I decided to read these, too. These are set earlier than the Lucy series, and Lucy does not feature in them, to my recollection.

Sudden Death by Allison Brennan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a helluva start to a trilogy.

The killer was amazingly smart, and had a personal stake in keeping Megan involved in the investigation.

It was great to watch the foundation being built for the family which will surround Lucy Kincaid. And I learned something new about acupuncture!

I did find about a dozen mistakes, and those always pull me out of the story.



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Fatal Secrets by Allison Brennan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I enjoyed the slow-burn in this one. The plot featured heavily, and though the romance was present, it wasn't the focus of the story, so the relationship progressed by a series of stages.

Xavier Jones isn't who anyone thinks he is, and finding this dude and taking him down take some serious footwork, cooperation, risks, and thinking outside the box.

Found this one at the local library.



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Cutting Edge by Allison Brennan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This one felt familiar almost from the beginning, so I must've read it in the last year or so, and hadn't marked it. It was worth reading again, though.

In this one, Nora survives an off-the-grid early life, finds a way to get out, and manages to take her little sister with her.

She and Duke, along with a sizable team, investigate the arson fire and death of a biotech guy, and find much more than they bargained for. By the time it's all done, Nora's got several surprises in store.

I enjoyed this one, and really liked getting to know Lucy's family, before Lucy is a real character.



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Books: Mythos Academy series by Jennifer Estep

Jennifer Estep was on my wishlist, and though I didn't find the book I was looking for at the library, I did find Touch of Frost and decided to read it. I found all of these at a local library.

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Not generally a big fan of first-person pov, but I'm finding this semi-clueless heroine sort of refreshing.



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Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Fun twist on mythology. Egregious overuse of "that." Estep is a bit heavy-handed with the info-refreshers, and the main character regularly maims the English language, but I'm enjoying the series anyway.



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Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I am getting a bit weary of the heavy-handed recaps in each book, but the narrative is still keeping me interested. One of very few YA books/series I'm actually enjoying.



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Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The stakes went way up in this one! Gwen is growing, learning more about herself and her powers.

Huge challenges for her to face, resulting from previous actions.



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Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Midnight Frost was a wee bit predictable. I saw the villain coming the moment we met the person. I knew what would happen when Gwen met the Gryphons. There were a couple of surprises, and knowing what would happen didn't negatively impact my enjoyment of the book any.

I loved learning more about Gwen's extended family, and I look forward to seeing how what she's learned will impact her future actions.

I do enjoy Gwen reaping the fruits of being herself - she's a kind person at heart, and it shows in the way the supernatural world responds to her, Reapers notwithstanding.

Looking forward to Killer Frost.



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Killer Frost by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As an end to a series, it was pretty good. Gwen muddled along fighting the bad guys until the very end, and her blast of genius made a dramatic difference in the fight.

I'm still so very curious about many of the main characters, so I wish the author would post some shorts or snippets of post-series life on her website for fans to read.

I'll probably be looking for some more Estep to read fairly soon, and I hope her other YA books have the same style. I don't enjoy most YA, but her characters were complex and there was no dreaded love triangle.



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