RenaRuadh - Without music, life would Bb

Where do I start with this incredible mess?

First, let's look at the characters. Neither story nor the characters grip the reader. The characters are unbelievably shallow; they do not evoke sympathy, interest or empathy. We are told that the moment Jay meets Lilah, he wants her, loves her etc. The attraction between them just isn't there - we have to take the author's word for it. There is no tension between them, no sparkle - nothing. Basically, you couldn't care less about them. The book is simply incredibly boring. I love romantic suspense, but this book does not deliver.

Next, we have a heroine who is TSTL. She is supposed to be this great reporter who gets a private interview with the vice president and whose deceased husband of 19 years was an attorney. She finds a suitcase full of money and what does she do? Does she tell her best friend from childhood who's a cop she knows to be straight? Oh no, she first hides it under her bed and then puts it into a safe deposit box. Her behaviour is erratic, stupid and not at all in line with the background the author has given her.

Then we have this over-the-top bad cop who cannot be described as anything but a caricature. He is so badly drawn, he's laughable. The usual bits of interaction with his ex-wife are silly and almost taken from other stories as an attribute: bad cop must have shrewish ex-wife. His part of the story feels unfinished, he's thrown at the reader and suddenly removed without much rhyme or reason.

Dan Duffy's accident, which sets the whole thing off, is more than ridiculous and does not fit in with the way his character is described - focussed and intent on proving his father did not commit suicide and finding and facing his father's killer. Next, he is clowning around on the back of a truck. Back of a truck? With a suitcase full of money? Did I already mention how silly the entire story is...?

Then, there is the completely useless silly bit about the psychic and the crystal necklace - a strand of plot that is going nowhere. The psychic tells Lilah to find a diary - the necklace which is even mentioned in the summary on Amazon has no bearing on the story and its only possible purpose is to capture potential readers that are interested in paranormal romances.

Finally, we have the writing style: the author jumps from first-person narrator to third person in a completely random way. I've rarely come across such incredibly sloppy, bad writing. Next, the author has a considerable problem getting the tense correct in indirect speech. Punctuation is abysmal. The author seems to think that you can place a comma at random where you fancy. Actually, Ms Semerad , there are very definite rules you might want to look into. Example: "Yet, he was nervous, talking to himself..." There should most certainly not be a comma after `yet'.

All in all, this was one of the sorriest excuses for a book I've come across.

I have read the entire series so far and, sadly, this will be my last Stuart McBride book. While the first few books were really enjoyable, the author has been going down a route that I personally find not just offensive but boring. The protagonists are increasingly resembling caricatures - the prime example being DI Steel. Nearly every sentence she utters is filled to the brim with foul language, profanities and swearing. While everybody uses such language at times, to have a senior police officer never speak any other way is just so over the top that it grows at the best boring and at the worst very annoying.

Oh dear, where do I start? I've read books by Ms Neggers before and really liked them. I first picked up the second book in this trilogy and wondered if that was the reason why I was so completely confused. Thus, I laid the book aside and bought Cold Pursuit, the first one in the trilogy. Sadly, the confusion did not stop.

First, there are way too many characters that do not contribute at all to the plot. What possible contribution do the characters of Grit and Myrtle have? None.

Second, we are told that there is tension between Elijah and Jo with hints about something in their past. No mention of that event is made until nearly at the end of the book, when it is mentioned in passing.

Third, why were Drew and the ambassador assassinated? Nobody knows. Certainly not the reader by the end of the book. We are presented with this mysterious network of assassins that killed a Russian man in England (why?), Drew Cameron (why?) and Ambassador Bruni (why?). I wish I had answers to the 'why' questions, but no answer is provided.

The entire plot is thoroughly confusing, readers are presented with so much information that, because most of it is completely useless, in actual fact we don't know anything. People are being killed for some reason, the protagonists had problems with each other for some reason, the ambassador's stepdaughter escapes into the wilderness for some reason. Why? Don't ask me, I have no idea... I have all three books of the series, I guess I'll read number two and three to see if some answers are presented there... though I won't hold my breath! It feels as though Ms Neggers instructed some ghostwriter to write this messy book.

This is by no means the first Kasey Michaels book I have read and most certainly won't be my last. We are introduced to three sisters - all very different characters - who want to prove that their private detective father did not commit murder and subsequent suicide. To do so, they look at four unsolved cases their father worked on and divide them between themselves. As fate will have it, they connect with 3 men - 2 of them from their past - who help them with their task. In Jolie's book, she teams up with an old lover who she still has very strong feelings for. To tell more would be to spoil the plot for new readers, but there are interesting revelations. Ms Michaels paints complex characters with interesting motivations and tells an excellent tale. You are drawn into the world of the Sunshine sisters who are by no means perfect but characters with all the little flaws and frailties that make a book interesting. I've ordered the other two books and can't wait to get reading!

I've recently downloaded a lot of free Kindle books that really annoyed me: bad, shallow stories, one-dimensional characters and abysmal grammar, spelling and punctuation. This book was - thankfully - different: I enjoyed it from the first to the last page.

Right from the beginning, the author throws action, adventure and romance/sizzle at the reader. I enjoyed the characters - they were multi-dimensional and you could really follow their development throughout the story. I liked the way the author developed the story, for example when the hero and heroine said their first goodbye, it seemed to be over for good. That, of course, could not happen and the author threw a proper curveball at the reader in the way she got them together again. I don't want to give away too much of the story, but I'll definitely have a look at the author's other books.

I downloaded this book onto my Kindle as it was offered for free. Recently, I've read a lot of very, very bad freebies and so I was very pleasantly surprised when I got drawn into the story and didn't want to put the Kindle down.

First - there were hardly any problems with grammar, spelling, punctuation etc. This is very important to me as I've just read a book where these aspects were so atrocious, I had a hard time focusing on the story.

Second - I really liked the characters. They behaved in a believable way according to the way there were introduced to the reader; and according to their background stories. I know, in my reviews I tend to go on about character development, but to me that is such an important part of a book - people grow and change with their experiences and from what life throws at them. Here, I really enjoyed the characters growing and developing throughout the book - I loved it, for example, when Carrie suddenly had enough and took charge of the stalker.

All in all, this book was great and I'll have a look for the author's other books!

Recently, NR has been a bit hit-and-miss for me - I very much disliked her Bridal Quartett; and the Inn trilogy didn't really start off very well for me either. Then I bought `The Witness' and I must say I liked it mostly. I enjoyed the storyline; I liked the main characters. The way the hero was persistently not allowing the heroine to brush him off and her futile attempts to do so; the hero's mother; the secondary characters - very well drawn and likeable. I also liked the secondary storyline about the trouble at the hotel with the local `bigshot' who believes he can get away with anything.

I probably would have loved the book and given it 5 stars, if I weren't a regular viewer of the TV series `Bones'. The way Ms Roberts characterises the heroine reminds me too much of the character of Dr Temperance Brennan in the series; from the complete lack of knowledge of popular culture such as films, music etc. to the utter lack of social skills and the way of taking everything that is said as literal.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. Peter Robinson has the gift to really develop his characters throughout the series. The story of this particular book was excellent and very well-written, the mystery fantastic and the tension was maintained till the end.

At first I was worried that the heroine would turn out to be one of those flighty, airheaded TSTL women that annoy me in a lot of romantic comedy books. Thankfully, that was not the case. I loved the concept – a non-magical lawyer in a family of magical people. Great fun. The character of Lani could have been a bit more fleshed out to make her even more interesting. One thing that left me wondering was: do the ‘normal’ people know about the world of magical creatures or don’t they? This was never really answered. The chapter explaining the council was a little dry and might have been ‘spiced up’ a little more. These very, very minor points aside, the book was great. Absolutely enjoyable, lighthearted reading. I loved the ‘stalker’ and how Lani dealt with him. I loved her quirky friends and relatives and their interactions. I sincerely hope that this is not a stand-alone book. If the author decides to continue the story, I will most definitely buy the next book.

This was a very, very enjoyable read. I liked the main characters and all the secondary characters. Though I have not yet read the first two books in the trilogy, I could easily follow the storyline. The hero and heroine were well-drawn, likeable characters, the evil creatures were properly evil and the whole story was wonderful from beginning to end. Although I must confess that I personally liked the snarky dragon even more than the actual hero... :-)

What we have here is a prime example of excellent story-telling. Karen Rose is one of my favourite authors and has, again, delivered the goods. This book marks the beginning of a new series of books connected by re-appearing characters. Karen Rose's writing style is fluid, exciting and her stories are fast-paced. I enjoyed the interaction between hero and heroine, but I what I liked best is the fact that Rose does not only write from the hero/heroine's point of view Rather, we actually get an insight into the killer's motivation and background. That fact brings the book to life even more and it creates a wonderfully multi-faceted story.

'Hi Hilary.' I greeted her as I walked in the room.
'Hope, you look well.' We air kiss as I give her a hug.

Here are two mistakes in one brief paragraph. It should have been `walked into the room' as the heroine actually entered the room and did not walk aimlessly within. Next, we have a prime example of the thing that annoys me considerably with this book - the change between past and present tense. Writing from a first person singular point of view does not automatically mean that the author can swap tenses without rhyme or reason!

Next, the editing is not good with some words missing. Or Brett suddenly becomes Brad on the next page.

The most annoying thing, however, is that the book obviously cannot decide what it wants to be: an advertising manual for clothes and shoes or a shallow love story/chick lit book. The characters are one-dimensional, boring and nothing much happens. I stuck with the book till the end but had to force myself. I can't even say that the story had potential because, sadly, there was none. Shallow is the only word that springs to mind when attempting to summarise the book.

I'd give this book 2 1/2 stars probably. The story definitely had potential, but felt rushed. I do not know if the author wanted to write a novella, but in my opinion she did not do herself any favours. Due to the shortness, the characters were not as fleshed out as they could have been, the falling-in-love/lust happened way too rapidly and there was a lack of coherence. This could have made a wonderful full-length book. A shame, really.

I read a free excerpt from this book, which was released as ‘Rescued’. That excerpt, however, was enough for me. The writing style is, I’m sorry to say, dire. The worst problem is the overuse of adjectives. Examples are:

“Would he attempt to force himself upon her in some vulgar way?” Ahem, but rape/attempted rape warrants a different description than ‘vulgar’ in my opinion.

“Keeping his eyes locked on his target, the special ops agent pushed his athletic legs across the narrow street at a stealthy pace. As he moved, only smooth, even breaths flowed from his massive lungs and through his flared nostrils.”

“On instinct, the elite soldier’s mind and body shifted into battle mode. His legs pumped faster, forcing his sneakers to pound hard and swift across the blackened street. Driven by pure adrenaline, Rossi became a quiet stampede, ready to flatten his opponent with one brutal blow. As he ran full force toward his adversary, a testosterone-soaked blur filled his vision.”

As if the use of adjectives were not bad enough, the writing style is overly flowery:

“In the blink of an eye, Rossi’s fate was sealed. The glint of the mugger’s chrometinted knife forced him into daring motion. He had to act fast or else the silver blade pointed at the woman’s back would become the instrument of her doom.” Melodramatic, anybody?

I’m sorry, but I do believe that the excerpt is sufficient to show that this author’s writing is completely immature and in need of a very good editor.

I read a free excerpt from this book, which was released as ‘Rescued’. That excerpt, however, was enough for me. The writing style is, I’m sorry to say, dire. The worst problem is the overuse of adjectives. Examples are:

“Would he attempt to force himself upon her in some vulgar way?” Ahem, but rape/attempted rape warrants a different description than ‘vulgar’ in my opinion.

“Keeping his eyes locked on his target, the special ops agent pushed his athletic legs across the narrow street at a stealthy pace. As he moved, only smooth, even breaths flowed from his massive lungs and through his flared nostrils.”

“On instinct, the elite soldier’s mind and body shifted into battle mode. His legs pumped faster, forcing his sneakers to pound hard and swift across the blackened street. Driven by pure adrenaline, Rossi became a quiet stampede, ready to flatten his opponent with one brutal blow. As he ran full force toward his adversary, a testosterone-soaked blur filled his vision.”

As if the use of adjectives were not bad enough, the writing style is overly flowery:

“In the blink of an eye, Rossi’s fate was sealed. The glint of the mugger’s chrometinted knife forced him into daring motion. He had to act fast or else the silver blade pointed at the woman’s back would become the instrument of her doom.” Melodramatic, anybody?

I’m sorry, but I do believe that the excerpt is sufficient to show that this author’s writing is completely immature and in need of a very good editor.

What makes a good book? When you are caught in the story, don't mind the occasional editorial problem and just want to continue reading to find out what happens next. For me, this book falls into that category. I really, truly enjoyed it. The first copy I downloaded had formatting problems and the author, when I contacted her, fixed things. I then started to read and enjoyed the characters, the storyline and the writing style. The book is written in the first person narrative, something which I normally don't enjoy very much. Here, however, it was fitting. The heroine's character is great - she is a strong woman but not nastily so, she has her flaws, she is snarky at times. I really liked her. Her interaction with the hero was interesting, from very confrontational at the beginning to a gradual liking and then more. I also liked the fact that the author did not go with stereotypes when writing about the hero. Usually you get the detective refusing to believe the heroine when she states that a third person is innocent and tries to prove it. Here, we have an open-minded hero, which makes him more believable. All in all, I found this book to be an incredibly enjoyable read and I will definitely buy the author's next book in the series.