Tag: fiction

Books, great reads, Reviews, scifi

Pale Moon Walking by Paula Altenburg

Karen

I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and lately my reads from there have not been great, this was the gift in the group.

Summary: Basically you have aliens, the wild west, a guy that the government has been experimenting on (with alien blood) and a chick sheriff. Yeah and a little chemistry to keep things interesting.  I know it sound awesome right? It was!

I’d like to point out that first this book is well written. You start to appreciate that when you get a couple of books in a row that aren’t. Second the concept, see above, was actually fulfilled. Sam, one of the main characters, was interesting and likable, plus the whole alien blood making him manifest his new talents was pretty cool. Then you have Libby, she does the whole tough girl stay away from us thing well, but I still liked her as well. Even though the aliens were called Sky People (yikes!) I found the story building rich and was caught up before I knew it.

A romance with a scifi twist, well worth the read, enjoy!

Out of the Box Blogs

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow

Karen

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This book is set hundreds of years in the future where AI’s dominate and human rulers give up they children as hostages to keep peace. I know it’s a short blurb but this book had so much potential, it was different and fascinating to me, so much so that I skipping it ahead in my TBR list so I could read it, only to be disappointed. Here is why.

You basically are following a girl Greta, one of the hostage children as she lives her obedient and annoying life. She’s just so boring! Surprise, I didn’t like her. Telling me she’s going to wake up and do something and her actually doing it, two different things. Sorry she just seemed so flat! By the time some action did occur I was going through the motions, no longer engaged in the story, Nothing about it really got interesting it just stayed bland for me. Even reviewing this book I feel kind of meh, like why bother.

Concept? Amazing. Executing? Terrible. I would not recommend this read.

Books, great reads, Reviews

Where One Goes by B.N. Toler

debra

Hi everyone,

If you have not read this book, I recommend you to.  I found this book by way of an online book club that I belong to and it was the September selection.  This is the first book by this author I have read.

This book has three main characters:  Char, Ike and George.  Char can see the spirits of the dead and helps them crossover to the other side by helping them with their “unfinished business”, whatever it is that is keeping them here on this side.  This has been very hard on Char (short for Charlotte) since her family thinks she is crazy and kicks her out and her job of helping the dead is very difficult.  After being on her own for several years, she has had all she can take and decides to end her life.  As she is preparing to jump, she meets Ike and the story starts unfolding.  Ike died in the service, yet can’t move on because he is worried about his twin brother, George.  George owns a business that Ike was co-owner of.  As twins, Ike and George had that unique relationship that twins have and not only has he lost brother, but also his best friend and business partner.  George can not relate to this new reality and becomes messed up with drug abuse.  So Char and Ike are on the case to try to help George.  Over the course of the story, an interesting “relationship” develops between Char and Ike.  Interesting because the relationship cannot happen–Ike is dead.  However, there is a very strong connection between Char and Ike.  The problem is that a relationship develops between Char and George.  The story at times is heartwarming and heart wrenching, especially when the truth of Char’s abilities are brought out to George and his family.  Throughout the story, Char also helps Ike and George’s parents as well as a deceased little girl as she needs to cross-over but can’t yet.. Some additional suspense is also introduced because of a case that Char is helping a spirit with at the beginning.  Char also helps a buddy of Ike’s from the service who is in Ike’s hometown working at George’s bar.  She helps him deal with Ike’s death.  The characters evolve throughout as we watch how the story starts with Char helping Ike and in the end Ike helping Char and both helping George.

I thought this story was very touching and I enjoyed it.  I don’t believe I can ever re-read this book (I do this with books I enjoy) because of the level of emotional angst in it.  However, I do suggest you give it a look.

Out of the Box Blogs

Tough Love by Lori Foster

debra

Hi everyone,

Tough Love is the third installment of her Ultimate Series.  This series follows the lives of several fighters in the SBC, a fictional ultimate fighting company. This installment tells the story of Stack and Vanity.  I have enjoyed both characters since meeting them in prior books, No Limits and Holding Strong. Stack has wanted Vanity since meeting her and the same goes for Vanity.  Stack is a bit relationship-phobic and lacks any tolerance for deceit.  Without knowledge of this and the why behind it, Vanity decides the best way to get to Stack is by using a “smoke and mirrors” plan.  Through a series of unforeseen incidents, it takes a little bit for them to hookup, but when they do, they steam the pages.  The real story lies within how both of them come to realize they truly love one another.  Vanity completely captures Stack with her response to what he considers his crazy family including his sister’s beloved dogs.  Stack wins Vanity by showing her his love for his mother, his sister, his friends and the community. Vanity is alone in the world except for her best friend, Yvette (the heroine in the first book, No Limits) and the other fighters in Stacks’s circle whom she has developed real friendships with.  I loved it when the fighters stood on Vanity’s side when Stack discovered her small deception.  There is also a little suspense added in with someone hiring people to hurt Stack and Vanity steps into the situation in her own way to help which leads to the finale.

Although I don’t consider this to be the strongest book in this series (that still goes to No Limits, the first book in this series), this is a nice addition.  I ended up liking both Stack and Vanity.  This book also sets up the next story nicely.  I think everyone is really looking forward to Armie and Rissy’s story and we got a little peek of them here.  All in all, a solid entry in the Ultimate Series.  It is not necessary to read the books in order, however, I do suggest it so you can see the introduction of all the characters and the lead up to their stories throughout the series.

I received an ARC of Tough Love in exchange for an honest review.