Category Archives: 2 Flames

AN APPLE A DAY
Author: Caroline Taggart
Source: FSB Media
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Readers Digest (March 3, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781606521915
ISBN-13: 978-1606521915

SUMMARY:

From Old Testament proverbs to modern phrases like “the best things in life are free,” An Apple a Day takes a fun look at expressions that “have stood the test of time.”

Read through from start to finish or search through the list of hundreds of the most common proverbs, arranged from A to Z for easy reference. You’ll learn about each proverb’s surprising origins, why some are valid and others are not, the derivation and meanings behind them, and their relevance in today’s society.

MY THOUGHTS:

I constantly find myself wondering about certain phrases and how they originated.  I remember my Grandmother always telling me things like “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” or “The darkest hour is before the dawn” and I never really understood what some of them meant at times.  In this book, we get to learn about the origin and the many meanings a phrase or proverb.

While I liked the book, and the read is not fairly long, it still had me wondering about a few of them.  Yes, it tries to explain what they mean, but some of them felt like a dictionary entry instead of simple terms.  I think with Mother’s Day coming up soon, this would be a great book to give as a gift.  You could highlight the proverbs that your Mother would say as you went through life and leave little notes in the margin to remind her why she would say them to you.

I feel that this book would be best as a book left for gifts than a book that you would purchase and keep on your keeper shelf.  I liked it, but I wouldn’t go as far to say I would read it over and over again.  It is more like a reference book that would hold more meaning as a gift with added insight written by yourself.

MY RATING:

IRON CROWNED
Dark Swan #3
Author: Richelle Mead
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Zebra; 1 edition (March 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1420111795
ISBN-13: 978-1420111798

SUMMARY:


New York Times bestselling author Richelle Mead takes readers back to the Otherworld, an embattled realm mystically entwined with our world–and ruled by one woman’s dangerous choice. . . 

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham is the best at banishing entities trespassing in the mortal realm. But as the Thorn Land’s queen, she’s fast running out of ways to end the brutal war devastating her kingdom. Her only hope: the Iron Crown, a legendary object even the most powerful gentry fear. . . 

Who Eugenie can trust is the hardest part. Fairy king Dorian has his own agenda for aiding her search. And Kiyo, her shape-shifter ex-boyfriend, has every reason to betray her along the way. To control the Crown’s ever-consuming powers, Eugenie will have to confront an unimaginable temptation–one that will put her soul and the fate of two worlds in mortal peril. . . 

MY THOUGHTS:

I haven’t had a chance to really read much by this author.  I admit to owning her books, but something has always come up and I haven’t had a chance to read much by her.  I received this book for review and after reading the back cover it seemed like a book that I would enjoy.  Even if I haven’t read the other books in the series, I though I might still have a chance at understanding the book and gain an interest in a new series.

While I tried over and over again to enjoy this book,  I found myself struggling to finish it.  I didn’t care for the character of Eugenie.  She fell flat and in a word I hate to use, well, shallow.  She hindered the story from being so much more, even though she was suppose to be the main character.  Her personality was immature and she was predictable after a few chapters into the book.

I was so frustrated with how the author had written this character that it might have hindered my feelings of enjoying the story.  I just couldn’t get past all the idiotic actions and reactions that Eugenie had.  While the book was not a complete loss, but it also wasn’t a success in my opinion.  I think I am going to stick to her young adult themed books in the future.

MY RATING:

FATED
Author: Rebecca Zanetti
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Brava (March 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0758259239
ISBN-13: 978-0758259233

SUMMARY:

Marry Me

Cara Paulsen does not give up easily. A scientist and a single mother, she’s used to fighting for what she wants, keeping a cool head, and doing whatever it takes to protect her daughter Janie. But “whatever it takes” has never before included a shotgun wedding to a dangerous-looking stranger with an attitude problem. . .

Or Else

Sure, the mysterious Talen says that he’s there to protect Cara and Janie. He also says that he’s a three-hundred-year-old vampire. Of course, the way he touches her, Cara might actually believe he’s had that long to practice. . . 

MY THOUGHTS:

Fated is the first book of a three part series.  I will admit that I had a hard time reading this book.  Usually I love the main male character being in Alpha mode.  With this book though, the Alpha male seemed more of pushy and forceful male that was not as attractive as I wanted him to be.


Yes, the book was steamy in in the sex factor, and yes it had the paranormal vampire story that is hot right now, but the way the two are thrust together was not impressive to me.  Cara has a daughter to think about and she was suppose to just accept being away from her daughter? For five weeks? Um, no.  She was just suppose to fall in love with Talen and jump into bed with him while there is danger lurking around? Um, again no.  While some of this plot could have been believable, the way it was written left me with the feeling that the author was trying to force their relationship to work when I was having too many doubts. Plus he practically forces her to “mate” with her after she tells him repeatedly no.  


Again, I wasn’t a big fan of the story.  If you like your alpha’s with a very forceful nature, then give it a go.  You might enjoy it, yet I think Talen could have been a better character if it was toned down quite a bit. The only thing that saved this story from getting a one star rating was the fact that I fell in love with Cara’s daughter. She was a delight whenever she was in a scene.


MY RATING:

AWAKENED
House of Night #8
Author(s): P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Source: Zeitghost Media
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin; First Edition edition (January 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312650248
ISBN-13: 978-0312650247

SUMMARY:


Exonerated by the Vampyre High Council and returned to her position of High Priestess at Tulsa’s House of Night, Neferet has sworn vengeance on Zoey.  Dominion over Kalona is only one of the weapons she plans to use against Z.  But Zoey has found sanctuary on the Isle of Skye and is being groomed by Queen Sgiach to take over for her there.  Being Queen would be cool, wouldn’t it?  Why should she return to Tulsa? After losing her human consort, Heath, she will never be the same – and her relationship with her super-hot-warrior, Stark, may never be the same either…

And what about Stevie Rae and Rephaim?  The Raven Mocker refuses to be used against Stevie Rae, but what choice does he have when no one in the entire world, including Zoey, would be okay with their relationship?  Does he betray his father or his heart?

In the pulse-pounding 8th book in the bestselling House of Night series, how far will the bonds of friendship stretch and how strong are the ties that bind one girl’s heart?

MY THOUGHTS:

As a regular  reader of this series, I have been having trouble with it.  The first couple of books were okay with just enough thrill to keep you coming back for more.  As you get to this book in the series though, you find yourself wondering if anything is ever going to get resolved and wrapped up.  Some series can go the mile in running past the 6th or so book, but those books at least have some resolution at the end of some plot points.

In the 8th book in the series, there are still several plot points that leave you hanging and in my opinion, could have been resolved by now.  I understand how the author wants to keep the reader hanging so that they will come back for more, but at some point the author needs to realize that enough is enough.  You can solve some plots and still create some intense scenes in future books.

I also had a hard time moving with the flow of this book.  The writing was the typical descriptive dialogue when reading a series to keep a new reader to the series in the know of what has happened, but for a majority of the book– nothing really happened.  I felt that it was stalled and needed a little push.  While fans of the series have found this to be the norm for the last few books,  I still wanted it to hurry up and get past this part.

While I still will continue reading this series since I have already made it this far,  I am secretly hoping that the author(s) will bring more closure on certain relationships and plots in the next book to refresh our love of the series.  While it is not a bad book,  it felt more like a filler book.

MY RATING:

TYLER
The Secret Life of Cowboys
Author: C.H. Admirand
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge
in exchange for an honest review*

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (March 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402243758
ISBN-13: 978-1402243752

SUMMARY:


Faced with a mountain of bills, rancher Tyler Garahan takes a night job with a lot of trepidation. But being a male performer at a strip club does come with at least one beautiful compensation-and feisty red-haired bookkeeper Emily Langley seems to understand Tyler even better than he understands himself…

MY THOUGHTS:

Western romance novels can be a hard thing at times for me to read.  Sometimes authors go over the top in the country western talk and make it cliched. Authors have to walk a fine line with this subject in my opinion.


When I started reading this book, I was having a hard time getting into it.  Yes there is the typical cowboy talk and such, but I also had a hard time getting into the characters.  At first, they just didn’t spark my interest.  It starts out with Tyler looking for a job at a night club.  He needs the extra money in hopes of saving the family ranch.  For the pay that he will make doing it, Tyler takes a job at being a male stripper.  Emily is part owner of the night club.  Of course Tyler and Emily fall for each other because it wouldn’t be a romance novel without it.


The book was okay and the writing was the same, but I just couldn’t bring myself to really care what happened with either one of them.  To me it was missing some sparks.  Tyler was sexy, strong and what you expect in a cowboy.  He stands up for Emily when the town tries to shut down her club.  Instant hero for the heroine. 


If you are a fan of western romance, you might enjoy this book more than I did.  I can’t see myself re reading this book in the future, but maybe it is just because I have found myself not to be a fan of the whole western scene.  If you like your rugged cowboys and women who fall in love with it, then give this book a go!  You might find yourself falling for the hot cowboy!


MY RATING: