Review: Mercy Thompson Homecoming (Graphic Novel)

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Mercy Thompson: Homecoming
(Graphic Novel)
Author: Patricia Briggs and various Illustrators
Series: Mercedes Thompson Graphic Novels

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Mercy Thompson is a walker, a magical being with the power to transform into a coyote. She lives on the fine line dividing the everyday world from a darker dimension, observing the supernatural community while standing apart.

When Mercy travels to the Tri-Cities of Washington for a job interview, she quickly finds herself smack-dab in the middle of a gang war between rival packs of werewolves. And as if fangs and fur weren’t bad enough, Mercy must deal with the scariest creature of all: her mother, who is convinced that Mercy is making a mess of her life and determined to set her daughter on the right course.

MY THOUGHTS

Since I have not read the entire original novel series, I am going to give a review as an outsider to this series starting with a graphic novel.

Confusion.  That is the one word that sums up my experience with this graphic novel.  I truly believe that if I had read the original series first, than this graphic novel probably would have made much more sense.  Yes it is easy to follow along with, but as a new reader to this author, it did lack answers to some questions.  I still have no idea about Mercy’s life growing up and what she was doing living with Bran.  The other part that left it confusing, was the illustrations.  As other reviewers have mentioned, they are beautiful.  The downfall of them though is that they change.  Mercy will look one way and then change to a different look on the following page.  One moment she is thin and graceful, the next she is muscular and stocky.  Graphic novels are suppose to tell the story through the pictures and less text, but it makes it difficult for the reader if the looks are constantly changing.

Overall it was an okay and quick read for a Graphic Novel.  It is not one of my favorites, but it still made me want to read the original novels.

MY RATING

[sc:rate3 ]

AUTHOR WEBSITE / GOODREADS / AMAZON

Review: The Suicide Shop by Jean Teule

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The Suicide Shop
Author: Jean Teule

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Has your life been a failure? Let’s make your death a success With the twenty-first century just a distant memory and the world in environmental chaos, many people have lost the will to live. And business is brisk at The Suicide Shop. Run by the Tuvache family for generations, the shop offers an amazing variety of ways to end it all, with something to fit every budget. The Tuvaches go mournfully about their business, taking pride in the morbid service they provide. Until the youngest member of the family threatens to destroy their contented misery by confronting them with something they ve never encountered before: a love of life.

MY THOUGHTS

I had no idea what to expect when I received this book.  Is it a mystery? Then I read the summary. So then it’s  a comedy?

Then I realized it was a black comedy. Still not sure what I am talking about? Well here is the definition online:

Black´ com`e`dy    (blăk´ kǒm`ĕd`ŷ)

n. 1. (Drama) a comedy that treats of morbid, tragic, gloomy, or grotesque situations as a major element of the plot.

So in other words, I was going to read a book that made fun of death.  Well considering I was the one who visited the funeral home on my career day in high school, I figured I would give it a try.

“HAS YOUR LIFE BEEN A FAILURE? LET’S MAKE YOUR DEATH A SUCCESS!”

Yes, that line made me laugh.  The movie, “Beetlejuice” came to mind several times as well when I was reading this book.

Now I also want to point out that this book is originally in French.  Gallic Books, a publishing house based in London,  translated it and published it in English.  Some readers might be able to pick up on that while reading the book.

This book had me laughing when I knew I shouldn’t be laughing, but it is one of those reads that just do that to you.  When civilization is nearing the end, and the human race is in a state of depression, why not make fun of death and come up with creative ways to end one’s life?  See what I mean? Suicide and death is nothing to laugh at, but the way this is written, you forget that at times — which is why it is classified as dark humor.

So since this is not a book I would usually read, I am so thrilled to have had the chance to read it. Give it a try and see if you can stop a smile from appearing on your face when it isn’t suppose to.

MY RATING

[sc:rate3 ]

GOODREADS / AMAZON

Review: Rebel Spirits by Lois Ruby

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Rebel Spirits
Author: Lois Ruby

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Infused with history and mystery, this tale of ghosts, love, and murder takes place in present-day Gettysburg, where the Civil War still looms large.

Lori Chase doesn’t know what to think about ghosts. She may have seen a few in the past, but those were just childish imaginings…right? Only now that she is living in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, spirits seem to be on everyone’s mind. The town is obsessed with its bloody Civil War history, and the old inn that Lori’s parents run is supposedly haunted by the souls of dead soldiers.

Then Lori meets one such soldier–the devastatingly handsome Nathaniel Pierce. Nathaniel’s soul cannot rest, and he desperately needs Lori’s help. Because Nathaniel was not killed in the famous battle. He was murdered. Lori begins to investigate the age-old mystery, stumbling upon shocking clues and secrets.

At the same time, she can’t help falling for Nathaniel, just as he is falling for her…

MY THOUGHTS

 

As I ventured into reading this tale of ghosts, warriors, love and sacrifice, I realized that this book is the perfect book for the preteen crowd.  It introduces the paranormal romance and ghostly characters that still keep it tame enough that the younger generations should feel like they are being introduced to theses things for future books.  I felt this story and mystery kept a younger reader interested enough to want to finish the story path that the characters are on.  The book is focused towards the Tween level but could also be used as a stepping off point to start reading darker and more books that handle darker things.

While I felt this book was written well, I still find the younger generation of tweens enjoying it better before jumping into the darker stuff that is further ahead in this genre.

[sc:rate3 ]

3/5

AUTHOR WEBSITE, GOODREADS , AMAZON

Review: Fire Inside by Kristen Ashley

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Fire Inside
Series: Chaos #2
Author: Kristen Ashley

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Lanie Heron isn’t looking for love—no surprise, considering her last serious relationship nearly got her killed. So when Lanie propositions Hop Kincaid, all she wants is one wild night with the hot-as-hell biker who patrols with the Chaos Motorcycle Club…

For Hop, Lanie has always been untouchable. She’s too polished and too classy for his tastes. But when she gives Hop the once-over with her bedroom eyes and offers him a night in paradise, he can’t say no. And he doesn’t regret it when he finds that Lanie is the best thing that’s ever happened to him—in or out of bed. Now the trick will be to convince her of that.

MY THOUGHTS

Fire Inside is the second book in the Chaos series — a spin off to the Dream Man series — by author Kristen Ashley.

Aahh…KA crack time.  Yes, author Kristen Ashley is a readers crack.  We crave the writing and the characters without shame.  In Fire Inside, we get to revisit the characters of Lanie Heron and Hopper “Hop” Kincaid.  It follows the same timeline as Own the Wind, but this time we get the whole story of the two instead of the glimpses we had when reading Shy and Tabby.

I have to say that while I enjoyed the character of Hop, I wasn’t a huge fan of his going into this book.  He didn’t have the sex appeal of the other characters that I enjoy.  By the end of the book, I fell hard for him, but I would still be shaving that mustache.  Ewww.

Lanie was pretty boring as a character.  I thought she was just too plain of a character to be involved with bad boy Hop.  To me she was a character that tried too hard, loved her temper tantrums, and had no real substance.

Fire Inside gave us a better picture at the end of the book with the showdown that happens, but there wasn’t much growth in the plot.  We get a mirror view of the time line from the previous book but from different relationships.  I wanted to hear more about the plot involving Benito and the war that is happening between him and the Chaos club.

Now for the huge question that every reader of Kristen Ashley is asking — Who gets their story told next?  

MY RATING
[sc:rate3 ]

AUTHOR WEBSITE / GOODREADS / AMAZON

Double Review: Not Quite series by Catherine Bybee

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Not Quite Dating
Series: Not Quite #1
Author: Catherine Bybee

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Waitress and single mom Jessica “Jessie” Mann is practical to a fault. Even if she had time to date, which she doesn’t, she’d be determined to provide her son with a more secure upbringing than the one she had—and that would mean a husband with big bucks. When Jack Morrison—a sexy-as-sin, seemingly broke customer with a cowboy hat and a seductive grin—tries to flirt with her, she shoots him down. She doubts a carefree dreamer like Jack can provide the financial stability she needs. Yet with Christmas just weeks away, and Jessie not wanting to spend it alone, the charming Texan is proving hard to resist.

As the heir to the Morrison luxury hotel empire, Jack is used to being fawned over. But Jack needs someone who will fall in love with him—not his wealth. He’s set his sights on Jessie, though her hardened heart just might get in the way…To be sure, he conceals his true identity and offers to help Jessie find the rich husband she seeks. But Jack’s daring charade may rob him of the holiday wish he wants most of all…

MY THOUGHTS

Not Quite Dating is the first book in the Not Quite series by author Catherine Bybee.

Having never read anything by this author before, I wasn’t sure if this series was going to be a hit for me. I had heard her writing was good — along with her plots — with them falling into the ‘feel good’ romance.  What I found was exactly that.

Was the story well written? Yes.
Was the ending predictable like others mentioned? Yes.
Did it give me the feel good vibe by the last page? Yes.

I loved the characters with Jack being my favorite out of the two.  While Jessie was written well, Jack was the winner for me.

Why? The main reason is because the characters just clicked for me.  I enjoyed the journey with each chapter. The side characters just enhanced the story further.

While there were some things that left me scratching my head — mainly the behavior of some characters — as a whole it made the story complete.  I can’t wait to start reading more by this author!

MY RATING

Very Good! I would recommend this book!
******

Not Quite Mine
Series: Not Quite #2
Author: Catherine Bybee

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Gorgeous hotel heiress Katelyn “Katie” Morrison seems to have it all. But when she crosses paths with Dean Prescott – the only man she’s ever loved – at her brother’s wedding, Katie realizes there’s a gaping hole in her life. After the ceremony she gets an even bigger surprise when someone abandons a baby girl on her doorstep. Determined to keep the newborn until she learns who her mother is, Katie has her hands full and doesn’t need Dean snooping around, especially when his presence stirs feelings she thought were long gone. 

Dean Prescott knows Katie is lying to him when he discovers a baby is living with her. He shouldn’t care what the woman who broke his heart is up to…and he most certainly shouldn’t still be aching for her. Yet Dean can’t ignore the need to protect Katie – or the desire to be near her every chance he gets. But when he and Katie solve the mystery surrounding the baby, their second chance for happiness could be shattered forever.

MY THOUGHTS

Not Quite Mine is the second book in the Not Quite series by author Catherine Bybee.

This is my second read by this author. While I enjoyed the first book in the series, Not Quite Mine fell a little behind in the delivery.  The characters were okay, but Katie was a hard character for me to enjoy.  It seemed like every choice she made — while they could be justified somehow — seemed the opposite of what  she should do. Some of the reasons for her choices just didn’t fly for me. Why all of the secrets? Just come clean with it and let the people you are concerned with deal with your actions in their own way.

The flow of the story was well paced, and again the side characters were enjoyable.  I still enjoyed this read, along with the previous book, but just not as well.  I am still interested though in reading more in the series and the authors back list as well.

MY RATING

Okay book, but it left me wanting more!