Myriah Fire

Review:

Meh. That's my thought on this book.
Myriah gets caught kissing a suitor. Suitor (of course) has other motives (he's broke and needs cash). Her father catches her and expects her to marry. So, what does Myriah do? She runs away! She then makes a wrong turn and finds a young man who had been shot. (Go her, she saves him). She finds out he is William (Billy) and his brother is Lord Christoper (Kit) Winborne. She fibs and gives them a different last name. Things are off....are they smuggling? Are they poor? 
What was (really) going on wasn't a surprise. I had a hard time getting over Kit and Myriah's first meeting. (She was sleeping in his room and he came home. He thought he could do whatever he wanted since he thought she was a whore and had been paid for. Whatever you fucking asshole!). 
The writing style threw me off as well. On one page I counted 8 (or was it 7) exclamation points.

I also read this for the published pre-1980 square for #rippedbodicebingo (first published in May 1978).

I have another older work by this author, hitting the delete button.  I have zero desire to read it.

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1584359/myriah-fire

The New Deputy in Town

Review:

Nick Rogers takes the Deputy Sheriff position in Whitehorse, MT. He has something to hide. And is that his real name? Laney is an accountant in town for her annual summer trip back home to see her family. 
So, first off, I liked both Nick and Laney. This was good and held my attention. However, there was too many things going on. There's the murder, attempted murder on someone else, bar assaults, theft, and let's not forget Nick's Secret. 
This also had characters that I adored (Prince and his owner Chaz!) and hated (Arlene). Arlene certainly lived in a different century. 

for #rippedbodicebingo: person in uniform on cover

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1584064/the-new-deputy-in-town

Wild Man's Curse

Review:

Gentry Broussard is a wildlife agent. During patrol, he catches a poacher and notices a boat outside one of the remote cabins. That cabin belongs to Eva Savoie. The boat being unusual, he decided to investigate. He then sees someone leaving. Shocked and surprised because the person leaving looks a lot like his older brother. Who is/was supposed to be dead. Gentry then finds Eva murdered. 
Ceelie left Louisiana after she promised her father she would. Barely eking out a living in Nashville, she gets the call that her Aunt Eva was murdered. She does back to Louisiana to settle her aunt's affairs. While there, she meets Gentry and his partner, Jena. (I hope Jena's is the next book).
I enjoyed this book. Both characters are likable, well-fleshed out. I liked the depth of Ceelie's family and her realization to do something she wanted to do vs trying to live up to a promise she made her dad. I thought the secondary characters were also well done. Here's hoping Jena gets a book. (And yes she does- it's the next one, just looked!).

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1582988/wild-man-s-curse

Austenland

Review:

Jane is obsessed with P&P.  Okay, she's really into Colin Firth as Mr Darcy.  When her aunt dies, she is gifted with an all expenses paid trip to England to stay at Pembrook Park. Pembrook Park is a place where one can go and pretend to live in regency England.  PP employs actors, so who knows when something is real or genuine.  

So, interesting premise, but fell flat for me.  But I will say I liked the movie better (I know, sacrilege!)  I didn't like Jane.  She was flat, pathetic, and I really (really!) wanted to slap her. She did get better as the book progresses, but not enough for me.  I didn't like how she hid her P&P DVDs.  Luckily, they are on the shelf by the end of the book.  I own them too!

Sweet ending.

I hated this quote:  "You know, that book did Austen herself no good- died a spinster."  Yep, cause there is nothing worse than a woman who is SINGLE!  It doesn't matter how accomplished you are, etc, the "S" word is what is important.  Whatever.  

 

#rippedbodicebingo - Austen retelling

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1582069/austenland

Midnight Crossroad

Review:

Midnight, Texas is a small town the attracts the paranormal, the unusual, and those that have something to hide. Every resident has at least one secret. The inhabitants are both open-minded and understand the need for secrets.
While I was interested from page 1, this is a slower paced book. It was at times a bit too descriptive. It's similar to the Sookie books in that regard. What made it interesting (and not boring for me), was the switching narratives. Bobo, Fiji, and Manfred were the 3 main characters. I liked the mystery. The residents do take care of their own. 
By the end of the book, I mostly knew who was a supernatural and who was completely "normal." And I have suspicions for the rest.
I loved Mr Snuggly!

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1581838/midnight-crossroad

The Earl and the Archeress

Review:

Mariel ran away from her father to escape a marriage proposal. She enters an archery competition disguised as a boy. Robert, Lord Huntington, is also an excellent archer. After she loses in a tie, she runs. Robert, intrigued, looks for her. After learning her identity, he vows to protect her.
I really liked this. It's a retelling of Robin Hood. Both Robert and Mariel are well flushed out characters, strong, smart, and kind. Robert recognizes Mariel's education and archery ability and doesn't diminish it, but embraces it. 
What kind this from being a 5 star read for me was mainly Mariel's inability to trust in Robert. I understood from her background, but after so long it got old. Robert also took a long time to admit he loved her. Robert was also shot with an arrow in the arm during a raid. No further mention of it afterwards except when convenient for the plot. (I only point that out because the risk of infection during the time period and ouch!- but his abilities were not impaired in any way). Also, Robert's codpiece....not just decorative, but also storage! (I thought this was fun.....and I also rolled my eyes. More than once too!)
Good, likeable secondary characters, but (obviously) not well flushed out like the two main ones. The author did a good job: I HATED Harold Crawford and and William de Wendenal! I will have to see who book is about (if there is a book 2).
Recommended if you like awesome heroines (and heroes!)! 

eARC courtesy of Entangled Publishing and NetGalley
Street date: July 24th

RE: #rippedbodicebingo for the Non-Regency set historical!

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1581045/the-earl-and-the-archeress

Eye Candy

Review:

Jackie and Vince both work for (and share the VP duties) of a marketing firm in Columbus, Ohio. Both were married and went through divorce. They became friends after Vince went through his. Vince is attracted to Jackie, but feels he has been put in the "friend zone." Jackie likes Vince, but feels he wouldn't be interested in her. Then, this hot jogger runs by Jackie's window at work most days and at the same time. She gets curious about him. Vince, in a moment of brightness (yes, sarcasm), decides she really, really needs to ask him (the jogger) out. 
Jackie does. Vince decided to "coach" her. See, this way he doesn't have to talk about......feelings. The most frustrating thing about this book was not talking about how they really felt. Some others issues too- while JT and Jackie were "dating" he was also seeing other people. But, that was construed as cheating. Jackie makes an assumption (a wrong one- shocker there) about Vince and then later Vince does the same thing to Jackie. 
Despite that, I was engaged in their story. I liked the writing. Once I started, it was hard to put down.

eARC courtesy of Random House Publishing Group (Loveswept) and NetGalley
Out July 25th

#rippedbodicebingo- I'm using this for the "The entire conflict could have been solved with one conversation" square. This would also work (if interested) for "Hero smells like some kind of tree." Vince "...who smells like a pine forest...." Kindle location 2643 

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1579682/eye-candy

Miss Buncle's Book

Review:

Short of money, Miss Barbara Buncle needs to find a way to bring in an income. Being a woman, she's limited in her choices. She decides to write a book. This book is based on her small village. Her book, "Chronicles of an English Village" becomes "Disturber of the Peace." She did submit and her book was published under a male pseudonym.
Miss Buncle's book becomes a huge success and everyone reads it. Then, her follow villagers see themselves in her characters (their names, while different, are similar). Some don't like how they are featured. What followed was fun and interesting (at times). This was a departure from my normal fare. I thought the humor and writing a bit dry at times. Also, a little wordy at moments. 

#RippedBodiceBingo pick for sub-genre you've never read

 

 

 

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1579362/miss-buncle-s-book

Pantsuit Nation

Review:

I didn't know about this (and I believe myself to be well-informed) until I saw this at my library while browsing. Pantsuit Nation, a group on Facebook, started last year to safely talk and support those that supported Hillary Clinton. I loved the format- individuals that posted to the group had their stories told in this book. Some are a picture, others a sentence, and others a few pages. I also liked the timeline- the beginning is before November 8th 2016 and ending on Jan 21st 2017. It helps to know you are not alone. 
Recommended!
See also: http://www.pantsuitnation.org/

Original post: RachelGoodbyeBorders.booklikes.com/post/1578988/pantsuit-nation