Review: With Any Luck

With Any Luck by Ashley Poston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5*

Audrey has an interesting ability.  She and her family have luck.  It's described as "small" luck- like hitting all green lights, finding the only parking spot.  She also finds out she helps other people find their 'person."  Kiss me and you will find "the one" the next day.  It is both neat and sad, since Audrey wants a partner too.

Audrey's BFF is the groom.  She is the best woman.  Told in past to present, past to present, you get a sense of what happened and a good feel for the characters.  Theo is the bride's BFF and the man of honor.  The groom is missing and Audrey and Theo need to figure out what happened.  I liked this, but wanted a bit more at the end.  

View all my reviews

Review: Drop, Cover, and Hold On

Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fun forced proximity short story.
Daisy loves her local bakery and the awesome goodies they have. The problem is the baker, Harris. He always has a sneer on his face when Daisy stops in. She feels he hates her. But does he?
After an earthquake, Daisy and Harris are trapped together. They get a chance to talk (and eat!). Harris apparently has RBF (resting bitch face). This was a bit faster paced (in regards to the romance).

View all my reviews

Review: Rosie and the Dreamboat

Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Different- Rosie is treating her sister Bree to a day at the spa to celebrate Bree's promotion at work.  Rosie is a bit unconfident.  She compares herself to her sister (who seems to have it all).  Rosie works in retail, Bree is a lawyer.  Rosie is clumsy, Bree is graceful (you get the picture).  

So, following this pattern, it is Rosie who gets stuck in the spa's new "pod."  She is rescued by a firefighter, Leo.  While stuck, they banter back and forth for a couple of hours.  

This was nice, but would have worked better had there been an epilogue (IMO).  

View all my reviews

Review: Tempest Rising

Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Interesting concept; Jane is 1/2 human (dad) and 1/2 selkie (mom). Her mom appeared (and disappeared) during a stormy night. Jane was 6 when her mom disappeared. At the start of this book, Jane is 26 and has no idea what she is. She is also dealing with trauma from her past; her mother's disappearance, the death of her high school boyfriend that she blames herself for, and the judgmental small town that she lives in. Jane loves to swim in the ocean; no matter the time of year. She swims. Cold doesn't affect her.
I feel like I should have liked this more than I did. It's a good mix of supernatural creatures (you have goblins, gnomes, kelpies, vampires, etc). But I hated the town. I was indifferent to Jane. I wish Jane had been motivated to leave her shitty, judgemental town. Her dad was too dependent on Jane. I get he had heart issues. Issues that kept him from holding down a job, but he could still leave the home to hang with his friends. She did the cooking, cleaning. She even served him his food while he sat at the table. He was a grown ass man.
An average read, no desire to find out what happens next.

View all my reviews

Review: Worst Wingman Ever

Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Holly is a hospice nurse caring for her grandmother. She had a bad breakup and was surprised to find a V-Day card on her car. Whoops, not for her. John had mistaken her car for his brother's girlfriend. This begins a series of random acts of kindness and they do eventually meet up. Ends in a HFN.

View all my reviews

Review: Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up, and Figuring It Out

Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up, and Figuring It Out by Gracie Gold
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am a figure skating fan and a fan of Gracie's when she was competing.  I had absolutely no idea of what she was going through in her personal life.  This is her story and she is very open about everything.  She talked about everything from disordered eating, depression, sexual assault, performance enhancing drugs, you name it, she talks about it.  I think her criticisms of figure skating are accurate too.  Recommended.  
View all my reviews

Review: The Exception to the Rule

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked this! Callum ("C") accidentally emails Terra ("T") on Valentine's Day (he meant to email a teacher). She replies and they send emails to each other on Valentine's Day for the next 10 years. They didn't share personal details due to their ages at the time (14 and 16). I liked their banter back and forth and liked their accidental real-life meeting later before identities were fully revealed. Enjoyed this!

View all my reviews

Review: Deceptions

Deceptions by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Picks up where book 2 left off. The situation with James (Olivia's ex) worsens- he is stalking her and attempting to get her "deprogrammed." I will say James is no longer a problem. Olivia continues to have visions and this leads to her finding out what really happened in regards to her parents. Gabriel comes to the revelation that he loves Olivia and wants more, but fear of rejection and change keeps him quiet. And the fact that her relationship with Ricky is going so well. Ricky is empathetic, kind, loyal, and open to possibilities. Olivia, Gabriel, and Ricky work well together.
However, you now know this is a love triangle. So, apparently there is an old fae story of Gwynn (Tylwyth Teg- the light fae), Arawn (Cwn Annwn- the Huntsman, dark fae), and Matilda (of both fae bloodlines). This threesome grew up together and Gwynn falls in love with Matilda. He grew jealous of her friendship with Arawn and forced her to choose. As a result, she died and they both lost her. Through the generations there are 3 children born that represent aspects of these individuals. It's implied that should Matilda chose neither, both sides die and if she chooses one over the other, the side she chose lives while the other does not. So the fae have a personal stack in this too. While I think that adds to the urgency of the situation, I also don't like the (inadvertent) power one individual has over a whole group.

(view spoiler)[And you guessed correctly that Olivia is Matilda, Gabriel is Gwynn, and Ricky is Arawn. Olivia discovers through her visions, her mother is guilty of murdering 4 of the 6 her parents were accused of. Todd is innocent. The Cwn Annwn (Huntsman) gave Pamela the direction to murder those couples and Olivia's spina bifida would be cured. The first couple murdered was killed by a different couple and they were Pamela's first victims. Pamela also conspired with Tristan to hurt James and frame Gabriel. (hide spoiler)]

View all my reviews

Review: Come Away with Me

Come Away with Me by Rachel Lacey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Piper has always had anxiety, but experiences an exacerbation after she witnesses something traumatic with taking the subway. In therapy and taking steps to reclaim her life, she meets Chloe at a neighborhood bar (characters from book 1). Chloe is a flight attendant. They hit it off and had an amazing evening. Except, Chloe doesn't know who Piper is (she's wearing a wig and doesn't share her real name). Chloe does give her her number.
They meet again about a week later on a flight that Chloe is working on. They end up spending the weekend together and after that a long distance relationship (Piper is an actress based in NYC and Chloe is a former flight attendant turned home owner and waitress- but wants to do interior design in NC) . I did like that Piper and Chloe talk about their issues, there is no big misunderstanding in this. Chloe has her own trauma to deal with; her twin sister was killed in a car accident leaving behind a daughter their parents now raise.

View all my reviews

Review: Third Grave Dead Ahead

Third Grave Dead Ahead by Darynda Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In this one, Charley furthers her relationship with her sister Gemma, while her relationship with her father deteriorates. She handles a missing person case; the missing spouse is the wife of a prominent doctor whose first wife died under strange circumstances. There is also a history of a threat he made involving the college girlfriend. And then there is Reyes. Charley's relationship with Reyes is all consuming and she can't focus when he is around. When she sleeps, he also visits her in her dreams. As a result, she exists on coffee to stay awake.
The things I thought were cute, funny, Charley's personality traits, or things I was just indifferent to in the first couple of books, I found annoying in this one. I got so pissed when she started to fall asleep while driving and joked that "car horns should be illegal." The snark, the humor is all here. Her abilities are still interesting and she can do more (but I don't know what "more" means); she is learning. I do like her less now.
I think my issue also stems with Reyes. He is a character that has done nice and shitty things. I'm not sure how I feel about him. I find that while I don't particularly like him, I don't dislike him either.
Things come to like regarding his "father" who may still be alive and Reyes may be getting out of prison (officially).
I find myself not exactly enthusiastic about the two main characters. I might read one more to see if my feelings change. I do like the secondary characters; Cookie, Uncle Bob, Gemma, Garrett, possibly Sister Mary Elizabeth & Donovan from the motorcycle club.

View all my reviews