Saturday, September 28, 2013

Mini Reviews

Sooo since I'm way behind on my review schedule, I figured I'd just lump two or three of them together and take out all of the gifts...which are about 50% of my reviews because I freaking love me some gifs, and just give you the nitty gritty of why I did or did not like a book.


First up:
Ruin by Rachel Van Dyke

I'm not your typical girl. I've been running away from the memories that haunt me for so long that depression has become my only comfort. I was content in the darkness...until Wes Michals offered to be my light.


I didn't know that time wasn't my ally -- that every second that ticked past was one step closer to the end of something that was beginning to mean the end of myself. He tried to warn me. He promised me all he was able to offer--each moment as it came--but it would never be enough.


Sometimes when you think it's the end, it's only the beginning. Wes thought he could save me, but in giving me everything, he ruined me. Because after one kiss, one touch, I couldn't--I wouldn't ever be the same.


And from that moment on, his heartbeat became my own.

The blogger world was consumed with ugly crying when this book first came out. I was promised something angsty and emotionally gut wrenching, but what I got was a warm pile gooey love fest mixed in with Touched by an Angel. Literally, someone was touched by an Angel! I mean it was sad in a way, but the book's dedication tore me up more than the actual story did. I guess I'm either too fucked up in the head or too insensitive to really get the gist of the story, but I read it rather quickly and I'd recommend to someone else who is after the more touchy feely side of angst. If that's even possible?

Kiersten Rowe is your heroine in this book, and I will admit that I could relate to her in regards to her battle with depression and all consuming anxiety spells. I've been battling that myself, the past few years, and I think the author did a good job of showing that sometimes when people have issues like that, they just shut down. It's true. It happens. 

Wes is the Hero, and while he put up a good fight to be Type A--Alpha Male, by the end of the book he'd failed miserably. lol  I figured out his "secret" earlier on in the book, and I think this may have been part of the reason I didn't connect with this book. I had a feeling that this would end with a HEA, and it did. Which is not something that you see enough when dealing with the "secret" he has.

Over all this was a light read for me and I gave it three stars. If it had/has a sequel I probably want read it, but again I'm in the miniorty when it comes to this book because everyone and their mother has given it five stars on Goodreads!
Now on to:

Wicked Games by Jill Myles

Abby Lewis never pictured herself on the survival game show, Endurance Island. She's just not the survival type. But when her boss offers her a spot on the show and the opportunity of a lifetime, she packs her bags and heads to the tropics to be a contestant. Once in the game, though, it's clear that Abby's in over her head.


No one's more competitive than sexy, delicious and arrogant Dean Woodall. Sure, he's clever, strong, good at challenges, and has a body that makes her mouth water. He also hates Abby just as much as she hates him. That's fine with her; she'll just ignore the jerk.


But the rules of Endurance Island are working against them. Abby and Dean are teamed up & alone on the beach. It's either work together, or go home. Stuck with no one's company but their own, they learn they might just make a good team after all. And Abby learns that with just a little bit of kindling, the flames of hate can quickly turn to flames of passion.


This book features enemies, lovers, enemies who become lovers, and lots and lots of tropical heat.

This book was surprisingly GOOD!  I've never read anything dealing with characters in a Survivor-esq reality show setting, but my friend and I recently started a book club, and we stumbled upon Wicked Games via Amazon's Top 100 Freebies, and almost everyone in our group agreed that this book was a really good quick read.
Abby is an extremely likable character, and I enjoyed reading her take on what it was like being a contestant on a reality show, and subsequently beginning a relationship with one of the people that she is competing against for two million dollars! 
It also reaffirmed my decision to never go on to a reality show.
Nope.
Nuh huh.
Ain't happening. 

Last but not least:
Unattainble by Madeline Sheehan



 Warning: This is not a virtuous and tender love story. It’s chaotic, ruthless, and tragic. This story takes love and kills its innocence, steals away the pure moments, and crushes the hearts of the broken. A story born in childhood, tying one girl to one boy, leads to a destructive path—that hurts more than it doesn’t, that shatters more than it heals—testing the love that binds the two through a lifetime. 

Tegen Matthews is the daughter of Dorothy Kelley, a club whore in the Hell’s Horsemen. A plain little girl, Tegen falls into the gritty world of the motorcycle club. When she meets a sweet, caring boy, she embraces the warmth and affection he shows her. Cage West is the son of the president of the Hell’s Horsemen. Tall and blond with deep brown eyes, as he grows up Cage realizes the power of his dimpled smile and smooth drawl. With one chance encounter, Tegen becomes forever tied to Cage. Following is a wayward journey that is filled with regrets, mistakes, and heartache, pulling at the threads that hold them together. Cage and Tegen fight hard but love harder, and in the end, what matters is where the journey takes one girl and one boy, who have been twined with one another since the beginning. 
This is Tegen and Cage’s story. 
Love doesn’t erase a broken heart, and it sure doesn’t change people. But no matter how old, how flimsy, how frayed the rope of love is, it keeps you tethered to the people you love.


Honestly... I adored the first two books, but this book just didn't do it for me. Undeniable and Unbeautifully were one sitting reads for me, and it took me over a week to finish Unattainable. Dirty and Ellie is what kept my attention and made me finish it off. I almost wish that this book was "their" book instead of Cage's and Tegans' because I just didn't click with them as much as I did with Dirty and Ellie. 
If you're looking for a dark, foul read then this book will be right up your alley. IMO this was more violent that the first two, which is to expected when dealing with a biker gang, but I was surprised at some of the content and drama that is crammed into one book. I definitely plan on re-reading Unattainable in the next few months, and giving it another shot. I've been in a funk here lately and book series that I used to adore just aren't doing it for me anymore. 

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