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Beyond Escape Review

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Title:  Beyond Escape

Author:  Deborah Jenson

Published:  2012 by Beaver’s Pond Press, Inc

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

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Kim is finally divorced from her cheating husband after twenty years of marriage.  The company she works for is closed for a month during Christmas, and she just feels the need to get away.  So Kim goes to stay with her parents at their retirement community.  While there, she meets Camilo, the landscaping boss.  Camilo takes a deep interest in Kim, but Kim isn’t so quick to reciprocate.  After all, she just went through a divorce, and Camilo is young enough to be her son.

Let me start off by saying that I didn’t finish this book.  I read about half, so I feel like I did give it a fair chance.  I guess we’ll start by the things that bothered me about this book.

First, Kim’s friend Connie has the last paragraph or page dedicated to her, from her point of view.  It’s like having another story altogether.  Now I only got halfway through, but I just wasn’t feeling it, nor saw the point of doing this other mini-story within a story.  I guess I would cut it out altogether.

Secondly, Kim and Camilo’s conversations are so dry and scripted.  There was nothing about their outings or conversations that excited me, which is too bad because I wanted to be excited for Kim.  Basically, it just didn’t feel real.

Thirdly, there is a backstory going on about what happened to Kim’s ex-boyfriend.  She is trying to figure out what really happened to him and caused his death, but the way it’s told to the reader is so boring; I really just couldn’t follow.  It was more like a history of his life, and the way it was told just didn’t flow right in the book.

I say this a lot when I give a bad review, but I know it takes a lot for an author to write a book.  There is so much that goes into it.  So while this wasn’t my favorite book maybe it will be somebody else’s.

But for me, the only thing I liked about Beyond Escape was its ability to help put me to sleep.

 

My Rating:  1 out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

 

*****I received this book free from the author, in exchange for an honest review.*****           

The Cloud Seeders Review

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The Cloud Seeders

Title:  The Cloud Seeders

Author:  James Zerndt

Published:  2012 by James Zerndt

Genre:  Dystopia

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Eighteen year old Thomas is currently the sole provider and guardian for his nine-year-old brother Dustin.  They haven’t seen their parents in over a year.  Both Dustin and Thomas work on water patrol as Officers of Sustainability.  It hasn’t rained in a very long time, and water is so scarce that people get fined if they are misusing or using too much water.  It’s Thomas’s job to find these people who misuse water.  While Thomas doesn’t necessarily agree with what he does, it’s his way to provide for his small family and keep under the radar.  His girlfriend, Jerusha, is a little more daring, living her life making recycled water and selling it on the black market.  Together with Jerusha they go across country to find their parents.  They find both friends and trouble along the way.

This book was surprisingly unique, unlike any other dystopian I’ve read.  Glancing through other reviews some call it depressing, but isn’t all dystopia depressing?

Thomas is a strong character.  Although he works for the government finding people who misuse water, he slyly gives them a break as well.  One woman his brother and himself happened upon had eight offenses.  Dustin, being only nine, got excited about this, because they get points for each ‘ticket’ they give and can trade them in for fresh water.  Thomas, being older and wiser, sends his brother off and only gives the woman two tickets.

His girlfriend Jerusha is confident and daring.  She knows what’s happening in the world is out of control.  And she’s a great big sister-like figure to Dustin.

Throughout the book we get to read poems by Thomas’s mother and see some memories of her as well.  One such memory is Thomas’s mom teaching him how to surf; he was sure that the wave was way too big.  His mom laughed and said, “Oh, Thomas.  The only limits are the ones you choose to see.”  (page 78).

And another memory Thomas has,

I remember something Mom told us once.  How the world is made up of two kinds of people:  steak knives and butter knives.  For the steak knives, life comes easy.  They cut right through things without any trouble.  For the butter knives, things are a little difficult, take a little longer.  But eventually get the job done.  (page 256)

I like his mom.

So although this book is a little dark it was a page turner and the ending doesn’t leave you sad.  If you like dystopia, definitely give The Cloud Seeders a try.

 

My Rating:  3 1/2 out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

*****I received this book free from Pump Up Your Book in exchange for an honest review.*****

 

About the Author:

James Zerndt lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife and son. His poetry has appeared in The Oregonian Newspaper, and his fiction has most recently appeared in Gray’s Sporting Journal and SWINK magazine. He rarely refers to himself in the third person.

His latest book is the YA scifi, The Cloud Seeders.

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***All images in this post were provided by Pump Up Your Book, as well as the wording for the  ‘About the Author’ blurb***

A Sinister Obsession Review

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Title:  A Sinister Obsession

Author:  S.B. Redstone

Published:  2013 by Black Opal Books

Genre:  Mystery Thriller

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George and Ann Marr have never been able to get back their happiness after their son was found murdered over 10 years ago.  Little do they know that they are about to be killed themselves.  Their murder sets off a series of crimes that has Detective Aubrey McKenzie trying to scramble to find the killer.  Detective Aubrey is considered a ‘witch’ by her comrades; they can’t figure out how she always seems to know certain details involved in crimes she is solving.  Aubrey is also a stubborn woman, and she plans to find who this killer is no matter what.

The point of view shifts a bit in this book but it didn’t really bother me, except in the beginning when it was shifting between paragraphs a few times.  The author got it in control soon after though.  And once we are introduced to Detective Aubrey, the point of view is mostly hers; well, hers and the killers.

Something that bothered me was when a detective at one of the crime scenes says, “looks like a burglary to me.” (location 1388 of 7919 on Kindle).  When there are dead bodies around it’s a robbery.  A burglary happens without harming anyone.  A robbery uses physical force and threats.  A detective should know the difference!  He does say robbery on the next page though, so maybe it just was an editing error?  But it’s still something that caught my eye.

Let’s talk about the main character, Aubrey.  What a rich snob she is!  When someone she is interviewing is drinking a glass of wine this is what runs through Aubrey’s head,

“Chilling a red wine?  And one so inferior I wouldn’t even use it to cook with.” (location 1450 of 7919 on Kindle)

Yikes, I’m glad she’s not my friend!  But it does make the book more interesting to read, because if you think about it, it’s always the men who are rich, not the ladies.  And she definitely has a cold personality at first, (there turns out to be a reason why) but romance is found in the story and she warms up a bit.

When Aubrey meets another detective named Josh, you get to see her in a more flattering light.  She’s still cold at first, but she warms up and the reader will warm up to her at that point too.  Although still incredibly rich of course, she starts to act like a normal human being, with feelings.

Another thing that bothered me was when a couple who had a child and gave her up for adoption kept saying things like we could have had an abortion, we did the right thing.  And not only them, but others said the same thing.  (Trying to be vague here for those who will read the book.)  It was just too much, and didn’t add to the story.  It just aggravated me actually.  Obviously abortion is a touchy subject, but I just had enough with everyone saying that.  It made the conversation not feel real as well.

Okay, one last thing.  Aubrey has a paranormal ability to read people’s minds.  No one knows she has this ability, but they do wonder how she solves cases so fast and efficiently sometimes.  They actually call her a witch.  No one calls people witches these days.  Change the word ‘witch’ with ‘psychic’ and problem solved.

Despite my complaints, it was a good book.  It kept me interested throughout the whole thing.  And although some might get grossed out by the murders, it really wasn’t too bad.  (And I’m a fainter at the sight and thought of blood type of person.)  You also aren’t in the dark on who the killer is the whole time either.  The detective figures it out and then you can see through the killers eyes as well.

So if you’re into mystery and psychological thrillers, give A Sinister Obsession a try.

 

My Rating:  3 1/2 out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

 

*****I received this book free from the author, in exchange for an honest review.*****           

 

Bloodmark Review

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Title:  Bloodmark

Author:  Aurora Whittet

Published:  2013 by Wise Ink Creative Publishing

Genre:  Paranormal Romance

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Princess Ashling is excited to see her father, thinking he is going to brand her to make her officially part of the pack.  But when Ashling and her mother get there they learn that he intends to marry her off, even though she is only 14.  Ashling and her mother protest, but it is Ashling’s brother who persuades their father to let Ashling wait a few more years before she is to be married to her intended.  A few years pass and Ashling and her mother are found by their pack’s enemy.  They run back to her father for protection and it’s decided that Ashling should go into hiding with Baran, a sort of lone wolf.  While living with him she meets Grey.  He’s not a werewolf but there is something about him that she can’t put her finger on, plus she is very interested in him.  Grey reciprocates the attraction, but many obstacles stand in the way of their happy ever after.

This story started out great and kept me interested.  It’s definitely unique compared to other werewolf stories I’ve read.  I was a little turned off that Ashling was only 14 at first; I thought I was going to have to read about a 14 year old, but then in the next chapter, a few years pass, so that was good news for me.

Ashling is a headstrong female.  She doesn’t let anyone, including her father tie her down.  Basically, she does what she wants.  She had great character traits, but I still had a little trouble feeling connected to her.

Let’s talk about chemistry between Ashling and Grey.  I could tell the attraction was immediate; but for the rest of their relationship I just felt like something was missing.  I can’t put my finger on it though.  I honestly didn’t care if they were together or not.  I didn’t feel the love as much as they were saying it to each other.

The story kept me very interested in the beginning, then I did get a little bored towards the middle, but the ending picked up again and I really couldn’t put it down.  All in all, Bloodmark was a good book.  And the bonus is that it’s the first book of a series.  The ending got a lot more interesting to me, and I think the second book is going to be even better.

 

 

My Rating:  3 1/2 out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

 

*****I received this book free from the author, in exchange for an honest review.*****         

Trust Me? Review

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Title:  Trust Me?

Author:  K.E. Osborn

Published:  2013 by Smashwords

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

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Jenifer works in an administrative position at an auto repair shop.  She is already having a not-so-perfect morning when she gets into a car accident.  Jeni lashes out at the man who rear ends her, gives him her information and then takes off to get to work.  Little does she know that the man she was in the accident with, Aiden, will bring his very expensive car to the auto shop she works at to get it fixed.  Aiden is fixated on getting a date with Jeni and doesn’t let up until she says yes.  Turns out he’s incredibly rich, and he and Jeni fall for one another.  But then Jeni learns that Aiden is being investigated for possible embezzlement, and her trust issues flare up.

This book just didn’t do it for me; amongst other things, it didn’t feel authentic.  I felt as if the story was told instead of shown.  And lots of things just didn’t even feel realistic including the characters.  It was just too forced.

We know that Jenifer has trust issues with guys, but I felt like it barely came up, and when it did she basically talked about it with her roommate; I didn’t feel it from her if that makes sense.

Aiden doesn’t have a great relationship with his father, but again it just seemed too fake, if you will.  So did the grandmother’s conversation with Jeni that happens after Aiden’s father is rude to her.  Nana says,

Darling, you look wonderful tonight.  I am sorry about my ignorant son.  He has become arrogant and downright mean over the years.  Unfortunately, Alistair has become like his own father.  Insults and intimidation seem to be his only way of communication.  It’s not how I would’ve liked him to turn out, but he is his father’s son.  Please take anything he says with a grain of salt, okay, dear?  (Location 2354 of 5657 on kindle)

I don’t know.  If someone said this to me I would think they were reading from a script rather than talking from their heart.

And Aiden’s personal assistant is fired at a family party (I won’t say why, I don’t want to give everything away) and Jeni is nominated to take the position, and does!  His PA is fired, and she decides she’ll take the job, in a total of four pages.  Again, not realistic.

And then, when conflict strikes, Jeni loses it.  I get it, it happens.  It just seemed way too dramatic to me that she would fall into a depression because of what happened instead of getting up and doing something about it.  (Can’t say more; again don’t want to give away the story).

And there were so many I love you love you love you, ahhhh!  I get it!  Show me, don’t tell me.

Although I have a lot of complaints, it was an okay book.  This story was a good idea, just not executed well. Overall I would not recommend.

 

 

My Rating:  2 out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

 

*****I received this book free from the author, in exchange for an honest review.*****