Category: books

Review: Refine

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RefineRefine by Nichole Van

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Refine is the amazing conclusion to the House of Oak series (available as a Kindle Unlimited option on Amazon). The books just kept getting better as the series progressed, and this one I could barely put down long enough to sleep.

UPDATE: In March 2017, a surprise fifth book was released in this series: Outshine. Refine was the original “final” book at the time of this writing.

Both Jasmine and Timothy (Linwood) experience great character development throughout the book.

We go into it apprehensive because Linwood has been a shaky character to this point, but who he is, how he got there, and who he becomes is an amazing journey. A lot of the story takes place in a setting that forces Timothy to finally take a good look at his life, and how he copes with unfamiliar territory is both hilarious and endearing. Him watching a movie was probably one of my favorite parts of this book, followed by his interactions with James.

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Review: Sonora and the Eye of the Titans

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Sonora and the Eye of the TitansSonora and the Eye of the Titans by T.S. Hall

My Goodreads Rating: 3 of 5 stars

My Actual Rating: 2.5 stars
Sonora and the Eye of the Titans is a fast, interesting read. The magic is well thought out and a lot of consideration was put into tying Earthen mythology and the like to Sonora. There were some cool magical devices (like the glue ball and the safe), and quite a bit of action. The overall plot is interesting enough for me to want to check out Book #2 via Kindle Unlimited once I get through my backlog.

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Review: Duke of Sin

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Duke of SinDuke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I didn’t think I’d ever like Val, but I am converted.

In Duke of Sin, we learn more about what made Val into the person he is today. He’s still his special brand of crazy in the end, but Bridget’s influence on him shines through in little ways. She’s far from perfect as well; their bond is formed by their acceptance of those imperfections in themselves and each other. The only part that bothered me was that the staff didn’t seem to treat Bridget differently after she took up with Val.

The second chunk of the epilogue with Val and a guest was hilariously great imagery, and something I can absolutely believe him doing. I was in tears laughing over it.

Looking forward to Duke of Pleasure!

 

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Review: Sidebarred

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SidebarredSidebarred by Emma Chase

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a great finale to The Legal Briefs. Not only does it bring back an awesome cast of characters, but we join Jake on a hilarious new ride in his family life. He’s my favorite character in this series, and his perspective is always fun to read.

The wrap-up at the end answered who ended up where with the whole clan (but I hope they all get their own stories as well some day).

Sidebarred is available for $2.99 on Amazon. If you haven’t read the Legal Briefs trilogy yet, you’ll want to do so first: Overruled (Book 1), Sustained (Book 2, which stars the main characters of Sidebarred), and Appealed (Book 3).

 

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Review: Ladd Springs

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Ladd SpringsLadd Springs by Dianne Venetta

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Ladd Springs introduces us to the Ladd family and their land in Tennessee. Delaney and Nick are the main characters, though several other family members and friends are introduced as well. There are more books in the series, so this ends with a cliffhanger.

The book starts out pretty slow, but by the middle you’re in the thick of it. There’s constant battle and intrigue going on for different parties that want the rights to Ladd Springs. Nick proves to be a capable man and his parts are enjoyable to read when he isn’t busy reminiscing on his past love life. Delaney is ridiculously stubborn and single-minded for far too long and it isn’t until closer to the end of the book that she gets some decent character development.

tl;dr: lots of mystery, a dash of clean romance, family drama

While I did enjoy reading the book, the story isn’t quite strong enough to hook me into continuing the series. The characters aren’t particularly memorable, there’s almost so much going on that it’s overwhelming, and the point of view shifts are disjointing at times.

I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway.

 

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