Tag: books

Review: Do You Want to Start a Scandal

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Do You Want to Start a ScandalDo You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare

My Goodreads Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

Do You Want to Start a Scandal is a mashup of the Castles Ever After and Spindle Cove series. Piers Brandon, the jilted marquess from Say Yes to the Marquess and Charlotte Highwood, youngest sister to Minerva (A Week to Be Wicked) and Diana (Beauty and the Blacksmith) are quickly thrown together when they’re accused of ‘MURRRDDDEEERRRR!!!’ in the library during a house party.

On the night of the Parkhurst ball, someone had a scandalous tryst in the library.
•Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan?
•Or Miss Fairchild, with a rake, against the wall?
•Perhaps the butler did it.

All Charlotte Highwood knows is this: it wasn’t her. But rumors to the contrary are buzzing.

Admittedly, this isn’t the best Tessa Dare book out there, but it’s a fast, enjoyable read. Continue reading “Review: Do You Want to Start a Scandal” →

Review: The Brands Who Came For Christmas

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The Brands Who Came For ChristmasThe Brands Who Came For Christmas by Maggie Shayne

My Goodreads Rating: 3 of 5 stars

My Actual Rating: 2.5 stars

The Brands Who Came For Christmas is a cutesy romance story without too much depth. Maya Brand comes from a family with a sordid history, while Caleb Montgomery III comes from a political powerhouse. Maya aspires to be respected around town and Caleb teeters between aspiring to appease his family’s expectations and finding out who he really is deep down. A one-night stand consisting of sloppy drunk sex (ugh) leads to Maya being knocked up and alone.

Continue reading “Review: The Brands Who Came For Christmas” →

Review: The Problem With Three-Body Problem

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The Three-Body ProblemThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I really did not like The Three-Body Problem, and I realize I’m in the minority opinion on that. Had this book not been assigned for my Science Fiction & Fantasy college course, it’d be a rare find on my “did not finish” shelf.

It had nothing to do with its setting, nor it being part of a trilogy, nor the fact that it was translated, nor the fact that it was hard science fiction. The translation was done well and the scientific research was accurate as far as I can determine.

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Review: Good Omens

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Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, WitchGood Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’ve never read anything by either Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett before, so I went into Good Omens with no expectations. The story focuses on the coming apocalypse, its players, and how the forces of Good and Evil are working to sway things their way.

UPDATE (June 2019): Good Omens has been released as a miniseries on Amazon (and is free for Prime members to watch). It encompasses the heart of this book and (in my opinion) excels it through its engaging visuals, actors, and storytelling. Watch it here!

(The book review continues below.)

The story is a fairly quick read, though the first 50-60 pages are a bit tough to get through. I consider myself to have a good sense of humor and enjoy a lot of British humor, and while I could recognize all the things that should be funny, I have to admit none of them actually made me laugh. (Had I been about 10 years younger? Probably.) But the writing was lighthearted and poked fun at everything, a contrast that worked well with the subject matter.

Continue reading “Review: Good Omens” →

Review: The Rogue’s Wager

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Note: I’m taking a Science Fiction & Fantasy course through mid-December and am focused on reading short stories (from a Sci-Fi anthology collection) and novels (The Three-Body Problem, Good Omens) for that. I’ll review all of those as well, but in the meantime my normal reviews will mostly be on-hold.

The Rogue's WagerThe Rogue’s Wager by Christi Caldwell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Out of all the Christi Caldwell books I’ve read, this is only the second time I’ve given one less than at least 4 stars. I liked the book, but certainly didn’t love it.

Helena Banbury is a bookkeeper in a gaming hell that belongs to her brothers. Lord Robert is a marquess who is distrustful of women thanks to a past lover. These two meet when Robert drunkenly stumbles into the wrong hallway, and from there fate takes over as Helena gets thrust into Society.

When these two characters are together, you get a true sense of their friendship and trust building. There are a few obligatory misunderstandings, but they’re minor and easily worked past. Both Helena and Robert are guarded, but eventually that friendship tears their barriers down. With that foundation of character building, their budding romance is completely believable.

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