(view spoiler)[I loved seeing Patrick and Angie's life together 10 years into the future. They just couldn't keep oSoooo I actually really loved this.
(view spoiler)[I loved seeing Patrick and Angie's life together 10 years into the future. They just couldn't keep on doing what they'd been doing. Not if they wanted to live long lives and have a family. So I like that that was acknowledged and that we have a sense of what their life is going to be going forward. (And that Bubba is still around!)
And it feels right that the last case would be Amanda. I'm not sure all the threads of the case came together well enough (and they should've picked up on the baby thing waaaay earlier. 5 people walk in, 2 die, 4 walk out or whatever it was? WELL MAYBE ONE HAD A BABY), but I also kind of loved it. If you can love something where a lot of people die. (hide spoiler)]
And I missed reading mysteries. I read a lot when I was a teenager, but, for whatever reason, I guess the genre fell by the wayside as I got older. But I like them. These books had me way more hooked than most books I've read this year....more
This felt less tightly plotted than usual. There was a bit too much of "This is what's happening, no this is, no this is!" and I don't think it quite This felt less tightly plotted than usual. There was a bit too much of "This is what's happening, no this is, no this is!" and I don't think it quite formed a coherent whole. I still liked it, though.
(view spoiler)[Patrick and Angie! BUBBA! I knew the next one wasn't written for ten more years, so I guess I was expecting a little more wrap up in this, maybe Patrick and Angie deciding to do something else with their lives, but I'm okay that didn't happen. (hide spoiler)]
Now do I read the last one right now or something else?...more
It's funny, the things you remember and don't about books. (view spoiler)[I remembered Jay was involved with a woman cAudiobook re-read September 2014
It's funny, the things you remember and don't about books. (view spoiler)[I remembered Jay was involved with a woman connected to the case who died. But I didn't remember it was Desiree. I thought whoever it was really had died and it had been true love. Sigh. And I didn't remember Jay died until just a little before it happened.
I did remember Jay's boss died, but I half-remembered it as some movie scene, where he gets shot through the window as Patrick and Angie were talking to him. Even though I knew that seemed all wrong for this book! (hide spoiler)]
Original Review
This kind of reminded me of Gone Girl (yes, I know this one came first! :D), but I liked it a lot better.
(view spoiler)[SO MANY PEOPLE DIED, THOUGH. People that I cared about! I was sort of uneasy about Patrick and Angie's actions at the end of the book, though. But I think it makes sense for them.
I've been enjoying reading novellas this year. They often go to the heart of the story and eliminate the silly complications and plots I don't care abI've been enjoying reading novellas this year. They often go to the heart of the story and eliminate the silly complications and plots I don't care about. But sometimes they suffer from their length, too. I liked the relationship in this book. I liked both characters and the face they showed to the world and what they were really like. Buuuuuut they had only a handful of encounters, so there was that thing where, when they said they were in love with each other, I was, like, "Whoooooa. Too soon!"
But I did like this! And I liked that we got to know the sisters a little, even with how short this is....more
I liked this! It was well done contemporary romance. The romance was on the slower paced side, the soap opera stuff was done well and, MOST IMPORTANTLI liked this! It was well done contemporary romance. The romance was on the slower paced side, the soap opera stuff was done well and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, the baseball stuff was done well. Not that there was a lot of it, but the next one is a baseball romance! YES. Want it now.
The recommend thing isn't working for me right now, but, yes, read it, Grace and Beth. BASEBALL....more
First, Moira J. Moore is AWESOME for still writing this final (*sniff*) book in the Heroes series after her publisher dropped her (*grrrr*). You can rFirst, Moira J. Moore is AWESOME for still writing this final (*sniff*) book in the Heroes series after her publisher dropped her (*grrrr*). You can read it at her livejournal or get it from Smashwords. (Set your own price.)
The writing is just the same as the traditionally published books. Great editing! (This is important to me since I've read self-published that suffer from bad or no editing.)
And ohhhhh Lee and Taro. Don't leave me! I kind of wish some of the plot had been clearer ((view spoiler)[Mostly who was responsible for what. Was Green the one behind ALL the trouble? Was the emperor under a spell the whole time? What part was he responsible for? (hide spoiler)]), but, overall, a good ending that wrapped up some of the overreaching plots.
I would definitely be interested in reading more in this world, but I'm okay with this as the end....more
I think I'd actually read both of these before, but I never marked them, so here we go!
I definitely read the second one, as it was posted on ArmstrongI think I'd actually read both of these before, but I never marked them, so here we go!
I definitely read the second one, as it was posted on Armstrong's website. But the first one is confusing me. Maybe I checked the anthology out once and only read that story? Or read it at a bookstore?
Anyway, these are great! I like them better than the first bonus pack because they take place post-book, which tends to be where my interest lies.
Oh Gabriel! <3 This was GREAT. Better than the first one. I really liked that the paranormal story was basically the 'B' story. It's an issue in theirOh Gabriel! <3 This was GREAT. Better than the first one. I really liked that the paranormal story was basically the 'B' story. It's an issue in their lives, but so are a lot of things! That approach really appeals to me.
And also (view spoiler)[that Michael got a love interest! I figured he was too old to get his own book in a YA series, so YAY! (hide spoiler)]...more
My friend, Annie, lent this to me. She's an internet friend, but sadly not on GoodReads! This was pretty cute. Just a light, fun story. Lots of characMy friend, Annie, lent this to me. She's an internet friend, but sadly not on GoodReads! This was pretty cute. Just a light, fun story. Lots of characters and POVs, but that worked pretty well. Some were a lot more fleshed out than others, but maybe more will get their stories later on in the series.
Not going to read more right now, but it's worth checking out....more
HMMM. 3.5 stars, rounding down. I liked a lot of this novella a lot. It was nice. By which, I mean it was a writing style that worked for me and I likHMMM. 3.5 stars, rounding down. I liked a lot of this novella a lot. It was nice. By which, I mean it was a writing style that worked for me and I liked how the characters interacted. The love interest is the best friend's brother, which is a trope I'm into, and they had a banter-y relationship, which I'm also into. I really believed their attraction to each other and, for the most part, how the relationship progressed.
It's just the conflict at the end and how it was resolved was too much for me. It was a bit too dramatic and I guess I didn't entirely believe in it. It seemed a little out of the place compared to the sort of quiet pace of the rest of the novella....more
This just wasn't what I was expecting or wanting. I was hoping for something more about the movie. There is some of that, but it's mostly about the liThis just wasn't what I was expecting or wanting. I was hoping for something more about the movie. There is some of that, but it's mostly about the lives of the child actors. And while obviously they chose to tell these stories, at times they felt so personal that I felt uncomfortable reading them. And I guess, to me, The Sound of Music is about the story, not the actors, so it was just a different kind of perspective.
I fastforwarded through the DVD, but it's kind of cool. It's behind the scenes footage. No sound, just video....more
Another one that didn't really teach me anything new, although--maybe because of the straightforward style--it managed to impress on me the huge dividAnother one that didn't really teach me anything new, although--maybe because of the straightforward style--it managed to impress on me the huge divide between "upstairs and downstairs" in a way that other books (or fiction) haven't. It's so hard to wrap my mind around that way of life. Maybe more so the upstairs, since while I've certainly not had the life of a servant, I've had jobs doing things like washing dishes. But the life of the Edwardian upper class is very far from my life experience! Which is also probably why I always want to hear more about it. This seemed slightly more geared toward the servant view of things.
But the pictures were nice! I'm not a visual person, so it's cool to see stuff. And, uh, watch out for some partial nudity, haha! I was innocently turning pages and came to one with back views of women taking baths!...more
So I picked this up one night and WHOA. I was hooked on it in a way I haven't been on any book in a long time. But it was late, so I put it down to goSo I picked this up one night and WHOA. I was hooked on it in a way I haven't been on any book in a long time. But it was late, so I put it down to go to sleep and when I went back to it the next day, I wasn't as into it.
My main problem (even on that first night) is that Cyrla comes off as really naive and makes poor decisions because of it. I'm trying not to judge her my modern standards because she really didn't (wouldn't) know the full horror of what was going on, but . . . she seemed too unconcerned about everything. And a lot of her plans were really, really poor thinking.
I liked how the romance played out, for the most part, but I'm not sure about the ending. (view spoiler)[I'm just not a huge fan of reunions after years apart. This is a bit of a different situation since it's not like they were apart for stupid reasons!!! They LITERALLY couldn't be together or find each other. But people grow apart. And so I'm not convinced they'd still love each other and that the relationship would still work. Especially since it happened quickly in the first place.
Also, did we not find out what happened to her family? That is important information! Should I just assume tragedy? (hide spoiler)]
Edit: Oh! The subject matter was really interesting since I hadn't known about his aspect of World War II....more
I always mean to read more of these kinds of books, the books that tell me what it was really like in the historical periods I like to watch and read I always mean to read more of these kinds of books, the books that tell me what it was really like in the historical periods I like to watch and read fictionalized versions. And yet . . . I don't feel like this one really taught me anything new. (Though, granted, I guess it might have if I hadn't already read The World of Downton Abbey and Below Stairs: The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "Downton Abbey" this year.)
It was also written with too modern a viewpoint. Some of that was probably unavoidable, but, to people of that time, their life was just their life. It's not like they could compare it to how we lived now and complain about how badly they have it!
Also, the upper class is usually referred to as "toffs," which I understand is not the nicest word!...more
Probably 2.5ish. I liked some of this and it was a fairly pleasant read, but too much bugged me about it. I didn't think the heroine and her love inteProbably 2.5ish. I liked some of this and it was a fairly pleasant read, but too much bugged me about it. I didn't think the heroine and her love interest were well-matched. They have some fairly different opinions about things. I also thought she was too forceful with him. He can make up his own mind! (view spoiler)[She actually DID seem better suited for Fraser. I was hoping the book would end up Evie/Fraser and Alice/Robert. I don't necessarily buy "opposites attract" all of the time. (hide spoiler)]
And I could've really, really done without Evie "sensing" the history of antiques. And Catriona was a weird figure. She wasn't exactly the bitchy girlfriend trope, but that made her lack of depth frustrating....more
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