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CatherineReads

I Read Words Other People Write

UF, UF, UF. PNR, HR, Sci-Fi, finding a bit more YA that I enjoy. Mystery, crime, detective shit. Have recently figured out I'm not really a contemporary romance gal. I like smut but am not really into erotica. Oh, did I mention UF?

Currently reading

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
Anne Rice, A.N. Roquelaure
Fate's Edge
Ilona Andrews
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
J.K. Rowling
The Iron Queen
Julie Kagawa
Red Seas Under Red Skies
Scott Lynch

Casting Off

Casting Off - Hugh Howey These stories just get better and better and deeper and richer with each installment. Can't wait to get the 4th and 5th. The twists have been elusive until they are right on top of me or in my rear view mirror. Nice to be surprised (even if I'm usually depressed after)!

One Night for Love (Bedwyn Prequels #1)

One Night for Love (Bedwyn Prequels #1) - Mary Balogh Thank god that's over.

Erin's Gift

Erin's Gift - Nancy Fraser ***the HILLLLLS are ALLLIIIIIVE with the SOOUUUUUND of MUUUUUUSIC***

imagephoto The-Sound-of-Music_zps627b5923.jpg

Is this a re-telling of the Sound of Music? So it's 1920s Chicago and not pre-war Austria. Erin is "an innocent," but working and supporting herself, not a Maria secluded away in a convent. Seth is a widower who came from a good family and made good as a successful lawyer, not a Baron von Trapp from a royal family with all its trappings. Seth's first wife died and his servants love him so much, his dead wife, sorta, er, not so much. Seth has one kid, not the family band the von Trapps had. Oh and sex. All the sex that wasn't in the musical can be found here my friends.

So there's all that. I'm still liking this story.

There are TONS of quivering lips, which the man can not help but notice in the fold of his trousers. There is a TON of denial about the attraction between these two, that is wholly denied until the housekepper and the mother of the rich guy decide to step in and declare how HOLY AWESOME the gal is for everyone in the family, let alone the rich guy. There is the guy, the one and only who can be her virgin lover.God how I hate the virgin lover.

It may or may not be for you. I can turn this review into a psychology lesson about why I like some HR stories and hate others. Time, place, state of mind, yadda, yadda, yadda. There are all the silly tropes that I can accept in some stories and not in others. Nevertheless, I liked this story.

Firefly Hollow

Firefly Hollow - T. L.  Haddix Yeah. I didn't not like it but I didn't love it for sure. It was a bit too naive and sweet for my taste.

I didn't really like how Owen went from this mysterious, crusty recluse (at the age of 25 or so?) to this sweet and caring lover. Then to have some alpha characteristics pop out, well, I just didn't buy it.

The conflict between the MCs never seemed all that serious and the side conflict that happened in the gal's family seemed WAY too serious for the rest of the book. I mean there was some serious shit going on that was really just brushed to the side. It was kinda nuts.

Also, it's apparently set in the late 1950s/early 60s. Never got that vibe at all. I'd only remember that when the date was written at the beginning of a chapter or when the mom and daughter were having a sweet/awkward chat about sex and marriage and one would comment on how hard things are for the ladies of the time and how limited their options are. Otherwise, there was really no other descriptives that lent themselves to placing you in a certain time period in history.

Not nearly enough paranormal to even call it that. I've recently learned the term "cozy mystery" and I think I would label this a "cozy romance," if that's a thing.

Oh yeah, can I stop reading these immaculate virgin stories? It's beyond stupid and I just can't with the virgin, multiple orgasms, twu luuuuv. Ugh. This lil sheltered girl from the holler knew about the Kama Sutra (which did add a funny line to the story but still...)!

In the end, it wasn't a waste of time, it didn't offend and it wasn't poorly written but I'm not really interested enough in any of the characters or the storyline to continue with the series.

Kin

Kin - Kealan Patrick Burke what? huh? We started out all bangers then everything went soft. After the scene with the kid buried in the belly of his dead momma all cozied up with tons of maggots I was expecting much more crazy. Much more extreme. All I got was long drives down long roads, extremely long deaths with not much gore at all, lots more introspection and...the end.

I like the way this fella writes, I think I'm more partial to his short stores is all.



Glow

Glow - Darynda Jones *double sigh*

Shimmer

Shimmer - Darynda Jones *sigh*

The Turtle Boy

The Turtle Boy - Kealan Patrick Burke creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy!

Into the Dreaming: With Bonus Material

Into the Dreaming: With Bonus Material - Karen Marie Moning Not horrible, not great either. Short story published first about 10 years ago, I think. It was OK. Proposal for a never-published novel. Why? I don't get it. Alternate beginning to one of the other Highlander novels. Again, why? Lots of mish-mashy stuff, none of it mind-blowing. Pass.

Dark Genesis

Dark Genesis - A.D. Koboah Gah! I cried! That alone should make it a 5-star read. I never cry (when reading, anyway)! So goood, rushing to get the next!

The Luckiest Lady in London

The Luckiest Lady in London - Sherry Thomas YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

Never a Mistress, No Longer a Maid

Never a Mistress, No Longer a Maid - Maureen Driscoll Loved it! Some minor editing problems (spelling mistakes and using words incorrectly), but nothing so horrible as to pull me out of the story. Jane and Ned were great and there was lots of melodrama fitting the genre. Fun!

The Last Bastion of the Living: A Futuristic Zombie Novel

The Last Bastion of the Living: A Futuristic Zombie Novel - Rhiannon Frater No. Just no.

Since I suck at reviews I'll just link to this one that says everything I feel about this book:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/363630909?book_show_action=true&page=1

Vampire Academy

Vampire Academy  - Richelle Mead It was OK. I don't quite get the hype. I felt like I just watched a CW show. Teen drama! The whole Rose/Dmitri thing was a bit weird. I'll read the second and hope they get better. Maybe it's just a case of first-in-series syndrome. A lot of world-building and a lot of background. Not a lot of action until the end.

Boy, Snow, Bird

Boy, Snow, Bird - Helen Oyeyemi Unsure of how to rate this one just yet. I need to ruminate on this for a day or two.

Unclaimed

Unclaimed - Courtney Milan Didn't like either character at first. Grew to love them both. EXTREMELY HEA alert! Kinda overly sweet but, hey, it's a historical romance!