Monday, March 13, 2017

The Devil's Triangle by Catherine Coulter; J.T. Ellison

The book opens with Kitsune "The Fox" stealing the "Staff of Moses." She overhears her employers arguing right before they try to kill her. When they don't succeed in that, they manage to somehow not only manage to discover her true identity, they are able to kidnap her super elite soldier husband. So she contacts Nicholas Drummond and Michaela Caine for help.
They bring the Covert Eyes team to Eruope and discover that Kitsune's clients, the Koaths - brother and sister, are planning to bring the world to its knees by controlling the weather. They are descended from Moses himself and are therefore able to use his staff to cause mass destruction.
I have generally enjoyed this series but this book felt like it was jumping the shark. Slightly outlandish storylines have become cartoonish in their leaps from logic. And the villains... ufda. They just are not well-developed. We get glimpses of some depth but mostly Ajax and Cassandra are fairly one dimensional.
I really do wish we could get a better glimpse at Kitsune as she seems like an amazing character who, despite her propensity toward thievery (she is called "the thief" something like a-billionty times in this book), is so far fairly likable.

Three stars
This book comes out March 14

Friday, March 3, 2017

Yoga FAQ by Richard Rosen

I requested this book through NetGalley because it looked like a nice introductory book into yoga and, quite frankly, had a fun cover. But this is not a light book, the author dives right into the depths of yoga. And, I'm gonna be honest, this threw me off for the remainder of the reading. Especially with the subtitles, I was expecting something a little... more basic. A reference you could flip around in and look for answers to various questions.
This is a perfectly nice book about yoga. There are proposed questions and answers, sometimes with accompanying stories related to yoga or short bunny trails containing more, related information.
I'd say that this book is more geared to the advanced practitioner or slightly-past-the-beginning-teacher than newbies; especially since there are a lot of references that those just starting on their yoga path just won't get.

Three Stars
This book comes out March 7

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Pressed to Death by Kirsten Weiss

With the Harvest Festival under way, Maddie Kosloski is shocked when her arch-nemesis Laurel wants to take away her main attraction, a haunted wine press. It seems that the previous owner has called it in as stolen and Laurel is only too happy to confiscate it, even though Maddie has the receipts to prove that she is the rightful owner. Too bad Maddie is later the one to discover the previous owner, Romeo, dead in the grapes that were supposed to be used in her mother's grape pressing contest. But she's not as serious a suspect as the man's wife, his estranged son, and even some of the people who are part of his Death Cafe group (where they discuss aging).
Not only does Maddie's mother get her involved in solving the case in order to help the Ladies' Aid group, but Maddie also gets roped in to helping set up a room in the annual Haunted House and she's working to keep her assistant, the dead man's estranged son, out of jail. Oh, and something is going on with her sweetie, Mason.
And the Mason storyline was just annoying. It's maybe not a plotline used in cozies much but I've read it over and over in romance novels. Maddie is fairly adult about the whole thing (she actually TALKS to Mason) but I just wish that this particular plot point hadn't been used. And there were some other plots that got short shrift since there was so much going on. But over all a good story that I quite enjoyed.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out March 8
Follows The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Geekerella by Ashley PostonOMG was this a darling story. You've got Elle, fanblogger extraordinaire, and then Darien, the guy taking over her favorite character on her favorite show. Now, Elle's not in a really good place what with her evil stepmother and two evil stepsisters ruining her life. Her dad is dead and really she's just biding her time until she can get away from her "family." She's treated like the family drudge and doesn't feel appreciated by anyone. Now she learns that some popular actor from a show that her stepsisters love is going to be taking over the role of Carmindor and she is... not impressed. An excoriating review that she writes goes viral.
Darien is hurt. He knows Starfield, it was one of his favorite shows. In fact, he even went to some cons before his best friend sold him out to the paparazzi. Now, the idea of attending a con is just painful. Especially since the Starfield fanbase doesn't seem to be impressed by his resume. When he's blindsided by a promise to attend Exelsicon, he tries to contact the organizer but ends up with Elle's number instead (since her dad created the con and she inherited his phone.) From there, the two end up with a text message flirtation that starts to become something more.
I liked the alternating first-person of this story. We got to know both of the characters so they were more than just stereotypes. I didn't love the ending but it was mostly a very lovely story.

Four stars
This book comes out March 7

Monday, February 27, 2017

America's Next Reality Star by Laura Heffernan

I picked the book because the title, and then the premise intrigued me. I'm not much of a reality show watcher but I love reading blog posts the day after outlining what happened on the shows. This type of book could become catnip for me.
The back cover is a little misleading. Jennifer (Jen) Reid doesn't lose her boyfriend, job, and apartment in one fell swoop, but they do happen in fairly quick succession. So when the reality show, The Fishbowl, that she applied for sort of as a joke calls and says that they want her, Jen is ready to go -- after breaking her foot while uninsured, she could use $250,000. She, and eleven other people, are picked to live in a house that is all glass while solving puzzles (both mental and physical) in order to try not to be voted off by their fellow contestants. There's all the drama that you might expect but surprisingly little manipulation from the directors. Even though Jen has an archnemesis in the house, Arianna, somehow Arianna keeps getting voted to stay on while Jen keeps being put up for elimination by the audience. And there is a possible romance, the cute law student Justin. But is he actually interested in her? Or is he playing the reality game? If not, why is he spending so much time with Arianna?
The ending was a bit fast for me. I wanted to spend more time with Justin and Jen, to see more of their relationship develop; I was able to connect with Jen but wish there had been more to connect with Justin and with their romance. I liked the world building and am looking forward to the next book, hoping to see more of a connection between the characters.

Four stars
This book comes out March 7

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Why We March by Artisan

This book is literally what the title explains; signs from the Women's March of 2017. There are some touching, some funny, and some sad. I wish there had been more exploration of the themes or maybe a quote from the specific marchers but this is a book for any of the women in your lives. Or the men. For the people who were there in person or watching from home. It's a book for those who agree and a way to talk to those who disagree. A fast read that is worth passing on.

Four stars
This book comes outMarch 7

Saturday, February 25, 2017

Someone to Hold by Mary Balogh

In the first book of this series, Camille Westcott discovered that, while she was pampered and haughty lady of the ton, all that could be taken away, and it was, when it was discovered that her father was a bigamist and Camille is a bastard. Of course, at this time, that meant that she immediately became an Untouchable. Okay, not that bad. But she's pushed out of the ton and the lord who had been circling her for marriage very publicly repudiates her. Camille soon learns she's stronger than she thinks and regroups, going to work in the very same orphanage that her newly-discovered half-sister grew up in. Of course, that means that she is in close contact with her sister's friend, Joel Cunningham.
Joel isn't impressed by Camille. Not at first. But as he gets to know her, through their teaching together and through her grandmother paying for him to paint both Camille and her sister. And he learns that this new Camille might be someone he could love.
I feel bad because Mary Balogh can usually hit me pretty hard in the feels. And this happened again... but... Balogh's books are usually romances. And this isn't different except that this book concentrates so much on the (amazing and heartfelt) evolution of Camille, that the romance is somewhat put in the shade. It was hard to see really why Joel's feelings changed to love. And, oh dear god, if there can ever be too much "happy" in an HEA, this book is a prime example.

Three stars
This book came out February 7
Follows Someone to Love
Followed by Someone to Wed