Tag: romance

adult

Review: Eyes on You by Kate White

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

eyes on you -kate whiteA rising media star must battle a diabolical enemy in this riveting tale of psychological suspense from Kate White, the New York Times bestselling author of The Sixes and Hush.

After a painful divorce and losing her on-air job two years ago, Robin Trainer has fought hard to regain her career. Now, as the popular cohost of a nightly entertainment show and the author of a hot new bestseller, she’s being dubbed a media double threat. In a business full of rivals eager to see you fail, making a comeback was tough, and Robin isn’t about to do anything that could jeopardize her newfound success.

But suddenly things begin going wrong. A few small but nasty incidents shake her confidence: a vicious note tucked into her purse at her book signing; the photo on her book jacket slashed in her office; a doll that looks just like her—but with its eyes gouged out—left on her desk chair. Soon the meanness turns threatening.

Someone has eyes on Robin, an adversary with a dark agenda who wants to hurt her and see her fall, and the clues point to someone she works with every day. As she frantically tries to put the pieces together and unmask an enemy hiding in the shadows all too close to her, it becomes terrifyingly clear that the person responsible isn’t going to stop until Robin loses everything that matters to her . . . including her life.

In this nail-biting thriller full of stunning twists, Kate White takes you behind the scenes of the glamorous, high-intensity world of television and ratchets up the suspense, page by page, to the shocking end.

1 Drink Me Potion

DNF at approximately 25%

I’m sad, but this is my very FIRST did-not-finish book I’ve ever opened. Sure, there were books that I may have put aside for a while, but I always eventually got back to them.

I just couldn’t stand the beginning. Robin was not a very interesting protagonist. It opens with her successful debut of some book that she wrote while also being co-anchor to some show that was slowly rising in fame and success as well. Yay, I’m glad for you, Robin, but OH MY GOODNESS, White really dwells heavily on the details of Robin’s career in the TV biz. I get that the author has experience in this area prior to writing novels, but this was getting on my nerves. I didn’t sign up to read this book because I wanted to know the intricate details of being an anchor. I opened it to read a juicy MYSTERY.

The mystery started off fine, I guess. Someone left a scary note in Robin’s purse while she wasn’t looking during the book launch party. Whoop-dee-doo. Maybe it got a ton better with the scary stuff later into the novel, but it was just so hard to pick up again when I knew she was just at her office prepping for her work that day.

It wasn’t just the mystery that was somewhat ruined for me. The romance! Where to start with that? I did NOT like that co-anchor of hers. So what if he was just recently available after some break up with his girlfriend? I don’t care! Maybe I’m just way too young to care about some “bad-boy” forty-one year old man and his love life, but seeing him flirt with Robin and vice versa just sat weirdly in my stomach.

Overall, I guess if this wasn’t listed as part of Overdrive’s Big Read project and was readily available, I probably would have NEVER picked up Eyes on You.

Overall Recommendation:
Expecting a deliciously scary and suspenseful novel with a freaky psycho stalking our protagonist, Eyes on You dwindled all those expectations bit by bit. It was slow in starting, and particularly focused on minute details of Robin’s life that seemed unnecessary. My interest levels dropped rapidly, and then took a plummet when the love interest was introduced. As co-anchor to Robin’s successful show, the chemistry felt too scripted and cliche. I couldn’t finish this book for all these reasons above and more. You can definitely find better mysteries with similar plots elsewhere.

YA

Review: Invaded by Melissa Landers

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Alienated #2

invaded -melissa landersThe romantic sequel to Alienated takes long-distance relationships to a new level as Cara and Aelyx long for each other from opposite ends of the universe…until a threat to both their worlds reunites them.

Cara always knew life on planet L’eihr would be an adjustment. With Aelyx, her L’eihr boyfriend, back on Earth, working to mend the broken alliance between their two planets, Cara is left to fend for herself at a new school, surrounded by hostile alien clones. Even the weird dorm pet hates her.

Things look up when Cara is appointed as human representative to a panel preparing for a human colony on L’eihr. A society melding their two cultures is a place where Cara and Aelyx could one day make a life together. But with L’eihr leaders balking at granting even the most basic freedoms, Cara begins to wonder if she could ever be happy on this planet, even with Aelyx by her side.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Aelyx, finds himself thrown into a full-scale PR campaign to improve human-L’eihr relations. Humans don’t know that their very survival depends on this alliance: only Aelyx’s people have the technology to fix the deadly contamination in the global water supply that human governments are hiding. Yet despite their upper hand, the leaders of his world suddenly seem desperate to get humans on their side, and hardly bat an eye at extremists’ multiple attempts on Aelyx’s life.

The Way clearly needs humans’ help . . . but with what? And what will they ask for in return?

4 Drink Me Potions

Alternating between the events happening in Cara and Aelyx’s life, this sequel to Alienated surprisingly held its own.

Although some fans may be saddened that Aelyx and Cara are physically apart for quite a lot of the book, I found that kind of refreshing. It’s not like they didn’t contact each other on their com-spheres (this alien world version of a cell phone I’m guessing). There’s still “romance” going on, but it’s not the main highlight this time around.

So what was Invaded about then?

In Cara’s half of the story, she was faced with learning the cultures and ways of a life over with the L’eihrs. I found it quite interesting to see how these aliens ruled and lived by. There was definitely plenty of intrigue when it came to the aliens’ obvious despise for her presence among them, escalating quickly when it became clear someone was trying to frame her for things she did not do.

Over on Aelyx’s side, Earth was not that much better for him. After the events of the previous novel, let’s just say the Earthlings do not trust him very much. Attempts were made on his life, and the motive and culprit behind these acts were not always predictable. Okay, well, it was a little predictable with one of the twists in the plot, but I was in denial through half of the book hoping it wouldn’t go there.

Sadly, I was wrong but it did make the story more interesting and unpredictable…

Either way, Aelyx and Cara both had busy plotlines and I enjoyed reading them both even though they weren’t together. My only complaint is the resolution for Cara’s problems which I felt were rushed in places that could have been prolonged in order to add suspense instead of just making me say Oh, they found out what happened already?. All in all, not a bad read and definitely entertaining. It never suffered too much drag as I think Landers is unsure of whether this book will be the last or not. It most definitely can continue with a very delicious tidbit of knowledge that was placed near the end, but I guess time will tell whether or not a third book will become a reality.

Overall Recommendation:
Invaded held intriguing plot twists for both Cara and Aelyx’s stories as they each deal with living on the others’ planet. Cara is off adventuring to the unknown of living with the L’eihrs while Aelyx is trying to – well – not be killed by the people that hate him. Although romance was not heavily pressed upon, the story still had its sweet moments but it most definitely centres on working out the differences between the two species. With an ending that can potentially spin out into a third book, Invaded was a nice sequel and laid out a foundation for hopefully another one.

YA

Review: Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: Silver #1

dream a little dream -kerstin gierMysterious doors with lizard-head knobs. Talking stone statues. A crazy girl with a hatchet. Yes, Liv’s dreams have been pretty weird lately. Especially the one where she’s in a graveyard at night, watching four boys conduct dark magic rituals.

The strangest part is that Liv recognizes the boys in her dream. They’re classmates from her new school in London, the school where she’s starting over because her mom has moved them to a new country (again).

But what’s really scaring Liv is that the dream boys seem to know things about her in real life, things they couldn’t possibly know–unless they actually are in her dreams?

Luckily, Liv never could resist a good mystery, and all four of those boys are pretty cute….

4 Drink Me Potions

This sounds so trippy, was my very first thought upon seeing this book in the bookstore.

Weird lizard doorknobs? Talking statues? A girl with a machete? All found in crazy dreams that our protagonist Liv gets at night? Uh, heck yeah. This is totally trippy-sounding.

Knowing me and my love for Alice in Wonderland, Dream a Little Dream certainly seemed to remind me of Lewis Carroll’s level of eccentricity in storywriting. So I absolutely couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book.

Ok. Now I have to say, it wasn’t as crazy and eccentric as the premise may make it sound. That’s not to say that it wasn’t still very fascinating in so many facets. I will admit, this is my very first translated book. Most YA novels are just…well, written in English originally. However, I think this is not some story that gets lost in translation. It’s downright amazing. How so, you may ask? Friend, let me tell you.

The setting and culture
Yes, I think some people may start seeing a trend in which I absolutely ADORE stories set in London, whether historical or present day. There’s just something so fascinating with the Brits and their city. With the book beginning off with Liv and her sister and their au pair (I had to look up what this was…) leaving to move to London, I was more than excited from the start. And once they were there, the setting was just so beautifully described. I totally wanted to hop onto the next plane set for this destination. London just seemed to make this fantasy story really pop and come alive.

But – I think a lot of this excitement comes from loving the protagonist.

The characters
I shall start off with Liv. She makes for a wonderful character. She’s adventurous, curious when a mystery seems to be afoot, and sometimes even a little reckless when it comes to solving whatever has been hidden from her. I read a review where someone said that Gier writes with a voice that truly sounds like a teenager. And this statement is very true. Liv doesn’t come across as some mature little young person. She really does sound like a teenager trying to find her place in the world, while still enjoying the wonders of the world that seem more prevalent in teens.

And I love Liv’s relationship with the various secondary characters. From her younger sister Mia (who sounds more mature than Liv sometimes…), to her newfound almost-step family and even the not-always-the-nicest friend she made at school. They all fit into the story in their own place while enhancing the suspense as the big mysterious aspect of the story builds.

The “mystery”/plot twisters
There were a few rather interesting things that aren’t necessarily solved in this first novel in the series. Firstly, there’s some mysterious character named Secrecy who literally knows everyone’s secrets. It’s kinda scary how fast this person figures things out. And so far, this person’s identity remains a, well, secret. But, exciting, isn’t it? Especially when the answer doesn’t seem to be obvious to the reader.

The other thing was the ending that involved the central theme of the plot: the 4 boys who seem to have gotten themselves into rather dark dream magic. It was definitely an intriguing concept, being able to dream with someone else. Having a dream door that fits each individual’s personality? Man, makes me wonder what my dream door would look like. Being able to go into one’s dreams and live through that with them? Freaky and personal. Totally impinges on privacy rights – which makes it all the more cooler.

Anyway, I guess I’m saying that Dream a Little Dream definitely had its surprises when it came to the mysterious 4 boys. Plus, it didn’t hurt that all 4 of them were rather cute….and individually unique.

You’ve got Henry, who I still can’t make head or tails about. He’s so mysterious. Sometimes I wonder if we really know him yet. He’s definitely hiding something.
Then there’s Grayson, the sweet almost-stepbrother of Liv’s. He was introduced rather early on and I initially thought he’d be the one Liv falls for. Of course, I totally dig the big brother role he’s stepped into (and I think I’ve taken the little sis role heavily ’cause I DETEST his girlfriend).
Jasper’s…sweet, but not the brightest bulb in…well the world. He carries some innocence to his character, in the sense that the dark stuff they’re doing doesn’t tarnish who he is.
And finally, there’s Arthur. The golden boy and “best looking” of the four. I am still figuring him out.

That leaves me to just comment on one final thing.

Er, the romance
Don’t get me wrong. As you can see, I do love the boys. AND there was no love triangle! Hoorah! That’s like +10 points in my books already. I just…I love the one Liv picked but sometimes the chemistry didn’t feel quite right. Like, I’m not really sure how the guy suddenly fell for her. I understand Liv’s reaction more, but his attraction to her puzzles me. I hope it lasts through the sequel, but I really need closure on this or else I may just wish she ends up with her almost-step brother.

Anyway, this may not be as Alice in Wonderland-esque as I had wanted it to be, but it amazed me in so many other ways beyond what comparisons I initially may have drawn. Dream a Little Dream may be the only translated book I’ve read so far, but as biased as that may be, I think it’s probably the best I’ll find. Definitely worth the read. I cannot wait for book 2 – which is published but needs to be translated! Urgh! Impatience abounds.

Overall Recommendation:
Dream a Little Dream is a beautiful title for a beautiful fantastical story on dreams and mysterious magic. Set in the gorgeous city of London, we follow the amazing Liv as she finds herself in a new school and new possible stepfamily and – oh uh – falls into a mess that she cannot help but be curious about. Getting dragged into the world of shared dreams with four of the hottest guys at school, I must say, this book has it all. A definite must-read. Too bad it has to be published in German and then translated. I’m biting my nails in anxious impatience already! Gier is one story writer that you’ve got to try.