[Review]* Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Summary:

Aging death-metal rock legend Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals...a used hangman's noose...a snuff film. But nothing he possesses is as unique or as dreadful as his latest purchase off the Internet: a one-of-a-kind curiosity that arrives at his door in a black heart-shaped box...a musty dead man's suit still inhabited by the spirit of its late owner. And now everywhere Judas Coyne goes, the old man is there—watching, waiting, dangling a razor blade on a chain from his bony hand.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 366 pages (Paperback)

Available Formats: Print/E-Book/E-Audiobook/Audiobook (CD)

Source: Book I Own

Publication Date:  March 25th 2008 by Harper (first published 2007)

Heart-Shaped Box started off very strongly, Joe Hill definitely nailed the creepy chilling aspect of the book. I mean I started this early one morning (4 a.m.) and within a few pages I was struck with the heebie jeebies which persisted until I was 100 page in and decided to call it a night and I did go to bed with an eerie feeling and I felt right at home with that feeling since it reminded me of when I read his YA series. Heart-Shaped Box started off on such a strong note that I was disappointed when I continued reading it that it actually started to lose steam about halfway through.

Gone were the heebie jeebies for the most part and the book just seemed to sort of hit a wall. It slowly began to feel forced as if the author was trying to force the adrenaline filled scenes on me but they just seemed to go from being scenes I was being shown by the author to him telling me the scenes. They lost some of their substance. Things began to feel forced and the character seemed to lose some of their depths as well and became increasingly repetitive and annoying the closer the book came to the end.

I thought Jude was a perfectly flawed character at first and I suppose he's still a good character overall but he just started to irritate me.. He was brash and rude, self centered and self pitying but I really did like him as a character because his personality really fit that whole has been rock star life style all that was fine, but it seemed like too much time was spent focusing on his flaws and less time on the story of the ghost he bought online and how he was going to solve this major problem in his life. I wish he'd been a little more rounded as a character and that he'd been less in his own head and I would have liked more dialogue between him and his girlfriend, Marybeth a.k.a. Georgia.

Marybeth was a good character and i wish she'd been flushed out more. She played a big role in the story and I kind of feel like she was under utilized as a character especially since she was key to helping Jude solve the problem of his murdering ghost that's haunting them. She was brash but in a way that I liked and she had non of Jude's selfishness. I thought she was the real star of the book.

The idea of Jude buying a ghost online was a unique twist to the run of the mill ghost haunting, horror stories out there and i found it refreshing. I also found the mystery behind why he was sent the ghost (SPOILER ALERT (It wasn't by accident)) really interesting because just when I thought I knew why, the story took a delightfully dark twist and surprised me. Craddock (the ghost) was very well written and while I found the parts that were narrated by Jude to slowly lose steam I felt that the actual action sequences when they weren't interrupted by Jude's often annoying thoughts to be great and terrifically spooky and violent and full of bad language.

All in all the writing was quite good. The characters were good, and the scary bits were really well written. There was a true chill in the air while I read this even when I felt that the book was starting to lag. It still kept me reading and I'm glad I finally knocked this one off my TBR list. I thought it was a fresh take on a ghost based horror novel and I did like a bit of the mystery aspect that was woven into it as well. It was flawed however and it just seemed a little too convoluted. Some parts dragged and others weren't fleshed out enough. But over all the chills and thrills were there and it was a good read. Not great but good. I enjoyed it but it's not one I'm going to revisit.

I'd recommend this to those who are already fans of Joe Hill who haven't read this one yet or those that are looking to try him out. While this is my least favourite of his books that I've read, I will be reading him again and look forward to doing it soon. I'd advise going into this one with an open mind and just expecting a good read and not to set the bar to high or low.

LIKED IT!

★★★

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[Review]* Room by Emma Donoghue

Summary:

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 321 (Trade Paperback)

Available Formats: Print/E-book/E-audiobook/Audiobook (CD)

Publication Date: September 13th 2010 by Little, Brown and Company

Source: Toronto Public Library Book

I remember when this book first came out, and all the hype that surrounded it at the time. I remember it because I still fairly new to Goodreads, and my favourite Goodreads group and it was ALL that everyone was talking about. So, naturally I put it on hold. 6 years ago. I missed the hold for the book though and, while I kept meaning to read it over the years, but like many books it kept getting to the bottom of the list until August, when I finally picked it up to read.

Now, maybe it's because I hate it when a book is really hyped up, especially contemporary fiction. It's not my preferred genre and so I suppose that's why I didn't pick it up sooner. So when I saw it on the library shelf back in August, I really surprised myself by borrowing it.

I pretty much started reading it immediately and I went in with mediocre expectations, just because books that are so hyped up (especially with it having a movie out) don't really meet my expectations when I set them any higher than that. I'm glad I went into it without expecting it to be great because for me it just wasn't. Now I'm not bashing it but it really was a blah read for me. There were some high points, but there was a lot of frustration for me in reading it as well and it isn't like it took me more than a day to read it.

While I commend Emma Donoghue for bringing a child's point of view to what would have been a harsh topic written from an adult's point of view I found it irritating at the same time. Perhaps it's because Jack was so young, and I'd have liked it if he were a couple of years older. I sympathized with Ma, and her struggle in raising Jack in the confines of room but my gosh he annoyed me and I feel as though he was too simplified a character. Yes he had more innocence because of his upbringing but he just got on my nerves more often than not because he was all that of a selfish child and more.

Ma, god I hate referring to her as that was an interesting character. She was a young woman stuck in a horrible situation trying to make the most of her captivity and her subsequent rapes and raise a 5 year old and I think that the author did a great job in portraying her and her struggle and how she had to teach her son about the world without him actually understanding that there was such a world outside of Room, but she too fell flat in many ways for me.

To me it felt as thought the characters were being forced into being so deep and profound and trying to get me the reader to take a philosophical view of the heart of them and their story that they were kind of deflated and two dimensional. Even Old Nick, their captor who didn't play a huge character role in the story was more of a prop than anything from Jack's point of view their just wasn't enough going on in the story to really catch me.

I suppose, my issues come back to the story being one that is immensely complex being told from the point of view of someone who is far to young to understand and be able to relate what is going on in his surroundings into an intelligible coherent story for me. I think the idea was a great one to try in writing from Jack's point of view and it did pose some interesting questions and make me think about life and how nature and nurture help us a lot in our perceptions of reality and how reality in and of itself is not as linear and uniform as one might think but the story was neither long enough and the simplistic writing style for Jack's point of view did make sense but it was also the biggest drawback because of how frustrating the child's mind narrated it.

There was a definite message to the story but the writing just did not work for me. It neither went above or under my expectations, but I admit I was disappointed that it wasn't better than it was. I wanted to like it more than I did but I just couldn't get over the simplistic writing because of the style in which the author chose to write it. She wanted to comer such an emotionally charged issue such as kidnapping, confinement, rape and rearing a child alone in a shack but the writing style didn't allow for the story to really grab me. I felt like key issues in the story dealing with the characters were ignored and others just didn't make sense albeit from a child's point of view somethings wouldn't.

This was just one of those reads that frustrated me but more than that, just ended up very bland. Many describe it as one of those polarizing love it or hate it read but I neither loved it nor hate it. It just was if that makes any sense. I think that's why it has taken me so long to relay my thoughts on it. My hope though is that the movie is able to grab my attention but even that I will be going into with the bar set low.

Will I try the author again? I'm not sure. I might but I am not in any rush. I am not blacklisting her by any means but I am not going to go out of my way to borrow or buy her books. If I pick up another of her novels one day than that's great if not I won't be regretting it. My advice to someone considering this book would be to go in with an open mind not expecting to love or hate it and just give it a chance. Ultimately I'm glad this was a book I borrowed from the library because I could return it as soon as I was done with it, so if you have the option I suggest borrowing over buying

Just an Okay Read

★★

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Love in Straight Sets by Rebecca Crowley

 

Summary:

 

Regan Hunter came to tennis late in life, but she's worked hard to become one of the world's top players. Beating the odds has made her unstoppable on the court and neurotically controlling off of it. So when her manager hires a new coach, a has-been who left the sport after a scandal, Regan wants him gone, fast.

Ben Percy, a former Grand Slam winner, is well aware of Regan's reputation for driving coaches away—usually screaming. But working with the notoriously mercurial Regan could be just the break he needs to take his career to the next level, and he's never been one to scare easily. He must stick to only one rule: hands off Regan.

Keeping his distance from Regan is more difficult than Ben ever imagined. Behind her tough, sexy exterior is a woman he wants to get to know better. And Regan feels a connection with her patient, easy-on-the-eyes coach that's hard to ignore. But with the biggest championship of all on the line, romance may be completely out of bounds…

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 159 pages (Kindle)

Source: NetGalley ARC

Available Formats: E-book

Publication Date: April 14th 2014 by Carina Press

 

Last year I read and reviewed Rebecca Crowley's The Striker's Chance and absolutely loved how she weaved sports and sizzling romance together with great characters so when I was approved for this one I was so excited to read it.

 

I thought it would be similar to The Striker's Chance, and in a couple ways there were similarities, both books had some awesome male leads with women who were a little high strung but where the female lead in The Striker's chance had some great qualities about her, I found myself struggling with Regan in this one. I found her to be to rude, spoiled and self centered. She threw temper tantrums and I didn't like how her frugal upbringing caused her stress now that she was rich etc. She was a little too much "Woe is me" for me to really, really like. However in the end, I did like her because she was starting to mellow thanks to Ben. Even though for me she didn't deserve him as much as she thought she did.

 

Ben though, was fabulous. I've got to give it to the guy though. He was able to take all that Regan threw at him and he didn't even deserve a quarter of it. I thought he was incredibly sweet and I liked his sense of humour a lot but thought he needed to grow a pair and not be so calm and silent. I wish hed spoken his mind more but thought that he served his purpose in balancing out Regan's snarkiness.

 

I thought the story was good, but because I feel like Regan was over done that it lost some of the potential of becoming a really good romance. I just thought there was too much needless drama for my tastes. The good thing was that the author really excelled at creating chemistry between the Ben and Regan and trust me it got quite steamy in parts.

 

In the end I felt there was more that could have been done to make Regan more likable and I wasn't really thrilled with how this one ended so abruptly but other things like the passion between the two went a long way to make me enjoy this one. It was a good quick read, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a cute read for the summer especially since it could be read in no time. If you're a contemporary romance fan looking for a hunky tennis coach, grab this one, sit back, relax and enjoy because Ben is awesome!

 

 

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

 

Liked It!
★★★

 

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In The Line Of Duty (First Responders #2) by Donna Alward

Summary:

When it comes to love, sometimes a girl has to go above and beyond.

First Responders, Book 2

Jake Symonds has been a thorn in Constable Kendra Givens’s side since the night they first met, when she’d had to arrest him. In his boxer shorts. The drunken comments he made that night are worsened by the truth she’ll never admit. For a fleeting moment, they’d connected.

Two years later, when she’s called to investigate a break-and-enter at his pub, the last thing she expects is for the now-competent businessman to cook her breakfast. But she’s no fool. The former bad boy still lurks beneath the charm. And his business involves the one thing that she’s hated since it ruined her childhood. Alcohol.

As far as he’s concerned, Jake has changed, but Kendra still has a stick up her butt. Yet he can’t help but like her sass and quick wit. One well-aimed baseball at the carnival dunk tank later and he’s got a date.

Their spark of attraction quickly flares out of control, but their emotional baggage is stacked too high to risk anything deeper—until one tragic night strips the barriers from their deepest fears. And Kendra realizes the greatest danger Jake presents is to her heart.

Product Warnings:
Readers should be aware that any sexy comments made to police officers will be used against them in the hottest way possible.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 125 pages (E-book)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Available Formats: E-book

Publication Date: August 28th 2012 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

Yesterday I reviewed the first book in the series Off the Clock and I thought it was only appropriate to review the books on consecutive days as well so look out for my review of the third book in the series Into the Fire tomorrow.

In In the Line of Duty we read Kendra and Jake's story, I had a feeling even before I read the summary before it that it would focus on Kendra whom we met briefly in Off the Clock. Going into this one I had reasonably high hopes because I enjoyed the first book so much and it isn't that this one was enjoyable it just wasn't as enjoyable as the last one.

My biggest issue with the book was Kendra. I just didn't like her at all. I didn't like how she looked down her nose at Jake just because he owned a bar and she hauled him off to the drunk tank when he was home on leave from the war two years before. She was just so snobby about the whole thing that I wanted to smack her for about 75% of the story. I understand that her mother was a drunk who left her hanging as a kid but that doesn't give her the right to look down on people who stop by a bar for a quick pint. She just seemed so caught up in her own drama that I just didn't like her.

Jake on the other hand was a sweetheart and I adored him from the beginning. He had his issues when it came to dealing with the things he had to do and see in Afghanistan but he was working through them unlike Kendra. Plus I think Kendra was a bit whiny because war hero trumps mommy had a drinking problem. I know that's harsh but I just wish she'd been a little more understanding of Jake.

As much as  I didn't care for Kendra on her own she was much more likable when she was with Jake, he mellowed her out quite a bit by the end of the book and I did like how in the end the chemistry was really there and they did grow as a couple enough that I ended up liking the story in the end more than I thought I would.

I would recommend this to fans of the first book in the series and while it is a series you could get away with reading it as a standalone because while characters from book one are referenced they only have bit parts but it was nice to see them again for me. If you're looking for a quick romantic read I really recommend not only book one but this one as well.

Liked It!
★★★

 

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Warrior of the Nile (The Gods of Egypt #2) by Veronica Scott

 

Summary:

 

Egypt, 1500 BC

Lady Tiya is bound to the service of the goddess Nephthys, who plans to sacrifice Tiya’s body to protect Egypt from an ancient terror. She embarks to meet her grim fate alone but for the hardened warrior Khenet, who is fated to die at her side. Tiya’s dreams of love and family now seem impossible, and Khenet, who is the last of his line, knows his culture will die with him. Struggling with the high cost of Nephthys’s demands, both resolve to remain loyal.

Neither expects the passion that flowers when Tiya’s quiet courage and ethereal beauty meet Khenet’s firm strength and resolve. On a boat down the Nile, their two lonely souls find in each other a reason to live. But time is short and trust elusive.

Without the willing sacrifice of Tiya and Khenet, a great evil will return to Egypt. How could the gods demand their deaths when they’ve only just begun to live?

Book two of The Gods of Egypt

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 160 pages (Kindle)

Source: NetGalley 

Available Formats: E-book

Publication Date: September 16th 2013 by Carina Press

 

I've been a fan of Veronica Scott's since I read the first book in her Gods of Egypt series Priestess of the Nile back in 2011 when Turning the Pages was a wee blog, just starting out. I think that it was one of the first NetGalley books that I was approved for and I've felt a loyalty to the author and series ever since.

 

This historical paranormal romance is the second book in the series but I feel that it can be read completely on it's own because there was no mention of the characters or reference to the story in the first book at all. This one is all Tiya and Khenet.

 

Tiya is a sweet girl. Completely innocent and willing to put her life on the line to save another, and help the goddess Nephthys in her plot to undermine a rival land's leader. Khenet is our dark brooding soldier that has undertaken the job bestowed on him by his adopted brother the new Pharoh out of love and respect for the man, even though he knew he might not come back.

I liked the chemistry between Tiya and Khenet, while they only had a short journey in which to fall in love it was sweet. It wasn't one of those dreaded insta-love situations where the characters meet, fall in love and end up diddling each other's brains out within a day or two. There was an instant attraction between the two but the love for each other was slow in blooming (slow for such a short read). Then again neither of them had much to loose considering the mission that they were on which of course, our soldier Khenet took very seriously. As much as I liked him as a character, I wish that he wasn't such a hardass but he did mellow out some thanks to Tiya, and he ended up having a bit of a sense of humour which I liked because it added to the chemistry the two had and they had it when it counted if you catch my drift.

I also really like that in Scott's Gods of Egypt series the Gods come to life. Nephthys and Isis were the two goddesses we met in Warrior of the Nile and both had that whole "better than the humans" thing going on. However, Nephthys was the one that really didn't care about her human worshippers whereas Isis tried to help Tiya and Khenet when she could. I liked how the author tried to balance the extreme of Nephthys with the softer approach of Isis.

Overall, this was a fun read. I loved that while it was a romance, and there was sex in the story that it wasn't every other page. There was an actual story, plot and bad guys. Warrior of the Nile was a quick novella and one that I was able to immerse myself in for an hour or two to get done, that just left me feeling happy with how it ended. If I had one complaint though it would be that I wish it were about 20 pages longer so certain aspects of the plot could be developed more.

I would recommend this one to fans of historical romance who want to read something in an exotic local with a bit of the myth and pageantry of ancient Egypt playing a key role. The characters aren't perfect, but in the end they fit together so well you can't help but like them.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

Liked It!
★ ★ ★  

 

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Reaper's Legacy (Reapers MC #2) by Joanna Wylde

Summary:

Eight years ago, Sophie gave her heart—and her virginity—to Zach Barrett on a night that couldn’t have been less romantic or more embarrassing. Zach’s step-brother, a steely-muscled, tattooed biker named Ruger, caught them in the act, getting a peep show of Sophie he’s never forgotten.

She may have lost her dignity that fateful night, but Sophie also gained something precious—her son Noah. Unfortunately, Zach’s a deadbeat dad, leaving Ruger to be Noah’s only male role model. When he discovers Sophie and his nephew living in near poverty, Ruger takes matters into his own hands—with the help of the Reapers Motorcycle Club—to give them a better life.

Living with outlaw bikers wasn’t Sophie’s plan for her son, but Ruger isn’t giving her a choice. He’ll be there for Noah, whether she wants him or not. But Sophie does want him, has always wanted him. Now she’ll learn that taking a biker to bed can get a girl dirty in every way….
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 368 pages (Paperback)
Source: Toronto Public Library
Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audio
Publication Date: January 28th 2014 by Berkley Trade

I love me some Sons of Anarachy which was the main reason I picked this one up after seeing Anna from over at Herding Cats & Burning Soup's review. I've been going through a bit of a SAMCRO withdrawl and wanted something to read that would remind me of the show so I activated this hold and read it last week

I love a good and steamy contemporary romance as much as the next girl. Especially when the heros and heroines aren't squeaky clean and have some issues, but I think the couple in this one had way to many issues going on for just one book and I felt that the book lacked in cohesiveness.

Sophie, was a sweet girl. She loved her son who she had at 17 thanks to Ruger's stepbrother Zach, but boy did she have it rough. She had to raise Noah on her own with help from Ruger who acted as Noah's father figure but, because of something that occurred between her and Ruger years before was a complete effing douche to her. She has no support from her family, her ex is absent and she's only 24 trying to raise a 7 year old. She's struggling and trying her best but Ruger just can't see that and within the first 20 pages he's already accused her of being a bad mother and threatened to take Noah away from her. While I would have shot Ruger myself for even thinking that he could take my child away she put up with it and ends up moving back to her hometown, into Ruger's house so he can keep an eye on her as though she's incapable of doing anything without him.

I hated that Sophie was such a pushover. I mean she loved her son, that's one thing I really liked about the story is that Noah played a part as a character and added to the plot rather than just being a prop but her actions kind of spoke against that. You can't make your kid happy if you yourself aren't happy no matter how much Noah loved his uncle Ruger she shouldn't have just sat back and taken his abuse either but it's because she did everything out of love that I liked her despite her often insipid behaviour.

Ruger though, I didn't like at all. Except for the naughty bits. Seriously, those were the only parts of the book that were worth reading with him in it. He was rude, sexist, and said that he believed a man should be able to hit a woman if she hits him first. Does that sound like the kind of man you want in your life? Especially after leaving his abusive stepbrother after he almost killed you once before? I think not. I know the author was trying to create this gritty biker persona but I just felt like she went overboard and exaggerating things too much to make Ruger likable at all.

As for the plot of the novel, it had promise. I like when I find a heroine that I enjoy reading about who is worthy of being rescued by the hero. I just didn't enjoy the way that it came about. It was too much, too fast and I found that the dialogue seemed forced sometimes. This was especially true for me when Ruger would be talking to other members of the MC. I also think the scenarios were a little too cliché too and that too some fun out of the book as well.

The thing is though, despite all my issues with the book, I still enjoyed the author's voice. I may not have liked what was happening in the book, but I thought the author had a really fun and obvious passion for her story and there were things that I did enjoy about the book. Sophie and Noah were my favourite characters (Noah was adorable) but I also liked Sophie's friend Kimber (she makes a mean margarita) Em (the MC president's daughter) and the other woman who are otherwise attached to the MC in various forms. I thought they were all a hoot and had a lot of fun laughing at them and the things they said and situations Sophie was put it with them.

 Also, like a mentioned before the naughty bits were written awesomely. In that respect Ruger was great and that's when I really saw the chemistry between he and Sophie really showed and made me believe they could work together because of Ruger's attitude towards women other times in the book made them seem to different to work.

Overall though, I had a lot of issues with the book but I also liked a lot about it too. It was my first time reading a book by Joanna Wylde and I did enjoy it for the most part. There was just things about it that bugged me too much and took away from the romance focus of the book. I did think it was a fun read though and as I mentioned the author's style and voice was great and I'm dying for my hold of the first book to come in at the library this week. Now that I know what to expect from the author I'm better prepared going into another book in her Reaper's MC series.

I would recommend this one to fans of steamy contemporary romances where the hero is a big pain in the ass but redeems himself in the end in many ways. My advice is go into this one with an open mind because the language, scenes and references won't be for everyone and while this is the second book in the series it can be read as a standalone.

Liked It!
★ ★ ★  

 

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The Right Kind of Girl (Best of Betty Neels) by Betty Neels

 

Summary:

A suitable wife?

Emma Trent had spent most of her life looking after other people, so it was a shock to encounter a man so determined to take care of her - Sir Paul Wyatt was fast becoming her very own guardian angel!

She was hardly in a position to turn down his proposal of marriage, even if it was motivated by convenience on his part. With her plain looks and practical nat

...more

A suitable wife?

Emma Trent had spent most of her life looking after other people, so it was a shock to encounter a man so determined to take care of her - Sir Paul Wyatt was fast becoming her very own guardian angel!

She was hardly in a position to turn down his proposal of marriage, even if it was motivated by convenience on his part. With her plain looks and practical nature, Emma knew her limitations, but longed for children of her own. Could the eminent surgeon be the answer to all her dreams?

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 224 pages (Mass Market Paperback)
Source: Own
Available Formats: E-book (No longer in print)
Publication Date: June 1st 2004 by Harlequin (first published December 1995)

A few weeks ago I was chatting with a woman who like's the blog's Facebook page and she recommended Betty Neels to me because I was looking to expand my sweet reads library and it just so happened that my local used bookstore had a moving sale almost around the same time so I was able to score The Right Kind of Girl for 25 cents.

Anyways, since I love when people comment on the page I decided to give this one a try since I needed a quick and easy read I decided to go with this one. I knew right off the bat that the book wasn't going to be one of my steamy romance and it was nice to read something cozy and sweet for once.

Emma Trent is your average 25 year old woman living and working in rural England where she's practically taking care of everyone but herself. Not that she's a mess or anything, she's just one of those people that gives and gives. I thought Emma was exceptionally sweet and I really liked that about her. Unfortunately for Emma, tragedy strikes and her mother dies unexpectedly leaving her in a financial hole which Sir Paul Wyatt offers to bail her out of. Sir Paul is in his 40s and completely self sufficient and is looking for a companion so he proposes marriage to our young heroine, though not out of love but out of convenience.

The thing about this love story is that even though I wasn't expecting anything hot and heavy I would have liked the characters to have some passion for each other. Paul completely took advantage of Emma's youth and naivete. She obviously cared deeply for him but all he seemed to do is treat her like a child. However, Emma was partly to blame because the poor girl had very little backbone for much of the novel and I wanted to slap her about a bit and tell her to put her big girl panties on but things between her and Sir Paul seemed to work out by the end of the book.

Overall, I wasn't overly impressed by The Right Kind of Girl. It was a cozy and sweet which I loved, and Emma was a great character but I just couldn't commit to the romance aspect of the book. I thought the whole story line was a little jumbled and it seemed to go from naught to 100 kilometers an hour with the drama and angst that I felt made the story lose some of it's charm. That being said I still found it enjoyable and I'm glad that I gave an author I hadn't read before a try. This one might not have been the best book for me to be introduced to the author's writing style but I do look forward to reading another book by Neels soon.

I would recommend this book to fans of clean, contemporary, sweet romances. Also fans of 1990's contemporary Harlequin books should give this a try. This was a good little book that could be read on a cool fall day with a warm cup of tea.

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

 Liked It!
★★★

 

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Outfoxed (Cougar Falls #4) by Marie Harte

 

Summary:

 

"When a cat tries to outsmart a sexy fox, only love can save him. "

A "Cougar Falls" Story

Grady Chastell, Shifter extraordinaire, wants to take a mate the delectable Gabby Easton. She s sexy, kind, and has the extraordinary ability to shift into "two" animal spirits, cat and fox. There s just one problem.

Gabby won't take him seriously.

He s at his wits end trying to convince her to give him a chance when trouble comes knocking at his door. Before he knows it, he s unwittingly party to one whopper of a lie that finally has Gabby where he wants her but will she feel the same when she realizes she s been duped?

It will take all his cunning, the help of the pride, and a good bit of mutual trickery to convince his foxy lady to forgive and forget. And more, to love him the cat born to be hers.

Warning: Arrogant cats who think they can outsmart the slyest of foxes. A cat war, devious siblings, hijinks with consequences, and the threat of sexualized danger as a foxy feline turns the tables on a man who likes to tell tales.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 115 Pages

Source: Toronto Public Library

Available Formats: E-book

Publication Date: March 13th 2012 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

 

Outfoxed was my first read by Marie Harte and even though it is the fourth story in the Cougar Falls series I felt like the book was completely able to stand on it's own. The book does mention the characters from the previous books but the romance between Grady and Gabby is completely their own and is the main focus of this 115 page e-novella.

 

I thought that Outfoxed was a decent read given it's novella status. I'm not much for shorter reads but this one was an okay one. There were things like the fact that Grady was the biggest playboy. I don't get the appeal but I can't really handle books where the writers make the male leads into alpha males who have to coddle the women they love. In that way I felt the relationship between Grady and Gabby was a little "meh". Even the naughty bits of the story were a bit repetitive and shallow but the one saving grace was that Gabby despite being a ditz was actually quite adorable and she was so sweet and kind to the people she cared about.

 

My main thing I liked about the book other than the humour, which I would describe as mildly funny was that it was a quick and easy read that helped me get back into the shapeshifter romance genre. I wouldn't say the plot was amazing but it was alright and had enough substance to keep me reading to find out what the outcome of the story would be and if Grady and Gabby would make it. For 115 pages I'd say the author did a nice job of mixing things up and making it feel like a longer read.

 

I would recommend this romance novella to fans of shapeshifter romances especially if you're in the mood for a quick read. I can see this being a weekend read or one that can be picked up when you have an hour of free time and would like to start and finish a book in one sitting.

 

Really Liked it!
★★★★

 

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