Play by Play (Play Makers #1) by Kate Donovan

Summary:

Former college football star Jake Dublin’s wildly popular sports blog also details his personal life. And lately it’s all about Sophie, the pretty young woman who just moved into his apartment building. His readers know her only as “Elevator Girl,” and they’re all rooting for Jake to score.

The blog posts and banter with his followers are all in good fun, and he fully intends to come clean with the woman he’s wooing and wowing. That is, until she confides that she grew up in a house full of jocks and even dated a few. Her verdict? Never again!

Jake knows he needs to confess. But somewhere along the line he fell in love with Sophie and can’t stand the thought of losing her. So he procrastinates, and blogs, and digs himself deeper into a hole, until it all leads to a showdown that’s so nail-biting, not even the best play-by-play guy could ever have seen it coming.
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 85 pages (E-book)
Source: NetGalley.com
Available Formats: E-book
Publication Date: September 9th 2013 by Beyond the Page

I'm going to be honest, since I got my Kindle up and running again I may or may not have relapsed on NetGalley. I also may or may not have gone crazy requesting some titles and I may or may not have been on the look out for new authors for me to read like Kate Donovan.

Since I decided to participate in the 2013 Sports Romance Reading Challenge I've been slacking but lately I've been trying to make progress with it so when I saw this was available on NetGalley, I downloaded anyway even though I was filled with trepidation since I don't have the best track record with novellas but recently I've been doing okay with them and I hoped my good streak would continue with this as well.

Unfortunately for me Play by Play just fumbled around for me. I didn't not like it but I didn't not not like it. It was one of those middle of the road novellas. My problem with the story was the characters. I liked the way that the story was told and the fact that Jake was a sports blogger who blogged about Elevator Girl (Sophie) was a neat way of setting up their romance but the characters and I just didn't vibe together.

Jake was sweet, I'll give him that but he was just so dull. I didn't find much to be excited about he's more of the guy friend not the boyfriend type. He was cute, sweet, mildly charming but I just didn't see the boyfriend potential that Sophie saw in him. As for Sophie, I didn't care for her much either. She was mediocre and far too insipid for my tastes. The girl couldn't make up her mind about anything and I didn't like the way she shut Jake out FOR NO REASON. But, I will say it added some much needed drama to the story. Plus, the chemistry between the two was there but I think it could have been expanded on and their sex scenes were just plain awkward and the dialogue was a little forced.

That being said, I didn't mind the novella as a whole. There were just 3 things I would have fixed and those were what I just mentioned. The actual premise of the novella was great and I enjoyed reading Jake's blog posts, and I really enjoyed that much of the story was told from his point of view (though it did alternate between him and Sophie). I thought it was so refreshing to see a romance from a mans perspective and I would love to see more romances written in the same way. Also, this was advertised as a sports romance and for once it turned out that sports were actually a big integral part of the over all story line not just some added in snippet so the author could say it was a sports romance.

Overall, this wasn't the best or the worst thing I've read this year but it' right in the middle. It was quick, and fun but there were some issues with it though it did have it's pros as well. I liked the fact that I was able to knock another new to me author off my list and I look forward to reading more by Kate Donovan soon.

I would recommend Play by Play to fans of contemporary romance and sports romances who are looking for a quick read in between novels. This would be a great little afternoon read while your relaxing after cleaning up or just in need of a little romance fix.

*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.

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

2013 Sports Romance Reading Challenge

 

 It Was Okay!
★★ 1/2

 

To become a "Fan" of Kate on Goodreads CLICK HERE

To visit Kate's Website CLICK HERE

To visit Kate's Blog CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Kobo CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE

Straight to Hell (Lilith Straight, Book 1) by Michelle Scott *Blog Tour Review*

Summary:

The moment Lilith Straight dies, the Devil appears to claim her soul and cash in on a family curse. Now, Lilith has no choice but to work for him. The job is bad, the boss is worse and she can’t imagine how she’ll explain her new reincarnation to her eight-year-old daughter. But then an arrogant, yet oh so yummy, incubus shows up…and hell heats up just a little more.

Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 179 pages (e-book)

Source: ARC provided by author

Publication Date: September 8th 2011

Back when I first started my blog in October I signed up for this tour not even thinking that I would still have a blog by the time this tour rolled around let alone having a Kindle to read it on but I'm still here and I did get a Kindle to read it on and I'm extremely glad to have been a part of the blog tour. Which by the way I will be posting an author interview for tomorrow (Thursday) morning.

Thinking back, what first made me sign up for the tour was the cover. I don't know about you but I really did covers like this. I think that in the midst of really steamy covers there is a need for a more simplistic and flirty (did I just use the word flirty? Yep) cover just to set things a part a bit more and I think that the covers are so vibrant that they really do work and get more people interested.

When I read the book I thought it started off on a pretty high note. I like how Lilith and the side characters like her daughter, niece, half-sister etc. were introduced to the story line and I enjoyed how the author didn't really jump into the paranormal aspect of the book right away and let the story build up a bit.

But I'm sad to say that there were several parts of the book did not appeal to me. I had a very difficult time connecting to the characters because I wish that Lilith had been a stronger character. She seemed rather timid to me for most of the whole book and her inner monologues grew rather tiresome. I thought that she let everyone walk all over her even when she had her demon working for her. I wish she had shown more of a backbone and that she was a lot stronger because she just didn't work for me.

However, there were some things I did like about the book. I enjoyed the way that Michelle wrote about Lilith becoming a succubus. I thought it was a really unique twist on it and that the book was a lighter take on the paranormal side of fiction which was refreshing because a lot of them are intense.

Overall I wasn't really that impressed with the book. I liked it but it could have been better. The writing was really good but like I said I was unable to connect to any of the characters because I thought they were irksome. However, I will be continuing the series by reading the next book because I do believe Michelle has a talent for writing. I would probably recommend this book to those who want a quick easy paranormal read.

To "Add" the book to Goodreads CLICK HERE

To "Like" Michelle Scott on Facebook CLICK HERE

To "Follow" Michelle Scott on Twitter CLICK HERE

To visit Michelle's website CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Amazon (available in Kindle and Paperback) CLICK HERE

To purchase the book via Barnes & Noble CLICK HERE

 

 

*I recieved a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my free and honest review.

★ ★ 1/2

Fall For You: A Jane Austen Academy Novel by Cecilia Gray

Summary:

Jane Austen meets Pretty Little Liars in this fresh, new young-adult series!

* * *

The last thing that the girls at the elite Jane Austen Academy need is hot guys to flirt with. Please. They need to stay focused on something that lasts much longer: an acceptance letter from an Ivy.

But over the summer the school has been sold, and like it or not, the guys are coming. And it's about to turn the Academy--and the lives of its students--totally upside down...
* * *

To say Lizzie and Dante are polar opposites is the understatement of the century. He's a snooty Exeter transfer with more money than Google. She's a driven study-a-holic barely keeping up with tuition. It's obvious that Dante thinks he's way too good for Lizzie. And Lizzie knows Dante is a snob with a gift for pushing her buttons.

But things are changing fast this year at the Academy. And when Lizzie's quest to stop those changes blows up in her face, taking her oldest friendship with it, she has nowhere else to turn but to Dante, with his killer blue eyes, his crazy-sexy smile, and his secrets... Secrets Lizzie can't seem to leave alone, no matter how hard she tries...

Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 128 pages (ebook)

Source: Book I won from Clean Romance Reviews

Publication Date: February 10th 2012

Ahh another modern retelling of one of Jane Austen's work...just what the world needed...or not. Now this might surprise you but I don't really care for Austen's writing...for whatever reason I can't just get into her writing and it's not because of the language of the time its just that I don't care for her. Maybe one day I will.

But getting back to Fall For You, I was planning on reading this one next month when the weather is nice outside in the backyard but one of my followers who "Likes" my Facebook page told me I should read it sooner. So last week I did.

I knew that the book would be a really light, cute read so I didn't go into it thinking that it would blow my mind. At the same time I'm not saying that light, cute reads can't be some of the best books but for me this one really wasn't one of the best ones.

The book had it's cute parts but I had one major issue. I hated Lizzie who is the main protagonist, I found her to be rude, stuck up, arrogant and all around unpleasant and I think that was why I really couldn't get into the book...well that coupled with the fact that it's set in a private boarding school. For some reason I never like books set in boarding schools because I find the characters pretentious.

Even though I wasn't a fan of the setting or Lizzie I did think it was a cute read, definitely one that I would recommend to fans of Austen, modern retellings of her stories and YA chick -lit. The over all story was actually pretty good but I couldn't get over the parts that I didn't like and believe me I did try because I wanted so much to really like the book but I just found it to be an okay read. Even though I wasn't a big fan of this book I am going to give the next one in this series a try and once again I'd like to thank Clean Romance Reviews for holding the giveaway where I won my e-copy of this book.

If I had to give the author a bit of advice it would be to make the story more believable because I think she could still retain a lot of the "theme" and be even more successful in terms of characters and plot development if she doesn't try so hard because if she wants to she could be really great at writing and that sometimes it's okay to stray away from the cliches.

To purchase the book via Amazon CLICK HERE

To visit the author's website CLICK HERE

To "Like" the author on Facebook CLICK HERE

To follow the author on Twitter CLICK HERE

★ ★ 1/2

Escape From Dinosaur Planet by Jody Studdard

Summary:

When Captain James Bowman’s ship, the Helix, is shot down during a routine survey mission, he and his crew make a shocking discovery. The planet they have crashed on, Antos, is teeming with dinosaurs, just like the ones that lived on Earth millions of years ago. As Captain Bowman and his crew attempt to discover the origins of the strange but wonderful creatures, they befriend Antos’s natives, a feline species called the Ondurans. Join Captain Bowman, his crew, and the Ondurans as they attempt to survive Antos’s many dangers, including hybrid velociraptors, alien pterosaurs with razor-sharp beaks, and a monstrous allosaur with teeth like knives.

Summary taken from GoodReads.com

Length: 128 pages

Source: Book I Own

Publication Date: January 8th 2010

Dinosaurs, space travel and aliens OH MY!

To me this book was like a mixture of Star Trek, Jurassic Park and Primeval. There was space travel which I thought was a little blah since I'm not one for space travel that's just a little too sci-fi for me. I mean my mother is addicted to Star Trek. I get enough of that in the middle of the afternoon when she's watching it.  But thank goodness it the author didn't get overly detailed on the space travel.

I feel like the author did actually put some thought into the story although I think it was way too short and I felt like the story was a little bit rushed in parts and it seemed as though there were some details missing. The thought behind the story was good but I had hoped that there would be more, but perhaps thats because it's written for a certain age group.

Overall I liked it and found it interesting.  I've never read anything else by the author but will probably be checking out the sequel to this book just to see if the author's writiting is a little stronger and that the story will gain more strength.  All in all I recommend it as a good book for kids 10+.

★ ★ 1/2

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Summary:

Orphan Hugo Cabret lives in a wall. His secret home is etched out in the crevices of a busy Paris train station. Part-time clock keeper, part-time thief, he leads a life of quiet routine until he gets involved with an eccentric, bookish young girl and an angry old man who runs a toy booth in the station. The Invention of Hugo Cabret unfolds its cryptic, magical story in a format that blends elements of picture book, novel, graphic novel, and film. Caldecott Honor-winning author-illustrator Brian Selznick has fashioned an intricate puzzle story that binds the reader like a mesmerist's spell.

Length: 533 pages (hardcover edition)

Source: Library

Publication Date: 2007

Summary taken from GoodReads.com

I know I've been a bit lax lately posting my reviews but I haven't been idle! I've already read 22 books this month so I'm doing pretty good but I will be posting my reviews faster now.

The main reason I wanted to read this book is because of the movie which I haven't seen yet but I think it looked really good so even though this was a kid's book I thought I would give it a try. I thought that this book was unique and I really enjoyed the artwork. The artwork was actually the best part of the whole book in my opinion.

I will admit that the story was different from all the magic that seems to be in kids books now and it was nice to have a break from that but, I didn't really care for the writing in this book at all. I really wanted to like this one because I read a lovely review of  it over at The Crazy Life of a Bookaholic Mom (one of my favourite blogs run by a fellow GoodReads group member).  But I didn't like it all that much. I couldn't connect to any of the characters at all and found them all really annoying. I didn't like Hugo at all. I thought he was a  little brat and he deserved to be treated as a nuisance. Yes his father dies but honestly his whole demeanor didn't sit well with me.

The only reason that I even bothered to finish it was on the hope that it would get a little better and it did slightly. I found Papa Georges part in the story to be interesting and it was one of the few things I did like apart from the artwork. Despite the idea for the plot being a good one and the artwork being so lovely I would have given this a much lower rating than I have. But, like always I encourage you to go out and try it yourselves. Just because I didn't like it, it doesn't mean that you won't and even though I thought the book was lacking a lot I would still recommend this for kids to read on their own or with someone. I think that for a children's book it could have been much worse but it could have also been much better. I do hope that whenever me and the Mister do watch this movie that I like it more than I did the book.

★ ★ 1/2

Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan by Hildi Kang

Click here to see the other books I'm reading for this challenge.

 

Summary:

Chengli is an orphaned errand boy who lives in Chang’an China in 630 A.D. His mother has died from illness and his father is presumed dead after disappearing into the desert when Chengli was a baby.
Now thirteen, Chengli feels ready for independence. He is drawn to the desert, beckoned by the howling of strange winds and the hope of learning something about his father—who he was and how he died.
Chengli joins the caravan to travel down the merchant route known as the Silk Road, but it is a dangerous life, as his father knew. The desert is harsh, and there are many bandits, particularly drawn to Chengli’s caravan because a princess, her servants, and royal guards are traveling with them.
This story invites readers to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of this fabled desert route.

Summary taken from Goodreads.com

So I took a trip to China for my around the world challenge and I managed to go back in time as well. Our maincharaqchter is a 13 year old boy named Chengli who was orphaned as a baby and raised by an elderly woman named "Old Cook". He spends his days delivering silk for the merchant he works for with his companion Little Limp until one day the urge to find information about his father leads him to quitting his job and joining up with a caravan that will travel 2,000 miles from where he'a grown up.

The road is long and the days are harsh, Chengli has to battle exhaustion all the time. Plus the fact that he's got to deal with an annoying child princess, the threat of bandits, and the fact that the boy he thought of as his friend Fourth Brother is stealing and Chengli can't do anything to stop him.

Mile after mile the days begin to wear on him but after a brief stop in a town he becomes friends with the bratty princess and still manages to seek information about his dead father but he recieves very little information at all.

At another stop the Caravan is attacked by brigands and the princess is stolen. Chengli risks his own life in pursuit of her but becomes injured. As he slowly begins to heal and his story spreads the people that have taken care of him and he recieves information bit by bit about where the princess is. Soon he is well enough to pursue her and rescue her from her captors and with the help of his new found friends he finds her and frees her and in the process avoids death serval times to find a man who knew his father.

The princess goes on her way to meet the king she was supposed to be married and Chengli returns to his home town knowing that his life is forever changed and that he's made a life lng friend in this once bratty princess.

I liked the idea of the story more than I liked the writing itself. It was not written badly I just didn't feel that it flowed at times and I found it to progress fairly slowly despite being a tale of adventure the writing seemed stiff. I did like the characters though and I like how both the Princess and Chengli evolved ad grew up as their circumstances changed. Both in the end showed that they had an inner strength to them that was not evident before.

I feel that this book while I didn't like it as much as I wanted would be perfectly suited for 10-12 year olds, as it expose the readers to a time and culture they might not already be familiar with.

*I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

★ ★ 1/2

Breakfast at Tiffany's A Short Novel and Three Stories by Truman Capote

Summary:
In this seductive, wistful masterpiece, Truman Capote created a woman whose name has entered the American idiom and whose style is a part of the literary landscape. Holly Golightly knows that nothing bad can ever happen to you at Tiffany's; her poignancy, wit, and naïveté continue to charm.

This volume also includes three of Capote's best-known stories, “House of Flowers,” “A Diamond Guitar,” and “A Christmas Memory,” which the Saturday Review called “One of the most moving stories in our language.” It is a tale of two innocents—a small boy and the old woman who is his best friend—whose sweetness contains a hard, sharp kernel of truth.
Summary takrn from Goodreads.com

So after years of trying to avoid most of the modern classics I decided to break down and read this one. I spotted it by chance a week ago and picked it up figuring that with it being so short it would be a quick read. Plus I'm trying to branch out and try some books that I might not usually give a chance.
Sadly I hoped that this book would be much better than it was, yet it never achieved anything more than mediocrity in my eyes. While I did find Holly Golightly to be amusing I just could not get into his writing. To me it was dull and slow. But it seems like the majority of people who have read it do enjoy it. This may be a case of it being a book that just isn't for me.
I did enjoy Breakfast at Tiffany's more than I did his short stories which I found to be dreary and poorly written. I did not like how here was a lack of fluidity but then again I am not a fan of short stories in general and I don't think that I will be reading anything else by him in the near future, perhaps in 10 years or so when I'm older I'll give this one another shot.
I do hope that despite my review while very short and not very favourable that you give this book a try for yourselves. Far be it for me to hinder people from reading when I think people should be reading more.

 ★ ★ 1/2

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas

Summary:
New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas's new series begins during the most magical time of year
 ONE LITTLE GIRL NEEDS A FAMILY One rain-slicked night, six-year-old Holly lost the only parent she knew, her beloved mother Victoria. And since that night, she has never again spoken a word.



ONE SINGLE MAN NEEDS A WIFE The last thing Mark Nolan needs is a six-year-old girl in his life. But he soon realizes that he will do everything he can to make her life whole again. His sister's will gives him the instructions: There's no other choice but you. Just start by loving her. The rest will follow.

SOMETIMES, IT TAKES A LITTLE MAGIC... Maggie Collins doesn't dare believe in love again, after losing her husband of one year. But she does believe in the magic of imagination. As the owner of a toy shop, she lives what she loves. And when she meets Holly Nolan, she sees a little girl in desperate need of a little magic.

...TO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE Three lonely people. Three lives at the crossroads. Three people who are about to discover that Christmas is the time of year when anything is possible, and when wishes have a way of finding the path home...
Summary taken from Goodreads.com

This was my first time reading a book by the author Lisa Kleypas and I went into it with low expectations even though this has been sitting on my TBR shelf for over a year. I was first drawn to the book because of the cover which is lovely and since I've been reading Christmasy books the last couple weeks I thought this would be a nice heartwarming tale.
I was wrong. This book had no elements of a heartwarming tale, though I did love Holly and I liked Maggie a lot I just could not get over my distaste for Mark Nolan and his brothers Sam and Alex. I actually thought all three brothers were complete asses the who book. The fact that Mark didn't want Holly to have an imagination and didn't thin Maggie should still miss her dead husband really irked me. I also hated how pushy he was and I didn't like how Maggie did NOT appear to have a backbone at all. I mean sheesh she's a redhead. She SHOULD be fiery! 
I felt like the whole story was rushed and forced. It didn't seem to flow and it was as if the author didn't  know how she wanted the story to go. I wish that there would have been more warmth in the book and I felt that Holly and the dog Renfield were the best things in the book. I wish it had been better since this is the first book by this author that I've read so I'm hoping that the next book I read by her is better.
I actually don't think I would recommend this book to anyone but please, don't let my review stop you from reading this book. Try it and see for yourself how you like it :)

★ ★1/2

Chibi Vampire Volumes 1-4 (Karin #1-#4) by Yuna Kagesaki

Summary: Karin is a cute little girl who also happens to be a vampire...with a twist. Once a month, she experiences intense bleeding from her nose--we're talking gushers! In other words, she's a vamp with blood to spare, so rather than stealing blood from humans she actually gives her blood to them. If done right, this can be an extremely positive experience that benefits the "victim" as much as the vampire. The problem is that Karin never seems to do things right!
Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Since I don't want to give all of the plot away to potential readers I will not be adding the summaries for the volumes 2-4 in this review thus I will only be providing the summary and cover for Volume One.I hate when too much of the plot is given away by reading the summaries when the volumes at hand are reviewed in bulk such as these.

Now on to the review!

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I decided to grab these off the shelf in the teen graphic novel/manga section in my library last Thursday. Perhaps I was drawn to the covers. I'm a sucker every once in awhile for a cutesy book. This happened to be one of those occasions.

So yesterday I started reading them and was immediately drawn to the artwork. I'm fast coming to love the manga/anime style. I mean I was a fan of Sailor Moon (still am but now I pay homage to that show on the down low).  I mean I think the main character Karin is adorable. She's so tiny and cute! I had high hopes for this series since I was so impressed with the artwork but sadly the stories leave much to be desired.

I stuck it out through the first 4 volumes of this 14 volume series and I haven't seen any real plot progression. I find the story to be quiet boring and the characters to be very one dimensional no matter how cute they are. I especially hate Ren, Karin's older brother is a complete ass, her mother is a b!tch and her father is a little creepy. Speaking of creepy her little sister has a doll that's possessed by the spirit of a serial killer who murdered 13 people with a kitchen knife...but I actually liked that part. I love me some creepiness.

I think I may stick this series out just because I want to see what happens but I highly doubt that the author will impress me, which makes me sad since I so wanted to like these more than I did. It could also be because though this series is rated T+ for older teens it's still to kid like for me.

So far I'd give these 4 volumes 2.5/5 stars each as a rating and would only recommend them to younger teens, who like really fluffy manga. But I strongly urge those who decide to read this series to borrow them from the library and not buy them until you're sure you like them.

The Good Neighbors Book One: Kin by Holly Black

Summary: Rue Silver's mother has disappeared . . . and her father has been arrested, suspected of killing her. But it's not as straightforward as that. Because Rue is a faerie, like her mother was. And her father didn't kill her mother -- instead, he broke a promise to Rue's faerie king grandfather, which caused Rue's mother to be flung back to the faerie world. Now Rue must go to save her -- and must also defeat a dark faerie that threatens our very mortal world.

Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Generally I stay away from the teen graphic novels because they just don't seem to live up to my expectations. However, last weekend despite my previous let downs I borrowed several teen graphic novels. This happened to be one of them.

Now I've never read any of Holly Black's other works, but I have heard very mixed reviews but the general consensus has seemed to be that she's an "alright" author. Not good and not bad but smack dab in the middle.

I was hoping that I would be in the minority of those who enjoyed her work a lot. Unfortunately, I was smack dab in the middle. Maybe it's because this was a graphic novel and not a novel who knows. I suppose I will have to give one of her novels a try by borrowing it from the library.

I found the writing to be weak. The character building was poorly done. It seems as if Black was trying to make the main character Rue seem way too emo for my tastes. The girl sees faeries. That doesn't mean that she has to be EMO just because she sees things that others cannot. Black just tried to hard to build her characters which in my opinion fell flat.

I felt that the story fell flat. It was like half the story was missing. I understand that she wanted to leave some things unsaid in order to carry on to the second and third books in The Good Neighbors Trilogy.

I did however like the art in this graphic novel. It was well done and I found it to be the main saving grace of the entire work. It is because of the art that I boosted the rating up from 2 stars to 2.5

I would recommend this graphic novels to people who like YA, Graphic Novels and Faeries...so I'd basically recommend it to most teenage girls. I do plan on reading the rest of the Trilogy in hopes that this was just a weak start since I already have them out from the series.