Review: Mission to Murder

Mission to Murder by Lynn Cahoon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jill, Jill, Jill. You are silly. But I found you less annoying in this book, slightly. Your boyfriend Greg is amazing and is very much like my husband. You need to lock that down, stat.

Jill finds herself smack in the middle of a murder, and is once again the prime suspect. Seriously? I think there are 400 people in this town, and Jill is always stepping in it. Add the Scooby Doo-style wrap up with the villains at the end and I had to deduct a half star.

However, I am a sucker for a quick mystery, so I will of course read book 3. Feel free to judge me! 2 1/2 stars, rounding up to 3 because I love Greg and her dog Emma.

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Review: Crown of Midnight

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book 2. More Celaena. More intrigue. Twists, turns, deception. Good stuff. This series is great on audio.

Celaena is now the King's Champion. She continues to kick ass, yet be her own person. She can't seem to get her shit together on the romance front, but I'll give her a pass because she led a messed up life during her formative years. She's a good person, but flawed, and I love her. Oh, and speaking of love...Chaol. Ah, Chaol. You are my book boyfriend. You are 100% better than Dorian (stay over there in the friend zone, please, because you will find a perfectly good princess to fall in love with later, I'm sure). You love Celaena, even with her rough edges. You guys are a great match, which I'm sure means there will be love triangles galore in the next few books. I can handle it as long as you get your HEA. I love me a good HEA. I'm a sap. Shut up.

4 stars. Almost scared to start book 3 and ruin my happiness.

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Review: The Last Girl

The Last Girl by Joe Hart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Really torn what to rate this one. On one hand, I thought the premise was interesting. On the other, it was about 100 pages too long. It was a slow read for something that should have been full of action.

Meet Zoey, a woman in a world that isn't having girl babies anymore, and no one knows why. She has spent her life in a compound with other girls who are basically prisoners, but for their own safety. Lots of things happen, then more things happen, then we reach the cliffhanger ending to send us right into book 2's arms. Book 2 may be waiting quite a while (no offense).

My main beef may sound strange. Actually, I have two main beefs--one on the writing, one on the plot. 1) The writing. Zoey (and the rest of the girls) are written like young teens. I had to keep reminding myself that she was turning 21 in a few weeks. She seemed 14 at most. 2) The plot. Seriously, has everyone in America lost their minds at that point? Females do not determine gender, males do. So unless I misunderstood that they were (view spoiler)[killing the women if they did not produce a female, and they had to have been because there was only one girl there (hide spoiler)], then this book makes no sense from top to bottom. Now that I'm thinking more about it, there are more threads to unravel and I may end up with no sweater, so I will stop this review and go drink coffee instead.

2.5 stars. I reserve the right to read book 2 at some point if it fits a challenge. Otherwise I will pretend they all lived happily ever after.

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Review: An American in Scotland

An American in Scotland by Karen Ranney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Once upon a time, I accidentally started with the third book in a series. You see, I needed a book with someone wearing a kilt on the cover, and this fit the bill. So off I went.

We hit the right notes here. Strong, smart, independent heroine. She travels from America to strike a deal with MacIain. He is taken with her right away. Not looking for love, he stumbles into her. They are like puzzle pieces. Cue violins. And then there are misunderstandings, danger, and kisses. And they finally get their HEA. Not a spoiler, just the genre, folks. Calm down. You don't read historical romance for any other reason, and you know it.

I liked it enough to read books 1 and 2. I'm giving in 3 1/2 stars, but rounding down because I may not read it again, and I reserve 4 stars for books I will re-read.

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Review: Neanderthal Seeks Human

Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is definitely not my usual genre, but I really loved this book. Janie was awkward, and weird, and smart, and funny. Quinn was shockingly a good balance for her. At first I thought she was written way too over the top with the quirkiness--I'm ridiculous and I'm nowhere near as bad as her--and she was WAY too oblivious, but that's ok. By the end, I got what I wanted, the HEA.

I switched back and forth between the audio and eBook, and the narration was solid. 4 surprising stars from me, and I will read the others.

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Review: Highlander's Bride

Highlander's Bride by Lexy Timms
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Nothing remarkable here. The story winds around, not making a ton of sense, but the MCs hit it off sexually and get well acquainted VERY quickly. Barely any time travel and no explanations, but I'm not interested enough to continue the series to find out. Lame. Insta-love and lots of historical tropes in this one. 2 stars.

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Review: Named of the Dragon

Named of the Dragon by Susanna Kearsley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I typically love Susanna Kearsley, but this one fell a bit flat for me. Maybe it's because I listened to it on audio. I just didn't get pulled into the story like I usually do.

I didn't like the characters. Any of them. They were all bad people, self-absorbed, ridiculous, and a bit vapid. The cheesy ending was actually what nudged it from 2.5 stars back to 3, because you know I am a sucker for that HEA.

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Review: The Highlander Takes a Bride

The Highlander Takes a Bride by Lynsay Sands
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm a sucker for a kick-ass heroine. No wilting flowers for me, thanks.

Meet Saidh Buchanan. She rides well, shoots well, and talks like a pirate. Sometimes. But sometimes she's a lady. What a paradox! Now meet Greer. Strong, sexy. A big heart under all of those big muscles. He falls for Saidh. She falls for him. But she isn't looking to be strapped to anyone, and I liked that about her. I also love her rowdy brothers, and thought it added a layer of fun to the story. They are ridiculous.

Mystery and intrigue are afoot, and Greer and Saidh look to figure out what is happening in the castle before it's too late. Will they solve the crime? Will they live HEA? You can guess the answer to both questions, and then read to find out if you are right. (Spoiler...you are). 3 stars. I'll go back and read books 1 & 2 as well.

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