bandherbooks's Reviews (3.65k)

Hot, steamy, and heck it was in Scotland. That said, you could hardly tell it was actually set in Scotland and not just Any Town, Anwheresville besides a tiny use of slang and city names (set in Edinburgh). A fine way to pass the day while too sick to read anything heavy.

Basically a love letter to Outlander, and not as good. Nathaniel is fairly unlikable and I thought it was ridiculous how fast (instantly) these two "fell in love." Also, the dialect was annoying - so many "aint's" - and it didn't sweep me away to the time period.

THEN she had to go and actually name Outlander characters as a plot point (Claire, Jamie, and Ian), which was the death knell for me. Slightly spoiled me as well for Outlander since this book takes place a fair amount of time after the last Outlander book I read (BOSAA) Dammit.

I LOVED On The Fence by Kasie West, but unfortunately this story did not connect with me in the same way. It was well-written, but the Rich Boy/Poor Girl meet cute romance arc with LIES as the main driving force of the plot isn't for me. Also, dolls ARE creepy and I can see why you would never make any money selling them.

Kasie West fans will eat this one up though. Not bad, just not for me.

I love kissing books, but despite the hot chemistry this one missed the mark for me. I couldn't quite believe that various adults would continuously cover-up the massive mess-ups of Beth's mom (drugs, domestic violence, etc) just to keep her out of jail.

I think older teens will still fall hook, line, and sinker for this and the newer titles in this series are excellent.

Despite the length, 1000+ pages in my UK edition purchased at the Culloden Battlefield Memorial, there was nary a dull moment in the seventh book of the Outlander Series. Usually there are some loooong stretches where I'm all, where is this going Diana, but not here! I did have some trouble with the constant date and POV shifts, having to flip back and forth a few times to realize who was where, when, and I did completely miss one fairly obvious character that caused me to massively spoil this book for a friend also reading it. Oops. Damn you naked

Spoiler

Ben Franklin

!

Also, major questions I've had FROM THE BEGINNING OF TIME were addressed! YES! Also, cliffhanger. Holy hell. Glad to know that I can read Book 8, [b:Written in My Own Heart's Blood|11710373|Written in My Own Heart's Blood (Outlander, #8)|Diana Gabaldon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365173799s/11710373.jpg|16657990], at any time. However, I am also very sad to that I only have one published book left to go before I enter the waiting game a la GOT.

Spoilers ahead!

Spoiler

**Time Travel and the effects of time travel are discussed, but not answered. I loved how Gabaldon addressed this by having Roger consider his Presbyterian beliefs on predestination versus some knowledge they have that their time traveling MAY actually change somethings. **I swear that mother f'ing Frank is going to have had some knowledge of events, especially for Brianna's sake, but I'm not sure what it is. Just a thought. **I about peed when I learned that Captain Randall's son/nephew (really nephew) is tooling around with William in Canada. He seems OK for now, so I hope the Randall's are going to break free of the Captain's evilness, but we shall see! **Don't fuck with Rollo. I was so worried about his so many times, and as Ian says, "He's a good dog." **I love Friends Rachel and Denzell, new Quaker characters who are both in love with other important characters. I sure hope Ian and Rachel work out, and I'm glad that William put an end to crazy Arch Bug. Phew. **I was so heartbroken every time Brianna, Roger, and the kiddos thought about how much they missed Claire and Jamie. Those damn letters. Sob. **Thanks for ending the book with poor Jemmy lost in a mine/cave shaft in the dark. Also I think Roger has time traveled back with the g-d Nuckalavee, who turns out to be Geillis's spawn, William Buccleigh Mackenzie. Not who I was expecting! **Claire and Jamie. What can I say? Old people sex has never been so hawt - and now they both have spectacles! **OMG and LORD JOHN GREY AND CLAIRE DO IT! Kind of twice, if you count the handy-j. Sweet lord, how many times is Claire going to have to get married for "her protection??" I knew it was no good when Claire and Jamie had to be separated by a freakin' ocean. **Ian the Elder's death broke my heart, especially his last words to Jamie "On your right, man." when he was asked where he would be after his death. **It was so good to be in Scotland again, with both Bree and Roger, and with the Clan Fraser at Lallybroch of old. Jenny's coming to America! **I wasn't too entranced by Young William, but now he knows who his parents are...uh oh.

Honestly don't know if I should consider this 100% read as I started skimming through the melodrama at a certain point, but overall I did enjoy a bit more of Noah and Echo. You definitely need to read the first book to understand what is going on here, and the endless TALKING about the same problems the characters faced in the first book gets tiring, but enjoy the sexy parts. There's quite a few of them, mostly a will they or won't they finally do it vibe with constant interruptions by circumstances and friends, and of course a nefarious ex.

re-read July 13-14 2015 in preperation for Book 2. Entrancing.

The title, description,and cover art of this book hide the really awesome story of Princess Lia and her attempt to create her own fate. Pearson has built a wonderfully detailed world, including various languages, a map which wasn't included in the digital ARC copy I reviewed, and an array of warring factions that all have enough ambiguity that you do not know who to root for. Everyone has their reasons for violence and deception. Kudos to Pearson for tricking me with the most clever use of a 'love triangle' I have read in recent times and damn her for the cliff hanger. Now I can't wait until 2015. :)

**Reviewed from a free copy received from www.netgalley.com

I love the new Colorado setting for this series, and the mountains! Hot sexy S&R fire fighters are also a good thing too.

The heroine was feisty, and Shalvis always does a great job of not letting silly lies drive her story. Can't wait for more.

Playing with fire indeed! Super hot, super steamy, and well written. I liked that Alex was a well-rounded character, and not your typical fainting romance novel heroine. She's a bad ass fire fighter who likes punk underwear and a hot guy who will order her around the bedroom (but not life). Super fun.

Thank you to www.netgalley.com for the ARC.

Samantha Reed quietly watches the massive Garrett family, a family so different from her own. Her mother sneers at the family's apparent lack of control (due to the large family size) and their lifestyle choices, which clash so much with her State Senator standards. Samantha secretly disagrees, and someone from the Garrett family has been watching her right back.

After middle son Jace jumps onto her roof one night, Samantha is sucked into his family-heart and soul. Everything is perfect, but Samantha can't seem to tell her mom she's dating the boy next door. Thankfully her mom is focused on her reelection campaign and a budding romance with a smarmy campaign manager, but one night Samantha's world collides with Jace's in the worst way possible.

A perfect summer read. Ah! You can't help but fall in love with Jace and his family. You want to be in that family. You want Jace as your boyfriend. There is so much love and life. Fitzpatrick is such a vivid writer, and this story just shines. I also enjoyed the peripheral characters, especially recovering addict Tim (who is getting his own book!!!). There was also a lot of kissing, and a couple of very tasteful and lovely sex scenes.

I did read a fairly similar story by Sarah Dessen recently, but who cares. This is amazing. More please!