Books Read 2016

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Tue Aug 30, 2016 10:26 am

NOT "Just Friends": Rebuilding Trust and Recovering Your Sanity After Infidelity

Well written self-help book for those that don't have faith in marriage counselors, or prefer complete privacy. Author claims title of leading expert on infidelity in the US, and has a relatively statistics and scientific approach compared to others in the field. In fact, she goes so far as to claim that many marriage counselors and especially "women's
magazine" columnists give poor or just plain wrong advice, based on assumptions that are not backed up by research. She herself did several studies and found quite a few nuggets of evidence that fly in the face of conventional wisdom.

One of those was that infidelity happens much more often than thought in marriages where BOTH spouses rated the marriage as "happy".

The title of the book is pretty specific, but I would recommend it for any married person who has not had a discussion about boundaries with their significant other (something that doesn't seem necessary in happy marriages, but again, the stats don't back that assumption up).

As the sage Kasey Chang alluded to in another (*cough*

) thread, it's important to be on the same page with the spouse in terms of what is acceptable and what is not, considering casual workplace acquaintances, friends or neighbor relations.

If you suspect or think your partner may be interested in others from a romantic or sexual POV (and that idea goes against your assumptions about your relationship), I highly recommend this book. Obviously, if something has happened already, this book is amazing and I would consider it even necessary (if counseling is off the table for whatever reason).

The author has pretty much "seen it all" in terms of infidelity, and so you will read about case studies that barely seem to be classifiable as "infidelity", to full blown, years long affairs that produced offspring (and how to deal with that nightmare).

I will admit that I had to digest this book in bites...very hard to read, not because of the writing style, but the content, and the author's direct manner of putting things. Ultimately, I think that style was more helpful than not - no sugar coating, just the straight dope.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Wed Aug 31, 2016 3:17 am

Finished Dan and Frankie Save the World by Richard Langridge

Dan is an IT programmer in a pretty dead-end advertising agency job, slogging through life as an office drone, with a best bud (since kindergarten) Frankie, who's a loser in life who apparently picks up skills from watching TV and playing Xbox. When Dan's boss Mr. Stewart told Dan to come in on a Saturday to make up for "lost productivity" Frankie came up with a revenge plan... only to stumble into the greatest conspiracy ever... alien slugs have taken over much of the US population, much like invasions of the body snatchers, and Mr. Stewart was one of those slugs... and the two bumbling fools managed somehow to kill him and bury him, only to be attacked by MORE softies back in the office... and they lucked into a hidden resistance group, and discovered the slug's plan... "Convert" the President of the United States at a film premiere. Will there two bumbling fools save the day? Or are we all doomed?

Written in first-person as the suffering "Boswell" Dan to the crazy Frankie, the book is fun as two absolutely not-heroes managed to carve their way through the greatest assault on the US since 9/11, much like Shaun of the Dead surviving a zombie apocalypse. The slugs react violently to salt, can be tortured through horrible singing by Frankie, and the end... gets very very wet, with promise of more to come. Fun read, can recommend to all, probably 6 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Wed Aug 31, 2016 3:27 am

Carpet_pissr wrote:NOT "Just Friends": Rebuilding Trust and Recovering Your Sanity After Infidelity

She passed away back in 2003 at the age of 67... And her son is none other than Ira Glass of NPR (producer of This American Life and many other NPR shows). This book was her first and final book.

Here's her website: http://www.shirleyglass.com/news.htm

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Wed Aug 31, 2016 8:10 am

Wow, cool, thanks for sharing that. Sad that she died before finishing the more academic follow up book she started.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Sep 01, 2016 6:47 pm

Finished ["First Strike: Book 1 of Kurgan War"]) by Richard Turner (NOTE: Current FREE on Kindle)

2nd Lt Michael Sheridan reluctantly joins the war because he's the son of an admiral, not because he's a fighter. He'd rather stay with his girlfriend despite pressure from his mother, but duty calls. Assigned to garrison a planet away from the frontier, Sheridan soon found himself on a surprise frontline as the Kurgans mount an all-out offensive with drones, H/K bots, and human wave attacks. Lt. Sheridan better grow up... and grow up fast, as there are people counting on him... maybe a whole planet...

The book is pretty typical "military fiction". The Kurgans really makes no sense. If they are that fatalistic to engage in human waves where lives have no meaning, why would they bother develop HK robots and drones? OTOH, the rest of the plot is tolerable. 5 out of 8 tentacles.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Sep 03, 2016 4:29 am

Finished Housewife Assassin's Handbook (Housewife Assassin Book 1) by Josie Brown

Donna Stone was happily married, had several kids got the proverbial house and dogs, then on the night she's delivering her daughter in the hospital, she was told the bad news... Her husband Carl apparently died in a car bomb attack... And thus she learned that she had been living a lie. Her husband was an Acme operative... An assassin, fighting a group of rogue assassins known as the Quorum. And thus she's recruited into Acme, one of the front companies operated by the CIA, to do some dirty jobs as an assassin... while keeping her cover as a housewife in suburbia. And her husband was just... away. As Donna nail criminals while balancing her PTA duties, carry out her "assignments" while trying to make it to school pickup slogging through I495 traffic, the Quorum is not standing still. A new operation is in the works, and to help ferret it out, Acme assigned Jack to play her husband... Then it turns out her husband wasn't dead after all... Who's the real rogue? When not all problems can be solved with cupcakes or Glocks, work-life balance issues abound.

Interesting mixture of suspense, spy thriller, action, romance, and even a bit of sex. First person may turn some people off, but it adds to the charm as the sheer hilarity of the situation makes it a worthwhile read.

The series is up to book 12, but the first book is free. I'd say this is a solid 6, probably even 6.5 if you dig the suburbia setting.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Sep 03, 2016 11:50 pm

Finished Deadly Messengers by Susan May

A series of unexplained mass murders plagued the city. First a guy with NO history of violence suddenly took and axe and cleaved his way through a restaurant with 7 dead (and he was shot full of holes by the cops a little later). A few days later a wonderful kid orderly at a nursing home burned the place down killing half dozen seniors and the night manager with him. A few days later a suburban mom shot up her family party of kids and parents. Freelance reporter Kendall was lucky to snag an interview with the survivor from the first massacre. Detective Lance O'Grady was assigned to the case(s) as everybody wanted answers. Neither can stand the other, but each instinctive know that each has some of the answers that the other needs. And there is an evil genius at work, as he's trying to send a message. And if nobody will read his message... then more people will die... And his latest messenger will be Kendall herself...

Now, a little spoiler...

Spoiler:

While interesting, and dramatic, and in a way, kinda horrifying, it's ultimately "trippy" and didn't feel that realistic. Four and a half out of eight.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Sep 05, 2016 1:43 am

Finished Immortal Remains: Tim Reaper Book 1

Tim Reaper is just a pseudonym, but what he does is very real, for he used to be a reaper. He's not human so he doesn't have a soul, but he can... borrow bodies from folks who had... "check out". Cast out from the immortal realm for not doing his job (letting a man live beyond his allotted time, and in turn, unleashed a pandemic) he chose to remain among the living, jumping hosts every once in a while as the body wore out, hunting down soulless creatures such as serial killers and such around the Halifax area. His long "life" meant he collected quite a few allies, and made plenty of enemies as he has his own moral code. So when the Catholic church send him a messenger with an envelope... containing what can only be feather from an angel, crusted with what can only be angel's blood... Reaper is intrigued, but little did he know how deep the rabbit hole goes... Someone has the ability to kill an angel... and it gets worse from there...

Basically another urban fantasy, with the guy who's NOT indestructible, dealing with forces beyond our understanding... Lots of angels (and demons) make their appearance, and nothing overly breathtaking. Le't say solid 5 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Sep 06, 2016 4:14 pm

Finished To the Bone by Jeff Carson, a David Wolf Mystery (Book 7)

David Wolf is no longer the sheriff, but chief detective. His son is seeing a girl... and the girl, upon getting home, found her father shot to death on his doorstep. The father is a professor, and a pretty big name in the ancient fossil trade circles, and David Wolf is tasked to bring the killer(s) to justice in the mountains of Colorado, with another sheriff and a retired police dog named Jet. But they are up against some people's million dollar payday... money people are willing to kill for...

Not a bad mystery, when it's got fossils and such mixed. In. Everybody has a secret, and red herrings are everywhere. Six out of Eight.

Finished Dragon Security 6-book Bundle by Glenna Sinclair ($1 on Amazon)

"Private security romance" (i.e. the Bodyguard) series, involving the folks in Dragon Security

Book 1: Cole returned after his brother Peter's death, possibly to join Dragon Security when Amber walked in, 8 months pregnant, and she claimed the baby was Peter's. Cole saw only a gold digger, but sister Megan saw a vulnerable soul... So Megan sent Cole on his first assignment... Assess if Amber is the real thing... and if Peter's death is really an accident. Cole was not ready for what he would find: love.

Book 2: Vincent is a highly trained operator, but nothing he had been trained for taught him how to act around a famous porn actress with a daughter and insist on keeping her personal and professional lives separate, and someone had pierced the wall. Someone is stalking Quinn Smith, someone who had figured out her porn identity and her real identity. To protect her, Vincent have to understand her, and learn a lot about himself as well.

Book 3: Dominic is one of the senior operatives in Dragon Security. He was in love with Amy, and was engaged to be married, but later lost her love when he had to maintain cover on assignment. When he got news that Amy's twin sister Emily was killed, he realized Amy is also in terrible danger... And he resolved to do something that he can't contemplate... To protect Amy, he must kidnap her first.

Book 4: Marcus was extremely conflicted when he was assigned to protect Candace, who was a nurse that will be surrogate to Blake and Annie Zimmerman's baby. Blake was the hotshot football star (now retired) who had a career that should have belonged to Marcus, but Marcus will do his job... esp. when a genuine threat appeared, for someone really do want this surrogate dead...

Book 5: Hayden is the office flirt, who flirts with ALL the girls... except one, Sam, who is the boss lady Megan's personal assistant and best friend. Hayden loves to make fun of Sam's conservative style, and usually calls her grandma. Imagine their surprise when Megan assigned them to play a young married couple trying to get a loan from a crooked loan officer taking bribes to falsify credit reports. Then Hayden's past came calling...

Book 6: Megan the boss lady has her own problems. Her fiancee Luke literally walked out of her life the day before their wedding and haven't been seen since. Her brother Peter is gone, her best friend Sam's gone (See Book 5), her brother Cole's married (see Book 1), she's alone in facing the world... Who is Dante, this new hire that sort of resembles Luke and appears to know more he admit to, and has even shared her bed at her most vulnerable time? When external threats threaten to destroy everything she worked for, Megan will find that her greatest ally is someone who's right next to her all along.

Better than average "suspense romance". Individual guys actually do think differently. Personally, that last book is really f***ed up thinking. But its' a good "hint" dropped way back in the first book, among other things. However, the author uses switching viewpoints a lot, a romance cliche, his view / her view kinda thing. Which I find rather confusing.

Let's call it 5.5 out of 8.

Finished Cop of the Year by Kathryn Shay (Bayview Heights Book 1) (FREE on Amazon)

Captain Mitch Lansing is a by the rules cop who suppressed his bad memories from Vietnam, but his latest stint, be a liaison teacher in Bayview High School as a part of new program to improve police - community relations, threatens to upset that careful balance, esp. when he ran into the unorthodox teacher, Cassandra "Cassie" Smith, and the reaction is mutual. For Mitch to be accepted , he must let down his guard, and let the kids and Cassie into his life, and for him to confront something he tried desperately to bury for decades.

Part of me says it's a romance novel, why would it involve gangs and high school kids as secondary characters, but it does add a nice background B-plot of things.

Call it 5 out of 8 (possibly higher for romance fans).

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 4:26 am

Finished Foreign Deceit, David Wolf Book 1 by Jeff Carson (currently free on Amazon)

David Wolf is setting down as a deputy in Sluice County, Colorado, and is doing well. So well, he's one of the two candidates (and the shoo-in) for the sheriff's post. The other, Connell, is an egomaniac bull****er quick to take any credit and dump any blame, but he's also son of a former mayor and local bigshot. His ex-wife is out of rehab, his opponent Connell apparently just tried to kill him, and now came the news that his brother, had apparently committed suicide in the Alps of Italy. But David Wolf is suspicious... So he heads out to a foreign land, and quickly figured out there's something very wrong in the picture... John did not commit suicide... the scene was staged. When more bodies started to stack up, with conspiracy involving Eastern European gangs and smuggling, and the local carabinieri seem to be more interested in covering their asses than investigate, David Wolf had no choice but to take the matter into his own hands... hopefully without ruffling too many feathers...

Interesting "fish out of water" setup where Wolf pieced together the truth with enemies scrambling to cover their tracks. I can give this one a 6.5 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 2:20 am

Finished What If It's True? by Dixie Burns

Cedar Hill is a small town where everybody knows everybody... except the new divorcee who just moved in... Clarissa Clooney, and it's not long before she discovered something is very wrong in this town. Trig Foley, the sheriff, knows almost everybody in town, except the new arrival. Something is wrong with the foster girls in town... Somebody is forcing them to make child porn. Who's behind it? Was it the local baron? The local pastor? The local judge? Then one of the girls died... Together, Trig and Clarissa will confront the evil hiding in this town, but only one of them will stay...

Nice combination whodunit / romance. I can give this six out of eight.

Finished The Ghost Cop by Damon Norko

Death has been conquered... somewhat. Orpheum Corporation can "salvage" your soul and turn you into a ghost if they can get to you fast enough after death. Thad Springer is the recipient of one such procedure after his accident in a squad car. Instead of a regular beat cop, he's now a ghost cop... someone who investigates paranormal activities committed by other ghosts who won't pass on and won't follow rules. Thad can still see his wife and kid, if he wears the special suit that allow him a physical form. But ghosts are disappearing, and Orpheum Corporation doesn't know why. But Thad's kid may have the answer...

I finished this book but it still makes little sense. There doesn't seem to be much of a plot to the whole thing. 4 out of 8.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:47 am

(Cross-posted from the Sci-Fi Novels thread)

I just finished Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.

Blake Crouch is perhaps best known for his Wayward Pines novels that were adapted into the TV series on Fox, and he's also the creator of TNT show Good Behavior.

It's hard to talk about the plot without giving too much away, so I'll keep it very high-level: Physicist Jason Dessen finds himself ripped away from the life he once knew, on the run from shadowy figures and confronting alternate realities.

Crouch spins a good yarn, and his experience in television and screenplays really shows in the novel. It's got the same pacing as an action/thriller movie, and some of the dialogue seems ripped right out of prime-time television. Kept me enthralled from start to finish, and his characterization tends to make up for some of the slight flaws.

Definitely suspend your disbelief at the door, because the novel uses some far-fetched ideas and doesn't make a lot of attempt at explaining them. The story is a minefield of potential plot holes, which Crouch deftly hops through by not giving you much time to dwell on them. Just go with it and you'll have a good time. Great crossover novel that blends sci-fi, action, thrillers, and a touch of horror.

While I was reading I was vividly imagining this as a movie, since it hits all the right beats to make an excellent film. So I was pleased to find out Crouch himself is writing the screenplay.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 9:25 am

Competition and Innovation in the U.S. Fixed-Wing Military Aircraft Industry

A 2003 report by the Rand Corp covering the expected impacts and methods to ensure competition and foster innovation between the big three producers: Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, and Northrop
Grumman.

I read a bound book version from the local library. The full doc is available as a PDF at the link.

A History of Air Warfare edited by John Andreas Olsen

A collection of investigations into air power through the 20th century, with each author writing an essay about a specific conflict, including some that are less covered such as the Bosnian War.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 5:47 pm

Finished Breathless Trilogy by Melissa Toppen

Addison Grant thought she had life all figured out... Followed the man of her dreams from small town Vermont to Las Vegas, finish college, land the job of her dreams, and marry him. What she didn't expect is coming home one day to find her stuff all packed into boxes and the guy she expect to spend rest of her life with telling her she's not the one, please go home and out of his life. Fortunately, her workmate Christina took her in as room mate, and to cheer her up, they had a girls' night out at the new casino... and by chance, ran into a new bartender... Liam, and Addison cannot keep her eyes away, and neither can Liam. But there's something about Liam... some secrets he's keeping...

As far as romance novels go, this one seems to be better than average, with the proper boy meet girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back tropes repeated, yet each time doesn't feel THAT repetitive. But all the typical tropes were used: deep dark secret, old wounds from parents, may have gotten someone else pregnant, old boyfriend, misunderstanding about some other woman, etc. At least no tropes were recycled.

5.5 out of 8, I guess.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 11:49 pm

Finished What's Left of Me by Amanda Maxlyn

I know, ANOTHER romance. Haha.

Aundrea McCall found out she has Hodgkin Disease (a type of cancer) when she was 17. After four years of treatment, her doctor signed her up for bone marrow transplant on the East Coast, where her adopted older sister married a veterenarian and operates a pet hospital. It was during a girl's night out that Aundrea decided to take a chance on the hottest hunk she'd ever laid eyes on... Parker, and they had a great night. Aundrea thought that was that, until she found that Parker is the new vet at the pet hospital, where she had taken up a part-time position as well. There is only one problem... she never told Parker that she had cancer. As Aundrea attempts to deal with her situation from the chemo and other treatments, while Parker pursue her with dogged persistence, and she continues to hide her symptoms from him... Until the charade can no longer be maintained...

Above average for romance, IMHO. You pretty much guess that a lot of this is going to be a bit melodramatic and/or sit-com-y at times, but the emotional turmoils seem to be quite realistic. And fortunately the author managed to refrain from doing alternate viewpoints until the very end, in the sort of "teaser" for the next book, just to do sort of a jump scare. 6.5 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Sep 10, 2016 3:55 pm

Finished Eyes of the Hammer by Bob Mayer Green Berets Book 1

The president of Colombia, under pressure from the Cartels, has decided on a secret plan... He has called in covert assistance from the US military. Special Forces A-Teams are to destroy drug processing plants in Colombia with total deniability. The first two missions went off without a hitch, but the Cartel hit back. They kidnapped a DEA agent and tortured him until they learned of the next attack, and an ambush killed 4 out of the 6-man team, and captured a fifth. Only one man made it back. As Washington scrambled to cover their political butts, one Colonel risked it all on the line to put a contingency plan into motion, but one thing is for sure: America does NOT abandone its soldiers. As undercover agents fight their way through streets of Colombia, elite operators slog through the jungles of Colombia, while others are in the air... ready to take down the cartel's leader, a man known as "The Ring Man".

Nice little adventure along the veins of Tom Clancy's Clear and Present Danger, but written by real A-team member, albeit with a bit more romance and movement in civvies. Possibly a 7 out of 8 if you like the military adventure kind of book.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Sep 11, 2016 2:37 pm

Finished All Good Deeds by Stacy Green FREE on Amazon

Lucy Kendall is a... vigilante serial killer that goes after one specific kind of victims: the scum of the earth that preys upon children. Previously a worker for the CPS, Lucy referred to her new... career... as... taking out the trash... But she had an admirer... who made himself known, someone who has some deep dark secrets of his own. And he made it clear he knew exactly what she was. Then a girl went missing in the neighborhood, and a former child-killer (who committed the crime when VERY young, but rehabed and is now clean) became Lucy's top suspect. But the more she investigated, the less she is sure. It didn't help when her top suspect's brother is the lead detective. As the girl's disappearance dragged on, Lucy have to confront the demons in her own past in order to separate the victims from the perpetrators in her present... and save a little girl's future.

Tight little thriller, with red herrings all over the place, ready to lead you astray. One heck of a ride, and even introduces a big bad wolf that would feature in the sequels (3 more books, total of 4, plus a prequel novella). 6.5 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Sep 11, 2016 8:46 pm

Finished Reckless: Book 1 of Mia Kazmaroff Mysteries by Susan Kiernan-Lewis (FREE on Amazon)

Mia Kazmaroff has a gift... By touching an object, any object, she can often tell the story behind the object, who last touched it, and so on. It's not very clear, as it's more often a curse than a gift. But she's forced to rely upon the ability when her brother Dave, a detective of Atlanta PD, was suddenly found dead before he's supposed to have dinner with her. And the chief suspect is Dave's former partner, Jack Burton, who had previously expressed hate for Dave and threatened to quit the police if his transfer was not approved. When the rest of the PD chose to regard the death as unsolved instead of murder, Mia reluctantly joined forces with Jack, as they managed to drive each other nuts half the time and work together the other half denying they are attracted to each other. However, enemies are eyeing them in the shadows. As another related person turned up dead, Mia and Jack have to figure out who they can trust, fast, as trusting the wrong person can be deadly...

Interesting whodunit duo, as the gift was not as useful as you'd think as it requires physical contact, and such is not easy to arrange. And the title is quite literal, as Mia with no concept of tact or law basically charges into situations with Jack trying to bail her out soon after. And there's a certain very... disturbing section where she ended up in a sadist's hands. And the ending is a bit... abrupt? But not impossible. Pretty solid 6 of 8 for a mystery.

Five out of eight. While I understand the first book the characters are still being worked on, Mia's character is impossibly reckless and somehow the sadist treatment had her drugged so she conveniently didn't remember much of it and thus not as traumatized. Five out of eight.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Sep 12, 2016 4:03 pm

Finished A Faint Cold Fear by Karin Slaughter / A Grant County Mystery REVISED OPINION

Medical Examiner Sara Linton was called to the college campus along with Chief Jeffrey Tolliver (Linton's ex-husband) to process an apparently student suicide. Also responding to the scene is Chuck Gaines, campus security head and Lena Adams, ex GPD due to PTSD, now campus security, and survivor of a horrific serial rapist/killer that also killed her twin sister. Linton realized that the scene looked wrong, but cannot verbalize that's wrong with the scene. But only days later, the witness to the first victim apparently took her own life by shooting herself in the head, and this one... was almost definitely staged. As Tolliver and Linton investigate, the list of their suspects grew and grew, even as Adams apparently self-destructs with booze while she falls in with an ex-skinhead. But only Adams' fragile psyche can unlock the mystery, as a killer stalked the college campus, looking to "right the wrongs" by arranging "suicides"...

Karin Slaughter, who also wrote "Pretty Girls", one of the more "disturbing" books I read in a while (reviewed earlier) is an interesting writer that manage to make me scare of the depravities by men. While there were no depravities except some of the very... disturbing behavior by Lena Adams in this book (spoiler later) the amount of depravities hinted at in the previous book is almost enough to churn one's stomach. The plots and twists and red herrings keep coming left and right, and it ends with enough of a shocker that really makes you wonder how will the author manage to top this book in the next book.

I revised the rating downward as Slaughter seems to rely on shock value, and a lot of bad things happening to her characters, and I recognize the tropes. Reading the preview blurbs of her other books (haven't read them yet) only serves to reinforce this. Linton is certainly inspired by Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta, but the star of this book was NOT Linton, but Lena Adams. She's the most complex character in the book, really, not Linton or Tolliver. And without spoiling much, let's just say Tolliver will meet his end in one of the later books.

Rare for me: 7 6 out of 8.

Spoiler:

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Sep 13, 2016 1:34 am

Finished Soldier's E-Mail order Bride by Cora Seton FREE on Amazon.

Yes, I know, another romance. There's so many of these "mail order brides" stories I want to see how contrived they are. It... turned out tolerable, actually.

Austin Hall had a brilliant career as a green beret, until one mission where his best friend died and he's too broken to go on. At home, obligation called, as the four Hall brothers are called back because the only way Aunt Heloise will give back their farm is for all four brothers to marry and at least one of them produce an heir ASAP. Austin is too broken for love, but maybe he can find someone who can... play a wife for a year.

Ella Scale needed to leave Hollywood right this moment. It's bad enough that another actress stole her fiancee on national TV, she ruined her chance of a comeback by decking her fiancee on live TV as well. Pursued by paparazzi, Ella needed somewhere to hide... and she found Austin's "fake wife wanted" ad... which seems exactly what she needed... Out in Montana, unrecognized, may be perfect for her. And she is an actress, right?

Austin did not recognize Ella, but her beauty is undeniable, and the attraction is mutual, yet his best friend's loss weighed heavily on his mind. Ella knew she's just to meant to hide until the fervor had died down, but she can't help fall for the wounded soul of a warrior, but secrets and revelations will test their fake marriage, and perhaps, have them admit their love for each other, for real this time.

(And in case you're wondering, I write these summary-teasers from scratch. They are NOT copied from back cover or ads)

The author seems to specialize in Montana cowboys and mail order brides (or in modern times email order brides) and while there are contrivances, there were definitely genuine affections for the two main characters, who are obviously way too handsome and beautiful. But that is what a romance is supposed to be, right? Larger than life, like porn is for sex? But you don't read romance for plot, the tropes are pretty standard.

Let's call this 5.5 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Sep 13, 2016 1:51 pm

Finished Vivian's List by Haleigh Lovell FREE / Romance

Yes, I know, a lot of these romance books on Amazon for free.

Vivian thought she was in love with Brodie, and it took his brother's best friend Liam, at home from leave, to make her realize she's being emotionally and psychologically abused by her so-called boyfriend. Taking charge of her life, she wrote down a sex bucket list. Then Liam found it...

Liam had been in love with Vivian long before puberty, but she's his best buddy's little sister. He promised him to take care of her, and that cannot possibly mean screwing her brains out. But finding the list changes things, as he's due to go back in a few weeks. And he can longer resist her charms...

Nice love story about a girl's self-discovery, sprinkled with tips on how to spot an emotionally abusive relationship that can almost serve as a PSA. Too bad the author still had to use his view / her view swapping.

6 out of 8.

Next on reading list: Victory, by Nick Webb Scifi War genre

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Sep 13, 2016 10:20 pm

Finished Victory, by Nick Webb: Book 3 of 3 of the Legacy Fleet series

The Swarm is relentless. System after system had fallen. And the Swarm have the ability to control humans. The only hope Humans have is Tim Granger, the Bricklayer. He pulled out impossible victories out of the direst circumstances, but often with crippling losses (treating his assets, fighters, ships, etc., like bricks). Heck he even came back to life after terminal cancer under unexplained circumstances. It's even whispered that he can talk to the Swarm. As new allies emerged, and new enemies revealed, treachery abound. And even the Bricklayer is not immune to betrayal. But humanity will win, and Granger will sacrifice any one to secure that victory... including himself.

While it should have been a pure military scifi fleet combat adventure, this book finally expanded upon that little bit of a teaser at the end of book 1 into a full blown explanation regarding singularities... and a bit of time travel, as things started to come full circle.

7 out of 8

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Sep 13, 2016 11:05 pm

Finished Cowboy's Email Order Bride by Cora Seton Free on Amazon

Ethan Cruz was being setup by his friends as one of the biggest practical jokes ever. In a drunken rant, he laid out what he wanted in a cowboy wife... and his friends edited into a "Cowboy Bride Wanted" and put it up on Youtube, and there are hundreds of respondents. And now, he's at the airport picking up his bride-to-be, knowing full well it's a joke, and fully intending to send her on the plane home the next day... Until he saw Autumn Leeds in person. Then he forgot all about that promise.

Autumn Leeds is a writer and her job is going away unless she comes up with one heck of a story, and how this pathetic cowboy had to resort to Youtube to find a bride is just perfect... She'll head down there, seduce the cowboy, take a lot of pictures, write an article, then do a runaway bride before the wedding. Except her plan goes out the window after a few too many drinks on the first night when friends kept toasting them and she and Ethan made love that night... without protection.

Ethan knows that he can't keep playing this game. He's about the lose the ranch because his mother had racked up a lot of debt before their parents died in a tragic car accident. His sister Claire wants to sell the ranch and make a living in Billings, the big city on Montana. But he doesn't know what he'll do without the ranch, muchless marry and have kids.

Autumn had not only fallen in love with the subject of her expose, she may be carrying his child. If she doesn't write the article her job is toast and she'll be forever known as the failure in the family. But her heart wants to stay with Ethan and help him work things out, if that is even possible, even though she had been told her entire life men cannot be depended on.

Will love conquer all or will lies tear them apart first?

Another of these "email bride" stories, the plot almost reads like a sitcom, complete with a crazy ex out to ruin everything, but turned out to have a heart after all and her own deep dark secret.

Spoiler:

5 out of 8 over all. There are some parts that sunk to 3.5 but the decent ending I think made up for it.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Sep 15, 2016 12:31 am

Finished Julian's List by Haleigh Lovell (yes, I know, another romance)

Sadie Frost is known as the ice queen of the advertising company. She lets nobody close, esp. not misogynist creeps assigning ratings to the women in the company. She worked her way up from the bottom, and she cannot afford to show ANY weakness... she has no time for it. Her son and her alcoholic mother takes up all of her time. She has no time for herself, for there is no one to share it with, esp. when father of her son abandoned her after lying to her.

Julian is a bachelor, and he did play around a bit... until he found Sadie Frost, a colleague. Others see an ice queen, he saw a flaming heart and a vulnerable soul who built a wall around both so nobody can ever hurt her again... If he can get through her wall... As they finally meet, the banter came naturally, and they even have similar interests... kids. And slowly, Sadie's wall crumbled...

But there's Sadie's sick son, and whoever got Sadie pregnant in the first place... AND Sadie's alcoholic mother. There's Julian's prior flings, and the office misogynist and gossip who takes pleasure at inflicting misery...

Will their love survive the trials ahead?

Very "mature" romance where Sadie's a single mother, and Julian is the lover who wants her any way. Nice characterization.

6.5 out of 8

Finished Smoked Out: David Wolf Book 6 by Jeff Carson

Former sheriff David Wolf is a broken man, reeling from multiple injuries suffered in the Cold Lake incident (Book 5) and the loss of his ex-wife, found dead with a different man, both shot, while himself was out of action. But life will not leave him alone, but he'd had been chosen as a player by the Ghost Cartel, a ruthless band of heavily armed killers growing illegal weed in the mountains of Colorado... and FBI, who had apparently decided Wolf is the head of the Cartel, and they just need to find the evidence to prove it. Wolf's only ally was FBI Agent Kristen Luke, who chose to defy orders and put her career on the line, and his handful of loyal friends and deputies. Against him are the might of the FBI, the new combined sheriff's department of two counties with unknown loyalties and possibly with a high-level mole from the Cartel, and a ruthless killer only known as Pope.

Nice tight thriller where the hero is put into the most difficult positions around. If you like these adventures and mysteries I'd recommend this. 7 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Sep 15, 2016 10:16 pm

Finished Drawn To You by Serena Grey (Swanson Court Book 1 of 3) FREE on Amazon (yes, another romance)

Rachel Foster, heart broken by her ex's engagement to another woman, wandered into the penthouse elevator of the Swanson Hotel, and was mistaken for a high-end call girl by the owner, Landon Court... Landon is the most perfect man she had ever seen, so she did nothing to correct his mistaken perception. It's only one night, she won't leave him his number, and she won't take his money. How bad could it be? And it was indeed the most pleasurable night of her life, and she'll never see him again, at least, that's what she told herself.

Landon Court prefer his women beautiful, sophisticated, and no desire for commitment. He and his brother had often played huge jokes on each other, and he had just refused a call girl offered by his brother. So when one girl showed up at his penthouse elevator, he did not think twice. And her cries of passion were very genuine. But Rachel touched something in him, that he wanted to see her again. He was surprised to learn that she was no call girl, and she deliberately avoided further contact. But he's a rich billionaire, and he had means.

The girl who just needed a one-night stand, and got the night of her life.

The guy who just needed one night, but found he wanted a lot more.

Is there a future for the pair who met under these circumstances?

I know, I know, another romance novel. Head of a trilogy too, as this drags on for two more volumes, more of the boy loses girl and boy gets girl back, back and forth for another couple volumes. The sit-com worthy beginning was actually handled quite adeptly, as is the march toward end of volume 1 with an ex for Rachel in the background who wants her back as a complication. I doubt I really want to read the other two volumes. I do have several non-romances loaded and will work on those.

The trope of the romance novels mainly goes as the rich billionaire who's 1) crazily charming "alpha billionaire" 2) alternate between cold and aloof and flaming passion (alpha with a past) while the girls are either 1) trying to make a living but it's tough 2) sad upbringing (emotional or physical abuse) 3) turns to putty at the slightest touch of the protagonist 4) all of the above. It's almost formulaic, but this one with the somewhat intriguing intro seems better than average. 6 out of 8

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Sep 15, 2016 11:34 pm

Finished Lieutenant Henry Gallant (Gallant Saga Book 2) by H. Peter Alesso

Got this book LAST YEAR when it was free, and for a "space opera" of sorts this is quite a good read.

Lieutenant Henry Gallant is a freak... He's the only Natural (non-genetically enhanced) in the United Planets space navy, but his natural brain was better than those with cybernetic interfaces for dealing with certain situations, and he had proven himself in the battle against the Titan invaders (see book 1). For his achievements, he was assigned to the FTL Prototype Intrepid as third officer, which will be taking the first FTL trip outside the solar system... To Tau Ceti. Unfortunately, upon arrival they were ambushed by a Titan destroyer. Thoroughly outclassed and outgunned, only some outstanding sharpshooting and quick thinking by Gallant managed to save the ship from capture or destruction, but the ship is stranded and its captain dead... Until they found the only habitable planet in the system was inhabited by a human colony called Elysium... Its inhabitants were kidnapped by the Titans decades ago. And they have some technological basis that can help the Intrepid go home. But there's a price. Eager to get rid of Gallant the freak, acting captain Neumann assigned Gallant as the colony liaison with Elysium's leader Cyrus Wolfe, but Gallant found himself aligning with the local democratic opposition leader Alaina Hepburn instead. As Gallant attempt to navigate the political landscape while coordinating the setup of manufacturing facilities for the parts needed to repair the Intrepid, saboteurs struck, and discovery of an ancient AI hidden on the planet brings unanticipated complication, and an unimaginable threat not just for Elysium, but for all of Humanity. And that Titan Destroyer will be back soon...

Very nice space opera, not quite David Feintuch's "Hope" series torture of duty, but definitely a lot of reluctance where people who what is needed of them rather than what they wanted. Solid 7 out of 8 if you like the genre.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Sep 15, 2016 11:58 pm

Finished Billionaire Bad Boys -- The Montgomerys by Jessica Kelly 6-book set

Well, there are good romances, and there are just average romances. This is an average set.

Meet the Montgomery brothers... Dominic, Hunter, and Nash. All three are heirs to the Montgomery oil fortune, but all three desired to make something of themselves. Dom is a model, but he wishes to be an architect. While he found supermodel Heidi Vaughn very fuckable, she's ultimately boring. Dom didn't expect to find the local historian he engaged to figure out a local mystery to be a hot lass, and smart to boot. Hunter had a future in baseball but kept running into golddiggers, until that fateful catch and broken ankle, now he's just a sports agent, with hots for one of fellow agents. And Nash... when he chose to speak out against corruption at his school, he attracted attention from some very dangerous people, but gained the love of his life... But in between their adventures, they and their women are going to get very hot between the sheets!

(I know, I know, my summary is trying to play up the lameness of the plot. The series is NOT as lame as my summary, but it's not THAT much better either.Flat 4 Let's make that THREE out of 8. At least these are novellas, not novels.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sun Sep 18, 2016 1:50 am

Finished Maid for the Billionaire by Ruth Cardello Free on Amazon

Dominic "Dom" Corisi went back to Boston only because he had to be there for reading of his father's will. His father was a control freak, so much so his mother just one day walked out and never came back, leaving the kids. Dom spent years trying to find his mother, so much so that his father threatened to disown him, but he disowned his father first. And built his own fortune, and never forgave his father.

Abigail "Abby" Dartley is a school teacher who's just helping out her sister at her maid job. The house was NEVER occupied for the years her sister had been cleaning it. So when the presumably the owner walked in and rudely dismissed her, she was surprised at the man's deep pain, so she offered to keep him company... Until his attempted seduction (He thought it'd be a good distraction) and offering her money had her angrily storming out the door.

Dom was not used to woman refusing him, esp. by a... nobody. But that only made him want her more. And with a bit of cajoling and hard negotiation, she reluctantly agreed to go with him for a trip to China. But it's not pleasure, but business, for Dom is there to negotiate the biggest deal in the Corisi Enterprises' existence, a deal that can make or break the company. And enemies of Dom are circling, ready to stab him in the back and ruin him, while other forces are at play in China.

Can Dom let go of his controlling instincts and accept advice from Abby for once?

While the romance parts read okay (i.e. "Maid in Manhattan" setup) the part about negotiation in China reads very wrong. Even Chinese negotiators would give time to grief for Dom to attend his father's funeral, reading of will, and grief. Demanding his personal presence for negotiations, claiming it's a loss of face is just unreasonable. Furthermore, the idea that a simple offer of 5% profit to establish a scholarship in China would be enough to seal the deal is hilarious, as is the idea that someone powerful in China can order mercenaries with "machine guns" to land on a private Italian island, esp. with only hours to spare. Oh, and the heroine speaks Chinese! (merely conversational, but apparently enough to cinch the negotiation!)

It's pretty stupid setup. Four out of eight.

Finished SEAL'd Perfection 5-book Series by KB Winters

Jace Winslow is a retired navy SEAL with his own tattoo shop and a reality TV series, except he doesn't actually like the attention that much. So he moved to a quiet town and re-opened his tattoo shop hoping to get away from it all, until he saw Kat Ryan, a waitress in the cafe across the street.

Kat Ryan is barely making do two years after a brutal divorce trying to balance going to school, waitressing, and raising her son Jax (Jackson). She has no time for love, even as she bitterly fights her ex Mitch for custody of their little boy, until Jace came into her cafe, wanting to make a friend, with promise for more.

Kat and Jace could not be more different. Jace is young, big, tattooed, relatively rich, handsome... and dangerous. Kat is demure, older, has a kid, relatively poor, but wanting to make a life for herself despite repeated threats from Mitch. They have chemistry, but do they have a future?

While the romance parts are okay, the author seems to understand NOTHING about navy SEALS or how Pentagon works.

4 out of 8.

Trying to read I spy, I saw her die by Ian C. P. Levine

Ray Luck is a cyber security expert (read: White hat hacker) who does penetration testing for the biggest companies in the world. And he thought the day was his. He just found 20000 pounds on the ground. He was about to propose to his girl Emma. Then Emma stormed out when he refused to give the money to the police. In a spite of anger and despondence, he returned to his very bad hobby... He watches randomly hacked video streams from around the world, video cameras that people don't even know are on, recording their lives, and if it's sexy enough, he records them too. Then he recorded a murder; he witnessed a beautiful woman stabbed on camera. But he doesn't know who committed it. And he can't exactly go to the police with the evidence. Suddenly, he's hunted by bad guys looking for the money, bad guys looking to cover up the murder, good guys trying to solve the murder, and he's unaware of even bigger stakes behind the scenes. Ray don't know who to trust, and who's an enemy, and time is running out. Ray has less than 72 hours to save himself, and his girlfriend, and perhaps, a lot more lives than he realizes.

The problem with this book is the intro is GLACIAL, and there are TOO MANY layered threats. I'm all the way up to 17% of the book and I'm just at where the bad guys looking for money made their apperance, and we haven't even gotten to the coverup yet. AND there's a 2nd part to this book! (eek)

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Sep 20, 2016 2:56 pm

Trying to read: Endurance: The Complete Series by Amy Spahn

Endurance is the joke of the fleet, a ship where all the screwups were sent so they can't bother the rest of the fleet. A first officer who can't observe protocol and is trigger happy, a hyperactive engineer who stranded the ship far from home on an experiment, a shy covert operative that hides in plain sight, a conspiracy-spouting physicist, a yoga-practicing medic... and a civilian who enjoys his old vaccuum too much. All lead by a captain who landed this job by doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. The captain tries to whip this bunch of misfits into shape, didn't accomplish much, as they managed to learn a lot from each other while surviving in a place where human had never gone before.

The personalities are kinda interesting even though the book so far is basically misfit cliche 101. Not sure if I can make it through all the novellas. If it's actually funny I'd give this an average. So far it's merely rating 3 out of 8.

Finished Putting up a fight: Bad Boy Romance by Samantha Westlake

Cain is an underground fighter for "the Master", not that he enjoys fighting. He took out a loan to save his family, and he's forever stuck, for he's a reliable money-maker and the Master will not let him go.

Lucy is a college student who just got away from her stalker boyfriend and when her blind date went south she was rescued... By Cain. They fell in love, and Lucy swore to find a way to rescue Cain from the Master, even as her stalker boyfriend resurfaced.

Can they save each other?

Fighting is good, sex is good, too bad all the other characters are lousy cardboard cutouts. 4.5 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:59 pm

Finished Kidnapped: Italy Intrigue Book 1 by Stacey Joy Netzel FREE on Amazon

Before you start, this is Suspense + Romance, and it's actually one heck of a suspense novel first, romance second. The plot is a bit "convenient", but it's basically Hollywood-ish enough to be a fun read, and dialog is a load of fun, almost effortless flirting.

A hyper-organized Wisconsin TV producer Halliwell "Halli" Sanders organized a trip with her brother and sister to Lake Cuomo, Italy down to the minute. So she was definitely NOT prepared for her brother and sister leaving her behind (it's an accident, I swear!) at the lake because she was filming the swans and a little late getting back into the car. And she's DEFINITELY not ready for international star Trent Tomlin pulling up in a convertible, checking if she needed a ride. When she hesitated, not falling under his A-list smile, she was definitely not ready for what happened next... He grabbed her, dumped her into his convertible's passenger seat, and sped off, but not before collecting three bullets and various broken mirrors from shooters behind them. That sort of things only happen in Hollywood movies, right?

Trent knew exactly why they've been shot at... Halli's camera had caught death of a ex-police Lorenzo, who was helping Trent investigating his brother's "suicide" a few months ago. And now the evildoers have nabbed brother Ben and sister Rachel Sanders as "insurance" while they scour the countryside looking for Halli and the incriminating camera. Halli on the other hand is not accepting any of this, even escaping from Trent and ran to the Italian police, not understanding that Italian police had been penetrated by this evildoers. And only by the thinnest of margins did they manage to escape...

Trent is in way over his head, as he's a star, and the really tough stuff is handled by stunt doubles, and he can't believe that this "plain Jane" is somehow resistant to his star power, but he needs her alive, and her footage to find his brother's killers. Halli is also in way over her head, trying to survive in a strange country and rescue her siblings, with the only man she can trust being her kidnapper... Trent, even as she admits she is NOT completely resistant to his charms.

And together, they will hatch a plan... somehow they will rescue both siblings and bring the bad guys to justice... for they have help, even though they don't know it yet. But can they survive each other first?

This is one of those books that manage to pack in enough action plot to fill out a TV episode or two, without being "too lame". A lot of the stuff is cliche tropes, like bad guys can't hit a moving car except the windshield and mirrors, or hero jumps off the boat just before it explodes, that sort of trope, but they work (well enough), and the flirty banter between Trent and Halli is excellent. This author definitely got her dialog down pat. There's a couple sexy scenes, but only one serious "bed scene" when it counts, so it's definitely romance, not smut.

I'd give this a 7.5 out of 8, and this is one of the few "free" books I downloaded I'd actually pay a few bucks for. Not full price, mind you, but worth at least $2.00

Finished Sinthetica by Scott Medbury

A psychopath clawed his way onto the top of the criminal underworld, but there is one regret he always had... He had not had a chance to thoroughly torture Inga, who he believed had betrayed him, before he had chased her into path of a truck. Now, Dimitri will finally have a chance to finish what he started... on the latest model Geniisys Android modeled after Inga... and illegally reprogrammed to feel pain. There are only two problems: 1) Dimitri's chief bodyguard, hoping to get away from the pscyho boss soon, seem to have fallen for the new Inga... and 2) someone had reprogrammed Inga before she was delivered...

The best description for this is a short novel where Westworld meets Pulp Fiction meets Godfather. And there's a pretty good twist at the end. Good fast read. 7 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 5:03 pm

Finished Hard Vaccum, a Kyra Sarin Thriller by Simon Cantan (FREE on Amazon)

Kyra Sarin has survived five years of the hardest fighting mankind has ever done, and she's ready to retire and head back to Earth to see her children again. Unfortunately, her plan will have to be delayed as unknown terrorists and mercs have just taken over the space station where she's due to transfer. But Kyra is not the kind of person who lets ANYTHING get in her way...

The author tried to channel 80's action flicks, where the hero usually has a one-liner quip after every kill (think Arnie in Commando). The problem is there are so many kills in this novel rather than laugh, the quips became groaners, and the twist at the end is somewhat expected.

Four out of Eight.

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 7:27 pm

So I finished the third book in Joe Abercrombie's Shattered Sea series. I don't remember if I wrote about the first two books here or not, and I am to lazy to look. The books are listed as Young Adult, the first Abercrombie has written for that audience.

I will admit to liking the books. They are typical Abercrombie in the way they are structured and how he builds the characters. Everyone has a story and everyone has flaws. The plot is good and there are enough twists and turns (especially in book 3) that you can't be sure how things will turn out until almost the end of the book.

So a thumbs up.

Now, as for the YA label. I haven't read anything YA before, so I don't know how much this book compares to other such titles. The second book actually lags for a few chapters because of what I would call YA angst, while strangely the end of book 2 and book 3 contain enough non-graphic sex to qualify as almost any genre book. There is violence, and blood and gore but the descriptions stop short of what one of Abercrombie's regular books.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Sep 22, 2016 2:46 am

Finished Nowhere Safe: Slye Temp Book 1 by Dianna Love (a romantic suspense) FREE on Amazon

Slye Temp agent Josh Carrington was betrayed on an op, and should have died, except for the merc he loved sacrificed herself so he can live on, even as she died in his arms. He vowed never again to mix business with pleasure as he recovered. Six months later, he got another assignment... A DEA task force in Miami needs help. Someone inside that organization is a mole, some crazy dangerous drug is reaching the US, along with some super secret shipment that is believed to be a weapon, and the man who had burned that last job was involved. Josh vowed that no one will get in his way for taking down the traitor... including the leader of the DEA task force, Zane Jackson, and his sister Patricia "Trish" Jackson.

Trish Jackson is in a nightmare. Face with faceless stalker that seem to know her every move, Trish tries to stay strong as she tries to run an antique business amidst cutthroat competitors while juggling schedules to fit in a TV show that can boost her credibility, even she plays cool while the stalker threaten her family with harm if she even revealed that she was stalked. Then Josh, the new guy on the task force, managed to insert himself into her life, and refused to leave. As Josh gets closer to the twisting truth, he struggles to get Trish out of harm's way (and out of his bed) while reminding himself of his rule #1: never mix business with pleasure.

But rules are made to be broken...

Nice romantic suspense. You can take out the romantic scenes and it'd still be a pretty decent suspense book, though at times the book took some weird turns. There's apparently some weird mumbo-jumbo conspiracy about five items that can bring on end of the world that is involved in the whole thing, and even the traitor at the beginning (who's NOT the mole) were merely a pawn in the grand game. OTOH, the romantic parts are still quite decent, as Josh is playing a role to seduce Trish and fell for her for real, while Trish tries to protect Josh for NOT falling for him and did any way. It's a bit more complicated than that though.

I want to check out the next book in the series, but not at full price. I can give this book 7 out of 8 as well.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Fri Sep 23, 2016 12:03 am

Finished Lucky Penny by L.A. Cotton (Romance)

At 12, Penny Wilson became a ward of the state when an accident that killed her parents left her with no known relative. At 14, Penny was abused at a foster home and the only reason that she chose to live on was the promise of a future life with Blake Weston, an older foster child in the same abusive foster home. They became friends, they fell in love, and he promised to come back for her when he turned 18 and can leave the hell hole.

Then one day Blake just vanished. And Penny's world shattered.

Penny survived that heartbreak... by becoming numb. She left the hellhole at 18, and she took every sort of job available, retail, catering, just to survive on her own, and often, only the memory of Blake kept her going.

At 23, Penny decided to take a summer job at a foster kid's camp as a counselor, hoping to help kids that was just like her. Only to find Blake Weston already there... he had been at the camp for years as senior counselor.

Penny thought she had moved on, but one look at Blake across the camp fire, and all the feelings came rushing back. And all the heartache.

Perhaps it was meant to be... Since Penny will not be able to survive a second heartbreak.

But forces are in play to keep these two lovers apart... Will she be his Lucky Penny?

It's almost melodramatic, but I'd say, this is one HECK of a romance. For a moment I thought I was reading novelization of some Chinese or Korean soap drama. Entire book is mostly first person from Penny's POV occasional transfer to Blake's POV, with occasional flashbacks to when Penny's 12, 14, 16, 18, and 23.

Penny's reunion with Blake is merely at 50% point of the book. It's a true tear jerker. Very few books makes me misty-eyed, this is one of them. Other than use of some established tropes (but properly applied) I really can't find much fault with this book.

This is very rare for me... I will give this book a 7.5 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 1:58 am

Finished Unbreakable Love: 3 romances collection by Marie Hall FREE on Amazon

A collection of three separate romances, but some of these seem to drag on a bit too long

Book 1: A Soldier's Courage. -- Nicole "Nikki" Jensen fell in love with the perfect man, Tyrese Morita... in Bagram, Afghanistan. They got married, in the middle of w warzone, promising to love each other, but only a day later, an insurgent attack killed Ty and severely injured Nikki. Three years later, Hideo Morishita's life was turned upside down when Nikki, widow of his best friend, walked into his PTSD survivor group meeting. He shouldn't love his best friend's woman, but he's determined to save this woman from her nightmares... for he had faced them before, and perhaps... break through the scars and handicapps and save them both.

Book 2: Julian Wright is the 3rd brother along with Christian and Roman, fraternal triplets, but he was born without color and sound. His world was bleak and gray... until he met his neighbor, Elisa Jane Adrian, who was a big sister to him... but also more... With her, the world is brighter, even more colorful... But she had to go away... But he will follow, for it is their destiny to be together, come what may, even if it takes them a decade to get there.

Book 3: Ryan Cosgrave should be dead. He's alive only because a woman somehow saw his misery, and managed to save him when he should have bled out on the bathroom floor after cutting his own wrist. And in her eyes, he saw hope, but he feared that his own darkness may be too much to bear. Lillian Delgado got pregnant at 14, and lost her entire childhood, for her son, Javier "Javi" is autistic, and seven years later, while working at a bar she chose to follow Ryan's cousin Alex and Ryan home... and saved his life. Now Ryan gets a new lease on life as a MMA fighter, while joining Lillian's family, if he can put his own demons to rest and let Lillian in to heal him.

Book 1 is pretty good. It even has an HEA (happily ever after). Book 2 felt it's 1/4 too long, as the story kept dragging on, and on, and on. Book 3 is weird. Part of it is great, part of it is WTF? Eventually the hero revealed his real problem... He was molested very young. Overall... 5/8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 1:41 pm

Finished Bound / by Sasha White

Katie is a small town girl, the good girl, the responsible girl, who waited until 18 to have sex, but is feeling choked in the small town where everybody knows everything, because Katie has some... VERY NAUGHTY thoughts and desires that work and life did not allow her to indulge... Until she saw Joe, a new security guard, and she can no longer control herself. Whats started as a bit of a taunt... a bit of private show for the security camera became a lot more. Katie wants Joe and will do anything... and Joe is happy to help Katie realize her dark side. As Katie finally gathers the means and mettle to leave her small town for life in the big city, her mind kept going back to Joe, the person who had freed her, but also have her inexorably bound...

WARNING: Very light BDSM (spanking, verbal orders, and a little bit of fetish gear)

Mostly written from Katie's POV, it's had a good build-up, from Katie's timid taunt to slightly rough play to verbal domination, to even a visit to a BDSM club, but Katie's mind kept going back to Joe. In between, there's more and more of the self-discovery that she has the mettle and the determination to finally take charge of her life and get what she wants. She did things that required real grit, like enough to strut herself at a wet T-shirt contest, or play pretty high stakes poker (a couple thousand bucks is basically her life savings) for her to move out, and eventually to demand what she wanted out of life. Rather enjoyed the ride.

Six out of Eight.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 6:31 pm

Finished Her Vigilant SEAL by Caitlyn O'Leary (FREE on Amazon)

Sophia Anderson takes care of everyone... except herself. When her mom became sick and her dad ran off, her little brother was placed in foster care, even as she was overwhelmed with school, and caring for her mom. When her brother ran away, hoping to find their deadbeat father, she went in search for him in the bad part of town... and was attacked...

Mason Gault was a SEAL, and nothing comes between him and his three most important things in life: his family, his SEAL team... and his surfing. He was walking about at night, insomnia from a bad mission, when he heard a woman's cry for help in the night. And that's how he found Sophia Anderson.. beaten down in life, but unbroken, yet more concerned about others than herself.

Sophia cannot let down her guard for there is no one to back her up if she falls, but Mason's help allowing her to catch herself allowed her to realize he's the best thing to happened to her ever. Mason admired Sophia's spirit and want to sooth those furrowed brows and unburden her of her troubles, but understands her need to care, if she'd only allowed him to share her burdens. But can Sophia let down her tough facade and her pride to accept Mason's love?

The ending is too abrupt and improbable, and SEAL here just feel like a generic "good hunk". The rest of the book is quite good though.

Five out of Eight.

----

Finished Sex, Lies, and Sweet Tea by Kris Calvert (FREE on Amazon)

FBI agent Mac Callahan is going home to visit his mother, slowly going senile at a care facility in Alabama, but that's just his cover. He's there looking into fraud and money laundering connected to the nursing home, and that's how he ran smack into Samantha "Sam" Peterson, just started working as a recruiter for the medical group that runs the facility, and whose grandma is also a resident. Sam's son, now 3, can do temporarily without her, freeing her to get a job... Her husband died without seeing their son. Mac was totally smitten with the single mom, even as he sensed something is not right in the care facility. The CEO is too fidgety. Her assistant is too... un-lady-like. And as Sam started to find, their books on what was paid to whom is non-existent. As Sam slowly returned Mac's affection, Mac dreads the day when he will have to tell her the truth... Was their love real? Or was he merely pumping an informant for information (pun notwithstanding?)

Nice little suspense romance, except for some of the tropes near the end, namely "dead car stranding" trope and "too stupid to live" trope. No, I can't explain them without spoiling the plot. Accept this ends with a bit of cliffhanger to lead into the next book. Upon further reading, everything is a little TOO perfect. It's basically a disguised "alpha billionaire" novel. Let's call it 4.5 out of 8.

-----

Finished Never Close Enough by Anie Michaels (FREE on Amazon) Book 1 of 3

Ella Sinclair planned to celebrate her birthday by taking her boyfriend to a beach house and enjoy a whole week off. Instead, she found him in bed with a different girl, and the only thing she can think of is to run away. The storm forced her to seek kindness from a friendly contractman called Porter Masters, who delivered her to her beachhouse. And the attraction between them is undeniable, even as both tried to deny it. Ella trying to figure out if it's just a rebound thing while Porter trying to figure out if Ella is really the one he had been searching for.

Again, both hero and heroine (or MMC and FMC) are just too f***ing perfect. Porter is a regular superman. Strong, handsome, master carpenter and built his own home and boat. Ella is basically superwoman, owns a boutique that ran itself. The only thing both suck at is love, but they had no problem having sex. Neither are pushy, neither play games. Then suddenly Ella had a breakdown and pushed Porter away, which lasted exactly 24 hours.

Then the ending is a toal joke just to setup book 2.

Spoiler:

4 out of 8.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 2:43 am

Finished The Thrill of It by Lauren Blakely (FREE on Amazon)

Harley has a secret. She's a high-end virgin call girl "Layla" since 17. She's addicted to sex and love, even though she technically haven't had either because she catered to no-sex fetishists. Then in a moment of weakness, she was exposed and was blackmailed for it. She thought she saw love for one night... then she joined the Sex and Love Addiction Anonymous... . She never expected to find Trey there.

Trey's mother was incapable of loving him. He turned his need for affection outward, and plenty of women shared his bed, but never his heart. Until this girl Harley came to his tattoo shop, and they had a memorable night just talking, and making out. For they seem to share a smilar broken past. Then she left. Trey did not expect to find her in SLAA meeting the next day.

Both have sworn off sex, and both deny they have fallen in love. But as Harley's blackmail comes to an end, shocking truths are revealed, both about family and each other. Their budding relationship between them will grow, and will be tested to the breaking point... and beyond. They may have a future, if they can confront their past.

Nice gradual reveal of the family secrets on both sides. that unfolds slowly like a mystery. I'd say this is one of the best characterizations in a romance I've read thus far. It actually makes total sense WHY Harley would choose a side-gig as a high-end virgin call-girl if you read the book. Trey's trauma, however, seems slightly less plausible, but still not bad. It is quite interesting.

There is even a TOTAL SHOCKER of a scene at the "darkest hour" that drove Harley, who had sworn off the gigs, back into it.

Spoiler:

I haven't quite made up my mind on whether to give this 7 or 7.5 out of 8.

-----

Finished The Master by Kresley Cole (Actually found this in a dollar store, of all places)

Maksimilian Sevastyan is a Russian politician and Mafiya boss billioniare spending some sunny days in Florida. Cat Marin (not her real name) is a woman on the run hiding as maid from her psycho ex who wanted her dead and take her beach property. The two should have never met, until Mak's originally booked playdate Ivanna had to drop out and Ivanna sent Cat Marin in her place. Mak's idea of woman typically runs toward totally obedient and meek statuesque tall blondes, and Cat Marin, being a sassy short Latina brunette was TOTALLY not his type, but when Siberian cold meets Latin heat, the result was nothing short of explosive. The two can't get enough of each other. What started as just sex turned serious as Maks slowly realized that Cat Marin may be worth keeping, except for the secrets she's keeping. Cat wanted to skip town, but Mak's infatuation forced her to reevaluate her situation... Would it be possible to confide in him her real situation? Could there be a happily ever after for them?

Basically an X-rated version of Pretty Woman, with addition of a psycho ex and a LOT of sex scenes, Spanish vocab, and Russian vocab. Nice, 7 out of 8, really.

Turns out this is a 3-part series, as there are three Sebastyan brothers.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 12:16 pm

Just finished Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey. Excellent reading about the aftermath of the apocalypse through the lens of a child survivor. Some of the characters' motivations become strained at the end to serve the story, but it's otherwise an interest, fast-paced read with an ending that kicks you in the teeth.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 12:40 pm

Finished Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters. Really good. In fact, might be my favourite this year, although I also really liked Speak, so those two are in contention to be my favourites this year.

Basically explores a different alternate reality where Lincoln was shot earlier, where the civil war ends up never happening, with slavery still happening in modern society. The writing in this was very good. Looks to be setting up a sequel. Great story.