Book Review: Corralled by Lorelei James

Book Series: Blacktop Cowboys, Book #1
Author: Lorelei James
Genres:  Western, Erotica, Contemporary Romance
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Scarlet Chase
Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins

My Ranking:

In the rodeo arena, all you have to worry about is surviving. But in the arena of love and ecstasy, things get much more complicated.

Lainie Capshaw has been servicing injured cowboys long enough to know that a charming Western drawl combined with a fine physical form doesn't mean you should fall for a man. As a sports therapist, she travels the rodeo circuits patching up riders - and fending off their sweet-talking, swaggering advances.

So no one is more surprised than Lainie when she finds herself involved with not one, but two different men on different circuits. Hank Lawson, a bullfighter, and Kyle Gilchrist, a bull rider trying to stage a comeback. Lainie feels guilty about her two-timing, but it doesn't keep her from doubling her fun -until Hank catches her with Kyle.

She's shocked that Hank isn't mad. She's more shocked to learn Hank and Kyle are hometown buddies. But when the men offer to share her - she knows that both of them are going to try to win her, body and soul. Now it's up to Lainie to choose the one man who can give her the ride of her life.(less)

This was the very first book in the Erotica genre I read. For most of my early adult life, I avoided the genre under the naive assumption that all "erotica" books were those that featured Fabio-like characters with long flowing mane and had sex scenes that spoke of "quivering bosoms". Translation, ick. Also, I've never read a Western-themed book. Wide open plains, cattle raising and rodeos never struck me as something I'd ever be into. But, I gave this book a chance and was I was wrong on both of the aforementioned accounts.

James's sexy world of rodeos and cowboys caught me off completely by surprise. I was not prepared how damn sexy this book was going to be. James is extremely proficient in writing scorching hot sex scenes. I was not prepared for that and I was so captivated, I finished this audiobook in about a day.

What's more is that while the sex scenes are definitely amazing, the story behind it all was real. The quick gist is that there's a woman Melanie "Lainie" Capshaw who was having a relationship with two different men, Hank Lawson and Kyle Gilchrist. A chance encounter at a bar exposes everything and the two men discover the secret. To make it even more awkward, not only to Hank and Kyle know each other and are friends, they both have there stubborn hearts set on being with Lainie. They both were also planning to make there move before it all went to hell. So what do they do. They take a risk and ménage it up, while both men are determined and secretly plot to win her over.

Sound like typical, petty drama? That's what I assumed. But James' surprised me with all the characters genuine emotions and motivations. She introduces you to all of the characters and gave them had distinct personalities and backgrounds.

When it was all said and done, I had discovered her secret. This wasn't a book about sex. It was a book about relationships, the Western lifestyle and most of all, about love. It was detailed story with some hot, hot sex scenes to keep it interesting and enticing. What a superb formula - I loved every minute of it!

My only critique is that there was more sex than story, and that the actual story was told more toward the end of the book. For that reason, I could only give this book a 3-star rating because I loved the characters, so much I could have lost a sex scene or two for more plot.

The tiny speck of a town called Muddy Gap, Wyoming, has captured a special place in my heart. By the time the narrator had announced the story was at it's end, I'd come to love the town and everyone in it, the rodeo lifestyle and the rich descriptions of the Wyoming/Midwestern landscape. And, of course, I especially loved all the charmingly sexy cowboys...

Scarlet Chase is fantastic. She's got a great drawl but still speaks clear. She also is excellent at capturing the masculinity of these charming cowboys. Her performance enhanced my enjoyment of the story so much that I decided to stay "audiobook-loyal" to this series and will not read the printed version.

Book Review: Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Book Series: Beautiful, Book #1
Author: Jamie McGuire
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Emma Galvin
Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins

My Ranking:

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

It's always a good thing when you end a book with a stupid, cheesy grin on your face.

I really liked this book. It was a great story. First of all, I really liked that the characters all had pretty distinct personalities, and the way that they interacted with each other was really believable. The whole story was very believable (well, minus the underground fighting ring and the gambling part... you wouldn't run into that everyday).

But, I didn't like the book in the beginning. When it started, I wasn't sure how I feel about this story. I, for one, don't really get Abby's appeal especially when it comes to Travis. I got that he obviously was attracted to her from the start. But I wasn't sure what kept him coming back and being so willing to help her in the beginning. Abby, to me, acted like she was on some crazy-ass, mood swing teeder-toddler. But then, same goes for Travis. His desperation for Abby to like him and not leave was so... odd. I guess I want to know what the deal was faster. What are his demons, and more importantly, what are hers? I am suspecting there is more to Abby's madness. Much, much more.

I didn't really get into the story until about halfway through. Then, I started to really like Travis as a character. He had a very extreme personality and there was something very "Pan-like" about him. Yes, I mean Peter Pan. He was fierce and he was strong but very, very vulnerable. I really felt for him because Abby really put him through the ringer. She even had my head spinning through the whole story and it was told from her perspective. However - his behavior was a bit too extreme at times. And damn - what a temper he had.

Since I liked this book, I am not going to pick it apart. I enjoyed McGuire's writing style, she had some really great lines. One of my favorite lines was "Shepley moved like he watched too many Usher videos." I knew exactly what she meant. Oh, the hilarity!!!

One critique was who was that we never really learned who was the "old Abby." What was she like? Who was she when she was in Vegas? Because after I learned who her old boyfriend was and what her old life was, I didn't really believe the whole virgin thing anymore. Or, why she was treated so delicately by America.

I can't wait to read Walking Disaster and here what Travis has to say... the man behind the myth. Excited.

Emma Galvin is a phenomenal voice actress and my absolute favorite. She's brings her characters to life effortlessly and can capture even the tiniest emotion with her vocal inflection. I first discovered her through the Divergent series and have have almost finished every audiobook she's ever read. Yes, she's that good. And if you don't agree, don't even bother saying so. You can't convince me otherwise!

Book Review: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

Book Series: Odd Thomas, Book #1
Author: Dean Koontz
Genres: Paranormal, Mystery, Suspense
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: David Aaron Baker
Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins

My Ranking: 

“The dead don't talk. I don't know why.” But they do try to communicate, with a short-order cook in a small desert town serving as their reluctant confidant. Odd Thomas thinks of himself as an ordinary guy, if possessed of a certain measure of talent at the Pico Mundo Grill and rapturously in love with the most beautiful girl in the world, Stormy Llewellyn. Maybe he has a gift, maybe it’s a curse, Odd has never been sure, but he tries to do his best by the silent souls who seek him out. Sometimes they want justice, and Odd’s otherworldly tips to Pico Mundo's sympathetic police chief, Wyatt Porter, can solve a crime. Occasionally they can prevent one. But this time it's different.

A mysterious man comes to town with a voracious appetite, a filing cabinet stuffed with information on the world's worst killers, and a pack of hyena-like shades following him wherever he goes. Who the man is and what he wants, not even Odd’s deceased informants can tell him. His most ominous clue is a page ripped from a day-by-day calendar for August 15.

Today is August 14.

In less than twenty-four hours, Pico Mundo will awaken to a day of catastrophe. As evil coils under the searing desert sun, Odd travels through the shifting prisms of his world, struggling to avert a looming cataclysm with the aid of his soul mate and an unlikely community of allies that includes the King of Rock 'n' Roll. His account of two shattering days when past and present, fate and destiny converge is the stuff of our worst nightmares—and a testament by which to live: sanely if not safely, with courage, humor, and a full heart that even in the darkness must persevere.

So ... I finished the book. That wasn't for lack of trying to abandon it on numerous occasions. Mainly because the story had no "oomph." Protaognist Odd Thomas moved slow. The pace of the story moved slow. The killer moved slow. Meanwhile... I tried my hardest not to fall asleep. There was a whole lot of imagery, general musings into the various mysteries of life, and detailed descriptions of the city of Pico Mundo and it's inhabitants, and then, every once in a while - for color - death, destruction and serial killers. But, let's be frank - the latter is what we opened the book for (or spent a Audible credit on...). It's what the book jacket promised. Instead of being captivated, this audiobook played out a little too much like elevator music. The story it was delivered far too slowly to keep me engaged.

In example, it's hammered into your brain that Odd's entire world was to come crashing down on August 15. There even was a countdown. Then midnight rolls around and I was thinking, where's the explosion? Then I looked down at my iPod and there was still 3 hours left on my audiobook ... I was very confused. I was promised chaos. But apparently chaos wasn't scheduled until later on in the day. Shenanigans, I tell you.

Besides the pace of the book, the other issue I had was the character of Odd. I didn't find him that all odd, or all that interesting. I never got a good grasp on his role in the story. Was he supposed to be a paranormal detective? Because if that was the aim, I found that hard to believe, because he too unmotivated and unhurried.

But, these weren't my biggest gripe. I all but stopped listening when it came this doozy. A warning this is a pretty big spoiler. I mention it solely to convey the main reason why I could never love this book. I will try not to completely spoil the plot, it out here it is: if a character thinks that the police will look at them suspiciously from just being in the vicinity of a dead body, the most logical next step is to move the body. Right? And you don't stop at only not moving the body, but you move it and the murder weapon and dump it someplace where it's unlikely to ever be found. Because that's what completely innocent people do - who regularly work with law enforcement. They contaminate crime scenes, tamper with evidence and also throw said dead body out of window. Clearly, none of these actions are either suspicious or asinine ... Yes, this actually happened in the story. SMH and slap it a few times, because this makes no damn sense.

To wrap up my rant, one could ask when I finally came to the end of the book was I more satisfied? No, not really. The story kind of went off into a tangent, giving a great deal of back story on Odd and less on the killer/main plot of this story. Good idea for the series, but bad idea for the flow of the book.

Needless to say, I don't have a strong interest in continuing with this series. But, I've already purchased Book 2 on audiobook. Maybe when my to-read queue is on the downshift. No time soon. 

Not a good start for my first Dean Koontz book.

David Aaron Baker did a good job. He read in a low monotone, which matched Odd's persona. 

Book Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Book Series: Lux, Book #1
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genres: YA, Paranormal Romance, Aliens
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Justine Eyre
Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

My Ranking:

When 17-year-old Katy Swartz moved to West Virginia right before her senior year, she'd pretty much resigned herself to thick accents, dodgy Internet access, and a whole lot of boring, but then she spotted her hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up...until he opened his mouth.

Daemon Black is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. It's hate at first sight, but when a stranger attacks her and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. The hot guy next door? Well, he's an alien.

Turns out that Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities and Katy is caught in the crosshairs. Daemon's touch has lit her up like the Vegas Strip and the only way she's getting out of this alive is by sticking close to him until her alien mojo fades. That is, if she doesn't kill him first.

Aliens aren't my thing. Neither are hardcore sci-fi stories; I'm a paranormal girl - fairies, witches, vamps, weres and all the sexy little things that go bump in the night. Thus said, when I first heard about this series, it barely piqued my interest. Then a flash flood of Twilight comparisons came my way, and I was really turned off. I was fully prepared to pass on this series, but then Audible had a sale. They get me every time...

As I prepared myself to cringe my way though a saccharine sweet love story about two people who shouldn't be together, something magical happened. But the first page, I was smiling and laughing at these two characters get under each other's skin in such a hilariously way. This type of humor is definitely up my alley. And, upon finishing the book, said smile was still on my face.

I was surprised how much I liked Daemon, considering through about 75% of the book he was a jackass. But I didn't mind because he made up for it with his wicked charm and snarky, sexy sarcasm. That too, my friends, works for me. Also, I really appreciated that Katy didn't let him get away with it. She was a strong, independent and confident lead witch was refreshing. Too often you run into girls pining for complete jackasses how have cruel words and no heart to back it up... and the girl just takes it and continues to pine for him.

But, Daemon wasn't like that. Yes, he was over the top with this brush offs, but at least his goal was to literally make things so miserable for Katy she'd run screaming. Objective achieved; he came very close. He made it abundantly clear to Katy on many occasions he'd never want her around for himself and that a friendship with Dee wasn't gonna happen. I don't even believe his position truly changed in the end, despite everything. I can respect that.

Enough about Daemon, because I liked Katy just as much. She pushed back just as hard as Daemon shoved, and the end result was hilarious. These two stubborn characters clashed in the most excellent way, but at the same time their non-relationship felt real. Plenty of people have fallen for the wrong guy and Katy know she had, but could she stop? Hell no, not with all the charm he was laying on. Which brings me to the sexual tension ... wow! Definitely made this an enjoyable read.

To wrap things up, overall storyline was only okay for me. If Katy and Daemon weren't in the book, it's own, I find the a little weak. But as setup for the series well that's a different situation. This story felt like sturdy foundation to base the series on. Plus, it ended on a high note and I had stupid grin plastered over my face. Already started the next book and the prequel, Shadows.

For the most part, I liked Justine Eyre. Overall, I thought her voice was a bit too mature. Don't get me wrong, when she spoke as a female teen, she sounded young enough. But with what I'd call Katy's stream of concious, it didn't work. I also don't like how she spoke as Daemon. And she dragged her "m's".  Okay - perhaps I didn't like her. Well, let's just say her style is not mine.

Book Review: Prince of Wolves by Quinn Loftis

Book Series: (The Grey Wolves, Book #1)
Author: Quinn Loftis
Genres: Paranormal, Shapeshifters, YA
Format: Nook Book (Barnes and Noble)
Length: 230 pages
Book Club Pick: Never Too Old For Y.A. & N.A. Books (Goodreads)

My Ranking:

Jacque Pierce was just an ordinary 17-year-old girl getting ready to start her senior year in high school in Coldspring, Texas. When a mysterious foreign exchange student from Romania moves in across the street, Jacque and her two best friends, Sally and Jen, don't realize the last two weeks of their summer are going to get a lot more interesting.

From the moment Jacque sets eyes on Fane she feels an instant connection, a pull like a moth to a flame. Little does she know that the flame she is drawn to is actually a Canis lupis, werewolf, and she just happens to be his mate; the other half of his soul.

The problem is Fane is not the only wolf in Coldspring, Texas.

Just as Fane and Jacque are getting to know each other, another wolf steps out to try and claim Jacque as his mate. Fane will now have to fight for the right to complete the mating bond, something that is his right by birth but is being denied him by a crazed Alpha. Will the love Fane has for Jacque be enough to give him the strength to defeat his enemy, will Jacque accept that she is Fane's mate and complete the bond between them?

I enjoyed this book. But the same time, I didn't really get it until about halfway it. Maybe not "get it", as in the story, but "get it" as in that instant connection between these two mates. It was just too fast, too underdeveloped. However, after getting to the end of the book, I realized this may have been because Loftis had a lot of ground to cover and just hit the ground running.

That fact, and being exposed to a new world, caught me off guard. It made everything a lot harder to swallow. But now that I've made it to the end, I could care less. I really did believe in the connection between Fane and Jacque. It was simply beautiful. Yes things did happen fast - very fast - but after the whole experience with Lucas Steele, and seeing how he behaved with Jackie, it just solidified the true meaning behind true mates in this story.

Now for the characters. I really liked Jacque. I sometimes have a hard time liking with female leads in YA books. Especially, since a great many are portrayed as a little bit silly, whine a lot, and make ridiculous, completely asinine decisions to just to keep the plot moving forward. That really, really irks me. But Jackie was spunky and had a firm backbone, which was awesome. Especially since she's eventually going to be an Alpha female.

Fane was a pretty hot, I have to say. I really liked his personality, and I myself, got giddy at the things he was saying in Romanian. Sometimes words, any word, just sounds hotter when said a different language.

I really liked all of the supporting characters: the helpful Henry's; Sally and Jen, Fane's parents, everyone. Sally and Jen especially brought a really great lightness to the entire story. Their relationship with Jacque was pretty refreshing, and hilarious, at most times. This story easily could've been very dark, but having these three wonderful, quirky characters - with all of their witty banter and all of Jen's sexual inappropriateness – in the story just made it more complete.

Book Review: Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Book Series: Beautiful, Book #2
Author: Jamie McGuire
Genres: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Dan Bittner
Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins

My Ranking:

Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster.

Can you love someone too much?

Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

When I read Beautiful Disaster - in the beginning - I did not like the story. But by the time it ended, I loved it. Strange, right? I thought so. Until I realized what the problem was; it was Abby. I didn't get her. Her motivations, her feelings and I especially didn't see what she saw in Travis. Frankly, I was close to ditching the book... and then it happened. Travis got to me. Something about him, violence and all, intrigued me. Behind the rage, I saw the sweetness. Or, maybe that's going to far. Rather, I saw the potential for sweetness. So, I decided to give Walking Disaster a chance and...

Wow!!! This insane love story was absolutely amazing when told from Travis's perspective. I have to admit that I loved the story more, almost immediately, from his perspective. It felt like an entirely new; it truly was a different experience. Which, I assume, was McGuire's ultimate goal with writing this book.

With Walking Disaster, I didn't just see Travis in a new way. He made sense. All of his anger, rages and violence seems more understandable. I am not saying it was right for him to be just as aggressive in the real world as he is in the ring, but I understood what fueled his rage and how he using rage to cope with the different situations in his life. It was better for me to experience what he was experiencing when the anger took hold, instead of just hearing about Travis going off the handle from Abby. Also, I think seeing Travis interact other people besides Abby - his brothers, his father, Shepley and even America - made me understand and like him even more.

What was the most compelling was how my feelings about Abby changed after reading this book. Surprisingly, I liked her from start to finish. There was just something about seeing Abby through Travis's eyes made me connect with her. She felt sweeter, softer and more precious - almost worth his crazy, possessive and unwavering love and devotion. I really felt his growing need for her, what she represented to him and the extreme extent to which he cared for her. How his perspective and feelings towards the world at large changed as time progressed and he fell deeper for her. It was beautiful.

I think McGuire did an excellent job telling the same story from a male's perspective and making this story feel fresh. I prefer Walking Disaster to Beautiful Disaster, most definitely.

Dan Bittner's performance was stellar. I'm definitely convinced that his portrayal of Travis greatly influenced my preference of this book over the Beautiful Disaster (but I most definitely am not saying Emma Galvin did a bad job, because she's my favorite female narrator).

His quiet delivery of Travis made him more relatable - dare-I-say even down to earth? I don't know how to describe it exactly. I just felt that he understood Travis, the story and had a good understanding of how the story should be delivered. As another Travis would say (from the movie Clueless), "Two very enthusiastic thumbs up. Fine holiday fun."