Tag: overdrive

This Chick Read: Balancing the Scales (Brits in Manhattan #1) by Laura Carter

Becky Fletcher is a patisserie chef in a hot Manhattan restaurant when she meets hotshot lawyer Drew Harrington at a bagel cart. He is immediately drawn to her looks and is attracted by that fresh British accent. Becky is a bit standoffish until Drew shows up at her work and starts to charm her with his cocky American humor. She is not interested in a relationship or hookup and despite their attraction and Drew’s busy schedule they agree to be “just friends”.

Of course, laws of attraction, and the rule romance books dictates that their just friends rule, will turn into a friends with benefits situation. As they get to know each other, they come to care for each other and that title of friend starts to not be enough. What Drew doesn’t know, and the reader finds out slowly, is that Becky left some baggage behind in England that she needs to clean up.

Drew and Becky at first glance don’t seem to be the right fit. He’s trying to make partner at his law firm and she works bakers hours. Yet somehow the two of them find a connection that works. I liked Becky’s sweet personality and once I learned her back story admired her for taking a stand and walking away from a bad relationship. Separately they each needed to grow, and together they gave each other the strength and support required to do it. A couple to root for and feel good about!

If you are a fan of Laura Carter’s you may miss the romantic suspense from her other novels, but you won’t be disappointed. This is a sweet love story with heart and a fun Saturday afternoon read. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!
Balancing the Scales

Click this link to purchase! Balancing the Scales (Brits in Manhattan)

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: My book review guidelines…

I follow my own set of book review rules. I mean, they aren’t set in stone, but I do try to be consistent with how I write my review, my ratings system, and well, I try to be honorable. I try to respect the amount of work that goes into producing a book. Most of the time.

I thought I’d share my book review process. It’s not set in stone or anything, but this is generally how I craft my review.

  1. READ A BOOK: This one is pretty easy! I have to admit that I don’t stretch my reading boundaries a whole lot. I like Romances, YA, Fantasy, Sci-Fi and a little Mystery, though typically my type of mystery is romantic suspense and not a cop procedural. I do like to watch Law & Order, but I don’t like to read about it. So, I stay in my wheelhouse. I find if I go outside a genre I enjoy, then my rating for the book suffers. It may be a great book! It’s just not a book I usually like to read. So, I don’t.
  2. CHARACTER GROWTH: I am a reviewer that likes to identify and feel something for a character. I talk about the hero, heroine, villain etc. If I don’t see growth from my main characters through the novel the rating suffers. I like to feel a connection and more importantly, I like the characters to connect with each other.
  3. PLOT DEVELOPMENT: This one seems pretty obvious to me, but there must be some sort of conflict that the characters are trying to overcome in order for there to be a resolution and an end to the novel. I’m sure you’d all agree that you hate wasting time on a book that doesn’t go anywhere!  I hate those cliffhanger novels where I have to read 3-5 books just to get to the resolution of the main conflict. AARGGHH!!! Kill me now!
  4. FEELINGS: Humor, passion, anger, pain, hell- even hunger!  Let’s pack that novel full of emotions. Please, please, make me FEEL something. If you can make me laugh, cry, fall in love, then most likely you’ll get at least a three rating from me. If the feelings are not there I probably won’t like the book. Don’t like? Don’t review.
  5. RATINGS: I don’t think I’ve ever given a one star- or heart actually, since I give hearts not stars. However, I have given out a couple of two ratings. I will only give out a two or two and a half rating and review it if I was upset by something in the story line or was sickened by the direction an author has taken and want to make a statement against that plot point. I can think of one off hand where I gave the book a two and a half rating and ranted about the hero in the novel. He was a stalker yet they created a romance out of it. I wanted to ask about why women find that attractive. So I reviewed the book. Normally I would respect the authors efforts and just not review the book.
  6. FUDGING: This is kind of a side note, but do you ever give a book a five rating and then re-read the book and ask why you gave it that rating, when it was really only a four? I’ve done that, I think everyone has! I have some authors that I just love, love, love. Maybe I give them a half point higher than the book deserves because I just love the author that much. I’m in the moment, I’ve finished the book and am in the haze of that world while writing the review. Maybe I should’ve sat on it for a week. Oh well, I’m not going to lose sleep on it, I doubt anyone will fault me for it. Will you?
  7. REQUESTS: I have received a TON of book review requests from independent authors lately. I love that! However, I am one person writing on my blog and only have so much time in a week to read and write. So, unfortunately I have to limit my requests to just an occasional newbie. When I do read a brand new author’s book, I try to read it with the same eye for character development, plot growth and feelings I mentioned above. Every writer is equal in my eyes. (Unless you’re a favorite, HA!) I have read quite a few brand new (to me at least) authors this year and have been pleased to add them to my list of must reads.

I’ve seen a lot of book review bloggers write about trying to read outside their comfort zone, but I have to ask why?  OK, sure, every once in awhile I read a best seller that I normally wouldn’t have picked up. I’ll admit to feeling pretty good about myself for making that effort. However, if I love to read in a certain genre, and I write 3-4 reviews a week, shouldn’t I spend more time reading what I love so my writing will be a reflection of those feelings?

Do you read outside your favorite genres because you are bending to peer pressure?

How do you handle reading your favorite authors novels? Are you fair?

Do you ever make a statement with your review? Should a reviewer make a statement?

What are your book review rules???

I’d love to have a discussion and learn about you!

Until next Sunday,

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads2 Comments

This Chick Read:  a Chapter Excerpt of Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston

Shelly Laurenstons new novel Hot and Badgered doesn’t come out until March 27th, but when offered the chance to read a chapter in advance of the release, I just couldn’t pass it up! I zipped through this chapter, once again loving the humor, dialog, and action. Her novels are unlike any other shifter novels. 

Here’s the synopsis:

It’s not every day that a beautiful naked woman falls out of the sky and lands face-first on grizzly shifter Berg Dunn’s hotel balcony. Definitely they don’t usually hop up and demand his best gun. Berg gives the lady a grizzly-sized t-shirt and his cell phone, too, just on style points. And then she’s gone, taking his XXXL heart with her. By the time he figures out she’s a honey badger shifter, it’s too late.

 Honey badgers are survivors. Brutal, vicious, ill-tempered survivors. Or maybe Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan is just pissed that her useless father is trying to get them all killed again, and won’t even tell her how. Protecting her little sisters has always been her job, and she’s not about to let some pesky giant grizzly protection specialist with a network of every shifter in Manhattan get in her way. Wait. He’s trying to help? Why would he want to do that? He’s cute enough that she just might let him tag along—that is, if he can keep up . . .

Unfortunately, we have a little while to wait until this fun new novel in The Honey Badgers series comes out. I can’t wait!


Click this link to pre-order! 

Hot and Badgered (The Honey Badgers)

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This Chick Read: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Amor Towles has written an elegantly worded story about Alexander Rostov, an aristocrat who was sentenced to house arrest in the grand Metropol hotel in Moscow. Set in 1922 when being an aristocrat was considered dangerous to the new Bolshevik regime, this fascinating glimpse into life at that time captured my heart, as did Alexander Rostov. 

You may think Alexander’s life would be encapsulated, and in some ways it was. He couldn’t leave the Metropol, but as it was located across the street from the Kremlin, everyone at some point passed through its doors. Alexander, used to living in the upper eschelon of society, did have to make changes. Gone were the large room of suites he had inhabited before his sentence. He was now relegated to life in a room the size of a closet. However, his life was really lived outside of his rooms. He dined in the beautiful restaurants in the hotel and his family became the people who worked and stayed in the hotel. His culture and charm are completely alien to the age we live in now, but the wording was so descriptive that I could easily visualize it, although I’ll admit to seeing it’s scenes in black and white, with Cary Grant cast as Alexander.

The true heart in this story were in the relationships he built with the people around him. Nina, a young girl of six at the beginning of this book was his adventurous friend who led him on a journey of secret passageways and scientific experiments. His friend Mischa, who came and went from the hotel bringing news about the outside world and the political changes Russia was going through. Anna, an actress that he builds a longstanding relationship with, Marina, the seamstress and friend, and his evolving relationship with the Maitre’d and chef at the restaurant who eventually become his best friends. Sophia, however was the relationship that helped Alexander evolve beyond a gentleman into a father. Their relationship at times touched and broke my heart.

I listened to the audio for this book and while it was long, Nicholas Guy Smith’s voice wove this tale and did justice to the beautiful prose. The story of Russia’s growth from a monarchy to communism was a part of history that I wasn’t that familiar but became enraptured. I will definitely be looking for more books from this era.  ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️


Click the link to purchase this book!  A Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads1 Comment

This Chick Read: Rituals (Cainsville #5) by Kelley Armstrong

The final book in the wonderfully weird and paranormally powerful Cainsville series. I couldn’t wait to read it! Olivia Taylor Jones and her boyfriend Ricky broke up at the end of the previous novel because she had feelings she needed to explore with Gabriel. Sounds pretty normal, right? Well, in this series, Olivia, Ricky and Gabriel are re-living the lives of Matilda, Arwyn and Gwynn a love triangle that ended tragically.  Having learned their story, the three of them are determined that they are going to do things differently, with their love and friendship, most improtantly for them to avoid the tragic ending.  Of course, there is another evil force that is blocking their path to happiness. Will they be able to conquer evil and live their happily ever after?

Finally! I have been waiting for Olivia to give Gabriel a chance. Yes, he’s broody, kind of odd and anti social. But he’s also sweet, strong and overbearing. Did I say overbearing was a good thing? Not necessarily, but in his case it is ok. Ricky’s new role as friend, rankles him a bit, which isn’t a surprise. However, he stepped aside gracefully which made me like him more than I already did. He saw the writing on the wall and stepped aside.  The fact there is love and respect between all three of them is something we can all learn something from in our own often tumultuous relationships. I love these three! I love them even more when they are fighting evil together.

I was sorry to see the ending to this series. It’s quickly become one of my favorites just as Kelly Armstrong is one of my favorite authors. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️


Click this link to purchase!  Rituals: The Cainsville Series

Copyrigh 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads2 Comments

This Chick Read: Obsession Falls (Virtue Falls #2) by Christina Dodd

What would you do if you saw a little boy in danger from two men? I’d like to think I’d step in, but then what if they turned on me? Taylor Summers has to make this decision when she see’s a boy being pulled out of the trunk of a car and his would be killers talking about his murder. She does the unselfish and puts his life before her own and distracts the killers so he can escape. Unfortunately this action completely changes her life. She is convicted in the press of kidnapping the boy and then dying in a car explosion. Her identity gone, her previous life dissolved, she goes on the run from the killers.

Taylor was amazing. As a little girl her father taught her some survival skills, but she took those memories and actually lived in the wild for a few months. When she lands in Virtue Falls, she starts a fresh new life, until the kidnapper finds her and she has to learn a new set of skills to outsmart him.

This was a great second novel in the Virtue Falls series. Half of the book took place before Taylor arrives in Virtue Falls but when she does, our favorite characters from the first book become a part of the plot and we get to see where their lives are now. That’s always fun because sometimes you just don’t want to let good characters go. Obsession Falls was action packed, our heroine took charge of her own life and made it work for her, and there’s even a bit of a love interest for her, although that was the weakest part of the plot. She was strong enough to get through everything on her own so it kind of annoyed me when a man tried to take charge and “save” her. Luckily it annoyed Taylor too! This book can be read as a stand alone, but Virtue Falls was a fun book to read if you want to start at the beginning.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click HERE for my review of Virtue Falls.


Click link to purchase! Obsession Falls: A Novel (The Virtue Falls Series)

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

 

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: The Good, the Bad, and the Witchy

On this Halloween Eve, or the eve before the eve, I thought we could discuss some of my favorite fictional witches or warlocks. I think witches have gotten a bad rep! These are all witches who use their power for good, well, mostly.

1) Diana Bishop from Deborah Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy and A Discovery of Witches

A sweeping tale of  history, romance, and magic, Diana Bishop learns to embrace her origins. The forbidden love story between she and vampire Matthew Claremont enhances the story as they time travel through history. This is a great series if you haven’t read it yet!

Click this link to purchase!  A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy)

2) Rachel Morgan from The Hollows series by Kim Harrison- Dead Witch Walking

One of my favorite paranormal heroines, witch Rachel Morgan and her best friend’s Ivy and Jinks, fall in and out of love, survive the perils of their friendship, and build a thriving business solving crimes. Kim Harrison has created a world that I never wanted to leave and even though Rachel’s storyline has ended,  the world of the Hollows lives on in The Turn.

 
Click these links to purchase these novels.  Dead Witch Walking 

and The Turn: The Hollows Begins with Death

3) Paige Winterbourne in The Women of the Underworld series by Kelley Armstrong- Dime Store Magic

Paige finds herself at odds with the coven she was born into when she is declared the guardian of a very strong teenage witch. Despite opposition, Paige navigates this political world filled with Covens and Cabals and finds her own inner strength, love and power.  All of these novels in the Women of the Underworld series depict strong women who kickass physically, but more importantly they outwit and outsmart those who dare to go up against them.


Click this link to purchase!  Dime Store Magic (Otherworld)

4) Geillis Duncan from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander

Geillis befriends the main character, Claire, through their common knowledge of herbs. She poisons her husband and ends up being tried for witccraft. She was a crafty one that Geillis the way she befriended Claire to gain power. Claire gets caught up in the accusations and only through Geillis’s acknowledgement of the baby she was carrying did Claire go free. Geillis gave me the creeps and because of that she did her job and was an effective character.

Click this link to purchase!  Outlander

5) Samantha and Sabrina from Bewitched

Ok, I know these are not literary fiction characters but come on! Who doesn’t love that sweet housewife and her sassy cousin? 

 

If you have your own favorite fictional witches whether they be from novels, movies, or TV please share! It’s time to celebrate these witchy characters,  Happy Halloween!

Speaking of witchy characters, here’s a picture of my mom, sister, and I from our Witches Halloween party last night. 


Until next Sunday,

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Under Locke by Mariana Zapata

Mariana Zapata novels are known for a slow burn storyline. Usually our female lead hates the male lead and it takes awhile for him to get back into her good graces until all of a sudden she realizes she is in love with the guy. Under Locke follows this trope, however, even though it takes Dex a little while to redeem himself in Iris Taylor’s eyes, the reader doesn’t have to wait until 90% to get their first kiss. Yeah!

Dex Locke is a biker in an MC, but he’s also a tattoo artist and owns a successful tattoo shop. Iris is down on her luck and flat broke. She is sleeping in her older half brothers spare room and goes on a job interview he sets up for her at his MC brothers tattoo shop. Despite her misgivings for working for Dex, she accepts the job. Needless to say, Dex’s surly attitude and snarly demeanor is not her idea of a good boss, even less so a love interest, and sparks fly. However, she keeps the job and over time, and multitudes of apologies, the two end up becoming friends.

Even though this book was unlike her other more sports themed books, I still liked the setup and story. Iris has a really sad back story. She is a rather timid thing, but watching her grow into a little dragon when facing down Dex made me appreciate her spunk and fire. Dex was surly through the whole book, but his moments of tenderness and humor, saved solely for Iris made me root for him. The fact that they reached their first kiss quicker than normal and I got to see their relationship develop a little more, I loved. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️


Click this link to purchase! Under Locke

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads5 Comments

This Chick Read: A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2) by V. E. Schwab

I was excited to finally get to A Gathering of Shadows, the second book in V. E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series. I was fascinated by these worlds she has created with a series of London’s that went from no magic to full magic, colorless and colorful. There were moments of brilliance, but  those moments were overshadowed by a dullness, my feelings mirroring her London’s spectrum of colors.

I still really liked the characters. Delilah is a fascinating mix of distrust and curious cat. In A Gathering of Shadows she expands her knowledge of the magic she holds by serving as a pirate and tutoring under the captain Alucard. Alucard was probably my favorite new character in this book, his roguishness was charming and I couldn’t quite figure him out, which held my interest. Kell, stuck in London, held captive by his own spell tying he and his brother Rhy’s lives together, a tether that was necessary but now binds his adventurous soul. Maybe it was because of that tether thet the first half of the book was really slow moving and dare I say boring? Part of the fun of the first novel were his journeys, and there were only a couple of those in A Gathering of Shadows. Kell and Lila apart also made the story lack fire, noticeably, because when her ship finally docked in Maresh even the thought of the two of them spotting each other made me sit up in my seat scanning the pages for that moment. That moment did not disappoint.

The latter half of the book made up for my lackluster feelings for the first. It was vibrant, exciting, and passionate! However, I can’t forget my struggle to keep slogging through the first half so I am giving this one only ❤️❤️❤️.

Do you agree? What kept you reading this book? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

Click the link to purchase! A Gathering of Shadows: A Novel (Shades of Magic)

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads3 Comments

This Chick Read: The Dog Walker’s Diary by Kathryn Donahue

Daniel Ashe, a literary agent in Los Angeles, is jaded about life and love. He dreams of starting his own agency, but in reality is afraid if he doesn’t find the next J. D. Salinger he will be out of a job.  When he arrives home to a puddle of pee on the floor he hires a dog sitter named Annie Donahue who has left a flier on his door. He meets her in person and although charmed by her Irish accent he is terrified of her red hair, a phobia left over from his childhood. He is determined to fire her so he doesn’t have to look at her red hair but she leaves him a charming story about his dogs and their adventure at the park that day. This starts a funny and animated diary flirtation between the two that sets his literary agent wheels and his heart spinning.

The first half of this novel was written in a fairy tale style with childlike stories of the dog that acted as the impetus to Daniel and Annie’s love story. As with most love stories there were quite a few bumps in the road, the biggest in this one being Daniel’s aversion to love. Although slow moving, I did find the stories sweet and Annie charming. Daniel, on the other hand didn’t have any self confidence, although he had an abundance of good looks, so it took me a little longer to warm up to him.

The second half of the novel was like a different book. The pace was quicker because the story abruptly changed from a sweet clever romance to a romantic thriller. The change was a little jarring, but the Daniel in the second half of the novel was everything that had been missing in the first; take charge, confident, and driven to succeed. Without giving away the story, I’ll just say that due to circumstance, Annie was mostly absent until the end which was also a little out of character for a romance.

How did I feel about this abrupt shift in pace and yes, even genre? Well, I still enjoyed the book. Although, in my head, they were two separate novels with the same characters that ultimately reached a happy ending. When I finished the book, I was happy that those two found their HEA but a little confused at the plot shifts that got them there. This author has a ton of talent because she made my emotions spike from one end of the spectrum to the other that’s for sure!

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review, and it was honest!

❤️❤️❤️❣️


Click this link to purchase!  The Dog Walker’s Diary

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads3 Comments