KumikoLei
Lost In A Book

There is so much about this book I want to say, but where do I start?

Ok, I think I'm going to do this backwards and start with the not so good. Don't worry, there's not much, and I want to get it out of the way so I can talk about all the good stuff.

1. desirable - ack! Too much desirable. That word was everywhere.
2. contractions - lack of; dialogue felt a little unnatural because no one ever used contractions. (its ok though, the movie in my mind made them use contractions)
3. Eric - I would've liked to see more interaction with him throughout.
4. unfinished business - alright, there were a few scenes where things happened and they seemed like they could be important, but then it was never mentioned again.

Ok, now, lets get to the good stuff... the great stuff... the awesome stuff.

This book had me hooked within the first three chapters. 

Deranged Tara! OMG... I would so do that! I think I may have actually tried to do that once... or twice.

I'm a music person -- meaning I like music, not that I can sing or play. Most of my memories come with songs attached to them. You know, the whole "soundtrack of my life" thing. (totally off-topic, but I once asked my husband, if we were in a movie, what song would play in the background when I walked in the room... His answer: Crazy Bitch by Buckcherry -so, umm... yeah)
Anyhow, so the musical references in this book were great for me, especially when they are ones that actually are attached to some of my memories.

If you've never heard this, you must listen to it... NOW!



Seriously, this is taking me entirely too long to write... because... well, I had to watch that. It always makes me smile.

I don't know if its a Virginia thing or not, but this book just felt comfortable to me. It felt like home and I loved it for that. 

Caroline didn't talk about her Dad, she talked about her Daddy and if you're from Virginia you say it real fast so it sounds like you're saying Diddy. 

There were the weekly family dinners and the closeness with extended family that you don't see much anymore. Its familiar to me, its the way I was raised and the way I live.

The college roommate from hell. Guess what? I had one of those too. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that its relate-able to me on many levels.

I did find myself wondering which college they were at and what town they lived in. Duh! I have to know where the hot cops and physical therapists reside.

The story itself, who hasn't been there? Unsure and torn. Young, hormonal and confused.

And the naughty parts... Oooh... they were naughty, I specifically like the ones toward the end.

And then you have two great big pieces of man candy... even if I think one is slightly psycho-stalkerish, he's still nice to look at.

At any rate, let me try to put this into a little better perspective because I'm starting to think everything up there is a bit all over the place.

This book felt like an old friend. Like the whole story is a private joke between me and them and it doesn't matter who else reads it, the only ones who will get it are us.

That being said, I can't wait for In The Now. I'll have another private joke to share with a new "old friend".

*Copy received from author in exchange for an honest review.

If you have not read Tangled, you should go.read.it.now. After you've done that then and only then should you venture into Twisted. 

I loved Tangled.  I laughed and smirked and grinned the whole time I was reading it.  I did not do those things while I was reading Twisted.  I was expecting to, but I just couldn't.  What did I do while I read Twisted?  Well, I frowned, I cried, I cringed, I face-palmed and I may have thrown something at the wall.

Don't take that the wrong way, though.  I liked Twisted, but in a different way.  There is such a vast difference between the two books, its like night and day... Luke and Darth... cartoons and porn.

This starts out by bringing my worst fear to life (somewhat, I know its a book).  I've always had this fear that my other half is going to be so dense one day that he will decide to do what Drew did.  Nope, not gonna tell you what he did.  Anyhow, when Drew did that, it hurt... bad.

And so begins the emotional torture-fest.  It carries through most of the book.  The characters don't know it, but, you, the reader do know that this whole torture-gasm is based on non-communication.  So much time wasted and so much heartache because they didn't talk to each other.  Thats where you might throw something at the wall. 

If you're looking for a funny, light read like Tangled, you will not get it here.  If you can handle the torture-palooza, then go for it. 

And when you're done, stay up all night and watch porn in a Darth Vader mask.

Yep.  That should bring it full circle for you. 

*Copy received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

So, I finally made it back to Chaos and I'm so glad I did. As far as I'm concerned, Kristen Ashley can do no wrong. When I read her books its like stepping into another world. I don't know people like this, I don't know places like this -- but I sure wish I did. 

Books are my escape, and when things are really, really tough, I can read one of KA's books and by the time I'm through I'm not feeling so bad anymore. KA is also my go to when I'm in a book slump, because I know I'll enjoy whatever it is I read from her. 

So, Hopper and Lanie... Lanie has her issues and they are understandable, I just can't believe its been 8 years. Thats a really, really long time especially trying to deal with what she's been through. And Hopper, I love, love, love Hopper. I don't necessarily agree with some of the things he said, but his gruff demeanor mixed with his gentle side hit me somewhere deep. I think because its hard to find that combination, you either get an asshole or a wuss. I need a Hopper. I really, really do. 

All the crazy drama, the back and forth, for me its relatable. And it drew me into the story even more. 

I don't even know where I'm going with this, except to say that I really did enjoy this, like I enjoy all of her books. And I can't wait to jump back into her world again.

*Copy received through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

p.s. there's a giveaway at the source link

When I got the sign-up email for this tour, I originally passed on it.  It came around a second time and on a whim I signed up for it.  I am so glad I got that second email because without that I would never have found a new author and series to read.

Taming Romeo is different... in a good way.  I've read white romance, black romance, interracial romance, and, dare I say, even interspecies romance.  What I've never read is a Filipino romance, until now.  Do others exist?  Where have they been hiding?  I've never specifically looked for them, but I have looked for romance novels with a Japanese or even an Asian flair to them.  They are not easy to find. At. All.

I do know a few Filipino people, but they are all girls.  So, trying to imagine a hot Filipino man was very difficult for me.  Google Images to the rescue.  I found a hot Filipino man.  Wanna see him?  Of course you do!

Well. Hello Hotness!  Yeah, he's nice.  Who knew?

Alright, so anyway.  I really enjoyed this.  So great to have something different, where there is so much of the same.  The story touched me and I felt so much for Romeo, and for Evie - to a point.  She was a little selfish while Romeo, on the other hand, was selfless.

The family and community dynamics played an integral role in the story as well.  Evie and Romeo are part of this community, where they all know and care about each other.  Not necessarily related by blood but they are all family.  The blood family members.  Wow!  Mothers are plotting.  Grown women are being grounded.  Sibling rivalry rearing its head.  Total crazy, total fun and total pain in the ass for Evie.

Not many romance novels make me hungry, I think other than this one, there is only one other.  Food is a major player in some cultures.  And although I'm not part of this culture, I do come from one where food equals love and comfort.  It was easy for me to see why there was so much of it in the novel.

Evie had some issues to work through and I thought she was doing pretty well.  I also thought I knew where the story was headed.   I thought wrong.  Towards the end, I started getting nervous and twitchy.  My heart started to get a little crack in it.  Things were headed in a direction I was not prepared for.  Then, the sky cleared and angels were singing and my heart was healing.  Thank goodness for that.

Now, I'm gonna talk about the naughty parts.  Whew... they were steaming hot.  Do you understand?  This is why I needed that visual aid.  If I could have found that man naked and on a motorcycle, I would have been in heaven. I liked seeing these characters uninhibited.  We all know what people do behind closed doors, but that scene with the motorcycle, wow.  I wasn't expecting that from Evie.  She seems so reserved and I think at one point she does say that Romeo brings that out of her.  Well, good for him and her.

All in all.  It was great.  I really enjoyed it.  And I'm excited for the sisters' stories.  Also wondering if maybe there will be a prequel of some type that tells the story of Romeo and Evie's parents. That seems like it could be a very interesting story.

*Copy received in exchange for an honest review. 

Weird things catch my eye.

So when I saw this I *knew* I had to read it. I mean Squid Whores, no way could I pass it by. That being said, this is not my usual brand of weird. This is off-the-wall, laugh out loud, kind of weird.

This was hilarious. Even if you don't care for the story, the names alone will have you laughing. "Willie Reddick" - go ahead, say it out loud. Say it again, this time space out the syllables. 

There are a wide variety of characters. You have the aforementioned Mr. Reddick, he's a cop. And then, you've got Cal Amari, the pimp. A wide variety of squid hookers, and their muscle. Dee Paulson, a lesbian in hiding, cooking channel celebrity. And the disabled white boy in a wheelchair who thinks he's a thug.

This is basically the story of Reddick trying to track down these squid whores who are drugging their customers and then robbing them while they're knocked out.

Even though they are supposed to be the bad guys, so to speak, I found myself not wanting them to be caught. I liked the squid whores and their personalities. The ending was fitting, I suppose, and I definitely wasn't expecting it.

For what it was, I really did enjoy it. It made me laugh and kept me interested. I definitely didn't know what was coming at any point. 

The only problem I had was that in my mind, squid are small, so I'm still trying to figure out how a person can have sex with a squid. And, yes, I am that weird person who is actually thinking about this.

*Copy received in exchange for an honest review.

It shouldn't be a big surprise that I've read all the books in the Titan Series and each one gets better than the last. This was no exception. Just like the other books in this series, you have your bad-ass alpha male hero and you have your bad-ass heroine. That is what sets this series apart from the rest and I love it. 

The second my eyes hit the prologue, it had me. I was in tears before I even got to Chapter 1. Seriously, what kind of book does that? An awesome one!.

So, Rocco and Caterina, could there be two people more perfect for each other? I think not! Off the charts chemistry. Their banter was flirty and amusing. I loved how they interacted. And even though they were both keeping secrets they seemed to know what each other needed. They worked so well together, personally and mission-wise. 

Cristin Harber finds a new way to surprise me with each story. I must say that I was not expecting what happened. My heart was racing, I was starting to panic and my mind was screaming, "No. This isn't going to happen. No. No. Rocco is gonna stop it. He will. This can't happen." and then it happened. I was devastated. I was bawling and it was ugly. I had to stop reading. 

When I finally started back, I thought things were getting back to a not so dark place, but then... oh, total devastation, again. I cried for Cat, I cried for Rocco, I just cried and my heart hurt, it hurt so bad. I didn't want to finish. But I knew, I just knew, like all great romance novels, there would be a happily ever after. 

And YES! It felt like a huge boulder was lifted off my chest. Thank goodness for that epilogue. If not for that I think I might still be crying. 

It's that. That crazy emotional roller-coaster that makes this so great. I love a book that can make me have all these emotions. When I finish I'm so drained, I can do nothing but reflect. I may not like all of the emotions that I feel at the time, but in the end the emotions and the books are so worth it. 

Oh... and just for the record, when they're in the car -- hottest thing ever!

-- a note of caution if you're thinking about picking this up.  There is a violent rape scene, so reader beware.

*copy received in exchange for an  honest review

Yep, I'm giving away a signed copy of Hard As You Can by Laura Kaye... I've got some magnets, dog tags and a bookmark to go with it.

Click the picture or the source link.

If you've read my reviews, you may have picked up on the fact that I don't usually read blurbs and if I do, I scan them. I'm a title/cover whore. Sorry! I saw the words "bear" and "shifter" and I was on it.

That being said, if there is a phrase I never want to see or hear again its got to be "crap on a cracker". I was waiting and waiting for it to stop and thank goodness it finally did.

This book seemed a little bipolar. The first half seemed a little campy and silly and then, wham, it turns all serious, heavy and suspenseful.

Once I got past the silliness, I was intrigued and didn't want to put it down. I really think if the first half was re-written to be a little less campy and the title was a little better suited it might make more sense.

There was a good sexual tension built up and the sexy times were good. And the ending left me curious as to the what would be going on in the next book. I have some theories, but who knows.

I enjoyed it once it got going in a good direction. I just wished it had been a little quicker to do that.

*copy received from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alright, so, did I love this? No. 

I did like it, though. I think it had the potential to be a book that I could have loved. 

I felt like I missed an integral part of Aiden and Jordyn's relationship. I had a hard time seeing them as a couple in love. The emotion just wasn't there for me. Becca and Josh, on the other hand, kept me on my toes and I actually got the emotion and turmoil of their relationship. 

I also feel like the timeline of things wasn't clear. I don't know over how long a period of time this takes place. Some parts seem really quick and others seemed more spaced out but they are interspersed with each other. 

The only other issue I had was with Becca. It's never made clear what happened to her to make her act so wishy-washy about Aiden and Josh and need "protection". 

The characters were great. I loved Becca and Aiden, and after awhile I even liked Josh. Jordyn, I may still need to stew on for awhile. 

All that aside, I did enjoy it for what it was. I just wish there had been a little more clarity and detail in some parts.

*Copy received in exchange for an honest review.

There are a gazillion books out there for someone to read. There are a lot of them that I like. There are some that I adore and then there are the precious few that I connect with on a whole other level. For me, there is just something extra special about a story that I can twist into fitting into my life, like its almost real. In recent weeks, I've had the pleasure of reading not one, but two books that did this.

Consequences of Deception was one of them. It may sound strange, but I was immediately drawn in by one of the characters' names. Its a personal thing for me and made me feel special that a part of my life was in the story even though the author didn't do this for me specifically. I'm sure she had her own reasons for choosing that name that had nothing to do with me, but its nice to dream.

This book is a little on the dark side and I can't fault it for that. I loved it. It was painful to read, though. I read this in one day, and I spent that entire day crying into my Kobo. My heart was breaking and mending and breaking and mending all day long. It was an endless cycle and I was so drained by the time I was finished it wasn't even funny.

There's not a whole lot I can say without giving something away and I don't want to spoil this for anybody. I'm not sure why but this left me basically mush, I don't know if there is a real coherent thought rolling through my brain at the moment. I'm kind of just sitting here with my mouth hanging open in a daze.



All I can say is that if a book can bring out that much emotion in me, its totally worth it. Absolutely, hands down!

*Copy received from author in exchange for an honest review.

Ok.  Yeah.  What did I expect from a book called "Bigfoot You Are The Father"?

Well, I probably expected Bigfoot to be the father.  I should've expected to be wrong.

This is supposed to be an erotic parody, which I would take to mean it should be funny.  It wasn't funny in the sense that I was rolling around on the floor in hysterics.  It was funny in the sense that it was so freaking weird that I didn't know what to do with myself.

This girl, Denitra.  Ooh boy!  She likes her monsters, I mean, she really likes her monsters.

She's on the Murray Slobitch Show (yup, you read it right) to find out who her baby daddy is.

Given the fact that the contenders for fatherhood are Bigfoot, Tokeloshe, Chupacabra and an Icelandic Elf, you should be able to look at the kid and see who the father is.

Denitra flashbacks to to her erotic encounters with the monsters, all except for Bigfoot, which I kind of wanted to read after all the others.

At any rate... I'm gonna spoil this for you here -- true to trash tv form -- none of them are the father.  No more spoiling, I won't tell you who the father is.  

After all of that though, where do we find Denitra at the end of the book?  Ack!  She's sucking off a Yeti while getting done from behind by Murray Slobitch.

Bwahaha... ok, yeah.  That is funny!

Eileen is the Hard Ink Puppy.  If you want to know why her name is Eileen, you need to read Hard As It Gets (Hard Ink #1).  You will laugh your ass off.

As far as books go, you could write anything, set it in Virginia and I'm going to attempt to read it. 

Not set in Virginia? No worries, just make one of your characters a Virginian, odds are I'll give that a try too. 

You want to get me, I mean, really get me (fyi, me = crazy, book boyfriends are real and I will stalk them to them to the ends of the earth kind of chick)? Take a lesson from Laura Kaye. 

Do you know what she did? She made Shane McCallan from Southern Virginia. Those two words had me. They are all I focused on the entire time I was reading the book. Because *squeeee* I'm from Southern Virginia too! 

She could've written "Shane McCallan has muscles, ripped abs, tattoos and is from Southern Virginia" for 300 pages and I probably would've loved every minute. I know, I know, I'm a little off my rocker. So what? 

Anyhow, lets do this thing, shall we. 

I love these Hard Ink Boys. They are working hard to clear their names and to save innocent people in the process. 

Shane has some leftover baggage from his childhood and yeesh, he carries some heavy duty guilt. Crystal, she has suffered so terribly because of her father and for the sake of her sister. I'm so glad these two found each other. They help each other in ways that they didn't know they needed. And they are so good together. 

I really enjoy the fact that the heroines in this series are not the weak, woe is me, someone save me types. They are strong women who are doing what they need to do and will continue to do it with or without help. They get knocked down, they get back up and keep going. I absolutely love it. 

And the sexy times? Woo! Hot! But, honestly, I would read this even without them (but I'm glad I don't have to). The suspense... so much suspense! I was holding my breath at certain points, almost afraid of what might happen. 

Even more than that, I'm so curious to find out how deep this cover-up goes. And I have to know what was in those files at Confessions. 

This was so good, and I am going to be waiting very impatiently for the next one. 

One last thing: For the record, I want to stab Bruno in the eyes with a fork. 

*copy received from author in exchange for an honest review

Oh yeah, and if you click on the source link, Laura Kaye is giving away Amazon Gift Cards!

1.  I'm married to my first boyfriend.

 
2.  I claim that I was adopted on a regular basis.  Even if no one else will admit to it, I know its true.

3.  I have had the same best friend for 24 years.  We somehow managed to get pregnant at the same time with all of our kids.  And we both have 3.

4.  I'm the oldest of 4 and the only girl. 

5.  My daddy can make me cry at the drop of a hat.  All he has to do is look at me.  He likes to do it, he thinks its funny.

6.  I think I'm psychic.  I read tarot cards.  I used to do palm reading.  And occasionally use the ouija board.

7.  Since I'm Catholic, and have #6 on this list, I am in desperate need of confession.

8.  Somehow, I manage to get the rarest medical issues.  If there is a .01% chance that I will get it, I get it. 

9.  Sometimes I have dreams and I wake up thinking that it was real and end up pissed at and/or lecturing everyone in my family for days.

10.  Despite my name, I am only 1/4 Japanese.  The rest of me is a mixture of German, Irish, Native American and who knows what else.  And I used the Japanese part of me to claim that I wasn't white when I was in high school.  I told everyone I was yellow.

Warning: Ranting post ahead. I need to get this down.

The world of books is an interesting place. There's something for everyone around here. Love robots? There's a book for that. Need some sizzling sex scenes? There's a lot of books for that. Simply want to learn how to use your microwave? Guess what? There's a book for that too! That's the beauty of being a reader. No matter what you love, no matter what makes you tick, there's a book for you.

Which is why I cannot stand people who judge other people by what they read. People who spout things like "Oh, that's so low brow" or "REALLY? That's what you're reading?" and then walk away feeling superior about it. Obviously I can't do anything about how you feel inside. But when those words come out? When you make someone else feel bad for picking up a book? Oh, it's on. It's ON.

I taught kids for a long time, and I constantly fought a battle with my managers to let them read what they wanted. People kept telling me that reading a magazine just "wasn't real literature" and that comic books didn't count. I fought tooth and nail for those kids. I'd a hundred times rather a kid pick up a magazine and read an article about their favorite baseball player, or the newest shoes, than not read at all. If their face is in a book and not stuck to a television screen? I consider that a win.

Now I find myself fighting that same battle for adults I know. For those people out there who are shamed for what they read. It's makes me so angry inside.

Do I want to read 50 Shades of Gray? Nope. 

Will I shame someone else for wanting to read it? HELL no.

Again, the fact that they're picking up a book is what matters to me. And hell, I'll recommend them a million more books like that if it keeps them reading. What I like doesn't matter in their lives. What I read plays no part in what they read. Unless they ask for suggestions. Which I'll gladly give.

What I'm trying to say? READ, AND LET READ. 

No book shaming. No hate. Just read.

/end rant

So... This is my mindset today:

I liked this only slightly more than Dicked by the Dybbuk.

So, Morrigan is this crazy bird/woman thing and Ashlyn is this cray cray chick that gets off on having her super giant vibrator slammed into her behind.  

I mean, its all ok as long as Morrigan doesn't turn into a bird while she's doing her.

I do have a question, though.  Did Morrigan get off?  Or was what happened at the end enough for her/it?