To my greatest displeasure, I haven't been reading much lately :( I think it's me (my mood) and not the books (thanks goodness)... I've just been picking up books and starting them and not finishing them. They're just not grabbing my attention :( Of course, my mood hasn't stopped me from buying books... or perhaps, it's exactly because of that mood that I've been on a buying books binge...
Anyway, to compensate not reading as much books, I thought I could at least review some of them... I said at the beginning of the year that I wanted to review more books... and it's been going so-so. I wish I could write full reviews for every book I read like Jill, but I don't have the time. So lightening review (well not that lightening ^_^;) it is...
Making Over Mr. Right by Judy McCoy
published by Avon in March 2008
The Plot: Zoe, Chloe and Kyra are Zeus' daugthers and Muses of Beauty, Happiness and Good Fortune respectively. However, they have no lived up to Zeus' standards and so all three are sent to Earth for a year to inspire humans. When the year is up, they'll be evaluated and returned to Olympus as goddesses... or maids to Hera depending on their performance.
Zoe has spent the past 10-11 months in New York, working as a window designer. Theo Maragos is an up and coming businessman who will be featured in a major magazine, which could give a major boost to his company. However, he and his apartment needs to look the part and so Theo hires Zoe for a make-over.
Genre: contemporary romance
Series: The Goddesses, book #3
Why I bought this book? I read the first two books and so, just to finish the series...
My Opinion: The book isn't bad... Isn't that a great start? LOL :) It's an enjoyable read, the only problem is that all three books of the series are based on the same plotline: muse is sent to Earth to spend a year, meet handsome fella, falls in love and... It annoys me a lot that they ignore their feelings and believe that they'll be able to go back to their life in Olympus as if nothing changed. Of course, we all know that it's not true. Luckily, Ms McCoy was able to save this book with an interesting twist and so Making Over Mr. Right is not a carbon copy of Almost a Goddess and One Night with a Goddess. What I also like is that Zoe is thinking, trying to find ways to see Theo once she's back in Olympus. All in all, this was a nice, quick read - I enjoyed Zoe and Theo's romance, although I thought they got together a bit fast and there wasn't enough emphasis on them. However, this is definitively not a must-read, must-rush-to-the-bookstore book. More like, if you have nothing to read, this is a nice filler.
My Grade: B
The Healer by Sharon Sala
published by Mira in April 2008
The Story: Jonah Gray Wolf has special gifts: he can talk and understand animals and heal the sick and wounded. Living in a small town in Alaska, he never had to hide himself or his powers until the day he save the wrong man. Being hunted, Jonah has left his hometown and become a drifter. In West Virginia, he meets Luce and sparks fly between them. However, danger is lurking around...
Genre: contemporary romance
Why I bought this book? I'm a fan of Sharon Sala.
My Opinion: I liked and enjoyed the book; however, it wasn't a wowzer. I guess I have higher expectations when it comes to favorite authors... I think that if someone else had written this book, I would have graded good, but because it's Ms Sala, it was only an okay read. I liked the characters very much in this one. Both are very calm, generous and good and all they want is to be able to live their life peacefully. I also like how there wasn't one big event/show-down in the book, but instead many smaller events. The pacing was a bit slow and I think part of it is due to the writing style, which was a bit passive in my opinion... I wished we knew more about Luce's past and I wished their relationship was a bit more developed. My biggest problem however was reading this book, it felt like deja-vu. Ms Sala has written another book, Legend, under her other pen name, Dinah McCall. Of course, the two books aren't identical and actually, many things are different... Problem is, in both books, the healing power and the villain hunting the hero down for the healing were central to the plot and so The Healer echoed Legend in that way and that did take away a bit of the enjoyment.
My Grade: B
Every Move You Make by Carla Cassidy
published by Signet Elipse in March 2008
Anyway, to compensate not reading as much books, I thought I could at least review some of them... I said at the beginning of the year that I wanted to review more books... and it's been going so-so. I wish I could write full reviews for every book I read like Jill, but I don't have the time. So lightening review (well not that lightening ^_^;) it is...
Making Over Mr. Right by Judy McCoy
published by Avon in March 2008
The Plot: Zoe, Chloe and Kyra are Zeus' daugthers and Muses of Beauty, Happiness and Good Fortune respectively. However, they have no lived up to Zeus' standards and so all three are sent to Earth for a year to inspire humans. When the year is up, they'll be evaluated and returned to Olympus as goddesses... or maids to Hera depending on their performance.Zoe has spent the past 10-11 months in New York, working as a window designer. Theo Maragos is an up and coming businessman who will be featured in a major magazine, which could give a major boost to his company. However, he and his apartment needs to look the part and so Theo hires Zoe for a make-over.
Genre: contemporary romance
Series: The Goddesses, book #3
Why I bought this book? I read the first two books and so, just to finish the series...
My Opinion: The book isn't bad... Isn't that a great start? LOL :) It's an enjoyable read, the only problem is that all three books of the series are based on the same plotline: muse is sent to Earth to spend a year, meet handsome fella, falls in love and... It annoys me a lot that they ignore their feelings and believe that they'll be able to go back to their life in Olympus as if nothing changed. Of course, we all know that it's not true. Luckily, Ms McCoy was able to save this book with an interesting twist and so Making Over Mr. Right is not a carbon copy of Almost a Goddess and One Night with a Goddess. What I also like is that Zoe is thinking, trying to find ways to see Theo once she's back in Olympus. All in all, this was a nice, quick read - I enjoyed Zoe and Theo's romance, although I thought they got together a bit fast and there wasn't enough emphasis on them. However, this is definitively not a must-read, must-rush-to-the-bookstore book. More like, if you have nothing to read, this is a nice filler.
My Grade: B
The Healer by Sharon Sala
published by Mira in April 2008
The Story: Jonah Gray Wolf has special gifts: he can talk and understand animals and heal the sick and wounded. Living in a small town in Alaska, he never had to hide himself or his powers until the day he save the wrong man. Being hunted, Jonah has left his hometown and become a drifter. In West Virginia, he meets Luce and sparks fly between them. However, danger is lurking around...
Genre: contemporary romance
Why I bought this book? I'm a fan of Sharon Sala.
My Opinion: I liked and enjoyed the book; however, it wasn't a wowzer. I guess I have higher expectations when it comes to favorite authors... I think that if someone else had written this book, I would have graded good, but because it's Ms Sala, it was only an okay read. I liked the characters very much in this one. Both are very calm, generous and good and all they want is to be able to live their life peacefully. I also like how there wasn't one big event/show-down in the book, but instead many smaller events. The pacing was a bit slow and I think part of it is due to the writing style, which was a bit passive in my opinion... I wished we knew more about Luce's past and I wished their relationship was a bit more developed. My biggest problem however was reading this book, it felt like deja-vu. Ms Sala has written another book, Legend, under her other pen name, Dinah McCall. Of course, the two books aren't identical and actually, many things are different... Problem is, in both books, the healing power and the villain hunting the hero down for the healing were central to the plot and so The Healer echoed Legend in that way and that did take away a bit of the enjoyment.
My Grade: B
Every Move You Make by Carla Cassidy
published by Signet Elipse in March 2008
The Plot: Back blurb of the book...On her thirtieth birthday, Annalise Blakely gets a strange package. Inside, along with one of her company's hand-crafted dolls, is a note: I don't need this anymore. I have my own. Annalise puts the package aside-she has enough on her mind. Since her mother died, Annalise has been working nonstop to keep Blakely Dolls a success.
*Her father's been in her life; however, ever since her parents divorce, their relationship has been strained.
**She agreed to go on a blind date with Tyler King, a cop who's involved in a series of murders.
Genre: romantic suspense
Why I bought this book? I read one or two of her previous work and enjoyed them enough. Plus, the book was cheap.
My Opinion: I was too lazy to write a summary of my own ^_^; So what did I think of this book... again, an okay read. I think I was expecting something along the lines of Karen Rose and it's not really what I got. Less chilling LOL :P I think there was a good balance between the romance and suspense. I like how Annalise and Tyler got to know each other. I enjoyed Annalise getting to know her half-brother and resolving her issues with her father. Annalise annoyed me a little though, not because she was TSTL, although sometimes you wonder - how can you ignore/miss the obvious?!? What annoyed me is how she wouldn't reach out and wasn't willing to listen to others sometimes. Another problem is that this story wasn't able to grab me and so although it was well written, I came out thinking meh. Finally, I didn't like how the whole suspense was solved. Perhaps I've read too much In Death books, but this one did feel a bit flat investigation-wise.
My Grade: B
