Warriors of the Rainbow - A. D. Harvey

one sentence summary:
this was a really fucked up story.

review:
I think I liked this book... maybe... I am not really sure. It was a short read and the imagery was well done and very strong. It was a really weird book, it left me shaking my head in confusion. The writing was great but the story was so disjointed. I recommend this is you miss that WTF feeling you got from reading Geek Love.

4/10

Ape House - Sarah Gruen

one sentence summary:
when greed takes over people can do terrible things for their own entertainment.

review:
this was a really well thought out and beautifully executed story, I particularly enjoyed the main characters and their platonic relationship (nice for a change) with each other. I also learned a lot about Bonobos, they are fascinating creatures and they were the highlight of the book. Humans, I have concluded are terrible creatures and the world would be a lot better off with out us. I recommend reading this if you don't mind being pissed off at the world for a bit and are looking for a great, well written story.

9/10

Fangland - John Marks

one sentence summary
 A reporter travels to Transylvania following a story and disappears, her source shows up in New York and strange things start happening.

review
This is a well written story with an original idea pushing it. The characters are well developed and deal with the situations they are thrown into in a realistic way, which is nice. The dialogue is a bit stilted from time to time and the action is a bit off (but I can't quite put my finger on why). All in all it is a moderately well done modern Dracula story.

7/10

You Went Away - Timothy Findly

one sentence summary:
a woman struggles to keep from falling apart during WWII

review:
this is a beautiful work, short and with no wasted words. The emotions it dragged me through were more than enough to last a life time. There was so much tragedy and love expressed in the short work it was amazing that Findly could express his story with such flow and consistency (not to mention beautiful prose). It is a really short read, just go read it.

9/10

A Yuletide Universe - ed Brian M Thomsen

one sentence summary
a collection of totally quirky short Christmas stories.

review:

a real hit and miss collection, all of the stories are worth reading even if only because the really terrible stories make the next ones seem better. the strong authors who I love (Gaiman, McCaffrey, and Willis) stories can be found elsewhere, I recommend doing that as they were almost disapointing anyway.
6/10

Darkness Series - Harry Turtledove

one sentence summary:
WWII with dragons and magic instead of tanks and bullets.

review:
this idea was very good but the novels were far to long and drawn out. I enjoyed parts of them but other parts were nearly boring. The romantic side to the story was terribly written, but the one conniving bitch character was really well done. For the most part the solder and general characters were interchangeable and didn't really have much texture. I wouldn't recommend these UNLESS you love LOTR and also enjoy detailed military fiction.

5/10

Grim Reaper: End of Days - Steve Alten

one sentence summary:
Injured war vet has to save the world, or at least his family.

review:
Fast paced this novel starts of fast and gains momentum as it goes along. With the right mix of point of view characters you get to see everyone perspective, from the crazy person who starts the end to the people trying to stop it from different angles. The writing is well executed and the plot is well thought out. All in all for a suspenseful thriller I would call this one a success.

7/10

Under the Dome - Stephen King

one sentence summary:
A dome encases a small town cutting them off from the rest of the world.

review:
in true Steven King style this thriller looks more at the horrors man can do onto themselves that that of any outside force. By putting people in a stressful situation and seeing how they would react to the situation and each other is a far more spellbinding and terrifying read than any monsters in the closet could create. A look at this small town functions as a representation of the world at large with characters representing every mindset. The novel has parts that are really badly edited but for the most part it is enjoyable.

7/10

Robopocalypse - Daniel H Wilson

one sentence summary:
the machines have taken over the earth, a few survivors try to survive.

review:
This is one of my favourite book I read this year, it got terrible reviews online from nearly everyone but I really liked it. Sure it was a bit slap dash and jumpy but it had great characters and was well written (if not always cohesive). The characters were really the strongest point of the novel and I would love to read a sequel to see what is going on with them after the novel ended. The science in the novel is terrible, just absolutely terrible.

8/10

Iron Fey Series - Julie Kawaga

one sentence summary:
A half fey, half human girl tries to figure out where she belongs.

review:
I have only read the first two books in this series and I don't think I will keep going. The idea behind the novels is interesting but the execution needs some help. The characters are all really annoying, all whiny and they all create drama for themselves, basically teenagers will relate well to these stories.

4/10

Zombies for Zombies - David P Murphy

One Sentence summary:
Basically a dummies guide to being a zombie.

review:
This was a quirky book, basically a heads up for zombies on what to expect and what to do as the change goes on. It was entertaining but not particularly well written. Basically unless you are one of those people who want to read everything there is to read about zombies don't bother.

4/10

Songs of Willow Frost - Jamie Ford

one sentence summary:
tracing on two converging time lines the life of a 12 year old boy and his mother from before the had her baby we find a story of strength and sorrow.

review:
I really really really enjoyed this story, that said the writing was a bit scattered from time to time and I feel that a stronger editor could have refined the novel to near perfection. I loved the historical aspects of it, I felt fully submersed in 1920's Seattle and leaving the novel behind took a while every time I had to put the book down. The story was mostly heart breaking but in a beautiful and forgivable way. I recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for something good to read.

8/10

Baby Drive South - Stephanie Bond

one sentence summary:

The Armstrong brothers are rebuilding their tornado ravaged hometown and place and advertisement for women to move to the town, love is in the air. 

review:

full of quirky characters and miss-communications this novel is a perfect example of modern chick-lit. A quirky character falls for another quirky character, they meet and then hate each other and then reconcile and then hate each other again and then end with a happily ever after. The story is full of laugh out loud moments and is perfect for a day at the beach or a day on the train. Fluffy and light. 

7/10

Last Known Victim - Erica Spindler

one sentence summary:
in the years since hurricane Katrina Patti O'Shay has wondered what exactly happened to her husband during the storm, she is about to find a clue.

review:
A well written romantic suspense, it has all the twist and turns and pacing you would expect from a best selling romantic suspense author. The characters are recycled from earlier books but the focal point has shifted. The supporting "damsel in distress" character was by far my favourite, a tough talking stripper who helps the cops out. I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys the category.

6/10

Stormy Courtship - JoAnne Ross

one sentence summary:
years ago he was on the basketball team her father coached, she loved him then and now she has his attention.

review:
a totally mindless read, like you do not need to think at all as there is no real plot ad only stock characters. It is a typical harlequin and really the cover says it all:

4/10

The White Princess - Phillipa Gregory

one sentence summary:
Elizabeth of York must marry the King of England but can she ever love him??

review:
I am a real sucker for historical novels based mostly on fact with nicely added flourishes and this fits that bill. I have read the other novels in this series and this does not let me down, beautiful descriptions of clothing, an intricate understanding of "position" in the royal court and so many historical details it had me running to google to see who actually married whom and what alliances lasted etc. This is a great read for anyone who enjoys romance and historical fiction.

9/10

Storm Front - Jim Butcher

one sentence summary
Wizard for hire works as a detective and solves mysteries in modern day Chicago.

review
I enjoyed this story but the writing didn't flow as well as I was expecting it to. I think that will get better in the next books. Dresden is a very strongly developed character who we genuinely want to see what happens next to.

8/10

Earth to Hell - Kylie Chan

one sentence summary:
Emma's adventure continues as she raises Simone and hopes one day to be reunited with her beloved John.

review:
less than ideal, this novel doesn't live up to expectations. I was hoping that it would continue the story where the first trilogy left off, but instead it jumps forward in time and  the only character that is even recognizable is Emma. I found it frustrating how little they had bothered to sort out in the 8 years between the books, it is as if their lives froze (so as to not miss any plot points) but 8 years went by. *sigh* such a disappointing read, but I will read the next two in hopes they get better.

5/10

Lake of Dreams - Kim Edwards

one sentence summary:
a woman returns home after years away and is amazed by the changes that have occurred and through them comes to terms with her past.

review:
I enjoyed this novel, the main character is a woman who had moved far away from home to avoid having to deal with her family drama. She returns to her home town and is amazed by all of the changes that have taken place. I hated her for large portions of the book but once she started realizing how stupid she was being my opinion of her turned around. It is well written and the characters are all well thought out and develop along with the story. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys well written stories of self discovery.

8/10

Darkborn - Alison Sinclair

One Sentence Summary:
There are two races, one born of light the other of darkness, they coexist but what happens when something threatens both races??

review:
This was better than I expected it to be. The characters were fairly stock, not a lot going on with most of them but there are enough entertaining quirks that they kept me interested in what was happening to them. And that was the strong point of the book, a fast paced plot that keeps the pages turning. I recommend this to you if you enjoyed the Hunger Games series.

8/10 middle/high school (the people who like hunger games)

Souvenir - Terese Foewler

one sentence summary:
A woman's life has become mundane but all of that is about to change.

review:
This is a truly heart wrenching story, it literally made tears run down my face more than once. The writing is beautiful and the characters are so well developed that the way the react to the situations they are put in are exactly the way we think they will (but might hope they wont). I highly recommend this to anyone who likes the Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Picoult, Kristin Hannah style of story telling.

9/10

Anybody Out There - Marian Keyes

one sentence summary:
A woman was in a terrible accident and has returned home to Dublin from New York with her very supportive family to sort her life back out.

review:
This was a hilarious read with a really sad twist (that I didn't see coming) and a happy(ish) ending. I really enjoyed the quirky writing style and the oddball characters of Keyes universe. There was something really relatable about every character, even the ones you don't want to relate to you still do. It is a quick read and I recommend it for anyone who like heavier than average chick lit.
8/10

The Poet Prince - Kathleen McGowan

one sentence summary:
the third book in a series that follows the bloodline of Jesus to today's world with a paranormal twist.

review:
Not as good as the first book in the trilogy but better than the second. The story was a bit slow and in my opinion the best part is the historical flashes. I enjoyed the whole story, but found the parts from the perspective of the female lead to be a bit dry and frustrating because there was romantic turmoil and her character did not handle it the way her character (from the prior books) would have. I found it very frustrating how much the character changes without any actual character development.

8/10

Out of Body (Court of Angels) - Stella Cameron

one sentence summary:
a psychic woman from a family of people with "special abilities" falls in love while helping solve a serial killers killing spree.

review:
written to the typical standards of trashy romance stories, this is a good one. The characters are all lovable, especially the back ground characters (you can tell who Stella Cameron is going to focus on in the sequels). The writing is not great but there are no grammatical errors so it did have a better than average editor. I recommend it for plane or train reading.

6/10 

Love in a Nutshell - Janet Evanovitch & Dorien Kelly

one sentence summary
Kate life fell apart and she is looking for a change in pace so moves to her old family summer home which is falling apart around her but she has dreams of making it into a B&B.

review
This story was great! Exactly what one expects from Evanovich, a quirky romance with lovable characters and a dash of drama and adventure. The writing is witty and fast paced with new twists and turns introduced just as you are getting a rhythm in the story which creates a very exciting page turning read. It is very formulaic but it is a formula I like. It you also like predictable love stories with lovable characters read this one too!

8/10

Blood Lite - ed. Kevin J Anderson

one sentence summary
a collection of short, often witty, paranormal stories.

review
these stories range in quality from "why the hell did I waste my time reading that" to "wow, listen to this..." with the majority being in the first category. I was disappointed by most of the stories but Butcher's was really good and Snell's was interesting (if not particularly well executed) but that was pretty much it for good writing. The more I know the author the more disappointed I was in their story.

2/10

Dark Heavens Trilogy - Kylie Chan

one sentence summary
A nanny enters the world of mythology when she agrees to care for the daughter of a god.

review
This is a great series, the mythology is so well researched and described that it is easy to fall under the spell of the story and believe the unbelievable. The series gets stronger as it continues forward, the third book being the most well written. I enjoyed the characters for the most part, the only really weak link is the character of Simone, a little girl wise beyond her years. For the most part she is believable but she is also the only catalyst that dispels the suspension of disbelief that is so crucial to fantasy writing and she does it more than once. Aside from that I look forward to this series continuing.

Sins of the Flesh - Caridad Pineiro

one sentence summary
genetic experiment gone wrong finds love when a mercenary is sent to clean up the scientists mess (with her being the most volatile mess left behind)

review
a strong start to a new series, it has everything, action, adventure, romance and science fiction all well executed and combined to make a great story. The characters are all really well developed and as Cat and Mick's relationship unfolds you will be drawn in to their world. This novel has ups and downs that keep you guessing and interested from beginning to end. A definite page turner.

6/10

Faeries Gone Wild - Mary-Janice Davidson, Michelle Hauf, Lois Greiman, Leandra Logan

one sentence summary
A collection of four short stories all with happy endings and a dash of love.

review
Mary Janice: absolutely hilarious with characters from her other novels flitting about. Well written and witty - the best story in the book for sure.
Michelle: another hilarious story, the tooth fairy is losing her job because the mothers in her district are forcing their kids to stop believing. She has to figure out a way to save her job with the help of a hunky sandman. a story worth reading for sure.
Lois: an author I hadn't read buy will keep an eye out for. Her story was sweet but she was trying to fit too much plot into too few pages. Well written if a bit rushed feeling.
Leandra: the age old story of trying to find your place in the world, well told and entertaining but ultimately forgettable.

8/10

Skylight Confessions - Alice Hoffman

one sentence summary
Follow one family as it shatters and tries to pull itself together.

review:
I really enjoyed this story, I can tell the imagery from it is going to stick with me for a long time. The characters were very well developed, they all had wonderful flaws and were very relatable. Hoffman must have spent longer researching mental illness and drug addiction than she did writing the book because from my perspective it was really well written. I highly recommend anyone interested in drug addictions or anyone who wants to understand how to develop characters without glaring descriptions.

9/10

Triangles - Ellen Hopkins

one sentence summary:
Three women look for love and understanding.

review:
I found this a very interesting read but not particularly well written (it is done in an off putting style IMO) which detracted from the story quite a bit. The three lead characters were all very interesting and realistic and I enjoyed getting into their heads and looking at their worlds through their eyes. Each of them could easily have had an entire book written on their own stories. The connections made and broken between all the characters made me want to have a more adventurous life than my own (but then I thought about it and decided no, I am happy with my mundane, safe life). The highlight of the book for me was how well researched spinal muscle atrophy was.

6/10

Porch Lights - Dorothea Benton Frank

one sentence summary
A woman trying to pull her life back together takes her son moves home to her parents house for the summer.

review: 
not a badly written book, I enjoyed the perspectives that it offered and the detailed descriptions of South Carolina. The romance was a bit forced but the other relationships, mother/daughter, grandmother/grandson, and that of the grandmother/grandfather characters were all very well done. The story starts out from a dark and depressed place and ends with a happy ending. The writing style reminded me of Kristin Hannah / Jodi Picoult.

7/10

The Last Wife Of Henry XIII - Carolly Erickson

one sentence summary:
Catherine Parr is the last wife of Henry VIII

review:
this may not be the most historically accurate novel ever but it is historical fiction so don't go into it expecting too much fact. It is a great story full of intrigue that will draw you in and not let you go, you will walk away from this wanting to know more about Catherine Parr and her family (only to Google her and find out a large portion of the book was totally made up). The romance is steamy and the antagonists easy to hate, all in all it is a well written historical romance.

6/10

Sentry Peak - Harry Turtledove

one sentence summary
An alternate version of the American war between the states, with unicorns and serfs.

review
I am glad that all the reviews I read after I slogged my way through this collaborate that it is the worst work Turtledove has ever written. The dialogue is really good, great in fact, which shows me that Turtledove is a good writer but everything else about this novel was drudgery. I had little sympathy for the characters and found them irritating and the situations they were continually putting themselves in exasperating. I don't really recommend this to anyone.

4/10

Aftertime - Sophie Littlefield

one sentence summary

The world as we know it has ended and the remaining humans struggle to survive.

review
The romance angle of this seems like an afterthought, and, in my opinion the novel would have been a lot better without it. (my theory is that when sending it out to publishers harlequin said "sure, but add some sex" because that is what it feels like, tossed in and not thought through.) The story line is interesting Cass, a recovering alcoholic is searching for her daughter in a world torn apart by mind melted cannibals. The character of Cass is wonderfully flawed and realistic, trying to keep sane and to find her child. It is worth reading if you enjoy end of the world stories.

7/10

Notorious Nineteen - Janet Evanovich

one sentence summary:
Stephanie Plum is up to her old shenanigans, catching bad guys and accidentally getting her cars blown up.

review:
This is beach reading, or plane reading, or what ever reading you do that requires no attention at all. Written to the lowest denominator this is a highly entertaining (but not at all intellectual) read. A good smattering of romance, a great use of dialogue and characters that are unforgettable. I recommend reading this only if you are still reading this series 19 books (plus holiday/novellas) in.

6/10

Pagan Babies - Elmore Leonard

one sentence summary:
after witnessing the genocide in Rwanda a conman turned priest returns to Detroit to raise money for the orphans...

review:
this is a highly entertaining novel. The characters are all really well written and the story moves like a race horse. Leonard's writing is darkly humorous and the language he uses flows from the characters mouths with colloquialisms that not only give them a regional accent but date them as well. The characters and their eccentricities are always the high point of his novels and this is no different. I highly recommend this to anyone who doesn't like a bit of naughty language in their reading. Great for reading on a plane or at the beach as it does not require your full focus but is an easy story to get into, even part way through.

7/10

Henry Huggins - Beverly Cleary

One Sentence Summary:
A boy and his dog overcome the obstacles that face boys as they grow up.


Review:
heartwarming stories aimed at middle-school (and maybe younger) boys. Written using language that young boys can read themselves and overlapping with other characters in the quirky suburban world that Cleary has created.   A 1950's world with ice cream cones and long summer days when a boy and his dog could have adventures and even take the bus without a parent, well before the advent of televisions in every room and video games to play on them. I highly recommend this to any boy (or girl) who likes reading.

8/10