I'm torn.... 3 1/2 stars
921978
Could I have loved this book, editing mishaps and all, yes. Could I get over the absolute stupidity of Arianna, I'm sorry but no. I completely understand her misery and the need to crawl out of the hole she was in but to do it at the cost of someone else's happiness didn't cut it for me. If her muse wasn't such a good person maybe it wouldn't have been as bad. Maybe if she confessed and trusted that they could fix her mess  maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. I don't even know what my feelings are about the end. I know it made me smile but I also felt cheated. Of course I have to see what happens next but this just left me a little annoyed. If you like a hot story with great sexy characters (even Arianna, as mad as she made me) and an ongoing situation you know might not end well then dive right in and enjoy. A little too much deception towards a perfect guy to be my idea of a five star read. I'll be waiting to see what happens though.
1947622
It's been a few hours that I'm trying to put this review together but I can't.
I'm still undecided if I liked the book or not. I'll try to explain my reasons the best I can.

. I wasn't able to connected with the character's story. It's not that I couldn't relate to them but I couldn't emphasized with them.

. Ashton the not so adorable a**hole. Did I miss something? He used Livie numerous of time then he'd disposal her like she was garbage. Yeah, he did have his "reasons" but I'm sorry I don't root for guys that treat girls like that. I didn't believe their relationship. Something was off, so i didn't care. I didn't understand their "love" . or should I say hormones? I actually think that this would be the first time that I would have been okay if a couple didn't end up together,

. I hate love triangles. So don't get me started with a love rectangle. And with good people that don't deserve to be part of one.

. If you have friends, sister and psychiatry like that you don't need enemies

I know that so far I only mentioned the bad things and here's that gets tricky because even with all those things that got on my nerves I actually liked reading the story. I was entertained for a few hours and I don't think I waste my time reading it.

So "One Tiny Lie" is a love story that i didn't root for but was entertaining nonetheless
1985234
It has taken me a couple of days to decide how I want to rate this. I've gone back and forth between 3 and 3.5 - leaning more toward 3. Because my issues with the story would actually be spoilers, I'm going to say that it missed the mark for me. It wasn't a book that I looked forward to getting back to, but I never contemplated not finishing it either, so it was a happy medium.

While I liked the banter between Delilah and Brody, I didn't see much of a connection. She wants a relationship, he wants sex. Well, at least that was the case for about a minute and then all of a sudden, he now wants a relationship. There is a lot of jealousy that seems to be the only real connection they have, although they even play a game at one point to show that Delilah isn't jealous. She is. So is Brody. And for me, it was as though they were together so no one else could have the other.

There were times when I completely felt as though Delilah was trying so hard to be an adult and have adult emotions, though at twenty-something, it didn't seem feasible. Really, she walked in on the man half-dressed with an ex-girlfriend in his hotel room. She runs away, yet tells him she trusts him. Hmmm... Again, I don't want to give spoilers.

Don't get me wrong. The story was cute. I liked Brody. He was sexy and had a dirty mouth (never a bad thing), but there seemed to be some immaturity on his part in that regard. While in other areas of his life he was far more mature than his sexy, bad boy side. Again, not a bad thing. As far as Delilah, I liked her. A lot. I liked her right up until the point where she stopped having doubts and began trusting him without asking questions. Come on, girl, ask questions. Talk it out. We don't walk through life seeing it one way and "knowing" it's not that way. The reader understood what was going on, but there was no way Delilah did, yet she never questioned him.

But, the biggest issue I had (which is also the deciding factor for me) was the third POV that came into play. This completely ruined the story for me. This seemed entirely unnecessary, but what was worse, that POV didn't seem to be an addition, it seemed to take away from Brody. We missed so much of his POV because it was replaced by this third character.

So, do I think you should read it? Absolutely. The writing is good, the story flows well, and a happily ever after is always a positive.
205688
I am torn as I review this book because I am in between stars. "I didn't like it" or "it was okay" is what I'm currently feeling and I'll explain why.

- This book was too short and way too rushed. The prologue shoes us Victoria and Devlin together but from that it jumps into chapter 1 (YEARS later) except we are NOT told it is years later and as a reader I was confused.
- Secondly, Victoria frustrated me. She sleeps with a man, gets pregnant by him, hides it from him but still feels something for him? We are told she's scared of the person he used to be and doesn't believe he has changed but ummm.. This was a one night stand, why is she judging him when SHE too slept around? She should've given him a chance.
- Third: Devlin is a little over the top in his controlling and the whole wanting to settle down and putting an ad on the paper just pissed me off. You can't just go from A to Z in one chapter.

I feel like the book needed a couple more chapters on character development. As a reader I wanted to understand what drove Victoria to act so stupidly, what made Devlin want to change. I wanted learn more about what HE does for a living since he's a millionaire and I wanted to know what Victoria felt as a single mom. There are just way too many questions left unanswered and for that reason I couldn't enjoy the book. It was an okay read. I am hoping book two answers all my questions because I am interested in seeing what happens especially after that cliffhanger!
1678378
After enjoying the powerful Stay, I eagerly picked up this latest release from Caletti, anticipating another great story (and hearing Taylor Swift in my head; I love this song!) Would this "look (sic) a lot like a tragedy now"?

Well, sad to say this was most definitely not to my taste for many reasons. The premise I expected was a character narrating the romance and break-up with a guy. That's part of it with main character Cricket tracing her relationship with Janssen up to and past the awful thing she did to him (this is not revealed until toward the end so I will not share it here). The story as a whole ended up being more expansive, including her family's history and their moving on to create a new family as her mother prepares to marry a really good guy. The story takes place over a few days at the beach house where people gather. I didn't have a problem with that. I had a problem with other parts.

First I had the hardest time with the characters. There were a lot of them introduced as people gathered for a wedding and while I could keep track of their relationships, sometimes their specific personality quirks eluded me and I confused two people.  Furthermore there are a lot of references to the past to trace how the characters reached the present. This was usually clearly marked and I've often liked the mingling of past and present in a story but I did not like that method for this one. I think I found it more distancing because of Cricket's voice.

Then there was my uncertainty about what Cricket did that was so awful to her boyfriend. I figured she had cheated...or come very close. Nope, nothing that bad, in my opinion. I think it was perfectly understandable for their situation in life. Furthermore while Cricket thought about this, she became upset that he was friendly with another girl. Meanwhile Cricket was cozying up to another guy! Hypocrite and another reason I was unable to bond with this girl.

I also really didn't like that we saw the letters Cricket sent to her boyfriend, who was presumably responding but whose responses are not shown. This felt very one-sided to me. I think I might have been more interested in this book if it had been alternating Cricket/Janssen chapters to tell the story of them from the beginning to the end.

Lastly there is a lot of talk about dogs. Now I am a cat-person (remind me to show you pictures of my cat some time) but I still like dogs. Or at least I thought I did. I was a little tired of how they were used in this story to prove some kind of point, I think. I didn't really get it. I mean, I understand the relationship between human and pet and I value mine but it was too much.

Overall: I feel like this is definitely not up to the standard set by Caletti with the masterful Stay; it was abstruse and emotionally distancing. While I wish I could recommend this contemporary, it did not work for me.

Cover: Is appropriate as the setting is near a beach and I love the pinks on the side and the book itself.
713116
I really, really wanted to like -- no, to LOVE -- this story. Maybe too much, and that contributed to my overall disappointment in the read. It wasn't an awful book -- the writing was good, the characters well-drawn, the setting interesting and believable, the world-building worked for me. I enjoyed the idea of biocyph and how the teks worked, and the relationship that built between the characters were very well-done, but... I think that my expectations for the story were too high. Partially because I'd heard that the story was so good, but partially because of Creasy's development itself. There's a lot of time and effort put into the secrets of Scarabaeus and I'm not going to include spoilers, but suffice it to say that I found the ultimate unraveling of the secrets to be something of a frizzle rather than a bang. Certainly, the story twisted nicely with the revelations, and everything fit as it continued, but I'd expected something more than what everything turned out to be, and that left me feeling let down. Also, the book really does end on a cliffhanger of sorts -- the big questions of the book are answered, but there's a lot left that has to be explored. I do have the second book, Children of Scarabaeus, and I will probably read it, but I won't go into it expecting anything dazzling or brilliant, maybe just a decent space-set story.
2531184
When I finished The Scorch Trials I didn't immediately get to writing a review because I couldn't really organize my thoughts on this book. I'm not even all that certain on the rating I gave it because I have so many conflicting thoughts. First of all, I did generally like the book. Some of the issues I had with the first book were toned down a bit so that I felt a little relieved while reading this one. Thomas, for example, is much less irritating to deal with. His narration is still a bit strange, I can't always comprehend his train of thought so that some of this ideas come off as a bit weird to me. It's not simply that I disagree with his thoughts and the actions that come about because of them, but I just don't understand his reasoning. For example: sometimes it feels like the author will make Thomas angry at someone for the sake of the plot rather than because it comes naturally. His anger will then lead to something particular happening in the story but I end up feeling annoyed because that anger seemed so contrived in the first place. This then makes Thomas's character a bit uneven and unlikable (on top of all the other issues I mentioned in my review of the first book). All in all though, he was easier to deal with. His moods didn't flip nearly as much, and he made wiser decisions when it came to dealing with dangerous circumstances.
Minor characters are still very fun, and I'm still rooting more for them than I am for characters like Thomas or Teresa. We meet a few new characters in this book, although I'm not sure what to think of some of them. There are a few I want to see more of and there are others I'm sure I'll see more of but don't really want to. Brenda, for example, was just strange from beginning to end. I'm not really sure I see the point in having her around, but I guess I will in the next book.
The story, at the very least, doesn't take a hundred pages to get going, because the action starts nearly at the first page. The Maze Runner took too long to really get going in my opinion, so I'm glad this wasn't the case with The Scorch Trials. There were points throughout where I felt like the author could've cut out scenes to help things run along more smoothly but nothing was ever too horrible. Thankfully there's a whole lot of action, maybe even too much action, so you never get bored waiting around for something to happen.
My real complaint, and possibly the reason that my rating for this one isn't higher, is the ending of the book. I had all kinds of problems with several details in the end (and I mean the very end, like the last five pages) but I won't go into that because I'm avoiding spoilers. It's not even that I'm demanding more answers, although that would be nice, it's simply that yet again I'm not understanding the behavior of characters and I think certain details were a bit silly to have. I could've removed a sentence or two and felt less annoyed. I know that sounds nitpicky, but I think you'd have to read it to see what I mean.
I'm hoping The Death Cure will be a satisfying ending to this trilogy. It doesn't have to have all the answers, I just don't want it to be like watching the last season of Lost all over again (especially since I heard the author is a big fan). I'd rather not be left with a ton of questions and no real resolution, because that would just make me regret wasting time on the whole trilogy. At this point, this whole thing could either turn out to be awesome or really, really pointless.  I'm really hoping it goes for the former.
2844493
So, Im not quite sure what this story is about but let me just throw some ideas out there.&nbsp;&nbsp;So, we are back with Peter and Lucien but their relationship is strained for all of a few pages, then they are back in the sack, loving eachother, bathing eachother and just being what they have always been.  But Peter is all p'd-off because Lucien won't turn him into a vampire. Ok, so there is this kid named Adam who has cancer and Lucien turns him into a vampire to save his life, and Peter is jealous... here is where the story flies off the handle.  Peter (avoiding Lucien) is hanging out with Nikolas and Xander, Nikolas attacks Peter and seemingly turns Peter into a werewolf (kind of, sort of, but not really) Nikolas does, later, apologize but tells Peter that he "sensed" that Peter was already a werewolf (this is where I got lost) I am assuming that when Peter bit Xander in book one that did more than what we thought. N-E Way,now Peter is going thru some serious breakdowns as his body rejects the werewolf infection (possibly because of his connection to Lucien). This is made out to be a big part of the story but isn't really resolved or even thoroughly explained.  Now there is demon named Sabaan who is really cool, but is kind of put in the story for no real reason in particular. Peter yanks his tail and then you don't hear from him until the end when he is doing computer research, trying to figure out what happened to Lucien -who turned up missing somewhere in the middle of the book. Total plot shift that was very uncomfortable -now the story isn't about what it was about now its about something else. So, OK now Lucien is missing, and Peter is expected to lead a Coven of Vampires -I found this to be a bit silly, because knowing me (had I been one of the vampires) I would have lead a mutiny and killed that filthy human. Another problem I had was how Peter was just humping around with everyone, "dude where is your man? You know the guy you "married" in book 1."
Lane has a lot of cool characters that I wish she would have dealt with more indepth in the story. There was just too much Xander and Nikolas -they are so lame to me. I was done with Xander in book 1, for an alpha he is a complete snatch. I really wanted to get more of Cyril and Sabaan.  I would have liked to have walked with Adam as he adjusted to the Vampire Lifestyle and I think that it would have been good if the threat which made Silver and Peter want to "recruit" ex-military to combat and build a sophisticated security system to survey, actually felt like a real threat.  I didn't feel threatened at all.
I felt that everything in this book was pretty unclear and all the really cool stuff was just glazed over.
So, thus far you are probably wondering why I gave it 4 stars. The whole concept is really good and the story is interesting. It is worth reading and the characters are good.  I just felt like Lane neglected all the people I love and shoved the douches in my face. It doesnt change the fact that the world she created is very engaging, and fun.  It is a fantasy world complete with money, fine dining, fine men and companionship. Who wouldnt want to retreat to such a place?
1672531
I finished reading THE MEMORY GARDEN by M. Rickert last May and now, months later, I still have conflicted emotions when I think about it.  I remember thinking that this should be the perfect story for me - an old family secret, a girl surrounded by characters who have rich pasts, conflict, friendship, love - maybe even a little magic, be it of the supernatural or the chemistry kind.

Unfortunately, I think THE MEMORY GARDEN really fell short for me on most of these.  I remember, while reading, that I would feel these little kindling thoughts like.. this could be it, this could be where the story really gets moving - but instead those bits of kindling died out and, instead, I found myself trudging through more story and more text (because some of it, honestly, was quite dull).

That's not to say it was all bad.  There were those moments.  And that's why I'm having a hard time giving this book less than a 3-star rating, in spite of my reservations about it. Because those moments were...almost... magical.  I can practically feel my fingertips tingling a bit as I remember the bits and pieces, and I just wish that the rest of the book would have followed suit.

THE MEMORY GARDEN by M. Rickert may just have been one of those books I read at the wrong time.  Perhaps it needed to be read when there was rain outside and fall colors and a cup of tea by my side instead of in sunny Hawaii while sitting at the beach.  Maybe I'll try it again and see if the setting can make a difference.  I wouldn't discourage anyone to not pick this one up because maybe you will just have better luck with it than I did this time.
1818132
I have such mixed feelings about this story! On one hand, I am very glad that Varian's past and secrets are finally being revealed. The intrigue and mystery have built up over the first two books and the payoff is finally in sight. On the other hand, for the first two-thirds of this book I wanted to scream and seriously contemplated just putting it down without finishing it. Fortunately I didn't and the final part of the story managed to redeem my opinion of the book as a whole.

Merry spends most of her time in tears and hurt over one thing after another after another- hence the reason why I almost put the book to the side as it really started grating on my nerves. It was a combination of Merry blowing things out of proportion in her own mind, not asking the questions that would have saved her so much heartache and Varian generally being a stupid insufferable man as Merry loves to call him, thinking that he can protect her by keeping her in the dark as he works to finally bring Rensdale to justice. It felt as though we were re-treading over the same ground that had already been covered in the past with no new information gained to make it feel worth the upheaval and heartache suffered.

Then finally about halfway through, Varian finally pulls his head out of his butt and starts to set things right with Merry. If their martial struggles caused palpable tension in the Merrick household at first, their happiness absolutely gives her father and uncle fits when witnessing it which happens often given Merry's spirited and sometimes inappropriate PDAs. And a hormonal Merry is a force to be reckoned with! In the meantime, Varian is working to bring about Rensdale's demise and waiting for Lucien and Andrew Merrick to follow the trail of breadcrumbs he has laid out for them to follow- but it is a dangerous game because it also reveals his identity as Morgan and he has no idea what they will do with that information. He can only hope they will not have him arrested in deference to their love of Merry.

Thankfully, by the time all is said and done, Merry finally matures and starts to act like an adult and mother rather than the spoiled child who was present through so much of this tale. The action and suspense builds to a crescendo, finally breaking dramatically to bring the whole drama to a resolution. The author gives us a wonderfully written ending and glimpse into their future. I was so very happy to see more of Indy in this book and I am even happier to see that he will be getting his own story in 2015 that I will definitely be reading! As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, the final part of the story really redeemed the book for me and kept me turning to the last page after a rough start, earning a final rating of 4 stars.
1002007
I have high hopes for this book but after a couple of chapters I don't understand where the story is going and how & why things end up the way it was. The synopsis is good so I gave it a shot but I don't know, it didn't fulfill the expectations I have for this story.

The first time Penny & Rich met, as a reader I feel like it would lead to something beautiful and magical. But it ended up in a crazy and stupid move that made me confused. It feels like the story just goes round and round and round. Don't get me wrong, I was really excited at first but after so long it didn't make sense... to me. I get the whole kidnap and family conflict and all the mob-like storyline but what I didn't get is the story ended up that way.

The story lacks something. IDK what exactly but it lacks that spark that would WOW! me.

I will read part 2 because I want this story to make sense to me and maybe it will after reading part 2.

** Also posted on my TUMBLR & GR account
2406357
I'm a fan of Kat Martin's books and usually quite love her leading men. But, I'm kind of torn on this one because I really liked the first half of the book but then felt myself kind of losing interest past that point... and, I wasn't a huge fan of Dylan.
Dylan and Lane were characters introduced in previous books so if you are a fan of this author you will already know their history together. They have always been attracted to each other so Dylan uses the opportunity of utilizing Lane's interior design skills to help him renovate his Alaskan lodge while at the same time hoping to get her into his bed. It did kind of bug me that he brought Lane all the way from L.A primarily for a potential booty call... it seemed to be all that was on his mind. I would have liked a more emotional dialogue between these two and less of the objectifying her with his thoughts stuff...
I quite liked Lane though... I'm always a fan of smart, independent women who know how to stand on their own two feet. And, considering her back story it was time for her to finally open her heart up to the possibility of love again.
I LOVE ghost stories and that is why I was more engaged in the first half of the book... but, after the mystery of the ghosts was resolved (which was a bit of a let down) the plot changed over to them trying to help get his friend Caleb get cleared for a murder charge of a local woman. I would have preferred that the entire book had been focused solely on the "haunted lodge" storyline. I had no interest really in Dylan playing detective... and it seems like everyone was a little too okay with him sticking his nose into a police investigation where it didn't belong.
All in all this was not my favorite Kat Martin book... but, that doesn't mean I won't pick up the next book in the series. I will... :) The one thing I do like about this author is that each book gives us something completely different. Even though it's better to start from the beginning of the series... it is possible to read her books as stand alones.
266244
I really wish Amazon would do the half star thing because although I didn't hate this book, I also didn't love it. So this is more like a 2.5 (okay) star read. The premise of the story was interesting. To be honest, I'm more a romance reader, but I love reading stories about relationships/families so thought I would give this a try.

The story centres around Nick who is married to Marcy. He decides to coach their young son's baseball team and meets, Tess, one of the mothers of the boys he coaches. There is instant attraction/infatuation that Nick struggles with and he finds himself at a crossroads of sorts. Told completely from Nick's POV, this is his story about his life and an inside look to the ups and downs of their marriage/family. I really enjoyed the way this was written. The story flowed well and was intriguing enough to keep my interest throughout the whole book. But there were some things that I'd struggled with, and mainly, that was to do with Nick.

I didn't like how he never told Marcy the whole truth of everything that happened and everything he'd been thinking/dreaming about. There were things that happened that he would tell half-truths to (or just not admit to at all), which made it really hard for me to be sympathetic towards him or to fully like him. It goes as far as him comparing to two women and finding Marcy lacking. And because of this, I feel that Marcy's decision in the end would have been different had she known the full story. It didn't help that Nick **************SPOILER***************had betrayed her while they were engaged*******************END SPOILER*****************and then to do this? She forgave him back then, and she forgave him again with Tess (multiple times with Tess, really). Makes me think that she will forgive him when he gets tempted (and follows through) again, which is kind of sad.

Despite all that, the story is good. Had it been a romance, this would have been an utter fail, but it's not, so normal romance rules don't apply here :) Because of that, I can appreciate the story for what it is, but I just wish that Marcy had known everything and that there had been more repercussions (or at least ones that Marcy didn't have to pay for!) and seen him really try to come back from that. Maybe if I felt Nick really wanted Marcy for more than just the familiar comfort she gave and was to him, I would have enjoyed it more.
2575698
Originally posted at Libri Ago (dot)blogspot(dot)com.

I'm really torn on what I think about this book, which is often the hallmark of a good book: it makes you ponder what and how you feel about the characters and plot. The reason I give it 3 stars is because of several weaknesses in the characterization of Scarlett, but many of them could be easily overlooked by someone who really enjoys the story. The sisters' bond actually creeps me out. I read several reviews where it was mentioned that the relationship between the sisters was great and beautiful. I saw it more as an unhealthy possessive and controlling one. Scarlett saved Rosie's life when they were young. Because of that, both of them have come to the conclusion that Rosie should and must devote her life to Scarlett's obsessive need to kill wolves. Throughout, Rosie feels like she's betraying her sister when she even considers having her own life and falling in love.

I actually liked Rosie overall, and Silas was a good guy, so they made an excellent match. That was actually the most enjoyable part of the narrative for me. I loved how two childhood friends went from that to romance, especially with the awkwardness of realizing it and moving from just friends to boyfriend/girlfriend. The author did an excellent job conveying those emotions. I'd actually say that it was the biggest strength of the story and something that the author should explore. The paranormal action wasn't as convincing. I'd love to see Jackson explore writing contemporary YA romance because I suspect she'd be much better at that.

The problem I had through the whole book was with Scarlett. She was so single-minded and driven that she came off as almost one-dimensional, but not completely, if that makes any sense. I didn't enjoy being inside her head and would have much preferred that the story be told exclusively from Rosie's perspective instead of flipping back and forth between the two. Scarlett isn't a very likable character, but watching her and her passions from another person's viewpoint would have softened that tremendously.

I predicted the ending at about 1/3 of the way into the book, even before clues started to be dropped, which is highly disappointing. Other reviews mentioned the twist at the end, but I see it as more of a cop-out. The story would have been more satisfying and realistic had the author taken the hard path. The fact that it all ties up so neatly is something many readers of paranormal romances will love, but it's just not reality.

All of that said, it's definitely an interesting read and one that I would recommend to others. The writing is clean and not wanting for change, but the repetitive nature of several scenes made me wish for they had been trimmed from the manuscript. I did skim the last third of the book because I'd already figured out the big secret and just wanted to see how the book ended.

So long review summed up: a good read but nothing extraordinary.
2574740
I have mixed feelings about In All Things. Because I admit that I might be the wrong reader for this type of book, I don't want to judge it too harshly. Reviews on Goodreads are all positive, which makes me think that the problem is me. I prefer books with action, clear objectives for the characters, and easily distinguishable themes and elements.

I don't want to discourage anyone from reading In All Things. Therefore, I am going to give this book a B (4 stars), despite being really a 1 or 2 star book in my mind. I didn't like it, but that doesnt mean that someone else wont.

*A more detailed review can be read on my blog Books That Hook
1929583
I really have mixed feelings about this book.  It was interesting enough that I did finish it but I found some of the aspects we're (readers) asked to accept pretty hard to swallow, not the least of which was the ladies in the family jumping to accept a woman, no matter how she seems to be a good influence on Lord Darias, who comes from the background she (Cate) does, e.g., bar maid, house maid, farmer, with callused hands and muscular arms and legs.  But, I'm a sucker for a happy ending.  I've read worse but I've certainly read better.
586862
Im torn with this book. I loved that we got to see the shifter side of Rebel and that Charlotte was so receptive to the fact that he was the shifter. Both of those were big draws to me, but I also struggled with this book to. More then half of this story was about one day. A lot happened in that day, and it wasn't a bad thing, but I felt that it took away from my overall love of the story.

Once we get past that day, it seemed to move really fast and I don't feel like I got my conclusion. Did he mark her, what happens with his club down the line. Those are just a few unanswered things on a list that I have in my head. I would read more in this series because the author has set up the secondary characters nicely. 3 Stars #2OCCJD