Promising plot - but dragged
349240
The setting complete with the three old women was very promising. But there comes a point when you just get tired with the mother and daughter and feel like they on with it. Their angst and concerns were not spellbinding enough to stick through to the end
1985956
This book was free to me through the Amazon First program.  The plot was a fine idea, and had a great deal of promise.  Ultimately, some rough secondary character development held the story back.  There were points where characters were too easily moved from one point of view to another, or were underdeveloped, and it detracted from the believability.  I also strongly suspect that some of the things they thought and said would never have had the impact they did at that point in history, no matter the passion behind the words.

One gets the feeling this was meant to be a "strong female characters" book.  On the one hand, I enjoy seeing women take a lead role in books.  On the other, some of it just did not mesh well with how the book described women as being treated then.  One moment the barriers are all there, the next they vanish after a speech?  She also rather undersold men in the process.  This creates the additional problem of making the women seem less than they could have been, since they seem to utterly miss so much fickleness when they are otherwise canny.

That being said, the heroine was likable and the villain both dislikable and not too stupid, so I appreciated that.  I enjoyed the few medical parts, and some of the religious content, which was not clumsily ostentatious as with other books that involve faith.  The descriptiveness of scenery could have been better, but the author conveyed emotion we'll both through words and character action.  In sum, not bad, and enjoyable enough.
2848074
The book moves slowly through very predictable scenes and scenarios. The final outcome is a given by the time you get there. Sometimes it seems that scenes were drug out intentionally, and that becomes repetitive and annoying. Overall the plot is a good idea, and the main character isn't bad. Some of the secondary characters are confusing or frustrating, and it's difficult to embrace them due to the way they were initially presented.
1244749
This novel was a pretty uneven journey from beginning to end.  The topic is an interesting one: city girl heads west to a distant cousin's ranch after the loss of her mother, and becomes entangled in the bitter rivalry between sheepherders and cattlemen.  The town of Century is well-described and, perhaps unintentionally, the most interesting character in the book.

The first half of the book dragged for me.  There wasn't sufficient character development, and therefore when characters had changes of heart or exhibited growth it felt unnatural and inconsistent.  The dialogue was often stilted and unnatural. The plot moved slowly, and it was difficult to maintain interest.

My interest was reignited in the second half of the book as relationships deepened, romance blossomed, and a mystery lent some needed tension to the plot.  (POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT)  Unfortunately the ending was a letdown as the reader is left to wonder how everything finally resolved.  To slog through a very slow first half, with no resolution to the tension finally generated in the second half, was frustrating, and I shut the book feeling quite cheated.

While the plot was promising and the happenings of the town compelling, the poor character development, awkward dialogue and uneven plot pacing prevented this from being a rewarding read.
3964904
I really wanted to love this book. The plot was actually very intriguing- Wine, Magic, Washers, & Lords clash. An epic conflict for the worlds balance of power. The Story however, was so drawn out and repetitive. "I can't tell anyone my master PLAN".. However there was never any plan after getting the Exiled Mage to the Vineyard. This booked seemed too rushed and didn't have an ending to match the epic qualities of the book.

I was very disappointed with the final two installments of the Vineart trilogy
1936268
This book could have been great - if it had streamlined the characters and plot.  I enjoyed the writing, and the author set the scene that reminded me of an old 1940's black & white spy intrigue film.  I enjoyed the witty & charming English houseguests sort of drama - everyone has a story and secret.  Unfortunately, the author should have brought all the pieces together better at the end and focused more of one central spy intrigue for LuLu.  I did enjoy reading it, and was kept reading to find out what was going to happen next, but found it a bit disappointing at the end.  That being said, if there were a "LuLu in London" novel, I would read it - and the author could do a better job of advancing both LuLu's spy plot and her romance with Ian.
1403736
The plot for this book had a lot to cover. It was a good idea and I enjoyed reading it but it felt like a lot of the story was cut out or left out. It seemed like the characters were accepting everything at face-value a little too easily. There wasn't really any processing time. I still managed to follow the plot but it felt lacking in the details and department once I got about halfway through. The characters take along time to meet and have only a brief window of time to interact before the plot moves on again. Overall, it was still a decent book. I think my favorite of the series remains to be the first one, however.
2354662
I really wanted to LOVE this book. The fact is I couldn't finish it. It was good, but there is something that drags in the writing. One day I may try and pick it up again - like I said, I want to LOVE this book - the premise of it really tickles the senses.

The cover art is fantastic, the banter that we get in the beginning of the book kept me going - then the banter stopped and the ultimate deceptions begin...

If you like characters who lie, deception to the max, and to be strung along until the last moment - this book is for you.

Apparently I'm just not up to the task of dealing with this spy thriller at the moment. The deception seems to drag on a bit after where the curtain should have closed and the next act should have began.
2439155
Plot didn't really hang together well...characters introduced in this book not compelling
Repartee and writing remains clever as in other books in series
4817154
This book had a lot of potential. The idea with the photo is intriguing, and Rowan's whole situation sounded interesting to read about. The plot is what kept me turning the pages - I loved the plot twists and the many ideas - but I had quite a few problems with the rest of Broken Soup.

I think my main problem was that the message got lost in the many aspects of the plot. I don't mean that a book shouldn't have many storylines, but they should support each other to make a whole and create a message to convey to the reader. The different storylines in Broken Soup - Jack's death, Rowan's morhter's depression, her friendship with Bee, her romance with Harper, her role as the responsible one in the family - all seemed to be conveying different messages that had nothing to do with each other. Maybe that would have worked if the book were longer and the storylines were elaborated on more, but like this it just left me confused about what Jenny Valentine wanted to say with this book.

The writing isn't great, but not terrible, either. There was nothing all that noteworthy about it. At parts it sounds like the author wants to sounds poetic and deep, but that didn't fit to the rest of the style and Rowan's voice and seemed contrived.

The characters are okay. Rowan's character is pretty good, and I liked reading how the situation in her family affected her. For some reason, though, I never really connected with her, and for me, if I can't relate to the main character, that takes a lot from a novel. Some of the secondary characters are better: I loved Harper - how he helps Rowan is really cute. Jack is a good character, too; easy to imagine. Bee's characterization is lacking, though. Rowan always tells us she's so special, etc. but the reader is never really shown what's so great about her. She seemed pretty average to me. The parents didn't really seem like characters, more like plot devices, but I guess I can't really criticize that - they're never around, and that was the point of that storyline.

I don't usually comment on the cover of a book if I don't like it, but on this one I have to. Not only is it ugly (in my opinion), it also doesn't fit the story whatsoever. It looks like something someone doodled during class without a care in the world, which is the opposite of Rowan's situation. It doesn't show the reader anything about the seriousness of this book.

All in all, this book was pretty disappointing. There were a lot of good ideas in there, but the execution is clumsy. The writing and the characters are only okay, and Broken Soup fails to convey a message with too - it seemed like the author wanted to pull the novel in too many directions without elaborating on the different storylines. Most of the other reviews I've read for this one, though, are positive, so maybe you'd enjoy it more than I did.
1404487
The idea behind this story is very original. It had creepy elements and a few surprises along the way, but I have mixed feelings about The Space Between. It was a quick read and kept me turning the pages, but there were many things I found lacking.
First of all, the plot moved way too quickly. It felt under-developed for a novel. There were so many questions that were left unanswered. For instance, what happens to Darren? Why were other kids in Anna's dream? There was no closure. The ending was too open and that bugged me.
Also, the characters felt flat. I never had much insight into any of them. There was a lot of potential with Anna, Tyler, and Anna's father, but we never got any hints about what makes them tick. That was really disappointing. If there was more character development, I think the story would be much better. I would love to know what happened to Anna's mom, what Tyler's home life was like. There are many hints about his father, but nothing is clear. I think knowing those key elements would make Tyler's character (and the plot) stronger.
If you want a spooky read that doesn't take a lot of time, then you should read The Space Between. Be prepared though. It reads more like a longer short story than a novel... and there will be many questions when you finish.
15440
This is a split review for me.  I really liked the plot and how it wove past events with current actions.  It seemed to drag at times.  If anything, I felt that a good edit would have removed some of the slow sections.  It might be more enjoyable and suspenseful as a novella.  The characters were a little flat.  I wasn't thrilled with the female protagonist; she seemed to lack all self-control without any growth or maturation by the end of the book.
19377
I wanted to love this book, because I loved David McCallum in The Man from U.N.C.L.E and I love him in NCIS.  The plot was pretty convoluted at times, and the story really didn't take off until nearly halfway through. There was no clear hero for quite some time. Harry seemed to be very resourceful, but his talents seemed pretty unbelievable most of the time. There was a timing issue at the end. Two characters were off somewhere for five months. Then Harry goes back to his apartment in NY after a month with his parents in Florida and gets a letter from one of those characters. Unless he spent four months recuperating in London, the timing doesn't make sense. I like stories where the bad guys get their comeuppance, not where they get away with murder.
4777290
A good start and finish but dragged in the middle.
2488370
I had very mixed feelings about this book by first time author Kevin Grover. The idea of the plot was excellent, and the prologue set the stage for a great story. But unfortunately the author was given bad advice when told (probably by friends since it was apparently self published) that the final version was ready for publication. Just like the proverbial diamond in the rough, it needs a lot more shaping, cutting and polishing for the potential brillance to be revealed.
The plot line is very straightforward. this is supposedly an account of an attempt by a group of neo-Naxi's to steal gold bullion from Fort Knox to finance their political activities. The author was actually based there during two tours of duty while in the US Army, and thus utilized his knowledge to provide the background for the storyline and create a credible operation logistically. His feel for military routine and procedure provides an authentic feel to the military elements of the story; however, on occasion he assumes reader familiarity with  military terminology (especially acronyms and abbreviations) which need explanation. The central character is Sgt. Tony Wilson, a drill instuctor about to leave the Army and taking classes in criminology. The first few chapters introduce us to Tony and  supply Sgt. Karen Harris, who has become a good friend (in a platonic relationship) while also stationed at Fort Knox. Meanwhile, weapons have been disappearing from several military posts and armories in the region; Tony brings fresh eyes to the investigation while temporarily assigned to assist Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Hooks. Several promising leads turn into dead ends when the suspects are murdered but the investigation gradually uncovers evidence of neo-Nazi involvement. Finally, as you might gues Tony and Karen become increasing attracted to each other but afraid to reveal their true feelings. If it sounds like a plot with a lot of potential, it is.
Unfortunately, the development of the story in this book seems more like  an outline or an early draft. The characters need a lot more development; only Tony is fleshed out in much detail, including such interesting angles as his interest in cooking. The story  proceeds in too linear a fashion, there should be more misdirection and intrigue to hold the reader's interest. Also, as is true of most books from small publishing houses the proofreading and editing appear non-existent; there are a lot of typos and grammatical errors.
The author clearly has potential, on a few occasions there are flashes of brillance and in a few instances he creates real tension regarding the outcome of violent events. My final criticism is the opposite of my usual complaint regarding this genre, this story should be longer. There is a middle ground between the brevity of STRIKE HARD and the mind numbing detail of Tom Clancy's RED RABBIT .... Kevin Grover has a very long way to go before the comparisons with Clancy are apt, but his subject matter is similar and if he continues to write about subjects of which he has this much in depth knowledge he will move in that direction . However, the story's brevity doesn't allow enough time to provide the necessary detail and color in his stories to maintain the reader's interest in the action and the characters. More detail would paradoxically make a somewhat longer book more cohesive and therefore fast moving by involving the reader (as Clancy and Ludlum do) rather than leaving him (or her) only an outside observer.
I do plan to read the sequel, STRIKE SWIFTLY, which involves many of the same characters and hopefully will benefit from the feedback which he received from readers of this novel. The subject matter of that appears quite interesting, and it is worth encouraging new literary voices with the determination and thought provoking plots of Kevin Grover.
3007751
Given reviews applauding this novel and its publisher's hype, comparing it to Jonathan Franzen and Lorrie Moore, I expected far more. The beginning is highly dramatic, but as the book progresses, I felt as if the character began to float away. I admire the author's original structure (mid-book, she flashes forward and summarizes the lives of the four key characters) but I became rather bored by the plot as the book trudged on. I felt as if the husband and children were well-developed, but the wife, less so. I wanted more. I also did not find it funny, as it was promoted. I found it interesting, but sad.
2032230
I love reading about conspiracy theories and secret societies so it is easy to say I was looking forward to this one, especially since I had previously enjoyed one of the author's stories. Unfortunately things didn't work out that way. I'm not sure if it just was me reading The Secret Of Heaven at the wrong time, but I really struggled to get a proper feel for this story. There are a lot of different characters involved and this makes it hard to keep up wih the what and who and how everything connects. More than once I had to stop reading and try to remember what the role of a certain character was and this slowed down the pace considerably. The plot also felt pretty chaotic and kept jumping back and forth between characters... Which took a while to get used to. I have to be honest here and say it took me a lot longer than expected to finish The Secret Of Heaven. The writing wasn't bad and it really shows that the author has taken the time to investigate the historical details thoroughly. The (historical) descriptions are extensive and show just how important the so-called Lost Bible is... That said, those descriptions did also slow down the pace and while I normally love historical elements in a story, they didn't manage to convince me in The Secret Of Heaven. As for the characters and their actions... I wasn't really able to connect to them as there are simply too many characters in play in the first place; also, I'm not sure everything that happens in the plot is exactly credible. And while it kind of has that Dan Brown feel and sounds really promising, The Secret Of Heaven unfortunately didn't manage to blow me away. Such a shame, because the story has a lot of potential!