This Book Was a Candle in the Dark For Me
583892
This book changed my life. I had had four IUI's with fertility doctors. The injections I did on the fourth IUI almost stopped my period completely and only gave me two eggs. I was told I had two folicles. My FSH went up to 14. I was really depressed. I read "Inconceivable" twice. I did almost everything she did in the book. Iyengar yoga, wheatgrass every day, her visualization CD, jumping rope, and a willful approach to my prayer life are the things that stick out in my mind the most. Her book game me so much hope. I also got "The Fertile Female". The imagery this book uses was like a candle in the dark for me. It helped build up my courage to believe in myself again. It also helped me to drone out the negative comments that the "experts" had given me. Three months after trying her healthy lifestyle I got pregnant. I am 39 weeks along. My amnio came out perfect. I just turned 41. I want everyone to know how much Julia's book has touched my life. She has made a fantastic contribution towards helping women.
1758726
This book started off strong and I was really enjoying it until the truth of what is really going on comes to light. I'm all for reading paranormal books I love them actually, however this book I didn't love or like. For me personally the paranormal aspect just wasn't done correctly and the fact that the author wrote that Gemma's husband cheating on her was her fault just didn't sit well with me. Again I didn't like the overall book. I liked the beginning but I didn't like it after Gemma fainted and the events that had taken place after that. I think that the final choice that was made by who Gemma ended up with was a let down. In my overall opinion I say skip this book it wasn't worth the money or the time it took to read the book to me.
484908
The bones of a book I would really enjoy are in there, but I struggled with the vast amount of dark abuse in this book. Just too unrealistically abusive for my taste. I'm no stranger to difficult topics, but I stopped believing after too much of it. I read the whole thing and walked away feeling over saturated by the end.
4771801
Somehow, I found Lots of Candles lacked spark. It seems like a scrambled egg version of Anna's previous work, although certainly there are passages on her mother's death or reflections on a former neighbor that resonate anew. Perhaps that's my problem. I had looked for an upper, and Lots of Candles seemed more of a downer. ... or a work cranked out to satisfy a book contract.

As a Quindlen fan, I prefer Anna's fiction, especially One True Thing. If there's one thing that rings true with Lots of Candles, it's that no matter how accomplished, this writer never feels sufficiently accomplished.
1486706
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a dark and painful book to read. I could picture what was happening. I did start reading this at night, but had to stop to be able to sleep well. Rachel was a woman in pain from a traumatic experience.  Several things were hinted at before she does face her painful day. One of the keys to her being able to face her pain, was having hope in life again. I really wanted to talk to her and help her choose forgiveness. There were a lot of cliches and references to Dante's Inferno. There was some violence, but most happened off screen. She does sleep with her husband, but it wasn't explicit. There are wolves and ravens who are menacing and one who dies dramatically. I don't know if I will read another book as this author is a little too dark for me, but others who like Koontz and King will have a new author to read.
3005160
honest and admit that I really struggled with this book. I loved the sound of the blurb but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I enjoyed the first half, but then I lost interest in the story and it was an effort to finish it. It's a real shame as I've read other books by this author and I really enjoyed them.

Liz decided to bring her fantasies to life by purchasing a Dom for the night at a charity auction. Gareth was everything she'd ever wanted in a Master and he gave her more pleasure than she could imagine. But Gareth had a traumatic past and put strict rules into place when one night blurred into a Dom/sub relationship. Do they have a real future together?

There were some fantastic BDSM and sex scenes in this book, they were well written and very hot. Unfortunately though the storyline itself failed to keep my attention in the second half of the book, which is why I've only been able to give it three stars.

I received an ARC of this book to read and review
3235391
This was a we some book but I can't stand to be left in the dark. Now I don't know what to do. I am left feeling unfulfilled .
3088657
The book was not what I was expecting at all - much darker and depressing that I was hoping for.
4401278
I like a good memoir. I also like entertaining books about food or cooking. Sadly, for me, this book fell short. I had to force myself to finish this book. While she can turn a nice phrase, the author jumped around in ways that gave me pause, feeling confused, as opposed to it being a technique to lure me into her story. It was just meh for me.
2510749
I feel the synopsis of what the book is about makes it sound a lot better than what it is.  I wanted to like this book, I really did. I had high hopes for it.  Unfortunately, it didn't do much for me.  I was expecting more of a ghost story. Instead I got more of a sci-fi story, and one that wasn't very good.

Jacob's grandfather tells him of a magical island of which he spent his childhood. He shows him photos and tells him stories about the peculiar children he grew up with. As Jacob becomes a teenager, he stops believing in his grandfather's ridiculous stories until something awful happens. Jacob travels to the mysterious island to find out about his grandfather.  Little does he know that by going to that island he's put himself and many others in danger.

First off, I thought the word building/setting were fantastic.  The author made me feel as if I was on the island. I'll give him props there.  The description of the world was beautifully described.

I couldn't relate very much to the characters. I can't really place why that is.  I just couldn't connect.  I found myself not caring what happened to any of them.  Perhaps the author should've spent a bit more time character building to make me relate to at least one the characters.  The characters just felt a bit one dimensional.  There wasn't even one that I could remotely say that I favourited. Okay, that's a lie. I liked Fiona, the Irish girl, but I only liked her because she was Irish, and I love all things Irish. That's it.

I found the pacing to be a bit slow. I'd read a chapter, then I'd get bored with it and go off to do something else. I really struggled with this book.  There are a couple of chapters that the pacing is great in, but it's not until the last two chapters that the pacing definitely picks up.

The dialogue was easy to understand although some Americans may not get all the slang British terms.  There was one scene where a character says "I was taking a piss" where he meant that he was joking around. The phrase he meant was "taking the piss" which is a British slang phrase for joking.  "Taking a piss" isn't a typo either as it's mentioned a few more times.  This annoyed me because taking a piss, is just that, it means urinating. "Taking the piss" means to be joking around.  Other than that, the dialogue was good.

The best part of the book was the photographs found within the book. I loved that little touch! I found myself studying the photos and enjoying them a million times better than the actual book.

The cover is also something I loved about the book.  How freaky does that little girl look??? The German cover looks even better.  It's the same photo, just with a green hue.  If I was marking the book based on the cover alone, it'd get 5 out of 5 for me.

The title of the book doesn't really leave anything to make you wonder what the books about. It says exactly what the book is about - a home for peculiar children.

All in all, this book left me feeling empty. I didn't really feel much of anything reading it until I got to the last two chapters where it got exciting.  However, I will not put myself through the torture of reading the second book in the series especially as I don't care about the characters or what happens to them.  I'm just glad I won this book in a competition and didn't buy it.

I was going to give this book a 2 - 2.5 star rating but the ending saved it a bit.

My overall score of this book would be 3 stars out of 5 at the best. It's okay, but not great.

(This review can be found on my blog).
1439963
I love Dohner's work and will continue to read her New Species series, but Darkness fell flat for me.  I've been looking forward to his story for a few books now, and I was incredibly disappointed in it.  It may as well have been a rewrite of Justice.  The characters and plot were almost identical.  She wants him and he wants her, but he is fighting against his feelings every step of the way until faced with the permanent loss of her, at which point he has a total change of heart.  She's a fiery force of the law, and he's tall, dark, and broody.  Like I said, it won't completely throw me off the beaten path, but it was a bit of a snag in the road.
1005424
This book was between a 3 or 4 for me.  I bought it not really getting a picture of what the actual story was about.  I do feel that a warning should be in place for those purchasing.  For some the child sexual abuse could be a bit much.  For me I like a dark read, but I like a dark read with some light to it this book had none.  I had a really hard time with Nina I basically thought she was a crazy sociopath.  I also had a hard time with her whole revenge plan against her husband Bennet.  I spent the whole book feeling very sorry for him. He was the only one I somewhat liked.  She blamed him for her father going to prison but he was a criminal that was his fault not her husbands.  She also had Pike who stuck with her through everything.  You didn't really no how deranged he was until the very end.  And last but not least you have Declan who I just really didn't get a feel for even though he was in the book most of all.  At one point they are in bed having sex and while he is inside her he proceeds to pee on her.  I am sorry but how utterly gross is that.  I also find it funny she is sleeping with 3 men  while using no protection and even though she tells you she cant get pregnant, all I could think was STD's.  I liked some aspects of this book and then some things I did not like.  I think this is going to be a book that you love or hate.  I guess for me I am on the fence.
2160295
I am a huge fan of Urban Fantasy, so when I saw this on Netgalley, I requested it because it looked like something I would enjoy. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. I rarely DNF books because, firstly, I only read things that I think I will enjoy and secondly because I hate to leave a story unfinished. With this one, I just couldn't get excited about the characters and when I found myself doing housework rather than read the book, I knew it was time to call it done.

We first meet Ellie as she is working as a waitress in the local restaurant. It is a place that is usually populated by tourists. Ellie splits her time waiting tables and working at her family's local Bed and Breakfast. Ellie lives in Roanoke Virginia, near the site of the Lost Colony. Her family history states that she is a Curse Keeper.  The direct descendant of one of 2 people who really knew what happened to the colony.  Family legend states that when the 2 Curse Keepers touch, the Colony will reappear and they will have exactly 7 days to close a gate and keep their world from being destroyed.

I really wanted to like this book.  I truly did. But I just couldn't stand Ellie or Collin, the other Curse Keeper.  Ellie thinks that when she told her best friend about the legend, that her mother died as a result. Currently her father has Alzheimer's and they are barely hanging on to the family Bed and Breakfast. Collin on the other had takes it all more seriously, but comes off as a cross between know-it-all jerk and a conman. They are supposed to be working together, neither one of them are telling the other the truth or being straight with each other. Watching the lies and deceptions just got old fast. Quite frankly, I just didn't like either one of them and at the half way mark, I gave up trying.

This of course is only my opinion.  If the book sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to get it and check it out for yourself.  My rating stands at 1 star.
921169
I ran out and purchased Dean Koontz's newest book The Darkest Evening of the Year and tore right into it.  I finished it at Midnight last night and I have to say I am disappointed.  The ending seemed rushed and unfulfillinging.  I am a dog rescuer so I loved the most of the parts with the dog(s).  I also liked Piggy.  The Brian character was underwritten and therefore unsympathetic.  I was underwhelmed on the whole.
2718069
Overall, this book feels like a confusing, disjointed mess. I loved the mystery part of it, but that was really all.

At the beginning of this book you don't know whats going on and its hard to know how to feel about it and it kind of drags. The entire book kind of drags. I feel like it took so long to get anywhere, like nothing was happening. And I was just continually bored.

Callies affliction, graphomania, doesnt seem to be taken seriously by anyone, not even the adults. The Dean of the school treats her like shes crazy and that shes faking and that its not a serious condition. How is this possible? Wouldnt she have note from her doctor or from her therapist? Wouldnt her foster family have talked to the Dean?

Speaking of the graphomania, its an interesting condition to write about, but I have to admit that her attacks became really dull after a while. The writing was interesting and the flashbacks were interesting, I just don't think they were done well. I feel like the whole book suffers from not being done well.

Didnt like any of the characters in the book. Not one. And John did nothing but creep me out the entire book. There was just something off about him. I honestly kept waiting for him to be a part of all the bad things. I really thought he would be one of the bad guys too. He just gave off that vibe.

I did enjoy the mystery of the book, though even that I feel wasn't written well. Im a sucker for a good mystery though and I did want to know what happened.

I feel like Oblivion had a lot of potential, but it just fell short. I feel that its not worth the read.
792924
This is one of those stories where you, as a reader, are left in the dark along with the main character about something critical in the story. I enjoy mystery, to an extent, but when it takes 17 chapters of frustration and repetition to uncover the real reason behind Elise's disappearance, I am ready to give up.  The characters weren't compelling to me. Their romance is based on childhood memories and physical attraction. It just wasn't exciting to me.  Like another reviewer mentioned, it wasn't one of those books that kept me up at night, flying through the pages.  I really just wanted to trudge along and finish it so I could feel like I got my money's worth.  I have read many of Sarah M. Eden's novels and there are a few I really loved...this one was just a miss for me.
3917131
I was disappointed. I curld up with the lights out and my kindle in lap. The beginning started off good, kept reading.. Ahh we are getting somewhere now. Her grandmas got the gift and Mary is a audioclairent or some thing like that. Then after the Ouija board incident, i was really in to it. But then it went all PG on me after that and fizzed at the end. I guess i will stick to the more freak me out, covers to eyeballs, consequential books. Big girl panty books. OH AND i think Vicky should have gotten a dose of nair shampoo. I liked Rachel, but none of her ideas came in to play. The End..