I Wanted to Really Like It, But...
589643
Bitten & Smitten starts with a familiar and amusing premise that I happen to enjoy - a quirky, sort of socially gawky girl meets tall, dark, and fangy and romantic hilarity ensues. Unfortunately in this particular book, the lead character, Sarah Dearly, is a wee bit too frustrating to be quirky and the hilarity fell flat. It starts with Sarah being buried in a graveyard by her blind date (no idea WHY her erstwhile suitor had to bury her, as the other two turnings that happened in the book didn't seem to require graveyards, but as the erstwhile suitor ended up shish-kebobbed shortly thereafter, and the rest of the story was laden with some unexplained stretches of intelligence, too, I'm not going to make that big a deal out of it) and goes downhill from there. Unfortunately, the sequence of successive horrors that Sarah kept tripping into didn't serve to amuse me as much as I'd hoped, and a couple put a strain on my intellect.

I was hoping for a light, engaging read that gave me a few chuckles, and I suppose I shouldn't be too disappointed, as two out of three isn't THAT bad, but given that the one that missed was the "engaging" part, I ended up feeling a little unsatisfied. I had a hard time warming up to Sarah, though admittedly, she did appear to have the right intentions for the most part, and by the time I did warm up to her, other things were going on that just annoyed me. I don't want to spoil anything, but come on, how long have vamps been around? And they can get together to socialize but haven't figured out that working together to fight against the threat of hunters just MIGHT be a bit more effective than the "walk around until you get staked" plan? Uh...right. And it takes the recently fired executive assistant to tell them that? How are they not extinct already???

I admit to having a prejudice against plot points that are outside the bounds of common sense because it does a serious number on my willing suspension of disbelief, and there were just too many things in Bitten & Smitten that pushed that button for me to be able to rate the book any higher. I'm not giving up on the series, because there WERE aspects of the story I did enjoy, but my patience won't last if the second book is of a similar vein...no pun intended.
118906
I should start by saying that I really really wanted to love this little purse. I bought it several months ago and have been trying to let it grow on me, but I have to confess I'm not satisfied with it.

I have been using purses just like this for years, and while I love the overall concept, the execution here fails in many ways.

First, the pocket on the very front of the purse has a velcro closure. No big deal right? Except if you wear it on your hip or behind you it makes it really easy for someone to lift whatever you've got in there, OR have it fall out on the edges that the velcro doesn't cover.

Same goes for the cell phone pocket, which is placed in sort of a weird spot on the strap. Again, if you use it messenger style, all one would have to do is pull the velcro flap holding the phone in and they'd be gone. Not so fun for us iPhone users. I know it needs to be easy in and out, but a better placement would help here.

There is a pocket on the very back of the bag that is zippered shut. Cool, I thought, I can put my phone or something valuable in there. Not so easy as the pocket is only half-deep, meaning it only goes halfway down the back of the purse. Weird.

There are little pockets inside one of the main compartment, but the only things I have been able to fit in there are bandaids and hair clips. Even my smallest lipglosses don't fit. I don't think this was designed by a woman.

Lastly, the zipper on the frontmost pocket is already starting to stick. The zippers aren't very well made IMO. The fabric is only decent, not great. It's a fairly basic black canvas. Gets dirty super easy and I question it's long-term durability.

I know I will give KAVU another shot in the future, and will continue to use this purse until something else comes along (a new product of theirs perhaps?) that works better for my needs.
1186165
I really wanted to like this phone.  I think it's attractive, well priced, and I really like how you can place your ear anywhere on the screen to hear the sound and the call quality is good.  That being said, I've had a whole host of issues with this phone.  You cannot nestle the phone between your cheek and shoulder because the microphone is miniscule and won't pick up sound.  I cannot use the "select time based on location" because it constantly is changing the time and timezone, regardless of if I'm sitting still or driving home.  The screen is extremely touchy, making Swype and regular text an endurance sport, and playing video games is difficult because even the lightest touch can send the screen spinning.  I don't think I've had this phone for a month yet, and most likely will be returning it for something a little more expensive, but a little more stable.
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.
4961172
As much as I want to love it (partially because the manufacturer is really really great) I just couldn't...:

The Pros:

It's an opaque white color, which is really nice, as the blue shines through it and makes the Aqua Blue a really nice Matte Aqua. The silicone feels nice to the touch.

And now.. THE CONS:

The fit is not as snug as I'd like, particularly this piece on the bottom part of the top screen (it's a thin, long strip of silicone). It has an awkward fit there and waggles all the time. After a couple of months, it becomes too loose for my taste. It's thinness might have contributed to this. Also, the lack of opening for the SD card slot did become a huge annoyance for me.

Also, the silicone makes it hard for me to place it in a case for travel, because it tends to want to "stick" to other materials. I ended up buying a DSiXL case just so I wouldn't have an issue.

And a side note:

This is NOT an issue for me, as I hardly use it, but for those who care, IT DOES NOT FIT IN THE CHARGING CRADLE WITH CASE ON! Actually, no case does or probably ever will unless it's THAT thin, so this did not affect my review. :]

Also, please note though, I do play the 3DS VERY frequently, so touching and the movement of my hands might have caused my issues. I also did an immense amount of travel which probably lead to it not being as carefully taken care of. Also, the fact that I had to move one side to get the SD card out a lot obviously has a lot to do with it not being as fitted after a while.

I'm positive if you're the complete opposite of me, this will work for you. If this describes you, a hard case is my suggestion!
2907417
I really wanted to like this one. I bought it, along with another that I returned without even using (because it was so badly designed). This one looked so much more promising, and I was excited to give it a try.

I soon found out, however, that if you use the actual mold to cut your dough, as you are supposed to, things start to get dicey.

First, no matter how much I floured the darn thing, I could not get it to release the little bits that came away in the lattice design cutter. Annoying, sure, but it also slows down production considerably.

Second, when you cut with the cutters, you end up with a piece of dough that is exactly the size of the outer rim of the press. The problem with this is that, when the dough is placed, it needs to be slightly bigger so that it can dip into the cavity, allowing it to be filled. I ended up taking each piece I had cut and using my rolling pin to make it just a little bigger, so it would work.

Another issue is that the dough is hard to align properly so that it goes together along the edge when it's even close to the size of the cutter, and if you roll it out to get it big enough, you end up having to cut away the excess along the edge, anyway.

So, the cutter is nearly useless with the press and sticks on the lattice side, and the press is fiddly to the point of aggravation. I promptly returned the whole thing. So why did I give it two stars, instead of one?

Well, The design is sort of pretty, and you could use the cutter to cut your pieces (slowly, because of the sticking), and then fill them on a board and press them carefully with a fork, and it would make pretty pies. But, then, you could do that all by hand with a drinking glass as your cutter, and make a true lattice by hand, and it wouldn't take really any more time. So you decide!

I would recommend the turnover/calzone style of press. I own this one - http://amzn.com/B005EW5Z1I - and it truly works well. It makes a bigger pie, but it is very easy to use and the end product is delicious. There are smaller versions, like to make Chinese dumplings, but I haven't tried any yet, and cannot make a suggestion in that category.
670178
I wanted to like it, I really did. I am a huge fan of the show and I am only giving this season 4 stars, rather than 3, because I love all of the other seasons of this show. Season 1 is very different than the following seasons and the characters are not quite so developed. The show comes into its own after Season 1.
983679
I really wanted to like this book. I enjoyed Niven's previous contemporary YA, ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES, but HOLDING UP THE UNIVERSE left me feeling pretty indifferent.

The premise intrigued me. I was very interested in learning more face blindness and what that felt like, but unfortunately, the portrayal failed to move me. If I didn't know prosopagnosia was a real disorder, based on the portrayal in this book, I'd have thought it was made up. I didn't ever feel like I understood or sympathised with Jack and how he saw the world, specifically because of one development towards the end of the book (I won't spoil it). I desperately want to feel for him--good or bad--but I just didn't.

I did feel for Libby, on the other hand, but mostly frustration. I felt like her character was such a contradiction of emotions. One second she's this tough as nails, ballsy character, and the next she hovering close to a panic attack and wanting to hid in her room with her cat. I get that people can react differently in various situations, but with Libby, she'd be fine with big stuff and then overwhelmed by comparatively little things. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for either response. Sometimes she--and therefore the reader--was hyper aware of her 350+pounds, and other times, like when she's running down a fleeing fit male athlete and leaping easily over fences after him without batting an eye, it's like her weight had no bearing whatsoever. I believe that she has worked incredibly hard to lose the hundreds of pounds she'd already lost to be at 350+ pounds she is in this book, but I still thought scenes like chasing the guy down--and gaining on him!--were unrealistic. Even a fit female athlete wouldn't have been able to do that.  I also found her incredibly childish, especially the way she'd start twirling like a little kid in public as a way to make herself feel better.

So with characters that I felt indifferent to or frustrated with, it's no surprise that the romance was a miss for me. I didn't feel any chemistry between them (I did between Libby and the foreign exchange student, but not with Jack). It was all a little too Shallow Hal for me, because of course the guy could only fall for the obese girl because he can't really see her...bleh. The whole thing felt very forced and way too easy all around.

I struggled with this book from start to finish and can't say that it ever really worked for me. The premise had potential and the writing itself was good, but the characters and plot left me cold.
2542525
Seraphim has an original premise and a lot of interesting ideas.  It started out well, and I really wanted to like it, but the more I read the more it began to feel like a chore.  The book keeps introducing new concepts and strange powers/events, all of which are interesting, but keeps most of them very shallow.  What really kept me reading was a desire to understand these elements, but by the end of the book hardly any are explained or expanded.  The explanations that do exist are mostly in the form of last-minute info dumps.  I was also disappointed in some of the characters' reactions to the events-in particular the parents' calm acceptance of what happened to Amy early on (I won't go into detail to avoid a spoiler).  Overall, I think the author has an incredible imagination and great concepts, but needs to narrow his focus and cover a few ideas in greater depth.
3523909
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a review.  I really wanted to like this book; however little things troubled me. I was intrigued by the characters and that was why I finished the book. I don't want to give any spoilers. There is a character who is victim of a traumatic crime, the victim's response was unrealistic to me (I work with victims of violent crime) and I know everyone's response is difference, but this was an obstacle in me finding what could have been a very realistic story realistic. Also the epilogue was wrapped up in a tidy package that was again, unrealistic for me.
684286
I really wanted to like this book. In theory it sounds right up my alley. But it fell short, for a variety of reasons.

First, the positives. The story is interesting. I wanted to know what happened. The world-building was good, and it was fairly well-written (from a grammatical standpoint).

Now, the negatives. The biggest issue I had was the plotting. The author really needs to sit down and do some editing...not for grammar, but for plotting. The story is extremely disjointed, and just seemed thrown together. Very choppy and it just didn't come together as a whole. The other major issue I had was that, while the story and world were fairly well-written, the dialogue is just atrocious. It reminded me a lot of Michael Sullivan's Riyria series. The story was good, but the dialogue was just plain awful (I only read the first of the Riyria books, and supposedly Sullivan has improved dramatically over time. I may check out later books in the series at some point). Finally, I just had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. Aside from being disjointed, the story is very slow (maybe it feels slow BECAUSE it's disjointed), and that adds to the sense of disconnection from the characters and story.

I do think this author has potential. But I would suggest that the first step is to go back and do some serious editing to this book before starting work on any subsequent books. It would be time well-spent...both for any future readers of this book, and for the author's writing skills.
4918174
I must say, I really wanted to like this book.  Before I say why I did not like it all that much, I'll give the positives.  The author is extremely good at writing dialogue, which is very rare in a "Star Trek" book.  The author also does a good job of setting up the potential for a really good story.
I was really hoping for a genre-bender here, given the cover and description of the book--something between Original "Trek" and "The X-Files."  Instead, the book is filled with self-referencing "Star Trek" trivia that span far more than the Original Series.  There's some "Enterprise," some "Deep Space Nine," and some "Voyager."  Not what I would call Original "Trek."  Instead of all this self-referencing there could have been a really cool and original story about the crew of the Enterprise encountering Gray aliens, Men in Black, and flying saucers.  Spock could have been abducted and given an implant.  Chekov could have received an anal probe, which would have allowed for his trademark scream.  Seriously, this could have been a really great book mixing the "Star Trek" and ufology mythologies.  But no, just self-referencing.  And talking in place of action, telling instead of showing, for hundreds of pages.
I can write a better "Star Trek" novel and someday I intend to prove it.
4790658
I really wanted to like this product. I really, really did.
Unfortunately, it just did not work out that way.

When I received this product in the mail, I was super excited to finally have a tea strainer tumbler because I drink A LOT of tea. The glass felt really nice in my hands and it looked and felt extremely durable. Upon first use, I noticed the tea leaves were coming in through the sides even though I tightly secured the metal piece. This wasn't so bad for me because I can deal with a few tiny tea leaves here and there. I really liked that no matter how hot the tea was, you couldn't feel it in your hands because of the double walled feature.

I was at my boyfriend's house having my daily morning tea and right when I finished it, it literally broke into pieces in my hand. I didn't hit it against anything or drop it. It was all very strange and I wish I could say it was my fault, but it definitely wasn't.

Needless to say, I took the biggest piece and sent it back to Amazon for a refund because I couldn't just stand for what happened to me.
Hopefully this was a one time thing and doesn't happen often!
2559130
I really wanted to like this book. The premise was great, and I loved the fact that the heroine was very kick-ass and able to take care of herself. HOWEVER, the prose was archaic and "purple prose" enough to be distracting for me. (Referring to a penis as a "large joy stick" for one.) The girl - who you are really pulling for because she is going up against corporate America and seems to have a REALLY GOOD CASE for getting her land back - rolls over and gives up after being bought expensive dresses and being flown all over the place. (All the while while the hero is manipulating her so he doesn't HAVE to give her her land back.) She lost all credibility for her brain at that point for me. She actually CONCEDED to the antagonist that she couldn't get the land back from him and then is ecstatic to receive a proposal. (IMO, if the manipulative hero REALLY loved her he would have given her her land back.)

I didn't even get through the second part of the book - I was too disgusted that the supposedly kick-ass girl lost her mojo and common sense.

As an author myself, I found much of the language and dialogue to be stilted and archaic. Editing was definitely needed.

(This review is written by Kevin's wife, so I really do have a good handle on what kind of kick-ass heroine I want to see!)
3380443
I really wanted to like it more than I did.  Every so often I end up picking a book on it's cover, and I generally am disappointed when I do.  I liked the book fine, there were parts that it moved so slowly and then other times it seemed very pressured.  For me there wasn't a very fluid feeling and some parts were disjointed.  I'm giving it 4 stars because I did like it but there's no love there for me, and I'm wishing I'd just waited for the paperback.
2329770
I really wanted to love this device. I liked so many things about the concept, from the ability to use your own headphone (so I could use a pair that was comfortable) to the ability to pair it with more than one device (so I could use it with both my phone AND Ipod Touch depending on what I need at the time).

What I like:
It pairs with both my cell and Ipod Touch. I like the flexibility to use it when working out or driving.
It's simple to use. There is a volume rocker and a multi-function button. Everything is pretty intuitive.
I can leave it clipped to my jacket between charges and don't have to worry about losing or forgetting it when I leave the house.

What I'm not crazy about:
The offset headphones it comes with. The earpieces are comfortable, but the cord length is a pain. I had to replace them pretty quickly.
Since it only comes with a stereo headset, it is less than perfect for driving. Your only option is to have the extra earpiece dangling around your neck while driving which drives me nuts.
It doesn't consistently pair with my devices. Sometimes it's fine, sometimes neither the phone nor ipod can find it, even when fully charged and right next to the device.

The biggest con is that the clip itself is MUCH too tight. It can really only be attached to some pretty sturdy clothing or jacket. This is fine if you plan to clip it to a suit jacket, but forget about a workout tee. It will most certaianly stretch and ruin anything with some give to it, if you can get it on at all. This makes it useless to me probably 75% of the time I would like to be using it. I found myself having to clip it to my bra straps just to use it, which is not what I want for obvious reasons.

Sound quality is average for a bluetooth device, and so far battery performance is good but I just can't give it a good rating with such an obvious design flaw. If you can't clip it to your clothes, what purpose is there for a clip on bluetooth?
3980983
This should have been a perfect read for me - magical realism, chick lit, a worshipful recommendation from most of my friends and family, but I just couldn't get into it. I think this is a case where it's not the book, it's me, because it's been about a year and I still haven't finished it. Maeve and Moira haven't compelled me to find out more about them. The author's voice is interesting, and I like the contrast of the flashbacks, I just keep finding something else to read or do when I look at it staring at me from the bedside table. It could be that I am burned out on books about finding oneself or voices from the grave. I would suggest downloading the Kindle sample and seeing if it grabs you before committing. I'm certainly in the minority on this one, but there it is!