Kelster

I love reading books, of course, and I am always searching for authors with the ability to write really good dialogue and character interactions.
Tentação - Adolfo Caminha 4.5 stars. What a fucking gem this turned out to be. Humor, hot sex, believable insta-love, great characters and an Alpha Male hell bent on keeping his woman. I completely believed the connection between the H and h. I believed that he knew that she was his from the start, so I understood his aggressive and determined stance that she accept him and the love and commitment that he was offering to her. And, yep, I believed that the h completely caved over such an aggressive male that so clearly adored her and was devoted to her care and well being.

I thought the relationship between the H and h was great. I loved that even though she was overwhelmed that she still was strong, fearless, and determined that she would not be trampled into oblivion by her possessive male. The times when she gave into him didn't come across as weakness because it was clear that she understood that she was a priority for him and that his remorse was present when called for.

I also loved the H's team/pack. Their camaraderie and their skill sets and their willingness to be their for one another. They were awesome and I want more more more more.
The Mane Event - Shelly Laurenston The Mane Event is actually 2 stories in one. While reading the first book, Christmas Pride, I thought the humor was a little too much. It was as if the author was trying a little too hard. I also didn't really connect to the H and h and their burgeoning relationship seemed fast and forced. About midway through I began to enjoy them more and the humor began to connect with me better. By the end I was read to move onto story 2...

Shaw's Tail was a much much much better read for me. The humor was a bit more low key and I found myself smiling and laughing quite a bit. I also connected to Brendon Shaw quite a bit and I loved his relationship with his family and definitely with Rhonda Lee. Shaw was possessive and aggressive and I believed his attraction and connection to Ronnie. I liked the side story with his family and I definitely hope to see Mitch again, perhaps with Sissy Mae when he goes to retrieve his leather jacket.

4 stars over all. Shelly Laurenston has impressed me once again with fantastic humor and h's that are not demure, innocent or timid. I love that she writes assertive h's that curse, drink and fuck without apology or shame.
Naked in Death (In Death, #1) - J.D. Robb Wow! What took me so long to read this book? I thought it was great. I was a little confused at first until I realized that the book takes place in the future and, I have to be honest, I wasn't sure how I was going to respond to a futuristic book. I thought it would come off cheesy and silly. Thank goodness it didn't.

Character development was great. I liked the h and even at her grumpiest and most fearful I connected to her. Roarke was freaking awesome. Impatient, determined and just enough bad to be oh so good, he makes the perfect H. I cannot wait to read more.
Killing Sarai (Killing Sarai, #1) - J.A. Redmerski 3.5 stars. When I began this book I was expecting a dark read. I like to go into books blind but I think because this book is so different from the author's previous book, [b:The Edge of Never|16081272|The Edge of Never (The Edge of Never, #1)|J.A. Redmerski|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358810128s/16081272.jpg|21880254], that there was too much chatter, discussing the differences, for me to avoid. So, although I thought this was going to be a much darker story the fact that it wasn't didn't deter from my enjoyment. The books starts off strong and I was immediately engaged. The writing was great and there was enough going on, action, that, honestly, the lack of darkness wasn't a concern.

Although, I was completely engaged and entertained throughout my read I felt a disconnect from the characters, especially in the 1st 70% of the book. Victor was so stoic initially that I couldn't get a good read on him and Sarai was there but I didn't feel close to her for some reason. I understood their characters and their motivations but I didn't feel close to them. I like to get inside of characters and feel their emotions as if I am going through exactly what they are and during my read that didn't happen.

The last third of the book definitely picked up and I really, really like where the series is going. I was very surprised, and pleased, with the turn of events. I had no idea going in that this was going to be a series but I am so glad to know that it will be. This book was a great introduction and I believe that in the next book, with their background already established, that I will have a greater opportunity to connect with Victor and Sarai. The ending was fantastic. I am excited to see what comes next.
Unteachable - Leah Raeder 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the writing of this book and I enjoyed the h, but I never felt a true connection with Evan, the H. I like falling in love with the H as I read a book and I never fell in love with him. I always felt unsure of what was going on with him, in this book he is the one with the secret, and I had a big issue with his secret once it was revealed. I felt it tainted him and it tainted their relationship.

But I was entertained throughout my read and, as I stated, I liked the h and her narrative. I also liked the secondary characters and the different layers that the book had that were unexpected, even if some felt stretched. I was impressed that when the author wrote this book she was willing to allow characters to push the limits on their behavior. Many of the characters in this book were flawed, and they did inappropriate, "bad", things including the H and h. I liked that flaws were exposed and "bad behavior" wasn't just hinted at, desired or skimmed, these characters indulged.
Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead This was a great start to the series. I enjoyed the characters and the pacing. The voice, narration, of this book was so different than RM's Georgina Kincaid series (which I loved) that they weren't reminiscent of each other at all. I'm glad because at first I worried that I might be reading about a mini Georgina. Not the case at all. Rose is all her own. She is stubborn, impulsive, and has violent tendencies. I loved her.

Well developed characters, great character interaction and character growth/transition and an interesting world that is being established. I very much enjoyed this book.
Dusty - YellowBella,  TeamBella23,  YellowGlue Dusty was heartbreaking, heart wrenching, and desperate. At times I felt despondent, sometimes appalled and at others sick in love. This damn book gutted me, through and through. The writing was beautiful and the characters were flawed and there was so much blame to go around that I don't even know where it starts and where it ends.

Although this story is often tragic and desolate and ill-fated it is also wondrous and triumphant and breathtaking. Dusty gives the most realistic portrayal of a destructive love story that I have ever read. I believed every misstep, every falter, every cry and every failure. I believed the joy and the love and the connections and I feared what would happen when lies were exposed and true characters were seen and realized.

There were parts where I felt inconsolable because I was so angry and frustrated but even then the story completely gripped me. Their crazed love allowed them to forsake everyone else, damage themselves and especially each other. Dusty and Bliss were captivating and passionate even among their pain and wreckage and while I hated them at times I also fucking loved them.

So much of this book is about smells and love and dependence and bad choices.

So many bad choices.
Poughkeepsie - Debra Anastasia I am mixed on how to rate this book. I liked that the book was more than I expected. I thought I would be reading a typical love story between two young people. I didn't expect the issues plaguing the H and I didn't expect the cast of characters inundated throughout this book and all the shit that would come with them. There was some action that kept me engaged and some back stories that captured my attention but then, OMG, there was the dialogue.

What was up with the ridiculous dialogue? Too often it was corny, hokey, sugary sweet. People just don't speak like these characters and that shit totally threw me off. Some of the dramatics were overly dramatic. Too dramatic. Cringe worthy dramatic. Also, this author spent an inordinate amount of time depicting how proper the H is and how he has impeccable manners. So I find it unlikely that he would enter the home of someone else without an invitation. No knocking, no ringing the doorbell, he just enters? I don't think so. I dislike when authors, in their need to create drama or angst, force characters to act in a way that they normally wouldn't. For. No. Good. Reason. It comes across as desperate, unoriginal and contrived. And the resulting drama that was created, in this instance, could have been done another way.

I really liked Beckett and Eve, though, and that entire aspect of the book. Okay, some of their dialogue skeeved me out but the idea of them was great. I like when characters are "bad" and the author is really invested in making sure that they do bad things. Pseudo bad gets old sometimes.

Reflected in You - Sylvia Day Loved this book. Gideon was just as obsessed with and committed to Eva and Eva was absolutely enraptured and enamored by Gideon. I love that Eva is so self aware and is constantly challenging herself to be a stronger, healthier person, She strives to not fall into old patterns and behaviors. She recognizes triggers in both herself and Gideon and her internal monologues were always perceptive. Eva is one of my favorite h's and I am grateful that SD didn't turn her into a whiny and annoying woman.

Eva recognizes her insecurities and always attempts to scrutinize where they are coming from. She is aware that her grasp of a situation may be different from Gideon's so she tries to understand his POV for added perspective. I appreciated that in this book I was treated to Gideon's analysis as well. The two of them working together, fighting for their relationship, made me appreciate this book so much more. There was a moment that I thought that RiY had gone too far but the way that SD allowed Gideon to understand the maneuverings of Eva's actions was impressive.

I love books that are smartly written. And RiY is smartly written.

As long as I continue to enjoy my time with Gideon and Eva and I am enthralled in their relationship I have no problem that the series continues. I'm looking forward to it. Fingers crossed that fresh ideas plague SD.
Thief (Love Me With Lies, #3) - Tarryn Fisher I thought the book was good. It kept me entertained but I lost some of the intensity and connection between Caleb and Olivia that I experienced in book 1. Olivia seemed so cold, stoic and heartless and I never thought of her that way before. Even when she was emotional I was disconnected. I especially hated that at the end of the book I felt somber and melancholy. I should have felt inspired and exalted, instead that damn epilogue made me feel down.

What TF does well, she does very well. She shows flawed people and examines their thought processes and motivations. No one is perfect and no one is without blame. There are reasons for the choices that people make and with those choices come consequences. And it's those consequences that fuel even more choices: good, bad or ugly. I enjoyed Caleb's POV but how he didn't pass out from exhaustion, I don't know. His relationship with Olivia was a roller coaster ride paved with heart wrenching, awful pain. But their love endured. It was beautiful but it sure as hell wasn't easy.
The Carnalli Complex (Carnalli Brothers, #1) - Passhenette1 I can see why others have liked this and why it was recommended to me. Lots of hot sex and a definite taboo subject. But...it didn't do it for me. I was completely entertained but the non consent was kinda absent and, when present, some of the non consent that was there wasn't the forced seduction kind that I like. I like some internal conflict where the person wants to say no, or not give in to the manipulations of another, but the pleasure of the interactions overwhelm them and take away their resistance. Some of this non consent was painful and when it wasn't the characters attempt to resist what was happening wasn't a focus. Very early on the incest aspect didn't offer a reason for the characters to resist the sexual pull they felt and then it just became a non issue because no one cared. Although for my purpose they weren't blood brothers, they were foster brothers. Still some kink but not enough to disturb me. Lol

Also, in the writing, some of the transitions were missing and there were many times that pronouns were used but not clarified. It was easy to figure out who was doing what but the errors were there.
A Different Blue - Amy Harmon This book is powerful. It's rich with history (incl myths & legends,) music, poetry and literature. I was impacted by each one. A Different Blue spoke to me on so many levels. It was heart breaking yet breathtaking. It was about discarding labels and changing the course of one's future. It was about understanding that regardless of the road a person is on they are capable of making a change and doing something different. Being someone different. The book keeps a steady pace and I was completely engaged from page one.

The h feels as if she is a nobody. She is lonely and feels unwanted and discarded. Yet she hides all of her pain behind a wall of heavy makeup, revealing clothes and sarcastic wit. No one knows who she is which only causes her to feel even more alone. What she craves is love, self worth and redemption. And also a sense of belonging. This book brought me to tears more than once but in most cases I cried because I was filled with such amazing hope. What a fantastic h. She was strong and determined and her path to finding her self was inspirational.

The H, definitely swoon worthy. He is intelligent, rich and British (I loved that the author allowed him to give the readers a lesson in British slang and words.) Although it would seem that he would come from a position of power when it came to the h, he was vulnerable and afraid of being hurt. Their path to love was beautiful and while the H definitely played a primary role in assisting the h in changing the course of her life it ultimately was her desire to do better and want more that made it happen.
Long Time Coming - Scarlett Parrish 3.5 stars. The majority of the issues I had with this book stemmed from my dislike of Piper, the h. She came across initially as a confident woman who knew what she wanted and went after it. Not aggressively but with some assertion. I understood, as the book went on, that she was vulnerable and frightened because she feared needing someone and becoming attached/dependent. But what I HATED was all of her partial thoughts, unfinished sentences and her inability to express herself. Her narration was awkward at times and sometimes even boring because I cared nothing for her.

Seriously, I was so freakin' tired of her starting a sentence and then stopping and then starting but still being unable to finish. WTF? I wanted to slap her. It took me completely out of the story. For her being the protagonist, I felt no connection to her and I was slightly annoyed that her character was so inconsistent. First she is self assured and assertive but then she is confronted by some guy, lewdly but not aggressively, and she is a bag of nerves and can't shut him down.

The reason this book did appeal to me was the H, Leo. He was all kinds of hot and boy did that man love him some sex. A portion of the dialogue between the H and h was stilted but what worked between them really worked. I liked that Piper strived to make Leo lose control and when that control was lost or faltering, when Leo was vulnerable, needy and desperate, the things that he would say...sigh. His vulnerability and amazement in those moments felt real. When he attempted to extend their relationship, when he defended her and reached for her, all of that was great. I wanted more of that. I wanted more of him in those moments.

Fatal Shadows - Josh Lanyon I thought the beginning was somewhat slow, THERE WAS NO DETAILED SEX (lol), and the writing was pretty passive. Yet, I liked the wit and I did become immersed in the mystery of the book. I really enjoyed Riordan's dry sense of humor and his tough guy persona. He was the perfect hard nosed detective that I will enjoy watching become vulnerable for his man as the series continues. Great start to the series and I am excited to continue.
More Than This (More, #1) - Jay McLean Fucking WOW! This book was awesome. I was concerned when it began and I knew what was coming but holy shit, this author surprised me. The path that this book took was completely unexpected. I loved every minute of it. Every step. Mikayla was written perfectly. I am so frustrated with the tragic h who is broken and the majority of their story is about their fear and their pain to the point where their fear and pain evokes nothing but eye rolls and sighs from me. There was no secret here, thank GAWD, and the pain described was real and understandable but it wasn't fucking exploited. The author didn't attempt to manipulate readers or drown them in the character's hurt.

The supporting characters were awesome. The dialogue and interactions were realistic and entertaining and I believed who they were. I so enjoyed witnessing the love and connection that developed between Jake and Kayla. When an author shows growth between characters instead of telling us about that growth I am ecstatic. Loved Logan, and before I even finished the book I checked GR to see if this book was a part of a series. It doesn't mention that it is but the book does indicate, at the the very end, that Logan's story will be told. And damn...it looks like it will be kick ass!

Jake Fucking Andrews is the perfect mixture of a vulnerable, passionate, tortured lover and possessive, jealous, alpha male. Definitely Swoon Worthy, A Prince, A Knight In Shining Armor, His woman's Happily Ever After and a Mother Fucking BIG DEAL!
Shine Not Burn - Elle Casey 4 enthusiastic stars. Very surprised at how much I liked this book. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it in the beginning but before I knew it I was laughing aloud. That's no small feat. IMO, humor is very difficult to infuse in books. I don't like slapstick and I don't like corniness. But I do like to imagine a situation and to see the unexpected humor in it. This book allowed me to have lots of those moments.

Mack was a stunning H. A sexy cowboy, who is persistent, romantic and passionate. I loved every facet about him from his strength in appearance to his predatory actions to get his woman and finally to his vulnerability. Sexy as hell.

A great h with that didn't annoy. I wish that the character Hannah didn't come across as deranged and I wasn't sure what to make of Bradley. Is he evil truly, or did he also have a harsh upbringing? Things were hinted but not revealed so it felt kinda unfinished. Plus, I wasn't quite sure at the end how he felt about Andie.

Overall, a great read with romance, sensuality and humor.