After reading [b:The Chalice and the Blade|470368|The Chalice and the Blade (Celtic Saga, #1)|Glenna McReynolds|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1323571710s/470368.jpg|458674] which I loved, I was expecting great things from River of Eden. As a matter of fact, I had no idea what it was even about, I saw the authors name and grabbed it. I usually enjoy these types of jungle adventures and I enjoyed this one but found the first half to be a little slow (hence the four stars and not five). An exciting, grab you from page one story has excitement, danger, sparks between hero and heroine, a dastardly villain etc. Well the danger was present and accounted for; the sexual tension was there; there were a couple of nasty bad guys; and everyone had lots of secrets but it just lacked oomph. I had difficulty keeping myself reading until finally about halfway through the action picked up, the sexual tension was relieved (a little bit anyway) and the second villain makes an appearance. It became an exciting race to the finish that had me turning pages as fast as I could read the words. I liked the epilogue which almost made me wish for a sequel.
Barbara's Booky Blog
I'm a reader not a blogger so this could prove to be interesting.
I read mostly mystery, paranormal, fantasy and romance but I've been known to give almost anything a try except biographies and non-fiction unless forced.
I read mostly mystery, paranormal, fantasy and romance but I've been known to give almost anything a try except biographies and non-fiction unless forced.
After reading [b:The Chalice and the Blade|470368|The Chalice and the Blade (Celtic Saga, #1)|Glenna McReynolds|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1323571710s/470368.jpg|458674] which I loved, I was expecting great things from River of Eden. As a matter of fact, I had no idea what it was even about, I saw the authors name and grabbed it. I usually enjoy these types of jungle adventures and I enjoyed this one but found the first half to be a little slow (hence the four stars and not five). An exciting, grab you from page one story has excitement, danger, sparks between hero and heroine, a dastardly villain etc. Well the danger was present and accounted for; the sexual tension was there; there were a couple of nasty bad guys; and everyone had lots of secrets but it just lacked oomph. I had difficulty keeping myself reading until finally about halfway through the action picked up, the sexual tension was relieved (a little bit anyway) and the second villain makes an appearance. It became an exciting race to the finish that had me turning pages as fast as I could read the words. I liked the epilogue which almost made me wish for a sequel.
Oh man I want to move to Lucky Harbor! What wonderful characters live there. I will admit that Tara got on my nerves in [b:Simply Irresistible|7863423|Simply Irresistible (Lucky Harbor, #1)|Jill Shalvis|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1323268405s/7863423.jpg|11018887] and though I really loved Ford I was worried how they would reconnect. Well my doubts were pointless. Ms. Shalvis does it again with the perfect romance. When you have a to-die-for hero and the gotta-be-in-control heroine, you have a heartache (or two) in the making. Laid back, easy going Ford was the perfect foil for Tara. And Miss OCD Tara was an emotional mess who didn't know if she was coming or going most of the time. I loved when Mia joined the gang and pulled both Tara and Ford into her world. Ms. Shalvis never disappoints and I'll be back to Lucky Harbor with Sawyer and Chloe and isn't that a fire-storm waiting to happen. I can't wait for the fireworks.
I absolutely love Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series so I thought I'd give her earlier work a try what a mistake. There really wasn't a likable character among the bunch. Nope not even the main character, Jacqueline Kirby. Jacqueline is a librarian who sort of horns in on a group of college students working on projects to maintain their grants. The seven semi-friends meet every morning at the local cafe for coffee and feel compelled to include a disagreeable fellow who refuses to get lost. The book really starts when said fellow winds up dead at a party at one of the seven friends houses (to which he was not invited). Unfortunately I felt that the story itself and most of the characters were very bland and rather dull. There was too much history and/or religious background for my tastes that it almost eclipsed the mystery itself. I will admit that I figured out who the miscreant was but not the motive. All in all a good mystery but a terrible accounting. This isn't a series I would continue.
Having read and greatly enjoyed [b:The Blue Zone|509387|The Blue Zone|Andrew Gross|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1311020712s/509387.jpg|497403], I was expecting to once again be wowed. Well that didn't happen. [b:Eyes Wide Open|10110318|Eyes Wide Open |Andrew Gross|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348432857s/10110318.jpg|15218214] has an exceedingly slow plot that really didn't have anything all that surprising. It was extremely repetitive and rather boring at times. The author used the same ploys over and over again. Other than the main character Jay Erlich, all the others were plainly unlikable and contrary. They'd say one thing and then immediately do the opposite. It was just confusing and irritating. And I just couldn't understand the attitude of the police throughout the entire book. Jay was determined to help his brother but being a doctor was entirely clueless when it came to investigating which is probably what made this such a difficult book to stay connected to.
When reading this I didn't realize it was the first in the series, as I have read a couple others but that certainly explains a few things. A freak lightning storm causes an explosion at a London museum which in turns sends all kinds of people racing to the Omani desert in search of the lost city of Ubar. You have a few DARPA representatives (Painter Crowe and Coral Novak), a Guild operative (Cassandra Sanchez), a millionaire with ties to Oman, the museum curator born in Oman, a few archeologists (a la Indiana Jones) and a mysterious frenemy. All working against each other to claim the ultimate prize.
The pacing is excellent with plenty of action and adventure along with biblical legends and science. Oh and lets not forget technology and lots and lots of weapons. Oh sure you have your unbelievable aspects but when reading something of this nature, you really do just have to throw reality out the window. This is a terrific start to the Sigma Force series and a truly enjoyable read.
I'm not much into the whole political scene so I didn't enjoy this adventure as much as I usually do. Though I do love the way Clive Cussler mixes up events in the past (in this case 1965) with current events (in this case trouble with Russia in 1989). He usually has a bunch of seemingly unrelated events that he masterfully weaves into an incredibly cohesive story that drags you in and keeps you turning pages as fast as you can.All in all I thought it was a suspenseful (though rather gruesome) story that was believable to a degree. I did have trouble with Congresswoman Smith (Pitt's girlfriend) when she was on the Russian cruise. Now this is a Congresswoman who is dedicated to secrecy in all things and yet when she realizes that something hinky is going on with a fellow Senator, she uses an unsecure phone through a Russian switchboard operator and calls her secretary. Granted she is rather circumspect during the first conversation but then the secretary calls back and uses names. Congresswoman Smith has her suspicions confirmed and should be terrified that she is on this ship and in danger, yet instead of being clever and sly, she just blabs everything out for all to hear. Considering what was going on in 1989, I just found this rather unrealistic and unbelievable. I know it was done to move the plot along, but Clive Cussler is such a great writer that he could have come up with a believable way to advance the plot at this point.
I enjoy these Scandinavian mysteries though the language is sometimes outside my grasp (colloquialisms and such that just make no sense to this American.) For most of this debut novel, we have an briefly unattended child stolen from a train. And the detectives spend 3/4 of the book trying to figure out why this particular woman was chosen to lose her child. Honestly I couldn't figure out how this crack special team (a respected veteran, the overachiever and the intellectual) couldn't figure out Why as it was blatantly obvious to this reader.When civilian Fredrika Bergman joins Alex Recht's special investigation team, I really disliked her compatriots - Peder Rydh was a real jerk and thought he was so special and above Fredrika. And even Alex was disrespectful of Fredrika's intellectual gifts (even if that was exactly why she was added to the team). Peder was one of those characters you just want to slap upside the head for being a jerk (not just to Fredrika but in his personal life too) and for being too stupid to live. I greatly disliked any chapter that featured him. I just didn't feel that he was acting as part of a team and that could be why it took them so long to figure out this mystery. None of the three really worked together and their personal lives interfered with the investigation.
I was disappointed that the Gabriel Sebastiansson storyline ended as it did. Too many things were left unfinished including his mother's interference. This is the first book in the series but I can't see this storyline continuing in the next one.
Like all Nora Roberts books, this roller coaster grabs you, dips you, sways you and dumps you down a well of emotions, both good and bad. I enjoyed part one, the setup. I never realized the training involved in being an extreme fire fighter. It's amazing what these adrenaline-junkies do to get their crazy on. Wow you truly gotta be nuts to take on that kind of danger. I guess it takes all kinds. Part two - I enjoyed watching Gull and Rowan fall in love. Now in addition to crazy-ass jumpers we have someone killing people and setting them (and the woods) on fire as coverup. As of this point, a few suspects come to light but no real clues as to the murderous firebug. I have an idea of who the culprit is but no proof just intuition.
Part three brings it all home. Of course, our heroine has to be put into danger (more danger than just smoke jumping). And our hero has to save her from both the fire and the firebug. A truly splendid ending that drew you in and help you captive until the very end.
At times it felt like book two in a series (though it's a stand-alone) as I felt we should already know Lucas' story. Though I did enjoy his romance with Ella Frazier. I also really liked Rowan's reaction to said romance and her emotional turnaround regarding her father and herself.
Nora Roberts rarely (if ever) disappoints and this one is definitely on the plus side. I loved the descriptions of both Montana and Alaska and thought the encounters with the bear were dead on realistic. Thanks Ms. Roberts for another high-flying adventure with a truly romantic hero and a thoroughly unromantic heroine. It's always great to have a different perspective and a complete role reversal.
Earlier this year I read [b:Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before|94529|Blue Latitudes Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before|Tony Horwitz|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1316136524s/94529.jpg|3963317] which I really liked and this book is basically the same voyage with the captain of the Bounty being one of the men on Captain Cook's ship. There are so many references to Captain Cook, his voyage and his death that this seems like a regurgitation of his story. They basically traveled the same path, visited the same islands, had the exact same adventures on said islands, etc. There really wasn't anything new this time around. Other than the mutiny itself, there isn't anything to separate this book from Blue Latitudes. Though I must say that this book was not as exciting as that one. It has a real slow start (almost halfway before they end up on Tahiti and things start to happen) so not much action except for the dealings between Mr. Fryer, Mr. Christian and Mr. Heywood which start early on - a mutiny in the making from three jealous sailors.
This is a really exciting, non-stop action story of Blades of the Rose agent Bennett Day and the leader of the Heirs of Albion's daughter, London Harcourt as they finagle their way through lots of clues and danger to find the Eye of Colossus (Greek Fire). I totally loved Victoria Regina Gloriana London Edgewater Harcourt (geesh what a handle) - good thing she goes by London. It's always nice to see a playboy finally find the one and unexpectedly fall head over heels for the enemies daughter. The fact that London had to defy her father added a little oomph to the story and a little bit of an emotional situation as well. I liked how uninitiated London handled herself through all the sticky situations and the various emotional upheavals. She may not be a Blade but she certainly picked up the cross and ran with it.Another great addition to the Blades series. I'll be rejoining the Blades in Canada with emotionally tortured Astrid.
For years English professor Olivia Dupree has had a virtual crush on reclusive author Aaron Westhaven. She loves everything he's ever written and has built him up in her mind to be the perfect man with all the right thoughts and feelings. She's ecstatic when her repeated letters to him are finally answered and he agrees to be the featured speaker at a private event. However Olivia starts to panic when he is late to arrive. Therefore when she gets a frantic call from the hospital regarding an unidentified man who had been shot, has amnesia and was found with her business card in his pocket, she automatically assumes it's Aaron. Obviously someone is trying to kill him, so Aaron signs himself out of the hospital and heads to Olivia's and arrives just in time to save her from an attack. Olivia's past has finally caught up with her and she and Aaron take off to hide while trying to figure out who is trying to kill them.This is a roller coaster ride of excitement with many twists and turns that pit Aaron and Olivia against various foes (and each other). I enjoyed their journey and their discovery of themselves and each other. I thought this was much better than the first book in the series and I'm looking forward to reading Dr. Carrie's story and finding out the truth about Sam.
Oh and I'm a huge pet person so for me Freddy totally stole the show. I just loved everything about him. He is definitely my kind of dog - a 200 pound Old English mastiff - huge and lovable! Just what I want when I eventually have a house with a fenced yard. I can't wait.
I am definitely in the minority on this one. I greatly disliked it. I was born in the 60s so nothing about this book made any sense to me. I felt the dialogue was stilted and the mystery was flat and convoluted. Too many characters and I couldn't figure out whose allegiance was with which shady character. The mystery of the blackmailer was solved early on and the rest of the book seemed to be a waste of time. I found that I just didn't care what happened to Rusty (sounded like good riddance to me). I found myself laughing or wincing at the dialogue. I wonder if they actually talked like that in the 30s. I mean really "shake your business up and pour it" some tough guy seriously said that. You've got to be kidding me. If one of those jokers said something like that to me, I would have laughed in his face. And what was up with thumbs? Everyone was either sucking them, chewing on them or just checking them out. I must have missed the memo.
I love a good mystery but this just wasn't mysterious at all. There was nothing about the story to actually draw the reader into the mystery. Heck what was the mystery? It seemed to have gotten lost in the shuffle. Definitely not an author I would suffer through again.
I honestly tried to read this book. Really I did. I love a good psychological thriller but it has to draw you into the story and this just doesn't do it. There is absolutely nothing to like about Amy who we only meet through diary entries which just prove that she is a stupid catty bitch. And even though I liked Nick, it wasn't enough to keep me reading. I'm stuck at work with nothing else to do so I might give this another try sometime today.
ETA: I tried and tried and tried to get into this book but I just couldn't stomach it. I don't know why I continue to try to read the books that get so much hype as I generally hate them and this one is no different. Heck I should have known better as I couldn't stand the first Gillian Flynn book I read [b:Dark Places|5886881|Dark Places|Gillian Flynn|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1354988288s/5886881.jpg|6873353]. Sorry Ms. Flynn but I won't be reading anymore of your offerings.
I felt the diary entries were ridiculous. It was just too contrived. Yeah I understand it's the author's way of telling Amy's story but it's just not believable. I've read actual diary entries and no one pens pages and pages of word for word conversations. It sounds more like someone's efforts at writing a book rather than a diary.
After reading a few reviews and realizing that the first half was better than the second, I gave up the ghost at page 200. If what I'd read so far was the good stuff, there wasn't any way I could force myself to continue. I just didn't care about either character nor did I care where Amy went or whether Nick went to jail.
1
I don't know if I'm just in a funk or if this book wasn't so hot. I loved the first three books but for some reason this one just didn't do it for me. Delaney's "poor me" attitude got irritating real fast though I really did like Ginger as she was strong and knew what she wanted (or didn't want). I understand that Delaney was corrupted by the Slayers but man put your big boy panties on and deal with it already! The other dragons were there to help but Delaney kept with the "I must do this alone blah blah blah". Didn't he realize that Magnus was messing with him. UGH!Oh well it won't keep me from continuing the series but I was rather disappointed as I really liked Delaney prior to his firestorm. Now I just think of him as a whiny baby.
After finding the Lost City of Gold and returning to England with Neferet in [b:The Deeds of the Disturber|32139|The Deeds of the Disturber (Amelia Peabody, #5)|Elizabeth Peters|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1168345819s/32139.jpg|2176252], Amelia and Emerson return to Egypt for a winter of excavation. Both Ramses and Neferet remain in England, leaving Emerson and Amelia a chance to get frisky without little eyes watching their every move. Well that was the plan anyway. Immediately upon reaching Cairo, Amelia and Emerson are besieged with attempts on one or the others life. When they are finally successful and Emerson is kidnapped, Amelia is beside herself with worry and with the help of Silas Vandergelt sets out to rescue Emerson. Of course she is successful but with a slight setback...Emerson has amnesia and cannot remember the last 13 years of his life - yes that is the time that he met and married Amelia. She sets out to help him remember their exciting courtship and life but of course, the attempts on their lives do no stop so it's another rousing adventure in merry old Egypt. I can't say enough about this series. It's simply wonderful entertainment! Amelia is one of those strong females who is definitely out of place in the 1800s; Emerson is bold, loud and given the time period, very romantically inclined; and Ramses is the funniest character of them all. Despite the danger, I laughed out loud at his epistles (letters to Dearest Mamma and Pappa).
I must say that even just a few chapters in I knew this book was going to suck and I really had to force myself to continue reading. As a matter of fact, had I anything else to read, I would have stopped the torture. Unfortunately, I'd left home with only this book in my hand. UGH!I loved Daisy - she was so playful and yet sarcastic but only with her best bud James. From infancy they were raised as siblings when as a ward, Daisy entered the household. Now after James' father embezzled her inheritance, James is expected to marry "his sister"? He has absolutely zero feelings for her (other than brotherly of course). I just couldn't wrap my head around this concept as it just smacked of incest to me. And when James actually does marry her, the marriage lasts 2 days! Yes I did say 2 days. They were happy, well Daisy was at least while James was playing the game. When Daisy found out the truth and kicked his lying ass to the curb, I thought "You go girl!".
The next half of the book was a huge disappointment (though I did like the piracy sections but then again I've always been partial to pirates). Daisy makes something of herself and finally comes into her own. Until James returns with no remorse whatsoever for treating her the way he did. Heck he doesn't even dwell on the past at all. Just I'm back and you're my wife. WTH? And Daisy held out for a few days and gave in without a fight. Again WTH?
UGH just a terrible book with a frightfully trite and boring ending. It's a good thing I've read and liked other books by Eloisa James or this would be the end of our relationship.
