Book Review: Wallbanger

So off the top I really thought this book was going to be an erotica selection. I mean come on look at that cover!

The person that recommended this book to me did so after a discussion about reading 50 Shades of Grey (which I tried but really, really didn't like so I immediately DNF'd the entire series). So I went into this book with the expectation of Sex, Sex, and more Sex. 

Boy was I pleasantly surprised!

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton wow'ed me. This book would be best called a romantic comedy. I spent so much time amused and outright laughing that I know the people who were around me while I was reading this book probably thought I was losing my mind. 

Caroline had reached a point in her life where she is tired of dating and has found that place that I think all women should visit in their lives where they are completely comfortable with their own company. Dining out alone, taking trips solo, and enjoying solo activities without the need for companionship. Feeling upwardly mobile she moves into her boss's old apartment which is any single girls dream. Only to find out that her neighbor is a gigolo with a Harem of women that he entertains. And the worst part? 

They share a bedroom wall.

What ensues is hilarity! 

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, funny read that will definitely have you laughing out loud! This book gets 5/5 stars because it was definitely unexpected but in a very good way. I just couldn't put the book down. I finished this book in one day and Alice Clayton has been added to my author watch list. I will definitely be reading more of what she has to write.

Have you read a book that was totally not what you thought it was going to be or had a friend recommend a really good read that you wouldn't otherwise have read?

Book Review: The Richest Man in Babylon

Sorry I haven't been around in a awhile. But life and this book interceded. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason was written in the 20s but has very good principles that apply not only in ancient Babylon, but the 1920's, and today. Part of my resolution for this year was to eliminate my consumer debt and start thinking differently about money. One of the key concepts in this book are described as the Seven Cures and the Five Laws of Gold.

This infographic from theBillionairesBrain.com accurately breaks down the general rules that are outlined in the book. I would definitely suggest the reading of this book to anyone who is looking to learn how to manage their on finances. The Parables taught in this book make the break down and usage of your salary seem highly simple.

Definitely a 4/5 star read for me. The only negative I have is the copy I read contained a study guide that broke up the flow of the book. Otherwise the book itself was excellent.

Have you guys read any financial books that have taught you some life lessons?

Book Review: Marrying the Marine by Sabrina Sims McAfee

"Criminal Investigator Braylon Wexler has arrived in Hilton Head Island to dutifully serve his country on Paris Island Military base. As soon as he arrives the calm he's been longing for is pleasantly shattered by the tantalizing stormy presence of Sandella Summers. She is an unexpected surprise that stirs a hot longing in him, like a hot poker through blazing coals.

Sandella Summers is perfectly happy with baking her pies, her life is simple and pleasing, just the way she likes it. But her contentment is interrupted by the appearance of Braylon Wexler, a seductive and arrogant Marine, not her typical choice in a man.

Sandella holds a secret to her heart, slowing Braylon down in his quest to win her over. But Braylon excites Sandella in ways she never thought possible. Braylon is a man of honor and he’s determined to not only to win her heart, but bring her family to closure of a deeply rooted conflict.

As danger and menace ensue the two lovers, can they make peace with the past and truly let love heal? Will Braylon risk his heart and his life to get everything he wants?"

So it has been awhile since I have read a romance novel and I was pleasantly surprised by this one. In Marrying the Marine Braylon and Sandella fall in love in secret while she is taking care of his Uncle Royce who has Downs syndrome. Sandella's father Kane is against all Marines because it is rumored that a Marine killed his wife, Sandella's mother. Kane is fanatical in his hate for Marines and even buys Sandella a gun to kill any marine that might try to harm her. Braylon vows to Kane that he will leave Sandella alone and not date her until he find the person who killed her mother.

After many twist and turns Braylon finds the killer and he and Sandella are able to resume their relationship with the blessing of her family. Unfortunately something, or should I say someone, from Braylons past comes and throws another monkey wrench in their relationship.

Overall this was an excellent read, and very quick at 243 pages. I read this book on breaks at work and during my daily reading hour at home. It was great to read about romance conquering all and reading a stand alone book instead of the series that I have been reading so far. The book is part of a series but is only tied to the others through the theme of marriage, there may also be some cameos but I haven' t read any of those books.
I gave this book 4/5 stars and that was only because of the predictable elements that are kind of the hallmarks of most romance novels. A great read that I would recommend for a day at the beach or at the spa.

Have you guys read any romance novels lately, if so what are they?

Book review: Tainted Blood

" After surviving a vampire assassin (not to mention an awkward affair with a hot FBI agent that ended worse than she could have imagined), witch/vampire hybrid Nina Martinez is reunited with the full Blood Ops team in Providence, Rhode Island. Her Aunt Babe is tutoring her in all things witchcraft, and her vampire partner Frankie is enjoying the benefits of daywalking, courtesy of a demon spell.

When a segment of the Rhode Island vampire population is marked for death by a tainted blood supply, Nina and her team race to find Patient Zero before the local vampire population is wiped out. But when a demon infestation threatens to take control of the city, Nina must join forces with newly elected mayor- and closet demon- Ami Bertrand before the city falls into ruin"

I received a copy of Tainted Blood in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley. I really dislike not reading a series from the beginning so I obtained a copy of Hell's Belle so my reading and my review would be in context for the series. Tainted Blood is the second book in the Hell's Belle series. 

Nina the main character and witch/vampire hybrid is out with her partner Frankie, a 700 year old vampire, when they come across a group of Vampires, called Beta Vampire because or their small fangs which makes it impossible for them to feed off human donors, who are sick with a disease that Frankie hasn't seen in a number of years. The sickness causes the Vamps to regurgitate blood and then explode. The tainted blood is deadly to any vampire that comes in contact with it, including Nina. Nina is also called upon by Mayor Bertrand to babysit her cousin, Matty, who is a rock star and Beta vampire. Matty's band has experienced strange riots and behaviors from the fans after the concerts. 

I really enjoyed the concept of a vampire/witch hybrid and found myself rooting for Nina to figure out how to balance the two sides of her nature. There is also a small love triangle between Nina, Frankie, and FBI agent Max. The reason I say small is because Nina and Max had a hot moment that really didn't go anywhere. So as you can tell I am definitely Team Frankie and I hope that they get their time. 

Overall I would recommend this book for a read. I gave this book 3/5 stars and my reasons for this are all the loose ends in this book. Without giving spoilers some of the elements were thrown in and made no real sense to the overall plot line of the story. I hope they are addressed later in the series but based on my reading from the first book in the series I don't feel like that is going to happen. Its definitely a series that I will continue reading and I can see an improvement in the writing between the two books. So I have high hopes for the rest of the series.

Book Review: Edged Blade by J.C. Daniels

OMG.... I was waiting for this book to be released having devoured the previous books in the series over one long weekend last year. So when I was granted the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review on Netgalley I jumped at the chance. I quickly moved this book to the top of my TBR pile and begin reading it as soon as I finished the Immortals of Meluha. I plan to continue reading the books in that trilogy but I just could not wait or control myself, I had to know what was happening to Kit. I love a strong female lead and J.C. Daniels found the right mix of strong and venerable to make Kit really pop.

In this installment we find Kit working again as a private investigator and delivery person for the supernatural world in East Orlando. In the last book in this series Kit was trying to overcome her personal demons and phobias about Vampires that were brought on by events that occurred in the second book of this series. In this book Kit finds herself interacting with a number of vampires in different situations which illustrates that she is indeed working to free herself from the fears that she is harboring.

Justin, Kit's Ex-boyfriend and male independent witch, comes and ask for her help to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of several members of the supernatural community. Early in the book we find them completing a search and rescue mission that leaves them with more questions than  answer. Namely, Who is kidnapping supernaturals?, Are they connected the "Hospital"?, and Why these particular individuals?

I loved this book, especially with the surprise cliff hanger at the end!!!! Mind Blown with that one. But there were some things I was disappointed with this book. First Kit didn't seem to progress much in this book, especially compared with the last book which was all progression for our female lead. This book also introduced a lot of loose ends that weren't explained well, nor expounded on in a way that made me think they would become important in later installments. Im still waiting for the ousting of the crazy wolf alpha that Kit encountered in book two, and in this book another alpha comes on the scene and seems to challenge Kit specifically but we don't see this character much in the story line.
Also different in this installment is we aren't left with a definitive conclusion to the problem i.e. all those questions that I mentioned earlier were not answered. Hopefully the next installment is not long in coming because I didn't feel this installment was enough to tide me over for this series for more than six months much less a year.

Overall the action and plot twist definitely kept me interested and I do look forward to hearing more from the Colbana files. I am giving this book 3.5 out of five stars only because the book didn't not have a definitive ending and seemed kinda rushed to me. Would have been a solid 4/5 had the plot of this book come to a conclusion. A 5/5 would have needed more development for Kit's character and more interaction and discovery about Doyles' past and heritage. Definitely a good read but I have a feeling if you were to skip this book and pick up the next book in the series, when it is released, you wouldn't be missing much and that is kind of a shame.

This book is scheduled to be released on 2/3/2015.

As always comment below if you have read the other books in this series or if you pick this one up let me know if you liked it or not below.

Book Review: The Immortals Of Meluha

I wandered into the public library the other day to renew my membership because they have made some changes to their system that rendered my current library card unusable. I also haven't been to the library in a few years due to time constraints and accessability of ebooks. But I was interested  in the new features that the library has to offer such as ebook check out through Overdrive, streaming movies and independant films, and magazine subscriptions throuh Zinio. So after renewing my membership I decided to look around and see if there were any books that caught my interest and I came across this book "The Immortals of Meluha" written by Amish Tripathi.

The Immortals of Meluha is the first book in the Shiva Trilogy, a work of fiction that delves into the history and eventual rise of the Indian God Shiva. Because of my very limited knowledge of Indian culture or religion I cannot speak to the accuracy of the depiction of Lord Shiva in this book but it stands as a good read for the uninformed.

The story opens with Shiva debating on whether to move his clan to the kingdom of the Meluha to escape the constant battles with neighboring clans for land and resources. They move and discover that this adopted country is inhabited by people who live to be over 200 years old! Along with their health and longevity they have developed a way of life that eliminates poverty and everyone is cared for and afforded the chance to elevate themselves from their birth station through education.

Shiva soon finds out the real reason his clan was invited to immigrate to Meluha was to find the prophesied Neelkanth, or Savior. Shiva finds himself fulfilling this prophecy and tries to understand his place and path in this new society.

My problems with this story are the decisions Shiva makes once he moves to Meluha. In the beginning of the story Shiva is tired of fighting and decides to move his clan to get away from the constant fighting only to end up in a country set on going to war. Not once does Shiva think "hey" this isn't what I signed up for.

Overall an interesting read and I would rate this book about 3.5/5 stars. Not unhappy with this random library rental.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!!!

We made it.

As the clock struck midnight on New Years Eve I began thinking about my reading goals for the New Year. Hey what else was I supposed to do I was at work. This year I am setting a Goodreads goal. I haven't done this in the past and hope that I can complete this goal by the end of the year.

My Goodreads goal for 2015 is 50 books. I know that doesn't seem like a lot but I have never counted the books that I read during a year. So this year is just about counting.

I am also debating on purchasing a kindle. I have the kindle app on my Ipad and Iphone but I think I want a dedicated kindle without any tablet features.

So my non book related resolution for the year is to get out of debt . I need some freedom from payments.

What are you resolutions for this year. Are you making a goodreads goal this year? Did you guys have a good Holiday Season?

I look forward to this year and reading and reviewing with you guys.

Cheers