by Alex Conner

 

I love both Paris and Venice as settings and have to admit that influenced my request for this book. I did get some taste of Venice, but unfortunately not as much as I'd hoped for.

 

The story itself has possibilities, though it moves rather slowly and the author over uses the word 'had'. It isn't necessary in 99% of the sentences when you're already writing in past tense! It got really irritating and distracted me from the story.

 

The other thing the book got wrong is what too many series are doing these days, leaving resolution for a future sequel. I have to admit this has made me generally avoid series written in this century, with very few exceptions.

 

There is mystery and intrigue, but too much left unanswered at the end.

For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle

Honestly, Volume 1 was a bit of a toss up between 2 and 3 stars. I didn't necessarily like it, but I got attached to the characters and fell into the continuous story so I went with 3 stars. There were parts I didn't like, but at least I was interested in the story.

This one however, was something entirely different. Choppy, confusing, anticlimactic, and downright boring at times. I just did not enjoy this one. It was easy to get caught up in the first one because of the progressing story, but this one lacked that connectivity. The stories are just kind of there and none of them were interesting enough for me. The backstory in "Secret Harley Quinn" was sort of interesting, but ended so abruptly and didn't really go anywhere.

Really this one just felt like an excuse to look at Harley and other female characters in sexy outfits and positions. From the pornographic "burlesque" show to Harley showing off her rear end to a mugger and Power Girl's inability to find clothes that fit or clothing at all, it all felt dumb and full of fan service. Not really my style.

I gave this series a shot, but it's just not a good fit for me.

For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle This is a tricky one for me to rate. While I love the idea of Harley Quinn and all of her craziness, I'm also not huge on gore and violence. A while back, I passed up buying this book because I read reviews critiquing how it's basically just a collection of sexy pictures of Harley. I saw this book at the library last week and picked it up to see what it was actually about. While there are plenty of sexy poses and outfits, which I have come to expect in the majority of superhero/villain comics, I was actually pleasantly surprised to see there was a general plot.  The beginning of the book, which flows through a bunch of art styles and artists, started out interesting, but got pretty old real quick. However, after that, I did get sucked into the general story. Plus, there's some roller derby, which is always a win in my book.  The artwork wasn't my favorite, because there's a limit to how much unrealistic female body representation and overly gruesome violence I can take. If you're into those kind of things, this is probably a better fit for you.  I did pick up the second book at the library, because I figured why not, so we'll see how that goes. I am intrigued by the series, but not sure if it's a good enough fit to stick out in the long run.

Harley Quinn Vol. 2: Joker Loves Harley ...

This was my first time reading a DC comic book. Like many, I loved Harley Quinn in the Suicide Squad movie, so I was naturally curious about her in the DC universe. I was a bit worried I’d be totally lost, but between what I had previously searched online and the story itself, I had no problems following along. I look forward to reading more comics with Harley Quinn.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

The Mac Brothers are on the cusp of strengthening their bond as they rebuild a business that has seen better days. Jennifer Conner expertly flip flops between romantic suspense and contemporary romance. I'm more enamored of her contemporary tales. Seaside Playboy is about having the courage to regain control of one's life. Donnan and Emina are both unhappy with the direction their lives are headed. Donnan has grown tired of the redundancy of his and Emina is seeking to break her cycle of making bad choices. Brought together by an old resort, can these two rebuild their lives into something extraordinary together? Seaside Playboy is as sweet as it is short. My only complaint is that I wish it was a bit longer.