Background

 

He begins his story right from where the original work by Mary Shelley left off. The monster tries to kill himself and fails repeatedly. If the polar cold doesn’t hurt him, I’d say there are few things that could!

 

P.S. Read my review of the original classic here. For more information on Project Frankenstein, click here.

 

Reasons for Heart-Break

 

Reason # 1

He says things like:

 

 

 

 

Reason # 2

He is well-read just like the creature from the original book. However, no one appreciated his genius.

 

 

Reason # 3

He is willing to believe in the goodness of humans even after what he has suffered at their hands. In fact, he acknowledges this is because he has met quite a few people who have been kind to him, including a nun.

 

Reason # 4

He is stuck in an abusive relationship with a woman who tortures and provokes him mercilessly. Yet not unlike many humans, he can’t seem to let her go.

 

Reason # 5

When the woman gives birth to someone else’s child, the creature steels his heart to try and murder the child according to its mother’s desires. He can’t!

 

Reason # 6

He is followed by an insane person — the captain of the ship that Victor Frankenstein died on. That person destroys his life but when given a chance to end the crazy person’s life, all the monster feels is pity.

 

Reason # 7

Even with all that is going on, the creature appreciates a good sense of humor.

 

Reason # 8

By the end of the book, he has decided that he will be raising the kid. It isn’t going to be easy because its mother starved herself throughout her pregnancy, so she’d lose the child. The kid’s brain will show what difference her ministrations must have made. The kid is also crippled.

 

Why I Love Botany

 

 

I will be finishing up the Hollywood High series and starting on a duology (haven't heard of a third book thus far) by A. C. Arthur that I've put off for way too long. I'm having such a good time reading and catching up with the girls in the Hollywood High series. These books are easy reads that really are a fun escape.

 

You'll realize that I'm not sticking to my March reading list. Some books really do take me forever to read and days were passing by without me picking up my kindle. I decided to re-adjust my tbr and read some backlogged books that would surely get me going again. I will eventually get to the books on my March TBR, but I will feel better with books read, under my belt, than none at all or only a couple at months end. I wish I could read multiple books at a time, but I can't.

 

I don't have plans for the weekend so, these four books seem doable.

 

Happy weekend reading everyone!

Hello friends it's been awhile since I've been on Booklikes. Every time I would try to make an update or post the website would run soooooo slow. I couldn't take waiting and waiting. However, those who are on Goodreads as well as BL I didn't feel out of touch. I missed you all who I've come to appreciate and value on BL. I want to be an active participant again and hope this site stays user friendly for those like me who are clueless when it pertains to websites and computers.

 

I set my reading goal this year at 50 books. I would like to get back up to the 100 books I used to read in 2011-2013. Last year I barely squeaked by at 30 books, I think. I'm going for it all in 2017 and am discontinuing activities that were time wasters. I'm also going to stop reading books that are not of my favorite genres, doing so slows me down.

 

My to be read books for February are very exciting. There are new releases by a few of my favorite authors, new books in series I've read and others that are about some of my favorite topics. Let's hope I stay focused next month. So far in January I've finished 5 books. 

 

Happy reading everyone!

 

 

 

Title: On The Corner of Heartache and Hopeful - Mic
Author: Lynda Bailey
Publisher: L.B.
Series: Heartache and Hopeful #1
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:

"On The Corner of Heartache and Hopeful - Mic" by Lynda Bailey

My Thoughts...

This was quite a interesting erotica romantic story that I did find somewhat predictable however it was still a good read. Everything seemed to come to a head with Scott being back in Tatum, Nebraska due to the fact that his grandmother has died. In taking care of things Scott soon finds out that his grandmother had left Mic something after her death and in getting to the bottom of this he gets involved with Michaela [Mic]. This is where this story will take off where sparks will fly between these two. The two main characters had known each other in high school where we find from the read that Mic had always had feeling for Scott but they didn't really get together until after the death of his grandmother. What will happen as these two go out to a dinner? What question will Mic ask of Scott? Will Scott decide to leave Tatum and return to NY alone? Well, this is where I say you will have to pick up this delightful read to see if these two will get their HEA.

Love, Joy, Heartache and Pain - John H. ... Book – Love, Joy, Heartache and Pain
Author – John H. Ames
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 207

Cover – Perfect
POV – 1st person POV
Would I read it again – Definitely!

Genre – LGBT, paranormal, contemporary, YA (with a lot of swearing/sex talk)


** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine


Swapatized!

1-36%

1st person POV

★★★★★

I absolutely loved this story! For a short, it had more emotion, characterisation and plot than some novels I've read.

The idea of swapping bodies is nothing new, but Ames makes it new, with this refreshing take on an old classic. Not only does Kylie have to deal with morning wood and boys club rules, but Kyle has to deal with changing tampons, period cramps and make up!

Every moment of this was either a riot of fun and hilarity or heartbreakingly sad. The story is told like one of those Teen programs on TV, where the MC does a voice over, to let you know the ins and outs of their world. This is similar in that it's a 1st person POV, but that the character, Kyle, talks to the reader at points. I normally hate this, but it's done in such a clever, fitting way that it really works.

I love the realities of the teen romance. Girls never knowing what boys reactions mean and boys not knowing what girls reactions mean. Even boys not knowing what other boys mean by their actions.

Reading this was like flashing back to high school and reliving the dramas all over again. Excerpt this was quirky, funny and sad, and I didn't have to live any of it, which was a relief. The switch back made me cry, as did the ending.

There were some unforgettable one-liners:

“For a brief second, I felt like I was in a Fast and Furious movie with Vin Diesel.”

“The following day, I decided to go to school and get brainwashed rather than witness another ghost on my front lawn.”

~

Spirit Indestructible

26-76%

1st person POV

★★★★★


This was one heck of an adorable story. I was so near to tears, but smiling almost the whole way through. It made me realise something, too. So far, I thought Swapatized! And Spirit Indestructible were two separate stories, about the same two towns, in the same timeline. I mean, it takes place right after the events of Swapatized, but is about Lake View, the rival school, instead. It even has snippets of Luke and Kyle! I love all of that. But what I realised is that these two stories are about so much more than the individual couples. They're about Skyler. About this young man who was wrong and has to make sure everyone else is taken care of.

Brad was a great characters. Quirky, interesting and a little bit insane with his thoughts. His friendship with Kevin was great and I kind of like that, although he never told Kevin the truth about the Lake View Ghost, he did that for Kevin's sake. Because he knew how it would affect him.

As I said, I really loved seeing Luke and Kyle and finding out, in a round about way, that they were solid together. All cute and cuddly and adorable.

Overall, it was a fantastic story about self discovery, self belief and learning to trust the impossible. Once again, Sky worked a miracle.

My favourite quote has to be:
“The people we love the most and lose always come back to us...not the way we want, but they always do.”

~

The Lake View Psychopath

76-99%

3rd person POV

★★★★★

Wow! By far, the best of the bunch, and that's saying something when I've loved every story so far. I mean...speechless. Or, almost.

This one made me cry and it is easily the creepiest, most intense story I've read in a while. With a much darker tone than the others, it still takes place in Lake View (obviously!) with characters from previous stories. It mentions Brad and Sky in passing, but focuses on Austin and Ashton, who were the only openly gay kids at Lake View High, mentioned in the previous story.

With a shocking start, I was instantly drawn into the story. This one is different to the others in that it's told in 3rd person POV, sometimes omni-present (at least for Connor and David's parts), so that we get an overall view of what's going on.

As well as having a great, compelling story that is really dark and twisted, it also exposes the awful, brutal homophobia that school kids face in the real world. Nothing mentioned here, in quite graphic detail, is an exaggeration. Stuff like this happens and I applaud Ames for addressing the issue, even in this slightly terrifying way.

I can't say much, without giving too much away about this story, so I'll just say that it was brilliant, creepy, sadly realistic and utterly devastating all at once. It just goes to show that, for LGBT kids, having support and understanding from family and friends can be the difference between life and death.

Bravo!

My favourite quote has to be this. I will never be able to read a pinky promise in a story again, without thinking back to this moment. It's never sounded quite so sinister before, but it will certainly never sound innocent ever again.

“I didn't pinky swear.”

~

Overall


There are some small grammar issues throughout, but overall, it's a fantastic collection!

This is more than just a collection of stories. It's a lesson for life. Trust yourself, don't let others confine you a life that makes you unhappy and, sometimes, what seems too good to be true can be true. Life is what you make it, not what makes you.

Covering a broad range of topics – coming out, domestic abuse, homophobia and gender issues – these stories will stick with me for a very long time. Particularly that last one. In a mixture of life lessons, harsh truths and rocky relationships, all three couples faces vastly different fates, thanks to vastly different experiences.

A touching recount of three couples, who experience love, joy, heartache and pain, at the hands of that horrible life lesson – High School.