Tag: henley • BookLikes

review 2017-05-08 03:11

So this was a random book I found and had on my kindle. You guys ever play kindle roulette? I was in a funk and not sure what to read next and was so overwhelmed by my tbr that I was taking way too long to decide on what to read next so I finally just blindly chose from what I had and I could not have chosen better than The Scourge! I was camping when I started this and it was the perfect backdrop for reading this story! Just a smidge creepy and set in the woods, I may or may not have brandished my flash light as a weapon at some noises, just sayin.

flashlight war

So yeah, not only was the setting for this read perfection, but the story was really great as well! It started out with this post apocalyptic zombiesque feel to it, but then about halfway through there was this awesome twist that I did not see coming at all! I really loved this storyline, it was something totally different and unique.

say what ron b gif

And in with that amazing twist somehow things shift from being afraid of the Scourge, to being afraid of what regular ole humans will do when they are afraid, which can be pretty darn terrifying in its own right. Just lots of smart plot work done here all around.

thats how its done

The characters were great too. I found it really cool to have the main character, Fennel, be sightless. It amped up the fear factor a bit to imagine a girl growing up in this terrifying world as she did, not being able to see the danger all around her. It was also that much more incredible to me how brave she was to face everything, even the unknown, the way that she did.

Peree was really great as well. I really like that he looked out for Fennel the way he did, and I liked even more that he was constantly learning from her as well. He had a lot of heart and they both kind of marched to the beat of their own drum so I thought they made a good match. I also really enjoyed the star-crossed romance going on between a Groundling and a Loftie.

romeo

The ending set things up nicely to continue with the story in an organic way, a rocky new relationship between the two factions. Which is inevitably bound to have some bumps in the road. I look forward to seeing the story continue!

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review 2017-01-31 04:51

An engaging read with lots of plot twists and fast paced action.

Coffee2words

Blazing Obsession is a crime thriller that focuses on what happens when one gets obsessed with a person or an event and the lengths that person will go to, to see their obsession become a reality.

It's not a nice book, in fact, it's rather dark and depressing. The characters, particularly James, our protagonist, seem almost like exaggerated versions of real people. The good in Lynne (his wife) and how attractive she is, was amplified. The anger and hatred of men that Alisha exhibited seemed too extreme, too caricaturized.

The same can be said for James' private investigator friend, RP, he was too perfect, too private eye and was able to manipulate James and Alisha into doing anything he wanted them to.

The lengths that various characters went to in this book were extreme, and I mean extreme. So much so, that while I could understand why they'd go to that length, it felt unrealistic. Not to mention their amazing ability to not get caught doing these crazy things.

My issues with the unbelievable nature of the story aside, there were certainly a number of good points in the story. There was clearly quite a bit of research done to back up and form this story. The emotional connections between the characters were well formed and really did add a good strength to the story.

I liked Georgie's character and the small character arc he had. It was very fitting and believable. I also quite liked a number of the supporting cast including: Pat and Lynne's mother in particular.

Overall, this was an engaging read with lots of plot twists and fast paced action. It should appeal to crime and police procedural lovers, those who enjoy thrillers and murder mysteries and court drama lovers.

A few things I noticed:
20% - "Ok. We'll,(Well) we'll
23% - ...Frankie Richards, Nick(delete space)'s drug dealing...
76% - ...they've go(t) to go through...

**Note: I was provided an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

mystery thriller crime Indie Author indie review copies Net Galley 3 star review Editing required

review 2016-05-25 06:53

Of course I'm all about the villain...

SheReadsALot...seriously. — feeling vampire

	3.5 HEARTS--A.F. Henley returns with the wolfy O'Connell family in the book #2 of the Wolf series, Wolf, en Garde. This is a series you must read in order, I wouldn't suggest as a standalone. I really enjoyed the ideas in book #1, Wolf, WY and jumped at the chance to read book #2. I'll admit I skipped over the most of the blurb in my haste and didn't see the one type of paranormal that isn't my fave...psychics. Thankfully, the psychic stuff was late to the game and not as heavy. Plus, this psychic was cool in a way. This story had more things going for it than Wolf, WY: more Arius, more paranormal background vs. real world delving, more sex and more Lyle! This is Lyle's book and starts three years after book #1 ends. Book #1 had a clear winner in the lopsided love triangle that wasn't, Lyle pining for his father's lover. His lust was a beautiful monster in that book. I lived for each moment he tracked Randy down. But since the story ends with a HEA...why Lyle is still stuck in the same mindset 3 years later at 21 years old without evolving, seemed a little odd for me. I know Wolf as a town is small but he didn't get his objection of affection and he can get very intense. No one came to blows and just let it simmer for all those years? I thought Lyle would have got over it or somehow they'd have to put a major kibosh on the situation. Wolf, en Garde starts with a visit to Washington D.C. and with Randy's parents. Randy's folks and the tensed O'Connell family make for an interesting bunch since all paranormal activity has to be kept a secret from humans. Lyle meets the charismatic Arius and gets swept off his feet in a whirlwind lust affair that provided one of the hottest moments in this book. "Come here, wolf. Fuck me like you've dreamed of fucking that flutterfly of your father's." Lyle is still tormented emotionally and stays in Washington D.C. under this guise of unleashing the wolf side he never fully got to embrace at home. But things aren't as they seem, double crossing characters are afoot. There are secrets, the paranormal agency snooping around and one scent that drives Lyle wild. If you're a reader who prefers the main character only having sex with the main lead, this isn't the book for you. Lyle finds his lead in an unusual circumstance. Lyle starts to mature...some towards the end. The lying and subterfuge kind of proved he's definitely 21 and apt to make mistakes. Because he makes a good number of them in this book. But I liked him and his family in both books. Randy's family...the author has a way of writing characters that play both sides of the fence and that seem like jerks really well (ex. Vaughan, Randy's mom) But they also can be off putting to read about. The story goes from country boy in a city to exploring his paranormal limits to road trip. I wasn't seeing that coming. In fact this story would take different routes to get to a central point. Call it quirky, or a different writing style. For example, Lyle meets someone new and he doesn't ask questions about who they or or really introduces himself until way later, just takes a stranger into his life when he's supposed to wary. This story is readable, has decent action and a little intrigue. It's told mostly from Lyle's POV, so some plot points are clear. Maybe it adds to the intrigue but I got a little peeved at not getting enough answers. While I enjoyed the story, there were parts that weren't as strong. The meandering way it took to get to the point - the story would explain and detail the setting, the thoughts, everything...sometimes it worked. Sometimes it read redundant. This is a product of the writer's style. It's quirky and sometimes it read like pantsy plot because I found myself questioning what did it add to the overall story. The Ending - it felt too abrupt. I see it's leading for another book in the series but the story was leading to a big battle and it was over so quickly and not satisfying at all. I would have rated this story a little higher but the climax was barely a blip in the long novel, leaving more unanswered questions like why the psychic, how did they get involved? I can see the villain's master plan, but it was too muddled in areas for me. Overall, I like the paranormal ideas in this series but I hope the third book will have some major answers or I can easily see myself giving up on this series. A copy provided via Netgalley for an honest review.

3.5 HEARTS--A.F. Henley returns with the wolfy O'Connell family in the book #2 of the Wolf series, Wolf, en Garde. This is a series you must read in order, I wouldn't suggest as a standalone. I really enjoyed the ideas in book #1, Wolf, WY and jumped at the chance to read book #2. I'll admit I skipped over the most of the blurb in my haste and didn't see the one type of paranormal that isn't my fave...psychics.

Thankfully, the psychic stuff was late to the game and not as heavy. Plus, this psychic was cool in a way. This story had more things going for it than Wolf, WY: more Arius, more paranormal background vs. real world delving, more sex and more Lyle!

This is Lyle's book and starts three years after book #1 ends. Book #1 had a clear winner in the lopsided love triangle that wasn't, Lyle pining for his father's lover. His lust was a beautiful monster in that book. I lived for each moment he tracked Randy down. But since the story ends with a HEA...why Lyle is still stuck in the same mindset 3 years later at 21 years old without evolving, seemed a little odd for me. I know Wolf as a town is small but he didn't get his objection of affection and he can get very intense. No one came to blows and just let it simmer for all those years?

I thought Lyle would have got over it or somehow they'd have to put a major kibosh on the situation.

Wolf, en Garde starts with a visit to Washington D.C. and with Randy's parents. Randy's folks and the tensed O'Connell family make for an interesting bunch since all paranormal activity has to be kept a secret from humans. Lyle meets the charismatic Arius and gets swept off his feet in a whirlwind lust affair that provided one of the hottest moments in this book.

"Come here, wolf. Fuck me like you've dreamed of fucking that flutterfly of your father's."

Lyle is still tormented emotionally and stays in Washington D.C. under this guise of unleashing the wolf side he never fully got to embrace at home. But things aren't as they seem, double crossing characters are afoot. There are secrets, the paranormal agency snooping around and one scent that drives Lyle wild. If you're a reader who prefers the main character only having sex with the main lead, this isn't the book for you. Lyle finds his lead in an unusual circumstance.

Lyle starts to mature...some towards the end. The lying and subterfuge kind of proved he's definitely 21 and apt to make mistakes. Because he makes a good number of them in this book. But I liked him and his family in both books. Randy's family...the author has a way of writing characters that play both sides of the fence and that seem like jerks really well (ex. Vaughan, Randy's mom) But they also can be off putting to read about.

The story goes from country boy in a city to exploring his paranormal limits to road trip. I wasn't seeing that coming. In fact this story would take different routes to get to a central point. Call it quirky, or a different writing style. For example, Lyle meets someone new and he doesn't ask questions about who they or or really introduces himself until way later, just takes a stranger into his life when he's supposed to wary.

This story is readable, has decent action and a little intrigue. It's told mostly from Lyle's POV, so some plot points are clear. Maybe it adds to the intrigue but I got a little peeved at not getting enough answers.

While I enjoyed the story, there were parts that weren't as strong.

The meandering way it took to get to the point - the story would explain and detail the setting, the thoughts, everything...sometimes it worked. Sometimes it read redundant. This is a product of the writer's style. It's quirky and sometimes it read like pantsy plot because I found myself questioning what did it add to the overall story.

The Ending - it felt too abrupt. I see it's leading for another book in the series but the story was leading to a big battle and it was over so quickly and not satisfying at all. I would have rated this story a little higher but the climax was barely a blip in the long novel, leaving more unanswered questions like why the psychic, how did they get involved? I can see the villain's master plan, but it was too muddled in areas for me.

Overall, I like the paranormal ideas in this series but I hope the third book will have some major answers or I can easily see myself giving up on this series.

A copy provided via Netgalley for an honest review.

erotic suspense paranormal Contemporary Vampire Shifter enemies-to-lovers new-adult review-books m-m-romance part-of-a-series damaged-hero dirty-talk biter-sexy psychics-mindreaders-telepathy-bs

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review 2016-05-15 00:00

Miss-Match

bezweifeln

A woman, Clancy, has a long history with her Aunt setting her up on one blind date after the other. None of the male dates this matchmaker arranges quite takes, so she slips in a lesbian as a surprise for her niece. The niece is quite reluctant to pursue this date but begins questioning her sexuality nonetheless. The story was kind of cute initially and what could've been a nice story becomes forced with stereotypes and almost an intervention from her family along the lines of "why is she fighting this, it's obvious to all that she is gay.

What follows is embarassing with the character's asking her past dates if they thought she was, well, you know, gay, and they all laugh and say, "Of course you are!", listing off lesbian stereotypes that make this issue so obvious. The intervention was kind of like the opposite of the "But, I'm a cheerleader!" film without any of the humor.

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review 2016-03-15 21:18

Billionaire Bartender: A Second Chance Romance

JoAB — feeling big smile

Billionaire Bartender: A Second Chance Romance (The Buckeye Series) - Jo Henley

Liz was getting divorced from her husband who was more interested in showing off with what his money could buy than he was in her. Her best friend had been trying to get her to go to his favourite bar so she finally agreed to go on Halloween. When she met the bartender, Oscar, she was immediately attracted to him. After her money hungry husband she doesn't want anything to do with men with money so she thought a bartender was just perfect. How wrong she was.

The characters were well developed and very likable. I felt sorry for Liz with such a pompous husband but happy for her when she found Oscar. She didn't know it but Oscar was a billionaire. He'd made his money as a shrewd business man but didn't flaunt his money. Instead he quietly helped other local businesses with it.

I really liked this book. It's not your typical billionaire romance. The plot was unique and engaging, and holy smokes, Jo Henley wrote some sexy love scenes!

The only thing that got annoying was the use of the word billionaire so much.

***I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

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