Friday, August 24, 2012

Review: Ball Of Furry by Celia Kyle


Ball Of Furry
Ball Of Furry by Celia Kyle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I went back and forth about buying this. It's five chapters plus an epilogue, which, for me, makes the $3.99 price a bit of a stretch. However, the heroine is a bunny shifter and the hero is a lion shifter. The excerpt was intriguing and BUNNY/LION. I've read other books by the author and while they weren't the Best Thing Ever, I liked Kyle's writing style. So I went for it.

I don't regret spending the money, mostly because the heroine, Carly, is a spitfire. She holds the hero, Neal, at arm's length until she's sure he's going to be what she needs. Despite that show of independence, however, this is very much a Fated Mate Syndrome book. There's no emotional development and Neal doesn't really 'grow' as a character. The addition of another chapter or two (especially at the end) would have benefited the book greatly.

I haven't read the previous books in the series, but I'd read the synopses and that was pretty much all I needed to know. Ball of Furry ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger which, presumably, will lead into the next book. Due to this, I did feel like things weren't quite resolved or settled, even though, technically speaking, there weren't any loose threads left hanging.

My advice is to approach the book as a novella of sorts. I enjoyed the book because I had low expectations and I basically wanted to be amused for a bit. I did enjoy the fact that Kyle touched upon the weight displacement issue of switching between a human and a bunny. In addition, while Carly says she weighs 160lbs, her weight is not continually harped on or an 'issue.'

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Review: Easy by Tammara Weber


Easy
Easy by Tammara Webber

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I know I haven't been around much lately, mostly because I've been shot-gunning fanfic like you wouldn't believe. I was, and still am, craving a mature male POV, which is damn near impossible to find, in my preferred genres, outside of fanfic. So I haven't been reading a lot of 'original' stories.

Anyways, this book kept popping up every time I turned around so I figured I'd read it in hopes of easing out of the fanfic world. It's told entirely from Jacqueline's perspective so it didn't satisfy my craving, but my first thought after finishing is that it's much better than Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire. The story flows and the characterization is excellent. Jacqueline comes off young without seeming immature. She's exactly the age she's supposed to be. The chemistry between Lucas and her is scorching. I also liked how Webber handled the rape plot-line. It added conflict to the story, was handled somewhat realistically, but didn't overwhelm the main plot, Lucas's and Jacqueline's relationship.

This is not a five-star book for me because it was fairly predictable. The ending was also a little too neat for me. Still, I enjoyed myself and I would read Webber's other books if the opportunity presented itself. I'm torn, though, on if I want a sequel to Easy or not. The story doesn't need one, but I think I want more of Jacqueline and Lucas being happy together. I guess, if it were up to me, I'd want Webber to release a 0.99 cent novella of Jacqueline's graduation or when they move in together. Just something wonderful. And easy.