Review: Thank You Mrs. M by Kate Rothwell

Thank You Mrs. M by Kate Rothwell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I had this title in my TBR for ages, dating back to when it was published by Cerridwen Press. I was scrolling through my TBR shelf for things to buy during Fictionwise's 60% coupon sale when I clicked on this title. Lo and behold, it's currently free from Smashwords. And quite frankly, you can't go wrong with free.

Thank You Mrs. M is a retelling of Daddy Long Legs, but this time the narrator is an teenaged Latino male, Ben. I have to say, despite some rough patches, I really enjoyed this. Since the entire story is told by Ben to a tape recorder, it's difficult to get to know the other characters, but I liked the fact that when we meet Ben, he's already determined to change his life. He knows he's at a disadvantage, given where he starts demographically & economically, but he doesn't sit around lamenting the situation.

Given my own demographic & economic level, I can't speak as to how authentic Ben actually is as a character, but, for me, the book had a similar feel to Simone Elkeles's Perfect Chemistry series. As in the original source material, a romantic relationship does develop, and Rothwell gives it an unique twist that led me to wanting to see more. We don't really get to know the heroine that well because we only see her through the lens of Ben's words. I would love to see Rothwell do another take on this story, but from the heroine's POV.

I have this categorized as young adult, but the main characters are in their early twenties. I think I felt it was more young adult because it's very much a coming of age story as Ben fights to get his family and himself to a better position in life. So I would recommend this for high school and above.



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Compilation of R. L. Mathewson reviews

Well, apparently none of my reviews from GoodReads have been transferring over properly. Therefore, I'm pasting all my reviews of R.L. Mathewson in one entry. I feel they document my journey into R. L. Mathewson's backlist rather nicely.


Drinking the Kool-Aid: Playing for Keeps


This was a rec from ♡KarLynP♡ (her review is quite awesome) and since I managed to find it free from  Kobo, I snapped it up.

This is one of those books that do not really make a lick of sense and is wildly unrealistic, but is still damn good. I am a sucker for deft humor in my books (see my repeated fangirlness over Shelley Laurenston & Thea Harrison) and Playing for Keeps has that in spades. Sure, there were some pacing issues, especially in the beginning, some grammar & misused word typos, and odd characterizations, but it was so damn funny.

I absolutely adored the hero, Josh. His relationship with his friends, the way he treats Haley, and his obsession with food makes for an engaging character. While Josh is not a guy I'd want to date, I can see perfectly why Haley falls for him. Haley is not quite as well-drawn as Josh is, but she's still a well-rounded woman who is a very good match for Josh.

I enjoyed Playing for Keeps so much, I'm diving into Mathewson's backlist. It looks like Tall, Dark, and Lonely is currently free so I'll be picking that up first. I'm really interested in seeing how the books compare to each other. In my experience, I don't think Mathewson is quite ready for the big leagues yet, but if all her stories are of the same caliber as Playing for Keeps, she just needs an experienced beta reader & editor team to give her work a polish. In any case, I definitely recommend this book, whether you get it for free or 0.99. It's worth it.



Where are we going and why am I in this basket?: Tall, Dark, and Lonely

Oi. This is currently a free read from Smashwords. Edited to say that it's not free from Smashwords at the moment, but at the time I'm writing this, it's still free at Barnes & Noble.  This read at times as a fanfic turned original that's a cross between Twilight and the Black Dagger Brotherhood. In addition, the more the story progressed, the more frequent the typos became. The one redeeming point for me was Chris. Playing for Keeps was strong enough that I'm going to continue delving into her backlist, with an eye towards the straight up contemporaries, but if Chris is the hero of the next Pyte/Sentinel book, I will probably buy that one as well.


Danger, Will Robinson!: A Humble Heart

I didn't actually write up a review for this one. I was drawn to it because it features one of my favorite tropes: famous people. However, this was so stunningly bad, I was forced to do status updates because I couldn't contain myself.

"I just hit Chapter 2. The waves of wish fulfillment & Mary Sue-ness are radiating off the page. If this doesn't improve quickly, I'll eat the 0.99 and move on."

"Middle of Chapt 6. It's like a train wreck. I'm all for fantasy, but give me a fricking break."

"Middle of Chapt 13. I can't read anymore tonight, it's hurting my head. Both Dana and Edward are too stupid to live. Every now and then, I catch glimpses of the talent that produced Playing for Keeps and then it gets buried under typos & soap opera crap."

Needless to say, I would advise skipping this one. I still feel like I overrated it by giving it two stars.



I think I can, I think I can: Without Regret

As you'll see shortly, I was starting to lose steam. Things have been a tad bit sucky lately, personally speaking, and I really wanted another lift like I got from Playing for Keeps. Without Regret wasn't going to give it to me.


Better than Tall, Dark, and Lonely, a million times better than A Humble Heart, but nowhere close to Playing for Keeps. Mathewson desperately needs an editor or a meticulous beta reader as there were some ridiculously misused words. Lounged instead of lunged. Contraption instead of contraction. The smartass attitude that Chris had in Tall disappeared until the very, very end of Without. In addition, he was a colossal dick for the majority of the book. Mathewson did provide some emotional context for Chris's dickhood, but I had a hard time reconciling the awesome character from Tall with the hero I saw in Without. We also never learn Izzy wasn't like the other Sentinels. I kept thinking Izzy was supposed to die instead of her brother, but something went amiss somewhere.

SPOILER ALERT!!
And call me anal, as this is a particular sore spot for me, but I would have liked to seen some justification for the pregnancy rash Izzy got, along with her supposedly blocked tubes. I thought perhaps it was because Chris got the male Sentinel sex talk, not realizing that the females aren't able to reproduce without their mates. However, no explanation was given in the text and I'm not sure where the accelerated pregnancy comes into play. Give me a reason to suspend my disbelief. Don't just chuck things at my head and hope I'm too busy ducking to realize the crazy.
RE-ENTERING SPOILER FREE ZONE

This is the fourth Mathewson book I've read, two of which I've paid for, and so far, only one didn't make me groan. So why, I must ask myself, am I still shelling out 0.99 a pop to give myself angina? I enjoyed Playing for Keeps so much, I'm searching for the writer that produced that story. I think I'm going to try Perfection and then call it quits.



De Plane! De Plane!: Perfection

I actually wanted to write something corny in my GoodReads review, like 'Ah, now this is perfect,' but I couldn't bring myself to stoop that low. This is the sequel to Playing for Keeps. Why I didn't read this first, I have no idea. I think I didn't realize that it was a sequel.


Now THIS is more like it! In a way, it's fitting that I bookended my dip into Mathewson's titles with the best of the lot. There were still some 'eeee' moments. In all of her books, Mathewson uses 'convenient store' when she probably means 'convenience store.' Also, she reuses some of the same character names in Perfection that she already used in Tall, Dark, and Lonely and Without Regret.

However, those things aside, this was a great read. The humor was fantastic. I liked how Mathewson handled Zoe's weight issues, a marked contrast to how she portrayed Dana's in A Humble Heart. Trevor was a great character. He was a likable idiot who matured into a real man. Also, the preview for the third book looks interesting. I hope Mathewson continues to do whatever she's now doing.


Home again, home again, jiggity jig

In conclusion, I think Mathewson is the perfect example of an evolving writer. She made a lot of rookie mistakes with her earlier books, learned from them, and became stronger as a result. I could make a bunch of guesses as to Mathewson's personal life as I feel she is very 'present' in her early books, but her 'Neighbors from Hell' series finally lets the characters operate on their own. I think Mathewson must have gotten a decent beta reader or editor so hopefully we will continue to see such wonderful improvement. For my part, I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for the third book in the series, but I will probably skip the remaining titles in her backlist. I keep looking at A Reclusive Heart, but I am afraid of being disappointed like I was with A Humble Heart. In any case, if you like humorous contemporaries, definitely check out Playing for Keeps and Perfection.

Review: Nightfire by Lisa Marie Rice

Nightfire by Lisa Marie Rice

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Everyone who reads Lisa Marie Rice knows her books follow a certain formula. Big, he-man, alpha warrior sees a dainty, mostly likely fragile, female and falls head over heels almost instantly. There is a Big Bad after the heroine and the hero goes nuts, desperately trying to protect her and take down the threat. The hero is also usually experiencing some kind of psychological and/or physical wound, which is healed in some capacity by the heroine, despite her lack of medical or therapeutic training. The emotional connection happens at hyper-speed and all of 'em are wealthy. Despite Rice's attempts at injecting grittiness by focusing on real world issues, these books have only a passing relationship with reality.

I love 'em. These books, for me, are pure fantasy and while I wouldn't want to be in the heroines' shoes for a moment, the idea of not having to be afraid all the time, of having someone capable of protecting me from all threats, is positively intoxicating. As a result, after I read Hot Secrets, I hunted up the majority of Rice's backlist. After finishing Midnight Man, I noted that I could tell it was an early book, but the potential was clearly there.

In my opinion, Nightfire is a major step forward. You need to read Hotter than Wildfire first, but Rice sidesteps most of her usual pitfalls in Nightfire. While Mike is instantly attracted to Chloe and there's some immediate fooling around, Rice does a (admittedly awkward) time jump of six months. The reader learns later that Mike and Chloe became friends during that time, getting to know each other, free from emotional stress or entanglements. In addition, Mike guides Chloe through a weightlifting and exercise program. She doesn't magically turn into She-Hulk and when she gets attacked later in the book, Chloe manages to defend herself long enough for Mike to get to her. In addition, Rice has really improved in making the Big Bad a credible threat. I mean, he never had a chance (of course) against Harry and Mike, but he wasn't stupid. He was smart, he made logical plans, and he was scary to think about. Finally, Mike comes off more like a man driven to his limits rather than a naturally controlling or domineering male. You get less of a 'stalker' sense off him, compared to some of her other heroes.

As far as content goes, there is an attempted rape scene, a not really consensual sex scene, violence towards women (including a torture scene), and murder in self defense. If any of this squicks you or if you have a problem with a very alpha warrior male, stay away. If you are a fan of Rice's work, I definitely recommend this book and hope Rice will continue to grow as an author.

Review: Diary of a Player: How My Musical Heroes Made a Guitar Man Out of Me

Diary of a Player: How My Musical Heroes Made a Guitar Man Out of Me by Brad Paisley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



My interest in Brad Paisley began, as so much in my adult life did, at Borders. Back before Borders became locked in a death spiral, we used to get promo CDs for the listening stations. After a couple of months, the staff would get to paw through a box and pick out what we wanted. Since I'm hearing impaired, I have very specific tastes in music. I care less about the music itself and more about the singer & lyrics. I want to actually hear them singing and I want to be interested in what they're singing. So I often glanced through what was left after my co-workers descended and picked out whatever looked interesting. One of those CDs was Paisley's Time Well Wasted. Thus began my love affair with country music.

I was excited when I saw Paisley was coming out with an autobiography because I knew he wrote many of his own songs and I was hoping he'd talk about his various inspirations. Barring that, I wanted to to learn about his life, the whos and hows of it all. This is not what Diary of a Player is about. Paisley focuses very narrowly on the guitar. He and his co-writer, David Wild, do an excellent job of giving the impression of an average joe hanging out at the local music shop, without compromising Paisley's privacy or personal life. Paisley name-drops like crazy and portrays the country music genre as mostly one big happy family.

While he traces the guitar's impact on his life, he doesn't get technical in a bid, I would guess, to hang onto the casual music lover. So anyone hoping for some tips is doomed to disappointment. To make it even more maddening, Paisley actually mentions a conversation he had with a guitar teacher about teaching some of his songs, but doesn't share any of that advice or info with the reader. I got three things from this book. First, Paisley considers himself a musician who also happens to sing. Secondly, his family is very important to him. Thirdly, he wants you to know that he's worked extraordinarily hard to get where he is.

I gave this three stars because it wasn't what I expected and it could have benefited from a more structured, linear, narrative. If you're a fan of Paisley or a high school student looking for resources for a biography report, check this out. If you're looking for info that's not on Wikipedia, this is not going to fit your needs.



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Review: Elfhome by Wen Spencer

Elfhome by Wen Spencer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Oi. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one yet. While the official release isn't until July, Baen had the brilliant idea to sell the unproofed (and hopefully unedited as well) manuscript as an e-ARC at $15 a pop. I don't know if I'd precisely say it's worth it, but if you divide the 15 by the 6 months you would otherwise have to wait, it works about to $2.50 a month. A very reasonable expense for your rabid Wen Spencer fanperson. A note of caution, though, it's definitely a rough draft. The typos aren't too bad (although Spencer consistently mis-spells 'performed' as 'preformed'), but there are some difficulties with the characterization, continuity, and uneveness with the plot. If I was Spencer's beta reader, I would have kicked this back with a mess of notes, but judging by the length of time between books, I'm guessing she was late turning in the manuscript and just sent in what she had. Just be aware of what you're going to get with the e-ARC and spare a kind thought for Spencer's editor.

As far as the book itself is concerned, you absolutely must read Tinker and Wolf Who Rules prior to Elfhome. You will be absolutely lost otherwise. I was kind of convinced Spencer retconned a character as I had absolutely no recollection of him in any of the previous two books, but Google informs me that he was the subject of a free short story, "For Blue Sky," released waaaaay back in 2006. So read that too. Spencer's main gift is her incredible world-building skills, but she rarely retreads the same ground and seems to have the expectation you know what she is talking about. In addition, while it's been five or six years for the reader since Wolf Who Rules was published, the actions off Elfhome occur almost immediately after that book.

Elfhome also jumps between three different points of view: Tinker, Oilcan, and Tommy. I didn't count pages or anything, but I felt like Tinker had the least amount of chapters, with Oilcan being the predominant narrator. Windwolf is barely in it, Pony and Stormsong act as Tinker's Greek Chorus, and Tooloo makes one appearance in an Oilcan chapter. Rikii, Lain, and Esme all return to close up their plot arcs. I actually really enjoyed Oilcan and his story arc the most, and, while Tinker & Tommy were entertaining with their distinctive voices & personalities, I was always eager to get back to Oilcan & his 'enclave.' While I would like to read more about Oilcan and company, I do feel Elfhome was sort of a satisfactory end to the series. There are still unanswered questions that Spencer could base another book on, but personally speaking, I felt like, 'Okay. I'm good now.'

I do want to include some content warnings here. There is sex in the book and Tommy has a very male frame of mind with regards to it. There is also murder, attempted rape, allusions to torture, and some very uncomfortable scenes involving children, alive and dead. However, the bulk of the squick factors take place off screen and the reader is mainly watching the characters deal with the fallout.

Edited to add: The cover is very misleading. While Impatience the dragon does play a sort of pivotal role in the plot, his actual appearances are brief and no other dragon can be considered a major character. Also, yes, Tinker is vital to the plot and remains the character we all know & love, but as I stated before, I feel that Oilcan is actually the predominant narrator. And he's awesome!

Waiting On in 2012

What a difference a year makes, eh? Although, me being me, I posted my 2011 list in March. So it hasn't quite been a year, but still, with Borders having been closed for 4+ months now, I have quite the list of books I'm anticipating. In true holiday spirit, I made a list. And then I checked it twice. And then I decided to make two lists.


The Ten 2012 Books I Would Exercise Every Day for Two Weeks For

1. Elfhome by Wen Spencer (7/03/12)
2. Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb (2/21/12)
3. The next Nightworld book by L.J. Smith (NOT SOON ENOUGH)
4. Heart Secret by Robin D. Owens (8/07/12)
5. Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh (5/29/12)
6. Cynful by Dana Marie Bell (ALSO NOT SOON ENOUGH)
7. Book 5 in Thea Harrison's Elder Races series (Late 2012- I HOPE!)
8. Bear Meets Girl by Shelly Laurenston (3/27/12)
9. The Duke's Perfect Wife by Jennifer Ashley (4/3/12)
10. The Darkest Seduction by Gena Showalter (2/21/12)

Please note that I did not specify a time limit, but considering how badly I want to get my hands on these ten books, I'd be willing to commit to thirty minutes a day! It has been years since Spencer has published anything and I had actually pre-ordered the next Nightworld book when it was first supposed to come out. Amazon broke my little teenaged heart when it canceled the pre-order, especially since the previous book had ended on a cliffhanger of sorts. I have been patient during all the Vampire Diaries screaming, now gimme my Nightworld, dammit! Observant readers may note I skipped from book 4 to 5 for the Elder Race series and that's because I've already read Oracle's Moon. It is fabulous, in my biased opinion, but it also functions as a stepping stone to a series arc featuring Dragos. So I need Book 5, like stat, but Thea hasn't finishing writing it yet and no amount of whining is speeding up the process. In addition, I've been waiting for Showalter to produce Paris's book and I'm almost afraid it won't live up to my expectations. 

The Ten 2012 Books I Would Stay Up & Go to a Midnight Opening For

1. Isis Collar by Cat Adams (3/13/12)
2. Just Down the Road by Jodi Thomas (4/13/12)
3. Whispers in the Dark by Maya Banks (1/03/12)
4. Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews (8/31/12)
5. Biting Cold by Chloe Neill (8/07/12)
6. Heart of Atlantis by Alyssa Day (1/03/12)
7. Flashfire by Deborah Cooke (1/03/12)
8. Samurai Game by Christine Feehan (7/03/12)
9. Nightfire by Lisa Marie Rice (2/07/12)
10. Jacked Up by Erin McCarthy (6/05/12)

I would go to a midnight opening for the books on the first list, but the books on the second aren't what I'd call exercise-worthy. I'd lose some sleep over them and shell out some cash, but that would be that. I know three of these are coming out in two days, but the others are months away. It will be painful. 

I made another list. Because I like lists. 

The 2012 Books I'd Buy if I Still Worked Two Jobs But Will Instead Get from the Library

1. About that Night by Julie James (4/03/12)
2. Angels' Flight by Nalini Singh (2/28/12)
3. Delusions in Death by J.D. Robb (9/13/12)
4. Fair Game by Patricia Briggs (3/6/12)
5. Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong (7/21/12)
6. Copper Beach by Jayne Ann Krentz (1/10/12)
7. The Shifter by Jean Johnson (5/12/12)

Okay, so I'll probably end up buying #1 & #2, let's be realistic, but these seven books fall low on the anticipation scale. #3 will probably ratchet up after I read Celebrity in Death, but for right now, I'm content to wait. There are other books I'm interested in (Alpha Instinct by Katie Reus, Coveted by Shawntelle Madison, and Alien Diplomacy by Gini Koch), but it's soon to tell yet how excited I should be. Koch has been proving to be a good read, but her books are fairly self-contained so I'm not chomping at the bit to see what happens next. Reus and Madison are both debuts so they could be hit or miss. Madison has the first two chapters of Coveted up on her website and I've been told it could hit Netgalley soon. 

Monthly Tally: December 2011

This month, I learned that December is not the month for post-apocalyptic fiction. I finally gave in and read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Lemme tell you, it's kinda surreal baking Christmas cookies and thinking about a book where twenty-odd kids are slaughtered. The thing that freaked me out the most about it is that my instinct was to be resistant, like, 'oh, that could never happen.' However, it totally could. We all know about gladiators and there are, unfortunately, child soldiers across the globe. It only takes one disaster for the lines to be crossed. In any case,  I can see why the books resonated with so many people. I didn't like Catching Fire as much as The Hunger Games because I felt like it covered a lot of the same ground and I was ready for more character development. I haven't read Mockingjay yet because I actually wanted to enjoy Christmas.

There were two other stand-out books for me in December: Magic Gifts by Ilona Andrews and One More Summer by Liz Flaherty. I reviewed One More Summer here so I won't go into that, but Magic Gifts was freaking awesome. A special free e-novella for her fans, it was kind of a bridge between Magic Slays and the upcoming Gunmetal Magic. I'm not really a fan of novellas because I am usually left wanting. Dangling plot threads, unanswered questions, poor character development, etc, the novella format makes it difficult for an author to tell a complete story. However, Andrews accomplishes the task easily with Magic Gifts. It helps that all the pieces were already in place for readers of the Kate Daniels series and this really was just a treat to help us survive the wait between books.  The novella will eventually be packaged with Gunmetal Magic, but if you google it, you should still be able to download a pdf from Andrews's website.

The worst book for me was a comic strip collection, Stephan Pastis's Larry in Wonderland. I'd written a really long GoodReads review on why I didn't like and then the computer ate it. Apparently, I'm still not in the mood to re-write it, but suffice to say, I didn't find it particularly funny. The runner up to this was Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star by Heather Lynn Rigaud. My review explaining why I disliked this book is here.

There were a couple of other things I wanted to mention. Firstly, Hot Secrets was my gateway drug into the backlist of Lisa Marie Rice. I reviewed it here, but, I have to say, I'm still impressed by it. Any novella that can a) make me enjoy it and then b) motivate me to track down everything else is something else. If you're looking for a quickie romance suspense read, definitely check it out. Secondly, I also binged Eve Langlais books, reading five in a three day period. They weren't particularly consistent, in terms of quality, but they were like Shelly Laurenston-light. My favorite of the five was Bunny and the Bear, mostly because the heroine was a rabbit and how freaking often does that happen? Finally, I read two series titles by Sandra Hyatt. As you probably remember, Sandra passed away back in August. It's always a little weird, reading books by an author who went too soon. It was a little bittersweet because I enjoyed them, but I was also sad she wouldn't get the chance to spread her wings.


Category Totals

Romance: 41
Comic Strip Collections: 3
Urban Fantasy: 4
Graphic Novels: 2
Young Adult: 3
Picture Books: 2