Review of If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

An Eye-Opening Read

If You Could Be Mine is a coming of age story about a teen girl growing up in Iran who is in love with her best friend, who is a girl.

I received this ARC through NetGalley and Alqonquin Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. A special thank you to the author for writing this book and for the opportunity to read her book.

The story is gripping, sad, and makes you reflect about all the things that we as women in free countries take for granted. The theme is controversial in itself but to have it revealed in the backdrop of Iran where women are not allowed many rights and sometimes the punishment is death if certain codes are violated was impressive. The characters are engaging however I felt a sort of disconnect with Nasrin, Sahar's love interest. The writing was fluid and I read the book easily however because it was an ARC there were quite a few formatting issues, sentences, words, and letters from words missing so it was a little frustrating when sentences were incomplete. I have to applaud the writer for giving us a glimpse of what life is like not only for a young woman in Iran but a transsexual and gay person as well. There is mention of drugs, drinking, details of a sex change, and pregnancy. The cover is lovely. An eye-opening read. 

3 Solid Stars out of 5 Stars

Review of The Silver Chain by Primula Bond

A Disappointing Read

The Silver Chain is an erotic contemporary romance about a promising photographer trying to make it in the big city of London when she unexpectedly finds herself in a contract that requires more than showing her work.

I received this ARC via a special invitation through NetGalley and AVON Publishing in exchange for an honest review. 

Well, I am going to go off my format a little, I don't pretend to be a scholar however I love to read especially about other countries and other cultures, ways of life. With that said I enjoy figuring out certain expressions or looking up words from other languages so I get the gist of the conservation or what the author is trying to get across. I am open to all kinds of reads and all kinds of different styles of writing however this book perplexed and confused me all throughout.

Maybe I just wasn't getting the references, dialogue, analogies, and comparisons but I found myself in a whirlwind of confusing and sometimes contradicting situations with characters I really didn't care for. The story line started off with a promising drama element then transitioned into what I thought to be a little tongue in cheek poke at other popular books then it became something more like an attempt to mimic certain situations from those books. I felt let down because the author would build up these promising situations to bring insight to why the characters were the way they were, only to offer some confusing analogy or dialogue sequence that would completely deflect from the situation at hand. The sex scenes were a little awkward and halting. This is an erotic book with elements of BDSM, graphic sex scenes, cussing, drugs, and drinking. In my humble opinion a disappointing read. The cover is simple but eye-catching.

2 Stars of 5 Stars

Review of Pretty Dark Nothing by Heather L. Reid

A Frustrating Read

Pretty Dark Nothing is a debut book in a YA paranormal series about a girl who has some sort of connection between demons and angels.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley and Month9Books. Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read her book.

I was quickly sucked into this story; I loved the horror aspects of this book.  The author's descriptive writing and the flow of the book made it easy but the characters although well developed just seemed a little off especially the protagonist and her love interests. I couldn't comprehend or empathize with some of the behavior especially when it came to the protagonist but I made allowances and just let the author take me where she wanted me to go. In my humble opinion, the secondary characters helped this book immensely, one can only tolerate a certain amount of selfish behavior. The protagonist did eventually redeem herself but at what cost in the story? 

I was blindsided by the abrupt ending when the premise is suddenly revealed in a confusing and obscure flashback not to mention a heck of a cliffhanger that left me quite annoyed. I found myself scratching my head and went back and read the last chapters again to make sure I wasn't missing something. This was a ARC so typical formatting issues were present but I read this book in hours so it didn't take away from the book. There is a sex scene although no graphic details just insinuated, and another sex scene is also implied, mention of teen pregnancy, mention of attempted suicide, cutting, and some cussing. The cover is haunting but beautiful. A frustrating read. 

2.5 Stars out of 5 Stars

Review of When The Siren Calls by Tom Barry

A Hard Read

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley and Troubador Publishing Ltd. 

Spoiler Alert:
When the Siren Calls is a contemporary erotic romance about a married woman who feels unfulfilled in her marriage and finds herself torn between having an affair with a con artist and being faithful to her husband.

The story line is predictable; the author's descriptions of Tuscany are somewhat engrossing. The pace is rather slow and quite frankly I had to come back to this book several times before really being able to get into it. The story is told in several characters' POV in no particular order. The characters are flat and insipid; I really had a hard time identifying with any of them because they just didn't seem personable at all. It's an adult read; there is cussing, sex scenes, references to drinking and a scene where a woman gets taken advantage of while drunk. The cover doesn't make sense to me however it is a little haunting. A hard read. 

1.5 out of 5 Stars

Review of This Girl by Colleen Hoover

A "Butterflying" Beautiful Ending

This Girl is Will's story told in his POV through a series of flashbacks as he reminisces and tells Layken about their relationship leading up to their honeymoon.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley and Atria Books. Thank you to NetGalley and Ms. Hoover for the opportunity to read this book.
Even though we already know the story, Ms. Hoover found a way to tell it in a way that both surprises and enlightens the readers. The story begins on Will and Layken's honeymoon night as she begins to ask him questions about their trials together. The author manages to develop their love story a step further gives the readers what most women want to know, what the man is thinking as he falls in love. I have to say that I am truly impressed with Ms. Hoover's writing and the way she is able to bring life to her characters. There are drinking references, some very sensual sex scenes, and cussing. I like the cover. Ms. Hoover is a "butterflying" good writer. A good read. 

4.5 Stars out of 5 Stars

“That was my sweet. Having that moment with you.

All the little moments I got with you were always

my sweet.”

-Colleen Hoover, This Girl

Review of Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick

Absolutely a Fantastical Read

Gorgeous is a fantastical coming of age romance about a small town high school graduate, working as a cashier in a dead end job and the man she is destined to marry. 

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley and Scholastic Press. Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read his book.

O.k., I do NOT want to give anything away. The story line is imaginative; it is outlandish and fantastical, it's a smidgen of What's Eating Gilbert Grape? with a bit Wizard of Oz that somehow meets Charlie and the Chocolate Factory only Willy Wonka is Tommy Hilfiger and the factory instead of wonderful sweet creations being made, are out-of-this-world-fashions made for one person alone. The writing is quite descriptive and engaging; a bit unrestrained but over the top in a good way. The characters are funny and heartfelt; I was really pulling for "Becky" in this book. I laughed throughout the book and even teared up a few times because I remembered what it was like growing up feeling like a nobody. There is a lot of cussing, references to drinking, drugs, and a sex scene but not descriptive. I absolutely love the cover. An absolutely fantastical read. 

P.S. I have to apologize to NetGalley for taking so long, I lost all my books to my malfunctioning Kindle and had to backtrack luckily this book was still available to read. 

3.5 Stars out of 5 Stars

Review of Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

A Fun Erotic Read

Wallbanger is a contemporary erotic romance about a woman, who just recently moved into her place of residence and her neighbor.

First of the all the title certainly got my attention. Then the "Spank", "Meow", and "Giggle" that were introduced all in first chapter...let's just say that my expectations of the book were set high after that first chapter and I have to honestly say that the author delivered. The story told in mostly in Caroline's POV was predictable although engrossing with all the shenanigans that were going on throughout the book. The author's development of the characters and their relationships were done well; the book flowed well and writing for the most part was smooth although some of the transitioning into certain chapters was a little off. I absolutely loved the chapter with the internal conversations in the different characters' POV and the chapter done in Clive's POV. I found myself snorting, giggling, and laughing all throughout the book. It is an erotic romance so for mature audiences with definite sexual encounters of the very steamy kind along with dirty talk, references to drinking, and cussing. I liked the cover although in my mind I picture it in a different way, like maybe a kitchen counter involved and flour all over the place. All in all, definitely a fun read.

4 Stars out of 5 Stars