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The Reviews

Physical Books, Audiobooks, eBooks and Movies 
*My review policy is located on my landing page.
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The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild

29/9/2015

 
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    I was gifted this book by First to Read and I'm so appreciative. I finished The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild and found it a decent read. 

   Rothschild filled the first few pages are filled with meticulous details of the gallery event- I could see everything. Everything about Annie was funny and relatable but I just didn't find it as entertaining as I'd hoped. Nicely written, with only a few lines that needed editing, I found The Improbability of Love interesting butt not really what I was looking for.

  The story was about Annie McDee and the painting she happened across form the eighteenth century.  Everybody wants it: a Sheika who's the owner of an empty museum, a Russian, an auctioneer, a dealer and a few others.  She's suddenly thrust into the art world and learns about who she is what's next for her after a bad break-up.

  The story was fun, adventurous because I love anything UK and very interesting, but it just didn't do it for me.  Because the story's well written and immaculate in details, I still rated The Improbability of Love rather high.  Now off to the next book!
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Rating:   👓👓👓👓5 Specs
* Prismatic and Opalescent are next.
** eBook provided by First to Read for an honest review.

It Started With Paris by Cathy Kelly

28/9/2015

 
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     I really expected to be swept away by this book.  First off, it starts in Paris with a proposal made atop the Eiffel Tower!  Instead of the story being about the up-coming nuptials, it lolled on broken hearted, guilt-ridden, bitter men and women who are somehow related to the bride & groom-to-be.  

     It Started With Paris, written by Cathy Kelley, was pleasant... if I'd wanted to read about every day, boring lives!  It was dull and I found myself forgetting who people were, due to so many introduced!  I wasn't sure who I was supposed to care about for a while.  One time, I started an entire chapter over, just to make sure it was about who and what I thought it was about. 

     I love romance and especially in a book that takes place in Europe, but this one was not my cup of tea.  Other than the prologue, there wasn't much romance.  It was nicely written and I loved imagining the shoppes and homes of Brookside and the areas named in the book, but as for the story, it just wasn't good.  And though there is a lot of sadness, anger, frustration, cheating and divorcing going on, there was resolution, solutions and even a few happy couples in the end.  It may have started with Paris, but it ended with my disappointment.  

Oh- one other thing:  "I like this book cover, to the moon and back!"
     Off to the next book!  📚

Rating: 👓👓👓/5 Specs
*Keepers: The Cedar Hill Series is next.
**Book provided by Shelf Awareness Giveaway (Penguin Random House).

Opalescent by Sarah Elle Emm (Book Tour)

26/9/2015

 
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      Opalescent by Sarah Elle Emm is the second book of the Harmony Run Series.  Once again, in the land of interracials,   we find Rain ready to take down President Nicks with her band of merry teens- but now the rules have changed.  Now they're discovering they have "powers" to fight with.  


     There's also relational conflict between Jabari and Rain.  In the form of a female spy, the lovestruck couple finds trouble.  Can Rain let go of the young man she loves if he's fallen for a traitor and can they put all of that aside to stop the president from gassing everyone on Mother's Day?

     Book 2 was much better than one, but again, I wasn't sold enough to immerse myself into the story.  As with book one, if I can't get in, I want out.  I saw this book transform from the 80's version of Red Dawn into the X-men.  There were other areas where these books borrowed from other stories of similar fashion; to me, vaporizes all originality points.  I just could not enjoy the story.

     From what I understand, there are more books to the Harmony series.  I may not read them, but I have to say, Sarah Elle Emm tells stories, just not really good ones.
Have a nice day and find a new book!  
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Rating:  👓👓👓/5 specs
*Keepers: The Cedar Hills Series is next.
**eBooks provided by Book R3vi3w Tours for an honest review.

Prismatic of the Harmony Runs Series by Sarah Elle Emm

25/9/2015

 
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     As part of an awesome book tour, I jumped at the chance to review Prismatic.  Sarah Elle Emm is the author of the Harmony Run Series, tales of futuristic tyranny and racial segregation.  The group, UZTA (United Zones of the Authority) run by President Nicks, has diminished the United States and separated the country into zones, leaving residents in particular areas according to their nationality, and anyone Mixed was removed.  Bi-racial's are considered the lowest of the low and treated as slaves, going without an education, marriage, and permission to have children.  They're literally left to work and die away- a mild form of genocide.

     As I read this book, I begged for the story to go deeper than children could take it.  Sadly, that didn't happen.  As with the majority of dystopian tales, the world has pressed our young ones to take risks, educate themselves, then rise up, as though adults have been completely removed.  In this case, the parents are there but are so mentally weak, no one else will fight back.  

     The story was strong and the characters slightly realistic, but I could not bring myself to really care for Rain and Jabari as much as I know I should have.  I think the idea of hormonally challenged, erratic behaving teens leading the old and young is just too much for me.  The story was very slow and the necessary conflict that should have bloomed for the second book just was not there.  I found myself thumbing through the last hundred pages or so.  Then to be brought to such an odd cliffhanger, ending the story without much reason- threw me off.  Who knows, there may be light at the beginning of the next book!  We shall see...
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Rating:  👓👓👓/5 specs
*Opalescent is next.
**eBooks provided by Book R3vi3w Tours for an honest review.

Edward Carey's Foulsham, book 2 of the Iremonger Trilogy

24/9/2015

 
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     Here's the second installment of the Iremonger Trilogy.  I should be receiving the third book any day now.  

     Now this one was more fun to read.  Foulsham was much better a read than Heap House but it still could have been written much better.  As I read, I kept hearing the raspy voice of a scullery maid.  There was repetition and backwards talk that was annoying from time to time, but I pushed through it and liked it much better.

     In book two, everything takes place in Foulsham which is a totally different place from Heap House where it's run by an Uncle Umbitt.  The man's the reason for all the inanimate objects going rogue as people and people turning into inanimate objects.  I can' tell too much of the story without telling the story of Heap House- and you know how I feel about spoilers!  Just know this, Clod is a gold coin, being spent all over town and poor Lucy (lost amongst the heaps) is a clay button!  

     Check out Foulsham.  If you read independent of Heap House (which I rated last week), you may find yourself lost but it still reads best!  Have an amazing day.  Go out and find an amazing book!  
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Rating: 👓👓👓/5 specs
*It Started With Paris is next.
**Book is from my personal library.

Plague Risers by Anthony Ergo

23/9/2015

 
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     First off, the cover of this book is EPIC!  I happened across an Instagram page and found one of my buddies had received a physical, ARC copy of this book, Plague Risers by Anthony Ergo.  I salivated!  I had to have a copy of the book!  Sadly, copies were available (only across the pond🇬🇧 ), so I reached out to Anthony himself.  Being such an awesome guy, he sent me a pdf till I can purchase one!

     Now, back to the cover- as you already know, I am a huge lover of book covers.  They're visual eye candy.  As soon as I see a book cover as totally awesome as this one, several things run through my mind: (1) Do I have enough cash to purchase this book or (2) Do I have enough money on my book fund, credit card or in the bank account!  You know you do it too- don't judge me!  it's so true that once I find Plague Risers on Barnes and Noble, it's SO mine!

     Okay, on to the story.  Plague Risers is told from several perspectives and it's not confusing or distracting.  The characters: Hal, Lars and 


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