The Quick by Lauren Owen

by Carol3 Comments
The Quick was this year's RIP read-along, co-hosted by The Estella Society and Amanda at Fig and Thistle. I listened to the audio version and to be honest, I found it a bit boring. It was slow and atmospheric, but even the "exciting" parts didn't really grab my attention. I was kept waiting for something to happen and then when it did, it was rather anti-climactic. Here are the discussion questions and my comments. 1. What genre (or genres) would you say THE QUICK falls into? What genre or author influences do you see in this book? I think it's a mix between historical fiction and horror. There have been so many vampires over the years, but I think these fall more along the lines of Dracula and Anne Rice's set, although not nearly as sexy as hers. They are definitely monsters. 2. Emily Richter figures into many of the book’s most pivotal early scenes. How much do you think she knows or doesn’t know about James...
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First Impressions by Charlie Lovett

by Carol2 Comments
I almost quit listening to First Impressions about halfway through, mostly because I had an audiobook waiting in the wings that I was really, really looking forward to, but I stuck it out to the end. I'm not sure if that was a good choice or not. It wasn't torture, but it wasn't great either. The story alternates between chapters focusing on Sophie in now and Jane back then, which worked well really, even if from what I understand a lot of the Jane portion was as fictional as the Sophie part. I knew who the bad guy was - from the moment he showed up; I knew that Sophie would find proof that Jane Austen was not a plagiarist; I was sure Sophie would end up with the right guy and that Jane Austen would become a well-known novelist. And guess what- I was right. What kept me listening was that Sophie, and especially her uncle, love books. The libraries and...
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Malice by Keigo Higashino

by Carol4 Comments
Keigo Higashino is a Japanese author, apparently a very popular one. I've read two of his books before from the  and loved them. This one is from a difference series, #4, but the only Kaga mystery translated into English at this time. Happily is stands well on its own. As the blurb states, the story is more of a cat and mouse game than a traditional mystery. We learn early who the killer is, even hear their confession, but as Kaga, our detective, digs deeper he questions what he's been told. I have to say I've never read a mystery quite like this one, and I've read a lot of mysteries. The killer's thought process and actions are pretty fascinating really and the motive was not what I was expecting. In the beginning, we see things from two points of view, Kaga's and Nonoguchi's, but as time goes by we hear more Kaga's thoughts and his interviews with people who knew the...
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Shadow and Light by Jonathan Rabb

by Carol3 Comments
I thoroughly enjoyed Shadow and Light, but man, is it complicated. It starts off with an apparent suicide at a film studio, but Hoffner knows it's not that simple. Hoffner is a good character, determined and solid, but horrible at relationships, he's drinks too much, and is probably too friendly with the criminal backbone of the city. On the other hand, it seems like the criminals are more help than the system. The more he digs, the more grime and muck rises. And maybe that's how Berlin was at the time. Somehow, the crime syndicate, the sex trade, the movie studios, the rise of Nazism, all intertwine. To be honest, I'm not sure I got it all, but it didn't matter. Rabb immerses you in this world, and if you don't quite understand every bit, that's okay, because I don't think the characters do either. We meet several historical figures, but I don't know enough about the time and place...
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Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich & Dorien Kelly

by Carol3 Comments
I've been having some good luck with light romances lately. Love in a Nutshell is just fun - and guess what, Kate and Matt are actually honest with each other, well more or less. They make a good couple - instant attraction but a few issues keeping them apart, like he's her boss and owns the mortgage on her house, the one he had been planning to foreclose on. Matt is another almost -perfect guy, good business sense, sexy, protective of the people he cares about. Kate is a bit down on herself, but is making a go at starting a new life. Love in a Nutshell has funny moments, a slow courtship between Matt and Kate as far as romances go, and some danger. It's not a wonderful book, but it's enjoyable. It's definitely PG thanks to an overly possessive poodle, one of two dogs who are great characters in and of themselves. The narrator does a good job differentiating the...
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Flat-Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy

by Carol4 Comments
Really, really enjoyed this romance. It was sweet, sexy and just nice. There was a happy ending and not too much stress getting there. Tamara wants to take it slow, which is totally understandable and Elec might just be the perfect man. It didn't make me cry, it didn't make me want to yell at the couple to just get their act together. For me, it was what a romance should be. Elec and Tamara are both honestly good people. Tamara did annoy me a little at times, especially her harping on about her stretch marks. Granted, Elec couldn't have cared less about it, he thought she was gorgeous, but I felt like her body issues were a little over the top. Other than that, though, they both felt like people I could enjoy hanging out with. Sometimes audios don't work well for romances with sex scenes, but this one was good. It was sexy, but didn't trip over into cheesy and...
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