ARC Review ~ Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

eARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: October 7th 2014

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Description:
Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late. 

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage. 

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target. 

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

My Opinion

I wasn't sure what I was going to get with with book as it sounded so different from the other books I've read by this author. I enjoyed the Hush Hush saga though so I was excited to see how the author handled the genre change and what her writing was like when not using paranormal beings. I really did squeal when this came up on NetGalley as 'UK requests preferred' as it almost never happens with popular books/authors like this--or at least I don't see them. Anyway, despite a few issues that I'll get to in a minute, I thoroughly enjoyed Black Ice and Becca's writing.

When reading Black Ice, there was no point at which I thought it was dragging. The plot kept me engaged the whole way through and kept me turning pages quickly. I will admit that I had to stop reading once it got dark, as although it isn't scary, my mind likes to play tricks on me and kidnapping isn't the safest subject to go to sleep on. I thought that the characters were great and I liked how they were all individually strong, yet had their flaws. The guys definitely had a clear sense of their own personality and motives for doing what they did and this came across well. I also liked how Britt reacted when things got bad. At the start I thought she would fall apart like most of her family would have expected, but she really came into her own and you can't help but admire her for her strength. As well as this, I liked that Becca didn't make her continually strong; she did break down and nearly give up and this felt realistic, making her human.

Similarly, I liked the whole backdrop. Usually when I read books set in snowy scenes, they are winter romances so it was a nice change to read a darker, thriller. It added another level of danger as not only were the girls at risk from other characters, but the weather could easily kill them too. The survival skills felt believable and I'm glad it wasn't over done.

There were only two issues I really had with Black Ice. The first was the small romance that develops. I didn't get it. I know he wasn't the bad guy really, but if someone kidnapped me, dragged me through a snow-covered forest, aided in killing someone etc. then I don't think the first thought on my mind would be kissing him. Normally I'm all for romance, but here I think it detracted from the overall effect of the book and wasn't needed. It made the ending a bit cheesy for me. 

The second thing was that I did find it a bit predictable. It was kind of obvious who the killer was and although I enjoyed watching everything play out, I would have liked for it to be concealed a little better so I didn't connect the dots so early.

However, overall I enjoyed Black Ice more than I thought I would. It was a nice change from the usual books I've read and it's definitely different from Hush Hush in more ways than one. If you like thrillers, darker books, or fast-paced reads you may want to check this book out.

4

Review ~ Just to Be With You - The Instructor by J.A. Cooper

ebook downloaded for free from Amazon

Description:
Leigh Baker’s finally gotten rid of her mooching, long-term boyfriend. But one is turning out to be a lonely number. 

A new hobby, her good friends, a sexy man…that's what Leigh needs. When Leigh meets Carter Malone, the attraction’s immediate. But as quickly as the romance heats up, it cools off. The thing is, Leigh can't figure out why. 

When Carter pops back into Leigh's life, it turns out he's the new English professor. According to Carter, getting involved with her would bring risks he doesn't need. But something keeps drawing them together. 

And when love comes knocking twice, sometimes all you can do is open the door.

My Opinion

DNF at 27% - I thought I'd give this a chance seeing as it was free on Amazon, and I'm looking for novellas due to time constraints at the moment. However, this didn't hook me. There were too many short, simple sentences that 'told' rather than 'showed' what was going on, and I ended up skimming. Too many sentences started with "I" and it just became repetitive. I can't comment on the story as I didn't get far enough to find out what happens but the writing wasn't engaging enough for me to push through to the end.

DNF

Review ~ Help Me (Seduced by Danger #1) by Clara Bayard

ebook downloaded from Amazon for free

Description:
All grown up and all alone...

Amanda Devlin steps of an airplane to an exciting future after her college graduation. But within minutes her dreams are dashed and her life is thrown into confusion and fear. Her sister is missing. A suspicious man seems to be following her.

Her only hope is a scrap of paper...
When she finds her sister's apartment ransacked and the police are reluctant to help, Amanda latches on to a single clue - a mysterious phone number.

The number leads her to a private club like nothing she's ever seen before. The only thing more shocking than the wealth displayed there is the club's true purpose.

...And a man she barely knows.

As she embarks on a dangerous journey, her only ally is sexy young billionaire Trey Heller. He's her guide and her greatest temptation as Amanda enters a world of sex and danger to save her sister. Their attraction is undeniable, but his true intentions are unknown.

My Opinion

This was an okay read but I did find myself skimming sections, as it didn't always hold my attention that well. I think the premise is interesting and it sets everything up nicely, with some interesting characters, however it hasn't enticed me enough to pay for the next 2 books when they are so short. I think it could have been longer and don't really see the need for it to have been split up into 3 novellas.

On the positive side, it was free so I can't complain too much. It was an easy read that killed the time while I was waiting for something.

2

Review ~ Knocked Out by Ty Langston

eARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: August 25th 2014

Publisher: Solo Publishing Co

Description:
Fresh out of Grad School, Hayley Monroe gets the chance of a lifetime when her boss gives her the opportunity to produce and host a reality series on finding MMA’s “Next Great Hope”. 

Enter former MMA contender Evan Bates. His sudden re-appearance into the sport after a mysterious five year absence not only raises eyebrows, but also temps both in and out of the Octagon. 

Can Hayley keep everything in check? Or will she be Knocked Out?

My Opinion

This was an okay novella. It was the MMA aspect that caught my eye, and I'm particularly interested in short stories at the moment as I have little time to read. However, I kind of expected more and I felt there was a lot more that could have been done with this story.

The first thing I'll say is that I loved Everly and her relationship with Evan (her dad). I'm not usually a fan of kids in books but she was adorable and full of life. I loved that she was so confident and you could feel her love and admiration for her dad. As well as this I liked the devotion to her that Evan showed back. I found their relationship to be believable and well created.

Similarly, I liked the overall concept of the book. The competition aspect intrigued me as I've not seen it done with MMA before. However, this was where my biggest problem was created. There was hardly any detail about the competition and what happened when Evan joined. One minute he was leaving to start it, and the next he was in the final!! I wanted more detail, more fights and more hardship. I wanted to read about his journey but that's not what I got--I felt things were too easy, and there's a lot of potential for a great full-length novel. As it stands for me, the concept feels too big for a novella, because added to that there is a random sex scene thrown in with no warning. It all felt a bit disjointed because of the length and lacked detail.


Overall, it was a quick easy read and Everly was definitely the best part. I would have loved for it to be longer as I feel there is so much more the author could have done, but it's alright to break up the time.

2.5

Review ~ Unravel Me (Catch My Breath #2) by Lynn Montagano

ebook received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: July 17th 2014

Publisher: Harper Impulse

Description:
Lia’s meant to be on cloud nine: ever since she and Alastair finally confessed their love for one another, their relationship has never been so good.

Her British-born Adonis is all intent on sweeping her off her feet, showering her with gifts and affection more than worthy of the girlfriend of an international, millionaire businessman!

But their past seems to be intent on dragging the both of them down, and the hushed gossip of a dark secret begins to cause havoc to Lia’s life…

With an ocean separating her from her love, Lia can’t help but wonder if she can ever feel secure with a man who still plays everything so close to his chest, including her.

My Opinion

While I rated the first book in the series 3 stars, it was enjoyable enough for me to want to find out more about Lia and Alastair and give this book a go. I was interested to see where the author would take the story and even though overall I enjoyed this easy read, it has left me with mixed opinions.

I liked the pacing of the book. Everything moved at a quick speed, keeping my interest, but there was also plenty of detail. I like Lynn's style of writing. It has its quirks, and humorous remarks that kept putting a smile on my face while reading it. I especially liked it when it was during Lia's speech. It made her likable and I enjoyed that she was independent. Even though Alastair tried to be the protective male, and at times was a little controlling (not in a bad way), she still kept her own mind, stubbornness and was determined to see things through. I will admit her naivety about her ex irked me a little as it happened a few too many times for me to not question why she didn't just cut him out and why she believed him after his history.

Similarly, I think I liked Alastair. He's a bit cheesy for me, but I think the fact that the author works the fact that he know this into his character helps lessen the cringe factor. However, I still am undecided on how I really feel about him. He's a strange character in that you never really see his true colours as he's very guarded. I'm also not a fan of the constant British references--but that's a major pet peeve of mine. 

As for the plot, it did hold my interest and I did enjoy the book as a whole. I did find the secret a little predictable so I was waiting for things to happen a lot of the time. And I did feel maybe it could have been condensed a little a few times things became repetitive. However, I'm curious to see what is going to happen in the final book and this one held my attention well enough for me to want to complete the series. All I hope is hat there is a bit of a different plot line.

Overall, these books are fun, easy reads. I like the author's style and although it has split my opinion, I did enjoy it.

3.5

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