Review 7: Nano

Nano. Robin Cook. 2012. [December] Putnam. 436. [Source: Purchased]

First sentence:  The cyclist decided to go for a relaxing ride - the real training would resume on Tuesday, after he underwent more medical tests.

Premise/Plot:  From Goodreads - After a tumultuous year in which her mentor is murdered and her estranged father comes back into her life, Pia Grazdani, the embattled medical student from Death Benefit, decides to take a year off from her medical studies and escape New York City. Intrigued by the promise of the burgeoning field of medical technology and the chance to clear her head, Pia takes a job at Nano, LLC, a lavishly funded, security-conscious nanotechnology insititute in the picturesque foothills of the Rockies. Nano, LLC is ahead of the curve in the competitive world of molecular manufacturing, including the construction of microbivores, tiny nano-robots with the ability to gobble up viruses and bacteria.

But the corporate campus is a place of secrets. She's warned by her boss not to investigate the other work being done at the gigantic facility, nor to ask questions about the source of the seemingly endless capital that funds the institute's research. And when Pia encounters a fellow employee on a corporate jogging path, suffering the effects of a seizure, she soon realizes she may have literally stumbled upon Nano LLC's human guinea pigs. Is the tech giant on the cusp of one of the biggest medical discoveries of the twenty-first century—a treatment option for millions—or have they already sold out to the highest bidder?

My thoughts:  Oh where to start where to start.  I love Robin Cook every book I have ever read by him has been spot on good.  And then there was Nano, I had a very hard time enjoying this story.  Let’s start with Pia Grazdani she is interesting actually not your typical heroine by any means she is extremely flawed and emotionally handicapped is a good description.  Then we have a couple of guys one that wants to be the love interest and the other who we are led to believe will be a love interest only to have the rug pulled out in a way I won’t say.  Then it’s on to the evil company with all the ‘bad guys’.  It just seemed to drag on and on with no real purpose as in I feel like we got a whole extra 100 pages easily due to the slow pace.  Then the last 50 or so pages flew by ending in the most anti-climatic endings I have ever had the misfortune to read.  I did enjoy the concept of the novel and I did enjoy some of the characters to be honest I did not dislike the characters or the story but more the length of the overall story is what really did me in, that and the ending did I mention that?  This is probably the hardest review I have written just because I truly love Robin Cook as an author and reading his books have always brought me great enjoyment and I will continue to read him just this one did nothing for me.

Rating 5.5/10

Recommendation: If you like slow paced drawn out stories then this is definitely for you!

Review 6: Cinderella's Cowboy

Cinderella’a Cowboy. Roxanne Snopek. 2015. [April] Tule Publishing. 120. [Source:NetGalley]

First sentence: A pair of golden-green eyes stared out from between the bale of straw and the wall of Cynthia’s office, then blinked, once.

Premise/Plot: From Goodreads - Chad Anders doesn’t know why mousy Cynthia Henley trips all over her tongue when she’s around him. Nor does he understand his undeniable attraction to this good girl. Wild and sexy is his type, like the dream-girl he caught a glimpse of years earlier he’s never forgotten.
Cynthia’s superpower is invisibility, especially with men. It’s better for everyone that way. Besides, she’s got a cat. She’s okay. But when playboy-rancher Chad hires her, she’s got a chance to shine. Professionally, at least. Until she learns of his fascination with a mysterious dream-girl, who was actually nothing more than a shy teenager on an ill-advised dare all those years ago. Cynthia knows she’s no man’s dream-girl and never will be.
But there’s magic at the ball. Princesses glow in the starlight, princes appear out of nowhere, and, sometimes, they look a lot like cowboys…

My thoughts: I was so in the mood for just this type of story!  A great light hearted romance.  I really sometimes NEED the simple pleasure of reading a story that does not have violence or mystery or graphic sexual scenes (sometimes I do need those things), and today that’s what I got with this story just two people falling in love in a semi-normal manner.  The blurb up above tells what this is about better than I can but just know that it is well worth your time to read this novella!

Rating 9/10

Recommendation:  Anyone looking for a quick light easy read. 

*I received a digital review copy for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Review 5: Dead Woods

Dead Woods. Maria C. Poets translated by: Maria Poglitsch Bauer. 2015. [May] AmazonCrossing . 336 Pages. [Netgalley: Kindle edition]

First sentence:  The stupid cow.  The slut.  She does it with everyone.

Premise/Plot:  From Goodreads: The body of thirty-four-year-old software developer Philip Birkner is found in the forest. Tracks at the scene of the crime point to several possible killers. Lina Svenson and Max Berg of the Hamburg Homicide Division investigate and soon discover more than one dark secret in the dead man’s past…

My thoughts:  This was my first go round with a German author and I was not disappointed!  From the first page I was hooked. The characters were very well developed and the story was well told.  I love mysteries always have and always will.  This particular one had just enough twists and turns to keep me going until the end.  The hardest part for me was the names of places and people; this is due of course to the fact that I don’t speak German so it is no fault of the author.  If foreign names of places and people mess up the story for you then I would say you probably won’t enjoy this book, but, however if like me you can just go with the flow and enjoy a different world view then give this one a whirl I would be surprised if you were disappointed!   

Rating 8.5/10

Recommendation:  Mystery lovers should read this.  Fans of reading books set in foreign countries should definitely check it out!

*I received a digital review copy for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Review 4: Helen of Sparta

Helen of Sparta. Amalia Carosella. 2015. [April] Lake Union Publishing. 402. [Source:NetGalley eArc]

First sentence: I gasped for breath, but my head was already beneath the water again, hard fingers digging into the back of my neck and holding me down.

Premise/Plot: We have a very well known story.  Helen of Troy is one of the most recognizable names from history but what we know about her can fit in the palm of our hands.  Enter this story the untold love story of Helen of Sparta and Theseus of Athens.  

My thoughts:  I loved this book!!  For as long as I can remember I have been into Greek and Roman mythology.  From the moment I started this book all I wanted to do was read it nonstop.  I was back there with Helen and Theseus seeing and feeling what they felt.  To have her story told for the first time and not just as a footnote to some larger story was amazing.  I admit to experiencing dislike for the Greek gods and goddesses for the first time thanks to this story.  I can not wait and sincerely hope that a book 2 will be in the works in the near future because the ending of this book has made me want more!

Rating 9.5/10

Recommendation:  Anyone that loves an engaging and wonderfully written story.  Any fan of the Age of Heroes with Heracles, Theseus, Ajax, Agamemnon, and the others that made up that time period.

*I received a digital review copy for free from the NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Ponderings

So I have been doing some serious thinking about my reading.  I read a book and I genuinely get drawn in.  I have read books that some have not enjoyed nearly as much as I have.  So I wonder can you love books to much?  I have to try really hard to find things that I dislike about the books I read.  And this is not because I stick with only topics I enjoy.  I really do read EVERYTHING and ANYTHING that comes across my way.  So I worry that my reviews might not be taken quite as seriously as others because I don't seem to be able to find that ability to get annoyed or angry over books and details.  I take my books like I take people you have good things and you have bad things about them but they are all unique and different and the positives far outweigh the negatives.  Granted I am sure I will run across a book eventually that I will not be able to give more praise than criticism to.  And until that day comes be prepared for lots of praise for the books I read.

Review 3: Love's Conqueror

Love’s Conqueror. Renee Hand. 2015. [May] Gypsy Publications. 374 Pages. [Source: Bostick Offer]

First sentence:  The wind whipped wildly, tearing at the sails, as the waves beat against the sides of the Fighting Spur, rocking the ship violently.

Premise/Plot: From the back cover.  Miranda Mayne, the daughter of a notorious pirate, spent most of her life in the hustle and bustle of London society, though her true love was always the sea. Promising her father she will stay away from the life that killed her mother, Miranda accepts the marriage proposal of a man she thinks she can trust—only to discover that his true intentions are to secretly capture her father. Trapped between loyalty and deceit, Miranda’s heart falls prey for her true match only to find that he is out of her reach. Will she lose everything she holds dear or can she save her father, find true love, and most of all—find herself before reality prevails?

My thoughts:  I love historical romances especially when they involve London balls and pirates!  This book was a slow start for me.  But by chapter 5 I was properly hooked and couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen to the characters.  The book easily could have ended at chapter 23 but I am glad that it did not!  The final 2 chapters of this story were almost like a mini novel inside of the book.  If you like historical romances the I think you will enjoy this read just try to make it past the first 5 chapters and you won’t regret it.

Rating 8.5/10

Recommend:  Absolutely if you like pirates and adventure on the high seas, read this book!

Review 2: Large is the Smallest We've Got

Large is the Smallest We’ve Got: A Jigsaw Puzzle. Jed Hamilton. 2014. [April] aSys Publishing. 299. [Bostick Email - Review]

First sentence: “Then why did you stay there so long?”

Premise/Plot:  The story follows a group of friends told from the view point of an old man talking to his Godson.  You get little glimpses of the big picture with every chapter. 

My thoughts:  I found that I loved certain parts of the story and didn’t enjoy others.  I was not fond of one of the characters (Didier) so I found myself rushing through his sections.  But, the parts that Madison, Chloe, Scott, and the Dutchman were in were by far my favorites.  I did find myself tearing up during the 7^th and 8^th parts.  The author did an exceptional job of immersing me in the world of the characters.  Artfully done I did not figure out who was performing the monologue.  It was a very pleasant and surprising twist.

Rating 8/10

Recommendation:   I would recommend this book it is quite enjoyable and immersive.