Book Review: Escaping Reality

"You have no idea just how demanding I can be." And with that erotic promise, his tongue slices into my mouth, a silky, hot caress that seems to touch every inch of my now tingling body.

"We aren't strangers anymore, and I find the idea of occupying your time increasingly appealing." His eyes light. "So use me, baby."

The air crackles between us and there is no denying the growing attraction I have for this man.

I enjoyed this book very much.

Why did I give it three stars?

Well the ROMANCE for me gets:

The Mystery/Suspense part of her life and why she was running from it gets:

It was so badly done that it pissed me off. I don't feel I got any damn answers in the first book. 

And then the ending to me was kind of like a 

What the Fuck?

That being said, the passion and romance in the book was enough to keep me going and I won't lie. . .I'm DEFINITELY going to read book 2, just to see how the Hero is going to explain himself.

Review: All Our Yesterdays, by Cristin Terrill (5 stars)

ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
by Cristin Terrill
Publication: September 3, 2013
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present–imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend, James, since they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Marina will protect James no matter what, even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it… at least, not as the girl she once was. Em and Marina are in a race against time and each other, and only one of them can win.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

When the story opens, we find the main character, Em, held captive in a cell, staring at a drain. This may sound dull, but I found the tension to be wonderfully done. As captive, held in a dark room, Em found something to obsess about. It was dark and psychological, and I was immediately hooked. Then she finds a message that a prior version of herself left for her, saying she has to kill him.

Em goes back in time to do as the note says. I figured out pretty much right away who Em goes back in time to kill, but that's fine. I don't think it was meant to be a big secret. I was still invested in the story and in watching it unravel.

You won't find any Mary Sues here. Em was conflicted every step of the way. She was a good person, on a mission to do a bad thing. I found her struggle with her task to be both believable and compelling.

This book had just the right amount of romance—enough that I could latch onto it and root for it, but not so much that I got frustrated with the emphasis on romance as opposed to important, world-saving tasks. I found Em's love interest, Finn, to be likable in both his past and future selves. He was loyal and considerate, but tough enough to give Em a kick in the pants when she needed it.

I will admit though: On a couple occasions, I referred to Finn in my head as "cool Peeta." He has some similarities to Peeta from The Hunger Games, but I liked Finn better. Finn and Peeta are both blond, and both play sidekick to their love interests. But Finn was plenty kick-ass on his own, hence the "cool" label even though I found myself comparing him to a character in a different book.

I think it's a given with a serious time travel story that there will be paradoxes. All Our Yesterdays does a solid job of laying the groundwork with respect to how paradoxes are handled. And this groundwork starts early in the story, which adds some credibility to the resolution of paradoxes after the book's conclusion. I appreciate that.


An excellent book. One of my favorite reads of 2013! I'll be looking for more work by Cristin Terrill.

My thanks to Disney Hyperion for the free review copy.

Book Review: The Stranger by Kyra Davis

Just One Night, Part 1: The Stranger

by Kyra Davis
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Kasie knows who she’s supposed to be. But one passionate night with a mysterious stranger will teach her who shewants to be.

You should sleep with a stranger, her best friend whispers in her ear as they take to Vegas for one last pre-wedding fling. Despite her best intentions, when Kasie Fitzgerald enters the casino and sees him, a man whose tailored clothes belied a powerful, even dangerous, presence, she loses herself to the moment. Maybe it’s the dress, much shorter than she’d ever normally wear, or the Scotch, but something makes her give herself over to him more completely than she's ever done with a man before.

It was supposed to be just one night. But right as she’s thinking she wants more, he shows up in her office with an agenda. As the billionaire CEO of a company that’s engaged her PR firm, his demands just became her reality...and he desires so much more than just some attention in the boardroom.

I give this 2.5 stars and a grade of C-.

I was really really really excited to read this book. I'd heard it was similar to 50 Shades and the Crossfire Series. Although I am not a fan of the 50 Shades Series, I tend to like books that are described as similar to the series.

Why?

Because the book tends to have three things: Hot Sex, Alpha rich guy, and Intense Relationship.

This book came close but didn't hit the marks for me.

It was well-written and possessed a clear plot line, but in the end it was just. . .

MEH



I mean don't get me wrong. There was some conflict but. . .excuse me for a minute....



And the heroine was a bit. . .I don't know. Boring I guess. I get the whole not realizing who you are but. . .I just didn't feel like walking through her journey. I didn't want to be her or hang out with her.

Simone, her friend, was pretty groovy though.

Plus, I really didn't enjoy her cheating. I mean come on. We've all been in unsatisfying relationships, but just yank up your big girl panties (I stole this saying from Mrs. Joseph) and end the relationship.

The hero was also a bit....



And then the ending just kind of came out of no where. . . I mean Dave didn't even seem like this type of person. . .so why would he all of a sudden amp up into an A-hole?

And FYI, if some dude ever did to me, what Dave did to her at the end...We would have been in the police station that night!

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

I mean seriously. Let's pretend like I'm the main character, and I'm talking to Mr. Dave. I get that ridiculous threatening text from Dave to get my ass down to him or he's going to ruin my job, life, and tell my family.

I would've told Mr. Dave, "Hold on for a minute. I have to go do something. I'll be right back."

*whistles as I walks down to the car to see Mr. Dave, aka the asshat text sender:

"Hey Dave!"



"What did your text say again, Dave?"



But. . .she didn't do anything. Which is fine for now. . .because I do plan on reading the second book. I'm praying that there is a scene where she beats the crap out of him. AND I'm wondering where this series is going.