Category: Reviews

Things You Save In A Fire
jacqui_monet
July 28, 2019

Title: Things You Save In A Fire

Author: Katherine Center

Genre: Adult/ Romance/ International

Pages: 308

After seeing the book cover floating around online, this book instantly went on my TBR List. I can’t help it, I’m a sucker for a pretty cover. So imagine my surprise when I received and ARC/ARE/Galley as book mail from Macmillan Publishers! (Insert pterodactyl screech here.) I read it as much and as quickly as I could while holding/nursing/snuggling/diapering my two babies. It. Was. SO. Good.

This first person story is about a talented young female firefighter from Austin, Texas who, for a handful of reasons, relocates to the east coast to take care of her estranged and ailing mother. Her new firehouse is sorely out of date and underfunded, the guys are not particularly fond of having a female in their midst and the only place for her to bunk during shifts used to be the supply closet. It’s a high stakes story about love and family but ultimately forgiveness.

I recommend this book to anyone that has ever felt like an outcast or an under dog. AND it should totally be a movie.

Ratings

Plot: 5/5          Characters: 5/5          Ease of Reading: 5/5

The Daddy Arrangement
jacqui_monet
May 29, 2019

Title: The Daddy Arrangement

Author: Paige Parsons

Series: Sugar 101: Book 1

Genre: Romance/ BWWM

Pages: depends on your e-reader

The Daddy Arrangement is a cute first installment to the Sugar 101 series.We are introduced to Keila as an incoming college freshmen and her RA Bri. When Keila mistakenly assumes that Bri’s much older boyfriend, Michael, is her father hilarity ensues, deep conversations are had, and Keila’s eyes are opened to the exciting and nuanced world of sugaring.

I enjoyed that the characters sounded like real people, especially Keila and Bri. So often I read a book or a short story containing modern day college students and I’m left feeling frustrated and fatigued because 18 and 19 year old characters are speaking with the vocabulary of 30-something business executives. Personal pet peeve, I know, but it drives me up the wall. The dialogue is well written with the college girls sounding like college girls (and maturing as they age) and the businessmen sounding like businessmen without slipping into caricature.

If you want something fun to read while sipping a cocktail poolside, this the perfect book for that. Easily finished in a weekend, The Daddy Arrangement is a wonderfully easy summer read and I look forward to reading the second book.

Ratings

Plot: 4/5          Characters: 4/5          Ease of Reading: 5/5

Impostors
jacqui_monet
March 22, 2019

Title: Impostors

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Series: Uglies: Imposters Saga Book 1

Genre: YA/ Science Fiction

Pages: 405

Being completely honest, while I am a fan of Scott Westerfeld and most of his work, I was a little apprehensive when I heard the he would continue the Uglies series. I LOVED the original 3 but found the fourth, Extras, to be “fine”. Impostors, though, did not disappoint me at all!

I enjoyed the story and it moved very well. I don’t find the new cast of characters in this story to be as dynamic as the those from the original books, but the may be because I’m not as attached to them yet. This new series takes place about 16 years or so after the end of the Extras and only one character remains, literally showing up for one scene. I’m not going to get into the story because doing so could spoil the original four books. Yes (!) you need to read the original four or else you will be terribly confused.

Ratings

Plot: 4/5          Characters: 4/5          Ease of Reading: 5/5

China Rich Girlfriend
jacqui_monet
March 1, 2019

Title: ChinaRich Girlfriend

Author: Kevin Kwan

Series: Crazy Rich Asians, number 2

Genre: Adult/ Romance/ International

Pages: 479

This book, the second in the CRA trilogy did not disappoint at all! The story picks up 2 to 3 years after the first and, my goodness, it doesn’t miss a beat. Like all good soap operas we’ve got a car crash, plastic surgery, social climbers, meddling parents, a wedding, shopping sprees (in Paris!) and fabulous parties.

We’re reaquainted with past characters and introduced to a host of new ones who are hell bent on shaking things up. I loved seeing where Rachel, Nick, and Astrid are in their lives and seeing previous side characters like Kitty Pong become more fleshed out was fantastic. Kevin Kwan continues to do a great job at peeling back the curtain on the ultra elite VVIP life. I eagerly await book three.

Ratings

Plot: 5/5          Characters: 5/5          Ease of Reading: 5/5

Crazy Rich Asians
jacqui_monet
February 22, 2019

Title: Crazy Rich Asians

Author: Kevin Kwan

Series: Crazy Rich Asians, number 1

Genre: Adult/ Romance/ International

Pages: 546

I  enjoyed this book a lot. It was a pretty quick read and I appreciated that the author used authentic slang from the different languages that the characters speak and included a glossary for those terms and them bottom of each page.

Even though many of the characters come from obscene amounts of money, they still felt like real human beings. None of the characters were “all good” or “all bad” which tends to happen in these types of stories. Everyone had their own motivations, hopes and dreams. There were also a ton of characters, so I liked that the author titled the chapters with the character whose POV we were experiencing.

I’m definitely going to read the rest of the trilogy and watch the film.

Ratings

Plot: 3/5          Characters: 5/5          Ease of Reading: 5/5

The Belles
jacqui_monet
February 15, 2019

Title: The Belles

Author: Dhonielle Clayton

Series: The Belles, number 1

Genre: YA/ Coming of Age/ Fantasy

Pages: 434

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Like any novel, the first few chapters took a couple of days to move through. The world created by Ms. Clayton is very detailed and because of the concept of it is so fresh and unique, it took a moment for me to find my bearings, get a good grasp on the rules and understand the lingo. But, honestly, it doesn’t take long to hit your stride.

The characters are well thought out and in a world where changing your entire out appearance and your demeanor can take place in an hour, no one is who they seem to be. The settings and their descriptions are so lush but in a way that distracts from the action.

I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the second book when it comes out and as it’s published by FreeForm (an imprint of Disney Books), I would love to see this on television in the future.

Ratings

Plot: 4/5          Characters: 4/5          Ease of Reading: 5/5

Bonus!

Sadie
jacqui_monet
August 30, 2018

Title: SADIE

Author: Courtney Summers

Series: N/A

Genre: YA/ Thriller/ True Crime Fiction

Pages: 320

Check out my Two Minute Review of SADIE on my ‘booktube’ channel:

Don’t forget to visit:

Sadie’s Cinnamon Toast

Healing Stone
jacqui_monet
August 22, 2017

Title: Healing Stone

Author: Brock Booher

Series: N/A

Genre: YA/ Coming of Age/ Paranormal

Pages: 336

Check out my Two Minute Review of Healing Stone on my ‘booktube’ channel:

The Porcupine of Truth
jacqui_monet
November 7, 2016

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Title: The Porcupine of Truth

Author: Bill Konigsberg

Series: N/A

Genre: YA/ Coming of Age

Pages: 336

Review:

Okay, I’m just going to start this off by saying that I absolutely loved The Porcupine of Truth. I like, jump-up-and-down-cried-in-the-middle-recommend-it-to-everyone loved this book! I connected to this book in a way that I haven’t experienced in a really long time. Seriously, I haven’t sobbed while reading since Shadows in Flight, the final book in the ‘Bean Saga’ of the Enders Game series.

So what’s the book about in a nutshell? The Porcupine of Truth follows teenagers Carson and Aisha and they search for his grandfather. See, Carson’s dad is dying and he wants to reconnect the two before it’s too late. What starts out as an hours long trip ends up being and epic journey across the western United States. During their trek, the friends learn a lot about each other and even more about themselves. This book is about growing up and coming into your own; discovering what makes you you.

I don’t want to say anything about the plot. So much happens that I feel the slightest  detail will give something away. I will say that I think everyone should read it. I gave it to my brother to read and if they made a movie I’d watch it. Heck, if they made a miniseries I’d watch it. This book made me laugh out loud one moment and cry the next. Mr. Konigsberg wrote an incredible and I found myself very deeply moved. That’s it, that’s all I can say.

 

Check out the links below to get the book yourself:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Witches of East End Book Review
jacqui_monet
October 25, 2016

witches

Title: Witches of East End

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Series: Witches of East End (book 1)

Genre: SciFi, Fantasy,

Pages: 288

Ok, so my favorite writer for the past few years has been Melissa de la Cruz of the Blue Bloods and the Ashleys series. I have loved almost every book that she has written. I mean, there was one that I got less than a chapter into and pitched it. But this book was great! In keeping with the Halloween theme I read The Witches of East End.

The Witches of East End is the first in her series about a pair of sisters and their mother who try to live quiet lives without magic in a simple cottage in the Hamptons. Now, I feel that I must add that this is not a “pretty, rich, white girls with problems they created” type of book. In fact, not all the problems that come their way are their fault. Trouble tends to come to them because they are a little too generous. You see, they have been banned from using their powers but then one of them does so to help a friend who’s been trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant. Then they all start helping people. THEN they get accused of being witches. So much for laying low. The story is really interesting and has since become a series on Lifetime which is also pretty good.

Speaking of series: if you have read the Blue Bloods series of the same author (which you should in order to be able to laugh at certain jokes) you will recognize characters that have cameos. I’m not saying that you should read all of those to be able to understand this book, but I am saying that you should read this between Blue Blood books 7 and 8. Mimi talks about some of the action that takes place in this book, therefore it’s crucial for BB fans to read this.

 

Check out the links below to get the book yourself:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble