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 Her new firehouse is sorely out of date and underfunded, the guys are not particularly fond of having a female in their midst and the only place for her to bunk during shifts used to be the supply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