Between the Devil and the Pacific Blue
BR with Trisha – Saturday, January 30 :DI was not expecting this story to be what it is. It surprised me in a good way, and I loved it! What doesn't come as a surprise to me is that Charlie Cochet is a fantastic writer! I loved the atmosphere of this book, the characters were interesting, and the plot kept me on the edge of my seat. The reason this isn't getting 5 stars is because I have unanswered questions, and this was way too short to satisfy some of my curiosities. Nevertheless, Between the Devil and the Pacific Blue is a great story!
Learning to Feel
This book is amazing!We have Nathan, a doctor who wouldn't know happiness if it hit him over the head. He's always felt like something was missing, so he buries himself in his work. Until he decides a change is in order. So he accepts a position as a doctor in a small town.
Enter Trent. A painter with a heart of gold, who paints the house Nathan moves into. Trent is all grins and sexual innuendos on the outside, but underneath is a man who's scared of love and taking chances.
When Nathan meets Trent, he is taken aback by his attraction towards the man. But he decides to go with it. These two men teach each other how to feel, like they never thought possible. They give each other life.
And the cherry on top? Bentley!!! A golden retriever who loves toast. With strawberry jam. I'm not kidding.
My poor heart. *melts*
Sixty Five Hours
I am... in awe of this book.I am... in love with Cam and Lucas.
I am... smitten with N.R. Walker's writing.
I am... happy.
So happy.
And giddy.
And OMG, someone help me.
The hat tipping. The foot/sock fetish. The toys.
I can't.
Seriously.
This book.
Read it.
Now.
"Well, crazy socks and foot fetishes... There was never a doubt. It was always going to be a perfect match."
 - N.R. Walker)
Red Dirt Heart 2 (Red Dirt Heart Series)
♥ BR with Kayl – Sunday, September 6 ♥Review to follow soon...
 - N.R. Walker)
Red Dirt Heart
♥ BR with Kayl – Thursday, September 3 ♥My dearest favorite M/M couples–I mean you, Ty & Zane, Sin & Boyd, Dex & Sloane, Brad & Kyle–make a little room, because Travis & Charlie are joining you!
It's official. I adore N.R. Walker!!! This book was absolutely flawless. The beautiful red dirt dessert. The animals–especially the horses. The incredible characters. The fantastic writing. I loved it all, and I cannot wait to read more!
Charlie and Travis are amazing, to say the least! I adored them both. Travis is funny, outspoken, smart, and he looks breathtaking when he's riding a horse. As for Charlie, I felt the urge to wrap him up in a hug, but I also wanted to yell at him to let Travis stay.
The secondary characters also deserve to be mentioned, because they were freaking awesome! George and Ma made this story that much better, and their love for Charlie was palpable.
And with quotes like these... What more could you wish for? I have no words.
He kissed me like he needed it, like I was air and he was drowning. I could taste emotion on his tongue and feel it in the way he clung to me.
Our kisses were slow and warm, with gentle lip bites, and his signature nose-nudges that gave me butterflies.
Freaking nose-nudges! Not to mention the foot-holding, which was the most adorable thing!
Just lovely. Every word.
 - N.R. Walker)
Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts
BR with Trisha (our first, yay!) – Wednesday, September 2 :)Review to follow soon...
Cronin's Key II
BR with Kayl *even though I was really late to the party–sorry, Kayl!–I'm still counting this as a BR ;-)*I don't even know where to begin, to be quite honest. I was already expecting this second installment to not be as good as the first book, since a lot of people have been disappointed by it. Well, sadly, so was I...
The thing that bothered me most was the repetitiveness. Cronin was growling and groaning every two pages and twice on a page. No one could get close to Alec without Cronin letting out a growl and wanting to rip their head off. And don't even get me started on Eiji's laughing/giggling/smiling/snorting/grinning and whatnot. I loved how upbeat Eiji was in the first book, but I felt like he took it too far here. He was like the friend you can never take seriously. And to top it all off, there was a lot–and I mean a LOT–of blushing and whining on Cronin's side. He came across as an inexperienced teenager, instead of the vampire who has lived for over a thousand years. Really annoying.
Something else which got on my nerves was how exaggerated the history references were this time around. I mean, I loved the Egypt stuff, but now we had Jack the Ripper as a neurotic vampire, the Great Wall of China as an attempt of humans to keep vampires away, and the cherry on top: that sensation you get when you think someone has called your name, yeah, that's supposedly a vampire. *le gasp* Seriously? All these things were too far-fetched for me to believe them to even be remotely possible.
I did like parts of it, though... It was awesome that we got a closer look into Alec's ancestors and the explanation for him being the key, and I liked the fact that Kole was very present and completely accepting of every weird thing that went on around him. I also liked Jorge, although I must admit that I was a little freaked out by him after his first scene with Cronin, Alec and Kennard (I loved Kennard, BTW!). But he was adorable and very helpful the rest of the time. And let's not forget my favorite scene with the lions of Tanzania, which was beautiful!
Will I read the third book? Meh. I don't think so. This book's ending was very good, actually, and I'm definitely satisfied with how things turned out. I'm happy Alec was finally turned into a vampire, and he was so hot when he took charge, and especially when he manhandled and bit Cronin! Phew! And the wedding and Cronin in a kilt... Perfection!
"Rug mi ort, m'cridhe."
I have you, my heart.
 - N.R. Walker, Joel Leslie)
The Truth about Riley
I was really looking forward to this book, but unfortunately, I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I did enjoy the idea of the book, and some other aspects, but it the end, I was left unsatisfied. Bummer.The good:
• The dialogue: Dialogue is fantastic when done well. This book is 90% made up of dialogue, and i have to say the author did a good job of keeping the conversations between the MCs interesting.
• Cam: This guy is utterly sweet, and he has the patience of a saint. I felt so bad for him at times, because he was very supportive and he just kept being pushed away for his efforts. Deep down a lonely guy in need of love, Cam would do anything for Riley and wait however long it took for Riley to meet him face to face.
• Riley's Italian mamma: I seriously adored this woman! She was there for her son without fail and she offered great advice. Also, I loved how she accepted Cam without a second thought and made him feel like he could have a mother, too.
The in-between:
• Riley: Well, how I feel about him is a little hard for me to explain. First of all, I understood why he was so insecure, and he was entitled to feel that way, after everything he went through. I got why it took him a long time to be able to come out of his shell and accept love. Still, he also frustrated me endlessly, because I–the reader–already knew Cam had liked his looks for a long time before Riley found out. So, I wanted to be as patient with him as Cam, but at times I couldn't.
The bad:
• The length: This book was way too drawn out, and I think it could have benefited if 50-100 pages were cut. I mean, I liked the conversations, but some were boring. I mean the Monopoly scene, for example... That game bores me to death in real life, so I was not happy to have to read about it while it was played over the phone...
• The ending: Now this pissed me off. The whole book, I felt this sense of anticipation, of tension building up, and the end was supposed to be this big, explosive scene, y'know... Well, imagine my disappointment when it ended so abruptly that I had to do a double take... What's more, there's no sequel in sight...
So, three stars it is. I think that will suffice.
Cronin's Key
BR with Kayl – Saturday, August 1
Character cast courtesy of N.R. Walker. ;-) Click for a bigger version.
As a teenager, I went through this phase of vampire books. The original–Dracula, Interview with a Vampire, you name it. I even read Twilight *shudder*. Before you get your panties in a twist, no, I didn't like it. Sparkly stalker vampires? Um, I'll pass.
So, I thought it had all been said and done. Finito. But since everyone seemed to be gushing over this book, I had to read it, obviously. And man, did N.R. Walker do a fantastic job of writing vampires.
Think about what you know about ancient Egypt for a second. Now imagine Osiris, Anubis, Ra and many others as powerful vampires. Imagine cats being protectors of the immortal. That gives a whole new meaning to the Sphinx and to pyramids, doesn't it? Hieroglyphs bear hidden meanings, and they tell a story which requires a closer look in order to be understood.
Add to that two fated lovers: one immortal, one human. The immortal has lived for over a thousand years, having seen unimaginable things and lived to see the world change and rise from it's ashes for far too many centuries. The human is a cop who is excellent at his job and is very familiar with weirdness, as he has lived through many strange and unexplainable situations during his 29 years.
Now you have Cronin's Key in a nutshell. If you're expecting a romantic book, this is not it. But if you want to read about a fascinating take on history, if you want to experience an epic war between the Illyrians and Egyptians and the 'good guy' vampires, and if you can be satisfied by a bit of lovely romance, then... By all means, read the book, because you're in for a treat.
I loved Cronin, lethal and immortal vampire, who turned into a smitten and helpless mess when he was around Alec. As for Alec, the guy's amazing! Brave, sarcastic, hilarious, very passionate, and did I mention gorgeous? Yeah, N.R. Walker casted him as Marco Dapper, after all. 'Nuff said!
I also quite enjoyed the twist on history, and the secondary characters were great, especially the vibrant Eiji and his fated Jodis. Eiji was adorable, and I wish Jodis had more of a say, because she was mostly in the background, overshadowed by the guys. And of course, the book's writing was beautiful and flowed easily.
"M'cridhe, m'gràdh, gu brath."
My heart, my love, forever.
 - N.R. Walker)
