Book Review - Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn

Hello and welcome to my blog! I have finished yet another book and I'm ready to write this review. I'm pretty sure people love free things, free food, free clothes you name it and people will gladly take interest. I happen to love free books. Books can be very expensive and to get them for free can be life changing. So I'm thankful for friends, family, authors, websites, and publishers who make my day by giving me free books.

My aunt "let me borrow" [we know I won't be giving it back] Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and I was in no rush to read it since it wasn't on the top of my tbr (to be read) shelf. I have a huge shelf of unread books that I need to get started on. A good friend of mine recommended I read Gone Girl and I kept putting it off. Every time I saw her, she would bring up the book until finally I finally gave in and decided to read it next. She was super excited and she highly recommended this book. She also notified me that there was a movie based off the book. So my goal after reading Gone Girl was to watch the movie.

I started this book on my train ride to Connecticut and I couldn't put it down. This book had me on my toes for more than half of the book. It was everything my friend said it was. It made me of thinking about how crazy people really are. I have yet to watch the movie but my parents said the movie was really good, can't wait to see.

Now for the rating, on Goodreads I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it to a friend or anyone asking for book recommendations. Thank you guys again for reading my blog and come back soon.

Book Review - "Loss of Reason" -

      For several of my previous and future blog posts will be from authors that sent me their work. In this case I was sent two books by a company, Full of Books. I stumbled onto their Instagram and I liked their account so I checked out their website. I saw that they had a section for writers, so being curious I clicked it. It was a submission section; reading more into it, they were accepting writers for their blog! I was super excited but scared at the same time. I didnt know if I would qualify for the position, but I applied anyways. I don't remember if it was a day or two later, I received an email from Full of Books saying congratulations. I was so happy and to add to that they were going to send me books to review. Now for all of you that do know me or even have read my past posts, I love books and getting books the author or company their selves. They sent me a list of books that I could chose from and from the list I chose "Loss of Reason" by Miles A. Maxwell and "Hell is Empty and All the Devils Are Here" by Mark Rounds. To make things even better, one  was signed.

      I didnt know which one to start first, so I just went for the smaller book and save the larger book for last. So it was "Loss of Reason" was going to be my first read. I grabbed this book while I was on the train and I do enjoy reading on the way to work or elsewhere. So with an open mind I started to read. I had to re-read the first two pages and I couldn't get into the book. I don't know if it was me or just because I could not get into the book. It wasn't that the book was boring or horribly written, I just don't know why I couldn't get into the book. Maybe it was because I've been in a reading slump? Maybe I was just really tired ? I don't know what it was.

      I wasn't going to give up so quickly, so I put away the book and tired another time. I was so determined to finish the book and write this review. I picked it up and started to read. Then it hit me…. again! I just couldn't get into the book. I have beat myself up about not finished books I started but I couldn't get myself to finish it. I believe that it was too much going on at once and too many people all at once in the beginning. I thought the characters weren't introduced properly and I got confused often. The book was interesting, well at least the plot was. But the way it was executed was done poorly.

      When I write reviews I hate when it's a negative review. On top of writing negative reviews, I hate not finishing books I started. This was very disappointing for me. I feel bad for just writing this right now. But I have to be honest and give MY opinion of the book. I wouldn't recommend this book to my family or close friends but I would recommend it to my friend at work, maybe he'd like this book. I gave it two chances and I couldn't get into it and I'm sorry about that.

      For the rating, I'd have to give it 2 out of 5 stars. From what I read I believe that this deserves the rating I gave it. I just want to thank Full of Books for sending me these books.

Book Review - Come Away With Me - Kristen Proby

             

      I didn't buy this book on purpose, I just went on a buying spree on the kindle app. It was free and the story line happen to be a one that I would be interested in reading. When I did buy it, it was sitting on my kindle reading list for a few weeks even a month or more. It wasn't on my top to read list and I didn't even bother to try to read it. But I wanted to mix my reading list up from books I actually own and books I have on my kindle app.

      

      So when I was looking for something new to read, I opened this book and read what it was about since I tend to forget what I buy. After reading the story plot, I started to read. As for any new book I start reading, I take it with me everywhere I go. Before I knew it I was half way done and I was pretty shocked at how fast I was able to read this book. 

      Kirsten Proby paints an almost perfect fairy tale modernized with more realistic elements throughout the entire book. Luke Williams and Natalie Conner's love developed into something so perfect in the writers and readers world. Honestly a lot of books along the romantic/erotica genre follows similar storylines and traits, in all which makes them very prodictable and boring in my opinion. Even though I am a sucker for romance and great sex, I do get bored of the same story line over and over again; the only thing making them different from one another is the names and places. The norm for eroticas today goes as follows; there is a rich guy who is drop dead gorgeous and he is a ladies man. For the females, she's independent and she happens to fall into the wealthy guys life and they have their share of drama and great sex. I guess in order for the story to be amazing, they'd have to be written with their own unique taste and direction. 

     Regardless of tear this story had its own take on the relationship between Natalie and Luke. My opinion on this story was awwww probably the entire book; because as I said before I am a hopeless romantic. With that said, I really enjoyed reading this book and learning more about each character. 

      I actually learned that this book is part of a series, "With Me in Seattle". They have a total of eight books and the last book is a novella. I am even more excited to read the entire series. I just hope the story isn't dragged out for no reason. But I felt hat the characters were portrayed very nicely and they were easy to picture. I loved how independent she was and she was able to have a job and be on her own without any help from a male figure. I enjoyed reading about her and her job as a photographer. Now with Luke; at first I did not like him and how he was introduced. When he was insinuated he seemed to be a cocky guy who believes everyone wants to take his picture. But as you read more into the story, you learn why he acted the way he did when he was first introduced to Natalie. 

       I don't want to spoil anything for anyone that wants to read this series but overall I know this will a series that I will love and will continue to read. Now onto the rating, on Goodreads I gave the first enstallment a solid 5 out of 5 stars.  Simplly because it kept my attention from the first page to the last page. The romance kept me intrigued nd wanting more. Don't even get me started on the erotic scenes, let's say it left me wanting more. So with that said the book deserves a 5 out of 5 stars. 

      

Book Review - "Zipped" - Laura McNeal

    

        Hello and welcome back to my blog! I am here with yet another book review. I know it's been a while since I posted a new blog entry, but I'm sorry about that. I'm trying to keep my blog as updated as possible. I've been in a reading slump lately and it's hard to write. Well when I'm not reading or writing I am sleeping or at work. Work has me drained and ready to pull my hair out. Anyways back to the topic shall we?

      I picked up this book because it seemed like an easy read for me, which it was. A lot of the books I own are either from Barnes & Noble, thrift stores, authors sent them, they were free, or they were given to me. This book I got at a thrift store months ago and I thought it was pretty cool and it would be a quick read for me. 

     Zipped is written by Laura McNeal and Tom McNeal, it is a juvenile fiction according to google books. It follows several teens but the main character is a fifteen year old named Mick. The story follows his life after opening the wrong email. Mick was searching for something for school and he couldn't find it in his email or his folder on the computer and he checked the trash. He happened to open an email he thought would be his assignment but wasn't. He didn't expect to open an email of his step mom cheating on his father. He is torn on what to do with the information he stumbled upon. So the story follows him and what he has to deal with growing up as well as the his troubled ordeal with his cheating step on. On a side note, as I was writing that last sentence the song Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood came on and I can't help but laugh because Mick finds his step mom cheating and the song is about cheating. Anyways back to the story shall we?

       Even tho there are few character viewpoints it mainly follows Mick. The plot and how the story was written was pretty plain, not saying it was bad but just plain. I really liked the whole idea of a kid opening the wrong email only to reveal something so much bigger than they expected. I didn't leave any notes in the book because there wasn't anything worth saving or really writing about. I feel bad about it because I don't like leaving negative remarks about any book or even  writing a plain review. 

       With that lets go onto the rating, on Goodreads this book has an average of 3.40  stars out of 5. That's not the greatest rating but I gave the book 3 stars but thinking about it I would give it a 2.5 but it was rounded up to 3. I would recommend this book to my sister or something who is younger than me. It just wasn't for me sadly enough but not badly written. 

Book Review - "Love Who You Are With - Emily Griffin

Warning This post WILL have some spoilers. 

      Let's first start off with the plot / blob on the back of the book. Ellen and Andy have the perfect marriage. They love one another and is devoted to each other until the counter changes all of that. Leo, the one who broken heart, appears again - that's what you questions everything. She questions whether the life she's living is the one living.

      The first chapter basically told from her point of view and how she is as a person, you immediately learn she has an OCD problem. Ellen remembers a lot of things and it's something she can't control. You kinda learn within the two chapters about how her and her husband Andy, meet and eventually get married.

      Since this is my book I'm making sure I keep tabs and post-it notes on the pages so I can try to better my blog with every post. So the first issue off the bat was in chapter 3. Why the hell would you let your ex touch you in any way personally I wouldn't like that. Does everyone hate when their exes come back in the picture or at least try to? I give her credit for getting up and walking away.

      Ellen doesnt know what she wants anymore after having contact with Leo. She knows she loves her husband Andy, but she simply can't get Leo out of her head. She even thinks of Leo when shes having sex with her husband. From that simple thing, you know its bad. Through out the book you learn more about Leo and Ellen's toxic relationship and how things were and how they ended. When Leo helps Ellen land a photography gig, her encounter with Leo was an eye opener. She unconsciously wants to rekindle the past love she had with him but she knows not to cross that line and ruin her marriage.

      It's bad that she questions whether her life with Andy is the life she was meant to live but, if someone else has to question your love then it's getting worse. Margot, Andy's sister and Ellen's best friend, finds out that she is going back to New York to see Leo. She is quick to threaten Ellen and giving her an ultimatum; either she tells Andy herself or she will do it for Ellen. So Ellen took the smart route and came clean to her husband about Leo. 

      This book made me tear up towards the end and I cannot get over the love they have for each other. It makes me think of my Fiancee and I's relationship. I'm a sucker for a romantic ending and a unbreakable bond two people could hold for one another. This was the first time reading one of Emily Giffin's book I read and I am happy I picked it up. 

      Now lets get on with the rating. I honestly loved this book and the way it was written. I also fell in love with two of the characters, Andy and Ellen. So with that said I rated this book a 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. I honestly enjoyed it and I'm happy about being able to own this book.

 
  On a side note, I posted the picture on the left for Instagram and I tagged Emily Giffin and I did not expect to get a comment and like by her. I was so excited about this. This actually made me very happy so of course I had to take a screenshot of it and post it for my blog!

      Anyways thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I do enjoy your feedback on how I am doing so please feel free to comment and let me know. If you have any recommendations that you would like me to read just comment below or even message me.  

Book Review - "Shattered Rose" - Tammy L. Gray

                      Once I started buying books on kindle I couldn’t stop myself, especially if they’re free. Because they were free I downloaded as many as I could and I am not ashamed. I began reading this book while I was binge reading books on my kindle. During this time I was abandoning my actual books that were on my book shelves. This actually went on for a while and I feel like was a trader to my books I owned. I was reading Kindle quite often and it would be a go to place to read. It was so easy and convenient to have around. I took this everywhere I went especially when I was traveling. I would read on the train to and from work, traveling to Connecticut and on the way back.

                I was going through all the books that I already owned on kindle and deleting all the books I knew I wasn’t going to read. When I was doing that I stumbled upon this book. I just remembered why I downloaded this book in the first place, and it was because it was free. I mean who wouldn’t download a free book? I didn’t remember much of anything else, I didn’t remember what the book was about so I did a little re-reading and It tempted me to make this book my next read.  This book is a standalone but it’s also a part of a series, the Winsor series.

                At first, it started out pretty slow but within a few chapters I was hooked. As I learned about Avery I was able to connect and relate to her fairly easily. I began to really compare myself with her and how she was as a person and not a fictional character. What Avery went through was hard for her and I know what it feels like to have depression, not being just being sad for a few days but having sadness consume you for months at a time. Having depression is a lot for one person to handle. So watching her go through that was hard because it hit close to home.

                When someone attractive comes into view of course you will stop and stare. That’s what Avery did, she basically became star strucked when she first laid eyes on Jake. But Issy, her roommate gave her a warning to stay away from him and she couldn’t help herself. He showed interest in her and things just evolved from there and next thing you know it Avery is hurt and hear broken.

                I was drawn to the story and honestly I don’t think I have any negative comments about this book. I personally enjoyed reading this book and It had me drawn to it and made me not want to stop reading it. Even though I liked the book I don’t know I will be reading the other books. The second books is Shackled Lily, which follow Issy and you get to learn more about her past, and the final book of the series is Splintered Oak, which follows Jakes and you see things from his point of view. Each book is a standalone so you don’t have to read all three books. But as I was writing this I re-read what each book was about and now I kind of want to finish off the series. I don’t know yet but it may be added to my TBR list.

                Now onto the ratings, this book got a rating of 5 out of 5 stars simply because I was able to relate to the main character so closely. I really enjoyed sitting down and binge reading this book. Plus I love books that make me tear up, it made me so happy for her and to watch her slowly learn to cope and realize things made my heart melt.

Book Review - "Heart of Stone" - Dakota Willink

      Ever since I have created a social medias dedicated to strictly books, quotes, basically anything related to books I post. So with that I have a twitter and I try to post regularly about books, how far along I am in what I'm reading, or I'm promoting my blog. To my surprise I have gotten some messages from authors themselves asking for me to review their book for them. That makes me more than happy to do so. So I have messaged some authors about their books and my interest in reviewing their work. With that I have been open about reviewing some books that are outside my comfort zone and I am not going to turn someone down just because I do not read that type of genre. I am willing to give anyone a chance. With that Dakota Willink and I have had contact with each other over Instagram and Twitter. She was more than happy to send me a PDF file of her first book in The Stone series "Heart of Stone".
      I honestly never heard of Dakota Willink or of her series before and I was debating on whether or not I really wanted to read this book. But since it was sent to me by the author herself I could not turn her down and I am glad I didn't turn her book down. When we sent tweets to one another I didn't even look up what the book was even about but I was still going to read it and I'm glad I did. I became addicted to reading. I remember beginning this book on my way to and from Connecticut and the train ride was about an hour and a half, so I had a good amount of time on my hands to read. Even after reading this on the train ride, I started reading this everywhere I went from the train to work and from work. Every time someone saw I was reading. I finished this book in no time and I cannot wait to read the second book in The Stone series.
      This book is basically Fifty Shades of Grey but better. I'm not saying that Fifty Shades was bad but this book was executed better. The main characters were Krystina Cole and Alexander Stone and they both hold a fierce attraction to each other. I think that a lot of eroticas tend to follow the same outline and vary from one another in a few ways but they follow the same execution. But I was glad to see that this book wasn't a retelling of Fifty Shades.
      As for the story, it was put together very nicely and I liked the description of the characters as well as the steamy scenes. The only thing I think many of the readers disliked was the cliffhanger. I love/hate cliffhangers because I want to know what happens and I want to see how the story unfolds. But on the other hand I love the suspense cliffhangers give to me. Dakota Willink did a wonderful job on keeping my attention as well as creating the need to want to know what happens with Krystina and Alexander's relationship. I truly enjoyed watching as Alexander and Krystina's relationship grow and I hope that they don't go their own ways. They are both independent characters and they can stand alone but when they are together, that's when the flames explode. I cannot wait to read book two of the series. I am also anticipating the sex scenes and I hope they a very descriptive. ;]
      When I do reviews on a book given to me or books I buy myself, I make sure I give an honest review to the authors as well as the people who take the time to read my blog. With that on Goodreads I gave Heart of Stone a solid 5 out of 5 just because I didn't want to stop reading it. If you happen to enjoy erotica then I recommend this book to you. To keep updated on the new release of "The Stepping Stone", book two of the series, follow her on twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads @DakotaWillink . Her website is http://www.dakotawillink.com/