UPDATE: Moving book reviews to new site

I recently did an experiment where I started 2 blogs with the exact same content on 2 different blogging sites. The purpose was to see which one would be more beneficial to me. I wanted to figure out which would be easiest to post as well as which would get the most traffic. After doing both for several months, I have come to the conclusion that WordPress works better for me. I will be posting and updating all content on there. I will be slowly phasing out this blog as it hasn't provided me with much. If you would like to continue to read my reviews, you can see them at https://charleeraeblog.wordpress.com/

I will leave my "Life and Times....." blog on Blogger at http://charmaine70.blogspot.com/ and will still post stories there on occasion. Mostly for my own amusement as I doubt anyone else reads them.

Thanks,

CharleeRae

The Walking Dead, Vol. 25: No Turning Back by Robert Kirkman

3 out of 5 stars

After a devastating act of war by the Whisperers, Rick must chart a path for his community. But when his leadership is questioned, how will he respond?

So, I really hate doing reviews on graphic novels because quite honestly, I'm not very good at it. I don't know why. Graphic novels are so different from other books and for some reason I just have a hard time describing them so this will be pretty short and to the point.

I have read all the comics in this series. Just like the TV show, there are moments of action and then storylines focusing more on character development. This volume fits more into the latter. Not much action occurred. It was mostly a build up for what is to come. Hopefully. There was a nice moment where Rick and Negan had a chat. I have to say, that was the best part of the story. Negan moments are always interesting, not to mention colorful. A weird bond can almost be seen starting to form between the two. As much as Rick might not like it, he isn't as different from Negan as he'd like to think. I don't mind slower stories and build-ups, but this one just felt a little lackluster. I liked it, just didn't love it. The next volume (I prefer to read those rather than the individual comics) should jump into the war with the Whisperers....or at least that is to be assumed. Let's hope.

Total pages: 136, paperback

Available on Amazon at the link below:

The Walking Dead, Vol. 25: No Turning Back

Meternity by Meghann Foye

2 out of 5 stars

I won this book as part of a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

Unlike some of the reviews I have seen on other sites, I actually read the book. Funny enough, I thought that book reviews were only written by people who read the book and wanted to share their opinion with other readers, but I guess I was wrong. Silly me.

Anyway, my genre of choice is usually something in the mystery or horror category, but once in awhile I need a good chick-lit or rom-com to lighten things up. I saw this book while browsing the Goodreads section, thought it fit the bill and decided to enter, not really knowing anything about it. I won! I guess I should state, due to the topic of the book, that I am a mother. Our children are adults now, but I remember juggling work and family. Now I mostly juggle work and Netflix. So, with that said, the theme of the book didn't bother me at all. Oh, I guess I should also mention that I hardly ever get offended over anything. I mean anything. It's pretty rare. And I'm certainly not going to get offended over a book written by someone I don't know and who doesn't know me. So, with that out of the way, here is my review on the book. The one I actually read.

I didn't like it. *sigh* I know. I could stop there I guess, but I won't. The thing is I wanted to like it. The idea behind it was interesting and should have been entertaining. Woman pretends to be pregnant to get all the "benefits" she seems to think pregnant women get at work. It could have been a great book. Sadly, it wasn't. The main problem for me was that it was so wordy. Not that I don't like words. I do. I love them actually. Use them all the time. But I felt like a lot of the words used in this book were just filler to make it a longer story than it needed to be. It dragged on way too long. It could have been a funny, yet shorter story. Instead it was a boring, longer one.

The main character, Liz Buckley, would have been much  more likable if she wasn't whiney and incredibly dense. I tried to like her, but the farther the story got, the more I just couldn't believe she was smart enough to pull the whole thing off. I spent most of the time doubting her throughout the entire story. Meanwhile, her friends whose names I cannot remember, spent most of their time desperately trying to find "the one" while sipping drinks, singing karaoke and wearing man catching clothes at the local bar. Too much stereotype there to get into.

So, let's skip to the love interest, Ryan! You know what's bland? Beige. You know what Ryan was? Beige. He was just your standard rom-com guy but more dull. I will say he was about the only tolerable character though. Boring, but tolerable. That's really all I have to say about him.

Now, the moms. They were everywhere in this book! Not surprising. Of course about every single one of them was a completely pretentious snob. I've met a few of those so I was glad to see the personalities were pretty much dead on. The holier than thou because they have experienced the miracle of childbirth. We've all been in the room with at least one before. But come on, not every mom is a mom-tator. In all actuality, most aren't, so the overdose of them was a bit on the bitter side for me.

As for the story itself, it really was unnecessarily lengthy. I can't help but harp on that. And by lengthy, I don't mean actual page count. I read a book that was over 1000 pages but it was so well written and engaging that it felt like a short story by the time it was done. This story, at 368 pages give or take, was not as well written, not that engaging, and seemed to be more like 1000 by the time I finished. It was tough to get through. To be fair though, it was also unbelievable and read more like a YA novel. More than once I thought the characters were a bunch of teenagers rather than grown women. We all have our moments of immaturity, but these ladies reeked of it. Getting upset and deleting people off your Facebook friends list because they made you mad? I guess you showed them! Being excited because the boy you like added you as one of his friends and liked an Instagram post? Woohoo! <insert eye roll here> Yes, these things happened....and we are talking about 30 year olds. The other problem is that it ended far too clean. I mean seriously, consequences are a part of life. It's ok to use them in a book. May have made the whole thing a little more on the believable side.

Anyway, that pretty much sums up how I felt about this story. It wasn't the idea of it that was bad (hence the 2 stars), it was the execution (hence the not being more than 2 stars). And, as I'm sure you have noticed, I tried to use as many words as possible in my review so you could see how I could have kept it simple and entertaining but instead decided to make it a bit more long winded and let it drone on. I also threw in a few things that really weren't necessary just so I could pad it up. Maybe I should write a book.....

Total pages: 368, paperback

Available on Amazon at the link below:

Meternity by Meghann Foye

Love, Reality Style by Judith Natelli McLaughlin

3 out of 5 stars

I received this book free from NetGalley.

Mary Grace Falcone, third grade teacher and cake lover, receives a proposal from her germ-phobic boyfriend, Ralph Ichy. Should she marry him? The man her friend Jayde has dubbed "the CEO of Antiseptic Hands?" Unsure of her true feelings, Mary Grace accepts anyway. Her decision gets her overbearing mother off her back but it also lands her on a reality wedding show where the host, the handsome Nick Charmin, unexpectedly falls for her. Will Mary Grace choose hot Nick for faithful Ralph?

This was a fun and light-hearted romance story. Not usually my typical genre. I enjoyed all the characters, but admittedly didn't care for Mary Grace's friend Jayde at first. She seemed bossy, rude and really cold. Eventually you learn more about her, which makes her personality a bit more understandable. I really ended up liking this trio of friends. If only everyone could be so lucky to have people to rely on in their lives like these ladies. Annie, the voice of reason and an "old soul," Jayde the wild but insecure business woman, and Mary Grace, your sweet and innocent protagonist. These women together have a bond most people would envy. I know I did. As far as the males in the story, I liked Ralph, even with all his little idiosyncrasies. Yes, I could see them getting on some people's nerves, but he was so endearing that I could overlook them. The other male character, Nick, was another story. He really wasn't fully developed, but you could tell the guy was a sleaze from the beginning. Nothing about him was likable. Not sure why Mary Grace didn't realize it right away. He obviously was considered physically attractive, but nothing else about him was. It was a little off if the author's intention was to create a love triangle as there was never a time when I thought MG wouldn't choose Ralph. He was perfect for her.

The story slowed down mid-point for me, but then picked back up and kept me engaged. I'm not one for reality TV, but it did make a nice little spin on your typical contemporary romance novel. Luckily the main focus was on MG and her circle of friends, not the show itself. One thing to be aware of...they eat cake. A lot. I mean, a lot. To the point where I started getting a little nauseated but I managed to get through and still enjoy this cute and quick read.

Total pages: 231, ebook

Available on Amazon at the link below:

Love, Reality Style

Pirates (The Magic Library Book 1) by Gillian Rogerson

4 out of 5 stars

This is a super cute little tale about two twin sisters, Myra and Kassy. Their grandmother lives in Lavender Hall, where they have visited many times. There is a room that they have never been in before though. A magical library where the characters of books need help or they can disappear forever thanks to The Witch of a Thousand Towers. When Gran becomes ill, it's up to the sisters to assist in saving the book and it takes them on journeys they could never imagine. It's a very fun and entertaining read. Recommended for children ages 6-10, it is definitely kid friendly and will keep them wanting to read the next adventure.

Total pages: listed as 40 per Amazon, Kindle edition, but on my tablet it was only 27

Available on Amazon at the link below:

Pirates (The Magic Library Book 1)

Available for Nook at Barnes and Noble:

Pirates (The Magic Library Book 1)

Bait and Snitch (Ponderosa Pines Cozy Mystery #4) by Erin Lynn & ReGina Welling

 

3 out of 5 stars

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ponderosa Pines was once the safest place on earth. But then Stacey Hawthorne, an attorney on her way to the little town for reasons unknown, is brutally attacked leaving EV and Chloe to launch into a new investigation. One that may expose secrets of several residents and haunt the whole town.

First off, I would not recommend this as a stand-alone. Not to say you can’t read it as one if you choose, but you will get lost initially because there isn’t much backstory into who everyone is. That didn’t detract from the mystery however, so if it doesn’t bother you to not know much about the recurring characters, you will still be able to enjoy the story.

With that said, I did not read the other books in the series. Because of that, I felt like I was the odd man out at a party where everyone knows each other and you are the new girl. I think that may be why I was put off by the two main female characters, Chloe and EV. They came off as nosy to me.  I mean really nosy. More so than some of the other cozies I’ve read. Perhaps if I knew more about them it wouldn’t seem that way, but that’s what happens sometimes when you don’t read a series in order. Not my intention. I didn’t realize that this was the fourth book. Not a big deal really as I was able to get an idea of who everyone was eventually. There is one thing that did bother me though that I do have to get off my chest. It was the way they placed a bet with their significant others, who are actually law enforcement, to see who could solve the case first. It just seemed very unprofessional and cold hearted. But it’s a work of fiction, so I can get passed that.

The town, Ponderosa Pines, is small and seems quaint and charming. The residents seem to be one big family. That is until you realize that the most popular publication is a gossip column. One that seems to divulge a lot about the lives of the people who live there. That kind of throws the cuteness of it out the window for me. Plus, it’s even stated that you can’t have secrets there. If you are new to town, the residents will do whatever they can to dig up everything they can find out about you and won’t rest until they do. That just seemed super creepy to me and made the little town lose some of its appeal. Of course I’ve only lived in big cities so maybe I’m reading too much into it.

Anyway, before everyone thinks I hated the book, let me just say I didn’t. I enjoyed it. It was very well written and the descriptions of the characters and the town really brought the whole thing to life. Aside from the nosiness, I actually liked Chloe and EV. They worked well together and were believable. The rest of the townsfolk were quirky and entertaining and I enjoyed the humor that was sprinkled within the pages. I also loved the sound of Ponderosa Pines. Just the name alone is cute and cozy and the description brought that out. The little bit of romance that was thrown into the tale didn’t weigh it down like some others I have read and the mystery was intriguing with enough twists to keep the reader interested. The story actually started off somewhat dark, making you think that perhaps this wasn’t a cozy after all, then it gradually lightened up a bit and ends up fitting nicely into its genre. I do plan on getting the first three books in this series and will eventually read them as I did like the writing style of the authors. I also think by doing that, it will explain the characters better and maybe the town’s residents won’t seem so invasive to me.

Total pages: 166, Kindle edition

Available on Amazon at the link below:

Bait and Snitch by Erica Lynn & ReGina Welling

 

Haunted (Book 1) by Willow Cross

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

This short read is a collection of actual ghostly encounters as experienced by the author. She states that these are 100% true and have not been embellished for entertainment purposes.

I really enjoyed these tales. More written like a blog rather than a book, I got it free from Barnes and Noble not realizing how small it was. My only gripe is that I wish it had been longer! I personally am not sure how I feel about ghosts. I think I may have seen one when I was a kid, but looking back, I'm still not sure about that. Without any further sightings in my life to date, I really can't decide if I think they are real or not. However I always enjoy hearing other peoples thoughts and experiences and these were great. You could tell the author was pretty straight forward in her accounts and didn't embellish her stories. That's what makes them that much more believable. Being a huge horror film fan and reading more than my fair share of horror novels, I can't say that these are going to keep me up at night, but it was still a very entertaining book and I look forward to reading the other books she has written on this subject.

Total pages: 26, Kindle edition

Available for Kindle at Amazon:

Haunted by Willow Cross

Available for Nook at Barnes and Noble:

Haunted by Willow Cross