Evermore

OK, let's get this out in the open! Evermore is Twilight, just not written as well and the story isn't as captivating. Here is a list of similarities:

1. Damen Equals a Sub Par Edward

So like Edward Cullen Damen keeps many secrets from Ever. You never quite know why he is so suspicious, or why he doesn't eat, drink, or appear to sleep. He never seems to pay attention in class (when he can be bothered not to skip) but he knows all of the information. Oh, and he has more money then he knows what to do with. And did I mention that he is drop dead gorgeous?

2. A Scary, Super Sexy, Obsessive Redhead

I know that red can symbolize many different things, such as anger and passion. And Drina encompasses both of these qualities. Like Victoria in the Twilight series, Drina is obsessed with keeping Ever and Damen apart. It is because Drina loves Damen, but still, close enough.

3. Magical Psychic Powers

Ever can read everyone's mind that she is around except for, you guessed it, Damen's! Granted it is a different lead character in this series, but it's still exactly the same.

There are some differences however,

1. Ghostly Sightings

Ever has suffered a tragedy. As the reader, you feel bad for her. But as you continue reading it begins to get a little far fetched when you learn the Ever talks daily to her dead little sister. It is nice that they have such a loving, wonderful relationship that they do not want to separate. But, by the end of the book you are yelling "Go into the light!"

2. Location

The Twilight series takes place in dreary, rainy Forks, Washington. The Immortals series takes place in sunny Southern California. You kind of hope there will be an amazing star sighting somewhere along the line just to break up the craziness.

With all of that negativity being said, the story was good. It just wasn't as good as Twilight. It begins a little slow, but the ending saves it. If you haven't read Twilight or seen the movie, the please read this book, because it is a good, quick read. But if you had read Twilight, then be prepared to be comparing the two books the entire time you are reading.

Dear Mr. Patterson

Dear James Patterson,

Do you write your own books anymore or do you just put your name on someone else's book so that you can rake in the dough? I have a feeling that it is all about the money. And for that sir, I am disappointed in you.

I have been a faithful reader of your books for as far back as I can remember. I have read all of the Alex Cross novels. I have consumed all the the Women's Murder Club Series (and I know Ms. Peatro shares credit for those). I was transported back in time with King Tut, and became immersed in many of your other wonderful mysteries.

But do you know what can make a book even more amazing then it being an amazing thrill ride story? The anticipation of waiting for the next book in your favorite series because the author needed time to make it exactly perfect. I don't think that your book, PRIVATE, encompasses this love and perfection anymore. I believe that the reason I see a new release from James Patterson every month is because you want to make a cold, hard buck.

I believe that you are better than that. You are, when you choose to be, a masterful writer. However, the latest book that I have read from you does not show your outstanding writing ability.

Recently, I read PRIVATE, and although, at times, it was a page turner, these times were few and far between. Most of the time it was just all over the place. IT WAS THREE UNRELATED MYSTERIES IN ONE! You only really needed one. You could have focused on the housewife turned whore and drug addict. You could have created an evil mastermind in the School Girl Killers, which could have created another bestselling series for you. I have no idea how the NFL betting storyline fit into the novel. Maybe you could have done with 2 of these mysteries but three was just overkill.

For a first novel there was not enough character development. I understand that Jack, the main character, had many demons. But let's face it, it was hard for both the reader and Jack to keep everything straight. PTSD from the war in Afghanistan, an abusive father, and an evil twin. Really? An evil twin?

I am sorry Mr. Patterson. I will eagerly wait another Lindsey Boxer novel, and will quickly devour another Alex Cross novel. I also hope for a sequel to Witch and Wizard, but I do not need another PRIVATE story. I am fine having just read this one.

Your faithful but somewhat disappointed reader

My Amazing Achievement

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Boys and Girls!

My one lonely but still amazing blog reader!

I have an amazing announcement for you! I have finished reading

2 books

in the span of one week! Now, normally, this would not be an amazing fete for me, BUT my To Do list every week tends to look like this...

And now keep in mind that you can't see the bottom of the page! With that being said, LET THE REVIEWS BEGIN!

First, Crave by J.R. Ward.

Now, I LOVE a good J.R. Ward novel. Usually it is like I have super glued the book to my hands and am unable to put it down. I don't want to sleep; I don't want to eat. But for some reason not with this novel. I can only think of 2 reasons as to why.

#1- The Actual Plot!

It was so slow! It was boring, and it was unbelievable. And it just kept going on and on and on. I just couldn't relate the story to the previous and first book in the series. Also there were so many sub plots that everything began to get confusing. You would believe that the story was ending and then there would be a new, even more unimaginable twist than the first.

# 2 - The Characters

Again, unbelievable. Which I find very weird for an author who writes about a band of VAMPIRES! who I love and sometimes find myself believing to be real people. I root for those vampires; I cry for them and I bask in their triumphs. But the REAL PEOPLE in this book are just unimaginable. A special ops soldier who only wants to be saved from the horrible things he has done? Ok, maybe I can see that. But a privileged defense attorney who talks to her dead drug addict brother and falls madly in love with and sleeps with a man she doesn't even know after 12 hours? No! I would just call that woman a messed up idiot.

In all honesty, I have no idea how to review this book. I got through it but it took me what I deem to be forever for a 350 page book. If you are a lover of J.R. Ward like I am then please be prepared. And warned. But also, don't let this review stop you from reading her novel. Just keep it in mind as you do.

Tomorrow, I will review Private by James Patterson and Maxine Peatro.

Bad Blogger

This is my list of school work for the week. This is just reading and daily homework. It does not include projects and papers. Who misses their college days?

Apparently, I am the worst blogger EVER! I am doing my best to read but the school work just never seems to end! Hopefully I will be able to finish Crave by J. R. Ward this weekend. (Girls, always let your fiances/husbands go on guys only weekends. It means you can do what ever you want and watch whatever tv you want. It is kind of exciting.)

I will keep you updated. But rest assured my faithful follower, I will be reading more soon.

Will school just end so that I can read?!

I have finished two books recently and one was for school. It was only a 6th grade reading level. I had to create lesson plans for it (as I am sure you are guessing, it was super fun). So I will review it for the little ones.

The book was Holes. Now I know what you are thinking, "This is a movie. Why read the book when I can just watch the movie?" Well, the book is always better then the movie. I mean if you want something to be at its best, you always want the original. The book was super cute considering it was a children's book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The chapters are short, the characters are likable, and it is an easy read. It is a great book to read along with you children. Or if you are like me, read it to create fake lesson plans. Now, I haven't seen the movie, but how can you not love Shia Labeouf? And he is the lead character, Stanley Yelnats, in the movie. So enough said about the children's book.

The second book that I have read recently was a book by Sherrilyn Keynon. It is entitled Night Embrace. I have a thing for paranormal romance novels, as you can probably tell from the types of books that I review. BUT this novel has some scenes that are so far fetched they are half way to the moon. I was shocked at some of the sex scenes and the dialog between the characters.

At one point the main character, Talon, tells the female lead, Sunshine, that he just wants to ravish her for the entire afternoon and she says yes! At this point they proceed to have sex for hours on end. COME ON! When would this ever happen? And if it did, would you not think bad thoughts about the people who participated? The word slut comes to mind. I am all for embracing your sexuality and having fun, but not with someone you just met. Although it is fiction, it should be shown as safe and careful.

One of the best things about romance novels is the relationships, not the sex scenes. Keynon should work on making believable romances and not sex scenes that make you blush as you read.

With that said, I still enjoyed the story. Keynon can write a page-turner. I think I will still read the third book in this 20 or so series. Hopefully this book with have more romance and less sex for the sake of sex.

I have been reading, I swear.

So apparently, I have been spending so much time reading that I have not been on in I don't know how long to update my reviews! But I have been reading. I promise. I really have.

I have read the ENTIRE Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. And I loved it! It is definitely a must read. You will laugh you tushie off, and get so wrapped up in the romantic relationships that you will not be able to put the books down. I have to admit that I read a book a day. My poor fiance had to eat nothing but sandwiches for 2 weeks! I just could not bring myself to stop reading and get my lazy butt off the couch.

In July, I bought myself a Nook, the e reader from Barnes & Noble (this just reminds me how long it has been since I have updated my blog). And Barnes & Noble had an amazing sale this summer in which owners of the Nook got free classics. So I scooped up as many as I could. And so far I have read three of them.

• Dracula
• Tarzan of the Apes
• Treasure Island

Let me start with Treasure Island since it was the one I liked the least. I will admit that this book took me a long time to get through. I am not sure why. I just couldn't get into the story. And I had a very hard time understanding the dialect of the pirates. I realize that the pirates are not going to speak perfect academic English, but come on! It was very hard to get through. The story did clear up some things for me. The "Black Spot" for one thing. You hear about it in every pirate movie that was ever made, but now I know the origin of it! And Long John Silvers is in the story. It gave me quite a chuckle to think that the seafood fast food restaurant was named after a character in this book. I feel as though this is more a book for boys as opposed to girls.

I LOVED Tarzan of the Apes. Disney got it wrong, and I feel like they let me down. I could believe all of the things that Disney left out of the story. I know that they did this for the sake of the children who were watching it because some of the scenes were quiet graphic, but I feel as though now the movie is quite lacking. The ending surprised me though. I would never in a million years have guessed how the story would end. And I was saddened by it. This book moved me in ways that I never could have imagined. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone! I have already recommended it to my Partner in Crime.

Dracula has always been a book that I have wanted to read. I was not disappointed. It was a little slow in the beginning and for a few chapters in the middle as well, but that could happen in any book. I will say that the ending was very abrupt especially after all of the hype. I think Dracula is a must read! But if I were to read it again, I would spend Halloween day reading it in preparation of the holiday.

The last book I finished reading was the first book in the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Its called Night Pleasures. Of course its a supernatural romance novel, but don't let this stop you. The scenes in this book are amazing. And unlike some romance novels the background story is clear and makes sense. As the reader you want the couple to be together and over come all the odds. There is one problem I discovered though. This book contains a lot of facts to provide the background story. It can get confusing, but its worth it. And because I got this book on the Nook it contained a few typos. The story is still understandable, but typos always bother me in books. That is why they have editors!

I think that is everything. I am currently reading the second book in the Dark Hunters Series. I will also make sure to blog regularly. I don't want it to be month before I get to share more books.

One for the Money

What could be better then a story about a brand new bounty hunter? O, and did I add that she is tracking down the man who took her virginity behind the eclair counter in the local bakery?

Stephanie Plum is the heroine in this great murder mystery. Janet Evanovich, the author, gives Plum a great sense of humor. Evanovich knows how to write characters a person can understand. You hate the characters who are the bad guys and love the good guys. Evanovich makes it very clear who is good and who is bad, no matter what side they may be on in the plot.

It's a murder mystery with a great sense of dry humor. You laugh your ass off while Plum is chasing down the killer. And don't get confused. You will still be sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for Plum to catch the bad guy and collect her finder's fee.

I can't wait for the second book in this series. The grandmother in this series, Grandma Mazer, is funny, and from what I have been told, she only gets better with age. I can't wait to see what she does in the later books.

Read this! You are in for a treat.

grave sight

(Mom and I at dinner. She recommended my next book selection.)

Today I finished grave sight by Charlaine Harris. I decided to pick up this series, staring Harper Connelly, because I loved Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels.

Harper is a young woman who has been struck by lightening and can now sense dead bodies. She travels the country with her step-brother Tolliver helping people to find the bodies of their loved ones and tell the grieving how the death came about.

I enjoyed the novel, because it still contained Harris' sense of humor throughout the book. I did figure out the end but Harris lead me to it. Something I did think was kinda weird was the relationship between Harper and Tolliver. He called her things like "baby" and "honey". It was weird. I mean, I love my little brother but I am not calling him "honey" for any reason.

I am going to pick up the second book in the series in a few days. I enjoy a good mystery, especially when relaxing with a book on the beach. Harris definitely delivers that. Plus the books are such easy reads that if you sit and read for an hour, you just polished off 100 pages. Reading that fast can always make a person feel accomplished.

If you want a mystery with a twist, then please go pick up this series. You will not be disappointed.

Catching Up On My Reading.

Ok! I know it has been forever since my last post but I promise you that I have been reading. I have been doing so much reading I haven't had time to do much else. So since my last post I have read:

The is Jenna and I. She recommended

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo to me.

1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
2. Dead in the Family: A Sookie Stackhouse novel
3. A Touch of Dead: Sookie Stackhouse short stories
4. The Handmaid's Tale
5. 9th Judgement

See? I told you it was a lot!

As far as reviews gone I am going to try and keep these short and sweet. I guess to start, I will group together the Sookie Stackhouse novels. I love this series by Charlaine Harris. I love her characters, literally. I want to jump into the book and steal Eric Northman away from Sookie! Harris writes unique, original stories with a modern sense of humor. You get mystery, romance, funny anecdotes and characters you can relate to even if they are vampires, werewolves, fairies and of course, telepaths. Dead in the Family does not have as much suspense as some of the previous books, but it gives great incite into the relationships of the characters. Harris is building on the relationships she has written for her characters and I can not wait to see how it all plays out. There are 10 books in this series and I will preorder the 11th and wait with much anticipation! I thought A Touch of Dead was a cute idea. Of course, I loved the story envolving Eric Northman. (I know being in lust with a fictional character is crazy but after so many books I can't help it.) I did get a little confused when Harris was filling in some of the gaps from past books. So I would recommend to anyone who is beginning the series that if you have an old woman's memory like mine, read these stories where they fit into the series. This will avoid confusion.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was recommended to me by a friend, and I am not going to lie. For me the first 200 pages of this best selling thriller were slow and just set the background information. However, once I talked to said friend and to others who had read the book, it was only I who had this problem. Oh well. The story was good and kept me guessing right until the author, Steig Larsson, wanted the reader to know the truth. I have already bought the second novel in the series because even after about 650 pages the ending still leaves you wanting more!

9th Confession is the ninth book in the Women's Murder Club Series by James Patterson. (I really like series. What can I say?) I felt a little let down by this last book. Don't get me wrong. It was well written and fast paced and I love that. But the actual story was not as good as some others. I would recommend this series though. It has a cast of nothing but strong, independent women. They are hard working and successful in their fields. Begin with the first book in the series and I promise you will be hooked. Patterson writes his books with short 2 to 3 pages chapters. It makes all of his books super quick to read. If someone really wanted to (and I have), you can sit down and read one of his books in one evening.

Lastly, The Handmaid's Tale was a reading assignment for one of my classes. Well, I did my assignment. I read this book, but I am not totally sure that I understand what I read. The novel takes place in the future that is run by men and nothing but men. Women are seen as wombs and thats it! Just wombs! The woman's job was to make babies with the man who "owned" her. I am indepepdent and I like doing my own thing but I probably would not call myself a feminist. Maybe this is why I did not like this book (or maybe it is because I do not like the idea of being owned by a man as a sex object). Although the book was well written I read this book because it was an assignment and that was the only reason I finished it. It was an easy read however, and many parts of it were touching.

As always, I hoped you liked my recommendations and please feel free to let me know if you agree or disagree with anything I have said.

Lover Mine Review

The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward is one of my favorite book series. Everytime a new book comes out I can not wait to just sit down and devour it from cover to cover. The last installment in the series was no different. After waiting months for the cliffhanger ending in the previous book, Lover Avenged, to be resolved, the anticipation for Lover Mine was enormous! It was eating me alive! And author J.R. Ward did not disappoint. The book had the action scenes that are to be expected in the bortherhood series, as well as the romantic scenes that any woman can enjoy. As a reader, you are grabbed into the book from the very beginning and it does not let you go until the very last page.

I don't know what else to really say about the book. I loved it. I highly recommend the entire series. (The first book in the series is entitled Dark Lover.) My friends all love the books as well. We always pass them around and can not wait to discuss the stories.

My First Post

While having a discussion with my fiance about how much I love to read. Some how during the conversation I mentioned how I always wanted to write the book review's the are published in the newspaper. My fiance said that I should start a blog and post my feelings on the books that I have read, so here it is.

I am not going to focus just on new releases. I am going to read any and everything that seems interesting to me at the time. I have just finished reading Lover Mine by J.R. Ward. A post is soon to follow.

I hope you enjoy.