Keep Me by Anna Zaires (Twist Me #2)

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Dark, Romance
Publication Date: September 30th 2014
POV: Alternating - First-person, Present tense
Smut-O-Meter: 10 out of 10
My Rating: Did Not Finish

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Abducted at eighteen. Held captive for 15 months.

It reads like one of those headlines. And yes, I did it. I stole her. Nora, with her long dark hair and silky skin. She’s my weakness, my obsession.

I’m not a good man. I never pretended to be one. She can love me, but she can’t change me.

I can, however, change her.

My name is Julian Esguerra, and Nora is mine to keep.

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I absolutely loved Twist Me by Anna Zaires, and I wrote it a glowing review. I had been impatiently waiting for the sequel, Keep Me, for nearly a year, and doing everything I could to help promote Anna Zaires and her books.

Twist Me was dark and uncomfortable. And although I did not enjoy the BDSM aspects, or the "hero", I was impressed by the psychology of the story, and the way that it played with my emotions.

When I began Keep Me, I still felt uncomfortable with Julian, but I figured it would pass because the story and relationship between Julian and Nora was enough to distract me from any squick factors. I continued to read but it just got worse. Everything Julian said and did disgusted me, and when he took Nora in the gym, I had had enough.

I could not see it as a 'love my captor' story anymore. No matter how I looked at it, I could not see it as a story that intended to entertain. All I saw was an abused and severely traumatized woman who was being used by a monster. I began to see all the woman stuck in abusive relationship, who stay because they think he will change, because they think it is what they deserve, because they are afraid of the consequences of leaving. I can no longer find enjoyment in the glamorization of abuse that is very real for many trapped women.

Sometime between now and when I read Twist Me, I must have experienced a paradigm shift. I cannot explain it. I have longtime enjoyed stories like this, that stir emotions both good and bad, but I think perhaps this just reached a limit I didn't know I had. I quit at 28%. But I will still be following Anna Zaires closely, and reading any more books she releases (not Hold Me, book 3). I still support her efforts and I am really looking forward to more Krinar books.

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young (On Dublin Street #1)

Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publication Date: August 31st 2012
POV: Female - First-person, Past tense
My Rating: Did Not Finish

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Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare…

Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.

Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.

But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to the very soul.

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When I first started this book I was pretty excited. It had a good story setup and I was interested in Joss' life and where things would lead, with getting a new apartment and introducing new people into her life. She had a tragic past but it didn't overwhelm the story like some other tragic heroines in contemporaries tend to do. Although I wasn't entirely won over by Joss herself, I enjoyed Ellie, and Braden seemed to have a lot of potential too.

Joss thought he was an ass but I thought that he was sweet, just a bit overly flirty. He was kind to everyone, and showed concern to Joss on more than one occasion. Especially when she had the panic attack at Ellie's mom's place, and when James showed up at her apartment and Braden gave her his number in case she needed anything. He seemed to actually care about her despite his serial dating. I could see it was a long book and suspected that most of that time would be taken up by Braden trying to break through her walls. *sigh* Nope.

45% into the book Braden lays it out for Joss. He wants to have sex with her. A LOT! He doesn't care about a relationship and he refused to give her emotional support in return. And she agrees! Suddenly Braden has become the ass that Joss saw all along, although Joss seems to have suddenly forgotten. I guess he had me fooled. Now I hate him and I cant even force myself to read the sex scene that follows. Being ordered around by some loser who wants to use you for sex but refuses to give you anything in return does not sound like my idea of a good sex scene. The thought of reading the rest of that scene repulses me, let along the rest of the book. I am sure he does care about her or there would be no story. But I don't care, I just cant read this. Its derogatory IMO.

Also, Joss is one of those women who is smokin' hot but doesn't know it, which is super tedious. She is told by both Ellie and Braden how hot she is but she still doesn't seem to believe it. When she first realized that she was getting Braden's attention, she wondered why. She lists all her physical features, inventorying them, and I am thinking Damn! She sounds fine. But then she's like, "I'm nothing special." How stupid can she really be? The whole thing just makes me gag.

Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead (Age of X #1)

Genres: Adult, Sci-fi, Dystopian, Fantasy/Mythology
Publication Date: June 4th 2013
POV: Alternating
Smut-O-Meter: 5 out of 10
My Rating: Did Not Finish

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In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of Xseries, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.

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I don't rate DNF books, but if I did I would probably give this 1 star. It didn't captivate me, but the story was probably the best part of the book. In a futuristic world where religion is closely monitored and almost outlawed, Justin is a servitor, someone who investigates religions and shuts down the dangerous ones. He is sort of a mentalist, and is helping solve serial murders which are believed to have religious connections. But, the strange thing is, that gods are real. And Justin knows it. There is involvement from Greek, Roman, and Norse gods. I don't know if they are good or bad, or involved with the murders since I didn't finish the book, but they are there.

The story moved really slowly, it reads like a detective novel and really didn't keep my interest. I didn't like the writing style either. It was distant, and formal, and reminded me a lot of the one Kathy Reichs book I read. I did not enjoy it so that is not a compliment. The writing really did not feel connected to the characters at all. I felt like I was just watching from a distance. Like I was reading a history book.

I also found it really really difficult to understand the world I was in. I don't know how far in the future this is supposed to be set, but I imagine its pretty far, since the country names are different. But Richelle Mead didn't even seem to bother trying to help us adjust. She threw us into this world and didn't try to explain it. I had no idea what was going on and I could not follow most of the conversations because half the words were new to me. It was really frustrating, and whatever small motivation I had to continue reading disappeared in my confusion. I don't remember the narration ever, even once, stopping to explain a new term to us. I would prefer info-dumping over this. I still have no idea if she was using the word patrician in the traditional way. And even if she was, this is a futuristic America. An explanation of the new context would have been nice. I really couldn't get a grasp of what was happening, or the characters because of this.

But I didn't care for the characters anyway. I am almost seething when I think of them. At first, I thought Mae was the main character, because the first chapter was from her POV, but then it began to alternate with Justin, and more of them were from Justin's POV. The chapter POV ratio was probably 3:1. Justin was smart, but he was disgusting to me. He was a horrible MC. He was a rude, womanizing ass with a drug problem. Seriously! He makes me so angry! He thinks its a good time to end up unconscious on the floor of a seedy bar. And he is so arrogant and full of himself and just blah! Then there is Mae, who is also arrogant but not because of her intelligence, but because of her upbringing, or heritage, or caste. I dont even know which one because this is one of the things about the book that I couldn't understand. She was so stuck up and proud. She thought she was so much better than everyone else. Too good for Justin. Normally I would say everyone is too good for Justin, but when you start acting like a bitch, then you don't really have the right to say that.

There were also occasional chapters from the POV of Tessa. A sixteen year old girl who was Justin's ward and I have no idea what her relevance was. But when I stopped reading, at 42%, she still didn't seem important. She was an ok character, but nothing special. She was smart, like Justin, so maybe she will help them later on in the book or the series. I don't care and I don't intend to find out.

The characters in this were so repulsive, and the storytelling so frustrating, that when I see the cover of the book it nearly makes me nauseous. I am no longer as excited to read Vampire Academy as I was before. The story and characters may be better, but I don't know if that alone will be enough to make me read it, if the writing-style is anything like in this.

“You can put on as many airs as you want, but in the end, that dress is the same as you: an old, cheap design dressed up to look like its worth more than it is.”

Sever by Lauren DeStefano (The Chemical Garden #3)

Genres: Young Adult, Sci-fi, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Romance
Publication Date: February 12th 2013
POV: Female - First-person, Present tense
My Rating: Did Not Finish

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With the clock ticking until the virus takes its toll, Rhine is desperate for answers. After enduring Vaughn’s worst, Rhine finds an unlikely ally in his brother, an eccentric inventor named Reed. She takes refuge in his dilapidated house, though the people she left behind refuse to stay in the past. While Gabriel haunts Rhine’s memories, Cecily is determined to be at Rhine’s side, even if Linden’s feelings are still caught between them.

Meanwhile, Rowan’s growing involvement in an underground resistance compels Rhine to reach him before he does something that cannot be undone. But what she discovers along the way has alarming implications for her future—and about the past her parents never had the chance to explain.

In this breathtaking conclusion to Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden trilogy, everything Rhine knows to be true will be irrevocably shattered.

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I enjoyed Wither enough to keep going with the series. It made me a bit uncomfortable, but I was curious about Rhine and Gabriel's fate. So I read Fever and enjoyed it more. There was little or no Linden, several locales, and much more romance developed between Rhine and Gabriel and it was totally adorable. It had so much more progress in Rhine's life overall, compared to Wither, which was stagnant in comparison. Of course it was all undone with one move by Vaughn in the end. But with only one book left in the series, and with so much left to accomplished, I figured Sever would be full of excitement. But 100 pages in and I still have to suffer through Linden's presence, and there is still no sign of Gabriel, and no sign that Rhine will be going after him or Rowan any time soon. I hate how the book portrays Linden as a sympathetic character. In the first book he was portrayed as kind, although he impregnated a 13 year-old. Its a contradiction but I figured it didn't matter, because I figured he didn't matter. But 2 books later and Rhine's world still seems to revolve around Linden. His role in the series isn't what I thought it would be. He completely disgusts me and I couldn't take it anymore. What finally tipped me over the edge was this line:

"I don't know that I could ever love [Gabriel] the way that Linden and Cecily are in love, or the way Linden and Rose were."

WTF?! You think impregnating a barely pubescent girl twice in quick succession, causing her to nearly die is love? You think his love for two girls within a year could grow stronger than you could love Gabriel in a lifetime? Gabriel who is actually worthy? If Linden had actually loved Rose or Cecily his relationship with his other wives would have seemed wrong to him. He had absolutely no sense of fidelity. If he didn't love them, then I understand it may not have occurred to him that what he was doing was wrong, because that's just how the world is now. But if he loved Cecily, he would not have been making any attempt to reconcile with Rhine. So if Rhine cant love Gabriel as much as Linden can love, than the fault is solely hers. She is defective and doesn't know the meaning of love. So I closed the book. I'm done.