Tag: book review
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Review: When to Hold Them (Bluewater Bay #9) by G.B. Gordon
One of the things that I love about this series is that the creators of the world recognize that the entire town of Bluewater Bay does not revolve around the television show being filmed there, however much the characters mention the “Hollywood Invasion.” So much of the Pacific Northwest is…
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Review: ApocalyptiGirl: An Aria for the End Times by Andrew MacLean
A post-apocalyptic story starring a strong female character and her adorable pet cat? This should have been right up my alley. But despite the art being streamlined and stunning, the story never quite grabbed me. Though the internal narration conceit was very cool, it seems the author erred on the…
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Review: The Deep of the Sound (Bluewater Bay #8) by Amy Lane
I was thrilled to see that the next book in this series was by the same author (and featured the same characters) as my favorite story in the Valentine’s Day anthology, “Nascha.” In fact, that story takes place over the same time period as this novel, and it was fun…
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Review: Lights, Camera, Cupid! (Bluewater Bay #6)
“Just Another Day” by L.A. Witt: I loved this quick check-in with our first Bluewater Bay couple, actors Carter and Levi. Levi is his usual cantankerous and loveable self, Carter is still too perfect for words, and I’d be jealous of those cats if I didn’t own three ridiculous Siamese…
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Review: Intraterrestrial by Nicholas Conley
Disclaimer: I received a free electronic version of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. This is one of those speculative fiction books whose actually genre is hard to pin down. Though the medical issues lend a realistic air to the story, the adventure Adam embarks…
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Review: The Burnt Toast B&B (Bluewater Bay #5) by Heidi Belleau & Rachel Haimowitz
First, the elephant in the room. One of the heroes of this tale is a transgender (female-to-male) character. I’m actually glad that this is not hinted at in the back-cover blurb, and that I found it out naturally (very early on in the book). It put a different slant on…
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Review: Before the Awakening (Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens) by Greg Rucka
Finn’s story: This story, while well-written in the technical sense, was by far the weakest of this trio. If not for my husband encouraging me onward, I might have put the entire book down. I understand that the book was released before the film, and that the authors don’t necessarily…
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Review: Lone Wolf (Bluewater Bay #4) by Aleksandr Voinov & L.A. Witt
As a professional author and former fanfic writer, this novel was an odd sort of wish-fullfillment romance that I never knew I wanted. Reading it was both fascinating and oddly bizarre, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. Reading about other authors and their process is always an interesting experience, because I…
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Review: Hell on Wheels (Bluewater Bay #3) by Z.A. Maxfield
Characters can make or break any book, but especially romances, and the characters in this book shined. Though both of them come from worlds far from my experience, Nash and Spencer were guys I could relate to, guys I could cheer for. And even better, neither of them existed in…
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Review: The Weapon of a Jedi (Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens) by Jason Fry
This book boiled down to “Just how did Luke get so good at using a lightsaber, anyway?” Which is an important question to ask, in the continuity between the films A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Unfortunately, the reality of the the limitations established in the Star Wars…
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Review: There’s Something About Ari (Bluewater Bay #2) by L.B. Gregg
This novella was a fun, quick read with striking characters that I devoured in one sitting. I appreciated that it didn’t follow the traditional romance genre formula, because there was no “meet-cute.” No slow burn between characters as knowledge and attraction deepen. Instead, this was the metaphorical final five minutes…
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Review: “Christmas Past” (Chronicles of St. Mary’s short story) by Jodi Taylor
Though this review won’t get posted until after the holiday itself, this story was easily one of my favorite Christmas presents this year. Taylor blows me away with her ability to weave humor and heartbreak into the same passages. Though this story didn’t have quite as much of the usual…
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Review: Starstruck (Bluewater Bay #1) by L.A. Witt
This is an excellent introduction to the Bluewater Bay shared-universe romance series, giving us just enough information about the town of Bluewater Bay and the television show Wolf’s Landing to provide a taste for more. This book also does a great job of showing how major Hollywood stars are human just…
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Review: Smuggler’s Run (Star Wars: Journey to the Force Awakens) by Greg Rucka
This young adult novel was a well-written and well-crafted story set between two of the films in the original Star Wars trilogy. All of the battle scenes, whether shoot-outs on ground or ship-to-ship battles in space, were dramatic and clearly written. The plot flowed at a good pace. Unfortunately, I…
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Review: It Takes Two to Tumble (Seducing the Sedgwicks #1) by Cat Sebastian
This was a fantastic look at how two people who might otherwise have nothing in common develop a natural and loving relationship. At times, Ben came across as a little too perfect. Luckily, Phillip balanced this out by becoming a sympathetic character without losing any of the thorny character traits…
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December Wrap-Up & January Goals
Happy new year from all of us at Casa Siamese! Though you won’t see this post until it goes live on Wednesday morning, I’m writing it late Monday afternoon with a tummy full of amazing New Year’s Day brunch and a hot mug of tea. I’m excited to start 2018…
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Review: Outside the Lines (Bluewater Bay #22) by Anna Zabo
Disclaimer: I am friends with the author of this novel; however, I purchased the ebook for full price. My metric for how I view a good romance novel has turned into whether the interpersonal relationships are occurring between mature adults. I don’t have time for whiny teenage angst produced by…
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Review: Moving Target (Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens) by Cecil Castellucci & Jason Fry
This was an excellent Star Wars young adult novel that succeeds at showing realistic decisions that must be made in war, and how people involved in those wars end up making essential decisions regardless of how much power or authority they might have. I also appreciated that Princess Leia is…
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Review: Shattered Empire (Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens) by Greg Rucka
One of my biggest pet peeves about most war movies is how the characters celebrate at the end of a big battle as if everything is going to be easy from there on out. This graphic novel shows how the opposite is the case and does an excellent job of…