Book Review: Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout

ARC received in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.

If you know me, you know I love KPop. And I was so flipping pumped when I got approved for this book. But then the negative reviews started and I got a little bit apprehensive about it. But I charged ahead and I read this book anyways.  Let's just say that the negative reviews are well deserved.

Quick Summary: Grace moves to South Korea to get away from the drama of her family. It's spontaneous and crazy but she can't handle life anymore with her mother and her past. She enrolls in an international boarding school and finds herself immediately taking a liking to her exuberant roommate, Sophie. But Sophie's twin brother is a music star and is cocky beyond belief. He has a right to be though. He's famous, gorgeous and obviously talented. 

But Grace moved to Korea to get away from the music industry that her family is so entrenched in and she wants nothing to do with Jason. Being friends with Sophie means that she has to get along with her brother though and soon a grudging alliance forms. Grace realizes, after spending so much time with Jason, that not all is as it seems and not everything in his world is perfect. Their bonding sparks a romance that crosses language barriers and obvious fatal flaws in each other.

I'm just going to come out and say it: Grace is a ridiculous spoiled brat of a bitch. She's blonde, skinny, pretty, and is a princess in the music industry. She can't sing or play instruments but she's *awesome* at composing and is fantastic at everything.

She has trust and panic issues but it isn't really enough to make her relatable as a character. I wish someone in the book would have told her to lay off and actually be respectful of Korean culture and her friends but that never happens.

Grace repeatedly bashes Korean culture and shows such American elitism it made me want to gag.

"So people do play Western music"

She never really makes an attempt to dive in headfirst and opts to complain about everything that they do in Korea. Women wear skirts during winter? *Judgement* Girls are skinnier than her? *Judgement* They like to listen to bubbly pop music? *EXCESSIVE JUDGEMENT*

"I’m not sure what I expected--that they would be good? Pop is in the name of the genre. That never bodes well for the quality of the music. But I guess I’d hoped since they’re a big deal, they would be more than your average bubblegum band. After ten songs, my brain is ready to explode."

Get off your high horse. You sound like a baby. And it's not that I don't like her music taste. It's actually pretty good stuff in my opinion. But there's no need to be that person that judges everybody based off of what they are playing and listening to.

I guess that out of everything about Grace that bothers me, the worst is her obvious disdain for everything that she hasn't been exposed to. She tries to flaunt her hipster cred at every opportunity and it made me want to punch her in the face. 

Moving on now to some other flagrant flaws in this book.

Jason flip flops. He doesn't have any real personality to me. One second, he is cold and removed and then he is apologizing. This author started with what could have been a strong character in him but seemed to sort of give up and try to make him nice. I like him mean and rude. I liked how he pushed Grace and made her lose her cool. Jason clearly just didn't care and that was part of his character and all of that changes very quickly. He turns from outwardly aggressive to making snide comments and trying to push everybody away.

Sophie is obnoxious as well. She's happy and bubbly (which is fine) but for being a "best friend" she abandons Grace for a guy. And then tries to hide it from everyone. I can understand hiding a relationship with your brother's best friend from him just so it doesn't get awkward, but don't sneak around and act like nothing is going on and lie to your roommate. Everybody knows. Just be honest.

Honestly, out of all the characters, I liked Yoon Jae the most. He came closest to what I expected out of a book about KPop and he is thrown under the bus as far as character development goes. Yes, he's the drummer of the group but maybe he got roped into something he didn't want too. Everybody treated him like he was the one that caused the tension but really, he was just as unhappy as Tae Hwa and Jason in the band. Doesn't anybody else consider his dreams too? He wanted to be an Idol and he had to play backup to a sexy singer. Yoon Jae could have grown so much more and could have competed a bit more for Grace but he is one of the most passive characters I've ever encountered.

It's telling when your favorite character is a secondary character that has little to no personality. But hey, he danced and he sang and he was what I wanted when it came to a Korean star.

The plot was rather weak as well (now that I've raged about the characters). Grace helps Jason with a music project and somehow ends up being her Korean tutor despite not being able to read Korean. And then later, magically, he can write in Korean. It doesn't make sense. Sophie drags Grace around the country following the guys like a groupie and it came off as desperate. Yes, you're there to support your brother but it's borderline stalker for the guy in the group you like. It seemed awkward and forced.

Grace's mother and father are obviously a point of contention throughout the book and Grace has some baggage that she's carrying around but it never felt real to me. It felt like a plot device throughout and it was too dragged out. She focused on it too much while there was other stuff going on. What about the concern for your roommate? Does she not matter anymore?

Ugh...sorry for the rage filled review. When I hate a book, I always find I have a lot more to say about it. I wanted sexy KPop. I got a little bit of drama and a whole lot of whining. Whatever, I'm over it. Crash and burn.

So this book definitely deserves the negative reviews. It portrays Americans as elitist and self centered. It barely shows any of the Korean culture. The main character is a complete bitch and her love interest is so contrived it's ridiculous.

All of that being said, if anybody has any suggestions for other books based on KPop, I'd love to hear them. I watch Korean dramas a lot and I love stuff like that so I would love some more input!

One Star

Book Review: Risking Ruin by Mae Wood

I was given this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I don't often do this, but I'm going to start with the blurb from Goodreads:

Marisa Tanner's most important client, multi-billion dollar family-owned Brannon Company, has been sued by nine of its employees for sexual harassment. Marisa is a pro at handling sexual harassment allegations, but will she be able to handle the CEO's prodigal son as well as she can handle the lawsuits?

Clients are off-limits and Marisa could lose her law license and livelihood, but Memphis playboy Trip keeps making strong plays for her. Their attraction is undeniable and chemistry electric. Can she have her career and Trip, too, or will she have to choose?

A steamy debut novel by Mae Wood, "Risking Ruin" is a standalone novel that blends the styles of chick-lit and steamy contemporary romance to create a world filled with strong characters in the lush environment of Memphis, Tennessee.

Risking Ruin by Mae Wood was a great, fun read and it was one of the books that got me out of my reading slump. The characters have real personality and this isn't just one of those books where the main character can't love her man because reasons. There is a real worry in their relationship and it avoids all of the major pitfalls of modern romance novels.

I love the cover (obviously, since it is my favorite color) and I am usually not a fan of drawn covers. This one was well done and relates to the story line of the book. It isn't just two generic people holding onto each other or almost kissing like every Nicholas Sparks book written. It's cute and eye catching to me.

Marisa is a strong woman who stands on her own two feet, running her law firm, and being very good at it.

She loves her job and loves being the boss but when her biggest client's representative retires, she finds her world shaken up. Marisa strives to be professional and respected, keeping her clients at an appropriate distance. It's amazing how one man can change all of that.

Trip Brannon is one hell of a man, after all, and he is hard to put in the box that the rest of her clients reside in. He won't let her put him in that box and he is not shy about his affections. Marisa sees him as an entitled playboy with no real focus in life. He seems to drift around and the only reason he is working at his new position is that he will one day inherit the company.

Trip isn't some aggressive dominant alpha male, which was awesome. Don't get me wrong, I love my cavemen but it was refreshing to encounter a male lead who isn't shoving his love interest up against the wall and claiming her as his property. He is respectful and charming like all properly raised Southern men should be. He is a gentleman with a naughty side. He is the man you take home to meet your mother and grandmother who will stay after to help you with the dishes. He is your dinner party guest. He is your plus one at your friend's wedding. Trip is the gentleman in the streets but a freak in the sheets. 

Do you know how rare that is? Yes, Southern men have a reputation for all of this but for them to actually achieve this is beyond rare. He isn't a perfect man but he is genuine and that's what makes him a compelling character.

I know this is a weird thing to fixate on, but I have to mention it. In so many books, especially romance novels, the main characters are fit beyond imagination but you never actually witness them maintaining their shape. I loved that both Marisa and Trip were active. You want to stay healthy? Good. Work for it. Marisa is a runner. Trip is a cyclist. 

Thank you, Mae Wood, for making realistic characters that know the meaning of hard work and the benefits of staying active. They aren't staying in shape by shagging all hours of the night and that's wonderful. Nobody just *gets* a six pack. Those are earned and it sucks getting there.

But onto the story, now that I've gone on about the characters.

Being a lawyer is tough and it can only be made tougher by having a ridiculously hot client. Client/Lawyer relationships are off limits though and Marisa doesn't want to lose a client over a pretty face. There is real danger here to her career. What would the professional world think about her dropping a multi-million dollar client just so she can go at it with the CEO's son? It could potentially ruin her. Especially with the case she is dealing with.

The company has been hit with a string of sexual harassment cases over the past few months and with a big company, that's not all that uncommon. What is strange is the man who is the latest of being accused. Sure, he's a bit of a flirt but nothing as extreme as the case is alleging. Marisa's radar is up and with the help of her assistant, she finds out that this case is a lot bigger than she imagined. It goes a lot further than sexual harassment cases at work. I certainly didn't expect the outcome!

I loved that Marisa didn't do everything on her own. She asks for help from her friends and family and gets it. She knows that she isn't all powerful and she can't do it all so she relies on others. This isn't a rogue lawyer that don't need no stinking assistance. This is a big deal and she is overwhelmingly professional. She keeps the personal drama out of her work life which is where it belongs. There was more to this book than just romance and I was just as eager to find out about the lawsuits as I was to learn more about Trip and Marisa.

Their relationship, while it seems a bit like insta-love at the beginning, takes some time to develop. Trip is definitely the pursuer but Marisa doesn't let him push her around. He gives her the space she needs to think it over but he also doesn't let her forget him. Trip makes sure that he is at the front of her mind and is very successful at it. I loved the restaurant scenes. So incredibly hot. I'd be freaking out if my man did that to me and nowhere near as composed as Marisa was. I mean, hot damn.

I even liked the fights that the characters had. They are incredibly realistic. I can see how some people would think Marisa is overreacting in some situations but you know what? I'd probably do the same thing. I'd react the exact same way except probably hold onto my anger for longer. Marisa has the right to be upset and confused in these situations and Trip doesn't just get out scot free.

So overall, a good romantic story and well written as well! The characters are realistic and you find yourself cheering for them.

There are emotions, conflict, attraction, lust (definitely) and consequences. There is a real story to go with a charming romance and I loved that it was set in Memphis which can be a fun city. The landmarks and descriptions were great and I could definitely picture myself there although I was somewhat disappointed that there was no mention of Central Barbecue. I mean...come on. That place is effing magical. And Gus's. Those two are just as iconic as the Rendezvous.

Anyways...4/5 stars. I enjoyed it thoroughly. :-)

Book Review: Skeletal by Kathering Hayton

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

What the hell did I just read?

I'm still in shock. This book was a whirlwind of action throughout and I have a lot of conflicting feelings about it.

Skeletal is a story of a girl who was lost. Daina moved from town to town with her mother, changing schools three to four times a year, running from problems and never putting down roots. Daina is heavily independent and tries desperately to maintain control of her hectic life. She tries to prevent her mother from spending all of their money on alcohol and keeps her grades up. She never expected a bully to turn on her and make her life a living hell.

But this is much more than a bullying story. Daina is a fighter and she strives to make the struggles in her life building blocks. She tries to make friends and is happy for a short while. Life has a way of going to hell really quick and despite her best efforts, Daina gets sucked down a road that she never wanted to go down.

Daina is an interesting character but I struggled with her age, among other things. She was 14 in all of this. I understand that she had to grow up quick because of the life that she had but it felt too extreme. She didn't react in a relatable way. Certain things that would drive most teenagers into a panic barely phased her. I can understand rolling with the bullying but she lets everybody take advantage of her. Her mother, her guidance counselor, the bullies, the creepy guy in the bushes...I won't go further. She was a doormat. 

All the rest of the characters were severely twisted. Who does this? Even adults don't do this! It's so messed up. Maybe I am having issues with this because I've never experienced bullying in this extreme but I feel like most people haven't either. 

The administration of this school is unbelievable at best. NO SCHOOL WOULD IGNORE WHAT IS GOING ON. No school. At all. Know why? Lawsuits. The school would be shut down in a hot minute. And then teachers and administration and principals would be fired and possibly go to jail. It's simply not logical.

There were just so many plot holes. 

The paranormal element in this book was understated at best and left me a little underwhelmed. There was really no reason for the way things played out and I can understand having a ghost as a plot device but it didn't feel fully realized.

The end of the book was rushed and the conclusion was never fully explained. There was too much suspense and building on the front end to justify the conclusion.

In the end, I couldn't connect with the characters and there were too many missing parts for me to enjoy this book. Maybe I'm in a bad mood but this book was not for me.

Book Review: Guilt Trip by Maggie Farrell

Alright y'all...I know I went AWOL for a week or two but I have a really good reason!  I was down at the beach and didn't have a lick of internet access besides what was on my phone.  We spent the entire week eating good fried food, walking on the beach, collecting shells and generally having a nice relaxing time.  Oh, and....

Yup! I got engaged over the weekend.  He proposed at the beach Saturday morning while we were on vacation and it was perfect.  Everybody I know is really excited but apparently I have been remiss in my upbringing as a Southern Lady as I do not have a date, location, caterer, cake and wedding colors already picked out and on deck.  Ah, well at least I have some ideas.  The color pink is already off the table as well as there is a requirement of bourbon and or scotch to be at the reception.  I think I can accommodate both fairly well.

Moving onto a book review.  This isn't a wedding blog, it's a book blog!  Time to get back into the rhythm of things and I have lots of books coming your way!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review through the Goodreads group, Lovers of Paranormal.

I've honestly been in a bit of a reading slump as far as Read 2 Review stuff goes.  It has been hard to find a really good well thought out book that was intriguing enough to keep me happy with it.  This book broke all my expectations and blew me out of the water!

Guilt Trip by Maggy Farrell is sort of an unassuming book at first.  It is about a young girl who is suffering from Survivor's Syndrome after she escapes a car wreck and her mother does not.  As a way to take her mind off things, her father takes her on a holiday while he photographs the geologic features of the English moorlands and judges a photography competition.  Melissa has been struggling to cope with the events of the last year and is medicated to take the edge off the hallucinations and nightmares that plague her.

Melissa thinks it is just another symptom cropping up when she starts to recall memories that aren't hers but when they start to involve the older yet attractive landlord of the hotel, she realizes that something much more than nightmares is going on.

The cover itself isn't all that thrilling but as I understand it, it is a depiction of some interesting limestone cave features that are somewhat prominent in the book.  I loved that this book included so much as far as geology.  It helps place the setting well and adds to the spookiness of the book.  The pitch black of a cave is a great location for some of the action.

Melissa is a wonderful character to read, mostly because it is so easy to sympathize with her.  She is a victim from the beginning and plays the role well.  I mean, her mother died right in front of her.  I can understand how that would torment you and follow you around everywhere.  Melissa pushes her father away to some extent in order to protect him from her sad realities and instead becomes attached to a much older man.

Luke is somewhere in the range of 35 and she, I believe, is 16.  Yes, it's creepy.  Yes, it is a bit of insta-love but it really works in this context.  He is also the landlord so it adds some more of that forbidden nature to the relationship and local people keep saying that she reminds them of someone else that Luke was somehow connected to.

That's another well written aspect of this book.  There is a small town feel with small town gossip.  While people talk among themselves about rumors and scandal, they do not let outsiders in and that contributes to the thriller feel.  There are closed doors and whispers behind backs that make up a decent portion of the story.

And the plot twists.

This book cannot be predicted in any way.  In the middle of it, you are sort of going "Alright, so x, y, and z are going to happen" but it was so different that what I expected.  It had me flipping pages back and saying "No way!"  It takes a lot for a book to catch me off guard in such a way that it makes sense but this was perfectly done.

So overall, 4 out of 5 stars.  Some aspects of the story could have been written better but it was a great read.

Book Review: The Storm and the Darkness by Sarah M. Cradit (House of Crimson and Clover #1)

I received this book in exchange for an honest review through Lovers of Paranormal

The Storm and the Darkness by Sarah M. Cradit is a wonderful beginning to a series. You can sort of tell that it is a set up book where characters reveal themselves and settings are established, but it is well done. It never feels like you are walking through a receiving line at an event going "Hello, my name is _____ and I do _____ for a living and my emotional scars that have shaped me are ______, _____, and _____." The characters and their motivations are introduced slowly and appropriately. The reader is left to form their own opinions and that is awesome.

There is a lot to be said for a simple cover and this is a good example of one. There are no hidden images and no subtext that explains part of the plot.  It shows a storm and an island.  It implies isolation which is exactly what this book is all about.

Ana is a young woman who has left all of her life back in New Orleans in order to hide from her mistakes and protect her friends and family from them. When she arrives on Summer Island in Maine, she realizes quickly how radical a change she has made. Gone are the magnolias and proper manners of the South. Her neighbor, Jonathan St. Andrews, is cold and reclusive. His brother, Finn, is friendly enough but just the kind of man she was running away from. Alex is the old caretaker of the house she has moved into and is supremely helpful but decidedly odd.

What she has left behind is a lot of drama involving friends and family, including her dedicating and loving cousin, Nic. She says that she needed some space and a chance to break away from a sheltered life as a daughter of a wealthy business owner but what she really wants is a place where nobody knows who she is.

There is more to all of this than it seems. The island hides an awful secret and when a winter storm hits, everything is exposed.

This book is billed as paranormal but it isn't an overwhelming thing. The story had the potential to work without it but it was a lovely addition. It wasn't like some modern paranormal stuff where vampires, fae, and werewolves are leaping out of the woodwork and trying to kill people right off the bat. This is a thriller and mystery book with an element of the paranormal, not the other way around.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Looking forward to the next one!

The After House by Michael Phillip Cash

I hope everybody had a marvelous Halloween!  My family had a ridiculous marvelous party where we had homemade soup, a bonfire and lots of crazy costumes. I was the Evil Queen/Regina from Once Upon a Time and we had 3 other witches in my family, all from The Wizard of Oz. Their costumes were perfect because my aunt was Dorothy and she carried around Tara all night who loved all the attention.  Did you have fun on Halloween too? Costumes anyone?

Moving onto my review...

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

I have this thing about people/authors that use their full names.  It's very common here in the South and I feel like it makes me trust someone more, for some reason.  It's like "Here is my family history in my name and you can probably figure out who my father and grandfather are before introductions are over."  So when I saw that this author wanted reviewers, I was already inclined to read it.

Then I read what it was about.  A spooky haunted house?  A rogue sea captain ghost? Sign me up.

I love a good cover and this one was certainly lovely. I love that the house has a light on upstairs since it sort of pulls your eye into the center of the page, away from the boat.  That shows me, at least, that the majority of the plot will not be happening at sea in that tiny boat but in a house that is reflecting on the sea, if that makes sense.

This is an out and out ghost story.  Perfect for October.  Eli Gaspar is an old fishing captain with a tragic past that has been left in relative peace for the past few hundred years, occupying his 300 year old fishing cottage on the coast. He doesn't remember much of his past and that's ok with him.  Until Remy and Olivia move into his abode.

See, Eli doesn't much like change and his previous tenant was finally removed to an elderly care facility after revealing that he talked to Eli. Now Olivia, a precocious little girl, can see him and the new tenant Remy, is determined to stick it out by herself.

Remy is going through a difficult divorce with a crazy ex.  She wants to live on her own and show the world that she is strong and independent, especially her parents.  But things are getting weird in this big old house and her ex is acting erratically.

The After House is a good ghost story but it also has some wonderfully modern elements to it.  A woman is being stalked and the ghost is being protective.  The one aspect that I didn't really like were the guardian angels.  I think the plot could have stood on its own without them.  It would have made Eli a stronger character since he would have been making positive developmental changes on his own, without outside forces.  That being said, it really was a fantastic book.

4/5 stars.

Did y'all read anything for Halloween? Any other ghost stories?

Book Review: Frostbitten by Heather Beck

I received this book in exchange for an honest review through Lovers of Paranormal.

Frostbitten by Heather Beck is the story of a girl who moves to the middle of nowhere, shipped off by her mother.  Everything seems all perfect there with her grandparents, just as she remembers it.  But what things seem to be and what they are can be two different things altogether...

Let's start with the cover.

I know I nitpick covers.  I'm horrible about it but I really can't help it with this one.  I get that these are stock images that are merged together.  But please, put some effort into it.

The wolf is floating above the snow.  The hues and lighting are completely different for the two.  The model has direct light and the wolf is in some shadow on his right side.  Also...who wears a flowy sleeveless chiffon gown into the woods?  It doesn't make sense.

It's also a bit too on the nose.  The first half of the book is written to be really suspenseful but the flipping answer is right on the cover.  It's a cute idea for the cover but poorly executed, which was kind of a theme for the whole book.

Anastasia

I couldn't get into this character much at all.  This girl is so whiny.  She claims at the beginning of the book that she is a "good girl" and "shy" but quickly reveals that she has been drinking and partying with her boyfriend and that is why her mother is sick trying to help her.  Those two elements don't fit well together, at least for me.  She also claims that she loves books but when she moves to Cedar Falls, all of a sudden she is too cool for them.  For someone that is supposed to be kind or whatever, she is awfully stuck up.

I get that she feels abandoned but her relationships are not consistent throughout the book.  She isn't mature enough to have a good conversation with her grandmother until halfway through the book but she is mature enough to reach out and mend fences with her mother?  She has a bad relationship and immediately plunges into another one with a boy that she barely knows and her grandparents hate?  Anastasia never did much to build up her character or give me a reason to be empathetic with her.  She lets herself get bullied at school by mean little girls and gets sucked in far too easily into the drama.  I wanted her to be so much stronger than she was.

Frost

The misunderstood ostracized boy.  He is the most compelling character in the book.  The author gives him depth.  He has a reason to act the way that he does and he has real motivations that spur these actions.  Frost isn't worried about being popular or fitting in.  He knows who he is as a person and he is very secure in that.

However...he is a cliched character, through and through.  The cliches exist because they work in some situations.  Frost is handsome and strong and rugged and perfect except for his big secret that nobody else can know because the villagers will freak out.  Is anybody else seeing Edward or Jacob in this? (I intensely disliked Twilight because of these reasons too)

What's happening

Overall, I've heard this story before.  It felt like a knockoff of the Twilight series from the beginning.  Girl moves to a snowy town where something is being torn up in the woods.  She has nightmares.  She has overprotective family.  She is a weak heroine.  She hears howling at night and there is this gorgeous unapproachable boy that pays attention to her and only her.  She discovers his big bad secret, runs off with him to protect him and falls desperately in love with him very quickly.

This book could have been something so much better.  The author has a halfway decent idea, she just has to make it unique in some way.  There needed to be something more dangerous going on, instead of just hunters.  There needed to be more than just silly mean little girl drama and a family's disapproval.

So close...yet so far away.  If you want to read this plotline, read Twilight.  There is at least some slightly interesting tension there.

2.5/5 stars.  Promising idea, poorly executed.  Also, the name?  Frost...bitten...werewolf...ugh

Book Review: Shadows of Serenity by Marsha A. Moore

I received this book in exchange for an honest review through Lovers of Paranormal on Goodreads.

God, I had such high hopes for this book.  I loved the idea of combining yoga and paranormal stuff.  It was something that I hadn't heard of before and I was so into the idea.

It had a pretty cover too.  This really could have been a great book...however...

Shadows of Serenity is the story of a woman who opens a yoga studio in an old Victorian house. Joyce and her boyfriend, Eric, quickly realize that there is more to the house than meets the eye. Repairs aren't going as planned and there seems to be a mysterious ghostly presence in the house. Nothing is settling and everything in the air is tense. When the new yoga teaching students come in, it is their responsibility to help the restless spirit and liberate the house from the dark entity that hovers in the background.

This book starts with a simple yoga idea and expands it. It took basic principles and applied them to magical powers that are channeled through yogic practices. Joyce can talk to birds. Others can sense spirits or auras and others can take pain or anxiety away from someone else. While I get that a lot of this is based off of old teachings, I never found it compelling in any sense. It tap danced a line between a paranormal story and basically a manual/short story about a woman with a yoga studio.

Personally, I never connected to the characters. Their problems weren't real to me and it never felt like they had real personalities. I kept getting this impression that it would be a really great read for someone that was deeply involved in yoga but it didn't translate to the layman or casual yoga person. Everything was solved through yoga poses and deep breathing. Yes, people got hurt. Bad things happen. But I never believed that sending good energy at a psychopath would help anything.

Overall, this book lacked substance for me. The characters were weak and the writing read like an instruction booklet. I appreciate yoga, I really do. But I never believed enough in the strength enough to root for Joyce or anybody else and truly think that they could conquer the spirits in the house.

A good author should make me believe that these characters could do anything if they put their minds to it, but that never happened.

2 out of 5 stars.