Carries Book Reviews

Hide Away by Iris Johansen
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Hide Away is the twentieth book in the series by Iris Johansen featuring forensic sculptor Eve Duncan. I had not read any books up until the previous in this series, Shadow Play, which I really loved. Shadow Play is actually the beginning to this little bit of the series where Eve is given a skull of a murdered young girl to sculpt to try to solve her murder.

After the end of Shadow Play Eve and Joe vow to protect young Cara Delaney who was the sister of the girl Eve was investigating. Cara has been put in the middle of feuding drug cartels and has been chased for the last several years. With the cartels getting close Eve heads to the remote Scottish Highlands to hide out with Jane MacGuire.

I didn’t quite enjoy Hide Away as much as I did with my first attempt at Iris Johansen’s work. Shadow Play had a bit more of the paranormal/supernatural element to it while investigating the murder of the young girl Eve had sculpted. Plus with this continuing on with the same case somewhat there wasn’t any of the forensic details or investigation type of story line to it that got me hooked in the first book.

What I really felt like with Hide Away was the middle of the story kind of slowness that you get with a long read since this particular plot is being carried on through at least three books. Shadow Play began the series to get a reader hooked in and Hide Away continues along the same story but there was not really an ending to anything in this installment obviously leading into a third book with the same case. I would definitely like to find out how it all works out but I have to admit I was a bit let down with this read just because it was still all up in the air.

Overall, 3.5 stars for Hide Away. Still good writing and I’ve gotten to like these characters but I would have preferred more happening in this one.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Art of Not Breathing by Sarah Alexander
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Elsie’s twin brother died five years ago in a tragic accident at the beach. The whole family has been in mourning since that day but Elsie wants nothing more than to just remember what happened as the details have been lost to her. When she meets some boys that are into free diving Elsie finds that the diving offers an escape to her pain and feels that it brings her closer to her lost twin.

Reading The Art of Not Breathing I was kind of back and forth and on the fence about how I felt about this story. It’s really quite the drama adding in more and more of this families struggles and then tying those to other things happening in the book but sometimes I felt it lacked a bit of something to get myself emotionally invested in the story.

I think Elsie sometimes didn’t quite feel real to me, of course everyone handles painful events differently but her character sometimes felt a bit off. I can see some of what she did as normal teenage acting out and those were the moments that felt a little more real and then the rest of the family and their struggles were also sometimes frustrating and sometimes heartbreaking and a bit back and forth for me as well. I kind of question a lot of it too as how it had taken five years for the family to fall apart the way they were.

In the end though the events kept me interested enough to say this was an OK read, I’d prefer to have been more emotionally touched by it but the story was just intriguing enough to keep my interest.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Crazy, Stupid, Fauxmance (Creative HeArts, #3)

by Shellee Roberts

Release Date: April. 18, 2016

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Entangled Teen Crush

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains a kickass heroine, a boy so hot he’ll make you shiver, and a falling-in-love story fit for the big screen. You’ll want to settle in and have the popcorn ready.

After Mariely Hinojosa and Cabot Wheeler both break up with their significant others at the same party, Mariely sees a way to get even with both of their exes. Everyone knows that the best way to get over a breakup is a hookup—a fake hookup, that is. Three weeks, all fun, no strings, and definitely no heartbreak at the end.

But somewhere between the sweet hand-holding and melt-your-mind kisses, their fake relationship starts to feel less like an act and more like the real thing…but Mariely’s a free-spirited girl from the other side of the tracks, and Cabot’s the hot trust-fund guy from the Hills.

They’d never work for real…

Mariely and Cabot Book 1 of 3

Mariely and Cabot Book 2 coming Winter 2017

Link to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29067842-crazy-stupid-fauxmance

Purchase Links:

Amazon |Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca |Entangled Page

My review:

Cabot Wheeler’s girlfriend had convinced him to throw a big party at his house but then proceeded to drink to much and admit to having cheated on Cabot. Meanwhile at the party, Mariely Hinojosa walks in on her boyfriend of three years making out with another guy. Both of these couples end their relationship leaving Cabot and Mariely devastated at their separate betrayals.

After receiving the advice that nothing gets you over a break up like a new hook up and Mariely sees that Cabot’s ex will not leave him alone Mariely comes up with a plan that the two of them should team up and begin a fake romance since neither are ready for the real thing. The plan is supposed to get Cabot’s ex to leave him alone and help Mariely get over her embarrassment having found her relationship was a sham but things heat up between the fake couple while spending time together.

A cute little young adult romance read with fun and interesting characters, a fun plot along with great writing to wrap it all together I found myself really enjoying this story. A case of opposites attracting while a relationship is actually given time to grow between the couple instead of a case of instant attraction.

Mariely was an over the top fun personality with her own sense of style grown from her poor background being a scholarship student in an upscale school among the rich kids. She’s a theater student and thinks of every situation being a stage so coming up with the fake romance is right up her alley. Cabot is the rich kid that Mariely is not comfortable being around but she quickly learns that he’s a great guy that even being rich has his own issues in life.

Overall, a really fun read that I’d recommend checking out. Part of a series but read fine as a standalone as this was my first taste of this series but would definitely pick up the other books myself.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: 4/5 stars

About the author:

There are three things (besides her family) that Shellee loves more than Netflix: Dr. Pepper, OTPs, and book boyfriends (I’m looking at you, Gilbert Blythe).

Shellee has been told that her life goal as a writer should be to win prestigious awards that will grant her literary immortality, but as an OG ‘shipper (like, seriously, Tad and Dixie–my first hardcore ship) all she really wants is to create two characters that people love so much they give them a cool mashup name.

Shellee spends her days living the dream with her family in Austin, Texas–and by living the dream she means waking up at the crack of dawn to go to work, chauffeur, walk dogs, do dishes, and fold laundry. At night she gets down to to real business, basking in the warm, blue glow of her computer screen and bringing the stories in her head to life on the page…or watching Veronica and Logan fan videos on YouTube till 2am.

Tomorrow she’s definitely going to kick that procrastination problem to the curb.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway Information: Contest ends May 6 , 2016

One (1) winner will receive a $50 Dinner & Movie Combo pack from Darden Restaurants & Fandango

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Let Me
Cecy Robson
(An O’Brien Family Novel)
Publication date: April 19th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Once he was broken beyond repair. Now this MMA contender is fighting to be a better man—for her. RT Book Reviews proclaims that the O’Brien Family series from award-winning author Cecy Robson “has the hottest brothers ever!” And in Let Me, it is Finn’s turn to discover how love can heal the deepest wounds.
A mixed martial arts star on the rise, Finn O’Brien dismantles his opponents with brutal precision. And yet beneath his fierce persona, Finn is raw from a trauma he’s buried for years . . . until the day his deep-rooted rage erupts and lands him in court-mandated therapy. Finn’s not one to bare his soul, but if talking it out means meeting beautiful women like Sol Marieles, he’ll give it a shot.

Sol is working toward her master’s degree in psychology, and already she feels like she’s in over her head. With an important internship on the line and a scary family situation demanding her attention, the last thing Sol needs is Finn around to distract her. The man is ripped and seriously sexy yet it’s his troubled side that warns her to keep her distance. But their attraction is intense, and he clearly has the heat to see how far and fast their passion takes them.

Alone, Finn and Sol have been fighting to find happiness in their lives. Together, there’s no stopping them as they face their greatest challenges—not in the ring, but in their hearts.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes

Author Bio:

Cecy Robson is a new adult and contemporary author of the Shattered Past series, the O’Brien Family novels and upcoming Carolina Beach novels, as well as the award-winning author of the Weird Girls urban fantasy romance series. A 2016 double nominated RITA®finalist for Once Pure and Once Kissed, Cecy is a recovering Jersey girl living in the South who enjoys carbs way too much, and exercise way too little. Gifted and cursed with an overactive imagination, you can typically find her on her laptop silencing the yappy characters in her head by telling their stories.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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The Siren’s Dance by Amber Belldene
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After her family was murdered Anya Truss was chased into a river where she drowned. She’s spent the last fifty years as a ghost tethered within a fifteen foot radius and has found that she is a vila, an alluring wind nymph. When her murderer finds her he offers her the chance to become human and live again, having already done the same for her sister but Anya only wants to find the man that had tormented her in life.

Seeking the help of police investigator Sergey Yuchenko, Anya tries to find the man who had mistreated her to free herself but what Sergey doesn’t tell Anya is that he has his own reason for joining the mission, he believes that he is the son of the man Anya is looking for.

The Siren’s Dance is one of those books that has some good things about it but also some that I didn’t care for. With it being such a short read I kind of had the feeling it fell into that novella curse where I really just wanted to find a bit more.

The concept behind a ghost that is part siren needing to seek out revenge on the man that did her wrong in life plus the idea that she may become human again certainly was intriguing. There was also a good tie in with the characters and their journey and relationship that was interesting.

What I found though was the story seemed to spend a good portion of the book building up the characters and relationship without too much else actually happening as they spent most of that time alone that it seemed to start dragging a bit for me. By the time the big ending happened it also seemed to be over in the blink of an eye so I was a bit let down to have it go so quickly.

Overall, three stars for this read as it had some interesting bits but a bit slow for my taste.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.