Carries Book Reviews

Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs!: My Adventures in The Alice Cooper Group by Dennis Dunaway
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I won this book through Goodreads First Reads.

As someone who wasn’t even born yet when the group Alice Cooper was coming about but have heard the hits all my life this book was quite an interesting read. I have to admit I’d always known Alice Cooper to be the man and not the band so it was nice to learn of how it all came about and the early days of the band that were known for the Shock Rock music scene and just how Vince became Alice.

The book starts off with the guys being just a bunch of regular high schoolers (if you can really picture Alice Cooper in high school) and takes you through all the early days. There’s mention of the sex and drugs etc through the years but it’s not overly covered. More of the shows, the struggles, and then onto the fame and the split of the group. Interesting reading how some of the most famous props and shows came about and then what happened to all the original members since those days.

There’s also a lot of mention of other bands and artists that the group met and were popular or upcoming in the same time frame. A good read for rock fans.

Devious Minds by K.F. Germaine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sydney Porter has transferred to Northern University in her junior year to look out for little brother Jack who is a freshman on a football scholarship. She’s completely independent with a lot going on, she DJ’s in a club as DJ Sinister and she’s an on-air personality at the college station under the name Sunday Lane.

Gray Peters is the star QB of the football team. He has his pick of girls throwing themselves at him. When he comes across his new teammates sister (Sydney) though he realizes this is the girl he fell for 2 years prior. Sydney had visited the school and the two shared a night but she left thinking Gray had said some horrible things about her. When the two meet back up sparks certainly fly but in the wrong way…they get a personal prank war going between them.

Certainly loved Sydney, a wonderful strong, independent lead that can stand up to anyone and handle herself in any situation. She gets herself into some things but gets herself out just as easily and looks out for her family and friends.

The chemistry is certainly there throughout the book between Sydney and Gray. The back and forth between them is often hilarious too. But I think for me though it did get a little on the childish side with the feud in parts reminding of kids who pick on their crush or this probably would have been a 5 star review. Still a quick, fun read overall.

You by Caroline Kepnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was easily one of the creepiest things I’ve read in a while. Told from the perspective of a stalker it couldn’t help but give you the chills at how easily it was for Joe to find out everything about Beck’s life. After a random chance meeting as Beck buys some books from the store Joe works in he becomes obsessed with her.

An inside look at the mind of a completely psychotic stalker/killer this book is obviously not going to be for everyone but I’d highly recommend checking it out if you love a good thriller. Joe’s rants can go on and on sometimes but I found him sometimes a bit humorous and for the most part scary. It’s beyond creepy that he can exist along side everyone and no one know what’s going on in his head and that there are people in the world out there like Joe.

Hanover House by Brenda Novak
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Evelyn Talbot has spent her life trying to find out what makes a psychopath and how to better understand them. She was tortured and almost killed by her high school boyfriend, Jasper, and is dealing with that as best she can. Jasper has never been captured and Evelyn lives in fear of him each day of her life and of course when this story picks up 20 years after the high school incident Jasper has truly come back.

Evelyn’s managed to obtain funding for a facility in Alaska to house some of the top criminals to begin a study on the nature of these killers which will be known as the Hanover House. When the facility in Alaska is vandalized during construction she travels there to oversee the damage and hire security. Evelyn begins a friendship with Amarok, the local state trooper. For the first time in a long time she let’s herself begin trusting a man and feeling some sort of attraction.

I absolutely loved this book. Wonderful writing and a truly intense story with Jasper and the beginning of a beautiful relationship with Amarok. Evelyn is someone you can’t help but truly feel for when she tells about her life and absolutely admire her for what she is doing even though it has to be hard on her. Amarok is a true gentlemen that really seems to start caring for Evelyn and helping her start to heal. Their relationship is truly touching in what is otherwise an intense book.

A definite page turner and would recommend to anyone looking for a good thriller. My only complaint I can think of after finishing this book is it will be such a long wait until Whiteout, the next in the Hanover House series, comes out in September 2016.

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

Her Stepbrothers’ Demands by Trinity Blacio
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In Her Stepbrothers’ Demands, Jasmine is trying to leave after having a falling out with her mother. Her mother had gotten married to a Werewolf who has two sons Jasmine had never knew existed or that the new family were actually werewolves. And now the new stepbrothers have also claimed that Jasmine is to be their new mate.

At best I’d give this one 2.5 stars. It really started off all wrong to me by having the brothers come aboard the plane Jasmine was on and almost dragging her off of it. In this day you just don’t get on a plane without being a passenger let alone even past the security checkpoints in airports. Granted this is fiction and in that world I suppose anything can happen so even letting that part slide it really didn’t get better from there.

There first 75% or so of the story had problem after problem built up. I won’t list everything happening in the plot so as not to spoil it for anyone but it just had too much going on for a short story. Then I was rather disappointed in how it was all resolved quickly. Also, the guys say they have a mystical wolfie connection with Jasmine but the majority of the story she’s injured and there’s just no chemistry building up with the group.

Overall, not as fun or interesting as I’d experienced before from Trinity Blacio. Would have liked either to lighten this story up a bit to fit it’s length or to have the book go on longer to give a better conclusion to all that’s had been built up.

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