Review | Guitar Kisses

 

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Kindle Price: $2.99

Synopsis:

“Shy, quiet Kirsten Nicholson’s life on the sprawling family ranch in Oklahoma has been one of serene predictability. In fact, her rancher father, Carter, detests change. But changes galore explode when seventeen-year-old Enrique Delaire arrives on the scene. Wearing his “Bronc Busting’s a Kicker” ballcap, his Nikes, and his surfer shirt, Enrique is ready to ride. And ride he does, not only into the hearts of this family, but into the hearts of this entire rural community. Enrique is the foster son of Kirsten’s aunt and uncle from Albuquerque. They sent Enrique to help out on the ranch while Kirsten’s fiance, Dan, is away at farrier school in Colorado. Kirsten has always been content to stay on the sidelines watching life go by, quietly writing her songs and playing her guitar alone in her room. Now all she hears is Enrique Delaire saying: “You won’t know if you don’t try.” In the wake of Enrique’s encouragement, she finds herself stepping into the limelight in ways she never dreamed. Suddenly doors open to Kirsten and difficult decisions must be made. Will she make the right decisions? Or slip back into her old life of sameness?”

My Review:

I’m familiar with Norma Jean’s writing, having read Flower in the Hills earlier. So I definitely was expecting to enjoy Lingering Dreams and I’m glad I did.

I loved the characters, but Kirsten’s mom was one of my favorites. She was hilarious and a quiet and fierce force. Here’s one of the scenes I loved the most:

“So I heard. I heard you been raising quite a stink in Clemetsville. I Been getting phone calls all evening.”

Kirsten glanced over at her mother who gently lifted two fingers, telling Kirsten there’d only been two calls.

Review |Missouri Misery

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Kindle Price: Free!

Synopsis:

“Latina Harmen knew she was going to hate Missouri. “There’s nothing in Missouri!”
she had told her father when he announced they were to spend the summer there.

And now she knew she had been one hundred and ten percent right. Latina had taken for granted that she would be spending another happy summer
vacation with her friends at Periwinkle Cove on the East Coast.

After all, her family
had spent summers there as long as she could remember.  Now, in the summer before her senior year, she would be stuck in a hick town with
no one around but her boring parents and bratty younger brother.

How could she have guessed the beauty that lay waiting for her in those brooding
hills? How was she to know she would meet fascinating people, and that she would
learn more about herself than she’d ever known?

How was she to know she would meet a special someone whose friendship and
support would change her life forever?”

My Review:

****

I’d like to just publicly extend my utmost gratitude to Ms. Norma for her incredible patience and understanding as she waited for my review(s)! She was always very kind throughout our conversations and even encouraging, even though she waited quite some time for these reviews. Thank you again, Ms. Norma. (:

****

Flower in the Hills doesn’t have a dystopian government or an overwhelming need for rebellion. There are no heroines feeling heat in their stomachs when the male love interest turns their smoldering gaze onto them. This book is refreshingly simple and was entirely a 5/5 star book.

When I say this book was two steps short of a Godsend I mean it. Lutz had sent me an email asking if I could review Flower in the Hills while I was finishing up a book that was the book equivalent of quicksand.

Review: Nika: A Seychatka Novella by D.H. Gibbs

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Kindle Price: $2.99

Official Rating: 3/5

Goodreads Synopsis: 

“Taken off the streets Nika is thrown into an unknown world where she’s held captive. As an orphan, she has been on the run and must find her way out before they discover her secret. But these people held the knowledge of her family and who she is. Will she be able to find out before her secret is revealed?

After hundreds of years, Demyan has finally found the rightful ruler of his race. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know who she is and is doing everything in her power to escape him. Time is running out and Demyan has to convince Nika to take her rightful place otherwise the battle will be lost and his race extinguished.”

My Review:

Hm. This book had many things I didn’t like, many things I didn’t mind, and a few things I liked. Will this review follow that order? Eh. Debateable.

I know that this is a novella, but in my opinion it needed more. It felt like Gibbs tried really hard for this novella to end on a cliffhanger, that so much of what I needed to read in order to want to continue was missing. Once I reached the cliffhanger, there was no silent screaming (which I often do when I want more), instead it was: Oh? That’s it? Alright, fine then.

The Lake by AnnaLisa Grant (Review)

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Kindle Price: Free!

Official Rating: 1/5

Synopsis:

“At 17, Layla Weston is already starting over. Having lost both her parents and grandparents, and with nowhere else to go, Layla is moving from Florida to a small town in North Carolina to live with the only family she has left: her estranged uncle and aunt.

The last five years of Layla’s life were spent appeasing her lessthan-loving grandmother, followed by being her grandfather’s caretaker. Growing old before her time, Layla lost her identity. Now she must learn how to allow herself to be the one cared for and loved.

Life takes an unexpected turn when Layla meets Will Meyer. His breathtaking good looks are enough to catch her eye, but his sincerity and passion are everything she needs to find the strength and confidence she lost — and lead her into love.

When tragedy once again strikes Layla’s life, her hope is all but completely crushed. Through it all, Layla learns what it means to truly love and be loved.”

My Review:

I have read many books in my lifetime. And I have read many books just in the (almost) year and a half that I’ve had this blog. I’ve encountered great books, awful books, mediocre books. I’ve met complex characters and simple characters…but never have I met such an awful character as Layla Weston. It isn’t just her either…this whole book was just bad.

I’ve got to talk about Layla first. I hated her. At first, I felt kinda bad. She’s had a hard life, not too many rays of sunshine came her way, but she was still pushing on. Then, it all went downhill.
Her grandparents die, which isn’t a spoiler, it’s in the synopsis. Layla goes to live with her aunt and uncle, who she calls Claire and Luke, without the “aunt” and “uncle” prefix, respectively. The reason for this wasn’t disrespectful, as Layla explains to Will, but just that it would feel weird to call them Aunt and Uncle when there’s really no real relationship among them. That wasn’t my issue. My issue with Layla is that she is the most selfish, most disgusting, most annoying character in this entire book and quite possibly in all the books I’ve read so far.