Quiet River

Quiet River
Natasha  Salnikova
Kindle freebie








I read this book as part of the challenge I'm participating in - Serial Killer Challenge, hosted by Marce of Tea Time With Marce.  Click to check it out!


Quiet River Quiet River is a small town and people are friendly. But evil lives in quiet water. Lisa and Matt Collins spend a weekend in the town of Quiet River, Washington, where their son Evan meets a woman who says he looks like her son. She gives him cookies. The hotel clerk, an older woman, also gives him cookies, explaining to his mother that they came from the hotel's kitchen. Lisa ignores the clerk's strange behavior and forgets about her. The family goes back home to Seattle where Matt returns to his job as a magazine editor and Lisa finds out she is pregnant for the second time. Soon Matt's personal assistant dies in a car accident and he hires a new one: Kristine. One day Kristine presents Matt and Lisa with tickets to a ballet performance and that night their quiet lives change forever when they get involved in a violent store robbery and Lisa loses her unborn child. Lisa and Matt think it is their worst nightmare, but how little did they know. They have to return to Quiet River to learn what the darkest dark is and what face it can wear. Be aware the book has violent scenes and strong language.
 *****

This book was just okay.  It wound up having too many people involved in the whole plot for me to find it believable.

Matt and Lisa are successful and very happy.   Together they edit two popular magazines.  They have a four year old boy and after a relaxing vacation at a river in the country, find out they're expecting #2.  With just weeks left  before the baby comes, Matt's assistant Kristine gives him tickets to the ballet.  He and Lisa have a wonderful night that quickly turns to horrific tragedy.   The two enter a convenience store that is being held up. They are both attacked and Lisa looses the baby.  She goes into a deep depression for almost a year.

Of course during this time of despair, he makes the terrible mistake of turning to his assistant, how cliche.   To say that Kristine is slightly unbalanced is an understatement, and how he handles her was in my opinion on the extreme wimpy side.

Matt decides it would be a good idea to go back to Quiet River and hope that Lisa snaps out of it.  He comes there on the weekends staying at their city home so he can work.  Things start happening to them that slowly escalate to their son going missing.   How this wraps up turns into quite a roller coaster. That was the reason I was able to keep the rating at a 3.

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Fifty Shades Freed

 Fifty Shades Freed
 E.L. James














Amazon blurb -

When unworldly student Anastasia Steele first encountered the driven and dazzling young entrepreneur Christian Grey it sparked a sensual affair that changed both of their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and, ultimately, repelled by Christian’s singular erotic tastes, Ana demands a deeper commitment. Determined to keep her, Christian agrees.   Now, Ana and Christian have it all—love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of possibilities for their future. But Ana knows that loving her Fifty Shades will not be easy, and that being together will pose challenges that neither of them would anticipate. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian’s opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own identity. And Christian must overcome his compulsion to control as he wrestles with the demons of a tormented past.   Just when it seems that their strength together will eclipse any obstacle, misfortune, malice, and fate conspire to make Ana’s deepest fears turn to reality. 
*****

 This isn't going to be an actual review of Fifty Shades Freed but more of a rant on my part about the whole series.  There WILL be spoilers so be warned.

 I know a gazzilion women have read these books and fell head over heels with Christian Grey, but I gotta say this man is one SICK puppy.  The fact that they are so romanticizing him and throwing out the fact of his mental issues is sad.    I read #1 and was engrossed, I couldn't put it down.  The whole time I read it I had a sick queasy feeling in my stomach and I say that in my review.  Here are my reviews of Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker. When I read the second I no longer liked Ana and was not happy with the quality of the writing. I started # 3 back in March and had to stop barely in since it was bad right out of the gate, but did go back to it, obviously.  Now that I've finished the last I found that with each progressive book the writing just increasingly deteriorated.  I don't know if that's because of the speed in which Miss James spit these suckers out, or if it's because she was a one book wonder with no real writing talent. She certainly makes no bones of the fact that it started as Bella/Edward fanfic Masters of The Universe.

The subject matter is very deep, this man is a dom, he wants to CONTROL everything Ana does.  That personality is just roiling under the surface so much so that you can see the bubbles and ripples right there.  So quick can he turn that when Ana decides she wants kinky, in a flash he is that personality again, lost in the whole thing.  Don't these gals realize this is a man who said he wanted to  beat the shit outta her?  I don't care that Ana has faith that he won't hurt her, this man still brought her to the playroom blindfolded her, strapped her to the St. Andrews cross, how frigging degrading is that, and TORTURED her till she used the safe word all because she went out with her friend Kate.  Ya getting that ladies, she went to hang with her friend.

 I found a lot of the book not believable, just downright juvenile in some of the things that took place. The dialogue and writing style was so immature, at times I felt as though I was reading a high school student's English assignment. The constant reptitious use of words, sick of the inner goddess and the oh mys and holy sh!ts. What was funny and kitschy in #1 is now just downright nauseating.

What did I find unbelievable?  The architect Gia Mateo who was hired to do the refurb of their home.   This is a business woman who is going to work on one of the richest men in the nation's home, ya think she wouldn't be absolutely professional!?  This is the get of a lifetime and the author has her come in with to many blouse buttons undone and coming on to Christian right there in front of Ana.  Come on, no way!  Better to have her be business like and ignore Ana, only addressing Christian.  That would have made more sense.  Then when he leaves the room  Ana says to paraphrase, he's mine lady.  What are we 16 here, puhlease.   The meekness of Ana is just too much.  She's still afraid to ask him questions?  One minute the author wants her as strong willed then she's this wishy washy puddle of insecurity.  Taylor and Mrs. Jones together with it known by Christian? Uh, I don't THINK so!  Taylor heads up the security, his job is to keep Christian and Ana safe, no way would that be acceptable especially since his feelings for the housekeeper could possibly compromise their safety. This is a perfect example of the juvenile style. When Ana shows her surprise at finding this out and Christian is laughing, "you didn't know?". Um no not believable, especially with a control freak like him as a boss.  Ana may be young, but she went to college, roomed with Kate who is far from innocent, had a step dad who taught her how to defend herself, shoot and handle guns, I just find this naive I can't  believe any of this is happening to me girl. And when it's convenient to the author Ana is trying to bolster Christian's insecurity about her love and devotion for him.  I'm starting to think Ana may be a  bit of fifty shades of messed up too! Is she an independent woman or silly immature insecure child?

 I'm also so tired of how every woman they encounter is ogling Grey.  Miss Hot Pants, Miss Sexual Predator, it is really old.  The nurse in ICU?  Ana lifts her head to see the nurse finally look at Christian and gape. This is just stupidity and unbelievable nonsense.

She is quite fond of borrowing from other stories, the kitchen scene where he feeds her blindfolded smacks of 9 1/2 Weeks with Mickey Roarke and Kim Bassinger.

How twisted is Grey? Well he really wants her to fight him off alla rape fantasy. This gets him all hot and bothered.  Yea, I know there are woman out there that think this is just grand.  Somehow I don't think those who have suffered this heinous act agree.   There was so much sex in it I just became numb to it I didn't find it beautiful or erotic. Quite frankly, I found Ana to have turned into some nympho-maniacal sex slave with zero self control over her libido.  Even when she was so hurt and angry with him turning to Mrs. Robinson feeling betrayed, she still had to keep her physical distance from him like she was Pavlov's dog.  RUHEALLY!?!  There's no worse feeleing than the sting and humiliation of your husband turning to another woman, in reality I don't think any normal woman would have had any problem feeling NO sexual urges at that  moment, normal being the key word here.  She has become no better than an animal in heat.

Grey tells he her wants to "push her to her limits" see how much she can take.  There they are, those bubbles are just bursting to the surface waiting to explode. Bottom line, she doesn't hold true to either one's personality, you're either a mousy wallflower with no self confidence or you're a strong independent woman and Grey is either a controlling dom or not.  Even the whole crap with Hyde had me shaking my head as just such b.s.  I wish she would have built on this it might have rung more true to me, and who bailed him out, what crapola.

Her ending was just too hard for me to swallow, having the kids, Taylor and Mrs. Jones married and all living in the house like the friggin Brady Bunch, nope,  just don't buy it and I am sure glad I didn't buy a single one of em!  I gotta hand it to James, she's got her insane  best seller and her multi million dollar movie deal, so kudos for capitalism at its finest.

 My hope for the movie?  That they follow the dark path of the first and tweak it enough to show how disturbed and deep his troubles go.  Where Ana maybe doesn't wind up with him at all since a leopard really never truly changes their spots and it all is too much for her to handle.  I know I've been very harsh in my opinions here. I know there are gals who'll say this is just a book we read for fun lighten up, but this wasn't Stephanie Plum or Queen Betsey where you expect light and fun this was serious subject matter here. This is such a disturbing, deep subject that goes against my very being.  I LOVE alpha males in the books I read.  Eric Northman, Bones, Vishous, Jerricho Barnes, but the thought of being told keep your eyes down, call me sir, you're going to be spanked now, you can't go anywhere or do anything, reeks of degradation and humiliation to me and the glorifying of Christian Grey as a dream man makes me throw up in my mouth a bit I don't  care how drop dead gorgeous he is.

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All that said I can still hope for a good movie out of this mess with some good screen writers. There are a few actors who are supposedly chomping at the bit to play him, here they are and my thoughts -

 Alexander Skarsgard.  Love you as Eric darling, but you're too old for Christian, he's 27 and Alex is 35.

Ian Somerhalder, Chris Pine, and Chris Evans are right on the cusp of being to old.  Of the three, I think Ian looks the best with those piercing eyes of his.  I had to throw Tom Welling from Smallville in there too, my own choice cuz he is one good looking man, alas he at 35, is too old as well.

 Maybe Alex Pettyfer or Ryan Phillipe.

The one who takes the cake in my opinion?

Gaspard Ulliel who played the young Hannibal Lector









Oh and I couldn't resist coming back to add this since I had forgot, Ellen narrating Fifty Shades!  LOL!!!

Hopping Friday

I haven't hopped in forever.  I like to do it every so often :)

This Hop is hosted by Jennifer from Crazy-For-Books, and it runs through the weekend, so if you can't today, hop on tomorrow!  Just remember, go to her site, follow the rules, visit some of the blogs and get to know em, if you start to follow tell em you met them through the hop!

This weeks ? -

Who is your fave book character?  I'll give you two but they have to be from different genres?

Ooooo, this is SO tough!  I love so many characters.  Ok, first and foremost I will always love Eric Northman, case closed.  This vamp is unapologetic about who and what he is, ruthless to the nth degree, but has the capacity to love with passion.  Next would be Skeeter Phelan from the Help.  I just loved this girl, and the book.  She was witty and sympathetic and so very brave!!

Happy Hopping!

Deadlocked

 Deadlocked
 Charlaine Harris















Book #12 in the Sookie Stacknouse series is winding down, and not in a way any of us are gonna be happy with if I read this book correctly.

WARNING NOW, there will be some small spoilers discussed here so if you haven't read, look away : )

In this book we get what is the beginning of the end with story lines being tied up.  Tara and JD having their babies, Jason getting married,  Holly and Hoyt, Andy and his wife, even Terry has found someone in Jimmie.  You can see that Charlaine is concluding and pointing to Sookie's desire and sense of loss that she won't have that life of hubby and kids with Eric.

The fae storyline comes to a head and we find out all about Claude and who put the crazy spell on sweet Dermot (forgive me if I spelled that wrong).

 As far as vamps  go, well, we don't have any real romance between Sook and Eric, time is spent with her being mad at him, and trying to discover who is framing him for murder of a young girl.  Also, Queen Freyda is here to collect on her deal made by Eric's maker Appius for she and Eric to marry.  Bill is there trying to dull the blow of what is happening with Eric explaining to her that this is really to Eric's benefit. You feel Sookie's hurt at him slipping away, Niall tells her straight up that Eric loves her, but the vamp world is a different place and it's not just cut and dry tell Freyda to get lost, especially since they have Victor's death to contend with and the King of Las Vegas will exact punishment for it if the two don't hook up, since it benefits him.

In one confrontation Eric yells that Sookie has the power to change all of this, the question is will Sookie finally use  her ancient fairy artifact once and for all?  Who will she be with in the end?  Eric, I don't know, Bill no don't think so, Sam?  Well if I vibed it right, that might just be how Miss Charlaine wraps this up once and for all.  Does it make me happy, nope, I find Sam boring, always have.  I don't think Harris has ever worried about her books ending the way her fans want it to go, I thinks she writes what she feels makes a good story in her heart.  She has said in an interview she could never "get" the love we have for Eric since he is a downright BAD guy.   Killer, selfish, self centered.  Well ya know what, ever since he sat next to her bed after those fae ripped her to pieces and she asked why didn't you come and he said in a voice just choked with tormented emotion, "you're killing me", I knew he loved her and that for all his bad, was truth.

 I know there are tons who are angry and disgusted with this book and the turn the series took, if you don't believe go to Amazon and read the excoriating reviews from all the gals.  Did Sookie piss me off some?  Yes, did Eric, yes.  Should she have confronted him more and fought, I would've, but I'm not the author.

 I blew through this book, it was a page turner for me and just because it's not going in the direction I desire I still loved the story.  It is what it is, no one said this was going to be kissy kissy with Eric and Sookie  tumbling in and out of the bed, hea's don't always happen, sometimes characters we adore kick or leave and heartbreak rips you to shreds....just like real life. If you want pure romance read a corset ripper cuz this ain't it.

4 cannolis

Wicked Appetite

Wicked Appetite
 Janet Evanovich














Amazon Blurb -
Life in Marblehead has had a pleasant predictability, until Diesel arrives. Rumor has it that a collection of priceless ancient relics representing the Seven Deadly Sins have made their way to Boston’s North Shore. Partnered with pastry chef Lizzie Tucker, Diesel bullies and charms his way through historic Salem to track them down—and his criminal mastermind cousin Gerewulf Grimorie. The black-haired, black-hearted Wulf is on the hunt for the relic representing gluttony. Caught in a race against time, Diesel and Lizzie soon find out that more isn’t always better, as they battle Wulf and the first of the deadly sins.
*****

This book was funny!  It was Stephanie Plum gone paramormal, and Evanovich is just a witty writer who knows how to make you laugh out loud which I did.

Lizzie is living a normal life as a baker in Marblehead Mass, in the home her great aunt Ophelia left her, located just outside Salem, strumming along trying to get her cookbook published till cousins Wulf and Diesel storm into her life.  She finds out she is an unmentionable, someone who has the power to locate the enchanted  objects representing the seven deadly sins.  Wulf is dark, sexy and oh so handsome with an evil streak a mile wide, and Diesel is just as good looking and irresistible as well as her  proclaimed protector from the dastardly Wulf.  Wulf wants to collect all of the objects so he can unleash the evil and Diesel wants to get them before that can happen.

The cast of characters are just perfect.  Dazzle Bakery owner Claire, kooky counter girl wanna be witch Glo and Carl the monkey make for some of the most hilarious encounters. This was a VERY quick read, light fun and easy, I enjoyed it  very much.

Here are some funny quotes from the book -

Lizzie and Diesel in Shirley's apartment looking for one of the enchanted objects
Diesel- Yeah Shirley is a glutton and this is her apartment.
Lizzie- Ok, so she's a little on the heavy side, but I don't know if I'd say she's a glutton.

Carl nodded his head and did the monkey smile.  When Diesel turned his back to walk away, Carl gave him the finger.
"This isn't a normal monkey. "  I said to Diesel.
"Tell me about it."

Diesel, Lizzie, and Carl in a grocery store.
"Is that a monkey?" the produce guy asked.
"Are you making fun of my child?" Lizzie asked.
"No mam he's kinda hairy."
"He gets that from his father." The produce guy looked at Diesel.
"Not my bad." Diesel said.

It's banter and exchanges like this that just make it a kick. I see some reviewers on Amazon just rip this book as recycled characters and the like, I find that odd since I never picked this book up thinking it was Anna Karenina or Pride and Prejudiced. It is an easy light pick me up when you just want to giggle at some  silliness.

Wicked Appetite is book 1 in the series.

 3 1/2 cannolis

April Showers, Yada Yada Yada.....

We didn't get much rain here so the bit we did get the last couple of weeks is much needed. Got some reading done, I read 3 books in April yay me lol! For the most part they were good. The Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I also reviewed it *HERE*. I enjoyed this book, the characters were good well rounded and relatable even though they aren't human. It's a chunkster at over 500 pgs and doesn't have that quick page turning quality, but good just the same. For book club I read Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner. This was my first time reading her. The book was just ok, I really didn't form any attachments to any of the characters but for the youngest daughter some what. At our meeting I gave it a 3, it's chick lit and I normally wouldn't have read it, but most of the gals gave it a 4 so some of you might enjoy it. J.R. Ward's Lover Reborn came out in March and I got it from the Library. This was Tohrment's story. I really liked this one. One of the Warden's better books, minimal Lessers and none of that *itch the Scribe Virgin!! Her branding wasn't off the wall crazy either. I reviewed it *HERE* I had started Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich right before I had to read my book club choice so I stopped and finished it on Monday. This book was funny! It's Stephanie Plum gone paranormal. I don't know if I'll read #2 in the series but I did enjoy this one. My review will be coming up.

 What's in store for May? Well I've already started Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris. I thought this was the last one but next May 2013 # 13 will be the last. My book club choice is The Violets Of March by Sarah Jio. My Library doesn't have this book and neither does paperbackswap.com, ya know how ticked that makes me!?! It's cheaper in paperback than kindle so I'll just order it from Amazon and them put it on pbs. What else? Hhmm I think I'll read one of the thrillers I downloaded for fre on my kindle, I hope they're good, I love sick twisted psychos : ) I don't know what else it's all in the mood baby.

Saw this website on Pinterest, by the way I LOVE Pinterest, 40 Books You Won't Be Able To Put Down I've read 5 of them and of those 5, Catcher In The Rye stunk!!  That's just my opinion.  How about you, read any?

Ok, who's a Vampire Diary fan? The tv show that is. I won't read the books, they're YA and I don't want to spoil my fun. Alan Ball has already done that royally with HBO's True Blood, that bastard, and I'm addicted and can't stop watching always with some sick stupid hope that the storyline will come around to the book *tear* Anyway, next week is the season finale and I loved this season!!! To be honest, I kinda like Claus and his crush on Caroline is a great story. I'm not a Tyler fan. I was a bit sad to see what happened to Claus, but lets see how it wraps next week. I'll tell you, the tears were rolling from last weeks show with Alaric! Wow super emotional!

By the way, I am really hating the new blogger format!!!  And facebook's new look too, what the heck?!

I'ts May folks!!!  My kids have exactly 6 weeks of school left!  Summer's coming baby :)

Lover Reborn

 Lover Reborn
 J.R. Ward














Amazon Blurb -
Ever since the death of his shellan, Tohrment has been unrecognizable from the vampire leader he once was. Physically emaciated and heartbroken beyond despair, he has been brought back to the Brotherhood by a self-serving fallen angel. Now, fighting once again with ruthless vengeance, he is unprepared to face a new kind of tragedy. When Tohr begins to see his beloved in his dreams—trapped in a cold, isolated netherworld far from the peace and tranquillity of the Fade—he turns to the angel in hopes of saving the one he has lost. But because Lassiter tells him he must learn to love another to free his former mate, Tohr knows they are all doomed.... Except then a female with a shadowed history begins to get through to him. Against the backdrop of the raging war with the lessers, and with a new clan of vampires vying for the Blind King’s throne, Tohr struggles between the buried past and a very hot, passion-filled future…but can his heart let go and set all of them free? 
*****

Well she's done it again! I really enjoyed this book, the story behind it, the new bad guys, all of it. I loved that there wasn't much of the Lessers and the Omega, NO Scribe Virgin, Woo Hoo!!! I'll get right to the point. Wellsie and their infant son is stuck in the vamps version of Purgatory for lack of a better term, and she is begining to fade into nothingness. Lassiter is trying to help Tohr release her once and for all so the two can move on to their "heaven".  The problem is it involves another woman and Tohr is having all sorts of struggles with that.

Along with Tohr's story you have John Matthew's and Xhex's marriage hitting a bit of a rocky point due to her being independent and a fighter by nature, and him being, well, a bonded male who doesn't want her to be out there.  You have the new bad guys, Band Of Bastards led by Xcor who want to kill Wrath with some help from the Glymera.

We get to see just a bit of Blay and Qhuinn interact.  I have heard that their story will be next. I'm also curious to see what is going to happen with these bad guys, especially since Xcor who never cared about anyone, much less a woman, is suddenly very attracted to one of the Chosen.

This book moved quickly for me, even with it's 500 and something pages!  I borrowed it from the Library since I'm trying to not buy if I don't have to, and collecting this series really isn't that important to me any more.  I have most on my kindle, but the couple of paperbacks I had went to paperbackswap.com.  I look forward to the next, which probably won't be till 2013 sometime *sigh*  Can't these authors write any faster, we're all dying to see what happens to these characters!  LOL

4 cannolis