Review: Arsen: A Broken Love Story

Arsen: A Broken Love Story by Mia Asher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

All of my GR friends rated this book very highly, which is enough for me to pick it up. Unfortunately I just didn't feel the same way. The first 75% was a struggle for me to get through, and I kept finding myself interested in doing anything else to avoid it. I couldn't figure out why everyone loved this book. It could be the cheating that didn't sit well with me, or the fact that I disliked Cathy. It's hard to imagine a husband like Ben who loves Cathy with everything he has, being possibly replaced by Arsen. The last quarter of the book was a bit redeeming however, which is why I rated it 3 stars. As much as I disliked Cathy, my heart broke for the situation that she created. The epilogue makes me think the consequences of her actions will be ongoing, but I hope that isn't the case. I'll quit here, and pretend there is a HEA! :)

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Review: Nine Minutes

Nine Minutes by Beth Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nine Minutes.. I must have missed the meaning of that title. Ginny was the latchkey kid of two stoner hippies. She pretty much raised herself, and was able to take on a lot of responsibility at a young age. At fifteen she was kidnapped by a notorious motorcycle gang, and during her time with them she witnessed many cruel, violent acts. It might be her personality, or her ability to cope with her situation, but Gin makes the best of her time with her captors. Grizz is the leader, the most ruthless of them all, and yet he cares for her like she has never been cared for before. The characters of this book all grew on me. I like these awful people, root for their love, and somehow hope they all make it out unscathed.


***Spoilers***
Gin is surprised to find the man who owns her, also loves her. The fact that he cares for her, and shows her a side that no one else sees is endearing. Idk if it's Stockholm Syndrome, or what but I was hoping it would have all worked out for Kit and Grizz. Kit is her new nickname, and everyone in their gang has one. Kit and Grizz do love one another, and despite their situation that much seems real. Grunt the youngest of their group was one of my favorites, as well as Moe. Blue's wife Jan spills some of their secrets as a way to get back at her husband when he leaves her, and tries to take their two boys. At the end of the book, a lot of secrets come out when Grizz and his gang are taken down. Grizz gives up a lot of information to keep the people he cares about safe. When Grizz knows he will never leave prison, he asks Kit to marry again, so that when their daughter was born she would have a father. Naturally because they had always been close friends she turns to Grunt. They did love one another, and went on to have another child. A short time before Grizz's execution was to take place, a reporter wants to do a story on them. Kit gives her most of the story, but asks that she leave out the part about her losing her virginity to Grunt, instead of the way it was originally planned. She agrees not to put it in the story, but does tell Grizz hoping he will tell her something juicy as a way to get back at Kit. What we find out towards the end is that one of Blue's boys actually belongs to Grunt, and apparently he had a hand in bringing down Grizz. He had it planned, because he had been in love with Kit his entire life. Grizz took him to watch over her, and he grew up watching her from afar. We also learn that Grunt is not actually Blue's little brother, but Grizz's son. I don't know if those two things are the secret that Grunt has to tell Kit before the end, hopefully there isn't more. The next book in the series seems to take place from Grunt's POV, starting around the time that Kit arrived at their compound.

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Review: The Fill-In Boyfriend

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Though she is only five books in, Kasie West is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Somehow The Fill-In Boyfriend is able to keep you engaged, while making you laugh, and possibly do a little soul searching. Luckily I didn't give the books description more than a cursory glance, or I may have decided against it. Reading books about teenagers in high school got old after the first few hundred or so. Then again, I guess I could move out of the young adult section... Thoughts for another time.

Gia's boyfriend decides that in the parking lot prior to prom is the best time to break up with her. He is pretty much the definition of a douchebag. That wouldn't be so bad except for her friends don't believe he even exists. Showing up without him will only prove them right, or at least they'll think so. She decides to employ the stranger in the parking lot to be her date, reasoning to herself they can break up tomorrow, and no one will even have to know. Unfortunately the stand in boyfriend is harder to forget than the real one, and if she plans to keep seeing him everyone will know she lied.

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Review: Vision in Silver

Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

With the Cassandra Sangue unable to cope with life outside of the compounds, escaping their prison has only changed their problems. Living in the compound under the control of the overseer, the blood prophets were given small breaks outside their sterile cells, and taught of the outside world through images in a book. They were only given enough information to interpret the prophesies they had when their skin was cut, for their captors profit. Simon and the rest of the terra indigene (others) freed the blood prophets, but with only Meg's experience to go by they lost a few of them to suicide before they figured out how to help them. Meg is busy working for the Lakeside courtyard, and helping Simon with the blood prophets. The HFL (Humans First and Last) movement is inciting the hatred some humans have for the Others. The humans have a short memory, because there has never been a time when they have gone up against the Terra Indigene and won, though they keep trying.


***Spoilers***
Detective Montgomery's daughter Lizzy makes her way to Lakeside by herself, carrying only a suitcase and her favorite bear. Her mother Elayne was dating the head of the HFL Nicholas Scratch, but she was killed in the train station before they were both able to flee the city. The police from Toland call Lakeside wanting to interview Lizzy and retrieve the bear. Simon offers him one of the apartments at the courtyard, so that Lizzy is safe while they find out what's going on. The wolves find a bag of jewels hidden inside the bear, and replace them with glass from the Crows shop before giving the bear to Burke at the police station. Wealthy donors were donating their jewels to the HFL, and then claiming the Crows stole them and collecting the insurance. Without the money those jewels represented, Scratch and his lackeys are getting desperate. They end up finding out that Elayne's brother was working with Scratch, and he's the one who hid the jewels there. In Lizzy's diary, they find that Elayne has spilled all of the secrets she had on the HFL, including the fact that the current food shortage was all planned, so they could blame the Terra Indigene and bring more people to their side. At the end of the book, a few of the crows, and several of the human pack go to the outdoor market to shop and let the crows have some fun. It was all set up, and the HFL attacked their group. Luckily Meg was able to give them a little warning, but Crystal, one of the crows and Lawrence Macdonald the human police officer were both killed. Many of them were hurt, but the betrayal will have far reaching effects. The earth natives living in the courtyards are like a buffer for those living in the wild country. Humans are only allowed to lease a small amount of land, because they have things the others want, but in the end they are no more than clever meat. Simon finally receives word from the wild country about their plans following the attack, and they have declared a breach of trust. Their message to him is this: The sweet blood has changed things. You have changed because of her. We are intrigued by the humans who have gathered around your courtyard, so we will give you some time to decide how much human the terra indigene will keep.

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