Review: Sweep in Peace

Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I didn't even realize until now that a few of the new characters in this second installment come from the author's other series The Edge. It has been seven years since I read that series, but it didn't even click until I read another review where that was pointed out. Knowing that now, after finishing this book makes me wish I hadn't learned of it. It's a stark reminder that all children have great potential, but the reality is usually not what we hope for...

Sweep in Peace picks up with Dina alone at the inn and no word from Sean. She is given an opportunity to host a peace summit between three warring factions, one that every other innkeeper has turned down. Dina is desperate to keep the inn going, and in order to do that, she needs guests. She agrees but has no idea what's really in store for her.

I didn't enjoy Sweep in Peace as much as the first book in this series, and because of that will probably end this series here. There was almost too much going on, too many types of people/creatures, worlds, universes, and problems. It was good enough to finish, just not good enough to continue with the series.

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Review: The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence

The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence by Gavin de Becker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Gift of Fear is not typically the type of book that I enjoy reading. It almost felt like homework, and because of that took me a while to finish. Why then did I keep reading? Because it was interesting, and a lot of the information was useful. Gavin de Becker is a well-known expert on violent behavior, and he shares the information he has learned about our body's own natural defense system, fear. Fear, which is not to be confused with anxiety or worry, is brought on by a real threat that your body has sensed even before your mind knows why. Using that and the things learned here will give you a head start on keeping you and your loved ones safe. Throughout the book, the reader is given many true accounts from the last few decades, along with an insider's perspective.

“Intuition is always right in at least two important ways; It is always in response to something. It always has your best interest at heart”

“It is understandable that the perspectives of men and women on safety are so different--men and women live in different worlds...at core, men are afraid women will laugh at them, while at core, women are afraid men will kill them.”

“We must learn and then teach our children that niceness does not equal goodness. Niceness is a decision, a strategy of social interaction; it is not a character trait. People seeking to control others almost always present the image of a nice person in the beginning. Like rapport-building, charm and the deceptive smile, unsolicited niceness often has a discoverable motive.”

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Review: Clean Sweep

Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The husband and wife duo that is Ilona Andrews are brilliant at creating their own worlds. As an urban fantasy, Clean Sweep is set in modern times, but there is so much more to it than that. Dina runs a bed and breakfast in a small Texas town, but that's where the normalcy ends. As the Innkeeper, she provides a room to all types of paranormal travelers, and once granted the room they're in neutral territory, and under her protection. Clean Sweep has a new spin on magic, the earth and its place in the galaxy, as well as the different types of paranormal beings.

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Review: Burying Water

Burying Water by K.A. Tucker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Burying Water may not quite compete with Ten Tiny Breaths, but it's up there. It's told from alternating past/present pov, with Jesse narrating the past and Water narrating the present. Water wakes up after being left for dead with no recollection of who she is or how she got there. She eventually chooses the name Water because of the tiny water symbol tattoo she has, even though she has no memory of getting it. After months of recovery, she moves in with Ginny Fitzgerald, a crotchety old lady that I adored! She has no qualms about telling it exactly like it is. The two of them make an unlikely, but fun pair who each help the other in their own way. Eventually, the two parts, past and present, connect to provide the full picture of Water's life and Jesse's place in it.

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Review: Gone for You

Gone for You by Jayne Frost
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was given a copy of Gone for You in exchange for an honest review.

Gone for You was a decent book, and I liked that it was based in Texas. The characters were very one-dimensional, nothing especially great or terrible about either one. The whole rockstar thing is kind of cliche and overdone, but that's to be expected. The pacing was good, maybe a bit rushed at the end but I finished it pretty quickly. As the reader, you're given a little background about the main characters here and there, but it just isn't enough to form a connection which means I wasn't really invested in the outcome. If you're looking for something quick and light, this is it.

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Review: Hell's Ink

Hell's Ink by Nicole Reed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


First, I hate the cover.. It's cheesy and doesn't represent the book well. Second, Hell's Ink reads very much like Son's of Anarchy. Other than those two things I did enjoy the second installment of Forever Inked. Hold Dawson was the enemy in book one, forcing Helen into a life she didn't want to be a part of. Even though it was clear he was forced into some of his bad decisions, I still couldn't get over his role in Helen's capture. Luckily, we did get to see another side of Hold and his point of view.

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Review: Beautiful Ink

Beautiful Ink by Nicole Reed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Un-freakin-real.. I have so much to do today, but I absolutely could not stop until I finished Beautiful Ink. I loved everything about this haunting, tragic, yet beautiful story. Helen was raised in the Hell's Highwaymen MC, destined to be the wife of her best friend Holden when he took over the club their father's started. She loves Holden, he's always been her protector and friend but she doesn't love him in a romantic way. The brutal, vile bastards take everything from her and seem to enjoy it. Holden is the only bright spot in their evil destruction, but even he isn't clean of the corruption. My heart ached for Helen, and the life she endures.. It's unreal that this could actually be based on a true story, and I can't wait to read book two.

“I don’t want in this life anymore. I can’t live like this. I am dying inside.”

"Dying is the least of my worries.
Being found would be a fate worse than death,
the thought of reentering the life that I fled is my darkest nightmare.
He would make my life a living hell."

"Blood in and blood out.. you're fuckin' choice.
But know this: it is forever now my blood that runs through your veins.
And I will drown you in it before I let you escape me again."

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