The Cage

The lovely cover is what drew me to try out the The Cage.

While Cora does seem her own person she comes off as cookie cutter at times. I do read a lot of dystopian stories though so I am sure that is part of it. Having had a stressful life Cora has no clue what to think when she wakes up in the middle of the desert with no memory of how she got there. Wanting to know what is going on Cora starts walking and meets four other people who have no idea how they got where they are. At first everyone has the idea they want to go home and nothing else but slowly that seems to change. I did love how Cora was written, at times I thought she was crazy, other times I thought she was the only sane person.

The story was mainly told from Cora's point of view but at times the point of view changed which was nice since it gave me just enough on what everyone else was thinking. I had some issues with the writing sadly while the overall story was well done I noticed grammar errors several times. The ending was not my favorite, I know it is a series but it sort of felt like things just stopped. I do want to know what happens to Cora though so I plan on continuing the series when The Hunt is released.

The Friday 56: Red's Untold Tale

This is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

1. Grab a book, any book.

2. Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.

3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you. 

4. Post it.

5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most Friday 56 post.

Once Upon A Time: Red's Untold Tale page 56:

If I had a daughter, even if she were a rascal, I'd never, ever run away without her. I refused to believe it could be true about my own mother and father.

No Quest for the Wicked

No Quest for the Wicked was just as fun, exciting, and well written as previous books in the Magic Inc series.

Katie continues to work hard for Magic Inc but is bored with her job which has become a little dull since Owen lost his magic. Knowing Owen is most likely having problems adjusting to the magic loss Katie tries her best to be there for him and keep her dull job woes to herself. Luckily for Katie dull does not last long about Magic Inc. and soon Katie is face to face with Mimi her old boss. I loved that Mimi was finally explored as a character.

Without a doubt Mimi is one of my favorite "villains" since I am sure people have to deal with someone like that on occasion so it is hilarious to see the evil boss get some payback.

I eagerly await my chance to read the next and I believe final book in the Magic Inc series. My only hope is that it does not take a year to get from the library.

Black Hills

Nora Roberts it not my usual genre but my Grandma asked me to read Black Hills so we could talk about it. It seemed like it took me forever to get Black Hills read and it had a bunch of filler. If the book cut out about half the filler I think I would have enjoyed it more.

Lil has always dreamed of having an animal sanctuary. Working hard to make that happen Lil does all she can to provide nice homes for the wild cats in the Chance preserve. Everything seems to be going Lil's way until returning from a trip to South America she learns her first love is back in town. Things get complicated quickly when it is clear someone is hunting down Lil.

Coop never stopped loving Lil so when it is clear someone is hunting her down Coop is determined to make sure that does not happen. A former cop and private eye Coop is willing to use every tool at his disposal to make sure Lil stays safe.

It seemed to take forever for the actual story to start, the first hundred pages were just filler. I am not a fan of overly intimate scenes and Black Hills had several. Despite having so much filler I did not feel like I really got to know the characters. The story seemed to jump between Lil and Coops relationship and the thriller part. The writing just did not come off as a smooth as things were woven together. I doubt I will ever try another Nora Roberts book again since they are not a genre I really enjoy.

A Catered Thanksgiving

A Catered Thanksgiving was my very first foodie mystery. I liked the change of genre however it always made me hungry while reading it so I am not sure I want to read foodie mysteries often.

Bernie and Libby seemed super generic so much in fact I could not really tell them apart. I am not sure if this was due to A Catered Thanksgiving being later on in the series or if it was poor writing. Either way neither sister left an impression on me.

The mystery itself came off as weak and if clues were dropped to who the murdered I was never saw them not even after finishing the book. Character development was funky in parts as well. The family was painfully horrible and I seriously find it hard to believe one family could have so many far out crazy people in it. If I get brave enough to try the foodie mystery genre it will not be another book by Iris Crawford.

Friday 56: A Catered Thanksgiving

This is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

1. Grab a book, any book.

2. Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.

3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you. 

4. Post it.

5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most Friday 56 post.

A Catered Thanksgiving ebook 56%:

"Me either," Bernie agreed. "But getting back to the matter at hand, what do we know about everyone that we didn't know before?"

Maggie for Hire

At first I was reluctant to read Maggie for Hire, the cover did not appeal to me much and the description did not pull me in that much.

Maggie is one awesome character and she does not take any nonsense from anyone. Working as a bounty hunter Maggie is used to handling things her way and taking down anything nasty that gets in her way. When an elf shows up with a mission for her Maggie quickly jumps on the offer until she realizes the elf accompanying her is part of the deal. For some reason Maggie has a thing against elves, the only reason I could think of was that she could not stand the way elves talked. I wish it had been explained a bit better.

Killian is one awesome side character, I love how he is not just a genetic elf. Despite knowing the job is dangerous Killian is determined to go with Maggie and I love how he backs her up instead of just trying to send her off to hide. A few things Killian did confused me and I am not sure if it was weak character development, some elf custom, or if he is just wacky that way. 

The writing was fun, the dialogue priceless (the language was strong at parts), and I want more. I was severely disappointed when I went to  buy the second book and it is not available on the Nook. Foolish to give the first book away on the Nook as a promotion and not have the rest of the books available on the Nook.

Friday 56: Magie for Hire

This is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

1. Grab a book, any book.

2. Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.

3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you. 

4. Post it.

5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most Friday 56 post.

Maggie for Hire ebook 56%:

Old Chinatown is a fun place. It was originally built as a shopping area by the local Asian population. Nowadays, the cobblestone courtyard and little trinket shops serve as a smoke screen for secret Mahjong halls and borderline sweat shops.

Don't Know Jack is not the type of book I usually go for but it was included in a bundle I bought so I decided to give it a try. I am sad to say it felt like a chore to read and I did not overly enjoy any part of the story.

Agent Otto just did not come off as an FBI agent to me, while I do not personally know an FBI agent Otto just seemed easily distracted and in over her head all the time. This drove me crazy and I was so focused on how annoying Otto was that I could not focus on the overall mystery aspect of the plot.

Agent Gaspar was not much better. Even though he had handicaps due to older injuries he chose to ignore them and not inform his partner putting them both at a higher level of risk. Just seemed totally unprofessional and foolish. While Gaspar did seem less distracted then Otto it was hard to get to know him since the story was mainly told from Otto's point of view.

The characters were not the only thing I had issues with, the writing was confusing and jumbled at times. While I get solving mysteries before they are revealed is not my forte the answer to Don't Know Jack's mystery just came out of no where and felt anticlimactic. I do not foresee myself continuing the series or pursing further work by Diane Capri.