Author Archives: sadie

Its Not a Date

Book Review of It’s Not a Date by, Heather Blackmore

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I received an Audible code of Heather Blackmore‘s It’s Not a Date from the narrator, Lori Prince, for a review copy of this book.

Description from Goodreads:
Falling in love is the hardest business of all.

Entrepreneur and innovator Kadrienne Davenport gets results. A demanding executive and stickler for punctuality, Kade throws herself into work to avoid hurting anyone, convinced she only causes pain to those she loves.

When Jennifer Spencer meets an incognito Kade at a conference, sparks fly. But when Kade unexpectedly becomes her boss, Jen’s problems multiply. The company she founded is going broke, her grandmother’s dementia is worsening, and her attraction to Kade―her difficult, brilliant, charismatic mentor―is growing.

Kade’s desire to keep things professional between them is in Jen’s best interest. Yet what’s in Kade’s best interest…is Jen.

Review:
I finished this days ago and forgot to write the review. If I’m honest, that tells you about how much impact it made on me. It wasn’t bad, so much as just flat. I never bought into Kadrienne’s reasons for refusing a relationship and frankly thought the “you should forgive your abusive parent” plotline gag-worthy. Because, I don’t honestly think people who have hurt you repeatedly deserve to be given a chance to do it again, just because they suddenly need you. I listened to the Audible version and Lori Prince made the experience worth while though.

Greywalker

Book Review of Greywalker, by Kat Richardson

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I bought a second-hand copy of Greywalker , by Kat Richardson at a bricks and mortar store.

Description from Goodreads:
When Harper comes to in the hospital, she begins to feel a bit …strange. She sees things that can only be described as weird-shapes emerging from a foggy grey mist, snarling teeth, creatures roaring.But Harper’s not crazy. Her “death” has made her a Greywalker-able to move between our world and the mysterious, cross-over zone where things that go bump in the night exist. And her new gift (or curse) is about to drag her into that world of vampires and ghosts, magic and witches, necromancers and sinister artifacts. Whether she likes it or not.

Review:
This book was dated. Which I really can’t blame it for. It was written when it was written, and if pagers, Hansen and Brosnan as Bond were the markers of the time, so be it. What I can fault it for is being boring and feeling too scattered.

The action starts without allowing the reader time to get to know Harper and then doesn’t really provide further opportunity as the plot progresses. Thus, I never felt connected or invested in her. I simply didn’t care all that much. Plus, she’s whinging and denying her abilities through the whole book, while simultaneously accepting vampires and witches and ghosts as blasé. And as soon as she has abilities, those vampires, ghosts and such start showing up all over the place. The day she returns to work she gets two (and only two) cases and both happen to be paranormal. One is explained, the other I’m supposed to believe is coincidence?

By the end she’d come to terms with her abilities, so maybe future books in the series wouldn’t seem so annoying. But unless I find a copy as a freebie, I don’t think I’ll continue with it.

Review of Jade City (The Green Bone Saga #1), by Fonda Lee

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I borrowed a copy of Fonda Lee‘s Jade City from the library.

Description from Goodreads:
Magical jade—mined, traded, stolen, and killed for—is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. For centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion.

Now the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon’s bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation.

When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone—even foreigners—wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones—from their grandest patriarch to the lowliest motorcycle runner on the streets—and of Kekon itself.

Review:
I wouldn’t say I loved this, though I liked it very much. It has a really rich world, with history and depth and politics warring with duty and personal desires. It explores the consequences of violence, gender politics, and greed. There are interesting grey characters, ones who do horrible things for what they think are the right reasons, ones who do the right things only to fail, and others who can’t see beyond their won victimhood. For all that, I found it a tad ponderous and, though there are plenty of fights, it didn’t feel particularly action oriented.