Tag: ebooks

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Bookit Review 21.1 Cupids Anonymous

Posted on by sokorra

Ah, fresh book reviews. I’m once again doing Bookit, and once again going to attempt to review the books I read. Also, I am going to try to very the genres I read as well. Lately its been mostly romance novels and novellas (as is this review) but I’m going to be reading more non-fiction and perhaps some non-romance sci fi as well. I’ve also joined a book club and shall be giving my thoughts on books someone else choose for me.

Now onto today’s review:

Title: Cupids Anonymous (Cupids #1)
Author: Lila Monroe
Published: July 16, 2019 – Kindle Edition.
Final grade: 3.5

Continue reading “Bookit Review 21.1 Cupids Anonymous” →
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Bookit Review: Perfectly Clueless

Posted on by sokorra

Title: Perfectly Clueless (Book 3 in the Bayfield High Series)
Author: Madeleine Labitan
Publication: September 19, 2018  (115 pages)
Edition:  Kindle (via Kindle Unlimited)
Genre:  Teen Romance
Rating:  C-ish
Bookit 2009 #6

This is the final released novel in the Bayfield series.  I’m not sure if this is the final novel, or if Ms. Labitan plans on writing more.  Like its two predecessors Truth or Dare and Kiss and Make Up,  this is more of a novella then a novel at only 115 pages.  Its the longest of the three, but oddly enough not the best one.  I believe the first novel felt the most complete, even if it was short and could have used some development.

I think my main problem with this one is that there was no build up in the novel.  We are supposed to believe that Dylan and Bianca have been in love for awhile but Dylan has been in denial but its not really there in moments.   Side characters are finding it so obvious but it doesn’t seem as obvious as we are supposed to believe.  Perhaps if it was drawn out into a full novel we could have gotten more moments where we could see that Dylan is feeling it too outside him being a jerk to Bianca’s dates.    This story might also have worked better if the characters were a little older.

I also have an issue with romances that decide to make the character who is the competitor in the one character’s affections somehow a horrible person in order to make it okay that the main characters did whatever they did.  I find that unnecessary.

My final grade is C-ish due to it feeling its unfinished and also because of the troublesome bits.  This author shows promise, and I look forward to what she writes in the future, but I’m hoping that with experience in writing will come some more depth to the novels they write.

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Bookit Review: Truth or Dare

Posted on by sokorra

Title:   Truth or Dare (Part 1 of the Bayfield High series)
Author: Madeleine Labitan
Publication:  February 27, 2018  (105 pages)
Edition:  Kindle (via Kindle Unlimited)
Genre:  Teen Romance
Rating:  Bish
Bookit 2009 #4

So this was recommended to me because I was reading the Scandalous series by R. Linda so I decided to try it out.  Its relatively short, and I was able to read it, and its two sequels in about 2 and half hours one morning.  So its definately one of those short-and-sweet novels. 
Because its so short, the action of the plot is relatively short.  I feel like this story had the promise of more, but hadn’t been given the time.  This entire story takes place over a couple hours for the most part at a teen party with underage drinking.  There is a slight element of ridiculous in the set up of the events, but I think they would be more forgivable if more happened.
In the first novel (of 3 I read) the main character is Kenzie, who spends half the novel helping her best friend enact  revenge for his cheating on her.  Cheating is a recurring element in these stories.  This story sets up the second book with that same theme.

Kenzie has a prank war with Sean, her love interest in this novella.  However after several mishaps over the night and getting stuck in the bathroom while his girlfriend cheats on him in the other room, Sean relates that he started the pranks as a way to get her attention.  
It’s hard to summarize this because its so short.  Its only around 90 pages long (the book has a bunch of samples at the end).  I think its a nice start, but could have used some more plot in the background.  On the other hand the angst side of things isn’t dragged out endlessly.  

I am going to give it a B-ish.  I feel that this author has potential, although she does have a problem with length.   Maybe in the future she can reissue this series with more backstory development and lengthen the story in general. Till then it almost seems like I’m grading something unfinished. That being said, if you have a wait somewhere and want to read something quick, this book could work for you. It didn’t make me want to (figuratively) throw my kindle in annoyance either.

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Bookit Review: Audrey & The Hero Upstairs

Posted on by sokorra

Title: Audrey and the Hero Upstairs (Scandalous Series #5)
Author: R. Linda
Publication Date: July 31st 2018 216 pages
Edition: Kindle (Via Kindle Unlimited)
Genre: Romance
Bookit 2009 #2

Rating: C+

(previously reviewed: Bailey | Indie | Kenzie | Harper )

This is one of the series I think I always imagine I liked better when I see a new book comes out and I end up reading it and realising it wasn’t as good. In this book, the focus changes to Audrey, the woman who in a previous book Nate & Brody saved from a devastating house fire that killed her family. Audrey has a lot of issues to deal with which is apparently is something that disappears once you have a boyfriend. I imagine that was not what the author intended to get across (given what I have read in the next book) but I feel like Audrey’s book should have dealt more with her helping herself by getting help for her issues rather then the awkward relationship with Brody.

I did not hate this book. It was a light read, and I didn’t find anything particularly bad to complain about other then it focusing more on the idea of the relationship solving things. But this a romance, so I’m going to excuse it for the moment. I do have to admit that given Audrey’s age and her trauma, some of the other character reactions seem a little unbelievable. Like her foster parents being okay with everything. But this novel is only 216 pages, so perhaps the length is part of the reason some of this wasn’t developed more.

But then again, the next book in the series is about A student/teacher relationship (he’s 18 at least). I think perhaps it is time to either end the series or focus on the couples already in the series.

Also maybe just retcon the fact that it takes place in California, because over the course of the series it was clear the author was not from California. Or the United States. This story has people handing an 18 year old a glass of wine like its no big deal (which I honestly agree with, but its against the law in the US). I’ve read a bit of the next book and it has someone offering a 18 year old free beer as an incentive to work at his establishment, which would probably cause him to lose his license to sell liquor. (I’m not entirely sure about CA’s laws but its likely). Had it not expressed in the first book that it was California It probably wouldn’t throw me so much when I read it. It’s not necessarily something that would stop me from reading but it stops the flow when I do read it.

So my end assessment is that it was okay – but not going on my greatest hits list.

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Bookit Review # 18: My Best Friend’s Ex

Posted on by sokorra

Title: My Best Friend’s Ex
Author: Hazel Kelly
Publication Date: June 8, 2018
Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)
Grade: C

This book was not horrible, but it was pretty underwhelming.  There was very little plot, most of which sets up a possible series.  None of the characters were particularly developed past the main two, and some significant parts of the back story were never really brought closure.  Perhaps that will happen in the books that follow.    I’m assuming this is the start of a series as it is listed as “Beta Brothers #1”.

The premise of the book is that Zoey and Logan are adopted siblings.  Their parents have adopted several children over the years (and continue to adopt).  Logan was adopted as a sixteen year old while Zoey was much younger when she was adopted.  Therefore she feels more like they are her parents while he sees them as parent-figures.  Oddly enough this is not their awkward obstacle.

Apparently for them, it’s the fact that Logan dated Zoey’s life-long best friend.  There is a back story there but it’s unevenly reveled and the two main characters never really directly talk about it.  They don’t really let it affect them long either.  The romance is pretty much developed pre-story.  This story is just how they ended up actually hooking up.

I feel this is one of those books that perhaps will be better once a sequel is out.  Perhaps things were left vague to be developed in another segment.  I’m not sure if I will read the next book or not.  I tend to prefer plot and development over simple hook up stories.  However if you like uncomplicated (despite the background) love stories it might appeal to you.

As I said, it was not horrible, but I feel like It could have used more space devoted to developing the characters and the background story then to the love scenes.  It reads more as an early dating to their first time story rather than a romance.  For being their big “obstacle” Piper doesn’t show up very often and is underdeveloped as a character.  This feels like a rough draft to a longer story and I hope the rest of the series helps develop the background characters and setting.

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Bookit #17: Kenzie & The Guy Next Door

Posted on by sokorra

Title: Kenzie and the Guy Next Door (Scandelous #4)
Author: R. Linda
Publication Date: May 29, 2018
Format:  Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)
Grade: B.

In the fourth book of the Scandalous series (Find them at Book One Book Two or Book Three), we are focused on Kenzie, the twin sister of Ryder from Book One.  She is now 23, and her son Cole is five.  She lives on her own in a apartment near her mother and Brother, and is going to school to become a nurse.  However her life gets pushed a bit off the rails when Chace, the bad guy from Book One, shows up once again.   Chace wants to see his son, which would be alright if he wasn’t doing it creeper Stalker style.

In the last book we were introduced to Harper’s brother Jeremy, who has recently gotten out of prison after he accidently ran over a child when he was 17.   This story explores more the backstory of Harper and Jeremy’s childhood and what happened the night Jeremy went to prison.  Jeremy also gets to act like the white knight for Kenzie when Chace goes too far.

This romance seems a little fast, but it also moves the background plots further.  It has some interesting aspects that I did not expect.  However listing them here would be rather spoilery so I won’t.

Not the strongest in the series (I still feel that might have been book one), but still an enjoyable read.  I do find the publication schedule a little interesting.  She seems to publishing a book every two months or so, less then between book 3 and this one.  In fact according to GOodreads (which is where I get my data from) its only been a month.  Which makes me wonder if we will see book #5 sometime this month. The next book is about Brody and Audrey, minor characters in the last three books.   According to a recent Q&A the author is working on book #6.  I hope the fast pace won’t make the quality suffer.

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Bookit #16: Harper & The One Night Stand

Posted on by sokorra

Title:  Harper and the One Night Stand
Author:  R. Linda
Publication Date: April 10, 2018
Format:  Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)
Grade: B-

This is the third review of the books in R. Linda’s Scandalous series.  (Book One and Two are reviewed previously).  In this book we get the point of views of Nate and Harper.  Nate is the older brother of Book 2’s leading lady, Indie.  Harper was a guest at the wedding, and Kenzie (sister of Book 1’s Ryder)’s best friend.  She also happens to be the ex-girlfriend of Nate’s cousin Brody.

Nate & Harper have a one-night stand at the wedding, and then for three months keep showing up at each other’s houses, having a string of one-night-stands.  Harper finally ends it when she realises that they are perhaps not as stringless as they had begun.

I have to admit I found Brody’s part in this story puzzling.  In this book he is written as being still a bit in love with Harper, yet in the previous book he was pretty much brushing the relationship off as something in the past and that they were just friends.  So it seems a little weird that in the six months that seemed to have passed since Book 2 that Brody suddenly is persuing her again.

Like the others I enjoyed this as a light and fluffy romance.  The angst was there, but almost brushed over.  I wouldn’t call this book very deep or meaty, but it was a fun way to wile the afternoon away.

I do like that this book has carried over some of the background plot points of the previous books.  Johnny and Julie, the two restaurant owners who helped Ryder when he needed it are woven through the book as they are Harper’s Aunt and Uncle.  The other two couples from Book 1 & 2 are developed more in these books as they return from college.

The couples tend to prefer having odd nicknames for each other.  I felt that the use of Friend here just seemed a bit weird.  I can’t say exactly why, so maybe its just a personal preference.

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Bookit #15: Indie & The Brother’s Best Friend

Posted on by sokorra

Title:  Indie & The Brother’s Best Friend (Scandalous # 2)
Author:  R Linda
Publication Date: January 30, 2018
Format:  EBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Grade:  B-

This is the second in a series by R.Linda called The Scandalous series (although I’m not entirely sure how any of these stories are particularly scandalous…).  The first book was about Bailey during her last year in high school.  In the second book, the author turns to Bailey’s best friend Indie as she deals with her long abiding crush on her brother’s best friend.

The author also takes a POV turn, this time deciding to do it from both the POV of Indie, but also Lincoln, her love interest.  In Bailey’s book (which I reviewed here) it was solely in Bailey’s POV.  The characters are also aged up 3 years and are in their final year of college.

I found this book just as enjoyable as the first one.  The author seems to slip more into Australian terms more oftne in this book, but unlike the first book she never mentions the setting country so Its easier to just assume its in Australia.

I will admit that I found Jack’s play acting a bit much at times.  I find the “Oh, don’t worry, he’s gay” plot a bit overused.  At least in this story Jack remains gay, unlike a book I read a few years ago that had a surprise twist that somehow the supposedly gay best friend had fallen for the main girl (The novel was a bit of a train wreck to be honest and I can’t remember the title).

There is also a bit where the happily ever after came (which I’m all for) but I found it less satisfying because there were issues the two had that they never seemed to discuss and seemed automatically resolved because they were suddenly together.

This story does incorperate more of the minor characters of the first book, even though The POV has changed.  Kenzie, Ryder’s sister returns, as does Indie’s brother Nate.  I’ve read both of them and shall be reviewing them soon.

I think it has a bit of the idealism of the first book, which may or may not be a good thing going forward.

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Bookit #14: Bailey & The Bad Boy

Posted on by sokorra

Title: Bailey & The Bad Boy (Scandalous Series #1)
Author: R. Linda
Publication Date: November 7, 2017
Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

Grade: B

I enjoyed this book.  It was a bit cliché in some ways but it didn’t make me want to throw it out the window.  It was cute, and the characters were developed enough that I cared to find out what happened.

The main plot is that Bailey, a 17-year-old high school student, has recently been dumped by her seemingly perfect boyfriend.  During a road trip planned before the breakup, she finds her boyfriend making out with her seemingly perfect best friend.  Obviously Chace & Christina were not as perfect as Bailey thought.

Along comes Ryder, a boy who used to be Chace’s best friend.  He offers to be her fake boyfriend to piss her ex off.  She eventually accepts, and finds herself re-evaluating a lot of people in her life, including herself.   As always, hijinks and drama ensue.

My main issues with this novel were the setting inconsistencies.  At one point it is mentioned that it is based in California.  However, the main characters have a 2 month “summer” vacation over Christmas.  Given the Author is in fact from Australia, it makes more sense to pretend I just never saw the mention of California.  I also don’t see how teenagers can just disappear from school as much as these kids seem to.  Cutting out of their classes with seemingly no consequences for that.  The one character leaves for a month.  At my high school, you’d be risking being held back and repeating the grade.

I also think that is a bit idealistic, but that’s okay.  I plan on reading the next book, Indie & The brothers Best Friend next.  We will see if it continues to be enjoyable.  I did not have that experience with the Holiday HIgh series I started to read/review earlier this year (hence why only one got reviewed in the end).

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Bookit Review: My Fake Valentine

Posted on by sokorra

Title: My Fake Valentine (Holiday High Series #1)

Author: Kellie McAllen

Bookit # 12

Publication date January 17, 2018
Format: Kindle Unlimited Ebook

This was another find via the Kindle Unlimited. I have tended to avoid Teen romance for awhile because I got stuck with a few bad ones in the past that promoted some really bad ideals as far as relationships go. But I figured I would give this series a chance.

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