For What It's Worth


Monday, February 19, 2018

Monday Minis



SUPER eclectic mix today guys! Cyber punk M/M, contemporary M/f romance, YA thriller and a M/M sports romance. 

                                   
37856815Apocalypse Alley (Blue Unicorn #2)by Don Allmon ~ Goodreads

Source: e-arc provided byt he published in exchange for an honest review

“Home from a six-month assignment to war-torn East Asia, genetically engineered supersoldier Noah "Comet" Wu just wants to kick back, share a beer, and talk shit with his best friend, JT. But JT's home has been shot up like a war zone, and his friend has gone missing.

Comet's only lead is a smart-mouthed criminal he finds amid the mess. His name's Buzz Howdy. He's a con man and a hacker and deserves to be in jail. Or in handcuffs, at least…”

My thoughts: I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as Book #1 – The Glamour Thieves. The adrenaline rush and cool tech world is still there but there was almost too much of it being thrown at the reader rapid fire. It was hard to get a handle on it while also alternating with (much needed) background information coming at me.

Apocalypse Alley also follows a more traditional romance formula yet Comet and Buzz didn't resonate with me as much as JT and Austin did in book #1.

Having said that, I like the authors balls to the wall writing style even if not all of it worked for me. It was still a thrilling ride and I'm looking forward to the next book.

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Mister McHottie and Stud in the Stacks by Pippa Grant ~ Goodreads

Source: Kindle Unlimited

My thoughts: These books are pure RomCom fun. Mister McHottie is second chance/hate to love, and Stud in the Stacks is fake relationship romance.

I liked Stud in the Stacks a bit more – maybe because the stud in question is a romance reader and reviewer 😍 – but Grant takes a joke or a double entendre and beats until there’s nothing left.

These books are funny and waaaaay over the top but intentionally and gleefully so. I had fun with them but the CONSTANT joking and nicknames for body parts sounded infantile and grated on me after a while.



34144430Bad Girls with Perfect Faces by Lynn Weingarten ~ Goodreads

Source: Borrowed

“When Sasha’s best friend Xavier gets back together with his cheating ex, Ivy, Sasha knows she needs to protect him. So she poses as a guy online to lure Ivy away.
But Sasha’s plan goes sickeningly wrong. And she soon learns to be careful of who you pretend to be because you might be surprised by who you become…”


My thoughts: Super twisty novel. I liked the characters - *liked* might not be the right word because the characters are fucked up lol – but they were flawed yet you could see why they did the things they did to and for each other. But I felt like the author should have stuck with her core story instead of adding additional twists and turns, that while shocking, took away from a lot of issues that could have been explored more closely.

Greg from Book Haven liked it quite a bit more than I did and you can read his review here


36100983Undone by You (Chicago Rebels #3) by Kate Meader ~ Goodreads

Source: e-arc provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

"USA TODAY bestselling author Kate Meader brings her signature “steamy sex scenes, colorful characters, and riveting dialogue” (RT Book Reviews) to this novella in the Chicago Rebels series, following the general manager of the Rebels as he scores with one of his players off the ice."

My thoughts: Meader’s couples always have the best chemistry! Dante and Cade were no exception. I  loved this one at first, but the second half lagged in comparison and Dante was kind of a jerk - I understand a lot of his misgivings (he was Cade’s boss and had been in a relationship with another closeted gay man before and wasn’t looking for a repeat) but he was running so hot and cold I was annoyed.

Overall really good though. If you like Kate Meader or this series (there are a lot of cameos) - you should enjoy this one as well.

32 comments:

  1. I have yet to read anything by Kate Meader but I feel like I see her books all over the place. I definitely want to give her a try!

    Tanya @ Girl Plus Books

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    1. Her books are a lot of fun Tanya! Super sexy and funny. My favorite series if hers are the Hot in the Kitchen & Hot in Chicago series.

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  2. I really enjoyed bad girls. The characters were flawed and that did make me like them. They did do a lot of messed up things though.

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  3. You've got me curious about Bad Girls With Perfect Faces. It's been a while since I've read about "fucked up" characters. xD

    - Aimee @ Aimee, Always

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  4. Bad Girls With Perfect Faces definitely sounds intriguing. Curious about what happens! Thanks for sharing. :)
    ~Jess

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  5. I haven't read any of these but a couple of them sounds like books I might like.

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  6. I liked Apocalypse Alley's predecessor, but for some reason I wasn't interested when this one came along.

    I read Greg's review of Bad Girls With Pretty Faces and got interested to pick it up eventually. Still plan to read some Meader eventually.

    Great work on the mini reviews, Karen!

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    1. Thanks Sophia!

      AA was ehhh but I'm looking forward to the next one.

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  7. The Blue Unicorn series about the apocalypse? Sounds interesting. Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you. I've seen Undone by You floating around lately. Sucks that it dragged in the second half. I haven't read this series, so I don't think I'd want to jump in on this one. Thanks for the mini reviews.

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    1. The blue Unicorn series is really different if you're looking for that. Even not liking the second book hasn't turned me off the series.

      You can jump in with Undone by You - it's a novella but most people enjoy the series as well.

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  8. I think Kristen at Metaphors & Moonlight had a similar reaction to Apocalypse Alley- that it wasn't quite as good as the first one. I remember seeing her review last week I think it was. And yeah I totally get what you mean about Bad Girls With Perfect faces. It was maybe a little TOO twisty by the end? Thanks for linking my review bTW.

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    1. Yeah - we did a buddy read and had similar thoughts.

      No problem. I liked Bad Girls but I think you liked it quite a bit more than me and wrote a great review.

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  9. I still want to read Bad Girls with Perfect Faces, and did see Greg's review earlier! I just like the concept, but I feel like I might get irritated if the characters are too fucked up.

    Also, I made a comment on Kristen's Apocalypse Alley review about the dude's hair. It makes me think of Heat Miser from The Year Without Santa Claus, lol. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbfgVEk-mxQ) I hope the song gets stuck in your head, too!

    I get that some RomCom is purposefully OMG GIGGLES AND GLITTER PENISES, but I've been staying away from those lately. I want a little substance with my romance!

    Do You Dog-ear?

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    1. lol I saw your comment on Kristen's blog.

      This romcom was intentionally over the top silly so if that's your thing or what you're in the mood for - it's fun.

      The constant replay of the same joke and not taking anything seriously wore me down though.

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  10. I keep seeing Bad Girls with Perfect Faces around! The cover is its perfectly since you say it's super twisty!

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  11. Stud in the Stacks just sounds super fun!! :) I don't know the series with Undone By You, but this particular story sounds really good!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. Most of Meader's romances are M/f but she's done a few M/M novellas and they can be read as stand alones.

      I liked Stud in the Stacks more but the series is way over the top - but fun in a way

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  12. All are new to me. The Kate Meader book looks interesting.

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  13. I thought you already posted your review for AA, but I guess that was just on GR. We did already have our chat about it, but it seems we both said similar things in our reviews as well!

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    1. I posted on Goodreads after I finished but waited closer to release date for here.

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  14. I've heard of Bad Girls with Twisty Faces and I've been curious about it. Now I'm more curious about it, but I'm not sure it's a book I would enjoy, lol. I wonder. Ha ha.

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  15. Oh the Grant ones sound fun. Both are tropes I enjoy :)

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