jasmyn9's reviews
1757 reviews

Rebirth by Gayle Parness
Did not finish book. Stopped at 47%.

The constant sniping about Garret and the teenager wanting to get with an adult vampire were just too much.

Lady Elinor's Wicked Adventures by Lillian Marek

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was a fantastic historical romance. The Tremaine family was everything I could hope a family would be (whatever time period), and the way Elinor shines throughout the story is perfect. Harry seems to be your typical uptight lord, but I quickly learned that he was a lot deeper than that. He and Elinor will make a great couple.

There is a lot of adventure going on for a romance, and it was refreshing to have more to worry about than "will they or won't they." In fact, the lack of romantic drama (lies, faked anything, forced proximity, tarnished reputation) were no where to be seen. I loved it.

Doctor Who: The Monsters Inside by Stephen Cole

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Another fun adventure with The Doctor and Rose Tyler. Deep into a prison system where they are separated and must reconnect - with lots of obstacles and creatures in the way. A good mix of technology and problem solving, some really great side characters (alien and human), and a fun, adventurous romp across a alien system.

Tempest by Beverly Jenkins

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Tempest was a great conclusion to the Old West series (although I'd love to visit the families again). Reegan is the adventurous sister and goes off to be a mail-order bride to a widowed doctor with a young daughter. She's different than everyone expects, and not everyone in her new town appreciates that. I really enjoyed watching Reegan forge her own way and make a place for herself. Anna (her step-daughter) was a breathe of fresh air an innocence. I did figure out the big mystery well before I should have, which made the ending not quite as exciting. 

A Touch of Greek by Tina Folsom
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.

Every single male was an asshole that thought women couldn't do anything. It got very tiring by 50% through.

Breathless by Beverly Jenkins

lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Not quite as good as book one. I didn't connect to Kent as well as I did with Rhine from book one. But Portia - Portia is my soulmate. I really enjoyed reading about the suffrage movement and how so many women were starting businesses (successfully) and striking out on their own to form opinions and live their lives.

The conflict outside of Portia and Kent didn't seem as "real" to me either. Parts of it felt a little more forced in order to take up time or fill pages (especially the very end). I did enjoy seeing a glimpse past their immediate future and how Portia and Kent were a little ways down the road. A great story, with just a few things that didn't quite ring with me.

The Shattered Trident by Richard Phillips

adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I've really enjoyed this series until this book - which is just so drawn out and full of overly descriptive sections. While detail is important, it takes up too much of the book without enough forward momentum for the plot. I think I'll be stopping here even though I have enjoyed the characters and world up to this point.

Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins

emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I think the Old West was a great setting for Forbidden. The Old West is often associated with new beginnings and fresh starts - which is exactly what many freed slaves were looking for. Rhine and Eddie may have arrived with different goals in mind, they both were looking for something new.

There are two reasons this wasn't quite a 5-star read for me. 1) There is a bit of a savior mentality where Rhine is saving Eddy - which I'm glad he did - but it also would have been nice to see her save herself. She's a very strong woman, and as times it felt like Rhine didn't understand that. 2) The way Rhine spoke to her about sex (and maybe that's what they thought in the 1800s). It was a little to "educational" and, again, somehow made her seem less than she really was.

Their relationship, the city, the people around them - all amazing and well written. You could see the community and feel the rifts. 

Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this book. Hel, Sam and even Van Helsing were all my favorites to love/hate at some point throughout the story. I want more - I need to know what happens next!

There are many layers to Strange Beasts - what makes a monster being a big one. Trust, friendship, partnership - and how they evolve and change is another. The mystery of who/what the Beast is, and why it's killing people, was well thought out, with just enough clues for it to all make sense in the end, without giving it all away halfway through the book. It's wrapped up quite nicely, but there is a bit of an "and then....." at the end.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

challenging dark emotional inspiring tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Winter Garden starts out just a little slower than I prefer as Kristin Hannah instroduces us to Anya and her daughters. The story starts with us following her daughters, Meredith and Nina through their daily lives and shows us the enormous rift in their relationship with Anya, who seems to be a very distant and uncaring mother. 
This was a little too much set up for my taste, but once the story really begins, when Anya starts to tell her fairy tales that have a little too much truth behind them, then it is hard to stop reading. A tale of love and loss, determination, and hardship. By the end of the story you are drawn back to Russia during the war and live alongside Veronica and her family as they struggle through unspeakable things.
The end of the book isn't all sunshine and rainbows, as many stories don't end that way. But it does give a light of hope and happiness, finding new ways to live with the past, and connecting with the people around you.