Scan barcode
twiinklex's reviews
2821 reviews
Off the Map: 25 True Stories to Inspire Your Next Adventure by Chelsea Fagan
4.0
So inspiring! In fact I took my first solo trip just days after reading this book.
Trust by Sherri Hayes
3.0
I don't really read BDSM/dark erotic stories and this is only my second series of the genre (the first being Julia Sykes' original Impossible trilogy which I enjoyed very much). I didn't hate Finding Anna, but I can't say I like it very much either. Probably a 2.5 out of 5 rating overall.
It was hard getting into the story at times and I forced myself to go on at certain points because I don't like not finishing books. On a whole, the story was pretty draggy and they were a lot of details about things I didn't care about. I know those scenes were important to their development of the characters' romantic relationship, but it gets old and boring reading about what they eat and talk about during every meal after awhile.
Book 1 was pretty all right. Pretty refreshing and original idea. I was intrigued by both characters and what Anna had gone through. It was interesting seeing how her mind worked, and how she slowly opened up to Stephan. Even their outings and such were interesting to read about.
I can't even remember what really goes on in Book 2 and Book 3 anymore because it took me sometime to get through both, plus the events and happenings were all so repetitive. I get that recovery is a challenging process but Anna basically just went back and forth, afraid of everything in one scene and being intimate with Stephan in another. Nothing much stood out for me.
Book 4 was slightly better and on par with Book 1. Despite its length, I got through it much quickly. By now, I had an attachment to all the characters. I wish readers got to know Cal, Jade, Lily, Logan, Diane, Richard and all the other side characters more. After all, they were Anna's friends and the ones who played an important role in her recovery too. It was a pity they pretty much got swept under the rug after the court case.
The final book was also quite an emotional read since Anna and Stephan had to be apart. I could feel their pain at the separation, especially Anna's. I think they needed the time apart because Anna had been too dependent on him to the point of almost annoying (she still was, by the end of the book though it got better). It seemed as if she couldn't live without Stephan which just made their whole love story very unrealistic for me.
I would have also preferred if the court trial was more detailed and longer. It felt like the author breezed through it and simply killed Ian off. Stephan was right - death had been too easy. I would have preferred seeing him and the others involved being cross-examined. Funny how Dumas wasn't part of the trial either but I guess he wasn't the point.
All in all, the series wasn't a bad read, but I think it focused on the wrong things at times. In addition, female protagonist II do not think of her as a heroine) was too dependent on a man and afraid of everything to the point of annoying. It would have been nice seeing her have more spunk and standing up for herself instead of running to her boyfriend 99.9% of the time.
It was hard getting into the story at times and I forced myself to go on at certain points because I don't like not finishing books. On a whole, the story was pretty draggy and they were a lot of details about things I didn't care about. I know those scenes were important to their development of the characters' romantic relationship, but it gets old and boring reading about what they eat and talk about during every meal after awhile.
Book 1 was pretty all right. Pretty refreshing and original idea. I was intrigued by both characters and what Anna had gone through. It was interesting seeing how her mind worked, and how she slowly opened up to Stephan. Even their outings and such were interesting to read about.
I can't even remember what really goes on in Book 2 and Book 3 anymore because it took me sometime to get through both, plus the events and happenings were all so repetitive. I get that recovery is a challenging process but Anna basically just went back and forth, afraid of everything in one scene and being intimate with Stephan in another. Nothing much stood out for me.
Book 4 was slightly better and on par with Book 1. Despite its length, I got through it much quickly. By now, I had an attachment to all the characters. I wish readers got to know Cal, Jade, Lily, Logan, Diane, Richard and all the other side characters more. After all, they were Anna's friends and the ones who played an important role in her recovery too. It was a pity they pretty much got swept under the rug after the court case.
The final book was also quite an emotional read since Anna and Stephan had to be apart. I could feel their pain at the separation, especially Anna's. I think they needed the time apart because Anna had been too dependent on him to the point of almost annoying (she still was, by the end of the book though it got better). It seemed as if she couldn't live without Stephan which just made their whole love story very unrealistic for me.
I would have also preferred if the court trial was more detailed and longer. It felt like the author breezed through it and simply killed Ian off. Stephan was right - death had been too easy. I would have preferred seeing him and the others involved being cross-examined. Funny how Dumas wasn't part of the trial either but I guess he wasn't the point.
All in all, the series wasn't a bad read, but I think it focused on the wrong things at times. In addition, female protagonist II do not think of her as a heroine) was too dependent on a man and afraid of everything to the point of annoying. It would have been nice seeing her have more spunk and standing up for herself instead of running to her boyfriend 99.9% of the time.