Friday Mini Reviews #60: J.D. Robb, Leah Rae Miller & Clay & Susan Griffith



Judgement in Death by J.D. Robb (In Death #11)

bought

Synopsis from Goodreads
Set in the New York City of 2059, this futuristic mystery opens in an uptown strip club where a cop has been bludgeoned to death for his most intimate and secret sins. Detective Eve Dallas opens an investigation that plunges her straight into hell.

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8/10
Books where Eve goes after dirty cops are perhaps some of my favorite, and this one involves an old enemy of Roarke, which means our guy plays an even more proactive role here. I also enjoy when a misogynistic villain completely underestimates Dallas's badassery and gets his behind handed to him. Aah, bliss!
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Книги, в которых Ив охотится за грязными полицейскими каждый раз оказываются одними из моих самых любимых. Правосудие в Смерти к тому же описывает старого врага Рорка, что значит, наш любимый герой ещё более активно помогает Ив закрыть её расследование. Я также всегда наслаждаюсь сценами, в кторых шовинист злодей недооценивает уровень интеллекта Ив, и она ставит того на место! Ах, просто красота! :)


The Summer I became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller 

bought

Synopsis from Goodreads

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.
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8/10
Another cute and lovely book about a nerd in disguise. Maddie is a cheerleader with a secret obsession with comic books, but for some reason she decides that if anyone ever finds out about her inner geek she will become unpopular and her happy, carefree life will end. *scoffs* It's an easy, fun, positive and comforting read, and I'll be on the lookout for this author in the future.
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 Ещё одна милая, позитивная книжка о гике под прикрытием. Мадди - чиарлидер, тайно помешанная на комиксах, однако она предпочитает держать своё хобби в секрете, чтобы над ней не смеялась вся школа и чтобы она не потеряла свою популярность. Книжка смешная, читается легко и от неё остаётся сплошное хорошое настроение. Так что, советую!

 The Kingmakers by Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith (Vampire Empire #3)

bought

Synopsis from Goodreads

The epic Vampire Empire trilogy rushes to a heart-wrenching conclusion of honor and love, hatred and vengeance, sacrifice and loss.

A war to the death.

Empress Adele has launched a grand crusade against the vampire clans of the north. Prince Gareth, the vampire lord of Scotland, serves the Equatorian cause, fighting in the bloody trenches of France in his guise as the dashing Greyfriar. But the human armies are pinned down, battered by harsh weather and merciless attacks from vampire packs.

To even the odds, Adele unleashes the power of her geomancy, a fearsome weapon capable of slaughtering vampires in vast numbers. However, the power she expends threatens her own life even as she questions the morality of such a weapon.

As the war turns ever bloodier and Adele is threatened by betrayal, Gareth faces a terrible choice. Their only hope is a desperate strike against the lord of the vampire clans--Gareth's brother, Cesare. It is a gamble that could win the war or signal the final days of the Greyfriar.

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8/10
I think this is my rating for the series in general. I really enjoyed the first book, second one was okay, and then I took a long break before reading book three, which was alright too. There are some funny moments, but overall the tone is depressing and reminded me of Sanderson's propensity to kill off any joy his characters desire to have. It was interesting to see how the whole thing can end, but I didn't enjoy it. It felt more like a necessity to finish reading it. I am not sure I'll continue with the spin-offs.
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Я думаю, что 8 из 10 - это моя оценка серии в общем. Первая книга была шикарной, вторая нормальной, третья... вызывает ощущение, что мне надо её дочитать, чтобы довести серию до конца, а не для того, чтобы получить от неё удовольствие. Здесь есть и смешные и абсурдные моменты, и классные битвы, однако у четы Гриффитов есть такая же некрасивая черта убивать любую радость жизни у своих характеров, как и у Брэндона Сандерсона. Слишком всё для меня мрачно.