Friday Mini Reviews #103: Aleatha Romig, Joanna Cannon & Laurell K. Hamilton
Betrayal by Aleatha Romig (Infidelity #1)
bought on audio
Synopsis from Goodreads
One week. No future. No past. No more.
Alexandria Collins has one week to live carefree—no ghosts of her past or pressures of her future haunting her. Reinventing herself as "Charli," she is knocked off her feet by a sexy, mysterious man who brings her pleasure like she never imagined. With her heart at stake, she forgets that decisions made in the dark of night reappear in the bright light of day.
"Some of my tastes are unique. They aren’t for everyone. I understand that.”
Lennox "Nox" Demetri is wealthy, confident, and decisive—he knows what he wants. From the first time he sees Charli at an exclusive resort, he knows he wants her. Although he is usually the one to make the rules, together they agree on one:
One week. No more.
When betrayal comes from those closest to Alexandria, she must decide how far she is willing to go to survive. Choices are not always easy, especially when they involve the heart, body, and soul. After all, Infidelity is a business, and some rules are meant to be broken.
"Is it really cheating if you're doing it to yourself?"
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes a sexy, new dominant hero who knows what he wants, and a strong-willed heroine who has plans of her own. With classic Aleatha Romig twists, turns, deceptions, and devotions, this new epic dark romance will have readers swooning one minute and screaming the next. Have you been Aleatha'd?
BETRAYAL is a full-length novel and the first of five in the INFIDELITY series.
Alexandria Collins has one week to live carefree—no ghosts of her past or pressures of her future haunting her. Reinventing herself as "Charli," she is knocked off her feet by a sexy, mysterious man who brings her pleasure like she never imagined. With her heart at stake, she forgets that decisions made in the dark of night reappear in the bright light of day.
"Some of my tastes are unique. They aren’t for everyone. I understand that.”
Lennox "Nox" Demetri is wealthy, confident, and decisive—he knows what he wants. From the first time he sees Charli at an exclusive resort, he knows he wants her. Although he is usually the one to make the rules, together they agree on one:
One week. No more.
When betrayal comes from those closest to Alexandria, she must decide how far she is willing to go to survive. Choices are not always easy, especially when they involve the heart, body, and soul. After all, Infidelity is a business, and some rules are meant to be broken.
"Is it really cheating if you're doing it to yourself?"
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes a sexy, new dominant hero who knows what he wants, and a strong-willed heroine who has plans of her own. With classic Aleatha Romig twists, turns, deceptions, and devotions, this new epic dark romance will have readers swooning one minute and screaming the next. Have you been Aleatha'd?
BETRAYAL is a full-length novel and the first of five in the INFIDELITY series.
Audible US/UK | Amazon US/UK | Amazon kindle US/UK | Book Depository
7.5/10
I got it on audio, and I have to say I'm hooked. It's a classic erotic romance with over the top responses, but Miss Romig is such a good writer, she makes it work. I am really intrigued and dying to know what happens next. Sexy, spicy and with a soul. Recommended.
* * *
Я загрузила эту книгу на аудио, и она меня неожиданно цепанула. Вот классический сценарий эротического романа, а автор талантливый, и получилось у неё всё очень интересно. И теперь меня уже раздирает любопытство, что будет дальше. Рекомендую.
The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon
bought on audio
Synopsis from Goodreads
Part coming-of-age story, part mystery, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep is a quirky and utterly charming debut about a community in need of absolution and two girls learning what it means to belong.
England, 1976. Mrs. Creasy is missing and the Avenue is alive with whispers. The neighbors blame her sudden disappearance on the heat wave, but ten-year-olds Grace and Tilly aren’t convinced. As the summer shimmers endlessly on, the girls decide to take matters into their own hands. Inspired by the local vicar, they go looking for God—they believe that if they find Him they might also find Mrs. Creasy and bring her home.
Spunky, spirited Grace and quiet, thoughtful Tilly go door to door in search of clues. The cul-de-sac starts to give up its secrets, and the amateur detectives uncover much more than ever imagined. As they try to make sense of what they’ve seen and heard, a complicated history of deception begins to emerge. Everyone on the Avenue has something to hide, a reason for not fitting in.
In the suffocating heat of the summer, the ability to guard these differences becomes impossible. Along with the parched lawns and the melting pavement, the lives of all the neighbors begin to unravel. What the girls don’t realize is that the lies told to conceal what happened one fateful day about a decade ago are the same ones Mrs. Creasy was beginning to peel back just before she disappeared.
Audible US/UK | Amazon US/UK | Amazon kindle US/UK | Book Depository
bought on audio
Synopsis from Goodreads
Part coming-of-age story, part mystery, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep is a quirky and utterly charming debut about a community in need of absolution and two girls learning what it means to belong.
England, 1976. Mrs. Creasy is missing and the Avenue is alive with whispers. The neighbors blame her sudden disappearance on the heat wave, but ten-year-olds Grace and Tilly aren’t convinced. As the summer shimmers endlessly on, the girls decide to take matters into their own hands. Inspired by the local vicar, they go looking for God—they believe that if they find Him they might also find Mrs. Creasy and bring her home.
Spunky, spirited Grace and quiet, thoughtful Tilly go door to door in search of clues. The cul-de-sac starts to give up its secrets, and the amateur detectives uncover much more than ever imagined. As they try to make sense of what they’ve seen and heard, a complicated history of deception begins to emerge. Everyone on the Avenue has something to hide, a reason for not fitting in.
In the suffocating heat of the summer, the ability to guard these differences becomes impossible. Along with the parched lawns and the melting pavement, the lives of all the neighbors begin to unravel. What the girls don’t realize is that the lies told to conceal what happened one fateful day about a decade ago are the same ones Mrs. Creasy was beginning to peel back just before she disappeared.
Audible US/UK | Amazon US/UK | Amazon kindle US/UK | Book Depository
8/10
Okay, I admit I bought this because I thought it will be a comedy about farm animals. Sue me. Instead, this is a quirky, lovely and slightly sad murder mystery from a child's POV in England in the 70s. Really well-written, full of small-minded bigots & naive innocence. A very enjoyable listen, absolutely recommended for something different.
* * *
Признаюсь, что книгу покупала по обложке, думая, что она будет комедией о домашних животных. Ага. Вместо этого получила старомодный, жутко милый и атмосферный детектив в субурбии Англии 70х гг. со взгляда маленьких девочек, окружённых напыщенными, недалёкими соседями. Характеры шикарные, прямо засасывает эта книга с её прекрасной рассказчицей. Очень советую если хочется чего-то другого.
bought
Synopsis from Goodreads
In her twenty-fifth adventure, vampire hunter and necromancer Anita Blake learns that evil is in the eye of the beholder...
Anita has never seen Damian, her vampire servant, in such a state. The rising sun doesn’t usher in the peaceful death that he desperately needs. Instead, he’s being bombarded with violent nightmares and blood sweats.
And now, with Damian at his most vulnerable, Anita needs him the most. The vampire who created him, who subjected him to centuries of torture, might be losing control, allowing rogue vampires to run wild and break one of their kind’s few strict taboos.
Some say love is a great motivator, but hatred gets the job done, too. And when Anita joins forces with her friend Edward to stop the carnage, Damian will be at their side, even if it means traveling back to the land where all his nightmares spring from...a place that couldn’t be less welcoming to a vampire, an assassin, and a necromancer.
Ireland.
Audible US | Amazon US/UK | Amazon kindle US/UK | Book Depository
1/10
OMG!
This was worse than I expected after the last book which resurrected
vintage Anita. No such luck here, peeps. I think Ms. Blake did not fire
her gun even once, there is hardly any sex (!) and almost no plot.
Basically, you can't win. She does a little bit of metaphysical mojo in a
couple of fights. The rest, as you can guess, is endless talk between
Anita and any man/woman in the vicinity about her love life ad nauseum.
So much possibly good plot wasted, it's not even funny. She is in Europe
for the first time, for God's sake! Edward is here! No, nope, nada.
Total fail. So sad.* * *
Боже мой, это было ещё хуже, чем я себе представляла, особенно после того как предыдущая книга воскресила винтажную Аниту. В общем, подотрите слюни, здесь нет ни секса, ни боёв, ни развития сюжета. Книга заполнена описанием мужчин и женщин в её жизни и бесконечными выяснениями отношений, а в перерывах все кто Миз Блэйк встречает впервые распрашивает её о её любовной жизни. Ну, вашу мать! Оно если и было скандально-актуально 10 лет назад, то сейчас полигамия в романах встречается довольно часто и никого не удивляет. А потенциала пробухано... Она же впервые в Ирландии, впервые в Европе. Эдвард рядом! Там же можно было зафигачить такую конфетку. Ан-нет, хренушки. Не берите в руки это Г на палочке.
