One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick

Nathaniel Fick decided while he was in college that he was going to join the Marines. He served as an Infantry Officer and later as a Recon Marine. During that time, he saw a good chunk of what the world had to offer, both good and bad. One Bullet Away is Fick’s account of the things he faced during those years.

I first became aware of Nathaniel Fick’s story when I read Generation Kill by Evan Wright a few years back. While I enjoyed Wright’s book, I have a different appreciation for One Bullet Away because of the different perspective. To read the account of someone who actually trained and served and couldn’t just go home after spending a while in a war zone is rather humbling.

One of the major pluses for One Bullet Away is the amount of ground that Fick covers. By that I mean that it’s not just a story about the gruesome aspects of war. Fick talks a lot about how he made the decision to join the Marines, what he went through in order to join, and the training he had to go through once he did get in and how that helped him to become the person he is. In addition, he mentions coming home from war and what it’s like adapting to civilian life again. He also discusses his decision to leave the Corps – how he went from believing the Corps would be his career to realizing that he needed to get out. He talks about all of this, and war, in such an honest and personal manner that it’s hard not to be captivated by his story.

In One Bullet Away Fick isn’t afraid to be candid about all things. He talks about himself, his feelings, his feelings about others and how things were done in a very straightforward manner. One Bullet Away is well written and easy to read. I didn’t want to put it down when I read it because I was so hooked by his story.

Bottom line, I honestly don’t have a bad thing to say about this book. People who serve in the armed forces endure a lot of things and that holds true for Nathaniel Fick and the men and women he served with. Definitely a great read.

Silver by Rhiannon Held

Andrew Dare, werewolf and enforcer, has an important job. Eliminate any and all threats to the Roanoke pack. So when he gets the call that there’s a lone wolf roaming his territory that smells like silver, he’s got to investigate. Silver doesn’t remember anything about her life before the fire running through her veins and the loss of her wild self, she’s simply trying to survive with death as her only companion. She’s just not sure how long she can keep running.

Silver, Rhiannon Held’s debut novel, was an interesting read to say the least. While werewolves and the concept of silver being lethal to werewolves isn’t new, she did play with certain other aspects of the werewolves back story and lives that kept me reading. Held built up a new mythology for werewolves and played with bits of history in an interesting way. While Silver is primarily about trying to figure out what happened to this lone wolf, it also delves into pack politics and life, both the good and the bad.

The characters in the book were all very interesting. Especially Dare and Silver. Dare because of the type of person he is, the attitudes he has towards certain things, and the mystery surrounding his time in Spain. Silver because she obviously survived something horrible and she’s trying to understand all of these new things about herself. It was also really interesting having Death as an actual character. To be honest, I almost felt bad for him at times throughout the story.

The only thing about this book that I wish was different was to get more background on Dare’s history in Spain and the situation with his daughter and his wife’s family. We get some of the story in Silver, but it would awesome to get more about that, in my own opinion.

Overall, I have to say I really enjoyed Silver. There were so many different pieces that kept me wanting to read. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from Rhiannon Held.

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

Meet Chloe Mills, your average hard-working MBA student who’s doing her internship with a big-wig media agency. She’s determined to get what she wants in life and she’s not going to let anyone stand in her way. Then there’s Bennett Ryan, your average corporate workaholic who gets what he wants. Always. When Bennett moves back home to take a position with his family’s company the two of them get thrown together in what can only be called a whirlwind affair.

Beautiful Bastard was originally a fan-fiction story, but was edited and published by duo Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings after becoming massively popular. As far as the fan-fiction goes, it is far superior to other fan-fiction I’ve read (I’m looking at you 50 Shades of Grey), but would I pay 15 bucks for this again, probably not.

So here’s the thing about Beautiful Bastard. It’s surprisingly well written. The story, what there is of it, is kinda catchy. Even so, its just so typical and cliche of a lot of the erotic romance going around right now. It felt a lot like someone wanted to write lots of different sex scenes and put them all in one book. I mean by chapter four there had already been angsty sex, hate sex, no self-control sex, office sex, conference room sex, public sex, and elevator almost-sex. They’re apparently doing something right though because there’s plans for at least a four book series with a few novella’s thrown in there as well as a movie being made for this book.

Bottom line, it wasn’t bad. It was just a stereotypical man with all the power, woman who struggles, they fall in love, the shit hits the fan, then everything works out in the end story with lots and lots of sex. To be honest, I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re not one for quick erotic romance reads.

Beautiful Series Order (Not sure that that’s the official name, but I’m going with it):

1. Beautiful Bastard
2. Beautiful Stranger (To be released May 28, 2013)
3. Beautiful Player (To be released October 2013)

Things Are Going to Slide by Rangeley Wallace

Things Are Going to Slide is about Marilee Cooper, a professor, attorney, and mother whose life gets flipped upside down unexpectedly. First, her husband leaves her, then she finds out she’s pregnant with a second child, and the trifecta hits when that coveted position with the law school she teaches for is awarded to someone else. Add on top of that a gut-wrenching case taken on by her legal clinic and you’ve got yourself an interesting read – too say the least.

I honestly don’t have a bad thing to say about this book. I absolutely loved Marilee’s character. She’s such a strong, smart, and driven woman and it’s done without being defensive or any of the other quirks you sometimes see with characters of the ‘powerhouse woman’ variety. To be honest, her character is actually the main reason I really wanted to dive into this book. There is so much that she has to deal with in her life and I wanted to know how she was going to handle it, and how things would play out.

In addition, I must say everything came together so well. Marilee was dealing with workplace politics and family and all of those little things that make life what it is throughout the book. As I was reading it felt real, it felt like a story that could have been told over coffee and it kept my interest. It certainly didn’t hurt that it was well written and had a good flow to it!

There were some characters that rubbed me the wrong way – *cough* Sue *cough* – but such is to be expected from time to time. Either way, even the secondary characters had a dynamic to them. It just made for great reading.

All in all, Things Are Going to Slide was a great read. I was so involved in the story and I just kept reading and reading – to the point where I finished the book much faster than I anticipated. I was emotionally invested in this story, with the characters every step of the way and I wasn’t disappointed at all! If you’re a fan of chick-lit and the like then I definitely recommend giving Things Are Going to Slide a read.

**Thanks go to the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of Fiction Addiction Book Tours.

Double Feature: Teresa Mummert

Honor Student is about college student Emma and her history professor Mr. Honor. The two characters meet, have troubles getting along, engage in an illicit relationship, and so on. That’s not much of a synopsis, but that’s really all that’s to it (and all that stuck with me to be honest).

I bought Honor Student as one of those cheap-o e-books, and I have to say I’m so glad I didn’t spend a lot of money on it, because it was just bad. The editing was terrible… absolutely horrific. The story line was so cliché there aren’t even words for it. Some of the stuff that happened was just ridiculous. And for reals… what kind of college does this chick go to?????? I mean, the college literally was written like a high school, it felt like a high school, and it took away even more from the book than already was.

I don’t want to be overly mean about it, but Honor Student just wasn’t a good book in the least. There are more books in the series, but I don’t have any desire to continue reading. Not even a little.

I know, I know… “Why ever would you read a second book by an author when you pretty much hated the first book you read by them?”

Welp, one of my middle of the night Barnes & Noble sprees led me to Suicide Note, also by Teresa Mummert. I knew I recognized the author’s name, but couldn’t figure out from where so I just went ahead and bought it.

In Suicide Note, Jenn has had enough of her life and is ready to do something about it. Shane is a soldier who comes home on leave and ends up befriending Jenn when he figures out that the note he found was written by her. The two develop a relationship, fall in love, and the pieces fall from there. Suicide Note had so much promise – much more than Honor Student in my opinion. However, it just didn’t end up being what it could have been.

The good: I actually liked the characters in this book. I really did. And the premise of the story was good, but those two things just weren’t enough.

The writing in Suicide Note just felt really choppy and jumpy to me… that’s the best way I can explain it. There are also still lots of editing issues in this book and it makes me crazy! The thing that got me the most about this book though… I felt like it ended so abruptly. This huge thing happened and then it was just done, finished. I was sitting there with whiplash like… ‘Whaaaa?!?!’

Unfortunately, both of these books fell short for me which means I’m not likely to pick up another Teresa Mummert book in the near future.

Tell me! Have you ever read Teresa Mummert? Is it just me who feels like this?

Creed’s Honor by Linda Lael Miller

Tricia McCall is cooling her heels in Lonesome Bend, Colorado until she can find a buyer for her late father’s businesses and land. She’s got no plans to stick around and she certainly won’t be falling for local cowboy Conner Creed, or so she tells herself. Conner Creed on the other hand is Lonesome Bend born and bred. He works the ranch that has been passed down for generations and doesn’t complain, even if he is lonely. But when his twin brother comes back to town and Tricia McCall starts to steal his attention, things turn out a little different than he expected.

Creed’s Honor is the second book in Miller’s The Creed Cowboy’s trilogy (another branch of the McKettrick/Creed dynasty) and I’m happy to say, this book is right up there with what I’ve come to expect from Linda Lael Miller – which is enjoyable books. If you ask me, Miller write’s the perfect breezy read, assuming you’re down with some cowboy romancin’.  The characters (as always) are realistic and awesome and human, they all have their flaws. Nobody’s perfect and Miller is not one of those writers who tries to make it seem like they are, or that life is perfect. Relationships begin, end, and grow and everyone faces a challenge of their own. The story itself grabs you and makes you want to keep reading, because even if you know its romance and it’s going to end with a romance, you want to know how they get there, what happens with Conner and his brother, or Natty, and so on. It’s simply just a good book and I’ll absolutely be checking out the others in this trilogy.

The Creed Cowboys Trilogy:

1. A Creed in Stone Creek
2. Creed’s Honor
3. The Creed Legacy

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

(Alrightay! This is the first of my catch-up reviews from before that long absence. Here goes…)

Rosalinda Fitzroy has just been woken up from a 62 year stint in stasis. During that time, she hasn’t aged and her memories haven’t deteriorated, but the world definitely isn’t what she remembers when she went to sleep.

Everyone Rose knew is gone now, but she’s got a new chance at life – she’s just got to decide to take it. Yet, with being that weird girl who will eventually inherit a multi-planet wide empire and adjusting to and finding her place in a completely changed society it’s certainly not an easy task. That’s not to mention someone has Rose in their sights, and not in a good way.  In the end, Rose gets some answers she never expected and learns more about herself than ever before.

Okay… A book about someone waking up after basically being suspended in time for over 60 years… What’s not to love about that idea? Really.

To be honest, this book actually started off pretty slow for me, which was intensely frustrating because the author would drop a hint here or there, and I would want answers, but I wasn’t getting them fast enough for my taste. Not to mention I went into this book really wanting to like it because the idea behind it is awesomesauce, and I wasn’t thrilled for a while. It wasn’t until Rose started developing her relationship with Otto (about 70 or so pages in – total estimate!) that I really started to get invested in the story, to the point where things picked up enough that I refused to put down the book until I had finished it.

I also really struggled with Rose’s character at first… it was a constant back and forth between ‘don’t bother anyone with my issues’ and a various assortment of “I lack self-esteem” comments. It was almost like there was no real self-awareness and it drove me kind of nuts.  However, Rose does a ton of growing as a person throughout this story, and by the time I got to the end I was totally digging her character. Several of the other characters are really awesome as well. They have so many quirks and layers and it made for great reading.

As for the story itself, while certain things were totally expected, there were still lots of little twists and turns that came up. When I finally got past those beginning 70-ish pages the book really picked up for me and it was revelation after revelation, but in a way that it wasn’t too much. The book also raises tons of questions about ethics (particularly when it comes to the treatment of humans and other species) which I wasn’t expecting from a Young Adult novel. It really gets you thinking though and I liked that.

Bottom line, A Long, Long Sleep ended up being a total win for me – even with that shaky start! Sheehan certainly left this one open for a sequel so if it shows up one of these days I can honestly say I’ll pick it up.

Fatal Affair by Marie Force

Sam Holland, Detective Sergeant for Washington D.C.’s metro police is coming back from a rough and highly publicized case closing. In order to restore the public’s faith in her, and her faith in herself she needs things to happen just right in her first case back. When a United States Senator is viciously murdered, Sam gets the case and her chance to prove herself again. Enter Nick Cappuano, blast from Sam’s past and friend and Chief of Staff to the murdered Senator. Nick is willing to do whatever it takes to help the cops find out who murdered his best friend, but at the same time, he’s looking for another shot with Sam. Between several murders, a guy who won’t let her say no, and the pressure to find answers Sam’s got her work cut out for her.

Fatal Affair is the first book in Marie Force’s Fatal series and when I spotted it as a freebie for nook, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a go since I really liked the last book I read by her. Let me just say, that overall, I wasn’t disappointed.

First, the mystery/investigation aspect of the book didn’t disappoint. As a criminal justice major, I’ve had all aspects of criminal investigation and court/law procedure shoved down my throat for the last several years. So when I read any sort of book that involves a police investigation, that knowledge affects how I react to the book. Fatal Affair gets major points from me in the realistic aspect of the investigation. Holland and her partner have to work with people in a variety of mental states, with tons of other things going on (in both work and personal lives), and they have an insane amount of information to sort through and process in a very limited amount of time. Throughout the book, there are tons of different theories thrown out there which really kept me guessing until the end. Even when I was sure I figured it out, I actually hadn’t. It was awesome!

Second is the romance aspect. For the most part, the romance between Sam and Nick was really good. I liked the whole we’re finally seeing each other and getting answers and our second chance idea. The two of them were fairly good together at that. The thing that got me about their relationship though, is it was almost like Nick had to prove himself from time to time. There were a couple instances of ‘I man, you woman’ behavior even though Sam was obviously capable of protecting herself and it really grated on me. Overall though, Sam was badass and Nick was really supportive.

Bottom line, definite win for Fatal Affair and I look forward to continuing the series.

The Fatal Series:

1. Fatal Affair
2. Fatal Justice
3. Fatal Consequences
4. Fatal Flaw
5. Fatal Deception
6. Fatal Mistake (To be released June 2013)

 

Containment by Christian Cantrell

Life on Earth isn’t what it used to be, and in order to ensure the continuation of human life the colonists of V1, the first permanent off-earth settlement, must rush to find viable solutions to colonizing the rest of the solar system.

Arik Ockley is the star of Gen V, the first generation of humans to be born on Venus. When he wakes up from a three-month coma after a horrible accident he finds that his wife is pregnant. Normally this would be something to be celebrated, but there’s one huge problem. V1 isn’t producing enough Oxygen to sustain a single additional life. This means that Arik must rush to find the answer to artificial photosynthesis, the key to producing more oxygen for this colony. Yet, things are not what they seem and Arik gets caught up in trying to find the answers to what’s really going on in V1 and on the planet in general.

Overall, Containment was actually a really interesting read. Though I still consider myself to be a sci-fi newbie, I think of this book as a pretty awesome hi-tech sci-fi mystery. I read it in a matter of a few hours because I really, really wanted to know what was going to happen. That mystery side of the story kept me absolutely hooked from beginning to end. In addition, the idea of colonizing Venus had me particularly curious, especially since in real life it’s all about finding life on Mars and hardly ever hearing anything about life… elsewhere.

All that being said, I have a couple of bones to pick with Containment. First, parts of the book were a bit slow moving. There are a couple of chapters that talk about the history of space exploration and such. A lot of this was stuff I knew already and I found myself skimming because I wanted to know more about what Arik was going to learn and do next. The other thing that bothered me was the ending. I saw it coming, I really did. I even understand why it ended the way it did. But it still left me with this feeling of… ‘what just happened?!’

On a positive note, Cantrell left it open for a sequel and according to his Twitter there will be one which I’ll be patiently-ish waiting for. ‘Cause, for reals, I need more. I’m not satisfied.

Bottom line, interesting book, but give me a sequel because I need better closure.

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

When Digory meets Polly in London the last thing he expects is that they’re going to be thrown into the adventure of a lifetime, but thanks to his scheming uncle and the curiosity of kids, what was looking to be a dreadful summer turns into a journey the two never saw coming. They encounter the Wood Between the Worlds, an evil empress accidentally awakened, there’s havoc in London, and not to mention they find the newly created Narnia. All in all, it’s bunches of excitement packed into a short period of time.

I’ll admit it again… this is going to be my first full read of all of the Narnia books. I’ve seen the movies and did read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was younger, but the full series? Nope. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I jumped into this read, but I think I was expecting something more like the idea of Narnia that I had in my head. While The Magician’s Nephew wasn’t that, in the end I wasn’t disappointed.

The Magician’s Nephew is a really great opening to the Chronicles of Narnia. The characters were great. It was so easy to love or hate them, which in my mind is important when I’m reading. We also learn about the founding of Narnia. On that note, can I just say… I knew that Aslan was ‘The Dude’ of Narnia, but I didn’t realize that he was more like God Dude than King Dude (though knowing what I know about Lewis it makes sense in hindsight). Reading this book really does answer a lot of questions that one has about the world of Narnia and for that I was glad.

I do have one thing that I wasn’t crazy about when reading this though. The way the story is narrated was difficult for me. After a while I started to adjust, but it was still weird. In the end it didn’t take away from the story.

Overall, The Magician’s Nephew was a fun, quick, and easy read. I look forward to completing the series and finally knowing everything that’s going on in Narnia.

The Chronicles of Narnia series:

1. The Magician’s Nephew
2. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
3. The Horse and His Boy
4. Prince Caspian
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
6. The Silver Chair
7. The Last Battle