Review: Deadly Decisions

Deadly Decisions  

Kathy Reichs

395 pages

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Kathy Reichs' forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan is arguably the best of the current crop of thriller pathologists; her third outing, Deadly Decisions, pits her reconstructive skills against a bunch of Hell's Angels with a taste for ultra-violence. Hardly has she pieced together the jigsaw fragments of identical twins, before she finds herself engaged in identifying the teenage girl whose skull and long bones turned up near the grave of some earlier victims of inter-gang strife. Her sweetheart Ryan is under investigation for corruption; her nephew is sleeping on the sofa and showing an unholy fascination with bikes and bikers; and Tempe is having a series of really bad hair days. In addition to the usual fascinating material about the identification of human bones, Reichs tells us all about the way in which biker gangs have become a serious part of the criminal underworld, a subculture with a taste for mayhem and with rules it is death to break. Tempe is on her usual brittle good form--a woman torn between her cold clinical intelligence and a crusading desire to avenge the helpless that regularly brings her into conflict with more quietly committed colleagues. This is an excellent thriller that combines real intelligence with a radical social anger. --Roz Kaveney 


My Thoughts:
It's been a couple of weeks since I read this book, as I went right into the fourth book in the series before writing reviews.  I was watching Bones on my day off, and it reminded me how much I enjoyed Kathy Reichs' novels.  Deadly Decisions was no different.


I enjoyed this novel quite a bit as it combined mystery, science, and a unique approach to Tempe Brennan.  Different than the other two novels, the story was interesting and unique in it's concept of biker-related crime.  As Tempe's  main go-to guy Ryan was under investigation, she was forced to go through different channels for investigation, making the plot less predictable.


As I have read from other reviewers, the mystery is a bit far-fetched in some of the connections.  But, as I have said before, I always think mysteries are full of random connections.  This novel was a bit different in that though a family member was involved, the outcome of that involvement was not the same as the beginning two.  I'm sure this is making no sense, but without spoilers, just take me on my word that this one is different.


I think the major part of enjoyment for me in this novel is the science that is applied to solving a mystery.  Though others may disagree with me, it's why I love Bones as well.  I find the different approaches to studying the bones interesting, especially as Tempe looks into a twins and systematically searching for bones underground.  Though Ms. Reichs did not add the normal, fun romance intrigue into this novel (as Ryan is busy being under investigation), the novel did not suffer.  I still found it to be fast-paced, generally unpredictable, and scientifically interesting.


I rated this novel a 4 out of 5 because I read the entire thing in one day and I greatly enjoyed it.  After having read several of Reichs' novels, I can happily say that in a couple of years I will want to read them again (having forgotten all of the little details).  I loved Deadly Decisions, and I would rate Kathy Reichs as one of my favorite mystery novelists.  Though it had flaws (hence no 5), I would recommend it to any mystery lover and fan of crime TV shows.  It's like having your own script and backstage pass to any mystery show for you to enjoy at your leisure.

Enquiring Minds Want to Know (16)

Each week Dollycas's Thoughts hosts the meme "Enquiring Minds Want to Know." She posts questions for us to answer each week in order for us bloggers and readers to get to know each other beyond our books.  Check out her's and others answers here.

1. What is your family background regarding nationality?

Though I know a little bit about my family's nationality, it's never been really important in my life.  My dad's heritage is English, and my mom's side of the family came from Norway.  Though, the neat thing about my mom's family is that my grandfather lived in North Dakota, the youngest of 8 (I believe).  He tells stories of digging tunnels to the bar in 7 feet of snow.

2. Have you ever eaten corned beef and cabbage, the traditionally meal of St. Patrick's Day or drank green colored beer?

That would be a negative on both accounts.  I've never actually celebrated St. Patty's Day.  And I'm only celebrating tonight with popcorn and basketball, as I have to work early tomorrow (really early as I don't normally work during the day).

3. St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in many cities in the U.S. and around the world, are there any celebrations happening near you?

You know, honestly I have no idea.  Sorry, I'm a bit too practical tonight with no celebrating.  I'm not even wearing green.  (Totally rocking red and blue in spirit of my Bruins - Belmont Bruins!)

 

Anybody enjoying St. Patty's Day more than me?  Hope you guys have (safe) fun!  Have one for me.  :)

Review: How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire

How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire 

Kerrelyn Sparks

371 pages

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

So what if he's a bit older and usually regards a human female as dinner, not a dinner date? Yes, Roman Draganesti is a vampire, but a vampire who lost one of his fangs sinking his teeth into something he shouldn't have. Now he has one night to find a dentist before his natural healing abilities close the wound, leaving him a lop–sided eater for all eternity.

Things aren't going well for Shanna Whelan either...After witnessing a gruesome murder by the Russian mafia, she's next on their hit list. And her career as a dentist appears to be on a downward spiral because she's afraid of blood. When Roman rescues her from an assassination attempt, she wonders if she's found the one man who can keep her alive. Though the attraction between them is immediate and hot, can Shanna conquer her fear of blood to fix Roman's fang? And if she does, what will prevent Roman from using his fangs on her...

My Thoughts:
This novel is the first book in Kerrelyn Sparks' series called Love at Stake.   There are 11 books in the series.  I've actually read the fifth book in the series, though when I started this book, I didn't know they were connected.  Once again, appealing to my theory that I can only read books from series in order.

After I read Twilight, which was my first vampire novel, I have to say that it took me a long time to get adjusted to differing "Vampire Theories" (my own term, though there is probably an actual technical term for it somewhere).  I call Vampire Theories all the basic plot details that surround the vampire characters, such as whether or not they drink human blood or hunt animals instead, whether they cannot go in the sunlight due to being burned or sparkling, whether they sleep in the daytime or not at all, etc.  You get the picture.  Because Twilight was my first, I originally was devoted to that Vampire Theory.  Thus, when I first read a Kerrelyn Sparks book, I didn't like it.  Now that I started at the beginning of the series and with a much more open mind to small details that don't really matter all that much, I can say that I was able to enjoy the story for what it is.

Love at Stake is a series of novels that surround a group of vampires that generally revolve around the company Romatech Industries.  The owner of Romatech is Roman, the main character in this book.  But there are also the vampires that surround him, his security team, friends, and other workers in the company, as well as other major vampires from other countries.  Sparks created a close-knit community revolving around Romatech Industires, and each novel is about a different character in the community.  But the thing I enjoyed about the beginning of the series is the many interesting different characters.  Unlike some love series that have to continue to introduce new characters to create new books, Ms. Sparks created a wealth of interesting characters that play a major part in the stories.  Just because I had also read the fifth novel, I could see those that come to play further in the series.  It made for an enjoyable, fun read, getting to know everyone from the beginning.


One major thing that bugged me about this novel is the sex.  Ok, so I know that this may be a personal rant and others may disagree, so I'm just going to state that this is my opinion and I am only offering it up for thoughts.  One thing that has always bothered me about romance novels is how out-of-place sex can seem.  I will say this for Ms. Sparks, she did a wonderful job creating a romance novel in which the sexual aspect wasn't the entire story.  But really?  Of course, if I were the main character, I totally am going to pause, after a major break in the mystery, while people might be in danger, and have long, impassioned sex with my new-found love.  I'm sorry, but it just seemed unrealistic and a tad ridiculous.  I'm just saying the timing was way off.  But I will give a bit of a disclaimer: there was some steam in this novel, and I would think twice before recommending it to younger readers.  


But, after saying that, the story between Roman and Shanna was cute.  There were several laugh-out-loud moments, and I greatly enjoyed their banter back-and-forth.  Roman was a more developed character than I expected him to be, and it was nice to see a take into his background.  It made him more realistic as a character.


I enjoyed this novel as a fun, light read that gave me lots of laughs and a few "ah" moments.  The mystery was not entirely unpredictable, but it gave some suspense to the story.  I enjoyed the romance, though I think it was the humor and surrounding characters that really made the story.  I will continue to read the books in the series, simply because I want to see what happens to those characters I've gotten to know.  I gave the book a 3 out of 5 stars because I enjoyed it, but I probably won't read it again.  I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance.

More Exciting Book Happenings!

So the more I browse the book blogging community (because, let's face it, there's nothing on TV at 4:30 am), the more exciting events I find.  Instead of lumping them all together, I though I'd do a couple different posts on them, especially since some aren't until August.





I found this on a blog I was reading this morning, and I clicked on the button because of the awesomely cute tag.  The Cornucopia of Dystopia.  What an awesome name!  Anyway, basically this is an event hosted by a bunch of bloggers featuring several novels of dystopia.  Ever since I read The Hunger Games, I am a total fan of dystopia.  And I am excited to be following such a great event and finding out more about some books that are on my TBR list.  Plus, my bday is coming up, so....  maybe I can talk my family into getting me some books!  Here's the DL:

The event is hosted by The Bookish Type and A Tapestry of Words from March 21st through April 18th.  They will be featuring eight different novels.  Seventeen total bloggers will be involved with reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways about these books.

Books featured:

1. Bumped by Megan McCafferty
2. Memento Nora by Angie Smibert
3. XVI by Julia Karr
4. Possession by Elana Johnson
5. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
6. Delirum by Lauren Oliver
7. Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
8. Dark Parties by Sara Grant

Looks good, right?  Seventeen boggers have worked together to provide an awesomely compact schedule with several things for each day!  I know I am adding those events to my calendar right now.  Head over to The Bookish Type's post on the event for the complete schedule.  Hope you guys are as excited as I am!

Review: Prom and Prejudice

Prom and Prejudice

Elizabeth Eulberg

288 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

After winter break, the girls at the very prestigious Longbourn Academy become obsessed with the prom. Lizzie Bennet, who attends Longbourn on a scholarship, isn’t interested in designer dresses and expensive shoes, but her best friend, Jane, might be — especially now that Charles Bingley is back from a semester in London.
Lizzie is happy about her friend’s burgeoning romance but less than impressed by Charles’s friend, Will Darcy, who’s snobby and pretentious. Darcy doesn’t seem to like Lizzie either, but she assumes it’s because her family doesn’t have money. Clearly, Will Darcy is a pompous jerk — so why does Lizzie find herself drawn to him anyway?
Will Lizzie’s pride and Will’s prejudice keep them apart? Or are they a prom couple in the making? Whatever the result, Elizabeth Eulberg, author of The Lonely Hearts Club, has concocted a very funny, completely stylish delight for any season — prom or otherwise.

My Thoughts:
The awesomeness of this novel definitely started from the first sentence.  Any fan of Jane Austen will get this incredible start to the novel - as it is a very similar, very clever version of the first sentence of Pride and Prejudice:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single girl of high standing at Longbourn Academy must be in want of a prom date.

The wonderfulness of this novel just continued from there.  I LOVED this book!  Be prepared for some major gushing because it's going to come full force.  I read the entire book in one setting, and I have to say that right now it's my favorite book of the year.

For those of you who know me personally, Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book of all time.  I've read it three times.  My sister and I have watched the original (6 hour) BBC version of Pride and Prejudice at least three times, I think four actually.  My dog's name is Bennett (who is currently kicking me out of my spot on the couch because he found something interesting to dig at) from my favorite character Miss Elizabeth Bennet.  Believe me, the impact of Jane Austen and her characters from Pride and Prejudice don't stop there in my life.  They are neverending.

That being said, I was a bit wary, though excited about reading Prom and Prejudice.  The story looked cute, but really, who could measure up to the incredibly awesomeness of Jane Austen?  Oh, believe me, my worries were completely unfounded.  Ms. Eulberg took an incredible love story, transported it to modern times and even added a bit of originality to it.

The book is written in first person from Lizzie's standpoint.  And though I loved Elizabeth Bennett from Austen, I loved getting to know this version of Lizzie.  She was funny and down-to-earth, stubborn and prejudice against the rich.  She had flaws that could be seen by everyone except her.  She was lovable, and I greatly enjoyed watching her grow as she learns from her mistakes and finds new surprises.  It was wonderful reading such a great modern representation of Austen's character.

Will Darcy - yes, Darcy in Ms. Austen's book is very swoon worthy (Colin Firth, anyone?).  But because Eulberg chose the setting of a modern ivy prep school, we get to know Will Darcy more as he is able to "befriend" Lizzie and be more present in this setting.  I was in love with him almost immediately, and I sighed and squealed almost every time he entered the scene.  I always wanted more of Elizabeth-Darcy in Pride and Prejudice and Eulberg delivers.  I don't want to say more in case of my tendency for spoilers, but it was such a well written love story.

In my opinion, one of the best traits of Ms. Eulberg's novel is the setting of Longbourn Academy.  I read in an interview that she needed a setting that included class differences, thus became the ivy-exclusive prep school of Longbourn Academy, an all-girls boarding school where father's salaries, trust funds, and designer clothing are the most important things.  Longbourn, an academy that focuses on the arts, also had a huge focus on Prom, which was the social event of the year.  At first, I thought... prom?  That could be kind of dumb.  But, Eulberg wrote the setting wonderfully, and by the second chapter I was enthralled.  Having went to a prep high school where CEO's daughters of major companies went and where movies have been made about other alumni, Eulberg did an excellent job of creating Longbourn Acadmey to be a character of its own.  It often reminded me of my high school on steroids (because though I was definitely acquainted with the power of the wealthy, I got to go home at the end of the day and live in the real world).  The amount of wealth and snobbery was excellent, and I could picture the school vividly.  The setting was perfect.

My final gushing point is Eulberg's ability to rewrite a classic and yet add a new, fresh twist.  She took a timeless class love story and gave it enough small differences that it was original and yet still classic.  Though I've read Pride and Prejudice multiple times, I still laughed and found myself squealing at the fresh, new points in the story.  She adds layers to the story that make me want to use a phrase I once heard from foreign peddlars, "It's same same, but different."  And it was.  It was the same basic story, same basic characters.  But it was different.  Different and fresh setting.  Small different changes that added to my views of the characters.  Though Austen did not write a modern story or add different plot layers that Eulberg did, I found myself saying, "That's exactly like something Elizabeth would do."   Or laughing at Caroline Bingley because her characterization is completely consistent (and hilarious) with what Austen wrote.  It was same, same but different in a wonderfully perfect way.

Honestly, I loved Prom and Prejudice.  I already find myself wanting to read it again, so that I can savor the wonderful writing and ingeniousness of Elizabeth Eulberg.  I can't find anything negative to say about it, because I found it like Mary Poppins, "perfect in every way."  I would recommend it to any fan of Austen.  Frankly, I would recommend it to any female that enjoys a chick flick,  because it's like the wonderful parts of You've Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally, and Pretty Women all wrapped up into one awesome read.  It will make you smile, laugh, sigh, and maybe even squeal a little bit at the wonderful love story of Lizzie Bennet and Will Darcy and their friends at Longbourn Academy.  If you have any money at all, go buy it.  It will be one that you will want an on-hand copy for every time that a stupid boy dumps you and you need a good, sweet, cute love story to eat ice cream with.  I know I for sure will be wearing out my copy of the book.
 
More of Prom and Prejudice and Elizabeth Eulberg:
Ok so once again, I probably went overboard with the links.  I am trying to amp up my reviews a tad, so that if you like or don't like what I have to say, you have other outlets to research the book.  Anyway, I could have had probably a hundred links on this book.  Seriously, I found so many different reviews!  But, I linked to a few bloggers that I myself stalk trust.  Also, Novel Novice featured Prom and Prejudice last month as their book of the month, so they have several incredible posts about the book.  I linked to the interviews, and then I gave you the basic site with all the other links for those who are obsessed like me.  Hope you enjoy!
Goodreads: Prom and Prejudice
Goodreads: Elizabeth Eulberg
Review: The Neverending Bookshelf
Review: Candace's Book Blog 
Review: The Story Siren
Interview: Novel Novice Part I
Interview: Novel Novice Part II
Interview: Novel Novice Part III
Book of the Month feature: Novel Novice

Review: Wicked Lovely

Wicked Lovely

Melissa Marr

328 pages

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

All teenagers have problems, but few of them can match those of Aislinn, who has the power to see faeries. Quite understandably, she wishes that she could share her friends' obliviousness and tries hard to avoid these invisible intruders. But one faery in particular refuses to leave her alone. Keenan the Summer King is convinced beyond all reasoning that Aislinn is the queen he has been seeking for nine centuries. What's a 21st-century girl to do when she's stalked by a suitor nobody else can see? A debut fantasy romance for the ages; superlative summer read.

My Thoughts: 

First of all, lets take a moment to admire the beautiful cover of this book.  "Ah....."  Isn't is lovely?  My first attraction to this book was the awesome cover.  I'm excited that the sequels in this series have equally awesome covers.

While I am not new to the fantasy/paranormal genre, I have to admit that this was a first reading about faeries.  While I have read descriptions of books about the Fey people, I've never been tempted to pick up one until now.  And even after reading this novel, I have to say, eh, still not my favorite paranormal creature.  I don't know.  I just found them weird.  There were so many types in the novel that I couldn't really keep them straight, couldn't really imagine them, and I really only found fondness in my heart for two of the Fey people (Donia and Evan, her guard), but I'll get to that later.

I read this one review on goodreads that started with "I love Melissa Marr but I hate Keenan."  And I have to admit that by the end of the book I was screaming, "Ahem sister friend!"  I enjoyed this book.  I just think I would have enjoyed the book if Keenan was either not in it or a completely different character.  I hated him.  He was arrogant, selfish, and completely oblivious to others.  He just rubbed me wrong.

That being said, I loved Aislinn.  I loved Seth.  I loved them together, and I loved their story.  I thought Aislinn was a great main character.  She was strong, able to think for herself, willing to admit when she needed help, and ultimately honest.  She didn't lie to Seth or to Keenan for her own benefit.  I thought she handled the massive changes happening around her very well, and she even had character - she was funny and interesting.  And I think that Seth was a perfect opposing character for her.  He was calm, the ever-present best friend, and wonderfully loyal.  He did not jump to conclusions or call her crazy.  He listened and gave her the benefit of the doubt.  What I would give to have a guy like that!  Plus, the fact that he lived in railroad cars was incredible!  I just loved him as a character.

I thought Melissa Marr did an excellent job creating a fantasy story with complicated twists.  I enjoyed the story, though it was really the characters of Aislinn and Seth that sucked me into the book.  I thought Marr's word pictures of Donia were great, and I was truly surprised by the ending and how it affected Donia, Aislinn, and Seth (sorry, I could care less about Keenan).  Donia was an incredible character that I felt was necessary, but that Ms. Marr took to a whole new level.  Instead of making her simply there, she made her beautiful, sympathetic, and lovable.  Melissa Marr's writing was incredible, and I will definitely be reading the sequel to this book.

The major drawbacks I had to this story were a few:  A) Keenan (read the above rant), B) the Fey (again, read above),  C) the flow of the story:  Really I thought the beginning of the novel was a bit slow and the ending happened too fast.  It was like she took too long building up to a plot that she did not fully explore when she got there.  I was just wanting more from the ending.  Excuse me, but I really wanted the bad guys to suffered.  But then again, my version of the book ended "early" in that I was reading on my kindle and didn't realize that the bonus content made the actual book end at 81%.  Hello, people!   I was not ready for it to be finished.  I had 19% left!

Ultimately, I gave this book a 3.5 rating.  Though I don't really like 1/2 ratings, I felt this one deserved it because I really did enjoy it more than most "good" books.  It had the makings of a great book with a few flaws, so I thought it did deserve the 3.5 rating.   I will be getting the next book in the series to read; I just might wait until the library has it as I'm not sure I'll read it twice.  I would recommend it to any YA fantasy lovers.

Calling all Gleeks!

Recently, I've become a huge fan of Twitter.  I know, it was inevitable.  Anyway, one of my favorite things about Twitter is the awesome ability to stalk follow authors.  It's pretty cool, in that often they are hilarious and fun and surprisingly down-to-earth.  Well, one of my favorite authors to follow is Sara Bennett Wealer.  She wrote this beautiful book to the left there called Rival.  It is in fact her debut novel.  I haven't had the chance to read it, but it looks incredible.  And, after reading Prom and Prejudice, which has a bit of a music sideline story, I can't wait to get my hands on Rival.  Here's the summery from Goodreads:

What if your worst enemy turned out to be the best friend you ever had?

Meet Brooke: Popular, powerful and hating every minute of it, she’s the “It” girl at Douglas High in Lake Champion, Minnesota. Her real ambition? Using her operatic mezzo as a ticket back to NYC, where her family lived before her dad ran off with an up and coming male movie star.

Now meet Kathryn: An overachieving soprano with an underachieving savings account, she’s been a leper ever since Brooke punched her at a party junior year. For Kath, music is the key to a much-needed college scholarship.

The stage is set for a high-stakes duet between the two seniors as they prepare for the prestigious Blackmore competition. Brooke and Kathryn work toward the Blackmore with eyes not just on first prize but on one another, each still stinging from a past that started with friendship and ended in betrayal. With competition day nearing, Brooke dreams of escaping the in-crowd for life as a professional singer, but her scheming BFF Chloe has other plans. And when Kathryn gets an unlikely invitation to Homecoming, she suspects Brooke of trying to sabotage her with one last public humiliation.

As pressures mount, Brooke starts to sense that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had. But Kathryn has a decision to make. Can she forgive? Or are some rivalries for life?

So it looks like a great YA book, with added music intrigue, which I love.  Now, here comes the awesome part.  Sara Bennett Wealer has started a TwitterQuest to get the word out about her book Rival to Glee lovers.  Now I happen to love Glee.  The music and choreography is wonderful, and I would not be lying if I told you that I have a playlist just for Glee music.  So I personally think that Ms. Wealer's idea is brilliant.  The best part:  She's giving away prizes!  That's right, signed prizes!  Her plan: to have Twitter users combine the hashtags #Rival and #Glee in some clever way to expose the book to Glee lovers.  The times:  March 15th and March 22nd (both Tuesdays when Glee airs) from 8 pm to midnight.  She is going to follow both hashtags and enter any twitter user (once) into her drawing for numerous prize packs.  How fun is that.  Now, I unfortunately have the horrible life of a nurse, ok the horrible schedule of a nurse, and will be working both nights.  So I will be tweeting early (possibly from work, though that probably won't happen), which is why I'm advertising to you guys.  I think it's a great idea, so I thought I'd share the brilliance so you can join in too.  (And send a couple extra tweets for me...)  Hope to be reading about your twitter awesomeness when I drag myself home Wednesday AM.

Here's additional info:
Sara Bennett Wealer's blog post about it, including the twitter IDs of the Glee stars and the DL on the prize packs.
Goodreads: Rival
Goodreads: Sara Bennett Wealer

Twitter IDs (including some of my other favorite authors):
Me - @hannahmatkins
Sara Bennett Wealer - @sarabennettwealer
Sarah Dessen -@sarahdessen
Kimberly Derting - @kimberlyderting
Elizabeth Eulberg - @elizeulberg
Lisa and Laura Roecker - @landlroecker