Working on Blogpost Book Review!
Going out of town for work tomorrow, so working on blogpost now.
I love to read romances, any kind! Check out my blog over at beawriting.com for detailed reviews and such. I am checking this out from goodreads...
Going out of town for work tomorrow, so working on blogpost now.
I have tried everything and can't seem to figure out how to do it.
Any ideas?
This is the first time that I have read something by B.G. Thomas, but I can say that I have enjoyed it immensely. I was in the mood for no serious conflict and a lot of over the top sweetness. This fit the bill exactly!
Basic Plot:
Todd Burton is thrown out of his apartment in the middle of blizzard into Kansas City. He finds shelter in the lobby of Gabe Richards’ apartment, but he can’t stay as he is mistaken for a prostitute. Gabe feels bad for this poor soul and shelters him. Is there anything more than kindness between them, or are they just going to pass in the night?
Todd Burton:
What I liked about Todd is his pure spirit. He is someone who just wants to be a chef, but circumstances have conspired against him. He could be bitter and angry, but instead he is just feeling hopeless.
Jeez, it’s snowing like a son of a bitch out there. Todd glanced nervously over his shoulder into the lobby of the apartment building. No one seemed to be watching him. What the hell am I going to do?
I love how we see his come to accept his sexuality, and for the most part I could believe this. This is not a case of “gay for you”, but rather a, “ohhh, that makes sense!”
Gabe Richards:
Poor Gabe. He has had a rocky life when it comes to romances which has resulted in his lack of trust. He is handsome and rich, which on the surface sounds great.
Todd gave the guy a quick look, then a longer one. The guy was huge. A good head taller, at least, then Todd’s five foot nine and downright massive: really built. He obviously worked out. A lot. Like the guys in the muscle mags that Todd collected.
But what you come to realize is that while he seems to have everything, he is just waiting. For the right one.
Strong Points:
I loved how the author wrote about the food Todd cooked, the details were vivid and gave me a few ideas for my own!
Gabe nodded and did as he was told. He paused, then smiled sweetly.
“Is that orange, Todd?”
“Yes,” he answered. ”It’s not too weird? I squeezed just a little orange into them while I was mashing them. I thought it might complement the fruit in the chicken.”
“But there is more,” sang Peter.
“Walnut. You’ve added tiny, infinitesimal bits of walnut, haven’t you?”
Todd nodded. ”I was afraid I might have made the potatoes too sweet.”
I also liked the way that he described the two characters and how they went through conflicts. I hate when an author gives us angst for angst sake, giving us a false sense of conflict. Todd and Gabe did a good job of talking to each other (go figure) and when they did have conflicts they sat down and talked about them. It was nice to see them acting like adults.
What could be better?
Overall, I enjoyed the novel. However, toward the end of the novel, the external conflicts seemed to be solved in a rushed manner. Enter the ex-love, the annoying parents, and the annoying assistant in quick succession showing problems and solving them instantly. Sure, it made for a smoother ending but it did not seem believable.
My other issue is related to the mother’s attitude and accent. Sure, they are from a rural area, so I give you that the character might lack some sophistication. However, I do not believe that for some reason, she has a 1950s “house-wife” mentality.
“He was the man!” she said. ”A woman doesn’t argue with her man.”
I get what the author was attempting to portray here, but all I got was a very unbelievable paper thin character.
Conclusions:
I loved this book and would certainly recommend it. The reason that it is not a five star is the rushed final conflict resolutions and the depiction of Todd’s parents. If you want to just snuggle up on the couch to read a sweet story, then this book is for you.
Bea
Getting a head start on tomorrow's blogpost book review.
Watching Columbo with my cat laying on my arm. ;)
Ahhhh yeahhh. Oh wait, I mean following everyone who is on that Goodreads thread.
what were you thinking!
Excuse me while I have a little moment here…WTF did I just read?
I'm sorry but I'm not in the mood to write a synopsis. Shades of Gray did boggle my mind. Irrevocably. I'm extremely, totally, utterly, and highly bummed!
P.J. Rutherford. She is a woman. I mean the chick's got boobs and a vagina. But after reading her story this word conveys nothing to me anymore. Initially I wanted to label her as a Superwoman. However, I was so way off the mark that she graduated from Superwoman to Superman and then to Rambo and finally she became a female Terminator. Holy crap! I still can't believe what happened in this story. It reads like a very bad B-Movie.
OTT badass speech
OTT badass acts/action
Cheesy writing to the point where it hurt my teeth
The story took a serious turn into Sapsville
Ridicoulous
But first and foremost it was UNREALISTIC AS ALL GET OUT
There are more plot holes in Shades of Gray than in a Swiss cheese. *Sorry, Baba waves at fellow citizens* The plot is extremely ridiculous, and I'm sorry to say it but I was not willing to suspend belief. Everything about it was too far-fetched and incomprehensible. If I wouldn't have been so mad I had laughed my ass off.
Yeah, Wonder Woman took a [shot to her thigh (the bullet almost hit the bone) and wonders never cease, coz she was running around after having been shot at. (hide spoiler)] I'm stunned. Dunno what to say. Oh, wait a second! The best has yet to come. After being [wounded she has a fight with the baddies.(hide spoiler)] Hey, that's a walk in the park for dear little P.J. *insert major eye roll moment*
Baba, admit it, you are such a jealous b@tch.
"She's going to be fine," Donovan called back. "She kicked some ass and only has one ???measly???[bullet wound to show for it. It's going to hurt like hell for a while and she's going to be laid up until it heals,(hide spoiler)] but she's good."
No shit!?! Yeah, our dear P.J. can handle a little bit of [blood and pain. (hide spoiler)] Ugh.
They go back to Cole's house to have a cozy evening instead of[seeing a physician who would have taken care of her injury.(hide spoiler)] That blows my mind.
"You realize how unrealistic this is," P.J. said, an hour into the movie.
"I would have never guessed," Cole said dryly.
I will refrain from posting a very sarcastic comment here.
And then there was the final "highlight" in Vienna. As a matter of fact, it was another absurd moment. Cole and P.J. go [in on their own. What happens, huh? Male has been kidnapped, female is out of her mind, female is running to male's rescue. Female has to face off bad guys, is confronted by bad memories, female almost freaks out, pulls her act together and kills the badass baddies. Also, I felt that P.J. stooped down to Brumley's level when she behaved like a predator gone nuts and slashed his neck. In fact, there would have been other options, but she chose to kill him and she has to live with it. (hide spoiler)]Must be such a good feeling, P.J., huh? *pets* In conclusion, a woman--granted, a female Terminator--taking [down several bad guys (hide spoiler)] is beyond any reasonable explanation. Oh, P.J., please spare me your snarling and growling from now on. Thank you. *insert another major eye roll moment*
Let's not forget the cozy little coffee party among the Kelly women. Wow. What an idyllic world. Instead of seeing a shrink, P.J. has a nice conversation with all those lovely ladies. Come on! Get real here! This woman has been [cut up and raped twice.(hide spoiler)] Let's get back to the real world! *rolls eyes*
Honestly, I felt manipulated by the author because everything about this story should have been tear-inducing. Having said this, the author tried way too hard to push my lacrymal glands and it saddens me to say that she failed big-time.
As a side note
Please, can anyone explain to me why a jaw would bulge?
Cole's eyes were murderous and his jaw was so tight it bulged.
Er…I thought the bulging happens in a guy's pants. Hmmm…
She was torturing herself with all the possibilities. By the time they pulled into the compound, P.J. was a wreck.
I couldn't agree more. Reading Shades of Gray was pure torture and it wrecked me. Bottom line: there are times when we have to let go because it's painful to see a series go down the drain.
Come to think of it, I always wanted to read Steele's story and I will give it a try but then…well, it might be…
What a way to start my new reading year. I'm in dire need of a great book right now!
There are quite a few tutorials on how to change the layout of your BookLikes blog. I figured it's good to have them all in one post, and I'd like to thank all who put a lot of work into making them so others can enjoy BookLikes.
Let's start with the customization blogs posted by BookLikes:
Tutorials made by BookLikers for BookLikers:
Note: All links open in a new window and take you to the original posts and their creators. Leave comments, likes and reblog the hell out of them so others can see it too :)
Might be over 2500 hours to import my books? hahahhahahhah lots of books.