2015 - Flops & Faves

Thanks to Goodreads, I discovered how many books I'd read in 2015. 
Guess how many...*drumroll*...
70. 
BOOM! 
If you want a full list of all the books I read, you can check this link out for the deets :)
 2015 | Books | Year In Review

I'd toyed with the idea of creating a book reviewing blog for...quite some time, but this Summer I finally made the decision to do it, and in the Fall- Books She Loves was born!

With reading 70 books, I've read nearly every fiction genre I can imagine (except horror or vampires- not my jam), a good dose of YA Fiction, some Dystopian, several Historical Fiction (my first- and forever love), Fantasy, Contemporary Thrillers, & Military Suspense.
I re-read some of my favourite authors, and also discovered some rad new ones. (Um...hello Ronie Kendig & Lisa T. Bergren) I read some gems, and some...not so fabulous ones. In honour of the closing of 2015, I'll share some of the highlights from each star category.

// 5 Stars \\                            // 4 Stars \\

Waterfall                                             Fatal Exchange

by Lisa T. Bergren                                                                  by Lisa Harris 

Torrent                                                Lethal Legacy 

by Lisa T. Bergren                                                                  by Irene Hannon

Talon                                                   The Messenger 

by Ronie Kendig                                                                     by Siri Mitchell 

Maire

by Linda Windsor

// 3 Stars \\                           // 2 Stars \\

Shattered                                               Dauntless 

by Dani Pettrey                                                                  by Dina L. Sleiman

Dangerous Passage                 The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest 

by Lisa Harris                                                            by Melanie Dickerson 

The Captain's Bride                              Taken

by Lisa T. Bergren                                                        by Dee Henderson

Beyond All Dreams                              Emissary 

by Elizabeth Camden                                                   by Thomas Locke

                                                     Along Came Jones 
                                                         by Linda Windsor 

// 1 Star \\

Esther: Royal Beauty

by Angela Hunt

Petticoat Detective 

by Margaret Brownley 

Pompeii: City On Fire

by T.L. Higley 

An Uncertain Choice 

by Jody Hedlund 

It was a good reading year- and I'm so glad I've finally started a blog, to chronicle all these books! Which ones have you read?
Any recommends for 2016?

Come say hello on Instagram- @bookssheloves for my reviewing account, and @ToAshleyNikole for my lifestyle one. Well, 2015, we bid you ado. Welcome 2016. 

Taken by Dee Henderson (Review by Ashley Nikole)

Taken is Dee Henderson's newest addition to Christian Romantic Suspense Fiction. It's been several years since I've really read any of her books, and when I saw this one on the shelf of my local Chapters, I was intrigued by the synopsis & dove right in.

PLOT & CHARACTERS:

I loved the premise of this one...a woman newly having escaped an 11 year-long captivity and integrating back into society and discovering what her life in freedom looks like. I loved and identified with Matthew as a character- I wanted so badly to get to know Shannon better!- but at the same time I felt as though there was so much that could have been unearthed for both of them, that I found as a reader, I was just waiting to happen.
The pace of the plot moved pretty steadily- at times it felt like it was repeating the same thing and got a tad redundant. As things moved along, I found myself impressed with the attention to detail Henderson put into the system the Jacoby family had put in place, how intricate and secret it was.
I personally thought, given the romantic suspense genre, that there was going to be suspense and some danger, cat & mouse type stuff with her abductors trying to get her back or silencing her before she could testify about her time in captivity- but no. That was somewhat of a letdown, given that I was expecting some suspense, but to each his own.

I thought the POV coming from only one character (Matthew- our main dude) was a bit strange, and in my opinion, made the story more two-dimensional, whereas I could see it just exploding in 3D, had the POV (point of view) alternated from Matthew, to Shannon and maybe even some of the other sub-characters. Especially given the fact that when reading the novel's back cover, we are given the impression that the book is largely about Shannon- and don't get me wrong, the plot does revolve around Shannon, but it just seemed odd that we, as readers, never got into her head via a shared POV. It made her feel oddly emotionally distanced- and that for me, just collapses so many wonderful reading possibilities.

Also, adding to the 2D vs. 3D situation, I was waiting for at least one rather monumental emotional crash for Shannon, and even Matthew. Especially given the storyline and all that had happened to Shannon in her captivity, it made her feel like an emotionally unshakable & un-relatible character.  I'm not asking for a perpetually weepy MC- that would grow annoying rather swiftly- but if a character has firewalled their emotions...as a reader, it's pretty hard to connect or identify with their struggle.

VIOLENCE: 
Murders, beatings, shootings & body dumps are all spoken of as memories of Shannon's time in captivity. The circumstances are starkly grim, as you can imagine resulting from any abduction. 

SEXUAL CONTENT: 
A brief kiss is about as detailed as things get.

CONCLUSION: 

This time round, I'm giving Taken a rating of 2, and recommend it for ages 17+.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read, but upon finishing, I felt there was much more that could have been added or altered, to make this an explosively awesome read. Not everyone has a criteria for meaningful and deep emotion to be present, but for me...if I can't see or feel a character's heart & struggle first hand- it goes downhill from there. Sure, there was mention of someone crying, or puffy eyes, but that isn't first hand enough for me, personally. There were too many glaringly obvious plot/character issues for me to really recommend this one to my fellow readers as something I really liked.

Taken is chalk-full of intricate, crime operation type details and facts that evenly flow throughout the plot, and some truly likeable characters- despite the personal dislikes on my part. If emotional connection is not high on your list for enjoying a book, this one may get a 4 or 5 from some readers. Don't be expecting a great deal of action suspense- but more suspense concerning the release of details concerning her time in captivity.

Read Taken? What were your thoughts? Share them below! 

Cold Shot by Dani Pettrey (Review by Ashley Nikole)

Cold Shot is released February 2016!
As I read an ARC (advanced reading copy) of this one, I didn't have a physical copy to take a photo of, so please forgive the image grab off of goodreads! 

PLOT: 

Well thought out & executed. Intricate details make this read the kind where your brains need to be in fully functioning mode- not before bed or when you're not entirely committed to being focused. Pace was good & the plot flowed well- nothing choppy or out of place. I certainly did not see the ending coming how it did! The plot totally threw me for a loop. 

VIOLENCE: 

Given this being a type of suspense/murder mystery type book, violence & creepy stuff is a given. Genocides are spoken of (in past tense) and described, with their share of gory details. Characters talk about people (some close to them) that have been murdered/raped/tortured. 

Again, given this type of genre and plot, one of our MC's being a forensic anthropologist, examining human remains, how they died/were murdered, body drops etc. is a common topic. 

If that kind of stuff creeps you out- maybe give this book a pass. 

SEXUAL CONTENT: 

Characters fall in love. There is mention of a character (in past tense) being raped (a reference, nothing in detail), another being touched inappropriately by her abductor. Someone runs a sex tourism business with underage girls (we never see it, but it is spoken of by others).

CONCLUSION: 

Brilliant plot, filled with diverse and relatable characters, suspense and sooo many questions!! Personally for me, I found the amount and kind of bad stuff in this book weighed a little heavy on, and left me feeling kinda blah & gross. Another day it might have been entirely fine- just not the day I read it, haha. My lower rating in no way reflects bad writing on the author's part- merely my own personal preference for reading content at the particular time. 

Dani has a gift with words, plots & characters (I loved the Parker, Griff, Declan & crew). 

For those of you who like a gripping murder mystery with some awesome MC's, this book hits stores February 2016! 

Rating: 2 Stars (for my own personal enjoyment) but that aside, 5 stars for the writing, plot & amazing characters. 

Ages: 18+

Honest review given after reading an ARC from NetGalley of Cold Shot

Emissary by Thomas Locke (Review by Ashley Nikole)

Can I start off with the fact that I think this cover is phenomenal? I can't even take how beautiful & well designed it is. It was what made me pick up this book in the first place- I was like, "whoa, dat cover is- whoa"
Bravo!

First read by Thomas Locke (which is a pen name for the bestselling author Davis Bunn), and one of my first adventures into fantasy land, since I read the Lord Of The Rings- I'll say about a decade ago. 

I confess, the reason for my lack of fantasy reading is largely due to the heavy presence of witchcraft that normally accompanies the genre. 

For me, I don't feel as though a fantasy book gives a person license to go all occultic, black magic wielding, necromancy creepster on me. Perhaps I will one day write a blog post on that subject, but for now, suffice to say there is a fine line, and I don't believe fantasy fiction should be a guide in black magic 101- that people in real life try to replicate- but I shall rest my case and get back to the review at hand. 

PLOT: 

From the first page, I was drawn in & carried along with the story pretty well. There was hardly a moment of in-depth explanation (which I often find authors doing for the first three or four chapters, arg) in chapter one, instead I was plunged into the MC's life, without a big backstory- which I personally enjoyed. 

The pace was not what I would consider fast, but neither was it slow. Rather, it resembled a string of explosions and their subsequent aftermaths. So, in a sense, with all the mini explosions, the book felt at times a tad bit anticlimactic- but then again, there really wasn't a way around that, given the type of conquest-type plot. 

Also, given the fact that Emissary is book one in a trilogy, I clearly don't have the full perspective on the plot, where it begins and ends- at this point I have the foundation of book one- without the buildup or conclusion of two or three. 

Locke has a way of writing fantasy much as Tolkien would- and in a way where you feel as though the book was either written a century ago, or the author has honed their skill in which their writing & voice feels so very authentically...distant land and not contemporary. 

MAGIC:

Given that this is a fantasy book, the use of magic is a given. There are mage's, wizards and a telepathic race known as the Ashanta. With the fantasy genre, the question is not if magic will be used, it is more who uses it, how and why. If the magic is used with good intent & for the uplifting/liberation of others, it is good. If used with evil intent, it is dark- so magic is usually representing a metaphorical melting pot of good vs. evil. 

There are glowing orbs that hold energy from the currents which surge below the earth's surface, that create shifts in nature, heal, destroy or repair, etc etc. 

In mage school, students are instructed on how to weave spells & learn how to craft magic- pretty basic look at it- not in depth. 

There were some witches who attack Hyam- pretty grotesque and creepy, kinda left my skin feeling funny afterwards, ya know that kinda stuff? Yeah. 

Overall, the magic in this book didn't lead the reader down a witchcraft type dark or twisted path. Magic was a thing. It was used. There's that. 

VIOLENCE: 

This being a book with battles and the attempted conquering of a deathly foe, you can imagine Lord Of The Rings type bloodshed and the like. Battles, killing, blood, a dead army of shrieking ghosts- you get the point. 

SEXUAL CONTENT: 

Not much. A miniscule amount of romance between Hyam & Joelle.
The witches were sexually perverse & in your face, but for only a scene.

CONCLUSION: 
I would give this book a 2 star rating. I most certainly didn't hate it, but neither did I love it.
For me, I have to feel as though the character's hearts are not hidden or non-existent to the reader- there must be an emotional connection for me to fully enjoy the book. In Emissary, I felt there was a heavy informational download, epic battles, unique characters & looming challenges- but no real emotion. Correction- there was a scene or two I empathised with, but not many. So, while the writing was beautiful and the plot well crafted- it didn't make the cut for me,
personally.

Also, I felt as though the villain was entirely underdeveloped. I'm not a fan of the author focusing entirely on the bad guy, but honestly, I didn't know what Hyam and all the good guys were fighting against for the whole story. Some crimson orb-wielding, mystical wizard with seemingly ultimate power...but who was he? Where'd he come from? I had so many questions regarding the crimson wizard and why he was the ultimate big bad guy, but I came out pretty slim in the answers department. Then again, this is a trilogy, so I cannot go full circle and count all the eggs before they're hatched, so to speak. I look forward to having a more well rounded and educated opinion on this series, but for now, with the information at hand, these are my thoughts.

I'd recommend this book for ages 16+ (granted, not all 16 year old's are ready for the content in this book, that is loosely based on where I was as a 16 year old. Some would dig it at 15, some not even at 20- so keep in mind this is an approximately based recommend :)

I hear Emissary is under review for becoming a film! How exciting would that be?
Have you read Emissary? What were your thoughts? Share them in the comments below!