Ramblings From This Chick

Sunday, February 21, 2016

ARC Review: Taking the Score by Kate Meader

I'm relatively new to the sexy nerd genre but I mus say there is something really offbeat about the sexy nerd books that I really get into. This was the story of Emma and Brody. It's a fun story with lots of quirky dialogue and some interesting twists and turns. It's not a literary work of art but it's entertaining and easy to read.

Emma is the dutiful big sister who gets caught up in a predicament trying to bail her hot mess of a little sister out of another bad situation. The story with Emma was really interesting. When we meet Emma, from Brody's POV, she is this frumpy secretary who's all business. From Emma's POV she is a reformed party girl who is determined not to make the same mistakes she has made in the past with men. It turns out that Emma's frump is more a disguise (an effective one) than anything else. Despite Emma's baggy clothed exterior, Brody finds himself attracted to her and fantasizing about his secretary. The situation ratchets up 1000 notches when he visits a strip club where Emma is working as a stripper...sort of. You have to read the book to get the exact story but I will tell you that Emma is the worst stripper ever. Of course Brody wants to know why the company compensation package is not enough for Emma and boy does he find out. Taking care of her sister is really sinking Emma financially and Brody turns into the white knight character. Frankly, I love the Cinderella ish and it totally worked for me.

I loved the explosion once Emma and Brody finally got together. I loved how dirty they both were with each other and how they both brought out the underlying freak in the other one. I am all about the bossy alpha men with endless financial resources so Brody was giving me serious life. If I had an issue with this book, it would just be that Emma's plans seemed really ill conceived. I HATE it when I'm reading one of these books and the heroine is in a near impossible situation but doesn't want to accept help from the Hero. I'm just not noble enough to understand suffering or trying to figure it out on your own when there is a hot guy there who can solve all your problems. Yes, the feminist did just revoke my monthly membership but seriously, I'm here for the fantasy.

I have to give a shout out to Emma's crazy ass cat. He was a great supporting character and I truly appreciated his shenanigans. This book is good fun, it doesn't offer anything life shattering or unexpected but I definitely recommend you give it a try.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

ARC Review: Frigid Affair by Jennifer Foor

Frigid Affair was previously published in a limited edition box set as a short story, but Jennifer Foor has revised and expanded the story to be a full novel. Since I am a huge fan of hers, I couldn't wait to read this story. The blurb really sold me on this story though, and I couldn't wait to read it!

After a tragedy took everything from her, Amantha headed to Alaska to start over. She needed a place that wasn't a constant reminder of everything that she had lost, and living off the grid gave her a way to move forward. But when a winter storm and another tragedy bring her a handsome stranger, she decides to make the most of it. What Amantha thought was a one night stand is quickly realized to be more when the man she spent the night with shows up on her doorstep two years later.

I liked the characters in this story and I felt badly for both of them. They had been through so much and that had changed their lives forever. In each other they were able to find a connection that they hadn't felt with anyone else, and I knew if they could get past everything that they would help one another heal. While I did like them together, I didn't feel entirely invested in them. I had a tough time connecting with them, and felt like there was just something that wasn't clicking for me. They were likable enough characters, but there was just something that kept me from really getting into their story. Part of that could have been the length of the story, as I felt like there was a lot of this book that they weren't together. I think had I seen more of them getting to know one another and spending time together without all of the past issues getting in their way that I might have felt differently. They definitely had chemistry though, and I did believe that these two cared about each other.

Overall, I liked this book but I didn't absolutely love it. I wanted to connect more with the characters and story, but I just wasn't able to. This book had such a different feel than what I have previously read from Jennifer Foor, and I think that her taking it from a short story to a full novel might have hurt it somewhat. It didn't feel as though it was entirely complete or pieced together correctly since we didn't get much of these two actually together. It almost felt like the story had been spliced together and didn't flow as well as her stories normally do. It was still good, but I think this book had the potential to be so much more. I will admit that I never saw the twist coming, and that is why I have been vague here about the story and characters themselves. I don't want to spoil anything since I was really shocked by everything that happened. I absolutely love Jennifer Foor's books though this wasn't my favorite, and I know I will read more from her in the future. I love how different and unique her books are, and I always know that anything I read from her will be unlike anything I have read before.

**ARC Provided by Inkslinger PR**

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N |

Guest Post with Author Sharon Ashwood and Giveaway

Meet Sharon Ashwood author of the Enchanted Warrior.

Sharon Ashwood is a novelist, desk jockey and enthusiast for the weird and spooky. She has an English literature degree but works as a finance geek. Interests include growing her to-be-read pile and playing with the toy graveyard on her desk. As a vegetarian, she freely admits the whole vampire/werewolf lifestyle would never work out, so she writes her adventures instead.

Sharon is the winner of the RITA® Award for Paranormal Romance. She lives in the Pacific Northwest and is owned by the Demon Lord of Kitty Badness.

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