October 2013 – JenniElyse

Title: A Sleep So Dark
Author: Inara Scott
Genre: Fantasy, Thriller, Young Adult
Format: ARC
Pages: 221
Reason Read: ARC Review
Rating:

My Thoughts

I was a hesitant to read A SLEEP SO DARK because it’s self-published. Unfortunately, this time my hesitancy was warranted because the story fell flat for me.

I really liked the premise and thought it had a lot of potential. The concept of lucid dreaming and taking control of your dreams to stop recurring nightmares really intrigued me. I also liked the paranormal element of one of the characters hopping through other characters’ dreams.

I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. Tandy and I had something in common, the recent loss of our mom, but that’s the only thing. I felt like her relationship with Cade, Dr. Gillman’s son, was forced. It didn’t seem natural with either of their personalities. It gave a new definition of insta-love for me. I’m also not a fan of cowboys, country music, ranches, or the rustic outdoors. Unfortunately, the setting was not my cup of tea at all.

Even though certain aspects of the story fell flat and disappointed me, I’ll admit I was interested in knowing how the story ended, how everything resolved itself, especially with the recurring nightmares and the bit of mystery. Thankfully, I thought the ending for those things was very satisfying.

Title: A Different Blue
Author: Amy Harmon
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Spice: 1 / 5
Format: Kindle
Pages: 322
Reason Read: Recommended
Rating:

My Thoughts

I was a little hesitant to read because A DIFFERENT BLUE because it’s a self-published novel and I’ve been burned by them before. However, I’m glad I gave it a chance because I really ended up enjoying it.

It’s a story of redemption, love, and finding oneself. Blue’s story broke my heart and also gave me reason to be happy. She was such a strong person without even knowing it. She was also very selfless. I was captivated by her strength and will to survive. I rooted for her every step of the way on her amazing journey of self-discovery.

Wilson was definitely a character I could sink my teeth into. *wink wink* He was so well-developed and a great mentor and love interest for Blue. He was smart, charming, and British–sexy accent and all. I really loved all his Britishisms. And, like many of his students, he probably could’ve been the ugliest man alive and I’d still have loved him because of his accent and his personality. Fortunately, for the reader, he was described as being pretty darn good looking.

I loved Blue and Wilson’s relationship. I loved that they built their friendship and love for one another over time, not immediately. While the sexual tension was strong and fun to read, I loved that they helped each other and that their relationship wasn’t built purely on lust. It actually seemed like real love.

My only gripe is that I feel like the book could’ve done with more editing. I’m not talking about spelling errors, missing words, or extra words (although there was that too). I’m talking about continuity problems. There were a few times I was ripped out of the story because the wrong name was written. It halted the flow and the emotion I was feeling.

However, despite its editing flaws, this is worth the read.