DiSemblance (DiSemblance #1) by Shanae Branham ~ Review

Approx. Pages(reading content/actual pages): ~219/220

Format: e-book

Content: Clean, some psychological conflict

Jason Tanner lives between two worlds. Problem is, only one is real. 

Inside the hologram machine 17-year-old Jason has everything his heart desires, including a digital simulation of his dead mother. While outside the machine, he’s forbidden contact with everyone. Living within the shadow of a serial killer, Jason is captivated by the beautiful girl next door, Boston Manning. Disobeying his father, he secretly cultivates a relationship with her. 

For Boston life is divided into those that have and those that have not. Displaced in a new high school, she is determined to have the life she’s always wanted. But will her choices hijack her dreams and plunge her into the treacherous clutches of a serial killer? 

As an action-packed romantic thriller, DiSemblance is sure to keep you guessing until the very end.

DiSemblance had a pretty action-packed story that was...interesting. I know interesting gets overused a lot. So, what is interesting?

Well, I didn't really have a care for this book until the real crazy starts happening. Just to reiterate the plot, this story provides insight into the perspective of three characters: Jason Tanner, his girlfriend Boston Manning, and Detective Bruce Durante (if i'm not mistaken[if I forget, please forgive me]) during the intense investigation on whom the public of this story knows as "The Comfort Killer." And I shan't leave out the more interesting character of the bunch in my opinion, Isaac Tanner. Don't ask why, he just is.

Jason and Isaac Tanner are two brothers who have basically been away and were denied of the wonders of having real friends or even just doing teenage things, causing them to be socially-inept. Or so I think? Due to their father's, Lloyd, life-long work on an invention of a virtual-reality machine, they've been kept away as a source of protection. The machine is seriously valuable and you can imagine if it fell into the wrong hands, shit is going down. Anyway, I expected awkwardness. I expected an uncomfortable... aura. I just expected something different and I only got that in Isaac. Maybe I was missing something about Jason, maybe there's nothing even wrong with him in the first place. Who knows. *shrugs*

There was a Criminal Minds sort of feel to it. But I wasn't as enraptured by the story as much as I am with the television show. Nonetheless, there were some moments that really had me thinking (between the scenes of Detective Durante and the journal, and the hospital scene when "someone" woke up from a coma), "whoa!" or "oh shit." I had my moments of turning back a few pages just to see if I read correctly. The line between what was real and what was fabricated was present in those short pages, but overall, I wasn't into it until SPOILER (highlight the blank space) the pictures of dead people and the map of Montana surrounding the Tanner's kitchen happens. Not really a spoiler. I just wanted to do it. SIKE. But really. HOW'D THOSE GET THERE HMMM? In any case, the hunt for the killer was a good ride. I wish it was darker, though. I mean, the ending wasn't happy go-lucky or anything. There's Isaac to think of! Poor Isaac. But I guess my expectation of a teen science fiction-y, thriller story was too hyped up that it fell short. And as I said, it's still good. But I wouldn't go back to re-read the first book.

I didn't have any one to root for, except strange Isaac. I could actually care less about the rest of the characters. Again, not to say they suck. They can be pretty badass. But, they just aren't my cup of tea at the moment. And, maybe that makes me tooootally... wierd? Biased? Close-minded? I don't know.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

★★★✩✩

Power of the Matchmaker by Karey White ~ Review

Approx. Pages(reading content/actual pages): ~75/79

Format: e-book

Content: Clean

A prequel novella to the POWER OF THE MATCHMAKER Series
Mystical . . . Beautiful . . . Romantic . . .
12 novels by 12 bestselling authors
Released once a month in 2016
Read the matchmaker’s story to find out where it all starts . . . 

Mae Li has been in love with Chen Zhu for years, and he with her. But when the matchmaker arrives at the Zhu family home, she recommends another village girl for Chen. 

Heartbroken, Mae Li watches as Chen does his duty by marrying another. Mae flees her village with the clothes on her back and her only possession—a pearl embedded comb, given to her as a goodbye gift from Chen Zhu. 

Upon Mae’s arrival in Shanghai, she quickly learns that she’ll starve within days unless she sells her prized comb or joins a courtesan house. She goes to the Huangpu River and promises the River God that she’ll always be selfless if he will save her from becoming a prostitute . . . Her wish is granted when Ms. Tan, the matchmaker of Shanghai, finds Mae. But Mae must completely change her future and her name if she is to become the next matchmaker.

I'm not sure what I expected from reading this little novella... but whatever it was, I kind of liked it. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for romance and I'm a sucker for unfortunate twists in life (bring on the NHEAs). This story is a wonderful blend of the two, I think.

A love gone wrong? More like an expectation gone wrong. I understood why Chen resisted himself from the temptation to escape the cruel fate that is -cough- a bull matchmaking by a shitty matchmaker. I really did. But it didn't make it suck any less. And, if I had to see a guy- my ONE-AND-ONLY-FATED guy- marry and have cute Asian babies with another woman... well, hell, I'd run the freak away, too--maybe.

I must say, when Ms. Tan was introduced, I grew to like her very quickly. Old and as nice to Mae as she was, she immediately got my approval to be a respectable character. The secrets that surround her on the powers in matchmaking were intriguing and I wanted to learn what she was passing onto Mae.

There's not much further to say on this piece. It's simply an introduction to an awaited series of 12 books spanning 12 months. This read was very fast paced, as it skipped some years towards the end of the novella. And, in all honesty, my favorite part was the Epilogue. It was a satisfying end to a chapter in Mae's life that desperately needed a close to, and a hooking beginning to a new future for Mae, and I can't wait to continue on with the story of Power of the Matchmaker.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

★★★★☆

Merry Christmas, Henry by Aubrey Wynne ~ Review

Approx. Pages(reading content/actual pages): ~39/49

Format: e-book

Content: Clean

Henry, a shy and talented artist, moonlights as a security guard at a museum and loses his heart to a beautiful, melancholy woman in a painting. As his obsession grows, he finds a kindred soul who helps him in his search for happiness. On Christmas Eve, Henry dares to take a chance on love and fulfill his dream.

This was an interesting little story that I thought was really... special. I absolutely adored Henry. He had a magical and heartwarming quality in him that really brought this Christmas tale to life.  Admittedly, his love for a painting was immensely odd, but how can I judge where I, too, have fallen in love with certain arts. I've even taken the opportunity to name things on my own accord. Of course, never to his extent. Regardless, this story is short and sweet, and maybe, during the right season and the right time, I would pick up this little novella and read it for a little bit of magic and mystery to get into the spirit of the Christmas holiday.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

★★★★☆

Not Without You by Dianne Venetta ~ Review

Approx. Pages(reading content/actual pages): ~233/237

Format: e-book

Content: Clean

Grad student, Lisa Richardson, scours the high country in search of her beloved boreal toad. The amphibian is in danger of extinction, a fate she is determined to change. Single-minded in her focus, Lisa doesn’t realize that she’s being followed by a mysterious stranger. 

Enter McIntyre Walsh. Ex-marine with a heart of gold, this man lives and breathes duty. Protection. Content with his self-exile on a mountaintop in Colorado, he inadvertently witnesses a female hiker in danger, a situation he cannot ignore yet is unable to rectify. When their paths cross, Lisa and Walsh refuse to stray from their avowed goals and carry on—despite the other. 

It isn’t until a killer ramps up his game that both are forced to relent. Battling the rugged terrain of the Rocky Mountains and an undeniable attraction between them, Lisa and Walsh must work together against the odds if they intend to get off the mountain alive.

I believe this is the first book of the Silver Creek series. And when given the time, I may possibly read the rest of Venetta's books. Although stand alone novels have their charm, I would much rather read a continuation of Lisa's and Walsh's story, whether or not there will be more troubles ahead for them, I won't care. I like the characters. So, I'm picky like that :) Anyways, I think this book is very adventurous, and with a side of romance in it, I liked it even more. I might pick this book up again to read if I'm up for it. I felt that the story ended very satisfactory... and happy might I add! A little rushed in the love department in my opinion, but happy nonetheless. The relationship between Lisa and Walsh was a very quick one -- spanning three days in the book, I believe -- but when a connection hits, who am I to say "no way" and to judge?

I really did like the character of McIntyre Walsh as well as Lisa. I must admit, she had her moments in the beginning that irked me a bit, such as her words toward poor non-athletic Dale and her insistence that she could hold her own without help. OH! Lisa is very well capable of holding her own, I get that and admire that. But, I always figure that it's more than alright to just humor someone if they're worried about your safety. Especially if it's coming from your father. Listen to the man! I was warned though, that she was very single-minded in her focus. Otherwise, Lisa grew on me fairly quickly. Walsh, I liked right away.

The battle with the killer in the mountains went by incredibly quick. I really enjoyed the minor suspense from the characters trying to get to safety, their tribulations, and avoiding the bad man altogether, but again, too quick for my taste. I suppose I would have liked to read more about the killer, for him to have more interactions with the characters to add to the tension, or, heck, a POV chapter of him once in a while. But, that's just my preference. I would think that would be interesting to know a bit more about the dangerous man in a more intimate way, by knowing what he's thinking.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

★★★★☆

Half Worlder by Lee J. Falin ~ Review

Approx. Pages(reading content/actual pages): ~200/204

Format: e-book

Content: Clean

Reading the summary of this book, I became intrigued:

Half-worlder. Sub-human. Alien. Those are some of the more polite names people use to describe you when your mother is from another planet.  

Kristin Magnuson has spent her life growing up with these labels. Now she's been chosen to take part in the Youth Ambassador program and train to become Earth's ambassador to the Centauri system. 

Kristin hopes to find acceptance with a group of peers as diverse as the galaxy itself, but soon learns that while being a half-alien back on Earth was tough, being a half-human in space is even worse.  

Just as she starts to feel like she is fitting in, she finds herself at the center of a deadly interstellar conspiracy that makes her question everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.

I'll just get right into it and fast forward to when she arrives at her destination, Vespa Prime. Kristin's going to be on her way for training as a Youth Ambassador. She then meets her three other companions in her cohort, Gabriana (a Lyconian), Torvox (a Sirian), Porter (a Roxian)... and her senior trainee, Norina (a Trellian). Her three friends, including herself, are what Norina would call a group of misfits. They have their own backstories told in full, as they should. Unfortunately, I only recall knowing two out of four of their complete stories.The characters were very likable, except for times when I would use the occasional eye roll at what Kristin does or says. 

But oh man, Porter was hands-down, my favorite character. 

A pubescent Roxian...will shed its entire top layer of skin in a yearlong epidemic of gross, oozy scabs.

Porter...stuffed the wad of papers into his mouth, and turned to walk out of the gym without a backward glance.

Unfortunately Roxians don't have proper riddles, because the only thing Porter could come up with was trying to make us guess what he had in his pocket. I guess a ring, but it turned out to be some left over food from his lunch. 

I thought it was neat that as Kristin encountered new races, the readers get a little scoop on what's up and what is a big no no upon interaction. These cultural clashes were interesting. I mean, c'mon:

May the fleas of your ancestors never torment you.

Best. Greeting. Ever. I guess you wouldn't understand, though. It's a Leonid thing.   

There were moments where I could identify with how Kristin was feeling. Anger, when someone won't give you a chance to explain yourself. Frustration, by feeling like you're in someone else's shadow. Realizing that maybe you just suck at something. And wanting to work hard to overcome a challenge. It's good to be able to connect in some small way. It makes reading the story a lot more tolerable. As Kristin's father would say, "There are positive things to be found in even the worst of situations." 

How did I feel about this book once I had completed it?... Dissatisfaction. This book had quirks that left me wanting more, had characters that I chuckled at and said "You're great. I like you", and action that I thought was going to be pretty intense. However, what caused me to not really enjoy it the way I wanted to was the short conflicts, quick resolution to the interstellar conspiracy, and me wanting to know something like "What is Jake Magnuson's story?". It's very minor, the problems I had with this book. 

I actually thought that the ending to each chapter, the "Oh! Things are starting to get better!... Hold on. Whoops. Think again" concept was charming. An example of one that I enjoyed immensely was when Jeff and Sergeant Costa stopped U'vox (a pirate) from hurting Kristin and her crew. They had their weapons pointed straight at the enemy, and I was blindsided by this passage:

Any hope I had of being rescued by the Space Corps died with the first words out of Sergeant Costa's mouth. "Don't worry (spoiler character), we'll get you safely out of here."

I legit snorted like a pig. Maybe out of context, it wouldn't make sense, but trust me, it was funny. 

★★★✩✩

Overall, I think this book is a nice quick read. I just wouldn't go out of my way to hunt it down. I just wish there was a sequel to tie up the story, because I feel as if it is unfinished. And, although I liked the story of this book, I don't have the desire to reread it in the future.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.