Tag: two star book

adult, contemporary, two star book

An Irish Christmas Review!

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You
  • Title: An Irish Christmas
  • Author: Melody Carlson
  • Publisher: Revell
  • Publish Date: September 1, 2007
  • Pages: 192
  • Book Form: E-book
  • Genre: Christmas, Christian Fiction
  • Dates Read: Dec 22, 2019
  • Rating: ★★.5

For Colleen, life is spinning out of control. She just lost her husband, and her relationship with her young adult son Jamie is crumbling. Should she confess to him the secret that has been haunting her for twenty years? Jamie has a few secrets of his own. When he announces his plans to join the military, Colleen decides it’s time for the two of them to take a trip together–to Ireland. The truth they discover there could fulfill both their dreams in a way neither ever thought possible. An Irish Christmas is a captivating story of love, deception, and secret passions, from popular and prolific author Melody Carlson.

– Goodreads

So this was the first book I read off my Down the TBR lists! I kept it because it was around Christmas time and the synopsis said there was deception and secret passion. That sounds amazing. Unfortunately, this book was a flop for me.

First, I didn’t realize it was Christian fiction. If I had realized that, I probably would have deleted. It’s just not my jam.

The story started off kind of slow. It didn’t really pick up until the last 20% or so, when you started figuring out all the deceptions. I can’t remember anything about any of the characters. They were just sort of flat with no emotion. The author would say they were crying, or happy, and I just didn’t feel anything.

There were some positives about this book. It was short – only 192 pages, and I read it in a day. I love a book I can just sit and finish! Once you started seeing the deceptions, it got really interesting. I just wish there was a lot more build up. I wasn’t interested in reading about the characters just randomly traveling all over Ireland.

If you’re a fan of Christmas novels and Christian Fiction, you’d probably like this book. I just felt bored during certain parts. Just not my cup of tea.

Until next time…

ARC, Horror, middle grade, mystery, two star book

Monster on the Moors ARC Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You
  • Title: Monster on the Moors
  • Author: J.M. Kelly
  • Publisher: Top Publications, Ltd.
  • Publish Date: October 31, 2019
  • Book Form: E-ARC
  • Pages: 280
  • Genre: Mystery, Horror, MG
  • Dates Read: Sept 27 – Oct 29
  • Rating: ★★

Monster On The Moors is an MG-YA horror thriller that takes place in the eerie North York Moors of England. Clairvoyant Bobby Holmes, his American cousin Brenda Watson, and their friends, wise guy Stevie and Michael (who is challenged by Asperger Syndrome), are drawn into a deadly mystery. They are hunted by an ancient wolf creature controlled by evil witches of British lore. When one of their friends is captured, they must rely on the investigations of a librarian who is more than he seems, the mystical gifts of a gypsy king, a mysterious stranger at the center of it all, and their own wits in a desperate race to save their friend and come out alive.

– Goodreads

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sheesh. Okay. So, I got this book because I thought it would be a good Halloween read. I was mistaken.

Okay, and I know it took me almost a month to read. I started it, then had to put it down because it was taking so long to finish. 280 pages felt like forever. So I started, put it down, picked it back up. Again. And again.

When I got Monster on the Moor, I thought it was YA. I was so confused because the writing and dialogue was just… childish. I then did some research and discovered it was MG. Okay, that makes more sense. But Bobby and his band of friends go off investigating and in the woods on their own. I know I wouldn’t let my MG-aged child do half of what these guys did in the book. The character’s actions and thoughts were very YA-aged, but the dialogue was MG-aged, so I was just confused. I really spent most of the book trying to figure out their ages.

Another thing that made this book hard for me were the descriptions. They were very wordy, and I lost track of what we were describing. It ultimately made the book very hard for me to get into.

Now for some positives. There was autism rep in this book, which is always nice to see. This is also part of a series, but JM Kelly did a great job of giving enough backstory where you didn’t have to read the first book.

Would I recommend this book? I hate to say, I would not. The actions/voices of the characters didn’t match and it was just too hard to get into.

Until next time…

adult, two star book

More Bedtime Stories for Cynics Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You
  • Title: More Bedtime Stories for Cynics
  • Author: Multiple
  • Book Form: Audio
  • Publisher: Audible Originals, LLC
  • Pages: 250
  • Genre: Humor, Fiction, Short Stories
  • Rating: ★★

Nick Offerman and his posse of high-profile guests present this series of 12 short stories written in the style of classic kid’s tales, but with a decidedly adult approach.

If children’s literature is any guide, we should all be able to magically fall asleep simply by saying goodnight to the things we can see from our beds. But any adult knows that our work anxieties and shameful memories would rather stay up all night and chat. That’s where Offerman and Co. come in—with clever and occasionally downright dark parodies of the classic kids genre. What really happened after Snow White died, from the perspective of the one medically trained dwarf? A naive wizard professor reports back from the trenches of an underprivileged school of magic. A middle-aged man is haunted by the voices of his own aging body. The stories will make you laugh, cry and probably squirm a little.

Performers include: Patrick Stewart, Alia Shawkat, Jane Lynch, Aparna Nancherla, Harry Goaz, Mike Birbiglia, Ellen Page, Rachel Dratch, Gary Anthony Williams, Nicole Byer, and Matt Walsh.

Please note that this audiobook contains explicit content.

– Goodreads
I hated to give this book such a low review.  I saw it as an audible member freebie in May and was like, oh I have to get that! I listened to Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally’s audio a couple months ago and LOVED it. I thought this would be the same. Not so much.

This was a collection of short stories, narrated by various famous humans. The stories just didn’t hold my attention. None of the grabbed me, which I was sad about. I listened while driving to work, and while at work. Sometimes work can command my attention so it takes away from the audio, but that wasn’t the case here. Even when driving I found my mind wandering because I just couldn’t stay focused.

The best part was at the very end when Nick Offerman called himself my lumberjack daddy and sang me a lullaby.

Unfortunately, I can’t recommend this audio to anyone. Even my love of Nick Offerman isn’t enough.

Until Next time…

adult, ARC, contemporary, fantasy, Five Star Book, Four Star Book, graphic novel, three star book, ya

April Wrap Up

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You

Wow! How is April already gone? Mylzs second birthday is early next month and I am not at all prepared!

I totaled 17 books this month, which is pretty good for a hard month in book battle. I try to read at least 15 a month, so I’m glad I hit my goal. Nine were audios, which I think is a record. Three were graphic novels, which may also be a record. Then five physicals.

Here’s what I read:

AUDIOS

  • True West by Sam Shepard – Two stars. I bought solely because Kit Harington was narrating it. I couldn’t even tell it was him and the story was hard to follow.
  • Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes – Five stars. Another creepy, enthralling read. Can’t wait for book 3.
  • What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Brundell – Four stars. Great mystery set right after WW2. Very emerging.
  • Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid – Five Star. Full review to come. Ensemble cast and one of the best audio’s I’ve ever heard.
  • The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally – Five stars. Full review to come. Super funny.
  • One of the Guys by Delaney Diamond – Three star. Nothing wrong with it, but typical romance. Full review to come.
  • Picture Perfect love by Melissa McClone – Three stars. Another typical romance. Full review to come.
  • Yield by Lilia Moon – Three and a half stars. Super spicy read! Full Review to come.
  • Recalculating by Jennifer Weiner – Three and a half stars. Original mystery/thriller. Full review to come.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

  • A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold – Four stars. Great introduction to kids who have autism.
  • The Dreadful Fate of Jonathan York by Kory Merritt – Four stars. Super creepy art.
  • Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson – Four stars. Great friendship and girl power. Full Review to come.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

  • An Affair of Poisons by Addie Thorley – Four Stars. Love a book set in old Paris. Full review to come.
  • Little Darlings by Melanie Golding – Four and a half stars. Arc. Super creepy. Super amazing. Great look at PPD/PPA
  • Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce – Great beginning to one of the OGs of YA. This was recommended to me by another Words and Whimsy modmin and I loved it! Can’t wait to continue the series.
  • White Rose by Kip Wilson – Four stars. ARC. Written in verse. German resistance in WW2. Amazing read.
  • Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller – Five stars. My second Tricia book and I fell even more in love with her.

As you can see, I never stick to my TBRs. Ever. BUT I will have my May TBR up tomorrow!

Until next time..

two star book

The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You
  • Title: The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project
  • Author: Lenore Appelhans
  • Book Form: Egalley ARC
  • Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
  • Genre: YA, Contemporary
  • Rating: ★★


Riley lives in TropeTown, where everyone plays stock roles in novels. Riley, a Manic Pixie Dream Boy, is sent to group therapy after going off-script. Riley knows that breaking the rules again could get him terminated, yet he feels there must be more to life than recycling the same clichés for readers’ entertainment. Then he meets Zelda, a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (Geek Chic subtype), and falls head over heels in love. Zelda’s in therapy too, along with several other Manic Pixies. But TropeTown has a dark secret, and if Riley and his fellow Manic Pixies don’t get to the bottom of it, they may all be terminated.

– Goodreads

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts and feelings are my own.

So. I’ve put off writing this review for two days. I just don’t really know what to say. I was not a fan of this book.

This is about Riley, the manic pixie dream boy, who lives in TropeTown – where all the bookish tropes live and get called into jobs aka books.

The idea is catchy. I was like, oh this sounds cool! It seemed fun and campy. And I love campy. I just….. could not get into this book.

Riley has to go to therapy daily because he went ‘off script’ from what the author was writing. There he meets Zelda, another manic pixie in therapy, and he falls for her. But in his current job, he finds himself actually falling for Ava. So there’s this love triangle, which I felt like had so much potential, but it didn’t really go anywhere for me.

I felt like there was just no progression in the story. I kept waiting for something to happen. Or for the book to end. And I hate feeling that way about a book.

All in all, I just didn’t enjoy the book. I was just counting down the minutes until it ended. I wish I would have liked it more because it was such a fun idea!

Until next time…