Christmas Kisses by H.M. Ward

Christmas Kisses by H.M. Ward ☆☆☆

It is extremely rare for me to ever give lower than 4 stars to anything, but that's what this one earns, despite the very lovely cover.

I originally decided to read this because the synopsis sounded a lot like Frigid, that I did a review on awhile back. It was nothing like it. Sure, it had the sexual tension and the alternating point-of-view that shows how each person is completely oblivious to how the other feels, but that's about the only similarities it has.

Ryan just isn't an interesting character to me. He seems too wrapped up in her and that doesn't usually happen. When a guy is wrapped up in a girl to the point that his friends are bugging him about it, then he is either already dating her and she has him whipped or he's in major friend zone and never coming out of it. So for Ryan to be this caught up in her was too much for me. And the ending was a little far-fetched too. It was a nice idea, but too "perfect" in tying everything in a big happy ending bow.

This book also mainly takes place over two days! She shows up from coming home from college swearing she won't run into him and if she does she wants her friend to keep him away. Instead the friend purposefully throws them together. Sexual tension surrounds everything. But things just seem to be answered to easily and happen to easily. Once they're finally together they can't get enough of each other. It literally says they spend a week together with him inside of her. Yes, a week of time is just passed off in a sentence, maybe a paragraph if you include some of the other descriptions. So all the focus is on the first two days. That and the fact that they go at it on her parents couch twice when her parents are sleeping, right after her internal monologue says she doesn't want to wake them up. It was overall too irritating of a read and I wish I wouldn't have even attempted it. It says it's part of a series, but I won't be reading the others.

Damaged by H.M. Ward

Damaged (Damaged #1) by H.M. Ward ☆☆☆

The sample of this book automatically popped up on the Kindle app of my phone. They thought is was a great suggestion for me to read. After reading the sample, I definitely wanted to read more despite the plethora of typos, but Amazon reviews warned me against it. So seeing as how I still wanted to finish it, I got a hold of a free copy.

Why it gets three stars? The same reasons that Amazon reviews will give you. Ward apparently couldn't remember the spelling of her own main character's name through the first couple chapters (Sidney or Sydney). There was also a page where Sidney was wearing a shirt at the beginning of the page, but by the end of the same page she was slipping off a dress. And as another example there is a page toward the end of the book where she starts a sentence, but never ends it. This doesn't even count the numerous amount of typos.

However, I really liked the characters. This was by no means erotica although being labeled as such. There were some make out scenes, but that was about it. It really was just about two characters who are damaged in their own ways and I really like how they developed and attempted to come to terms with those parts of themselves.

What's really interesting to me is the concept. Sidney is a TA in the English department, in Texas no less. As I am, however, she's the undergrad kind of TA that helps the professors grade work. In my Texas University though, our English classes never get big enough to need an undergraduate TA, and the TA's we do have (such as myself) actually serve as instructors, teaching their own classes, for rhetoric and composition, i.e. English 101 and 102. So I found a lot of things in this book that I identified with. Though I promise I'm not sleeping with any of my bosses or instructors ;)

There were some hilarious points as well. "Are you sniffing my couch?" was one of them haha. He always seemed to walk in on the worst possible times with her. But also striking with me is when he gave Sidney chocolate because it totally reminded me of Remus Lupin giving Harry Potter a chocolate bar. And in all, I like the way Ward described a lot of things, like the bear on a pink string that weighs on Sidney's chest.

So if you count all the things I love about the book it'd probably get a 5 star rating. But as a composition instructor AND as a writer myself, I just can't get past the glaring typos and writing issues. Didn't stop me from enjoying the book though, just made me glad I got a free copy instead.

Where There's A Wolf, There's A Way by Lisi Harrison

Where There's A Wolf, There's A Way by Lisi Harrison ☆☆☆

I gave the first two books of the series a higher score. While I did find most of the story trivial, it was a fun, mindless read. These books came in handy after reading especially soul-crushing books where I needed a mental vacation in literature. Having borrowed this book months ago, I decided to finally read it after Hunger Games and it took me forever to get through this.

My main problem with the first book grew exponentially in this one. I do not like brands, or name brands. This series is all about being "new" and "hip" so it constantly throws out information about the latest "hit" songs, the UGG boots, and every clothing label or accessory label known to man. That gives me a headache. And while it might be fun for pre-teen label queens in the making, what impact would the book have ten years from now on the next generation? None that I can see.

It still has great characters and there are some interesting developments about them that rap up from the second book, but I don't think I could read a 4th book when they decide to put one out. I love the characters and I like seeing them in book form battling societal norms rather than short cartoons online, but this book just lost the momentum for me. It'd problem get 2 stars if I didn't love the characters.

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Bumped by Megan McCafferty ☆☆☆

Not the best book I have read. I had a hard time getting into it and that feeling never really let up. I don't like books that have their own languages without explaining it and this was one of those books. While I was able to pick up on some of the meanings as I read, I still felt lost most of the way.

This book did elicit emotion from me though. I was angry at Harmony for most of the book. And I felt a helplessness for Melody. I was anxiously awaiting everything to turn around and go the way it was expected, but it didn't make it. Part of that doesn't make me want to read the sequel that I discovered is in the works, however, the ending did leave some interesting ideas open that I wouldn't mind exploring out of pure curiosity.

While I did score this book low it doesn't mean I hated it. It's between 3 and 4 stars for me. It's definitely a good book at looking at what a world would be like if teen pregnancies were profitable and overmarketed, and a jab at the overpopularization already present with shows like 16 and Pregnant or even the Octomom. The warring alternating POVs of Harmony and Melody show deep contradictions in not only how the girls were raised, but also contradictions within themselves against how they were raised. It's a working dystopian society novel, but it just didn't work on all levels for me.

Gemini Bites by Patrick Ryan

Gemini Bites by Patrick Ryan ☆☆☆

Why did I pick this book? The synopsis tells you it's not twins, the girl is straight and the guy is gay, and they fall for the same vampire. Awesome, right? Well I thought it would be so I gave it a shot.

This book was draining me. It was almost like a chore to read it at first. Each chapter was incredibly long which didn't leave room for easy stopping points I need while reading. And I just wasn't sure about character development and plot. This book also had (the ever present now) alternating points of view between the twins which worked quite well in showing you just how different they are from each other, and at the same time just how much they have in common.

So I was trudging through my reading when suddenly I got to an explicit sex scene. An explicit gay sex scene. And I was floored. I make it no secret that I love boy-on-boy and that scene was incredible. The character development and scene were just there in every way. And better yet...it's a male author. Who'd have expected that?

After that scene it became so much easier to read, as if the characters themselves started loosening up. I stayed up until sunrise just to finish reading the last half in one night. It was a great story, I like where all of the characters finally took themselves. However, the story ended a little too neatly, like everything was tied up in a nice little bow, and that made the story fall a little short for me. I won't give away anything plot related, but if you chance to read it you'll understand.

The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales

The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales ☆☆☆

Surprisingly good book. However, by the mid-range star count you can tell I wasn't immediately impressed.

This was another class assignment as we were covering cultural studies through literature. This book delves into the Hispanic culture and how it shapes this girl's life and influences the choices she makes into her future.

My main problem with this book was continuity. At the beginning of the book you learn she is eight years old, but after a few chapters, suddenly her much younger brother is eight. There was never any indication to me or my class that years were passing rather than months. And the book kept hopping like that. By the time she's a teenager, the story slows as it progresses through adulthood and starts to make more sense.

The book is exceptional in tying everything together. Little traditions mentioned through her childhood, quips, family nitpicks, everything comes back throughout the story and nothing is wasted. Even the tequila worm itself makes it's way from the first chapter through the last. Canales also showed a nice perspective of a Hispanic girl that is smart enough to make it into a well-off private school and how she has to learn to be around rich white kids who made it there through money more than brains, all when she is so vastly different. The downside to this perspective though is you start to realize that the story is most likely more creative non-fiction than fiction after reading her bio in the back of the book.

All in all it's worth a read for multicultural studies and does show something new and different.
But if you get confused easily while reading then it may not be the best when it comes to following along in the story when the time periods change without mention.