REVIEW: Defying the Odds, Kele Moon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
(4.5 Stars)
I really enjoyed this book. I do love a big, grouchy guy that falls hard for the girl. And I really loved that Melody, our heroine, was so focused on making sure she could take care of herself. I understand that. When you’ve been dependent on a man for any length of time, I think you end up doing the exact opposite when things don’t work out. And for her, it REALLY didn’t work out.
Clay’s used to being alone and when Mel shows him a simple kindness he realizes just how dark and lonely his world has become. They both strengthen as people the more they fall in love. Mz. Moon does it so slowly and sweetly in such small ways. It’s filled with hard lessons and a love that makes this reader want to believe that’s out there for all of us.
The only thing that held this back to a 5 star was the southern slang dialogue. I understood it suited the majority of the characters, but I don’t think it needed to be used for everyone. A small qualm, but it kept nagging at me by the time I hit the end of the book.
REVIEW: Beast Behaving Badly, Shelly Laurenston
Beast Behaving Badly by Shelly Laurenston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
(4.5 stars)
The book started off a little rocky. There were just way too many characters going on. But that was partly my fault for going in on book 5. (Which I hardly ever do) I really liked the relationships between the prides and clans and the off-kilter hybrid relationships. Blayne, the main female character, was a complete nut, but she had me laughing out loud more than once. And to see how she slowly brought Bo out of his funk and too-scheduled life and into her fun and zaniness was well worth the read.
The underlying suspense part of the book brought a lot of characters in and proved to be a little on the holy-crap-i’m-having-trouble-following-it end for me. And that’s probably why I read this one a little slower than I usually do. There was a lot to assimilate, lots of couples to figure out, and lots of violence. None of it bothered me, but it did take a bit of re-reading to get everything straight.
The world-building was fun and the cast of characters makes me want to try other stories. Also the anti-hybrid issues are thought provoking and parallel what happens to anyone that’s from a mixed race heritage. I will say that the series has little love for the ‘full-humans’ and it very much is a shifter world in these books.
All in all, I truly enjoyed it.Looks like I’ll be trying a few more of Mz. Laurenston’s books in the future.