Under The Table by Stephanie Evanovich-DNF at 16%

DNF at 16%– I absolutely could not possibly read another page of this book. It took me three weeks of picking it up to read a chapter and finding more reason to delay reading more.

The main character is terrified of being in a major city like New York City and has to text her sister and her roommate when she has made it to destinations. Yet she is so city savvy that she is going to take on shy millionaire “geek” and teach him how to live in the tough city? Tristan is drop-dead gorgeous yet (OF COURSE) wears a bow tie and suspenders to a business dinner because we have to drill in the fact that he is a “geek”. It just seemed like the writing was so rushed that they took all of the brainstorms for a character and shoved it into the first two chapters in order to fill in a lack of a plot. I assume the ex-husband is supposed to be a villain character but instead he is also an over-the-top meathead. I also assume this is in order to contrast with “geek” Tristan to make him more perfect. It was excessive and I cannot force myself to go through any more of this so-called plot.

Please note: a physical ARC of this novel was generously provided by the publisher through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program-thank you for the opportunity!

Naturally Tan by Tan France – A 5/5 Star Review!

Tan France has a blunt sense of humor that comes off as fun and as if the reader were right there next to him as he spoke.  It was very authentic, sassy at times, and insightful. I found this book to be enlightening yet hilarious!  I found this book to be uplifting and I would recommend it to any reader, although I would advise that for younger readers there is foul language.  Even if you haven’t watched the new Queer Eye on Netflix (although I strongly recommend that show too!) don’t let that stop you from picking up this book.  It is not required before reading this but of course the show is referenced a fair amount.  Mostly it is about how he found himself, his career, love, and how he became an entrepreneur even before the show aired.

 

Please note: a physical advanced reader copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher via GoodReads Giveaway program in exchange for an honest review.

It is my understanding at the time of this review that the book is set to be released in the US on June 4, 2019.

Fallen Mountains by Kimi Cunningham Grant – A 3/5 Star Review

This book had a plot that progressed well, had vicious villains, and other great characters. However, it was very heavy on hunting and guns, as well as other things I am not interested in. There were a couple of scenes that were very graphically detailed. For example, there is a scene where Chase Hardy is hunting deer and intentionally decides to shoot one in a location where the deer would suffer an incredibly painful death, rather than killing it instantly. Another example is when Transom shoots a rabbit and then the narrator goes into gory detail on how the rabbit is then skinned. These scenes made me uncomfortable but I will say that they contributed symbolism and foreshadowing to the plot.

What also made me uncomfortable in this book was how Laney was treated for being a woman. Not only that but how she was written in the book as being weak, particularly around men. There is a scene where Transom literally refers to her as a piece of meat yet she still falls for his charms. I was screaming “GIRL NOOO!!”and it infuriated me how she was treated by Transom and she accepted it. Another example of this is when she tells Transom that she is seeing Chase and he blames Laney for their affair, even though she had initially told him she was no longer interested in their affair.

It is a well thought-out story and I absolutely loved how well the environment of the setting was described. It is very easy to be submerged into this plot and have strong feelings-good or bad- about each character. It is because the reader is so easily submerged that those graphic scenes and the Laney character in general had me more uncomfortable than I remember feeling about a book.

I would recommend this book for readers who enjoy hunting and/or may have grown up on a farm. This book is very heavy on farm life and the pros and cons of it. I would recommend this book also for readers who enjoy a surprise ending as this one is great.

On the other hand, I would not recommend this book for readers who may be triggered and/or offended by: grief, death, male chauvinism, graphic violence, kidnapping, hostage situations, violence towards animals, hunting, addiction (prescription pills in particular), fracking, deforestation, and betrayal.

Please note: an Audio CD of this book was generously provided by the publisher for free through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program in exchange for an honest review.