REVIEW: Beautiful Bandit by Loree Lough

Series: Lone Star Legends #1
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Pub Date: August 2010, Whitaker House
Format: eBook (Kindle)
Source: Purchased from Amazon.com

Joshua Neville is a quiet, even-keeled rancher who was just minding his own business when he witnessed a brazen bank robbery in San Antonio, Texas, that leaves three men dead. Even more shocking than the heist itself is that the ringleader looked like a woman! Weeks later, when Josh is on the trail, a lost and confused woman stumbles upon his campsite. He agrees to take "Dinah" to Mexico, but soon their journey is hampered by harsh weather and wild animals. When Dinah breaks her ankle, Josh takes her to his ranch to heal.As the two grow closer, Josh realizes he's fallen in love, even as he learns the truth about Dinah. But does he know the whole story? And, after the truth comes out, will he put his life at risk to keep her with him?

MY THOUGHTS
Beautiful Banditi is the first book I have read by Loree Lough. I'll admit it's been sitting on my e-reader for awhile, probably because though I found the synopsis intriguing, that cover is a bit of a turn-off. And now that I've read the book, I just don't think that image suits "Dinah" (a.k.a. Kate Wellington) at all, not to mention that it just looks too modern, given that this is supposed to be fiction set in the Western frontier. But here we have a classic example of the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover."

So that said, my advice to you (assuming you like to read Christian historical romances) is to ignore the cover and just dive right in! Though this story might not have pulled at my heart quite as strongly as some other Christian and/or historical romances have, I did think it was a good inspirational read and it kept me turning the pages to find out how everything finally resolved itself. I have to confess that I was really afraid that I was going to be annoyed by how Josh reacted when the truth about Kate/Dinah came to light. Thankfully, Lough did not choose to go the route of mutual misunderstandings, trumped-up, imagined hurt feelings, and/or false assumptions that I just find beyond irritating in historical romances. Sometimes it is nice to keep the drama at a minimum!

Lough's writing is fast-paced and she keeps the story moving along with every page. Though the outcome is admittedly predictable (but you know I love my happy endings!), Lough tells the story in such a way that it keeps you engaged and rooting for Kate and Josh. Though the story focuses heavily on the two of them, we also meet a lot of Josh's extended family and I expect you will love his "Mee-Maw" just as much as if she were your own grandmother. And while there is a sad side-plot in Beautiful Bandit, the overall story is touching, with Christian undertones that were just right for my tastes. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more by Loree Lough and adding her to my rotation of Christian fiction authors!


Read this book...

• If you enjoy Christian historical fiction set in the Western frontier (think: Tamera Alexander and Janette Oke)
• If you liked Love in Disguise by Carol Cox

Links:

• Website
• Facebook Fan Page
• Twitter: @LoreeALough

Teaser Tuesdays: Frost

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! (If you're on Goodreads, I've included a button to add the book to your list just below the teaser!)

This week I am sharing another teaser from an independent author, who also happens to live in Georgia. (I live in Georgia, last week's Teaser Tuesday post featured an author who lives in Georgia... You get the idea... :-)) A friend of mine who has similar reading tastes recommended this particular series, so I thought I would give it a try! Instead of just a couple of teaser sentences, here's the opening paragraph + 1...

It was cold, the kind of cold that made bones feel brittle and hands ache. My breath streamed from my lips like smoke, and my feet made wet, crunching sounds in the snow as I slipped through the forest. As I ran, my lungs ached and my sack of yarn thumped against my back. My cloak tangled around my ankles, but I yanked it free without stopping.

It was quota day in the village, and I was going to be late if I didn't hurry.

~ page 1 of Frost by Kate Avery Ellison
{click on the cover to visit the book's Goodreads page/synopsis}

REVIEW: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Series: Lunar Chronicles #2
Genre: YA Paranormal/Dystopian
Pub Date: February 2013, Feiwel and Friends
Format: eBook (Nook)
Source: Purchased from BN.com

The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

MY THOUGHTS
Well, Marissa Meyer has done it again with Scarlet... As much as I loved Cinder, I'm pretty sure I enjoyed its sequel even more! While Cinder was an obvious re-telling of the story of Cinderella, this time we have the dystopian future version of Little Red Riding Hood and it was every bit as captivating as the cyborg version of Cinderella.

Meyer's creativity seems to know no bounds with these stories she has crafted. She has a gift for creating characters that come to life right off the pages of the book. This story alternated back and forth mainly between Scarlet's and Cinder's points of view, so in addition to Scarlet's own part in the Lunar Chronicles, we picked up Cinder's story right where it left off in the first book. While Scarlet is matched up on her adventure with the "big, bad" Wolf, a dark and troubled street fighter, most of Cinder's journey finds her in the company of "Captain" Thorne, a spaceship thief and general rogue who provides much of the comic relief during the story. And a bit of a spoiler, for those of you who were amused by Iko in Cinder, you can look forward to her return in Scarlet, though not quite how you would expect. :-)

Of course, quite a bit is done to advance the story of Queen Levana's quest to claim power over the Earthen Union, as well. Meyer also tells some of the story from Kai's point of view, though overall he was a more minor player in this book. Yet it was his decision towards the end that finally spurred Cinder to take some action and shoulder the responsibility that comes with her true identity, which she is finally able to fully admit to herself. Fans of Cinder will surely love the story's continuation, though I would recommend re-reading Cinder if it has been awhile since you first read it. I am now stuck playing the waiting game for the remaining two books, but I look forward to getting to re-read Cinder and Scarlet before they are released. Cress is due out next year and is to be a Rapunzel re-telling, while Winter will be released in 2015 and will focus on Snow White. Seriously, if you have any love for YA dystopian/sci-fi books, then add in all of these fairy tale re-tellings, you've got a highly original series and you owe it to yourself to give these books a try!


Read this book/series...

• If you enjoyed the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld or The Host by Stephenie Meyer
• If you like fairytale re-tellings
• If you like YA Dystopian with a good mix of Sci-Fi

Links:

• Website
• Twitter: @Marissa_Meyer
• Facebook Fan Page
• Goodreads Author Page

Saturday Snapshot: A coming storm...

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky at Alyce's blog, At Home With Books.

About a week ago I looked out the window and noticed it looked like a storm was coming. Then I realized how GREEN the sky was in the distance, and there was almost a clear division as the green color continued to approach. Unfortunately, the sight I took in with my eyes was very difficult to capture on camera, but I tried...

It actually took awhile before the rain/thunder/lightning hit after I took this picture, and I started wondering if that was just an extreme amount of pollen in the air, haha. But eventually we did get a brief, violent thunderstorm...

Time to get ready for my mother-in-law's visit. I'll be back this afternoon/evening to visit your snapshot posts!

Happy Saturday!

REVIEW: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Series: Lunar Chronicles #1
Genre: YA Dystopian
Pub Date: January 2012, Feiwal & Friends
Format: eBook (Nook)
Source: Purchased from BN.com

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

MY THOUGHTS
So this is one of those books that I saw popping up on Teaser Tuesday posts recently, along with the second book in the series, Scarlet. I'll admit what I saw had me intrigued, but I was a little skeptical. But then I kept reading glowing review after glowing review and my curiosity was piqued even more. I guess I have B&N to thank for having their NYT Bestselling titles for Nook on sale for 50% off this weekend, because that is what finally spurred me to just take the leap and give Cinder a try.

I've had a pretty good run of luck lately, as this was another book that I absolutely devoured and couldn't put down. I do love a good dystopian, and somehow I'd forgotten how much I enjoy Sci-Fi. Cinder is definitely an excellent blend of both, not to mention an incredibly unique "re-telling" of the Cinderella story. You'll never view this fairytale in the same way after reading this version! I really loved everything about this story -- the premise, the characters, the execution... I couldn't believe how quickly the pages flew by and before I knew it I had finished! I'll admit I figured out where part of the story was headed pretty quickly, but I really enjoyed seeing how Meyer revealed it bit by bit as the book went on. I know that's a bit cryptic...

It's funny, I find myself struggling to write this review because I don't want to give anything away, and so many things I keep thinking about mentioning really spoil too much of the story. One thing I can say is that I enjoyed the characters as much as I enjoyed Meyer's refreshingly original storyline. There's so much more to Cinder than meets the eye, Kai may be a prince, but that doesn't mean he always acts like one, and don't be surprised if you find yourself attached to a particular android... I'm so glad I went ahead and bought Scarlet, taking a chance that I'd want to continue the series. Of course, I'll have to play the waiting game along with everyone else to read the last two books in the Lunar Chronicles, but that just means I can look forward to a re-read before they are published!


Read this book...

• If you enjoyed the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld
• If you like fairytale re-tellings
• If you like YA Dystopian with a good mix of Sci-Fi

Links:

• Website
• Twitter: @Marissa_Meyer
• Facebook Fan Page
• Goodreads Author Page