Review ~ The Invisible Ring by Anne Bishop

TITLE: The Invisible Ring
AUTHOR: Anne Bishop
COPYRIGHT: 2008
TYPE: fantasy
PAGES; 352
SERIES: uh duh

1. Daughter of the Blood

2. Heir to the Shadows

3. Queen of the Darkness

4. The Invisible Ring

REASON FOR READING: A co-worker thought I would like to read it.

SUMMARY: {From goodreads}
In this engaging story of Jared, a Red-Jeweled Warlord and unwilling pleasure slave, Bishop returns to the world of her Black Jewels trilogy (Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, and Queen of the Darkness). Jared, who has murdered his owner and attempted escape, is recaptured and sold to the mysterious Gray Lady. It soon becomes clear that Jared's new queen is not what she seems to be, and he joins with his fellow slaves--all of whom hide their own secrets--to protect the Gray Lady. During her desperate flight from Dorothea SaDiablo, the Black Widow intent on destroying her and claiming her territory, Jared comes to terms with his own demons and discovers what it means to be truly bonded to a queen.

THOUGHTS/OPINION:
I am in love with this series, the world that she has created is amazing! I love everything about this series and I really like seeing the characters before the story line actually takes place. This book happens before Daughter of the blood but it took a while for me to figure that out. If you follow this series I do believe you would like this book. However, you do not want to start with just this book read it in order.

Things I enjoyed:
I loved seeing the Sadiest involved before he became connected to Janelle I love watching him grow and protect those he feels deserve it. I loved learning more about the jewels and how they work. Again this series made me laugh and cry and I love how the males and females support and work together. When it goes wrong it goes very wrong but when the males follows the rules and the women do to it is a special relationship.

Things I didn’t care for:
While I love this series I hate how violent it is I realize the violence is needed but the sick twisted minds of those who want to destroy is very evil. VERY EVIL and at times hard to read.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping and want in hardback b/c I will re-read.

Review ~ The Shack by Paul Young

TITLE: The Shack
AUTHOR: WM Paul Young
COPYRIGHT: 2007
TYPE: Christian fiction
PAGES; 243
SERIES: no

REASON FOR READING: A co-worker thought I would like to read it.

SUMMARY: {From goodreads}
Mackenzie Allen Phillips's youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in this midst of his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change his life forever

THOUGHTS/OPINION:I wasn't sure what to think about this book at first. In fact my first thoughts were to prove this book wrong. To show that this author was making fun of my bliefs and didn't have a clue. Then I thought that this book would just make us a laughing stock to the world. Then I actually read the book and began to realize that I was wrong about everything. This book made me rethink my bleifs, made me proud of them and made me want to grow closer to God.

Things I enjoyed:I liked this books approach. It showed us a horrible thing happening to one man. A thing that coudl happen to any of us and then it showed us how this man delt with it. It was powerful it begged the question of what would I do if God wrote me a note, and how would I respond to it. I would like to think that I would go to meet with God but then I know that I would question the note to death until finally I caved at which time I would faint the first time I meant God. That or drop to my knees. WOW I mean this book brought up so many wonderful questions and helped me change my thoughts about my relationship with God. I now question something, believe others, and seriously long for a closer relationship with my God.

Things I didn’t care for:
There should be things I didn't like in this book but right now coming off fresh from reading it I have to say I don't have one thing in mind. Everything tied in well and brought it all home for me.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Well I don't own it but it has gone on the MUST buy pile. I will for sure be reading this one again!

Reading Challenges:
100+ book challenge 5/100

Review ~ A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

TITLE: The Reliable Wife
AUTHOR: Robert Goolrick
COPYRIGHT: 2009
TYPE: historical fiction
PAGES; 304
SERIES: no

REASON FOR READING: A co-worker thought I would like to read it.

SUMMARY: {From goodreads}
Abandoning her worldly life, traveling to a remote Wisconsin town in the dead of winter, trusting her future to a man she had never met - such was Catherine Land's new beginning. But there was an ending in sight as well, an ending that would redeem the treachery ahead, justify the sacrifice, and allow her to start over yet again. That was her plan." "For Ralph Truitt, the wealthy businessman who had advertised for "a reliable wife," this was also to be a new beginning. Years of solitude, denial, and remorse would be erased, and Catherine Land, whoever she might be, would be the vessel of his desires, the keeper of his secrets, the means to recover what was lost. That was his plan." Set just after the turn of the twentieth century, A Reliable Wife is the story of these two people, each plagued by a heart filled with anger and guilt, each with a destiny in mind. But neither anticipates what develops between them - the pent-up longings that Catherine discovers in this enigmatic man and the depth of her own emotional response; the joy Ralph experiences in giving Catherine the luxuries she has never known, his growing need for her, and a desire that he thought was long buried

THOUGHTS/OPINION:
I am not sure what I thought about this book. It wasn't a winner nor a loser. Is not one I would suggest to anyone in particular. In fact I could've done without reading it and not missed much but I'm not upset that I lost the time reading it though.

Things I enjoyed:
I enjoyed the setting even though it was the harsh winter of Wisconsin and I enjoyed learning the past of the main characters even though they weren't very loveable nor were they very likeable. I think they were both very hard on theirselves. I think the main heroine finally found what she wanted but would never know how to be satisfied with it. I think Truitt finally found what he needed but would never appreciate it to the fullest.


Things I didn’t care for:
I didn't care for how they thought about SEX all the freakin time. All the ways they had sex all the ways the wanted sex, all the ways that could've been, all the ways that had been, and all the ways they were doing it. I swear if you took out those parts the book would only be 150 or so pages it blows my mind. I also didn't think the "twist" was all that it wasn't hard to figure out and really I just didn't care. I think I didn't care b/c I just didn't care for the characters at all so there was no OMG she did that with him?

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Passing

Challenges it qualifies for
100+ Book Challenge 3/100
Year of the Historical 2/12
Romance Book Challenge 2/20