Review Blast: Those That Fell Through the Cracks

Every so often, I realize there were some great (and not so great) books that I bought or was given, and read, and then somehow never posted about. As I clean up my Goodreads and NetGalley shelves, I find those books that fell through the cracks. So, here are a few of those reviews that got written and never posted. I'd like to say I'll be more diligent in the future, but with the hundreds (maybe thousands?) of books that come my way every year, it's nearly impossible to keep track of every single one. I'm going to try though!

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A Touch of Greek (Out of Olympus)
Tina Folsom
9/30/2010
228 pages

Synopsis: Selfish and gorgeous Greek God Triton is cast out of Olympus after seducing Zeus’ mistress and can only gain reentry if he finds a woman who loves him for his kindness and selflessness, not his beauty. When the mortal Sophia – recovering from an eye operation and virtually blind – needs a home healthcare worker, he takes on the role, hoping she will be his ticket home. 

While defending Sophia from an unknown adversary, Triton’s protective instinct emerges. At the same time rival Gods do everything to doom him to failure. And even if Triton can win Sophia’s love, will he throw it away to return home, or will he lose his own heart to the only woman who truly sees him? 



Review: I love Greek Gods and I love stories with alpha-males, so I really had high hopes for this one. It was a little slow to get started, but picked up after the first few chapters. The story was a bit contrived - everything was just a little too coincidental, it made it all difficult to believe (of course, if you are reading a romance novel about a Greek God here on Earth, you probably don't have too much trouble suspending reality for a while). I was upset that because of the sentence handed down by his uncle Zeus, Triton didn't have his power for most of the story. I think I would have enjoyed it more if he did. There was too much malicious intent (the cousin, the step-brother, the uncle, the father, the friends, etc...)for a light romance novel and it wasn't good enough to be serious fiction, so I was kind of lost while reading it. It was too bad, because I really felt it had potential - the writing was fine, the story had promise...it just didn't come together well enough. 2.5/5 stars

*Note: I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley for review purposes. 

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Snowbound With a Stranger
Rebecca Rogers Maher
May 28, 2012
Carina Press
78 pages

Synopsis: Dannie Marino is hiking with colleagues when a sudden blizzard separates her from her group. She's rescued by Lee, a dangerously sexy stranger who leads her to a remote cabin to weather the storm.

When the night inevitably ends in an intense erotic encounter, Dannie is both shocked and liberated by her response. But being intimate means letting herself be vulnerable, which isn't her style. Lee tries to reach out to her, but she avoids any emotional entanglement by pushing him away.

Snowed in and unable to hide from each other, Dannie and Lee must both face up to their most closely guarded emotions. When the storm abates, will they be able to stop running from the past and live fully in the future?

Review: 

I wasn't expecting much from this book. Just a quick interlude between more meaningful reads. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I credit the author with having the ability to take a relatively short story and make you feel connected and part of it from the beginning. She gives depth to the characters without bogging you down with too much history. And the way they get together should feel rushed (because, hello, it happens FAST), but somehow it works with them. I wanted to get to continue to read about their story and what happens when they get off the mountain, but I guess I can leave than to my imagination. 3.5/5 stars. 

*Note: I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley for review purposes. 

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The Booby Trap
Anne Browning Walker
June 1, 2012
Pixel Entertainment/Butler Books
272 pages

Synopsis: The Booby Trap, A Pixel Entertainment Brand, is a romance novel based in The Booby Trap, a seedy bar where waitresses' skirts are high, necklines are low, and customers show up for the eye candy. When brainy, beautiful, Harvard Ph.D. candidate Bambi Benson wants to study the women of the Booby Trap for her dissertation, she goes undercover and joins them. All is going well for Bambi until handsome local celebrity Trip Whitley enters the scene. Hoping to shock his high-society family by dating a bimbo, Trip offers to pay Bambi to pretend to be his girlfriend. She accepts his offer and bides her time, waiting for the right moment to reveal her true identity and teach Trip not to judge based on appearances. After a series of dates carefully orchestrated for their publicity value, Bambi's trap is set. But there's one problem: the predator might have fallen in love with her prey.

 Review: I had a really hard time getting into this book. It started out so slow, I had to force myself to continue reading. It wasn't until about halfway through that it actually became interesting enough and I saw enough potential that I wanted to keep reading. I felt like Trip and Bambi (yes, those were really their names in the book) had zero chemistry until then, and although that did improve greatly, it never got anywhere near the sizzling levels I've come to expect from a great romance novel. I loved the theme of a Women's Studies major working in a Hooters-like bar and who isn't ashamed to say she loves romance novels.  The story really picked up in the last half and I enjoyed the ending. There were some extremely touching romantic moments then. Overall, I felt like this book had the potential to be great, but it didn't quite make it. 3/5 stars. 

*Note: I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley for review purposes.