1016 Followers
78 Following
Twimom227

That's What I'm Talking About

I generally review romance, paranormal and urban fantasy. I tend to pick review books that I want to read, so generally my reviews will be positive. I always give my honest opinion: good, bad, and indifferent. 

 

Note: on my blog I use a letter grading system. I've listed the ratings below. For sites with stars, I have listed the equivalent rating. If I didn't finish the book, I will not rate it with stars.

 

A+  Personal Favorite (5 stars)
A    Loved It (4.5 or 5 stars)
A-   Enjoyed A Lot (4 or 4.5 stars)
B+  Liked It A Lot (4 stars)
B    Liked It -- Recommend (4 stars)
B-   Liked It -- But I had a few small issues (3 or 3.5 stars)
C+  Liked It -- But I had issues (3 or 3.5 stars)
C    Finished It -- Liked some, didn't like some (3 stars)
C-   Finished It -- Liked a little, didn't like a lot (2 or 2.5 stars)
D    Not A Big Fan (2 stars)
E    Don’t Waste Your Time (1 star)
----
TW: Reading this book was like watching a Train Wreck
DNF: Did Not Finish

 

updated July 9, 2015

Currently reading

Operation: Endgame (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Book 6) (English Edition)
Philippa Ballantine, Jeanne H. Ballantine, William Morris
Just You and Me (A Contemporary Romance Collection)
Fiona Miers, Caitlyn Lynch, Liz Durano, Deelylah Mullin, Cate Farren, Jacquie Biggar, Vicki Batman, Kate Richards, Brenna Zinn, Dalton Diaz, Tierney O'Malley, Desiree Holt, Nicole Morgan, Ashlyn Chase
Bitter Bite: Elemental Assassin, Book 14
Audible Studios, Jennifer Estep, Lauren Fortgang
Progress: 27 %
Genie Knows Best - Judi Fennell My Rating: 4 stars: Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)

Samantha is mourning the death of her father, when she overhears her boyfriend/fiance on the phone talking about how useless she is that she doesn’t even have a clue what he’s up to. When Sam discovers that Albert intends to “get his hands on the contents of the safe,” she quickly goes to find out for herself what is hidden. Little did she expect a genie in a lamp, but after the initial shock of it all, Sam embraces her new genie and a world she never dreamed to exist.

Kal (aka the hottie genie) has long admired Sam from afar when he served her father. Now Sam is his final master and soon his wrongful punishment will be over. Kal struggles to maintain a balance between his personal ambitions and his growing feelings for Sam.

Sam and Kal start their adventure in Izaaz, hidden home to many mythological creatures. There Sam unselfishly uses several wishes to help rejuvenate this rundown town. Unfortunately, so many of the denizens cannot get a long and chaos reigns. Although the book jumps to a quick start, I felt this part went on a bit too long. Sam attempts to start an urban renewal while refereeing waring dragons, leprechauns and gnomes. For someone just tossed into this world (and who is not only grieving her father, but also found out her fiance is a total a$$), she has no problems adjusting to this foreign land.

Once Sam and Kal leave the fighting behind and move on to finding Albert (he’s up to no good), the story moves much more quickly for me. The adventure is entertaining, but it’s the characters’ humor that kept me engrossed. Ms. Fennell’s writing is punctuated with pop culture puns and snarky characters. The story reads like a light-hearted sitcom, full of humorous situations with a side of danger.

Sam and Kal have an instant attraction and their romance is hot. Yet they both are cautious, knowing their affair cannot last, as he is an immortal and she is human. However, instead of discussing their situation, they hide behind half-truths, which in the end cause them great heartache. Good thing this is a book about light-hearted magic, where all their problems can be solved! And in the end, life is good for all.

Overall Genie Knows Best is an enjoyable “chic-lit” paranormal. Although second in the series, it is very much a stand alone read, with a few minor connections to the first book. The plot is fairly simple, and even somewhat predictable, but very delightful because it’s so much fun.