2. Captivated by You - Sylvia Day : Guilty Pleasure / New York

Captivated by You by Sylvia Day - Guilty Pleasure / New York

         I debated whether to use this book to fulfill the Guilty Pleasure box or the Romance Novel square. Ultimately, I decided to stick with Guilty Pleasure. It also covers New York on my Road Trip.

         I hate to be the person to crap all over a book, especially when I enjoyed it. That's why Guilty Pleasure is more apt for this reading selection.

         If  you haven't heard of it, Captivated by You is the 4th book in Sylvia Day's Crossfire Series. It focuses on the relationship of an abused billionaire, who's into S&M (sound familiar?),  with an abused, unsurpassably  beautiful woman. It chronicles their tumultuous relationship, the characters' broken pasts, their delinquent associates, and the struggles of being insanely rich.

        The logical portion of my brain is telling me this book was not well crafted in regard to, oh man, pretty much everything. The plot line, while entertaining, is completely unrealistic, as are many of the scenarios, the characters are somewhat cliche, the vocabulary was either redundant or over-reaching, and the dialogue was often unnatural, at times verging on cheesy.

       Yet I found myself entranced because, well, who doesn't like indulging in some fanciful, day-dreamy smut? The book does touch on some serious topics and you get a sense of some cohesive, methodical plot development, but I feel it falls a little short of authenticity and real "literary value".  If you're looking for that in a romance novel...



Coming soon: Stiff, The Curious Lives of  Human Cadavers by Mary Roach and Unlucky 13 by James Patterson

1. Bones Are Forever - Kathy Reichs : Author over 65

Bones are Forever by Kathy Reichs - Author over 65

       

   This is one of my favorite authors and I thought that I would have to use my free space already, in order to count it in my Bingo Card Challenge. But, as I recently discovered, Kathy Reichs is Sixty-Six years old. Score! 

           I love her Temperance Brennan Series. First I love that the protagonist is a smart, bold, courageous woman. She's not just a detective, but a genius scientist. It's a great role to see a woman play. 

          This particular book is set totally in Canada ( so it doesn't qualify for the Road Trip Challenge), and it takes you across several regions. Reichs  offers a great sense of the various regions and indigenous people. The story line is not only excellent in suspense and crime drama, but is relevant to real-world current events - such as the diamond industry.  On occasion the book goes into scientific depth, which some might enjoy. For me, sometimes it's a bit out of my realm, but it can also serve to be very informative. I also love keeping up with the will-they-won't-they plot between Brennan and Ryan.  I thought it was well-paced, intriguing, clever, and entertaining.  One thing you can be sure of with Reichs' writing is that it is never cliche or predictable. Ever turn, every bit of evidence uncovered will get you thinking and result in dismantling an excellently crafted mystery. 

I would definitely recommend Bones are Forever, especially if this is your genre.