2013: End of Year Mini-Review Wrap-Up

Three months too late, here’s a rating (and sometimes a quick thought) for everything else I read last year. There will be a more detailed (and personable) post coming soon!

  1. Falling Into You – Jasinda Wilder ★★★★☆  (New Adult; Romance) Not sure what qualifies this as “New Adult” as opposed to an existing genre, but it had a lot of current music references, which is unusual. Decent story that is mainly about grief.
  2. A Long Way Gone – Ishmael Beah ★★★★☆  (Memoir) Powerful, vivid story, but I wish more had been said about his life in the U.S. and how he adjusted.
  3. Wife 22 – Melanie Gideon ★★★½☆  (Women’s Fiction) Not bad, but the ending wasn’t particularly difficult to guess.
  4. The One I Left Behind – Jennifer McMahon ★★★★☆  (Psychological Suspense) Interesting concept, mostly okay execution.
  5. Falling – Christopher Pike ★★½☆☆  (Suspense) Love Christopher Pike to death, but I’m still not convinced he’s up to writing for adults. Kelly is a rather ridiculous character.
  6. Secrets to the Grave (Oak Knoll #02) – Tami Hoag ★★★★☆  (Mystery; Police Procedural) Rather enjoying this new series from Hoag. Best she’s done in years.
  7. Dream of the Blue Room – Michelle Richmond ★★★☆☆  (General Fiction) Odd, but worth a read.
  8. The Last Good Chance – Tom Barbash ★★☆☆☆  (General Fiction) Too slow, couldn’t stand the wife, kept waiting for something to happen.
  9. Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #01) – Laini Taylor ★★★★½  (YA; Paranormal) One of the better YA paranormal books I’ve read recently. Nice to see something other than vampires and werewolves for once.
  10. Bared to You (Crossfire #01) – Sylvia Day ★★★½☆  (Erotica)
  11. Smitten – Janet Evanovich ★★★★☆  (Romance) Cute and light.
  12. Girls in Trucks – Katie Crouch ★★☆☆☆  (General Fiction) Blah. Nothing really happens.
  13. The Lost (Celestial Blues #02) – Vicki Pettersson ★★★½☆  (Urban Fantasy) Slightly stronger than the first book, perhaps because there wasn’t a lot of explaining to do.
  14. Sailor Twain – Mark Siegal ★★★☆☆  (Graphic Novel) Not entirely sure I understood the story, but the artwork was nice.
  15. Kiss Me, Kill Me – Ann Rule ★★★☆☆  (True Crime)
  16. How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire (Love at Stake #01) – Kerrelyn Sparks ★★★★☆  (Paranormal Romance)
  17. Vamps and the City (Love at Stake #02) – Kerrelyn Sparks ★★★★☆  (Paranormal Romance)
  18. Be Still My Vampire Heart (Love at Stake #03) – Kerrelyn Sparks ★★★★☆  (Paranormal Romance)
  19. The Undead Next Door (Love at Stake #04) – Kerrelyn Sparks ★★★★☆  (Paranormal Romance)
  20. All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire (Love at Stake #05) – Kerrelyn Sparks ★★★★☆  (Paranormal Romance)
  21. Secret Life of a Vampire (Love at Stake #06) – Kerrelyn Sparks ★★★★☆  (Paranormal Romance)
  22. Forbidden Nights with a Vampire (Love at Stake #07) – Kerrelyn Sparks ★★★★☆  (Paranormal Romance)
  23. The Vampire and the Virgin (Love at Stake #08) – Kerrelyn Sparks ★★★★☆  (Paranormal Romance)
  24. Eat Prey Love (Love at Stake #09) – Kerrelyn Sparks ★★★★☆  (Paranormal Romance)
  25. Vampire Mine (Love at Stake #10) – Kerrelyn Sparks ★★★★☆  (Paranormal Romance)
  26. Sexiest Vampire Alive (Love at Stake #11) – Kerrelyn Sparks ★★★★☆  (Paranormal Romance)
  27. Wanted: Undead or Alive (Love at Stake #12) – Kerrelyn Sparks ★★★★☆  (Paranormal Romance)
  28. Wild About You (Love at Stake #13) – Kerrelyn Sparks ★★★★☆  (Paranormal Romance)
  29. Looking for Alaska – John Green ★★★★½  (Young Adult) Solid coming of age story.
  30. Slaughterhouse-Five – Kurt Vonnegut ★★★☆☆  (General Fiction) First Vonnegut. Underwhelmed. Rather weird. Extra star for it being a “classic”.
  31. Art of Deception – Nora Roberts ★★★☆☆  (Romance)
  32. Boundary Lines – Nora Roberts ★★★½☆  (Romance)
  33. Vision in White (Brides Quartet #01) – Nora Roberts ★★★★☆  (Romance)
  34. Bed of Roses (Brides Quartet #02) – Nora Roberts ★★★★☆  (Romance)
  35. Savor the Moment (Brides Quartet #03) – Nora Roberts ★★★★☆  (Romance)
  36. Happy Ever After (Brides Quartet #04) – Nora Roberts ★★★★☆  (Romance) I really liked this series, and enjoyed the inside look at wedding planning.
  37. Carnal Innocence – Nora Roberts ★★★★☆  (Romantic Suspense)
  38. Chasing Fire – Nora Roberts ★★★★½  (Romantic Suspense)
  39. Divine Evil – Nora Roberts ★★★☆☆  (Romantic Suspense) I always find satanism to be strangely boring.
  40. The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman ★★★☆☆  (Fantasy) Surprisingly creepy for a book that seems geared towards the younger crowd. My first experience reading Gaiman.
  41. The Crush – Sandra Brown ★★★☆☆  (Romantic Suspense)
  42. Deadline – Sandra Brown ★★★☆☆  (Romantic Suspense) Apparently there wasn’t anything striking about this, because I had to read the summary to even remember what it was about.
  43. Genuine Lies – Nora Roberts ★★★★☆  (Romantic Suspense)
  44. A Simple Thing – Kathleen McCleary ★★★½☆  (General Fiction) A decent read, but nothing about it stuck with me long term.
  45. Honest Illusions – Nora Roberts ★★★★½  (Romantic Suspense)
  46. Hidden Riches – Nora Roberts ★★★★☆  (Romantic Suspense)
  47. Imitation in Death (In Death #17) – J.D. Robb ★★★★☆  (Mystery; Police Procedural)
  48. Strangers in Death (In Death #26) – J.D. Robb ★★★★☆  (Mystery; Police Procedural)
  49. Salvation in Death (In Death #27) – J.D. Robb ★★★★☆  (Mystery; Police Procedural)
  50. Promises in Death (In Death #28) – J.D. Robb ★★★★☆  (Mystery; Police Procedural)
  51. Kindred in Death (In Death #29) – J.D. Robb ★★★★☆  (Mystery; Police Procedural)
  52. The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo (Love at Stake #14) – Kerrelyn Sparks ★★★★☆  (Paranormal Romance)
  53. Bullet (Anita Blake #19) – Laurell K. Hamilton ★★½☆☆  (Urban Fantasy) Just more of the same. Sex and violence.
  54. Blueberry Muffin Murder (Hannah Swensen #03) – Joanne Fluke ★★★★☆  (Cozy Mystery)
  55. Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #04) – Joanne Fluke ★★★★☆  (Cozy Mystery)
  56. Fudge Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen #05) – Joanne Fluke ★★★★☆  (Cozy Mystery)
  57. Sugar Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #06) – Joanne Fluke ★★★★☆  (Cozy Mystery)
  58. Peach Cobbler Murder (Hannah Swensen #07) – Joanne Fluke ★★★★☆  (Cozy Mystery)

One thought on “2013: End of Year Mini-Review Wrap-Up

  • March 31, 2014 at 6:05 pm
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    What a great list! I read o few of these myself! I would recommend a great rom/sus for your list for 2014, Stealing Justice by Adrienne Giordano, adriennegiordano.com is her site. She has a few books, and this one is great! I recommend it to everyone, I have The Prosecutor up next, hope it’s as good as this one is!

    Reply

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