Thoughts: Don't Ever Stop

Don't Ever Stop

by Leslie A. Kelly
Book 2 of Veronica Sloan

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  3.0 Stars

In the months since working on their first murder involving the Optical Evidence Program, Detective Veronica Sloan and Special Agent Jeremy Sykes have been trying to solve the rest of the puzzling case.  That becomes even more imperative when Veronica receives data from a test subject... who sends her the images of a brutal murder he committed.

It’s a race against time as the taunting clues come in.  Ronnie and Sykes find themselves traveling across the country, always one step behind the killer who is zeroing in on his real target...in the nation’s capital.  It will take all of Ronnie’s ingenuity and every bit of her courage to not only solve this crime, but the one that’s haunted her for months.

Especially because, this time, she’s the target of a killer’s brutal rage.

The second (and possibly final?) book of the Veronica Sloan duology was just as fast-paced and exciting as the first.  Don't Ever Stop turns the murder mystery around this time, and rather than seeing the crime committed via the victims' eyes, now the killer has sent his own O.E.P. photo files, showing our detective the murder he committed.

A lot actually goes on in this book, picking up where it left off with an unsolved murder case from Don't Look Away, while giving us a whole new murder mystery to follow.  And it isn't until the end that all the loose ends start tying together, in an actually quite clever way.  It took a little while, but I DID manage to figure out the ongoing mystery lurking in the background of this second book's main conflict.  Surprising twist, yes, but pretty well-outlined, truth be told.

I guess what bugged me the most about this book (and even the previous) was the lukewarm romance.  It lacked chemistry, even if Veronica and Jeremy were two mature adults with great teamwork skills, witty banter, and an angst-less relationship.  They were a wonderfully perfect couple... they just lacked chemistry, whether in bed or out of it.

And then there was a triangle between them and Veronica's PD partner, Mark Daniels.  I found it quite unnecessary, and while it was pretty subtle in the first book, handled well, I thought it just needed to be laid to rest at the end of the first book.  Bringing the situation back again in this second book felt like a deliberate attempt to create conflict, and, once again, unnecessary.  Especially since nothing really came out of it that was significant to either the plot or the character interactions, or even the romance.

While the main criminal mystery in Don't Ever Stop was well executed, the ongoing background mystery felt a little detached.  And also too open-ended for my liking.  Sure the mystery was solved, and a lot of secrets got revealed.  The resolution was depressing, and at the same time, it felt unfinished.

It makes me wonder: Is there going to be another book?  Or is this it and we're going to leave it at that?

Because while there is obviously potential for another book, I'm not sure I know how the rest of the series would proceed from here on out.  Maybe things will become more chaotic and Leslie Kelly will try her hand at a dystopian.  Who knows?

I mean, we've got mad scientist experiments gone wrong, uber government restrictions, and now the creators of the most advanced technology in this world are both dead, with a lot of beta-testing yet to be completed.  It reeks of possible "world spiraling out of control into another trendy dystopian trilogy."

Overall, enjoyable and entertaining.  Just not what I'd expected from Kelly after other books I've read by her.


***

Booklikes-opoly

Roll #18:
MC is a police detective.

Page Count:  281
Cash Award:  +$3.00

Updated Bank Balance:  $79.00

Booklikes-opoly | Roll #19!

Booklikes-opoly

hosted by Moonlight Reader and Obsidian Blue

@ Booklikes, the book blogging social platform

Ani's BL-opoly Summary Page

The Big Game Shake Up -- Starting 6/15/2017!!!

Over a week ago (yeah, that long), I rolled a 7 and moved from Paradise Pier 28 to Mystery Square 35.  For that square, I read Don't Ever Stop by Leslie A. Kelly, a book where the MC is a police detective.  The book itself was 281 pages, which added $3.00 to my Bank, bringing my balance to $79.00!

Don't Ever Stop was just as fast-paced as the first book; enjoyable with a few things I had trouble agreeing with... and a subtle love triangle that made me wince.  I don't like triangles, and never thought I'd find one in a Rom Suspense, considering how much else is going on.

Anyway, moving along now.


Onto Roll #19:

I rolled an 8 and moved from Mystery Square 35 to Fantasyland 6.

Hmm... Spot the Monkey?  Did my photo booth picture with my BFF scare everyone away?  And there's Teddy Bear, just kind of hanging and sliding downward...

Ah well, maybe I really need to go get a treat to lure Monkey back to the board.


I haven't landed in the Fantasyland squares before, and even though I've got a list of books I could read, I had a hard time figuring out what I was in the mood for.  In the end, I picked five books from my list of possibilities, and did a random draw.

Good ol' Harlequin!  I've been itching to read this book ever since I stumbled across it on Scribd, even in spite of all the less than ideal reviews.

To the Rescue by Jean Barrett is set in Yorkshire, England.  It is 292 pages, which will be worth $6.00 upon completion.

I am still reading, and finishing up my first Free Friday read, which is also worth $6.00; so no matter which book I finish first, it will bring my next Bank Balance update to $85.00!


Current Bank:   $79.00

• Roll #1 (4/15):  A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn / 345 pages = $3.00
• Roll #2 (4/17):  The Paris Assignment by Addison Fox / 284 pages = $3.00
• Roll #3 (4/21):  False Memory by Dean Koontz // Donated 200 pages ($2.00) to the Jail Library
• Roll #4.1 (4/23):  Schoolgirl by DAZAI Osamu / 50 pages = $1.00
• Roll #4.2 (4/23):  Don't Look Away by Leslie A. Kelly / 323 pages = $3.00
• Roll #4.3 (4/23):  Rolled three doubles, ended up in Jail / 300 pages of sentence to be served // 332 pages read total
• Storming the Castle by Eloisa James // 138 pages served
• False Memory by Dean Koontz // 194 pages served
• Roll #5 (4/29):  The Duchess War by Courtney Milan / 271 pages = $3.00
• Roll #6.1 (4/29):  SKIPPED
• Roll #6.2 (4/29):  Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz / 352 pages = $3.00
• Roll #7 (4/29):  Backwoods by Jill Sorenson / 378 pages = $3.00
• Roll #8 (4/29):  Before the Storm by Leslie Tentler / 336 pages = $3.00
• Roll #9 (5/9):  The Thing About Love by Julie James / 380 pages = $3.00
• Roll #10.1 (5/11):  The House at Riverton by Kate Morton / 468 pages = $5.00
• Roll #10.2 (5/11):  Two Guys Detective Agency by Stephanie Bond / 255 pages = $3.00
• Roll #11 (5/18):  The London Deception by Addison Fox / 282 pages = $3.00
• Roll #12 (5/20):  BL Task - Double rewards on next read & share w/ a friend / No book read.
• Roll #13 (5/22):  Carnal Innocence by Nora Roberts / 402 pages = $5.00
• Roll #14 (5/27):  Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle / 351 pages = $3.00
• Roll #15 (5/27):  The Rome Affair by Addison Fox / 284 pages = $3.00
• Roll #16.1 (5/27):  Rumor Has It by Jill Shalvis / 281 pages = $3.00
• Roll #16.2 (5/27):  Once a Thief by Kay Hooper / 326 pages = $3.00
• Roll #17 (6/6):  The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan / 318 pages = $3.00
• Roll #18 (6/8):  Don't Ever Stop by Leslie A. Kelly / 281 pages = $3.00
• Free Friday #1 (6/16):  The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan / 322 pages = $6.00 pending
• Roll #19 (6/18):  To the Rescue by Jean Barrett / 292 pages = $6.00 pending

Booklikes-opoly | Free Friday Read #1! and Happy News!

Booklikes-opoly

hosted by Moonlight Reader and Obsidian Blue

@ Booklikes, the book blogging social platform

Ani's BL-opoly Summary Page

The Big Game Shake Up -- Starting 6/15/2017!!!

You would think a book as short and fast-paced as Don't Ever Stop wouldn't take long to read... but when Real Life clashes with Reading Life, things tend to get side-lined.  As I'd stated in a previous post, my little brother's wedding has come and gone, and the few days surrounding this event seemed like nothing but hectic activity.  There were relatives from out of town to entertain, there were a lot of last minute preparations for the wedding day, then there was the full-day event of the wedding day itself.

Truth be told, weddings are definitely very happy, wonderful, yet exhausting occasions.  Everyone's been pretty tired, and since I had to head right back to work the next night after the wedding, I think my body got quite worn out.  Days later, my feet are still sore; and needless to say, I got very little reading done.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

In this picture, they are feeding each other seafood soup.  I can vouch that it was delicious!

Anyway, after hijacking my own Booklikes-opoly update post for a bit of rambling news, onto the actual Booklikes-opoly update post!


First of all, I still haven't finished Don't Ever Stop by Leslie A. Kelly, the book from my most recent Roll #18.  It's not that it's a bad book or anything, on the contrary, it's starting to get interesting.  But there have been so much going on (see above), that reading has been the last thing on my mind.

But now with relatives all gone back home, and life getting back to its normal scheduling, I think I can finally settle back into my usual routine.


Secondly...

The rules have been tweaked, which means a lot of things, all of which you can find at the above linky that I will keep on all of my BLopoly update posts now.  Just like that (see above--all the way above to beginning of the post).  Or you could just click here since the first half of my post is a bit long.

Anyway, aside from doubling cash rewards, a location multiplier, and the opportunity to spend cash for extra rolls, Moonlight has also given us Free Book Friday:

Fourth is free book Friday. Regardless of the square you are on, you get a free choice on the next seven Fridays to read anything.

And basically, how this works is as follows:

Free Friday books are independent of the square, and are a way to earn a few extra dollars.  They do not count towards the location multiplier!

They do not have to be finished on Friday, they just have to be started on Friday.  They can be finished on any day of the week.  However, you can only have one Free Friday book going at a given time, so if the player hasn't finished the preceding Friday's free book, they don't get to start a new one.

So... just another way of making some extra reward money!  Yay!

I was going to wait until the next Friday to start my Free Book, seeing as how I've got two books going right now, and having some trouble concentrating on reading with all the real life activities going on.  But I figured, you know, it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and start a new book today to get the ball rolling.

Worst case scenario is that I don't finish it by next Friday and have to skip next Friday's free book.

So after some thought about what I wanted to read, I decided to get started on the last book in the Brothers Sinister series, which will successfully fulfill my Read a Series in a Month Challenge for June.

What better book to start my Free Friday read than a book with an MC named Free!  Well, Frederica Marshall, who goes by the nickname "Free," but who's splitting hairs?

And to be totally honest, with this book, I'm almost certain I will finish it before next Friday... unfortunately, that means I don't know how badly that will interfere with me trying to finish up my current Blopoly book, Don't Ever Stop.

We'll just play by ear.

The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan is 322 pages.  And according to the new Game Shake Up rules, since all money awards have been doubled, this book will be worth $6.00!  If I finish this book before my regular BLopoly book, that will bring my Bank Balance to $82.00!


Current Bank:   $76.00

• Roll #1 (4/15):  A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn / 345 pages = $3.00
• Roll #2 (4/17):  The Paris Assignment by Addison Fox / 284 pages = $3.00
• Roll #3 (4/21):  False Memory by Dean Koontz // Donated 200 pages ($2.00) to the Jail Library
• Roll #4.1 (4/23):  Schoolgirl by DAZAI Osamu / 50 pages = $1.00
• Roll #4.2 (4/23):  Don't Look Away by Leslie A. Kelly / 323 pages = $3.00
• Roll #4.3 (4/23):  Rolled three doubles, ended up in Jail / 300 pages of sentence to be served // 332 pages read total
• Storming the Castle by Eloisa James // 138 pages served
• False Memory by Dean Koontz // 194 pages served
• Roll #5 (4/29):  The Duchess War by Courtney Milan / 271 pages = $3.00
• Roll #6.1 (4/29):  SKIPPED
• Roll #6.2 (4/29):  Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz / 352 pages = $3.00
• Roll #7 (4/29):  Backwoods by Jill Sorenson / 378 pages = $3.00
• Roll #8 (4/29):  Before the Storm by Leslie Tentler / 336 pages = $3.00
• Roll #9 (5/9):  The Thing About Love by Julie James / 380 pages = $3.00
• Roll #10.1 (5/11):  The House at Riverton by Kate Morton / 468 pages = $5.00
• Roll #10.2 (5/11):  Two Guys Detective Agency by Stephanie Bond / 255 pages = $3.00
• Roll #11 (5/18):  The London Deception by Addison Fox / 282 pages = $3.00
• Roll #12 (5/20):  BL Task - Double rewards on next read & share w/ a friend / No book read.
• Roll #13 (5/22):  Carnal Innocence by Nora Roberts / 402 pages = $5.00
• Roll #14 (5/27):  Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle / 351 pages = $3.00
• Roll #15 (5/27):  The Rome Affair by Addison Fox / 284 pages = $3.00
• Roll #16.1 (5/27):  Rumor Has It by Jill Shalvis / 281 pages = $3.00
• Roll #16.2 (5/27):  Once a Thief by Kay Hooper / 326 pages = $3.00
• Roll #17 (6/6):  The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan / 318 pages = $3.00
• Roll #18 (6/8):  Don't Ever Stop by Leslie A. Kelly / 281 pages = $3.00 pending
• Free Friday #1 (6/16):  The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan / 322 pages = $6.00 pending

Thoughts: The Countess Conspiracy

The Countess Conspiracy

by Courtney Milan
Book 3 of Brothers Sinister

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  4.0  Stars

Sebastian Malheur is the most dangerous sort of rake: an educated one.  When he’s not scandalizing ladies in the bedchamber, he’s outraging proper society with his scientific theories.  He’s desired, reviled, acclaimed, and despised—and he laughs through it all.

Violet Waterfield, the widowed Countess of Cambury, on the other hand, is entirely respectable, and she’d like to stay that way.  But Violet has a secret that is beyond ruinous, one that ties her irrevocably to England’s most infamous scoundrel: Sebastian’s theories aren’t his.  They’re hers.

So when Sebastian threatens to dissolve their years-long conspiracy, she’ll do anything to save their partnership... even if it means opening her vulnerable heart to the rake who could destroy it for good.

I have to honestly admit that even though this third book was very enjoyable, there were a few things that kept it a little lower on my personal book ranking scale compared to the previous two books.  Frankly, Sebastian and Violet were great together, and I loved how well they molded to each other.  And while both of their individual conflicts were meaningfully parallel, the events and set up felt deliberately created to make this couple a "No one understands me better than you" type of romance.  I'm not sure how to feel about it outside of a little 'meh,' truth be told.

If I had to pinpoint one disappointment, it would be that Violet and Sebastian seemed like a much more amusing, interesting couple as side characters in the first book.  But the ending of the second book gave me a bad feeling about them, so I wasn't really as looking forward to this couple as I would have been.

Then I started into The Countess Conspiracy and ended up with conflicted feelings.  Once again, Violet and Sebastian are a great couple.  But I can't help but feel like the rest of the characters were purposefully placed in a bad light just to showcase how special these two were, to each other, to all of their friends, to the world in general...  I mean, this book made me a little upset that I had gotten irritated with Robert for a short scene wherein he acts like a complete, inconsiderate, and insensitive jerk--this makes me sad because I love Robert!

Of course, compared to all the jerk-holes featured in this book--Violet's sister, Lily; Sebastian's brother, Benedict; Miss High Pitched woman with her uninformed judgments--Robert's and Oliver's little moment of being insensitive jerk-holes were quickly forgotten, in light of, they quickly repented and were very apologetic.  It still didn't make me happy though.

As individuals, Violet and Sebastian were good people with very unique, promising characteristics, with lots of potential for growth.  They weren't what I'd been expecting, to be honest.  And as intimate friends, they were wonderful together.  I loved how they fought and made up, read each other's minds at will, and understood each other without having to ask.

Once again, this was definitely a "made for each other" type of romance... and while those things are sweet, they were also a bit too deliberate in the telling.

And so, romance-wise, I'd have to say that while Sebastian played the dream, ideal man to perfection, Violet's own behaviors and actions were a little frustrating.  These two made better intimate, soul-mate-like friends than lovers.  Even knowing all the reasons behind the way Violet responds to other people, I still found the way she treats Sebastian a bit hard to agree with, especially after he'd always been nothing but sweet to her, never asking anything in return for just being able to be around her.

Anyway, The Countess Conspiracy is not necessarily my favorite of the Brothers Sinister series, even though it was enjoyable and easy to breeze through.  Meanwhile, there were still a lot of things that happen that I'm happy with, despite those few quibbles I mentioned.

So, conflicting feelings, yes.  But overall, enjoyable and no regrets about continuing this series.  If anything, the short moments that Oliver's youngest sister, Free, was present made me look forward to the last book even more!


***

Booklikes-opoly

Roll #17:
Book is set during Victoria's reign.

Page Count: 318
Cash Award: +$3.00

Updated Bank Balance:  $76.00

COYER Summer 2017 | Summer Reading List! and some news!

COYER is a reading challenge hosted by Michelle @ Because Reading, Berls @ Fantasy is more fun, and Stormi @ Books, Movies, Reviews Oh My!

COYER stands for "Clean out your e-reads."  And typically the goal is to read from all the freebies or low priced books you've collected in the past on your e-readers.

But for this summer duration of June 17th to September 8th, our hosts are throwing out the normal rules!

Click on this link to sign up or read about COYER Summer 2017.
See Also:  My COYER Summer 2017 Summary Page

There are two ways to play COYER this summer!

1. COYER - READ ALL THE BOOKS!  That’s right…this means we can read whatever!  Any price, any format as long as it is acquired legally.  From the start of the challenge to the end just read/review as much as possible.  Super Simple. 
2. Summer Reading List…. The idea is to create a "Summer Reading List" with 30 books that you plan on reading this summer, from the TBR pile of books you already own.  This is to give us a direction and a list of books to choose from.
• We are not obligated to read ALL the books on the list by the end of the challenge.
• The list cannot be changed after COYER starts on June 17.
• Each time we finish reading five books, we can add five more books to the list.
• This part of the challenge has a read-a-thon that goes with it--three read-a-thons.

Once again, for more information on the rules, prize drawings, as well as the scheduled read-a-thons, or to sign up to participate, click on the above link.

As a glutton for punishment, even though I want to keep with The Year of the Laid Back Reading Plans, I couldn't help but be drawn into a challenge wherein you make a reading list and try to stick with that reading list.  Even as a mood reader, I tend to like giving myself a sense of focus, and a list of books is just what I need!

Also, it helps that we don't really HAVE to finish all the books on the list...  Had this been two years ago, I probably would make myself finish all the books on any list I make.  But this year, I'm just going to try to have fun!

Ani's COYER Summer Reading List

See Also: COYER Summer Reading List @ GR

1. Going Rogue by Robin Benway
2. Secret Agent Secretary by Melissa Cutler
3. Hot on the Hunt by Melissa Cutler
4. Behind the Scenes by Natalie J. Damschroder
5. Secrets by Cynthia Eden
6. Suspicions by Cynthia Eden
7. The Manhattan Encounter by Addison Fox
8. Hot Mess by Lynn Raye Harris
9. Hot Package by Lynn Raye Harris
10. SEAL's Honor by Elle James
11. On the Loose by Tara Janzen
12. Cutting Loose by Tara Janzen
13. The Mysterious Twin by Leona Karr
14. Cold Memory by Leslie A. Kelly
15. Pushing the Lines by Kimberly Kincaid
16. Skin Deep by Kimberly Kincaid
17. Midnight Exposure by Melinda Leigh
18. Night Diver by Elizabeth Lowell
19. The First Victim by J.B. Lynn
20. Thicker Than Water by Maggie Shayne
21. The Littlest Cowboy by Maggie Shayne
22. The Law of Attraction by N.M. Silber
23. Her Fierce Warrior by Paige Tyler
24. Heat Wave anthology - Stephanie Bond, Heidi Betts, Leslie Kelly
25. That's Amore anthology - Janelle Denison, Tori Carrington, Leslie Kelly
26. Bare Essentials duo-story anthology - Jill Shalvis, Leslie Kelly
27. Night Driving by Lori Wilde
28. Smooth Sailing by Lori Wilde
29. Crash Landing by Lori Wilde
30. Part Time Cowboy by Maisey Yates

I will be tracking all of my progress at a separate page, which can be found here, or right above my Reading List.  It will include, also, a spot for where I will add on extra five books for every five books I read.  And also, I've embedded a spinny wheel to help me decide what to read if I were to ever need a random pick!

And now some other news!

I haven't posted in almost a whole week, I think, and that's mainly because things have been super hectic at home.  My brother's wedding was just this past Saturday, so we spent a lot of time just prepping and hanging out as a family.  Since being social was a must, reading ended up being a bit minimal, so I haven't finished a book in a whole week even though I've started two.

Following the wedding, we ended up spending more time with relatives from out of town, so, once again, reading was a bit minimal.

I'm also trying to readjust to going back to work after taking some time off for the wedding, but the adjustment period is being kind of cruel.  Basically, I'm having trouble adjusting my sleep schedule from "normal people day" to "third shift working nights."  I've been going to work exhausted for the past few nights and then coming home and crashing.

Anyway...

If I get a chance, I may post a separate update about my brother's wedding, maybe with photos!

On top of that, I need to officially publish my review for The Countess Conspiracy, which was supposed to have gone up about five days ago, right before the wedding day, but with all the busy, I totally forgot to finish it.

Meanwhile, I'm going to try to finish reading Don't Ever Stop as soon as I can so that I can get back into the Booklikes-opoly game.  I'm so totally itching to roll again!  lol

Booklikes-opoly | Roll #18!

Booklikes-opoly

hosted by Moonlight Reader and Obsidian Blue

@ Booklikes, the book blogging social platform

Ani's BL-opoly Summary Page

Roll #17 brought me to a BL Square, where I ended up with the BL Task to spin the Wheel Decide, which lead me to eventually choosing a game space from Paradise Pier to land on.  Yeah, it was a bit of a complex roll, #17 was.

Long story short, from the Paradise Pier lands, I couldn't decide which game space to pick, so I again did a random select and got Paradise Pier 28.  From here, I went with Courtney Milan's The Countess Conspiracy, which is set in Victorian times, to count for the square.  This bagged me 318 pages = $3.00, which brings my Bank Balance to $76.00.

The book was as enjoyable and delightful as the previous two books in the Brothers Sinister series... though I can't help but think it was missing something.  Violet and Sebastian were great as friends, but romance-wise, the build-up and development to their love story was a bit frustrating.  A review will be forthcoming, of course.


And now Roll #18:

 

Moving forward from Paradise Pier 28, I went 7 spaces and landed on Mystery Square 35.

It's a rather quiet early morning on the board, and Magnetic Monkey, amidst trying to keep Teddy Bear from sliding off the board, is also having Peek-a-boo Penni over as company.  Good times!


Meanwhile, I'm actually kind of happy to land on this space (I've been here before), not only because there are so many possibilities with all the crime thrillers I read, but also because there is one particular book I'd been wanting to pick up so I could finish off the duology:

Don't Ever Stop by Leslie A. Kelly is the second and final (maybe?) book in the Veronica Sloan series.  Our MC, Veronica, is a police detective.  The book is set at 281 pages (Kindle), worth $3.00.  This will bring my Bank to $79.00 upon completion, and will also allow me to knock one series off my TBR!  Well... at least until Leslie Kelly decides to add another book to the series...


Current Bank:   $76.00

• Roll #1 (4/15):  A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn / 345 pages = $3.00
• Roll #2 (4/17):  The Paris Assignment by Addison Fox / 284 pages = $3.00
• Roll #3 (4/21):  False Memory by Dean Koontz // Donated 200 pages ($2.00) to the Jail Library
• Roll #4 (4/23):  Rolled three doubles, ended up in Jail. / Total of $4.00 Earned
• #4.1:  Schoolgirl by DAZAI Osamu / 50 pages = $1.00
• #4.2:  Don't Look Away by Leslie A. Kelly / 323 pages = $3.00
• #4.3:  300 pages of sentence to be served // 332 pages read total
• Storming the Castle by Eloisa James // 138 pages served
• False Memory by Dean Koontz // 194 pages served
• Roll #5 (4/29):  The Duchess War by Courtney Milan / 271 pages = $3.00
• Roll #6.1 (4/29):  SKIPPED
• Roll #6.2 (4/29):  Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz / 352 pages = $3.00
• Roll #7 (4/29):  Backwoods by Jill Sorenson / 378 pages = $3.00
• Roll #8 (4/29):  Before the Storm by Leslie Tentler / 336 pages = $3.00
• Roll #9 (5/9):  The Thing About Love by Julie James / 380 pages = $3.00
• Roll #10.1 (5/11):  The House at Riverton by Kate Morton / 468 pages = $5.00
• Roll #10.2 (5/11):  Two Guys Detective Agency by Stephanie Bond / 255 pages = $3.00
• Roll #11 (5/18):  The London Deception by Addison Fox / 282 pages = $3.00
• Roll #12 (5/20):  BL Task - Double rewards on next read & share w/ a friend / No book read.
• Roll #13 (5/22):  Carnal Innocence by Nora Roberts / 402 pages = $5.00
• Roll #14 (5/27):  Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle / 351 pages = $3.00
• Roll #15 (5/27):  The Rome Affair by Addison Fox / 284 pages = $3.00
• Roll #16.1 (5/27):  Rumor Has It by Jill Shalvis / 281 pages = $3.00
• Roll #16.2 (5/27):  Once a Thief by Kay Hooper / 326 pages = $3.00
• Roll #17 (6/6):  The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan / 318 pages = $3.00

Rambling Thoughts: The Heiress Effect

The Heiress Effect

by Courtney Milan
Book 2 of Brothers Sinister

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  4.5 Stars

Miss Jane Fairfield can’t do anything right.  When she’s in company, she always says the wrong thing—and rather too much of it.  No matter how costly they are, her gowns fall on the unfortunate side of fashion.  Even her immense dowry can’t save her from being an object of derision.

And that’s precisely what she wants.  She’ll do anything, even risk humiliation, if it means she can stay unmarried and keep her sister safe.

Mr. Oliver Marshall has to do everything right.  He’s the bastard son of a duke, raised in humble circumstances—and he intends to give voice and power to the common people.  If he makes one false step, he’ll never get the chance to accomplish anything.  He doesn’t need to come to the rescue of the wrong woman.  He certainly doesn’t need to fall in love with her.  But there’s something about the lovely, courageous Jane that he can’t resist…even though it could mean the ruin of them both.

This series is so addictive.  I started reading The Heiress Effect because I needed an e-book to keep me occupied until I could get back to the paperback I was reading.  But before I knew it, I was picking up my e-reader every chance I had, and just breezing through this book, page after page, chapter after chapter.  By the time I finally put it down, on account of I needed to sleep if I didn't want to be a cranky co-worker, I was already about 69% complete.

The second book to Courtney Milan's Brothers Sinister series was equally as enjoyable and readily likable as the first.  There were, perhaps a few things about it that made me cringe, which was why I found that The Duchess War is still my favorite so far, but all-in-all, I pretty much loved, almost everything about The Heiress Effect.

If the first book showcased how much I loved the hero, Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, I believe that this second book showcased one of the most readily loved and awesome heroines in an historical romance I've read.  Jane Fairfield, who can't do anything right, was superbly created as a character you love to love; in fact, I would love to be as open and "in your face" as Jane is, and not give another two-cent care about what anyone thinks.  I love that she's so aware of herself, and I also love that she's not just pretending to fall on the unfortunate side of society's expectations; she truly doesn't know how to behave properly as a lady, and simply chose to multiply her effects by ten so that no one in polite society would even have a clue as to how to respond to her, or further humiliate her, since she's doing the job so nicely herself.

In contrast, while I like Oliver Marshall, I can't say that I loved him all that much.  He's a good man, caring about his family, with a conflicting guilty conscience that makes for great character development and self-revelation.  I found it interesting that, while he's been fighting against the set standards of the aristocrats since he was young, he ended up slipping right into their games in his adulthood.  That even though he's still mentally fighting them and proclaiming how he would use their own games against them so that he could gain power and win, he's still playing their games and compromising his own beliefs.

Oliver came as a point of frustration for me on several occasions throughout the book, probably because, while I sort of understood his excuses and reasons... well, frankly, I didn't really understand them.  If that makes any sense.  For such an intelligent man, he was rather slow on the uptake sometimes.

Meanwhile, there were some other characters that, while I didn't have any major problems with them, I did find some actions frustrating, and found myself wishing we would just get back to Jane and progressing her story line.  Jane's sister, Emily's tangent was cute, but rather dull; however, the relationship between the sisters and their uncle, really DID put into perspective the hardships young girls went through when faced with a guardian like Titus Fairfield, what with all the quack medical experts he paraded into his home to "cure" Emily of her condition.

Truthfully, I would have liked to get more into the girls' family back story about their father and mother, and how they came to be situated with such a holier-than-thou, stubborn, set-in-his-ways, and irritatingly dangerous uncle like Titus Fairfield.  Such a "I'm your guardian and you'll do what I say because I know better than young girls, even against the presentation of logic."  His racist imaginings and snap judgments at the end of the book were also unbecoming, and I would have liked to see him get his comeuppance, though I know it's probably not a necessary thread to explore.

In contrast to Jane's sister, I actually found myself quite in like of Oliver's youngest sister, Free.  She's fiery and independent and intelligent, and I can't wait to get to her story in Book #4 of the series!

Finally, I'd say that a lot of the frustrations I had found in this book were quashed rather easily.  Aside from our heroine, Jane, I also found the ending parts about Oliver's aunt Frederica a rather touching instance--we will recall the Marshall sibling's Aunt Freddy, as Serena's elder sister from the prequel novella, The Governess Affair, whom, suffering from a tragedy, has been unable to leave the confines of her home for almost the entirety of her adult life, all the way into old age.


Anyway...  I could spout things I love about this book all I want.  I could say a lot of things and even points of frustration.  But ultimately, The Heiress Effect was simply an enjoyable book, and one of the few favorites I have read this year in 2017.