Mini Review Pile-Up: Some Girls Bite, The One That Got Away, & Go Set a Watchman

Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires #1) by Chloe Neill (2009)
341 pages
Genre: Adult/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: NAL
Source: The library.
Purchase: Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon
My Rating:

Goodreads Summary: They killed me. They healed me. They changed me.

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn’t exactly glamorous, but I was doing fine until Chicago’s vampires announced their existence to the world. When a rogue vampire attacked me, I was lucky he only got a sip. Another bloodsucker scared him off and decided the best way to save my life was to make me the walking undead.

Now I’ve traded sweating over my thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan “Lord o’ the Manor” Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred-year-old vampire, he has centuries’ worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects my gratitude—and servitude. Right…

But someone’s out to get me. Is it the rogue vampire who bit me? A vamp from a rival House? An angry mob bearing torches?

My initiation into Chicago’s nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war—and there will be blood.

+ Add to goodreads

My Mini Review:  Being a fan of vampire books and always being on the prowl for a new one to try out I was excited when I stumbled upon this one. Since I live near Chicago I had to give this one a try. I am glad I did. Not only did I obviously love the Chicago (and its suburbs) setting, I really enjoyed the characters, especially Merit and Mallory's friendship. There are also plenty of swoony and frustrating guys present as well. Merit is a woman that didn't want to be turned into a vampire and although she seems a little whiny about this at first, she learns to adapt and becomes such a strong character that I couldn't help but like her. My favorite thing about Merit, she doesn't just swoon over the master vampire Ethan and agree to do what he says, she still stays independent. Some Girls Bite was worth the read and better than I thought it would be. I really got into the story and am excited to read the next book in the series, because I really need some more sexy steamy tension between Ethan and Merit in my life.

The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase (March 2015)
352 pages
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Source: The library.
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository
My Rating:

Goodreads Summary: Sarina Mahler thinks she has her life all nailed down: a growing architecture practice in Austin, Texas, and an any-day-now proposal from her loving boyfriend, Noah. She’s well on her way to having the family she’s hoped for since her mother’s death ten years ago. But with Noah on a temporary assignment abroad and retired Olympic swimmer — and former flame — Eamon Roy back in town asking her to renovate his new fixer-upper, Sarina’s life takes an unexpected turn.

Eamon proves to be Sarina’s dream client, someone who instinctively trusts every one of her choices — and Sarina is reminded of all the reasons she was first drawn to him back in the day. Suddenly her carefully planned future with Noah seems a little less than perfect. And when tragedy strikes, Sarina is left reeling. With her world completely upended, she is forced to question what she truly wants in life — and in love.

Full of both humor and heartbreak, The One That Got Away is the story of one woman’s discovery that, sometimes, life is what happens when you leave the blueprints behind.

+ Add to goodreads

My Mini Review: I don't read a lot of adult romance books, but this book was delightful. The One That Got Away was an excellently written romance novel. It is a perfect summer read. The main character, Sarina, is very likable. She is a strong and independent woman who I kept cheering on out loud ,"you go girl!" as I read. Although it took longer than I would like for Sarina to choose who she wanted to be with I still liked the romance, but it wasn't my favorite thing about this book. My favorite, I absolutely loved to hear all about Sarina's architecture jobs. It was very interesting. The Bottom Line: I would read something else by this author, no questions asked.

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (July 2015)
278 pages
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Harper Collins
Source: The library.
Purchase: Barnes & Noble | The book Depository | Amazon
My Rating:

Goodreads Summary: From Harper Lee comes a landmark new novel set two decades after her beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Maycomb, Alabama. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch--"Scout"--returns home from New York City to visit her aging father, Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise's homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths about her close-knit family, the town and the people dearest to her. Memories from her childhood flood back, and her values and assumptions are thrown into doubt. Featuring many of the iconic characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman perfectly captures a young woman, and a world, in a painful yet necessary transition out of the illusions of the past--a journey that can be guided only by one's conscience.

Written in the mid-1950s, Go Set a Watchman imparts a fuller, richer understanding and appreciation of Harper Lee. Here is an unforgettable novel of wisdom, humanity, passion, humor and effortless precision--a profoundly affecting work of art that is both wonderfully evocative of another era and relevant to our own times. It not only confirms the enduring brilliance of To Kill a Mockingbird, but also serves as its essential companion, adding depth, context and new meaning to an American classic.

+ Add to goodreads

My Mini Review: I don't even know where to begin with this review. I can start by saying that I don't regret reading Go Set a Watchman. At the same time I have to say that it was a little weird. There wasn't a strong plot, facts didn't match up with what was in To Kill a Mockingbird, and really it was just weird. BUT, if you read the book not as a sequel, but as a manuscript/rough draft/original idea for To Kill a Mockingbird, you will enjoy it a great deal more. Do I think reading To Kill a Mockingbird was worth it? I do. Do I think people should be cautious and understand that it doesn't read as a sequel before beginning the book? Yes I do. I could go into more details about this book, but I won't. Instead I just want to say that this book didn't hurt how I feel about To Kill a Mockingbird at all if that is what has you worried.