Recently Read - Vol. 7 (April '16)

It's the second Tuesday of the month and you know what that means, don't ya? It's time to link up with Jana and Steph for their monthly Show Us Your Books linkup.  As I compose this, I'm a little shocked that I only read three books during the month of April. (Well, technically I read four, but I started one of them in March so I included it in last month's link up.) April was a busy month for me and that is definitely reflected in my reading.

WORTH THE TIME - RECOMMEND 

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Read April 14-26

Someone, although I cannot remember who, described this book as a "slow burn" and that is exactly how I would describe it, too. Although highly predictable, I'm still glad I took the journey with Will and Lou. Me Before You is an incredibly poignant story with characters that seemed real and with whom I cared about over time.

There is a sequel and as of this writing, I'm not sure if I will read it or not. Let me say that my thoughts on that have nothing to do with Me Before You. Right now, I am okay with how Me Before You ended. I'm not sure if I want to continue this journey or not.
My rating: ★★★★★

My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni
Read April 26-30

This is the first book I've ever read by the author and I have to say that I was very pleased.

My Sister's Grave is the story of Seattle detective Tracy Crosswhite and her quest to seek the truth in the events of her sister's disappearance twenty years earlier. The story was interesting, the main characters likable, and the plot contained enough twists to keep me guessing. Although I did figure out some things, there were a few things I didn't. I like that.
My rating: ★★★★

OK - 50/50 - ADEQUATE FOR PASSING TIME OR BASIC ENTERTAINMENT

Silver Bastard by Joanna Wylde
Read April 9-14

I’m ALWAYS hesitant to review MC romance books because they are not mainstream and are WAAAYYYY out of many readers’ comfort zones. But, I'm going to throw caution to the wind and review this one anyway. Why do I read them, you ask? Well, for pure escapism. I’m a good girl, always have been a good girl, and I’ve lead a predominately good girl life. By good girl, I mean that I tend to play by the rules most of the time and don't stray too far from the mainstream. That’s just how I roll. Reading MC romances allows me to take a walk on the wild side, so-to-speak, and live vicariously through the author’s words in a life that is very foreign from my own.

Overall, I liked this spinoff, although I didn’t like it well as I’ve liked the books from the main Reaper MC series. I liked the main characters, Puck and Becca, as well as the secondary characters. My feelings for Becca changed a bit, however, around 75% into the book. Basically, Becca is a young woman striving to overcome her past and her mother’s life choices. At one point, she lost her mind, allowing her past to define her instead of letting her present character and actions speak for themselves. She also allowed her mother’s transgressions to define her, which were not justified, and that just completely pissed me off.

I also had some issues with the author's choice of language. Some examples that completely worked my nerves were the author's overuse of having Becca say "Crappity, crap crap..." as well as "happy camper." Also, the endless rhetorical questions were annoying.

If you like MC romances, then you might want to give this one a whirl. It's not the best I've read, nor is it the worst. Be warned, however, the language used in this book is incredibly graphic and crass.
My rating: ★★★

All and all, April was a good month of reading, although I didn't read as many books as I normally do.  

What have you read recently?  Anything good?  Feel free to share below.

As aways, thanks for stopping by!