Little Bee

Stealing Snow

Posted on October 30, 2016 by Little Bee

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Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige, Narrated by Bailey Carr

Goodreads Rating: 2 stars

Narrator Rating: 3.5 Stars

Going into this book, I had mixed hopes. I had high hopes that it would be a fantastically interesting story and be different than Dorothy Must Die series. I was mistaken.

This story starts out with Snow being in a mental institution. She has a lot of inner conflict, and is a whiny baby. Seriously. Plus…3 love interests. Seriously? Three. She came into Algid after a boy from the hospital she was at, a boy she loved more than anything. Then, after she met Kai, she wanted him. They shared a kiss together, she freaked out a bit. She kept thinking about that kiss, and Bale (the first boy). Then after she left the River Witch she got to know Jagger, of the Robbers, better she started thinking about him romantically, while thinking about Bale and Kai. It got really disturbing. It felt like I was reading or was a part of a drama queen teen’s day dream because she is bored with her life and wants to think it would be more exciting if she was the Ice Queen.

The story eventually got interesting at the end. I think if you removed Snow’s character entirely, the story would have been much better. That is very sad. I will probably eventually continue on with the series as it comes out, but it just did not excite me.

I wish my review could be more positive, so I will end on some good notes. The Narrator worked, even though i feel some of the male characters sounded a little similar. I thought the narrator’s voice sounded childish to fit the character of Snow. (That is a positive…it worked, I believed she was Snow). The excitement at the end was good. Honestly, I am waiting for the shoe to drop that when the series is over, Snow is going to wake up as if the whole series was a dream, and be right back in the insane asylum.

YA Book Reviews

Lock and Mori

Posted on October 2, 2016 by Little Bee

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Lock and Mori by Heather W. Petty

Goodreads Rating: 3 Stars

I started reading this book in March, and finally finished today, October 1, 2016. I had a lot of hopes for this book, and have been wanting to read it for a while. The story was slow for more than 100 pages out of a 245 page book. The last 100 pages of the book really sucked me in though, and that is why I gave this book 3 stars overall for the rating.

Sherlock and Mori are in high school, and they meet for the first time at a crime scene in Regent’s Park. From there, they go on an adventure trying to solve the murder, which turns into a string of murders. On this adventure, Mori learns the history of her mother’s past while trying to deal with an abusive father who is a DS on the police force in London.

I wasn’t a fan of Mori’s character, but I LOVED Sherlock. I thought his character sketch was well written. Mori was very secretive, and tried to keep everyone, especially Sherlock, out of knowing her life and what was going on. She was very sneaky, and tried to do things that she could have gotten hurt or killed

I loved the last 100 pages of the book. They were fast paced, gripping, and heart wrenching. If you pick this book up, just hang in there. The first half of the story is really slow but gets better.

Book Reviews

The Book Of Lost Things

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Little Bee

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The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly, Narrated by Steven Crossely

Goodreads rating: 4 stars

Narrator Rating: 5 stars

When I first started to read this book, I found I couldn’t get into it; so I went off and got the audiobook in hopes that maybe I could listen to it better. I was right. It still took a little time to get into the book as a whole, but I ended up really enjoying it.

It took me a while to determine if this is a retelling, and I have decided that yes, it definitely is a retelling. In this story the reader will enjoy interactions with the Woodsman and the Wolves (Red Riding Hood), Snow White and the Dwarves (but we won’t talk about Comrade Number 7, the traitor), Sleeping Beauty, Roland (The Song of Roland), and The Crooked Man (Rumpelstiltskin… I have to say, I was most excited when this connection occurred).

David is a child when his mother dies. His father soon remarries and a half brother comes along. This causes a lot of unrest for David, and he starts seeing shadows of The Crooked Man around the house, which scares David. Eventually, David starts hearing his mom call for him to save her. He enters into a special passageway which brings him into another land, where he meets the Woodsman. From there, David goes on an epic adventure and goes from an angry, selfish, afraid, child to a strong, understanding, and confident young man.

There were parts of this book that really did feel like it took forever. And to be honest, for an 11 hour book, it felt like ages to get through. With that being said, I am glad I read this and recommend it to anyone. It is a bit dark. There is a lot of blood, and gore…but let’s face it, all the best fairy tales are 😉

Spoiler ahead!! I loved this scene:

“I came back,” said David.

“Most people do,” said the Woodsman.

“Come on, we’ve been waiting for you,” said the Woodsman.

YA Book Reviews

Everland

Posted on September 25, 2016 by Little Bee

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Goodreads Rating: 2 stars

I received a copy of Everland in the May Owl Crate. This story is a steampunk retelling of Peter Pan. I started reading it in May, and literally finished it on September 22nd. This story held so much promise. I love the story of Peter Pan, and this story fell short and could not keep my interest peaked.

Captain Hanz Otto Oswald Kretschmer (Captain Hook) is ordered by his mother, Queen of Germany, to bomb London, providing specific locations to drop the bombs. In doing so, a deadly virus call the Hologia Virus is released killing almost all of the adult population, and almost all of the female child population. There is one girl who is immune, Gwen Darling, who has been taking care of her two siblings, Joanna and Michael Darling. One night, Joanna is kidnapped by Hook and his men to bring to the Professor in hopes of creating a cure. Gwen and Mikey meet Peter, and the spunky Bella (who has mechanical wings) and are brought back to the Lost City where the rest of the Lost Boys are held. Peter, Gwen, and a few other Lost Boys prepare to go into Buckingham Palace in order to find Joanna, but there are a few twists and turns along the way.

This story seems like it would be interesting, however, execution fell short and the majority of the story was spent in the Lost City with minimal milestones accomplished. As far as Steampunk, aside for a few elements, I didn’t feel it really qualified as a steampunk novel. It had the wings Bella wore, clockwork tattoo on Peter, and some airships, but other than that, there just wasn’t much. I wished there was more clockwork, and it may have come across stronger if the description had been more detailed.

I still gave it 2 stars for the rating because it was original and I haven’t come across many retellings of Peter Pan. I just wished it was stronger.

Middle Grade

Flunked

Posted on September 24, 2016January 23, 2019 by Little Bee

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Flunked by Jen Calonita, Narrated by Kristin Condon

Goodreads Rating: 5 stars

Narrator Rating: 5 stars

I picked up the audiobook for Flunked at the library. At first I wasn’t sure about it, but as time went on it became a great listen and I finished it pretty quickly.

I like the idea of a fairy tale reform school for the bad guys or villains of fairy tales. I liked how the teachers were all reformed villains from various story platforms. I like that Gilly was smart, inquisitive, and caring. I think for the age range of this book, having a strong female lead is super important. I also liked that the story taught Gilly that though it is okay to be independent, sometimes having a group of friends you can trust is just as okay.

The premise around this book follows Gilly, the Cobbler and Old Woman Who Lives in a Show daughter. Gilly often steals in order to support and feed her family, who often goes without food. Eventually, after getting caught several times by the Dwarf Police Squad, Gilly is ordered to go to FTS to change her villainous ways. While Gilly is at the school, she discovers something evil is afoot and begins to secretly investigate.

Overall, the story was unique and original. It was well executed and the narration helped bring this story to life. In the time of Gilly’s stay you meet various fairy tale characters such as Snow White, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, as well as their villains. Characters also include the Big Bad Wolf, fairies, trolls, and mermaids. I definitely recommend this story!

YA Book Reviews

The Wrath and the Dawn

Posted on September 24, 2016September 24, 2016 by Little Bee

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Goodreads Rating: 3 stars

I read The Wrath and The Dawn after I read A Thousand Nights. Both books have made me want to read Arabian Nights, of which, I bought the Barnes and Nobles Classics Edition (it is a difficult read). I still feel that, like A Thousand Nights, this book just did not do any justice. I was just as disappointed. Everyone seemed to LOVE this book, and I struggled through it.

The positive to this book, is I liked the love story. I also liked the play out of the curse. I thought it did have the upper hand compared to A Thousand Nights but I still didn’t get why everyone has been so obsessed with it. I look forward to reading how the love story progresses.

I liked that it had some action, conflict, and violence on top of the underlying story. I do think the author was able to portray why it was such a big deal Shahrzad remained alive, and her fear of when her time would come. I also liked the attempt that were being made on her life. I think it was interesting she was fine with dying for her purpose, but I liked that when the time was coming, and the attempts were made, she started feeling a bit differently.

Overall, I liked the writing style of the author. I felt this book had a lot of promise, and feel maybe the author had to cut out some scenes so the book wasn’t super long. I wished there was more emphasis on the story telling aspect and include a few more stories than it did.

Book Reviews

The Bitches of Everafter

Posted on September 21, 2016September 21, 2016 by Little Bee

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Goodreads Rating: 3 stars

Narrator Rating: 3 stars

I found this book on kindle randomly. I decided I would listen to the audiobook version because lately, I have a hard time reading any books because of work and school.

I want to start off with the Narrator. Erin Fossa is just okay for me. I found the voices to be kind of off and sometimes couldn’t tell who was talking. I also felt like some sentences were forced and it felt like the chapters suddenly ended, but the narrator’s voice inflection made it feel as if there was more to come.

The story does end on a cliffhanger. I repeat. The story does end on a cliffhanger. I would like to continue the story eventually. I feel that there were some characterizations that needed to be further developed.

So what is this story about? Basically, Snow White, Belle, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Aurora are all sentenced by Red Riding Hood (who is Judge) to this boarding house for various crimes they have committed. Then, Snow White figures out she is Snow White, and slowly the other girls figure out who they are. It turns out, that some other person has brought various characters of fairy tales from fairyland to a town called Everafter. Judge Red Hood is set out to permanently lock up these “Bitches” in order to keep, what you eventually learn is a curse, from being broken. Each character, except Snow White really, has some weird twisted storyline. I hate that Rapunzel is called Punzie and Aurora is called Aura. I think the behaviors of the princesses were also super far fetched to the point where the story was not believable at points, even for a fairytale. I think the book ended in an interesting twist, but it does not look like the other books are yet released? This book came out in 2014. So I will need to do some digging eventually 🙂

Middle Grade

The Mystery of Hollow Inn

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Little Bee

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The Mystery of Hollow Inn, written and narrated by Tara Ellis

Rating: 3.5 stars

Narrator: 3 stars

The Mystery of Hollow Inn is one of the many books on my 2016 Books to read list. This book also satisfies one of my challenge books for the Mount TBR challenge. I am trying to “clean up” my TBR pile, though it seems to be ever growing.

This book was cute, and I feel for the age it is targeted towards, it will be enjoyed by its readers. At a certain point in this book, I was thinking to myself, this sounds awfully familiar….and then I kept laughing to myself thinking “those meddling kids…” Know where I am going with this? Yes…all they needed was this beloved childhood dog:

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By the end, I was literally waiting for the villain to say this. I was a bit sad he didn’t, but I am sure that is copyrighted. The story line is appropriate, it is a quick read/listen. Sam was a smart cookie, and it sounded like she will have great stories to tell her friends after her little vacation.

I want to point out…who in the world would send 2 12 year olds out on their own on a 10 hour bus ride?! Seriously! That is my big qualm with this book. This book felt a bit Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew to me, but I feel like it is supposed to be a more modern take on Nancy Drew. I think it is appropriate with the current times. I also like that both kids talked about the pressure they felt with technology, social media, and texting. Twelve year olds do not really need to be doing all that anyways 😉

YA Book Reviews

Fairy, Texas

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Little Bee

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Fairy, Texas by Margo Bond Collins and Narrated by Melissa Moran

Rating: 4

Narrator Rating: 4.5

I was given a copy of this audiobook free through Audiobook Boom in exchange for my honest review.

It has taken me a little while to get to this book. It was provided free to me for an honest review. I am a little sad I put it off for as long as I did. To tell you the truth, I am not sure what feelings I had going into this book. I was prepared for maybe it not to be so good. Here is why, lately, I have been getting some not so great free audiobooks. Either the story is falling short, the narrator was all wrong, or even the audio quality was not so great. These are the 3 areas that make audiobooks so iffy for some stories. So let me sum it up, the story was good, the narrator was good, and the quality was good.

As far as the story line, this book is original. I thought the characters were pretty good, though some aspects of the story line may need some tweaking (I feel, without giving any spoilers, the Main Event could have been a bit more clear or explained; also there are times I really didn’t seem to follow because explanations were provided adequately to Laney). I thought there were some areas that could have used a little more “umph,” for example, the kisses or the friendships Laney was establishing (I thought she had anyways, but it didn’t always portray or come off that way, which I think was the point but not always clear). I did like that the main character Laney took everything that was thrown with her in stride. I felt the relationship between Laney and her new step sister was a little over dramatic and over the top. I may not be the best person to respond on that due to not having experienced a step sibling, but it felt really forced. I feel there were some vital bits of info that was left out of the story, but I am hoping it is in the next book. So why did I give it 4 stars? I REALLY found myself enjoying the story brought to life through the narrator. She was really great. I loved the Texas accents. Sometimes the male voices kind of blurred together, but other than that I really enjoyed it. I found myself looking if book 2 was already released (it is not ,on audible anyways).

I do recommend this book. So if you are looking for a quick listen, and want something original, and a new spin on things Fairy, then I do suggest this book. I am looking forward to, hopefully, getting more into this Ether, and learning more about this whole other species living right in the midst of a tiny Texas town!

Spicy Romance

Smart as a Whip

Posted on July 17, 2016July 17, 2016 by Little Bee

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Smart as a Whip by Judith Anderson

Goodreads rating: 4 stars

I received an email submission for Smart as a Whip in exchange for an honest review!

If Rebel Wilson and Albert Einstein had a love child, it would be Kimber Cassidy.

Kimber Cassidy : If you think she’s too much for you, you’re probably right

Summary:

Coming close to giving up on her cherished dream of following

in her father’s footsteps, Kimber Cassidy, a plus-size

voluptuous beauty in her mid-twenties, jumps at the chance to

clear the name of a family friend, Manny. There’s been a

murder at a local BDSM playspace and Manny’s been framed

for the crime. In order to keep an innocent man from spending

his life in jail, Kimber needs to use the logical and analytical

skills taught to her by her father, a detective with the East Alton

police, who was killed in the line of duty when she was just

sixteen.

During her investigation into not only the murder, but also the

sexually provocative BDSM lifestyle, Kimber will need to use

her wits to gather all the facts and figure out who killed a

member of The Playspace; a local kinky club. But it won’t be

easy. During her adventure, she’ll come to know things not only

about her family, but about also about herself, that will shake

her to the core.

Things become even more complicated when Kimber meets

Jeremy, another club member who is as sexy as he is

dominant. As she delves deeper into the world of spanking and

bondage, she discovers her deepest dark desires, but will she

get lost in them? Only by relying on her father’s advice, facing

her fears, and realizing who she can trust and who she can’t,

will she be able to keep a man from suffering for a crime he did

not commit.

Review:

I was very excited to receive this book, I had been wanting to read it since shortly after it came out.

My overall opinion is that the book is original and can hold it’s own in the genre. This is slated as an erotica with an overall story beyond straight sex. My qualm with this, I feel the rest of the story has more development and I find the sex scenes more lackluster. This story is a prime example. I felt the sex scenes could have been longer or at least in more detail. Or maybe I just wanted them to be longer and more detailed. I like to get worked up when I read erotica. As far as the underlying story, I would have liked to learn more about the private investigation that Kimber was doing on the side of her actual job. I felt that, because this is a shorter story, that some aspects were glided over and became missed opportunities. It would have been nice to feel connected to Kimber instead of an observer of Kimber’s everyday life.

On the positive, it was still a great story. I liked Kimber, and would like to know Kimber better. Hopefully there will be other stories with Kimber so that readers can get to know her better and hopefully build that connection. I wish there was some more BDSM, and I feel this book was a good opener if one has not read a BDSM style book before. I like that Kimber has confidence and an “in your face” personality. I feel there is a lot of promise in her character as she is further developed. And I of course loved Watson ❤ and am glad he was okay!! Or this would have gotten one less star!! 😉

About the Author:

Judith Anderson lives in the Midwest and has been living

the BDSM lifestyle since 2000. She has attended munches and

BDSM events for several years and is well versed in impact play

(spanking, paddling, caning, etc), fire play and rope. She has also

taught classes on aspects of the BDSM lifestyle within her local

community.

In 2015, she self-published Pretty When You Cry, an

anthology of her short stories, available on Amazon. It was

nominated for a Golden Flogger award by BDSM Writers Con for

best BDSM book in the “Anthology” category. She also had a short

story included in Riverdale Ave Books “The First Annual Geeky