Guest Reviewer *Sabrina*: The Rancher's Virgin Acquisition by Lynda Chance

The Rancher's Virgin Acquisition by Lynda Chance 
Sabrina's Raiting: 1 of 5 stars

When the stagecoach that is carrying Emma Martin to her new job in Denver is attacked and robbed in the wilds of Colorado, she is the only survivor. Alone and terrified, she is rescued by Luke Butler, a rancher who knows only one way. His way.

When Luke Butler finds Emma Martin, he has no other choice but to bring her back to his ranch. Soon, his life is turned upside down by a female who doesn’t know how to mind and who doesn’t know how to stay put.

The battle that follows is a clash of wills, a test of tempers, and a lesson in love.

At some point I wonder why do I read these books. I guess I could say that I'm a romantic, and I like to read on occasion small little stories with happy ever afters. Sometimes you get what you want, and like the song, sometimes you just don't.

This was the case here.

Let me just start with the name "The Rancher's Virgin Acquisition". Two things should have ringed an alarm here: the virgin part, I don't know why it has to be mentioned in the title, it's a little weird. You never read something like "The Rancher's Promiscuous Acquisition", right? I don't know why they do this.
And secondly, the word "Acquisition". Yep, we're talking about a person, pretty obvious a girl is no ones acquisition. But I thought "nah, it must be representing a metaphor or something", but then you start reading the book and it all just makes sense.

Nothing really new here, Luke is an abusive prick who needs an ass kicking. All the time he's trying to force the heroine to do his will, and the heroine is just pitiful, you feel sorry for her and annoyed at some point.

Let me just quote, because I just wouldn't be able to make this up:

"He slowly released her hair, and moved his hands to grip
her forearms in a tight hold. His face was within inches of
hers and she was so close to him she could see his nostrils
flaring.
"You better listen and you better listen good. This is my
ranch. When you're on my ranch, you do as I say. No
questions asked, no explanation given. I don't have to
explain shit to you, or anybody else, got that?" He spoke
viciously, and she felt tormented that he had this much
anger for her.
She nodded her head, ready to agree with whatever he
said to end this lesson in male dominance.
But he wasn't finished and continued berating her. "I'm not
just trying to be a mean son of a bitch, Emma. I don't have
to try. I am a mean son of a bitch. You need to get it through
that thick head of yours that this ranch is thousands and
thousands of acres of rough terrain. There's no law out here
except for me and my gun, and there's danger al around
you(...)"

Ok. Considering the fact that he clearly has issues, this is a terrible pairing because the only possibility anything could work with this guy is a woman that puts him in his place, constantly. And even then why would anyone want this guy as a protagonist of anything?

This was just awful, I don't know in what other way to say this, that so many other's have been saying for a long time: abusive men are not attractive.

 

Three Stages of Love: Lust by T.C. Anthony

Three Stages of Love: Lust by T.C. Anthony
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Evangeline Chase is standing at the edge of a crossroad. After choosing to be blissfully ignorant for far too long and willfully ignoring what her life has been lacking, fate is about to intervene. When Alexander Mason, a striking and powerful venture capitalist, is introduced as her new boss, Eva is overwhelmed by an intoxicating cocktail of hormones and lust that leaves her struggling to maintain her composure and more importantly, control of her life.

With an undeniable urge to dominate her new boss, her own lust-filled fantasies lead to a transformation that shakes her to her core. But when Alexander challenges Eva to satisfy her carnal urges, she is forced to choose between her career, her desires, and an unconventional and lustful relationship. Consumed by fear and forced to maintain control at all costs, Eva must decide if having it all is worth risking her career, her world, and possibly, love.

I really don't want to write a long review since I wouldn't recommend this book, so I'm just going to state a few reasons why...

I really wanted to like this book. Clearly I'm in the minority here. Most people seemed to adore this book, while I merely thought it was plain bad. While I loved the premise of the story, I did not like the book. Before I start my review I like to summarise the book first but I don't know how to do it with this book because there is no story. Eva is not a likable character. Her character took away my enthusiasm. I felt no connection between the main characters and their romance. It was too rushed. I can't believe the entire book takes place in only 2 weeks and the way Alexander fall in love with her that much within that time.



I received a review copy from the publisher.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another...

In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon—when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an "outlander"—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire's destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life ...and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

1.5 stars

It started really good and I enjoyed the first quarter of it. Historic references were good too, clearly the author did her research well. I'm not a touchy type so I didn't get offensive about the certain scenes but there is too many drama and it was really too much for me. I get tired while reading this book and it wasn't a joy. At the end this was one of the most disappointing books I've ever read. And obviously I won't continue to reading this series.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

 The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called "Le Cirque des Reves," and it is only open at night. 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway--a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love--a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. 

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per-formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

I really wanted to like this book but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. What a slow ride that was! The story was interesting first and I enjoyed the descriptions of the fashions and illusions. But I hated the third person voice. And the ending was disappointing.

Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1) by Jamie McGuire

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

I don't know how to rate this book. Characters are real and I liked the first half of the book. But the second half was very cheesy. Even though it's a page turner, I think the book is way too long. It basically about the two main characters fighting and making up over and over again. At some point, it was too much for me.

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

You know your life is bad when you miss your days as a poison taster...

With her greatest enemy dead, and on her way to be reunited with the family she'd been stolen from long ago, Yelena should be pleased. But though she has gained her freedom, she can't help feeling isolated in Sitia. Her Ixian background has changed her in many ways—and her newfound friends and relatives don't think it's for the better...

Despite the turmoil, she's eager to start her magic training—especially as she's been given one year to harness her power or be put to death. But her plans take a radical turn when she becomes involved with a plot to reclaim Ixia's throne for a lost prince—and gets entangled in powerful rivalries with her fellow magicians.

If that wasn't bad enough, it appears her brother would love to see her dead. Luckily, Yelena has some old friends to help her with all her new enemies...

I don't want to compare this book with the first one, but I can't help it! Poison Study was an amazing book but I can't say the same about Magic Study. I didn't like that Yelena's being best of everything, I didn't like that how often Yelena was injured and captured... I'm completely disappointed with this book and I don't think I will start reading Fire Study any time soon.