8 Heart Review: They Never Die Quietly by D.M. Annechino

They Never Die Quietly (Sami Rizzo #1)
D.M. Annechino

Page Count: 279
Release Date: 16 February 2010
Publisher: AmazonEncore
Source: Complimentary ARC provided by publisher, via My Chaotic Ramblings, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you both!)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

They Never Die Quietly tells the story of homicide Detective Sami Rizzo, who is assigned to head a task force investigating serial killings in San Diego.

Simon, the highly intelligent, cunning, and deceptively charming villain, redefines the depths of human evil. He believes God has given him absolute authority to purify his unholy victims through a ritual that ends in a grisly crucifixion. Driven by warped religious beliefs and guided by his dead mother, very much alive in his subconscious, Simon abducts “chosen ones” and holds them captive in a Room of Redemption. There, the victims helplessly await their crucifixion.

Detective Rizzo urgently yearns to solve the case and gain the respect of her male colleagues, but her obsession to apprehend the killer on her own clouds her thinking. When Simon outsmarts Rizzo and captures her, determined to make her his next victim, she must employ all her resources—both physical and intellectual—to outwit the villain at his own game.

Review

Special thanks to Melissa and AmazonEncore for this ARC. Read on for a sneak peek of my review for They Never Die Quietly, a horrific detective thriller, then check out the full deets at My Chaotic Ramblings!

Pros

Well written // Paced and organized immaculately // I couldn't put it down! // Sami is a tough, self-sufficient character with a human flaw that anyone could relate to // Murders are heinous and thrillingly brutal // Great suspenseful buildup // Simon is THE serial killer: creepy, charismatic, and bloodthirsty... but doesn't even know it // Religious aspects are perfectly improper and eerie

Cons

Ending is way too happy and way too abrupt // There is no climax // Dialogue is sometimes strained and superfluous in that it doesn't add to the story // Unnecessary romance; why, oh WHY do suspense authors feel the need to give the protagonists irrelevant love interests?? They're already kickass on their own! Dispensable relationships only complicate the plot

Love

[Sami] had thought [she and her suitor] had made a connection, but then again, she was often a victim of wishful thinking.

Verdict

Aside from Annechino’s affinity for terrible clichés, the writing style is lively, descriptive, and connected. It’s easy to follow the mystery, and questions are answered as they arise. As a whole, the imaginative premise, the thrilling plot, and the realistic characters make They Never Die Quietly pretty enjoyable. I'll never forget its plot, that's for sure

8 hearts: An engaging read; highly recommended (x)

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: Declaring Spinsterhood by Jamie Lynn Braziel

Declaring Spinsterhood
Jamie Lynn Braziel

Release Date: May 3rd, 2011

Publisher: AmazonEncore

Page Count: 227

Source: Complimentary copy provided by Little Bird Publicity in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you!)

Emma Bailey is fed up with the dating scene, and if she hears her mother nag one more time about getting married... well, she's had it, and she wants everyone to know it. In a moment of clarity (or insanity?), she announces to the world that she will never marry.

No husband and no kids, no worries about diapers, driving lessons, or divorce. Her friends are there for her, but they're also involved in their own lives and loves, so off she goes into a world of casual dating. But what happens when the avowed spinster, the woman who has supposedly tucked her heart into a safe little space, suddenly realizes that her best friend, Brian, means more than a casual relationship?

Jamie Lynn Braziel's Declaring Spinsterhood delivers with this enjoyable romp through dating, friendship, and passion.

What Stephanie Thinks: Braziel's debut is a comedic, light, and relatable summer read I adore. The pickle Emma gets herself into makes me laugh and wince at the same time. Granted, the situation is a bit dramatic, but it still makes for great chick-lit! And fiction isn't supposed to 100% realistic anyway; readers always long for the happy ending she gets.

The plot flows deliciously. Even though it is highly predictable, I held onto the book because it was fun to read. Even the secondary issues, not including Emma and Brian's complicated relationship, are predictable, but they're still fun all the same. Emma's voice is klutzy (like me!) and entertaining, but also shamelessly truthful. She is both a cynic and a hopeless romantic, which makes for a likable protagonist. What I don't like is how immature she is. The way she acts towards her parents and her friends establishes a rather whiney, grumpy teenager persona, rather than the thirty-year-old unmarried loner she is. But I guess that's what makes her a bit of an odd ball; overall, I appreciated her and her cute humor.

Another problem I have is with her relationship with Brian, her supposed best friend. Halfway into the book, Emma suddenly admits to having feelings for him; a lot of these feelings seem to be yielded because of the fact that he is always there for her, and that he is breathtakingly handsome. This is a bit confusing because Brian has always had Emma's back, and I assume he's always been attractive, so why is she just now beginning to like him? Either way, the manner in which they act towards each other tells me they never were "just friends" to begin with. Do just friends sleep together (in the same bed) and kiss each other just for show? I don't do that with my guy friends.

Emma acts indecisive, also; her declared spinsterhood doesn't last long, and as expected, she ends up with her best-friend-who-she never-considered-boyfriend-material-until-he-is-unavailable. Despite these little annoying quirks Braziel doesn't clear up within the novel, I really enjoyed this easy, breezy book. It is surprisingly entertaining and hits close to home in terms of the search for true love and satisfaction.

Stephanie Loves: "He sighed in exasperation. 'If you keep finding something wrong with every man you date, you'll never get married.' He wagged his finger at me. 'Only one man walked on water, Emma, and that was Jesus.' The old adage. 'He's not available, so I suggest you find someone else.'"

Radical Rating: 9 hearts: Loved it! This book has a spot on my favorites shelf. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥: Why I Love Singlehood by Elisa Lorello and Sarah Girrell

Why I Love Singlehood
Elisa Lorello and Sarah Girrell

Release Date: May 31st, 2011

Publisher: AmazonEncore 

Page Count: 356

Source: Complimentary copy provided by Little Bird Publicity in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you!!)

Eva Perino is single and proud of it. So proud, in fact, that she regularly boasts about it in her blog, "Why I Love Singlehood". But upon learning of her ex-boyfriend's engagement, Eva discovers her foundation is weaker than her façade. So begins a clumsy (and occasionally uproarious) search for love as she secretly joins an online dating site, tries her hand at speed-dating, and gets involved with one of the regulars at her coffee shop, The Grounds. But the self-prescribed "experiment" quickly unravels as Eva witnesses the trials and tribulations of her best friend Minerva's marriage, her sister's suburban family, and the one guy she can't stop thinking about. Soon, Eva's simple search for a date becomes a deeper exploration of love—sexual, platonic, and familial—and a powerful examination of who (or what) is the true love of her life.

Sparkling with warmth and wit, Why I Love Singlehood is a charming and insightful must-read for anyone—single or otherwise—who has ever been stymied by love.

What Stephanie Thinks: Ever try to convince yourself that you're okay with being single? I certainly have. Though I'll admit being single has its perks, no matter what anyone says or tries to convince you otherwise, ultimately, being alone sucks.

Eva's been single for a while now, and rather than sulk about it, she embraces it via her popular blog. She doesn't try to convince herself that singlehood rocks; she tries to convince everyone else, because no one seems to be buying it.

I mean, if you found out your ex—the man who you thought was going to be your one and only—was getting married, would you actually be happy?

My own relationship status is always complicated. I'm never "single", but I seldom am exclusively attached either, so I feel Eva's pain about trying to put on a brave face. I don't go around telling everyone I'm happy being single, because to be honest, I'm not ever. Both Eva and her blog explain what a single gal can do in her spare time though, and that makes Why I Love Singlehood a fun, amicable read.

For starters, there are no consequences. Random hookups, late-night parties, sudden disappearances—you don't have to explain any of it! The fun of being single is being able to do anything you want and getting away with it. Eva discovers this on her desperate search to venture out of singlehood, ironically.

The lengths Eva goes to to find her significant other—if he even is out there—and the tolls taken on her life in the process, keep me hanging on to this cute chick-lit novel. Lorello and Girrell have a breezy way of telling a simple story. What doesn't click with me completely is how the book isn't really hysterical or heartwarming. It is a book, in the end, I hated to put down, I'll admit, but there were no scenes that had me rolling on the floor laughing, or in tears or anything. The characterization is weak; none of the characters, Eva and her friends included, I really like. I mean, they're pleasant enough, but the authors don't delve too deeply with them, making it hard to sympathize thoroughly. Eva's voice is intelligent, but I wouldn't call it witty. She's not really someone I would want to become friends with, but I feel she'd make a really good teacher or counselor.

Apart from the frail cast, this book is well-crafted and hard to put down. The plot rambles all over the place, adventuring on Eva's speed dates and online dating (the horror!), but still makes sense in the end. Easy to relate to, this single woman's journey had me wondering how and if her fairy tale ending would come into place.

If you've ever questioned why you were alone on a Friday night, Why I Love Singlehood will inspire you to find someone to love. Sometimes, it's all right being single, but life is meant for loving others. With the support of her loving friends, family, and Mr. Right—the one who has been there all along—Eva Perino shows readers the ups and downs of singlehood, as well as the importance of putting yourself out there to find the one who you're meant to be with.

Stephanie Loves: "'Sometimes I'm just consumed by this overwhelming desire to be part of something beautiful in the world,' [Minerva] said. 'Something so good that it touches people, really changes them.' She put her highlighter down and nailed me with one of her classic, piercing Minerva looks. 'And it's not because I want to be knows as That Person who did That Thing. It's because I want to know that somewhere someone is smiling, and even if I never see them or never know it, I was a part of that.'"

Radical Rating: 8 hearts: An engaging read; highly recommended. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥