Playing Patience, Tabatha Vargo

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BLURB----Sometimes all you need is Patience.

Life’s been hard for Zeke. Being a punching bag for his alcoholic father has turned him into stone. Not even the dodgy trailer park he lives in can scare him. Fighting is his release and sex, drugs, and his guitar bring him peace, but deep down Zeke isn’t quite as hard as he makes himself out to be. When he meets Patience, she finds all his broken pieces and puts him back together, but she’s a ray of light in his shadowed life and the last thing he wants to do is bring her into his dark world. Playing careless is easy, playing the bad guy can be fun, but playing Patience is impossible, especially when she can see right through him.

Zeke isn’t the only one who’s broken, and for the first time, in a long time, Patience feels alive. Her black and white world gets a shot of color when she meets Zeke. He’s unlike anyone she’s ever met with his tattoos, piercings, and blunt honesty. She wants nothing more than to let go and ride the wild side with him, but some wounds never heal and the broken pieces of Patience aren’t so easy to find.

***Warning: this book contains graphic language, sex, and violence. Mature readers only. Not intended for young adult readers.***


Okay, with this book for the first time ever I noticed stuff that usually makes me hate a book but here I just casually looked the other way. BUT this gives me a stronger love for it because I love it wholeheartedly despite some flaws.

I seriously loved it, which was weird since I had alarm bells constantly going off like "Men don't talk like this" and "Stop with the crap descriptions" and "Oh dear god, PLEASE check your sentences!!". I don't want to say any of this because I reaalllyyyyy loved it, so so so much but I just can't not say it. Anyway....will detail that a bit more later.


Zeke- beat up by his father, Patience sexually abused by hers meet and we follow their surprisingly sweet romance given the subject matter. It's so dark and dramatic but when they are together they behave more like teens albeit dirty slut bag teens BUT it's nice to see them being normal. I loved when they were together it was beautiful.

Patience was very sweet as was Zeke, although the overlap in the chapters was a bit annoying I still enjoyed reading it. I also like how they would say the same things in their heads so we saw how similar they were.

I'm always very vague with plot but believe me when I say A LOT happens.

I think one of the reasons I loved it was there was no insta-love. Thank the heavens, I can’t bear insta-love. They take ages to develop into anything. Full of doubt and self-loathing the pair of them work really hard at trying to do the right thing by each other.

I read this in a day, which I just don't do but I needed to know what happened. It never lulled and I never lost interest, I regret it now! I crave a great book then when I get one I get greedy and gobble it up super quick then mourn the loss of it. When will I learn not to rush through?!

It was a good old fashioned romance, but of the dark twisted variety.
I know some of my friends will absolutely hate this book and others will adore and favourite shelf it.

But...I need to detail some of the bad things now. Don't want to but it kind of needs to be said.

The POV thing, I'm learning I hate 1st person POV... especially male. I nearly gave up in the beginning because I just couldn't read a man coming up with these long winded descriptions for hair and eyes. People don't talk this way! But then I got used to it and I loved Zeke's voice by the end. He's such a dude.

The editor....Dear God... If it was a payed editor should never work again. Some examples....

“master piece” is not what you wanted here, "masterpiece" it’s just one word.

“Of course I am” is not an appropriate response to “Feel like some company?”.

“Never talk to each any one” Doesn’t make sense. Neither does “pulled in next his” there’s quite a few more.

The Ending Jesus effing Christ.....all I can say is wow, that all happened so fast. Throughout the book everything we get is heavily detailed emotions and personal struggles. Then we get to the end and it's like a runaway wrap-up train with a pretty little bow on top. Did Not Like.

Epilogue was laughable too, I need a bit more detail than I was given

BUT!!!!! AGAIN!!!!
I DIDN'T CARE ONE EENY WEENY TINY BIT!!!! LISTEN TO ME....NOT ONE BIT.
IT IS AMAZING

Honestly, couldn't care less. I loved Zeke and Patience so much I just glossed right over all of it... To get all weird on you all now. It made me realise sometimes a good story is enough, great characters can be an amazing experience. It's not necessary to deconstruct a book and seek out flaws. It entertained me, I had a great journey with these people so I'm not taking away any stars for the faults I found because I never got bored it pulled so many emotions out of me and I'm so glad I read it.
Perfect romance read for me.

The Darkling, R. B. Chesterton

 


Blurb-----  When the Henderson family takes in a mysterious teenager, they are happy to have a new addition to the family, but it soon becomes clear that Annie is no regular orphan . . .
In the 1940s, Coden, Alabama was a hideaway for movie stars—an isolated playground tucked among live oaks and placid bay waters where pleasure and vice could be indulged. By the summer of 1974 Coden's glamour has faded, but it doesn't bother Mimi Bosarge, who is just happy to have a job as a live-in tutor with the wealthiest family in town, the Hendersons. When the Hendersons generously open their arms to Annie, a troubled teenager with no recollection of her past, Mimi's greatest concern is creating a curriculum for the family's new ward.

But it soon becomes obvious that something is wrong. Annie seems suspiciously savvy for her young age, and Mimi can't quell the unnerving sense that there is something malicious about the waiflike beauty.

3.5
Okay, I don't know where to start so this is probably gonna be a messy review for now until I work out what I really need to say.

So, first thing I feel has to be said even though it isn't actually anything to do with anything, is the price. This is stupid expensive £14/$22 for kindle. I know this isn't about content, this is going to hugely impact on opinion when recommending it. If this was much cheaper I would be saying it is worth getting.
As it is I am not going to tell anyone to buy it unless they're a millionaire.
If this hadn't been from NetGalley there is no way on earth I would have read this.

Anyway....onto the review!

Mimi is a live-in tutor for the Henderson's. Annie, an orphan (Orphan Annie, where did this amazing idea come from?) is taken in by the Henderson's and things quickly become strange around the estate. Freak accidents, birds dying in strange ways, Margo- the eldest daughter goes missing and Mimi is the only person who believes there is a connection to Annie and the bizarre goings on. And what about the strange girl who some of them keep seeing in the garden? The giggling and whispering? And what is true history of the estate?

It's a slow burner. Slowwww burnerrr. One thing I did like though was how -I don't know the word- contained it felt, contained to the house and the characters. This was their world and they were so cut off, this really come across wonderfully and added so much to the tone of the book. The writing was great apart from being faaaaar to liberal with the comma (which drove me crazy) there wasn't much wrong with it at all.

The thing that tends to happen when you read a mystery though is you break it down into pieces. Making it incredibly predictable.
You know the parts people are going to play; The person who knows the truth, The guilty character who will never be suspected, the innocent victims, The people trying to stop the truth being revealed. I could give more but it would be a spoiler.
So the characters start to feel less like a character and more like an ingredient. And then from that you can predict the path the book is going to take. It turns out I was right about nearly everything hence why I was soooo pissed off by the end of the book.

Mimi is 21 but really if you hadn't been told you would think she was about 40 or 50. It's set in the 70's but I think it could have benefited from being set earlier.
The scary bits did actually scare me, even though they were all basically the same thing and it was some of the more surreal-y creature-y kinda creepy which usually doesn't do it for me at all, but the spookiness was the best part for me.

It bugged me that one of the kids kept seeing and hearing the same creature as Mimi, Mimi didn't want to tell the family because she didn't want to look insane. Yet she also didn't want the child to say anything because the family couldn't handle that on top of Margo going missing?!?! WTF? Why? So Mimi thinks the family is in danger and the creature is responsible......but won't say anything or let anyone else say anything either because......umm.....it's to much to handle? Or what? I don't get it.

Also, out of nowhere the creature is labelled a Nestor. She literally goes "I know what it is, I can name it now." Maybe I don't know much about creatures and stuff but it just seemed to be suddenly decided. It made sense but it just felt wishy-washy.
Gonna do the ending in a plot spoiler because good lord it made me wake my man up and go I TOLD YOU AT 26%!!!! DIDN'T I!!!?!?!?!?!

It's just gonna be a big rambly paragraph spoiling everything okay? There's your warning. Once the yellow has finished so have the spoilers
 


 Mimi and Annie are sisters. Dun dun duuuuuum. It's so obvious, if I can guess it at 26% that's not a good sign. And the house has an awful history with all kinds of killings. Turns out Annie and Mimi are descendents of this evil woman who owned the house before the Henderson's and Annie is carrying this evil. I just....I don't even know what to say, Annie runs away at the end never to be found again. Until a new family move in 40 years later then she is seen again on the edge of the estate. Mimi knows Annie is going to do the same thing again (Kill the family). She considered burning the house down to stop it all but she couldn't bring herself to do it. I..... Whyyyyy????? Moralistic Mimi is just gonna go work for this new family again and what? try and stop Annie...and fail again. I dunno, I may re-read the ending and see if I get less pissed off by it. 

 

There's other stuff that happens too but that's the general gist. It's revealed slowly and stuff but because you kinda know where it was going it just annoyed me. It wasn't the slow unravel I like. It was like drip feeding confirmation that made my eyes roll like 'yep yep, I knew that.'

Sins And Needles, Karina Halle

Ellie Watt is used to starting over. The daughter of a grifting team, Ellie spent her childhood being used as a pawn in her parents' latest scam. Now she’s much older, wiser and ready to give her con artist life a rest. But returning to the dry desert town of Palm Valley, California means one more temptation than she bargained for – Camden McQueen. Once known as the high school weirdo, Camden is bigger and badder than the boy he used to be and a talented tattoo artist with his own thriving business. Ellie’s counting on Camden still being in love with her but what she’s not counting on is how easily unrequited love can turn into obsession over time. When Camden discovers Ellie’s plan to con him, he makes her a deal she doesn’t dare refuse, but her freedom comes with a price and it’s one that takes both Ellie and Camden down a dangerous road.


***The Artists Trilogy is a dark and sexy contemporary ride about three flawed individuals caught in a world where it's so easy to justify the bad things we do. This is a pure adult read (Not YA or NA).

This is the 1st book in the trilogy. It is followed by the novella On Every Street (released in March 2013) and the sequel Shooting Scars (released in May 2013). The third and final book in the series will also be released in 2013.***


Yeahhhhh, fun fun fun. What was I thinking not reading this sooner? Pssssht idiot.

I loved it! Perfect blend of awesome characters, awesome plot and awesome writing. Usually one single thing out of these three sticks out for me but noooo it was an epic coming together of it's parts.

I love reading about flawed people who I want to shake, yet still I love them. Also you know when tonnes of stuff happens but it doesn't feel annoying and for the sake of it? It was fast paced but not making me like Whoa Whoa Whoa chilllll book 

Ellie is a con artist, it's all she's known since her childhood. She has come back to her home town to start over (again) and bumps into an old friend from high school- Camden. Things didn't end well with Camden and when they meet up...he's all...well. Hmph, you will have to read it if you haven't already because- like me- you've had it in your tbr pile for too long.
My plot overview is offensively vague but if you read my reviews you know this now. I just do ramblings.

Ellie- Stupid girl!!! Don't get me wrong I absolutely love her....but damn that girl needs to grow up. AND STOP DOING SHIT. Ellie, you play with fire girl.....

Camden, my beautiful. The high school weirdo (I was this person in my high school! hahaha but of the arty-farty variety) who grew up to be a dangerous tattooed sexy musician nerd man- also know as purrrfect. Must be mentioned though ever so slightly psychotic, very incredibly bitter but a good man.

I like that they were both kind of stuck. I could scream at both of them to move on. It made their connection more poignant I think because they both needed to get over things and move forward with their lives.

I'm just gonna dedicate a sentence to Camden and his amazingness. Mmmmmm I love you Camden, sexy nerds. Nothing better than a sexy nerd.

I keep seeing Team Javier everywhere?!?! Why, I ask WHYYY??? Is this because of On Every Street? Maybe I'll change my mind after I've read that because right now I will fight to the death for Camden.
*edit, after reading On Every Street I now see the appeal BUT LADIES***********SPOILER************He's a cheaaaater

Anyway, if you want a fast paced romantic thriller kind of thing with shockingly great characters and some damn fine writing this is the one!