BOOK REVIEW: WICKED SEXY BY J.T. GEISSINGER

Title: Wicked Sexy

Author: J.T. Geissinger

Genre: Romance

Published on: July 26, 2018, self-published

Connor Hughes is a bonafide badass. His private security firm is renowned for its effectiveness. He's renowned for his lethal precision and iron self-control. But when the former Marine meets a gorgeous young hacker with a mouth as smart as her brain, his control unravels in ways he never could have predicted.

Tabitha West is a genius MIT dropout with a bad attitude, an obsession with Hello Kitty, and piercings in unmentionable places. Known in hacker circles as Polaroid due to her photographic memory, she's as secretive as she is accustomed to working alone. So when Connor decides she's the only one who can help him catch a cyber criminal intent on taking down one of his clients, she tells him exactly where he can stick it.

But when the cyber criminal turns out to be a dark presence from Tabby's past, Tabby and Connor are drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse. They find themselves fighting not only their common enemy, but also an explosive desire that threatens to consume them. When the stakes are this high and the game this deadly, will falling in love be the most dangerous move of all?

 

After meeting Tabitha “Tabby” West in Wicked Beautiful, I felt eager to read her story. She was a prominent supporting character and is now a protagonist. I liked Tabby a lot mostly because she’s a tech genius. Tabby is so wickedly intelligent (couldn’t resist) she graduated from MIT at an age most other people are starting high school. I’m really into smart women--especially tech-wise--like Daisy Johnson or Caitlin Snow. Wicked Sexy takes place three years after the first book. Tabby’s love interest is Connor Hughes. He’s a whiz at technology as well…though not as much as Tabitha.

Tabby and Connor met while their respective bosses were at odds with each other. They both served as the go-to tech people. Connor even has his own elite private security company. He tried to uncover info on Tabby’s boss, and it didn’t end well. Tabby wasn’t just a tech whiz: she was the notorious hacker called Polaroid. Her security software fried Connor’s custom system, which drove him nuts. When Connor found out Tabby was his rival, he was incredulous. Connor couldn’t fathom how such a petite girl could best him.

BOOK REVIEW: A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES BY SARAH J. MAAS

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Genre: Fantasy, romance

Published on: May 5, 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price ...

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

 

Before I started reading this book, I had a few doubts about it. I’d read some reviews (as I do with some of the books I get) and they were divisive. I’m not completely swayed by critiques, though. That lots of people didn’t like a particular novel doesn’t mean I won’t like it. So I decided to read A Court of Thorns and Roses, looking forward to seeing who I’d agree with. The main character is Feyre. She’s nineteen and lives in a cottage with her father and two sisters. They are desperately poor, so Feyre must hunt to provide for them all. This has made her skilled with a bow. Feyre is also kind of an old-soul, and the most resilient of her sisters.

The setting of ACOTAR is a fantastical land where fairies exist. Long ago, there was a war between them and humans. After it ended, the fairies isolated themselves, claiming a huge chunk of the territory. Humans settled for a small portion of the south. The land is a country-sized island, and the fairy section is known as Prythian. This surprised me a little bit. I’d thought the fairies would live in a separate realm/dimension. Instead they live in the same physical world as humans.

BOOK REVIEW: LAW OF ATTRACTION BY ALLISON LEOTTA

Title: Law of Attraction

Author: Allison Leotta

Genre: Thriller, mystery

Published on: October 12, 2010

As a newly minted Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., Anna Curtis has already developed thick skin to deal with the brutality she encounters with her daily stack of domestic violence cases. Yet when Laprea Johnson walks into Anna’s life—battered by her boyfriend on the morning after Valentine’s Day—there’s something about this particular case that Anna can’t quite shake, something that reminds the prosecutor of her own troubled past.

At the trial, Laprea makes a last-minute reversal, lying on the witness stand to free her boy-friend. Shortly after he is freed, Anna is horrified to hear that Laprea’s body has been found in a trash heap. Hastily assigned to prosecute the murder case alongside intimidating chief homicide prosecutor Jack Bailey, Anna’s heart sinks when she learns that her own boyfriend, public defender Nick Wagner, is representing the accused.

Torn between bringing the killer to justice and saving her personal life, Anna makes a series of choices that jeopardizes her career, her relationships, and her very life as she uncovers the shocking truth behind the murder.

Weaving expert knowledge with deft storytelling, federal sex-crimes prosecutor and Harvard Law School graduate Allison Leotta takes readers on a thrilling ride through D.C.’s criminal justice system. From the back rooms of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the flirtations and machinations of Washington’s Ivy League lawyers to the struggles of its poorest citizens on the gritty streets of Anacostia, Law of Attraction is a gripping debut from an exciting new talent.

 

As a big fan of procedural/mystery novels, Law of Attraction caught my eye while browsing the Kindle Store. This is the first entry in a series focusing on Anna Curtis. She's a relatively new Assistant U.S. Attorney working in D.C. As a prosecutor, Anna mostly handles domestic violence cases. She's a big believer in justice, but wouldn't color outside the lines to get the outcome she wants. The other main characters in Law of Attraction are Nicholas "Nick" Wagner and Jack Bailey. Nick is a public defender who went to law school with Anna. Jack is the chief Homicide prosecutor where Anna works.

Anna's latest case involves D'Marco Davis, a man who keeps beating up his girlfriend, Laprea Johnson. Despite that, he claims to absolutely love her. After the latest beating results in a lawsuit, Anna resolves to put a stop to this cycle of violence. To her surprise, Nick is representing D'Marco in the trial. The latter has been Nick's client for years. Anna can't believe how Nick could defend a man as wicked as she believes D'Marco to be. Nick counters that everyone deserves a defense attorney.

BOOK REVIEW: CITY OF LEGENDS BY CHEYANNE YOUNG

Title: City of Legends

Author: Cheyanne Young

Genre: Science fiction, Young Adult

Published on: September 7, 2013

Maci Knight has grown up in the shadow of legends. Her father and her brother, Max, are Heroes, worshiped by humans and Supers alike for their strength and valor. All she’s ever wanted is to follow in their footsteps, to fight villains and protect humankind. But Maci has a secret—one that could change everything.

Maci had a twin sister who died the same day they were born. In their world, one twin is always good, while the other always eventually turns evil. There’s no way to tell which twin will go rogue . . . which means no one knows if Maci will suddenly become a villain.

The closer she gets to her eighteenth birthday, the more she has feelings she can’t control: Violence. Rage. Revenge. Maci wants to be a Hero. But she may not have a choice . . .

The first in a trilogy, City of Legends introduces a new superhero mythology and an unstoppable heroine.

Previously published by Amazon Publishing and Alloy Entertainment, LLC

 

This is a book I came across when searching for superhero-genre novels. In particular, I wanted to read something that wasn’t Marvel or DC. City of Legends sounded right up my alley. The main character is Maci Knight, a Super. In this world, Supers evolved from humans not long after the dawn of mankind. The reason given is that they were exposed to a special fictional element found in caves. This gave Supers an extra set of silver power veins that grant them strength, speed, enhanced senses, and an increased healing factor. In the present time, most Supers live in King City, a secured city in Utah.

Max grew up in King City with her older brother, Max. Their father is the President of the Super community. His name is not mentioned in the book, though. Max and the President are both in the Hero Brigade. This inspired Maci to follow the same path. She’s been training to become a Hero ever since she was a kid. Now that Maci is about to turn eighteen, she’s going to take a test that will decide whether she gets into the Brigade. Fate may have other plans for Maci, though. She discovers a family secret that rocks her world. It causes Maci’s already short temper to be more on edge.

BOOK REVIEW: NYPD RED 4 BY JAMES PATTERSON AND MARSHALL KARP

Title: NYPD Red 4
Author: James Patterson and Marshall Karp
Genre: Mystery, thriller
Published on: January 25, 2016 by Little, Brown and Company

New York's most elite police force chases a ruthless murderer with an uncontrollable lust for money and blood.
It's another glamorous night in the heart of Manhattan: at a glitzy movie premiere, a gorgeous starlet dripping in millions of dollars' worth of jewelry makes her way past a horde of fans and paparazzi. But then there's a sudden loud noise, an even louder scream, and a vicious crime with millions of witnesses and no suspect.
Enter NYPD Red: the elite task force assigned to protect the rich and famous in the city where crime never sleeps. Detective Zach Jordan and his partner and former girlfriend, Kylie MacDonald, are the best that Red has to offer: brilliant and tireless investigators who will stop at nothing to crack a case, even if it means putting their own complicated lives on the back burner.
From celebrity penthouses to the depths of Manhattan's criminal underworld, Zach and Kylie are soon in hot pursuit of a cold-blooded killer with everything to lose, and millions to gain if he can just shake the detectives on his trail. With the city on edge, the mayor out of patience, and the flames of their personal relationship threatening to reignite and ruin everything, Zach and Kylie are facing down their worst fears-and their most dangerous enemy yet.

The latest case for the titular NYPD unit kicks off in dramatic fashion. A famous actress named Elena was riding a limousine expecting to arrive at the venue of her new movie premiere. She never makes it there, as a couple of thieves descend on her. Their target: an $8 million dollar diamond necklace around her neck. The theft goes awry, and Elena is shot to death. Shortly after, the book’s protagonists arrive at the scene. They’re Detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald. After three books, they’ve become NYPD Red’s flagship investigators. And this case definitely will need the best that the NYPD has to offer. Not only is there a high-profile victim; there is virtually no evidence despite the thousands of eyewitnesses.

Zach and Kylie must brace themselves for long nights. For the latter that won’t be such a hardship. It’s Zach for whom the long hours may take their toll. There’s been a significant change in his life: Zach’s girlfriend Cheryl moved in with him. She’s the department’s shrink, and a gorgeous woman with Latino traits. Zach and Cheryl have been dating since NYPD Red 2. Living together is a huge step forward, though. The two spend most of this book trying to make it work. Unfortunately, the urgency of Elena’s case means Zach is rarely at his apartment. It doesn’t help when a different case lands on his and Kylie’s laps.