janci patterson – GoodeyReads

Rating: ☆☆
Audience: YA Urban Fantasy
Length: 315 pages
Author: Megan Walker and Janci Patterson
Publisher: Garden Ninja Books
Release Date: October 19th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

On the streets of Venice, magic burns and wars wage, while powerful illusions and mind-bending magic keep the world of The Skilled hidden from ordinary people—or typics. The powerful Mardova Family rules Venice with an iron fist, keeping their powers secret and their eyes on their enemies.

Zan Mardova would rather use his magical Skills to do tricks on his motorcycle or fly over buildings than involve himself in Family politics, but when he discovers a rival Family has brainwashed a beautiful typic girl named Ellie, he begins to unravel a web of dangerous secrets with Ellie at the center. Zan’s loyalty has always been to the Mardovas and the fate of Venice, but as Zan’s feelings for Ellie grow, he can no longer ignore his suspicions about members of his own Family.

Even in a city as narrow and twisting as Venice, secrets can’t stay buried forever. Zan fears there’s a traitor in the Mardova Family—and it might be him.

Thank you to one of the authors, Megan Walker, for a copy in exchange or a review. All opinions are my own!

WELL.

This was unfortunately disappointing. Urban fantasy is a tough genre for me to get into, and that how it felt here too. I do think a younger audience would be more into some of the tropes/story lines than I was though.

Insta-romance abounded for these two teens. There was one cute date, and then BAM. Couldn’t be without each other. It wasn’t that Zan and Ellie didn’t have chemistry, I just wanted more of a build-up with them, a little more angst. So much was trying to happen at once that this story line fell to the side and then felt disjointed.

There’s a lot of action! Sinking City keeps you busy. The nature behind the magic system was interesting and I appreciated that it seemed to have clear definitions on what could/could not be accomplished. It always seems more ridiculous when magic doesn’t have boundaries so I’m glad they were present here. The Italian setting was nice too. It was a nice wanderlust adventure around the cities.

I liked Zan as a main character. I think he holds a lot of promise for the next book in growth and coming into his power. Ellie, on the other hand, needs to drop the damsel in distress vibes. There were many times she admitted it as well and I get annoyed when a character can’t take care of themselves (I’m cool with them learning/growing into it, but this was a continual issue).

Overall audience notes:

YA Urban Fantasy
Language: a little; light
Romance: Kisses
Violence: murder, magical attacks, physical altercations, guns
Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a loved one

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Book Review: Ex on the Beach (The Extra #11) by Megan Walker and Janci Patterson

January 28, 2021January 27, 2021 GoodeyReads

Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 251 pages
Author: Megan Walker & Janci Patterson
Publisher: Garden Ninja Books
Release Date: December 12th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

I’m going to be starring in a movie with my ex-husband—a man who I am still desperately in love with.

A-list movie star and animal activist Kim Watterson has it all: a spectacular career, two amazing kids, and a growing animal sanctuary she manages in her spare time. Still, she’s better known for being half of Watterpless, a Hollywood super-couple who put Brangelina and Bennifer to shame—and whose divorce generated just as much gossip.

And that’s before the studio for the latest comic book adaptation she’s headlining announces a cross-over film featuring her character—where she’ll be playing the romantic lead opposite her ex-husband, Blake Pless.

Kim’s determined to do the film, even though she’s still in love with Blake, because the alternative is to let the studio replace her with a younger model. She’s sure she can keep her heart and her dignity intact—

But no plan survives contact with the enemy, especially when you’re filming with your ex on the beach.

Ex on the Beach is a full-length, standalone romantic comedy. It features R-rated sexual content and swearing, no cliff hanger, no cheating, and a swoon-worthy happily ever after.

Thank you to the author, Megan Walker, for a gifted copy! All opinions are my own.

A NICE HEA.

This is the second book I’ve read in The Extra series. As a note, they don’t necessarily have to be read in order!

I enjoyed that this was about a married couple. It’s always unique to the genre and I like the insights and dialogue that come about because of it. Kim and Blake have a lot of great moments and I love that strive for better communication and teamwork in the face of trials.

Some of my struggles came from the repetition of ideas and conversations. I understood the need to rehash some things, but felt it would drag at times because I could hear myself saying, I get it – new topic. Not to mention their daughter who was making me want to run up a wall. Her attitude and antics were laid on really thick.

Otherwise, it was fun to have the setting at a movie set! I enjoyed seeing some of the background behind movies and adding in side characters that spiced up the drama. Which there is plenty of. I found that the pace moved well for these portions. The drama definitely matched the story.

Overall audience notes:

Adult contemporary romance
Language: some
Romance: kisses/make-outs; an open door scene and closed door
Trigger/Content Warnings: a sex video that goes viral, divorce/separation (and how it impacts children), depictions of anxiety and OCD

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Book Review

Book Review: The Extra (The Extra #1) by Megan Walker and Janci Patterson

August 28, 2020August 24, 2020 GoodeyReads

Rating: ☆☆☆ 1/2
Audience: Contemporary romance
Length: 265 pages
Author: Megan Walker and Janci Patterson
Publisher: Garden Ninja Books
Release Date: April 6th, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Gabby Mays wishes she had her future figured out, like her gorgeous roommate Anna-Marie, who has just landed a role on the hit soap opera Passion Medical. Gabby would give anything to find a career she’s half as passionate about as Anna-Marie is about acting—and a love life that isn’t comprised of nights with a party-sized bag of Doritos and her Netflix account.

When Gabby becomes a recurring extra on Passion Medical, she finds a job she’s surprisingly great at. Even better, her old crush and ex-boss—the sexy, sweet Will Bowen—is writing the scripts, allowing Gabby lots of quality flirting time at the craft services table.

But between feuding divas, fake Emmys, and Gabby’s growing concern that Will might not see her as anything more than a friend, her life on set is quickly becoming a drama worthy of the soaps.

Thank you to the author, Megan Walker, for a copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own!

ENTERTAINING.

I had a good time with this one! I didn’t know much going in but found myself easily drawn in to the writing style and the story at large.

Gabby was a well thought out main character. She had a lot of struggles and over a small amount of pages really showed some growth. I liked that she started to take charge of her life and didn’t rush into what she wanted to do. It’s so hard to pick out what you want to do with your life (hello, I still have no idea) that I felt and have thought the same things Gabby has.

The romance was sweet! It didn’t take up as much page time as I thought it would (or hoped), but it’s cute nature easily charmed me. The emotional cheating aspect was one of the harder things to read. I did like the way the authors addressed this though and thought it was handled much better than I’ve seen in other books (where it’s not even addressed at all, it is a form of cheating!).

You have to lean into the drama in The Extra. Knowing the synopsis and the general idea of the book helped me know it was going to be a bit dramatic, and I ended up really loving the flair of it all. Yes, a bit over the top, yet was the right kind of quirk this story needed. The soap opera plot line was humorous and totally ridiculous, and I was all in for it.

I’m curious about the other books in this series and look forward to checking those out some time!

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary romance
Language: some strong
Romance: kisses / make-outs; a lot of mentions of off-screen sex
Trigger/Content warnings: divorce, emotional cheating, physical cheating, bullying, a loved one with a drug addiction