Review: Operation: Endgame by Christi Snow

3.5 out of 5 scoopers

Operation: Endgame by Christi Snow
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (June 2012)
Trade: $11.99; ebook: $2.99
ISBN: 9781477483787

Favorite Lines: “Jake didn’t respond. He just looked at her with pain-filled eyes which broke Cassie’s heart. She reached up and smoothed his brow where he was frowning at her and then slowly reached up to pull his head down to hers. She gently pressed her lips to his.” (p. 181)

It’s been six months.

Six months since Jake Madsen let Chris Robertson die.

Six months since the passion between Jake and Cassie, Chris’ sister, stepped over the line.

But now Cassie’s being stalked and it’s time for Jake to swallow his guilt, grief, and lust so he can save her life, even if it’s a life without him. He owes it to his dead friend and he owes it to Cassie. He’s fallen in love with her, but she doesn’t have to know that for him to keep her safe.

Book one in Christi Snow’s Mission Ends trilogy introduces us to the Robertson siblings. All are military trained and form a tight unit. Operation: Endgame takes us into their world and that of close family friend  Jake Madsen. This is a friends become lovers, contemporary romantic suspense.

What I liked: Being able to see the characters meet as children and see their history made it possible for me to understand the deep bond the characters share. They’d do anything for one another and I definitely believe Jake and Cassie could make it as a couple.

What I disliked: Since the characters were so deeply intertwined I had a hard time with the way others reacted to Cassie’s take on her brother’s death. We are told of Cassie and Chris’s bond over and over, but no one was receptive to the vibes Cassie was putting out. I don’t want to ruin the story so I’ll leave it at that, but it really irritated me.

Villain: I like me some delusional villains, especially when they are stalkers. I didn’t have a hard time picking out the bad guy; I did have issues figuring out why he had fixated on Cassie. I didn’t see the deeper connection until it was all laid out in front of me.

Overall: I didn’t love or hate Operation: Endgame. It was okay. I’m rather ambivalent about reading more. I wouldn’t purposely seek it out or avoid it. If you can get an e-copy, go for it. Otherwise borrow it from the library.

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What do you really think…

about the blurbs on the back of the books you buy? I ask for a simple reason. The blurbs are supposed to entice you to purchase the book, but what happens when the blurb turns you off on a book? For me Mercury’s War is a perfect example.

I was going to buy the book the day it came out. After I read the back of the book, I put it back. I ended up borrowing the book from my cousin because I was so hesitant about buying it. Why? Because I didn’t want to read about a love triangle. The back of the book let me know that Mercury’s long thought dead mate was still alive.

So where’s the problem you ask? The blurb gives away too much. It ruins the surprise that comes with introducing a new character. The entire time I read the book I wondered when the third wheel would make an appearance.

This all adds up to me asking the blurb writers of the world one huge favor. Can you please stop telling me the entire story and just give me info that happens in the first three or four chapters? Please, no more chapter 24 information on the back of the book.

I’m done now.

Do you…

Do you ever feel stupid after you post a review of a book and then go to another site and read their take on the same story? I do. Sometimes I read an entirely different response than mine and other times I think, “Damn, that’s exactly how I felt.”

Today I was blog hopping and I read a few reviews that thoroughly analyzed the stories they were reviewing.  I found myself agreeing and second guessing my origional opinion of the stories, as they were ones that I’d also read. Then I began to wonder if I should do more with my reviews. Should I go into great detail with a literary theory? Should I read deeper into the story than I do and find meaning in everything? Or, do I just keep on the way I do?

I read for enjoyment and give my first impression of the book, not an analysis. Maybe I will occasionally throw one in to work my brain, I don’t know. What do you think? Leave a comment.

The Mane Event by Shelly Laurenston

Favorite Line: “She smiled when he snorted a laugh into her neck.” (p. 290)

The Mane Event is two stories packaged into one book. The first story, Christmas Pride, is about NYPD cop Desiree MacDermot and her childhood buddy, Mace Llewellyn.

Dez is investigating a murder and Mace is returning home after years spent in the NAVY. He has fantasized of Dez for years and has every intention of searching her out upon his return, only to walk into his sister’s home and find the woman of his dreams.

Dez can’t believe the attraction that flares between her and Mace. When she was a teenager, his sister warned her off before her family moved forcing all contact between the two to halt. She has no clue that he is a lion shifter and of the pleasure he can bring her if she allows him.

The second story, Shaw’s Tail, is about Brendon Shaw. He is introduced at the end of Christmas Pride as a cocky lion in a bad situation. This situation leads to his hospitalization. While there, he is cared for by Ronnie Lee Reed of the Smith wolf pack.

Ronnie Lee promised herself that she would change her lifestyle. She was tired of partying and casual sex. Then she met Brendon. He was the ultimate threat: sexy, caring and dominant. He could be the one…if she let him.

My Favorite Line, sums up the book: good fun. The book takes a look at sex and relationships and adds a comedic touch to them. It isn’t heavy or tense, just good dirty clean fun.

The dialog is entertaining and the storyline is told with a light touch. This story could have been told in a different manner to imply a heated, intense feeling, but I’m happy to say Ms. Laurenston took a different route.

Lately I feel as if the market has been saturated with heavy, dark paranormal stories. I love them. I also love this light paranormal take on a romance.

I will be looking for and reading more of Ms. Laurenston especially when I’m in need of a good book that makes me smile and relax, not tense and excited.

Books releasing Oct. 16

I can’t find any romance novels releasing tomorrow. As usual, if you know of a book coming out tomorrow list it in the comments area and I’ll add it to the nonexistent list for this week.

Question of the week: If you could change one thing about the bookstore you visit most, what would you change? What would you most/least like to see in a bookstore?

Personally, I’d like to be able to walk to the romance section and know that a particular area has historical or paranormal books.

• Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

Dhampir by Barb and J.C. Hendee

Favorite Line: “Settling upon the thatched roof, it slid on its belly to crawl headfirst down one wall.” (p. 1)

Magiere has been conning the world. She poses as a vampire hunter, preying upon the fears of the poor. During one con she is noticed by a real vampire and soon learns that there really is a reason to fear the dark. Now she must battle herself and the undead if she is ever to realize her dream of settling down in her own home.

Magiere is not alone in this book. She is the heroine, but another worthy character steals the spotlight. It is her friend/companion Leesil. Where Magiere is half vampire, half human, he is half elf and half human. An interesting combo especially when you add their trusty canine companion. Unfortunately, we don’t learn enough about him to satisfy my curiosity.

Many different sides of Leesil pop out over the course of the book showing him to be far more of a complex character than Magiere, who the book is supposed to be about. He is introduced in a certain manner but by the end he has grown in all aspects.

I wish the same could be said of Magiere. You basically get what you see with her. She doesn’t really grow. She was exactly the same person I met in the first quarter of the book when I turned the last 10 pages of the book.

I debated with myself about buying this book. In the end I didn’t. I borrowed it from the library. I’m glad. It’s not a book I’d add to my permanent book collection.

The book reminded me of The Brother’s Grimm movie. Yep, I said it. The scamming of ignorant peasants, the attitude of the protagonists towards their victims, the growth lack of growth of the main characters all added to my feelings of ehhh. (Or better yet, my feelings of who cares.)

The vampires reminded me of several mythologies wrapped into one. The vampires need to sleep with dirt from their homeland, they must do as their creator tells them, and most are capable of extraordinary feats.

The descriptions and movements of the feral vampires mimicked those of Gollum (Lord of the Ring) in my opinion. But on the flip side, I understand that others may see a totally different creature. I wasn’t amazed or awed by this book. I didn’t hate it either. This is another book I’m chalking up to the mindless entertainment section of books read lately.

You can purchase Dhampir here or view the author’s website here.

Staying Dead by Laura Anne Gilman

Favorite Lines: “But lately…it was weird, how someone so familiar could suddenly one day, totally out of the blue and with a random thought, become… interesting. In that way.” (p.66)

Wren Valere is a retriever. She finds missing objects and returns them. She is able to manipulate electrical currents, magic, and has a great success record. Her latest case involves a missing cornerstone from a prominent building.

As she searches for the stone she finds out that the world around her is changing and if she wants to continue to thrive she must make a few hard decisions.

This is book one in a series of four written by Laura Anne Gilman. Most of the book is setting up for the next three stories. I think the concept is good but the book had one strike against it from page one, the font. I don’t know what font it is, but it irritated the hell out of me. I also felt like the story dragged. It was a slow, sedate walk along the pathway to solving the mystery of the missing stone.

I thought that the story was going to have more of a romance angle than it did, too. The romance thread is extremely short. This book is more of a mystery/urban fantasy novel. It is filled with pop culture: diet sprite, DSL, New York art scene, Dungeons and Dragons…

Many threads are introduced but not completely followed such as the Council of Mages, Silence and the relationship between Sergei and Wren. I’m hoping that book two gets better. Book two will make up my mind as to whether or not I’ll be purchasing the next two books. Right now I’m happy that I only bought the first two books. If you’ve read this please comment and let me (and anybody else who’s interested) know what you think.

You can read an excerpt here or click on the book cover to purchase the book at B&N. Click here to read an excerpt from book two, Curse the Dark.

13 Pieces of Character Art

Sasha Lord

I was playing around online and stumbled upon Sasha Lord’s website. She is scheduled to release Wild Angel in Jan. of 2008. In the months leading up to its release every month she’ll add a little bit of a prequel to the story. So far she has a snippet of about the heroines mother and the early life of the heroine. You can read it here.

I love the way it shows up on old paper tacked to a tree. The visual is appealing to my eyes. Yes I also like the cover of her newest book. I love the green. So, what do you think? Have you read anything by Ms. Lord? What was it and did you like it?

I’ve read her books and so far have enjoyed all of them.

Sept. 25 Book Releases

• Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward
• Aint Myth-Behaving by Katie McAlister
• A Touch of Minx by Susan Enoch
• Forbidden by Suzanne Brockmann
• Moon Fever by Anthology
• Highlander Unchained by Monica Mccarty
• The Seance by Heather Graham
• The Scottish Companion by Karen Ranney
• Your Coffin or Mine? by Kimberly Raye
• One Last Breath by Lauren Griffen
• Free Fall by Fern Michaels
• Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye by E.C. Sheedy
• Queen of the Orcs: Royal Destiny by Morgan Howell

As usual, if you know of another book releasing today that isn’t on my list, please put it in the comments.