STATUS UPDATE

Status update! I've obviously been on quite the extended leave of absence for some time now. I'd like to quickly offer my explanations for this.

First, I'm sad to say that my dear friend and partner Jessica with Lover Of Paranormal has decided to part ways with Book Snobs. This was a hard decision for her to make, but the poor girl just has so much going on right now that she felt unable to commit fully. It's a parting that goes with no hard feelings and all the love and support in the world! Im hoping that she may bless us with her insight and reviews from time to time as she is possible. I wish her and her blog all the success in the world!

Secondly, No new reviews have been posted as of late. This is due to several reasons. Im planning a MAJOR re-haul on the blog to accommodate for Jessicas absence and that kind of under-taking does not happen over night. I'm also scouting out possible "guest reviewers". Im very much hoping to find readers willing to share their honest opinions, and offer a different perspective than my own. I can only read and review so fast and my personal reading selections tend to be a bit biased. I'm hoping to find some fresh opinions to add to the mix from time to time. Break it up a little ya know? On that matter, if you or anyone you know are interested in being a "guest reviewer" from time to time, please contact me so that we can make this happen!

Finally, Im sorry to say that I've just been ridiculously busy as of late. We all have lives that must take priority over our recreational activities from time to time. Unfortunately, Im no exception to this rule. As many of you know, I'm a married, mother of four who is also a working nurse. I've also had some sick babies to nurse back to health, and a two-year old who had surgery yesterday. (Nothing major) With all of that, I've simply been unavailable for reviewing, and even reading lately. It's quite sad to me as my books are my escape. Im hopeful that all will return to normal very soon.

With all of that, I'd like to offer my continued thanks the the few followers and loyal contacts that Book Snobs has come by in the past few weeks. It's been quite an undertaking just to get this all up and going, and I'm NOT GIVING UP! It's just taking a bit longer to sort out all the bumps in the road than I had expected. I will be forever grateful for all the messages and continued support. I'm also willingly accepting all the help I can get from all of you! Keep sending me your recommendations, opinions, and even a review if you have the time!

Book Snobs was created with love, with the sole purpose of supporting my favorite authors (Usually Indie) and their fantastic work, and for sharing with my fellow readers what's hot, and what's not! It is with those goals in mind that I will continue to push forward, all be it a little slower than I had imagined.

Thank you all for your love, support and understanding! Keep checking in from time to time as I get these new changes and hopefully, some kick-ass reviews out to you!

--Tyra

Fifty Shades Of Grey (Series) by E. L. James

        Buckle up girls... this is going to be a LONG one! 

FIVE STARS!!!

To start, I'll say that when I started reading Shades of Grey, I was doing so with the idea that it was a paranormal romance. Where I got that idea I couldn't tell you. I kept reading and reading waiting for the other shoe to drop and reveal something other-worldly, but it never came. It may have turned out to be the polar opposite of what I THOUGHT I was reading, but I couldn't be happier! Before we go any further, I will throw out 'the warning' .. this book contains EXPLICIT sex, language, some violence, sad reflection of child abuse, and a SMBD theme. For those of you like me who don't know what SMBD means.. I'll sum it up - bondage, submissive/ dominance relationship, etc. This was a whole new world for me and I'm not ashamed to admit that I couldn't put it down! 

First, on the non-sex parts of the book... Ive often laughed out loud while reading, but E.L. James had me running to the bathroom before I had an accident many times! I also shed more tears than I could count, and WAY too many nights were spent by myself awake, alone with only the light of my e-reader to light my way until the sun came back up! 

This story is told from the point of view of our main character Ana. However, the author has this magical way of not only incorporating the play-by-play of what's happening, but shows us a look into the main characters mind.. by telling us all about the thoughts of her subconscious and "inner goddess" ... Basically a metaphor for Ana's shoulder sitting angel and devil. The "Inner Goddess" Is my favorite and I will carry that concept with me for the rest of my life! 

This story is fantasy, fairytale, and heart breaking reality all rolled into one! How many stories are there about the plain, poor girl with nothing special going for her who gets swept off her feet by her knight in shining armor and whisked away to live in a palace with all of her hearts desires available for the rest of her life? Well, switch that into the 21st century, make the knight in shining armor an insanely wealthy CEO, and give him some SERIOUS demons, and there you go!

That's really all the further I can go without incorporating "the sex" into this review, because it's such an intricate part of the story! I'll be honest - there's a LOT of sex! Some of it is just for the fun of the read. (Don't be embarrassed ladies) However, this story could not possibly be told without it! As I said, SMBD is the theme here. Don't be shy... who hasn't fantasized about a little role-play in the bedroom? The point that I'm probably failing at making is that the sex tells a story! Our main male role Christian has a LOT of issues. His "lifestyle" in the bedroom is an expression of those and a coping mechanism, therapy if you will for the brutal early-childhood he suffered through. This works fine for him until he falls for the very virginal, very vanilla Miss Anastasia Steele. As for Miss Steele, not only has she never had sex, but a VERY indecent proposal from this easy on the eyes man is just too much for her! She, her subconscious and her "inner goddess" set off to see if this is a life she could ever really get involved in. What's meant to be a black and white formal agreement between two consenting adults becomes 'complicated' as feelings and emotions evolve. The black and white blur into "Fifty Shades of Grey" for all involved. 

Shortly after finishing this series, I caught a segment of The Today Show calling this series many things from "Women's secret fantasy" ... to a "Slap in the face of the women's movement" and stating that the "Violence on women" was appalling! Obviously in my opinion, those people are morons! The only violence on women in this book is 100% consenting adults and in the bedroom... it's fantasy! It's the whole pleasure/pain thing. Mind you, we're talking about spanking here... not domestic abuse! So let's just put that to rest right now! The famous television personality "Dr. Drew" admitted on air to having NOT read the series right before he threw it under the bus stating that anybody who takes pleasure in that type of activity is often the victim of child-abuse. Well, DUH! Our male role Christian is fifty-shades of f#$%-up because of what happened to him as a young boy! This is how he has come to deal with it.. but Ana is there to help him work it all through even more and heal his inner child! Ugh! That television segment made me SO angry because it painted this series in the wrong light! They made it seem like only lonely, horny women or sick puppies could enjoy this book... as though it were some sort of perversion. It's NOT! It's a wonderful tale of love, lust, complications, and growth!

Many women would feel embarrassed to admit that they read and enjoyed such a racy series. NOT ME! I will admit that I was a little shocked though. If you don't believe that a story with a lot of sex can have real emotion- just ask my husband who saw the tears fall down my face! This beautiful, amazing tale was written by a WOMAN for WOMEN and I'd go as far as to say every man should read it too!

Overview

When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind - until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time. Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

           

Some of my favorite NON-paranormal recent reads...

**4 Stars**

When Hollywood It Boy, Reid Alexander, arrives on location, his intentions are simple: film another blockbuster hit while enjoying his celebrity status to the fullest. His costar is a virtual unknown with whom he has blazing hot chemistry, and the universe is lining up nicely to grant whatever he wants - until he's confronted with a bitter ex-girlfriend and a rival for the first girl to spark his genuine interest in years.

Emma Pierce just got her big break after more than a decade of filming commercials for grape juice, department stores and tampons, and bit parts in made-for-TV movies. Nailing the lead role in a wide-release film should send her into raptures. But Emma is experiencing a building desire to be normal, and starring in a silly, modernized adaptation of one of her favorite novels--opposite the very hot Reid Alexander--isn't going to advance that aspiration.

Indie actor Graham Douglas isn't overly picky when it comes to film roles. If it pays, he'll do it. Besides, his friend Brooke Cameron snatched up the role of the bitchy hot girl and could use his help as a buffer, because her ex is the star. Graham has no problem keeping a handle on the situation, until he finds himself attracted to Reid's costar, Emma, the girl Reid is pursuing full-throttle with his standard arsenal of charm, good looks and arrogance.

**4 Stars**

Life sucks for orphans Callum Tate and Harper Bailey.Kicked out of their foster homes because they suffer the 'eighteen disease' with nothing but a hundred dollar check from the government and a pat on the back, they're forced to rely on a system that failed them miserably.So they sit. They sit inside Social Services, waiting for their social workers to call their names and offer them the miracle they know will never come but they sit anyway because they have nowhere else to go, no other options on their very literal and figurative empty plates.But as they sit, they notice the other. Although captivated, they each come to the conclusion that life is complicated enough without throwing in a boiling tension that can't ever be acted upon because they're both too busy thinking about where their next meal will come from but when their names are called and both are placed on a year long waiting list for permanent housing, suddenly relying on each other seems like a very viable plan B. And, oh, how lovely Plan B's can be. Well, except for the psycho from Harper's past that haunts her and, oh, yeah, there's the little issue that neither of them knows they're in love with the other. Needless to say, Callum & Harper's life just got a bit more complicated.

“One day, you and I are gonna’ wake up and be alright. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but one day. One day. I promise you.” - Callum Tate

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** 4 Stars**

Libby has been in love with Tony Marchetti since she was seven years old. The problem? Tony is her best friend's older brother. Lately Tony has started looking at her in a new way and he emails her all the time. Could it be possible that he is starting to see her as more than his kid sister's best friend?

Tony knows Libby McKay is off limits. She's his sister's best friend for crying out loud! But she is also smart, funny, and seriously hot. Plus she's not afraid to get a little sweaty-- on the track that is. Tony can't seem to help himself, besides what's a few emails? The occasional phone call? He can keep things light and friendly-- Can't he?

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**I give this 5 stars!**

For almost two years now, Kiera’s boyfriend, Denny, has been everything she’s ever wanted: loving, tender and endlessly devoted to her. When they head off to a new city to start their lives together, Denny at his dream job and Kiera at a top-notch university, everything seems perfect. Then an unforeseen obligation forces the happy couple apart. Feeling lonely, confused, and in need of comfort, Kiera turns to an unexpected source—a local rock star named Kellan Kyle. At first, he’s purely a friend that she can lean on, but as her loneliness grows, so does their relationship. And then one night everything changes…and none of them will ever be the same.

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**4.5 Stars**

"No one tried to get involved with me, and I kept to myself. This was the place where everything was supposed to be safe and easy. How could Evan Mathews unravel my constant universe in just one day?" He knows there’s something more to the girl sitting in the back of the class the moment he sees her. She’s beautiful, intelligent, and athletic – but she slips quietly through the crowded halls, trying not to exist. Determined to get to know the elusive girl, Evan soon discovers…Emma Thomas is hiding a terrible a secret. Reason to Breathe is an electrifying page turner from start to finish, a unique tale of life-changing love, unspeakable cruelty, and one girl’s fragile grasp of hope.

 

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