Wild Hearts: Making the Rules

Making the Rules is the second standalone book in the Wild Hearts boxed set by Doranna Durgin. I received a copy of this book as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program in exchange for an unbiased review. Brief plot spoilers may follow.

Summary:

Hunter Agency operatives Kimmer and Rio, codenames Chimera and Phoenix, get their first official case together courtesy of a wealthy older woman who needs their help protecting an antique steeped in scandal and danger. Kimmer, who has a skewered view of family and what she can provide for it, struggles to trust Rio as her partner on the job despite him being her lover off the clock. Rio has his own doubts about their success working together, and as the danger factor continually rises, so does the importance for these two to pull it together before its too late. Questionable allies and a host of enemies meet them on this case, and as they deal with the issues in their partnership, they also find themselves framed for a crime neither of them committed. The person pulling all the strings in this case is someone from Kimmer's past, someone hell-bent on making Kimmer pay for not allowing them to finish the job they'd started.


My thoughts:

Making the Rules was a fun read, but I have a few more complaints with it than I did Hidden Steel. First things first, Kimmer is a badass and I loved it. LOL I could see immediately that she had issues, especially with vulnerability and learning to be dependent on Rio. The problem was that she was so strong by herself, so capable and so self-sufficient that it almost made Rio look like a backburner character. This fact was emphasized by how much of Kimmer's work she had to do alone because Rio was somehow incapacitated. I could see the doubt that both of them had with working together, and I think it was that doubt, not an actual inability to work together, that caused problems. The doubt was the seed, and events in the book that played on that added to it. I actually think they have potential to work flawlessly together and if there are more books to come with Chimera and Phoenix back out in the field, I’d like to see that. I understood Kimmer's hang-ups about family and whatnot, but for someone who usually functions on logic and reason, I wondered for a lot of the book if she realized that part of her problem was not seeing that she had an opportunity to provide something to others that she wasn't given. With that being said, I liked that instead of wanting to continue on future assignments alone, she made peace with the knowledge that she wanted to do them with Rio. Even though I think she would have eventually done a great job with her sisters, I think the solution we ended up with was great for everyone. I liked the various twists in this story; I could figure out some of the people who were probably going to end up being a problem later in the book, but some of the others fell into a gray area, and I enjoyed that. The intentions of the ‘gray area’ characters weren't immediately revealed to the reader and being able to go through that process with Kimmer and Rio, feeling everything they were feeling, until they figured everything out added on to the excitement.

One of my main complaints with Making the Rules was that I’m surprised poor Rio wasn't dead by the end of the book; he took the majority of the hits, was attacked the most by far, while Kimmer usually didn't take half as much damage. Hell, the reader’s introduction to the man is him getting shot, and he continues to accumulate a number of potentially fatal battle wounds as the story progresses. Not saying I wanted to see Kimmer as banged up, but it would have been nice to see Rio at his full potential. The various injuries he accumulated then having Kimmer need to rescue him made him look a bit weak and from what I understood about his character, weak he definitely was not. Of course, having to do all of that and wing it—alone, for the most part—eventually helped Kimmer to come to the realization that she needed Rio around on and off the job, which was an important development, so I can see where these plot twists had their purpose. I had read in the beginning that the enemy was someone from Kimmer's past, but with all the action that quickly followed, I’d forgotten all about it until the last few chapters, when they finally revealed themselves. I was just trying to figure out the next person in the chain was, who was pulling that person’s strings. It was intricate in a way, with every individual having their reasons for being involved, whether those reasons were understandable ones or not. This was another layered story, with background stories that contributed to the overall plot without diminishing it. At the end of the book I felt like the main characters had made some important revelations about themselves and this set a pretty solid foundation for future chapters. 


Do I recommend this book?

Much like I mentioned with Hidden Steel, if you like a story with a strong heroine not given to hysterics, some great action scenes and the ability to live in the moment with the characters, then Making the Rules may be a book for you. I do not recommend the book, though, if you're looking for a romance-heavy plot. Although it is well-known and often mentioned throughout the book that Kimmer and Rio are lovers and one of the plot points is working together as both lovers and partners, there isn't a lot of steam in this book either. Considering the setting, however, the lack of romance is understandable. I also do not recommend the book if you like alpha males who take the lead. Rio is just as much an important part of the plot as Kimmer, but due to circumstance it is Kimmer who ends up having to take the lead in some of the situations. In a general sense though, I definitely recommend this book. 



Helpful links:

If you'd like to download Making the Rules as a standalone book, here is where you can download it:

Amazon ($3.99) | NOOK ($3.99) | Google Play Books ($3.99) | Smashwords ($3.99) | iTunes (price needs to be converted into USD)


And if you'd like to download Wild Hearts as a box set (which I recommend since its cheaper):

Amazon ($5.99) | NOOK ($5.99) | Smashwords ($2.99) | iTunes ($2.99)


Doranna Durgin can be reached here:

Website | Facebook | Twitter



If you'd like to read my thoughts on both books rather than two separate reviews, you can check out my LibraryThing review here. I don't want to hog the site up with book reviews which is why I don't post too many of them, but all of the Early Reviewers books that I read will be given a full post here. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed these reviews!

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Wild Hearts: Hidden Steel

Hi all! I'm back with another book review, but this one is a little different from the other book reviews I have posted. This is actually part of a 2-story boxed set, but I separated them into two reviews so that it wouldn't run too long. The collective book is called Wild Hearts by Doranna Durgin, and it combines the standalone stories of Hidden Steel and Making the Rules for re-release. I received a copy of this book as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program in exchange for an unbiased review. I've tried to refrain from giving away too much of the plot excluding the summaries but just in case, brief plot spoilers may follow. 

Summary:

In the first story, Hidden Steel, CIA agent "Mickey" awakens in a place she does not recognize, with no memory of anything, including her name. She adapts the name "Mickey Finn" and escapes, finding refuge in a nearby gym, run by Steve Spaneas. Before Steve realizes it, he is thrown headfirst into the craziness that is Mickey's life and becomes her only ally. As Mickey struggles to figure out what happened to her, she also becomes increasingly aware through flashes of memories that someone is in need of her protection. Add in some local thugs, other operatives who do not have her (or her client's) best interests at heart, little to no memory, and a light tease of romance with Steve, and this is the current state of affairs in Mickey's life. This is an action-packed page turner, where the reader is introduced to a colorful cast of background characters as well as a hero and heroine who don't fit into the traditional action/romance molds. 

My thoughts:

I enjoyed Hidden Steel. I appreciated Mickey’s strength in the face of the blank canvas that was her life and not dissolving into hysterics. Even though for her it was a fresh start and she felt as though she’d been dropped into something she had no idea about, life had continued to function and she had to catch up quickly. I loved that the CIA training she’d received had been so ingrained into her it became part of her base personality, something immovable about her that came as naturally as breathing. And if even with all of that training she still nearly got herself killed, I hate the odds for someone who was just one step, one heartbeat, slower than Mickey being placed in the same situation. The author mentioned at the beginning that when Mickey began to trust herself the rest of the story fell into place, and gradually throughout the book, the reader can see these changes taking place. I liked that there were places where Mickey made mistakes, and I also liked the conflict taking place in herself when she was initially confronted with pieces of who she was before having her memory wiped. The amnesiac part of Mickey’s story was interesting; I was waiting for the typical ‘bam’ moment when everything flooded back to her—I think Mickey was too, at first LOL—but I was very relieved when that moment never came. I liked that even though she was eager to find out what her life was about before, she was enjoying discovering who she was becoming as well. Her quirks, more so the choice in songs, were campy but endearing and fleshed her personality out a little bit. I also liked Steve and at first I wasn’t sure what to make of him other than that he was nice. Mickey was bouncy and had a frenetic, constant sort of energy about her, while Steve had this quiet, steady sort of strength about him that balanced things out. He wasn’t a caveman in his masculinity, but Mickey’s strength didn’t diminish his and I think that was an important factor. He had some growth to go through in the book and even though it didn’t get quite the attention that Mickey’s journey did, I did like reading about the changes in Steve. It was nice being able to read about his adjustment to what his life became after Mickey came into it rather than an instantaneous acceptance. This book had a lot of evolving in it, even for a few of the background characters, and that was refreshing to read. 

If I had to name something that I didn’t like quite as much, it would be that we didn't get to see Mickey through the process of her actually remembering things; we were just told at the end that she’d since regained the majority of her memories. The meat of the book was about her functioning cold; she had few details of who she was and couldn’t put most of them together just yet so it would have been nice to see a little of pre-wipe Anna or even an integrated Mickey in action. But I suppose you could look at that another way; when Steve was told she’d regained most of her memories he wasn’t told anything other than that because obviously, other things were more important. Lol We found out with Steve, and were privy to the same amount of information and one thing that I noticed with both of these books is that the reader is very much living in the moment with the characters, so that could explain why we don’t get to see Mickey’s growth after regaining her memories. The climactic finish was alright, but for all the drama that had built up to it in Mickey's various interactions with the operatives chasing her, it ran just a little long and I wondered why someone in the area hadn't called the police sooner with all the gunfire that was ringing out. That part was a little unrealistic for me but otherwise it was fine. There were a few small grammatical errors and some of the transitions between scenes felt a little choppy, but it was nothing that took away from the meat of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this story a lot. I like how even the smaller bits, the background elements, were weaved together to create a cohesive story heavy on action and development with a constant tease of romance throughout. If there is more to explore with Mickey and Steve (and there totally is lol), I’m ready for it. 

Do I recommend this book?

I recommend this book to you if you're more of an action fan and don't want a book heavy on the romance. If you're looking for a kickass heroine, Mickey fits the bill so if you're on the hunt for a softer, more feminine heroine then Hidden Steel probably isn't for you. Same goes if you're after a book with more romance as this book is pretty clean as romances go. Other than a few kisses and the implication of sexy times at the end, there isn't too much steam in this book. It doesn't run super long but after the first couple of chapters things start to pick up a bit, so if you like to read books in one sitting then Hidden Steel shouldn't be a problem as you won't want to put it down until you're finished. Well, I didn't, anyway. lol

Helpful links:

If you'd like to download this book, here's where you can download it:

Amazon ($0.99) | NOOK ($3.99) | Google Play Books ($0.99) | Smashwords ($2.99) | iTunes ($2.99)

To download the boxed set with both books, here are the download links:

Amazon ($5.99) | NOOK ($5.99) | Smashwords ($2.99) | iTunes ($2.99)

If you'd like some more info on the author, Doranna Durgin, here's where you can check her out:

Website | Facebook | Twitter


The second book, Making the Rules, will have a separate review but if you'd like my thoughts on both books at once, you can read my LibraryThing review here.

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Retrojam

I got an email about this website earlier in the week that would come up with playlists for various pivotal years in my life, so I checked it out. Retrojam uses your birthday to compile playlists throughout your school years; your final years in elementary, middle and high school as well as college are used as the basis to form playlists from those years. It's pretty accurate too, if you didn't fail or skip a grade. I liked it, so I wanted to put it out here and encourage you to go try it for yourself. Here are the quick deets:

What's the purpose?

To provide playlists of songs from back in the day, the songs that usually prompt you to ask the company's tagline, "Remember that song?" when sharing with friends or family. You can save the playlists created, share them on your various social media platforms, or create custom lists.

How does it work?

Start there, by filling in your birthday, and you'll be taken to your timeline, where you'll first see a birthday playlist, followed by a playlist of songs from each year you were in school. You can play or share each track individually, add them to your playlists, or browse lists from other users and add tracks to one of your custom playlists. There's also a section to show what is trending on the site. The premise itself is interesting and I had fun looking at my own lists, but the flaws were exposed when I ran my uncle's birthday through the site to check those playlists. I'll get to that in a minute.


Pros:



--Even though the option to sign in with Facebook and the option to share to it as well as Twitter are there, the site is independent. I hate that most sites are somehow synced with FB in order for you to use them fully, but even though this is an option with Retrojam, it's not required.

--You don't need to create an account with the site in order to see or listen to playlists

--You can change the birthday or date for which you'd like the playlists to be created at any time without losing the playlists that you'd seen...and I'll get to that in the cons

--The opportunity to discover new music that you haven't heard before is definitely there on Retrojam when you search other playlists


Cons:



--The playlists are the same by year regardless of the birthday you search, so if you search the various years hoping to put together another random playlist of hits, you won't find it

--Some years of playlists only have a couple of songs and are far from being full lists

--Many of the songs for various years are inaccurate, unless the versions released for these playlists are remixes that were released during that year





My thoughts:

Like I said above, I liked the concept of the site and I think it has potential. I love the concept of going back through my senior years throughout school and going back through the songs that were hits back then, and I like having the option to share them if I like, but why would I share a playlist with only 2 songs on it? I'm not sure if its a permissions issue and many of the artists haven't given their consent for Retrojam to use their songs, but the library and the developed playlists have yet to live up to the hype. Custom playlists have more weight than the site-curated lists, although they provide a good foundation/time period to base future song additions on. It can get annoying for those of us who aren't regular FB users to sign up or access a site then find out it runs through FB, so I liked that this site was independent of FB. Even though the playlists are repetitive and that can be annoying when you want to get random music from a particular year, it's also good because that means you can look up another birthday and if there are any similar years, you'll be able to access the playlist again. But the inaccuracy of the songs on certain lists gets me as well because some of those songs weren't even released in the same decade, much less the same year of the playlist it ends up falling under. I like the basis on which Retrojam was founded and I think it can go far with some time and a bit more development/library expansion. As it stands now though, it falls a bit flat for me.


Do I recommend this site?

Yes, as long as the user understands that the library, as it is, is rather limited and playlists are repetitive so searching for various birthdays with overlapping school years are fruitless; the playlists will simply repeat. However, creating custom playlists off of these old-school goodies can result in some good, "back in the day..." stories and fun if doing this with others. There are many songs that I didn't even know about until I started looking for playlists on Retrojam, so it does live up to its motto, although it could stand to use a little work. If you're looking for something fully developed, with full playlists for each year, then this isn't the site. Despite those flaws though, I like the site and intend to explore it some more later.

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