Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Clipped Wings Series Wrap-Up (Books 1.5-2.5) by Helena Hunting

Hello! I've finished another series. I think this is the whole series, but I'm not sure. If the series continues there's a good chance I won't be continuing. If you missed my review of the first book in this series, Clipped Wings, you can find it here, as well as the prequel to the series here. I'll be posting a video review of the whole series on my BookTube so stay tuned for that. Now onto these reviews!

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Between the Cracks by Helena Hunting

1.5 in the Clipped Wings series

2.75

Chris keeps his friends close and women farther away. He recently finds himself in a relationship with Sarah. Chris’s best friend is having relationship problems of his own. Chris decides to help Hayden out, but it doesn’t turn out to go so well. This is a pretty quick read. In comparison to the first novella of the Clipped Wings series it’s very weak, but it is also better than the first book in the series. I do like Sarah and Chris’s relationship, but at the same time I’m not a big fan of it. I’m conflicted with this book. I did like the whole Hayden going to rescue and save Tenley thing but it was quickly shot down. I honestly don’t have much to say about this one. It was just meh.

This is free on Amazon if anyone is interested in reading it.


Cover Thoughts: I do like the cover. It’s simple, but gorgeous.

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Inked Armor by Helena Hunting

Second in the Clipped Armor series

3 stars

Tenley and Hayden have to repair the damage of Tenley leaving. Hayden is also experiencing horrible nightmares and he may remember something about his parents’ deaths that he hadn’t thought of before. I think that about covers this book. The summary is brief and so is the main plot of the book. In all honesty nothing really happens, but this book was better than its predecessor. The ending of Clipped Wings could be called a cliffhanger. It wasn’t a good cliffhanger, but it’s the kind of cliffhanger that would pique your interest. I don’t recommend reading this without reading the novella before. You can read it, but you’ll be very confused. Hunting likes to ensure her readers will read her novellas because she makes them essential to understanding the actual book that follows it in the series.


You know what one the things that really bothered me is that we went all through Clipped Wings with Tenley’s accident and creepy would-be-brother-in-law hanging over her shoulder. Then the whole situation with him was resolved in the first 4%. Then the whole thing is dragged out until the 14% where for some reason Trey thinks Tenley is his property/ his right. This was never even brought up before and is just completely left field.


Hunting’s favorite thing to write about is unnecessary drama. Drama here! Drama there! Drama everywhere! DRAMA! It gets tedious and annoying. Nobody cares about stupid drama. Don’t believe me about drama? Here’s some examples: there’s blackmail against a professor who is having an affair with a student, Hayden’s weird possessiveness that borders onto obsession, an asshole cop who conveniently always seems to be order to bag on Hayden and accuse him of abusing Tenley who also happens to be the cop who worked on Hayden’s parents’ murder case and was the reason some of the evidence turned out to be immiscible in court, and let’s not forget that the murderer was obvious from miles away.


The main female character is Tenley. I think Tenley was slightly more bearable in this one. I still don’t care enough for her, but she wasn’t nearly as unbearable as last time. Tenley also relies heavily on prescription meds. I would’ve liked for that to have been touched on, but it never was.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 3.5

The main male character is Hayden. Hayden is an idiot for most of this book. In fact, he was just as unbearable as Tenley, if not more. Hayden is obsessive of cleanliness, tidiness, and Tenley. He really needs a therapist. Thank God, he finally went to one.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 3

The Villain- WOW. I didn’t see that coming at all. Like OMG, I’m so shocked. (If you don’t see the sarcasm in this sentence then that’s all you.)

Villain Scale: 1

I do like the cast of characters that aren’t the main focal point. The workers of Inked Armor, Hayden’s aunt and uncle, and Sarah (hey, look my name) all are fun to read about and make the story very interesting.


Character Scale: 7

I have to address this at some point. Hayden refers to Tenley’s lady bits as her kitty. Look I know all guys refer to girls parts in rude ways or dumb ways, but this is overboard. That’s disgusting and it sounds weird when they have a kitty in the house called TK (The Kitty). Like what?

There are also inconsistencies with the sex scenes. One minute someone doesn’t have shoes on and the next they just so happen to be pressing them into someone’s back.

Inked Armor is better than Clipped Wings, but not very good. It doesn’t redeem this series. I have very mixed feelings about this series overall. Indifference is all I feel.


Cover Thoughts: At least something about this book is remarkable and worth mentioning. The other cover on GR looks exactly like Hayden though:
 
This is unreal how much the model looks like him.
Thank you, Netgalley and Gallery Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


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Cracks in the Armor by Helena Hunting

2.5 in the Clipped Wings series

2.5 stars

This one picks right up with Sarah and Chris again. They are a couple (if you haven’t kept up with this series) and Sarah is still working at the Dollhouse as a waitress. Chris hardly sees her anymore since the new management at the Dollhouse and Sarah’s hectic schedule. That’s basically it. Oh, and Tenley has a meltdown. >_> Tenley just can’t seem to get her emotions in check. I mean I get it you’re grieving, but she takes it too hard with the simplest things.


I know that may sound harsh, but I’m going to talk about something I haven’t really talked about online. The Friday morning before Thanksgiving and before I went to school, my mom sat down on my bed and told me my grandfather passed at a few minutes before midnight. I was distraught. I was a mess in tears and I still went to school. I kept living my life because my grandfather loved school. He went to college 12 times and had a degree in almost everything. Not only that, but I knew my grandfather wouldn’t want me to stay home and cry, he would me to live my life. So, I have. There are days when I’m consumed by grief, days where I’m angry, and days where I feel numb. But I don’t let these things control my life.


I can’t understand Tenley because she lets her grief consume her and that’s what makes me so angry. She had a mental breakdown over a fricken Xbox. My hatred for Tenley has really escalated with this book.


With that let’s focus on the main characters of this story, Chris and Sarah. I wish this was a little longer. Not a full book, but long enough to see that there story has full closure. I like them both. Chris is funny and Sarah is pretty cool. I wouldn’t mind reading another story about them, but I’m definitely not sure if I would read a book.


Cover Thoughts: I love that sleeve. It’s awesome. Love it.

Thank you, Netgalley and Gallery Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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