Chuckles Goes Sampling

Seeing Kermit surrounded and almost buried in leaves kind of reminds me of my relationship with books. I'm pretty much buried in them too! I have no more space in my house for the books I buy and piles are sitting on the floor which isn't good and I can't read them quick enough because I keep buying!!! I've battled to reduce the tbr without success this year but now Kermit and I are embarking on a new plan to reduce the book buying and give me a chance to reduce the tbr at last. The Plan? Download samples and read them and only go on to buy those I liked instead of grabbing everything!

This is what I read last week:

1) Paul Crilley-Department Zero
Harry is a biohazard remediation worker-cleaning up crime scenes. He's been doing it ten years and is now working with the boss son Jorge. They are at a nasty crime scene in a motel that seems to be fresh with no sign of police around, when an agency Harry has never heard of-ICD-throws them off the scene just after he finds a silver bullet in the carnage. That was the gist of the sample. 

My issue here is that I don't like any of the characters. Harry is moaning because he's stuck in the same dead end job babysitting Jorge. He has a poor relationship with his ex Megan and custody issues over his daughter Susan. In the sample, Harry and Megan are already fighting, which I found annoying and I felt no connection to him as an MC. Jorge is a lazy idiot who threatens Harry with his father when he is rightly pulled up over wandering around filming the crime scene. He is a total loser and I already hate him. The men at the crime scene are obnoxious. Not liking anyone in the sample means I won't be reading on with this one. 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28587696-department-zero 

2) OL Eggert-Vincent, Survivor 
Vincent's brother Dante has just been released from prison so he persuades him to stick around as both are reformed characters. Their grandma is concerned about the rising crime and multiple missing persons report but Vincent ignores it until he sees paranoid people on the streets behaving strange. His old contact comes to his door claiming he wants to save them both and they must leave with him but they won't and then they witness Roach and another man kidnapping their neighbour. They follow Roach and witness an strange shifter kill the man...and seal a contract through a portal with a minotaur.

I didn't really feel that I got to know the brothers in the sample enough to care about their story. Vincent isn't greatly exciting and Dante is pretty bland. Grandma is the only one with any real charisma. I'm not saying there was anything wrong with this one but it just didn't grab me in any way or make me want to read the full book. The sort of alien and mythology plot was ok but I didn't feel excited by it because I had no connection to the characters I think. It's just not for me.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30071743-vincent-survivor 

3) William R Hunt-Brothers 
The apocalypse has come and Victor and Dante are living out in a rural area, trying to keep to themselves until they stumble across another man on their land. Victor is instantly suspicious of Walker and his intentions but Dante happily invites him into their home. Walker tells Dante that he was pursued by men on horses at the place he was hiding which is why he came onto their land. Despite Victor telling him to leave, Dante tells Walker to stay. 

It wasn't a greatly exciting sample for a book that sounded so interesting. I don't get any character development from the brothers. Dante is too dumb to understand that you can't just trust random people with knives that you meet on your land during the apocalypse! I feel like knocking his head off a wall. Victor's behaviour doesn't make sense. He doesn't trust Walker, he thinks Walker means them harm and tries to get him to leave but then sits and does nothing when Dante tells Walker to stay. I'm not sure what Victor is trying to do but it makes little sense to let this guy wander around seeing your land and food when you don't trust him. I feel no connection to the characters and nothing in the sample would make me want to read on. With no reviews of the book to change my mind, I won't risk reading on with this one.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35688841-brothers 

4) Mike Sheridan-No Direction Home 
Three days after the vPox hits, Cody's roomates get sick and quickly die, leaving him alone, fearing his sick mother and brother are also dead. Brendan and his prepper book addicted wife Colleen are on holiday in Orlando, stuck in a grotty motel when the sickness spreads.

I prefer witnessing the apocalypse starting as that helps you get right into the story and feel empathy with the characters. This book starts after the apocalypse has begun and we get told what happens to Joe and Chrissie and that Cody's family are sick but we don't know them so there is no effect with their death. There is too much tell in the sample. I don't really feel the panic and fear of this spreading plague as we are told about it rather emotionlessly. Cody seems to drift along and we are told of each thing that happens like the power going out but there is no tension or excitement from it and Cody barely seems ruffled in any way. I don't like Brendan at all. People in the motel around him are dying and he yells at them to shut up and stop disturbing him. Really nice guy. Colleen might be more interesting with her interest in prepper books but Brendan drives me mad. This book might have possibilities but I'm just not sure I'll read on with it.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35341164-no-direction-home