To be with her is a sin, to be without her is a tragedy
There are only a handful books outside my comfort zone that I dare myself to read e
To be with her is a sin, to be without her is a tragedy
There are only a handful books outside my comfort zone that I dare myself to read every year. I was definitely not expecting a Charles’ review to make me drop everything I was reading to start a historical fiction set in a small town in Ireland in the 90s. I was not expecting a debut’s writing to captivate me in a way very few authors had been able to. Although this is one of those hidden gems you find by chance, I have no doubts this author will someday be discovered worldwide.
Sunburn gives the raw picture of a girl who is starting to realize the gap between her and her friends; how she doesn’t care about boys yet she’s mesmerized by every daily action Susannah does. How she eats, how she moves, every single flaw that should make her less perfect but makes Lucy feel all hot inside. Although most of the book happens when Lucy is a teenager, the emotions are told from a mature POV, as if Lucy herself were narrating as an adult every single confusing thought that led her there. I adore how much I hated some characters, yet there wasn’t any real villain in the story. All of them were flawed people captive of their own traditions and beliefs.
All my life [my mum] has been my only role model, my greatest aspiration, but since I started to see her as a person beyond a parent, I have seen her as a grave misfortune, and now I cannot go back to the way I saw her before. Without all the mysticism of being my mother, she is just a woman, exactly like me, only with less time ahead of her () Maybe I’m just too immature, maybe I could be happy too. Really, I don’t even need to be happy, I just need to be the same as everybody else.
I was a thirteen when my mum caught my arm one day while I was heading to a swimming class and, in a serious voice I hadn’t heard before, said ‘Laura, you have to study, get a position so well-paid that, if someone has to give up their job to take care of the children, it won’t be you’. Then, she released me and left, as if the words that had left her mouth seconds ago never existed. I knew my mom, as a lot of mothers, had to sacrifice a lot to have me and my brother. But I never understood how much until that day. I’m sure I won’t be the only one feeling the pain when Lucy wondered if her mom would have been happier staying single, earning her own money, instead of erasing everything in her persona that wasn’t being a mother. But Lucy’s mom never caught her arm and encouraged her to study. Lucy’s mom still expected Lucy to follow her example, as if her own worth lied on seeing her only daughter dropping her dreams to continue the cycle.
If the book was told from Susannah’s POV, we would have wanted her to give up on Lucy. We would have hated the character who keeps refusing to compromise with someone as awesome as Susannah, who kept making choices that tried to make everyone around her happy while making her and Susannah miserable. But you are not following Susannah, you are following a girl who is too damn relatable to hate. A girl who still needs her mom’s love, and knows that she can’t have both her mom and Susannah. Who sees everything around her happening way too fast for her to catch up, who would need to suffer the pain first to understand the choices she had made may not have been the easier ones after all. I wished I was someone like Susannah, but I know every single decision Lucy made could have been my own.
It broke my heart how Susannah, Lucy and Martin ended up suffering because of the place they lived in. How Lucy kept using Martin to show people she was being the girl everyone wanted her to be, how Susannah kept dealing with her lover being with another person, how you couldn’t blame any of them. I hated what Lucy did to Martin, hated that deep down it was not her fault, but the society’s fault for wanting her to be something she was not.
Overall, Sunburn is a portrait of a queer teenager living in a rural town that wasn’t ready for someone like her. Of female friendship, mother-daughter relationships, the role expected from women and the restrictions people endure to keep old traditions alive. I would recommend it if you want something like Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, but adult instead of YA and with a writing that’s less lyrical but of matching quality.
Since I have known her, Susannah has been a flame in bloom. She took me from ash and made me human. I fear if she spends one more day in the garden, her flame will dwindle, and to ash I will return.
Disclaimer: I watched the TV series before reading the book. I’m quite sure I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much had I read it going blind.
Normal PeopleDisclaimer: I watched the TV series before reading the book. I’m quite sure I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much had I read it going blind.
Normal People is a naked portrait of two souls whose safe spot is each other's company, but miscommunication keeps making them fall apart.
If you are looking for romance, flawless characters and are not a fan of time jumps, turn around for this is not the book for you. Normal People is for those who find joy in realistic stories about the awkwardness of human nature. We follow Marianne and Connell since their high school years, through scenes that end as abruptly as they began. It was almost like a script of a movie: the author introduces you to the surroundings, smells, colors and an extract of the dialogue -without forgetting to narrate their most intimate thoughts-, then transitions abruptly to the next scene.
Sometimes this lack of filter made the story almost violent, as if you were reading another person’s diary. I had never felt guilty for invading a character's privacy before, and it was a bizarre experience. Maybe because some of them were the kind of ugly thoughts that pop in your head without permission, making you ashamed that they even existed. The kind of thoughts you want to immediately delete, worried that anyone could look at you and see what you have thought. But the character’s thoughts are unshielded before you, making you uncomfortable every time you relate to them.
“If anything, his personality seemed like something external to himself, managed by the opinions of others, rather than anything he individually did or produced. Now he has a sense of invisibility, nothingness, with no reputation to recommend him to anyone.”
Why keep reading, you may think? Despite all their flaws -or maybe because of them-, Marianne and Connell seem so real that you’ll want to see how their life goes. To see them bloom, face their demons, stop suffering and surrender to the fact that they are stronger together.
All these years, they’ve been like two little plants sharing the same plot of soil, growing around one another, contorting to make room, taking certain unlikely positions.
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This is a book you may finish with your feelings all over the place, unsure if you love it or hate it. It’s messy but realistic, short but somehow difficult to forget because it’s different from what you've read before and will make you wonder about life. In short, if you finish reading this review and still don’t quite get what the story is about, that’s how reading Normal People feels like.
“Marianne wanted her life to mean something then, she wanted to stop all violence committed by the strong against the weak, and she remembered a time several years ago when she had felt so intelligent and young and powerful that she almost could have achieved such a thing, and now she knew she wasn’t at all powerful, and she would live and die in a world of extreme violence against the innocent, and at most she could only help a few people. It was so much harder to reconcile herself to the idea of helping a few, like she would rather help no one than do something so small and feeble”...more
Gangsters, modern setting, Assian inspired word building and magic intertwine to tell the story of the Kaul family, creating a whole new subgenre in tGangsters, modern setting, Assian inspired word building and magic intertwine to tell the story of the Kaul family, creating a whole new subgenre in the process.
Only two clans in the world control the market of Jade, which provides superhuman skills to people with the right genetics. This substance can solely be obtained in Kekon, where the Mountain and No Peak have their base. But the rest of the countries are determined to use this weapon in their own wars and have developed a drug that makes Jade work in all humans.
Now everyone wants Jade. The Mountain has been waiting for this to happen and wants to become the only one seller. The Kaul family, leaders of No Peak, refuses to give up without a fight. The tensions start to become collisions and people start to realize a new civil war might be inevitable.
Aside from the original mix of ideas, characters are the essence of this series, with the three Kaul siblings as pillars: Lan, Hilo and Shae. The leader, the warrior, the scholar. But neither of them are exactly what they seem at first sight. The multiple POVs provide the different lenses to give you a final imagen of who they really are. It was especially shocking with Kaul Hilo, who plays the impulsive, fearsome warrior, but also has the most sensitive heart. Genius when it comes to war strategy, the antithesis when it comes to politics. There wouldn’t be war if it wasn’t for Hilo, but he is also the reason why No Peak is still standing.
“What do you value more, your face or your bike?” Hilo asked him. “What?” growled the man. “Your face or your bike,” Hilo repeated. “Which would you choose?” “My face,” he said hesitantly. Instantly, Hilo struck him, breaking his nose.
While Hilo is the shocking, problematic character you will hate and love, the others are easier to relate to. You’ll suffer seeing Lan trying to keep the clan afloat, dealing with the troublesome brother who is the one No Peak people really fights for, living in the shadow of his grandfather, hero of the revolution that freed Kekon decades ago, and without nobody to counsel him. Because the one who was born for politics, his sister Shae, refuses to be a Kaul anymore.
“You scared the shit out of boys. You were always too smart, too dangerous, for some foreign water-blooded pretty face in a uniform. () I could still kill him for you.” “Screw you, Hilo,” Shae snapped. “I can kill my ex-boyfriends myself.”
Shae is trying to find her place in the world. She wants to be her own person, without her last name sealing her fate. Her clan and family despise her for flying to another country with a foreign (ex) boyfriend. Now she is back, she feels like an outsider every place she goes. All the hard work to be the best student, to beat a Hilo in every exam, hasn’t earned her any of the respect her brother receives. But war might be coming. Will she be able to walk away again, knowing her family needs her?
The secondary characters have as much depth as the principal ones, full with their own devils, confusion and dreams. The villain was handled with the same care. Terrifying, yet somewhat relatable, Ayt Mata has both the brain and the Jade skills. She would have been the leader of the Mountain by right if she wasn’t a woman. To reach the position, she had to murder all the male menaces, which has earned a well deserved reputation of badass. It’s not easy to find an antagonist with dreams you can understand if only she wasn’t trying to destroy your favorite characters.
The hard magic system brings to life impossible martial arts, the kind you can only witness in movies. It also comes with a cost: carrying more than you are able can kill you or turn you crazy. The more sensitive you are to Jade, the more you’ll suffer the withdrawal after using it. Fonda Lee uses Anden, a teenager adopted by the Kauls, to show the difficult balance between the two. His fear of turning into his dead mother, the Mad Witch, is confronted by his will to serve the Kauls.
“Expectations are a funny thing. When you’re born with them, you resent them, fight against them. When you’ve never been given any, you feel the lack of them your whole life.”
One of the most remarkable features of Jade City was the author’s talent -and hard work-, to use a scene not only to show you the characters, but also glimpses of history, culture and/or society hierarchy. While there was a lot of information, there wasn’t any moment where I felt overwhelmed by it because it was embedded in the scene.
Although Jade meant many action scenes, politics also played an important role. As someone who is not usually a fan, I was surprised how invested I was in them. Everything that was said felt important and there were moments where the tension was parallel to the one you sense during a fight.
Some people might have problems with the predictable path the storyline follows. You can guess part of the events that will eventually occur, the surprise comes from not knowing how the characters get there. I don’t mind seeing a cloudy big picture if I’m suffering in the small scenes. There were battles where the anxiety of not knowing if my favorite characters were going to survive was driving me crazy.
The only thing that bothered me is that there was a character who did something that felt a bit out of their personality to move the story where the author wanted. I see why they could have done that but I'm still not 100% convinced.
In summary, Jade City is made of mafia-vibes, family dynamics, politics, action, LGBTQ+ rep, Asian inspiration and an amazing cast of characters. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a fantasy like you have never read before!
Fireman’s Carry is a novella that tells the story of how Mike and Shane met while trying to save Shane’s grandfather from a fire. Although it was moreFireman’s Carry is a novella that tells the story of how Mike and Shane met while trying to save Shane’s grandfather from a fire. Although it was more a teaser of what’s yet to come, I adored these two together so much that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them since I finished it.
I couldn’t help thinking about how cute he was. And how we were going to die together. Which means sound romantic in a book but turned out to suck balls in real life.
Shane is a ray of light that bit my heart with his pink hoodie and pure love for his grandpa since the first page. While Mike started with the wrong feet, he ended up redeeming himself in the end and stole another piece of my heart. I can’t wait to read their own book that is coming in February. Let’s hope it lives up the expectations after this marvelous intro!
Ever After Always is, next to the fourth installment of the same series, the book in my TBR I had the most ridiculous expectations for. Maybe that’s wEver After Always is, next to the fourth installment of the same series, the book in my TBR I had the most ridiculous expectations for. Maybe that’s why I waited so long to read it: I was terrified after how much my brain hyped it. Now I’m so grateful I waited because I can’t think of a better way to finish 2021!! yes, I'm a bit late reviewing it
I find the marriage crisis the most difficult romance trope to write. But when it’s well done, it’s also my favorite. And Chloe Liese? She has made the best one I’ve ever read.
“Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you won’t know how much a person you love is hurting because that person doesn’t want to hurt the people who love them.”
Ever After Always is the story of Freya, the oldest of the Bergman Brothers, and her husband Aiden. After almost ten years of marriage, they are falling apart by trying to protect the other instead of expressing their worries, making the wall between them higher and higher. Until Freya is done, and they have to face the reality: they love each other, but their marriage is dying.
Aiden stole my heart since the first chapter by showing his pure love for Freya. After experiencing in his own flesh how hard it is to live in poverty, he doesn’t want the baby they are planning to have to ever starve. So he decides to show Freya his love by working hard on a new project that could make money for their kids, making his anxiety worse in the process. Only that he forgot to explain his anxiety to her, or what he is working on, or that Freya needs him by her side, instead of him working twenty-four-seven and always on the phone.
Of course, he is not the only one to blame. Freya, who always carries her heart on her sleeve, forgot that expressing feelings is not as easy for other people. Forgot to tell him she was hurting, that she needed him.
Reading this book was as heartbreaking as it was hopeful, because you could see how much they loved each other, even if they weren’t talking to each other, and wish they solve their differences so that they could be together again.
“We can’t possibly hope to always live ‘happily’. But ‘ever after’? That we can hope for and choose. You're that person, for me. You’re my ever after.”
Every feeling, thought and problem felt so real I was completely absorbed by the story. While I liked Freya, Aiden’s anxiety and fears were the ones that touched me the most. I could see how everything his brain was telling him was wrong, how he was showing love the wrong way, all his flaws and insecurities, and only made me want to hug him and make Freya to forgive him because damn, it hurted so much. He was just trying to do what he thought was best.
“What if I put it on your mind, showed you how invested I was, then I failed?” “Then you’d have pursued a dream and tried and failed and learned something, and I’d be there for you.”
But not every part of the book was angsty and emotional. Chloe Liese masterfully balanced the marriage-crisis with happy scenes of them before and loads of Bergman family content. I loved both sides of the book so much I wanted to highlight the whole book. The dynamics between the Begmans are so good I’d read books only about them, not romance needed, just them being the loudest, craziest, best family ever. My only problem is that choosing a favorite is mission impossible. Ren is perfect (probably too good to be true, but if he was real I’d marry him in a heartbeat), Frankie’s dry humor is unbeatable:
Ren stares at babies like I stare at burgers -like there’s never enough of them and they’re vital to existence.
Ziggy’s love for books would make her my best friend, Axel and Ronney’s chemistry and sexual frustration is killing me and Viggo comes quoting Lisa Kleypas and making all his brother shut up with his words:
Struggling will never make you less of a man or less of a husband to Freya. Struggling means you’ve been brave. It means you’re showing up to life and trying. And that’s enough, man.”
Now it’s when I try to be objective and find possible critics to the story... Sorry, I can’t think of any. If you love the Bergamn Brothers, marriage crisis trope and a realistic romance with fun and hard parts, I don’t know how you won't enjoy this one.
Tic-Tac-Mistletoe is the perfect book if you love cheesy Christmas movies with the sweetest meet cute between soul mates that always ends up in a capiTic-Tac-Mistletoe is the perfect book if you love cheesy Christmas movies with the sweetest meet cute between soul mates that always ends up in a capital HEA. It was light, funny and everything I needed to forget about real life for a moment.
Hardbridge is exactly like the towns in these kind of movies books: full of snow and lights, all decorated for Christmas and where everyone knows everyone. But there aren’t a lot of gay men in a tiny place like Hardbridge and Ren has resigned himself to a life being alone. This Christmas hurts more than ever: it’s the first one without his father.
Until an Aussie guy crashes next to his house and, with the roads closed and no Internet because of the weather, Ren welcomes him to his home. He doesn’t need a lot of time to realize that Hamish is what he’s been waiting for all long. If only he had enough time to show him they are perfect together.
As you can probably imagine, Tic-Tac-Mistletoe is not slow-burn, but Ren and Hamish were soul mates and you’d want them to kiss since the very first page. Hamish was a ray of light: charming and fun, while Ren’s kindness and loneliness touched my heart. He only wanted someone to hug, to make him happy, to share a life with. Ren had so much love to give and Hamish deserved every bit of it.
“I like him. He’s such a nice guy. He’s genuine. Do you know how hard it is to find that in a guy?” “I’m a heterosexual woman. So yes, I do know how hard that is.”
Overall, Tic-Tac-Mistletoe was a cute Chritsmas story that will make you smile and sigh. Was it too cheesy and unrealistic? Probably, but it warmed my heart. Books like this one are the best remedy to scape reality and just enjoy reading.
As a side note, the cover fits the story so perfectly! I pictured Hamish exactly like that!
Savage Rivals is a MM enemies to lovers romance between two football players of rival high schools.
I picked up Savage Rivals right after reading LlaksSavage Rivals is a MM enemies to lovers romance between two football players of rival high schools.
I picked up Savage Rivals right after reading Llakshmi’s review and only needed this line (4%) to decide this was going to be fun:
The bastard started it first. Calling me 'Ten' the very first time we'd played against each other. All because I refused to shake his hand in the prematch ritual, and I'd only done that because the look he'd given me.
While I’m in the minority who is not really into this kind of super unrealistic hate to love, I just couldn’t stop reading this ridiculous source of happiness. I laughed and rolled my eyes because half of the scenes in the beginning would never happen in a real world setting (*first/second time they kissed*) but it was so entertaining I didn’t mind as I usually do. The only thing I wish is that the characters felt a bit different, because with some exceptions, if someone deleted the names on a scene I could never know who is who....more
Please don’t hate me. I’ve just met the most bittersweet book of my whole year.
I skipped the first book in the series because I’ve read reviews about Please don’t hate me. I’ve just met the most bittersweet book of my whole year.
I skipped the first book in the series because I’ve read reviews about what the author did… only to end up having the same problem with the second one. Karma is a bitch.
I’ll be short because two days have passed and I’m still pissed at that ending. I loved the first 50%: the slow burn, the greatest cast of friends, the most awkwardly cute heroine, the hero who seemed coherent and gentlemanly, the wonderful sibling relationship (Cory, you are the brother every girl needs). I was prepared to give the story a solid four stars for the smiles, the laughs and how much I loved Milly (h).
In my gut, I knew something was going to go wrong when I got to the 50% of the book and the romance was pretty much done. I only needed a couple of sweet chapters and an epilogue to go to bed with the widest of the smiles. I should have closed the book before it stabbed my balloon of happiness.
The major reason why I’m angry it’s because the drama was not necessary. The relationship between Carson and Milly didn’t grow, it just stopped dead and then came back to life like it had never been killed. It was not realistic and it didn’t have any depth.
To be honest, I was expecting what happened to Carson’s dad, probably because it was the easiest way to create a soap opera out of nothing. And that’s exactly what I felt: nothing. I haven’t even met the character, how am I supposed to care? The way everything was put there only as an excuse to make Carson turn angry again, in the most OTT way possible. At first I was annoyed at Milly not being there for him, but after everything she did for him? He didn’t deserve her at all. I went from a 4 star reading to fighting for not dnfing it. Being through something as terrible as losing a father is still no excuse to behave like Carson did for over a year. I’m not saying he couldn’t feel guilty, lost or depressed, but the way it was written only reflected how plain the character was. (hide spoiler)]
For those who have read the series, is there any book that doesn’t have unnecessary drama at the end? I really liked the first part of this one...
Cute and sweet, Outrageously in Love is my favourite surprise this year. A romance between two nerds falling in love via Star Wars and Harry Potter quCute and sweet, Outrageously in Love is my favourite surprise this year. A romance between two nerds falling in love via Star Wars and Harry Potter quotes, full of complications that don’t let them be together despite all the chemistry in the air and a wonderful cast of side characters.
“What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done? Surely, you’ve done something?” “Harriet? Are you kidding? She spends all of her time with her nose in a book. Her hero is Hermione Granger. Her idea of doing something wild would be returning a library book after a due date.” For one, I don’t return books late. And two, I’m not that boring. Am I?
Harriet lives her life buried in books, afraid of the world outside. Encouraged by her friends, she decides to change and be more adventurous, to become Harriet 2.0 who is not afraid of anything. Harriet 2.0 is the one who flies from New Zealand to New York to go to her sister’s wedding and ends up having sex with a stranger in the bathroom on the plane.
Harriet 2.0 is also the one to blame when it turns out the stranger is none other than Luke, the best man and brother of her soon-to-be brother-in-law. Now they have to work together to plan the wedding, no touching, no flirting and, under no circumstances, falling in love.
This book is the perfect mix for someone who loves a nerd hero and a bookworm heroine who is really easy to connect to. I love that both of them are flawed characters that have a great development during the story, facing their fears and pursuing their dreams. Harriet suffers anxiety after being bullied in high school and spends her days reading because she’s too afraid of getting hurt. Luke is still trying to make his father proud, even if the only way is destroying his happiness in the process.
“Stop.” Luke holds up a hand, pressing his eyes shut as though he’s in pain. “You have to stop quoting Stars Wars to me.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s torturing me, Harriet.”
Jen Morris masterfully captured how perfect they are together. Harriet and Luke complement each other like they were made to be together and it feels like that since the very first time they meet. There were so many adorable scenes of their daily life where I wanted to lose myself and never came back!
His gaze drifts down my body. “Damn, you look hot in my shirt.” I hide my grin behind my coffee cup. “I made pancakes.” Nobody has ever made me pancakes. Nobody’s ever made me breakfast. I take a big sip of coffee, trying to pretend that it doesn't make me ridiculously happy. “Sounds good.” “Are you hungry?” He says, stepping closer. “I’m starving.” I run my tongue out over my bottom lip. Luke’s eyes linger on my mouth, the espresso-colored irises turning an inky black. “Good.” I think he ‘s fighting the urge to kiss me, and it makes me hot all over. “Luke,” I say, closing the gap between us, bringing my mouth an inch from his. “Yeah?” He chokes up. “I want some pancakes.”
The side characters were amazing. My favourite was Geoff, Harriet’s friend, who was the most beautiful, kindest person the world has seen. Can I have a book about him, pretty please? I also loved the way Jen Morris resolved the conflict at the end. I’m not going to spoil anything, but they both fighted for their love and it was beautiful to see both sides trying to make things right.
The only critique I have is that the ex wife of the hero in the second book -which I haven’t read yet-, appears here too and it was the typical Disney villain who lives to make the others' life hell. I found it completely out of place in a book where the characters were so flesh out. I’d also have enjoyed a dual POV, but at least the epilogue is in the hero’s POV!!
“Shh,” he whispers between chaste kisses. “I’m trying to kiss you.” Oh, I know what will do the trick. I’ll channel Yoda. “Do or do not, there is no tr-” “Don’t.” He puts a finger over my lips, a sexy grin tilting his mouth. “If you keep that up, I’ll fall in love with you.”
Overall, I really enjoyed the book - I may have found a new favourite author. I truly recommend giving it a try if you are looking for a sweet romance that will make you smile, characters who make mistakes but learn from them and the most nerdy-perfect couple you’ll find -but who are also spicy when they need to be ;)
Thank you so much Apoorva!! I wouldn't have discover this book if it wasn't for you ...more
Dune is a sci-fi classic full of great ideas but questionable execution.
First, I watched the film before reading the book, which is probably the reasoDune is a sci-fi classic full of great ideas but questionable execution.
First, I watched the film before reading the book, which is probably the reason why I liked the book and didn’t dnf it. The way the story is told, specially in the beginning, would have made everything too confusing to continue. There are scenes that needed more explanation, unnecessary paragraphs and repeated inner monologues of the characters that got tiresome. I understand repetition as a way to highlight an emotion, but if you do it all the time it loses its effect. There are important scenes which could have been written to show how crucial they were -as they did in the movie-, but you can miss them while reading because the author barely wasted a sentence in them. It was also curious the fact that there was barely any war scene, they were mostly off-page. You know someone is attacking and, next thing you read, they have lost and there is nothing to do other than run.
However, my main problem were the characters. I cheated here and kept thinking about the characters in the movie, which I loved, because in the book most of them were poorly portrayed and lacking depth, which made connecting with them a challenge.
The bright side are the sci-fi elements -original even sixty years later-, and all the different cultures, especially the Bene Gesserit. There aren’t a lot of descriptions, which at least makes the book quite easy to read after getting used to the poor writing.
In short, I think Dune needed to be heavily edited in order to balance the masterfull ideas with the execution. I don’t know if I could recommend it. I liked it because I loved the movie and enjoyed knowing more details about Dune, but otherwise I don’t think I’d have endured the reading.
Bossy is a sexy romance full of teasing with confident, likeable characters that weren’t looking for love and ended up falling at light speed.
When MicBossy is a sexy romance full of teasing with confident, likeable characters that weren’t looking for love and ended up falling at light speed.
When Michael and Bryson meet in a pub, it’s immediate chemistry. No names exchanged, no personal information, just sex. But one night isn’t enough, so they decide to try again. And again. And again. Until there is not only sex anymore.
“He set the bar pretty high. Not sure he’s gonna keep it going, to be honest.”
“Three times in one night, huh? He sounds amazing.”
“Well, I don’t know if I’d go that far. He’s a bit of a smart-arse, and he thinks he’s funny.”
“He sounds hilarious. Thought about that ‘three times in one night’ thing. Perhaps you should tell him that twice is fine.”
“Nah, I’ll keep the three times, thanks. Just between you and me, I’d settle for once. But I’m not going to tell him that.”
He chuckled. “Just once?”
“Believe me, he’s that good.”
I’m not usually into one-night stand romances - I prefer my slow-burn- so I clearly didn’t expect to love Bossy so much. It was probably too perfect to be real? Yes, but I didn’t really care. I was too busy falling in love with Bryson and Michael almost as fast as they were falling for each other.
He headed for a dark alley, and I started to worry… until he laughed and took my hand. “You’ll love it, I promise.” To be honest, I didn’t care anymore because… he was holding my hand.
As always, N.R.Walker created a great set of side characters and family issues that added a tiny bit of drama without being too much for a light romance. I’ve been binge-reading her books and Bossy, next to Red Dirt Heart, are my favourites. I don’t know why, but there is something about the way she writes that just works for me. If you enjoy light MM romances, I truly recommend giving her a try. She's the best. The only problem is that you might end up like Bryson's friend:
“Oh, Christ, would you stop it. I’m committed to the single life and you two are killing me. I don’t need a girlfriend(BF). I don’t. Absolutely do not.”
(Reread) Dearest Milton James is one of my favourite stories by NR Walker. It's fun, light, sweet, heartwarming and addicting. There is nothing I woul(Reread) Dearest Milton James is one of my favourite stories by NR Walker. It's fun, light, sweet, heartwarming and addicting. There is nothing I would change and I adore every character.
"Why do I make you nervous?" "Oh, no reason. I don't know. Because you're my boss and I don't want you to fire me. I like my job here, and I'm always nervous around people I find attractive-" Oh hell, I did not just say that. Stop talking, Malachi, stop talking, stop fucking talking."-so it's not even really my fault. I am the victim here."
The main character, Malachi, is a ray of light who is impossible not to love and Julian is the kind of guy everyone would like to be with. He is loyal, kind and always treats Malachi like the prince he is. I would never get bored with them!
"Can you see me without your glasses?" Julian smiled. "Yes. You're the most beautiful blur I've ever seen."
NR Walker always writes great side characters, but this time they are even more epic. It felt like they were family rather than co-workers and the dynamics between them were as good as the romance itself.
"Every time he comes out of his office he looks at your desk first. He looks for you first." "He does not." She squinted at me. "Your smile is a little frightening. Could you turn the wattage down a bit? I have sensitive retinas."
───────◇───────
"Julian is one hundred per cent not my type but perfect in every way." "Malachi, your type, until now, has been the emotionally unavailable, braindead muscle guys who want nothing but a quick fuck. I'm glad this guy is not your type. Nothing would make me happier if you started dating a guy who was the opposite of your type."
Last but not least, the sideplot was great. There was something so charming about trying to find the author of some love letters that were lost in the mail fifty years ago -and the letters were beautiful!...more
Code Red is an emotional MM romance between bad boy Maddox, the lead vocalist of the trendiest band of the moment, and his manager, Roscoe.
I really apCode Red is an emotional MM romance between bad boy Maddox, the lead vocalist of the trendiest band of the moment, and his manager, Roscoe.
I really appreciate that this is the first romance I read about a famous band where neither of the members have problems with drugs/alcohol. That doesn’t mean they don’t feel the pressure. In fact, Code Red centers around Maddox mental health. You can see how he is getting worse but doesn’t want to fail the other members of the band and their fans, so he continues even though he’s losing the battle, trying to use Roscoe as his lifesaver.
“I want to dream of you,” he whispered. “Where the world can’t touch us, where time can’t betray me. Where your smile lives on forever. That’s where I’ll be. Where love still lingers, I want to dream of you and me.”
Although there were fun moments, especially between the members of the band, Code Red is not light as other books by the author. The writing lets you understand what Maddox is going through: the loneliness, the anxiety, the desperation. It was emotional and heartbreaking, more focused on the feelings between each other than the sex life -not saying there wasn’t any.
Maddox searched my eyes for the longest time, and then he sang in a near whisper, melodic and haunting.
“I am lost in oceans of blue endless waves that pull me under depths I’ve never known
Oceans of blue in a storm of you may the stars above guide us, may your lighthouse bring me home.”
I damn near could have cried.
“You have the bluest eyes,” he said. “I dreamed of getting lost in your eyes. I dreamed that one day you’d look at me like you’re looking at me right now.”
The relationship between Maddox and Roscoe was precious. I loved seeing them together, even though it bothered me a little that they already had feelings for each other when the book started, so it felt like the first part was missing. I think I’d like to have at least a small prologue with the first time they talked or something like that. My other issue was that the last part felt a bit rushed. I’d enjoy a longer epilogue -maybe a sequel? I felt it was more to say.
“I forgot what this felt like,” Maddox admitted, playing a few chords on this guitar. “Just to be me. I don’t even know who I am anymore. Not really. But when I’m with you… I think I feel like me when I’m with you.”
Overall, Code Red is a MM music-romance that deals with mental health, with two beautiful men, hilarious side characters and the greatest lyrics -how much I wish we could listen to the songs!
When the lights are too bright when the night is too dark when you look at me like that you start a wildfire with just one, just one spark
(baby, baby)
the sirens cut the night and I’m losing the fight you hold my hand and everything is alright
I need you to believe me I need you to see me no one knows me like you do no one knows me like you do no one know how you saved me
(somebody call it, somebody please) code red I’m falling code red I’m falling in love with you...more
Note: Since the books are really short, I’m reviewing the entire trilogy at once. There aren't any spoilers for books one and two.
“You know what a Note: Since the books are really short, I’m reviewing the entire trilogy at once. There aren't any spoilers for books one and two.
“You know what a sense of place is?” Cooper nodded. “It’s when the place you’re in feels like home. Where you’re at peace. () Is this place?” “No. You’re my sense of place, Cooper.”
Thomas Elkin series is the first age-gap romance with best friend’s dad trope I’m able to finish -and I LOVED it.
Cooper is twenty years younger than Tom, yet I'd be the first defensor of their relationship. They have won my heart by showing me how perfect they are for each other, despite the age difference.
“It wasn’t his age that I was interested in. It was the fact we’d spend hours talking about anything and everything, like I’d met my intellectual match.”
Maybe it’s due to the lack of daddy kink, or the fact that Cooper is always teasing Tom about his age, but I want to think it’s because N. R. Walker was able to make crystal clear that their minds align like they belonged together.
“No jokes about the elderly?” I asked as we got to the elevator. “Yesterday you were full of cheek about my age.” “Can you remember yesterday?” he asked, wide-eyed. “Your medication must really work.”
I could spend all day reading about these two. I’ve read a lot of books by N.R.Walker and they are in my top 3 of favourite couples. Cooper is sassy, blunt and funny, while Tom is more quiet, a true gentleman, but with the same sense of humour. I could see how happy they are making each other, how Cooper brought Tom back to life, how Cooper felt at home when he was with Tom.
“I’m in love with you, Cooper. You drive me crazy some days, and you challenge everything I say, but you’ve breathed life into me. I never expected someone could understand me like you do.”
I truly recommend this series if you want a great romance with sexy scenes, a lot of teasing and wonderful main and side characters. Since I don’t like age-gap and loved these two, I think it’s worth a try even it if you are not really into it -if you enjoy it, what are you waiting for??
“He makes you happy. I’ve never seen you so happy. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks or says. It’s about you.”
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