Not really what I had in mind. I went into this hoping it would be like that Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves movie, no not Speed (my absolute fave), INot really what I had in mind. I went into this hoping it would be like that Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves movie, no not Speed (my absolute fave), I'm referring to The Lake House. Where two people end up living in the same house but in different years and communicating through letters back and forth and falling in love. Intriguing right? The blurb really reminded me of that and lured me in. Did that happen here? Eh. Not really. I wouldn't really label this book as a true "romance" since the romance felt very secondary to the heroine's grief over losing her Aunt Analea and the ins and outs of her career as a book publicist. Aunt Analea died 6 months ago but she very much felt like a whole character and third wheel in this book for me. This felt more like Contemporary Fiction because of that, 65% of it at least did because the author bogged the book down with so much mundane information that added nothing to the overall story and had nothing to do with the romance between our leads Clementine West and Iwan Ashton.
“Universal truths in butter. Secrets folded into the dough. Poetry in the spices. Romance in a chocolate. Love in a lemon pie.”
My biggest issue was the writing. It's very idealistic and dreamy but also incredibly repetitive. From the constant focus on the mundane office happenings at her work, to detailed descriptions of her building, to hanging out with her friends, to what is in everyone's office cubicle, this took verbal foot dragging to a whole new level. So much time is spent on Clementine reminiscing about her late Aunt and their adventures together and apart, her Aunt's love life and the many anecdotes of Clementine traveling across the world with her. I'm pretty sure I was told the same 3 travel stories at least 6 times through the book. Why was this even necessary? And the constant referencing of food, my g-d. I can't even call it food porn. The descriptions of food, the weird food analogies/metaphors, the restaurants and street vendors the heroine and her friends eat at, what the heroine would order every year for her Birthday, what the hero puts on his menu, etc. yada yada. It was just endless. This is my first read by Ashley Poston and her prose is definitely idealistic but with a heavy dose of cynicism and grief mixed in. The writing here just takes itself too seriously. The whole "disillusioned millennial" heroine is not my jam. Poston loves her some poetry, as in *literally* loves it. I needed her to find another word for "poetry". I mean even the sex scene which is very brief and PG, was heaped in purple overtones that made my whole body cringe:
He tore the condom wrapper open with his teeth—which was so much sexier than I thought it could be—and put it on before he slowly, savoring me, slipped himself inside of me, murmuring psalms of my body as he traveled it, and I knew I was falling.
“Alessione,” he breathed into my throat. My heart turned over at the pet version of my name, one Italians used in fondness. I swallo
4.75 stars
“Alessione,” he breathed into my throat. My heart turned over at the pet version of my name, one Italians used in fondness. I swallowed hard, suddenly unable to speak. I kept perfectly still, soaking in his attention like a plant starved of rain.
Too lazy to do a full review. Here are just some scattered thoughts while reading of what worked and what didn't for me.
-Nash and Lina made3.75 stars
Too lazy to do a full review. Here are just some scattered thoughts while reading of what worked and what didn't for me.
-Nash and Lina made a cute couple. Did they excite me? No, not really but they were cute. To be honest I started to mentally check out at the 40% mark which is pretty early on. This is not a bad book and I would still recommend it but compared to Book 1 this didn't really hold up in comparison as far as high stakes. I needed more from the plot and the couple. The secrecy surrounding Lina's occupation and why she showed up in town felt kind of overblown for what it was. (view spoiler)[ All that secrecy and hush hush over looking for a stolen car? Really?? Snooze. (hide spoiler)] I did like her backstory about her heart condition and how she connected with Nash through his struggle with severe panic attacks. And yes that bonus epilogue was touching and insanely sweet. Probably my favorite epilogue that Score has written so far because I'll be honest I don't love when books flash forward so far into the future in epilogues.
-Knox and Naomi stole the spotlight for me still. I was cracking up in his scenes. He's so ridiculous and unintentionally hilarious. And their wedding with that moment between Knox and Waylay? Ugh my heart. ...more
I was in a shit mood after a shit night’s sleep. Both of which I blamed on Naomi “Flowers in her Fucking Hair” Witt.
Adorable, funny, engag
I was in a shit mood after a shit night’s sleep. Both of which I blamed on Naomi “Flowers in her Fucking Hair” Witt.
Adorable, funny, engaging CR read that reminded me a lot of Susan Elizabeth Phillips in her prime. The grouchy asshole hero with a soft protective underbelly, the runaway bride heroine ending up stuck in a small town and saddled with a 10 year old niece she didn't even know existed. Naomi the good twin and Knox the grouchy next door neighbor with the permanent scowl just made for a recipe of yummy fun. I just adored these two butting heads and seeing a giant man in both presence and personality crumble to his knees for the heroine with a "fancy vocabulary". The grumpy "Viking" and sunshine "Daisy" made for a great team.
If you are a fan of SEP, I recommend this. It had that old school CR vibe that I love in both emotions and angst and conflict. My only hang up for why this didn't reach that 5 star status is I wish the second half lived up to the excitement and pacing as the first half. The breakup and aftermath just dragged on for a little too long for my liking. Also kind of bummed and irked that the hero's brother Nash is getting paired up with his brother's ex. ...more
For a Paranormal romance this was colorful and light but some things fell a little flat for me. It's definitely on the lighter side as far as angst anFor a Paranormal romance this was colorful and light but some things fell a little flat for me. It's definitely on the lighter side as far as angst and plot. I had high hopes for this since I've been dying to stretch my wings in the PR world and heard so much about this series in particular. For one thing I felt this was more NA than adult Paranormal, in tone and how the characters acted. Which isn't necessarily a huge negative (unless it's super glaring) but considering these are 300+ year old vampires/fully adult supernatural beings it did feel a little off. The 37 year old heroine sounded like a naive sheltered 20 year old. The heroine Isadora and her sisters are powerful witches with varying skills but they acted green in quite a few things about their own world and other supernaturals, especially Jules the oldest sister and Enforcer of their district. As an Enforcer Jules oversees everything and supposed to keep all supernaturals in her district of New Orleans in check. And yet she had no idea a vampire's bite can be addictive. She dated a powerful vampire overlord but didn't know this? O_o That made zero sense. Isadora couldn't seem to understand how the hero a Stygorn vampire had super sonic hearing and could overhear conversations in a room, etc. At first I thought she was being deliberately obtuse for laughs but no she really doesn't understand or know that he has a heightened sense of hearing. Shouldn't these ladies know more about the supernatural world they live in? There was just a lot of inconsistencies. And the glamour thing. Glamour is what vampires use to entice/seduce someone, to persuade someone to do something, to wipe memory, to move at lightning speed, to create illusions, etc. So on and so on. All of that is considered glamour. I felt it was too broad a term to describe all the varying and wide range of skills these vampires had. "Tracing" from one place to another is not glamour in my mind.
When I think glamour I think this: [image] [image] [image]
This is Juliette Cross's world and I'm just visiting but I felt her world building wasn't fleshed out in places it needed to be or contradicted itself at times. The Savoi sisters and their wide-eyed inexperience for one. Supernaturals and humans coexisting ....sort of? Some humans are aware of supernatural existence and cool with it while others are oblivious to it, some establishments are literally built around that. How does that even work? That's maybe explained better in Book 1 which I didn't read. The mystery subplot of human women going missing also really wasn't as exciting and just took up page time. It really wasn't much of a mystery for one thing.
I did love that Cross had a blend of varying supernaturals living in the same world: witches, Grims, Werewolves, vampires. That made it fun. It kind of reminded me of a paranormal Zootopia just minus the class divisions. I loved that you get diverse characters as well. Which comes to the highlight of the book and the lowlight that made this a mixed bag for me. The hero, Devraj Kumar is an ex-Bollywood actor, 300 year old Indian Stygorn warrior vampire. He was absolutely delicious. [image] Major points and snaps there. He's an alpha hero but total Beta material in how sweet, gentle and considerate he is. I loved his backstory and that he's a practicing Hindu. The fact that he was turned into a vampire at a young age I found intriguing and surprising. Another interesting element to Cross's world. The guilt he carried over having to drink blood when he first turned and trying to hide it from his mother I thought was very compelling and gave this character weight and nuance. On the flip side, where the hero was fully fleshed out, dynamic and layered the heroine was....not.
I found the heroine Isadora so flat in comparison and I just struggled to connect with her unfortunately. On paper I usually adore shy, socially awkward, introvert heroines but I just couldn't click with her and her grumpiness. I don't do well with grumpy heroines. :/ She's an introvert who likes her quiet time and space and doesn't like interacting a lot with people and as a fellow introvert I get that but she just irritated me even when the author tried to make her likable. She loves plants and spending time in her greenhouse creating herbal remedies to sell at her shop and stops by the animal shelter but even so I struggled. Her unreasonable dislike and judgement of Devraj at the beginning felt a little overblown and extreme. Their meet cute was him hitting her with his car and he does everything to get her to forgive him. Once they get over that hurdle she was more tolerable but she just never wowed me for some reason. She also felt extremely underdrawn in comparison to the hero. All I could picture of Isadora was green eyes and blond hair. You get detailed obsessive depiction of the hero, down to his trimmed beard, long thick hair, his silver ring and mother's bracelet, stacked muscles and pierced tongue. But quiet Isadora is a hazy undefined blob in a summer dress. :/ I almost want to say she didn't have much of a personality outside of her standoffish demeanor and shyness. So that's what made this disappointing for me mostly, when you can't click with one or both of the main characters then it's hard to buy into the romance or chemistry. The sex scenes were steamy but overall I wanted more.
The only sister that intrigued me was Clara and that interesting snippet between the 2 guys Charlie and JJ. So I'll probably try the novella and wait for Clara's book if I'm in the mood. But overall this felt like a miss when I wanted it to be a hit like it was for everyone else. :( I'm clearly in the extreme extreme minority on this one....more
I won’t mince words: it offends me that you are so committed to your first impression of me, while my impression of you has not stopped evolvi
I won’t mince words: it offends me that you are so committed to your first impression of me, while my impression of you has not stopped evolving.
Really cute modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice with a colorful mix of characters to make up Liz Bennett's found family. Vanessa King did a great job putting her own spin on the classic story while keeping the bones of the much beloved source material. Darcy's letter? *clutches heart* Yes. This is set in the Burlesque world and as much as I loved that I do wish the last 20% wasn't heavily focused on all the club drama and ins and outs of interior design and what not. P&P is obviously a slow burn much as it is here, but I felt at times the romance took a bit of a back seat to Bennet's BFF Jane's love woes and their burlesque club drama. It does get a bit long winded in some parts with the meticulous detailing in stage performances and the heroine juggling between her day job, burlesque shows on the weekends and her passion for interior design. You can really feel the author's own heart and passion in the writing with her background in the Burlesque world and it shows here. The writing is very strong with the feminist theme that is very loud (which does tip to the preachy side at times for me personally). King's hand at cheeky humor is charming and hilarious without trying hard. For her debut novel this is impressive.
“So this is your opinion of me?” he says, the words coated with bitterness. We are so, so close. His focus lands on my lips. My face is on fire. “Forgive me, then,” he says, eyes still low on my face. “For wasting so much of your time.”
This pretty much follows the original plot and even nice nods in the dialogue as well which had me grinning ear to ear. This is a nice easy read with no deviation or ugly surprises for those who are diehard P&P fans. This was a really fun romp and I recommend it!
His name stirs the anxious new breed of butterflies twitching in my midsection. Darcy hornimus, if I had to classify them.
I trace the five letters above his signature. I’ve been wrong about so much. And I couldn’t be happier about it.
She shook her head. “You magnificent man. Full of protective instincts and a need to sacrifice your happiness. Truly, someone should
2.75 stars
She shook her head. “You magnificent man. Full of protective instincts and a need to sacrifice your happiness. Truly, someone should put you in a novel.”
1. I enjoyed Caleb and Sesily for the most part. Caleb was sexy and broody and this picked up where they left off in Sera's book so the pining and angst felt real and believable. I honestly was expecting the romance and the hero to be completely drowned out with the laborious writing and Hell's Belles plot. I didn't notice the overwrought repetitive writing until the 80% mark which for a SM book feels like a Herculean effort. But even so, this had problems which kept taking me out of the story. The last 20% especially was really hard to get through and had me wishing they would just get on with the HEA.
2. This was Charlie’s Angels. Literally. Not going to beat around the bush. [image] I saw what MacLean was trying to do here. A powerful wealthy young Duchess recruiting 3 young "odd misfits" ladies each for their unusual skills to help women in dire situations involving abusive men. Where those skills come from and how they came about it I have no idea it's not really delved into or explained here beyond a passing "training" mention under the Duchess's tutelage 2 years prior. They do their missions undercover at balls and go out of their way to cover their exploits using the Duchess's long reach of connections. The idea is fun but the execution leaves something to be desired. I would have enjoyed this more if the writing wasn't so pretentious and preachy in it's delivery. That for me was this book's downfall.
The Duchess of Trevescan, with money and power to spare. Adelaide Frampton, whom the entire world seemed to think was a simpering wallflower but was able to wield a blade without trouble. Imogen Loveless, who’d knocked a bruiser out with a concoction Caleb never wanted to be on the receiving end of. Maggie, who had eyes everywhere. The others. And Sesily, like a fucking goddess, up on the bar, red skirts gleaming in the lanternlight, smile on her face and quip on her tongue as she cracked a Bully Boy over the head with a table leg like she was playing shuttlecock. It was a crew if he’d ever seen one. A revolution, clad in rouge and silk.
[image]
MacLean tries so hard to deliver her message that it's as subtle as a two-by-four being hit over your head repeatedly with all the virtue signaling in the writing. She tries so hard to preach things to you as if going down a checklist that the story gets away from her. It's doing too much all in one book which feels unnecessary. And the Hell's Belles gang skills felt oddly skimmed over and not fleshed out. Like why does Imogen love blowing things up and how did she learn that? She's carrying a carpet bag with gun powder and just knows how to drug men and quite bloodthirsty about it, same with Adelaide who transports bodies in a fancy modified carriage. Misfits or not, these are girls from society so the set up for how they came to be so skillful and how they execute their missions is not really there and felt skimmed over. Everything is about how rowdy, unfazed and hilariously "mayhem" these girls are and always get the job done. But aside from the bar fight and rescuing Caleb we don't really see much else beyond that. One of the girls is even described as a con artist and another a spymaster and I'm not even sure which is what or how. Con artist? Where? Cause I didn't see that here. It feels like a lot more telling and showboating then actually showing.
3. Yes this was anachronistic but more so in tone and message. There's a reason I stopped reading her work after Seraphina's book The Day of the Duchess where the romance took a back seat to the heroine spouting lessons on sexism and how men need to watch out cause women are the future. And MacLean managed to make Sera even more pretentious and preachy in here with her bulldog obsession in wanting to know if Caleb slept with her sister like it's no big deal because Sesily is "A GROWN WOMAN OF THIRTY™" who can take care of herself. In case you missed it the first 30 times it's mentioned in this book.
“You really aren’t playing the doting older brother role well, Sera,” he replied. “You ought to remember that generally they don’t insult the honor of their sisters quite so readily.” “And again! So droll!” Seraphina said before adding, matter-of-factly, “I’m not playing some archaic role; Sesily can take care of her own honor.” It was Caleb’s turn to be surprised. “She’s a grown woman and more than capable of taking a lover safely.”
Yes because women in 1838 London were equipped with all ways of protecting their own honor much less having siblings and best friends obsessing over their "swiving" skills like it's their business to air out. In what world or era is this even considered normal or decent? It's scenes like this that just made you want to roll your eyes instead of fist pump. But I digress. If you’ve read Tessa Dare or Maya Roydale then you are familiar with anachronistic writing. And most of which isn't intentional. Here, it feels very deliberate. Taking modern topical subjects and punching it into a historical setting. And that's fine, but I prefer more finesse. Yes it's fiction. Yes authors have creative license to tweak things and be creative with themes but when you feel like you are being yelled at from soap box on every few pages from every. single. character. then that's when it's no longer realistic and more of a distraction. People can debate this to their heart's content but you will never convince me this is even remotely realistic for a historical:
And every woman in attendance knew that this party was to be kept secret. The duchess ensured it, by making sure every woman in attendance had access to more than the party. Every guest had access to freedom. On these evenings, just inside the rear entrance to Trevescan House, accessible to all who passed, was an ancient, chipped soup tureen, dug out from the dark corners of the Trevescan kitchen and filled with money. There were no rules for borrowing from the tureen—there were no limits to the amount that could be taken, nor was it required that funds be returned. Instead, the money was available to any guest who needed it. To escape a horrid employer, to help a friend in need, to find passage out of London. No questions asked. Once, Sesily had praised the duchess’s cleverness in adding payment of sorts to the women who attended her soirees, and the other woman had corrected her instantly. The money was to help, not to barter. It was not for quid pro quo, but to ease the ever-present worry that so many women had when money was not available and they were in over their heads. The duchess knew the truth: money was power.
So a rich married Duchess is just filling a tub full of cash for all the employees and servants who attend the ball to take and no one in the ton catches wind of this? Really? And every month? My my my. I very nearly DNF'ed this after that absurd scene.
To be at The Place was to be with Maggie O’Tiernen, owner and proprietress—a Black woman who’d left Ireland for London the moment she was able to build a new life, where she could live freely and embody her authentic self. In doing so, she had built one of London’s most welcoming spaces. Whoever you were, whomever you loved, whatever your journey to yourself, there was a seat for all women at The Place.
The message is beautiful but the delivery is awful. And a big part of that is Sarah’s writing style. It's laborious, obvious and trying very hard. It's so obvious it's the equivalent of characters on a show breaking the 4th wall and looking straight at the camera with a wink like "did you catch that audience?". If there is one thing I cannot stand it’s trying to sell something to me instead of showing it. I don't like to be preached at. Every scene felt like a lesson on correcting and it just takes you out of the story. To each their own, some may love this style. I don’t. Because I’ve read other HR books that delivered this exact message but with more skill and finesse where it didn’t feel like a Ted Talk from 1838. Sarah MacLean has all these ideas about women empowerment and feminism and it's great but don't shout it at me. Make it believable.
4. Feminism. I’m the last person to lecture a female author on how to go about writing feminism. To each their own. But for me? Historical Romance is feminism. Full stop. Read that again. It’s literally rooting for a woman of her time finding her happiness and going against society and social structures put against her. Where a woman has little to no personal choices or freedom but defies expectations by seeking her happiness and exploring her sexual desires. That’s feminism for me. Defying all odds and pushing against barriers for women of that time. The ingredients are all there already. Historical Romance is about escapism, I wasn’t born in that era that’s what makes it so thrilling and exotic for me as a reader and why I want to pick up a HR. But if I wanted to read about a Charlie’s Angels girl gang or Kardashian-inspired scandalous rowdy sisters or bars owned by and hosted for women then I can easily pick up a CR book for that. Clubs and taverns only exclusive to women is cool as hell but when you’re having your characters talk like it’s being read off a cue card or call to action billboard then it loses all sincerity. It feels scripted and very preachy. I want authentic. I want to read about characters who don't feel like they are talking down to you and how men are always the problem. I’m not saying people with this mindset didn’t exist back then or that it's not true. But everyone having the same exact modern mindset? No. You do not need to make all your characters and supporting cast have “revolutionary” ideas when it’s set in 1838. For me what makes HR so compelling is reading about strong females that navigated their world despite everything designed to keep them second class citizens and inferior to men. So if that barrier is taken away, if we get everyone so open minded and treated women the same as men, it ruins that. That conflict is taken away. I'm not asking for 100% accuracy but you need some semblance of characters from the 1800s and not present day 2021 preaching because when that happens the historical illusion is ruined.
So overall, not as bad as I was expecting but then again my expectations were below zero. I've read MacLean's backlist before she decided to steer her writing in a more modern direction so I knew what I was getting into with this one. For what's it's worth the idea is there and I probably would have maybe enjoyed it more if written by someone else. Adelaide standing up to a Viscount who is verbally abusive to his young wife at a dinner party was a great scene for instance. MacLean has her moments in here but her writing waterlogs her. I want to say I'm done for good but....*whispers* maybe not? For now? We'll see. Because I won't lie, Imogen and the bearded Scotland Yard Detective Thomas Peck caught my attention. They gave me serious Pippa and Cross vibes from One Good Earl Deserves a Lover. And so did that interesting scene between Adelaide and the Duke who tried to protect her. Dammit. If I try the next book, please look away. *sigh* [image]...more
As someone who's been BDB-fatigued this was a nice refresher of sorts, a nice circling back. Why it worked for me is probably because it focused on onAs someone who's been BDB-fatigued this was a nice refresher of sorts, a nice circling back. Why it worked for me is probably because it focused on one of the OG/legacy couples and it felt like a coming home. I used to be a diehard Qhuay fan so to see them finally have their mating ceremony was a nice treat for their fans. I didn't even realize they weren't mated, I thought they already were this whole time. Qhuinn has been on my shit list ever since The Chosen and I didn't think I would be able to look passed my feelings enough to enjoy this but I did. Oh he's still a hot tempered idiot but I'm glad he got the closure he did (view spoiler)[ over Luchas (hide spoiler)]. And Blay was Blay, perfect as always, if not still a little too quick to forgive Qhuinn for his selfish explosive moments but that's a gripe for another time. The one thing I will say I did feel was a little forced was Zsadist's part in this story. And I say this while completely adoring seeing him again and I ain't even complaining about it! Diehard Z fan right here! ...more
This started out good. Boone and Helania were sweet, their chemistry worked fine for the most part. The fact that Helania is a herm*Review Up*
[image]
This started out good. Boone and Helania were sweet, their chemistry worked fine for the most part. The fact that Helania is a hermit who is shy and very awkward in social settings I actually found so relatable and refreshing as hell. Haven't had a BDB heroine like that in a while or probably ever? I did love that. Although I do wish the whole "what would Isobel do?" "Isobel would have liked this" etc., was toned down a bit or overcome a little more. Seeing Butch in his element of "cop" mode to solve a murder case was nice nod to his history. And we got a José mention which I thought was bittersweet. While I do wish we got to see more of the other Brothers we rarely see outside the same rotating popular 3 in these Legacy/BDB books, Butch and V do have quite a few hilarious moments that had me literally LOLing. And the little shout out to the Aunt Agony advice column from the Newsletter was cute. I didn't think she'd put it in canon.
What made this lose some stars? The murder arc for one. Ward is not the strongest at murder reveals, well not as good anymore I should say. I've expected that. And I usually am not a stickler for things like this since I'm more focused on the romance aspect. However, I just can't justify it here considering it's what brought the hero and heroine into each other's orbits. And given how extremely hamfisted the reveal was and how it completely disregarded the plot holes and nonsensical motives just to get to a rushed ending, it bugged me. Big time. Helania's sister Isobel was one of 3 female victims murdered at a role play club and she's been trying to track down the killer for 8 months. Boone volunteers to help Butch investigate the murders at the club and the two meet there. I usually don't like to give away big spoilers like this but I need to get this out. So if you don't want to be spoiled on the ending don't read the tagged spoiler below. [image]
(view spoiler)[ Boone's household butler Marquist is the killer. Yes you read that correctly, the butler did it. His reasons for doing it are as meandering and reaching as an octopus on acid. His master (and lover) Boone's father, was ashamed that his son broke off his arranged engagement to a female from the glymera a year ago, Rochelle (a year ago?? A whole ass year? Really Ward? When did that happen?). Marquist was so incensed on his master's behalf that he went on a killing spree killing 3 females, 2 of whom had direct ties to Rochelle. Killing Rochelle herself would have "brought too much attention" is what we are given as a throwaway explanation there. Um ok...sure, Jan. Killing a bunch of random friends by association is revenge how exactly? Anyways, what makes it even more convoluted is Rochelle turns out to be Isobel's secret paramour. Who also just happens to be the same mysterious "friend" that Helania met the night her sister died and who helped her bury the body. The 3rd victim turns out to be Isobel's other BFF Mai, who Helania never met cause her hermit crab syndrome wouldn't let her. Yes that's right, our dear heroine never even thought to track down her sister's mysterious friends whom she never met or mysterious "boyfriend" for the whole 8 months she was tracking down the killer.... [image]
*crickets*
And the reason Mai was killed was because she found out the butler did it and was threatening to expose him if he didn't come forward. Because apparently threatening a measly butler who killed your best friend and who has nothing on you instead of going STRAIGHT TO THE BROTHERHOOD with that information makes so much more sense. [image] [image] It would have made more sense had she found out that Marquist was buffing more than his master's shoes and threatening to expose them if he didn't come forward so he killed her to shut her up but I guess that was too much logic for this arc. And as for the first victim who was human, he killed her because they were taking a self-defense training course together. [image]
*even more crickets*
I.....wha...What in the world does that even have to do with anything?! Make it make sense. What does any of this have to do with a called-off glymera engagement? And did I mention he raped Mai's dead body? Yes the gay lover of a glymera elder raped a female dead body. What a choice for a "twist". Instead of setting up the threads of Devina being behind it (which I still think there's a possibility of that) or having one of the mysterious friends do it you have the nosy creepy ass possessive butler go unhinged for the sake of protecting some crusty male's honor who he was fucking for how long? [image] And this is where I mention if Boone hadn't randomly volunteered to help solve this case they never would have solved who the real killer is. I mean his ex-fiance being the mysterious friend and secret lover? Come on. One too many coincidences. What’s with these weak ass endings, Ward? I’m tired. And also I have to say the fact that there was no follow up scene of Helania apologizing to Syn for accusing him of being the killer will forever bother me. Talk about choppy AF. Cause we sure as hell aren't gonna get it in the next book, not from Helania at least. Ward has a really bad knack at doing this. Her heroines always going from 0 to 180 without any hard proof and being blood thirsty rabid about it and it drives me fucking bonkers. And are we really going to just pretend that Boone going all Hannibal Lecter on that lesser just to "connect" with Syn never happened or what? Somebody is getting really sloppy here. (hide spoiler)]...more
This was cute. But stuff was just too easily glossed over and asking the reader to suspend belief too many times. I guess I wanted more excitement andThis was cute. But stuff was just too easily glossed over and asking the reader to suspend belief too many times. I guess I wanted more excitement and less insta-lust given the premise. For a fake engagement between a Royal Prince with a scandalous rap sheet a mile wide and a non-native Black woman involving a 1 year agreement I was expecting a slow burn and higher stakes not the hero realizing he's in love 2 weeks in. ...more
Only reason I caved and read this was so I could find out more about Liam's situation and Kieran getting to know hi1.5 stars
Same shit, different POV.
Only reason I caved and read this was so I could find out more about Liam's situation and Kieran getting to know his HEA, which covered only a whopping 4 pages, give or take. ...more
Yeah. Can't do it. Nope. The writing and the characters are just way too amateur and green for me. Talk about total curveDNF @ 10%. No Rating.
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Yeah. Can't do it. Nope. The writing and the characters are just way too amateur and green for me. Talk about total curveball. What a completely misleading cover and blurb! Argh. Had I known both guys are early 20s I would not have touched this. Also didn't help that Pike (awful name by the way) sounded like he's still in high school getting his kicks drinking and fast hookups. And how he's described physically is no better. #sorrynotsorry No thanks. He sounds like a teenager and it creeped me the fuck out. ...more
Wow, did I love this. I rarely, if ever, give a novella a 5 star rating. I think the last and only time I did was for Father Mine which I read ages agWow, did I love this. I rarely, if ever, give a novella a 5 star rating. I think the last and only time I did was for Father Mine which I read ages ago. So this was well deserved. I can't say enough how much I enjoy Laura Kaye's writing. She's so fearless. The fact that the hero is a bisexual and didn't hesitate at labeling himself that because of his past history just blew me away. I seriously wasn't expecting that and I didn't even know he was bi before reading this. Major kudos to Kaye for that. Caine always intrigued me from the start, the quiet stoic mystery Ravin Rider Sargent at arms. It was so great to see what makes him click in here and finally get his POV. While I really wish he got a full length book this was quite a satisfactory story. Caine McKannon was such a wonderful and intriguing mix of alpha and beta hero, so devoted and hardheaded about protecting everyone around him but such a complete vulnerable insecure softy. I didn't think it was possible for us to get to know this character's whole complicated heartbreaking backstory and show him overcoming that but I feel Kaye handled it in a convincing smart way. The fact that the story covers a month also helped paced things out nicely and not make it seem rushed in a short page count. Not only is Kaye fearless in her writing she thinks things through, she's a meticulous writer which I really appreciate. Every character has some vice or gut wrenching story of some kind but it's not used for shock factor. You can tell she does her research and has a reason for everything, she plays all her character beats really well. The (view spoiler)[LGBTQ shoutout (hide spoiler)] in here is a shining example of that. I thought him and Emma made a wonderful couple. So many sweet, adorable touching moments in here. Sexy too. Lawd, Laura Kaye really knows how to bring on the heat. Good lord. 😓😳🔥
Great read! Really bummed this series was so short but definitely going to try other Laura Kaye offerings....more
"You wouldn't bloom with me, Rakhee. You would die on the vine."
If this was longer and paced out better this could have been an 3.75 stars
"You wouldn't bloom with me, Rakhee. You would die on the vine."
If this was longer and paced out better this could have been an outstanding 5 star read for me. Ugh so many bits and pieces I loved here and why I'm bumping the rating up. This read like a Bollywood movie. The settings, the vibrancy, the culture, Hindu and Urdu dialect, the cheeky witty humor, the backstage politics in the Bollywood film industry, the discrimination as far as skin color (skin bleaching), class, religion, and sexuality, etc. She packs it all in there. However this read like a novella that just zooms and flits through things that needed to be paced out better. This story covers 8 months but it felt like 2 weeks at most. The insta-lust-love between our hero and heroine just swoops in out of nowhere so quickly that it gives you whiplash and kinda made no sense given the context of the story and heavy themes.
"I can go my whole life only knowing your eyes."
Rakhee aka "Rocky" Varma is a transplanted American-Indian actress from Chicago who has moved to Mumbai to pursue her Bollywood career as an actress. She's off to a rough start as she's a biracial American Indian who doesn't speak Hindu and very outspoken and her peers don't love that. In order to avoid the bad press she's getting she ends up staying at her costar's crumbling haveli house in Delhi with his family where his recluse older brother Taj lives. Taj Ali Khan was a once famous Bollywood action movie star but a terrible accident on a film set left him disfigured with burns on half his body and face and a missing eye. He's bitter, angry and given up hope and has a viper tongue and hides in his library and rose garden. To say these two butt heads is an understatement. But the sparks where there from the very start. Rocky is only 21 years old where Taj is 35 so their view of the world and experiences is vastly different. I loved Taj and Rocky, I just wish we got more of them. Which is why I say the insta-lust-love didn't really fit right here given the circumstances and a hero who has been a recluse for over 10 years and barely walks. I wanted more time seeing them slowly gravitate towards each other. Honestly the romance overall also felt secondary and fleeting to the drama surrounding the hero's younger brother Ashraf (Rocky's costar). (view spoiler)[Ashraf is being blackmailed by his former mentor and "godmother" Nina. And we see hints to his trauma of grooming and sexual abuse/rape by Nina who got Ashraf started in the film industry and trying to sink her claws into him again. It's clearly been going on for years and Ashraf is struggling with it. He's hiding the trauma from his family and it's painful to see. This book should come with trigger warnings as there was a suicide attempt in this. (hide spoiler)] So it's a lot for one small book and why I say I wish this was a full length book and longer than 200 pages. While this could have helped with an editor, I saw Suleikha Snyder's talent in writing witty snappy dialogue and layered characters. I also wish we got to see more of Ashraf and Kamal's feelings and budding romance play out more. I can't even call it a romance more like awakening of feelings? Which also seemed to come out of nowhere where these 2 have known each for so long and Ashraf realizing he might be gay/bisexual seems to happen overnight. But I loved them and wanted more there too. This book had a lot of great things going for it and I do recommend it. It sucks that this isn't available on kindle, I had to read this through the Libby app which sucked cause I couldn't translate any of the Hindu dialogue (something I wish Snyder was more clear on) that's sprinkled liberally throughout the dialogue. I wanted to know what your characters are saying!...more
Nice continuation of Evan & Matt's story. This pretty much touched on things that I felt were left on the table and skipped over in the 1st 3.75 stars
Nice continuation of Evan & Matt's story. This pretty much touched on things that I felt were left on the table and skipped over in the 1st book, which kinda bothered me and I found distracting there. So I'm glad Tere Michaels tackled it here. It was very much needed and helped shape and develop the relationship some more between these two characters. Evan's hang ups on not liking labels and discomfort on going public with his relationship with Matt I thought was pretty accurate and realistic. Was it frustrating? Yes. But I understood it. Like I said in my review of Book 1 a formerly heterosexual male whose only ever been in 1 serious relationship with a woman for 20 years, jumping into a relationship with a guy without missing a beat right after losing his wife is kind of extreme. No correction, it's really extreme. So I'm definitely glad Michaels delved into it more here and explored what Evan's limits were and personal hang ups were and how his own personal views needed to be shifted and expanded more. To go your whole life thinking you are heterosexual only to discover later on in life you are bisexual is sure to blow the the top off anyone's head. So I get it. There were some uncomfortable moments and a little confusing moments too with Evan's constant mental flip flopping of what he likes and doesn't like but thankfully he figures things out. And Matt was the same old Matt. He's so wonderful. I love this character so much.
My only hang up is I definitely would have liked to see more page time of these two exploring their new boundaries of intimacy considering the strife it created between them and how long it took for them to finally "get there" as Michaels kept putting it. There is plenty of sexy time in here but I wanted to see them explore that final stage some more. To have 1 short brief scene at the end with them finally going all the way was kind of a let down for me. But that's me being greedy as always. And the whole Daisy Me Bailor plot I personally could have done without, it seemed like a random unnecessary insert. I couldn't stand this vapid clingy toxic character in Jim & Griffin's book and I still can't. And I was disappointed to see how quickly Griffin forgave her. I get why Jim & Griffin were brought into this book but the yipping, dramatic, clingy ex-best friend Daisy should have been left on the editing room floor.
And speaking of sex scenes, I really wish Michaels had a better editor or just practiced being more precise and clear in her descriptions because there were quite a few moments where things weren't lining up and physically not possible if you get my drift. This was a big issue I had in the 1st book as well. The physical inconsistencies if you will are jarring. I mean the sex scenes are still extremely hot but if you describe a guy sitting on the floor in the shower with his back against a wall readers need a clearer picture on how the hell his partner is lying on top of him, flushed up plastered from shoulder to feet and going at it with his body "pumping up". And if someone is described as lying on his back then he can't magically be on his side or stomach a few lines later. It sucks to be taken out of intimate scenes but that's what happens when you aren't specific enough or gloss over certain parts or forget how you physically placed your characters. Things get muddled and don't make sense in the end....more
Since this book is split between 2 couples, who are both new to this series and not a revisit/continuation storyline from the BDB books, I’m 3.5 stars
Since this book is split between 2 couples, who are both new to this series and not a revisit/continuation storyline from the BDB books, I’m going to rate it and review it as such.
Peyton & Novo: 2.75 Stars [image] [image] These two didn't work for me. They were ok. Not bad. But just...ok. I struggled to see romantic chemistry between them. Rivals? Sure. Sparring partners with snarky comebacks? You bet. But Omg I want you so much, where have you been all my life?......Meeeh. Eh. I kept waiting to see it and feel it and I didn’t.
I went into this with an open mind and zero expectations for this couple because I didn’t have any particular feelings for them one way or the other. I was hoping they would drag me in and make me fall for them like the previous 2 couples. But unfortunately that wasn’t the case here. The main issue for me was I felt nothing was done to show me why these 2 belonged together. No new path was turned, no new insight was given, no new layer was shown or explored. Together as a couple and apart as individual characters. For Novo in particular. I didn't find her very layered. She's still a blank canvas to me. She's a replica of Xhex in my eyes, except the emotional depth and weight wasn't there. What makes her different? Why makes her unique outside of her personal tragedy? I felt her whole persona was built around the burden she carried around like a shroud and nothing else was given or explored. Yeah she's a badass. Awesome! But what makes her vulnerable? Outside of her past trauma. What makes her tick? Besides enjoying rough sex and loving to fight. See where I'm going here?
I felt the author relied too heavily on Novo's past trauma to explain everything away and fill in the blanks with this character. It didn't. A past history does not make up nor equal the entirety of a character's makeup IMO. There is a distinct difference between the two. That's why I was hoping to learn more about her and see what lies underneath all that sarcasm and impenetrable exterior. But everything was shallow beats. It’s the same schtick we get with her in the last 2 books. I still know nothing new about Novo besides her not liking emotional stuff and enjoying fighting. That's it. I don’t want to say she was two-dimensional but uh....it was close enough in some areas. And it was distracting. I mean we don’t even get to see where she lives until freaking Chapter 30. That sure as hell was strange to me. Yes, there are extenuating circumstances to why that happens so late but it still felt incredibly off. I felt like I was visiting a stranger's house. That's not a great feeling when you are well passed the halfway mark. Just saying.
I felt this character and the pairing were sitting ducks through the majority of the book where nothing happens besides one incident out in the field and they either bicker and argue or have rough awkward sex. Since the heroine stubbornly insists on keeping up the emotional roadblocks this leads to a hurried deluge of poured out emotions in the very end. Which is part of the reason why I wasn't buying the endless ILY's near the end. No matter how many times it was said. Which by the way, is such a pet peeve of mine. Why do authors do this? I really wish Ward would ease up on that. The last few chapters in her books now read more like fanfic where everyone is shitting rainbows and unicorns in expressing their endless love. Like let me say "I love you so much" 10 more times in case you missed it and don't believe me the first 3 times. It's gotta stop. Please. [image]
The humor was definitely there though. The writing was fine. I just feel this was more a personal case of “It’s not them, it’s me”. I don't know, everything about them felt very forced and cliched for me. Even the dialogue felt very deja vu. I kept fighting the urge to skim their scenes. And it really sucks when you still feel that way 70% in. ...more
There wasn’t a morning that I didn’t wake up and wonder what a lucky son of a bitch I was that she chose me.
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If I had a dol1.75 star
There wasn’t a morning that I didn’t wake up and wonder what a lucky son of a bitch I was that she chose me.
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If I had a dollar for every time this line was used in this story I'd be rich.
Don’t ask me why I even bothered with this. No, actually I'll tell you. This dumbass book made me sit through all that after-school-special mediocrity that was Con "The Hurricane" and his slut-shaming twit of a heroine just to get to this. Same issues I had with the other 2 books happened here. Suuurprise! ...more
Another fun read by J.R. Ward. I liked this better than Book 1 simply because the couple were sweeter and the side story wAxewell [image] [image] [image]
Another fun read by J.R. Ward. I liked this better than Book 1 simply because the couple were sweeter and the side story was more interesting & intense.
The things I loved: Axe & Elise: I’ll be honest I was prepared to not care for Axe’s love interest after finding out Axe’s HEA is a female, considering he’s Bi I thought Ward really passed up on the chance of a great dynamic story. I still think she passed up on something that could have been really great. But any whoozles.....I was expecting to be bored because the heroine is another aristocrat from the glymera. It’s way too similar to Craeg and Paradise. But I actually found these two sweet. Axe surprised me the most with how vulnerable, heartfelt and honest he is with Elise. He’s all bug eyed from the minute he sees her and doesn’t know what to do about it. I found it adorable and endearing. A little cliche yes but different coming from a guy like him. I also really liked the fact that an aristocratic vampire is attending college at a human University to get her PHD. I found that different, bold and refreshing. I always found it fun to see these vampires mingle with humans considering how ‘no no’ it is in their race. Ruhn: Probably the standout character out of the whole book. I LOVE HIM. I’m so excited for this new character. (view spoiler)[I do have to laugh though that another person is moving into the mansion but given the situation with Bitty I think it was a heartwarming & understandable. I was prepared to not like this guy because he was cramping on my Sax/Evhale/Eric ship fantasy. But Ward really made me like him. Like really really like him. He’s a hardworking humble commoner carpenter who is sweet, soft spoken, and draws portraits for his niece because he doesn’t know how to write. Yup, winner! I just wanted to hug him. I originally wanted someone with more of an edge for Saxton but Ruhn has won me over and my boy already seemed so taken & intrigued by him. (hide spoiler)] Lassiter: I love this guy when he's not all redundant cheesy jokes. Here? He stepped up to the plate as a guardian angel in many ways. And the incident near the end had me hollering out loud and it usually takes a lot to get me to LOL while reading. This is the kind of funny Lassiter humor that I'll take. Rhage/Mary/Bitty: The continuation and resolution of the whole Bitty adoption drama plays out here and I enjoyed every part of it. Ward really knows how to pull at the heartstrings and different ranges of emotions. I was on the edge of my seat curious/anxious/excited/nervous to see how the Uncle thing would be resolved. And the resolution was so sweet and wonderful. Although I could have done without the whole (view spoiler)[Rhage's 2 near death experiences in here. Heavy-handed much Ward? The Beast wasn't enough? (hide spoiler)] Axe: Just because... [image]
What I wasn’t crazy about: The prop culture references: Once again they are everywhere. I thought Ward was doing a decent job in backing off & cutting back on the endless name dropping in the last couple of books. But here, they. are. every. where. And completely unnecessary and unbelievable. Why would a hard ass like Novo even know who the hell Scott Disick is? Scott Disick??? [image] No no no and no. I’m embarrassed just typing this out. Come on. And I know Rhage loves him some movies but reality TV like The Housewives of New Jersey and Taylor Swift should not even be coming out of his mouth. Same goes for Axe. A former druggie who would get high and binge watch television is passable........... but he can barely pay his bills, most of the time lives without electricity because of that so how was he getting cable to watch all these movies/shows he was making references to?? Out of all of them, I thought Ward was really pushing it the most with Axe. These guys have no business knowing these things, binge watching or not. Put down the remote Ward. Please, I beg you.
Editing inconsistencies: I only caught 2 which isn’t terrible but still….they were noticeable to me.
Axe’s sex life: Considering Ward paired him up with a female and not a male I should have seen this coming but still, I thought his whole hardcore sex-addict lifestyle was barely a blip in this book and completely toned down which I found disappointing. The sex scenes were sexy enough I just was expecting a little more…..rawr given that it’s Axe. I wanted more and was expecting hot monkey swinging from the chandelier freaky sex. Don't get me wrong, the hot factor is there but I needed it to be amped up given the hero's kinky reputation & S&M appetites. It did not reach V levels. Let me just put it like that. Ward played it safe IMO.
The big 'CONFLICT’: For me this was a tad overblown and thin reasoning to implode the couple. It goes back to the whole sex addict thing, I hated how it was used as a dirty secret that the hero didn’t bother telling the heroine about and used to create conflict at the last minute where the heroine feels righteously betrayed and freezes him out. I found it weak and underwhelming. And I hated how Elise reacted to it. Not excusing the lying by omission part but again, it felt way overblown and Elise quickly jumping to the wrong conclusions and getting so self-righteous & disturbed over it was a let down. It blows over quickly so it’s not a big deal but I just wanted a little more as far as tension and something that was worth the angst. And I don't know, I know sex addiction is a burden & Axe was obviously ashamed of it and kept thinking the worst of himself over it, but I was kinda hoping he would introduce Elise to it and they would deal with it together. Using it as some dirty shameful secret where the heroine acts horrified and disgusted I found undeserving and predictable.
Favorite Quotes:
With his chin dropped to his chest, he was staring at her from under his brows, his pale yellow eyes glowing as they locked on her and her alone. Her first cogent thought was that he was a predator. Her second… was that she wanted to be caught.
“You really can stay home,” V muttered. “You really can totally f-in’ stay the f home, you f’ed-up mother-f’ing f-twit.”
“A mother’s tears,” he whispered. “So hard…..so beautiful.”
"Isn’t it wonderful not to have to be perfect to be loved?"
"You are so beautiful right now," he murmured, refocusing on her lips. “And I know that tonight it’s all for him. That’s okay. I accept that. But the least that you can do as I sit here and watch you with that man is leave me in peace to enjoy the sight of you. It is all I have.”
Reaching up, he patted her bird-like shoulder blades. And then froze as she whispered in his ear, “He saved my life. I wish I could do what you did for him someday.”
He reached up to brush her cheek and wasn’t surprised that his hand was shaking. “You scare the shit out of me, female.”
"Admit you giggled!” “Why!” They were laughing so hard it didn’t matter what they were saying. A buoyant bubble of happiness had engulfed them both, and they were bouncing in the center of the joyful space, free of anything on the outside.
"Say it again," he whispered. "Send some more sunshine my way just so I’m sure I heard you right."
"Our strength must be tested,” he whispered, “for us to know it’s still there. And I will always be your warrior, Mary mine. Always and forever.”
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