This is how it had been in California. One measly lunch had led to months of staring off into space trying to remember the exact sha
3.75 stars
This is how it had been in California. One measly lunch had led to months of staring off into space trying to remember the exact shade of her eyes.
Wavering on the rating. This was cute. I liked it for the most part but to be honest I was really hoping to love it. I was obsessed with Burgess from just a gruff "hello" in the last book so yeah my expectations for this were a little skewed and I'm being harsher. The meet cute set up and tropes at play really had me looking forward to this. But a lot of odd plot choices were made here that felt contrived/forced into the book. I don't know it just felt very sloppy and lackadaisical in places. Some details didn't make sense or explained clearly. And I have never seen a book take such drastic left pivot in the first 30 pages just to introduce a new character to set up the next book in this series. Like...why? That was so clumsy and so unnecessary. You're telling me Chloe couldn't be introduced another way? Chloe whose soon-to-be stepsibling is a teammate and friend of the hero's? Instead you had to have your heroine in the opening scene of the book suddenly get cold feet for her new Au Pair job (that has free boarding) just to randomly go apartment hunting and meeting her new "friend" Chloe to create a new friend circle and set up for the next book?...... M'kay. Felt like a waste of page time for me. Moving on....
“Could you kiss me? One time. I’ll never ask again—” He went into the kiss like a bear being handed a pot of honey after a winter in hibernation.
“Burgess,” she gasped, patting him on the shoulder with a shaky hand. “O-okay. Okay.” “Okay what, gorgeous?” he muttered thickly. She moaned as he licked up the side of her neck. “This is . . . we’re getting c-carried away.” “I’ll carry you anywhere you want to go.”
She wasn’t sure what compelled her to break into a jog, only that she wanted to be in those strong arms as quickly as possible—and he was already opening them for her. She ran, jumped, and was enfolded in the warmest, safest hug of all time. All she had to do was dangle there, surrounded in strength.
He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I guess I want to be important to you. Instead of the man you could . . . maybe fall for someday. When I take you to bed for the first time, I want you looking back at me like you might. Like you could, you know. Fall for me.” He cleared his throat extra hard.
Burgess and Tallulah were very cute and sexy, the sexual chemistry and steam was ...more
Really loved this. There's just something about Shupe's writing I really enjoy when the story is right. It's so intelligent, precise, sexy an4.5 stars
Really loved this. There's just something about Shupe's writing I really enjoy when the story is right. It's so intelligent, precise, sexy and well researched. It does take on a bit of a modern tone in some areas as far as female autonomy and independence but it's not distracting. This is the biggest age gap romance I've read and I'll be honest if this was a Contemporary I would not have touched it. There's a 23 age difference here. The hero is 41 and the heroine is 18 and yes it took me some getting used to considering he's known her since she was a baby and he has a teenage son who is 2 years younger than the heroine Violet. I would have liked it more if Violet was 21 at least. But she's very mature for her age (a little too mature at times if I'm being honest lol). It definitely helped that the hero Max tried to put some distance and barriers between him and Violet who is doggedly pursuing him and is freaked out that she wants him. She's hurt that he's put distance between them since her coming out and it turns out he did it for a reason as he found her beautiful but much too young for him and it freaks him out. This also helped because if he had just went along with it easily I would have dropped this in a hot second. He's terrified and tries to scare her off at first which was great character development.
The Duke of Ravensthorpe is Violet's father's best friend and a family friend and Violet's crushed on him from afar since girlhood. He's a widower who enjoys single life after his marriage was a disappointing disaster after his wife died during child birth. He's a rake through and through who loves naughty times in the bedroom and honestly I found him so sexy and delicious. He's so intimidating, commanding, intelligent, earthy, sensual and masculine but also kind and a gentleman. I can't blame Violet for wanting him. A silver fox Duke with a filthy mouth. I wanted to climb him like a jungle gym so I get it. lol He steals the scenes and then some. Violet for her part I thought could have been developed a little more in comparison. The fact that I don't know what she looks like beyond having blonde hair and a curvy body for example did bug me. Her face is a hazy blur in comparison to the Duke who we get every little detailed description on. I liked that Violet's passion was in photography (I didn't even know Kodak camera boxes were a thing in 1895?) and studying photography (were classes available for women back then?). The sex scene involving her taking pictures of him naked was insanely hot and erotic. I thought that was nicely done. (ETA: I just realized the model on the cover is holding a camera. Very clever.) This is a very hot spicy novella and I loved every minute of it. I honestly wish this was a full length book given how quickly these two acted on their attraction and I wish that was dragged out a bit more given the forbidden aspect of it and Max's hang ups over their age difference and his friendship with her father. The hero caves a little too soon for my liking but since this is a novella you kind of just go along with it. I thought the emotions, the connection and tension was nicely done. If this was a full length book I probably would have given this a 5 star TBH. I could not put this down. Maximilian Thomas William Bradley III could absolutely GET IT. ...more
Kind of irked me that the hero is described constantly as being "much older" than the heroine with grey hair at this temples but no mention of ages arKind of irked me that the hero is described constantly as being "much older" than the heroine with grey hair at this temples but no mention of ages are mentioned in this...? Considering he's a well known rake about town and a Duke no less and heroine just came out for her first season I thought that was a weird important detail to ignore. Very much a wallpaper historical with not much attention to detail or world building. Angst was decent. It's fluffy brain food....more
This came very close to a DNF for me a few times. The last 40% saved this from being a complete dumpster fire shit show. Sweet, wise, mature2.75 stars
This came very close to a DNF for me a few times. The last 40% saved this from being a complete dumpster fire shit show. Sweet, wise, mature Auntie Arro from the previous book just disappeared and was body snatched and replaced instead with a childish, immature, spiteful, petty, belligerent, insecure woman who doesn't understand boundaries but expects it in return. 'No means no' goes both ways and I just didn't care for the narrative here.
This was a surefire plan for getting Mac to give in to his feelings for me. The bracelet told me he wanted to, but just in case he still had reservations, I wanted to make it as difficult as possible for him to say no.
Samantha Young's idea of "confident" assertive women kinda scares me. And if I never have to read another humiliating failed seduction attempt I will be happy. Surprising a man who you aren't in a relationship with by going to his house and getting naked is never a good idea. Throwing yourself bodily while naked at a man even after he says no is not heartbreaking, it's fucking awful and icky. PERIOD. Why do authors do this?? ...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.
This is supposedly a mafia romance but your couple's main "conflict" is getting dumped? Really? Another Saved By The Bell script cosplaying as a MafiaThis is supposedly a mafia romance but your couple's main "conflict" is getting dumped? Really? Another Saved By The Bell script cosplaying as a Mafia book. *sigh* For a mafia romance this was incredibly weak. The writing was weak. I could look the other way if I'm having a fun time. But a fun time this was not.
I didn't like the insta-love. You know the kind where your hero and heroine act like lovesick teenagers rather than adults. I didn't like the cheesy dialogue. This author seems to only know 2 verbs "spin" and "shimmy". It seemed she was attached to phrasing things a certain way and using it through the whole book. I didn't like how flat the characters came off, the heroine Aspen in particular. I didn't like how we got all this background story on the hero Maksim and his brothers but nothing on Aspen except she was married to a loser for 20 years who made her miserable. All we know is Maksim's very first impression of her from across a pool and how she looks "part Native American and part European" but nothing else. Uh...ok. I didn't like Aspen's girl squad who felt more like annoying obnoxious stereotypical filler characters rather than real people. I get wanting to follow a fantasy but who the fuck sets up their best friend with a random ass stranger who volunteers to have sex with her while blindfolded in a Vegas hotel room? Without her knowledge? Get out of here. I'm sorry but the pushy overbearing friends setting it up for her without her knowledge ruined the fantasy for me. *shrugs* I also didn't like that the 2 "bitchy" mean ex girlfriends were both women of color while everyone else is white and nice. Maksim's bitchy ex Jade felt more fleshed out and more layered than Aspen. I thought he had more chemistry in that one little scene with his ex-girlfriend than the precious snowflake heroine. Not awkward at all. ...more
Started off pretty strong but lost me midway through. This had a lot going for it that I don't usually get to see in my HR reads. A 50 year o3.5 stars
Started off pretty strong but lost me midway through. This had a lot going for it that I don't usually get to see in my HR reads. A 50 year old hero for starters. Who wears reading glasses, loves to collect rare books and has an adorable dog named Fergus. Be still my heart. ...more
I usually love royalty romances but this one didn't really work for me. With this particular trope it's a bit tricky, it either works or it 2.75 stars
I usually love royalty romances but this one didn't really work for me. With this particular trope it's a bit tricky, it either works or it doesn't. Liberties are taken and you have to suspend belief going in, especially if it's a Contemporary Romance. It's a looooot of layers and details to unpack as far as protocols, rules, etiquette, lifestyle, etc. So I get it. I'm not asking for 100% accuracy and I'm no expert and don't even care to be. It's FictionLand. But even so, I really wish Karina Halle did her due diligence a little more beyond checking how to say Danish phrases correctly because the loose world building and things that happen were far too ridiculous for even me to swallow.
This very much felt like window dressing for a royalty romance. The hero Aksel is the King of Denmark, he's a 40 year old widower with 2 little girls and in need of a nanny. His girls Freja and Clara, 5 and 6, attend public school with no security details or bodyguards. Yes that's right, royal Princesses just getting dropped off at the front gate of a public school like nothing. They live in a Palace right in the middle of the town square where tourists are always milling about in the courtyard and can see through the palace windows (I've never been to Denmark so maybe this is true?). There is no mention of security details (the girls have bodyguards who watch from "afar" at times is what we are passingly told but you never see them intervene), no formal guards or staff beyond one cook, a butler and a driver. The King making a public address to the public on a National holiday right outside on the front steps (which sounded more like a stoop) of the palace with no pomp or procession or barrier of any kind. Does Halle not believe a King needs security detail at all? Kind of like a low budget Hallmark Christmas movie with a Prince from a make believe obscure foreign country with a few random spare extras in the background in the cheap dresses and tiaras playing the part of “royalty” but don’t look the part at all. That's really what it felt like here. Honestly if we weren't told that the hero is a King and his daughters are princesses you wouldn't know it at all. People coming and going in the palace with no announcements or protocol. And most importantly, the hero hires the heroine as his nanny but doesn't even think to do a background check on her????? [image] Which of course rears it's ugly head near the end as the third act conflict in the most predictable way possible. He's willing to check out why she left her previous employer but doesn't even bother to do a background check? O_o
She’s her namesake, those northern lights that brighten the darkest winter skies. She’s my homecoming. And I’m in love with her.
You are probably thinking I didn't enjoy this because I'm being a complete anal nitpicky grouch over details. No. I could overlook all that if other things made sense and the romance didn't feel so over the top cheesy. The heroine Aurora was another thing I struggled with. She's a 26 year old Nanny from Australia. She's supposedly been working as a professional nanny for 10 years all over Europe, she has experience working with high profile (nonroyal) elite families and highly recommended by her agency is what we are told. But this woman just felt and sounded way too green, inexperienced and emotionally immature in how she would act and react to things. Both professionally and personally. She came off more like a 18 year old naive girl who babysits on a whim and has no filter and bursts into tears at the drop of a hat. How did she deal with difficult charges in her previous positions when she acts like a sensitive snowflake is truly beyond me. Aurora kept making rash, reckless, high-handed decisions that were bizarre at best and stupid at worst. I cannot deal with characters that don't make smart decisions repeatedly and then act shocked when the worst does happen. Every time. I just didn't get her. I mean who the hell buys short skirts for her Nanny uniform just to goad her employer who happens to be a fucking King? I know that was supposed to highlight how free spirited and "sassy" she is in contrast to the much older starchy hero but it just set the wrong vibe for me. She takes the girls to an amusement park and one of them throws an epic tantrum in front of gawking strangers who are taking pictures. What does Nanny McPhee do? Threatens strangers that the Royal family will sue them for taking pictures. *major facepalm* How is this woman a professional experienced Nanny??? She even makes the girls promise not to tell their father what happened and doesn't think it will get published in tabloids. Guess what? It does. How do you think nothing will be leaked to the press when you work for the fucking monarchy?.... Common sense was severely lacking with this heroine. If this was someone with zero experience I could understand it better, but she has 10 years experience but acted like a hysterical naive emotional ninny half the time.
She constantly acts obtuse and oblivious to things then is shocked and dissolving into tears when the hero is angry with her for her mess ups. Why she would constantly be confused or flippant about things baffled me the most. Like telling a 6 year old that they can be a Vegetarian without talking to their parent about it first then not understanding why their father is upset over that just screams TSTL. She hides a big secret about her past when she lived in Australia and doesn't want to tell Aksel because and I quote directly "he will get angry" and insists nobody will find out. Well guess what, Susie Q? He does find out and he does get angry when it's splashed all over the press. And gee, we have to guess who leaked it to the press when it's obvious as day who has it out for them. It can't be his late wife's lover who still works for the King and hates his guts, can it? *gasp* Oh noooos. Shocking I tell you! [image]
Who is surprised? Nobody.
In moments like this, it feels like we’re unstoppable, immortal, like we’re at the center of a swirling universe, a god and a goddess, with the worlds at our feet. Nothing can touch us.
I think Broken French did it better as far as Nanny/Grumpy Single Father tropes go, with the acerbic European widowed father falling for his Nanny who pushes his buttons while stuck on a yacht. I just was expecting something similar to that one. Slow burn and angst that drags to the end. The sexual tension here is slow burn, at first, but once these two tickle the pickle the emotionally closed off hero is suddenly pouring out all his feelings and emotions like Niagra Falls. Rainbows and unicorns and heart eyes are shooting out of him. That just doesn't work for me especially when it's an age gap and when the stakes are so high. It's more a personal preference but I hate when that happens, where when the couple finally give into their attraction all the emotional tension and angst just falls completely away after sex and it's all fluffy monologues and syrupy goop after that. And it's A LOT here. Shooting stars, Greek Goddess, and "wearing love like a crown" flowery analogies that are endless. ILY's being shared at the 70% felt premature and a bit too soon given the context here. The hero is a ruling King, him being all in and wanting to go public about falling in love with his Nanny with zero qualms given his painful history with his late wife (who was publicly adored) didn't make sense to me. There was just too many contradictions to the characterizations of both hero and heroine. A King trying to raise his little girls should be his #1 priority so him fighting his feelings for his much younger Nanny should have been a bigger struggle and conflict and dragged out longer IMO.
The stakes are much higher and should have been higher but Karina Halle handled it like a sappy Hallmark movie where everything is quickly resolved or brushed under the rug for a rushed HEA and epilogue, which read a little weird (the way she talks to her own kids didn't give me the warm fuzzies). Aksel's severe guilt and trauma over what happened to his late wife just seemed to evaporate after he sleeps with the heroine and wants to marry her. It just didn't resonate for me and felt disingenuous. These two acted like lovesick teenagers living in a vacation house, the lovey declarations read like YA or bad fan fiction. And I have a hard time believing or picturing this heroine being the ruling Queen of any country. #sorrynotsorry Honestly, I'm surprised because I read another Karina Halle book and it didn't read like this at all. My Life in Shambles felt more like an adult romance than this which confused me even more. Maybe this was just a case of bad book for me but definitely disappointed with this one given all the great things I've heard about it.
Predictable read. Frustratingly so in many regards.
What got in the way of my enjoyment:
-(view spoiler)[The resident bitch winning the baking competition on Operation Cake. Really Lucy Parker???? After all that? I know life sometimes isn’t fair and cheaters prosper and all that etc. etc. etc, but if I have to sit through all the drama of filming a reality show competition and seeing this conniving person cheat and bully her way to the top and getting the prize in the end then yes I’m gonna be irked. Your own couple even called it, so incredibly anticlimactic. [image] (hide spoiler)]
-Prince Patrick’s tragic love story. I’m so sorry for poor Uncle Patrick and his lost love Jessica but why did I need to read about his sad love life in this? He's dead. I know he was the inspiration behind the royal couple's cake but he got more page time than the lead couple, Dominic and Sylvie. I was getting flashes to the same problem I had in The Austen Playbook. Solving the mystery of an obscure dead relative’s tragic love life is as exciting for me as reading a phone book. A very dusty one. Sorry but it’s just not my cup of tea, Royal or otherwise. ...more
“Say something to me, Philly,” he whispered into her hair. “Anything. Even if it’s only to tell me that I must let you go.”
This was an utt
“Say something to me, Philly,” he whispered into her hair. “Anything. Even if it’s only to tell me that I must let you go.”
This was an utter delight. A closed door romance that actually worked for me. Yay! Finally a winner. This is very much a kissing book and I loved every second of it. A kissing book that made me blush, kick my feet and all gooey inside. This gave me butterflies in it's simplicity yet beautiful connection between hero and heroine. The writing is beautiful. Arthur and Philly were adorable in their tender sincerity. The yearning. My gawd THE YEARNING. Two introverts who hate London city life and much prefer the quiet country. Captain Arthur Heywood once a formidable Captain in the army and sharp shooter is now a shell of the man he once was, with PTSD and his crippling war injuries have left him depressed and closed off to the whole world. Everyone labels him cold, uptight and rude. Yet somehow sweet natured wallflower Phyllida Satterthwaite sees through all that. From the moment these two meet they are drawn to each other.
“You’re so perfect that, when I look at you, I can scarcely believe you’re mine.”
The heroine Philly has Heterochromia, one blue eye and one amber brown eye which has marked her as unique and given her the moniker "the work of art" by the ton. She hates the title and all the attention. She's been forced to move to the city by her uncle after her grandparents who raised her passed. Used to living in her country home Fox Cross with its quaint village and surrounded by nature, the city life is uncomfortable and overwhelming for Philly. Her menagerie of 4 rescue dogs reminded me a bit of Beatrix Hathaway. She has a soft heart and is even kind to people who don't deserve it IMO. What starts off as a marriage of convenience to save her from a marriage to a crazy cruel Duke that her uncle is forcing her into, quickly forms into something stronger and so sweet over time. Seeing both of them shine and grow in their marriage and help each other was very satisfying to see. I want my own brooding Captain who is a bear to everyone but sweet with me to snuggle up to in a country house. ...more
Pretty sure this was my first read with a hero in his 40's. I picked this up from my local Goodwill ages ago because of the whole "strangers stuck in Pretty sure this was my first read with a hero in his 40's. I picked this up from my local Goodwill ages ago because of the whole "strangers stuck in the dark together" premise like Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye. But this was written in 1984 with a 16 year age gap with a much older hero constantly saying things like "you were begging me for it". Hello Creepy Town. Too bad because he was a silver fox. lol I keep forgetting or not realizing how certain things were considered taboo or scandalous back in the 80's. Including an unmarried pregnant woman or how a forward woman is considered a "Modern Woman". Hmmph....more
A delightful, witty, smart, hilarious, charming read. Worth all the hype it gets. Seriously. The writing is damn good. I had so much fun just pulling A delightful, witty, smart, hilarious, charming read. Worth all the hype it gets. Seriously. The writing is damn good. I had so much fun just pulling memorable quotes. There are a lot of jewels in this one, too many to choose from. Lucy Parker definitely has a new reader in me. My only complaint and why this was shy of a 5 star is one thing. Well, actually 2 reasons. One, I felt the last 30% really dragged and was just filler till the couple actually faced some kind of conflict near the end i.e the "big conflict" (and the h/hr reactions to the big blow up was a little too on the predictable side). Not sure why the author chose this route. Second, I personally would have enjoyed it more if our grumpy hero Luc fought his attraction to Lily a little more. And by that I mean not deciding to dive into a relationship so soon after acting on their mutual attraction. Let me be clear and say this is not a story where the leads jump in the sack quickly. Far from it. The slow simmer and sexual tension was definitely there (and so delicious) and played up gradually in the first half. That was brilliant. I would have easily given this a 5 star just based on the first half of the book alone. But after they finally gave in to their attraction with a heated kiss, Luc showed no hesitation in being openly demonstrative and playful and going all in with Lily. It was definitely sweet but had me a little bit.... [image] Like......oh. Ok. It caught me a little off guard considering he's so anti-emotions and anti-relationship of any kind. He's very much the prickly one between the two. And Lily is clearly a complete anomaly to him. So I guess what I'm saying is I wish the angst would have dragged out more for why they can't be together. And the concerns and reasons why they can't/shouldn't be together are legit concerns. Not the typical contrived "we can't be together cause you deserve better" excuse used in Romancelandia. But overall, still an enjoyable read. I will definitely try Parker's other offerings if her writing here is anything to go by....more
Why such a creature of light and love and life should have come to him, he could not fathom. But he was grateful. Very grat
4.75 stars [image]
Why such a creature of light and love and life should have come to him, he could not fathom. But he was grateful. Very grateful.
Absolutely adored this. And that's the biggest surprise for me. I went into this one somewhat apprehensive given the fact how these two came together under forced awkward circumstances. And on top of that they both are grieving over a dead spouse/dead lover. That could have been a recipe for disaster. But this….this was beautiful. [image]
His Achilles' heel, the one person who had reached deep down inside him and grasped his heart, squeezing until it started beating again. She'd brought him back to life.
Megs was such a wonderful delight. I thought she was exactly what Godric needed. Her endless capacity for love, laughter, wit and patience was just so endearing and lovable. And I loved how honest and conscious she was of Godric's feelings through everything. It's this kind of character quality that is hard to find. That sense of guileless honesty and faith I found so refreshing and delicious and perfect contrast to Godric's quiet world-weary reserve.
"Godric," she whispered, and held out her hand to him. He took her hand, spreading her fingers and kissing each one.
[image]
Megs looked up at his entrance, her face shining. For a moment he caught his breath--it was almost like a light radiated from within her, and he was very glad that she'd apparently decided not to hold their argument against him. "Oh, Godric, come see! Her Grace has had her puppies." And she held the ratlike thing--which, apparently, was a pug puppy--like a peace offering. Godric raised his brows, sinking into a chair. “It’s quite….lovely.” “Oh, pooh!” She retracted her arms, cuddling the tiny creature against her cheek. “Don’t listen to Mr. St. John,” she whispered to the puppy as if in confidence. “You’re the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen!”
[image]
Godric took some warming up to. At first I found him too stiff and closed off, but once Hoyt peeled back every rough layer of this character, his heart, his loneliness, his quiet yearning, his goodness came through. The slow build up of this character and showing his wounds and raw grief was really great to see, heartbreaking yet relatable. I fell in love with him the minute he pulled out Megs’s letters that he kept locked in a dresser drawer and hungrily poured over them to help ground him. I really loved how willingly and open he was to help Megs, his selflessness was truly admirable. And seeing him helplessly fall for her was really a treat.
[image]
PS: Did you try the ginger, barely, and aniseed tisane recipe I sent you? I know it sounds quite revolting, but it will help your sore throat, truly!
Her postscript blurred before his eyes and he blinked hard, inhaling. This was who he'd done it for. Megs, who thought old crotchety butlers had any sense of humor, who ate bitter persimmon tarts to please the local vicar's wife, and who cried at the sight of a baby and couldn't admit even to herself why. She deserved a baby of her own. She'd make a magnificent mother: kind, gentle, understanding.
Gah! I found them so adorable and heartbreaking. It also didn't hurt that this used one of my favorite tropes, a marriage of convenience. Seeing this couple slowly unhurriedly fall for each other was like sitting in the sun and taking in blue skies and a warm breeze. These are two people who carry a lot of hurt and angst but deal with it differently. Godric shutting himself off to the outside world and life and burying himself in his Ghost of St. Giles work, Megs looking for ways to make others happy and finding pleasure in the smallest things. And I found that dying apple tree a great analogy and symbol of what Megs stands for. And it was such a great depiction of what this character represented and did to the hero, how her ‘magic’ transformed Godric and brought him back to life. [image] Hoyt's really masters at writing smart characters with a sharp focus on all the human senses. That element makes her characters so human and the world building so layered. Her conscious smart layered writing reminds me a lot of Lisa Kleypas.
Phoebe turned her face, leaning close to discreetly inhale. "Artemis?" "Yes." Artemis felt quite proud. She'd taken to wearing the same scent--lemons and bay leaf--when she realized that Lady Phoebe sometimes used smell to identify people. She suspected that the other woman could see very little at all when the light was dim--such as tonight at the theater.
Just brilliant.
Now there were a few things I do wish were handled differently. The 'avenging' Roger's death arc for one, I felt that took up a little too much time in the last quarter of the book and took focus off Godric but Hoyt made up for it with that beautiful emotional declaration from Megs (emotional declarations are a weakness of mine). Second, not going to lie but my interest is already waning really thin with the whole Ghost of St. Giles character. The thrill and mystery for me is completely gone in that area. (view spoiler)[And 3 books back to back where the hero is the Ghost is a little much IMO. Just saying. (hide spoiler)] I wish (and hoping) Hoyt moves away from it because I don't think it really adds anything to the story and couples IMO. And also I’m not super crazy about the villain plots. I said it in Winter's book and same thing here the whole Lassie snatchers arc just didn't do anything for me. I kept finding my eyes glossing over those scenes and wanting Godric to hurry back to Megs. Lastly, and this is really minor, was how the epilogue was used as a story set up for the next book which is a personal pet peeve of mine. That's not an epilogue, but more of a sneak preview excerpt. I just find it so wasteful and a totally missed opportunity to expand and frame how the couple of the book are fairing 'down the road' after their HEA. Yes it was touched on in the last chapter before the epilogue which honestly was really nice but please don't label a chapter an 'epilogue' when it literally has nothing to do with the featured couple. It drives me batty when authors do this.
As for secondary characters, I'm already very intrigued and heartbroken for Artemis Greaves. This mysterious character is already showing such weight and intelligence. And I’m dying to know more about Apollo. I am a little unsure about stoic stiff lipped Dukely Maximus being paired up with Artemis. He's not very likable right now but I hope he wins me over like Godric did. Looking forward to seeing what happens there....more
Amazing! Stupendous! Brilliant! Can I have some more? Can I do it again please?? [image]
Honestly, I don't know why it took m*5 SHINING STARS!!!* [image]
Amazing! Stupendous! Brilliant! Can I have some more? Can I do it again please?? [image]
Honestly, I don't know why it took me so long to dive into this series. I had only read Silence's book (Book 3) a while back and it didn't blow me away but Duke of Sin caught my eye so I thought I may as well give this series another go. But this...this was just magical. The gritty backdrop and dark tone with the Jack the Ripper-esq murder mystery really added nicely to the Georgian era of lower class slum living London. I just really couldn't put this down because of that. The world building and detail is exceptionally on point and so good. Even the murder mystery is gripping because it's so grizzly and realistic. I appreciated that Hoyt held nothing back there. Made for a much more raw, realistic honest read. As for the leads..... *sigh* what can I say?
“You’re an impossibly rude man, without morals or even manners, as far as I can see.” “Oh, stop, I beg you, Mrs. Dews.” Lord Caire grunted. “You’ll turn my head with this flattery.”
“What do you want of me?” she whispered. “Everything.” His mouth was on hers. Hot, insistent, working as if he meant to draw from her bodily what he couldn’t in words. She gripped his arms, unable to defend herself from this onslaught so soon after the ecstasy of the music....
Two vulnerable, lonely, closed off hearts, battling their own demons who come together so naturally without restraint. I don't know who surprised me more in this, straight-laced proper widow Temperance Dews or domineering cynical brutally sharp-tongued Lazarus Huntington. I didn't think Lazarus's whole long silver haired look would work for me, I kept thinking Lucius Malfoy but without the permanent sneer. But Lazarus made it work. Boy did it work for him.
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“Why?” she asked urgently. “Why did you make me watch? Why me?” “Because,” he murmured, “you draw me. Because you are kind but not soft. Because when you touch me, the pain is bittersweet. Because you cradle a desperate secret to your bosom, like a viper in your arms, and don’t let go of it even as it gnaws upon your very flesh. I want to pry that viper from your arms. To suckle upon your torn and bloody flesh. To take your pain within myself and make it mine.” She trembled beside him; he could feel the quivers through the arm she kept on him. “I have no secret.” He bent and whispered against her hair, “Sweet, darling liar.”
Hoyt's handling of prose and way with words in this is so beautiful and layered. I kept finding myself re-reading passages simply because I enjoyed the delivery of lines and turn of phrase. Her descriptive imagery is so clear and lyrically smart. I don't remember it being this good in her Legend of the Four Soldiers series which was a total bust for me.
It was a strange thing, this feeling of empathy. He’d never experienced it before. He realized that what hurt this woman hurt him as well, that what made her bleed caused a hemorrhage of pain within his soul.
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He moved like a wave pounding against a beach, like the wind flying across the cobblestones, like a man on a woman. It was the oldest, most common movement in history, and at the same time it was new and pure.
He stepped around a near-skeletal man, passed out or perhaps dead in the street. He was nearing St. Giles. The street was becoming narrower, more filthy and wretched. The channel in the middle of the street was clogged with noxious debris, the stench a miasma that seemed to cling to the skin.
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The rain was gentle at first. It drifted down, as soft as a mother’s kiss on a sleeping child.
And I really have to say I’m most impressed and applaud the direction Hoyt took her heroine here. All my (6 lol!) years of reading and piles of historical romance books I’ve read, I have yet to come across a heroine like Temperance. A woman who enjoys passion and sexual intimacy but is embarrassed by it and tries in vain to tamp it down and live a good clean life because of a mistake she made. On paper that sounds so derivative and hysterically cliche but it wasn’t here. She’s so much more complex and human then that that it honestly blew me away. I was waiting for her secret to be an overblown overused HR trope of being cheated on, abandoned, her husband not being able to get it up given all the subtle internalized angsting and hand wringing but no. It’s something much more bold, realistic and unforgivingly honest IMO. (view spoiler)[She slept with another man while she was married to her husband. Happened only once. (hide spoiler)]
Let me be clear, Hoyt doesn’t try to make Temperance into something she’s not, not a revolutionary ‘modern’ heroine of her time who craves sex all the time, no excuses or justifications are made for her mistake, no ‘he deceived me!’ arguments. And I think that honestly saved this from becoming a martyr crusade of 20 ways she needs to repent and the hero can show her the right ways to have sex. Nope. This was about a woman who is warm blooded and enjoys sex and learning to accept that and forgive herself. I found that so damn genuine, real and refreshing. FINALLY someone who gets it! Someone who knows how to approach the subject of sex and women in the historical era in a believable and vulnerable way.
This was who she was, whether she liked it or not, a woman who wanted and needed sex. Who loved sex.
[image] Seeing her blossom and take ownership of her own desires and so honestly with a man who wouldn’t judge her and yes even calling her out on her martyr tendencies was a wonderful payoff. I was cheering her on. Yessss. Go girl! Own it!
The *only* thing I do wish was a little more fulfilling was the reveal of the St. Giles killer. That to me was a little too predictable (and obvious) and I found the killer’s motives to be too thin & all over the place. There’s killing women in a fit of rage, a fit of using them as an example and then there’s doing it as a show of scaring off competing business (which I found really hard to swallow) using both reasons just didn’t jive for me and didn’t connect well. But overall, loved it! Can’t wait to dive into the rest of this series! :D...more
*1 depressing WTF sad star*
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Ouch. This hurts. :( What in the hell happened?? I just...can’t even form words to what a complete disaster this was. What happened to the emotions? The angst? The suspense? It pains me to do this but damn this was a disappointment all around. The most disappointing book out of the entire series for me honestly. It's freaking Torin, Tor Tor and he got royally shafted (no pun intended). I have been waiting for his story since Book 1, I even made fanart for this one gosh dammit and I don't do that often so yeah there was a lot riding on this one. Gah! What amazes me is that nothing worked for me, a complete first. Even when I’m not crazy in love with the h/hr I can always count on Showalter to give me a little bit of everything or just bits and pieces that hook me in from page 1. Here everything dragged, nothing major happens except the couple going in circles playing hot and cold, threatening each other or trying to bone. I just wasn't feeling any of it.
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Torin & Keeley [image] My biggest fear was that Tor would be saddled up with a heroine undeserving of him and my fears were horribly justified. I could not stand Keeley.
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Nothing about her moved me, interested me or convinced me she was the perfect match for Torin. She's catty, vain, selfish, shallow, hot tempered-to the extreme, bratty and the most insecure watering-pot you could possibly imagine. For a supposedly all powerful most-feared ancient being, Keeley has the emotional depth and maturity of a 5 year old. She acts like Anya and talks like Viola, wonderful combo no? She brings an entire building down if she doesn't get her way...literally. She's hypersensitive to everything and everyone around her. What exactly am I supposed to find sympathetic about this creature? Her poor sad 'woe is me' attitude and nobody likes me or wants me, I'm toootally misunderstood! sob story just chaffed even more. Been there, done that, a hundred times over, honey. Is that supposed to automatically make me like someone who is unlikable, Gena? NO. I got tired of this girl's constant posturing and throwing out corny threats every 5 pages.
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And PS: She really did say that line^^. And no I'm not making this up.
In the words of her "majesty" herself:
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Ugh. I mean are you kidding me? Bring Mari back! I truly felt Keeley was too selfish, self-absorbed and flighty for someone like Torin. The guy I know wouldn't give someone like her the time of day. Period. This was not who I pictured him ending up with much less bending over backwards and groveling forgiveness over the dumbest things, things that were entirely out of his control. *whimpers* Going centuries without human touch and this is what he gets? It's really bad when you keep wondering what the other options would have turned out like. I kept wishing Mari hadn't died or wondering what the first & second drafts of this story would have turned out like before Gena decided to rewrite the whole thing. Why Gena? WHY? And I never get hung up on shit like this. Ever. I always let the author lead me where they want to go and just enjoy what I can. But this disappointed me, saddened me and pissed me off like nothing else could.
And I want to know what happened to my lovely Torin? Did he get a personality transplant? What happened to the sweet shy computer-savy sexy nerd with the warped sense of humor? He's supposed to be the most even tempered sweet guy out of the bunch. Not here. He's now magically turned into a hot tempered, mean, self-described 'villain' (WTF?) who craves destruction and bloodsport and who's the perrrrfect match to Keeley's screeching mercurial behavior.
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AS IF. Get real. It gets under my skin like nothing else when character idiosyncrasies are changed to fit within a pairing the author is trying to sell. And now he's magically wearing leather gloves instead of his signature latex gloves?? You know the only kinds he can wear to ward off any kind of touch or bodily fluids? SMH.
I honestly felt this couple was shoved down readers throats too much. Everything about them was incredibly forced and is a big part of why I struggled with this. You have a handful of characters who have to prop Keeley to make her redeemable and it just didn't work for me. Never mind the fact that badass Hades and broody Galen adore her, you have giants and immortals pissing their pants and Torin endlessly spouting sappy poetry about her. I got really tired the number of times he kept telling everyone and himself how perfect, sweet, and pure of heart she is and how he doesn't deserve her. Right. The woman who eats hearts as a hobby has a pure heart? O_o Um...WHO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? But besides all that, I did not see any chemistry between them and that just ruined everything for me. I felt more sexual tension and pull in that one scene between Cameo and Torin then any scene with these two. It's never a good sign if you keep wishing your hero was paired up with his best friend instead of the heroine. It's one thing if I can't stand one half of the pairing but if I feel the chemistry and the sexual tension then it's another thing entirely. Here it was non-existent. Zip, zilch, zero. Everything quickly became all about Keeley, how to please Keeley, how to win Keeley, how to get her to help the Lords, how to not make her cry, so on and so on. There was no fair balance. And strong arming your friends into accepting your girl when she's given no reason to trust her and looks down her nose and preens and postures at every turn doesn't win her any points from me. I didn’t care for Keeley’s treatment of Torin’s friends. The show she put on in front of a recovering heartbroken Cameo just to mark her territory?
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I wanted to scratch her eyes out! Like Bitch STEP OFF. I did find it ironic and slightly amusing that Anya out of all people didn’t like Keeley considering they are clone copies. RME. The whole situation with Cameo was ridiculous and suited for High School melodrama. Keeley throws her typical temper tantrum and threatens to leave Torin when she sees him fussing over and taking care of his near DYING best friend Cameo. Why weren’t you paying any attention to meeeee Torin? You couldn't take your eyes off her! SERIOUSLY?!
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I cannot with this self-centered twit. That was the final nail in the coffin for me.
And the whole brimstone/ward thing was convoluted to me. Keeley who is a Curator, is tied to the earth and it’s elements, she draws her powers and strength from the earth. But brimstone is her kryptonite, if she touches it she is weakened and if someone else is scarred by it her powers are blocked. Is anyone else catching the contradiction here?....If she draws her powers and strength from the earth, wouldn’t brimstone be one of those elements?? I didn’t understand how scarring yourself with it would block her powers? This didn’t really click for me. Same goes for the bonding thing, there seemed to be some contradictions. And the whole concept of her being given a body by Hades as a 'present' creeped me out supremely. Curators are spirits with no form, Keeley was given her body that used to belong to Persephone. Freaky much? I get this is the LOTU world and using bodies as a host may not be that shocking but I wasn't feeling this one. And I still would like to know why she's called the Red Queen?? So random.
The writing was also another factor to my rating. There was nothing organic about the plot or story momentum. The choppy manic writing was all over the place with the story picking up in a frantic mess that made no sense. This lacked flow of any kind with arbitrary jokes and innuendos being shoved in at the most random times. Jokes that have absolutely nothing to do with the conversation that's taking place or the inner dialogue. It was like the characters had ADD. It just screamed ‘Oh look I got jokes! Wanna hear them? let me shove it in here. Har har har! -__- We get it Gena, funny moments are fun but this many? MAKE IT STOP. Please. It becomes unbearably hokey.
As far the side plots go, they were more interesting then the main couple but..there wasn't enough of it.
William & Gilly
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Yes yes I still want them. *sigh* William sure did a 180 in here, going from overprotective growly guardian trying to keep his distance from Gilly in the last handful of books to giving her outright heated smoldering looks that everyone in the house is picking up on and pointing out. I was kinda surprised by this abrupt turn and can't help but feel like the rug is gonna get pulled out from under us. I’m a little scared what Gena has in store. This book is the perfect example that GS is notorious for changing her mind for storyline/plot directions and who to pair up with who. And she's been verrrry tight lipped about William and Gilly. I swear if this is another psych! red herring I’m gonna scream. It seems everything is building up to Gilly’s 18th Birthday party. There were giant anvils being thrown around that something big is gonna happen when Gilly turns legal. I hope it's something good, like this girl finally getting a POV and some character growth.
Lazarus & Cameo The couple that stole the show entirely. Lazarus completely stole Tor’s thunder. Oh boy did he ever. And just by 3 measly too-damn-short scenes. I’m obsessed with these two now. I’m waiting for sexy Lazarus to barrel down the door of the fortress, take Cameo, carry her off fireman style and make her his love slave. Oooooh Lazarus...
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My gawd he’s a SEXAY BEAST! I want him. Cameo’s reaction to seeing Tor happy broke my heart. At least Gena was consistent in that regard by addressing the history and feelings between Torin and Cameo. It was bittersweet. I wanna see Cameo happy and Lazarus is the perfect specimen to make that happen. In more ways than one. Unf.
Galen & Legion I really hope Gena gives this guy his HEA. It seems he's switching sides maybe? and I'm totally fine with this. Really great potential and great character growth for this anti-hero. I love him with Legion a.k.a Honey (by the way hate this new name). He played a bigger part in this and seems genuinely concerned and set on winning Legion's trust. I hope he succeeds. I want more of Legion's POV. Give them a story pleeease!
Baden Probably the most random WTH? side plot inserted in here. Correct me if I'm wrong but the last time we heard from Baden he was content in Heaven when Aeron 'died' no? I know he definitely wanted to come back and asked his brothers to help save him. That was in Book 5. So what the hell is he doing stuck in a random realm in here? How did he get there? I felt like this was a pretty big plot hole and haphazardly shoved in here. Or maybe I need to brush up on my history and forgot something that happened in the last book. How did Torin find out about him? Everything was wrapped up a little too easy and quickly with him in here to interest me. We haven't heard from him in a long while so I was expecting his rescue to be a little more climactic.
Overall: I'm just here for the 3 couples I mentioned, that's it. Anything else I don't care for at this point. I love these guys but I feel like this series has run it's course and is starting to get very mechanical. The passion and intensity that was there in spades in the beginning has all but vanished and characters are taking on the roles of cartoon-like interchangeable caricatures. Her Angels of the Dark series is picking up footing and steam where this is starting to fall apart....more
Be warned: This is going to be very long, very thorough, very looooong-winded review. I’m sorry but I need to get this shit out or else it’s going to get stuck in my head in never-never Land and drive me bonkers.
I was so hesitant and pretty much dreading to read this. This book caused me so much anxiety. From getting it, to starting it and finishing it, the anxiety never stopped. For good reason. You are dealing with a full blown story that spans out a full year of a male struggling to move on in life without the woman he has loved and was mated to for 200 years. Oh man. Sooo many emotions. Too much. Seeing that all play out on the pages was heavy, really emotional, painful and surreal. Surreal because it felt so raw, so uncanningly real that it scared me. Yeah say what you want about the genre, the author, the timing of the book, whatever, but the emotions in this book? That trumps everything else. And if you can get those kind of emotions out of me, draw me in so much so that I feel like I'm part of the freaking story (or wishing I was) then that says something. If that makes me a giddy fangirl? Then so be it. This was good writing. Plain and simple. And good writing is my kind of high that I always look for when reading.
I swear there were moments that it pained me to keep reading and others where I could. not. stop. reading. From the very beginning of this series we were introduced to Tohr as the most grounded, level-headed take-charge Brother of the group. He pretty much took lead of the group. And oh yeah....he was head over heels in love with his shellan Wellsie. Wellsie was never a prominent character in the books but whenever those two did share scenes it was emphasized, declared, brought home over and over again how much he loved, adored and would do anything for his Wellsie. So naturally I didn't want to read this. It seemed too painful to read and a heavy emotional story to get through. They were never my favorite couple, I had no ties or preference to them, but Ward introduced these two from the very beginning as a solid unit, a happily mated couple, very much in love and expecting a child and raising John Matthew as an adoptive son. How could I not be endeared to them? So reading a book about him struggling and literally being forced to move on was not something I had the heart or stomach for. That all being said....this surprised me. In a good way.
Tohr/No'One/Wellsie This picks up literally where Lover Mine stops. From there it paces through a whole year were we see Tohr still mourning over his shellan and just going through the motions of daily life. Ever since her death, we've pretty much witnessed him going on a downward spiral. He didn't want to be saved, wanted to be left alone and several times kept wishing he would die to join Wellsie on the other side. In here, he slowly starts to put his life back together. He fights it tooth and nail and struggles but he does it. And oh man some moments were really hard to get through. He goes through the paces of what a person would do when they are saying goodbye and trying to move on. The scene between him and Marissa at Safe Place just literally felt like a sucker punch to the gut and had me wanting to curl up into a ball and sob. So so painfully real and devastating and awful. :(
No'One is a very interesting heroine. To be honest I wasn't all that moved or interested in her character until we got her back story. Oh what a story. She’s a pretty remarkable unique heroine who’s incredibly strong-willed, brave and selfless to the marrow. I came to admire and love her at the end. She’s more reserved but her endearingly sweet calm personality with that fire that came out at times was hard not to admire. She has big ties and a connection with Tohr and Darius. I thought it was nice how it all came full circle. What blew me away was the immediate connection between her and Tohr. I was endeared by their interactions/conversations and slowly but surely was completely enthralled. COMPLETELY. That surprised me the most. And uh....the sex scenes? @_@ *fans self* Good G-d talk about sensual and so freaking erotic. So wasn't expecting that.
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I felt like I needed a cigarette with the way those two kept going at it. Tohr really surprised me with how open and playful and intimate he was. He always came off as a very reserved private male compared to other brothers so seeing this side of him was very new to me and kind of addictive. They shared one-too many sweet adorable hot-as-hell tender moments. I really wasn’t expecting to get that from him. Overall, I was really surprised with the amount of sexy-pexy time that's packed into this book. It was a huge shift from the last book where we didn't get much of that. It's safe to say I liked that. And missed it. A lot. *high five to Ward on that*
The thing I did struggle with and kept cringing over that made this a 4 star was the timing of this story. Did I enjoy the love story? Absolutely. Did I buy it? Yes... but I struggled with it. While I loved Tohr's story and felt every part, I did think it was way too soon. He loses his first and only love he's known his entire life and within the following year after her death falls in love again?? Too soon in the context of this story. I think that Tohr's story should have been put on hold for later on. The impact for me would have resonated so much more and been a little more believable if it happened a little more down the road. Tohr himself was clearly fighting more than half way through the book and I was too. I ended up coming to really love No'One and I felt it was ridiculously unfair to put her in the position of being 'used' as a catalyst to have Wellsie move on to the Fade. I really didn't like that. That was the major cringe factor for me, the pink elephant in the room so to speak that kept playing a dominate role between the two. She pretty much became the forced second choice in this equation. It kept getting in the way of me truly believing Tohr really loved LOVED her and not just an obligation to her. I mean we kept being reminded over and over again how much Tohr was still in love with Wellsie more than 2/3rds into the book and he was trying so hard to help her move on into the fade. As a love story? Not romantic. Just completely heartbreaking. I also don’t like having to question the hero’s true feelings constantly. Makes great angst but in this scenario: unbearable. But the ending that brought these two full circle? Perfection. Tohr's reaction just slayed me.
The ending was awesome and a freaking Hallejuah! moment. I bought it and loved it but I just wish the main plot point/catalyst for having these two come together wasn’t focused on getting Wellsie into the Fade. There were definitely feelings there, strong ones but having him be FORCED to move on with someone else to save a loved one puts a damper on all the warm and gushy feelings a reader should be getting. No’One was totally fine with it and she herself wasn't looking for any kind of relationship or falling in love but her heart started to play a big role in it, once Tohr knew it he used it to lash out at her. There were countless pivotal poignant moments b/w these two that I found myself re-reading.
We also got to see another side of his relationship with Wellsie during flashbacks. Moments that showed not everything was rainbows and roses for those two. Some may have resented that, but I understood it. Like every marriage whether real or fictional there will always be conflict and problems. It’s a guaranteed. If some were expecting none of that to exist between those two then that’s just being unrealistic. The sensitive subject between the two revealed here was having a baby. I've seen many argue how selfish Tohr was for not wanting Wellsie to have a baby and other's saying Wellsie manipulated and blackmailed him into servicing her during her needing. I'm in the middle. I saw where both were coming from and had no problem with it. In fact I wasn’t even surprised that the issue brought up so much conflict. It's nothing new. Pregnancy is always a very sore subject with mated males. They fear losing their shellans during the birthing. We saw it clearly play out with Z. It’s no different or surprising with Tohr and I totally understood where he was coming from. How I see it is, as a shellan Wellsie had every right to ask that of her hellren just as Tohr had every right to stand against it. Like Z, he was terrified of losing his mate during the birthing. It’s completely understandable. Some may call it selfish but I see it the other way. I just personally wasn’t a fan of Wellsie’s blunt personality.
Xhex/JohnMatthew/No'One I really loved the angsty tension between John and Xhex. They were really yum in this. While I had issues with their book for a few reasons, I have to say John M grew up and matured even more through this book. I loved how his estranged relationship with Tohr grew and they reconnected once again as father and son and stood side-by-side together. I adore those two and their connection. Lots of heavy emotional heartbreaking moments between those two. Xhex and John deal with some issues of their own. Xhex trying to readjust to being mated and a shellan to a brotherhood soldier. I really loved the side story Ward put for these two. And sweet Jesus can these two really do sexy erotic love scenes. Good. Lord. *fans face* When they go at it…..they REALLY go at it. Wooooh! For some reason these two have the most erotic off-the wall love scenes. You get all panty just reading it. ;) And that’s saying something cause they aren’t even my fav couple. Ha.
I also really loved seeing the moments between Xhex and No'One. Getting to know each other and bonding as mother and daughter was really sweet and poignant. This really needed to happen. No'One getting to know and see who her daughter really is and Xhex getting to know her mother and her interests was really great to see. Seeing them go out on 'mother/daughter' bonding dates was super sweet. Xhex calling her Mahmen was all kinds of awesome. They made me go 'aaaaw' several times like a ninny. :P Too cute.
Blay/Qhuinn/Saxton/Layla It’s safe to say I’m a huge Blay & Qhuinn fan. I love and adore these two. <3 I could not be happier they are getting a book. Just when I thought Ward couldn’t possibly torture these two (and me) any more she goes and does it some more in here. Oy. *sigh* I prepared myself given the hints Ward kept dropping about Qhuay fans not being happy after reading this. So I was dreading what was to come for these two in this. They killed me in this. If I thought having Qhuinn looking longingly at Blay and fantasizing about him was a killer, but Qhuinn throwing off major eye-sex at Blay, blurting out his feelings to him and servicing Layla made me want to rip my freakin hair out and scream bloody murder like an enraged idiot. Yes Blay is involved with Saxton, yes they are lovers but it’s quite clear and has been made crystal clear where his heart lies. He may be getting sexually gratified on a daily basis but the guy is miserable. To me there's a huge difference between the two. That whole library scene where Blay listens to Qhuinn servicing Layla during her needing (over the top much Ward? It’s a freakin mansion didn’t think sounds like that would resonate that LOUDLY lol) broke my heart and made me see red. And this is just when I was starting to tolerate and slowly start to like Layla. *grumbles*
I wasn’t a fan of the Chosen in the previous book. I wanted to throttle her more than once. Her simpering and ‘poor me, nobody understands how I feel’ routine just got under my skin. I just could not sympathize with her. And her unrequited doe-eyed crush on Qhuinn didn't help either. But here she seemed to come a long way even in the short time she’s been spending at the mansion. She’s doing her own thing, learning new things and being more ‘independent’ which I liked. And her brother/sister affection with Qhuinn is sweet. While she’s not my favorite she’s slowly starting to grow on me. I like that she understands and accepts Qhuinn’s feelings and wants to see him happy. Her maturity and level-headedness and cracking jokes in the hospital room surprised me. She is coming into her own. But her begging Qhuinn to service her so she could have something of her own and playing on his emotions annoyed me. I started to resent her for putting him in that position and asking that of him. Yes he made his choice freely and she didn’t force him but still I kept wishing she hadn’t. I did find it VERY convenient how Qhuinn just happened to be the only male around Layla when she went into her needing. Of course. RME. Obvious much Ward?? *grumbles some more* And I will say it annoys me how everyone sees her as this perfect ethereal thing that shouldn’t be touched. Good lord. It was slathered on waaaaay too much in here. It’s eye-roll inducing. The brothers and Qhuinn keep putting her on this ridiculous high pedestal (even more so then the other Chosens IMO). I thought it was heaped on a little too much in here for my tastes. Ward loves her that’s glaringly obvious. But please stop having all the males acting like she has a magic glittery hoo hah. It’s a little bit corny and overkill for me. The more saintly and propping they do with this character the more I’m repelled to liking her. Just saying.
As for the pregnancy can’t say I’m surprised given the huge hint Ward gave in Payne’s book with Qhuinn’s vision. That scared me and made me leery. Of course she took it there like I feared. *sigh* *grumbles some more* Naturally I was pissed when I found out it was confirmed in this book. I didn’t want Qhuinn having that connection/bond with anyone other than Blay. I didn’t want him having a child with the Chosen. But as I read it the more I came to terms with it and have accepted it. In fact I’m kind of excited, scared but excited and anxious at the same time. It’s a very modern approach and the only way that both Qhuinn and Blay can be parents to a child if they mate. I’m putting my faith in Ward to do it right, do right by both of them and the child. (Don't make me eat my words WARDen!) I don’t have anything against the idea of Blay and Qhuinn being fathers and Layla the mother to the child. Just as long as everyone is counted for and treated fairly. ( hint, hint: Blay better be more than a third fiddle in this equation)
Oh and I’m really REALLY hoping that suggestion made by Beth about Qhuinn joining the brotherhood is taken to heart. I got so freaking giddy when that was brought up. Wrath seemed to take it seriously. Qhuinn has come a long way and he deserves this recognition. He’s always felt like an insider and has ‘nothing’ , this character has so much heart and I will always have a soft spot for everything he’s been through and how far he’s come. I’m hoping the big secret ‘project’ Saxton is working on in the library has something to do with that. ;) crosses fingers Ward is sneaky and clever at leaving hints and I’m hoping that’s a big hint to it.
Xcor/Layla Another side story that’s been set up here slowly is the situation with Layla and Xcor, the leader of the Band of Bastards. I originally thought Layla and Throe were going to be paired up with the immediate chemistry those two shared. There definitely were sparks and Throe was really taken by her I thought for sure it was going to go somewhere. So naturally I was a little surprised and disappointed when it lead nowhere only to have Xcor be just as captivated and enthralled by the beautiful Chosen one when she’s lured and tricked into feeding him when he’s badly wounded. Now I’m a total sucker for scarred brooding villainous anti-heroes finding HEA with a heroine they think they will never have or deserve. Just YUM. That’s one delicious complicated recipe. Xcor is a very complicated character who I’ve struggled to like or care for at times. I didn’t care much for him when he was introduced but he’s definitely intrigued me in this. There were parts that I hated him and I thought he crossed some lines and couldn’t ever see him being redeemed with the stuff he does in here. But other times I was intrigued and a little sad for him. And I’m still trying to get over the whole trying to kill Wrath thing. *cringes* Yeah that’s a big no-no in my book. Hands off MY Wrath dammit! Anyways, he definitely has a vulnerable very insecure side to him that he buries deep and protects with heavy armor. When it does come out you can’t help but be heartbroken. That scene where he’s sitting there cutting himself really surprised me. He has his moments where you see he’s not as ruthless and soulless as he appears to be. I hope that side comes out more since Layla definitely seems to be the trigger for him. As of now, what I’m having issues with wrapping my head around is how in the world these two could be paired up down the road considering the whole baby situation and oh yeah…..he’s the freaking Brotherhood’s sworn enemy. The male has a bulls-eye on his back after the move he made. That is one major sticky situation. And as for the baby, Xcor is a very traditional male. And I mean very traditional. This is the same guy who did not like seeing Layla in ‘street clothes’ so I really am having a hard time picturing him accepting Layla’s baby who is fathered by someone else, much less Qhuinn, his enemy. I do not see those two ever co-existing or accepting the other. Ward definitely has written these two into a corner right now I’m curious to see how she handles this.
Band of Bastards (Throe/Zypher/Xcor) These guys intrigued me since the last book. Throe in particular. I really wonder if Ward plans on giving Throe and Zypher a book too. I was hoping they would fight alongside with the brotherhood but given what went down in this book that’s a big resounding NO. And I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
I enjoyed this book very much. It was one of those can’t-put-down, need to finish, don’t-want-it-to-end painfully torturous books. While there were things that did bother me about this, I was never bored, didn’t want to skip anything and couldn’t put it down. I kept wanting to rush home from work just to find out what happens next, some of the characters kept circling around in my head like a crazy person. So yeah thumbs up for Ward, HUGE improvement and major step up from Lover Unleashed, I hope this kind of writing continues. *crosses fingers* ...more
How to describe this? Boring, disappointing, aggravating are the three words that come to mind. This should have been titled 500 Ways to Obsess[image]
How to describe this? Boring, disappointing, aggravating are the three words that come to mind. This should have been titled 500 Ways to Obsess over Harry Osborne. Spoiler Alert: That's not the hero. What did Genevieve Eversea do for a Duke? Absolutely Nothing. Nothing but wring her hands and fret miserably over her best friend Harry (he with the long nose hairs) who she's in love with and who HAS to marry her, not her friend Millicent. Yet won’t lift a finger to do anything about it but sit on her hands and sweat over when Harry is going to propose to Millicent during a house party that covers the whole book while the hero watches from the sidelines. Which makes me wonder if I got a dummy copy with the wrong cover cause the title of this book has nothing to do with the story inside it whatsoever. Which seems to be the theme here.
This was the ultimate test in patience and everything I despise about love triangles when done completely wrong. It’s Bridgerton Season 2 all over again for me but just take out the sexual tension and passionate filled monologue too while you're at it. Boo, hiss, yuck. Did I read the same book as everyone else? Did I get an alternate copy? Because honestly I felt like I was missing something here...?
"We're to put on blindfolds and crash about the parlor?" Genevieve had never wanted to do anything less. If she put on a blindfold, Harry might seize the opportunity to propose to Millicent while she wasn't watching.
And she should feel wicked. But she felt powerful. That she should know such pleasure, do something so incredible, made it perversely seem not only entirely possible, but likely, that Harry would realize he loved her and muster the courage to do what was right, which was, of course, propose to her.
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I normally don’t mind love triangles but I hate it when it involves an oblivious main character stubbornly hung up for far too long on someone that’s not worth the gum underneath their shoe. Harry is a childish idiot but Genevieve has her cap set on him and convinced he is perfect for her (even though he has no idea what her favorite flowers are ...more
I really loved this book. The execution was very impressive and just made the entire story pretty amazing. Loved this author's style of writing. I hadI really loved this book. The execution was very impressive and just made the entire story pretty amazing. Loved this author's style of writing. I had randomly picked this up on a whim because the cover intrigued me and the back cover description caught my interest and when I started reading it, it really surprised me. A very pleasant wonderful surprise for me. I was expecting to get the predictable plot seen in romance books but this book really grabbed me and kept surprising me. I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I loved both the hero and heroine who both have difficult dark backgrounds but come together and can't let go. A very heartbreaking forlorn couple who have lots of ups and downs. Very angsty emotionally-heavy story. But so very good.
The only negative I would say is the story does get dragged out a bit too long until the conclusion but the author makes up for it with the character interaction, great dialogue and wonderful ending. When I say I couldn't put this down I really mean it. I was completely sucked in and actually sad when the story ended. It's not the typical fluff light-hearted stuff you get in other romance period books which is one of the reasons why I liked it so much, it's darker, more realistic and has so much more depth. The characters in this are 3 dimensional, fully fleshed out, believable and just enthralling to read about. I almost didn't want to finish it because it was so good. If you want a real love story, with angst, heartbreak, passion and lots of drama then this is it. It had everything with a few surprises here and there. The characters in this will always stay with me, they were very unique, very real and just heartbreaking. Great book!!! ...more