Incoherent review alert. Originally when I read this book I thought it was a new to me author and after reading discovered I had already read one of hIncoherent review alert. Originally when I read this book I thought it was a new to me author and after reading discovered I had already read one of her books and enjoyed it. That was a shock to me because this book... it was not good. A grumpy sunshine with a man that honestly was not very grumpy, just slightly introverted with some trauma and an annoying heroine.
Normally with Christmas books we don't get enough of the holiday, in this book we got too much. It was too much Christmas and had every Hallmark story shoved all into one book. If the author had stuck to the original story outlined in the description, it would have been very good! But instead too much was added in and everything went all over the place. Lots of potential but it just fell flat. Don't forget it had incredibly cringe sex scenes I disassociated and tried my best to forget...more
A cozy mystery set in a grand hotel in NYC in 1958, this book follows heiress Evelyn. most people think she's an eccentric Marilyn knock of 2.5 stars
A cozy mystery set in a grand hotel in NYC in 1958, this book follows heiress Evelyn. most people think she's an eccentric Marilyn knock off, but in actuality she's an agoraphobic rich woman afraid to leave the hotel. When a guest is murdered, Evelyn decides to solve the case.
The word that comes to mind when I think of this book is "lackluster". I found the story a bit dull and the main character boring. It was fun enough to follow along and I was able to read until the end of the book. But I felt the pacing was all over the place and some of the dialogue too modern for a story set in the 1950's....more
I read this book at exactly the right time. For technicalities sake, this book is not a romance but a fictional novel with romance elements. I feel thI read this book at exactly the right time. For technicalities sake, this book is not a romance but a fictional novel with romance elements. I feel the need to make that clear since it is very clearly marketed as a romance but doesn't technically fit the genre.
Following Hannah, Finn, Priya, and Theo over a span of years, the Christmas Orphans Club is about four best friends who don't have family to spend Christmas with, so they spend it with each other. After a tumultuous few years, Hannah finally feels settled with her friendships until Finn drops a bomb: he's moving to LA. Now Hannah feels the need to make this Christmas better than ever, but there's still some cracks in her personal life that are starting to grow larger.
I really liked Hannah as a main character, I thought she was interesting and I really understood her feelings on a lot of the situations in this book. The author definitely wrote herself into a corner making this book mostly only take place on the Christmas holiday in varying years, but I thought it all came together really well. My favorite part of this book was Hannah and Finn's friendship and how they were really there for each other even when times were hard. By the end of the book I was in tears. Yes, it's a Christmas book but it also wasn't super cheesy like a Hallmark movie (not that there's anything wrong with that)....more
I really wanted to like this book as we don't see a lot of Jewish historical romance, but I didn't care for thI dnf'd this about 30-40% of the way in.
I really wanted to like this book as we don't see a lot of Jewish historical romance, but I didn't care for the writing style and thought it was boring. ...more
A book about two young Hollywood stars, one on the rise to fame, the other a former child star, and while filming a movie they fall in love. Sounds reA book about two young Hollywood stars, one on the rise to fame, the other a former child star, and while filming a movie they fall in love. Sounds really interesting and fun, yes? It wasn't. Instead what we got was a coming of age story that felt like a YA novel instead of one for adults. And honestly, it was wayyyy more trauma than actual romance. I'd hesitate to call this a romance novel.
This book was a great example of telling and not showing. We were often told things happened off the page (especially a pivotal time in both the characters lives near the end) and there was a Greek chorus type vibe with inserted opinions via Youtube or online discussions. Personally, this book brought me to a mentally bad space and I felt there was some on the page trauma that didn't actually need to be on the page (but that's just my preferences). I never understood why Matty and Logan actually liked each other, they had great sexual chemistry but to be honest, they felt like they were better as each others messy relationships before you move on and find the real thing with someone else.
This is my first book by Kacen Callendar and while it didn't work for me, I'd be willing to read a different book by them in the future....more
Two rival journalists find a magical connection and love through enchanted typewriters. Iris Winnow lives a hard live with her alcoholic mother[image]
Two rival journalists find a magical connection and love through enchanted typewriters. Iris Winnow lives a hard live with her alcoholic mother and her brother fighting the war and missing in action. Her rival at her newspaper job is Roman Kitt, and the two are fighting for the same job. Iris writes letters to her brother which she places under a wardrobe where they magically disappear, and unknowingly to Iris, they go to Roman.
I read this book based on the recommendation of a book seller and I am so happy I picked it up. I didn't even realize this book was considered YA fiction, because even though the main characters are teens this read more like an adult novel/story to me. I loved listening along to what was happening with both characters, especially the world building. And the last 20% of this book broke me and I need the second book right now....more
A MFFM romance between four vampires spread throughout the decades. This was an easy read and I enjoyed it for the most part, I just think 3.5 stars
A MFFM romance between four vampires spread throughout the decades. This was an easy read and I enjoyed it for the most part, I just think in a few months I will forget the finer details. It definitely outlined abusive relationships and was an interesting character study. Just slightly forgettable, at least to me....more
Set in 1948, this book follows Madeline as she moves to a remote town in New York to live as a companion to the reclusive writer Victor. Ther 3 stars
Set in 1948, this book follows Madeline as she moves to a remote town in New York to live as a companion to the reclusive writer Victor. There she also meets his neighbor Audrey, and remarks on a romantic adventure with the two of them.
This book is no plot and no vibes which is fine, but also zero conflict/stakes and not much character growth led to a fairly surface level reading experience. I did really enjoy the little moments of this book, there were lots of things that had a great takeaway. But I wish the three characters had worked through some of the conflicts presented to them rather than just everything falling perfectly into place. It's also nice to read about adult trans characters in a historical setting and (view spoiler)[ nothing bad happens to them on the page which was refreshing (hide spoiler)]....more
Is this book a complete rip off of Throne of Glass? Yes
Is this book poorly written? Yes
Did I still enjoy reading it? Somewhat yes
So I 2.5 stars
Is this book a complete rip off of Throne of Glass? Yes
Is this book poorly written? Yes
Did I still enjoy reading it? Somewhat yes
So I finished the book and didn't DNF it, that says a lot. I actually mostly enjoyed the first 70% of this book, but overall it was just okay. It felt simultaneously a rip off of multiple famous books (Throne of Glass, The Hunger Games, Divergent, Harry Potter 4) with weird "easter eggs" thrown in that really took me out of the book more than anything. I think the author tried but there were too many things with this book that didn't work for me in the end. Not sure I'd be willing to read more in this series....more
I'm not doing a typical review for this book I am just going to list pros and cons
Pros: -Interesting historical facts about Mexican immigrant 2 stars
I'm not doing a typical review for this book I am just going to list pros and cons
Pros: -Interesting historical facts about Mexican immigrants to England during the war, France invading Mexico, etc... -Positive depictions of Hispanic characters -Truly beautiful/stunning/gorgeous book cover
Cons: -Literally zero plot until about 60-70% of the way into the book -Lackluster romance with profoundly unsexy spicy parts -Little to no character development, they were all just oddly fully formed and not much growth happened -Rushed ending
I wanted to like this one more than I did, I *might* be willing to read a book about one of the other sisters but I am not sure at this point....more
Ethan Lippmann is sent by his grandfather to pose undercover at the bakery Best Babka in order to steal their secret recipe for pumpkin spic 4 stars!
Ethan Lippmann is sent by his grandfather to pose undercover at the bakery Best Babka in order to steal their secret recipe for pumpkin spice babka. There he meets Avital, who despite her stern personality Ethan is attracted to almost right away. While working there, Ethan begins to become friends with the staff, and starting to become something even more with Avital. But with her chronic pelvic pain, Avital is just trying to get through every day and Ethan doesn't want to betray her.
This is one of those books where every criticism I hear I think it's totally valid and agree with but at the same time, I really enjoyed this book. The author fit quite a few "teaching moments" into the book and they were fairly obvious, but a lot of them I enjoyed. To be fair, I am not Jewish and don't know as much about the faith as I wish but I felt I learned a lot from the book and found it all very interesting. I also think a lot of people will relate to Avital's experience with chronic pain in some way. Not everyone's experience is the same, but it's also nice to see yourself represented in literature.
Without getting too spoilery, one of my favorite aspects of this book was how the characters reacted to each other. When things would happen, when things are revealed throughout the story. I won't say much but I appreciated how the author wrote the character reactions and it was so refreshing to read in a romance novel. I would have liked some more character development of some characters (they tended to be caricatures instead of fleshed out), and I think some of the plot points needed to be weeded down. But overall this was such a fun read and I'm glad I overcame my misgivings (book with an ugly cover) and decided to read it anyway....more
To be fair, I am not the target audience for this book. It was both better and worse than I was expecting, and I did laugh quite a bit while reading iTo be fair, I am not the target audience for this book. It was both better and worse than I was expecting, and I did laugh quite a bit while reading it. ...more
Let me preface this by saying, there is a lot about this book that is very 90's problematic and would not pass a present day debriefing, but 4 stars
Let me preface this by saying, there is a lot about this book that is very 90's problematic and would not pass a present day debriefing, but that being said I enjoyed it immensely.
Jessica Trent is a young woman who has no desire to marry and has a keen eye for rare objects. When her brother introduces her to the Marquess of Dain, there's an immediate attraction between the two of them. But Dain thrives off of playing the villain and neither one of them likes the idea of marriage.
I won't say much more because it'll give away the plot, but Loretta Chase is probably one of my favorite historical romance writers. And I'm saying that after only reading one book. Her writing style was captivating and I was completely sucked into the story from beginning to end. Were there plot holes and things that didn't make sense? Absolutely. Did I still enjoy myself while reading this book. ABSOLUTELY. It was fun to read a complicated hero (even if he gave incel vibes at the beginning of the book) and Jessica was such a fun heroine. She put up with none of Dain's crap and it was a delight to read along....more
After quitting her job as a chef, Simone goes to law school after consulting a magic 8 ball for her future. Once at law school, 2.5 stars rounded up
After quitting her job as a chef, Simone goes to law school after consulting a magic 8 ball for her future. Once at law school, she's out of her depth not knowing the way things work. She makes friends with Silas, who she really likes but who is a teacher's pet and undermines her in class. Is Silas or law school the right choice for her?
So I gave this a 2.5-3 stars because for the most part, I liked it. It read a lot like fan fiction that hadn't been edited though, and there were lots of small conflicts introduced that were resolved within the next few pages. I don't understand why a grown woman doesn't check her email? Or expects to show up to law school with no prep and just be fine? But overall I enjoyed the book and made it to the end via audiobook....more
A human adopted by the King of Vampires, Oraya has spent her life in survival mode. When the Kejari tournament is coming, Oraya signs up for 4 stars
A human adopted by the King of Vampires, Oraya has spent her life in survival mode. When the Kejari tournament is coming, Oraya signs up for a fight to the death in order to be granted a wish from the goddess herself. During the tournament she meets the vampire Raihn, who is dangerous, but the two strike up an alliance to make it to the end of the Kejari.
This book started out really slow and I almost called it quits, but I pushed through and right at the right time it picked up. It's not the most unique or original, but it has a compulsive reading quality to it and the last 30% of the book I couldn't put it down. I liked both of the main characters a lot, Oraya is an interesting heroine who always has to be on guard. Raihn was the vampire we didn't expect, who behaves almost human. The romance was very well done and I enjoyed being along for the ride while reading this book. I must dive into book two asap!...more
I don't have many coherent thoughts on this one, but I mostly liked it despite somewhat confusing worldbuilding. I do wish there had been m 3.5 stars
I don't have many coherent thoughts on this one, but I mostly liked it despite somewhat confusing worldbuilding. I do wish there had been more female characters supporting the heroine in this feminist young adult novel, but hoping there will be more in the next one. Overall I liked it, but wasn't as in love with this book as everyone else. ...more
Morgan McBride is the oldest of all his siblings and returned home to take care of them when his parents couldn't. But now, Morgan is gettin 4 stars!
Morgan McBride is the oldest of all his siblings and returned home to take care of them when his parents couldn't. But now, Morgan is getting restless and wants to leave Buck's Creek. That's when his sister Junebug hatches a plan to get him to stay and orders him a bride from The Matrimonial News. Pip shows up in Buck's Creek expecting to get married, but is shocked to fine out her betrothed has no clue she was coming.
I adored this historical western romance by Amy Barry. I went in somewhat blind, and even though I hadn't read the first book I was able to follow along easily and enjoy the characters. The strongest part of this book for me was the secondary characters and the character growth of Pip. I love that we got a tall curvy heroine whose beauty was overlooked until she was able to blossom into her better self. Junebug and Grandma were an absolute hoot and their antics had me smiling while listening to this book. The weakest part for me (and why it's not five stars) was Morgan and his romance with Pip. The man never really made the effort to get to know her until the end and I had trouble believing they would be happy together in the long run....more
Scarred is a retelling of The Lion King (already a retelling of Hamlet) where Scar the villain, is actually notI'm not sure if dark romance is for me.
Scarred is a retelling of The Lion King (already a retelling of Hamlet) where Scar the villain, is actually not the bad buy. Well, he's still a bad guy, but in this he's the good, bad guy? Honestly it wasn't clear. And I would have gladly taken this book seriously if not for the bad renaming of characters and just an overall incoherent plot. Like the family name was Faasa? Michael Faasa? Mmmm-fasa? I had a physical reaction every time I saw that name in writing.
And like what redeeming quality was there to Tristan? He was still a bad ruler, like he tortured and murdered people in graphic ways on the page but then I am supposed to be rooting for him to become king? And same with Sara like, her whole personality was revenge and once that was gone what did we have? I don't know, maybe I am overthinking this....more
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