The first 50 pages were really strong, but the lack of worldbuilding or character development made it fall flat for me. Very glad we DNF at about 50%.
The first 50 pages were really strong, but the lack of worldbuilding or character development made it fall flat for me. Very glad we are getting more queer romantasy, especially a FFA one....more
I will start this out by saying I am not the target audience for this book. I read it for a book club and I am actually very proud of mysel 2.5 stars
I will start this out by saying I am not the target audience for this book. I read it for a book club and I am actually very proud of myself for finishing this 19 hour audiobook. Not much to say other than I think I would have liked it more if there had been either a time jump or maybe 200+ pages had been shaved off of this one. It was overly long with subplots that lead nowhere sometimes. At times it reminded me a lot of Robert Jordan's work in that while at its heart I recognize its worth and that there are good parts, but we didn't really need all of that....more
I think this just boils down to personal preference, but I am not a fan of low plot just vibes books and therefore this one didn't work for me. Most oI think this just boils down to personal preference, but I am not a fan of low plot just vibes books and therefore this one didn't work for me. Most of the story I was bored while reading, even though all of the characters are very sweet and likeable....more
I don't have much to say about this one except I didn't love it as much as I expected to. I found the beginning of this book disjointed and confusing I don't have much to say about this one except I didn't love it as much as I expected to. I found the beginning of this book disjointed and confusing (probably because I didn't read the book that came before this one even though this is a standalone) and I didn't always feeling the yearning between the two main characters.
I thought Catherine/Ying Ying was an outstanding heroine, she was so interesting and had many qualities you don't normally read in a historical romance. I wish I saw more heroines like her in my romance novels....more
A second chance romance between a Hollywood director and his production assistant.
I think Myah Ariel is a wonderful writer and I am very excited to seA second chance romance between a Hollywood director and his production assistant.
I think Myah Ariel is a wonderful writer and I am very excited to see what else she writes in the future. For me, second chance romance is a genre/trope close to my heart. This book, the author didn't sell me on the couple's previous romance enough for me to really feel why they were drawn to each other years later. This book was a good example of when authors tell you things instead of showing you.
Lots of really great moments, Kaliya was an outstanding main character. I wasn't the biggest fan of Danny, but side characters Neha and Bella were also amazing and I loved them....more
A beautifully written fantasy, this book was one of my more happy surprise reads this year!
Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of the Governor, and her A beautifully written fantasy, this book was one of my more happy surprise reads this year!
Mehr is the illegitimate daughter of the Governor, and her mother is Amrithi, outcasts in society. But being half-Amrithi means Mehr has inherited magic and those in power seek to use it for their own gain.
As I said before this book was written so beautifully and I loved listening along to the story. It's not necessarily groundbreaking, but also it doesn't have to be! (I say this because of reviews I saw complaining about that). I loved Mehr and Amun and the wonderful love story they had in this book. Amun is one of the great book boyfriends!
I do wish this book had been slightly shorter, but otherwise I loved it....more
When Lady Dane's husband unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself in a predicament with the her late husband's family and custody of her 3.5 stars
When Lady Dane's husband unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself in a predicament with the her late husband's family and custody of her children. To resolve this, she enters into a fake relationship with Nathaniel Travers who owes her a favor. But as the two spend time together, and Nate spends time with Cora and her children, the entire family begins to become attached as outside forces threaten to tear them apart.
One of those solid I liked it but didn't love it kind of books. I feel like the author could have shaved off a good 50-100 pages of this book and it would have been a 4 or 5 star read, but stretches of this book felt like a bit of a slog to get through. I really liked Nate as a romantic hero because he was flawed but did his best to learn and grow and improve upon himself. Cora was also solidly okay in that I didn't have strong feelings about her either way. Overall one of those books where I enjoyed it, but it didn't hit me as hard as it did other readers (as I can see by the reviews)....more
I want to start with I am glad this book exists, and as a thirty-something white cis woman this book is absolutely not meant for me and I completely uI want to start with I am glad this book exists, and as a thirty-something white cis woman this book is absolutely not meant for me and I completely understand that. I hope this book gets into the hands of those who very much need it. I read it for a book club, otherwise I probably wouldn't have picked it up.
I won't go much into plot or details. The teenagers in this were mostly insufferable with the exception of Devin and it made me wonder if me and my friends were this awful as teens (we probably were and worse). I thought the book was written really well and there were some really nice moments in it, hence two stars instead of a one star rating....more
A fun and spicy queer hockey romance, MUCH better than the first book. Not a complete 5 star read because of some issues with it (view spoiler)[ casuaA fun and spicy queer hockey romance, MUCH better than the first book. Not a complete 5 star read because of some issues with it (view spoiler)[ casual racism in descriptions of a character (hide spoiler)] and this is definitely like, a fantasy hockey league that does not follow real life rules (for obvious plot reasons).
Not sure if I would read the rest of the series though....more
When Emmy returns to her small witchy town, she's facing a traumatic past she thought she left behind. Her ex-boyfriend, who is the reason sh 3 stars
When Emmy returns to her small witchy town, she's facing a traumatic past she thought she left behind. Her ex-boyfriend, who is the reason she left town, has also been making waves with some other women in the town. That's when Emmy teams up with them to get revenge. Among the wronged women is Talia, who Emmy is immediately intrigued by. As they work together, sparks begin to fly.
This book was solidly "okay" for me. It was a cute, small town, Hallmark-y vibe story and I can already see myself forgetting it in a couple of weeks. I liked it, but nothing really stood out to be as very special. I liked Talia a lot, and some of the trials and challenges near the end of the book. I do think the cover is stunning and would like to see more covers light it rather than the weird cartoon characters that are popular as of late....more
Beatrice wants to be a sorceress, but due to societal standards she is expected to marry and wear a collar to curb her power forever. When s 4 stars!
Beatrice wants to be a sorceress, but due to societal standards she is expected to marry and wear a collar to curb her power forever. When she meets the Lavan siblings, each one of them offers a different path: one with magic, and one without.
I want to start this out with addressing all of the Goodreads reviews saying this is a young adult, it absolutely is NOT. Not only is this catalogued in public libraries under adult fiction, it is sold in adult fiction in stores marking the intended audience for this book.
That being said I thoroughly enjoyed this book and had fun listening to the audiobook. Nadi was a mood, who doesn't want to be a spirit that craves sweet treats and dancing and running on the beach? I will say some of the slavery metaphors and a lot of the misogyny were anxiety inducing but that was the intent. And I will forever say Beatrice had more sexual chemistry with the Lavan sister and not the brother (I listened to the book and cannot find spellings, forgive me)....more
I want to preface this with I loved this authors first book How to Fail at Flirting, and if you're curious about reading her work please st 2.5 stars
I want to preface this with I loved this authors first book How to Fail at Flirting, and if you're curious about reading her work please start there. This book, really didn't meet the mark for me. It's a quick read and one I was able to knock out almost entirely in one evening, but now almost two weeks after reading it, there was nothing that really stands out to me now.
Technically Yours is a second chance romance about Cord and Pearl, who were employer and employee. After Pearl dumped Cord and flew across the country years ago, she is back and working for a coding nonprofit Cord just became a board member of. The two still have feelings but try to keep things secret so Pearl can get a promotion.
Overall this book was very meh. I didn't feel any stakes or tension between the two. The author also didn't really describe a lot of the characters in the book, so oddly I can't even tell you the basics of what they looked like. Except Pearl had very long legs. I was never really sold on the romance between these two characters, honestly they felt very incompatible to me. I get that Cord was down bad for Pearl but it really felt like she could take him or leave him. I've read three other works by this author and they were all much better, so I am hoping this one is a fluke and her next one will be great!...more
I was excited to read this book as I read the first book The Duke Heist years ago and found Tommy to be a very intriguing character and was 3.5 stars
I was excited to read this book as I read the first book The Duke Heist years ago and found Tommy to be a very intriguing character and was eager to read her book. I will say, it was harder for me to focus on the plot in this book, there was a few subplots that seemed to be mixed together and none of them got their flowers. A fraud crime, Phillipa trying not to get married off, the establishment of free libraries; all were great but I felt it might have worked better if the focus was more on just one than all.
I really loved the chemistry between Tommy and Phillipa, I love that from the moment when Tommy opened up to Phillipa she did her best not to keep secrets and didn't anguish about lying, I appreciated that a lot. I've seen comments about the author needing to establish Tommy's gender identity more firmly and I whole-heartedly disagree. I don't think we need to label people unless they wish to be and I am glad the author didn't give us labels. Tommy is unapologetically herself and I loved her for it.
This book is a three star read for me mainly because I found it hard to focus on and was easy to put down and walk away from. I still very much enjoyed it and would happily read more from Erica Ridley....more
I feel this book would have been much better if it wasn't a Great Gatsby retelling. I know that defeats the whole purpose of this being a part of the I feel this book would have been much better if it wasn't a Great Gatsby retelling. I know that defeats the whole purpose of this being a part of the remixed classics series, but The Great Gatsby story just doesn't make sense with teens.
I loved that this book featured two trans male leads with a diverse group of characters. That's where my love of this book ends. The idea that 14 year olds were fighting in the war, Jay meeting Daisy when she was 13 (yikes), and an added in jewelry heist plot point all didn't work. I know the author was approached to write this book and I think they did the best they could. But this just didn't work for me. I may be biased because I am not a huge fan of The Great Gatsby to begin with, but this retelling actually made me appreciate the original and didn't seem to accomplish what it set out to do....more
Really enjoyed learning new historical aspects from this book such as the pottery and the ambulance classes. Also enjoyed a lot of the small town humoReally enjoyed learning new historical aspects from this book such as the pottery and the ambulance classes. Also enjoyed a lot of the small town humor interspersed throughout the story.
I had some trouble with the writing, it feeling repetitive and some changing plot points took away from my overall enjoyment....more
Not too much historical, not too much fantasy, this was a great story about someone who never felt as if they were enough. Honestly had such a great tNot too much historical, not too much fantasy, this was a great story about someone who never felt as if they were enough. Honestly had such a great time listening to this book, would love to see more fae/faerie books like this one....more
Loading...
