So, I am actually really mad at whomever decided to market this book as Romancing the Stone/Indiana Jones because it was neither of those things. ThosSo, I am actually really mad at whomever decided to market this book as Romancing the Stone/Indiana Jones because it was neither of those things. Those are adventure stories with lots of action: this was a boring archeological dig where not much action (other than sexual) happens.
I think this book had a lot of potential, and Jo Segura is a decent writer, but this story itself and the execution of the plot was lackluster. We had two such great characters that had decent chemistry (aside from some ick sex scenes, at least ick to me) and yet the actual story was not good! How do you take the really cool story of what these characters were looking for and then make it boring, I don't know. But after not much happening throughout 80% of the book and then a super-dramatic over the top turn in the last 20% is what brought the book down from 3 to 2 stars for me.
An ALC was provided via the Librarian ALC program at Libro.fm ...more
A romance between bodyguard Walker and housekeeper Sloane. Sloane has a mysterious past, but has been able to hide in Scotland employed at a private cA romance between bodyguard Walker and housekeeper Sloane. Sloane has a mysterious past, but has been able to hide in Scotland employed at a private club retreat for the rich and famous. Walker is a guard that works at the estate. Sparks fly between the two, but Walker is wary of getting serious with the sweet, single mother.
Maybe it's just me, but as I've been reading the Adair series by Samantha Young, and now this spinoff series... these books have become a little bit too formulaic for me. I'll still read anything Young writes as she's one of my favorite authors, but this book felt overly long and I predicted just about every major event that happened. I'm curious about North and Aria's story, so hopefully that one will be good....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
There's a reason I'll read anything Samantha Young writes, because every once in a while she will write a book that's so deliciously angsty 5 stars!
There's a reason I'll read anything Samantha Young writes, because every once in a while she will write a book that's so deliciously angsty and perfect and it just hits you in the feels. This is the fifth book in a series and can be read as a standalone but obviously you get more if you read the four books before this one. After books 3 and 4 were three star reads, I wasn't as excited to read this one but read lots of reviews loving it so I gave it a chance and I am so glad I did.
Only You is the second chance romance between Monroe and Brodan. The two pined for each other as teenagers, but when Monroe made a mistake, they were separated for almost twenty years. Now, Monroe and Brodan have moved back to their small Scottish village, and the two cannot seem to forgive one another for past mistakes.
When I tell you this hit my angsty spot, I am not exaggerating. I devoured this book and was genuinely sad it was over even though it's almost 400 pages. If there's one thing Samantha Young does well, it's angst and pining. I wish more of her recent books were like this one. One of my favorites of 2024 and I will be reading the spinoff series asap!...more
When Maddy Mooney immigrated from Ireland to America, the last thing she expected was becoming a maid not even paid for her work. When her e 4 stars!
When Maddy Mooney immigrated from Ireland to America, the last thing she expected was becoming a maid not even paid for her work. When her employer abandons her in a small town in Montana, Maddy finds herself desperate for a train ticket out of there. Kit McBride's little sister Junebug, has a proposition for Maddy: pretend to be Kit's new bride, and Junebug will buy Maddy a ticket home.
I actually read this series out of order, the second one first and then this one. I wish I had read them in order because while I really enjoyed Morgan's story, I think I would have gotten more out of it had I read this one first. I really enjoyed this story a lot, it had a lot of fun characters the best being Maddy, Junebug and Kit. I love the idea that a child can scheme so well and yet so badly at the same time and all of the hijinks that ensue. It was a fun ride to listen along and I'm hoping we get a third book in the series sometime soon....more
Alright, I guess once again I do not understand the hype. This book is a viral sensation and lots of my friends loved it. I personally thought it was Alright, I guess once again I do not understand the hype. This book is a viral sensation and lots of my friends loved it. I personally thought it was cliché and overly long. I've also noticed I don't love this new indie romance trend of massively long books with no plots, my preferences just don't align with what's popular right now.
In general, I don't mind long books IF and only IF it furthers the plot in a meaningful way. That was not the case with this book. By about 60% I started skimming just to get through the dang book. I just thought it was repetitive and not a lot of things were moving the story forward until the very end. The best parts of this book were when the main characters were dealing with their family trauma, and those bits were glossed over at the end....more
Funny Story is about Daphne, whose fiancé left her for his best friend Petra shortly before their wedding. Having nowhere else to go, Daphne 4 stars
Funny Story is about Daphne, whose fiancé left her for his best friend Petra shortly before their wedding. Having nowhere else to go, Daphne moves in with Petra's ex-boyfriend Miles. The two are very mismatched, Daphne is a buttoned up children's librarian and Miles appears to be a stoner bartender. Working through their mutual heartbreak the two of them both learn that there is more to the other than meets the eye. But with a charity fundraiser coming up and Daphne's plan to get out of town after, can the two really rely on the other one to stay?
This was definitely more of a slow burn to me than Henry's other books. Normally when I read a book by this author, I devour it quickly. This one took several days and I felt the pacing was a little bit unbalanced. This book definitely picked up the pace in the second half and I was devouring it from then on. I really enjoyed watching Daphne and Miles fall in love, how they were so different but also so right for each other. A lot of the best moments for me was how they supported one another throughout hardships and bad family dynamics. That and the side characters were so fun (I want to be librarian Ashleigh someday!).
I have some nitpicky things about how the role of librarian was written in this book (as a public services librarian myself). I did wonder if Henry even talked to one before writing this book? I won't get into it in this review, but you best believe I was telling my colleagues some of the stuff and we were roasting it. But ultimately it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. And Emily Henry, if you want to write another librarian character in the future, my DMs are open to you.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley ...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 am absolute garbage for Samantha Young and will read anything this woman writes.
I don't have too much to say about this one except it fe 3.5 stars
I am absolute garbage for Samantha Young and will read anything this woman writes.
I don't have too much to say about this one except it felt like a watered down On Dublin Street with more suspense/mystery thrown in. Some parts I enjoyed, but it was mostly predictable and was honestly a little bit too sweet/cheesy for my reading tastes.
Regardless of how I felt about this book, Samantha Young will always be a "shut up and take my money" author....more
I think this falls under "I would have liked this book more had it not been so overhyped, therefore I thought it was okay and fun but nothing to writeI think this falls under "I would have liked this book more had it not been so overhyped, therefore I thought it was okay and fun but nothing to write home about".
A romance that takes place on a Bachelor style show where the Prince falls for his male handler instead of the 20 or so women fighting for him. I thought it was cute and I love the premise. I do wish I had read instead of listening because I think one of the narrators was bad, but maybe I'll give this a chance and reread it someday....more
Noelle is grieving the loss of her grandmother when she discovers letters and photos revealing her grandmother had another love before her gr 2 stars
Noelle is grieving the loss of her grandmother when she discovers letters and photos revealing her grandmother had another love before her grandfather. After posting the pictures on tik tok, the story goes viral and leads Noelle to a sweet older man named Paul. When the two of them decide to go on a trip he intended to take with her grandmother, Noelle is ecstatic to go. The downside? Paul's grandson Theo, Noelle's high school nemesis.
I think what stuck out most for me with this book was it was supposed to be about Noelle grieving the loss of her grandmother, but we never really saw that. She supposedly had this amazing relationship with her grandma, but it was never really discussed. It felt like a really good example of telling and not showing. Most of the book seemed to be more focused on Theo and Noelle's competition and seems to glaze over some much needed backstory.
I really wanted to like this book, great cover, semi-interesting plot, enemies to lovers trope. But, it was really easy to put down. I thought the story was boring and found myself wanting to listen to music on my commute instead of my audiobook, which is never a good sign. I just wish the inside of this book had been as interesting as the cover....more
How do I say this.... I enjoyed this book but I also acknowledge that it's not good. In fact, it's proba 3 stars
Yet another mostly incoherent review.
How do I say this.... I enjoyed this book but I also acknowledge that it's not good. In fact, it's probably actually bad. But I was entertained! That's all that matters, right?
One constant thought was pestering me the entire time I was listening to this book... how do you set a romance in college and almost never even mention a single college course? Bestie, I remember college and it was not all frat parties and hockey games. Some balance, please!
What this book had going for it was the spicy parts, but everything else mostly fell flat for me. A lot of the beginning of the book could have been cut out and the book would still have the same impact. I was definitely curious as to why this book was so popular and drawing a blank. As I said before, I enjoyed it but there really wasn't much to it. But I guess we are all allowed to like bad books....more
It's difficult for me to articulate why this book was so bad, but I'm going to try. Horrendous pacing, insufferable characters, and a weak plot? Yes, It's difficult for me to articulate why this book was so bad, but I'm going to try. Horrendous pacing, insufferable characters, and a weak plot? Yes, all of those things. Plus it felt like I was reading it for weeks, this book was so easy to put down. It was actually a 3 star rating for me until one part (view spoiler)[ which was randomly fade to black sex scenes? Bestie you said it was the best night of your life and we are just supposed to take your word for it? (hide spoiler)].
Beth O'Leary is a hard to gage author for me, so far I really liked one book by her and somewhat despised the other two. Not sure I want to pick up more in the future after wasting so much time on this wreck of a book. (yes it made me angry, I tossed it across the room when I was finished)....more
This is a case of personal preference. This book is low plot and no angst (as I am now realizing is this author's trademark) and quite honesDNF at 46%
This is a case of personal preference. This book is low plot and no angst (as I am now realizing is this author's trademark) and quite honestly I really need a plot and at least a little bit of angst....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
I thought I was getting an epic second chance romance novel. What I actually got was a bunch of messy crap with characters who can't make up th[image]
I thought I was getting an epic second chance romance novel. What I actually got was a bunch of messy crap with characters who can't make up their damn minds.
Flashing between the past and the present, this book tells the story of Fern and Will who spent one magical night together and then promise to reunite the same day the next year, only Will doesn't show up. Nine years after they were supposed to meet up, he shows up unexpectedly throwing Fern at an already hard time in her life.
I can't exactly put my finger on why this book didn't work, but the word "lackluster" is flashing in neon colored lights as I type this. Will was just such a weak hero (in terms of plotting) and Fern really had no personality at all. Why did these people like each other??? They were both hot? They both liked getting high? I don't get the attraction at all.
It made me sad I didn't like this book, because Every Summer After was actually really great. But this one missed the mark, it may have even missed the entire map....more
I really don't have much to say about this book except I wish it had been historical fiction/spy thriller without the romance. I loved reading about sI really don't have much to say about this book except I wish it had been historical fiction/spy thriller without the romance. I loved reading about spies during the Civil War and knowing most of these characters were based on real people was really cool. But the romance was very lackluster, it brought down the book honestly....more
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