eBook provided by Netgally in exhange for my honest review
Rant ahead
This was awful
[image]
Dane is by and large the WORST hero I have ever had the1 star
eBook provided by Netgally in exhange for my honest review
Rant ahead
This was awful
[image]
Dane is by and large the WORST hero I have ever had the (dis)pleasure to read about. There was nothing redeeming about him. He is a caveman who thinks he is God's gift to Earth and I just can't. Our first introduction to him meeting his "love" interest is by blowing a gasket and calling her "Hitler's spawn" and "Satan's spawn" because she dared to come to his university....and her father dared to run against his mother in the US presidential election. Um....what?? I mean, I get that your parents are rivals, but dude you don't even know the girl. Also very confusingly, Lucia has a huge crush on Dane and wants to "be his girl". WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO BE THE GIRL OF SOMEONE WHO CALLS YOU SATAN'S SPAWN. HAVE SOME DIGNITY PLEASE.
Also, I get that this book was written in 2014, but there are some phrases that Dane uses that really should never, ever be said. "Chillax", "pocket rocket", and "hawt" being a few examples. Dane has an extremely overinflated view of himself, his politics, and his attractiveness. I'm not sure what kind of character the author was trying to write, but Dane is 100% a spoiled, selfish, extremely immature man-child and I....
just.....
can't.......
even.............
[image]
I definitely skimmed the majority of the book because I broke out in hives every time Dane had dialogue. And since he was one of the leads, that was an awful lot of hives. There may have been romance, but it totally went over my head because I have no idea how this guy even has friends, let alone girls who want to be romantically involved with him. This book could have been such a win for me....if only Dane wasn't in it.
I loved this even more the second time around. I've never had a book hangover from a reread, but there's a first time for everything.
IvaReread 5/18/18
I loved this even more the second time around. I've never had a book hangover from a reread, but there's a first time for everything.
Ivan and Jasmine are just perfect. I love their friendship, their chemistry, and their journey together. I'm so happy this book is in my life <3
---------
5 Triple Lutz stars
SO FREAKING GOOD!! The Queen of Slow Burn does it again =D
[image]
My first experience with an MZ book was The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, and I was completely blown away. Slow burns are one of my all time favorite types of romances, and TWoWaM DELIVERED. Ever since then, I've had high expectations for all of MZ's books. She has never failed to impress me, and From Lukov with Love is no different.
Jasmine and Ivan....where do I begin. Their chemistry is off the charts from the very first time we see them together. Jasmine is a brash, aggressive, foul-mouthed figure skater and I love her. She is so unlike the typical NA heroine, and it was such a breath of fresh air for me. Her verbal sparring with Ivan was on point. It was hysterical, and I loved how much they annoyed each other.
Also....figure skating. I know next to nothing of this sport other what I've seen from the iconic movie Ice Princess. Also the Olympics. Seriously though, I have mad respect for people who excel on the ice because the second I step onto an ice skating rink I basically resemble the entire Parks and Rec crew. [image]
Most sport romances focus on athletes in one of the "popular" sports...football, baseball, basketball, etc. I don't think I've ever read a figure skating sports romance, and I truly enjoyed it because it wasn't about one athlete...it was about two. Jasmine and Ivan are partners, and are in this sport together. They are equals, and both are exceptional athletes. One of MZ's other books, Kulti, was the same way. I feel like it adds a whole different level to the story because you can just FEEL how much these two people belong together because they share such a strong love and dedication for their sport. And any book that gives me such major FEELS is automatically a winner.
One thing I love about MZ is that she comes out with about 2-3 books every year, and each book is about 400-600 pages long. So much love and slow burn and my pathetic little romantic heart soaks that shit up lol. I am anxiously looking forward to MZ's next book...whatever it may be. Karina's story, maybe? =)
After the awesome-ness of book 2, I had high expectations for this one. But 2017 so far has been the year of disappointed hopes for third books3 stars
After the awesome-ness of book 2, I had high expectations for this one. But 2017 so far has been the year of disappointed hopes for third books...and sadly this one followed that trend.
I don't want to say too much about the plot for this one, as it's meant to be read without knowing who the main characters are. I will say that the author switches things up. I admire her attempt to change things up in the NA romance genre...but I just couldn't get in to it. I didn't feel like the main characters had much chemistry, and that made the story fall a bit flat. The main male lead I absolutely ADORED, but the female lead I felt was lacking. She really got on my nerves, honestly. I wish there had been more character development like in the second book, but I didn't feel like this was the case here. It took me a while to really get into the book, and at times I struggled to keep reading. Overall, the story was entertaining, but like I said...I had higher hopes.
Sara Ney has become an auto-buy author for me =) I've really enjoyed this trilogy. I'm excited to see what she comes out with next!...more
This was a cutesy read. I needed some fluff in my life after being destroyed by A Conjuring of Light, and after reading the synopsis I figure3.5 stars
This was a cutesy read. I needed some fluff in my life after being destroyed by A Conjuring of Light, and after reading the synopsis I figured this book would do. And it delivered. Fluff, with some adult-like elements (lots of swearing and some sex) allowed me to escape the lingering pain from the journey with Kell and Co.
Abby hates baseball. Her entire life has been dominated by it, due to her Cubs obsessed family (gotta put this in here....I am a die-hard Indians fan. I was extremely disappointed about the World Series, but I gotta say....it was well fought. Congrats on breaking your curse, Cubs fans). Abby decides her life needs more culture, so she learns French, and the summer before her senior year of high school she enrolls in an intensive French course, hoping to gain the fluency she needs to join a Paris school her senior year. However, her sexy study partner ends up being everything she loathes....a jock and a baseball fanatic, plus he has some secrets to boot.....
Hate to love trope? Check Study buddy love trope? Check Exotic foreign language trope? Check Grave misunderstanding that causes extreme conflict but then is solved because looooooove trope? Check check check
So while this isn't great literature, it is entertaining. If my fellow V.E. Schwab fans need something to lighten the mood, this book should do the job. ...more
I have mixed feelings about this book. But first, the positives!
I loved the character and relationship development between Sal and Kulti. The3.5 stars
I have mixed feelings about this book. But first, the positives!
I loved the character and relationship development between Sal and Kulti. The banter between the two was hysterical, and the thoughts going through Sal's head were priceless. Sal is such a fantastic MC...she is strong, independent, she knows what she wants and she goes for it. She is not a pushover. I loved seeing such a strong female character in a romance....I feel like I don't see enough of those in this genre.
My favorite character was hands down Sal's dad. He made me laugh every time he came on to the page =)
So why not 5 stars? Well, I really, really loved this book.....up until (view spoiler)[the first sex scene at the end. I'm not afraid of steam, but the way the author wrote it was completely out of character for both Sal and especially for Kulti. He was described as a man of few words, brooding, and quietly passionate. Yet he's spouting off things like "Do you want me to put my fingers in your wet pussy" and shit like that. I'm not a prude, and if your character's personality wants to say things like that than by all means have them say that, but it made no sense for Kulti. To say that I was completely blindsided would be an understatement (hide spoiler)].
I've seen that a lot of people prefer this book to Zapata's other works, but I personally think that I like The Wall of Winnipeg and Me better. This is the second book of hers that I've read, and I will definitely be reading more....more
Ummmmm so this was awesomely trashy and I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT
The reason it didn't get 5 stars is because it had one of those annoying trop4 stars
Ummmmm so this was awesomely trashy and I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT
The reason it didn't get 5 stars is because it had one of those annoying tropes where the stupid problem would be solved the the characters freaking TALKED to each other. Otherwise, it was awesome.
1/5/19: Reading this for the gazillionth time because in general books are failing me right now and I need a win f1/12/19: 5 stars always and forever
1/5/19: Reading this for the gazillionth time because in general books are failing me right now and I need a win for 2019
---------
Um yeah this is definitely infinite stars. ALL THE STARS ✨
This was just as great the second time around...and maybe even better because I could focus more on Aiden and Vanessa's growth rather than just the story. Both were fantastic though. Honestly, can more NA books be like this please?
---------
EDIT: 6/15/17 Rereading this because it is flooding my feed and I LOVE THIS BOOK
-------
5 stars
I am breathless...whew! A 667 page romance...and I devoured it in 2 days. I feel like I just ran a marathon.
Aidan (our hero) and Vanessa (our MC) don't really get along. Vanessa is Aidan's assistant, and he gives her a lot of crap. When she finally gets fed up with his shit, she quits. However, Aidan ends up at her doorstep a month later begging her to come back to work for him. When she turns him down, he eventually makes her an offer she can't refuse.....
This is definitely a slow burn romance, and I loved the crap out of every single little detail. Seriously. It has been a long time since I've read a slow burn and not some insta-love shit, and this was just what my little heart needed. The character growth and relationship dynamic between Aidan and Vanessa is fantastic. I loved seeing their work relationship develop into a friendship and then something more. I loved learning more about Vanessa and her story, and I loved picking apart the pieces that made Aidan, Aidan. Watching Vanessa and Aidan get to know each other, their nuances, and their personalities just sucked me right in. Thank you Ms. Zapata for letting your characters actually get to know each other before falling in love.
Some nitpicky things though.....the author doesn't let us forget exactly what Aidan looks like. We get his physical description pretty early on in the book, but she never stops reminding us throughout the rest of the book exactly what he looks like. It's not like I forgot in the last 20 pages that he has massive muscles, chocolate brown eyes, scruff, etc etc. It kind of got old after a while. Also, instead of just referring to him as Aidan, the author constantly calls him by his nickname: The Wall of Winnipeg (hence the book's title). That also got a bit old. Just call him Aidan. I know his nickname, and I don't need to be hit over the head with it.
There was also a bunch of inner monologue going on in Vanessa's head in the beginning of the book, but it fizzled out some after about 150 pages.
Overall though, I really enjoyed it! If you are looking for a slow burn romance, this is right up your alley....more
Harper wants a boyfriend, and only one will do: the new boy in school, Andrew Levin. The problem is5 stars
I just loved this book...so, so much.
[image]
Harper wants a boyfriend, and only one will do: the new boy in school, Andrew Levin. The problem is that Andrew is totally out of Harper’s league, and she has no idea how to get him to notice her. Enter Ridley, popular high school football jock. He needs help with tutoring to get his grades up, and she needs lessons on how to get a guy to notice her. They strike a deal and the lessons commence….until a major scandal hits Harper and her family and her world turns upside down.
I liked everything about this book. I liked every single word written. I loved the banter between Harper and Ridley. I loved the emotions that the author portrays in her YA characters. I loved getting into Harper’s head as she makes sense of her changing world. I don’t think I’ve felt as connected to a character as I have to Harper. Her reactions to her problems are so realistic and on point for her character and personality. She is not a whiny MC, but she has an inner strength that grows and matures as the story goes on.
On the flip side, there are some cheesy moments…this is YA after all. The first 20%ish of the book tends to have some cheesy moments, but it gets more serious as the story goes on.
Overall, I laughed and I cried (happy and emotional tears), and I fell completely in love with all the characters. I love a good coming of age story, and I’ll Be Yours hit the nail on the head. This is not a light, fluffy read. Yes, it does have a HEA-ish ending, but it’s the getting there that makes it all worthwhile. I highly recommend!...more
✶Rachelle✶
>
Books:
sports
(19)
Loading...
