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| 1368092837
| 9781368092838
| 1368092837
| 3.94
| 17,049
| Jun 25, 2024
| Jun 25, 2024
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really liked it
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I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review Still, she was so ready for the change, she I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review Still, she was so ready for the change, she could practically taste it. Ren's twenty-two but finally about to have her first real world experience, going to college. Raised by parents who lived on a farmstead and off the grid, Ren's found some way to get them to allow her to attend community college classes. When a science course reveals a secret that her parents have been keeping from her, Ren ends up on a road trip with, Fitz, the campus local rich playboy. The trip opens Ren's eyes to all the possibilities life has to offer and the possibility of love. But when her parents find out she's left the state and where she's headed, lies, danger, and love from unexpected places, swirl all around her. What a surprising thing you are, he thought. Tangled Up in You was an re-imagining from the Disney movie Tangled. Printed by a Disney publishing company, you get a ton of cute pulled characters and moments from the movie, along with some kisses only moments. Ren started off seeming like a Disney princess, talking to animals, but even though she had that sweet naivety, there was still a common sense core that made a better fitting for a real world setting. There were moments that felt a little overly cheesy for the “real world” but I thought most of the story managed to put these characters in a believable New Adult contemporary plot. Fitz was, of course, captured by Ren's long blonde beautiful hair and big green eyes, but his own character issues had him fighting to keep things on the friend level but when the road trip starts, around 25%, they learn more about one another and develop deeper feelings. Ren had barely seen anything in the world, and Fitz had already seen too much. The road trip had them going on adventures like Mount Rushmore, Wall Drug, and a Nashville festival, getting alternating chapters of Ren and Fitz's point-of-view helped immensely in letting the reader into their thoughts and feelings, making it easier to feel and believe in their growing emotions. They open up to each other and it's easy to see why both would be drawn to the other. When the third act black moment happens, some of it I had called and some was a surprise but it will definitely ramp up the tension. He liked her. Too much, in fact. And she liked him, too. He knew she did. But God, this would be so much easier if she didn't. The ending delivered danger and high emotion, something that I'm not quite sure fit the more cutesy feeling beginning but it will definitely keep you locked in. If you like golden retriever girlfriends who get their more guarded boyfriends to lighten up and expose their softie side, then you'd definitely enjoy this. The ending danger was a bit jarring but their happily ever after was sweet. I hope Disney commissions more re-imagined stories like this! ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 14, 2024
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Aug 18, 2024
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Mar 16, 2024
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Paperback
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| 1982180021
| 9781982180027
| 1982180021
| 4.24
| 8,503
| Apr 11, 2023
| Apr 11, 2023
|
liked it
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“I haven't stopped thinking of you,” he said. “I might have been gone, but I took you with me.”
I've only read the first ten books in the BDB serie “I haven't stopped thinking of you,” he said. “I might have been gone, but I took you with me.” I've only read the first ten books in the BDB series, so while I've got a firm footing in the world, I'm not up-up-date on the latest happenings, which I think may have helped me here? Where I left off, Lassiter was just being introduced, so I haven't had to suffer and wait with all you for his book all these years, the anticipation building. The war with the Lessers seems to have been settled? But, oh wait, Lash is back? The only disappointment I really felt about this is that I've missed the climatic war ending, but oh boy can I see you all feeling manipulated that, record scratch, it's not over? “Wrong deeds for the right reasons,” she intoned. There were the,usual, numerous offshoot threads going on in this, and since I didn't come into this with a big connection with Lassiter and/or Rahvyn, this might be why I enjoyed the story. I can't say I ever really felt like I knew Rahvyn, she seemed too ethereal(?) good to me. It seems I came in after they've already connected and have love formed between them and this was just about Lassiter accepting that he could have Rahvyn in his life. It felt a little disconnected that Devina seemed to play a huge part in keeping them apart, but there was never a big battle scene or anything between them? It was just Lassiter figuring out that the curse kind of worked in his favor and instead of staying away from Rahvyn, he should be with her. “I bonded with who I thought you were,” he whispered. “But yeah, I'm in love with who you actually are.” That third act breakup, with Rahvyn pushing Lassiter away, felt so forced and contrived, she asked questions but didn't really stay and listen for the answers. I didn't get how it seemed important that Lassiter didn't have his halo and then suddenly, he did? This just felt like a rush job to do what happened to Wrath (oh my gosh, I see what all the emotion was about now!) and get that thirty year jump so the kids can be grown up. I've been dying for Nalla's book years ago when I read Zsadist, so, I'm not completely upset, lol. Anyway, it was fun to check in and see where things are and the world still keeps my interest because the world-building has such width and breadth. I do wish there was a new enemy, because it does feel like another Lessening war is rinse and repeat, but my attention is remained caught and I'll still be checking into this series. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 06, 2024
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Jun 11, 2024
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Mar 27, 2023
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Hardcover
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| 0063241137
| 9780063241138
| 0063241137
| 3.70
| 256
| unknown
| Jan 31, 2023
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it was ok
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I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Come hell or high water, she was about to a I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Come hell or high water, she was about to alter the wrong course her life was on. When Poppy was eleven, her mother died and with an artist father who had his head in the clouds, she took on the responsibility of her two younger sisters, Cam and Marigold. Now in her early thirties, Poppy is tired of still filling the mom role for her sisters and just generally always being the one to step-in and take charge. So, for this Christmas, Poppy rents a cabin a few hours away from her home in Madison, WI, texts and emails her work and sisters letting them know she's fine but wants two weeks to herself. Her sisters are instantly worried and determined to find her but when sparks heat up with the neighbor of the cabin Poppy is staying at, she wants the world to disappear even more and have some alone time with Sam. “That's my girl.” Hideaway at Silver Lake is the first in the series about three sisters and starts with Poppy. The majority of the story deals with Poppy wanting a reboot to her life, figuring out that she takes too much on, and learning how to say no. The romance between her and Sam is instant, as soon as Sam sees Poppy, he's pretty much in love. But Sam has been burned before, by his high-school sweetheart who wanted the shiny things in life more than Sam and after working himself to the bone to give them to her, they end up canceling their wedding. Now, three years later, Sam knows what he wants out of life and while he says he's going to take things slow with Poppy, until she learns how to say no and make time for herself, this takes place over two weeks and they don't spend every day of those weeks together. “Now...I think we should get in trouble. I think getting in a whole lot of trouble would be good for both of us. So I want you to go inside, get a great night's sleep and think about it.” This had nice moments, Sam calmly and sweetly takes care of Poppy, not overbearingly or controlling, but simply doing the things that need to get done, cleaning her car off for her, cooking, getting her tucked in on the couch to get her to sit down and putting a wine glass in her hand, giving her the taking care of and spoiling she needs. When her sisters show up, uninvited, you'll be frustrated with Poppy that they're not listening to what she wants and chomp at the bit for Poppy sit them down and say what she means. Sam does this a bit for her and then towards the end, Poppy finally explains what she needs and while her sisters are initially hurt, they finally get what she was saying. It just took a while to get there and there was some repetitive feeling as Poppy bemoans how her relationship with her sisters and father has evolved and not changed. She was mooning after that man. As this took place in the middle and end of December, there was some nice holiday atmosphere, ice skating, family dinners, decorating, and presents. This was mostly closed door, after kissing and clothes coming off, the door shut, except for a towards the end scene that kept the door open and actually ended up feeling a little out of place for what the tone of the story previously was. I also thought that Poppy and Sam's speech felt odd and not fitting for early to mid-thirties people; a lot of tarnation, honest to Pete, malarkey, and skedaddle. The ending I love you scene didn't hit the mark for me as it included, what felt like adding in a convoluted demonstration by Sam that had money tied to strings but the epilogue ended up providing those feels I look for in romance with a cute proposal. Overall, some sweet and cute, slowing down repetition, characters that felt older than their age, and soft seasonal feels. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 06, 2023
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Mar 14, 2023
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Nov 27, 2022
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Paperback
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| 1728257441
| 9781728257440
| 1728257441
| 3.10
| 3,959
| Oct 04, 2022
| Oct 04, 2022
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it was ok
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I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I'm sorry, but how is it even possible that I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I'm sorry, but how is it even possible that I'm absolutely jonesing for a big, tall glass of A positive? When Lily wakes up after having slept through the day, craving blood, no reflection in the mirror, and no memory of what happened after she went out with her bestfriend Cat, they both can only think, vampire. When Cat takes her to a blood bank that she volunteers at to feed, Lily gets her memory back from the energy the blood gives her. Suddenly Lily's dealing with being one of the undead, a 400 year old hottie that acts like he likes her, and a Grand Master of the North American Vampire Council wanting to exact revenge on her. He moves closer, getting in my face. “Why do you insist on being the prickly heroine who pushes everyone away? Told all from Lily's point-of-view and in a stream of conscious that felt chaotic and uneven, Lily worries more about her weight than being turned into a vampire, this didn't quite capture me into the story. We get the flashback of Lily meeting Tristan in a bar and then when he walks her home, he thinks he's using his Influence on her and starts to drink from her neck. Lily, aware of what is happening, decides to bite him back and accidentally performs the ceremony needed to change her into a vampire. She runs from Tristan, goes to Cat the next night and then Tristan catches back up with her to give her some information. It's against the vampire council rules to create a “newborn” without their say so and the Grand Master, Gideon, just so happens to be Tristan's enemy, so it's on with Gideon hunting them to kill them both. Tristan Newberry bit me two nights ago. But when, exactly, did he start getting under my skin? For being the male main character and the whole catalyst for what happens and changes Lily's life, Tristan actually felt like a nonentity for a lot of the story. The story being from Lily's pov didn't help getting to know him, we don't get a lot about him or his past, and the way his character didn't really do much had him feeling barely sketched out. After Lily drinks from him, which causes insatiable desire and has them having a bedroom scene around the 65% mark, Lily also learns from Tristan's blood that he had a great love that died. Since Lily has strong insecurities stemming from her weight, she just can't believe Tristan loves her and has her constantly pushing or running from him. Maybe I like him...a little. Gideon hunting Lily and Tristan consisted of two threatening notes to Lily and then kidnapping her mother, Gideon was a pretty off to the side villain. We got a little world-building with Tristan explaining the vampire council and then how when a newborn is created a vampire slayer is automatically made, usually the newborn's nemesis in someway. Lily's nemesis was a work colleague and he makes a small appearance to bring in some danger and a little secondary romance with Cat. Maybe my power was there all along. And I just needed to embrace it. The last 15% has the big showdown between Gideon, Lily and Tristan. It was an ok battle scene but since Gideon was off screen so much, I'm not sure I really felt the stakes. Lily's mom has a 180 degree character change, she'd been big in fat shaming Lily all her life and even reveals the big secret about Lily's father. I really never felt the emotional development between Lily and Tristan, he's hot and Lily thinks he does caring things here and there between being too protective and Tristan says here and there that he likes Lily. Since I didn't feel there was substance between them, I didn't believe in the I love yous that were thrown out in the end and this couple ended up feeling pretty meh. Lily does bring up her insecurities repeatedly throughout the book and the nonchalant way she took becoming a vampire, her personal weight issues more on her mind at times than becoming undead, just didn't personally jive with me. The tone is supposed to feel fast paced and frivolous but it felt off and chaotic in a way to me that just didn't have the story landing with me. For the first time, I see that I am so much more. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 20, 2022
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Nov 29, 2022
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Sep 07, 2022
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Paperback
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| 1496737296
| 9781496737298
| 1496737296
| 3.80
| 57,363
| Jan 24, 2023
| Jan 24, 2023
|
really liked it
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3.5 stars I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review When Georgie's boss decides she's goin 3.5 stars I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review When Georgie's boss decides she's going to take a different direction in life and slow down, it leaves Georgie at a loss as to what to do. For years she's been a Personal Assistant, but when her boss tells her to go enjoy all the things she's wanted to do for years, Georgie draws a blank. So when her childhood bestfriend, Bel, tells her to come back to their hometown and help her get settled into her new house and help her prepare for her new baby, Georgie agrees. But Bel seems to have things under control and her flighty parents forgot they double booked housesitters and now Georgie has a quiet, hot roommate who she can't help wanting to get to know more. That's how Georgie Mulcahy becomes, for now at least, both my roommate and my dog sitter. Georgie, All Along was a sweet Chik-lit story told in alternating first person povs from Georgie and her now roommate Levi. Levi was a couple years older than Georgie so she never really knew him, only of him and his black sheep reputation, however, she had a big crush on his younger brother. Georgie comes off a little chaotic and flighty herself but as the story goes on, it's clear that she dances just fine, it's just to the beat of her own drum. Pairing her with Levi, a character who is quiet, keeps to himself, and likes order, delivered a sweet opposites attract feel. The povs were close to stream of conscious (they did go off on tangents that felt a little pointless at times and ruined the flow of the story for me) and you're going to have to like characters who are in their heads a lot because the vast majority of the story is told that way. I can struggle with those two things but I did round up my 3.5 rating because of Levi's dog Hank, he made the story irresistibly cute to me. I hadn't been thinking. I'd been feeling. Feeling like someone finally understood me and feeling strangely thrilled it was him. Feeling like he was strong and sensitive and sweeter than I expected. I'd been feeling, for once, like I was full of wanting. With Georgie in town to figure out what she wants out of life, she decides to use an old fic book full of stories she and Bel wrote in eighth grade about dream scenarios they were going to have in high school. Dates, getting asked to prom, jumping from docks, hanging out at popular spots, etc. has Georgie seeing she did have personal dreams and goals at one time and yet in high school, they never did the things they wrote about, so Georgie sees it as a good jumping off point. Bel, being at the end of her pregnancy, can't do some of the things, and that has Levi coming into the picture. Levi now owns a dock building and repair business but still keeps to himself in the small town because of how people still see him as the troublemaker he was in highschool. It takes until the second half to be let in on fully what happened between Levi and his father that caused his father to forbid him to be around Levi's brother and sister. There's some tension there when Levi and Georgie start to build their friendship and start acknowledging their attraction when Georgie ends up working at Levi's family business and readers knowing Georgie had a big crush on Levi's brother and we all know that's going to come into the picture as a some kind of dark moment. I like the way we fit. I really liked Georgie and Levi's characters and all the side characters that helped fill them out, Bel, Georgie's parents, Levi's professor and work friends, but, as I mentioned, the first person povs had Georgie and Levi in their heads a lot. They were both characters that took their time working through and resolving their issues and this had the second half feeling a little slow at times. Georgie Mulcahy, making he mark on me. The ending gave us a third act break-up that lead to a really cute romantic moment. It was feel good the way Georgie realized, admitted, and accepted what type of person she is and knows she can live her in the moment way and Levi worked through stop letting past hurts interfere in his present life and getting some family resolution. This had a few steamy open door moments but the overall tone was overall sweet. If you like introspective characters in their heads a lot, opposites attract, and adorable pitties, you'll want to pick this one up. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 05, 2023
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Jun 10, 2023
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Jul 16, 2022
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Paperback
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| 0593336062
| 9780593336069
| 0593336062
| 3.60
| 38,343
| Oct 05, 2021
| Oct 05, 2021
|
really liked it
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I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 3.5 stars Ever I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 3.5 stars Every fifty years the four founding families of Thistle Grove must hold the Gauntlet, a tourney to determine the founding family that will preside over all things magical in the town. For three hundred years the Blackmoores have only lost once but there is a mutiny brewing. Emmy Harlow left town nine years ago with a broken heart but as the Harlow scion (heir) she must be the Arbiter for the Gauntlet. Gareth Blackmoore---my first love, my most humiliating and heart-crushing breakup, and the reason I abandoned an entire life---genuinely did not remember me. The delightfully titled Payback's a Witch is a magical realism story that introduces readers to a world they are going to fall in love with. At times overly descriptive with some pacing problems, it nevertheless pulled me into this world and I didn't want to leave. As the first in the series, a lot of the first half is setting up the Thistle Grove world as told through our narrator, Emmy Harlow. The four founding families are the Harlows, Thorns, Avramovs, and Blackmoores. The Harlows are the least powerful with the Blackmoores having the most power and are slowly but surely building a tourist empire that is choking the life out of the other families businesses. In highschool Emmy had a romance with Gareth Blackmoore but he broke it off alluding that Emmy wasn't good enough, which had her leaving town and creating a life in Chicago where she feels she has more agency and power as more than just the bottom of the rung Harlow. However, once the witches leave Thistle Grove, their power immediately starts to lessen until it disappears. She tipped her sleek head toward me, lazy grin glinting like a blade's edge. “Enter the final member of our vengeance coven.” When Emmy meets up with her bestfriend Linden Thorn, she finds out that Linden had a romance with Gareth but found out he was two-timing her with Talia Avramov. Linden and Talia come to Emmy with an idea to have the Thorns and Avramovs band together during the Gauntlet to make sure Gareth and the Blackmoores don't win again. Emmy as the arbiter wears a magical cloak that ensures there is no cheating and she is wary of the idea but when she learns that Gareth not only cheated on Linden but that his family is bankrupting the other families, she's in. The first half gives us the backstory, setting, and plot, which was a lot but the easy flow of the writing and the enjoyment of the world will keep you reading. Four witches founded Thistle Grove, and its power was meant to be shared equitably between their families---not hoarded by one family year after year, until they eclipsed the others into irrelevancy. The middle is where the pacing problems started to happen for me. We get the first gauntlet challenge but then have to wait until the latter second half to get the second and third challenges, delaying events that are pretty central to the plot and taking away some of the excitement and momentum. While we're waiting for the Gauntlet competitions, the story gives us more world setting and a very slow burn romance between Emmy and Talia. I liked these two together and you can see the attraction between them but there is a lot to be introduced to in this first story, so their romance doesn't hit as hard. Me and Talia Avramov, like some rare magic I could never have foreseen, even if I had her scrying gift. One of my favorite things the author did was include and incorporate magic and witch lore and history. It's mentioned and talked about at times how the four families are descended from such figures as Baba Yaga, Druids, and Morgan le Fay. This homage and nod to the, kind of, ancestors to this story was wonderful; it build and borrows but still is original. Some of the character relationships felt skimped on in favor of world building but I still felt I got to know and become interested in everyone. Thistle Grove was a big vibrant world but the story felt slow at times. Hopefully, with the foundation this first in the series has laid out for us, the next will be able to deepen relationships and trim some of the descriptive tangents that slowed the pace. I'm hoping the next features our one with nature Rowan Thorn and Isidora Avramov, a witch not afraid of a little hex, and we learn about what happened in the past to make these two so wary of each other. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 13, 2021
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Jun 24, 2021
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May 18, 2021
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Paperback
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| 1420149970
| 9781420149975
| 1420149970
| 3.98
| 4,057
| Apr 28, 2020
| Apr 28, 2020
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liked it
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I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. When the Duke I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. When the Duke of Hollingburgh dies suddenly, his will reveals that he has left the bulk of his money and business interests to three women, women the family has never heard of. One of the duke's nephews, Chase, is tasked with finding these three women and with investigating the duke's death. A former soldier who was cashed out under a cloud of suspicion, Chase will only go by the facts in a case and not let his emotions affect him ever again but dealing with family and one of the mysterious heiress, it's harder said than done. He opened his eyes to see the end of a pistol mere inches from his head. His gaze traveled up the arm that held it, until he looked into the furious dark eyes of a very handsome dark-haired woman. She held the pistol like she knew how to use it. Heiress For Hire was a leisurely mystery with a mature, tranquil romance and engaging characters. As a first in the series, the set-up for the storyline, that will obviously continue throughout at least what I can discern for three books, takes up a lot of the page time. The former duke's death that our hero Chase is investigating for probable murder is not resolved in this book and will obviously be the thread that ties the series together. While the introduction to the family members and how they are all set-up as red-herrings to keep you guessing was well thought out, it did steal too much time from our main characters and their romance. It had been stupid to allow herself to taste that which she dare not enjoy in full. Our heroine, Minerva, is one of the three mysterious women the duke left money to. I found her character and background more flushed out than Chase's and therefore she became the stronger character. Minerva is a widow who has changed her name to distance herself from any possible negativity to do with a trial that tried to convict her of murdering her husband. This is what sparks some of the conflict in keeping Chase and Minerva wary of each other. Chase believes his uncle was murdered and Minerva doesn't want her past dredged up and understands that she would be a prime suspect in the duke's possible murder. Minerva's husband was also abusive and this leads her to being slightly fearful of intimacy with Chase but the agency and control Chase gives to her during their moments of closeness have her healing and moving forward in this regard. He hated how being disillusioned once had him guarding information now. Chase's background and cloud over his leaving the army is kept secret for the majority of the book and while his friendship with his cousins, the new duke Nicholas and Kevin and his calm deliberate care towards Minerva, give insight to his personality, I still felt he wasn't colored in enough. I think I was around one-hundred pages in and I realized because of Chase and Minerva's background still kept secret and the focus more on the murder mystery set-up, I felt like I still didn't know these characters. Towards the end when Minerva and Chase get more time together, I enjoyed their by-play and interactions, which were smooth and calm. There really is no angst or dramatic flares to the story or characters, if you're looking for a more mature and comfortable romance, this would be the couple to read. Secondary characters filled this story out wonderfully but the romance was overtaken by the series set-up too much for me. Minerva and Chase were a couple where the gradual friendship definitely built the trust to make acting on their mutual attraction believable. I just wish I had felt closer to them and the pace of the story was picked up a bit. I am curious to see who the other two mystery heiresses will be and if Chase's cousins Nicholas and Kevin will be paired with them. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 02, 2020
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Aug 11, 2020
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Jan 10, 2020
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Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0593099087
| 9780593099087
| 3.85
| 8,571
| Dec 03, 2019
| Dec 03, 2019
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it was amazing
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4.7 stars I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Anahe 4.7 stars I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Anahera is going back to her hometown, a place that she never wanted to return to but somehow finds she needs the comfort of. While there, Miriama, a young beautiful girl disappears while out jogging and Anahera finds herself helping the new town cop, Will, uncover the secrets of Golden Cove and it's residents. She returned home two hundred and seventeen days after burying her husband while his pregnant mistress sobbed so hard that she made herself sick. In this standalone, Singh has written an intoxicating mystery suspense. The writing was smooth in a way that sucked me in and wouldn't let me go; I was lost in the beautifully dark atmosphere. Readers are pulled in with the character of Anahera, a woman who grew-up in Golden Cove. Her father was an abusive alcoholic who her mother didn't kick out until he began to turn his abuse on Anahera. While she still has friends that live in Golden Cove, it's not a place of happy memories for her. The background Singh creates for Anahera, abusive father, widowhood that surprises her with a husband who cheated on her, and a miscarriage, all perfectly shapes the character we see on the pages, steely contained, strong, and heartfelt willing. “Everyone has secrets,” he repeated after completing the maneuver. “It's often the people who look like they have no secrets at all who turn out to have the biggest ones.” While we're led into the story by Anahera, she gives us the lay of the land and townspeople, the emotional aspect, the new town cop Will leads the technical, murder mystery part that takes over the middle of the story. As a reader, I was emotionally locked in the story because of how Singh quickly and thoroughly created a web spun with the townspeople from Anahera's experiences and feelings about them. This made me eager to follow along with Will as he gathered evidence and tries to piece together the how and why about Miriama's disappearance. While I didn't connect as much with Will, he had his own layered backstory of how he ended up in Golden Cove and gave credence to his feelings and actions. The focus of the story is the mystery of Miriama's disappearance but for those looking for it, the bonding relationship that develops between Anahera and Will, infuses the story with a slow burn romance. That was the thing with this town---the way the gossip flowed, you'd think you knew everything. But there were secrets here, a thick tide of lava beneath the surface. Along with the atmosphere and emotions evoked, the details that Singh includes made this story a cut above for me. How Will goes about the investigation and the facts and alluding he finds or is told along the way kept my eyes on everyone. When Will finds out that three woman hikers disappeared from the Golden Cove area fourteen years ago too, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. If you weren't feeling the atmosphere as much as I, I could see how the middle could drag a touch, as there might be considered one too many red-herring dancing to and away reasons given out. I also thought the villain(s) reveal started to creep into info dump reveal as it went on a beat too long. The ending also felt abrupt but it could be me just not wanting to say goodbye to these characters. A Madness of Sunshine was a small town mystery suspense that showcased the good, bad, and ugly of a small New Zealand town while chilling me to the soul at times and at others, having me smile through the tears. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 10, 2020
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Jan 23, 2020
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Oct 21, 2019
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ebook
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| 1250314992
| 9781250314994
| 1250314992
| 4.07
| 373
| Mar 31, 2020
| Mar 31, 2020
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really liked it
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3.5 stars I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Uproo 3.5 stars I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Uprooted from her home after her father's murder, Morrigan has fled to the Highlands. There, with her step-mother, step-sister, and their husbands, they continue to fight to get out from under the yoke of the English. Aidan has soldiered for England and now as a barrister, he fights to bring justice to his fellow Highlanders. With his brother at his side, he works to establish rule of law in this turbulent time. Politics, entrapment, spying, blackmail, and love come alive in the highlands. Her insides burned with sadness, and rage. Highland Sword is third in the Royal Highland series and would work best read after the first two. The connecting thread in the series is Cinaed Mackintosh (Highland Crown), he is the secret son of Queen Caroline and looked upon by rebel Scots as to be the true king and savior of Scotland against the harsh treatment of England. In book one, Cinaed marries Morrigan's step-mother and thus begins her connection to the plot thread. The beginning of this and a lot of the story focuses on the turmoil of Scotland at the time. Morrigan's father was killed in a raid where rebels were thought to be meeting. The authors center the misdeeds of the English on the character Sir Rupert Burney to help draw a clear picture of what was happening at the time. Sir Rupert appears in all three books and works as a spy master for the Home Office and abuses his power by blackmailing and orchestrating entrapments. Her feelings for Aidan Grant were beginning to confuse her. She wanted some distance from him, but at the same time she enjoyed having him near. She was attracted and yet still afraid. Not afraid. Cautious. Our hero comes into the picture as he is chasing down a man he thinks has worked for the Home Office and Sir Rupert and can give testimony against them, therefore saving his current clients from the noose. The man, Robert Sparrow, ends up being Morrigan's uncle and the source of a childhood trauma, he raped her when she was twelve years old. After a scuffle in an alleyway, Aidan and Morrigan meet and Aidan is intrigued by this woman who gave him a black eye. When Sparrow is moved to the castle Morrigan is staying at, he's dying of cancer, she is forced to confront her past. The political climate and historical setting is done very well, you're going to have to enjoy stories leaning heavier on the historical part of historical romance. I loved the character of Aidan and how calm, strong, and easy he was with Morrigan. Unfortunately, we don't get a lot of him and the political threads did steal away from their romance; they just didn't spend enough time together for me. Aidan was constantly on the move trying to build his case for his clients and Morrigan was stretched thin herself. While Aidan was working to defeat Sir Rupert in the courts, Morrigan finds allies and turns a blackmail situation against her to her favor. With one sweep of his hand, he cleared the desk. Books and papers crashed fluttered to the floor. He lifted her onto the edge. The emotions between the two were felt, even though their time on page was too fleeting and left me wanting more. Morrigan's struggle with facing her past was dealt well in that it wasn't the center point of her character, it shaped her but didn't define her and I wish such villains were done more in this way. Her thoughts and feelings regarding not wanting to burden her family with knowledge of her pain and not be a detriment to Aidan's budding political career provided some deep emotional moments. There was a lot being said in this series, governments utilizing the law and courts in underhanded ways was the main message in this one, and I appreciated the historical details and weaving of real people, places, and events. This had an exceptional hero who I wish had more time to shine with the heroine as their relationship was sweet and flaring at times. If looking for a historical series that will give you plenty to go off and learn about on your own, Royal Highland does that, along with compelling and loving heroes and heroines. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 2020
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Mar 06, 2020
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Oct 02, 2019
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 1501162438
| 9781501162435
| 1501162438
| 4.05
| 3,080
| Jul 02, 2019
| Jul 02, 2019
|
liked it
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2.5 stars I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Kira 2.5 stars I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Kira had no idea that meeting up with her boss and mentor Ollie at high priced lawyer Brock Logan's house would turn her life upside down. As private investigators hired by Logan's firm to help find information on their current trial involving a surgeon supposedly killing his wife, they've been working around the clock. Ollie claims he's found out something that will win the trial but before he can tell Kira, a masked and hooded man murders him. Jeremy is just getting off a plane after a botched mission and wanting some rest and relaxation but Wolfe Security needs him on another protection case. Protecting lawyers seems easy but when Jeremy gets assigned to Kira he knows he's in trouble. What had started as a straightforward PI job had spun out of control, and Kira felt as though her life had been hit by a tornado. This is second in the Wolfe Security series but easily read as a standalone, you'll recognize some Wolfe Security members but the author takes the reader on a completely new murder case. The murder mystery is more of the focus than the romance, the lead detective on the case, Charlotte Spears, gets multiple povs throughout the story. This helped to develop and involve the reader in the murder case but definitely took time away from the romance. Kira was a fun heroine to follow along with at times, with her, somewhat, unconventional job as a PI. I struggled with her stubbornness and frustration with her protection detail, though. Her boss and friend Ollie was murdered right in front of her and she is obviously in danger because of what she might know or have in her possession but she still tries to skirt Jeremy and others assigned to her safety. She defers to them later in the story but in the beginning, it wasn't so much showing me how independent Kira was as how foolish she was. This was going to be a hell of a case, Jeremy had suspected it the instant he'd seen the client, and it had taken about two minutes alone with her to confirm his suspicions. This woman was headstrong and sneaky as hell. For being a lead, Jeremy wasn't a character that I felt I got to know well. We get some canned former military, PTSD, alpha, and still struggling with last mission that went wrong, background but I had no idea who this guy really was. He seemed nice, smart, and capable but five minutes after finishing the book I could never pick him out of a lineup. As the story seemed more focused on the murder mystery, Kira and Jeremy's relationship development was severely lacking for me. Their first kiss felt completely adrenaline fueled than deeper attraction. I appreciated how the author kept Jeremy focused on his job, as lives were on the line, but it also made Kira's seemingly bewilderment as to why Jeremy wanted to keep things professional even more glaring. Her bossy voice turned him on, which was the dead-last thing he ever planned to tell her, bit it was true. Towards the middle, the case meandered a bit and then the end had a bunch of information revealed fast, which gave a bit of anti-climatic feel. There was also some details added, multiple scenes of people having to stop talking because something like a coffee pot was too loud and secondary character traits like Logan being an alcoholic, that felt useless, unless Logan and others show up in the series again. I think romance readers will miss more romance and relationship development and murder mystery readers will miss a more gritty and whodunit feel. The writing is good and the outline is there but the details and relationships that make a story memorable for me were missing from this one. Wolfe Security still has some bachelors and I'm going to look forward to more romance to go along with their gun toting. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 16, 2019
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Oct 07, 2019
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Jun 23, 2019
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Paperback
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| 1984803298
| 9781984803290
| 1984803298
| 3.89
| 768
| Aug 13, 2019
| Aug 13, 2019
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really liked it
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3.5 stars I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. L.J. 3.5 stars I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. L.J. loves horses but opportunities to make a living training them in New Orleans are slim, so when he manages to get offered a job in Montana, he wants to take the chance. Leaving the Ninth Ward community and his mother who suffers from Lupus is hard but L.J. has a dream and when he catches sight of Andra, she starts to become a part of them. It's been five years since Andra was kidnapped but her panic attacks haven't stopped and the only time she feels free is working with her horses. She has to fight to hire L.J. onto her father's ranch but there is something about him that calms her being in his presence. L.J. and Andra are two souls looking to separate their pasts from their futures and through each other might just find the strength to love everything about themselves. Everything that had been done to her body was public property. Unbreak Me was a very character driven story focusing almost completely on the lead characters Andra and L.J. Their backstories and all the pain that came with them, matched each other even in their differences. In college Andra was drugged, kidnapped, and raped. She lives in a smaller town in Montana, so the trial and all the details were public knowledge. The townspeople know the whole story and side-eye her all the time and her own family isn't quite sure how to act around her. The author did a commendable job getting Andra's pain across the pages, the isolation, the guilt, the anger, and caged in feeling from people only seeing you one way now. Her father, brother, and bestfriend didn't quite get enough page time to be fully flushed out characters but even their absence from the pages helped to show how Andra felt alone and trapped into this new singular existence. L.J. was a character who at first seemed completely affable, fun, and carefree but as we get to know him more, you see that while that is part of his natural disposition, he still works at coming off that way. He carries the pain, anger, and horror from surviving Hurricane Katrina and what it means to be a six foot five black male in America. His struggle to take care of his mother, still give back to where he comes from, and honor his own dreams was affecting. The attraction and connection he felt towards Andra seemed a bit fast or instant, in terms of the repercussions he could experience from it but their time together was slow moving and written very deliberately. “I don't want your daddy to be right about me, Andie-girl.” The words were so low they were no more than a rumble in the places where his neck touched her forehead. “I don't want him to be right about me, either.” she whispered back. And she didn't let go. Through L.J. and Andra, this story touches a little on sexism and heavier on racism. The societal stratagems aren't expounded or deeply thought out but rather how internally racism effects L.J. emotionally and externally physically and opportunity wise. Andra's father plays a role in showing how ignorance isn't an excuse and how Andra needs to learn to see what L.J. is telling her instead of trying to explain instances away to try to make things more comfortable. While these weighty issues aren't delved very deep into, they are touched on in how though L.J. and Andra might have a connection, relationships don't happen in a vacuum, racism effects become a conflict between the two but not enough to give such a weighty issue it's due. These people weren't untouched by their past, and they didn't expect her to be, either. This was a very deliberately paced story with L.J. working to get Andra to be comfortable around him and be able to act on and enjoy the chemistry they had between each other. Even with a more thoughtful pace, I thought the story worked well on capturing the reader but I also thought a little latter in the second half the story started to drag and lose it's drive when L.J. and Andra were in New Orleans. The ending was also quick to wrap up, these two had some pretty big issues laid out and the bow felt somewhat simplistic. However, L.J. and Andra were two characters that definitely pull you into their world and you'll feel for all their emotional ups and downs. There are no easy answers to hard problems but having a caring hand to hold along the way can make all the difference, and it doesn't hurt if they're a Stetson wearing man who can cook southern style. She grinned, and blushed the tiniest bit. “Next time we do that, will you wear your cowboy hat?” ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 2019
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Jun 11, 2019
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Mar 28, 2019
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Paperback
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| 1250295998
| 9781250295996
| 1250295998
| 3.91
| 931
| Jun 25, 2019
| Jun 25, 2019
|
it was ok
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I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Fifth in the C I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Fifth in the Cavensham Heiresses series, you'll remember Will Cavensham as the sweet but closed off brother to the previous heroines and hero in this series. We learn that he was coldly jilted in his youth and has therefore locked his heart away for good. When his aunt tells him about her neighbor who needs their help, he's stunned by his feelings for her. Thea has been on her own for a while. Her grandfather took her in at a young age when her parents died but in his older age and decline of health, all the estate responsibilities of Ladykyrk fell to her. Now that he has died, the new heir is also claiming that the title she inherited that makes her a countess and the rightful owner of Ladykryk, should actually go to him. Will and Thea become fast friends but they doth protest too much about being more. All her thoughts were consumed by the declaration that the new duke wanted Ladykyrk---her home, her life. Not only must she find a new solicitor, but also a husband. The set-up of Thea thinking and being told she should have a husband to give her credibility and a man's added power to fight and win her claim of the rightful owner of Ladykryk was a good and all too familiar look into how women lacked certain rights at this time. What failed to work for me though, was how quickly Thea and Will's feelings for one another developed. Will is supposed to be this completely walled off man but he instantly feels a connection to Thea and is all in on helping her fight for her claim. As the reader, I just couldn't buy into his feelings or feel any depth to his emotions for Thea. From Thea's side of things, her instant refusal to marry Will, at first simply because she doesn't want to marry the first man she meets, was confusing as there was a stated sense of emergency to the purpose she wanted/needed to marry. The plot falls apart as it was simultaneously laid out and then kind of ignored. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement rather than nervousness. She wasn't just lovely. She was beautiful. Will turned to his brother. “But she's just a friend.” This was a pretty sweet, almost tooth achingly at times, and low angst story. The pace dragged for me as most of the story was Will and Thea speaking out loud that they are only friends but then completely acting and thinking differently, it gave the story a very conflicting feel. There really isn't a reason or challenge to these two getting together (there is a last second wedge thrown in there at the very end that is resolved very quickly) and therefore their weak denials, especially when their actions are the opposite of just wanting to remain friends, slows the pace of the book way down and kind of started to annoy me with their actions. There are some racy sex scenes in this but I had a hard time getting into them. That level of sexual intimacy didn't jive for me with how and where the characters felt to be mentally; sex added in for sex sake. Will ran a hand down his face. He didn't think he was a playing a game, but if he was, he wished he understood the rules. One thing was becoming clearer. What he and Thea shared was becoming all too real. What I did enjoy about this was how the author wrote the Cavensham family, you'll see past heroes and heroines and the author incorporates them perfectly. They never steal the show but they added some warmth and dimension to Will and some lovely nostalgia if you've read the previous books in the series. As I mentioned, there isn't much conflict or angst in this one and if you're looking for a very slow to come to terms with what everyone else has already figured out couple, this would fit the bill, along with some open door steamy scenes. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 15, 2019
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Jun 24, 2019
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Mar 26, 2019
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Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 125031884X
| 9781250318848
| 125031884X
| 4.13
| 7,798
| Aug 27, 2019
| Aug 27, 2019
|
really liked it
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4.3 stars I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. How t 4.3 stars I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. How to Love a Duke in Ten Days is the first book in the new series Devil You Know by Kerrigan Byrne and it is a wonderful start. The Prologue starts us off with seventeen year old Alexandra as she is called into the headmaster's office of the ladies' finishing school she has been attending in France. I do want to mention that there is a pretty intense rape scene, some might want to avoid reading. Skipping the prologue to avoid it would be possible but you would miss some bonding knowledge between Alexandra and her friends. The rest of the book has mention of the rape and how it affects Alexandra's relationships and how she is, can, and could be triggered in intimate moments with our hero Piers. I thought the author handled the respect and emotions beautifully around this issue and it provided some moments of tears and smiles. A confusion of sensations paralyzed her. How could she feel both panicked and protected? If you've read Byrne's work before, you'll know how her stories balance light and dark moments, she mastered them in this book. The fear Alexandra feels with Piers in the beginning before she knows him was tempered exquisitely with the playfulness between the two. Alexandra and Piers get to know one another and the first half is Alexandra learning to trust Piers. After the prologue, we jump ahead in time ten years and Alexandra gets a note from her friend Francesca telling her she needs her help and an invite to her betrothal ball to the Duke of Redmayne aka The Terror of Torcliffe. Francesca, along with Cecilia, are the friends Alexandra made at the France school and they formed The Red Rogue Society. They all have red hair and sneak away at night to “further their education”, basically try things young men get to experience but are forbidden to ladies. The night of Alexandra's rape bonds them together, along with the school's gardener, as they bury a secret. I loved how Byrne wrote this group of women and how their personalities were so different but their friendship was solid. I feel like historical romance is full of men groups who are bonding together in some way and I liked the script flipping here. She was a soft, silver moonbeam in a room full of glowing golden candles. And all the more radiant for it. When Alexandra and Piers meet there was a definite crackling of tension but even though these two were very guarded characters, it was their lightness together that won my heart. Byrne's writing style is very reminiscent of the bodice rippers of old, you'll get some faint purple prose elongated sex scenes and drama, which sometimes can get a bit much. I thought this was most apparent with Pier's nickname of Terror of Torcliff; except for the scars on his face, there didn't seem to be a reason for it. I also thought his background could have be fleshed out more, we're told about his mother and father, but especially his relationship with his half-brother, it wasn't as filled out as I would have liked. The reason for Piers wanting to get married is so that he can produce heirs because he doesn't want his cousin inheriting, the cousin who ended up marrying Piers fiancee. This whole situation is probably what I would have cut out as it too wasn't especially filled out and the vitriol towards the ex-fiancee felt a bit much and I'm just particularly sensitive towards hate at woman at the moment. Bringing Piers in through Francesca would have worked on it's own for me. Francesca wanting to marry Piers is a whole conversation, there is a lot happening in this book, but Byrne does for the vast majority keep it together. Besides the red hair and more adventurous attitudes, The Red Rogues bond together for support because Cecilia has a very cruel father and Francesca watched her whole family be murdered by men in masks. While Francesca is obviously not the star of this story, her murder mystery definitely plays a solid underlining to it. This murder mystery, along with the first half mostly taking place in Piers' castle help to give this a slight Gothic feel. She wondered if the world wold ever recognize that the Terror of Torcliff had never been a terror at all. But a man. A man possessed of so much wit, skill, charm, intellect, and humor, he was forever surprising her. Often delighting her. Enchanting her, even. The second half changes gears and after a little bit of marriage of convenience, the story moves to Normandy for Alexandra and Piers' honeymoon. As Alexandra has a doctorate of archaeology, Piers takes her to a current excavation of who could be a former Viking ancestor from William the Conqueror time. Some might think this comes in a bit oddly but I loved it, this additive was fun and what I look for when I read historical romance. It also helped to tie in the other mystery, someone has been blackmailing Alexandra over what happened ten years ago. Needing money to keep paying the blackmailer was the reason for Alexandra jumping in to marry Piers (Francesca never wanted to marry him, it was a set-up to gain info on who was responsible for her family's murder). This mystery wasn't quite as intriguing as Francesca's and I thought the ending conclusion was obvious and too Scooby Doo villain drama-ish. While the first half was about Alexandra trusting Piers, the second half moves to Piers learning to trust Alexandra when he learns she's not a virgin. His issues with how his mother slept around and the betrayal from his ex-fiancee cloud his judgment and he says he won't touch her until ten days, when she gets her courses. Piers doesn't even want to be around Alexandra but she sets-up that they have to be together to learn one another for at least an hour a day. This setup is brought up and then kind of abandoned but the building blocks for the couple's relationship were still there so I didn't mind. Because this inexhaustible emotion gathering inside of him threatened to completely dismantle him. He knew, then and there, that he'd walk through hell for her. He'd slay dragons and face entire armies. He'd circumnavigate the globe to lay her foes at her feet. And the power of whatever suffused him would assure him victory. The story does start to drag a sliver around the sixty percent mark but I'm not sure what I would cut out. As I said, this is a busy story with Alexandra getting blackmailed, Francesca's murder mystery, someone trying to murder Alexandra or Piers or both, and the whole falling in love, but instead of a clogged incoherent story, Byrne ties everything together soundly and creates one heck of a reading journey. The best part is that I saw these two fall in love and all the other tidbits were great bonuses. Cecilia and Piers' half brother Ramsey are teased as the next couple and I can't wait to read their story and maybe get more information on Francesca's compelling story. I highly recommend How to Love a Duke in Ten Days, don't miss out on what looks to be shaping up to one amazing series. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 19, 2019
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Jul 24, 2019
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Jan 29, 2019
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Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 1501162411
| 9781501162411
| 1501162411
| 3.93
| 4,430
| Aug 07, 2018
| Aug 07, 2018
|
liked it
|
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. First chair in I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. First chair in a big case for her career, Brynn is under a lot of stress. When a serial killer she helped put away escapes from prison and murders the lead attorney that prosecuted his case with Brynn, she not only has her career but life to worry about. Erik was an active Marine, Secret Service agent, but is currently working in the personal security private sector. He is built and used to high intense and dangerous situations, but not emotional and personal developments. Brynn and Erik have let work dictate their lives but danger is about to reveal to them what they have been missing. First in the new Wolfe Security series (there is a small character tie-in from the author's Tracer series) Griffin immediately drops the reader into murder and mystery. This tense start had me on edge, which the author was able to maintain to pretty much the ending. Our heroine Brynn is a complete workaholic who is stubborn, brusque, and demanding. We get to see heroes, who are usually labeled "alpha", with these traits all the time, so it was refreshing to see a woman with such a forceful personality. However, Brynn veered, especially in the beginning, to oblivious, too stupid to live territory with her insisting she wasn't really in danger and therefore actively working to put her in more danger. Her demands and attitude got a bit repetitive in this regard and hurt her character rather than make her seem tough and smart. The hero's calm, cool, and collective attitude made him seem smart and capable and when he would lose his grip a little in regards to his attraction to Brynn, it added some great steam to the story. His cool façade did mask his characterization a bit; we don't really get to know him until the later part of the book. There is a large cast of characters that the author did a great job introducing but she failed to have them conversationally interacting. This would have been a great way to see and get to know the hero more; friendships are great showcases for personalities. The lack of conversation, in favor of courtroom scenes, gave this more of a dry feel. With the lack of more emotional aspects, the book makes up for it in the murder mystery tone. The tension, wondering, and danger will keep your nerves taunt; the author excelled on the technical, realistic feel of security and the creepy factor of a serial killer on the loose. I would have liked a pov from the villain to add more depth, there was kind of an info dump that provided what felt like a pointless red-herring, and while surprising a last second drama that felt more tagged on than enriching. The chemistry and romance is weaker but you'll want to sign up for the thriller aspects and tension. The author's writing has charisma and the series set-up will have me checking out the next in the series. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 08, 2018
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May 09, 2018
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Mar 23, 2018
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Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0399586067
| 9780399586064
| 0399586067
| 4.02
| 9,415
| Nov 07, 2017
| Nov 07, 2017
|
liked it
|
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Wren has hidde I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Wren has hidden herself away from the world but without her aunt and uncle, she has grown lonely. Deciding that her inheritance should be good for something, she decides to buy herself a husband. Alexander was happy in his life but now finding himself an earl of an impoverished estate, his life has been turned upside down. What starts off as a business proposition could end up being a fairy tale. "I am twenty-nine years old, very nearly thirty, and I would like…someone to wed." Third in the Wescott series we come to Alexander's story. The previous two books set the storyline of the previous Earl of Riverdale dying and exposing that his second marriage was bigamist. His three children are declared bastards while a daughter from the first marriage is found in an orphanage and suddenly legitimate. I did not read the previous two books and appreciated how Balogh smoothly and organically explained how Alexander became the Earl. Balogh relayed important information and characters but didn't info dump and in fact integrated all those previous characters into this story, creating a believable and familial world. You could feasibly start the series here. Her instinct was to hide behind veils within veils, and she had done it for so long that she did not know how to cast those veils aside. The star of this story and where most of the heavy emotional lifting comes from is our heroine Wren. She was born with a large birthmark covering half of her face and a mother who puts vanity above all else. When she is ten, her aunt takes her from her home and eventually she and her husband adopt Wren. Unfortunately, those important formative years with her cruel mother keep Wren from having any self-worth. Wren always wears a veil to cover her face unless around her aunt and uncle. When they die she becomes incredibly lonely and decides to buy a husband. Her new neighbor, the Earl of Riverdale, is third on her list for potential husbands but he may be just too good looking. You'll feel awful for Wren as she uses an ice queen persona to keep her pain and self shielded. Balogh masterfully created a perfect hero for Wren in Alexander. He perfectly complements the situation by being wary of the heroine's pain but also acknowledges it; there are no quick simple solutions in this story. This wasn't even a slow burn but a slow thawing; you'll need to wait until around the half-way mark before our couple starts to really get moving. I appreciated this building and forming of their relationship but I also thought the second half dragged on a bit. This is definitely not a "modern" historical, characters and mannerisms stay true to the time period, emotions and actions are a bit more constrained. While the larger cast of characters helped create a full world, it also stole away from my lead's romance more than I would have liked, the story had a tendency to slowly meander. Alexander's sister and mother and how they engaged and tried to understand Wren brought such a wonderful warmth to the story; I love when women characters kindly engage with each other. Alexander and Wren were such intelligent characters but I did think Wren’s internal declaration of love felt a bit quick as I don't think the "special" connection with Alexander had been quite made yet, he was the first and only man to show her attention in her life. A little slow and meandering towards the end but Wren will have you emotional and incredibly happy that she found the handsome Alexander. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 2017
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Nov 03, 2017
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Aug 11, 2017
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Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 9781420143935
| B072R4RHFR
| 3.97
| 3,143
| Apr 24, 2018
| Apr 24, 2018
|
liked it
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I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. After her fath I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. After her father is caught for thievery and she begins to question why they steal, Amanda's mother places her in a finishing school. Ten years later Amanda lives a respectable life and even has secured a job as a secretary but her past comes storming back. She is blackmailed to steal certain items or her mother being held prisoner will face the noose. After a journal article somewhat ambiguously calls him out, Gabriel decides to use his Duke status to champion a bill and maybe slow down on his decadent lifestyle. When he meets a mysterious woman who challenges him, he finally sees the advantage to having one woman. Blackmail, lies, class differences, and love will challenge this couple. One Amanda sat with fine ladies and agreed to help them with a journal. The other Amanda intended to allow a man to seduce her in order to have the opportunity to commit a crime that could get her hanged. Second in the Decadent Dukes Society series, the Duke of Langford, Gabriel, is up for his turn at love. His two friends appear alongside him and with glimpses of the couple from the first in the series, you could comfortably start here without feeling lost. I felt like Gabriel was the least flushed out of the two. He's a duke, as we are reminded with a couple Your Graces here and there, he liked to flaunt his mistresses around as a couple people mention, and he likes to look out for his brother. It felt like a solid character pencil sketch but he never got colored in for me. Our heroine Amanda has a bit more life to her as we delve a bit deeper into her life and the mystery/danger plot springs from her family's thievery past. Amanda seems like a strong level headed woman but she too often falls into the "he makes me hot so I will go against every level headed thought I have previously had". The story jumps into it right away; to the point I felt a little left behind because we hadn't had a proper introduction to the characters yet. I gained a better footing as I got deeper in the pages and while I wouldn't call the pace slow, it is more gradual which I would put on the mystery/danger plot of being a bit weaker. Amanda is stealing items to protect her mother but then suddenly decides to take action against the blackmailer, the whole plot felt dragged on and then messily sped up when they got to the last item. In the beginning, I enjoyed how Amanda and Gabriel talked, had conversations with one another but as I started to get into them knowing and playing off one another, the lust bug invaded; their first sex scene felt very abrupt. Without feeling like I ever knew or felt connected to the two leads, I had a hard time becoming absorbed into their romance and their chemistry was fairly weak. The writing is good, the strong female relationships shown was a delight, and the way the three duke friends interacted was pleasant to read about but the pencil sketch without color filling it out, ultimately, left this feeling fairly dull. However, the next duke in line has a very dark and broody feel to him that will have me continuing with the series. "I think I will be forever changed because I knew you." ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 21, 2018
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May 2018
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Jun 29, 2017
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Kindle Edition
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| 1250116147
| 9781250116147
| 1250116147
| 3.97
| 1,200
| Oct 31, 2017
| Oct 31, 2017
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really liked it
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3.5 stars Claimed I 3.5 stars Claimed I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Ever since his father coldly rejected him in front of his peers, Nick has closed himself off from any semblance of love. He devotes himself to his business and stays clear from any marriage market shenanigans. Blaming herself for not helping her dear friend Lena, Emma is determined to never marry and provide women with an opportunity to be at least somewhat self-sufficient. Nick and Emma have danced around a friendship for years but when reputations are on the line, they find themselves forced into a situation they never wanted. Or so they thought. Second in the Cavensham Heiresses series, The Bride Who Got Lucky stars Nick and Emma. They were introduced in the first and while the author starts us off from a situation that developed there, new readers would still have no problem starting here. You'd miss how Emma’s cousin and husband came together who are featured here but otherwise the author does a great job showing how Emma and Nick's friendship started to develop. With a deep sigh, he lay on his back and draped an arm across his forehead. His other rested beside hers. She dared to slide her hand over his, and he wove their fingers together. Her fear gradually receded little by little like the outgoing tide. What I loved the most about this story was the beginning friendship that Nick and Emma shared. Right off the bat they captured me with their sensual tension that blazed from their back and forth conversations and crackling physical closeness. They danced around each other beautifully in the beginning that had me highly anticipating their journey. The resolve came much too quickly for me as their relationship started full steam ahead at around the 30% mark and fairly soon rushed to a higher sexual degree. I was settled in for a more gradual build and was a bit disappointed in how the heroine became pretty sexual and drove the focus to bedroom scenes instead of teasing tension filled hesitant touches. The bedroom scenes were well written but they became the focus for too long and took away from their friendship and the plot that brings them together. "Sometimes, if you're lucky, a woman consumes you." Nick was a pretty great hero, he gives Emma a book!, and the opening prologue where his father crushes their relationship provided a solid base for his contained, bury the pain personality. He had moments of sexiness and caring but also paled a bit in comparison to the deeper flushed out Emma. Emma feels deep guilt over not being there for her bestfriend when her husband was abusing her. This leads to her having a fear of marrying (an often used trope but felt real and believable here) and wanting to open a lending bank to women. Her thoughts and feelings she relays and conversations she struggles to be understood in will have you joining in with her frustration. She's a believable regency feminist who is fearful and angry about what happened to her friend and how she doesn't really have any recourse for justice or protect herself from the same fate. While I liked all the themes and relationships happening here, there was also a bit of a disjointed feel to all the storylines. I couldn't help but feel that a feminist heroine box was being checked and the heavy sexual tone and number of sexual scenes not only disappointed me in the lack of time given to a more tension filled build-up, it also seemed to overly cover up the justice for the bestfriend thread. The heavy emotion from domestic violence and how it affected Emma and the women of the time doesn't get its due and the danger from the villain wasn't able to be fully felt because of how it is pushed to the side, in what seems to be, in favor of more sex scenes. The writing veered at times to flowery, I would have liked more tension build-up, and the ending was a bit too pat. However, the author's ability to write great chemistry between her leads and such wonderful multifaceted relationships between family members and friends will definitely have me continuing on in the series. She has introduced a couple secondary characters that I can't wait to see how their story unfolds. His darkness gave way to her, like the night to the day. She had found him and brought him home. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 17, 2017
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Oct 19, 2017
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May 11, 2017
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 0062457381
| 9780062457387
| 0062457381
| 3.77
| 6,236
| Nov 28, 2017
| Nov 28, 2017
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liked it
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I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Olympia is dan I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Olympia is dangerously close to being on the shelf but when she serendipitously catches the attention of a duke, she has a chance to help her large family from financial ruin. The Duke of Ripley is doing all he can to help his bestfriend not flub up his wedding but he should have been paying attention to the bride. When he sees her make a run for it, he chases her. They're not meant to be together but they also wouldn't have it any other way. He was trying desperately to find a way out of whatever it was he'd got himself into. The first in a new series, A Duke in Shining Armor introduces us to the three Dis-Graces, dukes who have a bit of a tainted reputation because of the antics they have gotten up to over the years. The Duke of Ashmont has the face of angel but a bit of a drinking problem. Through some reverse psychology his uncle gets him to really pay attention to Olympia and offer for her. Just returned from a trip on the continent our hero, the Duke of Ripley, has come across Olympia at balls and such but tried to keep his attention of her to the peripheral as he wasn't ready to grow up yet. This latent attraction becomes the source of his problem. This is a road romance that from page one hits the ground running and doesn't let up into well into the second half of the book. Ripley and Olympia have a bit of madcap adventures as they constantly spout wit back and forth. It gave them some spark but the duration and focus of it, came at the expense of some depth. Their dialogue had a tendency to come off as them talking at each other instead of with and I had a hard time getting to know them. He'd said things and looked at her in ways other men didn't, and the combination had started to make her think she wasn't altogether the young woman she'd always believed she was. She knew rakes were dangerous but she hadn't understood how subtle the danger could be. Her ideas about a great many subjects were threatening revolution. Along with their dialogue lacking exploring other emotions for most of the book, the vast majority (I think the last 5% goes a week into the future) takes place within 4 days, the first 50% of the story is the first day. I will say, even with this time frame, it doesn't feel like insta-love, which is a credit to the author's writing. The author has Ripley admit to himself a couple times that he always noticed Olympia and liked her personality and Olympia remembering having a pining moment over Ripley dancing with someone else but we don't get the scenes of a solid emotional growing between beginning attraction that I personally look for and enjoy. "What are you doing?" he said. "I'm being unsubtle," she said. With the hero and heroine busy being witty and flitting around, I never gained a strong grasp of who they were. Olympia was probably the stronger of the two with her large family driving her to marriage and feeling like she didn't belong because she was voted the most boring debutante years in a row, which felt brought up more than enough. Her love of books and categorizing books is discussed but I would have liked some family interaction scenes or if she had friends; scenes that help show more personality and different nuances of a character. Ripley is given a very vague bad past with an ill father and though he has scenes with his friends, the Duke of Ashmont who's bride he's accidentally stealing and his brother-in-law the Duke of Blackwood, we're not shown how they became friends or what really binds them together. I was left with a lot of questions regarding Ripley and who he was. Ripley was a disgrace and had been for years, but this had to be the worst thing he'd done in his life. Yet it seemed to him the best thing he'd ever done. The last 15% or so was more of what I was looking for, Ripley and Olympia seemed to talk with each other more and I began to feel their emotional connection, but it would have been great to have that start more towards the middle of the book. They also start to hit the sheets more but I frankly could have done with more of the platonic growing together at the time. Ashmont definitely doesn't shine here but as I'm sure he'll get the chance to be a hero of his own book, his redemption will interesting. The other friend Blackwood and his wife (Ripley's sister) seemingly have a secret frosty relationship that raises a lot of questions. With all the dukes running around, even I started to get fatigued but it's still a hard title to say no to. In a very small side story that managed to kind of steal the show for me, Ripley’s aunt seems to have a very interesting hurt and angry past with Ashmont’s uncle. The emotion and tension could be cut with a knife whenever the two were in a room and I’m greatly looking forward to seeing what comes of them. With a bit too much wit and one-upping sarcasm for its own good and short time duration, this didn't start providing enough emotional building blocks for me until closer at the end. This author's writing is always engaging though and if you're in the mood for a quick paced witty back and forth, this definitely would provide. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 28, 2017
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Dec 02, 2017
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Apr 27, 2017
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Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 1455539112
| 9781455539116
| B01FRASFVI
| 4.08
| 6,572
| Nov 29, 2016
| Nov 29, 2016
|
liked it
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I read this for the Virgin square (heroine is one) for Romance bingo. 3.5 stars I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This doe I read this for the Virgin square (heroine is one) for Romance bingo. 3.5 stars I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Hugh is the bastard son of the King but with the given title of Duke of Kyle, he finds himself existing in two worlds. Tasked with bringing down a secret society called The Lords of Chaos, he finds he'll need some help from an unexpected source. Alf was born and bred in St. Giles and has masked her true identity as a woman since she was five years old. However, clashing with Hugh has brought desires and thoughts she never knew she could have. To bring down The Lords of Chaos, Hugh and Alf are going to have to work together and become who they were meant to be all along. Never let them see you cry, he'd said. Never show them your weakness. If you've been a frequent Maiden Lane series reader, you'll remember Alf. We've had fleeting glimpses of her and how she has navigated and survived St. Giles. It's hard for me to get excited about the woman dressed as a man trope because of its past frequency but Alf's reasons weren't frivolous, done for comic relief, or scandal. Dressing as a boy was survival for Alf and Hoyt did a great job showing how this seemingly innocuous action emotionally shaped Alf; how it affected her thought processes and how it psychologically wore on her. I've said it before but I miss how long romance books used to be and I think this particular story would have benefited greatly from a longer page count. The first 40% or so gave us a wonderful building up of Hugh and Alf; we got to know them separately. I cared about these characters and my anticipation for them to come together was only heightened because I had the solid foundation for how right their relationship was going to be. I miss this gradual weaving that seems to be left behind for instant lust and gratification. Even though I was anxious to see them together, I was a little disappointed when it did happen. Not because I didn't feel they belonged together but because Hugh's love felt a bit instant. He doesn't know Alf is a woman until around the 40% mark and while he knew the Ghost of St. Giles was a woman and felt drawn to her, he didn't know it was Alf. I think he had 3 or 4 encounters with the Ghost, they are sexually attracted to one another but their conversations aren't lengthy or anything. It felt, to me, like a quick loving without knowing because Alf was basically unknown to him. He admired her even as he feared for her. I liked the bonus of Alf being the Ghost of St. Giles, even if I felt she didn't get to shine in the role as much as others. I would have liked to have seen more scenes with her and St. Godric. Hugh's support and belief in Alf as a competent being was one of his sexiest attributes and how it was obvious that he completely accepted Alf for who she was. Their star gazing scene was my favorite and I thought beautifully showcased the author's talent for creating two characters that felt so right for one another; even if I felt it was a bit rushed. I like the villainous Lords of Chaos' storyline but they were somewhat regulated to naked men in animal masks here and I wanted a little more of their workings or stratagems. I hope there's more to their plot than occasional nighttime naked gatherings to unsuccessfully rape women. Don't misunderstand, I'm very glad they're unsuccessful, but there were rumblings about how they infect all of society, even the government; I'd like a new devious plot. The ending felt a bit awkward to me with a misunderstanding you could see a mile away and a resolution that came super quick. The lack of building conversations between our leads before the love made it feel instant. I want to clarify though, that I felt this couple belonged together, I just wanted more scenes to prove and deepen what I was feeling. I'll definitely be reading the next in the series because I liked Iris, the heroine of the next, right off the bat and am intrigued by the dark and scarred hero. Hoyt's talent in creating a world and characters can't be denied but I hope she's given more pages to really let them breathe and take off. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 07, 2017
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Jan 11, 2017
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Jun 05, 2016
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ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1492602140
| 9781492602149
| 1492602140
| 3.38
| 104
| Apr 07, 2015
| Apr 07, 2015
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liked it
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2.5 stars I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. After 2.5 stars I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. After being involved in the writing of a scandalous book, Lord Boyce Parker has been determined to win back his father's respect. When a contest involving a race to France, with trophies for good deeds awarded, and the opportunity to win the hand of a fair Lady is announced, Boyce looks upon this on his chance to redeem himself. He charts a hot air balloon to get a leg up on the competition but doesn't account for running into the scientifically driven aeronaut Miss Eve Mountfloy. It's a dangerous undertaking to attempt to take a balloon to France but the lure of being the first woman to do so is strong. Eve finds herself going along with Boyce's crazy plan only to end up on an adventure neither saw coming. When a Rake Falls has a very misleading title, our hero is far from a rake, but the cheery, bright yellow, and fun cover accurately foretells what is inside. I'm hard pressed to think of a leading hero who would be similar to our Boyce. He often bursts out into song to express his joyfulness and when put out by Eve he says "You leave me like a butterfly, unable to sing." Boyce's character was very light and fluffy and at times he crossed over into empty headed land with a house in doltishville. (I have a slightly strange satisfaction I'm typing that about the hero as I find myself having to describe a fair share of heroines that way) He's different than the mass of dark and broody often found in this genre; you're enjoyment of this book is going to be based on if you like that or not. Eve is our heroine and leader of the story, her actions direct the show. She calls Boyce a "tulip" and is the mind and powerhouse behind their safety in the balloon and scientific experiments they conduct. There is a fair amount of scientific storyline/talk and while it bogged the story down in the middle it also added a different flare and showcased Eve as a highly capable and intelligent woman smothered by her times. This was important because most of the book I found to be extremely fluffy and mostly Eve's story but towards the end, Boyce takes a stand for Eve. It then becomes more of their story with this very loving moment and gives heft to a relationship that felt more along the lines of friendship. Quirkiness can be a difficult thing to pull off because, well, it's quirky. This story is meant to funny in that vein and could work for others, for me, it felt unbelievably silly and lacking in substance for most parts. Wanting to win the race and marry the allusive Lady was a pretty thin story thread to get our leads together that stretched on for way too long with Boyce still thinking it was going to work. Then the side adventures with our leads being stranded, looking for Eve's scientific journal, Boyce fighting off a lonely abandoned wife, a plotting old matriarch, and a weak love triangle, clogged the middle up with more wan plots and characters. This was a pretty clean romance until towards the end where a sex scene was added and while I usually like the bedroom door wide open, this one felt unnecessary and injected in. When a Rake Falls has a light and fluffy beginning, bumbling along middle, and a sweet ending. Boyce may not be the type of hero I usually gravitate to but I certainly appreciated how the author wrote him to stay true to character throughout the story and didn't suddenly have him become serious and broody. If you ever wanted Mr. Bingley to be the hero of the story, then this is for you. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 2015
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Jun 04, 2015
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May 06, 2015
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Paperback
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WhiskeyintheJar
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Books:
first-reads-goodreads
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| 3.94
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really liked it
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Aug 18, 2024
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Mar 16, 2024
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| 4.24
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liked it
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Jun 11, 2024
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Mar 27, 2023
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| 3.70
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it was ok
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Mar 14, 2023
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Nov 27, 2022
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| 3.10
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it was ok
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Nov 29, 2022
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Sep 07, 2022
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| 3.80
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really liked it
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Jun 10, 2023
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Jul 16, 2022
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| 3.60
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really liked it
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Jun 24, 2021
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May 18, 2021
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| 3.98
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liked it
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Aug 11, 2020
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Jan 10, 2020
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| 3.85
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it was amazing
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Jan 23, 2020
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Oct 21, 2019
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| 4.07
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really liked it
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Mar 06, 2020
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Oct 02, 2019
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| 4.05
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liked it
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Oct 07, 2019
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Jun 23, 2019
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| 3.89
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really liked it
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Jun 11, 2019
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Mar 28, 2019
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| 3.91
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it was ok
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Jun 24, 2019
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Mar 26, 2019
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| 4.13
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really liked it
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Jul 24, 2019
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Jan 29, 2019
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| 3.93
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liked it
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May 09, 2018
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Mar 23, 2018
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| 4.02
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liked it
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Nov 03, 2017
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Aug 11, 2017
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| 3.97
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liked it
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May 2018
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Jun 29, 2017
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| 3.97
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really liked it
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Oct 19, 2017
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May 11, 2017
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| 3.77
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liked it
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Dec 02, 2017
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Apr 27, 2017
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| 4.08
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liked it
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Jan 11, 2017
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Jun 05, 2016
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| 3.38
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liked it
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Jun 04, 2015
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May 06, 2015
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