Perfect cozy holiday novella. Just what I was looking for and needed to end the year with. A grumpy Welsh man with a jaded heart and 3.74 stars
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Perfect cozy holiday novella. Just what I was looking for and needed to end the year with. A grumpy Welsh man with a jaded heart and a sunshiny sweet American curvy heroine who live in the same apartment building in Paris and hate each other but get stuck in their tiny elevator lift on Christmas Eve. Colin and Jules were cute. And the body positivity and praise kink in this was nicely done. That nod to Love Actually was sweet. I recommend this for those who love wanderlust romances!
ETA: Ok after reading the bonus epilogue I just have to say Ms. Anders is in need of an editor or a good one at least. The amount of typos in just 20 pages is hard to miss. I noticed this in the initial story too, for some reason she tends to skip over her words a lot and it's really obvious especially during intimate scenes and dialogue. Important words are missing or repeated at odd times so it reads like mistakes. Her writing is a bit hiccupy because of that....more
So adorable. Surprised me how adorable. Wish this was a full length book given the emotional beats played here. Sumner was a giant love bug h4.5 Stars
So adorable. Surprised me how adorable. Wish this was a full length book given the emotional beats played here. Sumner was a giant love bug hero and Britta (hate these names by the way) kinda drove me up the wall with her hangs up on not doing committed relationships and keeping the hero at arm's length. Girl, this man is crazy in love with you and just wants to take care of you! If you don't want him I'LL TAKE HIM. I'll climb him like a tree and cling like a koala and never let go. Glad her mind, heart and lady parts got with the program eventually....more
This was adorable and charming all around and I get the fanfare over this series if4.5 Stars
"Sometimes the quietest love is the loudest."
This was adorable and charming all around and I get the fanfare over this series if this was anything to go by. Ryan Shay and Indy Ivers just melt your heart, two extreme opposites forced to live as roommates who slowly fall for each other was so sweet and satisfying to see. This definitely was one of those books that checks off all kinds of tropes and I personally didn't mind it because it felt like little surprises that popped up and didn't feel forced in.
What I loved: -Hero Ryan Shay is a NBA basketball player who looks like a cross between Stephen Curry & Michael Ealy (in my head at least). -Heroine Indy is the hero's twin sister's best friend who is coming off an awful break up when she caught her fiance cheating on her and now needs a new place to live. She's a flight attendant who is a caretaker by nature and wears her heart on her sleeve and the embodiment of sunshine and firecracker. She's hilarious and adorable in trying to fluster the uptight OCD hero. -Heroine's full name is Indigo so hero gives her the nickname Blue. (it's a recurring joke) -Hero builds heroine a bookcase to hold all her romance books. -Hero learns ASL to communicate with heroine's father who is deaf. -Hero makes sure to bring veggie food to a camping trip with his General Manager's family who didn't know she's vegetarian. -The praise kink. (The way these two hype each other up is really sweet too) -Care taking when heroine is sick. -Fake dating shenanigans including one bed scenario and a jealous hero. (I have never laughed so hard over a guy confusing the craft store Michael's for a real man ...more
“I’m done pretending to be head over heels in love with you because I’m legitimately head over heels in love with you. And acting lik
4.5 stars
“I’m done pretending to be head over heels in love with you because I’m legitimately head over heels in love with you. And acting like I’m not tears me up.”
I'll be honest I'm a little conflicted on the rating for this. It's between a 4 and 5 stars. Which is still great either way. This was a 5 star for a good chunk of it but the steam factor and the last 20ish% kind of made that last star fall off a bit for me. I've been in a not great head space the past week so reading was a struggle in general. But even so, this grabbed my attention and the distraction I needed from reality. Beau and Bailey were adorable and so sweet. Two lost souls trying to find themselves and their way in life and finding comfort in each other. Bailey was a great combination of innocent, vulnerable yet smart mouth and guarded. I loved the age gap here. Beau is 35 and Bailey is 21. Beau is a special ops soldier who is back home after a rescue mission left him with burned scarred feet and a serious case of PTSD. He's the jovial "goofy" Eaton brother but underneath the bravado is someone who is very weary and lost. Bailey Jansen is the misfit outcast that everyone in Chestnut Springs treats like a pariah given her last name. Her family is a bunch of drug addicts, petty thieves and bullies that the entire town find a nuisance. Bailey has been getting the burnt end of her family name when she's just trying to make her way on her own. I felt for her. Did the conflict in the end feel overblown and a bit silly? Yes. I was expecting it. It was overblown considering the timeline of it. But thankfully it didn't drag on too long and they talked it out. I love how slow burn this felt. Elsie said this was her "least" slow burn book from this series and frankly I disagree. I'm a little confused what she meant by that because this felt pretty slow burn in my book. The amount of pining/yearning/edging that drags on is both delicious and frustrating at the same time. lol
You don’t tell a person you love them with the expectation they’ll say it back. You tell them because you want to. You tell them because it’s true.
I personally love shy virgin heroines who find their own voice and independence. Bailey fit that bill. I just wish the steam was a bit more exciting in this rather than focused solely on "I wanna get rid of my virginity now, a sex toy already got rid of my hymen". It felt heavy handed. I know I'm in the minority when I say this but I absolutely hate when virgin heroines are portrayed like this in romance, specifically CR. Like it's some big shocking annoying thing a young girl in her 20s should be ashamed of? It's a weird gross narrative that I'm seeing more of and I truly don't get it and so tired of seeing it. A woman in her 20s (or any age for that matter) being a virgin is not gross or shocking please stop treating it that way authors, it's insensitive and utterly ridiculous. But that's a rant for another time. Also the porn thing, do all of Elsie Silver's heroines love to watch porn? I'm not knocking porn fanatics and normally don't even care but it feels very disingenuous here because these are women from different lifestyles and backgrounds but all of them just casually watch porn when they are horny or bored, in every. single. book. With uptight "ice queen" Winter it felt weird and very forced and here it felt forced too given how much it was brought up. Like yes, the heroine is a virgin but she's a COOL virgin ya'll! She watches porn and has a box of sex toys to prove it. RME. Please stop. It was doing too much IMO. Also, when you have an experienced hero and a virgin heroine who is eager to try things and discover sex, why not show some of that sexual exploration? *cries into my pillow* That's the part I felt let down the most TBH. This book kinda felt like a big ol' tease in many ways in that regard. And I want to throw my shoe at people who labeled that bathtub scene as "steamy" all over social media because it built up expectations in my head I wasn't aware of until I got to it. (view spoiler)[ Your man helping you shave your pubic hair is sweet but standing in a bathtub full of floating pubic hair (I really didn't need that visual Elsie Silver thanks) while he performs oral sex on you is not my idea of sexy time. But that's just me. (hide spoiler)]...more
Really loved this. There's just something about Shupe's writing I really enjoy when the story is right. It's so intelligent, precise, sexy an4.5 stars
Really loved this. There's just something about Shupe's writing I really enjoy when the story is right. It's so intelligent, precise, sexy and well researched. It does take on a bit of a modern tone in some areas as far as female autonomy and independence but it's not distracting. This is the biggest age gap romance I've read and I'll be honest if this was a Contemporary I would not have touched it. There's a 23 age difference here. The hero is 41 and the heroine is 18 and yes it took me some getting used to considering he's known her since she was a baby and he has a teenage son who is 2 years younger than the heroine Violet. I would have liked it more if Violet was 21 at least. But she's very mature for her age (a little too mature at times if I'm being honest lol). It definitely helped that the hero Max tried to put some distance and barriers between him and Violet who is doggedly pursuing him and is freaked out that she wants him. She's hurt that he's put distance between them since her coming out and it turns out he did it for a reason as he found her beautiful but much too young for him and it freaks him out. This also helped because if he had just went along with it easily I would have dropped this in a hot second. He's terrified and tries to scare her off at first which was great character development.
The Duke of Ravensthorpe is Violet's father's best friend and a family friend and Violet's crushed on him from afar since girlhood. He's a widower who enjoys single life after his marriage was a disappointing disaster after his wife died during child birth. He's a rake through and through who loves naughty times in the bedroom and honestly I found him so sexy and delicious. He's so intimidating, commanding, intelligent, earthy, sensual and masculine but also kind and a gentleman. I can't blame Violet for wanting him. A silver fox Duke with a filthy mouth. I wanted to climb him like a jungle gym so I get it. lol He steals the scenes and then some. Violet for her part I thought could have been developed a little more in comparison. The fact that I don't know what she looks like beyond having blonde hair and a curvy body for example did bug me. Her face is a hazy blur in comparison to the Duke who we get every little detailed description on. I liked that Violet's passion was in photography (I didn't even know Kodak camera boxes were a thing in 1895?) and studying photography (were classes available for women back then?). The sex scene involving her taking pictures of him naked was insanely hot and erotic. I thought that was nicely done. (ETA: I just realized the model on the cover is holding a camera. Very clever.) This is a very hot spicy novella and I loved every minute of it. I honestly wish this was a full length book given how quickly these two acted on their attraction and I wish that was dragged out a bit more given the forbidden aspect of it and Max's hang ups over their age difference and his friendship with her father. The hero caves a little too soon for my liking but since this is a novella you kind of just go along with it. I thought the emotions, the connection and tension was nicely done. If this was a full length book I probably would have given this a 5 star TBH. I could not put this down. Maximilian Thomas William Bradley III could absolutely GET IT. ...more
“Alessione,” he breathed into my throat. My heart turned over at the pet version of my name, one Italians used in fondness. I swallo
4.75 stars
“Alessione,” he breathed into my throat. My heart turned over at the pet version of my name, one Italians used in fondness. I swallowed hard, suddenly unable to speak. I kept perfectly still, soaking in his attention like a plant starved of rain.
Adorable. My ovaries went boom, boom, kaboom. Theo tap danced all over my ovaries and I wasn't expecting th4.75 stars
“Te vivo, baby girl.”
Adorable. My ovaries went boom, boom, kaboom. Theo tap danced all over my ovaries and I wasn't expecting that. Theo Silva is a dreamboat hero and has come for Cade Eaton's throne as hottest baby daddy. Plot twist. lol This book turned ONS/secret baby trope on its head. Which is hard to do. I'm not a fan of one night stand stories, in fact I generally hate this trope and avoid it like the plague. But Elsie Silver made some smart choices here that worked for me. For one, the actual sex scene from the one night stand is fade to black. Our hero Theo Silva and heroine Winter Hamilton hook up the night they meet in the beginning of the book but we don't see them have sex which I thought was a very smart move on the author's part. Because while technically there is insta-lust this is also a slow burn book. Which I'm a big fan of. I'm never a fan of insta-anything in my reads, I don't like instant gratification. I want work put in before our couple take the next step or give into feelings or else I can't buy it. While these two scratch that itch after a tequila-induced night of fun, the tension, the circling, the push and pull is very much present through the rest of the book which saved it for me. Something that was completely missing in Powerless. As for the secret-baby, again another interesting choice made here that took me by surprise and I think Elsie did a good job in how it was delivered. (view spoiler)[The book jumps 18 months ahead after their ONS, where we see the heroine had a baby girl Vivienne and believes the hero wants nothing to do with them. But we quickly realize a big misunderstanding played a hand into why. Before the time jump Winter tried to contact Theo when she found out she was pregnant but the message was never delivered and got in the wrong hands while Theo was on the road competing as a professional bull rider. So now 18 months later we have the hero moving in next door to the heroine to train to get back on the circuit completely unaware he fathered a child and a hurt confused heroine thinking he walked away from them. (hide spoiler)] Call me sick in the head but this is the kind of misunderstanding equation that I love if a misunderstanding situation has to happen in a book. The angst it brought to the table, the tension it creates, the unspoken feelings on both sides, the yearning, thinking the other doesn't want them? *chief's kiss* And the misunderstanding thankfully doesn't last long which I can't stress enough how relieved I was on that part. Once it's revealed we get cute as hell domestic scenes of Theo and little Vivi bonding and family moments between the three. Theo's reaction when he finds out he fathered a child? *clutches heart* Broke my heart. I just adored him. He's a total cinnamon roll hero.
Combat boots tugged carelessly over the top. Laces not tied. I remember thinking once that the very last thing I needed in my life was a man who didn’t tie his laces. It makes me laugh now, a light little chuckle that bubbles up from somewhere near my heart. How wrong I was. I feel like he rolled up and loosened my laces when I didn’t realize I was tied up far too tight.
As for the heroine Winter, I liked her. Which was another pleasant surprise considering she's not my favorite type of heroine. She's prickly, stubborn, closed off, blunt, the grump to the hero's sunshine sweet disposition. But her emotional vulnerability and insecurities is what saved this character from becoming a one-note archetype who magically is just "nice" all the sudden cause she's getting a book. She's the underdog and you want to root for her. I absolutely live for greyish anti-characters because they want to prove to others and most importantly themselves they are better and deserve happiness and love. I just loved how honest she was about herself and what her limits were and just yearns for love. I loved that she wanted to include Theo in everything from the start when it came to Vivi, misunderstanding aside. This book is about two adults who are trying to make the best of something unplanned, no immature nonsense. Winter is complex, layered and very misunderstood and I think Elsie Silver did a nice job of showing this character's arc and emotional growth. I was not a fan of this character in Book 1 Flawless for good reason. She played the part of the mean cold stepsister to Summer and here we get a better understanding of why. I think her character growth was very successful. Yes her insecurities do get the better of her time to time and have her dragging her feet in places but I felt for her and understood the why of it. Her whole life she had to fend for herself in a toxic home environment and nobody showing up for her and everyone always believing the worst of her. She finally finds that faith, security and unwavering support in a sweet man like Theo and she's as wary and scared as a wounded animal who is given a lifeline. I understood her fear so much. That contrast and dynamic between the two was fun to see. Her dream was to become a mom and after fertility struggles with her awful prick of a ex-husband, seeing her become a mom and flourish here was also great to see. I just absolutely adored the little family moments. Is there anything sexier than a man being a hands on doting father to his little girl? When I tell you it revved my engine whenever this man called his Vivi "baby girl". Oof. ❤️
A smiling Vivi is strapped to his chest in the floral-patterned Tula baby carrier I bought. He’s singing to our daughter. And dancing. And cleaning. One hand rubs the back of her head like she’s some sort of crystal ball, while the other wipes at the white cabinets in the cottage-style kitchen.
This had typical trademark dirty talk that Elsie Silver is known for. I'll be honest and I hesitate to even say this and the only reason I'm even pointing this out is because it had me going into this book expecting something totally different given the strong reactions I've seen on BookTube. To be frank I was expecting more in the steam department simply going off of the outrage. And it honestly confuses me? because this was pretty tame compared to the previous books as far as actual spice content. (view spoiler)[ He calls her a "slut" in the bedroom a total of 3 times. Did I love it? No. It's not my thing at all. But as far being out of character, it didn't feel out of character for a playboy like Theo. And I'm letting it slide here because 1. it wasn't prominently used, 2. Winter liked it and thought it hilarious and it became a recurring joke between the two of them. He uses it to tease her and excite her. And the sex scenes themselves were pretty standard. Book 1 and 2 were waaaaaay raunchier than this in the steam department. (hide spoiler)] I personally thought the style of dirty talking was out of character for heroes like Cade and Jasper, Cade especially but I know I'm in the minority on that one. To each their own but I'm not sure what in this book would be labeled as "over the line" or "disgusting" especially if you loved the first 2 books in particular. I'm just saying. ...more
A strong and enjoyable story just wish the last 60 or so pages lived up to the rest of the book. Starchy Duke vs American scandalous hellion 4.5 stars
A strong and enjoyable story just wish the last 60 or so pages lived up to the rest of the book. Starchy Duke vs American scandalous hellion was very fun to see. This reminded me a lot of Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart which is one of my favorite books with this exact trope. I think Shupe did a pretty good job in showing her MC's differences but connecting emotionally and showing that layer of vulnerability underneath. That vulnerability chip is what usually makes it or breaks it for me especially when it comes to hate to love dynamics. I can't stand when characters are just sniping at each other and nothing more and it's used as sexual foreplay. What surprised me the most is that the hero the Duke of Lockwood is actually very sweet and a gentleman. Which also surprises our jaded heroine too who believes he's nothing but an arrogant prig at first. I wasn't expecting our starchy Duke to fall so fast but that he did. I normally hate insta-love but here it was believable for the most part considering the time lapse and it's endearing how crazy he is for her and wouldn't change a thing about her.
Andrew has come to America in search of an heiress to marry to help save his crumbling ducal estate and huge debt no thanks to his irresponsible father. He's had very little luck in America (3 rejections to be exact) until he accidentally meets infamous party girl heiress Nellie Young. Nellie is the "love'em and lose them" type of woman, she has no use for men beyond a good time in the sheets and loves her freedom and life in NY until she meets a Duke who pushes her buttons and gets underneath her skin and heart. I love this type of shit. While she's very set in her ways and guarded she's also pragmatic and looking out for others even when they don't deserve it (looking at you Maddie dear). I loved seeing our independent hellion heroine falling in love for the first time and worrying about the hero and trying to fight it. Like I said, it's that underlying sweetness that really worked. From their accidental meet cute during a swim in the ocean to their time bonding in a swimming pool was the highlight for me. And yes this did that thing that I love where the heroine is the only one who calls the Duke by his first name Andrew and he calls her Eleanor instead of Nellie. Ugh loved that. I loved seeing her fuss over his heart condition and pushing him to get second opinions about his heart. The fact that you have a virile Duke who was diagnosed with a poor heart condition believing he's going to die young added a layer of urgency to the love story and him finding a wife. Joanna Shupe's world building when it came to economy, politics and science during 1890s felt very well rounded and handled with care. Maybe parts were anachronistic even for late 1800s America, I'm not an expert but it worked for me either way.
I was expecting a lot more butting heads from both hero and heroine given their extremely varying lifestyles and backgrounds but it was a great combination of bickering and flirting and real feelings peaking out that made it cute. The one who does the most bucking and denying is the heroine. Which did get a little frustrating the longer it went on. I felt like the whole town of New York had to talk this girl into taking a chance on love and willing to take a risk on the man she loves. I can deal with obstincancy but up to a certain point. It gets annoying when the same conversations happen over and over again until the very end to push someone into taking action. That and the suffrage theme just played a little too heavily for me in the last part with the heroine making some reckless questionable choices that kind of made me roll my eyes. It felt like this plot came out of nowhere? It doesn't play into the book until a good 70% in so it threw me off guard a little. I like the topic of women's suffrage just fine but not in my romance books. ...more
“I can’t breathe for loving you and loving you is the only way I can breathe.”
This was adorable. Not a complete home run but a fun time wa
“I can’t breathe for loving you and loving you is the only way I can breathe.”
This was adorable. Not a complete home run but a fun time was had. I thought this was better than Hallie and Julian's book. The chemistry was chemistrying, the plot was interesting and the dialogue was snappy if a bit on the purple side at times. Natalie and August were a hilarious combination. Their bickering and trying to get a rise out of each other was fun. This is the kind of hate to love dynamic I like, biting yet lighthearted and funny bickering but apologizing when one of them realizes they've gone too far. Do you hear that Romance authors? NOT GOING TOO FAR AND APOLOGIZING. Honestly, going into this I thought the hero would be a gruff monosyllabic grump since he's a 6'4 stacked ex-Navy SEAL. But August is actually a big ol' softie with a personality of a golden retriever. The swaggering confidence and life of the party goofy temperament is not what I was expecting after his brief scenes in Book 1 so here it kind of took me by surprise how much of a talker he is. lol And while I'm not a big a fan of class clown types, it oddly worked here. He does have his doofus moments where his mouth is his worst enemy and some of the stuff he says is a bit much (he's very much an eager puppy in the bedroom) but I thought he was cute with how eager and focused he was to make their fake marriage become a real one. What makes him endearing is he knows he can be dense and easily distracted but is earnest about everything he does. His self-awareness is what makes him so dear. The heroine Natalie Vos reformed rich party girl trying to revive her destroyed Wall Street career was a good combo of spicy and vulnerable. She did remind me a bit of Phoebe from It Happened One Summer which I liked. Her eagerness and drive to prove people wrong and just wanting to be accepted was relatable. While I do wish this had that extra layer of angst and depth that was there in the Bellinger sister books, this was definitely an improvement from Book 1.
“You’re a criminal.” Natalie gasped. “That’s no way to speak to your bride.” “Fine. You’re a criminal bride. Coming to CBS this fall.”
What could have been better for one I wish the actual falling in love part didn't cover just a few days yet weeks go by near the end which frustrated me a bit. I don't understand the rush when your characters are literally married and forced to live together like....? If the chemistry wasn't so cute and hilarious I would have not bought it. That and I wish the marriage of convenience happened a little sooner in the book. It doesn't take place until 50% which isn't bad but what I love most about MOC trope is when characters have to jump right into it, it feels like a wasted opportunity to drag it out otherwise. Felt a little bit like wasted page time IMO just to get to the wedding. Another misstep was August's winery business. I wanted him to let Natalie help him out so they could work side by side. I don't know why Bailey had that story beat hold off until literally the very end of the book? It's obviously a sensitive issue for the hero and why he's trying to do it on his own causes tension but even so it felt like a missed opportunity. I wanted August to learn in real time how to make wine correctly from his wife and them working through trials and error to save his winery business. I mean that was one of the big reasons why they got married initially. But all in all, I liked this. It's not my favorite of Bailey's but it was still enjoyable and made me swoon in parts. I do wish she would bring that angsty edge back into her books. I feel like now she's more focused on straight up fluffy Rom coms with insta-love. I don't know why Romance authors keep falling back on that trope like it's autopilot. Slow burn is a thing too. ...more
[image] There's just something about a nanny/single dad trope that I love so much. Maybe it's cause I grew up on the show The Nanny but it ju4.75 stars
[image] There's just something about a nanny/single dad trope that I love so much. Maybe it's cause I grew up on the show The Nanny but it just does things for me. And Elsie Silver did it well here. While Flawless still edged this one out, this was still pretty good and extremely enjoyable. Grumpy stoic cowboy Cade Eaton meets fiery wild girl Willa Grant was fun to see. Loved the polar opposites dynamic that was played up here, the big age gap (13) and Cade's adorable little boy Luke who is hysterical. Willa is the perfect example of free spirited, smart mouthed no-filter "hellion" heroines that I adore, she has a vulnerability, intelligence and wanting to find herself underneath all that bravado that is relatable. And how she is with Luke really highlights that. While I really liked this, just something about the second half of the story that lost something for me. Just a bit. I gave Flawless 5 stars so the bar is pretty high and everything I say right now is random stuff that stuck out to me and minor nit picking. Maybe it's cause my expectations were super high and some things didn't play out to it's full potential like I was hoping. For one, I did feel like Cade's transformation from brooding serious grumpy grump to Mr. Chuckles who dirty talks so openly was a little too fast. It didn't feel true to his character (the fact that he dirty talks like Rhett tripped me up a bit too). He is a sweetheart underneath the bark so the softening didn't surprise me a bit but how suddenly laid back he was about everything considering the situation didn't ring true to this character. Your kid nearly drowns in a pool by a demon brat and you are more concerned about defending the heroine to the bitchy parent? (he's an amazing protective father btw, just felt his first priority in this scene was weird) Finding out your awful ex-wife did indeed trap you into marriage by lying about birth control and you just laugh it off? Seriously? I was raging right along with Willa on that one. Moments like these felt weirdly OOC for Cade. This is by no means a character drag, Cade made a fantastic hero but it felt like missed opportunities by the author. The angst/tension kind of fell away for reasons that didn't feel right after they finally give into their attraction. Which is sometimes a pitfall for a story with a trope like this.
I don't need angst all the time or in all my reads, this is a wonderful small town romance with the right amount of depth, emotions and sweetness but given the hero's personality and history I was expecting more push/pull in the second half is all. That and I wasn't a *huge* fan of the surprise reveal near the end. (view spoiler)[ I normally don't mind surprise pregnancies at all and I didn't hate it here but considering their oopsy pregnancy happened the same way it did with Cade's ex-wife wasn't so great for me. It put a damper on things. It just felt unnecessary. And the lack of emotional reaction didn't really help either. (hide spoiler)] But this was still a great read with some cute heartwarming emotional moments and low angst. Cade's little boy Luke was the star of this book for me. I love that kid so so much. ❤️ Such a sweet cutie pie and I absolutely melted and cackled over his scenes with Willa. I guess the greatest part about the Nanny trope is seeing the connection made between the child and nanny first and to see that bond grow and become something more. Luke and Willa's relationship was the greatest highlight for me. This little family sure are adorable and everything feel good you could want. This read was so sweet that it hurt. I would absolutely recommend this fantastic book and this series to readers. I can confirm it's worth all the hype and praise. ...more
“I wasn’t prepared to need you this much. I don’t know who I am anymore if you aren’t with me.”
This was really fun. Gabriel Scott is book
“I wasn’t prepared to need you this much. I don’t know who I am anymore if you aren’t with me.”
This was really fun. Gabriel Scott is book boyfriend material to a T. He made for a really scrumptious hero. These two were the definition of grumpy x sunshine and I enjoyed their bantering so much. I liked that the emotionally closed off hero has a soft vulnerable heart underneath that scowling starchy demeanor and seeing him soak up all that love and attention "chatty girl" American Sophie Darling gives him was a sight to see. The British slang and humor was also great. My only hang up over this was I just didn't love the heroine's history and how it circled back in the end for the 3rd act conflict. I'm usually all for grey characters or characters with messy histories who need redemption but here I didn't love how it was revealed nor how it was handled.
Sophie Darling is hired for the famous rock band Kill John as their social media manager and photographer who will go on tour with them in Europe. The hero Gabriel Scott is the band's manager and these two meet when she's stuck sitting next to him on the plane in first class on her way to her interview for the position. Her backstory when it's revealed gave me whiplash and felt like a bucket of ice water in what was otherwise a very enjoyable story, like I'm talking 5 star potential. (view spoiler)[ Sophie was a photojournalist who used to work as a paparazzi with her sleazy ex-boyfriend Martin. Turns out she was the same paparazzi who got caught a year ago taking pictures of one of Kill John's band members Jax when he was passed out from an overdose in his hotel room. She was planning to sell the pictures to "impress" her boyfriend, Martin. I didn't love this and especially didn't love that Jax--the person she took advantage of-- apologized to her for inviting her to his hotel room that infamous night when he was planning to commit suicide because and I quote directly "she was nice" and he felt bad for her and wanted to "help her out" in her photojournalist career by letting her get the money shot. Yes the victim is apologizing to the person who exploited him because it put HER in a difficult position. (hide spoiler)]...more
“I’ll nae tolerate yer pain, mo chridhe. Ye must glow for me. My heart. My light. ’Tis all I have to keep me sane.”
Good lord this w[image]
“I’ll nae tolerate yer pain, mo chridhe. Ye must glow for me. My heart. My light. ’Tis all I have to keep me sane.”
Good lord this was magic. Elisa Braden's writing is witchcraft, I just know it. I don't know how else to explain it. The stories she comes up with, the characters, her prose, the tropes she uses and how she deploys them. It's just magic that weaves around you and pulls you in and you can't stop reading until it's over. Then you wanna do it all over again. There are very few authors that I've discovered over the years that can pull off this elusive skill, I can count them on my hand. Elisa Braden is one of them. If you haven't read anything by this author, I urge you to try her. It's an adventure. The way she weaves a story and you wonder how two people who are like night and day could possibly come together and she does it effortlessly. How we go from weary dislike to "I'd burn the whole world down for you" is just so satisfying to see. It's like wrapping yourself up in a warm blanket. Everything in the story serves a purpose down to every detail.
The man was deliberately obsessing her; she was certain of it. He even claimed not to mind her singing. Could there be a clearer sign of sinister intentions? She thought not.
Broderick MacPherson's journey from a broken tortured man wrongly imprisoned to besotted husband dazzled by his new English bride was an adventure of it's own. He's book husband material if I ever saw one. I adored him so so much. There's just something about a mountain of a man crumbling over the woman he loves that does things for me. (view spoiler)[ Seeing a hero lose his shit over nearly losing the heroine is my love language. Please and thank you. I mean singing to her to get her to wake up in a moment of distress? Help! TAKE MY WHOLE DAMN HEART WHY DON'T YOU? JUST TAKE IT. (hide spoiler)]...more
"You wouldn't bloom with me, Rakhee. You would die on the vine."
If this was longer and paced out better this could have been an 3.75 stars
"You wouldn't bloom with me, Rakhee. You would die on the vine."
If this was longer and paced out better this could have been an outstanding 5 star read for me. Ugh so many bits and pieces I loved here and why I'm bumping the rating up. This read like a Bollywood movie. The settings, the vibrancy, the culture, Hindu and Urdu dialect, the cheeky witty humor, the backstage politics in the Bollywood film industry, the discrimination as far as skin color (skin bleaching), class, religion, and sexuality, etc. She packs it all in there. However this read like a novella that just zooms and flits through things that needed to be paced out better. This story covers 8 months but it felt like 2 weeks at most. The insta-lust-love between our hero and heroine just swoops in out of nowhere so quickly that it gives you whiplash and kinda made no sense given the context of the story and heavy themes.
"I can go my whole life only knowing your eyes."
Rakhee aka "Rocky" Varma is a transplanted American-Indian actress from Chicago who has moved to Mumbai to pursue her Bollywood career as an actress. She's off to a rough start as she's a biracial American Indian who doesn't speak Hindu and very outspoken and her peers don't love that. In order to avoid the bad press she's getting she ends up staying at her costar's crumbling haveli house in Delhi with his family where his recluse older brother Taj lives. Taj Ali Khan was a once famous Bollywood action movie star but a terrible accident on a film set left him disfigured with burns on half his body and face and a missing eye. He's bitter, angry and given up hope and has a viper tongue and hides in his library and rose garden. To say these two butt heads is an understatement. But the sparks where there from the very start. Rocky is only 21 years old where Taj is 35 so their view of the world and experiences is vastly different. I loved Taj and Rocky, I just wish we got more of them. Which is why I say the insta-lust-love didn't really fit right here given the circumstances and a hero who has been a recluse for over 10 years and barely walks. I wanted more time seeing them slowly gravitate towards each other. Honestly the romance overall also felt secondary and fleeting to the drama surrounding the hero's younger brother Ashraf (Rocky's costar). (view spoiler)[Ashraf is being blackmailed by his former mentor and "godmother" Nina. And we see hints to his trauma of grooming and sexual abuse/rape by Nina who got Ashraf started in the film industry and trying to sink her claws into him again. It's clearly been going on for years and Ashraf is struggling with it. He's hiding the trauma from his family and it's painful to see. This book should come with trigger warnings as there was a suicide attempt in this. (hide spoiler)] So it's a lot for one small book and why I say I wish this was a full length book and longer than 200 pages. While this could have helped with an editor, I saw Suleikha Snyder's talent in writing witty snappy dialogue and layered characters. I also wish we got to see more of Ashraf and Kamal's feelings and budding romance play out more. I can't even call it a romance more like awakening of feelings? Which also seemed to come out of nowhere where these 2 have known each for so long and Ashraf realizing he might be gay/bisexual seems to happen overnight. But I loved them and wanted more there too. This book had a lot of great things going for it and I do recommend it. It sucks that this isn't available on kindle, I had to read this through the Libby app which sucked cause I couldn't translate any of the Hindu dialogue (something I wish Snyder was more clear on) that's sprinkled liberally throughout the dialogue. I wanted to know what your characters are saying!...more
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