Book Review: The Christmas Pact by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

It seems like everyone loved this. And I’m all alone on my island of not being able to stand this story. I can see why people like it-light, fluffy, Christmas novella. However, there were so many little things that added up into extreme frustration for me.

I’m going to try really hard to make sure this isn’t just a petty rant.

For the most part, the characters are fine. They are underdeveloped, but that is common for novellas. Kennedy’s behavior got on my nerves. Reading someone’s emails (and commenting on them) is beyond inappropriate. And his mood is pretty inconsistent. Maybe this comes from the shortness of the story.

As a Rochesterian and upstate New Yorker, there were so many errors. Just look at a map. Please. Albany isn’t upstate-only a New York (CIty) er would write that. This is very petty, but it is something those of us in New York has to deal with constantly.

The romance (like the characters) feels underdeveloped. I don’t really see how they fell in love and why. The concept was interesting, but poorly executed. I just can’t help but think Julie James would’ve done this concept justice.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Christmas Book Haul (2019)

These are the books I got for Christmas. They’re actually all form my mom. I did also get gift cards (Barnes & Noble and Amazon) and a Kindle Paperwhite from my dad. Hopefully the new Kindle will allow me to read ebooks at night-I don’t right now, because I try to avoid blue lights at night.

Some of these books are gorgeous, so now I want to get matching covers. Good think I got gift cards!

And I’ve already read 4 of these books, so my TBR isn’t getting as big as it could’ve.

Here are the books I was gifted:

Book Review: The One For You by Roni Loren

This series wrecked me-in the best possible way. And The One For You was a great conclusion. That epilogue was basically perfection.

Kincaid has been the most light-hearted character and this was probably the most light book. It’s not lacking in emotion, but I only cried like one and a half times. So, comparatively it was lighter. Kincaid was great. She’s a little flighty, but in a perfectly fun and likable way. She is a typical extrovert and while that exhausts me, you can feel how she gets her energy from others.

Ash was a nice guy. He was an introverted writer, but not socially awkward. I appreciated that. He’s also a caring guy. The story line with his parents was heartbreaking.

The romance had some unrequited love elements which isn’t my favorite trope, but it was handled well. To me, this was more of a friends-to-lovers and second chance romance which I do like. There were some elements from the past that gave me pause, but Ms. Loren handled them so well. I never should’ve doubted her.

Just like the rest of the books, this is spectacular because of the strong friendships between these four ladies. It is no secret that I love great friend groups and found family. This is exactly an example of why.

Even thought these stories are an emotional roller coaster, I want to go back to the beginning and read them all again.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Forever And a Duke by Olivia Drake

Forever and a Duke was a perfectly average book. Nothing jumps out as good or bad. It’s fairly forgettable.

The characters are nice and likable. They were developed, but I didn’t develop an emotional connection to either of them. Natalie’s self-righteousness about being an American became a little annoying. And I say that as a very proud American. I understand she has some (valid) bitterness, but she needed to be less judgmental. Clayton was a really nice guy. He is a little stoic, but its easy to see how much he cares about those around him. He also cares about his title and attached responsibilities, but doesn’t get super uppity.

The romance was well done. It was paced well. I particularly liked reading their interactions and how it built a nice foundation for their romance. Just like with the characters, I didn’t 100% connect with their story I don’t know why-sometimes you just don’t click with a particular story.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: At All Cost by Katerina Winters

I went back and forth between giving this three or four stars. There were parts I really enjoyed, but others really bothered me. So, I ultimately landed on 3 stars.

This is more of a novella which I don’t think is always the best length for a romance. They typically lead to rushed romance. Alessia and Jax actually have a pretty well-paced romance. They become friends, get to know each other, and then develop a romantic relationship. I wish there were more conversations after they started having sex, but it wasn’t a big deal. At least they talked before.

Jax was interesting, but not as developed as Alessia. And she wasn’t as developed as she could have been. She was also pretty impulsive which started to bother me. Jax would try to protect her from things in the wilderness and she wouldn’t listen and act like a petulant child. You can be an independent woman/person without being stupid.

There were some continuity issues. Normally, I can overlook these things, but it happened several times and it started to take me out of the story.

Now, I need to discuss something that happened at the end. It is the main reason I had to give it three stars.

So, there be spoilers ahead.

You’ve been warned.

Alessia is assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend. That is awful. No one should ever go through that. He should be punished. But Jax brutally murders him. It’s literally premeditated murder. If Gary had attacked Alessia and in self-defense Jax killed him I would be okay with it. Instead I finished this book with a bad tastee in my mouth. Jax wasn’t a protective alpha male-he came across as a psychopath.

I would be willing to read another Katerina Winters book-especially if it was longer.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: The Pact by Elle Kennedy

Grace and Logan are my first (and favorite) Briar couple. Actually, I think their book was my first Elle Kennedy book. So, i was super excited to spend time with them again.

I love reading about couples’ struggling in their relationship. That may seem kind of crazy/cruel, but it’s very real and honest. Relationships are hard and require work. Logan is a professional hockey player while Grace is still in school.

That shit is hard.

They get stuck in a snowstorm. That isn’t always my favorite plot device, but I like it in a novella. Ms. Kennedy blended serious relationship stuff with humor. Really it was just a fun and cute holiday novella. Did I mention I love Grace and Logan.

Now, I need to re-read the whole Briar U series. I bought most of them on Audible during a sale they were having recently.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

I don’t think I’ve read this since college and I remembered so little. I’ve wanted to do a re-read for awhile so I picked this up on audio. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the narrator-especially her voice for Bones. But I will continue with my re-read.

This was still an enjoyable read. I really like Cat and Bones as a couple. Bones really pushes Cat and challenges her which I like. There may be some insta-love, but considering the length of the series and development I’m fine with it.

I completely forgot about Cat’s mom. That’s such an interesting relationship. Their interactions toward the end kind of broke my heart.

I’m excited about this re-read. So many fun characters to come!

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

I was nervous going into this because it has had mixed reactions/reviews. But I ended up really enjoying it. I liked the characters, world, plot, and pacing.

Lou was probably my least favorite character, but I don’t hate her or anything. She was very brash, but almost to the extreme. She definitely thought she was witty. But it’s really easy to be cruel and sometimes she thought she was really harsh to Reid. He tried to be understanding and I didn’t like her behavior with him. But I am open to character development.

Reid was more interesting to me. He was a huge internal struggle to deal with and that is fascinating. I am very interested to see where his story goes. Coco is another character I really enjoyed. She is pretty mysterious. I would love for her to become a POV character-just saying.

Then, there’s Ansel. Sweet precious Ansel. I just loved him. I want to protect him. I am very excited, but nervous to see where he goes in the future.

I like the witchcraft elements. There are different types of magic and how the power is obtained. That’s a magic system I enjoy reading about. It could’ve been better explored/explained but, again, it’s a series so I’m not going to be hyper-critical of that.

The plot was compelling and kept me engaged. The larger political/social conflict is interesting, but not as good as the internal and interpersonal conflicts. Like I said, Reid’s internal struggle is particularly well done. I’m more interested to see where those plots go.

How many books will be in this series? I really hoping for a duology, because I’m over big drawn out series.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

This is a really hard book to rate and review. I don’t even know how to classify this book when it comes to genre. It was also incredibly emotional. That made it hard for me to read. I kept having to put it down, because I couldn’t handle these emotions. I did consider giving it five stars because it elicited such strong emotions, but my gut said 4 stars and I stick with my gut rating.

Ms. Hoover covers difficult topics: grief, adultery, parenting, etc. Reading about Clara and Morgan’s relationship was fascinating. It felt so raw and real. I cannot imagine what it would feel like to read this as a parent. Clara occasionally got on my nerves. She’s dramatic, selfish, and impulsive. But sh’es also a 16-year-old who is dealing with extreme grief. So, while she was annoying it was completely understandable.

This was very well written. It feels like a Colleen Hoover book, but also didn’t have some of the things I’m used to reading from her. It’s also nice to see her branching out beyond romance. I love romance, but authors should write what they want. All that being said, I don’t think I will ever read this again. It was just too intense for me. I do still recommend it, especially if you’ve enjoyed other Colleen Hoover books.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Moonlighter by Sarina Bowen

This wasn’t what I expected, but that happens when you don’t read the synopsis. I trust Sarina Bowen and buy her books blindly.

I liked reading more about this world Ms. Bowen is creating. Most of her books take place in the same universe. Of course I love seeing characters from other books like Nate and Becca. Side note: I really want to re-read Brooklynaire. And I liked getting to meet Eric’s family. Another book in this series better be about Max and Scout. Also, Duff. Is he not the most adorable man?

This had some romantic suspense elements, but wasn’t super suspenseful. I would call it the right level of suspense, for me. Eric can be funny at times (plus, my boy Duff) so that adds levity. Sometimes I don’t like romantic suspense, because people just bang in the middle of crazy situations where they should be aware of their surroundings. It just drives me crazy. This didn’t have that.

Alex was an awesome heroine. She’s a bad-ass CEO. And she knows she can do her job. But she also has perfectly natural insecurities.

The romance progressed really well. There is an immediate sexual chemistry, but not insta-love. I’ve been re-reading Sarina Bowen books lately and she is good at writing that balance. And I loved that they were friends when they were awkward little kids. It’s so adorable. Eric’s journey to falling in love with Alex was well done. I loved reading it.

There is a pregnancy element to this story. That is not my favorite trope/plot element to read. I don’t really have any complaints about the execution-it’s just personal preference.

I’m always happy to spend more time in a Sarina Bowen book. I am looking forward to reading more of The Company. Hopefully soon.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

November Wrap-Up (2019)

My wrap-ups seem to be a little repetitive lately. I’ve been pretty busy so my reading-especially with my eyeballs-has been sacrificed. Again, I’m so grateful for audio books which have given me the ability to still get some reading in.

And I’m pretty happy with the books I’ve read. I was able to reread (via Audible Escape) one of my favorite Sarina Bowen books: The Fifteenth Minute. I also one of my favorite books of the year: Well Met.

I’m sure December won’t have as much reading because I have a vacation in the first week. I don’t think any reading will get done during that.

Here are the books I read, organized by rating:

Book Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

This was good and I was fairly engaged. But it wasn’t as good as I was expecting from all the hype. Especially when it comes to Thomas Creswell. People talk about him being the best book boyfriend. He was fine, but nothing that blew my mind.

I figured there would be some kind of mystery/thriller elements. that isn’t always my favorite, because I’m easily spooked. This was probably the “scariest” and most graphic I could read. Again, I’m easily scared and grossed out. I won’t say who Jack the Ripper was (in this story), but it was incredibly predictable. This was made worse by the blurb on the back of the book-completely gave it away. At least that’s how I felt.

Like I said, people talk about Thomas Cresswell being the best book boyfriend ever. I sort of like the intellectual push and pull between Audrey Rose and Thomas. It’s a dynamic I like reading, but it felt a little forced here. I am open to continuing with this series and maybe it’ll get better.

Audrey Rose is an interesting character. She definitely goes against the norm. And she really cares about her family which is endearing. Sometimes she made some foolish/impulsive decisions. But she’s a teenager so I’ll try to overlook it.

I really liked when her aunt and cousins showed up. I think they were interesting and I hope they show up again in future books.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Well Met by Jen DeLuca

This book hit all my buttons. It gave me the same feelings as The Hating Game. But this one also gave me that extra little bit to make it a five stars. What was that extra? I don’t know!

This was in first person which isn’t my favorite POV-especially for romance. But Emily was a great narrator. She felt so real-the right about of flaws and likability. She also was pretty funny.

The romance progressed at a great pace. It’s enemies-to-lovers, but not too dramatic. They have bickering/bantering with underlying sexual tension. Those are just some of my favorite interactions to read in a romance. And I liked that Ms. DeLuca showed them being a couple and dealing with their hang ups. It felt realistic and gave me the emotions I wanted.

I also loved Emily’s growing relationship with her sister and niece. She and her sister were never close because of a pretty big age difference, but they come together. They all had great interactions and I would love for April to get her own story. she really deserves some love.

The whole Renaissance Faire and town were great. I am such a sucker for a small town romance. the Faire added an extra layer. I would love to see t his as a movie. It has such 1990s/early 2000s romantic comedy feels. This is one of my favorite books of the year and I’m so happy there will be another book-I believe it will be about Stacey.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Storm & Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This was so close to five stars. But I have a weird thing about giving first books in series 5 stars. This is made more impressive by that fact that I couldn’t stand Zayne during the Dark Elements books. But he has started to redeem himself.

Trinity is the main reason I loved this book. She is a bad-ass, but also smart and incredibly caring. And I loved reading about her struggle with RP. The explanation of her disease and what her day-to-day life was like with it. But that’s really not a surprise since Ms. Armentrout has RP. And she is so interesting. Her story is really compelling (I’m trying to avoid spoilers) and I’m excited to see where it goes from here.

It was interesting to learn more about Warden society. Trinity has a different perspective than Layla and I’m loving it. More about the world at large was also revealed. Things are going on that I didn’t know where possible. Like Peanut-I’m really interested in him. JLA writes great side characters.

The pacing for the romance is so good-it’s not too fast. I love a good romance, but Zayne went through some real tough shit prior to this story. If he just fell in love with Trinity I wouldn’t like or buy that. I prefer good chemistry and seeing them evolve. It’ll be fun to see where it goes and how it progresses.

Some parts of the plot were predictable, but overall I can’t complain. I was on the edge of my seat and felt nervous for everyone pretty often. And I loved the inclusion of the DC clan and Layla and Roth. The scene with Bambi almost had me balling my eyes out.

I’m mad I waited so long to read this, but at least I don’t have to wait quite as long for the next book.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

November Book Haul (2019)

Welcome to another book haul. I’m trying to cut back on the spending, so I feel like I bought a lot less this month than I have been. I did get three subscription boxes this month because I started Fairy Loot and the Call Down the Hawk Owlcrate box. Below are the books I bought.

Book Review: Haunted by Your Touch by Jeaniene Frost, Shayla Black, and Sharie Kohler

Overall, this was a disappointing read. Jeaniene Frost was the only author I had read before and she had the only story I even moderately enjoyed. It’s also the only stand alone. Going in, I was hopeful I’d find a new author to check out and that definitely did not happen.

I did write a short little review for each of the stories. Those thoughts are below:

Night’s Darkest Embrace: This was an OK story. It’s separate from the Night Huntress books so it is nice to read something else by Ms. Frost. However, there wasn’t a ton of depth to the characters and there was a big reveal that I thought was awfully predictable.

Mated: Well that was a story. This is obviously part of a larger series. Reading that would probably help with the confusion I felt. The dialogue felt very stilted and unnatural. this actually is a fairly common problem I see in paranormal romance. I would love to say I found a new author/series I want to read but…nope. I’ll pass.

Darkest Temptation: I’m so close to giving this one star. I am only not doing it because this is part of a series. So, maybe it makes more sense within that context. I have absolutely no desire to read any of those books. The world building was lacking and the romance was so fast, unbelievable, and ridiculous.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

I almost gave this five stars just to encourage more stand alone fantasies. But that wouldn’t be fair.

Elisabeth’s story was interesting and enjoyable to read. It was well-paced-and not paced the way I expected at all. Certain tense and climactic moments would’ve been more drawn out by other authors to turn this into a series. I’m not opposed to that, but I prefer Ms. Rogerson’s choice.

Elisabeth is a likable protagonist. She wasn’t some crazy bad-ass-although she did have her moments of badassery. Some people may see her as plain, but I don’t feel that way.

I enjoyed the world and magical elements. I particularly liked that the magic used by sorcerers had a cost and limitations. That’s an important part of a good magic system, in my opinion. I don’t fully understand the magic around the books/grimories. I don’t know if that was lack of world-building and explanation or if I was oblivious and looked over it.

This was a fun read and I had a good time with these characters. I definitely want to read another book by Margaret Rogerson. I already bought her debut novel.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: The Princess Plan by Julia London

Overall, this was a disappointing read. Historically, I’ve enjoyed Julia London. She’s written one of my all-time favorite romances. But I would’ve DNF’d this if it wasn’t a review copy. Around 70% in, it got better-like 3 star territory, but I can’t change my rating just for that.

My main issue was that it felt very disjointed. Especially when Eliza, Hollis, and Caro talked I would get confused. And I didn’t particularly care about any of the characters. The romance was also lacking. It was like nothing…nothing…and then BAM! It also was a little unrealistic in the resolution.

I actually liked Eliza’s dad. He was interesting and adorable with his kitting projects. But I’m not particularly invested in the other characters. There was some clunky sequel bait and i don’t know if I want to read their stories. I’ll wait and see what others say about them when they release.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Enshrine by Chelle Bliss

I wasn’t going to write a review, but read some reviews on Audible that felt a tad aggressive. Mainly people were saying Callie, the main character, was a selfish narcissist. Now, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but that is a bit extreme. I never felt like Callie was being selfish and was nowhere near being a narcissist. Sometimes she could be sharp or negative, but the woman has cancer: she is allowed to be a little moody.

My mother is about 6 months cancer free and I am her primary caregiver, so maybe I just have a different perspective.

I definitely didn’t think this was a perfect book. There were some aspects that didn’t feel as developed as they could have been.

There were also some things that didn’t feel as accurate when it came to the cancer and medical aspects. I am no expert, but I’ve interacted with a lot of medical professionals throughout my mom’s treatment. She had a different cancer, but Callie did/said different things than what I was told.

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of romances surrounding major life changes. I just think-in real life-that can lead to bad decision making.

I need to briefly address the audio performance. This is mainly performed by a female narrator. Unfortunately, this is a narrator I’ve heard before and I don’t like her performance. She isn’t awful, but doesn’t work for me. She does this breathy thing with her voice I don’t like. And it was the same type of voice and performance as the other books I’ve listened too. Maybe I’m being harsh-I’d give her performance a 3. But, again, this is a personal preference thing.

OK. I’m going to stop-this has gone on much longer than I thought.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Does this anthology add a lot to the series?

No.

Do I care?

No.

There were some additional little things which contribute to the series. And they made me want to re-read the series. Especially because these opened my eyes a little bit to some characters I wasn’t a huge fan of originally.

I took some notes about the individual stories as I made my way through them. You can check them out below.

And I think I wanted to get a physical copy to flush out my Lunar Chronicles collection.

The Keeper: 4 Stars I didn’t know I needed this story, but I did. It was great to see how Cinder became a cyborg. And my heart was breaking for Scarlet’s grandma. It was such a short story, but it really hit me in the feels. Especially when she was trying to parent Scarlet. Man, I was crying.

Glitches: 4 Stars My heart. Peony is amazing. I love her so much. And Iko. I will always read about her. She’s my favorite character in the series. It’s great to see a young Cinder.

The Queen’s Army: 4 Stars Wolf was never my favorite character, but this really helped me connect with him. What he went through was so awful. This made me want to re-read Scarlet with this new perspective.

Carswell’s Guide to Being Lucky: 3 Stars Carswell is interesting, but I don’t love him as much as other readers do. I’m not sure how I feel about a charming and manipulative 13-year-old. The little scene with Boots broke my heart, but I have a cat so that could be personal. I did like seeing his relationship with his parents. Maybe I would’ve appreciated this more if it was closer to my original reading for Cress.

After Sunshine Passes By: 4 Stars A nice story about Cress and how she came to be on her satellite. This definitely hurt my heart. (A trend with these stories). I really care about Cress. All of these stories are making me want to re-read the whole Lunar Chronicles.

The Princess & the Guard: 4 StarsI don’t have much to say. I remember Winter being one of my least favorite characters in the series. Just like Wolf’s story, this made me understand her more. I kind of wish I had read this before reading Winter. It was really nice to get a peek at Lunar manipulation.

The Little Android: 5 Stars Well that just about broke my heart. I wasn’t planning on being so emotionally invested in a shorter story. Mech 6.0/Star goes on quite the journey. And I loved the look at what makes people human. It reminded me of BSG. Oh, and the quick glimpse of Cinder was also great.

The Mechanic: 4 Stars I really enjoyed this. It doesn’t really add anything to the larger story/world, but I’m OK with that. Kai is a great character so I like seeing more of him. And it was nice to see his first meeting with Cinder from his POV. And Iko. I always need more Iko in my life.

Something Old, Something New: 5 Stars This story was complete fan service. And I am LIVING FOR IT!!!. It was precious and a cute little cherry on top of this series. Also, no surprise, but Iko steals the show. I am always here for Iko.

Thanks for reading!
Holly