Wolf caped girls and women, ax carrying woodsmen, and trees that seem to have feelings, can’t wait!
🐺🏹
I used spicy Ranch
Monday, May 31, 2021
Reading Update: 15%
Saturday, May 29, 2021
Review: Hang the Moon
Hang the Moon by Alexandria BellefleurMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
3.7 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.
His teeth sank into his bottom lip, a smile flirting at the edges of his mouth. On anyone else, that smile would’ve been dangerous. The sort of smile that got Annie to do ill-advised acts after a first date. But this wasn’t a date and this was Brendon, her best friend’s baby brother. He was harmless.
Brendon Lowell's childhood dream was to be Hugh Grant, he loves rom-coms and he loves matching people with their One True Pairing. So much so, he developed a dating app, OTP, to help people find their perfect person. While his app is helping, the new data shows that people are feeling disillusioned with apps and online dating, not believing in romance is possible anymore, hurting his bottom line and his heart.
Annie Kyriakos is one of those disillusioned people and just so happens to be Brendon's childhood crush. Annie has been friends with Brendon's sister Darcy since they were kids and she decides to make a surprise visit to Darcy in Seattle before she breaks the news that she accepted a promotion and job in London. Annie hasn't seen Brendon in eight years and is surprised and a little flustered at how well he grew-up.
Brendon and Annie are a little bit of opposites attract, a little bit of second-chance, a little bit friends-to-lovers, and a whole lot of romantic heat.
“And I’m going to change your mind. Romance isn’t dead, and I’m going to prove it.”
Laughter burst from between her lips. “You can try.”
His mouth twitched. “Do or do not, Annie.”
Alexandria Bellefleur's Written in the Stars, was my favorite contemporary last year and I was highly anticipating this one. We met Darcy's brother Brendon in the first of the series and had brief mentions of her bestfriend Annie, here they end up spending time together as Annie's surprise visit is badly timed as Darcy is on vacation and Brendon steps-up to show Annie around Seattle until Darcy is back. As with the first, Bellefleur highlights Seattle and gives us a setting that we can feel and appreciate, adding to the ambiance of the story. She also gives our leads friends and lets us sit in that friendship. Here, she also gives a look at how friendships evolve over time and how that can be a good thing and something makes us mourn for what was. I admired how it was shown that Darcy getting caught up in her new romantic relationship made Annie feel a little sad for losing a part of her friendship with Darcy and how it was changing. This gave depth to Annie and added even more emotion to the story, creating a more filled out world. Brendon's friendship with Margot (friend of Darcy's significant other, Elle) also was an enjoyable additive.
A fun day with a funny, attractive guy. It didn’t change the fact that she wasn’t looking for love. Not with anyone; certainly not with her best friend’s baby brother who didn’t know her.
Friday, May 28, 2021
Reading Update: 10%
Top five most anticipated book of 2021 and Mac and cheese
❤️💃🏻❤️
Uses Almond milk!
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Review: The Marriage Game
The Marriage Game by Sara DesaiMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
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.
Layla Patel is going home to San Francisco after walking in on her social media reality star boyfriend in bed with two women and her throwing his stuff out of their apartment is recorded and goes viral. Home to her family's Spice Mill Restaurant where her mother's tough love and father's hugs will help her get her life back on track. She's planning on using the office above her parent's restaurant to start her own business but when her father has a heart-attack and the previous tenant her dad had rented to doesn't get the news that Layla will now be using the office, she's forced to share with a man that annoys and attracts her.
Sam Mehta is all work and taking care of his sister after an incident leaves his sister Nisha in a wheelchair and him blaming himself. He knows legally the office is his but there's something about Layla that brings out his protective side and other emotions.
It's an opposites attract and a marriage game.
Relationships were for men who could protect the people they loved. Not one so focused on his career that he hadn’t seen the danger until it was too late.
The Marriage Game was a story that started off rom-com, light, and funny but unfortunately, never provided the depth I was looking for. Layla has a big loving family and while there were a lot of characters thrown at me in the beginning, I thought the author did a good job introducing them and giving them enough of an initial spark that I could separate them from each other. The problem I started to have though, was that towards the middle and end, the more important secondary characters were never given any depth. Layla has a loving relationship with her father but after their first scene, he disappears for the vast majority of the book. He comes back in towards the end and the scenes he was in made me wish we had seen him even more because of the emotion he brought. I felt the same way about Sam's sister Nisha, she's the catalyst for Sam's personality and we hardly get any scenes with her and Sam, it was such a wasted opportunity to provide the story with depth and emotion.
Layla laughed, a real belly laugh that ended in a snort. It was the best sound in the world. Why did it have to come from the woman who irritated him the most?
Monday, May 24, 2021
Reading Update: Page 1
❤️🌮
Have a great week, everyone!
Loved this, yum!
Sunday, May 23, 2021
Review: How to Survive a Scandal
How to Survive a Scandal by Samara ParishMy rating: 2 of 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.
The stranger leaned against the shack walls, and a blond lock of hair fell over his forehead. Deep blue eyes, the color of a twilight sky, stared into hers. He was not the sort of man she was acquainted with. He wasn't pretty or refined; he was granite and rock.
How to Survive a Scandal starts us off with a scandal, Lady Amelia Crofton is found in dishabille, alone in a cabin with Mr. Benedict Asterly by her father, fiance, and Lord Karstark. Benedict had found Amelia unconscious in a broken wheeled carriage on the road during a snow storm, so he brought her to a cabin and was working to warm her up. Lord Karstark is a gossipy old thing and Amelia's fiance since the age of five, the Duke of Wildeforde, hates scandal and now wants nothing to do with Amelia or the scandal. Benedict is a footman's son (he's also the grandson of the Marquess of Harrington but Amelia doesn't know that right away) but to save Amelia's reputation he offers for her and we have our forced marriage of convenience.
Perhaps she wasn't so frigid and dispassionate. Perhaps it was a mask to hide her fragility. He'd been there. He understood.
I enjoyed how this started right away with the scandal and throwing our two leads together right away; the reader learns the characters as they learn each other. Amelia had the traits and personality of what one might think of an aristocratic woman of the time, she's snobby and worried about society. I didn't mind this at first, as I love to go on growth journeys with characters but, except for the very very end, Amelia doesn't lose her need for society's validation. Benedict does more of the changing and he grows to accept his aristocratic side and see how some benefits can come from it. He is an engineer and a partner in a firm that builds steam engines and we get some story of how he's working to close a deal with Americans to build engines and how that will supply the town with jobs. This is during the time of the Peterloo Massacre and while I liked how the author showed the class clashing and upheaval that was starting to manifest, I thought Benedict did more changing than Amelia and that took away some feelings of coming together cohesiveness in their relationship.
He wasn't the fine and graceful gentleman his mother had wanted, or that Amelia was used to, but that was fine. She liked him just the way he was.
And that unexpected acceptance had begun to heal wounds he hadn't cared to admit he had.
Since the marriage of convenience starts early, I was looking for some slow burn tension and while they had some moments, I can't say I really felt the emotion between the two. Their personalities never fully gelled for me and even though there is an orgasm scene for Amelia, this is a bedroom door shut romance. I usually like at least a peak in and without their personalities giving me an emotional connection, Amelia and Benedict never really came together for me.
The end wraps-up with a surprise inheritance that was a little disappointing to me, it took away more opportunity for Amelia to show some growth and the story-thread about the Americans and steam engines being hastily dealt with to the side. There are some secondary characters that drew my interest (the foreman Oliver should definitely get his own story) and I'm sure everyone is going to want to know what is going on between the Duke of Wildeforde and Benedict's partner in the firm Fiona. This had some compelling elements but unfortunately, felt pretty bloodless to me.
Thursday, May 20, 2021
Reading Update: 30%
Feeling very decadent this Thursday with some shrimp and risotto and a side of scandalous caught in a compromising situation.
Hope everyone’s Thursday is as delicious as mine ❤️
Doubled paprika, a bit time consuming but so good
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Review: Cruel Beauty
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund HodgeMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
1.5 stars
I was raised to marry a monster.
This month's TBRChallenge theme was Fairytale/Folktale, no surprise, my pick was a beauty and the beast theme. I'm a sucker for this trope but this one also came along with some Bluebeard, Faust, and Greek and Roman mythology. Cruel Beauty is the story of Nyx, a teenage girl just turned seventeen that is being forced to marry the Gentle Lord. The world building relies heavily on Greek/Roman mythology, to the point that I would call this a sampler of all that mythology. It almost felt like this was 20% original story and the rest retold mythology; a lot of the time I felt like stopping this book and going to read the mentioned mythology story.
And my future husband—the Gentle Lord—was the prince of demons.
This is all told from Nyx's point-of-view and we learn that her mother couldn't bear children so her father made a Faustian bargain with the Gentle Lord, a deal that ended up killing the mother but she delivered twin daughters but one of the daughters must marry the Gentle Lord when she turns seventeen. Nyx is raised to be that daughter, with her father training her in the Hermetic arts created by the organization the Resurgandi, so that she can defeat the Gentle Lord, avenge her mother, and save their city. A city placed in the darkness under a false sky because 900 years ago a prince made a bargain with the Kindly Ones, demonish beings. Did I fully understand the Resurgandi and Hermetic arts with the plan to find all the hearts in the Gentle Lord's castle? No. No I did not. It was not fully developed enough or weaved into the fabric of the story well enough, which I blame on all the mythology constantly interjected and used as a substitute for original story.
If he is a prisoner, then he could be an ally.
Nyx arrives at the castle early in the story and that is where the Bluebeard theme creeps in with the castle ever changing, locked doors, and 8 previous wives. Nyx's husband is Ignifex, the Gentle Lord and there is a weakly formed love triangle with Nyx finding Ignifex sexy but finding his shadow, Shade, sweet. I found each relationship having the development of a true young adult vibe (Nyx and Ignifex have sex but you'll have to read the line twice to make sure you caught that is what they did, firmly shut door), but hey, this is young adult so I'll give some leeway to less maturity emotions and development, just wish it had been written better.
“She was exactly like you. She was brave enough to risk anything for what she wanted, and she knew a little too much of the truth.”
If you're familiar with any of the fairytales and folklore I mentioned, not to mention the clues that can be found in the all the mythology mentions, you'll have an idea what the secret or bargain involves that keeps Nyx's homeland in the dark and what needs to happen to break it. I still felt the ending was disappointing as it felt rushed together but I think that all lies in the fact that I had none and felt no emotional connection to Nyx or other characters and was not invested in the romance between Nyx and Ignifex. I just couldn't help feeling like all the mythology included broke the story up, instead of feeling like it was absorbed into it; not enough original content or character and emotional development for me.
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
#TBRChallenge: May Fairytale/Folklore
After two months of posting my challenge review late, I'm determined to get this one on time! This #TBRChallenge is set-up by @SuperWendy (blog). Besides the theme months, this is a pretty relaxing challenge. On the third day of every month participants are encouraged to use the hashtag TBRChallenge and discuss the book they plucked from obscurity. I decided to make a personal rule that a book had to be in my TBR for at least 5 years.
May's theme is Fairytale/Folklore. I'm kind of (absolutely completely) a sucker for the beauty and the beast theme, so I knew I'd at least have some books on my tbr that would fit for this month. Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge was the first book I came to that I already had my Kindle (woo-hoo for catching the $1.99 sale years ago). I put it on my tbr in 2014 and I still remember all the hype this had during that time. Plenty of people have talked about how it is a beauty and beast theme, so checkmark. I'm about 20% in already and it is loaded with Greek and Roman mythology also. The writing style feels a bit informal but I think it matches the young adult tag I've seen people give it. Looking at friend reviews I also see raving 5 stars to raving 1 stars, books that have such a divide are always interesting to read. The beginning has thrown a lot of information in the form of folklore for the world building, I'm hanging in there but I'm going to need it to even out soon.
Can't wait to see if there are other beauty and the beast fans out there like me and all the other fairytale/folklore picks for this month!
TBRChallenges:
Monday, May 17, 2021
Review: To Catch an Earl
To Catch an Earl by Kate BatemanMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
3.3 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.
She’d been afraid he’d take one look at her with those piercing blue eyes of his and see right through the demure wallflower she played in public, to the reckless criminal beneath.
Second in the Bow Street Bachelors series about three men that went to war together and now own a gambling club, To Catch an Earl, features Alexander Harland and Emmy Danvers. You could easily pick up this story without reading the first (The Earl is Mine), as this has a pretty narrow focus on Alex and Emmy. The hero from the first barely makes an appearance and in fact, I kept wishing for more scenes between the three friends as they are supposed to be the connecting thread within the series. Their gambling club doesn't get much screen time, which could be a blessing as the Regency sub-genre is over-saturated with that setting, but I missed a lodestone to feel like I was grounded in this series' world.
They were truly on opposite sides of the law now, the Runner and the thief.
This starts off with a prologue introducing us to our heroine Emmy and her crush on Alex. She knows he's about to go off and fight Napoleon so she decides to dance with him at a masquerade ball and they end up kissing and having that instant attraction/connection that has her (and her scent) lingering in Alex's mind even four years later when the story continues in chapter one. Our hero Alex's role as a Bow Street Runner has been given the mission to find the Nightjar, a thief that stole jewels and left a black feather. Nightjar hadn't been active for four years and then suddenly they commit another theft. Emmy's father was the Nightjar, as a displaced French aristocrat he wanted to steal all the stolen French crown jewels and give them back to the Bourbon monarchy when it is restored in France. He ends up dying, hence the four year inactivity, but then a man named Danton begins to blackmail Emmy's remaining family, her grandmother and brother Luc, claiming he will ruin the family's reputation by naming her father as the Nightjar unless they steal three jewels for him and give him the French royal jewels. Emmy's brother Luc lost his foot in the war, so it's up to Emmy to steal the jewels.
He couldn’t allow himself to feel anything for her. She was a criminal and he was sworn to uphold the law.
I was all in for this dynamic but the cat and mouse game I anticipated was instead muted in favor of a focus more on Emmy and Alex's sensual feel. For the most part, Alex knows Emmy is the Nightjar from just about the beginning of his investigation, she's “caught” at the midway point of the story. Emmy also is a very reluctant thief, she sometimes thinks about how she likes the adrenaline junkie emotions of stealing but she's pushed into it and doesn't want to be doing it. The villain Danton blackmailing them barely gets any screen time until the end, which makes any danger feelings that angle could have provoked nonexistent. Alex has some angst about being attracted to Emmy, he knows she's the mystery masked woman he kissed and she's the Nightjar, because a moment in the war had him hesitating to kill a woman and she ended up killing people because of his hesitation. Emmy's angst should obviously come from Alex is trying to arrest her but that's, for the most part, ignored and she even does things to get his attention.
“I want you again, Emmy Danvers. And I want to take my time.”
I can't say I ever really felt their roles as runner and thief but they did have some hot potato moments. As I mentioned earlier, I felt like the action plot was pushed to the side in favor of sensuality and this couple definitely had some of those moments. I did feel the crackle, tension, and heat between them but it was hard for that to support the whole story. I enjoyed Emmy's grandmother pushing her towards Alex, the secondary romance between brother Luc and Sally, and the brief glances at Alex's friendship with Sebastien. I thought Emmy's love of feelings and words from other languages that can't be translated to English could have been a fun quirk but it was interjected awkwardly (not to mention all the smelling/sniffing going on) and sometimes used as the only building friendship interaction between her and Alex. The ending also had some ungainly feel to it with Alex wanting to marry Emmy to give her protection and then the sudden “I love her” moment. This didn't quite deliver on what I was looking for but if you're looking for a couple that strings their sensuality throughout the story, Emmy and Alex will give that to you.
Saturday, May 15, 2021
Reading Update: Page 1
❤️🕵️♂️❤️
Always hard for me to pass up stories with these detectives. Looks like the heroine is a jewel thief, let the games begin!
Easy and tasty
Friday, May 14, 2021
Review: Once Upon a Puppy
Once Upon a Puppy by Lizzie ShaneMy rating: 2 of 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.
2.5 stars
The man had rubbed her the wrong way since the second they met.
Once Upon a Puppy returns readers to Pine Hollow, Vermont and all the characters I had grown fond of in the first in the series, The Twelve Dogs of Christmas. We met Connor Wyeth, the uptight lawyer who's fiancee left him 13 days before the wedding and Deenie Mitchell, princess party planner full of wanderlust in the previous book and their oil and water clashing had me anticipating their book. You could easily start with this book but one of the best things about this story is the Pine Hollow setting and the group of friends the author has created. The first half of the story almost has more of a focus on Connor and Deenie separately as we get to know them and catch up on the group of friends. Connor and Deenie have their moments together but they are more touch and go, as they are navigating through life and thinking about each other.
She was too different. That was what she'd been told her entire life. Until it had become a badge of honor. Stay different. Stay weird. Stay wild. It was who she was. And she wasn't giving it up for any man.
The second half brings us to the fake dating trope and the romance part picks up but this is a closed door romance with only some kissing on screen, the tone is very gentle and warm. I like fully developed characters and I thought the author spending more time on Connor and Deenie in the first half, gave us this, for the most part. Deenie and her issues with never feeling respected by her family and never fitting in was more front and center and gave me a better idea about who she was. Connor's backstory comes later in the story and I wish we could have gotten even more with his mother as they seemed to have such a strong relationship. The set-up with Connor being a workaholic and fearing being left because of his birth father leaving him and his then his fiancee and then Deenie being defensive about her lifestyle choices of traveling all the time and not holding a “steady” job, set these two to clash but under the labels of uptight and wild child, the author did show how they actually fit each other. I did end up believing in their ying and yang fitting personalities.
He didn't need fun. He needed stable. Reliable. Someone who would stick with him no matter what.
This series is tied together not only by the location of Pine Hollow but also doggies and Connor's dog Maximus added a reason for Deenie to be around, she trains Maximus, but also added some of that lovable element that only dogs can do; Maximus doesn't overwhelm with crazy antics but will have you thinking about getting a 140lb “lap” dog. The other secondary characters that consist of Connor's group of friends, filled out the story perfectly. They add dimensions but didn't overwhelm and there is some obvious laid out future romances on the horizon (Elinor and Levi have me thirsting for a second chance romance). I was wanting more of Deenie with her great-aunt Bitty, a woman who accepted and celebrated Deenie for who she was, that relationship should have been shown more because of the emotional impacts those moments could have produced.
He wasn't the one making her feel like she wasn't enough. He was the one telling her that she was.
I enjoy a little more spark and heat between my couples and that just wasn't this story. The pace is a little more slow moving as their friendship grows and then Deenie displays some defensive immaturity about feeling like she is the only one changing for Connor to create some late action angst. I still adored the circle of friends and the dogs but the sweetness fell into slow and dull a few times for me. However, if you're looking for a closed door romance that has a more gradual speed as it settles you into a circle of friends with added doggie bonuses, Pine Hollow is a series to look into.
View all my reviews
View all my reviews
Thursday, May 13, 2021
50%
Connor's frown deepened. "Is this from one of those romance books you read?"
"Yes. But that doesn't mean it isn't brilliant. And yes, in the books, we would fall in love with each other, but that isn't going to happen here. I would never want to be with you, and I know I'm the last person on earth you would date---that's what makes it so perfect. We don't have to worry about mixed messages or feelings or any of that. This is purely a business transaction. Just a couple of friends helping one another through a trick time."
Monday, May 10, 2021
Reading Update: Page 1
The first in this series was a top ten contemporary for me last year, can’t wait to dive into this world again!
These only take around 15mins to make and are addicting good!
Saturday, May 8, 2021
Quickie Review: Lumberjack
Lumberjack by Jenika SnowMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
1.5 stars
Jake now sat across from me, cleaning and sharpening the blade of his ax. Maybe doing that should have scared me, because it was intimidating watching him do it, but I wasn’t afraid of him.
I was wet for him.
Alright, who's the lumberjack perv who told me to add this to my tbr? Very short story with two epilogues that give the happily ever after.
Woman escapes to the woods after seeing semi-boyfriend cheating, gets lost in woods, and gets butt sniffed by lumberjack.
He groaned and palmed my ass right before he ran his nose up and down the crease of my bottom. “You smell so fucking good.”
See, I would never lie about butt-sniffing. The slimmest of characterization and story, basically butt talk (but(t) I don't think the p ever went in the b????) and sex scenes.
I'm happy these two crazy kids found each other but if you want hot, scorching sex scenes with characterization try Cara McKenna instead. But(t) if you want 80pgs of, albeit, visually described hot flannel dude who can wield an ax, then add this short story to your spank bank, I mean Kindle.
Thursday, May 6, 2021
Reading Update: 30%
“She’s got lots of energy,” Nate commented dryly, his hand cradled around his mug as he lifted an eyebrow at Maggie.
“That comes from being eighteen.”
“You make it sound like you’re in your dotage.”
She laughed. “Well, I’m a lot closer than I care to admit.”
Nate put down his empty cup and rested his elbows on his knees, linking his hands together. “Believe me, Maggie. You’re anything but too old.”
Maggie’s pulse leaped as his gaze locked with hers.
Review: How to Catch a Duke
How to Catch a Duke by Grace BurrowesMy rating: 3 of 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.
If you've been a reader of Burrowes' Rogues to Riches series, then you've been anticipating the younger brother Lord Stephen Wentworth's book. The Wentworth family went from living hand-to-mouth to the older brother Quinn (My One and Only Duke) being saved from the gallows and inheriting a dukedom. Their hard knock life has them not quite fitting in with the aristocracy and each sibling's story has reflected that while still placing them in privileged positions. I would suggest not jumping into the series at this book as you'd miss a lot of the Wentworth family dynamic and that directly affects the hows and whys of Stephen's character; you'd be missing a lot of the foundation for this story.
“I have come to ask you to murder me, my lord.”
Miss Abigail Abbott is a character that we meet in the previous book, Stephen's sister Constance's story (The Truth About Dukes). Abigail is an inquiry agent, a sort of private investigator. Having meet Stephen through Constance (they had some crackling tension in the previous book), Abigail thinks he's the perfect person to help her. She thinks there was a failed attempt to poison her and a failed kidnapping of her person. Abigail thinks it's a Lord Stapleton behind the attempts and it's due to some letters his now deceased son wrote Abigail when she was the son's mistress (she didn't know he was married). I'm not sure I ever completely bought into Abigail's idea that she needed to fake her own death to escape Lord Stapleton but it provided a fantastic first line to start the book off and gave a reason for Abigail to be in Stephen's company.
The conundrum of his mental processes, charm juxtaposed with calculation, fascinated Abigail. She was counting on his calculating mind to keep her physically safe, while the charm imperiled her heart.
I've read a good amount of Burrowes' stories and they typically have what I call a babbling brook pace and feel, gradual and gentle. I thought the tempo was different in this one, it felt more like ping pong action. I'd be reading a scene, engaged, and then the scene would cut and the next paragraph would show the characters at a later date thinking back to the scene I had been engaged in but cut out from. It worked for me at times and didn't at others as I thought I was missing out on some scene emotions; instead we get the emotions from inner thoughts from the characters. I'm not sure if my anticipating the babbling brook from Burrowes made this ping pong tempo feel off or if the tempo was off.
Abigail dearest, we all need a little kissing, cuddling, and cavorting. Proving that to you shall be my fondest challenge.
The mystery thread of why Lord Stapleton wanted the letters from Abigail felt thin for a a lot of the story. It takes until the end and revealing of why, for it to make sense but even then I'm not sure the journey we take to get there was supported for three hundred pages. Stephen and Abigail have good byplay but I did think for where I thought they were in their journey to come together that their first bedroom scene came a bit quick, even though it was around 50%. These two definitely have a connection, Abigail doubts her appeal because of her height and size and Stephen doubts his appeal because of his limp (his father broke his leg when he was a child) and vulnerabilities created because of these insecurities brings these two together. They're sweet with a little zip because of Stephen's kind but not always nice and Abigail's calling him on his not always nice but not letting him hide his kindness.
Stephen Wentworth was stealing her heart, and she was helpless to prevent his larceny.
Neither of Stephen's sisters make an appearance, which I did miss and I thought Duncan and Stephen should have had some alone scenes but there was a great breakthrough understanding between Stephen and his brother Quinn. With the ping pong tempo I talked about though, we get the brothers revealing and talking about some things but then after, granted, they do hug, we jump to Quinn with his wife and he has an emotional moment I wish could have been more with Stephen. The Wentworth's are a family that could have overwhelmed Stephen and Abigail's book but I love their dynamic all together that I could have stood for more of them.
She wanted to curl up in his arms and wake up in a world where nobody got in a lather about old letters, and a common inquiry agent could fall in love with a ducal heir.
Stephen was a character that I could read a series on him alone and Abigail had her own deep background, I could also read more about her, but importantly, she did match him. The mystery plot with the letters and how Abigail wanted to fake her own death, which leads to a fake engagement trope, even though these two pretty much admit their feelings are real from the beginning but thinking nothing can come of it, was a little weaker and you'll mostly go along because it keeps our two characters together. I also thought the author created a story that was open about all the bed-hopping that was going on during this time, the extramartial affairs and Stephen's bisexuality. It also looks like we are getting a Ned Wentworth book (boy Quinn adopted) and I am thrilled, especially after his appearances in this. There's always something comforting about visiting a Burrowes' world and family, How to Catch a Duke, will give you those feels.
Sunday, May 2, 2021
Reading Update: Page 1
Some Sunday salad 🥗 to enjoy the moment with. Chipotle and mango are my peanut butter and jelly.
I substituted Greek yogurt for the mayo in the dressing
Saturday, May 1, 2021
Review: I'm Waiting for You and Other Stories
I'm Waiting for You and Other Stories by Kim Bo-youngMy rating: 4 of 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.
I'm Waiting For You and other stories, is a translated collection of four science fiction short stories that explore what it means to be human. The collection has a bookend feel with I'm Waiting For You and On My Way, two connected stories that have main characters tethered by love but separated by space and time. The middle two stories, The Prophet of Corruption and That One Life, blend Korean mythology, science, and science fiction. The latter half of the book gives us author, translator, and original reader's notes and a glossary. I would suggest reading the glossary before The Prophet of Corruption to familiarize yourself with the terms used in the story to get a stronger foothold in the world. However, I think the author and original reader's notes should be read after all the stories are read because of the different impact they will have and how it will make you want to go back and read two of the stories again.
I'm Waiting For You
Someone once said that space and time are actually the same thing.
The first story and my favorite, introduces us to a man traveling in the universe to get back to earth for his wedding. It's told in loose letter form, he's sending letters to his fiancée and the reader gets the essence and sometimes wording of those letters but also observations of what is happening to him. The short story gives us 15 letters but also centuries as mistakes, mishaps, and a mixture of good and bad luck keep the groom from, sometimes when and sometimes where, he needs to be. You'll feel his loneliness, frustration, and will as you'll question along with him what it means to survive.
The Prophet of Corruption and That One Life
“You'll know you're corrupt the moment you want to put clothes on.”
The middle two are the longest and shortest of the collection and probably the two that would give book clubs the most and varied discussions. The blend of mythology with theoretical framework like superstring theory, had this at times confusing and profound to me. As the reader follows along with the character of Naban, they'll question the 'corruption of man' and creation to be human.
They who were oblivious to the greatness of survival and scorned life's battles, who failed to see the sacredness of one person's individuality.
On My Way To You
They say that we're taking up food and clothing that should rightfully be theirs to enjoy. They even say that we'll endanger the lives of the women and children. A funny thing to say, really. Half of us are women and children, too.
While we started with the groom, this last story gives us the bride and her journey through her letters. She goes through the same give and take of good and bad luck. Having read the groom's story, this one has moments that hit even deeper as you'll see missed opportunities and how close and far away they were from each other.
Told through a science fiction lens, this collection was at turns bleak, hopeful, and questioning. The first story will have you thinking that hell is solitude, the middle two will have you thinking that hell is only our own creation, and the last will have you thinking hell is other people. The hopefulness comes from the author's ability to shine through the emotions of love and will. Don't skip the author and original reader's notes as they added an impactful layer to the first and second stories and like I said, will have you going back and reading them again. This is a collection that will have you debating and questioning, lingering in your thoughts, and revisiting, not to be missed even for the causal science fiction reader.
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