5 stars I really enjoyed this story, packed with wonderful characters and an original plot, complete with unexpected twists and turns. Kate Bateman does a great job of getting into her characters' heads and exploring their emotions, conveying them to the reader, and making the reader feel for the plights of Alex and Emmy. Alex works for Bow Street as a freelance investigator of challenging crimes. Emmy is an elusive jewel thief, but not by choice. Although their feelings for one another are undeniable, they are adversaries and neither can see a way in which they might end up happily together. I loved the realizations each had regarding the other—that the unrelenting attraction they feel for one another is partly due to their adversarial roles. They both love the game and they respect one another. Neither gets too caught up in societal expectations, another thing they have in common, and they love pushing the other to “up” their game. Alex obsesses over Emmy, convinced she is the thief, though as of yet, unable to prove it. In his head, he thinks of her with such terms as “little Miss Miscreant” and “the pestilent woman,” as close to terms of endearment as he will allow himself to come. After kissing her, he thinks of “the satin softness of her sweetly lying lips.” The banter between the two is quite amusing, reflecting a humor and intelligence they both recognize in the other. “Backpeifengeisicht,” he supplied. “Bless you,” she said, straight-faced. “He shot her a chiding sideways glance. “It means ‘a face badly in need of a fist.’” Meeting someone unexpectedly in the conservatory, Alex explains away his presence with Emmy by saying: “...She is an ardent horticulturist.” Emmy managed to murmur an earnest agreement. An ardent whore was more like it. Prinny makes an appearance, and although stories abound regarding his inappropriate behaviors and outrageous actions, I found it hard to believe he would speak in colloquialisms and slang. The dialogue almost looked like something you’d expect from the lower classes in London at the time. It distracted me from the story. I was hooked from the first line: “Only touch what you’re going to steal.” Emmy broke that rule the night that she touched Alex. During that first scene of the book, Emmy and Alex share a kiss. “God, you taste so sweet,” he groaned against her lips. “Smell so sweet. I want to breathe you in and keep you in my lungs forever. Does that sound mad?” It’s clear she has already stolen his heart, and has given him hers in return. It just takes a long time for them to realize it. I love the author’s note at the end: “Emmy loves discovering foreign words that have no direct translation in English. I didn’t use this in the story (because I thought it implausible that Emmy would have found out about it in 1816) but there’s a wonderful Japanese phrase that’s just perfect for her and Alex: Koi No Yokan. The sense of inevitability upon first meeting a person that the two of you are going to fall in love.” From the moment I started this book, I knew I would fall in love with the story. August 18, 2020
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5 stars Too short and yet, exactly right. Anything longer would have prolonged the pleasure unnecessarily (though I wouldn’t have complained). Were it a longer story, I'd have continued to enjoy it, luxuriating it in the poetic prose of undying and endless love. I’ve barely had enough of these characters. Still, their story has been fully told, no further conflicts upon the horizon, their happily ever after achieved. Now, I'm left to revisit some of the words that tickled my fancy or impressed my imagination. Sometimes while reading, I'll imagine how something could have been worded differently to add clarity or poetry. Other times, I'll muse on the perfection of the words that were chosen. Tracy Sumner compelled me to do the latter much more so than the former. It was pure joy. There was one scene in particular that caused me to pause and reread it, astounded by the emotions it evoked. I love to quote authors, but I generally try not to be excessive. In this case, however, I find it unavoidable, by this scene alone, reduced to a reader falling in love with a fictional character. Are you going to marry me, Raine? Not to sound missish, but if you want this”—he nodded to the bedchamber—“you’re going to have to marry me to get it. My body, mind, and soul are yours if you’ll agree to take them. But I won’t ruin you. I won’t. And I can’t share any more of myself and wonder if I’ll get it back. I’m in too deep. He swallowed hard, his sapphire eyes darting to the floor, and she knew with such sweet simplicity that her roguish, complicated, brilliant watchmaker was as delicate of heart as she. “You fear being beholden, but what if I were to tell you I would be wholly beholden as well? What if we are worth more than any promise you made to yourself?” His gaze lifted, his earnestness smoothing away her fear like a plane to rough wood. “I won’t own you in any way you don’t own me.” Penny, Christian’s “valet” and best friend, adds some welcome comic relief to a story that could have easily wandered into mawkishness with its raw emotions and sentimental romanticism. He offered that nervous laughter that draws you back to reality, reminds you that its best not to lose yourself completely in a fictional love affair, lest you suffer the broken heart. When Christian fumbles his first proposal to Raine, Penny sums it up nicely: “Ah, I’ve read this play before. You bumble, then Miss Mowbray says something you don’t want to hear, and boom, a sulking, insolent man appears, stage left.” Christian begrudgingly acknowledges that Penny is correct, admitting: “Then I got angry, and that sulking, insolent bloke you mentioned joined the party. It wasn’t pretty.” I appreciated that Christian didn’t take himself too seriously or think himself some model of perfection. He was also cognizant of Rain’s imperfections and loved her as a complete package, even recognizing that her flaws made her more interesting. I appreciated that there were no contrived conflicts between Raine and Christian—an avoidable misunderstanding or interference from some nefarious villain intent upon destroying their love. There was no heartbreaking falling out, no grave event that drove them apart. This made the unfolding of their relationship much more relatable and believable. And relaxed. It was enough to have Raine’s internal conflict as the challenge to be overcome. It was sufficient for the enjoyment of their eventual happiness together. And I did enjoy this story. Immensely. I highly recommend it. August 16, 2020 4 stars I might have given this book 5 stars, but for the fact that I found Casey maddening. The story is told completely from her first-person POV, but I never fully understood or related to her. I don’t think that’s the fault of the author. I just couldn’t relate to Casey’s actions at all and I never really felt her pain. I read this book years ago when it was called “Then Kiss Me,” which became immediately apparent to me as soon as I started reading and recognized the character names and initial events. The description said that this book was different somehow. It wasn’t different enough to justify reading it again, since I really didn’t like Casey. There were a couple of things I liked about the book. I liked the introduction of Nicki Sosebee, the main character from Ms. Jamison’s other series of mystery books (which I haven’t yet read). I loved some of her metaphors/imagery, like this one: “My flesh crawled. If it could have, it would have jumped off my bones in an attempt to avoid his lips.” There are some potentially triggering themes including domestic abuse and rape. I think these are addressed in a sensitive manner and never cross over to gratuitous. They are vivid enough to paint a clear picture without going overboard. I found it interesting when an attack brings on a memory that Casey had forgotten. She wonders, “How the hell had that escaped my mind?” This was an insightful moment in the story because it reminds the reader that, as human beings trying to survive in a cruel world, we often push down the bad memories to cope, and our minds are so good at protecting us, we actually forget what we’ve repressed. Until the memory is provoked by outside forces. Although I didn’t love the book, I cannot deny it is well-written and realistic, painting a memorable picture of characters and events in a small town. It was worth reading once but it’s not a story I’d be drawn to read repeatedly. August 15, 2020 5 stars I really enjoy Annie Nicholas' paranormal romance stories and I'm always excited when I receive an ARC. Some of the stories have been a bit shorter than I might have preferred, but this one takes the time to fully explore the relationship between Daedalus and Sugar, along with their personal thoughts and insecurities and love for one another. In previous books, I had not noticed the Nosferatu sense of humor but I loved this exchange with Pallas: He glared at Pallas. "What am I doing wrong?" "Do you want my list in alphabetical order or in order of priority?" This shouldn't be a spoiler because it's not entirely unpredictable that it would have come to this, since Sugar's health had been failing for some time, but Daedalus finds himself faced with the prospect of allowing Sugar to die or changing her. Like Daedalus, I had hoped that Sugar would come around to the idea on her own, but she seemed intent on denying the benefits so I think she needed to be pushed. In fact, she recognized this near the end when she thought to herself: "After the attack, she felt like her life was over so she didn't bother living. Funny how it took dying for her to see that mistake. She wouldn't let this second chance go to waste." Although Daedalus had been forced to change Sugar against her wishes, there was never any doubt that she would forgive him. They loved each other too much. I absolutely recommend this book and might go so far as to say it's one of Annie Nicholas' best. August 14, 2020 2 stars I read two stories from this collection and they were okay. I wish I could give this more stars, but based on what I read, I cannot do that. Ella and the Alien Prince - Margo Bond Collins 3 stars I received an ARC of this story, part of the larger collection, and I enjoyed it. Personally, I find that most books about alien/human mating are a bit difficult for me to relate to because we’re talking about a different species and that just feels wrong to me. Still, when the aliens are described as basically human, that makes it a bit easier to understand. Having an emotional connection in addition to a physical one is also helpful, although that is lacking here. It’s difficult to work sex into a short story without it feeling contrived or unnecessary. I felt that the sex in this story may have taken up a bit more space than necessary, but it did fit with the story, since it was part of formalizing the mating bond. I would have liked to see the emotional connection that would have made me relate to the characters better. The story does a pretty good job of connecting to the original Cinderella without becoming derivative. It’s unique and I liked the concept. Although I didn’t love it, the writing was good. Fairest A Snow White Retelling - K.M. McKenna 1 star I received an ARC of this book and I was excited because I love fairytale retellings. Partway into it, I almost stopped reading, but then I realized how short it was and decided to finish. Here is my assessment of this thankfully brief story. It is primarily a vehicle for a BDSM scene that packs little heat and just left me squirming uncomfortably. Ewww. There is very little similarity to the original Snow White. In fact, Snow White is just a peripheral character. The Queen is difficult to understand. I have no idea what her motivations are. Is she good or bad? Is she mistreated or not? A grammatical issue that bothered me was the use of the phrase “ever slightly” instead of “ever so slightly.” The first time I thought it was a typo. The second time, I figured it must be intentional and that made me question the quality of writing and editing. The story ends abruptly without answering any questions. What is the point of it all? I don't know and I can't think of a good reason to recommend it. August 13, 2020 5 stars I received an ARC from Netgalley and I now have to add MaryJanice Davidson to my list of favorite authors. I was hooked from page one with a description of a hangover that was so vivid, it brought me back to my younger days when I was stupid enough to suffer from them: “His eyes were so gritty and the room so quiet, he could hear his eyelids sticking and unsticking as he blinked. And sometime in the last few hours, he’d eaten...a dead bird? And washed it down with another dead bird? One that had drowned in vermouth?” It’s not his only hangover. Another is described like this: “Sometime in the night, his tongue had been switched out for a wad of cotton. A dirty wad that tasted like booze. ‘My head is still attached to my body, right? It didn’t blow up or anything?’ He gingerly felt his skull, worried his fingers would sink into it like bread dough. ‘My brain feels really explodey.’” The dry humor continues with ingeniously punctuated interruptions of sentences via italics, parentheses, and paragraph breaks. This leads to a sometimes difficult-to-follow series of thoughts, but only because they are so realistic in their simulation of the rapid-fire thoughts common to all of us. Here’s a funny example: Oh, now that’s too damned ridiculous. “She’s completely coherent! It’s our mom! She’d be coherent if she was dead!” If she was—wait, that makes no—no! Stand by your senseless statement! Double down on the senseless! The characters are memorable and lovable. The plot is amusing until near the end, when it gets a bit confusing. Really, that would be my only complaint. I got a little confused near the end, but I enjoyed the reading so much I’m willing to overlook it: “This dinner looked like the last scene in a sitcom where everyone talks about the lessons learned and then leaves, only to reappear a week later for the next episode.” I half expected Rake to deadpan, “So, you see, the answers were inside of us all along.” Because he is self-deprecating like that, and wouldn’t be averse to using a cliche to make a point. His character is incredibly likable and sympathetic, and as it turns out, very astute. Delaney is a great conflicted hero, a little harder to like/trust because it is clear she is hiding something, whereas Rake is more or less the victim. Lilith is another hero in this story, so really, there are three heroes. And to be honest, I loved all of them! I highly recommend this book and will be looking for more from this author. August 11, 2020 5 stars I received an ARC of this book so I really had no idea what to expect. The description doesn’t say exactly what happens to Alex to make him so defenseless, but it does say that Natalie works to get him back on his feet. I don’t know how to write this review without revealing that Alex loses both of his legs in an explosion while saving two women from a fire. Rachel Medhurst does a great job of tapping into Alex’s emotions—denial, anger, imagining what-ifs, fear, sadness, determination, hope—and this emotion is what drives the book and makes it compelling. Alex is a womanizer who refuses to recognize that Natalie is his soul-match, until his accident forces him to confront what he has denied. To his surprise, he finds that women still find him attractive, not deterred by his lack of lower limbs, but he values Natalie in a way he hadn’t allowed himself to do in the past. He becomes determined to recover from his injury, then pursue Natalie and fulfill his destiny. The reader learns more about the other siblings because they play a bigger part in Alex’s story than they did in Penny’s. This is a reflection of the closer relationship that Alex has with each of them, even with Penny. Overall, I think it was a remarkable story of persistence and courage as well as dedication and loyalty. SPOILER: When Alex goes to visit his former coworkers, he’s told that there was not a third person in the building. “There hadn’t been anyone else in the building? I had lost my legs for nothing? I swallowed the rising heat, pushing the thought away until a later date.” He never revisited this thought. August 8, 2020 5 stars NL Hinkens is a pro at building suspense and mystery in a novel. This book is no exception, as she introduces Doug and Allison, the “happily married” couple celebrating their ten-year-wedding anniversary aboard a cruise. While boarding, they meet Sophia and Cody, a couple celebrating their fourteen-year anniversary the following day. In no small part, due to Sophia’s outgoing and tenacious personality, they end up spending almost all of their time together and Sophia and Allison form a friendship. The author drops hints along the way for the reader to follow—an oversized hat, Doug’s insistence that Allison pack the antidepressants she no longer takes just in case (although it shows a lack of understanding on both of their parts because antidepressants don’t work that way), Doug’s effusive displays of affection, Allison’s confusion and apparent attempted suicide. If you've read any of her books before, you’ll be anticipating any number of possibilities, but simply knowing she’s planning to misdirect you isn’t enough to prevent the misdirection. The story is told from varying third-person POVs—Allison, Rob, Sophia, Detective Mendoza, Misty, and Doug—each revealing hints and/or misdirecting the reader’s suspicions. Many of the characters are hiding their true selves beneath the surface, which is no surprise since this is a psychological mystery. In the end, the characters you may have perceived as weak or villainous are not what they present outwardly. Nothing is quite how it seems. August 7, 2020 3 stars This book was pretty good, but I had several big issues. The writing was competent but the plot could use some work and the pacing was off. As an example, the first time Rowan and Vera made love, it was described like this: “She pressed the palms of her hands against his chest and then glided them down, over his abdomen, to undo his belt and the buckle of his pants. There was no hiding the evidence of his desire as she slid the condom over his erection… Rowan stepped over his discarded clothes and drew her into the living room…” It went from them just starting to touch each other, to Vera putting a condom on Rowan, to the two of them walking into the other room. It was weird. I liked Rowan’s character, his sense of humor, and his efforts to build up Vera’s self-confidence. He offered some great advice for anyone. Everything about him was awesome and it was obvious why Vera fell for him. Her insecurities made it more difficult to understand what he saw in her, but I get that he was impressed by her intelligence and care for others, especially her daughter. The problem is, she kept doing stupid things driven by her inability to trust her intuition. I understand that a woman involved in an abusive relationship (which is what her relationship with Darren was) loses her self-esteem and questions her decision-making skills, but she could have spoken to her friend Iris and chose not to do so. Vera’s reaction to the news about Rowan, which was shocking but seemed out of character, was my biggest complaint about the book. Why would she push him away? I found this maddening because he begged her to allow him to explain but she wouldn’t even listen to him. If I were in love with someone and planning to marry them, you’d better believe I’d be looking for explanations rather than jumping to conclusions. Why would you believe the person who has demonstrated a total lack of respect or concern for your well-being over someone who has shown their care for you over and over again? It made me angry with Vera and I questioned the sustainability of her relationship with Rowan if she was unable to allow him to explain himself. If this were a mystery, I would avoid SPOILERS, but this is a romance, so every reader knows it will have a happy ending. If you don’t want to know what happens near the end, stop reading now. When Vera finally pulls her head out of her ass and decides to gather more information about Rowan and what actually happened in his past, she goes to NY to meet the girl involved. She finds out, to no one’s surprise, that he did nothing wrong. She goes looking for him, watches him work, then follows him home. Because she is carrying Allison, she decides to rest for a few minutes before going to his home. When she gets to his place, he doesn’t answer his door and she wonders why. “She had been no further than ten minutes behind him, but she had to set Allison down on a park bench for a few minutes to rest her arms.” This time frame is important because when she does talk to Rowan, this is what happens: “I called my lawyer after talking to Maggie.” Her face tightened. “He confirmed that the charges against you were dismissed for good reason, they wouldn’t have held up in court.” The reader is supposed to believe that Vera was able to call her lawyer’s office, actually speak with him, have him research the charges against Rowan, and assure her they wouldn’t hold up in court...in 10 minutes!?! I’m thankful that the book was so short because it felt a bit too saccharine for my tastes. The major conflicts were relatively insignificant, only requiring Vera to open her mind a bit. Although I’ll admit she changed for the better in certain respects, there was no major transformation. I think the book would have benefitted from more exploration of the abuse that Vera experienced as well as the long-term consequences of that abuse. I don’t believe the abuse was ever directly addressed and that’s a missed opportunity because everyone loves a story of a hero who faces hardship and overcomes. The acknowledgment of the abuse was incidental, at best, while it should have taken center-stage. At the end of the book, there’s an excerpt for the follow-up book, Betrayed. Based on the title and Vera’s extreme reaction to unexpected news about Rowan in this book, I chose not to read it. I feel confident it would have resulted in aggravation on my part—I think I know enough about the type of characters likely to be involved to know how it would have gone. This book was enough for me. August 5, 2020 5 stars It has been a while since Blair Babylon has come out with a new book, and I was looking forward to reading Maxence’s story. Arthur and Gen and Casimir and Roxanne feature prominently in this “search” for Maxence. POV switches between the four of them and Maxence and the voice is third person past-tense, not first. A new character is introduced at the end, Max’s new love interest, to be explored further in the next book, Rogue: Billionaires in Disguise: Maxence #1. Yes, this is the prequel. Blair Babylon doesn’t write one-and-done books. Her books tend to be series, interrelated with characters from other series, which is wonderful because she develops characters so that the reader becomes friends with them. Xan Valentine/Alexandre Grimaldi makes an appearance, in name only. This story happens concurrently with Flicka’s story, after Wulf and Rae’s and Xan and Georgie’s, and presumably after the stories of the other bandmates. Keeping track of everything might be difficult with a less skilled storyteller. Not so with Blair Babylon. As a true professional, it’s clear that she has researched locations, which she describes in impeccable detail, has comprehensive character outlines and intricate plot summaries, and tells stories in a voice that is easy to follow and reminiscent of a friend telling you what they did over the summer. Except, I don’t have any friends who experience the things that her characters do. There’s intrigue, danger, excitement, spies, royalty, unspeakable wealth, and even humor. And that’s one of my favorite things about these books. As an example, this made me chuckle: “Roxanne, standing beside Casimir, drew herself up to her full height of not-very-much…” Though not generally laugh-out-loud funny, there’s an understated wry humor that makes the reader feel like he/she is in on the joke, intelligent enough to “get it.” The characters, although almost otherworldly in their wealth, attractiveness, and intelligence, seem like regular folks with whom you’d like to hang out. You probably wouldn’t, because let’s be honest, even if they were real, they’d live in a different world, but because of her writing, you feel like you know them and are spending time with them. I’ll be anxiously awaiting the next book in this series; perhaps, I should say the first in this series. I’m so glad that Blair Babylon is back at it, releasing another exciting new story with sympathetic characters and an intriguing plot. August 4, 2020 |
Elizabeth J ConnorWriter. Editor. Proofreader. Archives
September 2022
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