4 stars I received an ARC of this book from the author, but I got busy and forgot about it. Eventually, I picked it up and was drawn into the story, but I was a bit confused. I didn’t understand the chapter/section headings. They were called variations and the first thing I thought was that they must be variations of the same story. Then I thought perhaps they were a series of short stories. I was wrong on both counts. They’re just oddly named chapters told from differing POVs. I figured that out about halfway through. I was already familiar with this author and the alternative universe of Birdland, and I find the concept fascinating. The characters are, likewise, multifaceted, intriguing, and believable. I only had two problems, and they’re “me” problems, not problems with the writing or the author. I’m very open-minded, but as an editor, I still get hung up on using ‘their’ as a singular pronoun to describe a single person. I understand English and the rules of grammar are constantly evolving, but as a very rule-oriented person, it’s difficult for me to make the mental adjustment. To be clear, it has always bothered me that there wasn’t a singular pronoun that could be interchangeable for any gender. As a she/her myself, I’ve always been infuriated when things are written to say he/him—something which has, thankfully, changed significantly in my lifetime. Lemberg uses ‘their’ universally throughout the book, to the exclusion of he/she. Books like this play an important role in orienting readers, and hopefully, society at large, to use preferred pronouns. The fact that I might have preferred someone give more thought to what those pronouns might be before choosing the genderless and plural “their” is irrelevant. We all need to adjust, and I think books written this way are a tool to help people acclimate. Besides, who is this ‘someone’ I wish had given it more thought? When groups of people are oppressed, it’s best to lift the oppression in the most expedient way possible and worry about the ‘rules’ later. Sometimes, rules need to change. This is a roundabout way of saying I thought the writing was brilliant, with vivid illustrations of the setting as well as the inner turmoil of the main characters. I can’t say I loved the ending, but that’s akin to saying I didn’t like a certain movie because it left the door open for sequels. It’s not a cliffhanger, but there’s a sense of incompletion or uncertainty about it. This ending is very much open to interpretation and requires the reader to give the story more thought after it has finished. Compelling the reader to say, “I wonder what’s going to happen next?” is not such a bad way to end. September 4, 2022
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5 stars I received an ARC of this book from the author and it’s another one of those books that take place in Winchester, CO, and connects to other characters in several different rock bands. It’s hard for me to keep track of who’s who, but I’ve loved all of them. I’m going to describe the plot because I think it’s necessary to understand my review. Some might think it contains spoilers, but I disagree because most of it is fairly obvious from the beginning. I mean, it follows a formula. Nevertheless, if you want to avoid a plot summary, skip three paragraphs. Sierra is caring for Mia who is the child of Mickey (a bass player), but she hasn’t told him Mia is his. There are multiple reasons—when she discovered she was pregnant she went to tell him and couldn’t find him because he had moved, but more importantly, she is convinced her parents would never approve of him. Several years later, she runs into him at the wedding of mutual friends and he wants to catch up with her. She doesn’t want to spend any time with him because she’s afraid he’ll figure out the secret she is keeping. To be clear, she hasn’t told another living soul. Despite her reluctance to spend any time with him, she cannot help herself because she truly cares for him. However, every time she begins to fantasize about having a life with him, she convinces herself they can never have a happily-ever-after. Even when he tells her he loves her, she is stopped by her fear. Every time they get too close, she runs away, a behavior he has commented upon repeatedly. He’s surprisingly patient and understanding. Meanwhile, Sierra’s parents have decided that she should marry Austin—her high school/first boyfriend and son of rich parents whom they wish to tie themselves. At the same time, Mickey confronts Sierra and accuses her of keeping Mia from him. He is disgusted with her, and for good reason, because he has given her so many opportunities to confess and she has lied every time. Austin is very nice and he’s a good friend, so Sierra feels she could be happy with him, even though she’s certain she will never love him. But she can’t get Mickey out of her mind, although things ended badly between them the last time they spoke. Eventually, she realizes she’s in love with Mickey and must come clean to her parents, and risk losing them. Unfortunately, she has hurt him too many times and now he’s gone again. She leaves a message confessing everything and doesn’t hear back from him. She resolves that when he demands visitation/shared custody of Mia, she will do whatever is needed to make things up to him. There were times while reading this book that I wanted to hit Sierra in the head to knock some sense into her. However, the internal conflicts she experiences were absolutely necessary to the tension in the plot. Truly, all of the tension is inside of Sierra’s head. She struggles to understand herself. She questions her motivations, her desires, her willingness to be brave and to act independently, and she keeps coming up short. The only surprise is the amount of time it takes her to acknowledge what she really wants and to stand up for herself. This is her journey. The POV never switches to any other character, even though it’s told in third-person. There were times when I wondered what Mickey was thinking or feeling, but he was actually fairly transparent. He wanted Sierra in his life, and although he struggled with how to react to her behavior, he still admitted he loved her, and each time she ran away, he waited for her to return. Until he didn’t anymore. And that’s when she realized how much she had hurt him, how much she actually cared for him, and that this was her life and she should choose what would make her happy, rather than striving to earn her parents’ approval. At that point, it doesn’t actually matter whether Mickey forgives her or allows her back in his life. Of course, we want her to spend the rest of her life with him because we want them both to be happy. But she has grown immensely because of her struggles and has become a better person, and that’s what’s really important. I really enjoyed Sierra’s journey and I recommend this book. August 28, 2022 5 stars After the last book in this series, Don’t You Dare, My Dear, in which Edith presented herself as a total and complete hoyden, with a tendency toward petulance and impulsiveness, I cannot believe that I found her character in this book so strong and inspiring. She learned from her mistakes, and although she still demonstrates passion, she has developed the ability to temper her impulsiveness with careful consideration. This is due, in large part, to Griffin, soon-to-be Marquess of Hartfield (since his wicked father is at death’s door, and honestly, cannot die soon enough). The family dynamics in this book are fascinating. Edith has 5 overbearing, arrogant brothers, and a father who shaped them to be the men they are (with the youngest on his way). Edith lost her mother when she was quite young (early teens, I think), as her mother died in childbirth, about to give birth to child number seven, who also died. Griffin observes that Edith’s brothers, whom Edith long ago dubbed The Brutes, and her father, the Earl of Westgrove, have little use for Edith and disregard her feelings and opinions. Really, they only seem to notice her when she disappoints them or disagrees with them. He immediately feels a kinship and an undeniable need to protect her. Griffin adores his mother and despises his father, a despicable man who has never shown any sense of caring for either of them. He is a rake through and through, and we find that when Griffin was much younger, his father actually brought one of his mistresses to the house for dinner with his wife and two sons. Truly appalling. His older brother wasn’t much better and died prematurely from his participation in a curricle race. Now, his father is dying from the pox and seems just as bitter and manipulative as ever. Now, he threatens Griffen that he will expose his mother’s secret if Griffen doesn’t find a woman to marry tout suite. Although he is inexplicably and irrefutable drawn to Edith, he has determined she is unsuitable as a candidate, even though he’s fairly certain he could develop feelings for her. In fact, he actually stomps out and locks down any glimmer of feelings for her. He must find a sensible and respectable wife to rehabilitate the family line that his father so thoroughly destroyed. But Edith is absolutely irresistible. At first, I loved the consistent metaphors for Griffen’s heart—snow, ice, walls of icicles, ice picks, cracking ice—but there are only so many words to describe the same thing so it grew a bit predictable. Okay, so his heart is encased in ice to protect himself. Typical male hiding his hurt and fear of emotions behind a wall of denial and coldness (oh, yeah, that word was also used). But toward the end of chapter one, I understood the reason for it as Griffen observed, “A man made of ice could never guard himself against a summer sun.” Enter Edith, who is repeatedly referred to as the summer sun, sunshine, warmth, passion, and so on. Slowly but surely, she melts away his icy barricades and shows him that passion will not automatically turn him into his father or brother, because deep down, he is not like either of them. It is such a sweet love story, two people lost, drifting, searching for happiness and approval, both unlikely to get it from their families. Ultimately, they both realize that the men in Edith’s family love her but are incapable of seeing past the fact that she is a woman and must be treated as less-than because of her gender. And Griffen realizes that he needs no one’s approval and Edith makes him happy. There were some wonderful quotes sprinkled throughout this book—in fact, many—but I can only share a few. ‘Twas a dangerous web she wove around him. One that sat lightly over his skin, but burned his flesh. He was a master at building ice walls, though. So, he settled himself into the snow of his own heart and built them high and thick so no heated net could crack or melt them. Edith is a gifted musician and Griffen discreetly observes her playing the pianoforte. He thinks, “No one else played with such precision and passion. Two things that should have dueled with one another instead of becoming companions, as they did when her fingers fit against the keys.” Griffen is a mathematician at heart and had planned to become a professor, until his brother died and cast him in the role of future marquess. He uses math to calm himself and to make sense of the world. He and Edith knew each other well as children, as he often played with her brothers, but he has only remained friends with the eldest. When he encounters Edith again after many years, he asks her a question and immediately disparages himself, thinking, “Entirely wrong question. He’s mucked it up before he’d even begun. Like getting the first step of an equation wrong.” Shortly thereafter, this thought is followed by another observation about Edith as she gave him “an incomprehensible answer that made five of two and two.” Later, “...she had him cornered. No, less fatal than that. More like his every bone pressed against a steel cage ad there was Edith, unlocking it, opening a door he hadn’t even known existed, tempting him to come out when it was for everyone’s good…” Edith’s heart is always way out in front of her logic and she can feel herself falling for Griffen even though he has told her he cannot love her (he’s lying, of course). “Another heartbreak glowed on the horizon as obvious as the storm crackling across it yesterday. And she could not help herself from taking footstep after footstep closer to it. She must hate happiness.” And this is another great description of her feelings. “Every star in the night sky glowed ten times brighter, cascaded through colors stars are not usually known for, and fell to earth, landing in her own chest. She swallowed the star-colored feeling…” Because holding the key to someone’s heart is such a cliche, I loved this alternative. “He locked his eyes with hers. He might as well have thrown away the key.” And I loved that Devon and Lillian (Kiss or Dare) made an appearance. Ever the flirt with a droll sense of humor, he responds to Edith’s declaration that she is to marry the Marquess of Hartfield by discreetly trying to ask about her betrothed’s accident. She explains that was Griffen’s older, deceased brother, and he responds by saying, “Ah. Excellent. Lively women deserve live husbands…” I think the imagery and other poetic touches make this an outstanding book and one of my favorites from Charlie Lane (so far). It’s sweet and it kinda made my heart melt just a little bit. August 28, 2022 |
Elizabeth J ConnorWriter. Editor. Proofreader. Archives
September 2022
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