To be blunt, the whole story is practically told in the blurb. Sure, there is a little more to it, but overall? Blurb. Which, hey, that'3.75 - 4 Stars
To be blunt, the whole story is practically told in the blurb. Sure, there is a little more to it, but overall? Blurb. Which, hey, that's what made me read it in the first place...but it was also like one of those movie trailers that shows all the best parts of the movie. In fact, word on the street is that this was optioned for a TV show before it was even finished (starring Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman). Which gives me the ick a little, but I suppose that's the norm these days in the cutthroat world that is book-to-movie deals. Plus, I think this will actually be a great show if done right.
But I digress.
All I'm saying is that I wish whoever wrote the blurb had held a little more back, is all.
All that said, I enjoyed this. I love messy characters and this story was rife with them. Margo was frustrating at times. But I get frustrated when characters do really dumb shit, so that's on me. She was young and naïve and that was the point.
I was like a kid with popcorn watching her interact with her parents. Her and Jinx's relationship was one of my favorite parts of the of the book, second only to the exposition on POV, narration, and writing.
I would read more from this author.
Favorite quote:
"'There's a kind of seventies glamour to it. It's understated.' I said. I knew it didn't have beading or sequins, but in my opinion she didn't need the glitter. She needed a dress that said, I am getting married on purpose, and it it not a mistake."...more
And this was exactly the book I needed right now. It was sad and wistful and joyful and happy and, in my opinion, just theTiming really is everything…
And this was exactly the book I needed right now. It was sad and wistful and joyful and happy and, in my opinion, just the right amount of sappy. It exemplified why I love this author even when some of her books don’t land for me. Cause when they do, it’s all worth it.
The characters… The angst… The amazing banter… The balance of sadness and hope…
I liked this one a lot more than Brody's book (which is the last one I read...I skipped a couple as I had no interest in them). I thought Jud3.5 Stars
I liked this one a lot more than Brody's book (which is the last one I read...I skipped a couple as I had no interest in them). I thought Jude and Roni had really great chemistry and I really liked their history and connection. Jude was also my favorite kind of asshole.
I did feel like the author did a bit of a bit and switch with the ending...and completely changed the main point of contention between Jude/Roni at the last minute. And it felt a little bit like a cop out.
Otherwise, I enjoyed this and could see myself re-reading it again. ...more
…rounded up because I’m a sucker for alphaholes and marriages of convenience. There was also a fairly decent amount of groveling (I woul3.75ish Stars…
…rounded up because I’m a sucker for alphaholes and marriages of convenience. There was also a fairly decent amount of groveling (I would say 6/10, but enough to be satisfactory if you are a fellow grovel lover).
A few minor things here and there kept this from being a solid 4+ star, but based on what I said above and what I know about myself, I have a feeling I’ll re-read this again sometime....more
After loving book one, I was so excited to see that there were more books in the series for me to devour. And I started this book straightaway1.5 Star
After loving book one, I was so excited to see that there were more books in the series for me to devour. And I started this book straightaway with abandon.
And what a buzzkill, folks. Because not only did I not enjoy this one...it also made me have NO desire to read the book after this.
The main reason?
Jessa and "the secret" she says she's going to tell Brody right when the book starts...and then proceeds to not tell him until almost 90% in. So annoying. And when it finally arrived, it was SO lame.. I HATE when authors do that. It's obnoxious. And not only did she hang it over our heads the whole book, she taunted us with near misses throughout. And not in a good way.
She also managed to make me have zero desire to read the next book as I couldn't care less about either main lead. What a bummer.
Maybe I will come back to this series later, maybe not. But for now, no interest....more
After a recent re-read of this book I was apparently in the mood for 2014-esque rock star romance. Enter this book, which I had somehow never r4 Stars
After a recent re-read of this book I was apparently in the mood for 2014-esque rock star romance. Enter this book, which I had somehow never read
And boy did it deliver.
It was rock star romance meets fake dating romance and I just had the best time. Plus, Katie and Jesse had amazing chemistry, which is always a win for me....more
Trust me, no one is more surprised than me that I am rating this anything less than five stars.
As a long-term self-described uber fan of2.5 - 3 Stars
Trust me, no one is more surprised than me that I am rating this anything less than five stars.
As a long-term self-described uber fan of Suzanne Wright, I have read everything she has ever published. I adored the The Favor and figured I would love this just as much being that, 1) it was yet another gift from one of my favorite smut authors, and 2) paired with a beloved trope (arranged marriage/marriage of convenience).
I was surprised when I cracked this open and soon realized that this was featuring the oldest daughter of the main couple from The Favor, though. I somehow missed the memo on that one. And, I'll be blunt: it felt too soon for my tastes for books featuring Dane and Vienna's grown children.
But I digress.
I'm not sure what happened here, but I just didn't feel the raging connection I usually feel between Wright's lead couples. Don't get me wrong, these two had chemistry...just not the level that I know Wright can deliver.
I also felt like there was a lot less steam and sexual tension than normal. Almost like Wright is gearing up for an entrance into more mainstream romance writing, if that makes sense? That and the cover kind of make me get that vibe...
But again, I digress.
There are other things that I didn't love: the constant name-dropping of random characters and couples (future series characters, perhaps?), the BDSM-lite element between Dax and Addison (which actually made some of their love scenes feel trope-y and trite for me), the dead-ex factor on both sides (we didn't surpass the consolation stage to my satisfaction), and the murkiness surrounding Dax's supposed badassery.
The start was also REALLY slow. In fact, there were a lot of slow moments and I had no problem putting this down. Usually I polish off a Wright book in one evening, but this took me three as I just wasn't enthralled per usual.
Sigh.
Regardless, I did enjoy this. I just didn't love it like I though I would....more
Sports romance is one of my favorite romance sub genres and I liked this well enough. The chemistry between the two leads wasn’t 100% there for3 Stars
Sports romance is one of my favorite romance sub genres and I liked this well enough. The chemistry between the two leads wasn’t 100% there for me and I thought their romance lacked depth in general, but a decent enough read....more
I seem to always land in the in-between with LJ Shen books and I have no idea why. Her books usually all contain some of my most potent krypt3.5 Stars
I seem to always land in the in-between with LJ Shen books and I have no idea why. Her books usually all contain some of my most potent kryptonite tropes...she writes well...and her main love interests have had great chemistry in the ones I've read...but I always seem to be justhisshort of a four star with her. Regardless, a 3.5 rating is a solid "liked it" and I will take that any day.
As a child of the 1980's/1990's, I was a HUGE fan of Beverly Hills, 90210, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Melrose Place, Dawson's Creek, My So-Ca2.75 Stars
As a child of the 1980's/1990's, I was a HUGE fan of Beverly Hills, 90210, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Melrose Place, Dawson's Creek, My So-Called Life (a show for which I will NEVER get over there only being one season)...all the things.
Anyone else remember the anticipation you would get when you had to WAIT for every episode...or record an episode on VHS if you weren't gonna be home when it aired? Soooooo good. That delayed gratification, I swear. It made TV magical. And this book definitely triggered some nostalgia for that lost feeling.
The glory days, folks.
But anyway, as I was saying...this book had TONS of nostalgia and was super cute...
However, it was also had really low stakes and ZERO tension. The only character I found remotely interesting was token bitch character Sasha-Kate and the best scene in the book occurred toward the end between her and Liv. Would have liked more Sasha-Kate. Otherwise, every other character in the book was really flat and I felt zero investment.
Overall, super cute...but also super forgettable....more
This book was recommended to me by my friend Leigh WAY earlier in the year. I actually tried reading it in June, but wasn't loving it. I found 4 Stars
This book was recommended to me by my friend Leigh WAY earlier in the year. I actually tried reading it in June, but wasn't loving it. I found the h to be a little frustrating at the time (which was surprising as she's my kind of gal) and I decided perhaps the book wasn't for me; however, if I had to pick one person on goodreads with whom my reading tastes most align, it would be Leigh. So I decided to give it another chance when I was in the mood and I'm really glad I did.
In fact, the book ended with me wanting more and wishing it was longer. Loved Shiloh and Noah's relationship and LOVED Lawson. Already feel like re-reading it and possibly upgrading it....more
I really loved the first two books in this series and was ecstatic to get an ARC for this one's release. I couldn't WAIT for Jack's story an3.5 Stars
I really loved the first two books in this series and was ecstatic to get an ARC for this one's release. I couldn't WAIT for Jack's story and he was definitely everything I wanted him to be. That said, I didn't love this as much as I love the first two or as much as I thought I would - BUT, as a reminder:
3.5 stars is a POSITIVE rating, which means I DID like this book.
Jack and Bonnie had great chemistry and it was well done. The way their relationship developed was also cute. This whole read was an enjoyable reading experience overall.
So why not 5 stars?
I felt like Jack & Bonnie took a bit of a backseat to Max & Bonnie sometimes. The book starts with Bonnie fairly fresh from the breakup of a long-term relationship with Max. And that breakup acts as a bit of a touchstone throughout the entire book.
Bonnie's grief regarding the breakup sprouts up during understandable times throughout the book - even after she and Jack have started hooking up. And while that's, like I said, understandable in real life and wholly reasonable (after all, you don't want your heroine to look like a heartless shrew by somehow being able to move on too fast from an extended, serious relationship), it also felt like it took center stage a little too often for my liking. And not just in action, but in thought as well. Max and her breakup with Max occupied a lot of Bonnie's thoughts throughout the book. And it I felt like all of that drowned Jack out.
I didn't feel like enough time and attention was given to Bonnie and Jack to make me feel invested in the events of the ending. Their relationship felt rushed, unestablished, and without stakes.
Overall, through, my gripes might not strike others the same way. I did enjoy this overall and I think fans of the series will enjoy this well enough as well. Perhaps my expectations were too high and I'll ultimately upgrade it upon rereading. Or I just read this wrong the first time around. Time will tell.
***ARC received in exchange for an honest review***...more
After really enjoying book one and having high hopes for book two, I feel like a dick for not loving this. Especially since I really Oooooof...2 Stars
After really enjoying book one and having high hopes for book two, I feel like a dick for not loving this. Especially since I really do enjoy the characters and friend group that Becka Mack has created here. And, despite not loving this, I do still intend to continue with the series.
That said...here is why this one didn't work for me:
***SPOILERS***
1) Bellvue Bullies, anyone?
While reading this, I couldn't help but be struck by how SERIOUSLY similar this book is to book one in Toni Aleo's Bellvue Bullies series, Boarded by Love. They felt oddly alike in many ways.
Both are about hockey. Both have a heroine involved in dance. Both have a hero who ghosts the heroine to deal with a family issues later on in the story.
Now, to be clear, I'm not making any nefarious accusations here or anything. I'm simply stating reading this felt...very familiar.
2) No one talks like this.
As a female in a male-dominated work environment, and as someone who has always been heavily involved in sports and dealt with a lot of male athletes, I just can't see a bunch of professional hockey bros saying shit like this to each other:
"Maybe I'm just giving up the dating fight. All it's doing is making me feel lonelier." "So take a break. You're filling your spare time with the kids at the home, and you're enjoying that, right?" His smile is instantaneous. "I really am. It's so cool to be a part of the reason some of these kids are coming out of their shells." "Then focus on doing that for a while. Spend time doing what makes you happy. I know you want to meet someone, but you're not having fun doing it right now. Revisit it in a couple months."
And ALL the characters have constant conversations like this. Almost ALL the time. But really though.
Now, as a heavy romance reader, I am not here for 100% realism in my reading choices. Obviously. But when every single conversation sounds like an over-the-top therapy session with people who apparently know a lot about human psychology? I'm sorry. Regular people just do not have this many heart-to-hearts, all day, every day, in every single conversation.
3) Speaking of every conversation...
I felt like we were having some of the same ones. Over and over again.
Same with the thoughts. We would have the same insecure thoughts, a mage-therapist-like talk with another character about these thoughts, do something reactive anyway...and then repeat.
4) What happened at 75%?
Despite points one through three, I was still enjoying this fairly well until about 75% in. And then points two and three were apparently fed steroids, because holy shit. The last 25% of this took redundancy and friendship therapy plus to a whole new level. Issues and concerns were rehashed to DEATH, folks. Painfully. And the last 25% just draaaaaaaaaagged.
Carter's Reaction
One of the long-running themes of this book was the idea that Carter has made it known to his friends that Jenny (his baby sister) was off-limits. You know, your typical best friend/sister/oh the horror romance stuff. No biggie. I'm on board.
To a degree.
But when you have a grown ass man react the way Carter did when he finds out about it?
You are telling me a professional athlete - a man getting PAID LOTS of money to play a sport - who has contracts and, I don't know, professional ethics, is going to apparently pull captain rank and put a starter on second string because the starter consensually fucked your sister? And the coach supposedly went along with this??????
That would be like Tom Brady telling Bill Belichick, "Uh, hey man, you need to risk our NFL record and, subsequently, the future of every player on this team, and, um, not play Rob Gronkowski the next couple games. Because, yeah, well, he banged my sister. I mean, she was into it and, like, a totally consenting adult and everything, but I mean, I told everyone she off-limits and they were, like, hooking up behind my back, so, yeah. I mean, what the heck, right? And he also stole my Legos at recess."
Never would this happen. NEVER.
All of these things combined to make this just not work for me overall, sadly. As I said though, I enjoyed the characters still and enjoy reading about them. So I'll give this series one more shot with the next one. Fingers crossed....more
I am probably rating this higher than I should, but whatever.
I'm a sucker for sports romances featuring "reformed" mansluts and this one definite3.75
I am probably rating this higher than I should, but whatever.
I'm a sucker for sports romances featuring "reformed" mansluts and this one definitely delivered on that front. The characters were somewhat inconsistent and a lot of things could have been edited down...It felt a too little young at times, it was super over the top, and very very cheesy...but, you know what? It was exactly what I was in the mood for.
I enjoyed the way Carter completely changed for Olivia and how possessive he got. And I also loved all of the side characters. Seriously, all of them. Super fun.
This felt very much like a 2012 Val sports romance read. In all the best ways. I'll probably try the next one while I'm still in the mood I'm in....more
This was a fun, fluffy, romance...which was exactly what I was in the mood for when I picked it up. Since timing is everything, I consider tha4 Stars
This was a fun, fluffy, romance...which was exactly what I was in the mood for when I picked it up. Since timing is everything, I consider that a win.
I really liked both main characters and their family dynamics. It’s not one I’ll remember forever or anything, but it was deliciously fluffy smut and I had fun reading it. If you are in the mood for a fluffy, forced proximity, small town romance with a hint of office/rodeo...this one is for you.
And, because I know from experience that I need to set aside a decent amount of reading time to sa4 Stars
This was me when I saw this book drop:
[image]
And, because I know from experience that I need to set aside a decent amount of reading time to savor the MZ slow read experience, I put off reading this until the weekend. And because I didn't want to spoil anything for myself, I refrained from actually reading any reviews (and still have as I write this), as I do for any auto-buy author read...
...but I did see some of the early ratings from a lot of my friends...
Which meant I quickly went from this:
[image]
To this:
[image]
Which perhaps was a blessing as I went into this expecting it to be...less than a favorite MZ read.
And now that I've finished it, I can definitely see why this wasn't a hit for a lot of people. MZ takes the slow burn train as par for the course. But this thing? Took slow to a whole other level.
[image]
But really though.
Also, there was a lot more...filler than her books usually have. A LOT more downtime where not all that much was happening. A LOT of things that felt repetitious.
All that said, however, I still enjoyed this at the end of the day. Maybe it was because of the aforementioned low expectations, the fact that I had a whole day set aside for this...or the fact that I am just a complete sucker for super powers and fated mates. I have no idea.
I just liked it. I loved the whole super hero dynamic (which I won't say more about so I don't spoil anything. But I will say this: Team Grandma.) I love MZ's brand of enigmatic male grump. I mean, she even had it directly in the title this time. I also just enjoy having to work for everything in an MZ book. That doesn't always work for me, but it just does with MZ for whatever.
In short, I enjoyed the time I spent with this and can for sure see myself revisiting it in the future - always a solid sign for me....more
I picked this up for the same reasons everyone else did...because it's Taylor Jenkins Reid and I'll read anything she puts out.
That said, I re4 Stars
I picked this up for the same reasons everyone else did...because it's Taylor Jenkins Reid and I'll read anything she puts out.
That said, I read the blurb and that's it. So, I had completely forgotten that the title character was even IN Malibu Rising, let alone her role in it. I don't think it would have made a difference to me either way, as I enjoy books about hated characters, but still...I'm glad I didn't remember who Carrie was until about 25% in because it really allowed me to absorb Carrie independently of anything else.
Now, I was not a tennis player and I never played to the level Carrie did, obviously. However, I WAS a collegiate scholarship athlete who spent the majority of age 5-21 on a sports field with a VERY dedicated and involved father. As a result, I felt VERY connected to Carrie...her competitive nature...her perfectionism...and her fear of failure.
I also really enjoyed the relationship she has with her father. In my mind, that was the true love story here. Not her relationship to tennis, not her relationship to the love interest...but her and Javier. I thought the unfolding of events leading up to the US Open was very touching and the way the last tournament and Javier's "feedback" was layered throughout was brilliant. I also thought the ending was both inspirational AND realistic.
All that said, this book was quite bogged down with a lot of tennis jargon, tennis strategy...just tennis PERIOD. While that wasn't an issue for me (in fact, I quite enjoyed it), I could see it being an issue for some readers.
All in all, after not really loving Malibu Rising I was excited that this one was a hit for me....more
Timing really is everything, isn't it? And sadly, the timing was not great for me here.
In fact, I actually feel bad for this book.
How you say3 Stars
Timing really is everything, isn't it? And sadly, the timing was not great for me here.
In fact, I actually feel bad for this book.
How you say? By doing it the disservice of reading it on the direct heels of what might probably be my favorite book of the reading year.
Looking back, I should have followed that read up with a completely different genre rather than something so similar in tone and nature. As such, this entire read felt lacking in comparison to its predecessor, no matter how valiantly I attempted to disassociate the two books.
That said, ignore this review completely. I mean, I will still throw some remarks down yonder to express my thoughts on this thing, but seriously...this book is probably way better than my experience with it and I'm definitely in the minority in not loving it.
So I will be brief.
In short, I struggled to connect with the characters here. Even at the end of the story, I felt like I didn't really know any of them at all. And I should have. Because a character like Hannah, with her background and experiences, is right up my alley. Instead, she felt like a Hallmark movie character and I just felt zero connection to her and Jack's story.
Also, it should be noted that this is my fourth Katherine Center book. I loved the first two I read and the third was WAY too sweet and slapstick for me. Well, this one leaned more in that direction. And while I appreciate the lightness and positivity with which Center writes her stories, depending on my mood, those sentiments just don't always land for me. What can I say, I am a cynic.
But anyway, I digress.
While this didn't blow me away, I still liked it well enough. And I know that Center's writing and storytelling can work for me in the very best way. So moving forward, I will just make sure I'm in the mood for her brand of sugary romcom before diving into her next release. Because I really want to like them and know that it's possible....more
Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️
>
Books:
famous-celebrities
(103)
Loading...
