Book Reviews Archives - Page 19 of 115

Some Good and Some Bad | Mini YA Reviews

Sep 13, 2020

I’ve been reading more young adult lately and I thought it would be fun to review some of my recent YA reads. I had some good and some bad times with my latest reads. There is one that I loved reading and had a good time with. And then the other was sort of DNF for me. Anyway, check out my thoughts now.

Prince Charming (Royals #1) by Rachel Hawkins

Pages: 296
Publish date: May 1st 2018
Publisher: Penguin Books
ISBN: 9781524738259
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Meet Daisy Winters. She’s an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair, a part-time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her to join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond.

While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.

Prince Charming:

I’ve been wanting to read this one for a while now and I finally picked it up recently. Ely picked this book as one of the books on my best friend picks my tbr. I bought it when I was in the States last year. And I’m so glad that I did pick it up because it was such a nice read.

Dasiy was a pretty easy protagonist to get along with. She was fun and entertaining and I liked her a lot. She tried to not let people tell her who she should be. Even though her sister and the royal family did try to change her. She tried to be herself the whole time, but she also knew that this is her sister’s life now. I liked that she challenged everyone. It wasn’t in a bad way, but she tried to challenge everything that the royal family wanted for her.

Dasiy’s family was hard to get along with. She just wanted to be herself, but that is hard when her sister is marrying a prince. But that was hard to see Daisy forced to change herself. I felt that her sister was a pain in the ass most of the book and all I wanted was for Dasiy to be herself.

Miles was such a fun character. He made me laugh quite a bit and that just made reading Prince Charming much more fun. He acts like a spoilt brat at times and while that frustrated me. I think it made great banter between him and Dasiy. But I also loved that he had a soft side and that was lovely.

The romance in Prince Charming was pretty adorable. It had a little bit of a love to hate vibe, but nothing too intense. The best way to explain the romance is sweet. It’s fun and Daisy and Miles are adorable together. They have great chemistry and they made me laugh quite a bit. In saying that I wish that were was a little more focus on the romance. I felt like it was going there and then it fell flat. I just wanted that little bit more.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Prince Charming a lot. It was fun, entertaining and made me smile a lot. Daisy and Miles were adorable together, but I like I said I wished I was able to see more of them. I felt there was room to add a lot more. In saying that I do want to pick up the next book in the series for sure. It sounds like it’s going to be as fun reading as this one.

Dark Secret (Darkhaven Saga #1) by Danielle Rose

Pages: 184
Publish date: 9781642631654
Publisher: Waterhouse Press LLC
ISBN: February 18th 2020
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

There’s no wrath like that of a witch scorned.

Seventeen-year-old spirit witch Ava López is the self-appointed guardian of the witches and humans of Darkhaven, an idyllic village nestled between the forest and the sea. Her watch: vicious and bloodthirsty vampires.

Ava is a novice in the eyes of her coven. If she expects to protect them and the secrecy of their powers, she must gain better control of her own. When a full moon ritual goes awry, control may be lost forever, and Ava is exiled from her coven. Forced to seek refuge among the beings she had always sworn herself to hunt, she vows revenge on those who have upended her life.

But the more time Ava spends away from her coven, the more she discovers a startling truth: the witches haven’t been honest with her. Ava’s quest to strip the truth from everything she’s ever known begins with the toughest realization of all—coming to terms with who she has become.

Dark Secret:

I was looking forward to picking this up. I didn’t know much about it, but it seemed right my alley. Sadly I was very disappointed with the outcome. It lacked on a lot of different levels for me.

I call this a DNF because I just scanned through the second half of this one. I wanted to see if I was going to be able to get into it better, but it wasn’t for me. And I was just confused most of the book. The reader is thrown right into the action. Which I wouldn’t have minded, but it all felt rushed and nothing was explained.

This is a tiny book and I felt that it tried to put way too much into one book and everything suffered for it. It was like one thing was happening after another, and then was no room for a break to explain everything that was happening.

One of the things that I felt did suffer was the characterisation. I feel like I didn’t know her at all. She feels flat and didn’t feel real. I wanted to like Ava. And like the rest of the book, the reader is thrown into her character arc. And we don’t get to know her. I didn’t feel that she grew throughout the book and annoyed me a fair bit.

The world of Dark Secret was also confusing. I wasn’t able to get an image of the world. Normally it takes me a little bit to get an idea of what a world looks like, but this book was moving too fast that I wasn’t able to fall into it and grasp it.

Overall, Dark Secret isn’t the book for me. I wanted to like it. But nothing stuck and everything feel flat. The characters weren’t great and the plot just confused me. I have seen people that have enjoyed it, but it wasn’t for me.

And that is it for these mini young adult reviews. As you can see I’ve had some bad and some good times lately. Have you read any of these? Are you planning to? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese

Sep 7, 2020

Only When It’s Us (Bergman Brothers #1) by Chloe Liese

Pages: 380
Publish date: April 1st 2020
Publisher: –
ASIN: B085B9LFG2
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Ryder

Ever since she sat next to me in class and gave me death eyes, Willa Sutter’s been on my shit list. Why she hates me, I don’t know. What I do know is that Willa is the kind of chaos I don’t need in my tidy life. She’s the next generation of women’s soccer. Wild hair, wilder eyes. Bee-stung lips that should be illegal. And a temper that makes the devil seem friendly.

She’s a thorn in my side, a menacing, cantankerous, pain-in-the-ass who’s turned our Business Mathematics course into a goddamn gladiator arena. I’ll leave this war zone unscathed, coming out on top…And if I have my way with that crazy-haired, ball-busting hellion, that will be in more than one sense of the word.

Willa

Rather than give me the lecture notes I missed like every other instructor I’ve had, my asshole professor tells me to get them from the silent, surly flannel-wearing mountain man sitting next to me in class. Well, I tried. And what did I get from Ryder Bergman? Ignored. What a complete lumbersexual neanderthal. Mangy beard and mangier hair. Frayed ball cap that hides his eyes. And a stubborn refusal to acknowledge my existence.

I’ve battled men before, but with Ryder, it’s war. I’ll get those notes and crack that Sasquatch nut if it’s the last thing I do, then I’ll have him at my mercy. Victory will have never tasted so sweet.

Only When It’s Us:

The second book in the series is the one that caught my eye first. But I wanted to read it in order. And I’m so glad that I did because Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese was a fantastic read. As soon as I read the synopsis I knew that this book was for me. It’s a sports romance that also concludes disability! Hell yeah.

CW: terminal illness, death of a parent.

Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese follows Willa and Ryder as they make their way through college and life. Ryder doesn’t like Willa Sutter. Ever since she sat next to him in class and left with death glares, Ryder has held a small grudge again Willa. He doesn’t need her in his tidy life. And then they get paired together for their Business Mathematics assessment. And things are about to get interesting. Willa anger towards Ryder steams from him ignoring her when she asked for help. But she isn’t one to be messed with. And then the truth comes out.

Photo by Jonathan Petersson on Unsplash

Willa was such an interesting female protagonist. She isn’t someone that you can like instantly. But as the novel goes on the reader can understand her. She has been thought quite a bit and she uses her anger as a mask. And this slowly starts to slip and she and Ryder become closer. One of the rare moments that we see the true Willa is when she is with her mother. I like that Willa wasn’t particularly “nice.” She kept her guard up and sometimes that did make her hard, but that also made her interesting. I also loved that she was the athlete in the book. It just made me happy.

Ryder is the grumpy lumberjack type and I loved it. He just made my day. I loved that on the outside he was this tough, sometimes mean looking male. But on the inside, he was a soft muffin. He tried to be mean and rude, and honestly, sometimes he was. However, the reader can tell that he doesn’t mean any of it. The last few years for Ryder have been tough and his life had to change dramatically. And that isn’t easy.

The romance in Only When It’s Us was excellent. It was a hate to love romacne that was a blast. Both Ryder and Willa have misconceptions of one another and when they are strategically thrown together for the assessment things heat up. I enjoyed the back and forth between the two, however, I do wish that they communicated more. It would have made for less unnecessary friction. In saying all this, Willa and Ryder were fantastic together. The banter between the two was fun to read and I loved seeing them both surprise each other and break down each other’s walls.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Ryder’s disability is another major focus of Only When It’s Us. However, it doesn’t overshadower the novel. It explores Rydner’s deafness in a way that is honest. It explores the struggles and tribulations that he as had to go through. But also explores how it doesn’t affect the way that he wants to live his life. Ryder became deaf later in life after a case of meningitis. Not only was he left deaf, but there were other complications that affected the way that he lives his life. Ryder communicates through sign language, reading lips and through written communication. Ryder also chooses not to speak after losing his hearing, but as the novel goes on he learns to overcome his hesitation to speak. I think that the representation of disability throughout the book was fairly accurate. I, however, can’t talk about the representation of being deaf.

Family is a massive theme throughout Only When It’s Us. The Bergman family are a delight. I loved how they interacted with one another. The reader can see from the start how much they love one another and would do anything for each member. I can’t wait to read more about each brother for sure. It’s going to be interesting. I also loved that they were all there for Willa when she needs them.

Willa’s relationship with her mother was nicely written. And the reader could see how hard her mother’s health hit them both in different ways. I feel that a lot of Willa’s walls were built because of her mother’s health and how scared and hurt she is. Willa just didn’t want to feel more pain.

Only When It’s Us is an emotional read. There are many ups and downs for both Willa and Ryder. I did cry several times, especially towards the end It’s not an easy read at times, but it’s also beautiful. It explores grief and loss. But also explored life.

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

Overall I love reading Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese. It’s emotional and heartbreaking at times, but it’s uplifting, funny and made me smile a whole lot. I love that we get to see the female lead as the athlete and disability is so present throughout the novel. Not only is this fantastic to see in general, but in romance. Willa and Ryder are fantastic together. They bicker and fight, but you can they love each as well. This is just a fantastic romance and I can’t wait to read more from Chloe Liese.

Have you read Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese yet? What did you think of it? Are you going to read it? Let’s Chat!

Strong, Quick-Witted, Female Leads | Mini-Reviews

Sep 4, 2020

Today I thought I would share some more historical romance mini-reviews. The three I’m talking about today I just loved. One of a new to me author, the other two are from an author that I’m beginning to love. All these books include female leads that are strong and quick-witted and I love it. Anyway, let’s get into it.

Wicked and the Wallflower (The Bareknuckle Bastards #1) by Sarah MacLean

Pages: 396
Publish date: June 19th 2018
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 9780062692061
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

When a mysterious stranger finds his way into her bedchamber and offers his help in landing a duke, Lady Felicity Faircloth agrees—on one condition. She’s seen enough of the world to believe in passion, and won’t accept a marriage without it.

Bastard son of a duke and king of London’s dark streets, Devil has spent a lifetime wielding power and seizing opportunity, and the spinster wallflower is everything he needs to exact a revenge years in the making. All he must do is turn the plain little mouse into an irresistible temptress, set his trap, and destroy his enemy.

But there’s nothing plain about Felicity Faircloth, who quickly decides she’d rather have Devil than another. Soon, Devil’s carefully laid plans are in chaos, and he must choose between everything he’s ever wanted…and the only thing he’s ever desired.

Wicked and the Wallflower:

I knew as soon as I started this one that I was going to like it. Sarah MacLean as been on my TBR for a little while now. It’s a name that I heard about even before I started reading historical romance. And I’m so glad that I picked her up. Because Wicked and the Wallflower was such a wonderful read.

I love Felicity Faircloth as a protagonist so much. She was witty and cunning and I love seeing that. She was also easy to get along with. I feel into her voice right away and was able to connect with her very easily. I liked that she knew what she wanted and didn’t give up. Another thing I love that she stood away from the crowd. Devil, on the other hand, both hides and likes to be seen. He is one of those characters where you can’t figure out if you love or hate him. And that is what makes him so interesting.

The romance in Wicked and the Wallflower is also very interesting. Both Devil and Felicity use each other for different reasons. And at the same time, they can’t help but fall for one another. I loved seeing this happen throughout the book. The banter between these two was fantastic. Something else that I adored was how they both surprised each other in different ways. It put a massive smile on my face.

Overall I loved reading Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean. It’s full of banter, romance and high stakes. It’s a fantastic historical romance and I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this series. Felicity and Devil are both interesting characters on their own, but throw them together and there is fire.

Through the Storm (Le Veq Family #1) by Beverly Jenkins

Pages: 384
Publish date: August 1st 1998
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 9780380798643
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Sable, a slave on the run to escape the cruel man she’s been sold to is forced to betray the charming Union officer Raimond LeVeq, who had romanced her and championed her.

Brought together again by fate and an arranged marriage, she must try and win the trust of LeVeq–the man she truly loves.

Through the Storm:

I picked this one up after reading and falling in love with Rebel by Beverly Jenkins. I wanted to know more about the family and how they all got together.

It did take me a little while to get into this one. This does happen from time to time when I’m reading about a new time when I read historical romance and fiction. Especially when I’m not too familiar with the history of the time. But once I was placed in the novel I couldn’t put it down.

Beverly Jenkins has a knack of writing characters that are entertaining, engaging and so interesting and that is very present here. Sable was such an interesting protagonist and I was drawn to her from the start. She is smart and strong. And I wanted to be with her every second. One of the things that I loved about her the most, is her heart. She just made me smile and want to hug her the whole time.

Union officer Raimond LeVeq was a pain in the butt. But he was also fantastic. He could hold a grudge but I loved his tenderness for Sable. The banter between him and his siblings was the icing on the cake for me.

I adored the tension between Sable and Raimond. Right from the start, you were able to see the sparks and I loved it. The love to hate to love was spot on and it worked so well here. These two just made me smile and I loved seeing them fall in love and not even realise it.

If you are looking for a romance that is love to hate to love, then this one is for you. Overall I had such a good time reading Through The Storm. The romance was fantastic, the characters were great. And the family banter topped it off. I loved that I got to read in a time that I honestly don’t know too much about. If you are looking for some great historical romance that is a little different, then pick this one up.

Winds of the Storm (Le Veq Family #2) by Beverly Jenkins

Pages: 384
Publish date: April 25th 2006
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 9780060575311
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Archer Le Veq owes his life to the woman who rescued him from certain death at the height of the Civil War…a woman known only as “the Butterfly.” Now, in the dark, waning days of Reconstruction, he needs the courageous and beautiful former spy…in more ways than before!

Zahra Lafayette thinks her days of intrigue are far behind her until she is asked to go on one more mission. Posing as an infamous madam in New Orleans, Zahra must gather information to ensure the safety of the South’s freedmen. The last thing she expected was to see Archer Le Veq again. He is as arrogant as he is handsome, but there is something about this dusky and debonair hotelier that sends her senses singing. Zahra knows she will need to guard her secrets, but no peril awaiting her compares with the treachery of Zahra’s own heart—for, Lord help her, she burns to taste the man and to lose herself in his powerful embrace.

Winds of the Storm :

As soon as I finished book one, I hopped right into this. Winds Of the Storm is different from the other books in the series, and while it’s my least favourite – I still really enjoyed it.

Archer was seriously fantastic. He was funny, romance and just made me smile. The banter he had with his brothers was brilliant and added another layer to his book. As the novel went on I loved that we got to know more and more about Archer. This book made me laugh a lot and it was mostly because of Archer.

Zahra was such an interesting character. I wasn’t expecting to like her as such as I did, but as the novel went on. I like her even more and more. She was fascinating and wasn’t like other female leads that I had read before. Zahra stands out to me from other characters and I loved that. I also love the friendships that she has throughout the book. They made me smile a lot.

The romance in this one was adorable and steamy. And it was just fantastic. I loved these two together. Especially there no strings attached thing that turns into something more. They both swore they wouldn’t fall for one another and then they did and I loved it.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Winds Of the Storm, a lot. The romance was different and engaging. And both protagonists grabbed me from the start. I loved being back with the Le Veq family. They are seriously a blast. If you haven’t picked up this series, please do. It’s fantastic.

Have you read any of these yet? What did you think of them? Are you planning on reading them? What are some of your favourite historical romances with strong, quick-witted female leads? Let’s Chat!