3.5 Stars Archives - Page 3 of 16

Book Review: A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian

Dec 4, 2019

A Delicate Deception (Regency Imposters #3) by Cat Sebastian

Pages: 384
Publish date: 10 December 2019
Publisher: Avon Impulse
ISBN: 9780062820679
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

When Amelia Allenby escaped a stifling London ballroom for the quiet solitude of the Derbyshire countryside, the very last thing she wanted was an extremely large, if—she grudgingly admits—passably attractive man disturbing her daily walks. Lecturing the surveyor about property rights doesn’t work and, somehow, he has soon charmed his way into lemon cakes, long walks, and dangerously heady kisses.

The very last place Sydney wished to be was in the shadow of the ruins of Pelham Hall, the inherited property that stole everything from him. But as he awaits his old friend, the Duke of Hereford, he finds himself increasingly captivated by the maddeningly lovely and exceptionally odd Amelia. He quickly finds that keeping his ownership of Pelham Hall a secret is as impossible as keeping himself from falling in love with her.

But when the Duke of Hereford arrives, Sydney’s ruse is revealed and what started out as a delicate deception has become a love too powerful to ignore. Will they let a lifetime of hurt come between them or can these two lost souls find love and peace in each other?

A Delicate Deception:

I received an earc of A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian from Avon Impulse via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

A Delicate Deception was a lot of fun. I’ve been reading a lot of historical romance this year and it’s been fantastic. When I requested it, I didn’t know it was the third book in a series, but that didn’t really matter at all. While I did read the first two books after and certain things made more sense. You don’t need to read the previous book to read this one.

A Delicate Deception follows Amelia Allenby as she escapes everything that London brings to the countryside of Derbyshire. What she didn’t expect was to run into an extremely large man on her morning walks. All she wants to do is be left alone. But even she can admit that Sydney is attractive. He has charmed his way into her life, but Sydney is hiding something that could rune everything between them.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Amelia was a great female protagonist. A lot of historical fiction seems to have a similar female protagonist, but I don’t hate it. I think that it just fits the time so well, that it works and readers are able to see that. Amelia likes to be by herself. Shunned from society in a way, Amelia likes to be out in the country. Amelia was really easy to get along with in A Delicate Deception. She is smart and just flows off the page. And that made it so much easier to connect with her.

Sydney was also a joy to read. While I didn’t love him as much as Amelia, I had a great time getting to know him. While I wasn’t so crash hot about some of the decisions that he made throughout the novel, I understood why. Sydney had a lot of his plate through the book and he just wanted that little bit of freedom and I think that Amelia gave him that. Sydney was the very typical male in historical fiction. And like I said before, I don’t mind that too much. It fits the time.

The romance aspect of A Delicate Deception was great. I loved the secret kissing and the meetings in the early morning. I have come to love historical romances over the last year, and this is the perfect example of why. There is angst and tension but not too much that got me frustrated waiting for things to happen. Amelia and Sydney are great together and from their first scene, the reader is able to see the connection. The banter between these two was perfect and I loved seeing them slowly fall in love. Image by George James from Pixabay

A Delicate Deception has all the classic historical romance marks. But it also has it’s own twists and that’s what made it really stand out to be. This whole series is about deception and in here, Sydney doesn’t admit who he really is. For the most part, the audience knows nearly everything, and we are just waiting for the pin to drop. And when it did, everything that Amelia and Sydney had is up in the air. The side characters really added another dimension to the novel and tied everything up nicely. They made our protagonists look and feel more human.

I really enjoyed the writing of Cat Sebastian. It flowed nicely and was easy to read. Sometimes I find when reading historical fiction novels, I stumble on words and phrases, but Sebastian was able to have a smooth run. I did go back and read the first two books in the series and I overall really enjoyed them as well. They are fun and I loved the use of deception in those novels as well. Each one was unique and really stood out.

On this note, voice was really well presented in the whole series. I was able to tell who I was with most of the time and each voice didn’t blend with another. In regards to A Delicate Deception, Amelia was a pleasure to be with. She has her own tone that really stood out to me and I really enjoyed that.

Joe Yates

Overall, I really enjoyed A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian. It was a fun, heartwarming and such a great historical fiction novel. Amelia and Sydney were pretty adorable together and while I wish there was a little bit more of their relationship at the start, I still really enjoyed them. A Delicate Deception is witty, smart and the perfect read for when you just to melt into a book.

And that is it for this review! Have you read A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian? What did you think? Have you read any of the other books in this series? Let’s Chat!

Book Review : Covering All the Bases by Jody Holford

Jun 23, 2019

Covering All the Bases (For the Love of the Game #1) by Jody Holford

Pages: 200
Publish date: June 10th 2019
Publisher: Entangled: Bliss
ISBN: 9781640638037
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Talk about a wild day… As if being summoned to the deathbed of a grandfather she didn’t know existed wasn’t enough––Isla Bennett meets the man of her dreams. Spends an amazing day playing tourist around Nashville with him. And then finds out she’s inherited the Nashville Slammers major league baseball team. Oh, and her new dream man? He’s the Slammers’ star power hitter. Isla just went from amazing first date to holy heck I’m your boss in the span of a day.

Liam Cruz can’t believe how refreshing it was to spend a day with someone who didn’t know his batting average, the size of his last contract, or heck, even that he’s a baseball player. Now Isla’s thrust into the spotlight, and though she’s more than capable of handling herself professionally, he takes it upon himself to teach her everything he can about the game that is his whole life. But they’ll have to keep it on the DL.

Because doing what’s best for the team means they can never be together––and that might be the toughest play of all.

Book name:

I received an e-arc of Covering All The Bases by Jody Holford from Entangled: Bliss in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book. I wasn’t expecting much from this book honestly.

I hadn’t really heard anything about Covering All The Bases before I picked it up. But the synopsis sounded really interesting. I love sports romance, it’s one of my romance weakness so I couldn’t really say no to it. And while I didn’t fall in love with the book, I did really enjoy it and will most likely read more in the series when they come out.

Covering All The Bases follows Isla Bennett as she embarks on a journey she never imagined. When a grandfather that she never knew existed wishes to see her before he dies, Isla rushes to a Nashville. Then she has an amazing day being shown around Nashville, by the man of her dreams Liam Cruz. Then everything changes because Isla inherited the Nashville Slammers major league baseball team. And Liam just so happens to be their star player. It was just another night for Liam Cruz, but then he meets Isla and something changes. It’s been a long time since someone didn’t know who he was – and he likes that. But now Isla is his boss and everything changes.

Lesly Juarez

I really enjoyed the concept of this book. The plot was so intriguing and grabbed me from the get-go. Not only was it about women in power, but about women in power in sport. I also loved the concept that Isla inherited the team from her grandfather, meets the man of her dream and now she is her boss. It’s so ridiculous but also so perfect.

I really enjoyed Isla as a protagonist. She was really easy to get along with from the start and I wanted to keep knowing more about her. Isla didn’t have a great way of growing up and her father really isn’t the best person out there. But I think Isla did pretty well for herself. The reader gets to really know Isla throughout Covering All The Bases. And as Isla finds out more about herself and grows, the reader grows with her. One of the things that really made me like Isla was that she felt honest. It’s a strange thing to say, but she felt real. I also loved that she had no clue about baseball – made everything that little more interesting.

Liam was also a really easy character to get along in Covering All The Bases. He was charming and just a really nice male protagonist. I loved that he was this big baseball start, but also seemed really down to earth. I liked that the reader got to know more about Liam as the novel goes on and as Isla gets to know him.

Moss

The romance in Covering All The Bases was very sweet. It was one of those romance that is easy to read and isn’t filled with angst. While Isla and Liam have a lot holding them back from being together. It wasn’t anything to do with communication or issues that would easily be resolved. The banter between Isla and Liam was really spot on and I loved reading it. It was really cool seeing women in power and Liam understanding why Isla had her worries. I loved that there was a little tension between the two. In saying all that I didn’t like how quick their relationship did move. I am a slow burn romance kind of girl and everything moved far too quickly for my liking. While Liam and Isla did know a good amount about each other, something just didn’t sit right with me, regarding time.

There are some crazy things that go on over the course of Covering All The Bases. Isla relationship with her father for one. Some of the things that happened between the two were really hard to read. He just made me so angry. And it wasn’t just him. I really hate how Isla was treated by some of the male figures throughout the novel.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Covering All The Bases by Jodi Holford. It’s a great easy, quick, romance read that put a smile on my face. I loved that it explored female empowerment and being a powerhouse boss. Isla and Liam were really cute together and I liked getting to know them. While I didn’t love Covering All The Bases, it was a great, simple read and I do want to read more books in this series. If you are looking for a sports romance that is a little different, then this is for you.

Have you read Covering All The Bases by Jodi Holford? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally

Mar 24, 2019

Coming Up for Air (Hundred Oaks) by Miranda Kenneally

Pages: 293
Publish date: July 4th 2017
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
ISBN: 9781492630111
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Swim. Eat. Shower. School. Snack. Swim. Swin. Dinner. Homework. Bed. Repeat.

All of Maggie’s focus and free time is spent swimming. She’s not only striving to earn scholarships—she’s training to qualify for the Olympics. It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team and cheers her on. But Levi’s already earned an Olympic tryout, so Maggie feels even more pressure to succeed. And it’s not until Maggie’s away on a college visit that she realizes how much of the “typical” high school experience she’s missed by being in the pool.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Maggie decides to squeeze the most out of her senior year. First up? Making out with a guy. And Levi could be the perfect candidate. After all, they already spend a lot of time together. But as Maggie slowly starts to uncover new feelings for Levi, how much is she willing to sacrifice in the water to win at love?

Coming Up For Air:

I have been reading Miranda Kenneally books for years now. When I first picked up her books I fell in love with the sports romance and now I read it all the time. Miranda Kenneally books are much harder to find here in Australia and that’s mostly why I kept putting off reading it. But I thought it was due time for me to pick it up.

Coming up For Air by Miranda Kenneally follows Maggie as she tries to navigate her final year of high school, and more importantly her competitive swimming. Swimming has always been a part of Maggie’s life. Most of the day when she isn’t swimming she is thinking about swimming. And now she is training more than ever, because not only is Maggie striving to earn scholarships, but also to earn her spot at the Olympics. But after her best friend Levi earns a tryout, Maggie feels the pressure to get a place at the trails even more. But after a college visit, Maggie realises that she has missed a lot of the high school experience. And she thinks Levi might be the one to help her.

I just loved this book so much. I loved the characters, the plot and just everything in between. I’ve always finish Miranda Kenneally books with a smile on my face and it was no different for Coming up For Air.

Hao Sun

Maggie was a fantastic protagonist in Coming up For Air. She was honest, real, and had her faults – and that is why I enjoyed reading about her so much. Maggie has been training to get to the Olympics most of her swimming life, it’s what she gets up each does and thinks about. But by doing this, she also forgets how to be a teen. It was a really interesting way of looking up the ‘normal’ teen life, and I really enjoyed seeing Maggie experience some new things for the very first time. And while I loved seeing such a young driven character, it was great to see her let loose and kind of go with the flow.

One of the things that Miranda Kenneally does so well, is that she represents honest female characters that have their faults. Sometimes in YA, I have a hard time connecting with the protagonist because I feel like they can’t go wrong. But Kenneally does the opposite. This makes for not only a really good read but a protagonist with a fantastic character arc.

Levi was a really interesting character and for the most part, I really enjoyed him. Like Maggie, he is focused on his swimming and becoming the best that he can be. But he is naturally talented so things do come a little easier for him. Because of this, he likes to get this frustrating out a little differently. It was an interesting contrast to Maggie. Throughout Coming up For Air the reader gets to see many different sides to Levi, and I really enjoyed that.

Quino Al

I know I have spoken about this before many times. But I love sports romances books. I don’t really know why but they always put a smile on my face. Sometimes it is a little harder when I don’t know the sport so well, but I like learning about new things. And I think that Miranda Kenneally knows how to writes sports romances so well. You aren’t really thrown into the deep end with it all, but the reader learns along the way. I also like that Keneally didn’t just look at one type of sports in her Hundred Oaks series – it centres around all different types which is really cool.

The romance in Coming up For Air was adorable. It melted my hear and I just couldn’t stop smiling. And not only that it looks at one of my favourite romances tropes – best friends to lovers. Maggie and Levi have been friends since forever. They rarely spend a day apart, so Maggie knows that asking him to experience more of ‘normal’ teen life is going to be hard. But she does it. I really enjoyed that Levi didn’t give in right away – he showed that he respected their friendship – which was really nice. I loved that the heat between these two slowly builds and they both start falling for one another.

Alejandra Quiroz

Friendship and coming of age was also a massive theme throughout Coming up For Air. One of my favourite things about young adult novels is the exploration of friendships and I really think it was done well here. It explores some really fantastic friendships, as well as one that has turned a little nasty. Maggie has a really strong friendship group surrounding her that not only encourages her with swimming, but also other things in life.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Coming up For Air by Miranda Kenneally. It was a little bittersweet reading the final book in this series as I have been reading it for some time now. But Coming up For Air was a great way to finish it all off. It explores coming of age, being a teen and looking into the future. You will laugh, you will smile and you might even cry. Maggie and Levi are adorable together, but also have fantastic character arcs of their own. If you are looking for a cute, quick read, then this one if for you.

Have you read Coming up For Air by Miranda Kenneally? What did you think? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read any other books by Miranda Kenneally? Let’s Chat!