Title: The House Lost at Sea Author: R.J. Blain Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) My Bookshelves:Paranormal romance, Pirates, Urban fantasy Pace: Slow Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2016
I wanted to love this novel a whole lot more than I did. I mean, I’ve loved absolutely everything about Blain’s books so far. But there was just something about this one that hit differently. Instead of diving for my ereader to continue with the story like I usually do, I was just… meh about it. I read Blainfor the violence, fluff and humour, and although this had it all, I think my biggest issue was that there was a lot of build up, but not much action.
Probably the most repetitive aspect of the beginning of this was Ricardo. I mean, it made sense that Catalina was focused on him. There was a whole, enjoyable backstory there. But then it just kind of kept on going. I mean, I got that there was this fixation – but I wanted more of her past, not just the same focus. It made it a little boring to continue to read.
I absolutely adored the idea and execution of a pirate / shark shifter. Particularly since I’ve read a few books recently about the Golden Age of Pirates. I love all of the research that obviously went into this story. It’s obvious that Blain made a lot of effort to craft this story, and I really enjoyed that fact.
This was a good, fun story. But not one that I felt super excited about. Luckily I can’t wait to dive into the rest of the Blain books on my TBR!
I love that this short story is all about soul food made from the soul. It’s also about family and love. And the ways in which food reminds us of who we are. Leo’s love for his family and the catharsis of cooking his love for them is beautiful and drew me in from the very beginning.
Even though this story focuses on a cooking competition, I wasn’t’ convinced that Leo would actually win in the end. It was fun spending the whole time trying to figure out if Leo’s food would actually win the day, or if he would just find a way to be closer to his mother and grandma.
Although this was a fairly simple and enjoyable story, I also enjoyed the fact that there was a little commentary about the cost of life and medical care in the US. It hit a little close to home as I currently have a parent fighting cancer, but, unlike in the US, I live in a country that makes it a lot more affordable to live.
The Hungry Heart Row cooking competition, quite honestly, just sounds delicious. And it definitely made me salivate while I read this.
Title: Gift of Air Author: C.L. Carhart Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) Pace: Slow Format: eBook, Novella Year: 2023
This historical fiction based in one of the world wars was not a bad read, but not one that I was in love with. I think I just kept getting stuck on the idea of a woman giving her heart and everything to a man, but he didn’t actually have to give anything in return. Definitely not my idea of a romance or a happily ever after.
I don’t know the original fairy tale that this is based on, but I definitely loved this retelling. It was everything I love in a good fairy tale – it’s cute and kind of sweet. But with a tragic backstory that made me kind of sad. I definitely plan on adding more of the writing of Chokshi to my TBR now.
This short story had such a sad ending, one that shows just how much miscommunications can hurt. My heart broke a little at the ending. Particularly since it brewed resentment and hurt. But, it had that bittersweet feeling of love and beauty.
I honestly thought that the man would betray the mountain. But, it was actually pride and greed from others that destroyed their happiness. A reminder that sometimes the gods shouldn’t come near humans. And that sometimes fairy tales don’t have a happily ever after.
This was a really enjoyable story, but not a series or author that I’ll be reading further. I definitely enjoyed my foray into Lallo’s world, but I wasn’t supremely attached to it. Plus, for me, this worked kind of well as a standalone – there were no major cliff-hangers and answers that I needed at the conclusion of this story.
One of the things I loved the most about this story was that it is a space pirate story filled with hijinks and insanity. Mostly I just enjoyed the random insanity of those flying through the skies as they try and survive raiders and robbers. Plus, just pure insanity and hijinks.
Nita is a really fun and engaging lead, and I love that she’s admittedly impulsive but also incredibly intelligent. Unlike some books, there is little commentary on her looks, and a focus on her privilege and smarts. Actually, there is little physical description throughout, more of a focus on characters and plot line. Which I enjoyed thoroughly.
Title: The Emperor’s Edge Author: Lindsay Buroker Rating Out of 5: 1 (Couldn’t get past the first page) Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2010
I really, really want to like this novel. I mean, everything about it is the kind of thing that normally draws me into the story. But, I just couldn’t do it. I think that if I had’ve read this when I was younger, I probably would have loved this. However, I found from the get-go this story was one that was very aggressively inclined towards women. And, I just couldn’t quite get into it.
Title: Electric Blue Love Author: Rebecca Jenshak Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Contemporary romance Pace: Medium Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2018
I honestly thought that the age gap in this romance was going to be one of the sticking points for the whole relationship. I was seriously surprised when it wasn’t. In fact, other than the fact that the age gap left one half of the couple in college, whilst the other is well established in the business world, there wouldn’t have been anything of note about the whole age gap romance thing. I love that most of the conflict to this couple is the past and present colliding, and both Court and Bianca being forced to figure out how to negotiate their lives with all of the challenges that they both face.
Electric Blue Love is a little bit more serious than the other Jenshak books that I’ve read. And I kind of liked that departure from the lighter books I’ve read by her so far. It’s still a new adult romance, one that is based at that turning point in life. The one where you figure out who you are going to be in life. But, between Court and Bianca’s family, there are a number of more adult concerns occurring throughout the story. I really enjoyed Court and Bianca’s ability to finally overcome their challenges, and find a new happily ever after.
I don’t have a whole lot of mentor / mentee type romances on my shelves. And I love how Court and Bianca are able to build their relationship not so much on a friendship, but a friendship of sorts. It’s also refreshing that although Bianca is originally using Court as a relationship guru of sorts, she very quickly realises her own feelings and acts on them. It meant that the angst was so much more based on the external influences, than both Court and Bianca just not admitting what they mean to one another. It also acted as a nice reminder as to why Bianca works so well in an age gap romance – she’s mature and not prone to the hysterics and nonsense others can sometimes be drawn to.
As much as I love the fact that Bianca and Court were less whiney and angsty about their feelings, it did freak me out a little when they got together halfway through the story. It just meant that for the second part, I was anticipating the worst to happen. I mean, this story was going to have them torn apart in one way, shape or form. And it did almost make me cry when they do face their hurdles. But, it also meant that I absolutely demolished this book – I raced to find them together, and then I raced to see how Jenshak was going to tear them apart.
As a counterpoint to Court, Todd is a bloody idiot. I mean, a lot of his actions and decisions are just damn painful and cringey. Although, he does manage to have some redeeming qualities throughout. Regardless, I really don’t see how Bianca managed to fall for the fool in the first place… I like him as the mild villain in this though. Whilst the stakes are high, and there are plenty of emotions, Todd manages to be a low cost challenge to the relationship.
I did really want to like this story. In fact, it was well written and I actually loved the characters from the very beginning. The only thing is that I really can’t get into BDSM. I’ve tried multiple times, and I can flirt with certain aspects of it, but ultimately, I just couldn’t quite get into this. Having said that, if Lexi Blake writes something that isn’t BDSM, I’ll probably dive straight into it.
I actually really, really enjoyed this short story. It took a little bit to get into. And I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting, but I actually found this incredibly enjoyable. Which of course is exactly what you want when you read a short story.
From the moment that Jonas found solace in Betsy, I was expecting them to get a happily ever after. It didn’t quite go the way that I anticipated, but it was still an interesting adventure. Plus, there was a whole lot of mystical stuff in there that gives them an unexpected happily ever after. I’m still not quite sure how it all worked out – but I felt happy at the completion of the story.
This short story was a really cute and easy read. I love that the woman rescues the man, not the other way around. And that they get to have a happily ever after that was both unexpected and well appreciated.
This was an absolutely brilliant spin on the Emperor’s New Clothes. Honestly, there was a little surprise around every corner, and I was never completely sure of what to expect from one moment to the next. Yet, it still kind of captured the themes of the original, exactly what I tend to enjoy within a retelling.
I love that the Prince in this tried to upstage and destroy his brother, and in doing so, managed to destroy himself. Again, I was constantly surprised about what was going to happen next and how it was going to work out. But, mostly I just really enjoyed that the more you got to know and dislike the prince, the more you realised what a hole he was potentially digging himself.
There were so many layers to this short story, and I love that no matter how many times you read it, you’re going to find an extra moment to notice and interpret. I particularly loved how perceptions and interpretations can be so wrong. Specifically the Prince’s misunderstanding of the women within this story and how their actions were so seriously misunderstood.
I absolutely adored this short story, and thought that it was brilliantly executed. Definitely one that I’ll read again in the future.
Earth and Skye 