All posts by skyebjenner

You Wandered Off Like a Foolish Child to Break Your Heart and Mine by Pat York

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: You Wandered Off Like a Foolish Child to Break Your Heart and Mine
Author: Pat York
In: Silver Birch, Blood Moon (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Retellings
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Short story
Year: 1999

Thoughts

This is a great follow on short story from The Wild Heart. In The Wild Heart, the thorns and dangers of Sleeping Beauty were seen from another point of view. But in York’s short story, all of those who tried (and failed) to reach the princess are focused upon. Honestly, this story was a great way to continue this feeling of reimagining. And it hit me from the very first word.

You Wandered Off Like a Foolish Child to Break Your Heart and Mine is a dark story from the very first sentence. It shows those who seriously lost out in the original fairy tale. I mean, ultimately, the princess is freed and there’s a “happily ever after”. But at what cost? Not everyone is a winner and for every story, there is a losing side. Sometimes those losers are actually kind of innocent and it’s a little bit sad.

Yet, with all of the darkness and heartbreak within this story, for me, this story is about a mother’s love for her son. What she’ll give up to try and care for her child, even when he is ungrateful and kind of annoying. Even when all of her efforts are in vain, there is no doubt of this mother’s love for her child.

<- The Wild HeartArabian Phoenix ->

Image source: Wikipedia

Naughty Little Christmas by Lil Valente

Book Review,
Overview

Title: Naughty Little Christmas
Author: Lili Valente
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Contemporary romance
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2023

Thoughts

Naughty Little Christmas is a fun second chance romance that just happens to take place at Christmas time. It’s fun, light, and an incredibly easy read. Macy and Dean are very cute together, but I didn’t get all of the tingles that I get with a really good romance. I wanted them to find their happily ever after, and there was so much joy in reading this. But, it wasn’t one that I was insanely keen to dive back into. Which is normally my hint that this author may not quite be for me. They’re enjoyable and it’s all fun and everything. But, it’s not an unforgettable and emotionally driven story.

I like that the past is flavoured by the fact that Macy and Dean separated because of misconceptions. And their ten years apart has led them to grow into different people. But, they manage to come back together with a clash and a re-meeting that did have me smiling. In fact, I think the fact that Dean is dressed as Sexy Stripper Santa was honestly my favourite part of this whole story. And that he is stripper Santa for the best of reasons.

I really loved how this story got me into a bit more of the holiday spirit and was such an easy departure from reality. However, I’m not sure that I’ll bother with any more by this author or within this series. It’s a fun story, but not a memorable one. And when you have shelves filled with memorable stories, it’s easy for the not so memorable to get lost.

<- More ChristmasMore contemporary romance ->

Image source: Goodreads

Mountain Man Inn Love by Hazel J. North

Book Review,
Overview

Title: Mountain Man Inn Love
Author: Hazel J. North
Rating Out of 5: 2.5 (Readable, but not worth reading again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Contemporary romance
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2023

Thoughts

I really wanted to like this, and I definitely liked this story enough to finish reading the whole story. But I just wasn’t enamoured. And I probably won’t bother reading anything else by Hazel J. North. I mean, this was an fairly cute holiday novella. But not one that I find overly memorable. A boss and his junior marketing something or other have the hots for each other. They travel away for work and finally end up acting on those feelings. There wasn’t much angst. There wasn’t much drama. And there wasn’t much of anything that made me want to keep diving into the story. So onwards and all that.

<- More ChristmasMore contemporary romance ->

Image source: Kobo

The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese

Book Review, ,
Overview

Title: The Mistletoe Motive
Author: Chloe Liese
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Contemporary romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2021

Thoughts

Jonathan and Gabby are such a cute, quintessential, opposites attract couple. And one that finds their happily ever after at Christmas? They are just too dang cute and adorable. I absolutely loved reading about their holiday romance. Plus, each chapter has a Christmas song to start it, the perfect story to get you into the Christmas holiday mood. The fact that they fall in love while surrounded by books, honestly, this was kind of a book that wa tailor made for me. I love books, I love Christmas, and I love Love.

I love that Gabby’s journey to finding love involved her dealing with autism and being demisexual. Whilst she’s entirely accepting of her differences, and often embraces them, Liese is able to still show the difficulties that she has to deal with daily. Plus, it also highlights how difficult her relationship with Jonathan is, because no one is automatically entitled to your truth. Jonathan too has his own challenges that aren’t automatically divulged. I love that much of his grumpiness and disappearances were due to his diabetes, not his actual personality. Both Gabby and Jonathan, once they actually sit down and talk, find that many of their points of contention are due to misunderstandings, not actually because either one is a bad or difficult person.

The Mistletoe Motive is a bit of a enemies to friends to lovers story. I love that they connect through snark and attitude. I tend to approach people I love with a whole lot of sass myself. And honestly, the banter between Gabby and Jonathan is just too damn adorable. I love stories that keep a smile on my face throughout, and Gabby and Jonathan’s relationship managed to do just this. Their confusion, particularly Gabby’s, as they fall for one another is too damn cute. Plus, they use their competitive nature to actually benefit those they love and everyone around them.

The Mistletoe Motive is not just a great Christmas story, but one that is all about save a little, family owned bookstore in a world where a lot of these shops are collapsing. I love the idea of keeping this tradition of books alive, while still adapting to the modern needs and market. Plus, doing it at Christmas makes this story all about embracing the spirit of love and friendship. People spending time with their loved ones for the holiday season and finding their own happily ever afters. Even if it’s not quite what they expected.

<- More Chloe LieseMore Christmas ->

Image source: Chloe Liese

Luck of the Irish by TK Eldridge

Book Review
Overview

Title: Luck of the Irish
Author: TK Eldridge
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2023

Thoughts

I tried with this story, I really did. But, honestly, I kind of got bored with it. I liked what I read, but I didn’t feel like I need to continue on with it. I mean, it was fun, but not altogether that interesting. Which means on to the next book in the TBR.

Image source: Kobo

High Heels and Bicycle Wheels by Jane Linfoot

Book Review
Overview

Title: High Heels and Bicycle Wheels
Author: Jane Linfoot
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2014

Thoughts

Sadly, this book was completely and totally forgettable. I loved the premise, I started off liking the execution. And then it didn’t really move forwards from there. I couldn’t find anything to relate to in either of the characters and just… it felt stagnant. I really wanted to love this book. Mostly because I absolutely adored the cover and title. It just wasn’t meant to be.

Image source: HarperCollins

Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center

Book Review, ,
Overview

Title: Happiness for Beginners
Author: Katherine Center
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Contemporary romance
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2015

Thoughts

I did really enjoy this story, but I probably won’t be reading anymore Katherine Center books. As much as I loved this, I just didn’t feel like I was totally drawn in. Honestly, this was just one of those rare moments when I actually enjoyed the movie more than the book. Something about the book just didn’t quite sit right with me. Everything about this story was just pleasant. I wasn’t engaged. But I also wasn’t overly bothered.

One of the things that made it difficult to connect to this story was Helen. I know that she was going through a time of drastic change, I just found her to be a little bit too whiney and judgemental. Don’t get me wrong, I probably would’ve had some very similar thoughts if I was in her shoes. But, I’d also work on moving past the judgement to acceptance. She never quite got to that point of maturity. Mostly she maintained her judgemental nature and didn’t quite move on from it.

Then there was the fact that Helen was very entitled when it came to Jake. She turned him down repeatedly, but then still felt possessive and entitled to all of his attention. It was somewhat difficult to read about. And if it was a man showing that possessive entitlement, he would’ve been completely called on it. I just wanted a little bit more growth in the person as well as the relationship.

I enjoyed this story, and I’m glad that I had the pleasure of reading it. But I didn’t quite love it. It’s one that I will happily shelve and move on from. I’m not gunning for another story of this calibre. But I definitely enjoyed my brief foray into Center’s world.

<- More chic litMore contemporary romance ->

Image source: MacMillan

Finding His Cheer by Claire Wilder

Book Review,
Overview

Title: Finding His Cheer
Author: Claire Wilder
Rating Out of 5: 2 (Managed to read it… just)
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2021

Thoughts

I really wanted to like this story. And I wanted to be hooked by this. Particularly since it featured a family dealing with the loss of a parent at the holidays. Everything about this sounded good. But, honestly, I just couldn’t get into it. And, with so many wonderful books on my shelves, I just decided to move on. Honestly, I didn’t hate this in any way, shape or form. I just… didn’t feel attached. And if I can walk away from a book after three chapters without thinking about it, it’s not the book for me. So onwards and upwards. But this might be a great book for someone else!

Image source: Amazon

Elvenbrood by Tanith Lee

Book Review, , , , , , , , ,
Overview

Title: Elvenbrood
Author: Tanith Lee
In: The Faery Reel (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Fae, Family, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Short story
Year: 2004

Thoughts

Elvenbrood is a short story that is all about the fae and the deals that they make. I mean, in none of the literature have I ever read a story that makes me think, “hmmm, making deals with the fae is a good idea”. Lee is able to expand on this and drive home the many, many ways in which this isn’t the best idea around. And just why it might be a better idea to just… steer clear. Yet, with the deals being made and the horrors of this being unleashed, there are still surprising twists and turns that I just didn’t see coming.

There is a lot of darkness to the fae, and I love that this story carries that tone and feeling throughout. Plus, Jack is a brother who will do anything for his sister, even brave the darker moments of the fae. I love that, while this is a somewhat dark short story, it also has a lot of light and hopefulness to it, primarily in Jack’s love for his sister and his ability to fight for both her and his mother. Plus, the villain isn’t quite who you think it is, and the ending makes you grateful for loyalty and love.

Like all of the other Tanith Lee short stories I’ve read, I absolutely adored this one. I loved the darkness and the twists, brilliantly countered by the light and love Jack shows for his family. This story was seriously enjoyable and I will most definitely read more of her works in the future!

<- CatnypYour Garnet Eyes ->

Image source: Amazon

Reading Update as of Early December 2024

List, ,

It has been a horrible few weeks. Enough said about that. Here’s what I’ve read in that shitty time.

Series

Standalones – Novels

Standalones – Novellas

Standalones – Short stories