After Care by L.B. Dunbar

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: After Care
Author: L.B. Dunbar
Series: Sexy Silver Foxes #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance, Midlife romance
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2018

Thoughts

I did wonder if reading this story was going to be a little bit triggering for me. I mean, it’s a romance which features a breast cancer survivor as the female love interest. And yeah, I did wonder if it was going to be highly triggering to read, having just lost a family member to cancer. But, somehow, it was incredibly joyful and kind of cathartic at moments to read. I found After Care to be absolutely adorable and totally unforgettable. This was a great “silver fox” romance that had me smiling, frowning and just all around enjoying this in every moment that I could.

Although Tommy helped Edie in a lot of ways, he was also completely a knob to her at times as well. I love that he found her sexy as is, and is constantly all about pleasing her and making her happy. However, when he was actually tested and needed to demonstrate that he actually has faith in her… well, he failed miserably. I mean, the man spends the entire story telling Edie that she needs to trust him. But then, when she needs the benefit of the doubt, he just… walks away. What an absolute fool. He kind of redeemed herself, but not enough for my satisfaction. It made the “happily ever after” portion a little more difficult to swallow than usual.

In amongst Edie’s relationship with Tommy, she also manages to create her own Found Family. Honestly, I actually think that her relationships within this were more powerful to me than the actual romance. I love a good Found Family story, and the fact that Edie is able to do this after a series of huge things have run her life off course made it all that much better. Plus, it highlights how wonderful her children are in supporting her through everything. I loved the entire secondary cast dynamic and how powerful this was to forming Edie’s happily ever after.

I can’t wait to read more stories of Dunbar’s Silver Foxes. I’m not quite in my own midlife romance, but I’m probably heading closer to that end of the scale than the new adult stories. Although I wanted Edie to give Tommy a bit more pushback when he messed up, I also loved her forgiving nature. It made for a fun and sweet story. One that I will most probably read again, and has definitely made me intrigued to read more from this series as the next midlife romance couple takes centre stage.

<- The Sex Education of M.E.Midlife Crisis ->

Image source: Goodreads

101 Ways to Die by R.J. Blain

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: 101 Ways to Die
Author: R.J. Blain
Series: A Magical Romantic Comedy (with a Body Count) #21)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Humour, Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2022

Thoughts

Whilst I really enjoyed 101 Ways to Die, I did find the ending just a little bit abrupt. Without the extra addition of the final four chapters / stories at the end of this story. They helped to ease some of the abrupt feeling that I had and make it easier to close the page on this romance. Plus, it gave me more insight into McMarin’s family. And I absolutely loved them – they are chaotic, fun and intense. Everything that I enjoy in a good literary family – full of love and complete insanity.

Josefina McMarin is a great cop, and I love how seamlessly she fits into the insanity that is the Quinns and their precinct. The fact that she’s transferred out from a sexist, racist idiot just made this story even better. Plus, I love revisiting anything with Bailey and Quinn – they are hilarious enough as a couple, but as bosses? They are so much funnier. And McMarin just manages to ride out the storm of insanity with joy, and just enough pushback to make it hilarious. The fact that she makes her team work better as she learns how to be a great detective just made me all that much happier to be enjoying her story.

Where Josefina is an absolute powerhouse of a woman, Alec is so incredibly passive. He is cursed to witness death again and again, and yet, he manages to deal with it. Plus, he is so calm with all of the nonsense thrown at him. He doesn’t pushback against everything like Josefina does, but rather, figures out how to go with the flow and make peace with his circumstances. I particularly loved that, even though his curse isn’t “cured” within this story, he actually finds a way to live with it and, if anything, take advantage of it to make the world a better place for others.

Whilst I predicted some of what this story was going to involve, the journey to get to those moments was still amazing. And, there were a whole lot of twists and turns that I did not expect. But I really enjoyed them. I think if the final four chapters / stories were incorporated into the actual story, I probably would’ve loved this even more. Having said that, I will most definitely reread it anyway.

<- Doggone MessWhiskers on Kittens ->

Image source: Amazon

Stolen ReRead by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: Stolen ReRead
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Otherworld #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2002

Thoughts

It’s been a long while since I’ve read the Otherworld series, and I quite honestly forgot how dark this whole series is. Not only does Elena get kidnapped to be tested upon, but she also gets tortured. And then, because it’s Elena, it ends up in some very seriously twisted violence. There’s a reason why I love this series so much, but yeah, I’ve been on a major contemporary romance kick for a while now, and it’s definitely a whole lot darker than a lot of the books that I’ve been reading lately.

Where Bitten was all about the world of werewolves and Elena finding her way back to the world that she has tried to leave behind, Stolen opens up the whole world of the paranormal. This isn’t a series that is just about the werewolves anymore, but it is about a whole slew of paranormal couples. All of whom are dark and twisty in their own rights and have their own battles to fight. Plus, and I know this as it’s a reread, Savannah’s importance and story really starts in Stolen. I love that this was a second story about Elena and gives her the centre stage. But it is also a great start to Piper’s story which really kicks off in Dime Store Magic.

In Bitten, Elena chooses to return to the paranormal world and finally embrace some of her more violent and rougher edges. I love that in Stolen, she’s fully embracing this aspect of herself and her relationship with Clay. They are definitely not the traditional couple, and it’s not a relationship that would ever help me to thrive. But reading about how two imperfect beings manage to make all of their history and nonsense fit is a whole lot of fun. I also love that Elena’s acceptance of herself also means acceptance of her love for Clay. It’s a great reminder that she is steadily growing into her strength, place and powers.

Stolen is all about “othering” the paranormal community. It uses the idea of being “other” as a justification to kidnap, torture and kill some of the poor victims throughout this story. I love that this is all about witches versus warlocks. The power structures within the paranormal community and how each type of paranormal has a different level of “badassery”. A great story filled with the darkness and violence that I really love this series for. And now I can’t wait to dive back into Dime Store Magic again and see what I pick up on this read through.

<- Bitten ReReadDime Store Magic ReRead ->

Image source: Hachette

Magic Burns ReRead by Ilona Andrews

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview

Title: Magic Burns ReRead
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Magic, Shapeshifters, Urban fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2008

Thoughts

It doesn’t matter how many times I read through Magic Burns, or really, any of the Kate Daniels series, I absolutely love it. There’s a reason why it’s my favourite series and I love to reread it again and again and again. Ilona Andrews is able to brilliantly craft a world that is impossible to get away from. It doesn’t matter how many times I read this series, I absolutely love it. And although I enjoyed Magic Bites, it’s in Magic Burns that I feel like the Kate Daniels series really starts to find its pace.

The many different mythologies that inform the world of Kate Daniels draw me in beautifully. In Magic Burns, it’s the Celtic gods that take the fore front of the story. I love the tales of the Morrighan, from the little bits that I know. And I love that it is her hound and her mythos that takes centre stage. The variety of well-researched mythologies in this series is brilliant. It’s reminded me how much I love the Celtic folklore and I want to dive into my own research again. The focus on war, through the Morrighan, and how Kate deals with it is brilliant. She doesn’t glorify war and wants to stay away from the fight, but is willing to engage to protect those she cares about.

Magic Burns also introduces Kate’s relationship with Julie. This is such a cornerstone for the series in that Kate takes on a parental role. It’s the first step in Kate growing up and taking on the world for those that she loves. And honestly, Julie is the first emotional connection that Kate willingly makes. I loved reading about the beginnings of this connection with the knowledge of what actually happens in the future. How this beautiful relationship manages to open the flood gates to so much more.

Kate’s secrets come a whole lot closer to coming out during Magic Burns. It’s been a while since I’ve read this series, so I can’t remember when the actual facts start to leak out. Though, I love that Curran has obviously started to guess bits and pieces of her enigmas. And, rather than making him feel that she is a threat, he actually chooses to start his courtship of her. I find this to be truly hilarious and, again, I can’t wait to reread this series with the knowledge of how things will eventually unfold.

<- Magic Bites ReReadMagic Strikes ReRead ->

Image source: Shakespeare and Company

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: The Woman in Me
Author: Britney Spears
Rating Out of 5:  (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Biographies, Celebrity, Mental health
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2023

Thoughts

Sometimes I read biographies to feel good about life, sometimes I read them to learn something new. And then there are times when I read them because I’m very familiar with the person and I’m absolutely fascinated about the nonsense in their lives. I knew that this wasn’t going to be one of those biographies that was ultimately feel good and made me have faith in humanity. But, I also wasn’t wrong when I thought that this was going to be seriously fascinating. There were moments throughout that were kind of hard to read, but overall, I had a lot of joy in learning more about Britney Spears’ viewpoint of her life and rise to fame. But, more importantly, there is so much hope there for the future too.

One of the parts of The Woman in Me that I found most difficult was Britney’s recollection of the early days of her career. She is adamant that many of the highly sexualised aspects of her career were her own choices. That she always wanted to dance and sing in that way. And even though this is probably true to a degree, I found it horrifying that her parents decided to, at the very least, passively stand by and let her be sexualised in such a way when she was a fifteen year old child. There was something horrifying and icky about it before (when I found out just how old she was), but now, as an adult, and reading about it. Yeah, it just becomes a hell of a lot more Nope.

Something I seriously loved about The Woman in Me is how honest Spears is about not only her depression, but also her many challenges and mental health issues. Her love for her children just jumps off the page. And honestly, all things aside, if I was threatened with never seeing my children again on a frequent basis, I would’ve done a whole lot worse than shaving my damn head. Throughout all of the battles that she faces, it’s really heartwarming to see that she places her love of her children above all else. I know that the use of children against a spouse is not an unknown story, but it’s still absolutely heart wrenching to read about children being used as pawns. No matter what the circumstances, it’s just unfathomable to me. But I guess when there is untold amounts of money to be made or had…

I’m not going to lie, when I heard bits in the media about #FreeBritney and the conservatorships, I really didn’t think much of it. I tend to find the media and all of the nonsense that surrounds celebrities to be a bit much at times. And I tend to ignore it. But, this is one of those few instances that I wish I had been more aware and alert. All I can hope is that in telling her story, Spears is able to not only set the record straight, but also that the legalities of conservatorships will be seriously overhauled. In telling such a disgusting narrative, hopefully there will be some positives and joy for others in the future.

<- WillThis Is Me ->

Image source: eBay

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

Book Review
Overview

Title: The Rose Code
Author: Kate Quinn
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Historical fiction
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2021

Thoughts

This is one of those books that I really, really wanted to like. It gets a lot of positive feedback and the concept is absolutely brilliant. And, to be honest, I did really enjoy it for the first third, and then I started to get a bit bogged down in it. Quinn is an amazing writer, but I just couldn’t fall in love with The Rose Code like I wanted to.

For me, the biggest issue with The Rose Code was that it really dragged on. For the first third, I was absolutely obsessed with the story. But then, by the time I got halfway through, I kind of didn’t care anymore. The women were fun characters and kind of kick ass, all in their own way, shape and form. But I felt like a large chunk of the story and the descriptors could have been removed. The story kind of stagnated in the everyday, rather than leading forward into the drama.

Another reason I probably didn’t fall head over heels for this story was that I’m honestly not a huge fan of this form of historical fiction. Quinn’s writing is very factual, and as mentioned, bogged down in the minutiae of the daily. For some, this is probably the exact format they like to consume their historical fiction in, but I personally prefer a lot more character growth and drama.

I probably won’t read anymore books by Quinn, but I did enjoy trying this book. Not one of those books that I felt was a waste of time. But definitely one that I won’t be rereading anytime soon. Maybe at another stage in life, this will be a more suited story to my tastes. All around, I found this disappointing – I wanted to love this and I loved the entire premise. But I just couldn’t get into it.

<- More historical fictionMore historical fiction ->

Image source: Kate Quinn

Roar by Dr. Stacy T. Sims

Book Review, ,
Overview

Title: Roar
Author: Dr. Stacy T. Sims
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Non-fiction, Sport, Women’s health
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Non-fictional text
Year: 2016

Thoughts

I bought this book because I really loved a podcast that Dr. Stacy Sims spoke in. Plus, I love my sport and I’ve been wanting to train with my cycles and hormones for a long time. I’m normally a big fan of non-fictional texts that partake wisdom to me. And I’m normally happy to read them over a period of months. But I found Roar just a little bit difficult to get through.

I was hoping for a much broader focus of how women can work with their hormones and cycles to optimise their training. However, I found that Sims really focused in on a very small niche of individuals. In fact, even as someone who spends a ridiculous amount of time training, and training intensely, I found that a lot of this information was for those athletes who are full-time athletes. Not people who just want to harness their biology to improve their skills and fitness.

Reading Roar at a time when I was recovering from having two children in two years, and the whole body-image issues that come along with it, may not have been the best of ideas. I actually found that I had to put this to the side for a little while just because I found it to be a little triggering. Primarily because I can’t actually choose to eat healthy some days, it can often be a choice of eating or not due to exhaustion and the insanity of having young children.

<- More women’s healthMore sport ->

Image source: Amazon

Reading Update as of Early May 2025

Book Review

Things have been difficult lately, so I’ve been majorly buried in my books… here is the joyful parts of that not so joyful timing.

Non-fiction

Series

Standalones – Novels

Standalones – Novellas

Standalones – Short stories

Royal Valentine by Jenn McKinlay

Book Review, ,
Overview

Title: Royal Valentine
Author: Jenn McKinlay
Series: A Museum of Literature Romance #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novella
Year: 2022

Thoughts

This is a short and cute novella. It is filled with fun little twists and turns without being too angsty. I love that Molly and Albert have this great little whirlwind romance. And then he just disappears. Because this is a contemporary romance, I knew that he would have a good excuse. And I knew that there would be a happy ending. But I loved how Molly has to come to terms with this nonsense. And there’s the whole re-meeting moment that was all kinds of awkward and delicious at the same time.

I really enjoyed that for the first half of this novella, you get to follow Molly and Albert along as they fall for one another. But then, the second half is all about them reconnecting after Albert disappears. It means that, in following them fall for one another, I was so much more emotionally invested than I would have otherwise been. Anything that can get me this emotionally invested in such a short amount of time writes a wonderful romance, and the fact that I was completely rooting for these two from the beginning, right up until the end makes me feel ridiculously happy to read more of McKinlay’s books in the future.

This was a fairly normal Prince and Pauper kind of trope. But, rather than feeling privileged to be with a man who is so far out of her financial league, Molly is seriously suspicious. I love her level of cynicism, this is coming from a reader who would seriously freak out if her husband bought flowers. So I understand that level of cynicism. Plus, it made her more realistic. No one I know ever believes in the happily ever after with no strings attached. It’s the strings we choose to take on that make our happily ever afters perfect.

<- More Jenn McKinlayThe Attraction Distraction ->

Image source: Goodreads

Here Kitty, Kitty! by Shelly Laurenston

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: Here Kitty Kitty
Author: Shelly Laurenston
Series: Magnus Pack #3
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2007

Thoughts

I knew that Nik was going to be Angelica’s love interest from their little Meet Cute in Go Fetch!, I did not expect how good their romance was going to be. I thought that I enjoyed reading about Miki falling and dealing with all of her issues. That had nothing on Angie’s drama. Not only did I seriously love this story, but I also found Angie’s tendency towards violence for the sake of violence so much more entertaining and humorous. It concerns me how much I loved Angie’s tendency to just beat the crap out of others, but also, so very enjoyable.

Angie’s rage issues are a well-known fact from the beginning of the Magnus Pack series. What is not so obvious is the reasons behind her rage. I absolutely adored the reasons why she feels such rage (even if it is a little bit heartbreaking). Yet, even though she is actively working on not being completely unhinged in her rage… she still manages to absolutely kick butt whenever she needs to. I love that she’s the one who helps to ultimately control the hyenas and their evil ways… not just through her own violent tendencies, but also her willingness to create a previously unprecedented truce.

Having read enough of the shapeshifter world which Laurenston has beautifully constructed, I really admire how she differentiates between the different breeds / species of shapeshifter. In the case of tigers, the majority of them are still the type to eschew monogamy. However, I love Nik’s journey to coming to terms with his monogamous ways. And the fact that he takes after his father – who has harassed, tortured and loved the same woman his entire life. Whilst there is a bit of a battle at the beginning, he ultimately embraces this new sense of reality and just, doubles down on his commitment. The whole internal journey that Nik is forced to face was something that left me giggling and smiling throughout.

Here Kitty Kitty was filled with so much yummy, yummy adult scenes. Alongside all of the violence and banter. I absolutely adored this. Plus, I love how it rounds out the Magnus Pack trilogy in a way that felt like the end of one story, but the beginning of another. In this case, Sara’s rise to power is complete, the truce that they manage to have the cats, wolves and so many others push upon the hyenas is also completed. But the start of the next war is just on the horizon. Which is why it’s worth jumping into the Pride series next.

<- Go Fetch!Miss Congeniality ReRead ->

Image source: Shelly Laurenston