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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
Title: Finding His Cheer Author: Claire Wilder Rating Out of 5: 2 (Managed to read it… just) Pace: Slow Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2021
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!
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 storiesI’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!
I absolutely loved the world building in this novella – it was a fantastic reality of blood magic and chaos. There was a whole underbelly of magic and mayhem that I can’t wait to dive deeper into. And that’s not accounting for the great character building of Lem and Mags. Blood magic isn’t a new concept in the stories that I read, but the way that it is portrayed is entirely new. I love that it is all built on a seedy underbelly of blood and life. All of which is transactional.
Lem is a fascinating narrator, one that I want to get to know more of. I love that, when there are constant bad decisions to be made, he chooses to do the “right thing”. All driven, of course, by his love of Mags. Love that the simplicity of Mags and the way he sees the world is what makes a man who could potentially be evil be a good man. And one that I want to get to know more of.
This is a fantastic prequel to The Ustari Cycle, I can’t wait to see how the occurrences in this story lead to a world of hurt for Lem and Mags. Forced servitude, blood trading and all sorts of horrible nonsense are going to be incredibly fun and interesting to read about!
Not only was this a fantastically fun and cute contemporary romance, but I also loved the insight it gave into the immigrant experience of South East Asians in the Northern Hemisphere. Which meant that I got to enjoy not only a great romance full of humour and wit, but also, I got to learn a whole lot more about the ways in which other people live and experience the world – a win win in my books. Sharma not only constructed a wonderful romance, but she also highlighted some of the unique challenges experienced by those who have a different cultural background / come from an immigrant family within western worlds. And how these things can clash with the way that the world is perceived and people grow up. A topic that I, honestly, find endlessly fascinating.
I love that this story discussed love marriages as opposed to arranged marriages, why both points of view are such an integral part of different cultures. Plus, there’s the whole idea of how arranged marriages actually occur in our modern society – it’s not as forceful as I once may have believed. But, rather, a negotiation in which the couple is able to meet and get to know each other before taking that plunge. I mean, we all live longer today, so it’s nice to know that this is a relationship that is still built on two people getting to know one another, just with vastly different expectations than what I expect from a marriage. Which, again, I loved getting this point of view in my life. I couldn’t put it down and found it quite unforgettable.
Honestly, I was kind of expecting Dr. Dil to be more of a pain in the bum, and unlikeable male lead. Particularly after reading some of the reviews for Dating Dr. Dil. I mean, he’s kind of pushy and keeps on pursuing something that has the huge potential to hurt Kareena. Even when he acknowledges the potential for fall out, he continues to pursue the relationship because of his own benefits. This shouldn’t have made for a likeable character. And yet, somehow, he was incredibly wonderful. There was just something about him, that, even in spite of his nonsense, makes you like him. Not judge him quite so likely for his nonsense with Kareena and somewhat poor decision making. Plus, the problematic behaviour at the beginning leads to some great character development throughout the story.
Kareena is my absolute favourite. I mean, she’s loyal to her family and loves them, even when they are somewhat toxic. But, she’s also strong, independent and able to stand on her own two feet. I love that even though she is trying to conform to society’s and her family’s expectations, she’s also doing it in her own way, under her own steam. Plus, eventually, she manages to make a little bit more separation from the toxicity of her family, even if it isn’t a total separation (which I don’t ever believe is the answer either). I love that in the end, there are acknowledgements of the faults in the dynamic, and a way to start moving forward.
Earth and Skye 