I’m always a fan of friends to lovers stories. They’re cute and fun. And I honestly think that the best basis for a good relationship is a strong friendship. The fact that in this case, the friendship is based around Ashley’s brother does make it somewhat awkward. But also so very delicious…
I haven’t found a story by Erin McCarthy that I don’t enjoy. This novella was no exception. There’s fun and sass throughout, with plenty of heart. There’s also just the right amount of steam that makes you wonder when your significant other is getting home…
Another easy and fun read that had me smiling and feeling at peace. I’m looking forward to reading the next one on my shelves.
Alright, I didn’t love the beginning of this story. I mean kidnapping a woman with not the best intentions in mind? Yeah… not such a huge fan. Particularly the anger coming off of the lead male. It was pretty uncomfortable and problematic. But, Melina was quickly able to balance that out. Which is honestly a style I’m getting used to with Leigh’s writing.
Once I got over the nope factor of the beginning of this story, I started to really enjoy this. The passion just leaped off the pages. But, so did Melina’s strength of self and character. I mean, I totally get why she falls for the guy, but I mostly just fell for her…
The lead romance is obviously the main draw of this story. But the dog in this managed to steal the show. Which, in my opinion is what frequently happens. I’m completely obsessed with dogs… he is just too ridiculously sweet and a great comedic relief when things are getting a bit intense in the relationship department.
This was both an easy read and a bit uncomfortable in places. I think mostly because I found not only the premise that begins the relationship a bit wow. But also Melina’s family and treatment of her… that was just damn heartbreaking.
This is probably my least favourite of the novellas in the Hot Summer Nights collection. But, that’s not saying saying because so far I’ve loved them all. I think it was just the whole premise of the video blogging that had me feeling a bit “eh”.
The lead male in this, Officer Sharp, was a great and fun lead. He is very serious and straightlaced, so a little different to many of the male leads I normally read. He’s still an alpha, just a little less grey and rebellious than I’m used to. But, I think that’s why I liked him so much… he was so damn different to other characters.
Aside from the fun of the romance, I really liked the setting of this story. I was immediately drawn into the world of Bluebonnet. Putting the first few books of this series on my wishlist was by no means a chore.
It was incredibly easy to attach to Maggie in this story. She is sweet and kind of innocent / naïve in a lot of ways. But, she’s also got this amazing sense of self and strength that you kind of don’t expect. It makes you pull for her from the very beginning. Makes you want her to have her happily ever after. And, as with many Robyn Carr stories, her tale acts as a fantastic reminder that sometimes the high-powered career and what you think you want… not even remotely the path to your happily ever after.
Most definitely I am currently addicted to Robyn Carr, she is fun and writes the sweetest of books. Plus, my brain is definitely far down the baby brain track, so it’s nice to read something that is a bit easier for me to digest. Maggie and Cal are obviously going to end up together, but they also have a few moments in between that throw a spanner or two into the works.
I liked that Maggie and Cal weren’t the primary focus of this story. Rather, it was about a small community and a whole series of relationships. Particularly I loved the fact that throughout this story, Maggie was able to reconnect with her father. I can’t imagine how difficult her childhood was when different aspects came up in the story, but throughout their trials and tribulations, they’re able to find a new beginning together.
Alongside Maggie’s childhood, there is Cal’s childhood. That is one that is somewhat tragic and made my heart hurt a little bit. Overcoming a difficult past is incredible, but I love the journey that you go through to see how Cal was able to do so. And, there’s not just the tragedy of his childhood and family, but also his own romantic past. Maggie also has a tragic romantic history – both of which are able to structure this amazing relationship and create a life as a healthy, adjusted couple.
All in all, I loved this book. Visiting Sullivan’s Crossing was fun and gave me a feeling of nostalgia for a place that I’ve never actually visited. I can’t wait to go back. Back to the mountains. Back to Sully’s and just back to this wonderful little town that made me feel welcome from the very first page.
Title: Where’d You Go, Bernadette Author: Maria Semple Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Humour, Mental health Pace: Fast Format: Novel Year: 2012
I know that this book has a lot of strong recommendations and reviews. But I honestly wasn’t expecting too much from it. Probably because I don’t often love the books that get such rave reviews. Sometimes I think that people give said reviews because they feel that they SHOULD, not because it was actually enjoyable.
Having said that. I will most definitely rave about this book. It was nothing that I expected and it drew me in from the very first moment. After all, there is a mystery to solve from the very beginning. Combine that with the ways in which Bee is able to structure and tell the story, the larger than life characters… I was completely enmeshed.
I love that this is a story about the love between a mother and daughter. It’s a reminder that real love doesn’t come with conditions, but is about accepting and loving someone for exactly who they are. Or at least, that’s how I took this story. That Bee is able to find out more and more about her mother’s flaws. But still love her.
Underlying all of this is the question of mental health. What makes someone sane? What makes them “normal”? And where is the damn line between the two? I still have no answers, and it seems that Semple doesn’t either. A perfect approach as far as I’m concerned.
It took me a little while to “click” with what was going on in this story. Mainly because the author is female, the narrator in the first story of this collection is female. But the voice of this story is male. Once the penny dropped (I mostly blame the delay on baby brain), I thoroughly enjoyed this.
I know next to nothing of Jamaica. Besides Cool Runnings, so nothing. It was fun to read a story that was set in everyday, familial life there. The simplicities of everyday life seem so simple, until you look at them from the outside. And I was intrigued.
There was such a powerful underlying pain throughout this story. It was about life and love, but there was also this feeling of being inadequate. Wondering why the good wasn’t acknowledged when the bad so often was. And how this maelstrom of emotions can combine into a complex, mash up love.
I may not be entirely sure why this collection is called Hot Summer Nights. But it was definitely good fun. I had imagined that I would be reading four beach romance novellas. Or stories of summer flings. Not quite what I ended up with.
The majority of these stories have a fun and light small-town America feel to them. They’re cute and simple filled with interesting characters. Interesting characters that I want to meet again in some of the series that these novellas introduced me to. More books to add to the wishlist!!!
This was a wonderful collection that left me feeling content and happy. Exactly what you feel after reading a good romance. Or really, any good book in my case. Definitely one that I’ll be reading again.
Each and every one of these short stories is thought provoking. They all make you pause and just THINK about what, exactly, you are reading. About preconceptions and misconceptions. About what it means to move through the world. They’re all brilliant.
I have literally no personal experience with racism and immigration. I’m white, I’m Australian, I was born here. But, I did love the moments of immersion into this different reality that Arthurs provides. It’s… intense. And brilliant.
Normally with short story collections, I have to keep reminding myself to go back. With this collection, I didn’t want to STOP. Each and every tale felt like a revelation. Revelations that I look forward to rereading again and again.
I loved this collection. It was brilliant and intense. With a wonderful edge of satire and wit that I probably didn’t expect. Definitely one that I’ll be going back to in the future.
Erin McCarthy does it for me every time. She is fantastic at writing light, fun and incredibly cute romances. Ice Princess is no exception. My only feeling of confusion… why was a snow story in a collection titled Hot Summer Nights?
This novella may have one of my favourite Meet Cutes of recent. I mean, trying to jump off a balcony and falling (literally) into a gorgeous man’s arms? Yes please! The fact that the lead female is quirky and kind of has verbal diarrhoea… well, it had me giggling Kate at night when I really should have been sleeping.
The gutsy and willing to go get it attitude of both of the leads in Ice Princess is seriously amazing. I’m honestly jealous of how willing they are to take a leap. And, since this is one of those Happily Ever After stories, I love how it all turns out. I won’t ever be that gutsy and willing to jump into things. But it sure was fun travelling along and imagining that I could be.
Title: Lyrics Alley Author: Leila Aboulela Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one) My Bookshelves:Contemporary Pace: Slow Format: Novel Year: 2010
Lyrics Alley is one of those books that I’ll read again and again. There is so much going on that I found it impossible to keep up with every minutiae. And, in some books, like Lyrics Alley, I love this fact.
To be fair, even after reading this, I did look up a synopsis just to get my head further around the details of this novel. As much as I enjoyed it and found it to be wonderfully written, I did spend most of my time reading this trying to figure out if I’d missed something. And, honestly, I think that I did.
There are some books on my shelf that I consider great and genuine literature. This is one of those. It’s a read that I would read to expand my brain, not for a bit of diversion. Which means that although I plan to read this again in the future, it’ll be awhile before I feel like my brain is capable of absorbing all of the information.
Earth and Skye 