When there’s a tragedy in your youth, there is always something that sets you apart. Whilst my tragedy wasn’t quite as tragic as this, I do recognise that feeling of not quite being able to relate to my peers and just generally struggling with ideas and expectations of the future.
I love that Simon helps the narrator to bloom, but was ultimately a short term person to give her the chance. Instead, it’s a friendship with Chava that really feels like the monumental relationship and turning point. It’s a reminder that, even if a relationship is important, it may not be a long-term one.
The delivery food which takes up most of the story in this tale is definitely what comfort foods are made of. I know literally nothing about Jewish delis, so it was cool to imagine some of the foods that passed through their hands. And how such simple food can bring warmth to a cold heart.
I love the premise of this blind date also being a second chance. Alright, it might be a little underhanded to set yourself up on a blind date with your ex to get her back. But, it does also work kind of nicely. I also liked this in the format of a short story – it was a story that entirely took place over one evening with the reconciliation and date all happening in a short amount of time. And just the right amount of angst to keep you interested.
Honestly, this is one of the more basic second chance romances that I’ve read. Both characters put their careers before their relationship. And then, after a little bit of time and a whole heap of pride do their work, they realise they’ve made a mistake and desperately try to get back together again. It’s sweet and cute, if not a little bit ridiculously predictable. Although, sometimes, that’s just what we want.
This was honestly a very lustful and lust driven story. But, also quite cute and a little bit sweet. I do like a good second chance romance, and even if this didn’t quite hit all of my happy points for a short story, it still worked incredibly well.
I absolutely adored this collection – it was brilliant, light-hearted and fun. Plus, it was filled with many new authors and beautiful stories. A great journey of stories by #OwnVoices authors who gave me a glimpse into a multitude of experiences. Ones that I look forward to repeating again in the future.
As someone who loves her food, I really appreciated that each story in this collection featured food and the many feelings that an accomplish it throughout. Food is a great avenue through which to experience the world, and process feelings. The stories in this collection run the gambit of experiences. And I found it intriguing the different feelings that were expressed throughout.
This is one of those fantastic collections of stories that I will read and reread again and again in the future. I also can’t wait to read more stories by the authors that I’ve added to this collection. There wasn’t one that I don’t look forward to reading again in the future.
Shammed is the typical laugh out loud, pure nonsense romance that I’ve come to expect from Franklin. And I absolutely loved it! I mean, who wouldn’t love a novel that careens from high jinx to high jinx? Nonsensical moment to nonsensical moment? Plus, this whole relationship and story line was instigated by prank wars. Something I’ve never actually taken part in, but would absolutely adore to observe (maybe not be involved in, because I’m not exactly great at thinking on my feet or pulling pranks…)
I love that for someone that gets overlooked frequently, and who had a pretty hard run of it in Claustrophobic, Alice is the ultimate prankster. Kind of. I mean, she starts off with a really strong and sassy prankster game. And then, when she realises how much she likes Lance, she ends up just… kind of giving him really sweet and kind presents. I mean, it’s nice, don’t get me wrong, but it’s also not as prank-based as I wanted. Though, kind of a nice courtship – one that involves being giving and truly knowing the source of your ‘pranks’.
Lance’s backstory was honestly a little bit difficult to read, particularly amongst the light-hearted nature of his and Alice’s courtship. But I love, that although it’s totally a feeding ground for angst and bitterness, Lance shows and feels none of this. He’s a far more balanced individual than I ever would be. Which, honestly, that also goes for Alice – she’s definitely entitled to a whole lot more bitterness about her past job than she shows. Ultimately, she’s actually an incredibly humorous and entertaining character. One who sky dives and has no fear of, well, gravity…
There was a lot less Juliette Carter in this story than I had anticipated. I was a lot less disappointed in this than I expected – mostly because there was a lot more Chloe and Julian as a result. Particularly Chloe – I love when she goes on the rampage and just decides to do something somewhat insane. Her and Alice together? Shammed was definitely a story of absolute insanity, led by two incredibly fun women.
After reading Lesson Plans, I really wanted to know more about Alice and how she goes about her happily ever after. Particularly since she’s only a teen in the opening novella, and it was interesting to think of who she would become when she reached adulthood. Alice is so bright and full of life, whereas Tim(ber) is a great counterpoint to this, a little more serious and less willing to grab life and dive right in. I love how engaging they were as a couple, but also how they balanced each other out.
I love that throughout all of Tim dealing with his emotions, it’s Alice that is his safe place. And she is willing to help him and be there for him when she realises this. Davisdescribes having that one person who is the ‘safe space’ incredibly well – having that one person who you can let your guard down around and actually open up to. One of the most memorable scenes in this book is when Tim and Alice are sitting on a park bench and he is able to just relax and unwind.
At first, I wasn’t all that confident of Alice and Tim as a couple, he was a bit controlling, and she’s such a free spirit. But, it turns out that they are a fantastic couple. Tim just needed to realise that he doesn’t get to unilaterally call the shots. Once he manages that, he’s actually really sweet and you can understand all of the emotion and love behind the insanity of his behaviour and questionable decision making.
There is something enjoyably and beautifully simple about Davis’ writing. It is always a couple that somehow work perfectly together. There are a few hurdles, and then a great happily ever after. I love reading her work and just… living in a happy world with enough complications to keep it interesting. Now, I’m looking forward to reading the next in the Stag Brothers series.
Henry and Sophia are one of those beautiful and fun couples that I just couldn’t get out of my head. The fact that this whole story and relationship starts with Sophia thinking of Henry as Satan just made it all that much more entertaining. Even though their beginning might have been a bit unorthodox, ultimately they were total relationship goals and completely gorgeous. And, although this is the second story in the Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers series, it was a great introduction to Burgoa and the rest of the Baker Creek brothers.
I honestly thought at the beginning of this that there would be more hurdles to Henry and Sophia getting together. But, it just didn’t happen. And then, when they got together, there was still half of the book! I both love and hate when this happens – it’s great that they got together quickly, but then there were a lot of drama to get through. Which is exactly what I like to read about – the drama that happens after a couple gets together and really helps them to prove their mettle.
Although Martina is one such hurdle that Sohpia and Henry need to overcome, I love that Sophia is able to handle her with grace and dignity. Rather than pitting the women of this story against one another and having them try and take each other down, Sohpia is ablet o find a way for everyone to get out of an awkward situation with a happily ever after. And, in doing so, Sophia is able to build someone up to gain her own independence.
I love that this series sets all of the Aldridge boys up to have some huge battles in their future. It makes me desperately want to go back and read Loved You Once, but also leap forward in the series and dive in to Defying Our Forever. Each of the boys have a phenomenal battle on their hands, and I want to know how they’ll unravel. Plus, Sophia’s letter provides a great indicator to just how messy the situation is about to get, whilst also hinting that maybe their father wasn’t quite the evil being that they all believed him to be. He might not have been kind and good, but maybe not quite as thoroughly evil as anticipated.
Title: Tents & Tights Author: Molly O’Hare Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Contemporary, Contemporary romance Pace: Medium Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2022
I really enjoyed this story, but it definitely wasn’t without its flaws. I’ll still read more of O’Hare’s writing though – her characters were fun. The shenanigans were entertaining. And the whole story was difficult to put down and incredibly engaging to read. A tale that I will happily read again in the future, flaws aside.
One of the things that irritated me the most in this story was that Eve was constantly fixated on her size and curves. Even though she was supposed to be a character who was proud of them and didn’t care what others thought. It was a bit of a tough contrast to read. A character who was proud of her body and literally owned and ran a shop that catered to those who are plus sized. But also one that can’t stop fixating on how girls “like her” don’t get happily ever afters because of how they look…
Austin and Eve were a really cute couple. I mean, they were best friends who have had a crush on each other for years. And also a perfect opposites attract story. It’s a great reminder that couples don’t have to have everything or even much in common. But, they need to have a connection. Austin and Eve managed to have that – I also like that they are both ultimately willing to try new things for each other. Even if they really, really don’t like the experience!
My favourite part of this story was definitely the hike to the overlook. I mean, the relationship part of that was great. But I just loved the idea of a hike and the romance of the setting. It was way too beautiful, and I look forward to finding more beauty in O’Hare stories in the future – I’m just hoping they don’t fixate so strongly on physicality of the heroine.
I often wonder just what happens after the happily ever after in fairy tales. Marriage is honestly not the ending, but just the beginning of another chapter in life. And, although I like to imagine sometimes that the happily ever after moment and joy continues, I’m not always that optimistic. I like that Hopkinson took this idea and emphasised that sometimes we have to recreate our own happily ever after.
The name of the original fairy tale completely eludes me, but Precious / Isobel is a very familiar character. I love that originally, having diamonds, flowers and precious jewels fall from her lips was considered a gift. Yet, it ultimately turns into a curse. And, although her husband ‘saved’ her from servitude to her family, it was ultimately Isobel herself who was able to save herself from her curse and craft a whole new life for herself.
The rage of women and the frustration that we sometimes feel when we are constantly overlooked and ignored seems to be a bit of a note that I’m finding in stories lately. I love that Isobel is able to use this anger to actually release herself. Her final rant and moment of release was beautiful, and definitely a moment that I will continue to remember with fondness.
There was something that kept pulling me back into this story. It was one that I kept going to DNF, but then a moment would pull me right back in, so I couldn’t quite put it down. I’m glad that I read it. But there were definitely way too many unanswered questions at the end of this. And I probably wouldn’t read it again, but it was still a good story that kept pulling me in.
I found Jenson a little too aggressive for my tastes. I like my men to be a little alpha. But he was a little bit too intense. I get that sometimes people like bodice rippers, but they’re definitely not to my taste. And Jenson is the perfect lead for that genre of story.
Danny was a really fun and enjoyable lead though. She had so many layers and was really easy to follow. Probably the main reason that everytime I felt unsure about this story, I dived straight back in. I did want a bit of a better happily ever after for her though…
I actually really enjoyed this romantic suspense story – I wasn’t entirely sure how it was even a romance when I first started it, but I was very quickly pulled in. Enjoying it way more than expected. Particularly because it featured a child being kidnapped – something that particularly leaves a horrifyingly sick feeling in my stomach when I read about it.
I love that Leah will stop at nothing to find her nephew, including risking her own life and career. She also talks about crime in her small town like a slow moving rot – one that needs to be dug out by the roots and destroyed. It’s a reminder of how easy it is to become corrupt when those in power are corrupt, or let the evil slide – I kind of want more butt kicking in this world to find that Leah and her beau managed to start making an impact on all of the crime.
There was so much violence and mayhem throughout this story, which seems to be something I seriously enjoy lately. Plus, there was also some yummy lust to keep your toes curling and lighten some of the chaos. I love that this had a happy ending, but with the ability to have so much more chaos and violence in the future.
Earth and Skye 