Today I have a review for two books from authors whose books I have loved. They are authors who have placed themselves firmly on the favourites list in the past couple of years and who happen to have books coming out around the same time as each other. They are two very different books but they are both firmly in the romance category and so they’re getting reviewed together an you lot can’t stop me.
Source: Netgalley/Purchased
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
My Rating:
Author of Act Like It and Pretty Face Lucy Parker returns readers to the West End, where it’s fireworks onstage and off in a sexy enemies-to-lovers showdown.
Once upon a time, circus artist Trix Lane was the best around. Her spark vanished with her confidence, though, and reclaiming either has proved…difficult. So when the star of The Festival of Masks is nixed and Trix is unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight, it’s exactly the push she needs. But the joy over her sudden elevation in status is cut short by a new hire on the makeup team.
Leo Magasiva: disgraced wizard of special effects. He of the beautiful voice and impressive beard. Complete dickhead and—in an unexpected twist—an enragingly good kisser.
To Leo, something about Trix is…different. Lovely. Beautiful, even though the pint-size, pink-haired former bane of his existence still spends most of her waking hours working to annoy him. They’ve barely been able to spend two minutes together for years, and now he can’t get enough of her. On stage. At home. In his bed.
When it comes to commitment, Trix has been there, done that, never wants to do it again. Leo’s this close to the job of a lifetime, which would take him away from London—and from Trix. Their past is a constant barrier between them.
It seems hopeless.
Utterly impossible.
And yet…
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.
I have adored Lucy Parker’s London Celebrities series thus far. Considering, until now, there have been just two books released in this series that could seem like a ridiculous claim, but I’ve read those two books several times already and they are firmly in the favourites category. It’s safe to say I knew I needed to read this book as soon as I heard about it so you can imagine my squeal of joy when I got approved for it on Netgalley. I downloaded the eARC so fast and started reading practically immediately.
It’s safe to say my expectations were high for this book and I already had my own idea of where this book would go based upon my glimpses of both Trixie and Leo in the previous book. Lucy Parker blew all those expectations and preconceptions out of the water. I was in no way prepared for the book I got and I’m pretty glad for it. One of my grumbles when I first began reading Pretty Face, the previous book in this series, is that I’d been concerned it was going to be similar to the first book simply because the tone felt similar and there were similarities to be seen in the romance between those characters. It was a superficial similarity, which I soon realised as I got beyond the first couple of chapters, but it was one of my initial thoughts as I was reading. I didn’t have that concern when reading this one. Making UP has a different tone and a different kind of romance. It was a second chance romance and it was so very enjoyable to read.
Trixie is a circus artist with pink hair and a whole heap of personality. Anyone who has read Pretty Face will know is she’s coming out the other side of an extremely toxic relationship and her entire sense of self has been shaken by that relationship. This is the aftermath of all of that and she is slowly adjusting to the after and learning who she is once more on the back of that. She doesn’t have anytime for Leo Magasiva, with whom she has a whole heap of history she doesn’t want to get into and she most certainly doesn’t want to be working with him. He doesn’t have quite the same problems with her, but that’s an element of their relationship which I will not reveal in this review.
I wasn’t certain how I felt about Trix and Leo together. We only had a small glimpse of solemn Leo in Pretty Face, and there was certainly no hint of their past in that book. And Trix is coming out of coming, but even so she was a live wire and a bundle of energy and I’ve heard of opposites attract but I was going to take some convincing to believe them together. Turns out, I was totally wrong to have doubts. There were hidden depths to both of them and exploring their past was just the best. I mean, there were sparks flying off the page when they were together and I as time progressed I was rooting for them to sort their shit out and just get together. And the epilogue near enough killed me. Seriously, the epilogue is one of my favourites I#ve read because it felt real.
Definitely another book added to the favourites list and it surprised me. Second chance romance can be really hit or miss for me. I sometimes find myself rolling my eyes because even though we’re told it’s a second chance romance it comes across a bit insta-lovey because I don’t believe their history, this time that didn’t happen at all. I will be rereading soon with it’s release.
Published: 28th May 2018
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
My Rating:
Finley Cartwright is the queen of lost causes. That’s why she’s standing on a barstool trying to convince Friday night drinkers to donate money to her failing charity. Hitting on the guy on the next stool wasn’t part of her plan. Still, hot but grumpy venture capitalist Caleb Sherwood might just be her ticket to success.
Professional grifter and modern-day Robin Hood, Cal Sherwood is looking for a partner for a long con. Sexy Fin, doing her best Marilyn Monroe act for her cause, has the necessary qualifications. By the time he cuts her free, her charity would be thriving, and she’d have helped him charm billions out of arrogant, gullible marks to fund his social justice causes.
But just when he thinks he’s about to pull off the best con ever, his feisty new partner gets the upper hand.
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.
As I said, these two books are pretty different apart from the romance aspect. This is Ainslie Paton’s newest release and I just know she’s been marketing it as a Robin Hood style romance all about social justice and that’s pretty damn accurate. As soon as I saw it included con artists I was intrigued (I like books about con artists, there’s something about it… don’t know what) and then she said it was a fake relationship book and I was like sold, take my money.
This book was such a fun read. I mean, it was funny and just a joy to read, I cared about Finley from the start. Sure, she acted a little impulsively and didn’t think things through but she cared so damned much about her charity and even though people had put her down as flakey and she never finishes anything but she just hasn’t gotten the chance to find her passion. So when she stumbles upon con man extraordinaire (and the Robin Hood of this tale) at a bar while she’s trying to pick up donations and then bumps into her ex. Turns out the pair have all the chemistry and should totally be together. Me and Fin were on the same page… Cal, not so much. He leaps to helping her con some donations and using her to help hi perform his own cons. That did bug me a little.
I know, I’m reading a romance, I know they’ll get it on eventually but the characters aren’t aware of their romance novel situation so obviously act accordingly. That meant that Cal stayed wanting to keep things strictly professional to further the con and also planned to keep Fin in the dark about his family (because conning is obviously a family business) which seemed a bit harsh to me because she didn’t even realise that what she was doing to garner donations (like ridiculous donations to do a whole heap of good) were done using a very mild form of con to get people’s interest. Now, I’m not hating on Cal, he was head of the little con game he and his family did and they did it all for the greater good. Sure, they were all getting rich from it (I know, doesn’t sound great when I put it like that) but by making themselves rich they ran in the circles of uber rich who did terrible things and never gave money back, instead Cal comes along, takes all their money and sends it off to charities to do good because these rich douches weren’t smart enough to do it themselves. I can’t fault Cal, his heart was in the right place at least and I totally agreed with why he was doing these things. I just wish he had used his words a bit more and he could have saved everyone a little bit of heartbreak.
Look, this is a story that is all about showing up rich folks and demonstrating that there are a lot of awful people in the world and there are plenty of over privileged folks. You will be cheering on Cal with his schemes, these rich folks deserve everything they get. And you’ll be cheering for Cal to remove his head from his ass and admit he’s got a good thing right in front of him in the form of Fin and they should just get it together already.
This is probably a terrible review for a book I really enjoyed but all the best reviews are a little bit terrible (mine are, anyway) so take that as a sign you should check it out. I’d only read Ainslie Paton’s Stubborn Hearts series before this but she can most definitely write all the good stuff, not just one series. Check this out if you want to read a little social justice with your romance and want to feel inspired to give to even more charities.
And there were two reviews for books from some of my favourite authors. Have you two read either of these, weren’t they awesome?
***
Published: 27th September 2016
Source: Bought/Free
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Romance, Contemporary
My Rating:
At Holden Prep, the rich and powerful rule the school—and they’ll do just about anything to keep their dirty little secrets hidden.
When former con artist Eleanor Ames’s homecoming date commits suicide, she’s positive there’s something more going on. The more questions she asks, though, the more she crosses paths with Miles Beckett. He’s sexy, mysterious, arrogant…and he’s asking all the same questions.
Eleanor might not trust him—she doesn’t even like him—but they can’t keep their hands off of each other. Fighting the infuriating attraction is almost as hard as ignoring the fact that Miles isn’t telling her the truth…and that there’s a good chance he thinks she’s the killer.
I picked this book up for like 3 reasons.
1. I saw Sam post a positive review so I added to the old TBR.
2. There was a Veronica Mars comparison and I am a sucker for all thing VMars related.
3. It was going free for Kindle
I'm glad these things happened to get me to read, though, because it was damn fun. I do love a good mystery and although this one I figured out before the end there was still little things in there to keep me guessing.
I admit I was put off by the rich, private school setting for the book. I’ve read books where rich kids are just shown as the stereotypical over privileged, spoilt children and they are utterly unlikable. They aren’t given further personality or developed, thankfully that wasn’t the case here. Sure, there were characters who I didn’t like, but there was more depth to most of them and I knew a little about them to understand why they were or weren’t likeable. I think Ellie was one of the few not rich characters, I would have liked a couple more scholarship kids or something.
I was a little confused when I first began reading, while the set up to the story was happening. It felt like I was thrown right in there and was really lost about Eleanor’s past and her family and figuring out what was happening with her school. I had a vague idea of the premise but everything was mysterious, I figured out later the mystery surrounding Ellie’s past was probably intentional, but when I started reading I didn’t realise that so I just felt like I was missing something. Once it got going, though, I really got invested in the story to figure out both Ellie’s past but also what happened to Simon. I only wish we got to meet Simon because I didn’t really care about his death all that much and I felt like I probably should have.
Something that really sucked me in was the relationship between Ellie and Miles. They were both so fun together, Ellie all about bending the rules to get her way and Miles was strict black and white, following the rules. They were both so good together, though, with their banter and the fact they had such strong connection from the start. I loved slowly learning more about Miles and even though I did roll my eyes at pretty much all of this backstory because that was ridiculous, but I wanted a ridiculous book, so what did I expect? I did enjoy the one-upmanship happening between Miles and Ellie throughout. I was definitely reading for them and they are half the reason I'll read the next one too.
As a whole, there were flaws to this but I enjoyed myself and didn't want to stop reading. Considering I have had such a hard time reading lately I will not grumble about a couple of flaws but instead, celebrate a book I didn't want to put down.
Published: 17th April 2018
Source: Bought
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Mystery
My Rating:
Fans of Veronica Mars or Ally Carter will love the snarky, whip-smart former con artist Eleanor, in this sequel to Chasing Truth.
At Holden Prep, dirty little secrets always have a way of coming to the surface.
Eleanor Ames has never been what she seems. Average high school student on the outside, but reformed con artist trying to break free of her past on the inside. When Eleanor receives startling news about someone from her previous criminal life, plans for a new operation coinciding with her school’s upcoming field trip quickly consume her.
But operations rarely go according to plan. And this is one her irresistible teen FBI agent boyfriend, Miles, would never approve of.
Now, more than just Ellie’s reputation is at stake. If she fails, it could be her life.
I'm conflicted on this one. As you can tell from my review for the first book, I really enjoyed it. Sure, it had flaws and issues but as a whole, it was a brilliant read and I couldn’t wait to start reading it. It began quite slowly, and I was a little confused about where it was going. Much like I felt in the first book really, but once it got going I was pretty invested.
I’d been so excited to read this because I was totally invested in the relationship between Miles and Ellie. It looked like they were set to have a cute and bantery relationship so you can imagine my shock by his absence at the start of the book. I was once more reading for the mystery surrounding him. I didn’t understand why he went off the grid and when we learn why I didn’t totally believe it. I won’t spoil anything but his story in this book definitely involves a bit more suspension of disbelief. Just putting that out there. I didn’t get the cute, bantery relationship I had hoped for. There were still good moments but there was another story central to this book.
This book focused a lot more on Ellie’s past and her family. Her entire family are cons, including some ‘cousins’ and ‘uncles’ which probably aren’t related to her by blood. She is trying to redeem herself for her past actions and rectify things when it comes to her family. This book focuses on her relationship with her dad, which is rocky at best. I hadn’t understood her dislike for her dad in the first book and I’d hoped to have that clarified a little with this one but it really wasn’t. All I know is she has issues, which might have centred around her sister, but it really wasn’t clear, but I didn’t get why it was so extreme. I just didn’t get it. I actually really liked her family and would have loved learning more about all of them. You could Ellie cared about all of them in her own way.
One thing I did like about this book was the fact that characters who came across as spoiled rich kids got to come into their own and actually became real people. For me the character who really shone was Dominic. He got to grow into his own and we caught glimpses of his family and it turns out he was actually a really cool guy. The only thing which would have made me happier is if he had been honest with those around him about who he was. He was obviously a lot smarter and more caring than he was given credit for. I hated when Ellie talked down to him because he was totally badass and where more capable than he was given credit for. If there gets to be another book I want more of him, he was my favourite this time around.
I struggled with this book a bit. I found the mystery side a little ridiculous again, I just couldn’t believe Miles’s parents would be down for everything he did, it seemed too farfetched, not when they both seemed so caring and no caring parent would let Miles do what he was doing. I also felt like the story surrounding Ellie’s family was quite weak because I didn’t get her motivation for past actions when it came to them. I think if I’d binge read this one as I originally planned I may not have had so many questions and doubts. I did enjoy it, though. It was a fun read that involves you not overthinking things. I just hope there’s another book because I still have unanswered questions.
If you’ve read The Naturals series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes then I definitely think this is a series for you. Have you read this, what did you think? And what fun mystery series have you read and would recommend?
Hi all. You might have noticed my frazzled state this week. This week was the week I vowed to get back into blogging and I became determined to kick my slumps butt. I didn’t totally succeed but I am getting back into the rhythm of blogging. I just need to remember how on earth I got organised in the first place because I am most definitely not keeping track of things at the moment.
I won’t bother trying to fill you all in on my life since my last proper Sunday post because I would be talking for hours. I have spent a lot of time with friends and making plans. A couple of my friends have had big life changes recently and it’s meant I’ve been seeing them a bit more. It’s been great, though, I think I hadn’t realised how little I’d seen them until I was making all these plans with them and that is totally awesome.
Like I said, this was the week of getting organised. Or, more the weekend of getting organised. I was determined this would be the weekend where I get my head on straight and sort out those little things I’ve been putting off. I have been suffering along with flat pillows and kept saying I was going to get new ones since I keep waking up with an achy back and shoulders but I finally bought new ones. Not tested them out yet but they definitely feel like I’ll sink into them. I also vowed to finally sort out the things I gained from my nan’s house. I had old books and random board games and just random stuff which I gained from her home which hadn’t found a place in my own home yet so I finally sorted those out. And I hung the pictures which I have been sat on my floor for far too long. I think I might have managed to get vaguely organised. I plan to get organised with blogging and blog related things over Sunday and next week. I want to have a mental plan for when and what I’m doing like I used to so fingers crossed for me guys.
I’ve hinted at work stuff before and there is still work stuff going on. I won’t talk about the bad, my friends and co-workers get enough of that from me so I won’t talk your ears off too, but my options are being considered. I am finding there are a few folks at work who are becoming good friends, though. We had an office party a few weeks back now and we all had a great time before heading out to a club after. There are was the usual drama from folks going out drinking but it was a great laugh and I got to know a couple of people way better for it. Who knew they were so fun? I am actually making plans to go to Birmingham Pride with a couple of folks from work this year. I’ve never been before but I’ve been told it’s a great day, they have food and drink on and there are various artists there. I think it’ll be different, at least, and I am all about doing different things.
What I’ve Been Reading
I’m not gonna do all the books since my last Sunday Summary post, you can see what I’ve read lately in my wrap up post. I have been in quite a slump so this is two weeks worth of books. I just don’t know what I want to read at the moment. Shelter in Place was a decent read, it had its problems but I did enjoy it. Aftermath was also a decent read and Kelley Armstrong always writes books which I enjoy but it also wasn’t love. I got Chasing Truth for free and I am so glad I did because that book was really fun. Definite love with that one, once I got used to the writing style, anyway. I immediately bought Hiding Lies when I finished and although that one hasn’t hooked me that’s more because I got sucked into fanfiction for a while and that’s all I wanted to read. Hopefully, I’ll finish that soon.
New To Me
So this is a months worth of new books and I admit it does demonstrate how much of a problem I have. In my defence, most of these were bought with a gift card. Actually, I think all but 5 of them were. Does that make it better? Probably not, oh well.
And these are all the ARCs since last time I checked in. Maybe you can appreciate why I’m so frazzled when you see all these glorious books to read and me stuck in a reading slump. I am so excited for so many of them. maybe I’ll become a recluse for a while and catch up.
And finally, I won a competition a little while back by Rachel over at Confessions of a Book Geek. One of my friends has been on at me to read The White Queen for a while and The Nightingale has been on my radar for a while so I am so very excited to start both of them.
And that is my bookish update. What have you been reading lately? Have I missed anything important while I’ve been gone?
This, in fact, isn’t even the post I intended to write when I sat down in front of my laptop. I was going to play review catch up tonight and then sort out a few discussion and tag posts for my blog (because this place is beginning to look neglected) but then I realised I had no clue which books I had and hadn’t reviewed on my blog. One book I had three separate drafts written up for reviewing it and none of them had the same things on there! I even thought I’d reviewed a book but hadn't and started to draft up ideas for another which I reviewed a couple of weeks ago. It’s a serious case of where is my mind?
And thus this post was born as I question whether or not anyone else finds themselves losing track of blog related things? I know half my issue is that I have been away, I’m not following my old mental blogging schedule so I’m left questioning what day it is. Also, I’ve stopped using my bullet journal because I’ve simply not been sat down for five minutes a day to fill it in and that used to help me plan out my days and my blog. I simply don’t know what I have and haven’t reviewed because of it, I used to have a lovely little list that helped me out. Instead, I am left staring at my Goodreads read shelf hoping I’ll remember if my little Goodreads review has been adapted and posted on my blog. Don’t even get me started on Amazon reviews.
Do you lose track of the books you have and haven’t reviewed as well? I want to know how you keep track of the books you’ve reviewed on your blog. Do you even bother? I mean, I’ve done a couple of rereads and I don’t know if I’ve reviewed those before and I know I can search my blog but I want an easier way to know if I’ve reviewed it before. It’s bugging me. I am not traditionally organised and tidy (seriously, I am a bombs gone off, organised chaos kind of girl) but usually I can remember the important things (like what books I’ve got left to review) but currently I feel like Velma when she loses her glasses, my brain is gone and I don’t know what’s going on.
Give me all the blogging organisation tips and make me feel less lost and confused, please? How do you keep track of your books? I want to know your secrets!
Published: 5th April 2018 (UK)
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
My Rating:
"One of the loveliest, most exquisitely beautiful books I've read in a very long time. . . . I didn't just read the pages, I lived in them." --Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places
A beautiful love story for fans of Jandy Nelson and Nicola Yoon: two teens find their way back to each other in a bookstore full of secrets and crushes, grief and hope--and letters hidden between the pages.
Years ago, Rachel had a crush on Henry Jones. The day before she moved away, she tucked a love letter into his favorite book in his family's bookshop. She waited. But Henry never came.
Now Rachel has returned to the city--and to the bookshop--to work alongside the boy she'd rather not see, if at all possible, for the rest of her life. But Rachel needs the distraction. Her brother drowned months ago, and she can't feel anything anymore.
As Henry and Rachel work side by side--surrounded by books, watching love stories unfold, exchanging letters between the pages--they find hope in each other. Because life may be uncontrollable, even unbearable sometimes. But it's possible that words, and love, and second chances are enough.
I have been away a while but I’ve read some fantastic books whilst I’ve been gone and this was one of them. I had hoped reading a book about books (as well as a bunch of very cool characters) would inspire me to get back into reading. I adored it but it didn’t quite do what I wanted.
This book is many things, and I put off reading it for many reasons. The key one being I knew it would be sad as a central part of the story is Rachel dealing with the death of her brother, and with it being so soon after losing my nan I wasn’t sure sadness and loss was appropriate reading. Grief and loss is a central part of the story, and it is dealt with heroically, but it’s also about love, friendship, life, and family. I couldn’t see that at first, but once I started the book I was amazed at how I had missed out on such a good read when it was sat waiting for me on my Kindle.
As I said, this book is about grief. It was sad, Rachel’s brother, Henry, drowned and she is not ok. It has taken away her love for the sea and taken away her passion for life. That’s isn’t exactly the set up for something bright and cheery. But it wasn’t the overwhelmingly sad book I thought it might be. It does have moments which will make you tear up because it is an emotional read, but I spent far more time smiling along with this book than anything else. It’s about Rachel’s grief, but also about a bunch of other people’s grief. And it’s about growth and self-discovery, and friendship and so much more. I’m just sorry I let the prospect of some real emotions, like sadness, put me off reading this ARC.
I immediately liked Rachel. She is broken by the loss of a brother she was so close to and she is not coping with that loss. Returning back to a place when she will have continual reminders of her brother doesn’t seem like the best plan but it’s the only plan really. Then when she’s stuck working with her old best friend who she was in love with you can see how it was easy to like her. She has enough on her plate and didn’t want to revisit the past, especially not when it brings up memories of her brother. She slowly learns that remembering isn’t a bad thing, it’s bittersweet. Grieving and loss involve remembering, and Rachel gradually learns this and comes to turn with both her past and what her future holds.
Henry was a little different. I didn’t actually like him at first (any guy who can be in love with such a shallow girl and be blind to things around him comes across as a bit of a dick). He came across so self-centred, he just couldn’t see beyond the end of his nose, but that’s what made this book so satisfying to read. Rachel’s growth is in regards to grief and her own needs. Henry’s is in his attitudes and perceptions of those around him and what he holds as important. He discovers that his own aims were changed and in fact what he actually wants is far closer to home. He realises the importance of family and also about letting things go.
Sorry to be so vague about things, I don’t want to spoil this book because it’s not a fast-paced read but a slower journey of discovery and people and that you don’t know as much as you think about those you love and even when it comes to yourself. It’s about grief and family and the meaning of home. It’s lots of things and I adored it.
Have you read this, what did you think? What books have you been hesitant to read because it hit too close to the feels?
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