Now a lot of you were eager to have a work gossip update because you lot are as bad as I am, you want to gossip and eat cake. Well, the source of our gossip last week was centred around Christmas holidays and managers being hypocrites. There was also someone who was using potential lies as an excuse for making mistakes. Both of those are ongoing but are gossiping ways were all good until Friday (it always happens on a Friday) when all the drama occurred.
First off, we totally got paid late. The anthem of Friday is below:
We obviously spent a lot of Friday obsessively checking our bank accounts and waiting for an update on when our wages would appear. Let me tell you, a party was about to be thrown Friday afternoon when my bank balance showed the appropriate amount of 0s… or you know, any money in it really.
My good mood was shattered by certain people being dirty hypocrites (again). Did I ever tell you about the time my colleagues and I were pulled up on apparently excluding others from our department? Probably not because this might have occurred during my hiatus. But it happened and we didn't think we were doing that but obviously apologised and made an effort to make sure folks didn't feel that way... then the dickheads have repeatedly excluded us instead (why yes, they are ugly hypocrites and why yes I am still pissed about it). But we still tried to be friendly and be the bigger people. And then Friday afternoon after we'd emailed asking if they wanted to enter a work charity event as a team they replied saying they'd already entered as their own team and hadn't even thought to ask us. Well, I'm all like hell no bitches I will rip your hair out in the carpark. Considering our supervisor pulled us out like children to tell us off because they felt hurt by our actions I am not even up for their hypocritical bullshit. I don't care that I've descended to playground mentality I want it brought up especially as their supervisor was aware of their actions. I am so done.
So yeah.
I bet you're all now sorry you asked.
But apart from workplace bullshit, I’ve had a good week. I've been buying all the films because it's Mega Movie Week so I've seen a few films this week, including Rough Night and Skyscraper and I have Crazy Rich Asians waiting for me to watch. Have you guys seen the Fyre Festival doc? I watched it Saturday and what is that craziness? How did that even happen? This is the toxic nature of things like Instagram and that. It just reminded me of that Twitter thread I keep checking back up one with that Instagram influencer and her 'lectures'. There are so many scams now where we are promised the lie of the ideal perpetuated on Instagram and social media in general. It’s just sad really and hopefully, this era of social media will end because I am so not up for folks continually selling the lie.
To comfort myself in my ridiculous week I’ve not only been movie shopping, but I have also ordered the prettiest boots which will.hopefully arrive next week. The picture is below so fingers crossed they arrive soon. I can't wait to stare at my sparkly feet.
What I’ve Been Reading
I think I've had a pretty good reading week. I mean, I've genuinely enjoyed everything I've read lately. I was fancying some historical romance at the start of the week and almost reread some Tessa Dare but decided to do a browse of my unread Kindle books and discovered What Happens In Scotland which I bought in April 2017! I am glad I read it because it was a very enjoyable read, I have a few other books by her as well so I need to start those! I then decided to read another book which has been on my Kindle for far too long, Wait For It. I should never put off reading Mariana Zapata books, they may be long but I always love them. The queen of slowburn struck again and it was such a hit for me. But now I’m in that weird ‘I’ve read an awesome book and have no clue what I want to read next’ funk. I did pick up Sandman Vol 1 in the hope that a good graphic novel would cleanse my palate a little. It didn’t put it was good and it’s always good to use my Kindle Unlimited subscription. My luck with two older books on my shelves has made me want to write a post on other books I’ve put off reading and see if I enjoy them as much too.
New To Me
Amazon is doing a Valentine’s Day sale (I know, we’re still in January, but who am I to say no to romance?) and I saw Outlander on there. I have read Outlander, I, in fact, own a physical copy of Outlander, but it’s just easier to read long books in ebook format I think. And obviously, I borrowed a book and actually read it!
There was only one ARC for this week as well. I need to read it before the start of February so maybe I should make this my next read? But as soon as I thought that this instantly became the last book I wanted to read. Sophie Kinsella always writes fun romances, I’ve not read the past few releases from her so I’m excited to come back and read another.
How has your week been? Am I being dramatic and immature about those work colleagues leaving us out? And recommend books to me, maybe I’ll discover what I fancy reading next.
24 January 2019
Shift Series: Bearly Married & Trust the Wolf // I Started Nervous And Ended Wanting More
So… there’s an author I had on my radar whose books I was dead excited for… but was also hella nervous about I feel like I got to know Zoe pretty well back in her blogging days so when she announced she’d disappeared in the blogosphere to write a book I was excited. And then when she emailed over a copy of them I suddenly got all kinds of nervous because what I about if I didn’t like it? Can there be anything worse than trying to break that news to someone? And then it was agreed that if I didn’t like it I’d read and we’d never speak of it again. I’ve probably got her all twisted about it actually because I got these books ages ago and I’ve said no words to her… well, these are all my thoughts. Good and bad. I am not going to avoid any negatives but I am so totally invested in reading the next book in the series so you know it’s not all bad.
Genre: Paranormal romance
My Rating:
Love is a great reason to marry someone, but so is desperation.
Alexandre Thibault needs to marry an heiress: his clan’s finances are decimated, and his cousin is challenging him for leadership. He has even found the perfect woman—a pure-blood bear shifter with a hefty dowry—though he never expected the attraction between them.
Christine Bergeron will do anything to escape her family home, though exchanging the city for the Canadian wilderness isn’t as easy as she’d imagined. Especially when she’s in danger of losing her heart to a man who might never love her back.
But as enemies threaten their family, Alexandre and Christine will risk everything to keep their safe haven.
Bearly Married is a prequel novella and it was released as a freebie for joining her newsletter but she sent a copy across in case I hadn’t grabbed it already. It was such an easy novella to read and whilst it had that annoying problem of leaving me wanting more it was in no way unsatisfying as a novella. It was a great introduction to the characters of Alexandre and Christine who play a more significant role in Trust the Wolf (although you have to wait for them so patience is a virtue).
This novella was the first time I’d read any of Zoe’s writing and like I said at the start, I was all kinds of nervous but I want in with an open mind and the writing style I liked. I didn’t instantly love either Alexandre or Christine. I was trying to figure out their world and everything which was happening and so whilst that was happening I wasn’t certain what to think of them. Especially as they come together in some weird archaic arranged marriage. But as I began to figure out their world and how things worked in this shifter realm I began to like them. Especially as you caught glimpses of how Christine is badass and will not take things lying down when her new husband she barely knows tries to stick in a role without any consultation and expects her to be happy with it. And when Alexandre accepts her push back without blinking an eye and actually praises her for it I figured I was going to like these guys.
They were a cute couple who had some crazy stuff going on considering the shortness of this novella. I lot of story was packed within its pages. I think my biggest grumble is I felt like a lot of the secondary characters didn’t get developed enough and I found myself needing more. I didn’t mind shifter culture wasn’t explained too in depth as this was just a prequel and that was to come, but I would have liked more… but that’s a grumble I have with all novellas. It was enjoyable and it did get me excited to continue with the series.
Published: 24th January 2019
Source: Author
Genre: Paranormal Romance
My Rating:
You never forget your first wolf.
Emilia’s first encounter with Jason is memorable: it’s not every day you see a stranger change into a wolf. Her attraction to him is undeniable, but the secret he shares shakes the foundations of her life.
Jason’s need for Emilia unnerves him. It’s his job to report shifters without proper ID, yet he can’t make himself do it this time. The decision bites him in the tail when he discovers exactly who she is. He must keep his distance—or there will be hell to pay.
Their fates entwine when rogue shifters learn of Emilia’s identity and will stop at nothing to get to her. Emilia and Jason will have to fight together or risk losing everything.
But most of all? Emilia must learn to trust the wolf.
I’d enjoyed Bearly Married and I was intrigued by where Trust the Wolf would be going but I was still a touch nervous because a full-blown novel is a different kettle of fish to a novella. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, though. There are no doubts to be had about that. I mean, I am eager for the next book to be in my hands because of the little snippet at the end of the first book… it was nowhere near enough to satisfy my cravings.
I will begin with my grumbles to get them out of the way. They are minor things of the grand scheme of things but it did affect my enjoyment.
First off, I struggled to get a clear idea of what I felt like the main characters would look like. Now, I am not saying I have a specific person cast in a role every time I read a book, but I tend to have some kind of fuzzy image in my head as I’m reading. My fizzy image for this book was fuzzier than usual. Now, this is partially the way I read. I have a habit of unintentionally skimming as I read and so skip things without realising (this is especially confusing in sex scenes when you’re like how did they get in that position?) and so I often find myself going back and rereading a scene and this was something which did happen here. There was a description of characters but my brain did not process it and I skipped bits without realising but other books my fuzzy image still develops... I didn’t get that as much here and it bothered me as I read.
I also had some issues with the pacing, but this again a me thing. I didn’t get totally invested in the book until like 20% of the way and I could see some interesting storyline developing, but before that, I honestly didn’t know where the book was going. But then at 50%, it seemed to have stalled a little and I was like where’s my action? And then action happened, but it hit 80% and I was questioning where the action had gone again and wouldn’t if there would be a book that sort of fizzled out. But then I felt like I was on a bit of a rollercoaster to the end so I suppose I shouldn’t complain. I think I would have liked a more constant pace of story… but then I’ve probably complained in reviews before that the book was moving too fast and couldn’t keep up. I guess I can sometimes be fussy. This one didn’t hinder my enjoyment, but since I was never sure what path the book was going to take I was very aware of the pace of the book and it took me out of the story at times.
Like I said, it wasn’t all bad because I am making grabby hands at the second book and there was plenty which kept me reading.
First off, I liked Emilia. I admit, when I first started reading I thought she knew she was a shifter so it was fun to see her reactions to this whole new world which was revealed to her. And I loved that even when this whole other world was revealed there was never any doubt that she would still want her old life. There seemed to be a constant assumption in the shifter world that once you’re a shifter the human world would be forgotten and shifters would be #1 which grated. It was good to see Emilia speaking some sense and putting folks in their place. I have to say, because I read the novella first I was constantly trying to figure out how it connected with this book and so I sort of called it with Emilia’s heritage (why yes, I did high five myself) but I still wasn’t spot on so I really enjoyed seeing her heritage revealed and how that affected both her but also how other characters (namely Jason) saw her.
I was frustrated by Jason in the book, though. I was there enjoying Emilia’s shock and reactions to shifter society whilst wanting to shake Jason. The man was all kinds of hot and cold (and occasionally arctic) with how he was with Emilia and I just so did not have time for that. It was explained pretty well why he was bouncing back and forth with how he felt for Emilia but damn did I want to give the boy a shake and tell him to sort his head out or get lost because I do not have patience for folks being messed about and there was a touch of that at the start. Thankfully, he figured himself out sharpish before I got genuinely annoyed with him otherwise we would be having a very different discussion about my feelings for this book. It was written well his struggle with himself and you couldn’t hate him too much for it because there were reasons!
I have to say the best part of this book was the relationship between Emilia and Jason but especially the sexy times (without being weird). The romance was so strong, though! Like, I knew Zoe could write good romance from the novella but damn did it shine brightest in this book when she had more time to develop the relationship. From the sexual tension building between the pair in a shifter club to a mutual masturbation scene during their road trip right up to when they actually have their bow-chicka-wow-wow moment later on. All were written well and I may not have been fanning myself, but it was close guys. The romance and sex were written so well and there was no cringing (seriously, I’ve had folks use decidedly unsexy language which throws me right out of a book so this is important to note). One moment which clearly stood out for me was when Jason backed all the way off during a heated make-out session towards the start and the couple had banged into a wall or something and Emilia let out a sound which he interpreted as him hurting her as he was being too full on and she then reassured him that it was good and more would be appreciated. I love little moments like that because they feel genuine, but also I like to see couples in romance discuss their boundaries. I don’t need an alpha male dominating with his whips and chains, I want mutual respect and a demonstration that it’s a partnership. I think that moment both set the tone for their romance together but also demonstrated what kind of romance author Zoe is. She will not be writing overbearing alpha males and unbalanced sexual relationships where the male dominates and the meek woman is just along for the ride. She wrote a woman who knew her sexual pleasure and was not afraid to grasp it with both hands and so what she wants. Why is there not more of that in romance?
Now is it a romance review if I am not complaining about folks not using their words? Yeah, there were moments of miscommunication and withholding of information which was annoying because you just know that’ll blow up in their face later on, but instead of falling into the trap of using that as a plot device to push Emilia and Jason apart it actually brought them together. It made them both question what they wanted from the other but it didn’t break them! And another time Emilia had shifted into a bear and was wondering around and you questioned if the designated bad guys were going to get her because woman wondering around alone, feels like a plot device to get her captured and in need to rescuing (boring, because why would want another example of how women need rescuing when we totally don’t) but nope. She gets told she’s leaving shifter territory and to get her ass back in the opposite direction to stay safe. And she even does some rescuing of her own later on, because Emilia's a badass like that. I just felt like this book was refreshing in not falling into the usual plot device traps which can be boring and have you rolling your eyes.
Look, I enjoyed this book. I do still have unanswered questions, but the kind of unanswered questions you expect to see explored in later books. I enjoyed this book a whole lot, far more than I think even I realised when reading because I write this up into more coherent words (you guys did not see my original word vomit take on this book, it was 2000 words long and I wrote it in like half an hour). I am eager for more, especially from the small glimpse I got of Truth or Bear. I am hoping as I continue on my questions about shifter politics and the story behind the bad guys (called the Guard) and I’m hoping we get to see more of the characters I’ve grown to love in this book. Look, it’s a debut, I am not claiming there is perfection, but it’s showing strong potential for some good stuff. I still need to learn more about the shifter world because from what I saw I do not get why Emilia would want to join (they’re a touch controlling in their government) but I do think there is a really interesting world to explore and I can’t wait to return and see this world from a new perspective.
Have you ever read a book by someone you sort of knew and felt nervous about it? And have I convinced you this a series to check out and give a chance?
Today’s post of Bite Sized Books only has two reviews and neither review is me shouting for you to get reading. One is a DNF where it very much felt like I was saying it’s not you it’s me when I finally admitted defeat and DNF. And the other is a book which felt like a palate cleanser. It was good but it wasn’t amazing and I felt like it was getting my brain ready for whatever book I picked up next.
Shadow of the Fox (Shadow of the Fox #1) – Julie KagawaPublished: 2nd October 2018
Source: Netgalley
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
My Rating: DNF
A single wish will spark a new dawn.Every millennium the missing pieces of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers are hunted, for they hold the power to call the great Kami Dragon from the sea and ask for any one wish.As a temple burns to the ground Yumeko escapes with its greatest treasure – the first piece of the scroll. And when fate thrusts her into the path of a mysterious samurai she knows he seeks what she has. Kage is under order to kill those who stand in his way but will he be able to complete his mission? Will this be the dawn that sees the dragon wake?Enter a beautiful and perilous land of shapeshifters and samurai, kami and legends, humans and demons…a world in which Japanese mythology and imagination blend together.
I didn’t hate this book. But I didn’t love it and ended up DNF-ing which was unfortunate. It was nothing against the book, I actually really liked so many aspects of the story but I think it was very much I was not in the mood for the book and something didn’t click and so I ended up DNF-ing at the end of 2018.
This book seriously made me question at what point you should DNF. I found the story interesting and original. The exploration of Japanese mythology and folklore was fascinating and done well so that someone knows very little (like me) didn’t feel lost within the story but instead felt like they were being told but it also wasn’t too heavy handed so you feel overloaded with information either. It was gradually interspersed and that made me like it so much. I think my issue was very much I wasn’t in the mood for this book but also I didn’t connect with the characters. This may have been because there were multiple POV and we all know how I feel about those, or maybe my not being in the mood drive a wedge which stopped connecting, whatever the case it was very much a ‘it’s not you it’s me’ moment in DNF-ing. I felt so bad and questioned whether or not I should persist for the story but I knew how it would end. Me in a slump disliking the book when it really was a good story.
I did try and push through my mood and see if the characters would click for me but sadly that did not happen. If you are looking for a book with an interesting storyline with mythology and folklore you may be unfamiliar with then this is for you. There are plenty of far more positive reviews out there which shows it wasn’t the books fault.
Last Good Man (Crown Creek) – Theresa Leigh
Published: 25th July 2018
Source: Free
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
My Rating:
Cooper Grant is not my type. Yes, he’s drool-worthy, with that glint in his blue eyes and the jaw-dropping way he fills out his jeans. Yes, other women might fall all over themselves for a glimpse of his slow, crooked smile. I’m not other women.
He hates me. And the feeling is mutual.
In a town as small as ours, it’s pretty hard to avoid him...and it’s completely impossible once I wake up in a hospital bed to find Cooper pacing the floor of my room.
He’s rumpled. He’s frantic. And he’s swearing I’m his fiancee.
What the hell?
I hate him, but he saved my life. So when he asks me to lie and pretend we’re engaged, I have no choice but to play along. One moment we’re fighting like usual, the next moment he’s kissing me and slipping a gorgeous ring onto my finger. It’s enough to give me whiplash… again.
And maybe it’s the bump on my head, but it’s getting pretty easy to pretend I’m in love with him.
Now, instead of avoiding him, I’m surrendering to his crushing kisses. Our fiery hatred for each other isn’t nearly as hot as the nights we spend entwined.
The engagement is fake. The love is pretend.
But the way I ache for him is real.
And now I want to know… Can your worst enemy be your best lover?
Does it sound harsh to call this book a good palate cleanser? Because it was an excellent palate cleanser of a book. It was enjoyable and easy to read and never gave me any urge to DNF… but it also won’t be a book I throw at everyone to read and I may forget about it in another couple of weeks. But the times I was reading it it was awesome.
This book could totally raise questions of what makes a good and a bad book for me but let’s not get into that debate today.
It’s a fake relationship book of sorts and that is totally what made me want to read… along with the fact it was a freebie read I saw on an author newsletter that I kind of couldn’t help put download. I did wonder if it was going to be a whole amnesia storyline from the summary (because you could totally believe it from that, right?) but it wasn’t. Thankfully, it was all a fake relationship instead for the convenience of Cooper being able to go in the ambulance when Willa was hurt. I much preferred that storyline than any amnesia one.
Cooper and Willa were a darn cute couple who for many reasons ended up hating each other. Cooper was definitely the cause of that but really, the main culprit was Cooper’s best friend who just should have been honest from the start (and he kind of pissed me off because of that). Cooper was a nice guy who was sticking up for his friend and this started a whole campaign of not liking Willa. And Willa was a good friend who was willing to sacrifice her reputation to help a friend out. Fast forward a few years and they’re stuck disliking one another all because one dude couldn’t be honest with his best friend. Someone is a dickhead here and it wasn’t Cooper. Anyway, vague allusions to plot aside, it was a good book. I liked Seeing Willa and Cooper get closer and become friends and then something more. It had moments of me feeling like maybe the romance moved too fast, but it was always fun to read. I would have liked more friends time before they moved to the sexy time, but you can’t have everything.
I may not feel like this book is going to stay with me forever but who doesn't want an enjoyable read to prepare them for their next read?
I have two questions, what makes you DNF a read, and can you ever see when it’s a you thing and a book thing? And do you have palate cleanser reads where you like a book but you very much feel like it’s getting you ready to read something awesome?
All the drama has kicked off at work. I spent my week there gossiping and eating cake. I should probably feel bad about the amount of gossiping (and the amount of cake) but I just don’t have time for that. It made my week at work a little better at least. Especially as me and my supervisor need to be having words about holiday… but let’s not do the negative. Do not ask, I will start ranting at you and nobody needs that. Literally, everyone I see on a regular basis has had an earful on it, I’m amazed I’ve not started stopping strangers on the street.
Also, whilst we’re on the subject of things which piss me off what the hell is happening with America? Why you still not got past this government shutdown bullshit? Seriously? Why is the world falling apart? This is as bad as the fact our UK politicians can still not agree on a Brexit deal! I mean seriously people? Why are politicians all throwing their toys out of their prams on these things? At least in the US, you have a good reason, nobody wants to pay for that wall. I don’t even know what the UK excuse is. Yeah, Brexit is a terrible idea but ffs why can no one act like a grown up on it? Yeah, politics is right pissing me off lately. I am so over it, let’s all start our own country somewhere warm where it doesn’t snow but where I will totally not get sunburnt either. Who’s with me?
And now onto the rest of life. I am typing this all up Saturday like an hour before I need to start doing my hair and face for my night out. I spent far too much time watching YouTube videos, but you know how sometimes you watch one and it then becomes this black hole of watching just one more and then it’s 3pm and you’ve still not changed out of your pyjamas or written up any blog posts but you do have about 20 makeup products in your shopping basket on Boots and you don’t quite know what happened. No? Just me? Well, that’s been my Saturday so far and it’s been quite fun but it’s also my excuse for why this post may be a little all over the place. But you have to fit blogging in when you can so you get me for an hour before I get ready for cocktails and either an early night or dancing… we’ll see where the night takes me.
I went to the cinema Friday after work and saw Glass. Guys… I’m not sure the film holds up to the brilliant of Split… but it wasn’t bad. I also somehow got upgraded (downgraded?) to a student for a cheaper ticket. I loved the sweet guy who served me at the counter. What a nice guy! Especially as I am several years past being a student, but I am not complaining. And do you guys have the fancy cinema seats where they’re electric and they recline and have a table and cupholder? I sat in those totally comfy seats so even though the film was 2+ hours long and I was bursting for the toilet by about the halfway mark I at least didn’t have a numb bum. What can I say? I may have spent a small fortune for a 2-hour experience, but at least I was comfy doing it. And the film was OK too, I think maybe my expectations were just too high.
Oh, and if there is some hella weird formatting going on in this post I apologise. The program I normally use for typing up blog posts is having technical difficulties uploading photos to Blogger so I'm having to do the HTML all by myself and let's just so I have no skills so may end up mistyping and breaking the internet.
Oh, and if there is some hella weird formatting going on in this post I apologise. The program I normally use for typing up blog posts is having technical difficulties uploading photos to Blogger so I'm having to do the HTML all by myself and let's just so I have no skills so may end up mistyping and breaking the internet.
What I’ve Been Reading
It’s been another good reading week, I think. I did expect to have finished Best of Luck by now, but I’m just not totally invested. I am when I’m reading but when I put the book down to do other things I don’t get have those ‘I need to get back to reading ASAP’ urges. I don’t know if this is a me thing or a book thing at the moment, though. We’ll see. The other two books were pretty good, though. A Wicked Kind of Husband has been my favourite, I saw Nick mention it (where else do I get book recs from anyway) and as soon as I saw it was on Kindle Unlimited I was there and it was spectacular. It’s a travesty Mia Vincy has no other books out yet. Appetites & Vices was mostly a win, but there was something which didn’t quite work about it for me. But I did enjoy it. Maybe the problem with my reading week is simply that the books I’m reading aren’t holding a torch to the first one?
New To Me
Two borrowed books on Kindle Unlimited and only one purchase in the form of Mhairi McFarlane who is a favourite author of mine. I’m excited to start reading that. I then seriously have to get back to those ARCs I have. Obviously, I’ve already read one of my borrowed books, the other I saw over at Rowena’s blog but she didn’t actually love it so now I’m a little bit hesitant, but if I don’t enjoy it no skin off of my nose it was borrowed anyway. And there are no new ARCs this week because I have excellent self-control (and I’m avoiding Netgalley).
What have you been up to this week? Has anyone seen anything good at the cinema lately? I feel like I need to go more often and watch more films in the comfy VIP chairs. Also, tell me what books to read, book recs are appreciated.
The One You Fight For ( The Ones Who Got Away #3) – Roni LorenPublished: 1st January 2019
Source: Bought
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
My Rating:
How hard would you fight for the one you love?
Taryn Landry was there that awful night fourteen years ago when Long Acre changed from the name of a town to the title of a national tragedy. Everyone knows she lost her younger sister. No one knows it was her fault. Since then, psychology professor Taryn has dedicated her life's work to preventing something like that from ever happening again. Falling in love was never part of the plan...Shaw Miller has spent more than a decade dealing with the fallout of his brother's horrific actions. After losing everything—his chance at Olympic gold, his family, almost his sanity—he's changed his name, his look, and he's finally starting a new life. As long as he keeps a low profile and his identity secret, everything will be okay, right?When the world and everyone you know defines you by one catastrophic tragedy...
How do you find your happy ending?
This series has seriously been so good so far. I mean, I was wary going into the first book because any book which deals with characters who have gone through a school shooting and come out the other side is going to be emotional and I was worried it would be far too much about the characters trauma rather than learning to move forward but not forget what they have been through and what they have lost. The first book was awesome but a little dramatic now I think back on it but I totally couldn’t put it down. Then I wasn’t sure I wanted to read the second because Rebecca was not a favourite of mine so was I even going to like her story? I did, it was awesome and I need me a man in my life to cook for me like Wes. So when it came to the third release I’d finally learnt to put all doubts aside because I knew it would be good.
I wasn’t wrong.
As the summary says, this book is Taryn’s book and how she ends up falling for Shaw Miller. I adored Taryn, she was so hard working and she was the only one of the four friends who was already on the path she said she was going to set herself on in those time capsule letters. She knew where she wanted to be, she worked hard to study why the school shooting happened, and why others happened as well. To understand the psychology of the shooters and find ways to try and implement a programme in schools which would hopefully help prevent these kids ever getting to the stage where shooting their peers seemed like a good solution. She was so very intelligent and so dedicated and so very utterly stressed out from it all.
Shaw Miller was the brother of one of the school shooters at Long Acre. He was older and had been a hopeful for Olympics. he had been dedicated to his gymnastics and had no idea of what his brother was to do. But afterwards, his life was changed forever. He was painted with the same brush as his brother and fell off the grid as much as he could. He never intended to move back around near Long Acre, couldn’t face everything that happened, but for his best friend Rivers he was willing to change his name and help him open a gym.
The pair of them were wonderful. I admired how dedicated Taryn was and I wanted the poor woman to give herself a break and I wanted to punch everyone who got in her way of doing such good things. It was frustrating to see Taryn struggling to get people to believe in the work she’d done and brush it aside as too expensive and instead be willing to spend money on measures which have already proven to be ineffective as shootings still happen! I loved Taryn best when she was enjoying herself and not stressing herself out from her work. When she sang that first karaoke song I liked her, even if she had a bit of an emotional breakdown afterwards. And when she cursing folks out on an obstacle course and treating a wall (called Wally) as if it were a nemesis and something she had to conquer. She was so much fun, and I loved her when she was with Shaw. Shaw brought out a fun side of her you never saw when she was working and stressing herself out with pressure from her family to live up to their expectations and the pressure she put on herself to make the world better.
And Shaw! That man broke my little heart and made me want to give him a hug and tell the world where to go and stop being so damn mean to him. He had been a successful gymnast with hopes of going to the Olympics before the Long Acre shooting. You saw flashes of this as he trained in the gym he opened with Rivers, when he was on the rings and when he did a floor routine to work out his stresses before starting his day. I have seen gymnasts on TV and let me tell you, those boys are hot and I would happily watch them practise all day so I was half in love with Shaw as soon as I met him. But as the book progressed and you learnt the sheer level of guilt he felt for his brother's actions and the amount of blame and hate he put on himself I wanted to protect him from the world. Taryn could not have been better for him (apart from when she got hella mean towards him at the end and I wanted to slap her for using his worries against him) but Taryn understood the psychology of his brother and the place he was at by the time the shooting happened. Knew that a comment made in the heat of a moment was not the root cause for such a tragedy. And she also knew that the public was wrong about Shaw, he had no anger problems and he was not like his brother in any way shape or form. He was a good man who unfortunately had a tragedy strike his family. I honestly hated how Shaw got lumped in with his brother when he was innocent. He was much a victim of Long Acre as anyone who was there because he was caught up in the aftermath too and had to recover from such a tragedy.
I loved how well handled the school shooting is within this series. You can tell Roni Loren has thought about how it has not only affected those who were there but also by those who felt the impact in other ways. She’s written the series so far so very well and she hasn’t gone wrong with this one. I understood the struggle between Taryn and Shaw, there were so many reasons not to be together but they brought out the best in one another and I wanted to shout at them every time doubts crept in and every time someone said something which made them question their relationship together. I was crying by the end of this book because damn it hit me in all the feels.
Have you read any of this series? Have you read the latest addition, what were your thoughts?
Published: 6th February 2018
Source: Bought
Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction
My Rating:
After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity--and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution...
Havana, 1958. The daughter of a sugar baron, nineteen-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest--until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary...
Miami, 2017. Freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth.
Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.
I know I say this a lot when it comes to books I’ve put off reading due to the hype, but why didn’t you guys push me harder to read Next Year in Havana?
Next Year in Havana is an utterly astounding novel which transports you away to Cuba, both past and present. From the very first page, you will feel invested in both Marisol’s journey in the present and Elisa’s journey in the past. It was an emotional roller-coaster of a book which I just didn’t want to pull myself away from. Chanel Cleeton managed to capture so much within these pages and she never drops the ball on any element of the story. The characters, the romance, the story, even the history within the pages is all done well. I was so utterly invested that I didn’t want to put this book down. If hadn’t needed to get some sleep I could have easily read this book straight through until the end.
From the summary, you can already tell there is a dual storyline. You have Marisol’s journey in the present, travelling to Cuba for the first time in her life, to a country she feels is home from her families stories of their time living there and the multitudes of family history which has occurred there. She is travelling to scatter her grandmother, Elisa’s, ashes and hoping to learn more about her family history whilst she is at it, where she discovers far more than she ever expected. And there is Elisa’s story in the past, starting a few months before the Cuban revolution which led her whole family to leave a country she loved. You slowly learn there was far more to Elisa than Marisol ever realised and I couldn’t wait for each time we returned to Elisa’s story in the past and her passionate affair with a man who was against everything her family represented in Cuba, yet who she cared for. It’s a story Marisol never knew and I loved learning about it.
Too often with books with dial storylines like this one, you find yourself more invested in one story than the other, but that simply wasn’t the case here. I expected to be more invested in Elisa’s story, to be honest, it seemed more exciting, but I loved both women, Elisa and Marisol, but that’s to be expected with Elisa helped raise Marisol, you could see elements of her within Marisol at times. And it was so impressive that both storylines mirrored the other in certain ways. Both Elisa and Marisol found themselves falling for someone political and they both fell for someone who loved Cuba so dearly and who were risking themselves for their beliefs. And Elisa and Marisol themselves were discovering their passions and learning what they wanted in life. I think that is why it was so easy to be invested in both stories because they each were following a similar path and you were hoping mistakes from the past were not repeated in the present.
As this was a historical read I also thought this might be a bit too heavy on the history, as well. But I loved learning more of both Cuba’s past and it’s present within the pages. Cuba is relatively unknown to me and I am now shocked at how we don’t hear more about Cuba. I mean, I know people that want to travel there, it’s a holiday destination and I think many have forgotten it is a communist country and the struggles which people are undergoing there even now is shocking. I feel like I need to read up on all the Cuban history because how did I not know about any of this? It was heart-breaking reading the Perez’s struggles in the past and I cried as they did, and mourned when they had to leave a country which they loved and which was their home. And when Marisol returned and felt that sense of home upon arrival, only to have it ripped away through the pages as she felt a sense of other in the country she loved because she hadn’t gone through the struggles those who had stayed had gone through and didn’t understand the way in which they still struggled. It was awful.
This was such a powerful and emotional read. I loved it so completely and cannot wait to read Beatriz’s book When We Left Cuba. Next Year in Havana was filled with history, emotional and amazing characters you can behind. I was crying by the end in such a good way because I was so utterly invested in Elisa’s and Marisol’s story. It was my third book of the year and I already know it’ll be one of my favourites of 2019. I will now be committed to reading everything which Chanel Cleeton writes and trying to talk myself out of preordering a signed copy of the book from Fountain Bookstore so I can get that stunning Besame lipstick with it. I adored it just like I adored Sarra Manning’s books like After The Last Dance and The House of Secrets both of which had a dual storyline and were utterly amazing.
Please tell me you have read this already? Wasn’t it utterly stunning in every way imaginable? And if you haven't, have I convinced you to buy it?
Hi all and I have returned to a Sunday! or at least, I’m attempting to occasionally pop in on a Sunday because I like our little catch ups. I planned to pop back last weekend but life… the world… good books got in the way. It’s the eternal struggle of a blogger I suppose.
Anyway, how have you all been? You can fill me in on any excitement in the comments. I wish I could say I’ve got excitement to fill you guys in but I’m stuck in the January slump of not wanting to spend money after the excessive spending in the run-up to Christmas. I’m also attempting to get organised and be a proper grown up this year which means making plans, not spending like crazy and trying to plan for the future. It’s all very boring and all I really want to think about is where to go on holiday this year? I feel like all I want to do is shop and eat on this holiday so suggestions for good locations will always be appreciated. I’m sort of tempted to convince my mom to go back to NYC with me but is it too soon to return? I didn’t see whole chunks of the city after all.
The theme of the past week has been the boredom of work, trying to catch up with friends and making plans for cocktails. It’s been exciting, and I think the talk of cocktails has probably been the thing which has been getting me through the week and I don’t even get rewarded with them until next weekend! They will be homemade cocktails so wish me luck because that could go horribly wrong. It’ll be fun though because I feel like the past few times I’ve seen friends it’s been way too serious, it’ll be nice just be silly and have a laugh and curl up in my bed afterwards with a slightly sore head the next day.
I’ve been struck with the lurgy this week. It came on all of a sudden with a cough, a blocked nose and a sore throat so I’ve also been roaming around feeling sorry for myself as I wake myself up each night coughing. It came on all of a sudden though so I’m keeping my fingers crossed I’ll shift it just as fast. I am not very good at not being well and then I start complaining worse than folks with man flu. It’s embarrassing really but you know I don’t actually feel that bad if I’m complaining, it’s when I’m quiet folks should get concerned.
The only other exciting thing happening lately is I’ve started watching Luther and I don’t know why I waited so long to start this series. I am in love with Idris Elba already and I am loving all the shades of grey this show is putting me through. I love morally grey characters it seems.
What I’ve Been Reading
These are the reads from the beginning of the year. I have to say, my reading year has been pretty good although I tried to pick up one ARC twice and didn’t make it past the first page which I’m taking as a sign that it may need to be DNF-ed but I know I’ve not given it a fair chance so third time will either be the charm or the last nail in the coffin for that.
Anyway, I began my year continuing my reread of Act Like It because I did not finish before the end of 2018 and I adored every page. I read a physical copy which I always feel a little awkward over because I bought it used (why were more copies of that book not publisher?) but my copy is signed with a personalised message which is not to me. I feel a little sad for whoever it belonged to every time. I then read Trust the Wolf which I was sent by the lovely Zoe Ashwood and I’ve spent a lot of time stewing on my thoughts after finishing and I can now safely say I enjoyed it a lot and cannot wait for the next book. I’ll write a full review on that soon. I had another hit in the form of Next Year in Havana (why were you not throwing that book at me to read?) and then I read The One You Fight For which was also amazing and now I’m reading a freebie read of Last Good Man. It’s a little OTT and I’ve noticed one continuity issue as I swear a ring was put on the right hand but I’ve just read that it’s now on the left but I really am enjoying it all the same. It’s some serious hate to love going on.
The star of the last two weeks is definitely Next Year in Havana but damn I’ve had an excellent start to the year.
New To Me
I’ve been quite strict with myself on the book buying front. I mean, one of these books was a preorder and two were freebies. That is not bad really. I’m also attempting to do a new thing of reading the first few pages if there’s a sampler for a book before buying because I never do that and sometimes I end up with a book where the writing style is totally not me and I question what on earth I was thinking. Smoke & Summons was my Kindle First book and I joined the Romance Read-of-the-Month Club which was emailed about in Sarina Bowen’s newsletter last month, but the first freebie was The Beach Wedding which is only a short read so I figured why not? As for the other three? Well they were obviously on the must buy list, I had The One You Fight For preordered and I thought I’d pre-ordered Best of Luck but obviously hadn’t so picked up a copy.
I also got a couple of ARCs and free copies. I was thrilled to get a finished copy of The Wicked King but I kind of want to reread The Cruel Prince before starting it. I also got approved for a copy of Serious Moonlight (I actually prefer the UK cover on this one) and way back when I saw Nick talk about Appetites & Vices so I requested an arc and I got approved like a month later. Go me!
And that is my time lately. What have you been up to? Any good books? And seriously, suggestions for holiday destinations would be appreciated because I am a terrible decision maker.
Ruthless King (Kings of Rittenhouse #3) – Maya Hughes
Published: 10th January 2019Source: Review Copy Author
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
My Rating:
My dick never got me in half as much trouble as my heart...
We were high school sweethearts. I was head over heels for her and no one could tell me we weren’t going to last forever. College? Going pro? My family’s money? None of it mattered. She was all I needed.
Then she ripped my heart out. But I’m not going to let that happen again.
She’s back. Invading my life and acting like she was the wronged one. The pain is still there, but I can’t keep my eyes off her. I can’t stop thinking about her and how much was left unsaid between us. Being this close is making me question everything I thought I knew about her.
This time everything will be on my terms. Everything…
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 received an email about this book and it is rather different to my romance reading of late, but as soon as I read the summary I was tempted. That alone has me thinking of books I’ve read in the past and I couldn’t help but accept and agree to review. I haven’t read a new adult book like this one in a good long while. I started with new adult romance when I was making my entrance into the romance world because I was fed up of reading about YA characters who felt immature to me and could relate to NA characters far more. I still have such a soft spot for them because really you don’t forget your first romances, do you? Sure, I’d read the chick lit which used to be popular in the UK but I’d never classed myself as a romance reader until I began reading NA and sports romance a while back. The rest, they say, is history.
From the first page, this book had me feeling nostalgic. It opens with Emmett, our male lead, kicking someone out of his apartment showcasing all the signs of being a rich boy with no feelings. I mean, he should come across utterly unlikable because he obviously sounds like he gets through many women and he’s overly privileged but then he reveals his inner man pain and boy do I want to know how some girl broke his heart from there. (Also, as a side note I would like it known that in real life it is never acceptable to treat people badly because you had your heart broken, he would get a strong talking to and get told not to be a dickhead if this was reality.) Basically, Emmett acts like a massive dickhead through a lot of this book and I did question how he was even allowed and wanted to punch him several times… but I also wanted him to find out the truth and get back with Avery because in the flashbacks to the best he seemed pretty adorable. I did also want to take all of this money away because the dude seriously tried to control folks with money without even realising it. Not in a bad way… but he tried to pay for everything to kind of make his friends owe him… which also sounds bad when I put it like that. Honestly, the last part of the book (apart from a couple of times when I shouted use your words at him) he wasn’t all that bad and he became a total sweetheart again. He was going through a dickhead recovery period.
And then there is Avery who is obviously the girl from the wrong side of the tracks who dated the rich, popular guy in school before a thing happened which made him hate her for years. Seriously, this book is hella dramatic and I loved it! Anyway, I’m sure you can guess some of the things which occurred when I say the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, right? Obviously, family was involved on both sides to create added drama which was fun to read. Avery is your typical good, kind, hardworking woman who has spent her years since high school ended working all hours (which she also did whilst at school too, the girl had a work ethic we could all do with having). She has worked hard to make sure her sister is well fed and can have any opportunity she wished for so she didn’t have to struggle as Avery did and finally her sister has graduated and the book starts with Avery looking to her future… except she doesn’t know what she wants in life. She inevitably ends up going to the summer cottage Emmett and his friends have rented because Emmett was meant to have pulled out. All kinds of fun things happen with those two stuck in the same house together and seriously have to read for all the drama. Avery could be frustrating because none of this book would have happened if the girl hadn’t used her words from the very start, but I liked her all the same. She still hadn’t learnt the lesson in using her words, though. Why do folks in romance struggle with this?
This book was not original and the storyline has been seen before. I’m not going to lie to you on that. I mean the rich guy with a trust fund who used to be in love with the girl from the wrong side of the tracks? Yeah, we’ve all seen it before. And we all know the misunderstandings which will occur when they’re stuck together somewhere like a rented cottage at the beach with friends. It did have its moments of not necessarily surprising me, but it takes an unexpected turn. Maya Hughes took some well-known tropes and plot devices and made it so even when you can see the next turn in the story coming you don’t care because you’re having so much fun on the journey. Sure, I wanted to slap Avery upside the head for not being honest and Emmett was a massive dickhead at times using money to get his friends to do as he wanted them to and letting his parents act as they did, but I still liked both of them despite their flaws. They were flawed but I was fully invested in Emmett finally finding out the truth and realising that Avery’s only fault was she couldn’t be honest and trust him as much as she should and that he can be far too quick to jump to conclusions.
This was a book which shouldn’t have worked for me because I hate this level of drama and miscommunication but for some reason, I didn’t even care. I think half was the sense of nostalgia and the other half was that it was a well-written romance which I enjoyed reading. I do wish I’d read the other books in this series because the secondary characters were great and I feel like I would have appreciated their presence even more if I knew the backstory to the couples. The small glimpse you get into the next book in the series certainly has me excited to read that too. This was a lesson that sometimes reading a book in a genre you used to love can be the best thing because there is a reason you read so many of them.
Anyone else read this or any of the other book in the series? Have I missed out on a good story I need to go back and explore? And have you returned to a genre/category of book you used to love before?
It’s a well-established fact 2018 was a bad year for reading and blogging for me. I mean, it wasn’t terrible but it’s definitely not been the best year. So I made the decision that 2019’s goal would be simple.
2019 = No Pressure
I refuse to put too much stress or pressure on myself to do things a certain way in 2019. Blogging has always been a fun, easy, slightly creative outlet for me and it became really not fun towards the middle to end of 2018 when I was continually worrying I wasn’t blogging enough and felt like I was dropping the ball with blog hopping to replying to comments. That wasn’t fun and I think my time away has helped me remember that is the important part: having fun.
In keeping with my no pressure plan of blogging, I am not going to join a bunch of challenges. I have a few simple plans instead.
ARCS: Conquer the Backlist
Look, I have two pages of unread ARCs on Netgalley. Along with others I have received in the post and I want to read them already. They make me sad to look at and I wish my Netgalley feedback was higher so I am making a concerted effort to give each one a try within the first few months of this year. I will not necessarily commit to finishing them all but I am reading them to see if I am even interested in reading them and either way I will give polite feedback on there and show willing.
Embrace the DNF
I have never been hesitant about DNF-ing a book I’ve not been enjoying but, like a lot of readers I have seen, I seem to convince myself it’s me and maybe another day I’ll enjoy it more and never get rid of the damned thing. No more! I know me best, some books can be put aside due to mood but I know there are plenty of books which just don’t work for me and so I am going to stop lying to myself and admit defeat. Some books don’t work for me and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s sad but I know me best and DNF-ing is ok. I will let no one tell me otherwise.
No Reading/Blogging Challenges
I found reading challenges I wanted to join. There was a really cool one called All About the Trope where I was going to read all the fake dating romances… but I’m going to do that anyway so why join a challenge to add pressure on myself? And I wanted to try and do the Popsugar challenge because it looks really interesting this year, I mean one of the categories is reading a choose-your-own-adventure book which is awesome! And sure, I might see how far I can get in my own time but I’m not going to announce a commitment to doing it because I know my attention span. I’ll be bored of it in a week and it won’t get mentioned for the rest of the year. So down with the challenge!
That being said, I will be doing the Goodreads challenge.
Goodreads: 12 books
Yes, I have made my Goodreads goal as 12 because my theory is a book a month. Totally achievable and low pressure. It leaves me with the opportunity to DNF as much as I want and reread to my heart’s desire whilst still reading new books too.
Bullet Journal
On a personal note, I want to stick with bullet journaling. Mine got forgotten about in 2018 right around the third or so month of the year because I was in a slump and didn’t set aside 10 minutes to jot things down in there each day. I want to make a better effort of being organised with it. I enjoyed writing lists and keeping track of things like my reading and that in there. I’m hoping I can do that again this year and do it right.
***
And those are my goals for the new year. They aren’t grand plans and they aren’t overly challenging but they are mine. Do you have any goals and resolutions for this New Year? And are you pushing yourself to do something new or are yours more lowkey goals like mine?
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