Kirstie / Roo

"Our scars define us. They tell a story of courage and survival. They tell of who we are at our deepest being, of the challenges we've faced and overcome."

What it's about: Kiva has escaped Zalindov Prison, but now she feels like a prisoner of a different sort, staying in the palace with the shockingly (to her mind) royal family and being treated well while her siblings entreat her to spy and sabotage in the name of the rebellion. Kiva agonises over her sworn goal of reclaiming the throne for her family and her growing feelings for Jaren and his family.

“Never forget that every scar is beautiful and you should never be ashamed of them.”

What I thought:

• This book has a similar pace to The Prison Healer, gaining momentum as it twists and turns throughout.
• I adore Caldon, he is such a good friend to Kiva, even though she doesn't really see or appreciate it.
• I spent a lot of this book desperately wanting to read on to find out what happens next whilst simultaneously afraid to keep reading in dread of Kiva hurting or betraying Jaren.
• Expecting lots of twists and reveals I was suspicious of the motives of every character introduced.

Juvenile, poorly written 

We start with the POV of Bess, a poor London street hawker who is placing her one day old illegitimate daughter into the care of The Foundling Hospital. The tone of Bess's narrative is immediately warm and easy to sink into. Throughout Part 1 we learn about Bess, her family, the circumstances leading to her child's birth and placement at the Foundling, and watch her prepare to reclaim her after years of working and saving. As the reader is already aware from the synopsis, Bess arrives at the Foundling only to be told she has already reclaimed the child, and this event is the main mystery of the narrative.

About a third of the way into the book we reach Part 2, which introduces the perspective of Mrs Alexandra Callard, a wealthy widower raising her husband's daughter. The voice of Alexandra is very distinct from Bess', and at first it does feel very cold and rigid in comparison. As the story continues and we learn more about her character and her history we discover that she is a deeply traumatised person and I felt a lot more sympathy for her. Alexandra is encouraged by one of the doctors from The Foundling to employ as a nursemaid for her daughter Charlotte a young woman called Eliza whose description matches Bess' to a suspicious degree.

I really liked how the author made just enough clear to make you feel like you were probably sure what was going on, but not all that sure how it was going to play it - the balance between spelling things out and not giving it away completely was perfectly achieved. Several times I would start to formulate theories or make predictions only to find something new that made me rethink them a few pages later. This could have been frustrating but it is done so well that it just kept me gripped and eager to know more. The pacing was ideal - it felt like the plot moved along steadily but without rushing, and it didn't become staid at any point.

There were no characters I disliked. Even those whose motives or actions ran counter to those of the protagonists were well written and made sympathetic as you could tell where their motivation was coming from - e.g. Ned, so rather than be annoyed at them for putting stumbling blocks in the way, I felt sad for them and the circumstances that drove them,

The book did a great job of portraying Georgian London and its people, though it did give me a start and a chuckle when it described the countryside as being so close to Great Ormond Street, and Fulham as being ‘in the country'.

The ending was not what I expected at all. When reading it my primary reaction was one of relief and pleasure that they would all get somewhat of a Happy Ever After after all, however after a few moments of reflection after finishing the book I did feel it somewhat unrealistic how easily and neatly all was resolved and the manner in which it was settled. Not that I couldn't see people behaving that way out of love for a child, but it seemed quite sudden for Bess and Alexandra to be behaving so warmly to each other and unlikely a scenario for what I know of the period. I am happy to suspend my disbelief though as it was a satisfying resolution to a satisfying read.

I really enjoyed that character of Lyle (for some reason I see him as Lin Manuel Miranda's character from Mary Poppins Returns even though that's entirely the wrong era) and would have liked to see more of his and Bess' developing relationship, especially the bit in the direct lead up to the final scene, but overall there's really not much I would have changed about this book (and probably extra Lyle scenes would have disrupted the pace or flow or somesuch).

 “I want to murder him in his sleep, A. No, I want to murder him when he's awake so he can see the joy on my face when I do it.”
Synopsis: Hannah has a major crush on a university football star. Garrett, hockey team captain, needs to get his grades up in order to keep his place on the team. They make a deal - Hannah will tutor Garrett and in exchange he will pretend to date her to make her crush jealous.
“Sometimes people sneak up on you and suddenly you don't know how you ever lived without them.”
Thoughts:

• I felt uncomfortable with Garrett in the beginning with his persistence re: Hannah tutoring him and pestering her, as well as deleting music from her iPod because he didn't like it. He did redeem himself and make me fall in love with him later, but then he lost some points again when he warns every guy on campus off of her when Hannah wanted to try dating others. Definitely a controlling streak there I didn't like. Happily, Hannah laid into him over that.
• Hannah & Garrett had good chemistry and banter.
• The sex scenes occasionally had language that made me cringe, but overall were good. They focus on mutual pleasure and are explicitly consensual, and Garrett genuinely enjoys pleasuring women, all things that are a solid plus for me.
• I enjoyed the writing overall, found it very engrossing with a good, large, world - it felt believable as a real place filled with real people.
• Good balance of smut, plot and character development
• TW for discussions of past SA.

“How did I go so long without noticing you, damn it? Why did it take seeing a stupid A on your midterm to make me notice?”

“I've officially designated him my gym-nemesis.”
Synopsis
Crystal is a plus-sized fitness influencer on Instagram and a personal trainer. A new guy joins the gym she works out of and in their first interactions she is annoyed at him for violating gym etiquette. They trade barbs for a few months, leading to a very sexually charged situation. After which, they bump into each other outside of the gym for the first time - at their grandparent's engagement dinner (his grandad, her grandma).

They soon become friends and admit their mutual attraction, but Crystal is concerned about the potential fallout on their joining families if things don't work out.

“‘If I don't kiss you in five seconds, I'm gonna lose it,' he tells me in a low whisper.”
Tropes & Themes

• Forced proximity
• Delayed gratification
• He falls first
• Body image & self-esteem

“Scott's cult-leader-level charisma makes me want to drink all his Kool-Aid and bend some rules.”

Diversity & Representation

• Biracial protagonist
• Plus-sized protagonist

“I still have days where I don't love everything about myself. It's normal.”

My Thoughts

• I've seen this touted as enemies-to-lovers, but it's not really. Crystal considers Scott her nemesis for the first few chapters but the attraction is instant & mutual, they become friends very quickly and once they are friendly the MMC makes his interest in a relationship very clear, so it's more delayed gratification and forced proximity IMO.
• I liked the curvy-girl rep, Crystal's journey from body positivity to more balanced body acceptance and the acknowledgement that positivity culture (especially on social media) can be toxic and unhelpful just like body shaming can be. The book doesn't go too deep on this as it's ultimately a light romance, but it is discussed.
• Scott is possibly a little too perfect/good. Despite clearly being modelled on the beautiful Chris Evans (no secret is made of this, it's hinted at quite clearly several times), he was missing something for me. He wasn't objectionable in any way, but he was missing that extra something for me to make him into one of those memorable book boyfriends (IYKYK).
• I loved Grandma Flo, she was a riot, and definitely my favourite character.
• The third-act conflict was, I felt, mostly Crystal's fault and as with many romance novel third-act conflicts could have been prevented by just talking honestly (and listening) to each other.
• I often find grand gestures and declarations in order to win someone back cringy and cheesy, but this one I thought was quite sweet.

“ ‘By the way, this wasn't a date in any way, shape or form,” I remind him. ‘It's simply an apology sorbet outing between two former strangers, turned nemeses, turned acquaintances whose grandparents are getting married. A truce.' ”

"I'll never belong anywhere like I belong with you."

What it's about:Set with an alternating timeline covering the present day and the course of ten summer trips (moving toward the present summer) taken by friends Poppy & Alex, as they navigate the changes in their lives and feelings towards each other.

“Being together was as easy and natural as being alone, without any of the loneliness.”

What I thought:

• I have a personal soft spot for friends-to-lovers (since that's what my own love story is) and I feel this was a very well done depiction of how that feels and plays out, in my experience. Indeed, I definitely saw glimpses of my own relationship in this book, which has probably biased me towards it.
• The slow burn is A+.
• It's a very introspective and reflective read, giving the novel a somewhat slow pace, especially as the timelines alternate. 
• Beautifully written prose, the kind I just want to be wrapped up in.
• As with other Emily Henry novels, I like how characters are called on their shit and make the effort to improve and become emotionally available for the relationship.
• I also appreciated how the third act conflict is not drawn from a miscommunication which could have been easily solved by just talking, as so many romance books seem to be.

“It's not your job to make me happy, okay? I'm happy just because you exist, and that's as much of my happiness as you have control over.”

 "Who are you to decide who is a monster?"

What it's about:
A retelling of the Medusa myth from a more female-centred perspective via multiple POVs of gods, mortals and demigods involved.

“I'm wondering if you still think of her as a monster. I suppose it depends on what you think that word means. Monsters are, what? Ugly? Terrifying? Gorgons are both these things, certainly, although Medusa wasn't always. Can a monster be beautiful if it is still terrifying? Perhaps it depends on how you experience fear and judge beauty.”

My thoughts:

• Not quite what I expected as it has a wider focus than just Medusa's story. Not a bad thing, just I was expecting more Medusa and less everyone else.
• As expected, female perspectives are given more time and prominence than in more traditional tellings.
• Shows how Medusa and other mortals are victims of the squabbles and disputes between the gods.
• I enjoyed the characterisation of the wide and varied cast. The author did a great job of giving them distinct personalities in very few words.

“Vengeful and cruel, always blaming women for what men do to them. She has always been like this. You know she has.” 

"Honestly, if she hadn't begun to like him so much, she would find his excessive handsomeness extremely aggravating."

What it's about:
April is a plus-sized geologist who spends her spare time cosplaying, reading and writing fanfiction for her favourite book series turned TV series, ‘Gods of the Gates' (a thinly veiled ‘Game of Thrones' reference).

Marcus is the hunky lead actor in ‘Gods of the Gates' who to all the world appears to be a complete himbo. In his free time, he has taken to writing fanfiction to channel his frustrations with how the show-runners deviate from the source material and contradict characterisation. 

When Marcus is tagged in a Twitter thread of April's cosplay get-up by a man body shaming her, Marcus comes to her public defence and invites her on a date in an attempt to prove to the trolls and haters that April is not unattractive. Here, Marcus discovers April's fanfic penname and realises that she is his anonymous fandom bestie and beta-reader. Of course, instead of confessing his secret fandom identity to her he conceals it but continues to date her, giving us one of the main conflicts of the novel.

Themes present in this story include:

• Marcus feels stifled by his public persona but afraid to let the real him show
• Body-shaming and body-positivity, April's past experiences dating as a fat woman and her insecurities and fatphobia within fandom
• Toxic parenting and strained parent/child relations - Marcus' parents are snobby & pretentious, ashamed of his lack of academic achievement and dyslexia; April's father is embarrassed by her size and her mother constantly undermines April and body-shames her
• Dual POV from both Marcus and April
• Marcus concealing their previous connection from April while pursuing a relationship with her

“I'm not looking to be fixed. I want to be loved and liked and desired not because of my size, not despite my size, but because I'm ME. My character, my choices, my words.”

What I thought:

• My first time reading a book by Olivia Dade and I enjoyed it enough that I now have most of the other things she's written on my wishlist!
• There were fanfic self-insert vibes, but I felt it was a well-written one and, perhaps due to being a lover of fanfic, I didn't mind it.
• I related to April's insecurities regarding letting the nerdier aspects of her personality and interests show at work and other non-fandom places.
• I was glad that Marcus was called out on how unfair and uneven his knowing April's online persona and their prior friendship and keeping this from her was, this wasn't glossed over and was treated as the massive betrayal and manipulation it absolutely is.
• Enjoyed the supporting cast of characters, although I do agree with previous reviewers that an actor in a major franchise happily admitting he writes pegging fanfic about said franchise (Marcus' colleague who jumps into the fanfic scene after Marcus confides in him) requires some suspension of disbelief because it does seem very unlikely!
• The Red Riding Hood role-play was seriously cringe and unsexy, glad that ended there!

“If those lines in the script contradicted seasons' worth of character development, not to mention the books that had inspired the series, he wouldn't dwell on that. Not now.”

 Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

“There are spells for breaking and spells for mending. But there are no spells for forgetting.”

Synopsis:

“I've lived enough years now to know that there were some ghosts that haunted you forever. Saoirse had secrets, yes. But so did we.”

My Thoughts:

• Deliciously atmospheric, perfect autumn vibes
• Captivating story and prose
• Quite slow-paced, with the story interspersed with flashbacks to lead up to the fire and Lily's death interspersed well throughout.
• Multiple POVs, primarily Emery & August, but also other islanders and even the island at one point
• There is a palpable sense of longing between August & Emery
• Great supporting cast of islanders.
• The magic/fantasy aspect is very low-key and understated. More of a mystery with thriller vibes and a second chance romance aspect.

“This pain inside me was like broken glass clutched in a fist. I knew it was drawing blood. Bleeding me out, all day, every day. But still, I couldn't just open my fingers and let it go. Because this wasn't that kind of love.”

 Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

“Wicked are the ways of women—and especially a witch. Their guile knows no bounds.”

Synopsis:

“ If she was destined to burn in Hell, I would burn with her.”

My Thoughts:

• The world-building was interesting but felt incomplete. There is a heavy French influence, which makes a change from the vaguely mediaeval England default of much fantasy, but it was hard to determine the differences between the setting of the story & historical France. The religious institution, which has a heavy presence in the story, appeared to be a direct copy of the Catholic church with the addition of the Chasseurs.
• The characters would often say something in French and then translate it, which struck me as odd, because why were they translating their native language to themselves, in their thoughts, or their fellow native speakers? 
• The main crux of the book is the enemies-to-lovers element between Lou & Reid, and the danger of Lou's situation. I would have preferred more build-up of the romance & more UST. They married, spent a few nights sniping & sleeping separately, then they were in love.
• The magic system seemed interesting - the Dammes Blanches see ‘patterns' they can manipulate. This is somehow different from what the Dammes Rouges do, who use blood. I wanted to know more about this but that's all we learn.
• I wasn't clear on why there was a persecution of the witches by the Church, aside from misogyny perhaps, how long this conflict had been in place & it if was the same the world over - there isn't a sense of the world outside of Cesarine & surrounding villages/towns.
• Overall, it was pleasant enough book but I didn't feel it lived up to it's potential.

“I knew who you were. I knew what you believed... and I fell in love with you anyway.”

“You can trust yourself to fall in love.” He pulled her closer. “You can trust me to catch you.”
Synopsis:
A collection of nine romance-themed short stories, as follows:

1. Midnights YA friends-to-lovers set across a series of New Year's Eve parties
2. Kindred Spirits YA grumpy/sunshine, teens camping out for a Star Wars premiere
3. Winter Songs for Summer grieving the end of a college relationship and eventually moving on, with mix CDs
4. The Snow Ball YA friends-to-lovers, getting ready for a school dance
5. If the Fates Allow Adult, guy-next-door during pandemic quarantine, with Reagan from Fangirl
6. The Prince & the Troll mortal from a hinted at dystopia falls in love with a bridge troll
7. Mixed Messages mostly text-message based, adult, concerning changing phases of life/relationships, with Beth and Jennifer from Attachments
8. Snow for Christmas Simon and Baz from Carry On etc spend Christmas day with Baz's family.
9. In Waiting speculative and conceptual romance between unfinished characters.

“Don't tell me we shouldn't. Tell me you don't want to or that you're not ready, but don't tell me we shouldn't.”

Thoughts

• A pleasant and easy read that had me smiling.
• My faves were Winter Songs for Summer and the Prince and the Troll, which was much sweeter than I expected, although I'd love to have known more about the road and wider world setting.
• My least fave was Mixed Messages, possibly because I am not familiar with the characters having not read Attachments? Also, the discussion of conception and infertility is a bit close to home for me at the moment. It wasn't bad, I just didn't enjoy it as much as the others.
• In Waiting was odd but intriguing. I liked that the ending was left ambiguous.

He knew she was still swimming in a sea of misery - he'd written the soundtrack.

 “Look like a hooker or look like a hooker. I went with the latter.”
Synopsis
Gaby has just finished graduate school and broken up with her boyfriend. With no job prospects and not even a vague inkling about what she might like to do for a career, she is moping at her parent's place. Gaby's twin brother, Eli, is touring with his band and another, and they just fired their merch guy, so he invites her to join them on their tour of the US, Europe and Australia selling merch. On her first night she hears the lead singer of the other band and decides she is in love.

“Apparently, she had gobbled up the information like a hooker would a penis.”
Content & Trigger Warnings

• Transphobic language
• Homophobic language
• Internalised misogyny
• Slut-shaming

“You know who else is high class? Hookers. Hookers are high class.”

Sacha didn't even miss a beat. He blinked those clear gray eyes at me and asked very seriously, “Do you know from experience?”

Tropes and Themes

• Rockstar romance
• Love triange (kinda)
• Not-like-other-girls
• Instalove
• Forced proximity

“Why are you holding men's shampoo?” A smirk covered his mouth a second later. “You finally decided to go through with that surgery, huh?”

My Thoughts

• I've seen a lot of hype over various Mariana Zapata books, though admittedly not this one, so I had reasonably positive expectations. If this is representative of the quality and content of her other books, I'll be removing them from my TBR.
  
  
• The characters are supposed to be in their mid-to-late 20s but I've encountered teenagers who act more maturely.
  
  
• FMC Gaby has a lot of internalised misogyny and gives massive not-like-other-girls energy. Any time she sees a female fan of the band or the MMC Sacha's friend and ex, she is calling them sluts, whores etc in her internal monologue.
  
  
• Gaby's brother and their mutual friends constantly insult her. Constantly. This is presented as friendly banter, but all of the banter and ‘jokes' revolve around homophobic, transphobic, gendered and sex-based insults, with the exception of those that are about her weight (see, they never call her by her name, always Flabby or Flabs). This is presented as evidence of their love.
  
  
• Sacha (MMC) is so bland. He doesn't participate in any of the homophobic or transphobic ‘banter' and is possibly the only person in the book that isn't mean to Gaby, but that's his most defining positive feature. Other than the tattoos, I guess?
  
  
• Most of the book, Sacha is stringing both his ex, Liz, who wants to get back together, and Gaby along. And then when Gaby finally speaks to him about what they are to each other, he's like “oh, you're my girl, didn't you know?” How could she, you've never spoken about it?!
  
  
• On that note, Gaby never actually expresses her feelings or desires either, then gets in a snit and gives Sacha a week of silent treatment because she saw him sat next to a girl and talking to her. Childish doesn't even begin to cover it.
  
  
• I enjoy a slow-burn, and I appreciated there not being a big third act conflict, but the plot and pacing of this story was just... absent and I didn't feel any chemistry between Gaby and Sacha.
  
  
• So many random things that made little to no sense. Why have a scene of Gaby discovering about 3/4s through the book that Sacha is diabetic when it has no relevance to the plot and is never mentioned again? Also, the whole UK tour section of the book made me think the author did no research about the logistics of touring the UK - they seem to be there a few weeks but only have two named UK dates almost as far away from each other as you can get in the UK days apart, so what were they doing all the rest of the time there? Presumably travelling to the next town or city they were playing in that would only have been a few hours away (so why the upgraded tour bus, which they then abandon to traverse the rest of Europe, where a bus you can sleep in might be useful if you are going country to country, in a van?).
  
  
• I switch between reading the book and listening to the audio. There is a discrepancy in the text of the two that makes me think the Kindle version I read has been edited post-release but the audiobook hasn't been. Gaby is wishing misfortune on her ex, and in the audiobook she wishes for him to “hook up with a transvestite” whereas the book she wishes for him to “hook up with someone with syphilis”. Good that it's been changed I guess but it leaves a bad taste for me that it was ever there, and I feel Zapata is a-OK with transphobia due to all the other instances being left in.
  
  
• In short, there was nothing that redeemed this book for me and I don't know why I didn't DNF it.

“But more than ever, I wanted Brandon's ass torn up by a dozen hung porn stars.”

 “He's a shadow in this world, ever present, and with my mother by his side there will never be enough light to cast him out.”
Synopsis:
Selestra Somniatis is the heir to the King's Witch. If she touches anyone she will foresee their death. Her destiny is to succeed to her mother's position and aid the King in harvesting souls to maintain his immortality. She lives a sheltered and solitary life in a palace tower.

Nox Laederic is a soldier in the King's Last Army. Following his father's death at the King's hand he has sworn himself to vengeance.

When Selestra is tasked with foretelling Nox's death as part of an annual ritual, she witnesses hers also. Fearing her death and fate is tied to his, she makes it her mission to save his life, repeatedly.

“There's nothing stronger than a dream that wants to live, and I've been dreaming of touch, of conversation, my whole life.”
My Thoughts:

• This is a stand alone novel set in the same world as To Kill a Kingdom and expands upon it's world building.
• The friendship dynamic between Selestra, Irenya, Nox and Micah is great.
• Brilliant banter, both of the flirty type between Selestra and Nox and of the friendship type between other characters.
• The Rapunzel and Greek mythology references/nods were occassionally a bit on the nose, but otherwise this is a rather loose retelling - more an ‘inspired by' than a straight retelling.
• Really sweet (clean) romance.
• A fun, kids-on-a-world-saving-quest YA fantasy. I really enjoyed it.

“She's made of dark magic and I can't ever forget it - if she let's it, it'll burn through the world.”

“He's constantly trying to blend into the background, but even when he's hiding, I see him.”
Synopsis
Jasper and Sloane have been friends ever since he was first taken it by her cousins, the Eatons of Chestnut Springs, and Sloane has been in love with him just as long. Jasper considers Sloane his best friend, so when she decides to jilt her fiance at the altar, he offers to be her getaway driver. In the aftermath, she needs some time away from her father and ex in the city, so she joins Jasper on a road trip he takes to visit his sister.

“I've seen all the darkest parts of you and I'm still here. I still want more. Stop trying to scare me away. It isn't going to work.”
Tropes and Themes

• Small town
• Road trip
• Grumpy/Sunshine
• Friends-to-lovers
• Only one bed
• Found family

“It's like she and I are tethered together, but she's the strong one. The pillar. And when troubled waters wash me downstream, all I have to do is follow the rope that ties me back to her. It always leads me back to her.”

My Thoughts

• My favourite of the Chestnut Springs series so far!
• I adore friends-to-lovers with a long history of mutual pining, and this book has so many of my preferred tropes and executes them well.
• Great smut scenes, Jasper has a soft-Dom vibe going on.
• Really enjoyed all the slice-of-life scenes with the Eaton family.
• I want more Beau, I missed him in this one, and I hope he gets his own book soon.
• Harvey was once again both hilarious and insightful, he's a wonderful dad figure.
• Winter and Theo's first meeting seemed promising!

“I'm not scared anymore. You're not my fucking friend. You're just mine.”

Synopsis
Elise is the sister of an NHL player. She's also a virgin. At a party he hosts, she falls into bed with his teammate, Justin. The next morning they both think the other has too drunk to remember.

Tropes & Themes

• Sports romance (ice hockey)
•  Sibling's friend
• Secret relationship

My Thoughts

• Not much depth to the characters
• A big deal is made of Elise's virginity. Personally, I'm on the virginity-is-a-social-construct bandwagon, but seeing as Justin knew it was a big deal to Elise, it feels really sketchy that when he thinks she doesn't remember the sex he (as far as he knows) keeps it from her.
• I don't like the way the puck bunnies are referred to or thought of by the characters - very I'm-not-like-other girls and shaming vibes.
• Elise and Justin have supposedly known each other since childhood, but I didn't get a friends-t0-lovers vibe from them. In fact, I didn't sense much chemistry at all.
• Very heavy-handed hinting at which characters will be paired up in future stories, felt like there was nearly as much development of that relationship as the one the book is ostensibly about. 

 “Revolution is, in fact, always unimaginable. It shatters the world you know.”
Synopsis:
Oxford in 1836 is the centre of all knowledge and progress, and also home to Babel aka the Royal Institute of Translators. The work done there is key to the power of the British Empire and their use of magic silver bars to power their technology and industry.

Robin was an orphan from Canton who was brought to England by a secretive guardian, a Babel scholar. He was raised to view Babel as a paradise and his destiny, moulded into the ideal candidate by tutors and his guardian. Once Robin is there however he begins to question the truth behind the Empire, the nature of colonialism and the purpose of Babel.

“This is how colonialism works. It convinces us that the fallout from resistance is entirely our fault, that the immoral choice is resistance itself rather than the circumstances that demanded it.”
Thoughts:

• At first, I was intimidated by Babel and thought it might be hard work, but this couldn't be farther from the truth. I was gripped and interested throughout and although the subject matter at times felt uncomfortable (as a white Brit who has undoubtedly benefitted from the actions of the British Empire) and at times horrifying (the realisation that a character was purposively conceiving children with poor ‘foreigners' in order to have ideal translators to create silver bars), it was thought-provoking and I wanted always to read more.
• The acquisition of languages (and their native speakers) for the creation of the silver bars that power the Empire works really well as a device through which to examine the consequences of colonisation and the theft or destruction of cultural artefacts and is completely believable within the historical context of the British Empire.
• Robin's journey from wanting to try to affect change from the inside to feeling that violence eas necessary to be heard or make change was shown so well.
• If this isn't a modern classic I don't know what is. It absolutely ought to be on school curricula.
• I imagine this is a book that will stand up well to multiple readings, I'm sure there will be things that hit differently or I notice more on a second read-through.
• This is a book that stays with you. Days and weeks later I'm still thinking about it.

“Translation means doing violence upon the original, it means warping and distorting it for foreign, unintended eyes. So, where does that leave us? How can we conclude except by acknowledging that an act of translation is always an act of betrayal?”

MMC too stalkery. Might have been fine in a dark romance where it is acknowledged as problematic but treated as romantic despite FMC's reluctance and discomfort.

 “She was beautiful in a way that overwhelmed me, though it wasn't just her face, her body. She was a sunbeam through a storm cloud.”
Synopsis
Elementary school teacher Shay's life implodes - she gets jilted at the alter then her step-grandma dies and leaves her the family tulip farm. Grandma's will has a catch - Shay has to live on the farm and operate it for a year and be married before she can inherit it fully. She takes the opportunity to take a break from life and visit the farm and small town she spent her teenage years on. In the years since she left, her high-school friend Noah has also moved back, inherited the farm next door and become the lone guardian to his swearing, pirate-obsessed niece. He offers to help Shay fulfil the ‘be married' part of the will in exchange for her tutoring his niece and an interest in her land. No other reasons, honest.

“The marriage was fake. The attraction to my future husband...that was all too real.”
Tropes & Themes

• Marriage of convenience
• Friends-to-lovers
• Forced proximity
• He falls first
• He falls harder
• It's always been you
• Single-parent/guardian
• Grumpy x sunshine

“I felt like I'd been waiting a very long time for someone who knew how to shatter me and also wanted to pick up all the pieces. And I felt an unpleasant sense of relief in discovering that person was my husband.”

Diversity & Representation

• Plus-sized protagonist
• Neurodivergent supporting character (child)
• Bisexual & poly supporting character

“It was awesome to get everything I'd ever wanted only for my wife to remind me on a daily basis that it wasn't real and wouldn't last. Fucking awesome.”

My Thoughts

• Everything I have ever wanted in a contemporary romance novel. My top romance tropes are tied together with a respectful but filthy cinnamon-roll man who worships the FMC (it's always the quiet ones).
• Maybe it's because of my husband, but nothing melts my heart more than the guy that's been quietly in love with the FMC for years but not in the toxic Nice Guy™ way.
• Is the the-will-says-you-have-to-marry clause a bit ridiculous and unbelievable? Sure, and even the MMC acknowledges this but is happy to go along with it.
• Noah Barden, yes please.
• If you love the Chestnut Springs series (especially Heartless), I am confident you will love this also.
• Shay is plus-sized, but aside from maybe two brief, off-hand mentions of dieting for her wedding to her ex, her size is only referred to positively or neutrally and never a plotline - this is the sort of plus-size rep we need and want!
• Lovely healthy, non-toxic friendships and romantic relationship.
• Lots of slice-of-life small-town, farm and farmer's market moments.
• I died in a puddle of melted feels at not only the realisation Noah kept every note she wrote him in school but that he named his business after the way she signed her name and her nickname for him 😍

“I was half hard and fully obsessed with her.”

 “He's a challenge and look at me, I love a challenge.”
Synopsis
Cade Easton, grumpy single-dad, is struggling to find a nanny for his adorable kid Luke. His future sister-in-law Summer has a solution - her best friend Willa is in need of a summer job while the bar she manages is being renovated.

“Willa might be a bit of a psycho - after all, she did just push a child into the pool - but the more time I spend with her, the more I feel like she's my psycho.”
Tropes and Themes

• Single-parent
• Age gap
• Sunshine/Grumpy
• Small Town
• Cowboy/rancher
• Accidental pregnancy

“If Willa is the playground, I want to play.”

My Thoughts

• Brilliant meet cute!
• Cade and Willa have great banter and sexual chemistry
• A+ smut scenes, possibly my favourite BJ scene ever.
• I loved how sassy and petty Willa can be, while also fiercely loving and loyal. Can't blame Cade for falling for her.
• Marked down a star due to the surprise pregnancy - it's a trope that really spoils my enjoyment currently, although I did enjoy Harvey's reaction to it. Luckily this is right at the end though so I didn't have to read much of it. 

“If I weren't so irritated by how attracted I am to her, I'd be cheering her on.”

‘Jenny Lopez Has a Bad Week' is a short story centered around the titular character Jenny, best friend and former roommate of the heroine of Lindsey Kelk's ‘I Heart' series of novels (‘I Heart New York', ‘I Heart Hollywood' and ‘I Heart Paris'). It's not necessary to have read them to enjoy this story, I think it stands perfectly well on it's own, but it certainly enhanced my enjoyment through getting to see characters that I love from a different perspective.

It's a quick and easy little read that I really enjoyed, and it made the train ride to work fly by. In fact, I have only two complaints about Jenny Lopez Has a Bad Week: a) it's too short, and b) it makes me miss Angela and Alex and pine for another ‘I Heart...' book even more.

If only it hadn't ended, especially as I was really starting to like the new characters Sigge and Sadie - I hope we get to see more of them in future books.

Which takes me back to point b) - reading this didn't so much take the edge off my craving for more ‘I Heart...' books as it did stoke the flames even higher!

I really wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy this book going in, as it seems a bit like Marmite - people either rave about the A Song of Ice and Fire series or pan it, in my experience. But I'd heard mostly good things, although it has been sitting on my fiance's bookshelf for years as a book he'd tried but could never get into, so picked it up as the ads for the TV series looked promising and I wanted to read the book before it aired.

I did find it really tough to begin with - the prologue was a bit of a struggle, but I hate giving up on books so I ploughed on ahead. To begin with I was quite confused because the prologue seemed to have little to no bearing on the rest of the story, and the switching from POV to POV was a bit jarring at first. However, I'm glad I stuck with it, because before I knew it I was hooked.

The perspective shifts each chapter, and at first this bothered me, as it seemed that as soon as I'd begun to get to know and feel comfortable with a character, I had to get to know another entirely. But once I'd gotten to know them all a bit more, I found that this is one of my favourite features of the novel. It's said that everyone's a hero in their own story, and it really is shown in this novel (and also the subsequent installments) - I may not agree with the character's actions or even particularly like them, but understand their motivations. I wound up rooting for characters who appeared to be on different sides. I definitely have favourites - I looked forward to Arya, Jon and Tyrion chapters especially, but all the POVs serve to illustrate the story from all sides, and advance the plot.

The pacing picked up quite a bit as the story progressed - it gets a bit bogged down in all the exposition and establishment of the setting, perhaps, but I enjoyed it regardless. But once things start kicking off, the pace really picks up with all the twists and turns and I just had to know what happened next.

It's not the sort of fantasy book that follows a hero's epic quest. Rather, it's an immense undertaking in world building, full of political intrigues, a drama more than an adventure story. If you hate cliff hangers or long reads, then this is definitely not the book for you. It can't really stand entirely on it's own, as when it ends you are left with the sense that it's all only just beginning, that all the drama of the novel was just a taster for something much larger. Now that I'm midway through book 3 of the series, it seems clear to me that A Song of Ice and Fire is not one of those series where each installment has it's own resolved story arc within the larger series arc (such as the Harry Potter books), but is more like one great big novel chopped down into more manageable chunks. There is no real resolution of the story at the end of A Game of Thrones because the end of the book isn't where the story ends - it's more like an intermission.

A note on the TV adaptation - if you're enjoying the show, then you should definitely pick up the book as it is a very well done and faithful depiction, and can only give you deeper insight into the motivations of the characters.

Bored 

This is a poly romantic comedy and it really worked for me. 

The premise is that Layla is nearing 30 and successful in all areas of her life except her love life. She loves a list and plans everything to the nth degree but is worried so won't tick of the last item on her ten-year plan before she's 30 – getting married. 

Her good friends in the flat opposite are Josh, Zack and Luke – hot single guys who host a dating advice podcast. After Layla airs her woes to them after a disastrous date (he tried to climb out the loo window between the starter and the main course), they all land on the ingenious plan to simultaneously fake date Layla to see where she's going wrong, let her ‘practice' and produce some fresh new content for their podcast. 

Surprise, surprise, they all catch feelings, as well as get very horny. There's no angst surrounding the non-monogamy element here as the three guys have been in a polyamorous relationship with each other before (there are no romantic or sexual interactions between the men). Layla is very much ok with this. The wider world, is not so ok with this. 

It is very smutty, and it doesn't make you wait until right until the end before heating up. I like my smutty fiction with plot and this novel delivers on that – we have plot, and we have character growth as well as lots of sex. 

One thing that did distract me from my enjoyment of the novel was the confusing sense of it being not-quite British but not-quite American. I looked the author up and it turns out that although she lives in the UK now, she is not British by origin, which I think probably explains that. I think most people who have grown up not in the USA with a huge amount of US media exposure growing up are quite adept at understanding the sort of cultural differences between the things we are shown and translating various words and phrases. As such, I feel completely comfortable reading or watching media set in the US, I feel I've grown up with enough exposure and context to feel I can understand most of all nuances there. And there are definitely things that were once purely Americanisms that have become commonplace or unremarkable in the UK over the years – proms, calling secondary school ‘high school' (although it was always high school in my county as we had middle schools in the past, most of the UK didn't... anyway that's a tangent). But this novel did have a lot of Americanisms cropping up in a narrative that was supposedly from the perspective of British characters and otherwise did a very good job of writing them believably. Which I think is why they were so jarring. One example is a reference to getting “dress coded” which is a phrase I've only ever encountered in American media. Not that kids in the UK don't get in trouble for not complying with the uniform policy, but I've never heard anyone refer to it as getting dress coded. But I left school longer ago than I like to think about so maybe they do now? 

“I didn't have main character energy. I was more of the quirky, cute best friend with all the sage advice.”
Synopsis
College footballer Clay needs a fake girlfriend to make his ex jealous and want him back. Fellow student and PR co-ordinator on the team Giana wants to get the attention of her crush, and maybe learn a bit about seduction too. So they fake-date.

“You don't want to be someone's muse, you want to be someone's undoing. And let me tell you, Kitten... You're mine.”
Tropes and Themes

• Sports romance (college football)
• Fake dating
• First time

“The more I pretended like she was mine to tease like that, the more it felt like she really was.”

My Thoughts

• Clay and Giana are supposed to be college students (around 19 years old I think) but the act and read as older. It felt like this book could have just as easily been set within an NFL team and the characters would have fit better.
• Cute romance - the fake dating and third act conflict go as you would expect and the end is cheesy but it felt accurate to the characters and nicely done. You know what you're getting with this book and enjoy getting there. Personally, I'd have preferred it without the third act (view spoiler) conflict, but that's my view most of the time with these things.
• Good chemistry between Clay and Giana and a healthy relationship with a positive approach to and portrayal of sexuality.
• Giana is a genre-savvy reader of spicy romance books. I loved how Clay read her tabbed books to learn what she likes - great book boyfriend energy!

“Another tip you picked up from my books?”

“Those things are like a treasure map. Just follow the tabs and highlights to find the pot of gold.”

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace  “Which is better? To live forever, or to live and love?”
Synopsis: Signa Farrow was orphaned as a baby and raised by a series of guardians more interested in her large inheritance than her well-being who all met an untimely end. Now 19 and not long away from gaining access to her fortune, she has been sent to her latest guardians - a recently bereaved uncle by marriage and his two children, one of whom appears to be dying from the same mysterious malady that took her mother. Here, Signa meets her deceased aunt's ghost who requests her help in stopping the poisoning and attempted murder of Signa's cousin. Since surviving the mass poisoning that killed her parents, Signa has been able to see and communicate with Death, and she enlists the help of him and the stablehand Sylas in the endeavour. 
“Your name is no curse, Little Bird. I just like the taste of it.”
My Thoughts:

• A great gothic atmosphere that made me want to don a red ballgown and creep around a manor house and secret garden literally flirting with death and attempting to solve a murder.
• The apparent love triangle between Signa, Sylas and Death wasn't overdone, Signa was attracted to and intrigued by both but wary of their motives. Without spoiling anything, it was resolved satisfactorily.
• This is the first of a series and so the central murder mystery is solved, there are some questions I still need answers to, most significantly:
  • Is there significance to Signa's aunts being two different colours beyond the resemblance to her late aunt?
  • Why were Signa's parents, all their guests and staff poisoned? By who? Is this still an open criminal case, because it seems like it should be a bigger deal!

“Do not change the parts of yourself that you like to make others comfortable. Do not try to mold yourself to fit the standards someone else has set for us.”