Lili V
I have to say that this has reminded me of how I felt when I first started the ABVH series. The writing, the character interactions, the personal growth in all the main characters, all of it was pretty amazing. I was reminded of who these characters were and why I've come to love them. It's also reminded me that I read this series for the characters, not for any plot, writing style, etc. They are the main reason why I've kept up with ABVH for so long and why I will keep tabs with this series until it finishes.
The writing and pacing were so good. I had to mark down some notes because seeing Liberty's childhood and upbringing crafted her character and life beautifully. It gave me an insight into her hometown, her family and her personal thoughts. The writing was flawless and the story was easy to get lost in and lose a few hours reading. I loved seeing Liberty's devotion to her sister and how naturally she fell into the role of caregiver–throughout the entire book. From the very beginning her giving nature was easy to discern and part of her personality.
The romance came later on in the book and the second half of the book was not what I expected but I did appreciate the new characters that were introduced and became a family to Liberty and her sister. The love interest in the first half was very enthralling because their connection grew organically, as did the romance in the second half. I'm glad with who Liberty ended up with but the second love interest was not exactly my cup of tea sometimes. He was very nice but he was more like a stock character of what the author thought an appealing billionaire Texan businessman should be. Which was pretty great in the end but made the story feel very formulaic.
Re-read Dec 20, 2024
Almost 7 years since I read this for the first time and I didn't even remember one bit of it. Considering the FMC's main dilemma, that seems fitting. Enjoyed it - I imagine just as much as the first time, but I genuinely cannot recall, I thought this was an unread book from my TBR. XD
Read Dec 23, 2017
Read this entire book out loud to myself. Gave me a taste of what it would be like to narrate an audiobook and I have to say that if I ever had the opportunity for it, I'd love it.
On to the actual book, I enjoyed the story and the main character especially. The symbolism was straight-forward and I liked her dry wise-cracks as well as her strength to forge ahead. This was a no-frills type of read and I relished the easy pacing and faultless writing.
I really wanted Merry to stand out more in the end. Well, something does happen, but it leads into the next book in the series (Seduced by Moonlight). I like Kitto more in this one, especially when something extraordinary happens to him. Kind of expected a bit more action, but the ending battle was quite satisfying. :)
Jam-packed with too much sometimes...but still gotta say Love LKH's style of writing. Big fan!
Only 2 and half hours in but had to note my thoughts so far -
I'm enjoying it more and more as I listen. Augusten's personality is addicting as he narrates his various career-expanding pursuits and subsequent addictions. His voice in this part of his life-story is so easily relatable and descriptive. There's no difficulty in imagining the months and years of his life because the narrative flows so seamlessly. It's riveting how effortlessly he can capture a reader's attention and describe huge life-altering moments and revelations in such a composed yet genuine voice.
I finished it. And it's everything I didn't know I wanted in a book. His frank voice and self-awareness transpired anything I could even begin to imagine writing a memoir would entail. He's unapologetic in his story-telling about his previous apologetic nature and the beautiful self-realizations when he allowed himself to fall in love. The writing was definitely my favorite element of the book because there's no way you can start reading this and not be immediately immersed in Augusten's story. He's not just a character to me, his life is real, his story is real, engrossing and true.
There were so many quotable moments and this book had the best love letter and response to a love letter I've ever read.
Read Aug 7, 2022
Nope, this is definitely 5 stars. It's purrrfect. :) This is a feel-good series for me now, and I can finally continue on with the rest of the series.
Read July 27, 2015
I would give this installment a 4.5 because while I thought some moments in the story were absolute perfection and the writing was phenomenal, there was a bit of a rushed ending with the dual plot lines.
This series is brilliantly crafted. I honestly could not begin to comprehend how the author plots out her stories. I enjoyed being challenged in my feminist knowledge as well as expanding my historical view into powerful overlooked women.
I cannot wait to read the next tale of Mary Russell because she definitely dominated in this installment.
I honestly started this series with very low expectations and was pleasantly surprised to find that I quite enjoy Sookie's candid naïveté and the pacing kept things moving pretty quickly. It certainly has its differences from the TV show True Blood but I'm finding that I prefer it that way. Meaning that, while the book does have its sex scenes, they're more watered down than the show makes them out to be. And while I don't mind a graphic sex scene now and again, I can appreciate how this glossed over version suits the more conservative Southern vibe that Sookie wears like a cloak.
I actually did like this book. I originally thought this would be more of a “sexually-active” book but it actually had a plot. Now that being said I did not care about the plot obviously and only wanted to really read about the character development. It was interesting to see what the author did with “Melissa Fucking Alexander” and how she behaved after losing her memory. It was a refreshing twist to the typical amnesia trope.
Stayed up all night reading this book it was that addicting. It distracted me during New Year's Eve until 3...2...1. Then I kept reading until 9 in the morning.
I really liked the slow burn romance and that the author mainly focused on the two main characters–Aiden and Vanessa. I loved their characters, how hardheaded they both were, how committed to their careers they were and loved that about each other, how determined they were not to fear their pasts but overcome it. The only critique I have about the book is the length. The beginning spent a bit too much time on exposition and it led me to skimming some unimportant/repetitive bits.
Other than that I'd like to go back and reread it again and take my time with it because I was definitely bleary eyed towards the end. Highly recommend if you want to read a sports romance done right, that focuses and prioritizes developing the main relationship, and has really great main characters.
This was pretty decent, just the writing style was very staccato, short sentences/phrases that would have been fine but it combined with an attempt at descriptive imagery at certain points which made for a jarring pace to a mundane scene.
There were a lot of characters (and considering the author's backlog, I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of them didn't already have their own books) but the author did a great job crafting them and juggling all of them in one book. The romance was nice but that's about it.
Started and finished this book today. This has a lot of the things I love in a romance novel. Unrequited love that fights to be requited. Characters that struggle with themselves and life's obstacles to discover you who they are, and who they have always been. Set in an old small town in England. Perfect setting for a nice romance.
I loved reading about Lane's family and I appreciated that the author showed how blind Lane was to the support that she's always had in her family. Most of the time (like with “The Wall of Winnipeg and Me”) I like the fact that a romance novel focuses on the two main characters the story centers around. However, the author, L.A. Casey, made Lane's loving family members into people I wanted to know more about. Death and grieving were also a very prominent theme in this book, way more than I anticipated (there were some tears...okay, a lot of tears.) It was handled very well and I liked that we got to know some of the characters that passed in flashback chapters. The deaths brought the already close family together and Lane was able to start the process of dealing with everything that she'd been running away from.
I really enjoyed the story and the characters most of all and I hope to read more by this author soon.
3.5 stars
Another unique installment in The Innkeeper series. As in the past books, I enjoyed reading about the characters and learning more about Dina's family. The plot was pretty interesting and I always appreciate that Dina's Inn is the focus of the interstellar setting. It lends a cozy vibe to the series and provides a layer of reassurance that no matter how kooky the plot becomes, the book always has a focal point.
I don't think the writing was above average, however. It did the world building justice but lacked in other, mundane areas, like transitions, character communication and pacing.
4.5 star read
Most of the credit is due to the writing and execution (which includes the full cast of characters, the plot that encompassed the crime-solving mystery was brilliantly laid out and flawless, wonderfully pieced together and unraveled for the reader). I'm the biggest Sherlock fan but my favorite form of media to enjoy the many adaptations is TV shows. I'm hesitant when it comes to reading Sherlock adaptations because mystery itself is not a genre I frequent at all. However, I very much enjoy watching them and any detective/lawyer series.
There was no doubt that the author knew how to construct the atmosphere, the fully formed characters and the over-arching mystery, while also introducing the main cast of characters and their backgrounds to lay a strong foundation for future works in the series. The skill and evident quality with which she was able to accomplish all of this in her first novel of the series, reminded me of another Sherlock adaptation series featuring Mary Russell by Laurie R. King. Sherry Thomas's writing, however, portrays a fuller picture of the narrative because she seamlessly works in the the perspectives of those working on the ground of the mystery (Inspector Treables), Sherlock Holmes's brilliant deductions, and those that surround him. All of this is worked in with a thoughtful writing style that doesn't rush the plot and provides the reader with a greater appreciation for all of the characters involved. There was no sense of predictability in the mystery but there was also a level of surprise to personal details about the main characters that was thrilling to discover. The author dropped them in as if we (the reader) were merely watching everything unfold as a third party until such time that we were allowed to know more about it (particularly when we were in whichever character's third-person perspective and only then would the morsel lead to further context and revelations).
My favorite parts were definitely the nod at including little bits of the original Holmes (Baker Street, paraphrasing his well-known philosophy of discovering truths, Watson, etc.) and the inclusion of feminism and power of women. Both of these were by no means cliche or preachy but wonderfully incorporated and greatly appreciated.
Highly recommend to all the Sherlock lovers out there.
The only reason I didn't rate this 5 stars is because I wish more had been included about Lord Ingram and Charlotte's past. Only a glimpse of their history was offered that did not satisfy my curiosity at all, which I can be fairly certain was the author's intention. What troubled me was that even when some of their history was revealed, it didn't really draw me into the “forbidden” attraction that the author was attempting to pull off. I can see that this is going to be something further developed (and possibly more prominent) in future books so I hope it is organically fleshed out as it is the only thing holding the series back.
One of my favorite things about this conclusion to the trilogy was probably the main thing that it focused on and that was the plot. However, since it was the only thing that it really focused on, I think the pacing, writing, and character building kind of suffered for it. In this last book in the series the pacing was a lot slower than the last two books and was too drawn out for me to really follow along with the pretty fantastic world-building. There was so much effort put into foreshadowing the plot lines and destinies of certain characters that I was never able to fully enjoy the challenges the characters were facing in the moment. If there hadn't been such a huge focus on drawing out the plot then I think the author could have included the endings that were so obviously set aside to be split into their own individual stories. Now I don't think I'm going to read the quad's stories because this book didn't really do a good job of investing time into their characters for me to care.
The couple in this had a sweet relationship. I wasn't too excited by the plot as this was more of a relaxing read. Young adult girl falls for her “uncle” who has always been her best friend (and her parents' best friend).
At first I thought this was going the stereotypical route found in a lot of victorian lady dectective mysteries as Stoker could not have been more of a caricature if he tried. I also didn't enjoy the fact that we lost the Baron so soon, and were warned of it in the description no less. His character was very predictably dispatched to spur the plot and it was so obvious that it took you out of the story altogether.
However.
I greatly enjoyed the latter half of the book, for the plot's twists and turns were entirely surprising and refreshing. The stint in a certain fantastical setting (won't say more for spoilers) was not my favorite but the protagonists' sojourn after that and the action-packed chases were very fun to hear (as I listened to the audiobook). The secrets revealed about Veronica's family make for future shenanigans, no doubt, and I think the book wrapped up very well as the prelude to more adventurous tales.
Pretty good short story about a reverse-harem. Pretty much the only reason I downloaded it.
Solid 3 star read.
This is almost exactly what I was in the mood for because it reminds me a lot of the typical fantasy where a woman is escaping her family legacy and is in hiding when something pulls her out and shenanigans ensues. I wasn't expecting the main romantic interest to be introduced so early on in the story and the catalyst to propell the protagonist out of hiding to be something as flimsy as a magic rope. The romance built up fairly quickly (which was surprising only because I was thinking this would be more fantasy than fantasy/romance) but the main couple did make a solid match.
While the characters' banter was funny and enjoyable, there were the typical plot holes where the protagonist doesn't use any of her god-fearing powers to escape because she's too captivated with her captors, the predictable “tension” because the protagonist can't let herself fall in love with the romantic interest because she doesn't want to put him in danger, etc. The author doesn't bring anything new to this narrative besides a different decoration to mask the world-building and political intrigue.
I won't be continuing on with this series, as there wasn't anything memorable about it since it reminded of so many woman-led fantasies I've read previously, and none of the characters were more than their roles.
Big fan of the dynamic of the couple in this book, and loved Mina's personality and true kindness.
However, don't think I'm going to continue on with this series because I wasn't as attached to any of the other couples we see blooming throughout this book.
This was longer but more enjoyable than I expected. I took a break while reading this, so I didn't read it all in one sitting. I think I preferred that because it let me fully appreciate the adventure of the hunt instead of dwelling on my initial feelings of Jackaby's ridiculous dealings.
Definitely recommend as a fun read.