Book Review: Shattered Dreams

Overall: 2/5

Plots and Themes: 3/5

Characters: 2/5

Writing Style: 3/5

Attention Grabbing: 2/5 

Lady Elyssa Prescott has consigned herself to a life of spinsterhood. It could be worse, she has a loving family who she knows will always support anything she does. And she has her horses that give her a sense of mobility and autonomy that she could never manage in her every day life. But when she meets Brentan Montgomery, she begins to wonder if there could be more to that life. 

Everything felt a lot more forced than I would have preferred. We have this inorganic romance forming where they're never really on the same page about anything. Then they're just sort of together automatically and we as readers are supposed to view it as a dramatic come-together but just feels icky in light of the secrets being kept and the lack of previous conversation. Plus, the random flips to the brother and best friend's side romance that is just a boring case of miscommunication stifled the drama. 

I like drama to an extent, but I don't like it when it has no build up and no motivation. Like of course, we knew from the second he told her to hide that she would somehow find herself perilously threaded into the narrative of the chase. I was just sick of it at that point. So while it had some good points, I had pretty much lost it by the end. 

Book Review: The King's Queen (Gate of Myth and Power #3)

Overall: 3.5/5

Plots and Themes: 3/5

Characters: 4/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Attention Grabbing: 3/5 

The King's Queen is the third and final book in the story for these two. They ended book two separated, knowing that they would be better off apart. But that isn't so easy, as things continue to go wrong and it continues to feel as though they belong together. 

I liked the other books in the series a lot better and this was a bit of a letdown. Sort of like a third act breakup but a third book in the series breakup. Where I don't even really know why they're breaking up because it really feels like it makes more sense to stay together in these trying times. But most of the book is that will they won't they despite knowing that they totally will because what kind of PNR would end on that sort of tragedy. Just felt like we were being robbed of a healthy dynamic. 

I still love the series and think this is particularly innovative magical concept, but I just wish we had gotten more of their relationship. I'm glad we got a little more of the sibling dynamic too but it all felt comparatively watered down. Disappointed but didn't exactly hate it. 

Book Review: How to Romance a Rake (Ugly Duckling #2)

Overall: 2/5

Plots and Themes: 2/5

Characters: 2/5

Writing Style: 3/5

Attention Grabbing: 2/5 

Juliet has been a wallflower (at best) ever since an accident gave her a limp several years ago. Any attention she receives is typically derogative and she's sick of it all together. When she meets Lord Deveril, she's surprised at his attention and the assistance he provides in the quest to find her missing friend. 

The best I can say about this one is that it had the unique inclusion of how a certain disability would have been dealt with in this time period. The author obviously did the research she could in seeking out the description. But beyond that, I found the plot sort of basic and boring. One of my biggest pet peeves in romances with characters with disabilities is when the able-bodied protagonist sort of falls in love with them based only on their disability? I don't know how else to phrase that, but it seemed like the most critical bonding that the two experienced centered around her uniqueness on that front. 

I don't know, very non-memorable. I wouldn't want to trash it too much cause it was definitely good enough to finish I just wanted more from either the mystery or the romance. Ideally both, but even one would've livened things up considerably. 

Book Review: Too Easy

Overall: 4/5

Plots and Themes: 4/5

Characters: 4/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Attention Grabbing: 5/5 

Too Easy by Jamie Bennett follows the story of Blake and Ryan. Blake who has been traumatized beyond all logical reason, Ryan just doing his best to figure it all out. 

When Blake arrives in the small northern Michigan town she was supposed to move into with her long-term boyfriend, she's basically given up. Everything has gone wrong for her, she doesn't have any friends and she doesn't know what she's doing with her life. When she meets Ryan, their unconventional friendship quickly takes root. They both have their hang ups but they help each other through them and end up becoming a fairly cohesive pair. 

Trauma is easily overdone in these sorts of the books to the point where it no longer feels real. But this is the sort of book where it fits, despite how dramatic it felt I was still on board 100%. Like the last book I read by Jamie Bennett, the protagonist sort of felt autism-coded but I think we're also supposed to just understand that she has had very limited socialization or any sort of access to educational or psychological support. So I allow it. I generally still liked it and liked the characters, it's a quick read but fun and easily addictive. 

Book Review: The Ex Hex (Ex Hex #1)

Overall: 3.75/5

Plots and Themes: 3/5

Characters: 4/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Attention Grabbing: 4/5 

Ten years ago, Vivienne accidentally got a little drunk and cursed the ex love of her life. She never thought anything came from it, but skip to present day and his return to her small home town is accompanied by a string of disasters. Disasters impacting him and the very magical source that maintains the power of her little world. 

I think this was a cute and quirky read, it was super quick and a little rushed through the end, but fun to read. My new niche is these paranormal rom coms, they're just your usual romcom but with that dash of Sabrina the Teenage Witch magic themed disasters. I don't usually like second chance romances, but I'll make an exception for relatively short teenage flings. At that point, you can both respect the growth you've gone through and acknowledge that you're only better of for having waited. 

I'd recommend this one, I think it's short enough to be appealing yet long enough to give you a little adventure threaded into the romance. I don't know if I'll read the other books in the series just because I like reading these romances as standalones, but I did enjoy this one. 

Book Review: The Bodyguard

Overall: 3.5/5

Plots and Themes: 4/5

Characters: 3/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Attention Grabbing: 4/5 

The Bodyguard is a little reverse of what you might expect if you're thinking of the sort Whitney Houston style Bodyguard of the 90s. Cause though Hannah is smaller than you might assume a bodyguard would be, she's perfectly capable of handling any threat. Including threats to her latest client, Jack Stapleton. Only, it doesn't quite feel like a regular assignment. She has to pose as his girlfriend in order to be close and casual enough to protect him, but it's not always feeling like pretending. 

I think this is a cute read in line with the other books I've read by Katherine Center. She has a nice way of making a slowburn feel significant all the way through, like you're not just building building building waiting for them to kiss but that you're building a foundation outside of physical intimacy and any sort of romance. She also seems to have a thing for workplace romances that she does her best to represent ethically. 

Generally a fun read with a bit of a twist on the traditional. I liked the characters despite how dense they could be. The best friend ex-boyfriend situation was a bit underdone to me, felt like it should've been more important or shouldn't have existed. Other than that, a quick book that won't feel like a waste of time. 

Book Review: Undercover Bromance (Bromance Book Club #2)

Overall: 2/5

Plots and Themes: 3/5

Characters: 2/5

Writing Style: 2/5

Attention Grabbing: 2/5 

Undercover Bromance is the second book in the Bromance Book Club which I did not read the first book in. Liv is a pastry chef, she works at a fancy restaurant for a jerk of a boss. When she spills the dessert on the night of Mack's very important dinner date and sees her boss making moves on a young server, she quickly loses her job and finds herself blacklisted. Now, she's enlisted Mack and his friends in taking her jerk of a boss down. 

The real chemistry between these two came from the fact that they are totally unlikeable and thus deserve each other. Liv is just annoying all the time and whiney and purposefully unhelpful, Mack thinks he's the best for the fact that he reads his little romance novels. It was way too much pandering in an attempt to cater to what one might think romance readers want from a man. Getting the jerky boss in trouble was great, but the way Liv tried to brutally bully the victims into coming forward was disgusting and even more unlikeable. 

I won't be continuing in the series. It's a cute premise it just didn't need to be forced down our throats the whole time. 

Book Review: More Than Anything (Broken Pieces #1)

Overall: 3/5

Plots and Themes: 3/5

Characters: 2/5

Writing Style: 3/5

Attention Grabbing: 3/5 

More Than Anything follows Tina and Harris, two adults who were romantically involved as teens, one of whom was much more impacted by the relationship than the other. Now they're both trying to figure their lives out in some way, and trying to figure out if they still have places in those lives. 

I give this book bonus points for making me cry. It was sort of overdone, making me wonder about how realistic everyone's apathy would be or if it was more of an attempt at continuing to force trauma on an already traumatized female protagonist. I nearly DNFed a couple of times because I was just tired of the sort of cloudy way all the emotions were being portrayed and received. Like it was all about target practice on Tina. None of the other characters had any chemistry and I was frankly a little confused about the family dynamic that I had jumped into. 

But yes, the defining success of the story was how they handled her ultimate trauma and revelation. I was crying at 2AM by the end, which is how you know it's at least good enough to be addicting. So I don't know if I would continue the series, but what I read here was fairly enjoyable. 

Book Review: Love on the Brain

Overall: 2.5/5

Plots and Themes: 3/5

Characters: 2/5

Writing Style: 3/5

Attention Grabbing: 3/5 

Love on the Brain is Ali Hazelwood's second book and pretty much just as quirky and ridiculous as her first but in the most addicting sort of way. Addicting as in it's like a car crash, you just can't look away. Bee gets her dream job heading a program that could be her saving grace, the only catch? She has to do it with her academic nemesis Levi. 

The biggest problem with the plot is that there was absolutely no mystery and suspense. We as readers knew that Levi was just in love with her the whole time, even more than we would usually know in a contemporary grumpy sunshine book of this variety. And if anyone read this and had any doubts about the identity of the anonymous and somehow equally viral identity of her saving grace blogging friend, you probably don't get out too much. Don't even get me started on the convenient placement of the fainting fits- I feel like a neuroscientist should be a bit more concerned about the effects of repeating black outs on your brain function but maybe that's just me. 

I can say it's pretty much what I expected. It's by no means poorly written, just with some questionable decisions by the characters and a tad too much forced drama. I can't say that I wouldn't ever read her books again, they're just addicting like that. But I wish she would give some more depth to them without making them all so needlessly quirky. 

Book Review: All Rhodes Lead Here

Overall: 4/5

Plots and Themes: 4/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 4/5

Attention Grabbing: 5/5 

All Rhodes Lead Here is the most chronologically recent release in the Zapataverse. It follows Aurora and Rhodes as they navigate sort of cohabitation when Rhodes' son secretly leases out their apartment. All Aurora wants to do is get away, get away from her flopped relationship and get closer to the mother she lost so many years ago. And if she has to live in the apartment of a man who couldn't want her around less, so be it. 

I think this book had so many unique elements. It felt different from Mariana Zapata's other books, probably because it was one of the few not set in Texas. Plus the characters were a tad older than they usually are and I think you feel that maturity. I loved Aurora's relationship with Rhodes' son it was so wholesome and built on such a mutual love and respect. And I also loved how special the whole family dynamic was, I haven't seen anything like it before. 

My only issue was the pacing of the big reveal. It felt the last forty pages were simultaneously too long and too short. The rest of the book was perfect, but the very end dragged. Other than that, it's an easy five stars and I will forever be obsessed with Mariana Zapata.