This book isn't really a romance - it's a study of a marriage under pressure. Not usually my favourite trope, but I picked up this old Spencer paperbaThis book isn't really a romance - it's a study of a marriage under pressure. Not usually my favourite trope, but I picked up this old Spencer paperback in a thrift shop and thought I'd try it anyway, as I really like some of this author's other books.
It turned out to be a very engaging read that sustained my interest all the way through. Spencer was a fabulous writer, who could create real, believable characters that you cared about. You really wanted to know what was going to happen to them. I made sure I didn't read any spoilers, and so not till very near the end did I know which way it was going to go. Would the marriage survive or not?
Tom and Claire had a long and happy marriage. Both busy working parents, with two teenagers. They really loved each other, even though they had been forced to marry very young due to an unexpected pregnancy. But as the years passed they grew to love and respect each other deeply, and to depend on each other.
But the proverbial spanner is thrown in the works when Tom is shocked to find out he has an illegitimate son, Kent, that he never knew about. Whoah. A drunken one night stand with another woman, Monica, on his stag night, when his fiancee Claire was pregnant with their future son. It had been a last act of rebellion at being forced to change his life plans and get married. Kent's mother had chosen never to contact Tom about the pregnancy. Both are completely shocked when she moves because of her job and finds out Tom is the principal at her son's new high school. And Kent is the spitting image of his father at the same age.
So now Tom has two sons both aged 17, as well as a younger (legitimate) daughter. And they all go to his school, where his wife also teaches. Oh dear. It's gonna get messy.
The book slowly works its way through all of the ramifications and effects of Tom and Monica's long ago mistake. The thoughts, feelings and reactions of all of the players, including the three teenagers, are teased out and explored. Because it's well-written, it didn't drag at all, and I wanted to keep on reading. There were a few points/coincidences that at times stretched credulity a little, but it made for a good story. The ending perhaps felt a little rushed, but ultimately it was satisfying and believable.
So, although it's not my favourite book by this author, and like her other 'contemporaries', it felt a little dated at times, (published 1994), it was still a very good read....more
3.5 stars. Not my usual kind of read, but overall I did enjoy it. Slightly tired tropes of billionaire and his assistant, one-night-stand, surprise-ba3.5 stars. Not my usual kind of read, but overall I did enjoy it. Slightly tired tropes of billionaire and his assistant, one-night-stand, surprise-baby, but it was done pretty well. (It's in the blurb so not a spoiler).
Collins (yes, that's the mfc's unusual name) and Kit have been acquainted with each other for a while, as Collins used to room at college with Kit's sister Lilli. But they take it a step further one night, and accidentally end up pregnant. Most of the book explores how they deal with the pregnancy, and it does feel fairly convincing and believable. In this case, the fact that they then fall in love doesn't feel too ridiculous, because they already knew each other and were attracted. They did seem suited to each other, and I liked that Collins didn't have stars in her eyes and wasn't chasing Kit for his money or glamour.
The book wasn't 5 stars for me, but I did enjoy it enough that I plan to go back and read #1, which is Lilli's story. It's my first book from this author, so hopefully I will enjoy some of her others too....more
This was an okay rockstar-meets-his-match read. I liked reading about older mc's. The storyline was ok, although a tad slow-moving. I did a bit of skiThis was an okay rockstar-meets-his-match read. I liked reading about older mc's. The storyline was ok, although a tad slow-moving. I did a bit of skimming in the later part of the book, actually, when it was starting to drag.
I quite liked Callie, the fmc, who in her thirties was happy with her life. Happily single, no desire for kids or marriage, a satisfying job as a piano teacher with a side gig of playing jazz at a bar, a cat she was very attached to. I liked that she owned it all, and had no time for those who thought she should settle down and find a man and have kids or her life was meaningless.
Denver was the hot former lead singer of a successful band that had broken up five years ago. At the same time he and Callie randomly meet and start a relationship, the band has a chance to reunite and go on a ten-week tour. Cue mild conflict and drama.
While I quite liked both characters, there wasn't a huge amount of depth to the story, and I didn't really feel their relationship in the way I wanted to. There are lots of fab reviews for this book though, so I may be an outlier.
I was very disappointed in the happy-for-now ending. One of my least fav types of endings for a romance novel. Gimme a proper HEA every time, please.
I recently read and liked #7 in this series, You Give Me That Feeling, but not sure whether I'll tackle any more just now. Maybe at some point I'll give more of them a try, as I did enjoy #7. But for me, this one (#1) wasn't really anything special. ...more
3.5 to 4 stars. A light and enjoyable read. It's been a little while since I read a rock star romance, and it's a genre I'm not really that interested3.5 to 4 stars. A light and enjoyable read. It's been a little while since I read a rock star romance, and it's a genre I'm not really that interested in as much as I once was. But this is a nice one. The two main characters, a popular rock star who's down on his luck, and a popular Netflix romcom actress who's looking for something more, are both genuinely nice, likeable characters.
The trope is fauxmance, which can be tedious and trite. But this author has a light touch, and it's nicely done. Travis and Katie are clearly well-suited, and good for each other. As their fauxmance slowly turns into the real thing, their lives begin to get back on track. The pacing of the plot is managed well, and there are minimal misunderstandings or miscommunications, up until the suitably satisfying HEA.
The book is set in the real, today's world of celebs, with believable fan crushes, selfies, photo ops on the red carpet, social media such as Instagram, TikTok etc impacting on their lives. It's done well. But there are also nice private moments, when they are together out of the spotlight. I enjoyed the read and will consider reading more from this author....more
I enjoyed this new book by Connelly, the master of the police procedural. His fortieth novel apparently. Wow.
It's first in a new series, with new chaI enjoyed this new book by Connelly, the master of the police procedural. His fortieth novel apparently. Wow.
It's first in a new series, with new characters - no mention of Bosch or Ballard. Set mostly on Catalina Island (off the southern California coast near LA), where the MC, Stil, has been 'exiled' after a disagreement with another LA homicide cop. But Stil has found he really likes it here, and has formed a relationship with Tash, a Catalina native.
But of course, serious crime comes knocking on the door, and there's a murderer to track down, as well as some other crimes. Connelly always does the plotting so well, with the gradual unfolding of clues and witnesses until the final denouement. And the peripheral characters are always believable and realistic.
I liked Stil, with his low key but determined approach to solving the cases. He is clearly a character with integrity. Connelly doesn't really give a physical description of him, and unfortunately for me, as I read I kept picturing Stil in the persona of Titus Welliver, the actor who plays Harry Bosch in the TV series, a character who is way older than Stil. Hopefully if Connelly writes more books in this new series, we will get a better visual of Stil so I can picture him better LOL.
Overall, another quality read from an excellent author....more
3.5 stars. Second book in an urban fantasy series set in 1970 Wisconsin, about two young male academics. I thought this would be a new story, and it k3.5 stars. Second book in an urban fantasy series set in 1970 Wisconsin, about two young male academics. I thought this would be a new story, and it kinda is, but also it's a continuation of Bk 1's storyline as well. (Dionysus in Wisconsin). So I think it's not really a standalone, and reading Bk 1 first is recommended.
I like the world Lupton has created, with its everyday magic practitioners who live alongside non-magic people as well. Sam and Ulysses, the likeable MCs, live in the worlds of academia and of magic. Ulysses in fact is just completing his Ph.D. in Magic Studies.
I enjoyed this revisit to that world, although the story was a little creepy and scary for me at times. Fortunately before things became too violent or full-on 'horror', the story moved on to a satisfactory conclusion. Although it wasn't a super-gripping incredible book, overall I liked the read, and plan to go on and read the two further sequels. I like the freshness and originality of this world, compared with other more typical urban fantasies that I've read....more
An enjoyable and quite original and fresh urban fantasy. The author's first book, and although the writing was a bit rough around the edges at times, An enjoyable and quite original and fresh urban fantasy. The author's first book, and although the writing was a bit rough around the edges at times, the characters and plot carried it along. Set in urban Wisconsin in 1969, in a world in which magic is real. Some have it, some don't. You can study magic in college LOL. I liked the world-building and the magic systems. Not everything was explained, but it didn't always need to be. It was so unique and interesting, and I quickly got caught up in that world.
I liked the two protagonists: Ulysses, ghost catcher and magic student, Sam with apparently no magic, but somehow being taken over by an ancient god. Both young academics. Their romance was fairly low-key but convincing. The back story of Sam was slowly unpacked as their relationship developed.
The ending felt a little sudden, but satisfying all the same. There are apparently two sequels to this book, and I plan to read both at some point. Taking a little break from this world first though. But I'm happy to have found a new UF author I like.
Cover note: I personally don't find the cover particularly appealing, and probably wouldn't have picked the book up on cover alone. I think it could be much more eye-catching and fit the 1969 setting much better.
3 to 3.5 stars. A reasonable storyline, but it suffers from the typical shortcomings common to most novellas I've read - insufficient character develo3 to 3.5 stars. A reasonable storyline, but it suffers from the typical shortcomings common to most novellas I've read - insufficient character development or relationship development. I think this one could have made a decent full-length novel, but as a novella, it lacked enough depth to fully draw in and satisfy this reader. So, an okay read that warmed up towards the ending, although ultimately even the ending felt a bit rushed. Worth a read I guess, if you're in the mood for something short.
Edit: I notice this book is on a list of 'Worst Titles Ever'. Yep, it's pretty bad LOL. The cover image is also pretty silly. The book is better than either the title or cover suggests....more
30 Jan 2025. DNF at 37%. No rating. I'm sure many will enjoy the read. It just wasn't my cup of tea. I simply lost interest, and decided to move on to30 Jan 2025. DNF at 37%. No rating. I'm sure many will enjoy the read. It just wasn't my cup of tea. I simply lost interest, and decided to move on to something else. Oh well, another author I tried but didn't love. *shrug*...more
2.5 stars, maybe 3. I just didn't get hooked by this one, sadly, and did some skimming to reach the end. I quite enjoyed Part of Your World, which is 2.5 stars, maybe 3. I just didn't get hooked by this one, sadly, and did some skimming to reach the end. I quite enjoyed Part of Your World, which is connected to this book by some of the characters. So I thought I'd try this one too.
But, no. I guess I'm not the target market. The scenes that were supposed to be cute and funny just felt cheesy to me, and not cute at all, and at times I felt frustrated by both MCs and their thoughts/actions.
I'm sure many really enjoyed the book, going by the high GR rating. That's great. It just wasn't for me. *shrug*...more
Another enjoyable read about familiar characters Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch. This time, Harry's grown-up daughter Maddie joins Renee in her work inAnother enjoyable read about familiar characters Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch. This time, Harry's grown-up daughter Maddie joins Renee in her work in the Open-Unsolved Unit. Several story threads are all resolved satisfactorily through the course of the book, with a couple of surprises along the way.
I like that current places and recent events are referenced by the characters, adding further realism to the read. I also like the way the author has allowed Harry Bosch to age and grow naturally throughout the course of this long series. He is now basically retired, but still has something to offer. A good read....more
3.5 to 4 stars. Quite an enjoyable read, with a different plot line that I quite liked. Set in the very early years of the twentieth century. A young 3.5 to 4 stars. Quite an enjoyable read, with a different plot line that I quite liked. Set in the very early years of the twentieth century. A young lady from a poor background in USA's Deep South has become extremely rich after the father who had abandoned his family died, and left his estranged daughter his very lucrative gold mines. Annabel is from the wrong side of the tracks, and although she can now afford to wear Worth gowns and diamond jewellery, she is still rejected by Manhattan's snobby elite.
Annabel becomes engaged for a marriage of convenience with an English earl. Neither loves the other, but that's not why they are marrying. Unfortunately Annabel doesn't know quite how repulsive the earl really is behind his smooth facade.
I like the way the plot unfolded, with the wedding to the earl an epic fail, and a new relationship developing with the much more appealing Christian, a rakish, widowed English duke. But Annabel is holding out for love this time, and there are a few challenges before she and Christian find their HEA.
The trope of the American heiress and the titled Englishman falling in love has of course been done before. It happened in real life often enough, though not always for reasons of love LOL. But I liked the way the author tackled the theme, and her characters weren't just cardboard cutouts. It was an appealing story, with an ocean voyage and some memorable scenes.
This was the October 2024 BOTM for Historical Romance Book Club, theme "Twentieth Century".
3.5 stars. I enjoyed my first book by this author, although I had a couple of reservations as well. I'm a bit late to the party, as it seems Ms Jimene3.5 stars. I enjoyed my first book by this author, although I had a couple of reservations as well. I'm a bit late to the party, as it seems Ms Jimenez' books are very popular. I'm certainly happy to now read some more of hers.
I liked the basic trope. I could see how damaged Alexis was from her upbringing with toxic parents, and her unpleasant toxic ex. Daniel is a breath of fresh air for her, and I enjoyed how he was a genuinely good guy, who genuinely saw Alexis and liked her as she was, without the ridiculous expectations she carried from her family background. The older-woman-younger-man thing wasn't a problem.
Sadly I did start to feel at times that Daniel was a just a bit 'too' good. He was so super nice and everybody loved him and he could (and did) do everything in his little town. The section where he (view spoiler)[sent a dick pic to Alexis (hide spoiler)] felt completely out of character and seemed a rather odd inclusion by the author. Perhaps she was trying to portray as him as not so perfect after all, but for me it just felt jarring.
I also started to feel the town itself was too perfect. Apart from the unpleasant Jake, everyone was so nice and kind and caring and supportive and.... yeah. Not really believable. It wasn't till I got to the end and read some of the writer's notes that I fully picked up on the Disneyesque references. Yeah, I know the song the book's title is from, but I just didn't connect the dots with the rest till too late. If I'd realised earlier, I might have gone with the flow a bit more. The 'almost magic' bits mightn't have felt so jarring and ridiculous to me. Oh well. I get it now, LOL.
Apart from that, I did get a little frustrated at times with Alexis' ongoing reluctance to commit to Daniel. In the later sections, it started to feel a bit draggy to me. Come on, already. We get it.
The ending was a decent, if somewhat overly simplified, solution to the situation. It was a satisfying way to finish. So overall, I liked the book and I can see why Ms Jimenez's work is so popular. I plan to go on and read more....more
2.5 to 3 stars. My first book by this author, and I won't be racing out to read any more :( The description of the book sounded quite appealing. The p2.5 to 3 stars. My first book by this author, and I won't be racing out to read any more :( The description of the book sounded quite appealing. The plot and characters were reasonably interesting and *should* have worked.
But sadly, the whole thing fell a little flat for me. I never fully engaged with the MCs - somehow they just didn't come alive. There was plenty of romance, although not a lot of actual kissing and passion - I would have liked to see more on that front. Also, there was a little too much to-ing and fro-ing about how a duke in need of a fortune and a poor dressmaker could ever make things work. Yeah, yeah, alright, already. Let's get on with it!
Usually this trope is one I would find pretty ridiculous, actually, but the author did eventually convince that it was within the realms of possibility at this time and place in history. I also admit, I did enjoy the dress descriptions. It may have been too much in another HR, but here, as the h was a dressmaker, it fitted in well.
The writer has a slightly quirky writing style, and I didn't mind that, actually. If only her characters were more real for me, I think I might have liked this book a whole lot more.
I read this book for my June read for the HRBC Romance Across The Ages challenge - 'Gilded Age'.
Merged review:
2.5 to 3 stars. My first book by this author, and I won't be racing out to read any more :( The description of the book sounded quite appealing. The plot and characters were reasonably interesting and *should* have worked.
But sadly, the whole thing fell a little flat for me. I never fully engaged with the MCs - somehow they just didn't come alive. There was plenty of romance, although not a lot of actual kissing and passion - I would have liked to see more on that front. Also, there was a little too much to-ing and fro-ing about how a duke in need of a fortune and a poor dressmaker could ever make things work. Yeah, yeah, alright, already. Let's get on with it!
Usually this trope is one I would find pretty ridiculous, actually, but the author did eventually convince that it was within the realms of possibility at this time and place in history. I also admit, I did enjoy the dress descriptions. It may have been too much in another HR, but here, as the h was a dressmaker, it fitted in well.
The writer has a slightly quirky writing style, and I didn't mind that, actually. If only her characters were more real for me, I think I might have liked this book a whole lot more.
I read this book for my June read for the HRBC Romance Across The Ages challenge - 'Gilded Age'....more
After liking the Jack Ryan TV series, I thought I'd go back and try the original books. This one comes first in the series, and was published all the After liking the Jack Ryan TV series, I thought I'd go back and try the original books. This one comes first in the series, and was published all the way back in 1987. The TV series modernised it and changed some of the settings, among other things. But still, I enjoyed the original book.
Yeah it feels dated. I think as a reader of it today, you have to get in the zone of the 1980s and try to imagine it. It was interesting to read a thriller such as this with limited, old-school tech and virtually no mobile phones. There were some surprising aspects (view spoiler)[ like the involvement of the characters the late Queen Elizabeth, and Prince (now King) Charles and his family (hide spoiler)]. This could have felt a bit ridiculous, but in the context of the book it worked reasonably well. The Irish terrorist aspect did feel appropriately of-its-time.
The book is quite long (my copy had over 600 pages) and at times the detail felt a bit overdone. But when crunch time came, the background details added a bit of depth to what could have just been a cliche shooting-fest ending.
The storyline was a driving one, and I just went along for the ride. As the book built momentum, it drew me in further till I was keen to get to the finish and see how it all panned out. So, despite its being somewhat dated, and being all about a fairly straightforward hero/good guy with not a lot of character development, I enjoyed the read and will consider reading more in the series....more
This one started off fine, although I wouldn't suggest reading it as the first book in this series, or you might feel a bit lost. Although I've by no This one started off fine, although I wouldn't suggest reading it as the first book in this series, or you might feel a bit lost. Although I've by no means read them all, I've read enough of them to understand the background, and I knew some of the secondary characters from earlier books. So that was helpful.
All was going along OK till about halfway through the book, when (view spoiler)[it was revealed that Auden's baby was actually not her dna, but her mother's, so the baby she carried was her half-sister not her child. This just felt too creepy for me, along with all of the other yucky stuff about brain lesions, and bits of brain possibly being transferred etc. Eek. (hide spoiler)]. For me, the book went a bit downhill from that point, and I started to skim, reading chapters here and there, skipping over some sections.
Years ago, I used to really love Ms Singh's original series about the psy-changelings, that started with Slave to Sensation, which IMO was one of the best ones. But my reading tastes have changed since those days, and the later, related series seem to have become a bit too much for me. I don't really enjoy the direction they went in, with more emphasis on the Arrows and the Psy society. I have to admit I find the whole thing about the net-mind and the way it operates a bit hard to swallow.
I do like a good fantasy or sci-fi read, and it doesn't always have to be completely believable. But somehow I struggle a bit in completely buying into the world imagined by Ms Singh. I'm sure the books are still very popular, and new ones eagerly awaited by the many fans. Sadly I just don't enjoy them as much as I used to. Never mind. My problem I guess. But if you haven't read any of these and want to try them, I wouldn't start here. Go back to the start of the books, so it all makes sense as you read on into the series. And if you get hooked, there's a lot of reading enjoyment awaiting you :)...more
(Possible unpopular opinion alert). I have loved some of Ms Briggs' books, but somehow this one didn’t work as well for me as some of the earlier book(Possible unpopular opinion alert). I have loved some of Ms Briggs' books, but somehow this one didn’t work as well for me as some of the earlier books in the series. It was supposed to be high stakes with ‘the end of the world’ hanging in the balance. This didn’t feel convincing to me however, and even felt faintly ridiculous and unbelievable.
I also didn’t really enjoy the writing style. It was choppy, with scenes changing regularly and abruptly to a different time, place or characters. I guess the idea was to build up a whole picture of what was going on, but it was too piecemeal and didn’t work for me. I found it annoying and at times confusing to get involved in a scene, then suddenly be rudely taken away to different, seemingly irrelevant ‘interludes’. I’m still not really sure what the point of some of the interludes actually was.
I would have liked fewer characters, I think, as it became a bit crowded and confusing. I would have liked a tighter focus on a smaller number of people, to really ‘get’ their story. Some of the characters at the lodge seemed irrelevant or just a distraction. Too many, and I was getting their names and roles mixed up in my head.
The final big scene with the (view spoiler)[wedding (hide spoiler)] didn’t really work that well for me, as I didn’t really feel involved in the story, so the big climax didn’t seem that important or special like it should have.
I’m still fully in on Briggs’ excellent related series, Alpha and Omega, featuring the wonderful characters Charles and Anna. But for me the Mercy series feels like it’s lost its way a little, sadly. So, three stars for an OK read, but IMO by no means Ms Briggs’ best....more
3.5 stars. An appealing couple, although the book did drag a little in the middle for some reason, and I took a break before coming back to finish it.3.5 stars. An appealing couple, although the book did drag a little in the middle for some reason, and I took a break before coming back to finish it. But it did pick up again, and overall I enjoyed the read. Not my fav couple from this writer though.
I wasn't really on board with the whole wedding crashers thing, but I otherwise I did like Whitney, the talented and very busy transplant surgeon. After her one-night-fling with Henry, they were both shocked when he turned up a few months later as a surgical resident at her hospital. I thought the writer dealt fairly well with the taboos and issues surrounding workplace romances, especially when one of the couple (in this case, Whitney) is in a position of power over the other. A potentially difficult situation, but handled sensitively in this book.
It was nice to have brief revisits with some of the characters from previous books set in this world. Ms Canterbary states at the end of this book that she is planning at least two more books set in this community. I look forward to that :)...more
3.5 to 4 stars. My first book by this author, and I would definitely consider reading more.
Quite an enjoyable romance about a thirty-something mother 3.5 to 4 stars. My first book by this author, and I would definitely consider reading more.
Quite an enjoyable romance about a thirty-something mother of three whose marriage has died. She is raising the children on her own, and she and her husband have recently decided to finalise things with a divorce.
Enter 'Scooter', or Ethan as he is known now. Ali is instantly attracted, and Ethan returns her interest. It does become a little awkward when Ali finds out that Ethan is actually her best friend's younger brother, returned to their small town to visit his family. They knew each other way back in school, but now they're both all grown-up.
As their 'summer romance' develops, both of them work through some issues from their pasts. Eventually they realise this is going to be long-term, not just for the summer, and they get their HEA.
The two more mature protagonists both felt quite realistic. Their romance was believable, and I liked the pacing of the story. Overall, a quick and enjoyable read.
3.5 stars, rounded down mainly because the sex scenes were too raunchy and explicit for my personal reading tastes. A couple of the scenes really surp3.5 stars, rounded down mainly because the sex scenes were too raunchy and explicit for my personal reading tastes. A couple of the scenes really surprised me with their detailed descriptions, and are not what I'm looking for in my historical romance reads. I quite enjoy reading sex scenes as part of the romance, but these were just too explicit. I know this clearly isn't a problem for many other readers though, and that's fine. Each to her own.
I didn't mind the storyline, and quite liked the Gilded Age setting. I also liked the two main characters, especially Katherine, who was a kind, friendly and honest person. Her 'going rogue' and looking for some fun in her life was understandable after being jilted the way she was.
I liked Preston's character too, except that he clearly engaged in criminal activities in his business dealings. This was seen as OK and even forgiven. I know this kind of bribery and forgery went on, and still does of course, when unscrupulous people think they can get away with it. But that doesn't make it right, and it made me uncomfortable. So Preston wasn't completely the wonderful hero I wanted him to be.
I did finish the book, and definitely enjoyed some aspects of it. But I'm not sure I'll read any more by this author, as her writing has become too saucy for my taste.
This was a May 2024 BOTM read for Historical Romance Book Club, 'Jilted' trope....more