Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
An excellent little novella featuring two SFF writers who reconnect at a Con in London, and remember all the reasons they initially fell for each other. Lots of fun.
The premise sounds amazing; a contemporary rivals to lovers + second chance romance, two Fantasy writers meet again in a convention, sparks fly!
But I wasn't so sure about the execution. I was a little bit frustrated with the MCs, especially because they fight for lack of communication. I just hate miscommunication in romance, we could save so much pain if characters! just! talk! And I get it, their first fight, the one that ripped them apart, but fighting again and not talking it out? Ughhh
It's not a bad book, not all! Just it didn't work for me.
A copy was provided by the author in exchange of an honest review.
But I wasn't so sure about the execution. I was a little bit frustrated with the MCs, especially because they fight for lack of communication. I just hate miscommunication in romance, we could save so much pain if characters! just! talk! And I get it, their first fight, the one that ripped them apart, but fighting again and not talking it out? Ughhh
It's not a bad book, not all! Just it didn't work for me.
A copy was provided by the author in exchange of an honest review.
Sweet, funny, and very accurate to the publishing industry, this was a joy to read.
http://lgbt-ya.tumblr.com/post/179349705288/
http://lgbt-ya.tumblr.com/post/179349705288/
A Hidden Hope is a very geeky Romance (f/f) novella, primarily set at a London(ish) based Scifi convention.
The two main characters are adorable together and I want more! 😍
I don't normally read Romance - but when I do It has to be geeky and this certainly is.
If you read this novella and love it as much as I did, the author Laura Ambrose also has a free prequel available as a freebie when you sign up to her mailing list.
The two main characters are adorable together and I want more! 😍
I don't normally read Romance - but when I do It has to be geeky and this certainly is.
If you read this novella and love it as much as I did, the author Laura Ambrose also has a free prequel available as a freebie when you sign up to her mailing list.
First up, the con: If you've been to an SFF con as an attendee, some of the revelations here will definitely raise a smile. If you've been as an author, you'll be grinning. This novella is merciless in its depiction of the situations that ensue at the breakfast bar, on panels and all the rest of it. I take my hat off to Laura Ambrose for writing the convention experience in a way that captures the awe, the panic, and the high impact emotions of attending an SFF con.
Second, the romance: The romance setup is kind of odd because, without going into spoilers, the characters have some history but it's mostly not face to face. I felt that possibly things went a little bit too easily for our star crossed lovers early on, but there is one particular conversation (conducted via text messages, late in the story) that stunned me with just how real it felt. Really potent. Still has me feeling a bit like I took a brick to the skull. I will say that I was very glad that the final resolution delivered.
Oh, I have to mention... there are certain references and when you read them you know *exactly* who they are referring to if you read genre... and they are hilarious.
Some great turns of phrase, sweet, sexy and blitzable. There's plenty of snark in here that may well trigger a strong reaction from some people, but I doubt they'd be reading an SFF con f/f romance in the first place. Overall very enjoyable!
Second, the romance: The romance setup is kind of odd because, without going into spoilers, the characters have some history but it's mostly not face to face. I felt that possibly things went a little bit too easily for our star crossed lovers early on, but there is one particular conversation (conducted via text messages, late in the story) that stunned me with just how real it felt. Really potent. Still has me feeling a bit like I took a brick to the skull. I will say that I was very glad that the final resolution delivered.
Oh, I have to mention... there are certain references and when you read them you know *exactly* who they are referring to if you read genre... and they are hilarious.
Some great turns of phrase, sweet, sexy and blitzable. There's plenty of snark in here that may well trigger a strong reaction from some people, but I doubt they'd be reading an SFF con f/f romance in the first place. Overall very enjoyable!
Cute. There were parts I liked, but on the whole it felt somewhat underdeveloped and rushed - probably because it's a novella? I have read the free prequel short story, but upon reading this I didn't actually feel like the prequel "added" anything. Anyway, on the whole I think I'm just too asexual for this novella as I could not relate to either character at all, who seemed more in lust with each other than in love (though to be clear, they were also in love). I'm a sucker for this trope though (second chances/rekindled flame/getting back together/whatever you want to call it) and I thought it was very well done. So it's a solid three stars. I liked it, but didn't love it.
I was sent this book as an advanced copy by the author for reviewing purposes, but all opinions are my own.
This was a fun f/f romance about former critique partners turned lovers turned enemies turned lovers again (basically one of my favorite romantic tropes ever).
Natalie and El meet again at a book convention in London, three years after their falling out that never got a closure, and they have the chance to fix the past between one panel and another.
It was a fun dip into the author/publishing world (I know we bookworms are always curious about that) and I really liked both main characters. They're definitely flawed and that's what made them interesting, but most importantly they both acknowledged what was and what wasn't working in their relationship and in themselves and tried to work through it. This is a novella so it all had to be done pretty quickly, but the pace worked for me.
You can get the free prequel A Frozen Night if you sign up for the author's newsletter. I'd recommend maybe reading it after the novella instead of before, but it doesn't really matter.
If you like f/f romance and a setting that's intriguing to us bookworms (or if you're an author yourself) I definitely recommend picking this book up!
TWs: mention of death of a parent, grief
This was a fun f/f romance about former critique partners turned lovers turned enemies turned lovers again (basically one of my favorite romantic tropes ever).
Natalie and El meet again at a book convention in London, three years after their falling out that never got a closure, and they have the chance to fix the past between one panel and another.
It was a fun dip into the author/publishing world (I know we bookworms are always curious about that) and I really liked both main characters. They're definitely flawed and that's what made them interesting, but most importantly they both acknowledged what was and what wasn't working in their relationship and in themselves and tried to work through it. This is a novella so it all had to be done pretty quickly, but the pace worked for me.
You can get the free prequel A Frozen Night if you sign up for the author's newsletter. I'd recommend maybe reading it after the novella instead of before, but it doesn't really matter.
If you like f/f romance and a setting that's intriguing to us bookworms (or if you're an author yourself) I definitely recommend picking this book up!
TWs: mention of death of a parent, grief