Scan barcode
bonesbones90's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
aliu6's review
4.0
3.5 stars
Madison LeGrange likes logic and order in all things, which is what makes her such a good winemaker; she's a pro with numbers and equations. Unfortunately, she's yet to find a formula for love. An uncharacteristically spur-of-the-moment decision leads her to purchase The Biscuit, a popular breakfast spot in town. It also leads to spending more time with Clementine Monroe, The Biscuit's manager and Madison's secret admirer in high school. A hesitant friendship turns into the potential for more, but the differences between the two women sometimes seem like too much to overcome. Through the ups and downs, Madison will learn that there is nothing logical or orderly about love. But maybe she can live with that.
cw: mentions of child abuse (non-sexual), child abandonment, side character death
This started out really good and then it got kind of weird? The romance was pretty good, but I was not a fan of how some sensitive topics got handled.
The Characters: As a math person, I totally related to Madison. I was excited to read her love story after her role in the second book of the series. She's a little awkward when talking about her feelings, but for the most part, she's self-assured and charismatic. At times though, it seems that she doesn't recognize her own privilege (at least at first), especially when it comes to understanding Clementine's adolescent experience. Clementine is super sweet, but also resilient. She also has a really sad backstory (see content warnings) which has resulted in low self-confidence. I liked Madison and Clementine's interactions, and I thought they were really cute together. We get the side characters from the previous books (Joey & Becca, Gabriela & Ryan, etc.) plus a few new ones. It was nice hearing from characters that I already felt like I knew well.
The Romance: I liked the lead up to Madison and Clementine getting together. There was a lot of sexual tension paired with personal hangups. After they got together, I wasn't a big fan of the types of conflicts that came up.
The Plot: The plot actually didn't revolve solely around the romance. There was a lot of stuff happening in the background with Madison getting a hang of running the Biscuit, Loretta and Bobby's wedding, plus a surprise visit from someone from Clementine's past. [Insert rant about how the plot got super weird and kinda problematic.] This book just sent so many mixed messages, and I don't think they were good messages. Regarding pacing, the beginning was super engaging. Then there was a lull and I took a break from reading. Then things went downhill and I skimmed through the dumpster fire :/
The Writing: Brayden's writing is consistent, and this was no exception with regards to snappy dialogue and flowing narration.
All in all: I wish Brayden hadn't chosen to tackle a subject like child abuse in this book. A lot of it rubbed me the wrong way, and it felt out of place next to how sweet and soft the rest of the series was. It's still a well-written and interesting story, but the child abuse plot took me out of it and made the experience a lot less enjoyable for me.
*I received an ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Madison LeGrange likes logic and order in all things, which is what makes her such a good winemaker; she's a pro with numbers and equations. Unfortunately, she's yet to find a formula for love. An uncharacteristically spur-of-the-moment decision leads her to purchase The Biscuit, a popular breakfast spot in town. It also leads to spending more time with Clementine Monroe, The Biscuit's manager and Madison's secret admirer in high school. A hesitant friendship turns into the potential for more, but the differences between the two women sometimes seem like too much to overcome. Through the ups and downs, Madison will learn that there is nothing logical or orderly about love. But maybe she can live with that.
cw: mentions of child abuse (non-sexual), child abandonment, side character death
This started out really good and then it got kind of weird? The romance was pretty good, but I was not a fan of how some sensitive topics got handled.
The Characters: As a math person, I totally related to Madison. I was excited to read her love story after her role in the second book of the series. She's a little awkward when talking about her feelings, but for the most part, she's self-assured and charismatic. At times though, it seems that she doesn't recognize her own privilege (at least at first), especially when it comes to understanding Clementine's adolescent experience. Clementine is super sweet, but also resilient. She also has a really sad backstory (see content warnings) which has resulted in low self-confidence. I liked Madison and Clementine's interactions, and I thought they were really cute together. We get the side characters from the previous books (Joey & Becca, Gabriela & Ryan, etc.) plus a few new ones. It was nice hearing from characters that I already felt like I knew well.
The Romance: I liked the lead up to Madison and Clementine getting together. There was a lot of sexual tension paired with personal hangups. After they got together, I wasn't a big fan of the types of conflicts that came up.
Spoiler
A lot of stuff with Clementine feeling like she didn't deserve to be with someone like Madison? Yes, I get that this is something that actually happens, but writing it into Clementine's character can send implicit messaging that victims of child abuse or people who grew up in poverty should feel bad about it.The Plot: The plot actually didn't revolve solely around the romance. There was a lot of stuff happening in the background with Madison getting a hang of running the Biscuit, Loretta and Bobby's wedding, plus a surprise visit from someone from Clementine's past. [Insert rant about how the plot got super weird and kinda problematic.]
Spoiler
It was Clementine's abusive father. I honestly don't know how to feel about this storyline. I felt like Clementine let her father back in way too quickly? I get that sometimes victims of child abuse might still seek approval from their abusers/there might be other factors why Clementine did that. But when everyone else is like, "I think it's great that you've repaired your relationship with your father!" it's a lot. I don't think something like child abuse can be easily forgiven, or forgiven at all. Maybe the intention was a message of redemption, i.e. people can change. I would have preferred if Brayden had stuck to that, but instead, Clementine's dad ended up running out on her. So... people can't change?The Writing: Brayden's writing is consistent, and this was no exception with regards to snappy dialogue and flowing narration.
All in all: I wish Brayden hadn't chosen to tackle a subject like child abuse in this book. A lot of it rubbed me the wrong way, and it felt out of place next to how sweet and soft the rest of the series was. It's still a well-written and interesting story, but the child abuse plot took me out of it and made the experience a lot less enjoyable for me.
*I received an ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
hsinjulit's review
4.0
Content warnings: alcohol (recreational), past child abuse, death, graphic sex, manipulation
This was a nice ending for the series. While I didn’t love it as much as the previous books (my reviews of #1 & #2), What a Tangled Web still put a smile on my face.
Winemaker Madison LeGrange’s sudden acquisition of Bacon & Biscuit took everyone off guard, especially Clementine Monroe, the manager of the place, who had dreamed of purchasing the café herself. This temporary rivalry mixed with Clementine’s long-standing crush on Madison prompts the pair to work through their complicated dynamics, but it just might end up being the turning points of both their lives, too.
I love the contrast between Maddie and Clem, especially when it comes to their childhood backgrounds. Clem’s parents weren’t the greatest and adult Clem still suffers from her past while Madison has an attentive and relatively supportive family throughout her life. Also, Clementine is an avid reader while Maddie loves her movies. They have differing economic backgrounds, too.
And Madison, oh, clueless Madison. I adore her for being so incredibly nerdy, loving toward her grapes, but seldom expressing emotions to her friends. She says the oddest things because she doesn’t really read the room and I find her adorkableness extremely relatable. Seeing her in this story made me very happy.
The chemistry between the two was light to me, and most of the feels I got had fizzled by the second kiss. Sex scenes were plentiful in the book though. There were a few interactions that made me wonder if either or both of them were acting slightly out of character, namely when Clementine doesn’t seem a little bit nervous and Madison being very sure and flirty, but those moments didn’t hinder my overall enjoyment. I was, however, a bit thrown off by the rapid change of setting and time, sometimes without paragraph breaks, as well as a few dialogues I found hard to follow. But all in all, I enjoyed the big plot and felt satisfied with the last chapter and epilogue of this book as the closing for whole series.
A Tangle Valley Romance is my favorite contemporary romance series to date, and while I am sad that the stories for Joey Wilder, Gabriella Russo, and Madison LeGrange have come to an end, I am happy for the three of them to find happiness not only with their respective partners, but also within the Tangle Valley community.
I received an e-ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a nice ending for the series. While I didn’t love it as much as the previous books (my reviews of #1 & #2), What a Tangled Web still put a smile on my face.
Winemaker Madison LeGrange’s sudden acquisition of Bacon & Biscuit took everyone off guard, especially Clementine Monroe, the manager of the place, who had dreamed of purchasing the café herself. This temporary rivalry mixed with Clementine’s long-standing crush on Madison prompts the pair to work through their complicated dynamics, but it just might end up being the turning points of both their lives, too.
I love the contrast between Maddie and Clem, especially when it comes to their childhood backgrounds. Clem’s parents weren’t the greatest and adult Clem still suffers from her past while Madison has an attentive and relatively supportive family throughout her life. Also, Clementine is an avid reader while Maddie loves her movies. They have differing economic backgrounds, too.
And Madison, oh, clueless Madison. I adore her for being so incredibly nerdy, loving toward her grapes, but seldom expressing emotions to her friends. She says the oddest things because she doesn’t really read the room and I find her adorkableness extremely relatable. Seeing her in this story made me very happy.
The chemistry between the two was light to me, and most of the feels I got had fizzled by the second kiss. Sex scenes were plentiful in the book though. There were a few interactions that made me wonder if either or both of them were acting slightly out of character, namely when Clementine doesn’t seem a little bit nervous and Madison being very sure and flirty, but those moments didn’t hinder my overall enjoyment. I was, however, a bit thrown off by the rapid change of setting and time, sometimes without paragraph breaks, as well as a few dialogues I found hard to follow. But all in all, I enjoyed the big plot and felt satisfied with the last chapter and epilogue of this book as the closing for whole series.
A Tangle Valley Romance is my favorite contemporary romance series to date, and while I am sad that the stories for Joey Wilder, Gabriella Russo, and Madison LeGrange have come to an end, I am happy for the three of them to find happiness not only with their respective partners, but also within the Tangle Valley community.
I received an e-ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
stine_reads's review
4.0
I'm a big fan of Melissa Brayden, and this was a wonderful end to a wonderful story. Filles with love, some angst and a lot of wine and good food - just the way I like my comfort reading to be.
To be recommended!
To be recommended!
jennabeebs79's review
4.0
This was the third and final installment of the Tangle Valle series and boy was it wonderful! Madison, head winemaker at Tangle Valley Vineyards spent the last year or so watching her two best friends meet and fall in love with their soul mates. She was content to be on her own until she got a brilliant idea to diversify her funds and purchased the Bacon and Biscuit, a hot spot in Whisper Wall. What Madison didn't know was that Clementine, a former schoolmate, and general manager of said Cafe has plans to purchase. Needless to say, Clem's 15 plus year crush on Madison instantly evaporated. Yikes!
As Madison and Clem spent more time in one another's orbit, the more they couldn't deny their chemistry and feelings. This book was just simply wonderful. Two really nice humans finding one another and exploring what could be. The townsfolk of Whisper Wall continued to add delight to this series. I'm thrilled with the ending of this series, although I will miss our 6 main characters going although. This could possibly be read as a stand-alone, however I would encourage potential readers to read the first two books in the series first.
I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As Madison and Clem spent more time in one another's orbit, the more they couldn't deny their chemistry and feelings. This book was just simply wonderful. Two really nice humans finding one another and exploring what could be. The townsfolk of Whisper Wall continued to add delight to this series. I'm thrilled with the ending of this series, although I will miss our 6 main characters going although. This could possibly be read as a stand-alone, however I would encourage potential readers to read the first two books in the series first.
I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
iamjco's review
4.0
This was a fantastic ending to a great series by Melissa Brayden. The 1st book of the series was my favorite, but this is a close second. The chemistry between Clementine and Madison is so obvious from the beginning (and a few steamy moments!). Their story seemed believable and I was rooting for them the entire time. The quirky banter between all of the characters was very consistent throughout all of the books. The conversations made me smile and laugh and often made me think I was just as good with one-liners.
I loved how Brayden tied everything up at the end of the book for all of the characters which put a smile on my face. I’m always rooting for a HEA and this doesn’t disappoint. Melissa Brayden’s books are consistently well-written and this book is no exception.
I loved how Brayden tied everything up at the end of the book for all of the characters which put a smile on my face. I’m always rooting for a HEA and this doesn’t disappoint. Melissa Brayden’s books are consistently well-written and this book is no exception.
lujein's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
excellent_taste's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
katie_2711's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kburns2004's review
4.0
The final book in the Tangled trilogy didn't disappoint. If you know Melissa's books, you know the formula she uses, and this book was no different. I loved seeing my "friends" in Whisper Wall again. Melissa is truly my go-to for comfort when it comes to her books.