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analenegrace's reviews
475 reviews
Lady Eve's Last Con by Rebecca Fraimow
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
felt very immature and honestly boring
Like Cats & Dogs by Lizzie Shane
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book.
While I didn't read the rest of the Pine Hollow series first, this book was still fun and sweet, and I can see how it would be the perfect wrap-up to someone's beloved small-town romance series. Mac and Magda are deeply passionate and flawed people who perhaps met each other too early in life. I appreciated that this book was conscious of how the age gap impacted them 14 years before, but it was now a normal gap between them. As they got to know each other again, they both realized that they had blown a very simple thing out of proportion.
As a small-town romance, I liked that this one pulled the town rivals out of the small town so they could see what they had been missing for over a decade.
The cooking show plot is always fun to throw characters into, and I liked that this one had background show drama outside of our MCs as they dealt with a new showrunner who was changing the show's vision. Our side characters played into that, and I thought while they weren't super fleshed out, they were quite fun and useful for the plot.
There was just some simplistic writing throughout that I thought should have been better for the sixth book in a traditionally published series. I'm unsure if I'll read the rest of the series, but it sounds cute!
While I didn't read the rest of the Pine Hollow series first, this book was still fun and sweet, and I can see how it would be the perfect wrap-up to someone's beloved small-town romance series. Mac and Magda are deeply passionate and flawed people who perhaps met each other too early in life. I appreciated that this book was conscious of how the age gap impacted them 14 years before, but it was now a normal gap between them. As they got to know each other again, they both realized that they had blown a very simple thing out of proportion.
As a small-town romance, I liked that this one pulled the town rivals out of the small town so they could see what they had been missing for over a decade.
The cooking show plot is always fun to throw characters into, and I liked that this one had background show drama outside of our MCs as they dealt with a new showrunner who was changing the show's vision. Our side characters played into that, and I thought while they weren't super fleshed out, they were quite fun and useful for the plot.
There was just some simplistic writing throughout that I thought should have been better for the sixth book in a traditionally published series. I'm unsure if I'll read the rest of the series, but it sounds cute!
The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was an absolute joy to listen to and get into the holiday spirit! These characters are so fun and compelling, making me laugh and tear up many times.
Our MC, Coal, is very complicated. At the book's beginning, he struggles to express himself and instead makes himself a bit of a laughingstock prankster even though he is the heir to the Christmas kingdom. He is earnest inside his head but outwardly is struggling to express his emotions. He's also really struggling with how his father has been treating him, reacting to it negatively and then creating a cycle of distrust and reaction.
While the parent-child relationship in this book can be somewhat hard to read in this book, it is realistic to a controlling, somewhat grieving parent attempting to do what he thinks is right and instead hurting his community and his children.
Some reviews of this book complain that it focuses too much on the politics of the holiday world, and perhaps they are right, but that was the best part of this book for me! I thought Raasch's worldbuilding was SO good and a very strong way to start off this universe; I need that second one ASAP! Holiday capitalism vs holiday communism is an important part of this book, and I found that compelling.
The romance was still the main feature of this book, though, and the romance between Coal and Hex, the Halloween Prince, is fleshed out, sweet, and sexy; I had to pause parts of this book when listening at work. These two care about each other so much very quickly but have a lot of things and obligations standing in their way. Yet, they pursue each other and find moments of joy, even in heartbreak and stress. I felt their tension throughout the book, and I think the audiobook narrator slayed with this!
Raasch did an amazing job with this book and this universe, and I think it's a perfect book for the holiday season if you're looking for something with romance and political intrigue!
Our MC, Coal, is very complicated. At the book's beginning, he struggles to express himself and instead makes himself a bit of a laughingstock prankster even though he is the heir to the Christmas kingdom. He is earnest inside his head but outwardly is struggling to express his emotions. He's also really struggling with how his father has been treating him, reacting to it negatively and then creating a cycle of distrust and reaction.
While the parent-child relationship in this book can be somewhat hard to read in this book, it is realistic to a controlling, somewhat grieving parent attempting to do what he thinks is right and instead hurting his community and his children.
Some reviews of this book complain that it focuses too much on the politics of the holiday world, and perhaps they are right, but that was the best part of this book for me! I thought Raasch's worldbuilding was SO good and a very strong way to start off this universe; I need that second one ASAP! Holiday capitalism vs holiday communism is an important part of this book, and I found that compelling.
The romance was still the main feature of this book, though, and the romance between Coal and Hex, the Halloween Prince, is fleshed out, sweet, and sexy; I had to pause parts of this book when listening at work. These two care about each other so much very quickly but have a lot of things and obligations standing in their way. Yet, they pursue each other and find moments of joy, even in heartbreak and stress. I felt their tension throughout the book, and I think the audiobook narrator slayed with this!
Raasch did an amazing job with this book and this universe, and I think it's a perfect book for the holiday season if you're looking for something with romance and political intrigue!
Love in Bloom by Lucy Eden
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-arc of this book.
This was a sweet, fast-paced, small-town romance with a twist that kept it engaging. It had all the bones of a fairly straightforward small-town romance, but Eden kept it somewhat engaging with her twist and cute characters.
While this was a cute book, it needed more depth for our characters because they felt fairly flat and needed more development. I wanted this to be longer and drawn out, so I cared more about our characters.
This is a promising debut that just needed a little bit more.
This was a sweet, fast-paced, small-town romance with a twist that kept it engaging. It had all the bones of a fairly straightforward small-town romance, but Eden kept it somewhat engaging with her twist and cute characters.
While this was a cute book, it needed more depth for our characters because they felt fairly flat and needed more development. I wanted this to be longer and drawn out, so I cared more about our characters.
This is a promising debut that just needed a little bit more.
All the Painted Stars by Emma Denny
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
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? It's complicated
4.25
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an e-arc of this book.
While I haven't yet read the first one in this series, this one turned out to be wonderful, even without the information from the first one, and it just made me want to read it more!
Jo and Lily, our MCs in this book, are heartwarming, fun, and complicated characters that we get to know beautifully throughout the story. They have been exchanging letters before the story begins, and as they reunite early on in the book, the tension between them is obvious.
While this story has a bit of a slow burn, once our characters choose each other, they are firmly together, and there is no third-act breakup. The romance is SO sweet, and as they continuously have to make difficult choices, it's clear how much they care for each other and how it's disrupting their boring noblewoman lives. Lily's complicated feelings on gender are approached in a time-appropriate way as we see her wrestle with clothing, hair choices, and expected gender roles.
I loved the family drama we saw, hinting at what happened in the first book and revealed in this book. We really saw the chosen family and complicated family dynamics at play.
Plotwise, there are many plots here, the tournament and running away together, that are both dropped midway through, but in a way that works well, for an incredibly compelling look at the women's brewing business of the 14th century, and, of course, our love story. The author details this topic in her note, which is fascinating. It was great to learn that what happened in the story was reminiscent of a lost truth about women's agency in this period.
Altogether, it was a really interesting read!
While I haven't yet read the first one in this series, this one turned out to be wonderful, even without the information from the first one, and it just made me want to read it more!
Jo and Lily, our MCs in this book, are heartwarming, fun, and complicated characters that we get to know beautifully throughout the story. They have been exchanging letters before the story begins, and as they reunite early on in the book, the tension between them is obvious.
While this story has a bit of a slow burn, once our characters choose each other, they are firmly together, and there is no third-act breakup. The romance is SO sweet, and as they continuously have to make difficult choices, it's clear how much they care for each other and how it's disrupting their boring noblewoman lives. Lily's complicated feelings on gender are approached in a time-appropriate way as we see her wrestle with clothing, hair choices, and expected gender roles.
I loved the family drama we saw, hinting at what happened in the first book and revealed in this book. We really saw the chosen family and complicated family dynamics at play.
Plotwise, there are many plots here, the tournament and running away together, that are both dropped midway through, but in a way that works well, for an incredibly compelling look at the women's brewing business of the 14th century, and, of course, our love story. The author details this topic in her note, which is fascinating. It was great to learn that what happened in the story was reminiscent of a lost truth about women's agency in this period.
Altogether, it was a really interesting read!
Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Read for the November meeting of the HEA Book Club at Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, LA.
What an insane read to listen to at work. I should have expected it, but I didn't. This book is technically a slow burn for the sex between the MCs, but there is so much imagining and masturbation it DOES NOT feel like a slow burn. Our MC, Violet, is incredibly horny.
The plot of this book is insane, the characters are insane, the sex is wild and it was a short read. I genuinely don't know what to do with this book but I can't wait for book club.
What an insane read to listen to at work. I should have expected it, but I didn't. This book is technically a slow burn for the sex between the MCs, but there is so much imagining and masturbation it DOES NOT feel like a slow burn. Our MC, Violet, is incredibly horny.
The plot of this book is insane, the characters are insane, the sex is wild and it was a short read. I genuinely don't know what to do with this book but I can't wait for book club.
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Read for the November Guild Fantasy Book Club meeting at Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, LA.
This was a super engaging read I could not put down, and I read it all in one sitting. Twisted or retold fairytales are one of my favorite genres, and Ava Reid did a fantastic job with this dark, horror-esque story.
I really enjoyed the actual bones of this story, and I think it's a very powerful good for her story. It hit especially close to home, as we met for book club on election night. Marlinchen is mistreated, manipulated, sexually assaulted, and lied to by everyone in her life until she takes it into her own hands and begins to handle things herself. I think a woman making her own path is powerful and wonderful no matter the story.
My criticisms of this book mostly lie in how Reid changed the names of things, such as Russia and Judaism, but kept them in their place and used language like Tsar and Tsarina, which don't exist outside their context. Additionally, it was hard to tell where this book fell on capitalism and Jewish people, and I don't particularly appreciate when opinions on those things feel up in the air.
Altogether, this was a super interesting read and a very fun book club, and I will be reading more of Reid's twisted fairytales!
Best Line: "I imagined each one giving my arm a gentle squeeze, telling me that I had been brave, so brave and strong, to have lived in the same house as these monsters all my life."
This was a super engaging read I could not put down, and I read it all in one sitting. Twisted or retold fairytales are one of my favorite genres, and Ava Reid did a fantastic job with this dark, horror-esque story.
I really enjoyed the actual bones of this story, and I think it's a very powerful good for her story. It hit especially close to home, as we met for book club on election night. Marlinchen is mistreated, manipulated, sexually assaulted, and lied to by everyone in her life until she takes it into her own hands and begins to handle things herself. I think a woman making her own path is powerful and wonderful no matter the story.
My criticisms of this book mostly lie in how Reid changed the names of things, such as Russia and Judaism, but kept them in their place and used language like Tsar and Tsarina, which don't exist outside their context. Additionally, it was hard to tell where this book fell on capitalism and Jewish people, and I don't particularly appreciate when opinions on those things feel up in the air.
Altogether, this was a super interesting read and a very fun book club, and I will be reading more of Reid's twisted fairytales!
Best Line: "I imagined each one giving my arm a gentle squeeze, telling me that I had been brave, so brave and strong, to have lived in the same house as these monsters all my life."
Finding Joy by Adriana Herrera
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-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
4.25
This was a fantastic contemporary romance from Herrera! She approached these characters with much love and care as she brought them to life. The audiobook narrator was also fantastic and truly made them realistic.
Desta and Elias's story is romantic and, at times, incredibly soft, but at others, it deals closely with societal homophobia, expat behavior in Africa, mental health conditions, and parental approval as these characters make hard decisions in the process of their developing relationship.
Desta's grief for his father is also an important recurring theme, so I encourage anyone who might find that triggering to pay attention. It is gorgeously written as someone with a dead father myself, and while it was hard to hear at times, the way Desta grows in this respect is fantastic for a book that is not very long at all.
This book also really considers Ethiopia, the American influence there, its people, and its historical experiences. I wasn't fully aware of Ethiopia's history, and Herrerra does a great job of weaving it in.
Herrera's writing is great, and I'm glad to read more of it!
Desta and Elias's story is romantic and, at times, incredibly soft, but at others, it deals closely with societal homophobia, expat behavior in Africa, mental health conditions, and parental approval as these characters make hard decisions in the process of their developing relationship.
Desta's grief for his father is also an important recurring theme, so I encourage anyone who might find that triggering to pay attention. It is gorgeously written as someone with a dead father myself, and while it was hard to hear at times, the way Desta grows in this respect is fantastic for a book that is not very long at all.
This book also really considers Ethiopia, the American influence there, its people, and its historical experiences. I wasn't fully aware of Ethiopia's history, and Herrerra does a great job of weaving it in.
Herrera's writing is great, and I'm glad to read more of it!
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
Wanted to attend a book club for this book, but it just made me super uncomfy and I chose to DNF and not attend.
Pansies by Alexis Hall
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
slow-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
4.25
This is the last of the previously published Spires series books, and one I'd read before! Bully-trope romances are never something I read, so when I read the original and this new version, I was surprised and impressed at the care and nuance Hall takes to ensure his readers understand the underlying tensions and history Alfie and Fen have. These two are both deeply complicated, flawed, and a little lost in their lives, and finding each other again forces them to confront what they've been hiding from in their lives.
Alexis Hall is a truly magnificent author; this book is no exception. My favorite thing he does is write in the characters' accents; as a non-Brit, it can be incredibly difficult at times, but I love the realism. He brings places and people to live in his writing, and I adore it!
The romance here, beyond the beginnings of it, is very tense as the characters go through the push and pull of their immediate attraction, genuine care, and fears of change to be together. They fight for each other and for better communication, time and time again, and it's wonderfully written!
This one has some serious trigger warnings, former bully, grief of a parent, internalized homophobia, actual homophobia, slurs, and violence for some, and it is not a rom-com. Yet, it is a read that you feel lighter after reading two characters fall into such imperfect, genuine love!
Alexis Hall is a truly magnificent author; this book is no exception. My favorite thing he does is write in the characters' accents; as a non-Brit, it can be incredibly difficult at times, but I love the realism. He brings places and people to live in his writing, and I adore it!
The romance here, beyond the beginnings of it, is very tense as the characters go through the push and pull of their immediate attraction, genuine care, and fears of change to be together. They fight for each other and for better communication, time and time again, and it's wonderfully written!
This one has some serious trigger warnings, former bully, grief of a parent, internalized homophobia, actual homophobia, slurs, and violence for some, and it is not a rom-com. Yet, it is a read that you feel lighter after reading two characters fall into such imperfect, genuine love!