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drops_everything_and_reads's Reviews (1.2k)
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
If Maggie North writes it, I am 100% going to read it. I absolutely loved Maggie's debut book Rules for Second Chances and was thrilled to receive an early copy of her second book the Ripple Effect
I love the journey that we go on with Stellar and McHuge, two people who have built up defensive walls for a variety of reasons, but then they each pursue life very differently. Stellar is closed off, trusting very few people, and sees relationships as transactional. McHuge trusts very easily, literally giving the shirt off his back to someone if they ask for it, but does very little to put himself first. The two are at different ends of a spectrum, which creates tension in their relationship, which they have to navigate if they are going to work together, let alone have a romantic relationship with each other.
The premise of why Stellar and McHuge have been thrown together is a delight, and is largely an extension of Maggie's first book, in which the MCs follow guidance from a relationship book written by McHuge. Ripple is about McHuge taking his skills and knowledge and passion for his relationship psychology work and transferring it to the great outdoors, setting up a business that challenges couples to embark on a camping and white water canoeing adventure that will test them all and help them to grow. Stellar is hired to be the on-site medical doctor and also for her outdoors expertise, and through a series of unfortunate circumstances, Stellar ends up fake proposing to McHuge so they can be fake engaged in order to support the new business venture.
As with the first book, I found myself relating a lot to the characters, Stellar, McHuge and even some of the side characters. The lessons McHuge took his campers on were concepts I found myself reflecting on in my personal life, and, dare I say, wondering if I should embark on some camping adventures of my own (probably not).
Maggie's ability to describe the scenery of the locations really pays off, given the characters spend so much time outside. I felt like I was sitting right beside the characters during evening campfire, or paddling a boat down the river with them, heading towards the next set of rapids. Reading Ripple was like an immersive experience of the imagination and emotions.
I'm so excited for more people to read this book and to read more of what Maggie writes.
Thanks to Maggie north and SMP for the eARC of the book. All opinions are my own, though I acknowledge an inherent bias as I am friends with the author.
I love the journey that we go on with Stellar and McHuge, two people who have built up defensive walls for a variety of reasons, but then they each pursue life very differently. Stellar is closed off, trusting very few people, and sees relationships as transactional. McHuge trusts very easily, literally giving the shirt off his back to someone if they ask for it, but does very little to put himself first. The two are at different ends of a spectrum, which creates tension in their relationship, which they have to navigate if they are going to work together, let alone have a romantic relationship with each other.
The premise of why Stellar and McHuge have been thrown together is a delight, and is largely an extension of Maggie's first book, in which the MCs follow guidance from a relationship book written by McHuge. Ripple is about McHuge taking his skills and knowledge and passion for his relationship psychology work and transferring it to the great outdoors, setting up a business that challenges couples to embark on a camping and white water canoeing adventure that will test them all and help them to grow. Stellar is hired to be the on-site medical doctor and also for her outdoors expertise, and through a series of unfortunate circumstances, Stellar ends up fake proposing to McHuge so they can be fake engaged in order to support the new business venture.
As with the first book, I found myself relating a lot to the characters, Stellar, McHuge and even some of the side characters. The lessons McHuge took his campers on were concepts I found myself reflecting on in my personal life, and, dare I say, wondering if I should embark on some camping adventures of my own (probably not).
Maggie's ability to describe the scenery of the locations really pays off, given the characters spend so much time outside. I felt like I was sitting right beside the characters during evening campfire, or paddling a boat down the river with them, heading towards the next set of rapids. Reading Ripple was like an immersive experience of the imagination and emotions.
I'm so excited for more people to read this book and to read more of what Maggie writes.
Thanks to Maggie north and SMP for the eARC of the book. All opinions are my own, though I acknowledge an inherent bias as I am friends with the author.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thanks to Atria for the eARC; all opinions are my own.
The fifth and final instalment of the Regency Vows series by Martha Waters does not disappoint!
This was a pairing four books in the making; we all knew that West and Sophie were going to be together, but how that was going to happen, well, this book gave us the goods!
I really enjoyed the flashbacks, as this is a second chance romance so I was able to see what their relationship had been like when they were younger, and also understand why they split up. And understand their motivations for coming back together.
This book has humour, some spice, angst, swooning, fake engagement and so much more. We get to catch up with the couples from the previous books, we get a satisfying ending.
Absolutely delightful.
The fifth and final instalment of the Regency Vows series by Martha Waters does not disappoint!
This was a pairing four books in the making; we all knew that West and Sophie were going to be together, but how that was going to happen, well, this book gave us the goods!
I really enjoyed the flashbacks, as this is a second chance romance so I was able to see what their relationship had been like when they were younger, and also understand why they split up. And understand their motivations for coming back together.
This book has humour, some spice, angst, swooning, fake engagement and so much more. We get to catch up with the couples from the previous books, we get a satisfying ending.
Absolutely delightful.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
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:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Complicated
I read this book in one sitting as I found it so engaging. The pace was fairly fast, great humour, it felt realistic, and I loved that it was set in Toronto, so I felt more connected to the book as I lived there once upon a time.
Reading the scene towards the beginning with the wedding banquet brought back wonderful memories of attending a friend’s Chinese wedding banquet and how AMAZING the food was. And how it was so easy to engage in conversation with everyone at the table because it was round!
I felt that the Emily really grew into herself, throughout the book, challenging assumptions about herself and others (especially Mark and her mother), really looking at how she fits in with her family, and staying strong in her chosen career path.
An excellent book!!! Jackie’s books are great (of the ones I have read so far) and I highly recommend checking out her backlist if you are new to her books.
Reading the scene towards the beginning with the wedding banquet brought back wonderful memories of attending a friend’s Chinese wedding banquet and how AMAZING the food was. And how it was so easy to engage in conversation with everyone at the table because it was round!
I felt that the Emily really grew into herself, throughout the book, challenging assumptions about herself and others (especially Mark and her mother), really looking at how she fits in with her family, and staying strong in her chosen career path.
An excellent book!!! Jackie’s books are great (of the ones I have read so far) and I highly recommend checking out her backlist if you are new to her books.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
This was my favourite book in the Supernatural Singles trilogy (unless there are more books coming??) in large part because I had been waiting so long for Olive's book and eager to see how things would play out with Baxter.
On paper, the two are opposites: she's a college professor, academic, loves reading while he's a motorcycle riding guardian angel with a bad bay type reputation.
He's tasked with keeping her safe, but can't tell her. He's also been super attracted to her and now he gets to spend lots of time with her.
This book is funny, sexy, and entertaining. It was fun to also catch up with Olive's sisters, who were the FMCs in the previous two books, as well as their broader circle of friends.
I always enjoy April Asher's writing and look forward to the next book.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the eARC; all opinions are my own.
On paper, the two are opposites: she's a college professor, academic, loves reading while he's a motorcycle riding guardian angel with a bad bay type reputation.
He's tasked with keeping her safe, but can't tell her. He's also been super attracted to her and now he gets to spend lots of time with her.
This book is funny, sexy, and entertaining. It was fun to also catch up with Olive's sisters, who were the FMCs in the previous two books, as well as their broader circle of friends.
I always enjoy April Asher's writing and look forward to the next book.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the eARC; all opinions are my own.
emotional
funny
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
Thanks to Forever for the eARC; all opinions are my own.
This is another fun book from Jenny Holiday and as a Canadian, I loved all the Canadian references!
It was a bit weird to for the MMC, Mike Martin, to be referred to as Mike Martin for the vast majority of the book, even by the FMC. I understand it was a stylistic choice by the author, but because of how unusual it was, it did take me out of the story a few times, wondering if it was a typo.
The book relies heavily on miscommunication, or perhaps better to say, deliberate omission of information that would greatly impact on the burgeoning relationship between Aurora and Mike. This left me frustrated at times, and I totally get why Mike reacted when he did when Aurora revealed all the letters. The make-up worked out well, so I'm glad they got their HEA.
This is another fun book from Jenny Holiday and as a Canadian, I loved all the Canadian references!
It was a bit weird to for the MMC, Mike Martin, to be referred to as Mike Martin for the vast majority of the book, even by the FMC. I understand it was a stylistic choice by the author, but because of how unusual it was, it did take me out of the story a few times, wondering if it was a typo.
The book relies heavily on miscommunication, or perhaps better to say, deliberate omission of information that would greatly impact on the burgeoning relationship between Aurora and Mike. This left me frustrated at times, and I totally get why Mike reacted when he did when Aurora revealed all the letters. The make-up worked out well, so I'm glad they got their HEA.