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elle_lit_zabeth's reviews
583 reviews
Crossroads by Devney Perry
5.0
To say I enjoyed my trip to Haven River Ranch would be an understatement. For 300 pages, I felt like I too was on vacation deep in Montana. A very angsty vacation, but a vacation nonetheless.
Because if it's angst you're looking for, you'll find it in this story. That feeling of melancholy mixed with regret, despair and pain that I so love to feel when reading (yes, I know, I have issues) runs through almost every page of this book.
For Indya and West's relationship is not new. It begins when they're very young, in well-orchestrated flashbacks scattered throughout history, and continues today, when everything has changed for and around them.
I was worried that 300 pages wouldn't be enough to tell such a story, but I find the book perfect as it is. Would I have liked more? Yes. But as the series continues with a second book out on October 15, I'll be back with them in the fall.
Love at a Funeral and Other Awkward Conversations by Sophie Andrews
5.0
Let's face it, in romance (as in most genres, I guess), the narrative pattern is often the same. A meeting (or re-meeting), characters getting to know each other, a love story born, the trials and tribulations that threaten to tear the budding couple apart, passion, tenderness, and a happy ending. And that's all you want when you open a romance, so that's fine.
But sometimes you come across a book that turns these codes on their head, and that's why I wouldn't call 'Love at a Funeral...' a romance as such.
First and foremost, it's Cassandra’s story, who is confronted with a loss she never imagined, and faces consequences she never expected. It's the story of a family destroyed by sudden grief, and how they come to terms with it (or don't). So, yes, it's a love story, since through the horror of this loss, Cass meets her childhood crush again and rekindles a very strong bond with him, but this love story is ultimately placed in the background. This novel is above all the story of Cassandra's grief and the stages she goes through to move on.
Sometimes you meet the perfect person at the wrong time, and that's very much the story of Cass & Vince, who fall in love with each other while the foundations that should allow Cassandra to stand on her own two feet have crumbled.
So that's what you'll find here: very raw, very deep emotions. A very endearing female main character who questions herself deeply and goes through hell. A magnificent love story that doesn't happen at the right time. An incredible male character who will make your heart skip a beat. A happy ending (because you can't break all the codes either). All so beautifully written, it’ll make ou cry.
Keres by Sadie Kincaid
4.0
In Keres, Romeo and Ace already form a flawless duo, both in life and in bed. Then comes our female protagonist, who comes between the two rather happily (that 1st night was intense).
Well-written spice and several welcome plot twists follow. Romeo and Ace, together and individually, are all fire and brimstone. But Keres? Keres is the gasoline you pour on the fire. Revenge-driven, lawless, strong and combative, smart and determined. She drives a motorcycle, she fights with her bare hands, she carries unconscious people on her back, she leads the dance and drives her little world with an iron fist in a steel glove. I adored her.
Unfortunately, I hadn't read the earlier books, so I was a bit lost in the family relationships of the background characters, but the little glimpses I got really made me want to know more.
The audiobook is incredible, each of the narrators really embodies their character and makes them distinct from the others, which is really a plus when there are so many of them.
A great read!