endemictoearth's reviews
4013 reviews

Whirlwind by Reese Morrison

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Building Home by J. Mackenzie

challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

4.25 stars - I really appreciated this slower paced, lower angst romance. I went in knowing there would be consensual non-monogamy and was intrigued to see how it would play out. We follow Spencer's third person POV, and he has never conceived of the concept, certainly not for himself. He had an abusive ex, which has made anything more than a one-night stand feel like too much. But when he takes a chance on a client who asks him out, and Ian mentions it when they start to get serious, Spencer really ponders how he feels about the concept for himself.

I am always a fan of a house being made into a home, so all the talk about renovations and visions for the space were catnip for me. And I didn't mind the slightly meandering speed of this book at all, and in fact appreciated this potentially fraught issue being presented without anyone countering with the case for monogamy. (I'm monogamous myself, but its case has well and truly been made, to the point that people who aren't built for it feel they have to exist within it or chafe against it.)

The 'conflict', if there is one, is Spencer's internal struggle to accept that this works for him, that he can be committed to one person emotionally, but share pleasure with others from time to time. This isn't a poly romance, but is still expansive, which . . . there are 40 billion romance novels out there, a little bit more variety can only be a good thing.

It's not a five star because it didn't knock me out, but that's not what this book was trying to do. I'll let slip a secret: some of my most re-read books are 4/4.25 stars. I have some 5 star books I never want to return to, for various reasons, but a very good solidly snuggly sweet comforting 4 star? Much more likely I'll be returning. And who knows? I've had four star books that I have re-read so much they are upgraded to fives on principle, and I could see this book having that potential.

Missed Connections: Love, Lost & Found by Sophie Blackall

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad

4.0

Over Easy by Mimi Pond

3.25

A Note of Explanation: An Undiscovered Story from Queen Mary's Dollhouse (Historical Stories, Stories from Famous Authors, Literary Books) by Vita Sackville-West

adventurous lighthearted

4.0

Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results by Josh Gondelman

lighthearted reflective

3.5

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.75

A Wealth of Pigeons: A Cartoon Collection by Steve Martin

lighthearted

2.75

To Tempt a Troubled Earl by Fearne Hill

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I overall enjoyed this book, which did its best to be a fun frothy historical romp, but I do think some pretty serious things were handwaved or included without any interrogation. 

The fun parts were quite fun. It's a fast paced romp where a truly terrible man is tricked out of his fortune and it was cathartic to see his downfall. I did like the relationship between Lando and Kit, and it was also nice to read about a household that truly did feel secure for them to be together behind closed doors without fear of discovery. 

I've read from the author before, including a few from the modern day Rossingley-verse, and generally get on with their writing. However, some things that gave me pause (literally stopped me reading for a bit before continuing and thought about whether I would):

unnecessary fat shaming of a side character (along with a very cavalier attitude/wish for his premature death for convenience's sake?)

-- this is a brief moment in the book, but it was a bit of a record scratch for me. 

Then there is the scheme to divest Gartside of his assets, which includes a

cotton mill (of course Lando pays his workers more than the average mill owner). When he sets up the ruse, it is passingly mentioned that his American supplier of cotton doesn't use slave labor. Uh, really? You're confident of that?

I know this might be nitpicking, but I'm picking at nits the author included in the story.

Lando's wife died while giving birth many years ago, which is spoken of pretty lightly. I would have liked to have some more about how they were good friends and he missed her, but it felt very 'I've got my heir and spare off her, moving on!' If the point was meant to be that life was very fragile and precarious and many women died in childbirth back then, I feel like a moment could have been spent on extrapolating that idea. Instead, her death was contrasted for me by Lando's three years of uninterrupted mourning for his male lover.

There's also a passing mention of Kit having Rom(ani) heritage, which accounts for his 'olive' complexion, and it feels like it didn't need to be mentioned if it wasn't going to be explored beyond a reason for their differing skin tones? 

I feel like a lot of the things that pulled me out of the book could have been interrogated a bit more deeply, possibly a few lines of dialogue or paragraph of inner thoughts could have integrated them more naturally into the book and it would have elevated my rating.

Double, Volume 3 by Ayako Noda

emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25