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lisaluvsliterature's reviews
4144 reviews
Kindred Spirits at Harling Hall by Sharon Booth
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
King's Legacy by L.C. Rosen
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Lion’s Legacy, and couldn’t wait to read this one! I definitely enjoyed all the adventure and history that this sequel once again had in abundance. There were ancient artifacts, maps, puzzles, and lots of clues. There was intrigue with other people being after the same artifact, King David’s lyre, some willing to stop at almost nothing.
Tennessee, or Ten for short, got to call the shots, and got to research queer history. And the fact that he was talking about King David being gay was something that was upsetting to a lot of people. But he had his supposed facts and reasons to back up his point of view. He also, while not as worried about being himself, had other teen stress and worries. For instance, with the producer having products she wanted him to advertise, it made him think about just what people thought about him. He had to figure out throughout the whole story if he cared what people thought, as long as he was doing and saying what he knew was right for himself as well as for the history he was trying to show. His best friend Gabe got to come along, as the show runners thought their cute relationship would keep people happy who followed him on Instagram.
Now Ten and Gabe were really just friends, but in this case friends with benefits. I gave this story a few flames for spice, because honestly it was a little more than I might normally want to recommend for teens. While nothing was shown on the page, the way things were talked about was very direct and there was really not much mistaking what was happening when it faded to black. I get why that aspect was shown, I mean sexuality is not the same as gender, and the history Ten was looking for had to do with sexuality in this case, or at least to promote his search. Also true is that they are getting ready to go to college, so I think the age isn’t as young as it might bother me more, but still was a little more graphic than I expected about things.
So keep that in mind if you choose to read this book, it may not be for you if you read YA, or may not be what you’d share with your children of that age.
Tennessee, or Ten for short, got to call the shots, and got to research queer history. And the fact that he was talking about King David being gay was something that was upsetting to a lot of people. But he had his supposed facts and reasons to back up his point of view. He also, while not as worried about being himself, had other teen stress and worries. For instance, with the producer having products she wanted him to advertise, it made him think about just what people thought about him. He had to figure out throughout the whole story if he cared what people thought, as long as he was doing and saying what he knew was right for himself as well as for the history he was trying to show. His best friend Gabe got to come along, as the show runners thought their cute relationship would keep people happy who followed him on Instagram.
Now Ten and Gabe were really just friends, but in this case friends with benefits. I gave this story a few flames for spice, because honestly it was a little more than I might normally want to recommend for teens. While nothing was shown on the page, the way things were talked about was very direct and there was really not much mistaking what was happening when it faded to black. I get why that aspect was shown, I mean sexuality is not the same as gender, and the history Ten was looking for had to do with sexuality in this case, or at least to promote his search. Also true is that they are getting ready to go to college, so I think the age isn’t as young as it might bother me more, but still was a little more graphic than I expected about things.
So keep that in mind if you choose to read this book, it may not be for you if you read YA, or may not be what you’d share with your children of that age.
I Knew You Were Trouble by Sandy Barker
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Wasn’t working, weird pov from someone not part of the couple
Constituent Service by John Scalzi
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Hold the Pickle by JJ Knight
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Save Your Breath by Kandi Steiner
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is the first in this series of standalones that I’ve read, but I really enjoyed it! It totally was a type of story like we are seeing with Taylor Swift and my KC Chiefs star Travis Kelce. It was a hockey player, not football, but same old type of story. I loved all the insight into Mia’s career and how it was taking off, but also how there were people out there putting her down. Again so much like Taylor Swift deals with. And then there was Aleks, who was the grumpy sexy hockey player, but also the boy she knew as a teen and that she knew how hard his life had been. It was easy to understand why he felt the way he did about himself based on his family, and even then when Mia’s dad kind of warned him off of her. However he was a teenage boy at the time, so what dad wouldn’t?
It was easy to see the attraction between them already there, and how it grew enough they could show it to each other, and those around them could see it as well. But oh my gosh the miscommunication at times was so frustrating. It made sense, again, based on what the two had dealt with in their past with their families, exes, and even how interactions between the two of them that could have led to more ended up going. Even with the miscommunication issues, I love the way they figured out and didn’t let it go for long that they didn’t really want to break up. I loved how quickly that was solved even if something else had to pop up for that final drama/darkest moment.
Now, the final epilogue was one of Aleks’s teammates, and I am very excited for his story, even if this is the first one in the series I’ve read. So I’m looking forward to that book. And, I have to get this out, one negative and then I’ll stop, I cannot stand the “hot guy” cover for this book. I hate that expression on his face. I mean I get why he is kind of sneering. But that is not an attractive (to me) sneer at all. So I will stick to the pretty purple special edition cover, or the other one with the drawn characters instead. Anyway, this was a wonderful sports/rock star romance!
It was easy to see the attraction between them already there, and how it grew enough they could show it to each other, and those around them could see it as well. But oh my gosh the miscommunication at times was so frustrating. It made sense, again, based on what the two had dealt with in their past with their families, exes, and even how interactions between the two of them that could have led to more ended up going. Even with the miscommunication issues, I love the way they figured out and didn’t let it go for long that they didn’t really want to break up. I loved how quickly that was solved even if something else had to pop up for that final drama/darkest moment.
Now, the final epilogue was one of Aleks’s teammates, and I am very excited for his story, even if this is the first one in the series I’ve read. So I’m looking forward to that book. And, I have to get this out, one negative and then I’ll stop, I cannot stand the “hot guy” cover for this book. I hate that expression on his face. I mean I get why he is kind of sneering. But that is not an attractive (to me) sneer at all. So I will stick to the pretty purple special edition cover, or the other one with the drawn characters instead. Anyway, this was a wonderful sports/rock star romance!