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mothmans_mum's reviews
695 reviews
Delay of Game by Tracey Richardson
4.0
So, I didn't love this book, but I did like it. It was enjoyable.
After really having been very disappointed by my first Tracy Richardson novel, By Mutual Consent, I only read this because I had seen it recommended as a good hockey romance, and because it was narrated by my favourite narrator, Anastasia Watley.
Watley’s narration always manages to elevate anything she narrates, and it was no different here.
Some have complained about the ridiculous sabotage plot, but I found it entertaining and paid off quite well.
At first I didn’t like how one of the MCs talked about her dead wife, but in the end I understood what the author was going for and thought it was quite compelling.
My main gripe about the book is that it sometimes felt a bit repetitive.
I doubt I will seek out more Richardson novels, but I wasn’t disappointed that I read this one.
After really having been very disappointed by my first Tracy Richardson novel, By Mutual Consent, I only read this because I had seen it recommended as a good hockey romance, and because it was narrated by my favourite narrator, Anastasia Watley.
Watley’s narration always manages to elevate anything she narrates, and it was no different here.
Some have complained about the ridiculous sabotage plot, but I found it entertaining and paid off quite well.
At first I didn’t like how one of the MCs talked about her dead wife, but in the end I understood what the author was going for and thought it was quite compelling.
My main gripe about the book is that it sometimes felt a bit repetitive.
I doubt I will seek out more Richardson novels, but I wasn’t disappointed that I read this one.
Then & Now by Monica McCallan
4.25
For a lot of the book I felt that there was too much set in the past—I felt like I got what was happening and didn’t need it spelled out. But by the end it felt necessary and worth it. It still felt a little bit longer than it needed to be, and then a tiny bit rushed at the end, but overall it was an enjoyable read.
The Rainbow Cedar by Gerri Hill
2.0
For the most part, I loved the romance between Jay and Drew. I don’t mind cheating in my romance novels, so that is not influencing my review.
My two main issues are:
1. The tone was super uneven. Like other Gerri Hill romances I’ve read, the tone is mostly serious. But then when Jenna and Drew turn up to dinner, it is too absurd. It feels like a The Birdcage style farce, but the author is still trying to take it seriously and it doesn’t work. It only gets worse when the trip to Hawaii is announced. It either needs to be played as a farce, or Jay’s obliviousness just seems ridiculous.
2. The miscommunication/misunderstanding of Jay driving off with Catherine and Drew suddenly questioning everything between them was unnecessary drama that made me not like Drew. She could have been worried for Jay, not worried Jay would leave her.
3. Jay’s friend was kind of shitty—why did she go back and forth between “you were never happy in this relationship” and “Catherine is just busy and you can still repair your relationship with her”?
4. The abusive nature of Jay and Catherine’s relationship is severely underplayed. Even before it turned physically abusive, there was clearly an element of financial and emotional abuse and controlling behaviour that is barely touched on. Then when it does turn physical, everyone downplays it. Jay should have told her friend, rather than just “it got ugly.” And not just to warn her friend to make sure she was out of the house before Catherine got back! When Drew asked the woman who owned the cottages if Jay was okay, she should have said, “no, she is not okay, her wife beat her to the point of drawing blood.” And while I understood Jays reasoning for wanting to not think about Catherine and just make love on the beach, it still felt gross.
5. I wanted an epilogue to know that Jay was safe, and her business was thriving, and that Catherine hadn’t taken it from her in the divorce. (And maybe that Catherine had been disbarred.)
6. It was super racist
My two main issues are:
1. The tone was super uneven. Like other Gerri Hill romances I’ve read, the tone is mostly serious. But then when Jenna and Drew turn up to dinner, it is too absurd. It feels like a The Birdcage style farce, but the author is still trying to take it seriously and it doesn’t work. It only gets worse when the trip to Hawaii is announced. It either needs to be played as a farce, or Jay’s obliviousness just seems ridiculous.
2. The miscommunication/misunderstanding of Jay driving off with Catherine and Drew suddenly questioning everything between them was unnecessary drama that made me not like Drew. She could have been worried for Jay, not worried Jay would leave her.
3. Jay’s friend was kind of shitty—why did she go back and forth between “you were never happy in this relationship” and “Catherine is just busy and you can still repair your relationship with her”?
4. The abusive nature of Jay and Catherine’s relationship is severely underplayed. Even before it turned physically abusive, there was clearly an element of financial and emotional abuse and controlling behaviour that is barely touched on. Then when it does turn physical, everyone downplays it. Jay should have told her friend, rather than just “it got ugly.” And not just to warn her friend to make sure she was out of the house before Catherine got back! When Drew asked the woman who owned the cottages if Jay was okay, she should have said, “no, she is not okay, her wife beat her to the point of drawing blood.” And while I understood Jays reasoning for wanting to not think about Catherine and just make love on the beach, it still felt gross.
5. I wanted an epilogue to know that Jay was safe, and her business was thriving, and that Catherine hadn’t taken it from her in the divorce. (And maybe that Catherine had been disbarred.)
6. It was super racist
Play Me a Song: A Lesbian Romance by Jessica Kale
1.75
Not great. Most characters don’t actually or speak like human beings. There is an attempted rape that is not dealt with well at all (by the character or by the author) and it’s super uncomfortable.
Two of a Kind by T.B. Markinson, Miranda MacLeod
4.75
A really sweet and well-written romance. I would have liked a bit more focus on the coming out plot, but I still enjoyed it