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shaysshelf's reviews
150 reviews
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
slow-paced
3.5
Not in Love - Ali Hazelwood
* Women in STEM
* He's obsessed, falls first & falls harder
* Her spiciest book yet
* Rivals to lovers
* Workplace romance
* Secrets
I have really mixed feelings and I'm not sure how to rate this one just yet. But I'm leaning towards 3.75. I liked this book, but I wanted so much more from it at the same time.
Rue grew up impoverished. She is self-proclaimed, weird with food, due to her childhood trauma surrounding food insecurity. She also struggles with reading people and navigating social cues. She exudes a number of traits similar to that of people on the autism spectrum, but it is unclear throughout the entire book (unless I missed something) if she is on the spectrum, or if some of these traits are related to her upbringing.
Eli is a golden retriever. He will essentially do or be anything to get Rue's attention. It's endearing the way he wants to learn everything about her and do everything he can for her. There are times it comes off slightly desperate but he's just so gone for her it's cute. Also, I love his dog Tiny!
I found Not In Love lacked plot, and the very minimal plot that was there was very predictable. I would have liked the reason for the "villain's" actions and decisions to be more complex than just "I didn't have a choice, half heartedly blaming another person who is no longer in their life, then turning around and doing it again with zero justification other than "what else was I supposed to do?" and a disingenuous "sorry".
90% of this story was Rue putting up walls and Eli doing his best to smash through them, but like.. respectfully.
This couple did have chemistry, and the amount of spice in this book clearly demonstrated it. Rue struggled with social interactions and communication, so Eli resorted to communicating with her almost exclusively through hooking up. I would have liked to see some more relationship development outside of the bedroom.
I did really like the trauma bonding and sharing of the horrible stories about themselves. It helped demonstrate the level of trust they were working on developing.
I absolutely loved the work Rue was was working on and appreciated how it connected to her story. I hope it is something that could actually be created one day.
Ali always does an excellent job of representing women in STEM and the struggles with living that academia life. There is no question she did that again.
One thing that I found slightly frustrating though, was as someone who considers myself well educated, there were so many uses of unnecessarily large or overtly complex words that were unrelated to the science. As someone who is not a scientist by trade, I expect to not know all the science-y verbiage, but there were several situations where I found myself stopping to google a word that I was unfamiliar with, that was entirely unrelated to the science. It made me question my own vocabulary. I understand that Ali is an incredibly well educated woman, but some of the language and syntax felt unnecessarily complex.
Thank you to NetGalley, Berkeley Romance and Alida Hazelwood for the opportunity to read and advanced copy of Not In Love.
* Women in STEM
* He's obsessed, falls first & falls harder
* Her spiciest book yet
* Rivals to lovers
* Workplace romance
* Secrets
I have really mixed feelings and I'm not sure how to rate this one just yet. But I'm leaning towards 3.75. I liked this book, but I wanted so much more from it at the same time.
Rue grew up impoverished. She is self-proclaimed, weird with food, due to her childhood trauma surrounding food insecurity. She also struggles with reading people and navigating social cues. She exudes a number of traits similar to that of people on the autism spectrum, but it is unclear throughout the entire book (unless I missed something) if she is on the spectrum, or if some of these traits are related to her upbringing.
Eli is a golden retriever. He will essentially do or be anything to get Rue's attention. It's endearing the way he wants to learn everything about her and do everything he can for her. There are times it comes off slightly desperate but he's just so gone for her it's cute. Also, I love his dog Tiny!
I found Not In Love lacked plot, and the very minimal plot that was there was very predictable. I would have liked the reason for the "villain's" actions and decisions to be more complex than just "I didn't have a choice, half heartedly blaming another person who is no longer in their life, then turning around and doing it again with zero justification other than "what else was I supposed to do?" and a disingenuous "sorry".
90% of this story was Rue putting up walls and Eli doing his best to smash through them, but like.. respectfully.
This couple did have chemistry, and the amount of spice in this book clearly demonstrated it. Rue struggled with social interactions and communication, so Eli resorted to communicating with her almost exclusively through hooking up. I would have liked to see some more relationship development outside of the bedroom.
I did really like the trauma bonding and sharing of the horrible stories about themselves. It helped demonstrate the level of trust they were working on developing.
I absolutely loved the work Rue was was working on and appreciated how it connected to her story. I hope it is something that could actually be created one day.
Ali always does an excellent job of representing women in STEM and the struggles with living that academia life. There is no question she did that again.
One thing that I found slightly frustrating though, was as someone who considers myself well educated, there were so many uses of unnecessarily large or overtly complex words that were unrelated to the science. As someone who is not a scientist by trade, I expect to not know all the science-y verbiage, but there were several situations where I found myself stopping to google a word that I was unfamiliar with, that was entirely unrelated to the science. It made me question my own vocabulary. I understand that Ali is an incredibly well educated woman, but some of the language and syntax felt unnecessarily complex.
Thank you to NetGalley, Berkeley Romance and Alida Hazelwood for the opportunity to read and advanced copy of Not In Love.
Riding the Sugar High by Letizia Lorini
3.0
I had pretty high hopes for this one, and it had some really good moments, but not all of it worked for me.
I found this book was probably twice as long as it needed to be. it felt like nothing really happened between the 20-60% mark and dragged a bit. I found myself skimming and focusing mostly on reading the dialogue for that portion. That said, Letizia Lorini writes some of my favourite MMCs.
That said, there were several moments that were those magical moments in a romance book and I absolutely LOVED Logan. I'd let that man do bad things to me. Logan comes across as the grumpiest grump but is actually a total softie with a HUGE heart under the grumpy facade. Also, all the tattoos and he's a biker/farmer? Yep, here for all of this.
Primrose had her moments, but I mostly found her kind of annoying, which I HATE saying about characters - particularly female characters. Her career as a candy influencer was .. a choice.
I loved the mental health (anxiety/panic attacks) representation and getting it from the MMC. I also appreciated how supportive and reassuring Logan was of Primrose.
I would have liked to learn more about how exactly Prim and Derek got connected in the first place. I did predict the connection for the whole Logan's "ex girlfriend" situation and I'm not sure I loved that decision, but I see what she was trying to do there.
Overall, Logan made this book for me. There were some great moments and the beginning really hooked me, but it lost me for a bit in the middle.
Thank you to Letizia Lorini for the ARC.
I found this book was probably twice as long as it needed to be. it felt like nothing really happened between the 20-60% mark and dragged a bit. I found myself skimming and focusing mostly on reading the dialogue for that portion. That said, Letizia Lorini writes some of my favourite MMCs.
That said, there were several moments that were those magical moments in a romance book and I absolutely LOVED Logan. I'd let that man do bad things to me. Logan comes across as the grumpiest grump but is actually a total softie with a HUGE heart under the grumpy facade. Also, all the tattoos and he's a biker/farmer? Yep, here for all of this.
Primrose had her moments, but I mostly found her kind of annoying, which I HATE saying about characters - particularly female characters. Her career as a candy influencer was .. a choice.
I loved the mental health (anxiety/panic attacks) representation and getting it from the MMC. I also appreciated how supportive and reassuring Logan was of Primrose.
I would have liked to learn more about how exactly Prim and Derek got connected in the first place. I did predict the connection for the whole Logan's "ex girlfriend" situation and I'm not sure I loved that decision, but I see what she was trying to do there.
Overall, Logan made this book for me. There were some great moments and the beginning really hooked me, but it lost me for a bit in the middle.
Thank you to Letizia Lorini for the ARC.
If We Ever Meet Again by Ana Huang
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
If We Ever Meet Again took me by surprise. I dove into it completely blind, knowing only that I had enjoyed Ana Huang's Twisted and Kings of Sin series. While I was led to believe this series leaned more towards YA, I would argue it falls in the NA category. The characters are in college, and there's definitely some spice to the story.
One of the most surprising aspects was discovering that this is not a standalone novel. Although I knew it was the first book in a series, I assumed each book would feature different characters. However, this continuity has made me even more eager to dive into book two.
The story has a reminiscent quality of Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren, and I anticipate this parallel will become even more pronounced in the sequel based on certain plot developments.
Farrah and Blake's relationship is beautifully developed. Their transition from friends to lovers is smooth, comfortable, and entirely believable. Blake, in particular, stood out to me. His journey of self-discovery and creating a new path for himself was exactly what I hoped for, right up until the plot twist. While I wished for more growth from Farrah in this installment, I suspect her character arc will expand further in the next book.
A special thanks to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC of this re-release. I can't wait to see where Farrah and Blake's story goes next!
One of the most surprising aspects was discovering that this is not a standalone novel. Although I knew it was the first book in a series, I assumed each book would feature different characters. However, this continuity has made me even more eager to dive into book two.
The story has a reminiscent quality of Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren, and I anticipate this parallel will become even more pronounced in the sequel based on certain plot developments.
Farrah and Blake's relationship is beautifully developed. Their transition from friends to lovers is smooth, comfortable, and entirely believable. Blake, in particular, stood out to me. His journey of self-discovery and creating a new path for himself was exactly what I hoped for, right up until the plot twist. While I wished for more growth from Farrah in this installment, I suspect her character arc will expand further in the next book.
A special thanks to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC of this re-release. I can't wait to see where Farrah and Blake's story goes next!
Fired Up by Gigi Templeton
Did not finish book. Stopped at 83%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 83%.
First of all, I hate DNFing books, but continuing was not a service to either myself or the book, so here we are. That said, even though I did not vibe with this book, I'm still very grateful to have been given the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of it from Brilliance Audio and NetGalley.
I always like to give the disclaimer when I DNF a book that just because I wasn't vibing with it, does not mean it's a bad book, nor does it mean you won't necessarily like it either.
I love love love C.J. Bloom - she's one of my favourite female narrators. But I didn't vibe with the mal narrator, Eric G. Dove. I honestly don't even know what the big bad thing that happened to the FMC was, because I zoned out.
The premise is that our FMC is working on securing another season of the BBQing competition show by having a particular meat aficionado participate in the up coming show. There are several moments that allude to her looking a lot different than she used to and that something bad happened to her in the past. It was repeatedly commented that she did not have the appearance for on-camera work and was never allowed to host until now because she didn't look the part. This lead me to believe for the first little while that she lost a lot of weight - which honestly, rubbed me the wrong way? Like suddenly she was worthy of being on camera because she was thinner - this didn't end up being the case, but the damage was already done in my mind. Then the book went on to reference her having "ugly duckling syndrome" - except she doesn't blossom into a beautiful swan naturally, no she has full facial reconstruction and looks like a completely different and more pretty person so that she can follow through on her dreams of being an on camera host while still maintaining her anonymity to hide from her ex who busted her up enough to need the surgery in the first place.
There seemed to be a lack of chemistry between the FMC and MMC in my opinion. I got all the way to 83% and just found myself so bored and having a hard time paying attention to the story because I wasn't invested in the story or the characters. I couldn't bring myself to listen to the last hour and a half or so, because I genuinely didn't care what happens.
Overall, this one wasn't for me.
I always like to give the disclaimer when I DNF a book that just because I wasn't vibing with it, does not mean it's a bad book, nor does it mean you won't necessarily like it either.
I love love love C.J. Bloom - she's one of my favourite female narrators. But I didn't vibe with the mal narrator, Eric G. Dove. I honestly don't even know what the big bad thing that happened to the FMC was, because I zoned out.
The premise is that our FMC is working on securing another season of the BBQing competition show by having a particular meat aficionado participate in the up coming show. There are several moments that allude to her looking a lot different than she used to and that something bad happened to her in the past. It was repeatedly commented that she did not have the appearance for on-camera work and was never allowed to host until now because she didn't look the part. This lead me to believe for the first little while that she lost a lot of weight - which honestly, rubbed me the wrong way? Like suddenly she was worthy of being on camera because she was thinner - this didn't end up being the case, but the damage was already done in my mind. Then the book went on to reference her having "ugly duckling syndrome" - except she doesn't blossom into a beautiful swan naturally, no she has full facial reconstruction and looks like a completely different and more pretty person so that she can follow through on her dreams of being an on camera host while still maintaining her anonymity to hide from her ex who busted her up enough to need the surgery in the first place.
There seemed to be a lack of chemistry between the FMC and MMC in my opinion. I got all the way to 83% and just found myself so bored and having a hard time paying attention to the story because I wasn't invested in the story or the characters. I couldn't bring myself to listen to the last hour and a half or so, because I genuinely didn't care what happens.
Overall, this one wasn't for me.
Hearts on Thin Ice by Katie Kennedy
4.0
I really loved this story and where it was going!
Alyssa is an interior decorator working towards gaining experience before opening her own business. Her passion for turning houses into homes clearly stems from her personal experience of homelessness as a child. She finds herself determined to create a space for a professional hockey player who is struggling to accept any sort of feelings beyond numbness after being the sole survivor of a place crash where all of his closest friends died, while also navigating overcoming his injuries and starting with a new team after being traded.
Nick is struggling with survivors guilt and likely some PTSD. But when Alyssa brings the hockey player/artist to the art museum to find his inspiration and joy again, he finds that he's learning to move forward whether he wants to or not.
We find both Nick and Alyssa trying to push one another until they both seemingly push too far. There is some true miscommunication - which I know many people don't love, but in this it works (at least for me). Once they sort out the communication blunder, they're such a great couple.
Sometimes when the end result of a book is the characters finally getting together officially, it feels like the book is unfinished to me. That was the case with Hearts on Thin Ice. These characters were loveable and I felt deeply impacted by each of their traumas, but it felt like their love story was only getting started and it left me wanting more. I also think their chemistry could be built on. It was there, but it felt like it was still developing and could have used more.
The narration by Scarlett Everdeen and Nick Mondelli was seamless. They both did a wonderful job embodying the characters and portraying even their deeper and more difficult emotions in a believable way.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.
Alyssa is an interior decorator working towards gaining experience before opening her own business. Her passion for turning houses into homes clearly stems from her personal experience of homelessness as a child. She finds herself determined to create a space for a professional hockey player who is struggling to accept any sort of feelings beyond numbness after being the sole survivor of a place crash where all of his closest friends died, while also navigating overcoming his injuries and starting with a new team after being traded.
Nick is struggling with survivors guilt and likely some PTSD. But when Alyssa brings the hockey player/artist to the art museum to find his inspiration and joy again, he finds that he's learning to move forward whether he wants to or not.
We find both Nick and Alyssa trying to push one another until they both seemingly push too far. There is some true miscommunication - which I know many people don't love, but in this it works (at least for me). Once they sort out the communication blunder, they're such a great couple.
Sometimes when the end result of a book is the characters finally getting together officially, it feels like the book is unfinished to me. That was the case with Hearts on Thin Ice. These characters were loveable and I felt deeply impacted by each of their traumas, but it felt like their love story was only getting started and it left me wanting more. I also think their chemistry could be built on. It was there, but it felt like it was still developing and could have used more.
The narration by Scarlett Everdeen and Nick Mondelli was seamless. They both did a wonderful job embodying the characters and portraying even their deeper and more difficult emotions in a believable way.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.
The Quit List by Katie Bailey
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
A hot bartender/wilderness mountain man who is entirely against relationships after seeing terrible examples set by his father finds himself falling for the girl he is giving dating advice to in exchange for her help in marketing his new wilderness guide business.
I really liked this one! It was a pretty low stakes, fun and flirty read. It's a closed door romance, but there is some good tension between Holly and Jax.
Holly is looking for the one and Jax is the bartender watching her go on terrible date after terrible date before he ultimately intervenes. Jax was just super hot. I loved that he was the complete opposite of what Holly thought she wanted, but boy was he wonderful to read about. I found Holly's character to be totally relatable. She finds herself looking for the perfect man to fit the white picket fence narrative after being strung along by the same man for so long, but Jax takes the time to show her that there is much more to life than staying within the parameters society deems appropriate and acceptable.
Their story was sweet and heartwarming. Jax truly believed in Holly and wanted her to find what would make her happy. He learned to accept that even though he also believed he knew what he wanted - or didn't want for that matter - he could take his own advice and allow himself to open up to Holly.
The narration by Abigail Reno and David Bendena was great. They did a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life and they were easy to listen to.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing this ALC.
I really liked this one! It was a pretty low stakes, fun and flirty read. It's a closed door romance, but there is some good tension between Holly and Jax.
Holly is looking for the one and Jax is the bartender watching her go on terrible date after terrible date before he ultimately intervenes. Jax was just super hot. I loved that he was the complete opposite of what Holly thought she wanted, but boy was he wonderful to read about. I found Holly's character to be totally relatable. She finds herself looking for the perfect man to fit the white picket fence narrative after being strung along by the same man for so long, but Jax takes the time to show her that there is much more to life than staying within the parameters society deems appropriate and acceptable.
Their story was sweet and heartwarming. Jax truly believed in Holly and wanted her to find what would make her happy. He learned to accept that even though he also believed he knew what he wanted - or didn't want for that matter - he could take his own advice and allow himself to open up to Holly.
The narration by Abigail Reno and David Bendena was great. They did a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life and they were easy to listen to.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing this ALC.
The Wedding Menu by Letizia Lorini
4.5
"You're my favourite notification"
It's official, I am a Letizia Lorini FAN!
Ian is *chef's kiss* (no pun intended) - I loved this man. I found Amelie's character to be super relatable. But my god these characters really went through it to find their way to their happily ever after.
Regardless of the fact they developed feelings for one another, the friendship between Ian and Amelie was best friend goals. The friend date Ian took Amelie on? The way that man supported her and encouraged her to do what she wanted and what was best for her. The way he boosted her confidence?! I think we all want a man who would be our hype guy for life and that's exactly what Ian is for Amelie.
There was roadblock after roadblock and so many circumstantial situations that took place over the course of the two timelines that seemed to keep Ian and Amelie just out of reach for one another.
I appreciated Amelie growing into herself and finding a way to say no to the people in her life who have a tendency to treat her like a doormat.
- golden retriever hero
- dual timeline
- chef x rival restaurant manager
- forced proximity
- texts messages
- slow burn
- friends to lovers
- second chance romance
- wedding
- work romance
It's official, I am a Letizia Lorini FAN!
Ian is *chef's kiss* (no pun intended) - I loved this man. I found Amelie's character to be super relatable. But my god these characters really went through it to find their way to their happily ever after.
Regardless of the fact they developed feelings for one another, the friendship between Ian and Amelie was best friend goals. The friend date Ian took Amelie on? The way that man supported her and encouraged her to do what she wanted and what was best for her. The way he boosted her confidence?! I think we all want a man who would be our hype guy for life and that's exactly what Ian is for Amelie.
There was roadblock after roadblock and so many circumstantial situations that took place over the course of the two timelines that seemed to keep Ian and Amelie just out of reach for one another.
I appreciated Amelie growing into herself and finding a way to say no to the people in her life who have a tendency to treat her like a doormat.
- golden retriever hero
- dual timeline
- chef x rival restaurant manager
- forced proximity
- texts messages
- slow burn
- friends to lovers
- second chance romance
- wedding
- work romance
Savor It by Tarah DeWitt
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I LOVED THIS BOOK!
Tarah did it again. She executed Savor It flawlessly. I believe it's my new favourite Tarah DeWitt book.
Tarah has this beautiful writing style that is easily digestible. I felt fully immersed in this world and wholly invested in Sage and Fisher's story. Additionally, I was so heavily invested in the side characters that made up this wonderful little town and I found myself begging for books for each of them as well!
Sage Byrd and Fisher Lange are absolute perfection together. Their easy chemistry and compatibility was entirely believable. These are the type of characters that you want to read endless epilogues about their happiness of just living life together. They each had a well developed and flawlessly executed character arc with wonderful growth.
Fisher has lost nearly everything and is trying to balance rediscovering his love of cooking, getting his feet back on the ground after his career as a chef crumbled, navigating guardianship of his orphaned teenaged niece while managing his own grief after his sister died. I absolutely loved how dynamic Fisher's character was. On top of all that, he was regularly attending therapy and found himself falling for the local girl, even though his stint in the small town is temporary. He was the grumpy, brooding chef who was struggling to find direction, but he was also not afraid to be emotionally supportive and was comfortable crying in front of Sage. All around, a 10/10 book boyfriend.
Sage is the darling of the town. She is the incredibly likeable, fun and quirky girl that the locals will protect at all cost. But she still has so much depth. She can be silly and fun, but can get down and serious too. She is also an orphan which allows for a unique connection with Fisher's niece. Although she has older brothers who helped raise her, Sage was the the only girl and the baby of the family. She is the epitome of "it takes a village" and had to find ways to create her own solice in places like the library.
The love story between Sage and Fisher was soft and sweet but so fun, flirty and hot at the same time. There were so many profound and quotable moments. I love Tarah DeWitt's writing, she is a true talent and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.
Tarah did it again. She executed Savor It flawlessly. I believe it's my new favourite Tarah DeWitt book.
Tarah has this beautiful writing style that is easily digestible. I felt fully immersed in this world and wholly invested in Sage and Fisher's story. Additionally, I was so heavily invested in the side characters that made up this wonderful little town and I found myself begging for books for each of them as well!
Sage Byrd and Fisher Lange are absolute perfection together. Their easy chemistry and compatibility was entirely believable. These are the type of characters that you want to read endless epilogues about their happiness of just living life together. They each had a well developed and flawlessly executed character arc with wonderful growth.
Fisher has lost nearly everything and is trying to balance rediscovering his love of cooking, getting his feet back on the ground after his career as a chef crumbled, navigating guardianship of his orphaned teenaged niece while managing his own grief after his sister died. I absolutely loved how dynamic Fisher's character was. On top of all that, he was regularly attending therapy and found himself falling for the local girl, even though his stint in the small town is temporary. He was the grumpy, brooding chef who was struggling to find direction, but he was also not afraid to be emotionally supportive and was comfortable crying in front of Sage. All around, a 10/10 book boyfriend.
Sage is the darling of the town. She is the incredibly likeable, fun and quirky girl that the locals will protect at all cost. But she still has so much depth. She can be silly and fun, but can get down and serious too. She is also an orphan which allows for a unique connection with Fisher's niece. Although she has older brothers who helped raise her, Sage was the the only girl and the baby of the family. She is the epitome of "it takes a village" and had to find ways to create her own solice in places like the library.
The love story between Sage and Fisher was soft and sweet but so fun, flirty and hot at the same time. There were so many profound and quotable moments. I love Tarah DeWitt's writing, she is a true talent and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.
The Irish Goodbye: A Novel by Amy Ewing
4.0
Niall and Cordelia
I adored The Irish Goodbye! I found it to be very reminiscent of The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn which is my favourite MQ book!
This is a hate to lovers romance, and the way Cordelia and Niall hate one another in the beginning is so good! When Cordelia comes across the opportunity to escape her life and hopefully her grief on a small island in Ireland, she is hoping to find her love for photography again.
Niall has returned home to his small town and is dealing with the shame of his dream falling through thanks to his business partner and girlfriend ruining his opportunities.
I appreciated that we got to dive into the family dynamics of both Cordelia and Niall's families. They each have uniquely strained relationships with their parents and I love that we had the opportunity to learn more about how these relationships affected and moulded the characters.
The side characters in this charming small town truly brought the setting to life. They were so fun to read about.
I loved that while navigating her grief, Cordelia found her love for photography and telling stories through her photos with all the wonderful people in the adorable small town.
Keval Shah and June DeBorahae both delivered on their performances. They breathed life into the characters and I loved listening to their accents!
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.
I adored The Irish Goodbye! I found it to be very reminiscent of The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn which is my favourite MQ book!
This is a hate to lovers romance, and the way Cordelia and Niall hate one another in the beginning is so good! When Cordelia comes across the opportunity to escape her life and hopefully her grief on a small island in Ireland, she is hoping to find her love for photography again.
Niall has returned home to his small town and is dealing with the shame of his dream falling through thanks to his business partner and girlfriend ruining his opportunities.
I appreciated that we got to dive into the family dynamics of both Cordelia and Niall's families. They each have uniquely strained relationships with their parents and I love that we had the opportunity to learn more about how these relationships affected and moulded the characters.
The side characters in this charming small town truly brought the setting to life. They were so fun to read about.
I loved that while navigating her grief, Cordelia found her love for photography and telling stories through her photos with all the wonderful people in the adorable small town.
Keval Shah and June DeBorahae both delivered on their performances. They breathed life into the characters and I loved listening to their accents!
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.
Fragile Sanctuary by Catherine Cowles
5.0
This is only my second Catherine Cowles book, but I've been meaning to read her books for forever. I knew she would be an author I loved as she gives similar vibes to A.L. Jackson's writing, and she is one of my all time favourite authors.
Fragile Sanctuary did NOT disappoint. It absolutely gave me A.L. Jackson vibes and I am SO here for it.
This book was fantastic. Both Anson and Rhodes have a tragic backstory. They have both experienced significant trauma and while Anson is trying to run and hide from his by not letting anyone in, Rhodes has embraced her new found family and the community with open arms.
I live for a broody grumpy man, and Anson's background gives him SO much depth. I adore that he embraces his "nerdiness" and the way he allowed Rhodes to tear down his walls after never letting anyone in for years was so incredibly heartwarming. I loved how his old world was colliding with his new one and he wasn't just an over protective man without any skill or knowledge to back his behaviour up. He was smart and calculated.
Rhodes was a ray of sunshine, given the significant loss she has experienced. When tragedy struck her family and she was left to live with her best friend's pieced together family, she found a new home and made the best of it. When she was finally ready to face her past as an adult she found she was facing something that ran much deeper than she could have ever imagined.
I had several theories along the way and none of them were correct! This story was perfectly crafted and kept me intrigued the entire way through.
I have always been a huge fan of Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber is one of my favourite male narrators too. They both gave a perfect performance that kept me engage, intrigued and never pulled me out of the story.
Fragile Sanctuary did NOT disappoint. It absolutely gave me A.L. Jackson vibes and I am SO here for it.
This book was fantastic. Both Anson and Rhodes have a tragic backstory. They have both experienced significant trauma and while Anson is trying to run and hide from his by not letting anyone in, Rhodes has embraced her new found family and the community with open arms.
I live for a broody grumpy man, and Anson's background gives him SO much depth. I adore that he embraces his "nerdiness" and the way he allowed Rhodes to tear down his walls after never letting anyone in for years was so incredibly heartwarming. I loved how his old world was colliding with his new one and he wasn't just an over protective man without any skill or knowledge to back his behaviour up. He was smart and calculated.
Rhodes was a ray of sunshine, given the significant loss she has experienced. When tragedy struck her family and she was left to live with her best friend's pieced together family, she found a new home and made the best of it. When she was finally ready to face her past as an adult she found she was facing something that ran much deeper than she could have ever imagined.
I had several theories along the way and none of them were correct! This story was perfectly crafted and kept me intrigued the entire way through.
I have always been a huge fan of Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber is one of my favourite male narrators too. They both gave a perfect performance that kept me engage, intrigued and never pulled me out of the story.