thereadinghammock's reviews
614 reviews

The Rake OR The Orca Who Met His Match in a Selkie Desiring Revenge by Kass O'Shire

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

For those of us who fell in love with Aegir in The Care and Keeping of Orcs, this one's for us. He's just as charming and rogueish as we fell in love with before, and now as an official member of the "Pathetic Sods Club."

Elspeth's story is a heavier one than we've seen in the Shades of Sanctuary series thus far. Her journey in reclaiming her autonomy and reforging herself after the trauma she endured at the hands of the Empire is inspiring, as much as I hate that she had to endure it in the first place. But with Aegir's help and her goal of rescuing her brother from the same imprisonment, Elspeth is a woman on a mission and she'll be damned if anyone will stand in her way.
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The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I loved Lucy's unapologetic brilliance from the jump. She knows she's intelligent, she knows she's a scientist. She's not going to let a silly little thing like the patriarchy stop her from pursuing astromony or getting her woman along the way. 

Catherine's evolution from widow, to patroness, to lover, to partner and her journey of self discovery after realizing she's free from the fear of her late husband was beautiful to watch. Seeing her love for Lucy bloom and grow while discovering her own skills and ability to contribute more than just mending was lovely character growth.
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Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
Just not as interesting as I had hoped it would be. I know it is a memoir and that feels rude to say, but I was hoping for more of a "these are lessons I learned in my life to help you size opportunity when it happens" and less "story of my life"
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He Loves Me Not by C.M. Nascosta

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funny lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

4.25

A welcome return to Cambric Creek, and once that stands well on its own for anyone looking to venture into town for the first time. Sumi is all naïve optimism as she embarks on her flower epoch, reinventing her life the way she'd always dreamed by opening her own flower shop. Ranar is exhausted by the weight of eldest child syndrome, caring for aging and ailing family, running the family floral business, and being a present single dad.

Late-stage capitalism is yet again the ultimate Villain in this latest Cambric Creek installment. Big business slowly crushing the soul out of every mom-and-pop shop, which we've all watched happen again and again in our lifetimes. Neither Sumi nor Ranar is a perfect "hero" and both have character flaws that make them so incredibly normal. Not to mention we're treated to some top tier Cambric Creek peek-behind-the-curtain gossip.
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Howl by Allegra Hall

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I would be the first to admit I was not the biggest Weston fan after reading A Wolf in the Garden; HOWEVER, I am never one to count a character out without getting more of their story. Allegra promised to make us West fans with this one and she delivered and then some for me. I have been finding a newfound appreciation for a morally gray character. And I've been a Bronte fan since her first introduction, so this only continued to make me love her more. She's honestly #goals. I can't wait to get to see more of her visions come to fruition in future novels!!
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How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I went into this book with a bit of a "I'm not sure how much I'm going to like this Davi character..." but her snark grew on my like a lovable fungus--in a good way, like a tasty mushroom. Like most of my book club, I was at first confused why we didn't start with her on loop one of this cycle, but it was very clear very quickly that the humor wouldn't have been nearly the same if we had. Davi's jaded snark was 100% a byproduct of this being life ~238+. I'm always a fan of a well used footnote, and Wexler did a great job of using them as A+ fourth wall breaks and informative moments to give us, the reader, a bit of context to the situation as far as Davi knows it to be. Also totally did not know this was going to end on such a cliff hanger and so glad to hear that book 2 comes out this May!! I still have so many questions!!
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Perfect Game by Megan Cousins

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Max and Sutton are so sweet together. The Rottweiler/duckling friendship was such a perfect analogy for these two. I love that we didn't have to spend half the book waiting for the two of them to figure out the other doesn't hate each other. Once they cleared that air, their friendship was easy and the "something more" than friendship flowed just as easily. I've never been a diehard sports fan, so the anxiety of trade deadlines was never a thing for me, but it was palpable for Max and Sutton. I can't believe the players have to go through that every year!!
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The Moth Keeper by K. O'Neill

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reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

Beautifully illustrated, a lovely tale of finding your place in community and finding the intrinsic purpose of your role in a young person's journey of self discovery. 
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Make It Last: Sustainably and Affordably Preserving What We Love by Raleigh Briggs

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informative lighthearted
A Breath of Fresh Air by Allegra Hall

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I was feeling a bit of a book slump coming on, feeling overwhelmed by the options in my Kindle and on KU, so this was the perfect time to grab a novella from a known author to give me the pick-me-up I needed to stay out of that slump. 

I loved getting to peek back in with Ellie and Van, but still getting to enjoy a new story with her mother Amaia and be beau Brett. They were fun, flirty, and their chemistry was 🔥🔥🔥 I appreciated how Amaia's reluctance to get her heart broken again wasn't just waved away by good sex, but was glad it wasn't a drawn out longing for both of them either.
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