Trosado

3.75 Stars

Revisado: 02-06-25

I was curious and took a chance. It started a bit slow, but gained momentum and I fully enjoyed the story evolution. This is book one of a serial type book series. The shy murderbot protagonist has an opportunity to display his newly growing empathetic nature and in doing so starts connecting more to “his” fully human counterparts. There’s a chance for freedom from a murderbot existence, but now he also wants real autonomy.

The narrating was fine. A little boring at first, but as the story picked up, I stopped caring. I did notice a couple blatant mispronunciations, but easy to forgive and move on. Example: pronouncing tears (as in crying) for tears (as in ripping).

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4.5 Stars!

Revisado: 08-14-24

Thank you for publishing more stories, Ms. Crusie. I'm thrilled to be back in one of your books.

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4.5 Stars!

Revisado: 08-09-24

The best of the bunch. One In a Vermillion was an entertaining and satisfying conclusion to the series and a huge welcome back (and sigh of relief) to Jennifer Crusie.

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4.5 Stars!

Revisado: 01-23-24

This novella was the best among the four books in the series. I felt much more immersed in the story and empathetic to the characters in this one. The narration is great in all the books.

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3.5 Stars (rounded up)

Revisado: 04-06-23

This is the first book in what I believe will be a total of three novellas. This first entry solves the mystery of the jewel thief's identity. I surmise the second two books will be the chase to find him/her and bring them to justice.

I loved the 1957 Cannes setting. The descriptions were vivid and I could easily imagine the clothing, cars, and hotel interiors. I couldn't help but picture the scenes playing out in technicolor as in To Catch a Thief with Carey Grant and Grace Kelly.

I found The Steal entertaining with its car chases, international intrigue, and fast-brewing romance. Overall, it was a light and fun novella and I look forward to the rest.

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5+ Stars!!!

Revisado: 04-06-23

There are books that you read, but might not remember many details. Maybe they were enjoyable enough, maybe not. Then there are books you read that you'll remember exactly how you felt when you were in the midst of reading them until you turned the last page. Yet, most especially, you will remember specific scenes that you found pivotal to your reading experience. That was The King's Man for me and I will remember much of this fantastic historical.

The writing itself is not to miss. It was daring, delicious, and delightful. Seriously, and I wasn't even trying to alliterate. The book was full of everything I love in a well-written story. It was wonderfully detailed with scenes that didn't miss a moment in creating visuals for the reader. From the opening chapter to the very last paragraph, there was a meaningful purpose to every scene and/or dialogue. Not one wasted sentence. There were times when a reader could have easily dismissed these two characters as unlikable or not romance-worthy, but I hung onto every word as their characters evolved from antagonistic combatants to a respectful understanding of their place in each other's lives. And it all culminates into one of the most sigh-worthy endings.

The audiobook presentation was perfect. Nicholas Boulton is one of my top favorite male narrators.

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3.5 Stars

Revisado: 04-06-23

I enjoyed this author's previous adult romance (Beach Read.) I did have issues with the heroine, but it still had strong writing and character chemistry. Plus, I loved Gus and he helped deliver some of the most swoon-worthy moments in the book. Having that previous experience, I was cautiously optimistic about this one, and I hoped for a similar experience, but with stronger and more consistent characterizations. Particularly with the heroine.

What I got from this story was again some highly compelling writing. Even with moments that may not have fully worked for me, I found myself well and truly engaged. Another nice element of this story was how the author handled multiple timeline changes from past to present. The transitions were smooth, and the characters remained consistent. I also enjoyed many of the extended family interactions. Poppy's parents were fantastic. I'm almost afraid to say I recognize shades of her family in my own growing up. All of which I appreciate more as an adult than I ever did as a teenager. Go figure.

Where I struggled with the character of January in Beach Read, I rather liked Poppy, or at least, her character strength. Alex had some fine moments, but he was the weaker link in this one. I didn't care for Alex's somewhat extreme personality shifts and his occasional outburst of expressive emotions. He was often described as stoic and emotionless but was quite the opposite. There were three separate occasions in this book where he cried. Not just tears welling up but outright crying. Listen, I think it's healthy for a man to express his sensitivity, but I find most men don't cry simply in response to their wife/girlfriend crying. I could have taken the tears once or twice for reasonable reasons, but beyond that, it started to make me cringe. I also feel that Alex and Poppy lacked some romantic chemistry. As friends, I loved them. Romantically, their personalities were an odd combination and it made some scenes not sit well. For example, their intimate scenes felt awkward and not in a fun or funny rom-com way. The scenes didn’t gel with Alex’s characterization in the rest of the book.

As for the story's conflict, I felt mixed about it. It’s common in romance books for non-communication to be used as a device for conflict. It has its place and can work well, but it needs to make sense and not be prolonged simply to create additional angst. This story was a double-edged sword since the entire story was about two characters withholding their true feelings for over a decade, thinking they were being sacrificial to one another. It worked well when they were romantically involved with other people at different times during those ten years, but not when it was simply due to assumptions and misinterpretations.

The bottom line, I wasn’t always convinced about the relationship between Alex and Poppy. But darn it, I enjoy this author’s writing style and the potential of a perfect (for me) romantic read. So, I'll probably keep picking up this author’s books in hopeful anticipation of something swoon-worthy, witty, and properly developed.

As for the audio presentation, perfect, as always, by the wonderful Julia Whelan.

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3.5 Stars - Excited for more from this new author!

Revisado: 04-06-23

I may have only given this book an average+ rating, but I enjoyed the story and I'm excited to see where this new author goes from here. It did have a few issues for me, but overall I feel like Kris Clink is a promising author whose work I’ll definitely read in the future.

After spending the last years of her marriage as a caretaker to her ailing husband, widowed Lark moves back to her childhood home with her two young children in tow. She's temporarily living with her parents as she considers life without her husband and what her next move might be.

What I really liked:
- characterizations (main and secondary)
- strong and entertaining heroine
- sweet and sexy hero
- a lovely May/December romance (OW/YM)
- witty banter
- character growth
- story arc
- an emotional connection to the characters

The story faltered with some unnecessary details, as well as having left a few unaddressed. With the removal of some extraneous details that did nothing to advance the storyline, the rudderless elements might not have been an issue. Maybe most readers would overlook them, but I found myself asking what was the point of a couple of significant scenes when never discussed again.

The story was primarily shared through Lark's POV, but with a few chapters from Wyatt where we learned additional details about the effects of his military service. Unfortunately, I felt it only ever grazed the surface of PTSD, etc. As a reader, I'm supposed to accept how he'd worked through his issues and was now inviting Lark into his story. ***POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD*** I wasn't convinced by the scene with Wyatt's psychologist and how it was sprung on Lark. That whole scene didn't ring true for me. It was unprofessional and without Lark's informed consent. ***END OF POSSIBLE SPOILER*** Aside from that misstep, I enjoyed Wyatt and Lark's romance. Although, I would have either preferred the story told solely in Lark's POV or for some equanimity in the development of Wyatt's. Overall, Lark's POV was where the story shined. It was strong and well-developed. I also found it witty and moving. Especially, in the few flashback scenes with Lark's husband. I'll admit I had an ugly-cried moment during one highly poignant recollection.

With some tightening up of extraneous details and a little extra development in a couple of areas, this easily could have been a 5-star read. As it is, I'm giving it a positive 3.5 stars with some added enthusiasm for the author's future stories. The audio presentation was wonderful and had a great effect on story immersion.

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3.5 Stars

Revisado: 04-05-23

How had I not already known about this little audiobook? I love Kate Quinn, but especially how she connects her WW2-era stories via titular characters and places. This crossover (w/ Author Marie Benedict) novella brings back Osla, Mabs, and Beth from The Rose Code (my favorite KQ novel) and introduces them to Agatha Christie (Benedict’s version) via a Bletchley Park employee book club. The employees are reading Christie’s latest mystery and discover some too-close-for-comfort references to BP’s top-secret work. I loved getting another look at some favorite characters and the audio presentation was wonderful, but this book felt like it started and ended a bit too abruptly. I enjoy an occasional novella/short story, but I would have enjoyed a little more from this.

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3.5 Stars

Revisado: 03-05-23

This book is the definition of women’s fiction. At least, as I often think of the antiquatedly-named genre.

Featuring:

* Older women friendships (45-50+) ✔️
* Major life changes (widowed, divorced, etc)
* Adult children of said older women ✔️
* Generational and domestic conflict
* Small town (bonus points if it’s a beach town) ✔️
* Very light romantic elements (often featuring a “second chance” trope) ✔️
* Happy ever after or equivalent✔️

An Invincible Summer had each of those elements but handled with a very light touch. Light on conflict. Light on romance. Heavy on multiple character references and POVs. It was quickly a 3-star read with its lightly entertaining and easy reading style. Yet, with its lack of a deeper dive into the meatier subjects, I can't rate it any higher. While Maggie's story was foremost, it also flitted around many other characters - family, friends, and otherwise. At times, the details were superfluous and prevented some of the depth the story could have taken. I would have enjoyed this book much more if there was a deeper dive into Maggie’s personal story with lighter touches of those around her. I have to say that I’m still curious about the next two books which, in all likelihood, will feature Maggie's two friends along with ongoing stories of other characters introduced in this story.

I recommend this series for readers who enjoy light and fluffy reads that only graze deeper topics of loss, love, and conflict.

The audio presentation was well done.

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