Madison

SO FLIPPIN’ CUTE!!

Revisado: 05-26-21

This was such a fun time! I loved so many of the characters that were presented and the dynamic of our romantic leads is so good and I loved the way there was a lot of healthy communication between them that they develop and what they’re going through emotionally.

My only grievance really is that there are audio issues with the book RIGHT at the romantic climax where the audio just cut in and out. Like it wasn’t a huge amount of audio lost and it might also just have been a problem with how my app downloaded. It just REALLY had the worst timing to drop the audio....

EDIT: I tried re-listening again and have concluded that it's an Audible App problem. Not the file!

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Not As Fleshed Out As Usual

Revisado: 12-30-20

I feel so sorry to say that I've got to agree with these other disappointed reviews on how this was an unfulfilling conclusion to the series.I love Lisa Kleypas because even though she usually has a pretty formulaic approach to her stories, she also manages a fun and lively variety of characters that I usually find super charming!!

However, this story just didn't fully click for me and I feel like part of the reason was that it didn't feel well set-up and established as well as me just not being super into the chemistry between the leads. The way they were introduced to one another in the beginning felt very forced, and the character development felt a bit flat.

Tom's a very amusing deadpan side character, but him as the romantic lead felt like it took a lot of explaining on the book's behalf to forgive him of his selfish actions established in previous books? (By the way, I need to mention that the voice also had an effect on how seriously I could take his character. I adore Mary Jane Wells's narration, but her voice for Tom is like a mix of Severus Snape and Squidward and it's not attractive but it sure as heck is funny so I don't want to knock off any stars for it. However, I would bet that Tom would've left a better impression as a romantic lead had she given him a different drawl)

Cassandra's character arc was extremely flat compared to Tom's and she had a lot issues mainly centered around her looks and weight. Which felt very conflicting because it was never mentioned in previous books and also there was the dissonance of how she felt she needed to lose weight because she looked bad, but she had men chasing and lusting after her because she's curvy and gorgeous. It felt very incongruous? And other than her weight it felt like there was nothing else for her to overcome to fall in love. There wasn't much of an emotional journey to latch onto with her character except for waiting around for Tom to work through his so they could get married. She's a very sweet character though and I like her energy, I just wish she had been fleshed out more.

Overall, it was just very "okay," and I'm sad that it's the one the series ends on...

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Middle of the Road (Trip)

Revisado: 05-04-20

This was a cute book with a fun cast of characters, but I think it’s on the younger side of YA novels and it dragged a bit for me. I probably should have known better before using a credit, but I liked the sounds of a cute Irish romance.

The book was more centered around the siblings and their drama and secrets and friendship than about romance which is perfectly fine!! It just wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, and also the secret of “what REALLY happened over summer” dragged on for far too long.

Overall it’s a cute read, and I’m sure teenage me would’ve loved it! Current me though is just feeling very in the middle about it.

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Loved it but PIPPA WHY

Revisado: 04-17-20

Oh wow this was an audiobook I had a hard time putting down! Ended up blasting through it!!

I will admit there were a good 3 hours toward the end in there where I was convinced about what the ending would be. Thought there were all the right signs for it, but ended up still being surprised in the end at how wrong I was about certain things. It kept me guessing and I enjoyed hearing how it all unfolded!

Bear with me there are definitely moments where our main character, Pippa, makes some really poor decisions. I kept having to pause and scream "PIPPA WHYYY" into a pillow on multiple occasions because she was too rash in her actions when chasing down a suspected murderer. She's also a bit dramatic as a narrator but I didn't mind it at all really. I was more bothered about whenever she would charge into situations without any back-up.

On that front, considered yourself forewarned, but I recommend it to those who like YA genre along with some mystery!

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Of Mutton and Monotony

Revisado: 03-02-20

Okay. My title for this isn’t very fair.

I really adore the setup for this book, being a casual fan of Renaissance Faire. There’s a lot of opportunity for fun and shenanigans just in that setting alone, but you never get to experience it.

The book is entirely from Emily’s perspective and when she first meets local stick-in-the-mud Simon he’s perceived as hating her from the start. However, when their RennFaire starts it’s revealed he has a dashing pirate persona who flirts with her and shows a side of him she’d never would have guessed he possessed.

A really fun setup, but the writing felt very superficial. I never felt like I got to know any of the characters aside from superficial traits and it all would have benefited from deeper character interaction. It was also hard to root for Emily given that her internal dialogue would flip on a dime. I know she was supposed to be confused by Simon’s hot and cold nature, but almost everything that confounds her about him is something that could have been solved with a little critical thinking on her part. It got very frustrating to listen to her internal dialogue.

I feel bad because I really wanted to love this book, but it was just okay in the end. It was too light for my taste and just wish it had been more.

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Waited for a Meg Ryan and got an Annie Cassidy...

Revisado: 07-31-19

So reading the description of this I was like, "Ooh! Sounds fun and fluffy. I could get into it." And there were a lot of positive reviews for it saying it was what's on the tin so I went for it, but could not get through it for the life of me.

Annie Cassidy, our main heroine, is probably one of the most annoying characters I've had to listen to. She's supposed to be the person we relate to and yet I couldn't stop thinking "wow this character's an entitled jerk" throughout all of her inner monologues. And although I was signing up for the references to romantic comedies, I didn't expect the bombardment her perspective would grant us. It's... a lot.

I don't know. This might be to your tastes and I'm happy you got a lot of enjoyment out of it! But it wasn't for me. Rachel L. Jacobs has a lovely voice and I would love to listen to a different book she narrates so that's what I'm basing my score on for her.

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You like what you like!

Revisado: 07-16-19

Okay.

First off, this book is basically set in an Alternate Universe where instead of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named became president, we got our first female POTUS after Obama. Alex is our main POV throughout the entire book and he is the First Son of the United States who is still figuring himself out. Everything about this is a big "What If" take on the world of today and there's a lot of politics and campaign talk in it. Personally, I didn't mind it at all. It's a part of the setting and the stakes for our main romance. If suspending disbelief and/or getting into the nitty gritty of the political setting is something you don't want to slog through, then this may not be the book for you.

Again, I didn't mind it, but I've noticed in others' reviews of the book that they found it difficult to listen to.

I'll admit I don't know enough and don't keep as up-to-date on current politics as I should. I didn't spend time listening to it and analyzing that side of it. I was just along for the ride and I feel like the characters swept me away in such a perfect way that it was just something I found fascinating and enjoyed. If it's accurate, I couldn't tell you. Just know that I enjoyed it all and it all felt integral to shape the setting and stakes of the story.

Secondly, I feel like this book had just enough steamy sex scenes and chemistry for me. It was a big part of it of course, but not an overwhelming part of it. For me, that's a major positive because I feel like with some books I can get overwhelmed with the amount of sex there is to listen to chapter after chapter. I know that's not the case for everyone so I just figured I'd forewarn that this isn't sex at every turn. There's definitely steamy sex at parts, but there's also a lot of just beautifully written romance and sentiment. Casey McQuiston has an absolute gift for writing absolutely beautiful, poetically heart-wrenching love letters and it really shines in the letters between our main couple. It definitely gets your heart fluttering and melting simultaneously.

Alex and Henry are the quintessential "enemies to friends then friends to lovers" trope and I love it. Seeing their relationship develop and blossom into what it is was a delight to experience (the turkey scene is one of my absolute favorite things. pure comedy). I really enjoyed them and their supporting cast of characters too! There's so much humor and realness to them all. Like they didn't feel stale to me at all. They felt like fun, interesting, and flawed people you would want to get to know.

I didn't know what I was getting out of this book when I first got it, but I absolutely fell in love with it. I know not everyone will feel the same about it. Which is why I tried to highlight a few factors that might be deal-breakers.

However, I loved it and I would encourage anyone to give it a try if it sounds like their cup of tea. I'm really looking forward to Casey's next book and wish them all the success!

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"Hear me out guys, I swear I'm not sexist but...."

Revisado: 06-02-19

First off, I'm going to say that there is useful information in this book. The author analyzed a lot of stories and broke down what the themes and messages were and how they were amplified in the writing and I would love to re-listen to those parts since I found them the most fascinating and helpful.

Secondly, as passive aggressive as my headline for my review is I'm not really all that mad and I'm just being a nitpicker. But I feel like it was entirely unnecessary for the author to divide things as "masculine vs. feminine" frames of mind when essentially it was just "action vs. emotion." The author has hints of it towards the first half but in the second half there's a whole lot of time establishing that there needs to be a "Balance of feminine and masculine narratives" and explaining the author's views on genders and how it relates to his system for writing meaningful stories.

It went like, "I'm not sexist but those that prefer a more emotional driven plot-line compared to an entirely action driven plot-line tend to be women. And vice versa for men. But, oh I don't mean to say ALL men and women follow that preference. I just meant MOST of them do." And there was a lot of delving into that and expressing his views on gender and trying to cycle it back to how to write towards the last hour of the book in a way that just made me wince. So if that's something that you're sensitive to, then you might not want to waste your time on the last third of this book.

All those viewpoints were to just simply explain that stories need to be balanced with both their action and emotion and tipping the scale too much just leads to alienating those who prefer one or the other the most.

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Of Magical Schools and Silver Dragonflies

Revisado: 10-28-18

I generally try not to get into series books. Especially if the rest of the series isn't out yet, but I wanted something magical to get me in the mood for Halloween this year and this is one of the books I chose to do it.

I've never listened to anything else by Molly Harper, so I can't be the one to compare this to her previous works, but I really enjoyed this one. I have such a soft spot for witches and magic, and this book definitely hit all the right buttons for me. Molly Harper really did know how to draw me into the world and the characters.

I really enjoyed the journey and look forward to any other books that come out, when they come out. It's not a series I would obsessively wait for more volumes of, but I wouldn't hesitate to get the next one if it were to come out. I hope you give it a try and enjoy it too!

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A Waste Of Really Cool World-building...

Revisado: 10-26-18

Okay first I'm going to start out and say that Kim Harrison paints an interesting fantasy world filled with possibility as it takes on a what-if scenario of what our world would be like if magical creatures had always existed but were the hidden minority until a plague breaks out that wipes out a majority of the human race. Allowing the minority to become the majority. The characters are snappy and snarky and have some good banter moments too.

However, while the cast of characters can have a good voice, that doesn't make them the type of characters you want to listen to. I think the world is inspired, but our main character, Rachel, is all over the place. She's introduced as someone who is under-appreciated and under-utilized in what would be considered the magical police force/bounty hunter service because of her boss hating her and giving her all the bad runs. (I realize I'm about to go and summarize a bit of the beginning of this book before I can really get into why Rachel as a character bothers me)

Anyone who quits the force, doesn't survive to see the next day because they're slapped with a death warrant unless they buy out their contract. So when Rachel quits alongside one of her better liked/respected co-workers, Ivy, she's a Dead Witch Walking. Ivy is a vampire from an old money family so she was able to buy out her contract. Rachel is not as lucky financially, but thank goodness she has Ivy on her side, along with a feisty pixie man named Jenks. They're basically the entire reason she's not dead within the first few hours of her quitting. In order to get the magical police force off her back, she's going to try and take down one of biggest bads that the force hasn't been able to pin down, a politician that nobody is sure if he's human or magical who seems to be a kingpin of bio-drugs and brimstone. Her life is riding on her pulling off the biggest run of all time.

Sounds really interesting on paper right? Like the bones of it are there and you can't wait to see what Rachel can do now with the odds stacked against her, but with nothing left to lose and being able to prove just how the force missed their opportunity with her??

It's too bad that it's not how it turns out. Rachel proves herself to be impatient and foolhardy and her attempts to bag this baddy are laughable. Her powers seem extremely limited and she can't seem to carry out a plan without bungling it somehow with her unpreparedness. I had to pause and walk away a couple of times during this book. Which ties into why I find Rachel hard to like. She doesn't seem to have very much character growth in this book. It's great that she's flawed but the way she doesn't seem to really learn from her mistakes is maddening.

ALSO, as I said before Ivy the vampire and Jenks the pixie are the only reasons she's alive. Ivy and her move into a safer area that turns out to be the perfect place for Rachel to really survive since her attackers can't reach her. Thank you, Ivy, for managing to get a hold of such a place and also for caring so much about Rachel and trying to keep her alive. You'd think that Rachel must really learn to trust and respect Ivy even with her initial reservations about her being a vampire. But she barely manages to accomplish this lesson 3/4ths of the way into the book. From the beginning, she's on edge and doesn't trust Ivy an inch. It's clear Rachel is uncomfortable with vampires from the get go (which makes it crazy to me that she agreed or offered to move in with Ivy in the first place), but it should be part of her own character arc for this first book for her to get over it and come to trust the vampire as a friend at the very least. Every scene with the two of them once they've moved in together just bothers me because Rachel can't seem to grow past her discomfort.

There's the added factor of how Rachel deep down is also attracted to vampires and had a sexual close call with Ivy because she kept giving Ivy all the right signals? And the reason this really bothers me is because Ivy is written as a bisexual character who's attracted to Rachel but also respects Rachel enough to try to keep her distance even though it goes against her vampire instincts. And Ivy in turn is constantly viewed through a distrustful gaze and is even demonized a bit at the midpoint of the book where Rachel thinks Ivy was going "full vamp" on her and was going to kill her, but learned that Ivy was there to warn her about some danger. And even after learning that Ivy was trying to help her, Rachel didn't feel any remorse for not trusting Ivy afterwards? It might just be me taking things too seriously, but it just really didn't sit right with me that the only LGBT character in this book (that also is the one who helps our main character the most) gets demonized for a majority of the book and that apparently Ivy getting all sexual and "vampy" is the main character's most debilitating fear?? Just...... wow. Thanks, I hate it.

Also just to mention, there's a love interest that pops up 3/4ths of the way into this book that everybody immediately was like "Oh Rachel you and this guy spent time trapped in rodent bodies! You must be into each other!! You guys touched tails on the ride home from being rescued! You must want to bone!!" and I just want to say "what the fuck" to this scene. Thanks I hate that too.

This could've been a great story and much more fleshed out as the first book in the series. I'm sure things get fleshed out better later, but I don't want to continue with it. This book was enough for me. There are parts that I enjoyed even though I fundamentally just do not agree with the emotional and basic structure of this book, but I don't think it's worth it to me to try and stick it out for more.

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