So this was my first Kristin Hannah. I've actually had The Great Alone sitting on my shelves for years now and The Nightingale in my Audi4.5 - 5 Stars
So this was my first Kristin Hannah. I've actually had The Great Alone sitting on my shelves for years now and The Nightingale in my Audible library...and I've just never cracked them open for whatever reason.
Regardless, I am happy that this book was my first foray into her writing, because it was excellent. I decided to "read a few chapters" (famous last words) at around 7:30PM last night...and ended up staying up until midnight to finish it.
What a great and powerful story.
I was not alive alive during the Vietnam War. But I remember its effects permeating my childhood. The grizzled, broken veterans. The stories of PTSD. I was raised on Vietnam protest music (which is still my favorite today). But most of all...My uncle fought in Vietnam. And although I never knew him before the war, obviously, my dad told me that he was never the same when he came home (lucky as he was to do so). And when I was 9-years-old he ultimately died of Leukemia that the doctors believed was related to Agent Orange...something Hannah mentioned in this book. So I've obviously thought about this era a lot.
And I think this was a beautiful story that captured the confusion and duality of such a tumultuous period. I think Hannah did it justice. And I am so happy to have learned about the amazing forgotten women who served.
I will definitely read more from this author and understand why she is so popular now....more
Book two was definitely my favorite of the series.
Overall Series Review:
This three-book story had so many elements that I love...ma5 Smut Scale Stars
Book two was definitely my favorite of the series.
Overall Series Review:
This three-book story had so many elements that I love...mafia-ish, anti-hero possessive asshole, forced proximity with dubious consent, and really really strong chemistry between the main couple. I loved Crewe, I loved London, and I loved them so much together.
I just really loved this series and will for sure be re-reading it in the future. Highly recommend for those who like the details I mentioned above. That said, this definitely won't be for everyone, but it totally worked for me. Also, it's not what some would consider "safe," so don't try this if that matters to you....more
This three-book story had so many elements that I love...mafia-ish, anti-hero possessive asshole, forced proximity4.5 Smut Stars
Overall Series Review:
This three-book story had so many elements that I love...mafia-ish, anti-hero possessive asshole, forced proximity with dubious consent, and really really strong chemistry between the main couple. I loved Crewe, I loved London, and I loved them so much together.
I just really loved this series and will for sure be re-reading it in the future. Highly recommend for those who like the details I mentioned above. That said, this definitely won't be for everyone, but it totally worked for me. Also, it's not what some would consider "safe," so don't try this if that matters to you....more
I love train wreck characters, so this book’s blurb was like a siren’s song when I saw it as a December Book of the Month offering. I also wa4.5 Stars
I love train wreck characters, so this book’s blurb was like a siren’s song when I saw it as a December Book of the Month offering. I also was very interested in reading the POV of someone a year into their sobriety journey.
I felt a kinship with Emma and enjoyed reading about her experiences with her parents and the general effects of enmeshing yourself with another person. What that can look like and how it can affect your identity, especially as an adolescent. I also LOVED Ben.
I have a few very minor quibbles (thus the less than 5-star) but I really enjoyed this. I just love stories about childhood and family trauma, drama, and any and all the accompanying -amas....more
This is my second Laura Dave book and I just love the way she writes. Her prose, her pacing, and the painfully bittersweet tone of the two bo4.5 Stars
This is my second Laura Dave book and I just love the way she writes. Her prose, her pacing, and the painfully bittersweet tone of the two books I've read by her so far...chef's kiss.
I read this in one sitting as I couldn't put it down. And not because it was fast-paced or fraught with activity...quite the opposite. It was very slow moving. In fact, I figured out the most of the hidden secrets before the end, but I didn't even care. Dave's writing just lands for me. The way her characters experience and come to grips with relationships, grief, and the human condition in general.
"'Will my being gone knock it out of him?' She shrugs. 'The parts I don't recognize.'
I nod. That's what we are often fighting against, isn't it? The parts in someone we don't recognize. The parts we are trying to reconcile."
Being the quintessential dumbass that I am, I decided to start this at 7:30PM last night...and proceeded to stay up until close to 1AM to finis5 Stars
Being the quintessential dumbass that I am, I decided to start this at 7:30PM last night...and proceeded to stay up until close to 1AM to finish it in one sitting. Never mind my 4:30 wakeup today.
And thus my dumbassery. Because I know I have a tendency to do this, I try to avoid starting new books right before bed on work nights. So I'm super tired today.
But?
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I loved everything about this book. And I felt so unbelievably connected to Phoebe. And Lila. And the setting. And all things. My favorite book I've read this year thus far, for sure....more
It's very...of its time among other things. But I really enjoyed it once I got used to the writing sThis book will definitely not appeal to everyone.
It's very...of its time among other things. But I really enjoyed it once I got used to the writing style. It's a heartfelt look at marriage, personal expectations, the expectations of others...and our own assumptions and push/push in regard to all of those things.
That said, I don't think I could say it any better than my friend Julie G., so I will just be lazy and point to her outstanding her review instead. Enjoy....more
I just love Emily Henry. At this point, are a lot of her books, characters, and character banter very similar? Yes. But I don't care, 4.5 - 4.75 Stars
I just love Emily Henry. At this point, are a lot of her books, characters, and character banter very similar? Yes. But I don't care, because I am 100% the target audience and I am here for it. All day. Every day.
"Trust people's actions, not their words. Don't love anyone who isn't ready to love you back. Let go of the people who don't hold on to you. Don't wait on people who don't hurry for you"
I just love Henry's writing and the way she unpacks elements of the human condition to which I so relate.
And did I mention the banter?
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I loved Daphne and Miles and I thought they had great chemistry. Some of Henry's past "friends to lovers" scenarios lacked that spark in my opinion...they just never felt like more than friends to me...but these two were adorable while also not feeling like brother and sister. So yay.
I also really loved the side characters. I want an Ashleigh.
As always, I cannot wait for the next Henry book....more
And this was exactly the book I needed right now. It was sad and wistful and joyful and happy and, in my opinion, just theTiming really is everything…
And this was exactly the book I needed right now. It was sad and wistful and joyful and happy and, in my opinion, just the right amount of sappy. It exemplified why I love this author even when some of her books don’t land for me. Cause when they do, it’s all worth it.
The characters… The angst… The amazing banter… The balance of sadness and hope…
I know this has nothing to do with this book (for those reading in the future who don't care and/or don'5 Stars
"Head on straight, heart on straight."
I know this has nothing to do with this book (for those reading in the future who don't care and/or don't know about my personal sentiments and past year-long 2023 reading slump), but I had only one non-smut 5-star read in 2023 (and I only had one of those for perspective), so the fact that I loved this book so early in the year is VERY exciting for me.
That said...
I love books about family drama and the effects of generational habits (some might say "trauma" but I would argue that that's just LIFE), and this book delivered on that front in so many ways. The manner in which this book presented the nuances of parental expectations, familial canons, and relational compromises was so amazing. I just loved it.
And that can all be attributed to the fantastic level of showing versus telling. Just some outstanding storytelling here, folks, that's all I can say. Some character-driven awesomeness all around.
If the blurb interests you, jump on it.
That's all I got.
Will definitely be monitoring this author moving forward....more
This acts as my review for volumes 3-8 basically. Because lazy. Anyway...
5 Stars
Saga is really my first true foray into the comic/graphic novel world This acts as my review for volumes 3-8 basically. Because lazy. Anyway...
5 Stars
Saga is really my first true foray into the comic/graphic novel world and I am really just loving it. And as someone who hasn't really read this format that much, I don't feel equipped to review why. Thus my having not really rated volumes 3-7. Rest assured though that I am loving them all and feel very attached to these characters.
I do need to slow down though, because I am catching up to the publication end and I know I'll be super bummed when I run out of them to read...
This acts as my review for volumes 3-8 basically. Because lazy. Anyway...
5 Stars
Saga is really my first true foray into the comic/graphic novel world This acts as my review for volumes 3-8 basically. Because lazy. Anyway...
5 Stars
Saga is really my first true foray into the comic/graphic novel world and I am really just loving it. And as someone who hasn't really read this format that much, I don't feel equipped to review why. Thus my having not really rated volumes 3-7. Rest assured though that I am loving them all and feel very attached to these characters.
I do need to slow down though, because I am catching up to the publication end and I know I'll be super bummed when I run out of them to read...
This acts as my review for volumes 3-8 basically. Because lazy. Anyway...
5 Stars
Saga is really my first true foray into the comic/graphic novel world This acts as my review for volumes 3-8 basically. Because lazy. Anyway...
5 Stars
Saga is really my first true foray into the comic/graphic novel world and I am really just loving it. And as someone who hasn't really read this format that much, I don't feel equipped to review why. Thus my having not really rated volumes 3-7. Rest assured though that I am loving them all and feel very attached to these characters.
I do need to slow down though, because I am catching up to the publication end and I know I'll be super bummed when I run out of them to read...
This acts as my review for volumes 3-8 basically. Because lazy. Anyway...
5 Stars
Saga is really my first true foray into the comic/graphic novel world This acts as my review for volumes 3-8 basically. Because lazy. Anyway...
5 Stars
Saga is really my first true foray into the comic/graphic novel world and I am really just loving it. And as someone who hasn't really read this format that much, I don't feel equipped to review why. Thus my having not really rated volumes 3-7. Rest assured though that I am loving them all and feel very attached to these characters.
I do need to slow down though, because I am catching up to the publication end and I know I'll be super bummed when I run out of them to read...
This acts as my review for volumes 3-8 basically. Because lazy. Anyway...
5 Stars
Saga is really my first true foray into the comic/graphic novel world This acts as my review for volumes 3-8 basically. Because lazy. Anyway...
5 Stars
Saga is really my first true foray into the comic/graphic novel world and I am really just loving it. And as someone who hasn't really read this format that much, I don't feel equipped to review why. Thus my having not really rated volumes 3-7. Rest assured though that I am loving them all and feel very attached to these characters.
I do need to slow down though, because I am catching up to the publication end and I know I'll be super bummed when I run out of them to read...
If you have followed me for any length of time, you will know that I have a soft spot for Cora Reilly, specifically as applie5 Completely Biased Stars
If you have followed me for any length of time, you will know that I have a soft spot for Cora Reilly, specifically as applied to this series and her Camorra series. But it's a twisty road of sorts.
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This has been my reading experience with almost all the books in both these series:
I'll read the book once and rate it about three stars. I'll feel a hankering for some alpha-holes and mafia and think of this book again. I'll read it again and decide it's worthy of an upgrade to four stars. Time will pass and I will re-read it again during another mafia hankering. Repeat. Repeat. Then fuck it, I'll say. Five stars.
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And there you have it, my Cora Reilly mafia reading pattern.
Needless to say, being that this is a retelling of the events of book one (which I have read and re-read so many times it would be embarrassing if I was prone to embarrassment) from Luca's POV, I was pretty sure I would like it. But retellings also always come with the risk of completely ruining the original story, which I why I put off reading this for so long and then actually forgot about it completely.
But I digress.
I adored every minute of this thing. It was like re-reading a favorite for the first time again, but better.
I not so humbly consider myself a bit of a dark romance...connoisseur...these days.
I've been devouring it for many years now...To the point 4.5 Stars
I not so humbly consider myself a bit of a dark romance...connoisseur...these days.
I've been devouring it for many years now...To the point where my "tolerance," I guess you could call it, has gotten pretty high when it comes to a lot of elements of which dark romance is typically composed.
Many times, I have picked up a supposed dark romance, and...
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Thought it was fairly frail.
But, thankfully, you can always count on Pam Godwin to bring the goods.
Her ability to take inherently evil characters, actions, and situations and make them fictionally redeemable is magical. Hell, half the time, the "villains" from previous come back as the heroes of future books.
Such was the case here with Tiago.
And I loved him.
His magnetism had me locked and loaded from the onset and the chemistry shared between him and Kate was page-scorching. I even liked Kate. It's hard to write the "strong" victim over and over again and have them not become interchangeable cardboard cutouts; but, as usual, Godwin manages to circumvent that pitfall like a champ.
I also really liked how she overlaid this story's narrative with that of the previous book in a way that didn't feel duplicative.
And, of course, I can't fucking WAIT for book nine. Because COLE.
If you don't like certain trigger content, i.e., captivity, rape, and physical and mental abuse, this probably isn't the book or series for you. Other than that, I can't recommend this book highly enough to dark romance fans, although I do recommend you read them in order.
Merged review:
4.5 Stars
I not so humbly consider myself a bit of a dark romance...connoisseur...these days.
I've been devouring it for many years now...To the point where my "tolerance," I guess you could call it, has gotten pretty high when it comes to a lot of elements of which dark romance is typically composed.
Many times, I have picked up a supposed dark romance, and...
[image]
Thought it was fairly frail.
But, thankfully, you can always count on Pam Godwin to bring the goods.
Her ability to take inherently evil characters, actions, and situations and make them fictionally redeemable is magical. Hell, half the time, the "villains" from previous come back as the heroes of future books.
Such was the case here with Tiago.
And I loved him.
His magnetism had me locked and loaded from the onset and the chemistry shared between him and Kate was page-scorching. I even liked Kate. It's hard to write the "strong" victim over and over again and have them not become interchangeable cardboard cutouts; but, as usual, Godwin manages to circumvent that pitfall like a champ.
I also really liked how she overlaid this story's narrative with that of the previous book in a way that didn't feel duplicative.
And, of course, I can't fucking WAIT for book nine. Because COLE.
If you don't like certain trigger content, i.e., captivity, rape, and physical and mental abuse, this probably isn't the book or series for you. Other than that, I can't recommend this book highly enough to dark romance fans, although I do recommend you read them in order....more
I love it when a book I am highly anticipating meets my expectations.
It's a moment that's almo4.5 Stars
So. Fucking. Good.
I love it when this happens.
I love it when a book I am highly anticipating meets my expectations.
It's a moment that's almost celestial.
[image]
Such a joy. ...And a bit of a relief, no?
In an effort to avoid spoilers, I will keep this borderline gush-fest brief.
Pam Godwin is an author goddess. A sexy sexy times scribe goddess. A dark and make you say !!! dirty goddess.
I'll be honest...which I always am, so I'm not sure why I needed to start this sentence with an honesty disclaimer, but as I was saying...
I'll be honest: I was a little nervous about this book.
This is obviously a series, with this being the fourth book in that series. (See how well I can count? And read?).
And when I saw that the love interest in THIS book was Tate - a character who spent all of the LAST book obsessed and pining over the LAST book's heroine?
I became...concerned.
But like I said, PG is a boss and made it work and then some here.
The mystery of Lucia and her whereabouts and motivations kept me interested... Tate was all smexy and hot AF and all that...
But what kept me glued to the page?
GLUED?
None other than my FAVORITE thing in this entire series...
THIS guy:
[image]
AKA, the hottest...
[image]
CRAZIEST...
[image]
Toothpick-toting-est...
[image]
Van fucking Quiso.
Lemme just say that Van is one of my all time favorite book boyfriends.
ALL time.
[image]
I call - and have called - fucking dibs and I will slay - SLAY, I say - anyone who tries to claim the same. *fists up and ready peeps*
In order not to spoil this series for readers who have NOT read it yet, I will just say that Van is all kinds of fucked up and wrong and you will hate him in book one.
But his book - book two - is my favorite book in this series (still) and one of my favorite books of all time, period.
He and Amber (whom I adore) are one of my top couples ever. They are beyond fucked up and damaged and riddled with legit mental illness and I would gorge on them for all eternity if I could.
So getting some extra doses of them in this book was a total win for me.
I also ADORED Van and Tate's relationship dynamic and interactions throughout this book.
Another HUGE win for me?
Another AMAZING and completely unexpected appearance of a beloved character from Pam's Tangled Lies series.
I won't specifically name that character as to do so runs the potential of completely wrecking THAT series for folks who haven't read it yet...but folks who HAVE can probably guess who that character is....
It was amazing and awesome and all the adjectives under the sun that equate to SUPER. Fucking. Swell.
So, thank you, Pam Godwin.
I know I will get asked this in the comments and it's a VERY good question, so I will answer it here:
This CAN be read as a standalone, I suppose...HOWEVER(!!!) In my opinion, I think that to enjoy this book to the fullest, you MUST read books 1-3 first.
And, if possible, you should try to read Pam's Tangled Lies series before reading book four of THIS series.
Failure to do so will absolutely WRECK that series for you - and it's SUCH an amazing series and I HIGHLY recommend it.
So, yeah, that's a lot of reading (six books total) that I feel need to be read prior to this in order to FULLY enjoy this book; but you know what?
I loved and devoured them ALL.
So, if your wallet can take it or your library supply it, I can't recommend these book highly enough.
Just to note: Book one of this series is actually my least favorite of the series; but books 2-4 were all 4.5/5 stars for me, I believe.
So if you like it, but don''t adore it - fear not.
Keep pushing.
Anyway, that's all I got.
Current fans of this series, I hope you all love this as much as I did when you finally get it in your hands!
I love it when a book I am highly anticipating meets my expectations.
It's a moment that's almost celestial.
[image]
Such a joy. ...And a bit of a relief, no?
In an effort to avoid spoilers, I will keep this borderline gush-fest brief.
Pam Godwin is an author goddess. A sexy sexy times scribe goddess. A dark and make you say !!! dirty goddess.
I'll be honest...which I always am, so I'm not sure why I needed to start this sentence with an honesty disclaimer, but as I was saying...
I'll be honest: I was a little nervous about this book.
This is obviously a series, with this being the fourth book in that series. (See how well I can count? And read?).
And when I saw that the love interest in THIS book was Tate - a character who spent all of the LAST book obsessed and pining over the LAST book's heroine?
I became...concerned.
But like I said, PG is a boss and made it work and then some here.
The mystery of Lucia and her whereabouts and motivations kept me interested... Tate was all smexy and hot AF and all that...
But what kept me glued to the page?
GLUED?
None other than my FAVORITE thing in this entire series...
THIS guy:
[image]
AKA, the hottest...
[image]
CRAZIEST...
[image]
Toothpick-toting-est...
[image]
Van fucking Quiso.
Lemme just say that Van is one of my all time favorite book boyfriends.
ALL time.
[image]
I call - and have called - fucking dibs and I will slay - SLAY, I say - anyone who tries to claim the same. *fists up and ready peeps*
In order not to spoil this series for readers who have NOT read it yet, I will just say that Van is all kinds of fucked up and wrong and you will hate him in book one.
But his book - book two - is my favorite book in this series (still) and one of my favorite books of all time, period.
He and Amber (whom I adore) are one of my top couples ever. They are beyond fucked up and damaged and riddled with legit mental illness and I would gorge on them for all eternity if I could.
So getting some extra doses of them in this book was a total win for me.
I also ADORED Van and Tate's relationship dynamic and interactions throughout this book.
Another HUGE win for me?
Another AMAZING and completely unexpected appearance of a beloved character from Pam's Tangled Lies series.
I won't specifically name that character as to do so runs the potential of completely wrecking THAT series for folks who haven't read it yet...but folks who HAVE can probably guess who that character is....
It was amazing and awesome and all the adjectives under the sun that equate to SUPER. Fucking. Swell.
So, thank you, Pam Godwin.
I know I will get asked this in the comments and it's a VERY good question, so I will answer it here:
This CAN be read as a standalone, I suppose...HOWEVER(!!!) In my opinion, I think that to enjoy this book to the fullest, you MUST read books 1-3 first.
And, if possible, you should try to read Pam's Tangled Lies series before reading book four of THIS series.
Failure to do so will absolutely WRECK that series for you - and it's SUCH an amazing series and I HIGHLY recommend it.
So, yeah, that's a lot of reading (six books total) that I feel need to be read prior to this in order to FULLY enjoy this book; but you know what?
I loved and devoured them ALL.
So, if your wallet can take it or your library supply it, I can't recommend these book highly enough.
Just to note: Book one of this series is actually my least favorite of the series; but books 2-4 were all 4.5/5 stars for me, I believe.
So if you like it, but don''t adore it - fear not.
Keep pushing.
Anyway, that's all I got.
Current fans of this series, I hope you all love this as much as I did when you finally get it in your hands!
Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️
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