Marlobo
As usual with this author, I really enjoyed her writing, yet the MCs were a bit irritating and repetitive at times.
My biggest problem was the normalization of mafia behavior. I had to shift my mindset as a reader and somewhat separate it from my moral compass in order to read the story. And if a story challenges me as a reader, it speaks well of it, in my opinion.
While I'm not particularly fond of dark romance, I found this story really good. It's gripping, well-paced, and the tension is handled really well.
Sugary sweet as a romance, utterly implausible as a spy novel.
On the spy side, MCs trust practically everyone they meet, even though their handler explicitly told them to trust no one except a single contact using a code name.
Then there's a mole, a high ranking enemy official in a position far too strategic to risk. He shows up and starts spilling information without the slightest precaution, just to warn that some "American friends" are in danger. Hardly the kind of intel worth blowing such a cover for, and there's no reason he should have known about them in the first place.
And that's just a couple of examples.
On the romance side, there's way too much inner monologue about how much they love each other. Moreover, other characters easily figure out they're lovers just from the way they look at each other. Some spies.
Loved the story, the characters, Marco as Ash's alter ego, and the dry style. And the humor (oh my gosh, it was midnight and I was all LMAO)
Yet, the editing is atrocious, if not non-existent: repeated paragraphs, missing sections or pages. At least twice, when turning a page, I found the ending of a word followed by a paragraph completely unrelated to what had been said before. Yes, I checked locations to make sure I hadn't missed something, but it still made no sense. There were also some other inconsistencies as well.
I doubt the book even had a proofread. It detracts one and a half stars from my rating.
3.5 stars
I don't fully buy the premise of the breakup 15 years ago, but I enjoyed the rest of the story, especially the focus on the players' wellness and the documentary filming aspect. Furthermore, I would say I connected more with those aspects than with the relationship between Sandro & Bennett.
Terrific
I had a blast with this book. A very tiny pothole at most, without undercutting its final impact.
Interesting, intelligent, well written, with the best trans rep I can remember reading. I dug into it so much that, at this hour (2 a.m.), just after finishing the book, I've just bought the rest of the series so far.
I think I found a new favorite.
DNF at 30%
It's well written, but the pacing is so slow I gradually lost interest. The characters' constant hesitation ended up getting on my nerves, and that back and forth between who they used to be and their present awkwardness makes the reading feel kind of choppy. At some point I just got too impatient to keep going.
2.5 stars rounded up
Silver (Fox) Linings by Anna Sparrows - 3 stars
Drunk Dialing by BA Tortuga - 3 stars
Falling for 42 by Becca Seymour - 2 stars
Wrong Place, Right Time by Beck Grey - DNF
Last Mango in Palm Springs by Bix Barrow - 2 stars
Sixteen or Ninety-One by BL Maxwell - 2 stars
My Eel-ectric Valentine by CD Rachels - 2 stars
A Crush on Coach by D.K. Sutton - 3 stars
He's Perfection by David Gray - 3.5 stars
Wrong Number, Right Heart by E.M. Denning - 2.5 stars
Fluttering Heart by Hinsel Meyer - 2 stars
Blooming For You by Jem Wendel - 2.5 stars
It Must Be Fate by Lee Blair - 3.5 stars
Only Want to Be with You by London Price - 3 stars
Two Wrongs Make Mister Right by Marie Sinclair - 3.5 stars
Sugared by Merry Farmer - 2 stars
Calling from the Heart by Minerva Howe - 1.5 star
Misdialed but Meant to Be by Riley Long - 2 stars
All I Want Is You by Rye Cox - 1.5 star
My Demon Keeper by Stella Rainbow - 3 stars
Smitten by Susan Scott Shelley and Chantal Mer - 2.5 stars
Five Little Numbers by Victoria Gillilan - 1 star
The Wrong Henry by Zoe Lee - 4 stars
