Amanda
(Goodreads messed up the dates I was reading this, but whatever.) This book is delightful and so much fun to read. I loved Sofia and her family and friends were all such great, individual characters. The pacing seemed a little off, with a whole lot of plot crammed into the last 20% or so of the book, but that's my only real complaint. I really enjoyed reading this and learning about a world I'm not familiar with. This would be a great movie.
I read this in like 100-page gulps and probably could've finished it in one sitting if I didn't have to do things like sleep and work. Everything came together perfectly at the end in a way I suspected but still managed to surprise me. Even the minor characters were so well-drawn (especially the terrible ones like Harper). Highly recommended and compulsively readable.
I loved this! Elle is such a strong, unusual heroine and I could easily have read a whole other book about her (hopefully she shows up in any more books in this series). I don't usually go too much for the mystery/suspense/spy genre of romance, but I've been meaning to read Alyssa Cole forever and this book had gotten such good reviews, I went for it, and I'm so glad I did!
Probably three and a half stars, rounding up because this was just so fun. First of all, the plot of this book is absolutely ridiculous (mostly in a good way), so if you like a lot of realism in your historicals, this may not be for you. I kind of want to do a Stefan from SNL here: this book has everything! Dead noblemen tied to beds, pirate ships, runaway heiresses, debauched auctioneers ... anyway. Just roll with the plot, and you'll have a good time. I loved the MC and her backstory, and I also loved that it wasn't used to create a lot of needless angst or drama - both the main characters were refreshingly angst-free. The supporting cast was a little light, which surprised me, especially since I think this is the first in a series and I was expecting a bit more setup work for the next book. That's not really a complaint, because too much focus on side characters can also be distracting, more like a note. This book is a lot of fun as long as you can suspend your disbelief about most of the plot. I definitely recommend it!
This was exactly what I needed after the disappointment that was [b:A Scot in the Dark 27067875 A Scot in the Dark (Scandal & Scoundrel #2) Sarah MacLean https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1468811089s/27067875.jpg 46822469]! Kleypas does shared-universe right - the returning characters didn't feel shoehorned in or unnecessary, but were essential to the plot. (Minor gripe: Cassandra felt really sidelined here, especially for a character that's Pandora's twin sister! Would have loved to see more of her.) I really loved the chemistry between the main characters and that this plot didn't have a lot of over-the-top angst or ridiculous fake obstacles to the marriage. Pandora's concerns are treated respectfully and, seemingly, realistically for the time. The plot takes a kind of strange left turn at about 80% in that seems more designed to set up the next book than anything else, but that's not unusual, even though I would have appreciated more time spent on the main storyline instead. Despite that, this was perfectly refreshing and a book I couldn't stop reading. And also hooray for historical romances that don't end with the obligatory baby!!
Yeah, I didn't like this, but I really wanted to, which seems to be my usual reaction to Sarah MacLean books these days, sigh. I did like the dogs and some of the supporting cast - mostly the Talbot sisters and the dressmaker. The book really seemed to come to life when Sesily was around, and I found myself wishing it was about her instead of Lily, who really came across as a drip without a lot of personality for a good portion of the book. I could've done without all the cameos from the various other heroes, though - even the ones from the books I've read I didn't feel any burning need to see again. And my god, the plot got so damn repetitive! "I want her but I'm garbage and not good enough, but I won't tell her or the reader why!" Repeat at least twice, and then once more after the reveal of the hero's big secret, which was such an eye-roller for me. Alec is just kind of an awful character all the way around, honestly - his only personality traits are being big and tall, being Scottish, and being insanely jealous. While I don't much care for writing out Scottish dialect, it was so inconsistently done here and I wish she'd picked one or the other - either write it out all the time or not at all. And he's just wandering around London in a kilt? Sure. Seems legit. Also, why does every damn historical romance have to end with a baby or a pregnancy announcement? Especially when people have been married like two minutes.
I'm not sure why I finished this, honestly. I probably should've given up halfway in. This book should've been about Sesily, since she's the only character I enjoyed reading about. Well, her and Stanhope.
So good. I loved the characters - everyone in Starr's family all the way down to her classmates and neighbors were well-drawn, with small details that made them come to life. The book has a much bigger scope than just being “the Black Lives Matter YA book,” which is what I'd heard it described as pre-release. It is about that, of course, but also about gentrification and negotiating two different cultures and growing apart from old friends and so much more. Also, it's funny! Even late in the book as things come to a head, there were conversations that had me cracking up. (And then crying over the last few pages - seriously, it's so good.) Everyone should read this book.
Interesting, but nothing earth-shattering. Fun for the light gossip it provides - Nancy Reagan seems like a nightmare to work for - though there aren't any big revelations here, unless you were somehow unaware that JFK cheated a lot. Got a little bit repetitive, as it focused on topics (e.g. “being a child in the White House”) instead of going in chronological order or anything. Still, a fun and pretty quick read - recommended if you like Downton Abbey or other behind-the-scenes stuff.
This has some of my favorite sex scenes in any romance I've ever read. I'm not sure I have a lot to say about it beyond that, but it was definitely a fun read - I stayed up way too late last night finishing it and the second epilogue as well. (Which I know people apparently love, but meh, it was well-written but cliched as hell.)
After thinking about it longer, god, I hate the second epilogue of this book. I hate the “infertility can be cured by true love” thing in general, but it makes even less sense in historicals, when there's no such thing as modern interventions. Sometimes people are infertile even if they really want children. I feel like there are a lot more interesting stories to be told about dealing with that then there are about infertility being magically cured by a happily-ever-after.
Wonderful hilarious overstuffed ridiculous candy in novel form. A beach read crossed with a little Edith Wharton and maybe some Jane Austen, even. I devoured this in barely a week and had trouble putting it down when I needed to go to bed. Great fluffy distraction and exactly what I needed right now. Can't wait to read the sequel!
(Read Harder 2017: #2 Read a debut novel; #11 Read a book that is set more than 5000 miles from your location; #24 Read a book wherein all point-of-view characters are people of color.)
I was expecting this to be a little more like the movie, but it had a wider focus, looking at the history of black female “computers” at NASA starting in the 1940s until the late 1970s. (It also didn't focus in any degree on white characters/people, which was refreshing after the movie's Costner nonsense.) While the movie makes it clear that these three women weren't the first or only ones doing their jobs, I definitely appreciate the context this provides.
Fascinating, as a sort of second-wave feminist version of Fight Club. The most compelling plotline to me was Plum's transformation from someone who was waiting for her life to begin into someone who made her life into what she wanted. All the Jennifer stuff was interesting but never quite intersected with Plum as much as I'd like, and it was a little hard to tell what the narrative thought of Jennifer - is it satire or wish-fulfillment? (Though, of course it could be both, and of course the narrative ambiguity may be intentional.) I love how completely this book centers women and their perspectives as well; I didn't realize until writing this review that there are essentially no male characters of note, and certainly no romance plot.
I put this one down for like a week and then finished it in two big gulps when I picked it back up. Really liked the MC and the appearances of various other Bridgertons, and even liked the kids, which are usually hit or miss. The male lead wasn't quite as developed for me, but this was fun and one I could see myself returning to as a reread.
I really liked Colin in the earlier Bridgerton books, so it's a little disappointing that I found his book in the series a little bit of a letdown. I enjoyed it until the big drama about the last Whistledown paper and Colin's reaction, which seemed to really come out of nowhere, as did his writing ambitions. Other than the plot taking longer than it really needed to wrap up, this was pretty enjoyable and I really loved the heroine.
Fun, uncomplicated YA, and there's nothing wrong with that. I enjoyed the glimpses into Persian culture in the US and the main character's voice was a lot of fun and easy to spend time with. This read a little bit like a middle-grade book, or the younger end of YA, with a bit too much Valuable Lessons Learned, but overall I enjoyed this.
(Read Harder 2017: #15 Read a YA or middle grade novel by an author who identifies as LGBTQ+.)
Devoured this in just over a day and really enjoyed it. Was never in doubt about where it was going, but it's a romance, so that's not unusual. Loved the fairytale retelling aspect and how the book was at least a bit more realistic about the class differences than some other historicals I've read (and enjoyed). Plot takes a little bit too long to wrap up, but I can't complain when the resolution is so satisfying.
Glad I persisted with this series after not loving The Duke and I, because this was pretty delightful. I loved the MC, though I would've liked more development of the relationship between her and Edwina (and I was kind of hoping there would be an Edwina book, but looks like no such luck). There wasn't anything earth-shattering or unexpected here, but there's nothing wrong with an enjoyable way to spend a few hours.
I wanted to like this, but I overall found it pretty slow going - neither of the leads really came alive for me, and I found the other Bridgertons more interesting. I usually love the fake-relationship trope, but again, this didn't take off in the way they normally do. Things seemed to pick up, and then That Sex Scene. I don't care whether it's a man or a woman, refusing to let someone pull out or stop having sex with you (even if you believe they consented at first, which is gonna be ambiguous at best if they were drunk and/or sleeping), in the hopes of conceiving a child with them, is reproductive coercion at best and flat-out sexual assault at worst. And Daphne didn't seem to think she'd done anything wrong, and Simon's inner monologue when he's thinking about it is just about the most victim-blaming stuff I've read in a romance novel. I know it's never as easy as just switching the genders, but seriously, if it were a man insisting on coming inside a woman who doesn't want to conceive, we call that sexual assault, Julian Assange. The book somewhat recovered from that, but not enough for me to recommend this book, which is a bummer, since I've heard so much good about this series. Hopefully the next one is better.
