Sydney

I found the bones of the book was good but I ended up skim reading the last 1/3. The plot moved super fast and I would’ve enjoyed letting the story breath and for there to be more groundwork. Hard to convert a slow burn lover to something different.

I read the sequel to this book first and found For Butter or Worse a bit lacking. I didn't care as much about the leads growing romance and found it all a little blah.

I have tried to read this like 3 times and each time I do get a little further but each time it somehow gets worse and worse. I don’t get the chemistry. I have no investment in the plot. Not for me.

DNF. I tried really hard to get through this book but finished somewhere around Chapter 13. I'll be brief- why is this book in a knitting series? So far it has only been mentioned once. Second- for someone who is said to be very intelligent, she sure is dumb. Three- I would've liked this when I was 14 (a true mark of a poorly written romance novel that only supports antiquated dating habits that are toxic and unhealthy)

Meta truly doesn't understand the Barbara Streisand effect when it comes to public relations because they got me to read this book - and my record shows I don't read that much nonfiction. I found this memoir a page-turner and appreciated Sarah showing both how Meta affected her as a person and how she saw them affecting the world. While others may not appreciate the pieces of her personal life woven into this story of corruption, I think they play an important part in framing the habitual misdeeds of this corporation.

After finishing this book, I removed Instagram and Facebook from my phone in an effort to reduce my time spent, data given, and attention wasted for the capital gains of a man I don't believe in.

DNF. Even for a novella this got too hot and heavy too fast. Stopped around 50%. This wasn't even instalove just instaf*ck.

I wanted to like this book. I don't mind a MMC who can be commanding but this whole book (especially the subplot!!!!!) reeked of sexism. However not all blame
Is on him because this is a case of “everyone sucks here”.

This needs more readers! I stumbled across this on accident and I love love loved it. If romantasy mysteries had a chic lit sister, this book would be it. Shanna did an incredible job creating a world that felt fun, unique and captivating. I will read the next in the series.

Be forewarned - this book has a cliffhanger ending.

However, it is so worth the read. I find Nora's creativity really shines in books about everyday folks encountering things beyond the realm of possibility. I cannot wait to see where this trilogy takes me.

This book gives you a haunting feeling of unease but is a well written story that underneath all the fur is a picture of grief, unwanted change, and acceptance.

Will I cop to reading this if asked at the work breakroom? Probably not but that applies to a lot of the books I read. This is probably one of the best books I've read by Ruby Dixon - the plot feels layered and is nestled in a world built with intention and forethought. She did an excellent job of using real history to create a book full of intrigue, fun characters and page turning chapters.

This is definitely a book of its time - affairs around every corner, assault, some homophobia and racism - but the heart of the book was delightful. I enjoyed the overall story line of bidding on the franchise especially as an American who was unaware that this even happened! Taggie and Rupert were adorable, Freddie and Lizzie made me forget that I hated cheating in romances, Declan and Maud made me question their sanity, and Cameron and Patrick are......a repeat of Declan and Maud in a way. I would read another Jilly Cooper!

This book calls into the cozy mystery genre by my standards - short, fun, not too serious, with a dash of cute romance. These are great palette cleansers and perfect for when you're in a reading slump.

I need more people to discover Cassandra Gannon. I find her writing fun, lighthearted and very creative! She has unique plots, settings, characters while still feeling familiar. While I've picked up some of her books and not been interested, the ones I have read have all been recommendable and I have a feeling I will reread her in the future!

DNF at 34% - awkward mechanics, story line started to feel tired and overused for the genre, and characters weren't enough to make me want to keep reading.

Quickly summarized - incessant death attempts but nobody dies

I had high hopes because I enjoyed her other series but this just felt short, rushed and fell short of my expectations.

I couldn't remember why I stopped reading Freehan and now I remember why. Red Flag Central! While I totally understand that the dynamics of shifter romances might be different there are still lines of respect and boundaries and what's healthy. I'm not a fan of “fated mates” in shifter romances but this is not why I disliked this book. The male lead is borderline sociopathic and has sever control, anger and violence issues. I kept waiting for a redeeming moment and it never happened. I hate skimmed the last 2/3 of the book. I will be unlikely to pick up any more books by this author in the future.

Intrigued to see where the story goes. I think I would have enjoyed this more in print vs the audiobook.

I don't know how to rate this book because I can't say I really “enjoyed” reading this book but it did keep me captivated and turning the pages. There's something to be said with how terrifying danger can be when it moves quietly underneath the fog of suburban mundanity.

Mr. Hendrix wrote a truly masterful thriller mystery - highlighting how important it is to believe people and protect not just your own without making this book feel like a moral parable.

SPOILER CONTENT BELOW HERE
My biggest gripe with this book is that I felt none of the men received any consequences. All of the husbands were complicit to an extent - choosing to not believe their wives and paint them as crazy. Choosing instead to stay in the false safety of the brotherhood of white affluency. Sure they lost money but its that really the comeuppance they deserved?

Mrs. Greene was the true protagonist and hero of this story. Without her I don't think there would be a story to tell. She was my favorite character of all the women.

Overall I think I'd rate this 3.5 stars.

“And yeah he had taken things a little far but she hadn't exactly complained, she had gotten off - he hadn't. If anyone should be pissed off, it was him.”

I tried really hard to like this book but DNF'd around pg. 130

I'm not going to rate this book because I didn't DNF because this book was atrocious - I just didn't care for it. The slang felt stilted and forced, the “scandal” felt overblown, the instant attraction came across as icky and I had no motivation to finish. Only read this far because it was a book club book read. Was able to quit reading because I can't make the meeting this month.

Maybe its someone else's cup of tea.

All I have to say right now (because I just finished this book and it's almost midnight) is Team Sam.

Demon romances are just not for me. And I feel like this book was over just as it began.

I've known middle school cliques to plan capers better than that scurry of idiots who goofed Watergate. Listening to this audiobook detailing the escapades of those hotel robbers and the men pulling the strings behind the curtain only confirmed that men are some of the worst planners and secret keepers. Somehow men are still convinced that they're political geniuses. Nixon really took - don't leave a paper trail - too literally and instead left the world's biggest audio trail, check trail, and records trail. Someone should have told him that a paper trail wasn't a path littered with Hammermill 28lb. 

My second complaint about Watergate is that for such a big failure it was, it also happened to be considerably boring. Honestly the highlight was Martha Mitchell who ratted them out and the only solution they could think up to discredit her was false imprisonment and calling her crazy. Someone should have given her a medal for her trouble. I wonder if she divorced the man after.

jeopardy song while I google to find out

....Well at least they separated. She really got the raw end of the deal. In this decade, the public would have loved her to pieces. On another occasion separate from Watergate, she refused to curtsy for the Queen. You have to love a dame with a backbone who speaks her mind. 

I will give this book a few points in its favor. It is wonderfully detailed and does lead the writer along the timeline of Watergate in a methodical manner. The audiobook is further enhanced with clips from the actual audio tapes. (The narrator also does a delightful Kissinger accent) It is not the author's fault that Nixon had a big head and also happened to be boring and surrounded by a cadre of ego feeders. 

Haig on Day 178 is probably my favorite part of this whole book. It was refreshing to see someone so clearly appalled that a sitting president was such a dumkhof who thought installing an automatic recording system in the White House, a brilliant idea. “Boss you've got to have a bonfire” was also somewhat amusing but Haig's clear “are you an idiot” thoughts reflected how I felt as an outside observer. 

Would I recommend this book to anyone? As casual reading? no. For those seeking a blow by blow without having to dig through transcripts and news articles? Yes.

Have I been influenced to have some cottage cheese with pineapple? No. 

Do I commend Michael Dobbs? Yes, I am sure that this book was a massive and tedious undertaking. I will also note that Dobbs does not appear to use this book as an opportunity to teach us political parables. 

I will however disagree with him on one important note - I do not have any empathy for Nixon in this whole affair. I do not think he is solely and wholly culpable for what happened. However the success of your presidency is determined by those you decided to surround yourself with. And at the end of the day...the buck stops with the man at the top.