Lynn Painter - Better Than the Movies

Liz Buxbaum has always known that Wes Bennett was not boyfriend material. You would think that her next-door neighbor would be a prince candidate for her romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only proven himself to be a pain in the butt, ever since they were little. Wes was the kid who put a frog in her Barbie Dreamhouse, the monster who hid a lawn gnome's severed head in her little homemade neighborhood book exchange.
Flash forward ten years from the Great Gnome Decapitation. It's Liz's senior year, a time meant to be rife with milestones perfect for any big screen, and she needs Wes's help. See, Liz's forever crush, Michael, has just moved back to town, and—horribly, annoyingly—he's hitting it off with Wes. Meaning that if Liz wants Michael to finally notice her, and hopefully be her prom date, she needs Wes. He's her in.
But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz her magical prom moment, she's shocked to discover that she actually likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own perception of what Happily Ever After should really look like.

Comment: I had a book by this author in the TBR list, and when I saw some positive reviews about this one, I recognized the author's name and decided to add it too. I didn't pay attention but since the other book I have is an adult contemporary, I've made the wrong assumption this would be as well, and it isn't. 

In this story we meet Liz, she is a teenager thinking about prom and what life will be like when she leaves for college, but she is also thinking about the fact many of these milestones won't be seen by her mother, who died years ago. Liz still misses her but life did go on and now she needs a date for prom and since friendly Michael is back and he used to be her crush, she realizes he remains as appealing as before and plans on becoming closer to him again. The problem is how to approach him, so she asks her neighbor Wes for help. She and Wes have been "enemies" since they were children but he still accepts to give her a hand now. However, there is a problem, Liz can't remember Wes being this funny, this helpful and perhaps she needs to think who she really wants to go with her to prom...

I confess I was caught unaware because this book happens to be a YA story, and years ago I've made a decision to stay away from these types of books, especially if they are meant to be romances, because so much about the dynamics annoyed me and the romance always failed to impress me, since the protagonists are young. I went even further by sometimes reading YA if it was an historical or an M/M but not contemporary F/M because often it would include love triangles and... argh!

Well, as it were, that was precisely what the plot of this story was focused about. It is true the main concept is about Liz realizing her mother's memory will never leave her, no matter what she does in life or what choices she has, but the action itself is heavily set on a teenager doing teenager stuff and to be truly honest, I was annoyed at teenagers when I was one, and even more now that I am not. This to say that while the book isn't bad and there are some interesting notions (although incredibly predictable) to think of, I was still not that impressed because this genre no longer seduces me and because of the love triangle.

The story is easy to read, the writing is fluid and all that, but the content was not something I particularly like now. Liz is a special enough heroine, I think the author did a good job on showing us how Liz still tries to hold on to her mother's memory and what she believes her mother would do and say if she were still alive, and of course this can be emotional. I especially liked how Liz' father married again and her stepmother Helena seems to be a good person, but there is still some tension there, even though Liz likes her enough. If the plot had been more about this or something else than the obvious love triangle, I might have enjoyed the book more too.

I'd say this is one of those stories that would work beautifully as a movie, for it only explores some superficial ideas, even if they do matter. I think Liz is a smart character but I can't think that while she emotionally understands a few things, she doesn't others? To me, this made the story feel too predictable, because it's supposed to lead to a certain climax and there wasn't any element regarding that which would make this a much better story than others before. I still think some emotional scenes with Liz and her stepmother, or Liz and Wes were interesting ,but nothing beyond that.

Apart from all the usual teenage stuff that is often included in these stories, the love triangle was so... well I suppose I should feel glad this isn't some weird story where these characters are eroticized way further than they had to, and there wasn't much about that side of things, but the love triangle definitely was there. Liz likes Michael for the memories he elicited on her, but of course anyone would see how Wes is perfect for her. It is also a little frustrating how Liz sees her life as a rom-com, especially since she and her mother would watch those movies together, and the clues are so glaring and she still doesn't think about what Wes means to her sooner.

I suppose I can accept that it's always easier to see things when it's not about us, but this situation made for a slightly repetitive story and I only kept reading because the writing was appealing, that is true. Besides that, this story followed all the usual patterns, such as the love triangle reaching a climax scene when Liz had just realized Wes was the boy she liked, and immediately following that, other problems happened because she had been lying about why she was spending time with Wes.... I mean, things that feel rather juvenile, but these are teenagers after all...

As a whole, this was easy to read, not that bad in terms of development, but it's a genre that no longer really appeals to me. If I had not read it, I don't think I'd have missed much, now that I did read it. 

I hope the adult contemporary I still have in the pile to read will prove to be appealing, in terms of style of writing, since this was not too bad despite my lack of interest in the YA genre.

Grade: 6/10

Terry Spear - Heart of the Wolf

Bella, a female red werewolf, was adopted by a pack of gray wolves as a pup. Now grown up, the alpha of the pack tries to make her his mate against her will--Bella knows she has no choice but to run away.
She makes her way as a lone wolf until childhood friend, Devlyn, comes to bring her home. On their journey back, they get tangled in up in unimaginable danger and must apprehend a werewolf murderer while keeping their identity secret from humans. The chemistry between them sizzles like never before...but they both know if they mate, Devlyn will have to fight the pack's wicked alpha...and it's a fight to the death.

Comment: According to my notes, I purchased this paperback in April of 2010. That means it's been in the shelf for 14 years! Sadly to me, it didn't end up being one of those gems one would think was a missed chance in all those years...

In this PNR story we meet Bella, a red werewolf in a pack of grey ones and the alpha Volan wants her to be his mate. The problem is that Bella believes her mate is beta Devlyn and he, of course, wants Bella too, but the pack dynamics aren't that easy to avoid. When she can, Bella runs away, so that she doesn't have to be forced to mate Volan, which means she needs to be away from Devlyn too, and that way Volan doesn't feel he has to challenge and kill him. Years later, Bella is investigating the murders of other wolves, when she is captured and taken into a zoo, and then rescued by Devlyn. This time, she is convinced nothing can separate them, but Volan is still out there... will they have any chance to be happy as mates, just like they have always wanted?

◾There will be some spoilers included.

On the cover of the paperback edition I own, there is this accolade by Publishers Weekly stating "The couple's chemistry crackles off the page." I have no knowledge on how these statements are decided, who actually writes them and such, but it's obvious that whatever sentence is used, has to be positive and alluring, so that a reader might feel more confidence in buying or choosing that book. Unfortunately, I cannot agree and, in fact, I'd say instead that I missed all clues of the couple's chemistry in this story.

The story begins well enough, with a prologue where we are told how much Bella wants to be with Devlyn but he doesn't want to risk the alpha's ire, and she turns her interest to a possible human mate. But that man runs away when Volan arrives and after that Bella makes the decision to disappear. Then comes chapter 1 and if I had thought the prologue had been lacking in structure, what to say about a new chapter which was set more than 100 years later, but no worries because the author informs us that werewolves don't age the same way as humans, so Bella looks only 21. I confess: the author lost me right there.

From this moment on, the story simply stopped being interesting to me, because I could tell, and the following pages proved it to me, that it doesn't really have any kind of appealing werewolf society nor compelling world building and the existence of grey and red wolves who might mix or might not mix was not enough to convince me these werewolves were special enough for me to root for them or for what was happening. Then, Bella is also investigating the disappearance and death of other red female werewolves, and Devlyn helps her. But before this, Bella is captured and taken to a zoo, from which Devlyn has to rescue her... does this sound as ridiculous out loud as it does if I only write it down?

Sadly, there isn't much information I can share about the plot development, because I've skimmed the rest of the novel. Let it be said that everything is solved, and in the meantime Bella and Devlyn finally become mates and in the very end they become alphas of their pack. It is a pity this story wasn't done better, because the concept isn't bad and I do like werewolf stories, but this "world" was not appealing and the main characters had no real depth nor did they captivate me to want to know what would happen to them next.

Protagonist Bella was a confusing character. I can accept her wanting to be with Devlyn if she liked him, if she had a connection with him and vice versa, but her personality just didn't convince me and I did not sympathize with her. The fact that there is also a big part of the story set on the whole mating and sex thing for her, made her seem too focused on those things and not on the emotional/psychological/intellectual side of her character, and I didn't like her much.

As for Devlyn, he seems a relatable enough guy, but I didn't pay enough attention to him in general. I can wonder, though, if the end of the story is what it is, him challenging the alpha, why not do it sooner? Of course because that was the climax of the story, but I found no valid reason to delay this, nothing in the plot or in their lives was vital on the postponing of this fight and change in status, which means the secondary situations, such as the murder investigations, felt incredible flimsy and made Devlyn seem rather pointless until then.

All things considered, not a great story for me, but it's off the TBR at last. I saw the average ratings for the following books in the series are much higher, and I suppose that it has to mean something, but I don't think I'll read them. I have way too much to dedicate myself to as it is.

Grade: 3/10

Isabelle Rowan - A Note in the Margin

John McCann, a man who judges life by the tally of an accounts ledger, has a supreme goal in life: To achieve, live, and enjoy the rarified executive lifestyle. But he's encountered one problem: The migraines are going to continue to get worse unless you make some major changes in your lifestyle. What you need is a 'sea change' Perhaps buy a nice little business in the country, settle down, something easier to occupy your time
While John knows the doctor is right, he just can't resign from the job he's fought so hard for. He decides the sacrifice of taking a year's leave of absence won't interfere too much with his plans, and so he finds himself running Margins, a cozy little bookstore, with the help of the former owner's son, Jamie. John expects to put in his year, get his stress under control, and then get back to business.
What John doesn't expect is how Margins and its denizens draw him in, particularly the quiet, disheveled man who takes refuge in the old leather chair in the second-hand book section. John's plans for an unattached year of simple business crumble when he meets David and is forced to reevaluate life, love and what he really wants from both. John and David are forced to come to terms with their pasts as they struggle to determine what possible future they might build together.

Comment: As I've said in other posts, I've started to read more often in English around 2006, 2007 and kept going until today. In fact, most of what I read is in English and not in my Portuguese mother language. 

Around that time, I've "discovered" PNR, which was the trend, and from then, I went into other genres and types of stories, including M/M. This book was published in 2009 and I remember I've added this to my TBR because many people I interacted with in forums at that time, who also loved M/M, mentioned this title. 

Well, after all these years, I finally picked it to read!

In this story we meet John McCann, who decides to take things slower after what seemed to be a burnout, which caused the severe migraines he has had. He buys out a bookstore business because it reminded him of his childhood, but he plans on using his adult and demanding business knowledge to make it more profitable than what it is. He likes Jamie, the son of the previous owner and who will remain as his employee, but he isn't as keen on David, the homeless man who visits everyday and even has his own chair inside, where he can read in peace and safety.

At first, he believes David would keep clients away, but as time goes buy, not only does he get used to David, but an't help be drawn to him. Although the interest seems mutual, David can't change his ways as easily as John would want, isn't it? Or will John be able to help David realizing his potential and believe in a future together?

There is something to be said about books being read long after the hype they caused. If there was a hype, or any reason for why that book having caught one's attention, would it work when those emotions aren't to be considered anymore? I do like M/M books to also be a certain way and perhaps it's my perception alone, but some M/M romance novels nowadays seem to be more romantic oriented, or at least those are the one I look for the most. I'm saying this because after finishing this book and comparing it to others which were released years after, this one now looks less vibrant, and written in a not so contemporary way, with less sentimental impact. Would I have felt it differently had I read it back then, or is it the author's style alone?

Perhaps this all in my own head. Anyway, the story is certainly provoking and I confess I thought the vibe would be more about struggling due to mourning and not about one character being homeless but maybe I got it confused with another book. I think the idea of a romance between someone who feels confident in life and someone who doesn't isn't impossible, but I will have to agree with the readers who said that it doesn't feel the dynamics were done as well as they could.

In my opinion, the issue is that while John never forces David into anything and actually has reactions I'd say are realistic to several situations, David himself doesn't seem to manifest his need to change in a way I'd consider convincing. I would have accepted the romance between them more if David had been more proactive sooner, if he had made more decisive options to change/improve himself and his life and not only act and react if guided by John and others who cared about him. 

The way things happen, it felt to me that David wasn't at the best moment to really want to the change, the improvement, and I can't say if it what blocked him was the social circumstances alone, with all the shame and self conscious feelings he had regarding his situation and the things he did for some money, or if everything was really connected to his apparent depression and the mental illness that came from that and his downward spiral, which led him to become homeless.

This said, it means that I felt the romance to be rather weakly done and even though I can accept the fantasy/fiction of this being a possibility, I wasn't convinced David and John were such a strong couple. I think this story would have been stronger if the goal was not the romance.

The slow type pf plot and the issues David needs to deal with, along with John's stronger personality and expectations, especially after getting to know David and his problems, also meant that when they become intimate so quickly after some emotion between them is established, it felt too soon and actually a little ridiculous to me in that situation.

The story is told in third person, from the POV of several characters. At first, it felt as if we would only have John's thoughts, but suddenly, from nowhere, in the following paragraph, we would have someone else's! I didn't expect that, and this kept happening from time to time, and we would have John's POV, and David's, and Jamie's and even Barbara's, the social worker at the shelter David went to sometimes. This is a good way to advance things or for the reader to learn some things better, but I think the author could have structured the story in a more functional way.

While reading, there were some things I liked, others I found less interesting and some actions by John in particular, weren't always that great to endear him to me. This happened mostly in the beginning, which can be understandable, but along with the author's writing style, meant that he and the other characters never felt really well fleshed nor did I feel their progress in the story was well achieved. I think they lacked some depth of character, even more so bearing in mind the type of content in this story, and all the circumstances related to David.

To sum it all: I think the idea of this story is a good one, but the execution wasn't. A few details just didn't seem to follow a logical pattern, and what did was misplaced because the focus seems to be on romance, when there was no real chemistry between the protagonists, the way I see it, nor time and mental availability for things to be taken as such in a serious way. One less off the pile...

Grade: 5/10

TBR Challenge: Sara Ramsey - The Marquess Who Loved Me

The widowed Marchioness of Folkestone is notorious for her parties, her art collection, and her utter disregard for the rules. But Ellie Claiborne knows her destruction is near. The new marquess is her first lover–the man whose sculpted body and sardonic grin haunt her every time she picks up her paintbrush. If he ever returns to claim his inheritance, her heart won’t survive seeing him again.
Nicholas Claiborne hasn’t stepped foot in England since watching Ellie marry his cousin. He has no use for the gorgeous, heartless girl who betrayed him, or the title she abandoned him for. But when his business in India turns deadly, Nick must return to London to uncover a murderer–and take revenge on the woman he couldn’t force himself to forget.
Nick hates Ellie’s transformation from sweet debutante to jaded seductress. Ellie despises him for leaving her behind. Still, the sparks between them reignite the passion that should have been their destiny. As their demands of each other turn darker and a potential killer closes in, they must decide whether to guard the fragile remnants of their hearts—or find a way to fall in love all over again.

Comment: One more month gone and it's now time for a new TBR challenge post! For April the theme is "no place like home" and in my mind I imagined someone returning home after being away for a long time, for that feeling of cherishing home is certainly stronger in that situation. It just happened that I had already planned to read this book this month, about a man who left his country and is now back to take charge of his estate, thus my choice was easy this month. 

This is actually the third installment in the Muses of Mayfair series, about four friends who have uncommon hobbies/passions considering the historical setting. 

Elinor, a widowed marchioness and painter, is going on about her life as usual, when Nicholas Claiborne decides to return and take over his estate. In the past Nick and Ellie had been sweethearts in love but when her father was told about this, he found a titled husband for her instead of Nick, who was a merchant's son at the time. Coincidentally, Ellie's new husband was Charles, the marquess of Folkstone, who happened to be Nick's cousin, and he could not accept the betrayal, leaving for India. Now Nick is back after several years, is the current heir of the estate where Ellie has lived and he wants revenge. However, despite the years, could it be that there is still love between them, and a place at home for Nick?

I will say that most of this book proved me right, once again, on why I tend to not enjoy the lovers reunited trope that much.

Ellie and Nick had been in love, a sweet, puppy kind of love which they believed could last forever and they were even intimate. Then, events happened to prevent them from being together and Nick could not believe she would marry his cousin instead, thinking she had done it only for the title, whereas he and his family were linked to trade and he could not give her the same. That is why he left and why he became successful. Now he is back and wants to get revenge on Ellie, but as they start interacting once more, they both realize the teenage feelings aren't gone.

I find these lovers reunited stories very boring in general, because there are pages and pages or scenes popping up all the time about past memories, about reminiscence, about past events/situations which cannot be changed and that, nevertheless, affect the characters and their choices in the present. I was, I admit, rather annoyed at Nick and Ellie for how they behaved in the past, but even more so for how they are now and the type of actions/behavior they have. This meant that while the story had its appeal, and I was curious to see them interacting with the secondary characters, their actual romance and reunion was boring as everything.

Certainly that this is a personal interpretation of the story line, and the reunion the actual purpose of the plot, but I struggled to find interest in what they were saying and doing. Most times I was annoyed because a frank conversation both in the past and now would make things easier - if not solving the conflict right away - but when this does happen to minimize the problems between them as I predicted, many chapters of silly games had already happened, increasing my general displeasure about them as a couple.

In the past, Ellie accepted to marry Nick's cousin because it was what her father wanted. However, I could not sympathize because in the now, the father is no longer in the picture and Ellie is sometimes acting as a jaded widow, and I just could not empathize with her. I think we are supposed to see her as becoming colder or cynical because of her past experiences, but I think I'd have liked her more if her choice in the past had been for a greater/stronger reason. Pleasing a father in an historical context might have more importance than in a contemporary one somehow, but I don't think the author wrote things in the best way to make the reader (well, me) convinced that those reasons had been the only possible ones.

Perhaps I can add that, in general, the writing of this story was not very.... satisfying. Perhaps, in part, it's the trope's fault, always something I'm already beware of, but the characterization of Ellie and Nick in the now just did not made me root for them. I knew the end would be that they would become an established couple again, but the process was not a romantic nor sweet one enough for me to think of them as a successful one. 

Nick, as well as Ellie, is now a more experienced person in relationships with others and this did affect his behavior into something less understanding. But I could put this aside if his goal was to win Ellie back or to find a way to finally get answers, but his silly games of revenge and how the author invented a way for them to need to be together while they didn't want to nor needed to, was really frustrating. Silly sexual revenge games did not make me think of them as a romantic couple, and when, supposedly, their feelings are romantic and happy again, I was no longer interested in them.

There are some references to Ellie's painting and why it was important to her, but not as much as the passions of the other female protagonists had been highlighted for plot purposes. I did like the interaction between the protagonists and the secondary characters, but when the author adds an apparent villain who is trying to kill Nick, so that the plot has to move towards romantic bliss more obviously, I thought this was a rather weak method of doing it. 
I think the "no place like home" notion that prompted my choice was well achieved, for Nick does return from India and he does reminisce about his home and his younger years, and the story ends with an HEA for him and Ellie in his current role, and estate.

Still, in general, this wasn't as special as I imagined it could be despite my usual reservations for this trope... I hope the final story of the quartet is more to my taste, at least the idea of it seems to be and I hope I won't be disappointed.

Grade: 5/10

Hazel Prior - Ellie and the Harp Maker

In the rolling hills of beautiful Exmoor, there’s a barn. And in that barn, you’ll find Dan. He’s a maker of exquisite harps - but not a great maker of conversation. He’s content in his own company, quietly working and away from social situations that he doesn’t always get right.
But one day, a cherry-socked woman stumbles across his barn and the conversation flows a little more easily than usual. She says her name’s Ellie, a housewife, alone, out on her daily walk and, though she doesn’t say this, she looks sad. He wants to make her feel better, so he gives her one of his harps, made of cherry wood.
And before they know it, this simple act of kindness puts them on the path to friendship, big secrets, pet pheasants and, most importantly, true love.

Comment: I saw this book in some 2021 list about characters out of the ordinary and having liked other fiction/chick lit stories which had similar premises, I decided to take a chance on this one.

Ellie is a somehow lonely woman who feels adrift, with no real purpose. Her husband Clive earns enough that she doesn't have to work, which was a blessing when she was laid off, but now her days seem to be endless, with the same old routines. Things change when while on a hike around Exmoor she stumbles on Dan Hollis' barn, where he does his harps. Dan has a simple life and interests and his harp making keep him busy and in a routine he knows is essential for his well being. Ellie is a surprise and he decides to give her a harp, but her husband convinces her to give it back. When Ellie tries this, Dan tells her she can keep the harp in his barn and practice there if she wants. This secret of Ellie starts them off in a path which will have consequences they might not be able to cope with, or will they?

When I added this book to my TBR I confess my hope was that somehow Ellie and Dan would realize they could be a couple. Since Ellie is married, I foresaw some angst in the middle, some truths to face, but the fact is that while one could see this novel as the pre-romance stage - nothing romantic happens between Ellie and Dan - it still wasn't the story I imagined it would be. I won't say it was a bad story, because I did like it enough, but it didn't quite reach the emotional levels I wanted either.

Dan is clearly in the autistic spectrum, even though the word or anything related to his way of being isn't mentioned or referenced. I imagined this would add some layers to how the story would develop, such as I've seen happening in other books where a character was autistic (or had a similar condition), so I really wasn't expecting this larger than life romance or anything, but I still hoped for something more than what did happen. Of course, both Dan and Ellie have issues to deal in their lives, and romance is definitely not the main thing their minds throughout the novel, but... once a romance reader, romance is everywhere.

The story is told in alternate chapters from Ellie and Dan's POVs, third person. I usually like this style of storytelling, to me the best of both worlds, we can have an idea what the character is thinking, but not in the direct way of first person that often makes characters look silly for their thoughts. Well, unless the author is amazing. Anyway, I liked this choice because it's an easier way to follow the main characters and even guess what might happen, from their actions. For instance, Ellie makes an assumption which ends up being correct, and we get to see her act on it. If she had simply said it as narrator, it would feel way more intrusive than what I think already...

Ellie is a very complex character and, unlike Dan's own complexity, it's not because of how her brain works. From what we learn, Ellie is a slightly insecure woman, who got married to a manipulator, and while he was never aggressive towards her, we can guess he mined her confidence in other ways. We are also shown how they don't seem to match, but I did like it that the author didn't use this to better highlight her connection to Dan, as if he would be better by comparison; that certainly did not seem to be the goal. Still, I liked Ellie for the most part, and was rooting for her to finally understand what was in front of her.

Dan is complex, but simpler to read at the same time. His way of seeing life is pretty simple, but he does learn something that changes a lot for him. I think this element was an interesting addition and I thought most of the plot's conflict would be about that, but the reality is that things seemed to go into a sort of predictable path, and this didn't have to be a bad thing, if done well, but then the author comes up with a dramatic way of turning the story around and that is when she "lost" me a little.

Until, let's say, the 75% mark, I thought this was a solid 4 stars for me, most elements were fine, maybe could be better, but I still liked the way things were going. Then, the author decides to add one or two elements to twist the situation into something even more dramatic, and I felt it was too much. Things didn't have to go that way, that intensely, and it kind of brought the story to a lesser level, to me. 

The end is very vague, more along the lines of HFN considering what we see happen, and the apparent decisions the characters would make, but imagining this at will did not work for me, I would have preferred less drama and more definite decisions.

I might try something else by the author one day.

Grade: 7/10

Happy Weekend!

 Enjoy your weekend, read, relax and cuddle your cat/pet if you have them! 😸💛

(here)

Stephanie Rowe - Date Me, Baby, One More Time

Immortal guardian Justine Bennet has one duty: keep a powerful magical item out of the hands of troublemakers, like, oh, the leader of hell. The eternity of celibacy that goes with her job? Something that would have been nice to know before she signed up for it.
Then Derek LaValle, a no-carb pretzel mogul, shows up at her door to behead her, which is the only way to save his twin from a deadly curse. Derek's charming, tempting-as-hell, and extremely determined, all the things that Justine needs to amp up her life.
Unfortunately, if Justine lets him live, her mom will end up as Satan's love pancake. But if Derek doesn't kill her, his twin will die in a week.
When high-octane attraction blooms between them, a dramatic fight to the death no longer feels like such a fantastic option. But with such high stakes, they better figure it out fast, or Satan dating her mom will become the least of their worries.

Comment: This is one of those books which has been in the TBR list for who knows how long. When I started reading more in English around 2007 and 2008, right after authors like Nora Roberts, Barbara Delinsky and Sandra Brown, who were my first obsession and why I dedicated myself to read in English, the trend at the time was the PNR genre and I acquired many of those books that caught my attention, this among them. 

(to compare prices now, how nostalgic, some paperbacks were like 4 or 5€ only... 😞 )

In this paranormal adventure, we meet heroine Justine, she is the keeper or protector of a magical goblet that might provide eternal life to the person who drinks from it. Obviously, many people are after this artifact, but Justine and her friend Theresa, who was transformed into a dragon centuries ago, share life and their days, both protecting the goblet and keeping boredom away. 

However, Derek laValle is worried about his family's curse, in which men at age 31 and some months die, no matter what. Right after seeing his cousin Les perish, Derek decides to look for the goblet and kill its protector so that the curse can and with its magical powers. Although it was relatively easy to find Justine's address, it's not as easy to convince her to give him the goblet, so he will need to kill her. At the same time, Justine needs to kill Derek to pass a specific test by the Council that appointed her the protector of the goblet but... what happens if they fall in love?

I think the premise of this story is a cute and intriguing one. My biggest problem with the book, though, is that the development felt very thin and silly to me. Now, one can say, as other readers have, with that cover and title not much should be expected, but I've seen there are other editions of this book, mainly digital ones, with different covers and even titles, so would the readers of those, unaware of the original cover, expect the same?

I suppose the author thought about the original work and these new editions might have changes or some improvement, but if those are not my editions, I can only speak about the one I have, and that one offered a story which was incredibly inconsistent to me. Perhaps I'm over analyzing, and that is not the point of this apparently comedy story, but whether the goal is to amuse, or to entertain or to emotionally impress the reader, it still should be a well structured and developed story, which I felt this was not.

The set up isn't bad, the two protagonists have their reasons for what they do and they have a task, and somehow there's a conflict in their goals when they meet and start feeling attracted to each other. I think this wasn't such a bad idea to develop and I think the author conveyed enough need as to why Justine and Derek felt their respective goals had to be accomplished, but their personalities and actions and interactions were all described as being over the top. With this i mean that the writing style made it look like everything was fun and cute and slightly ridiculous but I didn't see it as such, to me the way things happen doesn't feel like a never ending party, it's more like unlikely situations after one another.

For instance, Therese the dragon is a friend of Justine, she apparently drank from the goblet once, got transformed into a dragon... why did this happen, which purpose did it have beyond the shock factor? Now Therese lives hidden with Justine, but has an obsession with sex and the cyber world, and every time she showed up in the page, somehow she had to talk about sex. OK, I get it, but the repetitiveness didn't strike me as cute, it was more like annoying.

Anyway, there are other examples, such as Justine's mother being a ghost in purgatory, then Satan being her love interest, then some more ridiculous things happen related to the whole "protecting the goblet" thing and it got to a point where it was all a little too much with fabricated stuff. It is true that humor and comedy are subjective, and each person has their own way of feeling it, but while I liked a few details or one or two scenes more, the majority of the story wasn't that great. I kept hoping something more substantial in terms of plot would happen, but when the conundrum between Justine and Derek and how could they end up together without killing each other as finally solved, I wasn't as invested. That aspect, by the way, also felt it was dealt with rather quickly for the confusion it caused throughout the story.

The romance was.... unappealing, for the most part. I say this because I felt no real chemistry, no real tension between them besides the words but since the scenes, in my opinion,didn't follow suit, the final result was ordinary and I will likely remember only a few details about their story. 

I also think characterization was weak and somehow shallow which, along with the rest, made this a very mediocre story and I don't feel like trying the other books in the series.

Grade: 4/10

Jodi Picoult - My Sister's Keeper

Sara Fitzgerald's daughter Kate is just two years old when she is diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia. Reeling with the helpless shock of it, Sara knows she will do anything -- whatever it takes - to save her child. Then the tests results come back time and again to show that no one in their family is a match for Kate. If they are to find a donor for the crucial bone marrow transplant she needs, there is only one option: creating another baby, specifically designed to save her sister. For Sara, it seems the ideal solution. Not only does Kate live, but she gets a beautiful new daughter, Anna, too. Until the moment Anna hands Sara the papers that will rock her whole world. Because, aged thirteen, Anna has decided that she doesn't want to help Kate live any more. She is suing her parents for the rights to her own body.

Comment: This is another book I brought from the library, for one of my book challenges, this time something that everyone has read and I didn't. I have read two other books by the author, but not this one.

In this famous story and movie, we meet the Fitzgeralds, a family whose main focus has been on Kate, the older sister, and someone with leukemia. In an attempt to find a way to help their daughter, Sara and Brian had another child, Anna, through a treatment, so this new child could be born with the exact requirements to donate blood from the umbilical cord, which worked at first. However, the disease has returned time after time and Anna has donate way more than what anyone would imagine, now the case being a possible kidney transplant. Then, Anna decides on a shocking step, she wants to ask legal medical emancipation from her parents, but how will everyone react, how will this affect the family and, of course, Kate's health?

One thing can be said about this book, whether people like it or not: it's an easy, compelling read and, as it had happened with the previous two I had tried by Jodi Picoult, I liked the experience of reading, always finding willingness to turn the pages. As it happened to many other readers, I also had the idea the author wrote melodramatic stories whose point was to present two sides and let the readers feel whatever. In a way, this is precisely the author's trademark, but regarding the books I've tried, this worked out quite well and the stories remained interesting to me.

It's true that this is a book many people had read, I had not, and there's a famous movie which I happen to not have seen either. However, social media makes it almost impossible, or at least very difficult, to avoid knowing spoilers and when I begun reading, I already knew that the book and the movie have different ends. I also knew which ends those would be but since the story was compelling to me, the journey of reading was good enough to make this interesting, even though I knew how it would end.

The obvious theme to debate is Anna's decision. Would she be able to have enough legal ability, despite being a minor, to really make her own decisions? She had the help of a lawyer (whose personal story with Julia, the person indicated by the court to help Anna endeared him to me, although I've seen reviews where readers didn't agree) and we do have courtroom scenes where the situation is discussed, but at the same time this felt rather simplistic... could something like this happen in real life the way is described..?

That aside, Anna is a sweet 13 year old and a big part of the story is told from her POV, for obvious reasons, and I did like her. I think the notion of making us sympathetic to her worked out well. We also have the POV of several others, and all present their reasons and feelings in a way one can relate to, and that is why I felt this was such an engaging story. However, precisely because of this, we can also notice when things seem to be exaggerated or emotionally heavy and, in this I do agree with many others, the author can't help but writing certain things manipulating the reader. The question is, is knowing this more or is less important than caring for the story/characters? I think I could separate myself from the fictional story enough to enjoy the story and not be overwhelmed, but perhaps this affected others differently.

The end is proof of this. I think the movie end is certainly more realistic, but even if the author wanted to prove a point, it didn't have to be done the way she chose, because that diminished all the decisions and supposed choices the characters had done, mainly Anna's and of her lawyer, of the court... but, again, I repeat, this didn't ruin the reading experience for me.. perhaps because I already knew what would happen? I am aware, though, how this might seem to others.

I know part of the negative reactions is also due to how the parents decided to have a baby to save the other child, but the way I saw it, this cannot be seen as only a negative thing, I didn't get the feeling things were as black and white as that, but I can imagine that this subject also affects people differently. I think the story was intriguing and provocative enough, and I felt that it did provide food for thought, but despite the less than good scenes and situations, or even those who are likely to cause disaproval or a negative reaction, as a fictional story, I still liked it. I will likely try more by the author as well, if I can.

Grade: 8/10

Mini - Comments

Another set of mini-comments... sometimes I really don't have much of an opinion or much to say, and it feels that if I were to write lengthier posts, they would be pretty much like those old school days of writing essay-like exams, where one had to explain a lot from one sentence! Sometimes I'd simply write and write, and sometimes not everything would make sense anyway...

What these two books have in common is that both were short, and I picked them to fit topics in a challenge. 

Dona Pura e os Camaradas de Abril by Germano Almeida is a fictional story which the author wrote from the prompt of the publisher, and several authors participated. This way, there is a small collection published in 1999, and all stories had to include the 25th of April of 1974, the day of our revolution, which ended dictatorship in my country. This author is from Cape Verde, which was a Portuguese colony at the time. 

The story is narrated in first person by the main character, a man who was young in 1974 and came from Cape Verde to Lisbon and stayed at the house of Dona Pura, also a woman from Cape Verde. 

I must say I felt a little confused about what was happening because the narrator jumps from the present to the past without any kind of graphic change. The story is also a continuous text, with only three chapter like divisions in the 226 pages, more or less, making this a very tiring experience, and one where I was easily distracted by other things. I've read the book, I know the setting and the fact the author uses a lot of elements from both countries to develop the plot, but to be honest, I can't summarize the plot that well...

Grade: 4/10

-//-

Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall was a better story. In 2016 I've read another book by the author set in the same world and it was a wonderful story to me. I've read another by the author in the meantime, from a  different series, but that one wasn't as appealing. Perhaps this did affect my willingness to read more, but despite having had this novella in the same world of the first I liked to read for years, only now did I try it.

Edwin Tully is living alone in a house he used to share with his boyfriend and although they broke up tears ago, he still likes to live there. However, the house is located in an area which might become flooded and it seems there is prediction this might happen sooner than later. People from the Environment Agency are in the neighborhood, helping those who need with sand bags ans such and when Edwin meets Adam Dacre, they can't seem to take off their eyes of each other. As they keep meeting and exchanging some conversation, it becomes obvious they might be able to hit it off... I liked this novella, and that means nothing major happens, this is a story about a chance meeting with a HFN. The writing is superb here, and both protagonists very appealing.
Grade: 8/10

J.M. Coetzee - Disgrace

Set in post-apartheid South Africa, Nobel Prize winner J. M. Coetzee's searing novel tells the story of David Lurie, a twice divorced 52-year-old professor of communications and Romantic Poetry at Cape Technical University.
Lurie believes he has created a comfortable, if somewhat passionless, life for himself. He lives within his financial and emotional means. Though his position at the university has been reduced, he teaches his classes dutifully; and while age has diminished his attractiveness, weekly visits to a prostitute satisfy his sexual needs. He considers himself happy. But when Lurie seduces one of his students, he sets in motion a chain of events that will shatter his complacency and leave him utterly disgraced.
Lurie pursues his relationship with the young Melanie - whom he describes as having hips "as slim as a 12-year-old's" - obsessively and narcissistically, ignoring, on one occasion, her wish not to have sex. When Melanie and her father lodge a complaint against him, Lurie is brought before an academic committee where he admits he is guilty of all the charges but refuses to express any repentance for his acts. In the furor of the scandal, jeered at by students, threatened by Melanie's boyfriend, ridiculed by his ex-wife, Lurie is forced to resign and flees Cape Town for his daughter Lucy's small holding in the country.
Written with the austere clarity that has made J. M. Coetzee the winner of two Booker Prizes, Disgrace explores the downfall of one man and dramatizes, with unforgettable, at times almost unbearable, vividness the plight of a country caught in the chaotic aftermath of centuries of racial oppression.

Comment: I've brought this tittle from the library the last time I went there. It fit one of the topics for a challenge I'm doing and it's not a big book, and I thought those were both positive reasons to choose it.

In this 1999 (kind of) classic by Nobel winner author JM Coetzee, we have the story of South African professor David Lurie, someone who often has affairs with younger women, including students. When the story begins, one of those affairs goes wrong and David is asked to apologize and to demonstrate regret. When he claims he is not regretful, he needs to take a leave of absence and travels to his daughter's Farm, in a rural area. Although they aren't close and her Dutch mother is in the Netherlands, Lucy decided to come back and establish her life there, taking care of rescued animals and her farm. Everything changes one day, when three men show up and try to steal the farm. In the process, they are also violent and attack Lucy and David. The consequences are immense, and even though Lucy has a partner at the farm to help, can she still live there in safety? Or can David accept his daughter's decision without fearing worse things?

I'll start right away by saying that I'm not knowledgeable enough on South African history to be able to speak correctly about all the likely themes the author might have wanted to convey in this story and I only really grasped some after reading other reviews once I've finished the book. The only thing that seems obvious is that this is a slice of life in the South African reality and how the Apartheid still affects so many lives, years after is was extinguished.

This isn't a big book (my translated edition had 229 pages) and it's not very hard to read, linguistically speaking. I'd say the book might be divided into two parts, the first while Davis is going through his sex obsession phase and the second after he arrives at his daughter's farm. I can't say if the intention of making such an obvious separation was a weird ode to the division in South Africa as well, or just a way to establish David's annoying character, but the truth is that, to me, the division was rather jarring. I can't say I prefer one to the other because deep down, I disliked both, but it was still relatively easier to read the first.

David is going through a terrible middle age stage, fast approaching old age if he is 52 and still thinking about his sex escapades. It has to be intentional from the author how unlikable David is portrayed because who can respect him as a person? Intellectually I could see how complex he can be, but in terms of characterization, he isn't a person I'd want to know or that I felt like reading about with will. The problem is not only his lack of morals, no matter how he wants to sees it as, but to have affairs with students and the way he justifies thinking about women is bad enough.

Still, and this must be the true wonder of reading, the author still wrote things in a way that I felt sorry for David when the second part happens. He is attacked by what is later explained to be a small group of three Black men. Well, two men and a teenager "learning", whose actions were apparently just for the violence itself, as a way for David and Lucy to be taught a lesson. I might have not understood this correctly, but from what I got, this violent attack of David and of his daughter had a purpose, something the main characters sort of debate later on and while this might make logistical sense, it was still... unpleasant to read. At first I imagined that the solution for this situation - involving the police perhaps - would be obvious, easy! But, of course, there's more to it, including the racial division of decades...

In a way, I can see how clever this novel is (especially now that I have thought about it for some days), but having a clever or intellectually challenging story is enough to justify the sum of several terrible parts? I just wasn't interested in reading this all the time, and not only for the themes. The writing is quite irritating, more so because it's heavily focused on David's thoughts and those are certainly irksome to follow throughout the whole novel. Sometimes David has very intelligent ideas, other times I wished we had a different narrator, which made reading tiring and lacking playfulness. Again, probably part of the whole point...

I can imagine there would be many more key subjects to dissect which would enrich the experience of reading this book with different eyes, but I have had enough. I think I can see the author's idea and the "message" this supposedly offers, but the reading itself wasn't that great. Perhaps, if David had been a little more likable part of the story, or if he could have been easier to like, even with his flaws, so that the reader's response would not be easy to happen anyway. Still, this was a cleverly presented story, not easy to like or dislike, except David as a character, who was a true disgrace, as the title indicates.

Grade: 6/10

Steven Harper - Trickster

The Dream has been shattered, and the majority of Silent who telepathically communicated through it have been cast out by the event known as the Despair, unable to reenter. Now the remaining Silent still capable of linking to the Dream have become a valuable commodity to those in power seeing to keep the lines of galactic communication open...In the midst of the Despair, Father Kendi Weaver and the crew of the Poltergeist have a limited window of opportunity to find the loved ones they have lost--including Kendi's parents and siblings, who were sold into slavery more than fifteen years ago.But just as Kendi closes in on the whereabouts of his brother and sister, they are taken by a mysterious group intent on using them for their own secret agenda...

Comment: This is the third installment in the Silent Empire series and I'm so happy it went out to be as addictive to me as the first one had been.

In this third story, we keep following Kendi and his closest friends after the terrible events in the second book. Now that only a few can reach The Dream, Kendi and Ben among them, life has to be reorganized everywhere, although the use of slaves doesn't seem to end. As soon as they successfully rescue Harenn's son from slavery, it's time to finally follow the clue about two of Kendi's missing family members. The problem is that they had been sold again, merely two days before and Kendi can't help but feeling he lost his chance after so many years. Thankfully, a chance encounter allows Harenn to pay Kendi back, for she recognizes her ex and where he is, slaves must have been sold, thus making them aware of where the two people they are looking for will be. To rescue them is the issue, for they are in a place with heavy security... they all need to work together to find a way to get the keys to enter the place... but how?

What a heist romp this was! I will have to say that my favorite element in this story was how the plot was focused on helping rescuing people from slavery and reuniting families, instead of battling a vicious enemy as it happened in Dreamer. This means I was always eager to keep reading, to see what they would do next and, more importantly, how would they do it!

In fact, the plot of this book is basically a big adventure of how to help, first Harenn's son, and then Kendi's family. The antagonists are the slavers and those who have the keys which would allow our protagonists to help those they need and the story is centered on how this can be done without them being caught. I really liked this story, it had adventure and suspense here and there, but in the big scheme of things, there wasn't a bad outcome to fear because it seemed kind of a given that the good guys would succeed in what they needed.

I liked this story because it made me think the plot was very closed off, instead of how things were in the previous book, which was in a way that it felt many things were getting out of control and something not easily fixed might occur. I was also quite invested in seeing how they could solve things, how could they help the people they needed in the time frame available. In a way, this made me think of a slightly simple plot where the biggest adversity was that they couldn't just act, they had to have a plan.

And a what a plan, Kendi calls for a favor and somehow a bigger than life situation is possible to be put into action. I will confess that some scenes weren't as appealing but I was always eager to keep reading. I was also very curious to see how the end would be, and if Kendi could save the two members of his family, how would their reunion be, especially because I liked the first book where we see how they got separated and how Kendi always thought about finding them again.

The two members are his siblings, and they leave the place where Kendi thought he would find them into a new place where they are told some unlikely things. Since we also have the POV of his sister, we can understand what is going on and it seems as if they ended up in a weirdly cult like place, but for what is the question. I also liked these sections and they weren't too heavy to read. I was curious as well about their state of mind and who they were after years as slaves, and if Kendi could hope for a happy reunion...

As expected, not everything goes as smoothly and a few things have to be dealt with, but despite some situations which seemed to be more nerve wracking, things go on to develop pretty much as predicted, except a scene at the end which felt like doom was about to happen for them all, but a twist made everything be solved as one would hope for. Well, I did. Then, although the end was what I hoped for, it was still not too lengthy, but there was still time for a final revelation, which I bet will be developed in the last book and now I can't wait to get to that one!

Grade: 8/10