TBR Challenge 2018: summary

Another years ending and with it, another TBR Challenge complete.
For me, this challenge isn't difficult to accomplish because I have many books and I'm always looking for to finish them for the challenge. As expected, some picks are better than others but the fun part is to prove a book has been in the pile for good reasons. If it ends up being a bad choice, then we can just rant about it.
Here follows a little summary of each of my twelve picks for the challenge of 2018. I also have a small comment about the challenge in my challenge's page.
By the way, happy reading year for those who will do the challenge again, like me 😊😊

January: One Part Human by Viola Grace (shorter read) 

I liked this one. It's the second of a trilogy and in terms of plot and execution it isn't that great but for a shot read, I think it provided enough elements to be appreciated. Basically, a supernatural community has problems and the four protagonists must deal with them while becoming a good partnership.

February: Eidolon by Grace Draven ( backlist glom) 

This is romantic fantasy and it was good but not as addictive as other readers said. The relationship of two different beings makes their marriage rocky but the real affection and love between them makes everything easier.  

March: Protecting What's His by Tessa Bailey (spice romance)

This is a contemporary described as erotic but for me it wasn't as amazing or as spricy as intended. I think the relationship between the main couple wasn't as special as I imagined by the description, especially when I expected their falling in love to have been better done and longer in happening.

 

April: Something Wonderful by Judith McNaught (kicking it old school) 

An oldie, as some readers would say, this romance is very special although a little dated in some situations comparing with some styles of nowadays. However, the drama is only another element and the end compensated immensely.

 

May: Manwhore by Katy Evans (Contemporary)

I'm not even going to describe it. I didn't like this one and my grade wasn't lower because of one or two elements. Terrible plot for me.

 

June: Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt (comfort read) 

I confess I expected more of this one since I'm a fan of the long series it is a part of. Nevertheless, the general feeling of seeing beloved characters and situations fit the bill for the theme and of course  liked the romance, overall.

 

July: Heroes Are My Weakness by SEP (Favorite Trope)

I liked this one, prey much as I have almost all the books of this author. Again, her plots are a little over the top and the execution slightly unlikely but the effect is amazing and I did like how the couple bonded and the dynamics of their relationship.

 

August: Immortal Ever After by Lynsay Sands (Series)

The Argeneau vampite series is a very long one and I'm constantly behind but this installment met all the usual criteria of the "mate" trope. It wasn't as funny as the early books were, but for me the heroine made me consider this one a winner.

 

September: Slightly Shady by Amanda Quick (historical) 

The author has a very unique style of writing, sometimes bordering on the too simple, too predictable but I like reading her novels. This story about the sort of enemies-to-lovers trope made me have a great time and that was almost perfect for my taste. 

October: Death Is Not Enough by Karen Rose (romantic suspense) 

The books by this author have become way long, way detailed, way focused on situations sometimes difficult to believe in. The relationships between protagonists less and less romantic (we don't see much development on the page considering the amount of time dedicated to the crime solving) but still I can't just ignore them and all are addictive. 

November: The Chateau on the Lake by Charlotte Betts (beautiful cover) 

I expected more of this book, considering the premise and the beautiful cover but the first person narrator and the too dramatic storyline for such a "childish" style of narrating made this book feel a little unbalanced. Still entertaining, though, to read about the heroine's adventures.

December: Anthology A Victorian Christmas by several authors (holidays) 

Five stories where Christmas is around the corner or center stage, two were great, another not really and the other two meh. It was nice to have smaller stories focusing on specific themes but of course some suffered from the small page count vs plot development issues.

Happy reading, everyone, and happy new year!

TBR Challenge: Anthology A Victorian Christmas

Five holiday stories set in Victorian England or America that reflect the old-fashioned romantic charm of this popular era. This collection features tales by Patricia Gaffney, Bettina Krahn, Edith Layton, Mary Jo Putney, and Patricia Rice.

Comment: It just can't be possible that this is the last TBR challenge installment of the year. When older people used to say "time flies as you get older" I thought it couldn't be true but I have to admit, it does. The more responsibilities you have, the less time there seems to exist for all our daily routines...

Now it's time for the last theme of the year, as usually it's Holidays. Wendy does say we can choose one of several but in December it always feels better to go with Christmas.

This time I picked an anthology published a long time ago (1992 is old, who would say it to me!). In this anthology there are five short stories featuring Christmas settings or loosely connected to the Christmas holidays. Of the five authors I had read two, Patricia Gaffney and Bettina Krhan. Of the others I had heard about Mary Jo Putney and Edith Layton but never tried anything by them and Patricia Rice is the only really new to me author.

This anthology wasn't one I was eager to read but it was one of those I got second hand and since it had Christmas stories, I thought why not choose it to be my pick for this month's theme.

All stories have some connection to the season but they focus mostly on the characters and not exactly on the time of the year as a key element to move the plot forward. I'd say the Christmas element is more a prop than a driving force. Also noted by the title is the fact all stories are set during the Victorian period, thus historical and following certain "rules".

I believe it will be easier to just leave a few comments on each story in order of appearance.

Edith Layton - Bird of Paradise 

This is the story of a young woman, who is the only woman working in her company, she also has to take care of her younger brother and who is counting on her Christmas bonus in order to pay for some things on time for Christmas. However, her cheapskate boss gives her and the other employees a turkey and not money. While despairing but trying to carry the big bird home, she is helped by a man who often sees her movements from and to work, admiring her form but mostly her friendly behavior to everyone. Eventually this man is the one who helps her the most at a time of need.

I liked the story overall but it never got explained why the man was taking note of her movements, why he was important (we get he is rich) and his behavior felt a little too much like stalking. Their "romance" is not even at subtle level, the understated it felt.

Patricia Rice - A Christmas Angel 

Here, we have an American man who got an English title after the death of his grandfather, and he imagined a certain scenario but is proven wrong when the estate is facing difficulties and some people, namely a specific young woman, are a little sad and bitter about the lack of opportunities for the poor village where they live. 

This story had many interesting elements to exploit, like the different social and cultural backgrounds of the protagonists, the doubts they faced on their pasts...I think a short story wasn't enough to properly explain and redeem certain emotional aspects.

Patricia Gaffney - Second Chance

My least favorite despite a surprising scene towards the end. Two sweethearts reunite on the eve of the heroine's wedding to another man but the bride hasn't forgotten the man she used to love despite the way he disappeared from her life. He comes back, explains why he did what he did and she must think if she really wants to marry a man for the wrong reasons. 

This one wasn't very good to me because I tend to dislike lovers reunited plots - even if these two never got to that point. The secondary characters had a part to play but things were so one dimensional except for the protagonists I felt this wasn't enough page count to fully present a balanced story.

Bettina Krahn - Kidnapped For Christmas 

This one was cute. A young teacher at a girl's school gets kidnapped before Christmas when all the other teachers and the girls go home for the holidays. The kidnapper is the father of a young girl refused entry at the school due to the father's not to proper reputation. 

The interactions of the main couple were interesting and the whole "vibe" was one I liked, it felt like their relationship was moving at a good pace. I'd would have loved a bigger books about these two. It was also a little romantic despite some less than reliable behaviors. The characterization made the protagonists likable and I was happy they found an HEA.

Mary Jo Putney - The Black Best of Bellaterre

As many other readers, this was my favorite. Another retelling of the Beauty and the Beast where the hero helps the heroine escape her father's greedy but careless hands by offering marriage so she doesn't have to marry another man. 

I liked how the hero tried to protect the heroine by marrying her even while promising it could be a marriage in name only. As time goes by they of course find something about the other t care and even love. There was a moment where things go wrong and a bigger book would have smoothed this more but in the end, the pace of their romance and how things go is extremely captivating.

-> Of the five stories, I liked two a lot, one wasn't positive for me overall and the other two were more along "meh". Still, I appreciated some reasons behind the content of them all, so all things considered, this was average for me. I do feel interested in reading more by the authors whole stories I liked the best so I'll check their back lists.

In terms of Christmas content, like I said it was mostly randomly used and only to give us that sense warm feelings were in the air. Nevertheless, the stories were a good enough reason to spend the time reading.

Grade: 6/10

TBR Challenge: Charlotte Betts - The Chateau on the Lake

1792. As a teacher at her parents' Academy for Young Ladies in the heart of London, Madeleine Moreau has lived her life sheltered from the outside world. But on the night of a dazzling Masquerade, tragedy strikes and she is left alone in the world. Desperate to find the family she never knew, Madeleine impulsively travels to France in search of them. But with war around the corner, and fearing for Madeleine's safety, the enigmatic Comte Etienne d'Aubery offers her protection at his home, Chateau Mirabelle.
Chateau Mirabelle enchants Madeleine with its startling beauty, but it is a place of dark and haunting secrets. As the Revolution gathers momentum and the passions of the populace are enflamed, Madeleine must take control of her own destiny and unravel events of the past in order to secure a chance of future happiness.

Comment: It's November already, more than half way through it, before we know it it's Christmas and the new year... it is true what people say, time does fly as you get older...

Anyway, this month's theme for the TBR Challenge was a stimulating one, I'd think. The idea was for us to choose a beautiful cover or an horrid one. I debated this quite a lot because as people say, beauty is the eye of the beholder and even more so regarding books if one bears in mind the content might match - or not - the beauty of the cover.

Nevertheless, I went with a beautiful cover this time. I like the cover of this book because the colors almost give the sense of peace and the image is a landscape, a preference of mine when it comes to covers.Besides, the UK Piatkus label always puts an effort to crate beautiful covers and this time, it seemed to work out well.

In this book we have the story of Madeleine Moreau, a young woman who lives and works in her parents academy for girls in the France right after the revolution. This means, times are hard for those who don't seem to agree with what the revolution d demands, even if that means some people are wrongly accused or are innocents who defend more peaceful actions.

After a random but fatal attempt to defend Madeleine and a recent friend of hers, Madeleine's parents eventually die and she sees herself alone in the world save for some unknown relatives in France.

Then Madeleine and another friend go for France, to try to find Madeleine's family, along with the help of a french nobleman who has been helping some of his friends cross the border before the revolution kills them. But France is dangerous for everyone, including those who only observe...

Since this was a beautiful cover and this was a type of story I'd be interesting in reading, the combination of the two made me anticipate certain details, certain happenings which never happened in the novel. This means, not always the gorgeous covers bring gorgeous stories and there are some things I'd definitely change to make it more interesting for me.

The first thing that annoyed me to no end in this book was the fact this is 1st person narrator. I think it's a matter of real talent for an author to create such an amazing character that one just can't help to love see things though their eyes (Ilona Andrews does it perfectly!) but if not the story can become a little boring and irritating. 

Madeleine isn't a bad character and I must confess some of her opinions match some of my own but she just wasn't an amazing character to follow. I'd have preferred to have third person, I'm certain the reader would be able to reach a lot more information and emotion that way.

The plot of this book isn't complicated, basically a woman looking for her roots and this could be romantic enough, considering the help provided by the dashing french nobleman that goes along and with whom Madeleine makes a connection. But this is a very mild romance, perhaps clean is a good description? I guess this wouldn't matter if the historical content was stronger but I didn't get that vibe: the action is set in a very problematic moment, filled with despair and the ignorance of people and that rarely made for a eager reading on my part. It looked like as if the author wanted to stress out these facts as the key for the emotion in the story but I don't think it achieved that.

Like I said, the romance was barely there, then there's an annoying case of a love triangle which irritated me and lots of misuse of secondary characters. So sad about the narrator, I bet the richness of the plot and the characters would have shined more if the reader had been privy to everyone's movements differently. Also, some character behavior portrayed wasn't not par to the rest of the historical content, so it made for a very inconsistent read.

There are some secrets that supposedly are meant to be the key of some things but at some point they get to be so...silly and so poorly presented that not even the little good details made up for it.

I think this book could have been a lot better and, according to other reader's opinions, it was not as good as some other books by the author. Since I cannot know that because this is the first book I'm reading by this author I'll have to just imagine so.

This was not a bad book but some writing choices seem obviously lacking, for my taste of course. Here is the proof the cover can be beautiful but the content not so much or not as much as. I still liked to give this story a chance but I expected a stronger novel, yes.

Grade: 6/10

TBR Challenge: Karen Rose - Death Is Not Enough

In his work as a defense attorney in Baltimore, Thorne has always been noble to a fault—specializing in helping young people in trouble in an attempt to atone for those he couldn't save when he himself was younger. He plays the part of the bachelor well, but secretly holds a flame for his best friend and business partner, Gwyn Weaver, a woman struggling to overcome her own demons. After four years, he thinks he might finally be ready to confess his feelings, come what may.
But his plans are derailed when he wakes up in bed with a dead woman, with no recollection of how he got there. Whoever is trying to frame Thorne is about to lead him down the rabbit hole of his past, something he thought he outran long ago—which means Thorne must figure out who's been keeping track of him, how much they know, and how far they'll go to bring him down... 

Comment: It's October already (why does it seem time is moving faster as we get older?) and this month, Wendy has nominated the Paranormal or Romantic Suspense theme. 

This is vague enough that anyone can have plenty of books to choose from but for me it can be quite complicated. 

I have lots of paranormal but most of them romance, not suspense. And I have some suspense novels but not that romantic. 

After debating on some titles which could be good or not so good, I just gave up and picked the latest book by Karen Rose, one of the masters of romantic suspense, that had arrived very recently in the mail.

In this recent novel, we finally have the tale of Thomas Thorne, a secondary character, slightly mysterious, who we have known since a few books ago and who sometimes offers some type of help.

Thorne has been set up and was caught in bed with a woman who has recently been murdered but, thankfully, his friend Gwyn is the one to find him and she has the presence of mind to take pictures before calling the police and 911, so that the battalion of friends who will be involved in helping Thorne prove his innocence have reason to do so.

Things still look bad, though, and the case is linked to Thorne's past and others he knew back then. Ad the attempts on Thorne's business and friend's lives escalate, can Thorne both find the strength to rely on all his friends and finally admit to Gwyn how he really feels about her?

I've read some reviews on this book and for lifelong fans, this is another good installment in the series with connected characters. For others, things take too long to happen and it's too confusing to keep track of the cast.

I must say the books by Karen Rose are read as stand alone but they cannot be fully appreciated if not read in order. There are too many details, related situations, things we should be aware of previously, that better give the reader a grasp on why certain situations happen in each new book.

This said, I do agree with the fact the story is quite lengthy. But for me, the problem is definitely not on the immense secondary cast because I really love this aspect of mrs Rose's novels. To see almost all the characters in the core work together, help one another, to have glimpses of their domestic lives, of things they think about... for me this is amazing.

The villain's POV, however, I keep saying this in relation to all books by this author, is so unnecessary! Some of the things we know from the bad guy's POV can easily be discovered another way or by him, that's not the issue. But why spend to many pages in his head, realizing he can have good or bad reasons for his actions or, even worse, seeing how disturbed he is. I'd cut off the villain's parts or reduce them to a bare minimum.

The mystery and the investigation to prove Thorne's innocence is very interesting, the author does hit on several points I think everyone would consider if they were in the same situation but I must say almost all friends in this core of characters work in or for or in relation to police situations/scenarios. Of course some procedures would feel a little easier for these characters to solve or think about. Still, when the reasons behind all the trouble are discovered, some things didn't seem to be as important but maybe that's just my impression.

As for the romantic part in this romantic suspense novel... that was certainly a let down.

Gwyn and Thorne are a classic friends to lovers trope happening but I can't just accept they have had romantic thoughts about one another and never let it be known... if in previous books where they would show up this had been very obvious... the way things happened, if felt sudden and unrealistic. Besides, both of them have baggage, Gwyn especially... in such a stressful situation, for them to also deal with those emotional scars, it felt too convenient. 

I am glad they are happy and more so because their group of friends and family is solid, but the couple alone...not really buying it.

All in all, this was a good installment. Apart from the bad guys, it feels like spending time with friends and I do love this aspect. I could read Karen Rose's books for this aspect alone.

The next book is set in a different town but the main female character is linked to all these so... I anticipate only good things!

Grade: 7/10

TBR Challenge: Amanda Quick - Slightly Shady

From the moment the stranger burst into her antiquities shop in Rome, Lavinia Lake knew he was nothing but trouble. He said he was in pursuit of a killer. He swore he was only trying to save her. Yet Lavinia was convinced that Mr. Tobias March was bent instead on destroying her. When the self-described spy hustled her all the way back to England, Lavinia vowed she would find a way to repay him in full. She never dreamed that Mr. March had in fact been telling the truth, that he had been hired to track down a powerful villain. And just as his investigation was heating up, he found it complicated by the most ungovernable, exasperating-and slightly shady-woman he had ever met. Lavinia most certainly never dreamed they would meet again, forced into partnership under shocking circumstances-or that their fiery disputes would spark a sizzling desire as overwhelming as the danger they faced.... 

Comment: Here we are again, on another Wednesday dedicated to the TBR Challenge. For this month, Wendy has decided to nominate the theme Historical, which is quite wide and can be adapted to the readers preferences. I'm not very picky in my historicals so I went with Amanda Quick, an author I've read and enjoyed before and whose books I still have in the pile.

This title is the first of a trilogy where we get t follow the adventures of Lavinia Lake and Tobias March. They meet in Rome when Tobias destroys some statues in Lavinia's antiques' shop while accusing her of being part of an organization that has shady business.

Since they find evidence of the shop being used as such, Lavinia accepts Tobias' decision to go back to England with her niece Emeline.

Already there, needing to find a means to survive, Lavinia decides to embark in a new profession by investigating the cases that go her way, not imagining that Tobias has the same job. Circumstances put them in the same path and they decide to momentarily join forces. But since they do have a lot in common, even their sarcastic temperament, can they be a good enough team?

As expected, this story is told in a very objective way, meaning that the characters are not prone to much inner dialogue nor hesitancy. From begin to end, they are always aware of what they do and there isn't much for the reader to see in terms of mundane things. Every scene has a purpose. This also means most things not seen need to be read between the lines and this is probably my favorite aspect of this author's writing style.

On the other hand, everything seems to follow a straight line and no deviations happen, which makes the story feel too much as a moving train, no time to wonder, to think.

If this is something that appeals to you or that you haven't seen in books, the author is talented in that regard.

For me, the story was good enough because it was what I imagined in terms of writing. As for the plot, it had its moments but I can't say it was spectacularly done. The main issue revolves around the investigations done by Lavinia and Tobias, together or on their own, while interacting with other characters. I guess that if one expects an amazing mystery, this is not it. Yes, the steps towards the discovery of a killer and of the mystery are believable but not as ingenious as one might hope. What makes this story is obviously the main character's relationship and why they are a stronger team.

The romance is a little too quick, especially for historicals contents. It does suit these people but the same thing usually happens in all the books by the author, the characters enter an intimate relationship rather soon as if that's normal and expected of the two whether it's accepted or not in the society of the time where the action is set. I guess the romantic part is after, while they adjust to the idea of being together and caring for one another. I understand the tactic but...well, it's not as likely, is it? Still, I like to know ore about them by little details and that sort of "hides" the less achieved parts of the actions they go through.

Since there are two more books, the relationship is going to develop even further there. Lavinia is not a common historical heroine but I liked her and, of course, Tobias has a great hart underneath some of his more impetuous comments or decisions.

All in all, this was a great way to spend some time, this is not heavy reading, it's perfect to relax and be entertained. I wouldn't say this is the best book ever but it did live up to its promise and expectations within its genre. I'm definitely going to read the others as this one did a good job making me curious and wanting to see more of this interesting couple as well as their closer family members.

Grade: 8/10

TBR Challenge: Lynsay Sands - Immortal Ever After

Valerie Moyer doesn’t believe in vampires—until she is kidnapped by a fanged psychopath! After escaping her bloodthirsty captor, she’s through with creatures of the night. Until she finds herself under the protection of the darkly handsome Anders. Not only is she expected to accept that Anders is immortal, but also that she is the woman destined to be his life mate!
Anders felt a connection to Valerie from the moment he cradled her bruised body in his arms. But before he claims her, he must destroy the vampire who almost stole her from him forever. His job would be easier if Valerie didn’t fight him every step of the way. Still, Anders loves a challenge, and the green-eyed beauty is worth fighting for!

Comment: And here we are again, at the time for another TBR Challenge post. August is a month dedicated to the theme Series, which can be quite broad. I took it as I did in previous editions (which had the add on catch-up, and that meant to read a book part of a series not finished) and that is why I picked a series I'm behind on, like the Argeneau Series by author Lynsay Sands. I've started reading the series years ago, then I stopped for a while and now I'm trying to keep going again.

In this 18th installment (with already ten other books published after this one) we keep following the adventures of the Argeneau family members, including close and distant relatives.

This is Anders' story, one of the enforcers tasked with hunting rogue immortals that don't live by the rules of those who want to stay protected and safe as the readers have tended to consider the "good guys". In this world vampires exist due to nanos in the blood, a sort of technology with several explanations behind.

Anders has had a long life and the day he helped a woman who saved herself and others from the clutches of a rogue seemed to be just one like the others but when he realized he couldn't read Valerie's thoughts, he wondered if she could be his life mate as all the clues indicated...

With such a long series, it's no wonder I no longer remember much from the beginning of each individual plot and to be very honest I'd need a re-read in order to be fair to some books again. However, the main themes remain the same so I was quite surprised to see this story felt very engaging to me after so much of the same and even more so after some books being a little et down after some time without reading.

The plot of this book is very simple: Anders and other enforcers help Valerie and other kidnapped females after a difficult ordeal and because Anders can't read Valerie's mind, Lucien (hero from book #6) as the head of the family decides Valerie can recuperate in his and Leigh's house so that Valerie could get to know Anders better. The story then focuses on their developing relationship and the steps to catch the rogue guy.

I liked this story because the romance felt well paced. Yes, a little quick at some point considering Valerie's recent negative experience but I still think the details around them were done well enough to give us the impression things were believable, romantically.

Anders had always been a mysterious character mostly because he was just like any other secondary character but I liked having more clues about his past, how he ended up being an enforcer and all that.

As for Valerie, as often (understandably) happens, she is an only child, has no close family and some of her future choices can be done more easily. She seemed to be a good character, a lot of heroine potential and I liked how the author played out their relationship.

I also liked this story better than some because the plot felt full, as if all elements had been considered before being added and the character's interactions, instead of being obviously - an lamely - made to be fun, were simply there and that made a lot of different. I liked being able to just enjoy the story without feeling I should look at it through different styles or types. It was also amazing that Lucien and Leigh (probably my favorite story overall) were a prominent couple here and so much a part of the plot.

I do think some situations are too repetitive and perhaps we could have more than one main story in each book ( the family has a lot of cousins and distant relatives) but I get why this happens like this, while the interest exist in these books. Unlike with other books, the flaws in this one were merely about elements regarding personal taste and choices so this is not a perfect book but not that bad either, if moreover predictable and usual in the series.

But I can say I'll keep reading nevertheless.

Grade: 8/10

TBR Challenge: SEP - Heroes Are My Weakness

He's a reclusive writer whose imagination creates chilling horror novels. She's a down-on-her-luck actress reduced to staging kids' puppet shows. He knows a dozen ways to kill his characters with his bare hands. She knows a dozen ways to kill an audience with laughs. But she's not laughing now.
Annie Hewitt has arrived on Peregrine Island in the middle of a snowstorm and at the end of her resources. She's broke, dispirited, but not quite ready to give up. Her red suitcases hold the puppets she uses to make her living: sensible Dilly, spunky Scamp, and Leo, the baddest of bad guys. Her puppets, the romantic novels she loves, and a little bit of courage are all she has left.
Annie couldn't be more ill prepared for what she finds when she reaches Moonraker Cottage or for the man who dwells in Harp House, the mysterious mansion that hovers above the cottage. When she was a teenager, he betrayed her in a way she can never forget or forgive. Now they're trapped together on a frozen island along with a lonely widow, a mute little girl, and townspeople who don't know how to mind their own business.
Is he the villain she remembers, or has he changed? Her head says no. Her heart says yes.

Comment: July in the TBR Challenge is dedicated to Favorite Trope. I must say I don't have one single type of trope I consider much better than any other but this is by author SEP, whose work I've come to enjoy and added to that this would feature a somewhat reluctant couple to admit their feelings (as usually happens in SEP's books) so I expected all sorts of situations that would look like catnip to my reading preferences. Thus, there I went!

In this stand alone story, we have Annie Hewitt as the heroine while, down on her luck, she goes back to Peregrine Island, a place she thought she would never need to return to. But after a huge amount of debt and some depressing thoughts, she decided to go there anyway, to try to discover some legacy left by her recently late mother.

What she didn't count on was to find Theo Harp, the boy she had a crush on while they were teenagers but who was also the author of seriously bad pranks, to the point of Annie fearing for her life. Now they are both back to the island and although Annie tries to stay away, something seems to be happening between them again and it's not just a return to teenage hormones...

Yes, this was all I expected from the author and it hit pretty much all the buttons I needed to be entertained and proven right about what I'd like to get from this author. Any fan or reader of the author would immediately recognize the usual trademarks, the somewhat in dire straits heroine who finds herself and love on the way to the end of the book and the reluctance to accept a situation but eventually it being too hard to ignore, for instance.

I know it can be a repetitive formula but it does work for me.

This is a romance but I liked it how the author compared the tone, which felt a little darker due to a certain mystery going on and some complicated situations the heroine seems to go through, with the fact the hero Theo is a horror writer who uses his work as a escapism tool to deal with his inner guilt and dilemmas. I suppose this is one of the reasons why this title seems to be one of the lowest rated by this author in sites like GR. But I still thought we had enough character development, we still have a good romance, filled with quirky scenes and situations we don't usually find in real life. Even the intimacy between the characters didn't run too far from the usual.

And, as I imagined, the HEA is cute and the epilogue even more so. Perhaps what's missing is the usual second romance, which was not included here and the focus is on Annie herself and in her relationship with Theo.

I liked seeing them together. I especially liked how the romance developed slowly but in a consistent way with the way both thought about the other at first and I think the pace was believable too. It was also good to see how their reluctance to fall in love or to acknowledge their feelings was just an attempt to protect themselves. They seemed to balance each other well in the end and that counted a lot for me. It's comforting to know what you want to see will happen, despite surprises here and there.

I guess the plot had some flaws, some things that weren't as well done but to be honest, I was focusing on the main couple and could out that aside. Although Annie's work with her puppets felt rather silly and - yes, I admit, rather disturbing in a weird horror movie potential way -  I still think it was quite imaginative. Some psychological issues addressed also felt a bit simplified and I'd have preferred different situations to have been included to discuss them.

The end of the book has some silly scenes playing out. But..this also happened in all the author's books and many readers loved those. Taste is always relative, even with steady, reliable authors like SEP.

For me, this book worked out. I still think about the epilogue and how fun it is to imagine those characters' lives. I always seem to be well entertained by her stories so, for me, this was another successful book, despite the flaws.

I think I'll keep on being a fan of the author and considering her work to be included in favorite tropes or scenarios.

Grade: 8/10

TBR Challenge: Elizabeth Hoyt - Duke of Midnight

Twenty years ago Maximus Batten witnessed the brutal murders of his parents. Now the autocratic Duke of Wakefield, he spends his days ruling Parliament. But by night, disguised as the Ghost of St. Giles, he prowls the grim alleys of St. Giles, ever on the hunt for the murderer. One night he finds a fiery woman who meets him toe-to-toe—and won't back down . . .
Artemis Greaves toils as a lady's companion, but hiding beneath the plain brown serge of her dress is the heart of a huntress. When the Ghost of St. Giles rescues her from footpads, she recognizes a kindred spirit-and is intrigued. She's even more intrigued when she realizes who exactly the notorious Ghost is by day . . .
Artemis makes a bold move: she demands that Maximus use his influence to free her imprisoned brother-or she will expose him as the Ghost. But blackmailing a powerful duke isn't without risks. Now that she has the tiger by the tail, can she withstand his ire-or the temptation of his embrace?

Comment: This is June's entry of the TBR Challenge, hosted by Wendy, the Superlibrarian. This time, the theme is Comfort Read, which can be interpreted in different ways but for me it means something we can be assured of, something we can more or less expect and trust to be good or something that simply will make us feel good and happy about what we are reading about. Depending on the reader's preferences, this can mean any genre but for me, I tend to always fall into romances where I know I'll enjoy the road towards the HEA.

Besides, I'm currently trying to go through Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series and book #6 was the next one, so i chose it because I've come to realize I absolutely love the mix of romance and world building the author presents in the series, which makes this a comfort reading for me.

In this sixth installment we have the story of Maximus Batten, the duke of Wakefield, a character we've met in previous books and Artemis Graves, a somewhat more reserved character. They come from different places in the social hierarchy but since Artemis' cousin is one of the prospective women the duke might consider as a bride, they know of one another even if they never really interacted.

However, after a silly excursion to st Giles one night, Artemis and her cousin Penelope are attacked and then saved by the Ghost of St Giles. In the process, the ghost loses a ring, which Artemis keeps and later on she comes to the realization of who the ring belongs to, thus discovering the identity of the ghost. 

Maximus only wants to finally catch the responsible for the murder of his parents but it's been a dreary and sometimes depressing endeavor. Now, he feels he is close to finally achieve his main goal but he wasn't counting on taking notice of his bride-to-be companion. But as time goes by and his life gets more and more complicated, especially after said companion tries to blackmail him, he must decide if his priorities are as easy as he always thought them to be...

This is one of those series one should read in order. Of course each story can be read as  stand alone because the plot structure is solid but there's a lot to gain from having previous information. This is why I was so eager to read this book, I've liked the little hints here and there about each protagonist and really wanted to see them together. Although their story was mostly a good one, I also admit I sort of expected even more from this one.

What I liked the best was the fact they came from different social status and I wanted to see how the author would deal with this. Rationally, I know dukes wouldn't consider companions to be possible brides but let's be honest, we read fictional historical romance for such accuracy? Of course we want things to make sense, to respect conventions and the fun part is to see how the story progresses despite those "rules". But at the same time, for me, the fantasy of the whole thing is what makes it worthwhile, I want to immerse myself in a romantic story, even if it's unlikely. 

Therefore, I expected this here and I was positively surprised the author didn't avoid the conversations they had about society's expectations, about the why of their relationship not being easily accepted...it gave the story credibility when the HEA finally happens, they weren't just silly people forgetting everything else.

However, their relationship wasn't the perfection I envisioned. I liked Artemis has secrets and a personality so I can't dislike her for being a person with feelings but having to comply with her position as a companion and her fear about the things (and person) she wanted to protect and help. I understand she knew she wouldn't have a happy, free life. But it did sort of annoy my romantic expectations she wasn't a bit more fearful about outcomes of her decisions, even if I respect her thinking on it. I wanted things to be romanticized and not as raw as they felt sometimes (I mean their choice of how to deal with the physical side of things vs people's POVs and judgment of it).

Maximus could have also done things differently, he was a serious and aware man regarding his position in life and how he should behave. I think he could have had more consideration for Artemis.

Since both protagonist have secrets, part of out perception about their falling in love is how they managed to trust the other with those secrets and why each one figured out how important those things were for the other. It's always nice to see two different people find balance and trust in one another. But even accepting some little angst about their different class stations (a trope I usually like seeing by the way), I still think that for such clever people they didn't consider some details that well and yes, that ruined part of the fun for me.

One of the best features keeps on being the appearances of characters we came to care about. It's so nice to see none of the characters live in an island, meaning, the story isn't only about them but features those who are close to them somehow.

We also have glimpses of characters who will  become future protagonists and, of course, that keeps the reader's appetite on. As always, the story felt fluid and the writing is easy to follow.

I did like this story when I think about it in general. I'd change some details though, and that's why my grade isn't bigger. But I was so eager to read this one that I feel I couldn't consider it better because of this and, now that I thought about it, the HEA was very cute but felt incomplete. I surely hope to see them again in future books, to better solidify the notion of the everlasting happiness they were supposed to hold on to.

Grade: 8/10

TBR Challenge: Katy Evans - Manwhore

This is the story I've been waiting for all my life, and its name is Malcolm Kyle Preston Logan Saint. Don’t be fooled by that last name though. There’s nothing holy about the man except the hell his parties raise. The hottest entrepreneur Chicago has ever known, he’s a man’s man with too much money to spend and too many women vying for his attention.
Mysterious. Privileged. Legendary. His entire life he’s been surrounded by the press as they dig for tidbits to see if his fairytale life is for real or all mirrors and social media lies. Since he hit the scene, his secrets have been his and his alone to keep. And that’s where I come in.
Assigned to investigate Saint and reveal his elusive personality, I’m determined to make him the story that will change my career.
But I never imagined he would change my life. Bit by bit, I start to wonder if I'm the one discovering him...or if he's uncovering me.

Comment: Time does fly! 

It's time for another TBR Challenge read and this month the theme is Contemporary, which is vague enough - or broad enough - to be one of the easiest themes where one can pick a book. Since I like to follow my monthly lists, I chose a book from my list and that's why I ended up with Katy Evans' story. However, I was definitely not impressed. My own fault, though.

This is the first book I've read by this author.

In this story we meet Rachel, a young woman who works for the magazine Edge, but due to several factors, the magazine is not doing well, so basically Rachel is given an assignment to be able to write such a piece that everyone would want to buy it and the best theme to grab public's attention is Malcolm Saint, this alpha rich guy who everyone is interested in but that still manages to keep his privacy despite his man whore ways and behavior.

Rachel sees Malcolm as a job but since the first encounter when Rachel seems to captivate Malcolm despite not being in her best (her POV), there is a strange connection between them. As they get to know one another better, the relationships also gets more profound. But Rachel still sees Malcolm as a job, right? What will happen when he finds out the truth?

 

I got this book because of its premise: a girl in not so great financial means in life has a way to be in contact with a richer, more influential guy and despite the odds, they might discover enough common things to be together. I tend to  like this trope and I always love when authors create interesting ways to make it happen while keeping it realistic.

I obviously hoped for that here but while reading, I couldn't help to notice that there was at least one detail or one element in each chapter that I'd change or prefer to see different.

Since I won't bore you to death with such an in depth analyses, I'll just leave a list of stuff I found made the story less appealing to me:

- The characters' personality would be described in certain ways which would lead me to assume they would stay that way or a big event would cause them to change but not always. 

The heroine wasn't shy but she wasn't an extrovert either. She loved her job. She wanted to care of her mother who sacrificed a lot for her. She wanted to be useful. She wanted to be successful enough to help her mother too. She went to her first interview with the hero in overalls and with paint in her clothes. 

All these things made e think she was a down to earth woman, that she was smart but caring, that she was aware of who she was, both professionally and emotionally.

However, her behavior towards the hero was always a lie in her eyes for she was using him. Of course she would fall in love but considering the dialogues they had, I can't understand why they would ever be in sync over anything (hint: their dialogues weren't clever/witty/existent at times).

- Despite the similarities to Fifty Shades of Grey - which I haven't read, but reviews on GR and the video of "love me like you do", the song by Ellie Goulding, have generously given me enough to base my opinion on - Rachel isn't also only a sweet young woman in coveralls and Malcolm isn't simply a tortured alpha but they both embark on a relationship constantly spent in situations I don't think actually added a lot, since most time they are in places owned/managed by Malcolm so for poor, almost dazzled Rachel that shouldn't be easy to process or they are in clubs, where Rachel would have negative thoughts about other women having different takes in life.

I just can't see why putting interacting in these situations was credible and interesting or why would this lead them to become a couple or understand each other.

- Rachel is the narrator so of course that limits things a lot, but Malcolm doesn't share much most of the time. Rachel is also a reporter but despite taking countless notes, I can't imagine a journalist with only one assignment - which, from a reality POV, how silly can it be, unless you are a paparazzi bent on exploiting someone but then people would notice your behavior - to devote so much of her time in doing...well, nothing. In the first 3 interviews Rachel has with Malcolm, before they start spending more time together, she barely speaks in the time he gives her, so dumbstruck by his appearance she is. I don't think fans of professional-porn would endure this one.

Ok, I could go on, but to summarize, I found there wasn't enough consistency in the main character's behavior and attitudes. I didn't find them as engaging as I'd expect and I also can't seem to foresee any huge improvements overall.

Although this is an easy story to read, I found that the complexity I expected wasn't there and the writing itself was rather childish at times. Just an impression obviously colored by my fixing on the negative aspects, but there you go.

So, thinking of this, I was ready to call it quits with this world because it wasn't very interesting for me but I was proven right even more when I got to the end of the story.

There is no HEA.

Actually, there is no end to this story. In the last page, while Rachel is about to enter Malcolm's office for a certain issue, I'm told the story continues in the next book. I was not aware this would be one of those books divided into three. But even so, this one should still have an end. A conclusion of sorts. I imagine, "what if the author wasn't able to finish the series/all parts?" This would mean the story would never be finished! I felt very annoyed.

One less star/grade for that alone.

All things considered, I don't know if I'm just past my endurance of new adult stories which read more like YAs anyway, or if this story would never be a good one for me but...yes, not a good choice. But again, based on the premise, based on the average on GR, based on some friends' reviews, I assumed this would be better. How sad when a premise falls totally flat for you.

Still, taste is relative...

Grade: 3/10

TBR Challenge: Judith McNaught - Something Wonderful

The tempestuous marriage of Alexandra Lawrence, an innocent country girl, and Jordan Townsende, the rich and powerful Duke of Hawthorne, is about to face its ultimate test of tender loyalty. Swept into the endlessly fascinating world of London society, free-spirited Alexandra becomes ensnared in a tangled web of jealousy and revenge, stormy pride and overwhelming passion. But behind her husband's cold, arrogant mask, there lives a tender, vital, sensual man...the man Alexandra married. Now, she will fight for his very life...and the rapturous bond they alone can share.

Comment: It's time for another TBR Challenge post. This time the theme is Kicking It Old School, which means a book whose original publication date is older than 10 years. I could have picked one of many, many possible ones... I also have recent titles but older ones are quite plenty in my shelves as well. 

I picked this author, not only because this book was originally published in 1988 - which totally meets the theme criteria - even though my paperback edition is from 1990 - again, on theme - but also because I did read the first story in this Sequels trilogy and despite the dated plot, I enjoyed the book. Of course I wanted to get that feeling back with this one.

In this second Sequels story we meet duke Jordan Townsende, a man who has always seen how aristocrat couples don't trust each other, how society mocks those who do and his parents, being well known members of such society of course neglected him while having too high expectations. Jordan, as any rebel child would do, obviously imitates them in his wild and careless behavior, seducing women and living a carefree life.

In comes Alexandra Lawrence, a 10 years younger woman when comparing to Jordan but whose approach to life is completely different, she is optimistic, cheerful and trusts and cares for those around her. However, Alex has had her disappointments and sadness, especially when it comes to how she idealized her father as someone quite different from reality and he betrayed her love and trust. This hasn't changed Alex and when the opportunity arises to save Jordan, she does not caring about the repercussions.

Although, of course others noticed they spent time together in an inn but despite nothing having happened, they end up marrying. Now, can two different people be a match for one another?

I believe I must have sounded a little sarcastic back there while describing Jordan. But the reality is that it did annoy me a bit how he, the hero, is so much better in some things than everyone else, we are told he excelled in everything while growing up but he certainly didn't use his cleverness to see though society and its rules and simply be a better person on his own.

I can understand this need to make the hero someone who changes almost drastically to better evidence the reason why love conquers all but even accepting this 80s styled plots and details, it did annoy me a bit how he behaved.

Now that this out of my chest, I can say I did have fun reading this story. There are several passages which certainly are supposed to be angsty but I'm quite glad it's not something exaggerated. I liked Alexandra a lot and her antics were synonym of happiness and sweetness, something I liked seeing was affecting almost everyone around her. She wasn't totally childish but at the beginning she is a sort of sheltered 17 - despite her disappointment about her father - and I feared he wouldn't be a good match for Jordan. I liked the development of their relationship although, one must look at this book through a time lens.

There are some details which are timeless and the author has included some passage of time between the romance steps to make it more obvious time passed, the characters grew up (in Alexandra's case) or thought about their priorities (Jordan's) and the idea is that they changed a bit. But when the story starts Alex is only 17 and I must say some scenes were not easy to just accept even considering this is an historical and at the time girls had very different lives and maturity from nowadays' teenagers. Nothing bad happens but...ehh one can tell this is a story written in the past.

The plot isn't complicated, follows the usual expectations about people overcoming several tricky situations, finding out the other person isn't exactly as they are portrayed, they get to fall in love... I liked all these aspects of course, but at the same time, some scenes just felt so dramatic and didn't seem to suit the rest of the story. The last hurdle, closer to the end of the book which made the HEA being delayed some pages further...I mean, I see the potential but it was totally pointless in my POV.

The secondary characters fulfilled their roles, in some cases were key for the protagonists to shine but it's very clear they weren't that important save for the necessary interactions. Still, the story felt rich and detailed.

All in all, this was a positive read because despite my preference or lack of it for some elements, everything was set up quite well.

I hope the third book has some different notions but I don't have much hopes. As long as the story is engaging and shows a vivid picture, I guess I can't say I wasn't entertained.

Grade: 7/10

TBR Challenge: Tessa Bailey - Protecting What's His

She's running from the law, and the law wants her bad.
The opportunity was just too damn delicious for Ginger Peet to pass up. The purse full of money she finds—$50,000 to be exact—could give her and her teen sister the new start they need. So she grabs the cash, her gothy sibling, and their life-sized statue of Dolly Parton, and blows outta Nashville in a cloud of dust. Chicago, here we come...
Turns out, Chicago has some pretty hot cops. Hot, intense, naughty-lookin' cops like Derek Tyler, who looks like he could eat a girl up and leave her begging for more. And more. Tempting as he is, getting involved with the sexy homicide lieutenant next door poses a teensy problem for a gal who's on the lam. 
But one thing is certain—Derek's onto her, and he wants more than just a taste.
And as far as he's concerned, possession is nine-tenths of the law.

Comment: Today is the Wednesday dedicated to the TBR Challenge post. This month, the theme was Sugar or Spice (closed door romance or spicy romance). 

In the beginning of the year I make monthly lists of the books I want to read, always leaving some room for sudden adds, so I can more or less start to distribute the themes of the challenge through my months as soon as Wendy, the Super Librarian, posts them. 

I was still debating, though, which book to pick for this month. Sugar or spice can be vague but going through the books I had picked to read in march I saw this one by mrs Bailey was labeled as "adult fiction-erotica" by some Goodreads users. I decided this would be it, then, and spice was my choice this time.

This is my first book by this author.

In this story we meet Ginger Peet, a young 23 year old woman who lives in Nashville with her younger sister and her no good mother. Tired of a life always counting pennies, always making sure her sister is safe, always fearing her mother would do something even worse than her current life, Ginger sees her opportunity when she discovers a huge amount of money her mother brought home from God knows where.

Ginger decides to steal the money, she picks her sister and they move to Chicago. While moving to their new apartment, they meet lieutenant Derek Tyler and sparks fly between him and Ginger. The fact he is their neighbor should worry Ginger since he is a cop but she only wants to live her life in peace, she wants her sister safe at last and romance should be out of question. But they come together and soon Ginger can't stop thinking of him. But what about her secret theft? Would Ginger decide to do the right thing?

As a whole I liked this story. It's not too long, it focuses on the main characters and their lives and doesn't go too much over the board with settings and descriptions.

However, to me, it was a bit rushed at times, the characters did feel a little isolated even though they had interactions with others.

I ended up thinking this was a simplistic plot. Or, maybe to be more correct, I feel the steps taken to get things done was too simple. Ginger getting a house was too simple, it just boggles the mind how people can rent/buy so easily in books when it's obvious it's complicated in real life. Furthermore, Ginger was in a complicated position because her mother reported her and her sister missing. Too easy for Ginger to just move, it seemed to me.

Then, throughout the story, Ginger would see herself in certain situations that - and that was the vibe I got - were just ways to put her and Derek in a place where they would process their feelings/their sexual connection. It wasn't as smooth or fluid within the story, it felt like a good scene to happen.

Of course this wasn't happening all the time, and there were some interesting scenes, especially when Ginger was more vulnerable or talking with her sister. Some scenes were well done, I think. And many more readers too thinking about the ratings on Goodreads.

The main characters didn't seem too complex. Ginger has issues, I get it, she was a bit more developed emotionally. I got to think I was reading about an emotional person who had issues but was processing them, Despite this, she did have a TSTL decision at the end of the book and was (very easily) saved by the hero...oh well. Maybe one could she was revealing bravery?

As for Derek, I feel I didn't get to know him that well. Not enough emotional development on him, I think. Even his motivations didn't seem plausible at times and a very brief reference to his parents felt like too little to get to understand him. His character to me was under "done".

The romance was a good detail. The overall feel of the romance was ok, the sex scenes were ok, which made this "spice" label appropriate I'd say, and it was certainly sweet to think of them falling in love, even if too quickly, considering the type of interactions they previously had.

The narrative was not not explored enough. I think, if one were to think about the layers about this book, all the superficial ones were well done and the story is a positive one. But the deeper tones weren't approached as completely and that means the story could have been stronger. At least, to me.

But I was still happy enough by them, I liked we could end up the story with a positive note and although I don't foresee running to read all the author's other books, this was experience I don't regret.

Grade: 6/10