Mark Sullivan - The Last Green Valley

In late March 1944, as Stalin’s forces push into Ukraine, young Emil and Adeline Martel must make a terrible decision: Do they wait for the Soviet bear’s intrusion and risk being sent to Siberia? Or do they reluctantly follow the wolves—murderous Nazi officers who have pledged to protect “pure-blood” Germans?
The Martels are one of many families of German heritage whose ancestors have farmed in Ukraine for more than a century. But after already living under Stalin’s horrifying regime, Emil and Adeline decide they must run in retreat from their land with the wolves they despise to escape the Soviets and go in search of freedom.
Caught between two warring forces and overcoming horrific trials to pursue their hope of immigrating to the West, the Martels’ story is a brutal, complex, and ultimately triumphant tale that illuminates the extraordinary power of love, faith, and one family’s incredible will to survive and see their dreams realized.

Comment: Two years ago, I got this book for two reasons: the cover is gorgeous and I had seen some references by several people on GR who seemed to have enjoyed. Thus, without much investigation, that is true, I assumed this would be an historical fiction story, and a heartbreaking one at that. Still, I've decided to give it a go.

It's 1944 and Adeline and Emil Martel traveled with their two sons and other family members from a region under the rule of Stalin to another one, in Germany, where they would stay apparently safer since their family is descendant from "pure blood" Germans. The problem is that, at this time, between politics and poverty, there isn't much hope in their future and who knows when something changes again. the Martels decide to go as west as they can, but will they succeed?

As soon as we started this book, we are presented with an author's note saying this story is based on true facts, on real people and their life story and how they should be recognized by the terrible fate they were dealt and by how amazing their resilience and ability to suffer in the grace of God was. I could immediately tell I would not really enjoy the "vibe" of the book, but since I had already decided...

Besides, I have read other books based on real people or in historical facts/events and some have been great and addictive. However, this wasn't so, I'm afraid. I also see now that the average for this book on GR is quite high but I must join the group of those who didn't really have a great time... perhaps the time I hesitated before buying this book because something about it didn't "grab" me despite the cover and so on should have been a warning I should have paid more attention to, after all.

There is nothing wrong with the writing, it is certainly competent, correct, easy in the sense that the grammar and the graphic separation between chapters and situations within the chapters make for an effortless experience. For me, the problem is with the style, which I've found to be boring, simplistic, dull. The way this is written is competent, yes, but made me have zero interest in paying attention or in wanting to know what would happen next. I only finished because I pushed myself and because I was already imagining I would be able to donate this to my local library.

The book includes, at the end, two pictures of the Martels, which was great, yes, as was the knowledge of what efforts the author took to prepare himself to write this book, including traveling trough the current countries which are part of the path the Martels traveled since leaving their place in what is now Romania or Ukraine, until they reach Germany. I also liked knowing these were real people, who survived, obviously, and who had quite a tale to tell their children and grandchildren. For these things alone, I graded this story higher than what I thought at first.

I disliked the writing, though. The Martels go through a lot but this is told to us in such a way that it felt more like a paper and a list of all the tragedies they faced/lived though. I mean, of course, but wasn't there a better way to convey the story? Wasn't there a different tone to describe the narration? I wonder if this was so that the family would accept/validate the publishing of the book somehow? I also didn't like how religious aspects were made to seem so important. I can accept that they were for the family, but the author should have found a better way to include this.

I conclude that the author should have simply written a non fiction book, just like other readers have said in other(better) reviews. I don't feel this story should have been fictionalized this way because while i can appreciate the real people who went though all this, the characters in this story were just too one dimensional, lacked development and evolution in a believable manner, as one would expect from a fiction narrative. Again, perhaps this was so that the family would feel honored, I don't know.

Therefore, not a great experience for me. I think I won't be reading more by this author but perhaps someone at the library will enjoy this book!

Grade: 3/10

Kerry Barrett - The Bookshop of Secrets

In a bookshop nestled in the sprawling streets of Lisbon, a shopkeeper leads a double life…
Looking for a new start after her father’s death, Lara Hope arrives in Lisbon in search of a family she’s never met.
As war storms across Europe, Lara finds solace and belonging in her landlady’s tranquil bookshop in one of the most beautiful corners of the city.
But when she witnesses a customer secretly swapping a book, she realises the bookshop is not all it seems. Lara is plunged into a labyrinthine world of mystery and facades, encountering new friends, an unexpected romance, and even royalty… Is she prepared to risk it all for this new life?

Comment: Close to the end of last year, I was browsing online to pick possible Christmas' gifts and stumbled on this book. I was immediately seduced by the idea of a story set in Portugal, even if it was in the late 1930s, just so I could see places I know represented. I was also keen on the whole bookshop idea, even though I had not read anything by the author, so I've got this one for myself instead of to give it away.

Lara is the daughter of a man who loved the theater and who also loved Portugal, the country, so much that he married a Portuguese woman and they went on to live in England. Sadly, Lara's father recently died and she is ready to travel to Portugal to learn more about her Portuguese family, since her mother lost contact with them when she moved to England. However, things don't go very well for Lara and after an unfortunate event, she sees herself in need to work to gain money so she can buy a passage back to England. In the meantime, she works in a bar and in a bookshop, where she stars having contact with very special people...

I suppose I now understand why such a recent release, even in paperback, wasn't too expensive to get. I'm afraid that the writing style of this book makes it feel very dull and juvenile, and I had a hard time enjoying it. Not even the Portuguese references won it for me...

The story starts off quite well, with protagonist Lara following her father's advice to seek her family in Portugal, namely in Lisbon, and how this would help her come to terms to what her parents' relationship was, since her mother lost contact with her Portuguese family when she went to England. Since this is set around the time WWII was starting, the reaching out could not depend on digital methods, but I was curious to see how the Portuguese setting would be depicted.

Sadly, the same day she arrives in Lisbon, Lara learns that her mother's family no longer lives where her father thought they did and no one knows where they went, thus right there this is one part of the plot out of the picture. The day after, Lara is ready to go back to England but, tragedy!, her passport and money are stolen and now she has to work to get money to pay for those things... but thankfully she is able to start a job at a bar.

We move on a few months and Lara is still at the bar, and is both entertained by learning Portuguese and imitating people, a talent she has since she is an actress and when she goes back home, she will seek this as a career. But, no, it isn't this easy because her boss catches her "performing" for a bunch of Nazis, since they are everywhere, in their attempt to control Europe. Anyway, this makes it so that Lara is dismissed and then starts working at a bookshop, an element I was tremendously interested in.

Sadly once more, this isn't much of a deal either because there isn't much plot related to the actual bookshop, but mostly about Bea, the owner, and how she is somehow involved with spying for the Resistance, which leads Lara to be in the middle of this too, and what luck, her acting skills will come in handy again. Then, there's a plan to deceive the Nazis, which involves mingling with duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson, and Otto, a Nazi officer who is actually a double agent Lara finds charming...

Now, seriously. This was.... juvenile, to use a nice word. I can see why it might appeal to some readers (and it does, looking at so many positive reviews out there) but to me it wasn't a good experience, because the plot was senseless at times, Lara was not always very aware of what she should be doing, and was actually inane most of the time, considering the time period, the secondary characters were not developed at all, and the writing lacked depth.

The bookshop wasn't that important, the Portuguese references, while interesting to me for value's sake, also didn't matter much in the big scheme of things, and the end was very disappointing. There wasn't even a memorable or valid romance possibility to make it worthwhile. I'm sorry to say but this author clearly isn't for me. 

The cover is beautiful, though.

Grade: 3/10

Mini - Comments

Here is another summarized post... I suppose I could write more about each of the books but, to be honest, there isn't that much I feel like writing, so a small post it is.

These two books are each part of a different series, which I had started before. They have in common the fact they were written by Spanish authors and are set somewhere in Spain, but the content and style are quite different.

I got both at the library, just as I had gotten the others in the series I had read previously.

The Legacy of the Bones by Dolores Redondo is the second installment in the Baztan trilogy. The plot of this story begins a few months after the end of the first book and follows most of the threads we had followed there. Now, some deaths are happening in very similar ways, which means the killer must be the same and it seems whoever it is, has a specific goal in mind, namely provoking detective Amaia. However, when she finally realizes what is behind the whole thing, those she cares about are already in danger... 
I liked this book, it has interesting scenes and a captivating enough development, and I think the web between the crimes, the victims, the culprit was quite engaging, even though there were times I was a little confused on how they went from point A to point B. I would say that I got this impression because there are way too many details to think of and lots of apparently random situations taking center stage. I'm specifically thinking about the huge amount of details related to all the characters, which are interesting, no doubt. But it's also a little distracting because.. will these details have any relevance in the end, will the information be pertinent for us to have closure on why this was shared? I hope so, otherwise it will be very frustrating. I'm still curious so I will certainly read the last installment to find out.
Grade: 7/10

A Nina is the Portuguese translation of this third installment in the Elena Blanco series by author Carmen Mola. One could translate into English as "the child" I suppose. The plot of this book annoyed me to no end, let me tell you. It is focused on Chesca, a secondary character from the books, who is kind of kidnapped at the beginning of the book and from then on things get weird and annoying and her police friends try their best to find and rescue her. 
I won't go into spoilers but I will say that it felt as if the authors decided to go all the way in into bizarre and shock factor. I kept wondering in my head if they sit down somewhere and just randomly gave ideas on how to shock the reader the most and then agreed on this plot, probably collecting other similarly distressing ideas for the next books. Sadly, I quickly lost interest and actually skipped a few paragraphs here and there. I thought about not finishing but admit I was curious to see how things would end. Well, it wasn't in any way that gave my any hope for what might come next, and this means I won't read the next books.
Grade: 3/10

Mini-Comments

Recently, I've read two more books by Portuguese authors. Both weren't big books, actually around 200 pages each, more or less, and I figured they would be quickish reads. Both books are fiction as well and I brought them from the library.

Mãe, Doce Mar by João Pinto Coelho, which is literally translated as "mother, sweet sea", is the story of Noah, who discovers who his mother was when he was 12, after being in an orphanage and in foster care. He now needs to know how to adapt to this new life, but everything twists again when they go have some holidays in Cape Cod and he meets Frank, an eccentric Jesuit priest, someone who is also part of his mother's past.

I liked this novel, as I had liked one other by the author I had tried, and his writing is very competent and likable and I was easily drawn into Noah's life. The book is divided into parts, where we get to see how everything - and every main character - is connected and the impact of revelations done as the story moves along. It's true some things are surprisingly told, but once the big picture is obvious, I have to say this book turns out to be a lot more dramatic than what I anticipated. There's also this vibe of "meant to be" which can seem rather dark here. Some events are definitely emotionally draining to contemplate.

I liked this one and I'll certainly try other things by the author if they become available.

Grade: 8/10

O Diabo by Gonçalo M. Tavares, which literally translates as "the devil", is a metaphorical tale centered on the image of the devil. Here, the devil is a character from the imaginary of many tales and myths and legends and the author uses him as the leading figure in a story where we can see how the devil might be thought to be everywhere.

This is the first book I try by this author and it seems I've chosen the wrong book to start, because this is part of a series, loosely connected it seems, on mythology. The writing is good and very, very clever, but I must confess I was not a fan of this book. 

When it starts it seems the author picked the characters of the children of the last czar in Russia and we follow them in mundane situations with the devil always around. At first, I thought the book would be an allegory on this moment of History and what it entailed but then, as the story moves along I've started to feel more and more lost. Many other situations and allusions appear and start being part of the more or less linear development but it gets to a point I had no idea anymore what I was reading. If the goal was for the reader to recognize elements of real life events and see them through a more mythical/dreamlike/fairy tale type of story, then I failed miserably.

I might try another book by the author, not in this "world" so I can have something else to compare the writing at least.

Grade: 3/10

TBR Challenge: Katherine Hill - The Violet Hour

For a moment that afternoon, it was only woman and water, the Bay in all its sickening glory squaring itself for a fight.
Life hasn't always been perfect, but for Abe and Cassandra Green, an afternoon on the San Francisco Bay might be as good as it gets. He's a doctor piloting his new sailing boat. She's a sculptor finally getting a bit of recognition. Their beautiful daughter Elizabeth is off to Harvard at the end of the summer. But then there is a terrible row. Cassandra has been unfaithful. In a fit of insanity, Abe throws himself off the boat.
A love story that begins with the end of a marriage, The Violet Hour follows a 21st century American family through past and present, from a lavish New York wedding to the family funeral home in suburban Washington, from a drunken PTA party to a scene of unexpected public violence.
In this resonant odyssey of youth, middle age, ambition and loss, intimacy is fragile and the search for gratification breeds destruction. Here is a family ripped apart by individual desires. And here is a family possibly reborn.

Comment: Ah, one more TBR challenge post and for September the theme is "drama". Certainly this means quite a broad range of possibilities and I've picked something that, considering the genre, would fit quite well, but I was not happy with the experience.

In this drama story we meet the Green family while they are sailing and apparently at ease but a few comments finally make Abe, the husband, say out loud he knows his wife Cassandra is cheating and he spontaneously dives and swims to the shore. Cassandra and their daughter Elizabeth sail back, but the day is not salvageable, much less the marriage. As the years go by and Cassandra and Abe follow different roads, Elizabeth has learned to deal with this but then, suddenly, Cassandra's father dies and Abe comes back, to pay his respect. Is there any chance they can, at least, agree on talking again?

Last month I had also read a book about a woman who cheated on her husband and, among other issues, that made me dislike the story immensely. Therefore, I wasn't impressed, at all, with Cassandra and her choice and even less with the reasons she had to behave this way. This means the story was not appealing to me and if not for the prologue and Cassandra's father - the short amount of time we had with him alive in the story - this would have an even lower grade, just like I gave the other book.

The prologue was quite interesting, the writing and the vibe made me think the plot would revolve around making amends or if the main characters really were separating, how their lives would evolve... I'd have liked to read that story, but it wasn't so. I thought to myself that the author must have written the prologue in an inspired moment and only later on decided to write the rest and her muse might have been gone. Most of the book is written in such a boring way and has such uninteresting situations that I struggled to keep going.

I could have stopped, of course, but I had this book chosen for this theme since the beginning of the year and didn't want to change the plans I had for the titles chosen for this month anyway. Still, I hoped the story would have been much better than what it was and I still can't quite describe what this was supposed to be about, since the characters didn't do much. I didn't sympathize with any character except, perhaps, Cassandra's father, but his death propelled the majority of the situations and those were vague enough to not matter much in the end, after all.

I can't understand, really, what is the point of writing about people who are not satisfied with life or who make decisions because they are bored or unhappy and why would the reader care about them. If the goal here was to make Cassandra realize the repercussions of her decisions or that they had been, mostly, wrong, perhaps there would be interesting study of human nature, but it felt as if Cassandra was one of those free spirit types of people who would never settle for anything but what they would see as a slice of life, not caring others are affected by that. Frankly, I disliked her and could not see her being redeemed in any way.

This, along with the several characters who don't seem to have any special importance for this story except to prove infidelity and promiscuity is easy, means the story doesn't get any obvious development. Why this story and why this way, I kept thinking. Surely the author had a goal with this and if the idea was to expose the bad side of people, in a general notion, then it would not be necessary to use so many pages. Since the prologue, which I liked how was written, to the end, the plot is more a reunion of episodes with several passages where we see the characters in the past doing things that might somehow justify the current behavior/dialogue, there isn't much to it. I really expected more out of this book when I read the blurb.

Anyway, considering none of the characters "learned" anything from their life experiences and supposed mistakes, and that even Elizabeth seemed to follow the path of her parents in the sense she seemed to be rather careless with her attitudes and intimacy choices, I just can't find any consistency in this story to make it something I'd recommend. It's one of those attempts that just didn't go well, although it most definitely has drama!

Grade: 3/10

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

Kris Ripper - Hold Fast

Zack Scherzo likes his notebooks. And his pens. And, okay, he really loves to organize stuff. He’s organized his whole life into the ideal trajectory for his ten year plan, at which point his career will be solid and he’ll be ready for a husband and family. Everything makes perfect sense.
Until he meets Isaiah.
Driven entrepreneur Isaiah Carlin generally doesn’t get involved with lost causes, like the climbing gym Zack’s trying to keep afloat. But there’s something about the gym—and there’s definitely something about Zack—that intrigues him. He wants to help. He also wants to see what happens when Zack shakes loose some of his rules and allows himself to feel.
When passion collides with Zack’s regimented life path, something’s gotta give. And it looks like that thing is going to be Isaiah, unless he can convince Zack that sometimes real life is even better than the best laid plans.

Comment: This won't be a long comment considering I don't have much to say about it. I can't even remember why I had this book in the pile but probably the promise of romance convinced me.

In this book we meet Zach and Isaiah, who meet at the Crux gym and they will work together to find some way to create ways to publicize the gym and bring more people, even though the conditions and the finances aren't as stellar as one would imagine. Nevertheless, at the same time they work on this, they start to get to know one another better and it seems as if they can also have something together. However, demands of the job and their own personalities will be obstacles enough and they will have to wonder if it will be worth it in the end...

This book focuses on Zach, someone who we learn is very anal retentive and likes to organize everything in his life. Isaiah is a little more laid back but he is a professional and when involved with something work related he is usually quite demanding too. Their connection seemed OK at first, and right after they meet over a slight misunderstanding and I was looking for to see them fall in love but as the chapters went on, I just could not see the chemistry between them nor was I captivated by their characterization.

This is also the first book I try by the author, and I now that I have read this story and reviews of other books by zir (author uses pronouns ze/zir but I will have to confess this is so different even from other pronouns that I won't go into it in fear of saying something offensive) I can see the idea might be to show the inclusion of as many inclusive character types as possible in the several books the author has published. This is fine and obviously necessary, often is through fiction people get used to change and different things, but I feel there might have been a sort of goal with all this.

I will rephrase: I felt the idea of the story was not exactly only about an entertaining romance but mainly a fictional way for a message to be conveyed through their relationship. Ok, I can accept that. However, for a romance reader this felt a bit weakly done to me. I wanted more about Zach and Isaiah as a couple and all the elements which would make me root for them as individuals and as a couple, but the story wasn't focused on that, nor on other secondary issues. From a certain point on, I was pushing myself to read and I've finished because the book isn't long. I liked that they got their HEA but I will have to say I don't miss having left these characters. I also don't think, even considering the validity of messages intended, that the writing style is for me.

Grade: 3/10

John Bunyan - The Pilgrim's Progress

The Pilgrim's Progress holds a unique place in the history of English literature. No other seventeenth-century work except the King James Bible, nothing from the pen of a writer of Bunyan's social class in any period, and no other Christian work, has enjoyed such an extensive readership. The pilgrim Christian, Mr Worldly Wiseman, Giant Despair, Hopeful, and Ignorance are engaged in a powerful drama set against a solidly realistic background of town and country. Bunyan captures the speech of ordinary people as accurately as he depicts their behaviour and appearance and as firmly as he realizes their inner emotional and spiritual life. The tale is related in language remarkable for its beauty and simplicity, and is spiced with Bunyan's acute and satirical perceptions of the vanity and hypocrisy of his own society.

Comment: I was lent this book recently and while I wasn't very eager about it, it wasn't a long one and the font wasn't too small either, so I managed to read it all in one afternoon.

This is a classic by a known Christian preacher from the 17th century, and in this book he tells the allegory of a man who must go through many obstacles in order to find the true meaning of what it means to be a Christian. On the physical road, the pilgrim faces an inner path as well, trying to think about what is wrong and what is good so that his mind and heart are worthy of salvation.

The person who lent me the book is religious and we sometimes talk about the subject. We are actually both Catholic and sometimes we do talk about religion but I must say my vision is probably a bit less strict then hers. If not for her initiative, I probably would not pick this book on my own, not only because I admit I had not heard of it - despite the accolades of it being the book people read the most in the world after the Bible - but also because it had to be extremely dated for certain.

If one isn't fundamentalist or whatever denomination one prefers, some things can be read as allegories without it having to be taken as granted, or one can simply read for the style of narrative. I don't mind classics and sometimes some can be real gems, but it definitely wasn't the case here. I've found this book to be boring, moralist and condescending.

Now, I can understand that this was written in a specific moment in time, when people saw things differently, lived by different "rules" so to speak, but unlike so many other similar books I would now label more as if they were "self help" than just preaching, where each reader can grasp whatever lesson or meaning wanted, in relation to this one, the narrative wasn't that vague that anyone could read whatever. This text was purposely moralist, preaching and looking at what we now know, unfair and racist.

The pilgrim is the personification of Man, who must have a correct life, make the right decisions and defend the right ideas for his soul to be saved or for his character to be worthy. All right, but sadly the rules for being a good Christian in the 17th century aren't as simple as "be a good person and help others". The rules and the things people had to know in order to be considered so, are very unfair and unbalanced and even understanding who wrote this and for whom this was written does not make it less bad.

I won't go any further, I've found this to be a less than worthwhile text, I could see where the author went with his allegory and I can certainly understand the intention. However, the execution and details don't mean anything to me nor do I think, unlike what so many others might defend, that this is one of those texts that reads now as it did back then. The main idea might not change, the same way the base of most religions has a source of goodness and reliable faith, but the hearts of Men most certainly are affected by what they see and live through.

Grade: 3/10

Ashlyn Macnamara - Destined for a King

Though she is intended for the king, Calista Thorne picks up a crossbow to defend her ancestral home, Blackbriar Keep, from a gang of landless knights. She even manages to sink a poison-tipped arrow into their commander, who survives long enough to conquer the Keep and claim Calista for his own. Now, with her father’s life at stake, Calista must nurse the brigand back to health, and the strangest thing happens: She finds herself fascinated by his tautly muscled body, and enthralled by his hotly whispered demands.
Ever since his father’s death, the fearsome warrior they call Torch has been consumed by his quest for revenge. Taking Blackbriar Keep is the first step in that plan, and—by the three gods—it won’t be the last. But after taking one look into Calista’s smoldering gray eyes, Torch discovers a passion nobler than retribution. He will fulfill his destiny and take her from the usurper king, even in his weakened state. For with Calista’s love, no man has ever felt more powerful.

Comment: I got interested in this novel because of the possibilities in romance since the protagonists would meet while being at different sides of a political move. However, the story didn't truly captivate me.

In this fantasy novel, which brings medieval vibes when it comes to the world's details and structure, Torch and his army are arriving at Blackbriar Keep, a strategist location to gain the kingdom afterwards. It also helps that in it lives Calista, the intended bride of the king but Torch wants to marry Calista himself, for he believes he will have more advantages later on. What he didn't count was on Calista wanting to defend her home and she hits him with an arrow. 

Unknowingly to them, the arrow had poison and now, to avoid an even bigger problem after Torch's army conquers her home, Calista has to nurse him back to health and because they must be close to one another, their feelings start to bring them even closer emotionally. But is there any hope for them or is Torch's quest a doomed one from the start?

At a simple glance, this does sound quite appealing. Since it is fantasy, I had hopes that the magical or paranormal aspects would make for an entertaining world building and I imagined the romance would also be balanced and special, considering they are kind of enemies at first. Sadly for me, the story was a bit boring and not as romantic as I imagined.

The world here resembles a medieval type of reality, with knights and strongholds and battles to fight and kings and similar elements we might find in an historical set in the 1400s or something. Medieval historicals aren't my preference because the roles of men and women are unbalanced and despite having to accept this as a fact, it still annoys me, a detail that doesn't seem so when it comes to historicals set in later periods, like the 19th century, where society while still unfair to women, still allowed for different things too. Nevertheless, I was ready to enjoy this anyway, but adding this style of setting to the rest wasn't enough to convince me.

In fact, the way society sees women and how they are treated in this novel was, for the most part, irritating. Then, their personalities weren't very appealing either; Calista, the protagonist, was a mix of a "know it all" and a "blind pawn", in the sense others made decisions for her but when she could do them, she didn't have all the information to make better ones but still acted as if she knew better. Since the plot with all the political conflicts was boring, I confess I wasn't always paying much attention to these details related to her. Her mother was very obnoxious and sometimes would be on one side, sometimes on another. I also disliked how they talked about sexual intimacy between them (like when Calista's mother advised and admonished her on sex with Torch). Then, there's also the castle's maids, who all seemed to be glad to be around strong men...

All the stereotypes apart, I don't think any character was really fleshed out or complex enough to add depth to their personality. There were times I felt they were all unlikable and I often thought of not continuing reading but I still hoped to see what would happen when others would recognize Torch's ruling of the castle and how would that play out with the king in power when he would found out. I suppose I hoped we would have a better plot but then, between the weird magical details and the secrets, the story started to feel confusing and less structured. When the book ended, I wasn't yet certain of where everything was standing and I don't feel there was much resolution.

The romance wasn't a good one, in my opinion. Since I've felt they had no distinctive personality nor interest, I wasn't as invested in how their relationship would be like either. First of all, the dynamics of their initial animosity weren't very appealing, because of how they deal with each other, and when they started to become closer, I've felt it was even worse because they got intimate too quickly and I don't feel emotions happened in par. Besides, someone attacks you and so quickly do you give in to that person or let yourself be seduced? And Torch had a plan which might explain why he pursued Calista so soon, but he didn't seem to be one of those heroes who is charming and natural as himself, I've felt the author had to force the relationship to look better than what it was.

At the end, the weak fantastical elements, the lack of romantic and convincing love story, the confusion of certain things, the lack of depth, all made me think of this book as one I won't have many fond memories of and I will likely won't read more in the series. I mean, this is labeled the first in a series and I saw a reference to a second book but nothing more than that. Perhaps some of the doubts I still have will be answered then, but I will not wait for them.

Grade: 3/10

Mia West - Launch the Hunt

Eagle shifter John Tillman can almost taste freedom.
He never expected to raise his kid sister. She’s worth the sacrifices he’s made—education, career, lovers—but the empty nest is calling his name.
To save her college fund, John’s taking every run his plane can handle and doing his best to keep his shifting under the radar.
Then his latest job walks into the bar with a strange gait and velvety Southern drawl.
Army veteran Logan Maddox has given a lot for freedom.
He’s no hero, just a guy trying to adapt to new parameters. If he isn’t fully living the gay identity he’s finally accepted…well, it’s not top priority.
After three tours, two new legs, and one long-overdue divorce, Logan has zeroed in on a single objective: a trip into Alaska’s back country, no distractions.
But fate has its own tactics, and the only pilot available to guide him is a tall, surly drink of water who's gonna challenge every good intention Logan’s got.

Comment: Since I tend to like stories featuring shape shifters, it was probably for this reason I added this book to my TBR. Sadly, for me, it ended up not being as special as I wanted.

In this novella, we meet John Tillman, an eagle shifter, as he is about to start a new job as a tour guide in a hunting trip with a father and son. He also takes his younger sister Cora because he has raised and can't leave her anywhere else. He wasn't counting on being so attracted to Logan Maddox, his client, but the more they talk the more they feel they are in sync.

Logan has a past that is complicated, but now he wants to improve his relationship with his son and he feels this trip might be ideal, nature and some seclusion in Alaska have to work as a way for them to bond. Logan has also only recently accepted he is gay and feels he's ready to act on this part of himself...it does seem as if their tour guide might be someone he could be comfortable with in order to accomplish that but will the secrets between them be a strong enough detriment?

I've gotten this novella's edition at a time I confess I can't remember anymore, but I've noticed that there is a much more recent and expanded edition. I can't say how much better or improved the new edition is in relation to the content of the novella I've read, but assuming that this was, indeed done, I will confess that I don't feel interested enough to verify.

Sadly, the story and characters did nothing to convince me I would want to invest more of my time in this world. I can understand why it appeals to some readers and there were one or two elements I liked, but the overall feel is one of things not developed properly, of inconsistencies and, due to the novella size, a lack of depth to most of the things included. I'm saying this after having read novellas by other authors where a lot was achieved, even in those novellas (conveniently) not part of a series.

A novella is always a challenge to do well, of course, obviously for the page limit. I think in part that might have the biggest negative aspect here for me, not enough pages to develop a plot which isn't that bad to begin with... two guys from different backgrounds, with specific pasts that make them special in their own ways (John raised his teenager sister, putting a lot of life on hold and Logan was in the military, having suffered an accident which left him with amputated legs) and now a sudden possibility of being with one another, with possibly trust and companionship to look for as well.

The idea is indeed interesting but the execution, not so much. First, why adding the teenagers? Cora, John's sister and Will, Logan's son, provided secondary issues which, I suppose were there just to delay certain things but since the story has no real development, I wonder why it mattered if the kids where there or not. In fact, it was extremely annoying to see the interactions between them all and the kids one or two night after meeting each other decide to play a prank on the guys and to be honest, I found it to be all except funny.

Then, something happens and John feels "forced" to reveal he is a shifter to Logan. I mean! Why, there was no real need for this to have happened, it wasn't certainly natural or necessary for the weak plot and it made me think the author might have thought about a few specific scenes and just decided to use them, without being certain the connections and sequences between them made sense. At least, they didn't make sense to me.

I guess I could have overlooked all this if the romance had been a good one. But also in this aspect I was disappointed because both Logan and John's personalities were described in very superficial ways. The lack of pages also made for the quickness of their connection to feel forced and without chemistry. I would have liked to know way more about the shifters and this world where they exist (apparently just some genetic thing), and I would like to have a better notion on the dynamics between Logan and his son, or how Logan has lived with his being gay so hidden.

I can imagine these things might have had better development or that there are more scenes between everyone before truths come but but... oh well. Oh and there is one extra detail which sounded really.... I guess "unique" is a kind word, regarding how shifters have to be careful and not contaminate others so they don't become shifters as well. It's... well, the way this was presented sounded very silly.

Overall, interesting details, promising ideas but for me terrible execution... I don't feel curious enough to read more in this series.

Grade: 3/10

Cora Seaton - One Navy Seal

Navy SEAL Brian Lake is out of luck. Going rogue on his last mission landed him on a fast track out of the Navy—years too soon to have saved up enough money to buy the ranch he’s always wanted. Without a career—or the cash to start over—Brian’s options are few, until Army general Augustus Reed steps in with an intriguing new mission—a permanent one. 

Ignored by her absentee father, duped by thief he appointed to oversee her family’s ranch, Cass Reed is done with men for good. From now on she’s determined to run Two Willows herself, so when her father sends a Navy SEAL to fix up her house, she vows to run him off her land as soon as possible. But Brian’s just as determined to stay, and he’s in a far different league than the men she’s met before. Brian’s ready to do anything that will earn him a share of a prosperous ranch—even take a chance on marrying the General’s daughter. And he soon realizes it won’t be a hardship to marry Cass. She’s everything he’s ever dreamed of in a woman—and Two Willows is everything he wanted in a ranch. But he’s not the only one who wants Two Willows—and Cass. 

Will falling in love be the most dangerous mission of all?

Comment: Another case of me not being able to remember exactly what made me interested in a book... probably something someone said about this story which caught my attention but it turns out I wasn't losing much in the four years this one was in the pile...

General Reed is a man used to have his way so he has an office with five men from different branches of the military who had done something wrong in their careers and are now stuck in a office doing something redundant until they are discharged. General Reed, however, has plans for them, he wants each one to marry one of his daughters, back in their home ranch, and for that they can get their honorable discharge, a wife and a steady life with the possibility of inheriting when he dies. The general doesn't have a good relationship with his daughters, especially since his wife died, but he still wants them taken care of and the ranch in good hands. The first to leave is Brian Lake and he is supposed to help around the ranch and marry the oldest daughter, Cass. But there are some unsavory guys currently doing the work in the ranch, will Brian be able to take charge or help the sisters do it? Will he and Cass be a good match?

The premise for this story and, therefore, the series, has to be one of the most unlikely ones ever. However, this doesn't have to be a negative thing, often many stories are enjoyable and fun even if some things are difficult to suspend disbelief for or if they have scenes which aren't realistic. As with everything, balance is necessary and I think that if the writing or if the development were to be done differently, it would be a lot easier to accept the weaker elements.

Sadly, nothing worked for me here. Thankfully, the story isn't big and I skimmed a lot, otherwise I wouldn't have finished. The idea a general in the US armed forces would use resources of said forces to practically blackmail five men so they would accept to marry an unknown woman just because he thinks it's the best decision for them... I'm certain the author could have thought of a better and more realistic way to "make" the men want to leave and go meet his daughters. The whole thing just sounded far fetched and a little farcical.

It was hard to put this weird notion aside but then Brian does arrive at the ranch and I thought the story from then on would be more interesting, the main characters would have to get to know one another, there were problems to be solved which could bring them closer so they could be a team solving them. Somehow, this did happen but the interactions between the main couple and the other sisters and the antagonists just seemed off somehow. It was as if there was no real sequence to what was happening, no setting up except to allow them to go from one thing to another.

Honestly, the dialogues, the way the characters spoke to one another, especially the sisters, the interactions between all characters felt like they were done in a very juvenile way. It just just didn't seem like those people would be real, would behave like that in real life and even allowing for artistic license, the characters just didn't seem likable. Almost every scene until the problems are solved and the HEA happens offers a vision of very unlikable characters to me. Everyone does something or acts in a way I struggled to appreciate. Again, especially the sisters, they all "date" someone so obviously a bad choice (perhaps to better enhance the need for a good guy to come along?) that they behave as idiots and treat each other in ways I just can't see why we would want to care about them.

I won't even go into some domestic scenes, portraying the characters in a very immature way, like why would one sister not wash the dishes and Cass would complain and this would mean the world was against that sister...I thought the sisters were all adults but none behaved as such. Cass is the protagonist, of course, but I didn't warm up to her. Brian seemed a bit more likable but I felt more pity over the fact he was placed in such a ridiculous situation than I did for what he had to do before he and Cass finally got "happy". No need to explain that the romance wasn't convincing either...

I think all these critics have a common aspect for me: the author's writing style just didn't seem good. Of course many readers love and will love her stories and that is great but her style truly doesn't work out for my taste. I also noticed she is very prolific, believing the dates of publishing in many sites and the amount of books in several series she has written. I bet this is a very organized author but I feel slightly guilty to think there has to be a reason why she is so accomplished in such a short amount of time... to me, sadly, I think her work is mostly superficial so perhaps what she thinks, she writes as it is and then publishes and not every element of the process is done as well as it could.

Nevertheless, this is the beauty of so many authors and books, there is always something for everyone! Unfortunately, this author is not for me.

Grade: 3/10

Carian Cole - Storm

I had no idea crashing into a ditch would change my life forever.
Fate had other plans, and I never stood a chance.
A series of weather and road mishaps left me trapped in the middle of a blizzard with a complete stranger in the back of a pickup truck.
For forty-eight freakin' hours.
A stranger with long hair, tattoos, and rippling with muscle.
A stranger with an insanely sexy voice and a smile that turned my insides to jelly.
A stranger who held me in his arms, calmed me, and then set a fire in me that I couldn't put out.
I didn't know I was trapped with America's favorite bad boy guitarist, Storm Valentine. And he was in no rush to reveal his secret. He's used to getting everything he wants, and for some reason, he's decided he wants me.
Some people chase storms for the beautiful thrill. What happens when the storm chases you?

Comment: I was recommended this book around the end of 2016 and only now did I manage to add it to my monthly list. By looking at the blurb it was rather clear this would more in the vibe of new adult and I'll admit this is also a genre I don't always appreciate much, even though there are authors I like who do it well.

In this book we meet Evelyn (Evie) as she travels to a work meeting but the weather has become awful due to snow and her GPS seems to not have worked properly. Her car falls into a ditch and while she ponders how so find a solution, Storm, a stranger ,comes along and helps her. She is wary at first but accepts although when they get to his truck, it won't start and the solution, since it's cold and snowing, is to stay in the truck until they can leave. After two days in the car and in Storm's house which was nearby, Evie can finally leave but that time has been eye opening to her own life and how stagnated it got. Could it be they would be a good couple? What will happen, though, when Evie finds out who Storm really is?

It's universally accepted in the world of romance that forced/close proximity makes for a good trope and has the side effect of forcing the characters to become closer emotionally as well, especially if the romance develops well. I suppose this was the author's intention and the idea itself was a good one, even better when we know he is a famous musician she doesn't immediately recognize, so lots of possibilities to explore.

This isn't a big book, it does seem to follow the trend of these new adult stories where things get resolved rather quickly and I actually appreciated this aspect a lot since, sadly for me, the positive elements didn't win over the negative ones. I feel I would be a mean/unfair reader if I were to go chapter by chapter mentioning the things I found lacking, so I'll try to summarize but the thing I could not really get past was the author's style, which felt it wasn't complex enough to make me care for what she was telling me.

This means that I found the characters and the writing too superficial despite this not being a problem of only this author; I have this opinion of many other books I've read in the same style and genre. This led the characters to behave in way I found really silly and - another negative aspect for me - this is told in first person by Evie. She sounds so childish, so immature, so silly in some parts. I could not feel any connection with her nor with the worries she had nor was I eager to see how she would solve her problems. It really takes a certain kind of style to pull of romance in first person and I don't feel this was it.

The plot... it certainly had a lot going on, between the heroine's life issues and challenges and the hero being a famous person with all that entails (the cliché of how he presents himself to the public vs who he is as well as his band in private, the press pressure to know things about them, etc) and what happens to the characters since they meet and spent time in the car, how quickly they reach a level of intimacy and how easy a connection is between them... I mean, things that surely give content to a story but I don't think the pace helped, for everything seemed to happen too quickly.

The plot also addresses another issue, how they both deal with personal relationships and what that means for them as couple, especially since Storm is famous and has more famous people in his family. On one hand, I kind of liked his family dynamics and it shows they were united. But although the parents seem pretty standard, the other band elements are placed in a position where the next stories will develop their lives and all seem to have some kind of personal issue to overcome. It can certainly be realistic but made everything too obvious (in terms of how famous people likely can't hide their problems from the world) and it made their acceptance of the heroine a bit too sugary.

Perhaps some of the details I liked less or even disliked could have mitigated by the romance but not even that felt special. The characters get close too quickly and even in a situation of forced proximity how they spend that time felt unlikely. Their conversations those of teenagers, both tone and word choice. I just couldn't get past the narrator's childish thoughts, processes... it's not that this couldn't happen to someone, or that someone already adult couldn't think that way, but it didn't sound appealing to me.

As the plot evolves, both main characters do some things and while we have been told for a long time that the relationship the heroine has with her long dated boyfriend isn't good anymore, I still feel the evolution of her new relationship with Storm was done in an unfair and silly manner. Come on, is a famous person that irresistible so easily? Where was her adult perception of her surroundings, of other people's feelings, of social conventions, of simply being a grown up with responsibilities? Thus, she did not read as an adult to me.

More could be said about specific scenes and such but the gist of it is that these characters just felt like they had a good premise in how they met and what could mean, but the development was like a cheap movie would go and not what believable and likable people would do, therefore I feel this wasn't a good novel, nor in tone, nor in content. I don't plan on reading more books by this author.

Grade: 3/10

Harmony Verna - Beneath the Apple Leaves

In 1914, Andrew Houghton s family is one of hundreds eking out an existence in the coal mines of southwestern Pennsylvania. Though he longs to be a veterinarian, he s fated for a life underground, picking rock alongside his father.
That destiny changes when his aunt, Eveline Kiser, arranges for her husband to secure Andrew an apprenticeship on the railroad. Wilhelm Kiser, a German immigrant, has found his American dream in Pittsburgh, with a well-paying job as a brakeman, and a secure pension. But on Andrew s first week, an incident goes tragically wrong, leaving him severely injured, his dreams shattered. Wracked with guilt, Wilhelm finally agrees to his wife s pleas to leave Pittsburgh s smog behind. With Andrew in tow, they swap their three-story row house for a rough-and-tumble farm.
Life in rural Pennsylvania is not as idyllic as Eveline imagined. The soil is slow to yield and their farmhouse is in disrepair. But there is one piece of beauty in this rugged land. Lily Morton is quick-witted and tough on the outside, but bears her own secret scars inside. Andrew s bond with her will help steer them through all the challenges to come, even as anti-German sentiment spreads across America with the outbreak of World War I.
Beneath the Apple Leaves is a vivid, deeply moving portrait of family its hardships, triumphs, and passions and a powerfully authentic evocation of life on the land and the hearts that sustain it.

Comment: I saw this book was on sale earlier this year and the blurb seemed interesting enough, I imagined one of those stories where the characters face a lot of adversity but are "rewarded" at the end with happiness and success. Sadly for me, this was anything but a happy read.

In this book we follow Andrew Haughton, a young man whose dreams are simple: he wants to work with animals, perhaps becoming a veterinarian. However, life in the 1910s is very hard and his father works in a coal mine, which means any savings aren't easy to obtain, especially if his father has demanded Andrews never accepts working in the mine. Tragedy happens, however and Andrew and his mother must leave the home they have known but while he is sent to his aunt, his mother decides to leave for her Dutch homeland. Andrew is left with family but things don't go any easier there and, once again, they all need to leave, this time to a farm, but when they arrive they realize a lot of work is necessary to put things into order. Will they be able to overcome all the difficulties coming their way?

I feel like sighing. Looking at the cover, looking at the blurb I confess I imagined a very different story than the one that actually was written. And I certainly thought apples might have a bigger role in the story,perhaps because they would become important for the family's livelihood... Unfortunately, I think the bones of the story weren't used the best way.

For me, the biggest issue is how much pain and hopelessness the characters face. It seemed only bad things were happening to them all, and I assume the idea was how sorrow and heartbreak would help shape one's values and attitudes, so the family could reach happiness and union by working together, by being kind and helpful, so that their journey through so much hardship would be rewarded. At least, I saw this as being the possible goal here. However, each main character had something bad happening to them and I feel it was only for shock factor.

Were the bad things to have a positive outcome sooner, I think the character's evolution would have seemed to be better structured but in my opinion they only seemed to have strength by going through terrible things. Honestly, I think it led nowhere because by the end the characters were in the same place, emotionally and economically speaking, as they were in the beginning, only they felt like one or two events could help them see the future with brightness. I mean... this is to be expected, I suppose, but certainly not enough to turn this story around, in terms of how much they "learned".

At some point I felt like giving up but kept going, in the hopes that the characters would become wiser or more knowledgeable about the"enemy" sooner, but the bad things kept coming. As if there was no positive details in their lives to make hardship bearable... in turn, my enjoyment was also practically not even bearable because it really felt the story would go nowhere. 

As I've said, I hoped the story would lead the characters to a farm and that despite worries and problems, they would slowly get a better life, and so on but this didn't happen. Even the allusion to characters' dreams went nowhere because they could barely make ends meet and there would be another obstacle after the last one, to overcome.     

The WWI theme, the issue of racism and prejudice against Germans and people from Europe during a time war was ongoing, the way of life at a time where poverty and difficulties were too hard to avoid were interesting themes and could have provided good food for thought but the repetitiveness and constant hardship just didn't make reading this book a good experience.      

Grade: 3/10                                                                      

TBR Challenge: Patricia Ryan - Falcon's Fire

Beautiful and impulsive, Lady Martine vows never to fall in love after her mother dies of a broken heart. But for her brother’s sake, she agrees to wed, sight unseen, the younger son of an English baron. The betrothal has been arranged by her brother’s old friend and fellow Crusade veteran Thorne Falconer, a landless knight in service to the baron.
Born into wretched poverty, the powerful and handsome Thorne pursues the one thing that separates the rich and the poor: land. As a reward for finding a wife for the hot-headed young Edmund, Thorne is to receive what he most craves, a grand manor of his own.
Neither Martine nor Thorne counts on their overwhelming attraction to each other. As the two improbably lovers struggle to deny their desire, they are drawn into a passion so fiery it sweeps away everything but all-consuming love.   

Comment: Time flies! It's time for another TBR post and the theme for April is "old school" which can be interpreted freely (that's the goal), within some rules of course, so the possibilities are always broad. Although, to be fair, anyone who doesn't want to follow the prop can choose something else.

For me, the expression "old school" always reminds me of books written a long time ago... so I picked a book written originally in 1995 (I was ten years old then lol so, suitable for, "old") and in mere four years it will be thirty. I also tend to think of "old school" as something written in a time where certain styles and trends were the norm and for me personally I'd put this up to things I would see up to 2000, 2001 and whereabouts. I might change my perspective a decade or more from now, who knows.

In this story we meet heroine Martine de Rouen who is traveling with her brother Rainulf, a former crusader now following his religious faith, to England, where she will be married to Edmund, an overload's son. The match was thought by Thorne Falconer, another crusader who was friends with Rainulf, so that the overload could finally give him the promised land he covets. However, as soon as Thorne meets Martine he can't help but like her, even when her behavior seems inconstant and it appears she appreciates him as well. Something between them is impossible for several reasons but the heart might not care...at least until terrible events make things happen much quicker than anticipated and then, it might be too late for them to reach for happiness...

This is the first book by the author I try. I can't remember but I think I added this to my TBR (in 2016) because it was certainly mentioned somewhere on having some sort of allure to my preferences...now I have finished, I assume it was the opposites attract sort of vibe Martine and Thorne have when they meet... nevertheless, I finally purchased the book and I decided to read it for the challenge. I should say I don't tend to be crazy over medieval romances (in contrast to Regency or Victorian for instance) because my contemporary self simply can't stand the even worse treatment of women at that time but,  you know, the old dream of a reader never ceases: to find a hidden gem!

I'll say it right away in case your eyes didn't see my grade immediately: I did not like this book. It was nothing like I imagined and although I'm perfectly aware taste is relative, for me the content in this book did nothing to wow me in a positive way. I thought this would be a sweet romance about two people who shouldn't be together but were falling in love anyway, perhaps Martine would struggle in a new place, perhaps the other people in the estate might not like her...anyway, I created some ideas but for me this didn't work at all in the end.

I suppose I could rant a little and give examples of the things I disliked but between not wanting to write that much (!) and not wanting to give spoilers in case someone really feels this might be a possible read, I'll just leave some general words on the kind of things I found made this a bad read for me...

- the treatment of women. I know medieval times weren't exactly enlightened but there are romances where the writing and the choices by the author can give realistic indications of this without ruining the "romantic" aspects. Some scenes made me mad and others so sad... like how Martine's future brother-in-law treated his wife. Yes, historically speaking things might be close to accurate but...

- mistreating and torture of animals. Again, maybe it was the way people behaved back then but I certainly do not want to read about it on the page.

- the lack of communication between some characters and the lack of honorable behavior among some groups/secondary characters, despite rules of conduct in place by the overload and the law itself. Even for plot purposes, I think the author went a bit too far in how descriptive some crimes were committed.

- the religious aspect might be true for the time with all the suspicion and lack of understanding but towards the end, when a key moment is happening, it felt like it was there to simply allow the hero to "save the day".

- the intimacy scenes didn't seem that romantic and for supposedly clever characters, both Thorne and Martine saw themselves in trouble because they couldn't think ahead. I can justify this as a plot device to force them to act a certain way, like when her marriage to Edmund goes badly and Martine and Thorne along with a friend think of a plan and that backfires.

Well, I could say more but I believe you can get it I disliked this one. I hoped things might improve and a better path might happen but it felt like the author did her research on medieval times and of the many characteristics we now know of how things were, she picked several of the most negative aspects and put them in this story. I struggled to be entertained and decided that the author's style just wasn't for me. I guess I'll need to be fair and compare this with another book one day but probably not so soon.

In the end, I simply didn't enjoy the choices the author made. I think a more balanced story would have helped to bear the negative aspects but it just felt like because it was in the medieval times, everything had to be bad, everything had to be so obviously hard and the characters had to face so much adversity to justify their HEA at the end.

I hope I'll have better luck next time, both for the challenge and in reading something by this author. Sadly, this didn't work out for me but I can see how others might focus on different aspects and appreciate it. For me, it just wasn't fun to spend time with these characters.

Grade: 3/10

JJ Murray - No Ordinary Love

Nurse Trina Woods never really expected to make the reality-show cut for Rich Man, Lucky Lady. She's used to losing in love, and past believing in fairy tales. So she's sure the handsome plain-talking man she encounters on her lunch break is just a shy eccentric…Until he turns out to be reclusive award-winning musician “Art E.”  Soon his unique sensitivity and gentle ways are inspiring her to stand up for herself, take risks, and try one last time for her happy ending.

Tony Santangelo's special way of seeing the world helps him make connections others don't—and turn them into mega-hit songs. But he never realized how lonely he was until he got a glimpse of Trina's honesty and caring nature—and went way out of his comfort zone to find her.  Suddenly they’re the media's hottest new Cinderella story. And coping with his overprotective brother and overwhelming celebrity means he and Trina must face trouble head on, insist on their dreams, and write their own one-of-a-kind forever-after song…

Comment: I got interested in this book back in 2017, probably because I read other books at the time with a main character with Asperger and this one was suggested as similar; I can't remember if in a site like Goodreads or if by someone in the comments threads or something in another review site.

In this book we meet Tony, a man with Asperger who has a brain for music and lyrics and his brother (and guardian) Angelo has turned that talent into a business, for Tony is a songwriter and quite well respected. However, Angelo wants to marry and he thinks Tony might feel alone if he dedicates more time to a wife so he starts to wonder if Tony should find a girlfriend as well. Coincidentally, they all watch a new reality show where a rich man has a... unique way of revealing which women participants aren't there for true love but instead want fame or money alone. While debating this, they check other shows about to begin and there she is, the face of Trina Woods, whose bio is genuine and trustful and Tony wants to meet her. Then, a set of adventures begin for these two strangers about to meet...

In the beginning, I was enjoying this relatively well, the first three chapters were suggestive enough and I liked Tony and his unique personality. Yes, he has Asperger and he dedicates a lot of himself to his routines but he was also able to make friends and his unique way of seeing the world is what interested me, plus I'm always curious to see how authors develop stories (and romances) with characters having some sort of difference.

Sadly for me, that was the only part of the book I liked because from the moment the heroine is presented, I started to dislike this more and more. It's not that she is mean or bad but I simply couldn't sympathize with her. Her personality was not appealing to me and I couldn't see how Tony might like her when he would meet her. She is supposedly his better half because she tells the truth and she isn't a "gold digger" but while this last part proved right, I cannot agree with the "kind" personality. When the reality show is on, we see it through Trina's eyes and while the female contestants are being unmasked for their vain interests and negative traits, Trina is commenting, on her head, things about those women. Sincerely, it left a bad taste in my mouth and I couldn't appreciate how unfair she was to fellow women being exposed so unfairly on national TV.

Anyway, from then on, the book stopped being interesting to me. I kept hoping Tony an his own personality would compensate fo the things I didn't enjoy much but then the story went in a direction I was shaking my head at in almost every chapter. I got the impression things had to go that way because that was the author's goal and not that the story really needed that; I'm talking about the continuously repeat of how society sees odd pairings, in this case how someone with Asperger could be seen as "stable" enough to be in a relationship. The fact he was famous made the paparazzi follow them while they went out... everything felt so... exposed.

In a way, I could see how the main idea of this book could work but to me, the writing style also didn't work. The author did seem to have an intention in how and what he wrote and, f course, that is his prerogative, but the tone and the message weren't conveyed, in my opinion, in the best way. Often, there was misogyny, racism and politically incorrect content in many scenes which left me feeling uncomfortable. Having a quick look at the blurbs of the other books by the author, and by his bio, it's clear he is intent on writing about multiracial relationships and highlight them as something positive but I don't think that worked well in this book. 

I can't give a personal view since I'm not in a relationship, but while the dynamics between Trina and Tony cold be seen as specific to them, the way this is written, I think it does give the impression that Trina is Tony's savior of sorts, in the sense that he only focuses his notion of love on her. Something about the whole thing doesn't feel quite right...

In the end, I think there were just too many details and scenes which I think failed in delivering the intended message/lesson. I suppose going chapter by chapter I could give more individual examples of when I felt this happened but let it just be said I didn't enjoy this story and much less the author's style and his attempt to send a message through his work.

Grade: 3/10