Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir - Butterflies in November

After a day of being dumped - twice - and accidentally killing a goose, the narrator begins to dream of tropical holidays far away from the chaos of her current life. instead, she finds her plans wrecked by her best friend's deaf-mute son, thrust into her reluctant care. But when a shared lottery ticket nets the two of them over 40 million kroner, she and the boy head off on a road trip across iceland, taking in cucumber-farming hotels, dead sheep, and any number of her exes desperate for another chance. Blackly comic and uniquely moving, Butterflies in November is an extraordinary, hilarious tale of motherhood, relationships and the legacy of life's mistakes.

Comment: I've recently read this book and it was the first time I even knew the author existed, much less that this is her second book, apparently. Last time I went to the library this book was on one of the display shelves at the entrance and I like to check it for many recent acquisitions are shown there. So, I took the book because it gave me the vibe of contemporary romance by the Portuguese description but in reality it was a little more weird than what I imagined.

In this book we have the story of the narrator (whose name I don't remember - if it was even mentioned), a woman who works mostly with translation and whose family life is very messy. When the novel begins, she is dumped by her husband, who accuses her of being too distant and even reveals he will be a father soon, of another woman's baby. Then she is also dumped by her lover, who tells her she isn't there and he wants to know what they have matters to both.

To top this, she is asked by her pregnant best friend to take care of her small boy while she rests after a fall. The narrator then helps the boy, somehow they win the lottery (the boy picked the numbers) and embark on a journey through Iceland.

I believe I've summarized the premise of this book quite well, because there was always this sense of weirdness about it that I can't really explain. Perhaps it has something to do with the cultural differences. Of course this book is set on Iceland and show details of a type of culture quite different from the one I'm used to. Also, I could say the majority of foreign novels are often from other zones not Scandinavia and it's not as easy to have contact with that reality. I can imagine this being a detail that can make it difficult for readers to get used to.

The story isn't that complicated, it's basically focused on a travel trope where, as the characters move along, discover new things about themselves. This happens mostly with the narrator for the boy is quite little, but for me the issue with this was that the descriptions of the feelings were quite whimsical. Apart from the steps they took, there's this aura of something emotional but eccentric as the same time. It's difficult to simply describe it but I felt a little lost through some passages because they didn't make much sense.

Obviously this story is meant to signify all of us are in a journey and there are "clues" about what we are supposed to feel/think and how we react can be key to our progress or emotional learning. In this book there are some elements (like the conversation about dead animals, the casual reaction to situations around the narrator, the fortune teller's predictions) that can be too unconventional for this story to be fully appreciated. It seems there are some links missing, which could unite all this in a more understanding manner. Is this supposed to make the reader think? I'm sure that it is, but it's quite difficult if we can't really process what all this is supposed to mean.

When things are weird in a narrative, we can try to connect with the narrator/the main character. However, in this case, that was quite complicated because not only was it difficult to like the protagonist (some of her attitudes like having a lover, why?, weren't that understandable) but then the writing style didn't help to be closer to the story since it was a little vague and too whimsical, not really focused on mundane things but rather concepts and inferences and that made it harder to get a real idea about what was going on.

I just think that the attempt - which I assume is the reason behind this style more than Iceland's method to teach their students on how to write - to just give random notions about what is out there, what the characters see and experience isn't as artistic as we are supposed to think; I found it too weird, overall.

The title is also an interesting choice, since it needs to be adapted to other languages. I included two covers, one in english where the title mentions butterflies (it's plot related, yes) and the Portuguese one, which centers on the concept of women compared with islands.

All in all, there are enough elements to make it a curious read, it's different enough that one can see the cultural impact but is it that amazing? For me it wasn't.

Grade: 5/10

Mark Pryor - The Paris Librarian

Hugo Marston's friend Paul Rogers dies unexpectedly in a locked room at the American Library in Paris. The police conclude that Rogers died of natural causes, but when his girlfriend is also found dead, Hugo is certain mischief is afoot.
As he pokes around the library, Hugo discovers that rumors are swirling around some recently donated letters from American actress Isabelle Severin. Some are being kept secret. The reason: they indicate that the now ninety-year-old had aided the resistance in frequent trips to France towards the end of World War II. Even more dramatic is the legend that the Severin Collection also contains a dagger, one she used to kill an SS officer in 1944.
Hugo delves deeper into the stacks at the American library and finally realizes that the history of this case isn't what anyone suspected. But to prove he's right, Hugo must return to the scene of a decades-old crime.

Comment: I got this book at my local library the last time I went there. Since this is not a big book and the font wasn't too small, I figured it would be interesting enough to read for a few hours, even more so considering the theme would be about a mystery in Paris and there would be talk about books and libraries, things I find extremely appealing.

This is the 6th installment in the Hugo Marston series by author Mark Pryor.

The story begins with Hugo, the protagonist, scheduling a meeting with his librarian friend Paul Rogers regarding a book Hugo would like to acquire. However, everything changes when Paul is found dead in his closed office and all indicates natural causes.

Hugo isn't sold on it but all clues point there and he starts to accept the fact until Paul's girlfriend is also found dead and that is just too much of a coincidence, which mean Hugo investigates and puts all the pieces together to make the truth come alive again...

I had never heard of this author before seeing the book in the library and I didn't investigate before deciding to try it, so I was not aware this would be the 6th book in a series. From this POV, the book is readable as a stand alone even if there were several references to previous details which, I assume, were dealt with in the previous installments also. This was a simple story about an crime investigation so I must say I was a little disappointed with the fact not much is centered in a library or about a librarian in Paris...

It was precisely that detail that grabbed my attention when I picked the book to read he blurb. I was interested in reading about the adventures of a librarian in a city I've visited and whose setting I'd be able to more or less recognize but the protagonist is not the librarian of the title. I must wonder why this was chosen, then, since the story wouldn't be about that person's life (since he dies, of course).

There is also the promise of book talk but I felt everything was very superficially mentioned and all references to books were sporadic and regarding things that, after all, had no real importance to the plot! One element is the investigation about a set of documents about a former supposed spy who is actually an old actress and the memoirs she had on paper and donated to the library in Paris. I believed this would be directly related to the plot but let me tell you, it's all circumstantial because that barely matters. I can see it was used as a red herring of sorts but to the POV of the reader it's just so..unimportant, so why bothering to include it. I don't really think the author thought this well.

I do think the story was fluid, easy, simple...I had no trouble finding motivation to read but now that I've finished I find the plot too silly. This is definitely not the best mystery/murder investigation I've read about. I suppose the author wanted to create the atmosphere to let us imagine and be eager to know what happens next but the way the story develops and how each detail is linked to the other doesn't always make sense. I also didn't find any sense in urgency for the characters to discover the truth. When the motives of the crimes committed are revealed I was like.. really? This is it? But how is this related? What a weak, pointless explanation. The story is rather weak, in my opinion. Or, at least, it was not developed in a more strategic way to convince the reader of its importance and complexity.

I don't feel compelled to read more adventures in the life of the protagonist. I can only imagine more suppositions wouldn't be met and it's getting more and more difficult not to be annoyed at some blurbs hat are very misleading. 

I think that happened here too and although some things were interesting and the setting more or less good, the execution didn't convince me at all.

Grade: 5/10

Kendra Leigh Castle - Call of the Highland Moon

Gideon MacInnes is a werewolf from the Scottish Highlands. He loves the haunting beauty of his home, but runs away to upstate New York, grappling with his destiny of being his clan's next alpha. As a snowstorm closes in, Gideon is attacked by rogue wolves working for an enemy he never imagined existed. He stumbles, wounded and bleeding, to collapse on the doorstep of Carly Silver's tiny romance bookstore-ironic, as she's never been very good at relationships with men.
A warmhearted woman, looking for a new pet ...
Thinking he's a dog, she takes him home, treats his injuries and wakes up to find a devastatingly handsome naked man in her bed.
Trapped together through the raging storm, Gideon discovers that he's found his mate and Carly has to choose between becoming a werewolf, charged with protecting humankind from the inhabitants of an evil otherworld, or giving up the one man she's ever truly loved ...

Comment: This book has been in the pile since May 2010. Quite a long time but at this time (between 2008-2011 more or less) I was really into PNR as my main genre to read so I've "collected" several first books in a series, with the hope of adoring it so much, I'd have many series to binge on afterwards.

However, as many readers will know from experience, there are more fish in the sea, meaning, books to admire, and I've lost count on what I was collecting and kept on reading several genres.

This book is one of them but, unlike some amazing (now old) gems out there, for me this one was not a success.

In this book we follow the story of Gideon MacInnes, a werewolf who goes to America to experience life in big cities despite his soul and inner wolf craving the wild of Scotland, where he lives. His father and brother don't really understand his drive but let him learn on his own.

In America he is attacked by wolves sent by his evil cousin Malachi and a very hurt Gideon ends up at the back door of Carly Silver's house, who takes him in thinking he is just a big dog.

In the morning Carly sees a strange man in the house and thinks he killed the dog for he is nowhere to be seen but of course Gideon tells her the truth while they both unsuccessfully try to fight the attraction and lustful thoughts. Still, danger awaits...

I can't help wondering that, if I had read this when I was in my "high" from savoring practically every PNR, this would have felt better to me. It's difficult not to compare with other books I've read in the meantime and in several aspects, this comes under the execution of those. But I could also say good books/stories are timeless, right?

Some of the issues I had were the following, I'll enumerate to make it easier:

- The premise is that Gideon finds in this stranger a soul mate but they are different people from different places and how can they be together with a threat behind them. I think this aspect wasn't done well because even allowing for the fact mates recognize each other somehow, nothing in their relationship felt likely. Why are these people a good match besides mythical bonds?

- The romance failed to impress because many of their discussions were based on situations I can't accept as being more than romantic comedy scenarios. It felt their serious issues weren't dealt with in the way that would ensure their lives were on the same track.

- Gideon lied about some things to Carly and that affects how her life is shaped. I can get the idea of "protecting you from things you can't control" but I ended up thinking it was just one way to make the bridge to other parts of the plot.

- The plot wasn't bad but it wasn't appealing to me. The story was boring, I think there was a lack in chemistry between them so the steps taken towards a common goal felt flat. Plus the bad guys weren't presented well. (I'd have skipped them altogether and would focus on the couple instead)

- There were two types of bad guys although it only felt like one at first. Perhaps a way to keep the story going? There are two more stories after all. Things just didn't make much sense but my lack of interest probably explain some of what I know call "confusion".

- Carly is a likable heroine but I feel I didn't get to know her besides the basics and some clichés. Her relationship with Gideon doesn't feel like a complex one nor does it feel like they are intriguing together. The way things solve themselves in the end is just too easy and I'd say that maybe the author chose some settings badly in order for things to make more sense.

All in all, this was not the type of story I expected. There are some shifter "worlds" that are engaging, addictive, offer complex pack structures, family bonds, characters' bonds as well. Here everything was superficial in the sense that we barely understand everyone's inner thoughts or personality besides the obvious, and I feel that this was a huge problem for me to enjoy the book.

It's not one I'd say stands the test of time but... it might work for others.

Grade: 5/10

Two novellas by Jennifer Ashley

Comment: I've recently read two novellas by author Jennifer Ashley. These two novellas are included in the Shifters Unbound series, which already reached its 11th installment.

These two novellas are described as being 7.25 and 7.5, so they can be read between books 7 and 8 for chronological order but as always, the stories can be read as standalone. In terms of plot they make sense on their own. Of course, though, some elements are better understood with previous knowledge, which means they are not the best starting point and there's a lot to be gained by reading in order.

I'm a little behind on this series but I do have plans to keep reading and hopefully future stories are as engaging as some I've read. I sure hope, though, the author creates more romantic love stories instead of just assuming we know they will happen anyway...

Just to inform those not familiar, the series is set in a world where Shifters of different types co-exist with humans but are considered "less" and aren't treated well for most people. However, they hare stronger and captivating which is why they have collars that supposedly control their more violent urges. They also have their own rules and communities and, obviously, mates even if sometimes those mates are human.

Lion Eyes is novella 7.25

In this story we have Seamus story, he is a very timid character and not that mentioned, to the point I confess he wasn't memorable to me. 

The plot of this story focuses on his attempt to protect a young cub in his care but there seems to be some issue with a murder and he is a suspect. Bree is a shifter groupie, which means, a woman who likes shifters and wants to be with them and knows things about them most people wouldn't even care about. Somehow Bree ends up helping Seamus proving he is innocent and they discover they are mates.

The plot of this story wasn't as interesting to me, it's quite repetitive compering to others and to top it, the romance was very weak. I can understand the need for quick resolutions in novellas but there wasn't a single aspect of their relationship I'd define as romantic except the obvious HEA. It was a little disappointing, all things in mind.

Grade: 5/10

Bad Wolf is novella 7.5

In this story we have Broderick as the main character, he is a wolf and takes care of his family and is an enforcer of sorts. He has a special care for Joanne (a mentioned character now getting protagonists status) but they just didn't seem to agree on considering themselves mates. Things change when a situation related to a Guardian sword comes up and Joanne offers some help. 

I liked this story enough because the plot was very different from the usual and, for a small sized story, it offered a lot in terms of pace and plot development. It was also nice to see situations not only related to shifters (like the computer talk and the fae details).

I also liked the romance felt a little different with them not just accepting nor simply ignoring their feelings. Of course it was too fast, considering the lack of evidence in previous stories about where they were in terms of relationship but overall, this was a successful one for me.

Grade: 7/10

Mini-Comments

Two more stories I felt were very average and don't inspire that much thought from my part. Both were easier to read than I imagined  - I imagined both would be more boring than what they ended up being - but it still wasn't as great as it could be.

The government knows that Daphne Urban is a vampire, and they have an ultimatum: spy for them, or be killed. The choice is easy. She can speak 13 languages, has a genius IQ, and has escaped detection for nearly five hundred years-making her perfect for Team Darkwing. Her first mission is to get close to Bonaventure, a shady arms dealer with an unexpected gift for seduction. But when Darius, a darkly sexy vampire slayer, begins chasing her, Darius is torn between desire and duty. For his lithe, young prey is also his ultimate temptation.

Beyond the Pale is a story about a vampire woman who seems to lead a very boring, vain existence but who is asked to be a spy for the government in order to avoid being killed. She then joins a team to find terrorist and help with national security but she can't help being involved with another agent that apparently is working alone and sees herself involved in many complicated situations.

I had this book to read for a long time. I was not impressed by books published more than a decade ago I've read recently in this genre (PNR or UF) but this one surprised me because it was easy to read and the plot moved along quite nicely. However, the characters weren't that fascinating and I don't feel like reading more about them. Plus, this was a first person narrator and I've come to think not all authors can accomplish this well. The protagonist was not too annoying but still...

Grade: 5/10

* * * 

Trevor Shay has a successful career straddling the two sports he loves-football and baseball. He puts

it all on the line for old friend Haven Briscoe though, when she has a tough time getting her professional career together after the death of her father. Despite her misgivings, Haven accepts the assignment of doing a feature bio on Trevor, but he's an attractive force of nature and there's a lot more to him than meets the eye. Secrets are revealed and chemistry is added to the mix as they help each other through some tough times

Straddling the Line is the 8th installment in the Play by Play series by Jaci Burton, which follows the lives of athletes who are somehow connected. I'm glad this is the last story in this series I had to read because it seems the stories are more and more alike and too focused on superficial things. 

This is a pity because the camaraderie between characters is interesting and their family connections sweet. However, the themes are never really explored and everything feels so under done. I can understand having the same story over and over can feel tiring but the focus is on things that hardly matter to the plot or the personal development...and even when these things are addressed, it lacks depth, I'd say. 

The protagonists Trevor and Haven have a believable connection but to be honest, their romance wasn't romantic nor captivating to me and considering they start as professionals working together...nope, not acceptable. All in all, for fans I'm sure it works but for me, it was just more of the same and I can't really miss reading more.

Grade: 5/10

Karen Kelley - Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind

Sex with the perfect man is overrated, especially if your Mr. Perfect is a robot, and you know there's something better out there. Can Mala help it if "out there" is way out there? Her grandmother, an intergalactic traveler, left a diary behind describing the exceptional lovemaking talents of Earth men. There's also a documentary that depicts a comely young woman and a rugged-looking person she calls "Sheriff." There are no Sheriffs on Mala's home planet. Solution? Head for Earth and get one of her own... 
Sheriff Mason McKinley is having one hell of a week. First, the local conspiracy theorist called a bunch of reporters to town in search of Bigfoot, and now he insists he's seen a UFO land out near Devil's Bend. But when Mason rides out to investigate, instead of little green men, he finds the sexiest woman he's ever laid eyes on. Though Mala's odd behavior-an obsession with the naked channel, straightforward offers of sex-might have something to do with amnesia, what red-blooded American male wouldn't feel lucky? Still, Mason doesn't want to take advantage of a lost soul...however much she wants to be taken advantage of.

Comment: I got this book years ago, when I first started to get ebooks (even before I got my e-reader, which is a million times better than the PC for obvious reasons) but as it happens, I can't seem to get the ebook pile down, pretty much as the paperback one doesn't either, and this was among the several files I've collected trough the years. Honestly, I can't remember why anymore.

In this book we meet Mala, an alien living in a women only planet (they do have robots to impersonate men, sort of) but everything in her planet is controlled, perfect and without challenges. Mala has videos left by her grandmother from when she was able to travel to Earth and those videos show a more sensual and emotional life on a planet now considered "primitive". Nevertheless, Mala wants to go there for a while, just to experience life in a different setting.

However, things don't go as easily and as quickly as she imagined and during her experiences on Earth, she lives closely to Mason, a man she seems to keep developing feelings for...but hat about when she will need to go home?

Despite the apparent fluffiness of the description I wrote and the blurb, I thought the premise of this book wasn't that bad if ne considers sci-fi romances.

I knew the story would focus a little too much on the sex scenes but I was surprised to see it wasn't as erotic as I imagined. Yes, there are things that don't make much sense but considering the alien detail, it wasn't as bad as that.

My biggest issue with this book and why my grade isn't higher is that the author chose to highlight situations I think aren't the important ones (like the sex and the differences between planets (which is obvious to expect) and the conviction Mala would always know best) and perhaps different things (like a better notion of Mala's difficulties, abetter comprehension of how time was passing by and she didn't fit so well) but in the end what really feels off to me is how the author inserted this comedy tone - understandable - but the result was something that reads very silly at times. I think a better structure of the plot within the rules expected would have worked better... like more emphasis on Mala's relationship without it being too focused on sex.

The romance has interesting scenes, especially when they clearly can't see things the same way but because of a certain detail, the romance is very unbalanced and I didn't enjoy it as much. I would have preferred Mala to be equally surprised by her feelings and emotions as Mason but it wasn't the case, not completely. This means, we always know what Mala thinks but never what Mason is going through... considering the fact they are not from the same species,and there's no talk of cultural differences for one or two reasons, it felt unfair.

The story also involves some things which I assume were done to be funny (like Mala's weird reaction to "common" things and the paparazzi and news cast teams as villains, etc) because of the interactions they provoked and how that highlighted the differences between Mala and humans. However, some situations were too silly to even be considered comedy. I just think the author tried several approaches and none felt part of a whole, so the story lacks direction, to me.

All things considered, I think the characters weren't that well "created" in order for this story to feel more complete or richer. Things do sound superficial at times and if not for one or two details, this would feel even weaker to me. The tone wasn't well done, the balance of the story wasn't achieved. It has nice details but that's it, I'd say.

Grade: 5/10

Anne Stuart - Ruthless

Desire always wins...Among a secret society where exiled aristocrats gather to indulge their carnal desires, few can match the insatiable appetite and dark misdeeds of their chief provocateur, the mysterious Viscount Rohan. Pursuit of physical pleasure is his preferred pastime - until he encounters a woman who fascinates him and won't be swayed. Rohan's dark seduction appals the pure and impoverished Elinor Harriman, but unwittingly her own desire is slowly being unleashed...

Comment: I purchased this book a long time ago and it has been waiting for all this time basically because I wasn't too eager to read about a hero described as too manipulative and part of a so called "secret society" where people behaved  anyway they wanted, with no care for rules nor respect for others. When I got the book I just assumed it wouldn't be so, that this would be just another historical with opposed attracted characters. Now that I finished, it wasn't as bad as I imagined but nowhere near my favorite historicals, no...

In this book we meet Elinor Harriman, a young woman whose family is in dire circumstances and everything gets even worse when her ill mother steals he last of the family's money and runs off to the mansion of Francis, Viscount Rohan, an exiled British man in Paris, who seems to control the secret society. Elinor decides to follow her mother, not only to stop her from acting in a way that the family couldn't recover from, but also to get the money back, something Elinor, her sister Lydia, their mother and two servants who are more family than helpers, desperately need.

However, when Elinor gets to the depravity mansion, she can't help but show her discontentment to the viscount, even if he has the money and the influence to seduce and destroy her...

This book didn't start that well for me. I was not fond of the situation in which the hero was living in.

I understand the writer has a tendency to create situations in her stories in which readers might not always be comfortable with, or at least there will be situations not easily appreciated by all. I thought this would change and the turnabout would be magnificent or there was a secret agenda we weren't aware of at first but no. This is indeed a story about a man who has had terrible circumstances forcing his exile and this is how he copes with it.

Since this is a romance, some of my hopes were obviously on how the relationship would develop.  Again, I was not very eager to read about them together because in this case, the differences between them were more obvious on the moral side rather than the financial (although that too).

After finishing the story, I can understand why Francis was such a cynical person, why he felt he had to... wait, what am I saying? No, actually I don't understand. Why did he behave like that? He felt guilty, he missed his country, he had some other issues but why is that an excuse to have low morals, low  beliefs? I'd rather him begin a martyr, in that case I'd appreciate his efforts to change a lot more.

The way things evolved, he wasn't sorry and I guess this is why he is sometimes labeled as "anti-hero" but his treatment of Elinor, despite never past the point of redemption annoyed me at times.

The romance took a long time to be obvious for the two of them. I don't mind it felt like a slow burn romance but the reasons why Francis put Elinor aside felt very silly and not those of an intelligent man. Just grow up, was what I often thought about how he chose to "scream" his forced freedom and his treatment of others.

As for Elinor, I did feel pity for her, for what she went through. I do like heroines down on her luck who somehow get back on their feet, proving if you are a good person, you can achieve something.I was really eager to see her triumph, to see how her life would change for the better eventually so I feel a little sad her character wasn't better explored.

It was nice Francis didn't rush her and that he actually avenged her when he knew about those who have hurt her in the past but...

Only in the last two or three pages do we have confirmation of their feelings. It felt like too little too late! I guess I can follow this need for drama, for a darker tone in the romance but the whole thing felt staged and easily put aside for better explanations and changes. I was not impressed.

There's a secondary romance that was obviously there just to counter balance the main one.

There's also a villain that plays a part too vague to even be worth existing but, oh well.

I won't go back to this author so soon, even though I have another book by her in the pile.

Grade: 5/10

Jody Hedlund - Love Unexpected

All Emma Chambers ever wanted was a home, but when her steamboat sinks just outside Presque Isle, she's left destitute and with no place to stay.
An unlikely solution arises when the lighthouse keeper arrives in town. He's just lost his wife and is having a difficult time caring for his child. So a traveling preacher gets the idea that the keeper and Emma might be the answer to each other's dilemma. After a hasty marriage, she finds herself heading to the lighthouse with this handsome but quiet stranger. Nothing in her aimless life, though, has prepared her for parenting a rambunctious toddler, as well as managing a household.
Emma soon suspects Patrick may be hiding something from her, and then she hears a disturbing rumor about the circumstances surrounding his late wife's death. It seems as if her wish for a home and family of her own could end up leading her once more into turbulent waters.

Comment: I got interested in this book around 3 years ago but I can't remember why... considering the plot, it probably had something to do with a marriage of convenience of sorts. I'm always eager to see how an author plays this trope out and how romantic or realistic it can be. At the time, however, I hadn't realized this would be an inspirational so of course one might call this a clean romance, with only one or two kisses between the characters. Knowing this, I didn't mind, because clean doesn't mean romantic or engaging. However, it wasn't much so, no.

In this story we meet Emma Chambers and her brother Ryan as they are trying to flee a burning ship after it was robbed by pirates. Emma and Ryan's money was also stolen so they are stuck in Presque Isle, Michigan until Ryan gets enough money again for them to go somewhere else. 

In the meantime, Emma is asked to marry Patrick, one of the men who rescued the survivors and who works in the lighthouse. He has a small son, his wife died recently and the reverend tels them they could be a good couple and help each other at the same time.

Emma and Patrick marry but since they are strangers to one another, it takes time for them to trust the other too. However, secrets from Patrick's past might destroy everything this new family has done already to find happiness...

I thought this story had a lot to be successful to me when I started reading. The ship's problems, the pirates, the rescue...I thought the foundations were great t start with but for me, the potential wasn't as well done as I imagined because the focus instead of being the community and the couple's relationship was how problems always follow someone and how Patrick's past was a dark cloud in their horizon.

I get it, this fits perfectly the inspirational side of the novel in which we are supposed to learn adversity must be fought with faith and prayer. But... I thought the story ended up annoying and boring here and there because of the lack of more optimism.

The plot had interesting elements and one can see the author put on an effort to teach us something, namely about how a lighthouse worked, how some details had to be used in order for ships to be guided.

I also think the descriptions were interesting and help the reader have an idea about what the characters are going through, especially the descriptions about struggles and actions.

However, for me, the atmosphere was a little too  dark toned, meaning, there was this sort of cloud of negativity and problems and difficulties which weren't very well balanced. It made the story feel a bit gloomy and not always captivating to read about.

Since this is an inspirational story, we don't have a lot of focus on the romance, only many references to how they wished to kiss the other and how they should trust and so on. Despite the obvious, inspirational romances can still be cute and sweet but I think this one lacked some chemistry and if this isn't evident to the reader it can get to a point where any character would do, and why bother with this couple in particular? I want to care for them and like them and not just because they are both goo people and deserving of good things or because they are believers. I think there are times where the aim to show them as having faith God is more important than their own feelings. One of the issues of inspirational and why only certain authors manage that perfect balance between every element in one.

All in all, this was sweet, had good moments but I think the atmosphere wasn't well balanced, the romance was bland at most and even the plot could have been done better.

Grade: 5/10

Barbara Bretton - Casting Spells

Magic. Knitting. Love. A new series and a delightful departure by the USA Today bestselling author of Just Desserts. 
Sugar Maple looks like any Vermont town, but it's inhabited with warlocks, sprites, vampires, witches and an ancient secret. And Chloe Hobbs, owner of Sticks & String, a popular knitting shop, has a big secret too. She's a sorcerer's daughter in search of Mr. Right and she's found him in Luke MacKenzie, a cop investigating Sugar Maple's very first murder. Bad news is he's 100% human, which could spell disaster for a normal future with a paranormal woman like her.

Comment: I've heard about this book a long time ago, especially because the Portuguese published has chosen amazing covers for them, something that has never been really obvious but now I feel publishers are betting more and more in attracting readers to romances with cute and colorful covers. However, I was told the story wasn't great nor that well done and I never felt like being seduced by the cover until I saw it months ago with a huge discount and purchased it for 5€. With this price I felt like trying at last.

In this story we have Chloe Hobbs as protagonist and she lives in a small town in Vermont, as the last woman in a line of witches. Her ancestors have created and kept a spell that protects the city from harm and from being discovered by humans, which means the majority of the population is out of this world and fantastical.

The catch is that the spell can only be kept by women from that family line and Chloe should have found someone to love which would kick in the spell's longevity. Since that has been difficult to accomplish, many are complaining about the spell losing "power" and the last evidence of that is the murder of a human woman in the town.

For some reason, the police officer with the task to uncover the mystery is Luke Mackenzie and sparks seem to fly between him and Chloe. The problem is that she shouldn't fall in love with him because he is human and pairings between witches and humans rarely work out...

Small town stories are usually filled with sweet, adorable scenes or situations or quirky characters we practically "adopt", especially if there's a series on the go. This is the first book in the Sugar Marple series and on the surface, it has many ingredients to make it a cute series to follow:

- it has weird but funny acting characters;

-it has a different heroine we are supposed to root for;

-it has people interested in knitting, which is always a symbol of coziness;

-it has a love story which the couple knows it might lead nowhere but that they are helpless to fight;

-it has a plot that barely makes sense but where the HEA is guaranteed.

Considering the above, I had full expectation of being well entertained and I must confess it only took me one morning to read this! (It's both easy and short in pages to allow it.)

Sadly, the story isn't that well thought. One could appreciate the different characters, the attempt to create "enemies" and a bone of contention between good and bad guys, there's also a mystery to solve and a handsome foreigner who will win over the heart of the heroine. I just think the author has interesting ideas but mixed them all too much and didn't add complexity nor depth to any. So the story is easy but pretty superficial so when some issues seem to be talked over and over it just seems...boring.

There are ways and ways of telling a story. I think this one was told in a very simplistic way and the plot was affected by it. Many situations had potential (like the possible angst about Chloe not being confident enough to feel the pressure caused by owning the spell or how magic should have been an extra and not the only thing everyone used/felt like - this means every character except Luke seemed to do things the easy way, so why bother at all?) but there is always an easy fix for things and not enough personality in the characters or complexity to their choices.

Even the bad guys were too superficial and meaningless.

There are cute scenes in the middle of all this. But I feel we missed a lot on having more developed situations, a clearer plot and segments and not even the romance was that "romantic".

Chloe resembles someone we might want to be friends with at times but not always.

Luke I liked and he seemed to have hidden depths but that got lost in the weirdness. 

Oh well.

I don't think I'll read the other installments...

Grade: 5/10

Martha Woodroof - Small Blessings

Tom Putnam has resigned himself to a quiet and half-fulfilled life. An English professor in a sleepy college town, he spends his days browsing the Shakespeare shelves at the campus bookstore, managing his department's oddball faculty, and caring for his wife Marjory, a fragile shut-in with unrelenting neuroses, a condition exacerbated by her discovery of Tom's brief affair with a visiting poetess a decade earlier.
Then, one evening at the bookstore, Tom and Marjory meet Rose Callahan, the shop's charming new hire, and Marjory invites Rose to their home for dinner. Her first social interaction since her breakdown, Tom wonders if it's a sign that change is on the horizon—a feeling confirmed when he receives a letter from his former paramour, informing him he'd fathered a son who is heading Tom's way on a train. His mind races at the possibility of having a family after so many years of loneliness. And it becomes clear change is coming whether Tom's ready or not.
A heartwarming story with a charmingly imperfect cast of characters to cheer for, Small Blessings's wonderfully optimistic heart reminds us that sometimes, when it feels like life has veered irrevocably off track, the track shifts in ways we never can have imagined.

Comment: I impulsively bought this book at a fair where I found it with a half price discount. Since it was a translated work, I thought that would be quite a bargain and from the blurb I imagined something romantic. However, I'll stop being seduced by promising blurbs because had I checked the grading on this online, I probably would have thought twice before buying it...

In this book we meet Tom Putnam, a middle aged college professor whose wife has serious issues but he is such a decent person he never left her and has been holding on to a one sided marriage. However, when the story starts, his wife dies and that leaves him free to start again, especially since his mother-in-law, who lived with them to help, approves of that. 

There is also a new employee at the university's library and Tom feels quite attracted to her but he fears he might not be what women would of him. Nevertheless, his life takes quite a turn because he gets a letter informing him the only affair he had years ago and which he regrets has given him a son he never knew about. The child is coming to meet him, he is falling for someone and his friends at the university are acting weird. What else could happen?

This story is labeled at contemporary fiction and romance. I know labels shouldn't matter but they do help in making us decide if we want to read something or not. This means I was expecting something romantic and what I got was something more.... weird.

I think the author has many, many ideas but they weren't well mixed together and for me the plot didn't flow well. I can understand the focus on Tom's problems and how the characters of Iris and Russel (his co workers at the university) might happen to connect with him but honestly, it was all so confusing and pointless I feel as if that wasn't necessary at all.

Tom does seem to be quite a decent guy, he only had an affair out of loneliness because his wife has mental issues but he never had the courage to just leave her, so although wrong, I can understand. He apparently has a son but we soon realize the boy couldn't be his. Tom still welcomes the child, still tries his best to protect him and care for him. Of course I liked this, it was a nice side to Tom's personality and I guess it justified the book's title. But the situation wasn't explored in a way that would turn this story into something incredible. There's no flow in the story and we often have random additions and scenes that have no interest whatsoever to what the goal should be.

The romance is with Rose, the new library worker. I think this story could have gained from focusing more on this but because the characters weren't well characterized, I don't think I felt as interested or invested in them as I could have. I liked they had an HEA, it was cute how the last two pages were described but...everything was both superficially done and too vague to fully grab the reader. I got this impression but perhaps others thought different.

I think the author had many ideas but didn't think of how they would be portrayed together. For instance, the child Tom recognizes as his son brings with him a lot of money. There are many passages just mentioning the man who will solve this issue for them. I thought this was too distracting and avoidable... then, two characters are described a certain rude way and their problems seem to be key to...what? Why does it matter since they aren't protagonists? Actually one of these has a complete turnover in his personality towards the end and that felt really silly, as if the author didn't have a better plan to force the characters into a "final" decision on what they would do to grab their HEA...

All things considered, this was not a bad read, but I don't think it will be memorable. It's sweet, easy and has many elements, too bad about the execution... I've read the Portuguese edition but I did like the cover I'm including here.

Grade: 5/10

Jaci Burton - Melting the Ice

Everything’s coming together for budding fashion designer Carolina Preston. Only months away from having her own line, she could use some publicity. That’s when her brother suggests his best friend as a model - hockey player Drew Hogan.
Carolina and Drew already have a history - a hot one, back in college. Unforgettable for Carolina, but for Drew, just another slap shot. This time, though, it’s different. His perfect body would be for professional use only. This time, she could use him.
Drew is all for it. He’s looking forward to the exposure. Plus, it would give him a chance to prove to Carolina that he’s changed. If only he could thaw her emotions, convince her to let down her guard and let him in just one more time...
 
Comment: This the seventh installment in the Play by Play series by author Jaci Burton. Of all the stories so far, I must say the overall opinion is that this is too average, too clichéd and not completely appealing all the time. I'm at a point where I keep reading only to get books out of my TBR list as an accomplished task, even if one or two titles have been better than others.
This one wasn't that great...

In this story we have Carolina, the youngest sister of the hero from the previous book, and Drew, one of his best friends.

While at college, Carolina decided one day to seduce Drew and they spent a night together but Drew left without any further communication so although no promises were exchanged, Carolina still felt a bit rejected. They have kept a cordial relationship over the years even if Carolina never forgot that one time.

Now that her father is the vice president, her brother is engaged and happy and her own professional life is going on a new positive adventure, Carolina and Drew are brought together once more by Gray, her brother. Caroline needs models for her new fashion collection debut and Drew can be a great outdoor model, allying his good looks with his sports' fame to better start up her sports collection. But getting so close again will revive the sparks of that one night in the past?

As I've said, this story was very average. I can't help thinking the plot was boring and the character's actions and interactions didn't bring anything new to the table, only more sex and clichéd ideas. I wasn't even sold on the fact they were falling in love. Nothing emotional or deep was obvious and no matter how often we read their feelings were changing, that was not easily seen. When a book is so mono toned I wonder why going through all this trouble... I certainly would change things and that can't be a good reply to a work that has certainly taken the author time and effort.

The plot is rather thin. There are several scenes that I assume try to convince us both protagonists work hard in their jobs but I think they were mostly impersonal to the point any character could do them. Several things also happen to convey this need for the protagonists to interact, like fitting for clothes, like Drew spending Christmas with Caroline's family, like Carolina watching Drew's games to get "inspiration" for her sports collection... the thing is, all these things are perfectly acceptable and doable in this context but that's it. There's no advancing because of these things. I'm being picky, I suppose, I already knew about the writing style beforehand, but it still felt like a letdown because the characters were quite boring, especially together.

Another detail that doesn't always bother me but I can't help but notice is the lack of more sports scenes or related situations...this is a sports themed romance after all...

The books in this series are also labeled as erotic which means we should expect sexy times. Despite those scenes (which I skipped since they all look the same), I also expected some connection between the characters because of that. But the sex scenes didn't seem to improve anything or enhance their sentimental situation. The characters didn't seem to become that better together because they were sharing something that brought them closer. I also felt a little annoyed Carolina's feelings of sexual attraction were always so obvious to Drew. Do people really walk around always feeling horny and letting it be that obvious all the time? It felt silly, to be honest. Of course Drew would have sexy thoughts about Carolina as well and I won't even go that way just to not make myself even more annoyed.

I've come to realize this type of books aren't really something I appreciate that much. Sometimes books surprise me (I liked the previous one much more, for instance) but more often I'm left thinking there should be more to them. I need some substance in books and while some comedies manage that even without serious issues, just random repetitive things don't do it. I have one more book in the series to read but after that one I think I'll let it go.

Grade: 5/10

Penny Reid - Attraction

Kaitlyn Parker has no problem being the invisible girl, which is why she finds herself hiding in various cabinets and closets all over her college campus. Despite her best efforts, she can’t escape the notice of Martin Sandeke—bad boy, jerkface bully, and the universe’s hottest, wealthiest, and most unobtainable bachelor—who also happens to be Kaitlyn’s chemistry lab partner.
Kaitlyn might be the only girl who isn’t interested in exploiting his stunning rower’s build, chiseled features, and family's billionaire fortune. Kaitlyn wants Martin for his brain, specifically to tabulate findings of trace elements in surface water.
When Kaitlyn saves Martin from a nefarious plot, Martin uses the opportunity to push Kaitlyn out of her comfort zone: spring break, one week, house parties, bathing suits, and suntan lotion. Can she overcome her aversion to being noticed? Will he be able grow beyond his self-centered nature? Or, despite their obvious chemistry, will Martin be the one to drive Kaitlyn into the science cabinet of obscurity for good?

Comment: I got interested in this book in 2015 for some reason. It probably had something to do with the fact the heroine was described as shy but intelligent and sort of a nerd in some reviews. I was quite interested in seeing how the author would deal with such a heroine and how the dynamics between her and the hero would go. I also told about this story to my friend H., and we have decided to buddy read it.

This is also the first part of three, which means the story doesn't end with the first one.

In this story we meet Kaitlyn Parker, a young college student who is very intelligent, shy and very focused on being rational. She is also attracted to her lab partner, Martin, a guy that is popular, rich but also very clever and who she feels would never be interested in her. Things change one day while Kaitlyn is at the lab and she randomly listens to a conversation where two people try to make a plan to deceive Martin. 

That same day, Martin kisses Kaitlyn and tells her he has wanted to do it for a while but Kaitlyn feels it can't be so. Still, she knows she can't rest until she tells him about what she heard and goes to a party to meet him. They then agree on a week together at the beach, with other friends, to see if the attraction between them is real and could mean the start of something more...

If you read what I wrote above again, you'll see I have two paragraphs. In the first I summarized what made me want to read the book in the first place. In the second I summarized what made it be a lot less interesting than I hoped for and why I grade it as only average.

This is labeled new adult and sadly I think I'm past my endurance of them unless I know with more certainty about specific situations that would convince me I'd like it. For me, this was more about YA, and not because of the characters' age (nowadays, at 20, most young people are adults but don't act like it). I feel the characters behavior was too childish and even Kaitlyn, described as clever, nerd and aware of herself disappointed me in this regard. They just focus too much on things I don't find interesting. Even admitting the main goal here was to see the development of their relationship or how they would go step by step into becoming a couple, the situations they see themselves in was not interesting for me to read about.

The notion they were together in college makes me immediately imagine scenarios around school or where their activities would be important details to include. I liked the first chapters because of that and because of Kaitlyn's thoughts and personality. She would be someone I'd like to be friends with to talk about books and such (maybe except science). But then they go to the beach, there's a certain "pressure" by Martin and others for Kaitlyn to see only one perspective, even if not to a point where it becomes offensive, that I didn't think was happening. But Kaitlyn had so many interesting tastes and ideas and to see her interact in a completely different scenario just to put some things in evidence felt annoying. I certainly didn't find the scenes in the beach interesting and just wanted to get them over. But then, the story was finished for this first part.

Kaitlyn is also described as someone who likes to be invisible. I would describe myself as such too, so another huge factor that made me read this. But then Kaitlyn is "pushed" out of comfort zone and I felt we are supposed to infer she wanted that to happen because although she was used to it, it doesn't mean she wanted it to be so. Of course her reactions are awkward in situations she can't control and I liked some of her thoughts and ideas about that but the goal here was obvious: to show you need to try new things to find more or better things beyond the safe. I feel disappointed because I wanted Kaitlyn not to change, not to give in to something was not comfortable with for the sake of a love interest but...I also know readers wouldn't want to have boring scenes I suppose. But for me, that would have been perfect, especially if there are more books and probably believable and better ways to put the protagonists together and make their relationship move along.

The writing was not bad and I can see why the author has fans but if all the content of her stories has characters behaving like in here, I don't think I'd find them appealing either. I won't read more about these characters as I don't feel invested in reading about them, so to try something else is not a priority but I'll investigate other series to compare, eventually.

Grade: 5/10

Stephanie Doyle - For the First Time

There's not a lot former CIA agent Mark Sharpe hasn't done. Yet suddenly he's in a world of firsts--first time being a father, first time being self-employed...and first time being attracted to his employee. JoJo Hatcher, with her attitude, her tattoos and her investigative talents, tempts him in ways he can't explain. With each day she becomes more irresistible. How is he supposed to function in this messed-up situation?
Then his teenage daughter, Sophie, is threatened. There's only one person he trusts to help him: JoJo. As they work to untangle the mystery, Mark imagines a future together that includes another first--family.

Comment: For many years, before I went to the university and started having a bit of my own money thanks to the help of scholarships and before I was able to buy some leisure books of my preference here and there, I would only read library books. 

I also started, after one memorable day in the supermarket (before Harlequin/Silhouette books stopped being sold in those places) to read those little romances and managed to get quite a certain amount of them even if not always I'd be very impressed by those stories. 

I still keep some favorites but when I started to read more in english, I realized the Portuguese editions of the same stories were substantially reduced and some characters' names were switched and other annoying details. I stopped buying them - they were also getting more expensive - because I could more easily get them in the source. However, that didn't last for long because then I "discovered" PNR and my tastes changed rapidly.

However, I still remember not being very fond of these sort of stories anymore, as if my experience made me sort of immune to their appeal. I still read one here and there but it's not something I actively out look for.

In this book, which got my attention somewhere I can't no longer remember, I was mostly interested in the relationship, featuring a non experienced woman with a single dad. 

Jojo Hatcher is a young woman, approaching her 30s, who is a private investigator. She is a talented professional but has some issues with authority so she prefers to work in a more "casual" work environment. Jojo also still suffers a lot due to the death of her twin sister when they were teenagers and how her father wasn't able to cope with this.

Mark Sharpe is a professional who has worked for the CIA. He let go of his demanding job to become an investigator, founding his own company, in order to be near his teenager daughter Sophie, who is a fantastic piano player. Their relationship isn't that good and there are some threats to Sophie so he only hires Jojo after a job interview because of her trendy look (short spiky hair, tattoos and piercings) so she could bond easily with Sophie and could act as her body guard. What he didn't count on was the attraction for Jojo.

Apart from some details, this story is pretty much what one would expect from a category plot: many situations that try to show us how the main couple must seek happiness together, even if nothing in their actions seems to be reason for that.

I found it too obvious how the author kept making the characters say/think they shouldn't be noticing how the other was attractive just to give us the sense we should expect so. The development of the main characters' relationship is probably the element that interested me the most but it wasn't as well done as I imagined.

Jojo and Mark don't seem to have that much in common nor any real attraction but they spend time together and that seems to be enough to turn them into a couple. 

The biggest conflict here was how both were a bit scarred of their past experiences, especially Jojo. She is a virgin, she has some logical reasons to be so but while I hoped one of two scenarios (or Jojo would slowly fall in love, so her need to be close to Mark would justify some psychological change of heart, or she would be adamant to stick to her convictions and would only give in after they established a love relationship) but neither happened and Jojo suddenly felt she needed to heal and move on from her pain so she had sex with Mark.

I could go on and on about how silly this feels to me, how annoyingly portrayed this scenario feels like but suffice to say I thought this aspect of the story was done bad.

I also found the plot to be very unlikely and not that interesting all the time. Some elements were well thought, I confess, but for such a short amount of pages, I think this over planned and too many situations are here for us to focus on (the Jojo situation, her past, Mark's negligence of his daughter in hr younger years, the current threats, secondary characters that are too obviously inserted...), which means that, for me, the opposite happened.

This is also referenced as being part of a series but I felt I didn't lose much by not having read the others, expect in one or two mentions in dialogues but that was fine.

All in all, this wasn't a bad story on its own but the ensemble of details didn't result in a well pieced story for me. Now, I cannot say if it's just the story itself, if it's a mix of it along with my already low expectations but I finished this story thinking this was not the best one to attempt to get my love for category back again. Unless something really special is recommended to me, I think I'll stick to other things or if I do read another it must be something out of the more distant parts of my TBR...

Grade: 5/10

Jessica Clare - The Billionaire and the Virgin

Marjorie Ivarsson is the picture of naivete. A hardworking waitress raised by her grandmother, an evening playing bingo is her sort of socialising. But when she's invited to be a bridesmaid at her friend Bronte's wedding, she enters a whole new world.
Whisked away to the billionaire groom's private island, Marjorie is awe-struck by the glitz and glamour. But what dazzles her most is notorious playboy and hot-shot TV producer Robert Cannon.
After Marjorie saves Robert from drowning in the island's turquoise lagoon, she can't help but feel drawn to him. But she's not the only woman intrigued, and with his wild and womanising ways, they couldn't be more wrong for each other. With the blistering attraction between them becoming hard to ignore, and the idyllic, irresistibly romantic island as their playground - will opposites attract?


Comment: This book got on my radar in 2015 but as usual after so long I can't remember exactly why but I assume it was because this is a romance with very different people, a sort of opposites attract and I got curious about how the story would develop.
I've also managed to convince my friend H. to read it...

In this story we meet Marjorie, a woman who finds herself in a resort with some friends to celebrate the wedding of one of them. The groom is a very wealthy man who makes the week-a-long possible and Marjorie is looking for to have fun with friends her age, since most of her routines revolve around being closer to older people, something she doesn't mind for she is a truly caring person.

Rob Cannon is a jaded billionaire who started a cable channel where his shows are the reality show's variety. Men envy him his status, women want to be with him or in his shows and he feels very cynical about everything. Trying to make a deal, he decides to stay at the same resort to convince the groom to have a meeting but things don't go well and while at the beach to stay away from women throwing themselves at him, he almost drowns because of a cramp. Marjorie notices this and saves him and he feels attracted by her genuine caring and apparent simplicity.

The two have nothing in common but a series of situations will make it possible for them to know one another and it's likely there's always someone meant for everyone...

This is my first book by this author. I've seen she has other pen names or this is one but I haven't felt the curiosity to try her stories, no matter the name. The blurb of this one was enough to make me try but I must say I didn't finish the book thinking I must get all her back list right now.

Another thing: this is the first in the Billionaires and Bridesmaids series but it's obvious there is a connection between this series and another by the author. Several characters are recurrent and there are some references to them. Although I didn't feel I should have read the other stories, it's quite obvious some information could be more appreciated if so.

This story has an ingredient that was catnip for me: I wanted to see how the relationship between someone apparently shy and quiet (heroine) with an exuberant and loud person (hero) would happen while the heroine kept her calmer personality. Although Marjorie didn't stop being a sweet person and at the end her decision to be with Rob was a validation of her knowing her feelings, I can't help thinking she was always portrayed as a too silly person.

Marjorie is a shy woman, she prefers the safety of older generations who allow her to be who she is without the fear of rejection because of what she thinks as her "faults". I can totally emphasize with her, I also struggle to connect with my generation or younger. What has bothered me the most was how there's always this sense other people saw Marjorie as someone who would be mocked (because of her looks, her way of dressing, of behaving). In fact, most female characters were pretty labeled and it almost felt as if they weren't as able as the men, to just be themselves with confidence. (even when such was being written on the page)

I suppose there's a purpose here, to put in evidence the fact men are sort of stronger, richer and more able to do things to help the heroine, portrayed as quieter and in more need, whether financially or socially. I don't mind this idea because I always tend to see how a balance is achieved in such relationships, how both partners can have common ground, that is the fun part. But in this book the heroine and her friend, the bride, don't seem to have reached such a stage.

Perhaps the problem is how the heroes are made to look overbearing and too much? I got this vibe from the groom - on the rare occasions, I must say, he was on the page - and from Rob, the hero.

Rob is the epitome of all the prejudices about vain, cynical, selfish contemporary guys. He has it all already but he keeps pursuing things without any value or interest unless they get him more money and fame. I can understand this need to totally oppose Marjorie but apart from the romance angle - although Rob starts to want to make a conquest out of Marjorie - do they really have anything in common to the point of being credible a lengthy relationship between the two of them? We are certainly told so by all the silly scenes that are meant to convince us of how easy it is between them but... I wasn't totally sold on this.

The writing is easy to go through but I got the feeling the author tried to insert fun scenes, comedy situations to impress us the most about all the whys these two different people would end up trying to be together that, in the end, despite the cute HEA, I wasn't very happy with the way things developed between the two of them, especially when it looked like Rob was just trying to deceive Marjorie.

Perhaps I'm losing my filter of comedies because not many stories nowadays feel that funny to me and in the end, when things change so much to accommodate an HEA...well, again, I wasn't convinced and that made the story less appealing overall.

With so many books in my TBR, I won't be looking for more by this author so soon but maybe one day...

Grade: 5/10