Mini - Comments

The following two books are both part of their respective series and while I liked them both enough for their own merits, even bearing in mind the flaws I've perceived in them, they were not as bad or as fascinating that I feel like writing the amount of text I usually do in my comments.

The Governess Club: Bonnie by Ellie Macdonald, is the second story in a small collection of four novellas about four friends who happen to be governesses. The first one wasn't that great or outstanding but it was concise and, sometimes, it's enough to know the story won't be very big. In this second installment, Bonnie is the governess to two boys, who are devastated after the death of their parents. The estate affairs have not been solved yet but Bonnie cannot leave, as she promised to her friends, because she can't stand to leave the boys. Finally, their new guardian arrives and is caught unaware over what happened. With time, he starts doing what is necessary and Bonnie seems to be a great help...

Since this is a novella, the development is quick and, of course, there are some things that feel under done. I liked the setting up, that felt fluid, and the hint of romance was also believable. I also liked the relationship Bonnie had with the boys and her sense of duty and caring. It's not a big surprise to know the death of the boys' parents wasn't really an accident, and the investigation the new guardian does is understandable. I only wish the romance had been dealt with with more...skill, which I think the author has. Thus, this was a fine story, but not memorable.

Grade: 6/10

Take Us There by Louisa Masters is the fourth and final installment in the Joy Universe series. In this story, Dominic Hurst is getting used to the work and the demands that come with it, of being the new director of Joy Universe, after the debacle which happened in the previous book. He moved with his teenager daughter and things are going well, so much that he even starts dating a teacher at her school, Oliver. The problem is that someone is not a nice person and starts creating problems...

Since I've liked the previous books in the series, this too was easy and pleasant to read. I'd change a few details but as a whole, this delivered once more.Dominic and Oliver are, as all the key characters before them, competent and fair in their jobs and the conflicts sound realistic. Sometimes, a bit too much which might bring in the feeling that something is happening out of nowhere...Their relationship is cute but it wasn't as romantic as I would prefer. This feeling comes since book #1, which I think kind of had a more balanced romance (to me) and at some point they need to face some issues which were, again, a little forced. Still, it was a good enough way to finish the series and it's one I actually liked reading quite a lot, if I think about it in general terms.

Grade: 7/10

Louisa Masters - In Your Hands

When Grant Davis stepped into the job of assistant director at Joy Universe, he knew he was taking on a challenge. The AD before him left a mess nobody thought could be cleaned up—but Grant loves nothing more than beating the odds. Over a year later, he’s convinced there’s something hinky going on. The solution: an independent audit. What he doesn’t expect is that the head of the audit team will be his old college crush.
Luke Durrant’s come a long way since he last saw Grant, the man he had a steamy night with back in college. He’s been married, divorced, has a successful career, and is now a parent. But one look at Grant brings all the old feelings crashing back.
With Grant’s job in Luke’s hands, two insecure kids, and a host of nosy coworkers, it seems like professionalism is the only option… but who wants that? Grant and Luke are willing to take the shot for a second chance at happily ever after.
And then Luke’s ex turns up….

Comment: This is the third installment in the Joy Universe series by author Louisa Masters. I've liked the writing in the previous stories and I felt like finishing the series.

In this third story we focus our attention in Grant Davies, one of the assistant directors who has found some problems in his area of work. He went directly to the owners of Joy Universe requesting an audit, even if that were to mean he would be out of a job. He is surprised when the team leader who will take over the audit is Luke Durrant, someone from his past with whom he felt he had a connection, right before he introduced him to another friend and they ended up marrying. Now, a long divorced Luke packs up his things and the two kids he adopted and they move for his job, which means Luke is as surprised to find Grant again. When things between them seem to be on the right track, however, Luke's ex shows up... what will this mean for him and Grant?

Perhaps I should start by saying that the stories in this series have a certain continuity. I don't think it needs to be mandatory for them to be read in order, after all the plots are pretty straightforward, but it does simplify certain details and/or explanations if the books are read in order. The audit that is the central focus of both Grant's and Luke's jobs for most of the novel is a necessary device if one bears in mind the situations depicted in the previous stories.

I actually like it when the details seem to match what is going on. I'm not the type of reader that hates a book just because the details aren't right or if the author takes some liberties, but it's certainly a big plus when the plots seem to be based on situations that make sense. I'm not knowledgeable in audit work or whatever that might imply to say if what is described here is correct, but it did benefit my overall appreciation to assume what was being done proves the people involved were goal oriented and professional.

This said, the plot aspects seemed to be smoothly presented, convincing even, and I was quite pleased to see Luke and Grant acted as if their were being professionals. I also liked the secondary jokes around them, such as when co workers would try to guess when they would hook up. This was done in a very relaxed way, no malicious intent, and I've felt that, as in the other books, it was only a way to have some lighter/funnier content. Basically, the story's vibe was a positive but serious one.

The romance, however, wasn't as amazing as I hoped for. It did set a little on the "second chance" notion, since they had had a one night stand once and apparently were into one another, but drifted apart. I know that by not having had an established relationship, this might not be seen as a second chance romance per se, but it's what things made me think of. I just wish their romance had been more... spontaneous, more uncertain. I wanted to see them wonder about each other more before they kissed and were intimately together. It's not that the romance wasn't done in a believable way for what were were told, but.... it wasn't as romantic as I wanted.

Luke also had the worries regarding his kids. He isn't their biological father but he and his ex took their guard when their parents died. After a while his ex - the kids' biological uncle - couldn't handle it and left. Luke is a great guy to have wanted to keep them, to adopt and love them. This plays a huge part in the story and, of course, allows us to see who Grant and Luke are together and how their future would be like. In a way, perhaps I'll dare to say this took a bit too much of the attention, especially since the book isn't as big as it might have been necessary to pack up so much emotional energy...

When the ex comes back, that's where the conflict peaks and I will say i wasn't too d«fond of the tactics the author used to conduct the situations. I think other plot options would have led to the same conclusions... I can't decide if what did happen was too cheesy/silly or too obviously forced... either way, I wasn't fond of the scenes regarding this, which added to the lack of romantic elements (in my perspective) made for a weaker story than what it probably merited.

Regardless, I had a good enough time reading and, as intended, will read the last book as well. I'm still debating if I want to read one of the two novellas in this series that caught my attention...

Grade: 7/10

Louisa Masters - Follow My Lead

Dimi Weston has always loved the theater—just not as much as loves managing things. His job at Joy Universe lets him manage to his heart’s content, and he fills his free time with community theater. Now, though, he’s being offered a promotion to his dream job: managing Joy Universe’s brand-new theater production company. JU really does make dreams come true—or so he thinks until he meets the ex-Broadway director he’ll have to work with.
Jason Philips is shocked to discover the hot younger guy he was trying to impress at a community theater is going to be managing the production company that just hired him. Scarred by the bad breakup of a long-term relationship, Jase is already nervous about getting back into dating… and now he’s accidentally offended the first guy he tried to flirt with and now has to work with.
As Dimi and Jason get stuck into the craziness of the theater, they have to contend with family, exes, and the nosiness of their colleagues, but nothing will stop them from making this venture a success.

Comment: Last year I've read a book by this author and liked it enough to continue the series. Thus, this is the second installment in the Joy Universe series by author Louisa Masters.

In this second story the protagonist is Dimitri Weston, who used to be the assistant of Derek (from book #1) but he was given a promotion at the end of the first book and is now a producer for the Joy theater company. His duties include working with director Jason Phillips, who is a experienced Broadway director and even won awards. He has also been a fan and this means that when they finally meet, at the final exhibit of the community play Dimi helped producing, and Jason says the wrong thing, Dimi feels very disappointed. Still, they will need to work together and as the tasks demand more of their efforts and decisions, they become closer but while there's attraction between them, there is also the age difference to consider. Can they find enough in common to have a future together?

What I like the most about the, now, two books I've read by the author is the overall vibe. The stories are very character-driven and appealing and it's a great feeling to expect certain things related to the characters and to anticipate how will they be accomplished. It helps that I liked the author's "voice" in both stories so far. I wonder if the same style is found in books she wrote in different genres...

The plot of this story is very simple. Dimi is a young producer who got the trust of the Joy Universe directors to make their new theater division a success and he believes he is ready to do so. To start big, they hire a famous theater director whose work Dimi has been a fan of for a long time. Of course they would clash somehow but the beginning was a bit of a cliche, when Jason, who is actually a more reserved person in his private life than as a professional director, say the wrong thing and Dimi feels slighted. They work out their issues, as one would expect but then there's the attraction between them to bring them closer.

Their relationship starts slow but I must say it wasn't always as thrilling as in the beginning. I think that the excitement of the "enemies to lovers" which seemed to be on for the first chapters, and the anticipation of "when will they take the first step" kind of scenario didn't carry on subtly enough or the author chose to not prolong this in a seductive manner. It means that, for me, the exciting part didn't take too long to end.

After they admit to one another they want to try to be a couple, things calmed down but, as I've said, I do like the author's style and the work related situations, as well as their private dealings with others, made for entertaining reading. Then, the author also started stressing out another issue, the age gap. Jason is in his early fifties and Dimi in 29. I don't tend to dislike age gap romances and sometimes, that specific situation can lead to very interesting plot themes and relationship dynamics. While here, between them, this was never an issue beyond the basic, such as Jason thinking he is too old for Dimi, it wasn't as easy when the relationship was another.

The biggest antagonism came from Dimi's mother, and for deeper reasons than only their age meaning different stages in life. I suppose that, if everything had been smoothly done it wouldn't be so interesting to keep reading, but there were times I've felt things were too glaringly negative from his mother's point of view because it was a theme that had to be developed. I think it helped that their personalities were very much in sync, but there were scenes where the age gap was the only trait about them.

With this I mean that, personality wise, both protagonists were sympathetic, likable, nice, had issues they were dealing with as adults, have a past, namely Jason, with an ex that wasn't good and now comes back to be another antagonist, but.... Jason and Dimi as individuals didn't really surprise me. I think they were a little bland, to be honest, and if not for the overall satisfaction with the story, my grade probably would be lower if the characterization had been more centered or if this had been narrated in first person.

This said, the story was fine, had enough interest to make me like it and want to read other stories in the same series. But, right now, I kind of prefer the first book's couple. 

Grade: 7/10

Louisa Masters - I've Got This

Derek Bryer loves his life. His job as an assistant director at Joy Universe, the second-largest theme park complex on the planet, makes him indirectly responsible for bringing joy (pun intended) to millions of people. So what if none of his relationships are that close? Everyone he meets loves him.
Except Trav Jones. For some reason, the visiting Broadway performer would rather Derek just go away. He appreciates Derek’s work ethic, though, and after Trav steps up when Derek desperately needs someone to fill in for his sick staff, Derek seizes the chance to convince Trav he’s not such a bad guy.
Falling in love while distracted by a murder at the park, food poisoning, and colleagues placing bets on their relationship won’t be easy, but between the two of them and with the magic of Joy Universe, they’ve got this.

Comment: I have no idea why I had this book in the pile, but it turned out to be a satisfying read, which means that, for whatever reason, I must have clearly guessed right this time!

In this story we meet Derek, an assistant director at Joy Universe, a very well known and successful theme park, which has several sections, and even an employees' village. Derek is very happy with his work, knowing he is part of something which is doing so well, but now, as a new day begins, things start to go into disaster mode, since a guest at their park allegedly killed her husband, and a big group of performers has food poisoning, making it necessary to request the help of available others nearby.

This is how Trav Jones starts helping out with the shows, and even though he is already a renown actor on Broadway, he prefers secondary roles, and this will be easy for him. He and Derek don't seem to get along right away, mostly because Trav has found boys and men like him before - confident, gorgeous, out of his league - and always felt inferior. But circumstances make them closer, could it be that something between them would actually work?

Even before starting, I was immediately taken by the premise of a story set at a theme park.The author also has an introductory note where she gives a context to her idea and that it's based on a real park, but that she tried to give her "world" a different take. I was quite interested in the set up and how the description of the several aspects of the park, with areas distributed into different locations, how there was this village for employees and temporary workers, the whole idea seemed interesting. As if it was a city within a city.

Although the beginning is chaotic, with two major problems happening pretty much at the same time, I could see right away that Derek is a very dedicated director and he wants things to go smoothly for everyone, not only the guests/visitors but also for those who work there. His professionalism made me like him right away, but the writing style did seem to focus a lot on the surroundings and the action, which means I still felt Derek wasn't as approachable as others claimed he was or by what we see him do. Still, he is a good person, wants success for everyone and it was easy to see why he was a director.

Trav is, nevertheless, an easier character to like (for me). He is a good guy, also professional and he seems to be happy he is doing secondary roles in his theater career. Of course that the reason why he has refused main roles is part of the mystery and we have him explaining later on but it's not that hard to guess when we have the chapters from his POV and he shares he prefers that the attention isn't only on him...

Trav works for a company which is temporarily nearby but he, along with other actors, accepts to do some fun playacting while the sick employees recover. It's certainly a strike of genius that an actor like Trav, who has done Broadway shows, is there and is humble enough to do some fun acting at a theme park, but aside from non existing reality checks, this shows us that Trav is a good person and that he does what he can to help others when possible. I connected with his personality more easily than I did with Derek's.

At first they don't seem to get along because Trav sees Derek as one more self confident guy who would bully him, and I could certainly see where he was at with this, and why he wasn't instantaneously happy to be around him. Of course, they eventually start talking more, there's the matter of Derek letting Trav borrow his old car and they realize they get along. Their relationship progresses slowly but in a sweet way and I was happy to see how this allowed to share some personal things too. The sex is closed door, which surprised me, but since the important parts are better seen while they are interacting with others, this wasn't a big deal for me.

When the plot reaches the conflict moment, this is due to the murder which happened at the park, and the fact both guys realize the other isn't as easy to read as they thought, we also get to see how Derek is so much more than his professional persona and Trav is more interested in evolving than what he said in the beginning. Since the story is so directly related to what is going on around the characters and it's not only aimed for their romance, I think this was achieved in a satisfying way, but perhaps for some readers the romance might seem a little underdeveloped.

There are also several secondary characters around and I'm now curious to read about the protagonists of the next books. In regards to the resolution of the plot in this one, I did like the clever ways thought to make things right at the park after the issues they had, and also a solution for Derek and Trav to be together when Trav's company was meant to go back to New York. I might not be explaining myself well, but I felt this was a very well achieved story and I'm glad I've read it.

Grade: 8/10