ARC Book Review: Adjacent But Only Just (The Penn-Leiths of Thistle Muir #2) by Nichole Van

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Nichole Van
Publisher: Fiorenza Publishing
Release Date: September 14th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Viola Brodure, gentlewoman and celebrated authoress, faces a personal dilemma suited for a novel—everyone wishes for her to make a love match with Ethan Penn-Leith, the famous Highland Poet. And by everyone, she means everyone—her father, her adoring readers, the gossip columnists, and her patron, the overbearing Duke of Kendall. Why, even Queen Victoria herself has given a nod of approval to the match. After all, the popular novelist and the famous poet are the perfect heroine and hero for their own love story. A literary dynasty waiting to be born.

The problem, of course, is that Viola has never met Ethan, not in the flesh, at least. She has read about him and devoured his poetic writings, but does the man himself live up to his dashing reputation?

Malcolm Penn-Leith exists in twilight. He manages his farm, Thistle Muir, in the shadow of the Scottish Highlands. As the older brother of the renowned Ethan Penn-Leith, Malcolm tends to his prized cows while Ethan basks in the limelight. Harder still, Malcolm lives under a cloud of grief after the death of his wife five years ago.

But then Miss Viola Brodure arrives in Malcolm’s wee village, intent on meeting Ethan and beginning a courtship. Viola—petite, blond, shy, and English—is nothing like Malcolm’s late wife. And yet, Viola awakens a piece of his heart that he thought lost in the abyss of his grief.

For her part, Viola is surprised to find herself more attracted to the stoic Malcolm than the charming Ethan. So now what? She isn’t meant to fall in love with the man adjacent to Ethan Penn-Leith. That’s not the plot she had outlined. After all, Malcolm and Viola are not the match made in heaven that everyone wishes to see. As social pressures mount, can Malcolm and Viola overcome the weight of his past and the expectations of her future to forge a new path together?

Please note that the basic elements of this story first appeared in a novella entitled A Ring of Gold. This current novel is a greatly-expanded adaptation of that novella.

Thank you to Nichole Van for the eARC.

ALL THE DANG FEELS.

OHMYGOSHILOVEDTHISBOOKSOMUCH.

I don’t even know how coherent this will be because I am fully obsessed with all things Nichole Van and this book was another five star read from one of my favorite historical romance authors.

This book holds one of my biggest triggers: a widow/widower. I loved the way Van handled Malcom and his tender heart. The heart that missed his wife but also was starting to beat for someone new. I can’t count how many scenes and conversations had my eyes going misty. There were profound sentiments towards grief that I think would resonate with anyone who’s experienced a loss in their life.

AND VIOLA. She is my new favorite female main character. Because guess what? Being shy does NOT mean you are not also fierce and tenacious. It does not mean you’ll stand to be walked all over. I LOOOOOOVE that I got to read about a shy (hi, it’s me) woman who was a force and showing all that it’s not a weakness.

THE ROMANCE??? Holy heck. The fire between these two was off the charts. I loved the slow build. The nuanced looks and casual run-ins that turned to deep conversations. And when Viola went after what she wanted? I was squealing with joy at how an entire scene played out.

There’s even some cameos from some of the best men of The Brotherhood of the Black Tartan series. The epilogue is EVERYTHING. And I am in desperate need of Ethan’s book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: blackmail, loss of a spouse (recounted), depictions of grief, asthmatic attacks

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: The Trouble with Hating You (The Trouble with Hating You #1) by Sajni Patel

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Sajni Patel
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: May 12th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Liya Thakkar is a successful biochemical engineer, takeout enthusiast, and happily single woman. The moment she realizes her parents’ latest dinner party is a setup with the man they want her to marry, she’s out the back door in a flash. Imagine her surprise when the same guy shows up at her office a week later — the new lawyer hired to save her struggling company. What’s not surprising: he’s not too thrilled to see her either after that humiliating fiasco.

Jay Shah looks good on paper…and off. Especially if you like that whole gorgeous, charming lawyer-in-a-good-suit thing. He’s also arrogant and infuriating. As their witty office banter turns into late night chats, Liya starts to think he might be the one man who truly accepts her. But falling for each other means exposing their painful pasts. Will Liya keep running, or will she finally give love a real chance?

IT WAS FINE.

I don’t have a lot of feelings for this book which also makes a review kind of hard to write. Everything was just okay here, I think I’ll pick up the next one? I’ve heard better things about it at least.

The real gem of the story was the Hero, Jay. Wow did he put up with A LOT. Frankly, I don’t know why he did, but it worked out for him and that’s great. I thought it was incredibly sweet and kind. Took care of those around him and was a strong, reliable presence throughout.

I did not like Liya. One oddly glaring thing was her obsession with saying how expensive all of her clothes/accessories were? You can convey someone is doing well for themselves without making it come off in a way that really turned me off from her character. It was obnoxious and many aspects of her personality were bothersome.

The ending was mostly cute, didn’t love how some of the conflict went about, but like I said before, this was all fine. The second half was much better, and I’m not upset I finished it, even if it wasn’t everything I was looking for.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: closed door
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: sexual assault, emotional abuse, domestic abuse, slut shaming

Instagram || Goodreads

ARC Book Review: Defend the Dawn (Defy the Night #2) by Brigid Kemmerer

GoodeyReads2 Comments

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 496 pages
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: September 13th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

To save their kingdom, they must embark on a dangerous journey…

The kingdom of Kandala narrowly avoided catastrophe, but the embers of revolution still simmer. While King Harristan seeks a new way to lead, Tessa and Prince Corrick attempt to foster unity between rebels and royals.

But the consuls who control the Moonflower will not back down, and Corrick realizes he must find a new source for the lifesaving Elixir.

When an emissary from the neighboring kingdom of Ostriary arrives with an intriguing offer, Tessa and Corrick set out on an uncertain journey as they attempt to mend their own fractured relationship.

This could be their only chance to keep the peace and bring relief to the people of Kandala, but danger strikes during the journey to Ostriary, and no one is who they seemed to be. . .

Thank you to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for an eARC.

PROGRESSIVELY BETTER.

This was almost a miss for me, buuuut I liked the second half so much more that I’m anxious for the finale. And what I did most love was the writing. Kemmerer is a brilliant writer and I love how smooth and easy it is to follow her story and be tucked into the pages.

This book had very slow pacing. The entire first half was dedicated to getting onto a ship. At least interspersed were some total character upheavals. I think the progression focus was on who Corrick and Tessa are becoming. That mindset really helps set the scene for how a lot of these moments occur. I wish there was a toooouch more romance, but I feel it in my bones that it’s coming!

There’s even a third POV thrown in that was fun to figure out and to see another side to the world that was needed to keep the pace for book three. I think there’s SO MANY places that POV could go and I can’t wait to get to know them even more. I already love this character as much as Corrick and Tessa so it was exciting to have that added in as well.

While it took a long time to get to the ship, I do love a good boat book. There’s the right amount of drama and intrigue. Characters getting to know one another. And allll the secrets revealed (like what’s behind the door?!). I thoroughly enjoyed how this played out and even though the ending left me going WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, I know the next book will deliver too.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: some mild
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Violence: medium
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of life, battle scenes, physical altercations, weapons violence, kidnapping, poisoning

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ARC Book Review: Ledge (The Glacian Trilogy #1) by Stacey McEwan

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Stacey McEwan
Publisher: Angry Robot
Release Date: September 13th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

After being randomly selected as a human sacrifice, instead of death, Dawsyn finds herself on a quest to save her people from their icy prison…

In a place known as The Ledge, a civilization is trapped by a vast chasm and sheer mountain face. There is no way for anyone to escape the frozen wasteland without befalling a deathly drop. They know nothing of the outside world except that it is where The Glacians reside – mystical winged creatures who bring them meagre rations to survive, in exchange for a periodic human sacrifice. Dawsyn, axe wielder and only remaining member of her family, has so far avoided the annual culling, but her luck has run out. She is chosen and ripped from her icy home, the only world she knows. No one knows what will happen to her on the other side, least of all Dawsyn. Murdered? Enslaved? Worse?Thankfully, the fates align and Dawsyn manages to escape their clutches with the help of a half-Glacian called Ryon. But trust does not come easily, and she keeps a trained axe to his throat while they journey together down the slopes. But who’s to say that the life below will be any better than the one she has run from?

Thank you Angry Robot and Netgalley for the eARC.

MIXED.

This book may have been too hyped for me, but I just didn’t love this like I hoped for.

The writing style took me a bit to get into, once there though, I was fine. I really liked the initial plot set-up and the winter vibes. It was unique with the chasm concept and the clear secrets being withheld from this group of humans stuck being terrorized by the Glacians. A winged folk group is always a good decision and I liked those aspects too.

What got me is the lack of intimacy between the love interests Ryon and Dawsyn (also love that name). I think the burn was a little too fast and with the writing style I didn’t feel fully invested in them. There was much more emphasis on their physical dynamics rather than any other facet that I also like seeing in a budding relationship.

With the focus turned so much inward the larger plot lost some steam. I liked many of the reveals and even seeing them coming didn’t take away from my enjoyment. There’s some good plot twist tropes I like (won’t mention specifics because of spoilers). BUT a particular scene towards the end felt too easy because there wasn’t enough time dedicated to this rebellion that was occurring.

Ending was totally shocking. I’m still sitting here contemplating how that’s supposed to work itself out. Am I intrigued enough to try book two? I *think* so.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: multiple brief open door; low-med explicitness
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of rape and sexual assault, near death experiences, kidnapping, murder, physical and weapons altercations, battle scenes, loss of loved ones

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph