Category: B reviews (Page 10 of 74)

REVIEW: Mermaid Inn by Jenny Holiday

March 19, 2020 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: This is one from my own TBR.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Eve Abbott has a problem–actually, make that a lot of problems. And they’re all going to get worse the moment her toes hit the sand in Matchmaker Bay. Once a blissful summer escape, now the tiny town just reminds Eve of loss. Inheriting her aunt’s beloved Mermaid Inn is the only reason Eve is coming back. She’s definitely not ready to handle nosy neighbors, extensive renovations, or the discovery that a certain heartbreaker still lives down the street…

Police Chief Sawyer Collins always does the right thing, even when it costs him everything. Like Evie. He’s spent the past ten years trying to forget her–to forget how right she felt in his arms, to forget the pain in her eyes the day she left. The last thing he expects is to see her back in town or to find that the spark between them is as strong as ever. Sawyer knows this is his only chance to prove that his feelings have always been real… before Eve turns tail and leaves for good.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): A new Jenny Holiday book is cause for celebration so I preordered this one and cracked it open almost as soon as I had it. There was a lot to like, with the signature humour which tends to really work for me and characters I cared about, as well as some delightful quirkiness for extra spice.

Eve Abbott used to spend summers in Moonflower Bay, on the banks of Lake Huron in Ontario, with her Aunt Lucille who ran the Mermaid Inn. (Yes, I know the series is called “Matchmaker Bay” – I’m getting there.) She became fast friends with young Sawyer Collins as a young teen and they gradually grew to be more over the years. By the time they were both 17 they began having sex and then when they were both 18, everything came to a screeching halt when Eve watched Sawyer make out with Jeannie Wilkerson on the Mer-Queen float in the town’s annual Labor Day Mermaid Parade. Eve left town and did not return. Thereafter’s Eve’s interactions with Aunt Lucille were limited to when she came to where Eve was, or via phone calls or email. Eve put the rest of Moonflower Bay out of her mind and had not intended to ever go back. However, as the book begins, Aunt Lucille has died and left Eve the Inn in her will. Only, there’s a catch. Eve must not sell the Inn for a year. Continue reading

REVIEW: The Will – a Passionflix Original

March 10, 2020 / Kaetrin

Why I watched it: I loved the book and have read it maybe 3 times? (And I’ve listened to the audio twice as well. The narration isn’t even that good but I like the story so much and needs must, etc). So, when I found out Passionflix were making a movie of it I had to sign up and watch. (I used discount code TRUCK to get $2.00 off. I don’t know if it’s still valid but you’re welcome to try it.)

What it’s about: (via Passionflix) Early in her life, Josephine Malone learned the hard way that there was only one person she could love and trust: her grandmother, Lydia Malone. Out of necessity, unconsciously and very successfully, Josephine donned a disguise to keep all others at bay. She led a globetrotting lifestyle on the fringes of the fashion and music elite, but she kept herself distant. While Josephine was trotting the globe, retired boxer Jake Spear was living in the same small town as Lydia. There was nothing disguised about Jake. Including the fact he made a habit of making very bad decisions about who to give his love. But for Josephine and Jake, there was one person who adored them. One person who knew how to lead them to happiness. And one person who was intent on doing it. Even if she had to do it as her final wish on this earth.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I was so impressed with the casting and attention to the little details from the book. I spent much of the movie with a happy smile on my face (apart from the bits which were sad of course). Jake, Josie and the children (including the Taylors) in particular were just great. I loved too the decision to decision to cast a Black actress (Robin S. Walker) to play Alyssa. The only casting decision I was a bit iffy about was Henry. I didn’t get why Josie would ever have been in love with him to be honest. He just didn’t do it for me at all (sorry Martin Dingle-Wall) and he didn’t fit my mental image of Henry even a little.
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Strange Love by Ann Aguirre

February 13, 2020 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I am a subscriber to Ann Aguirre’s newsletter. Even though I received this in serial format, I wanted to wait to read the whole thing because I’m like that. So I bought it. It seems to be Amazon only at this point.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) He’s awkward. He’s adorable. He’s alien as hell.

Zylar of Kith B’alak is a four-time loser in the annual Choosing. If he fails to find a nest guardian this time, he’ll lose his chance to have a mate for all time. Desperation drives him to try a matching service but due to a freak solar flare and a severely malfunctioning ship AI, things go way off course. This ‘human being’ is not the Tiralan match he was looking for.

She’s frazzled. She’s fierce. She’s from St. Louis.

Beryl Bowman’s mother always said she’d never get married. She should have added a rider about the husband being human. Who would have ever thought that working at the Sunshine Angel daycare center would offer such interstellar prestige? She doesn’t know what the hell’s going on, but a new life awaits on Barath Colony, where she can have any alien bachelor she wants.

They agree to join the Choosing together, but love is about to get seriously strange.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): This was such a fun book! Zylar is a very beta hero – his chitin (he’s a kind of insectoid alien so has what I imagine to be a thick outer shell like a cockroach’s but stronger?) might be hard but inside he’s all marshmallow. He has low self-esteem because he’s not very attractive. Barathi are prized for their colours and Zylar is a dull brown and he doesn’t stand out in a crowd. He has also always been outshone by his nest-mate (aka sibling) Ryzven (who is an asshole). It is not ever made clear just why Ryzven hated Zylar so much and that is one of my few criticisms of the story. Continue reading

If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane

December 17, 2019 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I’ve been meaning to try this author for ages now and I love a fake relationship.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) When Laurie’s partner of eighteen years, Dan, dumps her to ‘find himself’ (and leave her on the shelf at 36), she is blindsided. But not as blindsided as when he announces that his new girlfriend is now pregnant.

Working in the same office with Dan is soon unbearable – until the day she gets stuck in the lift with her handsome colleague Jamie. Jamie is looking for a way to improve his reputation in the company and what better way for Jamie to advance and Laurie to give the rumour mill something else to talk about than a fake relationship?

As Laurie and Jamie progress from Instagram snaps to dates, dancing and more, Laurie feels herself falling further for her unlikely hero. But you can’t break your heart in a fake relationship. Can you?

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Even though this is a romance and there is most definitely a HEA at the end, the romantic relationship between Jamie and Laurie takes a very long time to get going. When the book begins, Laurie is still with Dan and then it all hits the fan. Then she’s heartbroken and it takes a while before Jamie and she get stuck in a lift (which sparks, eventually, the idea to have a fake relationship). If I didn’t dislike the term I’d say this was more “women’s fiction”. The book is as much about Laurie’s own journey to rediscover herself than her relationship with Jamie. In many respects, the former is far more detailed. Continue reading

November Round Up

December 3, 2019 / Kaetrin

Monthly Mini Review

Vendetta in Death by JD Robb, narrated by Susan Ericksen – B Book 49 in the series takes place in about 4 days from start to finish and is obviously heavily inspired by #MeToo. At first I was a little worried about the killer being a woman who calls herself “Lady Justice” and abducts, tortures and kills men she has judged as being lacking. The first victim was certainly someone who inspired little sympathy (very much a Harvey Weinstein/Roger Ailes type character, albeit in a different industry). I didn’t want to read a story where the victims were all horrible men – I felt like that would have been too on the nose for me. However, after a while I saw that Robb did something clever here. There were a couple of victims/targets who did little more than divorce their wives (we aren’t privy to all the circumstances, though in some cases we can guess) and this served to illustrate that Lady Justice wasn’t really about “justice” at all. It was not a case of the punishment necessarily fitting the “crime” – in some cases, there was no crime. There were also multiple stories about women who had been assaulted by men, sexually or otherwise. Their stories were (sadly) more familiar and here, justice bent toward them – actual justice; because Eve Dallas and Delia Peabody were on the case. There was a a strong believe women vibe and no endorsement of toxic male behaviour. So it wasn’t the book I feared at all. Continue reading

American Fairytale by Adriana Herrera, narrated by Sean Crisden

November 22, 2019 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: This is one from my TBL.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Fairy-tale endings don’t just happen; they have to be fought for.

New York City social worker Camilo Santiago Briggs grew up surrounded by survivors who taught him to never rely on anything you didn’t earn yourself. He’s always dreamed of his own happily-ever-after, but he lives in the real world. Men who seem too good to be true usually are. And Milo never ever mixes business with pleasure until the mysterious man he had an unforgettable hookup with turns out to be the wealthy donor behind his agency’s new, next-level funding.

Thomas Hughes built a billion-dollar business from nothing: he knows what he wants and isn’t shy about going after it. When the enthralling stranger who blew his mind at a black-tie gala reappears, Tom’s more than ready to be his Prince Charming. Showering Milo with the very best of everything is how Tom shows his affection.

Trouble is, Milo’s not interested in any of it. The only thing Milo wants is Tom.

Fairy-tale endings take work as well as love. For Milo, that means learning to let someone take care of him, for a change. And for Tom, it’s figuring out that real love is the one thing you can’t buy.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I haven’t yet listened to American Dreamer, the first book in the series (though I have it on my TBL now), however, American Fairytale, the second book in the series, stands alone well. Each book, features one of a group of four close friends, most of whom are gay/queer and living in New York. None are white.

There is a vibrancy to the writing, which illustrates the diversity in New York. There is a marked difference to American Fairytale as compared to the all-white (or almost-all-white) New York-set contemporary romance which is commonly available and it was both authentic and so much more interesting to me. It felt more like the real world and less like a construct and the characters showcased different experiences and points of view than my own white experience. I loved it. Continue reading