Elley the Book Otter: review

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Book Review: When a Scot Ties the Knot (Castles Ever After #3) by Tessa Dare

Rating: 5 Stars

Published August 25th 2015 by Avon
Summary: On the cusp of her first London season, Miss Madeline Gracechurch was shyly pretty and talented with a drawing pencil, but hopelessly awkward with gentlemen. She was certain to be a dismal failure on the London marriage mart. So Maddie did what generations of shy, awkward young ladies have done: she invented a sweetheart.

A Scottish sweetheart. One who was handsome and honorable and devoted to her, but conveniently never around. Maddie poured her heart into writing the imaginary Captain MacKenzie letter after letter … and by pretending to be devastated when he was (not really) killed in battle, she managed to avoid the pressures of London society entirely.

Until years later, when this kilted Highland lover of her imaginings shows up in the flesh. The real Captain Logan MacKenzie arrives on her doorstep—handsome as anything, but not entirely honorable. He’s wounded, jaded, in possession of her letters… and ready to make good on every promise Maddie never expected to keep.
(from Goodreads)

Review: Loved this book. Of course Tessa Dare can pretty much do no wrong, so I suppose that’s not too surprising. I loved Maddie and Logan, and love that they both have a traumatic past that causes present-day problems, which they help each other get through. Maddie is maginificently weird (which is fantastic), and Logan and those letters... I am die.

The (limited) supporting cast is also a treat, especially Maddie’s rather eccentric aunt and the hulking but addled Grant.

This is the third book in a series but is easily totally perfect as a stand alone. I’m pretty sure what connects the series is that they’re all left castles by the same fellow, so you’re not missing out on anything or spoiling the first two books in the series by reading this one first.

I spent most of this novel unable to put it down, with my heart in my throat and tears welling in my eyes. Definitely one of those books where you just ache for the characters. If you’re looking for a light fluffy read, this may not be the book for you as it rather tears at your heart (but I do promise you a happy ending).

Book Review: The Troll Whisperer (The Troll Whisperer #1) by Sera Trevor

Rating: 5 Stars

Summary: Oscar Lozada is repulsive, and he likes it that way. His apartment is always a wreck, he works at a sewage plant, and he’s an abrasive jerk to just about everyone. When he's not out drinking and hooking up with strangers, he trolls people on the Internet for lulz. His life changes when he finds out a victim of his trolling lives right next door. Noah is super hot and disarmingly nice. In spite of himself, Oscar starts to fall for him. All he has to do is make sure Noah never discovers the truth behind his trollish ways.
*****
This book was written in collaboration with the Goodreads M/M Romance Group's annual Don't Read in the Closet story event. All proceeds will be donated to The San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center.

Review: I smiled like a doofus and also teared up a bit (ok, ok, I teared up twice...) It takes real talent to take a character as unlikeable as Oscar and make the reader really care about him, root for him, like him, and even cry for him. The description of why Oscar does what he does makes me think of a cutter trying to cut away their pain...

I really liked the Odd Couple vibe they had going on, and actually liked the character Oscar a lot more than ~~Felix~~ Noah in the end. I've seen an ASMR video or two and it doesn't float my boat personally, but I think it's cool how Sera Trevor incorporated something that has a big sub-community on YouTube into her book. I had to rate this 5 stars because I do love me some misfits, and I also love a good redemption story.

Book Review: Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Narrated by Eileen Stevens & Tristan Morris

Rating: 3 Stars

Published April 4th 2017 by Quirk Books
Summary: Anything can happen once upon a con…

When geek girl Elle Wittimer sees a cosplay contest sponsored by the producers of Starfield, she has to enter. First prize is an invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. Elle’s been scraping together tips from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck behind her stepmother’s back, and winning this contest could be her ticket out once and for all—not to mention a fangirl’s dream come true.

Teen actor Darien Freeman is less than thrilled about this year’s ExcelsiCon. He used to live for conventions, but now they’re nothing but jaw-aching photo sessions and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Federation Prince Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the diehard Starfield fandom has already dismissed him as just another heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, closet nerd Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.
(from Goodreads)

Review: read this book as part of the Audible Romance Package. There are some minor issues with the file itself - a couple spots where lines are randomly repeated. It's not a big deal, but does sort of break the magic.

I didn’t love the Darien chapters narrated by Tristan Morris at first, but he grew on my after a while. He just sounds too old/mature to be Darien, who is supposed to be 18. Eileen Stevens reads Elle's chapters, and she has this weird surfer twang (which is the only way I can think of saying it), where sometimes she sounds like she's a Cali girl, and sometimes she sounds like she's from Texas. I guess she's supposed to be from Charleston? I don't hear it. Though once the book mentions twice in quick succession that they're in Charleston, it sounds a lot more like a Southern accent, though I don't know if that's the author adjusting or just my brain recognizing it. And I guess the annoying Cali-Texan twang of the step-monsters is Southern valley girl? Eh. Maybe it will help someone, apparently she's in Charleston and he's filming in Atlanta. Only took me until Chapter 26 to figure that out… Which is silly because Goodreads lists the setting right on the book info page…
Accents aside, both of them put inflections in strange places, and I wish I'd read this in type rather than listening to the audiobook - I feel like I might have rated it higher. I also didn't love the way the narrator switched between chapters and would have preferred hearing both viewpoints from just a single narrator. I preferred Eileen Stevens' Darien voice. OK, enough about the audiobook.

Elle's relationship to StarWarsTrekFirefly (or whatever her fandom is called) reminds me of a game my nerd friends like to play called "Fake Nerd Boy," where you intentionally ask really obscure trivia about some bit of nerdery or fandom flim-flam, and if the person doesn't answer correctly you jeer "Fake nerd boy, fake nerd boy!" at them (or fake nerd girl, as the case may be). They play it all in fun, but Elle comes off as one of those people who if you don't love her fandom or nerdery in the exact same way she does, and know as much trivia as she does, that means you don't "really" love it. It is by far and away my least favorite nerd-type, ugh. Which, of course, made me kind of dislike our leading lady - even when someone turns around and does the fake nerdboy to her.

I had a bit of a love-hate relationship with this book. Being something of a misfit nerd-girl myself, I wanted to like it a lot, and there were some bits I really appreciated. There were also several parts where I literally said "UGH" out loud. Part of the ugh-ish-ness was due to the less-than-stellar narration, so maybe it would have been more heavily weighted in the "love" category if I'd read this in print. I hit about the 50% mark in the audiobook and wanted to switch to something else - I was just DONE with this book. Thankfully I stuck with it, and after a bit it got better again (swinging me further from "hate" and closer to "love" again).

The beginning was good, and the last several chapters were also pretty good, so I suppose I can forgive the middle. I like the modern spin on the Cinderella theme, especially The Magic Pumpkin food truck, and Sage is awesome (if horribly narrated by Eileen Stevens… OK, right, I said no more complaining about the narration). Instead of friendly mice and birds, Elle has a neglected neighbor's dachshund. There's the epic attempt to get a dress (costume) ready for the ball (masquerade) and last minute crushing of hopes by the evil stepsisters and obligatory intervention of the fairy godmother (or punk-rock friend). The lost slipper. I do like that Ashley Poston went with the trend to make one of the evil step-sisters less evil (ala Marguerite and Jacqueline in Ever After) and love the little hints at Sage's relationship. I actually thought that was coming back when Sage was being sneaky the first time she was in Elle's house… Haha. I also really like the description of the convention, and all the nerd people coming together. OH, it just hit me that she's like Con Royalty. So she's a princess. Dur.

Book Review: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Rating: 5 Stars

Published August 9th 2016 by William Morrow

Summary: Nemesis (n.)
1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;
2) A person’s undoing;
3) Joshua Templeman. Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.
(from Goodreads)

Review: I ALMOST didn't read this because I don't typically care for the first person present tense style of writing. Boy, am I glad my good buddy Ariel pressed me to read this, saying she couldn't put it down. I read this entire book in a span of less than 24 hours, and it would have been less than that except I need to keep my job! Kept me up long past my bedtime.

At one point Josh tells Lucy "You are deeply weird," and the great thing is, they BOTH are! The story is told entirely through Lucy's point of view in the present tense, and she starts by giving us two important facts: Her name is Lucy Hutton, and she hates Josh Templeman. They spend their days sharing an office and playing little games with each other (like The Staring Game and the How You Doing game), trying to win and one-up the other. Their dynamic is just so hilarious, and they are clearly BOTH deeply weird in the same wonderfully quirky way to interact with each other the way they do.

The scene where Lucy has the stomach flu just about ripped my heart out of my chest (and that's all I'll say about it because no spoilers!). Several other scenes after had my eyes welling with tears and clutching at my chest because of the feels. I wanted to both kiss and noogie both Josh and Lucy through most of the second half of the book, and just could not put it down. I'm so glad I pushed past my distaste for the first person present tense thing and stuck with this book, because my life is DEFINITELY better for having gotten to know these two "deeply weird" characters.

Review: Kindle Oasis

Review: Kindle Oasis (9th generation, 2017 release)

My husband bought me the new Kindle Oasis (found here on Amazon) for my birthday, and I was so excited to update my Kindle! I do most of my reading in paperback with the occasional hardcover being my second preference, and ebooks trailing behind in a far distant third place in my book-loving heart.

The Kindle Oasis is the 9th generation of Kindle (2017 release, not to be confused with the 8th generation released in 2016). I've only owned it for two weeks but already my ebook interaction is way, WAY up.

Some of the major selling points for the Kindle Oasis are:

The largest, highest resolution display— 7” and 300 ppi, reads like real paper without glare, even in bright sunlight.

While it's not actually as crisp as text on a "real" page, it's leaps and bounds better than previous iterations of Kindle (or Nook, for that matter). No, it doesn't completely read like real paper, but it does read glare-free in sunlight, and is a lot crisper than most other e-readers I've seen.

The first waterproof (IPX8) Kindle so you are free to read in even more places.

This was the major selling point of the new Kindle Oasis for me. Many a paperback has gone to its watery grave in sacrifice to my bathtub reading, and I don't even try to read in the pool anymore! So far I've taken the Kindle Oasis in the bathtub with me, and also into the hot tub. It's the end of November here in Minnesota, so I won't be able to test it out in the pool for several more months, but I'm confident that it will survive a slip into the pool provided it's followed by a quick rescue. It did great in the tub, and passably well in the hot tub (though the screen did steam/fog up some in the hot tub). I'd read reviews that the water droplets cause havoc on the touchscreen display, but I didn't have any problems. It probably helps that I used the page turn buttons, rather than trying to swipe the touchscreen with wet fingers.

Now with Audible, listen to the world’s largest library of audiobooks. Pair with Bluetooth to take the story with you anytime, anywhere.

This was another big selling point for me, as I have an Audible membership and find myself switching between listening on my cell phone (which is a Samsung/Andriod) and my iPod (which is old and doesn't hold a charge worth beans) and my iPad. It's great to be able to choose to listen to an audiobook or read an ebook with one device that's not draining my cell phone battery in case I need it (and with my sense of direction, I need all the battery life for GPS on my cell that I can get!!). I have switched listening to an audiobook from my phone to the Kindle Oasis and back and forth and had no issues; it's great about letting me know I'm at point B on the Kindle and have listened further to point C on my other device, and prompting if I want to jump to the most recently heard spot across all devices, which is great. I haven't tried the Whisper Sync technology yet (where you switch between reading an ebook to listening to the audiobook version of the same book) so I can't speak to how well that works. Do be aware that there is no headphone jack, so if you want to listen to audiobooks with Audible you will need to pair Bluetooth headphones to your Kindle. I had no problems pairing my headphones, and the sound quality is good as long as you're not cranking the volume. If you need to listen to your audiobooks at high volume, you may want to test that this will work for you first, as when I cranked the volume past about 75% it got somewhat fuzzy and distorted and lost some sound quality.

Thin and light ergonomic design with dedicated page turn buttons and adaptive front light so you can read even more comfortably for hours.

This is a heck of a lot nicer than my previous Kindle, which I think is the Paperwhite with the strip of lighting along the bottom. This is a multi-point lighting system so I can read with the lamp on and no backlighting on the Kindle, or with some backlighting, or full-blast lighting to read in total darkness. One of my issues with my old Kindle was that I couldn't read well or clearly in low-ish light, but that problem is eliminated with this latest version. You can also adjust the lighting to where it's most comfortable for you at that particular moment. I love the page turn buttons, though I did change my setting so the bottom button advances the page and the top button goes back a page. It's nice because if you hold it with the buttons to the right or flip it over so the buttons are on the left, it keeps the button orientation so whichever button is on top still does what you set the top button to do. Page turn buttons make it a lot easier for me to read one handed, as I hate lifting my other arm to swipe (yes, I am just that lazy).

Keep reading—a single charge lasts weeks, not hours.

I think the charge lasting "weeks" is based on something like 45 minutes of reading a day, and of course doesn't take into account listening to audiobooks. I haven't had any issues with the battery life thus far, and it charges up really quickly, which is nice.

Enjoy twice the storage with 8 GB. Or choose 32 GB to hold more magazines, comics, newspapers, and audiobooks.

I got the smaller 8 GB version and have about 100 ebooks downloaded to it as well as half a dozen audiobook, and still have over 5 GB of space left. I tend to remove audiobooks from my device as I listen to them so I don't have a problem with the storage size. If you're going to put a lot of audiobooks (or magazines and comics) you might want to check out the larger size, but with just ebooks and a handful of audiobooks/magazines/comics you should be just fine with the smaller size.

Instant access to new releases and bestsellers, or from over a million titles at $2.99 or less. Prime members read free with unlimited access to over a thousand titles.

Where do I find these "free" titles? I subscribe to Kindle Unlimited and the interface with the Kindle store and Kindle Unlimited library is really smooth and easy to navigate.

I am really enjoying the new Kindle Oasis, and definitely have no buyer's remorse here!! Are there any questions you have about this new 9th generation Kindle device, or other features you'd like to hear more about?

Book Review: Chasing Christmas Eve by Jill Shalvis

Chasing Christmas Eve (Heartbreaker Bay #4) by Jill Shalvis

Rating: 5 Stars

Published September 26th 2017 by Avon

Summary: Meet cute...

Run for the hills—temporarily. That's Colbie Albright's plan when she flees New York for San Francisco. Wrangling her crazy family by day and writing a bestselling YA fantasy series by night has taken its toll. In short, Colbie's so over it that she's under it. She's also under the waters of a historic San Francisco fountain within an hour of arrival. Fortunately, the guy who fishes Colbie out has her looking forward to Christmas among strangers. But she's pretty sure Spencer Baldwin won't be a stranger for long.

Make merry...

Spence's commitment to hiding from the Ghosts of Relationships Past means he doesn't have to worry about the powerful—okay, crazy hot chemistry—he's got with Colbie. Just because she can laugh at anything, especially herself... just because she's gorgeous and a great listener just because she gets Spence immediately doesn't mean he won't be able to let Colbie go. Does it?

and hope for a miracle.

Now the clock's ticking for Colbie and Spence: Two weeks to cut loose. Two weeks to fall hard. Two weeks to figure out how to make this Christmas last a lifetime.

(from Goodreads)

Review: It is a truth universally known that a book that requires the reader to immediately go request the rest of the series from the library must be rated 5 stars.

I'm pretty sure Colbie is my spirit animal (except my mom and brother aren't awful, thanks very much). I love that she's a YA author (and come on, what book blogger doesn't love a good book about a writer who is passionate about her writing?) and that she can laugh at herself. Colbie and Spence both have a self-deprecating sense of humor that I really like, and the development of their relationship was fun to read. There is a part with Spence's female friends taking Colbie to girls' night that make me cry for her, but I won't say more than that because I don't want to spoil it. Suffice it to say that Chasing Christmas Even made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me smile like a total goofball hard enough that my husband asked me what on earth I was reading that put that doofy look on my face!

Chasing Christmas Eve is the 4th book in the Heartbreaker Bay series. I didn't know that going into reading this book, but it became obvious partway through by the sheer number of supporting characters in Spence's life. I even correctly guess that it was the 4th book, based on the information that was tossed out that of Spence's Tribe there are three couples. (Take that, Sherlock!) While this is the 4th in a series, it can absolutely be read at a stand alone. There might be some minor spoilers for the earlier books, but nothing you wouldn't already know from reading the back cover blurbs. It was a little confusing trying to keep all of the side characters straight, so I pretty much just let it go and stopped caring who Elle was in relation to Archer in relation to Joe (though as I type this, I think I actually DO know that relationships, so yay?) and just focused on the main storyline and the fact that Spence has a lot of friends who care about him. I did go request books 1 and 3 from my local library to read them as well, so I suppose if I'm wrong I'll update my review to warn you of any spoilers. :) I have read the second book in the series (The Trouble With Mistletoe) and it was every bit as enjoyable as this book.

Book Review: Blame It on the Duke by Lenora Bell

Book Review: Blame It on the Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes #3) by Lenora Bell

Rating: 5 Stars

Published April 18th 2017 by Avon

Summary: Have you heard?
The future Duke of Barrington has just been gambled away by his father. To an heiress!
The delicious details thus far...

Nicolas, Lord Hatherly, never intended to marry—nor add to the “mad” Hatherly line—but now he must honor his father’s debt to a social-climbing merchant or lose the family estate.

A notoriously wild marquess, won by her father at a game of cards, is the very last thing Miss Alice Tombs wants. She’s spent the last three seasons repelling suitors in spectacular fashion so she’d be at liberty to explore the world. She’ll just have to drive this one away as well.

Until Nick proposes an utterly tempting arrangement: one summer together to prove the legitimacy of their union, then Alice is free to travel while Nick revels in the time he has left before the Hatherly Madness takes hold.

It will be easy to walk away after a few months of make-believe wedded bliss—won’t it? Alice and Nick are about to find out...one sultry night at a time.

This ought to be fun...
(from Goodreads)

Review: All of Lenora Bell’s Disgraceful Dukes books are… I don’t want to say “based on,” so let’s say… linked with a book/movie/story. They are as follows:
How the Duke Was Won (The Disgraceful Dukes #1) - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
If I Only Had a Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes #2) - The Wizard of Oz
Blame It on the Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes 3#) - Alice in Wonderland

I was so pumped when Lenora Bell affirmed that this third book in her Disgraceful Dukes trilogy would feature the notorious Alice Tombs and be Alice in Wonderland-ish. Alice Tombs was a side character in the first book in the series, and she was instantly my favorite character in pretty much ever. There’s a scene in a row boat in How the Duke Was Won (that I’ll let you discover for yourself) that pretty much cemented it for me: Alice needed her own book, and if I had to start a petition to get Ms. Bell to write it I was prepared.

Imagine my great surprise and delight when I learned that not only was Miss Tombs getting her own book, but it was to have Alice in Wonderland undertones (overtones?) to it as well!! Alice in Wonderland is an obsession of mine and definitely one of my top fandoms. And elements from Lewis Carroll’s books are interwoven so beautifully into Blame It on the Duke. There’s the obvious of the main character’s name being Alice, to the less obvious “mad” Hatherlys (Mad Hatter, anyone?) right down to minor details like Lord White with his waistcoats embroidered in rabbits checking his pocket watch and declaring that he is ever do late. There is also an in-the-know bit about a paperweight, as well as a play on the White Queen’s ability to believe in six impossible things before breakfast.

Blame It on the Duke turns a well known trope about a woman being trapped into marriage by the machinations of her father (gambling her away, in this instance) right on its head, as in this instance it is the father of Nicholas, Lord Hatherly, who has gambled his son’s hand in marriage! It’s always fun to see well loved trooped turned on their heads, and this was a delight to read. Neither Alice nor Nick wants this marriage, and so they conspire together and, in the meantime, grow closer together. I love Alice’s passion for her studies, and I feel these deep pangs for Nick and his worries about his father, his sanity, and his future.

I love Lenora Bell’s books so much that I own the entire Disgraceful Dukes series both in paperback and audiobook (narrated by Beverly A. Crick). Ms. Crick does an excellent job narrating, giving great personality to the voices of the characters and making the men sound alluring and deep-voiced without putting on a falsely high voice for the women (which is something I absolutely abhor!) I’ve also pre-ordered Lenora’s next book, What a Difference a Duke Makes, which will be the first in a new series called School for Dukes. The expected publication date is March 27, 2018, and I just can’t wait to read it!!

Check out my reviews of the other books in the series:
How the Duke Was Won (The Disgraceful Dukes #1)
If I Only Had a Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes #2)
Blame It on the Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes 3#)

Book Review: If I Only Had a Duke by Lenora Bell

Book Review: If I Only Had a Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes #2) by Lenora Bell

Rating: 5 Stars

Published August 30th 2016 by Avon
Summary: After three failed seasons and a disastrous jilting, Lady Dorothea Beaumont has had more than enough of her family’s scheming. She won’t domesticate a duke, entangle an earl, or vie for a viscount. She will quietly exit to her aunt’s Irish estate for a life of blissful freedom. Until an arrogant, sinfully handsome duke singles her out for a waltz, making Thea the most popular belle of the season.

The duke ruined her plans and he’ll just have to fix them.

Garrett, Duke of Osborne, is far too heartless for debutantes or marriage—he uses dalliances and public spectacle to distract from his real purpose: finding the man who destroyed his family. When his search leads to Ireland, the last thing he needs is the determined, achingly innocent Thea, who arrives in the dead of night demanding he escort her to her aunt. His foolish agreement may prove his undoing. The road to the Emerald Isle is fraught with unforeseen dangers, but the greatest peril of all might just be discovering that he has a heart . . . and he’s losing it to Thea.
(from Goodreads)

Review: All of Lenora Bell’s Disgraceful Dukes books are… I don’t want to say “based on,” so let’s say… linked with a book/movie/story. They are as follows:
How the Duke Was Won (The Disgraceful Dukes #1) - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
If I Only Had a Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes #2) - The Wizard of Oz
Blame It on the Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes 3#) - Alice in Wonderland

Lenora Bell is one of my favorite new authors. While I didn't love this second installment in The Disgraceful Dukes *quite* as much as the first book (How the Duke Was Won), it was still a delightful romp. I actually liked If I Only Had a Duke more on my second read through, which was the audiobook as narrated by Beverly A. Crick. Ms. Crick does an excellent job narrating, giving great personality to the voices of the characters and making the men sound alluring and deep-voiced without putting on a falsely high voice for the women. I feel like Ms. Crick's narration helped bring forth the personalities for both Thea and Dalton and help me enjoy this book even more.

As you can probably tell from the title, If I Only Had a Duke is filled with delightful nods to The Wizard of Oz. Not only is the story great, I had a lot of fun ferreting out the little references Bell makes to The Wiz. The heroine, Dorothea (Dorothy, anyone?) has an Aunt Hen (Uncle Henry) who gives her some red leather boots (her ruby slippers) as a birthday gift. Dorothea (or Thea, as she prefers to be called) spends the majority of the book trying to get back to her Aunt Em (Auntie Em! Auntie Em!) in Ireland (a.k.a. the Emerald Isle... or Emerald City, perhaps?) along with the reluctant help of Dalton, Duke of Osborne, who is a rake with no heart (a regular Tin-Man, he).

As an avid watcher of shows like DareDevil, Arrow, and The Flash, I really loved the vigilante aspect of Dalton's character. Thea was a bit of a struggle for me, perhaps because I had a previous vision of her based on Charlene's portrayal of her in How the Duke Was Won.

I am VERY MUCH looking forward to the third installment in the series, Blame It on the Duke, which features my favorite character from the first book, Miss Alice Tombs. Lenora Bell has tagged blurbs about the third book with "#AliceInWonderland" on her Facebook page, so I am EVEN MORE EXCITED to find fun references to my favorite children's story in the next novel as well! (This is from my original review on Goodreads, which was written before the release of the third book. The third book was everything I hoped for an more!!)

Check out my reviews of the other books in the series:
How the Duke Was Won (The Disgraceful Dukes #1)
If I Only Had a Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes #2)
Blame It on the Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes 3#)

Book Review: Roomies by Christina Lauren

Rating: 4 Stars

Expected publication: December 5th 2017 by Gallery Books
Summary: Marriages of convenience are so…inconvenient.

Rescued by Calvin McLoughlin from a would-be subway attacker, Holland Bakker pays the brilliant musician back by pulling some of her errand-girl strings and getting him an audition with a big-time musical director. When the tryout goes better than even Holland could have imagined, Calvin is set for a great entry into Broadway—until he admits his student visa has expired and he’s in the country illegally.

Holland impulsively offers to wed the Irishman to keep him in New York, her growing infatuation a secret only to him. As their relationship evolves from awkward roommates to besotted lovers, Calvin becomes the darling of Broadway. In the middle of the theatrics and the acting-not-acting, what will it take for Holland and Calvin to realise that they both stopped pretending a long time ago?
(from Goodreads)

Review: This book had a few rough spots, but overall I really liked it. The book is written in the first person present tense from Holland's point of view, which works. Usually I like my romances to give the point of view of both leads, but due to the nature of Holland and Calvin's relationship the single viewpoint works and is the best way to tell the story. I could probably have done without some of Lulu's more crass stories, but I suppose Holland and Calvin felt the same so maybe it's good they were in there.

Holland is a total spaz (and thus I identify with her on some level). I also get what it's like to struggle to find your own identity and feel special when you're surrounded by highly talented, exceptional people. I love her passion for music (and for Calvin), her love of her uncles, and the fact that she was so driven to complete her MFA in creative writing (and I did have to go Google what an MFA is - Master in Fine Arts, for the uninitiated) and then struggled to find her passion/muse/whatever you want to call it once she was out of school and suddenly faced with turning her passion into a career. Holland's relationship with her uncles is also great (love love love Robert and Jeff!) and I appreciated her interactions with her brother Davis as well (who reminds me a little of my own bearded bro).

I love Calvin. He's a hot musician so what's not to love? (haha!) All joking aside, Calvin has a sensitive heart (which he needs to be such a great musician), a sexy Irish accent (which I can hear in my head) and a wonderfully silly way he phrases things sometimes. He does his fair share of stupid boy things, and sometimes does better than other at understanding why Holland is upset about things.

Throughout the book Holland is forced to examine her life, her relationship with (and dependency upon) her uncles, and her relationship with herself. The book is a love story between Holland and Calvin, but it's also a story about Holland discovering who she is and learning to love herself. That element of self-discovery is what makes this an excellent New Adult (NA) novel, and the hunka-hunka-burnin'-love makes it a great contemporary romance.

*I received a free copy of this book from BookishFirst and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Kindle Unlimited (Cyber Monday Deals Week Offer!!)

The selection on Kindle Unlimited doesn’t seem to be the greatest. There are a lot of Indie publishers (not that there's anything wrong with that!) but you don't see a lot of main stream publishers (hello, Avon!) There are still a lot of gems, they're just sometimes pretty well hidden in the pile of… I don't want to say "poorly edited self-published trash," so pretend I said just that but in much nicer terms. :)

Kindle Unlimited has a price point of $9.95 a month, most of the ebooks available on Kindle Unlimited have a purchase price of $0.00-$2.99. So unless you're reading 3+ of the higher price point books each month, this may not be worth your time. It's nice that you can "borrow" up to 10 books at a time, and if you get a dud you can just return it and check out another one, but unless you're a super reader this might not be the most cost effective product for you.

However, if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited, you can also get the Audible Romance Package for the lower price point of $6.95/month (normally $14.95/month unless you are an Audible Gold/Platinum member). So if want to subscribe to the Audible Romance Package and are not an Audible Gold/Platinum member, it might make sense to subscribe to both Kindle Unlimited and Audible Romance Package for a combined total of $16.90. (Basically you get the Audible Romance Package and then Kindle Unlimited for $2, which IS totally worth it.)

Amazon has a deal on Kindle Unlimited this week for Cyber Monday Deals Week. They don't specify when the sale ends, so check it out soon! You can also check the box to gift a year (or two years!) of Kindle Unlimited to a friend, so think about if this might be a great gift for your favorite book-lover!

12 months for $80.32 (33% discount, regularly $119.88) or
24 months for $143.86 (40% discount, regularly $239.76)

You can also try Kindle Unlimited for a one month free trial (if you've never tried it before). The Audible Romance Package also has a free one month trial available, which I just signed up for, so expect a review of that in about a month!

Do you have any bookish subscriptions you participate in? How do you like them? Are they worth it?

Book Review: How the Duke Was Won by Lenora Bell

Rating: 5 Stars

Published April 26th 2016 by Avon

Summary: The pleasure of your company is requested at Warbury Park. Four lovely ladies will arrive… but only one can become a duchess.

James, the scandalously uncivilized Duke of Harland, requires a bride with a spotless reputation for a strictly business arrangement. Lust is prohibited and love is out of the question.

Four ladies. Three days. What could go wrong?

She is not like the others…

Charlene Beckett, the unacknowledged daughter of an earl and a courtesan, has just been offered a life-altering fortune to pose as her half-sister, Lady Dorothea, and win the duke’s proposal. All she must do is:

* Be the perfect English rose [Ha!]

* Breathe, smile, and curtsy in impossibly tight gowns [blast Lady Dorothea’s sylph-like figure]

* Charm and seduce a wild duke [without appearing to try]

* Keep said duke far, far from her heart [no matter how tempting]

When secrets are revealed and passion overwhelms, James must decide if the last lady he should want is really everything he needs. And Charlene must decide if the promise of a new life is worth risking everything . . . including her heart.
(from Goodreads)

Review: All of Lenora Bell’s Disgraceful Dukes books are… I don’t want to say “based on,” so let’s say… linked with a book/movie/story. They are as follows:
How the Duke Was Won (The Disgraceful Dukes #1) - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
If I Only Had a Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes #2) - The Wizard of Oz
Blame It on the Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes 3#) - Alice in Wonderland

I will admit, I did not pick up on the very subtle Charlie and the Chocolate factory references my first time reading How the Duke Was Won, possibly because I’ve never read the book and thus my only point of reference are the movie versions starring Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp. The second time I read this I listened to the audiobook and picked up on the links between the impoverished Charlene Beckett (Charlie Buckett), the Duke of Harland's hot cocoa manufactory (chocolate factory), and so on. The main plotline is set up like an elimination style reality show, which at first reminded me of The Bachelor but it's also like the holders of the golden tickets being eliminated one by one in the tour of Willy Wonka's factory, I realize just now while writing this review, haha!

I love Charlene's character, though I find the fact that her younger sister doesn't realize the business of the house she lives in rather unbelievable. Charlene is a strong woman who doesn't take any crap, and I absolutely love that she has martial arts training! The dynamic between Charlene and James is great, and I love how it's their bumps and rough edges that they like about each other. They're both misfits crammed into roles that they were neither born nor groomed for, which is a character archetype I can always get behind (being somewhat of a misfit myself).

I love Lenora Bell’s books so much that I own the entire Disgraceful Dukes series both in paperback and audiobook (narrated by Beverly A. Crick). Ms. Crick does an excellent job narrating, giving great personality to the voices of the characters and making the men sound alluring and deep-voiced without putting on a falsely high voice for the women.

Check out my reviews of the other books in the series:
How the Duke Was Won (The Disgraceful Dukes #1)
If I Only Had a Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes #2)
Blame It on the Duke (The Disgraceful Dukes 3#)

Book Review: Curses, Foiled Again by Sera Trevor

Rating: 4 Stars

!!Happy Book-Birthday!!

Expected publication: November 27th 2017 by NineStar Press
Summary: Felix is a vampire—a fierce creature of the night who strikes terror into the hearts of everyone unlucky enough to become his prey. Or at least, that’s what he thought was true, until he met John. John is completely unimpressed with Felix, much to his dismay. Felix becomes fixated on proving his ferocity to John—and when that doesn’t work, he strives to make any impression on him at all.

John is a witch, and as all witches know, vampires are notoriously stupid creatures who only have the power to hurt those who fear them. Besides, he’s under a curse much more frightening than any vampire. Felix’s desperate attempts to impress him annoy John at first, but gradually, they become sort of endearing. Because of his curse, John has pushed everyone in his life away. But Felix can’t be hurt, so there’s no harm in letting him hang around.

Felix is technically dead. John has nothing left to live for. But together, they might have a shot at life.

This dark and witty vampire romance for adults is complete at 100,000 words, with no cliffhanger. Despite some dark twists and turns, it ends with a solid HEA.
(from Goodreads)

Review: The first chapter is such a total train wreck that I almost DNF’d this book, but there was also something compelling enough about it that I kept reading - and I’m so glad I did! Chapter one reads like a goth teen’s unedited NaNoWriMo novel, and then the rest of the book reads like it was written by an entirely different person. I love the evolution of several of the relationships (but won’t say more because spoilers) and was pleasantly surprised by the depth and growth of the main characters - definitely something I was NOT expecting from that first chapter! The name of John’s cat (Astray) was awkward for me (I kept reading it as “Ashtray” and thinking what an awful name that is for a cat). Also kind of bugged by how many characters in this book are gay. Which isn’t to say that I disliked the 80-90% gay cast, but each time another character was revealed to be gay/lesbian/bi I was like what are the odds? Also, I know a guy who is rather John-like and he can’t pick up chicks to save his life - is he playing to the wrong crowd? Because John seems to be man catnip for some reason.

Book Review: Lady Be Bad by Megan Frampton

Book Review: Lady Be Bad (Duke's Daughters #1) by Megan Frampton

Rating: 4 Stars

Published July 25th 2017 by Avon
Summary: Once upon a time, a duke had five daughters who never made a stir. They practiced their French, their pianoforte, and their dancing…until one ran off with the dancing instructor, and the rest were left to face the scandal.

Lady Eleanor, the Duke of Marymount’s eldest daughter, knows the burden is hers: she must marry well to restore the family name. So a loveless match is made and her fate is set. But then Eleanor meets her intended’s rakish younger brother. With his tawny hair, green eyes, and scandalous behavior, Lord Alexander Raybourn makes her want to be very bad indeed.

With his very honorable sibling too busy saving the world to woo Eleanor, Alexander is tasked with finding out her likes and dislikes for his elder brother. But the more time he spends with the secretly naughty Eleanor, helping her tick off all the things on her good list for being bad, the more he knows what they want, and need, is each other.
(from Goodreads)

Review: I liked Eleanor's character a lot, especially how she thought of blurry half-seen Alex as a tree. Some of her inner musings made me crack up laughing. I also love how she and Alex both grow and balance each other out from two extremes. She goes from someone who not only doesn't speak her mind but is so penned in by expectations of propriety that she doesn't even allow herself to think and feel fully. On the other hand Alex goes from someone known for his "blunt speaking" and learns to curb his tongue in deference to the feelings and reputations of others. I love that they both feel worthless and help each other find value in themselves, not just because someone else values them but for the people they truly are.

The gambling den scene seems awkward and irrelevant, like it was just stuck in there for filler. About three quarters into the book Alex thinks something like he loves the chaise-lounge red if her face now when he used to hate it. I didn't feel a hatred of her blushes was ever expressed in their early interactions, so that really stuck out as strange to me. Besides, why should such an easy going fellow HATE a lady's blushes, be they ever so red and though he thinks her ever so dim-witted? And, um, why did they all need to meet to strategize a plan of attack when it was decided that Alex would talk to his father and Eleanor would speak with her parents? How does speaking about their wishes to their parents help avoid a scandal for calling off the engagement? Another weird superfluous scene.

I adored this book. Megan Frampton's characters are realistically flawed, lovable, and charming, and her writing is wonderfully witty. However I have to knock off a star for the repeated awkward scenes inserted as seemingly superfluous filler, making an otherwise streamlined storyline jerk off course briefly at repeated intervals.

Book Review: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Book Review: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Guide #1) by Mackenzi Lee

Rating: 3 Stars

Published June 27th 2017 by Katherine Tegen Books
Summary: Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores

Review: Let me first lead by saying I read a LOT of historical romance set in the Georgian/Regency era. Let me then follow that with - holy anachronisms, Batman!! (The most painful: "Hey there, my foxy lady.")

This is definitely YA/NA by the tone. unread plenty of adult Regency romance featuring 18 year old leads and the immaturity of Henry "Monty" Montague is much more like an 18 year old in this day and age than one in the 1700s.

I wanted to slap Monty several times, and he's very much one of those people who manage to take two steps forward then one step back. He's got a major case of the poor-pitiful-me's as a titled, white non-cis man in the 1700s. Meanwhile his best friend is half-black and an orphan being raised by his English aunt and uncle in a society that is very unwelcoming to people of color, and his sister is a scientifically minded woman interested in medicine in an age when women aren't allowed an education and are technically owned by their fathers and then their husbands. So yeah, Monty, things are tough all over. But then I also hurt for him and wanted to see him have a happy ending.

Though I had to throw this book to the side several times and read something ELSE for a while, it did grow on me (rather like a fungus). And darling Monty did manage to have some personal growth so I suppose I felt slightly less like slapping him by the end of the book. I look forward to learning more about Felicity and her adventures in the next book - now there is a strong woman!!

Book Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Rating: 5 Stars

Published September 3rd 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Summary: Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown's gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.
(from Goodreads)

Review: I don't read much YA anymore these days because I just don't have the patience for most of it. Maybe that means I'm old, I don't know.

I really enjoyed The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. I listened to it on audiobook as narrated by Christine Lakin, and Ms. Lakin was a joy to listen to. She reads with a depth of feeling that was admirable, and gave each character a distinct voice of their own. I LOVED her accents for several of the characters, and she reads with a sensuality that's thrilling as well.

The vampires in this book are very The Vampire Diaries-esque, which I love. Dark and mysterious and sexy but also disgusting, compelling and at the same time repulsive. Definitely not sparkly with normal looking but somehow poison teeth (WTF, Twilight?)

Definitely left me wanting more!

Book Review: Uprooted by Naomi Novak

Book Review: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

My Rating: 5 Stars

Published May 19th 2015 by Del Rey
Summary: “Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.
(Goodreads)

Review: This may well be my new favorite book. It has the wonderful feel of a Russian wonder tale, the world-building is exquisite, and the main characters are wondrous enough to make them exciting while remaining human enough to make me love them. I have a soft spot for Russian fairy tales, and Uprooted made me hungry for more. The system of magic Novik has created is believable and fleshed out without becoming overwhelming with details. Agnieska does have some of the typical YA Mary-Sue elements with being an "ordinary" girl who turns out to be extraordinary, but franky - who wants to read about boring people?! I love that both Agnieska and the Dragon have flaws and foibles that make them feel real, while still being super-amazing-kick-ass characters who will SAVE THE WOOOORLD! So I love the setting, I love the characters, what's left? The plot. OH MY GOSH, the plot. This is a multi-layered adventure with elements of romance, revelations about friendship and what it means to be special, insight into what "evil" is (or is not), how events can shape a lift in drastic ways... Uprooted can be read on a number of levels, from enjoying the shade from the trees of the obvious plot to digging into the moist, nutritious mast of the forest floor.

I only wish I hadn't read this book so I could experience reading it for the first time all over again. I hope to find even more to love on my next re-read.