bandherbooks's Reviews (3.65k)

Um. Basically a prepper manual for suburban dads with money. Great David, let's just move. What a great investment in our future.

I don't even know what to say other than this clearly has a target audience, I was not part of that target audience, and whatever Madison, Milwaukee is still better.

I listened to this for Library Journal. Would not have been my first personal choice. The narrator was good and I liked the Greek setting. the romance was very very secondary, and the cad fiance bit was meh.

Gwen Maudsley, the "nice girl" of the Ton who did everything right and has a fortune to boot, has now been jilted TWICE. No more she vows. And who better than to show her what a woman with a fortune and a desire to be wicked should dream of doing than her dead brother's best friend and business partner, Alexander Ramsey, a confirmed scoundrel.

But, Alex is loathe to change Gwen, but once she crashes his plans in Paris he can't help but become her tutor, while using her for his own secret mission to find information.

SO MUCH burning pining hidden by meanness. Whew. The train ride was super duper sexy wow. Alex is such an asshole but Duran brought me around.

Definitely a slow-burn, but with all the heat. I also loved the Paris to the Riviera setting.

My first Duran!

Sigh. So anticipated, but strangely not as fun of a read for me as I'd hope. I'm hoping hearing the upcoming Fated Mates episode/party will unpack my feelings more.


Spoilers, ho!

Spoiler

Munro having to actually witness Kereny dying and then flinging her into the acid was so awful and emotional, so I understood how determined he was to find and protect her, but I feel like the plotline between him and the wizards was sort of unexplored and then quickly resolved in the last act. I liked seeing other characters I adore, but everyone seemed to pop out just in the nick of time to fix things or offer hope/solutions for our star-crossed couple. Ren being from Transylvania and living in a wagon, and being part of a circus felt like she was Roma or Sinti...but those words were never used (and thankfully at least not a slur), but I was kind of waiting with gritted teeth to see how her ancestry would be handled. The wolf books aren't usually my favorite, and the whole I am now pregnant and might die felt like the recent SJM book. Sigh.

Totally enchanted by the San Antonio setting and the musical prose that Oliveras sets the mariachi scene with in this series debut. I hope it will be a series anyway! The huge cast of secondary leaves many opportunities for exploration in future books, and all of the adopted sisters of the Capuleta family deserve to have an HEA!

I also love how the author captures the heat and pining between her love interests and gently fades them to black.

Full review to come in Library Journal; thank you to LJ for the advanced review copy.

✨What have you done to my feeeeelings Meredith Duran?! ✨

This is going to be a super spoiler-y review, so please stop here if you are planning on reading it.

CWs: verbal & emotional abuse, toxic family, violence, blood, wounds, discussions of grief. Death of a child (in the past, discussed). Forced kiss (hero on heroine in the beginning).

✨✨✨


Okay!

The way this romance turned around from me truly wanting to cast Crispin Burke into the fire along with Jane's embroidery, that damn devil, to wanting Jane to cradle his leonine head (I really like that adjective !!!!) in her lap forever was a FEAT.

Forgive my British political ignorance (yes I have a Masters in European History but politics was NOT my strong suit), but Crispin is willing to do anything to become Prime Minister, and per Jane's observations as he works with her truly terrible uncle, Crispin has no morals and no redemptive qualities beyond being beautiful. Heck, she embroiders him as the devil himself. BUT he could be a devil to help her escape marriage to her cousin, knowing her uncle will only use the marriage so he can access her fortune. Jane needs to escape.

Crispin promises to help Jane secure a marriage certificate, even if it is forged, from the archbishop he has in his pocket, but only IF Jane in turn helps him - but reporting any time she hears what she thinks is a name. She hates that she needs Crispin's help, but he isn't wrong, and she compromises her morals to save herself.

Until Crispin is grievously injured doing SOMETHING and looks to be on his death bed; so Jane has the archbishop forge a marriage certificate to Crispin!!!

As the title promises, a collection of soft erotic romance stories perfect to burn up your sheets and hold gently your heart. Williams poetic writing brings her collection to life, and I appreciated all of the extras included in this collected edition.

I'll be revisiting many favorites!

Thank you to the author for the advanced reading copy.

FYI - this is not a romance. Nor is it a RomCom (imo). This is Yinka's story, about finding herself and not seeking external validation from her mother, her family, or her religious community.

Parts where humorous, but other parts were very heavy. The narrator was truly excellent, and I did appreciate the little sound effects that helped the texting parts, spreadsheets, and emails, stand out from the narrative.

I can see why some comp this to Bridget Jones' Diary; Yinka is British, I think second-generation Nigerian, and has quite an acerbic wit to her inner monologue. There's lots of feelings about colorism, hair, fashion, body shape, etc, which make sense for the story and the character's struggles.

I gave this a very nice review for Library Journal, as there will be many readers who connect with this story, and the writing was very captivating and engaging. This just isn't a book I'd typically seek out on my own, and I'm cranky about how because of the cover, and who is blurbing it, that readers might think this is a romance. Yinka has some crushes and there is dating and relationships going on, and the story ends on a hopeful note with one character, but there isn't a clear HEA or HFN.

Thank you to PRH Audio for the ALC and to Library Journal.

I checked out the hardcopy to check my notes against.

What can I say? This romance is AMAZING and I truly cannot believe how Duran pulled it off. The PINING and the anger both Liam Devaliant, Lord Lockwood and Anna have towards each other was brutally delicious and I ate it all up. And yes, yes Liam could have "JUST TOLD HER" but then he'd have felt her pity, and that would just not do. Not one bit.

I truly enjoyed how Anna did come to lay down the business, to tell him that he must provide her with an heir so she could keep her beloved island. That Liam insisted on making her bend to his bedroom rules. Phew, that was really sexy. Duran does such an amazing job of making Anna innocent, but not afraid and naive, and once her fears are assuaged she's so into her husband, despite his "deviances."

The part where Liam must have her blindfolded more so she can SEE him versus see him was devastating to my soul in the best way.

And oh how I love a revenge story, and how revenge can steal your joy, and how love is stronger when lies are no longer told and truth comes out.

THIS IS SO GOOD, and sorry that's all I have to say.

I was listening, and the narrators were so very good, but the story didn't grab me enough to continue.