Too much punishment, not enough sexytimes.

The audio ruined this one for me I think. The narrator has given Ravenna— whose voice is described in the text as HUSKY— this insipid whiny tone and its colored the whole character for me, not helped by my current least favorite trope where the unskilled FMC is insistent that she can help the professional MMC with the dangerous mission. Furthermore, she’s showing signs of TSTL and how the hell did she survive SIX months of pretending to be a boy around sailors? I don’t believe it.

Okay, giving up on this one. As someone who lived in Greenwich, CT from 1994-2003, I was excited when I saw this thriller set there in 1999… but not only was it not compelling or thrilling, nothing about it actually read like the town. I couldn’t find out where the author is from, but it isn’t Greenwich. Which is fine if you want to pick a rich, affluent, mostly white area to set your commentary on white privilege, but if you’re going to give the book the title Greenwich, then actually know something about Greenwich. I started highlighting parts with notes like “No one calls it downtown Greenwich, you mean Greenwich Ave.” That aside, as for the plot, things were dragging and by a quarter in, I no longer even cared what the big incident was going to turn out to be. (Small spoilers, but

the nanny and the child are both referred to in the “present” by the narrator, so obviously no one we care about dies.

)

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC to review.

I'm an avid Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, but I'm terrible at podcasts, so I haven't listened to the one by the authors as much as it's been recommended. I hoped this book would be a good substitute or jumping off point to get me into it, but that wasn't what it was at all, and I ended up DNFing. This is the memoir of two women I don't know anything about and ultimately did not find very compelling, with only the briefest of asides about watching Buffy as it relates to their life. Also, I think it suffers from basically having a prologue that summarizes everything the book is going to be about– why do I need to listen to the whole thing when it's already all been laid out in the first five minutes? If you know and love the podcast, this book is probably perfect for you. If you know and love Buffy and are going into this as purely a fan of the show. I wouldn't recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this to review. 

Alas, I have to give up on this one. I was so intrigued by the premise and I love that the FMC is mixed and actually from China, but the British society inaccuracies are hitting too hard for me to trust that her backstory isn't potentially inaccurate also. She giving a bit manic pixie dream sailor- literally is doing flips off the ship's rigging - and he has a lot of explanation as to why he's Not Like Other Lords. I don’t understand what’s going on with her sister, her dad gets called Mr in one sentence and Lord in the next, and there’s no way that our MMC could be a duke and his paternal cousin is heir to the earldom. It doesn’t work like that. Also if he so thoroughly compromised her as he did, not marrying her is only going to ruin her prospects, full stop. This courting plan is shenanigans. For that reason, I’m out.

Soft DNF. This one comes chronologically second but was written last or almost last, and the stories just don’t feel the same— no shade but it’s less fun to listen with my 5yo to stories about the girls setting themselves on fire, etc.

I love Julie Anne Long’s writing so much and her quirky side characters are amazing. But this is the second Palace of Rogues book in a row where the MCs are rando guests and semi-typical romance archetypes, and they just aren’t working for me. I hate the Duke. Hate him. And Mariana is great in her interactions with our faves, but then she’s wondering why she’s so drawn to the Duke and SO AM I. Not even wondering why, just firmly in the camp of she shouldn’t be. He’s judgy and awful and doesn’t deserve for her to give him the time of day, let alone an explanation of this horrible trying period in her life. Screw that guy. I really want JAL to write a story without an alpha male hero or a beautiful intriguing heroine. I think she could do a quirky atypical romance amazingly. I was listening to this one in the car with my kid, but he seems like he’s over it too now, so for that reason, I’m out. 

This was free on a Stuff Your Kindle Day and just ended up being a snooze. And apparently it took me a stupid long time to realize that they were brothers— and also contemporary Dukes running a ranch? This made no sense AND there’s a character named Duke?? I don’t get it, but also pass before it gets incesty, thanks.

Only read the first two books in the series so I only read the relevant stories here. Will probably finish eventually.

KINKTOMATO, just not into the extreme age gap/he takes care of her thing.