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wordsofclover
3.5 stars
Meg is convinced to go out and celebrate her 23rd birthday when a simple night out turns into a whole lot more. At the nightclub, Meg meets Theo and Galen, who aren't a couple but are definitely together. The two take an interest in her and despite herself, Meg goes home with them. But Theo and Galen are keeping secrets of the royal variety, and may just change her life.
This was a quick, fun read. I don't read a whole lot of smut but like to change things up now and again, and read some of these shorter novels and stories. I really enjoyed this - Meg is a bit of a character I've seen before in such novels and romance novels - the young 'old before her time' character who just can't go out and party because she's so sensible and needs to work, work, work. I liked Theo and Galen despite the stereotypical prince/security guard personality traits they had. Their chemistry was very apparent and with Meg added to the mix it was quite delicious.
I liked that apart from the polyamorous relationship developing, there was a side plot that Theo is a disgraced prince and seems to be trying to solve something, and his life appears to be in danger. It added an air of excitement and this combined with the relationship made me want to read more books in this series.
Meg is convinced to go out and celebrate her 23rd birthday when a simple night out turns into a whole lot more. At the nightclub, Meg meets Theo and Galen, who aren't a couple but are definitely together. The two take an interest in her and despite herself, Meg goes home with them. But Theo and Galen are keeping secrets of the royal variety, and may just change her life.
This was a quick, fun read. I don't read a whole lot of smut but like to change things up now and again, and read some of these shorter novels and stories. I really enjoyed this - Meg is a bit of a character I've seen before in such novels and romance novels - the young 'old before her time' character who just can't go out and party because she's so sensible and needs to work, work, work. I liked Theo and Galen despite the stereotypical prince/security guard personality traits they had. Their chemistry was very apparent and with Meg added to the mix it was quite delicious.
I liked that apart from the polyamorous relationship developing, there was a side plot that Theo is a disgraced prince and seems to be trying to solve something, and his life appears to be in danger. It added an air of excitement and this combined with the relationship made me want to read more books in this series.
DNF 50%
I hate DNF-ing this book so much because Ilsa J Bick wrote one of my favourite trilogies of all time which is the Monsters trilogy.
I think the writing in this book is really good and there's nothing wrong with it. It's the plot of the story in this one that I just couldn't handle. It's definitely a lot more in the sci-fi horror genre than plain sci-fi, and there were some really terrifying moments in this with a bit of added gore.
The concept of this book is just so confusing and even after reading halfway through the book, I wouldn't know how to start explaining what is going on. It seems to be a little bit of a mix between The Matrix and Inkheart but even that is far too simplified. Things were only starting to be explained where I left off but it wasn't enough for me to keep going. I was really disconnected with the story and everything going on was way too much of a mind f**k for me, particularly in the current climate.
There are some people who like particular types of horror who would really love this. This is definitely the type of book where you get it or you just don't. Unfortunately, I was the latter.
I hate DNF-ing this book so much because Ilsa J Bick wrote one of my favourite trilogies of all time which is the Monsters trilogy.
I think the writing in this book is really good and there's nothing wrong with it. It's the plot of the story in this one that I just couldn't handle. It's definitely a lot more in the sci-fi horror genre than plain sci-fi, and there were some really terrifying moments in this with a bit of added gore.
The concept of this book is just so confusing and even after reading halfway through the book, I wouldn't know how to start explaining what is going on. It seems to be a little bit of a mix between The Matrix and Inkheart but even that is far too simplified. Things were only starting to be explained where I left off but it wasn't enough for me to keep going. I was really disconnected with the story and everything going on was way too much of a mind f**k for me, particularly in the current climate.
There are some people who like particular types of horror who would really love this. This is definitely the type of book where you get it or you just don't. Unfortunately, I was the latter.
I received this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Hetty is appointed a special new director's role in the Museum of London at the eve of England's involvement in WW2, she has to travel to the countryside to the mysterious Lockwood Manor which would be the new home for the stuffed animals and exhibitions normally housed in London. As soon as Hetty arrives in Lockwood Manor, she has to contend with the brutish Major Lockwood, as well as whispering, unhelpful servants and rumours of a ghost. She also meets Lucy Lockwood, the troubled daughter of the house and someone who Hetty begins to feel deeply for. But there are ominous signs afoot and Hetty has to start wondering if someone is playing tricks on her, or if the madness of Lockwood Manor is creeping into her own mind.
The premise of this book is wonderful and the packaging of it is utterly beautiful - from the title to the cover, as well as the illustrated birds at the start of each chapter. It almost makes me sad I read this on Kindle, as the physical copy of this book would be one I'd keep on my shelves even though I didn't love the book.
The story gave me a lot to think about - such as the amount of work that must have gone into preserving such exhibitions from all different museums and art galleries during WW2 across the world and how important it was for humans to keep safe such objects that held so much history and kept a little bit of each person who was involved in their creation and upkeep inside of them. I enjoyed some of the mundane parts of this book where Hetty described the type of work she had to do to keep the animals safe - from humans and critters alike. The imagery in this book of the dark, still rooms full of dead, stuffed animals was also eerie and unsettling in the best kind of way.
Unfortunately, the story as a whole actually kind of bored me which was surprising as I was expecting to really love this book! I found some of the story quite repetitive - from Hetty believing someone was tampering with the animals, to someone actually tampering with them and then Lucy having an episode and the Major attacking Hetty over it. The same kind of storyline happened several times and Hetty's reluctance to just leave the manor became annoying when clearly something weird was going on.
Nothing in this book really surprised me and I felt like everything that happened was really obvious and foreshadowed from the start. It was never a surprise that the Major had stolen the jaguar or that there was a secret blue room blacked out from Lucy's memories. . The only true surprise for me was Mary's admissions that she was sexually abused as a child by the Major and groomed throughout. This wasn't something I would have ever thought of and it was sad and hard to read .
I do think one of the best characters in this book is Lockwood Manor itself. It definitely came alive for me on the page in a way reminiscent to Manderly in Rebecca. There was something dark and mysterious about it, it was also shrouded in shadow - even during the summer, and I really felt like I could imagine the sound of footsteps and see the dust hovering in the air in the hallways. It was always silently watching everyone and it definitely gave the book a creepy, unsettling feel that played really well into the overall story.
When Hetty is appointed a special new director's role in the Museum of London at the eve of England's involvement in WW2, she has to travel to the countryside to the mysterious Lockwood Manor which would be the new home for the stuffed animals and exhibitions normally housed in London. As soon as Hetty arrives in Lockwood Manor, she has to contend with the brutish Major Lockwood, as well as whispering, unhelpful servants and rumours of a ghost. She also meets Lucy Lockwood, the troubled daughter of the house and someone who Hetty begins to feel deeply for. But there are ominous signs afoot and Hetty has to start wondering if someone is playing tricks on her, or if the madness of Lockwood Manor is creeping into her own mind.
The premise of this book is wonderful and the packaging of it is utterly beautiful - from the title to the cover, as well as the illustrated birds at the start of each chapter. It almost makes me sad I read this on Kindle, as the physical copy of this book would be one I'd keep on my shelves even though I didn't love the book.
The story gave me a lot to think about - such as the amount of work that must have gone into preserving such exhibitions from all different museums and art galleries during WW2 across the world and how important it was for humans to keep safe such objects that held so much history and kept a little bit of each person who was involved in their creation and upkeep inside of them. I enjoyed some of the mundane parts of this book where Hetty described the type of work she had to do to keep the animals safe - from humans and critters alike. The imagery in this book of the dark, still rooms full of dead, stuffed animals was also eerie and unsettling in the best kind of way.
Unfortunately, the story as a whole actually kind of bored me which was surprising as I was expecting to really love this book! I found some of the story quite repetitive - from Hetty believing someone was tampering with the animals, to someone actually tampering with them and then Lucy having an episode and the Major attacking Hetty over it. The same kind of storyline happened several times and Hetty's reluctance to just leave the manor became annoying when clearly something weird was going on.
Nothing in this book really surprised me and I felt like everything that happened was really obvious and foreshadowed from the start. It was never a surprise that
I do think one of the best characters in this book is Lockwood Manor itself. It definitely came alive for me on the page in a way reminiscent to Manderly in Rebecca. There was something dark and mysterious about it, it was also shrouded in shadow - even during the summer, and I really felt like I could imagine the sound of footsteps and see the dust hovering in the air in the hallways. It was always silently watching everyone and it definitely gave the book a creepy, unsettling feel that played really well into the overall story.
In New York, 2000, Kate and Ben meet at a party and click instantly. It doesn't take long before they are utterly in love and starting their lives together. But Kate keeps having dreams where she wakes up as Emilia, a woman in Elizabethan London, 1593. And every time she comes back as Kate the world is a little bit different and she can't remember it changing.
This book is so beautiful on the outside, and there were some really lovely moments in the writing and the idea was so interesting but I'm just not sure what the author was trying to do, other than depress me with the story.
I liked that it played with the idea of the butterfly effect and how anything you do in the past can make catastrophic changes but I didn't understand how this worked when Kate was waking up as Emilia, a person who truly existed in the past and just lived a normal life (other than trysts with old Shakesy of course).
Kate starts out in a world like our own but that we learn is actually much nicer - different wars, less plastic, no global warming, no history of slavery etc. And slowly her world morphs into ours which is such a downer and gradually gets worse and worse, and the people around her treat her like she's mentally ill.
I wasn't really sure what conclusion I wanted but I feel like it kind of just pittered away into nothing. I just found the whole story made me feel sad, and despair at the state of the world.
This book is so beautiful on the outside, and there were some really lovely moments in the writing and the idea was so interesting but I'm just not sure what the author was trying to do, other than depress me with the story.
I liked that it played with the idea of the butterfly effect and how anything you do in the past can make catastrophic changes but I didn't understand how this worked when Kate was waking up as Emilia, a person who truly existed in the past and just lived a normal life (other than trysts with old Shakesy of course).
Kate starts out in a world like our own but that we learn is actually much nicer - different wars, less plastic, no global warming, no history of slavery etc. And slowly her world morphs into ours which is such a downer and gradually gets worse and worse, and the people around her treat her like she's mentally ill.
I wasn't really sure what conclusion I wanted but I feel like it kind of just pittered away into nothing. I just found the whole story made me feel sad, and despair at the state of the world.
Someone call 911..
I loved everything about this book!
ACOMAF follows on a few months after the events of ACOTAR as we are following Feyre and Tamlin as they recover from the aftermaths of the tunnels. Tamlin is trying to rebuild the Spring Court and Feyre is not only having to deal with a whole new self, but also deal with the extreme PTSD she is suffering after what she went through.
I loved the twists and turns in this book, and I honestly went through so many different emotions for all the different characters from shock, anger, betrayal as well as love, laughter and happiness as the book reveals the truth of who are actually Feyre's true friends and who are her enemies in disguise.
This book was definitely slow in places but I kind of loved that as well. I loved the Night Court so much, that was I was just delighted to spend as much time in it as I could - even for a lot of that time Feyre was moping about and dealing but not really dealing with her trauma. I developed a true appreciation for the beauty inside and out that is Rhysand and his fellow Illyrian warriors. I loved the backstory we got about the Night Court, Rhysand's family and the Illyrian training camps. The world Sarah J Mass has invented in this series is so vast, and I love that within two books we have so much information but we are still only on the tip of the iceberg. It makes me excited for the rest of the books!
I really appreciated how trauma and depression was dealt with in this book. Feyre received no magic fix for her trauma and what she needed was time. Time to really delve through everything she did and saw in the tunnels, as well as what was done to her. And even with that time, and the understanding of her new friends, she would never be truly fixed because that wouldn't be right. She learns slowly how to hold her head up high again and keep on going, which is sometimes all you can do when you have suffered so much. But she doesn't deny her trauma, she still feels it but she learns slowly how to lock it away at times.
There was a little bit more world building in this book for the human part of the world and I enjoyed learning about the human Queens and their relationship with the fae. I was a bit confused that there was never any mention of the Queens in the first book, but it wasn't a big deal.
This book has a LOT of sexual tension, as well as some lewd jokes and painful flirting. I hated and loved it all in equal measure but when the romance scenes came they were extra delicious to read about because we had been waiting for them for long. The sex scenes are definitely a bit over the top in this book but with all of the darkness and murder and evil creature the characters have to deal with, they are allowed over the top sex once in a while (or a lot of the time) I guess.
The new courts, the new characters and the new arcs in this book gave me so much joy and I really was hooked into this story. The only gripe I would really have is I would love to see more diversity within the characters - it's a well-known fact that faeries are queer as hell so where are all our same-sex couples at? And a few more faces that aren't plain old white would do nicely too
I loved everything about this book!
ACOMAF follows on a few months after the events of ACOTAR as we are following Feyre and Tamlin as they recover from the aftermaths of the tunnels. Tamlin is trying to rebuild the Spring Court and Feyre is not only having to deal with a whole new self, but also deal with the extreme PTSD she is suffering after what she went through.
I loved the twists and turns in this book, and I honestly went through so many different emotions for all the different characters from shock, anger, betrayal as well as love, laughter and happiness as the book reveals the truth of who are actually Feyre's true friends and who are her enemies in disguise.
This book was definitely slow in places but I kind of loved that as well. I loved the Night Court so much, that was I was just delighted to spend as much time in it as I could - even for a lot of that time Feyre was moping about and dealing but not really dealing with her trauma. I developed a true appreciation for the beauty inside and out that is Rhysand and his fellow Illyrian warriors. I loved the backstory we got about the Night Court, Rhysand's family and the Illyrian training camps. The world Sarah J Mass has invented in this series is so vast, and I love that within two books we have so much information but we are still only on the tip of the iceberg. It makes me excited for the rest of the books!
I really appreciated how trauma and depression was dealt with in this book. Feyre received no magic fix for her trauma and what she needed was time. Time to really delve through everything she did and saw in the tunnels, as well as what was done to her. And even with that time, and the understanding of her new friends, she would never be truly fixed because that wouldn't be right. She learns slowly how to hold her head up high again and keep on going, which is sometimes all you can do when you have suffered so much. But she doesn't deny her trauma, she still feels it but she learns slowly how to lock it away at times.
There was a little bit more world building in this book for the human part of the world and I enjoyed learning about the human Queens and their relationship with the fae. I was a bit confused that there was never any mention of the Queens in the first book, but it wasn't a big deal.
This book has a LOT of sexual tension, as well as some lewd jokes and painful flirting. I hated and loved it all in equal measure but when the romance scenes came they were extra delicious to read about because we had been waiting for them for long. The sex scenes are definitely a bit over the top in this book but with all of the darkness and murder and evil creature the characters have to deal with, they are allowed over the top sex once in a while (or a lot of the time) I guess.
The new courts, the new characters and the new arcs in this book gave me so much joy and I really was hooked into this story. The only gripe I would really have is I would love to see more diversity within the characters - it's a well-known fact that faeries are queer as hell so where are all our same-sex couples at? And a few more faces that aren't plain old white would do nicely too
I received a copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Harriet Bishop is born from a long line of witches, and now practices her art of magic as a herbalist in New York City in 1890. Harriet has no children, and is keeping an eye on her great-niece Annis, who doesn't know Harriet exists for signs of power. But Annis is under the control of her stepmother Frances who practices a much darker kind of magic and has plans to use Annis for her own selfish needs, meaning Harriet may have to step up and do battle against a particular brand of evil.
This was a wonderfully written book that completely captured me from the start and swiftly carried me through the entire story, and I didn't want to let the characters go. Louisa Morgan's type of witchcraft that she hones in her novels, and I previously read about in A Secret History of Witches, is absolutely fascinating and focuses a lot more on herbs and cantrips than sparks and explosions. I really love the methodical parts of this novel when Harriet would explain what type of herbs and plants she was using in her medicines and why she was using them. I think Louisa Morgan should bring out her own special herb/potions book as it would be fascinating.
I loved the character of Annis as she was a horse girl after my own heart - she stood up for what she wanted, and was hard pressed to allow Frances or her father into forcing her into a marriage she didn't want. The relationship between Annis and James turned from sour to sweet in a very compelling way, and I enjoyed how Annis's character really grew during her stay in Rosefield Hall and how we, as readers, could see how much she fit in even if she didn't see it herself.
There were some bits in this book that felt a little bit unfinished. We heard about Bridget Bishop who was burned for witchcraft in Salem at the start of the novel, and who is the witch Harriet, Annis and Frances are all descended from. Harriet mentions Bridget once or twice but then that's it. I was expecting more from Bridget's spirit at some point - particularly with Frances's brand of magic as it turned more potently evil.
I also would have liked to see more from Frances as I felt her storyline kind of dwindled into nothing, and I really felt like there was so much more her character could give. I just didn't believe that that was all there was left of Frances.
Harriet Bishop is born from a long line of witches, and now practices her art of magic as a herbalist in New York City in 1890. Harriet has no children, and is keeping an eye on her great-niece Annis, who doesn't know Harriet exists for signs of power. But Annis is under the control of her stepmother Frances who practices a much darker kind of magic and has plans to use Annis for her own selfish needs, meaning Harriet may have to step up and do battle against a particular brand of evil.
This was a wonderfully written book that completely captured me from the start and swiftly carried me through the entire story, and I didn't want to let the characters go. Louisa Morgan's type of witchcraft that she hones in her novels, and I previously read about in A Secret History of Witches, is absolutely fascinating and focuses a lot more on herbs and cantrips than sparks and explosions. I really love the methodical parts of this novel when Harriet would explain what type of herbs and plants she was using in her medicines and why she was using them. I think Louisa Morgan should bring out her own special herb/potions book as it would be fascinating.
I loved the character of Annis as she was a horse girl after my own heart - she stood up for what she wanted, and was hard pressed to allow Frances or her father into forcing her into a marriage she didn't want. The relationship between Annis and James turned from sour to sweet in a very compelling way, and I enjoyed how Annis's character really grew during her stay in Rosefield Hall and how we, as readers, could see how much she fit in even if she didn't see it herself.
There were some bits in this book that felt a little bit unfinished. We heard about Bridget Bishop who was burned for witchcraft in Salem at the start of the novel, and who is the witch Harriet, Annis and Frances are all descended from. Harriet mentions Bridget once or twice but then that's it. I was expecting more from Bridget's spirit at some point - particularly with Frances's brand of magic as it turned more potently evil.
I also would have liked to see more from Frances as I felt her storyline kind of dwindled into nothing, and I really felt like there was so much more her character could give. I just didn't believe that that was all there was left of Frances.
I received this book from the publishers/author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Francesca spends her life finding the perfect vintage dress with the perfect stories to their new brides in her bridal store The Whispering Dress. When she finds a 1950s dress of dreams, she's determined to find out about the brides who once wore it but the son of the family isn't interesting. Rude and arrogant, Rafael Colt is ashamed of family secrets and has closed himself off from love, until Fran comes along demanding answers.
This is a sweet book, perfect for those looking for a romance to be whisked away on. Rafael is definitely very much a Mr Darcy-like character - dark, brooding and a little bit rude - though, for me, he didn't have much of the better qualities of Darcy either. Francesca is a typical quirky character, who loves bounding around everyone, sharing stories and doting on long dead grooms to try and get over her own heartbreak.
I personally found the plotline of this book a little bit too dramatic. There were so many ups and downs with Rafael and Fran, and I never really felt them as a couple or bought into their so-called romance. I didn't feel the chemistry between them at all. The drama with the dress was all over the place as well, and was a bit darker than I would have wanted it to be which put a but of a downer on the whole thing. There were scenes in the book that seemed very serious, and then were shaken off very quickly and I just felt everything was too glossed over. I feel like the author wanting to delve into some subjects but was afraid to ruin the overall contemporary romance feel of the book. Better flashbacks or diary entries would have worked well for Alessandra or Janice to get to know them.
This book is written in present tense which is really, really off putting as well. Definitely not a tense I want to read a lot of. I kept feeling like I was being told things rather than shown them, and the story felt pushy.
I think for those looking for an easy read this could work. I just wanted something a bit more.
Francesca spends her life finding the perfect vintage dress with the perfect stories to their new brides in her bridal store The Whispering Dress. When she finds a 1950s dress of dreams, she's determined to find out about the brides who once wore it but the son of the family isn't interesting. Rude and arrogant, Rafael Colt is ashamed of family secrets and has closed himself off from love, until Fran comes along demanding answers.
This is a sweet book, perfect for those looking for a romance to be whisked away on. Rafael is definitely very much a Mr Darcy-like character - dark, brooding and a little bit rude - though, for me, he didn't have much of the better qualities of Darcy either. Francesca is a typical quirky character, who loves bounding around everyone, sharing stories and doting on long dead grooms to try and get over her own heartbreak.
I personally found the plotline of this book a little bit too dramatic. There were so many ups and downs with Rafael and Fran, and I never really felt them as a couple or bought into their so-called romance. I didn't feel the chemistry between them at all. The drama with the dress was all over the place as well, and was a bit darker than I would have wanted it to be which put a but of a downer on the whole thing. There were scenes in the book that seemed very serious, and then were shaken off very quickly and I just felt everything was too glossed over. I feel like the author wanting to delve into some subjects but was afraid to ruin the overall contemporary romance feel of the book. Better flashbacks or diary entries would have worked well for Alessandra or Janice to get to know them.
This book is written in present tense which is really, really off putting as well. Definitely not a tense I want to read a lot of. I kept feeling like I was being told things rather than shown them, and the story felt pushy.
I think for those looking for an easy read this could work. I just wanted something a bit more.
I received this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
25-year-old Claire is a struggling actress in New York, trying to get by without a green card. One source of income she has, and a job she's good at, is using her acting abilities for a divorce attorney to catch out cheating husbands. When Claire is hired for a different type of role, somebody ends up dead the next day and a murder mystery/hunt for a serial killer begins..
I'm a bit conflicted about this book, I have to say. There were some parts I truly liked and others that didn't gel with me at all. Yet, I could not put this book down and I started to really not have a clue what would happen in it.
I do find the entire plot of this book to be slightly unbelievable the length of the undercover operation using a civilian AND one that had to actually sleep with the suspect is a bit cagey for me. I find it hard believing such things could really happen, and if they did, it would be with a highly trained undercover agent - not a penniless actress, no matter how pretty she is .
The character Claire herself I found extremely unlikable. All her bad decisions all seemed to stem straight from her childhood in foster care (this book definitely doesn't have anything good to say about the foster care system either - if I was a foster parent reading this, it would probably be a bit insulting). She never really seemed to actually help herself and some of the things she was apparently 'running away' from in England were not actually big deals.
I did really enjoy the serial killer parts of this story, and I think the way the author used the poetry of Charles Baudelaire in such a dark, twisty way was kind of genius. There were so many ways I would have liked the story to go, and I think that's because now again I enjoy a really f***ed up story. So ultimately I was left a bit disappointed.
I just have really mixed feelings about this book and there are some points in the story that the plot line feels really weak. But as I said, I was hooked and I think that has to be a good thing!
25-year-old Claire is a struggling actress in New York, trying to get by without a green card. One source of income she has, and a job she's good at, is using her acting abilities for a divorce attorney to catch out cheating husbands. When Claire is hired for a different type of role, somebody ends up dead the next day and a murder mystery/hunt for a serial killer begins..
I'm a bit conflicted about this book, I have to say. There were some parts I truly liked and others that didn't gel with me at all. Yet, I could not put this book down and I started to really not have a clue what would happen in it.
I do find the entire plot of this book to be slightly unbelievable
The character Claire herself I found extremely unlikable. All her bad decisions all seemed to stem straight from her childhood in foster care (this book definitely doesn't have anything good to say about the foster care system either - if I was a foster parent reading this, it would probably be a bit insulting). She never really seemed to actually help herself and some of the things she was apparently 'running away' from in England were not actually big deals.
I did really enjoy the serial killer parts of this story, and I think the way the author used the poetry of Charles Baudelaire in such a dark, twisty way was kind of genius. There were so many ways I would have liked the story to go, and I think that's because now again I enjoy a really f***ed up story. So ultimately I was left a bit disappointed.
I just have really mixed feelings about this book and there are some points in the story that the plot line feels really weak. But as I said, I was hooked and I think that has to be a good thing!