READING: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings #1) by Mackenzi Lee

Publication date: June 27 2017
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Historical, LGBTQ, 
Rating: 

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.

So long it took me to read this - if I had known how disappointed I would be, I would have gladly waited more :/

Don't get me wrong, it started out great!

Romance? ✅ 
MM? ✅ 
Historical? ✅ 
England? ✅ 
Earls, dukes and whatnot? ✅ 

What's not to like? Monty was a real rake (mind you, Percy was no better) witty and funny. The first few chapters just flew by and up until the groups leaves for France, it book was truly a delight.
It was after that it started going off course and I kinda lost interest. I could already see from the moment Percy had the 

epileptic fit

that the book was going a totally different way than I expected. I thought GGVV was going to be about two highborn guys from London, Monty and Percy, and how their relationship blossoms into this great romance while traveling around Europe.
Instead of that, I got alchemy and pirates and a completely different adventure than the one I signed up for, which if I am being honest, didn't even make sense.
I know, my bad. I should have re-read the blurb which I obviously forgot. If I had, I probably wouldn't have picked the book up.

I really disliked the way Felicity and Percy always put Monty down. Yes, he was reckless and he drunk a lot. Boo hoo. He was 18 years old! Percy did exactly the same and no one told him off. But for some inexplicable reason, Monty's actions were reprehensible. And not only that, but no one ever stopped to ask him "Why? Is something wrong? Are you OK?" He suffered so much abuse in the hands of his father, and his own sister who lived in the same house, was so preoccupied with not giving a rat's ass to notice. 
And Percy! He always claimed to know Monty so well, but when Monty acts out, Percy gets angry and sooo dramatic. Grow up! For me, Monty was the most honest and no-nonsense character out of all three of them. Team Monty all the way!

Despite Percy not being my favourite person, I'd like to have seen them together with Monty more. There was almost no romance (!) except for that scene in Paris, and it was as if Lee was hesitant to write any scenes between them, filling the space and distracting us with a pointless paranormal story instead.

Another book with a great potential, which unfortunately fell flat pretty early on.
3 stars for what this book could have been, and for the first 100 pages which were really entertaining.

READING: The Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

Publication date: January 23 2018
Published by: Atria Books
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
Rating: 

Sophie's husband James is a loving father, a handsome man, a charismatic and successful public figure. And yet he stands accused of a terrible crime. Sophie is convinced he is innocent and desperate to protect her precious family from the lies that threaten to rip them apart. Kate is the lawyer hired to prosecute the case: an experienced professional who knows that the law is all about winning the argument. And yet Kate seeks the truth at all times. She is certain James is guilty and is determined he will pay for his crimes. Who is right about James? Sophie or Kate? And is either of them informed by anything more than instinct and personal experience?

Despite her privileged upbringing, Sophie is well aware that her beautiful life is not inviolable. She has known it since she and James were first lovers, at Oxford, and she witnessed how easily pleasure could tip into tragedy. Most people would prefer not to try to understand what passes between a man and a woman when they are alone: alone in bed, alone in an embrace, alone in an elevator... Or alone in the moonlit courtyard of an Oxford college, where a girl once stood before a boy, heart pounding with excitement, then fear. Sophie never understood why her tutorial partner Holly left Oxford so abruptly. What would she think, if she knew the truth? 


Everyone refers to Anatomy of a Scandal as a courtroom drama, and yes, there is a court case depicted in it, but that only takes up about 1/3 of the book.
For me, this book is, or at least should be, about Holly and Kate and how, to this day, people find it impossibly hard to grasp the concept of consent.

Holly's whole life changed when, after being accepted to Oxford University entirely by merit, she gets raped by a member of the Libertines, an exclusive boys' club full of entitled, privileged assholes, who vandalise and destroy just for the fun of it, never taking responsibility for anything and never getting punished for anything. In the contrary, they go on to become very successful men, occupying prominent positions in government or other prestigious businesses.
In present day, one of these upstanding citizens named James has become the right hand man of England's PM (another Libertines member) is married to Sophie, and has two kids. He also gets accused of rape by his mistress of approximately 6 months. Kate is assigned to the case as the prosecution lawyer and we get to read the events as they unfold from all 4 POVs. There is one more POV if I remember correctly, but the mail characters are those four.

Beginning of rant
**First off, I was so thankful to Sarah Vaughan for limiting James's chapters to only three. I didn't want to be in his head, I didn't want to know how he was thinking because there could not possibly be any excuse for what he did, so I really did not want to hear his opinion about anything. Three chapters were enough, and that last discussion with his wife made me want to put my fist through something.
But don't be fooled. James is not an isolated case, a one off. James is the voice of, if not all, definitely the majority, of white privileged men. He is the man who leers at women but gets away with it because he's attractive. He is the man who chooses not to hear women saying no because he is powerful. He is the man who lies and manipulates incessantly without guilt to get what he wants because he is entitled. And he is the man that always gets away with all that because he is a man, and he is attractive, and he is powerful, and he is entitled.
And that's just fucking terrifying. 

Unfortunately, this book doesn't provide any hope that any of that is going to change anytime soon. Right from the start, Kate tells us that proving rape occurred within a relationship, is very difficult if not impossible.
Um...why?
Why do people just assume that rape only occurs between two complete strangers, usually one waiting in an alley in the dark with a knife ready to jump unsuspected victims? How can people be so blind? Especially women, who, to my great astonishment, are more hesitant to convict men of rape in a relationship than men are 😲
I am not suggesting to disregard the facts, no. But not be too quick to categorise the incident as "a bad sexual experience", or "she is just being petty" because more often than not, it is not that simple. I personally know a lot of women who were in a relationship and agreed to sex they didn't want because it was either convenient, or they didn't want to cause a fuss, or, and this is my personal favourite, it was their "duty". That is the sad truth ladies, and if we don't start changing our mindsets and our archaic preconceptions firmly planted by the patriarchy, no real change will ever take place. God knows men won’t ever change, so we are going to have to.**
End of rant

Sophie was a woman I tried feeling sorry for, but I found I couldn’t. She was not very relatable, to me at least, and her snobbish, entitled younger self put me off. She chose to marry a man who she knew cheated on her on many occasions. Granted, that is not a reason to divorce someone if that's what you want to do, to each their own. Neither do I think she would ever think James capable of something so hideous and keep quite or easily forgive. However, I do believe that her actions in the end were not so much to deservedly punish James for the crimes he has done all these years, but rather driven by personal revenge, to get back at him, to show him that he could not humiliate her like that and get away with it. 

Kate’s story while compelling, there wasn’t much of it. For the second half of the book Sophie’s was the prominent POV when it should have been Kate’s imo. The one thing I was looking forward to during the court case was Kate’s cross examination of James. Unfortunately, it fell flat and was underwhelming at best.
The ending wasn’t satisfying, but that was to be expected. There is a tiny hint of hope, that bad people always get theirs in the end one way or another, but I am too much of a realist to buy into it.

Overall, Anatomy of a Scandal is a book that started out really strong, with Vaughan doing an amazing job setting the mood and developing characters, but I would have like it to remain strong and riveting throughout, instead of going weak towards the end.

READING: Dark Shores (Dark Shores #1) by Danielle L. Jensen

Publication date: May 7 2019
Published by: Tor Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Gods, Magic, Romance, Suspence
Rating: 

A PIRATE WITH A WILL OF IRON

Teriana is the second mate of the Quincense and heir to the Maarin Triumvirate. Her people are born of the seas and the keepers of its secrets, but when her closest friend is forced into an unwanted betrothal, Teriana breaks her people’s mandate so her friend might escape—a choice with devastating consequences. 

A SOLDIER WITH A SECRET

Marcus is the commander of the Thirty-Seventh, the notorious legion that has led the Celendor Empire to conquer the entire East. The legion is his family, but even they don’t know the truth he’s been hiding since childhood. It’s a secret he’ll do anything to protect, no matter how much it costs him – and the world. 

A DANGEROUS QUEST

When an Empire senator discovers the existence of the Dark Shores, he captures Teriana’s crew and threatens to reveal Marcus’s secret unless they sail in pursuit of conquest, forcing the two into an unlikely—and unwilling—alliance. They unite for the sake of their families, but both must decide how far they are willing to go, and how much they are willing to sacrifice.

What a pleasant surprise this book was! I went into it after years of not reading much of YA fantasy (too many duds in the past) and expecting the worst because of all the hype.
I am so glad I was wrong.

Plot wise, Jensen nailed it. I really liked her world building - intricate enough to be interesting, but not too complex to be confusing. Although I have to admit it was hard for me to get into in the beginning, but I mostly attribute that to my long absence from fantasy. Also, I am not a fan of "explaining as you go", as I very professionally call it, and Dark Shores was definitely like that. There is no introduction to the world, you get thrown in it right away, and I caught myself flipping the pages to see if there is anything I missed in the beginning. But that goes away quickly as events start unravelling and we get into the characters more. 

For me, the book really picked up the pace and explored its characters from when they arrived in Arinoquia.
I instantly liked Marcus right away, his story was so well thought up, it was hard not to. I loved his personality and the way he carried himself among his men, exuding power and authority but also showing sympathy and compassion. Most of all though I loved the way he talked and his ever so careful choice of words. I know it is an odd thing to like, but you'll understand when you read it.
I liked Teriana well enough, although there were some instances where her actions did not really make that much sense to me. I get that she is conflicted, but I didn't really see how that conflict came to be so quickly. Contrary to Marcus who had no opinion of Maarin before he met her, she is brought up to despise godless Empire people, no more than the legatus of the most lethal legion in existence, Marcus. Not that it was insta love or anything, not even close. However, I felt that Marcus's attraction to her was more justified than hers to him.
I have to say though, not having their physical attributes pointed out all the time was such a breath of fresh air. Not everything needs to be sexualised. And that is coming from me!

That ending though...😱 It's not a cliff, but it will definitely leave you wanting more.

If Spartacus had a YA brother, it would be Dark Shores. It doesn't get any better than that.

Side note: Dark Shores is not a book about pirates, at least not as we know them. Granted, you catch a glimpse of the sailors' life at sea, but they are not your typical cutthroat pillagers. On the contrary, Maarin are peaceful people, who avoid trouble and just looking to trade. They are opportunists sure, but they would never harm just for the sake of it. So if you are looking for a swashbuckling adventure in the high seas, this might not be the book for you.

READING: The Winter Rose (The Tea Rose #2) by Jennifer Donnelly

Publication date: November 30 2006
Published by: Harper Collins
Genre: Adult, Romance, Historical, Mystery, Suspense, Chick Lit
Rating: 

An epic tale of secret love and hidden passions. It is 1900 and the dangerous streets of East London are no place for a well-bred woman. But India Selwyn Jones is headstrong: she has trained as one of a new breed, a woman doctor, and is determined to practice where the need is greatest. It is in these grim streets where India meets - and saves the life of - London's most notorious gangster, Sid Malone.

Hard, violent, devastatingly attractive, Malone is the opposite of India's cool, aristocratic fiance. Though Malone represents all she despises, India finds herself unwillingly drawn ever closer to him - enticed by his charm, intrigued by his hidden, mysterious past. 


Phew, I finally finished this! I give myself a pat on the back because that was exhausting as hell! 🏆💪

It's not that I didn't like The Winter Rose, I did, but I felt it wasn't as consistent and solid as the Tea Rose. 
First off, the Tea Rose was all focused on two basic characters : Fiona and Joe, and most of the time not even Joe, just Fiona. She has other important people in her life who we learn about, but the main focus was always Fiona.
In The Winter Rose, there is no main focus because there are too many characters: India, Sid, Joe, Freddie, Fiona, Seamie and Willa. That was just too much for me to take in, and really distracted me from the characters who should be main and not secondary in their own book, Sid and India.
The chapters were getting shorter and shorter and POVs changed so rapidly, I didn't have a chance to put my head around one person's misfortune (and there were a lot of them) and then another bad thing happened to someone else, and then another and another. I thought it was very convoluted and in my opinion, Seamie's story was not necessary, since Wild Rose is all about him (presumably), we could learn more about him then. The last part with Africa was too much; everything that happened there could have happened in London, making the book shorter but simpler and more direct in a way.

Also ↓ 

Sooooo much drama! Everything was overdramatised and soap opera-ised (such a wordsmith!) in an effort I guess to create suspense. I don't mind a little drama myself, but there is a limit of over the top and exaggerated situations, and this book definitely exceeded it!

I liked Sid, even though I didn't really see him do anything that deplorable when he was top dog criminal, so his whole redemption journey was a bit pointless.
India was a much weaker character than Fiona. She would crumble under the smallest difficulty while Fiona endured so much worse and she always remained strong and optimistic. I mean...

her marrying Freddie because she didn't want her daughter to be a bastard, was ridicoulous. She could have married anyone with the amount of money she offered Freddie and save herself years of misery and still practice medicine.

Also, for a doctor she was pretty clueless about how babies are made...just saying.
Fiona and Joe were pretty much the same, although again, Fiona was way stronger in Tea Rose with a million bad things happening to her, but less strong in Winter Rose. Donnelly, for some reason, decided to take all her female characters down a peg which did not sit well with me.
Seamie was likeable enough, as kind and selfless as all Finnegans, and his story seemed interesting. I will probably read it one day, but not now. I feel like Winter Rose took a lot out of me and I cannot get myself to go into Wild Rose back to back.
Charlotte was almost comical. I feel bad for saying this, but it's true. She was way too insighful for an almost 6 year old. When I was 6 years old in the 90s (not even in the 1900s) I didn't know where my foot was, let alone look into someone's eyes and know what they think, how they feel. Sounds good on paper, but then again she is a 6 year old, so therefore kinda silly and funny.
Freddie I think from all of them, he had the most potential. He was your classic villain, but he wasn't. You wanted to feel sorry for him, but you didn't want to at the same time. Until somewhere around the middle, he made the decision to be just another run of the mill evil guy, like the guy from Tea Rose. I could no longer make any excuses for him and he didn't ask for any, he didn't feel any remorse or guilt over his heinous acts. So, that is why his ending was completely unworthy of him, in my opinion, and not on track with what he had done so far. Having second thoughts? Caring about Charlotte? Pff no, no way. That is not him. Maybe it was him at the beginning of the book but surely not by the end. His death was merciful and quick and I believe he deserved way worse.

Overall, The Winter Rose is a story about a criminal (not really) going straight because of love, a tortured soul (not really) finding her soulmate, a filthy rich woman having a bunch of babies (really), a filthy rich but previously very poor guy running for MP, an explorer summiting Kilimanjaro and his one true love losing the one thing she values most.
Ultimately, it's a story about too much, too many things, too many people, when it should only be about Sid and India and their shared adventure, which unfortunately got lost somewhere amongst 720 pages of frivolity. 

READING: The Tea Rose (The Tea Rose #1) by Jennifer Donnelly

Publication date: May 02 2006
Published by: Harper Collins
Genre: Adult, Romance, Historical, Mystery, Suspense, Chick Lit
Rating: 

East London, 1888 - a city apart. A place of shadow and light where thieves, whores, and dreamers mingle, where children play in the cobbled streets by day and a killer stalks at night, where bright hopes meet the darkest truths. Here, by the whispering waters of the Thames, Fiona Finnegan, a worker in a tea factory, hopes to own a shop one day, together with her lifelong love, Joe Bristow, a costermonger's son. With nothing but their faith in each other to spur them on, Fiona and Joe struggle, save, and sacrifice to achieve their dreams.

But Fiona's life is shattered when the actions of a dark and brutal man take from her nearly everything-and everyone-she holds dear. Fearing her own death, she is forced to flee London for New York. There, her indomitable spirit propels her rise from a modest West Side shop-front to the top of Manhattan's tea trade. But Fiona's old ghosts do not rest quietly, and to silence them, she must venture back to the London of her childhood, where a deadly confrontation with her past becomes the key to her future.

I really struggled with this review because, quite honestly, I did not know where to start! It's like meeting someone after years of losing touch and they ask you "What's been going on?" and you really don't know what to answer, simply because life has been going on but you don't know how to explain it.

After years of failed plans to read Tea Rose, I finally did it! 🏆 Did I like it? I loved it, buuut there were still a few things that I thought were unnecessary.

What I liked: 
-The writing. 735 pages could make for a very dull book, but this one had me on edge the whole time and I was seriously sleep deprived by the end of it. Even things I am not interested in I found exciting, like tea. Yeah, I'm not a tea drinker :/
-Nick-❤️ He was the most genuine and lovable character in the whole book. Brave, smart and altruistic. His story was a real tear jerker.
-Fiona-her insistence of not letting men push her around or tell her what to do. I also liked how her relationship with other people in her life was portrayed, not just Joe, and how fiercely loyal and devoted to them she was.
-Contrary to the majority of readers, I liked the first 3d of the book better, when Fiona was still poor in Whitechapel. I liked it fine after, but the first part is what really drew me in. I didn't find it as challenging for her character when she became rich.
-The romance-an epic, heart breaking historical romance. Is there anything better than that?

What I didn't like: 
-Jack the Ripper - completely unnecessary. He could have just as easily been a fictional murderer, or we could have done with no murderer at all, if I'm being honest. Too much was going on already, anyway. I particularly didn't like when 

Jack killed Fiona's mother. Such an undeserved death.

 

-How often Fiona was adored and admired by mere strangers. I felt it was unfair for her character, who was not at all vain or showed any signs of caring about her appearance.
-Joe-Regardless of her character, I didn't like how he treated Millie at all. Takes two to tango, bud.
-The endless misunderstandings that kept Fiona and Joe apart. I wanted more of those two together in the end and I didn't get it.
-The level of both Fiona and Joe's success was far fetched, to say the least.

Overall, Tea Rose was an over the top, super melodramatic and sappy historical romance novel that I enjoyed immensely! I am so disappointed Winter Rose is not about Fiona and Joe! Because I foolishly thought it was 🤓 
If you are a sucker for a good romantic saga book, that would maybe make you shed a tear or two, then The Tea Rose is definitely for you. Better read in a cold winter's night, curled up in bed!

Recommended to readers who liked Paradise and The Bronze Horseman