READING: A Curse So Dark And Lonely (Cursebreaker #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

Publication date: January 29 2019
Published by: Bloomsbury US
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fairytale, Mystery, Suspense, Magic, Romance
Rating: 

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she's pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin. 


😳
*crickets*

I am shocked. Shocked at how bad this was.

We all know the story - cursed beautiful prince, finds a "plain" and awkward but secretly stunning girl, whose undying love will finally break his curse. 
I mean, I knew what I was getting into with the plot so I shouldn't whinge. 
But I will.

The book starts when Harper, the main female character who lives in Washington DC, finds herself in a fantasy world after being transported there by an unknown man she happens to be fighting at the time.
---
Unless this is an everyday occurrence to Harper, it makes no sense that she is so nonchalant about it. As soon as she lands in Emberfell, she finds her bearings straight away, she runs to the stables, changes her clothes, hops on a horse and gallops away. She is surprised that she is trapped by men she doesn't know and she is aware that she needs to escape, but she does not express any surprise or shock at where she is, it's like she's right at home, in our world. So that put me off right from the start.
Her personality was OK I guess, bit bland, bit forgettable as a heroine. It was awesome to see people with cerebral palsy represented, but I felt that there was no thought, care or research put behind it at all. We just know that Harper has a slight limp and can't dance-that's it. Not how it affected her life positively or negatively, how it shaped the person she is today, no real depth to it which I guess, for a YA book, I might be asking for a lot :/

Rhen - the prince- had the personality of a tablecloth. He reminded me of the prince from Shrek at times, it was that bad. He was so miserable and pitiful, which yes, I get it's because of the curse but um excuse me, why should I feel sorry for a guy who makes his lackey snatch girls from the real world and bring them to Emberfell where most of them are likely to die (and most of them did!) just to serve his purpose, to make them fall in love with him so he can be uncursed! That's just terrible, why would I ever root for him? There are some hints that Rhen was indeed very selfish and horrible to others in the past before the curse, but isn't the purpose of the curse to change him and make him see the error of his way? Well, after however many seasons of him being cursed, I don't think it was working. He was still the same obnoxious, entitled asshole. I would have been grateful to Lilith for cursing him, if it wasn't all that killing a bunch of people thing.
Chemistry between him and Harper was just not there at all, and talking about them loving each other is just laughable. I felt like Harper was forced to like him, like going "Sigh OK then, come here, I am going to like you from now on because honestly, I have nothing better to do", making their scenes together even more cringey.

Lilith was nothing but a one-dimensional, caricature of a villain, like a cartoonish bad witch that lives in a hut in the middle of the forest and is always hunched over her cauldron. If the book was written better and Kremmerer wanted to go deeper, then she could have written Lilith her own chapters where we could find out more about her, about her past and how she ended up this way. There is a mention of her clan (breed?) of witches but only in passing, not even 2 sentences. Such a waste of a character.

Gray was a bit easier to read and his character was the least boring out of all of them. He had way more chemistry with Harper than she did with Rhen, but I would much prefer it if he ended up with someone else, like Zo maybe? Harper doesn't deserve him.

I have no recollection of the last 70 pages or so, and I read them twice! I was that uninterested to what was happening. I guess the epilogue was promising for those who will be reading book 2...?

There was a tiny voice in my head telling me to stay away from the Curse's hype train. I didn't listen to it and believe me, I paid the price.
Maybe I am getting too old for these tropes and probably I am not the target audience for this book. However! That doesn't change the fact that this book could have been so much better if only for a little bit more effort. There were million things Kremmerer could do differently with her characters, give them more depth, make them more interesting and relatable, make the plot more gripping. But she didn't.

I am glad this book became successful and found its audience, but it's definitely not me.

READING: The Tiger Catcher (End of Forever #1) by Paullina Simons

Publication date: May 28 2019
Published by: Harper Collins
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Historical, Mystery, Suspense, Time Travel, Romance
Rating: 

Julian lives a charmed life in Los Angeles. Surrounded by friends, he is young, handsome, and runs a successful business. Everything changes after he has a fateful encounter with a mysterious young woman named Josephine. Julian’s world is turned upside down by a love affair that takes him—and everyone else in his life—by storm. For the two new lovers, the City of Angels is transformed into a magical playground.

But Josephine is not what she seems and carries secrets that threaten to tear them apart—seemingly forever.

A broken man, his faith in tatters, Julian meets a mysterious stranger who tells him how to find Josephine again if he is willing to give up everything and take a death-defying trip from which no one has ever returned.

So begins Julian and Josephine’s extraordinary adventure of love, loss, and the mystical forces that bind people across time and space. It is a journey that propels Julian toward an impossible choice which will lead him to love fulfilled…or to oblivion.

There seems to be an issue with the Spoiler buttons in this review. If you want to read the dull review with spoiler, please head over to my Goodreads review here.

That was one strange book 🤔

Let me just put it out there:
The Tiger Catcher is NO Bronze Horseman.
And it shouldn't be. We already have one BH and it was amazing.
This was something else entirely.

Some tropes were the same as in BH - sad, sad, sad, funny and happy interlude that ends in tragedy, sad, sad, sad.
But here is where all similarities with BH end.

Why? Because first and foremost, Josephine was a universally unlikeable character.
She was selfish, manipulative and a liar. She was fully taking advantage of Julian, emotionally and financially and no matter how much I tried, I could not see why Julian was so obsessed with her. I never sympathised with her at all, and overall I didn't get her.
And then 

She dies.

2 years and a change of continent later, Julian is still devastated. He stops being a functional human being, he barely works, he doesn't eat and he's addicted to drugs. The writing was brilliant here - what was pretentious and fake in LA, became real and raw in London, and I could completely feel (and believe) Julian's pain and self destruction, even though I couldn't quite understand it, because, again, I didn't like Josephine.
On his birthday, he meets a strange woman in a bar who leads him to Devi, a shaman who reveals to Julian that he can give him the answers he so desperately seeks.
Now that part I was very sceptical about. I am a realist and a cynic romance read (the worst kind!) so all this talk about God and spirituality and souls with numerous lives meant to be together just doesn't do it for me. I applaud those who believe in these sort of things, and maybe I am a little envious of them. But for me, they are nothing more than over-romanticised nonsense. 
Apparently, Julian is desperate enough to try anything to reunite with Josephine and trusts Devi enough to take the final leap and ta-da! 

He time travels!

 

To say I was shocked by this development, would be the understatement of the year! Nowhere in the blurb does it even hint on such a turn of events. Even though I was not prepared for that AT ALL, I have to admit that it was my favorite part of the book from beginning to end.

"Oh,no" was the first thing I thought when Julian time traveled. I was sure it was going to be very bad and I was prepared to abandon all hope for this book. But then, Simons worked her magic and did an exceptional job writing Julian both in the dark cave trying literally anything to see his love again, and when he came through the other side. 1600s England was pretty disgusting guys, and it was portrayed perfectly. Even though Julian was part of a rich household with noble born women, nothing beautiful and elegant was ever shown, only black, dirty bleakness, with the only bright thing being Julian and Mary (aka Josephine). Now, maybe I was just sucked in by the writing, but I thought that Julian and Mary made way more sense than Julian and Josephine. Although, from what was insinuated by Mary's past, someone could say that she too was taking advantage of Julian. So maybe souls don't change that much after being reincarnated after all. The only thing I didn't think made sense was Mary wanting to be an actress as well - too on the nose. I hope we don't get to see her trying to be an actress EVERY time! And then, she dies. Again. And Julian unwillingly is brought back to present London, as if no time has passed. That was the most gut wrenching, heart breaking moment for me. I thought Julian would for sure die by the end of the book, especially after that! (mind you, I didn't know there was going to be a 2nd and 3nd book at the time!) But, to my absolute surprise, he became better. Not fully well of course, still always thinking of Josephine (Mary), but he was making more of an effort to exist and to be. Only to try time traveling again next year. And I am assuming the year after that and the year after that, until his body is completely broken and at the end, he dies. We'll see how it works out in Book 2.

 

Secondary characters were all equally unlikeable as Josephine. Ashton, his best friend, was nice enough and always there for him, but other than that no thought or care was put behind the other characters, who were, in a nutshell, shallow idiots.

I don't know guys, this is too weird a book to just classify under "liked" or "disliked".
I believe in order to get through it:

1. You will have to be very open to accepting things that you might hate in the beginning, and
2. You will have to disabuse yourselves of any notion about this book being like The Bronze Horseman.
If you are not willing to do that, you are doomed from the start and I already see a DNF in your future.
If you are, then you are in for quite a ride. Consider yourself warned.

READING: The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani

Publication date: January 9 2018
Published by: Penguin
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Violence, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Crime
Rating: 

When Myriam decides to return to work as a lawyer after having children, she and her husband look for the perfect nanny for their son and daughter. They never dreamed they would find Louise: a quiet, polite, devoted woman who sings to the children, cleans the family’s chic Paris apartment, stays late without complaint, and hosts enviable kiddie parties. But as the couple and the nanny become more dependent on one another, jealousy, resentment, and suspicions mount, shattering the idyllic tableau.


Let's get something very clear: The Perfect Nanny - or Lullaby as is the Australian title, which I personally prefer - is NOT a Gone Girl kind of book. It is falsely advertised as such, and I guess that is also the reason for its bad ratings.
There is no mystery the reader needs to solve, no unexpected twists, no wow moment in the end. They are simply unnecessary.

Lullaby is about a mentally unstable nanny who murders two children.
Why should you care?
The writing and the characters, that's why. Because *gasp* sometimes it's all about that.

I was obsessed with the portrayal of Louise (the nanny). I think Slimani did such an amazing job describing every aspect of Louise's soul and turning the impression I initially had of her on its head, which was eventually the big twist in the book.
In the beginning you think Louise is this poor, down-on-her-luck, lonely woman, previously married to an awful man and with a difficult, runaway daughter, and who was driven to commit this horrendous crime because of a very hard life and previous bad experiences.
As the book progresses however, and Louise's desolation grows, it becomes more and more apparent that she always was this disturbed, sick and secretly violent woman, and I will honestly admit that I was terrified of her. I mean, who can forget the chicken carcass scene? 😨
Even though her physical appearance is frequently described, to me Louise was always this mirage, this malevolent, evil spirit, wreaking havoc in Paris. There is a scene towards the end when Myriam is in the car, sees Louise across the street and looks at her in a similar way, like seeing her for the first time and realising her true self.
Also, even in Louise's scenes away from the parents and kids, she is described as "the nanny", which I found very interesting, like she didn't have any other identity apart from that. 

Slimani did the same awesome job portraying Myriam: book starts with her admitting how much she hates what she's become and her life as a stay-at home-mom. She is extremely bitter towards her husband who got to keep his job and she longs for a life outside of her family, a big career. As soon as she finds Louise, who is considered by all the perfect nanny, cook and cleaner, she does a complete 180, her life suddenly becoming brighter and easier. She and her husband thrive at their jobs, they get reconnected and they become overall happier. All because of Louise.

A lot talk about an unsatisfying ending, but I completely disagree. I see no reason behind explicit murder scenes, explained in ridiculous detail.
We know what happened, we find out on page 1. Louise, Myriam and Paul-they were gory and horrid enough for me. 
As for why Louise did it - if you don't know by the end, you're probably not reading it right 😳

I want to say so much about Lullaby, but I don't want to spoil it for you guys. I wish I could read it as it was originally written in French, because there is always a minor disconnect in english translated books and this one was no exception. 
Lullaby is an exceptionally written, highly addictive, intense and disturbing book that I would definitely still think about for days to come.
Read it.

READING: The Duke by Gaelen Foley

Publication date: November 28 2000
Published by: Ivy Books
Genre: Adult, Romance, Historical, Chick Lit
Rating: 

Driven to uncover the truth about the mysterious death of his ladylove, the Duke of Hawkscliffe will go to any lengths to unmask a murderer. Even if it means jeopardizing his reputation by engaging in a scandalous affair with London's most provocative courtesan--the desirable but aloof Belinda Hamilton.

Bel has used her intelligence and wit to charm the city's titled gentlemen, while struggling to put the pieces of her life back together. She needs a protector, so she accepts Hawk's invitation to become his mistress in name only. He asks nothing of her body, but seeks her help in snaring the same man who shattered her virtue. Together they tempt the unforgiving wrath of society--until their risky charade turns into a dangerous attraction, and Bel must make a devastating decision that could ruin her last chance at love. . . . 

Good, but not good enough 😕

The Duke is part of the Kinght Miscellany series that features all the Duke's brothers' love stories plus a couple of external to the family characters. So, if you don't particularly like one brother's story, there is always more!

This one is about Robert, The Paragon, honourable, loyal and just. But when he meets courtesan Belinda Hamilton, all thoughts of propriety go out the window and he falls hard for her.
The story was interesting, I have not read an HR with courtesans before. And the writing was really good, Foley has got all the naughty scenes down, making them as sexy and seductive as can be.

Personally, I had a hard time liking Bel.
Actually, this is something I've noticed about me in every HR I read: 90% of the time I don't care for the female MC but I have no problem with the male. I found all the ladies whiny, indecisive, demanding and plain insufferable.
The same with Bel. Yes, she had this horrible thing happen to her, which a lot of women never recover from. But her first thought after that is to become a courtesan...? Had she actually read the job description? Rule #1: you have to have sex with your clients, protectors, whatever they were called back then. What, she thought that she would land herself a rich dude that would give her all his money without wanting something in return? Of course, conveniently, she found Robert, who didn't want sex in return (!) as he was The Paragon!
However, he didn't object to a blow job from Bel, something she should not even dare to propose to perform after only being a courtesan for 5 weeks (not even). Let's not mention, that she was a lady before, and a virgin, so she would not have any sexual education at all. Anyway, it all seemed a bit too much to me.

At the end, even though she said in the beginning that she didn't care, Bell wanted marriage, which was clear from the start it was the one thing she couldn't have. So, when it came down it, she was mad at Robert for not marrying her and offering her security (!).
I mean, I get it was 1818 and that is probably an accurate depiction of women's mindset back then, but showing her as an independent and strong minded woman one time and as whiny brat the next, does not make a lot of sense and it definitely made me like Belinda even less.
Also, one more thing about FCs that I personally dislike: when they are described as outworldly beautiful, beauties that no one can resist. Especially, when other girls don't stand a chance compared to her because they are so "plain" or "demure". Um, no.

As for Robert, I felt so bad for him. He did everything for her, risked his stature and his life for her but she thought that ONLY if he married her, he would truly prove his love. Ugh.
Robert, I see you and you deserve better 👊

Overall, the Duke had its share of dramatic moments but there was just not enough angst for me. Robert and Belinda liked and wanted each other instantly so there was no build up whatsoever. She was taken into his home immediately, they went to their balls, their fancy dinners, they lived the life. And since we all know the ending is HEA, I'd prefer if the characters worked for it a little bit first.
As I said, not bad, but I have definitely read better HRs. Maybe the rest in the series are better. 

READING: Lions & Lace (Van Alen Sisters #1) by Meagan McKinney

Publication date: April 1 1992
Published by: Island Books
Genre: Adult, Romance, Historical, Chick Lit
Rating: 

SHE PLAYED BY HIGH SOCIETY'S RULES

The gaslight's glow lit Alana Van Alen's golden hair. Born to luxury, she belonged with the Astors and the Vanderbilts at cotillions and soirees. But she shivered with fear and something more as she faced the handsome, ruthless Trevor Sheridan. He had bankrupted her fortune and would expose her family's scandalous secret unless she accepted his outrageous offer, his emotional blackmail ... his heart-stopping kiss.

HE BROKE THEM ALL

Born Irish, brought up in the streets, Trevor "the Predator" Sheridan learned early how to get the wealth and the women he wanted. An expert at games of power, he played one that would destroy every famous family who had snubbed him. Tricking the beautiful Alana was his trump card. But he never intended to want her ... until her beauty and her resolve stole his breath away.

NOW THEIR DESIRES SWEPT THEM TOWARD RAPTURE ... OR RUIN

I don't think anyone has been more disappointed in this book than me 😢
I wanted so much to love it, but it didn't let me.

I am going to focus more on the two main characters of L&L, because the story, no matter how far fetched, was quintessential historical romance and I quite liked it.
It takes place in New York around the late 1800s (I don't think a specific date was given) where blue blood all-American high society shunned the nouveau riche, despising their vulgarity and their tasteless display of wealth. That included the Dutch, like the Vanderbilts, and the Irish, like Trevor Sheridan. He holds such a grudge against the Manhattan upper class, that he will do everything in his power to bring them down by making them accept him and all his family as one of their own. So, the premise is pretty interesting eh? Now you see why I am so frustrated at this book with its great plot and its awful characters?!

Alana: She was a weak, malleable sheep. It may not look like that at first, with her trying to be a rebel by defying her peerage, but she is. There is not an instant where she is not crying. I don't know how many times I read the word "tears" (I do. It was 82.) or a sentence with "unshed" or "frozen" in it.
She was very indecisive - she hates him, maybe she loves him, yes, she does love him, but no, she hates him - just to create excessive, unnecessary drama. Of course, it didn't help that the whole book was told from her POV😒 so there was no reprieve from her idiotic thoughts. At one point, Trevor bought her a diamond necklace, which she rejected as a very ill conceived gift, claiming that she cannot be bought. Good on her, right? After a couple of chapters, she sees his sister wearing a new bracelet Trevor bought for her and she was pitiful asking herself why Trevor didn't get her anything...See what I mean?
Also, I hated how she made excuses for and defended all the terrible, awful men in her life like her uncle and that slimy boyfriend Anson, yet she could not make herself justify Trevor's actions even a little. 
However, if I am being completely honest, I felt sorry for her after the first time she and Trevor had sex. It was one of the most unpleasant sexual experiences I have read in a HR, especially for a virginal, chaste girl like Alana. I found it awful and cringe worthy.
I did not see how Alana could come to love Trevor in the end. God knows he was awful to her throughout the book. Probably because he was so handsome. And let's not forget rich, because, sure, she values her dignity most of all, but she also values mansions, balls, gowns and diamonds. 
It's a hard balance.
...

Trevor: He was a strong and tough as nails male, who refused to just sit down and take it, so he decided to stick it to the snobbish elite instead. I understood and accepted all that, and I really admired his loyalty to his family. 
At first.
As his anger raged on uncontrollably, he was not that likable anymore. He remained insufferably bitter until the very end, even after finding out the truth about Alana. He was really nasty to her and the way he spoke to her, not only would I never love him if I was in her shoes, but I would take all his money and beat the shit out of him with that miserable cane of his. He never displayed any genuine emotion towards Alana, only vindictiveness and possessiveness. I am all for a moody and grumpy MC, but Trevor took it to a whole other level! Maybe he loved her in his own way, I just didn't like that way at all. 

Overall, Lions&Lace was about two deeply flawed people who begrudgingly ended up being with each other because they simply didn't have any other choice.
Sorry, that's not how I like my historical romances 😞

READING: Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

Publication date: January 28 2014
Published by: Avon
Genre: Adult, Romance, Historical, Chick Lit, Fairytale
Rating: 

As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens. She never doubted romance would be in her future, too. The storybooks offered endless possibilities.

And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off. One by one by one.

Ugly duckling turned swan?
Abducted by handsome highwayman?
Rescued from drudgery by charming prince?

No, no, and… Heh.

Now Izzy’s given up yearning for romance. She’ll settle for a roof over her head. What fairy tales are left over for an impoverished twenty-six year-old woman who’s never even been kissed?

This one.

She’d always envied beautiful women. Not solely for the beauty itself but because when attributes were parceled out by whatever deity assigned them, beauty seemed to come tethered to confidence. She craved that more than anything. 

A historical romance gem 💎

I thought I left my HR days behind me, the unabashed enjoyment of illicit ravishings in castle gardens, the incessant sighing over devastatingly handsome rakes.
Turns out I was wrong!
Even though Romancing the Duke may put you a bit off at first with its insta love, or rather insta lust, don’t fret. This book is so much more than that.

The story was so sweet and touching, almost like a fairy tale.
You have the scarred hero, who is reclusive and grumpy (but still hot) and the heroine who, at 26, has never known the love of a man because of her plain appearance.
Ransom has abandoned all hope of love after his injury which left him blind and disfigured. Although, the scar didn’t sound that grotesque if you ask me. But I guess at a time when appearances were everything, it must have been considered bad. He has decided to live out the rest of his life in solitary, certain that real love is just for stupid people who don’t know better (he said it, not me.)
Izzy has too abandoned all hope of love, although for completely different reasons. She was brought up reading all these great romance stories of princesses and knights and she believes in love with all her heart. However, no matter how much you want to love someone and be loved, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen. Izzy is so plain looking that at 26, she is still a virgin with no one having ever courted her or even touched her.
So you can imagine that when those two meet, Ransom with his icy, broken heart and Izzy with hers full of love, it’s pure magic.
She brought hope and bliss back into his life and he brought her pleasure and love. And it was so beautiful 💖

I loved Dare’s writing. She made her characters so intriguing and actually smart and logical, instead of over the top and dramatic. I really liked that Izzy wasn’t portrayed as this virginal, shy, ugly duckling but as a strong woman who knows where she stands in life and exactly what she wants.
Also, I loved how funny it was at times! I mean, Plan E had me actually laughing out loud!
Most of all though, I adored the setting: the magnificent gothic castle, its high turrets with their scenic views, all the references to knights and princesses; it all made for a charmingly beautiful picture. 

Short and sweet - that’s what you get with Romancing the Duke. Emotional, romantic, funny, charming and 100% enjoyable! 
This was my first Tessa Dare book and it definitely won’t be the last.