READING: The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke #2) by Tessa Dare

Publication date: August 28 2018
Published by: Avon
Genre: Adult, Historical Romance, Regency, Chick-Lit 
Rating:

After her livelihood slips through her fingers, Alexandra Mountbatten takes on an impossible post: transforming a pair of wild orphans into proper young ladies. However, the girls don’t need discipline. They need a loving home. Try telling that to their guardian, Chase Reynaud: duke’s heir in the streets and devil in the sheets. The ladies of London have tried—and failed—to make him settle down. Somehow, Alexandra must reach his heart... without risking her own.

Like any self-respecting libertine, Chase lives by one rule: no attachments. When a stubborn little governess tries to reform him, he decides to give her an education—in pleasure. That should prove he can’t be tamed. But Alexandra is more than he bargained for: clever, perceptive, passionate. She refuses to see him as a lost cause. Soon the walls around Chase’s heart are crumbling... and he’s in danger of falling, hard.

I don't know what went wrong with this one, because I absolutely love Tessa Dare.
But The Governess Game was sloppy and quiet honestly, not memorable.

First off, the romance started right away so there was no angsty suspense or any sexual tension/anticipation at all. That didn't feel right to me, because when I'm reading an HR book I expect to be seduced, and this one didn't deliver.
Very quickly Chase wanted Alex, and Alex was thinking about marrying Chase and having his babies from the moment she met him, so that was a huge red flag right from the get go.
I was willing to look past it though because it's Tessa Dare and she is a romance master.
I'm afraid it didn't get much better after that :/

I think my main problem with the book is that I didn't see any chemistry between Chase and Alex. I didn't buy into their attraction and consequently, love. Everything happened way too fast for me to fully understand either of their characters and, so I didn't really get why they were together.
I personally find it very hard to dislike a male character in HR, but Chase was pretty unlikeable. There were times when he was being deliberately mean to Alex and I was angry at him and her for just taking it, despite her self-proclaimed independence. His reason for not wanting to be there and raise the wards that were left in his care was pretty stupid, and it painted him as a complete coward.
As far as Alex goes, I felt that she was blindly in love with Chase and she would do anything for him, whereas he was just infatuated with the next pretty little innocent thing that cam
e his way. I know a lot of HRs have that premise of the rake unabashedly lusting after the cute girl, but a lot of them (the good ones) have provided a fully explained change of character in order for the reader to believe and accept the inevitable HEA in the end, something that The Governess Game never did.

Chase and Alex agreed to engage into some sort of teacher/student relationship in regards to sex, but that was never shown! Instead, we get a sense of time passing by other things occurring, and we think that all the while Alex and Chase are having these lessons somewhere. And they must have been, because Alex was very masterful in the last sex scene of the book, so I guess the lessons must have worked?! We were just never shown them, which was a major let down for me.

The only redeeming quality of this book were the parts with Daisy and Rosamund (the children), who provided a nice respite from the failure that was Chase, and of course Tessa Dare's unparalleled humour, for which I was really thankful.

3 stars on the Tessa Dare scale = pretty bad.

READING: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Publication date: February 5 2019
Published by: Celadon Books

Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense, Crime, Thriller
Rating:

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....

Finished this book in one day. I can't remember the last time I found a book so addictive!

Part of the Silent Patient's pull lies with its plot. A seemingly open and closed murder that happened 6 years ago, committed by a mysterious woman who has not spoken a word and since been residing in a mental institution, narrated by her psychiatrist. Who wouldn't want to read that?
I am a huge fan of unreliable narrators, especially in such a dark and ominous setting as a mental institution. I have always been fascinated with the therapist/patient relationship and how it's been portrayed in books and movies/TV (hello Hannibal ❤️) There's a co dependency there that I find quite interesting yet disturbing, perfect for a thriller book.
Regrettably, we didn't get to see much of that in this book, mainly because Alicia (the patient) didn't speak at all, and also because Theo was so bad at his job! For those of you expecting to read a lot of intriguing, clue-filled sessions between him and Alicia like I was, you can forget it. For all I know, Theo didn't even need to be a therapist. He could easily be a prison warden and Alicia a prisoner. Her being in a mental institution serves no other purpose than to add an eerie component to the book, it doesn't factor in the story/plot at all.

What also makes Silent Patient so addictive, is the writing. Not necessarily its quality, but its simplicity. Short, to the point sentences, that just had me flying over the words. This was, I'm guessing, done on purpose so the reader, so anxiously wanting to know the ending, would turn page after page without actually seeing what is going on right in front of them.

The characters were across the board very unlikeable, I don't think anyone can disagree with that. Theo in particular was in by no way shape or form the "hero" you're supposed to root for. In some instances I even found myself cringing at what he was saying. He was unesttling, to say the least, and given his profession and the position of power he was in, it was getting harder and harder to sympathise with him as I got more into the book. Granted, he suffered abuse in the hands of his father for many years but then again, according to him (unreliable narrator). I was mostly creeped out by his relationship with his wife, to be honest. Even though at first glance it looked fine, I had a feeling that something wasn't quite right there.

In regards to the ending, I get that it came as a shock to many people, but not to me. I am, by nature, very paranoid, and whenever I read a book like this one, especially one that has been super hyped for its unexpected ending, my mind always goes to the most out-there, wacky places, mostly because I want to be all like "Ha ha I knew it!" (I ruined the Lost Season 3 finale for all my friends. Yes, I'm one of those).
This time, my mind didn't need to go far. I had 2 theories already formed after reading 50 pages or so, and after reaching the halfway point, I was strongly leaning towards one of the two, which turned out to be what actually happened. So, on that respect it kind of disappointed me. I expected a mind blowing ending for such a hyped book and I didn't get it.
That being said, I realised after that it wasn't the ending itself that disappointed me, but how the book came to a close. I felt like there should be a more well rounded explanation as to how and why all this happened. Upon finishing the book and looking back at what I have been reading for the last I don't even know how many hours, I realised that the book's purpose was solely the big reveal and nothing else, and after that was done, the book just stopped existing. I don't know, it just wasn't satisfying to me.

The Silent Patient is an undeniable page turner. You will not be able to put it down, this I guarantee. If you don't take everything apart like I do, you will definitely enjoy it.
If you are nit-picky like me, you will still enjoy it but probably go "Wait, is that it? Well, I already knew that" in the end.

READING: Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare

Publication date: September 27 2016
Published by: Avon
Genre: Adult, Historical Romance, Chick Lit, Georgian 

Rating:

 

On the night of the Parkhurst ball, someone had a scandalous tryst in the library.
• Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan?
• Or Miss Fairchild, with a rake, against the wall?
• Perhaps the butler did it.

All Charlotte Highwood knows is this: it wasn’t her. But rumors to the contrary are buzzing. Unless she can discover the lovers’ true identity, she’ll be forced to marry Piers Brandon, Lord Granville—the coldest, most arrogantly handsome gentleman she’s ever had the misfortune to embrace. When it comes to emotion, the man hasn’t got a clue.

But as they set about finding the mystery lovers, Piers reveals a few secrets of his own. The oh-so-proper marquess can pick locks, land punches, tease with sly wit... and melt a woman’s knees with a single kiss. The only thing he guards more fiercely than Charlotte’s safety is the truth about his dark past.

Their passion is intense. The danger is real. Soon Charlotte’s feeling torn. Will she risk all to prove her innocence? Or surrender it to a man who’s sworn to never love?

 After reading three amazing books by Tessa Dare, she's definitely going on my author auto-buy list 👏

This one is about Charlotte, a smart girl with a knack for investigating, who is, through no fault of her own, caught in a compromising position with the Marquess Piers Brandon, and is "forced" to marry him. Of course, nothing is that simple, as Charlotte's spirit objects to a marriage of convenience, even when her heart and body don't.

This is a classic Tessa Dare read, and it did not disappoint. Dare is an expert in writing well rounded and likeable characters, even her secondary characters are all interesting and memorable (who can forget that mother??)
What I like most about Dare's books is her ability to combine light-hearted fun with steamy romance, and she does that phenomenally well.
There is a scene where Charlotte's mum is trying to educate Charlotte about sex and its workings using various fruits, like peaches and eggplants. While this is absolutely hilarious to the reader and to Charlotte, she immediately feels despondent thinking that she might never experience something like that herself. This king of level headedness is what I admire in Dare's women. They are strong and free spirited yes, but also pragmatic in a sense, and completely aware of their place in the world, especially when we're talking early 18oos.

That being said, the fact that they are not as fanciful as other HR heroines, doesn't mean that the romance isn't as magical, because it is. In this case, it might have been a little too magical. Don't get me wrong, I loved all Charlotte and Piers's steamy trysts. However, I found it a bit unrealistic for a young, innocent girl, with no prior romantic encounters to suddenly be so open to being that intimate with a man. I am not saying it's wrong, far from it. I'm only saying that I personally found it too far fetched for the era, and that was the only "issue" I had with this book. I would have preferred the thrill of the chase to last a little longer, rather than Charlotte succumbing to Piers so easily.

Piers was likeable for an alpha male. He was funny and serious when needed, and I liked how he seemed to come alive next to Charlotte. But let's face it, men are never the focal point in Dare's books. Women are arguably the more interesting and complex characters, and their involvement with men always leads to the latter's betterment, another thing I love about Dare's books.

If you are into HR and you still haven't heard of Tessa Dare's books (impossible!), please give them a try. I guarantee you won't regret it.
Also, if you are ever in a reading/life slump and you can't seem to get out of it, they are the perfect remedy 👌

 

READING: Beach Read by Emily Henry

Publication date: May 19 2020
Published by: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary, Adult, Romance

Rating:

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

I wasn't a fan of this one :/ It fell flat for me and in my opinion, it is way overhyped.
To be honest, its premise didn't really draw me in, but seeing how much every one else loved it, I thought why not? But see, I knew better. And somehow I still fell for the hype. I should have trusted my instinct and steered clear.

The good:
January and Gus's banter. It was witty and funny and it actually made me laugh out loud a couple of times.

The bad:
Everything else.
The story was not convincing at all. Too many "coincidences" and too much far-fetchedness (pretty sure that's not a word), even for a romance book.
Plus, I thought it was a bit sexist. You have a woman author who writes romance books one one side, and a guy author who writes fiction novels on the other. Now, the romance genre is presented as the laughingstock of the literary world, while fiction is a "serious" genre. The whole story is about the woman author trying to prove to the guy author that her work needs to be takes as seriously as his.
Um why? Isn't that sort of a given? And if the guy doesn't think they are both equals, why the hell am I even reading about him? Why would the woman need to prove anything? And not only this, but we got to see her struggling to write a "serious" book, but never find out how the guy's romance book came out. Only that he got more money for it, which: duh.

Also, you know what I am just over in books with even a hint of romance? How women are all nervous wrecks when they talk to a guy, practically spazzing and constantly questioning everything they say, while the guy is so calm, and cool and whatever he says sounds like the most interesting thing ever?
That's what happened here. There is a scene in Gus's car where he and January talk and she was just a hot mess, even her thoughts didn't make any sense, and Gus was so chill, but kind of arrogant too, especially when he saw the effect he had on January. Why can't women have that effect on men in romance novels? Why do women have to be the insecure ones ALL.THE.TIME?
I wanted to yell at her "Get it together girl!"
Spoiler alert: she didn't get it together.

The ending was even more painful when Henry tried to force the "January's dad is a good person after all" down my throat. He was scum, no matter how many soppy letters he writes.
Plus the insta love came out of nowhere! Obviously, I expected these two to end up together, but all this professing of love after they slept together once and Gus being such a dick to January after? Nuh-uh. Not buying it.

Beach Read wasn't for me. It was slow paced (agonisingly bad, more like) and not interesting at all.
There are so many contemporary romances out there which are far better than this. Don't waste your time.

READING: The Foxhole Court (All for the Game #1) by Nora Sakavic

Publication date: January 15 2013
Published by: Nora Sakavic
Genre: Contemporary, Advertised as YA BUT IT'S NOT!, Adult, Sports, College
Rating:

Neil Josten is the newest addition to the Palmetto State University Exy team. He's short, he's fast, he's got a ton of potential—and he's the runaway son of the murderous crime lord known as The Butcher.

Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn't need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed.

But Neil's not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil's new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can't walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he's finally found someone and something worth fighting for.

I didn't like this book 😕 I found it weird and off-putting.

Let's go through the GOOD parts first: I found the story interesting enough to offset the bad parts, and what ultimately made me continue reading. I liked Neil's background story in particular, with all his history of abuse and very dark past (I'm a sucker for a tormented soul, what can I do?) I found his difficulty to trust people and his struggle for survival genuine and well presented through his POV. A lot of readers were put off by mafia stuff being thrown in an NA sports book, but it didn't really bother me. I guess when you put it in actual words it does sound ridiculous but trust me, that was the least of this book's problem!

And now the BAD: the characters. All of them! They were impossible to like. Nicky, Andrew, Aaron and Seth in particular. Not that everyone else was great and they stood out, they were all bad. But those four really took the cake.
Where do I begin? The casual jokes about rape? The roofying? The obvious threats to someone's life? The constant mocking and derogatory comments? The homophobic slurs? ... among others. I don't like to use the word "psychotic" because psychosis is actually a serious mental illness. These guys were, simply put, major assholes. Freaking spoiled brats who happen to play a sport, and they think they're all that. Ugh, I hated them so much. I found no redeeming quality in any of them. They were all scum, and I can't think of a reason other readers might like them. It doesn't matter to me if their behaviours are going to be explained away in the next books. I read this one, and in this one, there was no explanation and no excuses. They were just disgusting human beings-end of story. And also, I highly doubt Sakavic would find an explanation that is convincing enough. Neil had an abusive and sad past, he didn't act this way.
The team's Coach was a full-on enabler, giving them drugs and alcohol and talking to them like they were delinquents, which ok, fair enough.

I still don't know what the point of Kevin was. His story and what happened with the Ravens could get someone to read the second book (not me), but he, again, was all fake machismo and toxic masculinity. I thought that had died with Twilight and the whole NA genre, no? I guess I'm too old for this shit, because I seriously can't stand it.

I have no idea why this book is advertised and marketed as an MM romance, because it's not. There is not even a slight hint of romance in this and to be quite frank, I found it refreshing. Imagine if on top of all this verbal and physical abuse, there was a romance out of nowhere? No, thank you.

Braver people than me have read the next two books. I think I might skip them. I have no time in my life for books that bring me down, and this one was a huge bummer for all the wrong reasons.
If the second book is so miraculously amazing as the ratings seem to show, I'll just have to take your word for it. 🤷

READING: Part & Parcel (Sidewinder #3) by Abigail Roux

Publication date: December 19 2015

Published by: Riptide

Genre: MM, Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense  

Rating:

Nick O'Flaherty and Kelly Abbott had their happy ending in sight when a friend’s call for help almost ended with them losing it to the blade of a knife. Now, in the aftermath of near-disaster, both men are trying to heal and move on.

Moving on together, though, is harder than either of them realized it would be. Kelly struggles with simply being a lover instead of the Doc, while Nick is mired in his recovery. The distance between them inches along in stilted silence.

Desperately seeking solace, Nick finally gathers the courage to sort through the possessions his dear friend and fellow Sidewinder teammate Elias Sanchez left him when he died. Instead of comforting memories, Nick and Kelly find a stack of letters and strict instructions from Eli that prompt them to send out a call for assistance. With Eli’s letters in hand, Sidewinder sets out on one last mission together, seeking peace and absolution from beyond the grave—and from each other.

No...this can't be how the series ends...I refuse to believe that after 12 books, this is how Abigail Roux decides to send off my favourite characters.
How sad. 😢
Granted, Part & Parcel was better than Cross&Crown, but not as good as it should be, and definitely not as good as I expected.

I appreciated the sentiment behind it, it was indeed a very moving story. Having all Sidewinder go on a spiritual journey of sorts while saying goodbye to their fallen brother in arms; it was the tear-jerker story suited to close the series. Why was Zane there, though? I get it, he is part of the gang blah blah but he is not Sidewinder, and his presence there undercut the tone of the story. He stuck out like a shore thumb, something that he even acknowledged himself in the book!
It wasn't a deal breaker though, I could easily have looked passed it if the rest of the book was OK.
It wasn't.

Part&Parcel belongs in the Sidewinder series, so I naturally expected that it would be primarily focused on Nick and Kelly. I didn't mind the other Sidewinder members being there, not at all, but I realised very early in the book that Roux didn't actually know what to do with all these characters so it was very unclear what was the point of the book : was it Nick and Kelly's relationship? Was it saying goodbye to Eli? Was it Nick dealing with his issues? Was it Nick's suddenly revealed past? Was it Ty and Zane? It was none of these things and yet all of it at once, and it didn't make for good storytelling. It was a hot mess, actually.

Nick was not the Nick I got to know and root for in Divide&Conquer and definitely not the Nick I fell in love with in Shock&Awe. To put it bluntly, we was a sad sack throughout the whole book, constantly moping and brooding. And while I completely get why (he almost died and lost a friend) and while I generally like brooding men, Nick seemed to sulk about Kelly, and how he is not worthy of him, and all this nonsense. What happened to the confident Nick? The Nick who inspired all the others with his assertiveness? Yes, he lied to them in Crush&Burn, but come on! He is Nick! His team knows him and has been trusting him blindly for years. Plus, everything Nick had to do for Bell was explained in the end, and all his friends stood by him when he was in the hospital. If Kelly decided he didn't want to be with him after this, it's his decision to make. He is a mature man who has been through wars (!) Nick telling him he is not worthy of his love, is just ridiculous and just drama for the sake of drama. No need for all that. Just a nice, heartwarming story about saying goodbye to a friend concluding the series, would have been more than enough. It reminded me of Touch&Geaux so much, the "I have to create drama out of nowhere to keep the readers interested". No. No need. Yes, feel free to create drama when it's appropriate and suits the story, but when it's out of the blue just to fill the pages with something? Nah, I don't accept that.

Kelly was no better. He was actually the queen of drama, and I wasn't digging that at all. Making a whole thing about seeing an old sex tape of Nick's? Yeah, and? So what? Was he not allowed to have a life before Kelly? And all the back and forth of fighting and making up, and fighting again and then making up again, ugh. Very annoying and didn't serve any purpose.
The way both Nick and Kelly acted, I honestly believed they shouldn't be together. Gone was the sizzling chemistry they had in Sock&Awe. Reading Part&Parcel, you'd think they were this very old couple who got tired of each other and are just looking for a way out. That is how Roux's writing felt like to me-I sensed that by the end of it all, she was exhausted and just wanted to finally finish the book (repeating patterns, phrases, jokes etc.) Also, throwing some LGBTQ+ reps in the last 10 pages, doesn't compensate for the complete character destruction and lack of story.

Finally, the sex scenes, the one potentially redeeming quality of the book, were not great. It felt like Nick and Kelly's sexual chemistry and connection were completely gone, and I personally didn't feel anything going through those scenes. We're talking about the same two people who were hotness personified at the start of their relationship in Shock&Awe. What happened??

I don't know what else to say, I am deeply disappointed in this very weak ending of one of my favorite MM series.
That being said, I will always remember its good moments, and all the reasons that made me fall in love with its characters 🌟

*** 🥇 1st place - 3 way tie between Sticks&Stones, Stars&Stripes and Shock&Awe: these books give me life, I adore them ❤️
*** 🥈 2nd place - very close second is Fish&Chips (nothing better than a submissive Ty 😏)
*** 🥉3rd place - Divide&Conquer (hello Nick :)

READING: Cross & Crown (Sidewinder #2) by Abigail Roux

Publication date: June 9 2014

Published by: Riptide

Genre: MM, Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense

Rating:

When Nick O'Flaherty arrives at the scene of a double homicide to find he has a witness to the crime, he thinks it’s his lucky day. But when he realizes his witness is suffering from amnesia and can’t even remember his own name, Nick wishes he’d gone with his gut and put in for vacation time.

Then Nick’s boyfriend and former Recon teammate, Kelly Abbott, joins him in Boston, and Nick finds his hands a little too full as the case and his personal life collide. The witness he’s dubbed “JD” is being tailed by Julian Cross, a retired CIA hitman. To complicate matters further, JD forms an attachment to Nick that Nick struggles not to respond to as they search for the key to JD’s identity.

Trying to determine whether JD is friend or foe as they investigate the crime puts them on the trail of a much older mystery. When multiple attempts are made on their lives, Nick is forced to turn to old enemies and new allies to solve a centuries-old crime before he and Kelly get added to the history books.

 

Very disappointed 😕
I don’t think I have ever rated an Abigail Roux book below 3 stars-not even Ball & Chain which is my least favorite of the C&R series-so you can imagine my dislike for this book. And after Shock & Awe, which I absolutely adore? Ts ts how could you do this to me Mrs. Roux??

I feel like every beautiful and loving aspect of Nick and Kelly’s relationship built in just 125 pages in Sock & Awe, was torn apart in the 225 pages of Cross and Crown, and quite easily actually. I have to admit, I am not a Julian fan. I don’t know what it is. Maybe because I don’t get his relationship with Cameron (like at all), or maybe because he just blends together with all the other alpha, macho males in every Abigail Roux book. He is not something that I have not seen before, therefore he is boring to me.
That being said, Julian is the least of this book’s problems, he didn’t even register.

My issue is: what happened to Nick and Kelly’s chemistry??? And I am not even talking about the sizzling hot connection they shared in S&A. I am talking about their genuine close friendship and comradery. Their scenes felt real forced, and it felt like reading about two strangers. They lost that familiarity and ease they had in S&A and all the previous C&R books, and I never really got why. Granted, they were still trying to figure out their relationship, but they seemed to had it all figured out at the start, but now all of a sudden not so much. There was always something not quite right between them and their scenes were even awkward sometimes.
Yes, and the sex ones. 😟 Not much joy there, as I personally thought their sex scenes were cringey, and they made things even worse.

Kelly seemed to suddenly be on the fence about his relationship with Nick, even though he kept insisting he was in love with him. There always seemed to be doubt in his mind and he, more than Nick, would find a million excuses, like Nick’s work (super unfair to Nick) him living far away, to name a few, to try and justify his uncertainty. He never stopped to think that the only problem was that he was scared shitless to commit to Nick! I would much rather he admitted it, than being a whingey sook for the whole book. Again – this is not the Kelly I knew! I don’t know what came over him in Cross & Crown. Personally, I believe Roux created too much drama over absolutely nothing (or at least issues that could very easily been discussed and resolved) thus weakening the characters, and losing focus of what really mattered.

Nick was pretty much the same, but he too lost his strong and confident personality. He allowed himself to be led by Kelly’s whims, no matter how irrational. I completely disagree with other readers claiming that Nick is turning into Superman like Ty, not at all. I think the opposite, if anything. It gave me the impression that Nick was way more in love and committed to Kelly than Kelly, and that was so not the case in Shock and Awe.
Sigh.

The story was not notable, in my opinion. There was nothing engaging or interesting about the mystery and that made me not really care about any of the secondary characters who were just decorative.
I adore Nick. I loved him since the beginning – getting flashbacks from Divide & Conquer now ❤️ Where is THAT Nick? Bring him back! Or at least naturally change him for the better.

I am warning you know 👉
If you ruin Nick for me on what looks like the last book in the series, I will never forgive you 😭

READING: True Story by Kate Reed Petty

Publication date: August 4 2020

Published by: Hatchette Australia

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Sexual Assault, High school, Abuse, Real Life, Suspense

Rating: 

Back in 1999, Nick Brothers and his high school lacrosse team return for their senior year in a well-to-do Baltimore suburb as the reigning state champs. The afterglow of their big win is bound to last until graduation; not even the pressure of college applications can get in the way of their fun. But when a private school girl attempts suicide in the wake of one of the team's "legendary" parties, and a rumor begins to circulate that two of Nick's teammates sexually assaulted her, it seems like it might ruin everything--until the team circles the wagons, casts doubt on the story, and the town moves on.

But not everyone does. Fifteen years later, four people--Alice, Nick, a documentary filmmaker, and a wealthy entrepreneur--remain haunted by the roles they played, the things they still don't understand, and how the story has shaped their lives. In sections told from different points of view, each more propulsive than the last, the layers of mystery are gradually peeled back as we barrel toward the truth of what really happened that night . . . and what came after.

I received an ARC of True Story from Hatchette Australia and these are my thoughts.

Trigger warnings: sexual assault, abuse, alcoholism

I am sitting here for the past 20 minutes trying to decide how to start this review and I am coming up empty. I can’t think of the right preface to really express my feelings about True Story. I personally thought it was brilliant; a thought provoking, captivating book, which will occupy your thoughts days after you finish it.

That being said, I want to make something clear: if you are after a horror/thriller book, this is not for you. Some people were disappointed that the twist ending didn’t have the impact they were expecting, or that it wasn’t suspenseful enough. That was never the point of the book, in my opinion, it goes so much deeper than that. The book was about these people’s lives, Alice and Nick’s in particular, and how the former’s sexual assault in high school affected their whole lives. 

I loved Petty’s writing. In addition to it being straightforward, brutally honest and to the point, it was also quiet addictive, which made even such a difficult-to-read book so un-put-downable. 
One my favourite parts was Alice’s essay drafts for college. Her frustration and desperation to write about anything but her assault, and her enormous effort to “focus on the positive” when it was practically impossible, is palpable. You can see it in the amount of drafts she writes (all included in the book), and their repetitive content. The final tutor-approved draft, showed Alice’s tenacity and ability to turn even a silly thing as shoes (who writes about shoes making an impact on their lives in a college essay??) to a feminist message. She was a sexually assaulted 18-year-old girl, who was made to focus on the positive (otherwise no college for her!) and she did the best she could, even though she would never accept the compliment or admit it to herself.

My other favourite part was when Nick goes to the cabin. It got me hooked from the very first word and I didn’t put the book down until I finished the whole chapter. Nick’s voice filled me with dreadful anticipation of something horrible waiting to happen at any time. And something horrible was happening at any given time, because that was Nick’s life. It was awful and pitiful, but it didn’t make me feel sorry for him. I felt that Nick wouldn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him, because he believed he deserved everything that was happening to him. He was clearly self-destructive, and that cost him everything in his life. I truly believe he meant well, in a sense that he did not deliberately try to hurt anyone, but so many wrong-doers try to shake off responsibility claiming to have meant well, and Nick was the poster boy for that. In the end, I admired his self-awareness and recognition of the fact that he just wasn’t meant to have a good life, but he kept trying despite of that.

At first, the twist about Nick at the end of the book didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t see how it was all connected and it just didn’t make sense to me. After more careful consideration, I realised that it’s what brings everything together in the end, and actually explains a lot.

For example, when I thought that Nick killing Q was a bit of a stretch. Of course it was, because it was fiction. Q is still alive. Or isn’t, we don’t know. It was part Alice’s wishful thinking, to finally kill the monster, and part wanting to make Nick do one heroic deed before he disappeared into fictional oblivion. Plus, his cabin chapter makes more sense when you realise it’s fiction.

In regards to the sexual assault and the revelation in the end, I believe it’s open to interpretation. Granted, Alice seemed convinced by Richard’s confession but let’s not forget that Richard is a master manipulator, he does that for a living! and he would say anything to avoid exposure. No matter if it did happen or not though, that is not the point. The point is the irreparable damage that even the smallest indication of sexual assault can do to the victim’s psyche. This experience shaped Alice’s whole adult life, that is an undeniable fact (see chapter with Q). Even if it’s ever proven otherwise years later, she couldn’t just go “Phew, what a relief!” and move on. Absolutely not. Something like that changes you forever and it is almost impossible to go back to a state when it didn’t happen. 

That being said, Alice, like with her essay drafts, finds a way to focus on the positive and manages to see a sliver of light at the end of a very dark, terrible tunnel. She decides to write her own narrative and not let anyone tell her story any more. She only knows her version to be true because it happened to her, it’s her story, which she says she used to punish those who hurt her, but also to forgive. This way, Petty expertly showcases the dichotomy between Alice’s still pervasive anger and her willingness to finally let go in the most satisfying ending this book could get.

I am aware that this book deals with sensitive matters, but sometimes we need to get a little uncomfortable in order to face reality, because these things happen all over the world every day. I would definitely recommend it to teenage girls and boys-so much more to take away from than a superficial YA romance, in my opinion.

READING: Harvest of Sighs (Thornchapel #3) by Sierra Simone

Publication date: May 1 2020

Published by: - - 

Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Erotica, Menage, BDSM

Rating: 

Delphine Dansey carries her heart on the outside of her body; she’s looking for love and chasing dreams. She’s spoiled and selfish, the kind of beautiful that’s made for money and fame. But somehow she’s ended up in my keeping: a pretty submissive I can’t seem to resist, a lover who obsesses and tempts me.

I thought I’d locked my heart away a long time ago, along with all my other weaknesses. But some doors won't stay closed, no matter how hard I fight to keep them shut. She unravels me, just like our friends are unraveling, just like Thornchapel itself is unraveling.

All year long, we’ve been sowing lust and jealousy and pain, heedless of the consequences. But a harvest is inevitable, and so now we must reap our sorrows.

And our sighs.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING THE BOOK BEFORE READING THIS REVIEW!

This review is suuuper long because I have much to say. I know it’s boring to read long ass reviews, which is why I divided it in small parts so you can read the part you like and skip the rest 😊

I’m so sad I finished this already! I get so engrossed in these books and the Thornchapel verse, that I feel so empty when I finish them. It’s just hard to come back to reality 😭 

OK so let’s get right into it!
Harvest of Sighs was a bit of a puzzle for me. I can’t quite figure it out. That’s why I was going back and forth with 3 and 4 stars, deciding on 3 one minute and 4 the other.
Harvest of Sighs is definitely different than its predecessors. Apparently, Simone decided to lead the story to a different direction, one I admit I didn’t predict. One with less sex and kink (don’t get me wrong, it hasn't lost its sizzle, not at all) and more character development. Also, we finally see the group interacting with people outside their group and be in places other than Thornchapel, which didn’t happen in the previous books.
I understand the need to change it up, I do. And I admire Simone’s courage to step out of her comfort zone and write something other than the 6 of them having sex in Thornchapel again and again and again, because what’s the point in that? 
Thing is, it didn’t always work. But when it did, it was amazing. 

Rebecca and Delphine
I had my reservations about these two from the beginning. Delphine I like just enough, but Rebecca was always indifferent to me. She is just a cold person with not much going for her, personality-wise. She could be much more interesting (and that goes for Delphine too) if she was given a chance from the beginning. Putting the focus on two background characters in Book 3 of a four-book series and expect us to be on board, it's just too late. If their stories and who they are carried the same weight as Poe, Auden and SS, then yes, probably. If more glimpses of them, past or present, together or with others, were peppered in the previous two books then yes, I might have gotten on board. The little flashback they shared in this book was so well written and sweet, but just not enough and very last minute-y. 
Ultimately, and after a lot of effort on my part, I couldn’t see any chemistry between them, their relationship felt forced to me. Also, the structure of the book didn’t help. Simone would give us back to back Rebecca/Delphine POV chapters, which suddenly stopped in the middle of plot development, followed by a long stretch of Poe/Auden/SS POV. By the time she got back to Rebecca/Delphine I had lost interest, and just wanted to read more Poe/Auden/SS chapters.
I don’t know how this relationship will end, but I think these two should not be together. They were miserable for the entire book, and not in a good way.

Auden and St.Sebastian
Speaking of miserable…how contradictory it is, when it works so badly for one couple and so perfectly for another.
What can I say about these two? They are such a pleasure to read. I was looking forward to their chapters throughout the whole book. Simone does her best writing when it comes to them, and their chemistry is electrifying. 
The scene where SS cried in Auden’s lap ahhhhh 😱. One of my favourite parts of the book. Not only it inspired a lot of emotion, but it was also the trigger of Auden’s change which I absolutely loved. It’s the first time we see Auden doubting the decisions he’s made and the things he’s done. It’s the first time we see him actually stopping to take everything in and realising there is something wrong. I really liked that side of him, and having him of all people have doubts and guilt, this unrelenting Thorn God, it was amazing and beautifully written by Simone. 
Of course, the only person that really gets Auden is SS, that’s why he is the only one Auden confides in, no surprise there. And what followed was so intimate and primal and intense that it would either bring these two together in an unbreakable bond forever, or tear them apart. If you haven’t figured it out yet, their final scene at Thornchapel was my other favourite part of the book, from its beginning to its bitter end. I feel like at this point, Simone can never go wrong with these two, their chemistry is undeniable and effortless.

Incest
That being said, I had a hard time with them this time, I am not gonna lie. 
I admittedly have not read a lot of erotica and BDSM books, so I don’t really know how "bad" things get in books of the genre, but for me personally incest is something I can't get behind, even fictional one. That’s why I didn’t like Forbidden when everyone was praising it, and I certainly didn’t like what it did to my perception of Auden and SS. I liked that SS stood his ground, even though he never stopped lusting after Auden, and put a stop to their sexual relationship. Granted, it was true to character, but a welcome surprise nevertheless, since I was sure Simone would definitely keep them together regardless.
In the end, I begrudgingly accepted what ended up happening between them because of:
1. Their very emotional and gut wrenching scene at the gala 
2. The fact that they are not really brothers. I mean, I’m guessing that in book 4 it will be revealed that SS is actually Delphine’s brother and not Auden’s. 
I’m hoping.
If I’m wrong, I am gonna have to re evaluate my opinion of this book 😬

Poe
Boring as ever. She is no more than a prop at this point. Can Auden and SS ditch her and go live somewhere just the two of them?
Also, the fact that Poe leaves with SS in the end and that it wasn't shown at all! I was shocked. I mean where is Auden’s reaction to losing both of them? Nothing? How can you skip this whole thing, which basically is the heart of the books, their relationship? Very bad.

Becket
I really liked Becket in the previous two books, but I didn’t like what Simone did to him in this one. Right from the start he was shown like this poor lovesick puppy who was following Poe around, something that Auden was not a fan of. In fact, I would definitely not be surprised if Auden wouldn’t hesitate to hurt him if things with him and Poe went sour. I mean, Becket announced he was practically fired and was moving away, and all Auden could muster for his great friend was something along the lines of "OK, see ya". 
I didn’t like how he was pushed to the side on this one, when in the previous two books all 6 of them where in things together and shared this great bond. That goes for Rebecca and Delphine as well. 
The sex with Poe felt desperate, completely the opposite from their scene in the church in Feast of Sparks, which was hot hot hot.
I think he’s not going to survive book 4, unfortunately 💀

While the previous books acted as magnets bringing all 6 of them together, Harvest of Sighs definitely acted as a bomb, blowing them up into little pieces. Some survived, some not.
Bright side: we won't have to wait long for the finale since it's coming out Halloween 2020.

READING: The Woman in The Window by A.J.Finn

Publication date: January 2 2018

Published by: William Morrow

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime

Rating: 

Anna Fox lives alone, a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors.

Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother and their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble and its shocking secrets are laid bare.

What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control?

Whenever I read a thriller or a whodunnit, I always like to picture the most unlikely scenario in my head, the most impossible thing that might happen. For one thing, I have watched waaaaay to many TV shows of the same or similar genre, so my mind immediately goes to the most absurd. Second, I am one of those jackasses that always loves to say "Ha! I knew it!". So, if the book does something way beyond my most out there imaginings and it explains it well and is not completely silly, then I consider it a success.
Unfortunately, this book did not. *sad trumpet*

But! That doesn't take anything away from it because to Finn's defense, he thought the most impossible thing I could think, so kudos for that. If only he surpassed it, it would have been one hell of a book.
I loved the setting: dark, old four level brownstone in New York gave it a proper manor mystery vibe.
I also really liked Anna. She is the perfect unreliable narrator, being almost always drunk and heavily medicated. I guess all books of the genre need one of those, but since the trope has been done to death, I dismissed the theory of Anna actually having anything to do with the murder straight away, it would have been too easy for Finn to resort to that and it would have made for a cheap book.

The ending was fine I guess, a bit more disturbing than I anticipated. I thought it was a bit rushed, but I guess that's how it always is with these books: once the murderer has been revealed, what is the point?
I would say however that The Woman in The Window is more about Anna and her trauma (extreme agoraphobia sounds horrifying) than anything else, really. And that sets it apart from the other books of its genre. It could easily stand by itself, but the mystery and the black&white horror film references give it that extra zhuzh.

READING: Behind Closed Doors by B.A.Paris

Publication date: August 9 2016

Published by: St. Martin's Press

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Contemporary

Rating: 

Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You might not want to like them, but you do.

You’d like to get to know Grace better.
But it’s difficult, because you realise Jack and Grace are never apart.

Some might call this true love. Others might ask why Grace never answers the phone. Or how she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. And why there are bars on one of the bedroom windows.

Sometimes, the perfect marriage is the perfect lie.

Easily 4,5/5 and I could definitely consider 5/5, it was that good.

I really liked Paris's writing-perfect for the genre; no-nonsense, not flashy. Just matter of fact but still managed to make you care enough about the characters. 
I liked Grace. Many think her weak but I didn't see it that way. She often blamed herself for not seeing Jack's "issues" (even though how could she?), thus taking responsibility, all the while not losing hope and trying to save hers and her sister's lives.
I would have liked Jack to be more of an understated evil guy and not an outright psychopath, but that's just me. I think it would have given the book that a little extra something to make it a solid 5/5.
Overall, I definitely recommend it to fans of the genre. It can be read in one sitting.

Piece of advice: don't leave the last chapters for tomorrow or later in the day. Read the end in one go, otherwise you will feel disconnected from the story when tension peaks.

READING: The Last Wish (The Witcher #0.5) by Andrzej Sapkowski

Publication date: December 14 2008

Published by: Orbit

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Kings, Magic, Mystery, Romance, Violence

Rating: 

Geralt the Witcher—revered and hated—is a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. 

But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good... and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

This is chock-full of spoilers, so please don't read it unless you have watched The Witcher Season 1. 

I am not even going to pretend otherwise - I only picked this up because of Henry Cavill and the show The Witcher. 
But mostly for Cavill. Because, you know. I only had a crush on him since The Tudors, no big deal.

So, the book. Right. Most of it is already depicted in the show and it too plays with timelines a lot.
Geralt is way more talkative in the book than he is in the show. I have to admit I liked book Geralt better. He was more real and, if not relatable, then more human and down to earth rather than super hero-ish, paranormal hottie. Again, nothing wrong with that but I prefer my characters to have feelings and emotions once in a while. 
Yennefer was on the same boat-the show focused more on her transformation and how gorgeous and dark and mysterious she is now, rather than her power and personality. Actually, it's mentioned in the book that Geralt initially thought she wasn't even that good looking:

...Yennefer, although attractive in her own way, couldn't pass as a great beauty.

In fact, it was stated that all sorceress had to go through a transformation to become pretty because of their profession and they were described as "pseudo pretty" with "cold eyes of ugly girls". That was still shown in the show, but I think the message was undercut a bit by how stunning Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) was. 

Renfri's story - the fight scene between her and Geralt kicked ass in the show; beautifully choreographed and shot. Geralt's devastation over killing Renfri was more believable in the show but again, their interaction just didn't have the same impact as in the book. 

I have to say, the translation was not the best for me. The edition I got from the library was old and I don't know if there is a new one out there, but the dialogue was very stilted in parts and words weren't really flowing. Originally, the book came out in 1993 so I kind of get it, translating game wasn't that great back then. I'm told Sword of Destiny is better, so we'll see.

All in all, I enjoyed the show as much as the book. I think Geralt and Yennefer's characters were more explored in the book in comparison to the show which was way flashier.
I'd suggest you watch the book first and then watch the show.