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 Beautiful (The Beautiful #1) by Renne Ahdieh

Publication date: October 8 2019
Published by: GP Putnam's Sons Books for YR
Genre: Historical, Paranormal, Vampires, Mystery, Romance
Rating:

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

I'm genuinely very disappointed. I know by now to always be wary of pretty covers, but after seeing all these raving reviews about The Beautiful, I though it would at least be decent.
It wasn't.

The Beautiful failed to capture my interest right from the start. The writing was almost uncanny, like it was trying very hard to be something it wasn't and was failing miserably. Each scene took forever to get through, vases and chandeliers' descriptions dragged on for ages, and there were densely worded sentences saying nothing at all. Also, phrases like "beyond your ken" (used more than twice) do not fit in a book about New Orleans me thinks, it threw me completely off.

This is supposed to be a book about vampires, but there are no vampire in sight until around 90% or so. Why take this long to reveal the plot? The whole point of buying and reading this book is to read about vampires. I absolutely can't stand it when a book promises you one thing and is marketed as, in this instance, a vampire book, when it's clearly a romance book, and not even a good one!

The characters were all one dimensional caricatures.
The big baddie's thoughts were written in monologed chapters, which to me read like "I'm evol and I vant to drink blood mwahaha". 

🤓 Not great.

The chief of New Orleans police is a 18 year old boy *eyeroll* How can you even justify that, it's impossible!
The girls were either clever or stupid, very shy or promiscuous, there was no in between. Celine was a reckless, numbnut who acted all high and mighty, but insta-loved a guy who looked dangerous, threating and unstable.
Oh but don't worry though. It's totally OK because he is soooooo dreamy!
My time machine worked everybody, I'm back in 2010 when this shit was still acceptable!
Stop putting so much importance on good looks, or rather out-of-this-world good looks, unless it fits your plot! It's not right to send these kinds of messages to young readers, or any readers for that matter.

This book was unbelievably exhausting to read. I felt like wading through mud in the last 100 pages, I just couldn't seem to finish it. When I finally did, I admittedly found the last 10 pages kinda interesting compared to the rest of the book, but definitely not interesting enough for me to read Book 2.
If you're brave enough to tackle this, you are my hero and I wish you all the best. I barely got through it.
Very unmemorable and tedious.

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: Inexpressible Island (End of Forever #3) by Paullina Simons

Publication date: July 23 2019
Published by: Harper Collins
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Historical, Mystery, Suspense, Time Travel, Romance

Rating: 

Julian has lost everything he ever loved and is almost out of time. His life and death struggle against fate offers him one last chance to do the impossible and save the woman to whom he is permanently bound.

Together, Julian and Josephine must wage war against the relentless dark force that threatens to destroy them. This fight will take everything they have and everything they are as they try once more to give each other their unfinished lives back.

As time runs out for the star-crossed lovers, Julian learns that fate has one last cruel trick in store for them--and even a man who has lost everything still has something left to lose.

Gut wrenching but still beautiful, the last instalment in End of Forever had it all (well, almost). 

This series might have been about two people's epic love story in the beginning but I think in the end, it was all about Julian and about his personal journey as a son, a friend, a partner. He is the main focus of Inexpressible Island and Mia just compliments his story. 
I have to hand it to Simons, her storytelling is magnificent. All the twists and turns will have you sitting at the edge of your seat going "No way!" almost throughout. She knew where she was going with the story from the first page of the first book and it showed. The way the story came together was the most beautiful part of the book for me.
What made me drop one star, was the actual ending. Not that it was particularly bad, but after all this anticipation about what would happen on Julian's last journey, it was a bit anticlimactic imo. I personally don't think a HEA suited these two. I know Julian and Mia had been through so much and they deserved it, but a happy ending comes in many forms. It doesn't always mean 

a beautiful wife and a baby.

shoved in the last 10 pages. I didn't like that history was re-written to their advantage with no actual reasoning. Unless 

it was confirmed that Julian did that full circle "meet Mia-time travel-get lost in the caves-meet Mia" multiple times and the re-writing of history is finally him being lucky and living the best version out of 10 or 100 of tries. Then, yes. I accept the ending. But none of that was made certain. Maybe it was sort of implied, but I can't be sure. Honestly, after Julian got rescued and he "started" his life again and met Mia, I had this sense of foreboding, emotionally preparing for her to die. But not only she didn't die, everything was changed on top of that and I thought "Oh, Ok. Was that it? Why didn't he do that from the beginning then if that's all it took...?" Also, at some point I thought that Mia is the one who time-travelled and came to find him for a change the way she was written, acting all obsessed with Julian from day one. But no, not even that. So even though I was very satisfied with how Julian's story turned out, I was disappointed in how Mia's story concluded. Then again, I was never fond of Mia :/

To readers starting this series now: if you get past the 1st half of book 1, then you are good to go. It only gets better from there.
Paullina Simons is a master when it comes to epic romances, end of story.
Remember: this is a deeply heartbreaking story, bordering on really depressing. Not for the faint of heart.

READING: The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

Publication date: September 10 2019

Published by: Redhook

Genre: YA, Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Mystery, Suspense

Rating: 

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

3.5

Beautiful, magical story but the writing was too extra for a YA advertised book.
Nothing wrong with that on paper (no pun intended) but seeing that the story was so information-heavy and action packed, I would rather the book was easier to read and the writing had a better flow.

As it was, I found it hard to pick up, choosing to read something else instead and coming back to it two days later and only because I was drawn to that amazing story. Harrow should have been clearer on her message and the book's genre and target audience.

READING: A Beggar's Kingdom (End of Forever #2) by Paullina Simons

Publication date: July 23 2019
Published by: Harper Collins
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Historical, Mystery, Suspense, Time Travel, Romance
Rating: 

Sometimes a second chance is your only hope. 

Is there a fate beyond the fates? Julian has failed Josephine once. Despite grave danger and impossible odds, he is determined to do the unimaginable and try again to save the woman he loves. 

What follows is a love story like no other as the doomed lovers embark on an incredible adventure across time and space. Racing through history and against the merciless clock, they face countless dangers and deadly enemies. 

Living amid beauty and ecstasy, bloodshed and betrayal, each time they court and cheat death brings Julian and Josephine closer to an unthinkable sacrifice and a confrontation with the harshest master of all...destiny. 

THIS BOOK PIERCED RIGHT THROUGH MY CHEST, TOOK MY HEART OUT AND SLOWLY CRUSHED IT UNDER ITS BOOT. 

WHY BOOK??😭😭

Julian’s and Josephine’s love story achieves epic proportions in book 2, as Julian time travels 4 times (yes, 4) in different periods starting from 1600s+ to early 1900s. 

I cannot write a proper review without including spoilers, so for those of you who haven’t read book 2, steer clear.
Also, just a warning: this review is going to be super long because I am going to comment on each time travel period individually.

Julian first time travels to 1665. I liked his journey to the other side better in book 1 (the leap) than the caves in book 2. Because the time travelling itself happens very early in the book (page 20 or so), it felt a bit sudden and awkward to me. I didn’t like Josephine-Mallory – not a big surprise there- and I couldn’t help but wonder why Julian puts himself through all that crap to be with this person who is so obviously cunning and manipulative.
This time around she is a thief and a murderer. She actually told Julian that he ruined her plans to become wealthy with his love, and I don’t think she would have any qualms about hurting Julian to get what she wanted. And the funny part is that Julian knew that and was still willing to sacrifice everything for her. So, yeah. I found that very farfetched (even for time travel!) and ridiculous. When they try to escape through the great fire of London she dies and he is brought back.

The second time Julian time travelled, he landed on 1775 right in the most poor, dangerous and disgusting part of London. Josephine-Miri was a thief and a small time con artist. Herself, her mom and a couple others in her gang, basically live in the streets which are full of diseases and infections. Yeah, not a happy place. Julian even says “Everything stinks, every minute of every day”. I guess he meant it both metaphorically and literally. I think Julian (and the reader) is at his most miserable on this timeline. He is desperately trying to earn Josephine-Miri's love knowing he only has 49 days and she doesn’t even acknowledge his existence, she wants nothing to do with him. When he finally gets her to come around and run away together, they are ambushed by her old gang who betrays her, and both of them are sentenced to public abuse and humiliation, basically setting them up on the pillory and having the public throwing stuff at them. How's that for dismal gloom and doom uh? It was as depressing as it sounds and to see Julian's utter devastation as he realises he is brought back to the present without having achieved anything, was too much for my poor heart to take.

Present :
Ashton, man. I mean, what was that? I wanted to punch him in the face and throw the book out the window. Nothing, and I mean nothing, Ashton had been through in his life could justify his actions. He was a lying, cheating dog. End of story. I hated Julian trying to justify his behaviour to Z. “He is who he is and you knew when you chose him”. No, dude. It doesn’t work like that. Not everything is justified by “It is what it is”, I don’t accept it. Be a man and take some responsibility for your shitty behaviour.
Also, what happened to Riley stayed with me for a long time after I read it. At first, I thought it was such a cheap shot and a belittlement of Riley’s character. I didn’t want Ashton to be cast as this important and impactful presence in Riley’s life whose absence and betrayal made her to literally go mad. After mulling it over, I thought of Z.'s ending and how these two girls, with completely different backgrounds, decided to make different decisions and take different paths in life after such a loss and sense of abandonment. So even though Riley’s demise for lack of a better word still chafes, I understand why Simons wanted to make that comparison and contradiction. 

The third time Julian travelles was to 1854 and this was hands down my favourite period. It was the first time I actually liked Jospehine-Mirabelle. She didn’t put on airs, she was respectful and humble with poise without being rigid and cold. She fell in love with Julian straight away without it being obnoxious insta love. It was the first time it was hinted that Jospehine-Mirabelle knew Julian already, and their coming together was just glorious. I loved everything in that story, except for the ending of course which was- surprise surprise! super tragic. Regardless of their ending it was the only time that I actually believed their eternal love, connection and devotion to each other. If Josephine was like that in book 1, it would be just perfect. 
Also, the Jon Snow reference killed me!

Present:
Ashton’s death shook me, I am not gonna lie. I detested him after what he did to those girls but the way his death was written was just soul crushing. I was sad for him sure, but mostly I was sad for Julian and all the loss he suffered and how he still soldiered on driven by his love for this one girl. Sounds super cheesy I know, but Simons is just that good: she makes you care about the most unlikeable characters and have all these deep feelings about the corniest situations.

The fourth and final time, Julian travelled to 1911 and this time he lands in New Zealand where “Josephine’s” mum took her, after she had a gypsy warn her about her daughter’s curse. They have all been waiting for Julian as this "mystery man" who would come and save “Josephine” from the curse. This story was the most difficult one to wrap my mind around as I was an emotional and mental wreck by that point. This timeline is very dark, and it reminded me a lot of the feeling I got when watching Twin Peaks. That sense of foreboding, of always being in danger. I especially liked Julian’s scene with Edgar Evans. I liked the directness and how it played out, finally showcasing a strong minded man other than Julian. Bit of a dick, but hey, so is Julian if we’re being honest.

All in all, A Beggar’s Kingdom was a quite long, massively depressing read. Reason being, the absence of multiple POVs so the reader is constantly attacked by Julian’s extremely dark thoughts and feelings with no possible escape.
Simon outdid herself once again with her outstanding writing. If the same story was written by anyone else, I would never have made it to book 2. Obviously, there were parts I liked more and parts that made me very angry. I thought to myself many times "Do I actually like this book? I don't like any of the characters."
The answer is yes. As long as a book is unputdownable and it makes me think and feel things, it's the bomb as far as I'm concerned. 

Let’s hope for a great conclusion in Inexpressible Island (book 3) coming out November 2019.

READING: These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Publication date: October 27 2015
Published by: Random House
Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Crime, Mystery, Suspense 
Rating: 

Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon—like all the girls in her class—she’ll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo secretly dreams of becoming a writer—a newspaper reporter like the trailblazing Nellie Bly.

Wild aspirations aside, Jo’s life seems perfect until tragedy strikes: her father is found dead. Charles Montfort accidentally shot himself while cleaning his revolver. One of New York City’s wealthiest men, he owned a newspaper and was partner in a massive shipping firm, and Jo knows he was far too smart to clean a loaded gun.

The more Jo uncovers about her father’s death, the more her suspicions grow. There are too many secrets. And they all seem to be buried in plain sight. Then she meets Eddie—a young, brash, infuriatingly handsome reporter at her father’s newspaper—and it becomes all too clear how much she stands to lose if she keeps searching for the truth. Only now it might be too late to stop.

I thought These Shallow Graves was going to be another one of Donnelly’s epic HRs, with strong characters and an exciting, addictive plot.
Though still enjoyable, I felt like it lacked the spark and that something extra that would make it stand out from other books of its kind.

The characters, whilst well written, were all one dimensional - the good guys all but wore a superman cape, and the bad guys might as well be sitting on a chair petting a cat with a ringed pinkie! Their reactions were a bit childish at times, especially Jo’s, and it reminded me more of a middle grade book than the books I was used to by Donnelly up until this point. 
That being said, Jo transforms right at the end, giving us a glimpse of how wonderful this book could be if the characters had more room to grow instead of spending all this time on the “whodunnit” aspect of the book.
After the legendary love stories Donnelly has given us, I admit I was unpleasantly surprised by Jo and Eddie’s insta love. Especially considering Jo’s upbringing; it was totally out of the blue and way early in the story for her to fall in love with a complete stranger. Fortunately, they did have chemistry, which was their saving grace, along with the amazing ending Donnelly decided to give them, showcasing Jo’s strength and determination to start her life and rebuild relationships from the beginning.

As for the mystery part of it, I wasn’t impressed. I knew from the start who was behind it all and I thought if my naive dumbass self is right, then it was pretty obvious. It just frustrated me even more when instead of learning more about and understanding the characters, the majority of the book was used up explaining in length what was basically a kid’s mystery plot.

If you’re looking for a murder/mystery book with a light and breezy romance targeted at very young adults, then These Shallow Graves is the book for you.
I wasn’t looking for that :/

READING: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Publication date: August 28 2012
Published by: Bloomsbury
Genre: New Adult, MM, Romance, Historical 
Rating: 

Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods' wrath.

They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice. 

Screw Romeo and Juliet. 

THIS the most epic love story of all time!

How can you review a book that is absolute perfection? How much can you gush over something you love? I feel like Chiron when, after seeing Achilles unique prowess, told him “I have nothing to teach you.” I seriously have nothing to say about the Song of Achilles that would do it justice, it’s that good.

I knew Miller is an exceptional writer (Circe is another masterpiece of hers I read last year) so I knew going in that I was at least going to like the Song of Achilles. What I didn’t expect was a deeply emotional and sensitive page turner of a book about the life journey of two boys in Ancient Greece.
Having the story and world building practically already mapped out, Miller has plenty of time to explore her characters and does so beautifully. I love that there is such a linear progression to her characters growth, we see them from a very young age growing and developing through the pages, steadily, almost respectfully, like every detail of their lives matters in how their personalities are eventually shaped. Nothing is left to chance and nothing seems out of place. Miller doesn’t choose the easy way out, there are no repeats of done-to-death tropes and that’s what makes her writing so unique and extraordinary.

Yes, the Song of Achilles was a great love story between Achilles and Patroclus, but for me it goes beyond that. What those two had was way more than simple love for each other. The level of devotion and the pure idolisation Patroclus had for Achilles was unreal. I do not doubt for a second that Achilles felt the same for Patroclus (he was the one who initially approached him after all) but in a slightly different way, which to some might not be quite enough, and maybe it wasn’t. Because Patroclus love for Achilles was so intense, any show of affection from Achilles could not possibly compare. Patroclus dreamed of kids and another life but he would happily put all his wants aside for Achilles, just to be with him and die with him. Achilles wouldn’t, at least not that easily, and Patroclus knew that very well. And he still loved him all the same.

The Song of Achilles is a tale of two boys with an unbreakable bond. It is a tale of war, death and destruction, but also of friendship, love, loyalty and forgiveness. 
In an nutshell, an absolute must-read.

The next day...
I can't stop thinking about this book you guys, and that very rarely happens to me. The effect it had on me is remarkable and it will always have a special place in my heart. 💖

-------------------

Because I have seen some crazy shit in some reviews, I feel the need to address some of it:

Mythology comes from the Greek words "mythos" which means legend and "logia" which means words, coming from the verb "legw" which means speak.
So, mythology is just that: stories, fables, fiction, basically a total fib. You can twist it any way you like and give it the shape you want. You cannot be "disrespectful" to mythology even if you tried, such thing is a paradox, it doesn't exist.
I am Greek and I studied Ancient Greek and Latin for 4 years in high school and I am telling you now I wouldn’t give a fuck and certainly wouldn’t be offended if Miller wanted to make Achilles a flamboyant drag queen from San Francisco or a surfer dude from the Gold Coast, who cares? She writes fiction, she is not a scholar. Stop picking everything apart and try enjoying books more would be my suggestion. Or read non-fiction, that could be a choice. 

And one more thing: if you don't like MM romance, don't read MM romance! It is really that simple.

READING: When a Scot Ties The Knot by Tessa Dare

Publication date: August 25 2015
Published by: Avon
Genre: Adult, Romance, Historical, Chick Lit, Fairytale, Favorites
Rating: 

On the cusp of her first London season, Miss Madeline Gracechurch was shyly pretty and talented with a drawing pencil, but hopelessly awkward with gentlemen. She was certain to be a dismal failure on the London marriage mart. So Maddie did what generations of shy, awkward young ladies have done: she invented a sweetheart.

A Scottish sweetheart. One who was handsome and honorable and devoted to her, but conveniently never around. Maddie poured her heart into writing the imaginary Captain MacKenzie letter after letter … and by pretending to be devastated when he was (not really) killed in battle, she managed to avoid the pressures of London society entirely.

Until years later, when this kilted Highland lover of her imaginings shows up in the flesh. The real Captain Logan MacKenzie arrives on her doorstep—handsome as anything, but not entirely honorable. He’s wounded, jaded, in possession of her letters… and ready to make good on every promise Maddie never expected to keep. 

“I think you underestimate my capacity for taking normal human interaction and making it awkward.” 

Guys. I'm in love 💓💓💓
This book is just one of the loveliest, sweetest, funniest HRs I've ever read.
And there is a hot Highlander in it. How can I not love it?!

Tessa Dare yet again spun a wonderful story, this time about a shy and introverted illustrator (Maddie) and this magnificent all-man Highlander (Logan), who start off as enemies but of course end up falling madly in love through comical, but also deeply romantic, situations. Dare's melodic writing was so engaging, I could not put this book down. I read it all in a day, and I have to regretfully admit that I miss it already.
There is something that I have only seen in Dare's writing so far which I really like: modern phrases, jokes or general way of speaking customised to fit the period for which she writes. It's hard to explain, and you're probably going "What is she on about"?, and I daftly forgot to write down said phrases as to give you an example. It's so beautifully done by Dare and even though it doesn't throw you off, you are still able to detect it. I think it makes the characters timeless and consequently more relatable.

Maddie, Logan and all secondary characters were very well written, something that really surprised me. Not that I didn't think Dare is a great writer, but truth be told, in HRs character development is usually not the predominant element nor is it expected to be. That's why it's so amazing when it is done right. I came to know Logan and Maddie so well throughout this small book of 300 pages. Their background, how they grew up, how they viewed the world, their thoughts, their feelings. I mean, I haven't seen this thorough character development in HR (and other genres) books double the size of WASTTN. There was no out of character silly shenanigans, no unnecessary over the top drama. Just the perfect love story, romantic, serious, sexy and funny just when it needed to be. There are very few authors that have that gift, and Dare is definitely one of them.

Logan and Maddie's witty banter is the best part of the book, considering how petite she was and how huge he was, that mental image alone is hilarious!
What I liked most however is that Maddie might be described as a small, anxious and lonesome girl, but she was not a pushover. She showed some serious backbone when needed and stood up to Logan when he was being a stupid brute.

If you are down and you are in desperate need of a pick me up, When a Scot Ties the Knot will definitely put a smile on your face.
Great romance written by a great writer - I can't recommend it enough! 

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 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 😞