Books I read in November & December

The Christmas Thief by Kate J Blake

Kate J Blake books move fast to say the least. The entirety of this one takes place over about three days. It is a quick, enjoyable romance about a woman named Crystal who lies on her application to get a better job within her company. Her boss, Jack, quickly figures out the lie and tries to call her on it by giving her a chance at the job. The first test he throws her way is making her work with him over Christmas. She ends up agreeing and then proving that she can do the job.

There were a few things about this book that didn't sit well with me. (SPOILER ALERT) 

One was that they both had teenage children, but acted like they didn't. They constantly talked about how much they loved their kids, but they just left town on Christmas Eve. It was explained that the kids didn't seem to mind, but it was so confusing to me. They also never meet each other's kids. They're engaged by the end of the week, but they don't even think of trying to blend the families beforehand. 

There is also no need to travel for work on Chritsmas. Even if Jack made her work on Christmas day they wouldn't be going to meetings. It didn't make sense that they had to do that.  

The speed of this novel is also ridiculous. It makes no sense that so much can happen in a few days. Sure they could have hooked up and gotten in a fight, but the engagement at the end really threw it over the edge for me. 

Finally, on her resume Crystal didn't put her full name because she didn't think she'd be considered if Jack knew she was a woman straightaway, which she tells him. Then, later in the book he says that he avoided working with women because he didn't want to get his heart broken. Which means Crystal isn't special in the slightest. Jack potentially could have fallen in love with any woman he hired. As a boss, that's not a good look.

Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things by Jacqueline Firkins

Edie is starting over, although it's not completely by choice. Her aunt and uncle decided that a family feud wasn't a good enough excuse to keep their niece in the foster care system, especially when taking her out made the neighbors see how generous they could be. But there are a few perks to moving in with her cousins in a huge house in Mansfield. The neighbor is just as cute as she remembered, and while she harbors a huge crush for him, his girlfriend's brother is willing to drop the asshole act for her. 

I found myself really liking Henry's character. His decision to fake date Edie to keep his sister at bay, even though he made it clear he'd be more than happy to do more than fake makeout, was kind, which totally went against his normal womanizing attitude. And it worked out for him, so that was great. When he and Edie do break up, I found myself conflicted. I wanted her to end up with Sebastian because they both clearly liked each other in a way that could last longer than the summer, but I didn't want Henry to get hurt. Thankfully, he took it like a champ and refused to be someone a girl settles for because her first choice was unavailable. He made it clear that he was sad, but he didn't become vindictive or angry. 

Edie herself was also a fascinating character. She spent the novel keeping her cousins from bickering, crushing on her neighbor, caring for her boyfriend, saving for college, and trying to rebuild a friendship she left behind. It was a lot, but she was able to take everything and learn a lot about herself. I loved how she was able to look at her friendship with Sebastian and understand why Clare was jealous. Clare was mean, but Edie understood her position, which led to her forcing herself to temporarily distance herself from Sebastian even though she didn't want to. The tricky part was that Edie and Sebastian were constantly drawn to each other, so even when she tried to stay away, she couldn't. She knew to do this because it's what she should have done when her best friend's boyfriend kissed her. No, she wasn't responsible for the kiss, but she didn't push him away, and she ignored a few signs that might have kept her from the situation in the first place. When Edie stops using excuses as crutches (no matter how valid they may be), she becomes a force to be reckoned with.

The Twin by Natasha Preston

This was not my first Natasha Preston novel, so I started it knowing that there was a high probability that the ending would be...frustrating. What I wasn’t prepared for was the entire book making me want to rip my hair out. Don’t get me wrong, the book is great, and I think I reacted just how Preston wanted me to. 

One person. That’s all I wanted—one person to trust Ivy. I had high hopes for the boyfriend, but he let me down. Then I thought of the therapist, but nope—another disappointment. My Hail Mary was a recording device at the very end, a hopeful cliffhanger. Nothing. Everyone was the worst. The swim coach really ticked me off because she knew Ivy didn’t want her sister on the team, and she let her on anyway. It’s not like she was good. 

It also baffled me that Ivy was like, “I don’t want to be around my sister in school,” and everyone was like, “That’s not an option.” What?! No matter what you think of Ivy, she clearly started having issues once her sister arrived, so give her some space and see what happens. It seemed like a simple solution to me. 

Poor Ivy loses her mother, and then her twin sister turns her entire life upside down, and nobody is there for her. Everyone writes it off as grief, and even when Ivy tries to tell people what’s wrong, they refuse to believe her but have no issue listening to the twin sister that just appeared out of nowhere. Like I said, rip your hair out frustrating. 

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens 

Timing is key. That’s the theme of this novel. Minnie and Quinn’s lives are constantly intersecting on New Year’s Eve, and they have no idea. Starting the day they were born: Quinn becomes the baby new year, and Minnie is just a minute too late.  

When they finally meet on their thirteenth birthday, it begins a year of random encounters and growing affections. But it also brings a year of change for both characters as they finally sit down with themselves and decide what kind of life they each want to lead and who they want in it. 

I liked this book a lot. It was an easy read that made me laugh and wonder if there was anyone I had unknowingly crossed paths with more than once. The entire time I read Taylor Swift’s song, “invisible string” seemed to play in the background. 

Atomic Love by Jennie Fields

I loved this one! Rosalind is awesome. I want to be her. I'm terrible at science, but she makes it sound awesome. Except for the fact that she lost her job after the war because the men came back and she had to start working in a jewelry store. But that's what happened after WWII and it's annoying.

I loved her relationship with Szydlo. Especially at the beginning when it was clear they got along well and liked being in each other's company, but it wasn't totally clear whether or not anything would happen between them. And then when things do progress, but she's still kind of dating Weaver to get information out of him, which was Szydlo's idea and quickly became a regret. 

I didn't want Weaver to stick around, but I wasn't expecting the way he left either, or the last few chapters of the novel. They truly showed how dangerous Rosalind's task was of finding out about what Weaver told the Russians.

The characters and story of this novel were so well written. I would definitely recommend adding this one to your TBR pile.

Well Played by Jen DeLuca

The sequel to Well Met this novel follows fellow tavern wrench Stacey as she begins an online relationship with someone the faire hires every year. The only catch is she thinks she's talking to the lead singer, Dex, whom she's slept with for the past two summers, when in reality she's talking to his cousin and band manager, Daniel.

Their emails and texts let them get to know each other in a very intimate way, which is why Stacey is so shocked when she finds out that the person she's talking to isn't the person she's imagining. However, she shakes it off quickly and realizes that Dex would never be able to write as well as Daniel. 

I found Stacey extremely relatable. She's happy but also just kinda going through the motions of life. My favorite scene is at the end when she's in the bar and Mitch is calling her out on how easy it would be for her to live on the road. She wants to and is willing to change, but there always seems to be something holding her back. Mainly, her fear about her mother's health, which made her pass up on her dreams years before.

I loved Daniel too. I felt bad that he always feels like he come sin second to his performer cousins. I thought it was sweet when Stacey realized she would have to be the one to make a grand gesture because Daniel thinks his chances with her are over.

I love this world that Jen DeLuca has created and I can't wait for the third novel this fall!

Books I Read in July & August

Summer reading is upon us! This summer feels a little different than most because of lockdown, but no matter - it's not like we need a specific season to read, right?

One Month Forever by Kate J. Blake

The conclusion to Ricardo and Angie's story. I really liked how it resolved. They have to reconfigure their relationship to be something they both flourish in, which took some time, but they were able to do. I don't have a whole lot to say about this one because, for me, it was a quick, happy read that wrapped up the story, but I did enjoy it. There is a small part of me that thinks all three of the One Month books could have been combined into one, but that's just me.

Spoiler Alert: My favorite scene is when Ricardo tries to sneakly give Angie a new car by getting her dad to offer it to her. She gets upset because she already had a discussion with him about buying her unnecessary gifts. Then he tries to propose to her and she wants nothing to do with it. I loved it when she pointed out that he didn't have the ring on him because that wasn't how he wanted to propose and he was basically grasping at straws to keep her from getting upset. It wasn't that the two of them didn't want to be together forever, it was that Ricardo was going about the situation all wrong. I found this scene to really show Angie's growth. Ricardo isn't in her life because she needs him there, he's there because she wants him there, but she's strong enough to walk away if he fails to grow with her (no matter how badly it would hurt).

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

This was one of my Book of the Month choices, which I chose because I was intrigued by the premise of getting a behind the scenes look of a dating show. I'm not a huge Bachelor(ette) fan, but I have watched a few seasons with friends, and thanks to social media I can usually figure out what's going on.

I really liked Bea's character and the fact that she challenges the norm of dating show contestants. I think that's a really prevalent issue, especially when compared to the Bachelor franchise because pretty much everyone looks the same on that show, and it simply isn't what normal people look like.  

To be honest, this book was a little slow for me. I felt like I was reading for hours, but I was only 50 pages further than when I started. A lot of this had to do with the blog posts and email chains that broke up the book. I really wish they were used to show more than what they did. One of the most frustrating things for viewers is when the boys act differently at the house then they do with the Bachelorette, which causes her to think the boy is amazing but the rest of the world knows he's terrible. I wish that's what those extra bits showed us, instead of rehashing what readers already get to see from Bea's point of view.

Also, something really weird about my version of the book was that one of the pages had a ton of mistakes on it. I have no idea if this is a random mistake or it was in all of the book editions, but when Bea is at her house and there's a transcript of her parents being interviewed by the producers, there were so many mistakes that I couldn't even figure out what it was supposed to say. I got the gist, but it was so bizarre to see so many mistakes only on one page.

Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein

Gymnasts fascinate me. Two of my best friends were gymnasts and as someone who could never properly complete a cartwheel, I am just awed by the ability of gymnasts. That alone made me excited for this novel, but I also watched "Athlete A" a little while ago so I was ready to get mad at coaches and cheer for the athletes. 

I'm obsessed with Avery and Ryan. I liked how they both very clearly liked each other, but were like, "We're co-coaches, we can't" and then continued to find themselves kissing. I just thought it was cute how it was more the question of "when", instead of "if."

Obviously, I hated Dmitri. And I got very upset when Ryan was more focused on the chance to work with a great coach instead of listening to one of his past athletes who didn't agree with his teachings. As frustrating as it was, I kind of liked that Ryan had to see Dmitri's gym/coaching style for himself before admitting Avery was right. Because Ryan was such a good guy, that this instance showed that he wasn't perfect, that he could get distracted by the idea of someone and what they could do to further his own career, and made him more realistic. Especially after seeing how guilty he was for sending Jasmine to the Doctor who ended up being a pedophile, you don't fully understand how he doesn't listen to Avery's concerns about Dmitri. But I personally think that's life. You hear someone did something terrible and immediately hate them, but when someone you idolize is accused of something bad you want to make excuses because you don't want to have to rebuild them in your mind.

I liked how this book covered very serious topics without being too graphic and including some lighthearted storylines that exemplify that people are more than their bad experiences.

Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

I struggled to relate to Megan. The flirt who loves having a boyfriend is so far from who I am that half the time I was rolling my eyes and wondering how she was surprised there relationships didn't work out. And it's not that there's anything wrong with that personality - I know and love girls with this personality - but it's not me. Owen on the other hand I was like, "Okay, yup. I get you." However, I was able to sympathize with Megan. It was sad that she felt like an outsider in her own family, and that she got cheated on twice, the first time involving her best friend. 

I liked how her relationship with Owen played out as well. They started off without pretense because he had a girlfriend and she wanted to date his friend. It allowed them to bypass the awkwardness a little bit and really get to know each other. Of course, that led to more and more feelings that eventually made things complicated between the two of them, but they were able to figure it all out pretty gracefully. In a lot of books I read, the couple breaks up over some type of miscommunication, but that didn't happen in this novel. Sure, Megan and Owen fight and don't talk for a little while, but once they commit themselves to each other they're in it 100%. There's even a moment when you think a rumor is going to mess with them, but Owen clears everything up quickly.

The one thing I did notice was that Owen tells Megan he broke up with his girlfriend directly after they kiss in his room, but at the open mic, he's late because he was face timing her. That's never really explained, so I don't know if it's just a continuity error in the plot, or if there was another reason he was facetiming his ex.    

Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco

The only thing I didn't like about this novel was that it was the last one in the series. I'm so sad to say goodbye to the Ripper series, but I already have Kingdom of the Wicked preordered and I'm excited about that.

In this novel, Audrey Rose and Thomas are rehunting Jack the Ripper while also fighting for their future together. After discovering that her brother wasn't the Ripper, but instead his partner, Audrey Rose finds herself digging through Nathaniel's journals for hints about who was the true mastermind behind so many deaths. While Thomas reads through the journals quickly and methodically, Audrey Rose struggles to read her brother's descriptions of the horrendous deeds he was a part of. Their search leads them out of New York City and into Chicago where things get even crazier for the duo. They reconnect with a friend they met in Romania and spend time admiring the world fair, but murders continue. After Thomas and her Uncle are poisoned, Audrey Rose figures out who the killer is and, as independent as ever, decides to confront him alone. The decision nearly gets her killed, but this is Audrey Rose we're talking about. Even with a limp, the girl is able to fight with the best of them. Of course, it was helpful that Thomas designed her cane to hold a secret dagger. 

Throughout this whole investigation, Audrey and Thomas are also struggling to regain their future. During what should have been their wedding, a woman informed the church that she was Thomas' true intended and if he didn't marry her, he and his sister would lose everything. Even though Thomas knows his father made the betrothal promise with a signed piece of paper leftover in Thomas' bedroom, he feels helpless. His refusal of marriage means that his father will out his sister and her girlfriend. Meanwhile, Audrey Rose refuses to become a mistress out of fear for what that would do to her cousin's reputation. They know that they want each other and even though they don't care what happens to them, they don't want to take their loved ones out with them. Thankfully, Audrey Rose's grandmother has connections that Thomas' father could only dream of, who doesn't mind helping them out.

I love the Ripper series, not only because Audrey Rose and Thomas are amazing, but because I also learn quite a bit about life in the late 19th century. Maniscalco does a lot of research for her novels and is able to weave that knowledge into an incredible story. It interesting to read about two characters who are outliers of their day, but still have to abide by societal rules to some degree.

Well Met by Jen DeLuca

Boyfriend dumps you after you quit school to help him through Law school? Sister gets in a car crash that leaves her immobile and unable to care for her teenage daughter for a few months? The simple solution would be to move in with your sister while she heals and you figure out your next steps. Get in, do your job, get out. Easy. Or so Emily thought.

I loved this. A summer Renaissance Faire that brings the whole town together. Amazing. But I also loved that this novel brought you behind the scenes to who is actually apart of things like this. While plenty of people volunteer because they enjoy the fun of the faire. Emily and Simon, although they also enjoy the faire, are mostly there because they have to be. Since her niece is underage, Emily is forced to volunteer as her guardian. Simon's older brother started the faire and ever since he lost his battle with cancer, it's been up to Simon to keep it going in his memory. But when Emily, the newcomer in town, is able to look at Simon without knowing his brother, she notices that Simon takes on more than he needs to when it comes to the faire. Simon doesn't really know how to handle Emily and ends up being seemingly cruel to her. Of course, this leads to a great "enemies to lovers" storyline. However, when it gets harder to differentiate between their faire personas and their true identities, their relationship crumbles until Simon learns to delegate responsibilities.