Review: Play On: A Soccer Romantic Comedy by Aven Ellis

Play On: A Soccer Romantic Comedy by Aven Ellis
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided an audio copy for review via RB Media’s Listening Circle, all opinions are my own.

This follows a British aristocrat and a professional football player an a sweet romance.

Something about this didn't work for me.  The first chapter starts with Noah and Violet hitting it off perfectly.  So I immediately wondered how are we going to have a whole novel about a perfect couple unless they are split up for some silly reason.  While Violet has legitimate issues she needs to work on, and Noah has some past traumas there wasn't enough substance to either of them for me to enjoy the characters.

Violet's character really bothered me.  She has a master's degree in Art History and has been brought up in the aristocracy. Finishing university and pursuing a masters requires focus and dedication.  If Violet were the so-called butterfly her family painted her to be, flitting from one project to another, I don’t think she would have been able to finish her degrees.  This characterization just didn’t make sense to me.  I totally understand being a perfectionist and not starting something you don’t think you can do perfectly, that made sense to me.  I also can understand starting a project and abandoning it, lots of people are guilty of that for many reasons. Her inability to pursue a career seemed unrealistic.  

The dialogue between the characters was kind of cheesy and immature at times.  It didn’t make me feel the chemistry building between them, and the narration didn’t deliver on the emotion I was looking for.  The author tends to use the same words and descriptors over and over again.  For example  “hot” is often the only descriptor used instead of  mixing up the descriptors up for attractive, sensual, sexy, etc and the term “pick and mix”, is used far too often as if it is an entire character on its own.  While I’m a fan of candy, it does not make up the entirety of my personality and the basis of my relationship like it seems to with Noah and Violet.  The narrator was inconsistent with the accents between the the characters and didn’t provide much in the way of emotion for any of the characters in my opinion.  

While the overall concept of the story was cute, and the romance was sweet this one just wasn't for me.

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Review: The Pumpkin Bride by Fiona Buttercup

The Pumpkin Bride by Fiona Buttercup
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was adorable! It has the same vibes of Legends and Lattes with regards to cozy fantasy but also reminded me of Shrek with a grumpy orc main character and a princess on the romance side of things. In going back and reading the synopsis prior to writing my review, it is says "Shrek meets The Princess Bride in this cozy, low-stakes romantic fantasy." which is spot on. This is a perfect read for fall or when you just need something sweet and cozy.

Bram is a knight who is trying to gain rank and status to become worthy to marry his true love Princess Marigold. During his last quest, he is cursed and turned into an orc and tethered to a farm. He can't tell anyone of his true identity and is forced to live as Jask Bone-Cracker and with all of the rumors that surround orcs. Several years later after grieving her lost love, Marigold is being forced to marry the same double crossing prince who cause Bram/Jask to become cursed. She doesn't know the truth, but she does know that Prince Crispin is despicable and she can't stand to marry him, so she runs away only to end up on Jask's farm. While Jask is delighted to see his lady love, it is painful not to be able to tell her the truth and he tries to get her to leave. Marigold being a strong personality, overwhelms Jask and does what she wants and stays with him while she is on the run and continues to stay on the farm. While he feels safe and familiar, Marigold gets to know Jask the Orc and a beautiful relationship develops between them.

I loved this cozy fantasy romance. It was filled with farming and baking and felt like a warm fall drink or a cozy blanket. It was a bit spicier than some of the other cozy books I've read, but still mild compared to most romance books. I really liked that Marigold couldn't care less whether Bram was a man or Jask the Orc, she loved both sides of him and while he had his doubts about that she constantly reminded him of that. I also appreciated the small hints that she picked up on throughout her time with Jask that maybe he was Bram but she just couldn't put her finger on why he was so familiar in such a short time. This also had good moments of banter and humor between the characters as well as good conversations that any couple would have be it mundane, a quarrel, or something important.

The narrators of the audiobook were fantastic. They brought not only Bram/Jask and Marigold to life but they brought all of the side characters to life as well. They did such a good job bringing emotion and humor into the audiobook where appropriate which really added to the experience.

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Review: Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy: A Tor Original by Martha Wells

Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy: A Tor Original by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley and Macmillian Audio, all opinions are my own.

I read this about the same time last year in print, and Kevin R. Free's performance is amazing as always and adds something so special to the series as a whole.  This short story is about an hour long on audio (less than 50 pages in print) and follows Perihelion and its crew on a mission shortly after Peri meets Murderbot.  Our favorite SecUnit doesn't appear in the story as this focuses on ART/Peri in the wake of them meeting and how Peri is processing their "feelings" about meeting another intelligent machine/being.

I love Peri/ART and their interactions with Murderbot throughout the series, and in this short story we get to see Peri interact with their crew in this short mission.  If you haven't read the series, this may not make much sense, but long time fans of the series will appreciate this glimpse into Peri's POV.   This made me want to start at the beginning and reread the entire series all over again.

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Review: Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher

Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This book reads as a complete standalone, however it is connected to book 1 Swordheart and the characters from that book do appear in this.

This follows a unlucky scholar as he transports some books and relic from one temple to another.  Edmund is very bookish so when he is attacked by bandits he isn't much use defending himself.  He  grabs the relic he is transporting which happens to be a sword and finds a warrior standing next to him who must protect him anytime he is in danger.  The surly warrior named the Dervish has been trapped in the sword and is not happy about the curse that put him there.  He is determined to hate everyone who wields the sword, but quickly finds that Edmund is not like every other wielder he has had.  Edmund is kind, curious, smart, sweet, and definitely not his type.

As a learned man, Edmund immediately offers to try to find someone to break the Dervish's curse.  Along their journey to find someone with the knowledge and know how to do so, they encounter a wonderful found family that consists of a giant pill bug named Large Francis and a gnole (kind of like a badger) named Dog Violet who help them out of some crazy situations and add a sense of coziness and humor to the book.  We also meet up with  characters from the previous book who also assist Edmund and Dervish.  The characters are wonderful and the narrator did a wonderful job with the voices for each one.  Each character was narrated with a distinct personality and accent that was so fitting!

I love how Kingfisher can mix humor, fantasy, social commentary, and make it cozy all into one book.  This world is quirky with strange creatures and characters of varying morals and religious beliefs.  I loved the main characters and their little group and while there were emotional parts of their story, I had so much fun going on this adventure with them.  I am looking forward to reading the next one!

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Review: Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however the book had already been published at the time so I opted to listen to the audiobook.

This book had all of the things I typically like in a fantasy, however it had way too many characters and plot lines to keep track of and I ultimately lost interest quickly. I felt like this book was trying to be both an epic fantasy full of politics and court intrigue while also being a high fantasy filled with magic, action, and lore. There was also social commentary about caste systems, race, and culture. As a fantasy lover I was most interested in the chapters that centered around the magic system and lore because it was so unique and but felt it was lost amongst all the other “stuff” happening. For a book this long I need something to keep me engaged and the constant introduction of new characters with their own motivations didn’t connect me with the characters or keep me interested in their stories.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t for me.

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Review: The Last Day of H.P. Lovecraft

The Last Day of H.P. Lovecraft by Romuald Giulivo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and Boom! Studios, all opinions are my own.

While I enjoyed the art, I felt like the story was not for me. I feel like this will be a big his for fans of Lovecraft's work and those who know more about his life and backstory. As I don't know much about him and his history other than he wrote some weird fiction that inspired an entire subgenre of horror, I didn't connect with this. The story felt almost like A Christmas Carol as HP Lovecraft faces ghosts from his past during his final hours. Instead of changing his miserly ways, he must face his humanity, choices he made, and the legacy he is leaving. While this graphic novel is fiction, it feels almost like a graphic memoir as it pulls facts from Lovecraft's life and stories into the pages.

While this wasn't for me, I think fans of Lovecraft's work or Lovecraftian horror will enjoy this.

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Review: Immortal Rose: A Novel by Alexandra Bracken

Immortal Rose: A Novel by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC and ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a unique romantasy featuring a perfumer and a spymaster.  Viola has fae heritage and not only does she make wonderful perfumes but she is also able to make scents that have magical properties. Hugh is a high born aristocrat, but he's also a spymaster who likes to know all of the secrets of the kingdom.  

There is alot going on in this book in addition to the slow burn romance that develops between our  main characters.  This starts out slow, then it picks up and there is so much happening.  There is political intrigue, espionage, a fun cast of side characters, and a unique magic system.  Viola has an impossible task to perform in makin a perfume no one knows how to make with ingredients no one can get.  With Hugh's help, she must source the rare ingredients putting her in danger.  While she typically makes perfume to heal or make people feel good, she encounters those who make it to harm.

I will say that the perfume as a magic system didn't feel completely developed.  Viola has the natural ability to smell the scents around her which is helpful in her line of work, but the magical part of her work isn't well explained.  As the last remaining member of her family there isn't anyone to train her, I am hoping that we learn more about her magic and the fairy aspect of the perfume industry in this world in the next book.

This ends on a huge cliffhanger.  It sets things up for the next book and I'm anxious to see what happens next for our couple and those around them.  There are tons of unanswered questions and so many plotlines open.  I thought this was a nice mix of tropes and none outweighed the other. 

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