Review: Nothing But It All by Adriana Locke

Nothing But It All by Adriana Locke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both the print and audio ARCs of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.


The narrators were fantastic, they really captured the emotion of Lauren and Jack. This is a fairly emotional storyline and good narration is key. Both narrators really brought through the pain, uncertainty, and love the couple is feeling!

If you have been married for a significant amount of time this will really resonate with you. It isn't easy to make a marriage work, especially if one of you is the default parent like Lauren. When communication between you fails, it makes this really hard to keep going especially when the role of primary care giver falls on the shoulders of one partner. That is the situation between Lauren and Jack. After 20 years of being the primary caregiver for their two kids, while Jack spends all of his time at his auto shop Lauren has had enough. She's given up trying to communicate with him because he gets defensive and shuts down. They aren't making time for each other or themselves, so their teenagers decide it is time to intervene because they know their parents still love each other. The kids concoct a plan to get their parents together for one last family vacation, and Lauren and Jack have to decide if their love is worth fighting for or are they willing to throw 20 years away?

I really loved Lauren and Jack. As someone who has also been married for 20 years I've had similar conversations with my husband about work, kids, and balancing the load around the house. You don't get to your 20 year anniversary without having some hard discussions over the years some really good and some really unpleasant. There were so many situations that I found relatable. I liked that their relationship was already established so we didn't have an insta-love situation, we had a realistic married couple that loves each other but has let life get in their way. They have to make the conscious decision and effort to spend time with each other, have the conversations and listen to one another (which isn't always easy in reality). They have to take interest in each others passions while still finding balance with their family and business commitments and their commitment to each other.

I loved this, it is relatable whether you are married, in a relationship, or not. I love the author's standalones just as much as I love her series. This standalone is perfect if you love second chance romances, family dynamics, and all the emotions. This also has great side characters to support the main characters as they rediscover each other and what is truly important.

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Review: What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher

What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both a print and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

Easton has returned home to Gallacia for some rest and relaxation after their time as a soldier and the terrifying ordeal with the Ushers. Upon arrival at their lodge, they find it in disrepair and the caretaker missing. Easton and his attendant Angus quickly come to find that the caretaker has passed and a superstition surrounds the lodge. Easton isn't much for superstitions, but when they being experiencing strange dreams and symptoms there might be some validity to the lore.

I loved this. The gothic creepy vibe where excellent! If you loved What Moves the Dead you will loved this! Kingfisher does a great job with the worldbuilding and atmosphere. I loved the folklore aspect to the book and the heed the townsfolk give to all of their superstitions. It really enhanced the creep factor especially when Easton started having super vivid dreams. The dream sequences were exceptionally spooky and the descriptions make it really easy to visualize what was going on. You feel as disoriented as Alex does, and you aren't really sure what is happening.

While this is the second book in series, I think you can read it as a standalone. There are references to things that occurred in What Moves the Dead, and I highly recommend reading that first, but the main plot of this doesn't rely on you knowing the outcome of that book for you to follow this one. This reads more as a companion novel than a direct sequel. I do feel as if you will get a richer reading experience if you read them in publication order though.

This is a wonderfully strange novella and perfect for fans of gothic horror.

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Review: The Ultimate Glow Up Guide: A Guide to Self Growth, Self Care, and Becoming the Best Version of You

The Ultimate Glow Up Guide: A Guide to Self Growth, Self Care, and Becoming the Best Version of You by Elicia Goguen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

This initially appealed to me because as a middle aged mom of two, self-care is something that always falls to the wayside.    I'm not typically one who turns to self-help books but this was a short audiobook and sounded promising.  Who doesn't want an empowering book about how to stick to the plan and become the best version of yourself?  I've really struggled to get back in the routines I had pre-pandemic and I can contribute all of those things to stress as the author points out.  Unfortunately the focus of this book is mainly how to deal with negative self image, unhealthy relationships with food, and delving into potential trauma in your early life that may have caused those things to develop.  

This has some nice tips about facing the the reasons you may want a glow up or issues you may have with your own body image.  She makes some good points about stress and developing self soothing activities and how to develop good behaviors and identify potential unhealthy behaviors.  She gives journaling activities to help with your journey.  I'm not a journal person, so I'm not sure how helpful those are.  She points out that you should seek a glow up for the right reasons not because you are trying to please someone else or conform to unattainable social media standards, and on that we agree.  I'm looking to restart my exercise routine and eat better to be healthier so I can walk my dog when spring comes and keep up with my kids at amusement parks on vacations.

Overall, I think this book may helpful to younger readers.  I think for me, this isn't what I was looking for to empower me to restart my self-care journey.  My reasons aren't the same as the author's nor are my experiences.  I don't have a negative self image or an unhealthy relationship with food.   The author does make some good points and I do have some takeaways, however I think I am not the target audience for this particular book. 

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RELEASE BLITZ: Through the Glen by Samantha Young

 

Through the Glen by Samantha Young is now live! 

He’s a cynical, world-weary Londoner. She’s a shy Scot. They might seem like opposites, but a few weeks in the Highlands will bring them together in ways they can’t imagine…

Theo Cavendish is the second son of a British viscount, and he’s spent years running from the aristocratic world he grew up in. Betrayal and loss taught him lessons he’s not quick to forget. As an award-winning screenwriter and creator, Theo prefers to throw himself into the world of film and television. He moves from one project to another, never really letting anyone truly know him.

As a housekeeper at the exclusive Ardnoch Estate, shy Sarah McCulloch feels invisible most days. No one really knows her, and they definitely don’t know she’s a bestselling crime writer. She dreams of seeing her series on screen and believes only one person can develop it for television. On the day she quits the estate for good, she shares her secret with club member, Theo, and asks him to consider her books.

Sarah never expected him to say yes or to show up on her doorstep ready to write with her. Or that weeks spent locked up in her cottage would lead them to form an intense but undeniable connection. A bond that Theo is not sure he’s ready to accept, even though he can’t bear to be without her.

However, when they finally venture out of their bubble, Theo finds he’ll have to battle more than his own demons to protect Sarah from hurt. For he has another fan, one intent on bringing the darkest elements of his most famous script to life. And unless he can figure out this real-life antagonist’s next move, Theo could be in danger of losing Sarah forever.

  Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

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Meet Samantha

Samantha Young is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She's been nominated for several Goodreads Choice Awards. Samantha writes adult contemporary and paranormal romance, YA urban fantasy and YA contemporary fiction and is currently published in 31 countries.
She resides in Scotland.

 

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Review: When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein

When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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

This was supposed to be a grumpy-sunshine romcom, but I didn't find the male lead to be very grumpy or the female lead to be very sunshiny. I found them both to be very immature average people. The characters are in their 30s however they act and speak as though they are much younger than that. I don't know if the British humor missed the mark with me or what but I also didn't find it to be as hilarious as promised either.

I feel that the main characters are supposed to be a take on Ted Lasso's Roy Kent and Keeley Jones. I loved Ted Lasso, and Roy is one of my favorite grumps, he reminds me of my own husband with his gruff take no prisoners attitude. Keeley is the epitome of sunshine with her bright, fun wardrobe and wacky personality. The reason they work as a couple is at heart of it they are both kind and care about the people they really let get to know them. Mabel is our Keeley in this story, but instead of a model she is a quirky, curvy writer with self-confidence problems. She constantly worries what other people think about her and what their opinions of her are. She doesn't feel worthy of love and affection from anyone. I'm not a fan of the self-depreciation trope and the constant inner monologues she has with herself about how unworthy she is. She’s a bit of a contradiction. Our Roy is played by Alfie, who was more of a mash up of Roy and Jamie Tartt. He damaged, and is terrible with people and emotions, but he knows what he likes. What he likes isn't what the public expects of him and he's gotten pretty good at putting on a show and hiding the real Alfie. Hanging out with Mabel working on his memoir, brings him out of his shell a bit and he gets more confident about letting the world see who he really is now that he’s retired.

If you haven't seen Ted Lasso, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about. It’s a great show!

Anyway...this book had so much potential, but it missed the mark for me. Both characters had such good back stories to explore that brought them a kinship when it came to their issues with emotions and affection. This topic was kind of glossed over. I think this was a missed opportunity for them to really connect on more than a superficial level. They never talk about the things they need to talk about, and good communication is something I look forward to in a romance. These two failed at good communication. The writing style felt all over the place and I often felt like I missed something. This felt like more of a stream of consciousness style of writing with much of it told from Mabel’s perspective, and I'm not the biggest fan of that style. It felt like the characters were rambling and not making much sense at times. The dialogue between them is dare I say cringey. I love good banter between characters, but I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two and I didn’t understand the humor. Again, it felt very immature to me. This has quite a few steamy scenes, which I'm no stranger to; however the dirty talk was over the top in my opinion. I was not a fan of the choice of language used, but everyone has their thresholds when it comes to those types of scenes.

Overall I think this was supposed to be whimsical and quirky, but for me it fell more into the nonsensical zone. I didn't enjoy the writing style or the characters. I feel like had I been able to connect with Mabel I would have loved this. I think this had so much potential and perhaps it will hit the mark with other readers. As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, I don’t think I got the humor so perhaps someone who understands British humor will absolutely love this.
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Review: Through the Glen by Samantha Young

Through the Glen by Samantha Young
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided both the print and audio arc of this book via the author and Valentine PR, as always all opinions are my own.

The narrators were amazing!  Shane East is one of my favorite narrators and he does a wonderful job with Theo.  This is my first audio experience with Zara Hampton-Brown and she was perfect for Sarah.  Sarah starts out as a shy, almost mousey character and she really captures her transformation as she becomes more sure of herself and more confident as the book progresses.  Both of them are a wonderful pairing and they do a great job capturing the emotions in various scenes and voicing the other character in their respective chapters as well as the side characters throughout.  

As with all of the books in The Highlands Series, this reads as a standalone.  There are many repeat characters from the previous books in the series as well as the Adair Family Series, but as with all of the books in both series this is a companion novel and stands on its own.  this follows Sarah and Theo, who have graced the pages of prior books and they have finally gotten their own story.  Sarah has worked at Ardnoch for the Adair's as a housekeeper for several years, she is very shy and quiet.  Theo on the other hand is an outspoken aristocrat and a famous screenwriter and producer.  On Sarah's last day working at Ardnoch she approaches Theo in the hopes that he will partner with her on a business venture, but he quickly turns her down but he quickly regrets his decision. You see Theo has had writer's block for months and he's got nothing to spark his imagination.  Sarah on the other hand has handed him a new project that sparks his interest.  She has secretly been writing crime novels and they have been blowing up and she has been offered the chance to bring them to the screen.  She knows Theo can help her make the show really shine, so naturally she is disappointed when he turns her down.  She is equally surprised when he unexpectedly shows up at her cottage and offers to partner with her.  

Theo is a private person, and he doesn't easily let people in and get to know him.  He has been hurt by those who claimed to love him in the past.  Sarah has also been hurt by people in her past, which shows up in her writing.  Theo questions where her ideas come from in her novels, and she offers him insight in exchange for insight into his life.  As they get to know each other a kinship and bond forms between the two.  I really enjoyed the character development and chemistry between the two main characters.  Their relationship starts off slow as they get to know each other, but once things take off, things get very spicy and they stay spicy.  As they navigate their feelings for each other in their budding relationship, they also have to deal with a crazed fan who is imitating one of Theo's screenplays putting both of them in danger.

As with all of the books in the series, I really loved this.  The mix of romance, angst, and a little bit of suspense is a nice mix.  Each of the characters has some past trauma to deal with, but it also makes them stronger as individuals and as a couple in the end.  I'm looking forward to reading Jared and Allegra's story next due out in May.  They should be a fun couple!

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Review: Written in the Scars by Adriana Locke

Written in the Scars by Adriana Locke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was given an audio code for this book via the author and Valentine PR, however I had previously purchased copy of the ebook prior to listening to the audio version. As always all opinions expressed in my review are my own.

I've owned a copy of this for a while, but I'd been putting off reading this because I knew this was one of Addy's more emotional standalones. I have finally been in the right headspace to pick this up and the audiobook was a great way to enjoy this. Both of the narrators brought Tyler and Elin's emotion to the page in just the right way.

This follows Elin and Tyler in the wake of a heartbreaking split. They have loved each other since about 8th grade, but after a life altering accident at work leaves Tyler lost and feeling useless he begins to spiral. He feels like a burden and decides to take matters into his own hands and take a break. This of course shatters Elin's faith and trust in Tyler and their marriage. Elin is also suffering from some personal struggles, but because she no longer can trust him she keeps this information from Tyler when he comes back and tries to make amends and put the pieces of their relationship back together. They never stopped loving each other and they have to decide if their love is enough to rebuild and start over.

I liked that Elin and Tyler were already married and dealt with real marriage problems. While Elin's stubborn streak and desire to keep secrets from Ty as punishment went on a bit too long in my opinion, they eventually had the hard, grown up conversations that needed to be had. The author did a good job capturing how hard marriage can be at times and the panic you feel when your partner is in a harrowing situation. As they pick up the pieces things start to heat up between them so if you are looking for spice this doesn't disappoint.

Part of this are extremely emotional so have your tissues nearby. There are some painful discussions and situations that the characters go through. I put content warnings that may or not be spoilers at the end of my review.

Content warnings [infertility, miscarriage, death of a friend, discussion of drug use (hide spoiler)]

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