Monique S.'s Blog, page 17

nice!

Undone by Bryce Oakley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Just what I needed! I have had some disappointments recenly with the books I chose after Never Mine
so another Bryce Oakley seemed a good bet and it was.

I like the description of the way Billie "invites" her muse as well as the lyrics diary and I have also enjoyed the description of the atmosphere in the studio, when they record the demo. The best bit, though, is the tenderness that develops between Billie and Vero, once they start being honest with themselves and one another.

Ofcourse there is an ex-bitch who tries to throw a spanner in the works, this is a lesbian romance after all, but I enjoyed the unusual resolution that leads the two ladies out of the resulting funk.



View all my reviews

wonderful, but not for the faint hearted

The Clinch by Nicole Disney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Clinch is an amazing voyagen into the mind of martial arts competitors.

Eden has been absorbing her grand master teacher Lin's spiritual approach, her competitiveness is fuelled by wanting to honour the person, who saved her from the street and teach what she has gained by becoming a champion.

Brooklyn has been formed by her parents strict religious convictions and the need to fight for her place among her insensitive brothers and her father. Her only real idol is Eden, whom she has to beat to fulfill her fathers ambitions to validate the "family name". Having only had three official fights, though, her brute physical strength is nothig by comparison to Eden's mental and spiritual ability.

What follows is a voyage into deep denial for Brooklyn and of an unfathomable challenge for Eden, as, physically injured as she is, she tries and succeeds to calm Brooklyn and get her to think as well as wrestle and learn how to punch in spite of her lack in reach. Brooklyn also teaches her Bazilian Jiu Jitzu.

Interference by money hungry managers finally breaks their complicity and forces them to fight a second time, this time neither being sure, if they even want to win that fight or fight it at all. External forces seem to win, though, until Brooklyn's newly developed personal strength surpises everyone, including Eden.

This is a wonderfully written romance, even though the fight scenes are more brutal than some I read in Bernard Cornwells medieval battle descriptions, so, nothing for sensitive souls. I have seen worse in reality, when I served as paramedic with the Red Cross Ambulance Corps in my youth in Hamburg, but it nevertheless brought back some memories I'd rather have avoided, so be warned.



View all my reviews

5 stars are not enough

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I was already set on reading another novel when I checked my postbox and found the printed copy of This Poison Heart that I had been waiting for for a while.

I loved Cinderella is Dead a lot, but I not even about a third into the book I knew I was going to like this even better! Move over, Percy Jackson, here comes Briseis Colchis, a descendant of a much older Goddess than those Greek impostors, a descendant of Hekate, much older, whose myth some think dates back to somewhere around 4000 to 3000 BC.

Greek myths link Medea and her aunt Kirke to Hekate, but the story Kaylynn Byron tells here about Briseis Colchis and her abilities, that are a mix of those of Demeter and Persephone as well of Hekate herself, is much better than the various Greek myths I read about Medea at school. In fact, this is an absolutely thrilling mix of fantasy and today’s reality with a really nice romance thrown in, to spice up the development Briseis makes as she finally comes to accept her powers.

Good and bad players are equally well developed here and thoroughly believable, from Briseis two mothers by adoption to her fake new male friend or the woman she falls for to the mother and aunt she never knew, they all come to life and keep you spellbound. I read the book in one sitting from lunchtime to 3 a.m. the next morning.

Having been trained in Homeopathy I was very well acquainted with most of the poisonous plants Briseis finds in her search for her ancestry and I could very well relate to and root for her. Hekate is one of the Goddesses associated with the Moon and Capricorn in my new favourite Tarot and I thought it really funny, that not too long ago, when I read it for my young protegée Angira, I called myself jokingly and old witch.

In all, this one may really turn out my top favourite book of the year. Five stars aren’t anywhere near enough!



View all my reviews

not credible enough

Riding on High by Natalie Debrabandere

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was my seond book by Natalie Debrandere and after Maritima my expectations were high. I was rewarded with the romance and setting bit of the plot, but the underlying suspense was not quite a match for the romance, especilly as the ending was way over the top for the rest of the story. Too much completely unwarranted mad violence, that was not credible at all in the context of the story.
The necessary logistics behind the attacks would have taken too much money for the madwoman supposedly the perpetrator to have been able to raise credibly.

The other question was how she should have found them on the day or should have got an automatic weapon and ammunition in France without good connections to the French underworld or raising suspicion with the Gendarmerie Judiciare. She would certainly not have been able to import it by plane and could certainly not have driven the massive 4X4 over from the states either. Unfortunately that took a lot of enjoyyment out of the read for me.

So here we have a weak3.7 stars generously rounded up to four. Maybe someone not living in France for 20 years and not having read quite some very good French detecective novels would not stumble over what I mentioned, but the excessive violence might still be over the top.



View all my reviews

not credible enough

Riding on High by Natalie Debrabandere

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was my seond book by Natalie Debrandere and after Maritima my expectations were high. I was rewarded with the romance and setting bit of the plot, but the underlying suspense was not quite a match for the romance, especilly as the ending was way over the top for the rest of the story. Too much completely unwarranted mad violence, that was not credible at all in the context of the story.
The necessary logistics behind the attacks would have taken too much money for the madwoman supposedly the perpetrator to have been able to raise credibly.

The other question was how she should have found them on the day or should have got an automatic weapon and ammunition in France without good connections to the French underworld or raising suspicion with the Gendarmerie Judiciare. She would certainly not have been able to import it by plane and could certainly not have driven the massive 4X4 over from the states either. Unfortunately that took a lot of enjoyyment out of the read for me.

So here we have a weak3.7 stars generously rounded up to four. Maybe someone not living in France for 20 years and not having read quite some very good French detecective novels would not stumble over what I mentioned, but the excessive violence might still be over the top.



View all my reviews

A true pleasure to read!

Escorte moi au premier vue est un roman qui j’ai cru plutôt comme quelques autres sur des gens faisant faux semblant d’être en couple, mais ici l’histoire est beaucoup mieux que les autres de ce genre j’ai lu.

L’auteure touche sur une nombre de « tropes » avec ce livre, mais elle ne tombe nulle part dans la piège tentante en suivre. Plutôt elle décrit les troubles d’une jeune femme, qui a réussi créer des jeux vidéo, mais n’arrive pas être détendu avec plus que une ou deux personnes. Sa meilleure ami, Olivia, qui est aussi sa partenaire dans l’entreprise force une Escorte professionnelle sur elle, pour un événement social. La Pauvre June ne sait sur quel pied danser, mais je peut pas éviter tomber sous le charme de Sasha.

[spoiler]
Force par une serie de rencontres pas bienvenu du tout, June se trouve forcé de encore se fier a Sasha pour la mariage de deux de ses amis et de la semaine, qui se déroulera autour la Ferme des ses grand Parents. Elle tombe amoureuse de Sasha contre sa volonté et le refus de Sasha admettre que c’est réciproque finalement fait June sortir de la prison, dans laquelle elle s’est mis elle même pour poursuivre ses efforts convaincre Sasha de son amour.
[end spoiler]

Les changements, au début subtiles en June, quand elle réalise, que elle est tombé amoureuse de Sasha vers une personnalité plus adulte et moins timide, avec ses hésitations et troubles sentimentales sont fait avec réalisme et on ne peut que souffrir avec elle, jusque à June trouve la vraie raison du refus de Sasha de se commettre dans une vraie relation avec June. La courage de June ne fait que croître.

Au début les petites escarmouches verbales entre June et Sasha paraissent drôles au début, et il prend un temps pour eux de trouver une sorte de paix,
qui leur permette finalement parler honnêtement sur ses vraies sentiments.
Ce que j’aime le plus de cette histoire est, que pas un des deux n’est victime de leur peurs et vraiment s’enfuit en face des difficultés. Pas un seul fois.

More like an Epilogue

Forever and A Day: a Those Who Wait story by Haley Cass

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I was reading something else and also working on my own novel, when I found this, and after I loved “Those Who Wait” so much, I just had to switch and read it in one sitting instantly.

It turned out that the writing is as good as before, only with its length I have to say, that It would have been either better employed as an epilogue to the original book or should have been a lot longer, delving just as deeply into the considerable development both characters make in this plot, that is more a snippet of a story really.

I am a little disappointed, but still enjoyed the read. Only it is just a 4 star by comparison to the first book of the “series” (?), due to lack of depth.



View all my reviews

A worthwhile read.

Queen of the North by Anne O'Brien

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another of Anne O’Brien’s historical novels about a strong woman and what would later be called the war of the roses, the long term conflict between the houses of York and Lancaster around the Plantagenet line of royal succession.

As is her trade mark Anne O’Brien uses proven historical fact (history) as the base for the exploration of an extraordinary, strong woman, here Elisabeth Percy, whose struggle to uphold the claim on the crown of the Mortimer family, her ascendancy.

It makes for a fascinating read to discover, how a headstrong, intelligent woman might have felt and faired in a time, when women weren’t considered to be suitable for anything other than satisfying men and breeding heirs.

As Virgin Widow, set in a slightly later time some 50 odd years on, it was hard to put aside, once I had got into it. I always love to be educated about history while reading a fabulous story and Anne O’Brien sure delivers again with this one.



View all my reviews

Well worth the read!

Mascarade by Lena Clarke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Je vais commencer par dire, que j’avais mes doutes de ce roman. L’image sur le titre est jolie, mais j'ai mes doutes, que on avait Mascara et vernis à ongles en 1847.
Dans le livre même in n’en avait que un vraiment erreur de ce genre le mot shampooing. Certainement à cet age c’était un savon doux.

En fin de compte ça n’a en rien réduit mon plaisir lire cet roman merveilleux. Je ne sais pas comment traduire le mot trope en Français, à distance on pourrait croire il s’agit de une "amis à amantes" histoire, mais on trouve ici tellement plus. Même si j’avais lu vingt ans avant un roman de Barbara Cartland suivant une pareille ligne ceci est beaucoup mieux que ça. Peut être, si Barbara Cartland aurait eu l’audace d’une Georgette Heyer le résultat aurait été pareil, mais ce roman comble les deux.

Le style de écriture évoque bien la période Victorienne et l’essence de l’histoire est si captivant que surprenant. Il en a tout les éléments souhaités, une romance douce mais sexy, des caractères bien élaborées, de la suspense… tout. Un vrai plaisir de lecture.



View all my reviews

A perfect read

Crossing Into Brooklyn by J.A. Armstrong

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a wonderful romance that left me with a smile on my face. Short as it is, it is so good, because it moves in a straight line to a happy ending. Happy ever after? Who can say? Life is life and it has a rhythm of its own, we’re only here for the ride.

Both Brooklyn and Carter are masterfully crafted characters and yes, it is kind of an age gap romance, but that really depends on you point of view. Ten years can be a lot, of one is thirteen and the other twenty three. 32 to early forties? The gap between my parents was 15 years and at the time nobody though it strange. So why should it be different for two lesbian women?

We think ourselves modern, because our society pretends to accept LGBTQ+ people, so why are there double standards for the age of someone you fall in love with? What matters is maturity, as that defines the quality of the relationship. In some respects here the younger one in the end is the more mature, when it comes to express her feelings.

The thing I loved most about this book are the quirky dialogues. There re so may times I had to laugh out loud and even more I could not avoid a silly grin. I very much enjoyed this book, it was the perfect read for me.

So I’d like to double the stars for this book 10 stars for a perfect read.



View all my reviews