mousegoddess's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Solid four star read, grumpy/sunshine is a fun dynamic
luxielit's review
2.0
2.5 stars
I found this ebook browsing Christmas titles at the library and I wish it had been noted in the description that this takes place in Australia because I was looking for a nice snowy Christmas read, yet Christmas in Australia is summertime. Not to mention they meet at a Christmas party, but that's the only Christmas thing about this book. I liked the premise though so just kept on reading.
The writing seemed to repeat itself a lot and I agree with a previous reviewer that there was much more telling than showing. Halfway through I felt annoyed by the narration of Zoe and Kiet's inner thoughts, like the narrator knew them better than they knew themselves; and how old is Zoe? Because she sounds like a teenager who's never been in the presence of a man before. A lot of their scenes made me cringe instead of feeling excited or happy for them. I almost ditched this book many times but stayed to find out who was taking the money. Now I just wanna know what happened to Nok?
I found this ebook browsing Christmas titles at the library and I wish it had been noted in the description that this takes place in Australia because I was looking for a nice snowy Christmas read, yet Christmas in Australia is summertime. Not to mention they meet at a Christmas party, but that's the only Christmas thing about this book. I liked the premise though so just kept on reading.
The writing seemed to repeat itself a lot and I agree with a previous reviewer that there was much more telling than showing. Halfway through I felt annoyed by the narration of Zoe and Kiet's inner thoughts, like the narrator knew them better than they knew themselves; and how old is Zoe? Because she sounds like a teenager who's never been in the presence of a man before. A lot of their scenes made me cringe instead of feeling excited or happy for them. I almost ditched this book many times but stayed to find out who was taking the money. Now I just wanna know what happened to Nok?
colossal's review
4.0
This is one of four books by different Australian romance authors that center on a particular Christmas in Rainbow Cove, a fictitious seaside town. In this one Kiet, a local oyster farmer has an encounter with Zoe, who just happens to be a forensic accountant. That's exactly what Kiet needs as he suspects that the business that he runs with his brother is being embezzled, most likely by his brother's ex.
That was quick and fun with likable and smart Zoe essentially laying siege to the brooding and untrusting Kiet. There's enough background of the other couples involved in the setting to make the other books in the series interesting as well.
That was quick and fun with likable and smart Zoe essentially laying siege to the brooding and untrusting Kiet. There's enough background of the other couples involved in the setting to make the other books in the series interesting as well.
slowburnsrus's review
2.0
I found the writing clunky, awkward and hard to get into. There was a lot more telling than showing, especially with the long internal monologues. I liked the idea of the main characters and Kiet, a Vietnamese-Australian oyster farmer was engaging and sympathetic. It will probably be clear within a few pages if this is a good fit, the writing style is consistent throughout.
I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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