Scan barcode
robin_is_me's reviews
92 reviews
Fall Inn Love by Elise Kennedy
Both characters are so well written. Iris is not your typical slender svelte heroine. In high school she was a little self-conscious about her size, but as an adult she’s learned to embrace herself and she’s confident and comfortable in her own body, which was refreshing. She’s smart, she’s funny, and she’s passionate about her work. And Sam! I loved Sam from the get go. At one of the inns the proprietor offers Iris one of her chicory root or bark-infused teas, commenting that they’re great appetite suppressants, and Sam’s furious and immediate reaction was glorious.
*Received via BookSirens and voluntarily reviewed*
funny
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This was an absolutely delightful little novella! One of my favorite tropes is enemies to lovers. This wasn’t quite that, as Iris and Sam weren’t really enemies, but rather had been antagonistic rivals in high school and all through college, competing for everything from debate team captain to class president. Iris is now a journalist for a leisure magazine, and excited for a two week assignment visiting seven different Vermont inns to write an article about the three most romantic places to stay. She and Jo, the photographer, the female photographer, were supposed to travel incognito, pretending to be a couple, but at the last minute Jo can’t make it, and sends Sam in her place. Sam, the very male, very hot, photographer. Who she will now have to share a bed with every night, unless she wants to sleep on the floor.
Both characters are so well written. Iris is not your typical slender svelte heroine. In high school she was a little self-conscious about her size, but as an adult she’s learned to embrace herself and she’s confident and comfortable in her own body, which was refreshing. She’s smart, she’s funny, and she’s passionate about her work. And Sam! I loved Sam from the get go. At one of the inns the proprietor offers Iris one of her chicory root or bark-infused teas, commenting that they’re great appetite suppressants, and Sam’s furious and immediate reaction was glorious.
And the inns! As they left each inn, I couldn’t wait to learn about the next one. Each one was unique in it’s own way, and I loved the author’s imagination and descriptions of each one, and of the staff working there.
This was an engaging and enjoyable read, with lots of humor, and plenty smexy tension thanks to the bed sharing, eventually leading up to some very hot scenes. I can’t wait for the next entry in the series!
*Received via BookSirens and voluntarily reviewed*
The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson
5.0
This was a little different than the author's usual books, and not just because it's so short (only 93 pages). I never got around to reading the synopsis on the dust jacket, and had only read one review that was a bit negative, so I didn't really know what to expect. Except that I love just about everything I've read from Peter Swanson, which is why I bought it without bothering to read the synopsis.
If you, on the other hand, have read the synopsis, I don't want to tell you anything else about it, other than it does contain the usual Swanson twist halfway through. I'm glad I knew nothing going in, and I think that's the best way to approach it, so I don't want to inadvertently provide any spoilers.
You just can't go wrong with a Peter Swanson book.
If you, on the other hand, have read the synopsis, I don't want to tell you anything else about it, other than it does contain the usual Swanson twist halfway through. I'm glad I knew nothing going in, and I think that's the best way to approach it, so I don't want to inadvertently provide any spoilers.
You just can't go wrong with a Peter Swanson book.
The Road Before Us by Janine Rosche
In 2003, Jade is eight years old, and I struggled a little with her narration. If I hadn’t known she was eight I might have thought she was only five or six. But I’m not sure if her narration really came off that way, or if I just don’t remember what an eight year old is like, not having been around one since my now adult daughters were that age.
Adult Jade, however, along with Benny, both her younger self and her current day elderly self, and Bridger, her foster son, were all beautifully written. Bridger is a very quirky character who often made me laugh. In her Author’s Note, Ms. Rosche tells us that she traveled all 2,448 miles of Historic Route 66, and it shows in her writing. She packs in so much interesting and descriptive detail about the road and the towns along the way that THE ROAD BEFORE US could serve as a travel guide.
I very much enjoyed traveling along with this trio, and was sorry to part company with them. Bridger and Jade were about to embark on a new journey when I turned the last page, and I desperately wanted to accompany them.
*Received via the Revell Reads Blogger Program and voluntarily reviewed*
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I’ve never felt any desire to travel the old Route 66. I have traveled a very small portion of it, though not in many many years. But traveling along with Jade, Bridger, and Bernie made it sound like a worthwhile journey to take.
The trio are traversing Route 66 while shooting a documentary about Benny, who traveled the same route in 1956, headed to Hollywood to become a star. Along the way, they visit landmarks, both well known, and personal to Benny, such as motels where she and Paul, the love of her life, stayed on their journey, or other places they stopped to visit. But the journey is also personal for Jade, who has bittersweet memories of traveling with her father in the summer of 2003. The narrative bounces between those two times and the present day, with each section told in first person POV. I enjoyed Benny’s sections the most, as she and Paul fall in love on the way. I probably would have been happy with a book just about the two of them.
In 2003, Jade is eight years old, and I struggled a little with her narration. If I hadn’t known she was eight I might have thought she was only five or six. But I’m not sure if her narration really came off that way, or if I just don’t remember what an eight year old is like, not having been around one since my now adult daughters were that age.
Adult Jade, however, along with Benny, both her younger self and her current day elderly self, and Bridger, her foster son, were all beautifully written. Bridger is a very quirky character who often made me laugh. In her Author’s Note, Ms. Rosche tells us that she traveled all 2,448 miles of Historic Route 66, and it shows in her writing. She packs in so much interesting and descriptive detail about the road and the towns along the way that THE ROAD BEFORE US could serve as a travel guide.
I very much enjoyed traveling along with this trio, and was sorry to part company with them. Bridger and Jade were about to embark on a new journey when I turned the last page, and I desperately wanted to accompany them.
*Received via the Revell Reads Blogger Program and voluntarily reviewed*
About a Boy by Nick Hornby
5.0
Very much enjoyed this, my first Nick Hornby book. It made me want to see the movie again, which I did, and which was very faithful to the book other than partially changing the ending.
A Gamble of the Heart by K.T. Raine
*Received via BookSirens and voluntarily reviewed*
4.0
I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read from Ms. Raine, so when I saw this was available to request on BookSirens I snapped it up. I’ve previously described Ms. Raine’s books as breezy, fun, and heartwarming, with well written characters, and A GAMBLE OF THE HEART delivered on those expectations. But when I say breezy I don’t mean frivolous, as her books also touch on deeper subjects, and there is usually an element of danger to the heroine, with the hero being a protector (one of my personal catnips). Here we have Becca and her young son traveling across the state seeking refuge, after a loan shark appears at her door, demanding money to pay off her ex-husband’s gambling debt. From there, the physical danger is minimal, and the story is more about Becca finding herself again, finding friends and acceptance in her new home, and of course, since this is a romance, finding love again.
That’s not to say her ex isn’t involved in the story, and we even get some sections told from his point of view. It would have been easy for the author to write him off in the end, but she gave him some character development and a chance at redemption instead.
This is a quick read, with some tense moments towards the end, and a happy, satisfying resolution. It’s the first in a new series, and with four more brothers besides Tony I’m already looking forward to more of the Ragin’ Moon Refuge! And I highly recommend Ms. Raine’s Huckleberry Ridge series, as well as the first book of hers that I read, HOLDING OUT FOR SPECIAL.
That’s not to say her ex isn’t involved in the story, and we even get some sections told from his point of view. It would have been easy for the author to write him off in the end, but she gave him some character development and a chance at redemption instead.
This is a quick read, with some tense moments towards the end, and a happy, satisfying resolution. It’s the first in a new series, and with four more brothers besides Tony I’m already looking forward to more of the Ragin’ Moon Refuge! And I highly recommend Ms. Raine’s Huckleberry Ridge series, as well as the first book of hers that I read, HOLDING OUT FOR SPECIAL.
Only Pleasure by Lora Leigh
5.0
My first time reading Lora Leigh. I knew that she wrote steamy romance, but I was pleased that there was also an actual story, with a plot, and with well written characterization.
This is book ten in the Bound Hearts series. I normally like to read series books in order, and I definitely felt I would have benefited from reading book nine, about the hero's brother. I went to Goodreads and ready the synopses of all the books after this one in the series, and was sorely disappointed that Khalid, who played a big part in this story, was not the hero of any of those books. The epilogue seemed to be setting him up for the next book. I will have to hunt down the first book so I can start at the beginning now.
This is book ten in the Bound Hearts series. I normally like to read series books in order, and I definitely felt I would have benefited from reading book nine, about the hero's brother. I went to Goodreads and ready the synopses of all the books after this one in the series, and was sorely disappointed that Khalid, who played a big part in this story, was not the hero of any of those books. The epilogue seemed to be setting him up for the next book. I will have to hunt down the first book so I can start at the beginning now.
Disorderly Lady by Claudy Conn
He pulled back from his kiss and licked her upper lip even as nibbled with his teeth at her bottom lip...
I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to imagine how he could do both at the same time.
I did like the characters, though Shaun was a bit dense in persisting in believing that Bella was another man's mistress, or a "lightskirt", even as he marveled at how refined she was. And I did manage to get caught up in the story enough that I never considered not finishing it.
And then. The entire book was narrated in third person POV. Until the epilogue, which was narrated by Bella in first person POV. Why? I was so confused. At first I thought maybe she was writing a letter to someone while on her honeymoon, but no. It was just an arbitrary switch.
2.5
When I left my book at home one day and had nothing to read on my lunch hour, I opened the Kindle app on my phone and went to the book that had been sitting there the longest, which turned out to be this one (since 2015!).
I've struggled with whether to give it 2 or 3 stars. The writing isn't great and didn't really flow smoothly, and there were soooo many words, and strings of words, italicized, for no reason that I could discern. I mean, italics are meant to add emphasis, but if you read the italicized words with emphasis...well, it rarely worked. I did like this line:
She hadn’t meant to lose her heart, but if she looked for it now, she would find it in his hands.
But then there was this:
I've struggled with whether to give it 2 or 3 stars. The writing isn't great and didn't really flow smoothly, and there were soooo many words, and strings of words, italicized, for no reason that I could discern. I mean, italics are meant to add emphasis, but if you read the italicized words with emphasis...well, it rarely worked. I did like this line:
She hadn’t meant to lose her heart, but if she looked for it now, she would find it in his hands.
But then there was this:
I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to imagine how he could do both at the same time.
I did like the characters, though Shaun was a bit dense in persisting in believing that Bella was another man's mistress, or a "lightskirt", even as he marveled at how refined she was. And I did manage to get caught up in the story enough that I never considered not finishing it.
And then. The entire book was narrated in third person POV. Until the epilogue, which was narrated by Bella in first person POV. Why? I was so confused. At first I thought maybe she was writing a letter to someone while on her honeymoon, but no. It was just an arbitrary switch.
A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell
4.0
I saw the movie adaptation a long time ago, so when I came across the book recently I snatched it up. It started out a bit slow for me, I'm not a fan of blog posts being inserted throughout a narrative, but I got quite caught up in it, and since it's been so long since I saw the movie I didn't see the ending coming. Now I want to watch the movie again.
Dakota! by Dana Fuller Ross
2.0
This is probably my least favorite of the series so far. I knew early on I was likely not going to enjoy it as much just because I have no interest in reading about wars between the white men and the Indians cuz, yeah, the white men invaded and treated the Indians like shit so it's hard to root for the settlers.
And then I was irritated at one character for being such a naive fool. I was mad at another for cheating on his wife and then rationalizing "she was a woman who made herself available to me, and I was a man".
And then I was irritated at one character for being such a naive fool. I was mad at another for cheating on his wife and then rationalizing "she was a woman who made herself available to me, and I was a man".
The Journalist by David Gardner, David Gardner
Some quirky characters, which the author does well, never going overboard. He also presents us with a nice twist on the whole seeing dead people/talks to ghosts trope. And then the mission had me riveted to the page.