The Man I Never Met Review

The Man I Never Met by Elle Cook is a slow burn, complicated romance. I settled in to read what I thought was going to be an easy-going romcom to escape reality for a bit, but I shortly found myself in very unexpected territory. 

The author, Elle Cook, tackles a hard, emotional subject with care and respect, and even though the story wasn't what I'd anticipated, I found myself glad my initial expectations weren't met. A love interest with a serious illness isn't exactly the usual romcom material, and, to be honest, isn't a subject I'd intentionally have chosen to read, but I'm very glad I was surprised by the turn The Man I Never Met took. I hope to read more stories like this. 

I did find the pacing a little too slow for my liking, and I would have preferred that Hannah's character had a bit more backbone. Other than that, I found it well written, surprising, and a book that handles a scary subject with respect.

Thanks to NetGalley, Elle Cook, and Random House for providing this ARC for me to review. 

Darling Review

Darling, by India Knight, is a retelling of Nancy Mitford's Pursuit of Love. I wanted to like this book more than I did, because I felt it had the potential to captivate, but it just wasn't for me. While the characters were wonderfully crafted with strong voices, it felt choppy and I never could comfortably settle into reading it. I'd read a chapter, then wander off to do something, come back and read another, then wander off again. 

I think it was wonderfully written and full of entertaining characters, so I did enjoy that part of it. The story itself did not hold my attention at all, and I almost DNFed it, but since it was short, I was able to finish it in a day. To be fair, most reviewers were thrilled with it and sang its praises, so give it a try and see what you think. 

Thanks to NetGalley, India Knight, and Penguin for providing the ARC for my review. 

50 Ways to Win Back Your Lover Review

50 Ways to Win Back Your Lover, a second chance, small town romcom, by Kelly Siskind, has introduced me to a new favorite author! What a well written, engaging book with witty banter, lovable characters, and a cozy, but gossipy, small town. Hooked! Not only were the main characters well developed, but even the incidental ones are memorable. I'm someone who gets overwhelmed with too much information thrown at me too quickly, and have a hard time remembering who's who, but no problem with this one, and that's due to good writing, not my suddenly improved memory! 

The book is written from the male lead's POV. E, or Edgar, is a softie with a determination to win back the love of his high school sweetheart, Delilah Moon, after he and his family suddenly disappeared overnight 10 years earlier. A decade apart with no communication (it's complicated, as E would say) seems like an insurmountable hurdle to leap, but it's made even worse by the fact that E can't tell anyone WHY he and his entire family deserted their small town and all their friends. It's not just Delilah Moon he needs to make peace with, it's the whole town, and he's the only one in the family making an effort. Poor E has a lot on his shoulders. But, he's determined, even though he is working through his own pain, regret, anger, and ongoing family problems. 

E makes a reference to Windfall, the small town, being like Stars Hollow in the Gilmore Girls, and with that the whole town seemed more relatable. It made me appreciate even more how the townspeople rallied around Delilah in a protective circle when E dared to show his face there again. 

I love the scenes in Delilah's bakery, the precious dog E adopts, the banter, and the passion between E and Delilah, but it's not all sweetness and light. There's a lot of hurt on both sides to deal with, as well as mental health, angst, fear of the future, and so on. 

I can hardly wait to read more in this series, but even though this is the first book, it's a standalone. I'll be very interested in the other brothers' stories, but especially Desmond's. I'm excited to follow the journeys of the Bower brothers!

Thanks to NetGalley, Kelly Siskind, and Montlake for providing this ARC for me to review. 

So Long, Chester Wheeler Review

I've just finished this wonderful book, So Long, Chester Wheeler by Catherine Ryan Hyde. A firm 5 STARS!

Neighbours Lewis and Chester, a very unlikely pair, find themselves thrown together by a series of unfortunate events. Lewis is a young gay man in dire need of a job, and Chester is an irascible old homophobe in need of a caregiver. Neither one of them wants each other around, but since Chester has run off all the local caregivers, and Lewis has rent due, they find themselves grudgingly accepting that fate has thrown them together. 

They predictably get off to a bad start, but it's the start of a journey, both figuratively and literally for them, and what lies ahead is a bumpy road of give and take. They learn things about themselves and each other that challenge long held opinions, expose secrets, and break down barriers. 

Don't get the idea that this is a gloomy downer of a book; far from it! We're talking  heartwarming and funny, with wonderful dialogue and situations. It's a book that finds humor even in the most embarrassing or tense situations, and Lewis' wit gives a perfect comic relief when needed. 

I fell in love with Lewis and, after a bittersweet revelation about Chester's past, I found a soft spot for him, as well. 

All in all, this is an uplifting, feel good story that I highly recommend.

Thanks go to NetGalley, Catherine Ryan Hyde, and Lake Union Publishers for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Antisocial Housing Review

 

Antisocial Housing by Tim Mendees is a captivating, well paced horror novel that doesn’t mess about! Within a few pages I was absorbed in one of my favorite genres, old school pulp horror, the stuff old Hollywood B movies were made of. 

Mendees hits the perfect balance on all parts, characterization, plot, flow, and pace. It was a quick read, yet fully fleshed out. The character development was wonderful, the dialogue was well done, and the horror was palpable. The shoggoth, a Lovecratian beastie, is a slimy predator,  very hangry, and bent on revenge. Delicious.

Thanks to Tim Mendees, NetGalley, and Nordic Press for providing this ARC for review. 

Lindsey Love Loves

I've been in a bit of a reading slump, mainly because I've been bingeing on Christmas Netflix and spending loads of time crocheting. I've managed to finish a fingering weight blanket and I'm about a third of the way through a cardigan. I finished Lindsey Love Loves (free on KU or £3.10 to buy) several days ago, and I've got three or four Christmas cozies on the go that I haven't read a word of in days. So much for working through some of my Christmas TBR, which is an embarrassing amount.

I've been watching a lot of Netflix over the past weekend since my husband was in Wales working on our smallholding. I always save my viewing binges for when he's away, so I can go through an entire series in a few days. This time it was Virgin River on Netflix (UK link). I was immediately hooked by the scenery, ambiance and aesthetics, then drawn in by the story. I really like the characters and since I'm a sucker for character led viewing and reading, I worked my way through the two seasons in two days. I do hope there's a season 3 coming up. 

The Virgin River show is based on a 19 book series by Robyn Carr, and I've already managed to acquire all of them. I already had the first two books buried in my Kindle hoard, and then found all but two of the others on Scribd (audiobooks), so I got the other two on Kindle. I'm happy to see that there are three Christmas books in the series. My name is Xylia, and I'm a book hoarder. 

ETA: I've just discovered that there are actually 21 books in the Virgin River series, and the other two are more Christmas novellas!! I found them on Scribd, both in one audiobook called 'Tis the Season.

So, back to Lindsey Love Loves. I really don't have too much to say about it, since I have such a terrible memory that, after only a week, I've forgotten much of the story. Having such a memory can be a blessing, though, because I get to go back and read books I know I've liked in the past and read it as if I never have before. But, I digress. Lindsey was a likeable character, as were most of the characters. I loved the banter between her and the love interest whose name I've already forgotten. They certainly got into some situations, whether it was actual physical danger, cringeworthy behaviors, or even from family members who delighted in telling embarrassing tales of the love interest's past. 

I'd definitely recommend giving Lindsey Love Loves a read. My only con about it is that sometimes it felt a little choppy, as in suddenly we're given a jump in the timeline that resulted in a second of realizing we were in a different place in the story now. 

I'm going to force myself to keep the TV off, to put the cardigan down for a while, and finish at least two of the Christmas books I have on the go. I used to be a one book at a time person, and lately I've found myself having four or more books going at once. I'm not quite sure how this happened, and I don't think I like it. I'm going to cut down to two, and they must be of different genres. Get it together, Xylia. 

Remember this

 The first law in thermodynamics states this:

'energy can neither be created nor destroyed.'

Which is to say everything around us is recycled energy,

You, me, your dog, those we love and those we avoid.

Which is to say that the energy that makes us

is as ancient as the beginning of time itself.

Which is to say that our bones could have been

fragmented together from the ashes of the library of Alexandria.

Which is to say our sinews and spine were crafted from the

end of a hundred-year-old oak tree and our smiles a comet.

Which is to say our hearts could be Achilles’ spirit

when he battled Troy, bringing his enemies down with it.

Which is to say, when we feel like life is overwhelming,

we must remember that we’re just sparks of energy borrowing skin.

That no matter how much this pain feels everlasting,

this is just the temporary fabric we are in.

- The Fable in Thermodynamics by Nikita Gill

The Duke and I

Welp, I figured I'd do some re-reading in anticipation of the Bridgerton series coming up on Netflix on Dec. 25. I decided to do audiobooks since a lot of the series is available in that format on Scribd, so I started off happily with the first book in the series, The Duke and I (paperback £8.99, Kindle £2.99). Everything was going along quite well until the first appearance of Simon. The voice. Oh, my God, the voice. I never knew a voice could make me hate a character so goddamned much. Now, I'll admit, I'm a picky one when it comes to narrators and I've been known to pull the plug on audiobooks within seconds because the voice irritated me, but this...this was a whole new level. I loved the other character's voices, I knew I loved the story, and I was determined not to give up, so I finished listening to the book, even though I couldn't stand to spend more than a half hour at a time listening. I have never been so glad to finish an audiobook in my life. I have given up on my idea to read through the series before watching the show. It seems like it would be a chore now instead of a fun thing to do. I refuse to buy the books when there are free audiobooks available, and the others are read by the same narrator, so I know there will be more godawful male voices awaiting me. I guess I'll just enjoy the Netflix series come Christmas Day, and later, when the memory of the awful voice has faded, I'll attempt the whole series in book form. What with all the moves I've made in my life and the thousands (literally) of books I've had to sacrifice to the moving gods, replacing ones previously purchased and read is not my favorite thing to do, but I'll just take it one at a time. 

Why do I always type out The DUCK and I instead of The Duke and I? Are there any anthropomorphic historical romances? Wouldn't that be fun? I'd deffo read them. 

As for now, I've started an anthology of cozy Christmas mysteries. I've decided to limit myself to reading one book at a time again, and it seems to be working out better for me. I never used to read more until a couple of years ago, when, for some unknown reason, I suddenly started having up to four or more going at once. It worked for a while, but then I started missing the simplicity of having one book to devote my attention to. The anthology is helping me ease back into the habit since it's giving me such a variety in one book. Novellas are perfect for Christmas reading, because I want to cram in as many stories as possible in a short time.

Also, Biden and Harris. I voted for them, I love them, I'm looking forward to having a sense safety and comfort that have eluded me for four years. If you're a Trump supporter, fuck right off.

Bromance, take me away

If ever I needed a day for escapism, it's this one. I can hardly bear the wait to find out the outcome of this election, and it may take days, if not weeks to know the final result. To take my mind of this awful anxiety, I'm finishing up some partially read books, and then I'll start on Christmassy reads. 

I have no freaking idea why this alignment isn't working right and although it's driving me crazy, I give up trying to make it work right. Blogger has gotten buggier and buggier over the years, and their themes have gotten less and less attractive to me, but it's still the easiest for me to use, so I'll put up with it. Grumble.

Ahem, back to book business. 

I started Crazy, Stupid Bromance (£2.99 on Kindle) a few days ago, and then got distracted by listening to an audiobook. I picked this back up with my first cup of coffee this morning and read the last 2/3 of it in no time. Once again, Lyssa Kay Adams has knocked it out of the park. She really can twang all the emotions over and over, tackle social issues with heart, and build one hell of a cast of characters. This is the third in the series, and I'm already anxiously waiting for the fourth, which won't be until mid-2021, if I recall correctly. I hope that this series will go on for quite a while, because I'm really invested in all the characters and will love to be kept up to date on them through snippets about their lives in later books. 

What else will I do today to keep my mind occupied? I think I'll either make some bread or a cake, do some organizing of yarn and fabric, take care of a couple of loads of laundry, deal with a grocery delivery, and then settle down with my current audiobook, The Duke and I, which is the only one of the Bridgerton series I've read. I'm going to re-read it, then work my way through as many of the rest of them as I can in anticipation of the Netflix show airing on December 25. I never much cared for series for most of my reading life, needing the boost of new characters and settings to keep things interesting for me. It's just been in the last few years that I've discovered a love for them, so I have a lot of catch up reading to do. What a horrible chore, eh? Luckily, I've found most of the Bridgerton series in audiobook on Scribd! If you don't have a subscription there, I urge you to consider it. It's £7.99 a month, the price of a Kindle book, for ebooks, articles, audiobooks, podcasts, etc. Great stuff. 

Starting tomorrow, the UK is going into lockdown again. I've only left the house once since March 3, to go to the bank. I'll have to go there for a second time in the next several days to deposit some international checks before they expire, but after that I'm good for a few more months. Being a homebody and borderline agoraphobic helps in times like these. I feel sorry for more extroverted people who feel trapped. I feel wonderful myself, and haven't had a bit of restlessness. But, regardless of our make-up, it's about being safe and keeping others safe.

 

Well, that was quick...

It's been a weekend of lashing rain, strong winds, and fireworks upsetting the cats. I haven't felt the best and with all the crap going on in the world today, I thought last night would be a great night to crawl into a bed with clean sheets, a thick duvet, and a crocheted blanket to snuggle down with my first Christmas book of the year. It was ridiculously early, too. I was in homebody, hygge heaven. The Christmas Bake Off  (free) by Abby Clements was calling to me. 

I warmed to the characters immediately, nice folks, cozy homes and shops, all that. I was a bit surprised that there were so many characters revealed in the first couple of pages, and I wondered how I'd ever keep them all straight without having to refer back (I do have a problem with that unless characters are introduced slowly), but it turned out not to be much of a problem. It's set in a typical little village scenario, the kind of idea I love, but would be miserable to actually live in. I don't want anybody up in my business, and I don't want to know everybody else's. 

So, pleased with my choice, I settled in for an hour or two of reading before I put head to pillow. But, alas, it was not to be. Twenty-six pages later, the book was done! I had no idea that I'd chosen a short story. I also have to admit that I added this book to my Kindle in 2012 and was just now reading it, so that's the state of my TBR Kindle books. 

So, what does a book junkie do when the Christmas fiction bug bites? They stockpile, so that's what I spent the next hour doing...adding Christmas books of every sort to my Kindle, mostly Kindle Unlimited, but some I paid for. Christmas books of all kinds, general fiction, romance, cozy mysteries of the bakery and bookshop types, and even a few Halloween/Christmas witchy mash-ups. I am now ready to binge on them until the end of the year. 

So, all ended well. I read a sweet, heartwarming Christmas short story, and then got to do one of the things I love most, purchase books. 

As I sit here now, early the next morning, rain has started splashing down again, and I'm just getting ready to choose which book to read next. It's a toss up between the third in the Bromance series or one about human brains. Whichever it is, it's the perfect morning for coffee (well, chicory and barley "coffee" for me because...ulcer), a snuggly crocheted afghan, a cuddly cat, and a book, so I can't go wrong. 

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Here we are again, everything old deleted, and giving this another go. Probably mostly books, cats, witchery, and crochet. I take things in phases, always circling back around to the same recurring interests, so don't expect consistency. 

It's almost time. Vote.