Book Review: Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

Title: Because of Miss Bridgerton

Author: Julia Quinn

Series/Standalone: Rokebys Series (Book #1)

Genre: Romance, Historical Romance, Adult Fiction

Pages: 375

Publisher: Avon

Year Published: 2016

Format: Audiobook

"Sometimes you find love in the most unexpected places....

This is not one of those times.

Everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families have been neighbours for centuries, and as a child, the tomboyish Billie ran wild with Edward and Andrew. Either one would make a perfect husband... someday.

Sometimes you fall in love with exactly the person you think you should...

Or not.

There is only one Rokesby Billie absolutely cannot tolerate, and that is George. He may be the eldest and her to the earldom, but he's arrogant, annoying and she's absolutely certain he detests her. Which is perfectly convenient, as she can't stand the sight of him, either.

But sometimes fate has a wicked sense of humor...

Because when Billie and George are quite literally thrown together, a whole new sort of sparks begins to fly. And when these lifelong adversaries finally kiss, they just might discover that the one person they can't abide is the one person they can't live without..."

My Rating: 4.5/5

This is not what I expected from this series, but I couldn't be happier. Watching a main character in a historical romance have any degree of power gives me so much joy. The characters in this story are excellent, and I absolutely adored Billie Bridgerton. I also loved the side characters we were introduced to (or at least the ones we were supposed to at the very least. The only reason this book got knocked down .5 stars from five stars was one line that was said during a steamy scene that ruined the spice for me. I look forward to continuing the series on audiobooks soon. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Only Say Good Things by Crystal Hefner

Title: Only Say Good Things

Author: Crystal Hefner

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir

Pages: 240

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Year Published: 2024

Format: Audiobook

"A raw and unflinching look at the objectification and misogyny of the Playboy mansion, a woman’s stolen young adulthood and her journey to self-acceptance, and a rare look inside Hugh Hefner’s final days.

At just twenty-one years old, Crystal Harris’ life changed forever when she attended a party at the notorious Playboy mansion. Picked out of the crowd by Hugh Hefner, she became one of his infamous “girlfriends,” attending glamorous Hollywood parties and traveling the world. Yet this seemingly alluring lifestyle had a dark side. Hef controlled his girlfriends with strict rules regarding everything from their hair and makeup to their curfews, and Crystal was forced to compete with other women for her spot in the highly hierarchal system. Living at the mansion, she felt more like a fixture than a resident. 
 
She quickly rose to the top, but being Hef’s number one girlfriend came at the cost of Crystal’s identity outside her role in the Playboy universe. Her fate seemed sealed when Hef surprised her with a marriage proposal she could not imagine refusing. But as Crystal Hefner, she grew increasingly restless to understand who she truly was away from what she saw as Playboy’s toxic culture.

In ONLY SAY GOOD THINGS, Crystal offers a vulnerable and clear-eyed look at how her experience with Hugh Hefner catalyzed her transformative journey from someone who prized external validation over all else to a person who finally recognizes her true worth. This candid memoir provides a fascinating look behind the scenes at a powerful cultural icon and brand, and an equally empowering perspective on hard-won lessons about who we allow to determine our value."

My Rating: 5/5

I don't particularly like rating memoirs because I don't think that I can rate someone else's life. So I usually rate based on writing style or story telling style. This story is hard to read, and hard to hear but important. Because society has shifted its standpoint on things like Playboy and this kind of misogynistic behaviour we can see the clear shift in society where we speak about how this kind of thing isn't ok. It's not fair to the women, their families or girls and women watching it all happen. I genuinely wish all the best for the author, and I hope that she finds her peace as time gives her healing (along with ya know therapy, etc.). 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey

Title: Unfortunately Yours

Author: Tessa Bailey

Series/Standalone: A Vine Mess Duology (Book #2)

Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary Romance

Pages: 384

Publisher: Avon

Year Published: 2023

Format: Audiobook

"A down-on-her-luck Napa heiress suggests a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience to a man she can't stand... only to discover there's a fine line between love and hate.

After losing her job and her fiancé in one fell swoop, Natalie Vos returned home to lick her wounds. A few months later, she's sufficiently drowned her sorrows in cabernet and she's ready to get back on her feet. She just needs her trust fund to finance her new business venture. Unfortunately, the terms require she marry before she can have the money. And well, dumped, remember? But Natalie is desperate enough to propose to a man who makes her want to kill him--and kiss him, in equal measure.

August Cates may own a vineyard, but he doesn't know jack about making wine. He's determined to do his late best friend proud, no matter what it takes. Except his tasting room is empty, his wine is disgusting (seriously, he once saw someone gag), and his buddy's legacy is circling the drain. No bank will give him the loan he needs to turn the business around... and then the gorgeous, feisty heiress knocks on his door. Natalie has haunted his dreams since the moment they met, but their sizzling chemistry immediately morphed into simmering insults.

Now, a quickie marriage could help them both. A sham wedding, a few weeks living under the same roof, and then they can go their separate ways--assuming they make it out alive. How hard could it be? There's just one thing they didn't account for: their unfortunate, unbearable, undeniable attraction."

My Rating: 4/5

I really enjoyed this second book in the series. While something I didn't enjoy the idea of a marriage of convenience trope in current times is so entertaining to me. The plot was fantastic. The characters were fun and the setting itself brings me so much joy. But during the spicy scenes, there were certain phrases that I didn't love. And the audiobook wasn't as fun as the ones I'd read in the past. I do plan on continuing to read Tessa Bailey's books as they come out, but I will keep in mind that the vocabulary she uses to describe certain body parts might not be my favourite. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda

Title: The Only Survivors

Author: Megan Miranda

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Adult Fiction

Pages: 339

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Year Published: 2023

Format: Audiobook

"A decade ago, two vans filled with high school seniors on a school service trip crashed into a Tennesse ravine- a tragedy that claimed the lives of multiple classmates and teachers. The nine students who managed to escape the river that night were irrevocably changed. A year later, after one of the survivors dies by suicide on the anniversary of the crash, the rest of them make a pact: to come together each year to commemorate that terrible night.

To keep one another safe.

To hold one another accountable.

Or both.

Their annual meeting place, a house on the Outer Banks, has long been a refuge. But by the tenth anniversary, Cassidy Bent has worked to distance herself from the tragedy and from the other survivors. She's changed her mobile number. She's blocked the others' email addresses. This year, she is determined to finally break ties once and for all. But on the day of the reunion, she receives a text with an obituary attached: another survivor is gone. Now they are seven- and Cassidy finds herself hurling back toward the group, wild with grief- and suspicion.

Almost immediately, something feels off this year. Cassidy is the first to notice when Amaya, the annual organizer, slips away, overwhelmed. This wouldn't raise alarm except for the impending storm. Suddenly, they're facing the threat of closed roads and surging waters... again. Then Amaya stops responding to her phone. After all they've been through, she wouldn't willfully make them worry. Would she?

And- as they promised long ago- each survivor will do whatever he or she can do to save one another. Won't they?"

My Rating: 5/5

Right after I thought to myself that maybe this author's writing wasn't for me, I picked up this one and I LOVE it! Megan Miranda's ability to write a creepy and unsettling environment is really unmatched by any other author I've read in this genre. It's always the part that ties me in. And this one had the twists and turns to match! It kept me on my toes, it made sense by the end but the differing p.o.v.s, the plot and just the building sense of unease that is worked on throughout the books is what made it a five star for me! Would highly recommend!

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Beach Read by Emily Henry

Title: Beach Read

Author: Emily Henry

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

Pages: 361

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2020

Format: Audiobook

"A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in a neighboring beach houses, broke and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really."

My Rating: 3/5

There were a few things that kept me from loving this book. I liked the concept, and I quite enjoyed Emily Henry's writing style. But the romance, while fun just wasn't all I wanted it to be and I couldn't ever quite get over the main character's name. What really took me out of the story was one of the sex scenes and the setting it took place in (if you know you know). I look forward to continuing to read her works, this one just wasn't the same hit as the last one I read.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny 

Book Review: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Title: The Great Alone

Author: Kristin Hannah

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult, Contemporary

Pages: 435

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Year Published: 2018

Format: Audiobook

"Alaska, 1974.

Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.

For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.

Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America's last true frontier.

Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents' passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man he loves, even if it means following him into the unknown.

At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the Allbrights' lack of preparation and dwindling resources.

But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt's fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to the threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of the night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.

In this unforgettable portrait of human frailty and resilience, Kristin Hannah reveals the indomitable character of the modern American pioneer and the spirit of a vanishing Alaska- a place of incomparable beauty and danger. The Great Alone is a daring, beautiful, stay-up-all-night story about love and loss, the fight for survival and the wildness that lives in both man and nature."

My Rating: 4/5

Kristin Hannah, I know that everyone has been reading you forever and I'm late to the party, but damn you've done it again. After reading The Nightingale I was worried about picking up another book by the author, what if it wasn't as good, what if I didn't feel the same? And meanwhile, this book was insanely good. I think the content matter was a little hard to read, but the overall plot was incredible. The characters were dynamic and multi-faceted. The way Kristin Hannah writes is beautiful and filled with emotional impact.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny 

Review: Lore Olympus Volume 6 by Rachel Smythe

Title: Lore Olympus: Vol. 6

Author: Rachel Smythe

Series/Standalone: Lore Olympus Series (Volume 6)

Genre: Graphic Novel, Adult, Romance, Retelling

Pages: 432

Publisher: Inklore

Year Published: 2024

Format: Paperback (Library Copy)

"Witness what the gods do after dark in the sixth volume of a stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of the best-known stories in Greek mythology, feeling exclusive behind-the-scene content from creator Rachel Smythe.

'We have to make an example of her.'

Chaos reigns in Olympus as Zeus publicly declares Persephone a traitor and issues a warrant for her arrest. But Hades defies his brother's decree, sheltering Persephone in the Underworld- and as the pair spend more time together, they are able to speak openly about their pasts. The goddess of spring admits the truth behind the bloody secret that led to Zeus's ire, and the king of the Underworld shares the trauma he suffered at the hands of his power-hungry father, Kronos.

But as Hades and Persephone's relationship grows stronger, others begin to fall apart. The bond between Hades and Zeus is stretched to its limit, threatening to fracture the peace between their realms. Persephone and Artemis's friendship hangs by a thread as the goddess of the hunt slowly uncovers the vile truth about her twin, Apollo. A line is being drawn in the heavens, putting everyone's loyalties into question as all the gods are forced to choose sides.

And as the cracks in the foundation of the pantheon spread, something darker and more earth-shattering might soon be released..."

My Rating: 4/5

I liked this volume but it wasn't my favorite out of the series. As per usual the art is excellent, and the character growth was great but it was just missing a little something plot-wise for me. While the book was long, it also felt long which is not what I hope for from a graphic novel. I look forward to seeing how Rachel Smythe finishes the series.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Review: Everything Vol. 2: Black Friday

Title: Everything Vol. 2: Black Friday

Author: Christopher Cantwell

Illustrator(s): I.N.J. Culbard, Steve Wands

Series/Standalone:

Genre: Graphic Novel, Horror, Science Fiction, Adult

Pages: 128

Publisher: Berger Books

Year Published: 2020

Format: Paperback (Library Copy)

"Things in Holland, Michigan are stranger than ever: while some of the townspeople fall deeper into the mysteries of the disturbingly alluring and increasingly inescapable Everything mega-store, a growing array of renegade citizens form an underground resistance against its masters. Murky answers to bizarre questions finally surface... who, or what, is really in control of Everything... and why? Monstrous villains will be revealed, all out war will explode out in the parking lot, and deep beneath the store, the remaining few will venture forth into an unfathomable- maybe even inhuman- horizon as the American Dream gets derailed in a nightmarish turn."

My Rating: 1/5

I don't know why I expected this to be able to hit all the plot points that I hoped it would. This felt rushed and I was hoping for a bigger build-up of what was going on with this company, this town and this science fiction setting. It was not all I hoped.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Power of Five by Alex Lidell

Title: Power of Five

Author: Alex Lidell

Series/Standalone: Power of Five Series (Book #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, New Adult

Pages: 226

Publisher: Indie Published

Year Published: 2018

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

First Line: "'Lera!' Mimi's voice bounces through the stable, turning horses' heads."

"Four elite fae warriors. One mortal female. A magical bond they can't allow- or resist.

Orphaned and sold to a harsh master, Lera's life is about mucking stalls, avoiding her master's advances, and steering clear of the mystical forest separating the mortal and fae worlds. Only fools venture into the immortal realms, and only dark rumors come out... Until four powerful fae warriors appear at Lera's barn.

River, Coal, Tye and Shade have waited a decade for their new fifth to be chosen, the wounds from their quint brother's loss still raw. But the magic has played a cruel trick, bonding the four immortal warriors to... a female. A mortal female.

Distractingly beautiful and dangerously frail, Lera can only be one thing- a mistake. Yet as the males bring Lera back to the fae lands to sever the bond, they discover that she holds more power over their souls than is safe for anyone.... especially for Lera herself."

My Rating: 3.75/5

This was such an interesting read. I was looking for a reverse harem and I wasn't picky about genre other than that being a trope. I looked through my Goodreads TBR and started from the first books I had put on my want-to-read list that were available on Kindle Unlimited. This was such a short, fun read. The spice is building, the concept is fun and the characters are unique enough that they're all distinguishable from each other. I would recommend if you're looking for a short reverse harem book, that has a slower burn than some others you might read. I look forward to reading the next one soon.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

Title: All the Missing Girls

Author: Megan Miranda

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: 2016
Pages: 396

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Year Published: 2016

Format: Audiobook

"Like the spellbinding psychological suspense in The Girl on the Train and Luckiest Girl Alive, Megan Miranda's novel is a nail-biting, breathtaking story about the disappearance of two young women- a decade apart- told in reverse.

It's been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left her rural hometown after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared from Cooley Ridge, without a trace. Back again to tie up loose ends and care for her ailing father, Nic is soon plunged into a shocking drama that reawakens Corinne's case and breaks open old wounds long since stitched.

The decade-old investigation focused on Nic, her brother Daniel, boyfriend Tyler and Corinne's boyfriend Jackson. Since then, only Nic has left Cooley Ridge. Daniel and his wife Laura, are expecting a baby; Jackson works at the town bar; and Tyler is dating Annaleaise Carter, Nic's younger neighbor and the group's alibi the night Corinne disappeared. Then, within days of Nic's return, Annaleise goes missing.

Told backwards- Day 15 to Day 1- from the time Annaleise goes missing, Nic works to unravel the truth about her younger neighbor's disappearance, revealing shocking truths about her friends, her family and what really happened to Corinne that night ten years ago. 

Like nothing you've ever read before, All the Missing Girls delivers in all the right ways. With twists and turns that lead down dark alleys and dead ends, you may think you're walking a familiar path, but then Megan Miranda turns it all upside down and inside out and leaves us wondering just how far we would be willing to go to protect those we love."

My Rating: 2.5/5

I've read a few different works from this author and her ability to create a tense, spooky and unsettling environment is amazing. The plot however just hasn't worked for me over the course of the stories. I loved the start of this one and while I enjoyed the red herrings and the twists and turns it wasn't what I wanted. I didn't feel that jaw-dropping, how did she do that feeling at the end of the a thriller/mystery that I want. It was fun but just ok. I don't think I'd read anything else from her at this point, but I could be persuaded.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny