The Magician Murders by Josh Lanyon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This one was so close to being four stars, but there were a couple of issues that held me back.

As with every Lanyon book that I've read, there wasn't any romance. One sex scene, yes, but definitely not your average M/M romance. Especially the ending (which I have issues with in general); Sam and Jason's emotional aspect of the story ended very suddenly, much like everything else. We didn't see them part ways, but it was mentioned in retrospection. I found this frustrating.

On the topic of the ending, it was completely dissatisfying. I get that sometimes cliffhangers are necessary, but this whole book seemed like a means to put off the next book. It began and ended with the lead-in to the next in the series, with the little magician mystery thrown in the middle of it, sort of like a side mystery. In that sense, it just felt like the book was incomplete, rather than it being a cliffhanger.

Additionally, the way that the "mystery" was wrapped-up was very perfunctory. What happened with the art theft? Were they going to do anything with what they learned? And what of the killer? What was the motivation? I feel like it everything was brushed over so quickly that I didn't get a sense of a solid conclusion to any part of the mystery.

One more thing, why was Jason left alone at the end when it's well known that his life is in danger? Is this just for the purpose of the cliffhanger? I found this very aggravating.

What I *did* enjoy were the little interactions throughout the novel. There were some moments that were nice, and others that were exciting. Overall, it was decent, and I'll read the next in the series.

View all my reviews

The Gentleman and the Rogue by Bonnie Dee
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 77%. I'll be quick, because I genuinely don't want to dwell on this novel any more than I have to. I had to force myself to read this far because I bought the thing and didn't want to waste my money, but I just can't go any further.

The sex scenes, while plentiful, are almost mechanical and a bit blasé. I wanted to see some heat, some passion between these two, but just like Alan's character, his sex was dull as dirt. What it really needed was some emotion. It felt devoid of feeling, entirely, and even though this was bordering on a historical erotica novel, I did still want to be romanced. Jem might have been hired as a whore, but with Alan he shouldn't have been acting like one, at least not after that first night.

Alan was a two-dimensional character that did absolutely nothing for the book. Jem was honestly the only thing I liked about this story. He was bright and vibrant, and I genuinely couldn't see what he saw in Alan. So much more to say here, but I just don't want to bother getting into it. Put simply, there was zero chemistry, zero emotion, and that left me with zero interest.

The plot, like the sex, was mechanical and predictable. It was so dashed boring, I fell asleep reading it several times, and the only time that's happened before was over a decade ago when I was in university studying for tests late into the night. It felt like the plot about the girl and the doctor was brought in because the authors couldn't think of any other way to get the heroes to do something that's not sex together. The villain was two-dimensional, and the little sprite was the only female in the whole book that gets a line.

This was a big disappointment, because the blurb was promising.

View all my reviews

Nightingale by Aleksandr Voinov
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I struggle to know where to begin with this review. I've never read anything by Aleksandr Voinov before, but based on my experience with this novel, I'm absolutely certain that I'll read another.

I feel like this story was important, that it needed to be told. So much of it rang true that I imagine a lot of research went into writing it. I have a lot of respect for Voinov for that.

What I'm struggling with, is how to put into words how I feel about the story. There was so much that I liked and that I found necessary, and yet there were some aspects that felt slightly incomplete. I understand that the passage of time was required, but I found that time was fluid in this novel, and I couldn't quite keep track of how much time was elapsing. How long was Yves with Heinrich and Falk? We see their first romantic encounters, and then all of the sudden, months seem to have passed with very little explanation. I found this a bit frustrating, most particularly when Yves and Heinrich's relationship began to cool (because we didn't see much in the way of their intimate relationship to begin with, and I couldn't tell the difference when they'd begun to lose interest), and it suddenly felt like months or years had passed, but I had no way of knowing.

Following along the last note, I also wished that we would have seen more of Falk and Yves. I adored how they interacted, and am ultimately disappointed that I didn't get to see more of it. I realize that the romance wasn't the purpose of this novel, and that's fine, but a bit more than those few blinks of romance would have been nice.

My frustration aside, this was a brilliant novel. It was heart-wrenching and painful, but also so artfully written and romantic. It might have been fiction, but with so much fact and history put in, it really felt like it could have been real, which made it all the more painful.

View all my reviews

Kidnapped by the Pirate by Keira Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have a feeling that Keira Andrews will very quickly become a favourite author of mine. I loved the voice, the writing style, and her smart, snappy dialogue.

The age difference between the heroes was a deliberate trope, and I realize that many readers love it, but it's something that I just can't get into. There's a 23 year age difference between these two, and maybe it's because I had my first child at 23, and to me, it's like being with someone my child's age, but it just felt a bit icky. So, in order to better enjoy the book (instead of cringing every time they touched or thought intimately about each other), I pretended that the age difference didn't exist.

Aside from my one hangup, I very much enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading more of Keira Andrews' work!

View all my reviews

A Gentleman's Position by K.J. Charles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I hardly even know what to say. This book tore my heart up and sewed it back together piece by piece. It was agonizing and wonderful, and delightfully delicious.

Lord Richard and David Cyprian are now officially one of my favourite book couples. Their inner quarrels and their deep love for each other were addictive. I quite literally couldn't put this book down.

I loved seeing the previous books' characters again, watching them interact in a large group, and I loved that the plot brought them all together. I wish that I could read more and more of these characters, and am sad that this is the last in the trilogy.

K.J. Charles has quickly become one of my favourite authors. I very much look forward to reading whatever comes next!

View all my reviews

The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely adored this book. The characters were well developed and utterly entertaining. I've never read a fantasy/paranormal historical romance before, but I've definitely been made a fan. I loved the mystery, the danger, the suspense, and the fun with magic. This was exciting and engaging. I didn't want it to end!

Luckily, there are two more books in the series, and I've bought both. I seriously can't wait to read them! Kudos to the author, K. J. Charles on a fantastic book!

View all my reviews

To Marry a Scottish Laird by Lynsay Sands
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have no complaints about the author's voice or the characterization, but the plot was irksome, to say the least. The first 1/3 of the book was full of romance, anticipation, sex, and some heart-pounding, worrisome moments, but the last 2/3 of the book felt like a completely different story. The sex and romance disappeared and a new villain, new problems, and new motivations were introduced. It felt disjointed.

I feel like Cam found out that Joan was a woman far too early. There were so many missed opportunities for humour between the two of them. Also, Joan gave up her virginity *really* easily for someone that's petrified of becoming pregnant. I realize that they were in the moment, but as a healer who has seen all sorts of gruesome births, how could that not have popped into her mind?

The latter 2/3 of the novel was painfully predictable, and as soon as the ladies are poisoned by the cider, it's obvious who the culprit is. I don't get why it's a mystery, and I certainly don't get why these obtuse characters can't figure it out from the onset.

The epilogue is heartily disappointing. Why waste all this time on a new villain and new problems in the latter 2/3 of the book, when there was a perfectly good problem *right there*, plugged in from the beginning? Both had horrible fears of a pregnancy! Shortly after marrying, they could have found out that she was with child, and they could have spent time initially grieving, then deciding to go on mini adventures, or picnics (etc) on their "last days" together, realizing that all they wanted before she (potentially) died was to spend every moment together. It would have been heart-wrenching and beautiful, and it would have made the ending that much more impactful.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good adventure in my historical romance. I love nasty villains and devious plots, but this one was introduced so late that it felt like it was the beginning of a totally different story. If the author was so keen on having a villain appear in the latter 2/3 of the book, then my advice would have been to sneak a few peeks into the villain's head in the beginning 1/3. We needn't know their name, but just having a few thoughts, like "when is Cam going to be back? I've been waiting with these awful women for too long!", then at least a villain has been introduced, and the book flows from beginning to finish without feeling so disjointed.

This was my first Lynsay Sands book, and I'm very disappointed. I've heard good things about her other books, though, so I might give her work another shot. Fingers crossed that this one was just a fluke!

View all my reviews

From Exes to Expecting by Laurel Greer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well done, Laurel Greer! From Exes to Expecting is a heartwarming--and sexy--story about long friendships, family, facing our fears, and lasting love. Lauren and Tavish are well-rounded, deep characters with a great deal weighing on their decisions. So much pulling them together, and yet so much forcing them apart. Their love is tangible, pouring from every sentence, and grips your heart, too, not only making you flip each page, greedily wanting more, but also makes you want to shout at them: "you belong together!"

The story pulls you through a rollercoaster of emotions and, as all romances do, it has a satisfyingly happy ending. I adored Laurel's novella, and I adore this book. She has a great style to her writing, and her voice is charming and relatable. I look forward to reading the next novel in the Sutter Creek, Montana series!

View all my reviews

Better Than Gold by Laurel Greer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a quick, enjoyable read with sweet romance and a happy ending. It was precisely what one would want out of a novelette! I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

The characters were lovely: Will, the sexy Scotsman on the rowing team was the perfect match for Evie, and I've got to say that I have a soft spot in my heart for guys eager for a committed relationship. They were a seriously charming couple.

View all my reviews

The Highland Duke by Amy Jarecki
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It's entirely possible that the fact that I listened to the audiobook is largely at fault for my frustration with this book, because as you'll read in my review, I couldn't stand the narration.

The audio aspect of my experience wasn't the only main problem, however. The entire premise of this novel is flawed. Divorce, in the time, didn't play out as it does in this book. In this era, divorce was not only extremely difficult to obtain, but virtually impossible when the couple had children. If you *were* able to obtain a divorce (which, again, was basically impossible), you were shunned from society. So, if this duke was actually divorced in the time, he'd not be so chummy with other chieftains or members of aristocracy, as he'd be looked down upon. This fact bothered me immensely throughout the novel. He and his "gypsy fairie" were actually a great match, because he'd have been considered an outcast from society, as well.

Another thing about the plot that bothered me was the duke's assertion that he couldn't marry again. Ok, this makes perfect sense, but he didn't even try. Heck, he didn't even try to figure out if it was possible! He merely said "nope, can't be done" and left it at that. Come on, man.

The ending of the book also really bothered me. From the Captain's POV, we can guess at what happened to him, but it's never actually explained from the H/H's POV. The topic is merely dropped! I mean, what happens with the Marquess? Did he give up his attempts at "getting" the duke? The fact that this was never mentioned again was incredibly irksome. One would think that the editors would have picked up on this open-ended plot issue.

Now, on to the audiobook presentation. I cringed so many times while listening to this. Penelope Hardy actually seemed to try to put on a Scottish accent, but fell a bit short. She was a decent enough narrator, and I think she'd be great for an England-set novel, but Scottish romances just aren't her forte. Alex Hyde-White, on the other hand, was not just cringe-worthy, he was irritating, and often disturbing. I felt upset every time he spoke. Not only did he not even try to put on a Scottish accent, but he spoke in a higher-pitched, nasally, raspy, and slow voice, making the duke sound like an old, stuffed-up, pervy man. I'm sure he'd be suited just fine for a literary or non-fiction novel, but with romance...just, no. I felt distinctly uncomfortable when he read anything intimate, and he was terrible at reading female voices. In fact, it was very difficult to differentiate between the duke and any other male character. Additionally, at the end, the last chapter switched the narration between Penelope and Alex, both reading the other character's POV. Put simply, the narration was terrible.

Overall, the book had many things that bothered me, but from chapter-to-chapter, I enjoyed the interaction between the H and H. If you're willing to overlook the implausibility of the plot, I'd recommend it...but only if you read the book. I wouldn't recommend the audiobook to anyone.

View all my reviews