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.

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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.

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Where Dreams Begin by Lisa Kleypas
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

In general, I adore Lisa Kleypas. In fact, I think that this is the first book of hers that I've read that I haven't given a 4* or better review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the first half, expecting some sort of change in the characters. In Holly, I expected that her uptight, prim, and proper personality might loosen a bit, but after she'd finally followed her amorous feelings for Zachary, she had to up and leave his estate, right into the arms of her dead husband's best friend. If there was an actual reason for her doing this, I might accept it, but there was no rational reasoning there. Additionally, she's overly frigid for a woman that had been previously married.

In Zachary, I expected that once he realized that he wanted Holly, he'd stop his carousing. I have to confess, I *despise* it when heroes or heroines sleep around with people other than their book match after they've met their future spouse. And he did this for a good half of the book. I hated it.

Not only this, but I couldn't quite understand why Zachary fell in love with Holly. I get that opposites attract, but Holly was cold when it came to any romantic aspect of their relationship.

In addition to the irritating character and relationship issues, the last 1/4 of the book seemed to have absolutely no purpose. The book ought to have ended when they got married. If the author wanted to put in the terrifying sickness, she should have put it in before the romantic conclusion.

That all being said, there were some parts of the book that I enjoyed. I rather liked the interactions between Zachary and Rose, and when Zachary finally stopped sleeping around, he seemed likeable.

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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed Ready Player One. While I'll agree with some of the 1 to 2 * reviews in that there are a few info dumps in-between the action, I actually found that they added to the narrative (despite the suspense that they invariably caused). They also explained things, such as the backstory to a video game, that I would not have otherwise known, and were, therefore, integral to the story--no matter how "dry" they might have seemed to some readers.

As for some readers' assertions that this is simply a book about nostalgia, and spoke of the implausibility that there could be nothing else of interest between the 1980s and 2040s video game-wise... That is a very closed-minded way of thinking, in my opinion. Firstly, it wasn't just a matter of nothing else interesting happening, it was about a specific contest that centred around video gaming in the '80s, so while there might be other interesting gaming info, the protagonist clearly didn't care so much about the other gaming info when a big prize was to be had if he focused on the '80s stuff. Additionally, I don't think that the only readers that are capable of enjoying this are people reading for nostalgic reasons. I was born in the '80s--not playing video games in them--and I still very much enjoyed the book.

To me, the idea was fascinating, the descriptions and plot engaging, thought-provoking, and exciting, and the characters diverse, imaginative, and amusing. I loved the humour and the voice. I am unquestionably going to read this book again, and I would recommend it to others. I'm very much looking forward to watching the movie when it comes out!

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