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juliereadsromance's reviews
517 reviews
The Duchess Hunt by Lorraine Heath
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This historical romance was a real delight. In fact, I think this would be a good starter book for any reader who is new to the historical romance genre. This book really shined for me in the second half. That was when we got to see so much of the Duke’s character development.
While I wouldn’t quite call it a mystery, there is certainly suspense as you wait for the characters to reveal what secrets from their past they’ve been hiding. So, for people who like their romance novels with a bit more intrigue in addition to character driven tension, this would be a good choice.
This is a Regency Romance, medium angst, medium spice. By that I mean a few open door scenes, but not a tremendous amount of detail.
I highly recommend this book. It’s hard for me to imagine many readers who would feel disappointed by it.
While I wouldn’t quite call it a mystery, there is certainly suspense as you wait for the characters to reveal what secrets from their past they’ve been hiding. So, for people who like their romance novels with a bit more intrigue in addition to character driven tension, this would be a good choice.
This is a Regency Romance, medium angst, medium spice. By that I mean a few open door scenes, but not a tremendous amount of detail.
I highly recommend this book. It’s hard for me to imagine many readers who would feel disappointed by it.
The Last Hellion by Loretta Chase
4.0
The Last Hellion
By Loretta Chase
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4 out of 5 stars
I think my attention span has been so squashed by our modern daily barrage of rapid fire sights and sounds that I can’t enjoy some objectively good classic Romance.
The Last Hellion by Loretta Chase, for example, is by all standards a very good book. It is not a slow book, and yet I felt the effort it took me to slog through it.
In brief, in Regency era London, a tall, non-aristocratic writer / newspaper reporter crosses paths and horns with a handsome, dissolute Duke. Obviously, they get over themselves and fall madly, deeply in love. It’s a delightful story. And yet, like I said, here I was- a modern day half-brain - unable to fully enjoy it.
This made it a 4 star read for me. I just wasn’t IN IT. But it’s a classic romance for a reason! Loretta Chase is a master and these characters are memorable and it’s a great story with SO much plot. So if you like a lot of plot in your romance novels, definitely give it a try!
Holding the Reins by Paisley Hope
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Holding the reins
By paisley hope
No one can say they DISLIKE the taste of a Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie. The recipe is tried and true. But, rarely does it stick in anyone’s memory as a distinctive dessert experience. I would say the same about the plot of this novel- girl returns to her family’s ranch in a small town where she reconnects with a reformed cowboy who she knew from childhood. This book stuck to the script. For me, I didn’t DISLIKE the book but I also can’t say I liked it or that I will remember it.
There just wasn’t much going on for me. This book felt so straightforward to me as to be boring at times. The main characters were likable but also indistinct.
To the author’s credit, she did develop secondary characters who I’m very curious about and I would definitely consider reading other books in the series.
This is not a bad book, and I think it will hit the spot when you’re in the mood for a family ranch, girl meets cowboy, small town romance. But I don’t think you’ll write home about it.
Where We Belong by Ashley Munoz
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Where We Belong
Ashley Munoz
(Stone Riders Motorcycle Club Book 2)
I loved the first book in Muñoz’s Stone Riders series and enjoyed the chance to revisit the world of this motorcycle club in Book 2.
I’ve come to realize that motorcycle club books are essentially books about organized crime with a lot of posession k*nk (see video), and motorcycle. Turns out this works for me :)
I continue to really like this motorcycle club (even though their treatment of women both casually and intimately is totally toxic, and it’s totally bizarre women walk around wearing vests that literally say “property of … so and so”)
But, let’s suspend our commitment to reality for a moment, and just live in the world Munoz has built. It’s a world in which you can give yourself over entirely to another person, and, rather than this being disempowering, it’s actually quite restorative because (in these books) you are safe enough to trust this person with your physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. And this relationship. It’s bananas in real life, but perhaps in this fantasy world, it works.
A couple things did NOT work for me in this book: Why did the couple from the first book suck so much this time around? Obviously, you love them by the end of the first book and now, you’re like, oh actually they weren’t great, I guess? I also just wasn’t as big of a fan of Killian, the MMC, as I was of Wes in the first book.
Also- there were aspects of the plot that just didn’t add up for me. I won’t spoil it, but i didn’t really see how aspects of the FMC’s identity were a secret when it’s actually quite out in the open. And I’m a little bit lost about which rival gangs are allied now, and which ones aren’t, and which ones are split.
I definitely preferred the first book in this series, but I still enjoyed this one and will consider reading more books in muñoz’s motorcycle club universe.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Abandonment, and Alcohol
My Season of Scandal by Julie Anne Long
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
My Season of Scandal
By Julie Anne Long
The most impressive feats of romance novelists are when they write a gorgeous book in which not much happens. Julie Anne Long is an expert at keeping you captivated by character development. Long takes you on an archaeological dig, excavating layer after layer of rock, to uncover the characters’ beating core. The emotional journey here is sophisticated. There is such nuance in the characters’ self discovery. It’s not trite. Not too on the nose. Yes, the FMC is an innocent girl from the country, but Long makes her entirely unique and fully-realized. She has wit and wisdom and courage that transcends her identity as an innocent country bumpkin.
Dominic, the male main character, was a win for me. His trajectory from withholding yet charming man who lets no one really know him, to a man in love, crying at the teet of his beloved, is a gorgeous transformation to watch.
The spice is moderate. It’s not ALOT but it’s also def present and didn’t leave me really jonesing for a dopamine hit elsewhere. Open door. The angst is moderate. Regency England. Age gap (11 years?). Innocent but wise and witty girl from the country brings hardened Welsh legislator to his knees (in one scene, literally).
This book is part of Long’s Palace of Rogues series, which is basically a world that Long has built. You really do not have to have much familiarity with prior characters, but I DO think it would be hard to jump into this without having read at least one other book in the series. There is a lot of world building (another way historical romance is a lot like fantasy… put a pin in that thought) and I think you may be confused if you have no background to understand the Palace of Rogues.
Also, kudos to Long for a nice cover photo. I like it :)
The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Funny Story by Emily Henry
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5 out of 5 stars
𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲, 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀. When I see a book that is receiving nearly universal five star reviews, I assume that people have jumped on the bandwagon, and there’s almost no chance I will find the book to be a five-star read. But, I stand before you today corrected.
I’ll defer the synopsis to others (and every website that sells books). Suffice it to say, this is a contemporary romance set in a small town with moderate angst and main characters in their 30s (yay!)
When I pick up an Emily Henry book, I worry whether it might be too “angsty” for me. Sometimes the tension in her books feels too real and too deeply felt. But, this hit the mark for me. There indeed was tension, but it largely wasn’t painful.
It was a pleasure to read this book and I couldn’t put it down. Could I make a critique here or there? Sure. But, in sum, Funny Story is just a superbly done contemporary romance. Give me my membership card; I’m joining the club of five-star reviews.
Content Warnings
Minor: Infidelity and Abandonment
Luck Be a Lady by Meredith Duran
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0