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juliereadsromance's reviews
517 reviews
The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.5
3.5 stars
I can see other readers liking this book, but it wasn’t for me.
First, the good things. Kate Clayborn is an excellent writer. Her writing is just… effective. You feel “in it” in her stories. The plot is compelling here, and the excerpts of the serialized podcasts referenced in the book are fantastic. (Hard to explain if you haven’t read it.)
But, the book felt interminably sad. Jess was just SO sad. It was an unrelenting heaviness. But it had a kind of hopelessness to it. A feeling of inertia. And so I felt inertia as I read the book.
I ended up stopping this book at 65% because I found myself dragging my feet to get through it. I usually don’t review books I don’t finish, but in this case, I felt I read enough of it to give an overall assessment of most aspects of the book.
The unevenness of the feelings between the two main characters sometimes felt too extreme. The MMC was so so enamored with everything about Jess. He was willing to twist himself into a pretzel to accommodate this girl who, while entirely caring and deserving of love, needed sooo much therapy before she’d ever be ready to be an equal partner in a relationship. I frequently felt like- jeez, Adam is giving up a little too much of himself to this person who is so boundaried as to be closed off, in a way that I felt could almost be unintentionally cruel to Adam. (Even though she’s clearly really trying to trust…) And ultimately, I didn’t like that feeling. I wish she did six months of therapy prior to going on this road trip with Adam 😂
That being said, There are so many compelling parts of this story. And I would say it’s an objectively good book. It just wasn’t for me because of the heavy, slow feeling of the book (even though it’s not actually slow in pace! The plot stays busy). Somehow it felt sluggish to me though.
All things considered, I’d still recommend this for readers who like their romance with a lot of non-romance plot, and don’t mind heaviness.
I can see other readers liking this book, but it wasn’t for me.
First, the good things. Kate Clayborn is an excellent writer. Her writing is just… effective. You feel “in it” in her stories. The plot is compelling here, and the excerpts of the serialized podcasts referenced in the book are fantastic. (Hard to explain if you haven’t read it.)
But, the book felt interminably sad. Jess was just SO sad. It was an unrelenting heaviness. But it had a kind of hopelessness to it. A feeling of inertia. And so I felt inertia as I read the book.
I ended up stopping this book at 65% because I found myself dragging my feet to get through it. I usually don’t review books I don’t finish, but in this case, I felt I read enough of it to give an overall assessment of most aspects of the book.
The unevenness of the feelings between the two main characters sometimes felt too extreme. The MMC was so so enamored with everything about Jess. He was willing to twist himself into a pretzel to accommodate this girl who, while entirely caring and deserving of love, needed sooo much therapy before she’d ever be ready to be an equal partner in a relationship. I frequently felt like- jeez, Adam is giving up a little too much of himself to this person who is so boundaried as to be closed off, in a way that I felt could almost be unintentionally cruel to Adam. (Even though she’s clearly really trying to trust…) And ultimately, I didn’t like that feeling. I wish she did six months of therapy prior to going on this road trip with Adam 😂
That being said, There are so many compelling parts of this story. And I would say it’s an objectively good book. It just wasn’t for me because of the heavy, slow feeling of the book (even though it’s not actually slow in pace! The plot stays busy). Somehow it felt sluggish to me though.
All things considered, I’d still recommend this for readers who like their romance with a lot of non-romance plot, and don’t mind heaviness.
Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey
emotional
funny
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
4.0
👑 Tess Bailey retains her title as the queen of banter and the mother of mainstream kink.
📖 A lot of people love this book. I liked it.
⛳️ Now, its shortcomings may have more to do with the sport of golf than the book itself. If even a Tessa Bailey romance about a golfer, WITH a tossed salad scene, cannot make the sport of golf sexy, then I think it’s safe to say it’s an unsexy sport. Golf just can’t carry the kind of (pelvic) tension that’s needed to sustain a good romance novel.
🎶 It felt slow. I can best describe this as a good low-fi pop song. It’s a GOOD song, but I’ll probably change the station if it comes on the radio, in search of something with more … oomph.
👩❤️💋👨 Certainly, the main characters are a pleasure to root for. Both of them deserve love beyond measure and it’s delightful to watch them get it. Tessa writes a tender love story here. She executes a delicate romance without losing any of the lust.
📚 I adored this couple and enjoyed this book, but it did leave me seeking a dopamine hit elsewhere.
.
.
📖 A lot of people love this book. I liked it.
⛳️ Now, its shortcomings may have more to do with the sport of golf than the book itself. If even a Tessa Bailey romance about a golfer, WITH a tossed salad scene, cannot make the sport of golf sexy, then I think it’s safe to say it’s an unsexy sport. Golf just can’t carry the kind of (pelvic) tension that’s needed to sustain a good romance novel.
🎶 It felt slow. I can best describe this as a good low-fi pop song. It’s a GOOD song, but I’ll probably change the station if it comes on the radio, in search of something with more … oomph.
👩❤️💋👨 Certainly, the main characters are a pleasure to root for. Both of them deserve love beyond measure and it’s delightful to watch them get it. Tessa writes a tender love story here. She executes a delicate romance without losing any of the lust.
📚 I adored this couple and enjoyed this book, but it did leave me seeking a dopamine hit elsewhere.
.
.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness
House of Bane and Blood by Alexis L. Menard
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
~~ REVIEW~~
House of Bane and Blood
By Alexis Menard
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4.5 rounded to 5 stars
What do you call it when the double crossed double crosses? Is that quadruple crossing?
It was this kind of mind puzzle that slowed me down at the end of this otherwise gorgeous romantasy novel: House of Bane and Blood.
Have you ever read a fantasy romance that felt more like historical romance? I’ve never watched Peeky Blinders, but I’m guessing this book feels a lot like that. The atmosphere feels like old New York or London- when there were gangsters walking around dirty cobblestone streets, smoking cigars and wearing hats down low on their face, and it was basically always dusk or nighttime. Writing in the Fantasy genre gave the author the freedom to create a kind of anachronistic urban world of competing families that could mix old and new, and real and pretend. For example, there are horse drawn carriages but also lots of indoor plumbing. There is some magic but also a lot of science.
The romance between Camilla and Nico here is 🤌🏽 *lip smack sound*.
He’s hot. She’s hot. They hate each other for understandable reasons - their fathers may have tried to kill each other. Although they each do some not nice things to the other, their motivations are based on love and loyalty to their family. So you love them both and just wait until these two hot people let themselves love each other and get it on.
I devoured this book in two days. Even non-fantasy fans will enjoy this romance.
[⚠️ Caution! This is a DUOLOGY and the second book isn’t out yet. So this one ends on a cliff hanger. However, the romance is pretty wrapped up here and book 2 seems like it moreso wraps up other aspects of mysteries in the world the author built. So I don’t think Book 2 is essential for primary Romance readers. ] @alexislmenard
House of Bane and Blood
By Alexis Menard
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4.5 rounded to 5 stars
What do you call it when the double crossed double crosses? Is that quadruple crossing?
It was this kind of mind puzzle that slowed me down at the end of this otherwise gorgeous romantasy novel: House of Bane and Blood.
Have you ever read a fantasy romance that felt more like historical romance? I’ve never watched Peeky Blinders, but I’m guessing this book feels a lot like that. The atmosphere feels like old New York or London- when there were gangsters walking around dirty cobblestone streets, smoking cigars and wearing hats down low on their face, and it was basically always dusk or nighttime. Writing in the Fantasy genre gave the author the freedom to create a kind of anachronistic urban world of competing families that could mix old and new, and real and pretend. For example, there are horse drawn carriages but also lots of indoor plumbing. There is some magic but also a lot of science.
The romance between Camilla and Nico here is 🤌🏽 *lip smack sound*.
He’s hot. She’s hot. They hate each other for understandable reasons - their fathers may have tried to kill each other. Although they each do some not nice things to the other, their motivations are based on love and loyalty to their family. So you love them both and just wait until these two hot people let themselves love each other and get it on.
I devoured this book in two days. Even non-fantasy fans will enjoy this romance.
[⚠️ Caution! This is a DUOLOGY and the second book isn’t out yet. So this one ends on a cliff hanger. However, the romance is pretty wrapped up here and book 2 seems like it moreso wraps up other aspects of mysteries in the world the author built. So I don’t think Book 2 is essential for primary Romance readers. ] @alexislmenard
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
Where We Started by Ashley Munoz
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.75
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4.75 out of 5 stars
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱
𝘉𝘺 𝘈𝘴𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘔𝘶ñ𝘰𝘻
📈 There is a correlation between the quality of a book and how much I ignore my children. So call Child Protective Services* because I could not put this book down.
🏍️ Ok, this story takes place in the universe of a Motorcycle Gang BUT DON’T LET TURN YOU OFF if that’s not your thing. The love story of Cora and Wes is at the centre of this novel. The motorcycle club is the scaffolding, but the love story itself could hold the book up without it.
👩🏻❤️👨🏻 Cora and Wes are each other’s first love. After years apart, they are forced back into each other’s lives when, much to everyone’s surprise, Cora’s father leaves the motorcycle club to her. A lot of romantic and dirty and surprising things happen. There is def some real plot, not just character, that drives this novel.
💫 Five 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁-𝗽𝘂𝘁-𝗶𝘁-𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 stars
4.75 out of 5 stars
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱
𝘉𝘺 𝘈𝘴𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘔𝘶ñ𝘰𝘻
📈 There is a correlation between the quality of a book and how much I ignore my children. So call Child Protective Services* because I could not put this book down.
🏍️ Ok, this story takes place in the universe of a Motorcycle Gang BUT DON’T LET TURN YOU OFF if that’s not your thing. The love story of Cora and Wes is at the centre of this novel. The motorcycle club is the scaffolding, but the love story itself could hold the book up without it.
👩🏻❤️👨🏻 Cora and Wes are each other’s first love. After years apart, they are forced back into each other’s lives when, much to everyone’s surprise, Cora’s father leaves the motorcycle club to her. A lot of romantic and dirty and surprising things happen. There is def some real plot, not just character, that drives this novel.
💫 Five 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁-𝗽𝘂𝘁-𝗶𝘁-𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 stars
The Stranger I Wed by Harper St. George
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3.75 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book, but it was a slower burn and less steamy than I prefer. That’s a matter of preference and there are other readers out there who will find it to be a good fit.
This is the heartfelt story of Nora and Leo, strangers who enter into a marriage of convenience in Regency England to solve the problems plaguing them and their families. Nora needs to marry an aristocrat in order to get her inheritance. And, Leo needs to marry an heiress to save his crumbling estate. Although Nora and Leo are complex and likable, I never quite felt like I knew them well enough.
Harper St. George writes a good book, and i enjoyed this one. It just didn’t reach much beyond good for me. I could see other readers liking it more than I did.
@juliereadsromance
3.75 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book, but it was a slower burn and less steamy than I prefer. That’s a matter of preference and there are other readers out there who will find it to be a good fit.
This is the heartfelt story of Nora and Leo, strangers who enter into a marriage of convenience in Regency England to solve the problems plaguing them and their families. Nora needs to marry an aristocrat in order to get her inheritance. And, Leo needs to marry an heiress to save his crumbling estate. Although Nora and Leo are complex and likable, I never quite felt like I knew them well enough.
Harper St. George writes a good book, and i enjoyed this one. It just didn’t reach much beyond good for me. I could see other readers liking it more than I did.
@juliereadsromance
The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews
slow-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
4.5
Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.5
To Love and to Loathe by Martha Waters
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
4.5/5 stars
This book is a charming, if conventional, Regency romance. It feels particularly… English- featuring lots of tea, proper ladies and gentlemen, a two week “party” at a country estate, and a sharp tongued dowager grandmother. The author makes the tried and true trope of a marriage wager feel largely fresh and fun. Jeremy and Diana, the main characters, are charming and well-developed. The secondary characters are unique and capture your interest as well. Waters’ witty, crisp writing style is a pleasure to read.
I ultimately really enjoyed this book. I didn’t love the first half, which I found slow, but, the second half made up for it with a faster pace and more romance. I hadn’t read the first book in the series and didn’t have any trouble reading this out of order.
I definitely recommend it as a pretty fresh take on a regular Regency story.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
But, this is a romance first. We follow these two people on their journey to claiming each other. The world building, the fantasy elements, organically unfold. It's not like you spend the first 100 pages learning a new world.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
5 out of 5 stars
To me, this is essentially a mafia story. And, it's done perfectly.
This isn't a spoiler because I'm literally recounting the
CLASSIC mafia story: Two families attempt to form an alliance through an arranged marriage of a reluctant bride and groom. Invariably, the closed off, brooding hero is surprised by the strength of the heroine, and love grows. The hero ultimately defends the heroine from her family who never appreciated her, and she rescues him from himself.
Hazelwood nails it, and it doesn't feel boring or redundant.
In this case, obviously, there are Vampyre, Were, and Human families / packs.
But, this is a romance first. We follow these two people on their journey to claiming each other. The world building, the fantasy elements, organically unfold. It's not like you spend the first 100 pages learning a new world.
I loved this book. Could I nitpick here or there? Sure.
But, this is overall a really well done book. It's a five star romance.
@juliereadsromance
Lips Like Sugar by Jess K. Hardy
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Drug abuse