Book post you say? ◉_◉
Nov. 11th, 2024 02:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glitteryvIt's true! I've gone thru enough books since the previous book post to warrant posting something abt them.
Re-reads? HUH.
* The Age of Innocence by Edith Warthon (Classic Literature) - Borrowed an audiobook version from the library a day before I got double vaxxed back in early September. One of the random, temporary side effects I've now experienced enough times to become aware of it (aside from general fatigue and headaches) is that I really can't stand staring at any screens for any length of time. Not wanting to be bored during the 2-3 days that it takes for my body to become friendly with the vaxxes, I snagged a copy that I could fall asleep to and not feel guilty or confused abt missing any important stuff. Had a good time, I guess? Though now that I've gone thru this novel twice in one year, it'll be a LONG WHILE before I pick it up again, hahah.
* Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America by Sarah Kendzior (Nonfiction) - I first read this book back in early 2021. Picked up an audiobook copy last week cuz I wanted to refresh my brain before I dive into Kendzior's other book (They Knew). Yes, I read this nonfiction account of political corruption across the world (specifically in Eastern Europe and the US) thru the lens of the Clown's ascent to power due to what went down last week. I wanted to remember everyone that was involved and how they were connected to him. The book ends around 2019.
In many heartbreaking ways, this is a book that will leave readers with a sense of frustration, anger, and sadness. Both for the world as it was before the Clown became #45 and for all of that has come after. BUT, at the same time, it IS important to be aware of the history. Like, even at a subconscious level, a lot of folks know that something is wrong but not why. This book does point the way. It's a v. ugly but necessary truth.
One thing that I've appreciated ("enjoyed" seems like too trivial and fluffy a word to use here) is that the book's narrated by Kendzior herself. With her flat accent, she talks abt the kleptocracy at a federal level while also pointing out how corruption affects everyone at a local level.
FTR, lest this sounds like some kooky conspiracy type of thing, Kendzior has also spent a lot of her life studying authoritarian regimes. She's a really good journalist too: one who can break down complex information into something much mure candid and digestible.
Again, not the easiest of reads (or rereads), but definitely one that kept me a bit more grounded after the terrible results of the US election. I stand by my original rating of this book (a 4.5 out of 5.)
NB: Kendzior continues to publish truly AMAZING USian political writing…on Substack. Which is A CHOICE FOR SURE. I do feel v. DDDDD: abt that given how things have gone since last year over there. Although Kendzior does offer a subscription, nothing on her page is behind any kind of paywall. And, in the age of the flattening and trivializing of a ton of news media, I am grateful for her words. I don't love that she's over there, but there we are.
Let me MOve ON
I DNF'd
* Real Easy by Marie Rutkwoski (Mystery/Thriller) - In 1999, Samantha is an exotic dancer at a club. One night, she gives a ride to the newest stripper in the club and then, Samantha's car is found with one woman dead inside and the other one missing. What happened?
My reasons for picking up this book were plenty:
- The premise sounded interesting;
- The MC was a sex worker;
- The author herself has been v. candid abt the fact that she had been a stripper for a number of years.
So I was like "sign me up". I liked Sam as an MC, everyone was v. interesting (even the characters I wasn't too sure abt), and the worldbuilding was great as well.
Unfortunately, there were abt 5-6 POVs up to the point I bounced from the book (roughly 20%). According to a lot of reviews I checked out after returning the book to the library, there were FOURTEEN POVS. Which, like, WHY?
The main reason why I DNF'd it is cuz there's a specific point where something happens and I had a really strong feeling that, was I to continue the book, I was going to be super upset. Right before returning the book, I read the ending and then additional spoilers to get a clearer picture of what happened. Sadly, my gut was 300% right. I would've been so pissed off if I hadn't bounced from this novel.
I do still recommend this book…with a HUGE CAVEAT that this book moves away from mystery/thriller and into general fiction/women's fiction. There are some things that will really upset some readers as well.
* Never Coming Home by Kate Williams (YA Mystery) - Before I go into my experience with this book, I'm fully admitting that I haven't been vibing with YAs for a while. It was recced by a booktuber who had been quite enthusiastic abt it. Began reading it in audiobook, but ended up switching to ebook for a bit.
Ten influencers go to a private island in order to promote an ultra-luxe and exclusive resort that will be opening soon. Once they get there, however, everything takes a nosedive FAST!
I do have to say that this author did a good job in showing not only the different kinds of influencers that exist (beauty, politics, environmental, music, cooking, etc). But she also wrote abt the behind-the-scenes of being an influencer (including the business side, the emotional and psychological pressures, what's needed to rise (or fall) in ranking, etc). Also, some parts of the novel are formatted in the style of social media platforms such as reddit. And they weren't cringe-y.
THAT SAID, like I mentioned, I had to switch from audiobook to ebook cuz the narrator WAS AWFUL. She had zero skills in differentiating most of the characters. So I found myself confused as to whose POV I was listening to (all ten characters have POVs).
The worst part is that this is a LITERAL c&p of Agatha Christie's And There Were None. FTR, I am v. hot-and-cold abt adaptations cuz they tend to miss the mark in really tacky ways. This book, frex, missed its target by a lot. Everything down to the first character who dies and how it happens.
SO, if you're read the Christie novel and/or have watched the many film and TV versions around, you've read this book too. I don't recommend this book at all. Also, the ending was deeply unsatisfying.
* Better Than People by Roan Parrish (M/M romance) - Jack lives in a small town. He's pretty much a loner and a bit of a curmudgeon. But he also has something like four dogs and three cats he's rescued. Every day he takes all of them for a walk. One day, he ends up with a broken leg after an accident. After some angsting, Jack gets matched (via an app) with someone who will take his animals for walks while his leg heals. In walks Simon. Slowly but surely, the dudes start a friendship that will become a romance.
The writing is good (as expected from Parrish), there's the Grumpy/Sunshine trope, and there are cute animals. Unfortch, I was bored; kept waiting to feel invested in the story but it wasn't happening 23% in. So I bounced.
I recommend it with a heads up for Simon's severe social anxiety being front and center. So if reading abt that is not your thing, keep on keeping on.
* Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett (Mystery/Thriller) - A Black woman in her early 30s who goes by Bree travels to an affluent part of New Jersey to spend the weekend with Ty, her boyfriend of 6 months, at a v. fancy airbnb property that Ty's company (some type of financial thing) owns.
Things go pretty well once she gets there. Not fantastic, but not bad. Until the morning when she's supposed to return home. Ty has vanished and, while looking for him, Bree finds the body of a dead white woman in the foyer. It's the same white woman who has been missing for a bit. So now, everyone thinks that Ty and Bree are involved in the murder. Bree's freaking out cuz she's (understandably) trying to keep herself out of jail AND find the truth of what happened while also hoping that no one discovers a secret from her past. And the only person who can help her is her former BFF who is now a lawyer.
I thought that was an excellent premise, hands down. The author did try to incorporate a lot of things (internet sleuths, True Crime afficionados, systematic racism, how white women do weaponize their tears, their pain, and their desirability within society in order to harm other ppl).
HOWEVAH
The writing is HORRIBLE. This is some of the worst writing I've come across in a while. How bad is it?
Well, Garrett has a v. distinct style that includes a lot of absolutely strange similes and metaphors.
Context for the next thing: at a certain point in the novel, Bree is in an elevator, racing to get to her hotel room in order to catch someone who is in her room right now. Her internal monolgue:
I jammed on the button like I was Bob Marley
…
IDK what to tell you?! From the get go, the book had weird-ass lines like that one. They kept taking me out of the story cuz I had to stop and process what the story was trying to say again and again I DNF'd it halfway thru Chapter 3. Read the ending before returning the book and wow, talk ab a hot mess.
Funny story: once I returned it,my library recced me another book by the same author. One that I read 6-7 yrs ago and had also DNF'd due to weird and bad writing, hahah.
Had an awesome time at first (but it all went downhill from there)
* Playing It Safe by Ashley Weaver (Historical Mystery) - Book 3 of the Electra "Ellie" McDonnell series.
It begins with Ellie being sent to Sunderland, somewhere in the English countryside, while the Blitz is still going on. At first, Major Gabriel Ramsey (her boss) tells her that she'll be told what her mission is once she gets there. And then ppl start to die…
There are 3 storylines: the main one (Ellie's mission), the second one (solving the murders), and the third one (a slow-burn mystery that has to do with Ellie's (long deceased) parents). I really liked the story up to Chapter 4. She was in danger from the get and I was like OOOOOH!!
But then the story plateaus, never recovering the early chapters' energy, and then the book is over, LOL.
I didn't like Ellie (who, in some ways, was kept in the dark abt a lot of things for ~reasons) in this novel. She was whiny AND had several moments of "I'm not like other girls cuz I grew up with male cousins." Oh, okay, lady. 🙄🙄🙄
The first one has to do with Gabriel/Ellie's relationship. Weaver has been building up their ship circa Book 1.
In this book, there's a moment where Ellie and Gabriel have a huge argument that culminates with Ellie throwing a heavy crystal ashtray at Gabriel. He dodges it. The scene culminates with the two of them having a v. passionate (yet short) makeout session.
Afterwards, Ellie's "conflicted" abt the kiss but not the almost assault.
And I was looking at Gabriel like "WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! Hold up. She just threw AN ASHTRAY at you, now y'all kissing fools, she's got a bf, and you're HER BOSS! WHY ARE Y'ALL BEING SO FUCKING MESSY?!"
THANKFULLY, Gabriel does have a talk with Ellie a little bit later where he makes it v. clear that they can't have that kind of thing happening again cuz he's her boss. He also mentions how inappropriate the whole thing is, so they both need to keep their distance. Ellie promises to keep things as professional as she can.
THE SECOND THING WAS INFURIATING TO ME.
There's a secondary character who turns out to be The Worst (™). The character, who only shows up in this novel, has been assigned to protect Ellie while she's at Sunderland. It turns out this is the character who PUSHED HER INTO INCOMING TRAFFIC at the beginning of the book just so the character could "save" her and they could form a bond.
Um, wtf?
THEN, there's another scene later in the book that was ridiculous. OK, so Ellie goes to an underground club and runs into that character. The character spikes Ellie's drink with something in order to have an "excuse" to take her out of the club so that she'll be "safe".
Ellie ends up passing out.
According to the book, nothing weird/bad happened. She wakes up in Gabriel's cabin allegedly unharmed. The character does confess to Ellie (in front of Gabriel) what they did and tries to explain away their reasoning. They act v. contrite, swearing that they'll "never do anything like that again". IIRC, they get a reprimand.
Whatever, character, FUCK YOU!
Anyways, at the end of the book, Ellie gets a ride from that character. On the outside, she's talking to the character (who is being v. friendly). Yet, in her mind, she's thinks that she'll never stop feeling unsafe around that character. Which, yeah, fucking valid.
So, given all that, I give this book 2 out of 5.
Out of the 4 already published books, this is a skip. NOTHING really happens.
Had mostly a good time
* Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver (Historical Mystery) - Book 4 in the Electra "Ellie" McDonnell series.
It takes place 6 months after the events of the previous book. Things have not gotten better, Gabriel hasn't contacted Ellie in a while, and she's considering going back to her life of crime.
One day, though, she sees something abt a dinner party that got robbed. She's confused as to not having heard abt that at all from the criminal world (since her and her family still keep connections with all kinds of unsavory ppl.) Semi-reluctantly, she brings it up to Gabriel who, after talking his superiors, gives her a new assignment.
I liked this book a lot more than the previous one. Ellie was more proactive (and less whiny), there was more revelations abt Gabriel's backstory that made me go OOOOH!, and a larger part of the mystery was fun. Also the love triangle was resolved. The ending, which is a soft cliffhanger, was a good one too.
OTOH, I got the sense that the author got impatient with the story's pacing. Because she started to pretty much set things up for the 5th and final book (that's due to drop next summer). Like, ⅔ in to the story, the mystery was wrapped up super fast cuz the ROMANCE was important?
Gabriel/Ellie's inevitability as a couple was set up all the way in Book 1. I know that I was glad that Gabriel did tell Ellie what was up in Book 3, but I'm also v. aware that, again, the romance IS a huge draw for a lot of readers.
There are several INTENSE KISSING scenes that were ridic but IDK. This is the book right before the grand finale. I had zero expectations of Ellie or Ramsey sticking to the "let's keep it cute and professional" idea, hahaha.
I do recommend the book. Although I also must point out that this is NOT a standalone. In order to get to the yayas that happen here, I do think it's necessary to read books 1 and 2. (Seriously, skip 3. That one's trash!). I'm giving it a 3 out of 5.
I'm currently reading
* To Cage a God by Elizabeth May - Historical fantasy romance that promises M/F and F/F ships. I only got 20% in the first time I borrowed it from the library, put it down for some reason, and then had to return it. So I'm giving it another spin.
* Wings Once Curse & Bound by Piper J. Drake - Urban fantasy romance centered around Thai folklore. I'm reading this one just so I can get to the second book in the series with has an M/M/F ship, hahah. #Priorities
* His Secret Illuminations by Scarlett Gale - Historical fantasy romance with an F/M ship. I'm always down for femdom. :DDDDDD
Other than that, there are mayyyyybe 6-8 more books I want to finish before the end of year. \o?
Had to make the executive decision to put Charlie Adhara's Pack of Lies back on the shelf until the sequel (this is a duology) gets published. Adhara is going thru something in her life (unspecfied), she's been gone from social media circa October of last year, and the 2nd book (Den of Thieves)'s publishing date has been pushed from October 2023, to March 2024, April 2025, and it's now February 2026. Since Book 1 ends in a soft cliffhanger, I'm choosing to wait. *Hands*
There were a couple of spooky books (Under the Blood Moon and Blood Mercy) that I'd originally planned to read in October. But last month was a bust in many ways. Alas.
Altogether, 2024 has been a rather bad reading year for me. I'm hoping that I'll find some gems in the next month and a half, LOLsob.
Re-reads? HUH.
* The Age of Innocence by Edith Warthon (Classic Literature) - Borrowed an audiobook version from the library a day before I got double vaxxed back in early September. One of the random, temporary side effects I've now experienced enough times to become aware of it (aside from general fatigue and headaches) is that I really can't stand staring at any screens for any length of time. Not wanting to be bored during the 2-3 days that it takes for my body to become friendly with the vaxxes, I snagged a copy that I could fall asleep to and not feel guilty or confused abt missing any important stuff. Had a good time, I guess? Though now that I've gone thru this novel twice in one year, it'll be a LONG WHILE before I pick it up again, hahah.
* Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America by Sarah Kendzior (Nonfiction) - I first read this book back in early 2021. Picked up an audiobook copy last week cuz I wanted to refresh my brain before I dive into Kendzior's other book (They Knew). Yes, I read this nonfiction account of political corruption across the world (specifically in Eastern Europe and the US) thru the lens of the Clown's ascent to power due to what went down last week. I wanted to remember everyone that was involved and how they were connected to him. The book ends around 2019.
In many heartbreaking ways, this is a book that will leave readers with a sense of frustration, anger, and sadness. Both for the world as it was before the Clown became #45 and for all of that has come after. BUT, at the same time, it IS important to be aware of the history. Like, even at a subconscious level, a lot of folks know that something is wrong but not why. This book does point the way. It's a v. ugly but necessary truth.
One thing that I've appreciated ("enjoyed" seems like too trivial and fluffy a word to use here) is that the book's narrated by Kendzior herself. With her flat accent, she talks abt the kleptocracy at a federal level while also pointing out how corruption affects everyone at a local level.
FTR, lest this sounds like some kooky conspiracy type of thing, Kendzior has also spent a lot of her life studying authoritarian regimes. She's a really good journalist too: one who can break down complex information into something much mure candid and digestible.
Again, not the easiest of reads (or rereads), but definitely one that kept me a bit more grounded after the terrible results of the US election. I stand by my original rating of this book (a 4.5 out of 5.)
NB: Kendzior continues to publish truly AMAZING USian political writing…on Substack. Which is A CHOICE FOR SURE. I do feel v. DDDDD: abt that given how things have gone since last year over there. Although Kendzior does offer a subscription, nothing on her page is behind any kind of paywall. And, in the age of the flattening and trivializing of a ton of news media, I am grateful for her words. I don't love that she's over there, but there we are.
Let me MOve ON
I DNF'd
* Real Easy by Marie Rutkwoski (Mystery/Thriller) - In 1999, Samantha is an exotic dancer at a club. One night, she gives a ride to the newest stripper in the club and then, Samantha's car is found with one woman dead inside and the other one missing. What happened?
My reasons for picking up this book were plenty:
- The premise sounded interesting;
- The MC was a sex worker;
- The author herself has been v. candid abt the fact that she had been a stripper for a number of years.
So I was like "sign me up". I liked Sam as an MC, everyone was v. interesting (even the characters I wasn't too sure abt), and the worldbuilding was great as well.
Unfortunately, there were abt 5-6 POVs up to the point I bounced from the book (roughly 20%). According to a lot of reviews I checked out after returning the book to the library, there were FOURTEEN POVS. Which, like, WHY?
The main reason why I DNF'd it is cuz there's a specific point where something happens and I had a really strong feeling that, was I to continue the book, I was going to be super upset. Right before returning the book, I read the ending and then additional spoilers to get a clearer picture of what happened. Sadly, my gut was 300% right. I would've been so pissed off if I hadn't bounced from this novel.
I do still recommend this book…with a HUGE CAVEAT that this book moves away from mystery/thriller and into general fiction/women's fiction. There are some things that will really upset some readers as well.
* Never Coming Home by Kate Williams (YA Mystery) - Before I go into my experience with this book, I'm fully admitting that I haven't been vibing with YAs for a while. It was recced by a booktuber who had been quite enthusiastic abt it. Began reading it in audiobook, but ended up switching to ebook for a bit.
Ten influencers go to a private island in order to promote an ultra-luxe and exclusive resort that will be opening soon. Once they get there, however, everything takes a nosedive FAST!
I do have to say that this author did a good job in showing not only the different kinds of influencers that exist (beauty, politics, environmental, music, cooking, etc). But she also wrote abt the behind-the-scenes of being an influencer (including the business side, the emotional and psychological pressures, what's needed to rise (or fall) in ranking, etc). Also, some parts of the novel are formatted in the style of social media platforms such as reddit. And they weren't cringe-y.
THAT SAID, like I mentioned, I had to switch from audiobook to ebook cuz the narrator WAS AWFUL. She had zero skills in differentiating most of the characters. So I found myself confused as to whose POV I was listening to (all ten characters have POVs).
The worst part is that this is a LITERAL c&p of Agatha Christie's And There Were None. FTR, I am v. hot-and-cold abt adaptations cuz they tend to miss the mark in really tacky ways. This book, frex, missed its target by a lot. Everything down to the first character who dies and how it happens.
SO, if you're read the Christie novel and/or have watched the many film and TV versions around, you've read this book too. I don't recommend this book at all. Also, the ending was deeply unsatisfying.
* Better Than People by Roan Parrish (M/M romance) - Jack lives in a small town. He's pretty much a loner and a bit of a curmudgeon. But he also has something like four dogs and three cats he's rescued. Every day he takes all of them for a walk. One day, he ends up with a broken leg after an accident. After some angsting, Jack gets matched (via an app) with someone who will take his animals for walks while his leg heals. In walks Simon. Slowly but surely, the dudes start a friendship that will become a romance.
The writing is good (as expected from Parrish), there's the Grumpy/Sunshine trope, and there are cute animals. Unfortch, I was bored; kept waiting to feel invested in the story but it wasn't happening 23% in. So I bounced.
I recommend it with a heads up for Simon's severe social anxiety being front and center. So if reading abt that is not your thing, keep on keeping on.
* Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett (Mystery/Thriller) - A Black woman in her early 30s who goes by Bree travels to an affluent part of New Jersey to spend the weekend with Ty, her boyfriend of 6 months, at a v. fancy airbnb property that Ty's company (some type of financial thing) owns.
Things go pretty well once she gets there. Not fantastic, but not bad. Until the morning when she's supposed to return home. Ty has vanished and, while looking for him, Bree finds the body of a dead white woman in the foyer. It's the same white woman who has been missing for a bit. So now, everyone thinks that Ty and Bree are involved in the murder. Bree's freaking out cuz she's (understandably) trying to keep herself out of jail AND find the truth of what happened while also hoping that no one discovers a secret from her past. And the only person who can help her is her former BFF who is now a lawyer.
I thought that was an excellent premise, hands down. The author did try to incorporate a lot of things (internet sleuths, True Crime afficionados, systematic racism, how white women do weaponize their tears, their pain, and their desirability within society in order to harm other ppl).
HOWEVAH
The writing is HORRIBLE. This is some of the worst writing I've come across in a while. How bad is it?
Well, Garrett has a v. distinct style that includes a lot of absolutely strange similes and metaphors.
Context for the next thing: at a certain point in the novel, Bree is in an elevator, racing to get to her hotel room in order to catch someone who is in her room right now. Her internal monolgue:
I jammed on the button like I was Bob Marley
…
IDK what to tell you?! From the get go, the book had weird-ass lines like that one. They kept taking me out of the story cuz I had to stop and process what the story was trying to say again and again I DNF'd it halfway thru Chapter 3. Read the ending before returning the book and wow, talk ab a hot mess.
Funny story: once I returned it,my library recced me another book by the same author. One that I read 6-7 yrs ago and had also DNF'd due to weird and bad writing, hahah.
Had an awesome time at first (but it all went downhill from there)
* Playing It Safe by Ashley Weaver (Historical Mystery) - Book 3 of the Electra "Ellie" McDonnell series.
It begins with Ellie being sent to Sunderland, somewhere in the English countryside, while the Blitz is still going on. At first, Major Gabriel Ramsey (her boss) tells her that she'll be told what her mission is once she gets there. And then ppl start to die…
There are 3 storylines: the main one (Ellie's mission), the second one (solving the murders), and the third one (a slow-burn mystery that has to do with Ellie's (long deceased) parents). I really liked the story up to Chapter 4. She was in danger from the get and I was like OOOOOH!!
But then the story plateaus, never recovering the early chapters' energy, and then the book is over, LOL.
I didn't like Ellie (who, in some ways, was kept in the dark abt a lot of things for ~reasons) in this novel. She was whiny AND had several moments of "I'm not like other girls cuz I grew up with male cousins." Oh, okay, lady. 🙄🙄🙄
Then, there were 2 things (BOTH SPOILERS) that were a combo of not great and TERRIBLE
The first one has to do with Gabriel/Ellie's relationship. Weaver has been building up their ship circa Book 1.
In this book, there's a moment where Ellie and Gabriel have a huge argument that culminates with Ellie throwing a heavy crystal ashtray at Gabriel. He dodges it. The scene culminates with the two of them having a v. passionate (yet short) makeout session.
Afterwards, Ellie's "conflicted" abt the kiss but not the almost assault.
And I was looking at Gabriel like "WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! Hold up. She just threw AN ASHTRAY at you, now y'all kissing fools, she's got a bf, and you're HER BOSS! WHY ARE Y'ALL BEING SO FUCKING MESSY?!"
THANKFULLY, Gabriel does have a talk with Ellie a little bit later where he makes it v. clear that they can't have that kind of thing happening again cuz he's her boss. He also mentions how inappropriate the whole thing is, so they both need to keep their distance. Ellie promises to keep things as professional as she can.
THE SECOND THING WAS INFURIATING TO ME.
There's a secondary character who turns out to be The Worst (™). The character, who only shows up in this novel, has been assigned to protect Ellie while she's at Sunderland. It turns out this is the character who PUSHED HER INTO INCOMING TRAFFIC at the beginning of the book just so the character could "save" her and they could form a bond.
Um, wtf?
THEN, there's another scene later in the book that was ridiculous. OK, so Ellie goes to an underground club and runs into that character. The character spikes Ellie's drink with something in order to have an "excuse" to take her out of the club so that she'll be "safe".
Ellie ends up passing out.
According to the book, nothing weird/bad happened. She wakes up in Gabriel's cabin allegedly unharmed. The character does confess to Ellie (in front of Gabriel) what they did and tries to explain away their reasoning. They act v. contrite, swearing that they'll "never do anything like that again". IIRC, they get a reprimand.
Whatever, character, FUCK YOU!
Anyways, at the end of the book, Ellie gets a ride from that character. On the outside, she's talking to the character (who is being v. friendly). Yet, in her mind, she's thinks that she'll never stop feeling unsafe around that character. Which, yeah, fucking valid.
So, given all that, I give this book 2 out of 5.
Out of the 4 already published books, this is a skip. NOTHING really happens.
Had mostly a good time
* Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver (Historical Mystery) - Book 4 in the Electra "Ellie" McDonnell series.
It takes place 6 months after the events of the previous book. Things have not gotten better, Gabriel hasn't contacted Ellie in a while, and she's considering going back to her life of crime.
One day, though, she sees something abt a dinner party that got robbed. She's confused as to not having heard abt that at all from the criminal world (since her and her family still keep connections with all kinds of unsavory ppl.) Semi-reluctantly, she brings it up to Gabriel who, after talking his superiors, gives her a new assignment.
I liked this book a lot more than the previous one. Ellie was more proactive (and less whiny), there was more revelations abt Gabriel's backstory that made me go OOOOH!, and a larger part of the mystery was fun. Also the love triangle was resolved. The ending, which is a soft cliffhanger, was a good one too.
OTOH, I got the sense that the author got impatient with the story's pacing. Because she started to pretty much set things up for the 5th and final book (that's due to drop next summer). Like, ⅔ in to the story, the mystery was wrapped up super fast cuz the ROMANCE was important?
Abt that last part (behold a spoiler)
Gabriel/Ellie's inevitability as a couple was set up all the way in Book 1. I know that I was glad that Gabriel did tell Ellie what was up in Book 3, but I'm also v. aware that, again, the romance IS a huge draw for a lot of readers.
There are several INTENSE KISSING scenes that were ridic but IDK. This is the book right before the grand finale. I had zero expectations of Ellie or Ramsey sticking to the "let's keep it cute and professional" idea, hahaha.
I do recommend the book. Although I also must point out that this is NOT a standalone. In order to get to the yayas that happen here, I do think it's necessary to read books 1 and 2. (Seriously, skip 3. That one's trash!). I'm giving it a 3 out of 5.
I'm currently reading
* To Cage a God by Elizabeth May - Historical fantasy romance that promises M/F and F/F ships. I only got 20% in the first time I borrowed it from the library, put it down for some reason, and then had to return it. So I'm giving it another spin.
* Wings Once Curse & Bound by Piper J. Drake - Urban fantasy romance centered around Thai folklore. I'm reading this one just so I can get to the second book in the series with has an M/M/F ship, hahah. #Priorities
* His Secret Illuminations by Scarlett Gale - Historical fantasy romance with an F/M ship. I'm always down for femdom. :DDDDDD
Other than that, there are mayyyyybe 6-8 more books I want to finish before the end of year. \o?
Had to make the executive decision to put Charlie Adhara's Pack of Lies back on the shelf until the sequel (this is a duology) gets published. Adhara is going thru something in her life (unspecfied), she's been gone from social media circa October of last year, and the 2nd book (Den of Thieves)'s publishing date has been pushed from October 2023, to March 2024, April 2025, and it's now February 2026. Since Book 1 ends in a soft cliffhanger, I'm choosing to wait. *Hands*
There were a couple of spooky books (Under the Blood Moon and Blood Mercy) that I'd originally planned to read in October. But last month was a bust in many ways. Alas.
Altogether, 2024 has been a rather bad reading year for me. I'm hoping that I'll find some gems in the next month and a half, LOLsob.
no subject
Date: 2024-11-12 06:17 pm (UTC)