readclever's reviews
337 reviews

Charming Chances

Solid 4.5 stars.

Strong characters. Ren works as a woman looking to start over. Anyone who has lived in a small town can understand what it's like to be the new person. Constantly being watched. And she was a good match for Griffin. I appreciated how she worked through his walls. And didn't take misbehavior on his part. She was strong.

Meet cute set off some great chain events. How Griffin kept trying to stay away and remember his wife. To grieve and then learn to find solace. The romance seemed a little fast and that's why a half star deduction.

Loved the Knightly family and their responses to what life handed them. And I kind of adore the fudge shop. I want fudge every time they visit.

All in all, a really charming introduction to Meghan Quinn's work.

Almost perfect

I really liked Rogan and appreciated his growth as a character. But I didn't like his persist pursuing of Harper. Nor the last 20 pages or so that kind of wrapped everything up.

I loved Harper. There was something endearing about her. Charming. She gave as good as she got. Until those last 20 pages. She was never allowed to grow within the story after that.

And the ending kept this story from being a 4.5 level story. The Lovemark plot line was so cute. I could see Hallmark making this into a plot line. It was fantastic. And the lighthouse setting. The way Quinn plotted out more of the town. Even Rogan's somewhat unrealistic for his age job works.

I feel like the ending really took me out because the resolution felt too quick. Too easily glossed over. And Harper's time between their break was completely glossed over at important bits.

Still worth a solid 4 stars. The intriguing far outweighed the flat.

The Story of Eve

Enjoyed the decisions Eve made. She seemed to be a woman who knew what she wanted. And it was kind of inspiring that she didn't let tragedy define her.

Reid's decisions were at silly at times, which is pretty normal for the Knightly brothers. Eve was a great balance and didn't take any I'll treatment. Refreshing.

Only four stars because I felt like the time line was too quick for the work needed halfway through. Still a solid four stars. I rarely give five, so four is an A grade.

I loved the ability to go between ebook and audio on KU as well. Helped me keep up when doing housework.

Decent series conclusion

This was my least favorite in the Knightly series. Brig was too immature, even as he moved past the impatient stage. Ruth was to good for him. His actions felt too high school for a 25-year-old.

I wish there had been a discussion on what happened to Ruth's parents. Eve seemed to get a bit more attention. While Ruth wasn't close to the Knightlys, she was very close to their in-laws.

I couldn't quite buy Brig's pivotal moment. Didn't seem timed right after only 6 weeks. Maybe a month later or so.

I love how protective the Knightlys are about the women in the brothers' lives. I just wish this book didn't feel somewhat of a retread of Eve and Reid. Loved the Port Snow community.

This isn't a point against but I missed the narrators with this book. Made me feel more invested. Plus, they were fun.

Somewhere between 3.75-4 stars, so I rounded up because of nitpicky reasons.

Almost, Not Quite.

I wanted to like this story. I did like the writing style and characters. I just felt like Easy and Jamila's story was a bit empty outside of the sex. I couldn't quite by the second chance since it all felt a bit rushed and surface. I wanted to go through more of their connection, how they ended up so close.

I received an arc from NetGalley for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book. So much. But I couldn't buy the romance. Angela and Colin were surface level. Nothing to really dig into, not even things they had in common. Everything felt very 21-year-old, not 31. Pillow forts and fights, arguments over tea, a wardrobe full of quarantine contraband.

Angela had the potential to be better, but she didn't quite cut it. I didn't know why I was supposed to like her, at all. Fairly cardboard to Colin's zany quirks. Ashamed to read romance books to his morning DJ gigs.

Romance was nonexistent. No chemistry beyond roommates. The HFN didn't make sense. Nothing worked.

Annoying since I wanted to enjoy a book in quarantine times. It's not going away anytime soon and there's been so many real life stories. I wanted to join in the fun. Sadly, this wasn't the book for me. I almost DNFed about 65% through.

Editing felt weak as well. Both developmentally and proofreading. So much work needed to be done to flesh out the main plot and what brings the two leads together. Too rushed, not enough care in the buildup or intimacy.

Missing bits but still solid.

Solid 4 stars.

Loved Joia. Liked Teddy. Just felt a bit sudden and abrupt in their love. Saying an doing didn't match well at the end. Also the ending didn't exactly feel complete.

I would have loved another 15-20 pages for a more finished ending. The disconnect Joia's mama brought up didn't seem to find a good resolution either.

Joia, Jaclyn and Jemma are sisters I love reading about. They're dynamic and individual, even with shared traits. I'm looking forward to Jemma's story next.

Teddy felt a bit too...underdeveloped for the role he played and I never quite understood how his influencer life blew up. Like what made him stand out.

Solid 4 stars. No more or less. Pacing and development needed a bit more tightness.

3.5 stars.

I found an audiobook available with a good deal. I picked it up since I love surprise babies. I loved that Evie was taking the chance to have fun. And that Liam clearly was attracted. But after some complicated plot devices, Liam finds out Evie is pregnant and steps up. Unfortunately, the romance falls flat because there's too many subplots and devices. It gets lost.

And frankly, I didn't quite understand what Liam and Evie had in common beyond the baby. An attempt was made but I didn't buy the connection. I did appreciate that Liam wanted to be a part of the pregnancy and helped calm her fears about previous relationships. And he does accept her two sons. But I don't know where their connection really happened. I love yous before really knowing each other. And planning marriage.

I gave the rating based on the writing style...and I did like the characters. I just didn't buy the romance. I wasn't a fan of the dropped storyline when it came to the diabetes since it would be a big uphill battle with incoming pregnancy. I'd like to have seen her family come together more, showing a support network.

And the audiobook wasn't bad. Narrator Rebecca Roberts did take me out a bit when doing the children's voices. Too twee at times. But otherwise enjoyed her work.

Escapist candy

4.25 stars

Not my usual type of book but I did enjoy the bonkerness of it all. Melodrama, fated mates, and BDSM life. Perfect for someone that needs a candy read.

Kitty and Skoll are an odd match. He's domineering, she hits him with a spade for going after her cat. Sets up an interesting scifi world where the cat nuns from Doctor Who would fit right in.

Some parts do contain a multitude of issues, but it was perfect for escapist fic. Content warnings for dub con.

Brave, bold, bloody

A wicked retelling of Beauty and the Beast where Beauty holds a different kind of power. Strong-willed, independent, and self-aware. I really loved Lady Griselle.

4.5 stars because I wanted a bit more of the climax scene, of that strength to shine through. And a few answers. But that's being nitpicky so I bumped up to 5 stars.