savage_book_review's reviews
272 reviews

Cordelia has a passion for the ocean; she earns a living as an oceanographer, with a side of e-gaming online. Out doing her usual volunteer work of cleaning up the Pensacola beach, she catches the eye of world-famous surfer Simon. But both she and he have this feeling, like they've met each other before...

You'll be pleased to know that, while this book certainly starts out in the same vein as the others in this series, it quite quickly diverges from the norm. It's a welcome change, giving this tale a different feel whilst retaining the continuity of the overall series. It was therefore an enjoyable read, but I found myself less enthused by the plot overall. 

I liked Simon/Poseidon's character, especially his tenderness towards Cordelia throughout. The person the author has drawn is definitely not what I was expecting, but was absolutely welcome. He might even be my favourite of the Gods from the series (sorry Hades...)! I found it harder to invest in Cordelia in e-gaming mode, probably because that's not something I really 'get', but as you learn more about her she became easier to get along with, even if I remain fairly ambivalent about her.

As with the rest of the books the level of backstory and development is quite lacking, but in this case it is sorely needed to allow the reader to fully understand the characters and their relationship. There is an attempt to fill in some of the gaps, but it comes too late on and is too brief to be of much help. In this case, it does feel like you might need a little bit of knowledge of Poseidon's myths and stories to fully appreciate what's happening. I found this also affected the ending of the book (cliffhanger - I knew we were building towards something!), dampening what should have been a very effective hook into the next book. 

On a related note, there could and should have been far more time devoted to Cordelia's memories. It's a great plot device and prime space for exploration and character development,but as with a lot of the author's sub-plots throughout the series, it briefly appears to serve its purpose in moving the main story along, before being quickly discarded. Similarly, the obstacles being thrown in the way are resolved far too quickly - I'm not saying characters don't deserve to be thrown the odd but of good luck, but when so many solutions are basically served on a silver platter, it gives the impression that the author didn't think too hard about anything other than the main relationship. 

On the upside, I'm not so worried about Chelsea any more (look out for the Easter Egg!), and I'm certainly intrigued about how the finale is going to play out. There are a fair few loose ends to tie up from throughout the series and I do have my suspicions about how everything will be brought together, but we shall see!

Elani believes in compatibility, and runs her dating agency on the premise that her detailed algorithm can find someone their perfect life partner. What's love got to do with anything? But when several clients ditch her services after finding their match on the advice of a local bartender who seemingly has an almost divine power to set people up, she finds herself betting on her own happily ever after. 

This book has a much 'softer' feel to it than the previous books in the series, mainly because we're talking about a God who deals in love rather than war or death. He's an immediately likeable character and, while he does flirt, he doesn't come across as brazen or brash as the other Gods and it feels like a more down to earth, natural progression of a relationship. His actions throughout are genuine and lovely when taken in context (if he wasn't a God, I admit there are a few moments that might raise a few red flags!) and he's definitely the sort of character you sigh over. And, so with all good book boyfriends of late, he has a large wingspan and a lake for you both to swim in...😊

Elani is an interesting character, but she's not been my favourite of the series. However, I do like the small differences in her background compared to the others; it feels like her backstory might be starting to guide the reader towards some sort of 'end game' when the series concludes to explain how all of these Gods are suddenly getting themselves mortal wives! I also have to say I feel really sorry for her sister Chelsea now, as both her sister and her "best friend" (Harm from 'Ares') have snagged themselves an Olympian! Really hoping she gets a look in during the remaining books in the series!

I particularly enjoyed the weaving in of Psyche's character and story, allowing both the 'original' and the 'retelling' to exist side by side. I was less enthused by Aphrodite, but again I suspect this is laying the foundations for an explanation of the mortal women. There are a good few crossover moments in this book too, so you get to revisit some of the Gods you've already met, which really helps the world feel cohesive.

Overall though, I would have liked just a bit more of everything - a slower burn, a more believable obstacle in the form of Graeme (her worries about him remove the suspense fairly quickly), more innuendo-laden cocktails, men in kilts etc etc etc!

An MMA fighter should be able to look after themselves, right? But when Harmony 'Harm' receives a death threat, she reluctantly accepts the protection of a bodyguard, who just so happens to be Mars, the recently retired world heavyweight champion, who might just be more than the brute others see.

By this point in the series, you'll have realised that the stories are all essentially the same, just with different details. But, somehow, the stories remain entertaining enough to keep you reading, whilst allowing you to switch off and just enjoy the ride. I honestly didn't think I'd like this one very much - on the surface, it just doesn't appeal. However, I think it might be my favourite of the series so far.

Normally I'm one for worldbuilding, backstory, character history and so on. In this case, it's almost totally absent, but somehow it just doesn't matter. I like the fact that all you need to know is there, but the writer doesn't dwell on it, which would only serve to bring the mood down. Likewise, she's trusting that you've read the other books so you don't need a recap on the way the world works. It means you are totally focused on these two people, their relationship, and who they are right now. In turn, this lets you enjoy the build up and ultimately the resolution far more because you're invested solely in them. Their characters are well drawn, and Ares' aggression and his struggles with anger management surprisingly only add to his character, especially when compared with the softer side that does make an occasional appearance.

Equally, I enjoyed the more playful touches the author introduced when it comes to Ares' family. Dino and Heph are both brilliantly portrayed, and I kind of wish they had their own books just from these brief introductions alone! And I really like the little twists on 'accepted' Greek mythology that she's managed to include as little in-jokes. It gives the whole thing a lift.

I would say that the underlying premise that brings the two characters together isn't very well handled - it's introduced, very quickly forgotten about and then suddenly resolved in the space of a line or two. I'm also pretty sure there's a typo in my Kindle version which gives the 'villain' the wrong name at the end, meaning the (not so) big reveal loses even more of its power. Similarly, the 'best friend' character in this isn't as strong as in the previous books, perhaps because she's Harm's publicist rather than a friend, and Harm is not the sort or woman to do 'girl talk', so the closeness between them is missing. 

On to the next one!

The heroes of the Trojan War are legend... Achillies and Patroclus, Agamemnon, Odysseyus, Priam, Paris, Hector, Ajax... the list goes on. But aren't the women of the Trojan War just as heroic in their own way? Those that survived, only to be forced into slavery? Those that lost their husbands, brothers and sons and had to keep going regardless? This novel explores their stories and brings to life those overshadowed by 'the face that launched a thousand ships'.

First and foremost, the writing of this piece certainly is 'epic', matching the scale of the piece that was its inspiration. I love the continual shift in focus, from far removed with the Muse Calliope ranting about how the author of this epic poem doesn't want to listen to her, to the 'Greek chorus' moments of the Trojan women, sat on the shore awaiting their fates, to the stories of various women involved in the war, whether before, during or after. The stories don't come in chronological order, and yet the story ebbs and flows beautifully, with the timeline still becoming manifestly clear so you can not only discover what happens to everyone as a result of the war, but follow it back to work out exactly who put the wheels is motion to cause the war in the first place. 

If you've read even a few of the myriad of recent releases based around retelling Greek myths from the female perspective, you will probably be familiar with at least some of the characters and their stories. However, that shouldn't put you off - there are still plenty of other women in here to learn about. The book definitely fits into this bracket though; the various authors of these recent books (i.e. Madeline Miller, Jennifer Saint etc) do all seem to have a similar flair and style which really helps ground you in the stories, no matter who you're reading. Hayne's writing in this case is gentle and yet emotionally charged throughout, with moments of levity, and overall is just a really enjoyable journey to go on. 

I couldn't choose which story I liked the most - the author has told all of them in a wonderfully engaging way. That being said, I loved Penelope's increasingly exasperated letters to Odysseyus, telling him what stories the bards are telling about his ridiculous journey home. Likewise, the stories of the lesser known (to me) women were fascinating, and filled in a lot of gaps for me.

I listened to the audiobook of this, which the author herself narrated. She is obviously very confident behind a microphone and about the subject matter(she also has a radio programme about Greek myth which is available on Audible and a credit has been earmarked for this!), and yet there were moments where I wasn't wholly convinced by her performance. There are a couple of small slips that could perhaps have done with a touch more editing (or another take) to smooth over, and there are a couple of places where she runs on sentences in something of a rush. Overall she does an excellent job and it's a great listen, but a tiny part of me wonders whether another performer may have added a touch more life to the narration. But that's being very nitpicky.

Would highly recommend!

The third in the series of Alison Weir's examinations of the Queens Consort of England from 1066, this volume focuses on the Queens of Edwards I, II and III, and the two Queens of Richard II. 

I need to preface this by saying I think Alison Weir is an amazing historian and author; she is authoritative, knowledgeable and yet her works are easily digestible by a lay person. While this book absolutely does fit with that, unfortunately it fails to actually focus on the subject at hand; the women. I found that, throughout, it read like more of a general history of the period; the women are definitely there, and probably do appear more than in a traditional narrative of the period, but nevertheless it didn't tell their story so much as just slotted them into their place in history. I don't feel I learned very much about the women at all, and on numerous occasions found myself 'zoning out' as the book did not live up to what I was expecting from its pages. It almost feels like the author has had a loss of confidence in her own abilities to bring women's history to life.

When I reviewed the first book in this series, I commented that this issue was there too, but in that case I could sort of understand it given that primary source material from the 11th and 12th centuries is exceptionally rare. But, even in that book with little source material to rely upon, the author quoted such sources and pinpointed where a Queen was, and perhaps why she was there. In this book, it is clear that there is more primary source material to draw from, but it is the more mundane kind; accounts. As such, she is able to tell us what the Queen ate or wore wherever she might have been, but there is a complete lack of depth given to them as people. I appreciate that a historian deals in facts, but usually there are at least inferences made as to what the subject's motivations and thoughts may have been and this felt totally missing in this case. 

The amount of time dedicated to each Queen also felt uneven to me. I vaguely recall the author making a comment at the outset of this series that, because she had already published standalone books on Eleanor of Aquitaine and Isabella of France, she would not be dedicating that much space to them in these pages. However, Isabella's entry is roughly a third to a half of the length of this book. Her daugher-in-law, Philippa of Hainault, is vastly overshadowed, with much of her life being shoehorned into Isabella's entry due to their overlapping lives. Given the vast amount that has been written about Isabella, I would have preferred that the author stuck with her original plan and tell us more about the 'lesser known' Queens. 

There is a small part of me that wonders whether the author has found that she enjoys writing fictionalised history more than the real thing. Although I certainly applaud the effort and the sheer amount of work that she must be putting into this much needed series to bring these women's stories to the masses, at the same time I cannot help but think this is far from her best work. I will definitely still keep buying and keep reading the series as new ones are released, particularly as we are due to enter the era for which the author is better known in the next book, but for now this one will simply sit in my bookshelf as a nice reference guide, but nothing more.

Laurel is excited to star in a new ballet production, even if she did miss out on the principal role. But when it transpires the company is to be joined onstage by arrogant, egotistical musician Ace, sparks begin to fly between them. Quite literally. Because he's not just a rock god... 

First and foremost, I enjoyed the lightness of Apollo's character and his back and forth with Laurel. It really made their relationship 'pop' from the page more than Hades and Stephanie (who do make a brief appearance in this book). Although the book is shorter than 'Hades', I think you get more from both lead characters in terms of characterisation and development, and I could certainly feel their creativity and inspiration through the descriptions of their music and dance.

Weirdly, I've heard a lot about the Muses today (for some reason, Johnny Vaughan was talking about them on his radio show this morning), so I feel like these Goddesses might be trying to kick me a little bit of inspiration... I could certainly do with it at the moment! I did like the fact that there was a bit more of a 'purpose' to Laurel's story in this sense - it's not quite the 'fated mates' trope, but the draw between the characters feels more natural here.

However, as with the last book, the secondary characters appear to be there purely to inhabit the world, rather than to play any significant part in it. Again, opportunities for layered storylines are missed and there is very little else outside the burgeoning relationship of the main couple to cling onto. It does make it a very quick and easy read, but it feels like it could have been so much more.

I suspect that the books in this series are all going to be essentially carbon copies story-wise, just with different places and people. There are a few things already that are too similar - the best friend in 'Hades' and 'Apollo' is effectively the same person, and other aspects make the writing in the latter feel a bit lazy, rather than there being a worldbuilding element. I'm not expecting any surprises in the rest of the series, but it would be nice to have a bit of a twist. But as long as I keep my expectations of that pretty low, I'll definitely enjoy the rest of the series.

It probably doesn't help that Apollo isn't my favourite of the Greek Gods (Hades has that award), so I'm not necessarily as invested in a story based around him... but it was still a good read to pass the time.

Dragged on holiday to Corfu by her best friend, Stephanie struggles to switch off from her job as a digital forensics expert. But drawn to a lonely soul sat at the hotel bar by the strange nature of his aura, she quickly finds herself with a new puzzle to solve. He calls himself Hades, but the Greek gods are just myths. He can't be the actual King of the Underworld, can he?

Ah, yet again we find ourselves with a lead male character that has a dark soul, pointy ears, a ripped body and a ginormous wingspan... Not complaining! I even like the southern drawl thing he's got going on! But seriously, as with many of these modern retellings Hades is more than just the stereotypical torturer of Tartarus - in this case, all he wants is a short holiday from his day job and for someone to see 'the real him'. His character is perhaps not as detailed as in other retellings, but he's definitely still the character the reader will be drawn to. I did enjoy the development of his relationship with Stephanie and his slipping into Godly thoughts while in his human disguise; it gives him a little bit of an adorable but clueless vibe in places. 

However, I found Stephanie didn't really have enough character development early on for me to come to properly like her; she's given traits and abilities with very little explanation or back story, which I thought detracted from the overall effect. For example, her ability to see auras should be quite important to the plot, but it's not really followed through enough to give it the emphasis it deserves, nor is it explained in any great detail. As she is meant to be 'normal' apart from this, it just comes across as a little bit of a convenient plot device.

The plot itself is relatively simple, but it does feel like a bit of a mish-mash of ideas. You go from trying to solve a murder to Dirty Dancing to Greek mythology, and while it does hold up there is very little depth to the story and ai thought the balance was a bit 'off'. I think it would have been more interesting if the author had focused on either the darker elements and had Hades appear as part of the police investigation, or conversely omitted that element altogether and made it more of a lighthearted 'beach read' romance. Similarly, the attempted sub-plots involving the secondary characters Stephanie meets on holiday don't really lead anywhere and are pretty superfluous as they stand. Again, with a little more thought and detail they could have added a good few layers to the story. 

Enjoyable enough read if you like Hades and Persephone retellings, but there are better out there.

Princess Gwendoline of Camelot has been betrothed to Arthur DeLacey since the day she was born. There are two problems with this: 1, they cannot stand each other. And 2, her romantic interests lie elsewhere. When Art is sent to Camelot for the summer to prepare for their upcoming nuptials, it goes about as well as expected. Until Gwen discovers Art has a secret love too. Playing along to distract the world from their real feelings, might events conspire to allow them a true happily ever after? Or will they be stuck together forever, definitely not in love?

I'm not usually one for the fake dating trope, but the fact that this one comes with a bit of a twist makes it much more enjoyable to me. I was more invested in the development of the relationship between Gwen and Art purely because it was clear that there wouldn't be any romance between them; I was intrigued to see how far they would move from enemies to friends, and just how it would be achieved. While they do bounce off of each other very well, I will be honest and say that I much prefer Art as a character - he's the lovable rogue; the confident, cocky young buck compared to the petulant teenager that is Gwen. She does improve as the book progresses, but even her 'heroic' moment is quite muted compared to Art's. 

While the story overall is a fun, lighthearted ride, and the ingenuity of the setting - a Camelot that knows King Arthur existed and is trying to recapture his magic, even though his story has faded into legend - is brilliant, I did feel that the writing lacked purpose. None of the characters, with the possible exception of Art, have much depth to them; even the love interests feel more like rough outlines rather than fully fleshed out people. 

Similarly, the plot was fairly limited and, while there are a couple of moments that hit the mark, more seem to be trying to set up a sub-plot that don't go anywhere, or are moments of intrigue introduced far too late and wound up far too quickly. Likewise, a lot of the 'revelations' lose their impact or are overshadowed by wider events - it feels like there are so many missed opportunities. I just wanted more of everything!

Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable read and I would like to see a sequel dealing with the newest version of Camelot - there's plenty of scope for more from these characters!

Eleanor wants to be invisible. But her flaming red hair and thrift store fashion make her stand out like a sore thumb. So when she steps onto the school bus and slides into the empty seat next to Park, she keeps herself to herself. Until he notices her reading over his shoulder. Issues of comics are exchanged before words are, but slowly they get to know each other through Marvel and mix tapes. With a less than harmonious home life and bullies terrorising her at school, she discovers the safety and comfort of friendship and first love... now she just has to keep it hidden.

This is a simple story of teen love, but is so effectively told. It completely draws you in, portraying beautifully that dream-like version of budding romance where you two are the only characters of consequence in the story. The people that surround you; friends, family, classmates and colleagues are there and interact with you, affect your life and continue in their roles, but your focus is continually drawn to that person you have feelings for. In this case, I found that it didn't matter that the secondary characters weren't necessarily drawn with that much depth; they just didn't need it as they weren't as important as this growing relationship. 

That being said, Eleanor's background is horrifying and, as the story progresses, it's hard to understand why her mother remains loyal to her utterly disgusting step-father. He is the only character that perhaps could have been more starkly drawn. He is a nasty piece of work, but he doesn't quite come to life enough for me to inspire that burning hatred that other literary villains of a similar ilk do.

The writing style bounces back and forth between Eleanor and Park's POVs in fairly rapid succession, but in this case it works perfectly for the story being told. You get to see the development of their relationship and their wider lives from both perspectives simultaneously, which means the shifting balance of feelings is always evident. 

I understand from the author's notes why the ending is the way that it is, but if I do have one criticism it's that the end does feel a bit rushed. The resolution of the slight 'mystery' element should have a greater impact than it does, and the emotional fallout for both Eleanor and Park deserves more page space... I'm not 100% sure how it could work myself, but it seemed to me that there was an entire potential third act within those last few pages. But I'm not going to complain about the last few lines. Perfectly pitched. 

This book is more about the feelings it inspires in the reader rather than its literary merits. And I definitely have all the feels after that!

I have been in love with this story since I was about 11 years old, when a friend lent me the book for reading time at school. So when I discovered it was a available as an audiobook, it jumped straight to the top of my Audible wishlist. 

I will admit to being slightly nervous about buying it; what if the narrator ruins it, or it overrides the images I've always held? Fortunately, it's a very good rendition! The narrator is lively and engaging, bringing life to the characters and giving them their own voice without straying into caricature. Yes, I have always pictured the story being based in a little fishing village in Devon/Cornwall, whereas the narrator has chosen to give the vast majority of characters Irish accents, but the whole point is that the author never specifies a 'real' place or time for the setting. As a result, I was perfectly happy to accept the rendition while keeping my own headcanon intact. There were a couple of occasions where the accent wandered slightly, but nothing so obvious as to spoil the immersion into the story.

She also did an excellent job in bringing Marnie and Raven's hand words to life, making them just stilted enough to allow your imagination to see them discussing things with signs, while not disturbing the overall flow of the narrative. Likewise, I think she did a good job with Raven's mouth words, making them sound true to life without overdoing things and making them sound like bad impressions. The only thing I found slightly annoying was the indecision about how to pronounce the name Isake (Eyes-ache vs Isaac). There's a bit of both in here, and I feel like the pronunciation should have been decided upon prior to recording. 

Turning to the story and the writing, everything about this book spears straight to the core of my soul. Right from the first line, you are drawn into this world of the downtrodden, poor, common folk of the Middle Ages, and their fear of anything different. It doesn't feel like a perspective we get to see very often, and the author does an amazing job at expressing the struggle that is their daily life and exploring the reasoning behind their closed-mindedness. 

Our main characters, Marnie and Raven, are completely real to me and I feel everything as they do, from the joy of their communications to the terror of the whip and the hangman's noose. They are both spellbinding (and not just because of the witchcraft!). I literally walk every step of the story alongside them, dancing with them, fearing with them and just breathing with them. And like them, I do not have enough words to convey just how much this story means to me.