Showing posts with label romance review blogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label romance review blogs. Show all posts

No Judgements by Meg Cabot

No Judgements by Meg Cabot The storm of the century is about to hit Little Bridge Island, Florida—and it’s sending waves crashing through Sabrina “Bree” Beckham’s love life…
When a massive hurricane severs all power and cell service to Little Bridge Island—as well as its connection to the mainland—twenty-five-year-old Bree Beckham isn’t worried . . . at first. She’s already escaped one storm—her emotionally abusive ex—so a hurricane seems like it will be a piece of cake.

But animal-loving Bree does become alarmed when she realizes how many islanders have been cut off from their beloved pets. Now it’s up to her to save as many of Little Bridge’s cats and dogs as she can . . . but to do so, she’s going to need help—help she has no choice but to accept from her boss’s sexy nephew, Drew Hartwell, the Mermaid CafĂ©’s most notorious heartbreaker.

But when Bree starts falling for Drew, just as Little Bridge’s power is restored and her penitent ex shows up, she has to ask herself if her island fling was only a result of the stormy weather, or if it could last during clear skies too.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Meg Cabot. Starting with her Princess Diaries series back in 2002, I’ve read almost every single one of her books, leaving out the middle school books, and I would say hands down she is one of my favourite authors.

The Little Bridge Island Series starts off with a short story, ‘Bridal Boot Camp,’ and while a short story has limited time, the story was bland, not offering much for the reader to fall in love with the characters.

Unfortunately, No Judgements starts off exactly as the blurb lays out, and continues its short story pitfall, of simply seeming too easy. The characters are semi-likeable, but the romance seems too rush between the protagonists. While a great read for introducing us to Little Bridge Island, there’s nothing memorable about this series.

When Cabot refers to the ’emotionally abusive ex’ in the blurb, I steeled myself, for what ultimately seemed to be little resolution in the book, and retaliation with physical violence. She also introduces a myriad of backstory for the character that seem to be random notes, rather than key driving points of the story.

Overall, while I love Cabot and most of her books, unfortunately this one seemed to fall short. An interesting premise in a gorgeous setting, but the pace was too quickly set for our protagonists to reach their happy ending.

Rating: 3/5

Click here to purchase from Amazon.

Love Me Like You Do by Aimee Brown


Love Me Like You Do by Aimee Brown
A runaway bride. A handsome stranger. Two pasts to put behind them.
Parker is ready to marry the man of her dreams. But he isn't ready to marry her. When she's dumped moments before walking down the aisle, she didn't expect to run into the arms of a handsome stranger. The southern drawl, the dreamy eyes, she can't fall for another man after being left at the altar – can she?
When Liam agreed to go on yet another blind date, he didn't expect his escape would lead him to the emergency room with a runaway bride. She might have just been left at the altar, but he's immediately drawn to her fiery spirit, kind heart and beautiful smile. Liam's got a whole host of problems and a past that's haunting him, now can't be the time to fall in love, but Parker might just be the one to break down his barriers and let him live a little – if she'll let him in.
Will these two strangers allow serendipity to force them together, or will their fears keep them apart?
Thanks to NetGalley and Aria I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reading copy for Aimee Brown's upcoming romance novel, Love Me Like You Do, scheduled for release 17th September.
I've never read anything by Ms. Brown before, but was instantly drawn in by the description and it did not disappoint. Going through our three tests:
Did the cover match up to the novel? It's a no for me, but not in a bad way. Looking at this cover, I'll admit, I was a bit dubious about reading this book. Don't get me wrong, the cover is a nice design and I do love the colors, but for me it felt a bit light for the subject matter and a bit more serious than what I hoped the book would be. For me, the book far exceeded the cover and I was very happily surprised.
Second, does the book live up to its description? Most definitely, yes.
Finally, how was the formatting? There were a few mistakes in wrong words, words pushed together, paragraph formatting slightly out, but I'm sure this will remain in the ARC and will be corrected for the final edition.
To the story itself, I was blown away. I always love to feel fully invested in the books I read and continue reading, and this book definitely checked those boxes. It is light-hearted, comedic, but with depth and it just kept me wanting to read. The plot itself covers a variety of topics, but does so in a seamless manner that doesn't keep you thinking, well hang on, what happened to that plotline? Everything ties in together beautifully and doesn't make you feel that something was just thrown in for extra dramatic effect. Everything that was put into the book had a purpose and enhanced the story, not detracted.
Our characters meet-cute was perfect, and I loved the premise of fate and chance taking part in this love story. The characters continue meeting without expectation, randomly bumping into each other and it suits the plot perfectly. Both our main characters were well-fleshed out with plotlines aside from their romance, and it was just simply beautiful.
Spoilers ahead.
I was a little surprised with the depth that Ms. Brown went into with Parker's Mother, and for some readers who are triggered by mentions of suicide, please read with caution. I felt that it was handled in a good manner, but, still a surprise.
Even with that, the book still managed to mostly light-hearted and a joy to read, and one that I was so pleasantly surprised to have. Overall, a fantastic book, one of the best I've read this year, and one that I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to read.
Rating: 4/5
Click here to pre-purchase from Amazon, available 17th September.

Proofreading & Copy Editing

Good afternoon everyone!

I've been asked a few times now from some of my readers about my proofreading and copy editing services/skills, and thought I'd put them collectively here to share. I am available for this work at present, and most likely through the remainder of the year.

My qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honours, along with publishing two academic papers at that time, available online and in print. Since then, I have worked for marketing and communications for Disney, been a Communications Manager for four years for an internationally renowned cruise line, and most recently worked as a Business & Brand Manager on board another internationally renowned cruise line. Owing to the current worldwide situation, I have a little more time at home than previously planned.

I worked in the book industry for five years while going through university, working with publishing houses to correct proofs and provide feedback. I have continued this throughout my career, and recently began to publish these reviews online as well, resulting in this website. I have a large amount of editorial and proofreading experience, combined with some graphic design knowledge.

I would prefer to edit any romance, young adult romance, or website posts, but am open to other genres/forms, just let me know. If you're interested in these services, please contact me via email at gonewiththebooks@hotmail.com, my prices are below. The book maximum indicates that if I go over this time, the maximum is the highest price that I would charge you.

Books
0-200 pages = £10 per hour, maximum of £40
0-300 pages = £12 per hour, maximum of £50
0-400 pages = £14 per hour, maximum of £60
0-400+ pages = £15 per hour, maximum of £65

Page/Post/Excerpt
0-1500 words = £3
0-2500 words = £6
0-3500 words = £9
0-4500 words = £12
0-4500+ words = £15

Owing to my time, I may not be able to take on all requests, but I will do my best to let you know. If you would like to use my services, please send an email to gonewiththebooks@hotmail.com with the following information: 
Name
Email
Title of Book
Amazon or Goodreads link of applicable
Blurb
Any other comments as required

Please note that as mentioned above, I am not a professional reviewer, however, have over eight years of communication and marketing experience with Fortune 500 companies.


Royal Bastard Sneak Peek!

It's the first day of June! I've said this every month so far, but this year is definitely not what I thought it would be, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that. But, while there's so many uncertainties and unknowns, I know that for me, escaping the madness of all of that is more important for me than ever.

Be kind to yourself, be kind to others, and take time to do things that you enjoy. We're currently in a completely unexpected period in our lives where a lot of our normalities have changed and it's hard to accept. Take the time for yourself that you need to keep being you and be happy.

Royal Bastard by Avery Flynn And to cheer us all up, there's some fantastic news from Avery Flynn for a sneak peek of her upcoming book, Royal Bastard, scheduled for release 8th June! Check it out here today.

What are you reading this month? Drop a comment and let us know!