Sometimes I really hate my brain. I picked this book up and at 10%, 20%, 30% I just could not get into this book. But I also couldn’t not finish it so it has taken me a week to read it. Which sucks because I am a big fan of the author.
The writing was good and the banter was hilarious. But I didn’t feel the chemistry between Lucy and Harris at all. It felt like there was nothing but banter and snark and a few random times they slept together.
The whole relationship was just rushed. It didn’t really feel like insta love or insta lust. Other than a few laugh out loud moments at the banter I really struggled with all of it.
I saw the
teasers for this book and thought it sounded right up my alley, so I grabbed
it. But sadly, it just wasn't what I was anticipating and I struggled to
connect with the writing style. Not that there was anything wrong with it, a
few years ago it would have been perfect, it's just that my tastes have
changed.
It feels
kind of like be careful what you wish for. Because this book was exactly as
described but I was expecting the darker version of protective hero, and single
mum and fire-fighter, I expected drama and instead this was really sweet and a
light and fluffy read. And again, that's a me issue because my expectations
were off.
Tish and
Graham were sweet and wholesome and cute together. Graham was everything you
could want in a very vanilla hero. Tish was slightly annoying. And the story
was sweet and drama free.
This
author is fairly new to me, in fact I think I have only read one other book and
I loved it. So, when I was having a minor book slump and saw this on KU I
figured I'd jump in. And I am kind of struggling on how to review and rate it.
Because I don't know if my issues were my attitude and attention or the actual
story and characters.
Firstly,
the premise was great and right up my alley. I love the whole damaged, loner
going all out to win over the single mum. Especially when he has to work and
grovel a little to make up for his initial gruffness or stupid mistakes. I also
love a Mumma bear who's super protective of her baby. And I got bits and pieces
of that but not enough to really win me over.
One
thing I know was a me problem was that the leading lady was named Keegan and I
know a man Keegan so every time I read Keegan, I was thinking masculine not
feminine. Normally the name thing doesn't distract me as much as it did here.
And I had moments where I liked Keegan, but she never really was as protective
as her self-proclamations claimed.
Ford
would have been a great hero but his reasoning for being a loner was just a
little weak. I think most of the planet has daddy issues and there didn't seem
to be anything special about his except for his reaction to it. The return of
his brother and the relationship between them felt like it was kind of under
done.
Overall,
I just couldn't get invested enough in either character and I kept getting
dragged out of the story. There were a lot of points I enjoyed and it's highly
possible that if I read this at a better time, I probably would have overlooked
all of the above.
So,
I read this series well out of order and honestly it didn’t really matter. Each
of them works perfectly as standalones and the previous couples in them aren’t
really major parts of each story so it was just a fact that each one kind of
set up the next one’s introduction. And I honestly don’t know why I didn’t read
this one when it was released. I grabbed the next one when it was popping up
everywhere and didn’t realise it was part of this series before I was part way
in and then the mentions of Eli had me wanting to go back and read this, so I
did.
But
I actually struggled a little bit with reading this. I think mainly due to the
timing of me reading it. It’s back to school here for the tribe and we have 2-year-old twins staying with us and I am very distracted, and I just couldn’t get
lost in the book. I was waiting for the big twist at the end for most of the
book and the first 80% of the book felt like it kind of dragged out. The twist
was predictable, but I was dying to know how it was going to play out. I just
wanted it to happen sooner.
Eli
and Molly were both really likeable characters, and I liked the development of
their relationship. It felt like a real meet cute and then just a really
natural progression. I also enjoyed the way they dealt with things like adults.
Even when they didn’t talk about it immediately it wasn’t because they were
being petty or avoiding it, it was just the way they were dealing.
I
really wish that I had read this book at a different time so I could have given
it more of my attention and I probably would have enjoyed it more. But for now,
it is what it is.
This
is the first book by this author I've read and I kind of have mixed feelings. I
liked the story but the writing felt kind of off. It was like someone was
telling me the story as an onlooker and it caused a disconnect between me and
the characters.
I
was told and not shown and it kept dragging me from the story. Also I think the
emotions between the characters could have been shown more. I understand that
the author was going for a confused, denial kind of vibe but some affection or
a more detailed insight into some tender moments would have been nice.
The
story was a short introductory novella but a few more pages of them actually
together might have been nice just to close it out. But all of that said I
liked the story and the characters had a lot of potential. I'm adding the next
book to my TBR and hopefully being a full length book I'll get everything I
want from it.
I
devoured every book in this series and then we got to Marek, and I just
couldn't pick it up. And even after I bought it, I had the thought I should
just remove it from my TBR and kick off into the next series. But since I had
that though after I bought it, I figured since I'd already paid for it I'd just
read it and get it out of the way.
And
to be honest that's kind of how I feel about the book. I didn't hate it, but I
didn't love it. And I knew going in I would feel that way, so I don't know why
I had to read it except I'm annoying AF, even to myself.
Let's
be honest, secret babies have a fundamental reason why the baby is a surprise.
Sometimes it's an innocent reason like a one-night stand or an unreachable
person. But generally, it's hidden because of something that's happened between
the couple. And then you almost have to pick sides. Is her reason for keeping
it secret more valid than his (and more importantly the child's) right to know?
On
top of that in a second chance romance novel you have the reason they aren't
still together. Plus, how do they get over the above-mentioned secret baby
stuff. And then we have this book and its characters.
So,
I was on Team Gracen. I understood why she didn't tell Marek she was pregnant.
And it helped that once he found out about it, he was a dick. His reasons for
breaking up with Gracen were selfish acehole reasons in my opinion but at least
he broke up with her and if that was the end of their story, I'd be happy. But
I can honestly say in her situation after he has broken my heart out of nowhere
after 5 years together because he doesn't want the responsibility of being in a
relationship now that he's been drafted to the NHL, I wouldn't be hunting him
down for anything.
Then
to have him be a jerk about the fact she kept this secret without acknowledging
that maybe she was valid. Bye bye Marek.
Other
than the fact I disliked both characters and the theme the book was beautifully
written, of course. And the secondary characters being people I liked in
previous books were great to see. And now I can forget about this book and read
the other series guilt free.
First
up I need to say that I am not a fan of rockstar romance, it's just not my
thing. I actively avoid them except for a few exceptions. I also don't go out
of my way to read second chance romance. Add in an alcoholic and the unholy
trifecta is complete. So, I went into this initially not knowing who's book it
was. Once I knew it was Beaumont's I knew we were getting two of those three,
but I persevered.
Meeting
Hutton, and realising her history with Beaumont I was bummed. And I actually
struggled a little to read the book. But I'm no quitter so I fought through. I
liked Hutton. I didn't like Beaumont. He was a selfish acehole and I don't feel
like he ever really deserved Hutton. It was all circumstantial and all about
him and his needs. Which sucked because after the last two books and how
amazing those guys were, I wanted him to be the guy who walked through fire for
his second chance, and he just didn't.
But
thankfully we now have Louis who is awesome and Ford who I am already a little
in like with. So, I am going to grab them on KU and hope they wash the angry
I'm feeling from Beaumont out of me.
DOUBLETALK
by TERALYN MITCHELL
Release Date: September 13, 2021
Blurb
Basketball has always been his one love, until now . . .
Zeke Armstrong never imagined he’d be back in Vermont, but here he is, living in Colebury and trying to rehab an injury that could mean an early retirement from pro basketball. Running into his former classmate, Mallory Barrett, shouldn’t be a distraction. It shouldn’t mean anything, so why is he accidentally on purpose showing up at the coffee shop where the beautiful writer spends her time?
Mallory Barrett has met a guy. Well, she hasn’t met him yet, except for on the dating app she almost refused to download. “Coby” sparks her interest and gets her jokes--and gives the romance-novel heroes she loves so much a full-court run for their money. When their first date doesn’t work out, she decides to give him another shot . . . just as a man she despises reenters her life. While her interest in the mystery man on the app grows, she clashes constantly with Zeke in real life. She can’t forgive him for humiliating her in high school, yet she can’t deny she’s drawn to him now.
She’s somehow gone from confirmed bachelorette to the tie-breaker between two men. Meanwhile Zeke has a secret--one that will cost him the game if Mallory finds out . . .
My Review
Purchase Links
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Excerpt
She didn’t wait for me to say anything else, spinning on her heels and heading for the nearest store or restaurant where she could sit down. I chuckled and turned to head in the other direction. A hard wall of muscle made me stumble. Two strong hands gripped my upper arms. I looked up to see who had saved me from falling and who I needed to thank. The need to be polite shriveled and died when I saw that it was Zeke holding onto my arms.
“Are you okay?”
The combination of his deep voice and his hands on me caused me to shiver. I shook him off. What the hell? Why was I always reacting to him? I didn’t like him or his stupid good looks. I crossed my arms over my stomach.
“Why are you always where I am?” I snapped.
“Small town?”
“We’re in Burlington.”
“Still small, Ror. You also don’t have a monopoly on all things Vermont.”
I rolled my eyes. He had me there. “So, you’re telling me you normally wander the Marketplace on a cold Sunday?”
“When I have something to do, I wander around,” he said. “And maybe Stacey texted me and told me the two of you would be here.”
I clenched my teeth. Of course, she told him we’d be here. She went out of her way to make my life hell. So even though today had been about me getting her back, somehow, she’d figured out how to stick it to me too. I mean, not really. It’d probably been innocent, but I was going to blame her anyway.
It was frustrating to continuously run into Zeke. He had a point about it being a small town. This was what I dreaded when I realized he was back in Vermont and living in the town I now called home.
“You and Stacey talk often?”
The smirk on his full lips made me narrow my eyes at him. I hugged myself tighter as my stomach clenched. A tingle down below, that I was not acknowledging, had me pursing my lips. Why did he have to be so goddamn handsome? I was sure women fell all over themselves when he smiled at them like he was smiling at me right now. Especially when that dimple in his left cheek popped, but I wasn’t going to. Delight danced in his hooded light brown eyes. His sharp jawline was sprinkled with hair that looked good on him; it wasn’t a full beard but cut close to his skin. Not that I was looking, or rather, staring.
“Jealous?”
I groaned. “Not even a little, but I do want to have the facts right when I confront her about divulging my location to the enemy.”
He let out a deep laugh. “You’ve always been a bit of a drama queen,” he teased. “Stace and I exchanged numbers the last time we happened to be at the Busy Bean. We’ve only talked a few times.”
“Whatever.” I was done with this conversation and being around him.
I started walking, only for him to fall into step beside me. I let him walk beside me for a few minutes before I couldn’t resist saying something.
“Can I help you?”
“I don’t think so, unless you work at Burlington Records.”
“That’s where you’re going?” I asked.
“Yep.”
I am loving this whole True North World thing. Sarina Bowen is an absolute genius who creates amazing stories, and this has just added to her awesomeness. So, I have been avidly scouring all of these sign ups reading the blurbs and reading the books as soon as I get my grabby hands on them. And this one had me super excited. It is by a new to me, author; and its main character is a professional basketball player. It was right up my alley.
And then I started reading it and I just never clicked with it. I couldn’t get into the story, and I didn’t connect with either character. In fact both characters annoyed me more than I liked them, but most of the time I was just apathetic towards them. Now this is possibly a me issue and other people will love the book and the characters, and I probably just didn’t connect because I struggled to read the book. And for me sometimes that’s just something that happens and has nothing to do with the book I’m reading.
For me my first issue was Mallory. She is 28 years old and I just felt like she was holding onto juvenile grudges and was always playing the victim. And while I got why she wasn’t prepared to forgive Zeke for the actions he had made while they were children, she just kept on about how everyone had let her down and she had trust issues. But it felt like everything was catastrophised and she was the innocent princess sitting in her tower being spat on.
Zeke went all out to win over Mallory and gain her forgiveness and I liked that he was so invested in their relationship. But his words didn’t back up his actions. And his claims of her being the one that got away and having her tattooed on various parts of his body didn't mesh with the fact he hadn’t seen her in ten years and then he bumped into her by chance. After they had been estranged for 5 years before their physical separation.
Then we had a secondary relationship going on off to the side that didn’t really feel like it added much to the story. The sex scenes were hot and the writing was easy to read. It just wasn’t the book for me at the moment.
Aurora
Rose Reynolds Until series are some of my all-time favourite books. So, I
always have to check out the new releases in the Happily Ever Alpha series.
When I read the blurb for this one, I couldn't wait to get my grabby hands on
it.
Sadly
it just didn't work for me. I didn't like Guin and I didn't really connect to
King either. I really should have stopped reading around the 20% mark but I
couldn't. And it didn't really get any better for me.
Oh
well, guess I can only hope my next read works better for me.
