Hey, all!
I know it's been a hot minute since I've updated my blog. Full disclosure, I've just been hella depressed, and picking up my computer to write out all of my reviews and blog posts has just seemed like a daunting and impossible task. Here's to my efforts to catch up!
In November, I read 5 books and 3 novellas/short stories.
Looking back, I realize that these few books aren't necessarily in the running for my favorites from the year, but I had a good time reading them and they really provided a great escape from the negativity that my brain has wanted to focus on this year.
An Offer From A Gentleman by Julia Quinn
3 stars
audio via Libby
Julia Quinn really knows how to write a compelling story. Unfortunately, this one just fell a bit flat for me.
When I first started this addition to the Bridgerton series, I was so so in love with the Cinderella aspects of the plot, I loved the angst, and I loved the characters. Unfortunately, once the middle hit, I really did not enjoy the romantic pairing or how their personalities were drawn out.
In the end, Benedict Bridgerton seemed much more aggressive (if not violent) than I was comfortable with. The resolution to their conflict was not satisfying to my sensibilities and I just didn't like it all that much.
Overall, the first half of the book was 4 stars, the last half was 2 stars. I'm giving the book a 3-star rating.
An Offer From A Gentleman: The Second Epilogue by Julia Quinn3 stars
Read via Libby
I'm not one who enjoys insta-love and insta-connections in my love stories, but this novella was incredibly sweet. I would have read an entire book about Posy and I'm honestly sad that we didn't get it. This novella was smartly written, but it was also pretty annoying to me because the story followed Posy's love story, but it wasn't from her perspective other than the first few pages. I love that Quinn wrote the second epilogues, but it was just odd to go into it thinking that I was going to get a bit more from Sophie and Benedict's romance, but there was pretty much nothing about them.
Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks
3 stars
Signed edition found at Half Price Books!
This was a really enjoyable graphic novel, though it wasn't anything groundbreaking when it comes to content. I really liked the dynamics between the characters and the plot. I also really enjoyed Faith's art style in this one. The colors were lovely and I liked the overall ending.
The one thing I didn't like was that there was a joke about slashing wrists. Granted, humor has changed drastically and and this novel is from 2013, but I just didn't like it at all.
I do recommend checking out this graphic novel. It's really nicely done.
Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
2.75 stars
Read via Libby
This was really disappointing. I was really looking forward to learning more about Colin and Penelope. They were by far two of my favorite side characters in the entire series thus far. However, my disappointment appears that it will be a bit of a pattern for this series.
This was wholly forgettable for me. I didn't like Colin at all. His communication skills seemed nonexistent and the way he treated Penelope was just really annoying to me. I think I loved Penelope even more than I thought I would. However, I really didn't like how she let people walk all over her. It was delightful to see her grow and blossom by the end fo the book.
This was just disappointing to me.
Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The Second Epilogue by Julia Quinn3 stars
Read via Libby
I really forgot what this even was until I reread the synopsis. However, this one was really fun. I liked it much better than the last second epilogue.
Wrapped Up In You by Talia Hibbert
4 stars
Preordered on Kobo!
This was such a sweet little novella. Talia's writing style is one of my absolute favorites. The only reason that this novella didn't get a 5-star rating from me was because it felt a bit slow at times. It might have been the depression kicking in, or it could have just been my busyness throughout the month? I'll read it again next year and we will see.
Read all of the Talia Hibbert!
Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh
3.5 stars
I really loved the world that I was introduced to in this novel. I love the concept of worlds, cities, communities where different types of creatures live together. I loved the alternate universe New York that Nalini Singh developed and I loved the entire premise to this series.
While I liked this book, the characters were just far too cookie cutter for me. Granted, this book isn't recent. It's very 2009 and that's not a bad thing at all. This was delightfully cheesy when it comes to the romance. I really loved the tension and the alpha-male/sassy heroine dynamic. However, the relationship between Elena and Raphael just wasn't my favorite.
One of the main things that I disliked was the repetitivness of Elena. She was just constantly reminding the reader that she was "hunter born." It felt like it was mentioned on every page and it annoyed the crap out of me.
One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London
4 stars
TW/CW: fatphobia, bullying, & cheating
This was such an excellent read. I didn't want to put it down and it captured my attention from the first page. While the majority of this book was read via audio, I still really loved picking it up physically because of the various forms of storytelling throughout the book.
I really loved the podcast transcripts, the gossip magazine articles, the tweets, etc. It just really made this book feel more like an experience.
I'm not one who watches The Bachelor or any of those sorts of shows, but I love books that take the angst and drama and incorporate the tropes and such. Books like Kiera Cass' Selection series are my guilty pleasure reads. Only I'm not all that guilty about it.
When I went into this book, I knew that there would be a lack body diversity. That's one of the main issues that Bea has with the show that she's casted in. However, there was also an issue with actual visual diversity too. Some characters were partially described at the very beginning of the show, but the descriptions were just DUMPED. I can't remember the details of 20+ men. Ew.
This book was excellent, but there were definitely aspects that needed more work. What a wonderful debut!
Avg. Rating: 3.28 stars
What was your favorite read of November? Let's discuss in the comments!
Happy reading and happy Christmas to those who celebrate!
Olivia
~Liv the Book Nerd~
