Genre: Contemporary Romance Edition
The Analysis:
I follow a lot of Booktubers, who all do various different fun games to pick their next book off their TBR list. This is me dipping my toe into doing something similar. I was introduced to this game by Chelsea Zhao. If you would like to try it as well, click, Choose Your Own Adventure. Now, with housekeeping done, I’ve decided to do this game twice. Once with a focus on contemporary romance and then a second time just picking all science fiction, but it will be the same prompts. Let’s Book Review.
Basic Rules:
That means that for the most authentic experience you will not get your prompts until you make a choice.
You should also not move forward until you have completed the prompt.
Disclaimer: Reading is all about discovery, but this Book Review does not shy away from spoiling specific scenes as this is more of a look inside the good and bad of a book.
Prompt: Read a book with a red cover.
[one_half]
I don't remember where I purchased this book, but I chose it for the prompt because I loved the cover. Without refreshing my memory on the blurb or reviews, I thought this would be an angsty mc romance. It's an YA. It's also very annoying, for me. Three best friends. Two, fall in love with each other and are torn apart by life's cruel circumstances. The girl was naive when it came to the third wheel, Calvin. She ends up with him in the end and it's practically a slap in the face. The hero is disappointing and behaves like, well a child, in the way that he deals with some very adult situations. This is 2021, no marriage is not the only option in the face of a blackmailing terror. But, but, I do think that people who don't have my hangups with YA might enjoy it. Also, it wasn't a terrible way to spend a Saturday.
Recommendation:
Score: 3 out of 5
Available: Amazon
Prompt: Read a book by a black author.
[one_half]
This cover is beautiful. I just could not pass this one up. Unfortunately, I'm not fairing much better in the rating department. It was a beautifully written story, but I didn't connect with either of the characters. Things didn't get interesting until the mother entered with her unmotherly advice to the boyfriend. Except, the elements of toxic masculinity that resulted did very little to help me fall in love with the hero any further. I can't totally excuse it as the mother getting in his head because he showed elements of this pre-Mommie visit. The heroine's father did a great job explaining why a man might have such feelings. It amounted to 'those are true emotions of not being able to provide' and all I could think was, yup, but they're not fair ones. I think I just draw the line at my wealth being one of our couple problems. Yet, when she gushed over why she loved him, I was all in and wanted her to have her HEA with her dreamboat. I was a sucker for that proposal too. All in all, because of the way it was written, I could totally see myself giving this series another chance by reading book 1.
Recommendation:
Score: 3 out of 5
Available: Google Play
Prompt: Read a book less than 200 pages.
[one_half]
So, I've never fully understood half points in book reviews and then this novel came along. On the plus or minus scale of 3 stars; this book lands on the higher end with a pleasant 3.5. I found the heroine to be adorable. The kids were engaging. Especially the oldest and I didn't harbor any sort of resentment because of her disdain for the heroine. The hero also came across as good and honest. I did find the conflict of her 'giving in' to the bandit to be a bit overdone. The backstory of the heroine's first wife was a bit underdone. But by the end, I was still engaged in the rescue and wanted the HEA for our couple.
Recommendation:
Score: 3 out of 5
Available: Google Play
Thoughts On The Readthon:
Dark Romance? I'm hijacking this section to discuss my personal thoughts on Dark Romance as it pertains to my writing. I had several Dark Romance books planned after Another Vice and Another Virtue. Those novels have since been transformed into romantic suspense and/or contemporary romance. I will not be writing any more Dark Romance. I also wasn't planning to read anymore. So the above book was a surprise. I suspect there are more on my TBR list to come.
