Review: The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP by ASHLEY POSTON

Series: n/a

Publication date: June 27, 2023

Published by: Berkley

Genre: romance, magical realism

 

SYNOPSIS

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.

And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.

Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.

Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.

After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.

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Praise for The Seven Year Slip:

“I ADORED this book. Ashley is such a talent. The worlds she creates are so warm and specific and beautifully rendered. The Seven Year Slip is a gorgeous love story from one of the finest romance writers out there. I laughed, I cried, I didn’t want it to end. Consider me Ashley Poston’s greatest admirer!”

—Carley Fortune, New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After

“Ashley Poston has again created a world that is off-kilter, romantic, and irresistible. If you love The Lake House but also want some top notch make out scenes, this is the book for you.”

—Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of This Time Tomorrow

“Warm, funny and heartbreakingly hopeful, The Seven Year Slip is a magical love story, a devastating portrait of grief, and a loving ode to what it means to grow, evolve and blossom.”

—Sangu Mandanna, bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ashley Poston is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of The Dead Romantics. 

After graduating from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s in English, she spent the last decade working in the publishing industry before deciding to pursue writing full-time.

When not writing, she likes trying various arts and crafts (she’s currently addicted to building miniature rooms) and taking long walks as an excuse to listen to Dungeons & Dragons podcasts. She bides her time between South Carolina and New York, and all the bookstores between.

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REVIEW

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Over the last few years, I've noticed feeling a growing cynicism when it comes to reading. I can count on one hand the amount of five star books I've found over the last three years. I've read all of the common tropes in my favorite genres so many times that it's harder and harder to find a book that hits me perfectly in the feels. I can honestly say that I have read a lot of good books. A lot of great books too. But for me, a five star read has a completely different feeling than all the others. That warm glow-euphoric, dreamy...otherwise known as The Book Hangover™. You've been reading with razor sharp focus on those characters, staying up until the early hours of the morning with them as they try to overcome their conflicts, and cry when the ending hits you squarely in your cynical heart. (Okay, the cynical part is all me, but you get the picture.) I am now in the phase where I worry that the next books that follow will fall flat because my head is still stuck in Ashley Poston's fictional world.

I've got to be honest. In the beginning, Clementine didn't make a good first impression on me and I was fully expecting for that to affect my overall enjoyment. She comes off as a very closed-off individual, hyper focused on her career, and somewhat cold. That wall that she has up was off-putting at first, but the author does a wonderful job humanizing her flaws and quickly helping you understand them. Clementine had a very special bond with her aunt Analea, and losing her has had a profound effect on her life. Before losing her, she had a passion for life, chasing adventure across the globe with her aunt, and her future was filled with hope and endless possibilities. After...she used her job as a shield in her romantic relationships, and has forgotten what it feels like to be passionate about anything or anyone. Once you start to understand what's hiding underneath the surface with her, it's very easy to feel empathy for this broken woman. On the outside, she has a lot going for her: two best friends who she gets to work with, a job that she excels at with a possible promotion in the near future, and loving parents who support her. Inside, she feels shattered with grief because she lives in a world where her aunt Analea no longer exists.

Analea was the type of person that lived every day like it was her last. She appreciated each moment for the simple joy it could bring, and was the master at "fake it until you make it." She taught Clementine to seek adventure around every corner and if you didn't feel like you belonged somewhere, it was only a matter of convincing others until you convince yourself. Her aunt was quirky, yes, but also inspiring. If she thought that her apartment was magical, the elevator had a mirror that shows you your past self, and that immortal pigeons nested right outside her window, who was she to judge? It was all part of her distinctive charm.

   She only ever had two rules in this apartment—

one, always take your shoes off by the door. 

And two: never fall in love. Because anyone you 

met here, anyone the apartment let you find, 

could never stay. No one in this apartment 

ever stayed. No one ever would.

Clementine no longer entertained the harmless "fantasies" that her aunt spun to her growing up. Her wondrous stories about the magical apartment that transports you seven years into the past is simply entertainment for a child. She is now living a cruel reality filled with loneliness and heartache-as harsh as it is, it leaves no room for risk or disappointment anymore. Everyone deals with grief in their own personal way, but Clementine is simply numbing herself rather than working through it. Now, faced with moving into the apartment that holds so many painful memories, she knows she's not going to have anywhere to hide anymore.

   The apartment was foreign to me now, missing 

something terribly large, but it still felt like home 

in a way that nothing else ever could. Like a place 

I once knew, but which no longer welcomed me.

I was eagerly anticipating the first time "slip" which would introduce Clem's love interest, Iwan. I loved the movie The Lake House that had a time slip connected to a home, and I was hoping for the feel-good angst of that story. The Seven Year Slip delivered on that. While this was actually time travel happening rather than communicating through time, that was actually a good thing. Clementine and Iwan's story is entirely theirs, and filled with their own brand of heart-wrenching moments. Past and present versions of Clem and Iwan meet and intersect and multiple points, but it's never quite the right moment for them to be able to be together. Even though Iwan has the ability to meet the Clementine of his time, she wouldn't know who he was for another seven years, and she would be a completely different person in that stage of her life. We are always changing and growing throughout life-they have a profound effect on each other when they first meet because those versions of each other connect perfectly. In the present time, things have changed between them. Things that haven't happened in the past yet (for her) have already been experienced by him. So they have a bit of a waiting game for her to travel back however many times she needs to in order to catch up to him. It's very easy to have plot holes with time travel books, and as much as I picked it apart in my mind the plot seemed airtight. It really made their romance come to life off the pages that much more.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention some issues I found. Yes, I loved the book to pieces, but it wasn't flawless by any means. Clementine mentions that her aunt told her about a book that writes itself, and an alleyway that leads to the other side of the world in addition to the mysteriously immortal pigeons and the time portal apartment. Those things never came up again in the story, which I found to be odd. In fact, the pigeons were never really explained. They were just there and seemingly always watching the habitants of the apartment through the window. It would have been helpful to get some backstory with them, but it didn't affect my feelings for the romance in the story. Also, at the end of the book, one thing that occurred was considerably frustrating regarding her last interaction with somebody in the past.

Even though there were things that could have been clarified better for my own satisfaction, I fell head over heels for this emotional love story and couldn't give it anything less than a full five stars. For me, the experience was just as magical as that century old apartment on the Upper East Side that brings these soulmates together through time. Even when they had "bad" timing, it was still right. Their brief interactions set one another on a path that would eventually lead them back together where they were supposed to be. It isn't often that a book can make me cry anymore...not just watery eyes, but tears falling-tight chest-heart clenching crying. That's what this book did to me, and that is why it deserves all the stars in the world. I can't recommend this one enough! Read it!

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Review: Remember Me by Mary Balogh

Can Lady Philippa Ware forgive the man who once shattered all her youthful dreams? Discover the passionate and heartwarming new novel on the redemptive power of love from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh.

REMEMBER ME by MARY BALOGH

Series: Ravenswood #2

Publication date: June 20, 2023

Published by: Berkley

Genre: historical romance

 

SYNOPSIS

Philippa, elder daughter of the Earl of Stratton, grew up eagerly anticipating a glittering debut and a brilliant marriage. Then her brother caught their father out in a clandestine affair and denounced him publicly. The whole family was disgraced, and Philippa's hopes grew dim, then were fully shattered when she overheard the dashing, handsome Marquess of Roath viciously insult her upon learning of her father's identity. Only years later does Philippa find the courage to go to London at last to meet the ton. She is an instant success and enjoys a close friendship with the granddaughter of a duke. Only one man can spoil everything for her, but surely he will not be in London this year.

The Duke of Wilby is nearing death and has tasked his grandson and heir, Lucas Arden, Marquess of Roath, with marrying and producing a son before it is too late. Lucas, who usually shuns London, goes there early in the Season in the hope of finding an eligible bride before his grandparents come and find one for him. He is instantly attracted to his sister's new friend, until that young lady asks a simple question: "Remember me?" And suddenly he does remember her, as well as the reason why the daughter of the Earl of Stratton is the one woman he can never marry--even if his heart tells him she is the only woman he wants.

Unfortunately for Philippa and Lucas, the autocratic duke and his duchess have other ideas and believe them to be perfect for each other. They will simply not take no for an answer. Telling Philippa the full truth is the hardest thing Lucas has ever faced, and the discovery of it will change them both before they discover the healing power of love.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Jenkins was born in 1944 in Swansea, Wales, UK. After graduating from university, moved to Saskatchewan, Canada, to teach high school English, on a two-year teaching contract in 1967. She married her Canadian husband, Robert Balogh, and had three children, Jacqueline, Christopher and Sian. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, music and knitting. She also enjoys watching tennis and curling.

Mary Balogh started writing in the evenings as a hobby. Her first book, a Regency love story, was published in 1985 as A Masked Deception under her married name. In 1988, she retired from teaching after 20 years to pursue her dream to write full-time. She has written more than seventy novels and almost thirty novellas since then, including the New York Times bestselling 'Slightly' sextet and 'Simply' quartet. She has won numerous awards, including Bestselling Historical of the Year from the Borders Group, and her novel Simply Magic was a finalist in the Quill Awards. She has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B. Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award.

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REVIEW

   It was the irony of ironies perhaps that 

he had fallen hard for the very woman 

he had once insulted quite unforgivably.

Believe it or not, this is my first Mary Balogh read! I've been reading historical romance since I was a teenager, so that's a pretty shocking thing to admit. As one of the more established authors in the genre with a large fan base, I was very excited to finally read one of her novels. The synopsis intrigued me quite a bit as there were several themes that I like to read. Second chance, mysteriously forbidden love, and love-to-hate-to-love. The hero unintentionally caused the heroine emotional distress and suffering in the past, and he has to overcome his hurtful behavior before they can be together. Moreover, even if she were to forgive him, he is hiding a monumental secret that he feels unable to reveal to her. It's because of this secret that he decides they could never join their two families in marriage, despite his growing feelings for her. The conflicts are multi-layered and well-developed that are all woven together in a seamless way. For these reasons, Remember Me was a worthwhile and decent read.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the fact that there was no fortune hunting on either side. Maybe it's the fact that a series I recently read was based entirely around that theme, or maybe I've just read it too many times in general, but the absence of it was really refreshing. The protagonists were on common ground financially as well as socially. From the outside looking in, these two seemed to be made to pair together. In addition, Philippa's mother Clarissa is very close friends with Lucas' Aunt Catherine. It would be a dream come true for them to have their families connected.

Lucas' ornery grandfather, the Duke of Stratton has given his emphatic stamp of approval after seeing the two of them together, and that is surely an impossible feat to achieve with him. So it almost seems as if it's a foregone conclusion that Lucas and Philippa will become engaged this season in London. They seem to have a friendly rapport, and even lock eyes across the room on a frequent basis. In everyone's mind, it's only a matter of time before they end up together. What they don't know is that Philippa is putting on a brave face in front of everyone every time she encounters the man whose words once cut her deep to her core. Lucas is ashamed and uncomfortable around her because he shoulders the burden of that terrible, destructive secret. It becomes a dance of sorts, as everyone around them tries nudging them a step closer, and they skittishly back two steps away.

Another unique feature of the plot was the ages of the main characters looking to get married. By Regency period standards, At 22 years old, Philippa is verging on the label of "spinster" by society's standards. She's looking for a husband later than usual because she was too emotionally wounded to enter the marriage mart. Lucas is wife hunting at the age of 26, which is quite early for a man of that time. His grandfather's failing health is a great cause for concern. Both of his grandparents are getting on in age and want to be assured that he is happily married and working on another "spare" heir to pass the title to. If Lucas were to suffer an untimely death like his parents, the estate would pass on to a distant relative whom nobody is particularly fond of. I appreciated this departure from the norm in your average historical romance.

Some cons about the plot were:

•lots of secondary characters taking up page time in book
There was her mother, sister, four brothers, a sister-in-law, his grandparents and aunt, cousins, uncle...etc. I normally like family-centric stories, but their involvement took away from the main couple a bit.

•3rd person POV
My personal preference is to read 1st person POV. Third tends to generally take me outside of the story and make it difficult for me to fully immerse in the story. This is just my own preference, and will not be an issue for many others.

•slow paced
The book dragged for portions where I felt that not enough action was happening to propel the story forward.

•lack of chemistry between characters
As much as I was rooting for the two of them to get together and respected both characters individually flaws and all, I didn't feel any passion or angst in their forbidden love/harmful secret conflict that dragged through most of the book. With themes like these, there was potential to feel some powerful butterflies and thrills, but I was left feeling a little cold. I think Philippa and Lucas resisted each other for a long time, denying themselves the indulgence of even thinking of each other romantically. So when they finally agreed to get engaged, the romance felt stiff, forced, and rushed. Don't get me wrong, they were sweet and caring with one another, but it was like watching two strangers politely navigate their new marriage.

Overall, I appreciated all of the unique aspects of the story, but the romance fell a bit flat in the end while the pace as a whole dragged for longer than I would have liked. I can definitely see why this author has a large fan base, and perhaps I chose the wrong book to introduce myself to her work. I didn't love this one, but there were enough positives that I would like to read another in the future to see if I can mesh with her writing style and a different couple.

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Review: Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale

If you had the power to change the past…where would you start?

CASSANDRA IN REVERSE

 by HOLLY SMALE

Series: n/a

Publication date: June 6, 2023

Published by: HQ/Mira

Genre: time travel, fantasy

 

SYNOPSIS

Cassandra Penelope Dankworth is a creature of habit. She likes what she likes (museums, jumpsuits, her boyfriend, Will) and strongly dislikes what she doesn't (mess, change, her boss drinking out of her mug). Her life runs in a pleasing, predictable order…until now.

• She's just been dumped.

• She's just been fired.

• Her local café has run out of banana muffins.

Then, something truly unexpected happens: Cassie discovers she can go back and change the past. One small rewind at a time, Cassie attempts to fix the life she accidentally obliterated, but soon she'll discover she's trying to fix all the wrong things.

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Praise for Cassandra in Reverse:

“Witty, touching and totally absorbing. Cassandra is a funny and sharply-observed character who I loved spending time with.” —Graeme Simsion, New York Times bestselling author of The Rosie Project

“A glorious testament to the transformative power of being our own true selves. It’s a brilliantly clever, twisty story that dazzles with its wit whilst touching our hearts. . . . A hugely entertaining book with an important message, Cassandra in Reverse is a triumph!” —Sarah Haywood, New York Times bestselling author of The Cactus

“A pure delight from start to finish. Cassandra Dankworth is a character as unique as she is endearing: hilariously prickly and unapologetically clever yet delicate and tragically misunderstood. Cassandra in Reverse is an unexpected take on time travel, exploring the challenges of human connection. Humorous and insightful, this is an absolute gem of a novel.” —Margarita Montimore, USA Today bestselling author of Oona Out of Order

“Hilarious, insightful, and bright with the whole spectrum of human emotion, Cassandra in Reverse reinvigorates the time loop trope with the perfect match of character and concept. Utter genius!” —Catriona Silvey, internationally bestselling author of Meet Me In Another Life

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Holly is the Number One bestselling, multi-award winning author of the GEEK GIRL series.

She fell in love with writing at five years old, when she realised that books didn't grow on trees like apples. A passion for travel, adventure and wearing no shoes has since led her all over the world: she has visited 27 countries, spent two years working as an English teacher in Japan, volunteered in Nepal, been bartered for in Jamaica and had a number of ear-plugs stolen in Australia, Indonesia and India.

Holly has a BA in English Literature, an MA in Shakespeare, and currently lives in London or at @holsmale.

The GEEK GIRL series has been an internationally bestselling no1. smash-hit. It won the Waterstones Teen Prize of the Year and the Leeds book award, was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and the Branford Boase award, and was long-listed for the Carnegie.

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REVIEW

Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Anytime I see a new book pop up with a time travel theme, I'm automatically excited to read it. I'm a bit obsessed with time travel, and frankly, there isn't enough out there to whet my voracious appetite for it. Let me start off by saying that Cassandra in Reverse started off with a bang.

Cassandra, the main character, has some great philosophical, original thoughts that effortlessly pulled me into the story. As she begins her narration, she even breaks the fourth wall by speaking directly to the reader. It was a really promising first impression, and even better, she only became more interesting the more I read. I could see how many people might be frustrated or annoyed with her horrible interactions with everyone around her. After all, she hasn't a clue how to engage in small talk or polite, casual conversation. She inevitably manages to offend or anger the person she is speaking to-completely unintentionally. Still, for me, her clumsiness at personal and professional relationships made me feel so sympathetic towards her struggles. The author spent a lot of time explaining Cassandra's differences, daily challenges, and feelings of despair that she couldn't stop pushing people away. Based on all of these things, it became crystal clear very early on that Cassandra is autistic, but was never diagnosed.

The book begins with her getting fired from her job, getting dumped by her boyfriend, and her living situation with her roommates is pretty well destroyed. So far, it was reminding me very strongly of Penny Reid's Neanderthal Seeks Human just without the huge dose of humor. (One of my top favorite books, btw) Cassandra doesn't care much for her PR job in the first place, considering she just isn't a people person. However, nobody wants to be fired and lose their financial stability, so she is naturally distraught. Even more upsetting is her unexpected break-up with her lovely boyfriend Will of four months. She truly cares for Will, and was completely blindsided by his sudden extraction from their relationship. Will seemed to genuinely admire Cassandra's intelligence and wasn't put off by her differences. What seemed to be a breaking point for him was her issue with opening up to him about her feelings and sharing herself with him. No matter how many times he asked her to share what she was thinking and feeling, she didn't know how to give that to him.

Somewhere after this disaster of a day when her life implodes, she discovers that she inexplicably went back and started repeating the day over again. She's stunned to discover that she has a strange ability to manipulate time, rewinding moments and re-doing them to fix what she feels like she broke. The catch is that she can only go back to the beginning of that one day and no further. This time travel aspect is left pretty vague and not at all fleshed out. The rules seem arbitrary and erratic, fluid even. But putting that aside, if you suspend disbelief and explore the yawning possibilities with her, there's still potential.

   When I woke up this morning, it suddenly occurred 

to me that I’m not using my newfound abilities 

to their full capacity. I can travel through time, 

which means I can draw the day in pencil and 

then simply erase it when it’s done. 

I can have a holiday whenever I feel like it.

She struggles with questions of morality: should she even be re-doing so many failures with Will in order to prevent their break-up? If she keeps rewinding situations that end badly until Will is happy with her, isn't that a form of control and manipulation? Eventually, it doesn't sit well with her. She briefly thinks about doing illegal things just because she can and then erasing them, but she is an honest person at heart so she discards the possibility. In the end, what she cares most about is finding out where she went wrong with Will, preventing herself from getting fired, and preventing the day with her roommate Derek that ruins everything at home. So she begins an exhausting effort to reset everything. Along the way, she starts to learn things about herself as well as start to become more friendly with Salini and Sophie. Unfortunately, even with some successes, she keeps hitting walls when it comes to Will and the mystery woman named Diana that keeps popping up no matter what she changes. She starts to think that the harder she tries to put things back together again, perhaps she's just better off letting things fall where they may and accepting her life, flaws and all.

The mystery woman, Diana, set the story on a whole new course that I was not expecting. After Cassandra's reconciliation with her, the storyline with Will is completely altered. At first, I was extremely annoyed. After all, wasn't this book partially a romance? Now it wasn't feeling like one so much. Then the more I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that maybe there was a reason she and Will keep having issues in every alternate reality she creates. As sweet as he is, perhaps they really are too different, and she was wrong about fate. She can keep altering it, but in the end, things will eventually realign in the way they were meant to go. Different journey, same results. So I adjusted my thinking about her new projected ending. This is all about her deciding not to time travel anymore because she finally accepts herself for who she is, differences and all. Except...she starts making mistakes again with Diana, time traveling again to fix it (after declaring that she won't anymore), and then deciding to contradict everything she claimed to have learned and start COMPLETELY over again.

By the end, I was left floundering. I wondered what the lesson was. What was the message, the timeline of anything, the takeaway from everything I just read...? It's so unfortunate, but the promising beginning fizzled out to confusion in the final chapters. Everything I thought the book was about changed to something else, then left completely unresolved and undone. I decided on three stars, but this really was a tough one to rate. I enjoyed the author's writing style a lot, unfortunately the execution left something to be desired. Also, a minor complaint I have is the excessive references/comparisons to ancient Greek Gods. I understand that it was Cassandra's obsession, but there were so many insertions into the story that it became boring and I started skimming over them.

I wish I could have loved this one more, but I ended up having very mixed feelings. I will say that despite my issues, this was an original concept that held my interest pretty much the whole way through. I might be willing to give this author another try in the future if the right synopsis catches my eye again.

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Review: The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George

A scandalous arrangement between a London rogue and an American duchess leads to lavish stakes.

THE DUCHESS TAKES A HUSBAND

 by Harper St George

Series: The Gilded Age Heiresses #4

Publication date: May 23, 2023

Published by: Berkley

Genre: historical romance

 

SYNOPSIS

Despite her illustrious title, Camille, Duchess of Hereford, remains what she has always been—a pariah. Though her title means she’s technically accepted by London Society, the rebellious widow with her burgeoning interest in the suffrage movement and her American ways isn’t exactly high on every hostess’s guest list. But Camille starts to wonder if being an outcast is not without its perks when the tantalizing answer to her secret fear appears in the shape of Jacob Thorne, the illegitimate son of an earl and co-owner of London’s infamous Montague Club.

Jacob is used to making deals with his club members—he’s just not accustomed to them being beautiful women. Nor have the terms ever been so sweetly seductive as Camille’s shocking proposition. To finally buy his own club and gain the crucial backing of investors, Camille offers Jacob the respectability of a fake engagement with a duchess. In return, the tempting widow has one condition: she wants Jacob to show her if it’s possible for her to experience pleasure in bed.

The lure of such a bargain proves too delicious to resist, drawing the enterprising rogue and the wallflower duchess into a scandalous game and an even more dangerous gamble of the heart.

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Praise for The Duchess Takes a Husband:

"Harper St. George's Gilded Age Heiresses series gets better and better, and this newest installment just dazzles! With a combination of lush, poignant prose and sizzling intimacy, The Duchess Takes A Husband is a compellingly emotional read that historical romance readers will love!"—Liana De la Rosa, author of Ana María and The Fox

“Particularly for readers of the rest of the series, it’s emotionally rewarding to see a woman who had been so downtrodden finally find the happiness she deserves. This sexy and emotionally rich story is the perfect way to wrap up this excellent Gilded Age–set series.”—Library Journal

“Tantalizing sex scenes and high emotional stakes enhance this story of exploration and acceptance. Readers will be fanning themselves throughout.”—Publishers Weekly

“A delightfully trope-filled romance with a most deserving heroine.”—Kirkus

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Harper St. George was raised in rural Alabama and along the tranquil coast of northwest Florida. It was a setting filled with stories of the old days that instilled in her a love of history, romance, and adventure. By high school, she had discovered the historical romance novel which combined all of those elements into one perfect package. She has been hooked ever since.

She lives in the Atlanta area with her husband and two children. When not writing, she can be found devouring her husband's amazing cooking and reading. She would love to hear from you. 

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REVIEW

The Duchess Takes a Husband by Harper St. George
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Camille, Dowager Duchess of Hereford has been seen throughout the series as a cautionary tale for the Crenshaw sisters. She was sold to the highest titled bachelor in the English aristocracy and her resulting misery was plain for all to see. She was humiliated publicly by her cruel husband. He may have been forced to marry her for the money she would provide him, but he was sure to make sure everyone knew that she was beneath him in every way imaginable. While her friends could see that she was now living a nightmare of a life, no one really knew the extent of her circumstances in private. Camille went from a bright, happy young woman who was considering a suitor in New York to an emotionally abused former shell of herself stuck in a loveless marriage. Her husband had treated her like his own personal property, something he used for his own needs any way he saw fit. She lost a piece of her humanity in becoming subservient to him, and didn’t know if she’d ever get it back. Now that she is (thankfully) widowed, she does enjoy a sliver of freedom in her own home, and starting to make some choices for herself. However, she is still dependent on the new Duke's whims and if she does anything he disapproves of, he manipulates her by threatening to withhold her money.

You really feel for the poor Duchess as she is navigating this new phase of her life.

   The few bruises she’d sported because of

Hereford’s handling hardly seemed 

to compare to broken bones,

but did his angry tirades and 

hurtful accusations all add up to abuse? 

Her mind churned with memories,

small moments that had left wounds 

she hadn’t even noticed at the time. 

The way his anger made her 

cringe internally. The way a 

look from him could make her feel 

small and insignificant. God, that monster

was still controlling her from the grave.

How had she allowed herself to be 

so thoroughly brought down by him?

Camille doesn't really feel comfortable confiding in any friends so she just holds it all inside. Her parents are definitely out of the question as confidantes, as they were the cause of her situation in the first place. Even though she's firmly stuck in her own head, you do see her rebelling at society's strictures a bit even in the beginning. She joins Montague club against her parents' wishes, and this is where she decides to present one of the co-owners, Jacob Thorne with an indecent proposal. She has always felt a flutter of attraction to him, even before her marriage. Now she wants him to help her experiment with a physical relationship in order to help her move past the trauma she experienced in her marriage bed. To her embarrassment, he gently turns her down because of their close association through their mutual friends. It could get complicated later, and that could lead to awkwardness. Neither has any interest in emotional entanglement or marriage for their own personal reasons, but whether they admitted it to themselves or not, they were emotionally invested from day one.

   Her need for him was a balm to a wound he didn’t know he had. 

She easily filled all the tiny crevices in his heart. 

By God, he could fall in love with her so easily.

Jacob was a sweet and supportive hero. He has his own demons that stem from his parents' scandalous relationship. His mother was mistress to the late Earl of Leigh. It wasn't a healthy relationship that he could aim to model his own future after. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Though Jacob is a bit of a ladies' man, he isn't the type to disregard the feelings of the women in his life. I would even describe him as a gentleman, one who is protective and caring. It was probably the hardest thing he ever had to do when he turned down the beautiful woman who attracted his eye for a long time now. And he had every intention of sticking with his decision until his new business aspirations required that he's settled in a serious relationship. Jacob wants to open a new club in Paris, and his potential partner sees him as a loose cannon because of his casual sex life. He needs a fake fiancée fast, so their bargain is struck. Bedroom lessons and a temporary fake engagement until he moves away to Paris to start his new club. They lay down rules at the start: The exchange will be friendly and beneficial to both, but absolutely no falling in love!

There was definitely no insta-love in this relationship. I could see the gradual build-up from mild attraction to head-over-heels for both. They each had a lot of internal battles to overcome in order to be ready to accept their feelings. They were in a state of denial for a lot of the book, but they could sense if they let go and allowed it to happen, they'd be in deep very fast. He does believe in the concept of love, just not in its success rate. Particularly when it comes to himself. Camille needs to make peace with her past and bury her demons, and that is no small feat. Together, they find comfort in each other, which is something neither could ever conceive of happening.

I gave this three stars because the book dragged for me for a chunk in the middle, and I didn't really feel as if the whole setup with their fake engagement made a lot of sense. His potential new partner distrusting him because he was too much of a ladies' man felt like a plot device rather than an actual realistic conflict. I just couldn't see him caring-it had nothing to do with the business proposal. Also, the details of their relationship felt very modern and out of place in that time period. The "indecent proposal", them deciding to live together in Paris while still single, the kinky room at the club, and both adverse to marriage? I know they were supposed to be "progressive" and forward thinking for the time, but all of the details together made it feel like I was reading about a modern couple in a historical setting. I did worry about that when I read the synopsis, but I really enjoy this author's writing, so I went for it anyway. It wasn't a bad reading experience, but I will say that I enjoyed this one a bit less than the previous books in the series. However, if you've been following the Gilded Heiresses series, this is still worth reading in order to see Camille finally find her HEA.

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Review: Deep Tide by Laura Griffin

An undercover FBI agent and a coffee shop owner who values her independence must team up when a local barista is found dead in their coastal Texas town in this new romantic thriller from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.

DEEP TIDE by Laura Griffin

Series: The Texas Murder Files #4

Publication date: April 26, 2023

Published by: Berkley

Genre: murder mystery, romance

 

SYNOPSIS

With two brothers on the police force, Leyla Breda is well aware of the rising crime in her small beach town, but she never expected it to show up on her doorstep. When Leyla finds one of her employees murdered in the alley behind her coffee shop, she's deeply shaken, and as a new law enforcement officer in town begins to circle her place of business, her instincts only sharpen.

Sean Moran is on an undercover assignment. The seaside community of Lost Beach may look like a picturesque postcard, but his team suspects it's a point of intersection for several crime syndicates that the FBI has been investigating for years. Even so, when the brash and beautiful Leyla Breda starts bossing him around, he's immediately intrigued. He knows her brothers want him to back off, but every time he sees her, he feels more of a spark.

Leyla's connections in the local community and Sean's skills allow them to go deeper into the case together than they would be able to go alone. But when a single crime spirals into something much darker, Sean's carefully planned mission takes a deadly turn.

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Praise for Deep Tide:

“Wow! Laura Griffin is quite simply one of the best romantic thriller writers out there.”-New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards 

“This page-turning romantic thriller hooked me on page one and held me to the end.  A must read.”--

"Yet another winner for Laura Griffin. Vanishing Hour has everything I love in a book--a gripping mystery, sizzling chemistry, plenty of action--and a dog!"-Melinda Leigh, #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author 

“Cold cases, romance, and several search-and-rescue missions combine in a riveting novel for fans of Paula Munier, Margaret Mizushima, and Jeffrey B. Burton.”—Library Journal on Vanishing Hour (starred review)

"I love smart, sophisticated, fast-moving romantic thrillers and Laura Griffin writes them brilliantly.  Last Seen Alone is a terrific example of her signature style: intriguing characters, sharp dialogue and a tight, well-researched plot."-New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz

“A pulse-pounding romantic thriller… off-the-charts chemistry… Griffin skillfully juggles suspense and romance right up until the adrenaline-fueled final page.”-Publishers Weekly

"Gritty, imaginative, sexy! You must read Laura Griffin."-New York Times bestselling author Cindy Gerard

"Top-notch romantic suspense! Fast pace, tight plotting, terrific mystery, sharp dialogue, fabulous characters."-New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan

"A gripping, white-knuckle read. You won't be able to put it down."-New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak

"An emotional, exciting page-turner. Griffin deftly balances the mystery and the love story."-The Washington Post

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laura Griffin is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty books and novellas. She is a two-time RITA Award winner, as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award. Laura got her start in journalism before venturing into the world of suspense fiction. Her books have been translated into fourteen languages. Laura lives in Austin, Texas, where she is working on her next novel. 

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REVIEW

Deep Tide by Laura Griffin
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


I decided to try Deep Tide because I wanted to branch out a little and read something outside my norm. I do not typically gravitate towards murder mysteries, however, the romance element of the synopsis intrigued me. I was feeling adventurous. One FBI agent, a (seemingly) tough heroine, and overprotective/disapproving cop brothers all seemed to hint at the possibility of strong emotional conflicts. I'm a romance reader at heart, so if there is going to be romance in the story, whether it's forefront or background, I'm going to need it to be well-developed. Unfortunately, I came away from the book feeling let down in that area.

I honestly didn't understand Sean's intense draw to Leyla. The synopsis describes her as brash which is defined as: self-assertive in a rude, noisy, or overbearing way. That's pretty on point. She could be rude at times, distant with her loved ones, and DEFINITELY overbearing. She's the kind of woman who seems to push down her emotions and push those away who try to help or show concern. When she first meets Sean at her brother's wedding, she brushes him off because she perceives him to be a temporary visitor to town just looking for casual fun. Admittedly, she was justified for her concerns. His time there was just temporary until the end of his case. Only, she comes off on page somewhat cold and closed off, so I didn't get why Sean couldn't resist her. They don't spend a ton of time around each other because he is consumed with his undercover work. There aren't any heart-to-hearts or deep, getting to know one another conversations. Leyla was not feeling relatable or endearing to me, but I pushed on.

Sean Moran is in town trying to get information on Luc Gagnon, a tech mogul suspected of ties to the Saledo crime family. When one of Leyla's employees is murdered at her coffee shop, he quickly suspects that the two investigations are somehow connected. He teams up with the lead detective, Nicole Lawson to try to get to the bottom of it. Their investigation did finally pull me in a little bit as it alternated between Nicole and Sean's work tracking down leads.

I was trying to ignore my disconnect with Leyla throughout the book, but there was one point in particular that really bothered me. Not only did she keep trying to pressure information out of Sean about what he was doing there (even after learning he was FBI and on a case), she snooped in his research when he left the room and discovered the man he was investigating. She then proceeds to solicit catering work from the man's secretary KNOWING that he is a seriously dangerous man who could have played a part in the murder of her employee. When Sean is shocked and angered that she is considering taking a job at the man's house, she gets defensive and rude. She's not a trained professional and she wants to go to the man's home for the purpose of digging up information?? This did not make sense to me at all, as a sister of two cops she should know about case confidentiality and leaving the investigation to professionals. Of course, her going there and snooping led to very bad things and she never owns up to her recklessness. Never apologizes to him, and he never even holds her accountable for her immature actions. After that point, she bothered me so much in her actions and personality that I found it really hard to care about her.

I should have felt some emotion towards the romance, but I felt that that aspect was underdeveloped compared to the murder mystery plot line. Even the relationships in general were glossed over-like the fact that her brother didn't like Sean and advised her to stay away from him. He said it was partly because he was working on a dangerous case, but it was more than that. Something about Sean personally bothered her brother but he didn't elaborate. Then it was never talked about again until the end when Miranda basically shrugged and told her in a blasé way that he was over that, but not sure why. There was not much time spent on the connections and feelings of the characters which made them fall flat. Also, without going into detail, the investigation ended in a very unsatisfactory way for me. Maybe it was more realistic that way, but it was frustrating. Not every book is a big winner and that's fine. Overall, I think maybe this author's writing style didn't mesh with my reading taste because it was just okay.

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