Book Blogger Hop: Do you read books over 400 pages?

Do you read books over 400 pages?

I guess I'd answer this with another question: Why the heck wouldn't I?

Okay, so 400 pages is a long book.
It's a huge investment of time and if you're reading that bad boy in print, you're going to get muscle strain trying to prop the flipping thing open. However, if it's a book you want to read, why wouldn't you read it?
Just because it's long?
Surely that just means more bookish goodness?
More of the characters and writing style that you love?

If it was a brand-new author and I had no idea whether I'd like the writing, the world, or the characters, then I may be a little more hesitant but not by much... Case in point, over 1000 pages for The Priory of The Orange Tree, I've never read the author but it's sitting on my kindle awaiting my leisure.

If a book sounds good and you want to read it then read it.
It's not a difficult decision, it's rather simple.
If it's not, then I ask you why do you read?
Is it to batter though as many books as you can or is it to read content that you'll enjoy?
Is it to escape and experience? Or to rock up a tally on Goodreads?
I don't think I've ever seen a book cost more because it's a long book, so that can't be the reason...
I'm genuinely mystified as to why this is an issue for people.
Can someone explain it to me?
🙏

Review: Your Chorus by Katia Rose

Spending three weeks on a bus with your boyfriend, his rock band, and their entire tour crew: possibly a bad idea.

Spending three weeks on a bus with your ex-boyfriend, his rock band, and their entire tour crew: definitely a bad idea.

But with the contract signed and the gigs all booked, Roxanne Nadeau finds herself heading out on the road as the accompanying violinist for reigning rock gods Sherbrooke Station, despite being on less than cordial terms with their bassist.

Not that the situation comes as a surprise. Roxanne and Cole’s near-constant on/off status has become a longstanding joke among their friends, and while the seven years of history between the two might suggest that resistance is futile, Roxanne’s determined to make this breakup their last.

Cole’s equally convinced he can use the opportunity to win her back for good.

Some conniving band-mates, way too many long drives, and the insanity of tour life all turn the bus into a pressure cooker that would detonate even the most stable of relationships. The explosion is inevitable; it’s how much of themselves they can salvage from the rubble that Roxanne and Cole will need to figure out.

*Review copy provided by author*

ebook

First person, dual pov.

No.
This is book 4 in the Sherbrooke Station series but they're all interconnected standalones.
Obviously, if you start here, there will be some spoilers for the earlier books but nothing major.

No.

Yes.

No.

No.

The fourth and final book in the Sherbrooke Station series. 😭
This book is Cole's book.
Cole is a man of few words, the moody bassist. The guy who has been in a turbulent on/off relationship throughout the series with a spunky character called Roxy.
In this book, we see Cole and Roxy finally work through their shit and get their HEA! Hurrah! But, they have a whole load to work through to get that happy ever after and that includes working together on a Sherbrooke Station tour while they are in an off phase to end all off phases of their relationship.

It makes for an interesting and addictive read!

We get to find out about Cole's background, Roxy's background.
How they came together and actually get to see how much they mean to each other.
Their history... Well, it isn't pretty. They've made some shitty decisions but they've come a long way.
Katia's writing is heartfelt and real.
This pair... They're made to be together but so broken they don't know how to fit the pieces together to be whole and enduring and the author captures this beautifully.

It's not all doom and gloom though. It's funny and sweet and all about the music... The rest of the band feature quite prominently (naturally, they're on tour) and I loved seeing them and how far they've all come. I loved seeing Roxy and Cole learn to be alone in order to be together.
I just loved it... And I've added another dozen songs that I love to my current playlist thanks to this book too.

I didn't think I could love a rockstar series as much as I loved Kylie Scott's Stage Dive series but Sherbrooke Station? Yeah... They're close if not surpassing. 

I preferred the older design of the series covers. This is just too bland. Not rocky or cool just... Sweet and cute and blah.

Review: Unsuitable by Lavinia Kent

Cougar . . . MILF . . . Mrs. Robinson.

Jordan Robinson knows firsthand that when a woman marries a rich older man, people are going to talk. But now, with her husband gone, Jordan lives a quiet life of seclusion, managing her charities and staying away from the limelight. Then everything changes after an unexpected kiss leads to the best sex of her life—and a secret affair Jordan never wants to end.

A sexy young mogul who’s used to getting what he wants, Clay has wanted Jordan Robinson ever since he was seventeen and saw her emerge dripping from a swimming pool in a white bikini. But now he’s all grown up . . . and now she’s his. But when their relationship is exposed, the fallout is devastating. Yet Clay’s a man in his prime—and Jordan’s a woman worth fighting for. They may have started as a fling, but Jordan Robinson belongs in his bed, in his life . . . and forever in his heart.

*eARC received via Netgalley*

ebook

Full-length novel

Alternating, first person

No

No

No

Yes, or at least, a definite HFN.

No

No

May/December relationships aren't really my thing but the blurb for this book drew me straight in.
A woman who was married to a wealthy older man enters into a relationship with a younger man once widowed? The element of the forbidden, the emotional baggage, the obstacles to overcome... It should have made for an epic story.
Unfortunately, it wasn't.
It was a very average story.

Jordan is only 10 years older than Clay (and she's still under 40) so it's not like the age difference is dramatic. The complications of knowing him as a teenager weren't really that complicated and the biggest blocker to their relationship was Mrs Robinson herself caring way too much about what the self-obsessed wasps of her social circle would think.
It got tedious very quickly.

I couldn't connect with Jordan nor could I fully connect with Clay. Clay didn't feel like a fully fleshed out character and Jordan was unrelatable.

The writing was pretty good and the sex was hot but even reading about hot sex is boring if you're not feeling the emotion behind it and I didn't feel the emotion behind this at all. It felt like Clay was living his teenaged fantasy and Jordan was having a long-overdue rebound fling that went sideways.
How they went from lust to love ever after I still can't work out...
But anyway, it passed the time and kept me amused as long as I read it in bite-sized pieces (about a quarter of the book a night over 4 nights).

Unsuitable is billed as a contemporary romance but it's more of a contemporary/erotic hybrid, imo.
It was easy enough to read but don't expect too much. However, if you're a fan of corporate guys and ladies who lunch then it might me right up your street!

So very forgettable in a market clogged with suits... I like the pink title though. That's cool.

TTT: Favorites From The Past 10 Years

Favourite Books Released In the Last Ten Years / Books From My Favourite Genre

This should be an easy topic... I mean, it's favourite books! It's easy to list all your favourite books, isn't it?
Actually, no. No, it absolutely is not. At least, not for me... And favourite books of the past 10 years?! How am I supposed to remember that? I've read so many books in the past 10 years! Plus, my favourite genre changes like the seasons: Major mood reader here!
However!
There have been many authors over the past 10 years whose work has struck a chord with me, who have become favourites, autobuys... And there have been books series that I read, couldn't get enough of, and cried when they ended.
So, I thought I'd tweak things a little and list my favourite discoveries, authors, series and books from the past 10 years.

Behold!



Mariana Zapata

Mariana Zapata is the queen of slow burn romance!
Her characters are quirky, her stories full of heart and her heroes? Perfectly imperfect.
I adore her work and only wish there was less time between releases for I always want more!

Tammara Webber - Easy/Breakable

Beautiful writing, unforgettable characters, a heart-breaking and uplifting story... How could anybody read these books and not fall in love with all that is Lucas?!

Ilona Andrews

Anyone who follows this blog will be absolutely sick of hearing about my Ilona Andrews love (and probably my Zapata love come to think of it!) but I don't care.
I LOVE their books. Love love love them.

Amazing worlds, action-packed stories, and realistic relationships that give you all the feels.
What's not to love?

I Heart Series by Lindsey Kelk

Maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic having recently finished the final book in the series but I'm really going to miss Angela, Alex and the gang.
Their insane adventures, wonderful relationships and friendships have made me smile for years and I hope will continue to do so as time goes on.

Rick Riordan

I've said it before and I'm going to say it again: I love Rick Riordan's Olympians just as much, possibly more, than I love Harry Potter.

Yep! I said it and I'm not sorry.
He writes amazing characters and fantastical stories steeped in Greek myth and legend. I adore them, my kid adores them and I fail to see how anyone could dislike these wonderful books so full of heart, friendship and sacrifice.

Alex Craft Series by Kalanya Price

I finished reading this series only last week and I know with 100% certainty it'll be a series that I'll re-read in years to come. I absolutely loved this gritty and unique UF world where magic and Fae exist but the usual UF beasties (weres, vamps and the like) do not.

I'm tweaking as I write this desperate for news on book 7 (rumoured to be the final book! *sobs*) despite the fact that book 6 only released in April...

Caroline & West Duo by Robin York

Some of the events in these novels were hard to swallow but York created something truly beautiful in this pair... Never have I rooted for a fictional couple so hard!

Kristen Ashley

Crazy protective alphas and sassy kick-ass women. Stories with a whole load of passion and a hint of danger... What's not to like?

The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison

Characters I've never been able to let go of even though the series ended several years ago. I love Rachel, Ivy, Jenks, Trent and the rest of the gang so much as well as the wonderful UF world Harrison created. Finding out she's not only working on new material back in The Hollows but writing once more about Rachel and co? Year. Made.

Kylie Scott

Her books always make me smile and laugh and her Stage Dive boys hold a special place in my heart.

🌻

So, what are your favourites?

Book Blogger Hop: Do you continue with a book even though you aren't liking it?

Do you continue with a book even though you aren't liking it?

I guess the short answer to this is that I used to have a policy of always finishing a book even if I hated it, especially if it was a copy I'd been given for review.

Nowadays, I'm much kinder to myself.
Time is precious and my reading time is growing less and less as life makes its demands, therefore, I refuse to waste it on something I dislike.

The longer answer would be something along the lines of:

If a book isn't resonating but I think it's something I would enjoy if I were in a different mood, I shelve it until the mood strikes.
I'll mention this in a weekly wrap up post but I won't rate it/review it anywhere unless I eventually read the book and actually have something to say beyond "it's not you, it's me."

If a book isn't great but I'm not hating it, I'll keep reading it until it's finished or until it reaches a point that I just cannot be bothered to continue (for whatever reason) and then I'll stop.
These books get mentioned in my weekly wrap up posts and sometimes shelved on goodreads with an explanation of why I stopped reading or why I found it very 'meh'.
If I finished it, I may review it and post it in the usual places but chances are I won't bother as it requires time and energy I'm not invested enough to give.

Sometimes, a book is so awful, it's like a hideous car wreck, and I want to stop reading it but I just cannot stop myself from finishing it.
These books I'll review, in all my blistering glory, as if it was awful but I still managed to finish it, you can guarantee I'll have a lot to say about it!

What about you? Do you waste your reading time finishing everything you start?

Review: The Little Vintage Carousel By The Sea by Jaimie Admans

Ness has almost resigned herself to being single forever, when she catches sight of the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen on the train to work.

But just as she plucks up the courage to speak to him – he steps off the train and disappears into the crowds, without realising he’s accidentally dropped his phone!

It’s her ‘glass slipper’ moment, she’s sure of it, she just needs to track him down – all the way to the gorgeous seaside village of Pearlholme, where she finds him restoring a vintage carousel by the sea…

Maybe it’s finally time to follow her heart?

*Review copy received via NetGalley*

ebook

Full-length novel

Third person narration, single pov.

Nope!

Nope!

Nope!

Yep!

The Little Vintage Carousel by the Sea is the perfect summer read! I smiled all the way through reading it. It was joyful, funny, sweet and absolutely infectious in its happiness!
Seriously... It's pure joy distilled into a couple hundred pages.

Ness is a fact-checker working for a London based magazine. She lives in a horrible flat, hates her commute, dislikes her boss and dreams of something different while being stuck in the mundane day-to-day of her life. She has a smile-thing/major crush going on with an attractive stranger she sees semi-regularly on the tube and one day he drops his phone which she picks up and tries to return to him but doesn't get a chance before he's lost in a crowd.
This sets the scene for a madcap scheme with her annoying boss and pregnant BFF (who works at the magazine) to write a series of articles as Ness tries to track down 'train man'.

Of course, Ness finds train man - who happens to restore carousels - and sets off to return his phone to him (with her boss's approval) in a sleepy seaside village in Yorkshire where he is restoring a mystery carousel.

You can imagine how it all unfolds...
An amazing guy, who is intensely private, falls in love with his train girl only to find out she's in the town under not entirely honest circumstances...
And that's why this isn't a 5 star read, I'm afraid.
All Ness had to do was tell Nate what was going on and everything would have been fine, but she didn't. She lied to him... A lie of omission, perhaps, but still a lie, and the mini-drama that unfolded felt like it was added just for drama's sake diminishing the shine of this book like a storm cloud on a sunny day.
It doesn't ruin the book though.
I loved Nate and Ness, they were perfect for each other. The setting was beautiful, the mystery surrounding the old carousel was captivating and I laughed out loud so many times... A little unnecessary drama can't destroy that.
That's why I whole-heartedly recommend this book if you're looking for a happy pick me up or something to read while chilling in the sunshine.

I love this cover so much! It just screams light, summery read!

 "A stranger made eye contact with you, on public transport, in London? What kind of weirdo is this?”