Meme

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

30th Nov 202029th Nov 2020 Louise H3 Comments

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
#IMWAYR

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a wonderful place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be, reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! Everyone is welcome. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn over at The Book Date.

It’s time for me November round-up, which shouldn’t take too long. Whilst I’ve been reading and enjoying books, I seem to have slowed down on how many I’m getting through. In part this is because I’ve slipped back into playing those silly online games such as CandyCrush. I think I need a new month resolution of only playing them for half an hour a day, so that I can clear more of my TBR list.

Sunday dawned damp, grey and very misty but we didn’t let that put us off going on our weekend walk. We had also promised to get the christmas decorations out for our nearly adult daughter. I was hoping she would eventually grow out of demanding they go up as close to the start of December as possible, but she will be 18 in a few weeks and still insists on it.

Books read in November

So that was it – 11 books. Though I did also read what I thought was a full book (one I’d had on pre-order) but discovered it hadn’t been finished and the author had removed it from sale. Luckily I discovered that in enough time to return it for a refund, so that I can buy the completed book when the author does manage to finish it.

There’s also a chance that I will finish the book I’m currently reading today, so that would add one more to my tally of reads in November.

Four of the books were arc reads, all of which I have bought, or will buy on release. Onebook was a beta read and two books were read as Book of The Month reads for a group I mod in on Goodreads.

I’m now only two books ahead of schedule on my Goodreads reading challenge for the year, but again I’m just grateful to be reading and enjoying my reading. I’ve seen people claim to read 2 – 3 books a day, and I know I used to be smug that I read over 300 books each year.

I realise now what a foolish thing that was. I can barely remember a smidgeon of those books. Even when I look back at reviews, which is why I re-read The Game this month. I can recall books I read in my twenties, when I took the time to savour each chapter, and when money, or rather lack of it, limited the budget available for new books.

I didn’t rush any of my November reads, and I feel so much the better for it.

Currently Reading

Upcoming Reads

So that’s my month, along with what the start of December should look like book wise. What have you been reading?

// REVIEW \\ The Game

28th Nov 2020 Louise H

The Game
(The Game #1-7)
by L.P. Lovell and Stevie J. Cole

I was intrigued by my original review for this book, could only remember very vague parts of the plot, so decided to give it a re-read via Kindle Unlimited. The re-read didn’t quite live up to my expectations, and I found myself downgrading the books rating.

I was disappointed by the number of editing errors in this, given that sufficient time has elapsed, since it was first release, for updates to have been made. Whilst I still enjoyed the story and appreciated how well the authors ratcheted up the tension – you certainly feel on edge frequently through this story – I did find myself rolling my eyes at how far fetched parts of it were. I also found myself skimming parts, particularly the overly long and overly frequent sex scenes. I mean, yes they were hot, but the book would have been half the original length if they were all deleted from the manuscript!

I would kinda maybe recommend it still. Eh, it’s worth a try!

~~~~And if you’re interested here is my original review~~~~

I feel like I could give this both 1 star and 5 stars for a whole variety of reasons, which I will try and explain.

I’ve never read any work by either author and from the little bit of blurb I was expecting a book along the lines of JA Huss’ “Taking Turns”. Oh boy was I wrong. The book is seriously dark, savagely twisted and morally corrupt. So dark it was like coal. At times I felt like you do when you pass a serious car crash… you don’t want to look, you know you shouldn’t look but somehow your eyes are drawn to the carnage. I’ve read other dark books (e.g. Comfort Food by Kitty Thomas and Beast by A. Zavarelli) but this makes those look like a child’s bedtime story. It almost needs to come with a warning – and is not a book for the faint-hearted. Oh and I’m not referring to the sex – some of which is taboo and all of which is steamy. No I’m talking about the mind f***ery that goes with this book.

I both loved and hated this at the same time. Parts of me said ‘as if you’d make that choice’ whilst another part said ‘who knows what you’d do in the same situation as Ella’. A part of me thought ‘as if you’d really be able to set up those games/get away with them’ and that other voice replied ‘who really knows when you have untold wealth and the power that brings’. I frequently questioned why I was reading the book and yet I kept on doing so.

I also felt there were many unanswered questions. Were there only ever the same three men involved? How many other games had been played? Did games overlap or run one straight after the other? And quite frankly how did these men actually keep their business afloat as they seemed to spend more time ‘playing’ than they did working? Had Three purely set up the game just because of Ella? There was an attempt to explain why he had wanted Ella to play the game but I was confused as to what he wanted to shape her into and what he truly wanted/expected to happen. Also if he was so obsessed with her why Day 3’s game?

The only true explanation I could come up with for why they played ‘The Game’ was very unpleasant and made me really dislike those taking part. We’re richer than you (hence more powerful) so we’re superior to you also appeared to be another unpleasant theme.

I didn’t feel any love or romance or ‘normal’ caring in this book at all and the epilogue chilled me even further and almost made my stomach turn. I did feel the love between Ella and Tobias though.

And yet I gave this 4 stars. If I hadn’t had those unanswered questions I would have rated this 5 stars. Why? Because it is an extremely well written book and despite reading this almost as I would watch a horror film (through my fingers and hiding behind a cushion) I wanted to know how the story would end. I wanted to see how The Game would end and whether there would be a HEA. The characters were not necessarily likeable or pleasant but they were believable, intriguing and captivating. The Game is meant to mess with Ella’s mind and the book certainly did the same to mine. Unique plot line isn’t in it, and part of me is almost thankful for that.

I think this is one of those books that I’ll need to read again at least once to fully appreciate the story. It’s a good book, it’s an amazing read, I would recommend it but ONLY if you don’t mind how deep into the murky depths of human depravity this will take you.

Genre- Erotic Romance

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35607451-the-game

What would you do for one million dollars? Or rather, what wouldn’t you do? Would you play a game?
One contract. Two Guys. Three players. Four Strikes. Five rules. Six zeros. Seven days.
No safe words. No questions. Complete submission. Are you game?

Meme

Friday Book Blogger Hop

27th Nov 2020 Louise H6 Comments

FRIDAY BOOK BLOGGER HOP

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books. It is now hosted by Billy @Coffee Addicted Writings. Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end the following Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

Life got the better of me, or perhaps age is just making me more and more forgetful. Whatever the reason, I nearly forgot to post this week’s question and my answer to it.

Elizabeth @ Silver’s Reviews asks us – Do you own an e-reader? If so, what is your favorite thing about it?

Why yes, yes I do own one. For years I resisted, certain that it would never replace the joy of a physical book for me. Now I wouldn’t be, couldn’t be, without it. I can carry hundreds of different books in my handbag. I can read at night without needing a lamp. I also can read at night without my glasses, though my daughter laughs at how large I have the font and how few sentences fit on the page!

One of my biggest fears now is that I will lose my kindle or it will break. I love looking at book covers but I don’t love how much space they take up. In a family home where there are 5 adults (well almost 5, the youngest offspring is 18 in a few weeks) there isn’t room for bookshelves or bookcases. My kindle allows me to indulge my reading passion without overcrowding my home.

Book Review · Omegaverse

// REVIEW \\ Her Broken Alpha

24th Nov 2020 Louise H

HER BROKEN ALPHA
by Isoellen

The perfect soft to my hard, laughter to my growl.

Can I just say, **swoon**?

The author has taken the world of omegaverse, written a grumbly, growly, alpha male who is very VERY much in charge of things but given it softer edges and gentler mores. There are all the expected – required! – elements, such as bonding, knots and slick, but where some Alpha’s seem to be all take and no give, Monster/Darre balanced his domination with incredible caring and gentleness.

His hands were perfection – big and rough. She was small and delicate in comparison. He gave her the gift of feeling infinitely cherished. It made her so happy, she felt as bright as the sun streaming into the room, as if she could glow forever and a day with the feelings he inspired.

Naya could so easily have been a weak as dishwater, doormat type character but somehow she wasn’t. In fact she felt the exact opposite. I found her to be resilient, strong yet flexible, so as to whether the tempest that is her Alpha. I quite simply adored this pair and very much enjoyed their journey.

She ignored him as he growled and snapped at her. She wasn’t one of those betas and drones frightened of his snarls. She’d given him her mark. She’d obey him, but she would not fear him.

The portrayal of their bond was so incredibly well done, not only convincing me of the depth of their feelings but also how perfectly suited they were for one another. Naya had spent her whole life pleasing others rather than being herself, and Monster had allowed a youthful loss to twist and warp his entire being. Together they found healing, found love, found acceptance and found the most wonderful of futures.

I’m not quite sure how Isoellen achieved it, but along with all the omegaverse tropes, this also had strong elements of romantic suspense about it. If you enjoy omegaverse, or are looking to try your first OV book, then this is one I’d happily recommend to one and all.

Genre– Omegaverse PNR

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54697656-her-broken-alpha

Naya was a good girl. She never argued or fussed, even when an archaic society demanded she choose a husband and marry.
She had done everything right… Hadn’t she?
So how did she end up here, in the hell they called Sector 2?
Stolen from her home in the dead of night and thrown at the feet of a man that people only dared speak of in whispers, everything has gone horribly wrong in the blink of an eye.
Treachery brought them together, but fate would see them bound.
There was no escaping this crumbling kingdom once the mad monster set his mind, and his heart, on her.

Meme

It’ Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR

23rd Nov 202022nd Nov 2020 Louise H8 Comments

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

The weather was absolutely gorgeous yesterday, so we managed to get out for a walk. It was much busier than normal, but I guess it’s because most people would normally be at the currently closed pub or shopping centres.

Books Read Last Week

I thoroughly enjoyed all three books I read, the first of which was the final instalment of Colleen Cowley’s Clandestine Magic series. My review will be on the blog later but you can also find it here on Goodreads. I’m slowly working my way through Kitty Thomas’ Pleasure House box set. Broken Dolls was surprisingly light on both sex and kink, but was a gripping read. The final book completed was a beta read, though to be honest the author could hit publish right now, the book was so damn brilliant.

I did have a DNF, by an author I usually enjoy. The book wasn’t bad, it was just so bland and generic and like dozens of other similarly themed books. If you’re new to the forced marriage trope, then the book would probably be a hit with you, but for me it brought nothing new to the table. In fact I felt like I was wasting valuable reading time, hence the DNF.

Currently Reading

I’m currently reading an MM dark epic fantasy. This is book 2 of a trilogy and is certainly ticking all the right boxes so far.

Upcoming Reads

I have the final 2 books of the Pleasure House box set to read. After that the world is once again my oyster.

So that’s my week in books. How was your week? Did you get much reading done, and if you did were the books a success? Happy reading!