Tag Archive | TBR Reading Challenge

REVIEW: Leaving Yesterday by Zoe Dawson

Leaving Yesterday by Zoe Dawson

Series: Laurel Falls #1

Read: April 6-13, 2017

Format: eBook ARC

My Book Rating: 3.5 Stars

Publisher: Loveswept

Release Date: February 9, 2016

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 268

Reading Challenge(s): TBR 2017, Beat The Backlist 2017

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

If you love Susan Mallery, Kristan Higgins, or Rachel Gibson, don’t miss the start of this captivating small-town romance series! Laurel Falls, Montana, features spectacular mountain scenery—but it takes a rugged cowboy to convince one woman to slow down and enjoy the view.

Rafferty Hamilton doesn’t plan on putting down roots anytime soon. With her divorce final, the hotel heiress has left Manhattan behind to scout new locations for her family’s chain of resorts. Which is why it’s so frustrating to be stranded in Laurel Falls while a good-looking, slow-talking, Stetson-wearing mechanic takes his sweet time with her overheated coupe.

A decorated vet who paid his dues in Afghanistan, Trace Black can fix anything with an engine and get it revving—even Rafferty’s ridiculous sports car. He couldn’t say the same for the knockout driver, who looks like she’s never gripped a gear shaft in her life. Women like Rafferty don’t usually stick around in Laurel Falls, but Trace finds himself showing her everything his hometown has to offer before she cruises on down the road.

As the days pass, Rafferty finds herself charmed by the pace of life and the openhearted warmth of the residents. She’s even tempted to trust again—and it’s all thanks to Trace. He’s not the kind of guy she’s used to falling for, but he just might be the man she needs.


REVIEW

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

Leaving Yesterday started strong with a hero and heroine I liked. Right off the bat I could tell they were both good people, each with their own set of baggage, each deserving to find real love.

Things I liked: The hero and heroine. They were both strong and independent and meshed well together. I loved the nickname he had for her (Commander Princess). I liked the town, I want to visit and see the mountains and springs and stay at that rundown abandoned old inn! This book also had great, fully developed side characters who have been set up to get their own novels.

What I didn’t like so much: Those side characters I mentioned? While I loved them all, I wasn’t a fan of the POV shifts into their heads. Call me a traditionalist, but I’d rather my romance novels stick with the h/H POVs and leave the side characters to the side. I don’t want in their heads yet, learning all the details of their personal stories. I think this would have benefited with either a revised blurb indicating that there were more stories here than just the main characters romance, or reclassifying this as…. something else. A contemporary drama maybe? I don’t know. It just wasn’t what I expected and that sort of put a damper on my reading experience.

All that said, this was an enjoyable story about enjoyable characters. I would gladly revisit Laurel Falls to see what happens for those secondary characters as well as to see how things are going with Trace and Rafferty. (I really hate her name by the way. But it is the perfect trust-fund baby name.)



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QUOTES

“You don’t know how to fix my car. Do you?”
His eyes flashed. “Never said that. I can fix anything, sure as shootin’.”


“My bullshit meter has a low threshold. We’re bound to strike sparks off each other.”


“I don’t live here, Trace, and I’m not staying. We’ve established that. As soon as you put in my new transmission, I’ll be gone. So what if they do talk? Nothing happened, well, except for that kiss.”
“Except for that kiss? Doesn’t sound like I tried hard enough there. Maybe I should give it another shot.”
“Trace…”

 

“He needs help picking out a shirt.”
Reese looked puzzled. “Are the fashion police after you or something?”

 

“So tell me something bout yourself not many people know.”
“I believe in alien abductions.”

He huffed out a laugh.

 

You’re always so careful, holding back. Always doing some deal for your dad. You’re his closer, his hit woman.

REVIEW: Snow White’s Revenge by Casey Lane

Snow White’s Revenge by Casey Lane

Series: Fairy Tales Forever #0.5

Read: January 31 – February 1, 2017

Format: ebook

My Book Rating: 4 Stars

Publisher: Casey Lane

Release Date: July 12, 2016

Genre: YA Fantasy / Fairy Tale

Reading Challenge(s): TBR Challenge 2017, Beat The Backlist 2017, 2017 YA Reading Challenge, Retellings Reading Challenge 2017

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

She’s a prisoner. He wants an adventure. Together, they’ll change a kingdom forever.

Read the prequel novella to a new series of standalone fairy tale novels from Casey Lane!


REVIEW

I received a copy of this novella when I subscribed to author Casey Lane’s newsletter. (And you can too!)

This quick read tells the story of Princess Snow White. Her parents, the king and queen, have been murdered and the new Queen Lacey has taken over the throne. She sends her huntsman out to find Snow, who was not in the castle at the time of her takeover. After two years on the run, being hunted, Snow is caught and thrown in the dungeon.

The story begins something like 8 years later when Prince Strife visits the castle. His parents hope to create an alliance between the kingdoms.

What started as a pretty generic take on the tale of Snow White soon turns around. Snow White is no damsel in distress, waiting for her prince to save her. In fact, more often than not Snow does the rescuing! She’s a pretty badass princess. I mean, she survived in the forest alone for two years, she’d have to be pretty badass, right?

Prince Strife on the other hand is a pampered privileged young man. He gets tangled up with Snow and she ends up having to save his butt.

The only gripe I had was the love between these two. They spend most of the story bickering, but when Snow kisses him suddenly it’s true love. I mean, it’s a fairy tale, but I would have liked a little more lead up to that.

All in all, this is a decent tale of Snow White. I look forward to reading more from Casey Lane in the future. I only hope her full length novels have a little more meat to bridge the gap between meeting and falling in love.


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QUOTES

Snow let an entertaining image dance across her mind: her slicing Ratface’s throat with the thorn of a rose.

“When he homed in on Queen Lacey’s perfection, he realized nothing was glowing quite like her. It was like her edges were frayed. Like the reality she projected wasn’t exactly what it seemed.”

“I succeeded at playing hero! I literally rescued a princess. And now the ungrateful damsel is trying to run away from me. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Snow met his eyes. “Try calling me a damsel again. We’ll see how long I stick around.”

She closed her eyes. “You saw the Queen. How could anyone say that I hold a candle to her beauty?”
“Strife was silent for a few seconds. He locked eyes with her. “Is this one of those times when I’m supposed to play the girlfriend who says, ‘Are you kidding me? You’re the most beautiful girl that ever lived!’?”

“You’re saying I need a man to help me? That’s some chauvinist forest crap right there.”