Highlander in Disguise by Julia London

Series: Lockhart Family #2

Format: Paperback

Pages: 374

Rating: 3 stars

How I Got It: Purchased

This was a book I picked up randomly at an outlet store because I like Julia London as an author. It was a fairly good book, but it wasn’t anything special.

For about the first third I wasn’t the biggest fan of Grif, the hero. I didn’t completely understand why he made some of his decisions. But it did get better eventually.

I did like the chemistry between Grif and Anna. But some of their relationship felt a little rushed-especially in the end. Lust was there in abundance, but love I’m a little skeptical of. One issue was that they kept not talking to each other. I’m just not a fan of that style of conflict.

There were also a few story points I felt were left unresolved. Mostly, this is connected to Anna’s sister. I just don’t think these will be addressed in the next/last book.

I will probably read the other two books in the series, but I’ll probably borrow them from the library.

Thanks for reading!

~Holly

Falling from the Sky by Sarina Bowen

Series: Gravity #2

Format: Ebook

Rating: 3 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

I’ve loved Sarina Bowen’s new adult novels so I was eager to try a contemporary romance by her. I enjoyed the characters and story, but it didn’t have the magic of the other books I’ve read.

Hank and Callie were both likeable characters. And it was nice to read about Hank’s recovery-his struggle with his loose of mobility and former self. Although, I wish it had been explored even more. Callie had a little too much of that typical “I’ll never be good enough for him” thing that I don’t like.

The romance was good. I bought their attraction and love. There was the constant issue of doctor-patient relationship, but it was handled well. I do wish there was a little bit more, but that’s a common complaint I have with a romance.

Thanks for reading!

~Holly

Confess by Colleen Hoover

Format: Paperback

Pages: 320

Rating: 5 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

This was freaking fantastic. But I think this is going to be a short review. I am doing a non-spoiler review and discussion on my Youtube channel if you want to know more of my thoughts.

Colleen Hoover just continues to impress me and grow as a writer. I was quickly invested in these characters and there were many tears shed. Being able to actually see the art added another layer to the story.

I love Owen. He is a truly nice guy. It’s kind of refreshing to read about someone like that in a world of moody bad boys. His POV was my favorite. He had a beautiful way of describing things. I don’t have any complaints about Auburn though.

Yeah, I think that’s it. Told you this would be a short one.

Non-spoiler Book Review

Spoilery Book Discussion

 

Thanks for reading!

~Holly

Crossing the Line by Katie McGarry

Series: Pushing the Limits (1.1)

Format: Ebook

Pages:

Rating: 4 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

I’ve owned this novella for a long time, but kept putting off reading it. This is the second novella I’ve read by Katie McGarry and she is amazing at writing them. Lila and Lincoln’s story is only a couple days, but I completely buy into it.

The letters between them really help ground their relationship. They provide insight into their characters and their pasts. Plus, I’m a sucker for letters or any kind of textual communication in a book.

And both characters are enjoyable. I don’t like one of them more than the other. And I’m content with what happened, but would love to read more. I want to know more about Lincoln and their future lives. Epilogues  always something I want and it would have been nice to have one.

Thanks for reading!

~Holly

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Series: Outlander (Book 1)

Format: Paperback

Pages: 850

Rating: 4 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

This book has a lot of hype and a huge following. I had seen the first episode of the show and liked it so I was hopeful I would enjoy the book. But I was still a little nervous. I mean, what if I didn’t like it? There’s something scary about disliking a book everyone else seems to love.

Overall, I liked the story. For the first half of the book I wall all about this being a favorite and a five star read. There wasn’t a lot going on with the plot, but Ms. Gabaldon’s writing is beautiful. I didn’t mind reading about Claire’s day-to-day life in 18^th century Scotland. They probably got me more invested in Claire’s story.

And the whole cast of characters are intriguing. They aren’t without issues and I will get there. This book is not just a love story between Jamie and Claire. I do with there were more female characters, but this world is very male so I understand.

I want to talk about Claire a little more. I felt like I was supposed to view her as this strong, independent, 20^th century woman, but she made some stupid decisions. The first few times I was able to overlook them, but then it just got annoying. She kept doing the same things over and over and then would be surprised when the same bad things happened. But please don’t think I hated her because I didn’t.

The writing, while beautiful, did confuse me sometimes. She seemed do dance around a situation or a character. I get showing and not telling, but there are several things that happened that I just don’t understand. Maybe they will make more sense in a re-read, but this is a big book to re-read.

While I do have some issues I completely understand why people love it. And I do want to continue the series, but not right away. This was such a big book and very dramatic so I need a little break.

Now, I want to talk spoilers.

There’s really one specific thing that turned this book for me. It put a bad taste in my mouth that I carried throughout the rest of the book.

That thing is when Jamie beats Claire. I could have moved on if he had hit her on the butt with his hands a few times, but he literally beat her so she was uncomfortable for days. To make it worse he never apologized (only gave excuses), and she forgave him way to fast. I get this is a different time and life was more harsh, but that’s no excuse. Beating a woman-especially one you claim to love- is never okay. I don’t see people talk about this, but I’m curious how other people handle/justify this. And I’m interested to see how the show handles this.

And I do plan on doing a video review and discussion if you want to see more of my thoughts and opinions. I’m watching the show, too.

Thanks for reading!

~Holly