What a Tangled Web – Melissa Brayden

Mar 12, 2021Mar 10, 2021 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

It was lovely to return to Tangle Valley for Madison’s story. I enjoyed this just as much as the previous two instalments, but in a very different way. This instalment felt quieter than the previous two books in the series, perhaps because the characters themselves are quieter than the previous couples, but perhaps also because it was written during the pandemic.

Madison is the head vintner at Tangle Valley. she’s the only single one amongst her group of friends, but isn’t particularly looking for love. Madison is more concerned with her grapes, the wine, data, logic and the opportunity to use her savings for a worthwhile local investment.

Clementine is the manager at the Biscuit, known throughout the town for her cooking and her pleasant ways behind the counter. An avid book lover she’s constantly aware of her past in the town, for the most part keeping herself to herself outside of work.

I really enjoyed the premise of the plot in this one. I could easily see this happening in real life and felt it fitted with both characters really well. I really liked both of them, I’ve enjoyed Madison in past books, some of her previous behaviour in Two to Tangle aside, but it was really nice getting to know Clementine more. I also liked that Madison doesn’t shy away from her actions in Two to Tangle.

I was a little disappointed with the conflict, in that it involves lack of communication, however it doesn’t stem from miscommunication, rather from outside influences and whilst I felt that I could have predicted them much earlier in the book, the conflict felt like something that would have happened between these characters. I also appreciated that it came much earlier than the often found 90% conflict point and therefore Madison and Clementine had time to grow both individually and back together in an organic way that was very much in keeping with the rest of the book.

The additional storyline background story about Clementine was done really well and I also liked the way the Biddies were depicted in this compared to Two to Tangle.

As with most books that include animals, I have to give Clementine’s cat Toast a mention. I love the idea of him running around the kitchen chasing oranges!

I’m sad this series is coming to an end but I’m looking forward to seeing what Brayden has coming up next as she’s become one of my favourite authors. If you liked the other two books in this series you’ll enjoy this one, and if you haven’t read any of the series yet I’d recommend starting at Tangled.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sing for My Baby – Jenn Matthews

Mar 11, 2021Mar 9, 2021 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

This is my first Matthews book and after reading other people’s reviews for Hooked on You I had high expectations for Sing for My Baby. Unfortunately, I can’t say it met them, though it is a perfectly enjoyable book and I nice way to pass the time, it just didn’t grab me as much as I was expecting.

I liked the premise of the book – deciding to get pregnant and then meeting the person you’re supposed to be with and I even enjoyed the slow burn nature of the book, but something just didn’t click with me.

Matthews is clearly a good writer, I found her phrasing interesting and the writing of the myriad of characters between Amber’s friends and Rosie’s family to be done really well.

Unfortunately, considering the pace of the book and the way it is written, I couldn’t find the depth or connection to the characters I was looking for. Some things are pointed out about the characters and lined up as important, but I never fully understood why they were. I found both of them frustrating at times and the communication always seemed to break down whenever they were trying to be more than friends.

I also needed more of them actually together. The slow burn takes up a big chunk of the narrative and once they are together they spend less time together, with less on-page interactions than we had with them as friends.

I liked the ending and enjoyed that Matthews didn’t try to force an ending that would have been out of place with the rest of the plot.

I’ll definitely be wanting to read more Matthews, I just don’t think I’d return to this one in the future.

I received an e-ARC directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A Far Better Thing – JD Wilburn

Mar 10, 2021Mar 9, 2021 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

I struggled to get into this book for a while, but I came to the conclusion in the end it was me, not the book, so whilst it took me a while to get into it, and therefore review it, I ended up actually quite liking this one, much to my surprise.

Bo Alexander is a detective for the Galveston PD. We first meet her on a stakeout trying to get information about the Voleurs – a well-known biker gang, who are up to something on the island – but she can’t work out what.

In the undertakings of her job, she encounters Cass Halliburton, the number two of the Voleurs, essentially her enemy and the person she needs to get the better of in order to make her operation work. The only problem is their attraction to each other.

To be honest, neither character is particularly likeable, yet somehow that seemed to be ok for me. Bo has issues, many of them, mainly related to her past. Cass has them too, from her past and choice of employment. I wouldn’t say I found either character redeemable, but I found them interesting. There was enough intrigue and subterfuge within the narrative to make me want to keep reading once I got past the first quarter of the book, though I wasn’t surprised by the eventual reveal.

The ending was a downer for me, but I’m hoping it means there will be another part to the series.

This is a good first-time novel for Wilburn and I will definitely be interested in their next book, whether that’s a follow-up to this or not. I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re not into dark characters who screw up a lot.

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Devil Incarnate – Ali Vali

Mar 9, 2021 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

I had every intention of reading all of the books in this series and had taken the upcoming release of this book as the opportunity to read the series, even go far as purchasing them all – then life got in the way. I didn’t want to wait to review the book, so this review comes with a disclaimer. I’m reviewing this, the somewhere between the 8th and 10th book of the series depending on how you count, without knowing anything that happened in any of the other books.

Despite the disclaimer I’m happy to say I loved it. It’s a solid 4.5 star book for me and I hope that I’ll be able to up that to a 5 once I’ve had the opportunity to go back and catch up on the past and how the characters got to where they are now.

Being a mobster, Cain isn’t necessarily supposed to be a likeable character, but I enjoyed her redeeming qualities nonetheless. I loved her relationship with Emma and their children, as well as her relationship with her friends and associates. Cain is a character with lots of depth and is extremely well written.

There were certainly some moments that were confusing for me, because the cast of characters is large and dependent on information I clearly didn’t have, however none of that stopped me enjoying how Vali threads together the narrative and the characters and how everything fits together.

Like most series the introduction of so many characters can mean that the characters you love the most don’t appear as much in the later books as you’d like and I found myself wanting more Cain and Emma – so I’m interested as to whether this will still be the same once I’ve read more.

I can only say I would imagine that if you’ve read the rest of this series, you’ll again enjoy this one, but as someone coming fresh to the series, I’d encourage you to give it a go (perhaps with the first book unlike me).

I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Big Straight Wedding – Sienna Waters

Feb 28, 2021Feb 28, 2021 ~ lgbtqreader85 ~ Leave a comment

This might be my favourite Waters book so far. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the storyline from the blurb, but I trusted that it Waters would get it right and I’m happy to say she did. I haven’t read a book in one sitting for weeks – a relatively normal occurrence for me – but I couldn’t put this down today.

Nic lives with her best friend George. They’re both gay, don’t have a lot of money and spend the majority of their time either partying or working to make ends meet. When Nic finds out that George’s wealthy family actually has a trust fund set aside for him – on the condition that he marries a woman, she suggests a marriage of convenience for the two of them so he can get the money she feels should be rightfully his.

When it comes time to choose a wedding planner – they meet Klara, owner of a small but growing wedding planning business, who is surprised to be asked to bid for such a large society wedding, but desperately needs the work to keep her business afloat.

The problem for all of them is that the attraction between Nic and Klara is unmistakable. They all have something to lose in this arrangement and I love how Waters uses this to create the tension and some laughs throughout the book.

All of the best friends are fun, including George. They all have a reason to be there and their characterisations ring true in how they fit with Klara and Nic. Their side stories whilst brief are also nice to read. I liked both Nic and Klara as characters and the opposites attract element worked really well.

The book is well paced, especially as it’s for the most part only a month long. Somehow Waters manages to keep the urgency of the need for the wedding, whilst conveying that the burgeoning relationship isn’t moving along screamingly fast.

I especially liked that the ending and the epilogue didn’t suddenly change who the characters are, the narrative stays true to how the characters would have behaved and has a really good ending because of it. I’d love some kind of follow up to see where they all are in a few years.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.