and if i said mike flanagan's the haunting of bly manor was better than its source material...? and if i said mike flanagan's the haunting of bly manor was better than its source material...? ...more
never say never is an age-gap opposites-attract lesbian romance between a middle-aged television mogul and her twenty-something nanny. unfortunately inever say never is an age-gap opposites-attract lesbian romance between a middle-aged television mogul and her twenty-something nanny. unfortunately it did not live up to expectations and as a result, is something i can only correlate with being an okay read.
emily walker is 23, fresh out of college and fresh in new york where she is making a life for herself. this life includes working as a nanny for television mogul camila evans andher 5-year-old son jaime. over time the pair understandably fall in love, something that is off limits due to both the age gap and their roles as boss and employee. in just under 300 pages, rachael sommers explores the question of will true love prevail?
you don’t need me to answer that question as the said answer is an obvious one. the romance is one that had an excellent premise that never felt touched on enough and as a result, my excitement towards the pairing dwindled fast. the potential was there but it was not executed. the epilogue tries to build the bridge connecting us to them and their relationship but the time jump means where they are at feels unrealistic due to the restraint that kept them apart throughout the entire novel. i did not buy it even though i so desperately wanted to.
- 2.5 stars rounded down to 2. i tried so hard to love it but it was just not enough.
Merged review:
never say never is an age-gap opposites-attract lesbian romance between a middle-aged television mogul and her twenty-something nanny. unfortunately it did not live up to expectations and as a result, is something i can only correlate with being an okay read.
emily walker is 23, fresh out of college and fresh in new york where she is making a life for herself. this life includes working as a nanny for television mogul camila evans andher 5-year-old son jaime. over time the pair understandably fall in love, something that is off limits due to both the age gap and their roles as boss and employee. in just under 300 pages, rachael sommers explores the question of will true love prevail?
you don’t need me to answer that question as the said answer is an obvious one. the romance is one that had an excellent premise that never felt touched on enough and as a result, my excitement towards the pairing dwindled fast. the potential was there but it was not executed. the epilogue tries to build the bridge connecting us to them and their relationship but the time jump means where they are at feels unrealistic due to the restraint that kept them apart throughout the entire novel. i did not buy it even though i so desperately wanted to.
- 2.5 stars rounded down to 2. i tried so hard to love it but it was just not enough....more
An anthology of 10 short stories that connect to Lee Winter's many delicious worlds. What more could you want?An anthology of 10 short stories that connect to Lee Winter's many delicious worlds. What more could you want?...more
It’s official: Catherine and Lauren are my favourite romance pairing of all time. I could devour story after story of them together, happy, and so ridIt’s official: Catherine and Lauren are my favourite romance pairing of all time. I could devour story after story of them together, happy, and so ridiculously in love I have a permanent smile etched on my face. The chemistry! The bond! The way they are complete opposites! The way they know the other better than anyone! Better than they know themselves!
Lee Winter, I will give you my first born for another book centring their love.
God (which may also be Winter at this point), I have also seen what you have done for (fictional) others and I would like the same for me....more
Lee Winter loves a flawed woman who does not necessarily change her ways because she is in love - or has learnt what love is - with another. She develLee Winter loves a flawed woman who does not necessarily change her ways because she is in love - or has learnt what love is - with another. She develops them, yes, but what you get is a fully dimensional character that feels real. Maybe an assassin is not your average woman but there was something so comforting about the journey of Requiem that I felt drawn to as if I understood. That’s the talent of Winter - she loves women and boy you can tell. I have never read anybody capture the essence of the beauty of lesbianism, of sapphicism, of queerness quite like she does because she gets it. She also gets that this does not have to take away from a flawed character once they meet that one woman who changes everything for them. What you get is an incredible story each time with a romance to love and characters to cherish once you finish the final page.
Turns out Lee Winter knows how to write a redemption arc too. To go from actively hating a character for their actions in a separate book (The Red FilTurns out Lee Winter knows how to write a redemption arc too. To go from actively hating a character for their actions in a separate book (The Red Files) to understanding her as a victim of manipulation (and gay panic) who knew no better and was crippled by her past is a skill many cannot achieve. Winter, however, achieves this effortlessly across two books, The Fixer and Chaos Agent. I do not think I have ever rooted for a character to allow love to enter their lives as much as I did Michelle Hastings. And in the form of sunshine personified, Eden? Eden, who saw the goodness in her? Even better.
“Thank you, then, for giving me joy, Eden.”...more
It is a shame that Lee Winter is so overwhelmingly underrated in and beyond WLW circles because my God does she know how to write. Not only do you getIt is a shame that Lee Winter is so overwhelmingly underrated in and beyond WLW circles because my God does she know how to write. Not only do you get fleshed out relationships that develop throughout the course of the book but you get characters that feel real. They feel like people you or I could be, making the connection you feel with them and their journeys much greater than many other romance novels achieve. Rival reporters Lauren King and Catherine Ayers team up for the story of their careers in expose form. Ayers is an ex-Washington DC political correspondent who suffered a humiliating fall from grace, and her acerbic tongue keeps everyone at bay. Everyone, that is, except knockabout Iowa girl King, who is undaunted, unimpressed and gives as good as she gets. As they piece together factors for their story, they fall for each other. Reader, I fell in love too.
As with any book written by a Palestinian, this is an essential read. Palestinian Walks: Forays into a Vanishing Landscape takes place between 1978 anAs with any book written by a Palestinian, this is an essential read. Palestinian Walks: Forays into a Vanishing Landscape takes place between 1978 and 2006 and is told from the perspective of a Palestinian who takes walks in the West Bank. As each chapter goes by, the nature so loved dwindles, the safety Palestinians have lessens, and the land that is rightfully theirs is no more.
This was incredibly hard hitting. To see something so simple as a walk, something that we can step outside and do easily without a second thought, be ripped from Palestinians so easily with no action from those outside was heartbreaking. From the River to the Sea.
“Before we left the hills I turned around. The sun was setting. The side of the hill we were on was shaded. Across the valley the limestone rocks reflected the muted light. I bid this valley farewell. I would not be coming back here for a long time. Perhaps not before this damned conflict with Israel with all its nasty consequences ends, if this should happen in my lifetime.”...more
Whatever you do, do not choose this book to read during a mini heatwave when you want your serotonin to rise and have a good time. I mistakenly did noWhatever you do, do not choose this book to read during a mini heatwave when you want your serotonin to rise and have a good time. I mistakenly did not read the plot beforehand and got stuck right in as so many people had recommended it to me. I was flabbergasted as you can imagine upon discovering what Valley of the Dolls is about. Or rather, how miserable it is. I will say, that if it was not for the period this novel was written, I would not have found it even slightly impressive. On the other hand, my lesson has been learnt and I shall read the blurb or a description before starting a new book!...more
My new favourite Carley Fortune novel. A new favourite romance novel too. However, This Summer Will Be Different feels like so much more than a romancMy new favourite Carley Fortune novel. A new favourite romance novel too. However, This Summer Will Be Different feels like so much more than a romance novel. To reduce it to simply just that takes away so much of what makes the novel so brilliant. There is the romance, yes, and it is a romance I adored. So much chemistry, so much history, so much passion. I often found myself slack-jawed at just how sensual Lucy and Felix were. Delicious is the only word that feels appropriate here. But, the real love story of this novel is between Lucy or Bee, as you will come to call her, and Bridget - best friends, soul sisters, and the loves of each other's lives. Their friendship is beautiful. It is just as important to me, as the romantic relationship was.
To read This Summer Will Be Different is to be immersed in the beauty of Canada, a running theme of Fortune’s novels. Prince Edward Island is the star, a stunning escape where Lucy meets Felix. Felix meets Lucy. Felix is the handsome local who shows her a good time when she first arrives on the Island. They are yet to discover what unites them: Lucy’s best friend is Felix’s older sister. They cannot be together. They must stay apart no matter how difficult it is. Of course, this is easier said than done. Five years after their first meeting, and several more in between, Bridget is getting married. A life-changing decision sees her flee to the island and Lucy follows. There the romance that cannot blossom as two people meant for the other right their feelings - or rather do not fight their feelings as they are smitten with each other. After reading this in two sittings (I could not put it down. I missed the Northern Lights twinkling across the night sky.) I am just as smitten with them as they are with each other. Perfect - Meant to be! However you want to put it, Lucy and Felix are everything you will want. Or everything you may already have - and how lucky you must be.
This is the perfect Summer read. Everything about it is impeccable. Fortune has done it again - you get the drift. Now please excuse me for I am turning the volume up on The Prophecy by Taylor Swift up even louder.
“You,” he says. “You feel like you were made for me.”...more
The Tent Generations is a translated anthology of Palestinian poems that centre on themes such as life under an occupation, loss, exile, and the love The Tent Generations is a translated anthology of Palestinian poems that centre on themes such as life under an occupation, loss, exile, and the love of one's homeland. While Palestinian suffering should not have to be as readily documented as it is in order for the world to listen to their pain, the strength of Palestinians of all ages is abundatly clear. Here, through their art that will stand the test of time, their resistance to their dehumanisation at the hand's of Israel alongside the Western world that perpetuates their suffering and slaughter is even more recognisable. Simply remarkable and should be considered essential reading for all. ...more
Virginia Woolf was a master of the written word. In Orlando she explores many themes, none more important than the other, from gender, identity, life,Virginia Woolf was a master of the written word. In Orlando she explores many themes, none more important than the other, from gender, identity, life, love, death, and the passage of time. Each holds a heavy weight on the page and in your mind thanks to the beauty of her writing. While some of this text has not aged well (I also do not think you would or should be surprised by this, it is a classic after all), I cannot remember the last time I read a novel that stopped me in my tracks and got me to actually think. To think about myself, my surroundings, my beliefs. Perhaps the most I thought about was love. It speaks volumes that this was and still very much is believed to be a love letter to Vita Sackville-West. And what a beautiful love letter it is. ...more
Loading...
