Better Left Unsent – ARC review

Better Left Unsent
by Lia Louis
Release Date: May 21, 2024
Publisher: Emily Bestler Books
Number of Pages: 352
Source: ARC from NetGalley
Contemporary Fiction/Romance
Ages 14 and up
CW: cheating, gaslighting
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So many ways to torpedo your career and your love life…So little time.

A woman accidentally reveals all her secrets in this witty and charming novel from the author of Eight Perfect Hours.

Two years ago, thirty-year-old receptionist Millie Chandler had her heart spectacularly broken in public. Ever since, she has been a closed book, vowing to keep everything to herself—her feelings, her truths, even her dreams—in an effort to protect herself from getting hurt again.

But Millie does write emails—sarcastic replies to her rude boss, hard truths to her friends, and of course, that one-thousand-word love declaration to her ex who is now engaged to someone else. The emails live safely in her drafts, but after a server outage at work, Millie wakes up to discover that all her emails have been sent. Every. Single. One.

As every truth, lie, and secret she’s worked so hard to keep only to herself are catapulted out into the open, Millie must fix the chaos her words have caused, and face everything she’s ever swept under the carpet.

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If I was judging this book by the last half, I would say it was a home run. Unfortunately, that’s not the case and the first half of this book was a slog. The concept was interesting and I loved the little snippets of emails that would come at the beginning and/or end of the chapters. And though this book is classified as Women’s Fiction on NetGalley, it is also classified as Romance. Which it is…for the last half. There is a lot of set-up that is done and, quite honestly, I had no idea who the love interest would be for sure until after halfway through, and for the first third of the book there were even three people I felt it could be. Plus, the first kiss doesn’t happen until 2/3 of the way in. I know for those of you who don’t read Romance regularly, you don’t care. But I expect the romance to be a central theme in a Romance book and that just wasn’t the case here. Regardless of whether you read this book for the Romance, for the women’s fiction aspect, or both, the beginning is still very slow.

That being said, Millie is a very sympathetic character and has some amazing friends. It’s interesting to see how different people in her life respond to getting her previously unsent emails. Some cut her out of their lives instead of having an adult conversation. There is turmoil caused in her family which ultimately leads to her parents understanding her on a level they never have before. Some don’t want her to back down from what she said in the missives because they feel it is important for her to speak her mind and stand up for herself. Millie has a lot to learn about herself and the person she has become over the last few years, and this catastrophe helps her to do the work that needs to be done. Sometimes it’s painful, sometimes it’s humorous, often it’s both.

Millie’s obsession with how the emails came to be sent takes over her life and causes problems with her potential happiness. It gives her tunnel vision and she sometimes cannot see the hurt she is causing with her tenaciousness. Although the story started slow, the last half was wonderful. From the romance that gave me butterflies to Millie learning to be brave again.

It’s only fair for me to rate this story as a whole. Since the first half was about 2 stars and the last half was 5 stars, we’ll go ahead with a 3.5 to average it out.

3.5 stars

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

The Cowboy’s Mail-Order Bride (The Careys of Cowboy Point) – ARC review

The Cowboy’s Mail-Order Bride
by Megan Crane
Release Date: May 9, 2024
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Book #1 in The Careys of Cowboy Point series
Number of pages: 175
Source:  ARC from publisher
Contemporary Romance
Ages 14 and up
CW: gaslighting, loss of a parent, grief
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Cowboy looking for wife to work the land, help with the business, and raise the next generation. Must be practical, reasonable, and honest.

Harlan Carey needs a wife, and fast. Because his father is dying and wants to see his five sons settled before he goes. It makes sense to put out an ad like he’s on the frontier and he’s looking for a bride from somewhere back in civilization. He’s expecting something workable. What he gets is a wildfire.

Kendall Darlington needs to disappear from her messy life. Becoming a mail-order bride sounds close enough to actual time travel to work. What she’s not expecting is to fall, hard, for the beauty of the land and the surprising delight that is Harlan himself.

But when her past comes calling, can Kendall trust the future Harlan promises enough to finally stay—with the only man she’s ever loved, in the only place that’s ever felt like home?

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To say this book is a slow starter is an understatement. I have trust in this author so I kept going, although I was getting annoyed. In the first half of this story, we barely see anyone other than Harlan and Kendall, they have one brief kiss during their quick wedding for their marriage of convenience, and there is a lot of internal dialogue which equates to being told instead of shown that these two are falling in love.

Once they finally kiss and Kendall gets more incorporated into Harlan’s family, the last half is a great story. These two are great together and work off each other well. There was a spark between them upon their initial meeting, it comes back if you’re patient. The last quarter of this book kept me riveted and feeling all the feels.

Harlan’s family are very loving and kind people, even with all of the ribbing and wrestling that happens amongst the brothers. The community as a whole is tight knit and that serves Kendall well when her past comes back to bite her. I wasn’t crazy about her keeping her family a secret, especially once she got to know the Carey family. It didn’t matter though, they still had her back in a big way.

As for Harlan’s dad and step-mom…they may be fantastic in many ways but I have an issue with their ultimatum to the kids. Although it’s skirted around and no actual disease is named, he is lying to his kids in an abhorrent way to get them to start thinking about having families of their own. It’s laid out in the beginning so this isn’t really a spoiler but a warning to those who wouldn’t be able to read beyond the first two chapters once you know the information. The father tells his kids he doesn’t have long to live and the step-mom (mom to the youngest sons) goes along with the ruse. Ugh! I love this family and will read the next book even though this one started so slowly. I want to see these cowboys all find their matches. I just hope the author rethinks things and this terrible trick isn’t kept going through every book.

2.5 stars

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

Ice Planet Barbarians books 16.5 & 17 – book reviews

With these next two books in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, the novella can be skipped without missing out on anything crucial and one is a sweet and sexy look back.

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Barbarian’s Valentine
by Ruby Dixon
Release Date: February 11, 2019
Book #16.5 in the Ice Planet Barbarians series
Number of Pages: 70
Sci-Fi Romance
Ages 15 and up
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<<synopsis>>

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For those who aren’t completists and don’t worry about the novellas in a series, I can assure you this one is okay to skip. Not that I didn’t enjoy the story, I did. But nothing of note happened that will affect future books in the series.

As with the other novellas, this story is a slice-of-life tale. As much as I enjoy these peeks into what is happening with the tribe, the novellas are where I pick up on inconsistencies in the storytelling in the larger universe of Ruby Dixon. They are small and most likely won’t be noticed if you’re not also reading the Icehome series so I’m able to overlook them (for the most part) in these shorter stories.

In this novella, a couple of the humans decide to do something extra special for their mates. What they end up doing is fun and sexy and I love the reactions of the alien mates. Throughout the process, there is also some dealing with internal insecurities and the overwhelming feeling many parents get when they don’t get a break. Those parts are fantastically written and touched a soft spot for me.

3 stars

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Barbarian’s Seduction
by Ruby Dixon
Narrators: Hollie Jackson & Mason Lloyd
Release Date: March 15, 2019
Book #17 in the Ice Planet Barbarians series
Number of Pages: 192
Sci-Fi Romance
Ages 15 and up
CW: death of mom
———————-

<<synopsis>>

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I’m enjoying a look at the humans who mated quickly and never had their stories told. The author does a good job of telling a current tale about the human and her mate that can lead to her ruminating and the origin story of the mating being told.

Marlene is so bold and isn’t afraid to take what she wants. While the other women are terrified and hoping to find a way home, Marlene has nothing tying her to Earth so she embraces her new world wholeheartedly. While Marlene is audacious, Zennek is shy and mild-mannered. He is drawn to the sensual nature of Marlene while she is drawn to his bashful nature. Zennek also has a large, welcoming family which is something Marlene never got to experience.

Although Marlene has a strong personality, she is also very observant and attuned to those around her. She’s the one who befriended a timid and anxious Ariana when her emotions pushed many others away. Marlene is always on the lookout for signs from her deceased mom that help her feel safe and cared for.

This story was like a warm hug from the series. There is tons of love and respect all around. There is also a peek into one of the more non-traditional relationships that have been alluded to in the past. Not between Marlene and Zannek, but between people close to them.

4 stars

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Hostage to Pleasure (Psy-Changeling) – audiobook review

Hostage to Pleasure
by Nalini Singh
Narrator: Angela Dawe
Release Date: September 2, 2008
Publisher: Berkley
Book #5 in the Psy-Changeling series
Number of Pages: 331
Paranormal Romance
Ages 15 and up
CW: child abuse, torture, violence
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Separated from her son and forced to create a neural implant that will mean the effective enslavement of her psychically gifted race, Ashaya Aleine is the perfect Psy—cool, calm, emotionless . . . at least on the surface. Inside, she’s fighting a desperate battle to save her son and escape the vicious cold of the PsyNet. Yet when escape comes, it leads not to safety, but to the lethal danger of a sniper’s embrace.

DarkRiver sniper Dorian Christensen lost his sister to a Psy killer. Though he lacks the changeling ability to shift into animal form, his leopard lives within. And that leopard’s rage at the brutal loss is a clawing darkness that hungers for vengeance. Falling for a Psy has never been on Dorian’s agenda. But charged with protecting Ashaya and her son, he discovers that passion has a way of changing the rules…

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I adore Dorian! Who doesn’t? At the beginning of this story, when Dorian and others in the DarkRiver pack are rescuing a young Psy child, my previous thoughts on Dorian are cemented. Changelings are all about the kids and the way little Keenan latches onto Dorian says a lot.

Ashaya is hard to understand at first. She’s in previous books and it’s unclear what her motivations are. No matter how much we are told she is an icy Psy, it was clear in the last book that her feelings toward her child are more than wanting to propagate her lineage. As things unfold in this book I learned to love Ashaya and ache for all she has lost and all she is trying to keep together.

Dorian and Ashaya are an odd couple even before some of Ashaya’s secrets come out, even more so after. Yet that mating bond is almost impossible to ignore. It always tickles me how much the “big, tough” Changelings are more attracted to their mates when they push back on their overbearing ways. Ashaya is no wilting flower and no matter how much she wishes she could give into her feelings for Dorian and her son she will not be swayed from her purpose to protect at all costs those she holds dear, even when it makes her look bad. She’s just as much of a protector as Dorian, just in a different way.

There are a few new Psy characters who are shown briefly who are part of the rebellion that I’m looking forward to seeing more. They were all quite intriguing with their abilities and the way they were helping Ashaya.

I found I missed the pack in this story. They are shown, but rarely all in one group. Of course, there is good reason to be wary of Ashaya and her real motivation. Yet once they started trusting her more, I hoped she would get to know some of the other Psy in the pack better. I found the absence noticeable.

3.5 stars

The Duchess in His Bed (Sins for All Seasons) – book review

The Duchess in His Bed
by Lorraine Heath
Release Date: August 20, 2019
Publisher: Avon
Book #4 in the Sins for All Seasons series
Number of Pages: 403
Historical Romance
Ages 15 and up
CW: grief, cheating, abandonment,
blurry consent lines at one point
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For a duchess with practical desires, falling in love is an inconceivable part of her plan…

As owner of the Elysium Club which caters to women’s fantasies, Aiden Trewlove is accustomed to introducing adventurous ladies to sin and vice. But he is uncharacteristically intrigued by the mysterious beauty who visits his club one night, yearning to indulge in the forbidden—with him. Drawn to her indomitable spirit, he breaks his rule of never becoming personally involved with his clientele and is determined to fully awaken her desires.

A recent widow, Selena Sheffield, Duchess of Lushing, has never known passion, not until Aiden’s slow, sensual seduction leads her on a journey of discovery and incredible pleasure. But her reasons for visiting the notorious club are not all that they seem.

As Selena’s motives become complicated by love, she finds herself with a most unexpected choice: forge ahead with a secret plan that could secure her future—or follow her heart which could prove ruinous.

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There are a couple of things in this story that make reviewing it without spoilers difficult for me. I’ll do the best I can and hope it doesn’t make this too vague.

Aiden already had my heart from the previous book, knowing the things he had done for his brother. He is amazing in this story. While he is enamored of Selena and wants to seduce her, he is also very aware of the precarious situation she is in. He can tell she has a fondness for her late husband so never disparages him all the while knowing Selena has missed out on passion in her marriage. Everything he does, even when he tells himself it’s for his selfish wants, is done with Selena’s happiness in mind. This makes Selena hard to love at the beginning of the book.

Selena’s husband, a duke, died young and without an heir. Unfortunately, Selena’s three younger sisters have relied on Selena and the duke for their well-being and they are just coming of age and will need dowries to make good matches. She is desperate and does some amazingly underhanded things to try to protect her family. There is a scene about halfway through that could have had this one be a DNF for me. If you stick with it, Selena will prove to be a better person than it seems she will be. Eventually, I ended up sympathizing with Selena. She was caught between a rock and a hard place.

I love how much time Aiden and Selena get to spend together. The author does a beautiful job of showing the growing feelings between this couple. There is a connection from the beginning, which is why Selena chooses Aiden for her ploy, but they grow to understand each other so well with their time alone together.

Although it doesn’t take up a lot of this book, there are some scenes with Lady Elverton that I enjoyed immensely. I love the journey she takes in this book. Overall, this book shows a lot of different sides of life. The question of where sin lies in different circumstances is asked over and over in several ways. In most cases, no answer is 100% correct.

4 stars