I made it a bit over halfway when I got thrown out of the story. They'd just decided that they couldn't have sex because of reasons and then go "we'reI made it a bit over halfway when I got thrown out of the story. They'd just decided that they couldn't have sex because of reasons and then go "we're smart, we can do this, let's have sex" and so they're pelting upstairs and I put the book down.
Normally, this would be a minor bump, but then I lost the mood and binged other books and I'm still not back yet. So this note is so that future me knows what happened. No rating because it'd be a crappy thing to do when it's my fault I fell out of the mood....more
Abandoned: I was enjoying this just fine up to almost two-thirds. But then it turned into a sex romp where hormones drove choices that didn't align wiAbandoned: I was enjoying this just fine up to almost two-thirds. But then it turned into a sex romp where hormones drove choices that didn't align with their internal integrity. In addition to losing respect for the protagonists, I lost my engagement with wanting to see the relationship through. I liked them a lot. Particularly the cheerful and determined Romi. But I was alreayd fighting Kiera's irrational negative motivation* so having Romi go all, "I shouldn't, but I can't keep my hands off her" broke me.
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back (or, if that link doesn't work, here's a cache of the original) and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story....more
Abandoned: As with some with this tag, I liked it pretty well but by about 85% I had what I wanted out of it. By that time, they were together and hapAbandoned: As with some with this tag, I liked it pretty well but by about 85% I had what I wanted out of it. By that time, they were together and happy and had a solid-enough relationship I bought it as long-standing. The rest was just going to either double-down on that or be drama. I had a bit of a hard time with the governor's mansion bits because I couldn't picture the building. It seemed unlikely, but not enough that I wanted to hunt down a floorplan and see if it could work....more
Abandoned: I enjoyed this quite a bit but put it down a couple months ago and just haven't felt the need to pick it back up. I think that's because thAbandoned: I enjoyed this quite a bit but put it down a couple months ago and just haven't felt the need to pick it back up. I think that's because the part I cared about, the relationship and the two finding each other, had already happened and the rest was just icing....more
This is an unmarked sequel to To Marry an Earl and that's obvious in the prologue. The hero to this one is all bitter that he lost the girl in that stThis is an unmarked sequel to To Marry an Earl and that's obvious in the prologue. The hero to this one is all bitter that he lost the girl in that story. So I'm abandoning this on the theory that I want that backstory. But I'm a little pissy about authors not marking sequels/series so I'm not being proactive about it and may not. So this note is for future me in case this crosses my path again....more
Abandoned: Iris is too clueless and the whole spreading ashes thing got old fast. And it turns out I'm just not interested in a vacation romance that Abandoned: Iris is too clueless and the whole spreading ashes thing got old fast. And it turns out I'm just not interested in a vacation romance that I'm supposed to take seriously. At least in this instance....more
Abandoned: Not sure what happened with this one. I put it down and just don't feel like continuing. Which is kind of the point of my new "Abandoned" tAbandoned: Not sure what happened with this one. I put it down and just don't feel like continuing. Which is kind of the point of my new "Abandoned" tag (along with self-permission to keep it to a single paragraph). Naomi is awesome. Donovan is cool. I just don't care much for their relationship dynamic and Donovan's stupid attachment issues are stupid....more
Abandoned: I like both protagonists quite a lot. I like where they are at about midway and I have every confidence they'll go the distance. I particulAbandoned: I like both protagonists quite a lot. I like where they are at about midway and I have every confidence they'll go the distance. I particularly liked how their shared past is so differently remembered and them trying to work that out is a treat. Which is kind of why I'm not terribly eager to go the rest of the story where inevitable disruptions will thwart them. Four stars because it was really quite lovely....more
Abandoned: Lina was completely awesome in the previous book and I was looking forward to seeing her courage and action up front. Only it turns out sheAbandoned: Lina was completely awesome in the previous book and I was looking forward to seeing her courage and action up front. Only it turns out she's a bit frail and hyper-concerned about representing "nice Muslims" only also hating that she has the impulse. Add inappropriate guilt for the actions of her cousin making her place of business a target and I just can't bring myself to continue. It's a sad end to this series, frankly....more
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