My February Recap
Everything I read in the shortest month of the year
February was a small but mighty month which meant I was incredibly busy so this list is short but sweet.
The Good
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
I’m not sure why I’m so surprised but I absolutely loved this book. It’s romance novelist Sarah MacLean’s debut and it hits all the right notes. We have a fierce and lovable heroine who has immensely likable siblings and a dastardly rake of a hero with an equally delightful family. The book itself is full of the hallmark tropes of the historical romance genre but it still manages to feel fresh. I’m not usually a fan of situations where the heroine is pining after the hero but it’s so obvious he’s obsessed with her that it works here. I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this series because I really did fall in love with the characters.
Rating: 5/5
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
Reading this book is akin to having a slight anxiety attack…but in a good way. Leigh Bardugo tackles a lot of the same themes from Ninth House and then ratchets the tension up several degrees. There is a particularly stunning section about ⅔ of the way through where Bardugo reminds the reader that she is an expert on deftly crafting tragic characters and taking you deep inside their minds to their very core that I absolutely loved. I do think there’s some slight table setting for what I imagine is the finale in the third book that for me makes the ending slightly frustrating. I’m definitely amped for the next book in the series.
Rating: 4.5/5
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
This book is an excellent debut fantasy novel. Sue Lynn Tan manages to capture an epic scope while making the story feel very rooted in who our main character is and her journey to self discovery. I’ve been hearing a lot of things about how romantic it is which I wouldn’t give much credence to. The romance subplot is very YA and definitely not the main reason to pick up this book. Once you’re through the first portion of the story, which is pretty formulaic, Tann really hits her stride and takes us on quite the adventure. I enjoyed all of the quests and it feels like the ending is truly earned. I think despite the fact that it’s the first book in a duology you could also read it separately and feel satisfied with the way things wrap up.
Rating: 4/5
A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin
I was sold on this one from the very first line. There are hints of Persuasion in this book which lead the reader thinking it will go one way, and then some pleasantly surprising twists that delighted me when the book swerved to a much more satisfying conclusion. I was a bit frustrated with our main character Eliza at times but my irritation with her was clearly intentional on the author's part and leads to our heroine's growth. I really liked the inclusion of the secondary romance though I did wish for some more traditional swoon worthy moments for the primary love story. Although there was a moment where I felt compelled to put the book down and mumble to myself “you love him you idiot” so there’s that.
**I read an ARC of this book via NetGalley**
Rating: 4/5
The Bad
A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole
I picked this book up because of the Fated Mates podcast. They started out as an Immortals After Dark read-a-long show and I thought: well this has to be good. Reader, it was not. It’s supposed to be a paranormal romance novel and the romance is severely lacking. The hero and love interest of the book is far from swoon-worthy. He’s arrogant, patriarchal, possessive, unyielding, and controlling. If I ever witnessed my friend in a relationship like the one depicted in this book I would tell her to run far and run fast. The hero is supposedly brought to more modern sensibilities by his love for our heroine but I didn’t see any proof of that. The only redeeming factor of this book is the main character and heroine has a decent arc of coming into her own power and autonomy. I just wish she used said autonomy to leave his sorry ass.
Rating: 2/5
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
This book was a bitter disappointment for me. It’s pitched as a reimagining of Medusa’s story but we barely get Medusa’s POV. The author seems more concerned with vilifying Perseus (who is honestly one of the more decent Greek heroes) than she is with giving us a more nuanced portrait of the supposed main character. The writing is also quite trite. I liked the beginning where we get a few scenes of how the Gorgons come to love their sister and the ending which I won’t spoil. That’s about it. I really wish people would stop these subpar attempts at Greek Mythology retellings. Either bring something fresh to the table or let Madeline Miller work her genius.
Rating: 2/5
Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca
If this is the last book in this series it will have ended on a lackluster note but I won’t be upset. The writing was pretty basic and the character arcs and main romance felt a bit forced. It’s the classic example of telling instead of showing. We’re constantly informed that our main character Louisa is undergoing a life and career transformation because she now goes by Lulu. Lulu can do things that Louisa never would have even considered. It’s all very trite. That said, I did enjoy the overall story and the characters are very likable.
Rating: 2.75/5
The Mediocre
Midnight Duet by Jen Comfort
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review. Midnight Duet is pitched as a gender-swapped Phantom of the Opera tale and that it definitely is. As a long time theatre fan I enjoyed those elements of the story. The characters are extra, the plot is dramatic, and at times it can feel a bit like caricature. I think the back half of the book is a lot stronger than the first half when those silly bits become more deeply rooted in who these characters are. The biggest nit I have to pick is the way Comfort renders the voice of our hero. He’s German and English is his second language and that comes through in the writing. It’s completely intentional but for me a distraction that takes me out of it. Overall a fun read. It would have been stronger if there was a bit more of the emotional depth we get in the back half running through the entire story.
Rating: 3.5/5
Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLean
Sarah MacLean has a magic touch when it comes to historical romance. I didn’t love this book as much as its predecessor but I still found it to be very enjoyable. The heroine of the story is fiercely independent and immediately likable. Our hero we already know from the first book in this series so we are equally predisposed to like him. I just wish there had been more build up with their connection because it felt a bit like insta-love. I also could have done without the late third act emotional drama. I’m eager to read the final book in the series so I can make sure all my favorite characters find their happily ever after.
Rating: 3.5/5
Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes
This is not Jojo Moyes’s best work. I usually find her stories to be heartfelt and moving and this one really falls flat on that front. There are some truly superficial moments that really took me out of the story and prevented me from connecting with the characters. The supporting cast is good though and there are some bright moments. I think Moyes had too many different ideas in her head with this one and it doesn’t feel like a finished product. It’s also way too long.
Rating: 3/5
No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole
The second installment of Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series is much better than the first. There are still some of the same issues that bugged me about the first one but many more positives to redeem this book. The first half of the book struggles but I really liked the last third or so. We got a bit more interior with the characters and they felt like real people rather than caricatures. I also really liked the emphasis on family and what we’re willing to do for the people we love. This book gives me hope that the rest of the series can be much better.
Rating: 3/5
DNF
The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland
I DNF’d this one so fast for so many reasons. Let’s start with the four main characters. They’re all awful. They’re petty and shallow; I could not bring myself to care about a single one of them. If that wasn’t enough, the book essentially glorifies eating disorders. One of our main four clearly has one and her internal dialogue is all about how she plans to diet with her daughter and pass along that generational trauma. It’s fucked. Don’t read this book.
Good Guy by Kate Meader
This book just wasn’t for me. There’s nothing egregious about it but rather a number of reasons it bothered me. The number one issue I have though is the quality of the writing. “Sometimes sad times lead to sexy times,” is an actual line of text from this book and the main character refers to her parents as parental units. I was rolling my eyes the entire time and decided it wasn’t worth finishing.
The Future
I’m still not off the wait list for Leviathan Wakes but maybe March will bring the magic touch. I’m less hyped for the new releases in March but still looking forward to White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link and hitting up some February new releases that I haven’t gotten to yet like The Last Tale of the Flower Bridge, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, and A Day of Fallen Night.
What did you read this month?