Review: Toe the Line by Penelope Ward

Summary

The Wall Street Journal Bestseller.

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a friends-to-lovers story spanning more than a decade...

At first, I thought I'd hate spending the summer with Archie Remington—the conceited son of my parents' friends.
What I knew about Archie: he was gorgeous, pre-law, and had always treated me like I didn't exist when we were younger.
When our families bought a house together on an island in Maine, he and I were forced to share a bathroom.

The boy I remembered was now a full-grown man—but with the same attitude.
After a rough start, Archie and I unexpectedly started getting along one day and eventually became friends. We shared secrets and bonded during our morning jogs. I discovered that Archie had a wild spirit and that he struggled to conform to his father's expectations.

Things were cool until I had to go and ruin it, getting drunk one night, and blurting out my fantasy—involving him.

I took it back, but it was too late. Archie had heard me loud and clear. After that, we never quite knew how to toe the line.
When that summer came to an abrupt and shocking end, I headed back to college, unsure if anything would ever be the same again.
Across the miles over the years, he and I stayed in touch as friends, but fate and timing always kept us from becoming more.

You know the saying: If two people are meant to be, they'll find their way back to each other?

Let's just say Archie came back into my life in a way I would've never expected.
And this time, my heart would really be put to the test.

Review

For a book about friends to lovers that spans for more than a decade, I expected to feel something. I was begging to feel any emotion; however, all I felt was disappointment. It took ten plus years for Archie and Noelle to get together, and the buildup and the play off were extremely lacking. Archie was a frustrating hero, and Noelle continued to wait for him despite him wrongly pulling her along when he knew her feelings towards him. He always had an excuse ready for her.

Every step of the way, there was another obstacle to overcome with them, and if they had communicated, they could have been together much sooner. Yes, I understand moments are missed, but every time? Every single sign?

Final Thoughts

Toe the Line is a romance where the hero is probably the worst character in the book. Not only did he feel bland, but he also continuously played with Noelle’s emotions for no good reason. I really had high hopes for this one because of the summary, but every single aspect of this book left me feeling disappointed. 

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Review: That First Night by Jenn McMahon

My new boss is a CEO Billionaire who hired me to be a nanny for his son.

This should have been easy for me considering my experience with children. Except the man I’m working for is Thomas Ford. A man I never thought I would see again, especially not 5 years later.

Now, I live in his penthouse in the city.

I refuse to cross the line because one, he’s my boss and two, I don’t do relationships anymore.

It’s hard to deny this man when his touch lights my body on fire. I told myself I wouldn’t risk losing my job by giving into temptation but all it takes is one night in his kitchen and I am done for.

But who am I kidding? I was a goner that first night.

Review

I often steer clear of criticizing the writings of a book, because writing is something that can be difficult and finishing a book is a huge accomplishment. And mostly, if other aspects of the story stand out, I’m able to look past writing. However, That First Night, to me, suffered due to the poor writing.

Thomas and Peyton meet at a bar, and have a steamy encounter, and don’t see each other for several years later. And that encounter had seemingly impacted them for those years that they just can’t get over each other. I personally didn’t believe that they had made that much of a connection or had that much chemistry with each other to still be head over heels when they see each other five years later. There was a lot of telling rather than showing with the two of them.

And then Thomas. Thomas just felt like a cartoon character. A parody of a bachelor in a romance novel. A terrible parody, if we were being honest. I didn’t enjoy being in his POV. It just felt odd that a billionaire got excited about free drinks at a charity event. And not to mention that some of the conversations with his brothers just felt very disrespectful to women.

There were several times where Peyton and her friends would have a conversation. And then the next chapter Thomas and his brothers would have the same conversation. It got repetitive.

Final Thoughts

That First Night wasn’t an enjoyable read to me. The relationship felt forced at times, and relied too heavily on Thomas’ son, who often spoke like a ten-year-old rather than a three-year-old. In addition, individually the characters felt lackluster. There is little to no character development. 

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Review: Nocticadia by Keri Lake

Mortui vivos docent.
The dead teach the living.

After watching my mother succumb to a mysterious illness, I promised myself two things. I’d find the cure for what ravaged her. And leave the godforsaken city where she abandoned me.

Four years later, I receive an acceptance letter from Dracadia University, one of the oldest, most prestigious schools in the country. Nestled on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, it’s rumored to be haunted by the souls of the mental patients exiled there centuries before. Those whose bones are said to make up the island’s white sandy shores.

And restless ghosts aren’t even its most daunting peculiarity.

Devryck Bramwell, known on campus as Doctor Death, is a brilliant pathologist in charge of the midnight lab. He’s also my devastatingly handsome professor, who seems to loathe tenacious first-years, like me. Except, his dark and enigmatic gaze tells me all the ways he’d devour me if given the chance, and his stolen kisses burn my lips with forbidden jealousy.

I crave his authority.
He aches for redemption.
Together, we’re toxic. Delicious fodder for the prying eyes hellbent on exhuming the rotted skeletons of our pasts.

For the dead have much to teach, and it’s only a matter of time before Dracadia’s most depraved secret is resurrected.

Nocticadia is a standalone dark academia gothic romance.

Review

It has been decided. This is one of my favorite books that I’ve read all year. No questions asked. For the second, I finished that first chapter, I just knew that this would be an exciting and intriguing journey. As I was describing to my friend when I was trying to convince her to read, Nocticadia is haunting and sexy and gruesome and forbidden and gothic. All in the best ways.

It centers on Lilia, who lost her mother four years ago to a mystery disease. And since then, she’s been trying to understand what it is and wants to figure out how to cure it, while also juggling with trying to support her younger sister.  Unfortunately, there are no records of the symptoms her mother showed anywhere. After writing a paper for one of her classes, she is invited to attend a prestigious university named Dracadia, where they are familiar with the disease that killed her mother. While there she meets a brilliant professor named Devryk Bramwell, who is studying worms. Devrvk has been named Dr. Death on compass and is definitely a morally grey character with more than a few skeletons in his closet.

Lilia believes that the worms that he is studying are connected to her mother’s illness and makes it her mission to become his lab assistant. And then obviously they have this amazing chemistry and things happen. Spectacular. Best chemistry that I’ve read all year. And I couldn’t get enough of them. Both of them are these two intense characters with a tragic backstory and felt so alone for so long. I thought their slow burn was done well, and every interaction between them was incredible.

I think one of my favorite things about this book is how the information was seamlessly presented. There are some things that aren’t what they seem, and I like how instead of it being exposed quickly—that there’s a bit of a slow burn with it. It makes the big reveals much juicier, and so many times when something was revealed I gasped out loud because I didn’t see that coming. This story had layers, and I could tell that the author took the time to create this atmospheric world. I also want to point out that I would have completely loved it if this book was a duet because there is so much rich story left. And I do have a few unanswered questions. I would love for more.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I have one complaint about one of the minor characters named Mel. I wish that her story had been different. For how the story progressed, I understand why the author did what she did. However, I didn’t like that part, and I wish that the author could have thought of something else to get to the ending.

Final Thoughts

Nocticadia is a rich, haunting, and atmospheric story about two people working together to understand this mystery disease. The plot points were weaved perfectly as well having interestingly crafted backstories for the characters, and an exciting, beautiful, and consuming romance. And not to mention, the world which just felt magical. It does have some faults including a plot point with a supporting character that tiptoed the line between being insensitive to me as a reader.   

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Review: The Woman Beyond the Sea by Sarit Yishai-Levi and translator Gilah Kahn-Hoffmann

The Woman Beyond The Sea, was a beautiful historical fiction novel that spanned three generations of women, who were lost and their journey to mend their broken pasts. Told through multiple perspectives, across three generations, we see how the power of forgiveness can unshackle the binds of generational trauma, setting them free, bringing them together.

The journey begins with Eliyah. She’s spent her life trying to get her mother to love her. As like others in this situation, to compensate, they usually find love in the wrong places, hence her husband. We witness the end of her relationship with her husband, which sends her on a downward spiral. In an attempt to end her life, a chance encounter leads her on a path of healing and self discovery.On her journey, an unexpected chance at love begins to mend the broken pieces of her life and her family, including opening the door to a true relationship with her mother.

Lily, her character was tough to read. Throughout the book, you just want to hate her but as the details of her empty broken heart are revealed and her past unfolds, empathy takes over. Feeling abandoned her entitled life, she never felt like she belonged or loved. Despite the unconditional love of her husband, after the death of their first child, her aggressive withdrawal of life with him and their daughter took over time a toll on their familial relationship. In her own downward spiral, Lily comes to a place with the help of her family to seek her truth to find peace not only for herself but for them. As she faces her fears of seeking her past, secrets are revealed that change their lives forever. 

From my experience with this novel, I found this deeply moving and heart wrenching. The expression, hurt people, hurt people. The depth of the emotional pain, partly from their different generational perspectives, that flowed through these characters just completely draws you into their lives. As this was a translated version of the book, I’m unsure of the comparison to the original. If anything close to it, this was impactful and the multiple layers of narrative was a fulfilling read. Its subdued ending brought the novel together perfectly. Overall,this was a wonderful read. I look forward to reading more from this author. 

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Review: Tangled Up by Sophie Andrews

Summary

Tangled up in love and in the sheets...

Gemma Turney is a walking contradiction. A short-tempered, foul-mouthed vegan yogi and environmentalist with a tongue sharp enough to bring a lesser man to his knees. Fortunately, I am not one of those men.

When we’re thrown together for a wedding, she does everything she can to get under my skin. Which works, just not in the way she’s hoping. She’s a thorn in my side that I have no interest in removing.

So it’s no surprise that one minute we're nose to nose in an argument, and the next I have her pinned against the wall.

Because keeping her mouth busy is the only way my girl is ever quiet.

Review

For me, Tangled Up struggled to find a healthy balance between a sworn worthy romance and a romance where two people need to break up. In summary, Gemma and Jason are two different people. Gemma is an environmentalist vegan who has no problem speaking her mind. And Jason is a meat loving engineer who is prim and by the books. They start off to a rocky start, but neither one of them can leave each other’s mind and because of a wedding, they are forced to spend a lot of time together.

I think the main issue I had with this book is when they were bad-- they were really bad and would hurl dozens of insults at each other. It just screamed toxic. I wished that somewhere in their relationship the two of them got couple’s therapy. Because when they were good, they were really good. And I enjoyed their scenes with each other, and I felt the chemistry, and I was sucked into their journey.

Final Thoughts

Tangled Up fails in balancing out a romance with two characters with completely different personalities. Although they do have strong moments within the book, their next moments were then followed by an insulting rant. And in addition, the book doesn’t fully develop the characters in a way that sheds clichés. This mainly directed at the depiction of Gemma.  

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Review: Leaving by Kanchan Bhaskar

Summary

Raised by two loving parents in New Delhi, India, Kanchan Bhaskar has always been taught that marriage means companionship, tenderness, and mutual respect--so when she enters into an arranged marriage, this is the kind of partnership she anticipates with her new, seemingly wonderful, husband. But after they marry, she quickly discovers that his warmth is deceptive--that the man beneath the bright, charming façade is actually a narcissistic, alcoholic, and violent man.

Trapped in a nightmare, Kanchan pleads with her husband to seek help for his issues, but he refuses. Meanwhile, Indian law is not on her side, and as the years pass, she finds herself with three children to protect--three children she fears she will lose custody of if she leaves. Almost overnight, she finds herself transformed into a tigress who will do whatever it takes to protect her cubs, and she becomes determined to free them from their toxic father. But it's not until many years later, when the family of five moves from India to the United States, that Kanchan is presented with a real opportunity to leave him--and she takes it.

Chronicling Kanchan's gradual climb out of the abyss, little by little, day by day, Leaving is the empowering story of how--buoyed by her deep faith in a higher power and single-minded in her determination to protect her children best--she fought relentlessly to build a ramp toward freedom from her abuser. In this memoir, Kanchan clearly lays out the tools and methods she utilized in her pursuit of liberation--and reveals how belief in self and belief in the Universe can not only be weapons of escape but also beautiful foundations for a triumphant, purpose-driven life.

Review

When it comes to domestic violence, we often question the victim as to why they stay or not leave. Despite how we on the outside feel, we’ll never be in their shoes, unless we experience the same. As we see in her empowering memoir, it’s not about will but building the courage and strength to fight for the right to live a life deserved for yourself and your children.

I knew going into this book that it was going to be tough. Any story that shares the experience of a victim of domestic violence, reliving their experience is hard on the emotions especially coming from a society where it's acceptable towards women. As a Westerner, it's important to read these experiences with an open mind. It's so important for their voices to be heard and their experiences shared for understanding and compassion under the restraints of cultural differences.

We hear often of abuse in patriarchal cultures but never see someone breaking through the chains of captivity. Their voices are usually silent, stifled by the accepted cultural norms. Her experience, despite her progressive background, found herself stuck in an abusive relationship, where she felt trapped not only by her circumstances but the traditional laws that left her feeling isolated and ashamed. It wasn't until her children came along that pushed herself deep within to fight not only for them but the life they all deserved to live. Her courage and strength to keep going especially during her setbacks made her stronger pushing her to keep going despite what got thrown her way.

Her experience touched my heart beyond words. Her wonderful family, no matter how many times she tried to leave her abusive relationship and went back, they never turned their back on her and always had their hearts and doors open. Despite her insurmountable obstacles, this was a battle only she could win. Holding on to her faith and the love of her children, the path she carved to break those chains was inspiring, empowering and relatable to any women who thinks she can't do it, she fought to choose life and won.

Overall, this was a wonderful read that I recommend adding to your list. Domestic violence affects so many people and the more shared experiences of survival that can inspire, the more people can rebuild their lives and start a new chapter.

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