To Read or Not To Read ?
Welcome to 'Bliss or Dismiss'!
'Bliss or Dismiss' is my weekly round up of books I've read (for leisure) and whether you'll be blissfully happy if you pick them up...or whether you might feel like they just don't quite live up to the hype. As per usual on my blog, this segment is purely my opinion. Please feel free to read every book you come across that sparks your interest! Even if it didn't click with me, it might be your perfect bookish match. Let's get into it!
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When the clock strikes midnight...From A Cinderella Story to the magical Ever After, the story of a young woman seeking true love is truly a timeless tale. Lydia Drake gives the classic narrative a Regency spin, providing readers with
heartbreak, humour, and romance in her stunning novel Cinderella and the Duke. Join me as I dive into what makes Cinderella and the Duke so spectacular. Wallflower or Warrior?This novel was impossible to put down from start to finish. The addictive blend of fiery heroine vs. unyielding, brooding lord is always a winner and with Tomboy of the Ton it is this tension - so central to the plot - that keeps the reader hooked. Emily Royal does a fantastic job of bringing her world and its characters to life.
So come along with me as I dive into this romantic read! As humans, much of our lives are spent making choices that define us...for better or for worse. People enter our lives and make an impression on us; shaping us, even scarring us. Hindsight allows us to look back and ask "What if?"
What if I'd said those burning words I kept inside? What if I'd taken that leap of faith? What if I'd known how it would end? Bridget Morrissey's A Thousand Miles brings to life a tale of a decades-old promise, and a road trip that will both hurt and heal two souls drawn together by a complicated shared history. It made me laugh - and it made me sob like a baby. Like ugly cry. Grab another box of Kleenex and maybe a few therapeutic chocolates kind of sobbing! Bridget beautifully crafts two main characters with such raw emotions, splayed out across the book's pages for us to read and relate to.
Mix 10 Things I Hate About You with Superman and you get When Gracie Met The Grump. I stumbled across this gem of a book as I was looking for some new reads via Amazon. The pop art-esque cover, the funny title, and the blurb had me intrigued. I hadn't read a book featuring superheroes in quite some time (my last one was Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas back in 2018) and was looking forward to seeing how Mariana Zapata would take on the genre and make it her own. I was hooked right away as the story jumped straight into the action. The best kinds of books allow the world-building and main concepts to develop organically instead of being a part of an information dump. Having the superheroes be a 'normal' part of the main protagonist's world without any over explanation gave this story a strong sense of realism right from the start: Even the clouds were hiding the stars, and if there was a member of the Trinity up in the sky creeping on me, I couldn’t see them. Humorous, full of action, and with a colourful cast of characters, When Gracie Met The Grump is a modern twist on a romantic comedy with plenty of depth and lots of heart.
With its complex tapestry of informative historical tidbits and vivid fictional characters, this series has been a standout for me since I began covering it back in 2016. It sits right at the crossroad where true crime, historical fiction, and YA romance collide. The historical details paint a striking backdrop for Kerri's leads Audrey and Thomas to go about their investigations - providing a sense of realism and depth that few authors have achieved in such a nuanced way. Capturing the Devil tugs on the heartstrings. All of the SJTR books have had emotional payoff - however this was definitely heightened in CTD. This definitely because of the slow burning romance between Audrey and Thomas that has developed over the course of the series. I found myself going into this book invested, yes, in the plot...but mainly there to discover the fate of our favourite duo! For me at least, their romance (whilst balanced beautifully with the plot) took the front seat and is definitely the reason I bookmarked 90% of the quotes I did (Thomas has such a way with words!). |
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