Let me start off by saying that, with The Ivy Years series, Sarina Bowen became #1 with a bullet on my list of favorite contemporary authors. Her blend of humor, sensitivity, romantic instinct, steam, and generally good writing really came together in a fantastic series. The Fifteenth Minute is no exception in technical merit. But, to me, it had issues that weren’t so in its predecessors. A lot of them have to do with the underlying premise, which I’ll get to more in a minute. […]
Will Meh. Will Meh.
This book was fine. It was alright, mildly entertaining, but not a book I would actually own or buy for anyone else. The parts I like the best were also the least realistic and didn’t give cause for investment in the characters. The parts I hated were the parts that read absolutely true to what it’s like being a teenager; depression, self-doubt and awkward loves. I’m really struggling to say anything else about it. I will say that it’s a great vacation read in that […]
Four years in four days
I can recognize a sensation when I see it. Sarina Bowen’s tag blew up this summer with positive reviews for her series, The Ivy Years, and after more minor prodding on Facebook, I decided to change the status on when to read these from “Later” to “Now.” All four stories feature couples who are in some capacity part of the Fake Harvard Harkness varsity hockey universe. Each book excels at portraying characters who behave as real people would, in situations both mundane and extraordinary. These […]
Contemporary Romance with Cliche Apotheosis
The review title is correct, ladies and gentlemen, I have read about 400 romance novels and seen a lot of tropes, but Insatiable has done it. The hero of this book achieves CLICHE APOTHEOSIS. He is arrogance in human form, a vain, cocksure stereotype. Insatiable II: Insatiabler was the obvious title for the second book in this duet and a missed opportunity on Amazon’s part, but I’ll still let them set the tone: Lust-maker. Pleasure giver. Fantasy creator. I can blow your mind in five […]