Nicole Reads A Lot

so many books, so little time

David: Lord of Honor by Grace Burrowes

Title:David: Lord of Honor
Author:Grace Burrowes
PublisherSourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date:March 4, 2014
Publisher's DescriptionDavid Worthington, Viscount Fairly, has inherited a brothel he does not want, but hesitates to sell for fear his employees will not be treated well by the establishment’s next owner. He hits upon the idea of hiring Letty Banks, a courtesan currently without protector, to serve as madam, but soon finds himself attracted to her on more than just a physical level.

When serious harm befalls Letty as a function of her role at David’s brothel, he realizes he cannot continue to exploit a woman he cares for. He arranges a way for Letty to return to obscure respectability, and prepares to walk out of her life, only to find he cannot leave her undefended against the trouble bearing down from her past.
My rating:***

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I enjoy Grace Burrowes’ writing, and I’ve read most of the previous books in this series, so I was excited to read David. I don’t understand why exactly, but this book left me a bit cold; somehow even the greatest emotional upheavals in this novel didn’t move me the way I felt they ought to have done.

I didn’t get the sense that I understood Letty very well. I think that although the clues about her past are spread throughout the book and are there for anyone to see, the behind the curtain revelation happened too late. Also, wanting to believe the best of others is one thing, but it felt that a good deal of willful ignorance (not to mention a baffling refusal to converse) was necessary for the situation that Letty found herself in to have come about. Some of the conversations that did take place rang false, as people without reason to do so left out extremely relevant information. It felt as though too much manipulation had to take place for events to unfold as they did.

If you’ve read the previous books in this series, I can see how you would want to know what happens here, but I can’t imagine that reading this book would convince too many of the uninitiated to check out past titles.

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Plain Jayne by Laura Drewry

Title:Plain Jayne
Author:Laura Drewry
PublisherLoveswept
Publication Date:April 8, 2014
Publisher's DescriptionWorn out from the long drive back home, Jayne Morgan can only smirk at the irony: Of course the first person she sees from her old life is Nick Scott. Once best friends, they lost touch when Jayne left town at eighteen, but nothing could keep them apart forever. Jayne has returned to take over her grandmother’s bookstore, determined to put all her bittersweet memories and secret disappointments strictly in the past—until, that is, Nick insists she bunk at his place.

Nick never did care what people thought about having a girl for a best friend—or the “scandal” she caused by showing up to his wife’s funeral four years earlier—so he’s got no problem with the gossips now. Jayne was always the one person he could count on in his life. Now Nick is starting to realize that he never wants her to leave again . . . and that being “just friends” isn’t going to be enough anymore.
My rating:****

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This book is, hands down, the best friends-to-lovers book that I’ve read in ages. I started off not feeling too warmly toward Nick, given the details of his and Jayne’s last face-to-face encounter, but his obvious regret, plus their warm relationship, made me realize that it was more of an awful moment in his life than any sort of indicator of his normal behavior. Everybody makes mistakes. Also, this book is set in Canada. It’s possible that my fond feelings toward our northern neighbor translates into an extra half star when figuring out my ratings, but I can’t say for sure; maybe Canadian books are just better.

A lot of romance novels feel to me like those plays that take place in a single setting: claustrophobic and limited in scope. What really worked for me in this book is that the characters do stuff. A lot of non-angsty, not specifically romantic things happen! There isn’t an endless amount of internal dialog, although Ms. Drewry provided a good amount of insight into what each of the main characters was thinking. This title would probably make a good audiobook. A large part of the time you got to see Jayne and Nick working toward something; he has his business, and she is in the process of getting her bookstore up and running.

Jayne is a courageous character and I admired her a lot. At the beginning of the book, she comes back to a town that she’d basically been run out of, first by her cold grandmother, and then by the devastating behavior of her best friend. The fact that she comes back at all and doesn’t hold a grudge is nothing short of remarkable (to me, at least, as I am a champion grudge-holder). She goes out of her way to let Nick know that she was hurt, but there are no lingering hard feelings. Nick is a really dependable guy who tries to do right by everybody. He plays the peacemaker between Jayne and the various people in this book who give her crap, but in a way that is neither off-putting nor overly aggressive.

I found the secondary characters in this book uniformly interesting, even the ones who I didn’t like a ton. It wasn’t difficult to put myself in Lisa’s shoes and see why she would have a problem with Nick and Jayne’s closeness. Nick and Carter’s relationship is a thing of beauty. It’s nice to see male cousins who so shamelessly enjoy each other’s company, and who can communicate using more than grunts and insults. I liked how Jayne’s new female friends help her feel more integrated into the community, even though there were a few rough moments within her new group that I didn’t feel were satisfactorily resolved.

I think that anybody with longstanding friendships would agree that Ms. Drewry did a good job of capturing the routines and nuances of a 25 year friendship. Nick and Jayne have their own shorthand, and know each other so well as friends that they’re the last two to catch on to their changing/revealed feelings for one another.

In addition to all of this, this book is sometimes laugh-out-loud hilarious. I really enjoyed Plain Jayne and would certainly read another book by Ms. Drewry.

I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and Bruce Springsteen’s phone number.

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Beauty From Surrender by Georgia Cates

Title:Beauty From Surrender
Author:Georgia Cates
PublisherSelf published
Publication Date:May 30, 2013
Publisher's DescriptionAfter Laurelyn Prescott walks away from the love of her life, she returns to Nashville to pursue the only dream she has left. Determined to find a distraction from the pain of losing Jack Henry, she immerses herself in her music. But with her old life comes old acquaintances and new expectations. When Laurelyn refuses her record producer’s outrageous demands, she finds herself without a career—until an unforeseen opportunity presents itself. From there it’s a rocket ride straight to the top where Laurelyn finds the success she’s always dreamed of. Will it be enough to bring her the happiness she so deserves, or will the absence of Jack Henry leave her wanting more?

Jack Henry McLachlan never expected to fall in love with Laurelyn Prescott—but he did. After he foolishly let her slip through his fingers, he spends three months searching for her, but their reunion doesn’t come easy. The woman he finds isn’t the same one who drifted away without a goodbye. No longer an insecure girl on an Australian adventure, this Laurelyn is a successful musician with a promising career. Her dreams are becoming a reality, and Jack is terrified his American girl won’t have a place for him in her new life. With only a month to convince her otherwise, will it be enough time to make her visualize a life beyond the glitz and glamour, a life that includes him?
My rating:0 stars

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At the end of the first book in this series, I would have given it 2.5/3 stars. The writing is good, and I’m thankful that Ms. Cates doesn’t have the apostrophe and comma troubles that plague many new adult authors, but just knowing where to put punctuation isn’t enough to win me over as a reader. Caution: spoilers abound and I’m too tired to wield the spoiler tag with any hope of success.

I really like romance novels, and I understand that there are certain conventions that most authors adhere to. I get that a lot of readers like their romance heroes [and oh, how I hate the language one uses to discuss romance protagonists; what, exactly, is it about these men and women that we are supposed to find heroic?] to be really macho, but Jack is just bad news. He takes his strength of character and, instead of building her up, repeatedly uses it to mold Laurelynn into who he wants her to be, her wishes be damned.

Jack is basically a really big toddler, and is completely okay with throwing tantrums or being petulant, as long as it gets him what he wants in that moment. How is this guy a successful businessman? He seems to lack both patience and the ability to compromise. For Jack, Laurelynn must either give up everything she’s ever worked toward or they’re not going to survive. When he wants something to be a certain way, there’s literally no other option in his mind. This guy is a squjillionaire, and he can’t think of any way that maybe the two of them can both achieve their dreams? Like, not at all? Couldn’t they split the year in their respective countries? Couldn’t he hire a manager to help run his vineyards for the time when he’s in the States with Laurelynn, supporting her career the way he assumes she will for her? Oh, right, no. Because everything is all about Jack. Talk about a failure of imagination.

Maybe this book gets better. Maybe Laurelynn’s parents become less awful and Jack pulls his head out of his butt, but I’m done. I couldn’t make it past yet another person in Laurelynn’s life thinking that they knew better than her and telling her that what she wants doesn’t matter as much as what others want for and from her. Laurelynn: cut your hair, change your name, and go off the grid for a few years. Girl, get your mind right.

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Beauty from Pain by Georgia Cates

Title:Beauty From Pain
Author:Georgia Cates
PublisherSelf published
Publication Date:January 29, 2013
Publisher's DescriptionThey agreed on three months...but their love knew no boundaries.

Jack McLachlan is a winemaking magnate and easily one of Australia’s most eligible bachelors. His success and wealth make him no stranger to the complications of romantic relationships and that’s why he goes to extreme measures to avoid the hassle. He prefers simplicity in the form of a beautiful female companion with no strings attached. He arranges relationships like business deals and they’re always the same. No long term relationships. No real names.

It’s his game and his rules. He’s content to play as usual, but when Laurelyn Prescott enters his life, his strategy must change because this player is like none he's ever encountered. His world is turned on its head after he begins a three month affair with the beautiful American musician. Nothing goes according to plan and as he breaks more and more of his own rules for her, she’s exceptionally close to becoming something he never thought possible. His ultimate game changer.

Not recommended for younger readers due to sexual content and language.
My rating:**.5

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You guys, Jack is a sexist egotist. He’s not some self-assured, sexy alpha man. He’s a guy who is completely okay with running roughshod over Laurelynn and expecting her to make all of the sacrifices in their relationship. He lies when he finds it convenient and doesn’t even tell her his real name, yet wants to be in every part of her life. I nearly gave up on this book halfway through, but then I convinced myself that he wasn’t as bad as I’d thought. I started to see Jack as somebody who had a lot of growing up to do, and who was becoming a better person.

Ha, no. Halfway through the second book, I had to be honest with myself: Jack is awful (more details to follow in that review).

 

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In Bloom by Katie Delahanty

Title:In Bloom
Author:Katie Delahanty
PublisherEntangled Publishing
Publication Date:February 10, 2014
Publisher's DescriptionMy name is Olivia Bloom and I. Am. Free.
I left for LA with everything I owned piled into my old Volkswagen and dreams of becoming a costume designer. Little did I know I’d wind up designing for a lingerie company—yeah, not sure how I landed this gig—and taken under the wing of two young Hollywood insiders. The fashion shows and parties were great, but life really got exciting when the seriously hottest lead singer of my favorite band started to fall for me. 
How does someone like me, an ordinary girl from Pittsburgh, wind up in the arms of the world’s sexiest rock star—surrounded by celebrities, fashion, and music—and not be eaten alive? Berkeley is everything I've ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, but the paparazzi, the tabloids, the rumors, it's all getting a bit too crazy. My life has become every girl’s dream come true, if only I don’t blink and lose it all...
My rating:*

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This book didn’t work for me at all, and I’m not quite sure why. It sounded like something that I would, if not like a lot, at least like well enough. Although my interest was piqued by the blurb, it wore off pretty quickly once I actually started reading the book. The first chapter reads like any late ’90s, Early Aughts chick-lit novel. Scrappy single girl moves to the big city. Check. And immediately experiences something that shows her she’s not in Kansas (or Pittsburgh) anymore. Check. And is so gosh-darn awkward with the guy we’re 98% sure she’ll be with by the end of the novel. Check, check, and check. Okay, so this book isn’t breaking any new ground. That’s not a crime, right?

The problem was that there didn’t seem to be any heart underneath the familiar plot. The central conceit (okay, central to the first 26% of this book, which is when I threw in the towel) is that, on the strength of one less-than-stellar encounter with a celebrity, Olivia must allow Blair and Preston to Eliza Doolittle her into an It girl. One, what? Two, what? Three, why does she go along with this? None of the answers make any sense, and it makes me think worse of everybody involved that this plan was given any credence at all.

This novel managed to be as vapid as the worst drivel ever published by Red Dress Ink and, to add insult to injury, boring at the same time. I can’t imagine that I’ll ever make it to 27%, so I’ll just have to say that the part of this novel that I did get through didn’t work for me on any level.

I received this novel from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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