The Princess and the Rogue (Bow Street Bachelors: #3)

The Princess and the Rogue by Kate Bateman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
The premise of this book was very promising, but it just fell flat for me. I couldn't quite connect to the characters. Anya didn't feel very organic--the constant mentions of how things were in Russia, how people treated her in Russia, what her life had been like in Russia, etc., seemed crammed in at unnatural places and came across to me as awkward; they always took me out of the story. I also didn't really like the hero. Sebastien's actions during his first meeting with Anya were not very pleasant, and didn't get much better. He seemed to demand lots of things from her that she didn't really want to give. And then all of a sudden they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Their actions just didn't seem to ring true. I was not a fan of this book.


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A Royal Kiss and Tell (A Royal Wedding: #2)

A Royal Kiss and Tell by Julia London
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this. book.
This book was a disappointment. The heroine was unlikeable, had no rooting value, and confusing. I just could not get a handle on her. At the beginning of the book I thought maybe she was slightly air-headed or naive, to be so clueless of how to go about in society (even though the author seemed to hit the reader over the head with all the mentions of how much our heroine went about in society). Then I thought perhaps the heroine was supposed to be reminiscent of Cher in the movie Clueless, but Caroline had none of the sincere sweetness of Cher. Our hero Leo didn't like her, and I kept waiting for him to give her the severe dressing-down she deserved, so she could realize the error of her ways. I got very impatient waiting for it. The reader was finally given a clue to the reasons behind Caroline's unpleasant behavior half-way through the book. I began to feel better toward her, and wished this insight had been provided at the start of the book. But at the end of the paragraph the author revealed that Caroline was rich enough to continue to play her "games" with people and had no intention of stopping. So I went right back to disliking Caroline.
The pacing of this book was very strange, as well. The "mystery" in the plot seemed tacked on. If it had been given more attention it would have helped. The author also moved back and forth in time, and important plot points were mentioned in flashbacks when they should have been described in "real time."
I was just very frustrated with the whole book. I would say it could have been much better, but Caroline was such a confusing all-over-the-place character with no real through-line that I believe the only way to make this book better would be to have a completely different heroine.


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Lionhearts (Nottingham: #2)

Lionhearts by Nathan Makaryk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series and was very excited to read this one. It followed along with the story of the first book, allowing the reader to see what many of the characters were doing as a result of the tumultuous actions in the first installment. Some of the characters are unlikeable; some of they do things that you want to yell at them about; some of them make decisions based on what they think is best when you wish they would do something completely different.
I would only recommend reading this book if you have read the first one. And I would re-read the first one right before reading this one. Without a clear memory of the characters, their motivations, and their past actions, the reader will miss out of subtleties that will really add to the enjoyment and understanding of what is happening.


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Chasing Starlight

Chasing Starlight by Teri Bailey Black
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
This was a quick read. I enjoyed the story of a teenaged girl forced by circumstances to go live with her grandfather, an old silent movie star who no longer enjoys the fame he once used to. The mystery aspect added to this coming-of-age/romance story. The setting of a film studio in the golden age of Hollywood was interesting, with famous names, facts, and films mentioned in passing. All in all, it could have been better and tighter, with more depth and gravity, but it was a fun summer read.


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Mexican Gothic

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Having read several of my mother's old copies of gothic romance back in the day, I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, especially after reading Gods of Jade and Shadow. But I was drawn in from the beginning pages, and the author did a wonderful job of creating interesting and intriguing characters and putting them in a strange and yet familiarly gothic type of story. Noemi was a great protagonist and it was fun to see her character grow and develop. The other characters in the book were suitably creepy and disconcerting. The setting, a decaying old isolated mansion filled with a very standoffish British family was unsettling and yet mesmerizing. That is how I might describe the whole book: unsettling yet mesmerizing.
The author left enough clues about what was going on in the house that I had the mechanics of what was "wrong" fairly soon. But when the motives behind what was going on were revealed just after the midway point, I was a bit disappointed--not with what was happening, but with how the author chose to fill in Noemi and the reader. I was a little unhappy for a chapter or so, but then the story drew me right back in, and kept me entranced. As the book moved to its conclusion, I really had no idea what was going to happen, or whether or not Noemi would end up safe and sound or corrupted by the strange house and its occupants. I was reading breathlessly until the very last page.
This book combines traditional Gothic tropes with ideas of Darwinism, indigenous traditions, and even some slightly Lovecraftian horror. It was just the right amount of creepy and unsettling without being truly frightening. There were some descriptions that were pretty gory that might bother some readers, but to me they really added to the themes of the story.
I would absolutely recommend this book!


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