Wonderland Reader

Real Easy   by Marie Rutkoski Published: 18th January 2022 by Tinder Press I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review. This felt like a real departure from what Rutkoski is known for writing - the popular YA Fantasy series The Winner's Trilogy  - but this venture into Adult Fiction was gripping, and shows her range throughout ages and genres. I feel as though the whole "strippers being murdered" storyline is one that can be done badly very easily, but Rutkoski puts the stories of the strippers at the forefront of the novel, allowing their lives the be the focus, and ultimately the heart of the story, rather than the killer or the detectives investigating the crimes. The sisterhood borne out of circumstance seen between the women in Real Easy , including the female detective, felt very authentic, in loving but not necessarily liking one another, but always protecting their kin. I was genuinely surprised by the twist ...

The Bright Spot  by Jill Shalvis Sunrise Cove #5 Published: January 16th 2024 by Headline Eternal Other works:  The Family You Make ,  The Friendship Pact ,  The Backup Plan ,  The Sweetheart List Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 I received a copy of this ebook from the publisher. This in no way affects my review. Synopsis Luna Wright is a lot of things, but sweet and trusting aren't on the list. However, she’s a sucker for the underdog and a hard-luck story. Adopted at birth, with scant knowledge of her biological family, she’s created her own inner circle, a motley crew which includes her bestie Willow, to help her run the struggling but charming Apple Ridge Farm.  With a farm-to-table café as well as a menagerie of rescued animals (complete with a baby goat who keeps escaping to the pantry to eat the secret stash of decidedly not organic potato chips), it’s the best home she’s ever known. But when Silas, the owner who they secretly call The Grinch, passes away...

  The Gentleman's Gambit   by Evie Dunmore A League of Extraordinary Women #4 Published: 5th December 2023 by Piatkus I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review. This was a bit of a mixed one for me - I've heard such great things about this series by Evie Dunmore, but I found it very. hard to get into, and almost gave up on it once I'd hit the 100-page mark and still didn't feel invested in the story. Seeing other reviews from people who have read the whole series did alleviate my worries about the previous books, however, as it seems that it has been a common feeling in this seeming more Historical-Fiction heavy than a Historical Romance. It certainly felt focused on the impact of colonialism on artifacts, rather than the budding romance between Catriona and Elias, and while this is something that I wholeheartedly support being called out, it felt a touch out of place within this kind of narrative. I did enjoy th...

  A Thousand Heartbeats   by Kiera Cass Published: 8th December 2022 by Harper Fire I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review. Kiera Cass feels like such a nostalgic author to me, as I remember reading and absolutely being hooked by her Selection series back in the day. I wasn't sure how much I would still enjoy her books now, but this was a perfectly enjoyable story. This took the whole enemies-to-lovers trope to the extreme, as Princess Annika and Lennox are from warring lands, but I enjoyed seeing the small sparks of tenderness they held towards one another right from the start, and knowing that it was indicative of their later loyalty and alliance. Having read this a while ago now, I do have to say that this wasn't a particularly memorable story, with no real plot points standing out to me. The two main characters were fine, but I wasn't strongly invested in them or in their future together. I did root for the tw...