April 2024 Mini Reviews
Published: 15th February 2024 by Orbit
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
While not a superfan of the genre, I do enjoy a dark academia tale when it is done well, and I was hoping that An Education in Malice would be that for me. The premise of an intimate circle of female students in a small-town university interested me, but the story took a turn from this, and became much more focused on Laura and Carmilla, and their teacher De LaFontaine. The vampire twist to this story wasn't wholly unwelcome, but I didn't think it brought anything particularly new to that genre - it was mainly used as a vessel for the various love stories, and I did think it could be used for much more than that. I didn't love how Gibson introduced the older vampire's lover to the story as the main threat, and then proceeded to hardly have her in the book after that. The writing in this wasn't bad at all, but it also didn't necessarily excite or intrigue me, either, and I'm not sure that I'll be looking out for her future works.
2.5 stars
Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage
Rebel Blue Ranch #2
Published: 5th March 2024 by Quercus
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
The first in this series, Done and Dusted, has been all over my TikTok page and spoken about by all of the online creators whose romance opinions I trust, so when I saw that its sequel was available to request to read early, I jumped at the chance, and didn't wait long to dive into! I haven't read enough cowboy romances for how much I enjoy them, and Swift and Saddled was no exception - Sage's writing grips you from the beginning and doesn't let you go. I actually started this in the middle of the night as I struggled to go to sleep, and I ended up reading the whole thing in a feverous 2 hours full of giggles, smiles, and even a tear or two on my part. I loved the family that Ada found herself becoming a part of, the tension between her and Wes as they fought to be with each other, and the hints at the other romances in the series has made me determined to get to them soon.
A Brush with Love by Mazey Eddings
A Brush With Love #1
Published: 22nd March 2022 by Headline Eternal
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
Mazey Eddings is quietly creeping up on my list of romance authors I can rely on! Though I read this series in a weird order, having read the newest one first, and then this one, while entirely skipping out the second, I have enjoyed them each time, and will definitely endeavour to get to them all! I thought the concept of the love interest being fellow dental students was really sweet, and not something I had come across before - and I really liked how it was used as a vessel for them to spend lots of time together, building up the tension between them until it just got too much! I thought their respective circumstances were handled well, and though I didn't love the ridiculousness of their third-act breakup, I appreciated their reunion and how their friends came together to make sure it happened.
The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Claiborne
Published: 26th March 2024 by Piatkus
I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.
I had heard good things about Clayborn's previous works, notably Georgie, All Along, and so I was excited for this newest book of hers. I found the true-crime podcast element to be intriguing, as it is definitely a phenomenon I have delved into, and having it be used alongside an exploration of the relationship between two sisters sounded very compelling to me. Unfortunately, I found this book to be very hard to get into, and I'm not sure if it was the pacing of the narrative, or just the writing style that I didn't hugely get on with. I also think the synopsis of this was slightly misleading, as I was led to believe that the romance in this would be bigger than I felt it to actually be - I guess as The Other Side of Disappearing does straddle across a few genres, it is hard to pin down.
3 stars
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