The Rebel and the Rake (League of Scoundrels #2) by Emily Sullivan: Rafe and Sylvia both have their secrets (Sylvia is hiding a scandalous past and Rafe is basically a SECRET AGENT). I enjoyed reading this but it’s a slower burn with a LOT of setup, which could be frustrating for some readers. Thank you Forever for the finished copy!
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee: Phew, okay. I really enjoyed this at first and then…it lost me. I found myself skimming sections towards the end because I just didn’t care anymore. The writing is very matter-of-fact, and although I recognized the tragedy of the events in this book, nothing really hit me, emotionally. Not sure if this one is for you? I’ll sum it up like this: no one in this book is happy. Nothing good happens. Life sucks, and then you die (or you watch all of your loved ones die). However, this has a crazy high rating on Goodreads, so maybe i’m the problem.
Mermaid Inn by Jenny Holiday: This was the perfect little romcom to pick up after the absolute downer that Pachinko was (see above). Mermaid Inn is a second-chance romance: Eve and Sawyer are easy to root for, and their reconciliation doesn’t come fast (or easy) but the payoff is worth it. There are a lot of lovable supporting characters in this book (including Sawyer’s buddies who are the focus of books two and three). I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, and i’m honestly a little peeved that the Mermaid Inn isn’t a real place. Great book for fans of Gilmore Girls (MAJOR Stars Hollow vibes here). Thank you Forever for the finished copy!
End of Watch (Bill Hodges #3) by Stephen King: Oh, Steve. This trilogy started off really strong and then sort of fizzled out. End of Watch as a whole is a great story, with a heck of an ending. Unfortunately, I was so through with the unbelievable supernatural elements that I couldn’t fully appreciate the good parts. I don’t mind supernatural elements (especially in King’s work, of course) but because this series started off grounded in reality, the wild elements of the last book seemed a little out of left field. As usual, this is still worth reading (especially for diehard King fans).
CURRENTLY READING: In an effort to finish the Bridgerton series before season two airs later this month, I am reading On the Way to the Wedding (Bridgerton #8), which is Gregory’s story. Gregory isn’t mentioned much throughout the series, so this one feels a little detached from the rest. However, it’s still relatively enjoyable and I am really looking forward to wrapping this up and moving on to some different historical romance series.
Read with Aimee 