We Are All Made of Stars

We Are All Made of Stars by Rowan Coleman

Age: Adult
Category: Contemporary
Rating: 5 stars

Helen Thinks: I came across this novel when I typed ‘Dementia’ into the search bar of my local library and amongst all the medical journals and textbooks it jumped out at me so I reserved it. And boy, am I glad that I did!

It follows three different characters. Stella; a night nurse at a hospice who writes letters for her dying patients that she delivers once they’ve gone while also dealing with her veteran husband whose home from the war with an amputation and a coldness towards her. Hope; a young woman with Cystic Fibrosis that isn’t dying but is using the hospice as a rehabilitation after nearly not dying. Hugh; a recluse of a historian that lives alone but soon becomes friends with his new neighbour and her son. The main focus of the novel is Stella and her letter writing but we do get to know quite a bit about Hope and Hugh’s life too. I don’t want to give too much away in this summary because Hugh’s involvement with the storyline could be seen as a plot twist that I did see coming but Coleman still wrote it beautifully. Even with the multiple first persons, nothing became confusing or jumbled. It smoothly transitioned from one point of view to the next.

I read all three hundred and odd pages of this novel in one morning. I neglected T.V., housework, I’m pretty sure I cancelled meeting up with my sister all because I was desperate to see how this novel turned out - I’ve even recommended it to my sister and best friend to read! It was simply breathtaking as a novel.

The massive plus for me was after each chapter there was a letter written by Stella for her multitude of patients and it’s intriguing to see who people want to write to when they know death is upon them. Some wrote to their ex-wives, some to siblings confessing childhood secrets, to children that they had become estranged from. It just made me wonder... If I was to die tomorrow, who would I write my last words too? My sister? An ex-boyfriend? The boy I never found the courage to let him know I loved him back?


So thank you to my library for recommending this novel to me and I’m now paying it forward and recommending it to all of you guys to see if you can answer the question the book poses... “What if you had just one chance, one letter you could leave behind for the person you love? What would you write?”

First Position

First Position by Melissa Brayden

Age: Adult
Category: LGBTQIA+ / Romance / Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars

Rosie Thinks: If you’re at all familiar with our site, you know there’s one thing we ADoR gals love: cliches. Everyone has their favourite cliches and this story contains a weakness of mine. Rivals to lovers. Is there anything better?

This is set in the world of the New York City Ballet, a beautiful backdrop to a beautiful story. Ana Mikhelson has been working her whole life to get out of the shadow of her famous father, and this is her year. She’s finally made principal dancer, the highest position in the company. She’s known as the Ice Queen, but she doesn’t let petty things like jealousy or lonliness bother her. Until Natalie enters the scene. Hailed as a dance protege since she was young, Natalie has never liked the strict world of ballet. When she’s offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with the NYC Ballet, she can’t say no. And so starts a fierce rivalry between the two, that soon gives way to a wary friendship.

I have a confession to make - I rarely read f/f books. The few I’ve read haven’t been very well-written, so I while I was hesitant to start this, the summary and glowing reviews urged me on. It doesn’t disappoint. It switches between both Ana and Natalie, but I never got confused between the two. It served to craft both their characters well and not make them into stereotypes. Ana’s a workaholic and reserved, while Natalie is the complete opposite - outgoing, loves to party, is continually late. But they were both more than this and that’s what truly brought this story to life for me.

The plot was riveting throughout. While it does go the way of a cliche, it’s more than that. There’s a solid storyline the whole way through, making it not boring for a moment. I’ve always had a fascination for ballet, so it was near-magical to read about it. Brayden writes in a way that flows like a picture in my mind. My only concern was it did feel a bit disjointed at the climax, but that’s only nitpicking.

A Family Chosen (Volumes 1-4)

A Family Chosen by Sloane Kennedy

Age: Adult
Category: LGBTQIA+ / Erotica
Rating: 3.5 stars

Helen Thinks: This is a Sloane Kennedy’s entire story arc. It consists of twenty novels from four of her individual series but all the characters intermingle so Kennedy has bundled them into these volumes. I was going to individually review every novel but I really didn’t think you would want me writing twenty long reviews about how amazing these novels are - because seriously that’s all the reviews would be! For two weeks straight (would have been a lot shorter time if life didn’t get in the way!), I read these novels one after the other and I couldn’t put them down.

Three out of twenty novels are M/F pairings but the remaining seventeen are M/M or M/M/M. Kennedy does explain for those that prefer only to read M/M then you can skip the M/F ones if you really want to but as much as I love my M/M novels, I couldn’t skip the M/F ones and I wouldn’t advise that any of my M/M fans do either. Those of you that aren’t massively into the M/M I beg of you not to skip these books over. Lauren; my sister; has always stated that she wouldn’t read the M/M books on my kindle but then started reading the first novel - Gabriel’s Rules - which is M/F and I explained to her that the third one of the trilogy was M/M and she decided to give it a go anyway because she couldn’t not read the third book in a trilogy. Safe to say, she’s now halfway through the books and is just as addicted as I am. So praises to Kennedy for getting my sister to try something new and for it to be that well written she can’t put them down.

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Breathe, Annie, Breathe

Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally

Age: Adult / Young Adult
Category: Romance / Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars

Rosie Thinks: Sometimes, you just need a book that’s going to leave you with a smile afterwards. This is that book. It’s so cute, but has an at times sad and gripping storyline. Our main character is Annie, who is struggling with guilt over her boyfriend’s death. To honour his memory and as some kind of atonement, Annie signs up to run a full marathon. Downside: she hates running, and has never run a day in her life.

This story is structured around her preparing for the marathon, but it’s a lot more than that. It goes into her dealing with her grief and how her boyfriend’s accident has affected all areas of her life: family, school, and friends. She’s also struggling with her feelings for her coach’s younger brother, the charming Jeremiah. He makes her smile and feel things she hasn’t felt before, but that makes her want to stay away from him at the same time. A second chance romance is a tricky cliche to navigate. It’s too easy for an author to justify a new relationship by vilifying the old one, or comparing the two guys and finding the previous one lacking. Or, my least favourite of all, having the entire thing be completely unrealistic. This wasn’t the case here. The topic was dealt with gently and thoroughly, in a way that was very realistic and heart-breaking.

Jeremiah himself has to be one of my favourite leading guys. His personality is one I’ve never seen before, so it came across as incredibly original. This whole novel was a breath of fresh air. I’ve trained for something similar to a marathon, and the details were all there: the body breaking down, the stomach cramps, and how it’s the strength of your mind that will get you through it. I loved all of it! This is in a series of books called Hundred Oaks, and some characters from the other books do appear, but I read it as a stand-alone and had no trouble.

All the Missing Girls

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

Age: Adult
Category: Crime
Rating: 4 stars

Helen Thinks: My library app recommended All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda. Miranda isn’t an author I had heard of but I thought I’ll give it a shot and I am so glad that I did! It was a captivating read that I couldn’t put down and I text my best friend while I was only halfway through to add it to her to be read pile!

Ten years ago, Nicolette Farrell left her hometown of Cooley Ridge after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared without a trace. Now that her father has been diagnosed with Dementia and they need to sell the house to pay for his carer fees, Nicolette is back in Cooley Ridge to help her brother, Daniel. However, it’s not long before another woman is missing and it re-opens Corinne’s case as well as brings back old memories for all those involved. The investigation into Corinne’s disappearance focused on Nicolette, her brother Daniel, her then boyfriend Tyler and Corinne’s boyfriend, Jackson. Annaleise Carter, Nicolette’s neighbour, was the alibi for the group on the night of Corinne’s disappearance. Nicolette was the only one that left Cooley Ridge behind her while the rest of them made lives for themselves in their home town. Now Annaleise is missing...

Do you want to know what makes All the Missing Girls stand out? It’s told backwards.

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Willful Machines

Willful Machines by Tim Floreen

Age: Adult / Young Adult
Category: LGBTQIA+ / Science Fiction
Rating: 4 stars

Rosie Thinks: This book is truly a standout for me from all the other YA m/m books out there. It's crafted so well and is perfect for anyone cautious about books featuring gay romance, especially since the plot line is so good!

The main character is Lee, who is the closeted son of a very traditional US president. This is set a hundred or so years into the future, were science has progressed onto robots. The one try at artificial intelligence, however, ended up in chaos - a team of scientists created Charlotte, who escaped by transferring her consciousness to the internet and began launching terrorist attacks on the country. Lee, despite his love of robotics, is more interested in the more immediate - eccentric, beautiful Nico, who spouts off Shakespeare at random and seems to be truly interested in Lee himself. But when Charlotte starts attacking the school and targeting Lee, he starts to believe that Nico isn't really who he says he is.

Nico is an absolutely adorable character, perfectly written to make me want to jump into the story and pinch his cheeks. His charm and infectious laugh translates through the page, and Floreen made not only Nico, but the rest of his characters quite life-like. And I wanted to give Lee a hug, because he's a sad, depressed character with a fairly miserable past, yet he's always trying to stay positive. The love story between the two was so sweet and cute, and despite being a little instalove-y, I still enjoyed it.

Floreen's writing steers towards almost gothic at times, which serves to set up an unsettling atmosphere and suspense. I also loved the way he unapologetically threw philosophical questions into the readers face about free will and what makes us human. And this was all in there without sounding preach-y and ranting. It truly did make me think! This is a super easy read, with Floreen's writing flowing like magic. I definitely recommend!

The God Eaters

The God Eaters by Jesse Hajicek

Age: Adult
Category: LGBTQIA+ / Fantasy / Romance
Rating: 5 stars

Rosie Thinks: I absolutely love when Fictionpress authors get their work published or self-publish on Amazon. Even if I’ve read it before, I’m there buying it and cheering them on in my reviews. ‘The God Eaters’ is a story that I tried to read on Fictionpress ages ago (his penname was Jumping Jack Flash and Chartreuse), but never continued it. I have no idea why, but I also don’t trust past-me’s decisions. I liked some very questionable things back then. Hajicek now has paperbacks of this, but you can read it for free on his website.

I’m not really sure where to begin with this summary. It starts off so small, then ends up so big and complicated that it’s hard to do it justice! The genre is like a fantasy Western, with magic thrown in. It begins with two men beginning their time in a max-security prison. It isn’t a normal prison though - it’s made for people with Talents, to be experimented on. Their crimes reflect their contrasting personalities. Shy, passive Ashleigh was imprisoned for his inflammatory writings, and is an Empath. Merciless, cold Kieran has a slew of crimes to his name, including murder, and has a dark ability that allows him to kill with a thought. They’re cellmates, and begin a strange friendship under the harshest of circumstances.

Both these characters could so easily have unlikeable. Ashleigh had moments where he was weak and spineless, and Kieran could be very brutal, but their written in such an in-depth way that I felt a strong connection to each of them. That shows the strength of the characterisation. A lot of the time, it’s either the plot that’s better or the characterisation, but that isn’t the case here. They’re both fantastic. The plot had some twists I guessed at, but many I didn’t. I would never have guessed where it ended from the beginning. The plot takes off from the beginning and there isn’t a boring moment. If you’re after a fast-paced action fantasy with the cutest romance in the world from the most unlikely of people, this is it! I wish this story went on forever.

Hate List

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Age: Adult / Young Adult
Category: Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars

Rosie Thinks: This book honestly scared me. Everyone has those thoughts some time in their lives, the 'I wish this person was dead' but not truly meaning it. For Valerie, the MC of this book, she never meant it. But her boyfriend did.

The story starts when Valerie is returning to school, months after her boyfriend came in and shot students according to a 'hate list' they'd both put together, then shot himself. Val is racked with guilt, but is determined to finish her final year. Half the town thinks she's a hero for accidentally saving a classmate, and the rest think she was in on it. Even her family and closest friends have taken sides. So you can imagine just how intense and emotional of a read this was!

Rather than being about the shooting, though, this story is more about Val. Almost everyone we meet in the story is against her, and Brown truly delved into the minds of all the characters. There's not a single one-dimensional character to be seen! The story explores the good and the very ugly in people, in an unapologetic and, at times, hopeless light that I found enthralling. I was seriously sucked into Val's journey, and I love how she was the one forcing herself to get back on her two feet and stand up for herself, not anyone else. She truly found herself and it was one of the most awesome character growths I've read, because it was solely on her own. She's a character that is easy to connect with, and I could feel her hurt and guilt and loneliness as if it were my own.

This book went far further than just the black and white. One of the most interesting aspects is that Valerie still loves her boyfriend. The author doesn't paint him as purely an evil person. Instead, through flashbacks, we see Nick through Valerie's eyes, and see not only the warning signs, but the reasons why she loved him. All together, it turned this book into a powerful, thought-provoking read.

Code Silver (Sierra View #1)

Code Silver by Max Walker

Age: Adult
Category: LGBTQIA+
Rating: 4 stars

Helen Thinks: Noah Silver has been having a difficult time lately what with his Mother having passed away and his father being dreadful to live with so he decides it’s time to move out. However, for that you need the funds. To get cash fast Noah becomes a cam boy. Unbeknown to Noah, one of his viewers is Dr Dean Harper - a handsome doctor whose ex-boyfriend ripped his heart out when he walked in on him having an affair with three other men. After an accident, Noah arrives at Sierra View where he meets Dean and they have a connection. But what would a successful doctor want in a cam boy like Noah? And how can Dean explain to Noah that he’s been having lustful thoughts about him long before he stepped into the hospital? Alongside their blossoming romance, a serial killer is targeting cam boys. What will happen to them once they realise that Noah is the killer’s next target?

I’ve been on an M/M binge lately and I am incredibly over the moon that I stumbled upon Max Walker’s Code Silver. I had this little gem stored away on my kindle for when I went on holiday with my sister and niece so I could have something to read at the poolside. It delivered. For someone who hates sitting in the sun, I couldn’t get up to move because I just couldn’t put this novel down at all. I needed to know what happened to the characters.

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Chaos Station (Chaos Station #1)

Chaos Station by Jenn Burke and Kelly Jensen

Age: Adult / Young Adult
Category: Science Fiction / LGBTQIA+
Rating: 4 stars

Rosie Thinks: I may have mentioned this before, but I never, EVER read sci-fi. Unless it's m/m, but I read everything that's m/m. I think of sci-fi as too technical for a communications major like me to grasp, and generally have no interest in reading chunks of scientific explanations. So, obviously, this book stayed on my to-reads list for a very long time until I cracked it open. And it had to prove me wrong about sci-fi!

This book is based around two men who were best friends, and then lovers for only a few days before being torn apart. Each thinks the other is dead, until a series of coincidences brings Zander aboard the ship that Felix is a mechanic on. The scenes between the two MCs were beautiful and well-paced, but this book is equally about the other, more action-based storyline. Zander was part of a team of super soldiers before the government cut him loose, and when he sees one of his old teammates in trouble, he races to find her.

The world-building in this is pretty awesome, in the way that Burke only gives you bits and pieces, so it never felt like technical stuff was being crammed down my throat. She did the same with the characters, only revealing their personalities and histories slowly, so it came across as more showing than telling. The secondary characters were awesome, and not one of them felt like a plot device. It isn't an enormous cast, but Burke keeps the action flowing at a fast pace.

This is the first book in the series, and I flew through the next two. The fourth just came out and I'm super excited to read it, and also super excited that I haven't gotten sick of this series yet! So be warned, that these two characters and the awesome plot-making skills of Burke are addictive.

Liesmith (The Wyrd #1)

Liesmith by Alis Franklin

Age: Adult / Young Adult
Category: Fantasy / LGBTQIA+
Rating: 4 stars

Rosie Thinks: This story is such a mish-mash of genres that I think Franklin wrote exactly what she was passionate about, and it worked perfectly for her! There's a bit of horror, mixed with huge amounts of urban fantasy, Norse mythology, action, and a m/m romance that was adorable and stayed interesting. I've found it harder and harder recently to stay interested in romance books all the way to the end (mainly, after the couple gets together), but I didn't lose interest once in this!

Sigmund Sussman works in a dead-end IT job, pretty much just telling people to restart their computers all day. His world is shook up when newcomer Lain [unpronounceable last name] is placed at the desk next to him. Lain is everything Sigmund isn't - charismatic, good-looking, and a liar. With Sigmund’s peculiar ability to see lies, he quickly realises there's something very strange about Lain, not the least being his near-constant flirting with Sigmund.

This starts off as just a sweet romance, albeit one you don't see often in books - while Lain has the usual supermodel good looks, Sigmund is described with a pot-belly, big nose, and rather plain. I LOVED that. But it didn't take long for Franklin's creativity to take off, and the rest of the story moved at breakneck speed. As I mentioned earlier, this story contains a lot of Norse mythology, particularly surrounding Loki. I found Franklin's writing beautiful, as well as the way she seemed to mix-and-match tones at times. It all made for a unique and enthralling read!

Pieces of You

Pieces of You by Ella Harper

Age: Adult
Category: Contemporary / Romance
Rating: 4 stars

Helen Thinks: I have this habit that if I enjoy a novel by an author I immediately reserve the rest of their available works at my local library. This is how Pieces of You by Ella Harper ended up on my shelf dedicated to books from the library and oh my goodness am I glad it did! Despite having read a different book by Ella Harper, this is Harper’s debut novel and what a beautiful piece it is. I have genuinely called this the book of my 2016.

Lucy and her husband Luke have been trying unsuccessfully for eight years to have a child. Despite their lack of a child, she knew that she would always have Luke in her life and that was enough to keep her going through their attempts. Until one day Luke is in a car crash and as he lies in a coma her world comes crashing around her - in the form of a pregnant nurse; the result of a one night stand with her beloved husband.

This book flooded me with emotions. From heartbreak to downright anger. Seriously, the amount of times I had to put this book down and phone someone (many thanks to my Mother, sister and best friend who were often at the end of these phone calls patiently reminding me it’s just a novel!) about what was happening and how it was so frustrating was a clear sign of how amazing Harper’s writing it. The empathy the reader (or I did) feels for Lucy is astounding - seriously, I told my Mum at one point if it had been my husband there would have been a huge chance of his machine being switched off (only joking of course!).

I read over this review and realise that I don’t actually make much sense and I’m basically flailing like a massive fangirl but that’s now what I am. Harper has joined the small group of authors that I follow blindly into the dark with each novel they release and she achieved this magic with only having two books out. I eagerly await her third one and I hope that you’ll give this book a chance and feel even just a small part of the emotion that I did towards it...

A Year Agreement (Trilogy)

A Year Agreement (Trilogy) by Kenadee Bryant

Age: Adult
Category: Contemporary / Romance
Rating: 4 stars

Helen Thinks: Jenna Howard was left by her mother at five years old and emancipated herself at seventeen to find out life doesn’t get any better just because you’re an adult. Working two dead end jobs just to keep herself above water, Jenna believes her life is just one big disappointment until a customer at the strip joint offers her the deal of a lifetime - marry him and he’ll pay her one million dollars. Despite her immediate convictions towards a stranger offering her this deal Jenna knows that the amount of money offered will change her life forever so she agrees. What she didn’t bargain for was the fact her husband-to-be could be quite cold and cruel towards her nor did she bargain for the fact that maybe - just maybe - she likes him more than she should?

I’ll be honest with you and admit that it was the cover of the first novel that grabbed my attention one day when I was perusing through the “recommended for you” category on amazon. I immediately downloaded it - big bonus it’s available on Kindle Unlimited for those of you that subscribe to that service - and read it within a couple of hours. I literally could not put it down. I also kept texting Lauren (my sister for those of you who aren’t aware or who have forgotten) throughout her night shift telling her that she must read it!

Liam was a bit of a douche at times and I know that’s what she was going for but sometimes some of the comments he came out with was a bit too much. However, once his gruff exterior was chipped away at by our heroine, I did find myself liking Liam very much and believe that Jenna and Liam were written very well by Kenadee Bryant.

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Red Rising (Red Rising #1)

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Age: Adult / Young Adult
Category: Science Fiction / Fantasy
Rating: 5 stars

Rosie Thinks: I'm going to start this review off strong by saying: this is the best book I've read this year. And this is my favourite YA book of all time. I know my review isn't going to do it justice, but I'm gonna try!

I know I'm quite late to this Red Rising craze - I've seen glowing reviews for this book everywhere, and I did give it a go when it first came out. And I had this ridiculous assumption that I didn't like it, when in reality I read the first page then got distracted by something else (a very common occurence, for me). I'm sure this is what happened, because by the time the first chapter was over, I was hooked.

The premise for this story is: Darrow, our MC, is a Red. He's spent his whole life toiling below the ground on Mars, mining a precious gas that will help make Mars and other planets habitable. He and the other Reds believe they're Earth's last hope, but after a series of events put into motion by the death of his wife, Darrow realises that his life has been a lie - Mars and the rest of the solar system has been habitable for years, and the Reds are being used so the aristocratic Golds can live out their decadent lives at the top of the food chain. With this knowledge, Darrow is recruited into a rebel group and plans to infiltrate into the Golds' command school and bring the whole system down.

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In the Absence of Light

In the Absence of Light by Adrienne Wilder

Age: Adult
Category: Romance, LGBTQIA+
Rating: 4 stars

Rosie Thinks: When I started this book, I didn't expect it to be the insane, emotionally-charged ride it turned out to be. I've read a lot of m/m romance, and can fairly confidently identify the generic storyline from miles away. After reading the summary, I thought this would be yet another instalove story with stereotypical, 2D characters that I'd seen a hundred times before. The only reason I was quite intrigued was one of the main character's being autistic. And, surprise surprise, the first chapter I knew it was going to be fantastic!

The book is in the perspective of Grant Kessler (which is an immediate bonus to me, as I've grown frustrated with many of the dual POV books in the romance genre). Grant's smuggling business began to take a darker turn that he wasn't willing to go down, so he got out of the business and plans to lay low in a middle-of-nowhere country town for a few years until the heat from the FBI goes down. What he doesn't count on, is meeting Morgan. Morgan is severely autistic, a man with an uncontrollable tic, can't tell right from left, struggles to make eye contact and sometimes gets lost in his own head. Beneath all this, however, lies the mind of a strong and brilliant young man who has overcame every obstacle thrown his way. Their attraction is mutual, but Grant can't seem to see past Morgan's autism.

You can probably tell from that brief summary that this story had the potential to go very, very wrong, and that's what made it so intriguing to me at first. To me, Morgan's autism was explored with beautifully by Wilder. She made Grant confront his own prejudices and stereotypes, and questioned what 'normal' really is. There was one line that really stuck with me, and the gist of it was Morgan is a man with a mental condition, not a mental condition who is a man.

This is truly a well-rounded story. The romance between Morgan and Grant has centre-stage, but there were problems from both characters' pasts that were very interesting and kept the plot moving along at a really nice pace. I honestly didn't really pick where the plot would go, and I love that in a story. Both characters felt like real people and even though most of the minor characters didn't play huge roles, they were all great to read about.

Wilder's writing is utterly beautiful. I've read quite a few of her other books, so I can say with full confidence that she is a master of emotive writing! Some of her descriptions were just downright beautiful, and I particularly liked the way she described Morgan's tic. And light. As the title suggests, light plays a big role in the story and the way Wilder has written about it was stunning! There were a lot of powerful themes in this novel, about ostracism and ignorance, and Wilder wrote them in a way that was heart-rending. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to any lover of the m/m genre!

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

Age: Adult
Category: Contemporary
Rating: 3 stars

Helen Thinks: Sara has never left her home country of Sweden so when her elderly penpal, Amy, from Broken Wheel, Iowa, offers her the chance to stay at her house for two months she jumps at the chance. Unfortunately for Sara, Amy’s funeral is just coming to a close when she arrives. However, the residents of Broken Wheel were all under instructions from Amy to ensure that Sara remained there and felt welcomed. Broken Wheel is a small dying community in the middle of nowhere so they are stunned that Sara wishes to remain there, as well confused to her love for the written word. In return for their generosity and for something to do, Sara opens a bookstore with Amy’s books for the people of Broken Wheel and the residents become fond of Sara.

I’m not going to lie to you but the beginning of this book was slow going. Sara, for me, started off as a particularly dull character that had no dimensions whatsoever. Her inner thoughts were rambles about published books that you may or may not have read. I understand being a book lover - I’m a massive book lover - but it was focused on a little too much for my liking. However, Sara did begin to grow on me as she started to interact with the residents of Broken Wheel and we started to see snapshots of their lives. From Andy and his good friend Carl that owned the bar, Grace that owned the local diner and Caroline that was always there to help out and organised everything. There was a handful of supporting characters and they were all individual enough that you could see who Bivald was talking about.

I felt like a great touch was that each alternate chapter was a letter from Amy to Sara so that despite Amy’s death in the novel we still managed to meet Amy as well as get a look at the friendship that had formed between the two women. In their letters they spoke of books and of what books meant to them as well as us seeing what Amy’s relationships were with the residents of Broken Wheel.

Despite me saying earlier that this book was slow starting, I managed to read it in one afternoon once I tackled the first thirty or forrty pages that made it a struggle. I was in love with the characters of Broken Wheel so all I can say is that Helen from A Drop of Romeo highly recommends that you give this book a chance.

The Years of Loving You

The Years of Loving You by Ella Harper

Age: Adult
Category: Romance
Rating: 5 stars

Helen Thinks: Only in her thirties, Molly has the wind knocked out of her when she is diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's. She hopes it’ll make her marriage to Sam stronger but he becomes practical and detached from her so she turns to the other man in her life - her best friend, Ed. Molly and Ed met many years ago at a party and it was instant love for the pair of them but life kept getting in the way so they became strong friends instead. Ed is absolutely heartbroken by Molly’s news and is suffering his own heartbreak due to his fiancee calling off their future nuptials on the night of their engagement party. The Years of Loving You shows Molly as she comes to terms with her diagnosis but also shows us the journey of Molly and Ed’s friendship from that first star filled night where they immediately fell in love to the present day.

This was my first Ella Harper novel. I saw it advertised on goodreads in the corner labelled “because you read...” and the cover grabbed my attention. Within seconds of clicking on the link I had opened up a new browser to my local libraries page and reserved it. Boy, am I glad i did! I sat and read this entire novel in approximately two hours because I just couldn’t put it down. Harper’s writing was flawless.

Harper has developed characters that are three-dimensional and you find yourself feeling alongside of them. When Molly was told she had Parkinson’s at such a young age I was devastated for her. When Sam started being all analytical and practical about her diagnosis I was practically yelling in my head that it’s tears she needed, a hug maybe. And I absolutely adored and treasured Ed with all his family problems that he kept secret and were therefore the primary cause as to why life kept getting in the way of what could have been a blossoming relationship between Ed and Molly. True fangirl at heart and thanks to Harper’s extraordinary writing, I was shipping them from the get go but to obviously avoid spoilers I won’t be revealing which way it goes at the end.

The use of flashbacks can often be annoying and usually pointless but throughout The Years of Loving You that was never the case. The flashback moments were related to what had just happened in the present day and I believe they helped cement a relationship between us as the reader and the characters on the page.

I feel like I could rave on about this book for an eternity. I don’t know why this novel out of everything I have read this year has had such an impact - maybe it’s because we all have that friend in Ed’s position? The love that once could have been but never happened so friendship was the only way forward? - but it has and I am most definitely going to be reading some more of Ella Harper’s work in the future.

Evenfall (In the Company of Shadows #1)

Evenfall by Sonny & Ais

Age: Young Adult; Adult
Category: Romance, LGBTQIA+
Rating: 5 stars

Rosie Thinks: If you’re a fan of m/m books and you haven’t heard of this series.... where have you been?! This is, without a doubt, one of the best m/m series of the genre. As in, it’s in my top two! I’ve been on a roll with re-reading old favourites lately, and this series was my latest re-read. I feel like I could read it another five times and still not be sick of it!

This is set in a post-apocalyptic world, two decades or so after World War III where most of the major cities were blown apart by bombs. In this world, terrorist organisations pop up all over the place and it is the Agency’s duty, as a secret branch of the US government, to protect the nation’s interest. Which sounds great and patriotic on paper, but the reality is much different. Sin is the Agency’s greatest weapon - aggressive, merciless, highly skilled. His only drawback is the killing sprees he goes on and that his partners never seem to last longer than a few missions. This is where Boyd comes in: after a horrific tragedy years ago, he shut himself off from the world and his emotions, leaving him apathetic to whether he lives or dies. Which, coincidentally, makes him the perfect partner to try and keep the Agency’s most ruthless assassin in line.

Words can barely explain how much I love this series! Both Boyd and Sin are so broken at the start, and watching them grow was stunning. Sin is seen by others as a psychotic monster, and Boyd is written off as worthless. It’s written in multiple POVs, but mostly Boyd and Sin’s. Each author would write one character’s perspective, which I found interesting since there is no noticeable change in writing style. But because of this, you’re taken truly inside the character’s head, making the characterisation fantastic. Both Sin and Boyd go through some serious character growth in this series, and the authors pull no punches. Complicated psychological disorders are explored and a variety of other situations. Neither character is a Gary Stu - honestly, at one point or another, most of the characters disliked Boyd and had no problem pointing out his faults. However, Boyd and Sin are both just so loveable and amazing and gah, I love these books so much.

The action in this was also a big draw for me. I love my books when they have a fantastic romantic plot-line, but also a separate plot that isn’t overshadowed by the romance. This had it. It’s jam-packed with action, from fight scenes to all the different missions to the struggles the individual characters face. The plot was just amazing, with many twists to keep you guessing and never quite sure. Fight scenes can be quite hard to write, but Sonny and Ais nail it. They’re fast-moving but also understable, so I could easily picture what was happening in my head. And it wasn’t just the fight scenes that were on point - the emotional scenes were without cliches and so heart-wrenching, I suggest having a box of tissues on hand at all times.

A fair warning - this is a mammoth book. They recently released the Director’s Cut of Evenfall, and cut out a massive 100k words. And I don’t even want to think about the actual page number of the whole series! But not once did it feel like I was reading a book the size of a small country. The near-constant action, romantic and otherwise, kept me hooked on until 3am in the morning on many nights. So don’t be put off by the length! But I would clear your calendar when you start this series - because once you start, I guarantee you won’t want to stop!

Vicious

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Age: Young Adult, Adult
Category: Fantasy
Rating: 5 stars

Rosie Thinks: The blurb for this story was pretty ambitious - it promised me a tale of zeal, jealousy, morality and superpowers, a mix that was almost too good to be true! But V. E. Schwab managed to deliver a novel that was all of this and more.

My favourite quote from the story is this:

"Someone could call themselves a hero and still walk around killing dozens. Someone else could be labeled a villain for trying to stop them. Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human."

I feel like this perfectly sums up the grey areas and utterly intriguing characters of this book.

Eli and Victor become fast friends in college, both top of the class, ambitious, and with a dark streak under the surface. When both their thesises collide - the effect of near-death trauma and the creation of ExtraOrdinary humans - they decide to move from theory to experimentation, setting them down a path of betrayal and anger. The book alternates mainly between this time and ten years down the track, when Victor has escaped from prison with his cellmate and takes in a stray girl with an ExtraOrdinary power, and is intent on revenge. The structure of this book - the time jumps every chapter - could've so easily gone wrong, but the author pulled it off masterfully. It gave the story such a rigid structure and allowed Schwab to only reveal a little at a time, keeping me hooked. And I'm not just using that as a turn of phrase - I was honestly hooked in right from the start, and read it all in one sitting without even breaking for the bathroom!

Probably my most favourite aspect of this story was the way it delved into the grey area between good and bad, just as that quote earlier suggests. The quote at the beginning reads: "Life - the way it really is - is a battle not between Bad and Good, but between Bad and Worse" (Joseph Brodsky). Talk about that foreshadowing! Neither protganist is truly good, so the story is a facinating look into human behaviour, especially when influenced by power. The superpower aspect was also explored in an interesting way, though the characters are more the focus of the story than their powers are. But the creation of the superpowers, so rooted in science, was intriguing to read about and refreshing in its originality.

Honestly, I can't recommend this book enough. The writing is truly amazing as well, and the way the story was weaved around me left me breathless. I truly loved this story!

The Night Stalker (Robert Hunter #3)

The Night Stalker by Chris Carter

Age: Adult
Category: Crime
Rating: 4 stars

Helen Thinks: Unlike the previous two books, The Night Stalker starts with us already at the autopsy of a victim. To the naked eye she is perfectly healthy and bears no visible signs of foul play except for one thing - thick stitches sealing closed her intimate area. During his examination of the area, Medical Examiner Doctor Jonathon Winston notices that something is hidden beyond the stitches and starts the procedure to remove it. What started out as a simple explosion results in an explosive finish as the item inside of the victim detonates - killing the doctor and his intern. Due to the severity of the case, Detective Robert Hunter is called away from a case he is already working and it’s made his main priority because now this killer has also claimed one of their own. It only takes a couple of days before another body arrives in just the same healthy state apart from the thick stitches. It’s not a bomb but it’s just as grotesque and Hunter realises that this serial killer is more of a monster than he could ever being to imagine...

Robert Hunter is back in this third instalment and I hate to be vague but... wow. It’s Carter’s winning style of grisly crime scenes that sells this series of novels to me in the first place but the thought process of this one must have been intense. I don’t want to spoil it too much but from each item placed inside the female victim to the very reason as to why the killer does it was flawlessly written and it was believable. Even more shocking, the killer’s backstory as to why he clicked and went on this psychopathic rage actually has you feeling slightly sorry for him - if he wasn’t a homicidal maniac.

The biggest highlight of this third novel is that finally Carter has finally found his footing with the main characters and they finally start to shine individually while also being able to add in additional minor characters that helps balance out the storyline. Personally, Hunter and Garcia are my new favourite fighting duo and I enjoy reading every instalment as well as re-reading them.
So buckle up and enjoy the ride as Carter takes us back out on the roads of Los Angeles as we chase another twisted mind into the darkness...