I couldn't not review this book. Because reading it was something special. I knew nothing about Ali Hazelwood's Originally reviewed here @ Angieville
I couldn't not review this book. Because reading it was something special. I knew nothing about Ali Hazelwood's debut novel except that it involved women in STEM and that the cover made me smile. I decided to set it aside for myself as a reward. Work has been . . . punishing . . . for the last year, and I have been so exhausted every hour of every day. And so I determined to buy The Love Hypothesis on release day knowing nothing about it. But when I went to the bookstore to get my copy, none were available. In fact, none were available anywhere for love nor money, in store or online. At first I was moderately disappointed. Then I told myself maybe it's not that great after all and I didn't necessarily need to feel this preemptive sense of loss. But it kept gnawing at me. The loss. And so I paused work and read the first chapter online, mostly thinking that it wouldn't grab me as much as I thought it would and I could therefore let go the sense of loss that I wouldn't be able to crawl into bed that night with it. Except, of course, the first chapter utterly grabbed me. I sat there at my computer with a ridiculously dopey grin on my face. So I bit the bullet and did something I virtually never do with unknown quantities. I bought the ebook and ordered a print copy at the same time. As my husband says, every day ends. And come hell or high water, I was going to end this day with something charming.
"Are you okay?" He must be really tall. His voice sounded like it came from ten feet above her. "Sure. Why do you ask?" "Because you are crying. In my bathroom." "Oh, I'm not crying. Well, I sort of am, but it's just tears, you know?" "I do not." She sighed, slumping against the tiled wall. "It's my contacts. They expired some time ago, and they were never that great to begin with. They messed up my eyes. I've taken them off, but . . . " She shrugged. Hopefully in his direction. "It takes awhile, before they get better." "You put in expired contacts?" He sounded personally offended. "Just a little expired." "What's 'a little'?" "I don't know. A few years?" "What?" His consonants were sharp and precise. Crisp. Pleasant. "Only just a couple, I think." "Just a couple of years?" "It's okay. Expiration dates are for the weak."
Olive is considering the possibility that choosing a life in academia was a monumental mistake. On paper it all tracks. She knows why she's pursuing a PhD in biology at Stanford, and her reasons are very personal. Which is fine, because other people have always been somewhat difficult for Olive. She's been on her own for a long time, and while she managed to form two strong friendships with fellow PhD candidates, she always feels most at ease in the lab. Which is why she's so bugged by her current social situation. After weeks of trying and failing to convince her best friend, Anh, that it's okay to date Jeremy, the last guy Olive went out with, she resorts to inventing a fake boyfriend. Honestly, Olive doesn't understand the fuss. Anh and Jeremy would be great together, and Olive wasn't ever that into Jeremy anyway. She's rarely into other people in general. Science is what makes sense. But Anh refuses to hurt Olive, and the ridiculousness of the situation is driving Olive quietly mad. Thus the fake boyfriend is born. Which is bothersome enough in and of itself. But things get suddenly and comprehensively worse when Olive (who is supposed to be on a date with her fictional boyfriend) is hanging out at the lab one night and spots Anh heading her way. Olive panics and does what anyone would do: rush up and kiss the nearest warm body to avoid being caught out in her scheme. And so begins the most tangled, confusing, and oddly exhilarating period of Olive's life. Because the nearest warm body turns out to be none other than Dr. Adam Carlsen, the most intimidating, ruthless professor in the department. Who may actually have a reason or two of his own to participate in Olive's madcap charade.
She was just going to pretend nothing had happened, nod at him politely, and tiptoe her way out of here. Yes, solid plan. "Did you . . . Did you just kiss me?" He sounded puzzled, and maybe a little out of breath. His lips were full and plump and . . . God. Kissed. There was simply no way Olive could get away with denying what she had just done. Still, it was worth a try. "Nope." Surprisingly, it seemed to work. "Ah. Okay, then." Carlsen nodded and turned around, looking vaguely disoriented. He took a couple of steps down the hallway, reached the water fountain—maybe where he'd been headed in the first place. Olive was starting to believe that she might actually be off the hook when he halted and turned back with a skeptical expression. "Are you sure?
Reader, I am hopelessly charmed. I could not stop grinning for the entirety of the book. I found myself unconsciously bookmarking every single page in my ebook. It has been awhile since a book made my heart feel so light. Olive and Adam are compelling and delightful together, so much so that I had a difficult time wanting to be anywhere but with them. The banter is at once fizzy and deadpan, and it just merrily steamrolls over everything in its way. For two such serious individuals, each new hysterical scenario is an exercise in not running screaming for the hills. But underneath all that, Olive and Adam lock into place with each other in a way neither of them have experienced before. Being the solitary scientists that they are, it remains difficult for them to find and use the words to fit the shape of what's happening. Well, Olive never has a moment's trouble finding words. But the right ones. The ones that aren't so terrifying to utter that you cannot face the prospect. In that arena, she's right there with Adam. The silences that stretch, people. You know I'm a fan. It didn't hurt that I felt such an affinity for Olive's experiences in graduate school as they echoed so many of my own. Not the dating a professor part, fake or otherwise. But the experience of constantly contending with the realities of being a woman in higher education, of being in no way adept at any social aspect of life, and of wrestling with your choices regarding a true and abiding love of academic study and whether or how it will continue to sustain you on an intellectual, financial, and spiritual level for years to come. Layering these achingly real aspects of her life over the headily charming (and very self-aware) fake dating trope made for such a brilliant narrative.
"What did Adam's fortune cookie say?" "Mmm." Olive made a show to look at the strip. "Not much. Just 'Holden Rodrigues, Ph.D., is a loser.'" Malcolm sped up just as Holden flipped her off, making her burst into laughter. "What does it really say?" Adam asked when they were finally alone. Olive handed him the crumpled paper and remained silent as he angled it to read it in the lamplight. She wasn't surprised when she saw a muscle jump in his jaw, or when he slid the fortune into the pocket of his jeans. She knew what it said, after all. You can fall in love: someone will catch you.
It's been years since I picked up a Mhairi McFarlane novel, and I'm not really sure why that is. I liked It's Not Me, It's You well enough (it's obvIt's been years since I picked up a Mhairi McFarlane novel, and I'm not really sure why that is. I liked It's Not Me, It's You well enough (it's obvious she's quite a witty writer), but something about the execution felt off and I think I let that keep me from diving deeper into her backlist. Then came an offer to review her upcoming title If I Never Met You, and something about this one seemed to call out to me. As though it was time. As though Laurie and Jamie might be the ones. Spoiler alert: It was and they were. It was the perfect read for a couple of dreary, grey January days. While not perhaps as bubbly as I've Got Your Number, I would definitely recommend it to readers who enjoyed that novel. They share a business setting, two individuals who are more than they know themselves to be, and a wonderfully slow burn romance. Readers who love Sarra Manning and Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare should also take note.
Comedy was tragedy plus time, but there'd never be enough time to make this amusing.
Laurie didn't have it easy growing up, but she's made up for childhood uncertainty with nothing but rock solid stability as an adult. She's a successful attorney at a respected firm. She's been with Dan, the love of her life, for eighteen solid years. They own a home together. They're thinking of having a baby soon. Everything is as it should be. And she is happy. Until, of course, her entire life is upended with one nightmare conversation with Dan, leaving Laurie scrambling to keep her head above water and somehow try to piece together how she could have been so mistaken about her life and the people in it. To make matters worse, she has to continue working in the same office as Dan, where everyone can watch the public disintegration of their relationship. Enter Jamie Carter. Jamie also works for the same firm and is widely known as the office Lothario. Roundly loathed by the men and longed for by the women, Jamie cares first and foremost about his job. Specifically making partner within the year. Which is where Laurie comes in. Jamie hatches a plan that should benefit them both in the form of a fake relationship meticulously crafted to make Dan blind with jealousy and the senior partners secure in the knowledge that Jamie has given up sowing his wild oats and is now happily ensconced in a grown up, committed relationship with Laurie. After the company Christmas party is over, they'll part ways. No harm, no foul. On paper, it reads like the perfect plan. In practice, life gets complicated fast.
I finished it this morning, and I still have a delighted grin on my face. While If I Never Met You takes just a minute to suck you in, Laurie is instantly sympathetic. So much so that it's truly painful watching her give voice to her shocking pain and confusion. But it is also so admirable to watch her. Laurie is vulnerable and brave. And while yes, Jamie's proposition is obviously nowhere in the vicinity of the healthiest option in the wake of her train wreck, I couldn't find it in me to fault her for taking him up on it. Not because he's so handsome he stops traffic. But because he is so kind. They are so kind to each other throughout the entire run. And as neither of them is actively trying to hurt anyone (including each other), neither is so naive as to believe this thing is more than it is. Laurie is consistently aware of the potential for pain should she fall for Jamie, and she's not foolish enough to think he will change. Jamie's respect for Laurie grows with each passing day, as he learns how smart and strong is. It's so gratifying to watch them discover in the other not only someone that they can talk to but a source of friendship and laughter. So much healing laughter in this book for two characters I am vastly fond of. There is both more gravity and complex pain than I was expecting and more quiet affection, genuine laughter, and honesty than I expected. I find myself satisfied on all fronts.
Two favorite lines:
"Laurie," he said quietly. Not a question, or an opening to saying anything else. A full sentence in itself.
and
"Please, don't do this. Don't turn one of the best friendships I've had into the shock twist that we sleep with each other for a while, and then fall out when one of us, who, shock twist, will be you, doesn't want to keep doing it anymore. It would turn gold into scrap metal. I don't want to be your millionth fling. This is bigger and better than that.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention that this novel features two absolutely swoonworthy letters from Jamie. One written to Laurie and one not. One quite pithy and one not. Both heavenly. As Miss Austen knew so well, "Let us never underestimate the power of a well-written letter."...more
So, for the past few weeks, I have basically been on one massive historical bender. It has been rather wonderful,Originally reviewed here @ Angieville
So, for the past few weeks, I have basically been on one massive historical bender. It has been rather wonderful, really. And it's probably worth warning you that the highlights are going to be making their way here over the next few weeks. The whole thing began with a Laura Lee Guhrke reread, which led to a binge of her recent books, which led to one headlong Julie Anne Long tear. Somehow, I'd only read three of her Pennyroyal Green books and inexplicably decided that was as far as I was going? Utter nonsense, that. I happily downed at least five more charming entries in the series and, somewhere along the way, I discovered Charis Michaels. For which thing I am absolutely delighted. Because Ms. Michaels has just a lovely touch. I started with her first series and moved on to her most recent release Any Groom Will Do―the first in her new Brides of Belgravia series. While I've enjoyed each of her books, this one is my favorite. Allow me to tell you why.
Willow has a plan. She is getting herself (and her two best friends) out for good. And if she has to advertise for husbands for all three of them, then so be it. She has lived the life her dead father and indifferent mother laid out for her long enough, and she will have no more of this lifeless inactivity. She is putting her considerable dowry up for grabs in the hopes of securing an inoffensive husband in need of ready cash who will allow her to live her own life―separate from his―in London, where she will be able to pursue her vocation as a designer. One who will, perhaps, not mind that children will never be a part of the deal. Time is, of course, of the essence. And so when one Lord Brent Caulder, Earl of Cassin, arrives on her doorstep in answer to her advertisement, Willow is determined he will be their ticket out. Caulder, unfortunately, is not nearly so sure. Desperate to save his failing estates and prevent his mother and sisters from destitution, Caulder hopes the advertisement's mysterious investor will finance his long shot business venture to the Caribbean. Marriage was not in any of Caulder's cards. And yet. Despite the patent insanity of Willow's plan, he finds it difficult to walk away from this isolated young woman intent on living her life, with or without him.
The risk of discovery by Lady Lytton was a welcome new source of panic, but Willow was too preoccupied to really care about her mother. Against all odds, the Earl of Cassin held great potential. His reserve. His caution. His willingness to flee the house. Very great potential, indeed.
And flee they did, down the corridor, through the ballroom, and out onto the terrace that led to the garden. They did not run, precisely, but they were hardly strolling.
The new location meant there would be less time for everything, of course, no more beating around the bush. He would have to declare himself, yea or nay. But perhaps this, too, was preferred. In Willow's view, she'd already said enough. All the while, he'd said―well, what had he said? He'd done little more than challenge her.
But he did not go, she thought.
Even now, he did not go.
That is one of my favorite (of many) things about Cassin. He does not go. If you enjoy a good marriage of convenience tale, then you do not want to miss this one. I fell instantly in love with Willow and Cassin and their avid (on her part), if unwilling (on his) alliance. The two of them (both individually and collectively) are so ridiculously endearing, it was pure pleasure following them along on their unexpected journey. Neither of their lives resemble the ones they ever saw themselves leading. And these unfulfilling, at times impossible, existences wind up converging in something of a grey area―one which Willow is convinced will lead to mutual (albeit separate) satisfaction and which Brent is certain will lead to naught but ruin. But it turns out that, when pressed, they neither of them are willing to give up on those lost lives. And, to his chagrin, Brent realizes he is willing to do rather more than he thought previously possible to support his family and give Willow a chance at independence. Solid sterling, is Cassin.
"I'm leaving," he announced, resuming his prowl, "and I won't be back. I believe we've said all available words on the matter." When he came to the glass-paned terrace door, he stopped and tested the knob. The door yawned open to the cool morning. He remained where he stood and slammed it shut.
She watched his struggle. He'd said no in so many ways she'd lost count.
He went on, "Marrying a stranger for dowry money is utterly out of the question." He embarked on another lap of the room. He was a tiger in a cage.
Willow said, "Perhaps you should reconvene with your partners to gauge their current feeling on the matter."
"You've selective hearing," he said. "Or perhaps you think I'm coming 'round."
"What I think," she said, gathering her nerve," is that you do not not like me."
He stopped walking. He was behind her now.
"Is that what you think?" he whispered.
It's just every scene with these two. And the fact that they are straight with each other. From the start. Theirs is a genuine arc, its sweetness most essential to its success. And succeed it does. Michaels's dialogue is first rate, imbued with every complex layer of emotions her characters carry. Each restrained gesture, each quiet glance is delineated with grace. Her writing is at once light and certain, possessed of the emotional weight I always seek when I come to any story. I'm so pleased to have discovered her work this year, so looking forward to more to come....more
I picked this book up for one reason and one reason only—because Sarah MacLean recommended it as one of her top hOriginally reviewed here @ Angieville
I picked this book up for one reason and one reason only—because Sarah MacLean recommended it as one of her top historicals ever, like ever. Apparently, that's all it takes for me when it comes from the lady who gave us Callie and Ralston. And I have my suspicions that might be all it took for a few of you, too. We are in good company together then, yes? This was my first of Lisa Kleypas' historicals. Having read and been mildly okay with one of her contemporaries and read and absolutely loved one of her others, I figured the wind could reasonably be expected to blow any number of ways with The Devil in Winter. Some authors transition beautifully from one genre/time period to another. Others, I feel, face more of an uphill battle. Spoiler alert: Ms. Kleypas appears to know her way around whichever she feels like tackling at the time. I will say that I initially read a library copy and held off on purchasing my own because I was not fond of the U.S. cover. So much lavender. I can't . . . with just so much lavender. But then. The UK cover waltzed onto the scene. With Evie standing in the snow. Just . . . looking. It is everything the book deserves and it, of course, had to be mine.
Evangeline Jenner has summoned what remains of her flagging courage and made a command decision. Said decision involves sneaking into the home of vaunted rake Sebastian St. Vincent and demanding he run off to Gretna Green with her to be married before her hideous relatives can stash her in a closet and force her to marry her cousin, thereby gaining control of her dying father's gambling money. (Did that last sentence put a silly grin on anyone else's face? Just me?) Having been beaten down and pushed aside her entire life, Evie just wants to be free. If a loveless marriage to a known dissolute is what it takes, she will gladly pay the price. St. Vincent will get the money he so desperately needs to pay his father's debts and the two can happily live the rest of their lives separately. After his initial amusement and disbelief at the shy wallflower's proposal, the wayward viscount finds himself accepting and the two of them go haring off for parts north as fast as possible before anyone can say them nay. Before either of them know it, the marriage has been solemnized and it's back to London and the grim reality of bidding farewell to Evie's father along with the unexpectedly complicated feelings they experience in the face of the prospect of going their separate ways.
The Devil in Winter has one hell of a beginning and that's all there is to it. Talk about hook, line, and sinker. I fell in love with Evie almost with her first exhalation. What a sad and dim life she led leading up to the moment she felt forced to go to St. Vincent with an offer she wouldn't let him refuse. And how I liked her for the way she faced him down and stutteringly told him the way things were going down. As for Sebastian, I grew to like him quickly for how quickly he grew to like Evie. For his wicked wit and hilariously cavalier attitude toward life and the ton. And for the appalled look on his face when he realizes he might . . . he just might be falling in love with his wife. It was a pleasure watching Evie's shoulders slowly relax while in Sebastian's company, just as it was a treat watching that very attitude of his grow less and less cavalier when it came to his wife and the altered way he saw the world as a husband. So very much against his will. But there it is. The story did bobble just a bit for me back in London as the two take up residence in Jenner's gambling hell and I felt things veering a touch close to the shallow. But the ship rights itself soon enough as they stumble up against each other's expectations and the scars (in Evie's case) and indiscretions (in Sebastian's) of their respective pasts. This was helped along by Kleypas' uncanny knack for suddenly and unceremoniously shoving the two of them in a hallway or billiard hall or sick room at just the right moment so they could sort themselves out. I'm ever so fond of them, Evie and Sebastian. I will always be glad they came to stay....more
Loading...
