Roundup: January 2024
This is a roundup of my thoughts and verdicts on my January reads. Some of these may get full reviews at some point, but for some of them I just don’t have enough to say to fill a whole review:
Icebreaker - Hannah Grace - 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I feel like it’s a bit trite at this point to love Icebreaker, but I did. I think figure skating is mesmerising and I still keep meaning to sit down and re-watch Yuri on Ice. I feel like a lot of people might dislike the heroine because she’s blunt, has a quick temper, and is extremely, extremely, focused on her goal, but I thought she was great. She’s aiming to be an Olympic skater and that requires both dedication and sacrifice, which this book well covers. The hero is a bit of a weaker character. He has conflict with his dad and is trying to keep the rest of his team in order (who are great by the way, excellent found family vibes), but he already has a guaranteed contract after education so the stakes for him are a lot lower. The spice, and the chemistry between them, is absolutely excellent. As I already mentioned the supporting characters are just brilliant, and when I realised a certain one was getting his book this year I could’ve screamed I was so excited. Does this book do anything new? I guess not, but it does it very, very, well, and succeeds in being a sports romance that actually shows the gritty side of dedicating yourself to a sport at the highest levels. If I have one complaint it’s the epilogue - but not for the reason most people dislike the epilogue. For me it was sort of pointless to jump that far forward in the future for these characters. There easily could’ve been another book out of the couple going long-distance while the heroine continues her Olympic journey, but it felt a bit flat just to skip past all of that for the epilogue.
The Fine Print - Lauren Asher - 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
One of my special interests is theme parks. Do I like rides? No. I can’t explain it, I just find these constructed pockets of other worlds, built in the middle of reality, fascinating. So I’ve been meaning to start the Dreamland Billionaires series for a while. I feel like I shouldn’t have liked this as much as I did! The hero is a gigantic asshole and the heroine feels quirky almost to the level of manic pixie dream girl. But I loved them both in their flaws. I’ll admit, having a hero who was once an artist but shut away that side of him to succeed is my catnip. Likewise I can empathise with a woman who trusted her partner with her greatest hopes and dreams, only to have them stolen. The theme park setting was a real joy, and if you’ve any interest in imagineering I think you’ll get a kick out of it. I loved the couple’s dynamics and how the heroine genuinely helped draw the better person out of the hero. It was always in there somewhere. Deep down. And the spice was very good - a step beyond traditional vanilla without going into full-blown kink. I am a little concerned about the rest of the series, because although it follows the other brothers attached to this theme park, they are working in other aspects of the company that are not directly linked to the park, which makes me sad and less enthused to read them.
A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic - J. Penner - 3.5 ⭐⭐⭐
I really wanted to love this more. I’m a huge fan of the Great British Bake Off (and most baking shows, actually), so this was the perfect premise. The characters are extremely loveable and it really is a cosy and uplifting book, with a really interesting fantasy setting. Unfortunately the Bake Off aspect of the book is extremely rushed - there are only three rounds of competition total, and five or six people are eliminated each time. Aside from three other contestants we get to know almost no one else involved in the competition, so these eliminations are meaningless. I also found the resolution of the book very unsatisfying. I feel like it was trying to deliberately go against the reader’s expectations, but it’s just a bit deflating - even moreso when we find out why this outcome happened. It soured my feelings towards the rest of the book, which I’m very sad about because I follow the author on social media and love their posts, and really wanted this to be the Fantasy Bake Off of my dreams.
An Enchantment of Ravens - Margaret Rogerson - 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This one took me a while to finish because the tension at the end was so high I couldn’t bring myself to get through it! I loved this book. I love the main character and I especially love that she’s an artist. I underlined so many quotes about art and creating, it was just written so soulfully and so evocatively - as someone who used to create art myself I couldn’t help but completely identify with her. The world is a fascinating one, and I love this author’s take on the Fae as a species, partway between romantic and monstrous. I have to say the sections that take place in the Fae realms gave me very Labyrinth vibes - gowns and masks and balls, but also rotten fruit and deception. I loved the hero and heroine, and I thought they had a really interesting - and gradually developed - relationship befitting of their two species. Half the reason I couldn’t bring myself to finish the last part of the book was because I was so, so, desperate for them to find a way to be together and be happy, but I honestly wasn’t sure if they would. This is the first I’ve read from this author but I’m glad that I already own some of their other books because the way they write, and their imagination, was so beautiful.
Halfling - S.E. Wendel - 3.5 ⭐⭐⭐
This was a bit of a surprise, I discovered orc romance last year (I think) and I don’t know why but I’m here for it. This was a bit different, it follows a half-orc who is treated like dirt by his clan for being a halfling, until one night he sees a woman taken captive by the clan and decides to help her escape to help her avoid his mother’s fate. The fantasy world is solid and you get a good feeling for the differences between the different races, and the limitations of the technology. It’s a travel book, and because the travel is predominantly on foot, there’s a lot of travelling and a lot of camping. The relationship between the two characters is slow and cautious, but feels well done (the spice is also pretty great). I was a bit surprised by how much longer the book went on beyond the initial premise, but it wasn’t unwelcome. It might feel a bit padded out towards the end, but overall it was a very enjoyable read with some genuinely good discussions around the themes of family.
Under the Oak Tree S1 Vol 1 (Re-Read) - Suji Kim - 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This feels like a cheat because I have read it before but, due to Kindle not telling me additional books in this series had released, I wanted to refresh myself. I don’t know why but I really love this story. Maxi and Riften are such an interesting couple, and I can’t help but root for them despite all their obstacles. Maxi is such a complex portrayal of someone who’s grown up in an abusive household and the long-term lingering effects of such an upbringing. It won’t be easy, but I really hope she finally gets the happiness she deserves.
