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heloisedaphnebrightmore · 1 year

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The Spanish Love Deception & The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas

‘Heloise the book addict’ masterlist | Heloise’s map

Slight spoiler below! (Two specific scenes mentioned)

The Spanish Love Deception 3* [Goodreads] The American Roommate Experiment 4* [Goodreads]

1. The Spanish Love Deception (TSLD Book #1)

As I said in my reading updates of TSLD, I didn’t want to leave a review on The Spanish Love Deception until I finished The American Roommate Experiment. Firstly, because I’m new to Elena Armas’ writing, secondly because TSLD was a rather big disappointment for me, but I couldn’t decide why I was so put off. Well, after reading TARE, see my reading updates of TARE, which I enjoyed a lot, I realised that it was specifically how TSLD was written.

Now let’s get into why.

The Spanish love deception started off interesting. I liked the enemies to lovers aspect of it. It wasn’t heavy, but the dislike from Lina’s perspective came through quite well. The chemistry and tension were there, executed well enough. Even the idea behind the story was sweet and the execution of said plot was alright.

But I could barely enjoy the story because things I didn’t know I didn’t like, kept making me cringe. These two things were the descriptions of Aaron, which made the book a dictionary of synonyms and also whatever baby kink/fetish was present in the book. Now, I don’t judge, if you enjoy that I’m glad, but it’s certainly not my cup of tea. However, I based my rating on the repetitiveness, I did not take the scenes into consideration because somehow I felt like that would have been unfair.

My issues started with the writing style the author decided to use. I felt like the book was a dictionary of synonyms. Not every chapter, but every page had some sort of description about Aaron being tall, broad, large, wide, big, I don’t think I have to go on. It was very heavy in description, but only about Aaron’s appearance. The amount of ocean blue eyes, him towering over everyone and his large palms engulfing Lina’s just put me off. I get it, he was big. But I didn’t have to be reminded of that on every page. I actually started writing the amount of times these descriptions appeared and I was barely at 33% when I stopped because it was so heavy in his descriptions. There’s a difference between emphasising certain features on a character and being repetitive. And unfortunately, this was uncomfortably repetitive.

Now, the other thing which I mentioned before was the baby kink/fetish that was going on. I’m not sure what it is called, so please don’t bash me for it. I couldn’t find a better word. You see, if people like being treated like this or like to read about fictional characters being treated like this, I’m all for your happiness, but it is not my thing and to be honest, I personally felt uncomfortable reading this book. To explain what I mean:

At 71%, Aaron pulled Lina into his lap, wrapping his arm around her midsection. They were sitting on a stool in the kitchen. Nothing special about that. Until Lina’s auntie came in and our very large, very big, very muscly, very much towering over everyone, Aaron, decided to stand up, holding Lina to himself to great her aunt. My girl was dangling in the air, legs not touching the floor as Aaron stepped forward, holding her like a bloody doll.

At 90%, Lina jumped on Aaron, wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist. All good right? Nothing out of the ordinary. Until my girl decided that she didn’t want to be put down, so Aaron shifted her to the side, seating her on his hips. Want in the parent holding the child move is going on? I could only imagine a father seating his daughter on his hip and I was so uncomfortable.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad book. I felt it was repetitive, but the story was quite sweet. If it wasn’t for the dictionary of synonyms— because I did not include those particular scenes that made me uncomfortable in my rating— I would have given it a 4*, but with all these, it didn’t deserve it in my opinion.

Luckily TARE, book 2, saved Elene Armas’ writing for me, because that book I enjoyed a lot.

2. The American Roommate Experiment (TSLD Book #2)

As I said in my reading updates of TSLD, I didn’t want to leave a review on The Spanish Love Deception until I finished The American Roommate Experiment. Firstly, because I’m new to Elena Armas’ writing, secondly because TSLD was a rather big disappointment for me. I asked around a lot, hoping the second book wouldn’t be as repetitive as the first one, but many said it fell flat, that the chemistry and tension weren’t there. So, I took it upon myself to judge the book for myself. And I can’t tell you how glad I am that I did, see my reading updates of TARE.

The chemistry was there.

The tension was there.

The humour was there.

The drama was there.

The lust was there.

The love was there.

A sweet story was there.

Humour, anger, sadness, happiness were all present.

Should I keep going?

This book did not fall flat at all. It was way better than the first book. No, we didn’t have a brooding, enemies to lovers story. But that doesn’t mean it fell flat. We all have different taste, but at some point I was honestly wondering if we have read the same book.

TARE didn’t feel repetitive, didn’t feel forced or overly descriptive. It was just the right amount. I enjoyed the interactions more, how the story was unfolding and the characters themselves. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because sometimes it felt a bit slow-paced and on occasions I was facepalming myself because of the characters’ decisions.

But overall, it was a better book for me and I'm very glad I gave Elena Armas a second chance.

#heloise the book addict #heloise reads #elena armas #the spanish love deception #the american roommate experiment #contemporary romance #books #bookish #book review #bookblr #booktok #bookstagram #booktwt #goodreads

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dwellordream · 3 years

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“Middle-class girls who no longer spent their days as their mothers’ apprentices in domestic maintenance and manufacture were not left to their own devices. Just as their mothers’ responsibilities reoriented from home industries to the rearing of children, girls’ own primary goals shifted from the manufacture of cloth and the preserving of foodstuffs to the culturing of themselves. Self-culture was a broad-based project in the nineteenth century which was central to the emergence of a middle class.

In the increasingly fluid and unpredictable climate that accompanied the emergence of a market economy, young men and women were urged to form regular habits of restraint and self-control as their best protection against future disasters. A self-regulating man could chart an even course for his family; a self-cultured and refined woman could safeguard her family’s standing whatever economic circumstances should befall her. Self-culture was especially critical for girls for whom freedom from domestic labor left a good bit of free time during their impressionable years.

The advice writer William Thayer, who at midcentury had worried that for some girls the result might be ‘‘a study in how to kill time,’’ offered an alternative: ‘‘What an opportunity for mental culture and religious improvement!’’ Thayer’s proposed means to these ends was significant. He proposed that girls accomplish their goals through reading, ideally a hundred pages a day. The elevation of reading to a central and defining aspect of bourgeois girls’ lives helped to define a specifically Victorian adolescence.

Many girls followed Thayer’s advice and read for several hours a day, often supplementing their reading with the writing of letters or the keeping of a journal and diary. Reading and writing, the twin activities of literacy, became the vehicles to self-culture and the central activities of many privileged Victorian girls’ lives. They reinforced each other abundantly, as girls read and then wrote about what they read—time profitably filled twice over.

Although Victorians came to debate the influence of various kinds of sensational reading material and the health of the practice of writing gushing prose, the activities of literacy had much to recommend them to adults over other occupations. As pastimes which took place in the imagination, they had a provisional quality which allowed for the displacement of desires for drama. In the best of circumstances, the cautionary tales of Victorian moralists and even the passionate dramas of romance would be processed through a girl’s writing and help her to grow into an understanding woman of character, restraint, and refinement.

Many middle-class girls read voraciously—their reading often limited only by supply. The diaries and journals they left contain lists of books read over the course of a year and descriptions of time spent in reading over the course of a day. The advice writer Heloise Hersey estimated in 1901 that in the years between age twelve and twenty-one, ‘‘the average young gentlewoman reads a novel more than an hour a day. Thus she gives one and one-third years of solid working days to this occupation.’’

It was common for reading, scattered through the day, often accompanied by writing, to be the single most time-consuming activity mentioned in girls’ diaries. One girl reported reading in four different books through the course of a day, and sometimes reading straight through (over the course of several days) such massive volumes as George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda, and Dickens’s Oliver Twist. Another noted that on July 14, 1864, ‘‘I believe that I have not read a bit today—such a singular thing that I must record it.’’

Girls read by the window, in the hammock, on the horsecars, as well as in the parlor. Not all of girls’ reading was for the same purpose, of course. Some of it was dutiful and dull; some of it was romantic and dangerous; some of it was inspirational. But it is clear that in comparison both with the eighteenth and the late twentieth centuries, nineteenth-century Victorian girls of a certain class came to spend much of their lives—and perhaps also do much of their living—on and through the written word.

The dominance of the Victorian culture of reading and writing was sufficient that even girls who had other substantial chores often used their curtailed discretionary time engaged in literacy. Thus Hannah Davis, who at the age of twelve in 1851 appeared to be living out as ‘‘help’’ in Ohio, reported one day’s activity: ‘‘I got up eat my breakfast washed the dishes and read till noon then washed the dishes after dinner and read till supper eat supper washed the dishes and went to read a while then Milton Elvira Sarah and me told some tales and went to bed.’’

Of course, we know about these reading regimens only because they were accompanied by writing regimens. Like reading, writing was a plastic medium which filled various needs and purposes. As witnessed by numerous late Victorian portraits, girls frequently spent hours at desks, composing poetry, writing letters, pasting scrapbooks, keeping diaries or journals. The youth magazine St. Nicholas received a poem from one girl not yet ten and cautioned her, ‘‘Don’t write verses yet, cleverly as you do them for one of your age. There is time enough for that’’—time which would come when she reached her teens.

This time came not only for girls in the city, who could not ‘‘frolic’’ in the open air, as the little poet was advised to, but for rural girls as well. Like Mark Twain’s Emmeline Grangerford, who lived on the banks of the Mississippi and wrote mournful poetry that she kept in a scrapbook, actual girls from the hinterlands, too, kept diaries and wrote poetry, and intermingled their descriptions of household chores with locks of hair, autograph albums, and florid poetry.

Writing was sometimes a solitary act, as we envision it today, but it often had an important social component. Girls formed clubs to write stories together, wrote poetry for each other, and often described writing their diaries together. Writing was not simply an activity for moments of solitude and silence, but one which compelled attention even among friends and in company. This ‘‘crescendo of verbal activity’’—a fascination with both the power and the possibilities of literacy—played a variety of roles for girls in the process of becoming women.

In particular, girls’ writing was an arena of contest between parents and daughters. Girls came to use their writing, especially their writing of diaries, not as an escape from the Victorian family, but as a way of discovering self within it. Girls wrote in a variety of genres and hands, often composing notes and letters to friends within the same city. They were particularly encouraged to occupy themselves by keeping accounts of their lives in the form of diaries. Diaries filled a variety of functions for the girl diarist.

Arising from an empiricist desire to record events accurately, diaries served to store a range of information, from financial accounts to observations about the wind and the weather. Private writing had religious roots as well, in the spiritual autobiography or conversion narrative of earlier days. Parents encouraged diary writing for their daughters as a means of spiritual reflection and to promote good character and virtue. Parents had always encouraged virtuous conduct among their offspring, of course, but in eighteenth-century New England, sustained good behavior was secondary to a conversion experience as the mark of a good Christian.

Unlike tales of conversion, however, which recounted the one-time odyssey of the soul to God, the nineteenth-century diary made religious virtue a daily affair to be demonstrated through repeated good deeds and regular habits. With the disestablishment of the church and the dislocations occasioned by urbanization and industrialization, internalized character and steady habits assumed new importance. This function of the diary is captured by the term used by the modern theorist Michel Foucault to describe the ritual practice of the Catholic confessional: parents hoped that girls’ diaries would be ‘‘disciplines of the self,’’ which would encourage them in their pursuit of a reliable and steady goodness.

Parents and advice givers suggested journals for girls and boys, but the conventional wisdom was that girls took to writing and diary keeping more naturally. Agnes Repplier, who wrote a piece on ‘‘The Deathless Diary’’ for an 1897 issue of the Atlantic Monthly, repeated this common assumption: ‘‘Even little girls, as we have seen, have taken kindly enough to the daily task of translating themselves into pages of pen and ink; but little boys have been wont to consider this a lamentable waste of time. . . . As a rule, a lad commits himself to a diary, as to any other piece of work, only because it has been forced upon him by the voice of authority.’’

Repplier had good reason to know about the affinity between girlhood and writing. As a convent schoolgirl in the 1860s, she was one of a band of friends who were ‘‘addicted’’ to poetry and spent long hours copying it into blank books. There were structural reasons for the popularity of diary keeping among girls, as we have seen. The affluence of middle-class urban families marginalized daughters’ work within the household, yet the constraints of propriety at midcentury discouraged outside employment. Advisers encouraged girls to devote themselves to the development of order in all features of their lives.

Once one’s room was cleaned, there was one’s own life to systematize. In 1878, when the children’s magazine St. Nicholas published a piece on keeping a journal, it gave as the first reason that it taught habits of order and regularity. Because the purpose of a journal was to train a girl in orderliness, clearly the entries themselves ought to be orderly and reflect an ordered life. Ideally, therefore, a diarist wrote daily, and often drafted her entries first before copying them into her diary. The diary was to be a credit to a girl’s accomplishments, and those included her penmanship.

The diary entry, like the constitutional walk, was usually a ritualized part of the day; often the girl wrote it in the bedroom immediately before retiring. It was considered less stressful than schoolwork by both parents and their daughters. The St. Nicholas adviser, W. S. Jerome, suggested a routine recording of the weather, letters received or written, money paid or received, the day of beginning or leaving school, visits, books read, all set down in the correct order of time. The end result would be a useful family history. As he wrote, ‘‘Perhaps, some evening when the family are sitting and talking together, some one will ask, ‘What kind of weather did we have last winter?’ or ‘When was the picnic you were speaking of?’ and the journal is referred to.’’

Clearly, the journals Jerome had in mind were semipublic family records rather than personal confessions. They were also designed for self-grooming along prescribed lines rather than experimentation. Of course there was another, romantic use of the diary more familiar to modern Americans. Jean-Jacques Rousseau borrowed from Catholic ritual the title of his revolutionary Confessions, which were designed less to appease an angry God than to explore an individual life history. As such they represented less a ‘‘discipline of the self ’’ than a ‘‘technique of the self,��’ in Foucault’s terminology.

Rousseau’s romantic exercise in self-construction provided one model for the nineteenth-century diary, but it was not one that most parents had in mind for their daughters. Although they often encouraged their daughters to use diaries for self-exploration, they remained ambivalent about girls’ rights to a self separate from family duties and responsibilities. The advice literature describing the practice of diary keeping rushed to close off romantic possibilities. It was better for a girl to have no diary at all than to have one which encouraged fantasy and ambition and distracted a girl from her domestic priorities.”

- Jane H. Hunter, “Writing and Self-Culture: The Contest Over the Meaning of Literacy.” in How Young Ladies Became Girls: The Victorian Origins of American Girlhood

#how young ladies became girls #jane h. hunter #history #victorian #american #class

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jinsoulsscalp · 5 years

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JOSH hogwarts version

GENERAL INFO

full name: joshua eom name origin: her mom had a friend named joshua and liked the name nickname: josh does he like the nickname? he likes it better birthdate: april 11th age: 17 place of birth: london, england ethnic background: south korean current town: london, england does he live with anyone? dad and step-mother, 3 sisters and 4 brothers pets: a barn owl named merlin sexuality: bisexual

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

height: 6′1 weight: 180 lbs body type: muscle boi, he buildt eye color: brown any extra medical devices? n/a prominent features: n/a faceclaim: zico from block b general health: it aight any notable ailments? brain damage from frequent concussions natural hair color: black current hair color: bleach blonde default hair style: styled up

LANGUAGE

accents: cockney accent vocal tone: teasing, playful favorite words: hes fond of motherfucker spoken languages: english

BEHAVIOR

bad habits: spitting (ONLY WHEN HES OUTSIDE OKAY) are any of these addictions? no other habits: he’s very particular about how he eats meals tbh skills/talents: anything to do with strength he’s on top of hobbies: he really likes learning new things, but not in class settings, so you can usually find him outside with a book current career path/ambition: he wants to be some sort of prophet, but thats not realistic, so he’s settling for working in a shop or something. he’s not too worried about career prospects. maybe he’ll be a spell researcher that sounds lit current class schedule: divination, ancient runes, transfiguration, defense against the dark arts, charms, care of magical creatures extra curriculars: quidditch (ravenclaw beater), member of the new dumbledore’s army

RELATIONSHIPS

parents names: david eom (father, unspeakable at the department of mysteries), heloise gong (mother, dragon breeder), siblings: dina eom (sister, 22); isaac eom (brother, 20); ollie eom (brother, 15); colton eom (brother, 12); kenzie eom (half-sister, 3); liza eom (half-sister, 1) other notable familial relationships: marcie eom (step-mother, shopkeeper) relationship status: single any significant previous romantic partners? gabriel lim (fifth year) best friends: antonia park, rhys do, wendy sang any other close friends? casey chae, minhyuk byun, arcadia pan, justice pyo enemies: no anyone else they generally dislike? benjamin jo, river hong

ATTITUDE AND BELIEFS

psychological issues: n/a optimist or pessimist: pessimist meyers briggs personality type: esfp-a any prejudices: lowkey slytherins greatest strength: his literal strength, his ability to teach things to himself greatest flaw: his lack of focus in the face of authority biggest regret: not taking better care of his head lol proudest accomplisment: nothing super cool yet has happened to him, in his opinion biggest secret: he hates his step mom does anyone know this secret? nah

MAGIC STUFF

blood status: halfblood house: ravenclaw wand: 7′ fir wand with a dragon heartstring core boggart: thestrals

FAVORITES

food: waffles drink: oreo milkshakes color: purple book: unfogging the future possession: n/a class: divination

#( josh ; inspo )#( josh ; visage )#( josh ; profile )

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yuthiel8401-blog · 6 years

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♥ Read Online The Armored Saint (The Sacred Throne, #1) by Myke Cole `Review` / Download PDF Book

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Short Review about The Armored Saint (The Sacred Throne, #1) by Myke Cole Book :

In a world where any act of magic could open a portal to hell, the Order insures that no wizard will live to summon devils, and will kill as many innocent people as they must to prevent that greater horror. After witnessing a horrendous slaughter, the village girl Heloise opposes the Order, and risks bringing their wrath down on herself, her family, and her village.

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felucy8602-blog · 6 years

Text

♥ Read Online The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily by Laura Creedle `Review` / Download PDF Book

How to Read / Download Ebook With Easy

💡 Hello Fellow Readers,

If you want to read online or download your favorite books, i can give you suggestion.

There is a good site about book & reviews, the site provides the best book ads link to get easy the popular books,

so maybe you can try it to read or download your favorite book on any device you like. 👍

👉 I and my friends very like to read book reviews there, Many interesting & addicting books.

The site always update hot new releases and best classics books to review before we read it, although you want to get the book in anywhere sites you like.

Visit the site if you want to read most popular book reviews! You will not be disappointed! .

Many of people very interesting to read books reviews there also. 👍

👉 How to read or download Ebook

✔ Visit: www.zarabook.club

✔ Find your book and read the review.

✔ You May Visit book ads link provided.

✔ Register free account to try, then youâ€™ll receive access to entire library.

✔ Wish you have good luck and ready to read online or download the book.👍

👉 Sometimes maybe your book is unavailable depend from the advertiser.

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Short Review about The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily by Laura Creedle Book :

When Lily Michaels-Ryan ditches her ADHD meds and lands in detention with Abelard, who has Asperger’s, she’s intrigued—Abelard seems thirty seconds behind, while she feels thirty seconds ahead. It doesn't hurt that he’s brilliant and beautiful. When Abelard posts a quote from The Letters of Abelard and Heloise online, their mutual affinity for ancient love letters connects them. The two fall for each other. Hard. But is it enough to bridge their differences in person? This hilarious, heartbreaking story of human connection between two neurodivergent teens creates characters that will stay with you long after you finish reading.

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heloisedaphnebrightmore · 1 year

Note

what are sone of your personal favourite romance books??? as in absolute favourite

No! No no no! You did not go there! You do realise this is a very biased list, right?! 😁 I don't mean biased because everyone has a different favourite, but because when we talk about romance as a genre, it means a different kind of book to everyone, still the genre is decided by publishers. Not only fantasy, contemporary, historical, and dark romance etc., but like one of my favourite romance books is not even romance! It's political fantasy with a romance subplot, still it belongs to romance, because for some unknown reason someone decided to market it like that.

Yes, Hot Keys, Bonnier Books ltd., I'm looking at you! 😅

Anyways, you asked, so you shall receive! 😁 Keep in mind, this is my personal opinion, they are not in order and my taste changes faster than you can blink, so I take no responsibility.

‘Heloise the book addict’ masterlist | Heloise’s map

Side note: I know I always add trigger warnings, but like I'm so damn tired, please check trigger warnings for yourselves this time here or here. I'm so sorry, but I honestly don't have the energy to go through them all.

So, let's begin;

The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black (The whole series which belongs to The Elfhame series by Holly Black, same world setting, different couple)

The Cruel Prince #1

The Lost Sisters #1.5

The Wicked King #2

The Queen of Nothing #3

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories #3.5

In January 2023 comes out the companion duology of The Folk of the Air series, The Stolen Heir duology, with its first book, The Stolen Heir: A Novel of Elfhame which will then be part to The Elfhame series.

I am a complete and utter simp for Cardan. You can tell me how you didn't enjoy the book, how the romance was barely there or how it was too political. Nah, don't care. I love politics, I study business after all. I love fantasy, and it was fantasy and more. Romance? Wasn't there? We all have a different expectation when it comes to romance. I'm a character and romance focused reader and it was still simp-worthy for me. Everyone can judge for themselves, but I am a sucker for Cardan and Jude even if I'm still slightly mad at Jude. 😅 However, objectively speaking, it is a political fantasy and should not be marketed as fantasy romance, but because it is, it's now on my list.

Electric Idol by Katee Robert (Book #2 of Dark Olympus series. Kind of a stand-alone, but the books are somewhat linked.)

Other books in the Dark Olympus series include;

Book #0.5: Stone Heart [Medusa and Calypso]

Book #1: Neon Gods [Hades and Persephone]

Book #1.5: Hades and Hades [Hades and Persephone; a Patreon short story]

Book #2: Electric Idol [Eros and Psyche]

Book #2.5: Zeus and Hera; a Patreon short story

Book #3: Wicked Beauty [Achilles and Patroclus and Helen]

Book #4: Radiant Sin [Apollo and Cassandra]

Book #5: Cruel Seduction [Aphrodite and Hephaestus and Adonis and Pandora]

Book #6: Untitled [Charon and Orpheus and Eurydice]

Book #7: Untitled [Minotaur and Ariadne]

Book #8: Untitled [Poseidon and Icarus]

Book #9: Untitled [Hera and Zeus]

Book #10: Untitled [Hermes and ?]

The series is contracted for 7 books as of now but Katee said even if something happens, all 10 books that have been promised will be published. I might add, she said it because fans are going crazy over Zeus and Hera. I'd also like to add that once Zeus and Hera's story is out, you bet it will be on my list because I've been a sucker for those two since the very first book!

I'm a sucker for Eros and Psyche's relationship. He is a simp for him, but they start off along the lines of "I should hate you, but f*ck it, I can't" and I am here for it. It is very spicy, like the plot is pretty much just there in the background, but the characters themselves, the banter, the chemistry, the witty remarks make up for plot that's lacking a bit. Many people started this book off as "meh" only to come out simping. It'll make you swoon if you let it. 😅

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (Stand-alone)

It was a funny, witty, enemies to lovers but also not, but also yes, with a lot of swoon-worthy moments. I love this book, it honestly makes my little heart swell. 😁 It's one of those little books that has a plot, but doesn't require you to use your brain much. Just a simple little read. I'm still mad about the conflict though, it made me quite pissed off. 😅

The Summer King Bundle by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Book #3.5-3.7 of A Wicked Trilogy, consists of 3 novellas: The Prince #3.5, The King #3.6 and The Queen #3.7)

Wicked #1

Torn #2

Brave #3

The Summer King Bundle: #3.5-3.7

The Prince #3.5

The King #3.6

The Queen #3.7

The Summer King bundle is basically a collection of 3 novellas that follow a different couple, though it is heavily connected to the series. I liked the Wicked Trilogy, it was a good read, but The Summer King Bundle stole my heart. Caden and Brighton are just so sweet together, they gave me cavities. It's full of drama, so not a sweet little paranormal fantasy romance, but I loved it.

A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas (The whole series except ACOFAS; I still can't get over that one scene, makes my stomach churn)

A Court of Thorns and Roses #1

A Court of Mist and Fury #2

A Court of Wings and Ruin #3

A Court of Frost and Starlight #3.5

A Court of Silver Flames #4

This whole series made me so immersed, I finished the books in 5 days. 5 days when I was hella busy. I was reading like a maniac and only so many books can do that to me. Although Azriel's book didn't come out yet, I'm such a simp, that SJM could literally write the worst book about him and that book would still be on this list.

And last, but not at all least, the person who introduced me to paranormal/fantasy romance books back when I was 14!

J.R. Ward (I'm a sucker for this woman's writing! I own almost all of her books, except 3. But no, it shouldn't be read under 16 😅)

Black Dagger Brotherhood series

Black Dagger Legacy series

Black Dagger Brotherhood Prison Camp series

The Lair of the Wolven series

Fallen Angels series

Though my absolute favourites are—

Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood #2)

Lover at Last (Black Dagger Brotherhood 11)

Blood Vow (Black Dagger Legacy #2)

Blood Fury (Black Dagger Legacy #3)

She writes paranormal fantasy romance with male leads that make you swoon. She writes diverse characters, back stories, personalities and her whole writing is brilliant. I know I'm biased, but she is amazing! Each story is about a different couple, but the books are interconnected so they have to be read in a reading order which you can find here.

Well, that would be all for now. My brain is not functioning well. I hope you'll find something you like <3

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heloisedaphnebrightmore · 1 year

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Icebreaker (UCMH #1) by Hannah Grace

‘Heloise the book addict’ masterlist | Heloise’s map

Simon & Schuster acquired the rights to the series and I’m really hoping they don’t try to turn Hannah’s writing into a general style because I’ll throw hands!

Yes, Simon & Schuster, I’m watching you O.O

Icebreaker 4* [Goodreads] (I'm a romance and character focused reader, keep that in mind)

Let’s get to the very first and very important main point; I WANT HENRY’S BOOK NOW! Alright, I might have a slight obsession with Henry, but apparently, according to unknown sources, Henry’s book will be the third one and I’m sitting on pins and needles waiting for it.

Anyway, let’s get down to reviewing Nathan and Anastasia’s book aka the Icebreaker. It was an emotional rollercoaster for me as I explained in many of my reading updates where I wasn’t gushing about Henry 70% of the time. At first I thought I was misled by how others described the book with all the tension, enemies to lovers, push and pull effect, reverse sunshine vs grumpy trope, then I got whiplash at every turn as the book threw me for a loop, because it wasn’t written like other contemporary romance books. It didn’t follow the usual set up, the usual format of what people expect from a contemporary romance book. And I loved that about it. It was unique compared to what we see in publishing nowadays.

There was tension, don’t let yourself be deceived by what’s happening at the beginning of the book (20%). I thought I was misled and was about to put the book down, but then things took a turn and I was back to enjoying it in no time. This is one of the turns that made Hannah's writing more interesting and out of the ordinary.

The enemies to lovers was more of a frenemies to lovers, even the characters couldn’t decide what they were or how they felt.

The push and pull effect was there. Not because of the turn of events in the story, but by how quickly the main characters switched between wanting each other only to not want each other five seconds later. But, of course, as it is a two POVs type of book, the readers can’t be fooled.

The reverse sunshine vs grumpy character trope was both a yes and no from me. Although the MMC is more of a sunshine character, a golden retriever if you will, and the FMC is more of a grumpy character, I wouldn’t specifically say it was the sunshine vs grumpy trope people mentioned, but I could see hints of it, or rather it was a subtle representation.

It was also a rather spicy read. I didn't think it would be that heavy. I was told it was a cute romance book, but nope, there was a lot of exchange of bodily fluids, so that was a solid 3/5 on the spice scale for me.

Lastly, the side characters are absolutely loveable. Both the hockey team, Nathan's friends, and Anastasia's friend are characters that are distinguishable. They don't feel like the same characters, there's no repetitiveness, all of them are important and interesting on their own besides how supportive they are.

The importance of emotional intelligence in this book is pretty nicely represented.

As for the slightly negative aspects; I feel like too many characters were introduced too quickly, which I understand is necessary after all we are talking about a whole hockey team, but I had to go back and look at who was who, which took me out of the story a bit.

The pacing was a bit slow here and there, which could have been reduced. The beginning was a lot more telling than acting and that once again contributed to the slower pace. There were also long internal monologues by the end that went on for 2-3 pages and felt a bit heavy, which again pulled me out of my reading zone because the story wasn't going forward, rather felt like it was stuck until I waited for Anastasia to summarise what happened and how she felt about things. Once again, telling and slow pacing.

Overall I really enjoyed it and I can't wait for the next book to come out, mainly because we are one book closer to Henry then. I'm honest enough to admit that I'm slightly obsessed.

Anyway, toodles.

#icebreaker #hannah grace #heloise the book addict #heloise reads #bookish #books #book review #bookblr #booktok #bookstagram #booktwt #reading #contemporary romance

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heloisedaphnebrightmore · 2 years

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What did I get for my birthday?

A kindle!

My social life is officially over 😂

#heloise rambles #heloise reads #heloise the book addict #kindle #reading #books #bookish #bookblr #booktok #bookstagram #booktwt

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heloisedaphnebrightmore · 2 years

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Bookish Controversy: Alex Aster and Lightlark

‘Heloise the book addict’ masterlist | Heloise’s map

I don't often express my opinion about bookish controversies, but I feel this time I want to add my two cents on it because the amount of "I heard" or "I read" comments is over the roof without actually checking evidence.

Now, I don't really care about Lightlark or Alex Aster, but some of the information spread, the bullying attitude this generation is using and the herd of sheep behaviour is absolutely embarrassing. It was supposed to be a good beginning to discuss privilege in publishing and educate an author, but it turned into a circus attracting clowns all around the world.

First of all, Lightlark has been advertised as this Acotar and Hunger games mix of a diverse ya book. Arc readers expressed over and over again that the promised diversity wasn't in it as heavily as it was advertised. Besides, according to those who actually READ it, whilst there are Acotar elements in it, the Hunger games aspect of it is so very mild that you can easily miss it. Therefore, did she lie? No. But she did mislead to cater to her audience. That's where the first controversy came in.

Secondly, throughout her publishing journey, she had shared excerpts of the book, quotes and the like. Now, many arc readers said that they weren't in the book, but if you go to those BookTokers who are reliable, only a handful if you ask me, they will tell you that they were indeed in the book however not word for word or significantly changed. Also, regarding Arc copies, many times books are adjusted before the initial release date, therefore, even if they weren't in the arc copy they could be in the book. But even if they will not be, editors can take out parts if it's not right for the story line or is overused etc. So, once again, did she lie? No. But she did mislead.

Thirdly, people are on and on about how privileged she is. Which she is, she never said she wasn't. She even talked about her parents' money and her sister's business. She was never a rags to riches person and never claimed to be. Struggling with publishing might mean something to us little people than someone who has connections and money behind them. It doesn't mean it's that easy for them.

Fourthly, she is good at marketing. People go on about how she lied (once again, she didn't, she mislead) which as a Business Management student I completely understand. Marketing is mostly about selling something with possibly misleading context. She simply used marketing in her own way. Also, whilst I don't condone bullying, these people have not been raised well I can tell you that already, but all this attention is giving her quite a nice profit because people are purchasing her book even if to just give their own opinion. So hey, good for her.

Fifthly, people have been leaving Goodreads reviews on the book not only to bully the author but to make their sorry self feel better. This didn't only damage the book, but actually made Goodreads' authenticity drop. Now you don't even know whose review you can trust because at this point you don't even know who read it. So this self-governing bullying behaviour has to stop.

Sixthly (is that even a word o.O), it is not new to get a movie deal before your book gets published. It literally only takes a second to google it, but let me be your google. Companies acquire the rights many times before the book comes out. It doesn't mean there will be a movie, simply that a company wants to have it in their backpocket if in case the book blows up. It is actually so freaking common so let's not pretend that she is in some unique situation because, once again, it's a common occurrence.

Lastly, as I mentioned before, this whole thing has been blown out of proportion. People have too much time and need to get a life because whilst it started good conversations about privilege in publishing and should have been about educating an author who mislead her audience, it ended up being a circus with a herd of sheep running to leave reviews on Goodreads for no reason.

#heloise rambles #heloise reads #heloise the book addict #alex aster #lightlark #booktok #bookstagram #bookblr #bookish #booktwt #reading #publishing #acotar #hunger games #ya #young adult

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heloisedaphnebrightmore · 2 years

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do you have any good smutty wlw book recs? (kinky is good too) since most of the ones I know are YA or very tame, and as someone who isn't in the YA age range, I really struggle to relate especially since I love me some smut. thx 😈🖤💋

Hey lovely,

I don't really read sapphic books, I think I've only read like one or two, so I wouldn't be able to give you any recommendations on my own.

‘Heloise the book addict’ masterlist | Heloise’s map

However, I searched on google for lists hoping to find something useful. I'll add the links below.

Stone Heart by Katee Robert

W|W Books With Spice

Sapphic Book Lists

WlW books with ✨spice✨

Lesbian Romance Books to Read to Celebrate Pride Month

Sapphic spice

Spicy sapphic book recs!

Smut F|F Books

Lesbian Smut Romance books

Good spicy wlw romances

I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful, I hope you'll still find something you like :)

#Heloise's inbox #heloise reads #heloise the book addict #books #bookstagram #booktok #bookblr #bookish #book recs #reading #sapphic #wlw

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heloisedaphnebrightmore · 1 year

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Tis the Season for Revenge by Morgan Elizabeth

‘Heloise the book addict’ masterlist | Heloise’s map

★★☆☆☆ — 2/5 stars

If you enjoyed this book, I’m happy for you, but for me, it was disappointing. I was heavily debating a 3-star rating, because 2 stars felt wrong, but I can’t give it 3 stars if I look at how much of the book I didn’t enjoy. You can also check my reading updates where I commented on specific parts of the book mid-reading.

What I expected: Revenge (see the title), pettiness, creativity, spiteful behaviour, cosy little romance, Christmas vibes, Legally Blonde type of story and an FMC similar to Elle Woods.

What I got: Loads of “telling” not showing, mediocre romance, unnatural conversations, unnecessary and bland spicy scenes, cringy dirty talk, unmoving plot, not so intelligent FMC (Don’t you dare compare her to Elle Woods), whining, non-existent character “development”, a “mind-reader” MMC, insta-lust and insta-love.

What I liked: — The idea behind the revenge plot. — Kat, one of the side characters/best friends. — The ex (Richard), I hated him, but he was consistent and well-written as a terrible person. — The constant reassurance of equality between partners. — The (very few) sweet and romantic moments between characters.

What I didn’t like: — The execution of the revenge plot, in which the characters literally discussed their petty actions, aka what they have done to FMC (Abigail)’s ex, as they were remembering back to the day, basically in the form of telling, not showing.

— The friendship. Both Kat and FMC knew Cami had issues but ignored it for years which even they admitted, so I guess kudos for that.

— The mediocre romance and spice. At some point I wondered if I was reading Erotica because of the frequency of the spicy scenes which, of course, didn’t drive the already bland plot, rather felt like filling. And the romance was very mild, I expected more romance, less shagging, to actually see them grow closer, but that didn't happen. They did the deed and then fell in love somewhere.

— The plot was supposed to be revenge turned romance, but it was just constant exchange of bodily fluids. As I said above, where did they fall in love? When did the feelings grow?

— The dirty talk was cringy, it didn’t sound like the MMC was a 42 year old adult, rather a horny teenager. This, specifically, bothered me to the point I skimmed through the spicy scenes. It wasn’t attractive.

— The mind-reader aspect of the MMC and useless FMC. No communication, literally MMC had to pull each and every little bits out of FMC. Which I would have understood if it was only at the beginning, but it was a constant issue throughout the story. This would have been a good way to show FMC opening up and initiating real communication, but no, MMC had the weight of the whole plot on his shoulder, and he didn’t even know about it.

— The constant reassurance the FMC needed. It’s not healthy to move on so quickly after a 4 year long relationship, nor is it okay to not see the forest from the tree for 4 years. I get it, there are people like that, it is a real thing, but it was incredibly... frustrating.

— The conversation between characters felt incredibly unnatural most of the time.

— The writing style literally brought me out of the zone and confused me. As characters were in mid-conversation, it literally cut off so the FMC could have a one and a half page long thought process about something that happened the day before. By the time she went back to continue the conversation, I forgot what the conversation was about and with who.

— Lastly, the name-mentions drove me crazy from the MMC. Naranja, I understood, because it was significant, but “baby” and “babe” were mentioned a total of 66 and 13 times. At one point, 7 times on one single page. Rubia was mentioned a total of 43 times whilst Naranja was mentioned a total of 23 times. To add to that, her name, Abigail, was mentioned a total of 65 times and that is after I have removed every part where he was thinking about her or talked to someone about her. So, to sum it up, the MMC used nicknames a total of 145 times and her name a total of 65 times, repeating these words a total of 210 times... too repetitive for my taste. You can ask a question or reply to something without calling someone on a nickname or their name. It's not that hard.

Overall, this book just wasn't for me. (Ignore my grammar mistakes, I'm exhausted...)

#heloise reads #heloise the book addict #morgan elizabeth #tis the season for revenge #bookish #books #reading #bookblr #booktwt #booktok #bookstagram #contemporary romance #christmas read #spicy #smut

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heloisedaphnebrightmore · 2 years

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Monthly Reading Log: March and April 2022

I honestly thought I have read more books this year. Between each assessment I had a different book in my hand so I thought "Wow, I've read so much" only to realise I barely read anything xD January and February are completely empty :D

‘Heloise the book addict’ masterlist | LinkTree

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ecoamerica · 25 days

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youtube

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

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heloisedaphnebrightmore · 1 year

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The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang is this year's biggest disappointment for me! (No Spoiler!)

‘Heloise the book addict’ masterlist | Heloise’s map

I don't like to be mean about books because I understand everyone has a different perspective when reading and we all have different taste, but damn, I was more disappointed in The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang than the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas which says a lot, because that was a huge let down for me.

Now I'm not saying it's a bad series, because it isn't. I liked the first and second books, The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test, both got 4 stars from me. But my excitement for finally reading Quan's story got trampled on so hard I could not have predicted it even if I wanted to.

I'm still absolutely fuming!

Apparently Anna is a loose portrayal of Helen, or so she said at the end of the book. Part of me didn't want to say anything, since the author compared herself to the character and I feel like it would be a personal attack, even though it wouldn't. But another part of me knows that this was only a contemporary fiction book and I have every right to rant about a character.

So, to clear it up, I will indeed be ranting about Anna and her relationship with Quan, because this man deserved the world and she didn't give it.

I was— I am— I have been so furious with Anna, I can't even put it into words. She has had a hard life, noone is questioning that, nor would I ever dare so, because people go through similar situations, similar life experiences all the time and I can't even understand half of what hardships they have to overcome. However, I expected a romance book with obstacles that our FMC, Anna, and our MMC, Quan, would have to overcome to be able to get/stay together.

That was not the case!

I have read 300+ pages about our MMC, Quan, struggling with "something" (no spoiler!) that has fundamentally changed him not only physically but mentally and emotionally, only for him to give everything he could to our FMC, Anna, and get back nothing! He has given love, care, support, kindness, understanding, an endless list, only for our "dear" Anna to give back nothing. Not a bloody thing.

*Okay, let's take a breather, I'm not supposed to be this emotional over fictional characters!*

By all means, people go through hardships, in and out of relationships. It's completely normal. But! But for 300+ pages I read nothing but how Quan has given himself fully to Anna, only for her to just accept it all, but not give back a thing. Nothing. Zero. Nada. And no (to those who read it) even her "redemption arc" could not save her for me. That was just a low excuse to show that she could be vulnerable and trusting.

No! No! Not good enough! This woman has been leaning on Quan's shoulder about everything. We know she could be trusting and vulnerable. I understand it was supposed to show that she was completely opening up to Quan, but no, I can't accept that. That man was giving Anna everything. EVERYTHING! Only for this woman to take, take, take and if I wasn't clear enough, TAKE!

I can't decide if I hated Anna, or I didn't like that Helen wrote Quan's struggles as if they were nothing. Or possibly both. I feel like Quan needed the same amount of support (his whole damn life changed!) but all attention was on Anna. Anna who was incapable of giving any of the care, love, support and understanding to Quan that she got.

*Deep breath!*

I understand this is a controversial opinion, and I also get that we won't agree on this, but Quan was struggling just as much as Anna and throughout the whole book, his struggles were only mentioned, whilst Anna was made out to be someone I was supposed to feel sorry for or empathise with. I couldn't. I understand her autism played a part in her behaviour, but in the previous two books we didn't have this issue. In this book the focus was on Anna so much that Quan's just as real struggles were pushed aside and I can't accept that. Quan deserved so much more! Whether he could have had someone else or Anna should have worked so damn hard, 100x harder than what she did as a dumb "redemption" that was just a damn cop-out.

If I offended someone I'm really sorry, but this really provoked my patience.

#heloise the book addict #heloise reads #helen hoang #the heart principle #the kiss quotient #the bride test #bookblr #bookish #books #bookstagram #booktok #booktwt #bookworm #book review #bookish rant #book rant

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