Category: Book Review

Her Darkest Nightmare (and the Rest of the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles) by Brenda Novak | Audiobook Series Review

Posted July 1, 2021 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 4 Comments

Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak
Series: The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles #1
Published by St Martin's Paperbacks on April 30, 2016
Genres: Mythology, Romantic Suspense, Suspense, Thriller
Pages: 431
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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THE HUNT FOR A SERIAL KILLER
Evelyn Talbot knows that a psychopath can look perfectly normal. She was only sixteen when her own boyfriend Jasper imprisoned and tortured her—and left her for dead. Now an eminent psychiatrist who specializes in the criminal mind, Evelyn is the force behind Hanover House, a maximum-security facility located in a small Alaskan town. Her job puts her at odds with Sergeant Amarok, who is convinced that Hanover is a threat to his community…even as his attraction to beautiful Evelyn threatens to tear his world apart.

BEGINS WITH AN ESCAPE FROM HER PAST
Then, just as the bitter Alaskan winter cuts both town and prison off from the outside world, the mutilated body of a local woman turns up. For Amarok, this is the final proof he needs: Hanover has to go. Evelyn, though, has reason to fear that the crime is a personal message to her—the first sign that the killer who haunts her dreams has found her again. . .and that the life she has so carefully rebuilt will never be the same…

It’s no secret that I love romantic suspense, so when I saw a romantic suspense series of books about serial killers set in a remote Alaskan town, I was extremely excited! I listened to the prequel novel, Hanover House, and then immediately dove into Her Darkest Nightmare. And then… I binged the rest of the series back, to back, to back. These books are pretty gargantuan and I read all 5 of them in less than two weeks. That’s monumental for me, considering I usually read about a book a week. So clearly, the story really sucked me in and I had to keep going until it was over. Because I read all of these books so close together, it’s a major struggle to review them all individually. I figured why not just lump them all together into one big spoiler-free review? As always, my main points are bolded.

1. This series starts off very strong. I flew through Hanover House, which I highly recommend. Prequel novellas (although, you can’t really call it a novella when it’s 244 pages long) tend to be a take it or leave it kind of a story, but I really think it’s paramount that you read Hanover House. It tells the story of Evelyn Talbot, her serial killer boyfriend from high school, and the reason she decided to make a career of studying the minds of serial killers. It sets the stage for the entire series and introduces you to a very important character named Jasper, who you really need to know. I also think it’s important that readers fully understand Evelyn’s past, because it sheds a lot of light on why she is the way she is in the rest of the books in the series.

2. Her Darkest Nightmare takes place about 6 months after the prequel. Evelyn has been lobbying to build Hanover House, which is a maximum security prison that houses the most dangerous serial killers, and it’s finally open. Its existence is the capstone of her entire career, and she is the driving force behind how it operates and who resides there. She works with a team of other psychiatrists, interviewing and running tests on these inmates with the goal of coming up with a cure or treatment program for psychopaths. She refers to them throughout the entire series as “the consciousless”. We meet Sergeant Amarok, Evelyn’s younger man love interest, in this book. He’s Hilltop, Alaska’s one and only member of law enforcement and has been against Hanover House since it was still a glimmer in Evelyn’s eye. He didn’t want his sleepy little hometown, which has been untouched by major crimes for over a decade, to become home to so many dangerous criminals. It’s out of his hands now, though, so he has to deal with it. And he was right. Hanover House brings a lot of death to Hilltop.

3. Evelyn… I have conflicting thoughts on her. She’s been through so, so much, and the resulting trauma would leave many unable to function, much less work with the very kinds of people who caused such trauma. In that regard, I saw her as strong and resilient. Her desire to make a difference and to help other people never experience what she went through is admirable. At the same time, though, she is also a little too stupid to live. Considering what she’s been through and all of her knowledge on serial killers, I feel like she should be smarter. She makes some very dumb decisions across this series. She says stupid things. She gets herself into situations that I feel could have been avoided if she had just thought a little first. Her stubbornness got on my nerves sometimes, and she has an unhealthy obsession with her work. She’s also incredibly hung-up on the age gap between her and Amarok, which is silly. It’s only 7 years and not a big deal. If the book were about a man dating a woman 7 years his junior, this would not have been a concern and that double standard has always bothered me. She talks like she’s robbing the cradle, and I found it to be pretty dramatic and annoying. Evelyn brings this up a lot throughout the series (even after the love factor is strong between them), and I got pretty tired of it. She is always trying to talk him into leaving her for someone else. Like it’s that easy. Give the man some credit. Either dump him for the shallow reason of being younger or get over it!

4. Amarok also gives me conflicting thoughts. On the one hand, Evelyn’s trauma matters to him and he is so patient and understanding. He gives her as much time as she needs to feel comfortable opening up and being more intimate with him. His sense of duty to his job and his dedication to keeping the people of Hilltop safe is great. I loved his dog, Makita, and their bond. But… he’s also very critical of Evelyn’s decision to study psychopaths. He, apparently, knows what’s best for her and has no trouble at all telling her on a frequent basis what a mistake she made choosing her career. I get it, Amarok. You want her to be safe and happy, and that’s great. But let the woman make her own decisions.

5. Hilltop, Alaska is isolated, dark for such a huge chunk of the year, and has no cell service. There’s a couple small businesses but for the most part it’s pretty empty. People come to Hilltop to rent hunting cabins and go off into the wilderness. The rest of the people have lived there forever. It’s really the perfect setting for a creepy series.

6. Her Darkest Nightmare was good for me! I rated it 4 stars, and was hooked on the story quickly. Each chapter starts off with a quote from a real serial killer, and those were creepy. This did not happen during the rest of the books, which left me both relieved and disappointed. Some of the quotes were upsetting so I was glad to not read more of them, but some of them were also interesting or just the right amount of creepy to set the stage for the chapter and I missed those ones as the books went on. The first half of the book is definitely better than the second half, but I was so intrigued by the over-arching mystery of Jasper that I flew through it anyway. The second half drags with Evelyn’s insecurities and repeated thoughts. The ending… left much to be desired. It didn’t go how I wanted it to, and felt a bit far-fetched to me.

7. I found a lot of the information on psychopaths interesting, and enjoyed reading it… until the author started re-using the same bits of info from previous books. Then it felt very repetitive.

8. Hello Again, book #2, also got 4 stars from me. This book centers on a serial killer named Lyman Bishop, who uses an ice pick to give his victims lobotomies and turn them into submissive vegetables that he can do whatever he wants with. He’s a brand new inmate at Hanover House, and Evelyn is eager to dive into his mind. He’s a brilliant cancer researcher, and claims he’s innocent. And new crimes show that he might very well be. Or is someone copying Lyman’s work to mess with people? Who knows? Is Lyman really a charming, wrongly convicted individual or is he also a brilliant psychopath who can play any part? There’s some triggery stuff surrounding his story and his past, including abuse and incest, so prepare for that. It was disturbing. Amarok’s ex girlfriend comes back in to town, and that added in some drama I didn’t like but oh well. Hello Again was pretty good!

9. Speaking of repetition… I do not recommend binge reading this series. You need to read a book, wait until you’ve forgotten most of it, and then read the next one. The author seems to think that her readers will not retain anything, even for a few chapters. Everything, and I mean everything, is repeated. Many times. Across all the books. What a psychopath is, what Hilltop is like, who various people are, what happened to Evelyn, etc. You will never ever be allowed to forget anything. I’m not pulling a direct quote, but this is the basic idea:

Guy at bar: I heard about a new inmate that’s been transferred to Hanover House. How’s that going?
Evelyn: Yes, we have Lyman Bishop at Hanover House now. I don’t know him very well yet.
Guy at bar: Wait. Lyman Bishop? The Zombie Maker? The man who performed ice pick lobotomies on his victims to render them vegetables?

…a few chapters later…

Evelyn: I spoke with Lyman Bishop today.
Amarok: You mean, the serial killer who used an ice pick to perform lobotomies on his victims and essentially turn them into shells of their former selves?

This kind of thing went on and on and on throughout the series, just about different people. There was constant repetition about who Jasper Moore is. This is not a spoiler. Readers learn very early on that Jasper Moore is Evelyn’s high school boyfriend who kidnapped her, killed her best friends, tortured her for three days, slit her throat, and left her for dead. She survived and he was never caught. And you will never forget these facts as long as you live. Long after these books are in your rear view and you have read hundreds more, you will hear the name Jasper and your mind will tell you who he is, verbatim, because you will read it so so many times in this series. Here’s another example of what I mean, although these are not direct quotes either. But they’re pretty close.

Evelyn: I’m concerned this could be Jasper’s doing. That he’s found me and is messing with me.
Secondary character: Wait. Jasper as in Jasper Moore? The man who kidnapped you, killed your friends, tortured you for three days, slit your throat, and left you for dead?

…a few chapters later…

Amarok: Evelyn thinks Jasper might have surfaced in Chicago.
His assistant: Are you serious? The man who kidnapped her, tortured her for three days, and left her for dead might be killing again?

…a few chapters later…

A serial killer: I see you have a scar on your neck. Is that from when your high school boyfriend, Jasper Moore, slit your throat and left you for dead after kidnapping you and torturing you for three days?

…a few chapters later…

A detective in another state: We’re looking for Jasper Moore, the man who kidnapped then 16-year-old Evelyn Talbot, killed her friends, held her in a cabin for three days while he tortured her between school and baseball practice, slit her throat, and left her for dead. He was never caught.

I’m not even kidding! It was this bad! Every person, every event, every thing that could possibly be deemed important information is repeated over and over again as though the author expects that nobody paid attention or remembered anything. I don’t know how this made it through editing! These books could have been so much shorter if things were not repeated so often.

10. I’d like to do a keyword search to figure out how many times “the lower forty-eight” is said across all five books, but oh my gosh. It’s like there’s Alaska and then the rest of the United States is just one big blob. People move there from “the lower forty-eight”, people want to move back to “the lower forty-eight”, people come on vacation from “the lower forty-eight”, Jasper is somewhere in “the lower forty-eight” killing again. It. Is. Constant. I dated a guy from Alaska. We had a long distance relationship while he was living there. Never once in our 6 years of dating did he ever say “the lower forty-eight”. I was very close to his family. None of them said it. I flew out to visit him. Nobody there said it. I’ve been on an Alaskan cruise and met many people who live and work there. Not one person said it. But EVERYONE says it in these books.

11. Face Off, the third book in the series, got three stars from me. I liked the overall storyline, but I can’t share much because I’d be spoiling a lot. Don’t even read the synopsis for this one without reading the first two books in the series because you’ll be spoiled. The suspense and the big moments were what I’d been waiting for, but it all came to a head so easily for me. And I can’t explain why because spoilers!

12. The romance didn’t do anything for me. I didn’t feel the love and the swooniness from Evelyn and Amarok that I needed. I never believed their story. She kept pushing him away for various reasons, and I felt like that made him want her even more. She was something to be won. Her fear of intimacy was a hurdle to be conquered. I never felt like she trusted him, and I never felt convinced he loved her and not just. the idea of her. The romance took a backseat to the crimes and the psychopaths, neither of which is a very romantic plot element. I would have preferred it if there was no romance in these books at all.

13. Blindspot, the 4th and final book of the series also received three stars from me. After 5 (if we include the prequel) books filled with repetition, Evelyn’s insecurities, Amarok’s poking and prodding, recycled info on psychopaths, and all the exact same characters, I was worn out. I just wanted to be done and see how everything ended. I can’t say much about this book because I don’t want to spoil anything, but Evelyn is abducted right at the beginning and the bulk of the book surrounds her being in captivity once again. I will admit, I was pretty invested. I had to know how everything ended. The person who abducted her is very creepy. Amarok furiously has all of Alaska hunting for her. It’s intense, and a bit disturbing. Again, though, the ending was just too easy. It all worked out so easily and perfectly and I couldn’t help but be disappointed after all the time I’d invested in this series.

14. There are some surprisingly disturbing passages in all 5 books in this series. Violent crimes are described in detail. Trauma is described in detail. I wasn’t expecting these books to be like this, and I think it would have been better for my own mental health if I had read them more spaced out (for multiple reasons). I found myself weighed down and feeling a little dark and depressed. I think that’s why I flew through the books so fast. A huge part of me wanted to read them all in order to resolve the dark in my mind and move on. Once things ended, I could stop thinking about them. There was also quite a bit of language, which surprised me coming from Brenda Novak.

Well. This review is a mess. LOL. Honestly, I read these books because I had to know what happened and not necessarily because I was enjoying them. Hanover House was enjoyable and I was so excited to continue. Her Darkest Nightmare didn’t resolve things that happened in Hanover House that I needed resolved, and my obsession grew. I have never read anything this fast, which I have to hand to Brenda Novak. She got me invested, in spite of all my reservations about these books. She had me tearing through the pages and staying up until 4 AM multiple times even though parts of them drove me bonkers. I became obsessed. That’s why I rated them higher than makes sense for what I’ve said here. But this was not a good obsession for me. lol. I should have slowed down and taken the story in smaller doses. Perhaps then I wouldn’t have felt so dark. I still would have noticed the repetition, though, so… who knows? All in all, I honestly have no idea if I would recommend this series. My initial gut reaction was, “Yes! I was obsessed! I’ve never read so fast!” but then… I remember all the little things that grated on me and the overall dark feelings I felt, and I think… I’ve read better romantic suspense that was actually romantic and not so upsetting. So I’m just going to leave my thoughts here and let you decide what they mean.

Shipped by Angie Hockman | Book Review

Posted June 24, 2021 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 2 Comments

Shipped by Angie Hockman
Published by Gallery Books on January 19, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Edelweiss)
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Between taking night classes for her MBA and her demanding day job at a cruise line, marketing manager Henley Evans barely has time for herself, let alone family, friends, or dating. But when she’s shortlisted for the promotion of her dreams, all her sacrifices finally seem worth it.

The only problem? Graeme Crawford-Collins, the remote social media manager and the bane of her existence, is also up for the position. Although they’ve never met in person, their epic email battles are the stuff of office legend.

Their boss tasks each of them with drafting a proposal on how to boost bookings in the Galápagos—best proposal wins the promotion. There’s just one catch: they have to go on a company cruise to the Galápagos Islands...together. But when the two meet on the ship, Henley is shocked to discover that the real Graeme is nothing like she imagined. As they explore the Islands together, she soon finds the line between loathing and liking thinner than a postcard.

With her career dreams in her sights and a growing attraction to the competition, Henley begins questioning her life choices. Because what’s the point of working all the time if you never actually live?

Oh, Shipped. I wanted you to be so, so good… I love books set on cruises. I love cruising. It’s my favorite thing to do, and I miss it so much. I’ve gone on at least one cruise (but sometimes 3) every year since my first in 2005, and a cruise ship is my happy place. I was hoping Shipped would take me on an amazing cruise to the Galápagos islands, but I should have stayed in port…

I’m not in the mood for a normal review, so I’m going to list what I liked and what I didn’t like and call it a day.

What I Liked:

Travel! The Galápagos Islands would be such a cool place to visit, and these people get to explore and see wildlife and beautiful scenery! The excitement of traveling was there, and I felt it.
It’s low on the steam, sexy factor.
Henley’s sister, Walsh, comes along on the trip and I enjoyed her character. She added a lot of color to a pretty dull palette of characters.

What I Didn’t Like:

The romance was so, so lacking. I didn’t believe Henley and Graeme at all. I didn’t see any kind of emotional connection, and that’s essential for me in romance. I need the good stuff.
The whole “workplace romance” thing. Henley and Graeme are on the ship to work and compete against one another for a promotion by coming up with some marketing proposal to bring in my business. I don’t go on a cruise to work, so I don’t want my characters to either. lol.
The misunderstanding trope happens, and we all know that makes me stabby. Just! Communicate!
This is not The Hating Game + The Unhoneymooners. It’s just not. Those are two of my very favorite books ever, and it does Shipped a huge disservice to compare it to two books that are so, so much better.
I have nothing against ecotourism, but it came off as a bit overzealous.
Love is not the antidote to trauma. There are some deeper issues in this story surrounding abuse, and they are pushed under the rug. I’m not even sure why this was included, except to check off some box.
Has the author even… gone on a cruise? The heroine says, “we ascend the stairs to embark the vessel.” This is not grammatically correct. Embark is intransitive. You do not embark a ship. Nobody would ever say that. You just embark. A better choice would have been, “we ascend the stairs to board the vessel.” I really hope this was edited out before publication, because it had already happened twice by the time I hit 18%. And I’m sorry, but it’s not “cruise leader”. It’s “cruise director”. Nobody would ever say cruise leader.
I had a lot of problems with the writing and word choices in this book, and I thought “on each other like duct tape” was as bad as it would get. But then… The couple was interrupted getting busy. Someone knocked on the door, making Henley’s “nether-kitty yowl and hiss”. Pretty sure this book lost a star for that one sentence alone.

All in all, this was a HUGE disappointment for me. At least I got to go to the Galápagos Islands, which is not a common travel destination in contemporary romance. But really, I can recommend many books that take you on a dream vacation that are better than Shipped. I honestly can’t say I recommend this one.

Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch | Book Review

Posted June 17, 2021 by Jana in Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 4 Comments

Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch
Series: Love & Gelato #3
Also in this series: Love & Gelato, Love & Luck
Published by Simon Pulse on November 10, 2020
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Pages: 506
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Edelweiss)
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Santorini felt like an island holding its breath. As if it were keeping in a secret...

Liv Varanakis doesn’t like to think about her father much, which makes sense—he fled to Greece when she was only eight, leaving her with just a few painful memories of their shared love for the lost city of Atlantis. So when teenage Liv suddenly receives a postcard from her father, who explains that National Geographic is supporting a documentary about his theories on Atlantis—and asks if she will fly out to Greece and help—Liv is less than thrilled.

When she arrives in gorgeous Santorini, things are just as awkward as she'd imagined. There are so many questions, so many emotions that flood to the surface after seeing her father for the first time in years. Liv doesn’t want to get sucked back into her father's world. She also definitely doesn’t want Theo, her father’s charismatic so-called protégé, to witness her struggle.

Even so, she can't help but be charmed by everything Santorini has to offer—the beautiful sunsets, the turquoise water, the sun-drenched villages, and the delicious cuisine. But not everything on the Greek island is as perfect as it seems. Because as Liv slowly begins to discover, her father may not have invited her to Greece for Atlantis, but for something much more important.

I don’t read as much YA as I used to, but I loved Love & Gelato and Love & Luck (although, not as much as the first)! I was delighted to discover a third book was coming out in this series of companion novels, this one taking place in Santorini! I loved the idea of a girl reconnecting with her father who left her, and jetting off to Greece to help him film a documentary on the lost city of Atlantis. I love stories that take me to new places, especially beautiful ones that I would love to visit on my own. The awkward relationships between Liv and her dad is painfully cute. He doesn’t know what to do with a teen girl, and she doesn’t know how to have a dad. Things are bumpy and not at all easy, but I loved watching him try to figure it all out. Sweet father daughter relationships always melt my heart a little, and even though this dad abandoned his daughter without a word to go Atlantic hunting on the other side of the world, he’s ready to make amends and get to know her. He has fully owned his mistakes and wants a relationship.

My very favorite part of the book, though, is the setting. Jenna Evans Welch is so, so good at bringing readers to the location she has written about. The descriptions of the water and the sunsets and the night sky were just beautiful, not to mention the winding pathways of Santorini and the white buildings with the blue roofs (we even get to learn about why the building are all blue and white, which I found fascinating). I also loved the little tidbits of info about Atlantis and the theories surrounding it. I’ve always been very intrigued by the legend of Atlantis, so reading a book about people trying to find proof of its existence was so much fun for me. It’s such a compelling mystery, and I really enjoyed learning about it as Liv, her dad, and Theo went sightseeing and interviewing people about it as they filmed.

I loved Theo, Liv’s love interest and videographer for the documentary. He was funny and sweet and enjoyed being the go-between between Liv and her dad. I thought it was so sweet how he tried to help grow and foster a relationship between the two of them, counseling with them both when he could tell they needed it. There’s a lot of pain, regret, and more serious issues that weave themselves through the story, so Theo provided some comedic relief and a lighter side to contrast with the darker one. My biggest struggle with this book surrounded Liv’s father’s actual reason for asking her to fly out to help him. I won’t spoil anything but, upon discovering what that reason was, I found myself sad and melancholy as I read. I loved the scenery and the characters and the developing relationships between multiple duos of people, but there was this constant feeling of sadness in the pit of my stomach that made it a little harder for me to read. If things had been more upbeat, I would have flown through this. Even so, I’m glad I read it. Jenna Evans Welch writes great scenery and great characters, and it was fun to escape to Greece during a time when travel is pretty much impossible. I would love to see a forth book in this series in the future!

Uncharted by Adriana Anders | Book Review

Posted June 10, 2021 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 3 Comments

Uncharted by Adriana Anders
Series: Survival Instincts #2
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on August 31, 2021
Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Edelweiss)
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Hotshot pilot Leo Eddowes is afraid of nothing and no one. So when she's asked to evacuate a man from the wilds of Alaska, she doesn't hesitate. But with enemies in close pursuit and the weather turning sour, what should have been a simple mission quickly shifts to disaster.

And there's only one way out.

When Elias Thorne disappeared, he was America's most wanted. Now he's spent more than a decade in one of the most remote places on earth, guarding a dangerous secret. Leo's arrival, quickly followed by a team of expert hunters, leaves him no choice but to join forces with her—and run. Neither is prepared for their reluctant partnership to flare into something as wild and untamed as the frozen world around them...but as desperately cold days melt into scorchingly hot nights, Leo and Elias must learn to dig deep, trust in each other, and forge a bond as strong as the forces of nature.

Stranded together in a frozen wilderness,
There's nowhere left to run...

I love romantic suspense, and I’m always on the hunt for another amazing one that’s not paranormal or erotica. Do you know how hard those are to come by? I absolutely adored the first book in this series, Whiteout, which ended on a cliffhanger. I was eager to get my hands on Uncharted for a resolution to that story… and there wasn’t. lol. There’s some info and some… movement? I’m not sure movement is the right word. It hasn’t been that long since I read Whiteout, but I struggled to remember some things and people that maybe would have helped me piece this story together a little better. Definitely don’t read this one without having read Whiteout first. You’ll be even more confused than I was, because something important happens in that story that they refer to in this one.

Anyway, moving on! I loved the setting. The Alaskan wilderness is always an amazing setting, but it’s particularly exciting in romantic suspense because it’s so treacherous and dangerous. I also loved the dog, Bo! I panic when dogs or cats (or any beloved pet, really) appears in a suspense novel because many, many authors decide that killing or torturing that pet would be a good idea for a plot point. I blacklist those authors. Animal abuse and deaths are a huge trigger for me. As soon as I got attached to Bo and began to fear for her safety, I wrote to Adriana Anders and begged her to tell me if I needed to stop reading this book. She wrote back within an hour and assured me that it was safe to continue. That email meant so, so much to me, and yes. She was right! I’m sorry if this is a spoiler for anyone reading this book, but I think it’s one worth mentioning. And that’s all I’ll say!

I LOVED Bo. She was so, so sweet and my favorite character in this book. She was the very best good girl in so many ways. Leo bugged me a bit with her stubbornness, but I grew to like her more as the book went on. Elias is a gruff and surly teddy bear, and I really liked him. There was less tension and suspense in this book, compared to Whiteout, which was a bit disappointing. The romance was sweet and well-balanced between two people who want to be tough alphas but are willing to be betas sometimes.

My biggest issue with this book was the dialogue, which I can only hope will be changed before publication. All the characters seem to hate speaking in complete or normal-sounding sentences. Here are some spoiler-free examples:

“Today we do the summit. Hopefully before the helicopter arrives.” He pointed straight up. “Hope not to break our necks in the process.”

That “hope not to…” sentence is weird. Like maybe “Let’s hope we don’t break our necks in the process.” just sounds better.

The ringing in her ears continued. Not a good sign.
“You walk?”
No. “Yes.”

What about “Can you walk?” It just feels better.

“You’re burning up.”
She huffed out a weird sound that felt like a laugh. “I mention I had a stomach thing? Food poisoning. I thought. Maybe it was a bug?”
“He paused, eyes wide. “Kidding me?”

Maybe… “Did I mention…” and “Are you kidding me?”

Then there’s a bunch of little sentences all throughout the story like these:

“Leo your real name?”
“Way you’re looking at me. I’ve gotten a lot of that.”
“Know you’re awake.”
“Time is it?”

I could excuse it if they came from one person. Maybe it’s a weird character quirk or something, but these kinds of sentences came from both Elias and Leo, as well as a secondary character or two. I could also excuse it if it happened only once in a while. It’s very common for people to speak like this on occasion. Like, “you ok?” is commonly used without the “are” at the beginning and nobody cares. But people do not talk like this allllll the time, almost every time they say something.

So often when Leo and Elias talk to each other, it’s back and forth with one- to three-word sentences. The dialogue is very short and choppy (this is not a quote, but explains my thoughts because this is how it felt: “You ok?” “Yes. You?” “Yes.” “Good.” “Let’s keep going.” “Ok.”). As evidenced in the examples above, there are frequently missing words, but there are also the bare minimum of words. Elias even sometimes only talks in grunts or other inaudible noises. The quality of the dialogue was so frustrating to me that I nearly DNFed multiple times, but I really really wanted to know what happened so that I can continue with this series (if there are more books coming. I haven’t seen an announcement yet.). I also really like the author and was so touched by her caring attitude towards me that I wanted to love every single thing about this book! She’s so nice, she deserves to have her book loved! And I almost, almost loved it. But the dialogue made me want to scream. It did improve a little in the last third or so of the book, which made it even more obvious to me that this kind of dialogue was not a character quirk. The dialogue wasn’t like this in Whiteout, so I don’t think this is just how the author writes. I keep trying to figure out why these choices were made for this book, and I can’t come up with an explanation.

Anyway, I’ve rambled on way too long about the dialogue. I’ve been purposely vague in most of my review because it’s easy to spoil thrillers. Overall, I’m hoping there’s more books in this series. As I mentioned before, I loved the first one. This one wasn’t as great for me (even though I did really enjoy parts of it), but I’m eager to read another one that wows me again!

Fluffy by Julia Kent | Mini Book Review

Posted June 3, 2021 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 3 Comments

Fluffy by Julia Kent
Series: Do-Over #1
Published by Prosaic Press Inc. on April 30, 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 282
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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It all started with the wrong Help Wanted ad. Of course it did.

I’m a professional fluffer. It’s NOT what you think. I stage homes for a living. Real estate agents love me, and my work stands on its own merits.

Sigh. Get your mind out of the gutter. Go ahead. Laugh. I’ll wait.

See? That’s the problem. My career has used the term “fluffer” for decades. I didn’t even know there was a more… lascivious definition of the term.

Until it was too late.

The ad for a “professional fluffer” on Craigslist seemed like divine intervention. My last unemployment check was in the bank. I was desperate. Rent was due. The ad said cash paid at the end of the day. The perfect job!

Staging homes means showing your best angle. The same principle applies in making a certain kind of movie. Turns out a “fluffer” doesn’t arrange decorative pillows on a couch.

They arrange other soft, round-ish objects.

The job isn’t hard. Er, I mean, it is — it’s about being hard. Or, well… helping other people to be hard.

Oh, man…

And that’s the other problem. A man. No, not one of the stars on the movie set. Will Lotham – my high school crush. The owner of the house where we’re filming. Illegally. In a vacation rental.

By the time the cops show up, what I thought was just a great house staging gig turned into a nightmare involving pictures of me with an undressed star, Will rescuing me from an arrest, and a humiliating lesson in my own naivete.

My job turned out to be so much harder than I expected. But you know what’s easier than I ever imagined?

Having all my dreams come true.

Ok, so… the synopsis of Fluffy really didn’t sound like it was going to be my kind of book. LOL. I mean, like the heroine, I had no idea what a fluffer was until one of my friends told me. I was worried Fluffy would be too much blushing for me, but this same friend told me that it really has nothing to do with fluffers and what fluffers do. The synopsis sounded funny otherwise (what a hilarious mistake to make!) and I’d seen some really great reviews, so I downloaded the free prequel novella (Little Miss Perfect), and thought I’d give this series a try! I was so sucked in by that novella that I read it in one sitting and immediately grabbed Fluffy to continue the story. I’m so glad I did, because this book was really, really fun!

Fluffy is hilarious. The texts between her and the guy who was hiring a fluffer on craigslist had me actually laughing, because I could see this happening to myself. Mallory is very smart and well put together, but she’s lacking in the street smarts. She shows up to the job, expecting to stage a home for some kind of film production and… walks into something that has her a bit mortified. Yes. It’s THAT kind of film. Her internal monologues were just so perfect! Mal’s childhood crush, Will, has been renting his family home out for various events and had no idea what was happening at his house until he showed up and found Mal. He shuts everything down and the police are called, and he saves Mal from even more embarrassment by vouching for her and confirming that there was no possible way she was lying about not knowing what she’d agreed to. It’s one of the most awkward and hilarious scenes I’ve ever read in romance, and set the stage for a very fun story. Mallory is still in desperate need of money, so she and Will enter into an agreement where, if she can sell his home, he will pay her a commission on the selling price. Flirting and feelings happen, and I just love these two together. Will is so dreamy and Mallory is just so sweet. They’re adorable together. Mallory’s two friends are also great, and they each get their own book in this series! I can’t wait to read it. I’m so excited I’ve discovered Julia Kent! I love her writing style and humor. Highly recommended!