Format: Audiobook

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn | Book Review

Posted March 2, 2023 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 6 Comments

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld
Published by HarperAudio on March 29, 2022
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 448
Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible
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The New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm who becomes history's deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story.

In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kiev (now known as Kyiv), wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son--but Hitler's invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper--a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. When news of her three hundredth kill makes her a national heroine, Mila finds herself torn from the bloody battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America on a goodwill tour.

Still reeling from war wounds and devastated by loss, Mila finds herself isolated and lonely in the glittering world of Washington, DC--until an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a silent fellow sniper offer the possibility of happiness. But when an old enemy from Mila's past joins forces with a deadly new foe lurking in the shadows, Lady Death finds herself battling her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life.

Based on a true story, The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever.

Hello. I am speechless. Kate Quinn is turning me into a historical fiction lover. Both books of hers that I’ve read have been 5 stars, and this one is even better! The Diamond Eye is stunning, riveting, exciting, suspenseful, romantic, heartbreaking, inspiring, hopeful, and compulsively readable. The audio version is fabulous. I could end my review right here but I probably shouldn’t. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. The Diamond Eye is based on true events. Mila Pavlichenko was a real person, and her personal memoirs were used to write much of this book. That just makes this so much better for me, because she is amazing! The synopsis is great, so I’m not going to go into all the particulars of her life, but Mila is so brave, honorable, and caring. She’s a cold sniper who has no trouble downing an enemy, but she also loves fiercely. She loves her son more than anything. She’s given her own platoon of soldiers to train and lead, and she loves them so much. She loves her sniper partner. She’s patient, sometimes laying in a hidden nest waiting for her target for days, and she’s got a steady hand. She’s cool under pressure, loyal to her country, and extremely talented at her job. She knows her worth as a woman and doesn’t let her male peers or superiors push her around or take advantage of her. She also doesn’t let the reporters get away with asking disrespectful questions. She joined the war in her very young 20s, and I’m in awe of her. She made a famous statement at a conference in the USA during her diplomatic tour that I just love:

“Gentlemen,” she said, “I am 26 years old and I have killed 309 fascist invaders by now. Don’t you think, gentlemen, that you have been hiding behind my back for too long?”

2. The supporting characters were wonderful as well. Well, except for Mila’s slimy husband who seduced her and got her pregnant when she was barely 15, before abandoning both her and their son. She can’t get rid of him, though, and she runs into him a lot during her time on the battlefield. She has a bit of a romance with an officer, which I loved reading about. She has a nurse friend who takes care of her when she’s injured. Her platoon adores and respects her, which was so refreshing to see during this time period. I loved the strong bond she had with her sniper partner, Kostia. They had each other’s backs and trusted each other so intensely. During a time of war and loss, so many beautiful relationships were formed. (Since I listened, I have no idea how to spell most of the names in this book.) I also enjoyed her friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. It was quite sweet and tender, and lasted long after their respective countries no longer recognized each other as allies.

3. The battlefield scenes were so interesting. I loved reading about how Mila scouted out locations to make her sniper’s nest, the camouflage she spent hours meticulously constructing, the dummies she set out as decoys for the enemy, her checklist for how to take out a target, her rituals, and the toll it took on her mind and her body to do this. She’s spent hours hidden in a tree and days laying under leaves and branches in trenches.

4. Mila’s diplomatic tour was also very interesting to read about. She wanted nothing to do with the diplomatic life, the questions, the traveling, even the gifts. She wanted to be in her uniform in the trenches, not in a satin gown at another stuffy event. And honestly, I liked those parts of the book better than reading about her time in the USA. But the things she said in her speeches and the way she carried herself were impressive, and I really respect her.

5. There’ a LOT of suspense in this book, and it was gripping.

6. The reality of war means that some of the relationships Mila forms cause immense heartbreak in the end, and boy did I feel a lot of things during the course of this book. If you’re worried at all, know that I did not cry once. And I cry all the time. The Book Thief made me cry, but this book did not. There’s a lot of happy in the end.

7. The writing is stunning! So many passages took my breath away.

8. Definitely listen to the audio if you can. Saskia Maarleveld does accents and tone so perfectly that I could not stop listening to her.

9. The author’s note at the end of the book is absolutely essential, and tells which parts of the book are taken directly from Lyudmila’s personal memoirs and where Kate Quinn used her artistic license. Do not skip this part!

All in all, The Diamond Eye is a new favorite novel of mine! I’m not a fan of historical fiction, but I love Kate Quinn’s books. The word I keep thinking of when I think of this book is “stunning”. Everything about The Diamond Eye left me breathless and wanting more. From the cold battlefields of Sevastopol, to the glittering city of New York, I could not pull myself away from Mila’s story. I’ve just added Lady Death: The Memoirs of Stalin’s Sniper by Lyudmila Pavlichenko to my to-read list. I want to learn more about her! And I can’t wait to read more from Kate Quinn!

Sleighed by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward | Book Review

Posted December 9, 2022 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 0 Comments

Sleighed by Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward
Narrator: Andi Arndt, Teddy Hamilton, Sebastian York, Zachary Webber, Maxine Mitchell
Published by C. Scott Publishing on November 15, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Holiday - Christmas
Length: 3 hrs and 21 mins
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible
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"Get Sleighed"

When my ex dumped me right before Christmas, I was left with a luxury: an all-expense paid trip for two to Cabo—private jet and all. Somehow, my best friend roped me into giving away the other half of the trip as a contest prize on her podcast. Kelly won the “World’s Worst Dump Story”. She and I didn’t meet until we arrived at the airport, which was when I discovered she was actually a he. Apparently, we’d forgotten to include open-to-women-only in the rules. My trip to Cabo started as a disaster, but as time went on Kelly and I grew close. Until someone unexpectedly showed up....

"Lights Out Love"

Cole is utterly annoyed by his neighbor Josie’s obnoxious Christmas display. When she blows out power on the street, he marches over and lets her know what he thinks of the mess she’s made. But when the only generator in town brings the two nemeses together...the Christmas display isn’t the only thing burning bright.

"Hot Item"

Getting into a fight with a sexy stranger over the last hot toy on the shelf was not the way I intended to spend Christmas Eve. And I certainly didn’t plan on spending hours more trying to win a contest to decide who would get to buy it. But when our time is up, would the toy be the only hot item I wanted to take home?

I’ve listened to a few Christmas audiobooks written by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward over the years, and they’re always fun! I was excited to see this one pop up on Audible one day. I hadn’t even heard of it so it was a nice surprise! This was a short and sweet listen that I enjoyed crocheting to for a few hours!

It’s hard to review three short stories, so I’ll just be short and sweet with my review as well! The first novella is called “Get Sleighed“, and it was fun! I thought the idea of having a contest to give away the second half of a vacation after being dumped by the guy you were supposed to go with was a cute idea. I enjoyed my little jaunt to Cabo and had fun hearing about what our hero and heroine (I cannot for the life of me remember their names) did while they were there vacationing. The romance was super sweet. My favorite part was the contest itself. Contestants had to call in to a podcast and share their worst getting dumped story. Some of those stories were hilarious and very entertaining!

The second novella, “Lights Out Love“, was cute, but not my favorite. Josie loves decorating the outside of her house with millions of lights for Christmas. Cole can’t stand having the light pour into his house like the noonday sun every night. Then the power goes out (of course Cole assumes it’s totally Josie’s fault) and he’s even more upset! But Josie, being the kind soul that she is, lets him benefit from her generator and has him over so he can charge his computer and get work done. They strike up a friendship, and Cole softens to her. She de-Scrooges him a little. It’s a very happy, heartwarming story!

The last novella, “Hot Item“, has my heart and really made this book for me. Two people in search of the hottest toy of the season have to battle it out to see who gets to buy it when the manager can’t deal with their arguing. So they spend the evening wrapping presents for charity and whoever gets the most tips wins the right to buy it. They talk a lot and it was all just very sweet. I got a little teary-eyed (in a good way). Really loved this story!

All in all, I had fun with Sleighed! I loved all the narrators (so many of them are my favorites), and it was fun to listen while I crocheted Christmas presents! It was like listening to a movie. Definitely give it a try if you’re in the mood for something short and festive that will make you smile!

A Brush With Love by Mazey Eddings | Audiobook Review

Posted April 7, 2022 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 1 Comment

A Brush With Love by Mazey Eddings
Narrator: Emily Lawrence, Vikas Adam
Published by St Martin's Griffin on March 1, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 336
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Harper is anxiously awaiting placement into a top oral surgery residency program when she crashes (literally) into Dan. Harper would rather endure a Novocaine-free root canal than face any distractions, even one this adorable.

A first-year dental student with a family legacy to contend with, Dan doesn’t have the same passion for pulling teeth that Harper does. Though he finds himself falling for her, he is willing to play by Harper’s rules.

So with the greatest of intentions and the poorest of follow-throughs, the two set out to be “just friends.” But as they get to know each other better, Harper fears that trading fillings for feelings may make her lose control and can't risk her carefully ordered life coming undone, no matter how drool-worthy Dan is.

Blood, gore, and extra-long roots? No problem. The idea of falling in love? Torture.

I’ve been eagerly anticipating the moment I got to read A Brush With Love, and it finally happened! I follow Mazey Eddings on Twitter, and she is so funny and sweet and adorable and relatable, which made me even more excited to read this book. I love a good romcom, and I love it when the characters are in STEM because it always brings interesting discussions. A Brush With Love started off very strong for me, and I was convinced I’d found a new favorite novel. But… things took a turn for me and I’m going to get a little vulnerable in this review. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. I’d like to begin this review with a discussion on the content of A Brush With Love. The book begins with a compassionate note from the author cautioning readers about some of the book’s content, but I didn’t realize what a large role anxiety was going to play in this story. As someone with a diagnosed anxiety disorder, reading this book was hard on me. While there was a lot of humor and lighter moments, I came away emotionally and mentally exhausted. Seeing glimmers of my anxiety in Harper, while also seeing that my anxiety could be even worse than it is was very hard. I’d realize I was in physical pain while reading, and had to try to unclench and relax my muscles multiple times. The author did a great job conveying what anxiety is like and how it feels, but it was too much for me to process. If you are triggered by reading descriptions of panic attacks, fear, negative-self talk, sexism in the workplace, and grief I suggest you pass on this one.

2. Harper’s character was a major struggle for me. In the beginning, I found her to be bubbly, quirky, funny, and dripping with personality. I saw a lot of myself in her and related to her desire to be perfect in all things. She can be very sweet (her meet cute with Dan is adorable proof), but she’s also very frustrating. I didn’t see her act like a good friend or a good partner very often, and kept grappling with my confusion as to how her life is filled with great people when she’s doing nothing to keep them there. She takes Dan for granted and pushes him away at every opportunity while also stringing him along. She tells him they are just friends, but cuddles with him and kisses him before saying it was a mistake and pushing him away. She gets mad at him for being a distraction multiple times, and just isn’t nice. I don’t know how he could handle the whiplash. She takes and takes from her friends while shutting them out and giving them almost nothing in return. Clearly she’s found herself a bunch of very understanding saints, I just can’t picture a world where someone can treat people like this and still have them fall all over themselves to be a part of that person’s life.

3. Dan was the highlight of the story for me. I loved him immediately and never wavered on that. He’s sweet, compassionate, understanding, and accepting. He’s very much aware of the people he cares about, and makes it his job to make sure they are ok. He zeroes in on Harper very quickly, and I felt like he knew how she was doing before she did! I loved that about him. What girl wouldn’t want a guy so in tune with her that he knew how to help and what to do without having to be asked? A dream. He is so unbelievably patient and supportive. I don’t know how he was able to do it, especially since he was going through his own stuff, too. He’s stuck in a life he never wanted to live because he feels too guilty doing anything else. He struggles and hurts and goes through a lot of personal growth and evolution, and I just loved his journey.

4. I LOVED the meet cute. It was so mortifying and hilarious and adorable. I won’t spoil it, but it was a great moment.

5. The romance was not my favorite. Harper is moving in a few months, so she decides they need to quash that instant attraction and desire to be together and remain friends. Except… she rarely treats Dan like a friend. He’s basically her boyfriend without the label, and since he’s not allowed to be her boyfriend things get frustrating. Because of how long this story is and how quickly the leads fall for one another, the bulk of the “romance” is them trying not to be more than friends, slipping up, and then Harper pushing him away and/or lashing out at him. And, of course, everything is about Harper so she’s in charge or everything that happens between them and poor Dan was probably blue for most of the book. I got tired of this push and pull. I wanted a swoony, romantic story filled with scenes that melted my heart and I ended up with a bunch of speed bumps and roadblocks that took away from the romance I signed up for.

6. I loved Dan’s and Harper’s friends. I loved Harper’s mentor, who became a bit of a life coach as well as a professor at one point.

7. I do not recommend the audio. The female narrator for Harper’s voice was mostly ok, if a bit nasally, but the voices she chose for Harper’s friends drove me up the wall. Her voice would also speed up, change pitch, and fill with frustrated/mad passion when Harper was getting upset at someone or experiencing an anxiety flare-up. Tense, angry voices agitate me, so this just didn’t work for me. The vocal choices the male narrator made with Harper’s voice made me cringe, and he didn’t have the voice I wish Dan had had. I’m sure I would have been happier if I’d read this with my eyes instead of my ears.

Regardless of my issues with A Brush With Love, I will be recommending it to others. It was not the right choice for me, but the meet cute is adorable, Dan is a wonderful cinnamon role, and there are some really great moments. The writing is lovely, and I enjoyed a lot of the story (even though Harper frustrated me). Eddings sheds light on issues that real people go through every single day, and that’s important. I know many readers will feel seen in these pages, and I know many readers will learn and maybe even become more understanding of people in their lives who struggle with their mental health. I will definitely be giving her next book, Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake a try. Lizzie is in A Brush With Love, and I really liked her!

In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer | Audiobook Review

Posted March 24, 2022 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 3 Comments

In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer
Narrator: Amanda Dolan, Neil Hellegers
Published by Forever on March 15, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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A clever, tender, and romantic novel for readers of Christina Lauren, Jasmine Guillory, and Sophie Cousens, this laugh-out-loud debut is a perceptive reminder that fate can have a sense of humor, and that love can happen…In a New York Minute.

Franny Doyle is having the worst day. She’s been laid off from her (admittedly mediocre) job, the subway doors ripped her favorite silk dress to ruins, and now she’s flashed her unmentionables to half of lower Manhattan. On the plus side, a dashing stranger came to her rescue with his (Gucci!) suit jacket. On the not-so-plus side, he can’t get away from her fast enough.

Worse yet? Someone posted their (entirely not) meet-cute online. Suddenly Franny and her knight-in-couture, Hayes Montgomery III, are the newest social media sensation, and all of New York is shipping #SubwayQTs.

Only Franny and Hayes couldn’t be a more disastrous match. She’s fanciful, talkative, and creative. He’s serious, shy, and all about numbers. Luckily, in a city of eight million people, they never have to meet again. Yet somehow, Hayes and Franny keep running into each other—and much to their surprise, they enjoy each other’s company. A lot. But when Franny’s whole world is turned upside down (again!), can she find the courage to trust in herself and finally have the life—and love—she’s always wanted?

I love New York! There, I said it. I absolutely love the bustling, beautiful, exciting New York City. I love finding books set in NYC, and always find myself salivating over the descriptions of the city and the food. I was so excited to get my hands on Kate Spencer’s debut, In a New York Minute (yes, I sang the song for days and am singing it again now as I write my review), with its cute cover and promise of a laugh-out-loud “clever, tender, and romantic novel for readers of Christina Lauren”. This had all the makings of a very Jana book: New York, rom-com, Christina Lauren. Yes, please! And while it was cute, a few things just didn’t work for me. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. The meet-cute was my favorite part of this story. The cherry on top of Franny’s day from Hell was when the subway ripped her favorite dress right off her body, causing her to moon half of New York. Luckily Hayes was there to offer her his suit coat (Gucci) before disappearing into the crowd of people, never to be seen again. Or so you might think. In the hustle and bustle of NYC, these two just kept being thrown together until it was clear that they were supposed to be more than strangers. This meet-cute was cringey cute. Cringey because oh my gosh, I would not survive this kind of meeting if it happened to me. The mortification! This set us up for a very fun, romantic story. But then…

2. Hayes dates another woman, Serena, for the bulk of the book. That really killed the swoony feelings I was having over him in the beginning. He was clearly into Franny, but he was so lacking in self confidence that he decided to date someone else because Franny was clearly uninterested. It didn’t work, though, and he frequently thought of Franny while he was on dates with Serena. I didn’t like that my sweet, shy, caring Hayes sort of accidentally used Serena to get over a girl he never even had. And I say “accidentally” because I don’t think Hayes even realized what he was doing. But still, it rubbed me the wrong way that he spends more of the book with the runner-up than his number one.

3. In a New York Minute is told in alternating perspectives, and I always enjoy it when an author chooses to do this. Franny and Hayes take turns telling the story, and I enjoyed jumping into both of their heads. These two are polar opposites, so it was refreshing to switch things up. Hayes is very serious, analytical, and shy. Franny is funny, outgoing, and bubbly. I liked both of them for the most part, but Hayes’s lack of awareness and Franny’s dramatic thoughts had me rolling my eyes a time or two. I found their interactions to be cute, if not a little awkward at times. Hayes in particular just… doesn’t seem very socially adjusted and fumbles several times with both his actions and his words. There’s a lot of miscommunication and confusion between these two, and after a while I just wanted to lock them in a room and make them actually speak to one another.

4. The supporting characters were wonderful. I loved that both Franny and Hayes had great friends who supported and loved them. Franny’s two best friends, Cleo and Lola, were so sweet and so much fun. They really knew how to take care of their friend, and I’m jealous of their friendship. This trio actually kind of reminded me of the dynamic between Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe from Friends. And then Hayes’s work wife, Eleanor, was always there to give him a reality check when he got in his own way. His cousin Perrine was also amazing, and had a romance of her own on the side that I thought was sweet.

5. You can tell the author loves New York. This book is a love letter to New York City, and I was captivated by the descriptions of the city. We get to go on walks with the characters to see the city during busy and quieter times, eat yummy food, and read about how much they love living there.

6. The romance is slow burning and fade-to-black. It felt slightly reminiscent of some of my favorite romcom movies like While You Were Sleeping and You’ve Got Mail. Franny and Hayes have some great flirty banter, and some sweet romantic interactions. I liked that their relationship progressed naturally from strangers to employer/client to friends to lovers. They go on this really romantic date that keeps getting longer and longer, and I loved it. It was pretty magical. I wasn’t a fan of their third act drama, but oh well.

7. This review was really hard to write, because I think the audio tarnished my reading experience. While writing this review, I realized the negative things I was thinking about the story were most likely due to the narration. I wonder if I’d read it instead if I would have liked it more. Neil Hellegers did a fine job with Hayes and I don’t have any real complaints on that end. But Amanda Dolan’s narration for Franny grated on me and I struggled to listen to her. Some of her vocal choices for exciting/tense moments or other characters were shrill and piercing. She read very dramatically, and I found myself pausing out of sheer exhaustion. For example, Franny and Hayes end up doing a TV interview together after their viral meet-cute and I wanted to throw my phone across the room while listening to how Amanda chose to read the voices of the interviewers. Loud, obnoxious, and cheesy. You know how on sitcoms when a character tries to be an actor and it comes out really weird? Like they can’t smile naturally or speak in a normal fluid way and it ends up sounding very choppy and stiff? And it’s like, wow that real life actor is really good at acting like a bad actor but oh my gosh stop talking like that because I am so uncomfortable? That’s how this went. I sped the audio up many times just so I could be done with her. It’s hard to really explain my thoughts when I can’t share specific clips. Anyway…

I can’t say I’m satisfied with this review, but I’ve spent over an hour and a half straight trying to organize my thoughts and here we are. lol. Seriously, WordPress kicked me out while I was writing this because my session expired. That’s how long I’ve mulled over this. I loved the idea of the story, the meet-cute, the love of NYC, the friendships, and the handful of romantic moments I got. I liked both characters, but found myself frustrated with their ability to communicate with one another. The ending is very romantic, and had me smiling. I really didn’t like the narration, and I’m sure everything would feel different if I had read it instead. All in all, I will read Kate Spencer’s next book and maybe I’ll find the time to go back and read this one again to better appreciate the things I loved about it.

One Night Only by Catherine Walsh | Book Review

Posted February 3, 2022 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 4 Comments

One Night Only by Catherine Walsh
Narrator: Jessica Regan
Published by Bookouture on July 30, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 311
Length: 9 hours 17 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Gift
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Who could have predicted this? Being at the same wedding. In Ireland. There’s a reason one-night stands are one-night stands. You’re not supposed to see each other again, especially not when you’re the maid of honor, and he’s the groom’s brother…

Sarah Anderson has never been more excited about anything in her life. She’s going to her best friend’s wedding. And not just any wedding. An Irish wedding. Goodbye New York, hello rolling green hills and men with beautiful accents and twinkling eyes.

But Sarah should have known that not all guests are fairy-tale princes…

There’s the chinless Uncle Trevor, whose idea of small talk is to claim climate change is a conspiracy.

Then there’s Great Aunt Eileen, who doesn’t talk at all (she’s too busy replacing the hotel cutlery with her own set).

Worst of all, there’s Declan Murphy. Best man. Brother of the groom. And the man Sarah last saw naked.

Is there anything more mortifying than bumping into a one-night stand halfway across the world? Especially as Declan seems determined to embarrass Sarah at every turn. At least when the wedding’s over she’ll never have to see him again.

But, back in New York, Sarah finds the more she tries to forget Declan, the more she can’t shake the thought of that infuriatingly charming smile and the way he wears a tux…

Was he really just for one night only, or might Declan Murphy be The One?

Prepare to laugh until you cry with this perfect feel-good romantic comedy about taking a chance on love. Fans of Sophie Ranald, Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes won’t be able to put this down!

The travel bug in me is rearing its ugly head these days! I can’t stop reading books set in other countries, so of course I had to read this rom-com that takes place, at least for some of the book, in Ireland! Sarah, an architect living in New York, is off to a small town in Ireland for her best friend’s wedding at a fancy resort. I really enjoyed this vacation to the Emerald Isle right along with her! As always, my main points are bolded.

1. Let’s start off with Sarah. I liked her a lot, even though I also wanted to smack her sometimes. She knows what she wants and is perfectly capable of standing up for herself. She also has great self-esteem, knows her worth, and isn’t afraid to put herself first. She’s a really good friend. She’s been hurt by a former love, and is very protective of her heart (I can relate to that). Because she’s not a relationship person anymore, she tends just have one night (see where the title comes from?) with a man and then that’s the end. At the beginning of the book, we see her kicking a sexy Irishman out of her house so she can rush off to work. My biggest problem with Sarah is how she treated this man. He was so nice and wanted to spend more time with her, and he seemed so confused and hurt that she kicked him out in such a rude way. When he tried to talk to her she slammed the door in his face. I could never be that way towards a person.

2. Luckily we see this Irishman again very quickly! His name is Declan, and he’s the brother of the groom in this Ireland wedding! When Sarah sees him, she goes into a panic and begins avoiding him immediately. Awkward! This guy is swoony, so I don’t even understand Sarah. He’s got the Irish accent and sounds like he’s very handsome. He’s funny and charming and sarcastic. He sees something he likes in Sarah and will not give up. She continues to be rude to him, and he keeps finding ways to be around her and talk to her. Finally he starts to wear her down little by little, but she’s put up guards of steel. I love his determination to tear them down. He and Sarah have a long conversation over drinks in the bar one night, and even though they both get plastered he remembers the important things she tells him. He’s empathetic and understanding, and I love how he tries to ground her when he can see that she’s about to flee in a panic. He creates a safe space for her and allows her time to realize she’s falling for him.

3. The secondary characters are all great! Sarah’s best friend, Annie, was really sweet. She doesn’t play a huge part in the story, but I loved her wedding and her big family (well, most of them). I really liked Sarah’s roommate, too (she gets a tiny romance herself). Oh, and then there’s Sarah’s fun co-worker, Will, who I loved!

4. We end up back in New York much sooner than I was expecting, which was a bit of a disappointment. I loved the wedding and the sightseeing the characters did in Ireland, and I wanted more of that.

5. Once Sarah gets back home to normal life and tries to forget about Declan, there’s a period of her trying to date someone else and dealing with workplace drama. This part of the book didn’t work for me as well. I wanted more romance!

6. But… I suppose that this romance was pretty realistic. There’s push and pull, back and forth, time away to process, etc. So I get it. I understood. There were some very romantic moments, but I felt like there was also a lot of focus on Sarah’s personal growth. I loved seeing her come to the realization that not every love story ends in heartbreak, but it was a process getting there. It was very relatable, and will resonate with so many readers (it definitely resonated with me)… but I wanted more of that magical, sparkling romance I crave from romance novels.

7. The writing was very well done. I loved the bits of humor here and there, and the characters are very well-rounded and developed. The book’s synopsis tells us to “prepare to laugh until you cry”. This… didn’t happen. I didn’t find the book that funny. It had its moments, but there were more serious moments than funny ones for me. Not a problem, but that’s a bold statement to make and this book did not deliver that.

8. I listened to the audiobook, and Jessica Regan did a good job. I enjoyed listening to her, and would gladly listen to more books she’s narrated. She has a nice, soothing voice. My only real criticism is that Sarah is an American, but sounded like an Irish woman trying to sound like an American. It was a bit distracting to hear Sarah pronounce words in a way that no American would in an accent that was trying to sound American but had a hint of that Irish lilt to it. That being said, Jessica did keep Sarah’s voice relatively consistent and she did a great job switching back and forth from Declan to Sarah. It would be so hard to switch accents that quickly.

All in all, One Night Only was a very fun read! I enjoyed the parts that took place in Ireland a lot, and I loved Declan so much. The romance was a little underdeveloped for me, but the ending was very sweet and gave me the swoons I wanted. I’m definitely interested in reading more from Catherine Walsh.