Wrap-Up: February

Fiction: 4

Non-fiction: 0

Short stories: 0

Graphic novels: 1

Total: 4

Page count: 1 614

Average rating: 3.56

Favourite Cover:

• Heart of Flames

Favourite Book:

• Evvie Drake Starts Over

3 Favourite Characters :

• Veronyka (Heart of Flames)
• Tristan (Heart of Flames)
• Sev (Heart of Flames)

3 Favourite Relationships (Romantic):

• Veronyka & Tristan (Heart of Flames)
• Sev & Kade (Heart of Flames)
• Evvie & Dean (Evvie Drake Starts Over)

3 Favourite Relationships (Platonic):

• Veronyka & Xephyra (Heart of Flames)
• Evvie & Andy (Evvie Drake Starts Over)
• Freddy & Doodle (Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me)

To Be Brief…

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me: A graphic novel about a girl who finds herself in a toxic relationship with someone who regularly breaks up with her only to take her back a few days later. This was short and easy to get through, the art style was cute, and the story itself is something I think a lot of people can relate to. All in all I’d say it’s worth picking up if you’re looking for an LGBT contemporary graphic novel. 4/5 stars

“It’s true that giving can be a part of love. But, contrary to popular belief, love should never take from you, Freddy.”

Evvie Drake Starts Over: Evvie Drake is in the process of packing up the car to leave her emotionally abusive husband when she gets the call that he’s been in an accident. A year after his death, people are still feeling sorry for the poor widow of the town’s beloved doctor, and Evvie feels like she can tell no one about her horrible marriage, much less move on from it. Dean Tenney is a former major league baseball pitcher who can no longer pitch, and in an attempt to escape it all, he decides to spend some time in the home town of his childhood buddy, Andy (who happens to be Evvie’s best friend). I really enjoyed reading this book. It had just the right amount of romance, friendship, and personal journey I was looking for, but what I liked the most was how reasonable the characters were (I know, I was shocked, too). Yes, they all messed up from time to time and the book is not short on conflict, but they weren’t complete morons about it, which was refreshing. I finished this book in pretty much one sitting, and I’d say it was time pretty well spent. 4/5 stars

“I’m a widow everywhere I go, which explains why I feel like one, constantly. I looked it up in the dictionary, though, and if I get married again, I’m not a widow anymore. Even though I still married him and he’s still gone.”
He frowned. “That’s weird.”
“Isn’t it? It’s like the comatose princess who can only wake up if someone kisses her.”

Heart of Flames (Crown of Feathers #2): In this sequel to Crown of Feathers we return to Pyra, where phoenix riders are more than just a legend. Veronyka, Tristan, Sev and Kade are back, and I enjoyed reading about their adventures once again. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as thrilled about the two new PoVs, and though they weren’t necessarily bad, I wasn’t very interested in them either. I also can’t say I was particularly surprised by anything that happened throughout the book, which was sort of a shame, but not the end of the world. While it suffers a bit from second book syndrome, I’d still say I enjoyed the story and characters overall, and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series. 3.75/5 stars 

“Live today to fight tomorrow.”

The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts (Lonely Hearts Bookshop #1): This adult contemporary follows a woman with a love for romance novels as she inherits a bookshop. Unfortunately, the store comes with the grandson of the previous owner, who happens to be “the rudest man in London”. When I picked up this book I wanted something light and easy, and that’s what I got. I liked the bookshop aspect of the story, as well as the main character and her friends. The romantic interest, however…well that’s a different story. I feel like he was meant to be a lovable asshole, but to me he just came across as an asshole. He behaved like a literal insufferable child, and while he had his moments towards the end, it wasn’t enough to make up for his previous actions. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the regency romance sections, but that might have more to do with personal preference. So, while the book had some redeeming qualities, I fear I may never recover from rolling my eyes so much, and I’m not sure I’d pick up another book by this author. 2.5/5 stars

“Because you, my dear, of all people know what a magical place a bookshop can be and that everyone needs a little magic in their lives.”