downsophialane's reviews
167 reviews

I fear that Tessa Bailey's editors have decided she is too big to fail. I generally enjoy nanny romances but this was a was a bizarre book which I think ultimately comes down to it reading like an unpolished draft. There was a lack of care taken witht the heroine's trauma

(stalking/kidnapping/confinement by an ex-hookup)

, both in the construction of her character and the narration, as well as by the hero even after he finds out the details of why she doesn't trust easily. Tessa Bailey is clearly doing a "he falls first and hard" thing with these Big Shot heroes which I usually love, but this hero just seems to bowl straight through whatever boundaries she tries to establish, because he's decided they are endgame.

It's an easy enough one-day read but I wouldn't expect too much. I hope Tessa's coming novel is a bit more thoughtful and consistent in its characterisation.

My lifelong search for realistic romances featuring teachers continues unsatisfied. I loved the premise of this book, but the execution didn't grab me. The execution of the grumpy/sunshine trope was underwhelming (I only remembered this was the central trope from the title!) and I felt my mind wandering during dialogue heavy scenes. My main frustration was the almost total lack of engagement with the professional ethical issue of dating a student's father.

High concept, high angst erotic retelling of the Tristan/Isolde myth, set in the universe of Sierra Simone's New Camelot series. The heart of the myth necessitates

betrayal,

which honestly I found a bit annoying...

I kept expecting Mark that he'd been manipulating them into a triad the whole

BUT I review based on what the author provided, not on what I expected. Sierra has delivered another tense and explicit new myth.... even if I can't quite put my finger on what exactly is going on with the worldbuilding. If you enjoyed New Camelot, you'll enjoy this. If you discovered Sierra through the Christmas Notch series, be aware this is much more angsty. 

Emily Henry can write one hell of black moment. Daphne is an utterly relatable heroine and Miles is the unproblematic hero we all deserve. 

There is a reason The Hunger Games launched a thousand YA dystopian knock offs. This novel doesn't just hold up, it is outstanding. Suzanne Collins' control of limited first person and indirect characterisation is outstanding. 

Some nice ideas for homemade recipes and remedies for around your home - some more accessible than others. I'll try out some, particularly the food and drinks recipes... although realistically, I doubt I'll be sourcing the specialist ingredients I would need to make my own makeup! 

It is WILD to be reading a budgeting book that referencing a Beach Body "Coach" with zero critique of the predatory multi-level marketing industry. That blatent oversight tarnishes the rest of this book, which otherwise offers pretty straightforward but sensible budgeting advice. 

There's a reason this ballad is so celebrated. It was surprisingly readable, despite the deliberately archaic language. Even though I've historically loved Romantic poetry, I was procrastinating my preparation for teaching "Rime" because I suppose I discriminate against maritime narratives, I suppose? But this supernatural quest is wild, and Gothic as hell. I'd recommend taking a look at the original version, first printed in 1798's Lyrical Ballads for Gustave Doré's intricate Romantic realist illustrations. 
Some of the annotations are useful, particularly in drawing connections between different parts of the poem; some annotations particularly relating to critical intepretations, weren't as relevant to my purposes. I skimmed the Intepretations section at the back.