Everything We Never Wanted by Sienna Waters

⭐⭐⭐☆★

Alex Blakely has wanderlust. All she wants to do is travel, do small jobs whenever she needs the money while travelling and then travel some more. But suddenly her life changes and she becomes responsible for a sweet seven-year-old, Libby. Libby is Alex’s niece and though Alex and her sister, Claire, weren’t exactly close, Alex is Libby’s only living relative.

 Kat Stein is an elementary school teacher in charge of the second grade. She is passionate about teaching. All Kat ever really wanted was a wife, a child, a stable home and to teach. She had it all till a year ago when her wife divorced her accusing Kat of being ‘boring’ and Kat lost everything including her home. The only thing that she still has is her teaching. With dire financial straits, it seems like Kat may need to rethink even her beloved job.

The two diametrically opposite personalities somehow mesh together perfectly till things need to get more real.

Waters does a fabulous job creating the circumstances of Alex and Kat in the beginning. You feel them totally. You get their mindspace perfectly. Alex’s character arc through the story is extremely well done.

We liked Kat instantaneously and felt very strongly for her and have a huge problem with her being branded ‘boring’ repeatedly, especially way too often by herself. Even the ways she tries to ‘change’ herself makes you feel rather sad. We also thought she was a little too giving and forgiving – which can actually be explained by her very low self-esteem.

The relationship between the MCs is surprising in the sense the emotional connect is there but the chemistry is tepid.

 This is a fairly quick, okay read.

⭐⭐⭐☆★

Relevé by Max Ellendale

⭐⭐⭐☆★

Maya, a cop with the Seattle PD, returns home from a three month long undercover operation and finds that she is homeless thanks to having trusted and depended on her careless father. Emotionally raw from the operation, Maya is at her lowest, skulking in an alley as she tries to grapple with the splinters of her life when she sees Vivian. They exchange a few words and turns out that Vivian teaches dance in the studio behind which Maya has taken refuge. After Vivian returns inside, Maya lays down right there and ends up napping. She’s woken by Vivian who offers her food, shelter and a phone, which Maya uses to call her cousin, Nora.

When Maya regains her life a couple of days later, she visits the lovely lady and a closeness develops between them. However, Maya is besieged by nightmares of her time undercover and cannot share her secrets with Vivian, though they are getting more and more into each other.

Ellendale writes these amazing women who are loving, caring, nurturing, mature, knock-out beautiful and burning hot. Vivian is that in this book and it is impossible to not fall into her. This character is typically offset by a troubled, rather broken counterpart. The troubled character can be an uncertain factor. We’ve loved some of them and hated others with a passion. In this, obviously, Maya is the troubled soul. However, she is not dislikeable (thank god) – with the single exception for her secret keeping from Vivian. Also, Maya doesn’t seem very strong. Given her childhood and her recent undercover experience, this can be justified but it felt like others were constantly fighting her battles for her and basically wrapping her in cotton wool. Clearly, we loved Vivian and don’t think Maya measures up…but okay. There are plenty sweet moments and loving words to warm our romantic hearts and make us okay with this couple.

The third constant in Ellendale’s books is a very strong, very loving support system (usually peopled with crossover characters from her other works). That, in fact, is one of the loveliest fictional worlds she writes – that whole big (and constantly growing) family of choice.

And this above all – the sex. Hot. Lots. Awesome.

Though an average book by the yardstick established by this author, Ellendale is inarguably an excellent author, which makes this one very readable.

⭐⭐⭐☆★

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

⭐⭐⭐☆★
Reimagined fairytales has become quite a thing now but this one does much more than just reimagine Cinderella and the premise is super exciting.

In Lille, the city of the almost mythical Cindrella, Sophia is a sixteen year old headstrong young lady in love with her friend, Erin. Since the fabled Cinderella's ball, things have devolved in Lille. The tale has become a religion and following Cinderella's footsteps has become the law. The year a girl turns sixteen she's expected to attend the annual ball with the hope that someone will choose her. Each girl is allowed three balls and if she's not chosen, she becomes 'forfeit' i.e. she's claimed by the palace never to be heard from again. This is just one of the many, many horrible rules governing the land and subjugating women. 

Sophia attends the ball but doesn't play ball and runs away from there setting in motion many events with her determination to end the restrictive and destructive regime of cruelty. 

Every character, no matter how tiny their appearance, is finely defined and etched. The atmosphere is evocatively described. The dark reimagination of the fairytale is unexpected and detailed. We were shaken by the ruthlessness with which Bayron did away with characters and the physical abuse against women, but it all goes towards creating the circumstance, the society and the king's character. The take on the benevolent fairy godmother is unique. Sophia's and Cinderella's stories are excellently interwoven and superbly narrated. 

The book draws the horrors of patriarchy very effectively but doesn't quite pull off overthrowing patriarchy. It is more a fight against the King -- his megalomania, his corruption and his cruelty -- than against patriarchy. 

This was an engrossing, though rather disturbing, read which kept us awake and involved an entire night.

PS: There is a huge list of trigger and content warnings for this one starting with homophobia, toxic masculinity, physical, verbal and emotional abuse and going on to encompass many, many more issues.

⭐⭐⭐☆★

Captive Hearts by Natasha West

⭐⭐⭐☆★

This book has Natasha West taking baby steps out of her comfort zone with excellent results.

Ashley Quick is a TV reporter with an ambition to do investigative stories for the biggest channels. But she is stuck in a small-time local channel for three years with little hope and possibility of making a big jump. Intense and Type A, she is rather bereft of social filters and emotional niceties. She knows her personality failings and also realises that they are stopping her from realising her ambition. But she is who she is. No camera operator lasts with her because of her rather abrasive behaviour. When the latest camera o quits, her boss reaches out to Gina Tucker, a totally chill and laid back cam op who just happens to be in-between jobs. Regular pay, and good pay at that, makes Gina agree to work with the reporter no one else is willing to work with.

Off on their first story -- a thrilling bring-and-buy sale in the local church -- Ashley catches hint of a real story happening somewhere in town. She manages to convince Gina and they rush away from the church to a closed pizza place with police cars standing in front of it. When she tries to find out what's happening, she's brusquely shooed away. But Ashley is not faint hearted and hangs around long enough to find out that there's a hostage situation inside. She's excited. Being the only news people around, this could well become her big break into national television. But that hope doesn't last too long as the police cordon off the area and the two are sent packing away beyond the cordon.

After hanging around a while, when it seems that there is no possibility of getting a piece of the action, Ashley is about to do her concluding piece to camera when things change. The police come to them and say that the man holding hostages is willing to release one but only if the news people are around and will interview him. 

But things change entirely again when instead of an interview, the perpetrator releases one hostage but takes Ashley and Gina as hostages.

Unwittingly, Ashley becomes the point of contact with the police and finds herself handling the borderline crazy man trying to get more and more hostages released.

While West is undoubtedly good at romcom, in this one she creates an unusual circumstance which she spices up with her fun dialogues and whimsical characters, but is at heart a more serious and layered book than usual.

Ashley and Gina are appealing right from the start. Despite her single-minded ambition and social ineptitude, there is something heartrendingly fragile and delicate about Ashley. Gina is the perfect support for her. 

Initially both find the other attractive but there's no common ground between them. Their relationship really develops in the heightened intensity of the situation. The surreal circumstance also speeds up revelations and observations about each other's true characters which makes the fact that they choose each other completely convincing despite the short period that they've known each other.

The villain is rather an over the top caricaturish character but that helps is keeping the story light enough. There is a whole cast of people and West's talent shows in the fact she manages to create personalities for most of them in their very brief appearances. 

The fast moving, easy-to-read book is still in the realm of romcom but a few inches closer to the serious fiction line than most of West's books and thoroughly entertains.

⭐⭐⭐☆★

Lucky in Love: A Fur-ever Veterinary Romance by Cara Malone

⭐⭐⭐☆★

Sweetness. That’s the one word that springs to mind about this romance.

Jules Wakefield, a vet, lost her beloved parents suddenly and hasn’t come to terms with her grief. For as long as she can remember, her parents ran a rabbit rescue on their sprawling forty acre land. She is now struggling to manage the rescue plus her practise. Jules wants to sell the property with the caveat that the buyers continue running the rescue. The caveat is non-negotiable and chases potential buyers away. In a moment of despondency, Jules has a brainwave: run an essay contest about the rescue. The prize is that she’ll sign over the rescue, house and property to the winner. Of course, her lawyer advises a three-month waiting period before signing the papers so that Jules can make sure that the winner of the contest is indeed up to the task of running the rescue and committed to it.

After twelve years of being with her boyfriend and supporting his dream of making partner in a law firm, Parker Rose has realised that she is never going to count in the relationship. Her dreams of simpler, rural (at least suburban) living that she’s deferred were never going to be considered. Parker chooses to walk out of the relationship which is basically killing her. With a soft spot for rabbits, Parker has started a small online business specializing in bunny treats, but that doesn’t generate a lot of income, so Parker moves back with her parents.

When Parker wins Jules’ contest, it’s a dream come true, except that she’d not written or sent the essay (which is admittedly authentic about Parker) – her best friend wrote and sent it in Parker’s name. Parker loves the bunnies, the rescue, the life and above all Jules who falls as much in love with Parker. But the ‘lie’ of the essay could well be the undoing of paradise.

Jules and (especially) Parker are instantly appealing. Both the ladies have been written with depth and are well realised characters. The relationship between the two is all aww-some, in particular all the ways Parker takes care of Jules. And, of course, bunnies.

There is a little bit of angst in the relationship when Parker confesses but mercifully it wasn’t overblown or stretched too long. The behaviour of both the ladies in that situation didn’t devolve into drama or unreasonableness. The accompanying outside threat was also dealt with totally convincingly.So it was all good.

This book is one happy sip of feel-good-ness.    

⭐⭐⭐☆★  

Home by Jenn Alexander

⭐⭐⭐☆★

What does home mean? Alexander explores all possibilities that can mean home writing within the framework of this lovely romance.

Rowan Barnes is a chef. She loves cooking and spends all her time learning the skill. Born and brought up in Portland, Rowen's dream job materialises in Fort Worth, Texas. While she's not crazy about Texas and the stereotypical image of Texans she has, she finds the opportunity too good to pass and despite her trepidation, makes the leap and moves to from familiarity and comfort to the unknown. Kate Landreth is a true blue Texan rancher. Except that she is also a lesbian. Rowen is assigned to get supplies from the Landerth ranch and finds more than just the supplies. She finds someone who could make her rethink Texas.

So, the question 'what is home?' is explored in a variety of ways via Rowen. The books, photographs, things? The city you've known? Your friends? Family? Routines (weekends at bars / trying out new foods)? The comfortable conversations? A person? Love? 

Both the ladies are quite lovely with Rowen scoring more points for adorability. It did feel that a disproportionate amount of the emotional work of the burgeoning relationship was laid on Rowen but both the MCs are unusually aware and self-aware and have an enviable understanding of the other. So Rowen realises the unfairness but is able to see where Kate is coming from and her unaddressed issues with her mom. Kate appreciates Rowen's difficulties with being alone in a new place, with having left everything and everyone she loves behind. Kate also has a revelation about her own unfairness in asking much more from Rowen than she (Kate) is offering. 

The difference between Rowen and Kate is that Rowen walks the talk, thought and emotion  (she makes many leaps to make the relationship work) while for Kate it remains intellectual awareness which doesn't entirely translate to emotional or behavioural change. And this, amongst other adorable behaviours, makes Rowen special. To the credit of the author, Kate remains likeable, but rather everyday and ordinary in comparison.

The progress of the relationship between Rowen and Kate is beautifully etched. The chemistry between them is excellent. 

Probably unintentionally the book also kind of showcases Texas in many ways, but that is quite welcome for armchair travellers like us. 

We thoroughly enjoyed reading this one, especially getting to really, really know the ladies as fully developed and realised characters. This is a lovely read.

⭐⭐⭐☆★