The View Was Exhausting Review

Faking a love story is a whole lot easier than being in love . . .

The world can see that international A-list actress Whitman (“Win”) Tagore and jet-setting playboy Leo Milanowski are made for each other. Their kisses start Twitter trends and their fights break the internet. From red carpet appearances to Met Gala mishaps, their on-again, off-again romance has titillated the public and the press for almost a decade. But it’s all a lie.

As a woman of colour, Win knows the Hollywood deck is stacked against her, so she’s perfected the art of controlling her public persona. Whenever she nears scandal, she calls in Leo, with his endearingly reckless attitude, for a staged date. Each public display of affection shifts the headlines back in Win’s favour, and Leo uses the good press to draw attention away from his dysfunctional family.

Pretending to be in a passionate romance is one thing, but Win knows that a real relationship would lead to nothing but trouble. So instead, they settle for friendship, with a side of sky-rocketing chemistry. Except this time, on the French Riviera, something is off. A shocking secret in Leo’s past sets Win’s personal and professional lives on a catastrophic collision course. Behind the scenes of their yacht-trips and PDA, the world’s favourite couple is at each other’s throats. Now they must finally confront the many truths and lies of their relationship, and Win is forced to consider what is more important: a rising career, or a risky shot at real love?

If you’re looking for a bit of escapism, this could be the book for you. It’s a bright and sassy novel about celebrity and social networking and it will certainly transport you from your day-to-day life, that is, unless you happen to be a rich and famous film star, or one of those celebs who’s just famous for simply being rich and famous – think Paris Hilton.

You’ll have fun trying to work out who Win Whitman Tagore and Leo Milanowski are based on. I was certainly reminded of a few celebrity stories.

Win is a young British Asian film star who has to deal with the casual racism and prejudice that comes her way on a daily basis from people in the film industry in which she works. Her mum is being treated for cancer, her father died before she became famous, and she relies on her assistant and her publicist for support, as well as her best friend Shift, who’s a musician who’s written a top 40 hit.

Leo is a rich and famous young man who has a vast trust fund to fall back on, and who is basically looking for an easy path through life. He gets drawn into a pretend relationship with Win which is purely for the benefit of the media, so that Win can maintain a screen presence that will make people want to see her films and make her studios rich.

So, Win and Leo embark on a seven year long carefully choreographed “relationship” that will keep everyone wanting to see her in films. And it works. She’s nominated for an Oscar.

I suppose you might have guessed that surely the twist will be that one of the two falls genuinely in love with the other. It doesn’t happen the way you expect. Win and Leo spend a lot of time fighting and hating each other. If you want to know if they finally get together, you’ll have to read the book!

There’s a lot of name dropping in here of sites like TMZ, Buzzfeed, the Daily Mail, and so on. It’s right up to date with contemporary references, so it feels very modern and spicy. There are some sex scenes.

There are also some literary references including Jane Austen, Infinite Jest and Middlemarch.

The racism strand of the story is what I found most engaging. Win’s struggles to be seen as an actor who can be successful as well as British Asian feels very accurate, and very timely. I found it so frustrating that Win had to put up with seemingly innocent remarks – for example the use of the adjective “exotic” to describe her. She doesn’t tell Leo about this, because she’s trying to find her own way through, and in spite of the fact she is a bit spoilt and selfish, she’s also a strong character who I wanted to succeed. Leo’s character felt less rounded to me, but I liked the characters of his mums, and of Win’s mum too. They felt real.

I completely loved this. So much tension, angst, humour, and atmosphere, and stellar writing. So, all in all, this struck me as a great read for when you’ve had a busy day and you want to escape to the bright lights of Saint Tropez and Hollywood.

The Hollow Gods Review

Black Hollow is a town with a dark secret.

For centuries, residents have foretold the return of the Dreamwalker—an ominous figure from local folklore said to lure young women into the woods and possess them. Yet the boundary between fact and fable is blurred by a troubling statistic: occasionally, women do go missing. And after they return, they almost always end up dead.

When Kai wakes up next to the lifeless body of a recently missing girl, his memory blank, he struggles to clear his already threadbare conscience.

Miya, a floundering university student, experiences signs that she may be the Dreamwalker’s next victim. Can she trust Kai as their paths collide, or does he herald her demise?

And after losing a young patient, crestfallen oncologist, Mason, embarks on a quest to debunk the town’s superstitions, only to find his sanity tested.

A maelstrom of ancient grudges, forgotten traumas, and deadly secrets loom in the foggy forests of Black Hollow. Can three unlikely heroes put aside their fears and unite to confront a centuries-old evil? Will they uncover the truth behind the fable, or will the cycle repeat?

This debut novel is filled to the brim with folklore and analysis of the characters is masterfully subtle yet effective in that the reader believes they are reading a story about a crazed and demonic woman that is terrorizing a town but in actuality it is an examination of anxiety, grief, loss, identity crisis and everything else you go through in fantasy realms.

The writing is beautiful and the author develops a beautiful visual scene in an extraordinary way. She has developed scenes that are so real it is almost overwhelming and can almost play with your emotions and mind.

The narrative is the point of view of three different characters and each one had a different tone/voice which really gave the impression of different characters talking and was an aspect that I love but is often rare in fantasy books.

As well as the characterisation and the narrative I also like the romance aspect. It was only a small aspect of the novel but an important part because it allowed the reader a moment of desire and a break from the darkness.

Overall, I loved the book and would give it a solid 4 stars due to the pace at the beginning being a bit slow for me.

John Eyre Review

This was my first book by author Mimi Matthews and it definitely will not be my last.

Yorkshire, 1843. When disgraced former schoolmaster John Eyre arrives at Thornfield Hall to take up a position as tutor to two peculiar young boys, he enters a world unlike any he’s ever known. Darkness abounds, punctuated by odd bumps in the night, strange creatures on the moor, and a sinister silver mist that never seems to dissipate. And at the center of it all, John’s new employer—a widow as alluring as she is mysterious.

Sixteen months earlier, heiress Bertha Mason embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Marriage wasn’t on her itinerary, but on meeting the enigmatic Edward Rochester, she’s powerless to resist his preternatural charm. In letters and journal entries, she records the story of their rapidly-disintegrating life together, and of her gradual realization that Mr. Rochester isn’t quite the man he appears to be. In fact, he may not be a man at all.

From a cliff-top fortress on the Black Sea coast to an isolated estate in rural England, John and Bertha contend with secrets, danger, and the eternal struggle between light and darkness. Can they help each other vanquish the demons of the past? Or are some evils simply too powerful to conquer?

I don’t even know where to begin honestly, I have always loved historical fiction – its part of the reason I’m an English Literature and History major but I have not read a book like this for a while. It was a delightful Victorian gothic drama that Bronte herself would have been proud of, intertwined with gender reversal roles, romance and a theme of light and hope. It moves between thriller and mystery that had me gripped and completely riveted at the relationship that starts to form between John Eyre and Mrs Rochester and I really enjoyed following this through the novel.

This book provides so much more than just a retelling of the classic novel Jane Eyre – it also retells a second story but I don’t want to give an spoilers just trust me when I say it is an intriguing mix and it really works.

There is absolutely nothing to dislike about this book the characters are extremely well written, the setting is perfectly described and deliciously gothic and I would go as far as to say that it is even more gothic in setting than Jane Eyre is.  Every chapter in the novel poses a question that leaves the reader literally begging/devouring the chapter to get an answer only to start all over again in the next chapter. Everything that I adored in Jane Eyre was in this novel but Mimi Matthews also elevated it to a new level.

I read this so quickly and has now become a new favourite book of mine as well as Mimi Matthews becoming a new favourite author. Please pick up this book and give her some love, I wish I could give more than 5 stars but sadly I will have to make do with 5.

Fae Away Review

This is an amazing read and I couldn’t put it down so I devoured it in just over a day.

A ROYAL HEIR

A FORBIDDEN LOVE

A DEADLY PALACE SECRET

Celyse is a princess of Faevenly, born into the most powerful house in the faerie realm. Yet even they must abide by the highest law in the land—the law that prohibits tampering with the portals to the forbidden human realm.

Bored with duty and longing for adventure, Celyse dreams of life in the mysterious realm. And when she happens upon a lost portal that promises a private viewing, she seizes the opportunity and finds herself face to face with a gorgeous human. Mesmerized by him in every way, she sneaks away to visit him nightly, forming a relationship with her would-be enemy. But when her official courting season approaches, she is forced to leave her idle fancy behind.

Until her life is threatened by a suitor who accuses her of misdeeds with the portals.

Julio is a normal guy . . . who can see ghosts. With apparitions flitting in and out of his life, he thinks seeing an ethereal girl with silver hair is another part of the supernatural weirdness that just happens to him. But when the very real girl shows up in his room, the pull he feels toward her is undeniable. She claims that her faerie realm and his human realm are in danger, and he can help her.

Julio’s head blares a warning against this deadly path, but his heart urges him to do anything to save her. Including risk his own life.

I loved the character development and the amazing history of the world they are inserted, as well as the mystery and forbidden love itself. I loved every second with it and just could not put the book down. Can´t wait to read the second one and see what happens to my beloved Celyse, who I strongly identified with.

This is an amazing story with twists and turns, action, and romance. The story kept me on my toes. I recommend this story highly, it’s a must read. Well done Rose Garcia.

Going Greek Review

 After a work party gone disastrously wrong, Samantha suddenly finds herself jobless and jilted. So when her sister invites Sam to stay at her little whitewashed farmhouse on a Greek island, Sam leaps at the chance to escape. Before long, she’s trundling up the cobbled driveway, almost colliding with sexy neighbour Spyros.

It isn’t all sunshine and smiles though. For every afternoon spent lounging by the pool, cocktail in hand, there is a morning spent adjusting to life with boisterous six-year-old nieces. When Spyros invites Sam to explore the island with him, she’s tempted, but with his carefree, live-for-the-moment attitude, he couldn’t be more different to Sam with her five-year plans and high-maintenance hair. One drink, as friends, couldn’t hurt though? Over glasses of fruity Greek wine and honey-sweet baklava, can he – and the other charming locals – help city girl Sam to appreciate the simple pleasures the Greek life has to offer?

Just as Sam is considering ditching her designer gear for good though, she runs in to an old flame from home, and suddenly her London life comes hurtling back. Can her smooth-talking ex convince Sam to return to the concrete jungle, or will the lessons she’s learned from her Greek escape persuade her to stay?

I was firstly attracted by the stunning front cover on this book and the story didn’t disappoint either. After this past year with the pandemic, I wanted a read that I would usually read in a hot sunny country and this totally whisked me away and made me feel like I was sitting in Greece.

The writing is wonderfully descriptive and as someone who hasn’t visited Rhodes, I was able to see the scene perfectly and after googling it I wasn’t far off all from her descriptions of the setting. I was totally enamoured by the charm and slow pace of Greek life.

The characters are well written and very relatable, I found myself instantly and easily warming to them and found myself wanting to spend time with them off the pages as well as in them and the plot was well paced and I couldn’t put it down I finished it in 2 days.

A great light hearted holiday read that is well deserving of 5 stars.

Where We Go From Here Review

I was provided Where We Go From Here by Lucas Rocha as an ARC through NetGalley in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own and thanks is extended to the author, publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to do so.

Ian has just been diagnosed with HIV.

Victor, to his great relief, has tested negative.

Henrique has been living with HIV for the past three years.

When Victor finds himself getting tested for HIV for the first time, he can’t help but question his entire relationship with Henrique, the guy he has-had-been dating. See, Henrique didn’t disclose his positive HIV status to Victor until after they had sex, and even though Henrique insisted on using every possible precaution, Victor is livid.

That’s when Victor meets Ian, a guy who’s also getting tested for HIV. But Ian’s test comes back positive, and his world is about to change forever. Though Victor is loath to think about Henrique, he offers to put the two of them in touch, hoping that perhaps Henrique can help Ian navigate his new life. In the process, the lives of Ian, Victor, and Henrique will become intertwined in a story of friendship, love, and stigma-a story about hitting what you think is rock bottom, but finding the courage and support to keep moving forward.

Set in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this utterly engrossing debut by Brazilian author Lucas Rocha calls back to Alex Sanchez’s Rainbow Boys series, bringing attention to how far we’ve come with HIV, while shining a harsh light on just how far we have yet to go.

If you haven’t read this book then it needs to be added to you TBR pile instantly. Where We Go From Here is an incredibly heart-warming story about friendship, the families that can be found and overcoming fears. It is a very important novel that is highly informative about HIV and aims to dispel the stigma that still surrounds it to this day.

The writing style is amazing and although the narrative consists of different point of views from each of the characters it is very easy to follow and adds so much depth to the story. The story is both heart-breaking and light-hearted at times but it is done perfectly in both instances and at exactly the right moments, I laughed, I cried and I hoped and that is a testament to how good an author Rocha is.

There were several things I loved about this book, the first is that it was very educational through the main characters having many conversations around the theme of HIV. I have a lot of experience with HIV through my career and this was executed perfectly and I saw a lot of my clients within the narrative of this novel, it was obviously very well researched and extremely well thought out. The second thing that I loved were the characters themselves and how well you get to know them as a reader and how easily you feel their emotions alongside them.

This is a new favourite of mine and one of the best books I have read so far in 2021 and so for that reason it is a 5 star read for me.