Short Take Reviews: The Awakening, Love at First, Undeniable

 

4 stars
Breen was living a truly unfulfilling life and, after the discovery of money set aside for her by her long-lost father, traveled to his home in Ireland for the summer. That set into motion events that would lead her into another world and a destiny she could never have imagined. Discovering a portal that transported her to a land she had dreamed of, Breen found herself among people who had been waiting for her arrival and were anxious for her to fulfill her fated role.

It's been years since I read anything by Nora Roberts, but the premise of The Awakening appealed to me. It was easy to get sucked right into the story as Breen ventured to Ireland and found much more than she anticipated. A magical land, fae, dragons, and a loving grandmother – as well as darker force intent on doing harm and bringing ruin to the land and its people. The Chosen One trope is alive and well here and I totally enjoyed the cast of characters, Breen finding her way in such unfamiliar surroundings, and the choices she was faced with. This is what I consider “fantasy lite” and it was a fun reading experience. I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series.


3.25 stars
Love at First was a mostly entertaining tale of two sort-of lost souls who (finally) came together. Nora had a strong connection with the other residents in her apartment building. A place where she’d spent summers as a child and where she had stability and felt loved and understood. Since the death of her beloved grandmother, Nora had moved back and was determined to protect the building and all who lived there from an outsider (Will).

While I enjoyed the found family aspect and all the quirky side characters that formed Nora’s support system and social circle, the two main characters left me wanting more. Nora and Will were pleasant enough but overall pretty bland. I never felt like I had a good understanding of who they were and what their motivations were, and that meant I wasn’t particularly invested in their outcome. However, the story was sweet and I’m a sucker for a grand gesture, so the ending was satisfying and left a smile on my face.


3 stars 
I read the first book in the Cloverleigh Farm companion series, Irresistible, a couple months ago and enjoyed it so much. So I was excited to dive into this one and meet another of the Sawyer sisters. Unfortunately, Undeniable used a trope I really dislike and focused on two main characters that I just couldn’t get behind.

Chloe and Oliver were childhood friends turned frenemies. After four years of not speaking, Oliver shows up with a business proposition that Chloe feels pressured to accept, in part because their parents are lifelong friends. Part of the agreement is that Chloe will spend the next week with Oliver, before she fully commits, giving him time to make his pitch, and also to talk out the past and hopefully re-establish some trust. What ensued was a whole lot of lies by omission on Oliver’s part and a lot of doormat behavior on Chloe’s part. I really, really wanted to like these two because Melanie Harlow is so great with dialogue and humor and swoony goodness, but it just wasn’t happening. I couldn’t get past Oliver’s actions and the fact that he only came clean when forced into a corner, and that Chloe was let down by Oliver again and again but kept coming back for more. 



HAVE YOU READ ANY OF THESE BOOKS?

16 comments

  1. Ooh, the Oliver and Chloe dynamic sounds really problematic!

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    1. Yeah, I was bummed about that one but the first book was so good.

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  2. I am a little sad you didn't like Love at First more. Maybe the author isn't for you (I am trying to remember how you felt about Love Lettering).

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    1. Yeah, I had super high hopes for Love at First , which may have been part of the problem. Who knows. But I kept finding myself thinking "come on, let's get things moving" and just generally not being invested. Hopefully I'll like Love Lettering better.

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  3. I'm glad you at least enjoyed The Awakening enough to want to continue the series. Sorry the other two didn't work so well for you.

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    1. The other two were okay, just not big hits. The Awakening was a lot of fun, though.

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  4. I've liked the fantasy lite from Nora Roberts. I read another series she did and it was fun. I'll have to check this one out for sure! The other two I'll pass on. Sorry to hear they didn't knock your socks off, but it happens. Hope you love your next read, Tanya!

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    1. I've read a few trilogies from Nora many years ago that kinda-sorta had a fantasy aspect (very, very mild) but this one was more overt with the fantasy and was a lot of fun.

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  5. I'm glad you at least liked Love at First. I wish it would have been as big of a hit for you as me, but I'll take it! It's also nice to know that Nora Roberts is still going strong. I haven't read anything of hers in a long time either.

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    1. Yeah, it probably backfired that my expectations for Love at First were so high. But I still enjoyed it fairly well.

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  6. Love at First sounds pretty good. Kind of a bummer that the characters are a little bland, but I see quite a few other elements there, especially the family aspect, that really appeal to me so I could see myself reading this one. The cover is super cute too.

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    1. I'm definitely in the minority with Love at First so you will probably enjoy it even more than I did. :)

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  7. I have been meaning to read a Nora Roberts book forever. I didn't realize that she dived into fantasy ever and lite fantasy sounds perfect. I need to go add this one to my tbr and here's hoping you love the next book!
    Jen @ Star-Crossed Book Blog

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    1. Thanks Jen! The Awakening was a lot of fun. Sometimes I feel totally lost with fantasy (just one of the reasons I rarely read it) but this was so easy and kept me hooked.

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  8. I almost bought The Awakening when it was first released. I still really want to read it and after reading your review, I think I need to try to get my hands on it soon.

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