Books

Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love

/ Rebekahrox / 7 Comments

by isthisselfcare

Granger caught Draco watching her as the house-elf vanished. “What?” she asked. “I await your Manifesto,” said Draco. Granger sniffed. “I’ve come to terms with the fact that there are some parts of wizarding society I shall never understand.” “But you accept them?” “No,” said Granger. “I tolerate them.” “Hm.” “Don’t worry, I shan’t begin a house-elf revolution within your halls.”

I didn’t realize that the last book I read (Once, Again, Always by Amanda Gayle) had started its life as Draco/Hermione fanfiction when I got it from Netgalley. If I had, I probably would not have put my name down for it. I had never heard the term “Dramione” which is fiction that imagines a love story between the two enemies of the original series. I’ve never “shipped” the pair, though I’ve been aware that some yearn for that love story. Mostly this is because Ron is my favorite character and I love him. The first book threw me into a bit of a Harry Potter fan fiction rabbit hole and I emerged with this book. The reviews were wonderful across the board, and I was intrigued. 15 % into it, I was completely charmed and thoroughly hooked. I was thrilled that it measured up to the hype. As I got deeper into it, I was lost in admiration of the writing and the way J.K. Rowling’s world was expanded on, altered a bit, and picked up 15 years later. I was emersed in that world, and in awe of author’s take on Rowling’s creation. It recalled how I felt while reading the original series. It made me happy like that.

15 years on from the 2nd Wizarding War, Hermione Granger has straddled the Muggle and the Wizarding World. She is a respected surgeon, professor, and scientist at Cambridge University and in the Magical World she is a renowned “Healer.” She is as famous as Harry Potter and even has her own Chocolate Frog Card. I think that gives you an idea of her status. Draco Malfoy hasn’t changed a bit except that he is more mature and has rejected his former racist attitudes toward non-purebloods and deeply regrets his involvement with the Death Eaters.

…vivid memory returned, of Bellatrix’s handiwork, stark against Granger’s skin. Of Granger, limp and wrought-out, lying like a dead thing on the drawing room floor. Of the blood oozing out of the fresh-carved letters. Draco had never used the word Mudblood again, after that. Draco hid his own inner arm shame from the world, but he would’ve thought that Granger, of all people, would’ve been able to heal hers away. Clearly, she still bore the mark of Bellatrix’s knife.

He is considered, along with “Pothead” and “Weasel” One of the foremost Aurors in the country. For this reason, much to his irritation, he is assigned to protect Hermione Granger who is working on a secret medical project so important, the current minister of magic (Shacklebolt) fears that her life may be in danger. What Hermione is working on is an ongoing mystery in the novel and the reveal is worth the wait.

The book is told from Draco’s point of view. His feelings for Hermione progress from bored irritation to utter devotion, as Draco must stay handy and on the look out for any potential dangers she may face as she works on her project. It is very “two steps forward one step back” as their relationship develops. Despite their personality conflict however, their mutual respect, almost from the beginning, is never in doubt. Though it is very well hidden. The snark is top-tier.

The book is part romantasy, part rom-com and part swashbuckling adventure and quest. With a little horror and thriller thrown in. It is the whole package as far as plot, and is also rich in wit and dialogue. The author takes great care to bring in people and elements from the original series, but not too much. This is the love story that never was between the bossy insufferable swot and the shallow, morally questionable, and bad-tempered womanizer (as they see each other.) Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, for example, are still great friends with Hermione, but they are definitely peripheral to the action. They have moved on and academia-loving Hermione frankly doesn’t have that much in common with them (as we already knew anyway.)

When’s the last time Pot and Wheeze even read a book?” “Is that a rhetorical question?” asked Granger. “No. Answer me.” “Damn it.” Granger lapsed into silence….

The two share a grudging if respectful professional rapport with Draco.

The author sticks close to canon while imagining the future but sometimes she diverges from it pretty significantly. But it was good. Both of the Weasley twins are still alive, as are Nymphadora Tonks and Lupin. In fact, Tonks is the Head of the Auror Office and Draco’s boss. Poignantly, Hermione was never able to reunite with her parents.

However, Granger continued. “I Obliviated both of them during the war. Sent them to Australia to keep them safe. By the time I’d found them again, it was too late to reverse the spell without risking damage to their minds. They’re living quite happily in Adelaide and have no idea that they ever had a daughter.”

As a mother, that killed me. Some of the departures are a little strange. Ron is now in a serious relationship with Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom is with Pansy Parkinson and part of Draco’s social circle. (I’d liked to know how that happened!) Also, in this book, Wizards and Witches are limited as to how much magic they can use at once, and often have to wait to recover their full strength if engaged in lengthy and challenging confrontations or undertakings.

Wizardkind is still (kind of endearingly) clueless about much of the Muggle world, although Owls have now been pretty much replaced with “Jotters”, a kind of text message machine. (Distributed by Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes) and even embraced by Draco’s traditional and old fashioned mother. Draco wants to learn the computer.

The internet was a thing that Draco was not quite certain he understood, but Granger could write things like ‘cat’ or ‘house’ or ‘oncology’ in a box, and information about the things came up, and pictures, too. It seemed extraordinarily useful. An instant encyclopaedia. Granger said that the entire contents of libraries were on it…Granger…explained the cloud and Hackers. The cloud was interesting, conceptually. The Hackers’ lack of axes or other violent weaponry disappointed him. Granger confirmed that there was usually no bloodshed involved. Anticlimactic, overall.

The book is over 700 pages so this review barely scratches the surface. It seemed so authentic. I was in a state of constant awe while I was reading it. It was a great love story. When Draco and Hermione finally come together it got a little too spicy for me, but the author (who injects her own voice periodically) thoughtfully and courteously gives the reader an Adult Content Warning. “Please scroll down to the tilde (~) if you prefer to skip to softer things.”
And bonus! It has pictures! This book is available for free (per one of J.K. Rowling’s requirements for fan fiction based on her books) on a website called Archive of Our Own and can be downloaded to e-readers. If you love Harry Potter and can’t get enough, I highly recommend this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Love Across the Aisle

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By Todd McGee

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I make a point of not reading books that are not from “real publishers”. With all of the choices out there, I have to have a few filters. But I was asked to read this one by a friend and review it if I felt like it, so I shrugged and said “OK”. After the first couple of chapters Todd McGee’s good writing, intriguing premise and amusing dialogue soon made me forget my prejudices and I started to get involved in the story and care about the characters.

Romances between odd couples have always attracted me. Opposite stations in life, physical attractiveness or personalities all make for reliable sources of comedy or drama. This one features a take I have not personally ever run across in a book: a romance between a conservative republican and a liberal democrat set on the political stage. Milly is a very attractive and charismatic former athlete running for the Pennsylvania state senate as a Republican. Mark is a political operative working for the incumbent, a liberal but stodgy democrat with a comb over, “who talked— mumbled, really— like he had a mouthful of loose teeth and was afraid one might fall out.” Newcomer Millie Blair is very much the underdog who shocked the good ole boy network by winning their party’s primary. Her small team is on a shoe string budget as they run a grass roots campaign going to any venue they can get. But from one church basement and school auditorium to the next their campaign is slowly and surely building momentum on the strength of Millie’s eloquent and rousing speeches, charisma, and photogenic appeal. Mark is covering her semi-covertly to uncover missteps and weaknesses his side can exploit. As Millie starts whittling down what started as a huge gap in the polling numbers, Mark’s candidate, Senator Phil Cooper is getting antsy. Mark has yet to expose Milly doing “anything stupid.”


She’s a saint… Highschool valedictorian, Tennis scholarship to Penn State. Academic all-american…The closest thing I’ve found is a speeding ticket. The judge ordered her to perform twenty hours of community service for a local non- profit. She worked more than one hundred, wrote a business plan and held the organization’s most successful fundraiser ever. After she finished her service, they elected her to the Board of Directors and named an award after her.” “Geez, this woman is like a nun.” “With the body of a swimsuit model. You stare at her and think all these impure thoughts and then feel guilty about it and ask for absolution.”

But one day, during a campaign stop Mark inadvertently films a wardrobe malfunction that might possibly provide that one loose thread that could unravel her campaign. But instead of sharing it with his bosses who would probably use it to their advantage, he stops filming and warns her in time to prevent her from embarrassing herself. Mark is a good guy, and he has sisters. He deletes it in front of her (at the police station-because in the confusion her security guys call the cops) and Millie is grateful and impressed. Mutual crushes and growing feelings are not far behind.

The growth of the romance is well done and, well, romantic. It is a slow burn because they both struggle with their personal admiration and feelings for each other in the face of their adversarial professional relationship and political differences. Their attraction is of the heart and head rather than involuntary physical chemistry. That is there too, but unlike so many romances these days, it is not boringly dwelt on ad nauseum. It is complicated by Milly’s relationship with her campaign manager which had been getting romantic, and the recent death of Mark’s fiancée in a car accident. He was deeply in love with her and she was wonderful. Usually a past relationship that the main character is recovering from has some flaw or other to make the romance at hand shine all the brighter. This is one of the many cliches that the author avoids falling into and boy did it make for a refreshing read.

In addition to the romance there was plenty more in the story to keep my interest. Will Milly’s inexperience trip her up eventually? Will Mark play a part in it? A debate between the two candidates is agreed to. How will that go? Milly finally has the attention of the national Republican power brokers. Can she stay true to herself? Will Milly and Mark’s developing feelings for each other be exposed? That would not end well. Finally, we are introduced to Mark’s sister Carolyn who turned out to be the strongest character in the book and very funny. I loved her. The main crisis occurs when the video that Mark deleted somehow makes an appearance online and goes viral. How did that happen and who is responsible? Mark is innocent, but of course he is blamed. How will the fallout affect Milly’s growing momentum? Or will it backfire and derail her opponent’s campaign? Will his good name be cleared? Whoo. That’s a lot of questions. But I was there for it and it really kept me turning the pages.

Amazingly, despite the political backdrop, the author managed to avoid revealing a personal political agenda. Both sides were gently skewered. Liberal Democrat or conservative Republican readers alike should find nothing here to offend them unless you are one of those who think all Democrats or all Republicans are inherently either evil or saintly. It reminded me of some of the best of the old category romances back in the day, but I certainly see why the political dynamic is rarely tackled in light rom-coms. Especially these days. If you’re looking for a light old fashioned romance that does not follow the usual tired beats, you couldn’t do better than this one. There is no spice, just two people falling in love. After reading it I turned to a best selling chick-lit romance by a top author in the genre. After 17%, I put it aside. I wonder if I would have had more patience with it if I hadn’t picked it up so soon after enjoying this one.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Once, Again, Always

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By Amanda Gayle

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The amnesia trope in books and movies has always intrigued me and resulted in some favorite, (or at least greatly enjoyed) reads and watches. I recently finished re-reading Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella and liked it very much (again.) What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty is a favorite and definitely on my re-read soon list. The old movies Love Letters with Jennifer Jones and Random Harvest with Greer Garson are both favorite movies. This book was very romance forward and very much slow burn. Usually like the latter, but not the former. So take my review in that context.

Briefly, Molly awakes in the hospital with the past 6 years of her life a blank. She finds herself married to a man she last knew as a mean bully, but is now a good guy and a devoted husband. She has the same friends as she did, and some new ones as well. She reluctantly goes back to their apartment with him and starts to try to get acclimated to her “new” life and her marriage, hoping that her memory will return.
A good portion of the book was flashbacks to “Before” detailing Molly’s toxic teenage relationship with Aster before they got together. Every flashback to “before” piles on how nasty the now nice Aster used to be. There was no slow reveal of his character beneath the surface, explanation, or development. He was just stuck as a nasty piece of work from the first flashback to the last. This is how she remembers him. It was not a good choice because it was so limiting. We are given the facts, in the present day, of the beginnings of how the Molly-Aster romance started, but we do not see it first hand on the page at all. This would have made some good reading, but there was no payoff to all of the anticipation. I would have loved to see the stories of how the friends of Aster and Molly reacted to the change in their feelings for each other, and became friends themselves. It was just a strange choice for a romance and a book about relationships. A lot of opportunity for comedy and drama unrealized. Speaking of relationships, where is the story of that fateful and disastrous Christmas Dinner with Aster’s parents? Aster’s mother seems to be wanting to reach out, but is apparently under the thumb of her husband. Where’s that story? At the end, we are again fed hope and anticipation for another possible plot development I would have liked to read about, but again it comes to nothing.

This is a review of an advanced reading copy for Netgalley so I don’t want to get into too many details because of spoilers. But so many questions. The only Aster Molly has ever known is as a spoiled super-wealthy snob. They now live in an average apartment where the smell of the dumpsters permeate their living space. But Molly never thinks to ask, “Where did all your money go, Aster?” “Why do we live like this?” I was certainly curious! But not Molly. She never asks what he does for a living. Or what she does for a living. WTF? One of the first things Aster does is to “curate” the photos, conversations, and contacts in her phone, hiding large swaths of information about her life from her. He locks the door of their extra room and won’t let her in. He is trying to “protect” her, he claims. He acts like he is hiding something nefarious and unspeakable. But this is not a Domestic Thriller or Horror story. So no, it’s not a murder, cheating, or any other unforgivable act by either one of them. It is very guessable from the very beginning but I thought it couldn’t be that because Aster was being just so weird and controlling. And Molly acts like the infant he is treating her like by not putting her foot down. Attempts to justify were made, like the author knew something was off, but it just wasn’t enough.

The romantic parts were well done and the writing overall was good. I liked the friends, what we know of their lives and personalities, and their contributions. The way Molly’s favorite book, The Count of Monte Cristo, was incorporated into the end was a nice touch. It kept my interest and the parts were all there. Unfortunately aspects that would have been most engaging and interesting to me were strangely not written about. When I found out this book started its life as Fan Fiction shipping Draco and Hermione, it made me thing back about it. As such it was kind of brilliant. But as a novel standing on its own, not quite.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/ Harper Voyager for an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

The Other Bennet Sister

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By Janice Hadlow

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In the midst of so large a family, she was utterly alone.


I am attracted to Jane Austen reimaginings, sequels etc. and have read many of them (and seen all of the movies I know about). I picked this one up because I read the BBC was making a 10 part series based on it. It was a good book and I enjoyed it very much. It was very well done, and our beloved P&P characters all seemed authentic to the original creations. Except Mrs. Bennet who was very unsympathetic but not in a humorous way. There is no humor or wit in this book at all, which mostly accounts for my rating. But there are many thoughtful and insightful passages.

There was something distancing in Jane’s benevolence, bestowed as it was equally upon both those who deserved it and those who did not. It was an admirable quality, but spread so generally that Mary knew it implied no special warmth for her. Jane’s strongest affections were reserved for Mr. Bingley and Lizzy; only they were granted access to her private heart, and Mary knew she would never be invited to join them.

When she was silent, she merely confirmed his opinion of her dullness. When she sought to entertain, she always struck the wrong note. Then Elizabeth would intervene, smoothing everything away with a joke or a laugh. Under Lizzy’s tender, amused gaze, her husband became another man, warm, smiling, taken by surprise at his own happiness.

However, I am flummoxed as to how they are going to squeeze a ten part series out of this! A movie, maybe. So much of the book is Mary’s inner life and thoughts. She is a loner (not her choice) and everyone mostly ignores her. So there is not a whole lot of dynamic interaction with other characters. It is the definition of slow moving leisurely pace.

** a little addendum after seeing the wonderful adaptation last night. Stretching the book out to a 10 part series was certainly helped by the individual episodes being only 30 minutes long! I was curious as to how they were going to wrest a whole TV series out of this book. They did so quite faithfully although I was disappointed in what they cut out. They left off Mary’s visit to Jane, and more importantly, Longbourne, after the marriage of Mr. Collins and Charlotte. That was, to me, the most eye-opening and surprising portion of the book. It was very sad although we are left with a little hope for the marriage, I guess.

But as Mary finally drifted off to sleep, she remembered Charlotte’s refusal to meet her husband’s eyes, the bleak impression of Mr. Collins staring into his wine as she and Charlotte left the room.

In a book light on actual character study of anyone but Mary, that the treatment of Mr. Collins was a stand-out. The adaptation was excellent. Better than the book, I thought. And I loved that they circled back to John Sparrow in the movie.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

November 6, 2024

Emerald

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by Elizabeth Luard

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I don’t think I’ve ever tried harder to like a book more than this one. But at the 72% mark when the long anticipated meeting of the sibling/lovers finally happened, I just gave up. Oh it is quite the yarn, I’ll give it that. I finished it, so that says something. Published in 1995, It is very reminiscent of the old jet-setting Judith Krantz/Jackie Collins/Jilly Cooper potboilers of 1980s and 90s. Except the sex is sweet and idealized and mostly closed door. I heard about it from a glowing review on YouTube. The concept intrigued me to no end. The possibilities! I went to extraordinary lengths to get this book, finally getting a trade paperback from an inter-library loan. Prior to this, I actually emailed the author to alert her to a prominent reviewer’s praise for the book and my displeasure that the book was not readily available in the U.S. It was a major wrench for me to have to forgo my Kindle and read an unwieldy paperback. I really missed the search and highlighting function. There were a lot of minor characters in this book to keep straight and I love the Kindle for the ability to quickly get me back up to speed after a short break in reading. Not to mention the ability to read in the dark without a lamp. Poor me. But I digress.

**spoilers**

Here is the plot. Hang on tight. Born in secret and out of wedlock to Wallis Simpson and HRH the Duke of Windsor, Emerald is farmed out to one of his loyal former lovers, now happily married with a young son, to be temporarily taken care of. After the now married Duke and Duchess are banished to the Bahamas and after the heroic war time deaths of her foster parents, the powers that be, a.k.a. Anthony Anstruther, a main character and royal fixer extraordinaire, decides it is time for them to take responsibility for their daughter, whom they want nothing to do with. Luckily, the ship she and her adoring foster brother Callum are on wrecks off the coast of Callum’s grandfather, The Laird’s, remote Scottish island so 3-year-old Emerald doesn’t have to deal with the hateful couple. They are raised together (sort of) until they are wrenched apart 5 years later by Emerald being bundled off to Mexico to live with Anstruther’s mother to be raised like a lady and keep her under the radar. Meanwhile, her letters to her 12-year-old foster brother, whose heart has been “broken clean in two” by their parting, are intercepted for her own good. She grows up prowling the jungles of Mexico with her bosom buddy “Nacho”, who, like all males of all ages, are smitten with her. At 15-years-old, Emerald’s beauty, despite being so thin and gangly, promises success in the marriage arena, despite her predilection for cock fights and knifing alligators to death. It turns out that her figure is perfect for runway modeling which is discovered by her next door neighbor who happens to be a former toast of the Paris fashion scene. She has the connections necessary to pave Emerald’s way in New York and Paris and save her from a marriage of convenience while still a teenager. Emerald runs away from Lady Molly’s benign but stiflingly conventional care. Good thing she kept that alligator hide which she uses to bribe her way out of Mexico. At 16 years old, Emerald soon becomes the toast of the New York, London, and Paris fashion scene and even runs in the same New York and Paris circles as the Windsors. Uh Oh. The resemblance is soon noticed and Wallis and David, uncomfortable with that, try to get Anthony Anstruther to get rid of her but Anthony finally puts his foot down. Anthony is an interesting character. He is written as a good guy, but really does some terrible things to protect the Royal House of Windsor.

Callum, now around 23 (?) and an aspiring photographer, finally tracks now 19-year-old Emerald down and the transition from protective adoring foster brother to besotted lover is head-swiveling if inevitable. Especially since the same night they meet Emerald is raped by another childhood admirer from the remote Scottish Island. Jack is now an aspiring gossip columnist and her nemesis going forward. So when she falls pregnant there is a brief doubt as to whom the father is. (It’s Callum, of course.) She is forced to find a husband since an abortion is out of the question. Callum has disappeared to be a war photojournalist because he thinks Emerald is dead due to his house exploding. Through some behind the scenes manipulations from our friend Anthony, she meets charming, handsome, noble, and impoverished Tom Sherwood. Luckily he is gay and the marriage is never consummated. Unluckily, he is an inveterate gambler and only married her for her dowry, wrested from the wealthy Duke and Duchess. Emerald’s letters to Callum about their son are intercepted by guess who. You’d think she would have learned the first time. The world just continues to conspire against the star-crossed lovers. So far. 

My disaffection for this book was not caused by the writing or the plot, but the characters. We follow the heroine’s life from toddlerhood to young womanhood. I have never before accused a female character of being a “Mary Sue” because before this book, this kind of character never bothered me. But OMG. This girl. This Emerald. She was so over the top, it was grating and laughable. Every male in the book is absolutely captivated by her practically at first sight. Callum the love interest, from when she was 6 weeks old. A villainous character when he was 10 and she was 5. Nacho, her Mexican “best friend” and protector to whom she gifts her virginity, the same. Equally at home with both the peasants in Mexico and the glitterati of Europe, she leads a charmed life. She wears haute couture on the runway but prefers bulky sweaters and jeans in private. She saves her profligate husband’s estate from ruin on the strength of her homemade soap, candles and potpourri from her old Scottish Nan’s recipes. Before she is 26 she has turned her little business into a flourishing boutique cosmetic and gardening enterprise and building success upon success. Which she sacrifices to save her irresponsible and mostly absent husband from his criminal gambling creditors. But don’t worry, she builds it up from from scratch again after finally re-uniting with strong, handsome and devoted Callum. Those are the broad brush strokes, but we are met with something meant to be appealing, admirable, or sympathetic about Emerald on virtually every page. It was exhausting. I can’t really call it a love story at all, because Emerald and Callum spend very little time together on the page. He really only serves to give our heroine a happy ending. We spend only enough time with him to show how worthy he is. Poor Nacho is left in Mexico never to be heard of again. I really thought he would show up again in Europe, somehow coming in handy for Emerald, possibly as a powerful international drug dealer. Some things came full circle, but there were also quite a few loose ends. The main thing was that although the book was very readable and kept my interest for the most part, I just could not empathize or become invested in the main characters. Except Bertha, Tom’s mother. She was great. I hate to give such a monumental effort less than 3 stars, but there you go. 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

All Shall Be Well

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by Deborah Crombie

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Kincaid heard something in her voice, a shade of worry or aggravation, and remembered how she’d sounded on the phone that morning. Probably some bloke, he thought, and realized how little he knew about Gemma’s life.

Just what had been his relationship with Jasmine Dent? Were they lovers, with Jasmine so ill with cancer? Stealing a glance at Kincaid’s abstracted face, Gemma was shocked to realize how little she knew of his personal life.

For me, the main attraction of this series is exploring the beginnings of the strong marriage and family life that I have learned Duncan Kincaid and Gemma Jones forge later in the series. Also, I like mysteries. On it’s own merits the book was enjoyable but underwhelming on the personal front and the mystery front. the two main characters are nice and smart, but are kind of boring. The writing is a little too simplistic and straightforward. But it was well paced and kept me turning the pages: when one step of progress in the (possible) murder investigation or the character’s personal lives was tackled there was always another to look forward to. First there are the meetings with each of the “suspects” in turn (although it is not positively established there is really a murder), Gemma and Duncan investigate separately and then consult together, Duncan reads the victim Jasmine’s journal, He travels to where she was brought up, the suspects are re-interviewed in light of new information, the contents of the will, and so forth.

Does Deborah Crombie play fair with the reader as far as laying out the clues to solve the mystery? I don’t think so.

 **Spoiler**

There is a tie between the murderer and victim that provides the motive, but I didn’t detect any clues to that prior to when it is revealed at the very end. And putting the murderer and victim together was pure coincidence. We are led to believe in one motive when it turns out it was something else entirely. That was fair and actually very well done. But it leaves some unanswered and unexplored questions created to establish the red herring motive. What attracted a posh handsome chancer to a struggling little mouse like Meg? It is established that he latched on to her before there was any hint that she might be coming into money. The answer is never revealed or explored and it might have been interesting. She is trapped and in the thrall of her dangerous lover who is a vile narcissist and main suspect for the murder. Of course the reader is on tenterhooks as to whether, although she is under no illusion as to his character, she can escape his clutches and the sexual hold he has over her. It is a source of suspense and we hope she sees the light and escapes. When she does it is very much an anticlimax after all the build up. She finds her backbone out of nowhere and tells him she is leaving him with virtually no drama or fallout.

 We are led to believe one character is one kind of person, when, with no hint or foundation, he is not. We are given every reason to hold him in contempt and distrust and he is provided one of the strongest motives. When a loser of a character based on what we know about his past is “shrugging guilelessly…drinking thirstily… and licking his lips” that telegraphs “bad guy” to me. Or am I crazy? And then when he takes the woman who inherited the victim’s flat there by surprise, “The light from the table lamp bounced off the [eyeglass] lenses, shielding his eyes from her.” He had no business there. It sounded like he must have followed her. But we are asked to disregard those tells that have been fed us and his unremitting history of weakness and asked to believe he is actually a good guy who has learned from his mistakes at long last. It seemed very contrived to provide a hopeful ending to two characters who turned out not to be murderers.

**End Spoiler**

Maybe they will appear in a later book? Apparently this reappearance of some characters does happen in the series which is one of the reasons I am still attracted to continuing it at some point. I did enjoy google-earthing the real streets and buildings in England that are characters travel on and go to.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Mad Mabel

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By Sally Hepworth

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“How many seven-year-olds do you know who are friends with eighty-one-year-olds?” “It’s not ideal,” she agrees, after a moment’s consideration. “But beggars can’t be choosers.” I feel a rare moment of pity for the child. “You’re not a beggar, child.” She laughs. “I know that. You’re the beggar. I’m the chooser. Because I choose you!”

“What do you think happened to Ishaan, Ms. Fitzpatrick?” Baldy says, adopting a patronizing, kindly voice.
It feels like a remarkably ridiculous question. “I think he got dicked by the dangling dong of destiny, that’s what I think.’

I guess I’m kind of a cheap date as far as books are concerned. If a book can make me laugh I’m in the author’s pocket. If a character can make me laugh, it’s hard for me not to like and care about what happens to them. If a book can both make me laugh, cry, and keep me on the edge of my seat…well. Elsie “Mad Mabel” Fitzpatrick’s acerbic wit kept me buoyed throughout. All of Sally Hepworth’s books that I have read, so far, are dual timeline. All of them have hooked me with the children in peril trope in “the past” of the story, and kept me hooked when that same child (or children) experience the fall out as adults. Mad Mabel is no different in that way from the three others by her I have read. I gave the previous book I read by this author, The Mother-in-Law 5 stars, but I loved this one in a different way. I admired the character development in the former more than I liked the characters. Unlike that one, all of the protagonists in this were extremely likable and admirable, and there were many of them. I was cheering for them all the way, and their outcomes, with one exception, were very satisfactory. Well, two exceptions. One worthy character’s fate was a little over the top fortunate, but I generally don’t mind that at all. Usually, the happier the better for characters that deserve it.

81-year-old Elsie has lived on Kenny Lane in Melbourne for 60 years. Only she and her friend Daphne know her true identity: Mad Mabel, the youngest person ever to be convicted of murder in Australia. Soon though, her neighborhood, Melbourne, and the whole country (if not the world), will know her true identity. One of her neighbors whom she didn’t make any secret of being at odds with drops dead, and Elsie discovers the body. This sparks a chain of events which at first will cause her to be a target of public gossip, a witch hunt, and even a police investigation. It isn’t long though before Elsie, finally thrust out of her reclusive existence, decides to tell the world the real story of her life and how she became the notorious “Mad Mabel.” Thanks to a pair of small-time podcasters and her own actions and events, she gradually reveals her true self behind the prickly and intimidating exterior, and earns her neighbors’ good will, loyalty, and even love. And let’s not forget the influence of Persephone, a precocious 7-year-old whom Elsie describes as an “irritating little despot.” It is a story that is full of tragedy and injustice although there are some bright spots, so not unremitting. Elsie’s voice is so engaging and worldly-wise, I didn’t feel crushed by all that befell her. And of course, the knowledge that because she is finally telling her story, people will at last know the truth, was a lifeline. The book alternates between Then and Now. The Now parts, although there are some scary moments, provide a respite from her sad Then parts. Yet I was always OK with going back to Then because her story was so interesting and told with the wisdom of age. Plus, I wanted answers. (One of the answers I still want is who is that supposed to be on the cover of the book?)

The truths that are revealed by the podcast are pretty blockbuster, and one was a genuine shock. One reveal, I had guessed right away. In fact, I found it so obvious that I suspect Sally Hepworth never meant it to be a big secret from any careful readers. The fallout in the present time despite some devastatingly sad past occurrences, was overall good, if not great. I was perfectly fine that some of the outcomes turned out to be almost fairytale. I love that in all of Sally Hepworth’s books. She really puts you through the wringer, but, at least so far in the books I have read, it is all worth it.
She is now in my tippy top echelon of favorite authors. I’ve loved all the books I’ve read by her and am grateful she still has some I have yet to read. I meant to stop at the 80% mark and leave the rest for another day. But I couldn’t put it down. I can’t remember the last time I was moved to tears at the close of a book.

One more quote:
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”— Albus Dumbledore

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The Paris Match

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by Kate Clayborn

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Layla, a doctor who has been divorced for a couple of years, accepts an invitation to the Paris wedding of her young ex-sister-in-law who was like a little sister to her. Paris is important to her whole ex-family, in fact, it is where Jamie and she spent a happy honeymoon. She is reluctant to attend but feels she must because she was close to the whole family once and especially to the sunshiney bride-to-be, Emily, to whom she had promised to remain close, but hasn’t. To make it worse, Jamie is bringing his new serious girlfriend, and though their divorce was “amicable”, and she is “fine,” Layla is concerned this will make her the object of speculation, worry, and “compassion.” Layla does not like to be spotlighted in any way, especially in these circumstances. On the plane over, while tending to an emergency medical situation, she meets a dark, intimidating, and strangely attractive man who looks at her with disapproval and dislike (for some reason.)Despite this, Layla is “electrically” drawn to him. To Layla’s dismay, it turns out he is the best friend of the groom and the Best Man. This is not a grumpy/sunshine romance. Layla is not particularly sunshiney, though she is selfless, good-humored, and kind. Griffin is not just grumpy. He is dark and brooding, surly and rude. Physically he is badly scarred and he obviously bears mental scars as well as physical. He is described throughout the book as a Fae Prince, a smokestack, and a column of smoke. Overused metaphors were sometimes a problem. Soon, trouble looms. After spending a night out on the town with Layla and her maid of honor, Emily starts to have doubts even to the point of possibly calling off the wedding. Michael the Groom is heartbroken and confused. Griffin is on the warpath because nothing must come between his friend and his happiness and he blames Layla. Layla is confused because she knows Emily loves Michael and that she didn’t do or say anything to make Emily change her mind. Can this wedding be saved?

While I liked the concept, the plot, and the care the author took with the development of her characters, her writing style was kind of a drag for me. It seemed very self-conscious like she was tying herself up in knots to express herself a certain way: a way in which clarity, straightforwardness, and effortlessness was something to be avoided. When she fashioned a metaphor or tried to convey a feeling or a thought, I often had to pause to re-read to fully grasp what she was trying to say. And usually what she was trying to convey was not as complex as the way she chose to say it.
Please bear with me while I try to put into words why this good writer’s writing just did not work for me this time. Here’s one example, though it’s throughout the whole book all the time. Layla’s ex-husband has finally arrived in Paris with his fiancée and Layla is explaining to Griffin that she feels like everyone is watching her for signs of jealousy or heartbreak (which she honestly doesn’t feel-it’s complicated) “the Is Layla Looking at Jamie show” as she calls it. Somehow she thinks that her being this distraction is going to prevent them fixing Emily’s doubts about the marriage. Seems like a distraction might be a good thing, but whatever. And why should Layla even care about what these people who are not in her life think? Griffin’s solution is for Layla to “Look at me” instead. We learn Layla response, “Look at you how?” not until the next chapter and while Griffin is recalling this conversation of the night before. During this recollection, we have Griffin’s long contemplation about how he feels like he is Quasimodo in Notre Dame’s Bell Tower. (although he never says that in so many words-just talks all around it very metaphorically and elaborately.)

He pretended it [Notre Dame] was still in ruins. That no one would ever come back to fix it. If that were true, he knew, he wouldn’t be able to stand this close to it; he knew it would be surrounded by barricades and warning signs and probably French policemen. But that little hurdle was no match for his apparently still-skilled pretending brain.
…His eyes drifted to the other bell tower, the one he hadn’t been looking at, and he pictured his wiry, hardy mother, brown-gray braid down her back, scrubbing its walls clean. Shouting out of one of her stone arches a few times a day, asking whether the monster across the way was up yet.

The reader looking for a conclusion to this conversation and Layla’s “Okay” will have to wait 12 pages, Griffin having a long phone conversation with his mother, a lot of internal sturming and dranging, and a trip to Versailles the next day. The upshot is they will not only work together behind the scenes to help and support Michael and Emily, but pretend to be “friends” so Layla does not appear to the others to be lonely. When I read contemporary romance I do not want the kind of book where the plot and character come second to the author trying to impress with her thought provoking prose. I want my thoughts to be about the plot and characters, the drama, suspense, mystery, and humor. This book has all of that, but it’s buried under too many words and too much eloquence. Lots of which didn’t even make sense. In describing Griffin, Layla is thinking how complicated he was: A complicated man. Bold but cautious, demanding but flexible, stubborn but still curious. So of course, I had to stop and try to figure out how “curious” was somehow the opposite of “stubborn.” And for that matter, shouldn’t “stubborn” be paired with “flexible” instead of “demanding?” My reading was brought to a standstill constantly and it became tedious.

I liked the slow burn layered romance and the building of the tension. When they finally do come together it was shattering and very erotic. Griffin has nothing but contempt for Jamie for losing Layla. We feel that their one time love that Layla shrugs off pales in comparison with Griffin’s love for her:

He would say it close enough for her to hear it loud and clear. “There shouldn’t be anything amicable about losing you,” he said. There should be a war, he thought. An army of stone gargoyles, ordered to be alive. All to come get you. All to show you that you should never shrug like that again.

That’s good writing.

And I was also kept turning the pages by the questions and mysteries that arise. What were the circumstances of Jamie and Layla’s divorce? They both seem so nice. Why has Layla ghosted his family? Is Jamie over Layla? Why are Michael and Griffin so close? How did Griffin get burned? How bad is the pain? Can he ever get better? I really came to care about him. Why does Emily have doubts about Michael? What is the secret? What could Michael not tell Emily? Will they end up getting married? would that be a good thing? How can Griffin and Layla be happy when there is so much to overcome? Why do Michael’s parents, especially his father, hate Griffin?

Towards the last part of the book, story elements picked up and it got easier to read. I don’t think it’s because I became accepting of her style, but because the author herself got more concerned with the story and character and forgot about “writing” to within an inch of her life. That was my impression anyway. I also liked some of the choices she made with the characters. I thought that Griffin was going to do the martyr trope thing and leave Layla for her own good. They part temporarily, but it was good.
The writing style was just so frustrating when I really loved almost everything else. 3 stars.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Lift Me Up

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By Milly Johnson

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I did enjoy this long short story/novella. It is a pretty typical Milly Johnson novel only instead of 3 women sharing the spotlight, we have just one. I had just finished a reread of one of her older novels and went right into this one. So yes, although some of her characters do get on my last nerve, I am still a fan. In fact some of my disenchantment with some of Milly’s “ways” stem from the fact that I have re-read many of her books multiple times because I am such a fan. As with most of her books, it’s light on the romance, but a romance is included to provide our heroine a hopeful happy future.

Tamantha has been denigrated all of her life by her awful family and we see an example of this as she goes to the family dinner every Sunday. She is about to get married, and no surprise, she has picked a guy that is cut out of the same cloth. He has managed to influence her to change almost everything about herself to make her fit into his personal mold of how he wants a wife to be. Why she has put up with this treatment by her family and her fiancé is not very well established so I ceased having a lot of sympathy for her long before the novella/short story was finished. His sister is a bully and has taken over Tam’s wedding to the point that she is not allowed to even invite her best friend to her own reception. This initial weakness and oppression of her protagonists is a pattern with Milly that I am increasingly losing patience with. She makes her victimized characters so blind and self-deluded that it is positively painful. They all finally see the light and successfully rebel against the tide of abuse, but often it is too late to retain my good will and concern for their well being. And there is even less justification for this heroine to put up with the disrespect and contempt in her personal life. She is a successful business woman and who was once a vibrant unconventional woman despite her black sheep status in her family.

On the professional side, Tam is on her way to a big meeting with the board of directors where she assumes she is going to be fired. She gets stuck on the elevator with the wunderkind that the board brought in to head the company instead of promoting her. She is bitter about that and makes a lot of false assumptions, but it turns out that Jack, who is the love interest, thinks the world of her and what she has accomplished for the company. Though he is still the boss, she gets full credit for her work and a big promotion. This part was good. However, despite more red flags than a Chinese parade, Tam persists in going through with her wedding until she is standing with her fiancé in front of the altar and he says something mean to her (!). She was like a lemming jumping off a cliff, or a turkey drowning itself in the rain. It is strongly implied that she would still have married the dirtbag despite everything (including her growing love for Jack), if he had just kept his mouth shut. I would have been much better with the story had Tam come to her senses on her own steam with her very own brain. Despite Jack showing her everyday how she should be treated, and the concern expressed by others, her fiancé and family have to cross the line of agreed standards of decency before she’s had enough. The story happily comes full circle, ending, as it began, in an elevator, but I would have wished for more closure with her oppressors. There could have been more balance there even though, yes, I know I know this wasn’t a full length novel. No free passes on that front from me, because Milly is usually brilliant with comeuppances.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

The Mother-in-Law

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by Sally Hepworth

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I’m not warm, I’m not especially kind. But I can be strong.

I believe this is the first book of Sally Hepworth’s that really made it big. It’s the one that brought her to my attention. Despite great reviews, I avoided it for a couple of years, reading instead 2 later books by her which I thoroughly enjoyed. I assumed that if the book was about a Mother-in-Law she had to be Evil. That’s what the synopsis seemed to suggest as well. And if the Mother-in-law was evil, that meant the husband had to be either complicit, stupid, or weak. Now that’s fine in romantic woman’s fiction as our heroine will suffer or be deceived by said hubby but dump him on the way to a better life with another man who is worthy of her.

But this wasn’t so simple or predictable. First and foremost it is a study of characters. Not just one. In the first chapter we learn that Diana, the Mother-in-Law, is dead. At first it looks like suicide, and then it looks like murder. There are many confusing things about it which will not be answered until the last pages. The past is told in flashbacks by Diana and Lucy, the Daughter-in-law, in first person. They are joint protagonists even though Lucy is the only one still alive in the present and dealing with what turns out to be a murder mystery and investigation. At about a quarter in, I liked both of the two women who didn’t understand each other because they didn’t know what I, the reader, was learning. And as I learned more and more, I felt saddened by their adversarial relationship when they could have been allies and even friends. Such waste! Diana, Lucy’s mother-in-law, is not warm or kind, but she is a good woman who wants the best for those close to her. She just goes at it in a way that most people would disagree with. She adores her husband Tom and he adores her. She has founded a charity, and works very hard at it, to help down-on-their-luck pregnant immigrant women get the supplies and care they need. I interpreted Diana as having a borderline personality disorder perhaps partially caused by her difficult past. She seems to have developed an inability to feel or show empathy for those close to her. She is very complicated, confusing and mysterious. Lucy has married Ollie, Diana’s son. Lucy is also a good person: a bit of a free spirit, very nice, and with a strong moral center. She and Ollie love each other very much. Lucy’s wonderful mother died when she was only 13 and she meets her fiancé’s mother hoping that she and Diana will become close friends or even have a loving mother-daughter relationship. That hope does not last long. Their first meeting sets the pattern which is repeated over and over until near the end. Diana is very reserved and formal at their first meeting. Ollie asks his mother what she thinks about Lucy, and Lucy overhears Diana say “I think she’s fine.” She is very hurt by this “damning with faint praise” assessment. When Diana’s society friends explain that “Nothing good ever started from fine”, she doesn’t get it. To Diana,

“fine is an appropriate seal of approval for the son’s new girlfriend. Love is obviously too strong a word, and even like would be overstating after a mere evening together-Heaven forbid I be one of those overbearing women that fawned all over the new girlfriend begging to be best friends…. As far as I am concerned, If Lucy loved my son and he loved her she was fine by me. Absolutely fine“.

And of course she doesn’t know that Lucy overheard her comment. Not that she would really try to explain herself. Diana’s first impression of Lucy is that she has been spoiled and adored her whole life and so is rather weak. But Lucy is actually very strong, as Diana learns. And Lucy is not faultless in the rocky relationship. Diana makes such an unpleasant scene over the price of the wedding gown Lucy loves at the bridal shop, that she walks out embarrassed and hurt. But later, she realizes later that Diana did her a huge favor. Lucy never talks to Diana about it. Diana never tells Lucy that she didn’t like the dress not only because of the price, but because the dress did not reflect Lucy’s off beat fashion style and made her look “generic.” There were so many times a heart to heart between the two would have healed the breach. But Diana does not do heart to hearts. Only the reader is allowed to see Diana’s side of things, and even then she does things that are really inexcusable. Even when she becomes aware of her mis-steps she never goes back to set things straight. “She’s a good mother, I have to admit. It occurs to me that I’ve never told her that.” And she never does.

As the story goes on, Lucy and Ollie have children, and the breach between them grows very wide. Even, we are told, to the point of physical violence though we do not know the circumstances right away. So when Diana’s death looks like murder, all eyes turn to Lucy. Our suspicions turn to Ollie. Because though Ollie is a good person, he is weak and not all that bright. Diana recalls an incident involving Ollie and his sister Nettie in their pool when Nettie almost drowns trying to save her little brother:

That’s when I realized. Some people jumped in and tried to save someone who was in trouble; others did anything they could to save themselves. Ollie hadn’t meant to drown Nettie, he was simply following his instincts, just as she was following hers. My children had just shown me who they were.

By the end, I was desperate for Diana to see the light and for the two women to come to an understanding. I was intrigued by the mystery of Diana’s death and the fates of everyone in the family. I won’t say anymore but I found the ending more satisfying and hopeful than it had any right to be.

Rating: 5 out of 5.