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Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble
Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall is $3.99! This is book two in the Winner Bakes All series. I loved book one, but really struggled with Paris and his treatment of the love interest. What were your thoughts?
From the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material comes a sweet and scrumptious romantic comedy about facing your insecurities, finding love, and baking it off, no matter what people say.
Paris Daillencourt is a recipe for disaster. Despite his passion for baking, his cat, and his classics degree, constant self-doubt and second-guessing have left him a curdled, directionless mess. So when his roommate enters him in Bake Expectations, the nation’s favourite baking show, Paris is sure he’ll be the first one sent home.
But not only does he win week one’s challenge—he meets fellow contestant Tariq Hassan. Sure, he’s the competition, but he’s also cute and kind, with more confidence than Paris could ever hope to have. Still, neither his growing romance with Tariq nor his own impressive bakes can keep Paris’s fear of failure from spoiling his happiness. And when the show’s vicious fanbase confirms his worst anxieties, Paris’s confidence is torn apart quicker than tear-and-share bread.
But if Paris can find the strength to face his past, his future, and the chorus of hecklers that live in his brain, he’ll realize it’s the sweet things in life that he really deserves.
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The Once and Future Witches
RECOMMENDED: The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow is $2.99! Carrie reviewed this one and gave it a B+:
Overall I loved reading this book. I literally gasped and clapped my hands over my mouth periodically, like a silent movie star. It’s so gripping, so beautifully written, and such a powerful homage to women’s voices and the need to unify against a common enemy.
In 1893, there’s no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.
But when the Eastwood sisters–James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna–join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women’s movement into the witch’s movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.
There’s no such thing as witches. But there will be.
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The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix is $2.99! Carrie reviewed this one and gave it a B:
Truthfully, if I had known what I was getting into, I doubt I would have read this book. And yet I’m so glad I did, because this, among other things, is a story about reading whatever the heck we want to read and the power of women when they decide to unite, both of which are themes that are Relevant to my Interests, Oh, Yeah.
Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the ’90s about a women’s book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend.
Patricia Campbell had always planned for a big life, but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an ambitious doctor and become a mother, Patricia’s life has never felt smaller. The days are long, her kids are ungrateful, her husband is distant, and her to-do list is never really done. The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club, a group of Charleston mothers united only by their love for true-crime and suspenseful fiction. In these meetings, they’re more likely to discuss the FBI’s recent siege of Waco as much as the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood.
But when an artistic and sensitive stranger moves into the neighborhood, the book club’s meetings turn into speculation about the newcomer. Patricia is initially attracted to him, but when some local children go missing, she starts to suspect the newcomer is involved. She begins her own investigation, assuming that he’s a Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy. What she uncovers is far more terrifying, and soon she–and her book club–are the only people standing between the monster they’ve invited into their homes and their unsuspecting community.
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The Rest Falls Away
The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason is FREE at Amazon! This has been described as a Regency Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Both Sarah and Carrie reviewed it. Sarah gave it a B+:
Above all, the writing is what recommends this book most. Gleason’s writing is sharp and taut, which makes for excellent action sequences, and a plot that travels quickly from the start. The writing strength alone gives me ample reassurance that this potentially plot-heavy series is in the right hands. I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment.
I found the book to be entertaining but a bit bland – perhaps, since its such an open tribute to Buffy, I expected more of the wit I got from Buffy. This book was actually quite dark and angsty once it got past the first few chapters. Although it did not prove to be my personal catnip, it was quite obvious to me why it has a devoted following – lots of angst, lots of pretty clothes, lots of hot guys. And the “stake as part of the hairdo” was stellar.
Beneath the glitter of dazzling nineteenth century London Society lurks a bloodthirsty evil…
Vampires have always lived among them, quietly attacking unsuspecting debutantes and dandified lords as well as hackney drivers and Bond Street milliners. If not for the vampire slayers of the Gardella family, these immortal creatures would have long ago taken control of the world.
In every generation, a Gardella is called to accept the family legacy, and this time, Victoria Gardella Grantworth is chosen, on the eve of her debut, to carry the stake. But as she moves between the crush of ballrooms and dangerous moonlit streets, Victoria’s heart is torn between London’s most eligible bachelor, the Marquess of Rockley, and her dark, dangerous duty.
And when she comes face-to-face with the most powerful vampire in history, Victoria must ultimately make a choice between duty and love.
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I’m always going to read anything Alexis Hall publishes, but will confess: I now put them on my wishlist instead of pre-ordering. Both the baking books were problematic for me, BUT that’s because I went into them expecting and wanting a Romance. ‘Paris’ is definitely not a Romance. It’s also not a frothy comedy. Go into it expecting a new-adult main character having a mental-health crisis, with some baking and banter along the way, and you won’t be disappointed. The writing is, as always with Hall, literate, fluent, and compelling.
Seconding Chacha1 regarding Paris Daillencourt. There is so much anxiety and horrible self-esteem and Paris digging himself further and further into it that it was starting to trigger my anxiety. Granted, once he accepts/admits that this degree of self-loathing is unhealthy and sees a doctor, he improves (and no one ever suggests that he try yoga or essential oils), but it was very hard to read in spots.
I’ve come to accept that Alexis Hall’s writing doesn’t match my resonant frequency. It’s fine! The writing is great! I recognize this, but I’ve never loved loved loved a Hall story. Husband Material left me downright cold.
The Kissing Game by Marie Harte is on sale for $1.99
C.R.U.SH.-Covert Rescuers’ Undercover Shield: Books 1-3 by Christine Glover is $.99
Improper Cross-Stitch: 35+ Properly Naughty Patterns by Haley Pierson-Cox is $.99
chacha1 puts it perfectly – it’s a new-adult coming of age with a strong romantic element. Halls’ protagonists are often self-loathing messes, and sometimes it can be a lot. I actually liked Paris better than Rosaline, but neither is on my Alexis Hall Keeper Shelf.
For those on the fence but familiar with his work, I compare the experience of reading Paris to Glitterland, where I found myself re-reading the last third of my library copy multiple times, because the pay off for the the work I had put in reading the first two was so earned and satisfying. But yeah, the first two thirds is a lift.
I liked the idea of Gardella, but the romances within it got…I dunno….I did not like the guy she ultimately ended up with for many reasons, and the other rival gave me the pushy creeps for most of the series, and the nicest of the bunch, well, I won’t spoil it but you can guess it didn’t go so well. There’s also a pretty disturbing family-related moment later in the series that I never stopped being uncomfortable about, especially re: the romance.
I loved Paris so much but agree with others, that it should have been marketed differently. I had to put it down after starting it while on vacation because it was not the fluff I wanted; but once I picked it up again, I read right through it and felt very emotionally attached to it. I particularly loved the parts about social media and how the reader watches along with Paris as his worst fear of “everyone hates me” comes true online, but then he moves on from it.
I agree with the other comments about Paris.
Here’s a little from my GR review:
3.5 B-/C+ This is a pretty good coming of age story and an entertaining riff on The Great British Bake-off but not a genre romance.
Some parts were so painful to read, I wasn’t sure if was going to bother finishing it while other parts had me laughing out loud in delight. And some things were so cringe-y I’m not sure I can really recommend this to anyone. Paris’ roommate Morag, a self-proclaimed fat Glaswegian sex goddess, in particular made me cringe. Paris’ early interactions with Tariq, his fabulous queer Muslim love interest, were also extremely cringey – some of the cringe is clearly intentional and some I think wasn’t.
I thought the anxiety rep was quite good, although different from my own experience with anxiety. I particularly liked that Paris eventually recognized that he needed help and got it – and while it wasn’t a miracle cure it did make his life a little easier. I loved the description of his first therapist led support group. So funny and accurate.
The Flashpoint box set from Rachel Grant is $2.99–includes Tinderbox, Catalyst, Firestorm, and Inferno.
Wasn’t a fan of Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. It started out with several laugh-out-loud moments at the beginning, then quickly turned into something dark and icky. It doesn’t help that the book was marketed as a light, almost cozy read.
Paris is a skilfully executed unreliable narrator, but I didn’t much enjoy spending time in his head. I can forgive a lot for the sake of a queer character of faith, however, even if Tariq had his irritating moments too.
I loved Paris D (gave it 5 stars on GR) but understand why a lot of readers might’ve had a different reaction. I think Alexis Hall is so skilled at writing *very* *deeply* flawed characters and exploring their flaws and drawing the reader in so that we (or at least I!) root for them. I think I agree it’s not a true romance, at best the ending is a HFN. The writing sparkles and I thought it was a pretty good balance of serious and light. This is definitely not a romcom a la Boyfriend Material though. I’ve utterly given up on understanding publisher/author book cover choices and relying on covers to direct my reading, this is a perfect case in point
One more note on Paris D, I do agree with @cleo that Morag is very cringe. Surprising, because I usually love the secondary characters in Alexis Hall’s books.
Grady Hendrix writes women so often that he should really be better at writing women.