Eileen Dreyer

Wow. This was intense. I don't even know where to start. So much happened. It was just blow after blow after blow. The author has a lot of talent. Her characters felt so utterly real that I was heartbroken by this book.

Grace was amazing. She reminded me a lot of Jane Eyre. I just wish she had been in a different book, with a man that actually deserved her. Because Diccan, most definitely did not. It started out forgivable - but by the end it had turned into unforgivable. So unforgivable. show more She did have some moments of self respect - like the bit where she shoots his hat off - I loved that bit. But his reasons for what he does are just not good enough. At all. And I don't feel that he tries to redeem himself either. He only had to be distant. He didn't have to cut her down the way he does. He could've told her the truth even. But he doesn't and it is appalling the way he treats her. I wanted to kill all the men in this Drake's Rakes club because they're all total assholes. I did like that all the household staff back Grace rather than Diccan.

But even though the author has a lot of talent - I can't bring myself to read any more of this series. It's just too much for me. show less

Hmmmm. I debated the review for this one a bit. I waffled between one star and five. I ended up going with one star since that is more unusual for me when it comes to rating books.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love me an insecure, unattractive, self-deprecating heroine (hence the notion of giving it five stars). The plainer the better (none of this "I wear glasses but am otherwise traditionally attractive" crap). While Grace is an amazing, brilliant, smart, courageous, inspired lady, she took show more the utter lack of self-respect too far in my opinion. I like a somewhat broken heroine who benefits from the hero showing her how amazing and desirable she is. But I am too much a feminist not to bristle at Grace being a pathetic doormat. I love angst and mis-matched pairs and drama, but Grace just tolerates no end of inexcusable (based on her knowledge) behavior from Diccan. It was embarrassing really. It made me almost put the book down despite the amount of tropes I love that it catered to. So while there was so much that I loved about this book, and the characters, the inexcusable douchebaggery makes me mark this down from an almost-favorite to a cringe-worthy shame. And makes me dislike men a bit. Why are so many allergic to honesty??

Upon re-read, I had to go the other route and bump up the rating. While I still maintain that Grace desperately needed more self-respect - especially since she wasn’t privy to Diccan’s inner monologue - I just cannot hate on the sweet, delicious angst. My heart broke over and over. Too relatable. Still, it is really, really hard for me to forgive that Diccan full-on cheats on Grace. Sure, it’s for King and country or whatever, but he bones a woman repeatedly and even disparages Grace as he does it. He really should have had to grovel so much more. Also, Grace almost lost me with her complete lack of self-respect when she gets turned on by watching Diccan fuck someone else while he talks shit about her. Instead of being hurt or outraged, she’s titillated and wishes to experience the same, no matter Diccan’s supposed lack of regard for her. COME ON GIRL show less

A fantasy romance about three sisters with magical powers, co-written by three separate authors. You see all the ways in which this could go wrong, right? Right. Well, Mare's story—written by Jenny Crusie—is the strongest and the wittiest, but it's nowhere near vintage Crusie. Dee's story was mostly boring (though God, let me count all the ways I never again want to read an erection described as 'rampant'); Lizzy's story irritated me, because it was full of all the smug, patronising, show more clichéd things that make me want to throw a lot of traditional romance novels against the walls. (Their eyes change colour to match one another's because they are in True Love! Gag.) Readable if you're a Crusie completist (though you might want to skip over the parts with Lizzy and Elric (no, really)), but still largely forgettable. show less

I had no idea that Eileen Dreyer, an author I have enjoyed reading in the past, also writes under the name of Kathleen Korbel. What a happy surprise to be offered a romance written by her in 1988! Now, when reading a book from decades before it is wise to remember that life and romances were different then and books written will reflect that. That said…I thoroughly enjoyed this book :) The story took me back to a simpler time when doors were often left unlocked, women were more often stay show more at home mom’s and ice cream trucks visited neighborhoods where I lived.

Jenny Lake is scraping to make ends meet for herself and her two young children. Her wealthy ex-husband is a deadbeat dad living the highlife with his new wife and delinquent in child support payments. Into Jenny’s life comes The Ice Cream Man, Nick. Nick is fantasy material for Jenny but a hot questionably drug dealing conversational item among the women of Jenny’s neighborhood. Nick is not what he appears to be on the surface…nope…not at all. As the story progresses Nick and Jenny get to know and begin to fall for one another. They have ups and downs and interesting things happen that I found thoroughly enjoyable.

Thank you to eBook Discovery for the copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review. show less