Q.B. TylerBesprekingen

long-short of it: coulda been better.

the why's:

1. the most glaring issue here is the writing, especially the dialogue. the run on sentences go craaaazy wild and there are so many instances of weird grammar.
2. the flashbacks are a bit cheap, i'm not sure that it was a necessary device for this kind of book. there's just not that much untold history between gabbie and james.

a. at the end, there's a flashback to james telling the dad about their relationship, and the
flashback happens in the middle of him telling gabbie about the conversation with his dad.
i don't see why q.b. couldn't have just had that james/dad scene be it's own chapter. (there are
a few other sections like this, cutting a conversation just to jump to something one of the
characters is thinking about)

3. the big one. the main conflict of the entire book is not whether gabbie and james are meant to be together, it's that they're worried about what their family and friends will think of them after the truth is out. by the end of the book, every family member knows what's what - but there isn't a resolution !!

a. monica barges in on them, and they have to explain everything whilst dealing with the shock of being walked in on mid-sex, not to mention this is only a few days after they've admitted their feelings to each other. james tells the dad on his own, and we only find that out through a flashback memory. they tell the mom while the whole family is present, but the scene is super short and james and gabbie go on a walk while she processes. (there's also a cut during this conversation too!!! to when james was attracted to gabbie for the first time?? unnecessary and weird.) my point here is that every big reveal of the relationship to every family member is rushed and stilted. the bulk of the book is spent with gabbie/james worrying about telling their loved ones, and then when these scenes finally happen they're cut abysmally short.
b. right after they announce their relationship to the mom, james "proposes" (not in the way at all that gabbie said she wanted) and then the book ENDS. cue epilogue!!! huh!!

4. the book ends with no loose ends tied up. the family knows what james/gabbie are doing and knows they're going to be together no matter what. but that's not what matters. them just knowing what was going on was never the complete issue. the conflict is in how they deal with this new complicated dynamic in their family. and we don't see how any of their family members deal with this new turn of events! monica disappears after she finds out, and the dad and the mom find out too late in the book for anything to really come of it. in the epilogue, james and gabbie get married but the mom and the dad aren't even in the chapter! for all we know they never came around and have disowned the two of them - there's truly no indication of them accepting the relationship.

the good:
1. i like james! i like gabbie!
2. the chemistry between the two is great, i have no issues whatsoever as far as they're concerned.
3. good drama! (kinda)

the final say:
there was a lot of potential here! the adopted sister brother dynamic, the black daughter in an otherwise white family, the overachieving family gene and how that's affected gabbie, going to columbia and trying to live up to monica and james successes. like there are truly so many interesting directions this story could have been taken!! it wasn't a snoozefest by any means, but it was disappointing in the end.

Okaaay. This was spicy af

7,9/10
- Bem escrito, leitura prende o leitor
- Fala sobre vários aspectos da vida dos personagens e não só sobre o romance
- Não é exatamente meu tipo de coisa, no começo fiquei meio ??????? mas ok, gostei até

Forget Me Not is the story of a married couple who are headed for divorce when the husband gets in a car accident and loses memory of the last two years. Because he only remembers a time when they were happy, he can't fathom that he would be the cause of their break-up. The story continues with them confronting their issues and because this is a romance, there is a HEA.

I read this on a recommendation and while I didn't dislike it, I wasn't as blown away by it as I was expecting. While they do delve into what their problems are, there is far too much about their physical attraction to each other than I like to see in a marriage in trouble story. It is mentioned in the story that he is instantly attracted from first sight. I wanted to see more depth from both characters.

Marriage in Trouble, Divorce, Infidelity, Infertility, Biracial Marriage, Amnesia, colorful language, on page sexual situations

Forbidden romance with curveballs

This is not your typical forbidden romance. No one is mega-rich. The family dynamic is strong and deviates from the step-sibling/ stepparent trope. Q.B. Tyler skilfully uses dual POV to amp up the tension and minimise angst. The plot twists added extra depth to the story. All in all, it was a great read.

‘Unconditional’ is the first book I have read by Q.B. Tyler. My positive impressions of the author were further cemented by her acknowledgments section. It warmed my heart and gave a happy jolt to my reading brain to see that a couple of my favourite authors were mentioned.

Fans of Danielle James should checkout ‘Unconditional’. It isn’t super taboo but it is sizzling hot!

Awesome as anticipated

Clapping hands! ‘Love Unexpected’ is a true gem. There was no unnecessary angst. The sadness and woe within this story was well timed and delivered with a gentle touch. Alternating points of view added further depth to the passion between Dominic and Stassia. Q.B. Tyler mixed elements of slow burning desire and urgent need to crank up the heat.

Not your average student/prof romance

Nice people doing naughty things to each other. I avoided this at first. I dismissed at as too cliché, too upbeat, etc... Then I found myself in need of a forbidden romance that didn’t rely on angst or betrayal to move the plot forward. First semester hit the spot. Aidan and Skyler were great. This short novella even managed to induce tears. Abbreviated tears but tears nonetheless.

If you want a quick student/professor romance with a shot of heartfelt emotion, ‘First Semester’ is the book for you.

My Best Friend’s Sister

I Picked Up This Book Because: IG recommendation

Media Type: Digital Book
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Dates Read: 3/24/21 - 4/2/21
Stars: 3.5 Stars

The Characters:

Jackson Walsh:
Ava Remington:
Tucker Remington

The Story:

Good plot and I liked the characters. The manuscript would benefit from an editor because there are some inconsistencies in the story like one minute the H is wearing sweatpants then one second later he’s wearing slacks. But those just little picky things that probably only bother me. Overall I enjoyed it.

The Random Thoughts:



Challenges:

TBR 20 in 21 - New-to-you author½

I have mixed feelings about this book.

The premise of the husband loosing his memory and only remembering their life 2 years ago before they split up is clever as it allows the heroine to express to him how his behaviour affected her which means the reader explores those feelings too.
Also although he cheated, and I'm not excusing his behaviour, the heroine also is able to explain how she felt leading up to the cheating.
They had two miscarriages after finding it difficult to get pregnant and she suffered from depression.

This leads to the Hero realising how much he hurt her.
It's clever as he is disgusted with himself, he can't understand how he would have behaved this way.

My issue is that he gets drunk and cheats, but he goes on to have sex with the same other woman.
This is explored.
His mother has always been a bone of contention in their relationship and she encourages the other woman so that doesn't help.

The Hero really doesn't seem the type to cheat, he adores his wife and is devoted to her in the flashbacks and all their friends find it hard to believe he did it too.

The Hero was pushed away by the heroine, got blind drunk and had a ONS, he wakes the next morning not knowing what happened.

He says he slept with other woman three times, each time he went to her for comfort, talking about his wife and it ended with sex.
This is my issue.
If it was a one off, not that that's okay but it does change things for me.
If it had been different women three times, I'm not saying I'd have taken him back but it's different to it being the same woman.

It also deals with interracial issues.

I also had an issue with the ONS, he was so drunk she has to remind him what happened, but later there is talk between the Hero and heroine about STDs but if he was drunk how does he know he's clean, pregnancy isn't an issue as I think it was 6 months ago the original ONS took place so they'd know by now if other woman was pregnant.

I liked that the heroine was no doormat, she is attracted to him still and struggles with that but does not give in easily.

They both have slept with other people in separation, the heroine tried to move on when she filed for divorce.

No intimate scenes with anyone other than the Hero and heroine.

HEA.
Epilogue.

4.4 stars

Well hello. This book was a pleasant surprise. I'm not usually a fan of this subject matter having lived this life. However, the circumstances of this was not at all like mine. The author did an exceptional job showing how a decision like that wreaks havoc on the emotions. Especially, if not just done as a casual flippant type occurrence but instead is one that has been brewing for a long time and it only a paper keeps it as "real".

Great characters, steamy times and explosive chemistry.

4.5 stars

Wow these two sure had to work for their happily ever after. However it was well worth it. Will and Charlotte gad a once in lifetime love. Their chemistry was more than sexual(although that was hotter than Hades)' it was a connection between souls, it was unconditional , an it was joy personified.

I'm a fan now.

4.4 stars

Very good age gap/taboo romance. One of my favorite things about this author is how she sets up the story. Her prologues are some of the best in the romance genre.