Feminista
Hi everyone! I used to be a former Goodreads lover. Who has decided to move to BookLikes due to the recent changes to the GR site: that is, the decision of the management to delete reviews that talk about bad author behaviour.
It is important that we know of bad author behaviour and actions. We buy their books. I want to know whether Author A has decided to harass Reviewer A or encouraged fans to stalk Reviewer B.
I want to know this, the same way I wanted to know that a well known sporting good company had been using child labour in the production of some of its products. The same way the WHOLE WORLD wanted to know.
It is irrelevant that the author writes well, or that the said sporting good company produces good quality sporting goods. Our ethics and morals MATTER!
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Now to discuss my reading habits:
I am very picky when it comes to books. I am a feminist and I think that shows in my reading list.
There are many things that bug me to death. But I'll always make an exception if the boy-girl standard is reversed. Dear world, that is MY double standard. I respect and champion authors who have the guts to do something different.
Firstly, I hate infidelity in novels.
Secondly, I hate it when the heroine is a virgin and the guy is an expert and skilled lover. I hate it when the heroine, for fated reasons, saves herself for someone who has been sowing his oats. It's not only overdone, old-fashioned and pathetic, but it also grosses me out like he is violating something so sacrosanct.
Thirdly, I might enjoy the occasional alpha-hero tendencies, but my true love lies with beta-heroes. Guys who are loving and sweet. Who don't feel the need to push around their women to make themselves feel more manly.
Feminista's bookshelf: read
Hard to Handle
Rating: 2 out of 5.
Sadie Howard is a serial dater who never goes out with a guy on more than one date, but then sometimes she breaks her rules... Aiden Downey found out that his mother was dying and even though he was in a relationship with Sadie, he decided to act as if he was still married to his ex-wife so that his mother wouldn't worry.
This just wasn't the book for me.
I found the hero and heroine a bit childish. For example, if the heroine did something the hero would be amused. Firstly, I didn’t find any of the situations he was smiling for, funny. There was this part where he tells this guy that they are married. I mean, hello, just dating would suffice or boyfriend at most. And then he finds it funny when she gets irritated by what he did. Also, the heroine would stamp around and secretly watch the hero and all I could think was, honestly, if you are that into him, just get with him already! There are times when I enjoy such chase and sullenness, but that wasn’t the case for this book.
I also didn’t like how most of the writing was about how attractive one found the other. It made me feel like the hero’s apology was too lust-related. Yes it is good that they find one another attractive, but so much description watered down the sincerity of their ‘love’ for one another.
Also, if the hero was that upset that he had lost the heroine, then why wasn’t he doggedly pursuing her? Not only did a year pass after his mother’s death, but after the wedding scene he lets her go on her own way knowing that she loved him. I didn’t think the hero grovelled enough…
Then the final unbelievable twist. She is a virgin! So she is this ‘serial dater’ who never dates anyone more than the first date. I don’t know what the point is, but maybe she wants free dinners? And then you find out that she dated her ex-fiancé for 2 years and she never slept with him. I mean come on… There is a good twist, like ‘oh wow I didn’t see that coming’ and then there is just a ‘are you kidding me with this unbelievable far-fetched twist’ that did not, for me, add to the enjoyment but completely ruined the book with its fancifulness.
Having said that, I understand that some contemporary romance readers might like this book, so give it a go!
ARC Courtesy of NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
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