Review: Two Wrongs Make a Right

Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese
RATING: 3 STARS
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“Sorry before I start, I need to go off on a rant—WTF was that shit at the 90% mark?! It was a half assed attempt to stir unnecessary drama between the leads. I almost threw my Kindle across the room. Why do authors ALWAYS do this especially if we're mere pages away from the finale?! Couldn't that fuckery drop in the middle?! Uggggh, my blood pressure is through the roof.

NOW BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING.

“Two Wrongs Make a Right” is a Shakespeare ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ opposites attract inspired romance novel that features a neurodivergent couple: Beatrice (Bea) is on the autism spectrum and Jamie (Wes) has anxiety. They started off on the wrong foot but gradually started to warm up to each other and soon discovered a deeply compatible partnership. After joining forces to seek revenge on her twin sister, Jules, and Jamie’s roommate, Jean-Claude—the fake dating ensues causing miscommunication, sexual tension, and bubbling feelings to come to the surface—leaving readers wanting more with this fake dating, autism spectrum, opposites attract romance.

Compared to most recent romance releases, “Two Wrongs Make a Right” was a breath of fresh air and the reimagining of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ was everything I hoped for and more. It was a terribly cute read with realistic and by far the most relatable characters I have read in a long, long time.

I absolutely loved how they both equally pinned for each other but the fear of ruining the fake relationship blossoming friendship frightened the couple. Plus the LGBTQIA representation was another greatly added addition to the novel and how open all the characters were top notch.

But… The side plot of Jean-Claude and Jules, and his friendship/relationship with Jamie baffle me. How are you a pediatrician and have a roommate? The astrology bits were a nuisance and that ending. Once again… WTF. Nonetheless, the HEA is there and I can honestly consider this better than the "Bergman Brothers" series which I had found to be long and drawn out.

Lastly—Did I spot a little something something brewing between Kate and Chris? A possible enemies to lovers in the making? I am livin’ for it.

 

Review: The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond

The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond by Amanda Glaze
RATING: 4 STARS
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“The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond” follows the story of seventeen-year-old twins who, just like their belated mother, are powerful mediums. The gifts that have been passed down from their mother, split into two—Violet can open the veil between life and death, and Edie can cross into the spirit world—unfortunately couldn’t save them when their mother died in the veil and their father threatened to commit them to a notorious asylum one year prior.

The night of their mother’s passing, the twins became runaways and now are part of a traveling Spiritualist show, a tight-knit group of young women who demonstrate their real talents under the guise of communing with spirits. Each night, actresses, poets, musicians, and orators all make contact with spirits who happen to have something to say. But when Violet’s act goes terribly wrong one night, Edie learns that the dark spirit (what I would deem as the “Shadow Man”) responsible for their mother’s death has crossed into the land of the living. As Edie investigates the identity of her mysterious final client, N.D, she quickly realizes that someone… or something is hunting mediums and they may be next. Not wanting to cause Violet fear, Edie keeps the secrets of not only the dark presence that has surface but the reason cause of death of their love one is causing a wavering bond among the twins—Edie soon realizes she can’t only trust herself to uncover a killer who will stop at nothing to cheat death.

If that synopsis doesn’t push you to pick this book up this holiday season, I don’t know what would. I can’t begin to describe how much I thoroughly enjoyed this YA paranormal murder mystery book. I came in with low, low expectations and was blown away by the author's research (asylums, women’s rights during the era, society in the late 1800s, spirituality, etc.), writing style, great assemblage of characters (Laws has my heart!), themes, perfect mix of genres that I am living for, pacing, storyline and surprisingly enough, the mild romance that typically tends to fail time and time again in other YA paranormal books. Another thing I was highly impressed by was the fact that each of the sisters had their own identity. They had their unique personalities, quirks, abilities, strengths, and opinions—despite that, there was a strong sense of understanding between them.

Despite the raving review, I do want to point out the one thing that I highly dislike was the lack of Violet. Her skills and gifts were only showcased during the later book of the novel but all throughout, the story primarily focused on Edie. Maybe it’s just me but I really wanted Violet to more heavily involved in the murder mystery investigation.

Altogether, “The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond '' downright unputdownable and has become the first YA I have come across in a long time that lives up to the hype. Across the board—a phenomenal read I know I will pick up time and time again this spooky season.

Review: The Bodyguard

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
RATING: 1.5 STARS

DNF: 67%
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“The Bodyguard” synopsis drew me in with its refreshing premise but I soon came to realize it was too good to be true (like everything else in my life). The read felt juvenile, the storyline/plot was a snoozefest, the characters were awkward AF, and based on their behavior—I kept forgetting they were adults. I had to re-read the synopsis to make sure I didn’t pick up a YA/NA romance novel.

Additionally—the characters were very one-dimensional and I struggled to connect with either Hannah or Jack. As a bodyguard, Hannah did a whole lot of standing around and being walked all over by her boss, ex-boyfriend, ex-best friend, and hell—even Jack. Where was the ‘tough guy’ exterior that is supposed to come with being a bodyguard? Poor girl wasn’t born with a backbone. Honestly, I was far more intrigued by the corgi stalker than anything else.

And I can’t fail to mention that the ‘romance’ left much to be desired. This bland Wattpad wannabe Hallmark movie was altogether a waste of time but if you’re a masochist like myself—10/10 would highly recommend it!

If you want to read more as to why you shouldn't read this horrendous novel, give Matilda's review a whirl.