Review: A Brit Complicated by Brenda St John Brown

A Brit Complicated by Brenda St John Brown

Series: Castle Calder #3

Published: October 11th, 2017

Publisher: Self-published

273 pages (ebook)

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Romantic Comedy

Acquired this book: From the author in exchange for honest consideration

Rating: 5 stars

Warning: May contain spoilers

GoodReads || Buy the book: Amazon US ~ Canada || Kobo

Scarlett St Julien likes her job well enough. Her boss? Total wanker. Even if he is sexy AF. After all, they don’t call him Bradley Walking-Sex for nothing.

When Bradley asks her to show him around London, it’s another thing on Scarlett’s task list. At least until the spark between them ignites. And it is H-O-T.

It turns out Bradley Walking-Sex is smart and funny, as well as — you guessed it — oh-so-sexy. But he’s still the boss. A fling with him is one thing. Falling for him? Well, that’s not an option. Is it?

I absolutely loved the first two books in the Castle Calder series, A Brit on the Side and A Brit Unexpected. I was sure I’d enjoy A Brit Complicated, but I wasn’t sure if Brenda St John Brown could top A Brit Unexpected. She did. Each book in this series is better than the last, and as a whole, it’s now one of my favourite series.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting Scarlett’s story since the first Castle Calder book. I knew there was more to her than what we saw then, and I loved how complex she was. St John Brown has this completely refreshing writing style that makes her characters easy to connect to and makes you feel like you’re part of the story. Each of her books has surprised me in some way, and A Brit Complicated was no different. I loved that Scarlett was aware of her faults, and if she had something pointed out to her, she was willing to work on it and try to better herself. Bradley was the same way, which was what made them such a great match. Well, that and their electric chemistry! These two were so hot together and it was fun watching how they played off each other, flirted, stumbled over misunderstandings, and slowly fell for each other.  

The side characters in the story were great, too. I especially loved Tom. I also loved getting to see Bea, Jasper, Claire, and Greyson, and see what they were up to. I was fascinated by Scarlett’s job, and as someone who loves London, I appreciated the tribute that was worked in honouring the recent terror attacks. It was woven in so perfectly and made me really emotional (not going to lie, I cried, and I’ve teared up since whenever I think about it). It was beautiful and touching, and Scarlett’s passion not only for her job, but also for her city, made me connect to her even more.   

Brenda St John Brown has outdone herself with A Brit Complicated. This series is romantic comedy gold. Each of the stories can easily be read as standalones, but I highly recommend reading the whole series, especially if you like complex characters, hilarious situations and dialogue, and sexytimes that will leave you fanning yourself.

A Brit on the Side: Amazon US ~ Canada || Chapters || My review

A Brit Unexpected: Amazon US ~ Canada || Chapters || My review

Have you read any of the Castle Calder books? What did you think? Do you have a favourite romantic comedy?

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Review: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

 

This novel was partly inspired by Mackenzi Lee's discovery of the concept of the Grand Tour, something done by many rich people in the 18th century, that would last for months or even years, depending on funds. It's similar to our modern day 'gap year', where young people see the world between high school/college and pursuing further education or employment. I always wished I could have taken a gap year, and I still harbour a not-so-secret fantasy of taking several months or even a year and travelling through my own home country of Canada, plus Europe, so adventure/travel books like this really appeal to me. Plus, as a historical novel, it's interesting to see how difficult it often was to travel back then when people were limited to horse-drawn carriages and boats.   

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The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Series: Standalone
Published: June 27th, 2017
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
528 pages (eARC)
Genre: Historical Fiction/LGBTQ+/Adventure
Acquired this book: Via Edelweiss in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy: Amazon US ~ Canada || Chapters/Indigo}

An unforgettable tale of two friends on their Grand Tour of 18th-century Europe who stumble upon a magical artifact that leads them from Paris to Venice in a dangerous manhunt, fighting pirates, highwaymen, and their feelings for each other along the way.

Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue was one of my most anticipated books of 2017. I was even more excited when I saw a few trusted reader/blogger friends raving about it. When I finally picked it up, I giggled my way through the first 10% and then...well, then the disappointment kicked in. While the book started out funny and set things up nicely, I found myself bored through a lot of the book. I skimmed a lot, which I don’t normally do, and I considered DNFing several times, but by then I’d already dedicated several hours to the story and my mama didn’t raise a quitter!

I’ll start out with the things I liked. I loved Monty’s voice. He was hilarious and irreverent and selfish and hugely flawed, but also really likeable, and experienced great growth throughout the story. I also liked his sister, Felicity (she’s just the type of strong-willed, intelligent, against-the-grain girl I love seeing in historical fiction, and I'm incredibly excited she's getting her own book) and best friend/love interest, Percy. I loved the diversity in the story - Monty was bisexual, Percy was biracial and had a disability (I won’t mention what because I’d consider it a spoiler, but it was fascinating to learn how it was perceived in the 18th century and what the fate of someone with Percy’s condition often was), and they met up with a band of African pirates during the course of their adventures. You so rarely see any diversity in historical fiction, so it was refreshing to see. I also enjoyed the humour and the adventure itself (which was more of a misadventure) with highwaymen, pirates, alchemists, a sinking island, and lots of mishaps that ranged from amusing to tense.

I think this book could have easily been a five-star read for me if it hadn’t been so long. It felt like it took me forever to read and like it was never going to end. I’d be reading for ages and think I must be close to the end only to look down and see I’d only read 10% and was merely halfway through the book with another 3-4 hours to go. A book like this should have been so action-packed and exciting that I didn’t want to put it down, but instead I had to force myself to keep reading. 

I’m so sad and disappointed to say The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue didn’t live up to my expectations. Despite enjoying the adventures and liking the characters, I felt like I was slogging through, and I honestly couldn’t wait to be finished. I did appreciate Monty’s growth, and I was glad to see he got a happy ending after all he went through, plus there were definitely many laugh-out-loud moments, and a sweet romance. I’ve seen plenty of people raving about this book, which could make it a case of ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ or 'right book, wrong time'. As always, I encourage you to give this one a try if it sounds like something that would interest you.

Have you read The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Have you read any other LGBTQ+ historical fiction books?

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Review: Let it Shine by Alyssa Cole

Let it Shine by Alyssa Cole
Series: Standalone
Published: March 14th, 2016
Publisher: Seditious Sisters
134 pages (ebook)
Genre: Historical Romance
Acquired this book: Bought
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Chapters/Indigo} 

Sofronia Wallis knows that proper Black women don’t court trouble by upending the status quo, but it’s 1961 and the Civil Rights movement is in full swing. Sofie’s spent half her life being prim, proper, and reserved—as if that could bring her mother back—but the nonviolent protests happening across the South bring out her inner agitator.

Ivan Friedman has devoted his life to boxing, loving the finesse of a well-delivered punch and the penance of receiving one. His family escaped from Europe before the horrors of WWII, and Ivan decides to help fight injustice in their new country, even if it goes against all his instincts as a fighter.

When Ivan and Sofie meet, they realize that their pasts are intertwined and—with the sparks that fly between them—perhaps their futures will be too. With everything in their society lined up against them, will Sofie and Ivan be able to beat the odds? Or will their chance at love be destroyed by the tumultuous times they live in? 

 

Let it Shine is the first fictional story I’ve read set during the Civil Rights Movement. It was emotional and moving, while also being a painful and eye-opening read. The horrors people of colour (and allies), had to endure during that time were absolutely heartbreaking, not to mention rage-inducing. And despite being set over fifty years ago, the story is a sharp reminder that while many things have changed for people of colour, racism is still far too prevalent in our society. Despite its ‘historical’ setting, this story is timeless, and it’s as important now as it ever was.

Sofie and Ivan were great characters. I loved how well fleshed-out they were, especially considering Let it Shine is a novella. We saw glimpses of their individual and shared history, and the events that made them into the people they were. They were both strong and determined, and while they had been through and were going through difficult times, they remained strong. They faced so many obstacles - a painful shared history as children, and then as adults trying to forge a relationship in a world that was against them separately and together. 

One of the things I appreciated about this story was how things weren't sugarcoated. It showed the ugly, scary side of things, the uncomfortable and painful bits, the injustices people fought so hard against, often at the risk of their own safety. I also appreciated that we got to see the prejudices within groups of marginalized people. I think a lot of people are under the impression that those who have been oppressed or face racism or prejudice of any sort must stick together because they understand how it feels, but that’s not always true, and Let it Shine showed that. Sofie’s family was Black and her dad disliked Jews, and Ivan's family was Jewish and his dad disliked Black people. That element was woven into the story in a natural way; not only is it a fact of life for many people, but it also realistically added to the obstacles Sofie and Ivan faced. I admired Cole’s honesty and that she didn’t shy away from difficult, painful subject matter.

In Let it Shine, Alyssa Cole did a fantastic job of balancing the history and politics of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement with coming-of-age aspects and a believable romance. It was easy to connect with and root for both Sofie and Ivan, and satisfying to see them find love and a sense of safety in such a tumultuous time.

Have you read Let it Shine? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Have you read any novels set during the Civil Rights Movement?

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