Sarah Hobbs Poetry
Get In Touch
  • Home
  • Poetry
  • My Books
  • Poetry Peeps
  • Events
  • Reviews
  • Testimonials
  • About Me
  • Awakened Column
  • Hire Me
  • Sign-Up to eNewsletter
  • A Rose Between Two Thorns
  • Contact Me

No Ordinary Love, by Harper Bliss *****

27/2/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Genre: F/F, Romance, Adult Fiction, Erotica, LGBTQI

​WOW! Just WOW! This book took the High Rise novella series to different heights.

No Ordinary Love took the story and relationship between Alex and Maddie to another level by looking at the impact an ex-partner has on the present.

Harper cleverly weaves the narrative to highlight the thought processes that are involved when approached by a distant memory from the past.

Alex deals with this situation in her own way, which is evident, but it's also clear to see that her decision requires serious thought. She also shows that Alex being honest with her partner Maddie and eventually encompassing the "what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger" philosophy.

Harpers writing style clearly helped to promote the rush of emotions that each character must be feeling, which helped me immensely when trying to visualise and relate to it.

I gave this book five stars because it gave me everything I needed, drama, intrigue and romance. Looking forward to seeing what the High Rise gang get up to in the 4th book in this series - Close Enough.

Stay tuned folks...

0 Comments

The Road To You, by Harper Bliss *****

24/2/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Genre: Romance, F/F, Adult Fiction, LGBTQI, Erotica

I liked this book - a lot. It took me on a personal journey with the two main Characters, Katherine and Alison.

What I really liked about The Road to You was that we got both sides of the story, which was really refreshing.

The interweaving of both characters life throughout the book gave the whole narrative a 'completed' feel. We saw both characters grow older, develop and change, which was nice to see. I felt like I had gotten to know both of these characters while reading this.

​Throughout the book we were kept in suspense as to whether or not they would get together or not! I had an inkling, but that wasn't confirmed until over 70% of the way through the book - well done Harper, love the suspense.

It was really good to have the story of two extremely different people finding their path that led them to each other in a believable way. Harper certainly shows that opposites attract within this narrative! ​

I also loved the inclusion of the 'best friends' within the story-line - they were integral in guiding the two main characters together, which showed, that sometimes it's easy to overlook whats right in front of you.

A follow-up on this could explain the story of Anna and Grace, as not too much information was given about their stories - just an idea.

For me, this book is a five star book all around. It has everything - a decent narrative, it's written well and it showed clear development of the main characters. So, in all - I loved it.

0 Comments

Beneath The Surface (Pink Bean Series #2), by Harper Bliss ****

21/2/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Genre: Romance, F/F, Adult Fiction, Erotica, LGBTQI

This is the 2nd book within the Pink Bean Series and I must say I really liked it.

What Harper manages to do very cleverly in all her books is to find a very interesting and unique angle and create an enthralling narrative that draws the reader in from start to finish.

That's no different to what she has done with Beneath The Surface. We were introduced to the characters Kristin and Sheryl in the first Pink Bean novel, but Harper's focus was not on their life/situation but rather that of Micky and Robin.

Here, she clearly delves into their relationship, from inception to past the end point of No Strings Attached. This is what is extremely unique about the narrative of this novel, where the whole thing explores a 20 year relationship and the development of the characters within it.

Not only does she cover this angle very well, but she also tackles the dark topic of alcoholism and it's effects, not only physical, but psychological on an individual and their close family members. In light of this, this book is a lot darker than Harper's other novels.

But that's not a bad thing, instead it clearly shows Harper's versatility as an author to tackle such a topic in a professional and yet sensitive way.

My reasoning behind giving it a four out of five stars, and if I could I would have gladly given this a four and a half out of five, is merely due to one tiny thing. Depth.

By Harper covering the entirety of Kristin and Sheryl's relationship she has had to condense it, which means in some places it seemed a bit rushed - it did feel like this could have been three books. But that's just a personal thing from my point of view. We were provided with enough information to allow the flow of the narrative to progress in an engaging way, therefore, not detracting from the enjoyment of the story.

Anyway, book number three in the Pink Bean series is due to be released soon and I cannot wait to see what happens next. I will definitely pounce on this when it is released. Watch this space...

0 Comments

In the Distance there is Light, by Harper Bliss ***

15/2/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Genre: F/F, Romance, Adult Fiction, Erotica, LGBTQI

​If I am honest, I struggled with this one, which is weird because usually I love and get so gripped by Harper's writing.

Do not get me wrong, this has nothing to do with her ability as a writer, I just did not seem to get on with the narrative/characters as I have with many other books of hers.

In the Distance there is Light explores the life of an individual who has lost the person they love in the most tragic of circumstances, which is a good angle, as generally people tend to focus more on the tragedy rather than the life after.

However, and this is where I struggled with this, I could not fathom, how someone who was in a heterosexual relationship could suddenly end up in a lesbian relationship, over night. It just didn't sit right with me.

I mean I can see what Harper was trying to do here, showing how grief can bring two unexpected people together for comfort and support - but it just was not believable in this scenario.

I also struggled with the lead character Sophie. I know she was going through the most difficult and traumatic times, but the way in which she dealt with it just confused me. I guess until I have been in her position, and I wish to god that I will never have to be, I will never fully comprehend how someone would 'deal' with such a loss.

Anyway, there were some good points regarding this book - namely Harper's writing style. Once again her writing style made it extremely easy to read and engage with, either positively or negatively.

The awarding of only 3 stars, which is the joint lowest I have scored Harper to date, is predominantly due to my struggle with the narrative and characters - nothing else.

Don't worry Harper - I still love what you write!

0 Comments

Trust In Me, by Lydia Rose **

6/2/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Genre: Romance, Adult Fiction, Erotica, F/F, LGBTQI

I wanted to broaden my horizon's for Lesbian Romance novels, so I decided to try Lydia Rose's novel Trust in me. 

On a whole I thought the narrative and direction of the story was good, however I did found it lagging in a number of areas.

Firstly, there were occasions when Rose clearly lost the train of who said what within the characters dialogue, which is a major faux pas.

Secondly, after Jules and Paige get into a relationship the pace of the story slows dramatically and starts to produce an air of predictability in regards to the direction of the narrative.

The aforementioned issues mentioned above constitutes my reasoning for awarding this book a lowly two stars, which is a shame., as I thought the narrative had a lot of potential.

Do not get me wrong, this has not put me off reading anymore of Lydia Rose's books in the future. On the contrary, I cannot wait to read another of her books and be proved wrong. Watch this space...

0 Comments

No Strings Attached (Pink Bean Series #1), by Harper Bliss *****

2/2/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Genre: Romance, F/F, Adult Fiction, Erotica

First of all, I must say that I liked reading this book so much that I read it in 48 hours. That for me, is an achievement, but I just could not seem to put this book down.

What I liked about No Strings Attached, was that the main character's story was what my life could have been like - it was eerie. Micky's self discovery and coming out experience was very intriguing to me and it honestly gripped me in a personal way.

The most astounding thing about reading this book was the altruistic effect it had on me. Suddenly, I felt so thankful for finding my path in life at this moment in time.

Harper's easy to read style only added to the enjoyment of this book. It made it effortless, so I could put all my attention into the development of the narrative, which was the whole point.

I gave this book a whopping five stars purely because it resonated with me so deeply and personally. It's a story that will stay with me for an extremely long time.

Thank you once again Harper for providing such a thought provoking and powerful story. As always I cannot wait to read what you write next...


0 Comments

    What is this blog about?

    This blog is for me to post my thoughts and opinions of books that I have read. Providing you with my honest judgement and insight into it's narrative structure, technical devices, context it has been written in and my own personal enjoyment and feelings regarding the piece.

    The books are also rated on a system of 1 to 5 stars - signified with the use of an asterisk.

    Archives

    March 2021
    November 2020
    February 2019
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Genres

    All
    Adult Fiction
    Art
    Autobiography
    Biography
    Chapbooks
    Chick-Lit
    Children's Poetry
    Classic Fiction
    Comic
    Contemporary
    Crime Fiction
    Cultural Fiction
    Culture
    English Language
    Erotica
    Female Fiction
    F/F
    Historical Fiction
    History
    LGBTQI
    Poetry
    Politics
    Psychological Fiction
    Psychological Thriller
    Real Life
    Romance
    Sci-Fi
    Thriller
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.