Holme for the Holidays“𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲!
I like MacLeod’s style of writing because of the light-heartedness of it all. And while this one lacked the humour that can be found in some of her other books, it still has the vibes of a holiday romance despite having something heavy like death in the backstory. And that is why I appreciate the storytelling here.
Interestingly, grief wasn't very much the focus but it was more the guilt that came with the death - Fiona's guilt of not having been the best girlfriend to Alice before she died. This is the guilt that forces her to inherit a farm she didn't want, to halt her professional singing career she so loved and to swear off dating even after meeting the love of her life. But I like Fiona, because if anything, she is honest with her feelings.
I didn’t like Paige quite as much. Paige is a wuss and I will continue to call her that for letting herself be strung along by her manipulative ex for so long. And the fact that she needed to leave the country entirely by swapping houses to avoid gravitating back to her just felt dumb.
But I like this one-night-stand to lovers trope. The journey was fun. And I enjoyed listening to Stephanie Murphy try out different accents too. (Fiona is English and Paige is American). Oh, and I must say I love the idea of a house swap in theory. It's a real thing (omg!) and the world continues to surprise me everyday.”
Dal Segno“𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵.
Somebody told me Jax Meyer is articulate and now I have to agree. It took me a while to get used to the writing style because it is so contemplative but once I got the hang of it, damn.
This is one of the most well-written books that moved me to tears. What sets this book apart from others is how much Cam was willing to face her own issues head-on in her own way in order to move forward. Cam is fasinating to get to know. She's ex-Marine, autistic and had been coping with the sudden loss of her long-term partner. Cam frequently dreams of Sharon and rationalises her feelings a lot in her head and what goes on inside is often far deeper than what she actually verbalises because communication isn't her strongest point.
Cam and Sharon's life as Marines dictated by DADT is distinctively different from Cam's life with Laura which is surrounded by music. Laura is the high school music teacher whom Cam reunites with at the community college she attends. Their relationship is gentle and companionate and this feels right because of their age (Cam is 40, Laura is 52) and what Cam has been through. I love how understanding and patient Laura is and how Cam in return, lets her in and shares her past with her.
It makes a difference knowing there's a prequel with Sharon in it because it becomes even more beautiful when Cam finally realises that she doesn't need to forget Sharon and there can be room in her heart for both.
I'm glad I listened to the audiobook. I got used to Stephanie Murphy and I like listening to her.”
Waltzing on the Danube“𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲!
𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘖𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘣𝘦 is the first book of the Americans Abroad series but it can be read out of sequence as it is a standalone... and oh my, what a fun one this was. I'm beginning to appreciate MacLeod's writing more and more, especially her humour. The premise itself was hilarious - Two American women boarded what they had thought was a lesbian singles cruise only to find out they were the only two eligible women around because of a ticketing mishap. And I thought it was pretty clever to have Jeanie and Eleanor as complete opposites and yet at the same time have them stuck with each other for two whole weeks with literally no other dating options.
It's lighthearted and I'm glad I listened to the audiobook instead of reading this one because it was great hearing Jeanie sound so excitable about everything. And she complemented Eleanor's anxious and OCD self really well.
This is my first experience with Stephanie Murphy narrating and I got used to her pretty fast. I thought her voice suited the lightheartness of the story, though somewhere in the middle, it became a little hard to distinguish Jeanie from Eleanor.
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