A life of books . . .
The final book I completed in 2024. There might’ve been one more between this and the last one, I honestly can’t remember anymore.
Whenever we drive to NC to see family we generally break the drive up over two days so the trip is four days there and back (we usually stay a full week in the middle) and the three times we’ve done it now we’ve listened to an audiobook and this time it was In Deeper Waters.
Continue reading “Book 1,058: In Deeper Waters – F.T. Lukens”
“I wish I knew how to quit you.” I use that line from Brokeback Mountain somewhat facetiously but also as a WTAF draws me back to this book because I will 100% read it again, probably in less than 6 months.
Is this the best book ever written? No. Is this book even that great from a plot or romance genre perspective? Meh. Does it, however, scratch some unknown itch that I still don’t know what is causing it or where it is? ABSOLUTELY.
Continue reading “Book 1,057: Two for Trust – Elle Brownlee”
Picking up where Idol Moves drops off with a massive cliffhanger, we find ourselves with Jason and Tae Hyun once more as their relationship evolves, Tae Hyun’s fame increases—along with scandal, and Jason’s responsibilities become even more of a burden.
After the mental hurdle I had to overcome with the second book being a continuation of the same story and not another couple within the same series, this one went by a little quicker. It’s funny, I usually gripe about how fast MM Romance (and the romance genre in general) are so unrealistically fast, that I’m now complaining about a story being spread over three novels. If I look at it objectively, however, Salvo did exactly what he said he was going to do. He basically wrote three seasons of a K-drama and I can’t fault him for that.
For me, the story could’ve ended after Idol Minds, and been a wonderful standalone novel, but there were definitely gems throughout the second and third novel and getting to see more of the minor characters develop over the longer story timeline definitely added to the overall story in this final book in the series.
Jason nodded, understanding how she felt. A year ago, he would’ve felt the same way. But his immersion in the K-pop universe had taught him that a lot of darkness often lurked beneath the glitz and glamor. (280)
The second and third books moved away from MM Romance and were more thriller and family saga/corporate scandal respectively, with a side of romance spread throughout. The third one worked better for me, I think because it was more intrigue than drama. Of course there were major moments of drama for both Tae Hyun—how dare you kiss him!—and Jason—WTF actually happened and F*CK YEAH Naomi, take names and kick ass—but they weren’t the over the top drama that it felt like Idol Moves had. All of this being said, the amount of details that Salvo probably left is unbelievable. The third novel could have been three separate books, if not four.
By far, my favorite part of this one was the wedding. We knew it was coming and we knew it would be either the biggest FU to all the haters or the most beautiful private ceremony ever; and it was. I won’t tell you which, but it was the perfect denouement of the series and the best happily ever after. For real though, I didn’t even care about some loose ends about the billions and the tour and their future. I was just left grinning like a total crazy person.
Recommendation: Definitely read if you’er a fan of K-dramas. If you’re solely a fan of MM Romance, maybe read the first one and if you’re super invested in Jason and Tae Hyun after that, then commit to reading the other two. They are a bit of a slog to get through, mostly because there is so much in them, but they are all well written and wrap up neatly which is all you can really ask for in a book/trilogy. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for more from Salvo in the future and cross my fingers he dips his toes into a traditional MM Romance series with different characters in each novel. I feel like he could really make one of those work.
Opening Line: “Jason braced himself against his father’s marble-topped mahogany desk, his finger tightening around its edge.”
Closing Line: “Hand in hand, heart to heart, bound by a love that had weathered storms and emerged stronger, brighter, and more radiant than ever before.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)
I was so excited when Salvo revealed there were two more books in this series. What I didn’t realize is that it wasn’t a series, it was a trilogy and that it was the continuation of Jason and Tae Hyun’s story rather than a traditional MM Romance series with new protagonists.
Now don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against a trilogy, but when you’re mentally prepared for a more traditional series and that’s not what you get, it knocks the wind out of your sails—as can be seen by my 20 day read time. This book would probably have taken me 2-3 days at most if it weren’t a continuation of the story.
Idol Moves is the continuation of Jason and Tae Hyun as they’re relationship grows after the events of Idol Minds. This novel is less romance and more action packed thriller. Sure there are moments of squeal-inducing adorableness, but the bulk of the novel seems more about who is trying to keep Tae Hyun from becoming the successful independent solo artist he knows he can be.
The most powerful scenes in the novel were after Jason and Tae Hyun had fought (more often about something stupid) and were learning to navigate being together in a conservative society and as public figures. They just felt the most delicate and consequential. The biggest was after the climax of the novel when they found each other again. Salvo’s writing was so raw that it felt like spying on them reading those passages.
Honestly, the book I want from Salvo is Naomi’s. She’s a badass and I just want to know her whole story 😀 That being said there were moments of levity and humor I really appreciated:
Raven laughed as she tried grabbing one of Jason’s biceps. ‘You could do a lot worse than with this bomb-ass beefcake at your back, baby.’
Tae Hyun grinned as he recalled how Jason had literally been at his back several times recently. ‘Actually, we take turns being in the back.’
Raven’s well-shaped brows briefly shot up before she barked out a laugh so loud she almost choked.
‘Oh shit,’ she called out, playfully smacking Tae Hyun’s arm.
‘You’re all right, Tae Hyun.’ Then she wrapped her free arm around his shoulder and pulled him close.
‘I see J finally met his match.’ (66)
Recommendation: Overall, the book was fine. It wasn’t what I was expecting so it took me a lot longer to read than it probably would have if I knew what it was going into this one. Salvo did a great job with the main storyline, which was more thriller than romance, and they definitely beefed up the minor characters giving more depth and variety to the novel. I wasn’t happy with the cliffhanger, but since I figured the third book would be part of the trilogy, it wasn’t totally unexpected.
Opening Line: “Once more from the top!”
Closing Line: “You’re father never changed his will. He left you everything.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)
Additional Quotes from Idol Moves
“Naomi remained silent for long enough that Jason thought the call had dropped. ‘Jason.’ Her ability to pack an entire scolding’s worth of impact into a single word was always impressive, even if it never worked.” (47)
I hadn’t really planned on buying or reading this. It’s one of those add on things, that you always wonder if it’s a cash grab or a demand of the publisher (or production company by the time this was released), versus something the author truly wanted. That being said as we were packing up to move I found a $25+ credit for one of our local book stores and wanted to use it. I went looking for something else and they didn’t have it, and it’s not an area of the city we live near anymore so I knew I wouldn’t be back so I grabbed this.
Continue reading “Book 1,054: The Heartstopper Yearbook – Alice Oseman”