cozyhosie's reviews
365 reviews

 

One True Loves is a beautiful story of grief and moving on from loss. Emma Blair marries her high-school sweetheart Jesse Lerner. However, he goes missing on their first wedding anniversary in a helicopter accident. After grieving and living with her heartbreak, Emma begins to move on with old family friend Sam Kemper. After rediscovering happiness with Sam, Emma’s world is changed by a single phone call telling her that Jesse has been found alive.

This story is a beautiful reflection on grief and loss and what a difficult decision it can be to move on. Emma’s emotions felt so real that I felt like I was experiencing them along with her. Every time she agonized over having to choose between Jesse and Sam, I was right there with her. The foundation of her relationship with Jesse was solid and their connection was strong. Sam was steadfast and reliable and Emma’s relationship with him was like a breath of fresh air. People change as time passes. They grow. So did Emma. As time passed with Jesse, as time passed without Jesse and with Sam, Emma also changed. Ultimately, her decision was not between two men, but between two versions of herself and who she wanted to be. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has been in love, anyone who has felt they changed over time, or anyone wanting to look at themselves in a new light. 

 

 

Eva Mercy is a bestselling author of paranormal erotica. Shane Hall is known for writing powerful literary masterpieces about a teen girl named Eight. The two unexpectedly reconnect at a literary event in New York and embers they thought had gone out erupt into flames. Unbeknownst to their die-hard fans, Shane and Eva spent a tumultuous seven days together as teens that changed both their lives forever. Now adults, the two have the next seven days to decide if love can come back around or if they missed their chance.

Eva and Shane have one of the best love stories I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. Tia Williams has a command of language that will break your heart and leave you begging for more. I have never found myself rooting for a couple more than I did for Eva and Shane. Eva’s daughter Audre is a 12-year-old precocious joy to read and Eva’s closest friends Cece and Belinda provide the much-needed sense the heroine in a romance story always needs. This story is sensual, joyful, and heartbreaking in the best way possible.

 

 

Dana is a black woman, a writer, living in the 1970s. Rufus is a white man, a plantation owner, living in the pre-Civil-War 1800s. Connected by blood, Dana is repeatedly pulled back in time to help Rufus when he is in trouble. In her present, Dana is an independent woman. In the past, she is assumed to be a slave. 

Octavia Butler’s Kindred is a life-changing read. Dana’s struggles to reconcile saving Rufus with the way slaves are treated on his plantation are fascinating to read. Octavia Butler’s prose reaches right into your heart and clenches its fist and makes you feel what Dana feels and hurt when Dana hurts. The juxtaposition of Dana’s strong relationship with her white husband Kevin vs. her fraught interactions with Rufus and his father show the glaring difference in how someone should be treated against the way racism teaches people how to treat others. This book should be required reading for every high school or college student. I highly recommend this book for every reader that wants to confront themselves and learn more about experiences outside their own.

 

The main character, a romance-novel-loving romance author, has a second chance at love with her college boyfriend. It's self-referential in a way that makes you smile, and while a lot of the events are predictable (I saw the cause of the third act breakup very early), the predictability doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the story. The characters are funny, quick-witted, and relatable. At one point, I even wondered if the author had met me because of how I bonded with the main character. Definitely recommend if you love a good rom-com that can make fun of itself.  If Scream were a rom-com, it would be this book. 

Tom Felton provides a look into his life growing up as an actor in Britain and his struggles with life afterward. He is unafraid of sharing the difficult things he's gone through, giving a clear view of his struggles with alcohol and his experiences with rehab and therapy.