Review: Finally Mine (Benevolence Series Book 2) by Lucy Score

Finally Mine by Lucy Score
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two Damaged Souls

I’d probably give this book 4.5 ⭐️ if I could.

This can be read as a standalone novel, however, it runs parallel to the first book in the series and the characters and storylines interact. Much of this story is told in the first book from a completely different point of view. You don’t need to read the first book to enjoy this one, but it will give you a deeper understanding of the characters and events in this book. There is no cliffhanger.

Gloria has been living a nightmare for 10 years with an abusive and violent boyfriend, Glenn. She has been isolated from family and friends and is not allowed a job or access to money. She feels like her own personality has disappeared and she is just a shadow. When she finally gets the courage to leave him, she does it in public not realising that Glenn doesn’t care about witnesses, especially when drunk. When Harper helps her survive the encounter, it’s the start of a true friendship. Starting again with only a high school diploma at age 27, having never held a job is hard, but she has the support of quite a few townspeople.

Aldo is gorgeous, fit and charming. He flirts with every woman he meets, no matter the age. He’s also ready to settle down, but the one woman he wants and has wanted for 10 years is Gloria. When Gloria finally escapes her ex, Aldo sees his chance, even though he’s about to go to Afghanistan for a 6-month tour of duty with the army reserves. The timing isn’t great but he’s not going to miss his chance as he did as a teenager. He makes his intentions known to Gloria and then leaves her to make her own way and learn her own wants and needs without anyone telling her what they are.

This story is so honest about the feelings of being abused and how you get stuck in the cycle, unable to see your way out. It’s revealing and enlightening for anyone who thankfully hasn’t had the same experience. Gloria experiences quite a lot of shame from taking so long to leave and hates being pitied. I love the way she grasps the opportunities she has been given with both hands and clings on for dear life, trying to shape her own future in the way she wants.

Gloria grows steadily throughout this book, leaning on her friends and learning to be honest about her feelings after years of having that honesty beaten out of her. She does the work to grow and deal with the aftermath of her trauma and gets counselling. She pushes through her conditioned fear and learns to say no to things she doesn’t want to accept no matter how scared she is to do it. Her friendships are a key part of this book and I love how she and Harper bond, in particular.

Aldo goes through his own trauma after spending most of his life able to work towards anything he wants, pushing through physical limits to condition his body and mind. He’s a successful businessman and has a lovely home and fantastic friends. Everything is rosy, apart from not having Gloria and even that seems to finally be coming together. Then he is injured overseas and his body lets him down for the first time. His worldview crumbles and he doesn’t know how to handle it.

The contrast between Aldo and Gloria’s attitude towards trauma is clear and the way they both have to work through different things in order to be happy makes for an interesting read.

These are two exceptionally well-written characters and they were both believable. I enjoyed their interactions and the way the town is involved with everything. Gloria and Aldo have to work separately on their issues and together on how those issues interact. Negotiating their way through their new relationship is tricky and reading about it is fascinating.

This is a great book and I really enjoyed it. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series because I really like this town and the characters in it.

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Review: A Depth of Understanding (April Series Book 5) by Mackey Chandler

A Depth of Understanding by Mackey Chandler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

War on Earth

This is the fifth book in a continuing series that ends at a natural break but the narrative continues in future books. There is also a series that is set in the future and shares some characters, Family Law. The current reading order is given in this post.

After being attacked by the USNA again, and losing citizens to the action, Home decides they need to move further away from Earth. Thankfully Barak suggested the move some time ago so Jeff had already worked out how to do it and was able to activate the plan on short notice for safety reasons. After their move Home demanded that no armed vessels would be allowed past L1 and would be met with force. Central also supported the statement.

USNA seemed to accept that statement and things were quiet for a very short time when a motion was raised in the UN and China decided to test things leading once more to armed conflict.

As well as all the warfare and political shenanigans in this book we see personal relationships flourish. April, Jeff and Heather seem to have come to an agreement about their personal relationship, but don’t seem to be excluding others. It’s a relaxed attitude to romance that seems to be based on the polyamorous model of relationships. Things on this subject are quite coy and nothing is really explicitly stated but broadly hinted at. It seems a very adult attitude for young people who are probably going to live for centuries. Their intelligence probably has a great deal to do with it as they are able to work their way through the ramification of their actions quite quickly.

Home continues to attract interesting people and I look forward to seeing how things shake out with some of the characters that may initially look suspect, but may prove to be redeemable. I’m also enjoying how the next batch of young people are starting to spread their wings in relation to their own businesses. Jeff, April and Heather are starting to look like elder statesmen despite being under 20!

This has definitely become my comfort reading of late. It’s not too emotionally or mentally challenging, but the characters and plot are interesting enough to engage my mind without overwhelming it. It hits my current personal sweet spot for my reading needs. It happens rarely so I’m grateful when it happens. Now on to the next book!

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Review: A Different Perspective (April Series Book 4) by Mackey Chandler

A Different Perspective by Mackey Chandler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Right Sort of People

This is the fourth book in a continuing series and you need to read the previous books in order to understand this one. The story ends at a natural break but the narrative continues in the next books. This series also connects up in the future with another series, Family Law. The current reading order for the two series is listed in this post.

After returning from their previous adventures Home feels a little precarious. Everyone seems to be against them and getting the support they need is difficult. This book is mainly about getting the right kind of support and building up their ranks of inhabitants with the skills that they need to make Home safe. It seems in recent times Home has become the go-to place for the disenfranchised to escape to.

There is quite a lot of focus on the new people and them settling in. I like how they show the way they see Home from the outside and in doing so have Home’s ways explained to us as well as them. This has rapidly become an ensemble series with so many different characters that are important to the plot and the ‘feel’ of Home. Expanding onto the moon by Heather has also increased the number of people we meet in this book and enhances the sphere of influence of the three main characters, April, Jeff and Heather.

I really enjoyed this book and it has got me excited to see where the plot goes next. I’m sorry if my reviews are getting repetitive, but I just can’t seem to take a break from this universe!

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Review: Hands Down by Mariana Zapata

Hands Down by Mariana Zapata
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I heard this book on Audible and hearing a book rather than reading it can make a difference to the experience of a novel. Bear that in mind with this review.

Mariana Zapata is the queen of the slow burn romance. She also writes incredibly good sports romances in a way that doesn’t glamourise the lives of elite athletes but reveals the sheer hard work that it takes to perform at the highest levels, including the support networks required when you live life travelling to games (in this case) and live contract to contract, praying you don’t get an injury.

We first met Zac ‘Big Texas’ Travis in The Wall of Winnipeg and Me. Though this is a standalone book, there are references to various characters from other books written by this author. The main characters from The Wall of Winnipeg and Me make a guest appearance in this book.

I’ve always loved this character and giving him his own book made me very happy. Zac has a heart of gold. He is funny, gentle and kind, unerringly polite and charming though sometimes a little prone to being overwhelmed when things go wrong. It takes him time to dig himself out of the doldrums and other people’s opinions sometimes matter a little bit too much. At age 34 he is no longer the young newcomer we met in The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, he’s a seasoned QB, though he’s had little success with the teams he’s played for. He’s currently in Houston where he’s training in the offseason, living at Trevor, his manager’s house with another of Trevor’s football player clients, CJ. Unsure of where he will be playing next season, life is unsettled and he’s trying to distract himself with a party when a blast from his past walks in.

Bianca ‘Little Texas’ Brannen, knew Zac The Snack Pack when he was a scrawny kid. It was her that named him Big Texas after he took to calling her Little Texas. They met when she was just 3 years old. Zac, though 7 years older was always kind to Bianca. He was best friends with her favourite cousin, who is more like her brother and her grandmother used to watch out for Zac when his mother was working. Up until she was 17, she was close to Zac, visiting him at college with her cousin and going to see his matches. Despite the age difference, they were good friends. Then when she was 17 Zac dropped out of her life. He carried on his friendship with her cousin but he stopped answering her calls and texts. Her heart was broken that the man she adored with all her heart was done with her.

When Zac’s grandfather becomes ill, and no one can reach him, her cousin asks Bianca to go to where he is staying to tell him what is going on, because she lives in Houston too. Hating the idea of having to face the man she crushed hard on as a teenager, she knows that she has to tell him about his grandfather. When they come face to face, 10 years after their last meeting, Zac doesn’t even recognise Bianca, but when he knows who it is he is delighted until she tells him why she’s there. But once Zac has Bianca back in his life he doesn’t seem to want to let her disappear back out of it and Bianca can’t understand it.

I liked Bianca, she has trust issues (cheating ex-boyfriend), abandonment issues (absentee parents) and self-esteem issues (see previous). However, she is determined and ambitious. She is funny, loyal, honest and loving. Her family are tremendously important to her and she is really close to her cousin and sister. Despite losing touch with Zac, she still follows him on social media and the news because she only wants what is best for him, even if he really hurt her.

In some way, most people can appreciate what it’s like to have a crush on someone older when you are a teenager, especially if they are around a lot and are friendly. Most people also know what it’s like to be hurt when rejected by your first love as a teenager. It’s devasting at the time, but you get over it. This story is at some level almost familiar and believable. Lots of people in the days of social media get back in touch with people from their past and resume friendships/relationships that ended years ago. We all know someone who has done that or have even done it ourselves. Having someone from the past who shared so much from his childhood is what Zac needs at a difficult time in his life. He knows that Bianca cared about him before he was successful and rich. He can trust her motives, whereas it’s hard to do the same with other people. This basic trust and history allows them to quickly drop back into a friendship that they both need.

I really enjoyed the slow journey these two people take towards falling in love. Each step along the path to the HEA is believable. The banter between friends and family is funny and the stories of their shared childhood are amusing as such stories normally are. Both Zac and Bianca are very loveable characters and seeing them get together is rewarding and satisfying, because the good guys should always get their HEA in a romance. Despite some mistakes, these two characters are really good guys. They deserve their happiness.

The narrators are good. Callie Dalton has narrated all (I think) of Mariana Zapata’s audiobooks. Chris Brinkley reads the parts that Zac speaks and Callie reads the rest of the book. I like this technique and the most recent books from this author are done the same. It gives conversations between the MMC and MFC much more clarity. The back and forth of dialogue doesn’t become confused like it can if it’s all done with one narrator. Both narrators bring warmth and humour to the book.

Mariana Zapata may not write ‘great works of fiction’ but she does write warm, interesting and funny books that present intriguing and believable characters that take us on a journey towards a HEA. This book is a great example of her work.

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Review: The Middle of Nowhere (April Series Book 3) by Mackey Chandler

The Middle of Nowhere by Mackey Chandler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Linking Book

This is the third book in a continuing series. The previous two books need to be read in order to understand this book. The story ends at a natural break in the narrative but definitely continues. There is another series, Family Law, which is set in the future but also has these characters in. I would read this series first for clarity and to avoid any spoilers, though these are minimal. The reading order across the two series is listed here.

April is back from Earth and taking time to process the result of her brother’s actions. A lot has happened to her in a short space of time and she’s trying to keep up but the assassination attempts aren’t helping.

There are several people on Earth who are beginning to feel the heat of staying on the ‘SlumBall’ and thinking of how they can extricate themselves from gravity and get up to a safer place on Home, especially after Jeff butts heads with another world power.

Heather is working on her ‘little real estate project’ on the moon which becomes a bit more tricky every day. Being on the same piece of rock as some of Earth’s representatives makes her property more easily accessible than Home.

There are lots of people followed in this book as lots of threads of different stories are pulled together. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, in a long series there are often books that don’t reach out and grab you, but they are important to the series as a whole. They give you lots of information that is going to be important to the series as a whole but don’t really make you feel like anything is resolved. You don’t have an opportunity to get into any particular strand because so much is going on and it feels ‘bitty’. This book is one of those. It really needs to be appreciated in context, so I’m not going to dwell on it any more than that. I just want to read the next book so that the context can start clarifying itself!

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