Mini Thoughts

Hello, all!

Big thanks to Netgalley for these copies!

Pub Date: 10-1-20
YA - Anthology

The Midnight Circus- Jane Yolen:  This is an anthology chock full of dark twisted fairy tales. It's more Grimm than Disney, full of monsters, both man and beast. These sixteen stories have something for everyone: from people turning into wild animals and running free in Central Park, a seal maiden falling in love with a fisherman, and even a dark secret below the snow in the South Pole.

Anthology stories tend to be very hit or miss for me, and unfortunately, this one missed the mark. As with these types of books, there are always stories that are better than others. I did enjoy one or two, namely "The White Seal Maid", but most of the others just didn't capture my attention. Some felt like they dragged on a little too long, and I ended up finding myself wander and I had to force myself to finish. I think the majority had a lot of promise, but in the end, just fell flat. I also was a bit confused because, from the title, I expected the stories to have a circus element or something that ultimately tied them all together, but that wasn't the case. Sadly, this isn't going to a memorable one for me.

Rating: 2/5

Pub Date: 10-13-20
Romance

Any Rogue Will Do- Bethany Bennett: Lady Charlotte "Lottie" Wentworth spent exactly one season playing the perfect demure debutante and all it got her was mockery splattered all over the gossip rags. After being dubbed the "Paper Doll Princess" by Ethan Amesbury, a dashing new viscount who causes his own stir in society, Lottie decides to leave London for a quiet life in the country. Now, five years after her humiliating debut, all she wants is a home of her own to manage the way she sees fit, but her father has other plans. He's arranged engagement to a most unpleasant man, but Lottie can't be engaged to one if she's already engaged to another. Ethan has made loads of mistakes in his life, one of the biggest being ruining Lady Charlotte's reputation. He'll do whatever it takes to get back into her good graces, even if that means pretending to be engaged. He may have agreed to this ridiculous plan in order to win back her favor, but when feelings start to grow more complicated, could he win her affections for real?

I've become a big fan of historical romances lately, so I was immediately drawn to this. There were a lot of things I enjoyed: I liked how determined Lottie was, though she could be a bit too headstrong at times, Ethan was extremely swoon-worthy and I liked how he really did care for Lottie, and I'm always here for any time of fake dating situation. The secondary characters in this also shined, and I loved Aunt Agatha, Darling, and Cal. My only issues with this were it felt too long on occasion and slightly repetitive. We get that Lottie is torn between life on her own and Ethan, it doesn't need to be repeated every other page. Aside from that, I did enjoy this and it wrapped up in a satisfying way. I'm not sure if this will be one that sticks with me and is super memorable, but I'm still interested to see what the next one brings.

Rating: 3.5/5