Mary E. Thompson

This is just the kind of thing I am looking for in my chubby-heroine books: insecure (but not doormat) heroine, supportive hero, misunderstandings and angst, overheard insults and Mean Girls. In fact, it was a little too perfect, almost heavy-handed in driving home certain points. As a fat woman, I have definitely had people be rude to me, but the shear amount of constant, intense hostility from basically all the women who aren't in the heroine's friend circle seemed a bit much. Also, two complaints: one, while I love a hot built hero, I wish the heroine didn't talk about thinking fat men are unattractice. Though I guess at least she acknowledged that she was a shallow hypocrite. Two, I wish there wasn't such a need for the female characters to emphatically proclaim their heterosexuality. Of course, there is nothing wrong with being straight, but most people who are repulsed by the idea of homosexual sex are homophobes; sorry, they may not be card-carrying conservatives, but there is a spectrum of homophobic attitudes, and sometimes it is gentle/subtle like it was here.

Overall though, this is a promising series for my favorite tropes!!! On to Claire's book!… (más)

This is a wonderful anthology, with something for everyone's taste. I cannot review all of the stories, so here's three chosen (almost) at random:
Marie Skye's 'I Still Hate You'. I really wanted to like this story and in the end I did, but I have to say that at the beginning, with the complicated history between Ash and Perrie I found it hard going.
Maria Ann Green's 'Once Upon That Time He Was Stuck in the Friend Zone' is a friends-to-lovers about Colton and Emma. An interesting story, well-written with a good supporting cast. The likeable protagonists devastate one another, but in the end…There is a thing about Colt's nickname for Emma and in the end it will make you cry.
Dakota Davies' 'Falling for My Fling'. I'm a big fan of Davies and bought this book to read this story and it doesn’t disappoint - except it isn't a HEA - yet. The great outdoors is important to this author; she has written about swimming, zip-lining, rock-climbing and here it's rafting. Lori is working at a summer school while waiting to go to Stanford. She meets Caleb, who works for his family's rafting company and who is known for his frequent, short-term hook-ups. There is a lot of background angst for both protagonists which makes their feelings for one another all the more sweet.
… (más)

This is just the kind of thing I am looking for in my chubby-heroine books: insecure (but not doormat) heroine, supportive hero, misunderstandings and angst, overheard insulats and Mean Girls. In fact, it was a little too perfect, almost heavyhanded in driving home certain points. As a fat woman, I have definitely had people be rude to me, but the shear amount of constant, intense hostility from basically all the women who aren't in the heroine's friend circle seemed a bit much. Also, two complaints: one, while I love a hot built hero, I wish the heroine didn't talk about thinking fat men are unattractice. Though I guess at least she acknowledged that she was a shallow hypocrite. Two, I wish there wasn't such a need for the female characters to emphatically proclaim their heterosexuality. Of course, there is nothing wrong with being straight, but most people who are repulsed by the idea of homosexual sex are homophobes; sorry, they may not be card-carrying conservatives, but there is a spectrum of homophobic attitudes, and sometimes it is gentle/subtle like it was here.

Overall though, this is a promising series for my favorite tropes!!! On to Claire's book!… (más)