Aster RyeReseñas

A resolution to the story begun in Bittersweet Breadcrumbs, this continues in the same vein of using stories within the story. I didn’t feel it was quite as good as the first but it does tie up the story nicely with a happy ending which was just what I needed for the main two characters. Spotted quite a few typos and tense shifts, hopefully they will have been picked up before the final release as I was reading an Early Reviewers Copy.

This follow-up to Bittersweet Breadcrumbs follows the attempts of the lovers to find the meaning behind an enigmatic verse that holds the key to reuniting them. Passionate scenes are steamier than in the first novel, and the twists and turns of solving the mystery keep the reader engaged to the end. However, I was left with the feeling that the story was unfinished, and I hope the author will continue with a third episode, completing the full cycle of the tale.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily submitting an honest review.

I loved this follow up to Bittersweet Breadcrumbs. It was a fun, quick read with lovely characters and great stories within stories. It's a satisfying and unexpected ending to the duology and I definitely recommend the series to anyone who likes light fantasy and romance!

Just as good as the first book, and I do hope that there will be more books set in this world. I enjoyed all of the characters and I loved the protagonist solution to breaking the curse that her lover is under. The ending was definitely bittersweet, and while I could be happy for the female and male main characters I can still be a little sad for the female's best friend.

Vespertine Dreams: We pick up where part one of the duology left off: Miles is trapped in the bookstore and Doria can’t find a way in or a way to free him. As she tries to break the curse, Doria keeps reading, branching out to new genres the way Miles showed her. Can her love of stories set Miles free?
This series is SO neat! As with the first book, VD includes several short stories that Doria reads, which I really love. This time they related more directly to the plot, which was fun. I liked piecing things together with Doria, seeing if we found the same meaning and possible clues. And the stories were maybe even better in VD?! Maybe they are just fresher in my mind, but I really loved them.
I don’t want to discuss the actual plot and give anything away (just trust me when I say it is wonderful), but I will say that Rye did a great job finishing up this series. My only complaint is that I wish the epilogue was a little longer I wanted to see more of what things looked like…after.
Thank you Aster Rye and Library Thing for the ARC!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I really enjoyed this book. It's a short and quick read, I liked the stories within the story and, I could really feel the author's obvious love for books of all sorts. I know some people didn't love the main character and found her a bit abrasive but, honestly, I liked her. Maybe she was overly aggressive in the first few pages but she quickly gets softer and softer as the story goes on. It does end on a bit of a cliffhanger but not a frustrating one. I'm very excited to read the next installment!

The Perfect Duet Conclusion

Rye has done it again! This is a wonderfully inter textual continuation of Bittersweet Breadcrumbs where each story that Miles Oak challenges Dora James to read uncovers vital aspects to his story and clues to the mystery at the heart of this duology. Dora has now begun not only to expand her reading types but also has opened herself to the possibility of a relationship with Miles, but there is more at stake to his story than meets the eye. There where so many wonderful twists, turns, and reveals in this book that tied up all the threads that were unresolved and answered all the questions that where unanswered and, to be honest, this was a wonderful design. The break time between books ensured that Miles and Dora's presence lingered in my mind so the resolution of each of their stories was so very fulfilling, not to mention the power of their romance was so heartwarming. This is a very mystic and mythical story that drew me in and brought back that wonderful childhood feeling of reading classic fairytales for the first time.

One Fair Warning: This book cannot be read alone - to fully appreciate the tension, humor, and romance it really needs to be read after Bittersweet Breadcrumbs - and even though you can now read these both back to back, I suggest taking a week between books to let the cliffhanger from Bittersweet Breadcrumbs let your imagination spin and give you time to reflect back on the stories inside that book. Please know that if you jump into this book first you risk being lost.

This one is hard to review. There are parts I liked, and parts I *really* didn't like. The story that the FMC is reading is awesome, and I loved reading it along with her. However, I couldn't stand the FMC. She was abrasive and I didn't think the connection with the MMC was authentic. Not my cuppa.

Very well written, kept me intrigued throughout the book. I enjoyed the storyline and development of characters throughout the book. Highly recommend this!

I quite enjoyed this book; it was a study in subtle progression of events and slow burn. The author took us on a realistic journey of two strangers meeting each other and continuing to bump into each other, and I loved the added elements of mystery (plus suspense) as Doria tries to find out more about Miles. Doria's exploration of new stories was hilarious, charming and absolutely steamy, as well as, I think, incredibly relatable for readers trying to expand their reading territory. Bittersweet Breadcrumbs was a lovely, fairytale-like story. I adored the rather prickly Doria and her (very relatable) pickiness over books, and I really enjoyed the author’s stories within a story! Doria’s little commentaries on each character and plot was so entertaining, plus they really pulled us closer to Doria’s personality, both as a person and a reader.

This was a fun, spicy read with an expected-yet-unforeseen twist at the end. Quite a slow burn, but I thought that Doris’s sudden acceptance of the romance was more than a little abrupt.

Personally, I feel that there’s a lot more potential for the characters to be fleshed out in the story, especially Elenor, Cassondra and Felicity. It’s a wonderfully mysterious atmosphere, but towards the end things get a little too coincidental. Vespertine Books has definitely made its way onto my travel dreamlist, all the same! It’s such a cozy, bookish place, even if it can’t actually exist.

I'd definitely recommend this for cozy romance readers and lovers of mysterious, brooding love interests! Thank you to Aster Rye for the ARC!

Bittersweet Breadcrumbs is an unabashed romantic fantasy that manages to chronicle an adult love story without using a tired bodice-ripping narrative. Like Doria, the main character, I prefer books that deliver more solid storyline and character development than graphic sex. The author creates a credible female hero, her intriguing love interest, and an interesting plot and leaves the reader ready for the next stage of her journey. Characters are multidimensional rather than tired tropes.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily submitting a review.

I received a copy of this through LT's early reviewers. I really enjoyed this. It was a quick read but also part of a series so the story isn't over at the point the book ends, in fact in many respects it's barely begun. Interesting use of short stories within the main story. I liked the way the two main characters grew their friendship over a shared love of books, if not genres. Plenty of potential for the next in the series, I shall be looking out for it.

This is the first book I've ever read that contained stories you read that are within the story itself. This unusual plot worked well for me and I'm looking forward to reading the second book of the duology. I liked the characters and their personalities. The only negative aspect was the very common cliffhanger ending, which was a letdown after the inventiveness of the storyline.

Bittersweet Breadcrumbs: after a tough day at work, Doria ducks into Vespertine Books to escape a downpour. She’s never noticed the shop before, but immediately feels drawn to it. Miles, the good looking owner doesn’t hurt, even if Doria doesn’t like his taste in literature. Miles loans Doria books in an effort to show her romance isn’t all bad, and of course, to see more of her. But Doria notices the shop isn’t always where she expects, and suspects Miles might have some secrets. But his secret isn’t anything she could have expected.
Ok, this book was so cool. A magical, mystery romance! Miles lends Doria books of fairy tale retellings, and the stories are fully included in the text of BB, so you get to read along with Doria. Books within a book! I’ve read books with a framing device like this before, but the frame was just there to house the shorter stories. Not here, where the stories are more like fun little excursions inside the novel, which has its own thing going on. I just love it! I also love that Doria is so mad about romances when she first meets Miles! She doesn’t know she is IN a romance and that greatly pleases me. I think the only thing I don’t like is that I have to wait to read the next book and see how the mystery resolves!
Thank you Aster Rye and Library Thing for the ARC!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

A cozy quick read. I loved the story in a story and the ending left off at a perfect spot if you love to curl up and read, this is a book for you. The characters could use a little bit more depth but I’m looking forward to the next book.

This book used the "story within a story" approach, which I don't believe I've encountered before, and I found I enjoyed it more than I would have expected. Rye did a good job moving the story along, although I found there to be some pacing problems. The modern versions of fairytales were creative and fun (except the first one - I agreed with Doria that it was dreadful), and the basic plot was compelling. The book would benefit from a good editor; for instance, the past tense of "drag" is NOT "drug", and some of Doria's reactions were melodramatic and detracted from what could have made her a more believable character. But it was a fun and quick read, and I found myself looking forward to continuing the story.

Ordinarily, I am not a fan of the story within a story technique. With that said, the author of Bittersweet Breadcrumbs did a good job. I agree with the protagonist that the first story she read was not great, but the second was more interesting, and I would happily read more in the world in which the third story was set. The world in which the framework narrative took place was well realized, and the characters engaging and the plot was interesting. The supporting characters in the framework narrative could have been fleshed out a little bit more, but overall and enjoyable read and I will look for Vespertine Books in December.