Power Play by Chelsea Curto | Book Review

[ad/gifted - I received an eARC copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

Title & Author: Power Play by Chelsea Curto 

My rating: 5/5

Publication date: 24th October 2024

Blurb:

Piper Mitchell needs one thing to go her way.

Divorced, feeling stuck in her professional life and terrified of reentering the world of dating, she's decided she's going to work on something she can control: learning how to be good in the bedroom.

Enter Liam Sullivan.

The star NHL goalie might not be a people person, but he's the perfect teacher. He knows what he's doing behind closed doors, and with a little convincing, he agrees to be Piper's guide.

Things between them are casual and easy. Something they can both benefit from. And when a road trip to Vegas as Piper and Liam waking up from a night they can't remember with matching wedding rings, they decide to figure out how much more fun they can have as husband and wife.

It's just for the hockey season. It doesn't mean anything.

But as the clock ticks down on their fake-marriage-with-benefits, can Piper and Liam make it work in the real world? Or will their relationship be a power play straight to disaster?

Review: 

I genuinely don't know how to put into words how much I love this book. 

I read Face Off, the first book in this series, back in May and I instantly fell in love with Maverick and Emmy, but also with Curto's writing style. I loved it so much that I then went and read her 'Love Through A Lens' series. I had built up so much anticipation and excitement for Power Play and it still managed to exceed my expectations.

Power Play focuses on Liam Sullivan who is the goalie for the NHL team, the DC Stars, and Piper Mitchell, the in-game reporter for the team.

As soon as I read the Author's Note at the beginning with regards to women in sport, I knew this was going to be special. Yes, it is a romance book with plenty of spice (bedroom lessons in this case and Curto writes these VERY well), but the tackling of important topics are always brought to the forefront too. Women in what are seen as "men's spaces" was a big part of this one and it felt refreshing to read about a man calling out another man's behaviour even when the woman wasn't there. Isn't that something all men should be doing?

At the beginning we very quickly learn that Liam is a bit of a grump with Piper being sunshine. She has however gone through a rough time with a divorce so she does have things she is hiding too. As time goes on you can feel the two change with each other in the most beautiful way. There is no 0-100 here. It is a really gorgeous natural progression with Liam really boosting her confidence and Piper bringing out something deep inside him that he didn't know he was missing. It is tender, it is emotional. I felt so many feelings.

Curto does characterisation like no other. I always feel like I know these people and it's enthralling. Not even just with Liam and Piper but the supporting characters too. It genuinely excites me to know that we are going to delve in on each person as the series progresses.

Liam Sullivan. Wow. I thought Maverick Miller in Face Off couldn't be knocked off the top spot but now I am unsure. Perfection with a little bow on top and I think I just smiled and swooned like a lunatic at my Kindle. If you like Liz Tomforde and Hannah Grace, you'll be blown away by Chelsea Curto's books.

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield | Book Review

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Author & Title: Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

My rating: 4/5

Publication date: 3rd March 2022

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Blurb:

Miri thinks she has got her wife back, when Leah finally returns after a deep sea mission that ended in catastrophe. But It soon becomes clear that Leah may have come back wrong. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded on the ocean floor, Leah has carried part of it with her, onto dry land and into their home.

Memories of what they had before – the jokes they shared, the films they watched, all the small things that made Leah hers – only remind Miri of what she stands to lose. Living in the same space but suddenly separate, Miri comes to realize that the life that they had might be gone.

Review:

I read this book simply because I'd heard a lot about it but I didn't know what to expect.

Miri and Leah are a married couple and we learn that Leah has recently returned from a deep-sea mission on a submersible for work. Whilst away, she and her two colleagues lost contact and were essentially missing under the water for five months.

Leah is now back home with Miri but it isn't the Leah that Miri is used to. Something happened. 

The novel is told from the points of view of Miri in present day and how Leah's return has changed her and how it is affecting her. She reminisces about their old life together. We also have Leah's point of view on the submersible.

This book is absolutely beautiful. The prose is stunning and you have the mix of magic realism (something that I didn't think I liked) and an emotive story. Leah and Miri's relationship was beautiful and you really felt for Miri due to the change in her wife since her return. It is moving, touching and sad. I loved it. 

My Rude Awakening by Edward Charles Featherstone | Blog Tour Book Review

[ad/gifted - I received a proof copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

Author & Title: My Rude Awakening by Edward Charles Featherstone 

My rating: 5/5

Publication date: 3rd October 2024

Blurb:

The honest, explicit and extraordinary memoir of Edward Charles Featherstone—Englishman, Businessman, Polo Player and Combat Pilot—My Rude Awakening reveals an astonishing account of life lived with passion and intensity.

From the lush green Berkshire’s polo fields, through the ardours of military helicopter training, to the white heat of flying combat missions in the Middle East, Charles’s journey is a riveting tale of privilege, peril and profound personal transformation.

Raised amidst the traditions of English upper-class society, Charles’s life takes an unexpected turn when he embarks on a forbidden, intoxicating affair. This passionate relationship not only challenges societal norms but also ignites a deeply personal awakening that defines his transition into manhood.

Then as a combat helicopter pilot in the Royal Air Force, Charles faces the brutal realities of war and harrowing experiences that still live with him to this day.

Prepare to be shocked, captivated and inspired by the raw, unvarnished truth of this shy boy’s unforgettable journey of love, loss, and survival into adulthood.

Review:

I love reading memoirs and usually my favourite way to consume them is via audiobook, especially if they are read by the author. This is mostly because I find it brings them to life a bit and keeps my attention more. My Rude Awakening, however, was written like fiction so I was hooked from the start.

When I first heard about this memoir, I was intrigued by its description but also felt a little out of my comfort zone as it probably wouldn't have been something I'd pick up of my own accord, but that is the beauty of signing up to blog tours, it expands your horizons and introduces you to books that may surprise you.

My Rude Awakening follows Edward Charles Featherstone (a pseudonym, which I think adds to the intrigue) and his life coming from a wealthy family, playing polo, shooting, before going to the RAF as a helicopter pilot. I really enjoyed hearing about these moments as it is so different from anything in my own life, a girl who grew up in Belfast in the 90s, which is what I love about memoirs. I did originally wonder why the nom de plume, but as the story progresses and you see the explicit honesty on the paper, it becomes clear why you maybe wouldn't want people in your real life to know this much about your personal life.

I especially enjoyed the chapters about Charles's grandfather and it became clear how much of an influence he was and the comparison between his grandfather his friend James when they met in the RAF. Special mention to Osric too because I am always here for animals.

The real crux of the story however, is Charles's relationship with a much older woman, the mother of one of his friends, and his sexual awakening in a way at the age of 20 and how he then goes from boy to man. I am not a prude and read a lot of books where the subject matter can be explicit or morally grey, and nothing really shocks me. There were occasions throughout My Rude Awakening where my eyes did widen a bit. 

What I want from a memoir is for it to be raw and honest but also for the author to reflect on themselves and I think that's what we get here. 

•••

A massive thank you for Midas PR & Edward Charles Featherstone for having me on the blog tour and for the beautiful gifted hamper. You can find information about the other bloggers taking part in the tour in the graphic below.

Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk by Kathleen Hanna | Book Review

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Author & Title: Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk by Kathleen Hanna 

My rating: 5/5

Publication date: 14th May 2024

Publisher: HarperCollins

Blurb:

Kathleen Hanna’s rallying cry to feminists echoed far and wide through the punk scene of the 1980s, ’90s, and beyond. Her band, Bikini Kill, embodies this iconic time, and today their gutsy, radical lyrics of anthems like ‘Rebel Girl’ and ‘Double Dare Ya’ are more powerful than ever. But where did this transformative voice come from?

In Rebel Girl, Hanna’s raw and insightful new memoir, she takes us from her tumultuous childhood home, to her formative college years in Olympia, Washington, and on to her first years on tour, fighting hard for gigs and for her band. As Hanna makes blindingly clear, being in a ‘girl band’, especially a punk girl band, in those years was not a simple or a safe prospect. Male violence and antagonism threatened at every turn, and surviving as a singer who was a lightening rod for controversy took limitless amounts of determination.

But the relationships she developed during those years buoyed her – including with her bandmates Tobi Vail, Kathi Wilcox, and Billy Karren; her friendship with Kurt Cobain; and her introduction to Joan Jett – and they were a testament to how the true punk world nurtured and cared for its own.

Hanna opens up about falling in love with Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys and her debilitating battle with Lyme disease, and she brings us behind the scenes of her later bands, Le Tigre and The Julie Ruin. She also writes candidly about the Riot Grrrl movement and its decline, documenting with love its grassroots origins but critiquing its later exclusivity.

In an uncut voice all her own, Hanna reveals the darkest, hardest times along with the most joyful – and how it all fuelled her revolutionary art, from the 1980s to today.

Review:

I have always been a fan of Kathleen Hanna's (I think Deceptacon by Le Tigre was my most played song when I was fourteen years old) so I was excited to hear she had released a memoir.

If you aren't familiar with Kathleen Hanna, she is the frontwoman of Bikini Kill, Le Tigre and The Julie Ruin. She is known for being a pioneer of the feminist punk Riot Grrrl movement. I listened to this book on audio, narrated by Hanna herself, as it is always my favourite way to read memoirs.

Hanna writes about her childhood with her father, sister and mother, right through to forming and performing with her bands, falling in love with husband Adam (Horowitz, of Beastie Boys) and her diagnosis of Lyme disease. 

I knew about Kathleen Hanna's life on surface level but in this book she delves deep into her life and shares some raw things. She writes about rape, violence against women, miscarriage, troubles she faced from male concert-goers due to how she performed and standing up for what she believed in.

You can tell that she went through a lot of self-reflection whilst writing this book. It is very honest. A great memoir.

The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim | Book Review

[ad/gifted - I received a copy of this book to take part in a readalong with Tandem Collective. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.]

Author & Title: The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim

My rating: 4/5

Publication date: 11th July 2024

Publisher: Brazen Books 

Blurb:

Ji-won's life is in disarray. Her father's affair has ripped her family to shreds, leaving her to piece their crappy lives back together.

So, when her mother's obnoxious new white boyfriend enters the scene, bragging about his flawed knowledge of Korean culture and ogling Asian waitresses in restaurants, Ji-won's hold over her emotions strains. As he gawks at her and her sister around their claustrophobic apartment, Ji-won becomes more and more obsessed with his brilliant blue eyeballs.

As her fixation and rage grow, Ji-won decides that she must do the one thing that will save her family... and also curb her cravings.

Review:

This is such an interesting read and not for the squeamish. Especially if you don't like eyeballs. I don't think I'll be able to eat a cherry tomato ever again! 

Eighteen-year-old Korean-American Ji-won lives with her fifteen-year-old sister Ji-hyun and mother Umma. Their lives are changed when their father leaves them. During a family meal, the girls are disgusted when Umma eats a fish eye, claiming that it will bring the luck that she feels like she desperately needs.

Umma meets a white man named George at the Korean supermarket that she works in and the two embark on a relationship. This coincides with the Ji-won finally trying a fish eye but it leaves her with an insatiable hunger, but only for blue eyes. Like George's.

This book is very murder-y with plenty of gory scenes. I tend not to get very squeamish but something about the eyeball eating descriptions made me feel a bit ill! There is a running theme throughout the book focused on patriarchy and racial fetishisation. I really enjoyed this one!