Book Review: “Cupid’s Match” by Lauren Palphreyman

Title: Cupid’s Match
Author: Lauren Palphreyman
Genre: Urban fantasy/romance
Intended audience: YA
Date Read: 07/07/19 – 15/07/19
Rating: ★★★

Review:

I am a fan of ancient-gods-in-modern-times type stories, so I was definitely interested when I saw this one available on Netgalley. Is one of those books where I really enjoyed parts of it, but there were other aspects I had qualms about, enough to affect my enjoyment.

The romance is where I felt the book’s main strength lay. While I did actually spend a fair chunk thinking/hoping it was going to take a different direction, it built the relationship between Lila and Cupid quite well. They had a decent amount of chemistry and there was certainly some entertaining banter between them.

I did feel some of the plotting was a bit weak. For example, after a character jumps off a building in the height of passion (don’t worry, he survives), rather than being completely horrified and upset, his classmates all decide they should still go to a house party that night as planned, because… it’s whathe would have wanted or something? (Or, because the author needed the characters to be at that party, because it was plot relevant, regardless of whether it made sense.)

The policy documents for the Cupid Matchmaking Agency, supposedly written two or three millenia ago, were written in modern-day corporate speak, which was amusing, but didn’t make much sense. And in her nightmare world, Pandora faces off with physical manifestations of the Seven Deadly Sins, a Christian construct.

The book does rely on the main character being kept in the dark about certain things until the other characters are ready for her to know and that got a bit tedious at times. Once that reveal came about, did enjoy the build up to the climax, even if the day seemed a little too easily won in the end.

Look, basically, this is one of those books that’s fine and entertaining for a while but ultimately not that memorable.

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(Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

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#WWW Wednesday – 21 November 2018

It’s time for WWW Wednesday! This blog hop is hosted by Sam over at A World Of Words. Link up with us by commenting on Sam’s post for this week, and just answer the three questions.

I can’t believe November is two-thirds gone! Septemberand October seemed so long to me, but this month has flown past! I’m well on my way to completing the ARCs I have due by the end of the year, as well as finishing up my Australian Women Writer’s Challenge. So yay all around!

What have you recently finished reading?

I read ‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost, and it was so fun! I actually wasn’t expecting to be able to take it too seriously, but I got quite invested! You can read my review here. I have the first book in the series still to read (this one was an ARC and the release date is this Friday, hence my reading it first), so I plan to read it over the holidays.

What are you currently reading?

This answer hasn’t changed much from last week!

I am about a quarter of the way through Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi. So far overall it’s okay but there are little things bothering me, like the fact that this is based in Greek mythology, but keeps referring to Greece, as though the country existed at that time. And I’m not really getting much of a sense of the Greek mythology aspect coming through. You could replace the names and this could be any fantasy. But we’ll see if it picks up.

Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend continues to be delightful. I feel like everyone needs a Jupiter North in their life, who goes on grand expeditions to prove to you that you are more than you think you are.

On audio, I am still listening to The Midnight Watch by David Dyer. I’m finding I have to be in the right mood for it, but it is  still quite interesting. I’m finding the character of Captain Lord of the Californian quite interesting. I don’t know if the historical figure was like this, but in the book he’s basically blackmailing his subordinates into lying about them seeing the Titanic’s distress rockets.

What do you think you will read next?

I have owned a copy of Olmec Obituary by L.  J. M. Owen for ages, and so I picked up the two sequels when I saw them at the library today in the hopes I  will then read all three and tick that off my TBR. The fact that I already had the cover uploaded to this blog suggests I have planned to read it at some earlier stage and never got around to it, so it will be good to finally make a start. Owens is a local author and one of the locations in the book is apparently slightly based on my workplace, so it’ll be fun trying to spot those references!

What are you reading this week?

WWW Wednesday – 14 November 2018

It’s time for WWW Wednesday! This blog hop is hosted by Sam over at A World Of Words. Link up with us by commenting on Sam’s post for this week, and just answer the three questions.

This has been a good reading week for me! I hit my GoodReads 2018 Challenge of 75 books. Some of them were shorter reads, but I liked them nonetheless.

I do have to apologise if I don’t get around to many of your posts this week. I’m doing an intensive course at uni this week, and while we’re over halfway, it’s still pretty full-on. 

What have you recently finished reading?

I finished All Aces by Ellie Marney and thus the Circus Hearts series. I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the previous two but it was a good ending to the series. You can read my review here.

I then went on to read A Ghost in the Glamour by Elizabeth Hunter. This is the first installment in the Linx and Bogie series, which was recommended to me by a colleague. Bogie is the ghost of a LAPD investigator who was killed in action  in 1952, and he is somehow attached to a medium called Linx, who is an artist in the present day. 

Last but not least,  I finished All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill on audio. I liked this one! The time travel stuff wasn’t too complicated but at the same time, it told a really good story.

I also posted my review of Sugar Spells by Lola Dodge, the second in the Spellwork Syndicate series. I loved this one; I think it was one of those times when the perfect book comes at the perfect time.

What are you currently reading?

I finally started my ARC of Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi. I’ve had this for months so of course I’m risking not finishing it before the release date. I am only on Chapter 2 but it’s a queer retelling of the legend of Atalanta if that’s something you might be interested in.

I am also reading Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend because I’m currently doing a lot of screen time and needed a paperback to give my eyes a rest. I honestly don’t know how Jessica Townsend does it. This one is just as delightful as Nevermoor! I am just filled with joy and wonder every time I pick it up.

On audio, I have started The Midnight Watch by David Dyer. This is historical fiction about the SS Californian, which was nearby when the Titanic sank and did not go to assist. My mum recommended this to me months ago and so far it is really fascinating. The chapters alternate between a journalist after the fact trying to figure out why the ship never responded, and chapters from the perspective of the Californian crew immediately after the tragedy.

What will you read next?

I’ve just checked NetGalley and decided it will be ‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas by Jacqueline Frost, which I’m hoping will stand alone even though it’s a second in a series. I’ve realised it releases a few days before Outrun the Wind, and if I skip reading the prequel, I might just have them both read in time for  their releases. And then I can read the prequel to  this closer to Christmas.

What are you reading this week?