Bookoholism

Coffee and Conclusions by Emma Sterner-Radley is the second, concluding part of Midninght Coffee. If you liked the first part, you’ll like this one even more!

Erin and Isabella move on from chats and phonecalls to meeting face to face. The awkwardness of their first meeting was so real I found myself grimacing! Erin moves on and up with her job, Isabella gets settled in to her new place and they meet again. And again… and soon they’re in a “real” relationship and have to start planning accordingly.

Quite a bit happens before the (inevitable) happy ending, and it’s not all ice-cream and balloons for the protagonists. Both Erin and Isabella have to face some demons, and eventually Erin, who constantly thinks of Isabella as the adult one, begins to understand that she is no loser (silly head, the reader knew all along you’re great!).

The characters are all very real – funny, silly, occasionally irritating, and in the case of one Mrs. Martinez, completely infuriating.

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Long-Distance Coffee by Emma Sterner-Radley is the first part of Midnight Coffee, the story of two people who meet online, become friends and then more. Both are women, both have trouble sleeping, both love coffee.

Isabella, a CEO turned full-time mother and aspiring writer, spends her nights (and days) trying to write a book while taking care of her baby. Erin is an insomniac who works as a personal trainer and is more than a bit of an introvert.

The characters are funny yet realistic, the dialogue believable and the story flows beautifully. It would seem that there isn’t very much action, but if you’ve ever been a part of a long-distance relationship (friendship or whatever) you’ll know how much can and does happen over text, e-mail and video chats.

I loved this book and couldn’t put it away until I’d finished it. Then I read the best bits again (having bookmarked them on the first round)!

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Part two of The Tinderbox Tales, Tinderbox Under Winter Stars by Emma Sterner-Radley, continues right from where Making a Tinderbox ended. New country, new climate, new friends, new everything for our heroes.

Less booze, more adventures this time. Part of the story is from the villain’s point of view, which brings a nice change. There are (of course) new supporting characters, one of whom really stands out – would love to read more about her!

As the characters are now familiar to the reader, this story seems to move along more smoothly than the first one. But same as before: plenty of humour, playing with clichés, lots of intrigue and some suspense… yeah, I think I like this even more than the first book.

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Making a Tinderbox (The Tinderbox Tales #1) by Emma Sterner-Radley is a fantasy novel set in a land on the brink of the industrial revolution. There are queens, kings and knights, peasants and city-dwellers – but also printing (books, newspapers), small industry and rumours of steam trains. The author calls this Gaslamp fantasy (as opposed to Steampunk).

Lady Elisandre, soon to be wed to a prince, wants out of an arranged marriage. Nessa, a farmer’s daughter, is in search of a better life and a new profession – not what her parents want. Together these two leave the small village for the nearest city, to find their fortunes, and to live on their own terms.

At first everything seems to go smoothly – despite a slight tension between the two young protagonists – but of course nothing is ever too easy. Nessa and Elise are both headstrong people, which naturally will cause some problems. The author promises “sexual tension, humour, looming danger, unique characters and booze-soaked adventures” and that promise is well and truly fulfilled.

At times the book felt like it was based on a tabletop role-playing game, with the main characters as player characters and others as non-player characters. One character especially could have been the game master, playing the helpful NPC who moves the story along, sometimes getting close to a deus ex machina. This didn’t really bother me (I love RPGs!) but the “helpful NPC” should maybe have stayed more in the background.

I love it when a fantasy story doesn’t take itself too seriously but plays with tropes and clichés, while still unabashedly using them. I’m also a sucker for sweet slow-burn romance so when someone combines these two, I’m a very happy reader indeed. Extra points for creating a world where gender or sexual identity can be just about anything without it being a big deal.

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Life Pushes You Along by Emma Sterner-Radley is about a young woman, Zoe, who is seemingly stuck in a dead-end job, in a dead-end life, where nothing interesting ever happens… until her best friend and brother intervene.

This story reads like a romantic comedy, flows beautifully and is so enjoyable you wish it was a little longer. On the other hand, there’s nothing extra and no filler bits. No need to wait for the action!

Like a good romcom, it also has its touching moments, but – no spoilers!

The main characters are not perfect, which was nice; at times the things they do are embarrassingly realistic.

Life Pushes You Along is definitely a feel-good book, something to return to. I finished it with a smile on my face and immediately recommended it to my friends.

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