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Books I read in May 2021

Books I read in May 2021

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!! 

This post may contain affiliate links for products and services I recommend. If you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission. 

Hello sassy people! Today I’m gonna tell you guys about all the books I read in May 2021! I finished the Kings of Rittenhouse Series by Maya Hughes and started another series by Emma Chase! 

Fearless King

(Kings of Rittenhouse #4)

by Maya Hughes

 

My first crush. My first heartbreak. My brother’s best friend.
The butterflies in my stomach turned into full blown eagles the second our lips touched. A kiss under the stars that changed our relationship forever.
After a lifetime of wishing, I stared up into Ford’s eyes with his fingers caressing my cheek and my heart racing.
The evening ended with my heart bleeding on the ballroom floor.
He destroyed my heart two years ago…but now he wants back in my life.
This time I won’t fall under his spell. I’ll resist his sexy, scruffy beard, and panty-melting smirk.
I thought I was over him. Hell, I fully planned to wave to him through my rearview mirror…but with one text, in the middle of the night, I know I’m in over my head.
Ford: I need you.

 

I was waiting for this book for a while because I met Olive and Ford in the Fulton U series and I really wanted to see their story. I already knew some of the things that happened in this book, but it managed to surprise me. I really liked this couple, and I really understood both their reasoning and their troubles.

Olive has always lived through her parents’ expectations and after their death, her overprotective brother continues the pressure. That is why Olive is killing herself in medical school and ignoring her dreams. Meanwhile, Ford, who is a professional hockey player, does everything to avoid his best friend’s sister, who he realizes, has grown up. His friendship with Colm is one of the most important in his life, and he would do pretty much anything to save it. These two had to overcome their personal issues before been together, but they never stopped caring for each other, and that shows through the whole book. Super cute, some deep problems solving, and a lot of fighting for what you want.

General grade: 4/5 (Really well writen story, that managed to surprise me even tough I knew a lot of what happened, however not the most memorable one of the series) 
Feminist grade: 5/5 (I love how Olive is strong and I love how Maya describes the pressure and all the mental turmoil that goes on with this character) 
Final grade: 8/10 (I like this couple really much, their story is cute and hard, so I really liked it) 

Heartless King

(Kings of Rittenhouse #5)

by Maya Hughes

 

Two blue lines. That means not pregnant, right? Right? Oh, sh*t.
Five years ago, Colm Frost asked me to marry him and I ran. I ran from my painful past too raw and fresh to escape. He was the only one who looked at me like I wasn’t broken and made me believe it. He made me feel it.
Now, he’s the hot, angry, hockey player on the mend. 
I’m the physiotherapist who’s supposed to get him back on his feet. 
I don’t think our night together was what his doctor prescribed, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t dreamt of him every time I close my eyes. I woke up beside him with my body still singing from the way he fanned the flames of my desire, but I couldn’t stay.
His lips on my neck. His hands wrapped around my waist. His impressive…ahem, touch leaving me breathless.
One moment of wild inhibition and it’s come back to bite me in the butt. Kind of like he did that night.
But a baby? Our night was supposed to be a one time thing, closing a door on the future I couldn’t handle. 
Will this new bump in the road be everything we needed to find our forever?
Heartless King is a standalone friends to enemies to lovers, accidental pregnancy romance that brings all the laugh out loud, angsty feels!

Okay, I gotta be honest, I was not super excited about this book, because in previous books Colm sounded like a moron. However, reading his point of view, he is just a broken guy, who has been trough so much and just doesn’t know how, or just doesn’t want to deal with things. He grew up with neglectful parents, both doctors who didn’t give him or his sister the attention and care they needed, since little he took care of his sister in a search to help and make his parents proud. His parents died and he got severely injured twice. His life is a mess, and he is buried deep in depression. That is when Imogen comes back into his life, carrying her own baggage and her own traumas, and we get to watch while they work trough them together.

Amazing read, amazing characters with the most interesting and deep stories!

General grade: 4/5 (The beginning is a little slow, and it relies on some information from other books of the series, but overall really well written) 
Feminist grade: 4/5 (Colm is a bit rude sometimes, but I just love how Maya describes his mental state and Imogen’s too, super deep and incredibly interesting) 
Final grade: 8/10 (Cute and deep and I love surprise baby stories so…) 

Tangled

(Tangled #1)

by Emma Chase

 

Drew Evans is a winner. Handsome and arrogant, he makes multimillion dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. He has loyal friends and an indulgent family. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed?
He’ll tell you he has the flu.
But we all know that’s not really true.
Katherine Brooks is brilliant, beautiful and ambitious. She refuses to let anything – or anyone – derail her path to success. When Kate is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.
Then, just when Drew is on the cusp of having everything he wants, his overblown confidence threatens to ruin it all. Will he be able untangle his feelings of lust and tenderness, frustration and fulfillment? Will he rise to the most important challenge of his life?
Can Drew Evans win at love?
Tangled is not your mother’s romance novel. It is an outrageous, passionate, witty narrative about a man who knows a lot about women…just not as much as he thinks he knows. As he tells his story, Drew learns the one thing he never wanted in life, is the only thing he can’t live without.

Okay, so I’ve read Emma Chases’ books before, and I absolutely love her and I heard a lot about Drew Evans, so let’s say I was excited about this book. I absolutely loved Drew, not for his almost (and sometimes fully) sexist comments, but the narration of this book is perfection, Drew is charming and sassy, smart, and he just wins you over the page, I truly loved the way she wrote this book, and we end up forgiving all the shit he says because we just love him so much. And Katherine is so strong, and she gives as strong as she gets, so I just love them both so much.

This is a book that does not deal so much with deep issues, it has some, but is not the main point of the book, so it is light and easy to read and easier to fall in love.

General grade: 5/5 (Amazing narration, hilarious and charming and captivating way to write, loved it) 
Feminist grade: 4/5 (Drew is sexist and a little pushy, but he is so charming it almost makes me want to give this book a 10, almost) 
Final grade: 9/10 (Great, if you don’t count the sexism, it was AMAZING) 

Twisted

(Tangled #2)

by Emma Chase

 

There are two kinds of people in the world. The ones who look first, and the ones who leap. I’ve always been more of a looker. Cautious. A planner. That changed after I met Drew Evans. He was so persistent. So sure of himself – and of me.
But not all love stories end happily ever after. Did you think Drew and I were going to ride off into the sunset? Join the club. Now I have to make a choice, the most important of my life. Drew already made his –in fact, he tried to decide for the both of us. But you know that’s just not my style. So I came back to Greenville. Alone. Well, sort of alone….
What I’ve come to realize is that old habits die hard and sometimes you have to go back to where you began, before you can move ahead.
TWISTED picks up two years after Tangled’s end, and is told from Kate’s POV.

 

I gotta say, I was excited about this book, and it let me down. “Tangled” was just so amazing, I had high standards for this book, and it did not reach them. This book is a series of silly misunderstandings that lead to more and more silly heartbreak, that if they just had one, ONE, honest conversation, none of it would have happened. It is also a series of preposterous assumptions about the other person and never saying your real thoughts out loud. Just a massive, MASSIVE, lack of trust and communication that left me tired. Disappointed. There are more books in this series that feature this couple, but this book made me give up on them, like I said before, it got me tired. Maybe one day I will finish it, but now I don’t have that kind of motivation. 

General grade: 3/5 (Highly unprovable plot, most of the time silly reasons, all depending only on miscommunication and honestly dumbness) 
Feminist grade: 3/5 (This couple should never be taken as an example for reasons I already described above, but just almost ridiculous in the communication department) 
Final grade: 6/10 (Disappointed me and made me give up on the other books of the series, so I don’t have many positives to say, the author is amazing, but this book is definitely not) 

Tamed

(Tangled #3)

by Emma Chase

 

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: girl meets player, they fall in love, player changes his ways.
It’s a good story. But it’s not our story. Ours is a lot more colorful.
When I met Dee I knew right away that she was special. When she met me, she thought I was anything but special–I was exactly like every other guy who’d screwed her over and let her down. It took some time to convince her otherwise, but turns out I can make a convincing argument when sex is at stake.
You might know where this story’s headed. But the best part isn’t where we ended up.
It’s how we got there.
Tamed goes back in time to the Tangled days. But this time around, it’s not Drew dishing out the advice and opinions – it’s his best friend Matthew, who of course is dealing with Dee Dee.

 

I got into this one with low expectations, and in the end, I actually liked it. They were a super cute couple, so honest with themselves and unapologetic and I loved the characters, their personality, their relationship, and their story. 

General grade: 3/5 (Great book, great couple, hilarious and enjoyable, but not super memorable (since I’m writing this, months later, and I couldn’t remember a lot of it before writing this post)) 
Feminist grade: 5/5 (I loved their honesty with themselves and their unapologetic way, Dee Dee is such a strong female, I love her) 
Final grade: 8/10 (Cute and interesting story, especially with the nun jokes and all, just not amazing) 

These were all the books I read in May! Have you read any of them? Did you like them? Do you agree with me? If not you can tell me so too! 

Well, that is all for today, I hope you like this post, hope you enjoy these books if you decide to read them. Feel free to leave your opinion about it in the comments and I will see you next time! 

Bye sassy people! 

 

  • I know that some comments I make about decent guys on my posts are the bare minimum a guy should do, so no, they don’t deserve to be treated like gods for doing the minimum, but at the same time, I’ve read a lot of sexist books and I appreciate authors who make characters that can serve as role models and examples of how a decent guy acts and what a loving and respectful relationship looks like. I believe we should always encourage these authors and bring attention to the ones that still write sexist characters and stories. 
  • I make a lot of comments about sexism and healthy role models in books, but a lot of times these characteristics don’t make the book a bad book and definitely don’t make the author a bad author. Please never shame these authors and these books for these comments, I simply feel that we need to have awareness of the less than ideal situations some books bring us, and not use the romanticized problem as examples of what a relationship should be. Most of these authors are still amazing and the content they write doesn’t reflect directly with their personal views and opinions. Always make sure to respect and be kind to everyone, even while criticizing their content. 

Find Me In 

Meet Me

Meet Me

Brazilian architecture student and book lover

One of my goals in analysing my readings was to talk about important topics, like feminist and consent, because literature, art and culture influence us, and I believe we should always encorage authors who talk about this topics.

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2023 Wrap Up

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The Fourth Time Charm
The Third Best Thing
The Second We Met
The Perfect First
Sidebarred
Appealed
Sustained
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Sustained – Review

Sustained – Review

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!! 

This post may contain affiliate links for products and services I recommend. If you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission. 

A knight in tarnished armor is still a knight.

Hello sassy people! Today I’m gonna talk about one of my new favorite books, “Sustained”! I read this book in February and I loved it, so I’m going to walk you through each reason why I think it is so amazing.

Sustained - quote

This intro was my sealing point, I absolutely love when an author talks about her writing process, how she felt, how the story was built, how she sees the story she wrote. So I started loving this book even before I read it. Now a funny point is, I didn’t read the blurb, I make it a habit of not reading the blurb of books in a series, I like to be surprised, so I entered this book knowing only Jake’s name and knowing that the female lead’s name was Chelsea. That made for a very nice experience, the book was surprising and delightful.

Sustained - cover

Sustained 
Author: Emma Chase
Series: The Legal Briefs #2
Blurb: A knight in tarnished armor is still a knight.
When you’re a defense attorney in Washington, DC, you see firsthand how hard life can be, and that sometimes the only way to survive is to be harder. I, Jake Becker, have a reputation for being cold, callous, and intimidating—and that suits me just fine. In fact, it’s necessary when I’m breaking down a witness on the stand.
Complications don’t work for me—I’m a “need-to-know” type of man. If you’re my client, tell me the basic facts. If you’re my date, stick to what will turn you on. I’m not a therapist or Prince Charming—and I don’t pretend to be.
Then Chelsea McQuaid and her six orphaned nieces and nephews came along and complicated the ever-loving hell out of my life. Now I’m going to Mommy & Me classes, One Direction concerts, the emergency room, and arguing cases in the principal’s office.
Chelsea’s too sweet, too innocent, and too gorgeous for her own good. She tries to be tough, but she’s not. She needs someone to help her, defend her…and the kids.
And that — that, I know how to do.

The blurb is pretty much the essence of this book. Jake is a really quiet though guy, we saw that in the first book, we don’t really get the romantic sweet guy vibe from him, he is not a giant teddy bear, he’s just a giant. But then he meets a kid, a little boy who tried to steal from him, and because he recognized himself in that kid, he decided to help and take him to his parents. But he doesn’t have parents, Rory and his five siblings lost their mom and dad in a fatal accident, and now they are under the care of their beautiful and sweet aunt, Chelsea.

Sustained - quote

In the begging, before we even know about Rory and Chelsea’s existence, Jake receives a visitor in his office…

Sustained - quote

This scene was awesome at the moment, the description of the lady seems like one that could be romantic and the plot sounded like a funny story, falling in love for the one night stand that gave you Syphilis, but Jake does not get Syphilis, he just decides that the lifestyle he’s been living is not such a healthy one, so he decides to start dating.

Despite sounding like a very good idea, this scene seems slightly unnecessary, it starts a plot that ends two chapters later and has no major consequences to the book, the story, and the characters. That is pretty the only major problem I see in this book, the rest is almost perfection.

One thing, that I think is interesting is the fluid change in Jake’s personality or his way to live life. He starts as a cold guy, a ruthless defense attorney that seems to have no feelings, and instead of just turning into this super sweet guy in two seconds, we watch him change, watch him slowly become more and more open to the idea of love and family, and also the idea of standing up for what he believes.

Sustained - quote

So after meeting Chelsea, and the kids, he understands the level of difficulty her life must be right now. But he is still stubborn, so he stays away until they start needing his help since Rory is a bit of a troublemaker. Jake starts to participate more and more in their lives and starts to make a bond, with Chelsea and all the kids.

Sustained - quote

But Jake has a past, and like most male romance characters, he doesn’t want to be his dad, and as always, that fear gets in the way.
Also, one extremely interesting case lands on his hands. He works for a major law firm in DC. His boss trusts him with a major case, a politician, who is being accused of beating his wife. The politician is the boss’s friend, and Jake has to convince a judge that the poor wife is lying. Jake went through that as a kid, but still, he continues on that case, he can’t turn it down, but he also can’t turn this woman’s life into a nightmare, even more than it already is. His past, the kids, his extreme fear of commitment, and this case, all pile on his back and start some problems.
Despite being a good problem, it was not a complex or even a super-developed plot. They don’t have a major problem, Jake has his problems, and he needs to deal with them to be with Chelsea, it is a fairly easy and simple plot, that is not a problem, just a characteristic.

This book, however, was really well developed, the characters have a nice background, one that makes you understand them. Their personalities are so complete, every kid has a different way, a different way to speak, different dilemmas, different actions on how to deal with them, and that level of character building is amazing, I wanted more books just to be able to see the kids more, cause they are amazing.

The book is sweet and funny, but slightly sad, and heavy at the same time, it deals with hard topics, such as losing both parents, being an orphan, accepting someone new in your life.
The blurb says that Chelsea is not though, I’m gonna have to disagree. She is a twenty-something woman, who was in college, who had her life on track, and she had to give up everything, to be someone’s only person. She gave up her life, to take care of her brother’s children. In less than 24 hours, she went from being a college girl, to be the mother figure for 6 kids, a teenager, with 14, two pre-teenagers, with 9, a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a months-old baby. Those were her responsibility. The house, the kids, the food, the bills, everything was on her, all the while also losing her brother. That is someone though. Needing help doesn’t mean she is not though, it only means she is not a superhero, she gets tired and sometimes she needs help, but she still is a badass.

It also touches on a hard and interesting topic. Defense attorneys. How do you defend someone you don’t believe to be innocent, how you work with people who did horrible things. Is being a partner in a big DC firm worth defending a monster? I love books that bring reflections on things I would never know for myself. Books that tell you the day-to-day of another career and other life experiences.

Again, no idea if this book is accurate on how a defense attorney works but is more of an idea than I had before, and to me, that is already awesome.

 

So, to wrap this book in few words: sweet, interesting, makes you reflect on important subjects, and makes you connect with each and every character on an extremely deep level. So, impressive.

General grade: 4/5 (structured plotline, simple and one loose point, but still has the Emma Chase expected double plot twist and super developed characters)

Feminist grade: 5/5 (strong female, but admitting that you need help, sometimes is the biggest sign of strength; we also have a male that is afraid of commitment, but he works through it, and in the end, their relationship is an example)

Final grade: 9/10 (I just loved everything, these characters now have a small piece of my heart and this is probably not the last time I’ll read it)

So this was all I had to say for now about this book. I’ll probably read it again at some point and do another review. Now, two months after I read it, I already have another view of it, before, my grade was 10/10 and now, I gave it a 9/10, but it still has a major spot in my heart. 

That was all for today I hope you like this post, hope you enjoy this book if you decide to read it. Feel free to leave your opinion about it in the comments and I will see you next time! 

Bye sassy people! 

 

  • I know that some comments I make about decent guys on my posts are the bare minimum a guy should do, so no, they don’t deserve to be treated like gods for doing the minimum, but at the same time, I’ve read a lot of sexist books and I appreciate authors who make characters that can serve as role models and examples of how a decent guy acts and what a loving and respectful relationship looks like. I believe we should always encourage these authors and bring attention to the ones that still write sexist characters and stories. 
  • I make a lot of comments about sexism and healthy role models in books, but a lot of times these characteristics don’t make the book a bad book and definitely don’t make the author a bad author. Please never shame these authors and these books for these comments, I simply feel that we need to have awareness of the less than ideal situations some books bring us, and not use the romanticized problem as examples of what a relationship should be. Most of these authors are still amazing and the content they write doesn’t reflect directly with their personal views and opinions. Always make sure to respect and be kind to everyone, even while criticizing their content. 

 

 

Find Me In 

Meet Me

Meet Me

Brazilian architecture student and book lover

One of my goals in analysing my readings was to talk about important topics, like feminist and consent, because literature, art and culture influence us, and I believe we should always encorage authors who talk about this topics.

Refusing Compulsory Sexuality by Sherronda J. Brown – Review

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Catch and Cradle by Katia Rose – Review

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Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins – Review

Today’s post is about Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins!

The Irresponsible Puckboy by Eden Finley and Saxon James – Review

Today’s post is about The Irresponsible Puckboy by Eden Finley and Saxon James!

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace – Review

Hello sassy people! Today’s post is about Icebreaker by Hannah Grace!

Only One Coffin by A.J. Truman – Review

Hello sassy people! Today’s post is about Only One Coffin by A.J. Truman!

Top books of 2023!!

These are the best books I read in 2023!
It was an amazing year, full of amazing books and I hope 2024 is even better!

2023 Wrap Up

These are the stats for all the books I read in 2023!I post stats every month, but these are the ones I’m always most excited to analyze! It’s so cool to look back at the year and see how much you read, the different genres, authors, tropes, spice levels…These are all...

My Better Life by Sarah Ready and Non-Toxic Masculinity

Hello sassy people! Today we are talking about Non Toxic Masculinity.

Come check out my Goodreads Reading Challenge!

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2020

I read 148 books in 2020, come see them!

Ana en Noir is currently-reading

The Fourth Time Charm



Ana en Noir's favorite books »

2021 Reading Challenge

2021 Reading Challenge

Ana en Noir has read 18 books toward her goal of 100 books.

hide

Adsense

Books Ana en Noir read

The Fourth Time Charm

The Third Best Thing

The Second We Met

The Perfect First

Sidebarred

Appealed

Sustained

Overruled

Master Baker



Ana en Noir's favorite books »

Books I read in March 2021

Books I read in March 2021

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!! 

This post may contain affiliate links for products and services I recommend. If you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission. 

Books March 2021

Hello sassy people!
Today, I’m here again to tell you guys all about the books I read this month! This was a slow month, I wanted to read more books, but college demanded a lot of my time, so I’m proud of the 5 books I was able to read, and they were all amazing, so it was a really good month.

So, last month I found this amazing author named Emma Chase, and I read, frantically, all the books in her “The Legal Briefs” Series. When the 3 books of the series were over, I was sad and lost looking for more of those characters, when I found:

Sidebarred - cover

1- Sidebarred 

Author: Emma Chase 

Series: The Legal Briefs #3.5 

Blurb: There was a time when Jake Becker had it all together. He was controlled, driven, ruthless—in and out of the courtroom.

Then, six irresistible orphans and their heartbreakingly beautiful aunt crashed into his perfectly ordered life. They changed everything. They changed him. Now he’s a husband, an upstanding member of society, a father figure—a family man. And he’s pretty damn good at it.

Sure, he has to referee sibling smackdowns, re-learn algebra, ensure his clients stay out of jail, and keep his wife happy—but it finally feels like he’s got it together again….

So, of course something has to screw it all up. It’s huge. Life-changing. Kind of terrifying.

And it will be the most amazing, perfect thing he’ll ever do.

This was a book that made me really happy, it was one last piece I had from these amazing characters. There was just one problem…
It was too small. I read it super fast and then it was over.

But, let’s talk about the happy parts! This book is a glance at Jake and Chelsea’s life 2 years after Appealed (4 after Sustained, the book with their story), which means that the kids are bigger and they’ve been married for 2 years now. It was nice to see Jake living in their house and also taking care of those kids even more like they were his.

One thing that I absolutely love is how the communication between the two of them works now that they are married. They fight, yes; they have problems, yes; but they solve them by talking to each other and I just love how they cannot go to sleep mad at each other and how even while fighting they show the other that they still love them.
That alone for me is a scene and a moment that makes this book amazing.

And also I love reading stories about couples that are already married and how even after the happily ever after, the couple still has problems and how they deal with them with the person they love.

General grade: 4/5 (It is small, most of the time is summed up in one scene and then is months later, there is not exactly a plotline, it is just a glimpse of their life after their book) 
Feminist grade: 5/5 (great role model of how problem-solving and relationships work in a healthy situation) 
Final grade: 9/10 (small, but incredible) 

After all the amazingness of Emma Chase, I was lost, without knowing which book to read next, when Kindle recommended this book to me, and just the synopsis rooked me, and since I was sad for The Legal Briefs, I decided to give this book a chance on lifting my spirits.

2- The Perfect First 

Author: Maya Hughes 

Series: Fulton U #1

Blurb: “How long do you last in bed?” Those were her first words to me, swiftly followed up with, “And how big would you say you are?”

Persephone Alexander. Math genius. Lover of blazers. The only girl I know who can make Heidi braids look sexy as hell. And she’s on a mission. Lose her virginity by the end of the semester. I walked in on her interview session for potential candidates (who even does that?) and saw straight through her brave front. She’s got a list of Firsts to accomplish like she’s only got months to live. I’ve decided to be her guide for all her firsts except one. Someone’s got to keep her out of trouble. I have one rule, no sex. We even shook on it. I’ll help her find the right guy for the job. Someone like her doesn’t need someone like me and my massive…baggage for her first time. Drinking at a bar. Check. Partying all night. Double check. Skinny dipping. Triple check.

She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met. The walls I’d put up around my heart are slowly crumbling with each touch that sets fire to my soul. I’m the first to bend the rules. One electrifying kiss changes everything and suddenly I don’t want to be her first, I want to be her only. But her plan was written before I came onto the scene and now I’m determined to get her to re-write her future with me. 

The Perfect First - cover

So, this book had the potential to be really cheesy and cringy, but it turned out to have so much depth! Reading the synopsis, I had no idea this book would have so much development and touch on such serious topics.
It sounds like a typical story, virgin girl, meets hot athlete, bla bla bla…
But it is so far from that! Reece’s story has more depth than what I expected. His father never watched him play, and doesn’t want him playing football, so even though his family seems like a normal, happy, no problems family, he still deals with his fathers disapproval, and he makes a hundred assumptions about why he doesn’t want him to play since he was a pro football player.

This was my first football romance and it brought something I had never seen in any other sports romance: the harms and dangers of being an athlete (I’ve read players who got hurt, but the subject was never treated with such seriousness and as a hindrance to play), which made the book even more real and serious.
Meanwhile, Seph has one of the most well-developed pasts I’ve ever seen. Her life and her relationship with her family, but especially with her father are so real. And the seriousness of the situation grows while the book continues.
Seph suffers physicological abuse growing up, but they are subtle at first, and it’s all disguised behind paternal love. “He is doing that because he wants what is best for her”, she believes that, and for a brief, very brief moment, I did too.

Despite the heavy topics, the book is light, has really funny moments, and it brings a lot of other characters’ stories, which makes you want to read all the books.
Cute, hot, adorable, serious and deep, but never depressing, and most of all, real (not in the situations, but the life experiences)

General grade:  4/5 (Some parts are extremely well written while others are summed up or have drastic changes, of course, that makes us a little confused, but the development is amazing and the problems are real) 
Feminist grade: 5/5 (Great example of how abuse, physical and emotional/psychological, can affect a person’s life and personality, and shows a non-romanticized version of sports that I had never seen before) 
Final grade: 9/10 (Some non-realistic moments, however, in the majority it is real (in the serious moments) and really well written while having an amazing story) 

Following the series, next we have:

3- The Second We Met

Author: Maya Hughes 

Series: Fulton U #2

Blurb: Dear Jerk Across the Street, sorry for accidentally walking in on you and catching an eyeful of your—equipment. And hard pass on the open invitation to join you in the shower “anytime”, A-hole. That’s the note I should’ve written. Instead I sent a pleasant and apologetic version. Had I known Phoenix “Nix” Russo would’ve been the neighbor from hell, I’d have told him right where he could shove my words. Nix is the big man on campus with everyone lined up at his games to make sure he knows it. Sure, he’s got piercing blue eyes, abs that don’t quit and a smile that could set fire to a set of panties from a hundred yards away, but he’s also the biggest pain in my ass.

Dear Pink-Haired Menace, learn how to take a joke and stop being such a kill-joy… Elle Masterson called the cops on one of my parties—again. My sweet talking usually gets me out of trouble, but this time it got me into a nice pair of silver handcuffs. Now I’m on a reputation rehab tour with a stop at a spring break community service project. Guess who’s my new boss? Now we’re shoulder to shoulder, sweaty, tired, and…she’s not anything like I expected. There might just be a heart under that hardass exterior. She’s invading my dreams and I can’t shake the feeling she’s the key to unlocking a piece of me that I’ve hidden away. It’s only a matter of time until she finds out why I’m really here. Maybe I can break through her walls and into her heart before that happens…one screw at a time.

This couple is amazing, they fight so much, you just know they want into each other’s pants.

These two are going through some tough future decisions. Nix is supposed to go into the draft, and become a pro football player, just like his dad, and make his dad’s dreams come true. But he doesn’t want that, he doesn’t want to hurt his body so much and have a short but expensive career and spend his life limping like his father. He wants to be like his grandfather and work in a restaurant. Meanwhile, Elle has major money problems and a history of jerk boyfriends. She wants to win a charity prize from her college, to be able to pay for her classes, graduate, and decide how her life is going to be after graduation.

She has a lot of preconceived notions about Nix, and while he is a pretty nice guy, some of them are true and because she was hurt before, she won’t take her chances to be lied to again.

This book has a lot of depth too because it goes even deeper into sports injuries and also brings a whole new discussion about charity and motives, which I think is pretty amazing. Is Elle doing all this volunteer work because she is a good person who wants to help? Or is she doing it to win a prize? I honestly think she was both, but the question and discussion is a pretty interesting one, that doesn’t take a major role in the book, but it makes you think.

I loved this couple, their friendship, their problems, their friends. This book, like “The Perfect First” shows the other characters and their stories. This one brings so much of the story from “The Third Best Thing” I was wondering if there wasn’t gonna be any situations left for the other book (there was), but we get to know and understand the other stories a lot more, have more development and see their story from another angle, which is pretty great.

General grade: 4.5/5 (I’m gonna be honest, I don’t see any problems. Good development, normal plotline, with some surprises, which is nice, but at this moment, I don’t see anything exceptional, so 4.5) 
Feminist grade: 4.5/5 (The same goes for here, good story, didn’t detect any sexism, some interesting subjects, and awesome realism and non-romanticizing of sports, but nothing outstanding) 
Final grade: 9/10 (I loved the book, loved the characters, loved the surprises and subjects, it is pretty damn good) 

Continuing through the series we have:

4- The Third Best Thing 

Author: Maya Hughes 

Series: Fulton U #3

Blurb: Dear Letter Girl, I need to see you. When can we meet? Her response never came. My secret pen pal with a dirty mind has ghosted me. I’ve roped Jules, my sweet as pie next door neighbor, to help me track her down. There’s only one problem–I’m falling for her. The tortoise shell glasses, out of this world curves and delicious treats are making the search for The Letter Girl even harder.  My notes were supposed to be a one time thing. A little too much wine and naughty thoughts on a winter’s night. I never thought Berk would write back. I wanted to tell him it was me, but the fear of rejection kept my lips sealed. Now he’s enlisted my help to track down The Letter Girl and our search has him hot on my, ahem, her trail. She’s the girl next door. He’s my secret pen pal. Truth is on a collision course with their hearts and it’s only a matter of time before one of them gets wrecked…

I was truly excited about this book. Their story showed up a lot in “The Second We Met” and I was dying to see them. Jules, a shy, pole-dancing, backing goddess with Berk, the sweet and funny guy on the group, who started trading letters with a mysterious girl in the first book, it was too good to be true.

But I could never have expected what they really were experiencing. We had the outside version of the facts, we didn’t know Berk’s heavy and sad past, or Jules’s emotionally abusive family and society. Jules has a twisted body image, created by her mom and sister, who “ganged up” on her after the death of her father. Berk was a foster kid, trained to live in the streets, with serious abandonment issues and habits he brings from the time he had nothing.

Can you see how amazing their story is, Jules works on accepting her body, while Berk never even though she went through horrible situations and emotional abuse because, in his mind, she is beautiful. Meanwhile, Jules stops the letters, without realizing what that causes Berk, and his abandonment issues, to have one more person leave him.

They grow a lot together and they are just the cutest!

General grade:  5/5 (Great development, especially with the development from the other books, great plot, and situations)
Feminist grade: 5/5 (I love books with strong women and Jules is definitely one, not only for her acceptance of herself, but for the moments where she put herself first, where she valued her mental health before Berk’s, she wouldn’t destroy herself to be with him, it is not such a romantic concept, but it is a much healthier one, a huge example for everyone) 
Final grade: 10/10 (Heavy, but cute and sweet and hot and funny, but it has also important subjects (there is even cyberbullying) and good examples of relationships and actions courses) 

Last but not least…

5- The Fourth Time Charm 

Author: Maya Hughes 

Series: Fulton U #4

Blurb: “Are you sleeping with my daughter?” Not a question I want to hear from my coach. The man holding my pro future in the palm of his hand. 

The answer: No. 

The real answer: I’d sure as hell like to be. 

Marisa’s been my best friend since third grade. And now she needs my help—and a place to stay. Senior year was supposed to be the year to keep some distance until the season finished and my draft prospects were safe. But resisting her is becoming impossible. Movie Thursdays under the blankets. Study sessions on my bed. Wild party nights where I kept any guy interested at bay with a single glare. Her dad can bench my ass for the entire season, so she’s off limits—for now. She’s the only woman I’ve ever loved. And one heated night, I can’t stop fighting every cell in my body and can’t stop myself from sampling her sexy smile, her sweet smell, and her sultry curves. We’re walking a tightrope with my future on the line. Let’s just make sure Coach doesn’t find out… 

This is another story that had a huge build-up. We see Marisa and LJ since the first book, and we just want them together already!
If I had to characterize this couple in two words, they would be communication issues!
They do not communicate. Ever.

They are the best friends in the world, know each other since they were little, but still, they don’t know major aspects of each other’s lives.
This lack of communication happens throughout the entire book, and only when they stop the bullshit and TALK, they figure things out.

The misunderstandings are painful, the hiding and omitting things is frustrating and in some moments, they omit so much, not even the reader understands what is going on.
They are cute, and amazing as friends, but they have a lot of baggage, which turns this into a very complicated situation.

The plot, overall, is simple, but the characters have huge development, and some situations that not even we know how to solve, which I love.

General grade: 5/5 (Really truly developed characters, simple plot, but intriguing and it keeps you, cause you need to know the outcome, how are they going to figure this out?) 
Feminist grade: 4/5 (Really cute couple, non-sexist characters, but the lack of communication is painful) 
Final grade: 9/10 (Great characters, with great stories and cute relationship, just not the most healthy one…) 

Okay, that was all. I gotta say, this month, despite slow (taking into consideration my annual goal) was really good bookwise. Amazing books, new sports romance series, and the fact that I read 5 books and was able to do everything for college makes me proud of myself. At this moment (April, 9th) I’m reading more of Maya Hughes, and gotta say, I found a new, awesome writer.  

Those were all the books I read this month, soon I’ll be posting individualized reviews for each of them where I tell in extreme detail (and some spoilers) why I loved all these books. 

Well, that is all for today, I hope you like this post, hope you enjoy these books if you decide to read them. Feel free to leave your opinion about it in the comments and I will see you next time! 

Bye sassy people! 

 

  • I know that some comments I make about decent guys on my posts are the bare minimum a guy should do, so no, they don’t deserve to be treated like gods for doing the minimum, but at the same time, I’ve read a lot of sexist books and I appreciate authors who make characters that can serve as role models and examples of how a decent guy acts and what a loving and respectful relationship looks like. I believe we should always encourage these authors and bring attention to the ones that still write sexist characters and stories. 
  • I make a lot of comments about sexism and healthy role models in books, but a lot of times these characteristics don’t make the book a bad book and definitely don’t make the author a bad author. Please never shame these authors and these books for these comments, I simply feel that we need to have awareness of the less than ideal situations some books bring us, and not use the romanticized problem as examples of what a relationship should be. Most of these authors are still amazing and the content they write doesn’t reflect directly with their personal views and opinions. Always make sure to respect and be kind to everyone, even while criticizing their content. 

 

Find Me In 

Meet Me

Meet Me

Brazilian architecture student and book lover

One of my goals in analysing my readings was to talk about important topics, like feminist and consent, because literature, art and culture influence us, and I believe we should always encorage authors who talk about this topics.

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Overruled – Review

Overruled – Review

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!! 

This post may contain affiliate links for products and services I recommend. If you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission. 

“Most stories finish at the end. But not this one. This one finishes with a whole new beginning.” ― Emma Chase, Overruled

Hello sassy people!
Today I’m gonna talk about one of my new favorite books, from one of my new favorite authors: Overruled by Emma Chase.

Overruled - cover

Overruled 
Author: Emma Chase
Series: The Legal Briefs
Blurb: As a DC defense attorney, Stanton Shaw keeps his head cool, his questions sharp, and his arguments irrefutable. They don’t call him the Jury Charmer for nothing – with his southern drawl, disarming smile and captivating green eyes – he’s a hard man to say no to. Men want to be him and women want to be thoroughly cross examined by him. Stanton’s a man with a plan. And for a while, life was going according to that plan. Until the day he receives an invitation to the wedding of his high school sweetheart and mother of his beloved ten-year old daughter. Jenny is getting married — to someone who isn’t him. That’s definitely not part of the plan.
***
Sofia Santos is a city raised, no-nonsense litigator who plans to become the most revered criminal defense attorney in the country. She doesn’t have time for relationships or distractions. But when Stanton, her “friend with mind-blowing benefits” begs for help, she finds herself out of her element, out of her depth, and obviously out of her mind. Because she agrees to go with him – to The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, Mississippi – to do all she can to help Stanton win back the woman he loves. Her head tells her she’s crazy…and her heart says something else entirely.
***
What happens when you mix a one stop-light town, two professional arguers, a homecoming queen, four big brothers, some Jimmy Dean sausage and a gun-toting Nana? The Bourbon flows, passions rise and even the best laid plans get overruled by the desires of the heart.

I loved this book really much for multiple reasons.
First of all, I loved Stanton and his personality. He is the perfect mixture of nice and mischievous. When we meet him, he is an 18-year-old boy, about to go to college, who just found out that his high school sweetheart is pregnant. He is prepared to give up on his life goals to be with her and take care of her.
His girlfriend insists on him going to college and getting his law degree, while also insisting on trying an open relationship, so he can enjoy life in college, while she stays at home, in Mississipi, raising their daughter and going to nursing school.

"People can say what they want about feminism and equality and that's all fine and good. But I was raised on the idea that men are protectors. Where the bucks stops. The ones that go down with the ship. So the fact that my girl is "in trouble" is no one's fault but mine"  - Stanton  (Overruled - Emma Chase)

After that, we jump 10 years and Stanton is a defense attorney in a big firm in DC. His daughter lives in Mississipi with her mom and they both continue on their open relationship status, meaning that when he is home, they are together, but while in the city, they both have other relationships. His current relationship (which is more a friends with benefits than a committed one) is with Sofia Santos, another defense attorney in his firm. They’ve been “together” for 6 months when he receives an invitation to Jenny’s wedding.

Stanton is shocked and decides to go back home to get Jenny back. His life plans were all of a sudden destroyed and he is out of his mind, screaming at Jenny over the phone. So when he realizes that screaming will not work and that Sofia is great at placating him in those moments, he asks her to go with him.
What would you think if the guy you like, or at least enjoy “spending time with”, asks your help on getting the love of his life back? I would be horrified and doing it seems like a painful and horrible situation. But Sofia is strong and decides to help her friend, and this is an amazing aspect of this book, we see how they are friends even more than lovers, and that friendship shows throughout the whole book.

From here on, there may be spoilers, so if you don't like them, you can jump to the next "safe zone". If you want to continue, click the button...

Throughout the beginning of the book we see how Stanton is found of Jenny, how the beginning of his open relationship was hard on him, and how all this time, his goal was to marry her someday. This was a unique plot for me, because it wasn’t a love triangle, and we understand his situation. For more than 10 years, Jenny was the person he tough he would end up with. She is the mother of his child and his high school sweetheart. But through the book we realize that he is not in love with her, he just had this idea of how his life would turn out, and to have that future taken out of him, made him lose his mind.
He takes a while to realize that, and we see his friendship with Jenny, how they are partners, no matter what, just not the romantic kind anymore. They have an amazing relationship, they are great parents, they are just not together anymore. We also see how he starts a super cool relationship with Jenny’s fiancé, JD, because he starts the book hating the guy, but ends up realizing how they both love the girls (Jenny and Presley) and would do anything to keep them safe.

It is amazing how he has interactions and toughs about Sofia the entire book, but he is so focused on his goal of ending Jenny’s wedding, he doesn’t realize it. Their talks and banter are awesome, and he is constantly looking for her, wanting to be near her, wanting to tell her things, and needing her close.

 

"I don't think I ever did stop. It just... changed into somethin' else. Somethin' quieter, less crazed. When you're young, you love fireworks 'cause they're loud and bright and thrillin'. But then you grow up. And you see that candlelight isn't so thrillin', but it still makes everything better. You realize that the glow of a fireplace can be just as excitin' as fireworks - the way it burns low, but lights your home and keeps you worm all night long. Stanton was my fireworks... JD's my fireplace."  - Jenny  (Overruled - Emma Chase)

Now, if all of this wasn’t already amazing, there is a cherry on top of this delicious cake: Sofia is BRAZILIAN! For those of you who don’t know, I’m Brazilian and I just loved to see a good (amazing actually) representation of my country. Sofia is strong, bold, strong-minded, who is not afraid to say what she thinks. Her personality is one that I relate a lot to Latinas, fierce and spicy but at the same time sweet and so strong!
I need to have a little venting moment here. I’ve seen a lot of series and a couple of books where there were Brazilian characters, and that always makes me happy, but the happiness ends when the misrepresentation starts. Brazilians do not speak spanish, samba and salsa are extremely different, and for the love of God, I’m tired of books that only mention Brazil to talk about the female leads butt. Okay, the Brazilian stereotype is big butts, but there is a whole lot more to talk about our country and our people. And I am so happy to say that Emma Chase did an amazing, almost flawless job at representing us.
Sofia does not only have the personality but also has the language, the food, the geography, and the life story correct. Through the book we see her teaching Portuguese to friends, making Pão de Queijo on Sundays, which becomes a tradicion in their group of friends later in the book (also on the next ones), and at a later point in the book, having a short conversation in Portuguese.
She talks about her family, how they got out of Brazil and how her household works, how they value education and hard work because if there is one thing that is Brazilian is hard work, we might seem relaxed, but we work a lot for our goals.

"On Sunday mornig, I get up early and make a big batch of pão de queijo - Brazilian cheese rolls."  - Sofia  "At 1 a.m. the party is still going strong. Sofia's silly, happy drunk - sitting next to me on a lawn chair, teaching Sadie naughty words in Portuguese."  - Stanton  (Overruled - Emma Chase)

One detail that I need to talk about is the reality of Brazil that she expresses here. Sofia talks about her mom, how she lived in Pará, and scaped to Rio de Janeiro, but only learned how to read when she was 16, learning from Sofia’s father. I will not say that Brazil doesn’t have illiterates, we have high numbers, but so do a lot of countries, while Brazil is 20%, the U.S.A. is 10% (according to the “2013 UN Human Development Report). My country is not just poor, it is not a war zone, people don’t escape Brazil because it is a hostile environment, people leave for better opportunities, just like I believe people in the United States do too. There is no country with no poor people at all, and I love my country and it makes me sad that that is the image other countries have of it. We have poverty, but we also have warm and happy people, we are animated and welcoming, and always excited to learn about other cultures and to welcome foreign people.
So even though what Emma writes in her book is one reality, it is not the only one, and I feel the need to defend my home because, despite it all, it is wonderful.

"I approach her, holding out my hand.  -It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Santos, I'm... She glances at my hand with disdain and cuts me off - in Portuguese.  - Você é um homem estúpido que machucou a minha filha. Se eu tivesse meu caminho, eles nunca iria encontrar o seu corpo.  It would seem I'm a stupid man, and if she had her they'd never find my body. Nice.  I shake my head.  - Estou aqui para fazer isso direito. Sofia significa... tudo para mim.  I'm here to make it right. Because Sofia means everything to me"  - Stanton  (Overruled - Emma Chase)

The quote above made me really truly happy, all through the book I thought the only thing that would make it even more perfect would be if a Portuguese word showed up, just one tinny detail that would make the story even more believable. So when, on the final stage of the book, we get a whole conversation, I was ready to include this author in my top 3 authors list.

Now, I can’t let this go… but it made not much of a difference and is a mistake that I can forgive, but there are two grammatical errors in the text. When translating the word way, instead of saying: “if they did what I wanted” they said, “if they did my path” which does not make much sense in Portuguese. And a small error in the plural of the word “iria”, which should be “iriam”. But despite this, the book was pretty much flawless and made me truly happy.

“Professional women have come a long way – our feet are now firmly in the door of the previously dominated boy’s club of political, legal, and business fields. But we still have a long way to go. The fact remains that more often than not when it comes to promotions and professional opportunities, we’re the afterthought, not the first consideration. In order to get to the forefront of our bosses’ regard, it’s not enough to be as good as our male counterparts – we have to be better. We have to stand out. It’s an unfair truth, but a truth all the same.” - Sofia (Overruled - Emma Chase)

Now, I wrote about Sofia before, in my “7 Female Characters In Male-Dominated Jobs” post and I cannot write about this book without talking about the strength of this character, and how she fights for her job, how she fights to prove herself and how she succeeds. She is a role model for females on how to be strong, fearless, and fierce. She is a defense attorney on a big firm, handling male idiots as clients, working with a lot of male colleagues, answering to a male boss. Even though there are more and more female attorneys, there is no denying that it still is a male-dominated field.

And Sofia talks about it, which could not make me happier. About the struggle, about the harassment, about being strong, fighting, and appreciating what the women that came before her did, how it affects where she is right now, but how the fight is not over.

"Montgomery thanks Stanton with a handshake, yet manages to make his gratitude sound supercilious. He turns to me with open arms - expecting a hug of course.  Because I have a vagina.  And like so many, he functions under the belief that penises shake hands, vaginas hug.  Not this one buddy.  I extend an unyielding arm, which makes my point and keeps him out of my personal space. He settles for the handshake, but adds a leering wink."  - Sofia  (Overruled - Emma Chase)
Last but not least, I wanted to talk about Stanton and his daughter Presley. Their relationship is just amazing, and I have a few quotes about it, how he is an awesome dad, how he puts her happiness and her mental stability and health first, how he never uses her in his "game" to ruin Jenny's wedding, and ultimately..... ( for the SPOILER click the button)

how the fact that Presley likes JD, and that he knows JD would do anything for Presly, is the reason, one of biggest reasons, why he gives up on pursuing Jenny and begins a really cool relationship with her fiance.

I could put all of these quotes here, but since I already put a lot of them, I’ll put just one more…

"I don't want to share my daughter's affection with another man. But I also don't want to tear her in half - make her choose between the two people she loves most in the world. It's not her job to protect my feelings or her mother's. It's our job to protect hers. (...) - I want you to be happy, Presley - you and your momma. And I want you to tell me if the day ever comes that you're not. But I never want you to feel that you can't like him, or anyone, because of me. Does that make sense?"  - Stanton  (Overruled - Emma Chase)

And now for the grades I give this masterpiece…

General grade: 5/5 (the plot was surprising and really well-developed, the characters have deep stories that build them and interfere with their actions, and we understand all of that through the book)
Feminist grade: 5/5 (Strong female is one of the biggest characteristics I can put here, not only Sofia but also Jenny and Presley, all of them, role models of strong women. Also, great relationship role models, not only for romantic ones but ones between parents, between exes, between friends, your ex’s current… All of them really good examples)
Final grade: 10/10 (Amazing on so many levels, teaches a lot of reasons, touches a lot of difficult subjects, brings culture and representation, and it is just an awesome story, really well written)

So, I guess that was all I loved about this book, if you remember something else I didn’t mention here, leave it in the comments, if you’ve read this book, tell me what you thought. 

Well, that is all for today, I hope you like this post, hope you enjoy these books if you decide to read them. Feel free to leave your opinion about it in the comments and I will see you next time! 

Bye sassy people! 

 

  • I know that some comments I make about decent guys on my posts are the bare minimum a guy should do, so no, they don’t deserve to be treated like gods for doing the minimum, but at the same time, I’ve read a lot of sexist books and I appreciate authors who make characters that can serve as role models and examples of how a decent guy acts and what a loving and respectful relationship looks like. I believe we should always encourage these authors and bring attention to the ones that still write sexist characters and stories. 
  • I make a lot of comments about sexism and healthy role models in books, but a lot of times these characteristics don’t make the book a bad book and definitely don’t make the author a bad author. Please never shame these authors and these books for these comments, I simply feel that we need to have awareness of the less than ideal situations some books bring us, and not use the romanticized problem as examples of what a relationship should be. Most of these authors are still amazing and the content they write doesn’t reflect directly with their personal views and opinions. Always make sure to respect and be kind to everyone, even while criticizing their content. 

 

Find Me In 

Meet Me

Meet Me

Brazilian architecture student and book lover

One of my goals in analysing my readings was to talk about important topics, like feminist and consent, because literature, art and culture influence us, and I believe we should always encorage authors who talk about this topics.

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It was an amazing year, full of amazing books and I hope 2024 is even better!

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Hello sassy people! Today we are talking about Non Toxic Masculinity.

Come check out my Goodreads Reading Challenge!

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2020

I read 148 books in 2020, come see them!

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The Third Best Thing

The Second We Met

The Perfect First

Sidebarred

Appealed

Sustained

Overruled

Master Baker



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7 Female Characters In Male-Dominated Jobs

7 Female Characters In Male-Dominated Jobs

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!! 

This post may contain affiliate links for products and services I recommend. If you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission. 

Strong girls

Hello sassy people!
Today is Women’s Day (March 8th) and to celebrate this important day I separated 7 lead female characters, from 7 different books, who work in male-dominated fields, breaking barriers and taking charge, showing the world that we ladies can do anything.
So I separated my list into 5 categories, starting with my latest read:

Lawyers: even though there are a lot of females practicing law (1 out of 3 layers are females, according to the United States Census of 2018) female lawyers still have to deal with a number of challenges that male lawyers don’t. Any position that suggests power, such as a lawyer, a prosecutor, and especially a judge is still viewed as a man’s job. “According to a 2011 United Nations report, women only account for 27% of judges worldwide.” That is why I believe that this profession and female law practitioners deserve a spot in this list, for how strong and brave they need to be, to fight for their spot and earn it. 

This is a reality that these books present:

Overruled and Appealed by Emma Chase

Both books are in the “Legal Briefs” series, which presents the life of 5 different lawyers, in different positions and different life stories, in 3 books (and a novella). 

The lead of Overruled, Sofia Santos is a defense attorney in a big firm in DC. During the book, she doesn’t only show how fierce and strong-minded she is but also talks about how different a woman’s experience is inside a law firm. At a scene, she even talks about having learned golf, as a way of making connections… 

“Professional women have come a long way – our feet are now firmly in the door of the previously dominated boy’s club of political, legal, and business fields. But we still have a long way to go. The fact remains that more often than not when it comes to promotions and professional opportunities, we’re the afterthought, not the first consideration. In order to get to the forefront of our bosses’ regard, it’s not enough to be as good as our male counterparts – we have to be better. We have to stand out. It’s an unfair truth, but a truth all the same.” 

These parts make it clear the efforts ladies need to make, to have a shot in this line of work. 

Overruled - cover
Appealed - cover

Different from Sofia, the lead character in Appealed, Kennedy, doesn’t talk much about her way to the top, but her attitude in itself shows the kind of strength and perseverance that is necessary to be in her profession:
“Is that what you were doing in Las Vegas – dancing? Kind of short for a showgirl, aren’t you?” (…) She nods slowly, smiling way too smugly.
“Yes, too short for a showgirl… but just the right height for a federal prosecutor”
(…)
She chuckles in a distinctly not-nice way.
“Brent, Brent, Brent – I don’t make plea deals. Ever. It’s kind of what I’m known for. Oh, and I’ve never lost a case. I’m known for that too.”
She is ruthless, does not take no for an answer, and has no fear of fighting for what she wants. Just in her actions, we see that she fought a lot to be where she is.

On that note the next category is military.
Even though the U.S. Military has been accepting females in their ranks since 1973, they are still a minority, according to a paper from “PEW SOCIAL & DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS” in 2010, females were 14% of the ranks.

Name: Master Baker

Author: Pippa Grant

Series: Bro Code #4

It is not a surprise that any occupation that involves physical strength and combat, is viewed as a man’s job, and females in those occupations suffer, a lot of times, with the preconception that they are not capable.
That is why when I saw a book that presented a female in the military I was extremely excited.
Annika is an extremely strong, organized, and determined woman. Her book does not talk much about her experience in the military, and that is a shame, but at the same time, this was the only book in my Goodreads’ shelf, out of 228 books I’ve read, (at the present time), that had a female in that career. Maybe it is just me, maybe there are toons of military women in books and I just don’t know them, but it must not be a coincidence that there are hundreds of secretaries in romance books, and any job that needs strength (physical or mental) is not so popular.

Master Baker - cover

The next category is one that upsets me really much.

If you’ve read my blog before, you know that I love Sports Romance (even though I’m not a super fan of sports). Out of the 29 Sports Romance books I read until today, 3 had a female character that liked the sport, worked in sports or even understood the sport.
People seem to think is cute when a girl doesn’t understand what a touchdown is. To be fair I know nothing about football or baseball, have never even watched a game, but that is not every girl, and sports is a girl thing too, it is not just for guys, just the same way I believe there are a lot of guys out there who are not sports fans.

The Dugout - cover

That is why I absolutely love two books, that not only bring women who love sports but are specialists in it.
The first book must be the most mentioned book in this blog:

The Dugout by Meghan Quinn
Milly brings a hell of a debate, female coaches are something we do not see much. Talking as a Brazilian, who only understands soccer, I’ve never seen a female coach, and even in the female soccer teams, a lot of the coaches are male. Isn’t that a double standard?
It was a reality that I hadn’t thought much about, but now every time I see a female referee, a female sports journalist, or anything like that, I get super happy and proud of them.

Name: The Risk

Author: Elle Kennedy

Series: Briar U

In “The Risk”, Brenna, a major hockey fan, wants to be a sports journalist. She wants to get an internship in a hockey-only sports channel, but from the first interview, the guy/jerk who is behind the desk undermines everything she says and all her knowledge.
Thorugh the book we see, more and more, how badly she is treated by this guy, who believes that only men understand hockey and that Brenna is cute for knowing “some statistics”.
That makes me livid and showed me a reality I did not know, of how females must go through tough times working in such a boy’s club.

The Risk - cover

The next book brings a job that females are conquering slowly in society, but are still viewed as a man’s work: CEO.
Any work that involves leadership, power, strength, is normally considered a man’s job. We, as a society, look at men for guidance, it is not a surprise that females are a huge minority in politics and in places of power.

The Lineup - cover

The Lineup by Meghan Quinn 

That is why I love to see Dottie as the head of a huge company. And even as the leader, she still receives a treatment that no man would. She is asked about family, about her love life, and another bunch of things that no one would demand from a man.
“Yeah, businessman, because that’s what this world is full of, alpha businessman (…). Either way, no one is judging these “ruthless” men and their tactics. Instead, they’re praised. Rewarded. Women are rewarded with the moniker of bitch. Even today. Ridiculous. So to wrap up this rant, picture me with a dick”
This book was the first book that made me realize the gap between a lot of couples in romance books. The guy is always richer than be girl, most times he is older too and has a better job. Dottie is the only female boss I’ve read and she also made me realize that I’ve never read of a female with more money them the guy. Every aspect that would mean power, is always attributed to the man.

And less, but definitely not least, we have a job that can be done exactly the same way by both genders, but still, we see it as a manly work:

Name: Luna and The Lie

Author: Mariana Zapata

Luna is the only woman working in the auto shop she paints at. She does bodywork and she loves her job, and even though most guys in the shop (and I say most, cause some don’t) are respectful and loving towards her, we see the surprise and also sometimes the judgment about a woman working such a manly job…. (insert sarcasm). At some points in the book, we even see the frustration from a coworker, who is not happy to work under a lady.
And what surprises me is that both genders can do the exact same work in this line of job. There are no anatomy characteristics that make man know more or work better, in cars. Unless penises can hold a screwdriver and I didn’t know that.

Luna and the Lie - cover

Ending on that super sweet note, I have to say that when I started analyzing the romances I read I didn’t think there would be a lot of good books to talk about, but the books, much like society, are getting better and better. Of course, there is still a long way to go, but I think we should always talk about, congratulate, and celebrate the good steps, the tiny accomplishments and always keep a questioning mind. 

Congratulations to all the ladies! You are strong, intelligent, beautiful, and complete, and together, we can make the world a better place, tiny step by tiny step. 

If you know more books with these careers or any powerful lady in it, please tell me, leave a comment here or on Instagram, I will love to know more books like these! 

Well, that is all for today, I hope you like this post, hope you enjoy these books if you decide to read them. Feel free to leave your opinion about it in the comments and I will see you next time! 

Bye sassy people! 

 

  • I know that some comments I make about decent guys on my posts are the bare minimum a guy should do, so no, they don’t deserve to be treated like gods for doing the minimum, but at the same time, I’ve read a lot of sexist books and I appreciate authors who make characters that can serve as role models and examples of how a decent guy acts and what a loving and respectful relationship looks like. I believe we should always encourage these authors and bring attention to the ones that still write sexist characters and stories. 
  • I make a lot of comments about sexism and healthy role models in books, but a lot of times these characteristics don’t make the book a bad book and definitely don’t make the author a bad author. Please never shame these authors and these books for these comments, I simply feel that we need to have awareness of the less than ideal situations some books bring us, and not use the romanticized problem as examples of what a relationship should be. Most of these authors are still amazing and the content they write doesn’t reflect directly with their personal views and opinions. Always make sure to respect and be kind to everyone, even while criticizing their content. 

 

Find Me In 

Meet Me

Meet Me

Brazilian architecture student and book lover

One of my goals in analysing my readings was to talk about important topics, like feminist and consent, because literature, art and culture influence us, and I believe we should always encorage authors who talk about this topics.

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Top books of 2023!!

These are the best books I read in 2023!
It was an amazing year, full of amazing books and I hope 2024 is even better!

2023 Wrap Up

These are the stats for all the books I read in 2023!I post stats every month, but these are the ones I’m always most excited to analyze! It’s so cool to look back at the year and see how much you read, the different genres, authors, tropes, spice levels…These are all...

My Better Life by Sarah Ready and Non-Toxic Masculinity

Hello sassy people! Today we are talking about Non Toxic Masculinity.

Come check out my Goodreads Reading Challenge!

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2020

I read 148 books in 2020, come see them!

Ana en Noir is currently-reading

The Fourth Time Charm



Ana en Noir's favorite books »

2021 Reading Challenge

2021 Reading Challenge

Ana en Noir has read 18 books toward her goal of 100 books.

hide

Adsense

Books Ana en Noir read

The Fourth Time Charm

The Third Best Thing

The Second We Met

The Perfect First

Sidebarred

Appealed

Sustained

Overruled

Master Baker



Ana en Noir's favorite books »