#Livy Hart

[ladygeeks]

"Despite the odds. Despite every roadblock. Or maybe because of them. Everything went wrong so we could be right. Together.” Road trip romances seem to be the year’s theme, and you know what? We’re here for it—every single one, but especially the ones that grasp us in a chokehold right from the beginning and refuse to let go even after we’ve closed the book. Planes, Trains, and All the Feels by Livy Hart is something else entirely—something indescribable—brave and vulnerable and just right in every way.

Forced proximity can do much for two people destined to be together, but it’s only in the hands of a thoughtful writer that it can be believable. The intention behind every word choice and the relationship’s progression matters strategically to ensure that it doesn’t just feel like an all-encompassing fictional world but one that is raw and realistic simultaneously. And with every word, Hart draws out their dynamic to a place that feels so easy to be in that through every page you turn, you dread the fact that the book will eventually end. Despite the title, there really is no way to adequately prepare for all the feels. None whatsoever. It’s a whirlwind of austere, chaotic, dazzling, and steamy moments that each hit hard and fast. And most importantly, it’s a whirlwind that’ll stay with the readers.

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[jeevesreads]

Best of September 2023

I had a great September, and the best part is that my most anticipated reads lived up to my (very high) expectations! Last month, I had a lot more success trying out new-to-me authors and exploring, but my favorite books this month were almost exclusively ones I’d been looking forward to for awhile – plus one unexpected delight! I tried S.J. Tilly for the first time earlier this summer, and I…

[its-ashleyreads]

Finished: 13/02/2023

Talk Flirty to Me by Livy Hart

We’re just going to act out romance like we never had one? Like it won’t stir up anything?

Rating: ★★☆☆☆1/2

Summary:

After a run of bad luck finding roles voice-actor, Piper Bellini, comes across the audition of a lifetime doing voice work for a sexy audio book series. The only problem is it’s for a male-female team, and the only man Piper knows outside of her family is Sam O’Shea, her ex-boyfriend/brother’s best friend, and there’s no way he’d want to join her after she publicly humiliated him and caused a riff between him and his surrogate family.

But what Piper doesn’t know is just how badly Sam needs her, or how he’d do anything to have her on his side again.

Review:

When I first read the synopsis for Talk Flirty to Me, I knew this would be the book for me. And maybe it would’ve been if it stayed true to that synopsis but alas, it did not. It sounded so straightforward when I picked it up, but despite the cover and the summary outlining Piper and Sam’s sexy sound booth sessions, there were barely any scenes of them recording anything. Sam’s campaign was more integral to the story than their voice acting ever was. And I was willing to overlook the politics and the being lied to, because of the chemistry between Sam and Piper. But the last seventy-five pages were devoid of even that which is ultimately what brought my rating down.

It felt like the author had run out of story and was trying to fill her word count goals, rehashing the same tired conflict between Piper and Sam for the THIRD time in under four-hundred pages. We got it the first time, Sam is ambitious and Piper is insecure! But the worst part of all is that the author doesn’t even seem to realize Piper’s insecurity as evidenced by their third fallout. Sam is introduced as, and describes multiple times, his love for being a firefighter and his desire to become mayor. It’s his dream. And yes, once Sam and Piper start recording their audio book he admits to enjoying that job as well, but he enjoys it because he gets to spend time with Piper. When his mayoral campaign is on the rocks because of their audio book production company’s disregard for Sam’s reputation and basic security measures for the copyrighted product, Sam looks for options on how to reduce the damage. Despite the fact that he hasn’t made any actual decisions yet, Piper gets mad that he’s considered dropping out of her career making opportunity for his own. But the thing is, Sam made sure that his dropping out wouldn’t affect her, that even if he dropped out she’d still have the three book deal they’d signed on for, she’d just have another partner. Piper was the one who thought she wasn’t good enough without him. Piper was the one who continuously dragged Sam into more recording deals because it was her dream and she didn’t think she could do it without being sexually invested in her partner. But if that’s the only way she can act, then she’s probably not a very good actor. The story ends with Sam giving up his dream for hers, with Piper not even pretending to support him or his goals because #feminism. She uses him as a crutch and he’s so afraid of her shutting him out and leaving him again that he lets her. You know, romance.

For a light Valentine’s Day romance this book has brought me a surprising amount of frustration and annoyance. It had some good smut, but the pacing and editing overall should have been a lot tighter than what was published. I can’t help feeling like this was adapted from some sort of fanfiction, it just doesn’t come across as something that someone originally intended to be a novel, and if it was adapted from fanfiction, then I think it should have stayed that way…

[bookishwum]

She grazes the side of my face with her fingertips. I want to tell her how perfect this feels. I want to be honest. But honest for me means coming on too strong, showing my entire hand. It means telling her I think about her more than I should, seeing her face when I close my eyes at night. Thinking of her first when I open them in the morning.

— Talk Flirty To Me, Livy Hart

[jeevesreads]

BEST OF 2023 SO FAR: Planes, Trains, and All the Feels by Livy Hart

We’re already halfway through 2023, so I’m taking the time to reflect back on my 15 favorite books of the year so far. You’ll find my original review and some quotes from the book below! I absolutely adored it! This had me SMILING from start to finish, with a premise that felt like it was tailor-made for me, and a relationship so compelling that I was hooked from the first interaction. I loved…

[bookishwum]

He reaches into his pants and frees first himself, then a condom from his pocket.

“You had that in your pocket the whole time we played games?” I whisper, incredulous.

He works it over his length. “I’m tired of pretending I don’t want to fuck you, Piper.”

Holy shit. I’m a goner.

— Talk Flirty To Me, Livy Hart

[bookishwum]

“What are you waiting for?”

“You,” he whispers, his breathing jagged. “For a very long time.”

— Talk Flirty To Me, Livy Hart

[bookishwum]

"If she believes in me, I can believe in myself."

— Talk Flirty To Me, Livy Hart