Romance part 2!

Yay, we are getting deeper into the marvelous world of romantic novels.

Today we are going to discuss The Light in Us and Forever Right Now by Emma Scott, Magnolia Parks Universe by Jessa Hastings and Begin Again by Mona Kasten.

The Light in Us

Charlotte

Music lived and blossomed in my heart, pouring out into perfect harmony filled with love. Until what happened divided my life into the Past and the Present. The Past was light, love, and music. The Present became darkness, cold, and silence.

Noah

And now I helplessly fall, watching the earth approach.
Adrenaline was my fuel. And I was an extreme sports athlete. Until one more jump from a cliff turned into a disaster.
And my companion, once and for all, became utter darkness.

Now every night I dream a nightmare: white snow and blue sky, golden hues of the sunset, and emerald waters. All that I will never see again. The life he knew is destroyed. The life she dreams of is simply unattainable.

But if you can’t find the light on your own, maybe someone else can ignite it for you?

I think I’ve already told you how much I adore Emma Scott’s books. I’m not afraid to call almost each one a masterpiece because they truly are. Even after years of reading her works, I never get tired of them. Actually, I try to read one of her books every two months to avoid burning out on her stories—which is ironic—but I’d recommend you do the same. That way, you’ll have more of her books left to enjoy throughout your life.

Now, about this particular book: you might think it’s just a story about a sportsman who loses his vision and then discovers his light. I can’t spoil anything, but Emma does leave a subtle literary hint at the beginning.

Don’t miss it if you want to set a certain expectation — it won’t ruin your overall impression of the book!

Talking about a Russian translation of the main character’s name, which is [Noi] and not Noah, I am disappointed.

10/10

Forever Right Now is a Be My Tomorrow spin-off dedicated to a fascinating story of the Zelda and Beckett’s friend Darlin.

Darlin

The journey took three years — from hell and back… Darlin’s mind and body had been poisoned. She couldn’t fall any lower. San Francisco became her second chance, a chance to start over, to remember who she was. To remember the dance… And this time, she wouldn’t give up. The last person she wanted to meet here was her new neighbor — the future lawyer-moralist.

Darlin never thought she could feel warmth from his gaze alone. But will he look at her the same way once he knows the truth?

Sawyer

Exams, court meetings — every minute, Sawyer balanced on the edge of the abyss, knowing that sooner or later, he would fall. He had neither the desire nor the strength for dates with girls; he could barely keep himself afloat. Darlin stormed into his life like a hurricane. Light and weightless. Ready to break down the wall between him and the world. But what can he give her? Besides pain and suffering.

I loved the character of Darlin from the very first moment she appeared in Be My Tomorrow and grew even more fond of her as the story unfolded, despite some of her questionable actions. I’m so glad I read Be My Tomorrow before Forever Right Now because, even though the two books aren’t strongly connected, reading them in order made the story feel more complete and layered.

While the single father with a sweet little child trope isn’t new in romance,

Emma Scott’s talent lies in her ability to craft a completely unique and deeply moving story.

She takes familiar elements and transforms them into something raw, heartfelt, and unforgettable.

10/10

Magnolia Parks Universe by Jessa Hastings

She is a beautiful, affluent, self-involved and mildly neurotic London socialite. He is Britain’s most photographed bad-boy lothario who broke her heart. But Magnolia Parks and BJ Ballentine are meant to be, and everyone knows it. They’re in the stars… just suspended in a strange kind of love that looks like hurting each other a lot of the time: She dates other people to keep him at bay; he sleeps with other girls to get back at her for it.

But at the end of their every sad endeavour to get over one another, it’s still each other they crawl back to. But their dysfunction is catching up with them, pulling at their seams and fraying the world they’ve built; a world where neither has to ever let the other go completely. As the cracks start to show and secrets begin to surface, Magnolia and BJ are finally forced to face the formidable question they’ve been avoiding all their lives: how many loves do you really get in a lifetime?

Long Way Home.

How many loves do you get in a lifetime?

…And are Magnolia and BJ each other’s?

It’s been nearly a year since everything happened between Magnolia Parks and BJ Ballentine on the steps of the Mandarin Oriental, and it seems like everything since then has changed.

Magnolia has a life in New York now and BJ appears to have finally let go and moved on.

But when they both wind up back to London and are thrust together once again, they find themselves asking their age-old question: how many loves do you actually get in a lifetime, and most importantly — are they each other’s?

HEAR ME OUT again, bookworms. I read this 2 books in English and I was to stunned to speak when I was at the end of them. Jessa Hastings was a discovery for me, she demonstrated a whole new world of London’s elite life. The atmosphere matches with Gossip Girl (which I never watched) and reveals an absolutely charming story of two absolutely mad people in love.

I promise they will piss you off at some point, but you will definitely like them.

Magnolia is THAT girl, no doubt. Well, BJ is also THAT boy, so they both align flawlessly with each other.

Also, I found out a dozen of ways, if not more, to describe a costume, dress, look, design, fabrics and etc. from Magnolia so it becomes a must read if you like design, fashion, especially in terms of English Vocabulary.

I was surprised to find out there are 5 books in this universe, including Daisy Hates and the Great Undoing. Anyways, I will read the rest (and watch OBX season 4, and dive into new books, and a lot more) when I send all my applications to the colleges.

Overall, I loved Jessa Hatsings’s books for her humor and character development as well.

9.99/10

Begin Again by Mona Kasten

Allie Harper moves to Oregon to start a new life and enroll in college. She hopes that the ghosts of her past will finally fade away. She needs an apartment, and the local handsome guy, Kaiden, needs a neighbor. That’s how they end up together. However, the guy has his own rules: Allie is not allowed to talk about girly things, gossip about his flings, and most importantly — he forbids her from falling in love with him. Allie agrees to these rules, but what happens when she desperately wants to break them?

It’s been a while since I have read Begin Again, and, unfortunately or fortunately, after Emma Scott’s pieces I cannot remember anything meaningful about this book. While the book is quick and enjoyable to read, the trope of the bad boy paired with a strong girl seeking independence feels overused and somewhat outdated and obsolete for 2024. This familiar dynamic makes the story less impactful in comparison to more innovative contemporary romance narratives.

However, to be fair at that time back in 2021, when I was 14, it was perfect and seemed less cliche.

7.5/10

I apologize whether I seemed too captivated by these romantic novels in comparison with the other genres,

but I am an emotional person so my soul belongs with this enchanting universe of love and drama.

Please, look forward to new selections, dear readers. Goodbye!

Upd: just received a new Emma Scott book “Among a Thousand Words”, and I will make an update here as soon as I free up some time for reading (Currently I am preparing to apply to colleges most of my general study time and free time). I hope this news did not disappoint you.