five-starred book | Ad Librum Aeternam

Treacherous Notion by Linnea March: Book Tour with Romance me with Books & Book Review

This will sound a tad bit weird, but I'm not one for rock star romance or anything of the sorts. However, the cover is striking, and the bit about best friend love caught my attention.

Having never read such a rock star romance, I figured it seemed like the perfect time to delve into the sub-genre! And I wasn't wrong. 🙂

As a Book Tour Stop for Romance me with Books, I'm pleased to present Treacherous Notion by Linnea March as well as my review of the book.

Keep reading, love!

Book Tour Page

Linnea March's Website

Now, what's so different about this book?

And what is this book about, anyway?

I'm so glad you asked!

Here's the blurb:

I must admit the tropes are awesome. A cinnamon roll hero? I'm in. A friends-to-lovers story? Perfect! Child free by choice? I support that. It's a wise and acceptable decision when both parties involved agree. If that is fine with them, I'm fine with it.

And now, a round of applause for:

THE BOOK REVIEW

* I received an e-ARC of this book and I write this review willingly, without any compensation whatsoever. Thank you to Linnea March and Romance me with Books! *

The humour in this book is amusing, light and quite realistic when you take in the rock star aspect. Like his little sister stumbling upon him shirtless in a magazine–i mean, the horror for a teenage girl, ha! It's hilarious!

Also, I love how Ilsa's decision to not have babies/children is described. It is honest, but very kind. It's not as if you cannot like said babies/children to not want to have them yourself. You can like them and still say no. That description is genuine and not mean, and I love it.

Plus, I love how Nathan thinks he isn't "jealous" or "protective" of Ilsa, but whenever other guys say things like "Ilsa is normal hot", that gets Nathan upset and defensive, which is both sweet and hilarious. He's cute too, how he loves and values their friendship… He truly is a cinnamon roll hero. He is lovely, and I wasn't disappointed!

The only negative point is minor: sometimes there are several repetitions of a word within two paragraphs here and there, and it's annoying. But it's nothing heavy.

All in all, the best part of this book (besides the romance, I mean, and the spicy scenes ;)) is how humane and well-developed the characters are. They have all these feelings and emotions and thoughts and righteousness and desires… it's amazing. Like we all wonder sometimes and all fight inner fights about different stuff; sometimes we want something but fight against it, anyhow–just like Ilsa and Nathan. I love their depth. That is truly the highest point of this book, which makes you care about them and you're cheering them on and going on this roller coaster ride of feels and expectations and twists and highs and lows. Very nice. I loved loving them? Yeah, that's what I wanna say. 🙂

Obviously, I will stay tuned for Linnea March's upcoming similar books (either rockstar or Hollywood-inspired romances) as I really enjoy her writing, and well, I might just have discovered a new pleasant sub-genre for me. 🙂

For all the fun I had reading this book, and all the squeals and gasps I uttered with these characters, I give it a rating of 5 stars out of 5. I highly recommend it to romance readers looking for a good time and a lot of sweet feelings, and a great depth of characters.

Make Your Art No Matter What: A Book Review

By Beth Pickens

Goodreads (Add it to your shelves!)

StoryGraph

LibraryThing

Genre: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Art

Pages: 208

ISBN: 9781452182957

ASIN: B08SJ9RN2Q

Audio ASIN: B08ZNWBH39

Format: Paperback, eBook (Kindle), Audiobook (Audible)

Publication date: April 6, 2021

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Type: Book, Self-Help

* I received a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. No compensation has been given and I write this book review willingly. A big thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books! *

Introduction

“Art!”

Wait, hold on, did someone say art? I’m right here!

Yup, any time someone mentions the words art or writing, you’ll see me poppin’ up.

So, how about when I read that title, Make Your Art No Matter What, over on NetGalley? Instant request!

Thankfully I was approved!

And thus began a soul-digging yet rewarding and comforting adventure…

Blurb

The Artist's Way for the 21st century—from esteemed creative counselor Beth Pickens.

If you are an artist, you need to make your art. That's not an overstatement—it's a fact; if you stop doing your creative work, your quality of life is diminished. But what do you do when life gets in the way? In this down-to-earth handbook, experienced artist coach Beth Pickens offers practical advice for developing a lasting and meaningful artistic practice in the face of life's inevitable obstacles and distractions. This thoughtful volume suggests creative ways to address the challenges all artists must overcome—from making decisions about time, money, and education, to grappling with isolation, fear, and anxiety. No matter where you are in your art-making journey, this book will motivate and inspire you. Because not only do you need your art—the world needs it, too.

The Positive Sides

“It’s an exchange, so the agreement is this: I’ll keep helping artists and you keep making your work and putting it in the world. Deal?”

That sentence right there touched me deeply, made me feel warm inside and smile. And you know what? DEAL!

On a side-note, the graphics of each chapter title is really beautiful with calming waves and gently surfing letters. That, in itself, is art, and quite appreciated too. It’s pleasant to the eye.

I love how each chapter relates to a major issue experienced by most artists. It’s clear and easy to navigate to and understand. So the book not only becomes one to read through, but a companion to come back to about a specific topic in times of need! Furthermore, her writing is sometimes funny, yet she is professional and amiable. I liked her voice as an author, I felt safe, and as though she was a friend looking over me.

There’s something mind-blowing about the author’s pedigree of this artist’s self-help book: She is a psychologist specializing with artists! I never heard of this, but it’s AWESOME. And it gives weight to her tips and tricks and her words. She gives so many tips and tricks (proven ones from a psychologist’s point of view!). I’m now using at least four of her techniques, it’s amazing what it does to our art practice!

For example, I love the techniques and mindset of “Your birthday every month for life things” and the “aim to get 20 rejections, which means you’ll have tried and applied for many more opportunities and received approvals in several.”

Overall, there’s something uplifting and helpful for EVERY artist. Me, my bestie, and my mom are three very different artists BUT there are things I told them from this book that resonated with THEM and not me, while others did so with me! It’s amazing how helpful this book can be!

I recommend it to EVERY artist, crafter, writer…. even engineer! Anything that requires creativity!!!

The Negative Sides

Erm, it’s too short to my liking? I mean, it’s an admirable piece of work and I LOVE it! But that’s exactly the thing… I’d take easily a hundred pages more of it. It feels like a motivational, helpful, and true elixir for all types of art!

Come on, who wouldn’t want more?

In Conclusion

Taking into consideration all the advice, counsel, comfort, and techniques Make Your Art No Matter What offers us, I give Beth Pickens’ book a rating of 5 out of 5 stars, undeniably. But please, make the next one longer?

If you want to learn more about the author, you can visit her Web site, you can also follow him on Amazon author page and Goodreads. You can also add Make Your Art No Matter What to your bookshelves on Goodreads and LibraryThing.