The post Blanka Lipinska’s The Next 365 Days ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.
]]>Well well well folks, I saw this on NetGalley and I just had to because curiosity killed the cat.
The global phenomenon and USA TODAY bestselling inspiration behind the Netflix film of the same name—the 365 Days series—continues as it follows the sizzling story of Laura and Massimo.
As the wife of Don Massimo Torricelli, one of the most dangerous Mafia bosses in Sicily, Laura’s life is a roller coaster. She is often at risk, the potential target of Massimo’s unscrupulous enemies who will stop at nothing to destroy the powerful man. And when Laura is seriously injured in an attack, pregnant and fighting to survive, Massimo faces the toughest decision of his life. What will his life be without Laura? Will he be able to raise their child alone? What will the fate of his family be, and whose 365 days may come to a close?
Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
- Characters: It is time for the final instalment and our characters have not changed much. Their worse traits have only been amplified but that was Blanka’s doing. There’s an author’s note at the end where she literally refers to Laura as stupid. And oh boy is she ever, many times throughout this book. Massimo’s toxic alpha-ness got even more stifling. Ogla remains the most entertaining character and really the only one I can stand.
- Setting: This story is set all over the place. So naturally, we spend a lot of time in Sicily and Poland, but there was one section that had my fave setting. We escape off to Lagos, Portugal at one point and I love Portugal so at least I got something out of this book.
- Pacing: This book feels like it drags. It took forever for me to finish. If I was not incredibly curious about how this ended, I would have abandoned the ship. I have consistently had the same problems with the writing style. I could not tell you if this is a problem with translation, maybe it reads better in Polish. I am not the type to fall asleep while reading and I did that multiple times while reading this.
- Romance: It was so nice to see Laura begin to realize that Massimo was not some hot and sultry mystery man. That really he is toxic. Nacho at many times seemed suspicious too. Realistically if I was Laura I probably would have run back to Poland, many books ago. But she does fall victim to wanting the wealth and lavish lifestyle that these mafia men can provide. I do like Blanka’s overall message of being selfish in love, don’t settle and don’t excuse bad behaviour.
The Next 365 Days receives two out of five stars.
Thank you again to Atria and NetGalley for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!
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]]>The post Blanka Lipińska’s 365 Days Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.
]]>I requested this from NetGalley on a whim, I will fully admit to watching this movie when it did come out. So now I am reading and reviewing the written source material “for science.”
“The sexy and deeply romantic internationally bestselling novel that inspired the blockbuster movie.
Laura Biel and her boyfriend are on a dream vacation in beautiful Sicily. On the second day of their trip, her twenty-ninth birthday, she is kidnapped. Her kidnapper is none other than the head of a powerful Sicilian crime family, the incredibly handsome, young Don Massimo Torricelli, who is determined to possess her at all costs. Massimo has his reasons. During an earlier attempt on his life, a vision appeared before his eyes: a beautiful woman, identical to Laura. After surviving the attack, he vows that he will find the woman in his vision and make her his own. No matter what.
For 365 days, Massimo will keep Laura captive in his palatial estate and attempt to win her heart. If she doesn’t fall in love with him during this time, he will let her go. But if she tries to escape at any point, he will track her down and kill her entire family.
Soon Laura develops a fascination with her handsome and powerful captor. But as a precarious, risky relationship forms between them, forces outside their control threaten to tear them apart…”
Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
- Characters: I know so many of us romance readers love mafia books. So if you are looking for one with a nice balance of enjoyable characters you are going to care about and some good steam, do not read 365 Days. I did not like Laura or Massimo very much and I see how uncomfy this book can make many readers. If you want good mafia romance I would highly recommend either Giana Darling’s Anti-Heroes in Love duet or any of the books in Katee Robert’s O’Malley world including the Bastard’s Betrayal.
- Setting: The setting is mostly Italy. I am biased when I say that I love Italy. Yet I do think more could have been done with this setting. I did enjoy time on the yacht, that was sure fun.
- Pacing: I have to start off by complaining about the translation. Reading this was quite rough. I got used to it after a while but I should not have had to. I do not know if the book reads better in its original Polish or if the writing itself is just not very good. It made me put the book down for a few months and only pick it back up again when I received an ARC of book two. I also found it hard to get into because I had already seen the movie. Once I was further into it and things began to differ, I was a bit more entertained.
- Romance: We all knew this book would be pretty damn steamy. Some of the scenes read even more steamy than how they were depicted on screen. The movie almost had to hold back from depicting things as is. In terms of a healthy relationship or even having a desire to cheer these two on, I really did not like them.
365 Days receives two out of five stars.
Thank you again to NetGalley and Atria for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!
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