Lisa Miller Archives - Proud Book Reviews

February 14, 2022February 12, 2022

All of My Days – Lasairiona E. McMaster

Lisa and AJ are back for the final instalment in Lisa’s series. Lisa has recently given birth to Olivia, and they’ve finally gotten their new house set up, but Lisa is feeling overwhelmed with all the changes she’s experienced in such a short time span.

AJ however, he’s being the rockstar new dad helping Lisa out in any way he can.

As a short story final instalment to wrap up Lisa’s series, it was the perfect ending. It summed up their relationship so well, including how much Lisa internalises her self-doubts. AJ not only did more than I think a lot of new dads have done for the mothers of their children, but he also went above and beyond to try and make Lisa feel as good as possible.

While I found some of his attempts hilarious (coming from a woman’s perspective), they were sweet and well intentioned and that’s all that matters for new parents.

Make sure you check out my reviews for the short stories that finish of AJ’s and Jeremy’s series!

February 20, 2020January 30, 2021

Fateful Coincidence – Lasairiona E. McMaster

Welcome back everyone, we’re finally up to the final book in the Lisa Miller trilogy! Which, by the way, will be followed by a trilogy from AJ’s perspective!

The first and major thing I need to say about this final instalment is that it has all the feels. I don’t know how Lasairiona does it, but man she writes the feels well! I read most of this book outside on the couch with Bones and found myself needing his cuddles at multiple points as I slowly cried from everything Lisa had to experience.

I think I’ve mentioned this before. But I’m not a crier. That scene at the end of the Notebook? No tears. Any other moment in film history that typically sees people crying. No tears.

This book? Tears. At like 5 different points in time.

The strength Lisa had to have to get through all this is amazing. If I was in her position, I don’t think I could have coped as well as she did. Although she’s also got a much larger and available support system than I have.

Which brings me onto something I’m glad Lasairiona included. Which is how Lisa treats the men in her life. She’s lucky to have such amazing guys who want to be there to support her and help her trough everything she’s going through. But she’s kinda clueless and insensitive to what they’re feeling.

I can’t say how without ruining the book. But I did have a thought of “Really? I know he’s a great guy and won’t complain. But common decency says you shouldn’t lean on him for this. That’s just cruel and unusual punishment no one deserves.” So, it made me super happy when Chelsea brought it up and told her how selfish she was being.

The only other thing I want to say about this book (because, honestly, it’s genius and finish are too epic to put into words) is that Lisa has WAY better friends than I do! But I’m also older, less sociable, generally introverted and dump friends as soon as they show the first hint of being fair weather friends. How can I get friends like hers?

If this sounds like something you might like, make sure you check out the reviews for Intimate Strangers and The Good in Goodbye because this is a trilogy that MUST be read in order! Once I’ve read and reviewed AJ’s perspective, I might come back to discuss the best way to read the two trilogies. Coz I have a feeling my reading order might change once I’ve read them too.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this review, I’m back with my series review tomorrow, and then again on Monday with The Cottage on Wildflower Lane by Liz Davies. Continue to read further down to find out about the author.

Author Bio

Lasairiona McMaster grew up dreaming of an exciting life abroad, and, after graduating from Queens University, Belfast, that is exactly what she did – with her then-boyfriend, now husband of almost ten years.

Having recently repatriated to Northern Ireland after a decade abroad spanned over two countries (seven and a half years in America and eighteen months in India), she now finds herself ‘home’, with itchy feet and dreams of her next expatriation.

With a penchant for both travelling, and writing, she started a blog during her first relocation to Houston, Texas and, since repatriating to Northern Ireland, has decided to do as everyone has been telling her to do for years, and finally pen a book (or two) and get published while she tries to adjust to the people and place she left ten years ago, where nothing looks the same as it did when she left.

December 9, 2019January 30, 2021

The Good in Goodbye – Lasairiona E. McMaster

Welcome back everyone, after that slightly odd Christmas “romantic comedy” last week we’re back to Lisa Miller! Remember her from Intimate Strangers?

I feel like I need to go into some spoilers with this review, so if you don’t want spoilers, make sure you skip that section!

We pick up Lisa’s love story with AJ like a month and a bit after she had to leave him back in the US. She’s discovered something pretty life changing and she’s coping with it pretty well until tragedy strikes. Luckily, she’s home in Ireland so she’s got her childhood best friend and her parents with her to help her through this time. Not to mention a few new friends she makes in this book.

Overall, it felt like this story had a different feel to it than the first one. The first one was very much a romance, whereas this one felt more serious and addressed a few sensitive topics. Mental health, unplanned pregnancies, trauma, heart break, moral choices and various other topics. And I’m not sure it does it very well.

It felt like it was trying to address too many things and ended up losing it in a few places. Most of the book was great! I felt connected almost all the way through. But the last couple of chapters just didn’t feel right for the characters.

The choices made felt like they’d been done to create drama rather than to honestly have the characters develop further. I feel like I want to read the next book to see if it kinda corrects those issues. But at the same time, I’m also worried it might go further down the path of not feeling natural.

SPOILER TIME! DON’T FORGOT TO CHECK OUT THE REST AFTER THE SPOILERS!

AJ having bipolar feels like something that should’ve come out in the first book. Putting it here makes it feel like it was a “o what’s a way we can add in mental health awareness? This works!” and bang it went in. I’m not trying to say it wasn’t portrayed well. I just feel that setting it up a bit more in the first book would’ve worked better. Specially coz AJ said the Docs could tell Lisa everything when he was in the hospital and there was no mention of bipolar meds then. Just feels a little bit contradictory to me.

Lisa’s thought processes towards the end of the book bugged me as well. I get grief can do strange things to our minds, but to decide you don’t want to be with your guy as soon as he’s on the place home feels a little bit out of left field. Given how into open and honest communication they’re into, surely she’d talk to him about her concerns?

Finally, that last bombshell of Ana’s feels like it should be a set up. If the start of the next book isn’t a “we did this to see how you were coping” kinda thing then she’s like the most insensitive person ever! I mean. Lisa lost her baby at 12 weeks old. Why would you feel it’s OK to turn up on her doorstep claiming to be 12 weeks pregnant when she has little to no support system around her and she’s barely coping as it is? #horriblefriendmoment #shitfriend

I don’t know why I did that, but it felt appropriate.

WE’RE PAST THE SPOILERS NOW!

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this review, next week I will be reviewing Give me a Christmas by Zoe Ann Wood. Continue to read further down to find out about the author.

Author Bio

September 30, 2019January 30, 2021

Intimate Strangers – Lasairiona E. MacMaster

Welcome back everyone, I feel like I’ve had some emotionally charges romance reads this month and today is no different. I mean. Wow. Just wow!

Talk about an emotionally draining read!

If anyone wants to see how an emotional rollercoaster should be written, I suggest reading this book and making notes. I really wasn’t expecting it to be QUITE so dramatic. Especially throughout the whole book.

Given that Lisa met someone online I was anticipating there to be a certain level of emotional stress leading up to them meeting for the first time. But that was just the start of it! There were a few other hits in there as well as the comedic release you need during those highly charged moments.

Lisa’s sarcastic and confident (even if she doesn’t feel it most of the time) attitude made her highly amusing. Especially when we also got to read along with the conversations she was having in her own head. As we only follow her, we don’t get to find out what’s going through AJ’s head.

In this case I really don’t think having AJ’s side of events is needed. There are quite a few stories where you need both sides. However, the way Lasairiona has written this means it’s perfect as it is. And having AJ’s side would probably just ruin it.

I’m scheduled to review the follow up book The Good in Goodbye in December. So make sure you subscribe to my mailing list if you want to know the moment that review goes live!

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this review, next week I will be reviewing Wrapped up for Christmas by Katlyn Duncan. Continue to read further down to find out about the author.