Review: November by Audrey Carlan

Posted November 16, 2016 by Lola in Review, Romance / 18 Comments

LolaReview

NovemberNovember (Calendar Girl #11)
by Audrey Carlan

Rating: 3 stars

Blurb:
Life, Love, Laughter.

Three things I never expected to experience in the month of giving thanks, but that is just what I received. Wes had survived Hell on Earth, and was back where he was meant to be…in my arms and my bed. For good. There would be no breaking us apart after the trauma we experienced up to this point.

My new job with Century Production sent me to the big apple to interview celebrities for a special segment on being thankful. What is a girl to do when she has an entire host of celebrity friends from her past year of travels? You better believe I called up my friends Mason Murphy, all-star pitcher for the Red Sox, and Anton Santiago, the Latin Lov-ah, to participate. They were all too happy to oblige, only my guy’s feathers were a bit ruffled by the ease with which they came running.

Add in my new family and you’ve got a fairytale Thanksgiving. Except for one tiny detail…the single seat at the table, left open by the hole in my heart that only one person could fill.
***
In the eleventh book of the Calendar Girl serial, Mia is off to New York City to film a segment for her new job. Now that her debt has been paid, and the threat from her ex is gone, she no longer has to live life as an escort. Only life has thrown her some new challenges to round out her year.

Each installment in the Calendar Girl Serial will release every month throughout 2015.
Warning: This book is designed for audiences 18+ due to language and graphic sexual content.

My Review:
November was a nice change of pace compared to the previous episodes, but at the same time it felt a bit dull. I feel like this whole review is going to be a list of contradictions as I liked it and at the same time it left me feeling underwhelmed. There are things going on, but I didn’t really feel the urge to keep reading. Then again that also was part of what I did enjoy about this episode, Mia is working her new job as some sort of a talk show hosts basically and goes out to interview people. She’s settling more comfortable in her relationship with Wes and some family related things happen.

This episode felt pretty down to earth and normal, with enough going on to keep your interest, but at the same time it had a different feel from the previous episodes. It’s an important part of the journey and I like seeing Mia finally find her place, but on the other hand I also am ready to finish this series. With thanksgiving coming up Mia goes to interview some people about what they are thankful for, so we actually get to see a bit of her job. It was fun, but also a bit too much at times. Everyone has these heartwarming and cheesy answers and I don’t know, it just felt a bit off somehow to me.

Then there is a sex scene where they have sex at a time and place that just felt wrong to me. She’s doing her best to work hard and keep her job and then she does something so unprofessional. And ofcourse no one cares that she got so horny she had to have sex right there and then with her man. As if it was normal. I thought it showed lack of responsibility and it bothered me a bit. It just unrealistic. By now I find myself mostly skimming the sex scenes. I guess after reading so many of them over the course of the series I don’t really care about them too much anymore. There is a bit of conflict added, but it’s just something minor and gets fixed soon again. Wes seems mostly back to his old self and while I liked that, as I didn’t quite care for the twist with what happened to him, it also felt like he recovered a bit too fast.

On the family front there are some interesting developments, plans are made and Mia meets up with her sister and brother again. There was a nice scene at the end involving her father. Mia sees a few of her friends again and side characters from previous books, which was nice. All in all this episode was pretty upbeat, maybe a bit over the top happy at times and almost felt like this would be the last book with how everything was getting wrapped up. I read a few lines of the chapter 1 of December that was at the end of the book so I have a bit of an idea where that book will be about. I guess it makes sense that that will be the topic for the last book as that’s the only open end left. I am looking forward to reading that and seeing how this story ends.

To summarize: November was a nice read, but also felt a bit underwhelming. At times it was a bit much, almost over the top happy and cheesy at times. On the other hand I did like the change in pace and seeing Mia happy and finding her place. There was a sex scene where the time and place bothered me a bit and I thought it was a bit unprofessional how Mia acted. There are quite some side characters who make an appearance again, which was neat. Some lose ends that are tied up and plans for the future that are made. It’s obvious the series is coming at an end and it almost felt like this was the last book already. Only one more episode now, I am curious to see how it all ends.

3-stars-rating

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You can also find my review of November on Goodreads and Amazon

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18 responses to “Review: November by Audrey Carlan

  1. I kind of love this review, haha. I think I get everything you’re saying though. It was kind of contradictory, but sometimes that happens, and I’ve felt the same way. Like, it was kinda dull, but it was also nice to have a bit of a reprieve from whatever bad things have been happening, right? And yeah, too much happy and heart-warming can end up being over-the-top and unrealistic. And characters always seem to do the weirdest things when it comes to sex and no one ever questions it or thinks it’s weird or inappropriate.

    I’ve read some series in which I enjoyed them but was ready for them to end. Though none of them have been 12 books, I generally prefer 3-5 book series, so I can see definitely see why you’re ready for this one to end. And I can see why the sex scenes were repetitive. I mean, there are only so many body parts and things that can be done with them lol.

    But it sounds like it’s been a good series overall, and at least you’ll get to see how it all ends soon 🙂
    Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted…Discussion: Reviewing Books in Ongoing Series vs. Finished SeriesMy Profile

    • Thanks! It really ended up being a contradictory review, but sometimes that happens. And yes it was a kinda dull episode, but they’ve been through so much it also was nice to see them get a reprieve.
      Everyone here just seemed to accept they where so horny and had to have sex right then and there and no one minded waiting on them until they were done, it just felt unprofessional on their part and unrealistic.

      These are 12 novella’s, so it’s not as long as 12 full length books. But while I enjoyed this series I am also ready to see it end by now. Some authors can really pull off the longer series, but in most cases I think 3-5 books is a good length. The author writes many of the sex scenes in a similar way each time, so after 11 books I kinda lost interest.

  2. I completely take your point about the sex scenes, which I generally skim these days, anyway unless it’s done really well with the emphasis on the emotional tenderness involved. As for long series – to be honest I’m not all that good at keeping up with long-runnign series these days. I followed Sookie Stackhouse right to the end and I’m still more or less in touch with the Harry Dresden files – but it is the exceptional series that continues to grab me and make me want to follow – like the Iron Druid, Alex Verus and the Laundry files – which are all urban fantasy series… But they are also clever in continuing to give more of the same with a twist. I am intending to catch up with the Toby Daye series, too, as I loved that one. Mostly, though, I prefer to follow trilogies.
    sjhigbee recently posted…While the Morning Stars SingMy Profile

    • I have read books with well done sex scenes, but I think that after having read 11 books in this series they sex scenes just get a bit repetitive. And I feel like there a bit too many sex scenes in this series sometimes. Great for when you’re in the mood for that, less so when you’re not. Long series can be hard to keep up with, especially once you fall behind. But some long running series are so good you keep reading them.

  3. I get what you mean about the conflicted feelings part. I’ve had books do that to me so I’m not sure in the end whether I liked them or I didn’t because it was a little of both.
    Haha, yes, sometimes I really scratch my head when characters get horny and have sex or at least sexual urges at the weirdest times to me.
    Glad she had some good family time and her relationship is strengthening.
    Now, I’m wondering if this one was so quiet if there will be something big and emotional happening in the last month.
    Sophia Rose recently posted…Lights, Camera, Cupid AnthologyMy Profile

    • Yes exactly! I liked it and I didn’t, a bit of both. I really had a scratch my head type of moment in this book when they choose to have sex at that time and place, just seemed off to me. especially after they worked so hard for this and then acted so unprofessional. I wouldn’t be surprised if the reason this one was quiet is because there will something big in the next book. I hope to read the next book soon, so we’ll see :).

    • I can see how in such a mood I might’ve enjoyed it more as well. Maybe I just didn’t read it at the right time, it just felt a bit too cheesy for me. Sometimes it really depends on the mood you’re in when you read a book.

    • It’s been a fun series so far, but I think I am ready for it to be over by now. And yes sometimes a review just turns out to be a lot of contradictions.

    • I don’t mind sex scenes in books, but after reading 11 books in this series I kinda have enough about them and just skim over it. And I always find it so unrealistic when couples have time as the worst times. I mean can’t they wait for a bit until they are safe or in this case not at work to have sex?

    • Yes I feel like this series just got a tad too long at the end. I am okay with sex scene sin a book, but they started to feel a bit repetitive here and one of them really felt out of place. I hope the last book ends things on a high note!

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