Cold Sandwiches and All by E.M. Epps ISBN: 9781544923987
Series: Atlantide #2
Also in this series: The Deniability of Danishes
Published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform on April 27, 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 312
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Rosemary decorates the homes of the capital city's rich and famous by day and reads trashy novels by night. Between the two-not to mention her extensive previous résumé-she has a finely-honed sense of the absurd. Still, even she's a little surprised when she meets the king by chance...and falls in love.
She's not half as astonished as he is. King or not, Lucien knows perfectly well he's not the kind of man with whom women fall madly in love. But for that matter, it's hardly sensible he's the king, either: he's a pianist, not a politician. His magic won't even let him tell a lie. That's awkward enough in international diplomacy, but very inconvenient when he's head over heels for a woman he thinks he can't have.
But nothing will stop Rosemary from finding out if this really is true love: not even the stubbornness of the king himself.
Even if that means she has to blackmail him. With the best of intentions, of course.
Characters: 9, I felt like I understood Luca best, but Rosemary, Sasha, and Falon were all well fleshed out and added to the story.
Atmosphere: 7, I struggled to visualize some scenes but I felt like the magic system was nicely laid out (never explained, but the concept of Seeing made sense) and consistent throughout the story.
Writing: 7, I’ve read and will continue to read E.M. Epps work because each story is vastly different and they’re all imaginative and intelligent. The dialogue occasionally threw me (I couldn’t tell emotional subtext with Rosemary) but the writing flowed smoothly.
Plot: 6, I felt like the pacing dragged a bit from about the 68% mark to about the 88% mark, where it felt like I wasn’t getting any new information or insights, but the ending was smoother than expected, and the entire conflict/tension was realistic enough that I was willing to stick with it.
Intrigue: 6, as much as I enjoyed it, I didn’t feel invested enough to want to read this story instead of doing other things. It’s exactly what it is: a sweet romance between mature MCs that doesn’t rely on overused tropes or unnecessary conflict (which is good), but I just wasn’t as emotionally invested as I wanted to be.
Logic: 9, the character’s actions and motivations consistently aligned, even when they were based around fear/anxiety, and the politics and magic system were reliable in providing a baseline to the story. I never got pulled out of the story for discrepancies. E.M. Epps has always been a thorough writer when it comes to story logic, in hindsight.
Enjoyment: 8, although I wasn’t as engaged as I wanted to be, I did stick with it through the (minor) plot drag because the characters are relatable, enjoyable, and believable. I could happily read a story about Sasha or Fallon, learn more about the way magic works with the Fee and this alt-America, and dive into the world with a series. And it’s always a pleasure to see a romance based around more mature adults, with complicated internal lives, obligations, and concerns (and also confidence and self-knowledge).
Read for the Orilium Academy 2022 Spring Equinox readathon.
*Many thanks to Book Roast for creating and sharing this book rating system!
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