Featured presentation: Writer’s block by Ali Vali

Sometimes, words are redundant.

Cast: Wyatt Whitlock is a prolific action thriller author, but her writing has come to a halt after tragedy strikes. Hayley Fox is working her way up the editorial ladder and is currently working as senior editor and acquisitions manager for a publishing company in New Orleans.

The Plot: Wyatt buys a rundown house in New Orleans in an attempt to deal with grief and find her way back to her words. Hayley is biding her time until she can take the next step in her career and move back to New York. She returns from a visit with her parents to find the house next to hers has been sold. Soon all kinds of rumours start to circulate about her sexy new neighbour…

The blazing: Wyatt’s imaginary conversations with her muses stood out right from the start. I loved the raw honesty cultivated from years of familiarity.

The woes of buying and renovating the old house were brilliantly done. Ms Vali not only gave us a dwelling steeped in history and character, but also an enigmatic crew to assist Wyatt in restoring the house. The joviality and camaraderie between Wyatt and the crew created a beautiful balance with Wyatt’s otherwise solitary existence.

The bright: Wyatt is fiercely private and quickly scouted out the main feeder to the local rumour mill. The quirky stories and outrageous facts she came up with about herself had me in stitches. This also gets her into hot water with the historical society…

Wyatt found journals hidden in the walls of her house. These played a large role in leading her back to writing, not only through the history contained in them, but by allowing her to deal with her grief.

The bleak: The romance is slow-burn, but the main characters only spoke to each other fairly late in the book. Most of their interactions were watching each other through windows and they learned some information about each other from neighbours and the crew working on Wyatt’s house. The secondary story line, the content of the journals, hails from the early 1900s. Wyatt and Hayley’s romance mirrored Lydia and Sam’s relationship in the sense that communication was stiff or absent while the romance is blossoming. This in itself was not overly problematic, but it is interspersed with erotic voyeurism that made the relationship feel superficial.

The extend to which the resident leader of the historical society went in order to prevent Wyatt’s plans for her property felt extreme and a bit forced.

The burned-to-ashes: Nothing.

And then The Plot Thickens and we have a fun, albeit odd tale of a writer overcoming grief and the resulting writer's block with the help of her naughty neighbour.

I enjoyed Writer’s Block for the most part, but the lack of emotional connection between the MCs put a damper on it for me. Ms Vali’s sense of humour is exquisite and I applaud her for the character’s quirks as well as the general direction she chose for her story. Or, rather, the general direction her story chose as it often goes in writing…

Studio: Bold Strokes Books.

Closing credits: I willingly leave this review based on an eARC graciously granted to me by Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley.

𝗡𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀..

It took me a loooong time to finish this book because this just wasn't a story for me.

This isn't a regular story - Ali Vali tried something different and I appreciate the effort but I couldn't connect with either the characters nor the story. Vali went the erotic route, which I know some readers would love but I also want the romance that isn't there. Wyatt and Hayley are new neighbours in a small town and are even working in the same industry, but they know literally nothing about each other and they don't have proper conversations in the traditional sense. And they sound alike actually, which just confuses me and I couldn't tell them apart at times.

I didn't care for the side plots and side characters either and that includes a side story that is being told as part of the history of Wyatt's new house. And all the characters are weird. My guess is that Vali was going for lighthearted and homorous but I didn't find any of them funny, though I must caveat that there are readers who enjoyed the humour so it could be just me.

Sorry if this sounds harsh but it just isn't a book for me. I enjoyed the Vali's previous book, Calumet, a lot so it just feels awful how much I can't connect with this one.

I had a really hard time getting into this book at first and unfortunately I think this one was just not for me. Although I had a hard time getting into it, it was a pretty quick read! Totally not what I was expecting from reading the blurb, so I think that is why I am a bit disappointed. The romance aspect fell flat, pretty much seemed like only lust, so that was a bummer. I love romance and the journey to get there is part of what excites me about a book! I went into this book with an open mind because I hadn’t read anything from this author before but I just think that maybe her style of writing just doesn’t mesh well with me. If you’re a fan of this author, then I think you can just ignore my review because there are tons of other positive reviews out there from her current fans!!

I received this eARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for my honest review.

This was just the book I needed right now. I have always adored Ali Vali’s stories. There is just something about her writing style and her creativity that I can’t get enough of. I’ve been delighted by everything I’ve ever read by Ms. Vali. After reading Writer’s Block, I’m happy to say that is still true.

This is the story of a famous author (Wyatt Whitlock) who is battling a bad case of writer’s block after a traumatic event. In an attempt to overcome this, Wyatt decides to make some drastic changes in her life, so she moves from her lovely home in New York City to a derelict historical house in New Orleans. She begins the process of renovating the old ramshackle place only to discover a beautiful next door neighbor who doesn’t seem to like window coverings. Wyatt also finds herself surrounded by a group of, shall we say, eccentric folks that could either befriend her or kill her. The jury on that is still out.

Writer’s Block not only showcases the author’s enormous creative skills, it also reveals her wacky, snarky, and slapstick humor. Some of the things that happened to Wyatt as well as her actions in return had me laughing out loud quite often. Of course there is a very hot romance in this tale between Wyatt and her next door neighbor Haley Fox. It takes skill to make such a steamy love story into a slow-burn-romance, but that is exactly what happens.

This is a character driven tale, and these characters are quite memorable. It is easy to fall in love with Wyatt and Haley, but it is the secondary characters that make this novel memorable.

I had a blast reading this book and had a smile on my face for a long while afterwards. I recommend this novel to all who love a bit of slapstick comedy with their romances.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

2.75 stars. This book was not what I expected it to be. I like how Vali is not afraid of trying something new. The last four books I read were all very different and some I liked very much and others not so much. Unfortunately, this book falls in the last category for me. Not to say this book is badly written, it is not, but the style and romance were just not really to my liking.

This book should not to be taken too seriously, it’s meant to be light and funny even though there is an undertone of grief. Wyatt buys a house on a whim in New Orleans and quickly learns that the people in her neighborhood are quite peculiar, perhaps with the exception of her very sexy neighbor. Humor is always tricky and I don’t often find things funny, which was the case with this book. There are some crazy characters in this book and a lot of the humor revolves around poking fun at people and especially at the start of the book it was even somewhat judgmental which didn’t always sit well with me. It did get better when the book progressed so perhaps Vali needed to find her groove, but it was still not really my type of humor. I did enjoy the crazy people in the neighborhood, they were weird and totally over the top.

The romance was the most unexpected thing for me. I’m not sure if I can call it a romance to be honest. They don’t actually talk to each other for more than half of the book and most interactions are centered around lust and it had an erotica feel to it. I would say about 10% of this book is about romance and I it was not enough for me to believe in them as a couple, also the dark moment felt forced. I don’t want to give away too much about their interactions, but was not really my thing and it took up too much time of the book for me. There is also a small side romance in this book in diary style (in third person, which is weird to me), that was cute but quite predictable and it didn’t really add much to the storyline of the book.

Long story short, this book was not for me, I didn’t gel with the humorous style and I wanted more depth to the romance. That said, I know there are people who liked this better then I did, so I recommend to check out other reviews.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't connect with this book as much as I wanted to. I never read anything with this particular trope and it may be why I didn't connect with it.

This book was fun to read, and very spicy, but there were parts that were over my comfort zone, to me it felt like it was too much, and I had to close the book and take a moment to process what was going on.

It was also fun, I also laughed over the neighbors, they were hilarious.
I like the concept behind this book, but to me it felt a bit rushed and like the neighbors were more detailed than the main characters.

But like the author said this book wasn't her usual path, and it was meant to be funny and a easy read, and it is.

eARC by Netgalley

I didn't want to because it's an ARC, but I chose to DNF this one at about 35%.

I could not at all get into the plot or the characters. The plot-line of her buying an old falling apart house without even looking at it & promptly bailing on all of her responsibilities just felt unbelievable. The conversation between all of the characters felt so stilted & awkward.

35% in and the two MC's hadn't even had a conversation, but one of them in the dark in front of a window had gotten off while the other one could see twice? It just felt very cringy.

Maybe it got better after that, but I just couldn't push through and finish it.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have read all of Ali Vali’s books and have loved each one. Readers are presented with stories dealing with both romance and adventure. This book deals with an individual who has experienced a major loss and how she overcomes it.

Wyatt Whitlock is a very successful writer who has lost her parents in a horrific accident then she becomes depressed. Unfortunately, it also causes her to experience writer’s block, and she is having trouble dealing with life situations. On a whim, she purchases an old “fixer upper” in New Orleans, packs her bags, and leaves New York City in hopes of finally getting over her depression.

Hayley Fox has recently been hired as an editor by a publishing company In New Orleans and sees this as a big step in her professional career. She is excited about the written material coming across her desk but finds she is too busy for a personal life. When Wyatt moves into the house next door to Hayley, the sparks fly in a very unusual way.

I really enjoy Ms. Vali’s writing and found myself frequently chuckling about situations which occur in this novel. The plot is fast, well-developed, and humorous. The sub characters add to the comical antics that arise because of the northerner (aka foreigner) who moves to the south. Each one of the characters had depth and individuality.

Readers will find Writer’s Block to be a welcome addition to their libraries. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for adventure. I rate Writer’s Block with 5 out of 5 stars.

I received this ARC from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The combination of Wyatt and Haley makes for an interesting combination. Wyatt is an author with writer's block and Haley works for a publisher. There are twists and turns in the plot which makes for an interesting story. The supporting characters really add to the plot and really peps up the plot. There are really two stories here and they really bend together well. There is love, drama and just plain fun. O really enjoyed the book and recommend it to all romance readers.

I thought that Writer's Block was a totally brilliant book and unlike anything that I've ever read before. The story features action thriller novelist, Wyatt Whitlock (aka Joe), who resides in New York City. Wyatt is a sought-after author who unfortunately is suffering a bad case of writer's block following the death of both of her parents due to an unfortunate accident. Wyatt is struggling and makes a rash decision to purchase an old house in New Orleans sight unseen. She needs a change of environment to hopefully get her writing back on track. She packs her father's old truck and drives to New Orleans only to discover that the house needs a major renovation.

With the houses in this area fairly close to each other, Joe spots her neighbor, Hayley Fox, through their uncovered windows. For the first half of the book Joe and Hayley develop a sort of a relationship through their respective windows before they finally meet in person.

In addition to the house renovation that is laugh out loud hilarious at various points, the story also features a fifty-foot-long snake that is mentioned but doesn't actually exist, a putt putt golf course that is mentioned as part of the renovation, a taser incident, and a jealous ex-wife and kids who also don't exist. There is also a story within a story that runs adjacent to the main storyline that is initiated by the renovation and some items that Joe finds in the walls of house. 4.5 stars

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

it took me a while to finish the book. I read the few pages few days ago and thought both characters were very similar so I was very confused and lost interest. However since I like most of Ali's books I went back and read it from the start agin, I was happy that I did. The book is full of humor and had 2 sorties, while I admit that one was very brief and short but I like it a lot more than the main one tbh, furthermore, the start of their relationship was very bizarre to me and very bold but this made this book stand out from the other books at the moment. one thing tho, the relationship itself did not evolve in the book it was pure lust chase so the reader won't connect with them much. .

Writer’s Block is the first book I’ve read by Ali Vali, which is hard to believe because I’ve heard good things about them.

This book has an interesting storyline, but I have to admit it took to about the 30-40% mark for me to become invested in the characters and their story together.

I would’ve liked for the characters to have more social interaction together to get to know one another better and truly develop more chemistry. Not to say they didn’t have chemistry, because they did, but I think more social interaction could’ve made it even better.

Wyatt’s story was a little hard for me to follow and become invested in the beginning, but I ended up really loving her character by the end. Haley on the other hand, was easier to follow for me in the beginning and I was more interested in her story over Wyatt’s.

Even with this books slow start, I ended up glad I stuck it out and followed through because it definitely had memorable moments and was an enjoyable fairly light read. I’d give it a 4/5 stars.

Ali Vali can write in many genres but I love when she writes about writers. Her love of language and the written word shines. In this book Wyatt is a successful mystery writer who has writers block. To change up her life she buys a run down house in New Orleans and moves from NYC. To keep her anonymity she goes by the name of Joe and tells some tale tells at the neighborhood diner. Wyatt (Joe) hires help but works along side the men improving her house. Next door neighbor Hayley is an editor for a small publishing house. She is talented and enjoys her work. She is femme and can’t help but admire her new butch neighbor.

Oddly, the two don’t actually speak to each other until over half way through the book. That doesn’t mean they don’t see each other and interact. I’m not sure if there wasn’t enough story with the two MC’s but instead the book gets filled up with quirkiness including; neighborhood gossips, vigilantes, and Hayley’s boss and staff. Another side story includes journals found in Wyatt’s house. To build the heat between Hayley and Wyatt there is some voyeurism. The first time is accidental and which I found funny. Afterwords it felt odd to me because this is a neighbor you haven’t officially met or spoken with. Some will find it erotic but I would gladly have traded some of those scenes for getting to know you conversations with the main characters. It seems like they are barely together before there is a misunderstanding (showing how little they know and trust each other).

It feels like I’m pointing out only negatives in what is an entertaining book. I just wanted more of Hayley and Wyatt and less of the quirky side characters. But when the two are together they are sizzling hot. Vali is am amazing writer and I can’t wait to see what adventure she takes me on next. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I find Vali a bit hit and miss and this was more of a miss. There were just so many weird elements to this book and none of them gelled.

This features MC Wyatt, a mystery writer with writer’s block who buys a house in New Orleans on a whim. This has her living next door to the other MC, Hayley, an editor with a small publishing house.

Wyatt’s parents died years ago, but somehow ‘haunt’ her to provide a running commentary on her life. She also has an overly familiar manager type person, who she should have fired but keeps working with for some inexplicable reason. Hayley has a bunch of weird neighbours, one of which should be arrested for any number of reasons, a crappy relationship with her mother, and her work colleagues and boss are also odd. I’m sure some of them were supposed to be amusing but I just found them all annoying.

Wyatt moves in fairly early in the book but the MCs don’t officially meet til after the 50% mark, though they ‘interact’ before this. This was where I almost gave up, because the way they interact is just seriously bizarre. I assume it was supposed to be erotic, but I just found it completely unbelievable that grown women, especially people who have to live next to each other, would act that way. Wyatt is also keeping her identity a secret, so goes by the name of ‘Joe’ but Hayley also calls her ‘Butch’ for the first part of the book.

To add another element that doesn’t work. Wyatt also finds some diaries of the woman who used to live in the house and we’re ‘treated’ to endless passages about characters that have nothing to do with anything and don’t improve the story at all. If this had been left out and the MCs actually spent some time together, maybe I could have invested in their relationship.

Once they do meet properly, they have barely any time to get to know each other, and there’s also the ‘drama’ portion of the book and requisite miscommunication to cram into this section. By the time the book wraps up we’re supposed to believe these two people who’ve spent practically no time together and know pretty much nothing about the other apart from what they look like naked have somehow fallen in love. I didn’t buy that anymore than I bought any of the other aspects. 2 stars.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Wyatt is successful writer but lately she been suffering writer’s block but also still struggling with her parents death. On a whim she buys a house in New Orleans and decides this is right distraction to help her. Haley has just return to New Orleans she working her way up in publishing she lives next door to where Wyatt has brought a house and she curious who the attractive woman is.

Wyatt writer’s block starts to loosen up when she finds old letters she and Haley meet and it’s a slowly build romance I love the description the author does when describing New Orleans I hope one day I have chance to see it. Good Read I hope the next book is with Sept and Keegan I miss those characters.

Wyatt Whitlock is a writer and she's currently suffering from writer's block. She decides a change of scenery might help her and with little thought buys and house and moves to New Orleans. The house she bought is a bit more then just a fixer upper but she's determined.
Next door Haley Fox who works for a publishing company can't help admirer her new neighbor. The neighborhood is small and gossip runs fast. But Wyatt is up to the challenge of keeping them curious, after all she is a writer.
As the two dance around each other their attraction grows.
Now Wyatt's writer block has begun to loosen since finding some old journals from the woman who lived in the house prior and she's submitted a story to the local publisher.
Wyatt and Haley are going to burn slow and hot which what you expect and love from Ali Vali.

Loved it!

Thank you #NetGalley #BoldStrokesBooks #WritersBlock

Successful mystery writer Wyatt Whitlock’s muse has wandered off and left her unable to write. In a fit of pique, Wyatt buys a rundown century old house in New Orleans hoping a change of place will inspire her writing.
Publishing assistant Hayley Fox works long hours in longer weeks to hopefully establish herself in the industry. Hayley has given her career everything she has and ignored her personal life until a stranger moves into the dilapidated house next door.
Writer’s Block is a combination of erotica and romance mixed with southern absurd humour. And I loved it!
The cast of characters are colourful, individual and delightfully quirky. Wyatt is given a subtle yet imaginative sense of humour which creates some of the best parts of the story. I cannot decide which I laughed at more, the Burmese python and the cable guy or the mini putt. You will need to experience both of these first hand so I will not taint your enjoyment with explanations.
Vali has tried something different in this novel and it worked out rather well. My only grumble is the theme of the story within the story is very see through and has been done too many times in other novels to be considered unique. As this side story plays a somewhat minor roll, it is only a minor complaint. Overall, Writer’s Block is an engaging and enjoyable read.

I received an advanced review copy from Bold Stroke Books through NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Writer’s Block is a sweet, funny, and a little odd story. This story takes us along the journey between Hayley and Wyatt. We get to follow along their ups and downs not only in the romance department but also in their professional life. The townspeople are a little weird but like any small town, you will always have those odd balls. I LOVED reading about Lydia and Sam and wish I too could read their story! This book shows you the ups and downs of a relationship and how a small lie can alter your course.

What I wasn’t a fan of was sometimes the story was a little repetitive in the wording. I wish more of the story focused on other aspects of the relationship besides just the spice. Most of the parts between the main characters were when something spicy was happening. I would have loved to have more parts of just the normal day to day aspects between them. All in all, this was a great story and was well written! I am glad I got the opportunity to read an early e-copy of the book thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

As Vali writes in the acknowledgments this book is rather different from the author's other books. It's lighter, funnier, and only focused on romance. I really enjoyed it.

As is the norm with Vali's books it's set in New Orleans. Successful writer Wyatt is struggling after the sudden death of her parents and decides to pack up her things in New York and move to a fixer-upper, sight unseen in New Orleans. Wyatt's neighbour, Hayley, becomes her new inspiration. A lot of Vali's books have a thriller aspect as a side story, this one has another romance as a side story. It's a predictable story, but it's sweet, albeit maybe a little unnecessarily lengthy in the way it's told. Wyatt is inspired by this story and by watching her neighbour (it's a little pervy, unless you are into that kinda thing). Hayley seems into it as well.
The story is pretty funny, I like Wyatt's humour, her new neighbours don't get it and the situations they end up in might not make everyone laugh but it made me laugh, with the exception of one.
I like the match between Hayley and Wyatt, the dark moment was a bit over the top and as always too late in the book, I do like the resolution and it didn't feel rushed.

Overall I think this is a fun light-hearted read, something you wouldn't necessarily expect from Vali, and it works. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoy wlw romance.

I’ve heard so many good words about Ali Vali. This is my very first Vali’s book; I’m not sure if this is her usually written style, it’s definitely unique, and I couldn’t stop reading.

Vali builds amazing chemistry between Wyatt and Hayley, the luring, longing, and the peeking from the dark(literally). Now technically, the blurb is what about in the book, but not exactly the direction you’d think? I’m not sure if that makes sense but it is how I feel; at least in this one, I think it’s a nice surprise because I’ve never read something like this before.

I’ll definitely look for more of Ali Vali’s books.