Have you ever loved a book series so much you wished you could live inside that world?
Barbi Bancroft has. She practically eats, drinks, and breathes Have you ever loved a book series so much you wished you could live inside that world?
Barbi Bancroft has. She practically eats, drinks, and breathes everything involving the fandom surrounding the books about the realm of Akkaya and its characters. Akkaya is her whole life. One day, at a fan convention, she’s handed as-yet unannounced, unreleased manuscript to the next book in the series. However, when Barbi gets home and opens it to read, she’s magically transported to Akkaya, which turns out to be so much different than she thought it would be.
This book didn’t end up being what I thought it was in two different ways: it was both darker than I thought it would be and the FMC was different than the type I usually read or invest my time in. I never have any issues with books being darker than planned, since I love dark books in general; however, I did struggle with Barbi’s characterization at times. I loved the overall story arc and the general plot, and the ending to this installment of the series was definitely unexpected. I’m really looking forward to seeing where this story goes.
Like the Taylor Swift song of the same name, How You Get the Girl is sweet, cute, lighthearted, and irresistible (to me, at least).
I absolutely adoreLike the Taylor Swift song of the same name, How You Get the Girl is sweet, cute, lighthearted, and irresistible (to me, at least).
I absolutely adored the first book in this series, 2022’s Love & Other Disasters (it’s on my shelf!). I didn’t like 2023’s Something Wild & Wonderful as much. I was worried about how I’d feel about this book but it turns out I shouldn’t have been because from the very start I fell in love with the amazing cast of characters and Anita Kelly’s absolutely hypnotizing dialogue and effortless storytelling.
This is a cute love story about a queer high school basketball coach who meets her childhood idol and crush via one of her players and somehow their lives slowly but surely become enmeshed via high schooler antics and interference, genuine care and concern for one another as human beings, holiday meet-ups, cats (just cats), “practice dates” (yeah, sure), and basketball (because of course).
The spice level is rather low but that’s absolutely fine because the chemistry and cuteness is off the charts. The romance is absolutely swoon-worthy because Julie and Elle are absolutely next-level sweet, sometimes clueless, and absolutely needed an intervention a time or two.
There is a lot to be said for mental health concerns and LGBTQIA+ rep in high school sports in this book too, and that was a great topic to see handled well. Kelly also tackles the topic of labels and identity and I thought the way it was written about in this book was not only intelligent but very moving.
This was another Anita Kelly winner. Loved it.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
Have you ever felt like it took you a long time to get to where you were meant to be? Like you didn’t mean to take the scenic route, but you did and nHave you ever felt like it took you a long time to get to where you were meant to be? Like you didn’t mean to take the scenic route, but you did and now you know you were meant to take that route the whole time? Like you would have missed something vital if you hadn’t?
That feeling, combined with an oversaturation of Gen X nostalgia, makes up the majority of the sentiment, story, and romance of Slow Dance.
(Yeah, I can say that because I’m Gen X and I not only had friends just like these characters but I could’ve lived lives similar to theirs if I didn’t grow up in a town smaller than even Omaha (though I don’t live in Nebraska)).
I’m normally a huge fan of Rainbow Rowell. I’ve read almost everything else she’s written and I own most of it, too. Her strengths tend to be dialogue, character building, character arcs, and emotions. These are all things I have always loved and admired about her writing. Everyone in her books is messy, vulnerable, and terribly human. No one looks perfect and no one’s okay. I love how Rowell isn’t afraid to write incredibly mundane people falling in love in the most haphazard, dazzling ways. The issue I had with Slow Dance was that I really disliked Shiloh and Cary read much like her other male characters from her contemporary novels.
So while the dialogue was sharp and witty and the emotional messiness was alive and well, I just wasn’t invested in the romantic relationship between Shiloh and Cary. I also felt like the ending was a bit rushed and left a few loose ends flapping.
What I do think is that this book might be a lot better in audiobook format. This seems like the type of book that would read well that way. I don’t listen to audiobooks, but for some reason I kept coming back to that thought. I also think if I had liked Shiloh more I would’ve rated this book higher.
I was provided a copy of this title by Netgalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. A rating of three stars or lower means this review will not be appearing on my social media. Thank you.
File Under: Coming of Age/Contemporary Romance/Spice Level 1/Women’s Fiction ...more
What’s the best way to take down a monster? Does slow and careful save the day, or do you do it quickly and damn the consequences?
Everyone in the AerWhat’s the best way to take down a monster? Does slow and careful save the day, or do you do it quickly and damn the consequences?
Everyone in the Aeravin knows their Eternal King is monstrous, inhuman. What no one can agree on is what they can or should do about it. The largest dissent in opinion is between the Blood Workers of the nation and the Unblooded. Even though the Unblooded outnumber the Blood Workers, you can guess who has all the money and power. There are those within the ranks of the Blood Workers who would like to see the Eternal King fall, however, and one of those is the newly ascended Lady Shan LeClaire, the Blood Worker daughter of the king’s late spymaster.
Despite a somewhat misleading blurb, this novel was just as dark, sexy, bloody, violent, and intriguing as I thought it would be. No matter what fault I might have found with this book, the vibes were spot-on, 100% vibing. This is undoubtedly helped along by the evocative atmosphere Enright describes so well, thorough worldbuilding, the passionate natures of the main characters, and the inherently dark material that comes with any blood-based magic system.
This book was too long, in my opinion, but the story inside was great and it’s a great start for a trilogy. The main characters are fantastic and the LGBTQ representation is amazing. I’m eagerly anticipating book two.
I was provided a copy of this title by Netgalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I should begin by saying I might be a bit biased because Ava Reid is one of my auto-buy authors. I love everything she has written so far, and I lovedI should begin by saying I might be a bit biased because Ava Reid is one of my auto-buy authors. I love everything she has written so far, and I loved A Study in Drowning, too, even if my love for it is more complicated than the love I feel for, say, Juniper & Thorn.
I’ve seen numerous reviews from people who’ve said this book gives them all the “fall feelings”. Well, then I feel sorry for what you think fall is, because this book made me feel incredibly sad, heavy, and emotional. I felt as weighed down as all of Hireath (the Myrrdin family home mentioned in the book’s blurb) feels in all its waterlogged sorrow. (Interestingly enough, I know the word Hireath from its Welsh origins, and while there is no direct English translation, to the Welsh, it’s a feelings that mixes longing, yearning, nostalgia, wistfulness or an earnest desire for what–or how–something used to be).
Wales plays more than one part in this story, as Emrys Myrddin was the name of Merlin, King Arthur’s court magician, in the oldest known Welsh texts. Sadly, in those old texts, Merlin was just as atrocious a figure as Emrys is in this book, in the worst of ways. Also, notably, A woman named Angharad James was quite a notable poet in Wales from the mid 17th to mid 18th century. Both her son and husband died before her, and she wrote a beautiful elegy for her son. The manuscript survived and you can find it online.
I think my complicated feelings with this book begin with how much I identify with Effy, our female protagonist. It’s in her struggles to be taken seriously in academia, her mental illness issues, and her trauma. (BTW, here is a good place to suggest that you look up a list of TW/CWs before you read this book, if you’re the type of person who wants to know what they’re getting into before they start a darker book). For Effy, books have been her only friends and her only escape for her whole life, and I feel that sentiment in my bones. Books never leave like people do. Books never die. Books never physically harm you. Books are reliable, a portal out of here. And Effy, well, Effy has needed something to rely on her whole life because she’s had no one else to rely on. The only problem is she ended up relying on a single book to hold onto everything for her.
This book has a lot to say about misogyny, r@pe culture, victim blaming, grooming, the theft of women’s intellectual property for the sake of putting a man’s name on the work, prejudice against women in academia, philosophies behind what you believe and what you know, unwanted children, folklore, mythology, the younger generation changing the power structures, and more.
But what I find I enjoy more than anything when I read an Ava Reid book is the writing itself. The prose. The atmosphere. The imagery. The sentence structure. The way you can almost smell the sea, feel the ocean spray, shiver in the cold, smell the damp, feel the wood flooring bow beneath your feet, see the termite holes in the baseboards. Her books are immersive and evocative. You can feel the heavy doors and freezing water. You can see the trees flying through the air and the curving roads. And this is why I can’t help but love Ava Reid: her writing, just pure and undiluted, is magical all on its own.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/College Romance/Dark Academia/Dark Fantasy/Disability Rep/Romantasy/Gothic/Standalone Novel/Spice Level 1/Women’s Fiction/YA Fantasy/YA Fantasy Romance
Merged review:
I should begin by saying I might be a bit biased because Ava Reid is one of my auto-buy authors. I love everything she has written so far, and I loved A Study in Drowning, too, even if my love for it is more complicated than the love I feel for, say, Juniper & Thorn.
I’ve seen numerous reviews from people who’ve said this book gives them all the “fall feelings”. Well, then I feel sorry for what you think fall is, because this book made me feel incredibly sad, heavy, and emotional. I felt as weighed down as all of Hireath (the Myrrdin family home mentioned in the book’s blurb) feels in all its waterlogged sorrow. (Interestingly enough, I know the word Hireath from its Welsh origins, and while there is no direct English translation, to the Welsh, it’s a feelings that mixes longing, yearning, nostalgia, wistfulness or an earnest desire for what–or how–something used to be).
Wales plays more than one part in this story, as Emrys Myrddin was the name of Merlin, King Arthur’s court magician, in the oldest known Welsh texts. Sadly, in those old texts, Merlin was just as atrocious a figure as Emrys is in this book, in the worst of ways. Also, notably, A woman named Angharad James was quite a notable poet in Wales from the mid 17th to mid 18th century. Both her son and husband died before her, and she wrote a beautiful elegy for her son. The manuscript survived and you can find it online.
I think my complicated feelings with this book begin with how much I identify with Effy, our female protagonist. It’s in her struggles to be taken seriously in academia, her mental illness issues, and her trauma. (BTW, here is a good place to suggest that you look up a list of TW/CWs before you read this book, if you’re the type of person who wants to know what they’re getting into before they start a darker book). For Effy, books have been her only friends and her only escape for her whole life, and I feel that sentiment in my bones. Books never leave like people do. Books never die. Books never physically harm you. Books are reliable, a portal out of here. And Effy, well, Effy has needed something to rely on her whole life because she’s had no one else to rely on. The only problem is she ended up relying on a single book to hold onto everything for her.
This book has a lot to say about misogyny, r@pe culture, victim blaming, grooming, the theft of women’s intellectual property for the sake of putting a man’s name on the work, prejudice against women in academia, philosophies behind what you believe and what you know, unwanted children, folklore, mythology, the younger generation changing the power structures, and more.
But what I find I enjoy more than anything when I read an Ava Reid book is the writing itself. The prose. The atmosphere. The imagery. The sentence structure. The way you can almost smell the sea, feel the ocean spray, shiver in the cold, smell the damp, feel the wood flooring bow beneath your feet, see the termite holes in the baseboards. Her books are immersive and evocative. You can feel the heavy doors and freezing water. You can see the trees flying through the air and the curving roads. And this is why I can’t help but love Ava Reid: her writing, just pure and undiluted, is magical all on its own.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/College Romance/Dark Academia/Dark Fantasy/Disability Rep/Romantasy/Gothic/Standalone Novel/Spice Level 1/Women’s Fiction/YA Fantasy/YA Fantasy Romance...more
The Magicians meets One Last Stop is what the blurb tells us to expect in this book. Well, I know better than to expect much of blurbs, but can I justThe Magicians meets One Last Stop is what the blurb tells us to expect in this book. Well, I know better than to expect much of blurbs, but can I just say that I haven't been this disappointed by the marketing for a book in a long time?
Remedial Magic isn’t just a subpar book–it’s a subpar book with poor plotting, average writing, creepy and unlikeable characters, an underexplored magic system, poor worldbuilding, and random spice scenes that are just plopped in like quotes in a bad college essay (that is to say, suddenly and with no warm up).
This book just doesn’t make sense to me. It started off well enough. It was witty, even engaging. Everything started to fall to pieces as soon as the “new students” started arriving in Crenshaw, in my opinion. Then it all started unraveling quickly and never regained any ground. I don’t even know why I finished the book, save that I hoped at some point it might redeem itself, considering this is a series and there are more books after this.
I think I’ll be stopping here, though. I don’t need to know more.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All opinions, thoughts, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. As this review has a rating of three stars or less it will only appear on review sites and not on social media. Thank you.
File Under: Book Series/Fantasy/Fantasy Series/LGBTQ Fantasy/Spice Level 1 ...more
It’s nice to see a new fantasy series meet what I consider the level of epic: Epic in story, epic in scale, and epic in feel. You can’t just call a faIt’s nice to see a new fantasy series meet what I consider the level of epic: Epic in story, epic in scale, and epic in feel. You can’t just call a fantasy book or series epic and call it a day. “Epic” means something: Spanning time, lands, battles, revelations, marriage, deaths, betrayals, and more. Epic means gods, monsters, humans, magic, and a greater sense of purpose are involved for everyone in the story. A Fate Inked in Blood may be a spicy (but not too spicy, and definitely not smutty) Viking romantasy, but it’s also the start of a very good epic fantasy series.
Danielle L. Jensen isn’t an unknown name for me, though I’ve never read her books before. The cover, title, and author name of this book all caught my attention when I saw it on NetGalley. Even though I’m usually not down for Viking fantasy, I was intrigued enough to request it. I’m so glad I did, because this was well worth the read (sadly, I’m still not converted on the Viking thing).
The best thing about this book is our FMC, Freya, who has a mercurial temper mixed with a compassionate nature. The second best thing about this book is Freya’s relationship with Bjorn, the son of her husband. Bjorn is Freya’s constant and the one willing to risk her ire when her compassion risks her own safety. Their chemistry is insane from the moment they meet on the page and every time they are alone together their banter is a delight to read.
Jensen has done a wondrous job writing a Viking fantasy world that’s robust with well-explored magic, rich mythology, expressive world building, and fascinating characters. The storytelling is artful and the writing is compelling. I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment!
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
As far as variations on Sleeping Beauty go, I enjoyed this secret twin, LGBTQ+ variation of the tale. You’d think I’d get sick of Sleeping Beauty reteAs far as variations on Sleeping Beauty go, I enjoyed this secret twin, LGBTQ+ variation of the tale. You’d think I’d get sick of Sleeping Beauty retellings, but nope! It continues to be one of my top fairy tale retelling/remixing/variation starting points for a plot even after all these years. In the case of A River of Golden Bones, it helps that the infamous Sleeping Beauty isn’t in the driver’s seat and the actual FMC is on a journey of self-discovery with a whole lot of burning questions in their metaphorical pocket.
As the first book in a new series, you do have to put up with some of the typical hang-ups that come with a new series: exposition, worldbuilding, magic systems, hierarchy, cultures, politics, and since this is a wolf shifter romance you also need to learn how the shifter world works in this universe and how it interacts with the humans. All of that, plus the plot, is a lot to cram into 400 pages. Mulford does an admirable job of it, but it’s not the smoothest ride it could be.
One of the best ways Mulford engages with exposition is via having our FMC and supporting characters join up with a band of traveling musicians. As they ride together across the lands in the musician’s wagon, the shifters learn more about the humans and the way the world works for those who aren’t wolves. It’s a great way of showing and not telling in a manner which is subtle and completely connected to the plot. If you didn’t think to look at it as exposition you might not even notice it.
I had a lot of trouble with the ending, because it seemed far too convenient for my tastes, but it’s still a really entertaining and engaging read. I will be waiting with anticipation for the next book!
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review was written without compensation. Thank you.
File Under: Book Series/Fairy Tale Retellings/Fantasy/Romantasy/Fantasy Series/Found Family/LGBTQ Fantasy/LGBTQ Romance/Shifter Romance/OwnVoices/Spice Level 1 ...more
I feel like I was conned by a gorgeous book cover and a really well-written blurb. It’s not the first time, but I’m really bummed about it in this casI feel like I was conned by a gorgeous book cover and a really well-written blurb. It’s not the first time, but I’m really bummed about it in this case, because I was really looking forward to this book and then it took a lot for me to finish it.
Calling this book enemies-to-lovers is generous. It’s more of a socioeconomic difference mixed with distrust for a governing system and then paired with a tenuous employer/employee relationship. They’re not enemies, per se. They just have a lot of trust issues and don’t know anything about one another personally; only rumors.
I just wanted so much more from this book, but pacing issues took up a lot of space and time in this book, which made it longer than it needed to be and really ruined some of the more dramatic, fantastic, and exciting portions of the book. Our FMC, Temperance, needed her hide saved far too much for me to appreciate, and it was usually Arcadio (our MMC) that did the saving. That never sits well with me in romance.
While two out of the other three members of the ship Temperance commands are female (when you exclude Arcadio), this book barely even passes the Bechdel Test because all the other female crew members want to talk to Temperance about 99% of the time is Arcadio (and/or Temperance having intercourse with him). Thanks but no thanks. I’d rather hear about their work aboard the ship, their lives, or anything else.
I just can’t in good conscience say this book truly connected for me. It was an okay read, but not a good one for me.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. No compensation was offered or accepted for this review. Due to the three star or lower rating, this review will not appear anywhere on social media, as personal policy dictates. ...more
I’m sitting here humming “Moon River” as I start this review, because I’m thinking of Ely and Wyatt as the two drifters who are off to see the world aI’m sitting here humming “Moon River” as I start this review, because I’m thinking of Ely and Wyatt as the two drifters who are off to see the world and there’s such a lot of world to see. These two people who are so similar in many ways and yet have a large gulf between them, adrift in life and moored in their mutual, chosen loneliness. Two miserable dinghy-people, just bailing water out as fast as they take it on.
This book could’ve turned out so badly. A nudge one way and it comes out saccharine. A nudge the other way it comes out too pessimistic. Somehow, Victoria Lee kept it steadily walking that earnest and vulnerable line, where she opens up her characters for us and we fall in love with them and watch as they each fall apart and put each other back together, over and over again. This story is sensual, sweet, and optimistic (without coming across as so sunny you’d think Pollyanna was turning the pages for you).
In most romances, I don’t so much get on board for genuine, heartfelt happiness. For some reason, when it comes to LGBTQ romances, that’s all I want for them. I want all the genuine happiness. Maybe it’s a reflection of how many unhappy endings LGBTQ people (especially transgender) get in real life and how much that upsets me. Maybe since I’m LGBTQ and I have a LGBTQ child I just want to see the LGBTQ people in romance novels end up happy because I didn’t and I want better for my own kid someday. This book genuinely moved me. The way Wyatt and Ely propped each other up even when they weren’t romantically involved, the way they supported each other in their sobriety, and the way they were so reverential with one another’s bodies when they were together was an honest show of how much it meant to them to shed every layer and be bare before one another in every way. To drop every veil and reveal everything, including every insecurity and every scar.
Now, I’m new to Victoria Lee’s work, but not only did she show off some serious research chops in this book, but she also brought beautiful prose and excellent dialogue skills to the table. Her characters jumped off the page and added just enough background color and noise that they never took away from our two main protagonists–they just garnished them the right amount.
I loved that this book ended happily, but not with a tidy little bow. Because life is messy. We don’t always get everything we want. But what matters is that we keep trying and holding onto the ones we love. This book definitely conveys that.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
I loved the first installment of this series, Problem Child, so much I knew I wanted to get to the next book in the series aReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
I loved the first installment of this series, Problem Child, so much I knew I wanted to get to the next book in the series as soon as I could. I was downright greedy for more of KC, her friends, and the mercurial boys in her life…especially after that cliffhanger ending!
So I went into Mad Boys hoping it would be as fast-paced, exciting, and event-filled as the first book, even if it meant putting up with even more slow burn (yeah, yeah, I’m a thirsty girl and I have a hard time with slow burns in contemporary romances in this age group. It’s a thing and I acknowledge it). That’s not what I got from the book. This, sadly, was a huge case of sophomore slump in a book series. I can’t pretend it’s all sunshine and roses and everything is superb in this book, because it’s not. It has a lot of problems. There is a lot to recommend, though!
KC’s character development has evolved between the first book and this one, and I’d say it’s for the better. While not outright hostile to people at Blue Ivy Prep, she does have a cynical bubble around her now due to the events of the last book and because of current events in her personal life. If you thought she had trust issues before, well, now her trust issues have trust issues and she’s not afraid to straight-up NOPE out of a situation if she thinks it’s only going to lead to something bad. Aubrey has also gone through some character growth due to what went on with KC and the pressure their record label is putting on them to work on their new album. And the most positive character change between books one and two was Jonas, who went from being madly in love with KC but being unable to speak to her except to leave sheet music for her in the first book to being able to speak to her but being very shy and reserved in this book.
But there were a whole lot of issues with the book, too: a huge plot hole that may have solved the central mystery of this book if only two of the guys remembered one cringe morning in their apartment, deliberate miscommunications, immature reactions, immature measures, and a lot of repetitive scenes. Then there’s the fact that I can’t suspend my disbelief enough to think that the guys wouldn’t have thought to search on their own to see if they had any other step-siblings in the world, considering their stepfather isn’t keen on keeping it zipped.
Heather Long is a gifted writer when it comes to characters, especially the female ones, and that’s one of the reasons I show up. Her premises and plots are another reason I come to read. I just think this book was a hiccup in the series, which I’m looking forward to continuing.
I was provided a copy of this title by the author. All views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
Thank goodness Poppy Ireland is a great writer that can craft a compelling story and create interesting characters, because otherwise I might not haveThank goodness Poppy Ireland is a great writer that can craft a compelling story and create interesting characters, because otherwise I might not have stuck with this book until the end. Why, do you ask? Oh, because of the dreaded slow burn. And by slow burn, I mean dang near the end of the last act and it’s not even that explicit.
You guys know me: I’m a thirsty girl. I love my fast to medium burns, and I like my spicy scenes to be just that–SPICY. The single steamy scene in this book is closer to a regular ol’ romance novel than what I’m used to reading. It was quick and it was… normal? Normal-ish? Whatever it was, it wasn’t my usual cup of jet fuel.
Luckily, Ireland gives us readers who are used to jet fuel spice scenes something to hold onto in the form of an intriguing FMC who truly loves her father, a compelling storyline, a pair of star-crossed lovers, a rumbling of conspiracy under the surface, buckets of secrets left to be spilled, and fun supporting characters.
I think Ireland may have used this first book to get the vast majority of world-building and character development out of the way so in the next two books the storyline and romantic relationship can really shine through without too much exposition getting in the way. It’s a smart move I wish more authors made, but it does tend to make the first books in these series a little harder to read for us readers who like our spice. But if you can hang on, the story pays off, and I think we’ll all appreciate the next two books all the more.
I was provided a copy of this book by the author. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: Fantasy Romance/Shifter Romance/Coming of Age/Contemporary Romance/Gothic/Paranormal Romance/Romance Series/Spice Level 1 ...more
I’m going to put up a disclaimer here, because I feel like I need to be honest: Were I doing my regular mood reading, just trying to find something thI’m going to put up a disclaimer here, because I feel like I need to be honest: Were I doing my regular mood reading, just trying to find something that hit all my buttons, I wouldn’t have finished this book, because it’s just not my cup of tea. So, as such, I’m taking off the hat I usually wear when I read when I review romance/erotica novels and I’m putting on the hat I wear when I’m objectively reviewing a book for what it is, analyzing the aspects I did enjoy, and looking overall at Williams’ approach to the story and storytelling and how much potential the series may have going forward.
Okay. Now that the minutiae is out of the way, here’s the review.
After much debate, I rated this book four stars because I really like the storyline and the potential it has to grow in future books, I love our FMC (Raven), I love her steady and true shadow guardian (spoilers!), I love found family tropes and I’ll gobble them up wherever I can find them, a great deal (but most definitely not all–and I really, really mean it) of the tropes and spicy buttons are right up my alley, I love the vigilante/gang aspect of the overall story arc, and I love how unreserved Raven is in just about every way. She’s uninhibited, hedonistic, and wild in a way only someone who feels completely sure of herself and what she wants and needs can be. That is an inner power most women would slay to have.
I tend to love the way Alisha Williams writes her stories. Most of her FMC’s are like Raven in some way, especially in that empowerment aspect. They know who they are and they largely don’t need outside influences to give them self-worth. Her FMCs are one of the reasons I keep coming back for more, even if I don’t always end up finishing the book because it just doesn’t end up being my thing.
And that’s my con here: There’s a character in this book I can’t stand, and the way he talks and acts toward Raven and the way she reacts, in turn, without any true explanation at any point as to why he inspires such reactions when they’re so different from the way she wants to live her life and the way she views herself and other women just caused me to turn up my nose like something smelled bad every time he was on page in any way. He ruined most of the book for me by turning me off completely and making me roll my eyes at Raven whenever he was involved.
But the bones are good. There’s not enough damage done that the series can’t be redeemed or the characters can’t evolve into different people. You can already see Raven undergoing a rapid evolution by the end of book one, and I was living for it. So bring on book two and show me more.
I was provided with a copy of this book by the author. All thoughts, views, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone and are given of my own free will without reservation. Thank you.
After a couple of ARCs running either long or deep, I decided to pick up Jessica Hamilton’s Don’t You Dare today to cleanse the palette with some loveAfter a couple of ARCs running either long or deep, I decided to pick up Jessica Hamilton’s Don’t You Dare today to cleanse the palette with some lovely crime, mystery, suspense, and thrills. It was nice to have something fast-paced, erotic, and suspenseful to read today since I’m kind of wound up and anxious myself (my mom’s having knee replacement surgery tomorrow, so we’re all kind of wound up around here).
I know exactly what it was about this book that drew me in: The commiseration I felt with Hannah (our protagonist) as she realizes she accidentally slept in and her husband has no compunctions about leaving her a passive-aggressive note about how it, and the way he constantly nitpicks at her as if he’s perfect and she should be ashamed of the hot mess she is. The shame mothers the world over feel of not being good enough, of not doing enough or being enough is an almost universal feeling that we can’t help but be pulled in by, as if we want to automatically create some sort of sympathetic bond with a character like Hannah and let her know that we’re all hot messes behind closed doors. Some of us just hide it better than others.
And then what hooked me was how just as it seems Hannah is absolutely headed to self-destruction and deep depression, the man she loved so deeply in college but lost to the combined efforts of a toxic game she, her best friend, and the man she loved played called “The Daring Game” and her vindictive best friend’s vengeful machinations suddenly appears in the city she lives in, saying he’s moved back and why don’t the two of them pick up “The Daring Game” just for fun between the two of them? Wouldn’t it be fun to do silly and daring things before they truly get too old to be daring?
This book plays off a dual timeline: One taking place in the present, and one taking place back when Hannah, Scarlett (the bestie), and Thomas (the friend turned boyfriend) are in college together. Like most dual timeline books, Don’t You Dare plays the present-day timeline off the past timeline. In essence, the past timeline serves to either foreshadow or to outright hint toward what’s coming up soon in the present-day timeline. It’s not so bad the past timeline outright gives away things, but it’s enough that you get an inkling as the book moves along in which direction we might be going. There are genuine surprises here and there, and successful red herrings are deployed, which made me happy.
The pacing of the novel was definitely what I look for in a suspense thriller like this, though I do wish the author could’ve kept up the same pacing while letting us get a better look at the characters. I’m not saying I wanted this book to be character-driven (this book is definitely plot-driven), but it wouldn’t have hurt to get to know some of the characters a touch better.
I’m not going to say this is a strong four star review. It’s just barely a four star review. If I had to put it more clearly, I’d say it’s more like 3.75 stars. That 0.25% deduction comes from the woefully underdeveloped character of Evan, Hannah’s husband. He’s automatically cast as the villain, but rarely is there truly a villain in a marriage in the case of a marriage like Hannah and Evan’s (I’d explain why, but spoilers). I feel like this book would’ve come across a lot better had we understood Evan more.
If you’re simply looking for an entertaining read at the level of a “popcorn movie” (you know, grab some popcorn and curl up on the sofa to just watch a fun movie), then this is a good book for that kind of entertainment. It’s not breaking new ground and it’s not revelatory, but it’s a solid good time.
I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
“A Fire Endless” moves at a faster clip than the first half of this duology, “A River Enchanted”, but it both gains and loses some things in the trans“A Fire Endless” moves at a faster clip than the first half of this duology, “A River Enchanted”, but it both gains and loses some things in the transition between the two books.
What “A Fire Endless” lacks that “A River Enchanted” was filled with was ample lyrical prose, bringing the world of Cadence to life around you with brilliant world-building and character development. There was a certain prosaic and even bucolic feel to “A River Enchanted” that “A Fire Endless” simply doesn’t have time for, nor does the book carry the same tenor that would allow for that, and it caused me to long for that pastoral feel the first book had, but I knew this book had other matters to concern itself with.
What “A Fire Endless” gained that was lacking in “A River Enchanted”, beyond the expected deep look into the lands of the West, is a deep dive into the character development of both Sidra and Torin, as well as a long and serious look into the cultural and spiritual history of the isle of Cadence as a whole. Most surprising was the truly revelatory character development arc of Torin, which not only leads to some of the most evocative imagery in the book but also some of the most poignant scenes.
As is usual for the second half of a duology, the action and plot do move a bit faster, much like when you have reached the crest of a trail and need to start the way back down to the bottom. You always end up moving just a bit quicker. That doesn’t make this book any less satisfying. The two books, when read back to back, make quite the cozy, fantastical, satisfying read… even if it means reading almost 1,000 words in the process. I don’t feel any of it is time wasted. Rebecca Ross is one of the best fantasy writers working today.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for granting me access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.
File Under: Coming of Age/Fairy Tale & Folklore/Fantasy Romance/Steamy Romance ...more
Let’s start with this: Don’t go into this thinking it’s a standalone novel. Neither Amazon or GoodReads list it as being part of a series, but it endsLet’s start with this: Don’t go into this thinking it’s a standalone novel. Neither Amazon or GoodReads list it as being part of a series, but it ends on what I’d call a semi-cliffhanger, with the story long from resolved, so it’s either part of a series or I’ve misread the book entirely and am very embarrassed. I’d rather not be that embarrassed, so I’m going with it being the first book in a series and the rest of the series just hasn’t been announced yet. So, are we all on the same page now? Good.
So, okay. This book really, really, isn’t original. It was pretty clear from very early on in this book that the plot (of this entry at least) is Hunger Games meets Throne of Glass meets The Selection. That’s a whole lot of YA lore to be whipping into a batter and baking a cake out of, but I just couldn’t help but inhale it greedily, my brain and soul loving the empty calories. This kind of book isn’t like reading some of the books I read where I come away full of feels and needing to take time to contemplate the experience. It’s not even like the romance novels I read on the regular, where I giggle and sigh and swoon. No. Books like “Of Cages and Crowns” are like spending the evening watching rom-coms and eating ice cream: just pure comfort and relaxation. Books like these are enjoyable because they ask nothing of you but to lay back and enjoy the fantasy fluff.
That’s not to say Brianna Joy Crump doesn’t have talent. She really does. Her characters aren’t complete cookie cutter cut-outs. They’re multi-faceted and interesting. Have I read books with a “culling” trope that did better with the characterizations of the females involved? Yes. But I enjoyed Crump’s efforts to bring depth and breadth to the sociopolitical and geopolitical situation for the people and the country in the book as well as the central plot in the book.
It’s not a perfect book, but it’s a lot of fun for us people who gobble up fantasy romances like candy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for granting me access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.
File Under: Fantasy/Dark Fantasy/YA Fantasy/Paranormal Romance/Fantasy Series/Coming of Age/Steamy Romance/YA Fantasy Romance ...more
A contemporary rom com novel has to do a whole lot to level up in the publishing world right now. Pop culture, in general, iReal Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
A contemporary rom com novel has to do a whole lot to level up in the publishing world right now. Pop culture, in general, is falling back in love with romance, comedy, and all things formulaic and trope-tastic. And that’s okay! That’s perfectly fine. Society, over time, goes through cycles of loving different genres. Right now, that’s going on with romance novels in general and especially in a publishing market rife with romantic comedies.
This friends-to-lovers, living-your-best-life, hashtag WINNING rom com novel was okay, but it wasn’t as good as so many rom com novels are right now. (I seriously want to make cheese puns in this review but I’m holding back–you should all be proud).
The great thing about friends-to-lovers is the lack of meet-cute. Tam and Josh, our protagonists, have been best friends since grade school and have continued to be each other’s anchor well into adulthood. When Tam’s living situation in New York changes and she needs a port in a storm, she flies out to Ponto Beach to reunite with him and their large group of friends they’ve known forever (including Tobin and Lily, the couple from the previous book in this series). What starts as a chance for Tam to regroup and finally figure out what will make her happy in life turns into… well, trope trope trope.
The bad thing about friends-to-lovers? The 80% mark. It’s there and it’s incredibly uneventful and completely unsurprising. Really, it was more of a molehill both characters could’ve seen from miles away and come up with the answers way before the 80% mark. It made me roll my eyes a little.
Don’t get me wrong: It’s a cute book. But does it stand out from the hundreds of other cute books out right now? Not really. I’ll tell you one thing, though: I sure did get hungry while reading it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. ...more
“It Went Viral” is a tried-and-true enemies-to-lovers romance. In a way, it’s also a second-chance romance. It’s also a best-fReal Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
“It Went Viral” is a tried-and-true enemies-to-lovers romance. In a way, it’s also a second-chance romance. It’s also a best-friend’s-brother romance. You can also add in workplace romance. Whatever tropes you apply to it, it’s not bad. It’s also not without its flaws.
I actually enjoyed the majority of this book. I enjoyed our FMC, Isla, who was metaphorically sucker-punched by her best friend’s brother when they were in college and the video of it went viral, causing her to abruptly move across the country and drop out of college due to depression and social anxiety. She managed to drag herself out of that wreckage and build an event planning empire out of her aunt’s smaller business, but it realistically took her time, a lot of effort, a lot of therapy, and left her with a whole lot of psychological scars she works hard (literally, by being a Type A workaholic) to hide. She’s well-characterized: a formidable woman, but very flawed.
I also enjoyed her continued friendship with her best friend, and the characterization of the best friend herself. Bella was obviously stuck in the middle between Isla and her brother and both protected Isla from Bryan and continued to love her brother while never letting him off the hook for how he hurt Isla.
Bryan himself (the best friend’s brother and our male protagonist) is a character I had some trouble with, if only because he seemed to be somewhat clueless for a major chunk of the book at how depressed and anxious a viral video could cause someone to be. I don’t understand how, when we know that nothing gets deleted on the internet, he couldn’t know that a video like the one of Isla that went viral couldn’t have deeply affected her on a psychological level. The cyber bullying alone! I kept thinking to myself, “I can’t even imagine what I’d do. Probably never leave the house ever again if I were her?” (I’m me, and I personally wouldn’t care, but I’m trying to identify with Isla… and I can’t even imagine.)
I was all in with the plot of this book until the ending. The ending was rushed, in my opinion. The rest of the book was nicely paced, but then it seemed like the ending couldn’t sustain the same momentum, and it kind of slammed into a rushed ending. I didn’t like that much.
Other matters that didn’t sit right with me: the characters could say the f-word, but said “darn” all the time instead of “damn” and “shoot” instead of the s-word and the title of the book, which sounds like there was a HPV outbreak. It’s just not the best title. I know that’s a nitpick thing, but it’s all I could think about every time I read the title and associate it with sex.
It’s a solid enemies-to-lovers read, even if it’s not as spicy as I’m used to or as solidly-paced as I’d like. I say give a read. ...more
As a lifelong fan of both car racing and romance novels, I really thought I’d enjoy this book a lot more than I did. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every WatAs a lifelong fan of both car racing and romance novels, I really thought I’d enjoy this book a lot more than I did. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every Wattpad title I’ve reviewed in the past nine months or so, but this book really let me down in just about every way possible.
I don’t think I’ve read a contemporary romance novel like this where I was supposed to like the main male character and yet I couldn’t stand him at all. I found Dante utterly contemptible in a way that outstrips the hatred I feel for male main characters in other sports romances or in bully romances. He’s not only a stereotypical chauvinist (which is offensive in and of itself): he’s utterly stupid, too. Don’t get me started on Savannah, who’s supposed to be smart but crumples like a paper bag every time Dante winks at her. She has absolutely no backbone to speak of.
I don’t actually think I cared for almost any of the characters in this book. Don’t get me started on the American team owner from California who doesn’t speak like any corporate bigwig I’ve ever known would speak. I’m from California. Not even I speak with so many “dude”’s in my sentences.
The stereotypes are just so large and offensive in this book. The only thing that kept me going was the racing. I love racing. And the descriptions of that were pretty okay. The spice was all right. But if you’re looking to fall in love with the characters, this isn’t the book for you.
Thanks to Wattpad Books and NetGalley for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.
(This review was posted to NG before publication date. I have waited a week to post to GR & BB out of respect for publisher & author. I will not be publishing this review to social media.) ...more
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