A stolen family heirloom, a broke duke, and a heist to steal it back, what could go wrong? Well, apparently falling for your mark within 2 seconds of meeting him and failing to even work the job well. The story follows Chloe Wynchester, a “dull and forgetable” mask she wears to blend in, her and her adopted siblings are trying to find the stolen painting that belonged to their adopted father who had died. The painting was stolen by the Duke of Faircliffe right before their father died and now they finally have an opportunity to steal it back. Lawrence Gosling, the son of the previous Duke of Faircliffe is left to deal with all the debts and mistakes his father made before he died. Lawrence needs to marry a rich wife to pay back everything and fix the estate. Chloe accidentally kidnaps Lawrence while trying to steal the painting and then, as they say, the rest is history. Now, onto my thoughts.... this book made me a little mad. Before you think I’m going to say I hate the book, I don’t, it just did not live up to my expectations. Heres why, Chloe is the WORST person to be the “leader” of her family’s little heist in trying to get back their “most important family heirloom” as she literally falls in love with her mark within a few minutes and then can’t seem to remember to do her job at all, she’s a lovesick person the entire book. Lawrence on the other hand is, well, a douche. He claims he loves Chloe oh so much and that “she’s like air and he breathes her in” but goes on and on about duty and finding a rich wife, soooooo SPOILERS:

Spoiler

he literally has sex with her and goes into it thinking, yeah I’m gonna have sex with her but our entire relationship is temporary and I will find a rich wife, but for now I’ll just enjoy having sex with her while I do this. He tells her to her face their entire relationship is temporary and that she isn’t worth it. That being with her isn’t worth it and dumps her. The worst part? WITHIN A FEW DAYS SHE TAKES HIM BACK. I CAN’T WITH THESE TWO. Anyways I was ten times more invested in her siblings, in Phillipa, and even in Southerby. Hell, I would rather she end up with Southerby than Lawrence.

I just found myself annoyed at Chloe and how she had ONE JOB but couldn’t even do that, and at Lawrence because he’s just so ugh. SO, even though I really didn’t like these two characters, I did like the other characters so much more, and HELLO we’re getting a sequel with Tommy and Phillippa... two ladies who are interesting as all heck and I AM SO EXCITED AND CAN’T WAIT because I know for sure they have to be at least so much better than these two. So in summary, this first book in the series just did not work for me, but I did enjoy all the side characters and can’t wait to see where the next romance goes between the two very interesting ladies!

*Thanks Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Picking up right where we left off with Guinevere and Arthur ruling Camelot and while Mordred has been banished. Let me start off by saying I liked this book and I have to give the protagonist more leeway as she is a 16 turned 17year old girl who’s interactions consist of a distant wizard and being surrounded by nuns and an entire childhood of memories wiped out. So yes, did I dislike a lot of her decisions and the way she acted? But I can understand them as she is still essentially a socially awkward teen experiencing things for the first time. This book just didn’t hit as well as the first book and the shinning moments in this book were any moment with Mordred (because he’s my favorite) and the amazing love story between Isolade and Brangiens. Here is my issue: the gods damn love triangle and the constant pushing of Arthur being the oh so perfect good husband who is just the very best and she has to do everything to please him. I’m not going to lie.... Guinevere had more chemistry with Mordred, Lancelot, with Dinadrane, with Brangiens, or even just her when she gets these tiny moments of “yeah I can trust myself” ..... than she does with Arthur. Arthur is more prominent in this book than the previous and yet he still felt like a bland extra that I just wanted to skip reading. I wrote 3 whole pages of notes on why Mordred and Guinevere worked so much better, hell Guinevere is constantly thinking of him, constantly dreaming about him, the dude is a whole ass dream boat and yet she constantly flops between him and Arthur. Arthur has zero chemistry and it just got irritating by the end of this book. The dude only ever turns to her as a convenience, he gives the bare minimum and yet for some reason Guinevere is all for this blandness. I can’t. I can keep going on about how much I did not enjoy this love triangle thing that was happening but we have to move on. So, besides the love triangle plot, Guinevere’s supposed sister returns, Guinevere does a lot of things with heavy consequences, and thats about it. Wait, did I forget to mention, oh yeah she realizes that her entire childhood has been wiped and she has a potential mother and oh the person who wiped her memory was Merlin ( her father figure) and yet she doesn’t even pursue this. GIRL YOUR ENTIRE CHILDHOOD WAS WIPED. GO GET ANSWERS. This book lacked the more magical touch the first book had and by the end of it I was just reading for moments of Mordred or Morgana cuz Arthur and Guinevere were not doing it for me. I am definitely going to read the final book in the trilogy to see what happens but yeah, despite my entire rant, I did enjoy this book!

A past incident burning bright with flames, a secret love bursting to be exposed, and a princess struggling to keep her country safe. The story follows princess Thanh who was sent away to Ephteria as a child and after an incident in which that castle caught fire, has finally returned home and given the job of being a diplomat. Ephteria’s princess Eldris has suddenly arrived and is determined to restart the romance between Thanh and her, and to finally bring Thanh back as her fiancee. There is only one problem, things are not as they seem, and Thanh is forced to face truths she doesn’t want to. The fire incident has burned itself into her mind, as Thanh and another girl, had escaped together, and for some reason the fire and the mysterious girl is on her mind. I absolutely loved reading this story. I loved discovering the pre-colonial Vietnamese-esque world dipped with magic and political intrigue, and the romance, oh the magic of it all. I always love discovering more Vietnamese-esque stories and growing up hearing Vietnamese tales from my grandma has definitely made me always enjoy my culture being told in new stories. This was a beautiful story and I absolutely loved reading every second of it. It’s a short read, but its a wonderful tale and a perfect read. Definitely pick this up if you love magic, political intrigue, and forbidden romance. I always love reading folk tales and stories, and especially ones that have LGBTQ elements.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A sweet and fun story about celebrating the Hindu holiday of Raksha Bandhan! A great read for kinds and a fun look into a Hindu holiday! A perfect read for kids with siblings and it definitely makes you want to start crafting!

A very sweet story about a girl who has recently arrived in America, her father is still waiting for permission to get in and she is just about to start school. This is just a day in her life as she is trying to adjust to her new environment and hopefully make new friends! A wonderful read for kids, especially as it deals with how hard it might be to adjust to a new place and that you should always try to make new friends!

*Thanks Netgalley and Charlesbridge for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A sweet and adorable story about a day at the beach. The art is absolutely gorgeous and with the way the story is told, you can almost hear the sounds at the sea shore. This is a great read for kids!

*Thanks Netgalley and Charlesbridge for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A sweet story story about finding new beautiful things as we go on to new places. It’s a story about a young girl and her grandma on a car ride and they play a game in which they have to find 10 beautiful things on their journey. I think this is a great book for kids, especially kids who are moving to new places and new homes. It really helps to them to look for the great things wherever they go.

*Thanks Netgalley and Charlesbridge for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This was a fun story about a little girl celebrating her birthday and eating dim sum with her family. What happens when she drops one and now they have to decide how to divide five buns up between three people. A fun story with a little touch of math! The artwork is really cute and I definitely think this will make a great read for kids!

*Thank you Netgalley and Charlesbridge for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A beautifully narrated book! I absolutely enjoyed listening to all these stories and would 100% recommend it for anyone who is a fan of the Grishaverse!!

A sweet and darling story about love, the love children feel to their family and the understanding of separation. This is a really great story about a young girl named Tess who is starting school for the first time and is anxious about being away from her loving family. It helps kids understand love and how even if someones not there, their love is always there. I would highly recommend this book for kids!

*Thanks Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group – words & pictures for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*