Childhood sweethearts, missed opportunities, and a marriage proposal. Constance Lysander and Jonathan Sykeston are childhood sweethearts, however Jonathan left for war and returns 10 years later to find Constance married... except her husband has married 2 other woman and suddenly died and left them all with his debts. Constance needs a husband, someone who can support her and be a good father to her daughter, and who better than the man she has loved all her life? Except, Jonathan is not the same, not after the injuries he suffered in the war, both emotionally and physically. Jonathan thinks he doesn’t deserve to be loved, that he doesn’t deserve to be Constance’s husband but he can’t find it in himself to deny her anything. So Constance proposes to Jonathan and he accepts... except he lays down specific rules they will have to follow so that he will not get hurt... yet Constance wants more. She wants the man she knows Jonathan to be underneath all the pain, to be with her, she wants a marriage of love, she wants him... now he has to see if he can resist her long enough and if he can find it in himself to heal and see that he’s not as broken as he thinks and that he deserves to be loved and love in return. There is also the matter that Jonathan’s superior has betrayed him and he could be court-martialed any day.. and that his butler wrote fake love letters to Constance to convince her that he wants her in his home... and that Constance is being hounded by a business partner who demands she give him money. Can these two people survive all their secrets and past hurt and move into a life they both so desperately want? This was a continuation of the first story, but can be read as a standalone ( though I think you’d find it more fun to see the characters from the first book cameo in this book). This story definitely deals with the insecurities and self doubt you can have after traumatic events and how healing has to begin with yourself. Jonathan was definitely a super grumpy antisocial character but he melts for the sweet optimistic Constance. I would say the only thing for me was that the resolution between the major issue between them seemed to be over so fast and I was expecting a bit more work on Jonathan’s part in addressing everything that had occurred between them. Constance is super sweet and forgiving but I was hoping they would discuss the major issue between the two of them more and that there would be a bit more of time for them both to heal from the damage of the major conflict between them. I do enjoy grand gestures and Jonathan definitely tried his best. Overall a sweet story and definitely would rec for anyone who likes romance novels with heart.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Paperbacks for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This is a story about two teens who discover their powers and each other. Filled with music and magic set in an urban fantasy, this story revolves around a political battle within a diaspora community. The story has mystery, romance, magic, and heart. It follows Mateo Matisse a high school junior and a piano prodigy who just wants to get the attention of a music legend. On the night of the Grand Fete, a party that celebrates the blended culture of pirates,Cuban Santeros, and Sephardic Jews his life is turned upside down when he witnesses the murder of someone he knows. He soon discovers that he is Galanika, the healer god and that two other gods were also “reinacrnated” into two other people in his community that he must find in order to bring back their island home of San Madrigal. The story started off slow for me and political.. and not much happens until the last 30% of the book which picks up but it just wasn’t for me sadly. Definitely give it a go though it’s got a lot of fun magic and history and culture in it!

*Thanks Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide, Rick Riordan Presents for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

In the haunted town of Blackwater, Maine two boys will face ghosts and monsters... and falling for each other. A paranormal mystery is afoot and two unlikely boys will have to come together and solve whats happening in their town before its too late. Tony Price is a popular high school track star and occasional delinquent... with a giant crush on the quiet boy named Eli. Eli Hirsch is an outcast, he’s shy and quiet and has a chronic autoimmune disorder that destroys his health and social life. When Tony and Eli start spending more time together they start to become unlikely friends.. and if Tony has anything to do with it.. maybe something more. However there is a werewolf curse afoot and a monster in the woods! Filled with cute awkward crush interactions, a fun paranormal mystery, and tons of high-school drama this was an adorable read! It is based on the popular hit webcomic!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Old best friends.. who might have had the worst break up after spending a week of being more than friends meet 11 years later and this just might be their second chance at love/ Margot Cooper and Olivia Grant have been best friends since forever, and one week during high school they realize the just might be more than just friends. A week of romance, sex, and just happiness all comes crashing down when Olivia’s ex boyfriend comes back and she gets back together with him, thus ending the friendship/potential relationship between the Margot and her. 11 years later, Olivia is divorced from Brad and working on her wedding planning career.... and she just happens to be Ben’s wedding planner, and Ben just happens to be Margot’s best friend. After finding out that her apartment is flooded she needs a place to stay... and Margot offers her her apartment. Now the two of them have to navigate old pain, their feelings still being there, and what they’re going to do now. Margot and Olivia will soon have to face their old history and what actually happened that week before their friendship ended and what it means for them going forth and if they can resist the sexual tension between the two of them. This is the third book in the series but can be read as a standalone ( though I would 100% recommend the other two books too!) we get fun cameos of the other couples. I loved Margot and Olivia. They were two people who have loved each other since forever but after a major misunderstanding neither knows what to do about their feelings for the other in fear of rejection or hurt. Margot cares for Olivia but is afraid Olivia will leave her again and that she won’t really mean anything to her. Olivia is in love with Margot but can’t understand her and doesn’t know if what they have between them is as special to Margot as it is to her. This one was definitely a steamy read ( I think it might be more so than the other two) but the romance was just as sweet and cute. I do adore long time yearning romance between two people who have history and oh boy do these two ladies have history. I would highly recommend this!

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

The Predator and The Stolen Girl must unravel a dark secret and see if their love can survive. Tristan “Predator” Caine is a monster and after years of hating and obsessing over Morana Vitalio they’ve finally acknowledged the feelings between each other and picked each other... but how can someone as broken as Tristan be with someone like Morana? Picking up where the first book left off Morana has left her family and picked Tristan and gone back with him. But going back with Tristan and Dante to their family homes means Morana will be vulnerable to the threats around her and the people who want to use her to hurt Tristan. There is also the mystery of the stolen girls and Tristan’s missing sister... and a stranger who has been leaving clues for Morana to unravel the mystery. But now trapped in enemy territory Morana will have to see if she can survive her new environment and if she and Tristan can finally have a relationship. This book definitely amped up everything in the first book and I absolutely loved it. You get to see more of the relationship between Tristan and Morana grow, more of the support and care they have for each other, and it was just amazing.

Two sworn enemies from rival mafia families and their secret past that will change their future. Tristan and Morana are from rival mafia families. Tristan is a stone cold killer, with an icy personality, and a silent demeanor that unnerves everyone. Morana is skilled with computer, so skilled that she creates a code that could destroy everything... and its landed in the wrong hands. When she tracks it back to Tristian she breaks into his house and attempts to kill him to get it back... too bad he doesn’t have it and has no clue what it is. When they both discover that someone is trying to frame him and then Morana’s own family is out to kill her... she’ll have to place her trust in the one person who absolutely loathes her. Morana has no clue why Tristan hates her, yet the hate between them fuels a fire.. a passion that soon has them falling into the temptation of something more. Morana will have to uncover Tristan’s past and her involvement in it to unlock the man before her. He hates her but he won’t kill her... he vows to kill her but can’t stop looking at her, can’t stop saving her. But when she discovers what truly happened between will she be able to escape with her life or will she give in to the predator at her door. While I did like the whole enemies to lovers aspect, I’m gonna be real honest, there was wayyyyy too much silence and just staring every single chapter between these two characters and the REASON for why Tristan hates Morana? CLOWN ENERGY. I’ll definitely be reading the rest of the series for Dante and other characters but honestly Tristian had so much potential to be more but he just didn’t hit the mark this time. I adore the author’s writing so I’ll definitely give the rest of the series a go!

Their love was always meant to end in tragedy but not if he has anything to say about it. Dante Maroni is the Heir to the notorious Tenebrae Outfit, he was trained since birth to be the successor. Handsome, charming, and brutal... yet there is one woman he would do anything for. Amara is the daughter of the Maroni Housekeeper. She’s been in love with Dante for as long as she can remember but when she is abducted and tortured at the age of fifteen she loses herself, her life, and her home. The scars are there both mentally and physically and nothing feels the same. Dante is determined to help her heal, to support her, to love her... but their love must be kept a secret because she is his only weakness and when his father discovers it he exiles her. Dante and Amara continue to keep a secret relationship as the years go on and as Dante slowly builds up his plans to destroy his father and finally take over... but when one of his plans involves him faking his death, that is the last straw for Amara. She can only give so much of her heart away and now that she is pregnant with their child she thinks the best place to be is gone. When Dante hears of Amara’s sudden disappearance all pretense is out the door and now he will do anything to finally be with the love of his life. He will destroy anything that gets in their way and pave a home for her right beside him, a place where he can love her, where he can protect her and show off to everyone just who owns his heart... if he can convince her that he is exactly her happily ever after. Amara is still healing from her scars and she’ll have to find it in herself to see if she is ready to finally be with the one person who has loved her his entire life. Along the way are other mysteries that need to be unraveled, and the story of their young tragic love that transform into something deep, intimate, and beautiful as they grow older is told. This was a beautiful story about survival and healing, about love that endures and perseveres. Dante’s love for Amara was just *swoon*. This was honestly my favorite book of the series so far and can’t wait to see where it continues!!

Two people with a past are reunited after years separated... and he doesn’t even remember her. Alessandro ‘Alpha’ Villanova has fought his way to being at the top of his empire in Los Fortis. He’s a fighter and he suffered an event in his youth that left him missing one eye and most of his memories of that time. Zephyr de la Vega is looking for love, and she can’t forget the one that completely destroyed her, the one that got away and left her waiting for him for 10 years. She’s a hair stylist and when a bad break up leads her into running into Alpha again, her Alpha, she just kisses him. When she realizes he doesn’t remember her she opts to try and get him to fall in love with her again by proposing a contract marriage for six months... yet Alpha has sworn off any kind of relationship. There’s also the fact that there is a killer going around killing girls and living bits of Alpha at the crime scene trying to frame him. The more Zephyr tries to love Alpha, the more she tries to get him to fall for her the more distant she feels him growing and when it reaches the point where she realizes maybe he’ll never be the person she loved, he’ll never love her, she decides to leave, to give him what he wanted, distance, and separation... but the beast has been awoken and he won’t let her go. He can’t. This is the fourth book in the series and while you can read it as a standalone it definitely works better if you read the series in order so you can get a better scope of the entire storyline and enjoy more character interactions because YES DANTE, AMARA, TRISTAN, AND MORANA ARE ALL HERE ( and so are their kids). While this one ended more abruptly than the other books ( since there is another book in the series) it felt a bit off kilter. I was definitely expecting it to end on a better ending but it felt so abrupt and cut off that I was left a bit confused. I definitely can’t wait to see where the final book goes and how the mystery unravels and what the last couple of the book ends up being like. I did enjoy Zephyr and Alpha as a couple, they definitely gave off the “beauty and the beast” vibe especially with how often the word Beast is used in this book haha.

Prophecies, complicated relationships, and a kingdom to save. The crew is all back again and this time they’ll be facing their potential dooms, an Ice Queen with crafty motives, love interests with secrets, and oh, the possibility their entire kingdom could go up in ice. The second book in the A Hundred Names for Magic Trilogy picks up where the first one finished, with Alex newly coordinated as King, with Tala giving up the all powerful Nameless sword and discovering her father’s secret past, and Ryker dealing with the conflicted feelings of who he will have to side with, his mother who has committed crimes but has loved him or the girl he has fallen in love with who keeps saving him despite the things he’s done. Alex must deal with not only the difficulties of ruling but finding a way to protect his kingdom, his friends, and the complicated relationship with his ex. Tala is struggling to accept her father’s past, with the other side of her family she didn’t know about, and the fact that the boy she fell for, who had betrayed her, is back and she has no idea what his motives are except that he is constantly telling her that no matter what happens he’ll always protect her. The crew are all dealing with their own separate curses, drama, and family issues: Zoe and Cole discover how intertwined their dooms are and how despite both fighting their feelings for each other... they just might be more in love than either cares to admit, Nya and Ken also must deal with their dooms and how Nya’s secret might break their budding feelings, Loki must face a decision and uncover what matters to them. All in all this was a wonderful continuation of the first book, I had fun reading about the growing relationship between the characters and OH MY LOVES RYKER AND TALA, I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH AND THAT ENDING?!?! I’M ALREADY BEGGING FOR THE LAST BOOK RIN CHUPECO!!

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire, Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*