I really enjoyed this story and I loved that the sea was it's own character. I wish we'd seen more of the Pirate Supreme though. Will definitely pick up book 2.

As an undiagnosed, neurospicy person, this book made me feel seen, and I’ve taken a lot away from it. 

I don't know how a YA romance made me want to learn how to play chess but here we are.

Ali Hazelwood can do no wrong in my eyes. She draws you in to a world where women are kicking ass in typically male dominated fields and I'm always here for it. 

Mallory starts off with the whole world on her shoulders (supporting her mum and sisters), and I loved watching her figure out that she's allowed to want things for herself and that it doesn't mean she's letting other people down. Nolan was an instant hit. I love dry, sarcastic and witty, and he was just genuinely lovely. Absolutely adored him, and he and Mallory were just so cute together. 

I found myself captivated by all the chess talk, which I wasn't expecting as I know absolutely zero about chess. I've always loved hearing people nerd out about whatever brings them joy and there was so much love and passion for the game in this book. Honestly, at the end, I'd have been perfectly happy with a few more chapters just of them playing chess. 

Ali has proven yet again why she is, and always will be, an auto buy author. 

This had enemies to friends to lovers with a queer awakening, a supported coming out, excellent ADHD rep and honestly one of the most real, relatable representations of what it was like to be a teenager that I've ever read. I devoured this book. Huge thank you to Cherie for recommending it. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from Leanne Egan. 

First, a huge thank you to @authordallassmith and @buddyreadbooknook for a copy of Bi-Partisan. So honored to be part of this book tour (my first one). 

This dual POV follows Jamie, a politician up for re-election, who is outed by the press after a one night stand with Adrian, a golden retriever vetenarian, who would rather stay home with his cats, a book and a blanket than be in the public eye (I think many of us can relate).  The fake dating plan commences to try and save Jamie's image but it's not long before they're both questioning just how "fake" it actually is. 

I adored both of the MCs in different ways. They both complemented eachother so well and I found myself grinning like an idot at all the lovely, fluffy, adorable things they did for eachother that showed they really cared. 

As well as adorable fluff, we also got plenty of spice as Jamie explored his bisexuality and first time experiences with a man. The dialogue in these scenes weren't just hot, but often funny and always very real.

It was great to see their physical and mental health issues (generalised and situational anxiety, and acid reflux) not just mentioned and brushed aside, but be part of the ongoing story too. I resonated with quite a few of Jamie's experiences with anxiety and I loved the support and understanding they got from eachother, as well as their friends and family.

Honestly this was just an all round excellent read. If you're a fan of RW&RB, then I definitely recommend you pick this up. I might even like this one a smidge more. "I said what I said".

This was such a fun read. A magical murder mystery that kept me guessing the whole way through. Dee was such a wonderful MC. So funny and charming and I loved that despite him hating and struggling with a lot of things about himself, being queer and fat was something he embraced and I'm here for it. Grasshopper was definitely my favourite. She was so loyal and strong for such a little one. Most of the other characters were just awful in some way or another but I did enjoy seeing their stories play out. I did struggle to get the hang of who belonged to which province but the list at the start of the book really helped with this. Will definitely read this author again. 

I loved this prequel looking at the life and death of Anne Boleyn, her love, Grace, and the beginning of HMRC. For a novella, it packed a lot in and the story could easily have handled double the pages but it was a fab little read that tied off nicely.  I would definitely love more novellas looking at other famous faces in the witching world. 

I loved HMRC but The Shadow Cabinet was next level! This is definitely up there with my favourites. So much so that I finished reading on kindle and immediately ordered trophy copies for the shelf. The plot twists and cliffhanger had my jaw dropping open. I can't believe we have to wait a whole year to find out what happens next! 

I'm so glad I waited to read this til I got my hand on the sequel, because that ending!!! HMRC had a bit of a slow start for me but by about 1/4 of the way through, I was hooked. There were so many "what the..." moments, I just wanted to keep reading. I loved Niamh, Ellie and Leonie, and adored the friendship between Theo and Holly.  I'm gonna be diving straight in to The Shadow Cabinet. 

To say this is set in a dystopian world in an unknown year (where a 2030's car is considered a classic), this book was terrifyingly relevant and gave Handmaid's Tale vibes. I loved Gabe, Eric and Arthur's stories, and how they are treated just for loving, and being who they are is utterly heartbreaking. Definitely check out trigger warnings if you're going to read this as Hussey was not messing around. Would highly recommend.