An excellent start to a series. Lihn is a very three dimensional and realistic character and I love all of the social commentary there is on slavery. Kai is a very nice male lead with a personality who isn't a jerk. It's hard to find YA male leads that aren't jerks being written off as "charming", so this was a nice change. Having the character of Icho around was also super entertaining. It made me want to have my own android following me around. I'm hoping to see how Cinder and Kai's relationship develops in the future, because there is so much left for Kai to find out by the end of the book. Definitely looking forward to getting to the rest of this series.

I enjoyed Nairne and Zed as a couple more in this installment of the series. There are a lot more scenes focusing on their intimacy with each other. There is also an acknowledgement that despite loving each other, they still get on each other's nerves and argue. Zed's moments of jealousy and his domineering nature is more toned down, and I think it's related to his increasing level of comfort with Nairne. I still think that as a character he could have used a lot less of that, but I don't have much else to comment on that besides what I mentioned in my previous review of the first book. 

The friendships in this book are also prominent, specifically with Lucas and Elodie. Both of them are really good friends for Nairne and Zed and they show it through their actions of support for them. Lucas seems to be romantically/sexually interested in Elodie, and I suspect she may be too. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in the spin-off. Lucas is funny and charming and Elodie is very intelligent and protective of those she cares about. I think they added more dimension to Zed and Nairne and I appreciated getting to know them more.

There is more of a focus on character development than on plot in this series. The plot connects back to Nairne's backstory rather than Zed's this time, and I appreciated how they worked through the conflict that entailed. There is less of a world building issue in this book, namely because Zed only having one full time career is more realistic. It's way more believable for Zed to be a full time professional athlete with security and paparazzi following him around than the triple career superhero he was in the first book. Overall, this was an improvement from the first book and I'm looking to see what kind of conflict Zed and Nairne confront in the next book.

I have previously read the three Bergman brother novels by Chloe Liese and I can definitely tell that her writing has grown since this debut. She does a great job when it comes to making characters with disabilities, mental illness, and neurodivergence relatable. The intimacy displayed within the romantic relationship is also done very well. However, Zed, the male lead, feels too domineering and overbearing. He works with Nairne, the female lead, and is in a position of power over her. There are moments in the story where Nairne does not agree to Zed's demands and he pressures her into agreeing. This is done by reminding her that he has access to her address and contact information through his connections. At other times he sort of bribes her into dates. By that I mean, he offers to take her somewhere tempting enough that Nairne agrees. In addition, there are instances when Zed becomes jealous that don't seem appropriate. She always agrees consensually, but Zed's tactics, particularly at the beginning, are questionable at best. Zed does not start on the right foot with Nairne considering he introduces himself to her with sexist and misogynistic comments in a professional setting. Nairne's acceptance of their relationship also seems to fast given her negative history with stalking and bad experience with BDSM in the past. It is mentioned that Zed reminds her of these bad experiences secondary to his sexual preferences overlapping with those of her previous partner. Their relationship grew on me despite these hiccups in the beginning. I acknowledge that the beginning of the relationship is problematic, but the further development improves greatly on it, so I was still able to enjoy the romance. Both Zed and Nairne work out a way to meet in the middle and communicate what they want from their relationship with full consent and mutual respect. Nairne has a disability, but it is never fetishized by Zed. He clearly expresses that he likes her regardless of her disability and comes clean to her about his involvement with the mafia pretty quickly. There are still other sources of conflict within the story that kept it interesting but did not involve miscommunication, which I'm sure will be great for readers that do not enjoy that plot device.

Another problem is with world building. Zed's life is unrealistic. He is a elite level soccer player, a man in a powerful corporate position, and also a man involved with the mafia. The corporate position and mafia go together, but a potential professional athlete? Professional athletes breathe the sport they practice like a full time job. Due to this, it's hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that Zed can balance a full time job and still be that good at soccer. Professional sports are stupidly competitive and I can't see him managing it all (unless he didn't sleep or had a time turner). This is just something that broke the fourth wall for me a little and took me out of the story. It's a novel, but it's still a criticism I have.

Despite the above criticisms, I enjoyed the couple Zed and Nairne evolve into. I appreciate that there are unconventional sexual preferences that are depicted in a positive light with explicit consent. There are also characters from various nationalities and cultures represented within the story including side characters that I'm hoping to see more of in the other books in the series. I think this isn't a bad romance to pick up, but I would heed the commentary above before you make a decision.

 If you're looking for a Hades/Persephone and Beauty/the Beast like retelling with a strong female lead and an enemies to lovers trope, this might be an option. There are elements of both retellings here, but it doesn't completely have elements of one over the other. Eldas, the elf king, is quite the jerk when he is first introduced. However, he eventually grows and responds to the feedback given to him pretty well, particularly Luella's. I don't mind having a male lead that's a jerk as long as he shows character growth, and Eldas definitely does. Luella is strong willed, stubborn, and intelligent which easily drives Eldas mad. Through her relationship with him she must also faced her prejudices and grow as a character as well. Both of them have a shared sense of isolation which brings them together as friends, and eventually husband and wife (not just in name). The sex scenes are graphic enough to be considered adult, but not the most explicit I've read. There is a soft magic system in place that is more nature based for Luella and focused on death/darkness for Eldas. The story is more character based, but there is enough story to keep the plot engaging. There is also an animal companion in the story that I really liked too. I thought I would mention that in case anyone is interested. Overall, really enjoyed this retelling more than I thought and I'm looking forward to reading more books by Elise Kova. 

I had not read a romance with representation for deaf people or the hearing impaired before, and I'm glad this was the one I picked up. I've often heard from hearing impaired individuals that a lot of able-bodied people assume that deaf people are also mute, and I think this story will help diminish those preconceptions.  Not everyone is born deaf and there are various causes for hearing impairment and the story gives an example of these circumstances. As someone who is not hearing impaired, this story sparked my curiosity about the topic and had me looking up information pertaining to hearing aids, procedures, and treatments for the hearing impaired. It really drives home how important representation is. There are instances in the story where people make wrong assumptions or judgements about Ryder, the male lead who is hearing impaired, secondary to his disability. It helps emphasize that in general it is important to try to not be judgmental with strangers because you never know what someone is going through. 

Pertaining to the characters, Ryder and Willa have a push/pull dynamic and they have lots of witty banter that was very fun to read. Eventually, they get to know each other better when they are paired up for a project for a class they are both in. They start seeing the things they have in common and gain great levels of respect and admiration for each other. This becomes a great foundation for their friendship and eventual romance. Both characters have issues with vulnerability. For Ryder it's due to insecurity related to his disability. On the other hand, for Willa it is secondary to being used to being independent her entire life and not knowing when to accept help. Their relationship is consistently engaging and both Ryder and Willa have interests and goals independent from their relationship to each other. Their friendships and platonic relationships give them excellent support systems when they have hardships. These side characters are also very likeable and I'm looking forward to seeing them in future books. 

This story has a lot of romantic elements that can border on over the top at times. Nonetheless, it is balanced out by some very dark elements explored in the story including physical abuse and sexual exploitation. The female lead, Madeline, has had a tumultuous and abusive relationship with her stepbrother. This is strongly contrasted by Alexander's healthy relationship with his siblings. There are a lot of nice family moments once Madeline is under the care of Alexander. I always like moments like this in romances because it shows that the main couple has other relationships that are still important despite not being romantic. It gives them a better sense of realism. The side characters are likeable and I'd be open to reading books about them in the future.

As far as the relationship between Alex and Madeline, there is a slow build up to their mutual trust and intimacy. Madeline has a lot of trauma and Alex is consistently respectful about her boundaries, which I appreciated it. There were moments where he was more territorial about Madeline than I liked, but nothing that became overbearing or patronizing. The sex scenes in the book had a strong emphasis on consent which is especially appreciated because of Maddie's history with sexual assault. 

Overall, if you want a romance that may border on cheesy, but handles darker themes like sexual assault well, this may be a good choice.

I'm glad we finally got to Loke's back story. Lucy also got some character development by going back home to get some closure. Despite all her disagreements with her celestial spirits, she still treats them with respect and doesn't overstep their free will. They have a contract with her and she does not treat them like commodities. Loke's backstory helps to show that not all celestial wizards are necessarily like that. It gives some nuance to the world and I appreciate that. Meanwhile, Makarov is trying to determine who his successor should be. This is complicated by the lack of eligible candidates (and also the fact that the guild keeps wrecking everything on jobs). He's going to have to inherit the guild to someone eventually, so I'm curious to see how that turns out. A great volume with some good character development for Lucy and Loke especially.

The beginning of this volume was quite funny. Juvia clearly has a crush on Grey and he's oblivious to it, so I'm looking forward to seeing that develop in the future. Meanwhile, we have been introduced to Sagittarius, Lucy's new zodiac spirit. I like seeing the creative ways Lucy's summonings use their abilities in new ways. It's always fun to see what new abilities and personalities they'll add to the story. Master Makarov is back in action and Fairy Tail is slated to continue their fight against Phantom. I'm looking forward to see where this goes because it's been a while since I watched the anime, so my memory is fuzzy.

The story follows a married couple consisting of a veteran who lost both lower extremities while serving overseas and his wife of over 20 years. The author did a great job depicting the emotional baggage that the relationship carried as well as how difficult it was for the husband to be vulnerable with his wife secondary to feelings of shame, unworthiness, and depression. He is attending therapy and they eventually start attending together. There is a lot of healing and emotional vulnerability between the characters and their children that is developed very well considering how short this novella is. 

I would have wanted this story to be longer, but the author did a good job making the story emotional despite that. I liked the level of intimacy and vulnerability the characters had with each other. The female lead is a bartender and I took issue with the lack of professionalism she displayed at the beginning of the story. I can't imagine not getting fired if I ever behaved like that at work, so I could have done without that. Besides that, I appreciated the representation of veterans and their mental illness and trauma. There is a strong sense of camaraderie among veterans that is reflected well. This is a short romantic read if you're looking for that.