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bookrecsbyjess
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thank you to Bethany House Fiction for the ARC of Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer. All opinions are my own.
This is book three in the Texas Ever After series, but each book is a standalone book about different characters with a unique fairytale retelling.
I’ve read the other books in this series and enjoyed both of them. However, this book is definitely my favorite, and I didn’t want to put it down!
This book was romantic, exciting, and full of great spiritual moments.
Letty and Philip quickly became friends, and their friendship seemed so natural and sweet. I liked that they never tried to be someone they were not. They were sweet and caring, but I was also impressed with the physical boundaries they put in place since they were alone together so much.
The journey throughout the book was exciting and at times funny. Letty’s pet wolf Rusty was such an enjoyable addition to the story with how protective he was and the funny moments between him and Philip.
One thing that really impressed me and made me enjoy the story even more was the faith elements. I could tell that the characters were strong Christians, but they weren’t pushy or preachy with their faith. I really admired their selflessness and self-control that they exhibited throughout the story.
Overall, I really loved this book and was so sad when it was over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Blood, Death of parent
adventurous
medium-paced
Thank you to Libro.fm for the ALC of A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan. All opinions are my own.
This story follows two characters who are thrown together and have to make the best of their situation.
I liked that this was an easy romantasy story to get into. Even though I haven’t read any of this author’s previous books, I didn’t struggle to understand this world.
Tamsyn and Fell’s romance was a bit insta-love, but I didn’t hate it. I actually appreciated how thoughtful Fell could be considering his warrior status and brutality when dealing with other people.
Because this story was so short for a fantasy book, I do think there were several loose ends that made me want to read the next book in the series.
I liked the introduction of dragons but expected there to be more of a focus on them in this story. I can see how the author is setting the series up to include a lot more emphasis on dragons in the next book, but I would’ve liked to see more of them in this story.
This story is open door and contained more spice than I would’ve preferred. The first open door scene was also weird considering the atmosphere.
I listened to the audiobook of this book and enjoyed the different narrators for the different characters’ points of view.
Overall, it was a quick read, and I’d recommend it to people looking for a fun romantasy to start.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
I thought the writing was kind of cheesy, and I didn’t like the characters or their attitudes.
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC of Ace, Marvel, Spy by Jenni L. Walsh. All opinions are my own.
This historical fiction novel follows the life of Alice Marble as she becomes a famous tennis player, goes through many hardships, and contributes to the war efforts during World War Two.
I found that this novel read a bit like a biography even though it’s historical fiction. It is based off a real person, but I liked how the author chose to tell Alice’s story.
If you enjoy tennis, I think you’ll really enjoy this book because there was quite a big focus on Alice’s career in tennis. She had some setbacks due to health and discrimination in the world of professional tennis, but she still had an amazing career.
I actually enjoyed the relationship aspects and her time as a spy the best in this story. I thought her time working for the government was very interesting and exciting compared to other parts of her life.
Alice went through a lot of hardships, and I really felt for her during every setback and loss. The relationship losses were the hardest part to read.
I enjoyed Alice as a character even if I thought she sometimes came across a bit conceited. My feelings towards her coach were mixed because she did a lot for Alice over the years, but she was also controlling and manipulative at times.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys tennis, historical fiction, or biographies.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Sexism, Car accident, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, Antisemitism
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC and to Minotaur Books for the physical and digital ARCs of All’s Fair in Love and Treachery by Celeste Connally. All opinions are my own.
This is book two in the Lady Petra Inquires series. It picks up right where book one (Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord) leaves off. I would recommend reading them in order because you will miss out on some background information, and there will be spoilers for book one if you don’t.
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I did book one, but it wasn’t a bad story. I don’t read a lot of mystery books, so I may not be the best judge of whether or not this was a good mystery book.
I found the plot of this story to be confusing at times. I also had a hard time keeping straight all of the new characters. It may be easier reading the physical book than the audio, but the audiobook narrator wasn’t bad. She did a pretty good job differentiating the characters.
There was a bit more romance in this book than the previous book, which I did enjoy. One thing that I did not like as much were some of the secrets that were revealed about characters from the previous book.
Overall, I would say to give this book a try if you enjoyed the first book in this series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thank you to the author for the ARC of Wishing for the Rancher’s Love by Jody Hedlund. All opinions are my own.
It’s no secret that Jody Hedlund is one of my favorite authors. Everything she writes is just so good! This book is no exception.
Wishing for the Rancher’s Love is book 5 in the High Country Ranch series. It takes place in Colorado and follows two people that can’t stand each other but secretly have feelings for each other. While this book can be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading the first four books in this series first to avoid spoilers, and they’re amazing as well!
Grady and Clementine have known each other for years, but somewhere along the way they turned from best friends into enemies. Every time they interact, they do nothing but bicker. Then one day, Clementine starts receiving mysterious notes and flowers from someone anonymously. When the notes become creepier and threatening, Grady decides he will do whatever is in his power to protect Clementine.
I loved this book so much and didn’t want to put it down. The tension and passion between Clementine and Grady was so good! There were so many good kissing scenes, so you won’t be disappointed.
Grady was so protective of Clementine, and I loved how he went to great lengths to keep her safe. I also enjoyed how he became vulnerable with her as they spent more time together. Clementine was so stubborn and headstrong, but I liked that she didn’t let Grady push her around.
I also really liked the danger aspect of this story because it made me want to keep turning the pages to find out what would happen next.
Overall, I would recommend this book! I’m sad this series is over, but I’m excited for Jody’s next western series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Amazon Publishing for the ARC of Variation by Rebecca Yarros. All opinions are my own.
I was thrilled when I received this book in the mail because all of the other books I’ve read by this author have been five stars. This book was no different!
Variation is an emotional romance between a professional ballerina and a US Coast Guard swimmer that haven’t spoken in 11 years. After tragedy pulled them apart, it’s going to take family and trust to bring them back together.
I loved Hudson as a character. He was charming, sweet, thoughtful, and protective. Hudson would honestly do anything for the people he loved including putting their needs above his own. I loved that he didn’t give up on Allie even when she repeatedly pushed him away.
While I didn’t always agree with the decisions Allie made, I could understand her struggles coming from such a rough family life (especially her mom). There was a lot of family drama throughout the story, but I was happy to see Allie grow and learn to stand up for herself.
Note: this book is an open door romance meaning there are multiple explicit romance scenes. Also, there is some triggering content throughout the story.
Overall, I would recommend this book. It was emotional, and I didn’t want to put it down!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Car accident
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Infertility, Miscarriage, Terminal illness
