I’m just not in the right headspace for this book right now.

Thank you to Harper Teen for the ARC of Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan. All opinions are my own. 

Before reading this book, I read both These Hollow Vows and These Twisted Bonds and loved both of them. I was so excited to read this first book in this spin-off series, and it did not disappoint! 

If you haven’t read the These Hollow Vows duology, I would recommend reading them first because a lot of the world building takes place in those books, and this book takes place after those two books. 

Unlike the other books in this world, Beneath These Cursed Stars mainly follows two points of view and an additional POV at the end of the book. I really liked reading from all the different perspectives, and I enjoyed the romances of each main character. 

The first POV in the story is Jasalyn, Brie’s sister. She is living as a scared princess by day and a maiden of death by night. When the opportunity arises to team up with Kendrick, a man she met when imprisoned by Mordeus, she decides to take it. In order to be able to leave without Brie knowing, she agrees to allow Felicity, a shapeshifter, to take her place. Thinking she’s Jasalyn, Brie sends Felicity to go stay with King Misha in his court, where she gets to know him while trying prevent the fated prophecy about herself from coming true. 

I loved both Jasalyn and Felicity as main characters, and I enjoyed the romances between them and their respective love interests. There were a lot of cute moments that made me smile. 

The plot of this book was so fun, and the story ended in a way that makes me want the next book immediately. I hope that I don’t have to wait too long for it! 

I listened to the audiobook for this book and really enjoyed the narrators. I thought they did such a great job, and I liked how both main characters had different narrators. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book! 

I think I’m just too old to enjoy reading this for a first time now. 

Thank you to PRH Audio for the ALC and Penguin Teen for the ARC and finished copy of Under the Surface by Diana Urban. All opinions are my own. 

Under the Surface is not something I would typically read because I tend to avoid most thrillers. However, the synopsis really intrigued me, so I decided to give it a try. I am so glad that I did! 

This book sucked me in from the very beginning. I loved how the author used dual points of view to tell the story because it really added to the tension. Ruby’s point of view was filled with not only the issues surrounding the four students trapped in the catacombs, but she was also dealing with friendships and her feelings towards Sean. In Sean’s point of view, I loved getting to see how much he cared for Ruby as well as how he was able to put clues together and get past his need to follow rules in order to try to find Ruby. 

The author did a great job describing the catacombs so that I was able to easily picture them as I listened to the story. They felt so lifelike, and the descriptions added to the intensity of the book. 

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Rebecca Soler (one of my favorite audiobook narrators) and Max Meyers (a new to me narrator). This format of the book was excellent! The narrators really added to the pacing and emotions of the story. I’d definitely recommend this format! 

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone, whether you usually read thrillers or not. Since it’s a young adult thriller, the gore and creepiness is there without being too much for someone like me that gets scared easily. It also would be great for teens that are interested in this genre because it’s age appropriate and deals with some of the social issues that they might be facing. 

I was getting kind of bored and didn’t care for the romance. 

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for the ARC and finished copy of Saved by the Matchmaker by Jody Hedlund. All opinions are my own. 

Last year, Calling on the Matchmaker, book one in the Shanahan Match series, was one of my favorite books of the year. Saved by the Matchmaker, book two in the series, was one of my most highly anticipated books of this year. It did not disappoint! 

Saved by the Matchmaker is a historical romance set in the mid-1800s in St. Louis, Missouri. It follows Enya Shanahan and Captain Sullivan O’Brien and their marriage of convenience. 

While I loved both protagonists in this dual POV story, Sullivan was the highlight for me. He was such a patient, gentle, and kind man and took such good care of Enya. I loved watching him fall in love with her and try to help her in her healing process. He also became more confident as the story went on, and I appreciated how protective he was of Enya. His selflessness was so admirable, and I liked that he was such a hard worker. 

Enya had a great personality, and I liked seeing her come back to herself after dealing with the trauma she had recently faced. She really balanced Sullivan’s seriousness with her feistiness and love of people. While she had major trust issues, I definitely could understand where she was coming from with everything that she had experienced. I appreciated her bravery as well in several situations where she put the wellbeing of others ahead of herself. 

The romance was adorable. I loved watching Sullivan patiently wait for Enya to be ready for him. He wasn’t pushy, and he always put her first over himself. There were so many good romantic moments in this story and some really swoony kissing scenes. 

Overall, I would recommend this book! Although this is book two in the series, it can be read as a standalone.