Wow! I was not expecting that. There's so much science and tech that I didn't know if I would follow and like this. I was wrong. There's a lot but it's easy to follow and it was quite interesting. I didn't know how I would feel reading about a virus that causes an apocalyptic type of pandemic. It was a little close to home. It actually really was relevant when it comes to all the stuff that's going on today and that's scary. I loved Catalina so much. She's gone through so much and she has a lot of empathy, which I wouldn't. I'm not sure if there's supposed to be a love triangle but there's kind of one for a minute. I don't think this is a romance focused book though. There's so much going on and a lot of action throughout that it's kind of the last thing on your mind! I mean, theirs too because they are just trying to survive. I will say, I'm totally into Cole. haha. I can't wait to see where we go next! 

Yuuuummmm!!! This book is delicious! I’m off sugar right now and probably not the best time to be looking at cookbooks about sweets. I really can’t wait to make so many of these. I have added this to my amazon wishlist to buy for the future. I can’t wait to make the Mint Chip Brownies, Death by Chocolate Brownies, and all of the brownies! haha. So many amazing photos to comply with each recipe, which is amazing. I dislike when cookbooks do not have photos to go with the recipe. I’m a very visual person!

Thanks to Harvard Common Press for an e-galley of this book for review.

I was so excited to see this on Netgalley since it’s not even on order at my library yet. This book is gorgeous! There are so many photos showing explanations and the finished product looks so good. There are some cookbooks that you own just for the beauty and this might be one. haha. Although, there are a lot of things that I want to try. I think the Coconut Jasmine Cream Buns look amazing! I would have to talk my husband into it since he’s not the biggest coconut fan but they just look too good. There’s also a Deep Dish Pepperoni Bread that I’m absolutely going to try. I will be buying this book for sure.

Thanks to Harper Horizon for an e-galley of this book for review.

 

I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for far too long. Why do I do this to myself? I delay myself the gratification of a great book! I also feel very hesitant about books when they become hyped. Sometimes A lot of the time it falls short but in this case, that’s furthest from the truth. I buddy read this with Dini and we had such a great time. We had so many thoughts going back and forth that we did figure out quite a bit. It was a lot of fun.

Now… enemies to lovers is my absolute favorite trope. I just love the angst and I love the banter. There are a lot of funny moments in this book but it was great to break up the intensity. This book is dark and it’s brutal at times. I was not expecting it to be as violent as it was. Just a heads up, there’s a lot of violence, gore, detailed deaths, and a lot of bugs. I mean it… if you have an aversion to bugs then I’m not sure this is the book for you. Juliette and Roma do have some lighter and funny moments but Benedikt and Marshall take the trophy there. They were hilarious and amazing. I am not sure what’s going on between these two and they might just be friends but I am SHIP them so hard. They really are such a breath of fresh air when you need it most.

Juliette has come back after leaving for four years. Although, she’s come back a different person and she’s set on revenge. She hates Roma and the White Flowers for their involvement in certain events. It was a really fun dynamic that she was so tough and quite vicious but Roma is the opposite. He just wants peace and hates to hurt anyone. He plays a part but doesn’t quite excel at it. They are both trying to figure out what is going on in the city but trying to avoid each other. I really enjoyed both of them but I feel like Juliette was all one speed. I know that Dini mentioned that too. I would have loved to see a softer side of her because she is so brutal but maybe that’s in book two.

One thing I want to gush about right now is the writing. Wow! Gong has such beautiful prose and her descriptions are in so much detail. I swear, I could picture the exact idea she has for Shanghai. The descriptions are stunning and the backdrop she creates for these characters is just phenomenal. There’s a lot of political intrigue and you don’t know who is behind all the chaos. The two gangsters are losing more and more territory to the foreigners. It feels like this city is being ripped apart but who will win out?

Overall, this was a very vibrant, brutal, and interesting story. The romance is great and I am so looking forward to that angst in book two. There was a bit of a pacing issue at the beginning of the book. It took me far longer than I wanted to get hooked. I would have loved more background and character development of some of our side characters. I REALLY need more Marshall and Benedikt too. The ending was a little predictable and I wanted more. In the end, I can’t wait to start book two, which we are doing in May! 

 Wow, I did not like this book! I struggled so hard to get through it because it was actually boring. I really didn’t like the MC. Aurora was very rude and I had a hard time with the book because she’s basically our only character for a lot of this book. For most of this book, she’s wandering around aimlessly in a forest. I think that the author was trying to make this a feminist book. While I do appreciate that it was not done correctly. She took it too far and Aurora was just plain rude and horrible to everyone in her life. I do not recommend this one at all.