4.5 ⭐️

Thanks to Orbit Books for the advanced copy of The Jasad Heir!

“When you choose who you are willing to fight for, you choose who you are.”

A fabulous debut! The Jasad Heir is not only a captivating romantasy book, it’s also rich in Egyptian-inspired culture that will pull you into this fantasy world right away. There’s a “Chosen One” trope mixed with a destroyed kingdom, but the stakes felt higher due to Sylvia’s people being hunted and killed because of their magic while she decides what her place is as a hidden heir. I was cheering for Sylvia the whole way, and thought Sara Hashem did a great job of making me feel like I was in Sylvia’s shoes for the journey. The side characters are so supportive and lovable, which was great mixed with some brutal political intrigue and trials.

Read if you like:
- tournaments or trials in fantasy reads
- slow burn enemies-to-lovers
- political intrigue
- fierce heroines

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for the copy of this book!

Don’t let the cutesy cartoon cover fool you - The Witches of Bone Hill gets dark! Think crypts, haunted houses, blood magic, and gore. While it does start off more in the women’s fiction genre, it definitely ends on a more horror genre note.

I loved the concept of a line of witches connected to a house involving sister heirs to the house at Bone Hill. I also fell for the “brooding, tattooed groundskeeper” mentioned in the synopsis. However, the romance was definitely more minor with an interesting trope choice. I think this book was quite a bit too long - and it might feel that way because it’s told in third person, and the takes a while for dialogue to appear on the page. When there is dialogue, some of the characters sound like they’re from the 1800s even though this is a modern-day book.

Overall, I kept reading because I liked the general storyline - think of it like a darker, more modern Practical Magic - but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Thanks to William Morrow for the copy of this book!

Gillian McAllister is such a fantastic writer - I never see her twists coming! I love the fast pace, multiple POVs, and domestic suspense elements. I’m not usually a police procedural fan, but she does it so well that I end up loving her books!

The only thing I would suggest is to read this one in a physical copy and NOT do the audio, because it definitely got confusing in that format.

"The hardest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies."

A suspenseful, fast-paced psychological thriller told in multiple POVs, The Followers is a must-read thriller that asks the question, "how well do we really know those closest to us?"

Molly Sullivan is a social media influencer who shares lots of her life's details online, but marries a man who is very private and wants his and his daughter's details kept off of social media. As Molly unpacks boxes at her new home, she comes across some items that don't quite make sense, and may play into her husband's need for privacy. Maybe her new friend Liv can offer some support? We'll see... There are secrets upon secrets waiting for you to uncover!

Thanks to Avon for the copy of this book!

Mhairi is a favorite author of mine, and Between Us didn’t disappoint! Roisin and Joe have been together for a decade, and when their friend group goes on a weekend getaway, they watch the pilot episode Joe’s new show… and Roisin sees a few too many similarities from their relationship in the show that make her start asking some questions about its integrity.

I stayed up so late reading this book - it’s such a page-turner! Roisin and Joe’s relationship is clearly imploding, and Joe is such a dirtbag — I was so anxious waiting to see what would happen! There was such a feeling of dread as Roisin is second-guessing herself amidst Joe’s words and actions. She’s trying not to impact the larger friend group since there’s drama brewing elsewhere within it as well. But as more and more episodes of Joe’s show come out, there’s hope as Roisin starts to be more sure of herself and take matters into her own hands. I thought the messiness of relationships was really well done. To me, it was reminiscent of a Josie Silver-like storyline where the characters are messy and real and raw and you can’t help but cheer them on and hope everyone gets what they deserve in the end.

4.5 ⭐️

A tropical destination with funny moments but also a sister story that will make you sob.

Perfect for fans of both fantasy and military history, this book is an INCREDIBLE look at Chinese history with an element of shamanism included. You'll be floored by Rebecca's writing, inspired and appalled by Rin, and horrified by some of the real-life historical events that are included.