I was so glad when I saw this novella was coming and although I struggle writing a review for novellas I had to share how much I enjoyed this one.

We are pulled back into Jonah and Vivienne’s story and immediately something happens that has Jonah questioning himself. When his sister, who happens to be out of the country, is mugged, he immediately questions his ability to keep those he loves safe. I love Jonah as a character and this story only added to the burden he feels due to his childhood. When Vivienne meets Rebecca, Jonah’s sister, she gets an even better picture of how hard it is for Jonah.

I really do think that Jonah and Vivienne are perfect for each other. She has learned when to push for the things she wants and when to respect Jonah’s feelings based on his role in their games. I love how they support each other through the good and the bad and this novella just shows how they support each other through everything.

If you enjoy erotic romance and haven’t read this series, definitely consider it. These are definitely not for everyone but if you can handle the subject matter, I recommend them.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

I had been waiting to get my hands on a copy of These Vicious Masks for a while so there was a bit of a celebration when I finally did get this in the mail. If you don’t know, I love a good historical book and this one sounded fantastic…Jane Austen meets X-Men – Sign me up!

As a young girl living in Victorian England, Evelyn is living a life that is stifling and she isn’t willing to leave her sister to danger no matter what will happen to her reputation. When her sister goes missing, Evelyn travels to London to find her and she realizes there is more to the world than she originally thought. What I enjoyed about this book was that it took the historical genre and added a paranormal aspect that wouldn’t normally be there.

I loved how tenacious Evelyn was when it came to finding her sister. She was willing to put everything on the line, including her reputation, to save Rose and she finds out along the way what she’s capable of. Supported in her search by Mr. Grey and Mr. Braddock, Evelyn proves that she is more than just a lady who should be seen and not heard. I loved the banter between all of the characters and the development of the story was very well done.

If you are looking for a book that is a great blend of historical setting and rules alongside some great storytelling, definitely check this one out. I look forward to more from these authors and can’t wait to see what happens next with this group of characters!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

3.5 stars

From the moment I saw the cover of The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine, I knew I was going to love this book. Plus, I loved Redwine’s Defiance series so I knew I had to check this one out. I know there are mixed reviews on this one but I don’t even care - I love a good retelling and this one gave me what I wanted when I picked it up.

Lorelai Diederich is the crown princess and the currently hiding from her step-mother, the woman who stole the Ravenspire throne and destroyed her family. As Lorelai tries to figure out how she can protect her people, save her kingdom, and get rid of the evil queen, she experiences love and great loss as well as learns more about who she is and what she is destined to become.

This story has quite a bit of action and I loved when Prince Kol came into the story. He has his own issues and they revolve around the war his kingdom is fighting. Having recently lost his parents and older brother, Kol realizes he needs the help of the Ravenspire throne and magic to save his kingdom. Because of this, he enters into a contract that puts him up against Lorelai even though he doesn’t want to be. There’s also something about Kol that I won’t tell you that makes him a pretty formidable opponent for Lorelai.

Overall I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next book in the series. If you are looking for a bit of fantasy and some swoony bits all within a fairytale retelling, consider checking this one out. I look forward to more from Redwine can’t wait to see the cover on the finished book.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

Review to come

Queen of Always is the third and final book of the Stolen Empire series by Sherry Ficklin and while I was super excited to get my hands on this book, I am also sad it is over. I love historical and Ficklin does a great job of mixing some fact in with a story she has built out and added her own twist to.

Book three begins immediately with a storyline that pulled me back in. Catherine has been separated from everyone she loves and just waiting for the Empress to die. Sergei has been gone for over a year at the Empress’s command, her son is still living away from her and Peter, and her best friend, Rina, is now dying. All of this adds up to it being an unsettling time for Catherine and almost immediately the state of things – both personal and political - shift when Rina and the Empress pass away.

When Empress Elizabeth dies, Catherine sees this as an opportunity to solidify her role in supporting Peter as the new Emperor and she tries really hard to forge a connection with him by providing advice and support. Unfortunately for Catherine, Peter is only willing to take the advice when he agrees with it and this puts Catherine in a position where she is continually trying to figure out where she should speak up and where she shouldn’t. Add to this the fact that he continues to throw his relationship with Elizavetta in her face and there is a real threat that things could end up badly for Catherine.

Catherine has definitely grown up in this series and this novel shows it more than anything. I think the most notable thing is that I don’t even really identify her as Sophie any longer – she is Catherine and that in itself shows the true change. Catherine isn’t willing to be a pawn any longer and instead is looking to create her own path, with or without Peter. It is clear she has allies and knows the political landscape which if Peter were smart, he could have used that to his advantage.

This book of the series is definitely for a slightly more mature audience due to the violence and romantic relationships that Catherine has but I have to say they are done in a way that wouldn’t raise any flags for me. Of course, I don’t get offended by much so…there’s that. Speaking of romantic relationships, as I mentioned, Rina dies at the beginning of the book and that means Alexander is no longer married. It doesn’t take long for him and Catherine to find their way back to each other, especially since Sergei is gone. The twist comes when Sergei finally makes it back to Catherine and she has to decide what to do with both of these men who carry a piece of her heart. I’m not giving anything away but I thought the way Ficklin handled it was well done.

One other thing I wanted to note around the characters was that the secondary characters are done well. The friendship and overall closeness/trust that Catherine has with/in Dasha and Grigori is important. It felt like they were the glue that held her together through a lot of the challenges in her life and I loved reading about the relationships Catherine had with these two.

So hopefully I gave you just enough detail to get you interested in this one. If you are looking for something that has some romance, danger and political intrigue, and some interesting characters, definitely consider checking this series out. And if you still aren’t sure about historical, this is a great series to start out with because while it is about a figure in history, it doesn’t feel heavy with dates, times, places, and events. Don’t get me wrong…it’s there but the story helps move things forward it’s hardly even noticeable if that isn’t your thing.

Catherine the Great isn’t someone I know a lot about and outside of the story blurb, I think that is what caught my attention -- Ficklin’s storytelling is what kept me reading. I am glad I crossed paths with this series and will definitely be checking out more books by Ficklin in the future.

Thank you to the author for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Stone Field by Christy Lenzi was a book I had my eye on since I read the summary. Inspired by Wuthering Heights I was intrigued. Don’t hate on me but I have never actually read Wuthering Heights (seriously…stop judging me) so I can’t comment on the comparison but I can tell you that it explores the idea of revenge and hate as well as love and acceptance. While slow moving at times, I found myself pulled into this story and turning the pages just to see what would happen next.

I have to admit that I thought the characters in this story were a bit odd. There is an interesting commentary here on what is “normal” and of course, what society would consider acceptable behavior and the main character in this book, Catrina, definitely falls into the category of “odd” to the people around her. She likes to be in the woods making her art and she doesn’t really care what people think about her. As the story progresses, we find out how the death of her mother impacted her but I admit, I found her frustrating at times. When she finds a naked man with absolutely no memory of anything in their fields, she is immediately taken with him.

Not knowing his name, Catrina names him Stonefield. These two are instantly drawn to each other and they quickly begin to create a world for themselves outside of everything else. Of course, with the questions surrounding Stonefield as well as the atmosphere and hate towards “different” people at the time, there is quite a bit of fear and anger embedded in this story and this is where the danger is for these two characters. As Stonefield realizes more and more who he is and where he comes from, it creates a wedge between these two and decisions they make ultimately destroy them.

Inst-love haters will most likely be frustrated by the immediacy of the relationship…I am sure of it and even though I found myself rolling my eyes a bit, I have to say that this piece added to the feeling of the overall story. I thought Lenzi did a wonderful job of creating this atmosphere of fear, hate, and ultimately a love that falls apart. I could feel the tension in the characters and one of the things I find both interesting and frustrating in historical stories is the way female characters are viewed by those around them. God forbid they have a thought in their head or aspire to be more than a wife and mother and in this story she takes it another step by tying religion and fear of the devil into the story.

Overall while the story felt a bit slow in parts, I thought it was well done. I don’t want to say too much about what happens and how but if you are looking for something unique to read, this one will definitely fit. Consider checking this one out when you can as once I started, I couldn’t put it down because I needed to see what was going to happen to these characters next.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor was on my to read list the moment I read the summary. I love a good time travel book and this one intrigued me.

Hope has lost her mother and although she has a solid relationship with her step-father, he has recently remarried and this means she needs to make a decision. She can either spend the summer with her step-father’s mother (who doesn’t like her at all) or she can go to Scotland to meet her mother’s family…people she doesn’t know anything about. Deciding that Scotland would be the easier of the two options, Hope gets on a plane and her life immediately changes.

First, I will say that Hope is an interesting character. I admit to feeling really bad for her with the situation she is in. To lose her mom and then be immediately pushed to make a decision where neither option is fair, I had moments where I just wanted to ask her step-father what the heck he was doing. As the story progresses, it became clear that she would do anything if it meant making those around her happy or protecting them.

When Hope gets to her aunt’s home, she immediately has questions as there is a lot of mystery surrounding the people she meets as well as the house itself. As she learns more about the legacy surrounding her family, Hope is pulled into the mystery of what actually happened to her mother and how she can help save her.

I thought the secondary characters were interesting and the villain of the story is your typical villain. Phoebe and Collum are interesting supporting characters that help to move the story along and Bran is the mysterious boy she crosses paths with that just also happens to know more about Hope and her situation than he originally leads her to believe.

Taylor created an interesting world around the rules of time travel as well as the dangers to those who are involved. As she brought the characters back in time, Taylor pulled me through time right along with her characters. Admittedly, I found the science of how the time travel was accomplished over my head yet it was still interesting and didn’t cause my eyes to glaze over.

There wasn’t anything here that really wowed me but overall the story kept me engaged and wanting to find out more. This was a fairly quick read and while there were some parts that were a bit far-fetched, I found myself enjoying it. If you are looking for something that has a bit of a historical feel with sci-fi mixed in, consider checking this one out.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy!

4.5 stars

Siren’s Song by Mary Weber is the third book in The Storm Siren trilogy and if you haven’t started this series yet you need to remedy this immediately. First, these covers are gorgeous and some of my favorites…ever. Second, the story that Weber has developed over the course of these three books had me on the edge of my seat and just waiting for the next book so I could find out what was going to happen next. If you haven’t read these books yet, you might want to hold off on reading my review further. I will do my best not to give anything away but can’t promise anything.

This book picks up shortly after Siren’s Fury ends. Now that Nym has faced off with Draewulf she and Eogan know they need to warn Cashlin’s queen about what is going on. As Weber sets this story up for the final face off to determine who will come out on top in the end, we get a lot more information on the Uathúils and we also get to see Nym jump into her role as a leader…and do well.

Nym continues to grow throughout this series and the thing that stood out for me the most in this book is the way she flourishes in her role as someone who can lead her people. As she comes face to face with her past (literally) she realizes she has the strength inside herself to be what her people needs and this isn’t just because of her power.

The relationship between Nym and Eogan takes some steps forward which I have been waiting for. Nym knows that Eogan is what she wants but there is still some hesitation on Eogan’s part. At times he pulls back which was frustrating but it’s always to protect Nym and doesn’t have anything to do with his feelings for her. He truly does love and care about her and I loved the way this was tied into the overall story because although the relationship is a big part of who these characters are, it doesn’t become the whole story.

As the cast of supporting characters help to move the story along, there are a few that stand out as my favorites. Kel is definitely one of them and of course there are Myles and Rasha. I can’t say much about what happens with them but this story wouldn’t be the same if they weren’t included. There are others as well and admittedly, the entire cast of characters help to push the story forward but these three have a special place in Nym’s heart and my head.

The last few chapters of this book had me turning the pages to see what was going to happen and I have to say, I was not disappointed. Weber ties this story together really well and as a series, while I will miss the characters, everything felt right. I’m not going to say anything about anything but trust me, if you love this series, you won’t be disappointed by what happens.

Hopefully this wasn’t too vague for anyone wondering what happens. If you know my reviews, you know I don’t like to spoil anything so apologies if this didn’t provide enough detail for anyone. With that said, take my word for it that if you are looking for a great YA fantasy, you should be reading this series. It has something for everyone and will take you on a ride you might not expect. I look forward to whatever Mary Weber has in store for us next and will be recommending this series to anyone and everyone.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy!

Review to come

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things is the first contemporary that I have read by Ann Aguirre and I absolutely loved this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in considering the series I love by Aguirre is an apocalyptic series with plague and zombies…this is not that.

Sage Czinski is good at pretending everything is fine and great. She is known at school as “princess” and every day she makes a point to put a post it note on someone’s locker that looks like they need some cheering up. What everyone doesn’t know is that she has worked hard to build an image that doesn’t reflect anything of her past. I won’t go into any detail here because I don’t want to give her story away.

What I will say is the Sage has been through some tough times and she has a hard time thinking she won’t lose everything she now has in the blink of an eye. She for sure has a dark side and although she does everything she can to hide it, we get glimpses of it through the story as she begins to face the things that are happening at school. Because of her past and what she has experienced, Sage is very understanding of the people around her (to an extent) and I loved that about her.

Shane Cavendish has the words “swoony boy” written all over him…ok, don’t take that literally. When he walks into Sage’s math class, she is immediately drawn to him and although he tries hard to avoid connecting with anyone at his new school, Sage finds a way to get past the walls he has put up. He also has some secrets in his past and as the story moves forward, we get to find out just how much these two need each other.

I loved seeing how these characters gravitated toward each other and ultimately became such an important part of each other’s lives. Neither of them have had an easy life but they don’t just throw in the towel and complain about it. They do what they need to do in order to move forward and although they are both hesitant to open themselves up for potential pain (with due cause) they get beyond that fear and come to realize that they do need other people.

Aguirre did a wonderful job of developing these characters and I loved how she was able to yank me into their stories and get me to care so much about these two….even without knowing everything about them. The post-it piece was brilliant and added a wonderful piece to the story that says a lot about who Sage is as a person without Aguirre coming out and just saying it.

If you are looking for a great story with some wonderful characters, definitely consider checking out this book - I will for sure be checking out more contemporary from Aguirre when I can.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.