The Love Bet is a steamy OwnVoices romance about former high school sweethearts Luz and Evan. I loved that the novel’s main characters were (mostly) level headed and very mature. They clearly have baggage, both from their time together and their years apart. Reading their romance was like finishing the last helping of a delicious pie - satisfying and sweet. 

Luz’s background is also heavily influenced by her experience as a Black Dominican woman. I like that the authors included all of the ways in which anti-Blackness and colorism affects her life both inside and outside her community, as well as her relationship with Evan. Evan was also so sweet and willing to learn Though I felt some parts of her family dynamic were told rather than shown, I thought it brought depth to the story and was very interesting to read as an African American woman. I appreciated that Luz was so aware of colorism within her community and worked hard to call it out when she saw it in her life, but also talked about the danger of internalizing that kind of rhetoric. Self-love for the win!

Additionally, this story is told in dual timelines: there’s the timeline when they were high school sweethearts and the present day. I was surprised to be equally invested in both timelines. Usually I find myself more interested in one timeline, but I think there’s a freshness to both. You can definitely see how these characters have changed over time and it bleeds into the writing. I thought it was really well done. However, I do think that structure-wise, I would have rather have the first half be Luz and Evan’s time in HS and then the second half is the present. Because most of what happens in their past is spoiled early into the book, when we finally get to that part it lacks emotional punch. Regardless, I did still like it and loved the sex positive bits (in both timelines!).

The Love Bet is steam when it needs to be, smart all the time, and delightfully engaging. A second chance romance I rooted for from the very beginning!

Disappointing in almost every aspect, unfortunately. It ended pretty strongly but boy did it stumble getting there - whether in tone, baffling and almost lazy character development, plot, and pacing.

I think this book has second book syndrome. It really lacks direction, and fails to drive home the stakes. I was bored reading this more times than not. This entire book? With some more editing it should have been the first 200 pages max of Serpent & Dove's ACTUAL sequel. It certainly should not have been the 536 page rambling mess I just had to read.

Full review to come once I can state my opinions more succinctly. 1.5/5 Stars.

I was going to say I’m surprised I like this, but that’s a blatant lie. This is exactly the kind of stuff I like. Rugged survival on an alien planet, sexy aliens with questionable anatomy??? Oh yeah, sign me up.  Paranormal romance writer’s MINDS - I truly wish to be on their level. This book surprised me because it actually has very content (see: content warnings), but it offsets it with a very humorous tone. This book was funny, y’all, I don’t know what else to say. I’m not going to say this was the best thing ever written, but I enjoyed the ride.

Anyway, Vektal + Georgie deserve the world. 

Shoutout to bookslikewhoa on YT for that hour long video that convinced me to read this series. Also, they have much more nuanced takes and breakdowns (about the entire series!) than I currently have the energy to write. 

 This is my second read in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series by Erica Ridley. Like One Night with a Duke it was a solid edition to a fluffy historical romance series. Perfect for the holidays and it featured a “spinster” Cynthia, who is actually 30 years old instead of 21. 

 

There isn’t much tension within these Christmas themed books, so if that is something that bothers you, I don’t recommend this series. However, I thought this was a fun and sweet read. 

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

 This was a fluffy romance about two people in different ways of life falling in love during the holidays (maybe even, in spite of the holidays). I truly did enjoy reading this story. The setting was really cute - it had a sort of Christmas village whimsicality to it that I think helped set the tone. Also, the heroine Angelica is a black jeweler who has a passion for her work and doesn’t diminish her talents for anyone. 

 

Though lacking in tension, I felt the characters were developed just enough for me to be invested in their romance. Plus, they were so sweet together. Perfect for the holidays! 

The Prince and the Thief had all the ingredients of a compelling reading but fell flat. Though quite easy to read, it offsets this by being unremarkable. The writing got in the way of the story at times - heavily dependent on clichés and dramatics. Things happened but I never felt like they were developed to its full capacity. I think the main issue is that this book just needs one more round with the editor.

I never felt connected to the characters. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. I did enjoy reading about Will and Aiden. However, I think the overuse of tropes got in the way for Aiden and Will to transcend these characteristics. They weren’t fully formed characters; they were the plucky but talented orphan, and the benevolent prince.

All of this sounds very harsh, but I don't actually think this is atrocious. I just think it's disappointing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an impressive YA debut from Ifueko. I must say, Raybearer is one of my favorite YA novels I've read this year. The world felt incredibly rich. I loved reading and inhabiting this world, as well as the cultures it draws from. It felt as though the author created a world infinitely rich and capable of expansion--I can't wait to see where Raybearer takes us in book 2.

More importantly, I think this novel has very interesting things to say about legacy and fate. Reading Tarisai's journey felt intensely personal. One of the most complicated mother-daughter relationships I've ever read, it brought a lot of emotional brevity to this work. My heart broke with Tarisai as she fought for a name outside of her fate.

However, Tarisai isn't the only one we get to know in Raybearer. We meet the sweet warrior Sanjeet, the inquisitive scholar Kirah, and loving leader Dayo. As Tarisai became attached to this motley crew, so did I.

Will be waiting patiently for book 2!

__________

SO, a lot to unpack here. And there’s no official release date for the second book 🧍🏾‍♀️love that for me!

"So, what will you say at my funeral now that you've killed me, Rebecca Roanhorse?" -Beyoncé, I think

Okay, so that quote isn't from Beyoncé, but it is how I'm feeling right now! Roanhorse said she wanted to take on an epic, and wow, did she?!

This is the first book in the Between Earth and Sky series and I am so excited to read the next book. There were so many things I liked about this novel. The magic was really interesting! I can't wait to see it expanded even more in the next book. Mermaids are also very cool! Also, the setting. Roanhorse has a way of crafting three-dimensional landscapes. I felt like I understood where I was, what the different cities (and the sea) were like. But can I just express appreciation over the shifting POVs? I usually don't like books that change POVs because I get invested in one character over the others. This novel doesn't have that problem. I actually really enjoyed all of the people we followed in this book. All of the characters felt well-developed, or at the very least interesting. I particularly loved Xiala, our bisexual icon. And Serapio...oh, god. He made my heart ache.

The casual queerness in this novel was so well done. I loved it. Roanhorse did a great job of including nonbinary, trans, and LGBTQ people in this novel without having to explain their queerness, or having it be a plot point. It was very satisfying to read.

I don't usually like romances that center around fandoms, but this was done so well. Watching these two fall in love was a joy. I loved April. She's smart and funny and her relationship with Marcus had me grinning. I probably looked a little crazy reading this, not going to lie. And Marcus! He had depth, even when he refused to let the world see beneath the surface. I loved that this book featured a plus-size heroine and a neurodivergent hero. They bantered and they had undeniable chemistry!

I am taking a point off simply because I don't enjoy the lie by omission trope. I think there's so much potential for conflict in this novel. I don't think including it, or that being the last conflict we see in the novel is particularly satisfying. That being said, I did still enjoy this.

This was so disappointing. I've read Sarina Bowen in the past and really enjoyed her work, but this was just not it for me.

Jonas Smith is a famous rockstar who goes to a small town in Maine one summer to relax and make some music. He wasn't expecting to find a friend in one of the locals, Kira. The two become close when he decides to eat lunch at Kira's father's store. And when it's time for Jonas to go back to his life as a rockstar, they say farewell. Little did he know that five years later, when he returns to the small town, he would meet the biggest shock of his life: his daughter.

Because I don't want this entire thing to be negative, here's what I liked about Lies & Lullabies:

-Adam! This is our Kira's brother. At the beginning he felt a little like a stereotype of a gay guy but I really grew to love him in this story. He felt nuanced and like a three-dimensional character.
-Vivi! This is our little bundle of joy. She was such a sweetheart! I love little kids.

Okay, now to the bad.

Unfortunately, this story just doesn't work. There are a few reasons, but I'll stick to these three.

1. We never actually get to see Kira and Jonas fall in love. The author doesn't spend near enough time in flashbacks to really establish Kira and Jonas's romance that summer five years ago. So, by the time they met again, I wasn't really rooting for them as a couple. They said I love you WAY too fast. And that's the thing with this particular trope (unplanned pregnancy, finding out about the baby later on), there's not much tying these two love interests together but the baby, so establishing those former years seems very important. Especially because we enter the present day and they say I love you so fast! It just wasn't believable to me.
2. I found it really hard to suspend disbelief in this novel. I just can't get over the fact that Jonas was willing to forgive Kira at the drop of a hat for not telling him about Vivi for FIVE FUCKING YEARS. He literally would have never known about his daughter. The only reason he did know was because his band went back to Maine for a weekend and I don't think the book really addresses how messed up that is. I could see if Kira had something to fear with Jonas, but she doesn't. He was her only friend and she trusted him absolutely--that is something the text establishes very well. The only reason she didn't tell him he had a daughter was because he didn't reply to the ONE love letter she sent????? HUH???? You are literally sleeping in your brother's house, unable to pay bills, or go back to school like you want to and you don't want to hit up your MILLIONAIRE BABY DADDY because your feelings are hurt?!? Lord, save me from stupidity. It's just unrealistic. It made me take a step back and examine this relationship I'm supposed to be rooting for.
3. There are way too many moving parts. The author tried to do so many things and none of them are flushed out. At one point we get one chapter in Adam's point of view (we switch between Kira and Jonas's POV). That chapter almost made me cry because I finally had relief from being in Kira and Jonas's dumbass heads. It also made me realize that I would much rather read a story about Adam than anyone else in this novel.

Okay, and I feel like I'm getting mean. I think that means it's time to end the review.