SO I LOVED THIS?

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

And I’m so glad I did! I did go back and forth A LOT on a few aspects so lets get into those.

There is soooo much drama involving ex’s. And at times it felt like too much, yet in the same breath, I was reveling in the drama of Luna and Rhys finding there path to be together. I know it’ll be a polarizing type of read for that. I’m just reallll dang happy it worked for me. Though I did struggle with the friend arc. I don't know, she forgave waaaay too easy for me.

Rhys was SWOONY. Every near touch, stolen kiss, and whispered endearments had me glued to the page. I loved his character. I enjoyed Luna as well. She’s a runner (meh), but I do think it was handled well enough for me to roll with. There was pretty solid communication between them and I loooove a get your girl moment and I was squealing when it happened.

The setting is perfect. A quaint pub in the countryside. I loved the side characters and the shenanigans that went down. Plenty of holiday cheer and perfect for the season.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Holiday Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Trigger/Content Warnings: divorce, cheating (off page) 

Full review to come!

STARTED STRONG.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

I was enjoying a lot of this for a long time. I liked the second chance dynamics and the love interest was really sweet. And I noticed some character growth from the FMC and those are all things I look for in a great read.

Enter in some miscommunication that just brought this down for me. I know that doesn’t bother everyone but to me, I get easily frustrated by this.

Otherwise, I thought this was a good holiday romance. And I’d still recommend giving it a go even if I thought a little differently because of personal preference. There’s some good forced proximity, taking care of someone when they’re sick, and cute holiday activities.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Holiday Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: low
- Trigger/Content Warnings: child abuse (physically recounted), a parent with alcoholism (off-page), loss of parents, bullying 

NOT FOR ME.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

I would have DNF this book pretty quickly if it wasn’t a book club read that I knew I had to get through.

The romance was lackluster and dry. It was very insta-lovey and not in a way I could get behind. It all felt too easy and there was no true conflict or anything between them. I’m not saying I need a third act breakup but I do want to see some tension and working to be with one another.

I also hated Noor’s sister. She was whiny, pointless and over the top. Moving on.

The plot was boring. I spent a lot of time skimming over things and hoping to see some true action and FANTASY elements. Instead I had the love interest throwing Noor a surprise birthday party that did not fit the tone of the novel.

This was my second, and last book by this author.

Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy Romance
- Language: a little
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: low-medium
- Trigger/Content Warnings: physical abuse 

I enjoyed this!
It's a sweet and quick novella (about 100 pages). A bit silly, but I had a good time with it. Holiday season antics and good forced proximity. 

NOT FOR ME.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

I think I’m calling it on trying to read YA contemporary holiday books. I have been let down a few too many times.

This book was short, and full of wanderings that didn’t help the plot at all. Which made the book boring and feel long. I didn’t need snippets about work uniforms or multiple pages of the letters begin written to kids (they weren’t different). I wanted more character growth, more relationships, and an overall better dynamic.

And if you thought this had romance, it really doesn’t. Francie kind of pines after someone for most of the book and then sometime after halfway they kissed. Very anticlimatic.

No point of continuing this review. I’ve moved on from this book.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Contemporary Holiday Fiction
- Language: a little
- Romance: kisses
- Trigger/Content Warning: loss of a loved one (recounted) 

Thank you to PRHAudio for the complimentary audiobook.

AS EXPECTED, STUNNING.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

I have been a Pearson fan from the get-go and I know this novella has been around for a little bit and I am kicking myself for not giving it a go sooner. ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. Even with a condensed storyline, I felt all the swoon, all the romance and tension and heartbreak that came from these pages.

It’s been a few years since I read The Remnant Chronicles so unfortunately I don’t remember some of the nuanced details of the Morrighan influence in that trilogy. I didn’t have a problem loving this book even with that fact because this story stands really well on its own. I think you could read before or after the series and it would be just fine either way.

I loved these characters and the emphatic passion they had for protecting each other. Faced against some unlikely odds Morrighan and Jafir rose above. I love the writing style, world building and everything in between.

This is a must read for TRC fans!

Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy Romance Novella
- Language: very little
- Romance: closed-door
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: kidnapping, physical abuse, small battle themes, weapons violence 

Alright, this was sweet and I did like the writing and the general plot for the novella.
But it's also only 42 PAGES?
That's it?!

If I had even 50 more pages I think I could have gone with a higher rating. I just needed more background, interactions, etc. 

2.5 stars

TOO EASY.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

This book started off fine, but since it was super short, it tanked quickly.

Everything was simultaneously too easy and too dramatic. There were true attempts at working through forgiveness and listening to someone’s story before making assumptions. All good things at the core, buuut, with no further conversation after it made those deeper moments feel shallow.

And things got dramatic. I can barely remember the exact details at this point because I already felt through with the book.

It wasn’t for me.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Holiday Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: low
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of parents, near death experiences 

PROGRESSIVELY ENCHANTING.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

I do admit to this getting off to a bit of a slow start. But, gratefully, I super enjoyed this by the end.

I loved the combination of genres here! I loooove fantasy books and I loooove regency books. Why aren’t they put together more often?! I need more of this ASAP. The plot was unique to me and I loved the half a soul concept.

Dora was a great character and I loved her relationship with her cousin. Even knowing that she was missing part of herself that didn’t stop her from taking care of things that needed to be done and even falling in love. Her perseverance was inspiring.

The romance turned out to be so sweet!! Elias and Dora started from reluctant acquaintances to teammates saving children for the faeries. The ballroom scene was one of my favorites and I’m glad they had some good swoony moments too.

It turned out to be a much faster read than I thought and I did like the balance of action vs. quiet that worked well for the setting. I adored this combination and look forward to more books by this author!

Overall audience notes:
- Historical + Fantasy Romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: medium
- Trigger/Content Warnings: kidnapping of children, brief war themes