Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for an eARC.

I was told the angst would be high. THEY DID NOT LIE. Off the charts angst, which is my absolute favorite. FAAAAAAVORITE.

Nina and Ollie are such gems. I loved the flashback chapters that were perfectly placed to give credence to the flair of the second chance trope. And I must mention, HE FALLS FIRST. Ohhhhh how I live for that sub-trope. I was smitten with Ollie up and down, around and around, FOREVER. I LOVE HIM. He is swoony, and kind, the best banter and when he stands up for what he deserves? YES. YES. YES.

My girl Nina, I admit, made me want to shake her a few times. I understood a lot of the feelings and internal struggles. I guess, for me, it was dragged on just a *touch* too long? But that was my only minor complaint. Otherwise, Nina was on this incredible journey that forced her to confront many things that needed to be knocked down. I loved these two together.

All of the sub plots and side characters were everything my Below Deck loving soul could not get enough of. The perfect dose of drama, THE CAPTAIN, glimpses of Jo and Alex? Everything flowed and fit in so well. I didn’t feel like there was wasted space, just glorious writing and a story that I couldn’t put down.

READ IT.

 

NOT EVERYTHING I HOPED FOR.

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*sigh* I always hate feeling let down by the last book in a series. This was fine, but not the stellarness I was hoping for.

One of my biggest pet peeves here was the separation of the main couple. Ana and Ramson were separated for WAY TOO LONG. The first half was sooooo slow because of the gathering armies scenes. There wasn’t enough intrigue here and it felt repetitive until everyone was at last together. I just would have preferred more screen time between certain characters.

I definitely wanted to throw the book at the main character a time or two for how she was handling her relationship with Ramson too. Some very YA heroine decisions that popped up here that I generally enjoy not having around.

The second half was much better. I loved all of the action with Morganya and how those final battle scenes played out. There was a clear point to this story and I like that it didn’t waver into random territory. Ana and crew were a one track mind to help save her country and push it towards a better future. Linn was a big shine for this book and I loved her POV’s. She grew SO MUCH and it was a beautiful progression for her. I loved how she found strength within herself and made critical decisions in the end.

A mixed bag, but I would definitely still be interested in future books from this author.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy
- Language: a little
- Romance: closed door
- Violence: mild+
- Trigger/Content Warnings: torture, loss of loved ones, battle scenes, weaponry, physical and magical altercations 

ENDED WELL.

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Ah, I do hate feeling a bit let down by a series ender. This was good, but the second half was much better and I struggled to get there to even enjoy it all.

I love Jesse. I think she’s a brave and bold main character. Faithful to her family, strong in who she is (even when that’s changing) and able to make the difficult decisions. I loved her and Lukas together, BUT WHERE WAS HE. This feels like the romance component is supposed to be playing a stronger role and it never hit that mark for me. I hoarded every moment he was in a scene, and looked for him too often.

The plot was good, but slowwwww. The first half is spent with a lot of very nuanced day to day activities that weren’t apart of the previous two books. After there was more headway in solving some key issues in the plot, progression was at last made! Still felt a bit random, buuuut it worked. I think.

A final series thought, it was good. I haven’t read Lynch’s books in a few years and it was nice to read them again. There was plenty of good things to go around and I know some friends who love this story on a whole other level. Can’t wait to see what’s next!

Overall audience notes:
- Urban fantasy
- Language: very little
- Romance: closed door
- Violence: mild
- Trigger/Content Warnings: kidnapping, torture, physical altercations, poison, being drugged without consent, sexual harassment and assault, murder 

I have been a fan of Cleeton’s since her first historical fiction book came out, and once again I completely enamored with a sweeping story of loss, love, and choosing your path. I truly loved getting Isabel’s story. She was an incredible main character. I like that she stuck to her personal truths, but allowed her self room for growth within them. Making the harder decision to find HER happiness and being the woman that she’s had to stifle for so long.

Interspersed were other POV chapters (one mentioned in the synopsis and one not!). It was really great not to have these chapters overwhelm Isabel’s own story. They drifted in at the right moments to add more background and understanding for present characters and found ways to pull at my heartstrings.

The love stories interwoven were romantic and sweet. I love the way Cleeton builds these in such a short time where I continually find myself reading with intense focus because I MUST HAVE A HAPPY ENDING. And while there’s a rise and fall to that ending, it’s good. It’s lovely. And it’s what sealed the deal on another incredible read.

 

What an absolutely amazing novella. Loved it. I don't know how Sanderson does it.

LAUGH INDUCING.

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I love the eccentricities of this story. It’s a wild combination of genres, characters and themes and that’s what makes it so good!! I found myself laughing, leaning into the unique nature and having a good time.

My only small issue was how the relationship started. It leans more towards an enemies with benefits vibe, and I personally have a harder time with benefits books. BUT. I will say, Charlotte and Alex truly grew on me. They kept denying the fact that they were clearly in looooove and it made for some hilarious situations. I really liked them by the end and thought everything wrapped up well (I’m curious if there’s another book coming??).

Even though things go all over the place, the plot is a strong note throughout. I like that this was easy to follow so when the points of view switched up or flying houses intruded, I knew where things were ultimately going. A great read, and the audio book was wonderful!

Overall audience notes:
- Paranormal / Historical / Fantasy Romance
- Language: a little
- Romance: vague open door
- Violence: mild
- Trigger/Content Warnings: kidnapping, explosions, physical altercations, weaponry 

I love that moment when you feel deeply connected to a book. This was that read for me. This was the marriage of convenience trope taken to astronomical levels. Where two souls really did fight there way to be together amidst multiple hardships.

Leah and Fox were both main characters I loved. Also dual POV is always superior and I will not be accepting other opinions at this time. Getting to know both of their backgrounds and where they crossed brought all of the unrequited pining. Brought the slow burn of realizing a connection. Brought those all out moments, when the rain is pouring and you just need them to know you care. I couldn’t get enough of every interaction and even when I wanted to shake both characters, I understood. I knew where they were coming from and that ultimate resolution had my heart souring.

I somehow fell in love with a cat too? Playing a large roll in the side character cast he brought the house down, almost literally. I adored him and the spunky 5 year old who absolutely stole my heart. Sometimes kids rock the book in a way that’s aggravating, this was never the case here. Madeline was the best kind of soft addition this story needed.

There were great moments and conversations that I love seeing. Allowing for progression of not only the plot, but the characters. This novel is romantic, it’s heart-breaking, and soul-binding. I am completely in love with Van’s writing and how she brings a story to life.

 

A good quick novella!

This was a fantastic read. I still can't believe everything they went through and that they all survived.

UTTER ROMANTIC PERFECTION.

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Yes, I said it. PERFECTION. ALL THE DANG STARS. BEST BOOK OF THE SERIES.

You name it, I probably shouted about it. Oh my gosh this was a stunning read. All of the previous four books have been leading up to this moment. This second chance romance + amnesia plot was built up to the desperate need to know what would happen between Kieran and Eilidh.

This was full of swoony moments. Full of blushes and recovering memories. Full of down right sob worthy scenes and cheers at final reveals. I felt all of the emotions and teared up more than once because the PAIN, the LOVE, the beautiful HOPE will send you to your knees. The kind of love here is timeless. It is everything wonderful about romance books.

I’m trying to stay vague because it is the last book and I don’t want to spoil things throughout. So PLEASE TRUST ME AND READ THIS SERIES!!! It’s one of my new favorite historical romance series ever. There’s many different tropes, connections, character backgrounds and more. Van did an incredible job crafting this from start to finish and I am in complete awe.

Overall audience notes:
- Historical romance
- Language: none
- Romance: closed door (between married couple)
- Violence: mild
- Trigger/Content Warnings: prior substance abuse (specifically alcohol), miscarriage (flashback chapters, on page, descriptive, please read with care), childbirth, ship explosion and loss of life (flashback), PTSD, depictions of grief, suicide ideation