WELL THIS WAS PRECIOUS.

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Thanks to a lucky moment seeing a friends post saying she read and loved this, a Netgalley request that went through, and a feeling for a clean and sweet regency romance and here we are! I adored this book and love this feel good romance.

What I noticed at times was the tiny tidbits I recognized from Pride and Prejudice (I am a BIG fan of that book/movie). This wasn’t a bad thing at all to me because the story was wholly it’s own. I enjoyed seeing these moments and the vibe of this plot was perfectly set up for England 1820.

I didn’t know how smitten I was going to be with the romance at first. I thought it felt at bit insta-ish and it took me a little to grasp onto it. Once I did though, oh. I was smitten with Peter. SO PRECIOUS. I loved the banter between them and the enemies to lovers moments were on point. Amelia and Peter were just the cutest pair you guys.

It was crafty to have this book set-up over a two week time span. I liked that each day was something different and unique for the characters to interact with. It didn’t feel stagnant keeping the location at essentially one home. There was even some drama that never felt over the top (okay, maybe a little, ONLY because this is a regency time period so things that are no big deal now were a big deal then). I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading more books from this author!

Overall audience notes:
- Regency romance
- Language: none
- Romance: some kisses

Thank you to the publisher, and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own!

THE BONES WERE GOOD.

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I read this because my sister had recommend it to me, and I love her dearly, but this wasn’t my favorite. Let me give you a quote that accurately describes my experience.

“Where was her plot? What was her purpose? Which path was she supposed to follow?”

I MEAN SAME GIRL. The MAIN CHARACTER, Claire said this. And that is the epitome of this story. Take out about 300 pages (no really, this massive thing is 700ish) and THEN we would’ve had a pretty decent book. The plot jumped allllll over the place. Random character POV chapters, with their own lines that I couldn’t bother to pay attention too. Claire herself was on some kind of adventure. Did I know exactly what that was? Not really. Save the land, be the “chosen one,” the typical stuff was all I gathered.

I was hoping for more romance as well. Nothing crazy, but our two love interests meeting after 350 pages? Not quite what I had in mind. There were some relationships between other characters on the side, but since I knew next to nothing about them I was confused as to why they even liked each other.

Y’all are clearly seeing my issues here. What I gathered from the book is that the bones of the story were good. I could see vaguely how this could honestly be a good book. I mean, there’s DRAGONS everywhere. That was a big reason I picked it up in the first place. I’m holding off on the second book right now, but you never know. I might pick it back up.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy + some romance
- Language: a little
- Romance: some kisses
- Violence: some small battles, physical, poison

COHO WRECKS MY SOUL AGAIN.

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I mean, is this a surprise to anyone? This is why I LOVE her books and can’t help but read them in hours because I must know that at some point all the crap subsides and I get my happy ending.

What’s better even and different from a lot of books is that the endings are yes, “happy,” but I feel more so, optimistic. A lot of drama and true human pain reins through Regretting You. It’s not meant to have some super fluffy, run off into the sunset ending. It’s meant to show the strength of a soul and the power it takes to move on when the hand you’ve been dealt is less than ideal.

I connected the most with Morgan. Being a mother myself it was so hard watching her try to shield Clara from the pain and also try to stand on her own two feet. Morgan wanted more from her life than being at home, but it took that home to give her something more. I loved her perseverance (even when she ran away from confrontation). Morgan gave into her wants and was a little bit selfish, in that, finally do something for yourself, kinda way.

Clara on the other hand, annoyed me at times. Don’t get me wrong, I loved her character too, but ooooo boy did she make some poor choices and have an awful attitude. The more I thought about this though, the more I understood Hoover’s intentions. This is a 16/17 year-old dealing with what might be the most traumatic thing she ever goes through and she’s in HIGH SCHOOL. I can’t imagine how hard that would be and I would probably have a lousy attitude for a bit myself. Now, I still am not happy with some of her choices, but I feel that’s my mom voice talking so I’m going to let it be.

My sweet Miller was such a great addition. The poor guy was stuck in the middle of more crap than I would have ever dealt with and did it so dang gracefully. I loved his tender nature and the strength of his own decisions. Miller is such a sweet cinnamon roll and I could gush about him all day.

I love the raw nature of this book and the traumatic instances it chose to dive deeper into. This is a tough subject to write a book about and I appreciated the way it was done. Was it hard to read at times? YEP. But that’s sometimes what makes the book even more fantastic.

Overall audience notes:
- New adult contemporary + romance
- Language: some throughout
- Romance: Kisses, make-outs with clothing removed, a few love scenes that are light/mild detailed
- Violence: car wreck
- Trigger warnings: loss of a loved one, cheating spouse/significant other

I WOULD READ A FULL NOVEL LIKE THIS.

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I saw this as a recommendation on Bookstagram as a light-hearted, entertaining, and a novella that’ll make you smile. And they were right!

This was a short and simple novella with a kinda dark background. Our MC has been wrapped up into gang work and when she tries to escape she runs into a cute stranger. Then said stranger is blackmailed into being her hitman. Y’all, what a plot line. I can’t say I’ve heard this before!

It was definitely a romantic comedy. As Jessica tries to accomplish things off of her bucket list, she drags her hit man off on her adventure. I smiled the whole time through these scenes. They were clever and provided good banter between the two. There’s no intense steam of anything. It’s all very clean and sweet.

I liked the chemistry between the two and how it all wrapped up. For a novella I thought the amount of background information was great and that the story actually had an end point. It’s also around Christmastime so this would be a great wintery novella as well.

Overall audience notes:
- Rom-com contemporary novella
- Language: none
- Romance: a kiss
- Violence: guns, murder, kidnapping

AT LAST.

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I’ve been given something to work with because hot dang I was about to burn this series alive. I love how well this held my attention and that there wasn’t much dragging in the story. Things kept moving and the curious moments were always around the corner.

If you haven’t been following along with these reviews (I’ve linked them above), I have been desperately waiting for Stoker and Veronica to get their feelings in check and FINALLY admit something to each other. Geez. That was a long time to wait. I’m still not wholly satisfied, but I’m grateful for the small part it did give. There wasn’t as much banter in this book, but Veronica and Stoker still kept things lively. I love their contrasting (yet similar) personalities and how they play off of each other.

This installment was leaps better than the previous book. I found the mystery much more intriguing and couldn’t put my finger on who the villain/villainess was. Until they came on the page with a gun in their hand I was wondering who it would be. There was a much appreciated setting change that threw more mystical lore into the mix. I liked meeting the new characters and the creepy vibes of being in a castle.

I liked the background information I got on Stoker’s brother, Tiberius. It really humanized his choices and personality from the previous books. I found myself really liking his character by the end and feeling sorry for his situation.

There was a definite set up for [what I believe] is the last book. I’m curious how it will all end because of the villain that will be at the forefront of A Murderous Relation.

Overall audience notes:
- Historical fiction + mystery
- Language: very little
- Romance: a few kisses
- Violence: murder, poison, near drowning, guns; nothing extremely gory

2.5*

SO MUCH POTENTIAL.

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Ugh, y’all. I get so sad when I read a book and your expectations are not met at all.

Hesina desperately wants to be Queen after she finds her father was murdered so she can avenge him. Lofty goals I’m cool with, but she was obsessed over doing this. And once that was taken care of, did she grow and become a solid, stunning Queen? No. Instead she continually remained naive, annoyingly stubborn, indecisive, and blindsided by every single thing. The main character alone had me questioning a DNF.

I had a hard time emotionally connecting to any of the characters. Nobody had a background. I got bits and pieces for some of them, but nothing that made me want to cheer for them or hope they get stabbed. No emotions. When a few died, I realized I wasn’t shocked whatsoever.

The plot twists were seen from miles away, while this doesn’t have to be a bad thing, what did annoy me was what came after. For instance, one of the characters was clearly shady. But when all that came out it it turns out that they were doing this to protect Hesina. WHAT. I was ALL FOR THE VILLAIN, and when that sputtered it sealed the deal for my rating.

The Chinese inspired themes were the best part of this book. The descriptions of the beautiful clothing and the other pieces of influence were amazing. I loved the different breath it gave young adult fantasy, I was just wishing for more overall.

Overall audience notes:
- Young adult fantasy
- Romance: none
- Language: a** a few times
- Violence: poison, knives, torture, fire, murder
- Trigger warnings: attempted suicide, and suicide

A GOOD UNDERLYING MESSAGE.

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I finally got this one off of my TBR. I did enjoy it, but it was also a lot darker than I thought it would be for a Christian fiction/romance.

My heart hurt this entire book for the main character, Sarah. What an awful and debilitating life of trials she has had to endure. At times I was just as angry and upset as I felt she was because the cards of life she had been dealt definitely seemed unfair. I liked Sarah’s character overall. She had a hardened exterior and a tough personality for a reason. Watching her slowly change and overcome what had happened to her was a strength all its own.

Michael is a saint y’all. I was impressed with how much of an enduring husband he became. I can’t even begin to imagine choosing to love someone everyday when they have yet to show you a single kindness. The allusions towards him and representing unfailing love and always having a home were clearly seen.

Some of the side characters were good and others enraged me. I especially did not like Paul whatsoever. Even when he came around at the end I was so over the way he had treated Sarah the entire book. I did love Miriam and thought she was the best kind of friend. She and her family truly welcomed Sarah and Michael into their lives and allowed Sarah to get a chance to see what a family can be like.

At times I did feel lit a got a bit preachy on its subject matter. I mostly thought it did a good job of showing how one kindness and a forgiving mindset can really change the course of someone’s life. I thought this book could have ended a handful of times before it actually did and it caused some chapters to drag. By the end I understood why Sarah had to make some decisions on her own two feet and it really brought her character home.

I will have this in my trigger warning section below, but please read this book at your digression. Some of the subject matter made for a very dark book with more mature themes.

Overall audience notes:
- Christian fiction + romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses, some fade to black scenes with no steam
- Violence: physical; see next section for more
- Trigger warnings: child prostitution, sexual assault, rape (including that of a child), thoughts of suicide, suicide ideation

ANOTHER GREAT READ BY THIS AUTHOR.

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Oh guys. We all know I’m not a big thriller fan, but McManus continually sways me to that side with her compelling YA centered novels. I loved this second book and thought it wove the characters from One of Us is Lying seamlessly together to bring another book that kept me on edge.

I can’t be the only one that doesn’t love NOT knowing who’s the bad guy in mystery books? This one did a great job of keeping me in the dark until almost the reveal. I was super excited when I started whispering to myself, OH IT’S —- [redacted, of course]. One of Us Is Next always had a heightened sense of drama to it. It wasn’t a basic tale of why they were doing such things, but a deeper tale of grief and anger that can consume someone.

As a romance lover, I adored the tiny tidbits throughout for our characters. It never overshadowed the plot, but gave the characters another layer. Phoebe, Maeve and Knox each had a nuanced level of complexity and personal issues that made me love each one on their own and as a group of friends.

The story was twisted and had a good flair for theatrics. I was surprised by some of the details and secrets that came out. Plenty of tense moments and quick flipping pages to get to the bottom of the mystery!

Overall audience notes:
- Young adult mystery/thriller
- Language: some throughout
- Romance: some kisses/make-outs, general discussion of sex life
- Violence: murder, physical
- Trigger warnings: sexual assault (unwanted kissing/grabbing – Ch. 8), slut shaming, bullying

MORAL GRAYNESS ABOUNDS.

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And y’all. That sometimes makes for a really good book.

Don’t you love characters that have a hard time making a good decision, but you know do care deep down about the greater good? ME TOO. That’s how I felt reading about practically all of the characters in this book. Everyone had their own agenda, yet would reach out to help others, then turn around and stab them in the back, to really actually be helping them. AH. It was awesome to turn each page not knowing who’s side everyone was on.

I loved watching Ana learn to love her powers and herself. While she still has a long way to go, it was amazing watching her eyes continually open wider as her world was expanded and the deeds of her kingdom come to light. On the path to forging a better world, wrongs must be acknowledged before they can be righted.

The entire story line actually leans to a darker nature of book. I was impressed to find that the hype around this book was more or less on point. My girl Ana COULD NOT CATCH A BREAK. Goodness gracious. It was almost too much. I felt like she would get through one battle scene, turn around and there would be someone else getting stabbed who needed her help (or that someone was trying to stab her). I would have loved to have some more quiet, building moments than allllllll the action that was given. Did make more a lively tale at least.

I am so into the very little burgeoning romance happening with Ramson. He lives in a realm of grayness and it makes me love him more. I liked getting some POV chapters from him and learning the sins of his past. It makes both Ana and Ramson characters you shouldn’t necessarily like, but appreciate the ways they are trying to be better. Ramson is witty and always ready with a comeback and the banter with Ana just made me happy.

Will I read the next book? Definitely. This is a series I can’t wait to continue reading!

Overall audience notes:
- Young adult fantasy
- Language: a little
- Romance: banter/flirting
- Violence: magical, physical, arrows, swords, knives, poison; somewhat bloody/gory
- Trigger warnings: Ch. 4 – a remembrance of an attempted suicide by drowning (by the main character); racism, human trafficking and slavery

GOOD TO BE BACK.

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There’s no secret here, I LOVE THE AIR AWAKENS SERIES. It’s one of my all time favorites now after reading it in 2019. I took a break from the world after binge reading the series. Now I’m back and ready for more.

I thought this was another good starter book for this new series. It’s set with Vhalla and Aldrik’s daughter, Vi and I know I’m going to love her just as much as I love Vhalla. I liked her spunk and bravery. The firm way she loves those around her and tries to protect them and the budding signs of a future empress. All good things here.

What I can’t stand for is SOMETHING THAT I WILL RIOT ABOUT IF TRUE. Though I fear it may end this way regardless, I will hold fast to my ideals. Kova once again does a magnificent job of keeping you on edge in her favorite fashion of killing/almost killing characters. I’m already trying to pick out who I think won’t make it to the end.

The romance is budding and sweet. I love the slow build of these books and that it doesn’t reach past or rush to solidify a relationship. There’s banter, friendship, quiet moments that I know will make me fall in love and ship them as hard as I ship Vhaldrik.

This new story line with new wickedness is interesting and I think will make for a great read. I like that I’ll get to know more about the other continent and that it seems to be pretty different from the previous series.

A bit of a note, you don’t HAVE to read Air Awakens first to read this series (the author has mentioned this), BUT I do think it’s a great place to start for Kova’s books.

Overall audience notes:
- Young adult fantasy romance
- Language: none
- Romance: some banter/flirting
- Violence: elemental magic, physical, swords