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ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE.
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Y’all.
Sarah Adams has done it again. WHAT A GEM OF ADORABLE CUTENESS OVERLOAD.
Nathan was *everything*. I was in love with that cinnamon roll of a man and did not hate for a second that he was a NFL quarterback. All of the sweet things he did for Bree to show he cared. And WOW do I love a group of friends coming together to help and support each other. I loved all of his teammates and I found myself laughing multiple times because of all of the antics.
Bree was great too! I really liked her as the heroine and found her feisty and utterly loyal companion. Someone with so much strength and still filled with a soft heart. Watching both of these two dance around each other brought out all of the angst. Bree occasionally annoyed me because I felt like she was resisting Nathan too much, but it didn’t detract from my overall impressions.
Everything flowed beautifully. The writing, as always, amazing. The pace moved well, I’m pretty sure after the first two chapters I was already shouting KISS ALREADY. And that’s the kind of feelings I was all over for Nathan and Bree’s story.
I can’t leave this review without telling you THAT ENDING WAS PEFECT. The impeccable way that that rolled out. I sat there smiling at my book with tears in my eyes because I didn’t even know I needed that kind of movie-like closing. Every book of Adams becomes my new favorite.
Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: very little
- Romance: kisses to closed door scenes
- Trigger/Content Warnings: on page depictions of anxiety and panic attacks
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Y’all.
Sarah Adams has done it again. WHAT A GEM OF ADORABLE CUTENESS OVERLOAD.
Nathan was *everything*. I was in love with that cinnamon roll of a man and did not hate for a second that he was a NFL quarterback. All of the sweet things he did for Bree to show he cared. And WOW do I love a group of friends coming together to help and support each other. I loved all of his teammates and I found myself laughing multiple times because of all of the antics.
Bree was great too! I really liked her as the heroine and found her feisty and utterly loyal companion. Someone with so much strength and still filled with a soft heart. Watching both of these two dance around each other brought out all of the angst. Bree occasionally annoyed me because I felt like she was resisting Nathan too much, but it didn’t detract from my overall impressions.
Everything flowed beautifully. The writing, as always, amazing. The pace moved well, I’m pretty sure after the first two chapters I was already shouting KISS ALREADY. And that’s the kind of feelings I was all over for Nathan and Bree’s story.
I can’t leave this review without telling you THAT ENDING WAS PEFECT. The impeccable way that that rolled out. I sat there smiling at my book with tears in my eyes because I didn’t even know I needed that kind of movie-like closing. Every book of Adams becomes my new favorite.
Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: very little
- Romance: kisses to closed door scenes
- Trigger/Content Warnings: on page depictions of anxiety and panic attacks
HOW DARE YOU.
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I feel personally victimized by this love triangle. VICTIMIZED. Yeah yeah yeah, this book isn’t even about the romance the majority of the time but my romance loving heart wants it all. I guess I’ll have to keep reading to find out what happens next with my fates lovers.
ANYWAYS. Some other commentary. I LOVE these as audiobooks. LOVE. This was entrancing and the narrator does an excellent job of voices and reading. I also feel completely taken into the world and love this for me. The ever changing POV and moving to different parts of the world are continually interesting. I appreciate getting different sides to figuring out what is going on in Blackveil. I am becoming really attached to many of these characters for a variety of reasons.
I thought the pacing was steady and the action took me by surprise. I love a good gasp face while running down the road listening to this. I am anxious to read the next book already and see where Kerrigan has ended up. I love her as a main character. She feels authentic with more than one layer to her. Trying to remain loyal, but also having a heart that wants to love too. Being strong in the face of evil and so much more. Yay for heroines that are worthy of cheering.
Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy
- Language: very little
- Romance: closed door
- Violence: physical and magical altercations, battle scenes, weaponry (arrows, swords, etc.), loss of loved ones, attempted murder & murder, executions, blood/gore depiction
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I feel personally victimized by this love triangle. VICTIMIZED. Yeah yeah yeah, this book isn’t even about the romance the majority of the time but my romance loving heart wants it all. I guess I’ll have to keep reading to find out what happens next with my fates lovers.
ANYWAYS. Some other commentary. I LOVE these as audiobooks. LOVE. This was entrancing and the narrator does an excellent job of voices and reading. I also feel completely taken into the world and love this for me. The ever changing POV and moving to different parts of the world are continually interesting. I appreciate getting different sides to figuring out what is going on in Blackveil. I am becoming really attached to many of these characters for a variety of reasons.
I thought the pacing was steady and the action took me by surprise. I love a good gasp face while running down the road listening to this. I am anxious to read the next book already and see where Kerrigan has ended up. I love her as a main character. She feels authentic with more than one layer to her. Trying to remain loyal, but also having a heart that wants to love too. Being strong in the face of evil and so much more. Yay for heroines that are worthy of cheering.
Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy
- Language: very little
- Romance: closed door
- Violence: physical and magical altercations, battle scenes, weaponry (arrows, swords, etc.), loss of loved ones, attempted murder & murder, executions, blood/gore depiction
BACKLIST B&tB.
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This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling.
It was okay.
Honestly, got kind of bored about halfway through.
It was an interesting story [mostly]. It’s background was an Irish setting with all the things you’ve seen in B&tB. A small town with a mysterious ruler, magic, a woman who comes in to save the day (running from her own Gaston). For a retelling I thought it did line up on point for the original story. There were some additional tidbits to make it older, but that was mostly it.
I didn’t feel the chemistry between Caitrin and Anluan. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t know. Wasn’t working for me. I was also really confused by the magic. There were these magic mirrors that kept showing flashbacks? And then I would forget I was in a flashback, and things got convoluted at that point.
It’s a slow ride. I found myself forcing myself to finish, but was too far in to stop. The story wasn’t bad and I know others will probably really enjoy it. It was a not for me book.
Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy romance, retelling
- Language: little
- Romance: kisses to some mild love scenes (mostly closed door)
- Violence: war, skirmishes, physical
- Trigger/Content Warnings: sexual assault, domestic abuse, ableism, loss of loved ones, suicide, suicide ideation, murder
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This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling.
It was okay.
Honestly, got kind of bored about halfway through.
It was an interesting story [mostly]. It’s background was an Irish setting with all the things you’ve seen in B&tB. A small town with a mysterious ruler, magic, a woman who comes in to save the day (running from her own Gaston). For a retelling I thought it did line up on point for the original story. There were some additional tidbits to make it older, but that was mostly it.
I didn’t feel the chemistry between Caitrin and Anluan. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t know. Wasn’t working for me. I was also really confused by the magic. There were these magic mirrors that kept showing flashbacks? And then I would forget I was in a flashback, and things got convoluted at that point.
It’s a slow ride. I found myself forcing myself to finish, but was too far in to stop. The story wasn’t bad and I know others will probably really enjoy it. It was a not for me book.
Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy romance, retelling
- Language: little
- Romance: kisses to some mild love scenes (mostly closed door)
- Violence: war, skirmishes, physical
- Trigger/Content Warnings: sexual assault, domestic abuse, ableism, loss of loved ones, suicide, suicide ideation, murder
Reread March 2023: The amount of tabs I just put in my book. IT NEVER GETS OLD.
A NEW FAVORITE.
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All Rhodes Lead Here and Kulti are officially my favorite MZ books.
THIS SOCCER ROMANCE WAS EVERYTHING.
I absolutely loved Sal. The focus was clearly on her and her soccer career. I adored her as a character and the type of person she was. Sal was loyal and kind with a temper. Enter in Reiner Kulti who is silent as stone and immovable in emotions. CHEMISTRY FLIES. I love how they went from barely acquittances, to actual friends, and THEN to a romantic relationship. It all felt so natural and hot dang was fantastic. I love MZ’s ability to make me swoon over every tiny hand hold or hug. Those soft moments when you realize that stone is actually clay and is forming a new bond right in front of your eyes.
You won’t even notice that this is 600 pages. The progression is flawless and the pacing is everything I love about a stellar slow burn. My heart was an absolute puddle in the last pages with confessions and acknowledgements of feelings. A PUDDLE. Wow does Rey know how to lay out some tender words when he wants too. His support for Sal was EVERYTHING.
I really loved this story. It was heavily focused on the soccer season and yet never felt like it was overshadowing the fact that this is a romance book. Both plots wove seamlessly and I am smitten. Not to mention, smitten with the side characters too. Sal’s Dad was a GEM. And made me laugh and smile along with her other friends. I have nothing but good things to say about this book and highly recommend for anyone looking for a sports romance to turn their heart to mush.
Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: kisses to open door scenes
- Trigger/Content Warnings: slut-shaming
A NEW FAVORITE.
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All Rhodes Lead Here and Kulti are officially my favorite MZ books.
THIS SOCCER ROMANCE WAS EVERYTHING.
I absolutely loved Sal. The focus was clearly on her and her soccer career. I adored her as a character and the type of person she was. Sal was loyal and kind with a temper. Enter in Reiner Kulti who is silent as stone and immovable in emotions. CHEMISTRY FLIES. I love how they went from barely acquittances, to actual friends, and THEN to a romantic relationship. It all felt so natural and hot dang was fantastic. I love MZ’s ability to make me swoon over every tiny hand hold or hug. Those soft moments when you realize that stone is actually clay and is forming a new bond right in front of your eyes.
You won’t even notice that this is 600 pages. The progression is flawless and the pacing is everything I love about a stellar slow burn. My heart was an absolute puddle in the last pages with confessions and acknowledgements of feelings. A PUDDLE. Wow does Rey know how to lay out some tender words when he wants too. His support for Sal was EVERYTHING.
I really loved this story. It was heavily focused on the soccer season and yet never felt like it was overshadowing the fact that this is a romance book. Both plots wove seamlessly and I am smitten. Not to mention, smitten with the side characters too. Sal’s Dad was a GEM. And made me laugh and smile along with her other friends. I have nothing but good things to say about this book and highly recommend for anyone looking for a sports romance to turn their heart to mush.
Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: kisses to open door scenes
- Trigger/Content Warnings: slut-shaming
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
I READ IT.
I feel that’s a pretty good accomplishment after it took me three tries to get here.
First and foremost: skip the first chapter. It’s not of use to the story and really turned me off. So much so it took a few friends to say consider giving it one more try. I can say I’m not upset I read it and truly do want to read book two, so that’s saying something!
I liked Auren. Not the strongest main character but there’s a lot of potential there. As the book progressed you could really see her slowly move towards independent thought and unravelling her old notions. I think Auren will only grow from here.
There is absolutely zero world building until about 80%. That’s when I FINALLY got a small glimpse of the world at large. Does it really explain the magic system? Nope. Still not sure about that one. At least the world is a touch clearer. I liked defined ideas and space in fantasies and that was missing here.
Not really any romance in this book. It’s a lot more like Stockholm syndrome. I think that’s played a big part into Auren’s character and the dynamic between her and King Midas. I like that I see potential. The ending added enough oopmh that I’m excited to see what book two holds.
Overall audience notes:
- Adult fantasy romance
- Language: strong and derogatory (a lot of the use of the word c**t)
- Romance: open door
- Trigger/Content Warnings: on page violent rape (occurs to side character), sexual assault, murder, blood depiction
I feel that’s a pretty good accomplishment after it took me three tries to get here.
First and foremost: skip the first chapter. It’s not of use to the story and really turned me off. So much so it took a few friends to say consider giving it one more try. I can say I’m not upset I read it and truly do want to read book two, so that’s saying something!
I liked Auren. Not the strongest main character but there’s a lot of potential there. As the book progressed you could really see her slowly move towards independent thought and unravelling her old notions. I think Auren will only grow from here.
There is absolutely zero world building until about 80%. That’s when I FINALLY got a small glimpse of the world at large. Does it really explain the magic system? Nope. Still not sure about that one. At least the world is a touch clearer. I liked defined ideas and space in fantasies and that was missing here.
Not really any romance in this book. It’s a lot more like Stockholm syndrome. I think that’s played a big part into Auren’s character and the dynamic between her and King Midas. I like that I see potential. The ending added enough oopmh that I’m excited to see what book two holds.
Overall audience notes:
- Adult fantasy romance
- Language: strong and derogatory (a lot of the use of the word c**t)
- Romance: open door
- Trigger/Content Warnings: on page violent rape (occurs to side character), sexual assault, murder, blood depiction
OH DID I ADORE THIS.
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I read A.A. Albright’s other series, Wayfair Witches, last year for October and this year I’m reading Riddler’s Edge! I adored this so much and can’t wait to binge the rest.
This was so much fun and introduced the new town and characters well. I liked the mystery and meeting all of magical souls. Witches, vampires, weredogs/wolves and more. Fuzz (the familiar) was cute and gives me all the black cat witchy vibes I love.
There’s clearly a set-up for the long game and I’m curious how that’ll all shake out as well. Not to mention this has what appears to be a great romantic plot line too and I am HERE FOR IT.
Can’t wait for more!
Overall audience notes:
- Paranormal cozy mystery
- Language: none
- Romance: flirting
- Violence: murder
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I read A.A. Albright’s other series, Wayfair Witches, last year for October and this year I’m reading Riddler’s Edge! I adored this so much and can’t wait to binge the rest.
This was so much fun and introduced the new town and characters well. I liked the mystery and meeting all of magical souls. Witches, vampires, weredogs/wolves and more. Fuzz (the familiar) was cute and gives me all the black cat witchy vibes I love.
There’s clearly a set-up for the long game and I’m curious how that’ll all shake out as well. Not to mention this has what appears to be a great romantic plot line too and I am HERE FOR IT.
Can’t wait for more!
Overall audience notes:
- Paranormal cozy mystery
- Language: none
- Romance: flirting
- Violence: murder
HOOKED.
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Yes. I have been hooked in by this series. I just love mixing in cozy mysteries in-between my big fantasy books. I love that there’s so many genres of books out there y’all.
This was another good read. I had picked out my assumed killer at the beginning, but found myself, yet again, delightfully wrong. I love the reveals and the messes Jules ends up in. My favorite small parts are when the character acknowledges how often they’re around murder, like isn’t that the point of the book? lololol
I’m also loving the subtle romance I’m seeing. Loving the second chance vibes that better be happening. Carlos has got to go.
These are simple and fun reads. I love the bakery setting and really want to try some of the dessert recipes that are at the end of each book!
Overall audience notes:
- Cozy mystery
- Language: none
- Romance: flirting
- Violence: murder, physical attacks, attempted murder
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Yes. I have been hooked in by this series. I just love mixing in cozy mysteries in-between my big fantasy books. I love that there’s so many genres of books out there y’all.
This was another good read. I had picked out my assumed killer at the beginning, but found myself, yet again, delightfully wrong. I love the reveals and the messes Jules ends up in. My favorite small parts are when the character acknowledges how often they’re around murder, like isn’t that the point of the book? lololol
I’m also loving the subtle romance I’m seeing. Loving the second chance vibes that better be happening. Carlos has got to go.
These are simple and fun reads. I love the bakery setting and really want to try some of the dessert recipes that are at the end of each book!
Overall audience notes:
- Cozy mystery
- Language: none
- Romance: flirting
- Violence: murder, physical attacks, attempted murder
HMM.
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I feel mixed by this story.
There was a lot of trauma and exploration of working through those past issues (see trigger warnings for further explanation). There was a love story. Yet the two didn’t mix that well.
Love story wise, it was charming overall. I did like Jake and Casey together. Sweet meet-cute. Fun traveling, going through some tough times and coming out the other side. The rockstar and normal girl romance was something I hadn’t read recently so it was a nice switch-up.
I didn’t connect with the writing style. The jokes didn’t land well, and some commentary wasn’t appealing. I thought the characters seemed very surface level and trying too hard to be more than that.
I’m finding it hard to write out all the things I thought while reading this. I know it’s well loved, it just didn’t hit that place for me.
Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary romance
- Language: strong throughout
- Romance: kisses to open door scenes
- Trigger/Content Warnings: child kidnapping, sexual assault and rape (mentions from the past); torture, PTSD, suicide ideation; near death embolism, a loved one in a coma
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I feel mixed by this story.
There was a lot of trauma and exploration of working through those past issues (see trigger warnings for further explanation). There was a love story. Yet the two didn’t mix that well.
Love story wise, it was charming overall. I did like Jake and Casey together. Sweet meet-cute. Fun traveling, going through some tough times and coming out the other side. The rockstar and normal girl romance was something I hadn’t read recently so it was a nice switch-up.
I didn’t connect with the writing style. The jokes didn’t land well, and some commentary wasn’t appealing. I thought the characters seemed very surface level and trying too hard to be more than that.
I’m finding it hard to write out all the things I thought while reading this. I know it’s well loved, it just didn’t hit that place for me.
Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary romance
- Language: strong throughout
- Romance: kisses to open door scenes
- Trigger/Content Warnings: child kidnapping, sexual assault and rape (mentions from the past); torture, PTSD, suicide ideation; near death embolism, a loved one in a coma
Reread September 2023: Bumped my rating to five stars because I feel like now that I know where things are going I loved this all the more. THE BANTER THOUGH.
A GOOD START.
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I admittedly let myself hype this one up because I love Garber’s Caraval series. It did let me down a little, but not enough to even suggest I won’t pick up the next book.
Who did I miss most? JACKS. I felt that he wasn’t in it as much as he should have been as the supposed main love interest. He popped in and out until the second half where I finally saw more of him. There wasn’t enough active chemistry between Jacks and Eva for me to fully be on board. I’m interested, I’m testing the waters, but I’m not convinced they are a romantic duo. A lot remains to be seen.
A bit of a wild story moving all over the Northern lands of the Caraval world. I liked that it was in a different location so that things didn’t overlap with previous characters too much and that this could be its own series. There’s A LOT of lore and little stories throughout to tell the background of what’s happening around Eva and what Jacks is trying to accomplish. It was easy to follow and I love Garber’s writing style. While it wasn’t everything I hoped for, I’m excited to see the story continue. JUST GIVE ME MORE JACKS.
Eva has a lot of growth to hopefully look forward to as well. She just seemed to naïve and trusting of every single person. I’m actually hoping she becomes a bit more bitter and gray to see another side of her.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy Romance
- Language: very little
- Romance: make-outs
- Violence: physical altercations, magical attacks
- Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, blood depiction
A GOOD START.
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I admittedly let myself hype this one up because I love Garber’s Caraval series. It did let me down a little, but not enough to even suggest I won’t pick up the next book.
Who did I miss most? JACKS. I felt that he wasn’t in it as much as he should have been as the supposed main love interest. He popped in and out until the second half where I finally saw more of him. There wasn’t enough active chemistry between Jacks and Eva for me to fully be on board. I’m interested, I’m testing the waters, but I’m not convinced they are a romantic duo. A lot remains to be seen.
A bit of a wild story moving all over the Northern lands of the Caraval world. I liked that it was in a different location so that things didn’t overlap with previous characters too much and that this could be its own series. There’s A LOT of lore and little stories throughout to tell the background of what’s happening around Eva and what Jacks is trying to accomplish. It was easy to follow and I love Garber’s writing style. While it wasn’t everything I hoped for, I’m excited to see the story continue. JUST GIVE ME MORE JACKS.
Eva has a lot of growth to hopefully look forward to as well. She just seemed to naïve and trusting of every single person. I’m actually hoping she becomes a bit more bitter and gray to see another side of her.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy Romance
- Language: very little
- Romance: make-outs
- Violence: physical altercations, magical attacks
- Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, blood depiction
MIDDLE OF THE ROAD.
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Long series always seem to have one book that’s eh, okay. And I think that’s Neverseen.
I liked the beginning and take-off into learning more about the Black Swan group. Though I feel like I still don’t know them well enough?? Or the group Neverseen? Everything is shrouded in mystery that feels drawn out (with 700 pages of reading).
Sophie is evolving and growing. She’s impulsive and a bit hot-headed. But I enjoy the counter balance of her actually feeling like a 14 year old without the dramatics that cause eye rolls. Sophie’s learning and I love a good character arc.
The middle was looooong. Going to a different school and a few other scenes didn’t seem necessary. They sort of pushed the plot, yet could have been left out and I would have been none the wiser. I liked the ending and the set-up for the next book. I think there’s a lot more going on then we’ve been led to believe at the moment and I’ll continue the series for now.
Overall audience notes:
- Middle grade fantasy
- Language: none
- Romance: flirting
- Violence: physical and magical altercations, some near death experiences
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Long series always seem to have one book that’s eh, okay. And I think that’s Neverseen.
I liked the beginning and take-off into learning more about the Black Swan group. Though I feel like I still don’t know them well enough?? Or the group Neverseen? Everything is shrouded in mystery that feels drawn out (with 700 pages of reading).
Sophie is evolving and growing. She’s impulsive and a bit hot-headed. But I enjoy the counter balance of her actually feeling like a 14 year old without the dramatics that cause eye rolls. Sophie’s learning and I love a good character arc.
The middle was looooong. Going to a different school and a few other scenes didn’t seem necessary. They sort of pushed the plot, yet could have been left out and I would have been none the wiser. I liked the ending and the set-up for the next book. I think there’s a lot more going on then we’ve been led to believe at the moment and I’ll continue the series for now.
Overall audience notes:
- Middle grade fantasy
- Language: none
- Romance: flirting
- Violence: physical and magical altercations, some near death experiences