Full review to come!

Thank you Austen Prose PR and Thomas Nelson for the gifted copy.

3.5 stars

MISSING SOMETHING.

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I adored the first book in this series so much I jumped at the chance to receive a copy of book two (these can be read as standalones with no issues!!). But then I feel like I struggled way more than I hoped for getting through it.

The Beauty and the Beast vibes were definitely woven into the story. I could see the nods to the original and how it was adapted for a historical romance setting. I loved the unique set up for the FMC and how she came to meet the MMC. They had some sweet moments throughout and there’s good themes too. I enjoyed the small faith elements too. The side characters were charming and added to the story too.

I had issues with the aura and writing style of the book. And it’s hard to explain but it came across as if it was written as if the main cast were younger characters and not fully grown adults. I had a disconnect and struggled to stay engaged reading.

The audiobook was fantastic though. I love having two narrators for both the male and female leads. I thought they did a great job and if you want to try this book, absolutely recommend this format.

Overall audience notes:
- Historical Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisse
- Content Warnings: child abandonment and abuse 

Thank you to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

YES.

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I will not stop shouting about how much love Nicki Pau Preto deserves. Her fantasy books are criminally underrated and I need y’all to READ THEM ALL.

This was an epic conclusion that brought everything I needed (though I secretly wish for more kissing but I promise it is still worth the read!!). I love this found family. It was such a great cast of characters. The multi-POV did a fantastic job of giving all the angles to the plot and I loved reading each one of them. There is not a weak link.

I love how high action Ghostsmith was. Every time I tried to take a breath, BAM. More chaos. I loved it. I loved the final battle scenes and the betrayals and watching all of the last pieces come together. The intensity of reading this had me wanting to pick up to find out what would happen next.

I adore Wren and Julian. Both amazing characters that stand so well on their own, but the sub-plot romance between them is beautiful too. I loved seeing them trust again and work together and being able to have those soft moments too.

The audiobook is WONDERFUL. Highly recommend. The narrator did an amazing job and it’s such an easy listen.

GOSH I LOVED THIS. READ IT OKAY.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy
- Language: a little scattered throughout
- Romance: one closed door
- Violence: high 

Full review to come!

Full review to come.

Thank you GetUnderlined for the finished copy.

THE SECOND HALF WAS BETTER.

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The first half of this book was really drawn out. I know it was building to the conclusion, yet I felt like most of it didn’t go anywhere. And this isn’t a romance book, which isn’t a bad thing, but I thought it would play a bigger part and it didn’t. I did like what I got from it, though I needed more to truly fall for them. The found family aspects were great though. I think I was more invested in them and even one of the side romances than I was the main story line. I love endearing side characters.

A bit of a rambling plot that led to a honestly strong ending. I loved the action and climax of the moment and seeing how the downfall of the antagonist came to be. There were a few good reveals that I didn’t see coming and I was ultimately satisfied enough with the ending.

And while urban fantasy usually isn’t my favorite, I felt like this wasn’t urban enough to be an issue. It definitely was heavier on the fantasy and I loved that dynamic too.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy
- Language: low
- Romance: one closed door
- Violence: moderate 

 Thank you to Austen Prose PR and Covenant Communications for the gfited copy.

WELL.

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I wanted to love this and I don’t know if it was totally a me issue or if I just had a disconnect with this book. A lot of the writing felt stagnant. It was missing an aura of romance and the characters didn’t have a lot of those crucial connection moments to build up to the kissing scenes I love.

I did like these characters. Lydia learned to stand on her own and I liked her personality and demeanor. I still don’t know how she was all of a sudden medically trained enough to perform stitches?? But I guess that’s a question for another day.

Lucas was good too. He was endearing and kind. I liked the effort he put into helping others and learning to let go of his guilt. His brother was sweet too and I loved the addition of Charles to the story.

I found the plot to be somewhat incohesive. It felt like two stories were happening and they didn’t smoothly come together. I found myself having a hard time picking this up to finish.

Overall audience notes:
- Historical romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: low; some blood depiction
- Content Warnings: physical altercations, physical assault, sexual assault (unwanted kissing) 

Full review to come!

ANOTHER GEM.

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See what I did there?

BUT REALLY. I am 3 for 3 on Lindsey Lanza books being an EASY five stars. EASY. I love them so much, and NSFW was amazing.

I officially am obsessed with the micro trope of he falls first, she falls hard, and he falls HARDER. I adored Gavin Scott. He was swoony and sweet and his passion and love for providing for his sister was incredibly endearing. I also loved how he took care of Olivia while never dulling her shine too.

And I loved Olivia. She was quirky and kind and full of this resilience and strength. Especially when she was thrown in increasingly difficult situations. I loved the way this office romance played out. I loved all of the soft moments and heated too. I devoured this book. I could not put it down and I can’t wait for Lanza’s next book!!

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: moderate
- Romance: fade to black and 3+ open door
- Content Warnings: on page panic attack, sexism and misogyny in the workplace 

 Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

BLESS MATTHEW.

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Matthew single handedly held up this book. He had that epitome of a book boyfriend vibe that I couldn’t get enough of. He was swoony and hot and did all the right things that I love in a romance.

Josie was a struggle for me. I don’t necessarily mind a more chaotic, doesn’t have it all together FMC, but this felt forced. There was too much effort involved in the base of her character and it didn’t feel authentic. I do think as the book progressed, things mellowed and I enjoyed her more.

BUUUUUUT. I STILL don’t understand why Josie left FOUR fiancés??? Even with the explanations I had a feeling I wouldn’t be cool with it and I wasn’t.

I enjoyed this a lot more than The Long Game and it made me hopeful to continue reading Elena Armas books. The Spanish Love Deception is still my absolute favorite.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: moderate
- Romance: 3+ open door