Thank you to Berkley for the free book.

ESCALATION.

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This unfortunately became increasingly more frustrating the further I went on.

I don’t understand how two people that have been best friends since they were children still don’t fully discuss aspects of their lives. Laniah hid some very big pieces of what was happening in her life from Isaac and I struggled a lot with how that part of the plot went down.

And for a romance, the couple spent very little time together. And too many deep comments were made via text. And I know that can work sometimes, but I really wanted to see more of Isaac and Laniah in the same place working through their friends to lovers feelings.

The story felt haphazard. Ultimately, all of the segments didn’t weave together to create a cohesive book. There wasn’t any character growth and nothing pushing this story forward.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: moderate
- Romance: 3 open door + some innuendo
- Content Warnings: missed medical diagnosis from a doctor, loss of a Dad, medical discrimination, kidney disease 

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH.

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If you need a book that feels like summer, this brought those vibes and the atmosphere I have been craving. This is a GEM. READ IT OKAY.

I have a hard time finding true enemies to lovers in contemporary books. And this DELIVERED. I was obsessed with the snark and banter and all of the nicknames had me hollering. There was this sense that you just KNEW they already loved each other, and getting to see the process of the forced proximity break down those barriers was everything.

There are so many scenes I want to shout about but I also need you to go in blind and trust the moments, because they are MOMENTS. I HAVE NOT RECOVERED FROM THAT HUG SCENE. AND I PROBABLY WON’T. Not to mention the kissing scenes lit my kindle on fire.

I liked the level of chaos that was added from Phoenix’s family. I loved the positive therapy rep. I am obsessed with the chemistry between the MC’s (and it’s dual POV too!!). Everything, I loved everything about this book.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: make-outs
- Violence: low
- Content Warnings: an emotionally manipulative grandmother, losing a brother in a car accident 

 Thank you Get Underlined for the free book.

A START TO AN ADVENTURE.

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I’ve read one of Tamora Pierce’s fantasy quartets and was excited when I saw that one of them (not the one I read) was becoming a graphic novel. I love a good graphic novel and this was awesome. I loved seeing the start of Keladry’s journey to becoming a knight. There beginning themes of found family and standing up to bullies are wonderful for young readers too.

This was an easy book to read in an evening, I liked the artwork a lot and I look forward to continuing this series.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy Graphic Novel
- Language: none
- Romance: none
- Violence: moderate 

Thank you Colored Pages Book Tours and Penguin Teen for the gifted book.

INTRIGUED.

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This was a total cover read and I really enjoyed the inside of this book too! I loved that this was based in Indian mythology (not something I know a lot about so I loved the author’s note at the end explaining different aspects). Not to mention there’s an undead dog that is a shining character in his own right.

I love how loyal Kajal was to her sister and their story. While I did feel the pacing was off for more than half of the book I started getting invested towards the end as reveals and further plot lines were revealed. I enjoyed the world building and found the magic system to be intricate and dark. The necromancy and reincarnation created a perfectly spooky atmosphere.

I’m looking forward to further expansion of these characters and how it will all come together in that forever battle of good vs. evil and the balance it takes to maintain the world. And there’s a subtle slow burn romance that I must see more of!!

Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy
- Language: low
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: high
- Content Warnings: loss of loved one, weapons violence 

I FOUND IT.

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It is historically known I am not a lover of vampire books. BUT I have found a second book that gets all the stars from me AND has vampires!! This is an absolute must read. I loooved the dark and dramatic atmosphere. It’s gritty and full of mettlesome people trying to accomplish what they think is best. I loved the politicking and secrets and conversations in the dark waiting to see what next big thing was going to happen.

This has short chapters and this beautifully engaging writing. From the moment I picked it up I was enthralled. The magnetic story pulls you in and makes you want to know what happens next. I loved that it was multiple POV. There’s a mix of characters that you get views from that all build out this world and keep that sense of mystery.

And while it is in no way a romance book, there are two subtle ones that you get to see small aspects of throughout. I am in a chokehold over one of them and gosh dang I can’t wait to see that continue to grow in this series.

I loved it all. This is a hidden gem, you definitely need this book, kind of read.

Overall audience notes:
- Historical Fantasy
- Language: moderate
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: high 

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

LOVED THIS CONCLUSION.

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I enjoyed book one, and I loved this sequel even more. I loved the way the romantic tension was cranked up and the forbidden aspects had me in a chokehold. The audiobook was absolutely fantastic. There wasn’t two narrators for the dual POV but I feel like Jennifer Blom did a great job of distinguishing the different characters.

The card and curse system is really cool and I loved seeing deeper dynamics of the magic system and world. I loved the found family Marlow was a part of and the loyalty and love they showed each other. Adrius’s sister kind of drove me up a wall, but she was my only small issue. The other dramatic sub plots worked well for continuing the story at least.

I liked the way things wrapped up. This was the first series I’ve completed from Katy Rose Pool and now I’m officially a fan and look forward to future projects. MOTH was filled with a combination of upper young adult devices that I love and now it’s a completed duo so go read it!!

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

 I'd say a soft four stars

NOT A BAD START.

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I thought this got off to a really good beginning. I was intrigued, and surprised to find that this was actually an urban fantasy (which now that I’ve gone back to read the summary, I can see that, but I’m a go in blind type). ANYWAYS. As someone who usually doesn’t like urban settings, I thought this worked pretty well. I liked the dystopian dynamics of a world post monsters and how things were divided with all of the political machinations.

Kierse was a good FMC. I liked her personality and her watching her figure out where she wanted to place her loyalties. The romance kind of grew on me? I thought it went a bit fast for the plot and that we didn’t get much of Graves character until later in the story. There’s still some world building and magic system aspects that I would love to have a deeper explanations of. The middle lost me for a bit, and the last quarter things picked up again. There were some good twists that had me side eying the sequel.

I loved the audiobook and definitely have plans to continue the series.

Overall audience notes:
- Urban fantasy romance
- Language: moderate-high
- Romance: 2-3 open door
- Violence: high
- Content Warnings: abusive ex-mentor (recounted, abusive father (recounted), non-consenual drugging, blood/gore depiction (mild) 

Full review to come!

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the eARC and LibroFM for the audiobook.

A BIT OF A LETDOWN.

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I loved the authors previous book and it had made me all the more excited to pick this one up, and I’m not quite sure what to do about my thoughts.

My biggest issue was that for 90% of the book it was focused on the FMC getting back together with her ex. This left very little room for the new relationship to form and for a spark of true chemistry to be there. I was so tired of the constant focus on her ex.

I did like the general themes. I loved the acknowledgment of the power of romance books and how we can all love in our own ways and how important that part of our selves is. I liked the tight friendship group for Marlowe and a realistic family life too.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Contemporary Romance
- Language: low
- Romance: kisses 

Full review to come!