MYSTERIOUS.

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I thought this was such a good story!! I loved all of the fashion content and the interwoven lives of these three women. I got really caught up in needing to see where things were going next and I adored the audio production. There’s lots of heart strings to be pulled and plenty of emotions to go along with this novel. It’s complex in its themes and discussions surrounding the portrayal of women in different time periods and the heaviness that is post-partum depression/anxiety.

The pacing in the second half felt a bit dragged out to me. I thought we’d be closer to finding out the full truth just a tad bit sooner. But that was my only issues. Otherwise, another fantastic book by one of my favorite historical authors.

Overall audience notes:
- Historical Mystery
- Language: low
- Romance: closed door
- Violence: moderate
- Trigger/Content Warnings: war themes, loss of life, post partum depression & anxiety, premature childbirth 

4.5 stars

Thank you to Berkley Pub for the eARC.

LOVED THIS MYSTERY.

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A fantastic historical mystery that kept me on my toes. I was in the dark (in the best ways) about how this entire plot was going to come together and it delivered. I love when I feel like shouting I KNEW IT because I’m enjoying the book so much that I can’t put it down, needing to know what happened next.

In classic Cleeton fashion, there’s history, intrigue and even a small subtle dash of romance. I looooved the setting. It was haunting and just the right side of creepy where I was wondering what was lurking in the shadows each evening. I loved the dual POV between Anna and Carmen. Each chapter begged me to keep going. The flow and ease of the author’s writing is one of the reasons I always have grabby hands every time I see a new book annoucement.

Highly recommend. Seriously a great book. Beautiful writing, the location and historical aspects are clearly well researched, and you’ll be hoping that your favorite characters make it out of the story in the end.

Overall audience notes:
- Historical Mystery
- Language: low
- Romance: closed door
- Violence: moderate
- Trigger/Content Warnings: cheating, murder, loss of loved ones 

Thank you GetUnderlined for the ARC.

TWISTY.

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I enjoyed this one a lot! I’ve been up and down with McManus books, but this was a hit. I liked the premise and was curious to watch things unfold. I really liked the two main characters and how they handled everything and worked together. There’s even a small sub-plot romance that was sweet too.

A little slow of a start to feeling very engaged with what was going to happen next. The second half was filled with some good twists and I really enjoyed how it ended too. It’s entertaining and kept my attention.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Mystery
- Language: low
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: moderate
- Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, murder, stealing, domestic abuse (recounted), brief scene of attempted suicide 

 3.5 stars

IT WAS ALRIGHT.

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Friends to lovers is a hit or miss trope for me. And this was my least favorite way of handling the situation. Jude spent most of the book focused on another girl and dating her, etc. rather than his long time best friend where there’s clearly something there.

I adored Jude’s family and all of his sisters. Even more so that there were active parents here. The clueless/no consequence parent trope feels kind of old to me and I appreciate seeing parents who participate in their children’s lives. The setting is great, I loved all of the music content. There’s also a bunch of D&D matters too. I liked it, but the tangents into “fantasy stories” that Jude had created as dungeon master took me out of the book and didn’t add to the plot.

The magical realism aspects were good, subtle and worked well within the story. I liked the overall themes and it’s a good read for a younger audience.

Overall audience notes:
- Young adult contemporary romance + magical realism
- Language: low
- Romance: kisses 

 PACING ISSUES.

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I really enjoyed book one and have been excited for this continuation. Unfortunately I feel like this severely lacked in plot movement and over the course of 500 pages, not a lot happened.

Ari spent most of the book arguing with Caelum and almost taking him out, but not yet. Rinse and repeat. Graeden and the romance were on the sideline too. There was a fantastically steamy make-out scene, but it almost felt out of left field after Ari and Graeden hadn’t spent much time together.

I don’t know now if I want to pick up book three. It is written well, it’s more a plot choices that were frustrating.

Overall audience notes:
- New Adult Fantasy Romance
- Language: very low
- Romance: make-out
- Violence: moderate 

3.5 stars

Thank you to Berkley Pub for the free book and PRH Audio for the free audiobook.

CUTE BUT,

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This series is fun, it’s light and humorous and tends to put a smile on my face. That was still the case on this third (is it the last??) book, but a lot fell by the wayside too.

The plot line essentially felt the same as previous books which made for some frustrating repetition. And while Meddy and Nathan have some forward moments, the overall character growth for everyone is not there. The same kind of responses and thoughts that once again, feels like a repeat.

And when the entire story is solved in two chapters and then dragged out for 300 pages, it makes a short book too long.

Overall audience notes:
- Cozy Mystery
- Language: low
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: low 

4.5 stars
Thank you to PRHAudio for the free audiobook.

HELD UP.

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Honestly y’all. I was nervous about this one. But honestly, I loved it. It had all of the charm and swoon that I love and adore in Sarah Adams books. I laughed out loud multiple times at the well placed jokes and banter between Nora and Derek. The set-up worked really well and I loved seeing both of them pursue their separate passions while finding a way to reconnect.

My tiny quip is that I just didn’t understand the reason for breaking up in the first place. One small conversation could have changed the entire trajectory (which is an issue I often have in second chance romance books and it’s a me thing, BUT STILL).

I loved the forced proximity moments and hot dang Derek has a heated way with words. This is my favorite level of heat and steam and I looooved the combination. The audiobook narrators did an amazing job. I really appreciate with dual POV having two narrators.

And I am OBSESSED with how much we got to see Derek’s friend group (including Nathan!!). I know a lot of focus is usually around great female friendships (which is awesome), I just loved that this one had Derek and his friends as a prominent aspect. I loved how they encouraged and pushed Derek to move forward and make things work with Bree.

Absolutely another hit for Sarah Adams. Her books bring me such joy.

Overall audience notes:
- Sports Romance
- Language: low
- Romance: one open door; low explicit
- Violence: low 

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

ACCURACY ISSUES.

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I struggled with this one from the beginning y’all. The bones were good. And I liked the characters enough.

Buuuuut. The historical inaccuracies were bugging me. The writing style seemed much more modern than it should have been and there were glaring plot holes. The time jumps that skipped over crucial details left me confused when certain things happened. One of them being that the FMC catches a knife out of the air when thrown at the love interest. This and other aspects made no sense to me. Other style and plot choices had me skimming to get to the rest of the book too.

I’m going to leave this as it is. This was an unfortunate miss for me.

Overall audience notes:
- Historical Romance
- Language: low
- Romance: fade to black
- Violence: moderate
- Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, prostitution, near death experiences 

This was a fun and quick short story!

4.5 stars
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Audio for the gifted audiobook.

SURPRISED.

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I was hopeful this was would be a good read, and it turned out to be a great read. This gave me Bear and the Nightingale + Beauty and the Beast vibes and I loved it all the more for noticing those aspects. I loved all of the folklore and the whole aura of the book. It’s moody and atmospheric and everything I was after when I picked it up.

The slow burn romance worked well for me too. I loved the time they took to get to know each other and the subtle ways that their connection started to build. There’s a good haunting tale woven in with a bit of mystery that had me reading this as much as I could.

I think the ending stretched out just a little bit long but that’s the only thing I really noticed. I was here for the vibes on this one and it did not disappoint. Not to mention, I am absolutely obsessed with this cover. Oh! And it’s a standalone! A really fantastic standalone at that too.

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