STOP IT RIGHT NOW.

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Y’all. I had zero plans to binge this book in basically a day and I COULD NOT STOP LISTENING. I absolutely get the hype around Ryan Shay now and he’s officially a new favorite.

I loved that the whole vibe of this book was quiet love is the loudest. Those kind of moments are my favorite when reading a romance book and Ryan and Indy both did so many things for each other that were quiet and without fanfare that showed just how much love was between them. I was SMITTEN. And could honestly sit here and list moment after moment that was beautifully tender and heartfelt and melted me into a puddle (but also the protective and jealous moments SENT ME). I have not recovered.

I loved seeing the characters from Mile High and I love the friendships and sibling relationships. They are strong and caring and only add to how much this book sings. It’s a new sports romance favorite of mine.

Overall audience notes:
- Sports Romance
- Language: strong
- Romance: 3-4+ open door; mild innuendo
- Violence: low
- Trigger/Content Warnings: cheating (recounted), infertility discussions 

Thank you Penguin Teen for the eARC.

I AM UPSET.

I have loved reading this series and I have been waiting a long time to get my hands on the final book and now I’m sitting here super cranky and not wanting to even write this because of the last 30%.

The first 70% was great, I love the writing style and the ease of the reading. The world building is intricate and I love the combination of vampires, werewolves, and fae.

BUT HERE WE GO (which is spoiler free, but you can probably read between the lines too).

The ending y’all. We spent four books leading up to this????? To a complete breakdown of a relationship over a dumb miscommunication that spiraled into total destruction. Causing the end of way too many things to ever recover. And the last few pages were this sorry attempt at saying well maybe things do work out, when NO. That foundation has crumbled. To spend so much time on some of these characters to throw it away. I just…I’m upset…to put it mildly. I feel duped.

There was a clear route this could have gone that would have brought true peace and reconciliation (and where I thought the book was headed???). And there were other characters we didn’t even get to see closing story lines for?? THAT WERE MAIN POINTS OF VIEW? The rushed ending was another nail in the coffin.

I’m losing my cool all over again. This one has really bummed me out.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy
- Language: a little
- Romance: closed door
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: battle themes, loss of loved ones, murder 

Thank you GetUnderlined #GetUnderlinedPartner and PRHAudio for the #gifted copy and audiobook.

GREAT DEBUT.

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I have been eying this book since I saw the gorgeous cover and the inside did not disappoint. This really grew on me and if you lean into a bit of insta-love then I think it would be enjoyable for others too.

The banter was my favorite. It made me laugh and I liked the snark between Rosalinda and Mariano. There fated meeting to then helping each other escape the island brought a daring adventure. I love pirate books and this was no exception. It’s a fast paced journey that brought on some good twists, betrayals and even a shock moment that I LOVED. I was even really attached to a lot of the side characters too.

I like that this rounded out this specific story and left room for potential future books in the same world (of which I would absolutely read). I loved the pirate and witch romance, the strength of friendships, and the commitment to bettering the path that was never your choice. This felt fresh in the genre and I look forward to future books by this author!

Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy Romance
- Language: a little
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: moderate-high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, near death experiences, weapons and magical violence, loss of life 

 IN MY FEELS.

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I didn’t expect this book to take over my entire day, but this audiobook and I hung out until I was finished because it was SO GOOD. I loved this book!! If you’re looking for something a little bit heavier for a holiday romance, this could be it.

Iris and Gio really just hit me over the head with the feels. For a fast paced romance, the chemistry was there. I genuinely enjoyed them as a couple and seeing how both were working through some dark moments of their past and allowing this light to shine between them. The little bit of flashback chapters squeezed my heart and helped bring a better understanding to the present day plot.

My one little gripe was that I felt Iris could have been open about a few things sooner and would have saved some of the unnecessary drama. I didn’t totally mind how it has handled after the fact which led me to feel positive about the whole situation. Especially some of those ending scenes as Iris was finally able to lock the door on who was haunting her past.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Holiday Romance
- Language: a little
- Romance: fade to black/vague open door
- Violence: moderate
- Trigger/Content Warnings: abusive ex (recounted), loss of a spouse (recounted) 

WHOA.

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I think Adrienne Young has really found her sweet spot in this magical realism/romantic/mystery combination. I love how lyrical they are and that I can’t put them down. I binged listened to this because I was INVESTED.

The mystery absolutely kept me guessing. Some times this time warp books can make my head spin a bit (and while that did happen), I was still able to follow along and get the gist of the subtle magic system at play.

And the romance stole my soul. It felt dangerous and passionate, that consuming I know you and I will protect you. I was here for every moment between them and how things played out on that front.

Another beautiful book. I loved the themes and characters. How fascination can quickly turn deadly and what we’ll do for those we love. 100% recommend it as an audio book too!

Overall audience notes:
- Magical Realism + Romance/Mystery
- Language: very little
- Romance: fade to black
- Violence: moderate – high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, loss of a loved one, grief depiction 

AN INCREDIBLE DEBUT.

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I am blown away by this book. I LOVED IT. I was absolutely SENT by this slow burn romance. Then tension between Maggie and Shane is next level and I love it all. And this really brought the steam without the spice and I will now be shouting to everyone to pick this book up ASAP.

I loved the journey Maggie and Shane went one, especially Shane. He is one I wanted to shake and hug all in the same breath. I loved the realistic nature of the romance and how he truly had to break down some walls and realize just how much love was around him. And I loved how Maggie was the embodiment of a sunshine character. Sunny and brave and doing everything she can to keep her siblings. And those siblings!! I loved them all. Realistic kids were her super sweet and I wanted the best for every one of these characters.

There were SO MANY good moments. This is a longer contemporary and you don’t even notice. The moments MATTER. The quiet, loud, angry and swoony filled. This does lean to the heavier side and will make you feel deep. The swoon and tenderness and all the dang things. I’m sitting her going over scene after scene in my mind because this is now living rent free.

I CAN’T WAIT for the next book.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Sports Romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: closed door
- Violence: low
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of parents (recounted), child abuse (recounted), parental abandonment  

Full review to come!

HOLY COSMERE.

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Note: I do think it is beneficial to be caught up on The Stormlight Archives (Books 1-4), Dawnshard (Novella), and Warbreaker. This really takes the Cosmere to a whole new level and in order not to spoil or to stop anyone from being confused, having this background is 100% needed.

ANYWAYS.

I loved this book. Which is no surprise. I was blown away by all of the connections and Easter eggs and all of these little dynamics and characters that kept popping up. I loved how fast paced everything was and you could really feel the desperation of Nomad and those he was working with to save the planet.

Beautiful characterization, an awesome cast and a story line that you can’t put down. I would love to go into more details, but I really think this book is best read blind AND there’s many moments that now have me nervous for what Stormlight 5 is going to bring. If you’ve loved everything Sanderson has written before, I don’t think you’ll have a single problem loving this one too.

Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy
- Language: very little
- Romance: none
- Violence: high 

HAUNTING DEBUT.

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When a book has less than 20 reviews on Goodreads (at the time of me writing this), I feel like it’s a big leap to the bookish world to give it a go, but lo and behold, this one absolutely held up. I will, without a doubt, be reading the next book (note: this is a standalone with more books in this world).

MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE. That’s probably the only line you need here.

I loved the dynamic between Ephraim and Whitney. It was intense and heated and had that all consuming, I’ve never forgotten you, kind of vibe. It really fit the atmosphere of the whole novel and I grew to love what they had going.

This book had that creepy factor that made it difficult for me to read in the dark (and this is a compliment, though also, I’m easily spooked). I loooved the intrigue and mystery and the whole whodunnit. I liked having the historical flashback chapters that added to the puzzle. I desperately wanted to put all the pieces together to see wrongs righted and the curse lifted. There’s just the right amount of paranormal aspects that just made this book sing.

I had some small balance issues in regards to the plot and where time was spent. And that was really my only main complaint. I thought this was an amazing debut and I look forward to reading more books in the future.

Overall audience notes:
- Romantic Suspense / Gothic Romance
- Language: a little strong
- Romance: vague open/fade to black
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, attempted murder, multiple murders, miscarriage 

 A WEE BIT SLOW.

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I was not as impressed by this as I had hyped myself for (and maybe that was my undoing???). I really enjoyed the first trilogy and thought we’d finally get some Grayson moments and instead I felt like that poor guy just kept getting beat down more and that we were all back at square one with the characters.

Some aspects of the mystery were intriguing, I loved seeing all of the brothers interact again. I am curious enough to read the next book and I did enjoy listening to this. While there was good, I’m overall a little perplexed (and cautious) at how the next book with further open these plot lines. I did like a few of the twists and betrayals.

And can we please give Grayson a dang break??!

Overall audience notes:
- YA Mystery
- Language: some strong
- Romance: Closed door
- Violence: moderate
- Trigger/Content Warnings: parental abandonment, brief mentions of cheating spouse, death of loved one recounted