DO I READ BOOK TWO?

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I’m so conflicted. I’m aware I gave this four stars, but it’s a confusing thought process to get here.

I thought that this was an easy read. It’s 600 pages and honestly, most of it flies right by. I love that. I loved the found family aspects and the side characters shown well. The romance grew on me and I felt very much invested by the end.

BUT. Okay, WHERE WAS THE PLOT? I know the whole idea is that she’s been ousted from her kingdom and needs to win it back, but that never really got going?? I can’t believe I’ll say this, it felt like there was too much romance and the rest of the story to fill everything out was missing. The antagonist was weak and I wasn’t connected with the heart of Elara and Enzo’s character arcs. [I did love Enzo though].

Now the meddling gods were great. That is one of my favorite fantasy tropes. And even when you could see it coming I loved the way the fated romance played out. I’m genuinely curious what will happen next, and at the same time, not sure I should keep going?!

Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy Romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: 3-4 open; high explicit
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: torture, loss of life, murder, weapons violence, magical violence, nightmares, child abuse, executions 

Thank you to Bibliolifestyle and Blackstone Pub for the gifted book

TOOK ME BY SURPRISE.

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I feel like I could sit and nitpick small aspects of this that didn’t work for me, but by the end of the book I just FELT good about what I read and how truly enjoyable it was. It’s also well situated within the YA category without any major content issues (other than some light swearing).

The themes surrounding facing the night and the problems of the past was woven beautifully throughout. I loved seeing Cat going from a woman in hiding to taking what happened to her in the past and using that to be a source of strength towards the future. I also loved Adrian and his steadfastness in choosing the right path and looking after his sister.

There’s even a sweet, slow burn second chance romance that I thought was great. Little moments and reminders of who they were in the past and how that played out for them reconnecting and standing together.

I loved the western vibes thrown in with the middling gods fantasy aspects. It felt unique and something I haven’t recently read. It wraps up super well for a standalone and I highly recommend the audiobook!

Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy
- Language: some light
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a parent, loss of a loved one, gun violence, murder 

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

THE SWOON.

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I NEED MORE closed door sports romances. Oh my goodness this was so good. Binge in a day, go to bed too late, GOOD.

First and foremost I have got to say that I read the hottest no kissing scene I have ever [potentially] read. GOOD HEAVENS. The heat, I was BURNING (I feel like I need to reiterate again that there is no spice in here, Emma St. Clair does an incredible job of writing steam without it being spicy). ANYWHO. I loved it. The slow burn, fake dating romance had me begging for the real thing and it delivered.

I adored Logan and Parker. Both on their own and separate. I loved seeing the character progression for Logan. He’s rough and protective, but also comes to a lot of realizations about his life and how he wants to move forward. And Parker is a beautifully strong woman who knows how she wants her life to look. I loved that she was flexible without compromising. And them together just brought all of the sparks and chemistry of an old unrequited crush.

There’s definitely some hockey aspects, some goofy TikTok dances and a grand gesture [or two]. It is light, filled with depth, will make you smile and bring all of the fall vibes.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Sports Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: low
- Trigger/Content Warnings: strained parental relationships

 

PRETTY GOOD.

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At first it took me a bit just to remember everyone and alllll of the things that had happened in the previous books (I did not reread them). Once I had a handle on characters and places I feel like the book settled in a bit better.

I always love multi-POV in thriller type books. Getting to see multiple angles from the cast shed a lot of light on past grievances and what things were happening a little more behind the scenes. I enjoyed all of the characters and seeing where their stories ended up.

The mystery was great. I admit at not catching on to many of the twists. I like that I was kept guessing and not quite sure who would survive until the end of the book. There’s some devastation mixed in with the hope of a better day and I thought things were wrapped up well in those veins.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Thriller
- Language: some strong
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, murder, kidnapping, drugging someone, cheating (side character) 

Thank you to the pub and netgalley for an eARC.

THE BANTER.

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I absolutely think that Lynn Painter writes some of the best banter I have ever read in rom-coms. I LOVED the way Bailey and Charlie brought the slowly building tension through well placed snark and sarcasm with a hint of some real feelings.

The strangers to friends to lovers was super cute. I loved the friendship and how it took up a lot of the book. The slow burn was fantastic and I really felt the chemistry between them.

I connected deeply to the themes surrounding divorced parents, seeing parents in new relationships and that struggle to watch things move on around you and not knowing where you land. It’s a big sucker punch that I could understand the way Bailey and Charlie were working through their situations.

As a YA book I do think there was a bit too much language, otherwise nothing else bugged me. I think if I could have had a little bit longer chapters from Charlie I would have known him even better. There was something slightly missing from that angle.

But honestly, another great read from one of my favorite romance authors. I love her books. I love how easy they are to binge and just ENJOY. And this ending was real stinkin’ cute and I loved Bailey and Charlie.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Contemporary Romance
- Language: strong and high
- Romance: make-outs
- Violence: low
- Trigger/Content Warnings: strained parent relationships, cheating (side characters), theme surrounding being a child of divorce 

 SHOULD HAVE BEEN ONE BOOK.

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As a MAJOR Amy Harmon fan I’m a bit bummed this one didn’t work for me like I wanted it too. My biggest issue was just that it felt like it should have been one book. Much of this plot was dragged out.

I did like the romance between Johnny and Maggie. I loved how they found their way together and the ups and downs of worlds colliding. There’s a lot of complexity with side characters too. And I didn’t love the ambiguity of the ending.

I don’t really have much else to say??

Overall audience notes:
- YA Paranormal Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: moderate
- Trigger/Content Warnings: physical abuse, attempted sexual assault, gun violence, murder, loss of life 

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.

FORBIDDEN.

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There was no chance I wasn’t reading this immediately upon my Netgalley approval. And I loved so much of it!! I love seeing a new DLJ world and all of the Viking content had me soaring. It was brutal and intense and I loved the fast paced nature of it all.

And the ROMANCE. It was quintessential forbidden and I am here for it all. And I loved how frustrating Freya was to me as a character. She simultaneously made me cranky and yet I also understood her decisions. I really see a great character arc for her coming and I can’t wait. And I absolutely adored Bjorn. He must be protected at all costs.

The plot is filled with some politicking, plenty of raids, lots of battles, and yes, plenty of spice (I will say this is DLJ’s spiciest book and that did bug me a little, buuuut I love her soooo I skipped over). Anyways, there’s also MEDDLING GODS which are my current fantasy weakness. There’s something about the chaos they cause that has me gripped to my kindle needing to know what happens next.

As always, DLJ crafts a beautifully soul shattering cliffhanger that has me begging for more. I love the direction it’s going though and can’t wait to see more of Freya’s world unravel.

Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy Romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: 4+ open; moderate-high explicit
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, battle/war themes, blood/gore depiction 

WHY DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO READ THIS?

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Well I do know why, I didn’t love the conclusion to The Poppy War series, but I heard too many good things about this book not to give an [eventual] go, AND HERE WE ARE.

I loved it.

I loved how complex it was. I would sit there and be in absolute awe that R.F. Kuang created this amazing story. I felt like I learned so much and with the audio it really came alive (highly recommend this route, I think it saved me from thinking it was too slow).

Robin Swift is the definition of a tangled character. Going through everything he does and choosing some good and some bad decisions. I loved following his story and the intensity at which I felt for the high and low moments. Some of those moments towards the end had my heart breaking. There is so much I could discuss but also no way I could fit it into a review, if you’ve gotten this far just know YOU SHOULD READ IT.

I felt a whole range of emotions reading this and this dark academia story is a new favorite.

Overall audience notes:
- Historical Fantasy
- Language: some strong
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, murder, colonization, war themes, discussions of slavery, physical abuse, racism, xenophobia, colorism, mentions of suicide, inhuman work conditions, police brutality, brief sexual assault, misogyny, anxiety depiction 

BLESS YOUR HEART.

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There was a lot to love about this, but one bone I need to pick.

Bianca.

I just struggled with her for way longer than I wanted. I’m always initially cool with who the character is in the beginning because GROWTH. But oh my gosh, I was just so tired of hearing I don’t want to be a burden on repeat that I lost focus. Zac is the SWEETEST. And I wanted more of them being together vs. them constantly apologizing to each other.

The friends to lovers is overall fine, even if not my favorite in this context. There were a LOT of nicknames. I actually didn’t mind all of them but one (kiddo). The ending is really sweet and I loved getting the little epilogue too. I even liked seeing a different side to Trevor too. There’s plenty of good nuggets in here at least. And the TWO cameos are without a doubt the best part.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: 1 open door
- Violence: low
- Trigger/Content Warnings: brief mentions of parental abandonment, cheating recounted, death of a love one recounted 

GREAT STANDALONE.

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I feel like I’m always on the hunt for great fantasy standalones. They are a dime a dozen and I love that I can add this one to my recommendation list. It’s an enjoyable read with all of the Little Mermaid vibes, but darker and more romantic and with amazing characters too.

The romance increasingly grew on me over the book. I loved how Ilryth and Victoria worked together to solve the problems of the Eversea. I loved watching them have the difficult conversations and lean on each other through the harder times and dealing with past trauma.

I did think the plot dragged for me a little bit. Some scenes or intentions were pulled along and I was ready to get things rolling. I’m honestly not sure how I feel about the ending either. There were some aspects I enjoyed and others that have me feeling mixed. The characters really sold this book for me and I look forward to the next one!

Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy Romance
- Language: some moderate
- Romance: 2-3 open; low-moderate explicit
- Violence: moderate
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of life, losing memories, healing from past truama of a previous marriage