Review: If I was only allowed to read one book for the rest of my life, I would choose this one! 

 

“Out on a Limb” follows Win McNulty and Bo Durand, two strangers whose lives are forever altered after a one-night stand at a Halloween party. With a baby on the way, the two decide to get to know one another as friends and nothing more. But, as they both should know by now, life rarely goes according to plan. 

 

I loved reading from Win’s perspective! Her distinctive character voice drew me in from the very start! I appreciate how Win’s inner thoughts showcase very real day-to-day struggles, insecurities, and fears as she navigates her unexpected pregnancy and relearns how to embrace herself fully. Though I couldn’t relate to Win’s specific situation, I could relate to her feelings and emotions and was moved by her vulnerability. 

 

I adore Bo Durand!!! He is the PERFECT partner for Win. Every interaction he was involved in made me smile because he is just so kind and supportive of Win. He makes her feel protected, safe, and loved. On top of that, his sunshine personality, nerdiness, and dad jokes made my heart flutter to no end. 

 

Win and Bo’s relationship development is beautiful from start to finish. At first, they are perfect strangers. Once Win discovers she is pregnant with Bo’s baby, they spend the majority of the story establishing a strong friendship that later serves as the foundation for their romantic relationship. They get to know each other so completely by asking each other questions and keeping communication open. As they got more comfortable with each other, there were little moments (like when Bo braided Win’s hair, when Win helped Bo grapple with his own demons, or when the two slow danced in the kitchen) that really stuck with me. I laughed, I cried, and I got all the warm and fuzzy feelings from this book! It’s disabled joy at its core and I couldn’t recommend it enough!

Review: With Envy making brief appearances throughout Maniscalco’s Kingdom of the Wicked series, it was well worth the wait to be able to read from his perspective and in a regency fantasy setting no less! 

 

“Throne of the Fallen” follows the Prince of Envy and Miss Camilla Antonius as they compete together in a deadly game to win back what they hold most dear. Nothing will stand in their way, though none of their best laid plans prepare them for the most dangerous trap of all: falling in love. 

 

Maniscalco perfectly characterizes Envy in accordance with the sin he embodies. He is cunning, selfish, territorial, cruel, and loves nothing more than to inspire jealousy in others. He is a walking red flag, a far cry from Prince Charming and that somehow made me love him even more! 

 

He meets his match in Camilla, who does not run at the sight of a Prince of Hell, and their chemistry is off the charts! She sees him for who he is (a ruthless lover) and embraces him completely, tearing down the walls around his heart brick by brick. Envy sets Camilla free as well by encouraging her to indulge her passions and shed her civility after living a life bound by society’s rules. They ignite passion in each other and their battle of wills creates a fun dynamic between them. I found great pleasure in watching them try to resist each other and fail miserably. 

 

As much as I didn’t want to, I began to lose interest near the halfway point. The explicit scenes were a bit too numerous for me personally and some of the plot twists were easy to pick up on, causing the book to drag. Despite these setbacks, I was satisfied with the ending and am interested enough to see what direction the next book takes!

Review: Hunter’s writing and the chemistry between her characters is sheer perfection! 

 

“Rope the Moon” follows Dakota McGraw, who flees her bakery in the middle of the night to escape her abusive boyfriend and protect the baby she is carrying. When Davis Montgomery, her first love, finds out what happened to her, he comes to her rescue in the middle of the night and moves her onto Runaway Ranch to keep her safe. It doesn’t take long for the attraction between them to come back even stronger, but second chances don’t come easy, especially with the past looming overhead.  

 

I really enjoyed the pacing of Davis and Dakota’s relationship and the way it developed. The two have a lot of history together and Hunter does a great job providing a snapshot of their past in the prologue and sharing details throughout the novel to show why it wasn’t the right time for their relationship to progress forward at that time. As they found their way back to each other in the present, I became wholly invested in Davis and Dakota as a couple and was rooting for them to find their happily ever after! 

 

Dakota is stubborn and strong, yet vulnerable (especially with all that she has gone through). Davis steps up for her by claiming and loving her baby as if it were his own. He buys her all the baby supplies, drives her to every doctor’s appointment, downloaded an app so he can learn about her baby’s development, and essentially becomes the man she needs (*swoons*). Dakota also takes care of Davis, who grapples with PTSD as a former marine. She is methodical in helping him recover from his wounds and is always by his side to comfort him through his nightmares. I have never read about a couple more meant for each other than Davis and Dakota! They help each other get back on their feet and my heart melted the more that I read. I could not get enough and truly did not want this book to end. “Rope the Moon” is my happy place and I hope Dakota and Davis make a cameo in the next installment!

Review: This book made me forget time existed and left me begging for more! 

 

“The Prisoner’s Throne” follows Oak Greenbriar as he tries to regain Wren’s trust from the confines of his icy prison. With High King Cardan and High Queen Jude willing to use any means necessary to ensure his return to Elfhame, Oak will have to decide where his loyalties lie—with the girl he’s always loved or the kingdom he will one day rule. 

 

Having been introduced to Oak in the Folk of the Air series, I was beyond excited to read from his perspective and Black does not disappoint! Like her other characters, Oak is very complex and layered. Black reveals that shortly after the events of “The Queen of Nothing”, Oak adopts a coy, spoiled prince persona. We learn that he does this so that he becomes the target of assassination attempts instead of Jude and Cardan. His motivations stem from the belief that he owes his family a great deal for all they sacrificed to protect him as a child. 

 

Wren is the one person that Oak cannot hide his true self from and I loved watching him grovel after he realizes the effect his betrayal had on her. He draws out her lingering attraction for him with his charm and little games. I was overcome by emotion at the end when he laid bare his heart. Their messy love story is one that I will not soon forget and I cannot wait to see what role both of them play in the next faerie adventure! 

Review: A gripping fantasy that will pull the rug out from under you.

“Strike the Zither” follows Zephyr, one of the best strategists of the Xin Dynasty, as she infiltrates an enemy camp to keep her warlordess Xin Ren’s followers from being slaughtered. When she finally meets her match in Crow—an opposing strategist—Zephyr must take fate into her own hands to ensure her survival and change the tide of the war. 

Joan He’s fantastical storyline draws inspiration from the Three Kingdoms period of China, which drew me in and sparked my interest in the source material. I really love how the author’s reimagining has a predominately female cast because of the strength the characters exude and the dynamics that are at play in the novel. The reluctant found family that forms between Zephyr, Xin Ren, and Ren’s two generals showcases their starkly different personalities and how they work together in the name of honor and duty to claim the continent.

I LOVE Zephyr and Crow’s relationship arc! I found it so unique and refreshing because it isn’t your typical enemies to lovers romance. Yes they are enemy strategists that fall in love, but they prioritize their causes over their own feelings. They would rather die at the hands of each other than give in to their desires if it means winning the war. Their relationship is so toxic, but I couldn’t get enough of the tension, mutual pining, secrets, betrayals, and scheming. I was endlessly entertained as I tried to anticipate who would come out on top in their battle of wits, but nothing could have prepared me for that ending! 

Review: This is not a review, it’s a love letter to Sarah Adams for writing this book. 

“The Rule Book” follows Nora Mackenzie, a sports agent whose first client is famous NFL tight end Derek Pender. He also happens to be her ex-boyfriend and he’s still holding a grudge. He’s determined to make her life difficult, but when a wild night in Vegas leads to an accidental marriage, they have to rekindle their relationship to save their careers.

Reading this book was like getting a warm hug and its all because I really adored the characters. Nora is my favorite of Sarah’s female main characters because she is so inspiring, unapologetically herself, and hardworking. Adams gives her so much personality and I found myself relating to her organization skills (specifically color-coding), can-do attitude, and love of sweet treats. I also saw a lot of myself in Derek. Though I do not have a shared experience with a learning disability diagnosis, I’ve felt inadequate before and I resonated with his internal struggle. Both Nora and Derek really moved me and I now consider them my comfort characters.

Nora and Derek’s second chance romance had me feeling so giddy! Adams does a great job establishing what their relationship was like in college and why it eventually fell apart. She executes the “right person, wrong time” narrative so well and weaves in some of my other favorite tropes like accidental marriage/marriage of convenience, only one bed, and “that’s my wife” flawlessly without overwhelming the reader. The inclusion of such tropes push Nora and Derek to face their lingering feelings for each other and act on them to give their relationship another shot. I couldn’t get enough of the mutual pining, the tension, and the way they continuously uplift each other. Thank you Sarah for this masterpiece! I’m so obsessed with this book that it hurts. 

Review: I was on the edge of my seat with tissues on hand at all times!

“Destroy the Day” follows Corrick, Tessa, and Harristan as they find their way back to each other to save the Kingdom of Kandala before time runs out.

I really enjoyed the beginning and end of this book! Kemmerer creates characters that are impossible not to grow attached to, so I was happy to jump back in with Tessa, Corrick, and Harristan after being without them for so long. Their points-of-view allow the reader to explore the Kingdom of Ostriary while still remaining connected to the happenings in the Kingdom of Kandala. As always, Kemmerer’s detailed imagery and thoughtful world-building effectively immerse the reader in new environments and old.  

Sadly, the middle is where this book fell flat for me. Tessa and Corrick spend a majority of the book apart and Kemmerer relies on other storylines to advance the plot forward—storylines that I just did not find captivating and made the story feel longer than necessary. Once Tessa and Corrick actually reunite, I was underwhelmed by their romance and I expected more since I was deprived of it for most of the book.

Still, saying goodbye to this series was hard and the ending made me so emotional. I bawled like a baby for a solid chapter or two, but I couldn’t be happier with how Kemmerer left things!

Review: A delightfully funny and steamy regency romance!

After her livelihood slips through her fingers, Alexandra Mountbatten becomes the governess of two wild orphans in need of a loving home. When she tries to reach the heart of Chase Reynaud, their guardian and the London’s infamous rake, he decides to give her an education in pleasure to prove that he can’t be tamed. But soon the walls around his heart are crumbling and he’s in danger of settling down.

“The Duchess Deal” set the bar high and unfortunately, as much as I wanted to love this one, “The Governess Game” didn’t quite measure up to it. I really liked Alex as a character. She is intelligent, ambitious, passionate, and does not put up with any nonsense. Her relationship with Rosamund and Daisy was incredibly endearing and their dynamic was so fun. I love how she worked hard to win them over with the goal of making sure they felt wanted and loved when they initially felt otherwise under Chase’s care. 

What fell flat for me was Alex and Chase’s romantic relationship. While their banter was hilarious, I wasn’t sold on their chemistry. This may be in part due to Chase’s character. He is introduced as an rogue-ish rake that cannot love, but that changes on a dime the moment he meets Alex. If he gradually became charming, sweet, and caring over time, I think I would have been more invested and more willing to put up with the push/pull of their relationship. 

This book may not be my favorite in the series, but it was still an entertaining read!

Review: This historical romance is absolute perfection! 

 

Since his return from the war, the Duke of Ashbury is in need wife. Enter Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress. When she conveniently appears in his library wearing his former fiancé’s wedding gown demanding payment, he decides she’ll do. 

 

I loved watching Emma and Ash’s marriage of convenience slowly turn into something real! In the beginning, Ash was determined to keep them apart by creating rules so that they wouldn’t fall in love. I knew from their first interaction, however, that his plans would fall apart because their chemistry is undeniable! Emma is stubborn and sees right through the walls that Ash puts up. Their intelligent, humorous personalities spark a connection between them that only strengthens as they help each other embrace their insecurities. 

 

I was pleasantly surprised by how comedic this book is! Emma and Ash’s banter was incredibly entertaining and made me laugh out loud at times. If you’re looking for a historical romance that is reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast with both steam and humor, then this is your book! I was hooked from the first page and am convinced it was written for me! 

Review: Faizal’s latest page-turner is the  perfect blend of vampires, heists, and tea with a hint of romance! 

 

“A Tempest of Tea” follows Arthie Casimir, a criminal mastermind who runs a tearoom by day and a bloodhouse that caters to the local vampires by night. When her establishment is threatened, she’s forced strike a deal with an unlikely adversary in order to save it. 

 

Admittedly, the slow pacing at the start threw me off, but once Faizal set the scene, the action and suspense surrounding Arthie and her crew of misfits infiltrating the vampire underworld captivated me. Faizal’s writing is immersive and she cleverly conceals all that Arthie has up her sleeves until the very last second, which allows for many jaw-dropping moments. 

 

I was most drawn to reading from Arthie’s pov. As the mastermind of the operation, it was fascinating to see her scheme and navigate through the tangled web of heists spanning across the books. I also appreciate how her character represents the anger and pain that stems from colonialism. Before dominating the streets of White Roaring, Arthie lived in a country much like Sri Lanka that was invaded by Ettenia (a fantastical version of 1920s England). Many of the choices that she makes are intentional in exposing the dangers and repercussions of conquest. 

 

It was also exciting to read from the povs of two members of Arthie’s crew! Their perspectives offer insight into each person’s role in the heist and their motivations for being involved.