lisaluvsliterature's Reviews (4.19k)

It wasn't bad, just didn't keep my interest. It's still one I'll get for my school library!

Just too much telling instead of showing, and I knew I couldn't read all almost 400 pages of this.  Still good enough I can share with my students though.

I was bored listening and couldn't see spending any more time listening when there were other things I wanted to listen to.

I don’t read a ton of westerns or books about horses, but when the publisher reached out to me about this one, it just sounded so cute! And really it was a mostly predictable story, but in a good way! I enjoyed this sweet story and just knowing how it would go. It was enough that the big dramatic bit at the end did actually have me tearing up a bit so that is good.

I loved the horses and the movie being filmed. Nora’s friends were fun and good friends as well. Her dad and stepmom even were more than she assumed they were, and I loved how that story came around in the end as well. There were a few “bad guys” in the story, Alec’s ex, an old classmate of Nora’s, as well as someone in Alec’s world. One of them the author gave them a little bit of empathy, even if what they did sucked. I did mark it down a half star on my blog review for the bit of misunderstanding issue at the end, even if I guess it was understandable.

Alec wasn’t the dashing hero to start, it was definitely an enemies to lovers trope. And while it seemed way over the top how he reacted in his and Nora’s first meeting, it made sense once we learned what he’d been dealing with. A fun movie star falls in love with a normal girl story, and I’m not usually a fan of those, but this was done perfectly.

So glad I got to read this one!

I finally got around to reading the first book in this author’s adult mystery series, Arsenic and Adobo, which first drew me in because of the dachshund on the cover, and then I loved it because of all the food in the story as well as just a fun mystery. So not only do I want to read on in that series, but when I saw she had a YA mystery coming out, with tarot cards as a part of the story, I was intrigued and requested the e-galley.

The mystery was definitely one that I was kept guessing exactly what was happening all the way through. Especially as the family of the missing girl wasn’t honest with Danika or her mom, as well as they wanted it kept quiet, so asking questions to investigate was really tricky. I enjoyed all the different foods that were talked about in the story, as well as the tarot card readings. I remember in high school I decided I wanted a deck of tarot cards and got some. I did one reading for a friend who said it was on the nose. But I never really did much more than that.

There were a few parts that went a little slow for me. The romance wasn’t a big part of the story, although there were some possible love interests. But as Danika hadn’t really ever dated anyone, the way she handled those two was interesting and unique. I liked the way the author handled that. In the end there was a bit of a maybe cliffhanger/lead to a second story, and I’d definitely be interested in another case. Since Danika is hoping to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a PI, it could be fun!

I have read and really enjoyed this author’s first two books, so I was very excited for this one. And while the amount of spice in this one makes it YA maybe? I am calling it NA because of the age of the characters. To me college students are NA. There was so much about this story that I loved. I totally feel like Irene about real life love/relationships. Of course at her age I was nowhere near this organized and passionate about one thing, books, like she is. Although I have always been a reader, at that age I was still more into sci-fi and horror.

I loved how they used all the tropes as chapter themes, as well as for the dating experiment that Irene decided to do to make herself better suited for the sponsor she was trying to get. It was so easy to see how much Aiden was the perfect guy for her. And she was being so stubborn, even if it was understandable. I loved how she followed through those stages as did he. I could also totally understand how she felt overwhelmed starting that first year at college, and I think I kind of had the same issue when I first started college but in my case it was having more of a social life that I’d never really had before and the freedom from parents as well.

The one thing they talked about was when she said miscommunication is a real thing and I know it is. And sometimes I’m okay with it in romances, but when it is something that seems ridiculous for them not to say or tell someone, then it becomes drama for drama’s sake in a story, in my opinion. And in a way that happened here. However the way Aiden said he would be there waiting for her while she did what she needed? That made him a perfect book boyfriend for her.

This was a perfect little romance story with good friends and lots of lessons. And while I technically believe this age of character should be considered new adult, I think this is still a good YA romance that I can’t wait to share with my students!

I really enjoyed the first book in this series last year, Nun Too Soon, and was excited for the next nun to get her HEA. Matilda was the one, as described above, who was prickly, and harder to get to know in her own way. But we learn so much about her background in this story. And it is so understandable why she is the way she is.

There were a couple things towards the beginning that she said that totally are the way I feel about things. First was about being the friend who when your other friends find their significant other, it isn’t long before they move on and you are no longer someone that they make sure to spend as much time with. It feels like being ghosted at times. Then there was Matilda’s thoughts on personal space vs. sex, and that also is something I’ve felt like in the past as well. That you can enjoy sex, but still not want people in your personal space other than that.

While it was frustrating to watch Matilda push Kimo away over and over, it also made sense for her, and it only made him more lovable in how he kept not giving up on her. And then when she had a cranky day after they seemed to be in the groove with their relationship, his reaction and how he took care of her, I loved it so much! His niece and nephew were adorable, as was his watch dog mother. I loved how he kind of won over every person he talked to, he was totally the golden retriever hero.

Now, I am unsure of how to picture him. Because it makes him look very hunky on the cover, but just other things about how he was described made me think of a BIG man, like Jason Momoa, but also not as buff? But I still fell in love with him and his easygoing ways and personality.

The epilogue was from our third nun’s POV and I’m so eager for her book and to learn all about the family she is dealing with. I wonder if the ex-priest who is now a part of their group will be a bigger part of her story, or if we will get a story for him afterwards?

This was an unsolicited ARC from the publisher, but boy am I glad I got it, and then had the time to pick it up and fit it in. It was so good! While at the moment there is no sequel listed, it left off on a bit of a cliffhanger and there is so much more to happen!

I don’t read a ton of romantasy these days, but have been picking them up here and there. Part of it is because of how lengthy the books usually are. And this book was another 500 pager. But then I think about how one of my favorite romance authors often has books that long and it didn’t seem so big.

The world was fun and of course there was a map in the front of my ARC that I could look at as they went to different places on the travels through Turah. Odessa was our main character. The oldest princess, but also with a stepmother, she wasn’t the one who was supposed to be marrying the heir of Turah for the treaty. Her younger sister had been raised and trained to do all of that. Unfortunately when the heir to Turah comes after killing the monsters threatening Odessa’s home land of Quentis, he demands Odessa to be the bride-prize instead.

In order not to cause a war and to keep the treaty, her father gives her a quick crash course before the wedding in what his goals are. He wants her to spy and find their capital city which is a place talked about, but location not known by those outside of the Turah. As much as Odessa doesn’t feel up to all of this, she is also thrilled at the chance to leave her home, and explore the world as she’d always wanted. Her new husband though is silent almost all the time. Barely talks. And then there is the Guardian, who is the protector of the people of Turah, but also has a connection as the murderer of Odessa’s ex-fiancee’s brother. And the Guardian is always riling her up, being rude, or right there all the time, following her, criticizing her, etc.

As their journey goes along, and monsters attack their ship, she asks for fighting lessons. And guess who her husband assigns to train her? The Guardian. So they develop a bit of a love/hate relationship. But of course there is attraction that builds up in these training sessions, but there is obviously the lack of trust still. The Guardian knows that she is probably supposed to kill him as part of whatever her father has tasked her with. Not to mention no one trusts her enough to tell her where the capital city is, or how to get there, etc.

Once in Turah it is so different from what is expected. There are monsters everywhere it seems, no place is safe. And one city they come to live in is all up in trees. They stop there and stay for awhile. Odessa soon learns secret after secret about her husband. She also learns things are a little crazy in this land. The king isn’t trusted by many, including her husband. The king is burning books whenever he finds them. People aren’t allowed to own or make maps. There’s a little girl with a relationship to her husband. And maybe her husband isn’t who she thinks he is.

There are a few people there that treat her kindly, and that she begins friendships with. She even discovers someone from her own land at one point and is able to talk to him about the things happening. There is so much more to the monsters though. They seem to have a disease that no one knows about save the Guardian and a few others. And then there is the strange connection she has to the magical priest like characters in the story, a connection that causes her pain when they are around, but no one else seems to feel or notice.

We are left with a huge change in what is taking place in this country and how the monsters are showing up. Not to mention maybe how this disease was actually invented, and all the ways it affects Odessa and her husband and his family.

I can’t wait to read a second book in this series and see where the author takes this story! I will mention that the steamy scenes were not too crazy or dark, and didn’t start till late in the story. We also don’t get a ton of that, after a time or two of getting open door, it soon is more fade to black scenes when it takes place. So if that is an issue for you, I think this book isn’t as racy as some and you might enjoy it!