In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren is a fun, light-hearted, holiday rom-com with a Groundhog Day twist to set it apart from all the other holiday romances out there. I immediately fell in love with this book. From the first sentence I was hooked, and y’all I skipped dinner and most of my sleeping time to finish it in one sitting. I was NOT about to set this one down. Between the family chaos of Christmas to the sweet and tender stolen kisses, In a Holidaze is sure to rank as a new holiday favorite.

Maelyn Jones is in a pickle. You see, she kissed the wrong brother, and the one she really wanted to kiss witnessed it. As if that isn’t enough to ruin her holiday, the cabin they’ve spent every Christmas in her entire life is being sold. With a careless wish to the universe, Maelyn finds herself reliving her family’s holiday vacation all over again, but this time she is determined to get it right. I don’t know what it is about Maelyn, but I adore her. She is 26 years old and floundering. Her career goals failed, and now she’s back living with her mom and younger brother. There is no romance life to speak of. She’s lost, and the universe decides to give her a little Christmas help with a bit of time travel.

Maelyn’s reactions to what happens to her are spot on. I fully believe that if this was happening to me I’d have the same reactions. She at first is understandably freaked out, and then comes to accept it for what it is: a second chance to get it right, kiss the right brother and potentially save her beloved cabin. I found myself crying with her, cheering her on, and dying of mortification for her. I lived the story through her, and y’all it was perfect, exactly what I needed during this 2020 funk.

Theo and Andrew are wonderfully written characters, complete opposites, and I’m not gonna lie I loved them both. I like the “chosen” family dynamic that is set up during the opening chapter and fully fleshed out as the story unfolds. Each character felt real and relatable. The families and their holiday traditions gave my Christmas spirit the boost it needed.

Overall, I loved In a Holidaze. I really and truly can find no fault in it, other than wanting more of this family and their absolute craziness. Maelyn’s self-discovery leads the way for the romance. And y’all. The ROMANCE *swoon* This is the best and ultimate friends-to-lovers trope I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I love the banter and how it is so easy for these two to flourish. I did buddy read this one with Stephanie @ Once Upon a Chapter who rated it 5 stars as well and said it may be her favorite read of the year. So if you enjoy holiday romances, rom-coms, and don’t mind to suspend reality for a little Christmas magic, In a Holidaze should be at the top of your TBR list.

I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not effect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Thrills and chills abound in Kerri Maniscalco‘s new release Kingdom of the Wicked. I don’t know where to start! This story will leave you on the edge of your seat begging for more. Following Emilia as she seeks vengeance for her twin sister, Kingdom of the Wicked takes the reader on an adventure where up is down and down is up. Reader beware, this story isn’t for the faint of heart.

Emilia has cemented herself as one of my favorite female characters. She is strong and resilient. Fighting a force she doesn’t quite understand, Emilia wants one thing: revenge. She wants to find her sister’s murderer and do to them what they did to her. She wants them to suffer, and so begins Emilia’s path to the dark side of witchcraft. My heart broke for her over and over again as her world turned topsy-turvy. Everything she thought she knew, all the lessons her Nonna taught, turned out to be half-truths and lies. Emilia is left to her own devices, chasing shadows and cavorting with demon princes. All of this occurs while a murderer is on the loose targeting witches. When Emilia inadvertently binds herself to Wrath, one of the Princes of Hell, her world implodes.

Wrath is a bit of a mixed character. Having finished the book, I’m still not sure how to feel about him. I wanted to love him, but I struggled with his motives and if he could be trusted. Anger rules him which makes him the perfect partner for Emilia as she seeks her revenge. It’s clear he’s keeping secrets from Emilia, the question is what?

The plot follows Emilia and Wrath as they hunt for who is killing the witches. This takes Emilia on an adventure through the dark side of her city. She learns that demons are real, they are not contained to Hell, and her magic won’t keep her safe. The pacing here is not even. At times, when the author is building the mythology and introducing characters, it moves slowly. At others, when action is happening (which is quite often), I couldn’t read quickly enough. This was a bit distracting for me, and one of the reasons I rated it lower despite loving the story itself.

My other reason for rating it lower is the blurb promises “an intoxicating romance.” Where? It’s missing! Don’t get me wrong. There is a hint of romance, and you understand pretty quickly who the love interest is. However there is very little in the way of romance, especially when I’m promised one.

Despite the uneven pacing and lack of romance, I really enjoyed Kingdom of the Wicked. I’m hoping that since the characters are fully introduced now the pacing will flow with the next novels. I’m also hoping for more of that intoxicating romance. The thrill of mystery and the fantastic world-building will please any fantasy fan!

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Oh my heart!!!! Storm and Fury by Jennifer L Armentrout is the first in her spin-off series The Harbinger. I’ll be honest, when I started reading, I didn’t know that this was a spin-off series. I have not read The Dark Elements, despite that I felt comfortable reading and did not get too lost in the world building or characters. If anything, this book just makes me want to binge the series prior to it

Well, I made it to the end and I am not satisfied. Iniquity by Amy A. Bartol is the final book in her series The Premonition. I was so excited to start this book, but quickly let down. Yet again, new players are introduced, another person is in love (well I guess extreme hate) with Evie, and everything gets wrapped up with a neat bow. After reading the first four books of the series, I didn’t expect a neat ending. I expected a messy ending with some heartache. But that is not the case.

Iniquity picks up immediately after the end of Incendiary. It is the morning after Evie burned with magic everything in her path and left Brennus with a part of his soul (albeit a very small part). Now something else is after Evie, a fallen half-seraphim tied to her previous lives.

After disliking Evie for the first four books of the series, I finally saw some redeeming qualities for her. I already liked her loyalty and willingness to put others before herself, even if that usually resulted in everyone else being in trouble. We get more history here, find out more about her previous lives AND the mystery of why all these boys love her and she them is FINALLY revealed. While it made sense, I was heartsick. Read the spoiler for why.

Spoiler

I love fated soulmate stories, and this is not that. Evie chose to sever her soulmate bond, which we found out in the previous book. We see why in this one. We also see why she is drawn to Reed, why she doesn’t remember any of her past, and how despite the soulmate bond with Russ, she had a side thing with her guardian angel Xavier. Like really?! Why not can’t you just love the other half of your soul? At least Russ has Anya….

In addition to finding all this out, Brennus’s role also comes to light. I’m not gonna lie. I love this Fae vampire and his “family.” I love how Amy A. Bartol ties Evie to them.

The plot of this one is the culmination of the entire series. This fallen half-seraphim has been haunting Evie through all of her lives, and now this is her last chance to stop him. I found the reincarnation/past life history interesting. It added a lot to Evie’s character, even if it broke the piece of my heart that loves Russell. The world-building and interweaving plot stories with Xavier and Reed and Brennus finally make sense, and it was a nice to see in the end.

Overall I liked Iniquity, but the ending kind of ruined it for me. This final installment is quite a bit shorter than the rest of the series, and at times the plot felt rushed. Then the end (which I’ve placed in spoiler tags to discuss) I have so many words for it but none good….

Spoiler

WHY?!?!?! This had a great ending until Brennus opened his mouth about a Fae queen legend and her fated mate. Really?! We were finally done. Brennus has his soul back and a second chance. Evie is helping save all the Gancanagh. She’s reunited with her surrogate family and renewed her aspire vow with Reed. WHY did you have to end with that?!?!

If you enjoy paranormal romance and urban fantasy, I recommend giving this series a go. It’s a great binge read (or listen…I listened to the entire series over the course of a week).

So far, every book in Amy A. Bartol‘s series The Premonition has been hard to write. I don’t even know how to start! Incendiary is probably my favorite of the series so far. We get answers to questions that have been building, and the family Evie has built is FINALLY back together for almost the whole book. Now if you haven’t read the series up to this point, fair warning that there are spoilers for the previous books ahead. I just don’t know how to proceed without them.

The book picks up pretty much exactly where Indebted left off. Evie has been rescued by her surrogate family (Reed, Russell, Zee, Buns, and Brownie) and whisked off to Zee’s island. Here Evie and Russ begin training in earnest as their seraphim powers are becoming stronger. However it isn’t all sunshine and roses for the group. Brennus isn’t willing to let Evie go that easily, and after a failed attempt to take her, Reed calls in reinforcements in the form of Evie’s father Tau.

I’ve tried so hard throughout this entire series to like Evie, but she makes it so hard! Evie is always willing to risk everything to save those she loves. However she doesn’t think through the consequences of her actions, EVER. Her attempts to save others always ends up with someone else getting hurt. This time it’s Reed, and I’m not okay with that. Not to mention everyone is in love with this girl and she somehow loves them all in return….just pick one already!

In every book so far, new characters and players in Evie’s life show up. This time it’s Tau, her seraphim father, and his two friends Cole and Xavier. I really like Tau, even though we don’t see much of him. I’d love to get to know him more. Unfortunately for Tau, Evie knows all three of these guys. Tau is “dreamy Drew” from her high school, Xavier is her ex and first love, and Cole was their friend. Needless to say, her high school experiences with these three overshadow the relationships she could have with them. It clouds her judgment, and she chooses to trust none of them.

Another newbie is Anya. Anya is an angel who rarely leaves to come to earth. She controls karma and claims to be Russell’s aspire. She has his wings tattooed on her heart, yet Russ has no memory of her. This just throws a wrench in the whole everyone’s-in-love-with-Evie triangle/square/pentagon thing. I like Anya though. She’s good for Russ, and for once she’s an angel that DOESN’T love Evie.

The plot of this one revolves around Brennus wanting to get Evie back. They’ve shared blood more than once now which gives him access to Evie’s dreams and even allows his magic to work on her a little. I know Brennus is supposed to be the villain, and he is a great bad guy, but I love him. I can’t help it. Every encounter with Evie leaves me loving him a little more. Stockholm syndrome maybe? Can I get that as a reader? Because if so, that’s what I’ll blame

Penny Reid has done it again! I simply adored this book. Homecoming King is the first in a planned trilogy about the reigning kings from high school, where they are now, and if they can find love. First up is Rex “TW” McMurtry. Told exclusively from the girl who had a giant crush on him in school, the story unfolds. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and then you’ll swoon as Rex sweeps his girl off her feet.

Abigail McNerny’s life isn’t at all what she pictured it would be. Divorced before she was twenty, in debt up to her eyeballs, and still working at the same bar, Gail is treading water, pretending everything is fine, and convincing herself, though not her friends, that she is happy. Then, a man enters her bar near closing and takes up residence in one of the seats. Little did she know it would be the boy she used to fantasize about, who took up all of her daydreaming time as a kid. Rex is as handsome as she remembers him to be, but conflicts with her “no dating” rule. When he proposes, quite literarlly, Gail finds herself in over her head.

As I already said, I adored this one! Gail and Rex’s chemistry is evident from their first encounter in the book. I found myself encouraging Gail to give him a chance and was even ok with the fake-marriage trope. In fact, I kind of loved the curveball that Reid throws in. Rex is dealing with relentless teasing and bad media coverage as his nickname “Training Wheels” has been applied to the girls he previously dated as each one of them marries the next guy she dates. Rex wants to stop the rumors and focus on what matters to him: football and family. It doesn’t hurt that he is clearly attracted to Gail. I love the two of them together. Their banter makes this book.

Overall, I loved Homecoming King. The character growth and the relationship that builds between the two will make your heart smile. I highly recommend this one if you enjoy contemporary romance.

I received an eARC of this book from the authors. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Of Beasts and Vengeance by Robin D. Mahle & Elle Madison is the sequel to [b:Of Thorns and Beauty|50454908|Of Thorns and Beauty (Twisted Pages #1)|Elle Madison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578992811l/50454908._SY75_.jpg|75424365] and picks up right where the first left off. There is more of everything in this book: more Zaina, more Einar, more action, more romance, just more! Of Beasts and Vengeance takes the reader on a redemption story that shows how love always wins.

Please note that if you have not read book one of this series, there are spoilers in this review.

The story begins with Zaina. Having fled the palace with Einar’s rose, Zaina has a plan. Not a good plan, but a plan nonetheless. Zaina is at the end of her rope. She knows it. She cannot and will not hurt the ones she loves, but she loves people on opposite sides of this fight. She makes a plan that will ensure the survival of all she loves, but at the cost of her own life. My heart sank as she made her plan. She was so sure no one would miss her save her sisters. She refused to think what it might do to Einar. Zaina is loyal to a fault, yet refuses to trust anyone with the lives of those she loves except for herself. And so she goes.

Einar awakes to find Zaina gone. At first, he refuses to believe she would leave him and take the rose. The rose is his only hope of saving his people, she knew that and she wouldn’t take it. But she did. Now Einar is stuck believing the worst of his new wife which goes against everything he’s learned about her in their short time together. Einar’s struggle I empathized with. He wants to believe her and wants her to trust him. Yet his treatment of her when she arrived in his kingdom haunts him. Now he must walk the line of ruler and husband and find a balance between them.

Overall I loved Of Beasts and Vengeance. The authors deliver on Zaina and Einar’s story, filling it with surprising twists and wrapping up any loose ends from the first book. I love the slow build of their relationship, but I perhaps enjoyed the character growth for Zaina the most. I can’t wait to read more of this series! If you enjoy retellings, fantasy, and of course romance, I highly recommend Of Beasts and Vengeance be added to your shelf.

I received an eARC of this book via the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

I didn’t think it was possible to love Cletus more than I already did, but I was wrong! I adore this fictional man! Marriage and Murder by Penny Reid is the second book in Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries featuring my favorite Winston brother and his girl. It’s been a year since the two were engaged, and Cletus is anxious to make Jenn his forever. However those plans are derailed the night of their engagement party when an unwanted guest winds up murdered. Now it is up to Cletus and Jenn to find the killer and clear their names.

Why Cletus Winston, are you getting a little anxious? This book starts with Cletus and his feelings about his upcoming nuptials. I do believe our boy is getting slightly cold feet. Not about Jenn, never about her, but over the ceremony itself. It has grown out of his control, and this man does not like feeling out of control. He’s angry with himself for losing some of his “omniscient” powers, however he refuses to give up any of his Jenn-time so it’s something he decides he will have to learn to live with. I love how Reid shows us a new side of Cletus. We see him vulnerable in a way we haven’t before. It humanizes him and made me fall in love with him more.

Jenn has changed so much from the pie queen we met in [b:Beard Science|23337872|Beard Science (Winston Brothers, #3)|Penny Reid|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1412692519l/23337872._SY75_.jpg|42897371]. She is confident in her own choices and actions and resolved to do what she feels is right. I do believe Cletus is rubbing off on her. She is just as conniving as he is at times and ready to follow through on any plan he has. Nothing affects her more than her family being threatened, and with the events that occur, we see a new side of Jenn, one who is ready to fight and go down swinging if she must.

Overall I loved Marriage and Murder. This is a fun, cozy read that made me laugh and cry and feel all the emotion. Penny Reid is my most recent go-to author to help me laugh and escape reality if only for a little while. This one kept me guessing right to the end! I highly recommend this one for anyone that enjoys cozy mystery with a bit of steamy romance.

I received an eARC of this book via the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Oh my! I don’t even know where to begin. The Lost Prince by Michelle Bryan picks up a few weeks after the events of [b:The Lost Magic|54257126|The Lost Magic (Power Of Fae Book 2)|Michelle Bryan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593043797l/54257126._SY75_.jpg|84665126]. If you haven’t read the previous books in the series, there may be spoilers to them in this review. Consider yourself warned