morganthebee's Reviews (489)

Forget everything you know about vampires, because Alyson Root is going to turn it on its head in Risking Immortality. Vampires are born, not made; they don’t drink human blood; and, in order to reach their full potential and become immortal, they must find and bond with their soulmate before they turn 30. If they aren’t able to find their mate in time they’ll go mad, and no vampire has returned from that madness. 

 

The story begins on Amelia Loch’s 29th birthday.  As the third of seven siblings in one of the oldest and most influential vampiric families, she’s the only one (except the youngest) who hasn’t found their mate. Her family is terrified they’ll lose her, and her siblings are determined to help their beloved sister find her mate no matter what it takes. Through Amelia’s eyes, we venture out into the world of vampires and right into one of the clubs she owns to celebrate her birthday and, her family hopes, find her mate. It’s here that we get our meet cute, with Amelia seeing Erin for the first time, and she just can’t resist teasing her a bit. The connection is instant and Amelia is drawn to the feisty bartender, but there’s one problem: Erin is human. 

 

The vampire community is wonderfully accepting and romantic, and Amelia’s family embodies that, with her caring parents and (mostly) supportive siblings. I think I fell in love with Erin myself through Amelia’s eyes, and I couldn’t get enough of Lucille, the sister Amelia loves to hate. The banter between the two sisters, and between Amelia and Erin, is top notch. The resulting adventure is fun, with a little angst and a lot of spice. I loved every minute, and I can’t wait for what comes next! 

I feel like Emily Austin’s writing is kind of like black licorice: you either love it or you hate it. I, personally, am a big fan of both. Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead is told in fits and starts, almost a stream of consciousness examination of anxiety, depression, and mental illness with a hefty dose of loneliness. It moves quickly in a disjointed mishmash of sad, hilarious, and WTF moments. It’s not going to be for everyone, but it was for me. 

Kim Pritekel’s Unbroken is a beautifully nuanced, sometimes heartbreaking love story spanning nearly three decades. Jessie Lowrey first meets Heaven in 1918, when her family moves from Kansas City to Denver, Colorado, to work for the McGovern family. Jessie’s mother is a maid and her father is a jack-of-all-trades, doing groundskeeping and repairs around Greyson Manor. The girls are almost the same age, and 6-year-old Jessie has her own job in the household: being Heaven’s playmate. 

 

The novel is dual timeline, going back and forth between 1945 when Mrs. McGovern, Heaven’s mother who is dying of cancer, summons Jessie back to the manor to make amends, and Jessie and Heaven’s first meeting in 1918 forward. The story moves at a slower pace but it feels very natural, especially for the setting, and the characters are wonderfully well developed and believable. Even though Jessie and Heaven are forced into positions that take their lives on different paths than they ever would have imagined, the love between them remains unbroken. 

 

I received a free ARC from the author, but my review is unbiased and left voluntarily. 

How to Flirt With a Witch starts out hilariously, with our MC Katie (whose POV is the only one we’ll get) on a video call with her BFF Hazel trying to catch her new kitten, which is wreaking havoc on her apartment. After finally managing to get the animal into its carrier, she heads off to the vet to try to find out what’s wrong with her frisky feline. There she meets Natalie, a veterinarian, and Katie is immediately drawn to her. 

 

The story does get a bit more serious and a lot less slapstick as it goes on, but in really interesting ways. Katie is a new college student away from home for the first time. She’s feeling a bit out of sorts, but as it turns out she’s got an innate ability to sense curses. Natalie is a witch tasked with finding and eliminating cursed things, and she happens to be quite protective of people she cares about—particularly a beautiful new college student. Both of them are lovely and their chemistry is obvious, but there’s someone after Katie and there are some secrets being kept. 

 

The story has an interesting magic system, and touches on some deeper topics of morality and good vs. evil, plus we get some action and magical battles. There’s not a cliffhanger ending, but with some issues left unresolved it’s clearly being set up for at least a second installment, and I’m all for it! 

 

I received a free ARC from the author, but my review is unbiased and left voluntarily. 

Basil and Oregano is a cute YA graphic novel set at a magical cooking boarding school. There's a diverse set of characters, with Basil having two dads, a trans friend, a nonbinary teacher, and a Muslim teacher (which is important in a magical cooking school as the dishes had to be halal), just to name a few. The story wasn't super deep, although there were a few topics that were touched on, most heavily about financial inequality. The story moved and resolved quickly so I felt like it was geared toward middle school age, maybe early high school, but it was a fun, quick read and I loved the artwork.

I mean, Her Best Friend’s Sister is basically sapphic smut with a side of plot. If you like that, particularly if it involves a strap, you’ll probably like this. If not…well, you probably won’t. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Ribbonwood, set in a small Australian town of the same name and told from multiple points of view (primarily Lara and Ollie’s, but also others), begins with a prologue that gives us an introduction to the townspeople’s opinion of Lara Bennett. She’s the beautiful town femme fatale who is at the center of all town rumors: seductress, homewrecker, ice queen, man killer. You name it and someone has probably called her that at some point, but Lara keeps herself above it all.

Lara’s high school nemesis, Dr. Viola (Ollie) Gabrielli, comes home to Ribbonwood to be with her family as her grandmother’s health declines and try to recover from burnout as a pediatric emergency doctor. Their inevitable encounter goes about as well as can be expected, but something said by Ollie’s sister makes her reconsider everything she previously thought about Lara. She’s determined to figure her out and break through her defenses, but Lara’s walls are high and she’s resolved not to let herself be vulnerable.

Lara and Ollie are both wonderfully deep characters whose chemistry and banter are off the charts. As Ollie melts the ice queen, what unfolds is a gorgeous love story, surrounded by a bit of mystery and a lot of steam. On top of that we have a host of other characters, from Ollie’s loving family to Lara’s daughter and best friend, to the townsfolk, who all add to the story. Ultimately Ribbonwood is about women coming together to support and empower each other, and how opening ourselves up to love in all its forms can be freeing, and it’s a beautiful, beautiful thing.

I received a free ARC from the author, but my review is unbiased and left voluntarily.