morganthebee's Reviews (489)


 Adorned in Ice is a nice debut. The story is a bit dark and deals with physical abuse and royal politics in a magical world, with a bit of romance thrown in. The writing was good, but the plot felt a bit rushed at times and I wanted more time devoted to the relationship between Eliza and Nissa. It went fairly quickly to instalove, where I would have liked to see more depth. It ends on a cliffhanger, and it did leave me wanting to know what will happen next, so kudos to that.

The narration wasn’t the best I’ve listened to and there were some mispronunciations, but the tone matched the story. Overall the audiobook gets 3.5 stars from me, and I’ll definitely give the next installment a go.

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

Eada Fresian wasn’t kidding when she titled this Spicy Sapphic Christmas. With seven separate well written spicy scenes throughout the book, it is definitely that! The story centers on two musical duos: Bunny and Piper, best friends who have been playing together for decades; and sisters Bea and Jo, up and coming artists who perform together as Sole Sisters.

Bea and Jo are open about their sexuality and have gone out of their way to sign with Siena, Bunny and Piper’s agent, knowing that she’s an out lesbian. Bunny and Piper have been in the closet for years, and Bunny is absolutely terrified of coming out and the effect it would have on their careers. She can’t deny the connection she has with Bea, but her fear causes a lot of issues for them and their respective duos. Meanwhile Piper and Jo are getting closer, having found a kindred spirit in the other.

It took me a little bit to get into this story, but I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and by the end I couldn’t put it down. I really liked Bea, and although Bunny was a jerk sometimes I did get where she was coming from to an extent and I could see why Bea was so drawn to her, and why she and Piper were so close. Piper and Jo were my favorites, though. I absolutely adored both of them and was cheering so hard for them.

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

Unyielding, book three in the Blacksea Odyssey, is a phenomenal end to a phenomenal trilogy that just got better with each new installment. The story picks up where we left off at the end of book two, with our delightfully flawed heroines, Nyssa and Quinn. We’re plunged into the action right away, and it just doesn’t quit. Unyielding delivers even more world building, exciting fighting, sweet romance, delicious spice, and ancient gods.

Nyssa is the backbone of the Blacksea world (she does carry its name, after all), but she’s just one in a cadre of fabulously well-developed characters. We get deeper into Quinn’s head as she struggles with the darkness and trauma of her past. Aryis works hard to make amends, while Athen works to reconcile his hurt with his love. Our pirate crew, led by Elias and Fontaine, are back with their fierce loyalty and much needed levity. Reece is just as amazing as she was in the first two installments, and her blossoming relationship with the wonderfully enigmatic Medias is one of my favorite parts of the story.

The quality of the writing is top notch, and the storyline flows so smoothly. Vodvarka is hands down a must-read author for me. With at least two more books coming in the Blacksea universe, I can’t wait to see what she has in store!

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

Make no mistake: If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come is HEAVY. I devoured it while it ripped my heart out and had me crying, to the point where as much as I wanted to keep going I had to pause my reading because I was struggling to see the pages through my tears, but it also put me back together and made me feel SEEN. It’s tumultuous and soothing and shattering and oh, so heartbreaking, but also healing and hopeful and full of love. 

The story follows Avery Byrne, going back and forth between her present day experiences with the end of the world nigh and glimpses of her life prior. Avery is such a complicated character, the perfect Catholic and star athlete who hides so much of who she really is from everyone, including those closest to her. The woman she loves, her childhood best friend Cass, joins her as they navigate the final days with a diverse and lovely cast of characters including Avery’s college roommate Aisha, a college professor, Avery’s parents, her beloved brother and sister-in-law, and her adorable nephew.

It deals with heavy themes at the end of the world, but it’s not really about the apocalypse. It’s about figuring out who you are and your place in the world, the impact you make on those around you, no matter how many days you have left. It’s about finding that part of yourself that’s worth fighting for, even if the world is ending, even if there might not be a tomorrow. Hands down the best YA book I’ve read this year.

Comics, Cons & Clerics is a super cute story with essentially two romance arcs. The first half focuses on Rina, an extremely anxious but brilliant programer and secret comic artist, and Cisco, a nerdy but super supportive and caring guy. The second half follows Rina's bestie Audra and Cisco's BFF Mandy as they navigate their own crushes and well meaning friends.

There were a few places where the wrong name was used, and some grammatical errors here and there, but the story itself was fun and well balanced. It's not deep, but it's sweet and funny, and I definitely got sucked in and found myself cheering for everyone.

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