rebeccasreadingrambles's Reviews (3.06k)

This was a great SUPER spicy book to get you ready for summer and ignore the world falling apart around you.  It jumps right in with the steam and does not ever let up, so it was easy to read it one sitting. I love the different characters and how their relationship progresses (constant innuendos and all). I appreciated the storyline about how doing something new, scary, and exciting allowed Ginny to come out of her grief and figure out what she wants and to find happiness.  Of course I loved the happy ending with the found family vibes.

Note: I listened to the audiobook and LOVED IT. It's narrated in Ginny's POV, but has narrators for all the MCs which was fabulous and really helped amplify the story and spice.

 Another wonderful book in this series. I love Lana so much, she feels like such a good friend and the Noodle House feels like home. This book involves a secret society (based on folklore) which was really cool and added an extra layer of secrecy and importance to everything. I was absolutely stumped and loved following Lana (and Megan and Kimi) sleuthing (with the full support of her detective boyfriend yay!)  Of course it made me hungry and I couldn't put it down until the grand reveal (shock!)  There were a lot of surprises along the way and my only complaint is that we didn't see much of Lana's family.

I already cannot wait for more; this is my ultimate comfort series.

Note: I listened to the audiobook and it was wonderfully done! 

Loved it! I am really going to miss these characters and even though I don't love boats, I am going to miss feeling like I'm sailing on a magical boat with the best crew. Katee knows how to make the most interesting and emotionally intelligent characters. They are flawed yes, they are struggling yes of course, but dang do they know how to take care of each other and how to communicate! This part had equally amazing romance and fantasy storylines. I was intensely invested in each and it caused such a swell of emotion in me the entire time. This was a fabulous ending to a series that I honestly wish would never end in a creative, but easy to understand magical world. I love the found family of the crew and how they would sacrifice everything for the greater good of strangers. The throuple was PERFECTION. The way they handled everything, cared for each other as a unit, never leaving someone feeling less than or unwanted was just so masterfully done; brava!

Audio note: I loooooved the triple narration. looooooved it. These narrators did a fabulous job bringing not only their own character to life, but being true to the others as well.  You can hear in the narrator's voice the care they had for both of the other MCs in the relationship and the fear and danger that kept everyone on edge.

Thanks to the publisher for a free copy and a free audiobook; my thoughts and review are my own.

Ooh this was a delight. This was my first Mimi Matthews book, but it certainly won't be my last. I loooved the setting and the premise of the Crinoline Academy - teaching these young women to rise above what society expects of them and hone their talents for the greater good (down with the patriarchy).  The passion with which they talk about their goals and how the law treats women was so powerful.  And then the inner conflict Euphemia is going through because she has such a strong urge to learn about her past made for a lot of drama. Now all of that - PLUS meeting a dashing and dangerous man who will do anything for his own causes?! Their interactions were fabulous and giving so much yearning.  So much inner conflict which lead to more longing.  The way they slowly slowly and then all at once fell in love was such a delight. The way you could tell they cared so deeply for each other, above their own aims. I just loved them and this world and I cannot wait for more!

Note: the two narrators both did a fabulous job bringing these characters alive.  The wit, banter, and passion really shone thanks to these voices.

Thanks to the publisher for a free copy and a free audiobook; my thoughts and review are my own.

 

I really enjoyed this one! The writing is beautiful and kind of lulled me the way really good storytelling can. I loved Lola and how she worked with her brother and how it seemed like her family accepted her despite the danger and the social norms.

I love how this book talks a lot about moving to indigenous land for something that benefits some and seems like a victimless act. But there are always consequences and using someone else’s land and magic without understand it is always dangerous and harmful and you could see how the characters even started to forget that it want their land to begin with. It shows how easily indigenous erasure can occur when if you are not intentionally trying to harm.

The magic system was simple and powerful and the combating forces and all the different ways they could be use and how it highlighted people’s different ideas do what is “for the best”.

Audiobook note: I love this narrator and the passion in her voice and the melodically way she narrators really captivated me in this story.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC and free audiobook; my thoughts and review are my own. 

 

Oh I enjoyed this books so much! I love the found family vibes of these characters and at this point they feel like my own friends. I love how they work together and their personalities mesh so well, even if they seem like unlikely friends. And wow oh wow will this book make your hungry. I am a cheese lover so I was starving the entire time. I am sucker for any type of festival and love the setting for this mystery.  I feel meh about pageants, but I love how this book tried to show both sides of it. I also LOVED the shocking twists and reveals and how the story took such a surprising path.  It had me smiling so much (also because I adore Archie) and flying through the ending chapters.

I can't wait to continue this series! 

Ooooh this book. It got me right away and did not let go. I could not stop listening because the story was wild and the characters were so compelling.  The writing was at the perfect pace and flowed easily between different timelines so that I was equally enthralled by both. I felt the creepiness crawl under my skin and also could completely see how people got pulled into this cult in a way I couldn't really understand before.  It was masterfully done and absolutely terrifying.  The ending had me YELLING, so twisty and amazing!

Note: The audiobook narration was perfect to raise the tension and helped convey the mind-warping done by the cult leader.

Thanks to the publisher for a free copy; my thoughts and review are my own.

I loved this one. The summary was fascinating and it delivered on that and more. The world system was easy to understand and learning about all the secrets and intricacies at the same time as the MC was the best way to make everything digestible and fascinating. And of course it allowed for some amazing twists and surprises. So many gasp worthy moments. And the characters! Ugh I loved them so much because they were so multifaceted and interesting. The writing did a beautiful job of helping the reader feel like they were on this journey with the MC and that ratchetted up the tension as the story built.  The pacing kept me hooked because not only did I want to know how the adventure would go, but I also wanted to learn everything about the Makers and what they could do. The ending chapters had my head spinning and I cannot wait for more!

Note: I listened to the audiobook and it was the best way to go. Not only was the narration fantastic, bringing all the intense emotions to the forefront, but each character had their own distinct voice which was brilliant. 

Ooh this book. I knew from the first chapter that I was going to love this book and it absolutely captivated me. Kausar Aunty is my favorite new sleuth; she is complex and filled with love and compassion and fire and grief.  I love how real she was; flaws and all; after everything that happened in her life. I love how she steps up to help her daughter, but also shares with the reader her real feelings about so many things even if they go against what is expected. She is ready to risk it all to save her family and the way she picks up on things is so savvy. I love the different layers to this story and how the past comes to play in subtle ways during the present mystery.  I was shocked by the twists at the end. It definitely had cozy mystery vibes with some darker themes. I also loved learning more small bits about Kausar Aunty's culture.

I hope this series continues!

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC; my thoughts and review are my own.

This book was a combination of dark, dangerous and randomly humorous. I usually love that combo, but somehow it felt a bit awkward to be at points and the pacing was very inconsistent. I did think there were such interesting characters and some fun moments - the con at the end was great! It was dark and intriguing enough to keep going, but there wasn't much mystery to what was happening / what would happen

Thanks to the publisher for a free copy and a free audiobook; my thoughts and review are my own.