When I tell you that I was scared to read this because of the tennis… I’m so glad I pushed through and read it anyway.

This book is not about tennis. I found Carrie very relatable due to her perfectionism and how independent she requires herself to be. Nobody can get close, aside from her father. She must win, no matter the cost.

She’s cold, unfeeling, and has been granted the nickname that no woman ever wants to be called: the bitch. She doesn’t wave at fans or kiss babies. She’s there for one reason: to win.

After reading the blurb, I was immediately hooked and was able to score a copy from my local library. I do have to say that even though it's tagged as an LGBTQ romance, the romance is very slow burn and I expect it to fully bloom in the next book. Don't go into this if you're looking for a fantasy romance.

That being said, it is LGBTQ forward, which I love.

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Anyone else's heart ripped out over the death of Calgir? Farvor's grief turned into my grief and the pure brutality of this queen to burn the body so Hellevir couldn't bring him back was just... heart wrenching, but I loved it?

I also loved that we have Death personified, which is one of my favorite things in fantasy books. This personification of death is not to be trifled with. He's not a shadow daddy; this guy is demented and angry,

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but you can also feel his loneliness.

Like there's this scene fairly early on in the book where Hellevir takes a soul without his explicit permission and he meets her in a dream that is just... unsettling.

If you're an audiobook person, I highly recommend it. The narration is incredible and this book is thick. It doesn't look it, but the audio is 18 hours long. Kristen Atherton did a great job giving all of the characters voices that fit their personalities, including Death.

While I absolutely loved parts of this book, I did have some issues with the pacing. There were points where I grew bored or was uninterested enough to consider putting it down, but I'm glad I didn't. The relationship Hellevir has with literally everyone is interesting enough to keep reading about.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and I think it's a great debut novel. The political intrigue is brutal, the passing into Death was atmospheric (as is the rest of the book), and the ending has me wanting to reach for book two even though it's not here yet!

I'll be purchasing a copy for my shelves for sure.

Have you ever been so enamored with a book (or series) that you can't say anything specific about it? You're just giddy and shoving a the cover in people's faces while squealing gibberish? Yeah. This is that for me.

I am reeling! I haven't felt this way about a series in a long time... granted, I haven't read a series in a long time. I was shook over how the first book ended, but holy shit. I need to read the third one right now. The ending here was crazy and I'm probably going to binge the third book in a single sitting. Black is great with endings and making you run to the bookstore like a tunnel visioned book goblin. Luckily, I planned for this and bought the third book with the second.

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Okay, let's talk.

I love how you're watching Jude and Cardan have this chemistry-like-romance throughout the entire book. I mean, they make CONTACT in this book. And it's full of that fine line hatred, but then they get married and you're like... THIS IS IT. We're going to have the enemies turn to lovers... only for him to seriously turn the tables. I mean, to exile the person you promised a kingdom to? Like fuck. And then with Vivi planting revenge-flavored thoughts in her head in the epilogue. Just chef's kiss. I cannot wait to dive into the third book.

Also: how did we feel about Vivi glamouring Heather? That whole situation was off-putting and I'm glad Heather left.

There were so many memorable things in this book: I mean, when Jude was betrayed by the Ghost and taken to the Undersea?? Like, I know that section was supposed to be horrible and it did make my stomach turn a little... but I was glad we went under the waves because I was so curious about it. I wanted to know what the mer-people were like and how their underwater systems worked.

It's such a magical thing to read the right book at the right time.

If you're looking to chase the high of Legends & Lattes, but add some slightly higher stakes and a dash more romance, this book could be for you.

I absolutely loved the worldbuilding, the island vibe, and the magic system. We're talking about a librarian turned runaway rogue and practicing illegal spell work to save her childhood home. It's cozy, cute, and just what I needed.

I especially loved getting to know the world with its magical creatures. I've never heard of Sarah Beth Durst before, but you can bet that I'll be checking out her other books.

The only issues I had, which is why this isn't a raving five star read, were petty. I didn't even really care that there were a bunch of discoveries of convenience (things popping up just as you happened to need them) and the romance felt like Disney created it. The book was just so well written and the vibes were amazing.

Solid four star read and since I borrowed the library's copy, I will be purchasing one for my own shelves.

Pro tip: make sure you have plenty of baked goods with you while you read. You'll thank me later.

This book was everything I wanted in a romantic fantasy and more. If you’re looking for a romance that’s reminiscent of You’ve Got Mail, but with reanimated corpses and death… this is your book.

How can a book surrounding death, undertaking, and walking corpses be considered cozy? I don’t know, but Megan Bannen did it. Bloodshed with a side of baked goods? Yes, please!

The romance was incredible, but I’m reluctant to call it hate to love. It’s more dislike to love since their reasoning behind the hatred is flimsy.

However, it worked for me. Everything about this book worked for me. I loved the side characters, the pen pal element, the world building. I loved the cursing! There’s so much cursing, but it’s still cozy.

I do also have to say that it's funny how timing plays into a reading experience. I had tried to read this back in 2022 when it first released and ended up DNFing it because I wanted more from the pen pal trope. I wanted more angst and I thought that revealing the pen pal early on in the story was a mistake. Rereading when I was in the mood for a cozy fantasy with teeth changed my experience. Instead of going into it wanting You've Got Mail, I wanted the atmosphere and the whirlwind that this book provided. And now it's a five star rating.

I want to thank Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka for this delight of a book! When I finished it, I jabbed the book in my husband’s face and said, “They’re married in real life! I want to cry.”

The Roughest Draft is a dual POV romance between cowriters as they work through their shit to fulfill their two-book contract.

I was giggling, kicking my feet, the whole nine yards. The book is set in Florida and features many beach scenes, so it would be a great vacation companion. I was hoping to devour this by the pool, but Denver had stormier thoughts. ⛈️

Not only do I love romance books with writers, but I also love stories that highlight the realities of the profession. Katrina is terrified of happiness and success because it can be taken away, while Nathan is scared of speaking his truth without the shroud of fiction. It’s just so authentically written, with beautiful quotes!

There were a few things that I didn’t love, but they’re just preferences. I don’t like when characters are in current relationships at the start of a romance. It makes me feel gross to know that someone else is possibly going to get heartbroken at the end. In this case, it worked out okay. (Fuck Chris, but what about Melissa?)

Another thing I didn’t like was there were a few chapters toward the end that pulled me out of the story. They’re finally getting together, but it’s layered with fights from the previous timeline. It was distracting and a little frustrating.

That being said, those are the only two nitpicks that I have and I truly loved this book. I may want to return to it to annotate it.

With all of the good books I’ve been reading lately, it’s about time to come across a dud.

I read The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy last month and loved it so much that I had to dive into the second book, which recently released.

Since the title has two characters we meet in the first book, I didn’t need much more information than that; I went in blind.

There ARE dragons in Tanria, as it turns out, and we get to learn about them while trying to get to the bottom of a smuggling ring. This is a very cosy fantasy with a romantic plot.

You do not need to read the first book since this one stands alone, but there are spoilers for Hart and Mercy in here. I highly recommend reading these in order, but you won’t be lost if you decide to be a rebel.

As for the romance, I absolutely love that we’re watching two best friends that are in their 50s fall for each other after failed marriages. It’s such a different take on romance and I was here for it every step of the way.

My experience with friends to lovers is usually not great. A common pitfall I see with this trope is lack of friendship development. I want to see how they met, why they’re friends, and how they make sense as more. Friends to lovers books rarely give me all of that, but this one did.

The only reason I’m giving this a 3.5 ⭐️ is because I thought the ending was purely ridiculous, even for a cozy fantasy.

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My favorite scene was when Twyla screwed everything up with Frank and Hope, so she went to the temple and prayed to the wisdom goddess. In walks this old woman with squeaky shoes and loud doses of clarity. I loved this scene so much, especially because Twyla realizes that she probably spoke with a god.

That ending... was something. When Twyla got the note and it ended with 'goodbye,' I knew it was Hermia. I begged for it not to be because it's just ridiculous. When it turned out being Hermia, I was like... okay, let's just give her a real motive. But no. Grape soda? Really? She decided to smuggle out precious substances for soda? At least the other characters realized it was dumb, but I did like how Twyla rode a fucking dragon to save Frank. That was fun.

I absolutely loved the theme of this book and the last fifty pages had me floored. In my mid-reading update, I mentioned that I wanted

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Hugo and Daphne to get together, but I knew how far-fetched that would be since the papers were the focus. Oh my god am I thrilled that Hugo was the love interest the whole time and that her paper flew away upon entering the restaurant at the end. Like. How poetic is that??

The magical realism in romance is one of my favorite things now. Ashley Poston introduced me to the concept and Rebecca Serle drove it home. The premise was intriguing and I loved the message Daphne learned through her experience. While I was reading, I was getting a little tired of all of the flashbacks with different people. However, I grew to love them because it allowed me to dive deeper into Daphne's personality, her life, and how she's changed as a person through the years.

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It also let me see the development between her and Hugo's relationship.

I love this woman's writing and I'm about to devour the rest of her backlist.