the_cover_contessa's Reviews (1.75k)

This was really good. Review to come. 

This was so cute. Might be my favorite of the series so far!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I've never jumped up and down so much as when I got approved to read this title. I only had a week before publication so I threw everything else aside to get it done. And it was a great ride! I've grown to really enjoy Poston's stories. The romance is always run and I love her inclusion of magical realism in her stories. They give the plot just that bit more umph than just a straight romance would give. 
I don't know much about the music industry outside of loving music so catching a glimpse of the song writing side was truly interesting. Joni Lark has what many would call the yips, she's blocked and despite being a hit making writer, she cannot get out of her rut. But her chance encounter with bad boy band member Sebatian "Sasha" Fell changes that all. When they have an unexpected connection after a chance meeting in a balcony, they don't expect to ever see each other again. But a supernatural connection brings them back together.
I really enjoyed watching the creative process the main characters went through to create their song. I will say it was hard for me to hear it, if that makes any sense. There was a lot of flowing prose in this story that seemed a bit like filler at times. 
Poston has a way of transporting you to something magical, though. And that magic helps the characters grow and change. This book did remind me of her other title, The Dead Romantics. It has a very similar feel to it. I loved the inexplicable force that brings the characters together. And how they see how that connection would always bring them into each others lives in the end.
The pacing was a bit slower for this title. Lots of build up to romance and connection for the characters. Definitely a slow and steady burn.
I loved the chapter titles. So many nods to great songs that you can see mean so much to the characters.
There is a big nod to family and connection and found family in this book. About how memories are made and cherished and kept. How we take them with us and keep them safe.
There are some serious topics touched upon in this book, specifically death of a loved one and a loved one with a progressive neurological disease. Both were handled with great care and thoughtfulness. 
Overall I enjoyed this one. It was a big slower for me than Poston's others books. And this book had some more serious tones than her past books, at least for me. If you're a Poston fan, you'll love this one just as much as her others.

A different narrator would have been better. Also more chemistry between the FMC and MMC. I didn’t feel their romance at all. It all seemed mechanical rather than organic. 

Thank you to Amy Award and LoveNotes for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I am loving this entire series. There is so much inclusion and just cozy love. Every book gets better. Every couple steals my heart a little more. And I'm going to be so sad when it's all over!
I was excited to get a glimpse at some of the younger Kingman brothers and what better way to start than with Flynn? I expected him to be cocky and annoying but boy was I wrong. He was so much more than the surface that has been scratched in previous books. He's loving and protective and just all together surprising. There's so much beauty to how he falls for Tempest. It's slow spurts and realizations. He grows so much from someone who thinks they don't deserve love because it will inevitably hurt them, to someone who realizes love can enhance your life so much more than you ever expected. 
And Tempest? I got to read her grandparent's story prior to this book and I loved that glimpse into how her life has been shaped by the past experienced by her family, especially her grandmother. Tempest hides part of herself for fear of others not being accepting. Is it worth it? In the end, no, because she has to deal with the fall out. But she learns so much about who she is and why she should be her authentic self. And Flynn helps her see that. He honors her and lifts her up. He shows her she is worth everyone knowing who she is.
And all the Shakespear! I loved that part so much. I was an English major so Shakespear was a big part of my schooling. I loved all the references. And what I really loved was the how much Flynn knew. Give me a smart jock and I will swoon every single time.
It was fun seeing all the previous characters I've met and also meeting some new characters. Dare I say we may see some of their stories in the future? Because that would be so much fun seeing as Tempest has 4 sisters!
I love how Award ties family into her books. She always shows how important family is. How they shape who we are but can also help us be our true selves. Her books are so positive. Add to that the humor and then the ANIMALS! It would not be a Cocky Kingman book without some kind of animal and this one has more than one!
My only complaint? I would have liked to see a bit more romance and sexy times to help with that connection. But what Award did include was really fun.
If you haven't started this series, get to it. I do recommend reading them in order as you get introduced to the couples as you read each book and get to know a bit of their background. I can't wait to read more in this world!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I love a good romance, And give me a bit of an age gap, even if it's not huge, and I'm hooked. Make it enemies to lovers, and you've drawn me in even more! Plus, a series set around brothers who hole up on a mountain to live in peace is a great back drop for lots of fun things to happen! While you do see characters from the previous book, this could be read as a stand alone. Though it will spoil the couple that you meet in the first book and what happens for them. So I suggest reading these in order.
Calder Fletcher keeps his walls up and his relationships at a distance. His been burned before and doesn't want to be burned again. So when he needs a plus one to his brother's destination wedding, he's reluctant to ask anyone. He just wants to be at peace. Of course his niece is a meddler and purposefully creates situations where he must be in the presence of Dakota, a woman he's sworn as his enemy after their encounter seven years ago.
Dakota is a recent divorcee who is just trying to get back in the saddle. She wants to take back her life and feel good about herself and her business. She has no intention of getting involved in a relationship, especially with a Fletcher brother. But she also can't deny her attraction to Calder. It was always there, even when she was getting married seven years ago.
I really enjoyed the forced proximity theme of the first half of this book. It was fun watching Dakota and Calder dance around each other. Daws did a nice job with building their relationship slowly at first until they came together with a bang.
But what happens in paradise stays in paradise, or does it? Dakota and Calder are obviously attracted to one another but neither wants to open their hearts. I love that Calder wants to help Dakota become her best self, even if that leaves him with a broken heart in the end. 
It was great to see the re-appearance of the characters from book one. Dakota is a character from a previous series Daws wrote, the best friend of the oldest Fletcher brother's wife. I have not read the previous connected series, and I don't think you need to (though it will spoil the oldest brother's relationship, but not their story as I have no idea how things came to be in that book). 
Overall, this was fun. I liked it more than the first book. I'm looking forward to the next book and Luke's story! 

Thank to you PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I was excited to read the conclusion to this story. Of Jade and Dragons was my first foray into Asian folklore and it hooked me from the start. I loved the characters and their story. I loved the action. It was great to read the conclusion of their story with this title.
This book picks up two years after the first one ends. Ying and Ye-yang are thrown into each other's paths when the mysterious Blood Phoenix pirates attack her new home. She returns to the capital to help secure the palace. She is reunited with her old friends, her sister, and even her brother.
This book is told from the dual POVS of Ying and her sister, Nian. Nian has been promised to the High Commander in marriage. But she doesn't know his past with her sister. Nor does she know him. I liked how she took on a more active role in this book, coming to the aide of so many of the characters and coming into her own romance at the same time. It was lovely to watch that bloom.
Ying continues to struggle with her relationship with Ye-yang. They parted on bad terms and she doesn't think she can forgive him for anything that occurred all those years ago. But she also can't help feeling a pull to him and they slowly rekindle the friendship they had in the first book.
It's hard to review this book without giving away things that happened in the first book as well and spoiling the story to this one. The book has a lot of action and continues to build on the steampunk aspect that was at the forefront of the first book. Ying rejoins her guild friends to help create a vessel to put the pirates out of business. 
Chen infuses great action and a nice amount of humor in this book. But she also tackles some hard things like the death of parents and friends. The characters mourn the loss of people but ultimately create strong bonds between them and come together in order to combat the evil that lurks in their mist.
The world building continued to be fun. I loved the water world part of this series. That was something we didn't get much of in the first book. And Chen paces the book perfectly.
If you haven't picked up this series, I highly recommend it. I loved all the new characters she introduced as well as how great it was to reconnect to the characters I already knew. I think Nian was my favorite. Getting to know her more in this book was fantastic and definitely changed my view of her from the first book. And I can see where Chen might write more in this world.
If you're looking for a fantasy steampunk with the back set of great folklore, try this series out!