the_cover_contessa's Reviews (1.75k)

Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Collins Children's Books for providing me with an egalley of this title to read and give an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I loved the premise of this book. It seemed like it would be fairly unique. And if you've read Cruel Prince and The Selection, then you will enjoy this story just for those elements alone. Cruel Prince is one of my favorite fae stories so I had high expectations for this book being compared to it. The Bridgerton-esque setting was really fun and captured much of the feel of that show. And the characters were interesting enough with their backgrounds.  Plus the cover is absolutely gorgeous (yes, I originally chose the book because of it!). But that's really all I felt a pull to in this story.
What I didn't love so much was the execution of the story line. The world building was really lacking and the pacing dragged in many places making it hard to stay engaged in the story line. I was easily distracted while reading and not particularly pushing myself to dive back in once I did put it down for a break. The author chose to tell us what it was like rather than show us. And I needed more of the history. The prologue does give us a bit of this, but not enough to truly build what I expect from a fantasy. If you're going to write historical fantasy, you must show the elements that make it so. And if you're going to give us an alternate reality type historical world, then you need to make it real and believable. I needed more fae elements, more of how they were truly being integrated into 19th century England. And what of the back story between the humans vs. Fae?
The romance was flat and felt completely rushed. It didn't develop at all and then suddenly everyone is in love. I didn't feel much of a connection between the FMC and who she falls for as there was just no emotional weight to it. It seemed like they were just friendly. There was no tension there. No build up to the love we were told was happening. Stories where this happens never fully immerse me. I don't want to be told what is going on but rather shown in amazing prose. This lead to underdeveloped characters who I didn't feel connected to or feel any real empathy towards. To top it off, the end took a predictable turn, which I was hoping would not be where it went but saw it coming. It made the story less unique once it was revealed.
I was also thrown off by the insertion of chapters from other points of view. Most of the book is written from the POV of the FMC but here and there the author inserts chapters from other characters. I'll be honest and say I missed the title of the first chapter when this happened and it totally threw me off. I do believe almost all the chapters introduced in this manner were unnecessary. Those chapters took me out of the story. The author could have easily had the FMC show who these characters were through conversations and actions throughout the book. The only chapter I will say seemed to make sense was that of the FMC's sister, since she tells an important part of the story at the end.
The book started strong for me but I was ultimately disappointed in it's progression. I will say the ending captured my attention (cliffhanger), made me a bit more invested in the story line, and just this alone might have me reading the next installment.
Overall, it was just an ok read from me. I wanted to love it but it became a bit of a chore to read it and I found myself just pushing to get it done. I read a lot of well done YA and I just feel this one was lacking in so many elements that could have made it amazing. It lacked the tension, world building, character development, and historical accuracy I want to see in an epic fantasy. Overall comparing it to Cruel Prince set up very high expectations for me and the story did not meet those at all.
2.75 rounded to 3

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an egalley of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Did I read this book because it was compared to Sleepless in Seattle? You bet I did. That movie is one of my all time favorite romantic movies and I had to see if the comparison was right. And boy, did this author get it right! This was my first book by Borison, so I was unsure of what I was walking into. Let me just say, this will more than likely come out as one of my top reads for 2025!
Aiden Valentine, despite being the host of a romance radio show, has fallen out of love. Though it's much deeper than him thinking there is no such thing as true love. Borison builds his character on past experiences of grief and the threat of losing someone so that Aiden has not only deemed himself unworthy of a true love but has walled himself off to the possibility because he's too afraid to potentially lose it once he has it. My heart truly hurt for Aiden. His experiences with grief and how he processed them in this book were very relatable. Shielding your heart from hurt is a human defense and Borison really delves into it with Aiden's character development. Despite his walls he's built, he can't seem to keep them intact when he's around Lucie Stone. Somehow, she has broken through his defenses. The small things he remembers and does for her are indicative of the love he is capable of, despite him saying he's not good for her or anyone when it comes down to it. I wanted to grab him and put him in a big squishy hug and make him feel seen and wanted and understood. Grief is such a powerful emotion and Borison does a fabulous job with it through Aiden's character
Lucie Stone has everything she needs: her daughter, a good job, and friends who love her more than anything. She's established herself as a capable and independent woman, despite making choices her family did not agree with. Despite keeping herself at a distance from romance, it comes to find her in the form of her daughter, who calls into Aiden's show to hopefully find something more for her mother. Before Lucie knows it, she's sitting in the booth with Aiden, fielding calls from people who understand her, and trying to find her own romance. Borison built this character with no self doubt. She knows exactly what she wants, even if she's hesitant to go after it because she believes she already has everything she needs. Her connection with Aiden is fairly immediate, though she also has walls up to keep herself from getting hurt. She makes decisions for herself because she wants to create a life she loves and she wants people in it who give her what she needs.
The slow build romance in this book had my heart in a chokehold the entire time. I think one of my favorite things about this book was how Lucie's character didn't depend on her romance with Aiden to give her what she needed. I also love the vulnerability of Aiden's character and how he learns that he needs to communicate his feelings. A book that can keep me so invested and pull on my heartstrings from start to finish is rare but this one did just that. The way she builds the story with the banter between the characters and their friends plus the on air snippets we get at the beginning of each chapter are just phenomenal. I would love to listen to an audio version of this because I think it would heighten the connection between the characters.
The one thing I would have liked to see was the background between Grayson, Lucie's ex and her daughter's father, and Lucie. We get some of it but I feel like there was a piece missing. How is it Lucie and Grayson realized they were not for each other? Was it right away? Did they try a bit first? This part was missing for me. It doesn't change my rating, though. I still loved every single bit of this story.
Giving this book 5 stars was the easiest thing I've ever done. And it makes me want to go read the other books from this author to see if they are just as good. Borison creates real and relatable characters who made me 100% invested in knowing their outcome. I cannot wait to see what the next installment of this series entails!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for providing me with an egalley of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Do I love insta-love? No, not really. Does Tessa Bailey write it so I just cannot help but love her characters, their story, and where they are going to end up? You betcha! Every time I think I'll hate when characters are immediately attracted to each other, Bailey does their story justice and makes me love insta-love love just a little bit more. Throw in there me enjoying the other books in this series, and I know I'm jumping into something I won't be able to put down.
Sig Gauthier is a hockey player with no plans to be romantically involved with anyone, until his chance encounter with Chloe Clifford. Their connection is instant and he can't get enough of her. When he's faced with the reality that his father is marrying Chloe's mother, he knows he has to stay away. But he just can't. Chloe wants more than her sheltered life and Sig give her to opportunity to take it. I love how much of a care taker Sig is. He is oath bound to keep Chloe safe and help her fulfill her dreams in any way he can. He knows he cannot have her, but he craves her and if being her supporter is what he must do to be in her life, then he takes it. Of course he cannot seem to stay way from her, from wanting to touch her and be with her in more than a brotherly way. Sig is probably one of my most favorite MMC's that Bailey has written. He's sweet and undemanding. He loves with his whole heart.
Chloe Clifford is the most sheltered character I've ever read. She has had her whole life handed to her being the daughter of a wealthy mother and not having had to want for anything her entire life. But Chloe feels stunted and her need to become her own person overwhelms her need to remain in the cushy life her mother has built. Her growth in this book is really great. She learns so many life lessons about being on your own. taking care of yourself, standing up for yourself, and most of being loved for yourself.
Bailey has a very particular writing style. I enjoy how she writes in third person. And I especially likes that she does a dual POV. I really feel like this helps her characters grow and develop. Her pacing is pretty fast paced and she always gets to the heart of the story immediately. I love when this happens and then you can spend the rest of the book watching the characters work out their story,
This was a great addition to the Big Shots series. Spice, drama, tension, and so much banter kept me turning the pages to see what happened. I cannot wait for Robbie's story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I was super excited to read this next installment for Undone. I loved Freddy in the first book and I needed to know his story. And Corinne did a fabulous job with his story! While you could read this book as a stand alone, I really do insist you read the first book to get more context on the characters from this book and relationships with their friends.
Matt Fredderic does two things well: hockey and sex. His future hangs on him graduating from college. But his learning disabilities, which have not been dealt with, have continuously haunted him. I really love Freddy's set up. It truly shows how people can slip through the cracks and get by with grit and determination. Corinne addresses the learning disabilities with truth and honesty. She also shows how men can struggle with their emotions. Freddy is a people pleaser who doesn't feel he's worthy of love. My heart hurt for him for this entire book. He had no one to turn to, despite having friends and family. His need to feel loved is extremely prominent in the book. I was absolutely invested in him and his future. I wanted to jump in and help fight his battles. I wanted to show him he was worth so much more than he has told himself. I don't think I've ever been so emotionally invested in an MMC in a romance book as I was with Freddy.
Ro Shariff is also a people pleaser and a romantic. Her on again, off again relationship with her boyfriend is toxic and a abusive. But she can't seem to break away from it, despite his gaslighting and treating her as if she is always the one in the wrong. She struggles to feel seen and wanted for just who she is. She's lonely and a bit lost. But her heart is just so big. I love how she fought for Freddy this whole book. She made him feel seen and loved. Add to that her ability to infuse great banter into her stories and it was just so amazing to read! Plus her characters are so well developed. There wasn't a time I didn't understand or find the characters believable. This really added to the plot development and kept the story moving forward.
Corinne infused into this book a rawness you rarely see in romance books. The relationships between the characters are emotional and relatable. She also writes grief and healing very well. She builds the relationship with Ro and Freddy on raw feeling. It's a slow burn that is wroth every word written to get there.
Do I need the next story now? Yes, yes I do. It's going to be hard to wait, I will be honest. But I know Corinne will give that story what it needs and I'm excited to see what happens. If you want to read stories with heartfelt emotion, strong character development, and relatable situations, pick up Corinne's books!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Adult Audio/One More Chapter, and Harper 30 for providing  me with an egalley an audio arc of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I've been looking for a good F1 book. I'm a huge fan and follow pretty closely so I know a lot about the sport, the teams, some of the technology and engineering, even. This is not my first F1 book and so far they have all let me down in one way or another. I picked this one as it made sense to me to read a book in a male dominant field with the main characters as two males. Sadly, this book did not live up to my expectations, either.
Let's start with the audio part of the book. I'm unsurprised the narrators use British voices but I will say Joshua Chase and James Joseph were similar enough that it was sometimes hard to tell them apart. This was annoying if I missed the title of the chapter saying who it was. I could usually pick it out once it got going as the narrators did make the voices of the characters unique enough with tone and inflection, plus the author definitely showed each personality of the characters. The narrator that did Harper's voice had a very low quality of his voice. Almost a whisper at times and I found myself having to rewind to hear what he said.
If the narrators not being to my liking wasn't enough, the entire story and plot line just fell short. I feel like the author needed to do a lot more research into F1. You can see some if it there, while at other times it's severely lacking. It's not believable that two F1 drivers would share a trailer for weeks on end while touring. It's not believable that a reserve driver is brought up and has zero understanding about how to talk to the media; he's getting his first trainings now? Seems highly unlikely. Finally, F1 is an expensive sport. You don't really see poor, orphaned kids who have zero support racing. Where is the money coming from? it just makes zero sense.
As I said above, the author did a good job making the two characters distinct. Kian as the stuck up, regimented driver who doesn't want to deviate from his schedule or be friends and Harper who is carefree and not caring who thinks what of him. He does as he pleases and has no inkling of how his actions hurt or injure others. This was truly the only part of the story that might be believable.
Did I feel the chemistry between these two? Not at all. Was their relationship (love/hate, I guess?) believable? Not really because the attraction they talk about (what the author tells us, rather than shows us) just didn't feel like it was really there. And, since this was the entire premise of the book, the growth of the characters felt stunted and overall underdeveloped. I felt zero connection or empathy for either of these characters. Even when the author gave us a bone and look into the background of the characters, which I would hope would help me connect, I just didn't care enough to feel badly for them in any way.
And the pacing was so slow! I just kept waiting for something to happen by even by 60%, when the characters have finally gotten together in some capacity, it was still just stunted. It dragged and I had to push and push and push to even care to finish it. Once I got annoyed enough with the narrators, I switched to Kindle version. But it did nothing to improve the story.
Overall, I'm completely underwhelmed with this title. There is a lot wrong and I feel like it needs another round of edits to point out where pacing could be picked up, characters could be developed, and story line could use some tweaks.