I loved this book!! Playing for Keeps was a light, funny, heartwarming read. This book truly had it all, loveable characters, humor, and a sweet romance. I really do enjoy a romance blooming from friendship when it's done right, and Playing for Keeps executed this beautifully.

Jason suffered from what I like to call "Peter Pan syndrome", he was a boy who didn't want to grow up. I don't know why, but I find that charming. There is just something appealing about someone being so light and carefree. I also thought his obsession with food was hysterical! Haley was also a great character, she was so sweet. It was nice to see how well Jason and Haley complimented each other. He brought out more confidence and strength in her, and she leveled him out a little.

I laughed quite a few times while reading, and ended it all with a huge grin on my face. The epilogue was precious. And all this for only 99 cents, you can't beat it! I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series.

I don't know how I ended up liking this book by the end, but it happened. Damn these Bradford men, I can't get enough of them! They are all food obsessed, childish Neanderthals and I love them!!! But Trevor had a lot of things to make up for, he was a real asshat through a good chunck of this book.

I really don't know what was going on with the cover of this book on my Nook, but if that skinny girl was supposed to be Zoe, that's ridiculous! The only ounce of fat in her was in her boobs in that picture, which is far from how she was repeatedly described in this book. Anyhow.....I did like Zoe, and I really felt bad for her quite a few times while reading this story. Seriously, what kind of grown men sit around make fun of a girl for not being stick thin??! No wonder she had body issues and severe insecurities, people were constantly throwing it in her face! And every women out there at one point or another has struggled with body image issues, we all are quick to see our own flaws, even if they aren't so apparent to others. So it honestly saddened me to see these jerks always saying negative things about the way she looked, and it was equally as frustrating to watch Trevor stand silently by and allow that.

I was happy by the end of the book, but I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as I did the first book. I will surely be reading the third book in the series, I haven't even read the synopsis yet, but I'm already hoping for more of the Bradfords!!!

THE HOLLOW PLACES BY: T. KINGFISHER I think this book will stay with me for awhile, I'm afraid the willows have taken root. I know many people draw the obvious parallels with Lovecraft, but for me this one also had some vibes that brought up touchstones from The Mist (Stephen King) and a smidge of Pan's Labyrinth. Definitely that dark otherworldliness but also the religious and/or mythical undertones throughout.
 
Sometimes the vastness and imagination that goes into multiverses can be overwhelming but I thought this was beautifully balanced by the characters, with their lightness and their dark humor and being so down-to-earth (which is funny, all things considered!). Carrot and Simon, and even Uncle Earl help even things out and brought levity to a quagmire of disturbing otherness.
 
The disquieting undertones all throughout was classic horror that I greatly appreciate. It's like a feeling you get that something is behind you and that paralyzing moment where you're deciding whether to look or not, to quickly escape or rationalize it away. In willow world or not, that feeling stays with you throughout the story and it's fabulously unsettling. On the flip side the vivid picture painted with some of the more in your face creepy situations, like the bus or Sturdivant, was grotesquely clear and so easily visualized.
I think my favorite part of all though was the last part in the Museum. It brought a whole new heartwarming element to the tale that I wasn't expecting. For lack of a better term, there really is no place like home, and the idea that your home might feel that way about you too is quite touching. All in all this was a fast paced enthralling read and I definitely look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
 
I received an arc of this book from Gallery Books via Netgalley and this is my honest review.

A bit of a slow burn book but never really a dull moment. It takes awhile for this one to pick up momentum but once it does it really sinks its claws in. Some things I saw coming but some were a genuine surprise. I love the way we were careful introduced to this world. It helped add an extra layer of understanding to Poppy imo. We enter much as she did, under a veil and by the end it can be quite discerning once the veil is lifted but in a very INTRIGUING way lol. I honestly love Poppy and Hawke and I really look forward to continuing their misadventures. I'm desperate to know more of this world and what will happen next!

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire was EVERYTHING I could possibly hope for in a sequel. Everything I liked about From Blood and Ash was amped up in this one. AKOFAF will put you through the wringer in the most wonderful ways! I laughed, I teared up, I shouted, I swooned...I felt all the feels. And by the end I cursed myself for ripping right through these books because the wait till the next one is going to pure torture. All good things come to those who wait though, right? Dear Gods please don't make us wait too long.

3.5 Stars

This was a good read but to be honest not as solid to me as some of the previous ones. I would have liked to see more of some of the highlights of this series (at least to me), the humor, the Baylor family interactions, and chemistry between Catalina and Alessandro. It's not that the chemistry isn't there, but it feels more like you're being told it's there instead of actually being made to feel it. I feel like the majority of Emerald Blaze was spent within Catalina's head and as much as I love her, she has a very pragmatic sometimes even robotic way of analyzing everything which can be a little monotonous when outside things aren't breaking it up a bit. Her family, and even Alessandro help do this a ton, they give her balance and in turn us as the reader. I missed some of Alessandro's antics and again, his transformation from the last book to this one was more telling instead of showing which dampened the effect for me. Still a solid read and I loved seeing Catalina owning her roles inside the family and out. I love that she's shaping up to come to an epic showdown with Granny dearest. Also, loved seeing Nevada and Rogan! That epilogue was CRAZY. I shudder to think what it means for the next book but I'm really looking forward to it!