The Games Gods Play by. Abigail Owen | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Games Gods Play (The Crucible, #1)

Author: Abigail Owen

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 634

Publication Date: 9/3/24

Categories: Greek Mythology, Romance, Fantasy, New Adult

Percy Jackson for adults meets The Hunger Games with a slow burn romance between a contestant and Hades himself.

Every hundred years, the gods toy with us mere mortals.
And we let them.

The gods of myth are alive and well.
Once every century, they select a new ruler in a cutthroat competition, pushing mortal players to the limit. But this year, Hades is done sitting on the sidelines. And he’s picking a champion no one expects—in this modern mythic romantasy, she’ll fight for her life…
for the god of Death.

Content Warning: violence, death

I’ve wanted to read this book since it came out but for some reason – maybe the reason being I have to get into a MOOD to read anything inspired by Greek Mythology – it took me to get into this one but I finally pushed through and finished! Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

+ The Gods hold a tournament called a Crucible every one hundred years and they each pick a mortal to represent them in the games. Lyra is picked by Hades but one thing about Lyra is she’s been cursed by Zeus to be unlovable. Lyra is pretty capable because she is a thief and a somewhat good one. There are a lot of Labors – that’s what each tournament is called, each God creates their own Labor and winner gets a prize to help them in the next Labor. I thought the Labors were interesting and entertaining, the action was good!

+ The Gods are hot, of course. And who doesn’t love the story of Hades and Persephone though I thought it took an interesting twist in this story that works for me. There is no denying an instant attraction between Lyra and Hades and it’s a very slow burn, especially with this book (at least the ebook version) is over 600 pages! There is a spicy scene between them but it’s almost at the end.

+ I did enjoy the cast of characters like the Gods and the mortals fighting in the tournament. Alliances have to be made but who can Lyra really trust? I loved Cerebus of course, since he’s basically a 3 headed, scary dog.

Dislikes:

~ For some reason, throughout the story I kept asking myself why is Hades obsessed with Lyra so soon? What is it about her that is amazing to him? It’s a bit of insta-love, or more like insta-attraction. She’s a thief and yes she helped out the other mortals throughout the Labors which shows she has a good heart but other than that, I was left wondering. I didn’t really connect to her, I thought she was okay as the MC – she’s unlovable, which is sad, but it’s made her close herself off to people and it shows. Not even her relationship with Boone showed more of her personality and I think that’s what was missing. I needed more from Lyra and also I kept thinking she was a teenager but she is 23!

~ I think I had a hard time really getting invested in the book at first because of the massive cast of characters. Once I made myself buckle down to keep reading and learn the characters, I did get more invested but still – so many characters between the Gods and mortals.

~ This book needed to be a bit shorter. There are so many Labors and maybe some of them could have been showcased in book two? But I get how the ending of the book is setting up book two to get in the next direction. Still, it could have been shorter.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, this was entertaining despite the issues I had with it! I think I’ll read book two, if I’m in a Greek Mythology kind of mood and hopefully it’s a shorter book.

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Book Links:

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Other Books I’ve Read from This Author:

The Liar’s Crown by. Abigail Owen | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Stolen Throne by. Abigail Owen | Book Review ⭐️⭐️💫

Filthy Rich Fae by. Geneva Lee | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Filthy Rich Fae (Filthy Rich Fae, #1)

Author: Geneva Lee

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 392

Publication Date: 6/25/24

Categories: Romance, Urban Fantasy, Series, Enemies to Lovers, Paranormal

“You made a bargain…
Your soul for his—and now, you are mine.”

Cate Holloway knows the unspoken rule of New avoid the powerful Gage crime family at all costs. Of course, that was before her brother got caught in their chaos. Now

Cate has no choice but to confront the dark and forbidding prince of New Orleans himself and beg for her brother’s life.

But Lachlan Gage is as lethal as he is beautiful…and the only currency he’s interested in is her soul.

Because Lachlan isn’t just some ruthless criminal. He’s fae. And he has his own secret reasons for binding her to him.

Tricked and desperate, Cate is torn between humanity and the breathtaking Otherworld. A place filled with shadows and secrets, with members of each fae court plotting against her just as her captor’s motives for trapping her become more mysterious.

And if she can’t break this sinister bargain in the next thirty days, she’ll be bound to the inscrutable yet infuriatingly tempting fae prince and his deadly world…forever.

Content Warning: violence, mentions of sexual assault/rape

I saw this book on Kindle Unlimited, loved the cover and also wanted to read something with Fae and so I borrowed it. Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

+ Pleasantly surprised that this was an urban fantasy set in New Orleans! There is just something so dark and mysterious about New Orleans and I can definitely see vampires, fae, and all the other monsters living there.

+ I like Cate and her need to help people even though she barely has anyone in her life. She is an orphan who was passed around in foster care and got close to Channing who is now her brother. She tries her best to look out for him but his choices in life has gotten him trouble with the Gage family, who run New Orleans.

+ The cast of characters are great! I like that even though Lachlan Gage is a dangerous man, he has a dysfunctional family who Cate gets kind of close to, especially with his sister.

+ The romance is the slowest burn ever and I will say I thought with a title with the word “Filthy” in it, I thought it was going to be super spicy but it actually wasn’t! That was surprising, but there was spice but I found it pretty mild or not as detailed as I thought it would be. But I did love the connection that was growing between Cate and Lachlan, even with all the drama happening around them, and the slow burn between them. Their banter was fun and I love how she never backed down with him.

+ Love the twist at the end and look forward to book two!

Dislikes:

~ Just wanted a little more spice! It’s a closed door kinda story.

Final Thoughts:

I think this hit the spot for what I was craving for at the moment which was an urban fantasy story with a sexy Fae, lots of banter, some Fae politics, found family, and a MC with a secret background. All the tropes I love in one place! I’ll definitely be reading the next book.

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Wisteria by. Adalyn Grace | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Wisteria (Belladonna, #3)

Author: Adalyn Grace

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 419

Publication Date: 8/20/24

Categories: Romance, Fantasy, Series, Enemies to Lovers, Gothic, Young Adult

#1 New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace delivers a sensational conclusion to the deathly and decadent Belladonna trilogy, with dramatic twists and a seductive new romance that will set readers’ hearts ablaze.

Blythe Hawthorne has never let anyone tell her what to do—not society, not her overprotective father, and certainly not the man she’s bound herself to, no matter how rude and insufferable he is. In fact, she’s determined to be a thorn in his side for the rest of her days, even as he ensures that her life in his palace is anything but a fairytale. But as Blythe discovers a new side of herself linked to his past, she’ll have to decide if she’s willing to let an unexpected spark ignite…and to discover the truth about who she really is.

I really enjoyed the first two books of this series and definitely wanted to continue the story. Also how could I resist this book cover? It’s one of the prettiest book covers this year! I finally finished the book and here are my thoughts:

Likes:

+ Blythe and Aris take center stage in this story. There is so much animosity between them, it’s amazing they both can stand to be in the same room together. Aris is such a grump though, I could see why Blythe was frustrated with him all the time.

+ The story is beautifully written – from the world building, the setting and just how the characters are fully fleshed out. We already know Blythe from when she was introduced in the other books but this is her story. I love how strong her character is even with an illness.

+ The love story is tragic and bittersweet. There are some moments of heat between them but very few.

Dislikes:

~ I think their love story is too tragic, which is fine – I mean the love between Fate and Life is sad. But I wanted more romance between Blythe and Aris since they spent most of the book fighting and hating one another. Especially because I love how much they hated one another – I wanted the payoff but I didn’t feel satisfied.

~ I didn’t love Chaos but that is what “chaos” does, it disrupts everything but still, I just didn’t love the ending.

Final Thoughts:

I’m a little bummed this one fell short of my expectations but I think the whole series overall is great. Blythe and Aris deserved a story and I think that Fate and Life finding each other again and again is beautiful and bittersweet.

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Other Books I’ve Read By This Author:

Belladonna by. Adalyn Grace | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Foxglove by. Adalyn Grace | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Winter Wish by. Emily Stone | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: A Winter Wish

Author: Emily Stone

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 10/15/24

Publisher: Dell

Categories: Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Christmas Romance, Holiday Romance, Travel

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Dell for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

When an unexpected inheritance forces two total opposites to work together, Lexie must decide if Theo is going to push her out—or pull her in for the kiss of a lifetime—in this heartwarming holiday novel from the author of Always, in December and One Last Gift

When Lexie learns of her father’s death, she doesn’t know how to feel; they’ve barely spoken in the last ten years. And she’s even more confused when she discovers he’s left her half of his holiday travel company, a successful niche business specializing in trips that explore the holiday traditions of cultures all over the world.

Meanwhile, the other half of the company has been left to her father’s handsome but bad-tempered young executive, Theo. And the will stipulates that the two of them must find a way to run the company together for a year before they decide its fate.

Lexie intends to leave once the year is over, even though, as a wanderer herself, she finds the company’s mission more compelling than she first thought. And a work trip to sizzling Spain reveals a chemistry between Lexie and Theo that is impossible to deny.

There may have been some snap judgments made about each other. But mixing business and pleasure isn’t always a good idea.

Content Warning: death of parent, strained family relationships

I felt like this story was a little more than a holiday romance. Did it have elements of Christmas in it? Yes, but what I really love about it is the travel destinations the characters take in this story and the story about mending relationships. Lexie’s dad has died all of a sudden and is leaving her his travel company but she doesn’t want it because she didn’t have the best relationship with her dad. He left their family, remarried, and she basically cut him off from her life. His death makes her revisit memories of her childhood with him, and how her love of travel actually stems from him. Lexie has a fear of commitment because of her dad but her stance is questioned when she meets Theo, who seemed to be close to her dad and worked for him.

Lexie has a lot of issues to deal with when it comes to her dad’s memory, her half-sister Rachel, and this new guy Theo. I love how the company becomes a found family for her though and maybe Lexie didn’t have a relationship with her dad, but she has a best friend in her mom. I enjoyed how the author tackled the issue of commitment and wanting to be free to move around as opposed to staying put in one place.

I thought the romance was cute and progressed nicely from rivals, to partners and to something more. I actually loved how they would travel to destinations together – I was thinking what a cool job to be working in a travel company!

Final Thoughts:

This was a fun, heart-warming, holiday romance story and I look forward to reading more from this author!

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Storm of Ink and Blood by. Nisha J. Tuli | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Storm of Ink and Blood (The Nightfire Quartet, #3)

Author: Nisha J. Tuli

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 469

Publication Date: 10/4/24

Publisher: Second Sky

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Series

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Second Sky for giving me a chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Dark magic courses through Zarya’s veins—magic that could save countless lives… or doom her world.

Shattered by Rabin’s betrayal, Zarya vows to leave all thoughts of him behind. In the dangerous city of Ishaan, she joins an ancient struggle for freedom.

Ishaan is a city of violent contrasts. Nobles and scholars live in golden luxury. But thousands of vanshaj workers are born into magical slavery—in punishment for a crime forgotten centuries ago.

Zarya is outraged, and certain that the fate of the vanshaj is linked to her own forbidden magic. She joins a band of rebels battling for their freedom, and with Yasen at her side she throws herself into the fight.

On a deadly raid, Zarya uncovers the key to freeing the vanshaj for ever. But to use it, she must harness a power that could tear her apart.

Only one person can give Zarya the strength to reach her destiny. The one who ignited her magic. Who brings her more pleasure and more pain than any other. The last person she wants to see right now. Rabin.

With searing chemistry, a stunning world, and heart-racing action, The Nightfire Quartet is a fast-paced and addictive fantasy romance that’s perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Carissa Broadbent, and Rebecca Yarros. If you love slow-burning passion and razor-sharp banter, dive in to discover your new fantasy obsession.

Content Warning: violence

This is book three in The Nightfire Quartet and here are my thoughts:

Likes:

+ Zarya and her bestie Yasen are back and bringing the humor. I love their friendship and love that they would still follow each other anywhere even if Zarya has her Rabin.

+ Zarya is in a new city and helping a rebellion so it’s a new adventure for her. She gets a glimpse and some interaction with her half-siblings and it’s not the kind of reunion she was expecting. She’s also working on her powers to break the tattoo collars on the people who have them. I did like that they were somewhere new and we get to meet new characters.

+ The romance was rocky at the end of book two and so Rabin and Zarya needed to try again to make things work. Thing is Rabin has to get past her defenses and make it up to her. He is patient with her and they do have a few spicy scenes but I’m worried that her father will test their new found bond again. It does seem like this time they have really let each other in and they took steps to solidify their bond as best as they can but I am still suspicious about her dad and I question Rabin’s loyalty to him.

Dislikes:

~ This one might have been a tad bit too long. Zarya spends a lot of time trying to work on her magic and trying to break the tattoo collars and for the first few time it’s interesting but it got repetitive.

~ There were times I thought Zarya was just so naive about things and wish she had a little more growth.

My Thoughts:

I thought this was a good third book and I can’t wait to see how it ends.

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Other Books I’ve Read By This Author:

Fate of the Sun King (Artefacts or Ouranos, #3) by. Nisha J. Tuli | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rule of the Aurora King (Artefacts or Ouranos, #2) by. Nisha J. Tuli | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Trial of the Sun Queen (Artefacts or Ouranos, #1) by. Nisha J. Tuli | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dance of Stars and Ashes (The Nightfire Quartet, #2) by. Nisha J. Tuli | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heart of Night and Fire (The Nightfire Quartet, #1) by. Nisha J. Tuli | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Fangs for Nothing by. Steffanie Holmes | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Fangs for Nothing (The Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven, #2)

Author: Steffanie Holmes

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 586

Publication Date: 9/10/24

Publisher: Bacchanalia House

Categories: Romance, Paranormal, Vampires, Mystery

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Bacchanalia House for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

He’s a hot, grumpy, reclusive vampire, and the last thing he wants is an interfering human tidying his castle…until her.

Lord Alaric Valerian has a problem. His mother is visiting his castle for the first time, but she doesn’t know that Alaric has filled every room with his centuries of artistic passions and creative pursuits.

Desperate, he hires professional organiser Winnie Preston to help him tame the mess. But Alaric isn’t prepared for bubbly, passionate Winnie to show up at his castle and ram a metaphorical stake through his cold, vampire heart. Winnie sets his fangs on edge, but the more closely he works with her, the more he wishes she could be his.

So when Alaric’s mother arrives with a new bride-to-be in tow, Alaric convinces Winnie to pretend to be his fiance. He may be causing all kinds of scandal in the vampire court by being engaged to a human, but at least he doesn’t have to give up his reclusive life.

But Winnie still doesn’t know Alaric’s a vampire, and Alaric didn’t count on Winnie’s meddling book club pinning him for a mysterious murder in the village. Will their maybe-not-so-fake-marriage survive once Winnie discovers the monster that lurks beneath his fangs?

Fangs for Nothing is a kooky, spooky, vampire romance full to the cauldron-brim with fake dating, a meddling smutty book club, murder and mystery aplenty, endless cups of tea, quirky characters, and a broody vampire with an ass so fine, Geralt of Rivia comes to him for fitness tips.

Content Warning: hoarding, trauma

I saw this book on NetGalley and loved the title and the color of the book so much so I decided to request it. Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

+ Winnie is an organizer because she grew up with a mom who is a hoarder. She takes a job to organize the clutter for Lord Alaric Valerian and she learns that he is more than what he seems. I liked seeing how Winnie experienced anxiety at the thought of clutter (totally relatable), but it has shaped who she is. She has a complicated relationship with her mother, but I thought that was good to see.

+ I did like the romance and there was a tiny bit of fake-dating in the story as well. There is a nice amount of spice too. I did like that even though it seems like a cozy, murder mystery of a book, there was danger when it came to the vampires. I mean, that’s why we love vampires right? So although Alaric comes off as this broody, artisitc, clutter-loving guy, he did bring out his vampire side when needed!

+ There is a big cast but I thought the ladies book club did a great job bringing the humor!

Dislikes:

~ It’s a bit too long. It’s under 600 pages so when I thought I would finish this in one day, it ended up being a couple of days because I lost some interest and put it down to read other books.

~ I wasn’t invested in the murder mystery part.

My Thoughts:

For the most part, I enjoyed this book because of Winnie and Alaric’s romance, plus the funny characters at the book club! There was more drama than I anticipated in this one and I do think it was too long and the murder mystery part fizzled out for me. But if you are looking for a Fall read with vampires, I think you would like this one.

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Dishonestly Yours By. Krista & Becca Ritchie | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Dishonestly Yours (Webs We Weave, #1)

Author: Krista & Becca Ritchie

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 464

Publication Date: 7/2/24

Publisher: Berkley

Categories: Romance, Crime, Family, New Adult

Starting fresh is the only way Phoebe can escape a life of crime, but her best friend’s older brother complicates honest dreams in this gripping new series from the authors of the Addicted series.

Phoebe Graves grew up in a family where deception and seduction are as commonplace as breathing. The Graves and her best friend Hailey’s family have been on the run their whole lives, but after a high-stakes con job goes south, Phoebe and Hailey decide to run away and start over. The small Connecticut town they settle in seems too good to be true.

The biggest flaw in their plan is Hailey’s frustratingly handsome brother, Rocky, who insists on coming with them. Living honestly isn’t in his DNA, and his past with Phoebe is downright messy. He’s everything she wants, but nothing she can have.

Phoebe worries that Rocky will tempt them back into their old ways, where lying is second nature. She doesn’t want Rocky to mess up the new life she’s begun for herself. The longer she stays in town, the more she realizes what it means to have a reputation—and what a normal life with the man she loves could look like.

Content Warning: crime, sexual assault, mentions of rape, toxic parental relationships, hazing

I’ll admit I gravitated to this book because of the cover! I love the colors and then the synopsis got me intrigued so this is what I thought of the book:

Likes:

+ Two best-friends who have lived a life a crime (forced upon them by their toxic parents), now wants to try living life the right way, a life free of crime in Victoria, Connecticut and honestly when Phoebe mentions Hailey’s favorite movie is Mystic Pizza – I was like oh…I’m going to like this because I was obsessed with Mystic Pizza lol. I love the relationship between Phoebe and Hailey, they are best-friends but like sisters for how long they’ve known each other and all the things they have been through. And they have been through a lot.

+ I think the whole crime family storyline is fascinating with how they lived their lives by just doing a con every time they needed money. Phoebe and Hailey and their siblings have been so manipulated by their parents that all the only real way they know how to live is to manipulate others too so it was interesting to see if Phoebe and Hailey could stop their habit of conning their way through life. I like that they are giving it a real good effort.

+ The forbidden romance between Phoebe and Rocky is filled with angst, passion, but also a deep, deep love. They can’t be together for fear of their parents manipulating that love – which is so sad to me. Rocky is her best friend’s brother and they have such a history together and know each other inside and outside of a con. So really, the two of them know each other’s best and worst sides. I thought they were perfect together and was rooting for them. They do have some steamy scenes.

Dislikes:

+ The fake-dating with Phoebe and Jake was kind of weak but I know there is more about Jake we need to learn about. He is hard to gauge and has lots of secrets also.

My Thoughts:

This story is filled with drama as expected from some characters who only know a life of conning but I found it addicting the more messier things got! I loved Phoebe and Hailey’s friendship and Phoebe and Rocky’s angsty love and I definitely will be reading book two to see what happens when their parents come to town and also I want to know more about Jake.

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The House at Watch Hill by. Karen Marie Moning | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The House at Watch Hill (Watch Hill Trilogy, #1)

Author: Karen Marie Moning

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 10/1/24

Publisher: William Morrow

Categories: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Series, Gothic

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to William Morrow for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

#1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning is back with a gripping, imaginative, and seductive new series in which a young woman moves to Divinity, Louisiana, to inherit a large fortune and a Gothic mansion full of mysteries and ominous secrets…

Zo Grey is reeling from the sudden death of her mother when she receives a surprising call from an attorney in Divinity, Louisiana, with the news she has been left an inheritance by a distant relative, the terms of which he will only discuss in person. Destitute and alone, with nothing left to lose, Zo heads to Divinity and discovers she is the sole beneficiary of a huge fortune and a monstrosity of a house that sits ominously at the peak of Watch Hill—but she must live in it, alone, for three years before the house, or the money, is hers.

Met with this irresistible opportunity to finally build a future for herself, Zo puts aside her misgivings about the foreboding Gothic mansion and the strange circumstances, and moves in, where she is quickly met by a red-eyed Stygian owl and an impossibly sexy Scottish groundskeeper.

Her new home is full of countless secrets and mystifying riddles, with doors that go nowhere, others that are impossible to open, and a turret into which there is no visible means of ingress. And the townspeople are odd…

What Zo doesn’t yet know is that her own roots lie in this very house and that in order to discover her true identity and awaken her dormant powers, she will have to face off against sinister forces she doesn’t quite comprehend—or risk being consumed by them.

Content Warning: death, violence, death of parent, illness

I was obsessed with Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series so I was very curious to see what this new series would be about. Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

I really enjoyed the world building especially because it’s centered around a town and a monstrosity of a house. There is a lot of mystery about the town and the house itself. It’s dark and fits the vibe of something bad coming. I like the paranormal themes of the story and we have witches and vampires and who knows what else as the series continues. I usually find mysteries slow but I was mostly engrossed in this one.
Zo is a fighter. Her mom just died and it’s turned her world upside down. She’s now supposedly the heir to a fortune, but that’s not all. There are conditions of her inheritance and she finds out there’s is more to the town than what is presented. We learn a lot about her upbringing by her stories of struggle and I don’t necessarily feel like I know a lot about her to like her, but I admire her strength in taking care of her mom. She’s a woman who has learned not to make connections with people, because she never had a chance to do so.
There are a a lot players in this story and I can’t say I have a good grasp on any of them yet. But many of them are intriguing. Este, seems like Zo’s only friend. The rest of the cast is untrustworthy at this point of the story.

Dislikes:

Nothing much happens in this book except it’s building the story for whatever is coming. I didn’t mind that so much until the second half of the book when I wanted Zo to stop wallowing in her thoughts so much. But there are conditions to her will and she has a lot of waiting to do – that makes us wait as an audience too. When Zo sleeps with men, we don’t get any real details, it’s more telling than showing and I hope that changes in book two.
I thought with how the beginning was written that the house was sentient and it would have been cool if it was! But it’s not (at least so far), it’s got weird energy though, that’s for sure, and I have to say there is a lot of detail about the house which I thought was nice. I love the darkness of the atmosphere but yeah, a sentient house would have been very interesting.

My Thoughts:

This book has the best vibes for fall reading and that’s actually what kept me reading. It’s dark, mysterious, and there are plenty of secrets and also so many sexy men. But I feel like not much happened in this book except for laying the groundwork for what’s to come. I feel like Zo is strong which is admirable but she was also about to hurt the one person she has on her side. So clearly she needs help and control and it will be interesting to see who she can actually trust going forward. So I’ll be waiting for book two and hope we get so much more out of this story because it has so much potential to be amazing. I have lots of questions so I hope we get answers in the next book.

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Book Links:

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Darkfever (Fever, #1) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bloodfever (Fever, #2) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Faefever (Fever, #3) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dreamfever (Fever, #4) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shadowfever (Fever, #5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Iced (Fever, #6) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Burned (Fever, #7) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Feverborn (Fever, #8) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Feversong (Fever, #9) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

High Voltage (Fever, #10) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beyond the Highland Mist (Highlander, #1) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Immortal Highlander (Highlander, #6) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

**I’m pretty sure I read the whole Highlander series but it was at a time I was not consistently using Goodreads to rate the books so that’s all the info I have on the books I did rate on the site.**

When the World Tips Over by. Jandy Nelson | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: When the World Tips Over

Author: Jandy Nelson

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 528

Publication Date: 9/24/24

Publisher: Dial Books

Categories: Young Adult, Mental Health, Contemporary, Magical Realism, LGBT+, Family

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Dial Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

An explosive new novel brimming with love, secrets, and enchantment

The Fall siblings live in hot Northern California wine country, where the sun pours out of the sky, and the devil winds blow so hard they whip the sense right out of your head.

Years ago, the Fall kids’ father mysteriously disappeared, cracking the family into pieces. Now Dizzy Fall, age twelve, bakes cakes, sees spirits, and wishes she were a heroine of a romance novel. Miles Fall, seventeen, brainiac, athlete, and dog-whisperer, is a raving beauty, but also lost, and desperate to meet the kind of guy he dreams of. And Wynton Fall, nineteen, who raises the temperature of a room just by entering it, is a virtuoso violinist set on a crash course for fame . . . or self-destruction.

Then an enigmatic rainbow-haired girl shows up, tipping the Falls’ world over. She might be an angel. Or a saint. Or an ordinary girl. Somehow, she is vital to each of them. But before anyone can figure out who she is, catastrophe strikes, leaving the Falls more broken than ever. And more desperate to be whole.

With road trips, rivalries, family curses, love stories within love stories within love stories, and sorrows and joys passed from generation to generation, this is the intricate, luminous tale of a family’s complicated past and present. And only in telling their stories can they hope to rewrite their futures.

Content Warning: family trauma, family secrets, parental abandonment, parental neglect, sexual assault, profanity

The last time I read a Jandy Nelson book was 10 years ago when she published I’ll Give You the Sun and I loved it. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one but I knew it would be emotional. Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

The characters are so unique! Dizzy, Miles and Wynton are siblings and dealing with their dad leaving them years ago in very different ways. Cassidy who is living the nomad life with her mother who has some mental health issues that she doesn’t quite understand. Each one of them has a different story to tell and a different journey. I like how real each one of them are.
I think the characters that stood out most to me in this book was Cassidy and Miles. Cassidy’s story is really touching, scary, but touching. Miles is the perfect son, but he’s hiding his true self, and he has a dog that he can communicate with mentally!
This story is made up of so many stories – but one emerges in the second half and it’s the story of Bernadette who is the mother of Dizzy and the two boys. It’s intense.
One thing this book does is make you feel all kinds of emotions – especially in the second half of the story when truths are exposed.

Dislikes:

It was hard for me to get into this story because there are so many characters, and also so many stories. Each character is telling their story and in their own way, then midway into the book there is the story about the Fall ancestors. It was a little too much for me and felt too long.
I struggled with the pacing. When it was Cassidy’s POV, I felt immersed and steady in the story but when it was the other POV’s I was thrown off and there are letters too. I think the whole story was choppy which kind of works because this story is a wild, emotional ride, but it was also frustrating.

Final Thoughts:

I had a hard time rating this book because I struggled in the first part of it but I pushed through and I found some of this story really raw and compelling, especially Cassidy’s. This book is emotional. It’s a book that’s hard to describe but has everything from romance, to magic, to family drama, trauma and secrets. I wish the pacing was better and it was a little long. I don’t think I loved it the way I loved I’ll Give You the Sun but it’s definitely a memorable story and I actually think this would be actually great as a tv series because the characters are so compelling. Overall, this is a compelling read.

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Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books by This Author:

I’ll Give You the Sun by. Jandy Nelson – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Can’t Help Falling in Love by. Sophie Sullivan | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Can’t Help Falling in Love

Author: Sophie Sullivan

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 9/17/24

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Categories: Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Fall Romance, Holiday Romance, Fake Dating

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A struggling waitress and the heir to a major Seattle company stumble into a high-profile fake engagement while simultaneously trying to keep up with their own love lives in this flirty fall rom-com!

Lexi Danby is looking for some no-strings, fall fun. Once a college track star, she was forced to drop out when her father passed away. Now she’s trying to make ends meet while putting herself through school and caring for her grieving mother. When her comically bad waitressing lands her directly in the path of a handsome, charming stranger named Will, Lexi may just have found the distraction she’s been looking for. Their first date looks promising until a misunderstanding at a party thrusts Lexi and Will into a fake engagement they can’t talk themselves out of. And Will turns out to be a member of Seattle royalty.

Will Grand is heir to a major company, and Seattle’s most eligible bachelor. But he’s been placed in charge of an important merger with a company that values family above all else, and needs to show them that he’s settled down. While a fake engagement is advantageous from a business standpoint, it’s not so great for a budding relationship with a woman who’s wary of commitment. With a woman who Will is beginning to care about much more than he could have anticipated.

As Lexi gets a taste of Will’s glamorous world and the pair keeps up the pretense of their fake engagement for the press, they decide to see where a more casual relationship takes them out of the spotlight. And amid apple picking in comfy flannels, outdoor breweries in the crisp air, and fun Halloween preparations, Lexi starts to realize the scariest part of the season might just be taking a chance on love.

“Sophie Sullivan consistently crafts romances to root for.” -Courtney Kae, author of In the Event of Love and In the Case of Heartbreak

Content Warning: death of parent, grief

Lexi is in her mid-20’s and is struggling a bit through school, jobs and keeping everything together after her dad passed away. I really felt for Lexi because you can see she is trying hard and she’s patient with her mom who is in a period of grieving to the point she doesn’t want to get out of bed sometimes. When Will comes into her life accidentally and they agree to fake date, I felt like everything seemed to work out well for them like their chemistry, their attraction and there wasn’t really any conflict between them besides Lexi being fearful of falling in love and losing that love.

This was a cute, quick fluffy read and perfect for the holidays! I love how the story happens around fall but I thought even if this was a Christmas holiday romance, it would have worked because by the end I was left with happy feelings as they celebrated Thanksgiving. I really liked the insightful things about life, love and loss that we get from the story. Lexi doesn’t have it all together and she thinks everyone around her does until she finds out everyone is struggling with something. I think that was really relatable.

I do think because there isn’t much conflict between them it felt like too light a read at times in the beginning, but I think we get some depth when Lexi gets fearful as things get more serious between her and Will. Also this happens in a span of six weeks – the fake dating to falling in love, so not exactly insta-love, but kind of.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I thought this was a fun, sweet, quick, fluffy romance! This story is heart warming with family and friendship themes and I think perfect for the fall holiday season.