Categories: Young Adult, New Adult, Romance, Second Chance Romance
You can’t always go home again.
Ellis and Easton have been inseparable since childhood. But when a rash decision throws Ellis’s life—and her relationship with Easton— into chaos she’s forced to move halfway across the country, far from everything she’s ever known.
Now Ellis hasn’t spoken to Easton in a year, and maybe it’s better that way; maybe eventually the Easton shaped hole in her heart will heal. But when Easton’s mother invites her home for a celebration, Ellis finds herself tangled up in the web of heartache, betrayal, and anger she left behind… and with the boy she never stopped loving.
Having read this after listening to The Tortured Poets Department was such an experience! I didn’t mean for that to happen by the way but that’s what happened. And so many songs were resonating with what was happening in this book and Easton is a tortured poet for sure! What a coincidence right?
Ellis has made it – she graduated from high school in San Diego, a town that isn’t home. Now she is invited back home to Indiana, for a 50th birthday party for the woman who practically raised her and the three boys she was close to when she lived with them. Dixon, and Tucker are like brothers to her but Easton, is something more. There are events that happen in the book leading up to the moment Ellis and Easton are separated which sets off a hard journey for them to get back together.
There is angst, mutual pining, and so many feelings that aren’t communicated between Ellis and Easton. Their love story is so sweet but heart wrenching because she’s the girl from the wrong side of the tracks and Easton is the boy with loving parents and an easy upbringing. They are together, then torn apart, then thank you for the happy-ending, brought back together. I almost thought it wasn’t going to happen though, it got frustrating, but eventually they broke through to one another. A lot of things had to happen, like Ellis really facing her demons and Easton being patient through it all and telling her how he feels. I was sort of rooting for them, but also rooting for them not to be a toxic kind of love.
I loved how Sandry (Easton’s mom) took Ellis in. I love how Tucker became her best friend. But I also love that people in her dysfunctional family loved her too and showed it, like Tenny, her cousin and her grandma. This story showed that families are complicated but there can be love there too. I appreciated the layers of this story.
My Final Thoughts:
I loved this book and I think this author is becoming a must-read author for me. I can’t wait to read more of her books!
Quotes From the Book:
“I’m so sick of waiting to be saved or waiting for find myself because I’m too afraid the person I find will disappoint someone else.”
Some Mistakes Were Made by. Kristin Dwyer
“I stand here and feel other. Not quite one of them, but not quite something else. It’s how I feel everywhere.”
Some Mistakes Were Made by. Kristin Dwyer
“Because all the people who love me don’t want to keep me, but I can’t stop feeling like I need to please them.”
Some Mistakes Were Made by. Kristin Dwyer
“I forgot about this. People who can laugh at shitty things. People who don’t think the sky is falling when something small goes wrong. They call it perspective. Or being jaded. Or worse, a grateful attitude. Really, it’s just survival. A word I hate as much as I own.”
Some Mistakes Were Made by. Kristin Dwyer
“We keep having the same argument with words that circle the same hurt over and over again.”
Categories: Adult, Romance, Second Chance Romance, Marriage in Trouble
He had her, he lost her…and he’ll do anything to win her back.
Powerful, brilliant, and ambitious, Dominic Davenport clawed his way up from nothing to become the King of Wall Street.
He has everything—a beautiful home, a beautiful wife, and more money than he could spend in a lifetime. But no matter how much he accumulates, he’s never satisfied.
In his endless quest for more, he drives away the only person who saw him as enough.
It isn’t until she’s gone that he realizes there may be more to life than riches and glory…but by then, it may be too late.
***
Kind, intelligent, and thoughtful, Alessandra Davenport has played the role of trophy wife for years.
She stood by her husband while he built an empire, but now that they’ve reached the top, she realizes he’s no longer the man she fell for.
When it becomes clear that she’ll always come second to his work, she finally takes charge of her life and puts herself first—even if it means leaving the only man she’s ever loved.
But what she didn’t count on was his refusal to let her go…or for him to fight for their marriage, no matter what it takes.
King of Greed is a steamy marriage in trouble/second chance romance. It’s book three in the Kings of Sin series but can be read as a standalone.
Content Warning:
I’m sad I didn’t love this one and I think it’s because nothing about Alessandra or Dominic was intriguing to me even though when they appeared in the two previous books very briefly I was quite interested in their story.
It’s clear these two love each other very much and maybe the marriage in trouble trope just bored me. I get that Dominic worked too much and put his job first but he had issues from the past that made him want to achieve everything. Thing is I didn’t find him very interesting – his brother Roman was more intriguing! Alessandra was just okay too.
I actually loss interest 30% in and skimmed the rest or else I would have DNF’ed it. I just wish there was more drama and spark between them.
My Final Thoughts:
This one is my least favorite of the Kings of Sins series but I’m still going to read King of Sloth though.
Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.
Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn’t expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity’s recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.
Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife’s words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.
Wow, what did I just read? I haven’t read a Colleen Hoover book in awhile because I do need to be in the mood for her books since they kind of get heavy and I saw this title being hyped up years ago, but was never interested but since I’m in a reading slump, I finally decided to read it.
I read it in one sitting because it shocked me and kept me awake plus it’s a quick read. The first chapter sets the tone with an accident, blood and a coincidental meeting between Lowen and Jeremy. From there the story moves quick where they attend a meeting and Jeremy is there representing his wife who is a big time author of a thriller series that she can’t finish because she’s been in a car accident. They ask Lowen if she can finish the series and from there this story twists into something unpredictable and horrific.
Let me just say some emotions I felt from this book were anger, disgust, fear, shock, and basically was wondering what the hell I was reading! I was definitely getting suspicious of certain things happening and even guessed a few things but yikes what a way to tell this story.
I think it was totally entertaining though if you can get through some of the sick things that happen. Some of the stuff where it affected children was hard for me to read.
My Final Thoughts:
I’ve been in a reading slump and I don’t know if this kicked me out of it but at least it gave me a shock to wake me up a little! What a crazy story, and what an ending. I was gagged, as they say now. It is a psychological thriller so beware for some hard topics, like some of the things that involved kids was hard for me to read. But overall I went for a suspenseful ride of a story and was entertained.
Sometimes the wedding of the century calls for desperate measures. And sometimes those desperate measures are to pretend the person you hate most is actually your boyfriend.
After years of working her tail off at her event-planning business, Maggie Mitchell is ready for a vacation. With nothing on her mind but R & R, she’s enjoying the warm weather of Bora Bora when in saunters Brody McFadden, her brother’s best friend and also her sworn enemy. Thanks to years of tension between the two—kicked off by a make-out session at her brother’s wedding that ended horribly—Maggie has sworn to stay away from the man. That is, until she finds out he’s in Bora Bora for his boss’s daughter’s wedding, hoping to use the trip to win a real future at the company.
Maggie promised herself she wouldn’t even think of work on the island, but as word spreads about the “wedding of the century” taking place in the midst of her vacation, she realizes offering her services as a bridesmaid and planner could bring her business to the next level. The only catch? She needs to pose as Brody’s girlfriend to get the job…while letting him stay in her peaceful bungalow.
Tensions rise, irritation flairs, and despite years’ worth of bickering behind closed doors, Maggie can’t quite squash the sparks building between her and her new fake boyfriend, especially when she learns the real reason their first kiss was cut short. But as the wedding day draws closer and everything starts to go wrong, it just might be Brody who sends Maggie’s business crashing down—and her heart along with it.
Content Warning:
This one started off strong. Maggie, and her brother’s best friend, Brody, had a moment during her brother’s wedding. But he left her hanging and she put that bad experience out of her mind. They meet again coincidentally in Bora Bora where Brody is trying to get in good with the head of the company he works for. Maggie, is a wedding planner and wants make some connection with Brody’s boss also, so she can further her goals for her company.
There are a lot of fun tropes in this one: fake dating, forced proximity, and mutual pining.
Maggie and Brody bicker so much and it’s really fun and funny at the beginning of the book. Then it just becomes a bit immature. Clearly the physical attraction between them is there and I love that Brody likes things about Maggie like her being driven, social, and just always making people feel comfortable. But I think Maggie only likes Brody for his looks because honestly…there wasn’t else much there about him to be attracted to. He seems like a fun guy, and with her brother Gary, they are ridiculous together. I felt like at times Maggie went overboard with trying to humiliate him too – even if it wasn’t “on purpose”, I was like okay…that seemed uncalled for? When they finally take things to the next level though, it gets steamy. They have good chemistry in bed and when they aren’t fighting.
I did think the book was too long. I was hoping for a quick, romance read and I thought it would be with how fast everything was happening in the beginning but by 60% in I was kind of losing interest. Also there were some typos in the beginning of the book which threw me off a little.
My Final Thoughts:
This one is a fun romp on an island with two characters who are trying so hard not to fall for each other but it’s so hard when they are physically attracted to one another and forced into one room for a few days. There is a lot of sex humor in this one. It’s a spicy romantic comedy that’s easy to read but for me it fizzled out at the end.
A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.
Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again…
Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….
Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she’s ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.
I’m so glad I got to finally read this book which has been getting so much hype and I can see why!
I love a good vampire story and this one where a vampire and a Were marry one another to keep the alliances is such a good storyline. I thought the world building and politics were done well and I could feel the high stakes of an alliance between vampire and Weres to be vital to both species against the humans. I felt like I learned a lot about vampires through Misery (what a name!) and there was so much insight about weres when Misery goes to live with them. I like that the explanations in this book didn’t feel like info-dumping but something I was genuinely interested to know.
Misery is a great character – she’s cold and comes off unfeeling because she’s a vampire, they lack the emotions to supposedly care for another being. But then there is Serena, a human, who was Misery’s foster sister and their relationship even though for 3/4ths of the books it was through memories, was such an important relationship for Misery. It’s why she jumps into a marriage alliance – it’s all to find Serena, who is missing and Misery cannot fathom a life without her. I love them together.
As for Misery and her romance with Lowe, it’s a slow burn. But yes, Weres have “mates”, so I think it’s safe to say that was a predictable part of the story. Still, I thought their relationship grew nicely for two people in a forced marriage and when the attraction finally hit for Misery it turned this book quite spicy. And yes, the word I learned this year is “knot” after reading another Were romance earlier this year and not knowing what the heck that was. Well…this book gives a LOT of explanation and demonstration! I don’t know what I think of it yet…like I don’t know if I find it sexy? But hey it’s the way they do things, so I’m just going with it.
The story had a great flow from beginning to end with the search for Serena, the politics of the alliances and how Serena might be involved, Misery living with the Weres and also Misery dealing with not fitting in anywhere ever since she was a child most in part because of her horrible father. I loved the relationship building between Misery, Lowe and the Weres because the hate and fears between them was so strong at first.
The only thing I didn’t quite love was Lowe always taking things on himself and pushing Misery away – after what she’s been through as a child – I hated that for her. That was so weak of him and it annoyed me.
It looks like this is going to be a series or standalone stories in a series – after what happens at the end, so I’m looking forward to the next book!
My Final Thoughts:
This had everything I want in a paranormal romance! Vampires, politics, a slow burn, smart characters, lovable characters, and an entertaining story from start to finish. I’m looking forward to the next book!
Categories: New Adult, Romance, Series, Hockey Romance, Sports Romance
Gigi Graham has exactly three qualify for the women’s national hockey team, win Olympic gold, and step out of her famous father’s shadow. So far, so good, except for two little things. Fine – a little thing and a big, grumpy thing. She needs to improve her game behind the net, and she needs help from Luke Ryder.
Ryder is six-foot five, built, opinionated, rude . . . and sexy as hell. But he’s still the enemy.
Briar’s new hockey co-captain has his reasons, though. The men’s team just merged with a rival program, leaving Ryder with an angry roster where everyone hates one another’s guts. To make matters worse, the summer coaching spot he’s angling for with the legendary Garrett Graham is out of reach after he makes the worst possible first impression on his hero. So, really, this compromise with Gigi is win-win. He helps her make the national team, she puts in a good word with her dad.
The only potential snag? This bone-deep, body-numbing, mind-spinning chemistry they’re trying to ignore. It’s a dangerous game they’re playing, but the risks just might be worth it.
Content Warning: traumatic childhood
I read the Off-Campus Series by Elle Kennedy back when it was first published almost 10 years ago – wow! I don’t remember if I read them all though and I for sure didn’t read any of the Briar U series but here is a new series called Campus Diaries and it takes place at Briar University. But this time the wild hockey boys from Off-Campus have grown up! The Graham Effect is all about Garrett Graham’s college aged daughter, Gigi. She’s a hockey player too is trying to make the Olympic Team but also having the most fun at college with the hockey boys and her best friends.
I thought this was a cute and spicy romance but also it was more than just a fluffy romance. Not gonna lie, I was expecting a fluffy and spicy hockey romance. This one is shy of 500 pages and I think it was a tad bit too long. But the story does give us a whole spectrum of Gigi and Ryder’s romance. I thought they had great chemistry and there are a lot of spicy scenes between them. Gigi is a good girl, good daughter and student – she was pretty much perfect. Ryder is the boy with the reputation for a bad attitude, but he is definitely the boy with the traumatic childhood. The two made a good couple because honesty was number one for them – no matter what. Loved that about them.
I loved seeing Gigi and Ryder’s relationship grow – and I love all the different characters we meet! Gigi has her best friends, Mya and Diana and Ryder has his close buddies and then some with his old and new teammates. There are a lot of names to remember but I thought each character stood out on their own pretty well. Do I think everyone needed to be introduced? Maybe not. Also, I know this is a sports/hockey romance and I like the sports stuff fine, but not so much of it. I really did feel like at some point this story kept going on and on. Another thing that I won’t spoil but something happens at the end of the book and I was like…why?! 😅 Why did that need to happen?
My Final Thoughts:
This is a spicy new adult hockey romance set in college. It’s got good looking and mostly nice characters (a lot of characters). Gigi is sweet, smart and athletic and Ryder is gruff, not a talker and athletic. They have a great chemistry and a strong relationship. I do think the story was way too long and some things could have been cut but overall still a very fun read.
Categories: Fantasy, Young Adult, Jamaica Inspired, Dragons, Romance, LGBT+
Whip-smart and immersive, this Jamaican-inspired fantasy follows a gods-blessed heroine who’s forced to choose between saving her sister or protecting her homeland.
Faron Vincent can channel the power of the gods. Five years ago, she used her divine magic to liberate her island from its enemies, the dragon-riding Langley Empire. But now, at seventeen, Faron is all powered up with no wars to fight. She’s a legend to her people and a nuisance to her neighbors.
When she’s forced to attend an international peace summit, Faron expects that she will perform tricks like a trained pet and then go home. She doesn’t expect her older sister, Elara, forming an unprecedented bond with an enemy dragon—or the gods claiming the only way to break that bond is to kill her sister.
As Faron’s desperation to find another solution takes her down a dark path, and Elara discovers the shocking secrets at the heart of the Langley Empire, both must make difficult choices that will shape each other’s lives, as well as the fate of their world.
“By turns hopeful and devastating, So Let Them Burn is a masterful debut with a blazing heart. I was captivated from beginning to end by Cole’s sharp, clever prose and by her protagonists—two remarkable sisters with an unforgettable bond.” — Chelsea Abdullah, author of The Stardust Thief
Content Warning: violence
I thought the premise of this book was very intriguing – Jamaican inspired and dragons?
I love the sister bond between Faron and Elara. Faron is the Child Empyrean – chosen by the Gods, and gifted with power. She is the chosen but is the younger sister and makes a few mistakes in this books showing her immaturity. Elara is the older sister and is always in her sister’s shadow but longs to shine on her own. The sister are apart for most of the book but I think it helps to see them apart because Elara grows a lot from her new situation, whereas I think Faron alone needed her sister’s guidance.
I liked learning all about the dragons and the world-building is great. I would have liked more about the dragon academy since I think the best thing about this book was about the dragons. There is an interesting plot twist that occurs and I can see how this is going to complicate things a lot for the sisters. There are two romances happening for each sister, I’d say I was more into Elara’s building romance than Faron’s. But with everything that happened in the end of the book, I’m now much more curious how it’s going to end up for Faron. I think Gael Soto’s character is very intriguing and it will be interesting to see what happens to him in book two.
I did feel like this is more for younger young adult audiences.
My Final Thoughts:
Overall this one was entertaining and you definitely like it if you are looking for a younger young adult novel with dragons in it.
Title: The Veiled Kingdom (The Veiled Kingdom, #1)
Author: Holly Renee
Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)
Pages: 364
Publication Date: 3/19/24
Categories: Romance, Fantasy, Adult Fiction, Fae, Enemies to Lovers
From USA Today Bestselling Author Holly Renee, author of the Stars and Shadows series, comes a scorching new fantasy romance that ignites the pages with relentless danger, forbidden passion, and the intoxicating allure of enemies to lovers.
Fleeing my father’s cruelty, the wicked king who robbed me of a future, I face death in the streets, caught between a rebellion and a tyrant’s reign.
Captured by those sworn to kill me, the rebels remain blind to my true identity—the missing daughter of the despised king. Faced with an impossible choice, I stand before them: join the rebels or face their blades.
Yet, Dacre, the son of the ruthless rebellion commander, becomes torn between suspicion and a desire that mirrors my own. He allows no one to touch me, tries to protect me, yet threatens me at every turn.
As secrets are weaved beyond our hidden realm, a fierce battle unfolds within me. As I get closer to the rebels, and their cause, my loyalty to my kingdom clashes with my undeniable devotion to Dacre and the burning connection between us.
In a world where love and hate are two edges of the same blade, I find myself caught in a delicate dance between forbidden desire and my looming destiny.
Content Warning: toxic parental relationship
I went into this one blind – I saw the book cover, love the colors, thought the synopsis sounded pretty good and hit “read for free” since it’s on Kindle Unlimited. I read it in one night!
I wanted “enemies to lovers” and I got it. Nyra is a runaway princess – her father’s regime is ruthless and she had to escape him. There is a rebellion movement planning to take him down but they are in search of this so-called princess people haven’t seen in awhile. The son of the rebellion is Dacre and he is Nyra’s enemy…for now.
The chemistry between Nyra and Dacre is so good. He’s her captor, she’s the captive. He doesn’t trust her and treats her like she’s a pebble in his shoe but she doesn’t cower. Even when he’s disrespecting her, and insulting her while he trains her, always egging her on – she never cowers in front of him but instead takes it and I guess it even turns her on. I will say that there are qualities to Dacre that are admirable, like obviously he cares for his sister Wren and he is loyal to his people and the rebellion. He has an awful dad and his mom’s death traumatized him so he is hard edges and just – hard. 😅
There’s a lot of spicy scenes between Nyra and Dacre but it comes later in the book, which I thought was perfect timing. It didn’t happen so quick, but it definitely kept me seated and reading, waiting to see if something more would happen – and I was not disappointed!
As far as world-building, I just wanted a little more but because I’m used to it in other fantasy books. I felt like this one is one of those addictive reads with not as much world-building but maybe in comes in book two? A lot time is spent with Dacre training Nyra and the story is mostly set in the rebel city, so I’m hoping book two takes us back to Nyra’s kingdom and we get to actually meet this horrible father of hers.
I devoured this book but unfortunately now I have to wait for book two which comes out in July!
My Final Thoughts:
This hit all my romantasy cravings ~ enemies to lovers, captor/captive, one bed, alphahole and his dirty talk (naughty, naughty!), and this is a world of faeries which I also love but I need a bit more world-building. I want to know more about these fae kingdoms, more backstory and maybe more depth with Nyra (I’m thinking we get it with that cliffhanger ending!) but other than that, I’ll be waiting for book two. I’m addicted!
Rowan I’m in the business of creating fairy tales. Theme parks. Production companies. Five-star hotels. Everything could be all mine if I renovated Dreamland. My initial idea of hiring Zahra was good in theory, but then I kissed her. Things spiraled out of control once I texted her using an alias. By the time I realized where I went wrong, it was too late. People like me don’t get happy endings. Not when we’re destined to ruin them.
Zahra After submitting a drunk proposal criticizing Dreamland’s most expensive ride, I should have been fired. Instead, Rowan Kane offered me a dream job. The catch? I had to work for the most difficult boss I’d ever met. Rowan was rude and completely off-limits, but my heart didn’t care. At least not until I discovered his secret. It was time to teach the billionaire that money couldn’t fix everything. Especially not us.
The Fine Print is the first book in a series of interconnected standalones following three billionaire brothers.
Content Warning: toxic parental relationship
I love the characters in this story – Zahra is quirky, but wholesome and comes from a good, loving family. She’s had a bad experience with an ex-boyfriend but overall, she’s strong, warm and people love her. She’s miss sunshine with a little bit of sass because she can definitely keep up with Rowan’s grumpy personality. I found their interactions and banter really fun!
I also love Zahra’s sister, Ani, who has down syndrome – she was so funny, cute and cool! I loved that she had her own little sass too and could keep up with Rowan. Rowan is the typical rich, handsome, grumpy guy trying to live up to family expectations but he has quite a past himself and is dealing with his mother’s and grandfather’s passing.
I thought the romance progressed really good from their first meeting and then all their interactions in between up until their conflict. I do think the story went on a bit too long and Rowan was being a jerk with ending things and then wanting her back right away. Like come on man, you are seriously stringing this nice girl along and she really didn’t deserve that. Yes, he has commitment issues and needed to work on them but yeah…even I was getting tired of it.
It did have a cute ending but it could have come sooner for sure!
My Final Thoughts:
I thought this was a cute one and I do love Zahra and Rowan together – he just needed to get his stuff together earlier so this could be a nice 350 page book. 😅 I don’t think we got a good feel of either of his brothers in this book but I’ll be reading their stories for sure.
Title: Fate & Furies (The Legends of Thezmarr, #3)
Author: Helen Scheuerer
Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)
Pages: 431
Publication Date: 2/22/24
Categories: New Adult, Series, Fantasy, Romance, Magic
“I always knew you would be the end of me.” With darkness cursing the world around her, Althea Zoltaire is desperate for vengeance. But as she hunts Wilder Hawthorne across the kingdoms, brutal secrets begin to unravel. Not knowing what – or who – to trust, Thea and her companions find themselves entwined with a destiny far greater than one man. Together, they must navigate the haunting revelations that could shatter the very foundations of the midrealms. Yet it’s not only the world at stake, but Thea’s heart too. As everything teeters on the verge of destruction, her fate collides once more with Wilder’s. Will their reunion ignite the fiery passion between them amidst the ashes of betrayal? Or will it end in a heartbreaking, deadly showdown? In a journey fraught with danger, where the lines between enemies and allies blur, Thea must decide where her loyalties lie, and who will stand at her side against the looming evil. Get ready for an epic adventure brimming with steamy romance, and a sprawling world of magic and monsters. Fate & Furies is the penultimate book in the spellbinding epic romantic fantasy series, The Legends of Thezmarr and is perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, The Bridge Kingdom, and The Witcher.
Content Warning: violence, death
+ I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue with this series because I thought book two was okay but I guess I’m back because it was in my library and I’ve been trying to read all the books I haven’t in my kindle library so I picked this up and was determined to finished it and I did it in one sitting. This was much better than book two!
+ Thea and her traveling buddies, Kipp and Cal (who I love), are trying to find Wilder Hawthorne, to arrest him, but he’s the guy who broke Thea’s heart and now she’s adamant to never forgive him or fall for him ever again. But that’s hard when he’s basically her soulmate. I’m glad it doesn’t take too long for them to find him because this book is better when Thea and Wilder are together. Now mind you the story states it’s been a year since Thea and Wilder had seen each other so he’s been missing her badly but she’s been turning her heart into stone the whole time. I really like how they have to face some things about their relationship. Their desire for one another is undeniable and I’m glad they don’t lean on that to make their relationship work – they actually do the hard part and confront the issues between them.
+ Speaking of confronting issues, which I loved about this book, Thea gets a chance to finally talk face to face with her long lost sister, who was supposed to be the enemy. It’s a hard talk, but it’s the beginning of healing which is so awesome for them. Now just waiting for Wren to come around to it all and then this sisterhood will be complete. I love that about this book that even though it’s a romance, Thea has so many other important relationships in her life that she has to fix – especially everything going on with her sisters.
+ Thea grows so much from learning to have the hard talks with important people in her life. It’s not always so easy to forgive the people that hurt you but she does it even if it hurts some more. Also, her friendship with Cal and Kipp, is what friendship should be about. She has two people that is close to her who will talk to her and tell her when things don’t look right. And she was mature enough to listen. Oh and I really love when she has to go through the Great Rite to finally become the warrior she’s always wanted to be. It’s a mental and physical trial and doesn’t take up a lot of time in the book but I thought the Furies were just so cool.
+ This is a romantasy – romance/fantasy and yes we get some spice between Wilder and Thea. But I love that it doesn’t come until later while they are trying to figure things out because like he said – it needed to be figured out! He wanted her whole, not just for sex and distraction, and he wanted her only when she was ready to be in it 100% with him. I love them together.
My Final Thoughts:
I believe I still have Slaying the Shadow Prince in my kindle library as well so I will read it next because it’s about an important character in this world. But Fates & Furies was really an enjoyable read filled with themes of family, friendship, love and forgiveness. I love how much Thea has grown from book one and I can’t wait to see what happens in book four! This series has everything I enjoy in a romance fantasy!
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